Combined oil filter and restrictor assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10202933-B2
Application number	US-201615188714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 1, 2015
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A combined oil filter and restrictor assembly is disclosed having an oil flow restrictor interposed between first and second filters so that, irrespective of the direction of oil flow through the restrictor, debris cannot enter a small diameter bore 32 in a body of the restrictor thereby reducing the likelihood of restrictor blockage. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly includes a metal threaded member that enables the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly to be easily and quickly assembled to or removed from a component such as a cylinder head of a variable displacement engine. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly can be used to provide a restricted flow of oil from oil supply passages to signal oil passages used for controlling the operation of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters so as to purge the signal oil passages when the deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters are not deactivated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combined oil filter and restrictor assembly comprising a filter and restrictor unit and a metal threaded member for sealingly retaining the filter and restrictor unit in position, wherein the filter and restrictor unit comprises a tubular body having a cylindrical side wall defining at least one primary oil access port located in the cylindrical side wall at a position spaced away from a first end of the tubular body, an oil flow restrictor located in a primary bore defined by a portion of the cylindrical side wall of the tubular body, a first filter located between a first end of the oil flow restrictor and the at least one primary oil access port and a second filter located between a second oil access port and a second end of the oil flow restrictor such that the oil flow restrictor is interposed between the first and second filters, wherein the second oil access port is arranged to hold the second oil filter in position.

2. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oil flow restrictor comprises a restrictor body defining a small diameter bore and the restrictor body is located in the primary bore.

3. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second filter is secured in position by the restrictor body.

4. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 3 , wherein an end portion of the tubular body is engaged with a bore in an end portion of the threaded member so as to attach the tubular body to the threaded member.

5. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the tubular body is made from a plastics material.

6. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the threaded member has a head portion and a threaded body portion separated from the head portion by a circumferential groove for accommodating, in use, a resilient seal.

7. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the head portion has a frusto-conical surface thereon for providing a secondary seal between the head portion and a bore in a component with which the threaded member is threadingly engaged in use.

8. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the head portion has a drive means for use in securing the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly in position.

9. The combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first filter comprises a cylindrical filter element positioned within the tubular body so as to overlay the at least one primary oil access port, and wherein the cylindrical filter element provides for filtration of oil.

10. An assembly comprising a structural metal component and the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the structural metal component defines at least two oil passages and a threaded cross bore joining a first oil passage of the at least two oil passages to a second one of the at least two oil passages, the metal threaded member of the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly is threadingly engaged with the threaded cross bore, the first oil passage is arranged to be in fluid communication with the at least one primary oil access port of the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly and the second one of the at least two oil passages is arranged to be in fluid communication with the second oil access port of the combined oil filter and restrictor assembly.

11. The assembly as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the threaded cross bore includes a tapered portion for cooperation with a frusto-conical surface on a head portion of the threaded member so as to form a seal therebetween.

12. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the tubular body has at least one external circumferential rib thereon for sealing engagement with the threaded cross bore in the structural metal component.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the structural metal component is a cylinder head of an engine.

14. A method, comprising:
operating a variable-displacement-engine having a deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster and a combined oil filter and restrictor assembly having a filter and restrictor unit having a tubular body with a cylindrical side wall defining a primary oil access port spaced away from a first end of the tubular body, an oil flow restrictor located in a primary bore defined by a portion of the cylindrical side wall of the tubular body, a first filter located between a first end of the oil flow restrictor and the primary oil access port and a second filter located between a second oil access port and a second end of the flow restrictor, wherein the second oil access port is arranged to hold the second oil filter in position, and where the oil flow restrictor is arranged between the primary oil access port and the second oil access port, where the combined oil filter and restrictor unit permits a restricted purge flow of oil to flow from an oil supply passage for the deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster to a signal oil passage.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising purging the signal oil passage, the signal oil passage being for the deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster, wherein the first and second filters provide for filtration of oil.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Khadilkar Prasad Shrikant
• Oates James Martin
• Haigh Matt

Classifications

• F01L2301/00

  Using particular materials · CPC title

• F01L2820/01

  Absolute values · CPC title

• F01L13/0005

  Deactivating valves · CPC title

• F01M1/12

  Closed-circuit lubricating systems not provided for in groups F01M1/02 - F01M1/10 · CPC title

• F16N2270/22

  with restrictions · CPC title