Oil Pan Assembly for Internal Combustion Engine

The contents of prior Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 8-277640 and 8-277639 both having a filing date of 21 Oct. 1996 in Japan are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present invention relates to improvements in an oil pan structure for an internal combustion engine.

Many models of internal combustion engines for automobiles or other vehicles or facilities employ an oil pan having shallow and deep sections. The oil pan is fastened to a lower end of an engine cylinder block. The oil pan collects and stores the lubricating oil, and an oil pump sucks the oil from the oil pan and distributes the oil to various portions of the engine. In one conventional example, the oil pan is an assembly of an oil pan main frame member made by casting of metal such as aluminum alloy, and a tank member of press-formed metal sheet or plate, joined to the underside of the main member to form the deep section. The cast main member is relatively high in rigidity and serves as a reinforcing member for reinforcing the skirt of the cylinder block.

In this conventional example, the lower side of the main frame member is divided into a closed area closed by a shallow bottom defining the shallow section, and a rectangular open area opening downwards into the deep section. The rectangular open area is bounded along the transverse direction between left and right upright side walls, and along the longitudinal direction between a front upright end wall and an end of the shallow bottom.

The end of the shallow bottom extends in the transverse direction and spans the wide open area so that the rigidity of the shallow bottom is lower. Specifically, the marginal region along the end of the shallow bottom is liable to suffer vibrations such as membrane vibrations of thin plates or diaphragms, and constitutes one of major factors increasing the noise of the engine. Furthermore, the left and right upright side walls framing the rectangular opening are inferior in the opening and closing rigidity (or transverse rigidity) and torsional rigidity. Therefore, the skirt of the cylinder block is less rigid in the front portion just above the rectangular opening of the oil pan, and tends to undergo the opening and closing mode as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, and the torsional mode as shown in FIGS. 8C.about.8F.

To increase the wall thickness of the oil pan and/or the bulkhead of the cylinder block is one way to reduce the engine noise. However, the thick wall increases the weight of the engine.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an oil pan assembly which can improve the rigidity of an oil pan bottom and reduce the engine noise.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an oil pan assembly which can effectively reinforce an engine cylinder block without increasing the weight, and reduce the noise generated by the skirt of the cylinder block.

According to the present invention, an oil pan assembly for an internal combustion engine comprises at least a tank member and a main frame member. The tank member defines an oil storage deep interior space section. The main member has at least a shallow bottom defining a shallow interior space section for collecting the oil, and an upright wall enclosing an interior space. In an illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the interior space enclosed by the upright wall is divided into the above-mentioned shallow interior space section and a bottomless open interior space section for leading the oil from the shallow interior space section into the deep space section.

The upright wall includes at least first and second opposite side wall sections extending in a first direction such as a longitudinal direction and bounding the bottomless open space section therebetween. The oil pan assembly further comprises at least one transverse bridge extending in a second direction such as a transverse direction across the open space section and connecting the first and second side wall sections, and at least one longitudinal projection extending in the first direction and bracing the bridge and the frame structure formed by the upright wall and the shallow bottom. Preferably, the shallow bottom, upright wall, bridge and longitudinal projection are all integral parts of a metal casting. The longitudinal projection extends in the open space section and connects the bridge with one of the upright wall and the shallow bottom. The longitudinal projection is one of a horizontal thin wall projection, such as a thin wall rib, projecting in the second direction from the upright wall and a vertical thin wall projection, such as a flow regulating barrier, projecting upwards from the shallow bottom.

The transverse bridge serves as a transverse structural member and the longitudinal projection serves as a reinforcing member, a brace or a gusset plate. The transverse bridge and longitudinal projection increase the rigidity or stiffness of the oil pan and reinforce a skirt of an engine block effectively.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an oil pan assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the oil pan assembly taken across a line II--II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a lateral sectional view taken across a line III--III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a lateral sectional view taken across a line IV--IV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a lateral sectional view taken across a line V--V of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a lateral sectional view taken across a line VI--VI of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view taken across a line VII--VII of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 8A.about.8F are schematic views for illustrating various vibration modes in the underside of an engine cylinder block.

FIGS. 1.about.4 show an oil pan assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This oil pan assembly is designed for a four-cylinder in-line internal combustion engine.

