Diaphragm Pump Assemblies

Abstract

A diaphragm pump system that includes a pair of working fluid diaphragm pump assemblies that are each fluidly connected to working fluid flows. Each working fluid diaphragm pump assembly is operationally associated with a drive arrangement that is fluidly isolated from the working fluid flow that is moved during operation of the pump system. A manifold assembly connects the discrete drive arrangements and is constructed to control the cyclic operation of the pair of working fluid diaphragm pump assemblies to mitigate pulsatile effects in the combined working fluid flow when the discharges of the working fluid flows associated with operation of the pair of working fluid diaphragm pump assemblies is combined and independent of the contributions of the discrete diaphragm pumps to the resultant combined output fluid flow.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A diaphragm pump assembly comprising:
 a first working fluid diaphragm and a second working fluid diaphragm that are operationally connected to one another;   a gas manifold disposed between first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm and constructed to communicate a gas signal to each of a first gas chamber to effectuate a discharge stroke of the first working fluid diaphragm and a second gas chamber to effectuate a discharge stroke of the second working fluid diaphragm; and   a rocker switch supported by the gas manifold and configured to interrupt the gas signal communicated to each of the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber as a respective one of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm approaches an end of a respective discharge stroke during each discharge stroke.   
     
     
         2 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 1  further comprising another diaphragm pump assembly operationally connected to the diaphragm pump assembly such that an output of the diaphragm pump assembly and the another of the diaphragm pump assembly and communicated to a common fluid discharge manifold. 
     
     
         3 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 2  further comprising a gas regulator assembly connected to the gas manifold of the diaphragm pump assembly and another gas regulator assembly connected to the gas manifold of the another diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 3  further comprising a gas connection between the gas regulator assembly and another gas regulator assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 3  further comprising a first control arrangement connected to each of the gas regulator assembly and another gas regulator assembly when each control arrangement is constructed to electronically detect a position of a respective one of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm. 
     
     
         6 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 5  further comprising a linear transducer constructed to detect the position of the respective one of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm. 
     
     
         7 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 6  further comprising a linear transducer constructed to detect the position of each of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm. 
     
     
         8 . A diaphragm pump assembly comprising:
 a first diaphragm pump assembly and a second diaphragm pump assembly wherein each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly each include a first working fluid diaphragm and a second working fluid diaphragm that are each constructed to move a working fluid through the respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly the second diaphragm pump assembly;   a detection system constructed to detect a position of each of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm of each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly; and   an air regulator assembly connected to the first diaphragm pump assembly, the second diaphragm pump assembly and the detection system and constructed to adjust an air pressure communicated to a respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly based on the position of a respective one of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm of a respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly.   
     
     
         9 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 8  wherein the air regulator assembly is further defined as four-way valve assembly associated with the first diaphragm pump assembly and another four-way valve assembly associated with the second diaphragm pump assembly and connected to the four-way valve assembly associated with the first diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 9  further comprising an intake manifold connected to each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         11 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 10  further comprising a discharge manifold connected to each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 8  wherein the detection system is further defined as a linear transducer associated with at least one of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm of each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 12  wherein the linear transducer associated with at least one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly is disposed between the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm of the respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The diaphragm pump assembly of  claim 13  wherein the linear transducer is configured to detect a relative position of each of the first working fluid diaphragm and the second working fluid diaphragm relative to a respective pump chamber of the respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a diaphragm pump assembly, the method comprising:
 connecting a first diaphragm pump assembly to a second diaphragm pump assembly wherein each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly have a respective first working fluid pumping diaphragm and a second working fluid pumping diaphragm that are configured to move fluid through the respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly;   determining a position of the respective one of the first working fluid pumping diaphragm and the second working fluid pumping diaphragm of each of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly; and   manipulating operation of a gas valve assembly configured to effectuate an intake stroke and a discharge stroke of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly in response to the determined position of the respective one of the first working fluid pumping diaphragm and the second working fluid pumping diaphragm.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein manipulating operation of the gas valve assembly is further defined as manipulating a position of a rocker arm that effectuates a switch of a gas flow communication to a respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising providing a plurality of rocker arms that interchangeably cooperate with the gas valve assembly and wherein the discrete rocker arms manipulate a ratio of fluid pumped by a respective one of the first diaphragm pump assembly and second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         18 . The method  claim 15  wherein the gas valve assembly is further defined as a four-way gas valve assembly that is associated with the first diaphragm pump assembly and another four-way gas valve assembly that is associated with the second diaphragm pump assembly. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising fluidly connecting the four-way gas valve assembly associated with the first diaphragm assembly to the another four-way gas valve assembly associated with the second diaphragm assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The method  claim 15  further comprising manipulating operation of the first diaphragm pump assembly in response to a relative position of one of the first working fluid diaphragm pump and the second working fluid diaphragm of the second diaphragm pump assembly.