JP2006125303A - Lubrication system, oil pan separator and oil level gauge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lubrication system having a two-sump type oil pan for allowing quick oil change. <P>SOLUTION: An oil pan separator 32 is disposed in the oil pan 30 for dividing an internal space of the oil pan 30 into a first chamber 30a and a second outer chamber 30b. A bottom plate 32a of the oil pan separator 32 is formed with a drain hole 32d having a size sufficient for oil to easily pass through even in a cold state. In operation of an engine 10, an oil level gauge 50 is installed on a cylinder block 20 and a rubber plug 53 on a tip of the oil level gauge 50 closes the drain hole 32d. When oil is changed in stopping of the engine 10, the oil level gauge 50 is pulled out, the rubber plug 53 is disengaged from the drain hole 32d and oil in the first chamber 30a can flow into the second chamber 30b through the drain hole 32d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricating device, and an oil pan separator and an oil level gauge applied to the lubricating device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a lubricating device for lubricating an object to be lubricated such as an engine or an automatic transmission with oil, one having a so-called two-tank oil pan is widely known. This two-tank oil pan has the following configuration.

  That is, an oil pan separator is arranged inside the two-tank oil pan. A first chamber that communicates with the lubrication target by opening an inner space of the two-tank oil pan capable of storing oil to the lubrication target by the oil pan separator, and the first chamber And a second chamber communicating with the first chamber by an oil communication passage.

As a prior art of this kind of 2 tank type oil pan, the thing of the following patent document 1 is mentioned.
JP 2003-222012 A

  A two-tank oil pan described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as “prior art”) includes an oil pan (sometimes referred to as an oil pan cover) and a lower case connected to the upper portion of the oil pan. The oil can be stored in the space surrounded by. An oil pan separator having a recess that opens upward and forms substantially the entire first chamber (main chamber) is disposed in the space.

  That is, with this oil pan separator, the space surrounded by the oil pan and the lower case is vertically moved into a first chamber formed by the recess and a second chamber (sub chamber) outside the first chamber. It is partitioned. Then, by providing a predetermined gap between the lower surface of the bottom of the oil pan separator and the bottom surface of the oil pan, the second chamber extends over the entire side of the first chamber (concave portion) and below. Is formed.

  In addition, a strainer in which an oil suction port that opens at the bottom of the first chamber is formed in the first chamber. The strainer is connected to an oil pump for sending oil in the first chamber to the lubrication target by a predetermined oil flow path.

  And the communicating hole as the said oil communication path is formed in the side surface in the bottom part of the said recessed part of the said oil pan separator. The communication hole is formed with a small hole diameter of about 2 mm so that oil having high viscosity at low temperature can be easily passed but oil having low viscosity at high temperature can be easily passed. The operation of the two-tank oil pan provided with the oil pan separator having the communication hole is as follows.

  The oil supplied to the lubrication target from the first chamber exerts a lubrication action on the lubrication target, and takes heat from the lubrication target when performing the lubrication action. Thereafter, the oil whose temperature has risen falls to the first chamber and is collected in the first chamber. Here, when the temperature of the oil is low during the warm-up operation, the oil has a high viscosity, making it difficult to pass through the communication hole. Therefore, the exchange of oil between the first chamber and the second chamber through the communication hole is limited. Accordingly, during the warm-up operation, the low temperature oil in the second chamber is restricted from flowing into the first chamber through the communication hole.

  In other words, during the warm-up operation, only a limited amount of oil is circulated between the first chamber and the lubrication target while absorbing heat at the lubrication target. Therefore, the temperature of the oil and the lubrication target can rise quickly. Thereby, the warm-up operation time of the lubrication target is shortened.

  Thereafter, when the warm-up operation proceeds and the temperature of the oil in the first chamber rises, heat is transferred to the oil in the second chamber through the oil pan separator, so that the temperature of the oil in the second chamber gradually increases. To rise. Then, when the temperature of the oil in the second chamber in the vicinity of the communication hole rises and the viscosity of the oil becomes low enough to easily pass through the communication hole, Sufficient exchange of oil between the first chamber and the second chamber becomes possible (end of warm-up operation).

