EP1526258A1

EP1526258A1 - Bottom engine oil pan with increased useful volume

Info

Publication number: EP1526258A1
Application number: EP03380237A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Inaki Alapont Echaniz
Original assignee: Autotech Engineering SL
Current assignee: Autotech Engineering SL
Priority date: 2003-10-21
Filing date: 2003-10-21
Publication date: 2005-04-27

Abstract

Comprised of a body (2) determining a large cavity (6) with at least one side widening (7) and a cover (1) that covers the upper peripheral edge of the body (2), with orifices (5) for attachment to the engine block. At the area where the side widening (7) is established, the body (2) incorporates housings (4) where orifices (8-8') are established vertically aligned with the orifices (5) for attaching the cover (1), the cover orifices (5) provided in this area being concealed inside the body (2).

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bottom engine oil pan constructed in two parts in order to increase its useful volume compared to the usual configuration in a single part.
The object of the invention is a bottom engine oil pan constructed in two parts, a lid and a body, in which, unlike the usual design in which all attachment orifices are provided in an upper wing of the single-part pan, there are orifices in both the lid and the bottom part of the body that allow a sideways expansion of the pan so that its useful volume is substantially increased.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is currently a great interest in obtaining a greater useful volume of automobile oil pans, as the importance of the presence of clean oil has been established for Diesel vehicle longevity and to increase maintenance cycles. Thus, this requires using a greater volume of oil and therefore a larger oil pan.
Historically, the manufacturing techniques for the industrialisation of the bottom oil pan have mainly involved its manufacture in a single metal or plastic part configuring an open deposit or cavity that ends at its upper open edge at a peripheral wing that incorporates a series of attachment orifices for its subsequent bolting with the corresponding rubber gasket to the lower part of the engine block.
Normally, the bottom engine oil pan has a shape of varying complexity that defines a cavity in which the oil is housed, the greasing pump, an orifice for measuring the oil level, the drain plugs, etc. As mentioned before, this cavity ends on its upper perimeter as a wing or widening that surrounds the entire pan and projects outward with respect to its upper lateral surface. This wing has orifices through which attachment bolts are inserted that anchor it to the engine block, for which the corresponding bolting tools are used.
The wing will normally encompass the entire pan perimeter, the shape and dimensions of this perimeter being defined by the shape and dimensions of the engine block to which it is eventually anchored. This means that the volume that can be reached by the pan is substantially limited by the dimensions of this perimeter. Additionally, when viewing a conventional oil pan from the bottom it can be seen that its volume is recessed with respect to the upper wing, as the pan is bolted from the bottom so that the wing attachment orifices must be accessible from the bottom to operate the corresponding tightening tools. The various engine elements found on the bottom of the oil pan and its floor normally determine the volume available for the oil pan.
It is obvious that if the space to the sides of the pan could be used, this is, the width of the wing, it would be possible to obtain considerably greater oil pan volumes. In the conventional oil pan design this is not possible, since as mentioned before access must be provided on the bottom for the bolting tools. It is also important to note that in the conventional construction of the oil pan the bolt heads rest on the wing.
To solve this need the construction of a two-part oil pan is conceived, as described in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The bottom engine oil pan that constitutes the object of this invention provides an alternative solution to allow increasing its useful volume, due to the need for larger volumes of oil that increase the longevity of Diesel vehicles and their maintenance cycles, making use of the space to the sides of said pan.
The present invention comprises a two-part oil pan in which the cavity and the wing no longer form a single part, but are instead two different parts. This two-part oil pan comprises a first part or body determining a large cavity open on its top to define an orifice with a shape and dimensions suitable for coupling it under the corresponding engine block, and a second part or cover that is assembled on the body along the peripheral edge of its upper opening, this cover having all the orifices required to attach the oil pan to the engine block, such that the body has on at least one of its sides a widening that extends beyond the position of the cover so that the attachment orifices of this side are concealed inside the oil pan body.
In this way, the body is provided on its bottom part with housings in which orifices are provided vertically aligned with the cover attachment orifices that are concealed by the body itself, to allow passage of the corresponding attachment bolts through the body as far as the cover attachment orifices.
With this construction of the oil pan, two bolting possibilities are provided. In a first mode, bolting takes place between the aligned orifices of the cover and the body with the aid of metallic spacers through which pass long bolts whose heads rest on the outer part of the body housings. In this case the bolting tools access the lower part of the body and not the wing, as is the case in a conventional oil pan.
In a second bolting mode, the housings have larger orifices through which pass the entire bolts and the bolting tools to access directly the orifices made in the cover. The oil pan orifices are finally closed by suitable closing means.
This type of two-part (body and cover) oil pan means that the engine block perimeter and the position of which the oil pan attachment orifices no longer represent a constraint for the oil pan volume, as the space to the sides of the oil pan can be used to greatly increase its volume.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the present description is accompanied by a set of drawings forming an integral part of the description where, for purposes of illustration only and in a non-limiting sense the following is shown:
Figure 1 shows a general perspective view of the bottom engine oil pan for the first bolting option showing the various oil pan elements such as the body, the cover and the spacers.
Figure 2 shows a general perspective view of the bottom engine oil pan for the second bolting option showing the various oil pan elements such as the body, the cover and the various closing means.
Figure 3 shows a general perspective view of the oil pan cover, showing the orifices for attachment to the engine block.
Figure 4 shows a general perspective view of the body, showing the housings for the bolt heads as well as the volumes gained by this two-part oil pan design.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The oil pan object of this invention can be coupled to the engine block of any engine or vehicle type and is mainly characterised by having two parts, namely a body (2) with a large cavity (6) provided with side widenings (7) that increase its useful volume, and a cover (1) that covers the upper peripheral edge of the body (2), in which are established anchoring orifices (5) through which pass bolts securing the body (2) and the cover (1) to the engine block.
Defined inside the body (2), more specifically in at least one of the sides of the base corresponding to the side widenings (7), are housings (4) above which are orifices (8-8') that are vertically aligned with the attachment orifices (5) of the cover (1).
In a first solution for assembly or bolting of the oil pan to the engine block, spacers (3) rest on the inner face of the housings (4) extending vertically as far as the lower face of the cover (1), inside which pass long bolts whose heads rest on the outer surface of the housing (4) and whose stems pass through the orifice (8) of the housing (4), entering the cover (1) anchoring orifices (5) and finally screw in the engine block, the bolts passing through the body (2) being inwardly displaced with respect to the perimeter of the body (2) enabling the existence of the side widenings (7) that increase the useful volume of the oil pan.
The spacers (3) are preferably metallic spacers and will be placed between each two housings (4).
In this first bolting solution the bolting tools access the bolt heads located on the bottom part of the body (2).
In a second bolting solution, the inside of the body (2) lacks spacers (3) and is provided with orifices (8') made in the housing (4) itself with diameters large enough to allow the passage of the entire bolt and the bolting tool, as the bolt head will rest against the lower face of the cover (1). In this case the orifice (8') of the housing (4) is covered by the corresponding closure means (11).
On another hand, the body (2) is also provided with an upper lip (10) that extends on the sides of its perimeter without side widenings (7), where there are orifices (9) for passage of the remaining bolts, which will also pass through the attachment orifices (5) corresponding to the cover (1) and whose head will rest against the lower face of the lip (10) after bolting to the engine block.
This type of two-part oil pan, with a cover (1) and a body (2), implies that the perimeter of the engine block on which the attachment orifices are provided no longer represents a constraint for the useful volume of the oil pan, as the free lateral spaces can be used to considerably increase the oil pan volume, implying a longer engine lifetime and longer maintenance times.

