JP5261353B2 - Oil pan - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an oil level of a shallow bottom portion while reducing film vibration of the shallow bottom portion in an oil pan having the shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of belt-shaped recessed curve surfaces 111, 112, 113 extending in the front-back direction (oil flowing direction) are provided on a bottom surface 110 of a shallow bottom portion 11 of an oil pan 1. The adjacent recessed curve surfaces are partitioned by ridge lines 114, 115 where the adjacent recessed curve surfaces intersect with each other. By providing the plurality of recessed curve surfaces on the shallow bottom portion 11, the stiffness of the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be enhanced and the film vibration can be suppressed. Further, since a portion other than the ridge lines of the shallow bottom portion 11 can serve as an oil passage, an area for the oil passage can be sufficiently ensured. Thus, the oil level of the shallow bottom portion can be reduced while reducing the film vibration of the shallow bottom portion in the oil pan having the shallow bottom portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil pan for storing engine oil of an engine (internal combustion engine) mounted on a vehicle or the like.

  Engine oil (hereinafter also referred to as oil) is used for lubrication and cooling of engines mounted on vehicles and the like. The oil is stored in an oil pan provided at the lower part of the engine, and is circulated to each part of the engine (for example, a crankshaft, a cylinder bore, a piston pin, and a valve system) by an oil pump. The oil circulated through each part of the engine falls (drops) into the oil pan below and is stored. The oil stored in the oil pan is circulated again to each part of the engine by the oil pump. During this circulation, the oil forms an oil film at each part of the engine to promote lubrication between the parts, and receives heat from each part of the engine to cool each part.

  The oil pan disposed in the lower part of the engine has a shallow bottom portion for receiving oil and a deep bottom portion for storing oil received at the shallow bottom portion, and an oil strainer inlet is disposed at the deep bottom portion. There is. In such an oil pan, for example, a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion are disposed along the front-rear direction of the engine (the axial direction of the crankshaft), and the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion and the bottom surface of the deep bottom portion form a step portion or the like. Connected through. In the oil pan having such a structure, the oil that has dropped from the engine cylinder block, the timing chain cover, or the like to the shallow bottom portion or the like is returned from the shallow bottom portion to the deep bottom portion and stored. In addition, in the oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, the height of the shallow bottom portion is preferably lower in view of vehicle parts and the like disposed on the lower side of the engine.

  Since such an engine oil pan is disposed below the cylinder block, vibrations of the engine are transmitted to the bottom surface of the oil pan to generate membrane vibration, and noise may be generated by the membrane vibration. Particularly, in an oil pan having a shallow bottom part and a deep bottom part, membrane rigidity is likely to occur since the rigidity of the shallow bottom part is weak and susceptible to engine vibration. In consideration of such points, ribs (rectifying plates) are provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan to increase the rigidity of the shallow bottom portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, as a technology related to the vibration of the shallow bottom of the oil pan, by providing vibration absorbing beads consisting of a protruding portion and a drawing portion with respect to the bottom reference surface on both sides of the bottom of the shallow bottom, the vibration is attenuated and noise is generated. There is a technique to reduce (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 3,405,094 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-63746

  By the way, even if a rib is provided on the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a planar shape remains in a portion other than the rib forming portion, and membrane vibration is locally generated. A sufficient noise reduction effect cannot be obtained. Here, in order to secure the rigidity of the shallow bottom of the oil pan and suppress membrane vibration, it is effective to raise the ribs. In this case, the parts inside the engine and the ribs are close (interference). Therefore, a sufficient rib height cannot be ensured.

  In addition, to secure the rigidity of the shallow bottom of the oil pan, a method of increasing the number of ribs provided in the shallow bottom of the oil pan can be considered, but if the number of ribs is increased, the oil passage width (passage area) of the shallow bottom As a result, the oil level of the oil flowing in the shallow bottom becomes higher. When the oil level in the shallow bottom portion is increased, the oil return property to the deep bottom portion is lowered due to the influence of an air flow generated by rotation of the crankshaft or the like. Further, when the oil level at the shallow bottom is high, there is a possibility of interference with a rotating body such as a crankshaft.

