JP2763483B2 - Diaphragm air pump - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a diaphragm type air pump. More specifically, the present invention relates to a diaphragm air pump that supplies air to a live fish tank, a septic tank, or the like, and that can easily detect a water level of a water tank or an abnormality of the air pump.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A diaphragm type air pump is a type of vibrator which is vibrated by a magnetic interaction between a vibrator connected to a diaphragm and having a permanent magnet and an electromagnetic coil provided on an outer peripheral portion of the vibrator and driven by an AC power supply. By reciprocating the vibrator, the diaphragm connected to the vibrator is reciprocated to suck and discharge air.

In the live fish tank, air is supplied into the water tank by an air pump in order to supply sufficient oxygen to the fish in the water tank. It is preferable that the amount of supplied air is adjusted according to the amount of water in the aquarium and the amount of fish, or that the amount of water is always kept constant from the viewpoint of energy saving. Have been. Also, in live fish tanks such as fish farms, if the water level becomes too high due to rain etc., the water overflows and fish escapes, and if the water level becomes too low,
Accidents such as fish dying from the breath are likely to occur, but in order to manage them, a water level meter composed of a float or the like is provided separately from an air pump that supplies air.

On the other hand, in the septic tank, air is supplied by an air pump into the septic tank in which sewage is stored, sufficient oxygen is supplied to the microorganisms in the tank, and the microorganisms decompose and purify the filth. Have been done. In this case,
When the amount of water in the septic tank is large, it is necessary to supply a large amount of air. When the amount of water is small, the supply of air can be restricted. However, since it is difficult to provide a float water level meter and the like in the septic tank, the purification process is always performed by supplying a constant amount of air for a fixed time. That is,
Assuming the average behavior of changes in load from past data, incorporate it as a weekly schedule, link it with a timer, etc., perform on / off control of the pump or external device,
It complies with environmental standards such as BOD value (biochemical oxygen demand).

[0005]

As described above, even if the air supply amount can be adjusted according to the water level in the water tank, the air supply amount is not adjusted by feedback, or the water level detector is used even when the air supply amount is adjusted. However, there is a problem that wiring is separately required between the air pump and the air pump, resulting in a complicated configuration.

Further, if the air supply pipe is clogged, there is a problem that even if the pump is operating normally, the supply of air to the water tank is reduced, causing fish and microorganisms to die. Further, when the diaphragm of the air pump is broken, the power is conventionally turned off by detecting it with a limit switch or the like. However, there is a problem that the detection may be inaccurate.

The present invention solves such a problem and provides an integrated diaphragm type air pump capable of detecting a load state of the air pump such as an air supply amount and a water level of a water tank and generating a control signal. With the goal.

Another object of the present invention is to pay attention to the fact that the back pressure in the air supply passage changes according to the water level in the water tank, and to integrate the water level meter with the water level meter which can adjust the air supply amount according to the water level. An object of the present invention is to provide an air pump.

Still another object of the present invention is to focus on the fact that the back pressure in the air supply path changes in accordance with the load, and to easily detect abnormalities such as damage to the diaphragm of the air pump and clogging of the air supply pipe. An object of the present invention is to provide a diaphragm type air pump capable of detecting and feeding back.

[0010]

A diaphragm type air pump according to the present invention is directly connected to an air supply passage of a diaphragm type air pump which supplies air into a water tank by exciting a vibrator connected to the diaphragm by an electromagnetic coil. A back pressure detector that detects a back pressure in the air supply path based on a signal from the sensor, and a control signal generation circuit that generates a control signal in accordance with the signal from the back pressure detector. It is provided.

The sensor is any one of a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in the air supply path, a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate in the air supply path, and a wind speed sensor for measuring a wind speed in the air supply path. Is preferred.

[0012] Further, the control signal generation circuit is adapted to respond to back pressure.
It is preferable for interlocking the outputs of the water level and the air pump of the tank, which comprises a water level gauge for detecting the water level of the person to the water tank.

[0013] Further, the control signal generation circuit is adapted to respond to back pressure.
Consists circuit for detecting the level of those for the aquarium, it is preferable from the viewpoint of power saving control circuit for reducing the driving power of the air pump is further provided by the water level.