  Specifically, after the warm-up operation is finished, the oil flows from the second chamber into the first chamber through the communication hole due to the negative pressure generated in the vicinity of the strainer's oil suction port to suck in the oil. The oil flowing in from the second chamber can be supplied to the lubrication target. Thereby, almost all of the oil inside the two-tank oil pan is circulated with the object to be lubricated. As a result, deterioration of the durability of the oil is prevented.

  The oil pan (oil pan cover) is exposed to the outside and is cooled by the outside air. Thereby, the oil near the inner surface of the oil pan, which is the bottom of the second chamber, is cooled. The cooled oil can also be supplied to the lubrication target. Therefore, an excessive temperature rise of the lubrication target can be suppressed.

  The above-described conventional technology has the following configuration in order to drain used oil in the two-tank oil pan at the time of oil exchange (outflow to the outside). First, a drain plug hole for allowing the oil in the second chamber constituting the outer layer of the two-tank oil pan to flow out is formed at the bottom of the oil pan (oil pan cover). In addition, a drain hole is formed in the bottom of the oil pan separator for allowing the oil in the first chamber forming the inner layer of the two-tank oil pan to flow out into the second chamber. Then, the oil in the first chamber flows out to the second chamber once through the drain hole, and then is discharged to the outside.

  However, in the prior art, as described below, there is a problem that when oil is drained, the oil from the first chamber to the second chamber is not easily removed, and it is difficult to quickly replace the oil.

  That is, as described above, the drain hole is formed at the bottom of the oil pan separator. Further, the oil suction port of the strainer is also opened at the bottom of the recess of the oil pan separator. For this reason, when the hole diameter of the drain hole is increased, when the oil in the first chamber is sucked by the strainer during the warm-up operation, the low-temperature oil in the second chamber is caused by the negative pressure generated at the oil suction port of the strainer. There is a risk of flowing into the first chamber through the drain hole. As a result, it is conceivable that the original two-tank oil pan function of shortening the warm-up operation time is impaired.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the conventional two-tank oil pan, the drain hole is formed with a small hole diameter that is difficult for low-temperature oil in the second chamber to pass through during the warm-up operation, that is, as small as the communication hole. There was a need to be done. When the drain hole is formed with such a small hole diameter, it is difficult to quickly flow out the oil in the first chamber to the second chamber when the oil is drained.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the conventional two-tank oil pan described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating device having a two-tank oil pan that can perform oil replacement more quickly. Is to provide.

  The structure which becomes the premise of the lubricating device of this invention is as follows. The housing is composed of an upper housing that contains an object to be lubricated by oil, and a lower housing that is connected to the upper housing and can store the oil inside. Further, the inner space of the lower housing is divided so as to divide the inner space of the lower housing into a first chamber that opens toward the lubrication target and a second chamber that is adjacent to the first chamber. In addition, an oil pan separator is provided. An oil level gauge composed of a rod-shaped member is detachably attached to the housing. When the oil level gauge is attached to the housing, the tip of the oil level gauge is It is arranged in a space inside the lower housing.

  Here, the lubricating device of the present invention is characterized in that a drain hole for communicating the bottom of the first chamber and the second chamber is provided in the oil pan separator, and the oil level gauge is attached to the housing. In this case, the tip of the oil level gauge is inserted into the drain hole so as to close the drain hole.

  According to such a configuration, the oil level gauge is attached to the housing during operation of the lubrication target (hereinafter abbreviated as “during operation”). Then, the drain hole is blocked by the tip of the gauge part by inserting the tip of the oil level gauge into the drain hole. Therefore, the passage of oil in the drain hole during operation (including during warm-up operation) is restricted. In other words, the exchange of oil between the first chamber and the second chamber through the drain hole is limited. Therefore, even when the oil inlet of the strainer is open at the bottom of the first chamber, the low temperature oil in the second chamber passes through the drain hole due to the negative pressure generated in the oil inlet during the warm-up operation. It can be effectively suppressed that the oil flows into the first chamber and is sucked into the oil suction port.

