Liquid purification or separation – Structural installation – Closed circulating system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-06
2001-04-17
Lithgow, Thomas M. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Structural installation
Closed circulating system
C210S172300, C210S184000, C210S186000, C210S416500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217758
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an oil sump arrangement with an integral filter and heat exchanger. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oil sump with an integral filter media and heat exchanger useful for treating transmission oil or lubricating oil used in a drive train, such as a drive train including an internal combustion engine having a radiator for circulating engine coolant.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
New automotive designs increasingly reduce underhood space while simultaneously increasing cooling requirements of engines and transmissions. Accordingly, engine and drive train configurations which provide more efficient packaging of oil coolers are needed. Currently, transmission oil coolers tend to be separate units which project out into underhood space. This is especially a problem with front wheel drive vehicles that have both the engine and transmission disposed under the hood along with the radiator. Since vehicles now have other cooling needs, removal of the transmission oil cooler releases additional space for these needs. Moreover, transmission oil needs to be filtered to remove impurities and occasional metal filings and other debris therefrom. When filters are placed under the hood, the filters of course consume valuable space which might be needed for other purposes.
Typically, vehicles which are equipped with automatic, manual or semi-manual transmissions having recirculated transmission oil, cool the oil with a heat exchanger so that excessive heat build-up does not damage fragile engine parts. The usual location of the heat exchanger is near the radiator with hot transmission oil being pumped through small pipes to the heat exchanger. Coolant from the radiator is circulated through the heat exchanger to draw heat out of the oil and the cooled oil is then returned to the transmission. Traditionally, internal combustion engines use a spin-on oil filter, which of course projects out of an engine and consumes considerable space. In some automotive designs, an oil cooler is utilized in addition to the spin-on filter. Both the oil cooler and spin-on filter consume valuable space which can be used for other purposes as well as being used to provide additional space for engine access needed for service.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned considerations, it is a feature of the present invention to more efficiently package filter elements and heat exchangers for treating transmission oil and/or lubricating oil utilized in drive trains having coolant systems associated therewith.
In view of this feature and other features, an arrangement for treating oil circulated in a drive train including an engine, a transmission and a coolant source comprises a sump pan having side walls and horizontally extending floor, wherein the sump pan includes an oil suction tube for returning oil pooled on the floor to the drive train. A panel is disposed in the sump pan in spaced relation to the floor thereof to divide the sump pan into a first chamber and a second chamber. The panel has an opening therethrough for connecting the two chambers in which a filter media is disposed. Oil collected in the first chamber passes through the filter media and pools in the second chamber, from which second chamber the oil is returned to the drive train by the suction tube. A heat exchanger is disposed in one of the chambers for cooling oil circulating through the sump pan, the heat exchanger being connected to the coolant source.
In a more specific aspect, the heat exchanger is integral with a panel, and in still a more specific aspect, the panel has an upstream surface facing into the first chamber and a downstream surface facing into the second chamber with the heat exchanger being on the upstream surface so as to cool the oil prior to the oil being filtered by the filter media.
In still a further embodiment, the panel, the filter media and the heat exchanger form an integral unit which is disposed within the sump pan and is separable therefrom.
In still further aspects of the invention, the arrangement is used to treat transmission oil or lubricating oil.
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Dana Corporation
Lithgow Thomas M.
Millen White Zelano & Branigan P.C.
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