JP2010196788A - Temperature control device of lubricating oil - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply lubricating oil having a raised temperature at the time of warming-up of an warming-up object without increasing the size of a thermal storage tank. <P>SOLUTION: A strainer 14 filtering lubricating oil and supplying it to a transmission T is equipped with: a first lubricating oil suction port 29 which sucks lubricating oil with low temperature stored in an oil pan 11; and a second lubricating oil suction port 30 which sucks lubricating oil with high temperature stored in the thermal storage tank 12. The opening and closing of the first and second lubricating oil suction ports 29, 30 are controlled by a flow control valve 32. The temperatures of the strainer 14 and the transmission T are speedily raised, and flow resistance in the event of the lubricating oil passing through the strainer 14 is reduced, and the transmission T is speedily warmed up by supplying the lubricating with high temperature in the thermal storage tank 12 from the second lubricating oil suction port 30 through the strainer 14 to the transmission T when the operation of the stopped transmission T is started. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricating oil temperature control device that controls the temperature of lubricating oil circulating through a warm-up object.

  In order to supply to the transmission the lubricating oil whose temperature has been increased during the cold start of the engine of the automobile, the high-temperature lubricating oil stored in advance in the heat storage tank is supplied to the upper surface of the strainer disposed inside the oil pan, and the strainer is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses that a low-temperature lubricating oil heated and sucked from an oil pan is passed through the strainer to raise the temperature.

JP 2002-130436 A

  By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional one, even if the strainer is heated by the high-temperature lubricating oil stored in the heat storage tank, the strainer immediately cools as the low-temperature lubricating oil from the oil pan passes and is supplied to the transmission. There was a problem that the temperature of the lubricating oil did not rise effectively. To avoid this, it is sufficient to increase the capacity of the heat storage tank, but there is a problem that the installation space and cost of the heat storage tank increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable supply of lubricating oil whose temperature has been raised during warm-up of a warm-up target object without increasing the size of a heat storage tank.

  To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the lubricating oil temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the lubricating oil circulating through the warm-up object, the first reservoir for storing the lubricating oil And a second reservoir for storing lubricating oil having a temperature higher than that of the lubricating oil stored in the first reservoir, and the lubricating oil supplied from the first and second reservoirs is filtered and supplied to the warm-up object. A lubricating oil temperature control device comprising: a strainer; and a flow rate control valve for opening and closing first and second lubricating oil suction ports for sucking lubricating oil from the first and second reservoirs into the strainer. Proposed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a lubricating oil temperature control device is proposed in which the second reservoir includes heating means for heating the lubricating oil. Is done.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the structure of claim 1 or 2, a temperature control apparatus for lubricating oil is proposed in which the strainer is covered with a heat insulating material.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 3, the first and second lubricating oil suction ports are located upstream of the elements of the strainer. A lubricating oil temperature control device is proposed which is provided on the side.

