Housing for accommodating a micropump

Abstract

A housing for a micropump has a layered structure of at least three elements including a support plate having an axial recess for supporting an internally toothed outer wheel, a connector block provided with an inlet and outlet for supplying and delivering the fluid to be pumped, and a base element for receiving an axially oriented or clamping device for at least one further plate shaped structure element having channel segments for conveying fluid from the connections to the recess of the support plate.

1 . A housing construction for receiving or accommodating and supporting a micro pump conveying a fluid and comprising an outer wheel toothed towards an inside and an inner wheel toothed towards an outside and being in a meshing engagement with said outer wheel, said inner wheel being in a non-rotating engagement with an elongated axial shaft, said housing construction comprising: 
 (a) an elongated axial opening for receiving or accommodating said shaft of said micro pump, said opening defining a housing axis;    (b) at least three layered structure elements extending in a perpendicular direction with respect to said housing axis, wherein 
 (aa) one of said elements is provided as a support plate having a recess extending in axial direction, for rotatably supporting said outer wheel,  
 (bb) one of said elements is provided as a connecting block for mounting at least one inlet and one outlet for supplying and delivering said fluid, and  
 (cc) one of said elements being provided as a base element for receiving axially oriented mounting or clamping means for the other layered structure elements;  
   (c) a further plate-shaped layered structure element located between said connecting block and said support plate and comprising an axially oriented channel segment of a plurality of circumferentially oriented channel segments and radially oriented channel segments or an optional combination thereof for conveying said fluid from connections of said connecting block to a recess of said support plate for said micro pump.    
     
     
         2 . The housing construction according to  claim 1  wherein at least one of said axially, circumferentially and radially oriented channel segments forming 
 a continuous first channel extending from said inlet to said recess for the micro pump for supplying fluid, and  
 a further circumferentially offset channel in said layered structure elements, for delivering a fluid from said recess to said outlet.  
 
     
     
         3 . Housing construction according to  claim 1 , wherein said recess is located eccentrically in said support plate as a cylindrical opening opposite said housing axis, for eccentrically bearing said outer wheel relative to said inner wheel which is in a fixed engagement with said shaft located in said housing axis.  
     
     
         4 . Housing construction according to  claim 1 , wherein a further plate-shaped layered structure element is located between said support plate and said connecting block, for providing two further elements.  
     
     
         5 . Housing construction according to  claim 4 , wherein said plate-shaped layered structure element is provided with radially oriented channel segments for displacing a fluid current in a radial outward direction away from said axial shaft opening for accommodating said shaft.  
     
     
         6 . Housing construction according to  claim 1 , wherein an additional plate-shaped layered structure element is located between said support plate and said base element, said element being provided with at least one of axially oriented channel segments and circumferentially oriented channel segments.  
     
     
         7 . Housing construction according to  claim 6 , wherein said channel segments are designed as kidneys extending in a radial and a circumferential direction and continuously through said additional element in an axial direction.  
     
     
         8 . Housing construction according to  claim 1 , wherein said housing construction has an outer circumferentially oriented surface which extends in an axial direction and substantially uniformly, said outer surface particularly having a cylindrical shape.  
     
     
         9 . Housing construction according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two plate-shaped layered structure elements are made of the same basic plate having throughout its entire surface a surface structure required for the evenness and surface quality of layered structure elements located close to a micro pump.  
     
     
         10 . Housing construction according to  claim 9 , wherein all inner plate-shaped layered structure elements substantially comprise the same thickness as an axially directed height.  
     
     
         11 . The housing construction according to  claim 1  wherein said further plate-shaped layered structure element has a thickness and is provided with at least one axial channel segment which is radially offset in relation to the corresponding kidney and has a length which is smaller than the thickness of said further plate-shaped element, said axial channel segment having a diameter which is larger than the width of the kidney at a circumferential position at which said axial channel segment contacts said kidney.  
     
     
         12 . Housing construction according to  claim 11 , wherein two kidneys are located to be reflected symmetrically in relation to a center plane of said housing construction, the width of each kidney continuously changing in a circumferential direction, and a respective axial channel segment contacting a respective kidney at a circumferential position at which a fluid current conveyed in an operation mode has a maximum volume.  
     
