DE102020203449A1 - Oil filter module, in particular transmission oil filter module - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an oil filter module (1), in particular a transmission oil filter module, for filtering oil, in particular for an electric or hybrid vehicle. The oil filter module (1) comprises a filter housing (2) which surrounds a housing interior (3) and which has a housing pot (4) with a pot bottom (5) and a pot opening (6) opposite the pot bottom (5) and a pot opening (6) that closes the pot opening Includes housing cover (7). The oil filter module (1) also comprises an oil filter device (10), which is arranged exchangeably in the housing interior (3), for filtering the oil, having a filter element (11) with a filter medium (12) made of a filter material which is inserted between two axial end disks (13a, 13b) is arranged. The oil filter module (1) further comprises a heat exchanger (9), which is arranged downstream of the oil filter device (10) outside the filter housing (2), for cooling the oil. Between the filter element (11) and the pot bottom (5), a bypass valve (5) is interchangeably arranged in the housing interior (3), which in an open position releases a bypass (18) bypassing the heat exchanger (9). The filter element (11) is arranged between the bypass valve (18) and the housing cover (7) in the housing interior (3) so that the bypass valve (17) is fixed in the housing interior (3) by means of the filter element (11).

Description

The present invention relates to an oil filter module, in particular a transmission oil filter module, and a transmission with such an oil filter module. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle, with such a transmission or with such an oil filter module or transmission oil filter module.

For powerful electric motors it may be necessary to integrate an additional gearbox in order to be able to transmit a high torque. Lubrication by means of oil is usually provided for the transmission. Such a lubrication includes a lubrication circuit with an oil filter, an oil reservoir, a heat exchanger for cooling the transmission oil and a pump. Other oil filter modules that are not provided for cooling transmission oil but for other application purposes can also have the named oil filter device and a heat exchanger for cooling the oil.

Such modules are often equipped with a bypass, which allows the oil to bypass the heat exchanger in the event that no oil cooling is required. Such a bypass typically includes a bypass valve, by means of which the oil, if it is to be cooled, is introduced into the heat exchanger, and otherwise - if no oil cooling is necessary - can be passed past the heat exchanger.

Since only oil that has been cleaned by means of the oil filter device can get into the heat exchanger, the bypass with the bypass valve must be arranged upstream of the heat exchanger and downstream of the oil filter device. However, this is often only possible with considerable technical effort and is therefore cost-intensive.

The present invention is therefore concerned with the problem of creating an improved embodiment for an oil filter module in which a heat exchanger bypass is implemented in a technically simple manner and thus inexpensively.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

The basic idea of the invention is accordingly to arrange the bypass valve of a bypass leading past the heat exchanger of the oil filter module in the filter housing of the oil filter device of the oil filter module, in which the filter element of the oil filter device is also arranged. Thus, after flowing through the filter element, the oil can be routed directly, i.e. over a short distance, to the bypass valve, where it can flow through the bypass when the bypass valve is open and can be introduced into the heat exchanger when the bypass valve is closed.

Since the bypass valve is arranged inside the filter housing, there are fewer interfaces to the external environment of the oil filter module, all of which would otherwise have to be sealed separately. This simplifies the technical implementation of the bypass valve as part of the oil filter module. Since the filter element is also arranged in the filter housing in addition to the bypass valve, the bypass valve can also be fixed in or on the filter housing by means of the filter element. A separate fixation of the bypass valve, the implementation of which would also involve additional technical effort, can thus be dispensed with.

As a result, the heat exchanger bypass with the bypass valve is integrated into the oil filter module in a technically simple and therefore inexpensive way.

An oil filter module according to the invention, in particular a transmission oil filter module, for filtering oil, in particular for an electric or hybrid vehicle, comprises a filter housing which surrounds a housing interior. The filter housing comprises a housing pot with a pot bottom and with a pot opening opposite the pot bottom. A housing cover of the filter housing closes the pot opening. For this purpose, the housing cover can be attached to the housing pot in a detachable or adjustable manner, so that the housing opening can be released if necessary. In the interior of the housing, an exchangeable oil filter device is arranged, which is used to filter the oil. For this purpose, the oil filter device has a filter element with a filter medium made of filter material, which is arranged between two axial end disks of the filter element. The filter element is therefore preferably designed as a ring filter element. The filter element can divide the housing interior into a raw and a clean side. A heat exchanger for cooling the oil is provided downstream of the oil filter device - and thus in fluid connection with the clean side of the housing interior - and also outside the filter housing. The heat exchanger can in particular be designed as a stacked plate heat exchanger. According to the invention, a bypass valve is interchangeably arranged in the housing interior between the filter element and the pot base, which in an open position releases a bypass bypassing the heat exchanger. The oil cleaned in the oil filter device can thus be guided past the heat exchanger if its temperature is not so high that cooling by means of the heat exchanger is necessary. This may be the case when the oil is its Has not yet reached operating temperature. The bypass valve is adjustable within the housing interior between this open position and a closed position in which the bypass is fluidically blocked so that all of the oil diverted from the oil filter device on the clean side is fed to the heat exchanger for cooling. According to the invention, the filter element is arranged between the bypass valve and the housing cover in the housing interior, so that the bypass valve is fixed in the housing interior by means of the filter element.

