Diaphragm pump

• US 4,702,419 A
• Filed: 04/07/1986
• Issued: 10/27/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pedro W. Luchsinger
• Original Assignee: Pedro W. Luchsinger
• Inventors: Luchsinger, Pedro W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): WELDON, KEVIN P
• Application Number:
  US06/849,213
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 239/333, 239/355, 239/362, 239/363, 239/373, 92/1, 92/100, 92/44, 92/96, 92/98, 92/103 F, 92/103 M, 417/395, 417/413, 417/437, 222/383, 222/175
• US Class Current: 239/333
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0877 the pump being of pressure-accumulation type or being connected to a pressure accumulation chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0888 Carrying means for knapsack sprayers

Abstract

A garden sprayer for dispensing pressurized liquids has a pressure vessel mounted within a liquid reservoir container. The pressure vessel carries a diaphragm pump which is detachable as a complete unit and which extends from the container for connection to a pivoted actuating lever that is fulcrumed on the container. The diaphragm, which is directly driven by the pivoted lever, is guided in position and orientation by a guide piston fixed to the diaphragm and slidably guided within the pumping chamber. A pair of input and output check valves, mounted at the end of the pump, permit liquid from the container to be drawn into the pumping chamber and to be forced from the pumping chamber into the pressure vessel. A manually controlled valve on a spray nozzle, which is connected to the pressure vessel, controls pressurized discharge of liquid.

Claims

1. A diaphragm pump comprising

a pump housing having a cylindrical housing section and a chamber portion having an outwardly extending peripheral flange,

a cover housing section having an outwardly extending peripheral flange,

a stiff but resilient diaphragm having a peripheral edge captured between and sealed to said flanges, said diaphragm being substantially bell shaped, having an annular edge section including said peripheral edge lying in a central plane extending between flanges of said housing sections, having a substantially flat central section lying in a plane displaced from said central plane, said diaphragm including a dome shaped intermediate section integral with said central and annular edge sections and extending therebetween, said central section being movable between first and second diaphragm positions spaced from one another on opposite sides of said central plane by a distance that is a major fraction of the radius of said diaphragm, said stiff but resilient diaphragm providing an over-the-center snap type action that tends to return the diaphragm to and to hold it in said first position,

input and output passage means for flowing liquid into and out of the interior of said pump chamber portion,

valve means for selectively blocking and unblocking said passage means,

an actuating lever pivotally mounted for motion about an axis fixedly related to said pump housing,

means for pivotally connecting said lever to said diaphragm, whereby said diaphragm tends to be driven in a nonlinear path, and

means for restraining non-linearity of motion of the diaphragm, said pump housing including an integral coaxial connecting section at an end thereof remote from said actuating lever, said connection section comprising an externally threaded valve section extending axially of said pump housing and projecting from said cylindrical housing section, passage means comprising an input conduit having a first leg extending longitudinally of said valve section from said cylindrical housing, and having a second leg extending laterally from said first leg through the side of said valve section, and an output conduit extending longitudinally through said valve section from said chamber portion, said valve means comprising a valve pin extending through said valve section and having first and second extension shafts extending from opposite ends thereof, and first and second valve discs mounted on said first and second extension shafts, respectively, for controlling flow through said in put and output conduits.

2. A diaphragm pump comprising

a pump housing having a cylindrical housing section and a chamber portion having an outwardly extending peripheral flange,

a cover housing section having an outwardly extending peripheral flange,

a stiff but resilient diaphragm having a peripheral edge captured between and sealed to said flanges, said diaphragm being substantially bell shaped, having an annular edge section including said peripheral edge lying in a central plane extending between flanges of said housing sections, having a substantially flat central section lying in a plane displaced from said central plane, said diaphragm including a dome shaped intermediate section integral with said central and annular edge sections and extending therebetween, said central section being movable between first and second diaphragm positions spaced from one another on opposite sides of said central plane by a distance that is a major fraction of the radius of said diaphragm, said stiff but resilient diaphragm providing an over-the center snap type action that tends to return the diaphragm to and to hold it in said first position,

input and output passage means for flowing liquid into and out of the interior of said pump chamber portion,

valve means for selectively blocking and unblocking said passage means,

an actuating lever pivotally mounted for motion about an axis fixedly related to said pump housing,

means for pivotally connecting said lever to said diaphragm, whereby said diaphragm tends to be driven in a nonlinear path, and

