Screw spindle pump

Abstract

A screw spindle pump for delivering a cooling liquid for cooling a battery and/or power electronics or a cleaning or supply liquid of a motor vehicle, including a housing in which a working spindle, which is coupled to a drive assembly, and at least one running spindle, which meshes with the latter, are accommodated, and including a feather key-like support element, which is fixed by the housing and against which the working spindle and the running spindle are axially supported. In the housing, there is provided at least one aperture through which it is possible to insert the support element, which, in the assembled position, is received with one end in the aperture and with the other end in a receiving part situated diametrically opposite the aperture, wherein the support element is secured via at least one securing element which closes the aperture at the outside.

Claims

1. A screw spindle pump designed for delivering a cooling liquid for cooling a battery and/or power electronics or a drive assembly of a motor vehicle or a cleaning or supply liquid of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing in which a working spindle, which is couplable to a drive assembly, and at least one running spindle, which meshes with the latter, are accommodated, and comprising a feather key-like support element, which is fixed by the housing and against which the working spindle and the running spindle are axially supported, wherein, in the housing, there is provided at least one aperture through which it is possible to insert the feather key-like support element, which, in the assembled position, is received with one end in the aperture and with the other end in a receiving part situated diametrically opposite the aperture, wherein the feather key-like support element is secured via at least one securing element which closes the aperture externally.

2. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein two apertures situated diametrically opposite one another are provided, wherein the feather key-like support element is received with its two ends in the apertures and is secured via the securing element closing the two apertures externally.

3. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein the housing has an externally cylindrical portion in which the one or the two apertures are provided, on which cylindrical portion the securing element is arranged.

4. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein the housing is of two-part form and has a first housing part, in which the working spindle and the at least one running spindle are accommodated, and a second housing part, which is arranged detachably on the first housing part and which has a connection portion for a cooling medium feed line.

5. The screw spindle pump according to claim 4, wherein the second housing part is at the same time the securing element.

6. The screw spindle pump according to claim 4, wherein the securing element is a collar ring, and in that there is provided a separate connection piece component which is arranged detachably on the housing.

7. The screw spindle pump according to claim 6, wherein both housing parts or the housing and the collar ring are connected detachably to one another via at least one fixing element or a screw connection.

8. The screw spindle pump according to claim 7, wherein the fixing element is a clamp or clip that engages into at least one of recesses or grooves in both housing parts or in the housing and the collar ring.

9. The screw spindle pump according to claim 8, wherein, in the second housing part or in the collar ring, there are provided one or more slot-like first recesses which has/have associated therewith one or more second, groove-like recesses in the first housing part or in the housing, wherein, in the assembled position, the clamp or clip that is to be fixed on the second housing part or on the collar ring engages through the one or more, slot-like first recesses and engages into the one or more second, groove-like recesses.

10. The screw spindle according to claim 9, wherein two first or second recesses situated diametrically opposite one another are provided.

11. The screw spindle pump according to claim 6, wherein there is provided a support ring against which the second housing part or the collar ring bears and said second housing part or collar ring is supported radially against the first housing part or against the housing.

12. The screw spindle pump according to claim 11, wherein the support ring has a conical abutment surface, by way of which it is supported against a conical support surface on the first housing part or on the housing.

13. The screw spindle pump according to claim 6, comprising at least one sealing element which provides sealing between the first and the second housing parts or the collar ring and the housing.

14. The screw spindle pump according to claim 13, wherein, in an inner circumference of the second housing part or of the collar ring, or in an outer circumference of the first housing part or of the housing, there is provided an encircling groove or collar, in which the sealing element, in the form of a sealing ring, is received.

15. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein portions of the working spindle and of the at least one running spindle mesh with one another and have a length of at most 4 cm.

16. The screw spindle pump according to claim 15, wherein the portions of the working spindle and of the at least one running spindle that mesh with one another have a length of at most 3 cm and at least of 1 cm.

17. The screw spindle pump according to claim 16, wherein the portions of the working spindle and of the at least one running spindle that mesh with one another have a length of at least 2 cm.

18. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein portions of the working spindle and of the at least one running spindle mesh with one another and have an outer diameter of at most 1 cm and at least 0.5 cm.

19. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein, on the drive-side end of the working spindle, there is provided a connection geometry at which a coupling element coupled to the drive assembly is connected in a rotationally conjoint manner.

20. The screw spindle pump according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of plastic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exploded illustration of a screw spindle pump according to the invention of a first embodiment,

(3) FIG. 2 shows, in a 90° sectional view, the screw spindle pump from FIG. 1 in the assembled state, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectioned basic illustration of a screw spindle pump according to the invention of a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows, in the form of a basic illustration, a screw spindle pump 1 according to the invention, which is designed for delivering a cooling liquid for cooling a battery and/or power electronics or a cleaning or supply liquid of a motor vehicle. Said pump consists of a housing 2 having a first housing part 3 and having a second housing part 4, which are able to be fastened detachably to one another.

(6) Also provided is a working spindle 5 and a running spindle 6, which, in the assembled position (see FIG. 2), interengage and mesh with one another. A coupling element 7 is able to be attached to the working spindle 5 at a corresponding connection geometry, via which coupling element a connection to a drive assembly (not shown in any more detail) in the form of an electric motor can be realized. Also provided is a support ring 9, which serves for radially supporting the second housing part 4, and a sealing element 10 in the form of a sealing ring, which serves for sealing off the two housing parts 3, 4 with respect to one another in a fluid-tight manner, as well as a fixing element 11 in the form of a clamp or clip, via which the two housing parts 3, 4 are fixed to one another.

