JP7527669B2 - Diaphragm Pump - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a diaphragm pump that can discharge and suck in fluid by changing the volume of the fluid flow path using a diaphragm.

A diaphragm pump is a type of positive displacement pump, which has the advantages of being free from the risk of foreign matter being mixed in when discharging or suctioning fluid, free from the risk of leakage from the sealing structure of the rotating parts, and having a simple structure and being easy to use.
A configuration such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP 2019-183711 A) is known as a conventional diaphragm pump.

According to the diaphragm pump of Patent Document 1, a diaphragm that forms part of the pump chamber is provided with multiple cup-shaped deformation portions, and a drive mechanism repeatedly pushes in and pulls out these multiple deformation portions to change the volume of the pump chamber.
The drive mechanism is composed of a motor, a drive shaft that is eccentric and inclined with respect to the rotation shaft of the motor, and an arm attached to the tip of the drive shaft. Due to this structure, when the motor rotates, the arm performs a swiveling motion, and the arm can repeatedly push in and pull out each deformation part of the diaphragm.

Furthermore, while the diaphragm pump of Patent Document 1 is provided with both a suction port and a discharge port for a fluid, there is also a demand for a single port that has both the suction and discharge functions.
Therefore, Patent Document 2 (JP Patent Publication No. 9-158844) discloses an air pump having a hose connection port that can be connected to either an inlet or an outlet, and a switching valve that switches the hose connection port to either the suction port or the outlet.

JP 2019-183711 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-158844

Diaphragm pumps have the advantages of being free of the risk of foreign matter being mixed in, of not having the risk of leakage from the sealing structure of the rotating parts, and of being simple in structure and easy to use. As a result, they are commonly used in factories and other places to transport chemicals and other liquids.
On the other hand, there is also a demand for using diaphragm pumps to pick up and transport parts within factories, etc. In this case, if the suction port and discharge port are not one, the parts cannot be attached or detached, so a diaphragm pump with a single suction port and discharge port is desired.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, a manual switching valve is used to switch between suction and discharge at the hose connection port.
However, manual switching cannot be adopted for the suction and transportation of parts in a factory. In particular, Patent Document 2 describes that a pump for supplying air to a water tank can be used for cleaning during bathing or for beauty treatment during face washing, and a configuration in which a switching valve is operated manually is considered to be for general consumers and is not suitable for use in a factory.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a diaphragm pump that can switch between suction and discharge with a single nozzle without having to do it manually.

The diaphragm pump according to the present invention includes a diaphragm having a plurality of deformation portions, a pump chamber on one side of which the diaphragm is disposed and on the other side of which an inlet port and an outlet port are provided, a motor, a rotation deformation portion attached to a rotating shaft of the motor and provided at a position protruding in an outer diameter direction from the rotating shaft so as to deform each deformation portion of the diaphragm, a suction and exhaust nozzle communicating with either the suction port or the outlet port of the pump chamber, and a nozzle provided between the suction and exhaust nozzle and the suction port and the outlet port and communicating the suction port with the suction and exhaust nozzle. or a flow path switching unit which switches whether the discharge port is connected to the suction and exhaust nozzle, and a switching drive device which performs the switching operation of the flow path switching unit , wherein the switching drive device is an electromagnetic solenoid, and is provided with a control circuit which executes drive control of the electromagnetic solenoid, and a motor control circuit which controls the rotation of the motor, and the motor control circuit outputs a control signal to the motor and the electromagnetic solenoid when switching between CW rotation and CCW rotation of the motor, thereby also serving as the control circuit for the electromagnetic solenoid .
By adopting this configuration, the switching drive device can be used to switch between using the suction and discharge nozzles for suction or discharge, so that the diaphragm pump can be used for suctioning parts in factories, etc.

The flow path switching unit may also be characterized in that it has a first flow path that is movable in a direction connecting the suction port and the discharge port, and that connects the suction port and the suction and exhaust nozzle, a second flow path that is formed in a position that connects the discharge port and the outside of the pump when the first flow path connects the suction port and the suction and exhaust nozzle, a third flow path that connects the discharge port and the suction and exhaust nozzle, and a fourth flow path that is formed in a position that connects the suction port and the outside of the pump when the third flow path connects the discharge port and the suction and exhaust nozzle.

The flow path switching unit may also be characterized in that it has a first flow path that is movable in a direction connecting the suction port and the discharge port and that connects the suction port or the discharge port with the suction and exhaust nozzle, a second flow path formed in a position that connects the discharge port with the outside of the pump when the first flow path connects the suction port with the suction and exhaust nozzle, and a third flow path formed in a position that connects the suction port with the outside of the pump when the first flow path connects the discharge port with the suction and exhaust nozzle.

