CN220319642U

CN220319642U - Oil pan assembly, engine and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN220319642U
Application number: CN202322334978.9U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 喻根生; 蒋海勇; 张富洪; 苏茂辉
Original assignee: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd; Zhejiang Geely Remote New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tianjin Alcohol Hydrogen Research And Development Co ltd; Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd; Zhejiang Geely Remote New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-08-29
Filing date: 2023-08-29
Publication date: 2024-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-29

Abstract

The utility model discloses an oil pan assembly, an engine and a vehicle, wherein the oil pan assembly comprises: a housing provided with an accommodating space; the filter collecting piece is arranged in the accommodating space and is of an integral structure with the shell, a gap is formed between the filter collecting piece and the bottom wall of the shell to form an oil inlet channel communicated with the accommodating space, the filter collecting piece is provided with an oil inlet and an oil supply channel communicated with the oil inlet, and the oil inlet faces the oil inlet channel and is communicated with the oil supply channel, so that internal lubricating oil in the accommodating space enters the oil supply channel through the oil inlet channel and the oil inlet. The technical scheme of the utility model solves the problem of complex assembly of the oil pan and the strainer.

Description

Oil pan assembly, engine and vehicle

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to an oil pan assembly, an engine and a vehicle.

Background

The oil pan is the lower half of the crankcase, also called the lower crankcase, and functions as a housing that encloses the crankcase as a sump and collects and stores lubricating oil that flows back from the various friction surfaces of the engine.

Lubricating oil enters the interior of the engine from the crankcase through the action of an engine oil pump, a strainer is generally arranged between the oil pan and the engine oil pump, the lubricating oil enters the engine oil pump after leaving the interior of the oil pan after entering the strainer, and the strainer is used for filtering out larger impurities in the lubricating oil. The existing strainer is generally designed by a single part or assembly, is assembled on an engine cylinder body, comprises a strainer bracket, a pipeline, a sealing ring and other parts, and is fixed in the oil pan space.

However, this structure has a problem of complicated assembly.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model mainly aims to provide an oil pan assembly, which aims to solve the problem of complex assembly of an oil pan and a strainer.

To achieve the above object, an oil pan assembly according to the present utility model includes:

a housing provided with an accommodating space; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

The filter collecting piece is arranged in the accommodating space and is of an integral structure with the shell, a gap is formed between the filter collecting piece and the bottom wall of the shell to form an oil inlet channel communicated with the accommodating space, the filter collecting piece is provided with an oil inlet and an oil supply channel communicated with the oil inlet, and the oil inlet faces the oil inlet channel and is communicated with the oil supply channel, so that internal lubricating oil in the accommodating space enters the oil supply channel through the oil inlet channel and the oil inlet.

Optionally, the filter collecting piece includes:

the first pipe body is integrally injection molded with the shell, the gap is formed between the first pipe body and the bottom wall of the shell, and the oil inlet is formed in the first pipe body; and

the second pipe body is connected with the first pipe body to be spliced to form the oil supply channel.

Optionally, the filter collecting piece includes:

the horizontal pipe section and the bottom wall of the shell are provided with the gap, one end of the horizontal pipe section is close to the side wall of the shell, and the other end of the horizontal pipe section is far away from the side wall of the shell and is provided with the oil inlet; and

and one end of the vertical pipe section is connected with one end of the horizontal pipe section, which is far away from the oil inlet, and the other end of the vertical pipe section extends towards the direction far away from the bottom wall of the shell.

Optionally, the horizontal pipe section includes:

the first sub pipe section and the bottom wall of the shell are provided with the gap, the first end of the first sub pipe section is close to the side wall of the shell, and the second end of the first sub pipe section extends towards the direction away from the side wall of the shell and is provided with the oil inlet; and

and a second sub-section extending along a side wall of the housing and connecting the first end of the first sub-section to the vertical section.

Optionally, the accommodating space comprises a first subspace and a second subspace which are communicated, the height of the first subspace is larger than that of the second subspace, and the filter collecting piece is arranged in the first subspace.

Optionally, a flow guiding member is arranged in the second subspace, and lubricating oil in the second subspace flows to the first subspace along the flow guiding member.

Optionally, the flow guiding piece is disposed on the bottom surface of the second subspace, one end of the flow guiding piece is fixed on the side wall of the second subspace, and the other end of the flow guiding piece extends towards the direction close to the first subspace.

Optionally, the shell is further provided with a capacity expansion groove, and the capacity expansion groove is arranged on the side wall of the first subspace and protrudes towards the direction away from the first subspace.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a rib plate, and the rib plate is disposed inside the expansion tank.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a reinforcing rib group, and the reinforcing rib group is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the housing.

