DESC:FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to turbocharged gasoline engines. In particular, the present invention relates to an oil-cooler filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optimized oil-drain path in an oil-cooler filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the fast-emerging technology-driven automotive sector, consumers are always aspiring for more and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Because of the mandatory fuel efficiency, economics and environmental concerns, the Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI) Engines, particularly Turbocharged Gasoline engines are continuously gaining increasing importance.

Although, turbocharged engines are known for decades, these gained importance particularly only since mid-1980s for use in smaller displacement engines with turbochargers replacing the erstwhile larger engines. Turbocharged engines harness some of the thermal and kinetic energy in the engine’s exhaust gases to pump more air into engine to generate more power.

With the introduction of direct injection, the fuel could be sprayed directly into the combustion chamber and the role of the turbocharger is to just compress air and pump it into the cylinders. On spraying the fuel, it gets vaporized and the temperature of the mixed charge is effectively reduced in the same way as the erstwhile water injection process.

Therefore, modern GTDI engines run with higher turbo boost and higher compression ratio with minimal risk of knocking prevalent in earlier non-turbocharged engines. This higher boost and compression ratio results in higher torque output from the GTDI.
The GTDI engines with smaller displacement produce higher torque at lower rpm to provide better drivability, which facilitates the drivers in reducing the need to rev the engine to get the desired performance and improved fuel efficiency.

Direct injection precisely meters the fuel supply and thus leads to less emissions of unburnt fuel to the atmosphere, which has a significant impact on efficiency. Moreover, GTDI engines are particularly well suited to operating on ethanol.

Although, alcohol has only 60% energy density as compared to the gasoline, it has a much higher octane rating.

The turbo boost and DI allows the turbocharged gasoline engines to run at higher boost to overcome the power deficit, which almost equals the efficiency of gas powered engines.

Therefore, there is an increase of 15-20% in efficiency in comparison to the normally aspirated engines of larger displacement.

The vehicle drivability is also improved by GTDI engine and its cost-premium is lower than other comparable technologies.

Although, the present invention is described with reference to turbocharged GTDI engines, it can also be applied to MPFI engines.

DISADVANTAGES WITH THE PRIOR ART

In Turbocharged Gasoline Engines, the oil cooler filter module is a part of the lubrication and cooling circuit. However, the complications involved in the design of an oil cooler filter module is to integrate the water pump, oil cooler, oil filter, turbo coolant inlet and thermostat with the oil cooler filter module.

Oil is delivered from the oil pump to the bedplate-block. Then, it follows the path to the oil cooler filter module for carrying out filtration and cooling.

The cartridge type oil filter used for filtering oil requires an oil drain path to return the oil back to the oil sump in the presently available oil cooler filter module has several disadvantages enumerated below:

• Drainage path is too long, thus tool and machining costs are higher.

• Machined hole from the engine side is also at an angle, which is difficult to be machined, thereby increasing the machining costs.

• Sealing plug is used for closing the oil path from the cooler side by using glue/epoxy, thereby increasing the material, machining and process costs.

• This also increases the overall cost of the material, casting and part-weight (approximately 2120 gm).

Therefore, there is an existing need to redesign the oil filter module and oil drain path to the oil sump of the turbocharged gasoline engine.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Some of the objects of the present invention - satisfied by at least one embodiment of the present invention - are as follows:

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an oil drain path in an oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine with lower material, tool and machining costs.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine equipped with an oil filter module having better weight advantage.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when read with the accompanying figures of drawing, which are, however, not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, an oil drain path is configured in the oil cooler filter module of turbocharged gasoline engine, which allows oil to drain to oil sump through block and also provides a substantial weight advantage, particularly of the order of approximately 300 gm.

The main advantages of the oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine configured in accordance with the present invention are given in the following:

• Smaller oil-drainage path to reduce tool and machining costs.

• Simpler oil-drainage path because of omission of any cored hole which was earlier required from the cooler side.

• Cored hole is provided from the engine side which reduces the overall machining cost.

• No sealing plug on the cooler side, which eliminates the costs incurred on glue/epoxy, process and machining.

