Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
AIR COMPRESSOR
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of and claims
priority to U.S. Patent
Application No. 15/584,854, filed May 2, 2017, the entire contents of which
are hereby
incorporated by reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to air compressor systems and, more
particularly, to the
spatial arrangement of components for air compressor systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Air compressors include compressor units for compressing air and
storage tanks for
storing the compressed air for later use. Air compressors are often used at
work sites, for
example, to power pneumatically-operated tools. Existing air compressors are
often large,
heavy, bulky, and difficult to transport by hand.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one independent aspect, an air compressor system may generally
include a frame
configured to be supported on a support surface, the support surface defining
a plane; an air
storage tank supported by the frame, the tank having a center of gravity at a
first height measured
along a direction perpendicular to the plane; a power supply coupled to the
frame, the power
supply having a center of gravity at a second height measured along the
direction perpendicular
to the plane; a motor driven by the power supply, the motor having a center of
gravity at a third
height measured along the direction perpendicular to the plane; and an air
pump driven by the
motor and fluidly coupled to the air storage tank, the pump having a center of
gravity at a fourth
height measured along the direction perpendicular to the plane. The first
height and the second
height may be less than the third height and the fourth height.
[0005] In another independent aspect, an air compressor system, having a
center of gravity,
may generally include a frame configured to be supported on a support surface,
the support
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surface defining a plane; an air storage tank supported by the frame; an air
pump fluidly coupled
to the tank; a power supply coupled to the frame, the power supply being
disposed directly below
the pump along a direction perpendicular to the plane; a motor driven by the
power supply to
operate the pump; and a handle coupled to the frame and including a grip
portion, the grip
portion being disposed directly above the center of gravity of the air
compressor system along
the direction perpendicular to the plane.
[0006] In yet another independent aspect, an air compressor system, having
a center of
gravity, may generally include a frame configured to be supported on a support
surface defining
a plane; a power supply removably coupled to the frame and movable between an
engaged
position, in which the power supply is coupled to the frame, and a disengaged
position, in which
the power supply is removed from the frame; an air storage tank supported by
the frame; an air
pump fluidly coupled to the tank; a motor driven by the power supply to
operate the pump; and a
handle coupled to the frame and including a grip portion, the grip portion
being disposed directly
above the center of gravity of the system along a direction perpendicular to
the plane when the
power supply is in the engaged position, the center of gravity being moved
along a direction
parallel to the plane when the power supply is in the disengaged position.
[0007] In a further independent embodiment, an air compressor system having
a center of
gravity, may generally include a frame configured to be supported on a support
surface defining
a plane; a power supply removably coupled to the frame and movable between an
engaged
position, in which the power supply is coupled to the frame, and a disengaged
position, in which
the power supply is removed from the frame; an air storage tank supported by
the frame; an air
pump fluidly coupled to the tank; a motor driven by the power supply to
operate the pump; and a
handle coupled to the frame and including a grip portion, an axis being
defined between the grip
portion and the center of gravity of the system, the axis having a first
orientation relative to the
plane when the power supply is in the engaged position, the axis having a
second orientation
relative to the plane when the power supply is in the disengaged position, the
grip portion being
disposed directly above the center of gravity of the system along a direction
perpendicular to the
plane one of in the first orientation, in the second orientation and in
between the first orientation
and the second orientation.
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[0008] Other independent aspects of the invention will become apparent by
consideration of
the detailed description, claims and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an air compressor system
according to one
embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the air compressor system of
FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is another rear perspective view of the air compressor system
of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the air compressor of FIG. 1,
illustrating a pair of
batteries coupled to the air compressor.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the air compressor of FIG. 1,
illustrating the pair of
batteries removed from the air compressor.
[0014] Before any independent embodiments of the invention are explained in
detail, it is to
be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the
details of construction and
the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the
following drawings. The invention is capable of other independent embodiments
and of being
practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be
understood that the
phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
should not be
regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an air compressor system 10 including a
motor 14, an air
pump 18, and an air storage tank 22 fixedly coupled together by a frame 24.