Optionally, the reinforcing rib group includes a plurality of first reinforcing ribs, and the plurality of first reinforcing ribs are arranged on one side of the shell away from the expansion groove in a crisscross manner; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the reinforcing rib group comprises a plurality of second reinforcing ribs, and the second reinforcing ribs are arranged at the bottom of the shell in a crisscross manner.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a filter screen, and the filter screen is disposed at the oil inlet.

The utility model also provides an engine, which comprises the oil pan assembly.

The utility model further provides a vehicle comprising the oil pan assembly.

The oil pan assembly in the technical scheme of the embodiment of the utility model comprises the shell and the filter collecting piece, wherein the filter collecting piece is arranged in the accommodating space of the shell, so that occupation of vehicle space is reduced, possibility of fracture of the filter collecting piece is also reduced, the filter collecting piece and the shell are of an integrated structure, the filter collecting piece is not required to be independently installed, assembly operation is simplified, manufacturing efficiency is improved, on the other hand, the filter collecting piece and the shell are firmly connected, and the problem of bracket fracture caused by vibration or collision of the vehicle is not easy to occur, so that the problem of unsmooth oil supply to an engine lubricating system is reduced, and the running state of the engine is ensured to be good. The gap is arranged between the filter collecting piece and the bottom wall of the shell to form an oil inlet channel, the filter collecting piece is provided with an oil inlet communicated with the oil inlet channel and the oil supply channel, the oil inlet faces the gap to ensure that lubricating oil is smoothly sucked into the oil supply channel of the filter collecting piece from the containing space, the stability of lubricating oil supply is improved, the engine is further enabled to work stably, the distance of the gap is smaller, and the quantity of lubricating oil which cannot be sucked into the oil supply channel at the bottom of the containing space can be reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings that are required in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and other drawings may be obtained according to the structures shown in these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an oil pan assembly according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an oil pan assembly of the present utility model;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of an oil pan assembly according to the present utility model.

Reference numerals illustrate:

the achievement of the objects, functional features and advantages of the present utility model will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in conjunction with the embodiments.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present utility model will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all embodiments of the utility model. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear … …) in the embodiments of the present utility model are merely used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, etc. between the components in a particular posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the particular posture is changed, the directional indicator is changed accordingly.

In the present utility model, unless specifically stated and limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "affixed," and the like are to be construed broadly, and for example, "affixed" may be a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral body; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly, through intermediaries, or both, may be in communication with each other or in interaction with each other, unless expressly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

In addition, if there is a description of "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present utility model, the description of "first", "second", etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the meaning of "and/or" as it appears throughout includes three parallel schemes, for example "A and/or B", including the A scheme, or the B scheme, or the scheme where A and B are satisfied simultaneously. In addition, the technical solutions of the embodiments may be combined with each other, but it is necessary to base that the technical solutions can be realized by those skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be realized, the combination of the technical solutions should be considered to be absent and not within the scope of protection claimed in the present utility model.

The oil pan is the lower half of the crankcase, also called the lower crankcase, and functions as a housing that encloses the crankcase as a sump and collects and stores lubricating oil that flows back from the various friction surfaces of the engine. Lubricating oil enters the interior of the engine from the crankcase through the action of an engine oil pump, a strainer is generally arranged between the oil pan and the engine oil pump, the lubricating oil enters the engine oil pump after leaving the interior of the oil pan after entering the strainer, and the strainer is used for filtering out larger impurities in the lubricating oil. The existing strainer is generally designed by a single part or assembly, is assembled on an engine cylinder body, comprises a strainer bracket, a pipeline, a sealing ring and other parts, and is fixed in the oil pan space. According to the structure mode, due to manufacturing process differences, problems of bracket fracture, oil suction pipe welding crack and the like are easy to occur, and further the engine lubricating system is unsmooth in oil suction and low in engine oil pressure, so that the engine is at risk of bearing and axle locking, on the other hand, the independent pipelines of the strainer are installed in the oil pan space, the inner space of the oil pan is occupied more, and other parts such as a balance shaft cannot be installed.

The utility model provides an oil pan assembly.

