Abstract:
A feed pump for fluid media. The feed pump including a pump housing having a suction opening and a pressure opening. The suction opening and/or the pressure opening each have a cutout in a suction-side connecting flange or a pressure-side connecting flange in which various suction fittings or pressure fittings can be mounted.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a feed pump for fluid media that comprises a pump housing which has a suction opening and a pressure opening, in particular the invention relates to a circulating pump for swimming baths or swimming pools. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Such feed pumps are used in a wide range of embodiments when fluids, especially liquid media, must be conveyed. Frequently, such pumps are installed in complex systems. A typical example is the use of a feed pump as a circulating pump in a filter system for a swimming bath or swimming pool. 
         [0003]    When such pumps are to be replaced because of a defect or, with a more recent, more efficient pump, the problem exists that the existing suction and pressure connections of the system must be adapted to the geometric specifications of the new pump. Frequently, the pump exchange is accordingly associated with extensive modifications of the system itself. 
         [0004]    No satisfactory solutions to this problem are known from the prior art. 
         [0005]    A support frame for pumps is described in German patent application DE 36 41 478 A1 which is designed in several parts and can therefore be adapted by correspondingly combining the individual parts with the different pump sizes. A pump that, contrastingly, must be adapted to different installation situations is not described in this document. 
         [0006]    Pumps with rotatable contacting flanges are described in German patent application DE 10 2008 013 473 A1. 
         [0007]    German utility model DE 18 74 362 U describes a special angled foot that makes it easy to remove the drive motor of a block pump for repair purposes. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,773 B1 describes connecting flanges that are produced separately from the remaining pump housing and are ultimately welded to the housing and thereby enable the production of different pump variations. 
         [0009]    The present invention therefore addresses the technical problem of providing a feed pump for fluid media, in particular a circulating pump for swimming baths or swimming pools, that can be easily integrated into an existing system in place of a pump of a different pump type. 
         [0010]    This technical problem is solved by the feed pump having the features of the claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The invention accordingly relates to a feed pump for fluid media that comprises a pump housing which has a suction opening and a pressure opening, wherein the feed pump according to the invention is characterized in that the suction opening and/or the pressure opening always have/has a cutout in a suction-side connecting flange or a pressure-side connecting flange in which various suction fittings or pressure fittings can be mounted. Both the type of the connecting flange (for example with outer thread, with inner thread, as a plug-on fitting, as an inserted fitting, etc.) can vary along with the inner or outer diameter of the fitting. This makes it possible to adapt the pump to different pipelines. In addition, the feed pump according to the invention can be adapted to typical standard pipe diameters in different countries by correspondingly selecting the fitting. The dimensions of the connecting flanges determine the dimensions of the corresponding exchangeable pressure or suction fittings. Within the bounds of the dimensions of the connecting flange, the precise position of the fitting opening can be varied such that, within certain limits, a horizontal and vertical adaptation of the position of the pressure or suction fitting is also feasible while the position of the pump housing remains unchanged. 
         [0012]    According to one embodiment of the invention, either the suction opening or the pressure opening has a cutout in the corresponding connecting flange such that either different suction fittings or different pressure fittings can be mounted to the connection flange. It is particularly preferable, however, for both the suction opening as well as the pressure opening to each have a cutout in the corresponding connecting flange such that different suction fittings as well as different pressure fittings can be mounted. 
         [0013]    The suction fittings or pressure fittings are preferably exchangeably mountable to the corresponding connecting flange. The user can purchase the feed pump according to the invention as a set with a specific number of different suction and pressure fittings and perform the adaptation of the suction and pressure fittings himself. Exchangeable mounting can for example be ensured by screwing the suction fitting or pressure fitting to the corresponding connection flange. However, other suitable connecting options are conceivable. Alternatively, the feed pump according to the invention can already be mounted at the factory to a suction and pressure fitting pair selected from the different suction and pressure fittings. The feed pump according to the invention therefore enables more flexible mounting and hence more economical production of a plurality of different pump variations because the main body of the pump with the pump housing always remains unchanged. 
         [0014]    According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pump housing is mounted to a base plate that comprises an exchangeable spacer. Primarily, the height of the feed pump is adapted by selecting the length of the corresponding spacer. The above-described variation of the position of the fitting openings within the dimensions of the connecting flange is contrastingly a fine adaptation. The spacers can, for example, be designed as cylindrical tubes or rods of different lengths which can be inserted, screwed into, or otherwise fastened in corresponding recesses in the baseplate, or on the bottom side of the pump housing. The spacers can also be affixed, for example, by means of adhesion. 
