Heating circulating pump

• US 10,047,751 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grundfos Management A/S (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Original Assignee: Grundfos Management A/S (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Inventors: Hoj, Finn Mathiesen
• Primary Examiner(s): Plakkoottam, Dominick L
• Application Number:
  US14/004,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20140050603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/06 the pump being electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/0626 Details of the can
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/064 Details of the magnetic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/0686 Mechanical details of the pump control unit pump control F04D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/026 especially adapted for liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/426 especially adapted for liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5813 Cooling the control unit
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5893 heat insulation or conduction
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/20 essentially without removing material
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/232 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2300/43 Synthetic polymers, e.g. plastics; Rubber
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/40 Structural association with grounding devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2203/03 Machines characterised by the wiring boards, i.e. printed circuit boards or similar structures for connecting the winding terminations
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/10 with arrangements for protection from ingress, e.g. water or fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132

Abstract

A heating circulating pump includes a pump housing (1) containing a pump impeller driven by an electric motor. The stator thereof is arranged in a motor housing (8) connected to the pump housing (1). A terminal box (12) is arranged on the motor housing (8), for electrically connecting the motor winding and for receiving electrical and/or electronic components of the motor control system. The terminal box (12) includes at least two parts that are bonded to each other, and the terminal box (12) is designed such that it is sealed from the motor and from the surrounding environment.

Claims

1. A heating circulation pump comprising:

an electric motor with a motor winding and stator;

a pump housing;

a motor housing connected to the pump housing;

a pump impeller arranged in the pump housing and driven by the electric motor whose stator is arranged in the motor housing; and

a terminal box arranged on the motor housing, the terminal box being provided for the electric connection of the motor winding and for receiving electrical and/or electronic components of a motor control, the terminal box comprising at least two parts which are connected to one another with a material substance connection, and that the terminal box is designed in a sealingly closed manner to the motor and to the surroundings, said terminal box comprising a completely closed terminal box interior, a terminal box electrical contact and a terminal box snap connection interface, said completely closed terminal box interior being impermeable to fluid, said motor housing comprising a motor housing interior and a motor housing snap connection interface, each of said terminal box electrical contact, said terminal box snap connection interface and said motor housing snap connection interface being located at a position outside of said motor housing interior and said completely closed terminal box interior, said terminal box snap connection interface cooperating with said motor housing snap connection interface to mechanically connect said terminal box to said motor housing, said terminal box snap connection interface comprising connectors formed on an exterior wall of said terminal box.

2. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box is formed from at least said two parts which are formed of thermoplastic plastic and are sealingly and unreleasably connected to one another by way of welding.

3. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box comprises a container which is open at one side prior to being connected to the motor housing and which is closed by a cover.

4. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box is manufactured from plastic injection molded parts.

5. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box is arranged at the axial side of the motor housing which is away from the pump housing, said terminal box electrical contact defining at least a portion of a terminal box electrical contact interface, said motor housing comprising a motor housing electrical interface, said motor housing electrical interface cooperating with said terminal box electrical contact interface to electrically connect said motor control to said electric motor, said motor housing comprising a flange, said flange comprising an outer peripheral surface having a plurality of recesses, said motor housing snap interface comprising said recesses, wherein at least a portion of each of said connectors is arranged in one of said recesses.

6. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the motor is designed as a wet-running motor with a motor-side shaft end that is accessible via a closable housing opening of the motor housing and the terminal box is designed in an annular manner.

7. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein a terminal box base is closed and is arranged distanced to an axial end wall of the motor housing.

8. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein said terminal box electric contact and at least another terminal box electric contact are molded into a terminal box base and are formed into part of an electric plug-in connection and an electric plug counterpart is formed on the stator side for the electric connection to the motor winding.

9. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box electrical contact and at least another terminal box electrical contact are molded into a side wall of the terminal box and are formed into a part of a plug-in connection as a plug or as a socket.

10. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, further comprising:

connector elements, the motor housing being connected to the pump housing via at least the connector elements, the terminal box having an outer surface defining connector element recesses in corner regions of the terminal box, the recesses being arranged in a region of an axial extension of the connector elements, wherein the terminal box is fastened on the motor housing by way of at least one snap connection defined by the motor housing snap connection interface and the terminal box snap connection interface, the at least one snap connection comprising at least one snap projection, the at least one snap projection engaging over the motor housing in a radial and an axial manner, the motor housing comprising a flange, wherein flange recesses are provided in a region of the flange, into which the at least one snap projection engages, each snap projection being arranged on a respective tongue which extends from a radially protruding part of the terminal box in an axial direction along the motor housing and the radially protruding part is integrally formed on the terminal box on a side of the terminal box electrical contact.

11. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein a heat distributor is arranged on or in a terminal box wall at a side which does not face the motor housing.

12. A heating circulation pump according to claim 11, wherein the heat distributor consists of metal.

13. A heating circulation pump according to claim 11, wherein the heat distributor consists of a thermally conductive plastic and is manufactured with the two-component injection molding method together with a component of the terminal box.

14. A heating circulation pump according to claim 1, wherein the at least two parts forming the terminal box are connected to one another by way of laser welding, wherein one of the at least two parts is transparent to a beam of a laser and another one of the at least two parts is non-transparent to the beam of the laser.

15. A heating circulation pump according to claim 14, wherein:

the at least two parts comprise a cover and a container which is open at one side prior to the terminal box being connected to the motor housing and which is closed by the cover; and

the container open at one side is formed of material which is non-transparent for the laser beam and the cover is formed from material which is transparent to the laser beam.

16. A heating circulation pump comprising:

an electric motor with a motor winding and stator;

a pump housing;

a motor housing connected to the pump housing;

a pump impeller arranged in the pump housing and driven by the electric motor; and

a terminal box arranged on the motor housing, the terminal box being provided for the electric connection of the motor winding and for receiving electrical and/or electronic components of a motor control, the terminal box comprising a first part and a second part, the first part being welded to the second part to form a one-piece, integrally connected terminal box structure having a hermetically sealed terminal box interior that is hermetically sealed in a closed manner to the motor and to the surroundings, wherein said sealed terminal box interior is impermeable to liquid and gas, said terminal box comprising a terminal box electrical contact, an inner terminal box electrical and mechanical connector and a terminal box snap connection interface, said motor housing comprising a motor housing interior, an inner motor housing electrical and mechanical connector and a motor housing snap connection interface, said inner terminal box electrical and mechanical connector being connected to said inner motor housing electrical and mechanical connector, at least a portion of said inner terminal box electrical and mechanical connector being arranged in said hermetically sealed terminal box interior, said terminal box electrical contact, said terminal box snap connection interface and said motor housing snap connection interface being located radially outward of an outer peripheral surface of said terminal box, wherein said terminal box electrical contact, said terminal box snap connection interface and said motor housing snap connection interface are at a spaced location from said motor housing interior and said sealed terminal box interior, said terminal box snap connection interface cooperating with said motor housing snap connection interface to mechanically connect said terminal box to said motor housing, said terminal box snap connection interface comprising a plurality of connectors extending from an outer periphery of said terminal box.

17. A heating circulation pump according to claim 16, wherein the first part and the second part formed of thermoplastic plastic and are sealingly and unreleasably connected to one another by a weld, said terminal box electrical contact defining at least a portion of a terminal box electrical contact interface, said motor housing comprising a motor housing electrical interface said motor housing electrical interface cooperating with said terminal box electrical contact interface to electrically connect said motor control to said electric motor, said motor housing snap connection interface comprising a plurality of recesses provided in an exterior portion of said motor housing, each of said recesses receiving at least a portion of one of said connectors to define a mechanical connection of said terminal box to said motor housing at an outer peripheral area of one or more of said terminal box and said motor housing.

18. A heating circulation pump according to claim 16, further comprising:

connector elements, the motor housing being connected to the pump housing via at least the connector elements, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the terminal box defines connector element recesses in corner regions of the terminal box, the recesses being arranged in a region of an axial extension of the connector elements, the connectors engaging over the motor housing in a radial and an axial manner, the motor housing comprising a flange, wherein flange recesses are provided in a region of the flange, each of the flange recesses receiving at least a portion of one of the connectors, each of the connectors being arranged on a respective tongue which extends from a radially protruding part of the terminal box in an axial direction along the motor housing and the radially protruding part is integrally formed on the terminal box on a side of the terminal box electrical contact.

19. A heating circulation pump according to claim 16, wherein a socket is integrally connected to the terminal box, the socket comprising a socket interior space and a socket opening, at least a portion of the terminal box electrical contact being arranged in the socket interior space, the socket opening facing in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the terminal box, whereby a plug is inserted in the socket opening in a plug insertion direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal box.

20. A heating circulation pump according to claim 19, wherein:

one of the first part and the second part is at least partially formed of material which is at least partially transparent for a laser beam and another one of the first part and the second part is formed from material which is non-transparent to the laser beam.