JP2013124588A - Oil separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oil separator which can efficiently separate an oil component from blow-by gas, while reducing loss of engine driving force.SOLUTION: Outside an engine block 2, a rotating member 20 is provided which is driven and rotated by a chain member 10 wound on a crankshaft and a camshaft. The rotating member 20 includes: a passive part 23 receiving driving force from the chain member 10; a gas receiving part 26 arranged, facing a blow-by gas outlet 11 provided on a wall 2a of the engine block 2; and a rotating part 24 centrifuging the oil component from the blow-by gas taken in from the gas receiving part 26.

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil separation device that separates blow-by gas and oil in an engine (internal combustion engine) such as an automobile.

  The blow-by gas that leaks into the crankcase from the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine such as an engine usually contains an oil component. For this reason, for example, when the blow-by gas is returned to the intake system, the oil component is separated by an oil separation device or the like. The oil separated from the blowby gas is returned to the combustion chamber again. Such oil separators have existed for a long time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotating shaft provided in a crankcase and rotated by an internal combustion engine, a blower fan provided on the rotating shaft and rotating integrally with the rotating shaft, and an exhaust port formed in the crankroom. An oil separation device is shown that includes an oil mist collision wall that causes blow-by gas fed by a blower fan to collide to adhere oil mist. In the oil separator of Patent Document 1, blow-by gas in the crankroom is forcibly sent toward the exhaust port by the blower fan, and the blow-by gas collides with an oil mist collision wall around the exhaust port by centrifugal force. The oil component is separated from the blow-by gas.

JP 2009-121341 A

  In the oil separation device of Patent Document 1, a blower fan used for causing blow-by gas to collide with an oil mist collision wall is configured by attaching blades around the axis of a crankshaft. That is, since the blower fan directly uses the driving force of the engine, the driving efficiency of the engine is reduced. Since the inflow portion of the blow-by gas is formed on the disk surface constituted by the blades of the blower fan, when the blower fan rotates at high speed, the blow-by gas is difficult to flow into the chamber having the oil mist collision wall. As a result, there is a possibility that the suction resistance of blow-by gas may increase, and when the engine speed increases and the amount of blow-by gas increases, the oil component may be insufficiently separated from the blow-by gas.

  In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator that can efficiently separate an oil component from blow-by gas while reducing a loss of engine driving force.

  According to a first characteristic configuration of the oil separation device of the present invention, a rotating member that is driven and rotated by a chain member wound around a crankshaft and a camshaft is provided outside the engine block, and the rotating member is the chain member. A passive part that receives the driving force from the engine, a gas receiving part that is disposed opposite to a blow-by gas discharge port provided on the wall of the engine block, and a rotation that centrifuges the oil component from the blow-by gas taken from the gas receiving part And a point.

  With this configuration, the rotating member is driven to rotate by the chain member wound around the crankshaft and the camshaft. At this time, the driving force is transmitted from the moving chain member to the passive portion of the rotating member, and the rotating member rotates. In addition to the passive part, the rotating member includes a gas receiving part disposed opposite to the blow-by gas discharge port provided in the wall part of the engine block, and a rotation for centrifuging the oil component from the blow-by gas taken from the gas receiving part. The oil component is separated from the blow-by gas by rotating the rotating member and generating centrifugal force by the rotation of the rotating member.

  Thus, the rotation of the crankshaft is not directly transmitted as the driving force of the rotating member, but the rotating member is driven by the chain member wound around the crankshaft and the camshaft, so that the driving force of the engine is reduced. Is suppressed and the engine efficiency is improved. In addition, since the oil component is separated from the blowby gas by the rotating unit using centrifugal force, the oil component can be efficiently separated from the blowby gas.

  The second characteristic configuration of the oil separator according to the present invention is that power is transmitted from the chain member to the passive part by aerodynamic force based on the movement of the chain member.

