Engine Pump Assembly Housing to Reduce Oil Aeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex arrangement and alignment of oil and vacuum pumps driven by a shared mechanism pose challenges for packaging in compact vehicles, leading to issues such as oil aeration and reduced engine performance due to the shared drive mechanism's interaction with the oil in the engine compartment.
Innovation Solution
A pump assembly for internal combustion engines where the drive mechanism, oil pump, and vacuum pump are positioned with a housing between them to restrict oil flow and reduce aeration, using a gear mechanism or crankshaft-driven configuration to enclose the drive mechanism and prevent oil from entering the housing, thereby minimizing oil aeration and improving engine performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the drive mechanism, oil pump and vacuum pump are arranged in a shared configuration, then device complexity is reduced, but oil aeration increases and engine performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a first portion enclosing the drive mechanism and a second portion enclosing the oil pump, with a partition wall separating them. This segmentation prevents oil from the oil pan from entering the drive mechanism area, reducing oil aeration while maintaining the shared drive configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
A vacuum seal is introduced as an intermediary element between the drive mechanism housing portion and the oil pump housing portion. This seal creates a barrier that prevents oil from migrating into the housing and being aerated by the drive mechanism, while allowing both pumps to share the common drive.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the housing encloses the drive mechanism to reduce oil aeration, then oil flow stability improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum seal is extracted as a separate, removable component that can be independently manufactured and installed. This allows the main housing to be manufactured as a single piece or simple assembly, while the seal provides the necessary barrier function without complicating the primary housing manufacturing process.
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
The solution effectively reduces oil aeration, enhancing engine performance by minimizing foaming and ensuring consistent oil flow, while also simplifying the design and reducing material usage by positioning the drive mechanism between the vacuum and oil pumps.
Implementation Method 1
restrict a flow of oil from the oil pan into the housing to reduce aeration of the oil during operation of the internal combustion engine
Data Source
AI summary
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, an assembly for an internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft, a drive mechanism coupled to the crankshaft and an oil pump actuated by the drive mechanism. The engine also includes a vacuum pump actuated by the drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism, oil pump and vacuum pump are disposed in an oil pan and a housing disposed between the oil pump and vacuum pump configured to enclose at least a portion the drive mechanism and restrict a flow of oil from the oil pan into the housing to reduce aeration of the oil during operation of the internal combustion engine.