Oil supply element and piston of an internal combustion engine

Abstract

An oil supply element for supplying oil into a cooling channel of a piston in an internal combustion engine, may include a channel having a lateral opening with an oil discharge element and may be configured to direct a partial oil flow via the oil discharge element and the lateral opening to at least one of an underside of a piston crown, a hub, and a piston interior.

Claims

1. An oil supply element for supplying oil into a cooling channel of a piston in an internal combustion engine, comprising: a body defining a channel having a lateral opening; the body including an elongated, circumferentially extending slit that defines the lateral opening of the channel; and the body further including an oil discharge element configured to direct a partial oil flow and through the lateral opening to at least one of an underside of a piston crown, a hub, and a piston interior.

2. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein the body includes a flared portion defining an inlet funnel.

3. The oil supply element according to claim 2, wherein the body has a diameter of approximately 4 mm in a region of the channel and a diameter of approximately 10 mm at the inlet funnel.

4. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein the body is structured as an integral sheet-metal part.

5. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein the oil discharge element projects from the body into the channel and is structured as an inwardly pressed pocket.

6. A piston, comprising: a cooling channel; a combustion recess; a piston skirt extending around and at least partially defining a piston interior; a piston crown disposed between and separating the combustion recess from the piston interior; a hub disposed in the piston skirt; and an oil supply element including a channel having a lateral opening with an oil discharge element, the oil supply element configured to direct a partial oil flow via the oil discharge element and the lateral opening to at least one of an underside of the piston crown, the hub, and the piston interior; wherein the oil supply element is arranged such that oil injected into the oil supply element is partially directed into the cooling channel and partially directed to at least one of the underside of the piston crown, the hub, and the piston interior.

7. The piston according to claim 6, further comprising a cooling channel cover, wherein the oil supply element is coupled to the cooling channel cover.

8. The piston according to claim 6, wherein the cooling channel includes at least one of an inlet bore and a supply opening into which the oil supply element projects, wherein the oil supply element is connected in at least one of (i) a region of the at least one of the inlet bore and the supply opening and (ii) in a region of a shaft wall of the piston.

9. An internal combustion engine, comprising: an oil injection nozzle; and a piston including: a cooling channel; a combustion recess; a piston skirt extending around and at least partially defining a piston interior; a piston crown disposed between and separating the combustion recess from the piston interior; a hub disposed in the piston skirt; and an oil supply element including a channel having a lateral opening with an oil discharge element, the oil supply element configured to direct a partial oil flow via the oil discharge element and the lateral opening to at least one of an underside of the piston crown, the hub, and the piston interior; wherein the oil supply element is arranged such that oil injected into the oil supply element is partially directed into the cooling channel and partially directed to at least one of the underside of the piston crown, the hub, and the piston interior; and wherein the oil injection nozzle is structured and arranged to inject oil into the oil supply element.

10. The internal combustion engine according to claim 9, wherein the oil supply element further includes an inlet funnel.

11. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein: the body further includes a tubular wall defining the channel; the tubular wall includes a bent portion that projects into the channel; and the oil discharge element is defined by the bent portion of the tubular wall.

12. The oil supply element according to claim 11, wherein the body is structured as a sheet-metal body.

13. The oil supply element according to claim 11, wherein a first end of the body is structured as an intake funnel having a larger diameter than a second end of the body disposed opposite the first end.

14. The oil supply element according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of wings configured to engage a cooling channel cover, wherein the plurality of wings are disposed on the body between the lateral opening and the second end of the body.

15. The oil supply element according to claim 13, wherein a distance the oil discharge element protrudes into the channel decreases in a direction extending from the first end of the body to the second end of the body.

16. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein the body further includes: a tubular portion that delimits the channel; and a pressed-in portion that projects from the tubular portion into the channel and defines the oil discharge element.

17. The oil supply element according to claim 1, wherein: the body further includes a tubular wall delimiting the channel; the slit is disposed in the tubular wall; a portion of the tubular wall that defines an edge of the slit is bent inwardly and projects into the channel; and the oil discharge element is defined by the bent portion of the tubular wall.

18. The oil supply element according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of wings disposed on the body and configured to engage a cooling channel cover.

19. The piston according to claim 6, wherein: a portion of the oil supply element is disposed within the cooling channel and another portion of the oil supply element is disposed within the piston interior; and the lateral opening of the oil supply element is disposed in the piston interior.

