Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps – With separating means or guard for solid matter in working...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-08
2003-04-29
Look, Edward K. (Department: 3745)
Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps
With separating means or guard for solid matter in working...
C415S169100, C417S423900, C239S284100, C210S416100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554565
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-359414 filed on Nov. 27, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid pump device that suctions fluid through an inlet opening via a filter and then discharges it through an outlet opening.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 8
, one previously proposed fluid pump device installed, for example, in a windshield washer apparatus of a vehicle includes a housing
52
and a filter
53
. The housing
52
receives a motor
51
that rotates an impeller (not shown).
The filter
53
includes a pipe portion
54
, a flange portion
55
and a meshed portion
56
. The flange portion
55
is formed at a base end of the pipe portion
54
. The meshed portion
56
is formed at a distal end of the pipe portion
54
. The meshed portion
56
includes a meshed end wall portion
56
a
and a meshed peripheral wall portion
56
b.
The meshed end wall portion
56
a
has through holes penetrating therethrough in an axial direction of the pipe portion
54
. The meshed peripheral wall portion
56
b
has through holes penetrating therethrough in a radial direction of the pipe portion
54
.
The base end of the pipe portion
54
is received through an inlet opening
52
a
formed in the housing
52
, and the flange
55
engages with a peripheral area of the inlet opening
52
a
located around the inlet opening
52
a
to prevent detachment of the flange
55
from the housing
52
, so that the filter
53
is secured to the housing
52
. The pipe portion
54
receives a suction tube P therein. The suction tube P extends distally from a pump chamber
52
b
that receives the impeller (not shown) to a point adjacent the meshed portion
56
.
The fluid pump device is installed in the windshield washer apparatus in such a manner that a distal half of the pipe portion
54
is inserted inside of a tank
57
of the windshield washer apparatus. When the motor
51
is driven to rotate the undepicted impeller, washer fluid received in the tank
57
is suctioned into the pump chamber
52
b
through the filter
53
(meshed portion
56
) as well as through the suction tube P and is then discharged out of the pump chamber
52
b
through an outlet opening
52
c.
During this operation, the washer fluid from which debris and other undesirable foreign objects are removed through the meshed portion
56
is suctioned into the pump chamber
52
b.
Thus, the fluid pump device is protected from clogging with the debris and the other undesirable foreign objects suctioned therein.
However, the fluid pump device needs to suction the washer fluid received in the tank
57
through the elongated suction tube P (elongated pipe portion
54
), resulting in a disadvantageously low operating efficiency of the fluid pump device. Furthermore, the distal end of the filter
53
(pipe portion
54
) largely protrudes from the housing
52
, so that a size of the device becomes disadvantageously large in the direction of the protrusion. Furthermore, the meshed portion
56
includes the meshed end wall portion
56
a,
which has the through holes penetrating therethrough in the axial direction of the pipe portion
54
, and the meshed peripheral wall portion
56
b,
which has the through holes penetrating therethrough in the radial direction of the pipe portion
54
. Thus, it is difficult to mold the meshed portion
56
with molds, resulting in an increase in a manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the tube portion
54
of the filter
53
needs to be inserted in the inlet opening
52
a
of the tank
57
. Thus, even if the meshed portion
56
is not required (if removal of the debris and the other undesirable foreign objects from the washer fluid is not required), the expensive filter
53
that has the meshed portion
56
needs to be used, or alternatively a new tube component without the meshed portion
56
needs to be produced and installed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above disadvantages. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a fluid pump device that has a filter and is capable of achieving a higher operating efficiency, a reduced size and a lower manufacturing cost.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there is provided a fluid pump device that includes an impeller, a housing and a filter. The impeller creates a flow of fluid upon rotation of the impeller about its rotational axis. The housing receives the impeller therein and has an inlet opening, at least one housing side engaging portion and at least one housing side coupling portion. The inlet opening is formed at one axial end of the housing. The flow of the fluid moves into the housing through the inlet opening. The filter is secured to the housing and has a meshed portion, at least one filter side engaging portion and at least one filter side coupling portion. The meshed portion is communicated with the inlet opening of the housing to filter the fluid. The meshed portion substantially covers the inlet opening of the housing. The at least one filter side engaging portion is engaged with the at least one housing side engaging portion in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the impeller and also in a circumferential direction of the impeller by installing the filter to the housing in the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one filter side coupling portion is engaged with the at least one housing side coupling portion in the axial direction of the impeller by installing the filter to the housing in the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing upon engagement between the at least one filter side engaging portion and the at least one housing side engaging portion and also upon engagement between the at least one filter side coupling portion and the at least one housing side coupling portion.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there may be alternatively provided a fluid pump device that includes an impeller, a housing and a filter. The impeller creates a flow of fluid upon rotation of the impeller about its rotational axis. The housing receives the impeller therein and has an inlet opening, at least one housing side engaging portion and at least one housing side coupling portion. The inlet opening is formed at one axial end of the housing. The flow of the fluid moves into the housing through the inlet opening. The at least one housing side engaging portion is formed at the one axial end of the housing to extend in an axial direction of the impeller. The at least one housing side coupling portion is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the housing to extend in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing and has a meshed portion, at least one filter side engaging portion, at least one arm portion and at least one filter side coupling portion. The meshed portion is communicated with the inlet opening of the housing to filter the fluid. The meshed portion substantially covers the inlet opening of the housing. The at least one filter side engaging portion is engaged with the at least one housing side engaging portion in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one arm portion substantially, perpendicularly extends with respect to the meshed portion of the filter and is resiliently flexible in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the impeller. The at least one filter side coupling portion is provided to the at least one arm portion and is engaged with the at least one housing side coupling portion in the axial direction of the impeller. The filter is secured to the housing upon engagement between the at least one filter side engaging portion and the at least one housing slide engaging portion and also upon engagement between the at least one filter side coupling portion and the at least one housing side coupling portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4824021 (19
Harita Yasuhiro
Suzuki Akihiro
Asmo Co. Ltd.
Law Offices of David G. Posz
Look Edward K.
McAleenan James M
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