Further, the control signal generation circuit compares an output of the back pressure detector with a reference value, and detects an abnormality of the air pump when the output is equal to or greater than the reference value or equal to or less than the reference value. It is preferable in terms of the management of the air pump that a device is provided.

[0015]

According to the present invention, since a sensor is provided directly connected to the air supply path of the air pump to detect the back pressure in the air supply path, it is possible to easily detect the water level of the water tank and the abnormality of the air pump. Can be. In other words, the back pressure in the air supply path of the air pump consists of a dynamic pressure that fluctuates pulsatingly caused by vibration of the diaphragm, and a static pressure that depresses against the external pressure due to the spring property of the diaphragm. The static pressure includes water pressure applied to the air diffuser at the tip of the air supply pipe and pipe resistance in the air supply pipe. The dynamic pressure pulsates in accordance with the vibration of the diaphragm, but the average value becomes a constant pressure if the pump and the applied voltage are constant. Further, the pipe resistance in the air supply path varies depending on the thickness and the degree of bending of the air supply pipe, but the produced air supply pipe is always constant and remains constant unless clogging or the like occurs. On the other hand, the water pressure changes depending on the amount of water on the air supply port, and the change in the amount of water appears as a back pressure. Since the above-mentioned clogging in the air supply pipe or breakage of the diaphragm causes a large change in the back pressure, it is possible to easily detect an abnormality in the air pump and an abnormality in the air diffuser by comparing the back pressure with a reference value.

[0016]

Next, a diaphragm type air pump according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of one embodiment of the diaphragm air pump of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a specific block diagram of one embodiment of the diaphragm air pump of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diaphragm air pump of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a specific circuit of a back pressure detector and a control signal generation circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a specific circuit diagram of a water level gauge part of an embodiment of the diaphragm type air pump of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a control circuit for controlling the driving power supply of the air pump based on a control signal based on the water level in the water tank. FIG.

In FIG. 1, an air pump 1 is an air pump main body 10 composed of a movable magnet type diaphragm air pump.
And a pressure sensor 32 provided on the air supply pipe 2 of the air pump body 10 via the branch pipe 31 and a signal processing circuit 33 for outputting a signal proportional to the back pressure in the air supply pipe 2 based on the output of the pressure sensor 32. The pressure detector 30 and control for controlling a drive current supplied from a commercial power supply external to the air pump main body 10 based on a signal output from the back pressure detector 30 or generating a control signal for driving an external control circuit And a signal generation circuit 40. The air diffuser 2a at the tip of the air supply pipe 2 communicates with the water tank 4, and is attached to a fixed location at the bottom of the water tank 4. Thereby, when the air pump 1 is driven, air is supplied into the water tank 4 through the air supply pipe 2. The back pressure of the air supply pipe 2 is determined by the amount of air discharged by the diaphragm, the pipe resistance of the air supply pipe 2, the water pressure applied to the air diffuser 2a, and the like. A signal processing circuit based on the output of the sensor 32
A signal proportional to the back pressure in the air supply pipe 2 is generated by 33, and a control signal generation circuit 40 controls the operation state and an external control circuit.

The back pressure detector 30 includes a sensor 32 provided directly in the air supply path such as the air supply pipe 2 and a signal processing circuit 33 for outputting a signal proportional to the back pressure in the air supply path based on an output signal of the sensor 32. Consists of

As the sensor 32, a pressure sensor composed of a semiconductor, a diaphragm, or the like, an anemometer or a flow meter for measuring a wind speed or a flow rate of an air supply path can be used. Since the relationship between the flow rate and the back pressure in the air supply path of the air pump is substantially proportional as shown in FIG. 7, the back pressure can also be known by measuring the flow rate or the wind speed. The position where the sensor 32 is provided may be any place directly connected to the air supply path, and as shown in FIG.
May be provided on the branch pipe 31, or may be provided directly in the air supply pipe 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be provided in the air tank of the air pump main body connected to the air supply pipe 2, and in short, it may be connected to the air flow path. When a pressure gauge is used as the sensor 32, it may be provided on the branch pipe 31, but when a flow meter or an anemometer is used, it is preferably provided directly on the air supply path.

