JP3996423B2 - Lubricant supply device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lubricant supply device for directly sucking and discharging a lubricant such as grease or oil stored in a container such as a commercially available drum can or pail can from a container and supplying the lubricant to an oil supply point of various industrial machines. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus suitable for supplying a lubricant having a high viscosity or a high consistency.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional lubricant supply device shown in FIG. 15 includes a support unit 11, a drive unit 12 fixed on the support unit 11, and a pump unit 14 fixed below the support unit 11 via a transmission unit 13. And is attached to a container 10 containing a lubricant 100. In FIG. 15, only the container 10 and the support part 11 are shown in cross section. This device is attached to the container 10 so that the pump part 14 is inserted into the container 10 from above and the container 10 is closed by the support part 11. In this apparatus, the pump unit 14 is driven by the driving unit 12 via the transmission unit 13, and the lubricant 100 is directly sucked and discharged from the suction port 141 on the lower surface of the pump unit 14. The lubricant 100 is supplied to each oil supply location.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, No. In the case of being made of a high fluid such as 3, there is a fear that the lubricant 100 cannot be sucked efficiently, particularly at low temperatures such as in winter.
[0004]
Therefore, the applicant of the present application has developed an apparatus in which a stirring blade 16 is provided below the pump unit 14 as shown in FIG. 16 (see Utility Model Registration No. 2506887). In FIG. 16, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 15 are the same or equivalent. According to this, since the fluidity of the lubricant 100 is increased by the stirring by the stirring blade 16, the suction efficiency of the lubricant 100 is improved. However, the following problems have been found in this apparatus.
[0005]
That is, there is no problem when the lubricant 100 is sufficiently present in the container 10, but as shown in FIG. 16, when the remaining amount of the lubricant 100 is about 1/3, the surface of the lubricant 100 is The suction port 141 is recessed toward the suction port 141 of the pump unit 14, and the suction port 141 communicates with the atmosphere. The suction port 141 sucks air, so that the lubricant 100 cannot be discharged. Such a phenomenon may occur similarly even when the remaining amount of the lubricant 100 is relatively large as shown in FIG. When such a phenomenon occurred, it was considered that further suction of the lubricant 100 was impossible, and the remaining lubricant 100 was discarded and replaced with a new container 10. Therefore, it was uneconomical.
[0006]
On the other hand, in order to prevent the surface of the lubricant from sinking toward the suction port 141, it has been proposed to place a drop lid called a follower plate on the surface of the lubricant. However, in that case, there is a problem that the drop lid is forgotten to be placed in the container or the hands and clothes are soiled when the drop lid is removed.
[0007]
The present invention provides a lubricant supply device that can prevent the pump unit from discharging the lubricant by sucking air and can suck and discharge the lubricant without leaving the lubricant in the container. With the goal.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a lubricant supply device that sucks and discharges lubricant from a container containing a lubricant made of a viscous fluid, and is supported by a manual lifting mechanism. , A drive unit fixed on the support unit, and a pump unit fixed below the support unit via a transmission unit. The pump unit has a suction port and a stirring blade on the lower surface. In a state where it is placed on the lubricant in the container, it is driven by the drive unit via the transmission unit, and the pump is operated to agitate, suck and discharge the lubricant, The pump unit is characterized by including a packing that seals between the inner periphery of the container and the entire circumference.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pump portion is accommodated in a downwardly-opening casing, and packing is provided on the entire circumference of the casing.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the casing includes an opening / closing mechanism that allows the inside of the casing to communicate with the atmosphere.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the space between the pump portion and the inner surface of the housing is sealed by a bottom plate.
[0012]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the casing includes an opening / closing mechanism that allows the lower space and the upper space of the casing to communicate with each other.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the packing is provided integrally with the pump portion.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a front view of the lubricant supply device of the present invention. This device 2 is fixed via a support unit 4 supported by a manual lifting mechanism 3, a drive unit 5 such as a geared motor fixed on the support unit 4, and a transmission unit 6 below the support unit 4. And a pump unit 7. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the device 2 is set in a container 10 containing a lubricant 100. In FIG. 1, only the container 10 is shown in a partial cross section, and the device 2 is not shown in a cross section.
