CN219796852U

CN219796852U - Lubricant filling device

Info

Publication number: CN219796852U
Application number: CN202222810286.2U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王金博; 牛帅
Original assignee: SKF AB
Current assignee: SKF AB
Priority date: 2022-10-25
Filing date: 2022-10-25
Publication date: 2023-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-25

Abstract

A lubricant filling device (1) comprises a liquid level follower (13), a lifting mechanism (20) and a suction pump (11). Wherein the follower is adapted to close the lubricant level in the container (30) from above the container; the lifting mechanism comprises lifting rods (25, 25 ') connected with the follower and a power source (21, 21') for driving the lifting rods to move up and down; the suction pump is connected with the suction pipe (15) and the discharge pipe respectively and is used for sucking and discharging the lubricant in the container. The suction tube is arranged to be able to be fixed in a detachable manner directly or indirectly to a support member (31) which is stationary relative to the container, the suction tube being of a length such that its terminal inlet (15 a) is located close to the bottom of the container. Furthermore, the suction pipe is provided so as to form a sliding seal with the follower, allowing the follower to follow the liquid surface of the lubricant downward by the driving of the lifting mechanism, while still maintaining the fluid tightness with the suction pipe.

Description

Lubricant filling device

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a lubricant filling device adapted to deliver lubricant, in particular viscous grease, in a container to a specific channel or equipment.

Background

FIGS. 1a and 1b show from different perspectives a lubricant filling device previously provided by the applicant. In general, the filling device 1 includes a pumping unit 10 and a lifting mechanism 20 for driving the pumping unit 10 to move up and down. The pumping unit 10 includes, in order from top to bottom, a suction pump 11, a suction pipe 15, and a level follower 13 fixedly connected to each other. Wherein the suction pump 11 forms a fixed rigid connection with the upper end of the suction tube 15, the lower end of the suction tube 15 passing through the follower 13 and opening to the lower surface (not shown) of the follower 13. The follower 13 is furthermore provided with a venting valve 14 for establishing a hermetic isolation inside and outside the container when closed and for breaking this isolation when open. The lifting mechanism 20 integrally includes air cylinders 21, 21' provided in pairs as power sources and lifting levers 25, 25' finally driven by the pair of air cylinders 21, 21 '. The cylinders 21, 21' mainly comprise cylinder bodies 22, 22' fixedly arranged on the vehicle-mounted platform 40 and piston rods 23, 23' capable of performing reciprocating linear motion in the cylinder bodies.

Before entering the pumping mode, the container 30, in particular a standard sized barrel container, must first be placed on the vehicle platform 40 directly under the follower 13 controlled by the lift mechanism 20. Then, the ventilation valve 14 on the follower 13 is opened, and the elevating mechanism 20 drives the pumping unit 10 into the opening of the container 30 from above. During this process, the peripheral flexible material of the follower 13 will form a gas seal with the inner wall of the container 30, so that air above the lubricant level in the container 30 will be expelled from the breather valve 14. After the lower surface of the follower 13 touches the lubricant level, the air between the lubricant level and the lower surface of the follower 13 has been substantially exhausted. At this time, the ventilation valve 14 is closed, the suction pump 11 is started, and the pumping mode is entered. During pumping, the suction pump 11 sucks and delivers lubricant to a predetermined lubricant passage or apparatus through a suction pipe 15 and a discharge pipe (not shown).

The main problem with the above described filling device is that the end inlet (not shown) of the suction tube is flush with the lower surface of the follower, so that the follower when touching the level of the lubricant, the inlet of the suction tube only stays in a shallow layer of the level, with a high probability of contact with air. Particularly in the case of a follower with a peripheral flexible material which is not tightly sealed to the inner wall of the container, the lubricant is liable to be mixed with air during the filling process, resulting in the output lubricant containing bubbles. This is not permissible in many cases, for example, when filling bearings on a production line with grease, the presence of bubbles can cause inaccurate dispensing of grease from downstream dispensers, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of the bearings on the lubricant filling. For this reason, at least at the initial stage of the filling process, manual intervention is required, and the grease is not put into practical use until no bubbles are found in the discharged grease. Obviously, this causes a large amount of grease to be wasted.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve the above-described problems, the present utility model provides a lubricant filling device for pumping lubricant in a container to a predetermined destination, including a level follower, a lifting mechanism, and a suction pump. Wherein the level follower is adapted to close the lubricant level in the container from above the container and is further provided with a venting valve. The vent valve is configured to establish a hermetic seal between the inside and outside of the container when closed and to break the hermetic seal when open. The lifting mechanism comprises a lifting rod connected with the follower and a power source for driving the lifting rod to move up and down. The suction pump is connected with the suction pipe and the discharge pipe respectively and is used for sucking and conveying the lubricant in the container. The suction tube is arranged to be able to be fixed in a detachable manner directly or indirectly to a support member which is stationary relative to the container, the suction tube being of a length such that its terminal inlet is located close to the bottom of the container. Furthermore, the suction pipe is provided so as to form a sliding seal with the follower, allowing the follower to follow the liquid surface of the lubricant down by the drive of the lifting mechanism, while still maintaining the fluid tightness with the suction pipe.