  On the other hand, the oil change is performed while the lubrication target is stopped (hereinafter, abbreviated as “operation stop”), and therefore, the oil level gauge is removed from the housing when the oil is changed. Then, the drain hole is blocked by the distal end of the gauge part (the distal end of the gauge part comes out of the drain hole), and the oil exchange between the first chamber and the second chamber passes through the drain hole. The restrictions on will be lifted.

  As a result, according to the present invention, by sufficiently increasing the hole diameter of the drain hole, the second chamber during the warm-up operation can be satisfactorily discharged while the oil from the first chamber to the second chamber is improved during the oil change. Thus, it is possible to effectively limit the inflow of oil into the first chamber. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lubrication apparatus that can perform oil replacement more quickly while ensuring the original two-tank oil pan function of shortening the warm-up operation time.

  It should be noted that the description of “closing” or “closing” the drain hole as described above means that when the tip of the gauge portion is inserted into the drain hole, the surface of the tip and the inner edge of the opening of the drain hole It does not indicate that only adheres. For example, the gap between the surface of the tip portion and the inner edge of the drain hole may have a narrow width that makes it difficult to pass low-temperature oil corresponding to the temperature of oil during warm-up operation.

  In addition, it is preferable that a rubber stopper is provided at the tip of the oil level gauge. According to such a configuration (especially, when the rubber plug is configured to fit into the drain hole), the drain hole is more reliably blocked by the rubber plug. Therefore, the alternating current of the oil through the drain hole during the warm-up operation can be more reliably limited by a simple configuration.

  In the lubricating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the oil pan separator includes a recess that constitutes the first chamber, and the drain hole is formed in a bottom portion of the recess. Here, it is preferable that the drain hole is formed at the lowest position in the side view of the concave portion. An oil pan separator applied to the lubricating device comprises a bottom plate having the drain hole, and a side plate connected to the bottom plate, which constitutes a bottom portion of the first chamber. The bottom plate is formed at the lowest position.

  According to this structure, the 1st chamber opened toward the said lubrication object is comprised from the recessed part formed in the oil pan separator. In other words, the first chamber is configured from a space inside the recess (that is, above the bottom plate of the oil pan separator that forms the recess). And a 2nd chamber is formed in the outer side of the said recessed part. As a result, a drain hole is formed at the bottom of the first chamber. Therefore, when the used oil is removed from the lubrication apparatus when exchanging the oil, the oil in the first chamber can flow out quickly and reliably through the drain hole to the second chamber located below the drain chamber. As a result, the amount of oil remaining in the first chamber when the oil is drained can be reduced as much as possible.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (embodiments that the applicant currently considers best at the time of filing of the present application) will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of the embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an engine 10 that is an embodiment of a lubricating device of the present invention. The engine 10 of this embodiment includes a cylinder block 20 and an oil pan 30.

  Inside the cylinder block 20 as the upper housing of the engine 10, a piston, a camshaft, and the like that are lubrication objects are accommodated. A flange portion 20 a connected to the oil pan 30 is formed at the lower end portion of the cylinder block 20.

  The oil pan 30 includes an oil pan cover 31 as a lower housing of the engine 10, an oil pan separator 32 disposed in a space inside the oil pan cover 31, and a thermostat valve device provided in the oil pan separator 32. 33 and a drain plug 34 detachably attached to a drain plug hole 31 d formed in the oil pan cover 31.

