Patent Publication Number: US-2016236668-A1

Title: Air Dryer Bypass Device and System

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/115,201 filed on Feb. 12, 2015. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to compressed air systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air dryer bypass device on a vehicle-mounted air compressor system that permits the compressed air to bypass an air dryer and flow to an air tank while still being regulated by an air governor device. 
     Compressed air is often used to power the braking systems of heavy vehicles, including the ubiquitous tractor-trailer transportation truck. Air systems can offer a certain level of safety and reliability that conventional hydraulic braking systems lack. The three main components of a compressed air system are the compressor, the air dryer, and the air storage tank, also known as a wet tank. After the air pressure is increased in the compressor, it passes through the air dryer to remove moisture, water vapor, or impurities from the air, which can cause occasional issues when introduced to the rest of the compressed air system. From the dryer, the air passes to the air storage tank, where it is stored and released when needed by the brakes or other vehicle components that rely on the compressed air system. 
     Although an air dryer is useful, it can become clogged or blocked due to a buildup of impurities or failing mechanics within the dryer. When this happens, the entire compressed air system is compromised, leading to inadequate air pressure in the system which may cause, among other things, brake failure. In order to address these issues, there exists in the prior art air dryer devices with a temporary bypass valve. The prior art also discloses an air dryer that is easily removable when clogged. These devices fail to provide a permanent bypass device designed for extended use that can be easily installed on a vehicle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of air dryer systems now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an air dryer bypass device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when an air dryer incorporated within a compressed air system fails. The present invention comprises a housing that is designed to contain pressurized air. The housing contains an intake port, an output port, and a port connectable to an air pressure regulator. A one-way check valve is positioned near the intake port, and is configured to prevent air from flowing back out toward the intake port. All three ports are in fluid communication through an inner passageway. The present invention is configured to connect to an existing compressed air system by replacing an air dryer completely. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. As used herein, unless specifically limited to a single unit, “a” or “an” is intended to be equivalent to “one or more” throughout the present disclosure. The singular form is used in the interest of economy. 
         FIG. 1  shows a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the air dryer bypass device. 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the air dryer bypass system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the air dryer bypass device. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the air dryer bypass device. The air dryer bypass device  30  comprises a housing  10  having an inner passageway  17  extending therethrough. There is an intake port  11 , an output port  12  and a regulator port  15  in fluid communication with the inner passageway  17 . All three ports are disposed on the exterior of the housing  10 . A one way valve  19  is disposed within the inner passageway  17  and configured to prevent air from exiting the passageway via the intake port. A plate  18  is disposed on the exterior of housing  10  adjacent to the output port  12 . The plate  18  comprises and aperture  13  that is aligned with the output port  12 , as well as a means for securing the plate to a surface. For example, there can be one or more apertures  14  adapted to admit a fastener therethrough, such as a bolt  16 . 
     The plate  18  is configured to be mounted to a surface to allow the air dryer device to be secured in place. In one embodiment of the invention, the plate  18  can be configured to be mounted directly to the wall of an air storage tank. In another embodiment of the invention, the plate can be configured to be mounted to an alternative surface, such as the underside of a tractor, or a purge tank, wherein a hose runs from the output port  12  and through the aperture  13  to an air storage tank. 
     The intake port  11  is connectable to an air compressor, the output port  12  is connectable to an air storage tank and the regulator port  15  is connectable to an air pressure regulator device. These ports can be directly or indirectly connected to the rest of the compressed air system. For example, each port can have a threaded adapter attached thereto, configured to connect to a standard air hose. Alternatively, one or more ports can be directly connected to an external unit. For example, the output port  12  can be directly connected to an air storage tank through the aperture  13  without the use of a hose. In one embodiment of the invention, there is a singular output port  12 . In another embodiment of the invention, there is a plurality of output ports. These ports can be positioned either on one side of the exterior of the housing, or on multiple sides of the exterior of the housing. For example, there can be one output port on one side of the housing exterior configured to connect to an air storage tank, and four additional ports disposed on each of two additional sides of the exterior housing. These ports can be configured to connect directly with additional features of the compressed air system, such as air brakes, air shocks, a wet tank and a safety pressure release valve. 
     The one way valve  19  comprises a flap in close proximity to the intake port  11  configured to block air from exiting the inner passageway  17  via the intake port  11 . This is accomplished by configuring the flaps to create an air-tight seal when the direction of air flow changes from entering the intake port  11  to exiting the intake port. In one embodiment of the invention, the flap is a disk that is fit in close tolerance to the inner passageway  17 . In the normal operation of the air dryer bypass device  30 , compressed air flows in from a compressor to the input port  11 , through the inner passageway  17 , and out through the output port  12  and the regulator port  15 . If compressed air starts to flow in the opposite direction, exiting the inner passageway  17  through the input port  11 , the compressed air forces the one way valve  19  to close and seal the inner passageway  17 , preventing any loss of compressed air. 
     The regulator port  15  is an output port wherein a portion of the pressurized air entering the passageway  17  is routed through the regulator port  15  to a regulator device known in the prior art, such as an air governor, which is additionally connected to an air compressor. The air governor contains a mechanism such that when the air entering the air governor reaches a predetermined amount of compression, the mechanism will relay a shut off command to the air compressor, thus ensuring that the air does not exceed the predetermined maximal pressure. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the air dryer bypass system. The system comprises an air compressor  21  that is known in the prior art and that is in fluid communication with the air dryer bypass device  20 . For example, the air compressor  21  and the air dryer bypass device  20  can be connected though an airtight hose  23 . The device  20  is additionally in fluid communication with an air storage tank  22 , which acts as a reservoir to hold a large amount of compressed air until it is ready to be released for use in the system through various output channels  25 . The air dryer bypass device  20  is in further fluid communication with an air regulator device such as an air governor  24 , which is also known in the prior art. The air governor  24  is additionally connected to the air compressor  21  and configured to control when the air compressor is turned on or turned off, depending on the amount of current air pressure in the system and on how much compressed air has been stored in the air storage tank  22 . 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.