  The oil pan 11 of the embodiment corresponds to the first reservoir of the present invention, the heat storage tank 12 of the embodiment corresponds to the second reservoir of the present invention, and the transmission T of the embodiment is a warm-up of the present invention. Corresponds to the object.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the strainer that filters the lubricating oil and supplies it to the object to be warmed up, the first lubricating oil suction port that sucks the low-temperature lubricating oil stored in the first reservoir, and the second reservoir A second lubricating oil suction port for sucking in the stored high-temperature lubricating oil is provided, and the opening and closing of the first and second lubricating oil suction ports are controlled by the flow rate control valve. When starting, the high temperature lubricating oil in the second reservoir is supplied from the second lubricating oil inlet to the warming target object via the strainer, thereby quickly raising the temperature of the strainer and the warming target object and lubricating the strainer. It is possible to reduce the flow resistance when oil passes and to quickly warm up the object to be warmed up. Then, after the warm-up of the warm-up object is completed, the low-temperature lubricating oil in the first reservoir is supplied to the warm-up object through the strainer from the first lubricating oil inlet, so that the lubricating oil in the first reservoir is supplied. The temperature can be raised to shift to normal operation. In particular, when starting a warmed-up object that has been stopped, only high-temperature lubricating oil is supplied to the strainer, so the flow rate of the lubricating oil can be reduced, and the second reservoir can be of a small capacity. Can do.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the heating means for heating the lubricating oil is provided in the second reservoir, the operation is resumed after a long time has elapsed since the warm-up object stopped operating. In addition, it is possible to always supply hot lubricating oil from the second reservoir.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the strainer is covered with the heat insulating material, the heat of the high-temperature lubricating oil that passes through the strainer is not easily taken away by the low-temperature lubricating oil in the oil pan, and lubrication supplied to the transmission is performed. The temperature of the oil can be increased.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the first and second lubricating oil suction ports are provided upstream of the strainer element, the high-temperature lubricating oil from the second reservoir passes through the strainer so that the strainer Can be quickly heated to reduce the resistance when passing through the lubricating oil.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the temperature control apparatus of lubricating oil. The perspective view of a strainer. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2 (when the warm-up is not completed). The figure corresponding to FIG. 3 (at the time of warm-up completion). The figure explaining the effect | action of embodiment. The graph explaining the effect of embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a transmission T connected to an engine E of an automobile includes an oil pan 11 as a first reservoir for storing lubricating oil that also serves as control oil on a lower surface thereof. The transmission T is provided with a heat storage tank 12 as a second reservoir in addition to the oil pan 11, and the heat storage tank 12 includes heating means such as an electric heater for heating the lubricating oil stored therein. 13 is provided.

  As apparent from FIGS. 1 to 3, a strainer 14 for filtering the lubricating oil and removing foreign matters is disposed inside the oil pan 11. The strainer 14 is configured by connecting the lower case 15 and the upper case 16 so as to sandwich the element 17 therebetween, and a dirty chamber 18 is defined between the lower case 15 and the element 17, and the upper case 16 and A clean chamber 19 is defined between the elements 17. The lower case 15 and the upper case 16 of the strainer 14 are covered with heat insulating materials 20 and 21, respectively.

  A lubricating oil supply passage 23 connected to a lubricating oil outlet 22 formed in the upper case 16 of the strainer 14 extends into the transmission T, and a lubricating oil pump 24 for sucking up the lubricating oil is provided in the middle thereof. A flow path switching valve 26 made of an electromagnetic valve is provided at an intermediate portion of the lubricating oil discharge passage 25 for returning the lubricating oil from the transmission T to the oil pan 11. The first bypass passage 27 is connected to the heat storage tank 12, and the second bypass passage 28 extending from the heat storage tank 12 is connected to a second lubricating oil suction port 30 provided on the side wall of the lower case 15 of the strainer 14. A first lubricating oil suction port 29 is formed on the bottom wall of the lower case 15 adjacent to the second lubricating oil suction port 30, and the interior of the oil pan 11 is formed through the first lubricating oil suction port 29. Communicates with the dirty chamber 18 of the strainer 14.

  When the flow path switching valve 26 is in the position of FIG. 5A, the entire amount of the lubricating oil from the transmission T is returned to the heat storage tank 12 without being returned directly to the oil pan 11. When the flow path switching valve 26 is at the position shown in FIG. 5B, a part of the lubricating oil from the transmission T is directly returned to the oil pan 11 and the remaining part is returned to the heat storage tank 12. When the flow path switching valve 26 is in the position shown in FIG. 5C, the entire amount of the lubricating oil from the transmission T is directly returned to the oil pan 11 without being returned to the heat storage tank 12.

  A flow control valve 32 is pivotally supported by the lower case 15 of the strainer 14 via a support shaft 31 so as to be swingable. The flow control valve 32 is urged to the lying position shown in FIG. 3 by a torsion spring or the like (not shown), and the temperature (viscosity) of the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 11 and the heat storage tank 12 are stored. It operates automatically according to the temperature (viscosity) of the lubricating oil. When the flow control valve 32 is in the upright position (see FIG. 4), the first lubricating oil suction port 29 is opened and the second lubricating oil suction port 30 is closed, and the flow control valve 32 is in the collapsed position (see FIG. 3). The second lubricating oil suction port 30 is opened and the first lubricating oil suction port 29 is closed. The flow control valve 32 can be stopped at any position between the standing position and the lying position.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  When a predetermined time elapses after the engine E is stopped, not only the engine E but also the transmission T is cooled to a low temperature state, so that the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 11 of the transmission T is also in a low temperature state. The lubricating oil stored in 12 is heated by the heating means 13 and maintained in a high temperature state.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the flow path switching valve 26 and the flow rate control valve 32 are controlled in different manners in the region A, the region B, and the region C corresponding to the elapsed time from the start of the engine E.