An oil pan 1 is adapted to be fixed to an underside of an engine cylinder block, more specifically to a lower end of a skirt. The oil pan 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an assembly of an oil pan main frame member 2 and a tank member 3. The main frame member 2 and the tank member 3 are assembled into a bath-shaped container to which the lubricating oil returns by gravity. The main member 2 of this example is made by aluminum die casting, and the tank member 3 is made by press forming of sheet metal. The main member 2 has a shallow bottom 2b defining a shallow interior space section 1a for collecting a lubricating oil, and the tank member 3 comprises a deep bottom defining a deep interior space section 1b for storing the lubricating oil, as shown in FIG. 2. The shallow section 1a collects the oil and directs the oil into the deep section 1b.

The main member 2 further includes an upright wall 2a enclosing and defining an interior space which is divided into a bottomless open interior space section 2c and the above-mentioned shallow interior space section 1a closed on the underside by the shallow bottom 2b. The bottomless open space section 2c opens downwards into the deep section 1b formed by the tank member 3. The lubricating oil can flow on the shallow bottom 2b toward the bottomless open space section 2c, and fall from an end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b into the deep section 1b through the bottomless open section 2c.

The tank member 3 is located just under the front part of the internal combustion engine, and fixed to the underside of the oil pan main member 2. The main member 2 has a lower flange 4 having a joint surface facing downwards. The lower flange 4 surrounds and fringes the open underside of the bottomless open interior space section 2c of the main member 2. The tank member 3 is fixed to the lower flange 4 of the main member 2 by bolts (not shown). The main member 2 and the tank member 3 are thus assembled into a unit. The bottomless open space section 2c of the main member 2 is located on the tank member 3 under the front part of the engine, and the closed-bottom shallow space section 1a is located just under the rear part of the engine.

The oil pan main frame member 2 of this example is approximately rectangular as viewed in FIG. 1, and the upright wall 2a has first and second opposite side wall sections 2m and 2n extending along a first direction, and front and rear end wall sections 2p and 2q extending along a second direction. In this example, the first direction is a longitudinal direction of the oil pan assembly 1, and the second direction is a transverse, widthwise or lateral direction of the oil pan assembly 1. In the assembled state, the oil pan assembly 1 of this example is oriented so that the longitudinal direction of the oil pan assembly 1 is identical to the longitudinal direction of the engine, and the transverse direction of the oil pan assembly 1 is the transverse or lateral direction of the engine. The shallow bottom 2b extends along the longitudinal (first) direction from the rear end wall section 2q toward the front end wall section 2p, and terminates at the front bottom end 2s. The front bottom end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b extends along the transverse (second) direction from an intermediate point on the first side wall section 2m to an intermediate point on the second side wall section 2n. The oil collecting shallow space section 1a is formed on the shallow bottom 2b between the rear end wall section 2q and the front bottom end 2s, and bounded along the transverse direction between the first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n. The bottomless open section 2c is defined between the front end wall section 2p and the front end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b, and bounded along the transverse direction between the first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n. The front end wall section 2p, bottom end 2s and left and right side wall sections 2m and 2n define a rectangular opening of the bottomless open section 2c.

A baffle plate 24 extends over the shallow bottom 2b of the shallow section 1a, and divides the oil collecting shallow space section 1a into an upper subspace (or chamber) over the baffle plate 24 and a lower subspace (or chamber) between the shallow bottom 2b and the baffle plate 24, as shown in FIG. 3.

The rear end portion of the oil pan main member 2 is formed with a transmission mounting portion 9 to which a transmission (not shown) is connected.

A plurality of bolt through holes 10 are formed in the upright wall 2a of the oil pan main member 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The oil pan assembly 1 is fastened to the cylinder block by bolts passing through these holes 10 in the assembled state. Each bolt hole 10 extends vertically from an upper open end to a lower open end.

An upper oil pan flange 11 is formed at the upper end of the upright wall 2a. The upper flange 11 forms an uppermost joint surface to be joined to a downwardly facing joint surface of a block flange of the cylinder block.

A crankshaft 16 of the engine is located just above the oil pan main member 2. Bearing caps 17 and 18 shown in FIG. 2 are arranged to support the crankshaft 16. The crankshaft 16 has counterweights 19 and connecting rods 20.

