Vehicle

Abstract

To suck up lubrication oil from a catch tank without using an oil circulation pump for sucking up oil in a vehicle in which a turbocharger is disposed below an engine.SOLUTION: A vehicle in an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a fuel pump anti-seizure flow path that connects an engine and a fuel pump and circulates lubrication oil to the sliding parts of the fuel pump through an orifice part, and a suction flow path that connects a catch tank and the orifice part and sucks up the lubrication oil stored in the catch tank. By an ejector action via negative pressure that is caused by passing of the lubrication oil, which is supplied from an oil pump to the fuel pump, through the orifice part, the lubrication oil is sucked up from the catch tank, and the lubrication oil joins the fuel pump anti-seizure flow path from the catch tank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle in which, for example, a turbocharger (supercharger) is arranged vertically below an engine. [Background technology]

[0002] Horizontally opposed engines are well known as engines installed in automobiles. In horizontally opposed engines, pistons are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides of the crankshaft and move back and forth, canceling out each other's inertial forces and achieving smooth driving with low vibration.

[0003] In such a horizontally opposed engine, for example, a turbocharger (supercharger) may be disposed directly below the engine. The turbocharger is supplied with lubricating oil stored in the engine's oil pan, thereby achieving smooth operation. As exemplified in Patent Document 1, the lubricating oil supplied to the turbocharger is stored in an oil catch tank (hereinafter also referred to as a "catch tank") due to its own weight and can be reused. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-197636 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, not only the above-mentioned patent documents but also the current technology has the following problems. In other words, if a layout is adopted in which the turbocharger is installed below the engine, the oil pan will be located vertically above the catch tank, which means that a separate oil circulation pump is required to suck up lubricating oil from the catch tank, increasing costs.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and aims to provide a vehicle in which the turbocharger is located below the engine, which is capable of sucking up lubricating oil from a catch tank while reducing costs without using an oil circulation pump for the above-mentioned suction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an engine, a fuel pump that supplies fuel to the engine, a turbocharger that is positioned lower than the engine in the direction of gravity and that compresses intake air that is supplied to the engine, an oil pump that supplies lubricating oil to the engine, the fuel pump, and the turbocharger, respectively, a catch tank that is positioned lower than the turbocharger in the direction of gravity and that stores the lubricating oil discharged from the turbocharger, a fuel pump seizure prevention flow path that connects the engine and the fuel pump and includes an orifice portion with a reduced flow path cross-sectional area through which the lubricating oil flows and supplies the lubricating oil to the fuel pump, and a suction flow path that connects the catch tank and the orifice portion and suctions up the lubricating oil stored in the catch tank, wherein the lubricating oil that is supplied from the oil pump to the fuel pump passes through the orifice, causing an ejector action via negative pressure that is generated when the lubricating oil is suctioned up from the catch tank and the lubricating oil joins the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path from the catch tank. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the vehicle disclosed herein, the lubricating oil is sucked up from the catch tank by an ejector action caused by negative pressure generated when the lubricating oil supplied to the fuel pump passes through the orifice, which makes it possible to suck up the lubricating oil from the catch tank without using an oil circulation pump and while reducing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing the main parts of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention and a portion of the state of circulation of lubricating oil around the engine. [Figure 2] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an orifice portion provided in a fuel pump seizure prevention flow path in the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 3] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams for comparing the flow patterns of lubricating oil sucked up from a catch tank in the vehicle of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described. Note that illustrations of elements and structures not directly related to the present disclosure may be omitted as appropriate. Therefore, engine and vehicle structures other than those described in detail below may be implemented by appropriately supplementing them with, for example, the above-mentioned patent documents, known horizontally opposed engine structures, or other known structures.

[0011] [Vehicle 100] FIG. 1 partially illustrates the configuration of the engine and its surroundings in a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 of this embodiment is configured to include at least an engine 11, a fuel pump 12, a turbocharger 13, an oil pump 14, a catch tank 15, a fuel pump seizure prevention passage 17, and a suction passage 18.

[0012] Although an all-wheel drive (AWD) automobile equipped with a horizontally opposed engine 11 is a suitable example of vehicle 100, vehicle 100 of the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. In other words, the engine that can be installed in vehicle 100 is not limited to a horizontally opposed engine as long as turbocharger 13 is disposed below oil pan 19 of engine 11, and may be other known engines such as a V-engine or a diesel engine.

[0013] Vehicle 100 suitable for the present disclosure may be a hybrid vehicle equipped with both engine 11 and a known secondary battery, or may be a two-wheeled vehicle. The drive system of vehicle 100 may be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive.