The system 10 is
supported on a support surface or ground surface 28 generally defining a
plane. The motor 14 is
powered by a DC power supply (e.g., one or more batteries 26 (two shown)),
which are
removably coupled to the frame 24. In other embodiments (not shown), the motor
14 may
alternatively include an electrical cord that is selectively coupled to a
power supply, e.g., an AC
power supply (120 volts, 230 volts, etc.).
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[0016] The motor 14 is driveably coupled to the pump 18 via a crank shaft
30 to pump
ambient air into the tank 22. Air gauges 32 and a regulator knob 34 are
fluidly coupled to the
tank 22 to monitor and control air entering and exiting the tank 22. An outlet
or fitting 35
provides fluid communication between at least one pneumatic tool (e.g.,
nailer, drill, etc.) and the
tank 22 to operate the pneumatic tool.
[0017] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the illustrated pump 18 includes a
piston head (not
shown) located within a cylinder 36 with the piston head being coupled to the
crank shaft 30 by a
piston rod 37. An air intake manifold 38 is coupled to a top portion of the
cylinder 36 and
includes an inlet 42 and an outlet 46. The inlet 42 is located fluidly between
the ambient air and
a compression chamber, which is defined by the cylinder 36, the piston head,
and the manifold
38. The outlet 46 is located fluidly between the compression chamber and the
tank 22. A check
valve (not shown) is associated with the inlet 42 and the outlet 46 allowing
air to flow in only
one direction (e.g., into the tank 22).
[0018] With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a filter cap 58 and an
air inlet control
valve (not shown) are coupled to the air intake manifold 38 and is configured
to regulate the
ambient air entering the inlet 42. An inlet conduit 62 is attached to a filter
housing 66, which
includes an air filter (not shown), by threadably engaging a portion of the
filter housing 66 to the
inlet conduit 62. The inlet conduit 62 is directly attached to the air intake
manifold 38.
[0019] With reference to FIG. 4, the frame 24 of the system 10 includes a
handle 70.
Generally, the handle 70 is disposed directly above a center of gravity 74 of
the system 10 to
ensure there is no inadvertent swaying or tilting of the system 10 when the
system 10 is lifted
from the ground surface 28.
[0020] The handle 70 includes a grip portion 78 that an operator grasps for
maneuvering the
system 10. An axis 82, defined between the handle 70 and the center of gravity
74, is
substantially perpendicular to the ground surface 28. The frame 24 further
includes a base 86
adjacent the ground surface 28 and a pair of uprights 90 extending upward from
the base 86
which, in turn, converge to define the handle 70 of the frame 24. In the
illustrated construction,
all of the components of the system 10 are substantially confined within the
boundary defined by
the base 86, the uprights 90, and the handle 70.
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[0021] With respect to the system 10, the center of gravity 74 is found
where the weighted
relative positions of the various components (i.e., the motor 14, the pump 18,
the tank 22, the
batteries 26, etc.) sums to zero. The location of the center of gravity 74 is
at least below the
fitting 35 to ensure that the system 10 remains upright in case an operator
applies a force on the
fitting 35 during use.
[0022] The tank 22 has a center of gravity 94 at a first height 98 measured
along a direction
102 that is perpendicular to the ground surface 28. In the illustrated
embodiment, the first height
98 is approximately 102 millimeters to 108 millimeters above the ground
surface 28. More
specifically, the first height 98 is substantially 105 millimeters above the
ground surface 28.
[0023] Also, the power source (and each battery 26) has a center of gravity
106 at a second
height 110 relative to the ground surface 28 measured along the direction 102.
In the illustrated
embodiment, the second height 110 is approximately 90 millimeters to 98
millimeters above the
ground surface 28. More specifically, the second height 110 is substantially
94 millimeters
above the ground surface 28.
[0024] The motor 14 has a center of gravity 114 at a third height 118
relative to the ground
surface 28 measured along the direction 102. In the illustrated embodiment,
the third height 118
is approximately 210 millimeters to 220 millimeters above the ground surface
28. More
specifically, the third height 118 is substantially 215 millimeters above the
ground surface 28.
[0025] As for the pump 18, the pump 18 has center of gravity 122 at a
fourth height 126
relative to the ground surface 28 measured along the direction 102. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the fourth height 126 is approximately the center of gravity of a
motor bracket 127
because the motor bracket 127 weighs approximately six times more than the
piston rod 37. The
center of gravity of the motor bracket 127 is coincident with the axis of
rotation of the motor 14.