By adopting the filling device, in the filling process of the lubricant, the inlet of the suction pipe is always positioned at the bottom of the container, so that the contact with air can be effectively avoided, and the possibility of mixing bubbles in the lubricant is fundamentally avoided. Taking grease as an example, the device is particularly suitable for quantitatively filling the bearing with the grease by a quantitative dispenser on a production line.

Preferred embodiments and advantageous technical effects of the present utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

FIGS. 1a and 1b show schematic structural views of a lubricant filling device according to the prior art at different viewing angles, respectively;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show schematic structural views of an improved lubricant filling device at different viewing angles, respectively; and

fig. 3a and 3b show schematic structural views of the level follower at different viewing angles, respectively.

Detailed Description

In the following description, the same or similar reference numerals are used throughout to designate the same or similar components. Wherein fig. 2a and 2b show schematic structural views of an improved lubricant filling device. As can be seen from a comparison of fig. 1a and 1b, the improved lubricant filling device 1 comprises a cross beam 31 which is mounted between the two cylinders 21, 21', the suction pump 11 being fastened to the cross beam 31 together with the suction tube 15, instead of to the lifting rods 25, 25' together with the follower 13, as in the prior art. The cross beam 31 is provided with through holes 26, 26 'to avoid interference with the lifting rods 25, 25'. Furthermore, the suction tube 15 can pass through the follower 13 in a sliding-tight manner, the length of which is set such that the terminal inlet 15a is just proximal to the bottom of the container 30, as best shown in fig. 2 b.

The following describes a method of pumping lubricant in a container by the improved lubricant filling device 1. First, the suction pump 11 is detached from the cross member 31 by an operation such as unscrewing a bolt, and then the suction pump 11 is lifted up substantially so that the tip inlet 15a of the suction pipe 15 is higher than the lubricant reservoir 30 to be seated. Next, after the container 30 is placed under the cross member 31, the suction pump 11 is again assembled to the cross member 31 so that the lower inlet 15a of the suction pipe 15 is brought close to the bottom of the container 30. Then, the vent valve 14 on the follower 13 is opened, so that the lifting mechanism 20 drives the follower 13 slowly into the opening of the container 30, and the vent valve 14 is closed when the follower 13 touches the liquid surface of the lubricant so that the lubricant overflows from the vent valve 14. The suction pump 11 is then activated to enter a pumping mode until the lubricant in the reservoir is exhausted or another lubricant needs to be replaced, and the suction pump 11 is turned off to stop its operation. Finally, the vent valve 14 is opened again, and the lifting mechanism 20 is controlled to lift the follower 13 until the follower 13 is disengaged from the container 30, and then the container is removed or replaced.

During operation of the suction pump 11, the lifting mechanism 20 maintains the pressure on the follower 13 by means of the lifting levers 25, 25', forcing the follower 13 to follow the lubricant level in the reservoir 30 all the time in a synchronous manner. Since the suction pump 11 and the suction pipe 15 are fixed to the cross member 31, the follower 13 is always in a moving state with respect to the suction pipe 15 during this process. In order to prevent air from entering the container from the gap between the follower 13 and the suction tube 15 under the negative pressure generated by the suction pump 11, a sliding seal is provided between the follower 13 and the suction tube 15.

As shown in fig. 3a and 3b, the follower 13 is provided with a sleeve 16 at the location where the suction tube 15 passes, at least one annular groove 16a being formed on the inner wall of the sleeve 16 for receiving an annular seal 16b, typically an O-ring. By the use of a lubricant, the seal 16b can prevent outside air from entering the container 30 therefrom.

