JP7707981B2 - Oil strainer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil strainer used in the path from the oil pan to the oil pump in the lubricating oil circulation path that circulates lubricating oil to the lubricating parts of an internal combustion engine.

If an internal combustion engine is left stopped for an extended period of time, the lubricating oil that was filled inside the oil pump and oil gallery will flow back due to gravity, and the lubricating oil as an oil film that covered the surfaces of each part in the main driving system and valve driving system will flow down due to gravity and return to the oil pan. As a result, the oil pump will be completely depleted of lubricating oil, and the surfaces of each part in the main driving system and valve driving system will be depleted of oil film. When the internal combustion engine is started in this state, if the hydraulic pressure rise time, which is the time from when the oil pump starts to when the supply of lubricating oil to the main driving system and valve driving system begins, is long, there is a risk of seizure. For this reason, technologies have been devised to shorten the hydraulic pressure rise time.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an oil strainer with a check valve that prevents oil from dripping. The oil strainer consists of a suction pipe and a wire mesh filter. One end of the suction pipe is connected to the main oil hole side oil passage of the engine cylinder block (an oil pump is located midway along this oil passage), and the other end is provided with a wire mesh filter and is immersed in the oil in the oil pan. The check valve is located midway along the suction pipe.

Jitszen No. 63-022310

However, the oil strainer described in Patent Document 1 requires the installation of a new separate component, the check valve, inside the suction pipe. In addition, for example, regular maintenance of the check valve is also required.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an oil strainer that can shorten the hydraulic pressure rise time without adding any additional parts, and can maintain the shortened time without requiring maintenance.

In order to solve the above problems, the oil strainer disclosed herein is an oil strainer used in the path from the oil pan to the oil pump in the lubricating oil circulation path that circulates the lubricating oil to the lubricating parts of an internal combustion engine, and has an intake port connection part that is connected to the intake port of the oil pump, an oil immersion part that is immersed in the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan, and a pipe part that bends from the oil immersion part to the intake port connection part, and the pipe part has a bent part that is located above the intake port of the oil pump that draws up the lubricating oil from the oil pan.

According to this, when the internal combustion engine stops pumping lubricating oil, the lubricating oil flows down into the oil pan due to gravity, but the bent part of the pipe part in the oil strainer is located above the intake port of the oil pump. Therefore, once the oil level of the lubricating oil drops to the inside of the bent part, the lubricating oil can no longer flow down into the oil pan. Therefore, the lubricating oil is retained at least inside the oil pump. As a result, when the internal combustion engine starts operating again, the retained lubricating oil is quickly pumped out by the oil pump, shortening the hydraulic pressure rise time.

In addition, if the oil pump and oil strainer, or the oil pump itself, are fastened together with screws, for example, the lubricating oil is stored in such an enclosed space. Therefore, unless an accident occurs, such as a hole being created or the internal combustion engine itself being significantly tilted, the lubricating oil will not leak out. In this way, it is guaranteed that a constant volume of lubricating oil is always stored, making it possible to maintain the shortened time without the need for maintenance.

In the above oil strainer, the suction port connection part is connected to the suction port provided below the oil pump, and the pipe part may extend downward from the suction port connection part, then bend upward, bend downward at the bent part located above the suction port, and then be connected to the oil immersion part.

With this, lubricating oil is reserved not only in the oil pump, but also in the oil strainer (the section from the bend to the intake port connection). Therefore, when the internal combustion engine starts operating again, more of the reserved lubricating oil is quickly pumped out by the oil pump, further shortening the hydraulic pressure rise time.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an oil strainer according to a first embodiment and an internal combustion engine in which the oil strainer is mounted; 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the action and effect of the oil strainer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an oil strainer according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an oil strainer according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of an oil strainer according to a fourth embodiment and an internal combustion engine system in which the oil strainer is incorporated. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a solenoid valve opening/closing process.

