Electromagnetic self-priming pump

Claim 2

An electromagnetically driven, liquid pump comprising: housing means having an axial liquid passage with an inlet and an outlet; pumping mechanism comprising a pair of axially aligned, magnetizable, liquid pumping means received in said passage, at least one of said pumping means being mounted for axial movement berween a removed position in which said pumping means are axially spread to provide a liquid receiving chamber therebetween for receiving liquid from said inlet, and a position in which said pumping means are less spread to pump liquid from said chamber to said outlet; said pumping mechanism comprising a pair of piston means movable between axially spread positions to provide said chamber and less spread positions; one of said piston means including means permitting the flow of fluid from said inlet to said chamber when said piston means are moving to said spread positions, but preventing reverse flow when said piston means are moving together; magnetic field producing means for magnetizing said pair of liquid pumping means such that the axially adjacent ends thereof are of opposite magnetic polarity and attracted toward each other to move at least said one pump-means toward the other; and yieldable means reactable to store energy in response to movement of said one liquid pumping means toward the other to force said one liquid pumping means to said removed position.

Claim 3

The pump set forth in claim 3 wherein said seal means flares radially outwardly in an axially downstream direction.

Claim 4

An electromagnetically driven, liquid pump comprising: a pump housing having a liquid passage with an inlet and an outlet, said passage being non-magnetizable; pump mechanism comprising a pair of magnetic field responsive, liquid pumping means in said passage, at least one of said pumping means being movable toward and away from the other between a removed position in which said pumping means are spread and a position in which said pumping means are less spread; said liquid pumping means comprising a pair of piston means movable toward and away from each other in said passage between spread and closed positions; said piston means providing a variable volume chamber, having a partial vacuum, between said piston means in said spread position for receiving liquid from said inlet; electromagnetic coil means for establishing a magnetic flux field of alternately increasing and decreasing magnetic flux density within said passage to move said one pumping means to one of said positions when said flux density is increasing; and energy storing yieldable means, responsive to movement of said one pumping means to said one position, for moving the other of said pumping means to said other of said positions when said magnetic flux density is decreased.

Claim 5

The pump of claim 5 wherein said piston means move to said closed positions in response to said increasing field and said yieldable means moves said piston means to said spread positions.

Claim 6

The pump of claim 5 wherein said piston means each comprises an element of magnetizable material disposed in axial prolongation of the other element, said electromagnetic coil means includes; means for establishing a first flux field to magnetize each element so that adjacent ends of said elements have an opposite polarity and are attracted together; means for disestablishing said first flux field and establishing an opposite flux field to magnetize each element in an opposite direction so that the polarities of the adjacent ends of said elements is reversed and the adjacent element ends are again attracted to each other; said yieldable means being operative to move said piston means to said spread positions when said first flux field is disestablished.

Claim 7

The pump set forth in claim 5 wherein said energy storing yieldable means reacts between said piston means to move said piston means to a spread position.

Claim 8

The pump set forth in claim 5 wherein said means for energizing said coil means comprises a source of alternating current.

Claim 9

The pump set forth in claim 5 wherein said energizing means comprises means for reversing the current through said coil means to reverse the direction of the magnetic flux.

Claim 10

An electromagnetic pump comprising: a pump housing having a pumping passage therein with an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof; a pair of magnetic field responsive, liquid pumping piston means disposed in said passage for axial movement toward and away from each other between axially spread positions, and adjacent positions, to pump liquid downstream from said inlet to said outlet; and means, including magnetic field producing apparatus, for moving said piston means between said spread and said adjacent positions; each piston means including a body of magnetizable material, resilient seal means surrounding said body and having a perimetrical flange portion, extending radially outwardly, sealingly engageable with the walls of said passage when said piston means is moving downsteam to prevent fluid from returning upstream, but collapsible radially inwardly when said piston means is moving upstream to permit fluid to pass.

Claim 11

The pump of claim 11 wherein said flange portion is at the downstream end of each piston means and flares radially outwardly in an axially downstream direction.

Claim 12

The pump of claim 12 wherein said seal means includes an additional radially extending piston means centering flange portion at the other end of each piston means.

Claim 13

The pump of claim 12 wherein means is provided at the upstream end of each piston means for maintaining the axial alignment of said piston means in said passage.

Claim 14

The pump of claim 11 wherein yieldable energy storing means is disposed between said bodies to move the bodies to said spread positions after they are moved to said adjacent positions.

Claim 15

The pump of claim 11 including support means in said passage axially outwardly of one of said piston means to limit the axial movement of said one piston means in a direction away from the other piston means.

Claim 16

A pump comprising: cylinder means having a liquid receiving pump passage with an inlet and an outlet; a pair of magnetizable fluid pumping piston means, received in said passage for movement toward and away from each other between adjacent positions and spread positions to pump liquid from said inlet to said outlet; a source of alternating current, having a predetermined frequency; means for cyclically moving said piston means toward and away from each other at twice the frequency of said alternating current including: an electromagnetic coil, connected with said source and means providing an alternating flux field in said passage which alternately magnetizes said magnetizable portions in opposite directions with opposite half cycles of said flux field to cause said magnetizable portions to be attracted and moved toward each other on each half cycle of the flux; and means responsive to said magnetizable piston means moving together on each flux half cycle for spreading said piston means to said spread positions.

