VANE PUMP

Abstract

A vane pump is provided with: a pump housing having an accommodating concave portion; and a pump cartridge accommodated in the accommodating concave portion, wherein the pump cartridge has: a rotor; a plurality of vanes received in a plurality of slits formed in the rotor; a cam ring formed with a cam face on an inner circumference of the cam ring; and a first side plate provided at the opposite side from a bottom surface of the accommodating concave portion such that the cam ring is located therebetween, the first side plate has a first projected portion projected radially outward, and the pump cartridge is anchored to the pump housing via the first projected portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vane pump.

BACKGROUND ART

JP2018-80687A discloses a vane pump provided with a pump housing having an accommodating concave portion and a pump cartridge that is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion. The vane pump described in JP2018-80687A is attached to an electric motor that is a driving source.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In the vane pump described in JP2018-80687A, the pump cartridge is fixed by assembling the pump housing to the electric motor. Therefore, in order to prevent the pump cartridge from being detached from the pump housing until the vane pump is assembled to the electric motor, it is required to assemble an anti-detachment member, such as a cover plate, etc. covering the pump cartridge, to the pump housing.

On the other hand, the anti-detachment member needs to be disassembled from the pump housing when the vane pump is to be assembled to the electric motor. As described above, because steps of assembling and disassembling the anti-detachment member to/from the pump housing are required, the number of man-hours is increased, and as a result, there is a concern that a manufacturing cost of an apparatus having the vane pump is increased.

An object of the present invention is to reduce a manufacturing cost of an apparatus having a vane pump.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vane pump configured to discharge working fluid by being rotationally driven by a driving source, includes: a pump housing having an accommodating concave portion; and a pump cartridge accommodated in the accommodating concave portion. The pump cartridge has: a rotor to which a rotational driving force from the driving source is transmitted; a plurality of vanes freely slidably received in a plurality of slits, the slits being formed in the rotor in a radiating pattern; a cam ring formed with a cam face on an inner circumference of the cam ring, the cam face being configured such that tip ends of the plurality of vanes slide on the cam face as the rotor is rotated; and a first side plate provided on an opposite side from a bottom surface of the accommodating concave portion such that the cam ring is located therebetween. The first side plate has a first projected portion projected radially outward, and the pump cartridge is anchored to the pump housing via the first projected portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a vane pump according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the vane pump taken along a line II-II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the vane pump taken along a line III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vane pump according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the vane pump taken along a line V-V in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the vane pump taken along a line VI-VI in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a modification of the vane pump according to respective embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

A vane pump 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state in which the vane pump 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is assembled to a driving source 50, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a cross-section taken along a line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a cross-section, in enlargement, taken along a line III-III in FIG. 2.

The vane pump 100 is used as a fluid pressure source for a fluid hydraulic apparatus, such as, for example, a power steering apparatus, a continuously variable transmission, or the like, mounted on a vehicle. Oil, aqueous alternative fluid of other type, or the like may be used as working fluid. As the driving source 50 for driving the vane pump 100, an engine or an electric motor (not shown) is used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vane pump 100 is provided with a pump housing 10 having an accommodating concave portion 11 and a pump cartridge 20 that is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11.

The pump housing 10 has an attachment surface 10a that is attached to an attachment surface 52a of a housing 52 of the driving source 50 and the accommodating concave portion 11 that opens at the attachment surface 10a. The accommodating concave portion 11 is a recessed space having a bottom surface 11a, a first accommodating hole 11b that is formed on the bottom surface 11a side, and a second accommodating hole 11c that is formed so as to be continuous with the first accommodating hole 11b and that has the inner diameter larger than that of the first accommodating hole 11b.

In addition, the pump housing 10 is provided with a cut-out portion 11d that is formed by being cut out radially outward from an inner circumferential surface of the second accommodating hole 11c, a recessed high-pressure chamber 32 that is formed in the bottom surface 11a, and a discharge passage 33 that communicates with the high-pressure chamber 32 and opens at the attachment surface 10a.

