Rodder pump
A closed loop rodder pump is disclosed which can include a tube assembly and a reciprocating cylinder assembly disposed therein. The cylinder assembly can include a piston portion and a plunger. The piston portion can sealingly engage the tube assembly. In some embodiments, the cylinder assembly can include a second plunger to provide the pump with a dual-acting feature. The rodder pump can be used in a water jetter cleaning system of a vehicle for cleaning catch basins and/or sewers.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/525,349, filed Nov. 26, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates in general to a reciprocating pump driven by pressurized fluid from a hydraulic pump and more particularly to a closed-loop, hydraulically-driven rodder pump.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHeretofore vacuum cleaning of catch basins and flushing of sewer pipes has required the use of at least two separate vehicles. A first vehicle with a hose reel mounted on the rear end thereof was positioned at the manhole and a high pressure hose fitted with a jet nozzle was introduced into the sewer. Water from a tank on the vehicle was pumped through the hose at pressures at about 1,000 pounds per square inch to drive the hose through the pipe against the water flow. Pressure drops along the hose length were considerable and at 400 feet, available pressures were only about 600 to 800 pounds per square inch. Debris flushed from the sewer pipe was then sucked out of the catch basin by a second follow-up vehicle. This multiple vehicle system duplicated personnel and the rear mounted hose reel exposed the personnel to traffic hazards.
A single vehicle for vacuum cleaning of catch basins and flushing of sewer pipes with water surged through a hose and nozzle at pressures of about 2,000-3,000 pounds per square inch is known, an example being disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,589, entitled, “Catch Basin And Sewer Pipe Cleaner.” Such a vehicle is typically provided with a pump to deliver water at operating pressure for cleaning the catch basins and sewer pipes. An engine-driven oil pump, located either on the vehicle or remotely therefrom, can hydraulically drive the pump.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides a closed-loop, hydraulically-driven rodder pump. The pump of the present invention seeks to improve upon the piston pump shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,360, entitled, “Double-Acting Tandem Piston Pump,” which is incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety.
The present invention can be used in a vehicle for cleaning sewer pipes and catch basins by the use of water pressure and the carrying power of moving air. In one embodiment, a combined catch basin and sewer pipe cleaning vehicle includes a large debris collecting dump body from which air is continuously pulled by an engine driven fan on the vehicle and easily opened for dumping. The vehicle also has a separate water tank, a reciprocating water pump driven by pressurized oil from a vehicle engine-driven hydraulic pump, and a reeled high pressure hose with a self-propelling jet nozzle receiving surges of high pressure water from the water pump, which can be in the form of a closed-loop, hydraulically-driven rodder pump. In other embodiments, the rodder pump of the present invention can be used in other vehicles, such as, hydroexcavaters, for example.
In one aspect of the invention, a pair of single cylinder reciprocating rodder pumps can be provided in a closed loop system. In yet another embodiment, a single rodder pump having a dual-acting cylinder assembly can be provided in a closed loop system.
These and other features of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The first tube assembly 54 can include a second hydraulic port 78 disposed adjacent the second end 61 thereof and a pair of sensor ports 82, 83 disposed respectively adjacent the first and second ends 59, 61 of the first tube assembly 54. The sensor ports 82, 83 can each be sized to respectively accommodate a sensor configured to detect the presence of the cylinder when it is in proximity thereto. The first hydraulic port 60 can be configured as a No. 16 SAE port, for example, and the second hydraulic port 78 can be configured as a No. 8 SAE port, for example. The second tube assembly 56 can include a fluid port 86 in the second flange 65 disposed in axial alignment with the tube portion thereof.
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Any suitable valving can be used to allow fluid, such as water, for example, to selectively enter the second tube assembly 56 via the fluid port 86 where the plunger can act upon the fluid during the pressure stroke so that pressurized fluid can exit the fluid port 86. In some embodiments, the second tube assembly can include a pair of fluid ports, with one port for receiving fluid therethrough for delivering fluid to the pump to be acted upon by the cylinder assembly, and the other port for discharging pressurized fluid from the pump. The fluid entering the second tube assembly can be pressurized to an initial level by any suitable pump before the cylinder assembly acts upon it.
