Oil pump apparatus with pump section and segmented oil intake circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9206803-B2
Application number	US-201113117312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2011
Priority date	May 31, 2010
Publication date	Dec 8, 2015
Grant date	Dec 8, 2015

Abstract

An oil pump apparatus for supplying an oil to a vehicular transmission, includes a pump to suck the oil from an oil reservoir through an inlet port into a pumping chamber, and an intake circuit to convey the oil sucked from the oil reservoir to the inlet port. The intake circuit includes a proximal segment, an intermediate segment and a distal segment. The proximal segment extends from the inlet port, to the intermediate segment. The intermediate segment extends upwards from the proximal segment. The distal segment extends downwards from a first connecting end portion connected with the intermediate segment to a end portion formed with an suction opening to suck the oil from the oil reservoir into the intake circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oil pump apparatus for supplying an oil to a vehicular transmission, comprising:
a pump section including a pump to suck the oil from an oil reservoir through an inlet port into a pumping chamber, to discharge the oil through an outlet port and to supply the oil to the transmission;
an intake circuit provided between the oil reservoir and the pump section and arranged to convey the oil sucked from the oil reservoir to the inlet port of the pump section,
the intake circuit including a proximal segment, an intermediate segment and a distal segment,
the proximal segment extending from a proximal first connecting end portion connected with the inlet port of the pump section, to a proximal second connecting end portion connected with the intermediate segment,
the intermediate segment extending from an intermediate first connecting end portion connected with the proximal second connecting end portion of the proximal segment, to an intermediate second connecting end portion which is connected with the distal segment at a position higher than a position of the intermediate first connecting end portion and which is located at a position higher than a position of the intermediate first connecting end portion of the intermediate segment, and
the distal segment extending from a distal first connecting end portion connected with the intermediate second connecting end portion of the intermediate segment to an end portion formed with a suction opening to suck the oil from the oil reservoir into the intake circuit, the distal first connecting end portion of the distal segment being located at a position higher than the suction opening,
wherein the pump section further includes a pump main body including an intake port forming the inlet port, a discharge port forming the outlet port and at least the pumping chamber, and a volume of an inside bore of the distal segment of the intake circuit is smaller than a volume of a space formed in the pump main body.

2. The oil pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the suction opening of the distal segment is located at a position lower than the intermediate segment.

3. The oil pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a boundary between the intermediate second connecting end portion of the intermediate segment and the distal first connecting end portion of the distal segment is inclined so as conform to a horizontal plane when the vehicle is climbing upward on a hill.

4. The oil pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the volume of the space formed in the pump main body is a sum of a volume of the pumping chamber in the pump main body, and volumes of the intake port and discharge port of the pump main body.

5. The oil pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oil pump apparatus comprises:
a main oil pump adapted to be driven by an engine and arranged to supply the oil to the transmission;
the pump section including the pump to supply the oil from the oil reservoir to the transmission, the pump of the pump section being a sub oil pump adapted to be driven by an electric motor;
a first supply passage connected with an outlet port of the main oil pump;
a second supply passage connected with an outlet port of the sub oil pump;
a third supply passage connected with the first and second supply passages;
a check valve disposed in the second supply passage and arranged to allow oil flow from the sub oil pump when a discharge pressure of the sub oil pump is higher than a discharge pressure of the main oil pump;
the intake circuit which is a second intake circuit connecting the oil reservoir with the sub oil pump and which includes the proximal segment, the intermediate segment and the distal segment; and
a first intake circuit connecting the oil reservoir with the main oil pump.

6. The pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intake circuit including the proximal segment, the intermediate segment and the distal segment is a single continuous pipe including:
a downward pipe segment extending downwards from an upper end connected with the inlet port of the pump section, to a lower end,
an upward pipe segment extending upwards from a lower end to an upper end,
a terminal pipe segment extending from an upper end to a lower end formed with the suction opening,
a lower pipe segment extending laterally from the lower end of the downward pipe segment, to the lower end of the upward pipe segment, and
an upper pipe segment extending from the upper end of the upward pipe segment to the upper end of the terminal pipe segment.

7. The pump apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein, in a normal posture of the pump apparatus:
the lower pipe segment, the upward pipe segment and the upper pipe segment are located vertically between the upper end of the downward pipe segment and the lower end of the terminal pipe segment;
the lower pipe segment, the upward pipe segment and the upper pipe segment are entirely below the upper end of the downward pipe segment; and
the lower pipe segment, the upward pipe segment and the upper pipe segment are entirely above the lower end of the terminal pipe segment.

8. The oil pump apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate segment includes a vertical sub-segment that extends vertically in an upward direction and forms a right-angled bend with a horizontal sub-segment of the proximal segment.

Assignees

• Tatewaki Keichi
• Nonomura Akio
• Kawachi Yasuhiro
• Jatco Ltd
• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Tatewaki Keichi
• Nonomura Akio
• Kawachi Yasuhiro

Classifications

• F16H2312/20

  Start-up or shut-down · CPC title

• F04C2240/806

  Pipes for fluids; Fittings therefor · CPC title

• F04C15/0088 Primary

  Lubrication (of machines or engines in general F01M) · CPC title

• F04B53/16

  Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder liners or heads; Fluid connections · CPC title

• F04B53/18

  Lubricating · CPC title