阅读说明：本技术 一种动力设备的机油处理系统及方法 (Engine oil treatment system and method of power equipment ) 是由 施远强 于 2021-07-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种动力设备的机油处理系统及方法,包括新机油箱,补油箱,机油液位维持器,机油品质观察器,待滤箱,废液箱及过滤组件；机油液位维持器分别连接新机油箱、补油箱与发动机,用于将新机油箱和补油箱内的机油补给至发动机内；机油品质观察器与机油液位维持器连接,以检测发动机油底壳内机油的品质；机油品质观察器连接待滤箱,将品质不合格的机油传输至待滤箱进行预过滤；待滤箱分别连接过滤组件与废液箱,将预过滤后的废机油传输至过滤组件进行二次过滤；过滤组件与补油箱连接,将二次过滤后的机油输送至补油箱；补油箱与新机油箱连接,对发动机进行补油；过滤后的废机油排放至废液箱。(The invention discloses an engine oil treatment system and method of power equipment, which comprises a new engine oil tank, an oil supplementing tank, an engine oil level maintainer, an engine oil quality observer, a tank to be filtered, a waste liquid tank and a filtering assembly, wherein the new engine oil tank is connected with the oil supplementing tank through a pipeline; the engine oil level maintainer is respectively connected with the new engine oil tank, the oil supplementing tank and the engine and is used for supplementing the engine oil in the new engine oil tank and the oil supplementing tank into the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the engine oil level maintainer to detect the quality of the engine oil in the oil pan of the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the tank to be filtered, and engine oil with unqualified quality is transmitted to the tank to be filtered for pre-filtering; the waste oil pre-filtering device comprises a waste oil tank, a filter assembly, a waste liquid tank, a pre-filtering tank and a pre-filtering tank, wherein the waste oil tank is connected with the filter assembly and the waste liquid tank respectively; the filter assembly is connected with the oil supplementing tank and used for conveying the engine oil subjected to secondary filtration to the oil supplementing tank; the oil supplementing tank is connected with a new engine oil tank to supplement oil for the engine; and discharging the filtered waste engine oil to a waste liquid tank.)

1. An engine oil treatment system of power equipment is characterized by comprising a new engine oil tank, an oil supplementing tank, an engine oil level maintainer, an engine oil quality observer, a to-be-filtered tank, a waste liquid tank and a filtering assembly; the engine oil level maintainer is respectively connected with the new engine oil tank, the oil supplementing tank and the engine and is used for supplementing the engine oil in the new engine oil tank and the oil supplementing tank into the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the engine oil level maintainer to detect the quality of the engine oil in the oil pan of the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the tank to be filtered, and engine oil with unqualified quality is transmitted to the tank to be filtered for pre-filtering; the to-be-filtered tank is respectively connected with the filtering component and the waste liquid tank, and the waste engine oil after pre-filtering is transmitted to the filtering component for secondary filtering; the filter assembly is connected with the oil supplementing tank and used for conveying the engine oil subjected to secondary filtration to the oil supplementing tank; the oil supplementing tank is connected with a new engine oil tank to supplement oil for the engine; and discharging the filtered waste engine oil to a waste liquid tank.

2. The oil handling system of a power plant of claim 1, wherein the new oil tank is provided with a first floating ball type level sensor inside and fixed on the upper shell of the new oil tank for sensing the level of the oil inside the new oil tank; the novel oil tank is internally provided with a first respirator, and the first respirator is fixed on the upper shell of the novel oil tank and used for enabling the air pressure inside the novel oil tank to be the same as the external air pressure; and a first electromagnetic valve is arranged at the outlet of the new engine oil tank and is used for automatically opening and closing the outlet of the new engine oil tank.

3. The oil management system of a power plant of claim 1, wherein an oil balance tube is provided between the oil level holder and the engine for balancing oil pressure.

4. The oil handling system of a power plant of claim 1, wherein a strainer is provided in the oil quality observer for filtering out the oil of unacceptable quality.

