FLUID TRANSPORTER

• US 20110305588A1
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Hajime, Kawasumi, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,140,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/474
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/082 the tubular flexible member being pressed against a wall by a number of elements, each having an alternating movement in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the tubular member and each having its own driving mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/14 having plate-like flexible members

Abstract

A fluid transporter includes: a rotor; a fluid delivery channel which has a groove having a circular-arc shape around a rotation axis of the rotor and disposed on a surface of a channel frame opposed to the rotor, and a sheet-shaped elastic member sealing an opening of the groove; and a plurality of pressing members disposed between the rotor and the elastic member to sequentially and repeatedly open and close the delivery channel from the upstream side to the downstream side by deforming the elastic member in accordance with the rotation of the rotor.

Claims

1. A fluid transporter comprising:

a rotor;

a fluid delivery channel which has a groove having a circular-arc shape around a rotation axis of the rotor and disposed on a surface of a channel frame opposed to the rotor, and a sheet-shaped elastic member sealing an opening of the groove; and

a plurality of pressing members disposed between the rotor and the elastic member to sequentially and repeatedly open and close the delivery channel from the upstream side to the downstream side by deforming the elastic member in accordance with the rotation of the rotor.

2. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pressing portion provided on each of the plural pressing members to press the elastic member,

wherein each of the pressing portions has a shape similar to the cross-sectional shape of the groove in the direction perpendicular to the fluid flowing direction.

3. The fluid transporter according to claim 2, wherein each of the pressing portions has elasticity.

4. The fluid transporter according to claim 2, wherein each of the pressing portions has a fringe portion which presses the peripheral surface of the groove to which the elastic member is fixed.

5. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of a channel wall of the groove in the direction perpendicular to the fluid flowing direction is a circular-arc shape.

6. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, wherein the delivery channel is so shaped that the groove and the elastic member become substantially symmetric with respect to the peripheral surface of the groove to which the elastic member is fixed.

7. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, wherein the delivery channel is provided on the outer circumferential side surface of the channel frame.

8. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, wherein

the channel frame has the delivery channel, and a fluid inlet channel and a fluid outlet channel penetrating the channel wall of the groove;

the inlet channel is disposed on the upstream part of the delivery channel; and

the outlet channel is disposed on the downstream part of the delivery channel.

9. The fluid transporter according to claim 1, wherein

the rotor is a cam;

and

the plural pressing members are fingers radially disposed in directions from the rotation axis of the cam and pressed by the cam.