Pneumatic diaphragm pump

• US 5,669,764 A
• Filed: 10/30/1995
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Corporation (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Mawhirt, James A., Behringer, Bruce E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCANDREWS JR, ROLAND G
• Application Number:
  US08/549,958
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 417/395, 417/566, 417/DIG. 1, 92/98 R, 92/103 R
• US Class Current: 417/395
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/06 Pumps having fluid drive
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/1057 the valve being a tube, e.g. normally closed at one end
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1095 for supplying the samples to flow-through analysers for a specific analyser see relevant groups, e.g. under G01N15/00, G01N21/00, G01N27/00, G01N30/00, H01J49/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 417/01 Materials digest

Abstract

An integral valve diaphragm pump has a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer and a flexible membrane therebetween. Concave surfaces in the two rigid layers form a pump. The pump includes an actuating chamber which is alternately connected to a source of pressure and a source of vacuum. A pump chamber is connected to a fluid source and a fluid receiver through a filling check valve and a dispensing check valve, respectively. Duckbill and spring loaded ball check valves are disclosed.

Claims

1. An integral valve diaphragm pump comprising:

a first rigid layer having a substantially planar first surface;

a second rigid layer having a substantially planar second surface and a substantially planar third surface said second surface;

a flexible membrane;

the first and second rigid layers being connected in superposition with the flexible membrane therebetween and in contact with the first and second surfaces;

an actuating chamber located in the first rigid layer demarcated by a first concave surface in the first surface and one side of the flexible membrane;

a pump chamber located in the second layer demarcated by a second concave surface in the second surface and the other side of the flexible membrane;

a first fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber and having a filling check valve therein;

a second fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber having a dispensing check valve therein;

a third fluid passageway connected to the actuating chamber at a first junction;

a pressure source ad a vacuum source connected to the actuating chamber through the third fluid passageway operative to flex the flexible membrane between the first and second concave surfaces; and

a third rigid layer having a substantially planar fourth surface, said second and third rigid layers being connected in superposition at said third and fourth surfaces;

wherein said filling check valve is disposed in a chamber in said second layer and said dispensing check valve is disposed in a chamber in said third layer.

2. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first and second rigid layers comprise acrylic plastic.

3. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first and second rigid layers connected in superposition are bolted together.

4. The pump according to claim 1, wherein each of the filling check valve and the dispensing check valve is a ball check valve.

5. The pump according to claim 1, wherein each of the filling check valve and the dispensing check valve is a duckbill check valve.

6. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first concave surface has a depth from the first surface, the actuating chamber further comprises a diameter at the first surface, and the depth of the first concave surface is between 11 and 14 percent of the diameter of the actuating chamber.

7. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third rigid layers are bolted together.

8. The pump according to claim 1, wherein said check valves are duckbill check valves.

9. The pump according to claim 1, wherein said check valves are ball check valves.

10. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane comprises a silicon rubber membrane having a free-state thickness and the silicon rubber membrane is compressed between the first and second rigid layers so as to reduce its free-state thickness by between 8 and 53 percent.

11. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid passageway and the second fluid passageway are connected to a common passageway at a second junction, and the common passageway, but not the second passageway, is connected to the pump chamber.

12. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third rigid layers are acrylic plastic.

13. The pump according to claim 12, wherein the first, second and third rigid layers are fused together.

14. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid passageway and the second fluid passageway are connected to the pump chamber through a common passageway at a second junction.

15. The pump according to claim 14, wherein the second concave surface has a depth from the second surface, the pump chamber further comprises a diameter at the second surface, and the depth of the second concave surface is between 11 and 14 percent of the diameter of the pump chamber.

16. The pump according to claim 14, wherein the second rigid layer further comprises a substantially planar third surface opposite said second surface;

and said filling check valve is located proximate said third surface opposite said pump chamber.

17. The pump according to claim 16, wherein said dispensing check valve is proximate said third surface.

18. The pump according to claim 17, further comprising a third rigid layer having a substantially planar fourth surface, said second and third rigid layers being connected in superposition at said third and fourth surfaces;

wherein said filling check valve is disposed in a chamber in said second layer and said dispensing check valve is disposed in a chamber in said third layer.

19. An integral valve diaphragm pump comprising:

a first rigid layer having a substantially planar first surface;

a second rigid layer having a substantially planar second surface;

a flexible membrane;

the first and second rigid layers comprising acrylic plastic and being connected in superposition and fused together with the flexible membrane therebetween and in contact with the first and second surfaces;

an actuating chamber located in the first rigid layer demarcated by a first concave surface in the first surface and one side of the flexible membrane;

a pump chamber located in the second layer demarcated by a second concave surface in the second surface and the other side of the flexible membrane;

a first fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber and having a filling check valve therein;

a second fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber having a dispensing check valve therein;

a third fluid passageway connected to the actuating chamber at a first junction; and

a pressure source and a vacuum source connected to the actuating chamber through the third fluid passageway operative to flex the flexible membrane between the first and second concave surfaces.

20. An integral valve diaphragm pump comprising:

a first rigid layer having a substantially planar first surface;

a second rigid layer having a substantially planar second surface;

a flexible membrane;

the first and second rigid layers being connected in superposition with the flexible membrane therebetween and in contact with the first and second surfaces;

an actuating chamber located in the first rigid layer demarcated by a first concave surface in the first surface and one side of the flexible membrane;

a pump chamber located in the second layer demarcated by a second concave surface in the second surface and the other side of the flexible membrane;

a first fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber and having a filling duckbill check valve therein;

a second fluid passageway connected to the pump chamber leaving a dispensing duckbill check valve therein;

a third fluid passageway connected to the actuating chamber at a first junction; and

a pressure source and a vacuum source connected to the actuating chamber through the third fluid passageway operative to flex the flexible membrane between the first and second concave surfaces,

wherein the filling check valve is disposed in a cylindrical valve chamber having a tapered outlet end.