         [0015]    The baseplate can have numerous mounting holes for different mounting variations such that, for example, the existing mounting options can be adopted from the pump to be replaced. 
         [0016]    According to the invention, the feed pump is preferably a circulating pump for swimming pools. 
         [0017]    In this case, the pump housing can have an integrated lint trap. The suction opening with the suction-side connecting flange is then preferably arranged on the lint trap. 
         [0018]    Furthermore, the invention relates to a filter system for a swimming bath or swimming pool, wherein the filter system is equipped with a feed pump according to the invention of the type described above. 
         [0019]    Lastly, the invention relates to a pump set comprising an above-described pump and a plurality of exchangeable suction and/or pressure fittings, and/or spacers. The set of exchangeable suction and pressure fittings and spacers can be designed such that the connection geometry of a certain number of feed pumps which are frequently used in systems can be reproduced such that these pumps can be replaced by the feed pump according to the invention with the corresponding combination of fittings and spacers. Depending on the installation situation, the user can configure the pump by selecting a specific combination of suction/pressure fittings and spacers such that the pump can be integrated into an existing system without major modifications. According to one preferred variation, the pump set is delivered by the manufacturer with the feed pump according to the invention and a specific suction fitting selected from a plurality of exchangeable suction fittings, and a specific pressure fitting selected from a plurality of exchangeable pressure fittings, as well as specific spacers selected from a plurality of exchangeable spacers. The pump set can accordingly be configured by the manufacturer as a replacement set for a specific pump to be exchanged. This is, for example, useful in the field of swimming bath pumps where relatively few pump types have achieved a particularly wide distribution with a corresponding need for replacement. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    The invention will be explained further below with reference to an exemplary embodiment depicted in the attached drawings. 
           [0021]    In the drawings: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the feed pump according to the invention with different suction and pressure fittings, as well as a set of spacers; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the feed pump from  FIG. 1  from a different view with the spacers. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  shows a preferred embodiment of a feed pump  10  according to the invention in an exploded view. The feed pump  10  has a pump housing that, for example, can contain a centrifugal pump with an impeller (not shown in the drawing). The impeller is driven by a motor  12 . The feed pump has a suction opening  13  and a pressure opening  14 . The suction opening  13  has a cutout in a suction-side connecting flange  15 , whereas the pressure opening  14  has a cutout in a pressure-side connecting flange  16 . Different suction fittings  17   a,    17   b,    17   c,    17   d  and  17   e  can be fastened to the suction-side connecting flange  15 . Correspondingly, different pressure fittings  18   a,    18   b,    18   c,    18   d,    18   e  can be mounted to the pressure-side connecting fitting  16 . In order to releasably fasten the pressure and suction fittings, they can, for example, be fastened with screws  19  to the respective connecting flange. In the portrayed example, the feed pump  10  is mounted to a baseplate  20  that has cutouts  21  in which different spacers  22   a,    22   b,    22   c  can be inserted. Corresponding cutouts for the spacers  22   a,    22   b,    22   c  are provided in the bottom side of the pump housing  11  of the feed pump  10 , although they are not discernible in  FIG. 1 . By correspondingly selecting the length of the spacers, the height of the pump housing  11  can be changed. The baseplate  20  has a number of mounting holes  23   a,    23   b,    23   c,    23   d,    23   e,    23   f,    23   g,    23   h  and  23   i  to enable adaptation to mounting options that may be available in an existing system. In the portrayed example, the feed pump according to the invention is a circulating pump for a filter system of a swimming bath. For this application, the pump has an integrated lint trap  24  in which a removable filter body (not shown in the figure) is located that is accessible by means of an unscrewable cover  25 . 
         [0025]    As, for example, portrayed with reference to the two suction fittings  17   a  and  17   c,  the fittings can, for example, differ in terms of their type of connection. For example, the suction fitting  17   a  has a fastening plate  26   a,  by means of which the suction fittings can be mounted to the connecting flange  15 . The suction fitting  17   a  is provided with a connection with an outer thread  27   a.  Correspondingly, the suction fitting  17   c  has a fastening plate  28   c  for mounting to the connecting flange  15 . The suction fitting  17   c  is provided with a connection with an inner thread  27   c.  As can be seen with reference to suction fitting variations  17   a  and  17   c,  the connections can also differ by their diameter and their horizontal and vertical position on the fastening plate. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the feed pump from  FIG. 1  from a different perspective. The same components are identified with the same reference numbers described in association with  FIG. 1 . In particular, cutouts  30   a,    30   b  for the spacers  22   a,    22   b  in the bottom side of the pump housing  11  of the feed pump  10  can be seen in this perspective. The spacer  22   c  is fastened to a housing intersection  30   c.