DEVICE FOR PASSING LUBRICANT OUT OF A LUBRICANT COLLECTING CONTAINER

Abstract

A device for passing lubricant out of a lubricant collecting container to a lubricant pump, in particular for an oil circuit of an internal combustion engine. The device including a lubricant intake pipe and a sedimentation container, which is connected fluidically to the lubricant intake pipe.

Claims

1. A device for passing lubricant out of a lubricant collecting container of a machine or hydraulic system, in particular an internal combustion engine, to a lubricant pump, in particular for an oil circuit of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a lubricant intake pipe, and a sedimentation container, which is connected fluidically to the lubricant intake pipe.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant intake pipe: a) has a first pipe segment, by means of which lubricant can be fed from the lubricant collecting container to an inlet opening of the sedimentation container, and b) has a second pipe segment, by means of which lubricant emerging from an outlet opening of the sedimentation container can be delivered in the direction of the lubricant pump.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation container has a turbulator, which is preferably arranged in the region of an inlet opening of the sedimentation container.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation container has a drain connection arranged in the bottom region.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation container has a filling connection or an inspection connection.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation container forms a segment of the lubricant intake pipe which has an enlarged cross section.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation container is embodied as a separate component, which is connected fluidically to the lubricant intake pipe.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant intake pipe has an intake cage at the inlet end thereof.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising the lubricant collecting container.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the sedimentation container is integrated into the lubricant collecting container or is encased by the latter; or the sedimentation container is arranged outside the lubricant collecting container.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the lubricant collecting container is an oil pan of an internal combustion engine.

12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising the lubricant pump, in particular of an oil circuit of an internal combustion engine.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the lubricant pump is designed to draw in lubricant from the oil pan via the lubricant intake pipe and the sedimentation container and to feed it to consuming units.

14. Motor vehicle comprising: a device for passing lubricant out of a lubricant collecting container to a lubricant pump, the device including, a lubricant intake pipe, and a sedimentation container, which is connected fluidically to the lubricant intake pipe.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above-described aspects and features of the present disclosure can be combined with one another in any desired manner. Further details and advantages of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a highly schematized illustration of a device for delivering lubricant in accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a highly schematized illustration of a device for delivering lubricant in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an oil pan 2 of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle in a highly schematized diagrammatic illustration, said oil pan being secured on the crankcase (not shown) underneath the engine.

[0028] The oil pan 2 is designed with an oil collecting region 9, which collects oil or engine oil flowing out of an engine block of the internal combustion engine, said engine block being arranged above the oil pan 2 in the position of installation of the internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle, and serves as a receptacle (oil sump) for the engine oil. The oil collected by means of the oil collecting region 9 is drawn in by an oil pump 3 through a lubricant intake pipe 4. In this case, the lubricant intake pipe 4 has, at its inlet end, an intake cage 7, which dips into the oil sump. The lubricant emerging from the outlet 8 of the oil intake pipe 4 is then fed to the lubricant pump 3 by means of the suction power thereof.

[0029] One special feature of the device 1 according to the present disclosure for delivering lubricant from the oil pan 2 to the lubricant pump 3 is that the oil intake pipe 4 is connected fluidically to a sedimentation container 10. According to the variant shown in FIG. 1, the oil intake pipe 4 has, for this purpose, a first pipe segment 5, by means of which lubricant can be fed from the oil pan to an inlet opening 11 of the sedimentation container 10. The oil intake pipe 4 furthermore has a second pipe segment 6, by means of which the lubricant emerging from an outlet opening 12 of the sedimentation container 10 can be delivered in the direction of the oil pump 3 or is delivered during operation. Here, the sedimentation container 10 is embodied as a separate component, which is connected fluidically to the two pipe segments 5, 6 of the oil intake pipe 4, with the result that the oil drawn in from the oil pan 2 must flow through the sedimentation container 10 on the way to the oil pump 3.

[0030] The sedimentation container 10 has the effect that foreign particles are deposited therein. The sedimentation container 10, e.g. in the form of a sedimentation case, brings about an enlargement in cross section for the oil stream, the speed of flow of which is thereby reduced and, as a result, allows settling of particles, which collect in the bottom region of the sedimentation container 10. In this way, dirt particles are separated out and retained in the sedimentation container on the way to the oil pump 3.

[0031] The inlet opening 11 and the outlet opening 12 of the sedimentation container are situated in an upper region of the sedimentation container, with the result that the first pipe segment 5 and the second pipe segment 6 each open into an upper region of the sedimentation container, thereby allowing the sedimented particles separated out to collect in the lower region of the sedimentation container 10.

[0032] As can furthermore be seen in FIG. 1, the sedimentation container is arranged within the oil pan 2 and is encased by the latter.

[0033] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the sedimentation case can be arranged outside the oil pan.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates another aspect of the present disclosure, likewise in a highly schematized diagrammatic illustration. In this case, identical or functionally equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference signs as in FIG. 1 and, in some cases, are not described separately.

[0035] Only the special features of the variant aspect shown in FIG. 2 will be explored below. One special feature is that a turbulator 13 is arranged in the region of the inlet opening 11 of the sedimentation container 10. The turbulator 13 is a component which acts as a turbulence generator as lubricant flows through it. This increases the rate at which particles settle by sedimentation in the bottom region of the sedimentation container.

[0036] The turbulator 13 can be embodied, for example, as a flow element which produces eddying of the flowing medium. The eddy current thereby produced imposes a transverse movement and/or transverse flow on the particles, which promotes the deposition of particles.

[0037] In terms of design, turbulators can be embodied in many different ways. They can be twisted plates within the pipe, guide vanes, baffles, orifice plates with special holes (e.g. obliquely arranged holes), and/or any geometry which can produce eddying.

[0038] The common feature of all the aspects is the production of eddying, a swirl lamp or a rotary motion around the axis of the main direction of flow. This is intended to ensure that particles are separated out of the main flow and directed towards the wall and deposited there.

[0039] In the bottom region, the sedimentation container 10 furthermore has a connection 15, which can be used as a drain to drain off settled suspension which is richer in relatively coarse particles than the overall suspension. This drain connection 15 can also used in combination with a filling connection 16 situated in an upper subsection of the sedimentation container 10 to flush the sedimentation container 10. In the lower subsection of the sedimentation container 10 there is furthermore an inspection connection 17. This connection can be used to remove samples of sedimented substance from the bottom region, for example, or also for cleaning purposes.

[0040] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular illustrative aspects, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that various modifications can be made and that equivalents used as substitutes without exceeding the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, the present disclosure is not intended to be restricted to the illustrative aspects disclosed; on the contrary, it is intended to include all illustrative aspects which fall within the scope of the attached patent claims. In particular, the present disclosure also claims protection for the subject matter and the features of the dependent claims, irrespective of the claims to which they refer.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0041] 1 device for delivering lubricant [0042] 2 lubricant collecting container, e.g. oil pan [0043] 3 lubricant pump, e.g. oil pump [0044] 4 lubricant intake pipe, e.g. enveloping intake pipe [0045] 5 first pipe segment [0046] 6 second pipe segment [0047] 7 intake cage [0048] 8 outlet of the lubricant intake pipe [0049] 9 lubricant collecting region [0050] 10 sedimentation container [0051] 11 inlet opening [0052] 12 outlet opening [0053] 13 turbulator [0054] 14 bottom region [0055] 15 drain connection [0056] 16 filling connection [0057] 17 inspection connection [0058] 20 device for delivering lubricant