  In order for the passive part of the rotating member to receive the movement of the chain member as a driving force, for example, it is conceivable to provide a contact part with the chain member in the passive part. In this way, the movement of the chain member is transmitted to the contact portion, and the driving force is reliably transmitted to the passive portion of the rotating member. Here, when power transmission from the chain member to the passive portion is performed by aerodynamics based on the movement of the chain member as in this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the rotating member with a contact portion with the chain member, and the structure of the rotating member Becomes simple. Examples of the aerodynamic force that is the driving force of the passive portion of the rotating member include wind force and magnetic force.

  A third characteristic configuration of the oil separator according to the present invention is that the rotating member is supported by a cover that covers the chain member.

  When the rotating member is supported by the cover that covers the chain member as in this configuration, it is not necessary to change the structure on the inner side of the crankcase, and the rotating member can be easily supported. Further, when the rotating member is axially supported, since the cover side covering the chain member is the outer side of the rotating member, it is easy to form a supporting structure for the rotating member.

  A fourth characteristic configuration of the oil separator according to the present invention is that a receiving portion is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotating portion for receiving the centrifuged oil component.

  The blow-by gas taken in from the gas receiving part is sent out toward the outer peripheral side of the rotating part by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotating part of the rotating member, and the oil component is scattered outward. In such a case, if a receiving portion that receives the centrifugally separated oil component is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotating portion as in this configuration, the oil component is applied to the receiving portion, and scattering of the oil component to the outside is prevented. The In addition, the oil component applied to the receiving portion is easily subjected to its own weight, and the oil component can be easily recovered.

  A fifth characteristic configuration of the oil separator according to the present invention is that the passive portion and the rotating portion are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the rotating member.

  If the passive part and the rotating part are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the rotating member as in this configuration, the chain member that applies driving force to the passive part and the blow-by discharged from the outer peripheral side of the rotating part It becomes difficult to interfere with the gas flow. As a result, the transmission of the driving force from the chain member to the passive part and the separation of the oil component from the blow-by gas by the rotating part can be performed independently in the axial direction of the rotating member, and the oil component separation process is ensured. Improves.

  A sixth characteristic configuration of the oil separator according to the present invention is that the passive portion and the rotating portion are arranged at a position in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating member.

  When the passive part and the rotating part are arranged in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating member as in this configuration, the passive part and the rotating part are shared at the same position in the axial direction of the rotating member. As a result, the axial dimension of the rotating member is shortened. As a result, the oil separation device can be configured compactly.

Cross section of the engine Front sectional view of the engine Cross section of oil separator IV-IV arrow sectional view of FIG. Exploded perspective view of oil separator Cross-sectional view of the oil separator according to the second embodiment

  Hereinafter, an oil separator 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine E includes a cylinder head 1 and a cylinder block 2 of an engine block, a crankcase 3, an engine cover 4, a crankshaft 5, and the like. The cylinder head 1 is provided with a combustion chamber, a fuel supply device, an intake / exhaust passage, an ignition mechanism, a valve mechanism, and the like. The cylinder block 2 is provided with a piston 6, a piston pin (not shown), a connecting rod 7, and a crankshaft 5.

  Engine E operates as follows. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber (or intake passage) by the fuel supply device, and air is supplied to the intake passage. Fuel and air are mixed in the combustion chamber (or intake passage) to become an air-fuel mixture. The ignition mechanism ignites the mixture near the top dead center of the piston 6, and the burned gas pushes down the piston 6. The force by which the piston 6 is pushed down by the connecting rod 7 and the crankshaft 5 is converted into a rotational force.

  An oil pump (not shown) is driven by the crankshaft 5. The oil pan 30 is disposed at a lower portion in the one end direction of the engine E. An oil passage is provided between the oil pan 30 and the oil pump via an oil strainer. The oil pump sucks oil from the oil pan 30 through the strainer and the oil passage by the rotational force of the engine E, and pumps it to the lubrication site.

  The oil sent to the lubrication part reaches the lubrication part and forms an oil film, and then returns to the oil pan 30 from a passage provided in the cylinder head 1, the cylinder block 2, or the like. Further, when the engine E is stopped, the oil returns to the oil pan 30 from the gaps between the respective parts.

