Abstract:
A membrane pump powered by an activating element includes a chamber body. The interior of the chamber body is provided with a first chamber and a second chamber that are in fluid communication with each other. One side or both sides of the chamber body are provided with an inlet pipeline and an outlet pipeline that are in fluid communication with the first chamber and second chamber, respectively. Valves are provided on the inner wall face of same side of the first chamber and the second chamber, thereby preventing the working fluid from generating a backflow phenomenon. Furthermore, the top surface of the chamber body is provided with a membrane. An activating element abuts on the membrane for driving the membrane to swing up and down, thereby pressing the working fluid within the first chamber to circulatively flow in one direction. Via this arrangement, in addition to miniaturize the pump structure to a further extent, the working performance of the pump and the flowing amount of the working fluid are also increased.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a membrane pump, and in particular to a membrane pump which can be applied to a fluid delivery or circulation system. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0004]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a conventional common piezoelectric pump includes a chamber body  10 . The bottom surface of the chamber body  10  is provided with an inlet pipeline  101  and an outlet pipeline  102 . The mouths of the inlet pipeline  101  and the outlet pipeline  102  are provided therein with a check valve  20  and  20   a , respectively. The top surface of the chamber body  10  is provided with a membrane  103 . An activating element  104  abuts flatly on the membrane  103 . The activating element  104  is a piezoelectric piece. Via this arrangement, after the activating element  104  is supplied with electricity, the middle portion of the membrane  103  is caused to swing up and down, as indicated by the arrow in this figure. Since the special positional design of such structure is characterized in that the two check valves  20 ,  20   a  are located in the inlet pipeline  101  and the outlet pipeline  102 , when the activating element  104  swings upwardly, the internal pressure of the chamber body  10  is smaller than the external pressure thereof. Accordingly, both check valves  20 ,  20   a  move upwardly. As a result, the check valve  20  allows the channel between the inlet pipeline  101  and the chamber body  10  to be opened, so that the working fluid within the inlet pipeline  101  can enter the chamber body  10 . At the same time, the check valve  20   a  blocks the channel between the outlet pipeline  102  and the chamber body  10 , so that the working fluid  102  draining from the outlet pipeline  102  cannot flow back into the chamber body  10 . On the other hand, when the activating element  104  is pressed, the membrane  103  is caused to compress the space of the chamber body  10  and thus to generate a pressure, which causes both check valve  20 ,  20   a  to move downwardly. As a result, the check valve  20   a  allows the channel between the outlet pipeline  102  and the chamber body  10  to be opened, so that the compressed working fluid within the chamber body  10  can drain away from the outlet pipeline  102 . The check valve  20  blocks the channel between the inlet pipeline  101  and the chamber body  10 , so that the water within the chamber body  10  cannot drain away from the inlet pipeline  101 . With this continuously up-and-down swinging action, the working fluid can subsequently enter the chamber body  10  from the inlet pipeline  101 , and then flow out of the outlet pipeline  102 . Therefore, the pump becomes a source of driving the flow of the working fluid. 
         [0005]    However, such kind of piezoelectric pump has some drawbacks. First of all, both the inlet pipeline  101  and the outlet pipeline  102  are provided on the bottom surface of the chamber body  10  so as to miniaturize the structure itself to a larger extent than the conventional structure, however, it is difficult to design the position of the pipeline to a further reduced extent. Therefore, it is difficult for such a structure to apply to a further thinned space, such as the current notebook or miniaturized biological and medical instruments. Furthermore, the activating element  104  swings in a manner that the middle portion thereof generates an up-and-down swinging action. When the activating element  104  is pressed, it simultaneously drives the membrane  103  to press downwardly the working fluid within the chamber body  10 , so that the working fluid can flow toward both sides. Although the check valves  20 ,  20   a  are provided respectively on the mouths of the inlet pipeline  101  and the outlet pipeline  102  so as to prevent the working fluid from entering the inlet pipeline  101  and generating a so-called backflow phenomenon, in practice, only the middle portion of the activating element  104  acts as the swinging region, causing the swinging range of the activating element  104  too small. Therefore, during each swinging action, the amount of the fluid entering or draining from the chamber body  10  is small, which is the primary drawback of the pump structure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Therefore, in view of the above drawbacks, the present invention is to provide a membrane pump, in which one side of an activating element is used to swing like a sector, so that a larger range of up-and-down swinging action can be obtained to press the working fluid within the pump, thereby forcing the working fluid to flow in one direction. Via this arrangement, in addition to compact the pump to a further thinned extent, the mode of the one-side and large-range swinging action can cooperate with the flowing direction of the fluid, thereby improving the working efficiency of the pump and the circulation system thereof. 