The oil filter module can have a conveying device, preferably an oil pump, upstream of the oil filter device, for conveying the oil through the oil filter device and through the heat exchanger or past it. The oil filter module can also have an oil pan, preferably with a drain plug, for collecting oil that has failed in the oil filter module.

According to a preferred embodiment, the oil filter module is designed in such a way that the bypass valve can only be removed from the housing interior or inserted into it - in its intended functional position - when the filter element is not arranged in the housing interior. In this way, the bypass valve can be held securely in the interior of the housing.

According to an advantageous development, the filter element exerts a pretensioning force on the bypass valve at least in a state through which pressurized oil flows. In this way, a particularly reliable fixing of the bypass valve in the housing interior is guaranteed. In particular, undesirable movements of the bypass valve relative to the filter housing, for example in response to external vibrations or mechanical impacts from the outside, are excluded.

The bypass valve is expediently supported at one end on the bottom of the pot and at the other end on the end disk of the filter element facing the bypass valve. This measure also leads to a particularly stable fixing of the bypass valve in the interior of the housing, in particular between the housing pot and the filter element.

The filter element is expediently supported on the bypass valve with the end disk facing the pot base and with the end disk facing away from the pot base on the housing cover. In this way, the filter element is also fixed in a stable and reliable manner in the interior of the housing, in particular between the bypass valve and the housing cover.

According to an advantageous development, the bypass valve has a cup-like valve seat which can be pushed into a clean oil outlet arranged in the base of the pot. A valve body is axially adjustable in the valve seat. In this way, the bypass valve can be mounted particularly easily in the interior of the housing by simply sliding it axially.

According to an advantageous development, the pure oil outlet is enclosed by a tubular body, in particular by its peripheral wall. In this development, a cup collar of the cup-shaped valve seat rests with its outside on an inside of the tubular body or the peripheral wall. In this way, undesired movement of the bypass valve transversely to the axial direction, that is to say in the radial direction, is prevented.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the bypass branches off from the pure oil outlet, in particular from the tubular body or from the peripheral wall. This embodiment requires particularly little installation space.

According to an advantageous development, the valve seat and the circumferential wall of the clean oil outlet can taper axially to form an axial stop. This ensures that after the bypass valve has been inserted or pushed into the housing interior or the valve seat, it is positioned precisely at the desired axial setpoint position.

The bypass is particularly preferably formed on the filter housing, preferably integrally. This variant requires particularly little installation space and is particularly cost-effective.

The valve body of the bypass valve is expediently adjustable between the already explained open position and a closed position in which the valve body closes the bypass in a fluid-tight manner. In this development, the valve body can preferably be arranged further away from the filter element in the closed position, in particular axially, than in the open position, or vice versa. This variant requires particularly little installation space, particularly in the axial direction.

According to an advantageous development, the valve body is prestressed towards the closed position by means of a prestressing element, preferably by means of a resilient component or element. A fail-safe function of the bypass valve can thus be implemented in a technically simple and thus inexpensive manner.

The bypass valve can preferably be designed as a thermostatic valve. This makes it possible to do this in a technically simple and therefore also inexpensive manner desired temperature-dependent switching of the bypass valve or its valve body between the open position and the closed position can be implemented.

The valve body of the thermostatic valve can particularly preferably comprise an expandable wax. In this way, the desired self-regulation of the bypass valve or valve body can be implemented when switching between open and closed positions.

The invention also relates to a transmission for a motor vehicle with a transmission oil filter module presented above. The advantages of the oil filter module explained above are therefore also transferred to the transmission according to the invention.

Finally, the invention relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle. The motor vehicle includes an electric motor for driving the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle according to the invention comprises a transmission according to the invention presented above and / or an oil filter module according to the invention presented above. The advantages of the oil filter module explained above are therefore also applied to the motor vehicle according to the invention.

