US2447688A - Pulsator for milking machines - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 24, 1948-. 1.. DINESEN PULSA-TOR FOR MILKING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 21, 1945 W WMe 4%? 85 Wfii 4 v W 7 ll 4 n L M 7 6 w m0 \,///|\Q/ k m :w 0

Aug. 24, I948. I... DINESEN Y ,4

PuLsA'roR FOR MILKING MACHINE-5' Filed- Feb. 21, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 24, 1948 amuse rULsA'ron FOR MILKING MACHINES Lain-its Dinesen, MinneapolialMinm,

Perfection Manufacturing Corporation,

assignor to Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application February 21, 1945, Serial No. 579,040

Claims. (01. 31-62) My present invention relates to improvements 7 in pulsator valves for milking machines, and more particularly to improvements in that type ofpulsator mechanism involving two pairs of cylinders and pistons. In this type of pulsator, the pistons are air pressure operated and each pair of pistons operates a valve mechanism which controls the other pair of pistons, and the valve mechanism operated by one pair of pistons also serves as the pulsating valve mechanism for alternately connecting the teat cups of the associated milking apparatus with a'source of partial vacuum and atmospheric pressure. In such pulsating mechanisms of this type as are in use at this time, the valves are in the nature of slide valves each reciprocated to and fro in a straight line by a different pair of pistons, and ports controlled by each valve are cross connected to the other pair of cylinders. between the ports of the slide valve operated by one set of pistons and the cylinders for the other set' of pistons is usually accomplished by drilling passages through solid bodies and is a difficult, time-consuming, and costly procedure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pulsator mechanism, of the said type involving two pairs of piston-equipped cylinders, wherein the forming of connecting passages between the valve operated by one pair of pistons and the cylinders for the other pair ofpistons will be greatly simplified.

This cross connecting.

In accordance with the present invention, this and other important objects and objectives are achieved by employing oscillating rotary valves in place of the usual slide valves. In the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated, these oscillatory rotary valves are concentrically disposed between laterally spaced pairs of piston equipped cylinders, and each is mechanically connected to be operated from a different pair of pistons. With the valves thus mounted between the opposite pairs of piston-equipped cylinders, the matter of drilling of interconnected passages between the valves and cylinders is greatly simplified, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and achieving other important objectives, such as increased life.

The above and other highly important objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following specification, claims, and appended drawings;

In the accompanying drawings," like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, with some parts broken away and some parts shown in section, of a milk pail of the type commonly used in connection with milking machines, and having mounted on its cover a pulsator mechanism of the present invention;

' Fig. 2 is a fragme tary view in side elevation,

, with some parts shown in section and some parts broken away, of the pulsator-equipped milk pail of Fig. 1 looking from bottom toward top with respect to Fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, on a somewhat enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, with some parts broken away and some parts omitted, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of one of the pulsator valves;

Fig. 6 is a bottom perspective of the pulsator valves;

Fig. 7 isua transverse sectional view taken on the line 'I--'l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, with some parts on the line shown in full and some parts broken away or omitted, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4 and'showing also parts out or broken away in Fig. 4; and

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are sectional views corresponding to Fig. 8 but showing other positions of the pistons and valves.

' In the particular embodiment chosen to illustrate the invention, the novel pulsator mechanism, indicated as an entirety by l, is mounted on the cover '2 of a milk pail 3 of the variety commonly used in connection with milking machines. The milk pail 3 is maintained under partial vacuum, through connections and in a view of the other manner hereinafter described, and the cover 2 thereof is seated on the open top of the pail gasket or sealing ring 4 of rubber, synthetic rubber, or other suitable material. In accordance with conventional practice, the pail cover 2 is provided with a yoke-like carrying handle 5 and valves 6 and 1 that open downwardly through the cover 2 and are provided with outwardly extending hose coupling nipples 8 that are adapted to be'connected to the inner or milk receiving chambers of the teat cups, not shown, of the milking machine, through suitable flexible hoses, not shown; These valves 6 and 1 are of the conventional manually operated type which may be operated to regulate the milk flow to the pail.

-The pulsator mechanism illustrated comprises anchoring devices, such as are. shown at I6 in.-

Fig. 3. The opposed cylinder blocks I and II! are detachably anchored to opposite flat-faces of the body 9 by means of mounting flanges I1 and screws or the like I8. The pistons A and B of opposed cylinders I I and II respectively are connected for common reciprocating movements by an integrally formed connecting rod I9 so that the piston-equipped cylinders II and II op erate as a pair, and the pistons C and D of cylinders I2 and I2 respectively are similarly connected for common reciprocation by an integrally formed connecting rod so that these piston-equipped cylinders I2 and I2 function as a cooperating pair. By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the cylinders I I, II", I2, and I2 extend above the flat upper face of-the mounting block or body 9 and that the piston connecting rods I9 and 20 extend across andwork over the said flat upper surfaces of the body 9. Also, by reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the outer ends of the several cylinders are closed to provide pressure chambers I3 therein outwardly of their respective pistons A, B, C and D. The pistons A, B, C and D are provided with the customary sealing cups I3 of leather, rubber, or the like, which are secured to the pistons A, B, C and D by rigid washers I3a and cap screws [3b.

