Abstract: A slurry analysis system (14) for estimating a first characteristic of a slurry (12) having a plurality of particles (18) suspended in a dispersion medium (20) can include a slurry filter (40) that filters the slurry (12); and a control system (26) that estimates the first characteristic of the slurry (12) using a flow rate of a filtrate (50) through the slurry filter (40) and a slurry filtration pressure of the slurry (12).

Abstract: A fuel pump has a pump function of sucking fuel in a fuel tank and discharging fuel, and a detection function of detecting a capacitance correlated to a concentration of alcohol in fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel pump includes a pump main body that is received in the fuel tank to perform the pump function, a housing electrode that covers the pump main body in the fuel tank, and an outside electrode that is located outside of the housing electrode in the fuel tank. A gap is formed between the outside electrode and the housing electrode to give the capacitance.

Abstract: A fuel supply device includes a pump unit that sucks stored fuel in a fuel tank from a suction port and discharges the fuel to an outside of the fuel tank. A pressure regulating valve performs pressure regulation of fuel discharged from the pump unit. The pressure regulating valve includes a return port having an opening facing in a separating direction away from the suction port, and returns surplus fuel generated by the pressure regulation from the return port into the fuel tank. A suction filter encloses an internal space where the suction port is open, and filters the stored fuel entering the internal space. The suction filter includes an expansion part to which the internal space is extended, and the expansion part is on a side of the return port that faces in the separating direction.

Abstract: A fuel pump includes a pump cover at one end portion of the housing, a cover end at the other end portion of the housing, a bearing supported by the cover end and rotatably supporting an end portion of the shaft on the cover end-side. The cover end includes a base part that covers the other end portion, a discharge part that is connected to the base part, a bearing accommodating part which is formed such that a cross-section of the bearing accommodating part perpendicular to a rotation axis of the shaft has an annular shape and which includes an accommodating space accommodating the bearing, and a connection part that connects together the base part and the bearing accommodating part. A length of the connection part is shorter than a length of the base part and a length of the bearing accommodating part, in a direction of the rotation axis.

Abstract: An ECU of a fuel pump executes a feedback control to drive a motor part and sets a rotation speed of an impeller to become a rotation speed corresponding to the target fuel pressure. The ECU detects whether a vapor is generated in a fuel of a pump chamber of the fuel pump, based on a fuel pressure detected by a pressure sensor. When a generation of the vapor is detected, the ECU sets a rotation speed of the impeller to be higher than the rotation speed under a normal control for a predetermined time with a result that the vapor in the pump chamber and a fuel flow channel is discharged into a vapor discharge hole. Thus, the vapor of the pump chamber is discharged from the vapor discharge hole to an outside of the fuel pump.

Abstract: A fuel pump has a pump function of sucking fuel in a fuel tank and discharging fuel, and a detection function of detecting a capacitance correlated to a concentration of alcohol in fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel pump includes a pump main body that is received in the fuel tank to perform the pump function, a housing electrode that covers the pump main body in the fuel tank, and an outside electrode that is located outside of the housing electrode in the fuel tank. A gap is formed between the outside electrode and the housing electrode to give the capacitance.

Abstract: A cover end of a fuel pump is formed by resin molding and has a tubular portion, which holds a bearing that is placed along a central axis of the tubular portion and rotatably supports one end portion of a shaft of a motor arrangement. Furthermore, three terminals, which supply three-phase electric power received from an outside to windings on a phase-by-phase basis, are insert molded in the cover end. In the cover end, a first transverse passage, which is formed between the first terminal and the second terminal in a circumferential direction, and a second transverse passage, which is formed between the second terminal and the third terminal in the circumferential direction, are configured into a form of V-shape, which diverges in a radially outer direction, in a view taken in an axial direction.

Abstract: A fuel supply device includes a pump unit that sucks stored fuel in a fuel tank from a suction port and discharges the fuel to an outside of the fuel tank. A pressure regulating valve performs pressure regulation of fuel discharged from the pump unit. The pressure regulating valve includes a return port having an opening facing in a separating direction away from the suction port, and returns surplus fuel generated by the pressure regulation from the return port into the fuel tank. A suction filter encloses an internal space where the suction port is open, and filters the stored fuel entering the internal space. The suction filter includes an expansion part to which the internal space is extended, and the expansion part is on a side of the return port that faces in the separating direction.

Abstract: Partitioned chambers of an electric connector, which receive connection terminals electrically connected to windings of a stator, are communicated with an outside of the electric connector through primary communication holes. The primary communication holes are formed to direct at least one of perpendicular directions, each of which is perpendicular to a corresponding one of opening planes of outside openings of the primary communication holes, toward a downside when a central axis of a fuel pump is tilted relative to a vertical direction. In this way, a foreign object, which is accumulated in any of the portioned chambers, can be outputted to the outside through the primary communication hole even when the fuel pump is tilted in any direction.

Abstract: A microcomputer of a drive control device for controlling the driving of a brushless motor has a positioning part and a torque acceleration control unit. The positioning unit controls the power to be supplied to the windings, to thereby position the rotor at a drive start position which is a position of the rotor relative to the stator at which the drive control of the brushless motor can start, before starting the drive control of the brushless motor. The torque acceleration control unit controls the power to be supplied to the windings so that a torque acceleration falls within a predetermined range that the collision stress generated when the outer wall of the end of the shaft collides with the inner wall of the hole of an impeller (rotating member) is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, when the rotor is positioned.