[0015]
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pump unit 7, and FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow III in FIG. The pump unit 7 is accommodated in a housing 8 that opens downward from above. The housing 8 includes a circular top plate 81 and a cylindrical body 82. Two discharge pipes 70 penetrate the top plate 81, and the lower end of the transmission portion 6 is fixed at the center. The penetration part of the discharge pipe 70 in the top plate 81 is sealed with packing or a sealant. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the top plate 81 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism 86 that allows the inside and outside of the housing 8 to communicate with each other. The opening / closing mechanism 86 includes a pipe body 861 penetrating the top plate 81 and two reverse check valves 862 and 863 provided in parallel at the outlet of the pipe body 861. The cylindrical body 82 of the housing 8 has an upper flange 821 and a lower flange 822, and is fixed to the top plate 81 with bolts 83 by the upper flange 821. An annular elastic plate (packing) 9 is sandwiched between the lower flange 822 and the lower flange 822 by a disc annular plate 84 and fixed with bolts 85. The elastic plate 9 protrudes laterally from the lower flange 822 and the plate body 84 so as to be sufficiently in close contact with the inner surface of the container 10 in the state of FIG. The protruding amount of the elastic plate 9 is preferably such that the elastic plate 9 bends a little while contacting the inner surface of the container 10.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the pump unit 7 includes a central portion 71 and two operating portions 72 on both sides thereof. The two actuating parts 72 have the same structure and are symmetrical. In the operating portion 72, a substantially horizontal valve cylinder chamber 721 is formed on the upper side, and a main cylinder chamber 722 parallel to the valve cylinder chamber 721 is formed on the lower side. The valve cylinder chamber 721 communicates with the discharge pipe 70. A downwardly opening tapered suction port 141 is opened on the lower surface of the operating portion 72. The main cylinder chamber 722 communicates with the suction port 141. The valve cylinder chamber 721 and the main cylinder chamber 722 communicate with each other through a passage 723. A valve piston rod 724 and a main piston rod 725 are slidably fitted in the valve cylinder chamber 721 and the main cylinder chamber 722, respectively. A notch 7241 is formed at the tip of the valve piston rod 724. The main cylinder chamber 722 is closed with a plug 727.
[0017]
A cam chamber 711 is formed in the central portion 71. In the center of the cam chamber 711, a vertical rotation shaft 712 is rotatably supported via upper and lower bearings 713, 714. Eccentric cams 715 and 716 are arranged in parallel on the rotating shaft 712. As shown in FIG. 5 which is a VV cross-sectional view of the pump unit 7 of FIG. Character-shaped piston guides 717 and 718 are arranged. The valve piston rod 724 and the main piston rod 725 are moved forward and backward according to the reciprocating motion of the piston guides 717 and 718, respectively.
[0018]
The lower end portion of the rotating shaft 712 protrudes outside the pump portion 7, and the stirring blade 73 is horizontally fixed to the lower end portion. The stirring blade 73 is made of a flat plate and is rotated in a state of being opposed to the lower surface of the pump unit 7. It is set shorter than the distance to the inner surface of 82. The lower end of the rotating shaft 712 and the stirring blade 73 are located above the lower end of the bolt 85.
[0019]
The transmission unit 6 includes a connection shaft 61 and a cylindrical support pipe 62 that encloses the connection shaft 61. The upper end of the support pipe 62 is fixed to the support portion 4, and the lower end is fixed to the top plate 81 of the housing 8. The connection shaft 61 connects the output shaft (not shown) of the drive unit 5 and the rotation shaft 712 of the pump unit 7.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the lifting mechanism 3, when the handle 32 at the top of the column 31 is rotated to rotate the pinion 33, the rack 34 meshing with the pinion 33 moves up and down. The support portion 4 is supported by the rack 34. The lifting mechanism 3 has a lock mechanism (not shown) that locks the vertical movement of the rack 34.
[0021]
The column 31 is fixed on a mounting plate 91 fixed on the floor. The container 10 is placed on a placement plate 91 and fixed by a locking member 92. The locking member 92 is adapted to fix the container 10 by being hooked on the lower edge of the container 10.
[0022]
Next, the operation will be described.
First, the pump unit 7 and the like are set in the container 10 by manually turning the handle 32 of the manual lifting mechanism 3. That is, first, the housing 8 integrated with the pump unit 7 is disposed above the container 10. Next, the elastic plate 9 of the housing 8 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the container 10. The handle 32 is free. Then, while the air between the housing 8 and the container 10 is released through the check valve 862 of the opening / closing mechanism 86, the housing 8 descends by its own weight including the pump unit 7 and the like, It is placed on the surface of the stored lubricant 100. At this time, when the viscosity of the lubricant 100 is small, the lubricant 100 enters the housing 8 while pushing air from the opening / closing mechanism 86.
