WO2006092748A2

WO2006092748A2 - Liquid soap dispenser pump

Info

Publication number: WO2006092748A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/050538
Authority: WO
Inventors: Osman Er
Original assignee: Eczacibasi Yapi Gereçleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.
Priority date: 2005-03-01
Filing date: 2006-02-20
Publication date: 2006-09-08
Also published as: WO2006092748A3; WO2006092748B1

Abstract

A pump (11) which ensures liquid soap to be trickled by being used preferably in a liquid soap dispenser, comprising an electric motor (101 ), a gear (102), a worm gear (103), a press head bearing (104), a gear eccentric shaft (105), a gear main shaft (106), an electronic circuit board (107), an electronic circuit board slot (108), a press head cam (109), a press head (110), a fitting (117), a worm gear bearing (119), photocell sensors (120), and a right cover (118) and a left cover (114) connected to each other by means of screws (111 ) which contain said parts.

Description

DESCRIPTION

LIQU ID SOAP DISPENSER PUMP

Techn ical Field

Present invention relates to a pump which is used preferably in a liquid soap dispenser or to transfer other liquids.

Prior Art

Environments which have insufficient hygiene present a great danger for human health and cause to various diseases. In both common and individual toilets, there are many users who touch and hence contaminate liquid soap dispensers with microbes on their hands all day long. The most practical way of protection from these microbes is to enable the user to obtain liquid soap without needing to touch anything.

Operation principle of manual soap dispensers widely used in conventional applications is based on the fact of discharging the liquid soap when a user pushes a lever or button. This embodiment may not be hygienic and microorganisms contaminated to the dispenser by the users' hands present danger for the health. In automatic soap dispensers, a pump which is activated by a hand when it is sensed by a photocell unit trickles soap according to different working mechanisms. Especially in this type of embodiments, generally a predetermined amount of soap is trickled by using a spring type pump mechanism. The drawback of this system seems to be that as the spring is aged it can not move to a fully secured position, thereby causing both decreases in the amount of soap to be trickled and soap leakage.

In the prior art, automatic soap dispenser embodiments exhibit differences. Especially, published patent application US5255822 discloses an automatic soap dispenser embodiment. In the system mentioned in US5255822 application, when a user sets his/her hands ready to get soap, infrared light sensors detects this action and electronic circuits in the system activates an electric motor. Soap is trickled by compressing the outlet pipe of a soap compartment via a 4-rod mechanism connected to an electric motor. In this system, the part which compresses the outlet pipe is the last part of the 4-rod mechanism and consistently exerts pressure to the outlet pipe with its sharp edge. In order to keep this part exerting pressure consistently, it has a spring apparatus thereon. Wear of the pipe is easier in this system since a point pressure force is exerted on the outlet pipe. In case of liquid soap dispenser pump of the invention, a pressure is exerted on flexible pipe by a flat and large surface and no spring is used. The mechanism for the pump of the invention and liquid soap discharge and delivery principle are its key elements which make a difference.

Object of the Invention

Object of this invention is to provide a pump which is preferably used in the liquid soap dispenser and enables liquid soap to be trickled. Furthermore, with the subject of the invention, pump is intended to be used for the discharge and transfer of other liquids of appropriate consistency other than liquid soaps. Another object of the invention is to ensure the retardation of wearing of the flexible pipe, used in the dispenser, to trickle soap by compressing it by a large and flat surface instead of a point contact.

Description of Figures

The system of the invention is shown in the attached drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a pre-assembly perspective view of the soap pump. Fig. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the soap pump.

The parts in the figures are numbered one by one and the corresponding terms of these numerals are given below.

Pump (1 1 ) Electric motor (101 ) Gear (102) Worm gear (103) Press head bearing (104)

Gear eccentric shaft (105)

Gear main shaft (106)

Electronic circuit board (107) Electronic circuit board slot (108)

Press head cam (109)

Press head (1 10)

Screws (1 1 1 )

Pressure head pins (1 12) Pump outlet (1 13)

Left cover (1 14)

Cable hole (1 15)

Linear movement channel (1 16)

Fitting (1 17) Right cover (1 18)

Worm gear bearing (1 19)

Photocell sensors (120)

Motor housing (121 )

Motor housing (122) Press head flat surface (123)

Flexible hose bearing surface (124)

Flexible hose bearing surface (125)

The pump (1 1 ) of which pre-assembly state is shown in Fig. 1 comprises the parts/elements designated as an electric motor (101 ), a gear group comprising a gear (102) and a worm gear (103), a press head bearing (104), a gear eccentric shaft (105), a gear main shaft (106), an electronic circuit board (107), an electronic circuit board slot (108), a press head cam (109), a press head (1 10), screws (1 1 1 ), pressure head pins (1 12), a pump outlet (1 13), a left cover (1 14), a cable hole (1 15), a linear movement channel (1 16), a fitting (1 17), a right cover (1 18), a worm gear bearing (1 19), photocell sensors (120), a motor housing (121 ), a motor housing (122), a press head flat surface (123), a flexible hose bearing surface (124), a flexible hose abutment surface (125). As shown in Fig. 2, in assembled state of the pump (1 1 ), the right cover (1 18) and the left cover (1 14) are formed such that they encompass the parts present in the pump (1 1 ) and are connected to each other by means of screws (1 1 1 ). There is a cable hole (1 15) located at the bottom of the right cover (1 18) or any of the covers (1 14, 1 18), from which cables to motor (101 ) and electronic circuit board (107) come out.

