Engine Crankcase Cover Oil Filter Arrangement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing internal combustion engine designs often have separate oil filters for lubrication and hydraulic systems, making maintenance difficult as they require access from different directions, which complicates the process and increases maintenance time.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a cover on the crankcase with oil filters attached to its outer side wall in an upward and downward juxtaposed relationship, allowing access from the same direction, and includes an oil reservoir and pumps positioned to reduce oil passage lengths and enhance maintenance accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate oil filters are attached to different locations on the engine main body, then each filter can be accessed independently, but maintenance becomes complicated and requires access from multiple directions
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple oil filters (lubrication system oil filter and hydraulic system oil filter) are merged and attached to the same cover, which is coupled to the crankcase. This allows all filters to be accessed from the same direction (front face of the engine main body), simplifying maintenance operations while reducing the complexity of accessing multiple separate locations.
2Ease of operation
If multiple oil filters are attached to the same cover, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but the cover size and engine main body size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with a three-dimensional structure where oil filters are arranged in different spatial positions (some on the outer side wall, some on the inner side wall). This dimensional arrangement allows multiple filters to be accessed from the front direction without significantly increasing the engine's external footprint, as filters are distributed across different depth planes rather than requiring lateral expansion.
3Adaptability or versatility
If oil filters are positioned far from the oil pump, then filter placement flexibility is improved, but oil passage length increases and system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with localized oil passages that connect the oil pump directly to the oil filters positioned on both the outer and inner side walls. This creates efficient local oil circulation paths, minimizing passage length and energy loss while maintaining the flexibility to position filters at optimal locations for maintenance accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
In an internal combustion engine for a vehicle wherein a crankshaft is supported for rotation on a crankcase and a speed change gear shaft which extends in parallel to the crankshaft and forms part of a transmission for changing the speed of rotational power from the crankshaft is supported for rotation on the crankcase such that it is disposed on one side of the crankshaft with a plurality of oil filters being mounted from the same direction to enhance the maintenance. A cover is coupled to a crankcase on one end side of a crankshaft in an axial direction, and a plurality of oil filters are attached to an outer side wall of the cover on the opposite side to a transmission with respect to the crankshaft and are disposed in an upwardly and downwardly juxtaposed relationship with each other.