JP2004092587A - Pump - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pump having a valve configuration suitable for a simple assembly and a quick opening/closing operation. <P>SOLUTION: A suction valve 8 and a discharge valve 14 have opening holes 7 and 13 respectively for allowing suction or ejection of a fluid, each formed on a tabular base portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a pump, and more particularly to a pump suitable for sucking a fluid into a pump chamber and discharging a fluid outside the pump chamber using vibration of a diaphragm.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a general pump, it is well known that a pump function uses a rotary electric motor to rotate a fluid blade to suck and discharge the fluid, or to convert the fluid into a reciprocating piston motion and move the fluid by moving a pressure through a diaphragm. Have been. In addition, against the background of environmental problems such as air pollution, there is a demand for a means for supplying clean power that does not cause environmental pollution. Batteries were being developed. This fuel cell is expected to be useful in various fields such as a battery for an automobile.
[0003]
Furthermore, in recent years, a new idea has been born in which a small fuel cell is used as a battery for an electronic device.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the above-mentioned small fuel cell is used, a small pump for refueling is required as a means for replenishing the fuel to the battery. A small-sized piezoelectric pump that suctions and discharges a fluid by using the vibration of an element is disclosed.
[0005]
However, when assembling such a small pump, the direction of the valve is restricted, so that it is not possible to perform assembly by a simple stacking type.
[0006]
Further, since a small pump has a small suction amount and discharge amount at one time, it is necessary to speed up the suction and discharge of the fluid in order to obtain a desired flow rate. However, the opening / closing operation of the valve cannot follow the flow velocity of the fluid to be sucked or discharged, and the fluid cannot be sucked or discharged properly.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a pump having a valve structure suitable for simple assembly and quick opening and closing operations.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A feature of the pump according to the present invention for achieving the object is that the suction valve and the discharge valve each have an opening formed in a flat base to allow suction or discharge of the fluid. .
[0009]
By adopting such a configuration, the suction valve and the discharge valve can be easily incorporated in the casing, so that the assembly becomes easy, and each opening is shielded by the vibration of the diaphragm. Alternatively, opening and closing makes it possible to open and close each valve efficiently.
[0010]
Another feature of the pump according to the present invention is that, between the suction chamber and the discharge section and the pump chamber, the pump chamber is allowed to communicate with the suction hole and the discharge hole, and the suction port is connected to the suction chamber. A valve holding wall portion for holding a valve and the discharge valve is provided, and the suction valve is provided between the valve holding wall portion and the suction portion. Between the valve holding wall and the discharge portion, the opening of the discharge valve is closed at the valve holding wall side by the valve holding wall. In the holding wall portion, a concave portion that allows deformation of the suction valve toward the pump chamber side when vibrated by the diaphragm is provided in a portion of the holding wall portion within a predetermined range facing the suction valve, The opening of the valve is formed so as to be exposed, and the discharge in the discharge section is performed. A recess is formed in a portion of a predetermined range facing the above, so as to allow the discharge valve to deform toward the side opposite to the pump chamber when the diaphragm vibrates, so that the opening of the discharge valve is exposed. The suction valve and the discharge valve are configured such that, in the case of each of the deformations, each opening is opened to allow the suction of the fluid into the pump chamber or the discharge of the fluid to the outside of the pump chamber. is there.
[0011]
By adopting such a configuration, the suction valve and the discharge valve are installed on the valve holding wall portion of the casing, and the suction portion and the discharge portion are stacked on the suction valve and the discharge valve. Can be easily incorporated into the casing, and the suction valve and the discharge valve are each deformed in accordance with the vibration of the diaphragm, and each of the openings of the suction valve and the discharge valve is opened by utilizing this deformation. Fluid suction and discharge can be performed more efficiently.
[0012]
Further, another feature of the pump according to the present invention is that the suction valve and the discharge valve have a convex portion for blocking the suction hole or the discharge hole, respectively, in a state where the fluid is not sucked or discharged. It is in the point which did.