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The valve package 180 can be connected to the second hydraulic ports 78 of the pumps 50, 51 by first and second drive lines A, B, respectively. The valve package 180 can be operated to selectively deliver hydraulic fluid to the pumps 50, 51 based upon the valve condition of the valve package. The valve package 180 and the sensors disposed in the first and second pumps 50, 51 can be electrically connected to a controller to allow the valve package to change its valve condition in response to the position of the cylinders 52 within the pumps 50, 51, which positions can be communicated to the controller by the sensors. The valve package 180 can be operated to selectively drive the pumps 50, 51 such that the pumps operate in tandem with the cylinder assemblies 52 operating in alternating sequence. The first pump 50 can be moving through a pressure stroke while the second pump is undergoing a suction stroke and vice versa. The sensors can communicate with the valve package 180 via the controller to yield the desired operation.
The valve package 180 can include a directional valve 184 to direct the hydraulic fluid through one of the drive lines A, B, a pilot valve 186 connected to the directional valve 184 and to the controller, a relief valve 188, and first and second control valves 190, 191 and check valves 192, 193 interposed between the pilot valve 186 and the directional valve 184. The pilot valve 186 is provided to operate the directional valve 184 based upon the signals the pilot valve 186 receives from the controller. The pilot valve 186 can operate to selectively change the condition of the directional valve 184 to produce the desired operation of the pumps 50, 51.
The pump and tank assembly 182 can include a pump 196 and a tank 198 and can include a plurality of filters.
In operation, hydraulic fluid can be delivered through the second drive line B to the second hydraulic port 78 of the second pump 51 whose cylinder assembly 52 moves in response thereto in the charge direction 89. The cylinder forces hydraulic fluid in the second pump 51 out of the first port 60 thereof through the line 172 and into the first port 60 of the first pump 50. The hydraulic fluid entering the first pump 50 acts upon the cylinder assembly 52 therein, moving the cylinder 52 in the discharge direction 88. The cylinder assembly 52 of the first pump 50 can act upon fluid disposed in the second tube assembly thereof to drive the fluid out of the first pump 50 in a pressurized condition. When the cylinder assembly 52 of the first pump 50 reaches the end of the pressure stroke, the second sensor can sense that the piston is proximal thereto and send a signal to the controller to that effect. The controller can communicate with the pilot valve 186 to redirect the drive flow through the directional valve 184 so that hydraulic fluid runs through the first drive line A into the second port 78 of the first pump to reverse the sequence described above.
In another embodiment, the closed loop circuit can be arranged to be an intensifier circuit by running a connecting line 173 between the second hydraulic ports 78 of the pumps 50, 51 and running first and second drive lines A′, B′ to the first hydraulic ports 60 of the pumps 50, 51. The intensifier ratio can be based upon the surface area of the end of the plunger in relation to the surface area of the annulus defined by the part of the piston portion of the cylinder assembly which extends radially beyond the plunger. In one embodiment, the ratio of the area of the end of the plunger to the area of the annulus of the piston is about 2:1. In yet other embodiments the intensifier ratio can be varied by changing the diameters of the annulus and/or the end surface of the plunger.
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In yet other embodiments of a closed loop circuit, the rodder pump 250 can be used in a de-intensifier circuit wherein the pressure of the hydraulic fluid used to reciprocate the pump 250 is higher than the pressure of the fluid alternately discharged from the first and second pressure chambers. For example, the hydraulic fluid can be at a pressure of about 5 kpsi and the water discharged from the first and second pressure chambers can be at a pressure of about 3 kpsi. In such a situation, a relatively smaller amount of hydraulic fluid can be used than the amount of water that can be discharged from the pump.
