Device for the ventilation of a crankcase of an internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine having an engine block, a cylinder head, a crankcase and at least one cylinder includes a crankcase ventilation line connected to at least one intake line. The crankcase ventilation line is arranged at least predominantly within the internal combustion engine, in particular within the engine block and/or within the cylinder head, thereby greatly minimizing or eliminating the potential for release of crankcase gas to the environment.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising: an engine block having a crankcase, at least one cylinder and a crankcase ventilation line; a cylinder head arranged on the engine block over the at least one cylinder and connected to at least one intake line; a compressor arranged to compress air in the at least one intake line; a regulating valve in the crankcase ventilation line inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head, the regulating valve having a crankcase ventilation line inlet configured to receive crankcase vapors from the crankcase, a first regulating valve outlet separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet from which a branching point extends, separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet, to at least one first connection point on the intake line downstream of the compressor, and a second regulating valve outlet separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet from which a separate line branch branches to at least one second connection point upstream of the compressor; and a non-return valve arranged in the line branch between the regulating valve and the at least one second connection point to prevent flow from the at least one second connection point to the branching point, wherein the crankcase is fluidly connected to the at least one intake line via the crankcase ventilation line, and the crankcase ventilation line is arranged substantially entirely inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head.

2. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one cylinder is a plurality of cylinders, and the at least one first connection point includes a respective first connection point for each of the plurality of cylinders.

3. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the line branch is arranged partially outside the internal combustion engine and is connected to the intake line at the at least one first connection point via a non-releasable connection.

4. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3, wherein a portion of the line branch outside of the engine block and cylinder head is at most 25% of the crankcase ventilation line.

5. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-return valve arranged in a portion of the line branch is inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head.

6. The internal combustion engine as claimed claim 1, wherein a portion of the crankcase ventilation line inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head is formed by cutouts inside the material of one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head.

7. The internal combustion engine as claimed claim 5, wherein a portion of the crankcase ventilation line inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head is formed by cutouts inside the material of one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head.

8. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the crankcase ventilation line is an integrally cast duct.

9. A motor vehicle, comprising: an internal combustion engine including an engine block having a crankcase, at least one cylinder and a crankcase ventilation line, a cylinder head arranged on the engine block over the at least one cylinder and connected to at least one intake line, a compressor arranged to compress air in the at least one intake line, a regulating valve in the crankcase ventilation line inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head, the regulating valve having a crankcase ventilation line inlet configured to receive crankcase vapors from the crankcase, a first regulating valve outlet separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet from which a branching point extends, separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet, and a second regulating valve outlet separate from the crankcase ventilation line inlet from which a separate line branch branches to at least one second connection point upstream of the compressor, and a non-return valve arranged in the line branch between the regulating valve and the at least one second connection point to prevent flow from the at least one second connection point to the branching point, wherein the crankcase fluidly connected to the at least one intake line via the crankcase ventilation line, and the crankcase ventilation line is arranged substantially entirely inside one or both of the engine block and the cylinder head.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of an internal combustion engine having a crankcase ventilation line according to the prior art.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of a described internal combustion engine with a crankcase ventilation line.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a sectional illustration of the internal combustion engine from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a motor vehicle 1 with an internal combustion engine 2 having a crankcase 3 with a cavity 17. Arranged on the crankcase 3 are four cylinders 4 which are each connected to an intake line 5 via an intake region 9. The intake line 5 has an air filter 8, a throttle valve 21 and a cooling device 22. Furthermore, the cylinders 4 are connected to an exhaust gas line 6 via outlet regions 10.

(6) A compressor 7 which is embodied as an exhaust gas turbocharger is connected both to the intake line 5 and to the exhaust gas line 6. A crankcase ventilation line 11 is arranged mainly inside the internal combustion engine 2. The crankcase ventilation line 11 is connected to the four first connection points 13 to the intake line 5 in the intake regions 9 downstream of the compressor 7. A line branch 12 of the crankcase ventilation line 11 branches off at a branching point 25. The line branch 12 is connected to the intake line 5 at a second connection point 14, embodied as a non-releasable connection 18, upstream of the compressor 7. A regulating valve 15 is arranged at the branching point 25. The line branch 12 has a non-return valve 16 inside the internal combustion engine 2. The forward direction of the non-return valve 16 is oriented from the branching point 25 toward the second connection point 14.

(7) FIG. 2 shows an internal combustion engine 2 according to the prior art. An external line 26, which is embodied as a rubber hose, can be seen. The external line 26 is connected externally to a crankcase 3 and to an intake line 5 via releasable connections, and serves to ventilate the crankcase 3. The external line 26 cannot reliably prevent crankcase gas from escaping into the environment, and diagnosis for a leak is possible only at high cost.

(8) FIG. 3 shows an internal combustion engine 2, as described above, with a crankcase 3. A crankcase ventilation line 11 is arranged mainly inside an engine block 24 and/or a cylinder head 23. Furthermore, the crankcase ventilation line 11 is connected here to an intake line 5 via a non-releasable connection 18 at a second connection point 14.

(9) FIG. 4 shows the internal combustion engine 2 from FIG. 3 in a more detailed illustration. It is apparent that the crankcase ventilation line 11 is implemented with cutouts 19 which form an integrally cast duct 20.

(10) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(11) 1 Motor vehicle 2 Internal combustion engine 3 Crankcase 4 Cylinder 5 Intake line 6 Exhaust gas line 7 Compressor 8 Air filter 9 Intake region 10 Outlet region 11 Crankcase ventilation line 12 Line branch 13 First connection point 14 Second connection point 15 Regulating valve 16 Non-return valve 17 Cavity 18 Non-releasable connection 19 Cutout 20 Integrally cast duct 21 Throttle valve 22 Cooling device 23 Cylinder head 24 Engine block 25 Branching point 26 External line