Inlet design for a pump assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568010-B2
Application number	US-201213363922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2012
Priority date	Feb 1, 2012
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

One embodiment includes an air pump assembly ( 10 ) with an impeller ( 12 ), a housing ( 16 ), and a diverter ( 18 ). The impeller ( 12 ) has an axis of rotation (R). The housing ( 16 ) surrounds the impeller ( 12 ) and has an inlet passage ( 42 ) with a longitudinal axis (L 1 ) arranged generally orthogonal to the axis of rotation (R) of the impeller ( 12 ). The diverter ( 18 ) helps reduce turbulent fluid-flow in the inlet passage ( 42 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A product comprising:
a regenerative air pump assembly comprising:
an impeller having an axial face, an axis of rotation, and a circumferential periphery;
a housing surrounding the impeller;
an inlet and an outlet passage formed in the housing for receiving and delivering a fluid, the inlet passage having a longitudinal axis arranged generally orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the impeller;
at least one primary passage being open to the impeller at the axial face of the impeller and extending between the inlet passage and the outlet passage and having a cross-section defined by the axial face of the impeller and a primary surface of the housing;
wherein the cross-section of the at least one primary passage is essentially the same from the inlet passage to the outlet passage; and
a diverter located at least adjacent the inlet passage, the diverter having a surface confronting the axial face of the impeller, confronting the circumferential periphery of the impeller, or confronting the axial face and the circumferential periphery of the impeller, wherein, during use of the air pump assembly, the diverter inhibits generation of turbulent flow between the incoming fluid flow and the impeller where the diverter surface confronts the impeller.

2. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air pump assembly comprises a motor connected to the impeller to rotate the impeller during use of the air pump assembly.

3. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a body piece and a cover piece that are attached together.

4. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the diverter confronts the circumferential periphery of the impeller and has an axial height dimension that is greater than approximately one-half an axial height dimension of the impeller at the circumferential periphery.

5. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the diverter confronts the circumferential periphery of the impeller and is spaced radially from the circumferential periphery by a distance that is less than a radial length dimension of the diverter.

6. A product as set forth in claim 5 wherein the distance of the radial space between the surface of the diverter and the circumferential periphery of the impeller is maintained generally constant from a first circumferential end of the diverter to a second circumferential end of the diverter.

7. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the diverter confronts the circumferential periphery of the impeller and has a circumferential width dimension that is greater than approximately one-half a diameter dimension of the inlet passage.

8. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the diverter confronts the circumferential periphery of the impeller and has an axial height dimension that is greater than an axial height dimension of an end of the diverter that is initially impinged by the incoming air flow flowing through the inlet passage.

9. A product as set forth in claim 8 wherein the diverter has a first face surface and a second face surface, the first and second face surfaces of the diverter diverging away from each other in a direction toward the surface of the diverter confronting the circumferential periphery of the impeller.

10. The product of claim 9 wherein the first and the second face surfaces of the diverter are concave.

11. The product of claim 9 , wherein the diverter further includes a first extension and a second extension, wherein the axial face includes a first axial face and a second axial face, and wherein the first extension faces a portion of the first axial face and the second extension faces a portion of the second axial face.

12. The product of claim 8 wherein the diverter is generally T-shaped.

13. A product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the diverter confronts the axial face of the impeller and confronts at least a portion of a radial extent of a plurality of vanes of the impeller.

14. The product of claim 1 wherein a greatest axial height of the diverter is less than half the axial height dimension of the impeller.

15. The product of claim 1 wherein the diverter comprises a first diverter and a second diverter, wherein the first diverter and the second diverter are separate components, wherein the axial face includes a first axial face and a second axial face, and wherein the first diverter confronts the first axial face and the second diverter confronts the second axial face.

16. The product of claim 1 further comprising a second axial face of the impeller, and wherein a second primary passage being open to the impeller at the second axial face extends between the inlet passage and the outlet passage.

17. A method comprising:
providing a regenerative air pump assembly comprising an impeller having an axial face, an axis of rotation, and a circumferential periphery; a housing surrounding the impeller, an inlet passage and an outlet passage formed in the housing for receiving and delivering a fluid, the inlet passage having a longitudinal axis arranged generally orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the impeller; at least one primary passage being open to the impeller at the axial face and extending between the inlet passage and the outlet passage and having a cross-section defined by the axial face of the impeller and a primary surface of the housing; wherein the cross-section of the at least one primary passage is essentially the same from the inlet passage to the outlet passage; and
diverting at least a portion of incoming fluid flow through the inlet passage directly into the at least one primary passage and away from the circumferential periphery of the impeller, away from the axial face of the impeller, or away from both the circumferential periphery and the axial face of the impeller.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising diverting at least a portion of incoming air flow via a diverter located at least partially within the inlet passage, the diverter having a greatest axial height dimension greater than approximately one-half an axial height dimension of the impeller at the circumferential periphery of the impeller.

19. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising diverting at least a portion of incoming air flow via a diverter located at least partially within the inlet passage, the diverter having a greatest circumferential width dimension greater than approximately one-half a diameter dimension of the inlet passage.

20. A product comprising:
a regenerative air pump assembly comprising:
an impeller having a plurality of vanes, a first axial face, a second axial face, and an axis of rotation, the plurality of vanes having a circumferential periphery;
a motor connected to the impeller to rotate the impeller during use of the air pump assembly;
a housing surrounding the impeller,
an inlet passage and an outlet passage formed in the housing for receiving and delivering a fluid, the inlet passage having a longitudinal axis arranged generally orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the impeller;
a first primary passage being open to the impeller at the first axial face and extending between the inlet passage and the outlet passage and having a first cross-section defined by the first axial face of the impeller and a first primary surface of the housing and;
a second primary passage being open to the impeller at the second axial face and extending between the inlet passage and the outlet passage and having a second cr

Assignees

• Adhvaryu Ketan G
• Busato Murray
• Keefover Robert D
• Chomicz Brian M
• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Adhvaryu Ketan G
• Busato Murray
• Keefover Robert D
• Chomicz Brian M

Classifications

• F04D29/701

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D23/008 Primary

  Regenerative pumps (for liquids or for liquids and elastic fluids F04D5/002) · CPC title

• F05D2250/51

  Inlet · CPC title

• F04D29/441

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D29/4213

  suction ports · CPC title