Lubrication – Systems – With mist or fog means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-03
2002-12-03
Kim, Chong H. (Department: 3682)
Lubrication
Systems
With mist or fog means
C184S055200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06488121
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lubricant atomizer which is capable of atomizing a given lubricant into fog, and directing the lubricant fog to a given object such as bearings, toothed wheels, sliding parts and such like for lubrication. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circulating type of lubricant atomizer which is capable of producing a constant quantity of atomized lubricant per unit time continuously for an elongated period, and a method of producing a constant quantity of atomized lubricant per unit time continuously for an elongated period.
2. Related Arts
Referring to
FIG. 3
, a conventional lubricant atomizer uses a manifold
21
to convey atomized lubricant to its branch pipes
22
. As shown in the drawing, each branch pipe
22
is connected to a ball bearing, a roll bearing, toothed wheels meshed together, a sprocket wheel and a sliding beam. It is necessary that atomized lubricant whose particles are below 2 or less micron meters in diameter be selected and transferred from the atomizer
24
to each feeding point partly because otherwise, atomized lubricant of larger particles is apt to be condensed on the way to the feeding point in the manifold, and partly because atomized lubricant of larger particles cannot be distributed to all branch nozzles as much as required by their sizes. This sort of lubricant atomizer is called “selective type of atomized lubricant distributor”.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, the atomizer
24
works as follows: compressed air is directed to the entrance
25
. When passing through the Venturi mechanism
5
(atomizing unit), the compressed air draws the air from the inner space
6
a
of the sight dome
6
while sucking and raising the lubricant from the lubricant bath
10
of the oil vessel
9
to the inside space
6
a
of the sight dome
6
. Then, the lubricant is allowed to fall down from the inner space
6
a
of the sight dome
6
to the center of the Venturi mechanism
5
in the form of droplets. Then, the lubricant droplets are carried by the compressed air to be ejected downward. The so ejected atomized lubricant strike against the interference plate
7
a,
allowing lubricant particles of relatively large size to stick on the interference plate
7
a.
Finally, the lubricant falls down from the interference plate
7
a
in the oil vessel
9
in the form of droplets.
After passing through the interference plate
7
, the atomized lubricant spreads in the atomized lubricant separating space
8
a
in the upper part of the oil vessel
9
, where lubricant particles of relatively large size are allowed to fall downward while very small lubricant particles floating there are carried by the flow of compressed air to be ejected from the outlet
14
a
in the form of fog.
Such a selective type of lubricant atomizer, however, has following defects:
1) The fogging rate (the ratio of the quantity of lubricant atomized and ejected from the atomizer to the quantity of lubricant drawn by the siphon tube
27
to be supplied to the Venturi mechanism
5
) will vary with different kinds of lubricant even if the air pressure, the air flow rate, the surrounding temperature, the lubricant temperature and other operating conditions remain unchanged (see FIG.
7
); this uncertainty may be attributable to different additives such as oiliness improver, oxidative stabilizer, high-pressure additive or anti-foam agent, among which there are some high polymers causing an adverse effect on the atomizing of lubricant; and to the possibility of arbitrarily changing additives in the lubricants which are sold under same trade names, without informing purchasers of such change. The fogging rate of new lubricants, therefore, needs to be determined prior to use, and the fogging rate of familiar lubricants needs to be checked from time to time.
2) The fogging rate will be affected by the time-variable operating conditions such as the lubricant feeding pressure, the quantity of air flowing from the air bypass into the lubricant conveying line, the daily or seasonal change of surrounding temperature and other factors which are liable to change after the atomizer has been working a certain length of time while using one and same lubricant.
3) The fogging rate will be affected by the deterioration of mechanical parts of the atomizer after elongated use as for instance follows: the Venturi mechanism is apt to be contaminated with dust or oil vapor contained in compressed air; and the lubricant nozzles are apt to be clogged.
4) These defects lead to the difficulty in controlling the absolute quantity of lubricant per unit time, which is contained in the fog ejected from the atomizer. The constant feeding pump positioned in the lubricant feeding line can supply a constant quantity of lubricant to the sight dome of the atomizer, but the varying of the fogging rate will cause the quantity of lubricant from the constant feeding pump to vary accordingly. The absolute quantity of lubricant per unit time ejected from the atomizer can be measured in terms of the descending of the surface level of the lubricant bath. As a matter of fact, however, the descending rate per unit time is so small that a significant measurement requires an elongated time involved therefor.
In the hope of solving such problems, Japanese Patent 10-19192(A) and Utility Model 2580280(B) proposed improved atomizers which are capable of atomizing a controlled quantity of lubricant per unit time.
As shown in
FIGS. 5
a,
5
b
and
5
c,
the former lubricant atomizer uses a lubricant fog sensor
28
, which is positioned in the lubricant feeding line
14
to detect changes, if any in the working factors (the lubricant feeding pressure, the quantity of air added to the lubricant feeding line from the air bypass, or the surrounding temperature) and in the fogging rate and the fog density in the lubricant feeding line
14
, thereby permitting the controlling of the quantity of lubricant to be supplied to the Venturi mechanism
5
for keeping the fog density unchanged.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, the latter lubricant atomizer comprises a top sight dome
6
for watching the falling of lubricant droplets, a Venturi mechanism
5
having an air feeding line
25
connected thereto, and a pressurized vessel
8
. The Venturi mechanism
5
has an interference
7
formed on its ejecting side, thereby allowing the fog to strike against the interference
7
. Impingement at the interference
7
grows relatively large fog particles to large droplets, which fall downward. Solid contaminant in the oil functions as a core of fog particle at the atomizing process and check oil to form the fine fog. Relatively large fog particles containing solid contaminants also fall down on the bottom of the pressurized vessel
8
. The lubricant thus collected on the bottom of the pressurized vessel
8
contains a significant amount of dust, and therefore, such contaminated lubricant oil is difficult to be atomized. The lubricant oil remaining on the bottom of the pressurized vessel
8
is filtered with passing through the filter
11
, and the filtrate is drawn by the sucking pump
26
to return to the oil vessel
9
. Thus, the fogging rate is stabilized.
As for the lubricant atomizer disclosed in Japanese Patent 10-19192(A), the lubricant fog sensor
28
and the arithmetic control (
FIG. 5
b
) are inhibitably expensive, and therefore its use is limited to extra need.
As for the lubricant atomizer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model 2580280(B), the lubricant is fed at a constant rate by using a constant feeding pump
12
. Contaminant is removed from compressed air and lubricant oil, thereby providing very small particles of lubricant in the fog. Thus, the fogging rate is improved, and at the same time, the fogging rate is stabilized. The proposed lubricant atomizer, however, cannot solve all of the problems 1, 2, 3 and 4 described above.
In view of the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a method of atomizing lubricant at a constant rate in a lubricant atomizer irrespect
Kim Chong H.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Taco Co., Ltd.
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