  A sprocket 5 a is fastened to the crankshaft 5 at an end protruding from the front portion of the cylinder block 2. The cylinder head 1 is provided with cam shafts 8 and 9 parallel to the crankshaft 5, and cam sprockets 8 a and 9 a are attached to the cam shafts 8 and 9, respectively. A chain member 10 is wound around the sprocket 5a and the cam sprockets 8a and 9a. Thereby, the rotational force of the crankshaft 5 is transmitted to the camshafts 8 and 9 via the chain member 10.

  A blow-by gas discharge port 11 is formed at the front end of the cylinder block 2 at a position between the camshafts 8 and 9 and the crankshaft 5 in the vertical direction. An oil separation device 100 including a rotating member 20 is provided at a position facing the discharge port 11. The rotating member 20 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the chain member 10. A cover 40 is attached to the engine cover 4 on the front side of the rotating member 20. As a result, the chain member 10, the sprockets 5 a, 8 a, 9 a, and the rotating member 20 are placed in the chain space where the engine cover 4 and the cover member 40 are provided between the cylinder head 1, the cylinder block 2, and the crankcase 3. It is arranged in an oiltight state.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the rotating member 20 includes a shaft portion 22 parallel to the crankshaft 5, a passive portion 23, and a rotating portion 24. The passive portion 23 includes a cylindrical portion 23 a that is fitted on the shaft portion 22, and a blade body 23 b that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 23 a and receives driving force from the chain member 10. The passive portion 23 is disposed at a position overlapping the chain member 10 in a side view. The blade body 23b is configured such that a plate-like member that is bent as a whole is arranged at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 23a.

  The rotating portion 24 is provided at an end portion of the shaft portion 22 on the side opposite to the cylinder block 2, and is configured by a plate-like member that is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 22 at equal intervals. A plurality of hole portions 22 a communicating with the gas passage 27 are formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 22 positioned in the radial direction of the rotating portion 24. A disc-shaped guide member 21 is fixed to an end portion of the shaft portion 22 on the cover 40 side. The guide member 21 guides the gas released from the hole 22a to the shaft portion 22 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

  The rotating member 20 is supported by a cover 40 that covers the chain member 10. A partition board 25 is disposed between the passive unit 23 and the rotating unit 24. The partition plate 25 is provided with a through hole 25a for the shaft portion 22, a bearing portion 25b of the shaft portion 22, and an oil circulation hole 25d. The rotating member 20 is supported by the cover 40 via the partition plate 25, and the fixing portion 40 a of the cover 40 and the fixing portion 25 c around the partition plate 25 are bolted to the engine cover 4.

  A blow-by gas discharge port 11 is formed in the wall portion 2 a of the cylinder block 2, and a gas receiving portion 26 is formed at the end of the shaft portion 22 so as to face the discharge port 11. The gas receiving portion 26 is continuous with the gas passage 27 extending in the axial direction of the shaft portion 22, and is formed so as to expand in a tapered shape toward the discharge port 11.

  The cover 40 includes a columnar protruding portion 41 protruding to the front side of the engine cover 4, and an exhaust cylinder 43 connected to the intake pipe 50 is provided on the front surface of the protruding portion 41. The receiving portion corresponds to a peripheral surface portion 41 a surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating portion 24 in the protruding portion 41 of the cover 40. A recess 41b for oil circulation is formed on the lowermost surface of the peripheral surface portion 41a.

[Separation of oil components]
As the crankshaft 5 rotates, the chain member 10 moves between the crankshaft 5 and the camshafts 8 and 9. At this time, traveling wind is generated around the chain member 10 due to the movement of the chain member 10, and the passive portion 23 of the rotating member 20 receives the traveling wind so that the passive portion 23 is around the axis of the shaft portion 22. And the rotating part 24 coaxial with the passive part 23 also rotates. Usually, since the traveling wind generated by the movement of the chain member 10 is rarely used, the driving force for rotating the rotating member 20 can be obtained without generating new work in the engine E.

