JP4780086B2 - Oil level sensor mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil level sensor mounting structure including an oil level fluctuation suppressing baffle plate and an oil level sensor for detecting an oil level in an oil pan.

  In general, an oil pan provided at the bottom of the engine is provided with a baffle plate for suppressing oil level fluctuation of the oil and an oil level sensor for detecting the oil level.

  In Patent Document 1, a concave portion located above the lowermost portion is formed at the bottom of an oil pan made of aluminum die cast, and an oil level sensor is connected to the concave portion from the bottom of the oil pan using a weld bolt. A structure that secures the liquid tightness of the mounting and oil pan is disclosed.

However, if a cover plate that covers the bottom of the oil level sensor described above is not provided, the oil level sensor cannot be protected when it collides with a stepping stone or climbs onto a curbstone. It was.
In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to install an oil level sensor through a bracket inside the oil pan. In this case, since the oil level sensor is located in the oil pan, there is an advantage that the cover plate as described above is not required separately, but a bracket for fixing the oil level sensor is required, which increases the number of parts. There was a problem.
JP 2007-71171 A

  In view of this, the present invention comprises an oil pan having an upper part and a lower part, and the baffle plate is fixed to the upper part, and the oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate. The baffle plate and oil level sensor can be fixed inside the oil pan without providing a fixing bracket, and the baffle plate and oil level sensor are fixed to the upper part. An object of the present invention is to provide an oil level sensor mounting structure capable of reducing damage when receiving and deforming and reducing the number of parts.

  An oil level sensor mounting structure according to the present invention includes an oil level sensor mounting structure including a baffle plate for suppressing oil level fluctuation in an oil pan and an oil level sensor for detecting the oil level. Is composed of an upper portion and a lower portion, and the baffle plate is fixed to the upper portion and an oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate.

According to the above configuration, the oil pan is composed of the upper portion and the lower portion, the baffle plate is fixed to the upper portion, and the oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate. There is no need to provide a bracket for fixing the sensor, and the baffle plate and the oil level sensor can be fixed inside the oil pan.
Also, since the baffle plate and oil level sensor are fixed to the upper part, the lower part of the oil pan is designed to reduce damage when it is deformed by impact from the outside due to collision with a stepping stone, climbing on a curbstone, etc. And the number of parts can be reduced.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a bent portion that protrudes toward the bottom of the oil pan is formed at a substantially central portion of the baffle plate, and the oil level sensor is fixed to the bent portion.

The above configuration has the following effects.
That is, when the vehicle leans in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction due to turning or other behavior, the oil level in the oil pan also fluctuates, but the oil level sensor is fixed to the bent portion at the approximate center of the baffle plate. Therefore, the influence of oil level fluctuation can be suppressed when detecting the oil level.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the oil pan is composed of an aluminum upper portion and a steel plate lower portion.

  According to the above configuration, since the lower part is made of an iron plate, cracking or breakage is suppressed to the extent that deformation occurs even when the lower part receives an impact from the outside. Oil leakage can be prevented.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the baffle plate extends from one end side to the other end side of the oil pan.
According to the above configuration, the oil pan reinforcement function can also be used by the extended structure of the baffle plate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an oil pump disposition portion is formed on one side of the upper portion of the oil pan, and a weir portion that partitions between the oil pump disposition portion and the oil storage portion of the oil pan is provided. These are integrally formed with the upper part of the oil pan.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the oil agitated by the oil pump (oil mixed with air) from entering the oil pan at the weir portion, and achieve an increase in the size of the oil pump. it can.

  According to the present invention, the oil pan is composed of the upper portion and the lower portion, the baffle plate is fixed to the upper portion, and the oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate, so that the baffle plate and the oil level sensor are fixed. The baffle plate and oil level sensor can be fixed inside the oil pan without the need for a bracket, and the baffle plate and oil level sensor are fixed to the upper part. It is possible to reduce the damage when receiving and deforming, and to reduce the number of parts.

