Engine Lubricant Pumping Apparatus for Extreme Attitude Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal combustion engines in machines that adopt extreme attitudes, such as skid steer type loading machines, face lubricant starvation due to lubricant pooling away from the pump inlet, leading to premature engine wear and potential catastrophic failure.
Innovation Solution
A lubricant pumping apparatus with a pump housing featuring main and auxiliary pumping chambers, driven simultaneously, and a control valve that switches between a main inlet and an auxiliary inlet based on the engine's attitude to ensure continuous lubricant supply to working components, using a main pump for normal orientations and an auxiliary pump for extreme attitudes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single pump inlet is used at a regular location in the lubricant reservoir, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates when the engine is at extreme attitudes causing lubricant starvation
Solution Approach 1:
The single pump inlet is segmented into two separate inlets: a main inlet positioned at a regular location in the lubricant reservoir for normal operating conditions, and an auxiliary inlet positioned at an alternative location to access lubricant when the engine is at extreme attitudes. This segmentation allows the pump to reliably draw lubricant regardless of engine orientation without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of inlet position based on engine attitude. By providing multiple inlets at different locations and using a control valve to switch between them, the system adapts to different operating conditions (normal vs. extreme attitudes) to maintain continuous lubricant supply.
2Device complexity
If only a main pump is used for lubricant delivery, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates when lubricant pools away from the main pump inlet at extreme attitudes
Solution Approach 1:
The single pump is segmented into two separate pumping systems: a main pump for normal operating conditions and an auxiliary pump for extreme attitude conditions. Each pump has its own inlet positioned to access lubricant in different locations within the reservoir, ensuring that at least one pump can always draw lubricant regardless of engine orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary pump is prepared in advance with its inlet positioned to access lubricant when it pools away from the main inlet. The control valve system is pre-configured to switch between pumps based on detected engine attitude, ensuring continuous lubricant supply without interruption when transitioning between normal and extreme operating conditions.
3Reliability
If a control valve switches between main and auxiliary pumps based on engine attitude, then the reliability of lubricant supply is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve system uses feedback from engine attitude detection to automatically switch between the main and auxiliary pumps. When the engine is detected to be at an extreme attitude, the control valve redirects lubricant flow from the main pump to the auxiliary pump, and vice versa when in normal operating conditions. This automated feedback control maintains reliable lubricant supply without requiring manual intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures uninterrupted lubrication to engine components even at extreme attitudes, preventing lubricant starvation and potential engine failure by utilizing an auxiliary pump when the main pump is unable to draw lubricant from the sump.
Implementation Method 1
a main pump which draws the lubricant from the sump and delivers it under pressure to lubricate the working components of the engine
Implementation Method 2
an auxiliary pump which draws the lubricant from an alternative location and delivers it under pressure to lubricate the working components
Implementation Method 3
the engine including a reservoir for lubricant to which the lubricant returns after use, under gravity
Implementation Method 4
a control valve which switches between the main and auxiliary pump outlets depending on the attitude of the engine
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 4
AI summary
A method is disclosed of providing a supply of lubricant to working components (22) of an engine (20), the engine including a reservoir (25) for lubricant to which the lubricant returns after use, under gravity, at least when the engine (20) is in a normal operating orientation, the method utilising a pumping apparatus (24) including a pump housing (34) having main and auxiliary pumping chambers (56), a main pumping device (30a, 30b) which together with the main pumping chamber provides a main pump (30), and an auxiliary pumping device (32a, 32b) which together with the auxiliary pumping chamber provides an auxiliary pump (32), the main and auxiliary pumps (30, 31) being driven simultaneously, and the pumping apparatus (24) further including a main inlet (26) extending from a regular location in the lubricant reservoir (25) to the main pumping chamber and an auxiliary inlet (33) which extends from an alternative location to which lubricant may pass in the event that the engine is at an extreme attitude, to the auxiliary pumping chamber, and a control valve (40) including a valve member (71), the method including moving the valve member (71) between a first position in which lubricant pumped from the regular location (26) by the main pump (30) is delivered to a pumping apparatus outlet (27) for supply to the working components (22) of the engine (20) when the engine (20) is in a normal operating orientation, and a second position in which lubricant pumped from the alternative location (33) by the auxiliary pump (32) is delivered to the pumping apparatus outlet (27) when the engine (20) is at an extreme attitude.