As the anemometer, for example, a thermistor can be used, and as the flow meter, a differential pressure type flow meter using an orifice or a rotary blade, a turbine flow meter, or the like can be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the signal processing circuit 33 includes an amplifier 33a and a low-pass filter 33b, and amplifies a signal from the sensor 32 to cut noise. FIG. 3 shows a more specific circuit example of the amplifier 33a and the low-pass filter 33b. In the example shown in FIG.
Is a typical variable gain differential amplifier consisting of three operational amplifiers 331, 332, 333 and seven resistors _{R 3, R 4, R 5} , R 6, R 7, R 8, R 9 . In the amplifier 33a, a signal voltage from sensor 32 and V _2, the output voltage V ₀ which amplifier 33a when the reference voltage is V ₁ which is input to the positive input terminal of the operational amplifier 332 is known to be expressed as follows ing.

V ₀ = (V ₂ −V ₁ ) (R ₃ + R ₄ + R ₅ ) / R ₄ where R ₃ = R ₅ Note that the operational amplifier 333 at the subsequent stage has R ₆ = R ₇ = R ₈ = R ₉
In general, the gain is used as 1.

The bus signal voltage V ₂ from the sensor 32 will vary with for example 0~5V the total span of the back pressure, to be measured in the vicinity of a particular backpressure value i.e. a particular signal voltage V ₂ with high sensitivity Ainiwa determines the ratio of the voltage dividing resistors R ₁ and R ₂ to be a value close to the reference voltages V ₁ to the operational amplifier 332 to the signal voltage V ₂ to be highly sensitive, and amplifier
What is necessary is just to raise the gain of 33a.

Following the amplifier 33a, a normal coil L for removing high-frequency noise and a π-type low-pass filter 33b composed of capacitors C ₁ and C ₂ are connected to remove noise components. As a result, a signal voltage proportional to the back pressure in the air supply path is output from the back pressure detector 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

The signal processing circuit 33 is not limited to the circuit example shown in FIG. 3, but may be composed of a transistor circuit or the like.

The output from the back pressure detector 30 is sent to a control signal generation circuit 40. The control signal generation circuit 40 compares the detected back pressure signal with a reference voltage to determine if the back pressure is abnormal. Determines the abnormality of the air pump, such as clogging of the air supply pipe or breakage of the diaphragm, and feeds back a control signal to the pump drive power supply, reads the water level of the water tank to which air is supplied from the constantly changing back pressure, and drives the pump. It feeds back to the power supply and sends control signals to an external water level control device.

An example of a specific block diagram of the control signal generating circuit 40 is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a water level gauge 41 for obtaining a water level of a water tank such as a live fish tank or a septic tank to which air is supplied by a back pressure detection signal, and an air supply pipe abnormality detector 42 for indicating an abnormality such as clogging of the air supply pipe 2. Although an example is shown in which three of the diaphragm abnormality detectors 43 for detecting the damage of the diaphragm are provided, it is not necessary to provide all of them, and any control signal may be generated based on the back pressure. I just need.