In the above description, the suction pump 11 is fixed to the cross member 31 in the operating state, and the cross member 31 is bridged between the two cylinders 21, 21'. In the case where the suction pipe 15 is constant in length, the object of the present utility model can be achieved wherever the suction pump 11 is placed, as long as the height of the suction pump 11 is set such that the inlet of the suction pipe 15 is just near the bottom of the container 30. In general terms, the utility model is conditioned by the fact that the suction tube 15, in the operating condition, has its end inlet 15a close to the bottom of the container 30, independently of where the suction pump 11 is in the operating condition or whether it is fixed.

Thus, in all other possible solutions for implementing the utility model, the suction pipe 15 can be fixed to the support 31 and the suction pump 11 to the lifting rod 25, 25', the object of the utility model still being achieved by introducing a sufficiently long or telescopic hose connection (not shown) between the suction pump 11 and the suction pipe 15. With this solution, the suction tube 15, rather than the suction pump 11, needs to be detached from the cross-beam 31 when the container 30 is placed or replaced, and other operations are not identical to those described above, and therefore will not be repeated here.

It is to be noted that in the embodiment shown in fig. 2a and 2b, the suction pump 11 is arranged on the cross beam 31, because a non-telescopic rigid connection is used between the suction pump 11 and the suction tube 15. In this case, in order to keep the end inlet 15a of the suction pipe 15 at the bottom of the container 30, the suction pump 11 has to be fixed to the cross member 31 together with the suction pipe 15, not to the lifting bars 25, 25' as in the related art.

In the above-described embodiment, the cross member 31 is bridged between the cylinders 21, 21'. By obtaining support on existing components, the construction of the cross beam 31 is simplified. However, this does not prevent that the cross beam 31 may also be provided elsewhere in other forms, for example in the form of separate support members (not shown) on the vehicle platform 40. In the latter case, the suction pump 11 and/or the suction tube 15 are provided on such a separate support member 31, enabling the object of the utility model to be achieved in a broader sense.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the lubricant filling device and method of use thereof described above are not limited by the specific embodiments, but rather the more general technical solution will be defined in the appended claims. Any alterations and modifications to the utility model, so long as they meet the limitations of the appended claims, fall within the scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A lubricant filling device (1) for pumping lubricant in a container (30) to a lubricant channel or apparatus, comprising:

a level follower (13) adapted to close the lubricant level in the container (30) from above the container, the follower (13) being further provided with a venting valve (14), said venting valve (14) being arranged to establish a gas-tight isolation inside and outside the container (30) when closed, said gas-tight isolation being broken when opened;

a lifting mechanism (20) comprising lifting rods (25, 25 ') connected with the follower (13) and a power source for driving the lifting rods (25, 25') to move up and down; and

a suction pump (11) connected to the suction pipe (15) and the discharge pipe, respectively, for sucking and discharging the lubricant in the container (30);

the method is characterized in that:

the suction tube (15) being arranged so as to be able to be fixed in a removable manner directly or indirectly on a support member that remains stationary with respect to the container (30), the suction tube (15) being of a length such that its terminal inlet (15 a) is in proximity to the bottom of the container (30); and is also provided with

The suction pipe (15) is further arranged to form a sliding seal with the follower (13) allowing the follower (13) to follow the liquid level of the lubricant downwards under the drive of the lifting mechanism (20) while still maintaining a fluid tightness with the suction pipe (15).

2. Lubricant filling device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: the suction pipe (15) is arranged to form a rigid connection with the suction pump (11) and can be fixed to the support member together with the suction pump (11).

3. Lubricant filling device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: the suction pipe (15) is connected with the suction pump (11) through a hose with adjustable length, and the suction pump (11) is allowed to be fixed at other places than the supporting member when the suction pipe (15) is singly fixed on the supporting member.

4. A lubricant filling device (1) according to claim 3, wherein: the suction pump (11) is fixed in a lifting mechanism (20).

5. Lubricant filling device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: the sliding seal comprises at least one annular groove (16 a) formed in the follower (13) and an annular seal (16 b) accommodated in the groove (16 a).

6. The lubricant filling device according to claim 5, wherein: the power source is a pair of cylinders (21, 21 ') comprising cylinders (22, 22 ') stationary relative to the container (30) and piston rods (23, 23 ') capable of reciprocating rectilinear motion driven by the pressurized gas, the support member being a cross beam mounted between the two cylinders (21, 21 '), said cross beam being provided with through holes allowing the lifting rods (25, 25 ') to pass through.

7. Lubricant filling device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that: the cylinders (21, 21') are fixedly arranged on a vehicle platform (40), and the container (30) is also placed or fixed on the platform (40) during the process of pumping the lubricant.