Inside the electronic circuit board slot (108) which is located at the bottom of the right cover (1 18) and the left cover (1 14), there are two photocell sensors (120), and an electronic circuit board (107) which transforms the signal detected by said sensors (120) into a command. This board (107) is built into the electronic circuit board slot (108). Electric motor (101 ) is actuated by a command from the electronic circuit board (107). A worm gear (103) which is connected to the electric motor (101 ) from one end by means of a fitting (1 17) starts to rotate by the movement of the motor (101 ). A worm gear bearing (1 19), which is in a fixed position within the pump (1 1 ), performs the bearing task of the other end of the worm gear (103). Motor housing compartments (122, 121 ) are established on the right and left covers (1 18, 1 14) in order to secure the place of the electric motor (101 ). Rotary movement of the worm gear (103) is conveyed to the gear (102) in which it is in contact. Rotary axes of the worm gear (103) and the gear (102) are perpendicular to each other. A gear main shaft (106) is inserted in a hole exactly central to the gear (102) which receives the rotary movement and a gear eccentric shaft (105) in a hole next to the center. One end of the gear main shaft (106) passes through the hole, central to the gear (102) and is beared in a slot within the right cover (1 18). In this way, the position of the gear (102) is determined.

A press head cam (109) in cylindrical form which has two holes far from the center thereon is connected to the gear (102) by means of a gear main shaft (106) and a gear eccentric shaft (105) inserted into said holes. Rotary movement received from the gear (102) is transformed into an eccentric movement on the press head cam (109) by means of said shafts (105, 106).

The press head cam (109) can easily engage into the inner diameter surface of the press head bearing (104) in hollow and cylindrical form and perform a rotary movement on this surface. Outer diameter surface of the press head bearing (104) can easily engage into a slot of spherical form on the press head (1 10) and perform a rotary movement on this surface as well. In this way, press head bearing (104) which is both located on the press head cam (109) and built into a slot within the pressure head conveys said eccentric movement to the press head (1 10). The eccentric movement conveyed to the press head (1 10) is transformed into a linear movement on the pressure head pins (1 12) since two pins (1 12) concentrically located on the press head (1 10) on the left and right are beared such that they can move back and forth in the linear movement channel (1 16) on the right (1 18) and left cover (1 14).

The press head (1 10) which moves back and forth by means of the linear movement on the pressure head pins (1 12) compresses the flexible hose (not shown in the figure) extending from top to bottom in front of the press head flat surface (123) by pushing it towards flexible hose bearing surfaces (124, 125) in a period in which it moves forth. Following the compression process, liquid, preferably soap, in the hose was transferred to outside from a nozzle connected to the bottom end of said flexible hose and the pump outlet (1 13). Flexible hose is filled with liquid in a period in which press head (1 10) comes back.

Preferred pump (1 1 ) above is not intended to limit the protection scope of the invention. In view of the knowledge described by the invention, all modifications performed on this preferred pump (1 1 ) should be interpreted in the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1 . A pump (1 1 ) which ensures liquid soap to be trickled by being used in a liquid soap dispenser, comprising an electronic circuit board (107) which transforms the signal detected by two photocell sensors (120) therein into a command, an electronic circuit board slot (108) in which said board (107) is inserted, an electric motor (101 ) which is actuated by a command from an electronic circuit board (107), a gear group which is connected to said motor (101 ) and a right cover (1 18) and a left cover (1 14) which encompass said parts and are connected to each other by means of screws (1 1 1 ), characterized in that:

• said gear group comprises a gear (102) and a worm gear (103),

• it comprises a gear eccentric shaft (105), a gear main shaft (106), a fitting (1 17), a worm gear bearing (1 19), a flexible pipe, a worm (103) which starts to rotate with the actuation of an electric motor (101 ), a gear (102) to which rotary movement of the worm (103) is conveyed, a press head cam (109) located on the gear (102) on which said rotary movement is transformed into an eccentric movement and a press head (1 10) on which eccentric movement is transformed into a back and forth linear movement by means of a press head bearing (104) connected to this cam (109), • liquid, in the flexible pipe is transferred by exerting pressure to the flexible pipe by a large contact surface on the press head (1 10) instead of a point contact in order to ensure the retardation of wearing of the flexible pipe pressed and released by the back and forth movement of the compression head in the pump (1 1 ).

2. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein , said worm gear (103) is connected to a motor (101 ) from one end by means of a fitting (1 17) and its other end is beared in a worm gear bearing (1 19) which is in a fixed position within the pump (1 1 ).

3. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein said gear main shaft (106) is inserted in a hole central to the gear (102) and a gear eccentric shaft (105) in a hole next to said center.

4. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein one end of gear main shaft (106) passes through a hole central to the gear (102) and is beared in a slot within the right cover (118).

5. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein the press head cam (109) has a structure of cylindrical form and two holes far from the center thereon are inserted a gear main shaft (106) and a gear eccentric shaft (105).

6. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein inside of press head bearing (104) has a hollow and cylindrical form and the press head cam (109) is built-in such that it can perform a rotary movement on the inner diameter surface.

7. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein the press head (1 10)

• has a slot of spherical form thereon and outer diameter surface of the press head bearing (104) can perform a rotary movement in this slot,

• has two pins (112) concentrically located thereon on the left and right beared such that they can move back and forth in the linear movement channel (1 16) on the right cover (118) and the left cover (114),

• compresses a flexible hose extending from top to bottom in front of the press head flat surface (123) by pushing it towards flexible hose bearing surfaces

(124, 125) on the right and left covers (1 18, 1 14) in a period in which it moves forth.

8. A pump according to the claim 1 , wherein the motor housing compartments (122, 121 ) are established on the right and left covers (118, 1 14) in order to secure the place of the electric motor (101 ).