Crankshaft oil circuit
AssigneeKohler Co.
InventorTerrence M. Rotter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A crankshaft, and method for distributing lubricant along a crankshaft, are disclosed. The crankshaft includes a crank pin, a crank arm, a main segment, and a flange. The crank arm is coupled between the main segment and the crank pin and has an outer side. A channel extends from within the crank pin to the outer side. The flange has outer and inner edges, is positioned on the main segment so that the outer edge abuts the main segment, and is further positioned so the inner edge abuts the outer side of the crank arm. The flange has first and second grooves along the outer and inner edges of the flange, respectively, and the grooves form a passage extending from the channel to an exterior portion of the main segment, so that lubricant can flow between the exterior portion of the main segment and the channel via the passage.
Claims20
A crankshaft comprising:
- a crank pin;
- a first crank arm coupled to the crank pin and having a first outer side, wherein a first channel extends from within the crank pin to the first outer side;
- a first main segment coupled to the first crank arm;
- and
- a first flange having a first outer edge and a first inner edge, wherein the first flange is positioned on the first main segment so that the first outer edge abuts the first main segment, and wherein the first flange is further positioned so the first inner edge abuts the first outer side of the first crank arm,
- wherein the first flange has first and second grooves along the first outer and inner edges of the first flange, respectively, and wherein the first and second grooves form a first passage extending from the first channel to a first exterior portion of the first main segment, so that lubricant can flow between the exterior portion of the first main segment and the first channel via the first passage.
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a crankcase;
- a cylinder coupled to the crankcase;
- a piston within the cylinder;
- and
- a crankshaft supported by a pair of bearings of the crankcase, wherein the crankshaft includes
- first and second main segments,
- a crank pin to which the piston is coupled by a connecting rod,
- first and second crank arms that respectively couple the crank pin to the first and second main segments, and
- means for conducting lubricant,
- wherein the means for conducting channels the lubricant at least between a first point along one of the first and second main segments and the crank pin.
A method of distributing lubricant along a crankshaft, the method comprising:
- providing the lubricant at a first end of the crankshaft;
- allowing the lubricant to flow along a first main segment of the crankshaft from the first end of the crankshaft to a first passage;
- guiding the lubricant by way of the first passage to a first channel, wherein the first channel extends at least partly through a crank pin of the crankshaft;
- wherein the first passage is formed between a first crank arm coupling the crank pin to the first main segment, and a first flange abutting the first crank arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.