[0023]
Next, the drive part 5 is operated. When the drive unit 5 is operated, the connecting shaft 61, the rotating shaft 712, and the eccentric cams 715 and 716 are rotated, the valve piston rod 724 and the main piston rod 725 are moved forward and backward, and the stirring blade 73 is rotated.
[0024]
The forward / backward movement of both piston rods 724 and 725 is performed as shown in FIGS. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the main piston rod 725 is retracted to open the suction port 141 in a state where the valve piston rod 724 is retracted to a position where the passage 723 is closed. As a result, the lubricant 100 is sucked from the suction port 141 as indicated by the arrow and collected in the main cylinder chamber 722. As shown in FIG. 7, the main piston rod 725 closes the suction port 141 and advances to the tip position (stroke end) in a state where the notch 7241 of the valve piston rod 724 has advanced to a position where the passage 723 is opened. As a result, the lubricant 100 accumulated in the main cylinder chamber 722 is sent to the valve cylinder chamber 721 as shown by the arrow, and is discharged from the discharge port 728 through the notch 7241. By repeating such a forward / backward movement of the piston rods 724 and 725, the suction and discharge of the lubricant 100 is performed by the pump unit 7. The forward / backward movement of the piston rods 724 and 725 is performed in the same manner and with a phase difference of 180 degrees in the two operating portions 72. The lubricant 100 discharged from the discharge port 728 passes through the discharge pipe 70 and is supplied from the supply unit 15 to the oil supply location.
[0025]
Further, when the stirring blade 73 rotates, the fluidity of the lubricant 100 below the pump unit 7 increases.
[0026]
As the suction and discharge of the lubricant 100 by the pump unit 7 is performed as described above, the amount of the lubricant 100 in the container 10 decreases. At this time, the casing 8 and the pump unit 7 are lowered while pressing the lubricant 100 as shown in FIG. 8 due to their own weight including the support unit 4, the drive unit 5, the transmission unit 6, and the like. The lubricant 100 is forcibly pushed to the suction port 141. Moreover, since the lower part of the casing 8 is sealed by the casing 8 and the elastic plate 9, air does not flow into the lower part of the casing 8. Further, the lubricant 100 below the pump unit 7 is agitated by the agitating blades 73 and has a high fluidity, and therefore is smoothly sucked into the suction port 141. Therefore, the lubricant 100 is reliably and smoothly sucked from the suction port 141 and gradually decreases while being filled below the pump unit 7 and the housing 8. The part 7 and the housing 8 are lowered in a horizontal state.
[0027]
Specifically, the lubricant 100 is No. 2, No. Even those having a high viscosity of 3 were sucked and discharged at a low temperature without heating. For example, no. The lubricant 100 having a viscosity of 3 was sucked and discharged without any problems even at a temperature of 0 ° C.
[0028]
Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the bolt 85 of the housing 8 comes into contact with the bottom surface 101 of the container 10, the operation of the driving unit 5 is stopped and the suction / discharge of the lubricant 100 is ended. The contact of the bolt 85 with the bottom surface 101 at this time is determined, for example, visually or by an alarm device (not shown).
[0029]
The replacement of the container 10 is performed as follows. That is, by manually turning the handle 32 of the elevating mechanism 3, the housing 8 and the pump unit 7 are first raised. At this time, since air flows into the housing 8 through the check valve 863 of the opening / closing mechanism 86, the sealed state below the housing 8 is released, and the housing 8 rises smoothly. Further, since the container 10 is fixed on the mounting plate 91 by the locking member 92, the container 10 does not lift or wobble. Next, the casing 8 and the pump unit 7 are positioned above the container 10, the locking member 92 is released, the container 10 is lowered from the mounting plate 91, and a new container 10 containing the lubricant 100 is loaded. It is placed on the mounting plate 91 and fixed by the locking member 92. Then, the apparatus 2 is set in a new container 10 in the same manner as described above.
[0030]
According to the lubricant supply device 2 configured as described above, the following effects can be exhibited.
(1) Since the elastic plate 9 seals the lower part of the housing 8, air can be prevented from flowing into the lower part of the housing 8 during operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pump unit 7 from becoming inoperable due to the suction port 141 sucking air.
