RECIPROCATION SWITCHING STRUCTURE FOR PUMPS

Abstract: The reciprocation switching structure for pumps eliminates the drawbacks encountered in a conventional structure of this kind in which a coiled spring is used to operate a valve actuator of a valve switching mechanism, with a snap action of the spring. This coiled spring requires a spring mounting shaft, a spring mounting shaft supporting structure and a spring receiving member. This causes the number of parts of the spring to increase, and the part-assembling work to be complicated. The reciprocation switching structure instead uses C-shaped wire springs, connected directly in a fitted state between a spring fitting member and a valve actuator or a valve switching mechanism.

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a switching device for a pump which is reciprocated by automatically switching the application and removal of fluid pressure. BACKGROUND ART Conventional reciprocation switching devices for pumps typically call for, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 40805/1974 fitting a piston to the inside of the cylinder body so as to slide along the cylinder body; providing the said piston with two kinds of movable valves to control fluid pressure applied to one side of the piston and fluid pressure applied to the other side of the piston; and installing a valve operator at the center of the said piston to operate the two kinds of valves by snap-action by means of a spring working in relation to the reciprocating movement of the piston. As a compressed coil spring is used for such a conventional device, it requires a spring fitting rod for attaching the spring; a structure that permits this rod to be fitted to rotate around the valve operator installed at the centre of the device; and a spring holder section fitted to the said spring fitting rod to slide against it and also to rotate around sections incorporated with the piston as one body. Therefore, such a conventional device presents a problem in that assembly of those parts as described above is difficult and complicated and cost reductions are limited due to the numerous parts required. A known example of a conventional reciprocation switching device for a diaphragm pump is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 40805-1974. A device described therein consists of, as shown in Fig. 3, switching mechanism section 512 provided inside switching device body 511; working rod 515 inserted through said switching mechanism section 512 and reciprocated by working fluid supplied to and exhausted from two working fluid chambers 513 and 514 in turn; switching operator 519 fitted between the larger diameter section 516 of said working rod 515 and sleeve 517 capable of moving and being moved to one side or another of switching valve chest 518; cavity-shaped switch 521 switched by said switching operator 519 to switch supply and exhaust to and from two working fluid chambers 513 and 514 of working fluid supplied to switching valve chest 518; and spring 522 to hold switching operator 519 at one side or the other side of switching valve chest 518 by applying spring pressure perpendicular at the neutral point to said switching operator 519. Such conventional devices further call for moving switching operator 519 by means of reciprocating movements of working rod 515; sliding switch 521 by said switching operator 519; controlling supply and exhaust of working fluid (the air) from and to the two working fluid chambers (air chambers) 513 and 514; and continuously reciprocating working rod 515. Diaphragms 523 and 524 are a part of both ends of said working rod 515. These diaphragms 523 and 524 partition the chambers to form said working fluid chambers 513 and 514 and pump chambers 525 and 526. As said working rod 515 moves, volumes of said pump chambers 525 and 526 change, thus creating pumping strokes. For example, in case working rod 515 moves towards the right, the liquid contained in chamber 525 at one side of the device is pushed, by volume contraction of said pump chamber 525, out of discharge port 528 through check valve 527 at the discharging side. Meanwhile, the liquid is sucked, by volume augmentation of pump chamber 526 at the other side, out of suction port 529 into said pump chamber 526 through check valve 530 provided at the suction side. Such right and left pumping action is repeated in turn by the automatic switching of working fluid at said switching mechanism section 512. In such conventional reciprocation switching devices, the configuration for the spring exerting pressure to switching operator 519 involves attaching cylindrical slider 531 to one end of compressed coil spring 522; insetting one ball-shaped end 534 of activator 533 in cavity 532 at the end of said slider 531, to allow the ball-shaped end 534 to rotate; and