The oscillatory rotary valves I4 and I5 have flat under surfaces that Work over flat valve seats I4 and I5, respectively formed by the flat upper surface of the body 9. The valve I5 is annular and works over the cylindrical radially outer surface of the valve I4 and valve I4 is journalled on the intermediate portion of a head-equipped screw 2| having threaded engagement with the body 9. By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the mounting screw 2I for the valves I4 and I5 is, in the preferred form illustrated, positioned at the center of the flat upper surface of the body 9 where it is midway between opposed cylinders and is midway between the axes of laterally spaced pairs of cylinders. The valves I4 and I5 are free for independent oscillatory rotary movements one with respect to the other, and the valve i4 is operated from one pair of pistons A and B through the medium of an operating arm 22 and the valve I5 is operated from the other pair of said pistons C and D through the medium of an operating arm 23. These operating arms 22 and 23 are pivotally mounted at their inner ends on the screw 2I', the former beneath the latter. The, arm 22 has driving engagement with the valve I4 through the medium of circumferential-1y spaced driving lugs 24 projecting from the upper surface of valve I4 and the arm 23 has driving engagement with the valve I5 through similar circumferentially spaced driving lugs 25 projecting from the upper surface of valve I5. The outer ends of the arms 22 and 23 each work between a pair of pins 26 that upwardly project from the upper surface of an opposite piston connecting rod I9 or 20. These pins 26 are located at the approximate centers of their respective connecting rods. As clearly shown in the drawings, the connecting rods I9 and 29 are confined against rotation between the flat top surface of body 9 and the arms 22 and 23 respectively.

The interior of the body 9 is bored out to afford a pressu'recha'mber 21 wherein there is maintained at pressure differing from atmospheric pressure, and which, in accordance with the present example, is a sub-atmospheric pressure or partial vacuum This pressure chamber 21 is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of partial vacuum, such as a vacuum pump, not

shown, through suitable hose connections, not

shown, and a hose coupling nipple 28. Low pressure chamber, Zlisin constant communication with the interior of the milk pail 3 through a pail cover aperture 29 and a suitable moisture trap 30.

The annular valve seat I4 for the valve I 4 (that portion of the flat top surface of body 9 underlying the valve I4) is provided with an intermediate port 3I and opposite circumferentially spaced ports 32 and 33. The port 32 is connected to the pressure chamber I3 of the cylinder bore I2 by connectedpassages 34 and 35 in the body 9 and one cylinder block III respectively. The port 33 in the valve seat I4. for the valve I4 is similarly connected by connected passages 36 and 31 in the body 9 and the other cylinder block II) respectively to the pressure chamber I3 of cylinder bore I2. The intermediate port 3I through the valve seat I4 of valve I4 is connected by a. passage 38 in body 9 toa drilled chamber 39 in said body 9. This chamber 39 terminates-in .a dead end-within the body 9 and is closed at its entrance end by a suitable plug or the like at 40. By reference particularly to Figs. 3 and 8-10 inclusive, it will be seen that the chamber 39 is connected to the pressure chamber 21 by a short drilled passage 4| that is controlled by a needle valve 42 which permits manual regulation of the air flow from the chamber 39 and thereby controls the speed of the mechanism. For cooperation with the ports 3!, 32, and 33, the .valve I4 is provided with circumferentially spaced ports 43, 44, and 45. The end ports 44 and 45 are in the nature of drilled holes extending axially through the valve body I 4;; whereas, the intermediate port 43 is in the nature of a segmental channel opening through the under surface of the valve body I4 and of sufficient length to span and connect the valve seat ports 3I and 33 in one extreme position of the valve and to connect the ports 3I' and 32 in the other extreme position of the valve I 4. Ports 44 and 45 are so spaced and positioned that the former will register with port 32 when the port 43 is registering with ports 3| and 33, and port'45 will register with port 33 when port 43isregistering with ports 3| and 32. Hence, it will be clear that valve I4 controls pistons C and D of cylinders I2 and I2 respectively.