  Even in the structure described in Patent Document 2 described above, since a planar shape remains in the shallow bottom portion, membrane vibration is locally generated, so that a sufficient noise reduction effect cannot be obtained. Further, in the structure described in Patent Document 2, since the vibration absorbing bead including the projecting portion and the retracting portion is provided at the bottom portion of the shallow bottom portion, the height of the shallow bottom portion cannot be kept low.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such a situation, and in an oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, it is possible to reduce the vibration of the shallow bottom portion while keeping the oil level height of the shallow bottom portion low. The aim is to realize a possible structure.

The present invention is an oil pan that is disposed in a lower portion of an internal combustion engine and stores oil of the internal combustion engine, and has a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion having different bottom depths, and the deep bottom portion from the shallow bottom side. In such an oil pan, a plurality of oil pans extending along a direction from the upstream side of the oil flow of the shallow bottom portion toward the deep bottom portion. concave surface of the strip are provided in parallel, wherein the concave curved surface and the concave curved surfaces adjacent to each other in the shallow bottom part, with which is defined by the ridge line portion where the concave curved surface cross each other, the depth the from the shallow bottom portion A technical feature is that a rigid rib extending to the downstream side wall in the oil flow direction is provided, and the rigid rib is connected to the ridge line portion of the shallow bottom portion .

Thus, by providing a plurality of concave curved surfaces in the shallow bottom portion, it is possible to increase the surface rigidity of the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion, so that the occurrence of membrane vibration can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the rigidity of the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion is reinforced by the ridge line portion where the concave curved surfaces intersect, generation of membrane vibration can be more effectively reduced and generation of noise can be suppressed. In addition, since it is possible to make the oil passage other than the ridge line portion of the shallow bottom portion, a sufficient oil passage area can be ensured. As a result, in an oil pan having a low shallow bottom portion, it is possible to reduce the oil level height of the shallow bottom portion while reducing membrane vibration in the shallow bottom portion. Furthermore, a rigid rib (power plant rigid rib) extending from the shallow bottom side to the downstream side wall in the oil flow direction of the deep bottom portion is provided, and the rigid rib and the ridge line portion of the shallow bottom portion are connected, Can be divided into, for example, at least three passages (for example, three passages of a central passage and a passage on both sides). This makes it possible to separate the air bubbles contained in the oil into the oil pan center and both sides (left side and right side), effectively sucking air from the strainer inlet located in the center of the deep bottom. Can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, the concave curved surface provided in the shallow bottom portion is constituted by, for example, a part of a cylindrical concave surface whose axis is the front-rear direction (oil flow direction) of the shallow bottom portion.

  Here, in the oil pan disposed in the lower part of the engine, an oil strainer inlet (hereinafter also referred to as “strainer inlet”) is generally disposed in the center of the width direction of the deep bottom portion (a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction). The Considering this point, in the present invention, at least three concave curved surfaces are provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion on the upstream side of the deep bottom portion, and the center of the concave curved surfaces in the arrangement direction (width direction) among the plurality of concave curved surfaces. An oil flow suppressing portion for suppressing oil flow to the concave curved surface of the portion is provided. When the oil flow to the central portion of the shallow bottom portion is suppressed in this manner, the amount of oil that contains a large amount of air bubbles flowing from the timing chain case or the like to the shallow bottom portion and flowing to the central portion of the shallow bottom portion can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress the inflow of bubbles to the central portion in the width direction of the deep bottom portion, and it is possible to suppress air suction from the strainer inlet.

  Next, a specific example for suppressing the oil flow in the central portion (concave surface) of the shallow bottom portion will be described.

  First, as an example, a configuration in which a rectifying rib is provided on the upstream side of the oil flow of the concave curved surface in the central portion of the shallow bottom portion to suppress the oil flow to the concave curved surface of the central portion. When such a straightening rib is provided, if the rib height cannot be secured sufficiently, a folded piece located near the straightening rib among the folded pieces on the outer periphery of the baffle plate disposed inside the oil pan is arranged. The oil suppressing effect may be enhanced by extending (extending downward) to a position overlapping with the flow straightening rib in the vertical direction.

  As another example, in the case of an oil pan having a structure in which a baffle plate is disposed inside the oil pan, for example, the shape of the baffle plate is a downwardly convex curved shape, and both sides of the baffle plate and the shallow portion ( By reducing the gap (passage area) between the baffle plate and the concave curved surface at the center of the shallow bottom portion relative to the gap (passage area) between the concave curved surface of the left side portion and the right side portion) The structure which suppresses the oil flow to the concave curved surface of a center part can be mentioned.

