Oil Sump with Oil Drain Plug

Abstract

An oil sump with an oil drain channel for a motor vehicle has an oil sump wall with an oil sump inner side. The oil sump inner side delimits an oil sump storage space at least in some sections. The oil sump wall has an oil sump outer side, which faces an environment surrounding the oil sump. The oil sump further has two states, with, in the first state, a liquid medium being receivable and storable in the oil sump storage space, and in the second state, the oil sump storage space being fluidically connected to the environment surrounding the oil sump such that a liquid medium received can exit through the oil drain channel in an oil drain direction into the environment. The oil drain channel has an oil channel extension direction at least in the region of the transition from the oil sump wall into the environment surrounding the oil sump, which oil channel extension direction forms an angle of more than 85 and less than 95 in relation to a direction of the force of gravity, based on a correct installation position of the oil sump. An oil sump drip lug is arranged on the oil sump outer side, adjacently to the oil drain channel and protrudes at least 1 mm relative to an environment directly adjacent to the oil sump outer side.

Claims

1.-6. (canceled)

7. An oil sump for a motor vehicle, comprising: an oil sump wall having an oil sump inner side delimiting, at least in portions, an oil sump storage chamber, wherein the oil sump wall has an oil sump outer side facing an environment surrounding the oil sump; and an oil drainage channel, wherein the oil sump has two states: (i) in a first, operating state, a liquid medium is receivable and storable in the oil sump storage chamber, and (ii) in a second, oil drainage state, the oil sump storage chamber is connected in a fluid-conducting manner with the environment surrounding the oil sump via the oil drainage channel through the oil sump wall such that the liquid medium received in the oil sump storage chamber exits in an oil drainage direction through the oil drainage channel into the environment surrounding the oil sump, wherein the oil drainage channel, at least in a region of a transition from the oil sump wall to the environment surrounding the oil sump, has an extension direction which forms an angle of more than 85 and less than 95 in relation to a gravitational force direction based on a planned installation position of the oil sump; an oil sump drip projection arranged on the oil sump outer side, adjacent to the oil drainage channel, wherein the oil sump drip projection protrudes at least 1 mm relative to a directly adjacent environment of the oil sump outer side.

8. The oil sump according to claim 7, wherein the oil sump drip projection is arranged opposite a geodetically lowest point of the oil drainage channel on the oil sump outer side.

9. The oil sump according to claim 7, wherein the oil drainage channel terminates in the environment surrounding the oil sump at a planar oil drainage channel sealing face, and an oil sump drip projection end face of the oil sump drip projection is a portion of the planar oil drainage channel sealing face.

10. The oil sump according to claim 9, wherein the oil sump drip projection has a sharp-edged transition from the oil drainage channel sealing face to the oil sump outer side.

11. The oil sump according to claim 7, wherein at least one oil drip rib is provided counter to the direction of extent of the oil channel, and therefore after the oil sump drip projection, the oil drip rib is formed as a protruding portion on the oil sump outer side, and the oil drip rib is arranged at a distance of at most 50 mm from the oil sump drip projection.

12. The oil sump according to claim 11, wherein at least one further oil drip rib is provided, and the at least one further oil drip rib is arranged at a distance, counter to the direction of extent of the oil channel, from the oil drip rib, and therefore after the oil drip rib, as a protruding region on the oil sump outer side.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the oil sump;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view in the region of the oil drainage channel of the oil sump, closed by the oil drain plug;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view in the region of the oil drainage channel of the oil sump, without the oil drain plug;

[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the oil sump outer side in the region of the oil drainage channel; and

[0025] FIG. 5 is a perspective partial view of the oil sump in the region of the oil drainage channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 shows the oil sump 1 with an oil drainage channel 10 in a sectional view. The oil sump 1 shown is a motor vehicle oil sump for fitting to an internal combustion engine. The oil sump 1 has an oil sump wall 4 and can be fastened to the internal combustion engine by means of the fitting hole 3. The oil sump wall 4 has an oil sump inner side 5, wherein this oil sump inner side 5 delimits, in portions, the oil sump storage chamber 2. The oil sump wall 4 has an oil sump outer side 6 which faces an environment 0 surrounding the oil sump.

[0027] During routine operation of the oil sump, engine oil is received therein in the oil sump storage chamber 2 and acts to cool and lubricate the internal combustion engine during operation thereof. The engine oil received in the oil sump is subject to an ageing process and is to be changed from time to time. The oil sump therefore has at least two states. In the first state of the oil sump 1, known as the operating state, the engine oil, which is generally to be interpreted as a liquid medium, is received and stored in the oil sump storage chamber 2. The oil sump is blocked for this purpose by means of the oil drain plug 9. More specifically, the oil drainage channel 10 is blocked by the oil drain plug 9 in this state.