5. The oil treatment system of power equipment according to claim 1, wherein the tank to be filtered is provided with a second breather and is fixed on the upper shell of the tank to be filtered, so that the air pressure inside the tank to be filtered is the same as the external air pressure; the bottom of the box to be filtered is provided with a waste liquid port, the waste liquid port is connected to the waste liquid box through a waste liquid pipe, and the waste liquid port is used for discharging the filtered waste oil in the box to be filtered into the waste liquid box; and a second electromagnetic valve for automatically opening and closing the waste liquid port of the filter box is further arranged at the outlet of the waste liquid port of the filter box.

6. The engine oil treatment system of a power plant of claim 1, wherein the filter assembly includes a filter pump, a filter, a first cartridge valve and a second cartridge valve; the filter pump can be respectively connected with the tank to be filtered and the oil supplementing tank in a driving way; the first cartridge valve is connected with the filter; the second cartridge valve is connected with the filter.

7. The engine oil treatment system of a power plant of claim 6, wherein the first cartridge valve is provided with a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port; the second cartridge valve is provided with a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port and an eighth port.

8. The engine oil treatment system of the power equipment of claim 1, wherein the tank to be filtered, the first cartridge valve port four, the first cartridge valve port one, the filter pump, the second cartridge valve port five, the second cartridge valve port eight, the filter, the second cartridge valve port six, the second cartridge valve port seven, the first cartridge valve port three, the first cartridge valve port two and the oil replenishing tank are connected in sequence to form an engine oil off-line filtering mechanism; the oil supplementing tank, the second port of the first cartridge valve, the first port of the first cartridge valve, the filter pump, the fifth port of the second cartridge valve, the sixth port of the second cartridge valve, the filter, the eighth port of the second cartridge valve, the seventh port of the second cartridge valve, the third port of the first cartridge valve and the fourth port of the first cartridge valve are sequentially connected with the filter box to form a reverse cleaning mechanism.

9. The oil handling system of a power plant of claim 1, wherein the oil replenishment tank is connected to a new oil tank; a second floating ball type liquid level sensor is arranged in the oil supplementing tank and is fixed on the shell at the upper part of the oil supplementing tank; and a respirator is also arranged in the oil supplementing tank and is fixed on the upper shell of the oil supplementing tank.

10. A method of treating an oil treatment system of a power plant, the method comprising:

forming a detection area on an oil way where the engine is located through a sensor, and detecting the liquid level and the quality of engine oil in the engine in real time; if the oil level in the engine is lower than a set value, the sensor transmits data to the control system and supplies the oil in the engine; if the engine oil quality in the engine is unqualified, the sensor transmits the data to the control system and replaces the engine oil through the control system, and the replaced engine oil is filtered and recovered again.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of intelligent equipment, in particular to an engine oil treatment system and method of power equipment.

Background

Human life is increasingly unable to be supported by electric power, and along with the progress of science and technology, more and more power supply modes appear.

An engine oil treatment system in the existing generator set can only carry out coarse filtration on engine lubricating oil, and cannot carry out effective filtration on particulate matters, so that the service life and the stability of an engine are influenced after long-time operation; the filtered engine oil is directly subjected to waste treatment, which causes great waste and serious environmental pollution.

Therefore, how to improve the filtering effect of the engine oil to ensure the stability of the engine in use is a problem to be solved in the field.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the technical problem of low stability in the prior art, the invention provides the engine oil station processing structure, the scheme also provides an engine oil station processing method based on the system, the particulate matters in the engine lubricating oil can be reduced to be less than 3 microns through the filtering component, and the problems in the prior art are well overcome.

In order to achieve the purpose, the engine oil treatment system of the power equipment comprises a new engine oil tank, an oil supplementing tank, an engine oil level maintainer, an engine oil quality observer, a tank to be filtered, a waste liquid tank and a filtering assembly; the engine oil level maintainer is respectively connected with the new engine oil tank, the oil supplementing tank and the engine and is used for supplementing the engine oil in the new engine oil tank and the oil supplementing tank into the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the engine oil level maintainer to detect the quality of the engine oil in the oil pan of the engine; the engine oil quality observer is connected with the to-be-filtered tank and used for transmitting the engine oil with unqualified quality to the to-be-filtered tank for pre-filtering; the to-be-filtered tank is respectively connected with the filtering component and the waste liquid tank, and the waste engine oil after pre-filtering is transmitted to the filtering component for secondary filtering; the filter assembly is connected with the oil supplementing tank and used for conveying the engine oil subjected to secondary filtration to the oil supplementing tank; the oil supplementing tank is connected with the new engine oil tank to supplement oil for the engine. And discharging the filtered waste engine oil to a waste liquid tank.