[0013]
By adopting such a configuration, the flow path of the fluid can be reliably blocked by the suction valve and the discharge valve except when it is necessary to perform suction and discharge of the fluid. Can be controlled more appropriately.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a pump according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pump 1 in the present embodiment has a pump chamber 3 having a gap with a predetermined thickness inside a casing 2 having a substantially square planar shape. Is kept in a sealed state in a normal state in which fluid is not sucked or discharged.
[0016]
The upper wall portion of the casing 2 in FIG. 1 has a tubular suction portion 4 for sucking fluid into the pump chamber 3 and discharges the fluid sucked into the pump chamber 3 to the outside of the pump chamber 3. And a tubular discharge portion 5 for connecting with the upper wall portion so as to provide a predetermined space therebetween.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a long suction hole 6 is formed in the center of the suction portion 4 along the longitudinal direction of the suction portion 4.
[0018]
At a position facing the suction section 4 inside the casing 2, a suction valve 8 for restricting suction of fluid into the pump chamber 3 is formed inside the suction section 4 and the upper wall. It is held so as to be sandwiched between the valve holding wall 9. An extension 6a of the suction hole 6 is formed in the valve holding wall 9 so that the suction hole 6 of the suction portion 4 and the pump chamber 3 can communicate with each other.
[0019]
The suction valve 8 is formed in a simple configuration by forming an arc-shaped opening 7 in a disk-shaped base.
[0020]
Therefore, when assembling, the suction valve 8 is installed on the valve holding wall portion 9 and the suction portion 4 is stacked on the suction valve 8, so that the assembly can be easily performed.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the suction valve 8 is in a normal state or a state where the air inside the pump chamber 3 is compressed, the side of the suction part 4 in the opening 7 is blocked by the suction part 4. As a result, the suction of the fluid into the pump chamber 3 is regulated.
[0022]
In a part of the valve holding wall 9 in a certain range facing the suction valve 8, a flat circular recess 9 a is formed so as to expose the pump chamber 3 side of the opening 7. . The suction valve 8 is allowed to resiliently deform toward the lower side of the pump chamber 3 in FIG. 4 through the concave portion 9a due to the expansion of the air inside the pump chamber 3. It has become.
[0023]
The elastic deformation toward the pump chamber 3 allows the suction valve 8 to open the opening 7, thereby permitting the suction of the fluid into the pump chamber 3 through the opening 7. It has become.
[0024]
On the other hand, at a position facing the discharge section 5 inside the casing 2, a discharge valve 14 for restricting discharge of fluid from the pump chamber 3 is provided between the discharge section 5 and the valve holding wall section 9. It is held so as to be pinched. The valve holding wall 9 is provided with an extended portion 12a of the discharge hole 12 so that the discharge hole 12 of the discharge portion 5 and the pump chamber 3 can communicate with each other.
[0025]
Like the suction valve 8, the discharge valve 14 is formed in a simple configuration by forming an arc-shaped opening 13 in a disk-shaped base.
[0026]
Therefore, at the time of assembling, the discharge valve 14 is installed on the valve holding wall portion 9 and the discharge portion 5 is stacked on the discharge valve 14, so that the assembly can be easily performed.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the discharge valve 14 is in a normal state, or in a state where the air inside the pump chamber 3 is expanded, the side of the valve holding wall 9 in the opening 13 is provided with the valve holding wall 9. The wall 9 shields the fluid, whereby the discharge of the fluid from the pump chamber 3 is restricted.
[0028]
In a part of the discharge part 5 within a certain range facing the discharge valve 14, a concave portion 5 a having a circular shape in a plane exposes a side (upper side in FIG. 4) of the opening 13 that faces the pump chamber 3. It is formed as follows. The discharge valve 14 is allowed to elastically deform toward the upper side in FIG. 4 against the pump chamber 3 through the concave portion 5a due to the compression of the air inside the pump chamber 3. It has become so.
