JPH1073014A - Oil pan bulkhead structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce energy loss in a driving part in a crankcase by arranging a bulkhead for isolating driving force transmitting member taken out from the crankshaft of an engine from oil reserved in an oil pan. SOLUTION: An oil passage 10 and a rib 5 which is projectingly formed integratedly toward a chain cover 4 are formed on a wall 14 arranged opposing to the chain cover 4, between an engine block 2 and the bottom plate of an oil pan 3. A rib which is projectingly formed toward an engine block 2 side is formed on the chain cover 4, and the rib is brought into abutment through a gasket 6 so as to constitute a bulkhead 5. It is thus possible to partition a first space which is partitioned by the chain cover 4, the bulkhead 5, and the wall 14, and a second space formed in such a constitution that oil in the oil pan 3 is advanced through an oil passage 10 so as to ensure a prescribed oil reserving rate, and a timing chain 13, an oil pump sprocket 7, and the like are stored in the first space so as to isolate from oil.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a partition structure of an oil pan, and more particularly to a partition structure of an oil pan in an engine in which oil is stored in an oil pan provided below an engine block.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An oil pan is provided below an engine block (crankcase) for accommodating an engine body as an oil reservoir for lubricating a driving portion of the engine. Conventionally, a driving force transmitting member (rotating member) of an engine, such as a timing chain driven and driven by a crank sprocket fixed to a crankshaft of an engine, an oil pump sprocket, and a balancer weight sprocket driven by the timing chain.
Is rotated while stirring the oil stored in the oil pan.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-167218 discloses that lubricating oil in an oil pan is agitated by rotation of a balancer weight for absorbing rotational vibration generated to convert reciprocating motion of a piston into rotational motion. In order to prevent
There has been proposed a balancer weight coating structure in which a balancer cover that is located below the oil level of the stored oil and that has a lower portion of the balancer weight portion formed integrally with the balancer holder is covered. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the inside of a crankcase for explaining the balancer weight covering structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-167218. In the balancer weight coating structure shown in FIG. 5, the crank sprocket 7 fixed to the crankshaft 51 of the engine includes the timing chain 1
The oil pump 9 is connected to an oil pump sprocket 8 for driving an oil pump 9 via the motor 3 and two balancer shaft sprockets 12, and the oil pump shaft and the balancer shaft 54 are rotated. Balancer shaft 5
A balancer weight 55 that rotates with the rotation of the crankshaft 51 is attached to an intermediate portion of the balance 4, and the lower portions of these balance weights 55 are all covered by a balancer cover 53 by a thickness substantially in the axial direction.
Only the balancer weight 55 is structured so as not to agitate the entire oil stored in the oil pan 3. The oil collected on the balancer cover 53 is the balancer cover 5
The oil pan 3 is returned to the oil pan 3 through an oil drain pipe 52 opened. Further, the balancer cover 53 is connected to the crankshaft 5.
It is bolted so that it can be hung on a bearing beam containing one bearing.

[0004]

However, according to the balance weight covering structure shown in FIG. 5, the oil sprocket 8 and the balancer, which are the driving force transmitting members for transmitting the driving force of the engine to the oil pump 9 and the balancer shaft 54, are provided. The shaft sprocket 12 and the timing chain 52 are not covered with the balancer cover 53 and are immersed in the oil in the oil pan 3. Therefore, since the whole oil in the oil pan 3 is greatly agitated with the rotation of these members, the effect of reducing the rotational resistance by providing the balancer cover 53 is only slight from the viewpoint of the entire energy loss. Absent.

