Patent ID: 7841846

Claim:
A vane pump comprising: a rotor; a front housing; a rear housing, wherein the rotor is located in a space formed between the front housing and the rear housing, and wherein the rear housing is secured to the front housing at at least two mounting portions; structure defining an inlet port in the front housing; structure configured to deliver a working fluid from the inlet port into a pump chamber in which the working fluid is pumped by rotation of the rotor, wherein the fluid delivery structure includes at least two suction ports, and wherein the working fluid is drawn in from the inlet port, which is installed on the front housing, and is drawn from the at least two suction ports into the pump chamber, and wherein the at least two suction ports are positioned so that a center of a first one of the at least two suction ports is closer, in a direction opposite of the rotor's rotation, to a center of the inlet port than a center of a second one of the at least two suction ports, in a direction of the rotor's rotation, and structure configured to discharge the working fluid from the pump chamber, wherein the working fluid discharge structure includes at least two discharge ports positioned so that at least one of the at least two discharge ports is radially proximate to one of the at least two mounting positions.