Internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11795845-B2
Application number	US-202117925174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2021
Priority date	May 11, 2020
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

An internal combustion engine, having a cylinder crankcase delimiting a crank chamber and a lubricant pan accommodating a lubricant sump, which has a lubricant pan upper part arranged between the crank chamber and the lubricant sump and a lubricant pan lower part fastened on the lubricant pan upper part. Multiple ridges originate from a base component of the lubricant pan upper part in the direction of the lubricant sump, which ridges partially intersect and thus form chambers which are peripherally closed in section between them, and lubricant passage openings formed in the lubricant pan upper part open into at least part of the chambers, via which openings the crank chamber and the lubricant sump are fluidically connected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
a cylinder crankcase delimiting a crank chamber and a lubricant pan accommodating a lubricant sump;
a lubricant pan upper part arranged between the crank chamber and the lubricant sump;
a lubricant pan lower part fastened on the lubricant pan upper part;
a plurality of ridges originating from a base component of the lubricant pan upper part, and extending in the direction of the lubricant sump, certain ridges of the plurality of ridges partially intersecting certain other ridges of the plurality of ridges, thereby forming chambers which are peripherally closed in section between intersecting ridges; and
lubricant passage openings formed in the lubricant pan upper part and opening into at least part of the chambers, the crank chamber and the lubricant sump being fluidically connected via the lubricant passage openings;
wherein, in at least one of the chambers, into which none of the lubricant passage openings open, at least one ventilation opening opens; and
wherein the at least one ventilation opening additionally fluidically connects the crank chamber and the lubricant sump and has a smaller through-flow cross section in comparison to the lubricant passage openings.

2. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the lubricant passage openings are formed in walls of the lubricant pan upper part;
the walls delimit depressions that are open in the direction of the crank chamber and are spaced apart from one another; and
the depressions are arranged overlapping with crank pins of the crankshaft in the axial direction with respect to an axis of rotation of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine.

3. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the lubricant passage openings are provided in two rows arranged in parallel to one another and to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft;
fastening recesses are formed between the two rows in the lubricant pan upper part; and
the fastening recesses are enclosed by the ridges.

4. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
in addition to the ventilation opening, at least one further ventilation opening is provided; and
a flow cross section of the further ventilation opening is larger than a flow cross section of the ventilation opening and smaller than flow cross sections of the lubricant passage openings.

5. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lubricant passage openings are non-round and the ventilation opening is round.

6. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in a region that is geodetically highest in the installed location of the internal combustion engine of a region of the base component delimiting the respective chamber.

7. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in one of the walls.

8. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the further ventilation opening has dimensions in a first direction, which are at least 75% and/or at most 125% of dimensions of one of the lubricant passage openings in the same direction, and/or wherein the further ventilation opening has dimensions in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, which are at most 25% of dimensions of the lubricant passage openings in this direction.

9. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening has dimensions in the first direction and the second direction which are at most 25% of the dimensions of the further ventilation opening in the respective direction.

10. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening has a diameter of at least 1 mm and/or at most 6 mm.

11. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
the lubricant passage openings are provided in two rows arranged in parallel to one another and to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft;
fastening recesses are formed between the two rows in the lubricant pan upper part; and
the fastening recesses are enclosed by the ridges.

12. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
in addition to the ventilation opening, at least one further ventilation opening is provided; and
a flow cross section of the further ventilation opening is larger than a flow cross section of the ventilation opening and smaller than flow cross sections of the lubricant passage openings.

13. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein:
in addition to the ventilation opening, at least one further ventilation opening is provided; and
a flow cross section of the further ventilation opening is larger than a flow cross section of the ventilation opening and smaller than flow cross sections of the lubricant passage openings.

14. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the lubricant passage openings are non-round and the ventilation opening is round.

15. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the lubricant passage openings are non-round and the ventilation opening is round.

16. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the lubricant passage openings are non-round and the ventilation opening is round.

17. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in a region that is geodetically highest in the installed location of the internal combustion engine of a region of the base component delimiting the respective chamber.

18. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in a region that is geodetically highest in the installed location of the internal combustion engine of a region of the base component delimiting the respective chamber.

19. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in a region that is geodetically highest in the installed location of the internal combustion engine of a region of the base component delimiting the respective chamber.

20. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the ventilation opening is formed in a region that is geodetically highest in the installed location of the internal combustion engine of a region of the base component delimiting the respective chamber.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Schlegelmilch Peter

Classifications

• F01M13/00 Primary

  Crankcase ventilating or breathing · CPC title

• F01M11/0004 Primary

  Oilsumps · CPC title

• F01M2013/0038

  Layout of crankcase breathing systems · CPC title

• F01M2011/0087

  Sump being made of different parts · CPC title

• F01M2011/002

  with means for improving the stiffness · CPC title