Referring to fig. 1 to 2, fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an oil pan assembly according to the present utility model, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an oil pan assembly according to the present utility model.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the oil pan assembly includes:

a housing 100 provided with an accommodating space 110; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

The filter collecting piece 200 is arranged in the accommodating space 110 and is of an integral structure with the shell 100, a gap 300 is formed between the filter collecting piece 200 and the bottom wall of the shell 100 to form an oil inlet channel communicated with the accommodating space 110, the filter collecting piece 200 is provided with an oil inlet 201 and an oil supply channel 202 communicated with the oil inlet 201, and the oil inlet 201 faces the oil inlet channel and is communicated with the oil supply channel 202, so that internal lubricating oil in the accommodating space 110 enters the oil supply channel 202 through the oil inlet channel and the oil inlet 201.

The oil pan assembly in one technical scheme of the embodiment of the utility model comprises the shell 100 and the filter collecting piece 200, wherein the filter collecting piece 200 is arranged in the accommodating space 110 of the shell 100, so that occupation of vehicle space is reduced, possibility of fracture of the filter collecting piece 200 is reduced, the filter collecting piece 200 and the shell 100 are of an integrated structure, the filter collecting piece 200 is not required to be independently installed, assembly operation is simplified, manufacturing efficiency is improved, on the other hand, the filter collecting piece 200 and the shell 100 are firmly connected, and the problem of bracket fracture caused by vibration or collision of a vehicle is not easy to occur, so that the problem of unsmooth oil supply to an engine lubricating system is reduced, and good running state of an engine is ensured. The gap 300 is arranged between the filter collecting piece 200 and the bottom wall of the shell 100 to form an oil inlet channel, the oil inlet 201 is arranged on the filter collecting piece 200 and is communicated with the oil inlet channel and the oil supply channel 202, the oil inlet 201 faces the gap 300, lubricating oil can be guaranteed to be smoothly sucked into the oil supply channel 202 of the filter collecting piece 200 from the accommodating space 110, the stability of lubricating oil supply is improved, the engine is further enabled to work stably, the distance of the gap 300 is smaller, and the amount of lubricating oil which cannot be sucked into the oil supply channel 202 at the bottom of the accommodating space 110 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the oil pan component may be made of plastic or metal, and specifically in this embodiment, PA66-GF35 is used, and 35% glass fiber is added into PA66 (polyamide-66, commonly called nylon-66), so that the strength is high, the rigidity is high, and the chemical resistance is good.

Optionally, the filter assembly 200 includes:

the first pipe body 210, the first pipe body 210 and the shell 100 are integrally injection molded, a gap 300 is formed between the first pipe body 210 and the bottom wall of the shell 100, and the oil inlet 201 is formed in the first pipe body 210; and

the second pipe body 220 is connected with the first pipe body 210 to be spliced to form the oil supply passage 202.

In this embodiment, the filter collecting member 200 includes a first tube 210 and a second tube 220, and during specific manufacturing, the first tube 210 and the housing 100 are integrally formed by an injection molding process, and then the second tube 220 and the first tube 210 are spliced to form a tube shape, so that the oil supply channel 202 is formed, the manufacturing difficulty is low, and the manufacturing efficiency and the yield are improved. The second pipe 220 and the first pipe 210 may be fixed by friction welding or fusion welding, and in this embodiment, friction welding is adopted, so that the welding quality of the joint is good, and the dimensional accuracy after molding is high.

Optionally, the filter assembly 200 includes:

the horizontal pipe section 230 has a gap 300 with the bottom wall of the shell 100, one end of the horizontal pipe section 230 is close to the side wall of the shell 100, and the other end of the horizontal pipe section 230 is far away from the side wall of the shell 100 and is provided with an oil inlet 201; and

the vertical pipe section 240, one end of the vertical pipe section 240 is connected to one end of the horizontal pipe section 230 remote from the oil inlet 201, and the other end of the vertical pipe section 240 extends in a direction remote from the bottom wall of the housing 100.

In this embodiment, the oil inlet 201 of the filter collecting member 200 is located near the center of the first subspace 111, so that it is ensured that the lubricant is sucked more sufficiently, and it is also ensured that the lubricant is sufficiently supplied to the engine when the vehicle is inclined or jolt. The filter collecting piece 200 comprises a horizontal pipe section 230 and a vertical pipe section 240, the horizontal pipe section 230 is close to the inside of the accommodating space 110, and the vertical pipe section 240 extends upwards, so that the filter collecting piece 200 extends along the inner wall of the accommodating space 110, the size of the accommodating space 110 is increased, and if a balance shaft is arranged in a crankcase, the interference of the balance shaft and the filter collecting piece 200 can be avoided, and the application range of the oil pan assembly is improved.

