Pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10920765-B2
Application number	US-201715795341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A pump is provided with a pump housing, a vibrating portion, a driving portion, and a displacement regulating portion. The pump housing internally has a pump chamber. The vibrating portion is supported against the pump housing in the pump chamber and divides the pump chamber into a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber. The driving portion drives the vibrating portion so as to bend and vibrate the vibrating portion in a predetermined direction. The displacement regulating portion is positioned to prevent displacement of the vibrating portion that results in plastic deformation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pump comprising:
a pump housing internally including a pump chamber;
a vibrating portion dividing the pump chamber into a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber each including an inner wall, the vibrating portion having an upper surface that faces the first pump chamber and a lower surface that faces the second pump chamber;
one or more link portions that mount the vibrating portion to the pump housing such that the vibrating portion is supported by the one or more link portions;
a driving portion arranged on the vibrating portion in the pump housing and configured to drive the vibrating portion so as to bend and vibrate the vibrating portion in a predetermined direction; and
a displacement regulating portion positioned to prevent displacement of the vibrating portion that results in plastic deformation of the vibrating portion,
wherein the displacement regulating portion is positioned above an outer periphery of the vibrating portion such that the displacement regulating portion overlaps the outer periphery in a plan view of the pump, a viewing direction of the plan view being normal to the upper surface of the vibrating portion.

2. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement regulating portion projects from the inner wall of the first pump chamber.

3. The pump according to claim 2 , further comprising another displacement regulating portion that projects from the inner wall of the second pump chamber and faces the vibrating portion.

4. The pump according to claim 2 , wherein the displacement regulating portion projects from the inner wall of the first pump chamber along an entire circumference of the inner wall of the first pump chamber.

5. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement regulating portion is not positioned in a space that will interfere with the vibrating portion when the driving portion drives the vibration portion and causes the vibrating portion to bend and vibrate.

6. The pump according to claim 1 , further comprising a flat plate-shaped member defining the displacement regulating portion, wherein the flat plate-shaped member comprises:
a supporting portion projecting from a side of the pump housing into the pump chamber; and
a projecting portion projecting from the supporting portion toward the vibrating portion.

7. The pump according to claim 6 , wherein the flat plate-shaped member comprises an internal connection terminal projecting from the pump housing into the pump chamber, the internal connection terminal having a tip connected to the vibrating portion.

8. The pump according to claim 6 , wherein the driving portion is configured to drive the vibrating portion such that the vibrating portion bends and vibrates in a high-order resonance mode that produces a node of vibration.

9. The pump according to claim 8 , wherein the displacement regulating portion faces the node of vibration.

10. The pump according to claim 8 , wherein the displacement regulating portion projects from the supporting portion toward the node of vibration.

11. The pump according to claim 6 , wherein the displacement regulating portion faces an outer peripheral portion of the vibrating portion.

12. The pump according to claim 6 , wherein the pump is configured as a laminate of a plurality of flat-shaped members.

13. The pump according to claim 6 , wherein the supporting portion defines an opening.

14. The pump according to claim 13 , wherein the supporting portion comprises a plurality of wave-shaped portions that project toward the opening.

15. The pump according to claim 14 , the pump including a plurality of displacement regulating portions, wherein each of the plurality of displacement regulating portions is provided on a corresponding one of the plurality of wave-shaped portions.

16. The pump according to claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of displacement regulating portions is provided on a bottom surface of its corresponding wave-shaped portion.

17. The pump according to claim 15 , wherein the plurality of wave-shaped portions comprises three wave-shaped portions.

18. The pump according to claim 1 , the pump including a plurality of displacement regulating portions that are aligned at intervals from each other.

19. The pump according to claim 18 , wherein the plurality of displacement regulating portions includes three displacement regulating portions.

20. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein:
the displacement regulating portion is not positioned in a first space that will interfere with the vibrating portion when the driving portion drives the vibrating portion and causes the vibrating portion to bend and vibrate, and
the displacement regulating portion is positioned in a second space in which the vibrating portion is able to deform elastically, the second space being above the first space.

21. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the pump includes a plurality of the link portions and a plurality of openings defined by the plurality of the link portions.

22. The pump according to claim 21 , wherein the plurality of openings surround the vibrating portion such that a common plane extends through the plurality of openings and vibrating portion.

23. The pump according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more link portions are arranged within the pump chamber.

24. A pump comprising:
a pump housing internally including a pump chamber;
a vibrating portion dividing the pump chamber into a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber each including an inner wall, the vibrating portion having an upper surface that faces the first pump chamber and a lower surface that faces the second pump chamber;
one or more link portions that mount the vibrating portion to the pump housing such that the vibrating portion is supported by the one or more link portions;
a driving portion arranged on the vibrating portion in the pump housing and configured to drive the vibrating portion so as to bend and vibrate the vibrating portion in a predetermined direction; and
a displacement regulating portion having a surface that faces the vibrating portion and is positioned to prevent displacement of the vibrating portion that results in plastic deformation of the vibrating portion,
wherein the surface of the displacement regulating portion is positioned above an outer periphery of the vibrating portion such that the surface of the displacement regulating portion overlaps the outer periphery in a plan view of the pump, a viewing direction of the plan view being normal to the upper surface of the vibrating portion.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Fujisaki Masaaki
• Kawamura Kenichiro

Classifications

• F04B53/16

  Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder liners or heads; Fluid connections · CPC title

• F04B45/047

  Pumps having electric drive · CPC title

• F04B43/046 Primary

  with piezoelectric drive · CPC title

• F04B43/023 Primary

  double acting plate-like flexible member · CPC title

• F04B53/1077

  Flow resistance valves, e.g. without moving parts · CPC title