  The baffle plate and oil level sensor can be fixed inside the oil pan without providing the baffle plate and oil level sensor fixing bracket, and the damage when the oil pan's lower part is deformed by an external impact is reduced. The oil pan is provided with a baffle plate for suppressing oil level fluctuation and an oil level sensor for detecting the oil level in the oil pan. The oil pan includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The baffle plate is configured to be fixed to the upper portion and the oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows the mounting structure of the oil level sensor. First, the engine and the arrangement structure thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. In this embodiment, a rotary engine is used as the engine.

1 is a side view of a rotary engine, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotary engine 1 includes a front side housing 2 and a rotor (not shown). A rotor housing 3 (specifically a front rotor housing), an intermediate side housing 4, a rotor housing 5 (specifically a rear rotor housing) including a rotor (not shown), and a rear side housing 6. These housings 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are integrally fastened and fixed using a plurality of tension bolts 7.
In this case, the tension bolt 7 described above is fastened to the front side housing 2 from the rear side, and the housings 2 to 6 are integrally fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the above-described rotary engine 1 is disposed in the engine room so that its cylinders (see the rotor housings 3 and 5) are arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the rotary engine 1 having a two-rotor structure is illustrated, but this may be a rotary engine having a three-rotor structure or a multi-cylinder rotary engine.

An exhaust manifold 9 is connected to the lower portion of one side of the above-described rotary engine 1 (right side of the vehicle in this embodiment) via a flange portion 8, and the upper portion of the exhaust manifold 9 is covered with an upper heat shield cover 10. The lower part of the exhaust manifold 9 is covered with a lower heat shield cover 11. A secondary air pipe 12 is integrally formed with the flange portion 8 described above.
An intake manifold 14 is connected via a flange portion 13 to one side of the rotary engine 1 described above, that is, the same side as the side to which the exhaust manifold 9 is connected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, an eccentric shaft pulley 16 connected to an eccentric shaft is provided on the front side of the front cover 15 provided on the front surface of the front side housing 2, and the eccentric shaft pulley 16 and a water pump are provided. A power transmission belt 19 is stretched between the pulley 17 for the generator and the pulley 18 for the alternator.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the flywheel 20 is connected with the rear-end part (rear side end part) of the above-mentioned eccentric shaft.

  Further, an oil pan 21 is attached to the bottom of the rotary engine 1 as shown in FIGS. The oil pan 21 is composed of an aluminum die-cast upper block 22 as an upper portion and an iron plate lower portion 23.

  When the bottom part of the oil pan is made of aluminum or aluminum die cast, there is a problem that it cracks and cracks when it is impacted by external force due to low toughness, but like this example, Since the lower portion 23 is made of an iron plate, cracking or breakage is suppressed to the extent that the lower portion 23 is deformed even if it receives an impact from the outside due to a stepping stone or the like. Oil leakage can be prevented.

  As shown in FIGS. 4-9, the upper block 22 which comprises the above-mentioned oil pan 21 has side wall part 22a surrounding the four periphery, and flange part 22b integrally formed toward outward from the side wall part 22a. The flange portion 22 b is attached to the bottom portion of the rotary engine 1 using a plurality of weld bolts 24.

  8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. The lower portion 23 is integrally formed with a mounting portion 22c of the lower portion 23, and the lower portion 23 of the oil pan 21 is attached to the mounting portion 22c of the upper block 22 using a plurality of weld bolts 25.

Next, an oil level sensor mounting structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, baffle plate mounting seats 26 and 27 having different heights on the right side and the left side of the vehicle are integrally formed in the vicinity of the side wall portion 22 a of the upper block 22. In this embodiment, the height of the baffle plate mounting seat 26 on the right side of the vehicle is set higher than the height of the baffle plate mounting seat 27 on the left side of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9, a baffle plate 29 made of iron plate is attached to each of the baffle plate mounting seats 26 and 27 using a plurality of bolts 28. The baffle plate 29 is for suppressing oil level fluctuation in the oil pan 21.

  The baffle plate 29 described above includes a right piece 29a (one piece) attached to the attachment seat 26 having a high height, a left piece 29b (other piece) attached to the attachment seat 27 having a low height, and a baffle plate. 29, and has a concave bent portion 29c protruding toward the bottom side of the oil pan 21. As shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9, the baffle plate 29 has an oil pan as shown in FIG. 21 extends in the vehicle width direction from the right end side as one end side to the left end side as the other end side. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the right piece portion 29 a described above extends in the vehicle front-rear direction from the front end side to the rear end side of the upper block 22.