More specifically, a majority of the weight contributing to the center of
gravity 122 of the pump
18 is from the motor bracket 127, a large pulley 129, and the air intake
manifold 38. As such,
the fourth height 126 is the sum of the center of gravity of the motor bracket
127, the large pulley
129, and the air intake manifold 38. As a result, the center of gravity 122 of
the pump 18 is
slightly below (relative to the ground surface 28) the axis of rotation of the
motor 14. More
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specifically, the fourth height 126 is approximately 105 millimeters to 215
millimeters above the
ground surface 28.
[0026] By summing the centers of gravity 94, 106, 114, 122 of the
components 22, 26, 14,
18, the overall center of gravity 74 of the system 10 is substantially
located. Although each
component of the air compressor 10 has its own center of gravity that
contributes to the overall
center of gravity 74 of the system 10, only some of the component centers of
gravity are
described in further detail as these components (i.e., the motor 14, the pump
18, the tank 22, the
batteries 26) have the greatest impact on the center of gravity 74.
[0027] With continued reference to FIG. 4, the first height 98 of the tank
center of gravity 94
is substantially the same as the second height 110 of the power source center
of gravity 106, such
that the tank 22 and the batteries 26 are disposed at a similar height
relative to the ground surface
28. Specifically, the center of gravity 94 of the storage tank 22 is disposed
approximately 11
millimeters above the center of gravity 110 of the batteries 26. Accordingly,
the first height 98
and the second height 114 are positioned closer to the ground surface 28 than
the third height
118 and the fourth height 126.
[0028] As shown, the batteries 26 are disposed directly below the motor 14
and the pump 18
along the direction 102 that is perpendicular to the ground surface 28. Also,
the tank 22 is
spaced apart from the motor 14, the pump 18, and the batteries 26 along a
direction 130 that is
parallel to the ground surface 28. In other words, the motor 14, the pump 18,
and the batteries 26
are located towards a rear of the system 10, whereas the tank 22 is located
toward a front of the
system 10.
[0029] With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the batteries 26 are selectively
coupled to the frame
24 between an engaged position (FIG. 4), in which the batteries 26 are coupled
to the frame 24
and operable to selectively supply power to the motor 14 via a power switch
134, and a
disengaged position (FIG. 5), in which the batteries 26 are removed from the
frame 26 (e.g., for
charging and/or use to power another device). As shown in FIG. 5, the center
of gravity 74 of
the system 10 is moved along the direction 130 (e.g., forward of the axis 82
toward the front of
the system 10) when the batteries 26 are in the disengaged position. As a
result, the center of
gravity 74 is no longer below the grip portion 78 of the handle 70.
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[0030] The effect of engagement/disengagement of the batteries 26 on the
orientation of the
grip portion 78 and the center of gravity 74 relative to the ground surface 28
depends on the size
of the batteries 26. For lighter batteries 26 (i.e., with relatively fewer
and/or smaller cells (e.g.,
an 18 volt battery 26 with a single set of cells (5 cells)), the effect is
small and may not be
perceptible to a user. For heavier batteries 26 (i.e., with relatively more
and/or larger cells (e.g.,
an 18 volt battery 26 with three parallel-connected sets of cells (15 total
cells)), the effect is
greater.
[0031] The location of the handle 70 relative to the center of gravity 74
has a greater effect
for a heavier system 10 compared to a lighter one. For a lighter system 10,
the distance between
the location of the handle 70 and a position directly above the center of
gravity 74 may be greater
before the effect is noticeable.
[0032] The location of the handle 70 relative to the center of gravity 74
also has a greater
effect the greater the vertical distance between the handle 70 and the center
of gravity 74. If the
vertical distance is small, the distance between the location of the handle 70
and a position
directly above the center of gravity 74 may be greater before the effect is
noticeable.
[0033] Although the invention has been described in detail with reference
to certain
embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of
one or more
independent aspects of the invention as described.
[0034] One or more independent advantages and/or independent features may
be set forth in
the claims.
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