Fuel Pump Motor Frame Single-Part Bushing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel pumps face challenges in maintaining a sufficient coaxial relationship between the upper and lower bushings due to separate tooling required for manufacturing the housing, base, and outlet plate, leading to potential misalignment and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The fuel pump design incorporates a motor frame with a top section and base section made from a single piece of plastic, featuring a spacer ring and annular shoulder to maintain a coaxial relationship between the upper and lower bushings, allowing for precise control over their positioning and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate tooling is used to manufacture the housing, base of the motor, and outlet plate, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but manufacturing precision of the coaxial relationship between bushings deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the base of the motor and the housing into a single integrated component formed by a single piece of tooling. This integration ensures that the upper bushing (formed in the base) and lower bushing (formed in the housing) maintain a precise coaxial relationship, as both bushings are positioned relative to the same reference surfaces during a single manufacturing process, eliminating the accumulation of tolerances that would occur with separate tooling.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate tooling is used for housing, base, and outlet plate, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases due to assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the base and housing into one component, the patent reduces the number of separate parts that require assembly. The single-piece construction eliminates the need for separate assembly operations to join the base and housing, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining manufacturing ease through the use of a single tooling setup.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate tooling is used for manufacturing components, then adaptability is improved, but reliability of the coaxial relationship deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the base and housing into a single component formed by one piece of tooling ensures consistent and reliable coaxial alignment of the bushings. This approach eliminates the variability introduced by multiple tooling setups and assembly operations, thereby improving the reliability of the coaxial relationship while still allowing for manufacturing adaptability through the design of the integrated component.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid pump (10) includes an inlet (34) for introducing fluid into the fluid pump (10) and an outlet (52) for discharging fluid from the fluid pump (10). The fluid pump (10) also includes a motor having a shaft (22) with an upper end (90) and lower end (46) that rotates about an axis (24). The fluid pump (10) also includes a motor frame having a top section (66), a base section (70), and a plurality of legs (68) that axially separate the top section (66) and the base section (70). The fluid pump (10) also includes a lower bushing (44) for radially supporting the lower end (46) of the shaft (22). The top section (66) defines an upper bushing (88) therein for radially supporting the upper end (90) of the shaft (22) and the base section (70) maintains a coaxial relationship between the lower bushing (44) and the upper bushing (88).