JP7451380B2 - Oil separation device and method for manufacturing oil separation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil separation device that separates mist-like oil contained in blow-by gas, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Engines for automobiles and industrial machinery equipped with blow-by gas reduction systems are known. In the blow-by gas return system, the blow-by gas leaked into the crankcase from the gap between the piston ring and the cylinder wall is passed through a flow path connected to the intake system formed in the cylinder head cover (rocker cover) to reduce the negative pressure generated in the intake system. The air is sucked in by the gas, returned to the intake system, and supplied to the combustion chamber along with the air-fuel mixture. Since the crankcase is filled with engine oil, the blow-by gas sucked from inside the crankcase contains mist of oil. Therefore, blow-by gas reduction systems are known that are equipped with an oil separation device that separates and collects mist-like oil from blow-by gas (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

In such oil separation devices, a filter medium is sometimes used to improve the efficiency of separating and collecting mist-like oil. The filter medium is formed of a material (for example, nonwoven fabric or glass wool) that has the function of coagulating and separating mist-like oil contained in the blowby gas when the blowby gas passes through the filter medium. As such filter media, those formed in a cylindrical shape are widely used. There is also a filter medium formed into a plate shape (for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape) with a predetermined thickness, but it is not often used.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-64155 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-121478

In an oil separation device, a plate-shaped filter medium is used, for example, to allow blow-by gas to pass from one surface to the opposite surface in the thickness direction of the filter medium, and to separate mist-like oil at that time. By passing the blow-by gas inside the filter medium from one surface in the thickness direction of the filter medium to the opposite surface, mist-like oil can be efficiently separated and collected. However, sometimes the blow-by gas does not pass through the inside of the filter medium but passes beside the outside surface of the filter medium, the blow-by gas enters the filter medium from the outside surface of the filter medium, and the blow-by gas that has entered the filter medium escapes from the outside surface. If this happens, there is a problem that the oil separation efficiency decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and provides an oil separation device and oil that can efficiently separate and collect mist-like oil contained in blow-by gas using a plate-shaped filter medium. The present invention aims to provide a method for manufacturing a separation device.

The oil separation device according to the present invention is an oil separation device that separates mist-like oil contained in the blowby gas when the blowby gas in the crankcase of an engine flows into the intake system, and the oil separation device separates mist-like oil contained in the blowby gas. a gas flow path (for example, the in-case gas flow path in the embodiment), and a filter medium provided in the gas flow path to allow blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass therethrough and separate oil; The filter medium is plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness, has a predetermined outer surface shape, and is used to separate oil mist by passing blow-by gas from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface. , at least a portion of the gas flow path has a peripheral wall surface forming a receiving space corresponding to the predetermined outer surface shape of the filter medium, and the receiving space forms at least a portion of the gas flow path, The filter medium is accommodated in the receiving space surrounded by the peripheral wall surface, and the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path is caused to flow from one surface in the thickness direction toward the opposite surface to pass through the filter medium. The filling material filled in the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium housed in the receiving space and the peripheral wall surface closes the outer surface of the filter medium and the gap, thereby closing the gas flow path. The flowing blow-by gas is configured to pass through the inside of the filter medium from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface, and in the gap, a position midway in the length of the outer surface in the thickness direction in the gap. After the filter medium is filled with the filling material up to the point where the filter medium is compressed and deformed in the thickness direction so that the entire area of the outer surface is brought into contact with the filling material, the compression of the filter medium is released and the entire area of the outer surface is It is a configuration that is closed by a filling material.

In the oil separation device according to the present invention, preferably, the filling material is a resin material, and the filter medium is formed of glass wool.