Optionally, the horizontal tube segment 230 includes:

a first sub-pipe segment 231 having a gap 300 with the bottom wall of the housing 100, a first end of the first sub-pipe segment 231 being close to the side wall of the housing 100, a second end of the first sub-pipe segment 231 extending in a direction away from the side wall of the housing 100 and being provided with an oil inlet 201; and

the second sub-section 232 extends along the side wall of the housing 100 and connects the first end of the first sub-section 231 with the vertical section 240.

In this embodiment, the horizontal pipe section 230 includes a first sub-pipe section 231 and a second sub-pipe section 232, the first sub-pipe section 231 extends towards the side wall of the accommodating space 110, the second sub-pipe section 232 extends along the side wall of the accommodating space 110, and the extending directions of the first sub-pipe section 231, the second sub-pipe section 232 and the vertical pipe section 240 are perpendicular to each other, so that the vertical pipe section 240 is located at a corner of the accommodating space 110, and the trend of the whole filter collecting piece 200 is more regular, so that the interference problem with the balance shaft is avoided as much as possible on one hand, and the filter collecting piece is easy to form on the other hand.

Optionally, the accommodating space 110 includes a first subspace 111 and a second subspace 112 that are communicated, the height of the first subspace 111 is greater than that of the second subspace 112, and the filter collecting piece 200 is disposed inside the first subspace 111.

In this embodiment, the accommodating space 110 includes a first subspace 111 and a second subspace 112, the height of the first subspace 111 is greater than the height of the second subspace 112, i.e. the depth of the first subspace 111 is deeper than the depth of the second subspace 112 in the normal posture of the vehicle, so that the lubricating oil gathers in the first subspace 111 as much as possible, and the lubricating oil is convenient to enter the filter collecting piece 200.

Optionally, a flow guide 400 is provided inside the second subspace 112, and the lubricating oil in the second subspace 112 flows to the first subspace 111 along the flow guide 400.

In this embodiment, the flow guiding member 400 is disposed in the second subspace 112, and the lubricating oil in the second subspace 112 flows along the flow guiding member 400 when flowing, so as to flow to the first subspace 111, so that the lubricating oil returned from the engine into the accommodating space 110 can quickly flow back to the first subspace 111, and is further conveniently sucked by the oil inlet 201.

Optionally, the flow guiding member 400 is disposed on the bottom surface of the second subspace 112, one end of the flow guiding member 400 is fixed to the side wall of the second subspace 112, and the other end of the flow guiding member 400 extends towards the direction approaching the first subspace 111.

In this embodiment, the flow guiding element 400 is disposed on the bottom surface of the second subspace 112, and the flow guiding element 400 and the housing 100 are integrally injection molded, so that the flow guiding element 400 is easy to manufacture, and the assembly process is reduced. The two opposite side walls of the second subspace 112 are respectively provided with a guide piece 400, the lubricating oil flows along the surfaces of the guide pieces 400, and in the embodiment, the guide pieces 400 have a certain radian, and one end of each guide piece 400, which is close to the side wall of the second subspace 112, is larger in volume, so that the lubricating oil flows along the guide pieces 400 more smoothly, and the direction of the lubricating oil flowing to the oil inlet 201 is ensured.

Optionally, the casing 100 is further provided with a capacity expansion groove 113, and the capacity expansion groove 113 is disposed on a side wall of the first subspace 111 and protrudes in a direction away from the first subspace 111.

In this embodiment, the housing 100 is further provided with a capacity expansion groove 113, and the size of the accommodating space 110 is increased by the capacity expansion groove 113, so as to increase the oil storage capacity. The casing 100 bulges away from the first subspace 111 to form the expansion groove 113, which is easy to form and simple in manufacturing process.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a rib 500, and the rib 500 is disposed inside the expansion tank 113.

In this embodiment, a rib 500 is further provided in the expansion tank 113, so as to improve the strength of the housing 100 provided with the expansion tank 113 and prevent the housing 100 from being deformed. The specific form and number of the ribs 500 may be adjusted according to the shape and size of the expansion tank 113, and may meet the functional requirements, which is not limited herein.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a reinforcing rib set disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the housing 100.

In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the casing 100 is further provided with a reinforcing rib set, which can improve the strength of the casing 100, reduce the possibility of deformation of the casing 100, and resist the impact of sundries such as flying stones or branches during the running process of the vehicle, so as to reduce the possibility of breakage of the casing 100. The rib group may be provided on the side surface of the case 100 or may be provided on the bottom surface of the case 100.

