Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DESCRIPTION
DIAGNOSTIC BREATHER DRYER
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates generally to breathers for liquid
reservoirs. More
particularly. the present invention relates to humidity controlling breathers
for liquid
reservoirs.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Breathers allow for expansion of liquids and gases (e.g., air) in
liquid (e.g., lubricant)
reservoirs while preventing contamination of the liquid. For liquid reservoirs
such as engine
crank cases and lubricant storage reservoirs, water vapor and dust particles
in the air can
be pulled into the liquid by the expansion and contraction action of the air
and liquid in
the reservoir with changes in temperature or barometric pressure of the
surrounding
environment and the contents of the reservoir (i.e., fluid level changes in
the reservoir).
Currently, breathers are replaced on a schedule, whether the breathers are at
the end of
their useful life or not because it is difficult to tell when a breather has
reached the end of
its useful life. Alternatively, breathers utilize color changing desiccants to
indicate when the
breather has reached the end of its useful life and needs replacement. The
color changing
desiccants require transparent breather housings which are generally weaker
than opaque
breather housings, present chemical incompatibility issues, and the chemicals
used to
change color may be considered toxic under some guidelines. Further, the color
change
may be faint, difficult to see depending on the location and environment of
the reservoir
and breather, and therefore difficult to interpret. For example, breather
dryers (e.g.,
desiccant breathers) are commonly mounted on lubricating fluid reservoirs in
large format
wind turbines. The nacelles in these turbines are typically cramped and
include many poorly
lit, hard to reach areas near lubrication reservoirs where breathers are
located. Visibility of
the breather and any color change is therefore difficult to see. Additionally,
the nacelle
may typically only be accessed when the wind turbine is shut down (i.eõ
stopped and not
generating power).
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Aspects of the present invention provide a breather apparatus with
desiccant
therein.
[0004] In one aspect a breather for a reservoir is provided, including a
housing including a
plurality of valves, the plurality of valves including (i) at least one valve
in a first configuration
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configured to permit fluid communication from an interior portion of the
housing with air
outside the reservoir, and (ii) at least one valve in a second configuration
configured to
permit air to selectively pass between outside the breather and an interior
portion of the
breather.
[0005] The breather further includes a plurality of first openings in the
housing configured to
be in fluid communication with air outside of the reservoir, a second opening
of the housing
configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir, and
desiccant
positioned within the housing.
[0006] In another aspect, a breather for a reservoir includes a housing
including a plurality
of first openings in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with
air outside of
the reservoir, and a plurality of vent plugs configured to be coupleable to at
least one of
the plurality of first openings. The breather may include a second opening of
the housing
configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir,
desiccant positioned
within the housing, and a cap including a valley therein configured to
correspond to a lip
at a top portion of the housing to form a seal when placed in contact, the cap
having a
domed exterior surface.
[0007] Numerous other objects. features, and advantages of the present
invention will be
readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following
disclosure when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Fig. 1 illustrates a side cutaway view of an exemplary embodiment of a
breather
having a humidity sensor according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0009] Fig. 2 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method of
determining an
end of life condition of a breather according to aspects of the present
disclosure.
[0010] Fig. 3 is a side cutaway view of an exemplary embodiment of a breather
having
dual humidity sensors according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0011] Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a partial view of a
breather
according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0012] Fig. 5 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a
breather
according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0013] Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a base
ring of the
breather housing according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0014] Fig. 7 illustrates a raised perspective view of a base ring of the
breather housing of
Fig. 6 according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0015] Fig. 8 illustrates a partial front view of an exemplary embodiment of a
breather
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according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0016] Fig. 9 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a cap
according to
aspects of the present disclosure.
[0017] Fig. 10 illustrates a lower right perspective view of a cap according
to aspects of
the present disclosure.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0018] While the making and using of various embodiments of the present
invention are
discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention
provides
many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of
specific
contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of
specific
ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the
invention.
[0019] To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a
number of
terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly
understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present
invention. Terms
such as "a," "an," and "the" are not intended to refer to only a singular
entity, but rather
include the general class of which a specific example may be used for
illustration. The
terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention,
but their
usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a breather 100 for a reservoir includes a housing
112, a first
opening in the housing 114, a second opening in the housing 116, a desiccant
118, a
humidity sensor 102, and a controller 104. The first opening in the housing
114 is configured
to be in fluid communication with air outside of the reservoir. The second
opening in the
housing is configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the
reservoir.
