Fluid cell and docking station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11828209-B2
Application number	US-202217588236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2022
Priority date	Jan 29, 2021
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A fluid cell for an assembly and for filtering oil includes a fluid cell housing with a housing opening and partly surrounds a housing interior, a housing cover attached releasably to the fluid cell housing for closing the housing opening, and a filter device arranged in the housing interior for filtering the oil, in which a filter element is arranged and which fluidically communicates with a raw oil line for conducting the oil to be filtered into the filter device and with a clean oil line for conducting the filtered oil out of the filter device. An oil reservoir is arranged in the housing interior for storing oil, which fluidically communicates with an oil reservoir line for conducting oil out of the oil reservoir, and a fluid cell valve device for closing and opening the raw oil line, the clean oil line, and the oil reservoir line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid cell for an assembly with a docking station and for filtering oil, the fluid cell comprising:
a fluid cell housing partly surrounding a housing interior and comprising a housing opening, wherein the housing interior has a differential volume;
a housing cover that can be releasably attached or is releasably attached to the fluid cell housing for closing the housing opening;
a filter device arranged in the housing interior for filtering the oil, in which a filter element is arranged and which fluidically communicates with a raw oil line for conducting the oil to be filtered into the filter device and having a clean oil line for conducting the filtered oil out of the filter device;
an oil reservoir for storing oil, which has a variable volume, which is arranged in the housing interior, and which fluidically communicates with an oil reservoir line for conducting oil out of the oil reservoir, wherein the oil reservoir is formed by a covering made of a flexible material, and wherein the oil reservoir is configured to adjust a first volume of the oil reservoir to a second volume of the oil stored in the oil reservoir; and
a fluid cell valve device for closing and opening the raw oil line, the clean oil line, and the oil reservoir line.

2. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid cell valve device includes for each of the three lines an adjustable fluid cell valve body, which is adjustable between a closed position, in which the respective fluid cell valve body each seals in a fluid-tight manner a fluid cell valve opening provided in the line concerned, and an open position, in which the respective fluid cell valve body opens the fluid cell valve opening for oil to flow through, and
the fluid cell valve bodies are preloaded with a respective fluid cell preloading element towards the closed position.

3. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid cell valve device is configured such that it is adjustable with an external adjusting device of the docking station.

4. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the respective fluid cell valve opening is adjustably arranged in the raw oil line, the clean oil line, and the oil reservoir line, respectively.

5. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein:
in the raw oil line, in the clean oil line, and in the oil reservoir line a tubular body each designed sleeve-like is adjustably arranged relative to the raw oil line, the clean oil line, and the oil reservoir line, respectively, and
a front-face opening of the tubular body forms the respective—adjustable valve opening.

6. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the covering is made of an elastic material.

7. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the housing cover in the state attached to the fluid cell housing is formed adjustably relative to the fluid cell housing between a maximum position, in which the housing interior delimited by the fluid cell housing and the housing cover has a maximum volume, and a minimum position, in which the housing interior has a minimum volume.

8. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein:
the housing opening extends in an opening plane, and
the housing cover is adjustably attached to the fluid cell housing transversely, typically perpendicularly, to the opening plane in particular along an axial direction.

9. The fluid cell according to claim 7 , wherein the oil reservoir and the housing interior are configured, dimensioned, and matched to one another such that by adjusting the housing cover from the maximum position towards the minimum position, in particular into the minimum position, oil stored in the oil reservoir is at least partially forced out of the oil reservoir via the oil reservoir line.

10. An assembly for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising:
fluid cell according to claim 1 ; and
a docking station comprising a first, second, and third fluid line that can be fluidically connected to the internal combustion engine, which furthermore comprises a mount, onto which the fluid cell can be placed and releasably fixed with an adjusting device of the docking station, configured such that with the fluid cell fixed on or in the docking station, one of these three fluid lines each fluidically communicates with the raw oil line, the clean oil line and the oil reservoir line of the fluid cell, respectively.

11. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the covering is at least partially formed by a film.

12. The fluid cell according to claim 1 , wherein the oil reservoir and the housing interior are configured such that in a state, in which the oil reservoir is maximally filled with oil, the oil reservoir is partly arranged in the differential volume of the housing interior.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Jauss Stefan
• Neubauer Michael
• Ruppert Julia
• Walz Michael

Classifications

• F01M11/03 Primary

  Mounting or connecting of lubricant purifying means relative to the machine or engine; Details of lubricant purifying means (filters B01D) · CPC title

• B01D29/018

  ring shaped · CPC title

• B01D35/153

  Anti-leakage or anti-return valves · CPC title

• B01D35/30

  Filter housing constructions · CPC title

• F01M11/0004

  Oilsumps · CPC title