  According to the present invention, in an oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, a plurality of strip-shaped concave curved surfaces extending along a direction from the upstream side of the oil flow of the shallow bottom portion toward the deep bottom portion on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion. Since it is provided, the oil level height of the shallow bottom portion can be kept low while reducing the membrane vibration of the shallow bottom portion.

It is a top view which shows an example of the oil pan of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the oil pan of FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows typically the bottom face shape of the shallow bottom part of the oil pan of FIG. It is a top view which shows the other example of the oil pan of this invention. It is DD sectional drawing of FIG. It is EE sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the oil flow of the oil pan of FIG. It is a principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the positional relationship of the baffle plate and the return piece of a baffle plate provided in an oil pan. It is a top view which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the baffle plate inside the oil pan of FIGS. It is FF sectional drawing of FIG.

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

  An example of the oil pan of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of this example, the front-rear direction is the axial direction of an engine crankshaft (not shown), and is intended for an engine oil pan mounted on an FR (front engine / rear drive) type vehicle. When doing so, it means the vehicle longitudinal direction. A direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is defined as a width direction (left-right direction).

  The oil pan 1 in this example is an oil pan applied to an engine mounted on an FR type vehicle, and includes a first oil pan 10 made of aluminum alloy and a second oil pan 20 made of iron. For example, the first oil pan 10 is manufactured by casting, and the second oil pan 20 is manufactured by sheet metal pressing. The materials and processing methods of the first oil pan 10 and the second oil pan 20 are not limited to these.

  In the oil pan 1 of this example, a second oil pan 20 is integrally assembled at the lower rear side of the first oil pan 10. The oil pan 1 includes a shallow bottom portion 11 whose bottom surface position is set high, a middle bottom portion (stepped portion) 12 whose bottom surface position is set lower than the shallow bottom portion 11, and a deep bottom portion 21 whose bottom surface position is set lowest. It has the structure which has. These shallow bottom part 11, middle bottom part 12, and deep bottom part 21 are arranged in this order [shallow bottom part 11 → middle bottom part 12 → deep bottom part 21] from the front side along the front-rear direction of the oil pan 1.

  The bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 is inclined with a slight downward slope toward the deep bottom portion 21 side. The bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11, the bottom surface 120 of the middle bottom portion 12, and the bottom surface 210 of the deep bottom portion 21 are continuously connected. It flows in and is stored. The rear side portion of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 is a curved surface that curves downward, so that the oil that has dropped to the shallow bottom portion 11 flows smoothly to the middle bottom portion 12. Details of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 will be described later.

  A plurality of (three) reinforcing ribs 17a... 17a extending in the front-rear direction (oil flow direction) are provided on the rear portion (curved surface portion) of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 and the bottom surface 120 of the middle bottom portion 12. It has been. Reinforcing ribs 17b extending from the upstream side of the oil flow in the shallow bottom portion 11 toward the downstream side of the oil flow in the middle bottom portion 12, respectively, on the left and right portions of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 and the bottom surface 120 of the middle bottom portion 12, respectively. 17b is provided.

  The first oil pan 10 is attached to the lower part of a cylinder block (not shown). In addition, a timing chain cover 40 (see FIG. 10) is disposed at the upper part of the front end portion of the first oil pan 10. The cylinder block, the timing chain cover 40 and the first oil pan 10 (oil pan 1) are integrally connected by bolts or the like.

  The first oil pan 10 is provided with an opening 13 on the rear side of the middle bottom 12. The opening 13 is an opening for communication to the inside of the second oil pan 20. In addition, the first oil pan 10 is integrally formed with a side wall 14 surrounding the shallow bottom portion 11, the middle bottom portion 12, and the opening 13. The upper end of the side wall 14 is set to be at substantially the same height position over the entire circumference of the first oil pan 10, and the mounting flange 15 is integrally formed over the entire periphery of the upper end peripheral edge of the side wall 14. Yes. The mounting flange 15 is formed with bolt holes 15a, 15a for connecting cylinder blocks, and bolt holes 15b, 15b for connecting chain covers.