[0021] The desiccant 118 is positioned within the housing 112 such that air
passing through
the breather 100 from the outside to the inside of the reservoir must pass
through the
desiccant 118. Air passing from the outside to the inside of the reservoir may
bypass the
desiccant 118 or be routed through the desiccant 118.
[0022] The humidity sensor 102 is positioned within the housing 112. The
humidity sensor 102
is operable to provide a humidity signal indicative of the humidity level
adjacent the
humidity sensor 102. In one embodiment, the breather 100 further includes a
temperature
sensor 120 associated with (e.g., positioned in or near) the housing 112.
In one
embodiment the humidity sensor 102 is integral with the temperature sensor
120. The
temperature sensor 120 is also electrically connected to the controller 104,
and the
temperature sensor 120 is operable to provide a temperature signal indicative
of a
temperature adjacent the temperature sensor 120 to the controller 104. In one
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embodiment the housing 112 includes an adapter to locate the humidity sensor
102
pressure sensor 140, and/or temperature sensor 120 remote from a main portion
of the
housing 112.
[0023] The controller 104 is electrically connected to the humidity sensor
102. The controller
104 may be local to the housing 112 or remote from the housing 112. The
controller 104 may
be electrically connected to the humidity sensor 102 via a wired or wireless
communications
link. The communications link may be analog or digital. The controller 104 is
operable to
determine an end of life condition of the breather 100 as a function of the
humidity signal
received from the humidity sensor 102. In one embodiment, the controller 104
is operable
to determine the end of life condition as a function of the humidity signal
received from the
humidity sensor 102 and the temperature sensor received from the temperature
sensor 120.
The controller 104 uses the temperature signal and the humidity signal to
determine a
relative humidity associated with the desiccant 118. In actual usage, the
relative humidity
stabilizes after initial installation of the breather 100 on the reservoir,
and the breather 100
reaches the end of its useful life (i.e., end of life) when the relative
humidity reaches a
predetermined maximum relative humidity. In one embodiment, the relative
humidity may
stabilize at approximately 20 to 25% and increase generally linearly up to the
maximum
relative humidity (i.e., the relative humidity indicating end of life or end
of useful life of the
breather 100) of approximately 40%. In one embodiment, the controller 104 is
operable to
determine the end of life condition by determining an estimated time of life
remaining or
an estimated percentage of life remaining as a function of the determined
relative
humidity and a historical rate of change of the relative humidity calculated
by the
controller based on previous relative humidity calculations.
[0024] In one embodiment, the breather 100 further includes a display 130. The
display 130
is electrically connected to the controller 104. The display 130 may be local
to the controller
104 or remote from the controller 104. The electrical connection between the
display 130
and the controller 104 may be wired or wireless, and may communicate data in
an analog
or digital format. The controller 104 is operable to provide an end of life
signal indicative of
the end of life status (Le., end of life condition) determined by the
controller 104. The display
130 is operable to receive the end of life signal from the controller 104 and
display to an
observer an indication of the end of life status of the breather 100 as a
function of the
received end of life signal. The end of life signal is indicative of at least
one of a relative
humidity value, a percentage of life remaining, and an estimated remaining
time of life.
The end of life status displayed by the display 130 includes the at least one
relative humidity
value, percentage of life remaining, or estimated remaining time of life
indicated by the
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end of life signal provided by the controller 104.
[0025] In one embodiment, the breather 100 further includes a pressure sensor
140. The
pressure sensor 140 is positioned within the housing 112 such that air passing
through the
breather 100 from the inside of the reservoir to the desiccant 118 must pass
by the pressure
sensor 140. The pressure sensor 140 is operable to provide a pressure signal
indicative of an
air pressure adjacent the pressure sensor 140 to the controller 104. The
controller 104 is
further configured to determine a fall condition when the pressure signal
indicates that the
air pressure adjacent the pressure sensor 140 is above a predetermined
pressure limit. In
operation, when this pressure is above the predetermined limit, it can be
inferred that the
airflow requirements of the reservoir have not been properly matched to an
appropriately
sized breather (i.e., a larger capacity breather should be used with the given
reservoir), the
breather 100 is improperly installed, or has reached particulate or humidity
saturation (i.e.,
end of life or end of useful life) and is no longer effective. In one
embodiment, the pressure
sensor 140 is a differential pressure sensor comprising a first pressure
sensor in fluid
communication with the air inside the reservoir and a second pressure sensor
in fluid
communication with the air outside the reservoir. In this embodiment, when the
differential
pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 140 exceeds a predetermined limit, the
controller
104 is operable to determine the fault condition and communicate the fault
condition to
the display 130 for display to an observer.
