Patent ID: 8210835

Claim:
A pump apparatus comprising: a pump housing that has a pump chamber, which receives an impeller, wherein the impeller is rotated by an electric motor to pump liquid out of an external tank; a motor housing that is formed integrally with the pump housing and receives the motor through a motor housing opening; a circuit box that is formed integrally with the motor housing and receives a control circuit, which is electrically connected to the motor through at least one connection terminal and controls rotation of the motor, wherein an interior of the circuit box and an interior of the motor housing form an interior part of the pump apparatus, and the circuit box is placed on one side of the motor housing in a direction generally perpendicular to an axial direction of the motor; a closure member that includes a closing portion, which is formed continuously and integrally to close both the motor housing opening and a circuit box opening, wherein the closing portion includes a plurality of terminal receiving holes that communicate between the interior part and an exterior part of the pump apparatus; and a plurality of terminals, each of which is inserted through a corresponding one of the plurality of terminal receiving holes, wherein one end of each terminal is placed at the interior part of the pump apparatus and is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the motor and the control circuit while the other end of each terminal is placed at the exterior part of the pump apparatus and forms a connection contact that is electrically connectable with a corresponding connection contact of an external connector, wherein: a partition wall is formed between the motor housing and the circuit box and defines a communicating space, which extends from the partition wall to the closing portion of the closure member in the axial direction of the motor and communicates between the interior of the motor housing and the interior of the circuit box; the communicating space is opened to both the motor housing opening and the circuit box opening; the at least one connection terminal is provided in the interior part of the pump apparatus to connect between the motor and the control circuit through the communicating space; the pump chamber of the pump housing is located on a side of the motor housing, which is opposite from the motor housing opening and the circuit box opening in the axial direction of the motor; and the closing portion of the closure member holds the at least one connection terminal and is adapted to place a portion of each of the at least one connection terminal in the communication space when the closing portion of the closure member is installed to and closes the motor housing opening and the circuit box opening.