insetting the other ball-shaped end 535 of activator 533 in a cavity 536 of said switching operator 519 to permit rotation thereof. Thus, compressed coil spring 522 is used in a conventional structure, and therefore it is necessary to install said cylindrical slider 531 and activator 533 between said spring 522 and switching operator 519, a configuration which presents difficulty. Such a conventional configuration further presents a problem in that, as cavity-shaped switch 521 slides along the working rod, abrasion tends to occur between said switch 521 and the opposing metal and it thus becomes necessary to use special wear-resistant metal at such sliding section. DE-A-25339985 discloses a bistable latching device for mechanical latching, e.g. of a hydraulic valve, designed to provide relatively large end position latching forces using the simplest possible spring shape, a relatively small latching stroke and a compact construction. The movable element moves in its axial directions between end points determined by springs located in a bearing ring and in a recess in the element. The bearing ring is located in an annular slot in the housing. the element has a conical valve surface forming a seal with the valve seat in one end position. The springs are formed as rings of spring wire, and are arranged symmetrically about the axis. The bearing ring has axial and transverse play. EP-A-217699 discloses a dosing pump which acts on the shaft (3) of a piston (2) which slides in a glass cylinder (1). A cover (4) around the cylinder defines an annular space (5) for the circulation of liquid towards one of the open ends of the cylinder and to the upper face (2a) of the piston. The dispenser body (6) is removable from the cylinder and has four channels (17,18,19,19a) and two positions for the supply for the cylinder. A central hole (7) allows the tubular valve (8) to move so that a rigid sealing ring (9) contacts two seats (10,11) to limit its travel. The other end of the valve has a flexible sealing ring (12) which contacts another pair of seats (13,14) to control liquid flow in the channels. The valve is operated by the bistable mechanism (20) activated by stops (28) on the shaft. The objective of the present invention is, by using a spring of a special shape for the snap action of the reciprocation switching device for a pump, to permit installation of such spring directly in the valve operator or the switching operator so that number of parts can be reduced, to facilitate assembly; and to reduce cost of the device compared to conventional devices. Another objective of the present invention is to improve durability of the valve configuration without using special metals. A further objective of the present invention is to make it considerably easier to attach the spring used for the snap action of a reciprocation switching device for a pump. A further objective of the present invention is to make the diameter of such reciprocation switch device smaller. The present invention relates to a reciprocation switching device for a pump in which piston 21 is fitted into cylinder body 11 capable of sliding therein; two types of valves 27 and 31 that control pressure of working fluid applied to one and the other side of piston 21 are attached to said piston 21 to move freely; and spring stroke stopper 46 that operates said two types of valves 27 and 31 by the snap action of a spring related to reciprocating movement of the piston is provided at the centre of said piston 21, and the present invention calls for symmetrically providing each of C-shaped wire springs 43, which serve as the aforementioned spring, between spring fitting section 41, which forms a part of piston 21, and said spring stroke stopper 46 at the centre of the piston. Further, according to the present invention, when spring stroke stopper 46 is moved in relation to movement of piston 21, from the start of movement of spring stroke stopper 46 to the neutral point, where wire springs 43 become perpendicular to the direction of piston rod, compressive force is applied to C-shaped wire springs 43 in a direction so as to push the edge of the spring towards the other side so that the wire spring is flexed; and after the said neutral point, spring stroke stopper 46 is immediately switched to the reversed stable position by restoring force of same wire springs 43 and held at such stable position. It is possible to considerably reduce the number of parts compared with a conventional device using pressure coil springs and to make installation of such wire spring much easier. Thus product cost can be significantly reduced. In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic sectional elevation at 90 o of an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic plan of a piston from Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of