[0026] In one embodiment, the housing 112 includes a rigid or semi-rigid body
142 and a
cap 146. The breather 100 has a foam bottom 160, a foam top 162, a particulate
filter
bottom 164, a particulate filter top 166, and a filter ring 190. A space
between the foam
top 162 and cap 146 defines a breather headspace 170. The foam top 162 is
between the
desiccant 118 and cap 146. The breather 100 includes a standpipe 110. The
standpipe 110
has a standpipe bottom end 106 and a stand standpipe top end 108. The
standpipe
bottom end 106 includes a threaded section 180 operable to engage
corresponding
threads of the reservoir. In one embodiment as shown in Fig. 1, the humidity
sensor 102 is
substantially surrounded by the desiccant 118. That is, the humidity sensor
102 is located
within the desiccant 118. In another embodiment, the humidity sensor 102 is
located within
the breather cap headspace 170 of the breather 100. In one embodiment, the
pressure
sensor 140 is also included located within the breather cap headspace 170. In
another
embodiment the humidity sensor 102 is located within the standpipe 110. It is
contemplated
that the humidity sensor 102 may be located within the desiccant 11a partially
within
desiccant 118 on the second opening 116 side of the desiccant 118 such that
air has to
flow past the humidity sensor 102 as it passes between the desiccant 118 and
the second
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opening 116, or outside of the desiccant 118 on the second opening 116 side of
the
desiccant 118 such that air has to flow past the humidity sensor 102 as it
passes between
the desiccant 118 and the second opening 116. It is contemplated within the
scope of the
claims that the breather 100 may include any number of first openings 114 and
any number
of second openings 116. In embodiment, the first opening(s) 114 includes a 2-
way, pressure
limited check valve. The check valve reduces exposure of the desiccant 118 to
the
atmosphere to prolong the useful life of the desiccant 118 and thus breather
100. The
pressure limit prevents small fluctuations in pressure in the reservoir from
drawing air through
the desiccant 118 while allowing larger, less transient pressure changes to
draw air through
the desiccant 118 and maintain the proper pressure in the reservoir (e.g.,
approximately
atmospheric or environmental pressure). In one embodiment, the check valve is
limited at
0.2 psi in either direction.
[0027] During out-breathing, as moisturized air from the reservoir headspace
enters the
standpipe bottom side 106 and flows upward into the breather headspace 170.
The air then
passes through the foam filter top 162 and particulate filter 166 to remove
the dust particles
over 3 microns out of the air. The air then passes through the desiccant 118
where moisture
gets absorbed or adsorbed from the air.
[0028] During in-breathing, breather 100 draws air from the surrounding space
in through
the first opening 114. This air first comes through the bottom foam filter
160, then the bottom
particulate filter 164 where particles over 3 microns are removed. The air
then passes
through the desiccant 118 where moisture is absorbed or adsorbed by the
desiccant 118,
and clean, dry air enters in to the top side of standpipe 108, where it can
flow into the
reservoir headspace.
[0029] In one embodiment, the initial installation of the breather 100 on the
reservoir
includes removing the breather 100 from packaging, attaching the breather 102
threads
of the reservoir corresponding to the threaded portion 180 of the standpipe
110, and
providing power to the controller 104. Following initial installation, as
desiccant 118 absorbs
or adsorbs moisture from the reservoir headspace and relative humidity in the
reservoir
headspace and breather 100 decrease. In one embodiment, the controller 104 is
configured to ignore the humidity signal from the humidity sensor 102 until
the humidity
signal indicates that the humidity level adjacent the humidity sensor 102 has
decreased
below a predetermined maximum humidity level. In one embodiment, the
predetermined
maximum humidity level is a relative humidity level, and the controller 104
determines that
the humidity level adjacent the humidity sensor 102 has decreased below the
predetermined maximum humidity level as a function of both the temperature
signal
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provided by the temperature sensor 120 and the humidity signal provided by the
humidity
sensor 102. In another embodiment, the controller 104 is configured to ignore
the humidity
signal for a predetermined period of time after initial installation of the
breather 100 on the
reservoir to allow the humidity adjacent the humidity sensor 102 to drop below
the
predetermined maximum humidity level. As continuous in-breathing and out-
breathing of
the air continues, desiccant 118 gradually reaches its full saturation
capacity and WM no
longer absorb or adsorb the moisture out of the air passing therethrough. This
allows
moisturized air pass through and flow in and out of the tank headspace if the
breather 100
is not replaced.