Furthermore, a first floating ball type liquid level sensor is arranged in the new engine oil tank, is fixed on the upper shell of the new engine oil tank and is used for sensing the liquid level of engine oil in the new engine oil tank; the novel oil tank is internally provided with a first respirator, and the first respirator is fixed on the upper shell of the novel oil tank and used for enabling the air pressure inside the novel oil tank to be the same as the external air pressure; and a first electromagnetic valve is arranged at the outlet of the new engine oil tank and is used for automatically opening and closing the outlet of the new engine oil tank.

Further, an oil balance pipe for balancing oil pressure is arranged between the oil level retainer and the engine.

Furthermore, a coarse filter screen for filtering the engine oil with unqualified quality is arranged in the engine oil quality observer.

Furthermore, a second respirator is arranged on the box to be filtered, and the second respirator is fixed on the shell at the upper part of the box to be filtered and used for enabling the air pressure inside the box to be filtered to be the same as the external air pressure; the bottom of the box to be filtered is provided with a waste liquid port, the waste liquid port is connected to the waste liquid box through a waste liquid pipe, and the waste liquid port is used for discharging the filtered waste oil in the box to be filtered into the waste liquid box; and a second electromagnetic valve for automatically opening and closing the waste liquid port of the filter box is further arranged at the outlet of the waste liquid port of the filter box.

Further, the filter assembly comprises a filter pump, a filter, a first cartridge valve and a second cartridge valve; the filter pump can be respectively connected with the tank to be filtered and the oil supplementing tank in a driving way; the first cartridge valve is connected with the filter; the second cartridge valve is connected with the filter.

Furthermore, the first cartridge valve is provided with a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port; the second cartridge valve is provided with a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port and an eighth port.

Furthermore, the to-be-filtered tank, the first cartridge valve fourth port, the first cartridge valve first port, the filter pump, the second cartridge valve fifth port, the second cartridge valve eighth port, the filter, the second cartridge valve sixth port, the second cartridge valve seventh port, the first cartridge valve third port, the first cartridge valve second port and the oil supplementing tank are sequentially connected to form an engine oil off-line filtering mechanism; the oil supplementing tank, the second port of the first cartridge valve, the first port of the first cartridge valve, the filter pump, the fifth port of the second cartridge valve, the sixth port of the second cartridge valve, the filter, the eighth port of the second cartridge valve, the seventh port of the second cartridge valve, the third port of the first cartridge valve and the fourth port of the first cartridge valve are sequentially connected with the filter box to form a reverse cleaning mechanism.

Further, the oil supplementing tank is connected with a new engine oil tank; a second floating ball type liquid level sensor is arranged in the oil supplementing tank and is fixed on the upper shell of the oil supplementing tank; and a breather is also arranged in the oil supplementing tank and is fixed on the upper shell of the oil supplementing tank.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for treating an oil treatment system of a power plant, the method comprising:

forming a detection area on an oil way where the engine is located through a sensor, and detecting the liquid level and the quality of engine oil in the engine in real time; if the oil level in the engine is lower than a set value, the sensor transmits data to the control system and supplies the oil in the engine; if the engine oil quality in the engine is unqualified, the sensor transmits the data to the control system and replaces the engine oil through the control system, and the replaced engine oil is filtered and recovered again.

According to the engine oil station processing structure and method provided by the invention, the particulate matters in the engine lubricating oil can be reduced to below 3 microns through the filtering component, so that clean and sufficient lubricating oil can be provided for the engine, and the stability of the engine is greatly improved.

Drawings

The invention is further described below in conjunction with the appended drawings and the detailed description.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an oil treatment system of the present power plant;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a tank to be filtered in the engine oil treatment system of the power equipment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a first cartridge valve in the oil handling system of the present power plant;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a second cartridge valve in the oil treatment system of the present power plant.

