Controllable coolant pump

Abstract

A coolant pump for a coolant circuit of an internal combustion engine, the coolant pump having a pump housing in which is mounted a drivable shaft, to one end of which is attached an impeller-which has vanes extending into a suction chamber and is connected to a cover plate. Fluid can be drawn into the suction chamber through an intake port of the pump housing by joint rotation of the impeller and the cover plate and can be conveyed by the vanes into the pump housing. A guide plate, which is axially displaceable by an actuation unit, is disposed between the impeller and the cover plate. The guide plate has a contour corresponding to the impeller and a collar oriented toward the impeller. The coolant pump is characterized in that the guide plate has at least one opening.

Description

[0001]The present invention relates to a coolant pump for a coolant circuit of an internal combustion engine. The coolant pump has a pump housing in which is mounted a drivable shaft, to one end of which is attached an impeller which has vanes extending into a suction chamber and is connected to a cover plate. As a result of the rotation of the cover plate and the vaned impeller, fluid is drawn into the suction chamber through an intake port of the pump housing and conveyed further into the pump housing by the vanes. A guide plate, which is axially displaceable by an actuation unit, is disposed between the impeller and the cover plate. The guide plate has a contour corresponding to the impeller and a collar oriented toward the impeller.BACKGROUND[0002]In order to achieve rapid heating of the internal combustion engine and to selectively adjust the engine temperature, the coolant pump should be switchable or ideally controllable. This is accomplished selectively by adjusting the flow...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a switchable or controllable coolant pump with an actuator that does not require additional cost or space. The invention includes a guide plate with at least one opening, which reduces the force required to displace the guide plate and facilitates fluid communication between the front and rear sides of the guide plate. The actuator is relieved of load during the displacement operation in terms of the force to be exerted. The guide plate with more than one opening has advantageous flow effects and can be economically manufactured. The actuator matches the degree of opening of the guide plate to create a fluid force that acts on the guide plate, for example, to prevent negative fluid forces and eliminate the need for a fail-safe spring. An optional stepped closing element can also be used for partial closure of the opening.

Problems solved by technology

For this reason, the actuators used are mostly expensive and require a large space.

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