[0030] Referring to Fig. 2, a method 200 of determining an end of life
condition of the
breather 100 begins at 202 when the controller 104 receives power. At 204. the
control
delays program as a function of time or a calculator relative humidity as
described above
to allow the humidity inside the breather 100 to stabilize. In one embodiment.
the controller
104 delays the start of the humidity sensor monitoring cycle for a
predetermined period of
time to allow the humidity in the reservoir and desiccant 118 to stabilize
following installation
of the breather 100 on the reservoir. It is contemplated within the scope of
the claims that
the delay may be more or less than 24 hours depending on the intended
environment of
the breather 100 including the system properties (e.g., volume of reservoir.
headspace of
reservoir, number of breathers, etc.). At 206, the controller 104 reads the
temperature sensor
120 and the humidity sensor 102. At 208, the controller 104 calculates the
actual relative
humidity in the breather 100 based on the data read from the temperature
sensor 120 and
the humidity sensor 102. At 210, the controller 104 determines whether the
relative humidity
is greater than 40%. If the controller determines that the relative humidity
is not greater than
40%, then the controller 104 provides the relative humidity to the display 130
(e.g., an LCD
display) for display to an observer and again samples the temperature sensor
120 and the
humidity sensor 102 at 206. If the controller 104 determines that the relative
humidity is
greater than 40% at 210, then the controller 104 senses the relative humidity
to the display
134 display to an observer at 214. At 214, the controller 104 may also set an
alarm or provide
additional input to the display 130 indicating that the breather 100 has
reached the end of
its useful life. The method ends at 216 when the controller 104 ceases to
receive power.
[0031] It is contemplated that the breather 100 disclosed herein may be used
with reservoirs
containing lubricating oils. hydraulic fluids. and special chemicals to
protect those contents
from moisture and particulate ingestion under virtually any condition in any
application. It
is also contemplated that the desiccant 118 may include Silica Gel (All
Varieties); Activated
Alumina; Molecular Sieve (All Varieties); Activated Carbon/Charcoal (All
Varieties);
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Alumino Si!cote gels: KC- Trockenperlen0 N, KC-Trockenperlen0 WS; Calcium
Sulfate; ZR
gel Grain (ZR,TI); Sodium Polyacrylate; Hygroscopic salts/deliquescent salts;
and Glycols, or
any combination thereof. In one embodiment electronic components (e.g., the
controller
104 and display 130) are encapsulated in moisture impermeable material (e.g.,
epoxy resin)
to avoid particle contamination and premature failure.
[0032] Referring to Fig. 3, in one embodiment, the breather 100 includes dual
humidity
sensors. The humidity sensor 102 is a first humidity sensor 102 positioned
within the housing
112 and substantially surrounded by the desiccant 118. The first humidity
sensor 102 is
operable to provide a first humidity signal indicative of a first humidity
level adjacent the
first humidity sensor 102 to the controller 104.
[0033] A second humidity sensor 302 may be integral with the pressure sensor
140 and
position within the housing 112 such that air passing through the breather 100
from the inside
of the reservoir to the desiccant 118 and vice versa must pass by the second
humidity sensor
302. The second humidity sensor 302 is operable to provide a second humidity
signal
indicative of a second humidity level adjacent the second humidity sensor to
the controller
104. It is contemplated within the scope of the claims that the second
humidity sensor 302
may be located within a thread adapter for adapting the threads of the
threaded portion
or section 180 of the housing 112 to threads of a corresponding section of the
reservoir. In
such an embodiment, the housing 112 is considered to include the thread
adapter.
[0034] The controller 104 is electrically connected to both the first humidity
sensor 102 and
the second humidity sensor 302. The controller is operable to receive the
first humidity signal
from the first humidity sensor 102 and the second humidity signal from the
second humidity
sensor 302. The controller 104 is operable to determine an end of life
condition of the
breather 100 as a function of the first humidity signal and the second
humidity signal. When
the first humidity level indicated by the first humidity signal is
approximately equal to or
greater than the second humidity level indicated by the second humidity
signal, the
controller 104 operates normally as described above to determine the end of
life condition
by determining the relative humidity associated with the first humidity sensor
102.
