GB2060831A

GB2060831A - Lubricating oil supplementation for an internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: GB2060831A
Application number: GB8031801A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Current assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Priority date: 1979-10-04
Filing date: 1980-10-02
Publication date: 1981-05-07
Also published as: GB2060831B; FR2468734B1; DE2940235A1; IT8024935A0; FR2468734A1; DE2940235C2; IT1132767B

Abstract

A device for automatically supplementing the lubricating oil in the crank chamber of an internal combustion engine comprises a closed topping-up container and a topping- up pipe (3) extending downwardly from the container into the crank chamber and terminating at a required level (6) of the oil. The topping- up pipe (3) is controlled by a topping-up valve (4), which is closed by oil pressure acting on the end (22) of a piston closure against a spring force (24) when the engine is running and is open when the engine is stopped. The topping-up valve (4) is combined with an excess- pressure valve (12) in a forced- feed lubricating oil circulation system of the engine to form a valve unit (13), the excess pressure being relieved from a chamber (19) to a port (20) when the piston end (22) is moved against the spring force (24) to uncover the port (20). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lubricating oil supplementation for an internal combustion engine This invention relates to a device for automatically supplementing the lubricating oil in the crank chamber of an internal combustion engine, the device comprising a closed toppingup container and a topping-up passageway extending downwardly from the container into the crank chamber and terminating at a required level of the oil, which topping-up passageway is controlled by a topping-up valve, which is closed by oil pressure acting against urging means tending to open the topping up valve when the engine is running and is open when the engine is stopped.

One such device described in German Patentschrift No. 1,526,582 has a further valve, which is disposed upstream of the topping-up valve and closes and opens a portion of a topping-up pipe that leads from an additional oil supply container to the topping-up container. The further valve is closed when the topping-up valve is opened, and vice versa.

This construction is costly, since two containers are required for the supplementary oil, and an additional pipe for pressurized oil is needed.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a lubricating oil supplementation device which is of simple and compact construction and requires little additional space.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a device having the construction set out in the opening paragraph of the present Specification, in which the topping-up valve is combined with an excess-pressure valve in a forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system of the engine to form a valve unit.

By combining the topping-up valve with an excess-pressure valve controlled by the oil pressure in a forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system, the latter valve being required for the circulation system in any case, to form a valve unit, it not only becomes possible to manage with fewer and shorter pipes, but it also suffices to use a valve unit of an only slightly more complicated form for performing two control functions. Furthermore, apart from the topping-up container and a topping-up pipe or other passageway leading therefrom to the engine, no further space is required outside the engine.

Preferably, the topping-up valve comprises a piston sleeve which, by way of a control edge, co-operates with a control opening in the topping-up passageway, and the piston sleeve has a further control edge which is associated with a control opening for discharging oil when excess pressure occurs in the forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system. The further control edge may be formed at an end face of the piston sleeve that is acted upon by the pressurized oil. Such arrangements can result in a particularly compact construction, which enables the combined valve unit to be incorporated directly in the housing of a lubricating oil pump of the forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system.

An example of a lubricating oil supplementation device in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the device, and also shows a portion of a forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system of an internal combustion engine that is connected to the engine; and Figure 2 is an axial sectional view through a valve for controlling a topping-up pipe and arranged in the device shown in Fig. 1.

A device for automatically supplementing the lubricating oil in a crank chamber 1 of an internal combustion engine (not illustrated in detail), comprises a topping-up chamber or container 2, a topping-up passageway defined at least in part by a pipe 3 connected to this container 2, and a topping-up valve 4, which is controlled by the oil pressure in a forcedfeed lubricating oil circulation system of the engine. A topping-up oil outlet 5 of the valve 4, which is effectively the lower end of the topping-up pipe 3, is disposed at the required oil level 6 in the crank chamber 1 of the internal combustion engine, which chamber serves as an oil-collecting chamber.The forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system of the internal combustion engine mainly comprises a lubricating oil pump 7 with a suction pipe 8 running from the crank chamber 1 and a pressure pipe 10 leading to the lubrication points 9 of the internal combustion engine, a duct 11 discharging from the lubrication points 9 to the crank chamber 1, as well as an excess-pressure valve 12, which, together with the topping-up valve 4 for controlling flow through the topping-up pipe 3, forms a valve unit 1 3 and is connected, through a branch pipe 14, to the pressure pipe 1 0. The oil that is diverted when excess pressure occurs is passed either into the crank chamber 1 through a pipe 15, or to the suction pipe 8 of the lubricating-oil pump 7 by way of another pipe 16, shown in broken lines.