a diaphragm pump equipped with a conventional reciprocation switching device. As shown in the drawings, Fig. 1 is a schematic section at 90 o showing a reciprocation switching device, wherein cylinder head 12 is screwed into the left end of cylinder body 11; head bolt 13 is screwed into the centre of said cylinder head 12; and the inner end of said bolt 13 protrudes into cylinder body 11. Further, handle bolt 15 is screwed into head 14 of said head bolt 13; and a lock nut is attached inside this bolt 15. Handle 17 forms a part of said handle bolt 15. Piston 21 is inserted into said cylinder body 11, with O ring 22 in between, capable of sliding therein. Cavities 24 are formed at the right side 23 of said piston 21; valve seats 25 made of rubber, etc. are attached to the piston 21 so as to face said cavities 24; and shaft 28 of each valve 27 is movably inserted into air intake vent 26 of each of said valve seat 25. The rubber material which forms said valve seats is fixed to the surface of the piston by supporting plate 29. Although only one set of said cavities 24, valve seats 25 and valves 27, etc. is shown in Fig. 1, which is a 90° section view, two sets of these are symmetrically provided in an actual device. Valve 31 made in the shape of a disk is provided in the cavity at the left side of said piston 21; and threaded portion 32 of shaft 28 of each said valve 27 is screwed into said valve 31. Valve seats 34 attached to said piston 21 face surface 33 of said disk-shaped valve 31, the surface being 90° off the fitting position of said valves 27. Said valve seats 34 are made of the same rubber material as that of said valve seats 25 so that the two sets of valve seats are incorporated into one body; and the vent holes of these valve seats 34 are connected to exhaust duct 37 in piston skirt 36 through exhaust vents 35 bored in piston 21. Although only one set of said valve seats 34 and exhaust vents 35 is shown in Fig. 1, which is 90° section view, two sets of these are provided symmetrically in an actual device. As shown in Fig. 2, straight portions 39 at the both ends of semicircular toggle 38 are inserted from the inside to threaded portions 32 of said valves 27 to prevent them from rotating. In case this toggle 38 should be removed for disassembly, inserted parts 39 at both ends must be moved to the centre, against the toggle's elasticity, and thus be removed from said threaded portions 32. As shown in Figs 1 and 2, spring fitting sections 41 are formed at both sides of piston 21; and groove 42 is provided on the inner surface of each of said spring fitting section 41. Straight portion 44 at the centre of each C-shaped wire spring 43 is fitted in each of said grooves 42. Both ends 45 of each wire spring 43, facing each other with the gap in between, are fitted to horizontal grooves bored at the side of spring stroke stopper 46. Spring stroke stopper 46 has cylindrical section 47, inserted through the centre of said disc-shaped valve 31 capable of sliding therein. Catching ridge 48 is provided at the end of said cylindrical section 47. Plunger 52 is screwed into rod section 51 of piston 21 as one body; and switching rod 56, which is fitted into centre hole 54 of said head bolt 13 and center hole 55 of spring stroke stopper 46 capable of sliding therein, is inserted in the hollow inside 53 of said plunger. Stopper 57 to catch said catching ridge 48 is incorporated at one end of said switching rod 56; said lock nut 16 is screwed over the other end of switching rod 56; and switching rod 56 is attached to cylinder body 11 as one body by fastening said lock nut 16 with said bolts 13 and 15. Inside of said cylinder body 11 is divided into two sections by piston 21: working air chamber 58 located at one side of piston 21 and working air chamber 59 located at the other side of piston 21, around the piston skirt. Pump body 61 is screwed over said cylinder body 11; air intake duct 62 connected to said working air chamber 59 is incorporated in said pump body 61; and said air intake duct leads to an air intake hose, etc. (not shown), through air intake port 63 and connecting pieces 64 and 65, and is provided with oil cup 66. Around the inner surface at the left side 67 of said pump body 61, O ring 68 is fitted, and with this O ring 68, the air pressure of working air chamber 59 is maintained. Exhaust duct 37 formed inside said piston skirt 36 is open at one end; said end 71 is open to exhaust chamber 72 inside pump body 61; and said exhaust chamber 72 leads to the outside air through exhaust port 73. Packing receiver 82, V packing 83, packing gland 84, spring 85 and retainer 86 are attached to the inside of cylindrical section 81 formed at the center of pump bode 61 as one body so that the fluid density around plunger 52 be maintained by said packing 83. Suction port 91 to introduce