The first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n of the oil pan main member 2 extend in the longitudinal direction of the engine along an axis C of the crankshaft 6. In the view of FIG. 3, the engine crankshaft rotation is in a clockwise direction as shown by an arrow .omega., the first side wall section 2m is on the right side and the second side wall section 2n is on the left. An imaginary vertical middle (or median) plane M containing the crankshaft axis C divides the oil pan assembly 1 into left and right halves, but each of the right and left halves is not an exact mirror image of the other. The oil pan assembly 1 of this example is roughly symmetrical with respect to the middle (or median) plane M, but the bilateral symmetry of the oil pan structure is not perfect. The first side wall 2m of the oil pan main member 2 is located on a first lateral side of the imaginary vertical middle plane M whereas the second side wall 2n is on a second lateral side opposite to the first lateral side. As viewed in FIG. 3 in which the engine rotation is clockwise as shown by the arrow (.omega., the first lateral side is the right side of the middle plane M, and the second lateral side is the left side. The engine rotation about the crankshaft axis C is in the form of a downward angular motion on the first lateral side, and an upward angular motion on the second lateral side. With the engine rotation, a crankpin descends on the first lateral side, and ascends on the second lateral side.

At least one transverse bridge 12 or 13 extends along the transverse direction between the first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n across the bottomless open space section 2c. In this example, there are two bridges 12 and 13 extending in parallel to each other. The bridge 12 is located about the middle of the bottomless open section 2c and the bridge 13 is near the front bottom end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b. The front bridge 12 is located between the front end wall section 2p and the rear bridge 13, and the rear bridge 13 is between the front bridge 12 and the front bottom end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b.

The front bridge 12 extends between first and second bosses 14, and the rear bridge 13 extends between first and second bosses 15. Each boss 14 or 15 extends vertically and defines one of the through holes 10. Each boss 14 or 15 is approximately cylindrical and has upper and lower bases. The through hole 10 has an upper end opening in the center of the upper base, and a lower end opening in the center of the lower base. The front bridge 12 has a first lateral bridge end connected with, and supported by, the first boss 14 formed in the first side wall section 2m, and a second lateral bridge end connected with and supported by the second boss 14 formed in the second side wall section 2n. Similarly, the rear bridge 13 has a first lateral bridge end connected with and supported by the first boss 15 formed in the first side wall section 2m, and a second lateral bridge end connected with and supported by the second boss 15 formed in the second side wall section 2n. The bridges 12 and 13 supported by the bosses 14 and 15 can effectively increase the rigidity of the main member and the rigidity of the skirt of the engine cylinder block.

The front bridge 12 is in the form of a channel beam or bar, and has an upper thin wall strip portion 12b and front and rear vertical thin wall portions 12a extending downwards from both sides of the upper wall portion 12b, as shown in FIG. 2. The upper wall portion 12b and the front and rear vertical wall portions 12a form a cross sectional shape resembling an inverted letter U. The lower edges of the vertical wall portions 12a extend horizontally and connect the lower bases of the bridge supporting bosses 14 continuously so as to define a flat horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 5. In this example, the lower edges of the vertical wall portions 12a and the lower bases of the bosses 14 extend in the imaginary common flat horizontal plane perpendicular to the imaginary median plane M.

The rear bridge 13 is in the form of an angle beam or bar, and has an upper thin wall strip portion 13b and a single vertical thin wall portion extending downwards from one side of the upper wall portion 13b. The rear bridge 13 is an L-shaped cross section formed by the upper wall portion 13b and the vertical wall portion 13a, as shown in FIG. 2. The lower edge of the vertical wall portion 13a extends along the front edge of the baffle plate 24 as shown in FIG. 4 so as to hold the height of the lower edge of the vertical wall portion 13a approximately equal to the height of the front edge of the baffle plate 24. The lower edge of the vertical wall portion 13a is located above the upwardly facing surface of the shallow bottom 2b. Thus, the vertical wall portion 13a of the rear bridge 13 is spaced from the shallow bottom 2b along the longitudinal direction and along the vertical direction so as to ensure the smooth, unobstructed flow of the lubricating oil from the shallow section 1a to the deep section 1b.

The angled cross sectional shape of each bridge 12 or 13 increases the rigidity of the bridge itself. The vertical dimension or height of each boss 14 or 15 is relatively long, and accordingly the vertical dimension or height of each bridge 12 and 13 are relatively long.