The annular valve seat. I5 for valve I5 (that portion of the flat top surface of body 9 underlying the valve I5.) is provided with circumferentially spaced ports 46, 4 1, and 48. The port 41 is connected to the pressure chamber I3 of cylinder' bore It by connected passages 49 and 50 in the body 9 and the cylinder block I9 respectively. The. port-leis similarly connected to the pressure chamber I'3 of cylinder bore II by connected passages 5t and 52 in the body 9 and the other cylinder block I II. The intermediate port 49 opens into passage 38 and is thereby connected to the chamber 39. Cooperatingwith the valve was 5 Seatports 46, 41, and 48 are : ports 53, 54, and 55. The intermediate port 53 is in the nature of a downwardly opening segmental slot (shown best in Fig. 5) of sufficientlength to span and connect the ports 46 and 41 in one extreme position of the valve l5 and to span and connectthe port's 46 and 48in the other extremeposition of the valve I5. The ports 54 and 55 are in the nature of circumferentially extended notches'thatopen downwardly against the underlying valve seat I5 and open radially of the valve l5 to atmosphere, Theseports 54 and 55 are so positioned that the former thereof willregisterwith and connect a valve seat port 41 or 48 to atmosphere when the other valve seat port 41 or 48 is in registration with the segmental valve port 53.

The valve seat l5 for valve I5 is also formed with circumferentially spaced ports 56, 51, and. 58. Intermediate port 56 is connected to the internal pressure chamber 21 of body 9 through an air passage 59 in body 9. The endports 51 and 58 are connected to hose couplingnipples 66 and 6| respectively through passages 62 and 63 respectively in said body 9. Port 51 is also connected through said passage 62 and a connecting passage 62 to hose coupling nipple 60' and the port 58 is further connected through passage 63 and a connecting passage 63 to a hose ,coupling nipple 6|'.- The hose coupling nipples 66 and 60' are adapted to be connected each to the outer chambers of a different pair of teat cups for one cow and the hose coupling nipples 6| and 6| are adapted to be connected each to the outer chamber of a different pair of teat cups for another cow. In other words, the nipples 60 and 6| may be considered as a cooperating pair of nipples, and the nipples 66 and 6| may be considered as another pair of cooperating nipples. For cooperation with the valve seat ports 56, 51, and 58, the valve I is further provided with a segmental port 64 that is proportioned and posi tioned to span and connect valve seat ports 56 and 51 in one position of the valve mechanism and to span and connect ports 56 and 58 in the other extreme position of the valve mechanism, see Figs. 8-10 inclusive. Also, by reference to Figs. 8-10 inclusive, it will be seen thatthe valve ports 54 and 55 are of suflicient length to also cooperate with ports 51 and 58 to the end that port 51 will be in registration with port 54 when port 58 is in registration with port 64, and port 56 will be in registration with port 55 when port 51 is in registration with port 64.

Operation Preparatory to a description of the operation,

it should be understood that valve seat ports 46, 3| and 5 6 are constantly subject to the partial vacuum maintained in the milk pail and the chamber 21 of body 9, through connections described, and that the valve ports 44, 45, 54, and 55 are subject to atmospheric pressure. If we assume now that the'apparatus is connected for operation in the usual manner, with the nipple 28 connected to a suitable source of partial vacuum such as the usual vacuum pump, the mechanism will operate as follows: Starting with the parts positioned as in Fig. 8, it will be clear that the pressure chambers l3 of cylinder bores cylinder bores H and II, respectively, will tend 6 to remain in their .extreme positions illustrated in Fig. '8; whereas, the pistons C and D of cylinders l2 and I2, respectively, will start moving from-rightto left responsive to the low pressure on one side and the relatively high pressure on the other side. When the pistons C and D of cylinder bores l2 and [2", respectively, reach their extreme left hand positions shown in Fig. 9, they will have moved with them the valve l5 to the position shown in Fig. 9, in which position of valve l5 the pressure chamber of cylinder bore H is connected to atmosphere and the pressure chamber of cylinder bore II is subject to the partial vacuum condition of the milk pail and chamber 21. Responsive to this reversal of pressure conditions in the'chambers of cylinders pH and II, the pistons A and B of said cylinders H and II respectively will move from the position shown in Figs. 8 and 9 to the position shown in Fig. '10, and will move with them the valve l4 to the position shown in Fig. 10. When this happens, the pressure chamber of cylinder bore l2 will be connected to'atmosphere and the pressure chamber of cylinder bore l2 will be subject to the vacuum condition of chamber 21 thereby causing the pistons C and D of cylinder bores I2 and i2" respectively to move from their left hand positions of Figs. 9 and 10 to their right hand positions of Fig. 11, moving with them the valve l5 to the opposite extreme position shown in Fig. 11. This reversing oi the position of valve |5 connects the press'urechamber of cylinder bore [I to the vacuum of chamber 21 and connects the chamber of cylinder bore If to atmosphere, thus causing pistons A and B of cylinder bores and Il' respectively and valve I4 to move from their extreme positions of Fig. 11 back to'their starting positions of Fig. 8. The above recited cycle of operation will, of course, be continually repeated, and under the oscillatory movement of valve l5 the valve seat ports 51 and 58, will be alternately placed in communicationwith the low pressure chamber 21 and with atmosphere, which function is, of course, the prime purpose of the pulsator mechanism described. In'this respect, it will be seen that in the position of the valve l5 shown in Figs. 8 and 11, the port 51 communicating with nipples 66 and isopen to atmospherethrol f'h valve port 54; whereas, the valve seat port 58 communicating with nipples 6| and 6| is connected to pressure chamber 21 through the valve port 64 and the'short passage 59. In the position of the valve 15 shown in Figs. 9 and 10, however, the condition is reversed and port 51 communicating with nipples 60 and 66' is subject to vacuum through valve port 64' and passage 56, and valve port 58 communicating with nipples 6| and 6| is open to atmosphere through valve port 55. I