  The oil level sensor 30 is fixed to the baffle plate 29 described above. The oil level sensor 30 is configured by using a bolt 31 and a nut 32 as shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9. The bent portion 29c of the oil pan 21 is fixed. The oil level sensor 30 is for detecting the oil level in the oil pan 21.

  Here, a connector 33 for taking out the output of the oil level sensor 30 is attached to the center part in the front-rear direction of the side wall 22a on the left side of the vehicle in the upper block 22, as shown in FIG. Further, a harness 34 for connecting the oil level sensor 30 and the connector 33 is provided, and the elements of the baffle plate 29, the oil level sensor 30, the connector 33, and the harness 34 are upper blocks in consideration of the assembly of the lower portion 23. 22 is assembled.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper block 22 as the upper portion of the oil pan 21 is integrally formed with an extending portion 35 that extends outward from one side of the oil pan 21 (right side of the vehicle in this embodiment). The oil pan capacity is secured and expanded.
The lower portion 23 of the oil pan 21 is also integrally formed with an extending portion 36 that extends outward from one side of the oil pan 21 corresponding to the above-described extending portion 35.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, a concave oil pump disposing portion 37 is formed on the front side as one side of the upper block 22, and the oil pump disposing portion 37 and the oil pan 21 are formed. A dam portion 38 is formed integrally with the upper block 22 so as to divide it between the oil reservoir and the oil reservoir. The oil mixed with the air stirred by the oil pump enters the oil reservoir of the oil pan 21. This is prevented by the weir portion 38 and the oil pump arrangement portion 37 having a concave shape is configured to achieve an increase in the size of the oil pump employed.

In the perspective view of the oil pan 21 shown in FIG. 5, the resin baffle and the strainer are not attached. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the resin baffle and the strainer are attached to the oil pan 21. Is.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper block 22 of the oil pan 21 is provided with two screw holes 41 and 42 for attaching the resin baffle, and the baffle plate 29 has one screw 43 for attaching the resin baffle. Is provided. And as shown in FIG. 6, the resin baffle 47 is attached using the bolts 44 and 45 fastened to the above-mentioned screw holes 41 and 42, and the nut 46 fastened to the screw 43. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the resin baffle 47 is a baffle plate made of a synthetic resin having a protruding portion 49 located in a dead space 48 (see FIG. 4) below the rotary engine 1. .
The above-mentioned resin baffle 47 is for reducing dead volume and preventing oil from shifting. More specifically, the baffle plate prevents the oil from being displaced as much as possible when turning the vehicle, prevents the oil from being supplied to the strainer described later, and prevents the strainer from sucking air.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a strainer 50 is disposed in the oil pan 21 described above. As shown in the drawing, the suction portion 50a at the lower end of the strainer 50 is located in the vicinity of the oil level sensor 30, that is, substantially at the center of the oil pan 21, and an oil pump is connected to the upper end portion of the strainer 50. .
By arranging both the oil level sensor 30 and the suction part 50a of the strainer 50 at the substantially central part of the oil pan 21, the influence of the oil deviation due to turning, back-and-forth movement, and left-right movement of the vehicle is minimized. It is comprised so that it may become.
In the figure, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, and arrow R indicates the rear of the vehicle.

  As described above, the oil level sensor mounting structure according to the above-described embodiment includes an oil level sensor provided with the baffle plate 29 for suppressing oil level fluctuation in the oil pan 21 and the oil level sensor 30 for detecting the oil level. The oil pan 21 is composed of an upper part (see the upper block 22) and a lower part 23, and the baffle plate 29 is fixed to the upper part (see the upper block 22), An oil level sensor 30 is fixed to the baffle plate 29 (see FIG. 8).

  According to this configuration, the oil pan 21 includes the upper portion (see the upper block 22) and the lower portion 23, the baffle plate 29 is fixed to the upper portion (see the upper block 22), and the baffle plate 29 Since the oil level sensor 30 is fixed, it is not necessary to provide a bracket for fixing the baffle plate 29 and the oil level sensor 30, and the baffle plate 29 and the oil level sensor 30 can be fixed inside the oil pan 21.