The front and rear bridges 12 and 13 are located just below the bearing caps 17 and 18, respectively, as shown in FIG. 2. The upper strip wall portions 12b and 13b are concave so as to avoid interference with the bearing caps 17 and 18, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Each of the upper strip wall portions 12b and 13b has an upwardly facing strip surface extending in the transverse direction so as to describe a smooth curved line depressed deepest at the middle between the first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n. As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting rod 20 of the number 1 (#1) cylinder of the engine is located between the front and rear bridges 12 and 13.

At least one web-like rib 21 or 22 is formed in the main member 2. The rib is a longitudinally extending projection of a relatively thin wall. The rib projects from the first or second side wall sections 2m or 2n like a ledge, extends in the longitudinal direction and connects one of the side wall sections 2m and 2n with one of the bridges 12 and 13. In this example, there are formed two of the ribs 21 and 22. The first rib 21 projects from the first side wall section 2m substantially in the transverse direction and extends in the longitudinal direction from the front bridge 12 to the rear bridge 13. The second rib 22 projects from the second side wall section 2n substantially in the transverse direction and extends from the front bridge 12 to the rear bridge 13. Each of the ribs 21 and 22 is continuous and integral with the upper wall portions 12b and 13b of the front and rear bridges 12 and 13. In this example, the first and second ribs 21 and 22 and the upper wall portions 12b and 13b of the bridges 12 and 13 extend continuously so as to form a common smooth curved surface, and form a continuous rigid frame enclosing and reinforcing the rectangular opening.

The width of the first rib 21 measured along the transverse direction is smaller than the width of the second rib 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The first rib 21 projects from the first side wall section 2m only slightly whereas the second rib 22 projects from the second side wall section 2n broadly toward the first side wall section 2n.

In the crankcase, the lubricating oil positively flows downwards along the wall surface on the first lateral side on which the crankpins descend. The narrower first rib 21 on the first lateral side increases the open space for allowing the downward flow, and reduce interference with the downward stream. The first rib 21 has an upper surface sloping downward along the transverse direction toward the center of the oil pan as shown in FIG. 6, and facilitates the downward flow of the lubricating oil.

On the second lateral side in the crankcase, the lubricating oil is forced upwards by the crankshaft rotation. The broader rib 22 on the second lateral side restrains the upward movement of the lubricating oil. The second thin wall rib 22 slopes down along the transverse direction toward the center, and prevents the upward oil movement on and near the inside surface of the second side wall section 2n of the oil pan. The rib 22 on the crankpin ascending second lateral side prevents the lubricating oil from being splashed upwards, and prevents air from being mingled and entrapped in the lubricating oil.

The first rib 21 has a front corner projecting alongside the front bridge 12 and connecting the first side wall section 2m and the first bridge 12, and a rear corner projecting alongside the rear bridge 13 and connecting the first side wall section 2m and the rear bridge 13. At the front corner, the edge of the rib 21 is smoothly curved like a circular arc. Similarly, the second rib 22 has front and rear corners connecting the second side wall section 2n with the front and rear bridges 12 and 13, respectively. At each corner, the edge of the rib 22 is smoothly curved like a circular arc. The corners serve as a gusset plate. At each corner, the rib 21 or 22 projects alongside the bridge 12 or 13 as far as possible within the limitation imposed by the rotating member of the crankshaft.

In this example, the rear corner of the first rib 21 is formed with an oil gauge hole 23. The oil gauge hole 23 of this example is elongated along the first side wall section 2m like an ellipse, as shown in FIG. 1. Through this hole 23, it is possible to insert an oil level gauge from an upper hole formed in an upper portion of the engine, into the oil storage deep section 1b of the tank member 3. The oil gauge hole 23 is defined by a rim 23a as shown in FIG. 7. The rim 23a is L-shaped in cross section, and projects inwards as well as downwards from the vertex as shown in FIG. 7. The side wall surface defining the hole 23 extends vertically to a limited extent. The rim 23a connects the first rib 21 and the rear bridge 13. The rim 23a is continuous and integral with the first rib 21. The angled rim 23a braces the side wall section 2m and the bridge 13, and increases the rigidity of the narrower rib 21.

The bottom 2b of the oil pan shallow section 1a is formed with three longitudinal projections 5, 6 and 7 extending in the longitudinal direction of the engine. The longitudinal projections 5, 6 and 7 projects upward from the bottom 2b like ribs in the form of flow regulating barriers (or flow regulating plates). In this example, the flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7 are jointless integral parts of the oil pan main member 2. The flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7 extend through almost the full extent of the bottom 2b along the longitudinal direction. The flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7 divide the lower subspace between the bottom 2b and the baffle plate 4 into four channels 25, 26, 27 and 28 extending in the longitudinal direction of the engine.