  In the area A, as shown in FIG. 5A, the flow path switching valve 26 is switched so as to connect the lubricating oil discharge path 25 to the first bypass path 27, and the flow control valve 32 provided in the strainer 14 is the first. The first lubricating oil suction port 29 is in a lying position where the second lubricating oil suction port 30 is closed and the second lubricating oil suction port 30 is opened, and the high temperature lubricating oil flowing into the dirty chamber 18 from the second lubricating oil suction port 30 is the first lubricating oil suction port. It does not leak through the oil pan 11 through 29.

  In the region B, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the flow path switching valve 26 is switched so as to connect the lubricating oil discharge path 25 to both the first bypass path 27 and the oil pan 11. Since the lubricating oil flows into the dirty chamber 18 from both the first lubricating oil suction port 29 and the second lubricating oil suction port 30, the flow control valve 32 opens the first lubricating oil suction port 29 and the second lubricating oil suction port 30. Both are in the half open position.

  In region C, as shown in FIG. 5C, the flow path switching valve 26 is switched so as to connect the lubricating oil discharge passage 25 to the oil pan 11, and the second lubricating oil suction port 30 to the dirty chamber 18 is switched. The flow of the lubricating oil stops and is pushed by the lubricating oil flowing into the dirty chamber 18 from the first lubricating oil suction port 29, so that the flow control valve 32 opens the first lubricating oil suction port 29 and the second lubricating oil suction port. It becomes the standing position which closes 30.

In the region A, when the lubricating oil pump 24 is operated, the low-temperature and high-viscosity lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 11 is hardly sucked up, and the high-temperature and low-viscosity lubricating oil stored in the heat storage tank 12 is sucked up. Therefore, the high-temperature lubricating oil stored in the heat storage tank 12 flows from the second bypass passage 28 through the second lubricating oil suction port 30 into the dirty chamber 18 of the strainer 14, and passes through the element 17 from there to become foreign matter. Is removed and then supplied to the lubricated portion of the transmission T via the clean chamber 19, the lubricating oil outlet 22 and the lubricating oil supply passage 23.
As a result, the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14 (see the solid line in FIG. 6) becomes low only after the start of the engine E because the lubricating oil from the heat storage tank 12 is deprived of heat by the strainer 14. Rises rapidly and reaches a predetermined temperature (60 ° C. in the embodiment). This makes it possible to supply the strainer 14, the lubricant pump 24 and the transmission T with a high temperature and low viscosity lubricant, reducing the flow resistance when the lubricant passes through the element 17 of the strainer 14, and reducing the lubricant. Not only can the driving load of the pump 24 be reduced, but also friction of each sliding portion of the transmission T can be reduced and abnormal wear can be prevented, and warming up of the transmission T can be promoted.

  Thus, at the time of cold start, the low temperature lubricating oil of the oil pan 11 is not supplied to the strainer 14 at all, and only the high temperature lubricating oil of the heat storage tank 12 is supplied, so that the temperature of the strainer 14 is quickly raised. The heat storage tank 12 can be downsized and the cost can be reduced.

  At this time, since the lower case 15 and the upper case 16 of the strainer 14 are covered with the heat insulating materials 20 and 21 and insulated from the low-temperature lubricating oil in the oil pan 11, the heat of the high-temperature lubricating oil that has flowed into the strainer 14. Is less likely to be taken away by the low temperature lubricating oil in the oil pan 11, and the highest possible lubricating oil can be supplied to the element 17 and the transmission T.

