Coolant circulation pump having thermal control of sub-circuits

Abstract

The pump provides temperature-based flowrate-modulation of the main-flow of coolant through the engine and radiator, coupled with temperature-based open/close control of sub-flows of coolant through plural sub-circuits. Modulation is done by orientatable swirl-vanes. Open/close control is done by a movable sleeve rotating inside a stator-sleeve, which opens/closes apertures and windows in the sleeves.

1 . A coolant pumping apparatus, wherein:
 the apparatus is structured for pumping liquid coolant through a coolant circulation system;   the apparatus includes a fixed housing, a rotary impeller having blades, and a rotary impeller-driver for rotating the impeller;   the apparatus includes a pump-outlet conduit, for gathering coolant emerging from the impeller, and for conveying same out of the apparatus and through the system;   the apparatus includes an operable flow-swirl-modulator;   the apparatus includes a modulator-entry chamber and a modulator-impeller chamber;   the modulator-entry chamber is structured to receive coolant circulating in a main-circuit of the system, and to convey same to the flow-swirl-modulator;   the modulator-impeller chamber is structured to receive a main-impeller-flow of coolant emerging from the modulator and to convey same into the blades of the impeller;   the apparatus is so structured that the flow-swirl-modulator imparts a rotary-swirl motion, being an angular-velocity vector-component, to the main-impeller-flow of coolant in the modulator-impeller chamber;   the flow-swirl-modulator has the capability, upon being operated in a modulator-orientation mode of movement, to change the magnitude and the rotational sense of the angular-velocity vector-component;   the apparatus includes respective sub-entry-chambers for receiving coolant flow circulating in plural sub-circuits of the system, being sub-entry-chamber-A in respect of sub-circuit-A, sub-entry-chamber-B in respect of sub-circuit-B, and so on;   the apparatus includes a subs-impeller-chamber, which is structured to receive coolant flow emerging from the sub-entry-chambers, and to convey same into the blades of the impeller;   in respect of sub-circuit-A:   (a) the apparatus includes a flow-blocker-A, which separates the sub-entry-chamber-A from the sub-impeller chamber;   (b) the flow-blocker-A is movable in an open/close mode of movement, between a blocker-open position and a blocker-closed position;   (c) when moved to the blocker-open position, the flow-blocker-A is so positioned as to enable a sub-flow-A of coolant through the flow-blocker-A, from the sub-entry-chamber-A to the subs-impeller chamber;   (d) when moved to the blocker-closed position, the flow-blocker-A is so positioned as to block coolant flow from the sub-entry-chamber-A to the subs-impeller chamber;   in respect of sub-circuit-B:   (a) the apparatus includes a flow-blocker-B, which separates the sub-entry-chamber-B from the sub-impeller chamber;   (b) the flow-blocker-B is movable in an open/close mode of movement, between a blocker-open position and a blocker-closed position;   (c) when moved to the blocker-open position, the flow-blocker-B is so positioned as to enable a sub-flow-B of coolant through the flow-blocker-B, from the sub-entry-chamber-B to the subs-impeller chamber;   (d) when moved to the blocker-closed position, the flow-blocker-B is so positioned as to block coolant flow from the sub-entry-chamber-B to the subs-impeller chamber;   the apparatus includes a thermal-unit, which includes:   (a) a temperature-sensor;   (b) a movable-element, which is movable responsively to changes in temperature as sensed by the temperature-sensor;   (c) a modulator-driver, which is structured to convert movement of the movable-element into corresponding operation of the flow-swirl modulator, in the modulator-orientation mode of movement;   (d) a blocker-driver, which is structured to convert movement of the movable-element into corresponding movement of the flow-blocker-A in the open/close mode of movement, and of the flowblocker-B in the open/close mode of movement.   
     
     
         2 . As in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the operable flow-swirl-modulator is an operable set of swirl-vanes;   the apparatus is so structured that the swirl-vanes impart the said rotary helical swirl motion to the main-impeller-flow of coolant passing through the modulator-impeller chamber;   the swirl-vanes are orientatable, as a set, in unison, in a vanes-orientation mode of movement, between a flow-reducing orientation of the swirl-vanes relative to the impeller, and a flow-boosting orientation of the swirl-vanes relative to the impeller;   the flow-blocker-A and the flow-blocker-B are incorporated into a pair of sleeves;   the open/close mode of movement of the flow-blocker-A is an open/close mode of movement of the sleeves, between a sleeves-open position and a sleeves-closed position;   in the sleeves-open position, an aperture-A in one sleeve coincides with a window-A in the other, to the extent that the sub-flow-A of coolant is enabled, from the sub-entry-chamber-A through to the modulator-impeller chamber;   in the sleeves-closed position, the aperture-A in the one sleeve coincides with a bar-A in the other sleeve, whereby flow of coolant through the sleeves is blocked;   the modulator-driver is structured to convert movement of the movable-element into corresponding movement of the vanes, in the vanes-orientation mode of movement;   the blocker-drive is structured to convert movement of the movable-element into corresponding relative movement of the sleeves, in the open/close mode of movement.   
     
     
         3 . As in  claim 2 , wherein the arrangement of the apertures, windows, and bars, in the sleeves, is such that, when the sleeves move relatively, the sub-entry-chamber-A opens and closes with respect to the modulator-impeller chamber at different temperatures from those at which the sub-entry-chamber-B opens and closes. 
     
     
         4 . As in  claim 2 , wherein the separate sub-entry-chamber-A, -B are positioned in respective sectors arranged around the circumference of the outer sleeve. 
     