In some embodiments of the dual-acting pump, four sensor ports and four corresponding sensors can be provided. Two of the four sensors can be disposed in sensor ports disposed as shown in
In yet other embodiments of the pump, the external sensors can be replaced by an inductive sensor system, such as a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) system or a linear velocity transducer (LVT) system, for example, with the inductive sensor comprising a plurality of coils and a core, one of which being mounted to or comprising the plunger of the cylinder of the pump and the other of which mounted to or comprising a portion of the tube assembly within which the plunger is disposed. The inductive sensor system can include an extension rod made of a non-ferrous material, such as non-magnetic stainless steel, for example. For embodiments having a rodder pump with the dual-acting cylinder, a pair of inductive sensor systems can be provided for each plunger and tube combination.
The inductive sensor can detect the location of the plunger or plungers over the entire stroke of the cylinder and transmit that information to a controller via an electrical connection therewith. The inductive sensor can provide data to the controller relating to the instant position of the cylinder within the tube assembly such that the controller can provide an output of the instantaneous flow rate developed by the pump.
The inductive sensor system can be electrically connected to a controller that is configured to provide a buffered transition when the cylinder changes direction. The controller can be configured to change the flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic ports over a time gradient based on the location of the cylinder as detected by the inductive sensor system such that the velocity of the cylinder gradually decreases until the cylinder changes direction, which also can be detected by the inductive sensor system. Any suitable LVDT system or LVT system can be used as the inductive sensor system with the rodder pump of the present invention.
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The vehicle 400 can also include a cleaning system 420 that comprises a front-mounted hose reel 422 that includes a predetermined length of water hose wound thereon, a control panel 424 disposed adjacent the reel 422 for use by an operator to operate the cleaning system 420, a pair of water tanks 424, respectively disposed on either side of the vehicle 400, a hydraulically driven water pump 426 in fluid communication with the water. tanks 424, and a rodder pump 250, as shown in
The water hose can be unwound from the reel 422 and fed into a sewer, for example. The operator can use the control panel 424 to control the unwinding of the water hose from the reel 422. The operator can activate the water pump and the hydraulic supply such that the water pump operates to pump water to the rodder pump 250 and the hydraulic supply selectively feeds hydraulic fluid to the first and second hydraulic ports of the rodder pump 250 to reciprocally move the dual-acting cylinder to generate pressurized water which, in turn, can be dispensed from the water hose to clean the sewer.
The vehicle 400 can be any suitable vehicle, such as the Vactor® 2100 Series positive displacement sewer cleaner sold by Vactor Manufacturing, Inc. of Streator, Ill. In yet other embodiments, the pump according to the present invention can be used as part of a water excavator. Other suitable vehicles, and components thereof, are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,658,589; RE34,585; and 6,792,646, the entire disclosures thereof being incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference.
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Each block 572, 573 includes appropriate valving to allow fluid to alternatingly enter the first and second pressure chambers, respectively, via an inlet port 574. Water can be drawn into a particular pressure chamber when the plunger of the cylinder 552 that is disposed in the particular pressure chamber is undergoing a suction stroke. The inlet ports 574 can be fluidly connected to a vehicle-mounted water pump that is operable to pump water stored in tanks of the vehicle to the rodder pump 550 to provide the supply of fluid to the rodder pump 550.
Each block 572, 573 includes appropriate valving to allow fluid to alternatingly discharge from the first and second pressure chambers, respectively, via an outlet port 575. Water can be discharged from a particular pressure chamber when the plunger of the cylinder 552 that is disposed in the particular pressure chamber is undergoing a discharge stroke. The outlet ports 575 can be fluidly connected to a common feed 576 that is operably connected to a vehicle-mounted water hose line to deliver pressurized water for sewer cleaning applications, for example.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Claims
1. A rodder pump comprising:
- a first tube defining a first pressure chamber;
- a second tube defining a hydraulic chamber, the second tube connected to the first tube;
- a gland interposed between the first pressure chamber and the hydraulic chamber; and
- a cylinder assembly including a piston part and a first plunger, the cylinder assembly reciprocally movable within the first and second tubes;
- wherein the piston portion is in sealing contact with the hydraulic chamber and the first plunger is in sealing contact with the gland, the first plunger movable such that the first plunger can extend into the first pressure chamber.
