Pump improvements

Abstract

A pump has a boltless cover that is held on the end of a housing of the pump by only a compressed ring between the cover and the housing. The pump has a flageless valve plate, meaning that the valve plate has no flange through which bolts that secure the head to the pump extend The pump has eccentrics and pistons that all have holes in them so that the pistons at opposite ends of the pump can be assembled to the shaft of the motor 180° out of phases. The pump further has a monolithic head that includes the two head members of the pump and the tube that connects them also has an integrally formed port. The pump is supported by elastomeric tubular members from its ports. The pump has a push-in fitting that can be pushed into a hole in a member such as the heads the housing or the base so that once pushed in, a ring around the fitting expands outwardly behind an edge of the body to trap the fitting in the opening.

1 . In a pump ( 10 ) having ( 200 ), a motor ( 16 ), a housing ( 14 ) joining the pumping chamber to the motor at one end of the housing so as to define a crank chamber ( 205 ) within the housing and a cover ( 20 ) at an end of the housing ( 14 ) opposite from the motor ( 16 ), the improvement wherein the cover ( 20 ) fits into an opening in the end of the housing ( 14 ) that is slightly larger than the cover, and a resistant deformable member ( 64 ) resides between the cover and the housing and is deformed therein to provide the only constant force holding the cover to the housing.  
   
   
       2 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the opening at the end of the housing has a chamfer ( 54 ) at its outer side that tapers toward the inside of the housing.  
   
   
       3 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the cover has a shoulder ( 57 ) that stops insertion of the cover into the opening.  
   
   
       4 . The improvement of claim, wherein the deformable member ( 64 ) is a ring  64  that seats against a machined surface  52  of the housing.  
   
   
       5 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the cover is subjected to at least intermittent vacuum in operation of the pump.  
   
   
       6 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the cover could have one or more holes in it.  
   
   
       7 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the cover could have a further incorporated into it.  
   
   
       8 . In a pump ( 10 ) having a cylinder  24 , a housing, a valve plate ( 28 ) assembled to the cylinder ( 24 ) and a head member ( 34 ), and at least two extending apertures ( 34   a ,  34   b ) in a flange of the head member securing the head member to the housing so as to clamp the valve plate and cylinder between the head and the housing, the improvement wherein fasteners ( 40 ) extend through apertures ( 34   a ,  34   b ) and alongside the valve plate and not through the valve plate ( 28 ).  
   
   
       9 . The improvement of  claim 8 , wherein the valve plate extends into the cylinder ( 24 ) and a seating ring ( 84 ) is provided around the extension ( 80 ) of the valve plate into the cylinder ( 24 ).  
   
   
       10 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the valve plate includes it least one feature ( 72 ) to angularly orient the valve plate relative to the bead member.  
   
   
       11 . The improvement of  claim 10 , wherein the feature ( 72 ) is in an axially facing side of the valve plate.  
   
   
       12 . The improvement of  claim 11 , wherein the feature ( 72 ) is a recess and the head member has a projection ( 74 ) that fits into the recess.  
   
   
       13 . In a pump comprising at least two separate pumping chambers, each pumping chamber ( 200 ,  201 ) having an axis, the axes being parallel and spaced apart and a pair of head members ( 32 ,  34 ), each head member being associated with a different one of the pumping chambers and at least one tube ( 36 ) spanning the head members wherein the tube provides fluid communication between the head members and is formed integral at each end of the rube with one of the head members so that the head members and the tube form a single, monolithically-formed head which is common to both pumping chambers and is a single piece of continuous material that includes the head members and the tube so that the tube is joined to each head member with a fluid-tight and fixed rigid connection provided by the material of the monolithic head continuously joining the tube to each head member, the improvement wherein the tube includes an integral port ( 88 ) that provides a passageway into the tube said integral port between the two head members.  
   
   
       14 . The improvement of  claim 13 , wherein the port is approximately halfway between the two head members.  
   
   
       15 . The improvement of  claim 13 , wherein the port is an outlet port of the pump.  
   
   
       16 . The improvement of  claim 15 , wherein the pump intake is through pistons of the pump.  
   
