Pressure indicator

• US 20060118032A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Danfoss A/S
• Original Assignee: Danfoss A/S
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Per Brandt
• Application Number:
  US10/559,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20060118032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 116/270
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/08 Means for indicating or recording, e.g. for remote indication

Abstract

The invention provides an indicator for indicating a pressure difference. The indicator has a reference pressure chamber with two flexible wall parts being influenced to deflect upon pressures P1 and P2. The deflection of the wall parts changes a distance between each of the wall parts and an inflexible wall part of the chamber and by inspecting the difference, a pressure difference between P1 and P2 can be determined. To enable visual inspection, the chamber can be filled with an optically detectable fluid and one of the wall parts could be transparent to allow visual reading by determining a colour of the fluid layer below the transparent part.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A pressure indicator for indicating a pressure difference between a pressure P1 of a first chamber and a reference pressure, said indicator comprising a sealed pressure chamber having a sidewall with an inflexible first wall part arranged at a distance from a flexible second wall part, the pressure chamber being completely filled with a fluid at the reference pressure, the second wall part being arranged to separate the pressure chamber from the first chamber and to deflect upon a pressure difference between P1 and the reference pressure, said deflection changing the distance between the first and second wall parts thereby displacing the fluid in the pressure chamber, the indicator further comprising a flexible third wall part separating the pressure chamber from a second chamber, the second chamber holding a pressure P2, wherein the first wall part is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation within a specific wave length, and where the fluid is an incompressible liquid substance.

15. The pressure indicator according to claim 14, wherein the pressure chamber comprises a first compartment adjacent the second wall part and a second compartment adjacent the third wall part, and a connecting channel providing fluid communication between the first and second compartments.

16. The pressure indicator according to claim 14, wherein the second and third wall parts have equal surface areas towards the first and second chambers, respectively.

17. The pressure indicator according claim 14, wherein the second and third wall parts have equal stiffness.

18. The pressure indicator according to claim 14, wherein the second and third wall parts extend in identical same planes.

19. The pressure indicator according to claim 18, wherein first wall part is arranged adjacent to, and in a plane which is parallel to the planes of the second and third wall parts.

20. The pressure indicator according to claim 19, further comprising illuminating means for projecting electromagnetic radiation within the specific wavelength from an outer side surface of the second wall part, through the second or third wall part, through the chamber and out of the chamber through the first wall part.

21. The pressure indicator according to claim 14, having a stacked configuration comprising a first layer made of glass and a second layer made of silicon.

22. The pressure indicator according to claim 21, further comprising a third layer made of glass.

23. The pressure indicator according to claim 22, wherein the first and third layers have substantially plane surfaces towards the second layer and the second layer has a first surface structure towards the first layer and a second surface structure towards the third layer, wherein the first surface structure forms the pressure chamber and the second surface structure forms the first chamber.

24. The pressure indicator according to claim 23, wherein the second wall part is formed integrally in the second layer.

25. An array of indicators comprising:

a plurality of indicators wherein each indicator indicates a pressure difference between a pressure P1 of a first chamber and a reference pressure, said each indicator comprises a sealed pressure chamber having a sidewall with an inflexible first wall part arranged at a distance from a flexible second wall part, the pressure chamber being completely filled with a fluid at the reference pressure, the second wall part being arranged to separate the pressure chamber from the first chamber and to deflect upon a pressure difference between P1 and the reference pressure, said deflection changing the distance between the first and second wall parts thereby displacing the fluid in the pressure chamber, the indicator further comprising a flexible third wall part separating the pressure chamber from a second chamber, the second chamber holding a pressure P2, wherein the first wall part is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation within a specific wave length, and where the fluid is an incompressible liquid substance; and

wherein said array is formed in a three layer structure comprising two glass layers arranged on each side of silicon layer.

26. A pump with an inlet and an outlet, said pump comprising:

an indicator for indicating a pressure difference between a pressure P1 of a first chamber and a reference pressure, said indicator comprising a sealed pressure chamber having a sidewall with an inflexible first wall part arranged at a distance from a flexible second wall part, the pressure chamber being completely filled with a fluid at the reference pressure, the second wall part being arranged to separate the pressure chamber from the first chamber and to deflect upon a pressure difference between P1 and the reference pressure, said deflection changing the distance between the first and second wall parts thereby displacing the fluid in the pressure chamber, the indicator further comprising a flexible third wall part separating the pressure chamber from a second chamber, the second chamber holding a pressure P2, wherein the first wall part is substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation within a specific wave length, and where the fluid is an incompressible liquid substance;

wherein said pump is arranged with the first chamber in fluid communication with the inlet and the second chamber in fluid communication with the outlet to obtain indication of pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the pump.