Vane pump having volume variable pump chambers communicatable with inlet and outlet

摘要

In a vane pump, a rotor chamber is defined within a housing that includes a ring and first and second plates. An inlet is communicated with the rotor chamber through an intake groove, and an outlet is communicated with the rotor chamber through a discharge groove. A rotor, which has a plurality of radially reciprocable vanes, is rotatably received in the rotor chamber, and a plurality of volume variable pump chambers is defined by the vanes between an inner peripheral wall surface of the housing and an outer peripheral surface of the rotor. The discharge groove includes a first end and a second end, and the second end is positioned away from the first end in the rotational direction of the rotor. The outlet extends directly from the second end of the discharge groove.