U.S. patent application number 16/673148 was filed with the patent office on 2020-07-02 for oil pan assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. The applicant listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KIA MOTORS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Jae-Kyun DOO, Hyun-Jun KIM, Hyeong-Seok LEE.
Application Number | 20200208549 16/673148 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 71079779 |
Filed Date | 2020-07-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200208549 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DOO; Jae-Kyun ; et
al. |
July 2, 2020 |
OIL PAN ASSEMBLY
Abstract
An oil pan assembly for an engine may include: an oil pan
mounted at a lower portion of a cylinder block of the engine and
formed with a space therein, in which oil can be stored; and a
support bracket mounted at one side of the oil pan for coupling
with an air conditioner compressor or a transmission. In
particular, a protrusion portion is formed at an upper surface of
the support bracket and upwardly protruded.
Inventors: |
DOO; Jae-Kyun; (Seoul,
KR) ; LEE; Hyeong-Seok; (Gwangju, KR) ; KIM;
Hyun-Jun; (Suwon-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION |
Seoul
Seoul |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
Seoul
KR
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
71079779 |
Appl. No.: |
16/673148 |
Filed: |
November 4, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01M 2011/0054 20130101;
F01M 11/0004 20130101; F01M 2011/0058 20130101; F01M 2011/0091
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F01M 11/00 20060101
F01M011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 26, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0169244 |
Claims
1. An oil pan assembly for an engine, comprising: an oil pan
mounted at a lower portion of a cylinder block of the engine and
configured to form a space to store oil; and a support bracket
mounted at one side of the oil pan and configured to couple with an
air conditioner compressor or a transmission, wherein a protrusion
portion is formed at an upper surface of the support bracket and
upwardly protruded.
2. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein the oil pan is made of
plastic material.
3. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein: a first flange hole is
formed at a lower surface of the oil pan; and the protrusion
portion of the support bracket penetrates the first flange hole to
be mounted at the oil pan.
4. The oil pan assembly of claim 3, wherein the support bracket is
made of aluminum, magnesium or cast iron material.
5. The oil pan assembly of claim 3, wherein the protrusion portion
of the support bracket is formed as a pin type and pressed in the
support bracket after processed separately.
6. The oil pan assembly of claim 3, wherein the protrusion portion
is integrally formed with the support bracket.
7. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein: a bush type protrusion
portion is formed at the upper surface of the support bracket to be
upwardly protruded; a second flange hole is formed at a lower
surface of the oil pan; and the bush type protrusion portion
penetrates the second flange hole so that the support bracket is
mounted at the oil pan.
8. The oil pan assembly of claim 1, wherein the protrusion portion
of the support bracket penetrates the oil pan to be inserted into
and fixed at a lower portion of the cylinder block.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of
Korean Patent Application. 10-2018-0169244, filed on Dec. 26, 2018,
the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an oil pan assembly
mounted at a cylinder block of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The statements in this section merely provide background
information related to the present disclosure and may not
constitute prior art.
[0004] Since an engine includes numerous parts rubbing against each
other during driven, and those rubbing parts are worn down and
cause power loss. Thus, engine oil should be supplied to lubricate
each moving part in order to prevent this.
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, the oil for lubricating the engine is
gathered in an oil pan 10 mounted a lower portion of a cylinder
block 20 at which engine parts are mounted and supplied to main
parts of the engine by a pump.
[0006] Further, the oil pan 10 needs to be fastened to a
heavy-weight object such as a transmission or an air conditioner
compressor.
[0007] However, when the oil pan 10 is made of steel material of
7.8 g/cm.sup.3 density, NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness)
performance can be good, but it cannot be used for direct fastening
to the weight object such as a transmission or an air conditioner
compressor.
[0008] Further, in the case of aluminum (density 2.7 g/cm.sup.3)
oil pan which is mainly used now, it is possible to fasten with the
weight object directly, but it requires thickness of 2.5 t or more,
which limits the light weight and requires reinforcement of NVH
performance. Thus, it is desired to attach an oil pan cover 14 to
the lower portion of oil pan 10, which deteriorates the cost
competitiveness.
[0009] Further, in the case of magnesium of 1.74 g/cm.sup.3
density, in comparison with aluminum, NVH performance is
disadvantageous, and the increase (2.5 t->3.5 t or more) in
general thickness makes the effect of the weight reduction
inadequate, resulting in increase of material cost.
[0010] Next, structurally, it is directly fasten to the weight
object such as the air conditioner compressor and exposed to
repeated loads by driving of a belt of accessory drive system for
driving an air conditioner compressor and an alternator.
