The present invention relates to an air pump, and more particularly to a direct drive air pump that can solve the problems that the conventional air pump has many portions to seal, and the noise is loud.
With reference to
The non-return member 93 is disposed between the top portion of the cylindrical body 92 and a bottom portion of the cylindrical cover 95 and has a non-return valve sheet 931. The non-return valve sheet 931 is located on a top surface of a non-return plate 930 of the non-return member 93 for controlling an air hole of the non-return plate 930 to open or close. Air in the cylindrical body 92 can be compressed by the piston assembly 94. The compressed air can push the non-return valve sheet 931 of the non-return member 93 for flowing into the cylindrical cover 95 and then flowing through an outlet 951 of the cylindrical cover 95.
However, the cylindrical body 92 has a top opening formed on a top end of the cylindrical body 92 and a bottom opening formed on a bottom end of the cylindrical body 92. The non-return member 93 has to be disposed between the cylindrical body 92 and the cylindrical cover 95 for sealing. The non-return member 93 has two O-rings 932. One of the two O-rings 932 is located between a bottom surface of the non-return plate 930 of the non-return member 93 and the top end of the cylindrical body 92. The other one of the two O-rings 932 is located between a top surface of the non-return plate 930 of the non-return member 93 and the cylindrical cover 95. Sealing structure used between the cylindrical body 92 and the cylindrical cover 95 has many components, thereby increasing the cost of the sealing structure. The two O-rings 932 are co-used. The conventional air pump has many portions to seal. The compressed air in the cylindrical body 92 is prone to leakage.
Moreover, the non-return valve sheet 931 is made of metal. In use, the rigid non-return valve sheet 931 repeatedly beats the non-return plate 930 of the non-return member 93 and generates loud noise. The non-return valve sheet 931 is a thin slice and is easy to deform after repeated beating. The air hole of the non-return plate 930 can not be closed completely by the non-return valve sheet 93. The compressed air in the cylindrical body 92 is prone to leakage.
In addition, the soundproof plate 912 is fastened on the seat 911 by the screws to close an opening of the seat 911 for insulating the noise generated in use. The soundproof plate 912 is screwed on a side of the seat 911. The assembly of the soundproof plate 912 is inconvenient. Vibrations are generated by the piston assembly 94 driven by the motor 90. The screws fixed on the soundproof plate 912 may be loosened and generate noise.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a direct drive air pump to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The objective of the invention is to provide a direct drive air pump that can solve the problems that the conventional air pump has many portions to seal, and the noise is loud.
The direct drive air pump has a motor and a pumping mechanism. The motor has an end and a driving shaft. The driving shaft is rotatably disposed on the motor and has an end.
The pumping mechanism is connected to the end of the driving shaft of the motor, and has a cylinder, a cylindrical body, a piston assembly, a cylindrical cover, and a non-return valve.
The cylinder is disposed on the end of the motor and has a top end and a space formed in the cylinder. The driving shaft of the motor is inserted into the space of the cylinder.
The cylindrical body is disposed on the top end of the cylinder, and has a cylindrical chamber, a cylindrical wall, a cylindrical opening, and a top plate. The cylindrical chamber is formed in the cylindrical body. The cylindrical wall is formed on the cylindrical body, surrounds the cylindrical chamber, and has a top end and a bottom end. The cylindrical opening is formed through the bottom end of the cylindrical wall and communicates with the cylindrical chamber. The top plate is integratedly formed on the top end of the cylindrical wall, is located above the cylindrical chamber, and has an exhaust hole. The exhaust hole is formed through the top plate and communicates with the cylindrical chamber.
The piston assembly is connected to the driving shaft of the motor, and is located in the space of the cylinder and the cylindrical chamber of the cylindrical body. The piston assembly is driven by the motor to move upwardly and downwardly in the space of the cylinder and the cylindrical chamber of the cylindrical body.