     
         13 . Housing construction according to  claim 12 , wherein an axial channel segment having a radial vector to its center axis, is angled between substantially 75° to 85° in relation to said center plane on one side or on both sides.  
     
     
         14 . Housing construction according to  claim 2 , wherein said first and said second channel are provided each with an axially and a radially oriented channel segment in said further plate-shaped layered structure element.  
     
     
         15 . A housing construction for receiving or accommodating and supporting therein a micro pump conveying a fluid, particularly a toothed ring micro pump comprising an outer wheel toothed towards the inside and an inner wheel toothed towards the outside and being in a meshing engagement with said outer wheel, said inner wheel being in a non-rotating engagement with an elongated axial shaft, said housing construction comprising 
 (a) a shaft opening extending in an axial direction for supporting a shaft of a micro pump, said opening defining a housing axis;    (b) a number of layered structure elements extending in a perpendicular direction with respect to said housing axis, said shaft opening extending in an axial direction and continuously through a number of layered structure elements;    (c) wherein a plate-shaped layered structure element connecting a fluid current is located between a connecting block for mounting an inlet and an outlet connection and a support plate for receiving an outer wheel, said layered structure element being provided with at least one of an axially oriented, a circumferentially oriented and a radially oriented channel segment and a combination of two segments thereof, for conveying said fluid through from the connection of said connecting block to a recess of said support plate.    
     
     
         16 . Housing construction for accommodating and supporting a micro system at an inside thereof, such as a toothed ring micro pump, a fluid micro sensor or a toothed ring micro motor, said micro system being interspersed with a fluid and comprising a first functional element and a second functional element engaging in said first element, said housing construction comprising a number of layered structure elements extending in a perpendicular direction with respect to said housing axis, characterized by a plate-shaped layered structure element located between a connecting block and a support plate for said micro system, said element being provided with one of an axially oriented channel segment, a circumferentially oriented channel segment and a radially oriented channel segment or a combination of at least two such channel segments for controlledly conveying a fluid through between connections of said connecting block and said micro system.  
     
     
         17 . Housing construction for accommodating and supporting a micro system at an inside thereof, such as a toothed ring micro pump, a fluid micro sensor or a toothed ring micro motor, said micro system being interspersed with a fluid and comprising a first functional element and a second functional element engaging in said first element, wherein said housing construction comprises 
 (a) a number of—at least two—layered structure elements extending in a perpendicular direction with respect to said housing axis, 
 (aa) one of said elements being adapted as a support plate having a recess extending in an axial direction, for receiving said first and said second functional element of said fluidic micro system;  
 (bb) one of said elements being adapted as a connecting block for being provided with an inlet and an outlet, for conveying a fluid to and from said micro system;  
   (b) a further plate-shaped layered structure element being positioned between said connecting block and said support plate, said element being provided with an inlet channel and an outlet channel, said channels being provided each with an axially oriented channel segment and a substantially radially oriented channel segment for conveying said fluid through between one connection, respectively, of said connecting block and said recess of said support plate.    
     
     
         18 . Housing construction for accommodating and supporting at an inside a micro system, such as a toothed ring micro pump, a fluid micro sensor or a toothed ring micro motor, said micro system being interspersed with a fluid and comprising a first functional element and a second functional element engaging in said first element, wherein said housing construction comprises 
 (a) a number of—at least two—layered structure elements extending in a perpendicular direction with respect to said housing axis; 
 (aa) one of said elements being adapted as a support plate having a recess extending in an axial direction, for receiving said first and said second functional element of said fluidic micro system;  
 (bb) one of said elements being adapted as a connecting block for being provided with an inlet and an outlet for supplying fluid to and delivering fluid from said micro system;  
   (b) a further plate-shaped layered structure element being positioned between said connecting block and said support plate, said element comprising one of an axially oriented channel segment, a radially oriented channel segment and a radially oriented channel segment or a combination of at least two such channel segments for conveying said fluid to and from said system.