The cut-out portion 11d is provided so as to face a tank passage (not shown) that opens at the attachment surface 52a of the housing 52 of the driving source 50, and the discharge passage 33 is provided so as to face a working-oil-supply passage (not shown) that opens at the attachment surface 52a of the housing 52 of the driving source 50. Here, the tank passage, which is provided in the housing 52 of the driving source 50, communicates with a tank (not shown) for storing working oil, and the working-oil-supply passage communicates with the fluid hydraulic apparatus that is driven by the working oil.

The pump cartridge 20 has: a driven shaft 1 that is rotationally driven by the driving source 50; a rotor 24 to which a rotational driving force from the driving source 50 is transmitted via the driven shaft 1; a plurality of vanes 25 that are respectively and freely slidably received in a plurality of slits formed radially in the rotor 24; and a cam ring 26 formed with a cam face 26a on an inner circumference of the cam ring 26 along which tip ends of the vanes 25 slide as the rotor 24 is rotated. In the cam ring 26, a plurality of pump chambers 27 are defined by an outer circumferential surface of the rotor 24, the cam face 26a of the cam ring 26, and adjacent vanes 25.

The driven shaft 1 is a shaft-like member having an engagement portion 1a that engages with the rotor 24 and a linkage portion 1b that is provided so as to be projected towards the driving source 50 from the pump cartridge 20. An outer circumferential surface of the engagement portion la is subjected to the spline processing, and the linkage portion 1b is linked to a drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50 via a joint member 54, such as an Oldham's coupling, etc.

The rotor 24 is an annular member and is formed with, at the center portion thereof, an engagement hole 24a for the engagement with the engagement portion la of the driven shaft 1 such that the engagement hole 24a penetrates through the rotor 24 in the axial direction thereof. An inner circumferential surface of the engagement hole 24a is subjected to the spline processing. In addition, a plurality of slits (not shown), which are formed radially, open at the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 24, and the vanes 25 are respectively received in the slits in a freely slidable manner.

The cam ring 26 is an annular member having the substantially oval-shaped cam face 26a that is formed on the inner circumferential surface thereof. The cam face 26a has two suction regions where volumes of the pump chambers 27 are expanded along with the rotation of the rotor 24 and two discharge regions where volumes of the pump chambers 27 are contracted along with the rotation of the rotor 24.

The pump cartridge 20 further has a first side plate 29 that is provided on the opposite side from the bottom surface 11a of the accommodating concave portion 11 such that the cam ring 26 is located therebetween and a second side plate 28 that is provided between the cam ring 26 and the bottom surface 11a of the accommodating concave portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first side plate 29 is an annular member having two arc-shaped suction ports 29a that are formed by being cutting out. The suction ports 29a are provided so as to correspond to the suction regions of the cam ring 26 and to guide the working oil to the pump chambers 27.

The second side plate 28 is a disc member that is formed with two arc-shaped through holes each serving as a discharge port 28a. The discharge ports 28a are provided so as to correspond to the discharge regions of the cam ring 26 and so as to guide the working oil that has been discharged from the pump chambers 27 to the high-pressure chamber 32. A guide suction ports for guiding the working oil to the pump chambers 27 may be provided not only in the first side plate 29, but also in the second side plate 28 or the cam ring 26.

In addition, the pump cartridge 20 has two linkage pins 30 that are inserted through the cam ring 26, the first side plate 29, and the second side plate 28. Because relative rotation between the cam ring 26, the first side plate 29, and the second side plate 28 is restricted by the two linkage pins 30, the suction regions of the cam ring 26 and the suction ports 29a of the first side plate 29 are aligned, and the discharge regions of the cam ring 26 and the discharge ports 28a of the second side plate 28 are aligned.

The pump cartridge 20 that is made into a unit by the linkage pins 30 is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11 in the pump housing 10 that is formed as described above.

Specifically, a part of the second side plate 28 is inserted into the first accommodating hole 11b of the accommodating concave portion 11, and the high-pressure chamber 32 is defined by the second side plate 28. In addition, a space having a predetermined volume, serving as a suction pressure chamber 31, is formed between the second accommodating hole 11c and the cam ring 26 and the first side plate 29 that are inserted into the second accommodating hole 11c of the accommodating concave portion 11.