A method for manufacturing an oil separation device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing an oil separation device that separates mist-like oil contained in blowby gas when the blowby gas in the crankcase of an engine flows into the intake system, the method comprising: The oil separation device includes a gas flow path through which at least part of the blow-by gas passes, and a filter medium provided in the gas flow path to allow the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass through and separate oil, The filter medium is plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness and has a predetermined outer surface shape, and is used to separate oil mist by passing blow-by gas from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface. forming at least a portion of the gas flow path to have a peripheral wall surface forming a receiving space corresponding to the predetermined outer surface shape of the filter medium, and forming the gas flow path by the receiving space. accommodating the filter medium in the receiving space surrounded by the peripheral wall surface so that the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path flows from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface; a step of filling a gap between an outer surface of the filter medium housed in the receiving space and the peripheral wall surface with a filler material; closing the outer surface and closing the gap to allow blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass through the inside of the filter medium from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface , In the step of filling the gap between the side surface and the peripheral wall surface with the filler material, the filler material is filled in the gap to a position midway in the thickness direction of the outer surface, and the filter medium is compressed in the thickness direction. After deforming and bringing the entire area of the outer surface into contact with the filling material, the compression of the filter medium is released and the entire area of the outer surface is closed with the filling material.

According to the oil separation device and the method for manufacturing the oil separation device according to the present invention, the filter medium is plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness and has a predetermined outer surface shape, and at least a part of the gas flow path has the predetermined outer surface shape of the filter medium. It has a peripheral wall surface forming a receiving space corresponding to the surrounding wall surface, at least a part of the gas flow path is formed by the receiving space, and a filter medium is accommodated in the receiving space surrounded by the peripheral wall surface. Then, the filling material filled in the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium housed in the receiving space and the peripheral wall surface closes the outer surface of the filter medium and the gap, and the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path is transferred to the filter material. It is possible to pass through the interior from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface. That is, according to the present invention, the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium and the peripheral wall surface and the outer surface of the filter medium can be easily sealed with the filling material, thereby preventing blow-by gas from passing through the inside of the filter medium. This prevents blow-by gas from passing through the gap between the outer surface of the filter and the surrounding wall surface, and from passing through the outer surface of the filter material, allowing the mist-like oil contained in the blow-by gas to be efficiently separated by the plate-shaped filter material. This makes it possible to collect them. Further, since it is possible to configure an oil separation device that integrally includes a gas flow path, a peripheral wall surface, and a receiving space, the device configuration can be simplified.

Further, according to the oil separation device according to the present invention, by using a resin material as the filling material that is filled in the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium and the peripheral wall surface, the filling material is surely brought into close contact with the outer surface of the filter medium to close it. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the effect of preventing blow-by gas from passing through the outer surface of the filter medium. Furthermore, according to the oil separation device of the present invention, by forming the filter medium from glass wool, it is possible to increase the separation and collection efficiency of mist-like oil in the filter medium, compared to a filter medium formed from nonwoven fabric. Become.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing an oil separation device according to the present invention, the filler material is filled up to the middle position in the thickness direction of the outer surface in the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium and the peripheral wall surface, and the filter medium is moved in the thickness direction. After compressing and deforming the filter material so that the entire outer surface is brought into contact with the filler material, the filter medium is decompressed and the entire outer surface is closed with the filler material, so that when the gap is filled, the filler material It is possible to prevent the filter medium from overflowing to one side or the opposite side in the thickness direction of the filter medium.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cylinder head cover in which an oil separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the oil separation device. It is a sectional view of the above-mentioned oil separation device. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the upper case of the oil separation device. It is a top view of the above-mentioned oil separation device in a state where a part of the upper case is broken and a filter medium is not installed. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a filter section of the oil separation device. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the steps of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the oil separation device, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view showing the formed lower right case portion, and (B) is a sectional view showing a filter medium installed in the lower right case portion. (C) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the filler material is filled in the gap between the outer surface of the filter medium and the peripheral wall surface of the lower right case part, and (D) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the filter medium is compressed and deformed. (E) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the filter medium has been decompressed and the filter medium has recovered its shape. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the said manufacturing method.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the above drawings. First, the configuration of an engine built-in oil separation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Note that in FIGS. 2 to 5, cross-shaped arrows indicating front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom directions are shown. When directions are referred to in the following description, they correspond to the directions of these arrows. Moreover, in FIG. 3, the flow of blow-by gas is illustrated by a dashed-dotted arrow.