  Further, a connecting flange 16 for connecting the second oil pan 20 is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 13 of the first oil pan 10. Both side portions of the connecting flange 16 in the width direction protrude outward from the side wall 14. The connecting flange 16 is provided with connecting bolt holes 16a.

  The first oil pan 10 includes two left and right power plant rigid ribs 18a, 18b extending from the shallow bottom portion 11 side to the downstream side wall 14a of the deep bottom portion 21 in the oil flow direction (downstream side of the opening portion 13). Is provided to increase the rigidity of the entire power plant. These power plant rigidity ribs 18a and 18b are respectively formed continuously to ridge line portions 114 and 115 of the shallow bottom portion 11 to be described later. The power plant rigidity ribs 18a and 18b and the ridge line portions 114 and 115 are respectively It is connected.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper ends of the power plant rigid ribs 18a, 18b are set to be higher than the oil level OL in the oil pan 1, and the power plant rigid ribs 18a, 18b The lower end is set to be as deep as possible. However, a gap for oil passage is formed between the lower ends of the power plant rigid ribs 18 a and 18 b and the bottom surface 210 of the deep bottom portion 21.

  On the other hand, the second oil pan 20 is a tank-shaped oil storage container, and is connected to the lower portion of the first oil pan 10 to communicate with the opening 13.

  The second oil pan 20 has a shape in plan view corresponding to the opening edge shape of the opening 13 of the first oil pan 10, and is connected to the first oil pan 10 around the entire upper end edge thereof. The connecting flange 22 is integrally formed. The connecting flange 22 is provided with connecting bolt holes 22a. Moreover, the circular recessed part 23 is provided in the center part of the width direction on the bottom face of the 2nd oil pan 20, This recessed part 23 is the lowest position.

  The reason why the second oil pan 20 is provided at the rear side portion in the vehicle front-rear direction at the bottom of the first oil pan 10 as in this example is that vehicle parts disposed below the oil pan 1, for example, the vehicle width This is to avoid interference with a drive shaft or the like extending in the direction. Thus, by providing the second oil pan 20 as an oil storage container having a deep depth in a part of the oil pan 1, the oil of the oil pan 1 is avoided while avoiding interference with the drive shaft and the like. The amount of storage can be secured.

  An oil strainer 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is accommodated in the oil pan 1 described above, and a strainer inlet 51 of the oil strainer 50 is disposed above the central recess 23 of the deep bottom portion 21. For example, with the drive of an oil pump (not shown) provided in the timing chain cover 40, the oil stored in the deep bottom portion 21 (second oil pan 20) is sucked up via the oil strainer 50, and the engine Each part (for example, a crankshaft, a cylinder bore, a piston pin, a valve system, etc.) is pressure-fed, and these parts are lubricated and cooled. Further, the oil that has been lubricated and cooled in each part falls again into the oil pan 1 and is collected in the deep bottom part 21. The oil collected in the deep bottom portion 21 of the oil pan 1 is circulated again to each part of the engine by the oil pump. Details of oil recovery (oil return) into the deep bottom 21 will be described later.

  Next, the characteristic part of the oil pan 1 of this example is demonstrated.

  First, as described above, in an oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, membrane vibration is likely to occur because the rigidity of the shallow bottom portion is weak and susceptible to engine vibration. Considering this point, in the prior art, a rib is provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan to increase the rigidity of the shallow bottom portion.

  However, even if a rib is provided in the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan, a planar shape remains in a portion other than the rib forming portion, and membrane vibration is locally generated, so that a sufficient noise reduction effect cannot be obtained. Here, in order to secure the rigidity of the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan and suppress membrane vibration, it is effective to raise the ribs. In this case, however, vehicle parts and ribs arranged on the lower side of the engine A sufficient rib height cannot be ensured due to proximity (interference).

  In addition, if the number of ribs provided on the shallow bottom portion of the oil pan is increased, it is possible to increase the effect of reducing the membrane vibration. In this case, however, the oil passage width (passage area) of the shallow bottom portion is reduced, so that the shallow bottom portion is reduced. The oil level of the flowing oil becomes high. When the oil level at the shallow bottom increases, the oil return to the deep bottom decreases due to the influence of airflow generated by rotation of the crankshaft, etc., and air suction from the strainer inlet occurs and the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic control system decreases. And abnormal noise due to abnormal behavior of the valve system (for example, lash adjuster) may occur.

