Automatic lubrication system

An automatic lubrication system for periodic operation through a cycle in which charges of lubricant are delivered one after another in sequence to a plurality of points of lubrication, said system comprising:

• a series of lubricant dispensing valves each having an inlet passage for admission of the lubricant under pressure, transfer passages for interconnection of the valves in the series, at least one outlet passage for delivery of the lubricant to a point of lubrication, and a valve member movable between a first position and a second position for delivery of a charge of the lubricant through the outlet passage thereof;
• passaging for interconnecting said transfer passages of said valves;
• the valve members being successively movable to deliver charges of the lubricant through the outlet passages in a sequence via delivery of the lubricant under pressure through the inlet passages and interconnections between the valves established by the valve members, said transfer passages and said passaging;
• a reservoir for holding a supply of the lubricant under pressure;
• a line between the reservoir and the inlet passages of the valves in said series for delivery of the lubricant from the reservoir to said inlet passages;
• an on-off control valve in said line for controlling the delivery of the lubricant to said inlet passages;
• a timer for controlling said control valve, operable upon receiving a timing start signal to time out a period of closure during which the control valve is maintained closed and operable upon termination of said period to open the control valve and maintain it open until the next timing start signal is received, and
• a sensor device responsive to completion of a cycle of operation to send a timing start signal to the timer;
• whereby at the termination of each period of closure of the control valve it is opened for delivery of lubricant under pressure from the reservoir to the inlet passages of the lubricant dispensing valves in said series and closed at the end of each cycle and maintained closed until the timer times out the next period of closure of the control valve.

An automated self-powered lubrication system for automatically periodically delivering metered charges of lubricant to a plurality of points of lubrication, said system comprising:

• a plurality of lubricant metering devices, each operable by the lubricant under pressure, for dispensing metered charges of the lubricant to points of lubrication;
• a reservoir for holding the lubricant under pressure for supplying the metering devices with the lubricant under pressure serving as both a power source for the operation of the devices and as a source of the lubricant to be dispensed;
• said reservoir being chargeable with the lubricant and adapted to be conditioned for pressurizing the lubricant for a prolonged period of operation of the system;
• said reservoir being interconnected with said metering devices for supplying power for operating said devices as well as supplying the lubricant to be dispensed thereby,
• a mechanism controlling delivery of pressurized the lubricant from the reservoir to said metering devices;
• and
• closed loop control means for the system comprising a timer operable upon receiving a timing start signal to close the mechanism and time out a dwell period during which the valve is maintained closed and the system dwells, and operable upon termination of said dwell period to open the mechanism for delivering the pressurized the lubricant from the reservoir to the metering devices for operating said devices, and a sensor device responsive to operation of the metering devices to send a timing start signal to the timer to close the mechanism after one full cycle and start the timing of a dwell period;
• whereby at the termination of each dwell period the mechanism is opened for delivery of the pressurized the lubricant from the reservoir to the metering devices and closed on operation of the metering devices and maintained closed until the timer times out the next dwell period.