• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A pump, for coolant or other working fluids, is provided which can require less mounting area than prior art pumps by removing the need for pump volutes. The pump includes a series of diffuser channels formed between stator vanes on the pump housing and an outwardly inclined lip about the periphery of the impeller. The diffuser channels and the inclined lip serve to direct pressurized working fluid to exit the outlet of the pump in an axial direction, generally parallel to impeller shaft. The relatively long centre passage through the pump housing, through which the working fluid is supplied from the inlet to the impeller, reduces turbulence in the working fluid before it reaches the impeller, reducing the chances of cavitation occurring at the impeller.
    公开号:CA2549665A1
    申请号:C2549665
    申请日:2006-06-06
    公开日:2006-12-08
    发明作者:Pasquale Dipaola
    申请人:Magna Powertrain Inc.；Pasquale Dipaola；
    IPC主号:F04D3-00
    专利说明:
    oolant Pumn with Axial Outnu FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to coolant pumps for internal combustion engines.More specifically, the present invention relates to a coolant pump whose output is in a direction generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the pumps impeller. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION(0002 Coolant pumps for internal combustion engines are well known and generally comprise a housing including an impeller on an impeller shaft, which is driven by a belt or other means. The housing can include an inlet to supply coolant fluid to the impeller and one or more pump volutes which are formed in the housing.10003 Most internal combustion engines include a water jacket surrounding the cylinders of the engine and coolant is circulated through the water jacket by the coolant pump. In many cases an aperture is provided in the water jacket of the engine and the coolant pump housing is fastened to the engine such that the impeller and volutes will supply coolant from the inlet into the water jacket, under pressure, so that the coolant circulates through the water jacket, cooling the engine.~0004~ While such coolant pumps are used widely, problems do exist with them. In particular, the packaging (the shape and area) required for the attachment of the coolant pump to the engine may not be available in some engine designs.tooo5~ When such packaging problems exist, other designs of coolant pumps have been employed. In particular, in the past a coolant pump has been employed wherein the pump housing has been made smaller by removing the volutes from the housing and designing the impeller shaft and impeller such that the impeller extends into the water jacket of the engine when the pump is mounted to the engine. While such a design does deal with the problem of packaging, the resulting efficiency of the pump is very low, requiring relatively high input power from the engine to achieve adequate flow rates of coolant. With increased fuel costs and environmental concerns, such inefficient solutions are no longer generally acceptable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION~ooos~ It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel coolant pump which obviates or mitigates at least one problem of the prior art.
    ~oool~ According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pump for a working fluid, the pump comprising: a housing including a center passage; a working fluid inlet in fluid communication with the center passage; an impeller shaft extending through the center passage, the impeller shaft having a first end to receive a drive means and a second end to receive an impeller; a bearing acting between the impeller shaft and the housing to rotatably mount the impeller shaft in the center passage; a seal to prevent egress of working fluid from the housing adjacent the first end of the impeller shaft; an impeller mounted to the second end of the impeller shaft and rotating therewith, the impeller having a set of upstanding vanes extending radially outwardly and including at its periphery a lip inclined away from the second end of the impeller shaft; and a set of diffuser channels formed by a set of stator vanes on the housing extending radially from about the periphery of the impeller to an upstanding flange on the housing and the lip of the impeller, each diffuser channel including an axial outlet, generally parallel to the impeller shaft, at the periphery of the lip, the diffuser channels operating to direct working fluid pressurized by the operation of the impeller to exit the pump generally axially.~oooa~ Preferably, the bearing and the seal are located such that working fluid in the center passage can flood the bearing. Also preferably, the working fluid is coolant for an internal combustion engine.