As described above, the vane pump 100 in which the pump cartridge 20 is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10 is assembled to the driving source 50 by fixing the pump housing 10 to the housing 52 of the driving source 50 with a plurality of bolts (not shown).

As described above, in a state in which the pump cartridge 20 is simply accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10, there is a concern that the pump cartridge 20 may be detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 100 is being transported or while the vane pump 100 is being assembled to the driving source 50.

In order to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10, it is conceivable to assemble an anti-detachment member, such as a cover plate, etc., covering the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10. However, such the anti-detachment member needs to be disassembled from the pump housing 10 when the vane pump 100 is to be assembled to the driving source 50. In other words, when the anti-detachment member is provided, because the number of man-hours is increased due to the needs of steps of assembling and disassembling the anti-detachment member, and therefore, there is a concern, as a result, that a manufacturing cost of an apparatus having the vane pump 100 is increased.

In addition, in the pump housing 10, if the pump cartridge 20 can be rotated about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11, there is a concern that a discharge pressure becomes unstable and a pump efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, in a state in which the vane pump 100 is assembled to the driving source 50, it is required to fix the pump cartridge 20 with respect to the pump housing 10 so as not to be rotatable about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11.

In order to restrict the rotation of the pump cartridge 20, it is conceivable to insert end portions of the linkage pins 30 into holes formed in the bottom surface 11a of the pump housing 10 or holes formed in the housing 52 of the driving source 50. However, in either case, it is difficult to see positions of the linkage pins 30 and the holes when the linkage pins 30 are to be inserted into the holes. Thus, it is difficult to smoothly insert the linkage pins 30 into the holes, and therefore, a deterioration of efficiency of an assembly operation is caused. Furthermore, the pump housing 10 and the housing 52 of the driving source 50 needs to be formed with the holes into which the linkage pins 30 are to be inserted with high accuracy. Therefore, if the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is restricted by such a way, there is a concern that the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 100 is increased.

Thus, in this embodiment, by providing a configuration in which the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10, the pump cartridge 20 is prevented from being detached from the pump housing 10 without the need of assembly/disassembly of the anti-detachment member, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing an anti-rotation device for the pump cartridge 20 at the position that can be seen, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is restricted, and at the same time, the assemblability of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10 is improved.

In the following, the configuration in which the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 will be described.

In order to anchor the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10, the vane pump 100 is further provided with a snap ring 40 serving as an annular member that is fitted into an annular groove 1 le formed in the inner circumferential surface of the second accommodating hole 11c of the accommodating concave portion 11.

In addition, arc-shaped first projected portions 29b are provided on the above-described first side plate 29 so as to project radially outward from an outer circumferential surface at two positions such that the driven shaft 1 is located therebetween. The outer diameter at an outer circumferential surface of the first projected portion 29b is set so as to be smaller than the inner diameter of the second accommodating hole 11c. Therefore, the pump cartridge 20 having the first projected portions 29b projecting radially outward is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11.

By fitting the snap ring 40 into the annular groove 1 le in a state in which the pump cartridge 20 is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10, the snap ring 40 comes into contact with the first projected portions 29b at the opposite side from the bottom surface 11a.

As described above, because the first projected portions 29b of the first side plate 29 are anchored by the snap ring 40 that is fitted into the annular groove 11e formed in the pump housing 10, the pump cartridge 20 is prevented from being detached from the pump housing 10.

Therefore, there is no need to attach/detach the anti-detachment member to/from the pump housing 10 in order to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10, and therefore, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the vane pump 100 to the driving source 50.

Next, a configuration for restricting the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the above-described second side plate 28 is provided with a second projected portion 28b so as to project radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the second side plate 28. On the other hand, an inner circumferential surface of the first accommodating hole 11b, into which the second side plate 28 is inserted, is provided with an axial groove 11f serving as a first engagement groove, to which the second projected portion 28b is engaged, so as to extend along the axial direction of the driven shaft 1.

By inserting the pump cartridge 20 into the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10 such that the second projected portion 28b is engaged with the axial groove 11f formed in the pump housing 10, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted by the second projected portion 28b that is brought into contact with the axial groove 11f. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 100 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 100.

