Oil Pump Cover Segmentation for Engine Compactness and Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oil pump arrangements in internal combustion engines are not compact enough and do not provide easy access for maintenance or repair operations.
Innovation Solution
The oil pump arrangement features a separate oil pump cover from the housing cover, with the oil pump cover mounted closer to the engine's vertical central plane than the housing cover, allowing for easier access and potentially creating additional space for a larger output wheel or other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the oil pump cover is integrated with the housing cover, then the engine structure is simpler, but the engine package size increases and maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The oil pump cover is separated from the housing cover to form an independent removable component. This segmentation allows the oil pump chamber to be accessed by removing only the oil pump cover, maintaining compact engine packaging while enabling easy maintenance access to the oil pump without disassembling the entire housing.
2Volume of moving object
If the oil pump cover is positioned closer to the central plane, then the engine package becomes more compact, but the structural support may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the oil pump cover as an independent component mounted on its own flange, the design achieves compact positioning closer to the central plane without compromising structural integrity. The dedicated mounting flange provides sufficient structural support while enabling the compact arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The oil pump cover is positioned in a different spatial arrangement relative to the housing cover, utilizing available space in the dimensional layout. This allows the oil pump chamber to be located closer to the central plane while maintaining adequate structural support through proper flange design and mounting configuration.
3Ease of repair
If the oil pump chamber is made accessible separately, then maintenance becomes easier, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The oil pump cover is designed as a separate removable component that provides direct access to the oil pump chamber. This segmentation enables maintenance personnel to service the oil pump independently without disassembling other engine components, achieving easy maintenance access while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
An internal combustion engine has a power unit case having a crankcase, a first housing flange and a second housing flange. The crankshaft axis and the output shaft axis define a reference plane. An oil pump has an oil pump shaft, having an oil pump shaft axis, disposed at least partially in an oil pump chamber. A normal projection of the oil pump shaft axis onto the reference plane is located between the crankshaft axis and the output shaft axis. A first housing cover is mounted to the first housing flange on a first side of the power unit case. A separate oil pump cover is mounted to the second housing flange on the first side of the power unit case to close the oil pump chamber.