The topping-up container 2 is closed off in an air-tight manner and communicates only with the topping-up pipe 3. The topping-up container 2 has a device, not illustrated, which prevents the outflow of oil through the topping-up pipe 3 when the container is being filled. Instead of a permanently fitted toppingup container 2, an exchangeable container can be used if the connecting point at the topping-up pipe 3 has a valve which closes when the exchangeable container is removed, and opens when a new container is fitted. The topping-up container 2 is in both cases arranged above the topping-up valve 4.

The combined valve unit 1 3 which controls flow through the topping-up pipe 3 and also discharges oil when excess pressure occurs, comprises a housing 1 7 with a valve part formed as a piston sleeve 18, as shown in Fig. 2. Provided on the housing 1 7 are a pressurized oil inlet port 1 9 and a pressurized oil outlet port 20, as well as a topping-up oil inlet port 21 and the outlet 5 for the toppingup oil. The piston sleeve 18 is in the form of a hollow cylinder closed at one end face 22 and is arranged in a bore 23 of the housing 17 of the valve unit 1 3. In the zone of the closed end face 22 of the piston sleeve 18, the branch pipe 14, connected to the pressure pipe 10, runs into the pressurized oil inlet port 19.Partly contained in the piston sleeve 1 8 is a spring 24, which is backed by a circlip 25, inserted in the open lower end, i.e.

in the topping-up outlet 5, of the housing 1 7.

The topping-up pipe 3 runs into the bore of the housing at the topping-up inlet port 21 designed as a control opening. The toppingup oil inlet port 21 is uncovered by a control edge 26 of the piston sleeve 1 8 when oil pressure does not act downwardly on the closed end face 22 of the piston sleeve 1 8 so that the spring 24 is not compressed. Oil from the topping-up pipe 3 then flows through between the turns of the spring 24 to the topping-up outlet 5 of the valve unit 13, which is arranged in the crank chamber 1 at a place where the oil level does not change or changes only very slightly, even when the internal combustion engine is fitted in a vehicle and the latter is in an inclined position.

Arranged between the topping up inlet port 21 and the pressurized oil inlet port 19 is the pressurized oil outlet port 20, which is designed as a control opening and through which oil can flow away when the piston slide 1 8 is subjected to very high pressure by way of the pressurized oil inlet port 19, so that a control edge 27, at the end face 22, uncovers the pressurized oil outlet port 20.

When the engine is stopped and the oil pressure ceases to drop following stoppage, the piston sleeve 1 8 uncovers the topping-up oil inlet port 21, so that if the oil level has dropped in the crank chamber 1, air rises in the topping-up container 2. Oil then flows in the opposite direction from the topping-up container 2 into the crank chamber 1 by way of the topping-up pipe 3 and the combined valve unit 1 3. This action continues until the required oil level 6 is reached, that is to say until the topping-up oil outlet 5 of the valve unit 1 3 reaches the plane of the oil level, and upward movement of air through the outlet 5 is prevented by the risen oil level.

If the engine is now started up, the oil pressure that immediately builds up pushes the piston sleeve 1 8 into a position in which it closes the topping-up inlet port 21. If the oil pressure rises further, the compressed oil outlet port 20 is opened, and some of the pressurized oil flows away from the valve unit 1 3 through the pipe 15, while at the same time the topping-up oil inlet port 21 remains closed. The topping-up oil inlet port 21 is uncovered again only when the oil pressure in the forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system has eased off completely.

By combining the topping-up valve 4 and the excess pressure valve 12, the latter being necessary in any case in a forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system, to form a common valve unit 13, a very compact construction for a device for automatically supplementing the lubricating oil is obtained. Compactness can be further increased and costs reduced by integrating the combined valve unit 1 3 into the lubricating-oil pump 7 of the forced-feed lubricating circulation system.

Claims

1. A device for automatically supplementing the lubricating oil in the crank chamber of an internal combustion engine, the device comprising a closed topping-up container and topping-up passageway extending downwardly from the container into the crank chamber and terminating at a required level of the oil, which topping-up passageway is controlled by a topping-up valve, which is closed by oil pressure acting against urging means tending to open the topping-up valve when the engine is running and is open when the engine is stopped, in which the topping-up valve is combined with an excess-pressure valve in a forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system of the engine to form a valve unit.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the topping-up valve comprises a piston sleeve which, by way of a control edge, cooperates with a control opening in the topping-up passageway, and in which the piston sleeve has a further control edge which is associated with a control opening for discharging oil when excess pressure occurs in the forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which the further control edge is formed at an end face of the piston sleeve that is acted upon by the pressurized oil.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, in which the valve unit is integrated into a lubricating-oil pump of the forced-feed lubricating oil circulation system.

5. A device for autoinatically supplementing the lubricating oil in the crank chamber of an internal combustion engine, the device being substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.