The following are labeled with the attached components:

100. the novel oil tank 110, the first floating ball type liquid level sensor 120, the first breather 130, the first electromagnetic valve 140, the oil replenishing pipe 200, the oil level retainer 210, the oil gas pipe 220, the oil balance pipe 230, the oil replenishing pipe 240, the oil outlet pipe 300, the oil quality observer 310, the oil well pump 320, the oil pumping pipe 330, the coarse strainer 400, the waste liquid tank 500, the filter tank 510, the floating specific gravity sensor 520, the floating liquid level sensor 530, the second breather 540, the second electromagnetic valve 550, the waste liquid pipe 560, the separation strainer 570, the hose 580, the waste liquid port 600, the filter assembly 610, the first cartridge valve 611, the first cartridge valve port 612, the first cartridge valve port 613, the first cartridge valve port 614, the first cartridge valve port 620, the second cartridge valve 621, the second cartridge valve port 622, the second cartridge valve port 623, the second cartridge valve port 624, the second cartridge valve port, the eighth port, the first filter oil pipe 631, the first filter 632, the second filter device 632, the second cartridge valve port 630, the second cartridge valve port, the third cartridge valve port, the second cartridge valve port, the third port, the second cartridge valve, the third cartridge valve, the second cartridge valve, the third cartridge valve, the second cartridge valve Oil pipe 633 of filter device, first oil pressure sensor 634, second oil pressure sensor 640, filter pump 700, oil supplement tank 710, third floating ball type liquid level sensor 720, third breather 730, third electromagnetic valve

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical means, the creation characteristics, the achievement purposes and the effects of the invention easy to understand, the invention is further explained below by combining the specific drawings.

The engine oil treatment system of the power equipment can realize multiple functions of engine oil supply, engine oil replacement, oil-water separation of waste engine oil, impurity filtering treatment, recycling and the like.

Referring to fig. 1, the present oil treatment system includes a new oil tank 100, an oil replenishment tank 700, an oil level maintaining device 200, an oil product observer 300, a to-be-filtered tank 500, a waste liquid tank 400 and a filter assembly 600.

A first floating ball type liquid level sensor 110 is arranged in the new engine oil tank 100 and is fixed on the upper shell of the new engine oil tank 100; can be used for sensing the liquid level of the engine oil in the new engine oil tank 100; the first breather 120 is further disposed inside the new oil tank 100 and fixed to the upper housing of the new oil tank 100, so as to make the air pressure inside the new oil tank 100 the same as the external air pressure, thereby ensuring the safety of the new oil tank 100 during use.

Further, a first solenoid valve 130 is provided at an outlet of the new oil tank 100 for automatically opening and closing the outlet of the new oil tank 100.

The oil supplementing tank 700 and the new engine oil tank 100 are connected with a first port of the engine oil level maintainer 200 through an oil supplementing pipe 140; the second port of the oil level maintainer 200 is connected with the engine oil sump through an oil supplementing pipe 230; the sensor in the engine oil level maintainer 200 senses the engine oil level in the engine, and when the engine oil level is low, the engine oil in the new engine oil tank 100 and the oil supplement tank 700 is transmitted into the engine through the engine oil level maintainer 200 to supplement the oil in the engine.

The third port of the engine oil level maintainer 200 is connected with the waste liquid tank 400 through the oil-gas pipe 210, and is used for transmitting the gasoline oil gas volatilized in the engine oil level maintainer 200 into the waste liquid tank 400 through the oil-gas pipe 210 to be recovered.

The fourth port of the oil level maintainer 200 is connected with the oil pan of the engine through an oil balancing pipe 220, and is used for balancing oil pressure in the engine and the oil level maintainer 200, and improving stability during operation.

The fifth port of the engine oil level maintainer 200 is connected with the engine oil quality observer 300; the oil quality observer 300 is used for detecting the quality of oil input into the engine; the first port of the oil quality observer 300 is connected with the oil supplementing pipe 230; the second port of the engine oil quality observer 300 is sequentially connected with the oil pump 310 and the tank 500 to be filtered through the oil pumping pipe 320; if the quality of the engine oil is normal, the engine oil is input into the engine through the oil supplementing pipe 230; if the quality of the engine oil does not reach the standard, the engine oil with poor quality is transmitted to the filtering box 500 through the oil pumping pipe 320 by the oil pump 310 for filtering and recycling.