[0029]
The discharge valve 14 allows the opening 13 to be opened by the elastic deformation toward the side opposite to the pump chamber 3, thereby allowing the discharge of the fluid from the pump chamber 3 through the opening 13. It is supposed to be.
[0030]
Further, in this embodiment, the surface of the suction valve 8 on the side of the suction section 4 and the surface of the discharge valve 14 on the side of the valve holding wall 9 are in a state in which no fluid is sucked or discharged. Further, convex portions 8a and 14a are formed to shield the extended portion 12a of the suction hole 6 or the discharge hole 12, respectively.
[0031]
Therefore, except when it is necessary to suction or discharge the fluid, the flow paths of the fluid can be reliably blocked by the respective convex portions 8a and 12a, so that the suction and discharge of the fluid can be more appropriately controlled. It has become.
[0032]
In the lower part of the pump chamber 3, a diaphragm 15 having a flat circular shape and capable of vibrating in the vertical direction in FIG. The part is held by the holding member 16. The holding member 16 may be, for example, a pair of O-rings that sandwich the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm 15 from above and below.
[0033]
The air inside the pump chamber 3 alternately repeats compression and expansion by the vibration of the vibration plate 15, whereby the suction valve 8 and the discharge valve 14 are elastically deformed alternately. Thus, the openings 7, 13 formed in the valves 8, 14 can be alternately opened.
[0034]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the opening and closing operations of the openings 7 and 13 formed in the valves 8 and 14 can be easily performed by utilizing the elastic deformation of the suction valve 8 and the discharge valve 14. As a result, the opening and closing operations of the valves 7 and 13 sufficiently follow the flow velocity of the fluid, so that the suction and discharge of the fluid can be performed quickly and properly.
[0035]
Further, in the first embodiment, a weight 17 is vertically provided at the center of the lower surface of the diaphragm 15.
[0036]
When the weight 17 is provided on the diaphragm in this way, when the diaphragm 15 is vibrated, the amplitude of the diaphragm 15 can be increased by the mass of the weight 17, and as a result, the suction valve 8 and the The amount of elastic deformation of the discharge valve 14, that is, the amount of fluid suction and discharge by the pump 1 can be increased as compared with the conventional case.
[0037]
In the first embodiment, the weight 17 is formed of a magnetic material such as a permanent magnet as means for vibrating the diaphragm 15. Further, the diaphragm 15 formed of the magnetic material is vibrated by driving the electromagnet 19 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the electromagnet 19 is provided with a core 20 made of a magnetic material having a U-shaped cross section with an open upper portion at a position near the lower portion facing the weight 17 inside the casing 2. Are formed by interlinking a predetermined number of turns of the coil 21 on the outer periphery of the lower side portion.
[0038]
Then, by applying an alternating current to the coil 21, an attractive force and a repulsive force can be alternately applied to the weight 17 made of a magnetic material.
[0039]
Next, a second embodiment of the pump according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same or similar parts as those of the pump 1 in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.
[0040]
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 12, the pump 23 in the second embodiment is similar to the pump 1 in the first embodiment, except that a suction unit 4 and a discharge unit 5 are formed inside a flat circular casing 24. And a pump chamber 27 having a gap with a predetermined thickness. A diaphragm 28 is disposed below the pump chamber 27 so as to be able to vibrate up and down such that an outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm 28 is held by the inner periphery of the casing 26. Thereby, suction of fluid into the pump chamber 27 and discharge of fluid to the outside of the pump chamber 27 are performed.
[0041]
The control of the suction and discharge of the fluid is performed by the suction valve 8 and the discharge valve 14 similarly to the pump 1 in the first embodiment.
[0042]
Further, in the pump 23 according to the second embodiment, similarly to the pump 1 according to the first embodiment, the amplitude of the diaphragm 28 at the time of vibration is increased by suspending the weight 29 near the center of the diaphragm 28. It is supposed to.
