JP2005120879A - Oil pan - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oil pan lowering a bubble mixing ratio of oil dropped down. <P>SOLUTION: This oil pan (100) for collecting oil is provided with a bulkhead (101) for separating an oil sump into two or more zones (110 to 113). A dropping port (203) for dropping down oil into the oil pan and an intake (103) for sucking up oil dropped down into the oil sump are designed to be arranged respectively in the different zones (110 and 113), and in the bulkhead (101) partitioning the zones (110 and 113) with the dropping port (203) and intake (103) arranged, an insert hole (102) is arranged in such a position that an oil channel from a position where oil is dropped down by the dropping port (203) to the intake (103) is relatively lengthened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil pan provided at the lower end of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an improvement of an oil pan structure capable of preventing air bubbles from being mixed.

An oil pan is provided at a lower portion of the internal combustion engine as a storage tank for storing oil supplied for lubricating each mechanical component of the internal combustion engine and sucking it up again. As a structure of such an oil pan, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-349226 discloses an oil pan provided with a rib that divides the inside of the oil pan main body and a hole that connects a section section divided by the rib. A structure is disclosed (Patent Document 1). With such a technique, it was possible to provide a structurally strong oil pan due to the presence of the ribs while preventing the oil from remaining in the section due to the holes.
JP 2002-349226 A (FIG. 1 etc.)

  However, since the oil that has flowed down through each mechanism of the internal combustion engine entrains air when it falls, air bubbles are sometimes mixed in the oil accumulated in the oil pan. When air bubbles are mixed in the oil stored in the oil pan, the oil amount measured by an oil gauge or the like for measuring the oil amount may vary.

  Even in the oil pan structure of the above prior art, since the holes communicating between the sections are provided so that the sections communicate with each other through the shortest flow path, the air bubbles mixed in the dropped oil are taken in as they are. It reached the mouth, and the bubble mixing rate could not be lowered.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the oil pan which can reduce the bubble mixing rate of the fallen oil.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an oil pan for storing oil, comprising a partition wall for separating the oil sump into two or more areas, and an outlet for dropping oil into the oil pan. And an intake for sucking up the oil dropped in the oil sump can be arranged in different areas, and the partition that separates the areas where the intake and the intake are provided has an outlet. The insertion hole is provided at a position where the oil flow path from the position where the oil has dropped to the intake port becomes relatively long.

  According to the above structure, the area where the drop point of oil that has fallen into the oil sump from the drop port is separated from the area where the intake port is provided by the partition wall, but the oil accumulated in both areas is at least It distribute | circulates by the insertion hole provided in the partition which separates both areas. At this time, since the insertion hole is provided at a position where the flow path from the oil drop point to the intake port becomes relatively long, bubbles contained in the oil during the long flow path are formed. It disappears and the mixing rate of bubbles can be lowered.

  Here, the “dropper” or / and “intake” may not be a structure provided in the oil pan, but may be an accompanying structure, for example, an internal combustion engine disposed in a part of the cylinder block above the oil pan. It may be what you have.

  There is no limitation on the structure of the “partition wall”, and the oil reservoir may be a baffle plate standing upright so as to surround the intake port, or may be a rib structure cast integrally with the oil pan body. . The area divided by the partition wall is not limited to two and may be divided into three or more areas by a plurality of wall structures.

  “Position where the flow path becomes relatively long” means that it is sufficiently longer than the linear distance from the oil drop point to the intake port, and through holes are provided at the end and lower part of the partition as much as possible. Means that

  Here, the height of the partition wall is set to be higher than the liquid level of the oil normally stored in the oil reservoir. According to such a structure, the level of oil stored under normal use conditions (excluding conditions such as extreme inclination) is lower than the upper end face of the partition wall, so that bubbles are formed between the areas partitioned by the partition wall. This means that it is not possible to travel freely, and it is possible to reach an adjacent area only through a relatively long path, which is effective in eliminating bubbles.

  Here, “normally stored” is a range of an amount planned as an appropriate amount for sufficient lubrication of an internal combustion engine or the like in which the oil pan is used, and is appropriate for the internal combustion engine. A range of quantities. The capacity of the oil pan and the height of the partition wall are determined assuming this oil amount.

  In addition, it is preferable that at least one area outside the area where the intake port is provided has a volume equal to or larger than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate bubbles generated by the oil dropped from the drop hole. According to such a configuration, the oil that has fallen from the outlet becomes diffused when flowing into the area having a volume greater than or equal to the predetermined volume, and the amount of air bubbles per unit volume can be greatly reduced. That's why. For example, when oil that has fallen into a small area having a relatively small volume flows out to a larger capacity area, bubbles are diffused and the bubble mixing rate is reduced.

