System for piston cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690176-B2
Application number	US-201514688800-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2015
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for cooling a piston arranged within a cylinder of an engine. Oil received from a connecting rod bearing and crank journal interface may be continuously transferred via an internal conduit in a connecting rod coupled to the piston wherein the internal conduit is formed within a hollow flange of the connecting rod. The oil may then be sprayed in a continuous manner via an external nozzle to an underside of the piston, enabling continuous piston cooling as the piston travels from a top-dead-center (TDC) position to a bottom-dead-center position (BDC) and back.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
continuously delivering oil to an underside of a piston arranged within a cylinder of an engine via an internal conduit in a connecting rod of the piston through a plurality of piston positions including a top-dead-center position, a bottom-dead-center position, and each piston position therebetween, the internal conduit fluidically coupled at a first end to an external nozzle, the external nozzle located below a wrist pin bore of the connecting rod and between at least two wrist pin and bore rotational connections.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal conduit is disposed within a first hollow flange of the connecting rod, the first hollow flange joined to a second hollow flange of the connecting rod via a web portion of a beam of the connecting rod, the beam forming the first hollow flange, the second hollow flange, and the web portion and spanning a distance from a first end of the connecting rod to a second end of the connecting rod.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a second end of the internal conduit is fluidically coupled to a groove formed on a portion of an internal circumference of a first bore of the connecting rod and not on an entirety of the internal circumference, the internal conduit spanning a length of the connecting rod from the groove toward the second end of the connecting rod, the first bore surrounding a connecting rod bearing, and the groove forming an oil reservoir.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the groove continuously receives oil from the connecting rod bearing for each piston position of the plurality of piston positions, and wherein the connecting rod bearing continuously receives oil from an internal oil passage within a crankshaft, and wherein the internal oil passage within the crankshaft receives oil from an oil gallery fluidically coupled to an oil pump.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering oil to the underside of the piston includes continuously spraying oil to the underside of the piston via the external nozzle.

6. A system, comprising:
an engine including a cylinder;
a piston reciprocating within the cylinder;
a connecting rod coupling the piston to a crankshaft;
a first end of the connecting rod including a first bore coupled to a crank pin of the crankshaft via a connecting rod bearing;
a second end of the connecting rod including a second bore coupled to the piston via a wrist pin;
a beam of the connecting rod spanning a distance from the first end of the connecting rod to the second end of the connecting rod, the beam comprising a web section bordered by a first flange and a second flange, wherein each of the first flange and the second flange is hollow;
an internal groove formed on a portion of an inside circumference of the first bore, the internal groove adapted to receive oil only from an oil hole on the connecting rod bearing;
a first internal conduit within the first flange fluidically coupling the internal groove with a first external nozzle, the first external nozzle arranged at the second end of the connecting rod; and
a second internal conduit within the second flange fluidically coupling the internal groove with a second external nozzle, the second external nozzle arranged at the second end of the connecting rod away from the first external nozzle,
where the first internal conduit and the second internal conduit each span a length of the connecting rod from the internal groove toward the second end.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first end of the connecting rod includes at least two bolt holes, each bolt hole positioned towards a lateral edge of the first end of the connecting rod.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the internal groove is formed away from each of the two bolt holes.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the first flange and the second flange is circular.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the first flange and the second flange is oblong.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the first external nozzle and the second external nozzle is adapted to squirt oil towards an underside of the piston.

12. A system, comprising: a connecting rod with an internal channel at a first end of the connecting rod; a first annular groove formed on a first thrust surface at the first end of the connecting rod, the first annular groove completely encircling a bore of the connecting rod; a cheek of a crankshaft adjacent to the first end of the connecting rod; and a second annular groove formed on a second thrust surface at the cheek of the crankshaft, the second annular groove adjacent to the first annular groove and completely encircling a joint between the crankshaft and the second thrust surface, the second thrust surface adjacent to the first thrust surface and facing the first thrust surface; wherein the second annular groove formed on the cheek of the crankshaft is adapted to receive oil from the connecting rod bearing, and wherein the first annular groove is adapted to receive oil from the second annular groove.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising an exterior tube coupled to an exterior of the connecting rod along a length of the connecting rod, a first end of the exterior tube fluidically coupled to the first annular groove via the internal channel.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first end of the connecting rod includes the bore, the bore surrounding a connecting rod bearing.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the connecting rod is coupled to a crank arm of the crankshaft via the connecting rod bearing.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first annular groove receive oil from the second annular groove through a clearance formed between the first annular groove and the second annular groove, the first annular groove facing the second annular groove directly across the clearance.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a piston reciprocating within a cylinder of an engine, the piston coupled to the connecting rod.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein a second end of the connecting rod is coupled to the piston via a piston pin.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein a second end of the exterior tube is positioned underneath a base of the piston.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the exterior tube is adapted to transfer oil from the first annular groove, and wherein the second end of the exterior tube is adapted to spray oil towards the base of the piston.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Leone Thomas G
• Chottiner Jeffrey Eliot
• Williams Rick L

Classifications

• F16C3/14

  Features relating to lubrication · CPC title

• F16C9/04

  Connecting-rod bearings; Attachments thereof · CPC title

• F16C2360/22

  Internal combustion engines · CPC title

• F16C7/023 Primary

  for piston engines, pumps or the like · CPC title

• F16C3/16

  Features relating to cooling · CPC title