[0035] In one embodiment, when the first humidity level indicated by the first
humidity signal
is less than the second humidity level indicated by the second humidity
signal, the controller
104 can determine a fault condition. The first humidity level being less than
the second
humidity level indicates that the reservoir has not dried completely (i.e.,
the relative
humidity at the second humidity sensor 302 is still trending downward after
initial installation
of the breather 100 on the reservoir) or that moisture is getting into the
reservoir in some
way. In one embodiment, the controller 104 differentiates between initial
installation and
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moisture penetration into the reservoir as a function of the rate of decrease
of the relative
humidity at the second humidity sensor 302 and the time after initial
installation (i.e. power
up of the controller 104). That is, if the rate of decrease of the relative
humidity of the
second humidity sensor 302 decreases without a corresponding increase in the
humidity at
the first humidity sensor 102, then the controller 104 determines that there
is water intrusion
into the reservoir. In this embodiment the controller 104 only determines the
fault condition
when the controller 104 determines that there is water intrusion into the
reservoir.
[0036] In one embodiment, the determined end of life condition is another
fault condition.
The controller 104 determines a dewpoint as a function of the pressure signal
from the
pressure sensor 140 and the temperature signal from the temperature sensor
120. When the
second humidity level adjacent the second humidity sensor 302 indicates that
the second
humidity level is greater than the dewpoint, the controller 104 determines the
fault
condition. In one embodiment the controller 104 is operable to transmit fault
conditions
(i.e., end-of-life conditions) to remote terminals or displays 130.
[0037] Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a partial view of a
breather 400
according to aspects of the present disclosure. The breather 400 may include
one or more
components of the breather 100 described previously herein. The breather 400
may include
a housing 410. The housing 410 may be equivalent to the housing 112 previously
described
herein in various embodiments. The housing 410 may include one or more ribs
412 around
an outer surface of the housing 410. The ribs 412 may be formed by providing a
recess or
cavity of the outer surface of the housing 410 and may be used to provide a
gripping
surface, to increase structural integrity, and/or to reduce an overall
material cost in various
embodiments. The housing 410 may be configured to contain one or more elements
there,
such as a desiccant 118.
[0038] The breather 400 may include a cap 420 at an exterior surface of the
breather 410,
for example at a top surface of the housing 410. The cap 420 may be equivalent
to the
previously described cap 146 in various embodiments. In various embodiments,
the cap
146, 420 may be removably coupleable to the breather 100, 400, 800, for
example via a
valley at an interior portion of the cap 146, 420 with a lip or other external
surface of the
housing of the breather 100, 400, 800 as described below with reference to
Fig. 10. Although
illustrated at a top surface of the housing 410 it should be appreciated that
at least a
portion of a cap 420 may be placed at any outer surface of the housing 410
without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additional
features of the
cap 420 are described below with reference to Fig. 9.
[0039] The breather 400 may include at least one first opening 430. The at
least one first
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opening 430 may be equivalent, in various embodiments, to the first opening
114 previously
described herein. The first opening 430 in the housing 410 may be configured
to be in fluid
communication with air outside of the reservoir depending upon a status of a
vent plug 440
coupleable thereto. At least one vent plug 440 may be configured to permit
fluid
communication from an interior portion of the housing 410 of the breather 100,
400, 800 with
air outside of the breather 100, 400, 800. At least one vent plug 440 may be
optionally
configured to permit fluid communication between air outside of the breather
100. 400, 800
and an interior portion of the housing 410 of the breather 100, 400, 800. The
breather 400
may further include a threaded section 180 and a second opening 116 as
previously
described with reference to Fig. 1.
[0040] Fig. 5 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a
breather according
to aspects of the present disclosure. The breather 400 may include a base ring
500 at a
bottom portion thereof. The base ring 500 may form part of the breather 400
and/or may
be separately coupleable in various embodiments. The base ring 500 may include
at least
one vent plug 440 configured to correspond to at least one first opening of
the housing 400.
A plurality of vent plugs 440 may be coupled to one another via at least one
connector
510. In various embodiments, a size, shape, and/or geometry of at least one
vent plug 440
and/or connector 510 may be provided according to a particular design or
operating
parameter associated with the breather 400 and/or a reservoir to which the
breather 400 is
coupleable. The valve ring size, shape, and/or geometry may be used to provide
noise
elimination and/or airflow optimization. In the embodiment illustrated by Fig.
