Oil return to the sump of a flat engine
AssigneeEcoMotors, Inc.
InventorTyler Garrard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Returning engine oil to the primary oil sump from outboard locations in a flat engine can be a challenge. In the present disclosure, the pressure fluctuations occurring at the underside of the piston, due to reciprocation of the piston, are used to pump the oil from outboard locations to the primary oil sump. To prevent backflow of oil during periods of negative pressure difference, a check valve is placed in the oil drain passage. The check valve allows flow from the outboard location to the primary oil sump and no flow from the primary oil sump to the outboard location by opening and closing as driven by pressure fluctuations due to piston reciprocation. Such a check valve also prevents backflow of the oil to one of the outboard locations when the engine is tilted.
Claims20
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- an engine block;
- a cylinder defined in the engine block;
- a piston reciprocating within the cylinder with a combustion chamber disposed on one side of the piston and an outboard chamber disposed on the other side of the piston;
- a crankshaft disposed in the engine block and coupled to the piston by a connecting rod;
- a primary sump coupled to the engine block;
- an auxiliary sump fluidly coupled to the outboard chamber;
- a drain passage fluidly coupling the primary sump with the auxiliary sump;
- and
- a check valve disposed in the drain passage, the drain passage and check valve together providing for flow through the drain passage from the auxiliary sump directly to the primary sump when the check valve is open.
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- an engine block;
- first and second cylinders defined in the engine block;
- a crankshaft disposed between the first and second cylinders;
- a first inner piston and a first outer piston disposed in the first cylinder with the pistons coupled to the crankshaft;
- a second inner piston and a second outer piston disposed in the second cylinder with the pistons coupled to the crankshaft;
- a primary sump coupled to the engine block;
- a first chamber located outboard of the first outer piston;
- a second chamber located outboard of the second outer piston;
- a first auxiliary sump fluidly coupled to the first chamber;
- a second auxiliary sump fluidly coupled to the second chamber;
- a first drain passage fluidly coupling the primary sump with the first auxiliary sump;
- and
- a second drain passage fluidly coupling the primary sump with the second auxiliary sump.
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- an engine block;
- a cylinder defined in the engine block;
- a piston reciprocating within the cylinder with a combustion chamber disposed on one side of the piston and an outboard chamber disposed on the other side of the piston;
- a crankshaft disposed in the engine block and coupled to the piston by a connecting rod;
- a primary sump coupled to the engine block;
- an auxiliary sump fluidly coupled to the outboard chamber;
- a drain passage fluidly coupling the primary sump with the auxiliary sump;
- and
- a flapper valve disposed in the drain passage wherein the flapper valve is a normally-closed valve that opens when pressure in the auxiliary sump exceeds the pressure in the primary sump by a predetermined amount to provide for flow through the drain passage from the auxiliary pump directly to the primary pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.