Insofar as the operation of the mechanism is concerned, the valve ports 54 and 55 could open axially through the valve I5, but I have found that the mechanism operates more silently and that the valve seat is better protected from dust and foreign matter when the said valve ports open radially through the periphery of the valve l5,

being adapted to be connected to a source of partial vacuum, the inner valve having a series of three ports, the end ports of the last said series thereof being open to atmosphere and being so spaced that each thereof will register with a different cylinder-connected port of the underlying valve seat in a different extreme position of said inner valve, the intermediate port of the last said series thereof being in the nature of a segmental channel opening against the valve seat and positioned and proportioned to span and connect the intermediate underlying valve seat port with an opposite cylinder connecting valve seat port in opposite extreme positions of the valve, a primary series of three circumferentially spaced ports in the annular outer valve seat, a secondary series of three ports in the annular outer valve seat, the intermediate ports of said primary and secondary series thereof 'being adapted to be connected to a suitable source of partial vacuum, passages connecting the end ports of the said primary series thereof to opposite cylinders of another pair thereof, the end ports of the secondary series thereof being adapted to be connected to different teat cups, a segmental port in the outer valve of downwardly opening channel shape adapted to span and connect the intermediate port of the primary valve seat series with opposite end ports of said primary valve seat series in opposite extreme positions of the valve, and another downwardly opening channel shaped valve port in the outer valve adapted to span and connect the intermediate port of the said secondary series with opposite end ports of that series in opposite extreme positions of the valve, said outer valve also being provided with spaced ports communicating with atmosphere and each of which will register with a different end port of said primary valve seat series in one extreme position and with an end port of the secondary valve seat series in another extreme position of the outer valve.

'7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which the said last noted ports of the outer valve are in the nature of downwardly and radially outwardly opening recesses.

8. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the end ports of the outer valve are open to atmosphere radially through the sides of the valve.

9. In a pulsator for milking machines, laterally spaced pairs of axially aligned cylinders, a doubleended piston for each axially aligned pair of cylinders, concentric valve seats centrally disposed between the open ends of said laterally spaced pairs of axially aligned cylinders, concentric valves in contact each with a different one of said valve seats and being mounted for independent oscillatory movements about a common axis of rotation, a mechanical driving connection between each double-ended piston and a different one of said valves producing oscillatory movement of that valve under reciprocating movements of the double-ended piston, and three ports in each valve seat, one leading to a source of pressure differing from atmospheric pressure and the others to opposite cylinders of an axially aligned pair of cylinders whose double-ended piston operates the valve for the other valve seat, said valves having ports adapted to interconnect two cooperating valve seat ports at a time and to connect the third to atmosphere.

10. A valve structure for air pressure operated milking machine pulsators having laterally spaced pairs of axially aligned cylinders, a double-ended piston for each axially aligned pair of cylinders and independent valves each operated by the double-ended piston of an opposite pair of cylinders and each controlling the operation of the other pair of cylinders; the said valve being of the rotary oscillatory type and being concentrically arranged for independent rotary oscillatory movements about a common axis of rotation approximately centrally located between the several cylinders, and a pair of valve operating arms mounted for swinging movements about the common axis of said valves and projecting radially therefrom, said arms each being operatively coupled to a different double-ended piston and to the valve controlling the cylinders of the other double-ended piston.

LAURITS DINESEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,376,804 Foster May 23, 1921 1,530,412 Ridd Mar. 1'7, 1925 2,253,341 Michaels Aug. 19, 194:1

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