Engine cover plate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10190480-B2
Application number	US-201313749585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2013
Priority date	Jan 24, 2013
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A engine block cover plate is described having a depression shaped to guide coolant flow around a bend in a coolant circuit, the plate further including a plurality of oil ports. One example method of operation may include guiding a coolant flow around a bend in a cooling circuit within an engine block via the cover plate, the cover plate having coolant and oil ports positioned therein, and adjusting a valve positioned on the cover plate to control a flow of oil through the oil port in response to an engine component temperature. In this way, flow losses may be decreased while enabling improved oil flow control with reduced system complexity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for engine cooling, comprising:
a cover plate for a coolant passage, the cover plate comprising a depression, coupled to a side of a cylinder block, and positioned adjacent to a water jacket of a cylinder, the cover plate including a coolant outlet port displaced away from a coolant inlet port, and a plurality of oil ports, where at least one of the oil ports is located in the cover plate and fluidly coupled to one or more piston oil injectors, the depression of the cover plate extending into a coolant cavity within the side of the cylinder block, a surface of the depression which contacts a coolant being sloped in an arc in a lateral plane with upward concavity, where the lateral plane is parallel to a y-z plane defined by a y-axis and a z-axis, the z-axis in the direction of gravity, and where the coolant inlet port is located in a higher portion of the coolant cavity than the coolant outlet port with respect to gravity, the coolant outlet port displaced away from the coolant inlet port both in a direction of the y-axis and the z-axis; and
the coolant cavity, covered by the cover plate, within the coolant passage and coupled to a fluid pump and the water jacket.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the oil ports are coupled to a valve actuated by a control system with instructions to open the valve when an engine or an engine component has reached a temperature threshold, wherein the cover plate includes a planar surface arranged around an outer edge of the cover plate and surrounding the depression, the planar surface coupled to a mounting surface of the side of the cylinder block, and wherein the depression and the planar surface form the cover plate and are continuous with one another.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the piston oil injectors spray oil onto an underside of a piston where the oil is further delivered to an oil circuit fluidly coupled to a radiator, the radiator comprising a thermostat.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the depression is a lateral depression of the cover plate which contains the coolant within the coolant cavity, wherein the cover plate is a unitary cover plate comprising the depression and an outer, planar surface, where the planar surface couples to the side of the cylinder block and is parallel to the lateral plane, and wherein the depression depresses away from the planar surface and into the coolant cavity, in a direction normal to the lateral plane.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the coolant cavity is separated from the water jacket by a cavity wall and wherein the coolant cavity is depressed from an outside of the cylinder block into the side of the cylinder block.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant outlet port is at a lower pressure than the coolant inlet port.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein an oil control valve is positioned at least partially within the cover plate.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover plate comprises ports to accommodate oil flow from a cooling system of a turbocharger into a cover plate oil valve.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant travels from the fluid pump through an engine block opening and into the coolant cavity, and wherein the coolant changes direction while contacting the sloped surface of the depression and exits through an outlet in the cover plate into the water jacket.

10. A component, comprising:
an engine block cover plate having a depression shaped to guide a coolant flow around a bend in a coolant circuit, the bend adjacent to and spanning at least a portion of a water jacket of a cylinder of a cylinder block, the depression extending into a coolant cavity within a side of the cylinder block and containing coolant within the coolant cavity; and
the cover plate further including a plurality of oil ports fluidly coupled to one or more piston oil injectors, and where the depression of the cover plate is continuous with and depressed away from an outer, planar surface of the cover plate, the planar surface surrounding the depression and including a plurality of holes for fastening the planar surface to a mounting surface of the cylinder block.

11. The component of claim 10 , wherein the cover plate depression includes an angled shape which is contiguous with a coolant outlet port in the cover plate and forming part of the bend within the coolant circuit.

12. The component of claim 11 , wherein the coolant flow enters the coolant cavity in an engine block, is guided around the bend via the angled shape of the depression and exits the engine block via a port in the cover plate and wherein the coolant cavity is depressed from the mounting surface of the cylinder block into the side of the cylinder block.

13. The component of claim 12 , wherein the depression contains the coolant flow within the coolant cavity in the engine block.

14. A method, comprising:
guiding a coolant flow around a bend in a cooling circuit within a cavity in an engine block via a cover plate positioned on an exterior of the engine block, wherein a depression in the cover plate extends into the engine block cavity and forms part of the bend which alters a direction of coolant flow such that the direction becomes opposite or perpendicular to a direction of coolant flow directly upstream of the bend, the cover plate having coolant and oil ports positioned therein, where the oil ports are fluidly coupled to one or more piston oil injectors, where the depression in the cover plate is continuous with and depressed away from an outer, planar surface of the cover plate, the planar surface surrounding the depression and including a plurality of holes for fastening the planar surface to a mounting surface on the exterior of the engine block; and
adjusting a valve positioned on the cover plate to control a flow of oil through the oil ports at a variety of pressures in response to an engine component temperature.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a portion of the cavity of the cooling circuit is isolated from a water jacket by a cavity wall and wherein the cavity is depressed from the exterior of the engine block into a side of the engine block.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the valve is mounted in the cover plate.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising cooling an EGR cooler with the cooling circuit, wherein the planar surface is arranged parallel with the mounting surface on the exterior of the engine block, and wherein the depression extends away from the planar surface and into the engine block cavity in a direction normal to the planar surface.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the piston oil injectors receive oil from the oil ports of the cover plate, where the oil is sprayed onto an underside of one or more pistons before flowing to a radiator coupled to a thermostat.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the coolant flow enters the cavity from a coolant pump and exits the engine block via an outlet in the cover plate.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Maki Cliff
• Polley Thomas
• Mullins Jeffrey Allen
• Stanley Sonny E

Classifications

• F01P2060/16

  Outlet manifold · CPC title

• F01P11/08 Primary

  Arrangements of lubricant coolers (in lubrication apparatus F01M) · CPC title