[0043]
However, the pump 23 according to the second embodiment is slightly different from the pump 1 according to the first embodiment in the mechanism for vibrating the diaphragm 28.
[0044]
That is, in the second embodiment, not the weight 29 but the diaphragm 28 is formed of a magnetic material such as a permanent magnet.
[0045]
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the electromagnet 31 in the second embodiment has a columnar magnetic core 32 at a position below the diaphragm 28, and the upper surface of the magnetic core 32 is the lower surface of the diaphragm 28. It is formed in a size that faces almost the entire area. A predetermined number of turns of the coil 33 are wound around the outer peripheral portion of the casing 26 facing the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic core 32.
[0046]
Also in this case, by applying an alternating current to the coil 33 and alternately switching the direction of magnetization by the magnetic core 32, an attractive force and a repulsive force can be applied to the vibrating plate 28 made of a magnetic material material alternately. .
[0047]
That is, similarly to the pump 23 in the first embodiment, the diaphragm 28 can be vibrated by driving the electromagnet 31, and the amplitude of the diaphragm 28 can be increased by the weight 29.
[0048]
Next, a specific operation of the pump 23 will be described.
[0049]
Although not shown, in the initial state, it is assumed that a fluid supply unit (not shown) such as a fuel case in a fuel cell is connected to the suction unit 4. Further, it is assumed that a fluid supply unit (not shown) such as a cell body of a fuel cell is connected to the discharge unit. Further, it is assumed that the electromagnet 31 is not driven and no attractive force or repulsive force acts on the diaphragm 28.
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 13, the suction valve 8 is in a state where the opening 7 is blocked by the suction portion 4 and the suction hole 6 is blocked by the projection 8a.
[0051]
Accordingly, the suction of the fluid into the pump chamber 27 is restricted.
[0052]
Further, the discharge valve 14 is in a state where the opening 13 is shielded by the valve holding wall 9 and the extension 12a of the discharge hole 12 is shielded by the projection 14a.
[0053]
Therefore, the discharge of the fluid from the pump chamber 27 is also restricted.
[0054]
Then, when supplying the fluid to the supplied portion from the initial state, first, when a positive current is applied to the coil 33 of the electromagnet 31, the magnetic core 32 with which the coil 33 is linked is magnetized, Thereby, the attractive force of the electromagnet 31 acts on the vibration plate 28.
[0055]
Due to this attraction, the diaphragm 28 is attracted to the lower side of the electromagnet 31 and moves downward together with the weight 29.
[0056]
As the diaphragm 28 moves downward, the air inside the sealed pump chamber 27 expands, and the expansion causes the suction valve 8 to move toward the lower pump chamber 27 as shown in FIG. Elastically deform.
[0057]
Due to the elastic deformation of the suction valve 8, the opening 7 blocked by the suction section 4 is opened, whereby the inside of the pump chamber 27 is opened from the supply section connected to the suction section 4 through the opening 7. The fluid is sucked in.
[0058]
At this time, the discharge valve 14 is in a state in which the discharge of the fluid is regulated while maintaining the initial state.
[0059]
Next, when the direction of the current flowing through the coil 33 is switched to the opposite direction, a repulsive force acts on the diaphragm 28 this time.
[0060]
Under the repulsion, the diaphragm 28 is repelled upward together with the weight 29 and moves upward.
[0061]
As the diaphragm 28 moves upward, the air inside the pump chamber 27 is compressed, and the compression causes the discharge valve 14 to elastically deform upward as shown in FIG.
[0062]
Due to the elastic deformation of the discharge valve 14, the opening 13 shielded by the valve holding wall 9 is opened, and the pump is moved through the opening 13 toward the supply target connected to the discharge unit 5. The fluid inside the chamber 27 is discharged.
[0063]
At this time, the suction valve 8 is restored from the elastically deformed state to the initial state, and is in a state where the suction of the fluid is regulated again.