The oil quality observer 300 is provided with a coarse filter 330 for pre-filtering the oil discharged into the tank 500.

The to-be-filtered tank 500 is used for realizing the oil-water separation and recovery functions of the waste engine oil, and is used for filtering the engine oil with poor quality at the oil pan of the engine for recovery; the tank to be filtered is further provided with a second breather 530, and the second breather 530 is fixed on the upper shell of the tank to be filtered 500, so that the air pressure inside the tank to be filtered 500 is the same as the external air pressure, and the safety of the tank to be filtered 500 in use is ensured.

Referring to fig. 2, the bottom of the tank 500 to be filtered is provided with a waste liquid port 580 connected to the waste liquid tank 400 by providing a waste liquid pipe 550 for discharging filtered waste oil, impurities, water, etc. in the tank 500 to be filtered into the waste liquid tank 400.

Secondly, a second electromagnetic valve 540 is arranged at the outlet of the waste liquid opening of the filtering box 500 and is connected with the waste liquid box 400 through a waste liquid pipe 550; the outlet of the tank 500 to be filtered is opened by the second solenoid valve 540, and the waste oil in the tank 500 to be filtered is discharged to the waste liquid tank 400 through the waste liquid pipe 550.

A connecting port is arranged at the upper part of the box 500 to be filtered, and a hose 570 is arranged to be connected to the filtering component 600; the filtering pump 640 is connected to the to-be-filtered tank 500, and the waste oil in the to-be-filtered tank 500 can be pumped into the filtering assembly 600 through the filtering pump 640; for transferring the oil pre-filtered in the tank 500 to the filter assembly 600 for re-filtering.

Further, a float type specific gravity sensor 510 and a floating plate type liquid level sensor 520 are provided inside the tank 500 to be filtered.

The floating plate type liquid level sensor 520 is arranged in the to-be-filtered tank 500, fixed on a shell at the upper part of the to-be-filtered tank 500 and used for sensing the waste oil liquid level in the to-be-filtered tank 500; the float-type specific gravity sensor 510 is disposed inside the tank 500 to be filtered and fixed to the upper case of the tank 500 to be filtered, for calculating the specific gravity of the liquid.

A separation filter screen 560 is arranged at the bottom of the floating plate type liquid level sensor 520 and used for filtering residues and separating oil from water of the waste oil.

After standing for a period of time, the waste engine oil pumped back to the tank 500 to be filtered from the engine oil pan can be layered, the waste oil with low density is positioned at the upper part of the floating plate, the waste oil with high density is positioned at the lower part of the floating plate, and the waste oil is pumped into the filtering component 600 through the hose after being filtered by the separation filter screen; at this time, the float plate of the float plate type level sensor 520 and the float of the float type specific gravity sensor 510 are lowered at the same time, the specific gravity of the liquid is calculated by the difference between the values measured by the two sensors, the specific gravity of the liquid reaches a set specific gravity value, the recovery of the engine oil is stopped, the third electromagnetic valve 730 of the tank to be filtered is opened, and the waste oil and the residue at the lower part of the tank to be filtered are discharged into the waste liquid tank 400 through the waste liquid pipe 550.

Further, a third floating ball type liquid level sensor 710 is arranged inside the oil supplementing tank 700 and is fixed on the upper shell of the oil supplementing tank 700; can be used for sensing the liquid level of the engine oil in the oil supply tank 700; the inside of the oil supplement tank 700 is further provided with a third breather 720, which is fixed on the upper shell of the oil supplement tank 700 and is used for enabling the air pressure inside the oil supplement tank 700 to be the same as the external air pressure so as to ensure the safety of the oil supplement tank 700 when in use.

Meanwhile, one port of the oil supplement tank 700 is connected with the filter assembly 600; a third electromagnetic valve 730 is arranged at the outlet of the oil supplementing tank 700 and is used for automatically opening and closing the outlet of the oil supplementing tank 700; the third solenoid valve 730 is connected to the oil path of the new oil tank 100.

