Impeller pump with reflux passages and apparatus using same

• US 7,891,958 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakai, Toshisuke, Ueda, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Freay; Charles G
• Application Number:
  US11/783,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20070243086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 417/370, 417/369, 417/423.13
• US Class Current: 417/370
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/0606 Canned motor pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/16 with storage reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/586 specially adapted for liquid pumps

Abstract

A pump includes a pump part provided with an impeller having a plurality of blades for sucking and discharging a liquid; a pump case accommodating the pump part; a rotor installed to the impeller to rotate the impeller; a motor part accommodating a stator disposed around an outer periphery of the rotor to drive the rotor and a driving circuit for controlling the stator; a partition member for isolating the motor part from the pump part to protect the motor part therefrom. The pump further includes a reservoir space disposed in the impeller; an extra passage provided between the rotor and the partition member and connected to the reservoir space to introduce the liquid thereto from the blades; and one or more reflux passages, formed at the impeller, for flowing the liquid in the reservoir space back to the blades.

Claims

1. A pump comprising:

a pump part including an impeller having a plurality of blades for sucking and discharging a liquid;

a pump case accommodating the pump part;

a rotor installed on the impeller to rotate the impeller;

a motor part accommodating a stator disposed around an outer periphery of the rotor to drive the rotor and a driving circuit for controlling the stator;

a partition member for isolating the motor part from the pump part to protect the motor part therefrom;

a shaft fixed to the pump case and the partition member at both ends thereof;

a reservoir space disposed in the impeller;

an extra passage provided between the rotor and the partition member and connected to the reservoir space to introduce the liquid thereto from the blades; and

one or more reflux passages, formed in the impeller, for flowing the liquid in the reservoir space back to the blades,

wherein the impeller is rotatably attached to the shaft and rotates around the shaft.

2. The pump according to claim 1, wherein said one or more reflux passages are disposed adjacent to the shaft provided at a central part of the impeller.

3. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the number of the reflux passages are greater than one, and the reflux passages are formed at a central part of the impeller at equal angular intervals.

4. The pump according to claim 1, wherein a passage is formed outside the extra passage at an inner sidewall of the pump case on a substantially same plane as a fluid flow direction of the impeller.

5. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the extra passage is formed such that an angle between a liquid flow direction in the extra passage and a liquid flow direction in the impeller is 90°

or greater.

6. The pump according to claim 1, wherein a front shroud is disposed at an upper surface of the blades facing the pump case to cover the blades.

7. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the impeller has a slide bearing rotating by using the liquid sucked into the pump part as a lubricant.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a pipe in which a liquid circulates; and

the pump according to claim 1 for circulating the liquid in the pipe.

9. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the number of reflux passages is greater than one.

10. The pump according to claim 4, wherein a width of the passage gradually increases towards a discharge port of the pump case.