Oil strainer for engine

Abstract

To remove foreign matter from a mesh of an oil strainer.SOLUTION: An oil strainer for an engine includes a pipe having an inlet arranged in an oil pan and connected to a pump for pumping up oil from the oil pan, and a mesh for removing foreign matter from the oil. The pipe includes a through hole positioned above the mesh, and the through hole is positioned below an oil level of the oil in the oil pan when operation of the pump is stopped. The pipe is provided with a valve which closes the through hole when the through hole is above the oil level and opens the through hole when the through hole is below the oil level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] An oil strainer removes foreign matter from oil, and some oil strainers include a mesh for removing foreign matter contained in the oil (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-156359 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, if the oil contains a lot of foreign matter, the mesh may become clogged with the foreign matter.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an oil strainer for an engine that can remove foreign matter from the mesh. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An oil strainer for an engine according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a pipe including an intake port disposed within the oil pan and connected to a pump for pumping oil from the oil pan; a mesh for removing foreign matter from the oil; Equipped with the piping includes a through-hole located above the mesh, the through hole is located below the oil level in the oil pan when the pump is not operating, The piping is provided with a valve that closes the through hole when the through hole is located above the oil level and opens the through hole when the through hole is located below the oil level. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, foreign matter can be removed from the mesh of the oil strainer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an oil strainer according to an embodiment when a pump is not operating. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the oil strainer according to the embodiment when the pump is operating. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the oil strainer according to the embodiment during oil change. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in these embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an oil strainer 4 according to an embodiment when a pump 3 is not operating. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an oil strainer 4 according to an embodiment when a pump 3 is operating. Referring to Fig. 1, for example, in this embodiment, the oil strainer 4 is applied to an engine 1 of a vehicle 100. For example, the vehicle 100 is an automobile equipped with an engine 1, such as a gasoline automobile, a diesel automobile, an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). For example, the engine 1 may be a gasoline engine or a diesel engine.

[0011] For example, the vehicle 100 includes an engine 1, an oil pan 2, a pump 3, and an oil strainer 4. The vehicle 100 may include other components not shown.

[0012] The engine 1 burns fuel such as gasoline or diesel.

[0013] The oil pan 2 stores oil L. The oil pan 2 is circulatoryly connected to the engine 1. FIG. 1 shows the oil level S of the oil L in the oil pan 2 when the pump 3 is stopped, i.e., when the engine 1 is stopped. FIG. 2 shows the oil level S when the pump 3 is operating continuously, i.e., when the engine 1 is running. When the pump 3 starts operating, the pump 3 pumps up some of the oil L in the oil pan 2, and the height of the oil level S of the oil L decreases. Therefore, the oil level S of the oil L when the pump 3 is operating is lower than the oil level S of the oil L when the pump 3 is stopped.

[0014] 1, the oil pan 2 includes a drain port 21 for removing the oil L from the oil pan 2. For example, the drain port 21 is provided in the bottom of the oil pan 2. The drain port 21 is closed by a plug 22 such as a drain bolt. For example, when changing the oil, the plug 22 is removed from the drain port 21, and the oil L in the oil pan 2 is drained from the drain port 21.

[0015] The pump 3 draws up oil L from the oil pan 2 through the oil strainer 4 and sends the oil L to the engine 1. The oil L cools and lubricates the engine 1. The oil L also removes foreign matter such as sludge generated by combustion from the engine 1. The oil L returns from the engine 1 to the oil pan 2 via a flow path (not shown).

[0016] The oil strainer 4 removes foreign matter such as sludge from the oil L before the oil L is supplied to the engine 1. For example, the oil strainer 4 includes a pipe 41, a mesh 42, and a valve 43. The oil strainer 4 may further include other components (not shown), such as a filter.

[0017] The pipe 41 fluidly connects the pump 3 to the oil pan 2. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the valve 43 slides on the outer surface 41a of the pipe 41 along the axis of the pipe 41 due to the buoyancy of the valve 43. Therefore, in this embodiment, at least the section of the pipe 41 along which the valve 43 slides extends parallel to the vertical direction. In this disclosure, the axis of the pipe 41 may also be simply referred to as the "axis" unless otherwise specified.

[0018] The pipe 41 includes an intake port 44 disposed in the oil pan 2. The oil L is pumped into the pipe 41 from the intake port 44.