Optionally, the reinforcing rib group includes a plurality of first reinforcing ribs 610, where the plurality of first reinforcing ribs 610 are disposed on a side of the casing 100 facing away from the expansion groove 113 in a crisscross manner; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the reinforcing rib group comprises a plurality of second reinforcing ribs 620, wherein the second reinforcing ribs 620 are arranged at the bottom of the shell 100 in a crisscross manner, and the plurality of second reinforcing ribs 620 are arranged at the bottom of the shell.

Referring to fig. 3, in this embodiment, the reinforcing rib group includes the first reinforcing ribs 610, the first reinforcing ribs 610 are disposed on the outer surface of the expansion tank 113, so that the strength of the housing 100 at the expansion tank 113 is improved, the possibility of deformation of the housing 100 at the expansion tank 113 is reduced, the first reinforcing ribs 610 are arranged in a crisscross manner, the strength is higher, and the molding is more convenient.

Referring to fig. 3, in this embodiment, the reinforcing rib group includes the second reinforcing ribs 620, the second reinforcing ribs 620 are disposed on the bottom surface of the housing 100, the strength of the bottom of the housing 100 is improved, the second reinforcing ribs 620 are arranged in a crisscross manner, the strength is higher, and the molding is convenient.

Optionally, the oil pan assembly further includes a filter screen 700, and the filter screen 700 is disposed at the oil inlet 201.

In this embodiment, a filter screen 700 is further disposed at the oil inlet 201, and the filter screen 700 can filter impurities in the lubricating oil to prevent the impurities from entering the engine.

In this embodiment, the housing 100, the first pipe body 210 of the filter collecting member 200, the flow guiding member 400, the reinforcing rib group, and the rib plate 500 are all integrally formed by injection molding. The shell 100 is also provided with an oil outlet, and the oil outlet can be arranged at the bottom of the side wall of the shell 100 or on the bottom wall of the shell 100, so that the later maintenance work is facilitated, and the lubricating oil in the accommodating space 110 can be discharged cleanly through the oil outlet, thereby replacing new lubricating oil.

The utility model also provides an engine, which comprises an oil pan assembly, and the specific structure of the oil pan assembly refers to the embodiment, and because the engine adopts all the technical schemes of all the embodiments, the engine at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical schemes of the embodiments, and the description is omitted herein. The engine in this embodiment may be a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a methanol engine, etc., and in particular, in this embodiment, the methanol engine is used, and the oil pan component is made of plastic materials, so that the quality of the engine is reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the engine is reduced.

The utility model also provides a vehicle, which comprises the oil pan assembly, and the specific structure of the oil pan assembly refers to the embodiment, and because the vehicle adopts all the technical schemes of all the embodiments, the vehicle at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical schemes of the embodiments, and the description is omitted herein. The vehicle can be a commercial vehicle or a passenger vehicle, and the oil pan assembly is adopted, so that the filter element 200 is integrally arranged in the accommodating space 110, the vehicle space occupied by the oil pan assembly is reduced, other parts can be arranged in more space, the mass of the oil pan assembly is reduced, the mass of the engine is reduced, the load on the frame is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the engine is reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the whole vehicle is further reduced.

The foregoing description is only of the optional embodiments of the present utility model, and is not intended to limit the scope of the utility model, and all the equivalent structural changes made by the description of the present utility model and the accompanying drawings or the direct/indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. An oil pan assembly, comprising:

2. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter collecting member comprises:

3. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter collecting member comprises:

4. An oil pan assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the horizontal tube section comprises:

5. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving space includes a first subspace and a second subspace in communication, the first subspace having a height greater than a height of the second subspace, the filter collecting member being disposed within the first subspace.

6. An oil pan assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein a flow guide is provided in the interior of the second subspace, and the lubricating oil in the second subspace flows along the flow guide to the first subspace.

7. The oil pan assembly of claim 6, wherein the flow guide is disposed on a bottom surface of the second subspace, one end of the flow guide is fixed to a side wall of the second subspace, and the other end of the flow guide extends in a direction approaching the first subspace.

8. The oil pan assembly of claim 5, wherein the housing is further provided with a capacity expansion groove provided on a side wall of the first subspace and protruding in a direction away from the first subspace.

9. The oil pan assembly of claim 8, further comprising a rib disposed within the expansion tank.

10. The oil pan assembly of claim 8, further comprising a set of ribs disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the housing.

11. The oil pan assembly of claim 10, wherein the set of ribs includes a plurality of first ribs, the plurality of first ribs being disposed crisscross on a side of the housing facing away from the expansion tank; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

12. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, further comprising a screen disposed at the oil inlet.

13. An engine comprising an oil pan assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A vehicle comprising an oil pan assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.