~ooos~ The present invention provides a pump, for coolant or other working fluids, which includes a series of diffuser channels formed between stator vanes on the pump housing and an outwardly inclined lip about the periphery of the impeller. The diffuser channels and the inclined lip serve to direct pressurized working fluid to exit the outlet of the pump in an axial direction, generally parallel to impeller shaft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS~oo~o~ Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pump in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the pump of Figure 1;Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the side and outlet of a housing of the pump of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the outlet of the housing of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a top view of an impeller for the pump of Figure 1; Figure 6 shows a side view of the impeller of Figure 5; and Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the side and outlet of the pump of Figure 1.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION[0011] A coolant pump in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally at 20 in Figures 1 and 2. Pump 20 comprises a housing 24, an impeller 28, an impeller shaft 32, an impeller shaft seal 36, an impeller shaft bearing 40 and, in this embodiment, a drive pulley 44.~00~2~ Impeller 28 is connected to one end of impeller shaft 32 which extends though a center passage 48, best seen in Figure 3, in housing 24. Drive pulley 44 is attached to the other end of impeller shaft 32 and impeller shaft bearing 40 engages a bearing mount surface (not shown) in center passage 48, while shaft seal 36 engages a seal mount (not shown) in center passage 48, to allow impeller shaft 32 and impeller 28 to rotate within housing 24 when drive pulley 44 is rotated by a belt or other drive means.~00~3~ Coolant in center passage 48 can flood impeller shaft seal 36, for lubrication and cooling purposes, but is prevented from leaking from center passage 48 to bearing 40 and out of housing 24.~00~4~ Housing 24 includes a laterally extending inlet 52 through which coolant is introduced to center passage 48 and thus to impeller 28. Inlet 52 can include optional features, such as a heater return fitting 54, etc., if desired.[0015) Housing 24 includes a flange 56 which surrounds impeller 28 and flange 56 is intended to engage the water jacket (not shown) of an engine to be cooled. As best seen in Figure 4, housing includes a set of stator vanes 60 which extend between the outlet end of center passage 48 and the inner surface of flange 56. While the illustrated embodiment shows sixteen vanes 60, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that more, or as few a one, vane 60 can be employed, depending upon the particular coolant, the operating speed of impeller 28, the diameter of impeller 28, etc.[0018] AS best seen in Figures 5 and 6, impeller 28 includes a set of impeller vanes 64 and an outer peripheral lip 68 which is inclined away from the plane of impeller vanes 64.Again, while the illustrated embodiment shows nine vanes 64, it should be apparent to those of skill in the art that the present invention is not so limited and greater or fewer numbers of vanes 64 can be employed as required by the particular coolant, the operating speed of impeller 28, the diameter of impeller 28, etc.(00~7~ When pump 20 is assembled, as shown in Figure 7, a small end clearance, on the order of one millimeter in a present embodiment of the invention, is provided between the adjacent outer ends of impeller vanes 64 and the inner ends of stator vanes 60. There is also a small clearance, on the order of a millimeter in a present embodiment of the invention, between lip 68 and the tops of stator vanes 60, to define a set of diffuser channels extending radially from the periphery of impeller vanes 64 towards flange 56.(oo~s~ As should now be apparent to those of skill in the art, in operation of pump 20, drive pulley 44 is rotated, rotating impeller 28. Coolant is introduced to pump 20 via inlet 52 and the coolant travels through center passage 48 to impeller 28, with some coolant preferably flooding impeller shaft seal 36. At impeller 28, coolant is forced radially outward from impeller 28, into diffuser channels, formed between stator vanes 60 and lip 68, by impeller vanes 64.(oo~s~ As the coolant approaches the radially outer ends of the diffuser channels, the cross sectional area of the channels increases, slowing the coolant and increasing its pressure. The interaction of the inner peripheral surface of flange 56 and inclined lip 68 of impeller 28 then directs the pressurized coolant in an axial direction, generally parallel to impeller shaft 32, and into the water jacket of the engine being supplied with coolant.(0020 While the illustrated embodiment shows stators vanes 60 extending perpendicularly from a planar surface of housing 24, it is contemplated that in some circumstances this surface can instead be concave such that the depth (the distance from this surface to the top of vanes 60) of the diffuser channels decreases along the channels toward flange 56. By reducing the depth of the diffuser channels, it is contemplated that coolant will be further directed axially from pump 20.