2. The rodder pump according to claim 1, wherein the second tube includes a first hydraulic port and a second hydraulic port, the first and second hydraulic ports being in fluid communication with the hydraulic chamber, the piston portion being reciprocally movable within the hydraulic chamber, the cylinder assembly being movable in response to a flow of hydraulic fluid through at least one of the first and second hydraulic ports.
3. The rodder pump according to claim 2, further comprising:
- first and second sensors disposed adjacent first and second ends of the hydraulic chamber, the sensors configured to detect when the piston portion is proximal thereto.
4. The rodder pump according to claim 3, wherein the second tube includes a first and a second sensor port, the sensors respectively disposed in the first and second sensor ports.
5. The rodder pump according to claim 3, further comprising:
- a butt fitting disposed at a distal end of the first tube, the butt fitting having a fluid port in fluid communication with the first pressure chamber.
6. The rodder pump according to claim 5, wherein the fluid port of the butt fitting has a valve disposed therein, the valve being configured to selectively control the flow of fluid through the fluid port in at least one direction.
7. The rodder pump according to claim 6, wherein the valve comprises an integrated dual check valve.
8. The rodder pump according to claim 2, wherein a first fluid port and a second fluid port are in fluid communication with the pressure chamber.
9. The rodder pump according to claim 2, further comprising:
- a third tube defining a second pressure chamber, the third tube connected to the second tube, the second tube disposed between the first and second tubes;
- a second gland disposed between the hydraulic chamber and the second pressure chamber;
- wherein the cylinder assembly includes a second plunger, the second plunger being in opposing relationship to the first plunger such that the piston part is disposed between the first and second plungers, the cylinder assembly reciprocally movable within the first, second, and third tubes, the second plunger being in sealing contact with the second gland, the second plunger movable such that the second plunger can extend into the second pressure chamber.
10. The rodder pump according to claim 9, further comprising:
- first and second sensors disposed adjacent first and second ends of the hydraulic chamber, the sensors configured to detect when the piston portion is proximal thereto.
11. The rodder pump according to claim 10, further comprising:
- a first butt fitting disposed at a distal end of the first tube, the first butt fitting having a fluid port in fluid communication with the first pressure chamber;
- a second butt fitting disposed at a distal end of the third tube, the second butt fitting having a fluid port in fluid communication with the second pressure chamber.
12. The rodder pump according to claim 11, wherein the fluid port of the first butt fitting has a first valve disposed therein, the first valve being configured to selectively control the flow of fluid through the fluid port in at least one direction.
13. The rodder pump according to claim 12, wherein the first valve comprises an integrated dual check valve.
14. The rodder pump according to claim 11, wherein a common feed line connects the fluid port of the first butt fitting and the fluid port of the second butt fitting.
15. A rodder pump comprising:
- a first tube defining a first pressure chamber;
- a second tube defining a hydraulic chamber, the second tube sealingly connected to the first tube, the second tube having first and second hydraulic port respectively disposed adjacent first and second ends thereof, the first and second hydraulic ports being in fluid communication with the hydraulic chamber;
- a third tube defining a second pressure chamber, the third tube sealingly connected to the second tube, the second tube disposed between the first and second tubes;
- a cylinder assembly including a piston part, a first plunger, and a second plunger, the cylinder assembly reciprocally movable within the first, second and third tubes such that the first plunger is reciprocally movable within the first pressure chamber, the piston part is reciprocally movable within the hydraulic chamber, and the second plunger is reciprocally movable within the second pressure chamber;
- wherein the cylinder assembly is selectively movable in response to a flow of hydraulic fluid through the first hydraulic port to move the cylinder in a first direction wherein the first plunger moves in a direction from the first pressure chamber toward the hydraulic chamber and through the second hydraulic port to move the cylinder in a second direction wherein the second plunger moves in a direction from the second pressure chamber toward the hydraulic chamber, the second direction opposing the first direction.