[Structure of the oil strainer according to embodiment 1 (FIG. 1)]
As shown in Fig. 1, an internal combustion engine 1 has a cylinder head cover 1a, a cylinder head 1b, a cylinder block 1c, and an oil pan 1d. The cylinder block 1c constitutes the cylindrical portion of the cylinder, and also houses the so-called main motion system components such as the piston and the crankshaft. The cylinder head 1b has a recess that serves as a combustion chamber on the joint surface with the cylinder block 1c, and has an intake port and an exhaust port formed toward the combustion chamber. The cylinder head 1b also supports the so-called valve train, which is the intake and exhaust valves that open and close the openings of the intake port and the exhaust port, and the mechanisms (camshaft, lash adjuster, rocker arm, etc.) that open and close the intake and exhaust valves.

The main motion system housed in the cylinder block 1c and the components that make up the valve system supported by the cylinder head 1b have multiple parts where metal parts rub against each other (parts that require lubrication and correspond to lubricated parts). The internal combustion engine 1 has a lubrication device that prevents friction in such parts and allows them to move smoothly. The oil pump 4 is part of the lubrication device. The oil pump 4 pumps lubricating oil to the lubricated parts.

The cylinder head cover 1a and oil pan 1d of the internal combustion engine 1 are related to this lubrication system. The cylinder head cover 1a is provided on top of the cylinder head 1b to prevent the lubricating oil from scattering. The oil pan 1d stores the lubricating oil and serves as a tray for the lubricating oil that falls after being supplied to the lubrication section.

The oil pump 4 sucks up the lubricating oil accumulated in the oil pan 1d through the oil strainer 2, and pumps the lubricating oil through lubricating oil passages called oil galleries inside the cylinder block 1c and cylinder head 1b to the lubricating parts of the internal combustion engine 1. The lubricating oil sent to each part is splashed or falls due to gravity, and returns to the oil pan 1d. In this way, a lubricating oil circulation path is formed in the internal combustion engine 1 to circulate the lubricating oil to the lubricating parts.

The oil pump 4 is directly connected to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1 and is driven by the rotation of the crankshaft. For example, any of a trochoid pump, a gear pump, and a vane pump may be used. The oil pump 4 has an intake port 4a and a discharge port 4b. The intake port 4a of the oil pump 4 faces the oil surface 6a of the lubricating oil 6 stored in the oil pan 1d. Therefore, the direction in which the lubricating oil is sucked into the pump from the intake port 4a is almost perpendicular to the oil surface 6a of the lubricating oil 6 stored in the oil pan 1d.

The oil strainer 2 is used in the lubricating oil circulation path from the oil pan 1d to the oil pump 4. The oil strainer 2 has a pipe section 3, one end of which is provided with an oil immersion section 12, and the other end is provided with an intake port connection section 3a. The oil immersion section 12 is immersed in the lubricating oil 6 stored in the oil pan 1d of the internal combustion engine 1. The intake port connection section 3a is connected to the intake port 4a of the oil pump 4. The oil immersion section 12 is a metal mesh-like member that removes large foreign objects. The intake port connection section 3a is formed, for example, as a flange, and is screwed to the flange formed on the intake port 4a of the oil pump 4.

The pipe section 3 is bent from the oil immersed section 12 and connected to the suction port connection section 3a. The pipe section 3 is formed, for example, by bending a straight pipe, and has an approach section 3b, a bent section 3d, and a vertical extension section 3e.

The vertical extension portion 3e is a portion that extends vertically when the oil strainer 2 is actually mounted on the internal combustion engine 1 (when the suction port connection portion 3a is connected to the suction port 4a of the oil pump 4 and the oil immersion portion 12 is immersed in the lubricating oil 6 of the oil pan 1d). Specifically, the vertical extension portion 3e extends vertically from the oil immersion portion 12, passes the suction port 4a of the oil pump 4 from bottom to top, and continues to the bent portion 3d. Since the bent portion 3d is continuous from such a vertical extension portion 3e, it is located above the suction port 4a. The bent portion 3d is bent (curved) in, for example, a U-shape and continues to the approach portion 3b. The bent portion 3d may be bent so as to change direction toward the suction port 4a of the oil pump 4 that it has passed by the vertical extension portion 3e, and may be bent in, for example, a V-shape. The approach section 3b continues from the bent section 3d, extends vertically from top to bottom, passing the intake port 4a of the oil pump 4, then bends (curves) and turns back below the intake port 4a, then extends vertically again to connect to the intake port connection section 3a.

