Claims
- 1. A pump assembly comprising:
- a motor including an output shaft:
- a housing mounted on said motor and receiving said shaft therein; said housing including an open rear end adjacent said motor and an open opposite front end;
- a cylindrical member disposed within said housing and including an inner circumferential wall, an open front end including a circumferential rim and an open opposite rear end including a circumferential rim, a first closure member overlying said front end of said cylindrical member, a second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member;
- a cylindrical hub having an outer circumference disposed within said cylindrical member and eccentrically mounted on said output shaft and rotatable therewith;
- a plurality of vanes disposed about said outer circumference of said hub, said vanes being radially displaceable with respect to said cylindrical hub and in a direction toward said inner circumferential wall of said cylindrical member upon rotation of said cylindrical hub whereby ambient fluid is drawn into said cylindrical member, compressed and exhausted from said cylindrical member;
- a cap member covering said front end of said housing and capturing said cylindrical member within said housing, said cap member and said first closure member including first respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of ambient fluid into said cylindrical member and second respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of compressed fluid from said cylindrical member to a location outside said cap member; and
- resilient means disposed between said rear end of said housing and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member and providing a biasing force which urges said second closure member into a selective sealing relationship of said second closure member with said circumferential rim of said rear end of said cylindrical member, said selective sealing relationship being a function of said biasing force asserted by said resilient means.
- 2. The pump assembly of claim 1 wherein said biasing force is further transmitted through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said selective sealing relationship being a function of the biasing force asserted by said resilient means.
- 3. The pump assembly of claim 2 wherein said resilient means is a Belleville washer.
- 4. The pump assembly of claim 2 wherein said resilient means is a washer having a plurality of radially oriented flutes.
- 5. The pump assembly of claim 1 wherein said rear end of said housing defines a rear end wall and said resilient means is disposed between said rear end wall and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member.
- 6. The pump assembly of claim 5 wherein said biasing force is further transmitted through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said selective sealing relationship being a function of the biasing force asserted by said resilient means.
- 7. The pump assembly of claim 6 wherein said resilient means is a Belleville washer.
- 8. The pump assembly of claim 6 wherein said resilient means is a washer having a plurality of radially oriented flutes.
- 9. The pump assembly of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical member and said second closure member are integrally formed.
- 10. The pump assembly of claim 9 wherein said rear end of said housing defines a rear end wall and said resilient means is disposed between said rear end wall and said second closure member integrally formed with said rear end of said cylindrical member.
- 11. The pump assembly of claim 10 wherein said biasing force is further transmitted through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said selective sealing relationship being a function of the biasing force asserted by said resilient means.
- 12. The pump assembly of claim 11 wherein said resilient means is a Belleville washer.
- 13. The pump assembly of claim 11 wherein said resilient means is a washer having a plurality of radially oriented flutes.
- 14. A pump assembly comprising:
- a motor including an output shaft:
- a housing mounted on said motor and receiving said shaft therein; said housing including a rear end wall adjacent said motor and an open opposite front end;
- a cylindrical member disposed within said housing and including an inner circumferential wall, an open front end including a circumferential rim and an open opposite rear end including a circumferential rim, a first closure member overlying said front end of said cylindrical member, a second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member and said second closure member being integrally formed;
- a cylindrical hub having an outer circumference disposed within said cylindrical member and eccentrically mounted on said output shaft and rotatable therewith;
- a plurality of vanes disposed about said outer circumference of said hub, said vanes being radially displaceable with respect to said cylindrical hub and in a direction toward said inner circumferential wall of said cylindrical member upon rotation of said cylindrical hub whereby ambient fluid is drawn into said cylindrical member, compressed and exhausted from said cylindrical member;
- a cap member covering said front end of said housing and capturing said cylindrical member within said housing, said cap member and said first closure member including first respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of ambient fluid into said cylindrical member and second respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of compressed fluid from said cylindrical member to a location outside said cap member; and
- a Belleville washer disposed between said rear end wall of said housing and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member and providing a biasing force which urges said second closure member into a selective sealing relationship of said second closure member with said circumferential rim of said rear end of said cylindrical member and through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said selective sealing relationship between each said first and said second closure member and said cylindrical member being a function of said biasing force asserted by said Belleville washer.