  The oil pan cover 31 includes a bottom plate 31a, a side plate 31b provided so as to surround the bottom plate 31a, and a flange portion 31c provided so as to extend outward around the side plate 31b. It is a bathtub-shaped member and is integrally formed by pressing a steel plate. Further, the drain plug hole 31d is at the lowest position in the bottom plate 31a (the lowest position in the direction of gravitational action in a side view when a predetermined device including the engine 10 is placed on the horizontal ground. The same applies hereinafter). Is formed. The drain plug hole 31d is a through hole having a diameter of about 20 mm, and a thread is formed on the inner edge thereof.

  The oil pan separator 32 is a bathtub-shaped member composed of a bottom plate 32a, a side plate 32b provided so as to surround the bottom plate 32a, and a flange portion 32c provided around the side plate 32b. It is integrally formed by injection molding synthetic resin.

  And the 1st chamber 30a is formed of the recessed part comprised by the said baseplate 32a and the side plate 32b. In addition, the second chamber 30b is configured from a region surrounded by the oil pan cover 31 and the oil pan separator 32, that is, a region inside the oil pan cover 31 and a region outside the first chamber 30a. . That is, the oil pan separator 32 is disposed in the space inside the oil pan cover 31 so as to divide the space inside the oil pan cover 31 into the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b vertically (or inside and outside). Has been placed.

  A strainer 40 is disposed at the bottom of the first chamber 30a. The strainer 40 includes an oil suction port 41 that opens downward, and is connected to an oil pump 43 via a strainer channel 42. The oil suction port 41 is disposed at the bottom of the first chamber 30a so as to face the bottom plate 32a with a predetermined small gap between the oil suction port 41 and the bottom plate 32a. With this arrangement, when the oil stored in the first chamber 30a is sucked into the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40, an oil flow along the bottom plate 32a can be formed.

  A drain hole 32d as a through hole is formed at the lowest position on the bottom plate 32a and not directly below the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40. The drain hole 32d is formed in a substantially circular shape in a plan view having a size (for example, a diameter of about 10 mm) that allows oil to pass even when the oil is cold and has a high viscosity. Further, the height of the upper surface (inner surface) of the bottom plate 32a becomes lower as it approaches the drain hole 32d formed at the lowest position from the outer edge portion (connection portion between the bottom plate 32a and the side plate 32b) of the bottom plate 32a. It is formed (including the case where a plane is included in the middle). In other words, the bottom plate 32a is formed so that all the oil in the vicinity of the upper surface of the bottom plate 32a moves downward toward the drain hole 32d (including a case where the oil is horizontal in the middle).

  An upper communication hole 32e as a through hole for adjusting the oil level height of the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b is provided in the upper part of the side plate 32b. The upper communication hole 32e stores the oil level when the maximum oil storage amount of oil is stored in the oil pan 30 and one third of the maximum oil storage amount. A plurality of oil levels are provided within a range between the oil level and the oil level. The upper communication hole 32e is formed in a circular shape having a diameter of about 10 mm or an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape having an area corresponding to the circular shape.

  A thermostat valve device 33 is disposed below the side plate 32b so as to penetrate the side plate 32b. The thermostat valve device 33 is slightly lower than the bottom of the first chamber 30a, that is, the lowest position of the plurality of upper communication holes 32e, and the upper end of the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40. They are arranged at almost the same height.

  The thermostat valve device 33 includes a well-known wax-type thermostat valve used for a cooling water circulation system of an automobile, and the like. When the temperature becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined valve opening temperature, the thermostat valve device 33 The oil is exchanged between the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b through the inside of the casing (hereinafter simply referred to as “inside of the thermostat valve device 33”). .

  That is, an oil communication path between the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b is formed inside the thermostat valve device 33 in a valve opening state at a temperature equal to or higher than the valve opening temperature. . In addition, the thermostat valve device 33 is configured such that the valve opening rate (the ratio of the current channel cross-sectional area to the maximum channel cross-sectional area inside the thermostat valve device 33) increases as the temperature rises. .