5, a standpipe
plug 520 may be selectively coupled to the second opening 116. The standpipe
plug 520
may be used to block at least a portion of the second opening 116 and may be
removeable, either in whole or in part.
[0041] Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a base
ring
according to aspects of the present disclosure. The base ring 600 or a portion
thereof may
be coupleable inside a breather 100, 400, 800, for example between the base
ring 500 and
the desiccant 118. A filter (e.g., bottom foam filter 160 and/or particulate
filter 164) may
optionally be configured to be placed either above the base ring 600 or below
the base
ring 600 in various embodiments. The base ring 600 may include at least one
valve 620, 630.
The base ring 600 may be configured to connect with at least one valve 620,
630 in a first
or second configuration. For the purposes of discussion herein, the valves
620, 630 may be
identical in at least one aspect of shape and/or configuration but are not
limited to such.
The valve 620 illustrated by Fig. 6 may be viewed as a first configuration,
whereby a flat
face of the valve 620 faces outwardly from the exterior of the base ring 600
relative a
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breather 100, 400, 800 to which the base ring 600 is connectable. The valve
620 may be
configured to permit air to selectively pass between an interior portion of
the breather 100,
400, 800 and outside the reservoir. The valve 630 may be viewed as a second
configuration
and may be configured to permit air to selectively pass between outside of the
breather
100, 400, 800 and an interior portion of the breather 100, 400, 800. The valve
630 may be
configured alongside the base ring 600 such that at least one passageway 632
is formed
to permit airflow between the interior of the breather 100, 400, 800 and
external to the
breather 100, 400. 800. Although two passageways 632 are illustrated for each
valve 630 in
Fig. 6 it should be appreciated that a single or a plurality of passageways
632 may be used
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The
valve 630 may
include a notch 634 configured to restrict movement of the valve 630 relative
to the base
ring 600. At least a portion of an outer surface of the base ring 600 may be
flared or provide
an outer radius larger than at least a portion of the breather 100, 400. 800
to expand a
distance outward from the breather 100, 400.800 at which any water or moisture
might drip
from the breather 100, 400, 800.
[0042] Fig. 7 illustrates a raised perspective view of a base ring of Fig. 6
according to aspects
of the present disclosure. The interior portion 700 of the base ring 600 may
include one or
more valves 620, 630. Each valve 620, 630 may be provided in a first
configuration or a
second configuration and previously described with reference to Fig. 6. The
valve 620
illustrated by Fig. 6 may be viewed as a first configuration, whereby a flat
face of the valve
620 faces outwardly from the exterior of the base ring 600 relative a breather
100, 400, 800
to which the base ring 600 is connectable. The valves 630 illustrated by rig.
7 may be
viewed as a second configuration with a flat face of the valves 630 facing
inwardly towards
an interior portion of the housing 112, 410 of the breather 100, 400. 800. The
valve 620 may
be configured to permit air to selectively pass between an interior portion of
the breather
100, 400, 800 and outside the reservoir, for example via at least one first
opening 430. The
valve 620 may be configured alongside the base ring 600 such that at least one
passageway 622 is formed to permit airflow between the interior of the
breather 100, 400,
800 and external to the breather 100, 400, 800 (e.g., via at least one first
opening 430).
Although two passageways 622 are illustrated for each valve 620 in Fig. 7 it
should be
appreciated that a single or a plurality of passageways 622 may be used
without departing
from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The valve 620 may include
a notch 624
configured to restrict movement of the valve 620 relative to the base ring
600.
[0043] Fig. 8 illustrates a partial front view of an exemplary embodiment of a
breather
according to aspects of the present disclosure. The breather 800 includes a
housing 112.
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410 optionally having at least one rib 412. At least a portion of a standpipe
110 may be
configured to pass through at least a portion of an interior space of the
housing 112, 410.
In various embodiments, a ratio of the longitudinal length of a housing 112,
410 to a length
of the standpipe 110 may be predetermined, determined, and/or adjustable, for
example
by selecting standpipe 110 having an appropriate size, a housing 112, 410
sized
appropriately to a standpipe 110, and/or providing at least one of a standpipe
110 and/or
housing 112, 410 having an adjustable size. A ratio of a size or length of the
housing 112,
410 to the standpipe 110 may be selected or otherwise implemented to provide
optimized
airflow conditions within the breather 100, 400, 800. A second opening 116 and
threaded
section 180 be located at a base of the breather 800. At least one first
opening 430 may
be provided at a base ring of the breather 800, and may optionally be filled,
either in whole
or in part, with at least a portion of a vent plug 440.
