DE3544724A1 - Tank arrangement for an operating liquid of an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to avoid unwanted flow conditions in a tank arrangement for fuel or oil, containing two tanks (1, 2), which a suction pump delivers into an internal combustion engine, the two tanks are connected close to the base by way of lines (3, 4) and in their upper areas by way of a venting line (8). Only the tank (1) connected to the intake side of the pump has a connection to the atmosphere. The opening of the venting line (8) into it is so situated that if the tank arrangement (1, 2) is inclined, any exchange of liquid between the two tanks (1, 2) is virtually prevented. By appropriate selection of the flow cross section of at least one of the lines (3, 4) close to the base with reference to the change in the viscosity of the liquid as a function of the temperature, it is ensured that when the engine is cold, the storage tank (2) lies virtually outside the liquid circuit (fig. 1). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a container arrangement according to the preamble of Claim 1.

With such container arrangements there is the fundamental problem that on the one hand a large amount of fuel or lubricating or cooling oil On board the vehicle must be accommodated to have a long range of the vehicle or a large service interval, on the other hand large-volume containers in view of the special space available cannot usually be accommodated in vehicles. Therefore are Container arrangements have already become known, which consist of two together connected containers exist according to the preamble of claim 1. For fuel tanks in this connection to DE-OS 14 55 613, 63 C, 78, and DE-PS 32 24 943, 8 60 K 15/02, pointed out; a container arrangement for the lubricating oil supply to the internal combustion engine with one in addition to the oil pan existing lubricating oil tank shows DE-OS 22 63 282, F 01 m 5/00. The lubricating oil tank has a vertical overflow wall, so divided into two chambers. One out of three chambers existing oil pan, whereby oil is pumped from the external chambers transported into the middle chamber and from there by means of a pump is delivered to the internal combustion engine is from US-PS 35 90 953, F 01 m 11/06, known.

The latter construction serves to correct a problem that is based on the fact that in the operation of vehicle internal combustion engines different inclinations of the machine and thus the container arrangement each can adjust according to the terrain used. If the Vehicle is particularly dangerous when the container is largely empty  that the fuel or oil supplying the machine with its pump No longer immerses the suction side in the liquid to be supplied, but instead Sucking in air. This is what the latter American construction does contrary to the fact that overall a relatively large volume of oil for Is available, but the pump from a relatively small chamber in which the level of the oil level changes relatively little, in the internal combustion engine delivers.

Also other constructions that suck air in strong vehicle to prevent inclinations or accelerations, work with valve actuators regulations. In this context, only refer to DE-PS 12 97 933, F 01 m 11/06, and DE-OS 19 27 174, F 01 m 11/06, referred to, the first of which a pump suction line with several arms, each of which is not closed in the liquid to be pumped closed by means of a valve and the second one is an oil level safety device with one in the oil pan Arranged partition wall that describes a slope-dependent opening or closing valve, so that in terms of air intake critical inclinations of the oil pan a relatively small, on the suction side with the Pump connected area of the same from the remaining volume of the oil pan is separated.

So the problem area dealt with so far is about avoidance adverse effects of changes in position or acceleration forces of the vehicle equipped with the container arrangement with regard to the suction of the operating fluid stored in the container arrangement by means of prevention of currents that are under the effect of these changes in position want to adjust occurring forces or acceleration forces.

Also in another case one is interested in certain flow to prevent conditions in the container arrangement, namely when thereby heating the internal combustion engine when it is cold started could be adversely affected on their operating temperature. This is the case with regard to the supply of lubricating oil. This is how they describe it DE-OS 22 63 282 already mentioned at the beginning, DE-OS 19 32 908, F 01 m 5/00, and DE-OS 26 54 129, F 01 m 5/02, with such temperature-controlled Valve-equipped container assemblies that during cold start or warming up the machine only from a relatively small partial container or  bypassing an oil cooler oil reaches the machine, that is as it were a small oil circuit, while after reaching the Operating temperature the total amount of oil is included in the circuit. In the case of the aforementioned DE-OS 19 32 908, this is also the case at lower Temperature relatively high viscosity of the oil is used for this then bypasses an oil cooler. DE-OS 26 54 129, F 01 m 5/02, finally describes a construction in which these viscosity ratios by a subdivision of the oil container by means of a perforated partition be used so that only one with while the machine is warming up heat-releasing parts of the machine-related part oil chamber is used for the supply of the suction pump, while with increasing Increasing the oil temperature in the other part of the room holding oil increasingly sucked through the perforations of the partition mentioned becomes. The container arrangements of both this construction and that according to DE-OS 19 32 908, however, contain only a single oil container.