  The flange portion 31c of the oil pan cover 31 is connected to the flange portion 20a of the cylinder block 20 with the flange portion 32c of the oil pan separator 32 interposed therebetween, and the flange portions 20a, 31c, and 32c are connected at this connection location. The oil pan cover 31 and the oil pan separator 32 are fixed to the cylinder block 20 by being tightened together with bolts. The housing of the engine 10 includes a cylinder block 20 and an oil pan cover 31.

  The drain plug 34 is a bolt that matches the thread of the drain plug hole 31d. The drain plug 34 is screwed into and attached to the drain plug hole 31d, thereby blocking the drain plug hole 31d and preventing the oil from flowing out of the oil pan 30 from the second chamber 30b. It is comprised so that it may function as a stopper.

  The flange portion 20a of the cylinder block 20 is formed with an insertion port 20b formed of a through hole opened toward the first chamber 30a, and the oil level gauge 50 can be inserted from the insertion port 20b.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view for showing a detailed configuration of the tip portion of the oil level gauge 50. The oil level gauge 50 includes a main body 51 made of a rod-shaped member, a gauge portion 52 formed at one end portion of the main body 51, a rubber plug 53 made of rubber provided at a tip portion of the gauge portion 52, a main body 51. The ring-shaped grip part 54 is formed on the other end part of the main body 51 on the side different from the one end part, and the stopper 55 is fixed at a position slightly lower than the grip part 54 in the main body 51. .

  As is well known, a predetermined pattern for measuring the oil level in the oil pan 30 is formed on the gauge portion 52. The rubber plug 53 has a so-called stepped columnar shape in which a columnar insertion portion 53a having substantially the same diameter as the drain hole 32d and a columnar flange portion 53b having a diameter larger than the insertion portion 53a are joined. It is constructed integrally. As shown in FIG. 2, the screw 52 a formed at the tip of the gauge portion 52 and the hole 53 c formed in the rubber plug 53 are screwed, so that the gauge portion 52 and the rubber plug 53 are Are fixed so that they are not easily separated.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the lower end portion of the tubular level gauge support tube 60 is inserted into the insertion port 20 b formed in the flange portion 20 a of the cylinder block 20.

  Further, a countersink portion 20c having a slightly larger diameter than the insertion port 20b and having a substantially circular shape in plan view is formed above the insertion port 20b, and an O-ring 62 is disposed inside the countersink portion 20c. ing. The inner diameter of the O-ring 62 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the level gauge support tube 60. And the said front-end | tip part is inserted in the insertion port 20b in the state in which the said front-end | tip part of the level gauge support tube 60 was inserted in the said O-ring 62. Thereby, the lower end part of the level gauge support tube 60 is supported. The O-ring 62 is in contact with the inner surface of the countersink portion 20c and the outer surface of the level gauge support tube 60 with a predetermined pressure, and serves as a seal that prevents oil leakage at the insertion port 20b and the countersink portion 20c. It is configured as follows.

  Further, the middle part of the level gauge support tube 60 is supported by a support ring 21 fixed to the cylinder block 20.

  Then, by inserting the oil level gauge 50 from the opening at the upper end of the level gauge support tube 60 supported by the cylinder block 20 as described above, the rubber plug 53 at the tip end of the oil level gauge 50 becomes the oil pan. The drain 32 d formed in the bottom plate 32 a of the separator 32 can be reached. In this state, the insertion portion 53a is inserted into the drain hole 32d, and the lower surface of the flange portion 53b is in contact with the bottom plate 32a with a predetermined pressure. The oil level gauge 50 is arranged so that the drain hole 32d is closed by the rubber plug 53. In this state, the length of the level gauge support tube 60 and the position of the stopper 55 are set so that the lower end of the stopper 55 is in contact with the upper end of the level gauge support tube 60.

