internal combustion engine

Abstract

Internal combustion engine (1) for a vehicle, comprising a cylinder head (2), a crankcase (3), at least one oil pump (4) and an oil reservoir (5) arranged below the internal combustion engine, wherein a return line (6) is provided for returning lubricating oil from the cylinder head (2) and / or from the crankcase (3) to the oil reservoir (5), characterized in that two oil bulkheads (16) are arranged within the oil reservoir (5), which divide the oil reservoir (5) into a central area (21) and two outer areas (17), in each of which an air-oil separator (7) is positioned horizontally in a direction of travel (F) of the vehicle such that at least one drain opening (14) of the air-oil separator (7) remains open under all driving dynamic conditions.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an internal combustion engine according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] DE 101 39 709 A1 discloses an internal combustion engine with an oil pan. Two oil bulkheads are provided in the oil pan, dividing the oil pan into three sections. An air-oil separator is provided in each of the two lateral oil pan sections, which is connected to an oil return channel. The air-oil separators are arranged vertically in the oil pan, with their drain openings positioned in the immediate vicinity of the bottom area of ​​the oil pan.

[0003] Furthermore, DE 44 24 248 C1 describes an internal combustion engine with an oil pan in which two air-oil separators are arranged within the crankshaft housing. Each air-oil separator has a guide winch through which the air components are separated from the lubricating oil. The defoamed lubricating oil drains through a drain opening into a lower part of the crankshaft housing, wherein the drain opening is positioned well above the oil pan. Furthermore, DE 102 32 517 A1 discloses a device for separating lubricant-air mixtures, which is designed as a separating tube and is arranged horizontally and transversely to a vehicle longitudinal axis within the crankshaft housing. A disadvantage, however, is the oil drain opening arranged well above the oil pan. The defoamed oil can then become re-aerated as it drips into the oil pan.

[0004] DE 100 29 844 A1 discloses the subject matter of the preamble of claim 1.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying an arrangement of air-oil separators for an internal combustion engine with which improved defoaming of the lubricating oil flowing back into an oil collecting tank is achieved.

[0006] The internal combustion engine according to the invention is characterized by the fact that at least one air-oil separator is positioned horizontally within the oil collection tank. The direct arrangement of the air-oil separator within the oil collection tank allows for direct return of the lubricating oil to the oil collection tank, with the horizontal arrangement of the air-oil separator ensuring optimized defoaming and reliable return of the lubricating oil.

[0007] In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of air-oil separators are arranged horizontally within the oil collection tank in such a way that when the vehicle is cornering, braking and / or accelerating, at least one of the air-oil separators is at least partially above an oil level. The air-oil separators are preferably arranged in the direction of a vehicle's longitudinal axis, i.e., parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal axis. The invention is based on positioning the air-oil separators within the oil collection tank in an oil collection chamber, i.e., directly above an oil level and / or outside an oil extraction chamber. This means that the air component can be separated from the engine oil even under dynamic driving conditions of the vehicle, with one air-oil separator being positioned with its outlet opening above an oil level, at least partially, depending on the driving condition and thus depending on the position of the lubricating oil within the oil collection tank.

[0008] In a further embodiment of the invention, at least one of the air-oil separators is positioned in an outer region of the oil collection tank. This ensures that at least one air-oil separator is not caught or covered by an oil level that increases during dynamic driving conditions. Consequently, an oil drain opening of an air-oil separator is at least partially open during critical driving conditions in which the lubricating oil within the oil collection tank is concentrated, for example, in an outer region, ensuring that the defoamed lubricating oil can flow back into the oil collection tank.

[0009] In one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the air-oil separators is arranged in a direction of travel of the vehicle. The inventive positioning of the air-oil separators horizontally, in its longitudinal direction, in a direction of travel of the vehicle optimizes the escape of the separated air components from an oil-air mixture.

[0010] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one of the air-oil separators is arranged in a region of the oil collection tank, between which a partition wall is provided and a central region of the oil collection tank. The provision of a partition wall prevents a relatively high oil level from occurring in the lateral region of the oil collection tank. Therefore, the air-oil separator is not affected by the oil level during dynamic vehicle operation, even in critical situations.

[0011] Further features and combinations of features will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. They show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of the internal combustion engine according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the oil collecting tank in a transverse direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, Fig. 3 is a further sectional view of the oil collecting tank in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and Fig. 4 a top view of the oil collection container.

[0012] The Fig. 1, partially schematically illustrated, comprises at least one cylinder head 2 and a crankcase 3, with an oil reservoir 5 arranged beneath the crankcase 3. Specific consumption points within the internal combustion engine 1 are lubricated by a lubricating oil 12, which is supplied to the lubrication points by an oil pump 4 via oil channels (not shown). During operation of the internal combustion engine 1, the oil pump 4 draws the lubricating oil 12 from a central region in the oil reservoir 5 through a suction nozzle 18, which is distributed within the internal combustion engine 1 via corresponding oil lines. The internal combustion engine 1 is used in a vehicle (not shown) with a direction of travel F.

