Oil consuming system

Abstract

The invention is concerned with an oil consumer system having at least one rotating component and at least one oil supply from an oil tank, wherein the oil consumer system has an oil return to a first tank and an oil supply via at least one second tank.

Claims

1. An oil consumer system, comprising: at least one rotating component located in a consumer housing; a first oil tank and a second oil tank; an oil return line extending from the consumer housing to the first oil tank to pass an oil-air mixture from the consumer housing to the first oil tank; a top of at least one of the first oil tank and the second oil tank defining a vent configured to allow air in the at least one of the first oil tank and the second oil tank that has separated from the oil-air mixture to escape; a connection connecting the first and second oil tanks located along or adjacent to a bottom of the first and second oil tanks and configured to pass oil that has been separated from air in the first oil tank to the second oil tank; and at least one oil supply line extending from the second oil tank to the consumer housing, the at least one oil supply line defining an inlet for receiving oil located along or adjacent to the bottom of the second oil tank for providing oil that has been further separated from air in the second oil tank to the at least one rotating component in the consumer housing, and wherein oil exclusively passes to the consumer housing through the at least one oil supply line extending from the second oil tank, and wherein the second oil tank defines a sidewall between the top and bottom of the second oil tank, and wherein the at least one oil supply line extends from the sidewall of the second oil tank.

2. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one oil supply line guides oil to a housing oil level in the consumer housing, and wherein at least the second oil tank has a second oil level that is greater than the housing oil level.

3. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a first oil level in the first oil tank is the same as the second oil level in the second oil tank.

4. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second oil level in the second oil tank is higher or lower than a first oil level in the first oil tank.

5. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oil consumer system is a clutch system.

6. An oil consumer system, comprising: a consumer housing defining a chamber containing at least one rotating component; a first oil tank and a second oil tank; at least one first dividing wall separating the first oil tank and the second oil tank, and at least a second dividing wall dividing the second oil tank from the consumer housing; an oil return line extending from the consumer housing to the first oil tank to pass an oil-air mixture from the consumer housing to the first oil tank; a top of the first oil tank and a top of the second oil tank each defining a vent configured to allow air in the first and second oil tanks that has separated from the oil-air mixture to escape; a connection connecting the first and second oil tanks along or adjacent to a bottom of the first and second oil tanks, and configured to pass oil that has been separated from air to pass from the first oil tank to the second oil tank; and at least one oil supply line extending from the second oil tank to the chamber of the consumer housing, the at least one oil supply line defining an inlet for receiving oil located along or adjacent to the bottom of the second oil tank for providing oil that has been further separated from air in the second oil tank to pass to the at least one rotating component in the consumer housing, and wherein oil exclusively passes to the chamber of the consumer housing through the at least one oil supply line extending from the second oil tank, and wherein the second oil tank defines a sidewall between the top and bottom of the second oil tank, and wherein the at least one oil supply line extends from the sidewall of the second oil tank.

7. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one oil supply line guides the oil to a housing oil level in the consumer housing, and wherein at least the second oil tank has a second oil level that is greater than the housing oil level.

8. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a first oil level in the first oil tank is the same as the second oil level in the second oil tank.

9. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein a second oil level in the second oil tank is higher or lower than a first oil level in the first oil tank.

10. The oil consumer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the oil consumer system is a clutch system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an example embodiment of an oil consumer system.

DESCRIPTION

(2) The drawing described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

(3) The single FIGURE shows by way of example an oil consumer system 1. In the selected exemplary embodiment there is here illustrated a clutch device 2 as is known from the prior art. The clutch device 2 is accommodated in a 1st housing part 20a.

(4) The clutch here is a wet-running multidisk clutch which is supplied with oil via an oil supply 12. The oil is guided by way of suitable oil supply bores 14 up to the disk carrier of the clutch, which is indicated by arrows in the drawing.

(5) The rotation of the clutch causes oil to be flung out at the highest point of the clutch and fed to an oil return 11. Use can also be made here of oil channeling devices, as are already known. The oil channeling means is schematically illustrated in the drawing and can constitute a return line which is routed in the housing 20a, or a separate return line which is also arranged outside the housing 20a. The oil return line 11 opens in a first tank 4 in which the air-oil mixture settles. As indicated in the FIGURE, air 7 is separated from the oil drops 8. The rising air 7 escapes via a first vent 9. There here forms an oil level 6a in the first tank. The first tank 4 is connected to a second tank 5 via a connection 13. Here, the connection 13 is dimensioned such that oil can flow from the first tank into the second tank in a manner sufficient for the supply of the clutch device. In the second tank, the entrained air quantity has already been substantially reduced, the oil-air mixture can further expand there, and the air can escape via a second vent 10. There forms a second oil level 6b which can correspond to the first level 6a or else lie below or above the oil level 6a. The oil flows via the second tank 5, near the bottom thereof, into the oil supply 12.

(6) The oil supply to the oil consumer, the clutch system 2, is maintained by the pressure of the liquid column in the second tank 5 with the level N2 in relation to the position of the oiling of the consumer at the level N1.

(7) In the exemplary embodiment, the first tank 4 and the second tank 5 are mounted next to the housing 20a of the oil consumer, the clutch 2. However, it is also conceivable for the different tank volumes and the oil consumer to be combined in a common housing 20 to form an oil consumer system 1.

(8) The first vent 9 and the second vent 10 take the form of separate openings in the embodiment. However, an embodiment is also conceivable in which the first tank vents into the second tank and a common vent is routed to the outside.

LIST OF REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

(9) 1 Oil consumer system 2 Clutch device 3 Housing 4 First tank 5 Second tank 6 Oil level 7 Air 8 Oil drops 9 First vent 10 Second vent 11 Oil return 12 Oil supply 13 Connection 14 Oil supply bores 20 Housing 20a Oil consumer housing N1, N2 Levels