According to the present invention, in a diaphragm pump, it is possible to switch between suction and discharge using a single nozzle without having to do so manually.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the appearance of the diaphragm pump. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a diaphragm pump when the diaphragm is viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a diaphragm pump when the diaphragm is viewed from above. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of a diaphragm pump, illustrating the structure of a flow path switching portion. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the suction and exhaust nozzle is sucking in air due to the movement of the flow path switching portion. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the suction and exhaust nozzles are discharging air due to the movement of the flow path switching portion. FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a suction and exhaust nozzle in another embodiment is sucking in air. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a suction and exhaust nozzle in another embodiment is discharging air. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a diaphragm pump will be described with reference to the drawings. The diaphragm pump in this embodiment sucks and discharges air.
Figure 1 shows a side view of the exterior of a diaphragm pump. However, the parts shown semi-transparently in Figure 1 are shown semi-transparently only to show the internal structure, and are not actually made of semi-transparent materials. Figures 2 to 4 show the internal structure of the diaphragm pump.

The diaphragm pump 10 includes a motor 20, a pump chamber 16 having a diaphragm 12, a suction and exhaust nozzle 34, a flow path switching unit 40 that switches between suction and discharge at the suction and exhaust nozzle 34, and a switching drive device 50 that operates the flow path switching unit 40.

The diaphragm 12 has a plurality of deformation portions 14 and closes one side (the motor side in this embodiment) of a pump chamber 16 .
The pump chamber 16 is provided with a suction port 30 and a discharge port 32 on the other side facing the diaphragm 12. The suction port 30 is provided with a check valve (not shown) so as to draw in air when the volume of the pump chamber 16 increases, and the discharge port 32 is provided with a check valve (not shown) so as to discharge air when the volume of the pump chamber 16 increases.

Each deformation portion 14 of the diaphragm 12 has a protrusion 15 formed thereon that protrudes toward the motor. A large diameter portion 17 is formed at the tip of each protrusion 15.

The movement of the diaphragm 12 is performed by driving a motor 20 .
The rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 is provided with a plurality of rotationally deformed portions 24 that protrude radially outward from the rotating shaft 22, and each of the rotationally deformed portions 24 is capable of contacting each of the deformed portions 14 of the diaphragm 12. When one rotationally deformed portion 24 is located at one of the deformed portions 14, the other rotationally deformed portions 24 are also located at the other deformed portions 14, respectively.

The rotationally deformable portions 24 protrude in three directions at equal intervals around the rotation shaft 22 , and are provided so that their tips are inclined toward the motor 20 .
At the tip of each rotationally deformed portion 24 , a notch 25 capable of accommodating the protrusion 15 of the deformed portion 14 and having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 17 is formed.

By the rotation of the motor 20, the notches 25 at the tips of the multiple rotationally deformed portions 24 enter the protrusions 15 of each of the deformed portions 14 and pull the large diameter portions 17 toward the motor 20. At this time, each of the deformed portions 14 is pulled toward the motor 20, increasing the volume of the entire pump chamber 16, and air is sucked into the pump chamber 16 from the suction port 30.
When the motor 20 rotates further, the protrusions 15 come out of the notches 25 at the tips of the multiple rotationally deformed portions 24, and the deformed portions 14 return toward the pump chamber 16. At this time, the volume of the entire pump chamber 16 decreases, and the air within the pump chamber 16 is discharged from the discharge port 32.

Furthermore, regardless of which direction the motor 20 rotates, the multiple rotational deformation portions 24 continue to pull the deformation portions 14, and air enters the pump chamber 16 through the suction port 30 and is discharged from the discharge port 32.
In other words, regardless of whether the rotation direction of the motor 20 is CW rotation or CCW rotation, air always enters through the suction port 30 and air always exits through the discharge port 32 .

The suction port 30 and the discharge port 32 are connected to a suction and exhaust nozzle 34 via a flow path switching unit 40 .
The suction and exhaust nozzle 34 can be switched between sucking in air and expelling air with a single nozzle, and the switching is performed by the operation of a flow path switching unit 40.

