Vane pump featuring fluid lubrication for an impeller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12577949-B2
Application number	US-202418737957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2024
Priority date	Jun 9, 2023
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

A vane pump includes: a housing with a first end-facing wall and a second end-facing wall which delineate a delivery chamber on one end-facing side each, and with a circumferential wall which extends around the delivery chamber; a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis in the delivery chamber and which forms a first axial gap with the first end-facing wall and a second axial gap with the second end-facing wall; multiple vanes which can be moved back and forth in guide slots of the rotor, wherein the guide slots have sub-vane regions which are connected to the high-pressure side of the delivery chamber in order to apply pressure to the underside of the respective vanes; and a collecting structure for collecting fluid via the first axial gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A vane pump for supplying an assembly with a fluid, the vane pump comprising:
a pump housing having a first end-facing wall and a second end-facing wall which delineate a delivery chamber of the vane pump on one end-facing side each, and a circumferential wall which extends around the delivery chamber; an inlet for the fluid on a low-pressure side of the delivery chamber and an outlet for the fluid on a high-pressure side of the delivery chamber; a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis in the delivery chamber, and which forms a first axial gap with the first end-facing wall of the housing on a first end-facing side and a second axial gap with the second end-facing wall of the housing on the other, second end-facing side; multiple vanes which can be moved back and forth in guide slots of the rotor, wherein the guide slots have radially inner sub-vane regions which are connected to the high-pressure side of the delivery chamber at least when the vanes are passing through the high-pressure side, in order to apply pressure to the underside of the respective vanes; and a collecting structure which extends around the rotational axis in the first axial gap in order to collect fluid which enters the collecting structure via the first axial gap, wherein the collecting structure comprises one or more recesses formed on the first end-facing wall of the housing and/or the first end-facing side of the rotor, radially between the rotational axis and the sub-vane regions, and the first axial gap forms an outer sealing gap, radially between the sub-vane regions and the collecting structure, which continuously encircles the rotational axis without interruption.

2 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the first axial gap forms an inner sealing gap, circumferentially and continuously around the rotational axis without interruption, which the collecting structure surrounds.

3 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting structure is a blind groove.

4 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting structure is fluidically isolated such that fluid can only enter the collecting structure via leakage.

5 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing gap and/or the inner sealing gap, if provided, fluidically separates the collecting structure from the high-pressure side and/or the low-pressure side of the vane pump, such that fluid can only enter and/or exit the collecting structure due to leakage via the respective sealing gap.

6 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting structure is continuously circumferential.

7 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing gap has an axial width W 1a and/or the inner sealing gap, if provided, has an axial width W 1b , the collecting structure has a maximum axial depth T, and one or more of the following relationships is/are met:

T
≥

5
×

W

1
⁢
a

⁢

or
⁢

T

≥

10
×

W

1
⁢
a

⁢

or
⁢

T

≥

20
×

W

1
⁢
a

and
/
or

T
≥

5
×

W

1
⁢
b

⁢

or
⁢

T

≥

10
×

W

1
⁢
b

⁢

or
⁢

T

≥

20
×

W

1
⁢
b

.

8 . The vane pump according to claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing gap has a radial width B 1a and/or the inner sealing gap, if provided, has a radial width B 1b , the collecting structure has a maximum axial depth T, and one or more of the following relationships is/are met:

B

1
⁢
a

≥

T
⁢

or
⁢

B

1
⁢
a

≥

2
×
T
⁢

or
⁢

B

1
⁢
a

≥

3
×
T

and
/
or

B

1
⁢
b

≥

T
⁢

or
⁢

B

1
⁢
b

≥

2
×
T
⁢

or
⁢

B

1
⁢
b

Assignees

• Shw Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Welte Claus
• Preisler Lothar
• Schwarz Michael

Classifications

• F04C15/0088

  Lubrication (of machines or engines in general F01M) · CPC title

• F01C21/0863

  the fluid being the working fluid · CPC title

• F01C21/108

  with an axial surface, e.g. side plates · CPC title

• F04C29/021

  Control systems for the circulation of the lubricant · CPC title

• F04C29/02

  Lubrication (of machines or engines in general F01M); Lubricant separation (separation in general B01D) · CPC title