Further important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the subclaims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures on the basis of the drawings.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, with the same reference symbols referring to the same or similar or functionally identical components.

• 1 in perspektivischer Darstellung ein Beispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Ölfiltermoduls;
• 2 das Ölfiltermodul der 1 im Bereich der Ölfiltereinrichtung und des Bypassventils in einem Längsschnitt.

They show, in each case schematically,

• 1 a perspective view of an example of an oil filter module according to the invention;
• 2 the oil filter module of the 1 in the area of the oil filter device and the bypass valve in a longitudinal section.

1 illustrates in a perspective view an example of an oil filter module according to the invention 1 for filtering oil, especially for an electric or hybrid vehicle. The oil filter module 1 includes a filter housing 2 , which has a housing interior through which the oil can flow 3 surrounds. The filter housing 2 can essentially have the geometric shape of a cylinder. In this variant in particular, an axial direction A is defined by a central longitudinal axis M of the cylinder, which direction thus extends in the direction of the central longitudinal axis M. A radial direction R extends perpendicularly away from the central longitudinal axis M and thus also extends orthogonally to the axial direction A. A circumferential direction U runs around the central longitudinal axis M and extends orthogonally both to the axial direction A and to the radial direction R. The filter housing 2 has a housing pot 4th with a pot base 5 and with one of the bottom of the pot 5 opposite pot opening 6th on. The filter housing also includes 2 one the pot opening 6th closing housing cover 7th . The housing cover 7th is expediently detachable or at least adjustable on the housing pot 4th attached.

As 1 can be seen is inside the filter housing 2 , i.e. inside the housing 3 , replaceable an oil filter device 10 arranged to filter the oil. The oil filter device 10 has a filter element 11 with a filter medium 12th made of filter material - for example a single-layer or multi-layer fleece - which is between a first and a second axial end disk 13a , 13b is arranged. The filter element 11 can in particular be designed as a ring filter element. The filter housing 2 can be part of a module housing 20th the oil filter device 1 be in which next to the oil filter device 10 further components of the oil filter module 1 are included or which is at least used to accommodate such components. Such a component is in particular one downstream of the oil filter device 10 and outside the filter housing 2 arranged heat exchanger 9 for cooling the oil after flowing through the oil filter device 10 . The heat exchanger 9 can on one to the filter housing 2 complementary part of the module housing 20th be mounted. The filter housing 2 can be integral to the module housing 20th be formed, ie the filter housing 2 and the complementary part of the module housing 2 are in this case formed in one piece and made of the same material.

the 2 shows the oil filter module 1 in the area of the filter housing 2 in a sectional view. According to 2 is inside the housing 3 the filter device 10 not just the filter element 11 but also a bypass valve 17th arranged interchangeably. The bypass valve 17th gives a heat exchanger in an open position 9 immediate bypass 18th free and closes this in a closed position. In the closed position, the oil is in the heat exchanger 9 via a connecting line 8th that are fluidically connected to the bypass valve 17th and the heat exchanger 9 communicates, the heat exchanger 9 fed for cooling. The bypass is useful 18th on the filter housing 2 , preferably integrally formed.

The filter element 11 is according to the 1 and 2 axially between the bypass valve 17th and the housing cover 7th inside the housing 3 arranged. The bypass valve is accordingly 17th along the axial direction A between the filter element 11 and the bottom of the pot 5 of the housing pot 4th arranged. The oil filter module 1 is therefore designed in such a way that the bypass valve 17th only when not inside the housing 3 arranged filter element 11 from the interior of the housing 3 removed or inserted into it. The filter element 11 exerts a pretensioning force on the bypass valve at least in a state through which pressurized oil is flowing 17th the end. The bypass valve 17th leans on the bottom of the pot at one end 5 and at the other end on one of the bypass valves 17th facing end plate 13a of the filter element 11 away. The filter element 11 is supported by the bottom of the pot 5 facing end plate 13a on the bypass valve 17th and with the one from the bottom of the pot 5 remote end plate 13b on the housing cover 7th away. The bypass valve 17th is done in this way by means of the filter element 11 inside the housing 3 fixed.