20. The piston according to claim 6, further comprising a cooling channel cover, wherein: the cooling channel opens into the piston interior; the cooling channel cover is disposed between the cooling channel and the piston interior and closes the cooling channel; and the oil supply element includes a plurality of wings via which the oil supply element is coupled to the cooling channel cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Shown schematically in each case are:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a sectional representation through an oil supply element according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation through the oil supply element according to the invention along the plane of intersection A-A,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional representation through a piston according to the invention with an oil supply element of this kind.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) In accordance with FIGS. 1 and 3, an oil supply element 1 according to the invention for supplying oil 2 into a cooling channel 3 of a piston 4 of an internal combustion engine 5 comprises a channel 6 for supplying oil 2 into the cooling channel 3, wherein a lateral opening 7 is provided in this channel 6 with a discharge element 8, so that a partial oil jet 9 can be directed via the oil discharge element 8 and the lateral opening 7 to an underside 10 of a piston crown 11, a hub 16 and/or a piston interior 21 of the piston 4. Using the oil supply element 1 according to the invention, it is therefore possible for the first time, without providing two separate oil injection nozzles 12 or a jet splitter directly attached to the piston 4, for the oil 2 to be divided into a partial oil jet 9 cooling the piston crown 11 and an oil jet 13 entering the cooling channel 3.

(6) According to FIG. 3, the oil supply element 1 is depicted in greatly magnified form to provide greater clarity. The oil supply element 1 preferably has an intake funnel 14 which provides the oil supply element 1 with a funnel-shaped or trumpet-shaped form. In the region of the channel 6 the oil supply element 1 in this case has a diameter d.sub.1 of approx. 4 mm, while a diameter d.sub.2 in an inlet region 15, in other words at a free end of the inlet funnel 14, has a diameter d.sub.2 of approx. 10 mm. In this way, a substantially improved capture of oil 2 is possible, so that production tolerances can also be compensated for comparatively easily. The oil supply element 1 is preferably configured as an integral sheet-metal formed part and can thereby be produced cost-effectively, for example by stamping out a corresponding shape with subsequent rolling or forming into the funnel shape.

(7) The partial oil jet 9 in this case may, additionally or alternatively, serve to cool the hub 16 or an inner form of the piston 4 in general. By comparison with a jet splitter which is formed integrally with the piston 4, for example, the oil supply element 1 according to the invention additionally offers the huge advantage that a substantially more precise quantification and also determination of the dischargeable partial oil flow 9 is possible, as a result of which the surplus quantity of oil required hitherto on account of such inaccuracies can be reduced, which leads to a reduction in the pump capacity of an oil pump and therefore also to a reduction in fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine 5.

(8) A closer look at the oil discharge element 8, particularly according to FIG. 2, reveals that it is configured as an inwardly pressed, open pocket which is open towards the intake funnel 14. A pocket of this kind can be produced comparatively easily, as a cut perpendicular to the axis 17 of the oil supply element 1 on the lateral surface thereof need only initially be introduced into the channel 6 and then the pocket, in other words the oil discharge element 8, is pressed in. Also extremely advantageous in the case of the oil supply element 1 according to the invention is that it can also be used with pistons known hitherto from the prior art without requiring substantial modification.

(9) The piston 4 depicted in FIG. 3 is part of the internal combustion engine 5 and has the cooling channel 3 running between an outside ring section and a combustion recess 18. This is covered downwardly by means of a cooling channel cover 19, wherein the oil supply element 1 is arranged on the cooling channel cover 19, particularly in the region of an oil supply opening of the same. Fastening the oil supply element 1 to the cooling channel cover 19 may take place by adhesion, caulking, clamping, soldering or welding, for example. It is of course also conceivable from a purely theoretical standpoint, for the oil supply element 1 to be attached via a corresponding lug which is not shown to the piston 4 itself, for example to a shaft wall 20 thereof.

(10) Overall, with the oil supply element 1 according to the invention and a piston 4 fitted therewith, substantially improved cooling can take place, for example of a hub 16 or an underside 10 of the piston crown 11, particularly also by means of reduced resources, as the oil discharge element 8 according to the invention means that the partial oil flow 9 that is discharged out of the oil supply element 1 can be quantified extremely accurately. Provision of a surplus quantity, as was hitherto necessary, is therefore no longer required.