[0005] In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce energy loss in a drive unit in a crankcase. Still another object is to provide an oil pan partition wall structure which is easy to assemble and has high support stability.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventor has found that a member for transmitting a driving force of an engine crankshaft, such as an oil pump sprocket and a timing chain, agitates oil stored in an oil pan, thereby making it extremely difficult. The inventors have found that a large loss of rotational energy has occurred, and since the sprocket and the chain have irregular shapes, they have found that the rotational resistance generated particularly when agitating oil is large, and the present invention I've reached the point.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an oil pan provided at a lower portion of an engine block for accommodating an engine main body, wherein a driving force transmitting member taken out from a crankshaft of the engine is connected to the oil pan. It is characterized in that a partition is provided for isolating from the oil stored in the bread. That is, the partition wall defines a space in which the oil stored in the oil pan does not enter, and the driving force transmitting member is disposed in the space. The oil level is partially lowered by the partition walls, and a member for transmitting the driving force taken out of the crankshaft of the engine by being rotated is prevented from being immersed in the oil stored in the oil pan, and the oil is stirred. The generation of rotation resistance is prevented. As a member for transmitting the driving force extracted from the crankshaft of the engine, for example, an oil pump sprocket, a balancer shaft sprocket, a timing chain suspended by these, and the like can be cited. Further, for example, when transmitting the rotational driving force from the crankshaft of the engine by a gear train instead of an endless driving force transmitting member such as a timing chain, the above-mentioned partition wall is used for the oil train stored in an oil pan. Will be isolated from

In the above means, preferably, the driving force transmitting member includes a crank sprocket fixed to the crank shaft, a timing chain suspended on the crank sprocket, and another timing chain suspended on the timing chain. And a sprocket.
In the case where the timing gear train is used as a driving force transmitting member for transmitting the driving force of the crankshaft instead of the timing chain, the partition wall is provided so as to surround the set area of the timing gear train. More preferably,
All rotating members (various sprockets, etc.) are surrounded by partition walls.

In the above means, preferably, the partition wall is a chain cover attached to one side of the engine block and / or the oil pan so as to cover the driving force transmitting member;
Alternatively, it includes a wall formed on the oil pan and opposed to the chain cover, and a rib formed between the chain cover and the wall. Thereby, the partition structure of the oil pan can be simplified, and various sprockets and timing chains can be easily assembled.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views for explaining a partition structure of an oil pan according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an engine in an axial direction of a crankshaft, and FIG. It is the figure seen from the direction.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine comprises:
It comprises, in order from the top, a cylinder head 1, an engine block 2 and an oil pan 3, and a chain cover 4 attached to cover one side of the engine block 2 and the oil pan 3. On one side of the engine block 2 and the oil pan 3, a crank sprocket 7 fixed to a crankshaft, and two balancer shaft sprockets 12a, 12a, 1 fixed to a balancer shaft.
2b, an oil pump sprocket 8 fixed to an oil pump shaft, a timing chain 13 suspended by these to transmit a driving force output from a crankshaft (crank sprocket 7), and an oil operated by rotation of the oil pump shaft A pump 9 is provided. The oil pump 9 pumps up the oil in the oil pan 3 and supplies it to the cylinder head 1 and the engine block 2.

A wall 1 is provided between the engine block 2 and the bottom plate of the oil pan 3 so as to face the chain cover 4.
The rib 4 is provided with a rib integrally formed so as to project toward the oil passage 10 and the chain cover 4. The chain cover 4 is also provided with ribs integrally projecting toward the engine block 2 side, and the ribs abut via a gasket 6 to form the partition wall 5. Also, the wall 14
An oil passage 10 communicating the inside of the oil pan 3 and the space defined by the partition wall 5, the chain cover 4 and the wall 14 is opened below the oil pan 3, and the oil pan 3 is The oil inside enters and is filled, and a predetermined oil storage amount is secured.

According to the structure described above, the space above the partition 5, that is, the space surrounded by the upper surface of the partition 5, the chain cover 4, and the wall 14 and in which the timing chain 13 and the oil pump sprocket 7 are accommodated. Since the oil in the oil pan 3 does not enter into the oil pan 3, the crank sprocket 7, the balancer shaft sprockets 12a and 12b, the oil pump sprocket 8, and the timing chain 13 Stirring the oil inside does not cause rotation loss.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed views for explaining the partition structure of the oil pan according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the engine viewed from the axial direction of the crankshaft, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the engine viewed from the radial direction. Note that the structure described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 is as described above, and thus detailed description is omitted below.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a flange-like wall 14 through which an oil pump shaft is inserted is bolted to engine block 2 so that the wall 14 and the wall of engine block 2 to which wall 14 is attached are attached. An oil passage 10 is formed. The oil passage 10 communicates between the oil sumps on the engine block 2 main body side and the separate body side (chain cover 4 side). The ribs formed integrally with the wall 14 and the ribs formed integrally with the chain cover 4 bolted to the engine block 2 abut via a gasket 6 to form the partition wall 5. Due to the partition wall 5, the running range of the oil pump sprocket 8, the two balancer shaft sprockets 12a and 12b, and the timing chain 13 is completely isolated from the oil stored in the oil pan 3. The two-dot chain lines (oil level lines H and L) parallel to each other in FIG. 3 indicate a virtual oil level when the partition wall 5 is not provided. In this case, the oil pump sprocket 8 and the like are immersed in the oil in the oil pan 3, and the oil is stirred with the rotation.
The provision of the partition wall 5 prevents this. In addition,
The oil level line is hatched in FIG. 3 because the engine is mounted at a predetermined angle to the vertical.

