JP2008088936A - Oil heating device for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oil heating device for an internal combustion engine capable of efficiently heating oil without increasing cost, friction, or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The oil heating device for the internal combustion engine is suitably used for heating oil for use in lubricating the internal combustion engine. A power generating means generates power utilizing relief pressure of oil returned to an oil pan. An oil heating means generates heat by the supply of electric power generated by the power generating means, and heats oil with this heat. Since the oil heating device for the internal combustion engine heats oil utilizing the relief pressure of oil, warming up can be performed early without enlarging an alternator or increasing friction during high rotation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that heats oil for the internal combustion engine.

  Oil (lubricating oil) used for an internal combustion engine may increase in viscosity due to a decrease in temperature, resulting in a decrease in capacity of the internal combustion engine. In order to prevent this, conventionally, a technique of heating oil at a low temperature or the like has been performed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for keeping the oil temperature constant by controlling the power supplied to the heating element using a thermal element that generates a voltage proportional to the oil temperature. .

JP-A-9-303125

  Incidentally, in an internal combustion engine or the like having a supercharger, it is preferable to increase the capacity of the oil pump because the amount of oil fed increases. However, when the capacity of the oil pump is increased, the oil relief pressure tends to increase when the viscosity of the oil is high at low temperatures. In order to reduce the viscosity of the oil, it is conceivable to heat the oil with a heater or the like. In this case, an external power source is required, and the battery capacity and the alternator capacity must be improved. For this reason, the cost may increase or the fuel consumption may deteriorate due to an increase in friction.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine capable of efficiently heating oil without increasing cost, friction, or the like. For the purpose.

  In one aspect of the present invention, an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that heats oil of an internal combustion engine is supplied with power generation means that generates electric power using the relief pressure of the oil, and electric power generated by the power generation means. And an oil heating means for heating the oil by generating heat.

  The oil heating device for the internal combustion engine is suitably used for heating oil used for lubricating the internal combustion engine. The power generation means generates power using the relief pressure of oil returned to the oil pan. The oil heating means generates heat when the electric power generated by the power generation means is supplied, and heats the oil by this heat. According to the above oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the oil is heated by utilizing the relief pressure of the oil, so that the warm-up can be quickly performed without increasing the size of the alternator or increasing the friction at the time of high rotation. It becomes possible to do.

  In one aspect of the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the power generation means includes a rotating part that rotates by the relief pressure and a generator that generates electric power by the rotation of the rotating part.

  In this aspect, the power generation means can obtain electric power by changing the relief pressure of the oil into a rotational motion.

  In another aspect of the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the power generation means includes a pressure accumulating unit that accumulates the relief pressure and a piezoelectric element that generates electric power using the pressure accumulated in the pressure accumulating unit.

  In this aspect, the power generation means can accumulate the pressure of the relieved oil, and can obtain electric power directly from the accumulated pressure. Thereby, since the drive part in an apparatus can be reduced, while being able to simplify an apparatus structure, the reliability of an apparatus can be improved.

  Preferably, in the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the pressure accumulating portion is provided with a check valve at the oil outlet portion, and the oil heating means is provided inside. In this case, the check valve controls the pressure in the pressure accumulating portion, and the oil heating means heats the oil in the pressure accumulating portion.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lubrication system 21 to which an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment is applied. In FIG. 1, solid arrows indicate an example of oil flow.

  The lubrication system 21 includes an oil pan 1, an oil strainer 2, an oil pump 3, an oil passage 3 a, a relief valve 4, a relief oil passage 5, an impeller 6, a generator 7, and a lead wire 8. The heating element 9 is provided. The lubrication system 21 is a system that performs lubrication by supplying oil (lubricating oil) stored in the oil pan 1 to each part of the internal combustion engine.

  The oil pan 1 stores oil for sending oil to each part of the internal combustion engine. The oil strainer 2 has one end located inside the oil pan 1 (that is, immersed in oil) and the other end connected to the oil pump 3. The oil pump 3 is driven to suck oil stored in the oil pan 1 through the oil strainer 2. And the oil pump 3 sends the oil suck | inhaled in this way to each part of an internal combustion engine via the oil path 3a.

  A relief valve 4 is provided on the oil passage 3a. The relief valve 4 is closed when the oil pressure in the oil passage 3a is less than the set pressure (the pressure set in the relief valve 4 in advance), and the oil pressure in the oil passage 3a is equal to or higher than the set pressure. When it becomes, it opens. When the relief valve 4 is thus opened, the oil passage 3a and the relief oil passage 5 are brought into conduction. As a result, the oil flows into the relief oil passage 5 and is returned to the oil pan 1. That is, the relief valve 4 has a function of releasing the oil pressure that has become relatively high. For example, when the temperature is low, the oil has a high pressure (that is, the oil has a high viscosity), so that the relief valve 4 is opened and the oil flows into the relief oil passage 5.

