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US 10,760,456 B2Granted
Engine lubrication system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsGary David Liimatta, Paul Shoemaker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for lubricating an engine is disclosed. In one example, the system includes an oil purging passage in fluidic communication with an oil gallery within an engine block. The system may provide for reduced engine degradation related to debris that may be found in engine oil.
Claims20
An engine lubrication system, comprising:
- an engine block including an oil gallery passage extending longitudinally through the engine block and supplying oil to cam phasers and valve adjusters along a plurality of cylinder heads via at least one cylinder head oil gallery passage fluidly coupled to the oil gallery passage and extending along each cylinder head, the oil gallery passage supplied oil from an oil pump, the oil gallery passage in fluidic communication with and directly coupled to a drainage passage, the drainage passage adapted to return oil from the oil gallery to an oil reservoir, and the at least one cylinder head oil gallery passage in fluidic communication with and directly coupled to a cylinder head drainage passage in each cylinder head, the cylinder head drainage passage adapted to return oil from the at least one cylinder head oil gallery passage to the oil reservoir, each of the drainage passage and cylinder head drainage passage in each cylinder head in fluidic communication with the oil reservoir;
- and
- three movable stoppers, one positioned in the drainage passage and one positioned in each of the cylinder head drainage passages, that selectively bypass oil from the oil pump, away from the cam phasers and valve adjusters and to the oil reservoir via unsealing the drainage passage or cylinder head drainage passage in which each of the three movable stoppers is positioned.
A method for operating a lubrication system of an engine, comprising:
- pumping oil from a reservoir to a cylinder block oil gallery via a supply oil passage and pumping oil from the reservoir to a cylinder head oil gallery via the supply oil passage or the cylinder block oil gallery, the cylinder block oil gallery extending longitudinally through the engine and positioned below a valley of the engine, the valley positioned between cylinder heads of the engine, and the cylinder head oil gallery extending through a cylinder head of the cylinder heads;
- opening a first drainage passage from the cylinder block oil gallery to the reservoir to return oil flowing through the cylinder block oil gallery passage to the reservoir via the first drainage passage and opening a second drainage passage from the cylinder head oil gallery to the reservoir to return oil flowing through the cylinder head oil gallery to the reservoir via the second drainage passage when the engine is not combusting an air-fuel mixture;
- and
- closing the first drainage passage and the second drainage passage and stopping oil flow through the first drainage passage, from the cylinder block oil gallery, and the second drainage passage, from the cylinder head oil gallery, to the reservoir while the engine is combusting the air-fuel mixture, the cylinder block oil gallery including a first drainage opening to the first drainage passage and the cylinder head oil gallery including a second drainage opening to the second drainage passage.
1 more element
An engine lubrication system, comprising:
- an engine block having a valley oil gallery passage to supply oil from an oil reservoir, the valley oil gallery passage extending longitudinally through the engine block, below a valley of the engine block, the engine block further including a first oil drainage passage in fluidic communication with the valley oil gallery passage and the oil reservoir and directly coupled to an end of the valley oil gallery passage, the end arranged opposite an inlet of the valley oil gallery passage, the inlet in fluidic communication with a supply oil passage supplying oil to the valley oil gallery passage from the oil reservoir, the valley oil gallery passage including a first drainage opening to the first oil drainage passage, the first drainage opening arranged at the end of the valley oil gallery passage, the first oil drainage passage adapted to return oil flowing through the valley oil gallery passage to the reservoir;
- a movable, first stopper positioned in the first oil drainage passage and extending outside of an exterior engine block wall, the first stopper adapted to stop flow from the valley oil gallery passage to the oil reservoir via the first oil drainage passage;
- a cylinder head coupled to the engine block and including a second oil drainage passage in fluidic communication with the oil reservoir;
- a second oil gallery passage positioned within and extending across the cylinder head and in fluidic communication with the second oil drainage passage and the valley oil gallery passage, the second oil gallery passage directly coupled to the second oil drainage passage, the second oil gallery passage positioned between the second oil drainage passage and the valley oil gallery passage, the second oil gallery passage including a second drainage opening to the second oil drainage passage, the second oil drainage passage adapted to return oil flowing through the second oil gallery passage to the oil reservoir;
- and
- a movable, second stopper positioned in the second oil drainage passage and extending outside an exterior cylinder head wall, the second stopper adapted to stop flow from the second oil gallery passage to the oil reservoir via the second oil drainage passage.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.