Pump system with integrated piston-valve actuation

A pump system comprising:

• a pump chamber having a cylindrical wall having a length and a closed end, the chamber having an inlet port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end and a discharge port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end, the inlet and discharge ports spaced about equally from the closed end and circumferentially spaced from one another;
• a piston disposed in the pump chamber and configured for reciprocating movement and rotational movement, the piston having a channel formed therein, the channel extending generally axially from an end thereof to a termination along a length of the piston, the channel being aligned with the inlet port during an intake stroke and aligned with the discharge port during a discharge stroke, the piston reciprocating such that the channel termination is about aligned with the inlet or discharge port when the piston is at the end of the discharge stroke;
• a drive system including a motor and a threaded shaft coupled to the motor, the drive system including a screw coupling assembly disposed at the piston coupling the threaded shaft to the piston, the coupling configured to linearly and rotationally move the piston;
• a cam follower operably connected to the piston;
• a linear track configured to receive the cam follower as the piston moves between the end of the discharge stroke and the end of the intake stroke;
• and
• first and second one-way rotating cam receiving elements disposed at opposing ends of the tracks to engage the cam follower when the piston is at the end of the discharge and intake strokes, respectively, the one-way rotating cam receiving elements rotating in opposite directions,
• wherein when the piston is at the end of the discharge stroke with the piston channel aligned with the discharge port, the motor rotates and the first one-way rotating cam receiving element permits rotational movement of the piston to align the channel with the inlet port, the motor reverses direction and the first one-way rotating cam receiving element prevents reverse rotational movement and the screw coupling permits linear movement of the piston with the cam follower in the linear track, the piston withdrawing from the pump chamber until the cam follower engages the second one-way rotating cam receiving element to stop linear movement and translate movement to rotational movement to rotate the piston and align the channel with the discharge port, the motor reversing direction and the second one-way rotating cam receiving element prevents rotational movement and screw coupling permits linear movement of the piston with the cam follower in the linear track, the piston inserting into the pump chamber until the cam follower engages the first one-way rotating cam receiving element.

A pump system comprising:

• a pump chamber having a cylindrical wall having a length and a closed end,
• an inlet port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end and a discharge port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end and circumferentially spaced from the inlet port;
• a piston disposed in the pump chamber, the piston configured to reciprocate and rotate within the chamber, the piston having an inlet channel formed therein for cooperating with the inlet port and a discharge channel formed therein for cooperating with the discharge port, the channels each extending in a curved profile from a common end of the piston, the inlet channel being aligned with the inlet port during an intake stroke and the discharge channel being aligned with the discharge port during a discharge stroke, the inlet port and discharge port and inlet channel and discharge channel are positioned such that only one port can be aligned with its respective channel at a time;
• and
• a drive system including a motor operably coupled to the piston, the motor configured to reciprocate the piston within the cylinder to effect inlet or discharge and to rotate the piston between aligning the inlet port with the inlet channel during an inlet portion of a pump cycle and aligning the discharge port with the discharge channel during a discharge portion of the pump cycle.

A pump system comprising:

• a pump chamber;
• an inlet port disposed in a wall of the pump chamber and a discharge port disposed in the wall of the pump chamber spaced from the inlet port;
• a piston disposed in the pump chamber and configured for reciprocating movement and rotational movement, the piston having a channel formed therein aligned with the inlet port during an intake stroke and being rotated out of alignment with the inlet port during a discharge stroke;
• a drive system including a single motor operably coupled to the piston to linearly move the piston in the intake and discharge strokes and to rotate the piston to align the channel and inlet port during an intake stroke and to rotate the channel out of alignment with the inlet port during a discharge stroke.

A form, fill and seal packaging machine of the type for forming, filling and sealing a package, comprising:

• a pump system having a ceramic pump chamber having a cylindrical wall having a length and a closed end, the pump chamber having an inlet port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end and a discharge port disposed in the wall axially spaced from the closed end and circumferentially spaced from the inlet port, the pump system including a ceramic piston disposed in the pump chamber and configured for reciprocating movement and rotational movement, the piston having a channel formed therein, the channel extending generally axially from an end thereof, the channel being aligned with the inlet port during an intake stroke and being out of alignment with the discharge port during the inlet stroke, the pump system further including a drive system including a motor and a threaded shaft coupled to the motor, the drive system including a coupling assembly coupling the threaded shaft to the piston, the coupling assembly configured to linearly move the piston when the piston is rotationally constrained and to rotationally move the piston when the piston is linearly constrained, the pump system having means for selectively linearly restraining the piston to effect rotational movement of the piston and means for selectively rotationally retraining the piston to effect linear movement of the piston.