(Operation of the embodiment)
Subsequently, the operation of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

  When the operation of the engine 10 is started, the oil pump 43 is driven based on the cycle motion of the internal combustion engine, and the oil pump 43 uses the oil stored in the first chamber 30a of the oil pan 30 as the oil in the strainer 40. The air is sucked from the suction port 41, and the sucked oil is sent out toward each movable part in the cylinder block 20 which is a lubrication target. As a result, the oil supplied to each movable part functions as a lubricating oil in each movable part and absorbs heat such as frictional heat generated during the operation of each movable part, and then drops by gravity. It is collected in the first chamber 30a.

<Warming up>
During the warm-up operation, when oil is sucked from the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40, the oil suction port 41 is generated by the negative pressure generated at the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40 based on the operation of the oil pump 43. The oil flow toward the oil suction port 41 is generated along the bottom plate 32a of the oil pan separator 32. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the oil level gauge 50 is attached to the cylinder block 20, and the rubber plug 53 at the tip of the gauge portion 52 closes the drain hole 32d. Therefore, the negative pressure generated at the oil suction port 41 prevents oil at the bottom of the second chamber 30b from flowing into the first chamber 30a through the drain hole 32d.

  Further, as described above, the thermostat valve device 33 is composed of a well-known wax type thermostat valve. Therefore, the oil communication passage passing through the thermostat valve device 33 is closed at a temperature lower than a predetermined valve opening temperature. Yes. During the warm-up operation, since the temperature of the oil in the first chamber 30a (and in the second chamber 30b) is lower than the valve opening temperature, the thermostat valve device 33 is not in the valve open state. Therefore, the oil communication path that passes through the thermostat valve device 33 is closed. Accordingly, no oil flows from the second chamber 30b to the first chamber 30a through the oil communication passage inside the thermostat valve device 33 due to the negative pressure generated at the oil suction port 41. .

  Thus, during the warm-up operation, it is effective that the low temperature oil in the lower part of the second chamber 30b flows into the first chamber 30a through the oil communication passage and the drain hole 32d inside the thermostat valve device 33. (The inflow of oil from the second chamber 30b to the first chamber 30a is caused in the upper part of the second chamber 30b through the upper communication hole 32e when the oil level of the first chamber 30a is lowered (the above-mentioned The temperature is higher than the low temperature oil at the bottom of the second chamber 30b). Therefore, the oil supplied to each movable part to be lubricated is almost limited to the oil in the first chamber 30a. Accordingly, the progress of the warm-up operation can be promoted.

<End of warm-up operation>
Thereafter, when the warm-up operation proceeds and the temperature of the oil in the first chamber 30a increases, the oil in the first chamber 30a is changed from the oil in the first chamber 30a to the oil in the second chamber 30b through the oil pan separator 32. The heat is transferred little by little, and the temperature of the oil in the second chamber 30b gradually increases. When the temperature of the oil in the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b around the thermostat valve device 33 rises to the valve opening temperature of the thermostat valve device 33, the oil connection inside the thermostat valve device 33 is performed. Passage communication begins. Thereby, the influence of the negative pressure generated at the oil suction port 41 when the oil is sucked at the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40 as described above reaches the connected oil communication passage, and the second The oil at the bottom of the chamber 30b passes through the oil communication path and flows into the first chamber 30a.

  As the oil flows from the second chamber 30b to the first chamber 30a through the oil communication passage, the oil in the upper portion of the first chamber 30a flows out from the upper communication hole 32e to the second chamber 30b. In this manner, the low temperature oil at the bottom of the second chamber 30b flows into the first chamber 30a through the oil communication passage, and at the same time, the high temperature oil at the top of the first chamber 30a passes through the upper communication hole 32e to the second chamber 30b. By flowing out, the oil is circulated in the oil pan 30.

  In particular, as described above, the thermostat valve device 33 has a configuration in which the valve opening rate gradually increases as the temperature rises. Therefore, immediately after the end of the warm-up operation and immediately after the temperature of the oil around the thermostat valve device 33 has still reached the valve opening temperature, the valve opening rate of the thermostat valve device 33 is low, and the second chamber 30b The inflow of low temperature oil stored on the lower side is small. As a result, a large amount of low temperature oil does not flow into the first chamber 30a and is not sucked into the oil suction port 41 of the strainer 40. Therefore, it is prevented that the movable part is rapidly cooled by supplying a large amount of low-temperature oil to the movable part.