Claims

Bottom engine oil pan with an increased useful volume, for coupling to the engine block of any type of engine and vehicle, characterised in that it comprises two parts, a body (2) determining a large cavity (6) open on the top to define an orifice of adequate dimensions and shape for being coupled to the engine block, and a cover (1) that covers the upper edge of the orifice of the body (2) to constitute a form of peripheral extension in which are established attachment orifices (5) for passage of bolts anchoring the body (2) and the cover (1) to the engine block, with the particular characteristic that the body (2) has at least one side widening (7) extending beyond the position of the attachment orifices (5) of the cover (1), the orifices established on this side of the cover (1) being concealed inside the body (2).
Bottom engine oil pan with an increased useful volume, according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one of the sides of the base of the body (2), in correspondence with the side widening (7), inwardly displaced with respect to its outer edge, has housings (4) above which are established orifices (8-8') that are placed vertically aligned with the orifices (5) for attaching the cover (1).
Bottom engine oil pan with an increased useful volume according to previous claims characterised in that spacers (3) rest on the inner face of the housings (4) extending inside the body (2) as far as the lower face of the cover (1), inside which pass long bolts whose heads rest on the outer surface of the housing (4) and whose stems pass through the orifice (8) of the housing (4), entering the attachment orifices (5) for the cover (1) and finally screw in the engine block, the bolts passing through the body (2) being inwardly displaced with respect to the perimeter of the body (2) enabling the existence of the side widenings (7) that increase the useful volume of the oil pan.
Bottom engine oil pan with an increased useful volume according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the orifices (8') have a widened diameter to allow the passage of the bolt head and the bolting tool, so that the bolt head will rest against the lower face of the cover (1) and the bolt stem will cross the cover attachment orifice (5) and screw in the engine block, with the orifice (8') of the housing (4) being covered by corresponding closing means (11).
Bottom engine oil pan with an increased useful volume according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the body (2) is provided with an upper lip (10) that extends on the sides of its perimeter without side widenings (7), where there are orifices (9) for passage of the remaining bolts, which will also pass through the attachment orifices (5) of the cover (1) and whose head will rest against the lower face of the lip (10) after bolting to the engine block.