         [0007]    In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a membrane pump that is constituted of a chamber body. The interior of the chamber body is provided with a first chamber and a second chamber that are in fluid communication with each other. One side or both sides of the chamber body are provided with an inlet pipeline and an outlet pipeline that are in fluid communication with the first chamber and second chamber, respectively. Valves are provided on the inner wall face of same side of the first chamber and the second chamber, thereby preventing the working fluid from generating a backflow phenomenon. Furthermore, the top surface of the chamber body is provided with a membrane. An activating element abuts on the membrane for driving the membrane to swing up and down, thereby pressing the working fluid within the first chamber to circulatively flow in one direction. Via this arrangement, in addition to miniaturize the pump structure to a further extent, the working performance of the pump and the flowing amount of the working fluid are also increased. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional structure; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a view showing the complete assembly of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view (I) showing the operation of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view (II) showing the operation of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view (I) showing the pipeline of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view (II) showing the pipeline of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a top view showing the structure of the second embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view showing the comparison between the swinging action of the present invention and that of prior art. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the present invention, and  FIG. 3  is a view showing the complete assembly of the present invention. As shown in the figures, the pump of the present invention is mainly constituted of a chamber body  1 . The interior of the chamber body  1  is provided respectively with a first chamber  11  and a second chamber  12  for accommodating a working fluid. In the present embodiment, the first chamber  11  is larger than the second chamber  12 . Both of the first chamber and the second chamber are separated from each other but in fluid communication with each other. In the present embodiment, a through hole  13  is provided therebetween, so that the first chamber  11  is in fluid communication with the second chamber  12 . Both sides of the outer edge of the chamber body  1  are provided respectively with an inlet pipeline  14  and an outlet pipeline  15 . The inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are in fluid communication with the first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 , respectively. The inner wall face of the first chamber  11  is provided with a valve  2  at a position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline  14 . In the present embodiment, one end of the valve  2  is provided with a pillar  21  that is located in a penetrating trough  111  on the inner wall face. A plate  22  extends from the pillar  21  and corresponds to the position of the mouth of the inlet pipeline  14 . The plate is used to block the working fluid from flowing back to the inlet pipeline  14  from the first chamber  11  and then flowing out of the chamber body  1 . The inner wall face of the second chamber  12  is provided with a valve  2   a  at a position corresponding to that of the through hole  13 . The valve  2   a  is used to block the working fluid from flowing back to the first chamber  11  from the second chamber via the through hole  13 . The valve  2   a  is arranged in the same manner as that of the valve  2  in the first chamber  11 . 
         [0018]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , the upper end face of the chamber body  1  is provided with a membrane  3  that is made of a material having a large tension force. The size of the membrane  3  is approximately the same as the area of an end surface of the chamber body  1 . Further, the membrane completely covers the first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 . An activating element  4  is provided above the membrane  3 . In the present embodiment, the activating element  4  is a piezoelectric piece and is provided correspondingly above the first chamber  11  to flatly abut against the membrane  3 . The activating element  4  has a fixed end  41  and a swinging end  42 . The fixed end  41  and the outlet pipeline  15  are located on the same side. The fixed end  41  is connected with a plurality of electrode leads  5  to supply the necessary electricity for the activating element  4 . The swinging end  42  abuts flatly against the surface of the membrane  3 . After the electricity is supplied, the swinging end  42  forms a sector at one side thereof and swings in a large range. As shown in  FIG. 9 , under the same swinging angle θ, the variation δ 2  obtained by swinging like a sector is much larger than the variation δ 1  obtained by swinging with the middle portion thereof. Therefore, swinging like a sector can concentrate the working fluid and causes it to flow in the same direction. At the same time, the membrane  3  is caused to press toward the first chamber  11 , thereby improving the drawbacks that the swinging range of the conventional activating element and the amount of flow are too small. Furthermore, the frequency of the swinging action of the activating element  4  can be adjusted according to various desires. 
