Automatic drain device
AssigneeFukuhara Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
InventorHiroshi Fukuhara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic drain device in an air compressor system includes an electrode sensor in a liquid collection cell. An electronic control detects an electrical change in the electrode sensor resulting from contact with liquid in the liquid collection cell and energizes a drain valve for a predetermined time effective to drain the liquid collection cell. A cycle timer triggers the energization of the drain valve when the electrode sensor fails to provide the required electrical change for a predetermined cycle time. Test inputs permit driving the electronic control to simulate sensing of liquid, and also permit energization of the drain valve without involving the remainder of the electronic control.
Claims8
An automatic drain device for automatically draining accumulated liquid from an air tank, comprising:
- a liquid collection cell;
- means for permitting said liquid to drain into said liquid collection cell;
- a sensor in said liquid collection cell;
- an externally controllable drain valve;
- said drain valve being effective, when energized, to drain said liquid collection cell;
- said sensor including means for producing a predetermined change in an electrical property of said sensor when said sensor is contacted by said liquid;
- means for sensing said change in an electrical property, and for producing an output signal in response thereto;
- energizing means, responsive to said output signal, for energizing and drain valve for a first predetermined timer period commencing immediately upon said sensor being contacted by said liquid;
- and
- cycle timer means, responsive to the non-occurrence of said output signal for at least a second predetermined time period, to energize said drain valve for said first predetermined time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.