Claims:We claim:
1. A system for automatic lubrication of components used on mechanical equipment, the system comprising:
an end-of-line (EOL) pressure switch (6’) located in a supply line to maintain injection pressure in a feed line in normal operation of the system, 5
wherein the EOL pressure switch (6’) is designed to allow a continuous flow of the lubricant through the EOL pressure switch (6’).
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system includes two lubricant supply system.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each lubricant supply system 10 comprises:
a lubricant reservoir (8);
a lubricant pump (1) to supply lubricant from the lubricant reservoir (8);
a filter relieve valve (2) to receive lubricant from the lubricant 15 pump (1);
a shut-off valve (3) to supply the lubricant received from the filter relieve valve (2);
a motorized reversing valve (4) to supply the lubricant received from the shut-off valve (3); 20
one or more metering manifold (5) for supplying the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve (4), to a feed line for injecting the lubricant at one or more lubrication points;
15
the EOL pressure switch (6’) receiving the supply of the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve (4) for measuring the pressure in the supply line; and
a last metering manifold (7) for supplying the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve (4), to a feed line for injecting the lubricant 5 at one or more lubrication points.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the filter relief valve (2) includes a relief valve (2A), a pressure gauge (2B), and a high-pressure limit switch (2C).
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lubricant includes grease, oil, 10 synthetic liquids, or gels. , Description:LUBRICATION SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure, in general, relates to automatic lubrication system, and, more particularly, to a system for automatic lubrication of components 5 used on mechanical equipment.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed subject 10 matter, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Automatic lubrication systems are used on many types of machinery, from large fixed plant to smaller mobile construction and mining equipment. In general, the automatic lubrication systems have replaced previous procedures requiring manual application using grease guns and the like. There is a wide range 15 of equipment available in the market, performing a useful service in improving machine reliability, reducing the hazards of manual access to the machine, reducing the time requirement for maintenance and minimising the quantity of lubricant required.
[0004] A typical automatic lubrication system includes a pumping system that 20 receives lubricant, such as grease, from a reservoir and periodically delivers the lubricant through supply lines to a number of injectors, which, in turn, deliver prescribed amounts of the lubricant through a feed line to each lubrication point. For the sake of brevity, the connection between the pump and the injector, usually constructed from a combination of elements including pipes, tubes, hoses, and 25
3
drillings, is called a “supply line”, and similarly, the connection between the injector and the component to be lubricated (bearing, slide track, etc.) is called a “feed line”.
[0005] There are many types of pumping systems, powered by electric motors, compressed air, hydraulic pressure from the machine's hydraulic system, or even 5 manually. The frequency of operation is often controlled by an electrical timer, or computer performing the same function, or can be linked to the operation duty of the machine. Typically, each operation consists of pumping lubricant from a reservoir to a fixed pressure, holding the pressure for at least long enough for the pressure to reach all the injectors against the viscous drag of the lubricant in the 10 supply lines, and then venting this pressure back to the lubricant reservoir to allow the injectors to reset.
[0006] Further, the injector systems can be either a single line system or a dual line system. The simplest of these is the single line system, where the pump periodically pressurises the injectors, causing them to inject their 15 adjusted/prescribed amount of lubricant down the feed line to the components to be lubricated, then vents the pressure so that the injectors can reset ready for the next shot. This system can have disadvantage with longer supply lines between the pump and injectors in that the viscosity of the lubricant can lead to slow venting times so that the maximum frequency of lubricant application has to be reduced to ensure 20 that the injectors reset. injector designs that have a higher reset pressure are then superior in these conditions.
[0007] The dual line system overcomes the reset time problem by running two/duel lines to each injector and reversing the pressure between the dual lines. For example, in the duel line system, the pumping system supplies the lubricant 25 under pressure to a last metering valve in the supply line, and the supply cycle is
4
completed as soon as the lubricant is dispensed from the last metering valve to the feed line having the injector system. The pumping system will continue to operate until a pre-set pressure has been detected by an end-of-line (EOL) pressure switch positioned just before the last metering valve in supply line. Once the EOL pressure switch ascertains that the pressure of the lubricant supplied in the supply line has 5 reached the pre-set pressure, the EOL pressure switch signals a motorized reversing valve for reversing the pressure between the dual lines.
[0008] However, it has been observed that the reversing of pressure between the dual lines or the line changeover generally takes more time of, say, about 15 minutes, as the EOL pressure switch is typically designed with one direction 10 configuration. With such one direction configuration, the lubricant gets stuck in the EOL pressure switch and gets hardened over a period of time. Due to this hardened lubricant available in the EOL pressure switch, the pumping system has to operate for about 15 minutes more than a regular time period to trigger the EOL pressure switch. 15
[0009] With such delay of 15 minutes, a line low pressure fault is generated in the automatic lubrication system and the automatic lubrication system remains unhealthy for next lubrication cycle.
[0010] Therefore, there is a need in the state of the art for providing an improved automatic lubrication system with improved design of EOL pressure 20 switch.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0011] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed hereinbelow.
5
[0012] It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide an improved automatic lubrication system with improved design of EOL pressure switch.
[0013] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an improved EOL pressure switch which ensures that no lubricant stuck within the EOL pressure switch. 5
[0014] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY 10
[0015] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an automatic lubrication of components used on mechanical equipment. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 15
[0016] The present disclosure relates to a system for automatic lubrication of components used on mechanical equipment. The system includes an end-of-line (EOL) pressure switch located in a supply line to maintain injection pressure in a feed line in normal operation of the system, wherein the EOL pressure switch is designed to allow a continuous flow of the lubricant through the EOL pressure 20 switch.