[0011] In addition, in order for coupling with the air conditioner
compressor, two fastening points 11 are formed at the oil pan 10
and one fastening point 21 is formed at the cylinder block 20 so
that three fastening points are dispersedly formed, and also, a
belt idler fastening point 12 of the accessory drive system and a
transmission housing assemble flange 13 are formed.
[0012] Therefore, we have discovered that considering all the
dispersed fastening points, tolerance management of the assembly
position of the fastening part is required, and thus, two or more
dowel pins 30 should be applied.
[0013] So, even after the increase in vehicle mileage, durability
(e.g., belt durability of the air conditioner) and noise reduction
can be secured.
[0014] The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding
of the background of the present disclosure, and is not intended to
mean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the
related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[0015] The present disclosure provides an oil pan assembly capable
of improving its durability and reliability by absorbing the
assembly tolerance of a weight object to which the oil pan is
attached.
[0016] An oil pan assembly for an engine according to one aspect of
the present disclosure may include: an oil pan mounted at a lower
portion of a cylinder block of the engine and configured to form a
space to store oil; and a support bracket mounted at one side of
the oil pan and configured to couple with an air conditioner
compressor or a transmission. In particular, a protrusion portion
is formed at an upper surface of the support bracket to be upwardly
protruded.
[0017] The oil pan may be made of plastic material.
[0018] A first flange hole may be formed at a lower surface of the
oil pan, and the protrusion portion of the support bracket may
penetrate the first flange hole to be mounted at the oil pan.
[0019] The support bracket may be made of aluminum, magnesium or
cast iron material.
[0020] The protrusion portion of the support bracket may be formed
as a pin type and pressed in the support bracket after processed
separately.
[0021] The protrusion portion may be integrally formed with the
support bracket.
[0022] A bush type protrusion portion may be formed at an upper
surface of the support bracket to be upwardly protruded; a second
flange hole may be formed at a lower surface of the oil pan; and
the bush type protrusion portion may penetrate the second flange
hole so that the air conditioner compressor support bracket is
mounted at the oil pan.
[0023] The protrusion portion of the support bracket may penetrate
the oil pan to be inserted into and fixed at a lower portion of the
cylinder block.
[0024] In accordance with the oil pan assembly of the present
disclosure, the oil pan is made of plastic material, weight object
is fastened to the oil pan through the support bracket, and the
support bracket is also provided with the dowel pin function, so
that it does not require assemble tolerance management by separate
dowel pins.
[0025] Therefore, durability reliability is further improved, and
the oil pan cover for NVH performance is not required so that cost
reduction can be expected.
[0026] Further, oil temperature rising time can be shorten compared
to an aluminum oil pan, thereby obtaining the effecting of
improving fuel efficiency.
[0027] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. It should be understood that the
description and specific examples are intended for purposes of
illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0028] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there
will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of
example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0029] FIG. 1 shows coupling relationship between a cylinder block
and an oil pan according to prior art;
[0030] FIG. 2 shows an oil pan assembly according to one form of
the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 3 is an enlarged drawing of "A" portion of FIG. 2;
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a support bracket for an air conditioner
compressor according to one form of the present disclosure; and
[0033] FIG. 5 is an enlarged drawing of a portion of the air
conditioner compressor support bracket of FIG. 4.
[0034] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes
only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure in any way.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or
uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings,
corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding
parts and features.
[0036] In order to fully understand the present disclosure, and the
benefits and objectives achieved by exemplary forms of the present
disclosure, it should refer to the accompanying drawings that
illustrate exemplary forms of the present disclosure and the
description in the accompanying drawings.
[0037] In describing the exemplary forms of the present disclosure,
known techniques or repetitive description that would unnecessarily
obscure the point of the present disclosure would reduce or omit
the description.
[0038] FIG. 2 shows an oil pan assembly according to the present
disclosure; and FIG. 3 is an enlarged drawing of "A" portion of
FIG. 2.
[0039] Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an oil pan assembly
for an engine according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure will be described in detail.
[0040] The oil pan assembly may be mounted at a lower portion of a
cylinder block (not shown) and have a space for storing oil therein
so that the oil can be supplied to an engine by an oil pump (not
shown).
[0041] Further, a weight object such as an air conditioner
compressor or a transmission may be fastened to the oil pan
assembly.
[0042] For this, the oil pan assembly according to one form of the
present disclosure may include an oil pan 110 and a support
bracket, and the support bracket may be an air conditioner
compressor support bracket 120 or a transmission support bracket
130.
[0043] The oil pan 110 constituting the oil pan assembly may be
made of plastic material unlike the conventional aluminum
material.