The upper part of the partition 5 is opened until it reaches the upper wall surface of the chain cover 4, and the crank sprocket 7 is opened.
It is conceivable that the oil for lubricating the oil and the like temporarily stays on the upper surface of the partition wall 5, but this oil is bounced up by the oil pump sprocket 8, the timing chain 13 and the like, and gives an appropriate lubrication to the crank sprocket 7. Then, the splashed oil passes through the engine block 2 and the like and returns to the oil pan 3.

The partition wall 5 is constituted by a rib formed integrally with and protruding from the wall 14 and the chain cover 4 and abutting via a gasket 6, so that the partition wall 5 is stably supported from the direction of the chain cover 4. Then, the partition wall 5 is formed simply by attaching the chain cover 4 (separate body) to the engine block 2 (main body) in the same manner as in the related art.

Further, by disposing an idler or a chain tensioner for starting the oil pump above the partition wall 5 and isolating it from the oil stored in the oil pan 3, the rotational loss is further reduced.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing a partition that isolates the driving force transmitting member taken out of the engine crankshaft from the oil stored in the oil pan, the driving force transmitting member does not agitate the oil in the oil pan, The rotational resistance of these members is reduced, and the engine efficiency is improved (claims 1 to 3). In particular, the driving force transmitting member includes a driving force transmitting member including a crank sprocket fixed to a crankshaft, a timing chain suspended on the crank sprocket, and another sprocket on which the timing chain is suspended. By providing a partition wall that is isolated from the stored oil, the rotational resistance is greatly reduced as a whole (claim 2). Further, the partition wall is provided on one side of the engine block and / or the oil pan so as to cover the driving force transmitting member, and the partition wall is formed on the engine block and / or the oil pan and is arranged to face the chain cover. Walls and
By including a rib formed between the chain cover and the wall, a partition structure of an oil pan that is easy to assemble and has high support stability of the partition is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a partition structure of an oil pan according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine viewed from a crankshaft axial direction.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a partition structure of an oil pan according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic configuration diagram of the engine shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from a crankshaft radial direction.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining details of a partition structure of the oil pan according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of the engine as viewed from a crankshaft axial direction.

4 is a view for explaining details of a partition structure of an oil pan according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of the engine of FIG. 3 as viewed from a crankshaft radial direction.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of a crankcase for explaining a conventional balancer weight covering structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylinder head 2 Engine block 3 Oil pan 4 Chain cover 5 Partition wall 6 Gasket 7 Crank sprocket 8 Oil pump sprocket 9 Oil pump 10 Oil passage 11 Oil level 12a, 12b Balancer shaft sprocket 13 Timing chain 14 Wall (engine block wall)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An oil pan provided at a lower portion of an engine block for housing an engine body and storing oil, a driving force transmitting member taken out from a crankshaft of the engine is isolated from the oil stored in the oil pan. A partition structure of an oil pan, wherein a partition is provided. 2. The driving force transmitting member includes a crank sprocket fixed to the crankshaft, a timing chain suspended on the crank sprocket, and another sprocket on which the timing chain is suspended. The partition structure for an oil pan according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The partition wall is formed on the engine block and / or the oil pan, and a chain cover attached to one side of the engine block and / or the oil pan so as to cover the driving force transmitting member. 3. The partition structure of an oil pan according to claim 1, further comprising a wall disposed to face the chain cover, and a rib formed between the chain cover and the wall.