The cylindrical cover covers the cylindrical body, is fixedly disposed on the cylinder, and has a bottom surface, an insertion recess, an air room, an abutting wall, an O-ring, and a connector. The insertion recess is formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical cover. The air room is formed in the cylindrical cover, and is located above and communicates with the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover and the exhaust hole of the top plate. The abutting wall is formed in the cylindrical cover adjacent to the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover, is located above the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover, is disposed around the air room of the cylindrical cover, and faces the top plate. The O-ring is disposed on the abutting wall and abuts against the top plate. The connector is disposed on the cylindrical cover and has an outlet. The outlet of the connector is formed through the connector and communicates with the air room of the cylindrical cover.
The non-return valve is disposed in the air room of the cylindrical cover for controlling the exhaust hole of the top plate of the cylindrical body to open and close, and has a valve block and a spring. The valve block is a soft component and is movably disposed on the top plate of the cylindrical body. The spring is connected between the valve block and the cylindrical cover.
In addition, the direct drive air pump has the motor, the pumping mechanism, an auxiliary pumping mechanism, and a tube.
The motor has two ends and the driving shaft. The driving shaft is rotatably disposed on the motor and has two ends. The pumping mechanism is connected to one of the two ends of the driving shaft of the motor. The auxiliary pumping mechanism is connected to the other one of the two ends of the driving shaft of the motor.
Each one of the pumping mechanism and the auxiliary pumping mechanism has the cylinder, the cylindrical body, the piston assembly, the cylindrical cover, and the non-return valve.
The cylinder is disposed on a corresponding one of the two ends of the motor and has the top end and the space formed in the cylinder. The driving shaft of the motor is inserted into the space of the cylinder.
The cylindrical body is disposed on the top end of the cylinder, and has the cylindrical chamber, the cylindrical wall, the cylindrical opening, and the top plate. The cylindrical chamber is formed in the cylindrical body. The cylindrical wall is formed on the cylindrical body, surrounds the cylindrical chamber, and has the top end and the bottom end. The cylindrical opening is formed through the bottom end of the cylindrical wall and communicates with the cylindrical chamber. The top plate is integratedly formed on the top end of the cylindrical wall, is located above the cylindrical chamber, and has the exhaust hole. The exhaust hole is formed through the top plate and communicates with the cylindrical chamber.
The piston assembly is connected to the driving shaft of the motor, and is located in the space of the cylinder and the cylindrical chamber of the cylindrical body. The piston assembly is driven by the motor to move upwardly and downwardly in the space of the cylinder and the cylindrical chamber of the cylindrical body.
The cylindrical cover covers the cylindrical body, is fixedly disposed on the cylinder, and has the bottom surface, the insertion recess, the air room, the abutting wall, the O-ring, a vent, and the connector. The insertion recess is formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical cover. The air room is formed in the cylindrical cover, and is located above and communicates with the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover and the exhaust hole of the top plate. The abutting wall is formed in the cylindrical cover adjacent to the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover, is located above the insertion recess of the cylindrical cover, is disposed around the air room of the cylindrical cover, and faces the top plate. The O-ring is disposed on the abutting wall and abuts against the top plate. The vent is formed on the cylindrical cover and communicates with the air room of the cylindrical cover. The connector is disposed on the cylindrical cover and has an outlet. The outlet of the connector is formed through the connector and communicates with the air room of the cylindrical cover.
The non-return valve is disposed in the air room of the cylindrical cover for controlling the cylindrical opening of the cylindrical body to open and close, and has the valve block and the spring. The valve block is the soft component and is movably disposed on the top plate of the cylindrical body. The spring is connected between the valve block and the cylindrical cover.
The tube is disposed between and is connected to the vent of the pumping mechanism and the vent of the auxiliary pumping mechanism.
The direct drive air pump in accordance with the present invention has the following advantages.
The top plate is integratedly formed on the top end of the cylindrical wall and has the exhaust hole formed through the top plate. The single O-ring is used to seal between the cylindrical body and the cylindrical cover. The sealing portions in the direct drive air pump are reduced for avoiding leaking.