[0017] In an aspect, the system includes two fuel supply system. In said aspect, each fuel supply system includes a lubricant reservoir; a lubricant pump to supply lubricant from the lubricant reservoir; a filter relieve valve to receive lubricant from the lubricant pump; a shut-off valve to supply the lubricant received from the filter 25
6
relieve valve; a motorized reversing valve to supply the lubricant received from the shut-off valve; one or more metering manifold for supplying the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve, to a feed line for injecting the lubricant at one or more lubrication points; the EOL pressure switch receiving the supply of the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve for measuring the pressure in the supply line; 5 and a last metering manifold for supplying the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve, to a feed line for injecting the lubricant at one or more lubrication points.
[0018] In an aspect, the filter relief valve includes a relief valve, a pressure gauge, and a high-pressure limit switch. 10
[0019] In an aspect, the lubricant includes grease, oil, synthetic liquids, or gels.
[0020] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components. 15
[0021] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
[0022] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in 20 any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
7
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like 5 numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional circuit diagram of an automatic lubrication system; and 10
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a circuit diagram of an automatic lubrication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated 15 herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It 20 should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the
8
contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0028] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of 5 the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As 10 used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or 15 addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0030] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may 20 sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further 25
9
understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0032] Embodiments explained herein pertain to a system for automatic 5 lubrication of components used on mechanical equipment. In the interests of brevity, the present disclosure refers to the lubricant as grease, being the most common substance, but other lubricants, such as oil, and synthetic liquids, or gels, can be used with the present subject matter. Similarly, the lubrication system is described as delivering lubricant to components, with this being used as a generic 10 term to describe any structure receiving an injected fluid at one or more lubrication points.
[0033] It should also be recognised that although the present disclosure has been devised for the lubrication of components, such as slide track, bearing and the like, in its broadest aspects, it could be used for the precise and reliable delivery of 15 predetermined qualities of any liquid to an end point. Such applications might include, although not be limited to; dispensing of disinfectants or anti-bacterial agents into cooling towers; medical applications; or automatic adhesive applications. The description of the delivery of lubricant to components throughout this disclosure should be regarded as a specific example of delivery of a generic 20 liquid to any end point.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows a conventional circuit diagram of an automatic lubrication system. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the automatic lubrication system is a dual line system wherein each line includes a lubricant reservoir 8 in which lubricant is stored for lubrication of components, a lubricant pump 1 to supply the lubricant from the 25 lubricant reservoir 8, a filter relieve valve 2 to receive lubricant from the lubricant
10
pump 1, a shut-off valve 3 to further supply the lubricant received from the filter relieve valve 2, a motorized reversing valve 4 to supply the lubricant received from the shut-off valve 3, one or more metering manifold 5 for supplying the lubricant from the shut-off valve 3 to a feed line for injecting the lubricant at one or more lubrication points, an end-of-line (EOL) pressure switch 6 for receiving the supply 5 of the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve 4 for measuring the pressure in the supply line, and a last metering manifold 7 for supplying the lubricant from the motorized reversing valve 4.
[0035] In an aspect, the filter relief valve 2 includes a relief valve 2A, a pressure gauge 2B, and a high-pressure limit switch 2C. 10
[0036] As mentioned above, the lubricant pump 1 will continue to operate until a pre-set pressure has been detected by the EOL pressure switch 6 positioned just before the last metering manifold 7 in supply line. Once the EOL pressure switch 6 ascertains that the pressure of the lubricant supplied in the supply line has reached the pre-set pressure, the EOL pressure switch 6 signals the motorized reversing 15 valve 4 for reversing the pressure between the dual lines. However, it has been observed that the reversing of pressure between the dual lines or the line changeover generally takes more time of, say, about 15 minutes, as the EOL pressure switch 6 is typically designed with one direction flow configuration. With such one direction configuration, the lubricant gets stuck in the EOL pressure switch 6 and gets 20 hardened over a period of time. Due to this hardened lubricant available in the EOL pressure switch 6, the lubricant pump 1 has to operate for about 15 minutes more than a regular time period to trigger the EOL pressure switch 6.
[0037] To this, the present disclosure proposes a system for automatic lubrication of components used on mechanical equipment, as shown in FIG. 2. The 25 system as per the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 has a EOL pressure switch 6’ located
11
in a supply line to maintain injection pressure in a feed line in normal operation of the system, wherein the EOL pressure switch 6’ is designed to allow a continuous flow of the lubricant through the EOL pressure switch 6’.
[0038] Such modified design of the EOL pressure switch 6’ totally eliminates the repetitive requirement of maintenance (cleaning) and hence will increase the 5 reliability of the automatic lubrication system.
[0039] Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the “invention” may in some cases refer to certain specific 10 embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.
[0040] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be 15 referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience d/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups 20 used in the appended claims.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0041] The present disclosure provides an improved automatic lubrication system with improved design of EOL pressure switch.
12
[0042] The present disclosure further provides an improved EOL pressure switch which ensures that no lubricant stuck within the EOL pressure switch.
[0043] The present disclosure further provides an improved EOL pressure switch which totally eliminates the repetitive requirement of maintenance (cleaning) and hence will increase the reliability of the automatic lubrication system 5
[0044] The above description does not provide specific details of manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and design details. 10
[0045] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, 15 modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0046] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and 20 substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[0047] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The 25
13
various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.