As shown in FIG. 1, the oil separation device 1 is installed inside a cylinder head cover 100 that is attached to the upper part of a crankcase (not shown) of an engine via a cylinder head (not shown). The cylinder head cover 100 is formed in the shape of a bottomless box, and an upper wall portion 101 thereof is provided with four cylindrical holes 102 for mounting an injector and a gas outlet portion 103. The gas outlet portion 103 has an opening (not shown) that communicates between the inside and outside of the cylinder head cover 100, and this opening has an intake air outlet for returning blow-by gas to the intake system (for example, the outlet side of an air cleaner (not shown)). A passageway (not shown) is connected thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the oil separation device 1 mainly includes a device case 2 and a filter section 3 provided inside the device case 2. The device case 2 is formed into a T-shape in plan view. It is composed of an upper case 10 and a lower case 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper case 10 and the lower case 20 are assembled vertically and joined together by vibration welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper case 10 includes an upper right case part 11 having an upper wall part 11a and a side wall part 11b and having an L-shape in plan view and opening downward, and an upper left case part 11 formed in a flat plate shape. 12. A plurality of hanging walls 11c projecting downward and extending in the front-rear direction are provided in parallel to each other on the lower surface of the upper wall portion 11a of the upper right case portion 11. A circular opening 12a is formed in the upper left case portion 12, and a cylindrical gasket 4A is attached to this opening 12a. The inner region of this gasket 4A is configured as a gas outlet 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower case 20 includes a lower right case part 21, a middle lower case part 22, a lower left case part 23, and a mounting piece 24. A rectangular gas inlet 6 (see also FIG. 5) in plan view is provided at the bottom of the lower right case portion 21, and an opening cover plate 25 is provided below the gas inlet 6. This opening cover plate 25 is attached to the lower surface of the lower right case section 21 via a support member 26 at a predetermined distance from the lower surface of the lower right case section 21 . The lower right case section 21 is a main component of the filter section 3, and its detailed configuration will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the middle lower case part 22 includes a middle side wall part 22a that extends downwardly to form the front, rear, left, and right sides of the middle lower case part 22, and A check valve 7A is provided on the bottom wall portion 22b. This check valve 7A is configured to open by the weight of the oil when a predetermined amount or more of oil separated from the blow-by gas is stored in the oil storage chamber OR1 formed inside the middle lower case portion 22. When the check valve 7A opens, the oil in the oil storage chamber OR1 is discharged to the outside and is configured to return to an oil tank (not shown) in the crankcase.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower left case section 23 includes a left outer wall section 23a that constitutes the front and rear left side surfaces of the lower left case section 23, and a left bottom wall section that constitutes the bottom surface of the lower left case section 23. 23b, and an internal partition part 23c provided in the lower case 20, and a check valve 7B is provided in the internal partition part 23c. This check valve 7B is configured to open due to the weight of the oil when a predetermined amount or more of oil separated from the blow-by gas is stored in the oil storage chamber OR2 formed inside the lower left case portion 23. When the check valve 7B opens, the oil in the oil storage chamber OR2 flows into the oil storage chamber OR1. A circular opening 23d is formed in the left bottom wall 23b, and a cylindrical gasket 4B is attached to this opening 23d. The inner region of this gasket 4B is configured as a temporary gas intake port 8, in which a relief valve 9 is installed. The relief valve 9 includes a disc-shaped valve body 9a that opens and closes the temporary gas intake port 8, and a coil spring 9b that presses the valve body 9a toward the temporary gas intake port 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting pieces 24 have bolt insertion holes 24a, and are provided at three locations on the outer edge of the device case 2 (lower case 20). The device case 2 (oil separation device 1) is attached to the lower surface of the upper wall portion 101 of the cylinder head cover 100 via a mounting bolt (not shown) inserted into the bolt insertion hole 24a of the mounting piece 24. When the oil separator 1 is installed, the gasket 4A is connected to the intake passage through the gas outlet portion 103 of the cylinder head cover 100, and the gas outlet 5 is communicated with the intake passage. By communicating the gas outlet 5 with the intake passage, the inside of the device case 2 becomes negative pressure, and the blow-by gas from inside the crankcase is sucked into the device case 2 from the gas inlet 6, passes through the inside of the device case 2, and becomes a gas. It comes to be discharged from outlet 5. That is, a gas flow path (referred to as an "intra-case gas flow path") through which blow-by gas flows from the gas inlet 6 to the gas outlet 5 is formed in the device case 2. In other words, this in-case gas flow path is formed by predetermined inner surfaces of the device case 2 (upper case 10 and lower case 20) and a space inside the device case 2 surrounded by these predetermined surfaces.

