JP2002129925A - Oil filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the removal of a very small contaminant, which has been could not removed before, and to purify lubricating oil with higher precision. SOLUTION: The passage of lubricating oil feeding to an engine is branched to a main passage 3 and a bypath passage 4, a filtering body 7 with high precision is arranged in the main passage 3, and a pressure control valve 5 is arranged in the by-path passage 4. Ten to 20% of total inflow rate of the lubricating oil is flown into the main passage 3 with large passing resistance of the filtering body 7 with high precision. The pressure in the lubricating oil flowing through the main passage 3 increases, therefore 90 to 80% lubricating oil of the total inflow rate is normally divided into the bypath passage 4 by normally opening a pressure control valve 5 installed in the bypath passage. The lubricating oil B2, which does not pass through the main passage 3, is passed through the by-path passage 4, fed into the engine again so that the contaminants of the total lubricating oil B are removed by repeating circulation between the engine and the oil filter to pass through the main passage 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil filter for cleaning engine oil.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 schematically shows the structure of a conventionally used oil filter. The lubricating oil used for lubrication inside the engine is subjected to filtration of contaminants (impurities) by the filter body 2 of the oil filter 1.
After the cleaning, the cycle of supplying the engine again is repeated. Therefore, contaminants are gradually accumulated in the filter body 2 and clogging occurs. When the degree of such clogging increases, the passage resistance of the lubricating oil passing through the filter body 2 increases, and the pressure of the flow path of the lubricating oil also increases. Then, when the lubricating oil rises to the specified pressure, the passage 4 (a bypass passage) that bypasses the main passage 3 provided with the filter body 2,
The pressure control valve 5 opens, and the lubricating oil flows through the bypass passage 4 and is supplied to the engine again without purification. Therefore,
Since the required amount of lubricating oil that has not been purified continues to be supplied to the engine, it is possible to prevent engine seizure at a minimum.

As described above, the conventional oil filter 1 is
The entire flow rate (A) of the lubricating oil returned from the engine is filtered through the filter body 2 and sent out to the engine again. When the filter 2 is clogged, almost the entire flow rate (A ') of the lubricating oil returned from the engine is reduced.
Is bypassed and sent out to the engine again. In such a conventional structure, the passage resistance when the lubricating oil passes through the filter body 2 increases because the roughness of the filter body 2 is made to be more accurate (finer). From the beginning or in a very short time, the pressure control valve 5 of the bypass passage 4
The filter 2 is made of a coarse-grained material that cannot capture a contaminant of 30 μm or less because there is a fear that the filter will open and the function as an oil filter will not be exhibited.

[0004]

However, since the machining accuracy of metal, bearings and the like of engines in recent years is high and more precise, lubricating oil supplied to rotating parts has a very small size of about several μm. Even when contaminants are mixed, the accuracy of the rotating parts is affected, and it may be difficult to maintain the initial high-accuracy state for a long period of time. In order to avoid such a problem, for example, a countermeasure such as performing oil change more frequently is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to remove very small contaminants, which was impossible in the past, and to purify lubricating oil with higher precision. It is to be able to do it.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an oil filter for continuously dividing a lubricating oil to be sent to an engine and filtering only one of the divided lubricating oils. It is characterized by.

[0007] According to the present invention, by always shunting the lubricating oil to be sent to the engine, even if one of the shunted lubricating oils is filtered with high precision, the passage resistance is increased, but the filtering is not performed. The required amount of lubricating oil supply to the engine can be ensured by the other of the divided flows. Then, the removal of very small contaminants, which was conventionally impossible to filter, is performed on one of the divided lubricating oils. In addition, the other lubricating oil is divided into the diversion on the filtration side while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter. Removal of contaminants in the entire oil will be performed.

In the oil filter according to a second aspect of the present invention, the flow path of the lubricating oil to be sent to the engine is branched into a main passage and a bypass passage, and a high-precision filter is disposed in the main passage. A pressure control valve is arranged in the bypass passage.