[0031]
(2) Since the inflow of air to the lower side of the housing 8 can be prevented, and the lubricant 100 can be pressed downward by its own weight such as the manual lifting mechanism 3 and the pump unit 7, the lubricant 100 is supplied to the pump unit 7. And it can reduce in the state with which the lower part of the housing | casing 8 was satisfy | filled. Therefore, the lubricant 100 can be sucked and discharged to the vicinity of the bottom surface 101 of the container 10, and the lubricant 100 in the container 10 can be used with almost no residue. Therefore, the economical efficiency of the lubricant can be improved.
[0032]
(3) Since the elevating mechanism 3 is a manual type, no other drive source is required, and therefore economical.
[0033]
(4) The lubricant 100 can be pressed downward by its own weight such as the pump unit 7, and the fluidity of the lubricant 100 can be improved by stirring the lubricant 100 below the pump unit 7 with the stirring blade 73. Therefore, the lubricant 100 can be pushed to the suction port 141 and smoothly sucked from the suction port 141.
[0034]
(5) Since the device 2 can be configured by attaching the housing 8 provided with the elastic plate 9 to the pump portion of the conventional device as shown in FIG. 16 or the pump portion of a new device, it can be easily adopted. .
[0035]
(6) Since the pump unit 7 has the two operation units 72, the discharge amount per unit time can be doubled, and therefore the operation efficiency can be improved.
[0036]
(7) Since the housing 8 includes the opening / closing mechanism 86, when the housing 8 is placed on the surface of the lubricant 100 in the container 10, the air below the housing 8 can be released through the opening / closing mechanism 86. Therefore, the casing 8 can be smoothly lowered, and when the casing 8 is taken out from the container 10, the sealed state below the casing 8 can be released through the opening / closing mechanism 86. The body 8 can be raised smoothly.
[0037]
(8) Since the elevating mechanism 3 is provided, the pump unit 7 and the like can be easily set in the container 10 and the container 10 can be easily replaced.
[0038]
(9) Since the container 10 is fixed by the locking member 92, the operation of taking out the housing 8 from the container 10 can be performed stably.
[0039]
The lubricant supply device of the present invention can further employ the following modified structure.
(1) In the apparatus 2 having the above-described configuration, the lower-open casing 8 is used. However, the casing 8 may be closed from below. That is, as shown in FIG. 11 which is an XI arrow view of FIGS. 10 and 10, a bottom plate 87 made of a circular plate in which the shape of the pump portion 7 is pulled out is fitted into the housing 8 from below, and the bottom plate 87 The peripheral portion 871 and the boundary portion 872 between the pump portion 7 are sealed. According to this configuration, when the housing 8 is set in the container 10 and lowered, air can be reliably prevented from accumulating in the space in the housing 8, so that air is sucked from the suction port 141. Can be reliably prevented, and the pump unit 7 can be reliably prevented from becoming inoperable. In this case, an opening / closing mechanism 88 shown in FIG. 12 is provided in order to control the opening / closing of the communication between the lower space and the upper space of the housing 8. The opening / closing mechanism 88 includes a pipe body 881 vertically penetrating the housing 8 and two reverse check valves 882 and 883 provided in parallel at the outlet of the pipe body 881. The basic operation of the opening / closing mechanism 88 is the same as that of the opening / closing mechanism 86.
[0040]
(2) As shown in FIG. 13, the stirring blade 73 is exposed below the housing 8 and is set longer than the distance from the rotation shaft 712 to the inner surface of the cylindrical body 82 of the housing 8. According to this configuration, the lubricant 100 can be stirred more effectively, the fluidity of the lubricant 100 can be increased, and the lubricant 100 can be sucked and discharged more smoothly. In this case, in order to prevent the rotating shaft 712 and the stirring blade 73 from colliding with the bottom surface 101 when the casing 8 is lowered to the vicinity of the bottom surface 101 as shown in FIG. The length L is adjusted by using an adjustable length L.
[0041]
(3) Instead of providing the housing 8, the elastic plate 9 may be provided integrally with the pump unit 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the lower peripheral edge of the pump unit 7 is protruded laterally to form a flange 74, and the elastic plate 9 is sandwiched between the plate members 84 and fixed with bolts 85. According to this configuration, the device configuration can be simplified.
[0042]
(4) It is good also as one action | operation part 72 of the pump part 7. FIG. For example, it is assumed that both piston rods 724 and 725 of one operating part 72 are shortened and are not used.