[0019] The piping 41 includes at least one through hole 45. In the present embodiment, the piping 41 includes two through holes 45. The number of through holes 45 is not limited to two and may be one, or three or more. The through hole 45 connects the inside of the piping 41 to the outside. The through hole 45 is located above the mesh 42. In other words, the through hole 45 is located downstream of the mesh 42 in the flow of oil L flowing from the oil pan 2 to the engine 1. For example, the through hole may have a circular, elliptical, or polygonal shape. In the present embodiment, the through hole 45 has a circular shape. For example, the through hole 45 has an inner diameter that is the same as or approximately the same as the inner diameter of the piping 41 at the position where the through hole 45 is provided. The inner diameter of the through hole 45 is not limited to this.

[0020] The position of through-hole 45 is determined so that through-hole 45 is located below oil level S when pump 3 is not operating. Also, referring to FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the position of through-hole 45 is determined so that through-hole 45 is located above oil level S when pump 3 is operating. For example, the position of through-hole 45 may be determined so that through-hole 45 is blocked by valve 43 floating on oil level S when pump 3 is operating (this will be described in detail later). In other embodiments, through-hole 45 may be located below oil level S when pump 3 is operating.

[0021] The mesh 42 is attached to the pipe 41. In this embodiment, the mesh 42 is disposed at the suction port 44. For example, the mesh 42 is configured to remove relatively large foreign matter such as sludge from the oil L. The mesh 42 removes the foreign matter from the oil L when the oil L is pumped into the pipe 41. Therefore, the foreign matter is captured by the lower surface of the mesh 42. Some of the captured foreign matter remains on the lower surface of the mesh 42.

[0022] The valve 43 is configured to close the through-hole 45 when the pump 3 is operating (see FIG. 2) and to open the through-hole 45 when the pump 3 is not operating (see FIG. 1). For example, the valve 43 includes a valve body 46 and a float 47.

[0023] For example, the valve body 46 includes a cover 46a and a flange 46b.

[0024] The cover 46a is slidably fitted around the outer surface 41a of the pipe 41. The cover 46a is fitted liquid-tightly to the outer surface 41a. The cover 46a is configured to slide on the outer surface 41a along the axis, i.e., along the vertical direction.

[0025] For example, in a cross section perpendicular to the axis, the pipe 41 and the cover 46a have a circular shape, and the cover 46a is disposed concentrically with the pipe 41. In this embodiment, the cover 46a has a cylindrical shape. The cross-sectional shapes of the pipe 41 and the cover 46a are not limited to a circular shape and may be other shapes such as an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape. A seal (not shown), such as an O-ring, may be disposed between the cover 46a and the outer surface 41a.

[0026] For example, the height of the cover 46a, that is, the length along the axis, is longer than the length along the axis of the through-hole 45. Therefore, the cover 46a can close the through-hole 45.

[0027] For example, the flange 46b protrudes radially outward from the cover 46a. In this embodiment, the flange 46b protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the cover 46a. For example, the flange 46b has an annular shape. For example, the cover 46a and the flange 46b may be formed integrally with each other. Alternatively, the flange 46b may be formed separately from the cover 46a and fixed to the cover 46a by welding, bolts, fitting, or the like.

[0028] The float 47 is disposed around the outer surface 41a of the pipe 41 and is configured to float on the oil level S. The float 47 is configured to move the cover 46a along its axis in response to changes in the height of the oil level S. For example, the float 47 is fixed to at least one of the outer surface of the cover 46a and the lower surface of the flange 46b. For example, the float 47 may have an annular shape and may be fitted to the outer surface of the cover 46a. The shape of the float 47 is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the float 47 pushes up the lower surface of the flange 46b by its buoyancy.

[0029] For example, the valve body 46 is formed of a material that is corrosion-resistant to the oil L and heat-resistant to the high-temperature oil L returned from the engine 1. For example, the valve body 46 may be formed of a metal such as stainless steel.

[0030] For example, the float 47 is formed of a material that is corrosion-resistant to the oil L and heat-resistant to the high-temperature oil L returned from the engine 1. Furthermore, for example, the float 47 may be formed of a material that has a density lower than the density of the material of the valve body 46. For example, the float 47 may be formed of polypropylene foam.

[0031] Next, the operation of the oil strainer 4 will be described.

[0032] 1, while the pump 3 is stopped, the oil level S of the oil L is located above the through-hole 45. Therefore, the valve 43 is located above the through-hole 45, and the through-hole 45 is opened.

[0033] When the pump 3 starts operating, the oil L in the oil pan 2 is pumped into the pipe 41 from both the intake port 44 and the through-hole 45 and sent to the engine 1. As the pump 3 sends the oil L to the engine 1, the height of the oil level S of the oil L in the oil pan 2 decreases.