[0014] The engine 11 is a known internal combustion engine that is mounted on the vehicle 100 and generates the power required to drive the vehicle 100. The engine 11 of this embodiment is provided at its bottom with a known oil pan 19 in which lubricating oil (engine oil) that falls naturally and is supplied to each sliding part in the engine is stored. As shown in Fig. 1, the engine 11 takes in air (oxygen) through a known intake pipe, and exhaust gas that has been used as fuel in the engine 11 is discharged through a known exhaust pipe.

[0015] The fuel pump 12 is configured to have the function of supplying fuel to the engine 11 via, for example, a known fuel supply passage 23. Various known fuel pumps such as those exemplified in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-036529 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-154288 may be used as the fuel pump 12. As will be described later, a portion of the lubricating oil stored in an oil pan 19 is supplied to the fuel pump 12, thereby ensuring lubrication and cooling of the pump mechanism.

[0016] The turbocharger 13 as a supercharger is disposed lower in the direction of gravity than the engine 11 and has the function of compressing intake air supplied to the engine 11. Note that, similar to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the turbocharger 13 of this embodiment is disposed lower in the direction of gravity than an oil pan 19 that is provided at the bottom of the engine 11 and stores lubricating oil.

[0017] As an example, the turbocharger 13 of this embodiment includes a turbine housing connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine 11, a turbine wheel housed in the turbine housing, a compressor housing connected to the intake pipe of the engine 11, the compressor wheel housed in the compressor housing, a bearing housing, a connecting shaft housed in the bearing housing and connecting the turbine wheel and the compressor wheel, and a bearing for the connecting shaft. Note that the housings (the turbine housing, the compressor housing, and the bearing housing) may be connected to each other and integrated. For example, a known turbocharger structure such as that exemplified in JP 2019-052544 A can be used as appropriate for such a turbocharger 13.

[0018] In the turbocharger 13 configured as described above, the connecting shaft rotates at high speed during supercharging, so it is necessary to lubricate and cool the connecting shaft, bearings, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the engine 11 and turbocharger 13 are connected by an oil supply passage 21, and lubricating oil sucked up from an oil pan 19 by an oil pump 14 (described later) is supplied to the connecting shaft and bearings via this oil supply passage 21.

[0019] The oil pump 14 is configured to have the function of supplying lubricating oil to the engine 11, the fuel pump 12, the turbocharger 13, etc. As such an oil pump 14, various known oil supply devices capable of supplying the required lubricating oil to each of the engine, the fuel pump, etc. may be applied, as exemplified, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-142980 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-067061.

[0020] Catch tank 15 is arranged below turbocharger 13 in the direction of gravity (vertically below), and is configured to have the function of storing lubricating oil that is supplied to turbocharger 13 and then discharged from turbocharger 13. In this embodiment, turbocharger 13 is arranged vertically below engine 11, and lubricating oil that flows into turbocharger 13 from engine 11 via oil supply passage 21 flows through a flow path in the bearing housing to lubricate the connecting shaft, bearings, etc., and then flows down into catch tank 15 described above.

[0021] 1 to 3, the vehicle 100 of this embodiment is also characterized in that it is not equipped with a scavenge pump for sucking up lubricating oil from the catch tank 15. That is, in this embodiment, the lubricating oil is sucked up from the catch tank 15 via the suction flow path 18 by the ejector action described next, without using a pump mechanism such as a scavenge pump.

[0022] That is, the vehicle 100 of this embodiment is provided with a fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 that connects the engine 11 and the fuel pump 12. As shown in Fig. 1, the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 is a known flow path that connects the fuel pump 12 and the oil pump 14, and lubricating oil flows through this flow path. The fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 is provided with an orifice portion 16 as shown in Fig. 2. The orifice portion 16 may be provided in the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 for the purpose of, for example, increasing the flow rate of the lubricating oil flowing through the flow path or restricting the amount of oil supplied.

[0023] As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the orifice portion 16 of this embodiment is configured to include a main flow path 16a through which lubricating oil from the oil pump 14 flows, a throttling portion 16b where the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​this main flow path 16a is narrowed, a negative pressure generation region 16c where negative pressure is generated downstream of this throttling portion 16b, and a flow path junction portion 16d where the suction flow path 18 is connected to this negative pressure generation region 16c.

[0024] As described above, the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 of this embodiment is provided with the orifice portion 16 having a reduced cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path through which the lubricating oil flows, and is configured to have the function of supplying the lubricating oil to the fuel pump 12. Note that a known filter FT may be provided in the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17. By providing the above-mentioned filter FT in the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17, foreign matter and the like can be removed from the lubricating oil, and the lubricating oil can be maintained in a clean state.