Fig. 5 shows the flow path switching unit 40. Fig. 6 shows a state in which the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is sucking in air, and Fig. 7 shows a state in which the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is discharging air.
The flow path switching unit 40 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the direction connecting the suction port 30 and the discharge port 32, and is arranged so as to be movable in the direction connecting the suction port 30 and the discharge port 32.
In addition, the positions of the suction port 30, the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 are fixed and do not move, and only the flow path switching unit 40 arranged between the suction port 30 and the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 moves to switch the suction and exhaust of the suction and exhaust nozzle 34.

The flow path switching section 40 has a first flow path 42 that connects the suction port 30 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 formed through it in the thickness direction of the plate, and a second flow path 44 that connects the discharge port 32 and the outside of the pump when the first flow path 42 connects the suction port 30 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is formed as a recessed groove toward one end side in the longitudinal direction.
In addition, the flow path switching section 40 has a third flow path 46 that connects the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 formed therethrough in the plate thickness direction, and when the third flow path 46 connects the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34, a fourth flow path 48 that connects the suction port 30 and the outside of the pump is formed as a recessed groove toward the other end in the longitudinal direction.

In the state of the flow path switching unit 40 in Figures 4 and 6, the suction port 30 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 are in communication, and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is in a state where it can suck in air. The air sucked in from the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is introduced into the pump chamber 16 via the first flow path 42 and the suction port 30. The air in the pump chamber 16 is discharged to the discharge port 32 and exhausted to the outside of the pump via the second flow path 44.

When changing from the state shown in Figs. 4 and 6 to a state in which air is discharged from the suction and exhaust nozzle 34, the flow path switching unit 40 is moved to the right in Figs. 4 and 6 as shown in Fig. 7 to connect the suction port 30 to the fourth flow path 48 and connect the discharge port 32 to the third flow path 46. Then, air sucked in from the fourth flow path 48 is introduced into the pump chamber 16 via the suction port 30. The air in the pump chamber 16 is discharged to the discharge port 32 and discharged from the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 via the second flow path 44.

In this embodiment, either the first flow path 42 or the third flow path 46 is constantly connected to the suction and exhaust nozzle 34. For this reason, when either the first flow path 42 or the third flow path 46 is connected, it is necessary to prevent the other flow path from being connected to the suction and exhaust nozzle 34.
Therefore, the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is formed with a blocking wall 35 that blocks either the first flow path 42 or the third flow path 46, which is not connected to the suction port 30 or the discharge port 32, when the flow path switching section 40 moves.

A direct-acting electromagnetic solenoid, for example, can be used as the switching drive device 50 that drives the flow path switching unit 40. A control signal for switching the flow path is input to the switching drive device 50, and the switching drive device 50 operates based on the control signal to move the flow path switching unit 40, thereby switching the suction/exhaust nozzle 34 between a state in which it sucks in air and a state in which it expels air.
A control signal for operating the switching driver 50 is output from a control circuit 52. The control circuit 52 is a circuit capable of outputting a control signal for operating the switching driver 50 at a predetermined timing.

In this embodiment, various motors such as a DC brushless motor, a servo motor, etc. can be used as the motor 20. The rotation speed and rotation direction (CW rotation and CCW rotation) of the motor 20 can be controlled by a motor control circuit.
In this embodiment, a servo motor is employed, and the motor control circuit of the servo motor is also used as the control circuit 52 of the switching drive device 50, thereby reducing the number of parts.

That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the motor control circuit of the servo motor is programmed to output a switching control signal that switches between CW rotation and CCW rotation at a predetermined timing, and the switching control signal that switches between CW rotation and CCW rotation from the motor control circuit is output to the motor 20 and the switching drive device 50. The switching drive device 50 operates using the switching control signal from the motor control circuit as a trigger.

Further, a wall portion 54 is formed on the other end side of the flow path switching portion 40 so as to close the recessed groove of the fourth flow path 48, and a spring 56 is disposed in the recessed groove of the fourth flow path 48. The spring 56 is used for returning to operation when the switching drive device 50 employs a pull-type electromagnetic solenoid.
The tip of a plunger of an electromagnetic solenoid is attached to one end of the flow path switching unit 40 .

In this embodiment, a pull-type electromagnetic solenoid is used as the switching drive device 50 , and when a switching control signal for CW rotation or CCW rotation is input from the motor control circuit of the servo motor to the electromagnetic solenoid, the electromagnetic solenoid pulls the flow path switching unit 40 .
When the electromagnetic solenoid pulls the flow path switching unit 40, the flow path switching unit 40 moves to a position where the suction port 30 communicates with the fourth flow path 48 and the discharge port 32 communicates with the second flow path 44. In this state, the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is discharging air.
At this time, the spring 56 comes into contact with the outer wall surface of the suction port 30 , and the spring 56 is compressed between the wall portion 54 and the outer wall surface of the suction port 30 .