  On the other hand, when a sufficient amount of time has elapsed after the warm-up operation is finished and the temperature of the oil in the first chamber 30a has become considerably high, the valve opening rate of the thermostat valve device 33 becomes high, and the above-described oil Circulation is thriving. Therefore, in this case, the entire amount of oil in the oil pan 30 is used for lubrication without unevenness, so that overheating of the engine 10 is suppressed without deteriorating the durability of the oil.

<When changing oil>
As shown in FIG. 3, the oil change is performed by removing the drain plug 34 from the drain plug hole 31d when the engine is stopped. That is, by removing the drain plug 34, the oil in the second chamber 30b is discharged from the drain plug hole 31d. The first chamber 30a is located inside the second chamber 30b, and the second chamber 30b is formed over substantially the entire circumference below and on the side of the first chamber 30a, so that the oil in the first chamber 30a In order to remove the oil, it is necessary to flow the oil from the first chamber 30a to the second chamber 30b and then to the outside of the oil pan 30 through the drain plug hole 31d.

  Here, the oil change is performed when the engine is stopped, and preferably when the temperature of the oil is low. In this state, since the temperature of the oil is lower than the valve opening temperature of the thermostat valve device 33, the oil communication path in the thermostat valve device 33 cannot be used to drain the oil in the first chamber 30a.

  On the other hand, as described above, the drain hole 32d is formed as a through hole that is large enough to allow oil to pass through even when the oil is cold and the viscosity of the oil is high. When the oil is changed, as shown in FIG. 3, the rubber plug 53 at the tip of the oil level gauge 50 is pulled out of the drain hole 32d, and the drain hole 32d is unblocked. Therefore, when oil is drained, the oil in the first chamber 30a can quickly flow out to the second chamber 30b through the drain hole 32d.

  In addition, the drain hole 32d is formed at the bottom of the first chamber 30a and at the lowest position of the bottom plate 32a. Therefore, when oil is extracted from the first chamber 30a, almost all of the oil in the first chamber 30a can be discharged to the second chamber 30b side through the drain hole 32d. In other words, the amount of residual oil in the first chamber 30a when oil is drained can be almost eliminated. Therefore, in the present oil pan 30, the oil in the first chamber 30a can be quickly and reliably removed simply by removing the oil level gauge 50 and the drain plug 34.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the thermostat valve device 33 can reliably exchange the oil between the first chamber 30a and the second chamber 30b according to the progress of the warm-up operation with a simple configuration. In addition to the control, when oil is drained, the second oil is quickly supplied from the first chamber 30a through the drain hole 32d that is provided separately from the thermostat valve device 33 and allows easy passage of oil even at low temperatures. It can be discharged into the chamber 30b. Then, the low-temperature oil in the second chamber 30 b flowing into the first chamber 30 a through the drain hole 32 d during the warm-up operation is a rubber plug 53 provided at the tip of the gauge portion 52 in the oil level gauge 50. This is reliably prevented by closing the drain hole 32d. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a lubricating device including a two-tank oil pan capable of quick oil replacement while shortening the warm-up operation time can be realized.

(Suggestion of modification)
Note that, as described above, each of the above embodiments is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention that the applicant considered to be the best at the time of filing of the present application, and the present invention has been described above from the start. The present invention is not limited to each embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the essential part of the present invention. Hereinafter, although some modifications will be exemplified, it goes without saying that the modifications are not limited to the following.

  For example, the configuration of the oil pan and the lubricating device of the present invention can be applied to various devices including a lubricating device to which the oil pan is applied, such as an automatic transmission, in addition to the engine as in each of the above embodiments. is there.