(7) The view as per FIG. 2 shows the assembled position. Firstly, it is possible to see the first housing part 3, which has an end-side fastening flange 12 via which it is connected to the housing of the drive assembly via suitable screw connections comprising bushes 13 into which corresponding connecting screws are screwed. As FIG. 2 shows, the first housing part is open in the region of the fastening flange 12 as viewed axially, with the result that the ends of the two spindles 5, 6 are exposed and a coupling to the drive assembly via the coupling element 7 is readily possible, and also that the fluid sucked in from the suction side (shown by the arrow S) can be delivered via this pressure side (identified by the arrow D).

(8) The first housing part 3 furthermore has an elongate cylindrical portion 14, in which, in the example shown, two apertures 15, of which only one is shown in the figures, are formed, said apertures serving for receiving a feather key-like support element 16. Said support element (see FIG. 2) is, more or less, introduced from the outside into the first aperture 15 and, with the leading end, is inserted into the opposite, second aperture, which acts as a receiving part, while the other end is received in the first aperture. Said feather key-like support element serves for axially supporting the two spindles 5, 6.

(9) A groove-like receiving part 17 is furthermore provided in the outer side of the first housing part and, as will be discussed further below, serves for receiving the fixing element 11, via which the second housing part 4 is fixed to the first housing part 3. Furthermore, there is provided on the outer side of the first housing part 3 a conical support portion 18 against which the support ring 9 bears with a conical abutment surface 19, as FIG. 2 shows.

(10) FIGS. 1 and 2 furthermore show corresponding details of the second housing part 4 too. This has two slot-like recesses 20 which are situated diametrically opposite one another and which extend more or less transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the second housing part 4. In the assembled position, said recesses are situated directly adjacently to the in this case encircling groove-like recess 17 such that they can each receive a limb of the fixing element 11 that engages into the slot-like recess 20, on the one hand, and also into the groove-like recess 17, on the other hand, with the result that axial securing is provided.

(11) Also provided, in the inner circumference of the second housing part 4, is an encircling groove or collar 21, in which the sealing element 10, in the form of a sealing ring, is received.

(12) Finally, at the free end of the second housing part 4, there is provided a corresponding connection portion 22 for the fastening of a fluid feed line via which the sucked-in fluid is fed.

(13) During the assembly, first of all the two spindles 5, 6 are inserted together with the coupling element 7, provided that it is not also the case that this is only possible at a later stage. At any rate, the feather key-like support element 16 is pushed into the two apertures 15, whereupon there is pushed onto the first housing part 3 the support ring 9, followed by the sealing ring 10, after which the second housing part 4 is pushed onto the first housing part 3. Said second housing part is pushed to such an extent that the slot-like recesses 20 are in radial overlap with one or the two groove-like recesses 17, after which the clamp- or clip-like fixing element 11 is pushed on from the side such that in each case an arm 23 engages into the respective slot-like recess 20 and the groove-like recess 17, via which both housing parts are axially fixed with respect to one another. In the assembled position, the fixing element is anchored firmly to the housing 2. It can, if at all, be released from the clamping or snap fit only with a corresponding expenditure of force. The second housing part 4 is supported radially against the support ring 9. At the same time, the second housing part 4 also engages radially with a collar 24, running adjacently to the collar 21, over the two apertures 15, with the result that the feather key-like support element 16 is secured in this way.

(14) This means that the second housing part 4 is assigned a dual function. On the one hand, it serves as a securing element for fixing the feather key-like support element 16 in a position, and on the other hand, it also however provides the corresponding connection portion 22.

(15) The two housing parts 3, 4 are, like the support ring too, manufactured from plastic, and the sealing element 10 is a plastic or elastomer ring. Only the two spindles 5, 6 and the coupling element 7, the feather key-like support element 16 and the fixing element 11 are composed of metal.

(16) The construction is very simple, which has an advantageous effect on the production costs. It is also the case that the screw spindle pump 1 has very small dimensions, because the length of the spindles 5, 6 or their interengaging portions is in the region of only a few centimeters, these preferably being at most 4 cm long, preferably even slightly shorter, with a diameter of approximately 0.5-1 cm, so that a small construction which is highly compact both axially and radially is obtained. Since the second housing part 4 engages over approximately half of its length over the first housing part 3 and only the connection portion 22 continues to project, a very short structural length, as viewed axially, of the screw spindle pump with all the constituent parts is accordingly also obtained.

(17) FIG. 3 shows a basic illustration of a screw spindle pump 1 according to the invention, wherein the same reference signs are used for identical components. Here too, provision is made of a housing 2, this however being of one-part design. The working spindle 5 and the running spindle 6, which are indicated here merely in outline, are again accommodated, and axially supported via the feather key-like support element 16, in said housing. Said feather key-like support element is again fixed to the housing 2 with its two ends in two apertures 15 in the same manner as described above.

(18) For the fixing of the support element 16, use is made here of a collar ring 25, which is fixed via the clamp-like fixing element 11 in the same way as the second housing part 4 as per FIGS. 1 and 2. For this purpose, the collar ring 25 likewise has two slot-like recesses 20, and also the housing 2 has one or two groove-like recesses 17, into which the corresponding arms 23 of the clamp-like fixing element 11 engage. This means that the axial fixing is realized in the same manner as that of the second housing part as per FIG. 1. Alternatively, the collar ring 25 could also be screwed on.

(19) A corresponding support ring 9 and the sealing element 10, which serve for support and sealing, are again provided.

(20) Also provided is a separate connection piece component 26, which has an inner thread portion 27 which is screwed onto an outer thread portion 28 of the housing 2. For example, the connection piece component 26 is screwed against the collar ring 25, so that the latter is additionally axially fixed, and also of course a corresponding space may be provided here, and possibly an additional sealing element or the like may also be provided between the collar ring 25 and the connection piece component 26.

(21) While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.