Oil separation device for internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016265404-A1
Application number	US-201415033943-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 7, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

To improve the oil separation performance in an oil separation device for an internal combustion engine. The oil separation device ( 10 ) comprises a gas liquid separation passage ( 56 ) internally defined by a lower wall, an upper wall and a pair of side walls, and extending in a horizontal direction, a gas inlet ( 54 ) and a gas outlet ( 63 ) provided on either end of the gas liquid separation passage, a plurality of lower partition walls ( 56 H) projecting upward from the lower wall, and a plurality of upper partition walls ( 56 J) projecting downward from the upper wall. The lower partition walls and the upper partition wall are tilted with respective the length wise direction in plan view so as to define a spiral passage. The lower wall is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane such that an upstream part of the lower wall is lower than a downstream part of the lower wall with respect to a direction of the swirl flow.

First claim

1 . An oil separation device for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
a gas liquid separation passage internally defined by a passage forming member including a lower wall, an upper wall and a pair of side walls, and extending in a horizontal direction; a gas inlet provided on one end of the gas liquid separation passage and a gas outlet provided on another end of the gas liquid separation passage; a plurality of lower partition walls projecting upward from the lower wall and disposed in parallel to one another; and a plurality of upper partition walls projecting downward from the upper wall and disposed in parallel to one another; wherein each lower partition wall extends in a first direction which is tilted with respect to a lengthwise direction of the gas liquid separation passage in plan view, and each upper partition wall extends in a second direction crossing the first direction so that a spiral passage extending in the lengthwise direction of the gas liquid separation passage is defined by the lower partition walls and the upper partition walls; and wherein the spiral passage with a certain turn is defined by the lower partition walls and the upper partition walls for causing a swirl flow as gas flows from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, and the lower wall is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane such that an upstream part of the lower wall is lower than a downstream part of the lower wall when viewed in a direction of the swirl flow.

2 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein one of the side walls located on the upstream part defines an acute angle with respect to the lower wall.

3 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2 , wherein the other side wall located on a downstream side extends in parallel with the one side wall, and the upper wall extends in parallel with the lower wall so that the air gas separation passage is provided with a parallelepiped cross section extending perpendicular to the lengthwise direction.

4 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein each lower partition wall defines a gap with respect to the one side wall on an upstream side.

5 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein a lower end surface of each upper partition wall is located higher than an upper end surface of each lower partition wall, and each upper partition wall crosses at least one of the lower partition walls in plan view.

6 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 5 , wherein a lower end surface of each upper partition wall includes a part that contacts the upper end surface of the corresponding lower partition wall.

7 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the gas liquid separation passage includes a narrowed section at least in a part thereof, the narrowed section having a reduced cross section in comparison to adjoining part.

8 . The oil separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the passage forming member includes a first cover member and a second cover member jointly forming a part of a head cover of the internal combustion engine, and the first cover member includes at least the lower wall and the lower partition walls while the second cover member includes at least the upper wall and the upper partition walls.

9 . A breather system of an internal combustion engine provided with a PCV circuit for returning blow-by gas produced in the internal combustion engine fitted with a supercharger to an intake passage by using an intake negative pressure produced in the intake passage to be used for combustion once again, the breather system comprising,
a breather chamber provided on top of a head cover of the internal combustion engine and communicating with a breather passage for conducting blow-by gas produced in the internal combustion chamber, the breather chamber including a first gas liquid separation chamber extending in a cylinder row direction and communicating with the breather passage, a second gas liquid separation chamber extending in the cylinder row direction along the first gas liquid separation chamber and communicating with an interior of the internal combustion engine via the intake passage, and a communication passage communicating the first gas liquid separation chamber with the second gas liquid separation chamber at one end of the internal combustion engine with respect to the cylinder row direction; a PCV valve provided in the communication passage for adjusting a flow rate of the blow-by gas; and a one-way valve provided at another end of the internal combustion engine with respect to the cylinder row direction for expelling the blow-by gas from the second gas liquid separation chamber; wherein the second gas liquid separation chamber includes a spiral passage for causing a swirling flow of the blow-by gas in the second gas liquid separation chamber.

10 . The breather system of an internal combustion engine according to claim 9 , wherein a fresh air chamber extends in the cylinder row direction along the breather chamber in an upper part of the head cover of the internal combustion engine for introducing fresh air into an interior of the internal combustion engine and scavenging an interior of the internal combustion engine by using an intake negative pressure in the internal combustion engine, and
wherein the fresh air chamber communicates with an interior of the internal combustion engine at one end thereof with respect to the cylinder row direction and with a part of the intake passage on an upstream side of the supercharger at another end thereof with respect to the cylinder row direction, and is provided with a spiral passage for causing a swirl flow of the fresh air and the blow-by gas conducted in the fresh air chamber.

11 . The breather system of an internal combustion engine according to claim 9 , wherein the spiral passage comprises a lower rib extending upward from a bottom surface of the corresponding chamber provided with the spiral passage and an upper rib extending downward from a ceiling surface of the corresponding chamber, the lower rib and the upper rib crossing each other so as to present a letter X shape in plan view.

12 . The breather system of an internal combustion engine according to claim 9 , further comprising
a guide passage provided in the head cover of the internal combustion engine for communicating the breather chamber with a breather passage for conducting blow-by gas produced in the internal combustion engine, the guide passage communicating with the first gas liquid separation chamber at an end part of the first gas liquid separation chamber on the other end side of the cylinder row direction; a first oil return portion formed in a part of a bottom wall of the first gas liquid separation chamber on the other end side of the cylinder row direction; and a second oil return portion formed in a part of a bottom wall of the second gas liquid separation chamber on the one end side of the cylinder row direction or in a part of a bottom wall of the communication passage adjacent to the second gas liquid separation chamber.

13 . The breather system of an internal combustion engine according to claim 9 , wherein the first gas liquid separation chamber comprises
a hole portion serving as an oil return hole and a blow-by gas inlet hole formed in a bottom wall of an end of the first gas liquid separation chamber on the other end side of the cylinder row direction, and a

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fujii Takeshi
• Shigemoto Kazunari
• Odo Mayuka
• Kasajima Yuya
• Komatsu Hirotaka
• Saito Junya
• Nakano Kouji
• Maruyama Sei
• Matsushiro Yoshiki

Classifications

• F01M2013/0461

  with a labyrinth · CPC title

• F01M13/022

  using engine inlet suction · CPC title

• F02M25/06

  adding lubricant vapours · CPC title

• F01M13/04 Primary

  having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil · CPC title

• F01M13/0416 Primary

  arranged in valve-covers · CPC title