GB2201571A - Fluid despensing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Fluid dispensing equipment for mounting on a vehicle comprises a housing including a body (4) provided with a recess (16) which opens to the outside of the housing. The recess (16) is defined by a bottom wall (14) and side walls (54). A pump motor (42) is mounted on the bottom wall (14) within the housing, and has an output shaft (44) which extends into the recess (16) to drive pump means in the form of a peristaltic pump (49). Inlet and outlet ducts (36, 38) of the pump (49) extend through the side walls (54) of the recess into the housing for connection to fluid supply and control means, to dispensing means. <IMAGE>

Description

FLUID DISPENSING EQUIPMENT This invention relates to fluid dispensing equipment, for example equipment for dispensing herbicide. The invention relates particularly, although not exclusively, to equipment suitable for mounting on a vehicle, such as a road going vehicle, for applying herbicide in the region of roadside kerbs.

According to the present-invention there is provided fluid dispensing equipment comprising a housing which accommodates fluid supply and control means and a pump motor which has an output shaft extending through the wall of the housing to drive pump means situated on the exterior of the housing to and from which fluid is supplied and discharged through inlet and outlet ducts which extend from the interior to the exterior of the housing through the wall of the housing.

The pump is preferably a peristaltic pump which acts on at least one length of flexible tube providing the inlet and outlet ducts.

The fluid supply means may comprise a supply duct which can be connected to a fluid container outside the housing. Preferably, however, the container is also part of the fluid supply means and is disposed within the housing.

The housing preferably defines a recess, as viewed from outside the housing, in which the pump means is situated.

A preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention is intended for mounting on a cleansing vehicle for applying herbicide to areas on or adjacent a road. The container then comprises a container of herbicide. It is convenient, however, for the housing also to accommodate a container of cleaning fluid for cleaning the equipment after a herbicide distributing operation has been completed. Appropriate valves and auxiliary control means may be provided for selectively passing herbicide or cleaning fluid through the pump means and other parts of the equipment.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows fluid dispensing equipment; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrow III in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a flow diagram corresponding to Figure 1.

The equipment shown in Figure 1 comprises a twopart housing 2 which consists of a body 4 and a lid 6 which are interconnected by a hinge 8. The body 4 has an outer flange 10 against which the lid 6 abuts when the lid is closed. The flange 10 surrounds a depression 12 which constitutes the main area of the body 4. Within the depression 12 there is a raised region 14 which, as viewed from outside the housing 2, defines a recess 16. In the preferred embodiment, the body 4 and the lid 6 of the housing 2 are made from vacuum-formed plastics material.

Although not shown in the drawings, the housing is mounted on a rigid frame, so that the equipment can be fitted to a vehicle such as a highway cleansing vehicle.

The depression 12 accommodates two containers 18 and 20. The container 18 contains herbicide, and the container 20 contains cleaning fluid. As indicated in Figure 1, the container 18 is supported in the housing 2 in an inclined position, in that it slopes away from the viewer from bottom to top as seen in Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, a supply duct 22 extends from the container 18 to an on-off valve 24, and a supply duct 26 extends from the container 20 to an on-off valve 28. The outlets from the valves 24 and 28 meet each other at a T-piece 30, which connects them to an intermediate duct 32. A T-piece 34 connects the intermediate duct 32 to two inlet ducts 36 of pump means which will be described in more detail later in this description. Two outlet ducts 38 extend from the pump means and are connected by a T-piece 40 to a common outlet 42. The outlet 42 would, in use, be connected to a suitable delivery device such as a spinning disc spraying head as shown, for example, in British Patent Specification No. 2172524.

A motor and gear box unit 42 is secured to the raised portion 14 of the body 4. The motor drives an output shaft 44 which extends through the wall of the body 4 at the raised portion 14 into the recess 16.

Within the recess 16, the output shaft 44 is connected to a frame 49 of a peristaltic pump means, this frame comprising a pair or discs 46, 48 which are interconnected by three rods 50.

Each of the inlet ducts 36 is, in fact, part of a continuous length of flexible tubing which also constitutes one of the outlet ducts 38 (see Figure 3).

Each of these common lengths of tubing extends around the frame 49 so that it is flattened where it passes over the rods 50. Rotation of the frame 49 in the direction indicated by the arrow 52 (Figure 3) thus causes liquid to be forced through the tubing from the inlet duct 36 to the outlet duct 38.

As shown in Figure 2, the recess 16 is defined by an end wall constituting the raised portion 14 and by parallel side walls 54. The inlet and outlet ducts 36 and 38 extend through openings 56 in the walls 54. It may be desirable to strengthen these walls 54 in the region of the ducts 36 and 38, for example by fixing metal reinforcing elements to the walls 54. It will be appreciated that, by providing two lengths of tube, which wrap around diametrically opposite portions of the frame 49 to provide the inlet and outlet ducts 36 and 38, an even flow is achieved through the outlet 40.

By mounting the motor and gear box unit 42 on the wall of the housing 2 so that the output shaft 44 extends through it, the number of assembly operations is reduced and the routing of the various fluid supply tubes is simplified.

The electrical supply to the components within the housing 2 is achieved through a connector block 58, through which current is supplied to the valves 24 and 28 and the motor in the unit 42. These components are controlled remotely, for example from the cab of a vehicle to which the equipment is fitted, so that the operator is able to control the speed of the motor (and consequently the rate of delivery of fluid through the outlet 40). The operator can also control whether liquid, such as herbicide, is supplied to the outlet 40 from the container 18, or whether cleaner is supplied from the container 20. The containers 18 and 20 are located in recesses formed integrally in the body 4 of the housing 2, and no additional fixings are required.

Consequently, the replacement of an empty container by a full one is a straightforward procedure.

Claims (14)

1. Fluid dispensing equipment comprising a housing which accommodates fluid supply and control means and a pump motor which has an output shaft extending through a wall of the housing to pump means situated on the exterior of the housing, the pump means communicating with the fluid supply and control means through inlet and outlet ducts which extend through the wall of the housing.

2. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 1, in which the pump means comprises a peristaltic pump comprising a non-circular rotor acting on at least one length of flexible tube providing the inlet and outlet ducts.

3. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 2, in which the rotor acts on two of the said flexible tubes, disposed diametrically opposite each other.

4. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the inlet and outlet ducts are secured in apertures formed in the wall of the housing.

5. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the fluid supply means comprises a supply duct adapted for attachment to a container of fluid.

6. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 5, in which the housing is adapted to accommodate the container of fluid.

7. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the wall of the housing defines a recess, as viewed from outside the housing, within which the pump means is situated.

8. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 7, in which the recess comprises a substantially flat bottom wall portion and a side wall portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall portion.

9. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 8, in which the output shaft extends through the bottom wall portion.

10. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the pump motor is mounted in the bottom wall portion.

11. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the wall of the housing through which the output shaft extends is formed from plastics material.

12. Fluid dispensing equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claim, which is adapted for mounting on a vehicle for delivering herbicide to the ground.

13. Fluid dispensing equipment substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

14. A vehicle provided with fluid dispensing equipment in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.