  Further, when the oil level in the shallow bottom is high and the oil level is close to the crankshaft or the like of the engine, the oil may be wound up by an air flow generated by the rotation of the crankshaft or the like. Further, when the oil level in the shallow bottom portion is increased, the oil may be stirred by interference with a rotating body such as a crankshaft, and the fuel agitation (fuel consumption rate) may be reduced due to the oil stirring resistance.

  Considering such points, in this example, in the oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, a structure capable of reducing the oil level height of the shallow bottom portion while reducing the membrane vibration of the shallow bottom portion. It is characterized in that it is realized.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1 extends along the direction (front-rear direction) from the upstream side of the oil flow of the shallow bottom portion 11 toward the deep bottom portion 21. Three strip-shaped concave curved surfaces 111, 112, 113 extending in parallel are provided in parallel in the width direction. Further, the [concave surface 111 and the concave surface 112] and the [concave surface 111 and the concave surface 113] adjacent to each other in the shallow bottom portion 11 are formed by ridge portions (weir portions) 114 and 115 where the concave surfaces intersect each other. It is a technical feature to partition.

  Further, by providing the concave curved surfaces 111, 112, 113 on the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1, the surface rigidity of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be increased, so that the occurrence of membrane vibration is suppressed. Can do. Furthermore, since the rigidity of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11 is reinforced by the ridge lines 114 and 115 where the concave curved surfaces intersect each other, the occurrence of membrane vibration can be more effectively reduced, and the generation of noise can be suppressed. Can do. In addition, since the portion other than the ridgeline portions 114 and 115 of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be used as an oil passage, the passage area of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be sufficiently secured. As a result, in the oil pan 1 with the shallow bottom portion 11 having a low height, the oil surface height of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be kept low while reducing the membrane vibration of the shallow bottom portion 11.

  In this example, each concave curved surface 111, 112, 113 is configured by a part of a cylindrical concave surface with the front-rear direction of the shallow bottom portion 11 as an axis. The curvature radii of the concave curved surfaces 111, 112, and 113 are not particularly limited, and the width of the oil pan 1, the surface rigidity of the bottom surface 110 of the shallow bottom portion 11, and the paths of the concave curved surfaces 111, 112, and 113 are not limited. What is necessary is just to set suitably in consideration of an area etc.

  Here, in this example, the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1 is divided into three oil passages of a central portion and both side portions (left side portion and right side portion) by two ridge line portions 114, 115, and further, the ridge line portion. By connecting the power plant rigid ribs 18a and 18b to 114 and 115, the entire inside of the oil pan 1 is partitioned into three passages, so that oil to the passage in the central portion (the central portion in the width direction) of the oil pan 1 is divided. By suppressing the flow, it becomes possible to suppress the inflow of bubbles to the center portion in the width direction of the deep bottom portion 21, and the air suction from the strainer inlet 51 can be suppressed. Specific examples ([Example 1] and [Example 2]) will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Example 1]
First, in this example, in addition to the structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, on the upstream side of the concave curved surface 111 at the center of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1, It is characterized in that a straightening rib 116 extending in the width direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction (oil flow direction) is provided.

  When the flow straightening rib 116 is provided in this manner to suppress the oil flow to the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the oil falls from the timing chain cover 40 to the upstream side of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1. The amount of oil (oil containing a lot of bubbles) flowing into the central portion (concave surface 111) of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be reduced. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the oil that has fallen from the cylinder block to the oil drop holes 117 on both sides of the oil pan through the oil drop holes H or the like includes the power plant rigidity ribs 18 a and 18 b (when the ridge lines 114 and 115 are included) The flow to the center of the oil pan 1 is restricted. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the inflow of bubbles to the center portion in the width direction of the deep bottom portion 21, and it is possible to suppress the suction of air from the strainer inlet 51.

  In addition, if the oil flow to the concave curved surface 111 of the center part of the shallow bottom part 11 is suppressed, the amount of the oil which flows into the concave curved surfaces 112 and 113 of both sides will increase by that much, and the concave curved surfaces 112 and 113 of both side portions will increase. The oil level will rise slightly, but there is no problem. That is, since both side portions (left side portion and right side portion) of the shallow bottom portion 11 are less susceptible to airflow due to rotation of the crankshaft or the like than the central portion, the deep bottom portion 21 even if the oil level on both sides rises slightly. It is possible to sufficiently secure the oil return property.

