Patent ID: 7744354

Claim:
A fluid pump comprising: a piston that is axially displaceable within a cylinder; the cylinder comprising a cylinder closing fluid-transfer plate; the piston being displaced towards the fluid-transfer plate and capturing gas or fluid from a low-pressure environment; the fluid pump comprising a sensor assembly that includes an inductive sensor associated with the fluid-transfer plate, the fluid-transfer plate being provided with a sealing joint structure; the fluid-transfer plate comprising a valve plate provided with a through-bore for association of a protector that cooperates with the bore, the sensor being positioned in contact with the low-pressure environment, the valve plate further defining a recess in contact with the low-pressure environment and extending radially outwardly from the through-bore, and the sealing joint structure being disposed adjacent a surface of the valve plate in contact with the low-pressure environment and defining a generally planar portion overlying the recess in the valve plate; and at least a portion of the protector being fixed between the generally planar portion of the sealing joint structure and the recess defined in the valve plate.