According to the present invention, by arranging a high-precision filter in the main passage, a very small contaminant of the lubricating oil passing through the main passage cannot be filtered. Removal can be performed. Further, by making the filter disposed in the main passage highly accurate, the passage resistance of the lubricating oil increases, and the pressure of the lubricating oil flowing in the main passage increases. By opening the control valve, the required amount of lubricating oil supplied to the engine can be secured. The lubricating oil passing through the bypass passage passes through the main passage while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter, and during a certain period of time, the contaminants of the entire lubricating oil are always removed. Will be done.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an oil filter in which an inflow path and an outflow path are concentrically arranged inside a pipe having one end closed, and the inflow path and the outflow path are filtered. In an oil filter having a main passage communicating through a body and a bypass passage communicating through a pressure control valve, the roughness of the filter in the main passage can be reduced by merely opening the pressure control valve of the bypass passage at all times. Is set so as to provide the passage resistance of the lubricating oil.

[0011] In the oil filter according to the present invention, the inflow path and the outflow path are concentrically arranged inside the pipe with one end closed, and the inflow path and the outflow path are communicated via the filter. This is an oil filter including a main passage and a bypass passage that communicates via a pressure control valve. The structure is the same as that of a conventional oil filter. Further, the pressure applied to the lubricating oil circulation circuit, such as the operating pressure of the pressure control valve, is the same as that of the conventional oil filter, and can be used in a mode of replacing the conventional oil filter.

The roughness of the filter body in the main passage is determined by imparting a passage resistance (fine) to the lubricating oil enough to always open the pressure control valve in the bypass passage. It is possible to remove tiny contaminants that were impossible to do. In addition, by always opening the pressure control valve in the bypass passage, it is possible to secure a necessary supply amount of lubricating oil to the engine. The lubricating oil passing through the bypass passage passes through the main passage while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter, and during a certain period of time, the contaminants of the entire lubricating oil are always removed. Will be done.

Further, in the oil filter according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, 10 to 20% of the total inflow amount of the lubricating oil flows through the main passage, and the amount of filtration per unit time is contaminant per unit time. The roughness of the filter is set so as to exceed the generation amount of the filter.

In the present invention, the roughness of the filter is a fine grain that gives the lubricating oil a passage resistance sufficient to flow 10 to 20% of the total inflow of the lubricating oil into the main passage. It is possible to remove tiny contaminants that were impossible to do. Moreover, since the amount of filtration of the filter body per unit time exceeds the amount of generation of contaminants per unit time, lubricating oil that does not pass through the main passage passes through the bypass passage and returns to the engine. Is supplied and passes through the main passage while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter, thereby removing the contaminants of the entire lubricating oil.

[0015] In the oil filter according to claim 5 of the present invention, the filter has a triple structure in which the filtering accuracy is gradually reduced.

According to this configuration, a relatively large contaminant is captured at the most coarse portion of the triple structure, and a medium-sized contaminant is captured at the moderately rough portion. Small contaminants are captured in the finest parts of the eye. Therefore, the finest part of the filter body is not clogged by relatively large contaminants and medium size contaminants, and the medium coarse part of the filter body is
There is no clogging due to relatively large contaminants. As described above, the portions having different roughnesses share the respective contaminants of various sizes, thereby preventing the finest portions from being clogged at an early stage by the relatively large contaminants. Prevention and removal of relatively small contaminants over a long period of time.

Further, in the oil filter according to claim 6 of the present invention, a strainer is disposed in the bypass passage.
In the present invention, a part of the entire lubricating oil is re-supplied to the engine through the bypass without passing through the filter if attention is paid only for a short time. By a strainer provided in the detour, trapping is performed without increasing passage resistance, and cleaning of lubricating oil with respect to extremely large foreign matters is ensured.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same or corresponding parts as in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an oil filter 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The oil filter 6 divides the flow path of the lubricating oil to be sent to the engine into the main passage 3 and the bypass passage 4, and passes the high-precision filter 7 to the main passage 3.
, And the pressure control valve 5 is arranged only in the bypass passage 4. The roughness of the high-precision filter 7 is such that 10 to 20% (B ₁ ) of the total inflow of the lubricating oil flows into the main passage 3 and the amount of filtration per unit time is generated by the engine per unit time. It is set to exceed the amount of contaminants.