     
         5 . As in claim  21 , wherein:
 the sleeves are arranged one inside the other;   at least the movable-sleeve is of annular form;   at least at the interface between the two sleeves, at least the movable-sleeve is substantially right-cylindrical;   the apertures in the movable sleeve are located in a wall of the movable sleeve.   
     
     
         6 . As in  claim 4 , wherein the inner-sleeve is a movable-sleeve, the outer-sleeve being a stator-sleeve. 
     
     
         7 . As in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the apparatus includes three tiers, being a bottom tier, a middle tier, and a top tier;   the bottom tier contains the impeller and the pump-outlet conduit;   the middle tier contains the modulator-entry chamber and the set of swirl-vanes;   the top tier contains the sub-entry-chambers and the pair of sleeves;   the modulator-impeller-chamber conveys the main-impeller-flow of coolant emerging from the set of vanes in the middle tier into the blades of the impeller in the bottom tier;   the sub-impeller-chamber conveys the sub-flows of coolant emerging from the sleeves in the top tier into the blades of the impeller in the bottom tier.   
     
     
         8 . As in  claim 7 , wherein the sub-impeller chamber is so arranged in the apparatus as to convey the sub-flows through the middle tier, to the impeller. 
     
     
         9 . As in  claim 7 , wherein:
 the movable-element of the thermal unit is located between the top tier and the middle tier;   the blocker-driver is located in the top tier, and the modulator-driver in the middle tier.   
     
     
         10 . As in  claim 8 , wherein:
 the movable-sleeve is a rotor-sleeve, which is mounted for rotation relative to the stator-sleeve;   at the interface between the rotor-sleeve and the stator-sleeve, the diameter of the rotor-sleeve is at least double the axial height of the rotor-sleeve.   
     
     
         11 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the temperature-sensor and the movable element of the thermal-unit are components of a wax-element thermal-actuator. 
     
     
         12 . As in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the temperature-sensor is arranged to sense temperature of coolant passing through a temperature-sensing chamber of the apparatus; and   the movable-element is movable responsively to changes in the coolant-temperature as sensed by the temperature-sensor.   
     
     
         13 . As in  claim 12 , wherein:
 one of the sleeves is a movable-sleeve, and is mounted in the apparatus for rotation relative to the stator-sleeve;   the blocker-driver is so structured as to be effective to convert movement of the movable element into movement of the rotor-sleeve;   the open/close mode of movement of the movable-sleeve occurs when the movable-element moves responsively to a change in temperature of coolant passing through the temperature-sensing chamber.   
     
     
         14 . As in  claim 12 , wherein:
 the temperature-sensing-chamber includes a modulator-sensing-chamber and a blocker-sensing-chamber;   the temperature-sensor includes a vanes-sensor and a sleeves-sensor, which are located respectively in the modulator-sensing-chamber and blocker-sensing chamber;   the movable-element includes a modulator-movable-element and a blocker-movable-element;   the vanes-movable-element moves responsively to changes in temperature of coolant passing through the modulator-sensing chamber, and the blocker-movable-element moves responsively to changes in temperature of coolant passing through the blocker-sensing chamber.   
     
     
         15 . As in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the main-impeller-flow enters the impeller basically as a helically-swirling annulus, the annulus having a helical swirl velocity;   the helical swirl motion of the annulus is the resultant of (a) an angular-velocity vector-component induced in the main-impeller-flow upon passing through the modulator, and (b) an axial-velocity vector-component induced in the main-impeller-flow upon passing through the modulator-impeller chamber;   the main-impeller-flow, as it enters the blades of the impeller, is substantially co-axial with the axis of the impeller;   the sub-flow has an overall translational-velocity vector that is substantially coaxial with the axis of the impeller;   as the sub-flow and the main-impeller-flow enter the impeller, the axial sub-flow lies at the centre of the impeller; and   the axial sub-flow is surrounded by the annular helically-swirling main-impeller-flow.   
     
     
         16 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is so structured and arranged that:
 all coolant circulating in all the sub-circuits enters the impeller from the sub-impeller chamber;   only the main-impeller-flow, being coolant that has passed through the swirl-vanes, can enter the impeller through the modulator-impeller chamber;   apart from the main-impeller-flow with its angular-velocity component, no significant flow of coolant can enter the impeller with a significant velocity component, whether translational or rotational, other than an axial-velocity component that is coaxial with the axis of the impeller.   
     
     
         17 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a main-subs-flow-separator, which keeps the rotary-swirling annular main-impeller-flow in the modulator-impeller chamber physically separated from the subs-impeller-flow in the subs-impeller chamber. 
     
     
         18 . As in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the main-subs-flow-separator keeps the main-flow in the modulator-impeller-chamber separate from the subs-impeller-flow in the subs-impeller chamber, until both flows are on the point of entering the impeller;   the subs-impeller-chamber containing the subs-impeller-flow is located inside the main-subs-flow-separator;   the subs-impeller-chamber containing the rotary-swirling annular main-impeller-flow is located outside the flow-separator; and   the main-subs-flow-separator extends sufficiently close to the impeller that the subs-impeller-flow substantially does not interfere with, and does not significantly affect, the angular-velocity vector-component of the main-impeller-flow as the main-impeller-flow enters the blades of the impeller.   
     
     
         19 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the movable-sleeve is mounted for linear movement relative to the stator-sleeve. 
     
     
         20 . The combination of the apparatus of  claim 1  with an automotive engine coolant circulation system, which includes a radiator, the radiator being a component of the main-circuit.