Pumping device for a lubricant of an internal-combustion engine

Abstract

A pumping device suitable for a lubricant of an internal-combustion engine, for example, of the piston construction, includes a pressure pump device and a suction pump device, which suction pump device has several suction pumps which are connected with suction devices of the internal-combustion engine. In order to improve the pumping device with respect to its function and construction, adjacent suction pumps are constructed as gear pumps connected to the suction device, the gears of the gear pumps being arranged coaxial with respect to one another and being connected with one another by a driving device.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A pumping device for a lubricant of an internal-combustion engine, comprising a pressure pump device and a suction pump device, which suction pump device has several suction pumps which are connected with suction devices of the internal-combustion engine, 
 wherein adjacent suction pumps are constructed as gear pumps connected to the suction devices, and wherein adjacent gears of adjacent gear pumps are arranged coaxial to one another and are connected with one another by means of a driving device.    
     
     
         2 . The pumping device according to  claim 1 , wherein the gear pumps essentially comprise identically constructed parts.  
     
     
         3 . The pumping device according to  claim 2 , wherein the identically constructed parts of the gear pumps are formed by the gears, a housing and a housing cover.  
     
     
         4 . The pumping device according to  claim 1 , wherein the driving device is a shaft which is in an operative connection with the gears of the gear pumps.  
     
     
         5 . The pumping device according to  claim 4 , wherein the shaft has external toothings at ends thereof and wherein the external toothings interact with internal toothings of the gears of the gear pumps.  
     
     
         6 . The pumping device according to  claim 1 , wherein each gear pump is connected with mutually separate suction points of a respective suction device of the internal-combustion engine.  
     
     
         7 . The pumping device according to  claim 6 , wherein each gear pump has two gears arranged parallel to one another and operating in a housing, and wherein the two gears operate in the housing in mutually separate chambers which are connected to the mutually separate suction points of the internal-combustion engine.  
     
     
         8 . The pumping device according to  claim 7 , wherein the mutually separate chambers are separated by a partition which extends at a right angle with respect to center axes of the two gears.  
     
     
         9 . The pumping device according to  claim 8 , wherein the partition is constructed as a flat disk and is inserted into grooves of the two gears and, by way of free ends of the partition, the partition sealingly interacts with interior wall sections of the housing.  
     
     
         10 . The pumping device according to  claim 9 , wherein the partition is constructed in a manner of spectacles and consists of two parts, which are joined in a longitudinal center plane including the center axes of the gears.  
     
     
         11 . A suction pump device for a lubricant of an internal-combustion engine, comprising: 
 a first suction pump having a first and a second gear;    a second suction pump having a first and a second gear;    wherein the first gear of the first suction pump is arranged coaxially with the first gear of the second suction pump; and    a driving device in operative connection with the first gear of the first suction pump and the first gear of the second suction pump.    
     
     
         12 . The suction pump device of  claim 11 , wherein the driving device is comprised of a shaft with external teeth at opposing ends thereof, and wherein the external teeth engage with internal teeth of the first gear of the first suction pump and internal teeth of the first gear of the second suction pump, respectively.  
     
     
         13 . The suction pump device of  claim 11 , wherein the first suction pump is disposed in a first housing and wherein the second suction pump is disposed in a second housing.