  An impeller 6 is provided in the relief oil passage 5. The impeller 6 has a blade portion (not shown) that is rotated by the flow of oil that passes through the relief oil passage 5. That is, the blade portion functions as a rotating portion that is rotated by the relief pressure. A rotating shaft (not shown) of the blade portion is connected to the generator 7. The generator 7 is a small-sized motor, and generates electric power by rotating an internal rotary shaft. Specifically, the rotating shaft of the generator 7 is connected to the rotating shaft of the impeller 6 described above. Therefore, the blade portion of the impeller 6 is rotated by the relief pressure, and the rotation is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the generator 7, whereby the generator 7 generates electric power. That is, the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment obtains electric power by converting the flow of oil passing through the relief oil passage 5 into a rotational motion. Thus, the impeller 6 and the generator 7 function as power generation means in the present invention. When the oil pressure is low (specifically, when the oil pressure is less than the set pressure of the relief valve 4), the impeller 6 is not driven and the power generation is not performed because the relief valve 4 is closed. Machine 7 does not generate electricity. That is, the power generation in the generator 7 is controlled according to the operation of the relief valve 4.

  The electric power generated by the generator 7 is supplied to the heating element 9 via a lead wire 8 (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1). The heating element 9 is provided on the relief oil passage 5 on the downstream side of the impeller 6, and generates heat when energized. That is, the heat generating element 9 generates heat when the electric power generated by the generator 7 is supplied. When the heat generating element 9 generates heat in this way, the oil passing through the heat generating element 9 is heated. As described above, the heating element 9 corresponds to the oil heating means in the present invention. The impeller 6, the generator 7, and the heating element 9 function as an oil heating device for an internal combustion engine in the present invention. A switch that switches on / off may be provided on the lead wire 8. By switching on / off of this switch, the supply of power to the heating element 9 can be controlled. For example, it is possible to control to supply power to the heating element 9 to generate heat by turning on the switch only in a situation where the oil is to be heated.

  Here, the procedure in which the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment described above heats oil at a low temperature will be described. Since the oil is at a high pressure (high viscosity) at a low temperature, the oil flows into the relief oil passage 5 by opening the relief valve 4. When oil flows in the relief oil passage 5 as described above, the blade portion of the impeller 6 is rotated by the oil flow in the relief oil passage 5. The rotation of the impeller 6 is transmitted to the generator 7 so that the generator 7 generates power. Next, the electric power generated by the generator 7 is supplied to the heat generating element 9 so that the heat generating element 9 generates heat. As a result, the oil passing through the heating element 9 is heated. Then, the oil heated by the heating element 9 is returned to the oil pan 1. By repeating such power generation using the relief pressure of oil and heating of the oil using the generated power, the oil in the oil pan 1 can be warmed as a whole. Thereby, the pressure (viscosity) of the oil can be reduced, and the load on the internal combustion engine can be efficiently reduced at a low temperature or the like.

  As described above, according to the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment, the oil is heated using the relief pressure of the oil, so that the alternator can be enlarged or the friction at the time of high rotation can be increased. This makes it possible to warm up early.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, instead of obtaining the electric power by converting the oil flow passing through the relief oil passage 5 into a rotational motion, the pressure of the oil in the relief oil passage 5 is accumulated, and the electric power is directly generated from the accumulated pressure. Is different from the first embodiment described above.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lubrication system 22 to which the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the second embodiment is applied. In FIG. 2, solid arrows indicate an example of oil flow.

  The lubrication system 22 includes a pressure accumulating chamber 10, a piezoelectric element 11, a check valve 12, heat generation instead of the impeller 6, the generator 7, the lead wire 8, and the heating element 9 in the lubrication system 21 (see FIG. 1). An element 13 and a lead wire 14 are provided. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the component of the lubrication system 21 shown in FIG. 1, and the description shall be abbreviate | omitted. Here, the pressure accumulation chamber 10, the piezoelectric element 11, the check valve 12, the heating element 13, and the lead wire 14 will be mainly described in detail.

  The relief oil passage 5 is provided with a pressure accumulation chamber 10 for accumulating pressure. The pressure accumulating chamber 10 is supplied with oil through the relief oil passage 5 when the relief valve 4 is opened, and stores the supplied oil. That is, the pressure accumulating chamber 10 functions as a pressure accumulating portion that accumulates the pressure of the oil that has been relieved. In addition, a check valve 12 is provided at the oil outlet in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 (where the pressure accumulating chamber 10 and the relief oil passage 5 are connected). The check valve 12 is closed when the pressure in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 is lower than a set pressure (the pressure set in the check valve 12 in advance), and the pressure in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 becomes equal to or higher than the set pressure. Open in case. When the check valve 12 is thus opened, the oil in the pressure accumulation chamber 10 is discharged from the pressure accumulation chamber 10. That is, the check valve 12 has a function of maintaining the pressure in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 below the set pressure. The set pressure of the check valve 12 is set lower than the oil pressure (set pressure set in advance in the relief valve 4) when the relief valve 4 is opened.