   
       17 . In a pump assembly having first and second piston assemblies ( 25 ,  27 ) coupled to opposite ends of a shaft ( 100 ) of a motor ( 16 ), each piston assembly ( 25 ,  27 ) including a piston ( 92 ); an eccentric ( 94 ) having a counterweight portion ( 96 ) and a stub portion ( 98 ), said stub portion having a first axis ( 106 ); the eccentric having a hole with a second axis ( 104 ) parallel to the first axis and spaced from the first axis, the end of the motor shaft is received in the hole; and a fastener ( 93 ) for fixing the eccentric to the motor shaft wherein, the stub portion ( 98 ) is journalled to the piston ( 92 ) for rotation relative to the piston about the first axis, the improvement wherein the piston ( 92 ) of the first piston assembly ( 27 ) has at least a first alignment hole ( 110  or  112 ) having its axis parallel to the first and second axes, and the eccentric ( 94 ) of said first piston assembly ( 27 ) has an alignment hole ( 114 ) that can be aligned with the first alignment hole ( 110  or  112 ), wherein when the eccentric alignment hole is aligned with the first alignment hole the piston is in one of a top dead center position or a bottom dead center position.  
   
   
       18 . The pump assembly of  claim 17  further comprising a second alignment hole ( 110 ) in said piston of the first piston assembly ( 27 ), wherein when the eccentric alignment hole ( 114 ) is aligned with the first alignment hole ( 112 ) the piston is in a top dead center position, and when said eccentric alignment hole ( 114 ) is aligned with said second alignment hole ( 110 ) the piston is in the bottom dead center position.  
   
   
       19 . The pump assembly of  claim 17  further comprising a first alignment hole ( 110  or  112 ) in the piston ( 92 ) of the second piston assembly ( 25 ), and an alignment hole in the eccentric of said second piston assembly wherein when said first alignment hole ( 110  or  112 ) in said piston ( 92 ) of said second piston assembly ( 29 ) is aligned with said eccentric alignment hole ( 114 ) of said second piston assembly ( 25 ) and wherein when said first alignment hole ( 110  or  112 ) of said piston ( 92 ) of said first piston assembly ( 27 ) is aligned with said eccentric alignment hole ( 114 ) of said first piston assembly ( 27 ), said pistons ( 92 ) are 180° out of phase.  
   
   
       20 . The improvement of  claim 19 , further comprising a magnetic fixture ( 115 ) having two pins ( 119 ) which are extendable simultaneously through the first, second and eccentric alignment hole.  
   
   
       21 . A pump having ports ( 138 ), wherein the pump is mounted to a base ( 136 ) with one or more elastomer tubular members ( 132  or  152 ) that define it least one passage for communication of a gaseous fluid to the port the elastomer members being connected at one end to the port and at the other end to the base.  
   
   
       22 . A pump as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the one or more elastomer bodies are relaxed when the pump is not operating$so as to rest the pump on a mount and when operating the bodies are subjected to pressure or vacuum that lifts the pump off the mount to support the pump with vibration isolation.  
   
   
       23 . A pump as in  claim 21 , wherein the tubular bodies provide vibration isolation to the pump.  
   
   
       24 . In a pump having a port ( 168 ), the improvement comprising a pump component ( 138 ,  140 ,  150 ,  160  or  166 ) having at least a portion which forms an insert ( 174 ), said insert insertable into the port, the insert having a deformable ring ( 182 ) at least partially around it that can be compressed between the insert ( 174 ) and the port when the insert ( 174 ) is inserted into the port and wherein when the ring ( 182 ) clears the port ( 168 ) with sufficient depth of insertion the ring expands outwardly to inhibit removal of the insert.  
   
   
       25 . The improvement of  claim 24 , further comprising a second ring that is a sealing ring between the insert and the pump.  
   
   
       26 . The improvement of  claim 24 , wherein the component is a port.  
   
   
       27 . The improvement of clam  24 , wherein the component is a plug.  
   
   
       28 . The improvement of  claim 24 , wherein the component is a pressure relief valve.  
   
   
       29 . The improvement of  claim 28 , wherein the resilient deformable portion is an elastomeric ring, a metal split ring, or a plastic split ring.  
   
   
       30 . A pump component ( 166 ) with a end ( 174 ) insertable into a pump port ( 168 ), said insertable end ( 174 ) comprising: 
 an resilient deformable portion ( 182 )    a portion more rigid than said deformable portion ( 178 ) at least partially surrounded by said deformable portion ( 182 ),    an initial insert configuration wherein said deformable portion is deformed between an interior port surface and said more rigid material,    a final insert position wherein said deformable portion has a configuration different from when in said initial insert configuration, an abutment ( 184 ) within said port blocking said deformable portion ( 182 ) to inhibit removal of said insertable end.