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US 11,092,047 B2Granted
Oil supply unit and motor vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAndreas Schmitt, Hans Guenter Quix, David van Bebber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for an oil supply unit with a collecting vessel for collecting oil. In one example, a method may include maintaining a pressure of the collecting vessel during an engine off, wherein maintaining the pressure may further include maintain a temperature of the oil in the collecting vessel.
Claims15
An oil supply unit comprising:
- a collecting vessel for collecting oil, a feed line which leads from the collecting vessel to an engine which is to be supplied with oil, a pump which is arranged in the feed line, a return line which leads from the engine to the collecting vessel, a circulation line comprising a first two-way valve, which leads from the feed line to the collecting vessel, and a control line connecting the feed line and the first two-way valve, further comprising a pressure accumulator which is connected via an accumulator line to the feed line;
- wherein the first two-way valve which can be switched in dependence of a pressure which prevails in the feed line, wherein the first two-way valve is in a first switched position in the case of a first pressure and is in a second switched position in the case of a second pressure which is higher than the first pressure, wherein the circulation line is shut off in the first switched position of the first two-way valve and is opened in the second switched position of the first two-way valve;
- a second two-way valve coupled to the accumulator line;
- and
- a controller storing instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
- in response to an engine-off condition, close the second two-way valve, and in response to an upcoming engine start, open the second valve a threshold time prior to the upcoming engine start and close the first valve to flow lubricant from the pressure accumulator to the engine, the threshold time adjusted based on a pressure of the pressure accumulator, wherein a temperature of the lubricant flowing from the pressure accumulator to the engine is hotter than an engine temperature.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a collecting vessel for storing lubricant being fluidly coupled to a feed line and a circulation line, a pump and an engine being arranged along the feed line, wherein the circulation line comprises a first valve;
- an accumulator line fluidly coupled to both the feed and circulation lines, the accumulator line comprising a second valve;
- a pressure accumulator arranged along the accumulator line, the pressure accumulator configured to store lubricant at a pressure independent of a pressure of the feed line, and where the pressure accumulator comprises thermal insulation;
- and
- a controller storing instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
- in response to an engine-off condition, close the second valve to maintain a temperature of the lubricant, and in response to an upcoming engine start, open the second valve a threshold time prior to the upcoming engine start and close the first valve to flow hot lubricant from the pressure accumulator to the engine, the threshold time decreasing with an increase in a pressure of the pressure accumulator.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- flowing lubricant from a pump to a pressure accumulator through a feed line, the pressure accumulator comprising a thermal insulation;
- and
- maintaining a pressure of the lubricant in the pressure accumulator during an engine off;
- wherein maintaining the pressure of the lubricant in the pressure accumulator further comprises adjusting a second two-way valve in an accumulator line to a closed position to fluidly seal the pressure accumulator from the feed line in response to an upcoming engine off, where the upcoming engine off is prior to the engine off by a threshold time;
- and
- in response to an upcoming engine start, opening the second two-way valve another threshold time prior to the upcoming engine start while maintaining a first two-way valve coupled to the circulation line closed to flow hot lubricant from the pressure accumulator directly to the engine, the another threshold time adjusted based on a pressure of the pressure accumulator.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.