Pump

• US 7,600,987 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Seto, Takeshi, Takagi, Kunihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; Devon C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAYOU, AMENE SETEGNE
• Application Number:
  US11/279,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20060245947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 417/413.2, 417/413.1, 417/542, 417/557, 417/410.1, 417/274, 417/559, 417/565, 417/566, 417/571, 137/859, 137/855, 137/512.4, 962/08, 962/09, 962/16, 962/04
• US Class Current: 417/413.2
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/003 driven by piezoelectric means F04B43/046 and F04B43/095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/046 with piezoelectric drive
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/1002 Ball valves
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/105 one flexible element oscillating around a fixed point
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/16 Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder liners or heads; Fluid connections

Abstract

A pump includes: a pump chamber for which a capacity is changeable; an inlet channel which allows a working fluid to flow into the pump chamber; an inlet side fluid resistance element disposed between the pump chamber and the inlet channel; an outlet channel which allows the working fluid to flow out of the pump chamber; and a pipeline element formed inside the outlet channel, wherein a rotational flow generation structure, which generates a rotational flow of the working fluid, is provided in the pump chamber, and wherein the outlet channel is located adjacent to the rotational center of the rotational flow.

Claims

1. A pump comprising:

a pump chamber for which a capacity is changeable;

an inlet channel which allows a working fluid to flow into the pump chamber;

an inlet side fluid resistance element disposed between the pump chamber and the inlet channel;

an outlet channel which allows the working fluid to flow out of the pump chamber;

a pipeline element formed inside the outlet channel; and

a rotational flow generation structure, which generates a rotational flow of the working fluid, being provided in the pump chamber,

the outlet channel being located adjacent to the rotational center of the rotational flow, and

the inlet channel and the outlet channel being configured to allow the working fluid to flow into the pump chamber and out of the pump chamber simultaneously.

2. The pump according to claim 1, a synthetic inertance value of the inlet channel being smaller than a synthetic inertance value of the outlet channel.

3. The pump according to claim 1, the rotational flow generation structure being the inlet side fluid resistance element.

4. The pump according to claim 3, including a plurality of the inlet side fluid resistance elements.

5. The pump according to claim 3, the pump chamber having an approximately rotor configuration, the inlet side fluid resistance element being a check valve, which opens onto one circumferential direction of the approximately rotor configuration of the pump chamber.

6. The pump according to claim 5, the plurality of check valves being formed from a single member.

7. The pump according to claim 5, a flow restriction section, which restricts a flow direction of the working fluid, being provided in the check valve or in a part of the pump chamber with which the check valve is in contact.

8. The pump according to claim 7, the flow restriction section being a bent portion formed in the check valve, and a storage groove, which stores the bent portion, being formed in a part of the pump chamber with which the check valve is in contact.

9. The pump according to claim 1, the pump chamber having an approximately rotor configuration, the rotational flow generation structure being a channel facing in the circumferential direction of the approximately rotor configuration of the pump chamber.

10. The pump according to claim 9, the channel being inclined.

11. The pump according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of the channels.

12. The pump according to claim 9, the channels being located so as to be connected to a side wall of the pump chamber.

13. The pump according to claim 1, further comprising a flow speed increase section which accelerates a flow speed of the working fluid inside the pump chamber.

14. The pump according to claim 1, a period during which the operating liquid being taken into the pump is two-thirds or more of the operating period of the pump.

15. The pump according to claim 1, the pump chamber being circular.

16. A pump comprising:

a pump chamber for which a capacity is changeable;

an inlet channel which allows a working fluid to flow into the pump chamber;

an inlet side fluid resistance element disposed between the pump chamber and the inlet channel;

an outlet channel which allows the working fluid to flow out of the pump chamber;

a pipeline element formed inside the outlet channel, a synthetic inertance value of the inlet channel being smaller than a synthetic inertance value of the outlet channel; and

a buffer chamber, which reduces the inertance of a fluid, being formed such that the buffer chamber surrounds the outlet channel,

the inlet channel and the outlet channel being configured to allow the working fluid to flow into the pump chamber and out of the pump chamber simultaneously.

17. A pump comprising:

an approximately rotor-configured pump chamber for which a capacity is changeable;

an inlet channel which allows a working fluid to flow into the pump chamber;

an inlet side fluid resistance element disposed between the pump chamber and the inlet channel;

an outlet channel which allows the working fluid to flow out of the pump chamber; and

a pipeline element formed inside the outlet channel, a synthetic inertance value of the inlet channel being smaller than a synthetic inertance value of the outlet channel,

the side wall of the pump chamber being formed of an annular member,

the inlet channel and the outlet channel being configured to allow the working fluid to flow into the pump chamber and out of the pump chamber simultaneously.