Engine

Abstract

To provide an engine capable of securing discharge performance of oil from an oil separator.SOLUTION: An engine includes an oil separator which separates oil from blow-by gas and collects the separated oil, and a pump which returns the oil collected in the oil separator to an oil pan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an engine equipped with an oil separator that separates oil from blow-by gas (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-181779 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the oil separated in the oil separator is not discharged smoothly, the oil in the oil separator may be stirred up by the blow-by gas and carried to the engine's intake system, which may increase oil consumption and cause the oil hammer phenomenon.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an engine in which the discharge of oil from an oil separator is ensured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object can be achieved by an engine including an oil separator that separates oil from blow-by gas and stores the separated oil, and a pump that returns the oil stored in the oil separator to an oil pan. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an engine in which the dischargeability of oil from the oil separator is ensured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an oil separator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Engine outline] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an engine 1. The engine 1 is a V-type engine. The engine 1 has a pair of banks 2L and 2R protruding in a V-shape from the upper part of a cylinder block 6. The engine 1 is mounted on, for example, a vehicle. The bank 2L includes a cylinder head 5L and a head cover 4L. Similarly, the bank 2R includes a cylinder head 5R and a head cover 4R. The cylinder heads 5L and 5R are disposed on the upper part of the cylinder block 6. The head cover 4L is disposed on the upper part of the cylinder head 5L. Similarly, the head cover 4R is disposed on the upper part of the cylinder head 5R.

[0010] A plurality of cylinders are provided in each of the banks 2L and 2R in the cylinder block 6. A piston is provided in each cylinder. Each piston is connected to a crankshaft 8 so as to transmit power. A ladder frame 7 is attached to the lower side of the cylinder block 6. The crankshaft 8 is rotatably supported by the cylinder block 6 and the ladder frame 7. A crank chamber 6a that houses the crankshaft 8 is defined inside the cylinder block 6 and the ladder frame 7. An oil pan 9 that stores oil for lubrication is attached to the lower side of the ladder frame 7. The oil stored in the oil pan 9 is supplied to each sliding part of the engine 1 by a pump (not shown). The oil used for lubrication finally flows down to the oil pan 9.

[0011] [Outline of oil separator configuration] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the oil separator 10R. FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the oil separator 10R. The oil separator 10R is integrally formed on the upper surface 4Ra of the head cover 4R. The oil separator 10R includes a housing 11 provided on the upper surface 4Ra of the head cover 4R. The housing 11 is formed with an inlet 12a and an outlet 12b. The outlet 12b is located above the inlet 12a in the direction of gravity. A blow-by gas supply pipe 22 is connected to the housing 11. The blow-by gas supply pipe 22 is connected to the housing 11 at a position above the inlet 12a in the direction of gravity.

[0012] The blow-by gas is introduced into the housing 11 from the crank chamber 6a through the inlet 12a. As the blow-by gas flows through the housing 11, it collides with the inner wall surface of the housing 11. As a result, the oil contained in the blow-by gas is captured on the inner wall surface. In this way, the oil is separated from the blow-by gas in the housing 11. The blow-by gas from which the oil has been separated is supplied to the intake system of the engine 1, for example, a surge tank, through the blow-by gas supply pipe 22. The oil adhering to the inner wall surface of the housing 11 flows down due to the vibration of the engine 1 and the action of gravity, and accumulates in the lower part of the housing 11. The oil accumulated in the housing 11 flows from the outlet 12b through oil passages formed in the cylinder head 5R and the cylinder block 6 due to its own weight to the oil pan 9.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the discharge pipe 24 is connected to the lower part of the housing 11. More specifically, one end of the discharge pipe 24 is connected to a portion of the housing 11 where oil accumulates. The other end of the discharge pipe 24 is connected to a scavenging pump 40. A switching valve 30 is provided in the discharge pipe 24. A communication pipe 44 that communicates with the oil pan 9 is connected to the scavenging pump 40. The scavenging pump 40 is provided to transport oil accumulated in, for example, a cam chamber (not shown) to the oil pan 9 via the communication pipe 44. The scavenging pump 40 is a mechanical pump that is driven in conjunction with the rotation of the crankshaft 8. Therefore, the scavenging pump 40 is constantly driven while the engine 1 is running.

[0014] The opening and closing control of the switching valve 30 is performed by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50. The ECU 50 is mainly composed of a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and other volatile and non-volatile memories. The ECU 50 realizes various control processes related to the engine 1.

[0015] The ECU 50 opens the switching valve 30 at a predetermined timing. This allows the oil accumulated in the housing 11 to be forcibly transported to the oil pan 9 by the scavenging pump 40. In this way, the oil separator 10R is ensured to be able to discharge. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of oil consumed and also to prevent the occurrence of the oil hammer phenomenon.

[0016] Here, in order to ensure the oil discharge from the oil separator 10R, for example, it is possible to enlarge the discharge port 12b. However, if the discharge port 12b is enlarged, there is a risk that blow-by gas will flow into the housing 11 from the discharge port 12b. This may reduce the flow rate of the blow-by gas passing through the housing 11, and the oil may not be sufficiently separated from the blow-by gas. In addition, there is a risk that ventilation in the crank chamber 6a may become insufficient. As described above, in this embodiment, the oil accumulated in the housing 11 is forcibly conveyed to the oil pan 9 by the scavenging pump 40. This makes it possible to ensure the oil discharge from the oil separator 10R without enlarging the discharge port 12b.

[0017] A configuration similar to the oil separator 10R described above is also formed on the head cover 4L side. In this case, the scavenging pump 40 may be shared with the oil separator on the head cover 4L side. Also, such an oil separator may be provided on only one of the head covers 4L and 4R.

[0018] In addition, the oil separator is not limited to being formed in the cylinder head. For example, the oil separator may be formed in the cylinder block. In addition, the engine is not limited to being a V-type engine, and may be an in-line engine.

[0019] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 1 Engine 10R Oil Separator 40 Scavenging Pump (Pump)

Claims

[Claim 1] An oil separator that separates oil from the blow-by gas and stores the separated oil; and a pump that returns the oil accumulated in the oil separator to an oil pan.

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