[0044] Therefore, it can be lightweight compared to the
conventional aluminum material, and it is possible to apply a
separate aluminum bracket to support the weight object, so that NVH
performance can be improved.
[0045] Thus, it does not require a conventional oil pan cover for
NVH performance reinforcement, which can save cost.
[0046] In addition, oil temperature rising time can be shorten by
the oil pan of plastic material compared to the conventional
aluminum material, thereby improving fuel efficiency.
[0047] A first flange hole 111 and a second flange hole 112 for
fastening with a separate aluminum bracket may be formed at a lower
surface of the oil pan 110.
[0048] The separate bracket may be made of magnesium or cast iron
in addition to aluminum.
[0049] An air conditioner compressor support bracket 120 may be
mounted at one side of the oil pan 110 and an air conditioner
compressor may be coupled thereto. The air conditioner compressor
support bracket 120 may have a shape corresponding to one-sided
outer circumference shape of the oil pan 120 being coupled thereto,
an outer shape for coupling with the air conditioner compressor and
a structural shape for coupling reinforcement.
[0050] A transmission support bracket 130 may be mounted on another
side that is different from the one side on which the air
conditioner compressor support bracket 120 is mounted and a
transmission may be coupled thereto. The transmission support
bracket 130 may have a shape corresponding to one-sided outer
circumference shape of the oil pan 120 being coupled thereto as
like the air conditioner compressor support bracket 120, an outer
shape for coupling with the transmission and a structural shape for
coupling reinforcement.
[0051] Only the air conditioner compressor support brackets is
shown, but the oil pan assembly of the present disclosure is
fastened with the weight object through the support bracket, so
that it is not necessary to disperse the fastening points for
fastening with the weight object in the oil pan. Thus, dowel pins
are not required to resolve the assembly tolerance considering all
fastening points.
[0052] A protrusion portion formed to be upwardly protruded from an
upper surface of the support bracket serves as the tolerance
absorbing means instead of the function of the dowel pins to absorb
the tolerance due to the fastening with the weight object, thereby
improving the durability.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, a pin type protrusion portion 121 may be
formed at the air conditioner compressor support bracket 120 as the
tolerance absorbing means for the function of the dowel pins and
the pin type protrusion portion 121 may be inserted into the first
flange hole 111 formed at a lower surface of the oil pan 110.
[0054] The pin type protrusion portion 121 may be pressed in the
air conditioner compressor support bracket 120 after processing
pins as separate product.
[0055] Otherwise, the pin type protrusion portion 121 may be made
by processing to be integrally formed at the air conditioner
compressor support bracket 120.
[0056] Further, as shown in drawings, the pin type protrusion
portion 121 may be formed to be protruded in length to penetrate
the first flange hole 111 so that the assembly tolerance can be
managed by an upper protruded portion of the pin type protrusion
portion 121.
[0057] In addition, a chamfer shape may be formed at the pin type
protrusion portion 121 between the protrusion portion 121 and the
upper surface of the air conditioner compressor support bracket 120
so that it is able to resolve the assembly tolerance and improve
durability reliability such as an air conditioner belt wear and
noise after the mileage increase.
[0058] FIG. 4 shows another exemplary form of an air conditioner
compressor support bracket according to the present disclosure; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged drawing of a portion of the air conditioner
compressor support bracket of FIG. 4.
[0059] An air conditioner compressor support bracket according to
another exemplary form may include a bush type protrusion portion
122 as the tolerance absorbing means for the function of dowel
pins, and the bush type protrusion portion 122 may be inserted into
the second flange hole 112.
[0060] The bush type protrusion portion 122 may be made by
processing to be integrally formed at the upper surface of the air
conditioner compressor support bracket 120.
[0061] Further, as shown in drawings, the bush type protrusion
portion 122 may be formed to be protruded in length to penetrate
the second flange hole 112 so that the assembly tolerance can be
managed by an upper protruded portion of the bush type protrusion
portion 122.
[0062] In addition, a chamfer shape may be formed at the bush type
protrusion portion 122 between the protrusion portion 122 and the
upper surface of the air conditioner compressor support bracket 120
so that the functions of sealing and dowel pins can be
simultaneously performed.
[0063] As described above, the oil pan assembly of the present
disclosure does not require an oil pan cover for NVH reinforcement
by the plastic oil pan and can absorb the tolerance without adding
dowel pins by mounting a separate support bracket such as aluminum,
and so on, thereby improving durability.
[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described with
reference to the drawings, it is to be understood that the present
disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary forms, and it
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes
and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications or
exemplary variations should fall within the scope of the present
disclosure.
* * * * *