Diaphragm pump with muffler-mounted sensor
AssigneeIngersoll-Rand Company
InventorsDale Treml, John Conrad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Illustrative embodiments of diaphragm pumps including a muffler-mounted sensor are disclosed. In one illustrative embodiment, a diaphragm pump includes a shaft coupled to at least one diaphragm, an exhaust chamber configured to receive a motive fluid that has driven reciprocation of the at least one diaphragm and the shaft, a muffler disposed at least partially within the exhaust chamber, the muffler having a sensor mounting chamber defined therein, and a proximity sensor disposed in the sensor mounting chamber, a sensing end of the proximity sensor being flush with an end of the sensor mounting chamber nearest the shaft.
Claims20
A diaphragm pump comprising:
- a shaft coupled to at least one diaphragm;
- an exhaust chamber configured to receive a motive fluid that has driven reciprocation of the at least one diaphragm and the shaft;
- a muffler disposed at least partially within the exhaust chamber, the muffler having a sensor mounting chamber defined therein by a sensor mounting wall;
- and
- a proximity sensor disposed in the sensor mounting chamber, the sensor mounting wall securing the proximity sensor within the sensor mounting chamber such that a sensing end of the proximity sensor is flush with an end of the sensor mounting wall nearest the shaft.
A method of mounting a proximity sensor in a diaphragm pump, the method comprising:
- aligning the proximity sensor with a sensor mounting chamber defined in a muffler of the diaphragm pump by a sensor mounting wall, the sensor mounting wall being configured to secure the proximity sensor with the sensor mounting chamber;
- pressing the proximity sensor into the sensor mounting chamber until a sensing end of the proximity sensor is flush with an end of the sensor mounting chamber wall configured to be positioned nearest a shaft of the diaphragm pump when the muffler is installed in the diaphragm pump;
- and
- installing the muffler in an exhaust chamber of the diaphragm pump configured to receive a motive fluid that has driven the diaphragm pump, such that the sensing end of the proximity sensor is positioned a predetermined distance from the shaft of the diaphragm pump.
A diaphragm pump comprising:
- a shaft coupled between two diaphragms;
- a muffler configured to reduce the pressure of a motive fluid that has driven reciprocation of the two diaphragms and the shaft, the muffler having a sensor mounting chamber defined therein by a sensor mounting wall;
- and
- a proximity sensor disposed in the sensor mounting chamber, the sensor mounting wall securing the proximity sensor within the sensor mounting chamber such that a sensing end of the proximity sensor is flush with an end of the sensor mounting wall nearest the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.