The rear end segment of each flow regulating barrier is curved toward the first side wall section 2m, as shown in FIG. 1. In the view of FIG. 1, the rotating parts such as the counterweights 7 move in the transverse direction shown by arrows .omega. from the first side wall section 2m toward the second side wall section 2n. Therefore, the rear end of each of the channels 25, 26, 27 and 28 is curved toward the first side wall section 2m, and opens upstream toward the first side wall section 2m.

The second flow regulating barrier 6 is located directly below the axis C of the crankshaft 6. The imaginary vertical middle (or median) plane M containing the crankshaft axis C passes through the second barrier 6. The first and third barriers 5 and 7 are arranged roughly in a manner of bilateral symmetry with respect to the vertical middle plane M.

The oil pan main member 2 is formed with a plurality of bosses 29 which are smaller in height than the upper flange 11, as shown in FIG. 3. The bosses 29 project inward in the shallow interior space section 1a. Each boss 19 has an upwardly facing top surface. The baffle plate 4 is fixed to the top surfaces of the bosses 19 by bolts (not shown).

The oil pan main member 2 has a rear middle bulge 30 bulging upwards at the rear middle of the shallow section 1a to receive a part of the transmission. The cylinder block of the engine is formed with a plurality of oil holes for allowing the lubricating oil to fall toward the oil pan assembly 1. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 8 indicate the positions of these oil holes. The baffle plate 24 is formed with a plurality of oil collecting holes for allowing the oil to flow into the lower subspace under the baffle plate 24. The baffle plate 4 extends laterally from the second side wall section 2n toward the first side wall section 2m and terminates at an edge extending along the longitudinal direction near the first side wall section 2m. Between the first side wall section 2m and the edge of the baffle plate 4, there is formed an air inlet opening upwards for receiving a downward air stream from above along the first side wall section 2m.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the flow regulating barriers 5.about.7 has a front projection projecting forwards beyond the front end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b toward the front end wall section 2p. The front projection of each barrier projects upwards as well as forwards and has a front end connected with the vertical wall portion 13a of the rear bridge 13, and an upper end connected with the upper wall portion 13b of the rear bridge 13. The vertically extending thin wall of each barrier forms an angled corner with the vertical wall portion 13a along a vertically extending intersection line, and an angle corner with the horizontal upper wall portion 13b along an horizontal intersection line extending in the longitudinal direction. Between the vertical wall portion 13a and the front end 2s of the shallow bottom 2b, there is defined a long opening extending along the lateral or transverse direction. The long opening is divided by the projections of the three barriers 5, 6 and 7 into four small openings. Each of the channels 25.about.28 is connected with a unique one of the four small openings to form a continuous fluid bent passage for guiding the lubricating oil from the shallow section 1a into the deep section 1b. The opening size of each of the small openings in a plan view is approximately equal to the cross sectional area of the corresponding channel formed between the shallow bottom 2b and the baffle plate 24, so that the continuous fluid passage is approximately uniform in the cross sectional size.

The flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7 serve as reinforcing members and enhance the rigidity of the entirety of the shallow bottom 2b. The flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7 are rigidly connected with the first and second side wall sections 2m and 2n of the oil pan main member 2, through the rear bridge 13. This structure can significantly improve the rigidity of the shallow bottom 2b, specifically along the bottomless open space section 2c, and accordingly reduce the engine noise by preventing membrane vibrations of the shallow bottom 2b. Both ends of the second bridge 13 is connected with the bosses 15. Therefore, the bridge 13 is supported firmly by the cylinder block. The bridge 13 in the form of an angle bar is rigid and resistant to bending deformation.

The rectangular frame structure formed by the bridges 12 and 13 and the ribs 21 and 22 reinforces the flange 11 around the open section 2c, improves the rigidity, such as the torsional rigidity, of the oil pan assembly 1 and the cylinder block and reduce the engine noise.

In this embodiment, the bridges 12 and 13, the ribs 21 and 22, the flow regulating barriers 5, 6 and 7, the shallow bottom 2b, the upright wall 2a, the flange 11 and the bosses 14, 15 and 29 are all integral parts of the casting.