PUMP WITH VARIABLE FLOW DIVERTER THAT FORMS VOLUTE
First Claim
1. A pump, comprising:
- a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet;
an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, and having an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction,wherein the pump housing has an impeller outlet receiving chamber positioned radially outside the impeller for transport of liquid from the impeller outlet to the pump outlet,and wherein the pump housing further includes a diverter, wherein the diverter has an upstream end that is pivotally connected at a first location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber and a downstream end at a second location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber,wherein the diverter is pivotable between a first position in which the diverter provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing, and in which the diverter forms at least a portion of a volute around at least a portion of the impeller, wherein the volute has a cross-sectional area that increases progressively from the upstream end of the diverter to the downstream end of the diverter, and a second position in which the diverter provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump outlet that is greater than the first restriction.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an aspect, a pump is provided and includes a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet. An impeller is rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, and has an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction. A diverter is pivotally connected in an impeller outlet receiving chamber in the pump housing. The diverter is movable between a first position in which it provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing and a second position in which it provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump housing that is greater than the first restriction. In the first position, the diverter forms at least a portion of a volute around at least a portion of the impeller.
7 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A pump, comprising:
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a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet; an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, and having an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction, wherein the pump housing has an impeller outlet receiving chamber positioned radially outside the impeller for transport of liquid from the impeller outlet to the pump outlet, and wherein the pump housing further includes a diverter, wherein the diverter has an upstream end that is pivotally connected at a first location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber and a downstream end at a second location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber, wherein the diverter is pivotable between a first position in which the diverter provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing, and in which the diverter forms at least a portion of a volute around at least a portion of the impeller, wherein the volute has a cross-sectional area that increases progressively from the upstream end of the diverter to the downstream end of the diverter, and a second position in which the diverter provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump outlet that is greater than the first restriction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of operating a pump that has a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet and that has an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, wherein the impeller has an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction, wherein the pump housing has an impeller outlet receiving chamber positioned radially outside the impeller for transport of liquid from the impeller outlet to the pump outlet, the method comprising:
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a) providing a diverter that is part of the pump housing, wherein the diverter has an upstream end that is pivotally connected at a first location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber and a downstream end that is at a second location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber; b) positioning the diverter in a first position in which the diverter provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing, and in which the diverter forms at least a portion of a volute around at least a portion of the impeller, wherein the volute has a cross-sectional area that increases progressively from the upstream end of the diverter to the downstream end of the diverter; c) rotating the impeller while the diverter is in the first position to drive flow through the pump outlet; and d) positioning the diverter in a second position in which the diverter provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump outlet that is greater than the first restriction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A pump, comprising:
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a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet; an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, and having an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction, wherein the pump housing has an impeller outlet receiving chamber positioned radially outside the impeller for transport of liquid from the impeller outlet to the pump outlet, and wherein the pump housing further includes a diverter, wherein the diverter has an upstream end that is pivotally connected at a first location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber and a downstream end at a second location in the impeller outlet receiving chamber, wherein the diverter is pivotable between a first position in which the diverter provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing, and in which the diverter forms at least a portion of the impeller outlet receiving chamber having a cross-sectional area that increases progressively from the upstream end of the diverter to the downstream end of the diverter, and a second position in which the diverter provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump outlet that is greater than the first restriction, wherein, in the first position, the diverter is substantially flush with a portion of the pump housing immediately upstream from the diverter. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A pump, comprising:
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a pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet; and an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, and having an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction; wherein the pump housing includes a diverter that is pivotally connected in an impeller outlet receiving chamber in the pump housing, wherein the diverter is movable between a first position in which the diverter provides a first restriction to flow out from the pump housing and a second position in which the diverter provides a second restriction to flow out from the pump housing that is greater than the first restriction, wherein, in the first position, the diverter forms at least a portion of a volute around at least a portion of the impeller.
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29. A pump for pumping liquid through a vehicular cooling system, comprising:
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a pump housing having a pump inlet, a first pump outlet fluidically connected to a first cooling load and a second pump outlet fluidically connected to a second cooling load; an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing, and having an axially oriented impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid generally axially from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and a radially oriented impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid generally radially from the impeller towards the first and second pump outlets; and a first cooling load diverter connected to the pump housing and a second cooling load diverter connected to the pump housing, wherein the first cooling load diverter is movable between a first position for the first cooling load diverter in which the first cooling load diverter provides a first flow restriction to flow out from the first pump outlet and a second position for the first cooling load diverter in which the first cooling load diverter provides a second flow restriction to flow out from the first pump outlet that is greater than the first flow restriction to flow out from the first pump outlet, wherein the second cooling load diverter is movable between a first position for the second cooling load diverter in which the second cooling load diverter provides a first flow restriction to flow out from the second pump outlet, and a second position for the second cooling load diverter in which the second cooling load diverter provides a second flow restriction to flow out from the second pump outlet that is greater than the first flow restriction to flow out from the second pump outlet, wherein, when the first cooling load diverter is in the first position for the first cooling load diverter the first cooling load diverter forms at least a portion of a first volute around a portion of the impeller, and wherein, when the second cooling load diverter is in the first position for the second cooling load diverter, the second cooling load diverter forms at least a portion of a second volute around a portion of the impeller. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of operating a pump that has a pump housing having a pump inlet, a first pump outlet connected to a first cooling load and a second pump outlet connected to a second cooling load and that has an impeller rotatably supported in the pump housing for rotation about an impeller axis, wherein the impeller has an impeller inlet configured for drawing in liquid from the pump inlet during rotation of the impeller, and an impeller outlet configured for discharging liquid in a generally radial direction, wherein the pump housing has a first impeller outlet receiving chamber for transport of liquid from the impeller to the first pump outlet and a second impeller outlet receiving chamber for transport of liquid from the impeller to the second pump outlet, wherein the method comprises:
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a) positioning a first cooling load diverter in the pump housing in a first position for the first cooling load diverter in the first impeller outlet receiving chamber, wherein in the first position the diverter forms at least part of a first volute around a first portion of the impeller; b) positioning a second cooling load diverter in the pump housing in a first position for the second cooling load diverter in the second impeller outlet receiving chamber, wherein in the first position for the second cooling load diverter the second cooling load diverter forms at least part of a second volute around a second portion of the impeller; c) rotating the impeller at a selected speed after steps a) and b) to cause a first flow rate through the first pump outlet and a first flow rate through the second pump outlet; and d) positioning the first cooling load diverter in a second position for the first cooling load diverter while maintaining the impeller at the selected speed and while maintaining the second cooling load diverter in the first position, and thereby causing a second flow rate through the first pump outlet that is smaller than the first engine block flow rate, while substantially maintaining the first flow rate through the second pump outlet.
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Specification