  Furthermore, a piezoelectric element 11 that generates electric power when pressure is applied is provided in the pressure accumulating chamber 10. Specifically, the piezoelectric element 11 generates electric power by the pressure of oil accumulated in the pressure accumulating chamber 10. The electric power generated by the piezoelectric element 11 is supplied to the heating element 13 via the lead wire 14 (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2). The heat generating element 13 is provided in the pressure accumulation chamber 10 and generates heat when energized. That is, the heating element 13 generates heat when the electric power generated by the piezoelectric element 11 is supplied. When the heat generating element 13 generates heat in this manner, the oil in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 is heated. As described above, the heating element 13 functions as the oil heating means in the present invention. The accumulator 10, the piezoelectric element 11, the check valve 12, and the heating element 13 function as an oil heating device for the internal combustion engine in the present invention. A switch that switches on / off may be provided on the lead wire 14. By switching on / off of this switch, the supply of electric power to the heating element 13 can be controlled. For example, it is possible to control to supply power to the heating element 13 to generate heat by turning on the switch only in a situation where the oil is to be heated.

  Note that the piezoelectric element 11 and the heating element 13 are not limited to being provided at the positions in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 shown in FIG. The piezoelectric element 11 is preferably provided at a position where the pressure in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 can be effectively received, and the heating element 13 is positioned at a position where the oil in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 can be effectively heated. It is preferable to provide it.

  Here, the procedure for heating the oil at the low temperature by the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the second embodiment will be described. Since the oil has a high pressure (high viscosity) at low temperatures, the oil flows into the relief oil passage 5 by opening the relief valve 4. The oil that has flowed to the relief oil passage 5 flows into the pressure accumulating chamber 10 and is stored. Thereafter, when the pressure accumulation chamber 10 is filled with oil and the pressure of the oil is applied to the piezoelectric element 11 in the pressure accumulation chamber 10, the piezoelectric element 11 generates power. Next, when the electric power generated by the piezoelectric element 11 is supplied to the heating element 13, the heating element 13 generates heat. Thereby, the oil in the pressure accumulation chamber 10 will be heated. When the check valve 12 is opened, the oil heated in the pressure accumulating chamber 10 is returned to the oil pan 1. By repeating the power generation using the pressure accumulated in the pressure accumulation chamber 10 and the heating of the oil using the generated power, the oil in the oil pan 1 can be warmed as a whole. Thereby, the pressure (viscosity) of the oil can be reduced, and the load on the internal combustion engine can be efficiently reduced at a low temperature or the like.

  As described above, even with the oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the second embodiment, the oil is heated using the relief pressure of the oil, so that the alternator is increased in size or the friction at the time of high rotation is increased. Therefore, it is possible to warm up early. In addition, according to the oil heating device for an internal combustion engine according to the second embodiment, since there is no drive unit (such as the impeller 6) as compared with the oil heating device for the internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment, the device configuration Can be simplified, and the reliability of the apparatus can be improved.

The schematic block diagram of the lubrication system to which the oil heating apparatus of the internal combustion engine which concerns on 1st Embodiment was applied is shown. The schematic block diagram of the lubrication system to which the oil heating apparatus of the internal combustion engine which concerns on 2nd Embodiment was applied is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oil pan 3 Oil pump 3a Oil path 4 Relief valve 5 Relief oil path 6 Impeller 7 Generator 8, 14 Lead wire 9, 13 Heating element 10 Accumulation chamber 11 Piezoelectric element 12 Check valve 21, 22 Lubrication system

Claims (4)

In the internal combustion engine oil heating apparatus for heating the oil of the internal combustion engine,
Power generation means for generating power using the relief pressure of the oil;
An oil heating device for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an oil heating unit that heats the oil by generating heat when electric power generated by the power generation unit is supplied.   2. The oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the power generation unit includes a rotating part that rotates by the relief pressure and a generator that generates electric power by the rotation of the rotating part.   2. The oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the power generation unit includes a pressure accumulating unit that accumulates the relief pressure and a piezoelectric element that generates electric power using the pressure accumulated in the pressure accumulating unit.   4. The oil heating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 3, wherein the pressure accumulating portion is provided with a check valve at an outlet portion of the oil and the oil heating means is provided therein.

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