Next, detailed configurations of the lower right case section 21 and the filter section 3, which were briefly described above, will be explained. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower right case portion 21 has an outer wall portion 21A, a partition wall portion 21B, and a lower wall portion 21C, and a lower right case internal space 60 is provided inside each of these wall portions 21A, 21B, and 21C. It is beginning to form. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer wall portion 21A includes an anterolateral wall portion 21Aa forming the front side of the lower right case portion 21, a right outer wall portion 21Ab forming the right side of the lower right case portion 21, and a lower right side wall 21Aa forming the front side of the lower right case portion 21. The partition wall part 21B is configured to have a rear outer wall part 21Ac that constitutes the rear surface of the case part 21, and the partition wall part 21B partitions the right lower case inner space 60 and the oil storage chamber OR1 (see FIG. 3). It is provided inside the lower case 20. Hereinafter, the inner surface of the outer wall portion 21A and the inner surface of the partition wall portion 21B (the side surface facing the right lower case internal space 60) will be referred to as a peripheral wall surface 70. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower wall portion 21C includes a horizontal upper portion 21Ca, a vertical wall portion 21Cb, and a horizontal lower portion 21Cc, and a gas inlet 6 is formed in the horizontal lower portion 21Cc. As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal upper stage part 21Ca and the horizontal lower stage part 21Cc are formed into a rectangular frame shape in plan view. The lower right case interior space 60 is divided into a receiving space 61 surrounded by the outer wall portion 21A and the partition wall portion 21B (peripheral wall surface 70), and a gas inlet side space 62 surrounded by the vertical wall portion 21Cb.

As shown in FIG. 6, the filter section 3 includes a lower right case section 21, a filter medium 30 accommodated in a receiving space 61 in the lower right case section 21, and a filling material 50. The filter medium 30 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, from glass fiber, and has an upper surface 31, a lower surface 32, and four outer surfaces 33 on the front, rear, left, and right sides. Moreover, the upper surface 31, the lower surface 32, and the four outer surfaces 33 are each formed in a rectangular shape. The filter medium 30 allows the blow-by gas to pass from one surface (for example, the lower surface 32) to the opposite surface (for example, the upper surface 31) in the thickness direction, and separates and captures mist-like oil contained in the blow-by gas. It is configured to collect. The filter medium 30 is accommodated in the receiving space 61 with its lower surface 32 placed on the upper surface of the horizontal upper section 21Ca of the lower wall section 21C of the lower right case section 21.

