Oil sump having oil filter

Abstract

An oil sump, preferably made of plastic or metal, for motors or transmissions and having a filter housing, comprises a filter housing top shell, a filter housing bottom shell, a filter medium, a filter inlet, and a filter outlet, and an oil drain opening in the floor area of the oil sump, which is implemented in such a way that it is closable using an oil drain screw having external thread, which comes from the oil sump bottom side. The filter housing comprises an internal thread which is implemented to receive the external thread of the oil drain screw, the filter housing being at least partially fastened on the oil sump via the oil drain screw, which closes the oil drain opening and engages using its external thread in the internal thread on the filter housing side.

Claims

1. An oil sump apparatus for engines or transmissions, comprising: a filter comprising a filter housing, including a filter housing top shell, a filter housing bottom shell connected to the filter housing top shell, a threaded bush connected to the bottom shell, a filter medium between the top shell and the bottom shell, a filter inlet, and a filter outlet, wherein the top shell comprises the filter outlet, the bottom shell comprises the filter inlet, and the threaded bush comprises an internal thread; a floor area of the oil sump, the floor area comprising an oil drain opening; and an oil drain screw comprising an external thread; wherein: when the filter housing is installed in said oil sump, the threaded bush is disposed substantially over the oil drain opening; and the oil drain screw is moveable from an open position to a closed position within the oil drain opening, wherein in the closed position, the oil drain screw extends upwards through the oil drain opening such that the external thread threadably engages with the internal thread of the threaded bush, thereby closing the oil drain opening and at least partially fastening the filter housing to the floor of area of the oil sump.

2. The oil sump apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter housing is fastened to the oil sump solely by engagement of the internal thread with the external thread.

3. The oil sump apparatus of claim 1, wherein said filter medium is clamped between the filter housing top shell and the filter housing bottom shell.

4. The oil sump apparatus of claim 1, wherein said oil drain screw further comprises a sealing ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail hereafter on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective lateral sectional view through an oil sump having an oil filter in a first embodiment.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an oil sump having an oil filter in a second embodiment.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional view of the oil sump from FIG. 2 along line A-A.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a lateral sectional view of the oil sump from FIG. 2 or 3.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective top view of an oil sump having an oil filter in a third embodiment.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the oil sump from FIG. 5 along line B-B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

(9) The oil sump 1 according to the first embodiment from FIG. 1 comprises an oil filter 2, fastened on the oil sump 1, having a filter housing top shell 3, a filter housing bottom shell 4, a filter medium 5, which is clamped between the filter housing shells 3 and 4, a filter outlet 6, an oil drain screw 7 having sealing ring 8 and an external thread 19 and an internal thread 20 on the filter housing bottom shell, which is formed by a threaded bush 9 connected to the filter housing bottom shell. The area around the oil drain screw 7 is also emphasized in detail enlargement in FIG. 1.

(10) In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the two-piece filter housing made of filter housing top shell 3, which is fastened on the filter housing bottom shell 4, and filter housing bottom shell 4 is thus fastened solely via the internal thread of the threaded bush 9, situated on the filter housing bottom shell 4, in which the external thread of the oil drain screw 7 engages. To replace the entire filter unit, therefore only the oil drain screw 7 has to be removed. This procedure is also particularly advantageous, because an oil change also typically accompanies an oil filter change in practice.

(11) In summary, the following advantages thus result in particular for the first exemplary embodiment: a) easier mounting on the oil sump (and/or on the transmission), b) permanently positioned filter, c) replaceability of the filter is possible solely by removing the oil drain screw 7, and d) use of the oil drain screw 7 as the filter fixing element, so that no further fasteners are needed.

(12) The second embodiment according to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 comprises an oil sump 1, the filter housing top shell 3, a filter medium 5, a filter outlet 6, an oil drain screw 7 having sealing ring 8, a threaded bush 9, fastened on the filter housing top shell side, having an internal thread (not shown), a filter shell seal 10, a filter inlet 11, a down-stream area 12, and an upstream area 13. The receptacle 14, which is implemented as frame-like, for example, is used to receive the filter medium 5 in this one-piece embodiment of the filter housing 20.

(13) The essential difference from the first embodiment is that the filter housing is partially formed by a floor area of the oil sump 1. In this way, a separate filter housing bottom shell is not necessary in this embodiment. However, in order to also achieve an outwardly sealed filter housing inner chamber in this embodiment, the oil sump comprises the filter shell seal 10, which is only interrupted in the area of the filter inlet 11, in the contact area with the filter housing top shell 3. In order to allow fastening of the filter housing and/or in the present case the filter housing top shell 3 on the oil sump, in this embodiment an internal thread is provided on the filter housing top shell 3, which is formed by the threaded bush 9 fastened in the filter housing top shell 3. The threaded bush 9 is situated in an area projecting from the filter housing top shell 3. This area projects far enough from the inner surface of the filter housing top shell 3 that it stands up the floor area of the oil sump 1 in the installed state according to FIG. 2.

(14) In summary, in addition to the advantages a) through d) of the first embodiment, the following advantages thus result for the second embodiment: e) a filter bottom shell is saved, f) flatter construction is possible, and g) dispensing with any air gap between filter bottom side and oil sump inner side.

(15) Further advantages of the invention result from the third exemplary embodiment ac-cording to FIGS. 5 and 6. According to this variant, the positioning and fastening of the oil filter 2 on the oil sump 1 are not performed via the oil drain screw 7, but rather via clamping means 15 which are situated on the filter housing 20, independently of whether a one-piece or two-piece form of the filter housing 20 is provided, and en-gage in detent means 16, such as detent webs, which are situated on the oil sump side. These fasteners (clamping means 15 and detent means 16) are preferably pro-vided on two opposing sides and thus allow fastening of the oil filter 2 within the oil sump 1 independently of the location of the oil drain screw 7 (not shown). Therefore, the actual position of the oil drain opening and/or the oil drain screw is not important for the fastening of the oil filter 2.

(16) For the third exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, in addition to the advantages a), b), and d) through g) of the preceding exemplary embodiments, the advantage thus results that in regard to the receptacle fastening, the position of the oil drain screw is freely selectable. To reinforce the fastening of the oil filter 2 in the oil sump 1, it is optionally possible to use the oil drain screw 7 (not shown) for positioning and fixing the oil filter 2 in addition to the clamping means 15.

(17) The integrated oil filter 2 is preferably a main stream oil filter used as a suction oil filter. It is also conceivable to implement the oil filter 2 having additional connections as a combination of a suction and pressure oil filter. It is also advantageous if needed to situate both main stream oil filter and also secondary stream oil filter in the shared filter housing 20.

(18) The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the invention.