The switching control signal for CW rotation or CCW rotation from the motor control circuit is a trigger signal and does not continuously apply current to the electromagnetic solenoid.
Therefore, the state in which the electromagnetic solenoid pulls the flow path switching unit 40 is immediately released, and the flow path switching unit 40 immediately returns to its original position (the position in which the suction port 30 communicates with the first flow path 42 and the discharge port 32 communicates with the third flow path 46) due to the compressed spring 56. In this state, the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is sucking in air.

In this way, the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is set to the default state of sucking in air, and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 is set to expel air only when a switch control signal for CW rotation or CCW rotation is input from the motor control circuit, so that the component can be attracted and transported without constantly applying current to the electromagnetic solenoid.
In other words, since it is necessary to adsorb the component for a relatively long time, the electromagnetic solenoid is kept off for a long time while adsorbing the component, and the electromagnetic solenoid is operated to discharge the air and release the suction of the component only when a switch control signal for CW rotation or CCW rotation is input to the electromagnetic solenoid from the motor control circuit.

Other Embodiments
In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the flow path switching section 40 was formed as separate flow paths, with the first flow path 42 connecting the suction port 30 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34, and the third flow path 46 connecting the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34.
However, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a single flow path 56 may be used as both the flow path connecting the suction port 30 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 and the flow path connecting the discharge port 32 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34.
However, according to this embodiment, although the configurations of the flow path switching unit 40 and the suction and exhaust nozzle 34 can be simplified, there is a characteristic that the moving distance of the flow path switching unit 40 during switching becomes long.

In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which an electromagnetic solenoid was used as the switching drive device, but the switching drive device is not limited to an electromagnetic solenoid as long as it is a linear motion device. For example, an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder can also be used.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 diaphragm pump 12 diaphragm 14 deformation portion 15 protrusion portion 16 pump chamber 17 large diameter portion 20 motor 22 rotating shaft 24 rotation deformation portion 25 notch portion 30 suction port 32 discharge port 34 suction/exhaust nozzle 35 blocking wall 40 flow path switching portion 42 first flow path 44 second flow path 46 third flow path 48 fourth flow path 50 switching drive device 52 control circuit 54 wall portion 56 spring 58 flow path

Claims (3)

A diaphragm having a plurality of deformation portions;
a pump chamber having the diaphragm disposed on one side and a suction port and a discharge port provided on the other side;
A motor;
a rotation deformation portion attached to a rotation shaft of the motor and provided at a position protruding from the rotation shaft in an outer radial direction so as to deform each deformation portion of the diaphragm;
a suction/discharge nozzle communicating with either the suction port or the discharge port of the pump chamber;
a flow path switching unit provided between the suction and exhaust nozzle, and the suction port and the exhaust port, for switching whether the suction port is connected to the suction and exhaust nozzle or the exhaust port is connected to the suction and exhaust nozzle;
A switching drive device that performs a switching operation of the flow path switching unit ,
The switching drive device is an electromagnetic solenoid,
A control circuit is provided for controlling the drive of the electromagnetic solenoid.
a motor control circuit for controlling the rotation of the motor is provided;
A diaphragm pump characterized in that the motor control circuit also serves as the control circuit for the electromagnetic solenoid by outputting control signals to the motor and the electromagnetic solenoid when switching between CW rotation and CCW rotation of the motor . The flow path switching unit is
The inlet and the outlet are movable in a direction connecting the inlet and the outlet,
a first flow passage that connects the suction port and the suction and exhaust nozzle;
a second flow passage formed at a position that allows the discharge port to communicate with the outside of the pump when the first flow passage allows the suction port to communicate with the suction and discharge nozzle;
a third flow path that connects the discharge port and the suction and exhaust nozzle;
2. The diaphragm pump according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth flow path formed at a position that connects the suction port to the outside of the pump when the third flow path connects the discharge port to the suction and discharge nozzle. The flow path switching unit is
The inlet and the outlet are movable in a direction connecting the inlet and the outlet,
a first flow path that connects the suction port or the discharge port to the suction and exhaust nozzle;
a second flow passage formed at a position that allows the discharge port to communicate with the outside of the pump when the first flow passage allows the suction port to communicate with the suction and discharge nozzle;
2. The diaphragm pump according to claim 1, further comprising: a third flow path formed at a position that connects the suction port to the outside of the pump when the first flow path connects the discharge port to the suction and exhaust nozzle.

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