The receiving space 61 is formed to be slightly larger than the filter medium 30 in accordance with the size of the filter medium 30 and the shape of the outer surface 33, and when the filter medium 30 is accommodated in the receiving space 61, the outer wall portion 21A A gap 40 is formed between each peripheral wall surface 70 of the partition wall portion 21B and each outer surface 32 of the filter medium 30. The outer wall portion 21A and the partition wall portion 21B are formed to be thinner at the upper portion than at the lower portion, so that the gap 40 is wider at the upper portion than at the lower portion. The filling material 50 is filled into the gap 40 using an adhesive such as an epoxy resin material, for example. This filling material 50 closes (seals) the gap 40 and also closes each outer surface 32 of the filter medium 30, and further fixes the filter medium 30 within the receiving space 61. Note that a receiving space 61 is formed by the peripheral wall surface 70, and the filter medium 30 is placed within the case gas flow path by being accommodated and installed within the receiving space 61. In other words, a part of the gas flow path in the case has the peripheral wall surface 70, and this peripheral wall surface 70 forms the receiving space 61, and the receiving space 61 forms a part of the gas flow path in the case. There is. That is, the peripheral wall surface 70 and the receiving space 61 are formed integrally with a part of the gas flow path in the case, so that the filter section 3 can be formed with a simple structure.

In the oil separation device 1 configured as described above, by creating a negative pressure inside the device case 2 connected to the intake system, blow-by gas from inside the crankcase is sucked into the device case 2 from the gas inlet 6. and flows into the gas inlet side space 62 (see FIG. 3). The blow-by gas that has flowed into the gas inlet side space 62 then passes through the inside of the filter medium 30 from the lower surface 32 to the upper surface 31 of the filter medium 30. During the passage, mist-like oil contained in the blow-by gas is separated and collected by the filter medium 30. Further, a portion of carbon, metal powder, etc. contained in the blow-by gas is also separated and collected by the filter medium 30. A gap 40 (see FIG. 6) between the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30 and the peripheral wall surface 70 is filled with a filling material, which closes the gap 40 and also closes the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30. It's broken. Therefore, the blow-by gas that has flowed into the gas inlet side space 62 is prevented from passing through the gap 40 without passing through the filter medium 30 or from passing through the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30, so that the blow-by gas is prevented from passing through the filter medium 30. 30 can be reliably passed through the filter medium 30 from the lower surface 32 to the upper surface 31. Therefore, it is possible to improve the separation and collection efficiency of mist-like oil by the filter medium 30.

The blow-by gas that has passed through the filter medium 30 passes through the space formed in the upper right case portion 11 and the oil storage chamber OR2. When passing, for example, the blow-by gas collides with the hanging wall 11c, and mist-like oil contained in the blow-by gas may be separated at that time. A part of the oil separated at this time is stored in the oil storage chambers OR1 and OR2. When the amount of oil stored in the oil storage chamber OR1 exceeds a predetermined amount, the check valve 7A opens due to the weight of the oil, and the oil in the oil storage chamber OR1 is returned to the oil tank in the crankcase. The blow-by gas from which the mist-like oil has been removed exits from the gas outlet 5 and is sent to the intake system.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the oil separation device 1 will be described with additional reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. This manufacturing method mainly relates to manufacturing the filter section 3 of the oil separation device 1. First, the filter medium 30 is formed (step S1 in FIG. 8). Specifically, for example, the filter medium 30 is formed by forming a large number of glass fibers of a predetermined diameter into a rectangular parallelepiped shape of a predetermined size at a predetermined density. The formed filter medium 30 is used to allow blow-by gas to pass from one surface (lower surface 32) to the opposite surface (upper surface 31) in the thickness direction to separate mist-like oil contained in the blow-by gas. (See Figure 3).

Next, the lower right case portion 21 is formed (see step S2 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 7(A)). Specifically, for example, the lower right case portion 21 is formed by resin molding the lower case 20 using a mold (not shown). By forming the lower right case portion 21, a peripheral wall surface 70 is formed, and a receiving space 61 surrounded by the peripheral wall surface 70 is formed. The lower right case portion 21 has a peripheral wall surface 70 in which a part of the gas flow path in the case forms a receiving space 61, and is formed such that the receiving space 61 forms a part of the gas flow path in the case. Further, the receiving space 61 is formed to be slightly larger than the filter medium 30, corresponding to the size of the filter medium 30 and the shape of the outer surface 33.