  Here, it is preferable that the detection unit of the oil amount measuring means is located in the area where the intake port is provided. According to such a structure, the detection unit of the oil amount measuring means is disposed in the area where the amount of mixed air bubbles is greatly reduced by passing through the partition wall. This is because it can be eliminated.

  Here, the “oil amount measuring means” is not limited, but for example, an oil gauge is equivalent, and the “detecting portion” is equivalent to a tip portion of the oil gauge that directly contacts the oil. An oil gauge holder is an example of a structure that holds the oil gauge in the position.

  Specifically, the oil pan includes a first oil pan and a second oil pan, a drop port is provided in the second oil pan, and an oil sump is provided in the first oil pan. Many oil pan structures are configured by joining two oil pans, and in this case, if the components of the present invention are arranged in this way, the oil pan structure can be obtained.

  Moreover, this invention is also an internal combustion engine provided with the said oil pan of this invention. Since the oil pan is provided, an internal combustion engine capable of preventing erroneous detection of the oil amount measurement is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the bubble mixing rate is reduced because the oil mixed with bubbles passes through a relatively long flow path until reaching the intake port, so the oil around the oil amount measuring means such as an oil gauge is reduced. There are few bubbles and accurate oil quantity measurement is possible.

Next, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention relates to an oil pan structure in which an oil sump is divided into two areas by a partition wall. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the oil pan, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the oil pan is composed of a first oil pan 100 and a second oil pan 200, and is usually attached to the lower part of the internal combustion engine, that is, the lower part of the cylinder block 300, and is supplied to the internal combustion engine and circulates. It is configured so that oil can be stored.

  FIG. 1 shows the structure of the first oil pan 100. The interior of the first oil pan 100 is divided into two areas, a first area 110 to 112 and a second area 113, by a baffle plate 101 corresponding to the partition wall of the present invention. In the second area 113, an oil strainer 103 attached to the second oil pan 200 and corresponding to the intake port of the present invention is arranged. The first area is further divided into three sub-areas 110, 111, and 112, and as shown in FIG. 2, the outlet 203 of the second oil pan 200 is disposed at the upper part in the sub-area 110. It is like that. With the above configuration, the drop port 203 through which oil is dropped and the oil strainer 103 that is an oil intake port are arranged in different areas.

  The oil pan is easy to process, durable, lightweight, and inexpensive, such as aluminum or an alloy thereof, which is formed by a commonly used technique, such as a casting method.

  The baffle plate 101 is formed of an enclosed sheet metal attached to the inside of the first oil pan 100 and is fixed by a fastening portion 108 at a position surrounding the oil strainer 103 inside the first oil pan 100. A part of the baffle plate 101 is provided with an insertion hole 102 through which the two first areas 110 to 112 and the second area 113 separated by the plate communicate.

  The insertion hole 102 is provided at a position where the path from the drop point of the oil falling from the drop port 203 of the second oil pan 200 to the inside of the first oil pan 100 to the oil strainer 103 as the intake port becomes relatively long. Is provided. Specifically, an insertion hole 102 is provided at the lower end of the baffle plate 101 far from the oil drop point so that the path is sufficiently longer than the linear distance from the oil drop point LP to the oil strainer 103. (See Figs. 3 and 4). The height H of the baffle plate 101 from the bottom surface of the first oil pan 100 is set to be higher than the oil liquid height h (see FIG. 4).

  The inside of the first oil pan 100 is divided by a baffle plate 101 into small areas 111 to 113 constituting the first area and a second area 113. Here, the small sections 111 and 112 have a volume equal to or larger than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate bubbles generated by the oil dropped from the dropping port 203.

  Further, in the second area 113 in which the oil strainer 103 is disposed, the tip of the oil gauge 106 corresponding to the oil amount measuring means is disposed in the vicinity of the oil strainer 103. This tip is provided so as to come into contact with the oil when the normal amount of oil is stored, and the amount of oil can be grasped by a memory carved in the tip. The oil gauge 106 is held by an oil gauge holder 205 so that the tip of the gauge is positioned in the second section 113.