Reducing the Noise
The top plate is integratedly formed on the top end of the cylindrical wall and has the exhaust hole formed through the top plate. The valve block of the non-return valve can co-work with the spring for opening and closing the exhaust hole. The valve block is the soft component and is connected to the rigid top plate of the cylindrical body for well closing the exhaust hole and reducing the noise of collision between the valve block and the top plate.
Furthermore, the cylindrical cover has multiple ribs. The ribs are axially formed in the cylindrical cover at spaced intervals, are located in the air room of the cylindrical cover, and are located around the valve block for guiding the valve block to move linearly and preventing the valve block from skewing. The exhaust hole can be opened and closed correctly. In addition, multiple channels are formed in the cylindrical cover. Each one of the channels is located between two adjacent ribs. In use, the air flow can be flowed through the channels smoothly.
Moreover, the cylinder has a seat and a soundproof plate. The soundproof plate engages with the seat and is located on a first side of the seat. The assembly between the seat and the soundproof plate is convenient for improving assembly of the cylinder and decreasing the cost of the cylinder. In addition, the soundproof plate can close the first side of the seat of the cylinder. The noise generated by the movement of the piston assembly driven by the motor is insulated by the soundproof plate. The soundproof plate engages with the first side of the seat of the cylinder for preventing the soundproof plate from loosening and reducing the noise.
Furthermore, the seat has multiple engaging holes, an engaging protrusion, and a slot. The engaging holes are formed on the first side of the seat. The engaging protrusion is formed on an outer-bottom surface of the first side of the seat. The slot is formed in the first side of the seat, is located above the engaging protrusion, and is located in the first opening of the seat. The soundproof plate has a back surface, multiple engaging arms, an engaging ring, and a plug. The back surface faces the first opening of the seat and has a bottom end. The engaging arms are formed on the back surface of the soundproof plate and respectively engage with the engaging holes of the seat, respectively. The engaging ring is formed on the bottom end of the back surface of the soundproof plate, and engages with the engaging protrusion of the seat. The plug is formed on the back surface of the soundproof plate above the engaging ring, and is inserted into the slot of the seat. The soundproof plate engages with the first side of the seat for increasing the assembly stability of the cylinder.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The soundproof plate 32 has a back surface, multiple engaging arms 321, an engaging ring 322, and a plug 323. The back surface faces the first opening 313 of the seat 31 and has a bottom. The engaging arms 321 are formed on the back surface of the soundproof plate 32 and are respectively inserted into the engaging holes 316 of the seat 31. The engaging ring 322 is formed on the bottom end of the back surface of the soundproof plate 32, and engages with the engaging protrusion 317 of the seat 31. The plug 323 is formed on the back surface of the soundproof plate 32 above the engaging ring 322, and is inserted into the slot 318 of the seat 31. The soundproof plate 32 steadily and fixedly engages with the first side 312 of the seat 31 and closes the first opening 313 of the seat 31.
With reference to
With reference to
The top plate 43 is integratedly formed on the top end of the cylindrical wall 42, is located above the cylindrical chamber 41, and has an exhaust hole 431. The exhaust hole 431 is formed through the top plate 43 and communicates with the cylindrical chamber 41. The cylindrical body 40 has a bottom end and an annular protrusion 44. The annular protrusion 44 is formed on the bottom end of the cylindrical body 40 and is located around the cylindrical opening 45 of the cylindrical body 40. An inner diameter of the exhaust hole 431 is smaller than an inner diameter of the cylindrical chamber 41. The bottom end of the cylindrical body 40 is disposed into the disposing recess 314 of the cylinder 30. The annular protrusion 44 abuts against the annular abutting portion 315. The cylindrical opening 45 of the cylindrical body 40 communicates with the space 311 of the cylinder 30.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The soft sheet 5133 is movably disposed between the stopping plate 5131 and a top surface of the piston body 5121. The fixing rod 5132 is inserted through the soft sheet 5133. The soft sheet 5133 is made of rubber, silicone rubber, or soft plastic, etc. The soft sheet 5133 is able to close the at least one through hole 5123 of the piston body 5121 for reducing the noise. Air flow can uni-directionally flow through the at least one through hole 5123 of the piston body 5121 for pushing the soft sheet 5133. The air flow flows through the at least one connecting hole 51311 of the stopping plate 5131 and flows into a part of the cylindrical chamber 41 of the cylindrical body 40 above the piston portion 512.