Next, the filter medium 30 is accommodated and installed in the receiving space 61 (see step S3 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 7(B)). Specifically, the filter material 30 is placed in the receiving space 61 such that the lower surface 32 of the filter material 30 is placed on the upper surface of the horizontal upper section 21Ca of the lower wall portion 21C of the lower right case portion 21, and the lower surface 32 faces the gas inlet 6. 30 is accommodated. By housing the filter medium 30 in the receiving space 61 in this manner, the blow-by gas flowing into the lower right case portion 21 from the gas inlet 6 can flow from the lower surface 32 of the filter medium 30 toward the upper surface 31 and pass through the filter medium 30. becomes.

Next, the gap 40 between the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30 and the peripheral wall surface 70 in the receiving space 61 is filled with the filling material 50 (see step S4 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 7(C)). Specifically, for example, an adhesive such as an epoxy resin material is filled into the gap 40 as the filling material 50 . Note that the filling material 50 is filled up to the middle of the length of the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30 in the thickness direction in the gap 40 . Therefore, at this stage, the upper end of the outer surface 33 is not in contact with the filling material 50. If the filling material 50 is filled until it reaches the upper end of the outer surface 33, there is a risk that the filling material 50 will overflow from the gap 40 onto the upper surface 31 of the filter medium 30 and partially block the upper surface 31. However, according to this method, It is possible to prevent such a situation from occurring. When the gap 40 is filled with the filler material 50, the filler material 50 contacts the peripheral wall surface 70 and the outer surface 33 up to the filled position, and the filler material 50 comes into close contact with this contact portion.

Next, the filter medium 30 is compressed and deformed in the thickness direction, so that the entire area of the outer surface 33, including the upper end of the outer surface 33 that was not in contact with the filler material 50, is brought into contact with the filler material 50 (step in FIG. 8). S5, see FIG. 7(D)). Specifically, for example, the top surface 31 of the filter medium 30 is uniformly pressed downward using a jig (not shown) having a pressing surface of approximately the same shape and size as the top surface 31 of the filter medium 30. The filter medium 30 is compressed and deformed. The filter medium 30 is compressed while the filling material 50 is not hardened.

Next, the compression of the filter medium 30 is released to restore the filter medium 30 to its pre-compression shape (see step S6 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 7(E)). Specifically, the compression is released by, for example, moving the jig that was pressing the top surface 31 of the filter medium 30 upward over a predetermined period of time, and further separating it from the top surface 31. When the filter medium 30 restores its shape, a layer of filling material 50 is formed in close contact with the upper end of the outer surface 33.

Then, the filling material 50 closes the gap 40 and the entire outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30 (step S7 in FIG. 8). Specifically, for example, the filling material 50 is hardened so that it can maintain a state in which the filling material 50 is in close contact with the entire area of the peripheral wall surface 70 and the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30. By closing the gap 40 and the entire outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30 with the filling material 50, the blow-by gas flowing into the lower right case part 21 from the gas inlet 6 flows inside the filter medium 30 from the lower surface 32 to the upper surface 31. It becomes possible to pass. That is, blow-by gas can be prevented from passing through the gap 40 without passing through the filter medium 30 or from passing through the outer surface 33 of the filter medium 30. Furthermore, by hardening the resin material 50, the filter medium 30 is fixed within the receiving space 61. The filter section 3 is formed by the above procedure. Although other manufacturing steps are required to manufacture the entire oil separator 1, their explanation will be omitted.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned aspects and can be modified as appropriate. For example, in the above embodiment, the filter medium 30 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped (a square plate shape in plan view), but it is also possible to use a filter medium formed in a plate shape such as a circular parallelepiped, a triangle in plan view, or a pentagon in plan view. Good too. Further, in the above embodiment, the filter medium 30 is formed of glass fiber, but the filter medium may be formed of other materials such as nonwoven fabric.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an epoxy resin-based resin material is used as the filling material to fill the gap 40, but resin materials other than epoxy resin-based, such as polyvinyl acetate-based, nitrile rubber-based, or acrylic resin-based, may also be used. It may also be used as a filling material. Furthermore, materials other than resin materials such as glass-based and gypsum-based materials may be used as the filling material. Further, in the above embodiment, the oil separation device 1 provided within the cylinder head cover 100 is illustrated, but the present invention can also be applied to oil separation devices placed in other positions of the engine. It is. Specifically, the type that does not have a built-in engine is installed outside the cylinder head cover in the middle of the flow path from the gas outlet of the cylinder head cover to the intake system, such as the top-mounted type that is installed directly above the cylinder head cover, and the cylinder It may also be an external type oil separation device installed near the head cover.