  In the drawing, the inside of the first oil pan 100 is composed of a smooth bottom surface and side surfaces, but a known rib structure may be provided as long as the oil flow is not hindered in order to ensure mechanical strength.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the second oil pan 200 is joined to the lower end of the cylinder block 300 so that oil can be introduced, and the joint surface 220 of the lower surface is joined to the joint surface 120 of the first oil pan 100. Has been. The inside of the second oil pan 200 includes funnel-shaped inclined surfaces 201 and 202, and an oil dropping hole 203 is opened in the middle thereof. In a state where the second oil pan 200 is connected to the first oil pan 100, the oil pit 203 is positioned so as to be positioned above the small area 110 of the first oil pan 100.

  3 and 4 show the oil flow paths and directions during operation of the internal combustion engine with arrows. When the oil pan having the above structure is attached to an internal combustion engine, for example, the cylinder block 300, and the internal combustion engine is operated, the oil is lubricated to each part of the internal combustion engine by an oil circulation mechanism (not shown). The supplied oil concentrates in the lower part according to gravity, and finally reaches the second oil pan 200 from the lower end of the cylinder block 300.

  Since the second oil pan 200 is provided with the inclined surfaces 201 and 202 having a funnel shape as shown in FIG. 4, the second oil pan 200 concentrates on the opening of the dropping port 203 and falls into the first oil pan 100. Since any of the first areas 110 to 112 and the second area 113 are inserted through the insertion hole 102 inside the first oil pan 100, the height h of the level of the oil to be stored is the same.

  On the other hand, since the height H of the baffle plate 101 from the bottom surface of the first oil pan 100 is higher than the height h of the liquid surface in a normal use state (for example, excluding an extremely inclined state), The liquid level is lower than the upper part of the baffle plate 101. That is, the oil that has fallen to the drop point LP of the small area 110 cannot move to the second area 113 as it is, and flows only through the insertion hole 102. The oil that has reached the second zone 113 is sucked from the net-like bottom surface of the oil strainer 103 disposed below the oil level and is used for recirculation.

  At this time, since this insertion hole 102 is relatively far from the oil drop point LP, the oil flow path length is considerably longer than the shortest path connecting the oil drop point LP and the oil strainer 103. . When oil falls to the drop point LP, air bubbles are often mixed in because air is entrained, but even if many bubbles are mixed in the oil accumulated in the small area 110, it is long like this. Since oil must flow through the path, the mixed bubbles disappear, and when the second section 113 is reached, the bubble mixing rate decreases.

  Further, since the small sections 111 and 112 have a volume larger than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate the bubbles generated by the oil dropped from the dropping port 203, as can be seen from FIG. When the oil moves from the section 110 to the small sections 111 and 112, the oil that has fallen becomes diffused as it flows into the small sections 111 and 112, thereby greatly reducing the amount of bubbles per unit volume.

  As described above, according to the structure of the first embodiment, the path from the oil drop point LP to the oil strainer 103 through the insertion hole 102 is long, and the capacity is provided so that bubbles in the oil diffuse and disappear. Therefore, since the oil that has reached the second area 113 contains only a few air bubbles, it is possible to prevent oil mixed with air bubbles from adhering to the tip of the oil gauge 106, and an accurate oil amount. Measurement is possible.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention relates to an example in which four sections are provided by ribs as an example of an oil pan having three or more sections. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the oil pan according to the second embodiment. In the oil pan of the second embodiment, the structure of the second oil pan 200 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Moreover, it is the same as that of Embodiment 1 except that ribs 120 to 122 are provided instead of the baffle plate 101 of Embodiment 1 corresponding to the partition wall, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the first oil pan 100b of the present embodiment, ribs 120 to 122 are provided at the bottom of the first oil pan. The heights of these ribs 120 to 122 are set to be higher than the normal oil height even at the lowest part. By these rib structures, the inside of the first oil pan 100b is divided into four sections 130 to 133. Of these, the area 130 is an area where the oil pit 203 of the second oil pan 200 is located and serves as an oil drop point LP. The areas 131 and 132 have a volume equal to or larger than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate bubbles generated by the oil dropped from the drop port 203.

  Further, the section 130 and the section 131 are formed by the insertion hole 123, the section 130 and the section 132 are formed by the insertion hole 124, the section 131 and the section 133 are formed by the insertion hole 125, and the section 132 and the section 133 are formed by the insertion hole 126, respectively. Communicate with each other. The oil reaches the section 133 through a path passing through the insertion holes 123 to 126.

  The positions where the insertion holes 123 to 126 are provided are positions where the path from the oil drop point LP falling from the oil drop port 203 into the first oil pan 100 to the oil strainer 103 as the intake port is relatively long. Is provided. Specifically, through holes 123 and 124 are opened from the area 130 where the oil drop point LP is located to the areas 131 and 132 in the bottom surface near the oil pan side wall. Insertion holes 125 and 126 are opened from the section 131 and 132 to the section 133 on the bottom surface near the side wall on the opposite side of the oil pan.

