Electric motor fuel pump

1. A fuel pump, comprising:

an electric motor having a stator, a rotor, and a generally cylindrical tube having opposed ends;

a fuel pumping element driven by the electric motor to take in fuel and discharge fuel under pressure; and

a plate having a face disposed adjacent to the fuel pumping element and a support surface adjacent to which one end of the tube is received, and a discontinuous support interface is defined between the support surface and said one end of the tube having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart discontinuities so that the tube is intermittently supported by the support surface along the circumference of said one end of the tube.

2. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein the face of the plate is substantially planar.

3. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein the pumping element is an impeller and has at least one planar side, and the face of the plate is substantially planar and disposed adjacent to a planar side of the impeller.

4. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein at least one of the support surface and said one end of the tube is discontinuous providing the discontinuous support interface.

5. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein said one end of the tube is supported along 10% to 90% of its circumferential extent.

6. The fuel pump of claim 5 wherein said one end of the tube is supported along 20% to 50% of its circumferential extent.

7. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein the end of the tube received against the support surface is non-planar so that the tube engages the support surface along less than the entire circumference of that end of the tube.

8. The fuel pump of claim 7 wherein the support surface is generally planar.

9. The fuel pump of claim 7 wherein the end of the tube is generally sinuous.

10. The fuel pump of claim 7 which also comprises a groove formed in the plate reducing the surface area of the support surface of the plate.

11. The fuel pump of claim 1 wherein the plate is of a polymeric material.

12. A fuel pump, comprising:

an electric motor having a stator, a rotor, and a generally cylindrical tube having opposed ends;

a fuel pumping element driven by the electric motor to take in fuel and discharge fuel under pressure;

a plate having a face disposed adjacent to the fuel pumping element and a support surface adjacent to which one end of the tube is received, and a discontinuous support interface is defined between the support surface and said one end of the tube so that the tube is not supported by the support surface along the entire circumference of said one end of the tube; and

at least two circumferentially spaced cavities adjacent to the support surface defining lands between adjacent cavities, and wherein the support surface is defined by the lands.

13. The fuel pump of claim 12 wherein the lands have a generally planar end face, and the end faces of each land collectively define the support surface.

14. The fuel pump of claim 13 wherein, when measured in the circumferential direction, the cavities are between 1 and 6 times as large as the end faces on average.

15. The fuel pump of claim 13 wherein, when measured in the circumferential direction, the cavities are between 2 and 4 times as large as the end faces on average.

16. The fuel pump of claim 13 which also comprises a groove formed adjacent to each end face further reducing the surface area of each end face.

17. The fuel pump of claim 12 wherein the cavities are generally concave along their circumferential extent.

18. A plate for a fuel pump having an electric motor with a cylindrical tube and a pumping element driven for rotation by the electric motor, comprising:

a plate body having a generally planar first side constructed to be disposed adjacent to a pumping element, a second side spaced from the first face, an annular support surface adjacent to the second side having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart discontinuities constructed and arranged to receive and support one end of the tube so that said one end of the tube is intermittently supported and not supported along its entire circumferential extent.

19. The fuel pump plate of claim 18 which also comprises an annular wall adjacent to the second side and the support surface and adapted to be received at least in part within the tube to locate and align the plate body and tube.

20. A plate for a fuel pump having an electric motor with a cylindrical tube and a pumping element driven for rotation by the electric motor, comprising:

a plate body having a generally planar first side constructed to be disposed adjacent to a pumping element, a second side spaced from the first side, an annular support surface adjacent to the second side that is discontinuous and constructed and arranged to receive and support one end of the tube so that said one end of the tube is not supported alone its entire circumferential extent; and

at least two circumferentially spaced cavities adjacent to the support surface defining lands between adjacent cavities, and wherein the support surface is defined by the lands.

21. The fuel pump of claim 20 wherein, when measured in the circumferential direction, the cavities are between 1 and 6 times as large as the lands.

22. The fuel pump of claim 21 , wherein when measured in the circumferential direction, the cavities are between 2 and 4 times as large as the lands.

23. The fuel pump of claim 20 wherein the lands have end faces that each define in part the support surface, and the surface area of the support surface is reduced by between 10% to 90% compared to the surface area the support surface would have without any cavities.

24. The fuel pump of claim 23 which also comprises a groove formed adjacent to the end faces further reducing the surface area of the end faces.

25. The fuel pump of claim 20 wherein said one end of the tube is supported along 10% to 90% of its circumferential extent.

26. The fuel pump of claim 25 wherein said one end of the tube is supported along 20% to 50% of its circumferential extent.

27. A fuel pump, comprising:

an electric motor having a stator, a rotor, and a generally cylindrical tube having opposed ends;

a fuel pumping element driven by the electric motor to take in fuel and discharge fuel under pressure;

a plate having a face disposed adjacent to the fuel pumping element and a support surface against which one end of the tube is received; and

one of the support or the one end of the tube having a plurality of discontinuities which are circumferentially spaced apart so that the plate is intermittently supported on the end of the tube.

28. The fuel pump of claim 27 which also comprises:

a housing in which the electric motor and pumping element are received at least in part, the housing having an inlet through which fuel is received and an outlet through which fuel is discharged;

a shaft operably associated with the rotor for co-rotation with the rotor;

the plate being received in the housing and having the support surface adjacent to one side against which one end of the tube is received; and

the pumping element being received in the housing between the inlet and the plate and operably associated with the shaft so that the pumping element is driven for rotation by the electric motor to increase the pressure of fuel received in the inlet and discharge it under pressure for delivery from the outlet.

29. The fuel pump of claim 27 wherein the plate is of a polymeric material.