Pumps – With condition responsive pumped fluid control – Pressure responsive relief or bypass valve
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-08
2001-06-19
Thorpe, Timothy S. (Department: 3746)
Pumps
With condition responsive pumped fluid control
Pressure responsive relief or bypass valve
C417S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an oil pump apparatus including an oil pump and a control valve for controlling the flow of oil back to a suction port of the oil pump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional oil pump apparatus installed on a vehicle engine is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model laid open No. 61 (1986)-23485. The oil pump apparatus disclosed in this publication includes an oil pump and a control valve through which flows a portion of oil (a portion of the oil exceeding the quantity of the oil consumed at a component to which the oil is supplied) pumped out from the oil pump back to a suction port of the oil pump, an oil pan, an oil reservoir, an oil tank and so on, in order to reduce a load applied to the oil pump at a medium and high rotation speed ranges of the oil pump.
In accordance with the above device, when a plurality of components, at least one of which is an actuator operated by the oil pressure generated by the oil pump (e.g., an actuator applied to a variable valve timing mechanism or a variable valve lift mechanism of the engine) are connected to the oil pump, only the excess oil exceeding the quantity of the oil consumed at all components (including an operating actuator) is returned to the suction port of the oil pump even though the actuator is not operated. Therefore, a large amount of the oil which is unnecessary to the components is supplied to the components when the actuator is not operated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an oil pump apparatus which prevents excess oil which is unnecessary to the components from flowing into the components. The present invention also provides an oil pump apparatus which is small in size and light in weight. The present invention can be basically described as an oil pump apparatus comprising an oil pump for being driven by a driving source and for being connected to a plurality of components to which an oil is supplied from the oil pump and a control valve for preventing the oil which is unnecessary to the components from flowing into the components, wherein at least one of the components is an actuator operated by oil pressure generated by the oil pump. In this invention the control valve permits an amount of oil, of which the quantity is smaller than that of the oil which is consumed by the actuator, to flow into the components when the actuator is not operated. When the actuator is operated, the control valve permits an amount of oil, of which the quantity is larger than that of the oil which is consumed by the actuator to flow into the components.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4443161 (1984-04-01), Masuda et al.
patent: 4473341 (1984-09-01), Ohe et al.
patent: 6004111 (1999-12-01), Miyasaki et al.
Aoki Kongo
Kimura Ichiro
Miura Yoshinori
Miyazaki Hisashi
Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
Gray Michael K.
Reed Smith Hazel & Thomas LLP
Thorpe Timothy S.
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