[0064]
As described above, the diaphragm 28 can be vibrated up and down by passing an alternating current in the forward direction and the reverse direction to the electromagnet 31, whereby the suction of the fluid into the pump chamber 27 and the pump The discharge of the fluid from the chamber 27 can be performed alternately.
[0065]
Therefore, according to this embodiment, the pumps 1 and 23 can be easily assembled by the valve structure including the suction valve 8 and the discharge valve 14 formed in a simple configuration.
[0066]
Further, since the openings 7, 13 formed in the valves 8, 14 can be easily opened and closed by utilizing the elastic deformation of the suction valve 8 and the discharge valve 14, the opening and closing of the valves 8, 14 can be performed quickly. The suction and discharge of the fluid can be performed properly and efficiently.
[0067]
In particular, when such a pump is applied to a fuel cell, it is possible to simply and efficiently supply the fuel to the fuel cell main body, and to improve the convenience and usefulness of the fuel cell.
[0068]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be variously modified as needed.
[0069]
For example, the pump according to the present embodiment can be used in various applications. In addition to the supply pump that supplies the fluid from the supply unit side to the supply target unit as described above, for example, the fluid flows through a predetermined circulation path. It can also be used as a circulation pump for circulation.
[0070]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the pump of the present invention, assembly can be performed easily, and further, suction and discharge of fluid can be performed properly and efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a pump according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a line 5-5 in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line 6-6 in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a second embodiment of the pump according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a bottom view of FIG. 7; FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8; FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing an initial state in a second embodiment of the pump according to the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a suction state of a fluid in the second embodiment of the pump according to the present invention. FIG. 15 is a schematic sectional view showing a state of discharging a fluid in a second embodiment of the pump according to the present invention.
1, 23 pump 3, 27 pump chamber 4 suction section 5 discharge section 5a, 9a concave section 6 suction hole 7, 13 opening 8 suction valve 8a, 14a convex section 9 valve holding wall section 12 discharge hole 14 discharge valve

Claims (3)

A pump chamber comprising a cavity held in a sealed state in a casing, a tubular suction section for sucking fluid through a suction hole into the pump chamber, and a tubular discharge section for discharging fluid through a discharge hole outside the pump chamber. A suction valve disposed between the suction section and the pump chamber and configured to restrict suction of fluid; and a discharge valve disposed between the discharge section and the pump chamber and configured to control discharge of fluid. A diaphragm disposed in the casing, the diaphragm being configured to open the suction valve and the discharge valve by vibrating operation to allow suction and discharge of fluid,
A pump, wherein each of the suction valve and the discharge valve has a flat plate-shaped base formed with an opening for permitting suction or discharge of the fluid. A valve holding mechanism for holding the suction valve and the discharge valve between the suction section and the discharge section and the pump chamber while allowing communication between the pump chamber and the suction section and the discharge section. Arrange the wall,
The suction valve is held between the valve holding wall portion and the suction portion so that the suction portion side of the opening is shielded by the suction portion,
Between the valve holding wall portion and the discharge portion, the discharge valve is held such that the valve holding wall portion side of the opening is shielded by the valve holding wall portion,
A recess that allows deformation of the suction valve toward the pump chamber side when vibrated by the diaphragm is provided in a portion of the holding wall portion within a predetermined range facing the suction valve, and the opening of the suction valve is Is formed to be exposed,
A concave portion that allows the discharge valve to deform toward the side opposite to the pump chamber when vibrating by the diaphragm is provided in a portion of the discharge portion within a predetermined range facing the discharge valve, and the concave portion of the discharge valve is opened. Formed so that the hole is exposed,
The suction valve and the discharge valve are characterized in that, at the time of each of the deformations, each opening is opened to allow suction of fluid into the pump chamber or discharge of fluid outside the pump chamber. The pump according to claim 1. 3. The suction valve and the discharge valve are formed with a convex portion for shielding the suction hole or the discharge hole, respectively, in a state where the fluid is not sucked or discharged. A pump according to claim 1.

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