  Thus, when the rotating member 20 rotates around the axis of the shaft part 22, blow-by gas flows from the gas receiving part 26 provided along the axis direction of the shaft part 22. The blow-by gas flows into the gas receiving portion 26 due to the differential pressure between the crankcase 3 and the intake pipe 50. The blow-by gas that has flowed in from the gas receiving portion 26 is discharged from the gas passage 27 of the shaft portion 22 through the hole 22a formed in the shaft portion 22 near the rotating portion 24, and in the radial direction due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotating portion 24. Sent out. Here, the heavy oil component contained in the blow-by gas is separated into the central portion, and the light gas is separated mainly into the outer peripheral portion of the rotating portion 24. The oil component moves downward due to its own weight, passes through the oil circulation hole of the partition plate 25 from the oil circulation recess 41b, and is returned to the oil pan 30. The gas is sucked into the intake pipe 50 through the passage 43 a of the exhaust cylinder 43.

  Due to the rotation of the rotating part 24 of the rotating member 20, the oil component of the blow-by gas may be scattered to the side or the upper side of the rotating member 20 other than the lower side. In such a case, if a receiving portion (the peripheral surface portion 41a of the cover 40 in the present embodiment) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotating portion 24, the oil component is applied to the receiving portion 41a, and the outer side of the oil component Scattering is prevented. In addition, since the oil component applied to the receiving portion 41a has its own weight, the oil component can be efficiently recovered without being scattered around.

  In the present embodiment, wind power generated when the chain member 10 is moved is used, and the passive member 23 of the rotating member 20 receives the wind force as a driving force to rotate the rotating member 20. When power transmission from the chain member 10 to the passive portion 23 is performed by aerodynamics based on the movement of the chain member 10 as in this configuration, a contact portion with the chain member 10 is provided in the passive portion 23 of the rotating member 20. This is unnecessary, and the structure of the rotating member 20 can be simplified.

[Second Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a columnar rotating portion 24 is provided on the outer periphery of the intermediate position in the axial direction of the shaft portion 22, and the disk member 28 is provided on the cylinder block 2 side of the rotating portion 24. Is installed. The disk member 28 is provided with the blade body 23b of the passive portion 23 on the outer peripheral side of the rotating portion 24. Thus, the passive portion 23 and the rotating portion 24 of the rotating member 20 are perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating member 20. It is arranged at a position in the same plane. When the passive portion 23 and the rotating portion 24 are arranged at a position in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating member 20, the axial dimension of the rotating member 20 is shortened. As a result, the oil separator 100 can be configured in a compact manner.

  In the shaft portion 22 of the rotating member 20, a gas receiving portion 26 is formed in a portion of the wall portion 2 a of the cylinder block 2 facing the blow-by gas discharge port 11, and the gas receiving portion 26 extends in the axial direction of the shaft portion 22. A gas passage 27 is formed. The gas passage 27 is formed up to the rotating portion 24, and a plurality of centrifugal passages 29 are formed from the gas passage 27 in the radial direction of the rotating portion 24. The centrifugal passage 29 is formed to be inclined in the direction of the cover 40 and communicates to the outside of the rotating portion 24. In addition, the shaft portion 22 is formed with an opening 22 b and a passage 22 c communicating with the passage 43 a of the exhaust tube 43 of the cover 40 from the opening 22 b at the position of the end of the rotating portion 24.

  A partition plate 25 is disposed between the cover 40 and the engine cover 4. The partition plate 25 is provided with a bearing portion 25b of the shaft portion 22, a fixed portion 25c, a cylindrical portion 25f concentrically surrounding the rotating portion 24, and a guide passage 25e formed under the oil. The cylindrical part 25f is provided to face the outlet of the centrifugal passage 29 of the rotating part 24. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 25f corresponds to a receiving portion that receives the centrifuged oil component. Further, the partition plate 25 is provided with a recess 25g for oil circulation and a guide passage 25e extending continuously downward from the recess 25g on the lowermost inner surface of the cylindrical portion 25f.