The filtering assembly 600 is used for filtering the waste oil in the filtering box 500, so that offline filtering of the engine oil can be realized; filter assembly 600 includes an oil filter 630 and a plurality of cartridge valves.

The oil filter 630 is used for filtering oil, and two ports of the oil filter are respectively provided with a first oil pressure sensor 633 and a second oil pressure sensor 634, which can be used for monitoring the oil pressure of the oil flowing through the oil filter 630, and improving the stability of the oil filter in application.

3-4, several cartridges include a first cartridge 610 and a second cartridge 620, which are sequentially arranged; the first cartridge valve is provided with a first opening 611, a second opening 612, a third opening 613 and a fourth opening 614; the second cartridge 620 is provided with a fifth port 621, a sixth port 622, a seventh port 623 and an eighth port 624.

Further, a filter pump 640 is connected to the filter 630; the first cartridge 610 is connected to a filter 630; the second cartridge 620 is coupled to a filter 630.

The engine oil processing mechanism formed by the mutual matching of the tank 500 to be filtered, the filter assembly 600 and the oil supplementing tank 700 can realize the filtering action and the reverse cleaning action.

When the filtering action is started, the filtering pump 640 is started, the waste engine oil enters the filtering assembly 600 from the tank 500 to be filtered, enters the fourth port 614 of the first cartridge valve, exits from the first port 611 of the first cartridge valve, enters the filtering pump 640, enters the fifth port 621 of the second cartridge valve, exits from the eighth port 624 of the second cartridge valve, enters the oil inlet of the filter 630 for filtering, the filtered engine oil returns to the sixth port 622 of the second cartridge valve, enters the seventh port 623 of the second cartridge valve, enters the third port 613 of the first cartridge valve, exits from the second port 612 of the first cartridge valve, flows into the oil supplementing tank 200 through the oil supplementing pipe 230, and at the moment, the filtering action is finished.

Secondly, the scheme can also realize reversing filtration through the two cartridge valves, and realize reverse cleaning of the filter element; when the reverse cleaning action is started, the filter pump 640 is started, the waste engine oil enters the filter assembly 600 from the oil supply tank 700 through the oil supply pipe, enters the second port 612 of the first cartridge valve, exits from the first port 611 of the first cartridge valve, enters the filter pump 640, enters the fifth port 621 of the second cartridge valve, exits from the sixth port 622 of the second cartridge valve, enters the oil outlet of the filter 630, and the cleaned engine oil returns to the eighth port 624 of the second cartridge valve, exits from the seventh port 623 of the second cartridge valve, enters the third port 613 of the first cartridge valve, exits from the fourth port 614 of the first cartridge valve, flows into the to-be-filtered tank 500 through the oil suction pipe 320, and the reverse cleaning action is completed.

Based on the engine oil treatment system of the power equipment, the scheme also provides a corresponding treatment method: forming a detection area on an oil circuit where the engine is located through a sensor, and detecting the liquid level and the quality of engine oil in the engine in real time; if the oil level in the engine is lower than a set value, the sensor transmits data to the control system and supplies the oil in the engine; if the engine oil quality in the engine is unqualified, the sensor transmits the data to the control system and replaces the engine oil through the control system, and the replaced engine oil is filtered and recovered again.

The engine oil treatment station structure formed by the scheme can be widely applied to the diesel engine, provides a brand-new lubricating oil treatment scheme for the diesel engine, and has the following advantages:

(1) sufficient lubricating oil can be provided for normal operation of the engine, and the particle matters in the lubricating oil of the engine are reduced to be below 3 microns, so that the service life of the engine is greatly prolonged;

(2) the reverse cleaning function of the filter element prolongs the service life of the filter element and reduces the maintenance cost;

(3) engine oil supplement, engine oil replacement and recovery processing actions are automatically completed through sensor induction, and manual maintenance cost is reduced;

(4) the waste is reduced and the cost of replenishing the engine oil is saved due to the recycling of the engine oil;

(5) the engine oil is processed off line outside the engine body during the filtering process, and the normal operation of the engine is not influenced.

The foregoing shows and describes the general principles, essential features, and advantages of the invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, which are described in the specification and illustrated only to illustrate the principle of the present invention, but that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.