US 4,458,642 AGranted

Lubricant heating system for internal combustion engine

AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsAkira Okubo, Seishi Miura

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Abstract

Herein disclosed is a lubricant heating system for an internal combustion engine equipped with an exhaust pipe which is connected with a heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is constructed to include a communication passage, which communicates with the exhaust pipe so as to be heated by the engine exhaust gas, and a radiating unit which is disposed adjacent to the communication passage and contacts with the lubricant of the internal combustion engine thereby to heat the lubricant with the heat in the exhaust gas transferred from the communication passage. The heat exchanger thus constructed is adapted to promptly heat the lubricant, which is mixed with a fuel, by the use of the exhaust heat of the internal combustion engine, thus promoting the warm-up of the engine. Moreover, impurities such as the mixed fuel or water are evaporated and separated from the lubricant and are promptly discharged out as a blow-by gas.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A lubricant heating system for an internal combustion engine equipped with an exhaust pipe which includes upstream and downstream exhaust pipes separated from each other, comprising a heat exchanger connected with the exhaust pipe, said heat exchanger including a communication passage being connected between said upstream and downstream exhaust pipes, and a radiating unit disposed adjacent to the communication passage and being in contact with the lubricant of the internal combustion engine for heating the lubricant with the heat in the exhaust gas transferred from the communication passage;

said radiating unit comprising a heat radiating cylinder connected with the communication passage;
a heat receiving cylinder accommodating there in said heat radiating cylinder;
a lubricant communicating passage formed between the heat radiating and heat receiving cylinders for connected an oil pump and a lubricant reservoir both arranged in the crank case of the engine;
and a change-over valve disposed in the connecting portion between the communication passage and the heat radiating cylinder, said change-over valve being controlled to be opened and closed in accordance with the temperature of the lubricant.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.