In addition, the axial groove 11f is formed such that one end thereof opens in the cut-out portion 11d that is formed by being cut out radially outward from the inner circumferential surface of the second accommodating hole 11c. Therefore, it is possible to insert the pump cartridge 20 into the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10 while visually observing a situation in which the second projected portion 28b is being engaged with the axial groove 11f.

As described above, the restriction of the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is achieved with the configuration of a part with which a check is easily performed while the assembly of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10, and thereby, even if the configuration in which the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is restricted is provided, it is still possible to improve the assemblability of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10.

The position to provide the axial groove 11f is not limited to the region in which the cut-out portion 11d is formed, and the axial groove 11f may be provided at any position in the inner circumferential surface of the first accommodating hole 11b as long as it is easy to recognize the situation while the pump cartridge 20 is being inserted into the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10. In addition, in this case, in order to avoid an interference with the second accommodating hole 11c, the outer diameter at an outer circumferential surface of the second projected portion 28b is set so as to be smaller than the inner diameter of the second accommodating hole 11c.

Next, an operation of the vane pump 100 having the above-described configuration will be described.

The vane pump 100 assembled to the driving source 50 discharges the working oil by being rotationally driven by the driving source 50. Specifically, rotation of the drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50 is transmitted to the driven shaft 1 via the joint member 54, and the rotor 24 engaged with the driven shaft 1 is then rotationally driven. As the rotor 24 is rotationally driven, each of the pump chambers 27 is expanded/contracted in accordance with the profile of the cam face 26a.

The pump chamber 27 being expanded sucks the working oil stored in the tank through the tank passage that is formed in the housing 52 of the driving source 50, the cut-out portion 11d that communicates with the tank passage, the suction pressure chamber 31 that communicates with the cut-out portion 11d, and the suction ports 29a that communicates with the suction pressure chamber 31.

On the other hand, the pump chamber 27 being contracted supplies the pressurized working oil to the fluid hydraulic apparatus through the discharge port 28a that is formed in the second side plate 28, the high-pressure chamber 32 that communicates with the discharge ports 28a, the discharge passage 33 that communicates with the high-pressure chamber 32, and the working-oil-supply passage that is formed in the housing 52 of the driving source 50 and that communicates with the discharge passage 33. As described above, the vane pump 100 sucks the working oil from the driving source 50 side and discharges the working oil to the driving source 50 side.

According to the first embodiment described above, the advantages described below are afforded.

In the vane pump 100, the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 via the first projected portions 29b provided on the first side plate 29, and thereby, the pump cartridge 20 is held within the accommodating concave portion 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 100 is assembled to the driving source 50 and to assemble the vane pump 100 to the driving source 50 without performing any extra steps. As described above, the member for preventing detachment is no longer required to be assembled/disassembled, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 100.

In addition, in the vane pump 100, because the second projected portion 28b provided on the second side plate 28 is engaged with the axial groove 11f formed in the pump housing 10, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 100 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 100. In addition, the restriction of the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is achieved with the configuration of the part with which the check is easily performed while the assembly of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10, and thereby, even if the configuration in which the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is restricted is provided, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10.

Second Embodiment

Next, a vane pump 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. In the following description, differences from the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, and components that are the same as those in the vane pump 100 according to the above-described first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vane pump 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a cross-section taken along a line V-V in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a cross-section, in enlargement, taken along a line VI-VI in FIG. 5.

A basic configuration of the vane pump 200 is similar to that of the vane pump 100 according to the above-described first embodiment. In contrast to the vane pump 100 according to the above-described first embodiment in which the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 via the snap ring 40, the vane pump 200 mainly differs from the vane pump 100 in that the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 directly.

Similarly to the vane pump 100 according to the above-described first embodiment, the vane pump 200 is provided with the pump housing 10 having the accommodating concave portion 11 and the pump cartridge 20 that is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11.

The pump cartridge 20 has a first side plate 129 that is provided on the opposite side from the bottom surface 11a of the accommodating concave portion 11 such that the cam ring 26 is located therebetween, and the first side plate 129 is provided with two suction ports 129a and arc-shaped first projected portions 129b that project radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the first side plate 129.