[0034] 2, as the height of oil level S decreases, through-hole 45 appears above oil level S. However, as the height of oil level S decreases, valve 43 also moves downward, closing through-hole 45. This prevents air from being sucked into pipe 41 through through-hole 45. With this configuration, pump 3 can normally pump oil L from suction port 44 even after the height of oil level S decreases below the upper end of through-hole 45.

[0035] Next, the replacement of the oil L will be described.

[0036] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the oil strainer 4 according to this embodiment during an oil change. When changing the oil, the plug 22 is removed from the outlet 21, and the oil L in the oil pan 2 is drained from the outlet 21. Within the oil pan 2, a flow F1 of oil L is generated, flowing from the outside of the pipe 41 toward the outlet 21.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a through hole 45 is formed in the pipe 41. Therefore, a flow F2 of oil L is generated in the oil pan 2, flowing from the outside of the pipe 41 through the through hole 45, the inside of the pipe 41, the intake port 44, and the mesh 42 toward the outlet 21. That is, during an oil change, a portion of the oil L flows back through the pipe 41. As the flow F2 passes through the mesh 42, the flow F2 removes at least a portion of the foreign matter remaining on the underside of the mesh 42. The foreign matter removed from the mesh 42 flows out from the outlet 21 together with the oil L. Therefore, the foreign matter can be removed from the mesh 42 every time the oil is changed.

[0038] The oil strainer 4 as described above includes an intake port 44 disposed in the oil pan 2, a pipe 41 connected to the pump 3 for pumping oil L from the oil pan 2, and a mesh 42 for removing foreign matter from the oil L. The pipe 41 includes a through-hole 45 located above the mesh 42. The through-hole 45 is located below the oil level S of the oil L in the oil pan 2 when the pump 3 is not operating. The pipe 41 is provided with a valve 43 that closes the through-hole 45 when the through-hole 45 is located above the oil level S and opens the through-hole 45 when the through-hole 45 is located below the oil level S. With this configuration, when the plug 22 is removed from the oil pan 2 during an oil change, a flow F2 of oil L is generated in the oil pan 2, flowing from the outside of the pipe 41 through the through-hole 45, the inside of the pipe 41, the intake port 44, and the mesh 42 toward the discharge port 21. As flow F2 passes through mesh 42, flow F2 removes at least some of the foreign matter remaining on the underside of mesh 42. Therefore, foreign matter can be removed from mesh 42 every time oil is changed. Furthermore, with this configuration, even if through-hole 45 is positioned above oil level S while pump 3 is operating, valve 43 closes through-hole 45. This prevents air from being sucked into pipe 41 through through-hole 45, and allows pump 3 to normally pump oil L from suction port 44.

[0039] Furthermore, in the oil strainer 4 according to the embodiment, the valve 43 includes a float 47 that is disposed around the outer surface 41a of the pipe 41 and floats on the oil level S, and the float 47 moves the valve 43 in response to changes in the height of the oil level S. With this configuration, the through-hole 45 can be automatically opened and closed in response to changes in the height of the oil level S with a simple mechanical configuration.

[0040] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0041] For example, a mesh (not shown) may be provided in the through-hole 45. In this case, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the pipe 41 through the through-hole 45.

[0042] Furthermore, for example, the pipe 41 may be provided with a stopper (not shown) for preventing the upper end of the cover 46a from moving below the upper end of the through-hole 45. In this case, for example, if the height of the oil level S drops below an intended range while the pump 3 is operating, the through-hole 45 can be prevented from moving beyond the upper end of the cover 46a and being exposed in the space above the oil level S.

[0043] Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the valve 43 includes the valve element 46 and the float 47. However, the configuration of the valve 43 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in other embodiments, the valve 43 may include only one of the valve element 46 and the float 47, as long as the valve 43 can open and close the through-hole 45 in response to changes in the height of the oil level S. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 engine 2 Oil pan 3. Pump 4 oil strainers 41 Piping 41a Outer surface of piping 42 mesh 43 Valve 44 Intake port 45 through holes 47 Float L Oil S oil level

Claims

1. a pipe including an intake port disposed within the oil pan and connected to a pump for pumping oil from the oil pan; a mesh for removing foreign matter from the oil; Equipped with the piping includes a through-hole located above the mesh, the through hole is located below the oil level in the oil pan when the pump is not operating, The piping is provided with a valve that closes the through hole when the through hole is located above the oil level and opens the through hole when the through hole is located below the oil level. Oil strainer for engine.

2. the valve includes a float disposed around an outer surface of the piping and floating on the oil surface; The float moves the valve in response to changes in the oil level.

2. The oil strainer for an engine according to claim 1.

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