  The lubricating oil that has been supplied to the transmission T and promotes warm-up of the transmission T is returned to the heat storage tank 12 via the flow path switching valve 26 without being returned to the oil pan 11, so that the high-temperature lubricating oil is 11 is prevented from being mixed and cooled with the low-temperature lubricating oil in the engine 11, and warming up of the transmission T can be more effectively promoted.

  As the transmission T warms up, the temperature of the lubricating oil in the oil pan 11 gradually rises and the viscosity gradually decreases, so that the lubricating oil in the oil pan 11 is also sucked up so that the flow control valve 32 is The first lubricating oil suction port 29 and the second lubricating oil suction port 30 are swung to an intermediate position where both are opened. As a result, in the region B, a part of the lubricating oil after circulating inside the transmission T is supplied to the strainer 14 via the heat storage tank 12, and the remainder of the lubricating oil is supplied to the strainer 14 via the oil pan 11. Therefore, the temperature of the lubricating oil in the oil pan 11 further rises and reaches 60 ° C., which is the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14. Meanwhile, the position of the flow path switching valve 26 is controlled so that the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14 is maintained at 60 ° C.

  When the temperature of the lubricating oil in the oil pan 11 rises to 60 ° and the viscosity becomes sufficiently low, the lubricating oil can be easily sucked up by the strainer 14, so that the flow control valve 32 swings to the standing position. . As a result, in the region C, the entire amount of the lubricating oil after circulating inside the transmission T is supplied to the strainer 14 through the oil pan 11, and the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14 is the lubricating oil in the oil pan 11. The temperature rises further from 60 ° C in a state consistent with the temperature.

  Thus, in the regions A and B, the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14 becomes higher than the lubricating oil temperature in the oil pan 11, reducing the driving load of the lubricating oil pump 24, reducing the friction of the transmission T, It is possible to prevent abnormal wear of T and promote warm-up of the transmission T.

  When the lubricating oil temperature at the outlet of the strainer 14 reaches 70 ° C. in the region C, the flow path switching valve 26 and the flow rate control valve 32 are brought into the state shown in FIG. Lubricating oil is supplied to the heat storage tank 12. Thus, the lubricating oil in the heat storage tank 12 can be heated by the heating means 13 in preparation for the next cold start.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, although the transmission T of the automobile is exemplified as the warm-up object in the embodiment, the warm-up object may be the engine E of the automobile.

  In the embodiment, the heat storage tank 12 is provided with the heating means 13 to maintain the lubricating oil temperature at a high temperature. However, the heat storage tank 12 can be vacuum insulated to maintain the lubricating oil temperature at a high temperature.

  In the embodiment, the flow control valve 32 automatically operates according to the temperature (viscosity) of the lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 11 and the temperature (viscosity) of the lubricating oil stored in the heat storage tank 12. If the flow control valve 32 is controlled by an actuator that operates automatically, the temperature of the lubricating oil can be controlled more finely.

11 Oil pan (first reservoir)
12 Heat storage tank (second reservoir)
13 Heating means 14 Strainer 17 Element 29 First lubricating oil inlet 30 Second lubricating oil inlet 32 Flow rate control valve T Transmission (warm-up object)

Claims (4)

In the lubricating oil temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the lubricating oil circulating through the warm-up object (T), a first reservoir (11) for storing the lubricating oil;
A second reservoir (12) for storing lubricating oil having a temperature higher than that of the lubricating oil stored in the first reservoir (11);
A strainer (14) for filtering the lubricating oil supplied from the first and second reservoirs (11, 12) and supplying the filtered lubricating oil to the warm-up object (T);
A flow control valve (32) for opening and closing first and second lubricating oil suction ports (29, 30) for sucking lubricating oil from the first and second reservoirs (11, 12) into the strainer (14);
A lubricating oil temperature control apparatus comprising:   The temperature control device for a lubricating oil according to claim 1, wherein the second reservoir (12) includes a heating means (13) for heating the lubricating oil.   The temperature control device for a lubricating oil according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the strainer (14) is covered with a heat insulating material (20, 21).   The said 1st, 2nd lubricating oil inlet (29, 30) is provided in the upstream from the element (17) of the said strainer (14), The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The temperature control apparatus for lubricating oil according to Item 1.

Images