[0013] During operation of the internal combustion engine 1, the lubricating oil 12 is sucked in from the cylinder head 2 and from the crankcase 3 via an oil return line 6. The lubricating oil sucked in from the cylinder head 2 and / or crankcase 3 is fed by the oil pump 4 to at least one, preferably two, air-oil separators 7, in which the sucked-in lubricating oil 12 is defoamed. In the present exemplary embodiment, two air-oil separators 7 are provided for defoaming the lubricating oil 12, whereby additional air-oil separators 7 can be arranged within the oil collection container 5. The lubricating oil 12 sucked in by the oil pump 4 flows into a collecting channel 19 within the oil collection container 5 and is then distributed approximately equally between the two oil-air separators 7. This ensures that the lubricating oil 12 is distributed between both halves of the oil collection container 5.The two oil-air separators 7 are positioned on the outside right and left in the oil collection tank 5 in a horizontal arrangement such that at least one drain opening 14 of an air-oil separator 7 remains open under all driving dynamics conditions. In particular, when cornering and / or braking and accelerating the vehicle, the lubricating oil 12 within the oil collection tank 5 spills into a lateral, front, or rear area of ​​the oil collection tank 5, so that the oil level 9 of the lubricating oil within the oil collection tank constantly changes during vehicle operation. The inclined lines 8 represent, according to . Fig. 1 represents a state in which the lubricating oil 12 is concentrated laterally on the left or right side of the oil collecting tank 5. Here, one of the two air-oil separators 7 is covered with lubricating oil 12, while the other is not covered by the lubricating oil. The inclined lines 9a represent Fig. 3 represents a state in which the lubricating oil 12 is concentrated in the front or rear area of ​​the oil collecting container 5, for example when braking or accelerating the vehicle.

[0014] As in Fig. 3, at least one air-oil separator 7 is arranged in a longitudinal direction or in a direction of travel F of the vehicle, wherein the air-oil separator 7 is generally located above the oil level 9. The lubricating oil is returned through the air-oil separators 7 in the following manner. The lubricating oil 12 or oil-air mixture 11 sucked in from the cylinder head 2 or crankcase 3 is Fig.3 at least one or more air-oil separators 7 at an angle greater than 90° tangentially into the cylindrical air-oil separator 7, so that the air-oil mixture 11 is set in rotation as a result of being introduced into the cylindrical, hollow air-oil separator body 20. The oil-air mixture 11 is then defoamed, or the air components 10 are separated from the lubricating oil 12, so that the air components 10 from the oil-air mixture 11 can escape into the crankcase. The defoamed lubricating oil 12 runs off an inner wall of the cylindrical air-oil separator 7 and thus flows back from the drain opening 14 into the oil sump 15. The arrangement of several air-oil separators 7 within the oil collecting container 5 ensures that at least one drain opening 14 of an air-oil separator 7 is not covered by the oil level 9 or 8 in all driving conditions of the vehicle.Consequently, a reliable separation of lubricating oil 12 and air 10 is ensured in the oil-air separator 7. The lubricating oil 12 is then sucked in by a pressure stage of the oil pump 4 through a suction snorkel 18 of the oil pump 4 and distributed to the appropriate locations within the internal combustion engine 1.

[0015] By arranging several air-oil separators 7 within the oil collecting tank 5, an optimized defoaming of the lubricating oil 12 sucked in from the cylinder head 2 and from the crankcase 3 is achieved, whereby a return of the defoamed lubricating oil 12 to the oil collecting tank 5 is ensured under all driving dynamic conditions of the vehicle.

[0016] Preferably, two oil bulkheads 16 are arranged within the oil collection tank 5, which divide the oil collection tank 5 into three regions. According to the invention, an air-oil separator 7 is positioned horizontally in the direction of travel F of the vehicle in each of the two outer edge regions 17. According to the invention, the returned lubricating oil 12 is calmed in the edge regions of the oil collection tank 5. This is intended to prevent the oil pump 4 from sucking in uncalmed or incompletely defoamed lubricating oil 12 or air-oil mixture 11. The oil flows out of the edge regions through openings provided in the oil bulkheads. The lubricating oil 12 returned in the edge regions 17 can reach a central region 21 of the oil collection tank 5 via the openings when flaps (not shown) are open.In the central region 21 of the oil collecting tank 5, the lubricating oil 12 is sucked out through the suction snorkel 18 of the oil pump 4 and supplied to the corresponding lubrication points within the internal combustion engine 1.

Claims

[1] Internal combustion engine (1) for a vehicle, comprising a cylinder head (2), a crankcase (3), at least one oil pump (4) and an oil collecting tank (5) arranged below the internal combustion engine, wherein a return line (6) is provided for the return of lubricating oil from the cylinder head (2) and / or from the crankcase (3) into the oil collecting tank (5), characterized by that two oil bulkheads (16) are arranged within the oil collecting tank (5), which divide the oil collecting tank (5) into a central region (21) and two edge regions (17), in each of which an air-oil separator (7) is positioned horizontally in a direction of travel (F) of the vehicle in such a way that at least one drain opening (14) of the air-oil separator (7) remains open in all driving dynamics conditions. [2] Internal combustion engine (1) according to claim 1, characterized bythat a plurality of air-oil separators (7) are arranged horizontally within the oil collecting containers (5) in such a way that during dynamic driving conditions of the vehicle, such as cornering, braking and / or acceleration, at least one of the air-oil separators (7) or a drain opening (14) of the air-oil separator (7) is located, at least partially, above an oil level (8, 9). [3] Internal combustion engine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that at least one of the air-oil separators (7) is positioned in an outer region (17) of the oil collecting container (5). [4] Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a suction snorkel (18) of the oil pump (4) is provided within the central area (2) of the oil collecting container.

Images