  The oil pan is manufactured by a known technique, for example, a casting process using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, as in the first embodiment. At this time, the ribs 120 to 122 of the present embodiment are also integrally formed. The insertion holes 123 to 126 are formed by using a core or the like.

  In the above structure, when the internal combustion engine operates, as shown in FIG. 6, the supplied oil falls into the first oil pan 100 b via the dropping port 203 of the second oil pan 200 according to gravity. Since the inside of the first oil pan 100b is inserted through the insertion holes 123 to 126 and the areas 130 to 133 are inserted, the height h of the liquid level of the stored oil is the same. On the other hand, the height H of the ribs 120 to 122 from the bottom surface of the first oil pan 100 is formed higher than the height h of the oil liquid level in a normal use state (for example, excluding an extremely inclined state). The oil level is below the top of the rib. That is, the oil that has fallen to the drop point LP of the area 130 cannot move to the other areas 131 and 132 as it is, and flows through the insertion holes 123 and 124. The oil flowing into the sections 131 and 132 cannot move to the section 133 as it is, but flows through the insertion holes 125 and 126. The oil that has reached the area 133 is sucked from the net-like bottom surface of the oil strainer 103 disposed below the oil level and is recirculated.

  At this time, the oil flow path length reaching the oil strainer 103 from the drop point LP through the insertion holes 123 to 126 is considerably longer than the shortest path connecting the oil drop point LP and the oil strainer 103. For this reason, the bubble mixed at the time of dropping is fully extinguished.

  Further, since the sections 131 and 132 have a volume equal to or larger than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate bubbles in the oil, the oil drops that fall when flowing into the sections 131 and 132, The amount of air bubbles per unit volume is greatly reduced.

  As described above, according to the structure of the second embodiment, the path from the oil drop point LP to the oil strainer 103 via the insertion hole 102 can be made longer than that of the first embodiment, Since the air bubbles have a capacity to diffuse and disappear, the oil that has reached the area 133 contains only a small amount of air bubbles, so that oil mixed with air bubbles adheres to the tip of the oil gauge 106. This prevents the oil amount from being measured accurately.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention can be applied with various modifications other than the above embodiment. That is, in each said embodiment, although the case where the area formed in an oil pan was two cases and four cases was illustrated, it does not matter even if it divides into numbers other than this. The longer the oil distribution path, the smaller the opening area of the insertion hole, the slower the oil circulation speed. Therefore, while balancing the required amount of oil supply per unit time, What is necessary is just to determine the shape of a hole.
Moreover, the structure of a partition and an insertion hole is not limited to the said embodiment, A various method is applicable.

1 is a perspective view of an oil pan according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the oil pan according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the flow direction of the oil from the diagonal of the oil pan which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the flow direction of the oil from the side surface of the oil pan which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an oil pan according to a second embodiment. The figure which shows the flow direction of the oil from the diagonal of the oil pan which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 100b ... 1st oil pan, 101, 120-123 ... Baffle plate (partition wall), 102, 123-126 ... Insertion hole, 103 ... Oil strainer (intake port), 104 ... Pipe, 105 ... Mounting part, 106 ... Holding member 108 ... Fastening part 110-113 130-133 Oil sump (zone) 120/220 Joining part 200 Second oil pan 201 202 Oil guide surface 203 Oil drop port 204 ... Oil level gauge, 205 ... Oil gauge housing, 300 ... Cylinder block

Claims (6)

An oil pan for storing oil,
A partition for separating the oil sump into two or more areas;
An outlet for dropping oil into the oil pan and an intake for sucking up the oil dropped in the oil reservoir are configured to be arranged in different areas, respectively.
In the partition partitioning the section where the drop port and the intake port are provided, the oil flow path from the position where the oil has dropped from the drop port to the intake port is relatively long. An oil pan provided with an insertion hole.   2. The oil pan according to claim 1, wherein the height of the partition wall is set to be higher than the liquid height of oil normally stored in the oil reservoir.   The at least one area outside the area provided with the intake port has a volume equal to or greater than a predetermined volume sufficient to eliminate bubbles generated by the oil dropped from the drop hole. The listed oil pan.   The oil pan according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a detection unit of an oil amount measuring unit is located in the area where the intake port is provided. A first oil pan and a second oil pan;
The oil pan according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drop port is provided in the second oil pan, and the oil sump is provided in the first oil pan. An internal combustion engine comprising the oil pan according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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