means for restraining non-linearity of motion of the diaphragm, said cylindrical housing section including an externally threaded connecting and valve fitting, said input and output passage means being formed in and extending longitudinally through said fitting, said fitting including a longitudinally extending bore, said valve means comprising a valve pin fixed in said bore and having first and second extension shafts extending from opposite ends thereof, a first flexible valve disc on said first shaft within said pumping chamber and overlying said input passage means for blocking and unblocking said input passage means, a first retainer on said first shaft for limiting motion of said disc from said input passage means, means for securing said retainer to said shaft, a second valve disc on said second shaft positioned to block and unblock said output passage means, a second retainer on said second shaft position to limit motion of said second valve disc from said output passage means, and means on said second shaft for holding said second retainer thereon, said first disc and said first retainer being received in an end of said hollow piston when said diaphragm central section is in one of said positions.

3. A diaphragm pump comprising

a pump housing having a generally cylindrical section and a connecting section coaxial therewith, a downwardly and outwardly flared chamber section integral with said cylindrical section at an end remote from said connecting section and having an outwardly extending peripheral flange,

a cover section having an outwardly extending peripheral cover flange,

a peripheral groove formed in one of said flanges,

a stiff but resilient generally bell shaped diaphragm having a peripheral edge thereof secured to and between said flanges and having a normal inverted orientation for forming a liquid receiving pumping chamber within said pump housing between said diaphragm and said connecting section,

said diaphragm having a flat central portion lying in a plane displaced from the plane of said diaphragm peripheral edge and connected to said diaphragm peripheral edge by an integral dome shaped intermediate portion, whereby the central portion moves between extreme positions that are spaced from one another by a distance that is a major fraction of the diaphragm radius, and whereby the intermediate portion flexes and reverses it curvature during pumping action, and whereby the stiff but resilient diaphragm provides an over-the-center snap type action that tends to return the diaphragm to and hold it in its normally inverted orientation,

said diaphragm having a peripheral bead received in said peripheral groove,

a continuous peripheral clamping ring extending around and over both said flanges and clamping said flanges and the interposed diaphragm edge therebetween to thereby securely hold said flanges and interposed diaphragm in interconnected and sealed relation, said clamping ring, flanges and diaphragm peripheral edge being free of fastening apertures,

a rigid circular diaphragm cap on said diaphragm adjacent said cover section,

a pivotally mounted actuating lever having an end pivoted directly to said diaphragm cap whereby at least portions of the diaphragm are driven in an arcuate path during said pumping action, thereby tending to distort the diaphragm and tending to cause it to bend asymmetrically,

said cylindrical housing section including a cylindrical guide section,

a hollow guide piston fixed to said diaphragm central section and having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of said cylindrical guide section, said hollow guide piston extending from said diaphragm into sliding and guiding engagement with the interior of said cylindrical guide section, said hollow guide piston having at least an end portion thereof positioned within said guide section during all positions assumed by the diaphragm during said pumping and suction strokes,

said hollow piston end and said diaphragm cap being rigidly clamped together with said central diaphragm portion interposed therebetween whereby only said dome shaped intermediate diaphragm section bends during said pumping and suction strokes, and

valve means at said connecting section for controlling flow to and from said pumping chamber,

said connecting section comprising a connection and valve fitting section on an end of said housing section remote from said cover section, said valve fitting section having a diameter less than the diameter of said pump housing cylindrical section and being externally threaded, an output conduit extending longitudinally through said connecting and valve fitting section from the interior of said housing section to a pump output port and to an end of said connecting and valve fitting section, an input port formed in a side of said valve fitting section, an input conduit extending longitudinally through a part of said connecting and valve fitting section from the interior of said housing section to said input port, said connecting and valve fitting section having a longitudinally extending bore, said valve means comprising a valve pin fixed in said bore and having first and second extension shafts extending from opposite ends thereof, a first flexible valve disc on said first shaft within said housing section and overlying said input conduit for blocking and unblocking said input conduit, a first retainer on said first extension shaft for limiting motion of said valve disc from said input conduit, means for securing said first retainer to said first extension shaft, a second valve disc on said second extension shaft positioned to block and unblock said output conduit means, a second retainer on said second extension shaft positioned to block and unblock said output conduit means, a second retainer on said second extension shaft positioned to limit motion of said second valve disc from said output output conduit, and means on said second extension shaft for holding said second retainer thereon.