Next, an example of a water level meter will be described in detail as an example of the control signal generation circuit. In FIG. 2, the water level meter 41 includes a voltage comparator 412 and a water level signal generation circuit 419.
An example of the details is shown in FIG. When the air diffuser 2 a of the air supply pipe 2 is located at a depth H (cm) from the water surface in the water tank 4, it receives a pressure of about Hgf / cm ^{2 and} applies a back pressure in the air supply pipe 2. . Therefore, when the position of the air diffuser 2a of the air supply pipe 2 is constant and the water level changes and the value of H changes, the back pressure also changes. By detecting the change in the back pressure, the water level in the water tank is detected. In FIG. 4, first, the difference between the output of the back pressure detector 30 and the reference voltage is amplified by a differential amplifier 411. The reference voltage is used to set a value corresponding to all back pressures including a back pressure based on the water level, a discharge pressure of the diaphragm, and a pressure due to a pipe resistance of the air supply pipe. The output voltage and the voltage divided by the variable resistor 413 are compared by a voltage comparator 412, and the output is connected to the base of a transistor 414. If the output of the voltage comparator 412 is plus (or minus), the transistor The 414 is turned on, and the LED 415 is turned on. Therefore, when the output voltage from the differential amplifier 411 becomes equal to the output voltage by adjusting the variable resistor 413, the output of the voltage comparator 412 is 0, the transistor 414 is turned off, and the LED 415 does not light. Therefore, by determining the position where the LED 415 blinks while adjusting the variable resistor 413, the water level of the water tank can be determined from the back pressure signal from the back pressure detector 30. A water level scale 416 is fixed to the adjuster of the variable resistor 413. The water level scale 416 is graduated in a one-to-one correspondence with the water level scale 417 of the actual water tank, and the LED 415 flashes. By adjusting the variable resistor 413 as described above, the water level in the water tank can be easily known. In FIG. 4, R ₁₆ is a resistor for setting the collector voltage of the transistor 414, and R ₁₇ is a resistor for setting the base potential of the transistor 414.

When the water level meter does not need to directly display the water level, the variable resistor 413 is set to a constant value, and the water level can be known from the output voltage of the voltage comparator 412.
When the value is equal to or more than a certain value, the driving power of the air pump can be reduced. The drive power control circuit can be provided on the drive power supply side of the air pump, and a specific block diagram is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 51 denotes a commercial power supply, 52 denotes a DC power supply, 53 denotes a pulse generating circuit and a frequency dividing circuit, 54 denotes a gate circuit, 55 denotes a solid state relay, and 10 denotes an air pump body. In this circuit, one input B of the gate circuit 54
The above-described control signal is input to N
When a pulse signal is output from the gate circuit 54 composed of an AND circuit, the power supply 51 is switched by the solid state relay 55, and the output of the air pump 10 is controlled to, for example, about の of the rated output. Further, the output voltage can be sent to a water level control device for taking water in and out of the live fish tank and the septic tank, and the water level can be automatically adjusted.

In FIG. 2, the air supply pipe abnormality detector 42 includes a voltage comparator 412 and an alarm 422.
The voltage comparator 421 compares the back pressure signal from the back pressure detector 30 with a large reference voltage corresponding to a high water level, and issues an alarm signal when the back pressure signal is larger or operates the pump. It controls the power supply. That is, as described above, the back pressure of the air supply pipe 2 is, as described above, a static pressure composed of a voltage and a water pressure generated by a pipe resistance determined by a structure of the air supply pipe, such as a bent portion, and a dynamic pressure generated by vibration of a diaphragm. The dynamic pressure becomes almost constant if the supply voltage and frequency of the electromagnet for exciting the diaphragm are kept constant, so that the abnormal increase in the back pressure in the air supply pipe 2 is caused by the air supply. Tube 2
This indicates that an abnormality such as clogging has occurred inside.

On the other hand, the diaphragm abnormality detector 43 similarly includes a voltage comparator 431 and an alarm 432, and the voltage comparator 431 corresponds to the case where the back pressure signal from the back pressure detector 30 and the water pressure are low. Then, when the back pressure signal is lower than the reference voltage, an alarm signal is issued and the driving power of the pump is turned off. In other words, the fact that the back pressure signal is lower than the low reference voltage means that the diaphragm has been damaged, and if the vibrator is still vibrated with the diaphragm broken, control by the diaphragm will not be possible, so the inside of the pump Damage to other parts, causing greater damage. However, according to the present invention, the drive power supply can be immediately turned off, and only the diaphragm needs to be replaced without damaging the pump.

FIG. 6 is a sectional explanatory view of a diaphragm type air pump provided with a back pressure detector and a control signal generator according to the present invention. The air pump body 10 is composed of two pumps 11 having a diaphragm 12 and an electromagnet for exciting the diaphragm 12
13, an air tank 16 is provided below the air pump body 10 and is surrounded by a partition plate 14 and a housing 15,
Air discharged by the pump 11 is sent out to the air tank 16,
Further, the air is sent out to the air supply pipe 2 connected to the outside of the pump body 10, and an air flow as shown by an arrow A in the figure is generated.
A sensor 31 protrudes into the air tank 16 and the air supply pipe 2
A back pressure is detected by measuring a pressure, a flow rate, or a wind speed in an air supply path connected to the apparatus.

