This non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) from Patent Application No. 201610211750.2 filed in The People's Republic of China on Apr. 6, 2016.
The present invention relates to a pump device.
When a pump device is in operation, a rotor of the pump rotates in a fluid. The fluid can cool the rotor and can lubricate the rotor as well. However, there are usually impurity particles in the fluid, and if these impurity particles stay in a rotor chamber, they may easily cause damage to the rotor, or even lead to blockage, thereby shortening the service life of the pump device.
Thus, there is a desire for a pump device having extended service life.
A pump device is provided which may include a casing, an impeller, a base, and a motor for driving the impeller to rotate. The casing includes a pump chamber, and an inlet and an outlet in communication with the pump chamber. The impeller is accommodated in the pump chamber. The motor is connected to the casing and includes a rotor chamber for receiving a rotor. The base is disposed between the impeller and the motor. The base is provided with an accommodating groove and an inlet port defined in the accommodating groove in communication with the rotor chamber to allow fluid in the pump chamber to enter into the rotor chamber.
Preferably, a flange protrudes from one side of the base away from the motor, the flange surrounds the impeller, and the accommodating groove is defined in the flange.
Preferably, a cover part is formed on a sidewall of the pump chamber, the cover part covers the accommodating groove, the inlet port is defined in a sidewall of the accommodating groove adjacent the impeller, allowing the fluid to enter into the accommodating groove through the inlet port.
Preferably, the inlet port is defined in a top surface of the sidewall of the accommodating groove adjacent the impeller, and a gap is defined between a bottom side of the inlet port and the cover part.
Preferably, the gap has a size less than 1 mm, or less than or equal to 0.5 mm and greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, or less than or equal to 0.3 mm.
Preferably, the base includes a base body and a first fitting portion protruding from a side of the base body away from the impeller, the first fitting portion is accommodated in the rotor chamber, and a gap is defined between the first fitting portion and a sidewall of the rotor chamber, to allow the fluid to enter into the rotor chamber.
Preferably, a flow inlet is defined in an end of the sidewall of the rotor chamber adjacent the impeller, the gap is defined between the first fitting portion and a bottom portion of the flow inlet.
Preferably, a step is formed on the sidewall of the rotor chamber adjacent the first fitting portion and below the flow inlet, the first fitting portion includes a lateral side surface facing the sidewall of the rotor chamber, an end surface facing the step, and a connecting surface connected between the lateral side surface and the end surface, the gap comprises a first gap defined between the first fitting portion and the bottom portion of the flow inlet, and a second gap is defined between the end surface and the step.
Preferably, a bottom portion of the flow inlet is adjacent the lateral side surface of the first fitting portion and connected to the step, and the first gap is defined between the bottom portion of the flow inlet and the first fitting portion.
Preferably, the first gap between the bottom portion of the flow inlet and the first fitting portion has a minimum size less than 1 mm, or less than or equal to 0.5 mm and greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, or less than or equal to 0.3 mm.
Preferably, an annular groove is defined in the sidewall of the rotor chamber above the step, an annular protrusion is formed on the lateral side surface of the first fitting portion and engages in the groove, the flow inlet extends through the groove and communicates with the rotor chamber.
Preferably, the motor comprises a rotor housing, the rotor housing includes a base member and an accommodating portion provided at the base member, the base member is connected to the casing and a stator of the motor, the rotor chamber is defined by a hollow portion of the accommodating portion, the base member concaves around the rotor chamber to form a receiving groove, the flow inlet is in communication with the receiving groove.
Preferably, the base further includes a second fitting portion protruding from the base body, and the second fitting portion is disposed away from the impeller and is accommodated in the receiving groove and engages with a sidewall of the receiving groove away from the rotor chamber.
Preferably, the base further includes a plurality of stopping portions formed on the base body, each of the stopping portions is connected between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion, the stopping portions are accommodated in the receiving groove such that cavities are defined between the stopping portions.
Preferably, the pump device further includes a heating assembly disposed in the casing for heating fluid.
A pump device is provided which may include a casing, an impeller, a motor and a base. The casing includes an inlet and an outlet. The impeller is accommodated in the casing. The motor includes a stator, a rotor housing connected to stator and the casing, and a rotor connected to the impeller. The rotor housing includes a rotor chamber for receiving the rotor. The base is disposed between the impeller and the rotor housing. The base defines an inlet port to allow fluid in the pump chamber to enter into the rotor housing, and a gap is defined in the rotor housing, or the base, or between the rotor housing and the base, to allow the fluid in the rotor housing to enter into the rotor chamber.
Preferably, the base is provided with an accommodating groove for receiving the fluid, and the inlet port is defined in a sidewall of the accommodating groove.
Preferably, the rotor housing defines a receiving groove around the rotor chamber for receiving the fluid, the base comprises a first fitting portion accommodated in the rotor chamber, and the gap is defined between the first fitting portion and the rotor chamber, for allowing the fluid in the receiving groove to enter into the rotor chamber.
Preferably, a sidewall of the rotor chamber defines a flow inlet in communication with the receiving groove, the gap is defined between the first fitting portion and a bottom portion of the flow inlet.
Preferably, the inlet port and the gap each has a size less than 1 mm, or less than or equal to 0.5 mm and greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, or less than or equal to 0.3 mm.
In the pump device provided in the present invention, precipitation has been performed to the fluid in the accommodating groove before the fluid enters into the rotor chamber. Therefore, the impurity particles can be prevented from entering into the rotor chamber, and hence the rotor and the like can be protected from being damaged, thereby prolonging the service life of the pump device.