● [Function and effect of oil strainer (Fig. 2)]
When the internal combustion engine 1 stops pumping the lubricating oil by the oil pump 4, the lubricating oil that filled the oil strainer 2, the oil pump 4, and the oil gallery flows down to the oil pan 1d by gravity, and the oil level 5a of the lubricating oil 5 also gradually drops. Here, because the bent portion 3d of the pipe portion 3 in the oil strainer 2 is located above the intake port 4a, once the oil level 5a of the lubricating oil 5 drops to the inside of the bent portion 3d, the lubricating oil 5 cannot thereafter flow down beyond the bent portion 3d to the vertical extension portion 3e. As a result, the lubricating oil 5 is reserved in the approach portion 3b and the oil pump 4 even after the pumping of the lubricating oil by the oil pump 4 stops.

In this way, when the internal combustion engine 1 starts operating again with the lubricating oil 5 reserved in the approach section 3b and the oil pump 4, the reserved lubricating oil 5 is quickly pumped out by the oil pump 4. This shortens the hydraulic pressure rise time. Also, unlike a check valve, the approach section 3b and the oil pump 4 in which the lubricating oil 5 is reserved are sealed spaces fastened by bolts and screws, and unless a hole is made or the internal combustion engine 1 itself is significantly tilted (usually, such occurrences are rare), the lubricating oil 5 will not leak out, and it is guaranteed that a constant volume of lubricating oil 5 is always reserved. This makes it possible to maintain the shortened time without requiring maintenance.

[Structure of the oil strainer according to the second embodiment (FIG. 3)]
The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The second embodiment is formed in substantially the same manner as the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the oil pump 24 is provided with an intake port 24a so that the direction in which the lubricating oil is drawn into the pump is substantially parallel to the oil level 6a of the lubricating oil 6 stored in the oil pan 1d.

The oil strainer 22 is used in the lubricating oil circulation path from the oil pan 1d to the oil pump 24. The pipe section 23 is bent from the oil immersion section 12 and connected to the suction port connection section 3a. The pipe section 23 is formed, for example, by bending a straight pipe, and has an approach section 23b, a bent section 3d, and a vertical extension section 3e. The approach section 23b continues from the bent section 3d and extends vertically, passing from top to bottom through the suction port 24a of the oil pump 24, then bends and turns back below the suction port 24a, extends vertically again, and finally bends and continues to the suction port connection section 3a.

[Structure of the oil strainer according to the third embodiment (FIG. 4)]
The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The third embodiment is formed in almost the same manner as the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the oil pump 34 has a suction port 34a on the upper side together with a discharge port 4b. That is, the suction port 34a does not face the oil surface 6a of the lubricating oil 6 stored in the oil pan 1d, but the direction in which the lubricating oil is drawn into the pump from the suction port 34a is almost perpendicular to the oil surface 6a.

The oil strainer 32 is used in the lubricating oil circulation path from the oil pan 1d to the oil pump 34. The pipe section 33 is bent from the oil immersed section 12 and connected to the intake port connection section 3a. The pipe section 33 is formed, for example, by bending a straight pipe, and has only the bent section 3d and the vertical extension section 3e.

[Structure of the oil strainer according to the fourth embodiment (FIG. 5)]
The fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The fourth embodiment is formed in substantially the same manner as the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, an oil strainer 42 according to the fourth embodiment has an electromagnetic valve 8 midway.

The internal combustion engine system 11 has an internal combustion engine 1 and a control device 7 that controls the opening and closing of an electromagnetic valve 8 of the internal combustion engine 1. The internal combustion engine 1 is provided with a rotation detection device 9. The rotation detection device 9 is, for example, a rotation sensor, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1 to the control device 7.

The control device 7 has a CPU, RAM, a storage device, a timer, etc. The control device 7 receives a control signal from the ignition switch 7a, starts or stops the internal combustion engine 1, and controls various electrical systems. The control device 7 (CPU) receives signals from the rotation detection device 9 and the oil change switch 7b, and outputs a control signal to the solenoid valve 8.

The oil strainer 42 is used in the lubricating oil circulation path from the oil pan 1d to the oil pump 4. The pipe section 43 is connected from the oil immersed section 12 to the suction port connection section 3a and has only the vertical extension section 3e. The solenoid valve 8 is provided midway along the vertical extension section 3e. Note that the pipe section 43 may be bent from the oil immersed section 12 to the suction port connection section 3a, but it is preferable that it is not bent in such a way that oil remains during an oil change (there is no so-called drain trap).

