Lincoln Industrial Corporation

Caterpillar Inc.

Purdue Research Foundation

Lincoln Lndustrial Corporation

Brad Allen Edler

Paul George Conley

John James Krone

Jeffrey Lee Kuehn

Xiaodong Huang

Nathan Donovan

Steve Gaynes

Mark L Westphalen

Yongmin Ma

Brent M Carr

Jeremy Todd Peterson

Michael L Knussman

Patrick Opdenbosch

Michael Todd Verkuilen

Viktor Alekseyev

Canlong He

Eric Daniel Krassinger

Chris Holland

Lawrence J Tognetti

Matthew Edward Kontz

Christopher Alan Williamson

Viral S Mehta

Don K Shinn

Rainer Bels

Oleksiy Afanasyev

A lubricant injector includes a body having an inlet at a first end fluidly coupleable to a lubricant source, an outlet, a delivery chamber coupled with the outlet and a bore defined by a substantially circular inner surface with a constant inner diameter and spaced axially from the body inlet, the bore having a first port fluidly connected with the body inlet and a second port disposed between the body inlet and the first port and fluidly connected with the delivery chamber. A generally circular cylindrical piston is disposed within the bore so as to divide the bore into an operating chamber fluidly coupled with the first port and a measuring chamber fluidly coupled with the second port and located axially between the operating chamber and the body first end. The piston has an outer circumferential slidably disposed against the bore inner surface and having a generally constant outside diameter.

Lubricant injector with improved piston

A lubricant injector includes a body having an inlet fluidly coupleable to a lubricant source, an outlet, and an elongated bore extending along an axis and having an outer end proximal to the body second end, a closed inner end spaced axially from the body first end, a first port, and a second port disposed generally between the bore closed end and the first port. A delivery chamber separate from the bore has an inlet port and an outlet port fluidly coupled with the body outlet. A piston disposed within the bore divides the bore into an operating chamber coupled with the first port and a measuring chamber coupled with the second port. The operating chamber is fluidly coupled with the inlet and the measuring chamber is located between the bore closed end and the operating chamber and is fluidly coupleable with the inlet and alternatively with the delivery chamber.

Lubricant injector

A liquid flow device includes a container and a lid. When the lid is mounted on the container, the container supports a gas supply passage, a pressurization passage, an evacuation passage, and a liquid passage. A control valve is located between the gas supply passage and both the pressurization passage and the evacuation passage. In one configuration, the control valve provides communication between the gas supply passage and pressurization passage to pressurize the container and dispense liquid from the container through the liquid passage. In another configuration, the control valve provides communication between the gas supply passage and evacuation passage to create a vacuum pressure inside the container for evacuating liquid into the container through the liquid passage.

Fluid dispenser and evacuator

A pneumatic liquid dispenser includes a container and a lid. When the lid is mounted on the container, the container supports passaging defining a gas supply inlet for receiving pressurized gas, a gas outlet for delivering pressurized gas to the container, and a gas flow path between the inlet and the outlet. A pressure valve is located between the gas supply inlet and the gas outlet. The pressure valve is configured to automatically permit gas flow along the gas flow path when pressure in the interior of the container is less than a threshold pressure and to automatically block gas flow along the gas flow path when pressure in the interior of the container is greater than the threshold pressure. When gas flows freely through the gas flow path, the gas pressurizes the container to dispense liquid in the container through a liquid passage.

Fluid dispenser having pressure regulator

A liquid dispenser includes a container and a lid. When the lid is mounted on the container, the container supports passaging including a gas supply inlet and a venturi. A control valve in fluid communication with the passaging is adjustable to a dispensing configuration and an evacuation configuration and a separate mode selector valve is adjustable to a dispensing configuration and an evacuation configuration. The dispenser dispenses liquid when both valves are in the dispensing configuration and evacuates liquid when both valves are in the evacuation configuration. The mode selector valve can block flow through a pressurization passage of the passaging in the evacuation configuration and through the venturi or other evacuation passage in the dispensing configuration.

Fluid handling device having valve

A flow measuring device for measuring flow of a fluid. A housing has a passage which extends between an inlet and an outlet. A shaft is disposed within the housing and is rotatable about a central axis. A flow detector is mounted on the shaft and disposed at least partially within the passage. The flow detector includes a rotatable, generally cylindrical body that rotates about a central axis as the fluid flows. A magnet is disposed within the housing such that the central axis extends through it, and is configured to rotate simultaneously with the body about the central axis. A magnetic encoder is disposed within the housing and configured to sense rotation of the magnet as the flow detector angularly displaces about the central axis so as to detect angular displacement of the flow detector.

Flow measuring device for lubrication systems

A flow measuring device for measuring flow of a fluid. A housing has a passage which extends between an inlet and an outlet. A shaft is disposed within the housing and is rotatable about a central axis. A flow detector is mounted on the shaft and disposed at least partially within the passage. The flow detector includes a rotatable, generally cylindrical body that rotates about a central axis as the fluid flows. A magnet is mounted on the rotatable body or on the shaft, and is configured to rotate simultaneously with the body about the central axis. A sensor is disposed within the housing and configured to sense rotation of the magnet as the flow detector angularly displaces about the central axis so as to detect angular displacement of the flow detector.