Claim 17

A liquid pump adapted to be operated by a source of electric current comprising: a pump housing having an axially extending liquid passage with an inlet and an outlet; a liquid pumping mechanism including axially spaced members, at least one of said members comprising a magnetizable liquid pumping structure, having a to-and-fro stroke, mounted for axial pumping movement in said passage between a removed position in which said members are axially spread to provide a liquid receiving chamber therebetween for receiving liquid from said inlet, and a less spread position in which said members are more closely spaced; said pumping mechanism including seal means for admitting liquid to said chamber while otherwise restricting backflow and permitting liquid to be pumped in a downstream direction from said chamber to said outlet while otherwise restricting backflow, and including collapsible resilient seal means projecting generally laterally outwardly from the perimeter of at least said one member to engage the housing portion defining said liquid passage; and an assembly for cyclically moving at least said one member relative to the other member, including magnetic field creating means connected with said source to cause at least said one member to be moved.

Claim 18

The combination defined in claim 18 in which said magnetizable member comprises a magnetizable core with a sheath having said seal means in the form of a flange which flares axially in a downstream direction.

Claim 19

A liquid pump adapted to be operated by a source of electric current comprising: a pump housing having a non-magnetizable, magnetic flux permeable, axially extending liquid passage with an inlet and an outlet; a liquid pumping mechanism including axially spaced magnetizable members having magnetically confronting portions, at least one of said members comprising a liquid pumping structure, having a to-and-fro stroke, mounted for axial pumping movement in said passage between a removed position in which said magnetizing members are axially spread to provide a liquid receiving chamber therebetween for receiving liquid from said inlet, and a less spread position in which said magnetizing members are magnetically interreactive; and an assembly for cyclically moving at least said one member relative to the other member, said assembly including magnetic field creating means connected with said source, and continuously providing an alternating flux field of predetermined frequency, with flux half cycles of opposite polarity, which alternately magnetizes the confronting portions of said magnetizable members during opposite half cycles of said flux field to cause said members to magnetically interreact and at least said one member to be moved in the same direction during each half cycle of the flux field.

Claim 20

The combination as set forth in claim 20 wherein said magnetic field creating means is connected with a source of alternating current.

Claim 21

The combination as set forth in claim 20 wherein said magnetic field creating means comprises a coil for magnetizing the confronting portions of said members so that they are of opposite magnetic polarity and attract one another.

Claim 22

The pump as set forth in claim 20 wherein a biasing device is provided for returning said one magnetizable member to original position at the end of each flux half cycle, and comprises yieldable means reactable to store energy in response to movement of said one member toward the other.

Claim 23

The pump as set forth in claim 20 wherein said magnetizable members are disposed in said passage in axial alignment and said magnetic field creating means includes a coil and core which alternately oppositely magnetize the members to alternately reverse the polarity of the confronting portions of the members.

Claim 24

The pump as set forth in claim 20 wherein said members include valve structure permitting the flow of fluid from the inlet to the chamber when said one member is moving to dispose the members in spread position but preventing reverse flow when the member is moving to dispose the members in less spread position.

Claim 25

The pump as set forth in claim 25 wherein the valve structure comprises radially collapsible and expandable perimetral seals provided on said members which are engageable with the passage in an expanded condition to prevent the flow of fluid toward the outlet, and spaced From the passage in the collapsed condition to permit the flow of fluid toward the outlet.

Claim 26

The pump as set forth in claim 26 wherein the seals project radially outwardly and normally flare in an axially downstream direction.

Claim 27

The pump as set forth in claim 27 wherein said seals comprise flanges provided on resilient sleeves for the members which do not magnetically shield the members.

Claim 28

The pump as set forth in claim 28 wherein flanges are provided at both the downstream and upstream ends of each member to provide axial alignment.

Claim 29

The pump as set forth in claim 25 wherein a deformable resilient rubber element is provided between said members to restore the spread disposition of members.

Claim 30

The pump as set forth in claim 20 wherein said magnetizable members comprise movable pistons in said passage and structure provided for returning said one magnetizable member to original position returns both members to original position and is disposed between and reactable with both pistons.

Claim 31

The pump as set forth in claim 25 wherein yieldable energy storing means to return the members to spread disposition comprises a resilient protrusion on at least one of said members.

Claim 32

The pump as set forth in claim 32 wherein said yieldable energy storing means comprises a central protrusion on each of said members which are engaged and deformed when the members move together, and resiliently move the members to spread positions at the end of each flux half cycle.

Claim 33

The pump as set forth in claim 20 wherein a perforated stop device in said passage limits the axial movement of at least one of the pistons in a direction away from the other.

Claim 34

A liquid pump adapted to be operated by a source of electric current comprising: a pump housing having an axially extending liquid passage with an inlet and an outlet; a liquid pumping mechanism including axially spaced magnetizable members, at least one of said members comprising a liquid pumping structure, having a to-and-fro stroke, mounted for axial pumping movement in said passage between a removed position in which said magnetizable members are axially spread to provide a liquid receiving chamber therebetween for receiving liquid from said inlet, and a less spread position; an assembly for cyclically moving at least said one member relative to the other member; said assembly including magnetic field creating means connected with said source, and continuously providing an alternating flux field of predetermined frequency, with flux half cycles of opposite polarity, which alternately oppositely polarize said magnetizable members during opposite half cycles of said flux field to cause at least said one member to be moved in the same direction during each half cycle of the flux field; and resilient means for returning said one member in the opposite direction during each half cycle of the flux field.