  Further, in this example and the examples of FIGS. 1 to 6 described above, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2), the power plant rigid ribs 18 a and 18 b are connected to the ridge lines 114 and 115 of the shallow portion 11. , The entire interior of the oil pan 1 is partitioned into three passages, and the upper ends of the power plant rigid ribs 18a and 18b are further separated from the oil level OL in the oil pan 1 as shown in FIG. Is set at a higher position, the air bubbles staying in the upper part of the oil can be separated into the central part and both side parts (left side and right side) of the oil pan 1. Thereby, the air inflow to the center part (strainer inlet 51) of the deep bottom part 21 can be reduced. In addition, although the deep bottom part 21 is also divided into the center part and both sides by the power plant rigidity rib 18a, 18b, a clearance gap (between the lower end of each power plant rigidity rib 18a, 18b and the bottom face 210 of the deep bottom part 21 ( 4), the oil can move from both side portions (left side portion / right side portion) toward the central portion in the deep bottom portion 21, and even if such a partition is performed, the deep bottom portion 21 The oil level in the central part (between the power plant rigid ribs 18a and 18b) does not drop.

  In this example, when the rib height of the rectifying rib 116 is not sufficient, as shown in FIG. 11, the rectifying rib 116 out of the downward folded pieces (hanging pieces) 31 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the baffle plate 30. As a structure in which the folded piece 31a located in the vicinity is extended downward and the rectifying rib 116 and the folded piece 31a overlap in the vertical direction (overlapping when viewed from the oil flow direction), The oil flow suppression effect (airflow rectification effect) may be enhanced.

  Further, when the baffle plate is disposed inside the oil pan 1 as described above, a curved baffle plate 30 as described later is used as the baffle plate, so that the oil flow at the center of the shallow bottom portion 11 is more effective. Can be suppressed. This point will be described in detail in the following [Example 2].

[Example 2]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the oil pan 1 having a structure in which the baffle plate 30 is disposed inside the oil pan, the oil flow in the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11 is reduced by devising the shape of the baffle plate 30. It is characterized by its suppression.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13 (FF sectional view of FIG. 12), the shape of the baffle plate 30 is lower in the central portion than the both side portions (left side portion and right side portion) of the oil pan 1. A curved shape (curved shape (arc shape) convex downward), and the baffle plate 30 with respect to the gaps Csa and Csb between the baffle plate 30 and the concave curved surfaces 112 and 113 on both sides of the shallow bottom portion 11 A gap Cc between the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11 and the concave curved surface 111 is reduced. That is, by increasing the passage area on both sides of the shallow bottom portion 11 and reducing the passage area at the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11, the oil flow to the concave curved surface 111 at the central portion is suppressed. In FIG. 12, the baffle plate 30 is indicated by a two-dot chain line (imaginary line) for easy understanding.

  In this way, by using the baffle plate 30 to suppress the oil flow to the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1, oil that has dropped from the timing chain cover 40 to the upstream side of the shallow bottom portion 11 The amount of oil contained) flows into the central portion (concave surface 111) of the shallow bottom portion 11 can be reduced.

  Further, in this example, as in the above [Embodiment 1], the oil dropped from the cylinder block to the oil drop holes 117 (see FIG. 10) on both sides of the oil pan through the oil drop holes H etc. The flow to the center of the oil pan 1 is restricted by the ribs 18a and 18b (which may include the ridge portions 114 and 115). Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the inflow of bubbles to the center portion in the width direction of the deep bottom portion 21, and it is possible to suppress the air suction from the strainer inlet 51 (see FIG. 4). Further, since the gaps Csa and Csb between the concave curved surfaces 112 and 113 on both sides of the shallow bottom portion 11, that is, the passage area, are increased, oil return to the deep bottom portion 21 can be sufficiently ensured.

  Also in this example, since the entire inside of the oil pan 1 is partitioned into three passages by connecting the power plant rigid ribs 18a and 18b to the ridge lines 114 and 115 of the shallow bottom portion 11, the above-described [Example] 1], the air bubbles staying in the upper part of the oil can be separated into the central part and both side parts of the oil pan 1 by the power plant rigid ribs 18a and 18b, whereby the central part (strainer) of the deep bottom part 21 can be separated. Air inflow to the inlet 51) can be reduced.