The first projected portions 129b are provided at two positions such that the driven shaft 1 is located therebetween, and the outer diameter at an outer circumferential surface of the first projected portion 129b is set so as to be larger than the inner diameter of the second accommodating hole 11c.

On the other hand, axial grooves 11g and circumferential direction grooves 11h serving as second engagement grooves with which the first projected portions 129b are engaged are formed in the inner circumferential surface of the second accommodating hole 11c of the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10.

The axial grooves 11g are each a groove that is formed so as to extend along the axial direction of the driven shaft 1, and the circumferential direction grooves 11h are each a groove that is formed so as to extend along the circumferential direction from an end portion of the axial groove 11g towards the rotation direction of the vane pump 200 shown by an arrow A in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, a width GW1 of the axial groove 11g in the circumferential direction is set so as to be longer than a width W1 of the first projected portion 129b in the circumferential direction, and a width GW2 of the circumferential direction groove 11h in the axial direction is set so as to have a portion that is slightly smaller than a width W2 of the first projected portion 129b in the axial direction. Specifically, the width GW2 of the circumferential direction groove 11h in the axial direction is set so as to become gradually narrower in the direction away from the axial groove 11g and so as to have the size that is substantially large enough to fit the first projected portion 129b.

In the vane pump 200 having the above described configuration, the first projected portions 129b are respectively inserted to the axial grooves 11g from the attachment surface 10a side along the axial direction, and the pump cartridge 20 is rotated in the rotation direction of the vane pump 200 about the driven shaft 1. Subsequently, the first projected portions 129b are caused to engage at least partially with the circumferential direction grooves 11h, and thereby, it is possible to anchor the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10 directly.

As described above, by respectively fitting the first projected portions 129b of the first side plate 129 to the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10.

In addition, by respectively fitting the first projected portions 129b to the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, the movement of the pump cartridge 20 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted, and at the same time, the movement of the pump cartridge 20 in the direction in which the vane pump 200 is rotationally driven is also inhibited by an end surface of the circumferential direction grooves 11h. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 200 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 200.

In addition, after the first projected portions 129b are respectively fitted into the circumferential direction grooves 11h, retainer pins 41 to be inserted into the pump housing 10 may be each provided at the position opposite side from the circumferential direction groove 11h such that the first projected portion 129b is located therebetween. As described above, by arranging the retainer pin 41 in the direction in which the first projected portion 129b moves out from the circumferential direction groove 11h, it is possible to restrict the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 with high reliability.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the axial grooves 11g are each formed such that one end thereof opens at the attachment surface 10a. Therefore, it is possible to insert the pump cartridge 20 into the accommodating concave portion 11 of the pump housing 10 while visually observing the situation at which the first projected portions 129b are respectively engaged with the axial grooves 11g and the circumferential direction grooves 11h.

As described above, the anchoring of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10 and the restriction of the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 are achieved with the configuration of the part with which the check is easily performed while the assembly of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10, and thereby, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10.

Because the operation of the vane pump 200 having the above described configuration is the same as the operation of the vane pump 100 according to the above-described first embodiment, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

According to the second embodiment, the advantages described below are afforded.

In the vane pump 200, because the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 via the first projected portions 129b provided on the first side plate 129, the pump cartridge 20 is held in the accommodating concave portion 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 200 is assembled to the driving source 50 and to assemble the vane pump 200 to the driving source 50 without performing any extra steps. As described above, the member for preventing detachment is no longer required to be assembled/disassembled, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 200.

In addition, in the vane pump 200, because the first projected portions 129b provided on the first side plate 129 are engaged with the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 200 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 200.

In addition, in the vane pump 200, by only engaging the first projected portions 129b provided on the first side plate 129 with the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 and the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted. As described above, in the vane pump 200, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 by a simple configuration and to improve the pump efficiency by stabilizing the discharge pressure of the vane pump 200.

Next, a modification of the respective embodiments described above will be described.