         [0019]    Finally, the chamber body  1  can be correspondingly combined with a casing  6  for covering the membrane  3  and the activating element  4  therein. The casing  6  is provided with a plurality of penetrating troughs  61 ,  61   a  and  61   b  on the positions corresponding to those of the activating element  4 , the electrode leads  5  and the second chamber  12 , respectively. In this way, the activating element  4  is exposed to the outside and has a space for expansion. The electrode leads  5  also penetrate through the activating element  4 . The complete assembly of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0020]    Please refer to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , which are the cross-sectional views showing the operation of the present invention. As shown in the figures, the present invention can be applied to a liquid delivery system or circulation system (such as a water-cooling circulation system). The inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are connected respectively to conduits  7  of the system, so that the membrane pump is in fluid communication with the other components of the system (not shown), thereby facilitating the working fluid to enter the membrane pump. When the electricity is supplied to the activating element  4  via the leads  5 , the swinging end  42  of the activating element  4  generates a swinging action with one side thereof swinging like a sector, as shown in  FIG. 4 . When the swinging end  42  of the activating element  4  swings downwardly, at the same time, the membrane  3  is caused to press the inner space of the first chamber  11  to generate a pressure and thus to force the working fluid to flow through the valve  2   a  (indicated by the arrow) toward the second chamber  12 . Although a little portion of the working fluid flows toward the inlet pipeline  14 , the momentum of the working fluid can force the valve  2  to close the mouth of the inlet pipeline  14 , thereby preventing the working fluid from flowing back to the inlet pipeline  14 . On the other hand, when the swinging end  42  of the activating element  4  swings upwardly, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the membrane  3  returns its original shape to release the inner space of the first chamber  11 , so that the internal pressure of the first chamber  11  is smaller than the external pressure thereof, thereby forcing the working fluid to flow from the inlet pipeline  11  via the valve  2  into the first chamber  11  (indicated by the arrow). The working fluid remaining in the outlet pipeline  15  and the second chamber  12  also generates a momentum due to the pressure so as to press the valve  2   a , causing the valve  2   a  to close the through hole  13 . In this way, the working fluid remaining in the outlet pipeline  15  and the second chamber  12  flows back into the first chamber  11 . Thus, the working fluid within the membrane pump forms a larger amount of flow in one direction. 
         [0021]    The inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are provided on both sides of the chamber body  1 , and in addition, the positions of the inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  can be varied according to different situations. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the inlet pipeline  14  is provided at one side of the chamber body  1  and is in fluid communication with the first chamber  11 . The outlet pipeline  15  is provided on the bottom of the chamber body  1  and is in fluid communication with the second chamber  12 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are in fluid communication with the first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 , respectively. The valve  2  is provided in the first chamber  11  at a position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline  14 , thereby blocking the working fluid from flowing back into the inlet pipeline  14 . Therefore, via the action of the valve  2 , the working fluid entering the chamber body  1  can generate a pumping action with one side entering and the other side exiting, thereby overcoming the drawback that the amount of flow in the conventional pump is too small. 
         [0022]    With reference to  FIG. 8 , it is a top view showing the structure of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the membrane pump is mainly constituted of a chamber body  1 . The interior of the chamber body  1  has a first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 . In the present embodiment, the second chamber  12  is provided at one side of the first chamber  11 . Both chambers are in fluid communication with each other via a through hole  13 . Furthermore, the chamber body  1  has an inlet pipeline  14  and an outlet pipeline  15 . The inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are located on the same side. The inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15  are in fluid communication with the first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 , respectively. The inner wall face of the first chamber  11  is provided with a valve  2  at a position corresponding to that of the inlet pipeline  14 . The inner wall face of the second chamber  12  is provided with a valve  2   a  at a position corresponding to that of the through hole  13 . The top surface of the chamber body  1  is provided with a membrane  3  that covers the first chamber  11  and the second chamber  12 . An activating element  4  is provided on the upper surface of the membrane  3 . The activating element  4  has a fixed end  41  and a swinging end  42 . The fixed end  41  is electrically connected with a plurality of electrode leads  5 . In the present embodiment, the fixed end  41  is located on the same side as the inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15 , thereby facilitating the swinging end  42  of the activating element  4  to generate a swinging action with one side thereof swinging like a sector. Finally, the chamber body  1  can also be combined with a casing  6 , thereby covering the membrane  3  and the activating element  4  therein. 
         [0023]    After the electricity is supplied to the activating element  4  of the chamber body  1 , the swinging end  42  generates a swinging action with one side thereof swinging like a sector. When the swinging end  42  swings downwardly, the membrane  3  is caused to press toward the interior of the first chamber  11 , causing to increase the internal pressure of the first chamber  11 . Therefore, the working fluid remaining in the first chamber  11  generates a momentum and moves simultaneously toward the inlet pipeline  14  and the outlet pipeline  15 . When the working fluid flows toward the inlet pipeline  14 , the thus-generated momentum presses the valve  2  that is located at the position corresponding to the inlet pipeline  14 . Thus, the valve  2  closes the inlet pipeline  14  to avoid the working fluid from flowing back into the inlet pipeline  14  and from generating a backflow phenomenon. At the same time, the momentum generated by the working fluid flowing toward the outlet pipeline  15  rushes the valve  2   a , so that the working fluid flows toward the other components via the second chamber  12 . On the other hand, when the activating element  4  swings upwardly, the membrane  3  returns to its original shape and recovers the internal pressure of the first chamber  11 , so that the external pressure of the first chamber  11  is larger than the internal pressure thereof. Thus, the working fluid flows into the inlet pipeline  14  to push away the valve  2  and flows into the first chamber  11 . Further, the working fluid remaining in the second chamber  12  also generates a momentum due to the pressure, thereby pressing the valve  2   a  located in the through hole  13 . In this way, the through hole  13  is closed to block the working fluid from flowing back into the first chamber  11 , so that the membrane pump can generate a circulating action in one direction. 
         [0024]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications may still occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.