Method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in lubricant atomizer and circulating type of constant-rated lubricant atomizer

• US 20020084146A1
• Filed: 01/03/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taco, Inc.
• Inventors: Itoh, Haruo
• Granted Patent: US 6,488,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 184/57
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0458 Oil-mist or spray lubrication; Means to reduce foam formation reducing foam formation by venting F16H57/027
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 7/34 Atomising devices for oil atomising devices in general B05B

Abstract

In order to provide method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer irrespective of the kinds of lubricant and the working conditions, the lubricant atomizer includes a compressed air valve having two branches on its downstream side, which one of two branches is connected to a Venturi mechanism, and the other branch is connected to a constant lubricant supplying pump. Compressed air is fed from the compressed air valve to the Venturi mechanism and to the constant lubricant-supplying pump, thus drawing the air from a sight dome while the compressed air is flowing in the Venturi mechanism. Lubricant is pumped to the sight dome via a constant lubricant supplying conduit, allowing the lubricant to fall in the center of the Venturi mechanism in the form of droplets. Then, compressed air is mixed with lubricant droplets to form fog of atomized lubricant in the pressurized oil vessel, allowing atomized lubricant to condense into lubricant droplets in the atomized-and-condensed lubricant coexistent space of the pressurized oil vessel, and at the same time allowing the lubricant droplets to fall down on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel.

Claims

1. A method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer comprising a compressed air valve having two or more ports and two branches on its downstream side, a sight dome, a pressurized oil vessel integrally connected to the sight dome with an intervening Venturi mechanism fixed therebetween, and a constant lubricant supplying pump, one of the two branches of the compressed air valve being connected to the Venturi mechanism, and the other branch being connected to the constant lubricant supplying pump, the method comprising the steps of;

supplying filtrated, pressure-controlled compressed air to the Venturi mechanism via one of the two branches of the compressed air valve and to the constant lubricant supplying pump via the other branch of the compressed air valve respectively, thus drawing the air from the sight dome while the compressed air is flowing in the Venturi mechanism;

supplying lubricant from the constant lubricant supplying pump to the sight dome via an associated constant lubricant supplying conduit, allowing the lubricant to fall in the center of the Venturi mechanism in the form of droplets;

mixing compressed air with lubricant droplets to form the fog of atomized lubricant in the pressurized oil vessel;

allowing atomized lubricant to condense into lubricant droplets in the atomized-and-condensed lubricant coexistent space of the pressurized oil vessel; and

allowing the lubricant droplets to fall down on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel while ejecting the fog of atomized lubricant from the pressurized oil vessel, characterized in that it further comprises the step of;

using the negative pressure provided by the Venturi mechanism to draw the lubricant remaining on the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel via an associated lubricant circulating conduit opening at the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel, thereby making lubricant to return to the lubricant fed-back space defined above the Venturi mechanism, thus permitting lubricant to be atomized continuously.

2. A method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer according to claim 1, wherein lubricant is drawn from the bottom of the oil vessel via an associated filter after putting the plunger pump in operation by actuating an associated three-port electromagnetic valve, via which the compressed air is supplied from the other branch of the compressed air valve to the plunger pump;

the Venturi mechanism comprises a Venturi body and an associated holder;

a predetermined quantity of lubricant is supplied to the sight dome via the constant lubricant supplying conduit;

the lubricant fed-back space is defined above the Venturi body in the Venturi holder, the Venturi holder having at least one through hole to allow lubricant to drop from the sight dome to the lubricant fed-back space; and

the lubricant fed back to the lubricant fed-back space is joined with the lubricant falling down in the lubricant fed-back space.

3. A circulating type of constant lubricant atomizer characterized in that it comprises:

an on-and-off compressed air valve having two or more ports and two branches on its downstream side, a sight dome, a pressurized oil vessel integrally connected to the sight dome with an intervening Venturi mechanism fixed therebetween, a constant lubricant oil supplying pump, one of the two branches of the compressed air valve being connected to the Venturi mechanism, and the other branch being connected to the constant lubricant oil supplying pump, and a lubricant circulating conduit opening at the bottom of the pressurized oil vessel, thereby making lubricant to return to the Venturi mechanism, thus permitting lubricant oil to be atomized continuously.

4. A circulating type of constant lubricant atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the Venturi mechanism comprises a Venturi body and an associated Venturi holder having one or more through holes;

a lubricant fed-back space is defined above the Venturi body in the Venturi holder so that the lubricant fed-back space communicates with the sight dome via the through hole; and

the lubricant circulating conduit is connected to the lubricant fed-back space via a passage formed at a level higher than the Venturi body.

5. A circulating type of constant lubricant atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the constant lubricant oil supplying pump comprises a plunger pump communicating with an oil vessel, and a three-ported electromagnetic valve connected to the on-and-off compressed air valve, thus permitting the plunger pump to work through the on-and-off operation of the electromagnetic valve, thereby drawing a predetermined quantity of lubricant from the oil vessel after being filtered by a lubricant filter provided in the oil vessel so that the sight dome may be supplied with the predetermined quantity of lubricant via the constant lubricant supplying conduit.

6. A circulating type of constant lubricant atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the pressurized oil vessel has a level switch and/or lubricant drain valve equipped therewith.