US 6,742,994 B2Granted

Reciprocating pump with malfunction detecting apparatus

AssigneeKioritz Corporation

InventorsYoshiaki Hironaka, Tadashige Kondo, Kiyoshige Enomoto

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Abstract

A reciprocating pump which is capable of detecting abnormalities in the sucking and discharging of fluid, such as the exhaustion of oil or the clogging of oil on the discharge side, by making use of detecting means which is inexpensive and relatively simple in structure and which can be operated without being detrimentally influenced by the bubbles that may be included in the fluid, while making it possible to minimize the noise generated by external vibrations. In this reciprocating pump, where the sucking and discharging of fluid are effected by making use of a reciprocating member, malfunction-detecting means formed of a piezoelectric element is provided for detecting a pressure fluctuation on a discharge side of the pump, and the pressure fluctuation of fluid being delivered from an discharging port is transmitted via a rigid pressure-receiving member to the piezoelectric element.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a reciprocating pump wherein the inhaling and exhaling of a fluid are effected by making use of a reciprocating member and including malfunction-detecting means attached to the pump for the purpose of detecting abnormalities in the inhaling and exhaling of said fluid, the improvement wherein said malfunction-detecting means comprises a piezoelectric element for detecting a pressure fluctuation on a delivery side of the pump and wherein said reciprocating pump comprises a main body having a cylinder portion provided with an inhaling port and an exhaling port, a delivery passageway member communicated via a first pressure-adjusting valve with the exhaling port of the main body, a second pressure-adjusting valve disposed on a downstream side of the delivery passageway member, the reciprocating member reciprocatively fitted in the cylinder portion to thereby enable a fluid to be inhaled through said inhaling port and the fluid thus inhaled to be exhaled from said exhaling port to a pressure detecting chamber, and a solenoid for driving the reciprocating member, wherein the pressure adjustment value of the second pressure-adjusting valve is set higher than the pressure adjustment value of the first pressure-adjusting valve, and a pressure fluctuation of the fluid inside the pressure detecting chamber is directly transmitted to the piezoelectric element.

In a reciprocating pump which is provided with malfunction-detecting means for detecting a pressure fluctuation on a delivery side of the pump for finding abnormalities in the inhaling and/or exhaling of fluid, the improvement wherein said malfunction-detecting means comprises a piezoelectric element arranged such that a pressure fluctuation of the fluid being ejected from an exhaling port of the pump is directly transmitted to the piezoelectric element through a pressure-receiving member made of a rigid body and wherein said reciprocating pump comprises a main body having a cylinder portion provided with an inhaling port and with a said exhaling port, a delivery passageway member communicating via a first pressure-adjusting valve with the exhaling port of the main body, a second pressure-adjusting valve disposed on a downstream side of the delivery passageway member, a reciprocating member reciprocatively fitted in the cylinder portion to thereby enable a fluid to be inhaled through said inhaling port and enable the fluid thus inhaled to be exhaled from said exhaling port to a pressure detecting chamber, and a solenoid for driving the reciprocating member, wherein the pressure adjustment value of the second pressure-adjusting valve is set higher than the pressure adjustment value of the first pressure-adjusting valve, and a pressure fluctuation of the fluid inside the pressure detecting chamber is directly transmitted, via said pressure-receiving member, to the piezoelectric element.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.