  In addition to the configuration for suppressing the oil flow to the central portion of the shallow bottom portion 11 of the oil pan 1 using the baffle plate 30 as described above, the configuration of the above-described [Embodiment 1], that is, the center of the shallow bottom portion 11 is used. A rectifying rib 116 that suppresses the oil flow to the portion may be added.

  Here, the baffle plate 30 used in each of the first and second embodiments may be of a type assembled to the oil pan 1 or of a type assembled to the cylinder block side.

-Other embodiments-
In the above example, each concave curved surface 111, 112, 113 of the shallow bottom portion 11 is configured by a part of a cylindrical concave surface with the front-rear direction of the shallow bottom portion 11 as an axis, but the present invention is limited to this. Alternatively, any other secondary curved surface (band-shaped concave curved surface) having a uniform cross-sectional area in the front-rear direction of the shallow bottom portion 11 may be adopted.

  In the above example, the example in which the present invention is applied to the split type oil pan provided with the first oil pan (shallow bottom portion) and the second oil pan (deep bottom portion) has been shown. The present invention can also be applied to an oil pan in which the shallow bottom portion and the deep bottom portion are integrally formed.

  In the above example, three concave curved surfaces are provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom of the oil pan. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two concave curved surfaces or four or more concave curved surfaces are provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion. It may be provided.

  In the above example, the example in which the present invention is applied to the oil pan having a three-step difference including the shallow bottom portion 11, the middle bottom portion 12, and the deep bottom portion 21 having different bottom depths has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be applied to an oil pan having two steps including a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion, or an oil pan having four or more steps.

  In the above example, an example in which the present invention is applied to an oil pan provided in an engine mounted on an FR (front engine / rear drive) type vehicle has been described. The present invention can be applied to an oil pan for an engine mounted on a drive type vehicle or a four-wheel drive vehicle.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an oil pan that stores engine oil of an engine (internal combustion engine) mounted on a vehicle or the like. More specifically, the present invention is effective for an oil pan having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion having different bottom depths. Can be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oil pan 10 1st oil pan 11 Shallow bottom part 110 Bottom face 111 Concave curved surface (center part)
112, 113 Concave surface (both sides)
114, 115 Ridge part 116 Current regulating rib 14a Side wall 18a, 18b Power plant rigid rib 20 Second oil pan 21 Deep bottom 210 Bottom 23 Recess 30 Baffle plate 31a Folding piece 51 Strainer inlet

Claims (5)

An oil pan disposed in a lower portion of an internal combustion engine and storing oil of the internal combustion engine, having a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion having different bottom depths, and the oil flows from the shallow bottom portion side to the deep bottom portion side. In an oil pan with a flowing structure,
The bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped concave curved surfaces extending in parallel in a direction from the upstream side of the oil flow of the shallow bottom portion toward the deep bottom portion, and the concave curved surfaces adjacent to each other in the shallow bottom portion. And the concave curved surface are partitioned by a ridge line portion where the concave curved surfaces intersect each other ,
An oil pan characterized in that a rigid rib extending from the shallow bottom side to a downstream side wall in the oil flow direction of the deep bottom portion is provided, and the rigid rib is connected to a ridge line portion of the shallow bottom portion . The oil pan according to claim 1,
At least three concave curved surfaces are provided on the bottom surface of the shallow bottom portion, and among these concave curved surfaces, an oil flow suppressing portion for suppressing oil flow to the concave curved surface in the central portion in the arrangement direction of the concave curved surfaces. Oil pan characterized by having. The oil pan according to claim 2,
An oil pan, characterized in that a rectifying rib is provided on the upstream side of the oil flow of the concave curved surface of the central portion to suppress the oil flow to the concave curved surface of the central portion. The oil pan according to claim 3, wherein a baffle plate is disposed inside the oil pan.
An oil pan characterized in that, among the folded pieces on the outer periphery of the baffle plate, a folded piece located in the vicinity of the rectifying rib is extended to a position overlapping with the rectifying rib in the vertical direction. The oil pan according to claim 2, wherein a baffle plate is disposed inside the oil pan.
To the gap between the concave surface of the baffle plate and the side portions, by decreasing the gap between the concave surface of the baffle plate and the central portion, the oil flow to the concave surface of the central portion An oil pan configured to be suppressed.

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