Abstract: A suction filter which filters fuel inside a fuel tank of a vehicle to let a fuel pump draw filtered fuel into an inlet port includes a filter element disposed inside the fuel tank and filtering stored fuel stored in the fuel tank by allowing the stored fuel to pass through to an inner space, and a partition wall element disposed in a posture with which to divide the inner space to a first space where filtered fuel filtered at the filter element flows in and a second space where the inlet port into which the filtered fuel is drawn opens, and allowing the filtered fuel in the first space to pass through to the second space. The partition wall element is provided in a form of a partition film dividing the inner space to the first space on an upper side and the second space on a lower side.

Abstract: A circuit housing portion integrally molded above a lid main body portion has a bottom portion, which forms a vent space with the lid main body portion, and a vent hole, which extends through a portion between a protection space and an external space in the side portion. In a terminal, in which an intermediate portion is embedded in a bottom portion to extend between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through the bottom portion, an interface between the bottom portion and the intermediate portion is exposed to a protection space above the vent hole. A liquid-impermeable and gas-permeable membrane is mounted on an outer surface of the side portion to cover the vent hole to allow the fuel vapor to be discharged from the vent hole to the external space and to restrict liquid from entering the vent hole from the external space.

Abstract: A fuel chamber is formed between a pump arrangement and a motor arrangement, and outer flow passages are formed between a stator of the motor arrangement and a housing. Fuel, which is discharged from a discharge port of the pump arrangement, is outputted to an outside of the housing from a fuel discharge conduit that is formed on a side of the motor arrangement, which is opposite from the pump arrangement, after passing through the motor arrangement. At a time of performing electroplating on the stator, electrode contact portions, to which electrodes can contact, is formed in an outer wall of the stator, which forms the outer flow passages.

Abstract: A permanent magnet of a rotor core of a rotor includes a first recess and a second recess, which are formed in an outer wall to correct a dynamic balance of the rotor. The permanent magnet is a bonded magnet that is formed by molding a mixture material, which is a mixture of resin and magnetic powder. The first recess and the second recess are formed at the time of molding the permanent magnet. Furthermore, the first recess and the second recess are formed at two axial ends, respectively, of the permanent magnet.

Abstract: A fuel tank lid includes a lid part and a terminal. The lid part includes an inserted part inserted into an opening of a fuel tank, and a storage part storing a drive circuit. The terminal has a central portion covered by the inserted part and the storage part, a first end connected to a pump, and a second end connected to the drive circuit. The storage part includes a side wall that has a first opening and a second opening, an upper closure part that closes the first opening, and a lower closure part that closes the second opening. The fuel tank lid further includes a discharge structure positioned vertically lower than the upper closure part and discharging a fuel vapor that has travelled along an interface between the terminal and the lid part and entered a hollow space of the storage part, to an external atmosphere.

Abstract: A rotor of a brushless motor used in a fuel pump includes a permanent magnet having first and second ends that are configured to have a thickness ratio so that a degree of margin of those ends, which is a difference between an allowable stress and a temperature stress due to expansion and contraction of a rotor core caused by a temperature change is equal to or greater than a preset value. As a result, a cracking of the permanent magnet on the both ends that is caused by repeated expansions and contractions of the rotor core is prevented.

Abstract: A drive controller that controls a drive of a motor. The drive controller performs a collision force moderation control during a motor start time, during which a collision force in a collision between a shaft outwall with an impeller hole inwall for a positioning is moderated, by changing a power supply at a stage transition time of transiting from a position detection to a position determination. The maximum value of a first output value during a position detection time is set to be greater than a first threshold that at least causes a rotation number of the motor to yield a detectable induction voltage. A second output value during a position determination time is set to be lower than a second threshold that causes a wear or a breakage of an impeller by the collision force.

Abstract: A microcomputer operates as a positioning part positions a rotor at a control start position, which is a position of the rotor relative to a stator to be able to start controlling driving of a brushless motor, by supplying a current to a winding set a number of times “n” (n is an integer equal to two or more) before starting to control driving of the brushless motor. The microcomputer, operating as the positioning part, controls electric power supplied to the winding set so that the rotor rotates in the same direction at each of “n” times of power supply to the winding set, that is, at each of “n?1” times of switchovers of power supply to the winding set.

Abstract: A circuit housing portion integrally molded above a lid main body portion has a bottom portion, which forms a vent space with the lid main body portion, and a vent hole, which extends through a portion between a protection space and an external space in the side portion. In a terminal, in which an intermediate portion is embedded in a bottom portion to extend between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through the bottom portion, an interface between the bottom portion and the intermediate portion is exposed to a protection space above the vent hole. A liquid-impermeable and gas-permeable membrane is mounted on an outer surface of the side portion to cover the vent hole to allow the fuel vapor to be discharged from the vent hole to the external space and to restrict liquid from entering the vent hole from the external space.

Abstract: Relay terminals, which are formed integrally with a W-phase terminal, a V-phase terminal and a U-phase terminal provided radially outside bobbins, connect stator coils and the W-phase terminal, the V-phase terminal and the U-phase terminal. Second connection parts of the relay terminals connected to the coils are provided radially inside the W-phase terminal, the V-phase terminal and the U-phase terminal. Thus distances between the second connection part and the inner wall surface of a housing are increased to maintain insulation between the relay terminals and the housing. Thus the relay terminals are protected from breakage.