The invention has for its object a container arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 to create that without moving Parts, such as valves, to prevent unwanted flows in vehicles inclinations and (positive and negative) accelerations as well as for the internal combustion engine manages critical temperature conditions.

The achievement of this task consists in the characterizing Features of claim 1, advantageous training and further education the invention describe the subclaims.

With the features of claim 1 is particularly easy ensures that at all possible inclinations of the container arrangement on the one hand a relatively high liquid level in the area of the suction side the pump supplying the internal combustion engine is available, others on the other hand, the storage container runs out over the various lines between the two containers is excluded. So it's possible to design the first container as an oil pan open in the usual way, without the risk that the reservoir is over this oil pan emptied. There is no need for any valves. They worry accordingly Features according to claims 4 and 5 in a simple manner, that is again without moving parts, ensuring that during a cold start and the warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine via a small oil circuit  run is supplied while automatically increasing the oil temperature an increasing afterflow from the reservoir and thus a large, the total amount of oil stored in the reservoir assembly Forms oil circuit.

Three embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the Drawing explained. Show it:

Figs. 1 and 2 in side view and in plan view a first embodiment of the invention in the horizontal position,

FIGS. 3 and 4, the conditions in the first embodiment, on a downhill slope, and, where it is assumed that the first container is positioned further forward and the Vorratsbe container further back in the vehicle, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 in side view and in plan view a second embodiment of the invention.

In all embodiments it is assumed that the container arrangement Contains lubricating oil for the lubrication circuit of an internal combustion engine is arranged in a motor vehicle; neither the machine nor the motor vehicle are shown because they are well known and their training in particular has no influence on the container arrangement.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is the container assembly from the oil pan 1 formed as the first container and the reservoir 2, which is arranged in the vehicle behind the oil pan 1. Near the ground, the two containers 1 and 2 are connected by lines 3 and 4 , so that when the container arrangement is in a horizontal position and the machine is warm, the oil flow indicated by arrows in FIG. 2 results.

The oil pan 1 is divided by the vertical dividing wall 5 into two sub-troughs 6 and 7 , of which the sub-trough 6 is connected on the suction side with an oil pump, not shown, since it has a known structure and supports the internal combustion engine. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the partial trough 6 is considerably smaller than the partial trough 7 ; in any case, it is so large that it contains a sufficient quantity of oil for supplying lubricating oil to the cold machine.

If the conditions in the container arrangement according to FIGS. 1 and 2 are considered first when the machine is cold and warm, then at least the line 4 near the ground causing the afterflow of oil from the reservoir 2 into the suction area of the oil pump, ie into the partial trough 6 dimensioned in its flow cross-section with a view to the temperature dependence of the viscosity of the oil so that cold oil can flow from the reservoir 2 into the partial trough 6 at most in a vanishing amount. In the case of a cold internal combustion engine, this results in a small oil circuit which contains the quantity of oil sucked in by the oil pump from the partial trough 6 , the oil quantity in the machine and the heated oil returned from this, which also reaches the partial trough 7 . A certain amount of oil will also flow over the partition 5 into the part pan 6 .

As soon as the oil temperature increases, the viscosity of the oil decreases, and oil can flow in through the line 4 from the reservoir 2 , so that finally the entire amount of oil contained in the container arrangement is switched into the now large oil circuit.

In addition to the two lines 3 and 4 near the bottom, the two containers 1 and 2 are connected by the ventilation line 8 , which opens into the upper wall 9 of the storage container 2 and into an upper region of the oil pan 1 . The junction in the oil pan 1 is in the area of the calming chamber 10 , which, as shown in FIG. 1, communicates with the remaining volume of the oil pan 1 via the compensating bore 11 in its wall 12 . The storage container 2 is therefore not directly connected to the atmosphere via the vent line 8 .

The effect of these measures when driving down a slope or an incline will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4:

It is assumed that the containers 1 and 2 are arranged with respect to the longitudinal extent of the vehicle in such a way that an inclination about the horizontal tilt axis 14 occurs. The horizontal plane passing through this tilt axis is indicated at 15 . If you first consider the situation on a slope ( Fig. 3), some oil rises at 16 in the front approximately vertical right branch of the vent line 8 , however, air remains in the vent line 8 . It is important that the junction of the ventilation line Ent in the oil pan 1 is now covered by the oil level, so that the reservoir 2 no longer has an atmospheric connection. Accordingly, leakage of the storage container 2 via the oil pan 1 is avoided without provision of valves or the like.

To ensure these conditions even with much stronger inclinations, can, as indicated at 3 ', the connecting line 3 (and accordingly the connecting line 4 ) continue within the oil pan 1 , so that their confluence there at some distance from the side wall facing the reservoir 2 the oil pan 1 is.

The side walls of the oil pan 1 , as can be seen from the figures, must be raised so that oil does not overflow even at the largest expected angles of inclination.

As when driving down a slope ( Fig. 3) it is also ensured when driving up a slope ( Fig. 4) that a relatively high liquid level is maintained in the area of the suction side of the oil pump, ie in the oil pan 1 or the partial pan 6 . The oil level in the oil pan only lowers by the amount of oil located at 17 in the right vertical branch of the vent line 8 .

With regard to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS . 1 and 2, it has already been stated that, when the machine is cold, the oil is only sucked out of the partial tub 6 , the volume of which must therefore be so large that it is sufficient for the small oil circuit. Understandably, this means a relatively sharp drop in the oil level in the partial pan 6 .

The exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6 shows more favorable conditions in this regard, in which only other conditions exist with regard to the subdivision of the oil pan, so that the other components of the arrangement have the same reference numerals. If one considers the oil pan designated 20 here, the overflow wall 21 forms only a small partial pan 23 in relation to the partial pan 22 , which is again connected to the pump on the suction side, into which, as indicated at 24 , the oil return of the cylinder heads of the internal combustion engine flows into. Here, therefore, an overflow of oil over the wall 21 into the partial pan 22 takes place much faster than in the exemplary embodiment explained with reference to FIGS . 1 and 2 , so that the oil level in the latter sinks less than in the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Common to all embodiments of the invention is that undesirable Flow conditions in a Be containing at least two containers container arrangement avoided while avoiding moving parts such as valves are.

Claims (5)

1. Container arrangement for an operating fluid (fuel, lubricating or cooling oil) of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, which executes movements around horizontal axes during operation, with two containers arranged at least approximately at the same height, one of which has a first container with the suction side of an internal combustion engine supplying pump is connected, while the second container is connected as a storage container close to the ground with the first container and into which a ventilation line opens at the top, characterized in that only the first container ( 1 ) is in communication with the atmosphere and the ventilation line ( 8 ) opens into it at least near its side facing away from the storage container ( 2 ). 2. Container arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the ventilation line ( 8 ) opens into a ventilated calming chamber ( 10 ) in the first container ( 1 ), which with the main liquid volume in this via at least one equalization hole ( 11 ) in its walls ( 12 ) communicates. 3. A container arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one the near-ground connection between the containers ( 1 , 2 ) representing line ( 3 , 4 ) at a distance from the reservoir ( 2 ) facing side of the first container ( 1 ) a merging point (at 3 ') in this. 4. Container arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first container ( 1 ) is an oil pan with a substantially vertical overflow wall ( 5 ) for subdivision into two sub-tanks ( 6 , 7 ), both of which have at least one individual near-ground line ( 3 , 4 ) are connected to the storage container ( 2 ), but only one ( 6 ) of which is connected to the pump suction side, at least the near-bottom line ( 4 ) opening into this partial trough ( 6 ) is one with regard to the Temperature dependence of the oil selected flow cross-section has that after the cold start of the internal combustion afterflow of cold oil from the reservoir ( 2 ) is largely prevented. 5. A container arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the other of the two partial troughs ( 23 ) only covers a relatively small area at the mouth of their near-ground line ( 3 ) and with a defined oil return ( 24 ) from the internal combustion engine, for example from Cylinder heads, is connected.