Epitrochoidal vacuum pump

An epitrochoidal vacuum pump comprising:

• a housing comprising a chamber having an internal space defined by a surrounding wall flanked by a front wall and a back wall, the internal space having an epitrochoidal shape;
• a rotor rotatably received within the internal space of the chamber, the rotor being shaped with a number of edges that conjugate with the epitrochoidal shape of the internal space and comprising an internally toothed guide gear;
• a drive shaft configured to rotate the rotor eccentrically about an axis within the chamber;
• an externally toothed guide sprocket for meshing with and guiding movement of the internally toothed guide gear of the rotor as it is driven by the drive shaft;
• a first chamber inlet and a second chamber inlet for drawing air under negative pressure into the housing, the first chamber inlet and the second chamber inlet being fluidly connected via at least one inlet channel provided in the housing;
• a first outlet and a second outlet for expulsing air under positive pressure from the housing;
• and
• a fluid inlet for inputting lubricant, the fluid inlet being communicated to both a drive shaft channel for leading the lubricant to the drive shaft for lubrication thereof and a chamber channel for leading the lubricant to the internal space of the housing chamber, the drive shaft channel and the chamber channel being subject to a pressure differential generated in the internal space for drawing the lubricant through the fluid inlet and both of said drive shaft channel and said chamber channel,
• wherein the drive shaft channel and the chamber channel connect to one another directly at a junction and the fluid inlet is configured to deliver the lubricant to said junction to feed the lubricant to both said drive shaft channel and the chamber channel, and
• wherein the chamber channel fluidly connects to two radial channels extending radially outwardly along an interior wall of the housing to the first and second chamber inlets.