1 Oil separation device 2 Equipment case 3 Filter part 5 Gas outlet 6 Gas inlet 10 Upper case 20 Lower case 21 Lower right case part 22 Middle lower case part 23 Lower left case part 24 Mounting piece 30 Filter medium 33 Outer surface 40 Gap 50 Filling material 61 Reception space 70 Surrounding wall surface 100 Cylinder head cover

Claims (4)

An oil separation device that separates mist-like oil contained in blowby gas when the blowby gas in the engine crankcase flows into the intake system,
comprising a gas flow path through which at least part of the blow-by gas passes; and a filter medium provided in the gas flow path to allow the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass through and separate oil;
The filter medium is plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness, has a predetermined outer surface shape, and is used to pass blow-by gas from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface to separate mist-like oil. It is a thing,
At least a portion of the gas flow path has a peripheral wall surface forming a receiving space corresponding to the predetermined outer surface shape of the filter medium, the receiving space forms at least a portion of the gas flow path, and the peripheral wall surface The filter medium is accommodated in the receiving space surrounded by the gas flow path, and the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path is caused to flow from one surface in the thickness direction toward the opposite surface to pass through the filter medium. and
A filling material filled in a gap between the outer surface of the filter medium housed in the receiving space and the peripheral wall surface closes the outer surface of the filter medium and closes the gap, so that the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path is configured to pass through the inside of the filter medium from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface ,
In the gap, the filler material is filled up to a midpoint in the length of the outer surface of the gap in the thickness direction, and the filter medium is compressed and deformed in the thickness direction to cover the entire area of the outer surface with the filler material. An oil separation device characterized in that, after being brought into contact with each other, the compression of the filter medium is released so that the entire outer surface is covered with the filling material . The oil separation device according to claim 1, wherein the filling material is a resin material. The oil separation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the filter medium is formed of glass wool. A method for manufacturing an oil separation device that separates mist-like oil contained in blowby gas when blowby gas in the crankcase of an engine flows into an intake system, the method comprising:
The oil separation device includes a gas flow path through which at least part of the blow-by gas passes, and a filter medium provided in the gas flow path to allow the blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass through and separate oil,
The filter medium is plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness and has a predetermined outer surface shape, and is used to separate oil mist by passing blow-by gas from one surface to the opposite surface in the thickness direction. a step of forming the
At least a portion of the gas flow path is formed to have a peripheral wall surface forming a receiving space corresponding to the predetermined outer surface shape of the filter medium, and at least a portion of the gas flow path is formed by the receiving space. step and
The filter medium is accommodated in the receiving space surrounded by the peripheral wall surface, so that blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path can flow from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface and pass through the filter medium. and a step of
filling a gap between the outer surface of the filter medium housed in the receiving space and the peripheral wall surface with a filler material;
Closing the outer surface of the filter medium and closing the gap with the filling material, allowing blow-by gas flowing through the gas flow path to pass through the inside of the filter medium from one surface in the thickness direction to the opposite surface; , has
In the step of filling the gap between the outer surface and the peripheral wall surface with the filler material, the filler material is filled in the gap to a position halfway in the thickness direction of the outer surface, and the filter medium is compressed in the thickness direction. A method for manufacturing an oil separation device , characterized in that the filter medium is decompressed to bring the entire outer surface into contact with the filling material, and then the filter medium is decompressed and the entire outer surface is closed with the filling material. .

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