By the way, by making the roughness of the high-precision filter 7 fine enough to allow 10 to 20% (B ₁ ) of the total inflow of lubricating oil to flow into the main passage 3, the main passage 3 The pressure of the lubricating oil flowing through increases. As a result, the pressure control valve 5 provided in the bypass passage 4 is always opened, and 90 to 80% of the total inflow is
The lubricating oil of (B ₂ ) is diverted to the bypass passage 4. The opening pressure of the pressure control valve 5 is the same as that of the conventional pressure control valve 5 of the oil filter 1, and does not apply a greater pressure than ever to the lubricating oil circulation circuit of an engine or the like. .

Further, a strainer 8 of about 100 mesh is disposed in the bypass passage 4 to capture large contaminants without increasing the passage resistance and to reliably clean the lubricating oil with respect to extremely large foreign matters. It is assumed.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show a specific structure of the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a front view. The oil filter 6 has an element 7 serving as a filter inserted through a set spring 12 into a tubular body 11 having one end closed, and further has an anti-drain valve 14 formed of an elastic material such as rubber. It has a structure in which the base 15 closes the open end of the body 11 with the intervening base.

The base 15 has a disk shape and has a plurality of small-diameter openings 15a on the same circumference and a large-diameter screw hole 15b at the center. Anti-drain valve 14 is a set spring
The element 7 urged by 12 and the inner wall of the base 15 are in close contact with each other and elastically deform, so that an inflow path and an outflow path, which will be described later, are shut off. Also, anti-drain valve 14
Of the oil filter 6 from the small-diameter opening 15a.
It functions as a check valve that allows only lubricating oil to flow inside.

A body packing 16 is attached to the outer wall of the base 15 so as to be in close contact with a mount (not shown) on the engine side. By screwing the screw hole 15b of the base 15 into a connecting pipe (not shown) projecting from the engine, the oil filter 6 can be fixed to the engine, and the delivery of the lubricating oil can be performed. The external shape of the oil filter 6 and the structure for fixing it to the engine are the same as those of a conventional oil filter.

FIG. 3 shows the element 7 of the oil filter 6 in a partial sectional view. The element 7 has an inner tube 17 provided with a plurality of punched holes at the center, and the periphery thereof is surrounded by a filter tube 18. In addition, the inner tube 17 and the filter tube 18
Are sandwiched between the valve plate 21 and the base plate 22 and are fixed so that no axial displacement occurs.

The valve plate 21 has an opening 21a at the center, and inside the opening 21a, a funnel-shaped screen 20 (which functions as the strainer 8 in FIG. 1) inserted into the inner tube 17, and the inside of the screen 20 Valve 23, located in
A valve spring 24 for urging the valve 23 against the inner wall of the valve plate 21 is provided. The pressure control valve 5 (FIG. 1) is constituted by the opening 21a of the valve plate, the valve 23, and the valve spring 24. As described above, the opening pressure of the pressure control valve 5 is the same as the pressure control valve used in the conventional oil filter. In addition, base plate
An opening 22a is also formed in the center of the opening 22.
The above-mentioned anti-drain valve 14 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 4, the filter tube 18 of the element 7 is formed by bending a band-shaped filter paper 25 into a bellows shape and fixing both ends with a binder 19 (FIG. 3) to form a cylindrical shape. . The filter paper 25 has a triple structure in which the filtration accuracy is gradually reduced. And the inner tube
In the state assembled to 17, the outermost surface layer 25a located in the radial direction has a roughness of capturing contaminants of 30μ or more, and the intermediate layer 25b has a roughness of capturing contaminants of 10μ or more. The inner layer 25c has a roughness that captures contaminants of 1 μ or more.

The oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration has a small-diameter opening 15 a of the base 15, a lip portion 14 a of the anti-drain valve 14 that is elastically deformed, an inner wall of the body 11, and the filter tube 18. At the outer periphery,
The lubricating oil inflow path is formed, the inner tube 17 and the screw hole 15b of the base form a lubricating oil outflow path, and the inflow path and the outflow path are arranged concentrically. . Further, the main passage 3 (FIG. 1) is formed by connecting the inflow passage and the outflow passage through the filter tube 18, and the inflow passage and the outflow passage are connected to the pressure control valve 5.
(The opening 21a of the valve plate, the valve 23, and the valve spring 24) communicate with each other to form the bypass passage 4 (FIG. 1).

