Arrangement of an electric vacuum pump in a vehicle

Abstract

An arrangement of an electric vacuum pump, for example, in a vehicle, wherein a mounting element is provided on which the vacuum pump is installed, and wherein the vacuum pump comprises a pump chamber part and a motor part, and wherein a longitudinal axis extends through the pump chamber part and the motor part. According to the invention, the vacuum pump has a horizontal arrangement with respect to a gravitational direction, wherein the installation of the vacuum pump on the mounting element is limited to two mounting points, and wherein a center of gravity of the vacuum pump lies on a connection axis between the two mounting points.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum pump mounting system in a vehicle, comprising: an electric vacuum pump having a pump chamber part, a motor part, two rubber elements, and a flange part placed between the pump chamber part and the motor part, and a mounting element on which the electric vacuum pump is installed, wherein a longitudinal axis of the electric vacuum pump extends through the pump chamber part and the motor part, wherein the longitudinal axis of the electric vacuum pump extends horizontally with respect to a gravitational direction, wherein the electric vacuum pump is connected to the mounting element at only two mounting points, wherein a center of gravity of the electric vacuum pump lies on a connection axis between the two mounting points, wherein the two mounting points are formed by the two rubber elements, the flange part having only two diametrically opposed receiving formations that retain the rubber elements, wherein the receiving formations protrude from the flange part in a direction towards a free end of the motor part, such that the receiving formations are offset towards the free end of the motor part, wherein each of the rubber elements have a central opening extending therethrough to receive a screw element, and wherein the receiving formations are oriented such that an axis of the central opening of each of the rubber elements retained in the receiving formations is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the electric vacuum pump.

2. The mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the mounting element has an opening through which the motor part of the electric vacuum pump extends.

3. The mounting system according to claim 2, wherein the mounting points are arranged on a first side of the mounting element and wherein the motor part extends through the opening to a second side of the mounting element, opposite the first side.

4. An electric vacuum pump horizontally arranged on a mounting element in a vehicle, the electric vacuum pump comprising: a pump chamber part; a motor part; two rubber elements; and a flange part placed between the pump chamber part and the motor part, on the flange part having only two diametrically opposed receiving formations that retain the rubber elements; wherein the receiving formations protrude from the flange part in a direction towards a free end of the motor part, such that the receiving formations are formed offset towards the free end of the motor part, wherein a longitudinal axis of the electric vacuum pump extends through the pump chamber part and the motor part, wherein each of the rubber elements have a central opening extending therethrough to receive a screw element, and wherein the receiving formations are oriented such that an axis of the central opening of each of the rubber elements retained in the receiving formations is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the electric vacuum pump.

5. The electric vacuum pump according to claim 4, wherein the receiving formations are arranged laterally to the motor part.

6. The electric vacuum pump according to claim 4, wherein the receiving formations have a bottom section with a recess into which the rubber elements are inserted, and wherein a center of gravity of the electric vacuum pump lies in a plane defined by the bottom sections.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum pump in an arrangement on a mounting element according to the prior art;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric vacuum pump in an arrangement on a mounting element, wherein the installation of the vacuum pump is limited to two mounting points; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a further view of the electric vacuum pump in an arrangement on the mounting element according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows an electric vacuum pump 1 in an arrangement on a mounting element 10 according to the prior art, wherein the shown arrangement has already been described in connection with the introductory part of the present description.

(6) FIGS. 2 and 3 show an electric vacuum pump 1 in two different perspective views in an arrangement on a mounting element 10 for installing vacuum pump 1, for example, in a vehicle, in particular in the engine compartment of a vehicle.

(7) Electric vacuum pump 1 has a pump chamber part 11 and a motor part 12, and a flange part 17 is located between pump chamber part 11 and motor part 12. Motor part 12 is used to drive a vane cell pump, which is formed in pump chamber part 11, so that a vacuum can be generated with vacuum pump 1, for example, via an inlet port 23.

(8) Mounting element 10 has an opening 16 through which motor part 12 extends, and motor part 12 terminates in a free end 12, which is not received via any further mount.

(9) The installation of vacuum pump 1 on mounting element 10 is thus limited to two mounting points 14. These are formed by receiving formations 19 on flange part 17, and rubber elements 18, which are fastened by screw elements 20 on mounting element 10, sit in receiving formations 19. Rubber elements 18 are inserted into recesses 22 which are formed in bottom section 21 of receiving formations 19. A connection axis 15, on which center of gravity S of electric vacuum pump 1 is located, extends between the two defined mounting points 14.

(10) If, as shown in FIG. 3, the gravitational force acts at the center of gravity S in the gravitational direction G, no bending moments arise in mounting points 14, in particular formed by inertial forces of vacuum pump 1. The specific arrangement of receiving formations 19 in a manner in which the center of gravity S of vacuum pump 1 lies between the two receiving formations 19, in a horizontal position as well, balances electric vacuum pump 1 such that no vibration forces, bending moments, tilting, and the like result at mounting points 14 under dynamic loads of the arrangement.

(11) Receiving formations 19 are integrally formed with flange part 17 and receiving formations 19 are offset towards free end 12 of motor part 12. A coincidence of the center of gravity S with connection axis 15 results only due to this offset, and center of gravity S lies with particular advantage in the bisector between the two mounting points 14 on connection axis 15.

(12) The perspective views show that the pocket-like receiving formations 19 are pulled out of the plane of flange part 17 and extend towards motor part 12. Consequently, receiving formations 19 are located laterally next to the pump-side end region of motor part 12 in which the overall center of gravity S of the electric vacuum pump is located. The entire vacuum pump 1 has consequently been brought out of opening 16 of mounting element 10 towards pump chamber part 11 until the coincidence of connection axis 15 with center of gravity S has been reached.

(13) As a result, mounting element 10 is simply designed and extends in only one plane around opening 16, and a section of mounting element 10 does not need to be produced that receives free end 12 of motor part 12. This results in significant improvements in the space requirement of the arrangement and mounting element 10 can be made simpler and lighter.

(14) The invention is not limited in its execution to the preferred exemplary embodiment described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the illustrated solution in fundamentally different embodiments as well. All features and/or advantages emerging from the claims, the description, or the drawings, including structural details, spatial arrangements, and process steps, can be essential to the invention both alone and in the most diverse combinations.

(15) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious.