IMPINGING OIL FILTER

Abstract

An oil filter for an engine is in the form of a reservoir mounted in an oil pan having a closed interior volume and an open top edge spaced from an adjoining oil pan sidewall and positioned to receive oil with entrained debris as the oil flows by gravity after being centrifugally flung radially outward from the moving engine components. The debris separates from the oil in the reservoir, with clean oil overflowing the top edge of the wall for recirculation in the engine.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] This disclosure is related to engine oil filters.

[0002] An internal combustion engine contains numerous rotating and reciprocating components, such as a crank shaft, connecting rods, pistons, etc. These engine components rotate or reciprocate at high engine speeds and require a thin film of oil between adjacent metal parts to prevent wear.

[0003] An oil pan having a tub-like shape is typically attached to the bottom portion of the engine block beneath the crank shift and the connecting rods. The oil pans acts as a sump for collecting oil as it flows from the engine component as well as providing a supply of oil to be pumped back through the engine.

[0004] During engine operation, metal particles and dirt collect in the oil and can cause damage to the engine components. Thus, an internal combustion engine is provided with a filter through which the oil flows to remove the metal particles and dirt in order to clean the oil. The oil filter must be replaced at frequent intervals, typically every 5,000, or 10,000 miles, depending upon engine operating conditions, to prevent the filter from reintroducing the collected metal particles and dirt back into the engine oil.

[0005] It would be desirable to provide a different type of oil filter which does not require replacement during the life of an engine.

SUMMARY

[0006] An oil pan is disclosed for an engine with rotating members centrifugally moving oil radially outward toward an engine case wall. The oil pan includes a reservoir carried in the oil pan for collecting oil and entrained debris as the oil flows into the oil pan. The reservoir is defined by a wall with a top edge, the wall being fixed to an interior of an oil pan with opposed sides and bottom portions of the wall sealed to the oil pan. The top edge of the wall is spaced from an adjacent oil pan sidewall to collect the oil and entrained debris as the oil flows from the case wall into the reservoir whereby the debris collects in the reservoir separate from the oil. The wall of the reservoir includes a main wall portion having opposed offset side flanges and an offset bottom flange with the opposed sidewall flanges and the bottom wall flange fixedly secured to the oil pan and spacing a top edge of the wall from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall. The wall of the reservoir includes a main wall portion having an offset bottom flange, the bottom flange fixedly and seemingly secured to the oil pans, opposed side portions of the main wall sealingly deposed relative to the oil pans, and a top edge of the main wall is spaced from an adjoining oil pan sidewall to define an opening into an interior volume defining the debris collection reservoir.

[0007] The oil pan includes a bottom wall and sidewalls, the wall fixed to the sidewalls. The bottom of the wall is spaced above the bottom wall of the oil pan. A main portion of the wall is parallel to a portion of the oil pan sidewall. The wall side flange spaces the top edge of the wall from the sidewall of the oil pan.

[0008] In one aspect, the wall is disposed at a non-parallel angle from the oil pan sidewall. The bottom flange of the wall is fixed to the bottom wall of the oil pan. The reservoir defines an interior volume for collecting oil from the engine case wall. A method is disclosed for forming an oil filter in an oil pan of an engine with rotating components for removing debris from the oil. The method includes centrifugally moving oil droplets by the moving components of the engine radially outward from the moving components, and accumulating the oil droplets on a case wall of engine. The oil droplets flow toward the oil pan by inertia and gravity. A reservoir is formed with an open top end space from a sidewall to the oil pan below the case wall to collect oil and debris flowing downward from the case wall. The method separates debris from the oil in the reservoir and collects the debris in the reservoir to clean the oil of the debris. The method includes forming a reservoir of a plate fixed to the side wall of an engine pan.

[0009] The method forms the reservoir of a wall having a top edge spaced from the side wall the oil pan and an opposed side flanges joined to the side wall of the oil pan. A bottom flange of the wall fixed to the bottom wall of the oil pan.

[0010] The oil filter is sized to collect debris from the oil during the life of the engine without requiring removal of the debris from the reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0011] The various features, advantages and other uses of the present impinging oil filter will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which:

[0012] FIG. 1. is a cross sectional view showing an internal combustion engine with one aspect of an oil filter;

[0013] FIG. 2. is an enlarged perspective view of the oil filter shown in FIG. 1;

[0014] FIG. 3. is a partial cross sectional view of an engine including another aspect of an oil filter; and

[0015] FIG. 4 is a partially cross sectioned, perspective view of the oil filter and oil pan shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is depicted one aspect of an oil filter 10 which can be used in an internal combustion engine 20 to remove containments, such as metal particles and dirt, from oil flowing through the engine 20 during engine operation and which does not require replacement during the useful operating life of the engine 20.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, a typical internal combustion engine 20 includes a plurality of pistons 22 housed within an engine block 24 and individually connected by connecting rods 26 to a crank shaft 28 located in the bottom portion of the engine block 24. An oil pan 30 is removably coupled to mating mounting flanges 32 in the engine block 24 and the oil pan 30 to form a reservoir for oil circulating through the engine 20.

[0018] The oil collects in a sump 34 at the bottom of the oil pan 30 after the oil has flowed through the engine 20. An oil pump, not shown, pumps the oil from the sump 34 back through the components of the engine 20 in a repeating cycle.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the high speed of revolution of the crank shaft 28 during engine operation centrifugally flings the oil denoted by reference number 40 from the engine 20 to the surrounding walls of the bottom case wall 42 of the engine block 24.

[0020] The oil pan 30 can take any shape depending upon the shape of the engine. Generally, the oil pan 30 will contain a bottom wall 31 and upstanding sidewalls 33. The sidewalls 33 terminate in the upper mounting flange 32 to allow the oil pan 30 to be removably attached to the bottom portion of the engine block 32.

[0021] During engine operation, the crank shaft 28 as well as other engine compliments rotate or reciprocate at high speeds. The high speed rotation of the crank shaft 28 flings the oil droplets 40 outward by centrifugal force. Such oil droplets 40 will in train metal particles and dirt circulating in the oil supply.

[0022] The oil droplets 40 strike the bottom case wall 42 of the engine block 24 and flow by gravity and inertia downward into the oil pan 30.

[0023] In the aspect shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the oil filter 10 includes a debris reservoir disposed in the oil pan 30 at a location to receive the oil droplets 40 flowing by gravity and inertia from the bottom case wall 42 of the engine block 24. The oil droplets 40 flow into the filter 10 where the heavier metal particles and dirt flow by gravity and inertia to the bottom portion of the debris reservoir as shown by reference number 48 in FIG. 1. A counter-flow of clean oil droplets 40 which do not contain entrained metal particles and dirt will overflow the top portion of the reservoir 10 and flow into the oil sump 34 for recirculation through the engine 20.

[0024] In the aspect 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the filter 10 is in the form of a plate 50 having a large main wall 52, opposed side flanges 54 and 56 and an interned bottom wall 58. The sidewalls 54 and 56 and the bottom wall 58 are secured to the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30 by suitable seal means, such as, rivets, welds, etc. The sidewalls 54 and 56 and the bottom wall 58 are bent to offset the wall 52 in a spaced apart manner from the adjoining sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30. This spaces a top edge 60 of the wall 52 a distance from the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30 forming an open top end in the debris reservoir 10 for the collection of oil droplets 40 as the oil droplets 40, after being centrifugally flung outward from the engine, flow downward along the bottom case wall 42 of the engine block 24 into the reservoir 10.

[0025] The vertical height as well as the horizontal length of the plate 50 is formed so as to provide a sufficient volume within the reservoir to collect metal particles dirt and other debris entrained in the engine oil for the life of the engine. This eliminates the need for a removable filter to be mounted in the engine which must be replaced every 5,000-10,000 miles of engine operation.

[0026] Another aspect of the oil filter in the form of a debris reservoir 60 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this aspect, the debris reservoir 60 is formed of an angled plate having a main wall 62 and an angled lower flange 64. The width of the wall 62 is selected so that it fits snuggly in a sealed manner within the oil pan 30 between opposed portions of the sidewalls 33. The lower flange 64 is sealingly fixedly to the bottom wall 31 of the oil pan 30 by rivets, welds, etc.

[0027] The main wall 62 is angled from the lower flange 64 to an upper edge 66 which is spaced from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall 33 to form an open top end positioned to receive the centrifugally outward flung oil droplets 40 carrying entrained debris as the oil droplets 40 move downward along the case wall 42 of the engine block and an upper portion of the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30 into an open reservoir or cavity 68 formed between the wall 62 and the adjoining portions of the oil pan sidewall 33 and the bottom wall 31.

[0028] As with the first aspect, the height and width of the wall 62 of the debris reservoir 60 is chosen to provide a predetermined particulate volume within the interior cavity 68 to enable oil and entrained debris to be collected throughout the life of the vehicle without requiring remove of the oil pan 30 and cleaning of the interior cavity 68.

Claims

1. An oil pan for an engine with a rotating member centrifugally moving oil radially outward toward an engine case wall, the oil pan comprising: a reservoir carried in the oil pan for collecting oil and entrained debris as the oil flows into the oil pan; the reservoir defined by a wall with a top edge, the wall fixed to an interior of an oil pan with opposed sides and bottom portions of the wall sealed to the oil pan; and the top edge of the wall spaced from an adjacent oil pan sidewall to collect the oil and entrained debris as the oil flows from the case wall into the reservoir whereby the debris collects in the reservoir separate from the oil.

2. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein the wall of the reservoir comprises: a main wall portion having opposed side flanges and a bottom flange; the opposed side flanges and the bottom flange fixedly secured to the oil pan and spacing a top edge of the wall from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall.

3. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein the wall of the reservoir comprises: a main wall portion having an offset bottom flange; the bottom flange fixedly and sealingly secured to the oil pan; opposed side portions of the main wall seemingly deposed relative to the oil pan; a top edge of the main wall spaced from an adjoining oil pan sidewall to define an opening into an interior volume defining the debris collection reservoir.

4. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein; the oil pan includes a bottom wall and sidewalls, the wall fixed to the sidewalls.

5. The oil pan of claim 4 wherein: the bottom of the wall is spaced above the bottom wall of the oil pan.

6. The oil pan of claim 4 wherein: a main portion of the wall is parallel to a portion of the oil pan sidewall.

7. The oil pan of claim 2 wherein: the wall side flange spaces the top edge of the wall from the sidewall of the oil pan.

8. The oil pan of claim 4 wherein: the wall is disposed at a non-parallel angle from the oil pan sidewall; and the bottom flange of the wall is fixed to the bottom wall of the oil pan.

9. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein: the reservoir defines an interior volume for collecting oil from the engine case wall.

10. A method for forming an oil filter in an oil pan of an engine with rotating components for removing debris from circulating through the engine oil, the method comprising: centrifugally moving oil droplets by the moving components of the engine radially outward from the moving components; accumulating the oil droplets on a case wall of engine; allowing flow from the oil droplets along the case wall toward the oil pan by inertia and gravity; forming a reservoir with an open top end spaced from a sidewall to an engine oil pan below the case wall to collect oil and debris flowing downward from the case wall; separating debris from the oil in the reservoir and collecting the debris in the bottom of the reservoir to clean the oil of the debris.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: forming a reservoir of a plate fixed to the side wall of an engine oil pan.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising: forming the reservoir of a wall having a top edge spaced from the side wall the oil pan and an opposed side flanges joined to the side wall of the oil pan; and the bottom flange of the wall fixed to the bottom wall of the oil pan.