A substrate 21 is provided on the upper part of the air pump main body 10, a drive circuit for driving the air pump is provided, a power cord 22 for supplying drive power is connected, and the drive power is supplied to the electromagnet 13 by a wiring 23. Supplied. The substrate 21 is provided with a back pressure detector including the above-described signal processing circuit and a control signal generation circuit.
A control signal is generated based on a signal from the sensor 31. Further, a control circuit for turning off the driving power of the air pump or reducing the driving power by the control signal is also provided on the substrate 21. In addition, an air inlet 24,
25, 26 are provided, pump 11 sucks air,
Discharges to the air tank 16 side.

The structure of the air pump is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this structure. The circuit board 21 may be not at the upper part but at the lower part or side part of the pump body 10, and the sensor 31 is provided on the air tank. Even if they are not provided, they may be provided directly on the external air supply pipe 2 or via a branch pipe.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By utilizing external pressure as back pressure due to the spring property of the diaphragm of the diaphragm type air pump,
Since the control signal is generated by detecting the water level of the water tank to which the air is supplied, the abnormality of the air pump, and the like, the pump body, the detector, and the control unit can be integrally configured. As a result, there is no need to separately provide a control unit, so that the management becomes very easy and the price is low. Furthermore, even in places where a water level gauge using a normal float cannot be used in a septic tank or the like, the water level can be monitored simply by installing an air pump.

Further, since the spring property of the diaphragm is utilized, a change in back pressure can be accurately detected, and the water level can be detected with an accuracy of 2 to 3 cm. As a result, the driving power can be reduced or the operation can be performed intermittently according to the water level, which can contribute to energy saving.

Further, according to the present invention, abnormalities of the air pump such as clogging of the air supply pipe and breakage of the diaphragm can be instantaneously and accurately detected and can be fed back to the drive source. Management is also possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of one embodiment of a diaphragm type air pump of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a specific block diagram of one embodiment of a diaphragm air pump according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of a signal processing circuit and a control signal generation circuit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the water level meter of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control circuit that controls a driving power supply of an air pump based on a water level.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory sectional view of a diaphragm type air pump according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a back pressure and a flow rate of the diaphragm type air pump.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Diaphragm type air pump 2 Air supply pipe 4 Water tank 10 Air pump main body 30 Back pressure detector 32 Sensor 33 Signal processing circuit 40 Control signal generation circuit 41 Water level gauge 42 Air supply pipe abnormality detector 43 Diaphragm abnormality detector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F04B 43/04 F04B 45/047

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] A sensor is provided directly connected to an air supply path of a diaphragm type air pump that supplies air into a water tank by exciting a vibrator connected to a diaphragm by an electromagnetic coil. A diaphragm type air pump including a back pressure detector for detecting a back pressure in an air supply path, and a control signal generating circuit for generating a control signal in accordance with a signal from the back pressure detector. 2. A diaphragm type air pump according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in said air supply passage. 3. The diaphragm type air pump according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate in said air supply path. 4. The diaphragm type air pump according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a wind speed sensor that measures a wind speed in the air supply path. 5. The control signal generating circuit according to claim 5, wherein said control signal generating circuit corresponds to a back pressure.
2. A water level gauge for detecting a water level in an aquarium.
The described diaphragm type air pump. 6. The control signal generating circuit according to claim 6, wherein said control signal generating circuit corresponds to a back pressure.
2. The diaphragm-type air pump according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit configured to detect a water level of the water tank, and to further reduce a driving power of the air pump according to the water level. 7. The abnormality detection unit that compares an output of the back pressure detector with a reference value and notifies an abnormality of the air pump when the output is equal to or greater than the reference value or equal to or less than the reference value. The diaphragm type air pump according to claim 1, further comprising a vessel.