16. A vehicle for cleaning a pipe comprising:
- a reel;
- a length of hose that is woundable upon the reel;
- a water tank for storing a supply of water;
- a water pump in fluid communication with the water tank;
- a rodder pump, the rodder pump being in fluid communication with the water pump to receive water from the water tank, the rodder pump being in fluid communication with the hose to deliver supply of pressurized water thereto;
- a hydraulic supply in hydraulic communication with the rodder pump to selectively operate the rodder pump;
- wherein the rodder pump comprises: a first tube defining a first pressure chamber, the first pressure chamber being in fluid communication with the hose and with the water tank; a second tube defining a hydraulic chamber, the second tube sealingly connected to the first tube, the hydraulic chamber being in hydraulic communication with the hydraulic supply; a cylinder assembly including a piston part and a first plunger, the cylinder assembly reciprocally movable within the first and second tubes in response to the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic chamber such that the first plunger is reciprocally movable over a suction stroke and a discharge stroke; wherein water can flow into the first pressure chamber from the water tank during the suction stroke and water can be discharged from the first pressure chamber to the length of hose during the discharge stroke.
17. The vehicle according to claim 16, further comprising:
- a collection body;
- a vacuum hose connected to the collection body; and
- a vacuum source operably connected to the vacuum hose line such that a vacuum is selectively generated in the vacuum hose to suck debris through the vacuum hose and store in the collection body.
18. The vehicle according to claim 17, further comprising:
- a multi-stage blower filtration system disposed between the vacuum source and the vacuum hose.
19. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the multi-stage blower filtration system includes a centrifugal cyclone and a stainless steel screen strainer for filtering debris from the vacuum source.
20. The vehicle according to claim 17, further comprising:
- a boom mounted on the vehicle, the vacuum hose being supported by the boom.
21. The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the boom is extendable over a predetermined range.
22. The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the second tube of the rodder pump includes a first hydraulic port and a second hydraulic port, the first and second hydraulic ports being in fluid communication with the hydraulic chamber and with the hydraulic supply, the piston portion being reciprocally movable within the hydraulic chamber, the cylinder assembly being selectively movable in response to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the first hydraulic port to move the cylinder in a first direction and through the second hydraulic port to move the cylinder in a second direction, the second direction opposing the first direction.
23. The vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the rodder pump further comprises a third tube defining a second pressure chamber, the third tube sealingly connected to the second tube, and the cylinder assembly includes a second plunger, the second plunger movable such that the second plunger can extend into the second pressure chamber, the second pressure chamber being in fluid communication with the water tank and the length of hose, the second plunger being reciprocally movable over a suction stroke and a discharge stroke, the second plunger arranged with the second pressure chamber such that water can flow into the second pressure chamber from the water tank during the suction stroke of the second plunger and water can be discharged from the second pressure chamber to the length of hose during the discharge stroke of the second plunger.
24. The vehicle according to claim 23, wherein the suction stroke and the discharge stroke of the first plunger are in alternating relationship to the suction stroke and the discharge stroke of the second plunger such that when the first plunger is undergoing the suction stroke, the second plunger is undergoing the discharge stroke.
25. The vehicle according to claim 24, wherein the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber are in fluid communication with each other via a common feed line such that water is alternatingly discharged from the first and second pressure chambers into the common feed line during the respective discharge strokes of the first and second plungers, the common feed line being in fluid communication with the length of hose.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 24, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2005
Applicant: Elgin Sweeper (Elgin, IL)
Inventors: John Padgett (South Elgin, IL), Daniel Strauser (Elgin, IL)
Application Number: 10/997,667