- 15. A pump assembly comprising:
- a motor including an output shaft:
- a housing mounted on said motor and receiving said shaft therein; said housing including a rear end wall adjacent said motor and an open opposite front end;
- a cylindrical member disposed within said housing and including an inner circumferential wall, an open front end including a circumferential rim and an open opposite rear end including a circumferential rim, a first closure member overlying said front end of said cylindrical member, a second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member and said second closure member being integrally formed;
- a cylindrical hub having an outer circumference disposed within said cylindrical member and eccentrically mounted on said output shaft and rotatable therewith;
- a plurality of vanes disposed about said outer circumference of said hub, said vanes being radially displaceable with respect to said cylindrical hub and in a direction toward said inner circumferential wall of said cylindrical member upon rotation of said cylindrical hub whereby ambient fluid is drawn into said cylindrical member, compressed and exhausted from said cylindrical member;
- a cap member covering said front end of said housing and capturing said cylindrical member within said housing, said cap member and said first closure member including first respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of ambient fluid into said cylindrical member and second respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of compressed fluid from said cylindrical member to a location outside said cap member; and
- a fluted washer disposed between said rear end wall of said housing and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member and providing a biasing force which urges said second closure member into selective a sealing relationship of said second closure member with said circumferential rim of said rear end of said cylindrical member and through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said fluted washer having a plurality of radially oriented flutes, said selective sealing relationship between each said first and said second closure member and said cylindrical member being a function of said biasing force asserted by said fluted washer.
- 16. In a pump assembly comprising a cylindrical member having at least one open end defining a circumferential rim and a planar member overlying said open end and in engagement with said rim and a vane-bearing hub rotatably mounted within the cylindrical member for pulling fluid into the cylindrical member, compressing the fluid and expelling the fluid at a pressure greater than the pressure of the fluid entering the cylindrical member, an improvement defining an improved vane pump, said improvement comprising:
- a resilient means disposed within the pump assembly and urging the planar member into sealing engagement with the rim, wherein the degree of sealing established between the planar member and the rim is a function of the degree of force developed by said resilient means and is substantially equal to the force required to permit the pump to develop a preselected maximum pressure output therefrom without halting the rotation of the hub.
- 17. A method for establishing and maintaining constant fluid pressure in a fluid receptacle, the method comprising:
- providing a vane pump having a motor including an output shaft, a housing mounted on said motor and receiving said shaft therein, said housing including an open rear end adjacent said motor and an open opposite front end, a cylindrical member disposed within said housing and including an inner circumferential wall, an open front end defining a circumferential rim and an open opposite rear end defining a circumferential rim, a first closure member overlying said front end of said cylindrical member, a second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member and said second closure member being integrally formed, a cylindrical hub having an outer circumference disposed within said cylindrical member and eccentrically mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a plurality of vanes disposed about said outer circumference of said cylindrical hub, said vanes being radially displaceable with respect to said cylindrical hub and in a direction toward said inner circumferential wall of said cylindrical member upon rotation of said cylindrical hub, a cap member covering said front end of said housing and capturing said cylindrical member within said housing, said cap member and said first closure member including first respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of fluid into said cylindrical member and second respective openings therethrough for enabling the flow of fluid from said cylindrical member;
- positioning a resilient means between said rear end of said housing and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member to provide a biasing force which urges said second closure member into a selective sealing relationship of said second closure member with said circumferential rim of said rear end of said cylindrical member, said resilient means being interchangeable to enable variation in the amount of said biasing force provided and fluid pressure maintained in the fluid receptacle by said pump, said selective sealing relationship between each said first and said second closure member and said cylindrical member being a function of said biasing force asserted by said resilient means; and
- actuating said vane pump to create a rotational force which is imparted to said output shaft and translated to said cylindrical hub to produce a centrifugal force that radially displaces said plurality of vanes within said cylindrical member, said eccentric disposition of said cylindrical hub on said output shaft enabling radial displacement of said plurality of vanes on said hub to create a variable pressure gradient whereby ambient fluid is drawn into said cylindrical member through said first respective openings, compressed and exhausted through said second respective openings into the fluid receptacle, said resilient means flexibly accommodating for excesses in fluid pressure above a preselected maximum pressure within the fluid receptacle and in heat generated through operation of said vane pump.
- 18. The method of claim 17 wherein said rear end of said housing defines a rear end wall and said resilient means is disposed between said rear end wall and said second closure member overlying said rear end of said cylindrical member.
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said biasing force is further transmitted through said cylindrical member to said cap member to establish a selective sealing relationship between said circumferential rim of said front end of said cylindrical member and said cap member, said selective sealing relationship being a function of the biasing force asserted by said resilient means.
- 20. The method of claim 18 wherein said resilient means is a Belleville washer.
- 21. The method of claim 18 wherein said resilient means is a washer having a plurality of radially oriented flutes.
Parent Case Info
This application in part discloses and claims subject matter disclosed in my earlier filed pending application, Ser. No. 08/858,521, filed on May 19, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (8)