As described above, the structure in which the inflow passage and the outflow passage are arranged concentrically is the same as that of the conventional oil filter. As described above, the structure for fixing the engine to the engine and the appearance are the same as those of the conventional oil filter. In addition, the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is compatible with an engine including a conventional oil filter.

The operation and effect obtained by the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration are as follows. The oil filter 6 branches the flow path of the lubricating oil to be sent to the engine into the main passage 3 and the bypass passage 4, and the element 7, which is a high-precision filter, is disposed only in the main passage 3. Is disposed only in the bypass passage 4. The large passage resistance of the element 7 causes the main passage 3 to have 10 to 20% of the total inflow of lubricating oil.
(Reference B _{1 in} FIG. ₁ ). When the pressure of the lubricating oil flowing through the main passage 3 increases, the pressure control valve 5 provided in the bypass passage 4 is always opened, and 90 to 80% of the total inflow amount (FIG. 1).
The sign B ₂₎ lubricant, diverting constantly bypass passage 4.

Since the element 7 has the filter paper 25 having a triple structure (surface layer 25a, intermediate layer 25b, and inner layer 25c) whose filtering accuracy is gradually reduced, lubrication passing through the main passage 3 is achieved. It is possible to remove very small contaminants of about several μm from oil, which could not be filtered conventionally. In addition, by always opening the pressure control valve 5 provided in the bypass passage 4, a necessary amount of lubricating oil supplied to the engine can be secured. The lubricating oil B _{2 that} has passed through the bypass passage 4 passes through the main passage 3 while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter, and during a certain period of time, the entire lubricating oil (B = B ₁ + B ₂ ) is removed.

For example, the amount of oil in an oil pan used for a gasoline engine is about 4 liters.
It is possible to supply liters of lubricating oil. Therefore, the lubricating oil in the oil pan circulates through the engine about 2.5 to 4 times per minute. As a result, all the lubricating oil passes through the element 7 of the main passage 3 in about 1 to 4 minutes, and contaminants in the entire lubricating oil are removed. Moreover, the surface layer 25a and the intermediate layer 25 of the filter paper 25 having different roughnesses.
(b) The inner layer 25c shares various sizes of contaminants, thereby making it possible to remove relatively small contaminants over a long period of time.

In the detour passage 4, a strainer 8 of about 100 mesh is disposed to capture large contaminants without increasing passage resistance and to reliably clean the lubricating oil with respect to extremely large foreign matters. To improve the reliability of the oil filter.

Further, the structure of the oil filter 6 in which the inflow passage and the outflow passage are concentrically arranged, the structure for fixing to the engine, and the appearance are the same as those of the conventional oil filter. Oil filter 6 according to
Is compatible with an engine having a conventional oil filter, and the cleaning of the lubricating oil can be further improved by simply replacing the conventional oil filter with the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It can be performed with high accuracy.

[0035]

FIG. 5 shows an oil filter 6 (FIG. 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention and an oil filter 1 having a conventional structure.
7 shows the results of a life / filtration efficiency test with FIG. 6 in comparison. This test was performed in accordance with JIS D 3904, and the vertical axis indicates pressure loss Δp (kg / cm ² ),
And filtration efficiency fe (%), and the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time (h
r).

First, as for the comparison of the pressure loss Δp, a change in the value of the conventional oil filter 1 is denoted by a symbol P1, and a change in the value of the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is denoted by a symbol P1.
6. The conventional oil filter 1 uses a coarse element that passes through the filter body 2 for contaminants of 30 μ or less, so that the pressure loss is low at the start of use, but the clogging gradually occurs. This increases the pressure loss. Generally, the pressure loss value is 1.0 (kg
/ cm ² ), the pressure control valve 5 is set to open. On the other hand, since the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention always uses the pressure control valve 5 opened, the value of the pressure loss is constant.

