Variable Oil Pump Drain Passage for Responsiveness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional variable oil pumps face decreased responsiveness due to oil accumulation in guide holes, which increases resistance and affects pump volume control, especially at low temperatures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a drain passage that allows oil accumulated in guide holes to be drained via a pressure difference, ensuring the guide holes and inlet ports are in fluid communication, thereby reducing oil accumulation and maintaining pump responsiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the guide hole is tightly sealed with the contact surface of the adjustment member and pump housing, then the sealing performance is improved, but oil accumulates in the guide hole increasing resistance and decreasing responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful element (accumulated oil) from the guide hole by providing a drain passage that communicates the guide hole with the inlet port. This allows the oil to be removed from the confined space, eliminating the resistance that opposes the adjustment member's displacement while preserving the tight sealing between the guide hole and contact surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain passage acts as an intermediary channel that provides a controlled path for oil removal. It mediates between the sealed guide hole (which needs to maintain sealing) and the inlet port (which can accommodate the discharged oil), allowing oil to exit the guide hole without compromising the sealing performance of the guide hole-contact surface interface.
2Reliability
If the guide hole is tightly sealed, then sealing is improved, but oil accumulation increases resistance especially at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The drain passage extracts the harmful accumulated oil from the guide hole, providing a dedicated exit path that removes the resistance-generating element while preserving the sealing integrity of the guide hole assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of oil accumulation (which increases resistance) into a beneficial controlled drainage process. By providing the drain passage, the oil that would otherwise be trapped and harmful is now channeled out through a controlled path, transforming the problem into a solution where the oil's presence is managed rather than eliminated.
3Reliability
If viscosity of oil increases at low temperatures, then oil maintains lubrication, but resistance of adjustment member displacement increases extremely
Solution Approach 1:
The drain passage removes the accumulated oil from the guide hole, eliminating the source of excessive resistance even when the oil viscosity is high due to low temperatures. The lubrication function is preserved where needed while the harmful accumulation is extracted.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages oil presence in the guide hole through the drain passage, allowing the oil to be removed when it would create excessive resistance (during displacement) while maintaining the capability for lubrication when needed. This creates a dynamic balance between lubrication and resistance reduction.
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 accumulation, enhances pump responsiveness, and maintains efficient control over pump capacity even at low temperatures by utilizing a simple and easy-to-form structure that generates a reliable pressure difference for oil drainage.
Implementation Method 1
a drain passage that allows oil accumulated in guide holes to be drained via a pressure difference
Data Source
AI summary
A variable oil pump includes a pump housing, an oil pump rotor accommodated in the pump housing, an adjustment member accommodated in the pump housing and configured to adjust a discharge amount of oil discharged from the oil pump rotor by displacing in a state where the adjustment member holds the oil pump rotor from an outer circumferential side in such a manner that the oil pump rotor is rotatable, and a guide portion including a guide hole provided at the adjustment member and a pin provided at the pump housing and engaging with the guide hole. The guide portion is configured to guide a displacement of the adjustment member relative to the pump housing by allowing the guide hole and the pin to engage with each other. The variable oil pump includes a drain passage configured to drain oil accumulated in the guide hole.