[Separation of oil components]
The blow-by gas that has flowed in from the gas receiving portion 26 moves in the gas passage 27 of the shaft portion 22, and centrifugal force acts on the blow-by gas by the rotation of the rotating portion 24, so that the blow-by gas is a centrifugal passage 29 formed in the rotating portion 24. It is discharged outward from. Here, the heavy oil component is separated into the central portion, and the light mass gas is mainly separated into the outer peripheral portion of the rotating portion 24. The oil component moves downward by its own weight, and the gas is sucked into the intake pipe 50. The blow-by gas discharged from the centrifugal passage 29 is received by the opening 22b of the shaft portion 22, and is sent from the passage 22c of the shaft portion 22 to the intake pipe 50 through the passage 43a of the exhaust pipe 43. The oil component moves downward by its own weight and is returned to the oil pan 30 through the oil passage recess 25g through the guide passage 25e.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, the cover 40 is provided so as to protrude from the engine cover 4 to the front surface. However, the cover 40 is provided flush with the engine cover 4 and the inner side of the engine cover 4 is provided. You may comprise so that a protrusion part may be arrange | positioned.

(2) You may provide the contact part which contacts the chain member 10 in the blade | wing body 23b of the passive part 23. FIG. This ensures that the chain member 10 and the passive portion 23 come into contact with each other, and the driving force received by the passive portion 23 from the chain member 10 increases. Thereby, the rotation member 20 will rotate stably and oil separation capability can be improved.

(3) In the first embodiment, the example in which the passive portion 23 is disposed on the cylinder block 2 side and the rotating portion 24 is disposed on the opposite side of the cylinder block 2 has been described. The rotating part 24 may be arranged on the side of the cylinder block 2 on the side opposite to 2.

(4) The columnar rotating part 24 shown in the second embodiment may be used as the rotating part 24 of the oil separating apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, or the rotating part 24 of the oil separating apparatus 100 of the second embodiment. Alternatively, the rotating unit 24 in which a plate-like member is arranged on the outer periphery of the shaft unit 22 shown in the first embodiment may be used.

(5) In the second embodiment described above, a receiving portion for the flow of blow-by gas introduced from the gas receiving port 26 may be provided in the rotating portion 24, and this gas flow may be used as the driving force for the rotating portion 24. Good.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the blade body 23b configured by a plate-like member bent as a whole is used as the passive portion 23. However, the blade body 23b of the passive portion 23 receives wind power generated by the movement of the chain member 10. Various shapes such as a spiral shape and a water wheel shape can be used. In the above-described embodiment, the rotating member 20 has an example in which the shaft portion 22 and the rotating portion 24 are integrally formed. However, all of the shaft portion 22, the passive portion 23, and the rotating portion 24 are integrally formed. It may be formed.

  The oil separator according to the present invention can be widely used for internal combustion engines of various vehicles.

1 Cylinder head (engine block)
2 Cylinder block (engine block)
2a Wall portion 5 Crankshaft 6 Camshaft 10 Chain member 11 Blow-by gas discharge port 20 Rotating member 22 Shaft portion 23 Passive portion 23a Tube portion 23b Blade body 24 Rotating portion 25 Partition plate 25e Rib portion (receiving portion)
26 Gas receiving part 27 Gas passage 40 Cover 41 Protruding part 41a Peripheral surface part (receiving part)

Claims (6)

A rotation member driven and rotated by a chain member wound around the crankshaft and the camshaft is provided outside the engine block.
The rotating member is
A passive part for receiving a driving force from the chain member;
A gas receiving portion disposed opposite to a blow-by gas discharge port provided in a wall portion of the engine block;
An oil separation device comprising: a rotation unit that centrifuges an oil component from blow-by gas taken from the gas receiving unit.   The oil separator according to claim 1, wherein power transmission from the chain member to the passive portion is performed by aerodynamics based on movement of the chain member.   The oil separation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating member is supported by a cover that covers the chain member.   The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a receiving portion that receives the centrifugally separated oil component on the outer peripheral side of the rotating portion.   The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the passive portion and the rotating portion are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the rotating member.   The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the passive portion and the rotating portion are arranged at a position in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating member.

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