Next, regarding the comparison of the filtration efficiency fe, the change in the value of the conventional oil filter 1 is denoted by reference character fe1 and the change in the value of the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is denoted by reference character fe.
6. Since the conventional oil filter 1 uses a coarse filter that allows passage of contaminants of 30 μ or less, the filtration efficiency is low at the start of use. However, gradual clogging allows for the capture of smaller contaminants, and the value of filtration efficiency increases over time. On the other hand, the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention can capture 1 μm or more of contaminants from the beginning, and shows high filtration efficiency from the start of use. Moreover, high filtration efficiency can be maintained for a certain period of time.

The value indicated by reference character fe6 'illustrates a case where the coarseness of the filter paper 25 of the element 7 is shifted in a slightly rough direction in the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. . In this case, although the filtration efficiency is slightly reduced, it is possible to maintain a constant filtration efficiency higher than before, over a longer time. Therefore, in the oil filter 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is desirable to set the roughness of the filter paper 25 as necessary in consideration of the filtration efficiency and the service life.

[0039]

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained. First, according to the oil filter according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further increase the accuracy of the filter while securing the required amount of lubricating oil supplied to the engine. Small contaminants can be removed, and lubricating oil can be purified with higher precision.

According to the oil filter of the second aspect of the present invention, by disposing a high-precision filter in the main passage, it is possible to remove a very small contaminant which has been impossible in the past. Further, by constantly opening the pressure control valve provided in the bypass passage, it is possible to secure a necessary amount of lubricating oil supplied to the engine.

According to the oil filter of the third aspect of the present invention, the oil filter is compatible with an engine equipped with a conventional oil filter, and simply replaces the conventional oil filter with the oil according to the embodiment of the present invention. Only by exchanging the filter 6, the lubricating oil can be cleaned with higher accuracy.

Further, according to the oil filter according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to remove a very small contaminant which has not been able to be filtered conventionally, and to prevent the lubricant from passing through the main passage. Is supplied to the engine again through the bypass passage, passes through the main passage while repeating the circulation between the engine and the oil filter,
It is possible to remove contaminants from the entire lubricating oil and to purify the lubricating oil with higher precision.

According to the oil filter according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, each of the three layers having different roughness of the filter is assigned to capture contaminants of various sizes. It is possible to remove extremely small contaminants over a long period of time. Therefore, it is possible to clean the lubricating oil with higher accuracy for a long time.

Further, according to the oil filter according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, extremely large foreign matters are trapped by the strainer provided in the bypass without increasing the passage resistance, and extremely large foreign matters are captured. Lubricating oil can be reliably cleaned. Therefore, the reliability as an oil filter can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of an oil filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view and a front view showing a specific structure of the oil filter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a partial sectional view showing an element of the oil filter shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a structure of a filter paper of the element shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows an oil filter according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is a figure showing the result of the life and filtration efficiency test with the oil filter of the conventional structure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a conventional oil filter.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oil filter 2 Filter body 3 Main passage 4 Detour passage 5 Pressure control valve 6 Oil filter 7 Filter body 8 Strainer B Lubricating oil B ₁ Lubricating oil B ₂ Lubricating oil

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B01D 39/18 B01D 35/02 E

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An oil filter wherein a lubricating oil to be sent to an engine is constantly divided and only one of the divided lubricating oils is filtered. 2. A flow path for lubricating oil to be sent to an engine is branched into a main passage and a bypass passage, a high-precision filter is arranged in the main passage, and a pressure control valve is arranged in the bypass passage. Characteristic oil filter. 3. A main passage for arranging an inflow passage and an outflow passage concentrically inside a conduit having one end closed, and connecting the inflow passage and the outflow passage through a filter, and a pressure control unit. An oil filter including a bypass passage communicating through a valve,
An oil filter, characterized in that the roughness of the filter in the main passage is set so as to provide the lubricating oil with a passage resistance sufficient to always open the pressure control valve in the bypass passage. 4. The total amount of lubricating oil flowing into the main passage is 10 to 20.
5. The oil filter according to claim 2, wherein a roughness of the filter body is set such that a flow rate of% and a filtration amount per unit time exceed a generation amount of contaminants per unit time. 5. The oil filter according to claim 2, wherein the filter has a triple structure in which the filtration accuracy is gradually reduced. 6. The oil filter according to claim 2, wherein a strainer is disposed in the bypass passage.