  Further, in place of the thermostat valve device 33, a large number of small-diameter communication holes as described in Patent Document 1 may be used. In addition to the drain hole 32d, a small-diameter drain hole as described in Patent Document 1 may be further provided at the bottom of the oil pan separator.

  In addition, even if the rubber plug is not attached to the tip of the gauge part of the oil level gauge, when the tip of the gauge part is inserted into the drain hole, the gap between the outer shape of the tip and the inner edge of the drain hole By setting the shape and dimensions of the tip of the gauge part and the drain hole so that the gap becomes very small, the drain hole is substantially blocked by the tip part and passes through the gap during warm-up operation. Oil exchange can be suppressed as much as possible.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip 52b of the gauge portion 52 of the modification is a substantially cylindrical member integrally formed of metal together with the gauge portion 52, and the tip is a drain. It is processed into a curved surface so that it can be smoothly inserted into the hole 32d. The diameter of the tip 52b in the cylindrical shape is set so as to have a predetermined fitting relationship with the inner diameter of the drain hole 32d that is substantially circular in plan view. Further, a flange portion 52c having a slightly larger diameter than the tip portion 52b is formed above the tip portion 52b. The tip 52b is inserted into the drain hole 32d and brought into contact with the flange 52c and the bottom plate 32a of the oil pan separator so that the drain hole 32d is substantially closed by the tip 52b and the flange 52c. It has become so.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, it is more preferable that the lowest position of the bottom plate 32a is formed with an introduction portion 32f that is open upward and is a recess for introducing the distal end portion 52b. It is. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 52b of the gauge part 52 can be easily inserted in the drain hole 32d.

  Further, the place where the oil level gauge insertion port is provided may not be the cylinder block but the oil pan cover or the lower case.

  There may be a gap between the lower end of the gauge portion 52 and the upper end of the rubber plug 53. Similarly, there may be a gap between the lower end of the portion provided when measuring the oil level in the gauge portion 52, and the tip portion 52b and the flange portion 52c.

It is a schematic block diagram of the engine which is embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the front-end | tip part of an oil level gauge. It is the schematic for demonstrating the mode at the time of oil draining in the said embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the principal part of the structure of a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Engine, 20 ... Cylinder block, 20b ... Insertion port, 30 ... Oil pan, 30a ... First chamber, 30b ... Second chamber, 31 ... Oil pan cover, 32 ... Oil pan separator, 32a ... Bottom, 32b ... Side , 32d ... drain hole, 41 ... strainer, 41 ... oil suction port, 50 ... oil level gauge, 52 ... gauge part, 53 ... rubber plug

Claims (5)

A housing composed of an upper housing for accommodating an object to be lubricated by oil, and a lower housing connected to the upper housing and capable of storing the oil inside;
An oil pan separator disposed so as to divide a space inside the lower housing into a first chamber opening toward the lubrication target and a second chamber adjacent to the first chamber;
An oil level gauge configured to be detachably attached to the housing such that the tip portion is disposed in the space inside the lower housing, and is configured of a rod-shaped member;
In a lubrication device comprising
The oil pan separator is provided with a drain hole that communicates the bottom of the first chamber and the second chamber;
2. A lubrication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the oil level gauge is attached to the housing, the tip end portion is inserted into the drain hole to close the drain hole. The lubricating device according to claim 1,
The oil level gauge is provided with a rubber stopper at the tip portion thereof. The lubricating device according to claim 1 or 2,
The oil pan separator includes a recess that constitutes the first chamber, and the drain hole is formed in a bottom portion of the recess. An oil pan separator applied to the lubricating device according to claim 3,
A bottom plate constituting the bottom of the first chamber and having the drain hole;
A side plate formed around the bottom plate,
With
The oil pan separator, wherein the drain hole is formed at a lowest position on the bottom plate. An oil level gauge comprising a rubber stopper at the tip of a rod-shaped member.

Images