With reference to
The O-ring 64 is disposed into the annular recess 67 of the abutting wall 63 and abuts against the top plate 43. The cylindrical body 40 is disposed into the insertion recess 61 of the cylindrical cover 60A. The cylindrical cover 60A is sealingly connected to the top plate 43 of the cylindrical cover 60A by the O-ring 64. The exhaust hole 431 of the top plate 43 communicates with the air room 62 of the cylindrical cover 60A. With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
When the piston assembly 50 moves downwardly, the exhaust hole 431 of the cylindrical body 40 is closed by the non-return valve 70. The part of the cylindrical chamber 41 of the cylindrical body 40 above the piston portion 512 is increased for generating a negative pressure induction effect. An external air flows into the space 311 of the cylinder 30 via an interval between the motor 10A and the cylinder 30 or an interval between the seat 31 of the cylinder 30 and the soundproof plate 32, and then flows into the part of the cylindrical chamber 41 of the cylindrical body 40 above the piston portion 512 via the check valve 513 of the piston portion.
When the piston assembly 50 is moved upwardly by the motor 10A, the check valve 513 of the piston portion 512 is closed. The compressed air in the part of the cylindrical chamber 41 of the cylindrical body 40 above the piston portion 512 is compressed, and then pushes the valve block 71 of the non-return valve 70. The valve block 71 moves upwardly, compresses the spring 72, and leaves the top plate 43. The exhaust hole 431 of the cylindrical body 40 is in an open state. The compressed air in the cylindrical chamber 41 of the cylindrical body 40 can flow through the exhaust hole 431 of the cylindrical body 40, flows around and through the check valve 513, flows into the air room 62 of the cylindrical cover 60A, and flows out of the outlet 651 of the connector 65 of the cylindrical cover 60A. The piston assembly 50 driven by the motor 10A moves upwardly, downwardly, and repeatedly for pumping continuously.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The cylindrical cover 60′B of the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B has the vent 66, too. The vent 66 in the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B communicates with the air room 62 of the cylindrical cover 60′B. Two ends of the tube 80 are respectively inserted through the vent 66 in the pumping mechanism 20B and the vent 66 in the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B. The pumping mechanism 20B and the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B alternately generate the pressed airs. The pressed airs co-flow out of the outlet 651 of the connector 54 of the pumping mechanism 20B.
With reference to
In the second embodiment of the direct drive air pump 1B, the two ends of the driving shaft 11B of the single motor 10B are respectively connected to the pumping mechanism 20B and the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B. When the piston assembly 50 of the pumping mechanism 20B moves upwardly, the piston assembly 50 of the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B moves downwardly and simultaneously. The piston assembly 50 of the pumping mechanism 20B moves upwardly in a corresponding space 311 and a corresponding cylindrical chamber 41 to generate a pressing effect. Simultaneously, the piston assembly 50 of the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B moves downwardly in a corresponding space 311 and a corresponding cylindrical chamber 41 to generate a sucking effect. Conversely, the pumping mechanism 20B generates the sucking effect, and the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B generates the pressing effect. Therefore, the pressing effect and the sucking effect are alternately generated with the pumping mechanism 20B and the auxiliary pumping mechanism 20′B. The pressing air can be guided by the tube 80, and then flows out of the connector 65 of the pumping mechanism 20B for increasing the pumping effect of the direct drive air pump 1B.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6716003 | Chen | Apr 2004 | B2 |
7273358 | Wang | Sep 2007 | B2 |
20040131489 | Leu | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20060034708 | Thomas | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060245952 | Chen | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20080240943 | Wang | Oct 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20210033078 A1 | Feb 2021 | US |