Piezo-electric vibrator pump

• US 4,939,405 A
• Filed: 12/23/1988
• Issued: 07/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nitto Kohki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Misuzuerie Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Aoyagi, Katsumi, Okuyama, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Budd, Mark O.
• Application Number:
  US07/289,625
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 310/328, 310/330-332, 310/340, 310/345, 310/363, 310/317, 417/322, 417/410, 417/415, 417/418
• US Class Current: 310/330
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/046 with piezoelectric drive
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/2047 Membrane type
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 Circuitry or processes for operating piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for, e.g. drive circuits

Abstract

A pump is comprised of a piezo-electric vibrator mounted in a casing. The piezo-electric vibrator is coated with an elastic elastomer layer, and a peripheral part of the elastomer layer is secured to the casing within the casing. Suction and discharge of fluid is performed by means of piezo-electric vibrator vibrated by applying alternative current voltages between electrodes of the piezo-electric vibrator. The vibration of the piezo-electric vibrator is performed smoothly to produce and high discharge volume and discharge pressure can be produced.

Claims

1. A piezo-electric vibrator pump comprising;

at least one piezo-electric vibrator mounted in a casing having a peripheral part secured to a portion of said casing, a suction non-return valve through which fluid is sucked from a suction line and a discharge non-return valve through which the fluid is discharged from a discharge line by means of a piezo-electric vibrator vibrated by applying an alternative current voltage between electrodes of said piezo-electric vibrator, said suction and discharge non-return valves both being in said casing wall and on the same side of said piezo-electric vibrator;

said piezo-electric vibrator pump having both sides of the piezo-electric vibrator coated with elastic elastomer layers of approximately 0.8 to 10 mm thickness;

said elastic elastomer layers having a modulus of longitudinal elasticity of less than about 5×

10⁸ dynes/cm².

2. A piezo-electric vibrator pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elastomer layer has a thickness in the range of 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

3. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 1 wherein the elastomer layer comprises an elastomer selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, urethane rubber, Neoprene, NBR, SBR, chloroprene, silicone fluoride rubber, and ethyrene propyrene rubber,

4. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 1 wherein said suction line and said discharge line are each provided with a surge tank having a space at a respective upper part near said suction non-return valve and said discharge non-return valve respectively.

5. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 1 wherein said piezo-electric vibrator comprises plural piezo-electric vibrators of a monolayer or laminate type and wherein said elastic elastomer thin layers are inserted between each of said piezo-electric vibrators of monolayer or laminate type.

6. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 5 wherein said elastomer thin layers have a thickness of approximately 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

7. A piezo-electric vibrator pump as claimed in claim 5 wherein said elastic elastomer thin layers are conductive.

8. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 1 in which said piezo-electric vibrator pump includes an inverter having an oscillating circuit receiving a direct current input so that the oscillation at a given frequency can be produced and from which a wave form voltage is output, a drive circuit receiving an output from said oscillating circuit and from which two operating signals having different operating points respectively are input at intervals of a quiescent period term and a pulse generation circuit having positive and negative pulse voltages are alternately generated according to two operating signals output from said drive circuit, said piezo-electric vibrator pump being driven by the output of said inverter.

9. A piezo-electric vibrator pump according to claim 1 in which said piezo-electric vibrator pump includes an inverter having an oscillating circuit receiving a direct current input so that oscillation at a given frequency can be produced and from which a wave form voltage is output, a drive circuit receiving an output from said oscillating circuit and from which two operating signals having different operating points respectively are input at intervals of a quiescent period and a pulse generation circuit in which positive and negative pulse voltage are alternately generated according to the two operating signals output from said drive circuit, said pulse genaration circuit including a bridge circuit comprises of an npn transistor and a pnp transistor arranged on two opposed sides respectively and a second npn transistor and pnp transistor arranged on opposite sides respectively wherein said npn transistors and said pnp transistors on respective opposite sides are connected so that said bridge circuit is formed having said npn transistors and pnp transistors alternately changed to on and off states, said two operating signals being applied to the two input terminals of said bridge circuit respectively, whereby a direct current is applied between the voltage terminals thereof and plus and minus pulse voltages with a pulse quiescent period is alternately obtained from the output terminals thereof, the output of said inverter being applied between electrodes of said piezo-electric vibrator.