[0043]
(5) The pump unit 7 of the apparatus 2 having the above-described configuration is of a so-called double plunger type, but a check valve type may be adopted instead. For example, in the pump portion 7 of FIG. 2, the check valve system eliminates the upper eccentric cam 715, the valve piston rod 724, and the valve cylinder chamber 721, and uses the plug 727 of the main cylinder chamber 722 as a check valve. 723 is connected to the discharge port 728.
[0044]
(6) As the stirring blade 73, as long as the lubricant can be stirred, an L-shaped one with both ends bent or other shapes may be used.
[0045]
(7) As the manual lifting mechanism 3, a chain / chain sprocket mechanism, a mechanism using a winch, or the like may be used instead of the pinion rack mechanism described above.
[0046]
(8) Instead of the two check valves of the opening / closing mechanisms 86 and 88, a simple opening / closing valve may be provided. In this case, the opening / closing control is performed manually.
[0047]
(9) The opening / closing mechanisms 86 and 88 may be omitted and only the air passage may be provided. For example, no. If the lubricant is about 3, the lubricant itself closes the air passage during operation after the pump portion 7 is placed on the lubricant, and when the pump portion 7 is raised after completion, the air passage Since distribution is ensured, there is no problem even if an opening / closing mechanism is not provided.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, air can be prevented from flowing into the lower part of the pump part, so that the pump part can be prevented from becoming inoperable by sucking air, and the lubricant in the container can be removed. Suction is possible with almost no leaving. Furthermore, since the fluidity of the lubricant can be enhanced by the stirring blades, the lubricant can be sucked smoothly from the suction port.
[0049]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the apparatus can be configured by attaching the housing to the pump section of the conventional apparatus or the pump section of a new apparatus, it can be easily adopted.
[0050]
According to invention of Claim 3, when mounting a housing | casing on the surface of the lubricant in a container, a housing | casing can be lowered | hung smoothly, When taking out a housing | casing from the inside of a container, The housing can be raised smoothly.
[0051]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the casing is set in the container and lowered, air can be reliably prevented from accumulating in the space in the casing, so that air is sucked from the suction port. It can prevent reliably and it can prevent reliably that a pump part becomes inoperable.
[0052]
According to the invention of claim 5, when placing the casing on the surface of the lubricant in the container, the casing can be smoothly lowered, and when the casing is taken out from the container, The housing can be raised smoothly.
[0053]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the device configuration can be simplified.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a lubricant supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pump unit.
FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow III in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an opening / closing mechanism.
5 is a VV cross-sectional view of the pump unit of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing an operating state of the pump unit.
7 is a longitudinal sectional partial view showing an operating state following FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional front partial view showing an operating state of the apparatus following FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional front partial view showing the operating state of the apparatus following FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing another example of a housing.
FIG. 11 is a view on arrow XI in FIG.
12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the opening / closing mechanism of the example of FIG.
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing another example of the pump unit.
FIG. 14 is a partial sectional front view showing still another example of the pump unit.
FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a conventional lubricant supply device.
FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a defect of a conventional lubricant supply device.
FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a defect of a conventional lubricant supply device.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Lubricant supply device 3 Lift mechanism 4 Support section 5 Drive section 6 Transmission section 7 Pump section 8 Housing 86, 88 Opening / closing mechanism 87 Bottom plate 9 Elastic plate (packing)
10 Container 100 Lubricant 141 Suction port

Claims (6)

In the lubricant supply device that sucks the lubricant from the container containing the lubricant made of the viscous fluid and discharges it outside the container.
A support portion supported by a manual lifting mechanism;
A drive unit fixed on the support unit;
A pump unit fixed below the support unit via a transmission unit;
The pump unit has a suction port and a stirring blade on the lower surface, and is driven by the drive unit via the transmission unit while being placed on the lubricant in the container to stir and suck the lubricant. The pump is operated to discharge,
The pump unit is provided with a packing for sealing between the inner surface of the container and the inner surface of the container. The lubricant supply device according to claim 1, wherein the pump unit is accommodated in a downwardly opened casing, and packing is provided on the entire periphery of the casing. The lubricant supply device according to claim 2, wherein the housing includes an opening / closing mechanism that allows the inside of the housing to communicate with the atmosphere. The lubricant supply device according to claim 2, wherein a space between the pump unit and the inner surface of the housing is sealed by a bottom plate. The lubricant supply device according to claim 4, wherein the housing includes an opening / closing mechanism that allows communication between a lower space and an upper space of the housing. The lubricant supply device according to claim 1, wherein the packing is provided integrally with the pump unit.

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