The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the embodiments as described below are merely part of, rather than all, embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, any other embodiment obtained by a person skilled in the art without paying any creative effort shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
It is noted that, when a component is described to be “connected” to another component, it can be directly connected to the another component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is described to be “disposed” on another component, it can be directly disposed on the another component or there may be an intermediate component. The term “housing” or similar expressions are for the purposes of illustration only.
Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms have the ordinary meaning as commonly understood by people skilled in the art. The terms used in this disclosure are illustrative rather than limiting. The term “and/or” used in this disclosure means that each and every combination of one or more associated items listed are included.
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In this embodiment, the casing 20 is of a volute shape, and includes a pump chamber 21, and an inlet 23 and an outlet 25 in communication with the pump chamber 21. In the present embodiment, the inlet 23 is disposed in a top wall of the pump chamber 21, and the outlet 25 is disposed in a lateral side of the pump chamber 21. A cover part 27 protrudes from an inner side surface of the pump chamber 21 adjacent the outlet 25.
The impeller 30 is accommodated in the pump chamber 21 adjacent the cover part 27, and includes a bottom plate 31, a plurality of vanes 33 and a connecting shaft 35. The bottom plate 31 includes a first installation surface 311 and an opposite second installation surface 313. The first installation surface 311 is oriented towards the inlet 23. The vanes 33 are disposed on the first installation surface 311 at intervals. The connecting shaft 35 protrudes from the second installation surface 313, for being non-rotatably connected with the motor 70.
The base 50 is accommodated in the pump chamber 21, and the impeller 30 is accommodated in the base 50. In the present embodiment, the base 50 includes a base body 51, a flange 53, a first bearing seat 55, a first fitting portion 57, a second fitting portion 58, and a plurality of stopping portions 59. The connecting shaft 35 extends through the base body 51. Referring to
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In assembly, the stator 73 is fixed to the motor housing 71, and one bearing 78 is installed and accommodated in the second bearing seat 7528. The rotor 77 is placed in the rotor chamber 754. The rotor housing 75 together with the rotor 77 is placed in the stator 73. One end of the rotor housing 75 is fixedly connected to the motor housing 71, and the other bearing 78 is installed and accommodated in the first bearing seat 55. The impeller 30 is accommodated in the base 50. One end of the output shaft 773, which extends out of the rotor housing 75, is extended through the first bearing seat 55 of the base 50 and is non-rotatably connected to the impeller 30. The heating assembly 80 and the pipe 91 are received in the pump chamber 21, with one end of the pipe 91 away from the impeller 30 extending out of the inlet 23. The casing 20 is placed to cover on the base 50 and the impeller 30, and the casing 20 is fixedly connected to the motor 70.
In use, the rotor 77 of the motor 70 rotates relative to the stator 73, and the output shaft 773 drives the impeller 30 to rotate. The fluid enters into the pump chamber 21 through the pipe 91 and the impeller 30. The fluid is heated by the heating assembly 80, and most of the fluid is exhausted out of the pump device 100 through the outlet 25. Another part of the fluid enters into the accommodating groove 531 through the inlet port 535, then enters into the receiving groove 755 through the through hole 537, and then enters into the rotor chamber 754 through the flow inlet 757, the first gap 577 and the second gap 579, thereby achieving the functions of cooling and lubricating.
In the pump device 100 provided in the present disclosure, the fluid flows through the inlet port 535 and the first gap 577, each of which has a limited size, and the fluid may stay in the accommodating groove 531 and the receiving groove 755. Therefore, multi-stage filtration and precipitation has been performed to the fluid before the fluid enters into the rotor chamber 754, thereby preventing the impurity particles from entering into the rotor chamber 754 to damage the rotor 77, the bearings 78 and the like, and hence prolonging the service life of the pump device 100 and reducing the noise of the pump device 100. Further, due to the presence of the accommodating groove 531 and the cavities formed between the stopping portions 59 of the base 50, the fluid can stay in the accommodating groove 531 and one of the cavities communicating with the through hole 537 and the flow inlet 757 before entering into the rotor chamber 754, thereby allowing the fluid to stay in the accommodating groove 531 and the receiving groove 755 for precipitation and hence further reducing the impurity particles which enter into the rotor chamber 754.
It should be understood that, the heating assembly 80 may be omitted from the pump device 100, i.e., the pump device 100 does not have the heating function. The pump device 100 is not limited to be used in the dishwasher and, instead, it may be used in other equipment.
It should be understood that, in other embodiments, the accommodating groove 531 in the base 50 may be formed in the base body 51 by concaving the base body 51, and the fluid may flow into the rotor chamber 754 through the through hole 537.
In the embodiment, the first gap 577 is defined between the connecting surface 573 and the corner of the bottom portion 758, the connecting surface 573 is slanted, and a corner of the bottom portion 758 of the flow inlet 757 facing the connecting surface 573 is arcuate. It should be understood that, in other embodiments, the first gap may be directly formed between the lateral side surface 571 and the sidewall of the rotor chamber 754, and in further other embodiments, at least one of the connecting surface 573 and a corner of the bottom portion 758 of the flow inlet 757 facing the connecting surface 573 is slanted or arcuate.
Although the invention is described with reference to one or more embodiments, the above description of the embodiments is used only to enable people skilled in the art to practice or use the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The embodiments illustrated herein should not be interpreted as limits to the present invention, and the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the claims that follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016 1 0211750 | Apr 2016 | CN | national |
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20170292521 A1 | Oct 2017 | US |