In the respective embodiment described above, the pump cartridge 20 has the driven shaft 1 that is linked to the drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50. Instead of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, the pump cartridge 20 may not have the driven shaft 1. In this case, an engagement portion 51a that is formed at a tip end of the drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50 is engaged with the engagement hole 24a of the rotor 24 directly. In addition, in this case, because a through hole through which the driven shaft 1 is to be inserted is not provided in the second side plate 28, it is possible to simplify the shapes of the second side plate 28 and the high-pressure chamber 32.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which the drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50 is directly engaged with the engagement hole 24a of the rotor 24 in the above-described first embodiment. Similarly, also in the above-described second embodiment, it is possible to directly engage the drive shaft 51 of the driving source 50 with the engagement hole 24a of the rotor 24.

In addition, although the two first projected portions 29b are provided in the above-described first embodiment, the number of the first projected portions 29b is not limited to two, and three or more first projected portions 29b may be provided. Similarly, although the two first projected portions 129b are provided in the above-described second embodiment, the number of the first projected portions 129b is not limited to two, and three or more first projected portions 129b may be provided.

In addition, although the first projected portion 29b is formed to have the arc shape in the above-described first embodiment, the shape of the first projected portion 29b is not limited thereto, and the first projected portion 29b may have any shape as long as the first projected portion 29b has a shape in which the first projected portion 29b projects radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the first side plate 29 so as to be able to come into contact with the snap ring 40. Similarly, although the first projected portion 129b is formed to have the arc shape in the above-described second embodiment, the shape of the first projected portion 129b is not limited thereto, and the first projected portion 129b may have any shape as long as the first projected portion 129b has a shape in which the first projected portion 129b projects radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the first side plate 129 so as to be able to be anchored to the circumferential direction groove 11h.

The configurations, operations, and effects of the embodiments of the present invention configured as described above will be collectively described.

The vane pump 100, 200 includes: the pump housing 10 having the accommodating concave portion 11; and the pump cartridge 20 accommodated in the accommodating concave portion 11, wherein the pump cartridge 20 has: the rotor 24 to which the rotational driving force from the driving source 50 is transmitted; the plurality of vanes 25 freely slidably received in the plurality of slit, the slits being formed in the rotor 24 in a radiating pattern; the cam ring 26 formed with the cam face 26a on an inner circumference of the cam ring 26, the cam face 26a being configured such that the tip ends of the plurality of vanes 25 slide on the cam face 26a as the rotor 24 is rotated; and the first side plate 29, 129 provided on the opposite side from the bottom surface 11a of the accommodating concave portion 11 such that the cam ring 26 is located therebetween, the first side plate 29, 129 has the first projected portions 29b, 129b projected radially outward, and the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 via the first projected portions 29b, 129b.

In this configuration, because the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10 via the first projected portions 29b, 129b provided on the first side plate 29, 129, the pump cartridge 20 is held in the accommodating concave portion 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 100, 200 is assembled to the driving source 50 and to assemble the vane pump 100, 200 to the driving source 50 without performing any extra steps. As described above, the member for preventing detachment is no longer required to be assembled/disassembled to/from the pump housing 10, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 100, 200.

In addition, the vane pump 100 further includes: the snap ring 40 fitted into the annular groove 11e, the annular groove 11e being formed in the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion 11, wherein the snap ring 40 comes into contact with the first projected portion 29b at the opposite side from the bottom surface 11a of the accommodating concave portion 11.

In this configuration, the pump cartridge 20 is held in the accommodating concave portion 11 as the snap ring 40 fitted into the pump housing 10 comes into contact with the first projected portions 29b. As described above, with the simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 100 is assembled to the driving source 50 and to assemble the vane pump 100 to the driving source 50 without performing any extra steps. Therefore, the member for preventing detachment is no longer required to be assembled/disassembled to/from the pump housing 10, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 100.

In addition, the pump cartridge 20 further has: the second side plate 28 provided on the opposite side from the first side plate 29 such that the cam ring 26 is located therebetween; and the linkage pins 30 configured to link the cam ring 26, the first side plate 29, and the second side plate 28, the second side plate 28 has the second projected portion 28b projected radially outward, and the axial groove 11f is provided in the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion 11 so as to extend along the axial direction, the axial groove 11f being configured to engage with the second projected portion 28b.

