Expandable Oil Pan Filter Lid for Fast, Clean Filter Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current engine oil systems face challenges in efficient maintenance and filter changes due to high oil pressures, messy handling, and the need for complex filter housings, which hinder maintenance efficiency and increase the weight and space requirements of the system.
Innovation Solution
The engine oil system incorporates an oil filter arranged within the oil pan, where the filter outlet discharges oil back into the pan, eliminating the need for a separate filter housing, reducing weight and space, and allowing for easier maintenance by minimizing oil residue during filter changes. This design also allows for varying filter sizes and types, and the oil filter is positioned downstream of the oil pump to handle pressure drops efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the oil filter is arranged downstream of the oil pump to overcome pressure drop, then the oil filter can effectively clean the oil, but the filter housing and lid need to be bulky and complex to withstand high oil pressures above 10 bars
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the oil filter with the oil pan by providing a filter housing formed as an integral part of the oil pan structure. The oil filter is arranged inside the oil pan, and the filter lid serves dual purposes: sealing the opening in the oil pan and closing the oil filter housing. This integration eliminates the need for separate bulky filter housings designed to withstand high pressures, as the oil pan structure itself provides the necessary containment.
2Reliability
If the filter lid is screwed into the filter housing to ensure leak-tightness and withstand high pressures, then the sealing is reliable, but maintenance and filter change require time-consuming unscrewing and re-screwing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic closing arrangement where the filter lid can be quickly opened and closed without threading operations. The lid features a closing arrangement that allows it to be positioned in different states: open for maintenance access and closed for sealing. This dynamic design enables rapid filter changes while maintaining leak-tightness during operation, eliminating the time-consuming screwing and unscrewing processes.
3Reliability
If the filter lid is securely fastened to withstand high oil pressures, then the oil filter housing is sealed properly, but remaining oil pours out during maintenance causing messy handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the oil filter system into distinct components: the oil filter housing formed as part of the oil pan, the filter element, and the filter lid with closing arrangement. This segmentation allows the filter lid to be independently removed for maintenance while the oil pan remains in place. The oil can be drained from the oil pan before filter maintenance, preventing messy oil spillage during filter changes, while the sealed housing maintains integrity during operation.
4Reliability
If a separate filter housing is used to hold the filter material and lid, then the oil filter can be properly installed, but the overall system weight and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the oil filter housing with the oil pan structure, forming an integrated assembly. The filter housing is provided as an integral part of the oil pan, eliminating the need for separate filter housing components. This merging reduces overall system weight and space requirements while maintaining proper filter installation capabilities and high-pressure containment.
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
This configuration enhances maintenance efficiency, reduces the complexity and weight of the engine oil system, eliminates the need for pre-filling the filter post-change, and allows for more flexible filter designs, providing a cleaner and faster maintenance process while ensuring continuous oil filtration.
Implementation Method 1
oil is passed through the oil filter whereby the debris and impurities are captured by the filter material in the oil filter
Implementation Method 2
an oil pump for pressurizing the oil and enabling transport of the oil from the oil pan to the oil using components
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a lid (250), such as e.g. a filter lid (50, 50', 150), for closing an opening (14) in an oil pan (10), said lid comprising: - an expandable closing arrangement (260) for closing the opening in said oil pan, - a first elongated element (270) having a first element connecting portion (272) connected to a first portion (262) of said closing arrangement by a first pivotable connection (263), - a second elongated element (280) having a second element connecting portion (282) connected to a second portion (264) of said closing arrangement by a second pivotable connection (265) distant from said first pivotable connection, wherein said first elongated element and said second elongated element are connected to each other by a pivotable joint (290) enabling said first elongated element and said second elongated element to be arranged: - in a first relative position in which the first pivotable connection is separated from said second pivotable connection by a first distance (D1) in which the expandable closing arrangement is in a first state in which the closing arrangement can pass through said opening, and in a second relative position in which the first pivotable connection is separated from said second pivotable connection by a second distance (D2) being greater than said first distance in which the expandable closing arrangement is in a second state, or an expanded state, in which the closing arrangement cannot pass through said opening.