[0044] Fig. 9 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a cap
according to
aspects of the present disclosure. The cap 420 includes a body 910 having a
connecting
end 920 and an enclosing end 950. In various embodiments, the cap 420 may be
configured in such a manner as to be removeably coupleable with the breather
100, 400,
800, for example at the housing 112, 410 thereof in the manner previously
described herein.
The connecting end 920 may include at least one rib 930. The rib 930 may be
configured
to provide a gripping surface, for example for use in placing, replacing, or
adjusting a cap
420 and/or breather 100, 400, 800. A lip 940 be positioned at an exterior
surface of the cap
420. At least one of the lip 940 and/or rib 930 may be used, for example, to
remove excess
moisture away from the housing 112, 410 of the breather 100, 400, 800 in
various
embodiments. At least a portion of the enclosing end 950 may form a domed
shape at an
exterior surface thereof. The domed surface may be configured to provide
structural
integrity to the cap 420 and/or breather 100, 400, 800, may be used to promote
air flow
within the breather 100,400, 800, and may provide more efficient water run off
at a surface
thereof relative to a non-domed surface.
[0045] Fig. 10 illustrates a lower right perspective view of a cap according
to aspects of the
present disclosure. The cap 420 includes at least one valley 1000 at an
interior portion
thereof. At least a portion of one valley 1000 may be configured to correspond
to a lip at
a top portion of the housing 112, 410 to form a seal when placed in contact.
The cap 420
may also include at least one standoff 1010. At least one standoff 1010 may be
configured
to function as a spacer between the cap 420 and the breather 100, 400, 800,
may be
configured to increase structural integrity of at least a portion of the cap
420, and/or may
be used to direct airflow within the cap 420 and/or at least a portion of the
breather 100.
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400, 800.
[0046] It will be understood by those of skill in the art that information and
signals may be
represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques
(e.g., data,
instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols. and chips may be
represented
by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,
optical fields or
particles, or any combination thereof). Likewise, the various illustrative
logical blocks,
modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described herein may be implemented as
electronic
hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, depending on the
application and
functionality. Moreover, the various logical blocks, modules, and circuits
described
herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor (e.g.,
microprocessor, conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, state
machine or
combination of computing devices), a digital signal processor ("DSP"), an
application
specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field programmable gate array ("FPGA")
or other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions
described
herein_ Similarly, steps of a method or process described herein may be
embodied directly
in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination
of the
two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory. ROM memory,
EPROM
memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or
any other
form of storage medium known in the art_ Although embodiments of the present
invention
have been described in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that various
modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope
of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0047] A controller, processor, computing device, client computing device or
computer.
such as described herein, includes at least one or more processors or
processing units and
a system memory. The controller may also include at least some form of
computer readable
media. By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media may
include
computer storage media and communication media. Computer readable storage
media
may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media
implemented
in any method or technology that enables storage of information, such as
computer
readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
Communication
media may embody computer readable instructions. data structures, program
modules. or
other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other
transport mechanism
and include any information delivery media. Those skilled in the art should be
familiar with
the modulated data signal, which has one or more of its characteristics set or
changed in
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such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Combinations of any of
the above
are also included within the scope of computer readable media. As used herein,
server is
not intended to refer to a single computer or computing device. In
implementation, a
server will generally include an edge server, a plurality of data servers, a
storage database
(e.g., a large scale RAID array), and various networking components. It is
contemplated
that these devices or functions may also be implemented in virtual machines
and spread
across multiple physical computing devices.
[0048] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and
also to enable
any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and
using any
devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable
scope of
the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that
occur to those
skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of
the claims if
they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of
the claims, or if
they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences
from the literal
languages of the claims.
[0049] It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein
are shown
by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal
features of this
invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the
scope of
the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous
equivalents to the
specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be
within the
scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.
[0050] All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may
be made
and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present
disclosure. While
the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of
the
embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art that
variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps
or in the
sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the
concept,
spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and
modifications apparent to
those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and
concept of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
[0051] Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the
present
invention of a new and useful DIAGNOSTIC BREATHER DRYER it is not intended
that such
references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except
as set forth
in the following claims.
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