Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps – With means for re-entry of working fluid to blade set – Turbine regenerative pump
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-30
2004-07-27
Look, Edward K. (Department: 3745)
Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps
With means for re-entry of working fluid to blade set
Turbine regenerative pump
C416S228000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06767179
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-232739 filed on Jul. 31, 2001, No. 2001-232746 filed on Jul. 31, 2001, No. 2002-73105 filed on Mar. 15, 2002 and No. 2002-128085 filed on Apr. 30, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an impeller for feeding fuel under pressure from the interior of a fuel tank to fuel injection system in a vehicle, as well as a turbine type fuel pump which includes the impeller.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle such as an automobile there sometimes is used a turbine type fuel pump for feeding fuel under pressure from the interior of a fuel tank to a fuel injection system. The turbine type fuel pump (also called “Wesco pump”) usually includes an impeller of a disc shape having on its outer periphery surface a plurality of blades and blade grooves, a pump housing which houses the impeller therein rotatably, the pump housing having a C-shaped pump channel communicating with the blade grooves, and a motor for driving the impeller.
The fuel pump is required to exhibit a high pump efficiency. For satisfying this requirement it is necessary that {circle around (1)} fuel should flow smoothly from the pump channel into the blade grooves of the impeller and flow out smoothly from the blade grooves to the pump channel, {circle around (2)} there should occur neither stagnation nor collision between fuel flowing out from one-side blade grooves and fuel flowing out from opposite-side blade grooves, {circle around (3)} a larger amount of fuel should rotate within the blade grooves and side grooves, {circle around (4)} pulsation of fuel should not occur at terminal end portions of the side grooves, and {circle around (5)} characteristics (shape and size) of the blade grooves should be capable of being determined while coming to attach importance to the increase of the pressure of fuel.
For the purpose of improving the pump efficiency, a fuel pump disclosed in JP-A No. Hei6-272685 (first conventional example) includes an impeller wherein front wall surfaces of blade grooves in a rotational direction are inclined. As shown in
FIGS. 25 and 26
, blades
304
and blade grooves
306
are formed alternately in a circumferential direction on both sides of a partition wall
302
of an impeller
300
, and a C-shaped pump channel
312
which includes a pair of side grooves
311
is formed in a pump housing
310
. The impeller
300
is adapted to rotate in x direction within the pump housing
310
.
Front wall surfaces
307
of the blade grooves
306
are inclined to a side (rear side) opposite to the rotational direction x with respect to a plane P which is perpendicular to a side face
301
of the impeller
300
, whereby it is intended to cause vortex flows to flow smoothly near the front wall surfaces
307
, eliminate the occurrence of a negative pressure thereabouts and thereby prevent the occurrence of a turbulent flow.
In a fuel pump disclosed in JP-A No. Hei 6-272685 (second conventional example), as shown in
FIG. 27
, blades
321
and blade grooves
322
are formed alternately on both sides of a partition wall
323
of an impeller
320
. An outside diameter of an outer periphery surface
323
a
of the partition wall
323
is equal to an outside diameter of an outer periphery surface
321
a
of each blade
321
. A pump housing
325
has a C-shaped pump channel, the pump channel comprising right and left side grooves
326
and a communicating groove
327
for communication between both side grooves.
As indicated with arrows, fuel enters the inner periphery side of blade grooves
322
from the side grooves
326
, then flows radially outwards through the blade grooves
322
while being guided by both side faces
323
b
of the partition wall
323
under the action of a centrifugal force based on rotation of the impeller
320
, whereby the fuel pressure is increased. The fuel thus increased its pressure then flows out to the communicating groove
327
and side grooves
326
from the outer periphery side of the blade grooves
322
and again enters blade grooves
322
located on the back side.
In a fuel pump shown in
FIG. 28
(third conventional example), an outside diameter of an outer periphery surface
343
a
of a partition wall
343
in an impeller
340
is smaller than that of an outer periphery surface
341
a
of each blade
341
, and the width of the partition wall
343
is very small at the outer periphery surface
343
a
. As a result, right and left blade grooves
342
are communicated with each other through an annular space
344
formed on the outer periphery side of the partition wall
343
. A pump channel of a pump housing
345
comprises right and left side grooves
346
and a communicating path
347
which provides communication between both side grooves
346
.
Fuel which has entered the inner periphery side of blade grooves
342
from the side grooves
346
flows radially outwards through the blade grooves while being guided by both side faces
343
b
of the partition wall
343
under the action of a centrifugal force based on rotation of the impeller
340
, whereby its pressure is increased. The fuel thus increased its pressure flows out to the annular space
344
and the communicating path
347
from the outer periphery side of the blade grooves
342
and again enters blade grooves
342
located on the back side.
In a fuel pump shown in
FIG. 29
(fourth conventional example), the width of a guide surface
363
b
of a partition wall
363
in an impeller
360
i.e., the width of a bottom of each blade groove
362
, increases gradually at an outermost periphery portion, and an annular portion
368
is formed on an outer periphery side of the partition wall
363
and blades
361
. On the other hand, in a pump housing
365
is formed a C-shaped pump channel which includes right and left side grooves
366
and a communicating path
367
for communication between both side grooves
366
.
In impeller and housing disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2962828 (fifth conventional example), a communicating portion is not formed in the pump housing, but a communicating hole is formed in the impeller. More particularly, as shown in
FIGS. 30 and 31
, in one side face
401
on a discharge side of an impeller
400
and in an opposite side face
406
on a suction side of the impeller there are formed plural blade grooves
402
and
407
spacedly in a circumferential direction. Between adjacent blade grooves
402
and
407
are formed blades
403
and
408
, and an annular portion
411
is formed along an outer periphery edge of the impeller
400
.
The blade grooves
402
in one side face
401
and the blade grooves
407
in the opposite side face
406
have arc shaped bottoms
404
and
409
respectively. The groove bottoms
404
and
409
intersect each other at an axially intermediate portion, whereby a communicating hole
413
extending axially through the impeller from one side face
401
to the opposite side face
406
is formed radially outwards of the intersecting portion indicated at
405
. The blade grooves
402
and
407
are in communication with each other through the communicating hole
413
.
In
FIG. 30
, a housing
415
comprises a discharge-side housing
416
, a suction-side housing
421
, and an outer housing
426
. One side groove
417
is formed in an inner surface of the discharge-side housing
416
at a position close to the outer periphery side. The one side groove
417
extends in C shape from a start end portion up to a terminal end portion (neither shown) which is communicated with a fuel discharge port.
Likewise, an opposite side groove
422
is formed in an inner surface of the suction-side housing
421
at a position close to the outer periphery side. The opposite side groove
422
extends from a start end portion communicated with a fuel suction port up to a terminal end portion (neither shown). The outer housing
426
covers
Ito Motoya
Ito Yoshihiko
Iwanari Eiji
Kusagaya Katsuhiko
Maruyama Koji
Denso Corporation
McAleenan J. M
Nixon & Vanderhye PC
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