Internal-combustion engines – Frame construction – Horizontal cylinder
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-01
2001-02-20
Dolinar, Andrew M. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Frame construction
Horizontal cylinder
C123S1960CP
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lubricating apparatus for an engine or engine unit of, for example, an outboard motor, incorporating an oil pump for pumping oil accumulated in an oil pan disposed to a lower portion of the engine to supply an oil to the inside portion of the engine.
FIG. 7
is a vertical sectional view showing a usual example of a lubricating apparatus for an outboard motor. A lubricating apparatus
100
is provided with an oil pan
101
disposed in the lower portion of an engine (not shown) in a state of an outboard motor mounted to a hull, for example. An oil strainer section
104
is disposed at a lowermost end of a metallic oil suction pipe
103
extending from an oil pump (not shown) disposed in the lower portion of the engine to the bottom of the oil pan
101
, i.e. an oil accumulating tank
102
.
When the oil pump of the lubricating apparatus
100
is operated owning to the operation of the engine, the oil in the oil accumulating tank
102
is strained or filtered by the oil strainer section
104
. The oil then passes through the oil suction pipe
103
and is sucked by the oil pump so as to be, under pressure, supplied to the inside portion of the engine.
The lubricating apparatus
100
structured as described above incorporates the oil strainer section
104
having a large diameter and disposed in the bottom portion of the oil accumulating tank
102
. Therefore, a sufficiently large clearance must be provided between the oil strainer section
104
and an inner wall
112
of the oil pan
101
, as shown in FIG.
8
. Therefore, the area of the bottom of the oil accumulating tank
102
has been enlarged.
An outboard motor designed such that side cross sectional area of the lower portion of the oil pan
101
is reduced. However, in such design, there occurs a difficulty in enlarging the area of the bottom of the oil accumulating tank
102
. Therefore, the oil strainer section
104
cannot easily be mounted. When the oil pan
101
is mounted to or removed from the engine unit, there is a fear that the oil strainer section
104
collides with the oil pan
101
and is hence damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a lubricating apparatus for an engine which is capable of mounting an oil strainer section with no necessity of enlarging the area of the bottom of an oil accumulating tank in an oil pan and protecting the oil strainer section from being damaged when the oil pan is mounted or removed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an lubricating apparatus for an engine with which maintenance of the oil strainer section and the oil pump can easily be performed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating apparatus for an engine which permits satisfactory sucking of oil into the oil pump.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating apparatus for an engine with which the oil pan can easily and smoothly be mounted.
These and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect, a lubricating apparatus for an engine comprising:
an oil pan disposed in a lower portion of an engine in a mounted state thereof and provided with an oil accumulating tank;
an oil strainer for straining an oil accumulated in the oil accumulating tank;
an oil pump for supplying strained oil to an inside portion of the engine, the oil strainer and the oil pump being mounted to a structural member disposed above the oil pan so as to be connected to each other; and
an oil suction pipe extending from the oil strainer to a bottom portion of the oil accumulating tank.
In a preferred embodiment in this aspect, the oil strainer includes a cover therefor and the oil pump includes a cover therefor, the covers of the oil strainer and the oil pump being provided for a same side of the structural member to which the oil strainer and the oil pump are mounted.
The oil suction pipe has a lower opened end which is obliquely cut. The oil suction pipe is formed of a flexible hose member.
The structural member is a pump case in which the oil pump is accommodated.
The oil strainer is disposed in an oil strainer chamber so as to divide the oil strainer chamber into an upper clean side and a lower dirty side, the upper clean side being communicated with a suction port of the oil pump through an oil passage formed in the oil pump case and the lower dirty side being communicated with the oil suction pipe. The oil strainer has a net-shaped structure.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lubricating apparatus for an engine comprising:
an oil pan disposed in a lower portion of an engine in a mounted state thereof and provided with an oil accumulating tank;
an oil strainer device for straining an oil accumulated in the oil accumulating tank;
an oil pump disposed on a side of the engine for supplying strained oil to an inside portion of the engine,
the oil strainer device comprising a strainer housing mounted to a bottom portion of the oil accumulating tank, an oil strainer section provided for an opening of the strainer housing and an oil passage formed in the oil pan so as to establish a communication between the oil pump and an inside portion of the strainer housing.
According to the structures in both the aspects of the present invention mentioned above, since the oil strainer section is disposed above the oil pan, the oil strainer section can be mounted with no necessity of enlarging the area of the bottom of the oil accumulating tank in the oil pan and complicating the internal structure of the oil pan. Since the oil strainer section does not collide with the oil pan when the oil pan is mounted or removed, the oil strainer section can be protected from being damaged. Furthermore, the simultaneous maintenance of the oil pump and the oil strainer section is permitted. Therefore, the maintenance of the lubricating apparatus can considerably easily be performed. Since the area of the opening of the lower portion of the oil suction pipe can be enlarged, the oil suction pipe cannot easily be clogged. Thus, oil can satisfactorily smoothly be sucked into the oil pump.
Furthermore, since the oil suction pipe downwards extending from the oil strainer section can easily be inserted into the oil accumulating tank when the oil pan is mounted, the oil pan can easily be mounted.
Furthermore, since the oil strainer section is integrally provided with the bottom of the oil accumulating tank, a necessity of providing a clearance between the inner wall of the oil pan (the oil accumulating tank) and the oil strainer section can be eliminated. Therefore, the oil strainer section can be mounted without a necessity of enlarging the area of the bottom of the oil accumulating tank. Moreover, the oil strainer section can be protected from damage when the oil pan is mounted or removed.
The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made more clear from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5975970 (1999-11-01), Daikoku
patent: 6012956 (2000-01-01), Mishima et al.
Fujii Ken-ichi
Saiga Jiro
Dolinar Andrew M.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Huynh Hai
Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
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