In this configuration, because the second projected portion 28b provided in the second side plate 28 is engaged with the axial groove 11f formed in the pump housing 10, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 100 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 100. In addition, the restriction of the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is achieved with the configuration of the part with which the check is easily performed while the assembly of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10, and thereby, even if the configuration in which the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 is restricted is provided, it is possible to improve the assemblability of the pump cartridge 20 to the pump housing 10.

In addition, the second engagement grooves 11g, 11h is provided in the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion 11, the second engagement grooves 11g, 11h being configured to engage with the first projected portion 129b, the second engagement groove has the axial groove 11g and the circumferential direction groove 11h, the axial groove 11g being provided so as to extend along the axial direction, and the circumferential direction groove 11h being configured so as to be connected to the axial groove 11g and to extend in the circumferential direction, and in a state in which at least a part of the first projected portion 129b is engaged with the circumferential direction groove 11h, the pump cartridge 20 is anchored to the pump housing 10.

In this configuration, because the first projected portions 129b is engaged with the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, the pump cartridge 20 is held in the accommodating concave portion 11. As described above, with the simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the pump cartridge 20 from being detached from the pump housing 10 while the vane pump 200 is assembled to the driving source 50 and to assemble the vane pump 200 to the driving source 50 without performing any extra steps. Therefore, the member for preventing detachment is no longer required to be assembled/disassembled to/from the pump housing 10, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus having the vane pump 200.

In addition, in this configuration, because the first projected portions 129b provided in the first side plate 129 is engaged with the circumferential direction grooves 11h formed in the pump housing 10, the rotation of the pump cartridge 20 about the driven shaft 1 in the accommodating concave portion 11 is restricted. As described above, by providing the pump cartridge 20 so as not to be rotatable in the accommodating concave portion 11, it is possible to stabilize the discharge pressure of the vane pump 200 and to improve the pump efficiency of the vane pump 200.

Embodiments of the present invention were described above, but the above embodiments are merely examples of applications of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific constitutions of the above embodiments.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-69819 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Apr. 1, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated into this specification by reference.

Claims

1. A vane pump configured to discharge working fluid by being rotationally driven by a driving source, comprising:

a pump housing having an accommodating concave portion; and

a pump cartridge accommodated in the accommodating concave portion, wherein

the pump cartridge has: a rotor to which a rotational driving force from the driving source is transmitted; a plurality of vanes freely slidably received in a plurality of slits, the slits being formed in the rotor in a radiating pattern; a cam ring formed with a cam face on an inner circumference of the cam ring, the cam face being configured such that tip ends of the plurality of vanes slide on the cam face as the rotor is rotated; and a first side plate provided on an opposite side from a bottom surface of the accommodating concave portion such that the cam ring is located therebetween,

the first side plate has a first projected portion projected radially outward, and

the pump cartridge is anchored to the pump housing via the first projected portion.

2. The vane pump according to claim 1, further comprising

an annular member fitted into an annular groove, the annular groove being formed in an inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion, wherein

the annular member comes into contact with the first projected portion at an opposite side from the bottom surface of the accommodating concave portion.

3. The vane pump according to claim 2, wherein

the pump cartridge further has: a second side plate provided on an opposite side from the first side plate such that the cam ring is located therebetween; and a linkage pin configured to link the cam ring, the first side plate, and the second side plate,

the second side plate has a second projected portion projected radially outward, and

a first engagement groove is provided in the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion so as to extend along an axial direction, the first engagement groove being configured to engage with the second projected portion.

4. The vane pump according to claim 1, wherein

a second engagement groove is provided in the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating concave portion, the second engagement groove being configured to engage with the first projected portion,

the second engagement groove has an axial groove and a circumferential direction groove, the axial groove being provided so as to extend along an axial direction, and the circumferential direction groove being configured so as to be connected to the axial groove and to extend in a circumferential direction, and

in a state in which at least a part of the first projected portion is engaged with the circumferential direction groove, the pump cartridge is anchored to the pump housing.