material to be pumped and pumped material discharge port 92 are provided at the end and side of pump body 61 respectively. Said suction port 91 leads to a container of pumping material through a check valve for suction (not shown); and said discharge port 92 leads to, through a check valve for discharge (not shown), a container where pumped material can be conveyed to by pressure. The pump is used at standing position, vertical with said suction port 91 at the bottom. Action of a device according to the present embodiment will be described hereunder referring to the attached drawing of Fig. 1, commencing from the condition of the device as illustrated in Fig. 1; The air, which is to serve as working fluid, supplied with pressure from air intake port 63 through air intake duct 62 into air chamber 59 enters into air chamber 58 at the left side through air intake vents 26 at valve seats 25, which are then open. At this moment, valve seats 34 at the exhaust side are kept closed with disk-shaped valve 31. Air pressure upon the left and right sides of piston 21 is identical in this case, but the sizes of left and right areas under pressure are different, depending on the presence of piston skirt 36: as the area under pressure and facing air chamber 58 of the piston is larger than that facing air chamber 59 by the portion of sectional area of piston skirt 36 based on the outside diameter, the force applied by air pressure of air chamber 58 upon piston 21 is larger, and therefore piston 21 moves to the right in Fig. 1. Plunger 52 discharges in this stroke. Near the end of said discharge stroke, catching ridge 48 of spring stroke stopper 46 contacts stopper 57 of switching rod 56, thus terminating movement of spring stroke stopper 46; but piston 21 continues to move to the right and so straight portions 44 at the centre of wire springs 43. At this stage, when compressive force works between straight portion 44 and end parts 45 of each wire spring 43 so that straight portion 44 moves further right than exactly above both end parts 45, spring stroke stopper 46 is switched immediately to the left of piston 21 by restoring force of wire springs 43. With this switching, catching ridge 48 contacts disc-shaped valve 31, which opens valve seats 34 for exhaust and simultaneously valves 27 close valve seats 25 for the air intake. Thus air supply to the left air chamber 58 is terminated, and piston 21, exposed to air pressure only from the right air chamber 59, moves to the left. At this moment, the air contained in the left air chamber 58 is exhausted to the outside of the system through opened valve seats 34, exhaust vents 35, exhaust duct 37, exhaust chamber 72 and exhaust port 73 in this order. In this process of movement to the left, plunger 52 effects a suction stroke. Near the end of piston 21 movement to the left, spring stroke stopper 46 is engaged by head bolt 13, thus the movement of spring stroke stopper 46 is terminated; but piston 21 still continues to move to the left and so straight portions 44 at the centre of wire springs 43. At this stage, when compressive force works between straight portion 44 and each end 45 of wire springs 43 so that straight portions 44 move further left than exactly above both end parts 45, spring stroke stopper 46 is switched immediately to the right of piston 21 by restoring force of wire springs 43. During this switching, spring stroke stopper 46 strikes disc-shaped valve 31, which closes valve seats 34 for exhaust, and simultaneously valve seats 25 for air intake are opened, the condition of the device returning to that shown in the drawing.

Claims: A pump arrangement comprising a cylinder body (11), a piston (21) inside said cylinder body (11), a valve member (31) being constructed as a spring loaded two-way bi-stable switch, fitted inside the cylinder body (11) the valve member (31) controlling the flow of pressurised working fluid from one side of said piston (21) to the other side of said piston (21); a valve operator (54, 56, 57), in the shape of a rod (56) is connected with a head of the cylinder body (12) extending through the center of said piston (21) and thereby guiding the valve member (31), said valve operator (54, 56, 57) being provided with abutment members (54, 57) to switch valve member (31) to the other of its positions at the end of the reciprocating movement of the piston (21) characterised in that; said valve member (31) is incorporated in the piston (21) and that said valve member is loaded with one or more C-shaped springs (43) and that said C-shaped springs (43) are connected between the piston (21) and a spring stroke stopper (46).

Inventors: MURATA, MINORU, YAMADA, KAZUMASA
Applicants: YAMADA YUKI SEIZO CO. LTD.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F15B11
IPC codes: F04B43, F01L21, F01L23, F04B9, F16K31