The solenoid valve 8 can be opened and closed by passing electricity through it, and is a typical valve used to control the opening and closing of the flow in a pipe that carries a fluid (lubricating oil in this embodiment).

[Processing procedure of the control device 7 in the fourth embodiment (FIG. 6)]
Next, the flow of processing by the control device 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The control device 7 (CPU) repeatedly starts the solenoid valve opening/closing process shown in FIG. 6 at a predetermined time interval (several ms to several tens of ms), for example, and proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, the control device 7 determines whether the internal combustion engine 1 is stopped based on the rotation status of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1 obtained from the rotation detection device 9. If the internal combustion engine 1 is stopped (Yes), the control device 7 proceeds to step S120, and if the internal combustion engine 1 is not stopped (No), the control device 7 proceeds to step S140.

When the process proceeds from step S110 to step S140, the control device 7 opens the solenoid valve 8 (the lubricating oil flows through the oil strainer 42, is sucked up by the oil pump 4, and is supplied to each part), and the process shown in FIG. 6 ends.

If the process proceeds to step S120, the control device 7 determines whether the oil change switch 7b is ON. The oil change switch 7b is set to ON at the user's discretion when the user changes the oil, and is set to OFF otherwise. If the oil change switch 7b is ON (Yes), the control device 7 proceeds to step S140, and if the oil change switch 7b is not ON (No), the control device 7 proceeds to step S130.

When the process proceeds from step S120 to step S140, the control device 7 opens the solenoid valve 8 (the lubricating oil falls into the oil pan 1d) and ends the process shown in FIG. 6. In this way, when the oil change switch 7b is ON, the solenoid valve 8 is opened, so that no lubricating oil remains in the oil pump 4 and oil strainer 42 after the internal combustion engine 1 is stopped, and the oil change can be performed appropriately.

If the process proceeds to step S130, the control device 7 closes the solenoid valve 8 (the lubricating oil does not fall into the oil pan 1d, but is retained in the oil strainer 42), and ends the process shown in FIG. 6.

The exhaust pipe of the internal combustion engine of the present invention is not limited to the appearance, configuration, structure, etc. described in this embodiment, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without changing the gist of the present invention.

1 Internal combustion engine 1a Cylinder head cover 1b Cylinder head 1c Cylinder block 1d Oil pan 2, 22, 32, 42 Oil strainer 3, 23, 33, 43 Pipe section 3a Intake port connection section 3b, 23b Approach section 3d Bending section 3e Vertical extension section 4, 24, 34 Oil pump 4a, 24a, 34a Intake port 4b Discharge port 6 Lubricating oil 6a Oil level 7 Control device 7a Ignition switch 7b Oil change switch 8 Solenoid valve 9 Rotation detection device 11 Internal combustion engine system 12 Oil immersed section

Claims (2)

An oil strainer used in a path from an oil pan to an oil pump in a lubricating oil circulation path that circulates lubricating oil to a lubricating part in an internal combustion engine,
an intake port connection portion connected to an intake port of the oil pump;
an oil immersion portion that is immersed in the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan;
a pipe portion that is bent and connected from the oil immersion portion to the suction port connection portion;
having
the pipe portion has a bent portion located above the suction port of the oil pump that draws up the lubricating oil from the oil pan ,
The intake port connection portion is connected to the intake port provided below the oil pump,
The pipe portion is
The oil immersion portion is connected to the oil passage, and the oil passage extends downward from the suction port connection portion, then curves upward, and then curves downward at the bent portion located above the suction port.
Oil strainer. An oil strainer used in a path from an oil pan to an oil pump in a lubricating oil circulation path that circulates lubricating oil to a lubricating part in an internal combustion engine,
an intake port connection portion connected to an intake port of the oil pump;
an oil immersion portion that is immersed in the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan;
a pipe portion that is bent and connected from the oil immersion portion to the suction port connection portion;
having
The pipe portion is
a lower curved portion that extends downward and then curves upward on a side closer to the oil pump;
an upper curved portion extending upward and then curved downward on a side farther from the oil pump, the upper curved portion being positioned above the intake port;
Oil strainer.