Fluid tank and fluid pump with exterior motor

Abstract

A fluid tank assembly may include a fluid tank having a wall defining an internal volume in which a fluid is received and a fluid pump. The fluid pump may have a motor including an electrically driven motor, a pumping element driven to rotate by the motor, a dividing wall disposed between and separating the motor and the pumping element, and a magnetic coupling between the motor and the pumping element and operative through the dividing wall to couple the motor with the pumping element. The motor may be located outside of the internal volume of the fluid tank and the pumping element may be located inside of the internal volume of the fluid tank.

1 . A fluid tank assembly, comprising:
 a fluid tank having a wall defining an internal volume in which a fluid is received;   a fluid pump having a motor including an electrically driven motor, a pumping element driven to rotate by the motor, a dividing wall disposed between and separating the motor and the pumping element, and a magnetic coupling between the motor and the pumping element and operative through the dividing wall to couple the motor with the pumping element, wherein the motor is located outside of the internal volume of the fluid tank and the pumping element is located inside of the internal volume of the fluid tank.   
     
     
         2 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the dividing wall is a portion of a wall defining the internal volume. 
     
     
         3 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 2  wherein the dividing wall is formed in one-piece with the wall defining the internal volume of the fluid tank. 
     
     
         4 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the dividing wall is a separate structure from the fluid tank wall and the dividing wall is sealed to the fluid tank wall. 
     
     
         5 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 4  wherein the dividing wall is permanently sealed to the fluid tank wall. 
     
     
         6 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 5  wherein the dividing wall is welded to the fluid tank wall. 
     
     
         7 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 4  wherein the dividing wall is a portion of a housing that carries at least one of the motor and the pumping element. 
     
     
         8 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 7  wherein the housing carries the motor and the motor may be removed from the housing without unsealing the housing from the fluid tank. 
     
     
         9 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the magnetic coupling includes a drive member associated with and driven by the motor and a driven member driven by the drive member and associated with the pumping element. 
     
     
         10 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the drive member and driven member includes a rare-earth magnet and the other of the drive member and driven member includes a material responsive to the magnetic field of the rare-earth magnet through the dividing wall. 
     
     
         11 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 10  wherein both the drive member and the driven member include at least one rare-earth magnet. 
     
     
         12 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the dividing wall completely separates and isolates the motor from the liquid being pumped. 
     
     
         13 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 3  wherein the fluid tank wall is formed from multiple layers of different materials. 
     
     
         14 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 13  wherein the fluid tank wall includes at least one vapor barrier layer. 
     
     
         15 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the fluid tank wall includes a recess having a sidewall and a bottom wall and at least a portion of the bottom wall defines the dividing wall. 
     
     
         16 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 3  wherein the fluid tank wall includes an opening spaced from the dividing wall and through which the pumping element is inserted into the internal volume of the fluid tank. 
     
     
         17 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the dividing wall is 5 mm or less in thickness. 
     
     
         18 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 17  wherein the dividing wall is between 2 mm and 4 mm thick. 
     
     
         19 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  which includes a first receptacle in which the motor is at least partially received and a second receptacle in which the pumping element is at least partially received and wherein the dividing wall separates the first receptacle from the second receptacle. 
     
     
         20 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the dividing wall forms a portion of the lower wall of the fluid tank. 
     
     
         21 . The fluid tank assembly of  claim 1  wherein the dividing wall forms a portion of an upper wall of the fluid tank. 
     
     
         22 . A fluid pump, comprising:
 a motor;   a pumping element driven to rotate by the motor;   a dividing wall disposed between and separating the motor and the pumping element;   a magnetic coupling between the motor and the pumping element and operative through the dividing wall to couple the motor with the pumping element, wherein the motor is carried separately from the pumping element so that the motor and pumping element can be installed and removed separately from each other.   
     
     
         23 . The fluid pump of  claim 22 , wherein the magnetic coupling includes a drive member associated with and driven by the motor and a driven member driven by the drive member and associated with the pumping element. 
     
     
         24 . The fluid pump of  claim 22  wherein the dividing wall is integrally formed in one-piece as part of a fuel tank, with the motor being disposed outside of an internal volume of the fuel tank and the pumping element being disposed in communication with the internal volume of the fuel tank. 
     
     
         25 . The fluid pump of  claim 22  wherein the dividing wall is part of a housing that may be carried by a tank, and the motor is removably carried by the housing. 
     
     
         26 . The fluid pump of  claim 22  wherein the dividing wall completely separates and isolates the motor from the liquid being pumped. 
     
     
         27 . The fluid pump of  claim 23  wherein at least one of the drive member and driven member includes a rare-earth magnet and the other of the drive member and driven member includes a material responsive to the magnetic field of the rare-earth magnet through the dividing wall. 
     
     
         28 . The fluid pump of  claim 27  wherein both the drive member and the driven member include at least one rare-earth magnet. 
     
     
         29 . The fluid pump of  claim 22  which also includes a fluid pump assembly disposed adjacent to the side of the dividing wall opposite the motor and having the pumping element, and a driven member responsive to a rotational output of the motor and coupled to the pumping element. 
     
     
         30 . The fluid pump of  claim 29  wherein the pumping element is an impeller. 
     
     
         31 . The fluid pump of  claim 29  wherein the pumping element includes intermeshed gears.