(002~~ It is also contemplated that, under some circumstances, it may be desired to shape flange 56 to optimize the direction and/or volume flow of coolant from pump 20. For example, flange 56 may extend from housing 24 to a larger extent over a portion of its perimeter than over the balance of its perimeter to maintain the axial nature of the flow of coolant from pump 20 adjacent the extended portion. This can be used to direct or inhibit the flow of coolant to particular locations within the water jacket of the engine.(0022 In addition to the smaller packaging required for pump 20 compared to designs with pump volutes, the present invention provides additional advantages. In particular, center passage 48 is relatively long, between inlet 52 and impeller 28, and this length reduces turbulent flow of coolant before reaching impeller 28 which, in turn, reduces the chance of cavitation at impeller 28. If required or desired, center passage 48 can be equipped with features, such as directional fins, to further reduce turbulence and the chance of cavitation occurring at impeller 28. Further, the distance along center passage 48 between the point where inlet 52 connects to center passage 48 and impeller 28 provides sufficient space to allow the fluid connection between inlet 52 and center passage 48 to be optimized, if required, to reduce the pressure drop which would other wise occur as coolant travels from inlet 52 into center passage 48.X0023) While the description above refers to coolant, the present invention is not intended to be limited to pumps wherein the working fluid is a coolant and the present invention can be employed with a variety of working fluids for a variety of purposes, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art.~0024~ The present invention provides a pump, for coolant or other working fluids, which can require less mounting area than prior art pumps by removing the need for pump volutes.The pump includes a series of diffuser channels formed between stator vanes on the pump housing and an outwardly inclined lip about the periphery of the impeller. The diffuser channels and the inclined lip serve to direct pressurized working fluid to exit the outlet of the pump in an axial direction, generally parallel to impeller shaft. The relatively long center passage through the pump housing, through which the working fluid is supplied from the inlet to the impeller, reduces turbulence in the working fluid before it reaches the impeller, reducing the chances of cavitation occurring at the impeller.~0025~ The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples of the present invention and alterations and modifications may be effected thereto, by those of skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
    权利要求:
    Claims (6)
    [1] 1. A pump for a working fluid, the pump comprising:a housing including a center passage;a working fluid inlet in fluid communication with the center passage;an impeller shaft extending through the center passage, the impeller shaft having a first end to receive a drive means and a second end to receive an impeller;a bearing acting between the impeller shaft and the housing to rotatably mount the impeller shaft in the center passage;a seal to prevent egress of working fluid from the housing adjacent the first end of the impeller shaft;an impeller mounted to the second end of the impeller shaft and rotating therewith, the impeller having a set of upstanding vanes extending radially outwardly and including at its periphery a lip inclined away from the second end of the impeller shaft; and a set of diffuser channels formed by a set of stator vanes on the housing extending radially from about the periphery of the impeller to an upstanding flange on the housing and the lip of the impeller, each diffuser channel including an axial outlet, generally parallel to the impeller shaft, at the periphery of the lip, the diffuser channels operating to direct working fluid pressurized by the operation of the impeller to exit the pump generally axially.
    [2] 2. The pump of claim 1 wherein the bearing and the seal are located such that working fluid in the center passage can flood the seal.
    [3] 3. The pump of claim 1 wherein the drive means is a pulley.
    [4] 4. The pump of claim 1 wherein the working fluid is coolant fluid for an internal combustion engine.
    [5] 5. The pump of claim 4 wherein the flange on the housing extends into the water jacket of the internal combustion engine.
    [6] 6. The pump of claim 1 wherein the center passage includes directional fins to reduce turbulence in the working fluid prior to the working fluid reaching the impeller.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    CA2549665C|2014-06-03|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    法律状态:
    2011-05-10| EEER| Examination request|
    2019-07-18| MKLA| Lapsed|Effective date: 20190606 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US68865205P| true| 2005-06-08|2005-06-08||
    US60/688,652||2005-06-08||
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