Patent ID: 8545195

Claim:
A hydrogen generator comprising a housing; a liquid reservoir containing a liquid reactant and disposed within the housing; a reaction area disposed within the housing; and a pump configured to pump the liquid reactant from the liquid reservoir, through a liquid flow path to the reaction area; wherein the liquid is capable of reacting within the reaction area to evolve hydrogen gas; wherein the pump is a diaphragm pump and comprises: a pump chamber having a volume; a first pump diaphragm defining a portion of the pump chamber; a liquid inlet path to the pump chamber with an inlet valve disposed therein, the inlet valve biased against a second seal diaphragm in a closed position; a liquid outlet path from the pump chamber with an outlet valve disposed therein, the outlet valve biased against a third seal diaphragm in a closed position; a motor with a rotatable shaft; a first cam, a second cam and a third cam, all disposed on the rotatable shaft; a first pushrod in contact with the first cam and configured to cooperate with the first cam to reversibly displace the first pump diaphragm to reduce the pump chamber volume; a second pushrod in contact with the second cam and configured to cooperate with the second cam to reversibly displace the second seal diaphragm to open the inlet valve; and a third pushrod in contact with the third cam and configured to cooperate with the third cam to reversibly displace the third seal diaphragm to open the outlet valve; and wherein: the second seal diaphragm is disposed between the second pushrod and the inlet valve; the third seal diaphragm is disposed between the third pushrod and the outlet valve; when the inlet valve is open, the second seal diaphragm is disposed farther from a longitudinal central axis of the rotatable shaft when the inlet valve is open than when the inlet valve is closed; when the outlet valve is open, and the third seal diaphragm is disposed farther from the longitudinal central axis of the rotatable shaft when the outlet valve is open than when the outlet valve is closed; and all valves in the liquid flow path between the liquid reservoir and the reaction area are mechanically operated valves.