US 8,393,306 B2Granted

Internal combustion engine oil tank arrangement

AssigneeBRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsMarkus Schiffer, Michael Simmer, Markus Hochmayr, Stefan Gruber, Manuel Gruber, Josef Burgstaller, Clemens Hubauer, Peter Junkowitsch, Marc Renner

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Abstract

An internal combustion engine has a crankcase, a crankshaft, a cylinder block, and cylinder head assembly. The cylinder block has at least one cylinder. At least one piston is disposed in the at least one cylinder. The at least one piston is operatively connected to the crankshaft. An oil tank enclosure is connected to at least one of the crankcase outer wall and the cylinder block outer wall. The oil tank enclosure and the at least one of the crankcase outer wall and the cylinder block outer wall together form an oil tank. The arrangement of the oil inlet, oil outlet, and blow-by gas outlet in an oil tank; an oil tank having an angled portion for separating blow-by gases from oil; and an arrangement of a blow-by gas passage connected to an oil tank are also described.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a crankcase;
a crankshaft disposed in the crankcase, the crankshaft defining a crankshaft axis;
a cylinder block disposed on the crankcase, the cylinder block having at least one cylinder, the at least one cylinder defining a cylinder axis;
at least one piston disposed in the at least one cylinder, the at least one piston being operatively connected to the crankshaft;
a cylinder head assembly connected to the cylinder block;
a plurality of oil passages disposed in at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly;
an oil tank fluidly connected to at least one of the oil passages, the oil tank having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
an oil outlet disposed in the oil tank, the oil outlet fluidly communicating the oil tank with at least one of the oil passages for supplying oil from the oil tank to the oil passages;
and
an oil inlet disposed in the first side of the oil tank, the oil inlet fluidly communicating with at least one of the plurality of oil passages for returning a mixture of oil and blow-by gases from the at least one of the plurality of oil passages to the oil tank, an angled portion of the second side of the oil tank generally facing the oil inlet being angled relative to a plane defined by the crankshaft axis and the cylinder axis such that the mixture of oil and blow-by gases exiting the oil inlet flow over the angled portion, the angled portion being angled relative to the oil inlet, the angled portion being spaced from a bottom of the oil tank, and the angled portion extending away from the plane as the angled portion extends upwardly, an angle between the angled portion of the second side of the oil tank and the plane is between 45 degrees and 80 degrees.

7 more elements

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a crankcase;
a crankshaft disposed in the crankcase, the crankshaft defining a crankshaft axis;
a cylinder block disposed on the crankcase, the cylinder block having at least one cylinder, the at least one cylinder defining a cylinder axis;
at least one piston disposed in the at least one cylinder, the at least one piston being operatively connected to the crankshaft;
a cylinder head assembly connected to the cylinder block;
a plurality of oil passages disposed in at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly;
an oil tank fluidly connected to at least one of the oil passages, the oil tank having a first end portion and a second end portion opposite the first end portion, the first end portion being closer to the cylinder head assembly than the second end portion;
an oil outlet disposed in the second end portion of the oil tank for supplying oil from the oil tank to at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly;
an oil inlet disposed in the oil tank for returning oil from at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly to the oil tank;
a blow-by gas outlet disposed in the first end portion of the oil tank;
and
a blow-by gas passage fluidly communicating the blow-by gas outlet with an exterior of the engine,
a first portion of the blow-by gas passage extending from the blow-by gas outlet in a direction generally away from the cylinder head assembly,
a second portion of the blow-by gas passage extending from the first portion of the blow-by gas passage in a direction generally towards the cylinder head assembly,
such that when the first end portion of the oil tank is disposed generally vertically above the second end portion of the oil tank, blow-by gases in the oil tank flow sequentially from the oil tank to the blow-by gas outlet, to the first portion of the blow-by gas passage, to the second portion of the blow-by gas passage, and to the exterior of the engine, and
the oil inlet being arranged in the oil tank such that when the first end portion of the oil tank is disposed generally vertically below the second end portion of the oil tank, blow-by gases in the oil tank flow sequentially from the oil tank to the oil inlet, and to the exterior of the engine.

13 more elements

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a crankcase;
a crankshaft disposed in the crankcase, the crankshaft defining a crankshaft axis;
a cylinder block disposed on the crankcase, the cylinder block having at least one cylinder, the at least one cylinder defining a cylinder axis;
at least one piston disposed in the at least one cylinder, the at least one piston being operatively connected to the crankshaft;
a cylinder head assembly connected to the cylinder block;
a plurality of oil passages disposed in at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly;
an oil tank fluidly connected to at least one of the oil passages, the oil tank having a first end portion and a second end portion opposite the first end portion, the first end portion being closer to the cylinder head assembly than the second end portion;
an oil outlet disposed in the second end portion of the oil tank for supplying oil from the oil tank to at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly;
a first oil inlet disposed in the oil tank for returning oil from at least one of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly to the oil tank;
a second oil inlet in the oil tank for returning oil from at least one other of the crankcase, the cylinder block, and the cylinder head assembly to the oil tank;
a blow-by gas outlet disposed in the first end portion of the oil tank, the first and second oil inlets being disposed between the blow-by gas outlet and the oil outlet in a direction generally parallel to the cylinder axis;
and
a blow-by gas passage fluidly communicating the blow-by gas outlet with an exterior of the engine,
a first portion of the blow-by gas passage extending from the blow-by gas outlet in a direction generally away from the cylinder head assembly,
a second portion of the blow-by gas passage extending from the first portion of the blow-by gas passage in a direction generally towards the cylinder head assembly,
such that when the first end portion of the oil tank is disposed generally vertically above the second end portion of the oil tank, blow-by gases in the oil tank flow sequentially from the oil tank to the blow-by gas outlet, to the first portion of the blow-by gas passage, to the second portion of the blow-by gas passage, and to the exterior of the engine.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/996,735Filed 27 Jun 2008
Published: US 2011/0162613 A17 Jul 2011
Granted: 12 Mar 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

F01M 13/04
Crankcase ventilating or breathing: having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil
F01M 1/12
Pressure lubrication: closed-circuit lubricating systems not provided for in groups F01M1/02 - F01M1/10
F01M 11/067
Position: inverted, e.g. for inverted flight
F01M 11/12
Indicating devices; Other safety devices: concerning lubricant level