Patent ID: 7014439
Filing Date: 2006-03-21
Classification: F04C

Abstract:
1. A vane pump comprising: a housing that includes: a rotor that is rotatably received in the rotor chamber and has a plurality of vane grooves, which are arranged along an outer peripheral wall surface of the rotor and extend radially inwardly from the outer peripheral wall surface of the rotor; and a plurality of vanes, each of which is radially reciprocably received in a corresponding one of the vane grooves of the rotor and is urged against an inner peripheral wall surface of the housing during rotation of the rotor, wherein: each pair of adjacent vanes defines a pump chamber therebetween in a rotational direction of the rotor between the inner peripheral wall surface of the housing and the outer peripheral wall surface of the rotor; a volume of each pump chamber changes when the rotor is rotated; the inlet is communicated with each corresponding pump chamber to supply working fluid into the pump chamber when the volume of the pump chamber is increased upon rotation of the rotor; the at least one outlet is communicated with each corresponding pump chamber through the discharge groove to discharge working fluid from the pump chamber when the volume of the pump chamber is decreased upon rotation of the rotor; the discharge groove includes a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the discharge groove is positioned away from the first end of the discharge groove in the rotational direction of the rotor; and the at least one outlet extends directly from the second end of the discharge groove; the discharge groove includes a first end wall surface and a second end wall surface which are opposed to one another in the rotational direction of the rotor and extend generally parallel to a rotational axis of the rotor, wherein the first end wall surface is located in the first end of the discharge groove, and the second end wall surface is located in the second end of the discharge groove; the outlet includes an inner wall surface, which extends from the second end of the discharge groove and is generally parallel to the rotational axis of the rotor; the second end wall surface of the discharge groove is flush with a closest portion of the inner wall surface of the outlet, which is closest to the second end wall surface of the discharge groove; and the discharge groove and the at least one outlet are disposed entirely on one axial side of the rotor chamber.