[0025] The lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 19 can flow into the fuel pump seizure prevention passage 17 via the oil pump 14. The flow rate of the lubricating oil that flows into the fuel pump seizure prevention passage 17 increases as it passes through the orifice portion 16, and the lubricating oil can be efficiently supplied to sliding parts (not shown) inside the fuel pump 12. After being supplied to the sliding parts of the fuel pump 12, the lubricating oil that flows into the fuel pump seizure prevention passage 17 finally flows back to the oil pan 19 via, for example, a known return passage 22.

[0026] 1 to 3, the vehicle 100 of this embodiment is provided with a suction passage 18 that connects the catch tank 15 with an orifice portion 16, which will be described later. The suction passage 18 is configured to have the function of sucking up the lubricating oil stored in the catch tank 15 by the ejector action described above.

[0027] <Sucking up of lubricating oil using the ejector action of the orifice portion 16> Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation of sucking up lubricating oil from the catch tank 15 using the ejector action of the orifice portion 16 in this embodiment will be described.

[0028] As shown in the figure, the catch tank 15 of this embodiment is connected to an orifice portion 16 in a fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 via a suction flow path 18. As shown in Fig. 2, the lubricating oil flowing through the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17 by the oil pump 14 passes through a throttle portion 16b in the orifice portion 16, whereby the flow rate increases and the oil is sent from the main flow path 16a to the sliding portion inside the fuel pump 12. At this time, a negative pressure generation region 16c is formed around the throttle portion 16b by the lubricating oil passing through.

[0029] In this embodiment, a flow path junction 16d to which the suction flow path 18 is connected is provided so as to face the above-mentioned negative pressure generating region 16c. Therefore, the lubricating oil stored in the catch tank 15 is sucked up from the catch tank 15 via the suction flow path 18 and flows into the flow path junction 16d due to the negative pressure generated by the lubricating oil passing through the throttle portion 16b in the orifice portion 16. The lubricating oil that has flowed into the flow path junction 16d merges with the lubricating oil that has been delivered from the main flow path 16a at an increased flow rate, and flows into the sliding parts of the fuel pump 12, etc.

[0030] In this embodiment, the lubricating oil supplied from the oil pump 14 to the fuel pump 12 passes through the orifice portion 16, and the negative pressure generates an ejector action that sucks up the lubricating oil from the catch tank 15, causing the lubricating oil to merge with the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path 17.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle of this embodiment described above can suck up lubricating oil by the ejector action without using an additional pump mechanism such as a scavenge pump. This allows the lubricating oil to be circulated while reducing costs. Furthermore, by simultaneously supplying lubricating oil from the catch tank 15 to the fuel pump 12, which requires lubrication and cooling, it is possible to reduce the amount of lubricating oil supplied from the oil pump 14 to the fuel pump 12 and increase the amount of lubricating oil supplied to other parts that require it (such as rotating parts and sliding parts of the engine 11).

[0032] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure may attempt further modifications to these embodiments and variations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these modifications also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 11: engine, 12: fuel pump, 13: turbocharger, 14: oil pump, 15: catch tank, 16: orifice, 17: fuel pump seizure prevention passage, 18: suction passage, 19: oil pan, 21: oil supply passage, 22: return passage, 23: fuel supply passage, 100: vehicle

Claims

1. The engine and a fuel pump for supplying fuel to the engine; a turbocharger disposed below the engine in a gravitational direction and configured to compress intake air supplied to the engine; an oil pump that supplies lubricating oil to the engine, the fuel pump, and the turbocharger, respectively; a catch tank disposed below the turbocharger in a gravitational direction and configured to store the lubricating oil discharged from the turbocharger; a fuel pump seizure prevention flow path that connects the engine and the fuel pump, includes an orifice portion having a reduced cross-sectional area through which the lubricating oil flows, and supplies the lubricating oil to the fuel pump; a suction flow path that connects the catch tank and the orifice portion and suctions up the lubricating oil stored in the catch tank, A vehicle in which the lubricating oil supplied from the oil pump to the fuel pump passes through the orifice portion, causing an ejector action via negative pressure, whereby the lubricating oil is sucked up from the catch tank and merges with the fuel pump seizure prevention flow path from the catch tank.

2. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the turbocharger is disposed lower in the direction of gravity than an oil pan provided at the bottom of the engine.

3. The orifice portion is a main flow path through which lubricating oil from the oil pump flows; a throttle portion where a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the main flow path is throttled; a negative pressure generating region where negative pressure is generated downstream of the throttle portion; a flow path junction at which the suction flow path is connected to the negative pressure generating region; 3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

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