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Fuel pump assemblyRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Motor DrivenFuel pump assembly description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060083631, Fuel pump assembly. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to a fuel pump assembly and more particularly to a spring clamp device for securing a motor to a pump of the assembly. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Prior art automotive fuel pump assemblies typically have an electric motor with a stator and an armature with a drive shaft connected to a fuel pump between inlet and outlet end caps which are all received inside of a metallic sleeve extending axially along the entire length of the assembly. The ends of the sleeve are rolled over and project radially inward of the end caps to generally align and hold the assembly together and prevent de-coupling of the pump from the motor. During manufacturing, the various components of the pump and motor and the end caps are all assembled inside the sleeve and then both of its ends are rolled over the end caps thus securing all of the components of the pump and motor together in axial alignment. [0003] Unfortunately, this process requires the entire assembly be purchased from a single manufacturer who assembles and/or produces both pump and motor components. Furthermore, rolling the ends of the sleeve places a compressive force on the internal components which is not easily controlled or consistently repeated. Excessive stress placed upon the plastic components of the pump can degrade pump performance. Yet further, the sleeve-type of pump and motor assembly is expensive to manufacture and can not be repaired without destroying the sleeve. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] A fuel pump assembly has a pump coupled to an electric motor by a spring clamp device preferably having a plurality of arms spaced circumferentially around the pump and motor and extending generally axially and parallel to an axis of rotation of the motor, from a common first member and to a plurality of second members. The first member spans radially and is preferably received by the motor, and the plurality of second members preferably project radially inward from the respective arms to contact an outboard face of the pump. The second members are preferably disengageable clips which exert a controlled force upon the pump, thus exhibiting a consistent and controlled stress across the pump encasement to eliminate any potential distortion of the preferably plastic encasement. [0005] Objects, feature, and advantages of this invention include a fuel pump assembly which can be dis-assembled without destroying any of the assembly components, the motor and pump can be separately manufactured and pre-assembled, and the pump encasement can be made of relatively inexpensive plastic without concern of distortion. Operation reliability and performance is improved, and the assembly is rugged, durable, maintenance free, of relatively simple design, inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and in service has a long useful life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and best mode, appended claims, and accompanying drawings in which: [0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a fuel pump assembly of the present invention; [0008] FIG. 2 is a bottom end view of the fuel pump assembly; [0009] FIG. 3 is a segmented cross section of a fuel pump and spring clamp device of the fuel pump assembly taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; [0010] FIG. 4 is a cross section of the fuel pump assembly illustrating two fasteners and taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2; [0011] FIG. 5 is a top view of the spring clamp assembly; [0012] FIG. 6 is a side view of the spring clamp assembly; [0013] FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the spring clamp assembly of FIG. 6; [0014] FIG. 8 is a side view of a second embodiment of a fuel pump assembly; [0015] FIG. 9 is a side view of a second embodiment of the spring clamp device utilized in FIG. 8; and [0016] FIG. 10 is a segmented cross section of a third embodiment of a fuel pump assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0017] Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an electric fuel pump assembly 20 embodying the present invention and having an electric motor 22 coupled to a fuel pump 24 secured by a spring clamp device 26 to the motor. The motor 22 is generally elongate axially and has a stator encircling an armature with a drive shaft 34 journaled for rotation by bearings carried by end caps 28 and 30 received in a housing shell 32. The drive shaft 34 projects axially outward from the inboard end cap or surface 30 along an axis of rotation 36 for mechanical coupling to the fuel pump 24. The motor 22 and the pump 24 are preferably pre-assembled, "off-the-shelf," items which are releasably mounted together in coaxial alignment by the snap fitting spring clamp device 26. [0018] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the fuel pump 24 has an encasement or housing 38 with a base 48 and a cover or end cap 52 preferably made of non-corrosive and economical plastic which defines a cavity 40 receiving a gear-rotor assembly 42 of a positive displacement pump. The base 48 has an inboard face 44 which faces the inboard end cap or surface 30 of the motor 22 and a through bore 50 for receipt of the motor shaft 34. The pump end cap or cover 52 is attached and sealed to the base 48 during assembly and after the gear-rotor assembly 42 is installed therein. The end cap 52 has an outboard end face 46 and an axially projecting fuel outlet 54 and a fuel inlet 56. Inlet 56 communicates with the fuel inlet of the gear-rotor assembly 42 and outlet 54 communicates with the cavity or outlet 40 of the gear-rotor assembly through which it discharges fuel at a high pressure when operating. If desired, a turbine pump assembly or other type of fuel pump assembly may be utilized in lieu of the gear-rotor pump assembly 42. [0019] Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the spring clamp device 26 releasably mounts and attaches together the motor 22 and pump 24 of the fuel pump assembly 20. The clamp device 26 preferably attaches to the inboard end cap or surface 30 of the motor 22 by two fasteners or screws 60 and extends radially outward and axially along the pump housing 38 to partially envelope or "cage," and resiliently engage the pump 24. An annular member or base plate 62 of the spring clamp device 26 has two diametrically opposed holes 64 to receive the screws 60 which thread into the end cap 30 of the motor 22 and hold the base plate 62 directly against the end cap 30 in a substantially perpendicular orientation to the axis of rotation 36. Four resilient flex arms 68 project substantially axially downward from a peripheral edge 66 of the base plate 62 and are preferably integral and unitary with the base plate. The arms 68 are preferably substantially equally spaced circumferentially from one another and are preferably slightly bowed outward when not flexed for engagement to the pump 24. Located at the distal end 70 of each arm 68 is a finger or clip 72, which projects generally radially inward, and resiliently snaps over the outboard face 46 of the pump encasement 38 as the arms 68 resiliently flex from a radially outward unstressed state and in a generally radially inward direction toward a radial unstressed state and axial stressed state. Continue reading about Fuel pump assembly... 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