[0028] The oil sump 1 further has a second state, known as the oil drainage state. In this second state, the oil drainage channel 10 of the oil sump 1 is not blocked by means of the oil drain plug 9. Rather, in this second state, the oil sump storage chamber 2 is connected in a fluid-conducting manner with the environment 0 surrounding the oil sump by means of the oil drainage channel 10. In other words, in this second state of the oil sump, the engine oil received in the oil sump storage chamber 2 can issue through the oil drainage channel 10 in the oil emission stream direction 8 into the environment 0 surrounding the oil sump 1.

[0029] The oil drainage channel 10 has, at least in the region of the transition from the oil sump wall 4 into the environment 0 surrounding the oil sump 1, a direction 18 of extent of the oil channel which in the present case encloses an angle of 90, relative to the direction 7 of action of gravity, based on a planned installation position of the oil sump.

[0030] On the oil sump outer side 6, adjacent to the oil drainage channel 10, the oil sump further has an oil sump drip projection 13 which extends at least 2 mm in the direction 7 of action of gravity relative to a directly adjacent environment of the oil sump outer side 6.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a detailed sectional view in the region of the oil drainage channel of the oil sump 1. It shows that, in the operating state of the oil sump 1, the oil drainage channel is closed by means of the oil drain plug 9. The oil drain plug 9 seals the oil drainage channel 10 by means of a sealing ring 20. The sealing ring 20 rests on the planar oil drainage channel sealing face 11. The end face, known as the oil sump drip projection end face 12, of the oil sump drip projection 13 is a portion of this oil drainage channel sealing face 11. The oil drainage channel sealing face 11 and therefore the oil sump drip projection end face 12, have a sharp-edged transition 14 to the oil sump outer side 6. Providing the sharp-edged transition 14 at this location makes it possible for engine oil to drip off from the oil sump outer side 6 in an improved manner Another oil drip rib 15 and a further oil drip rib 16 are arranged on the oil sump outer side 6 adjacent to the oil sump drip projection 13.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows the region of the oil sump already known from FIG. 2, but in this case the oil sump shown is in the oil drainage state (second state). In the oil drainage state, the oil drain plug 9 (not shown here) is removed from the oil drainage channel 10. Under the action of gravity in the direction 7 of action of gravity, engine oil received in the oil sump storage chamber would pour in the oil emission stream direction 8 from the oil sump 1 into the environment 0 surrounding the oil sump 1, where it would pour into a collecting tray (not shown). As the engine oil fill level in the oil sump storage chamber 2 falls, the flow rate of the engine oil from the oil drainage channel 10 decreases. When the flow rate falls below a threshold, the teapot effect may occur and engine oil wets the oil sump outer side 6, running in the backstream direction 17 as penetrating oil. This type of wetting of the oil sump outer side 6 is not desired. Owing to the oil sump drip projection 13 tapering in the direction 7 of action of gravity, engine oil accumulates at the tip thereof.

[0033] Wetting of the oil sump outer side 6 is further reduced by arranging the oil drip rib 15 and the further oil drip rib 16 thereon. The oil drip ribs are arranged after the oil sump drip projection in the backstream direction and mean that further wetting of the oil sump outer side 6 is not only prevented on the oil sump drip projection.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the oil sump drip projection 13, the oil drip rib 15 and engine oil 19 dripping therefrom. In this figure, this dripping engine oil 19 has initially issued from the oil drainage channel 10 at a low rate and subsequently wetted the oil sump outer face 6 in the backstream direction 17. Owing to the shown contour of the oil sump drip projection 13 and the oil drip rib 15, the engine oil then accumulates at the oil sump drip projection 13 and the oil drip rib 15, where it detaches from the oil sump outer side 6 under the action of gravity in the direction 7 of action of gravity.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a 3-dimensional view of the region of the oil sump 1 around the oil drainage channel 10. It shows how the oil drip rib 15 and the further oil drip rib 16 are arranged after the oil sump drip projection 13 in such a way that engine oil which has not already accumulated at and dripped from the oil sump drip projection accumulates at and drips from the oil drip rib 15 and the further oil drip rib 16. FIG. 5 further shows how the oil sump drip projection 13 is arranged opposite the geodetically lowest point 21 of the oil drainage channel 10.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs: 0 environment 1 oil sump 2 oil sump storage chamber 3 fitting hole 4 oil sump wall 5 oil sump inner side 6 oil sump outer side 7 direction of action of gravity 8 oil emission stream direction 9 oil drain plug 10 oil drainage channel 11 oil drainage channel sealing face 12 oil sump drip projection end face 13 oil sump drip projection 14 oil drainage channel sealing face 15 oil drip rib 16 further oil drip rib 17 backstream direction on 6 18 direction of extent of the oil channel 19 engine oil dripping from 6 20 sealing ring