Apparatus and method for supplying lubricant to a plurality of lubrication sites. Embodiments include a pump with venting and non-venting piston return, a pump with stirrer and direct feed mechanism, a pump with CAN system and self-diagnostics, a pump with heated housing and reservoir and a pump with stepper motor and overdrive control. Profiles drive the stepper motor at various speeds.

Variable speed stepper motor driving a lubrication pump system

A pump for pumping viscous liquid. The pump includes a body, an elongate core, and a tube surrounding the core. A stepper or servo motor mounted on the body has a selectively rotatable output shaft. A transmission operatively connecting the motor output shaft and the elongate tube reciprocates the tube between a raised position and a lowered position. An inlet check valve defining an expansible lower chamber is oriented to open during each downward pumping stroke so liquid enters the lower chamber. The pump includes a pump chamber and a feed passage connecting the lower chamber to the pump chamber. The passage has a check valve oriented to open during each upward stroke to deliver liquid from the lower chamber to the pump chamber. An outlet passage connected to the pump chamber permits liquid to flow from the pump chamber to an outlet on each upward and downward stroke.

Lance pump having horizontally mounted stepper/servo motor

A pump includes a pump body and an elongate tube. The pump includes an elongate core slidably received in the tube, a stepper motor having a selectively rotatable output shaft extending vertically and a transmission for effecting relative reciprocating motion between the core and the tube. The pump includes an inlet check valve mounted inside the core defining with the core an expansible and contractible lower pump chamber. The inlet check valve is oriented to open during each upward pumping stroke. The pump includes an annular upper chamber above the lower pump chamber and a lateral passage connecting the lower pump chamber to the annular upper chamber. The lateral passage has a check valve oriented to open during each downward pumping stroke. The pump includes an outlet passage connected to the annular upper chamber permitting viscous liquid to flow to the outlet passage on each upward and downward pumping stroke.

Lance pump having vertically mounted stepper motor

A lubricant reservoir including a container defining an interior for holding lubricant. The reservoir includes a partition inside the container interior dividing the interior into multiple chambers. Each chamber segregates lubricant from lubricant in every other chamber. The reservoir has multiple outlets. An outlet is positioned in each chamber to permit lubricant to be removed from the corresponding chamber. The reservoir includes multiple motor-driven stirrers. A stirrer is positioned in each chamber to stir lubricant in the corresponding chamber.

Multi-chamber pump system

A dual-line pump unit for supplying lubricant includes a reservoir having an interior for holding lubricant. A first pump is provided for pumping lubricant from the reservoir through a first main line to a lubricant distribution system. A second pump is provided for pumping lubricant from the reservoir through a second main line to the lubricant distribution system. During a first stage of operation, the first pump operates to pump lubricant from the reservoir through the first main line to the lubricant distribution system and the second pump is idle, the second main line venting back to the reservoir via the second pump. During a second stage of operation, the second pump operates to pump lubricant from the reservoir through the second main line to the lubricant distribution system and the first pump is idle, the first main line venting back to the reservoir via the first pump.

Dual-line pump unit, lubrication system, and related apparatus and method

A hydraulic system is disclosed. The hydraulic system may have a unidirectional variable displacement first pump, a first actuator connected to the first pump via a closed-loop first circuit, and a first switching valve disposed between the first actuator and the first pump. The first switching valve may be configured to control a fluid flow direction through the first actuator. The hydraulic system may also have a second actuator connected to the first pump in parallel with the first actuator via the first circuit, and a second switching valve disposed between the second actuator and the first pump. The second switching valve may be configured to control a fluid flow direction through the second actuator. The hydraulic system may further have a modulation valve associated with the first circuit and configured to selectively modulate a pressure of the first circuit during actuation of the first or second switching valves.

Closed-loop hydraulic system having force modulation

A hydraulic system is disclosed having first, second, and third pumps. The hydraulic system may also have a first actuator connected to the first pump in closed-loop manner, a second actuator connected to the second pump in closed-loop manner, and a third actuator. The hydraulic system may further have a selector valve associated with the third pump, and a first switching valve associated with the third pump and the third actuator. The first switching valve may be movable between a first position at which the third pump is connected to the third actuator in a closed-loop manner to move the third actuator in a first direction, a second position at which the third pump is connected to the third actuator in a closed-loop manner to move the third actuator in a second direction, and a third position at which the third pump is connected to the selector valve.

Closed-loop hydraulic system having priority-based sharing

A hydraulic system includes a first pump, a first actuator fluidly connected to the first pump via a first closed-loop circuit, a second pump, and a second actuator fluidly connected to the second pump via a second closed-loop circuit. The system also includes a third pump, a third actuator fluidly connected to the third pump via a third closed-loop circuit, a fourth pump, and a fourth actuator fluidly connected to the fourth pump via a fourth closed-loop circuit. The system further includes a first combining valve configured to combine fluid from the first and second circuits, a second combining valve configured to combine fluid from the second and third circuits, and a third combining valve configured to combine fluid from the third and fourth circuits. The system also includes a fourth combining valve configured to combine fluid from the first and fourth circuits.

Growing community of inventors

Waterloo, IL, United States of America

Brad Allen Edler