As 2 can also be seen, has the bypass valve 17th a cup-shaped valve seat 19th on, the one in the bottom of the pot 5 arranged pure oil outlet 21 is retractable. In the valve seat 19th a valve body is axially adjustable 25th of the bypass valve 17th arranged. The pure oil outlet 21 is through a tubular body 22nd or by its circumferential wall 23 edged. The bypass 18th includes a bypass line 29 from the pure oil outlet or from the peripheral wall 23 of the pipe body 22nd branches off. On an inside 24 of the pipe body 22nd or the peripheral wall 23 lies a pot collar 26th the cup-shaped valve seat 19th with its outside 28 at. The valve seat 19th and the perimeter wall 23 of the pure oil outlet 21 taper to form an axial stop 27 along the axial direction A from the filter element 11 path. The valve body 25th of the bypass valve 17th is adjustable between the open position and a closed position in which the bypass valve 17th or its valve body 25th the bypass 18th locks.

In the example of the figures is the valve body 25th in the closed position further away from the filter element 11 arranged than in the open position. The valve body 25th can by means of a biasing element 15th be biased towards the closed position. Such a biasing element 15th can be a resilient component 16 , for example in the form of an in 1 recognizable spiral spring, his or such a resilient component 16 include. The bypass valve 17th can be used as a thermostatic valve 14th be trained. In this case, the valve body 25th be or comprise a stretchable wax.

Claims (16)

Oil filter module (1), in particular transmission oil filter module, for filtering oil, in particular for an electric or hybrid vehicle, - With a filter housing (2) surrounding a housing interior (3), which has a housing pot (4) with a pot bottom (5) and a pot opening (6) opposite the pot bottom (5) and a housing cover (7) closing the pot opening (6) includes, - With an oil filter device (10) arranged interchangeably in the housing interior (3) for filtering the oil, having a filter element (11) with a filter medium (12) made of a filter material, which is arranged between two axial end plates (13a, 13b), - With a heat exchanger (9) arranged downstream of the oil filter device (10) outside the filter housing (2) for cooling the oil, - With a bypass valve (5) arranged interchangeably in the housing interior (3) between the filter element (11) and the pot base (5), which in an open position releases a bypass (18) bypassing the heat exchanger (9), - The filter element (11) being arranged between the bypass valve (18) and the housing cover (7) in the housing interior (3) so that the bypass valve (17) is fixed in the housing interior (3) by means of the filter element (11). Oil filter module after Claim 1 , characterized in that the oil filter module (1) is designed such that the bypass valve (17) can only be removed from or inserted into the housing interior (3) when the filter element (11) is not arranged in the housing interior (3). Oil filter module after Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the filter element (11) exerts a pretensioning force on the bypass valve (17) at least in a state through which pressurized oil flows. Oil filter module according to one of the Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the bypass valve (17) is supported at one end on the pot bottom (5) and at the other end by an end plate (13a) of the filter element (11) facing the bypass valve (17). Oil filter module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filter element (11) with the end plate (13a) facing the pot bottom (5) is supported on the bypass valve (17) and with the end plate (13b) facing away from the pot bottom (5) on the housing cover (7) is supported. Oil filter module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the bypass valve (17) has a pot-like valve seat (19) which can be pushed into a clean oil outlet (21) arranged in the pot bottom (5), - axially in the valve seat (19) adjustable a valve body (25) is arranged. Oil filter module after Claim 6 , characterized in that the pure oil outlet (21) is framed by a tubular body (22) or by a peripheral wall (23), on the inside (24) of which a cup collar (26) of the cup-like valve seat (19) rests. Oil filter module after Claim 6 or 7th , characterized in that the bypass (17) branches off from the pure oil outlet, in particular from the tubular body (22) or from the peripheral wall (23). Oil filter module according to one of the Claims 6 until 8th , characterized in that the valve seat (19) and the peripheral wall (23) of the pure oil outlet (21) taper axially to form an axial stop (27). Oil filter module according to one of the Claims 6 until 9 , characterized in that the bypass (18) is formed on the filter housing (2), preferably integrally. Oil filter module according to one of the Claims 6 until 10 , characterized in that - the valve body (25) of the bypass valve (17) is adjustable between the open position and a closed position in which the valve body (25) closes the bypass (18), - the valve body (25) is further removed in the closed position from the filter element (11) is arranged than in the open position, or vice versa. Oil filter module after Claim 11 , characterized in that the valve body (25) is prestressed towards the closed position by means of a prestressing element (15), preferably by means of a resilient component (16). Oil filter module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bypass valve (17) is designed as a thermostatic valve (14). Oil filter module after Claim 13 , characterized in that the valve body (25) of the thermostatic valve (14) comprises or is an expandable wax. Transmission for a motor vehicle with an oil filter module according to one of the preceding claims. Motor vehicle, in particular electric or hybrid vehicle, - with an electric motor for driving the motor vehicle, - with a gearbox Claim 15 or with an oil filter module (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 14th .

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