Further, since the baffle plate 29 and the oil level sensor 30 are fixed to the upper portion (see the upper block 22), the lower portion 23 of the oil pan 21 receives an impact from the outside due to collision with a stepping stone, riding on the curbstone, or the like. Damage can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced as the bracket is not required.
In other words, the baffle plate 29 for suppressing the oil level fluctuation can be used also as an attachment member for the oil level sensor 30, so that the conventional bracket is not required and the number of parts can be reduced. It is.

  Further, a bent portion 29c that protrudes toward the bottom of the oil pan 21 is formed at a substantially central portion of the baffle plate 29, and the oil level sensor 30 is fixed to the bent portion 29c (FIG. 8). reference).

This configuration has the following effects.
That is, when the vehicle leans in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction due to turning or other behavior, the oil level in the oil pan 21 also fluctuates, but the oil level sensor 30 is located at the substantially central portion of the baffle plate 29 and the bent portion. Since it is fixed to 29c, the influence of oil level fluctuation can be suppressed when detecting the oil level.

  Moreover, the oil pan 21 is composed of an aluminum upper portion (see the upper block 22) and a steel plate lower portion 23. The upper portion (see the upper block 22) includes An extending portion 35 extending outward from one side is formed (see FIGS. 5 and 8).

According to this configuration, since the lower portion 23 is made of an iron plate, cracking or breakage is suppressed to the extent that the lower portion 23 is deformed even when subjected to an impact from the outside. Oil leakage in 21 can be prevented.
In addition, the oil pan capacity can be secured and expanded by the extending portion 35 of the aluminum upper portion (see the upper block 22).

The baffle plate 29 is extended from one end side to the other end side of the oil pan 21 (see FIG. 5).
According to this configuration, the extended structure of the baffle plate 29 can also serve as a reinforcing function for the oil pan 21.

Further, an oil pump disposing portion 37 is formed on one side of the upper portion of the oil pan 21 (see the upper block 22), and partitions between the oil pump disposing portion 37 and the oil reservoir portion of the oil pan 21. The weir part 38 is formed integrally with the upper part (see the upper block 22) of the oil pan 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 9).
According to this configuration, the oil agitated by the oil pump (oil mixed with air) can be prevented from entering the oil pan 21 from the oil pump disposition portion 37 by the dam portion 38, and the oil Larger pumps can be achieved.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The upper part of the oil pan of the present invention corresponds to the upper block 22 of the embodiment,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the oil level sensor mounting structure is applied to the oil pan provided at the bottom of the rotary engine. However, this may be applied to the oil pan provided at the bottom of the reciprocating engine.

Side view of a rotary engine equipped with an oil level sensor mounting structure of the present invention Front view of FIG. Bottom view of FIG. Longitudinal section showing the oil pan mounting structure for the engine Perspective view showing oil level sensor mounting structure Perspective view showing the resin baffle attached Perspective view showing the strainer attached AA sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. BB cross-sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

21 ... Oil pan 22 ... Upper block (upper part)
23 ... Lower part 29 ... Baffle plate 29c ... Bending part 30 ... Oil level sensor 35 ... Extension part 37 ... Oil pump arrangement part 38 ... Weir part

Claims (5)

An oil level sensor mounting structure comprising a baffle plate for suppressing oil level fluctuation in an oil pan and an oil level sensor for detecting the oil level,
The oil pan is composed of an upper part and a lower part,
An oil level sensor mounting structure in which the baffle plate is fixed to the upper portion and the oil level sensor is fixed to the baffle plate. A bent portion that protrudes toward the bottom of the oil pan is formed at the substantially central portion of the baffle plate.
2. The oil level sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the oil level sensor is fixed to the bent portion. 2. The oil level sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the oil pan is composed of an aluminum upper portion and an iron plate lower portion. The oil level sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the baffle plate extends from one end side to the other end side of the oil pan. An oil pump arrangement part is formed on one side of the upper part of the oil pan,
2. The oil level sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a weir portion for partitioning between the oil pump arrangement portion and the oil reservoir portion of the oil pan is formed integrally with the upper portion of the oil pan.

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