Lubricating-grease pump and method for recovery of leakage grease of a lubricating-grease pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11085581-B2
Application number	US-201816185551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Dec 4, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A lubricating-grease pump includes a pumping chamber, a leakage accumulation chamber, a seal configured to substantially seal the pumping chamber from the leakage accumulation chamber, at least one outlet from the pumping chamber, and at least one leakage-recovery arrangement configured to guide a quantity of grease that has leaked from the pumping chamber into the leakage accumulation chamber back into the pumping chamber. The leakage-recovery arrangement may include a first passageway connecting the leakage accumulation chamber to a storage region, a second passageway connecting the first passageway to the pumping chamber and a spring-biased piston in the storage region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lubricating-grease pump comprising:
a pumping chamber;
a leakage accumulation chamber;
a seal configured to seal the pumping chamber from the leakage accumulation chamber;
at least one outlet from the pumping chamber; and
at least one leakage-recovery arrangement configured to guide a quantity of grease that has leaked from the pumping chamber into the leakage accumulation chamber back into the pumping chamber;
wherein the leakage-recovery arrangement includes a storage region configured to store the quantity of grease and a piston in the storage region, the piston being movable from a first position to a second position to change a volume of the storage region.

2. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 1 , wherein the leakage-recovery arrangement includes an indicator for indicating a fill level of the storage region.

3. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 2 , wherein the indicator comprises a pin baying a first end facing the piston, a second end outside the storage region and a central portion slidably mounted in a body of material forming a seal for the storage region.

4. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 2 , wherein the lubricating-grease pump includes at least one check valve and/or at least one pressure-relief valve, through which the storage region is at least partially emptiable.

5. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 1 , wherein the leakage-recovery arrangement includes at least one channel extending from the leakage accumulation chamber to the storage region.

6. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 1 , wherein the lubricating-grease pump is configured for a central lubrication system of an excavator.

7. The lubricating-grease pump according to claim 1 , wherein the leakage-recovery arrangement comprises:
a first passage connecting the leakage accumulation chamber to a storage chamber;
a second passage connecting the first passage to the pumping chamber;
a second check valve in the second passage;
a spring-biased piston in the storage chamber; and
an indicator pin having a first end facing the piston, a second end outside the storage chamber and a central portion slidably mounted in a body of material forming a seal for the storage chamber.

8. A method for recovering a quantity of leakage grease of a lubricating-grease pump, comprising:
accumulating a quantity of grease that has leaked from a pumping chamber in an accumulation chamber;
guiding the leakage grease from the accumulation chamber into a storage chamber;
varying the volume of the storage chamber by moving a piston within the storage chamber, and
drawing the leakage grease from the storage chamber into the pumping chamber with an intake stroke of the lubricating grease pump.

9. A lubricating-grease pump comprising:
a pumping chamber;
a leakage accumulation chamber;
a seal configured to substantially seal the pumping chamber from the leakage accumulation chamber;
at least one outlet from the pumping chamber;
a first check valve in the at least one outlet configured to permit a unidirectional flow of grease out of the pumping chamber;
a first passage connecting the leakage accumulation chamber to a storage chamber;
a second passage connecting the first passage to the pumping chamber;
a second check valve in the second passage;
a spring-biased piston in the storage chamber; and
an indicator pin having a first end facing the piston, a second end outside the storage chamber and a central portion slidably mounted in a body of material forming a seal for the storage chamber.

Assignees

• Skf Lubrication Systems Germany
• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Hess Dieter
• Kreutzkaemper Juergen
• Schoenfeld Andreas
• Schuermann Stefan

Classifications

• F04B53/16

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

• F16N13/00

  Lubricating-pumps (oil cans with pump F16N3/08; pumps for liquids in general F04) · CPC title

• F16N13/22 Primary

  with distributing equipment (separate distributing equipment F16N25/00) · CPC title

• F04B15/02

  the fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous · CPC title

• F16N29/00

  Special means in lubricating arrangements or systems providing for the indication or detection of undesired conditions; Use of devices responsive to conditions in lubricating arrangements or systems · CPC title