• Reduced casting weight, tentatively of the order of 1820 gm as against erstwhile 2120 gm, i.e. about 15% casting weight reduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an oil-cooler filter module for turbocharged gasoline engine, comprising a low-weight and simpler configuration with reduced number of components and having a shorter oil drainage passage in the cylinder block.

Typically, the turbocharged gasoline engine is a Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI).

Typically, a cored hole is made for draining oil from the cartridge area.

Typically, the cored hole drains oil from the cartridge area via an oil drainage path leading from the engine side.

Typically, the overall weight of casted part is reduced by 10 to 20%, preferably by 15%.

Typically, the overall weight of casted part is reduced by about 200 to 400 g, preferably by 300 g.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI) engine comprises a shorter oil drainage passage in the cylinder block.

Typically, a cored hole is made for draining oil from the cartridge area to drain oil from the cartridge area via an oil drainage path leading from the engine side.

Typically, the overall weight of casted part is reduced by 10 to 20%, preferably by 15%.

Typically, the overall weight of casted part is reduced by about 200 to 400 g, preferably by 300 g.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which include:

Figure 1 shows a part of the conventional lubrication and cooling oil circuit in an automotive GTDI engine.

Figure 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the conventional oil drainage path in the oil filter module fitted in the oil circuit shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the improved oil drainage path in the oil filter module configured in accordance with the present invention for an automotive turbocharged gasoline engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

In the following, different embodiments of the present invention will be described in more details with reference to the accompanying drawings without limiting the scope and ambit of the present invention in any way.

Figure 1 shows a part of the conventional lubrication and cooling oil circuit in an automotive GTDI engine. It includes an oil-filter 10, a main oil-gallery 20, an oil-gallery block 30, an oil-gallery bedplate 40 and an oil-gallery oil pump 50.

Figure 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the conventional oil drainage path in the oil filter module fitted in the oil circuit shown in figure 1. It includes a cooler face 100 and an engine face 200. Oil drain 60 leads from the cartridge area via an angular cored hole 70 which is closed at the other end by means of a sealing plug 80 using glue/epoxy on the cooler side 100. A machined hole 90 is branched off this angular cored hole 70 to lead this oil to engine face 200. However, here the drainage path is too long, which increases the tool and machining costs. The cored hole 70 is angled w.r.t. the cooler side, thus more difficult to be made. Similarly, the machined hole from the engine side is also angled, which is difficult and costlier to make. Closing the drainage path from cooler side 100 using the sealing plug 80 also requires applying the glue, which increases the part number as well as the overall cost of machining and process. The cast part weighs more than 2 kg, which also increases the cost of final product.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the improved oil drainage 160 leading via an oil drainage path 170 to the oil-gallery block 130 in the oil filter module 300 configured in accordance with the present invention for an automotive turbocharged gasoline engine. This modified oil drainage path 170 is substantially shorter than the conventional right-angled angled oil drainage path 70 of Figure 2. Unlike the conventional arrangement (Fig. 2) having cored hole made from the cooler side 100, here the cored hole is made from the engine side 200. No sealing plug 80 is required on the cooler side 100, so no need for glue/epoxy. This also reduces the number of components and thus makes the oil drainage machining process simpler, cheaper and more productive. Moreover, this also reduces tool costs. This configuration also reduces the overall casting weight by about 15%, e.g. the cast part (Figure 3) has a weight of 1820 g instead of 2120 kg for the conventional one (Figure 2).

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The improved oil drainage path in the oil filter module for a turbocharged gasoline engine configured in accordance with the present invention has the following advantages:

• Smaller oil-drainage path reduces tool and machining costs.

• Simpler oil-drainage path.

• Rearranged Cored hole reduces the overall machining cost.

• Omission of sealing plug on the cooler side eliminates the costs of glue/epoxy, process and machining thereof.

• Casting weight reduced by about 15%.

In the previously detailed description, different features have been summarized for improving the conclusiveness of the representation in one or more examples. However, it should be understood that the above description is merely illustrative, but not limiting under any circumstances. It helps in covering all alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the different features and exemplary embodiments.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept. Many other examples are directly and immediately clear to the skilled person because of his/her professional knowledge in view of the above description.

These innumerable changes, variations, modifications, alterations may be made and/or integrations in terms of materials and method used may be devised to configure, manufacture and assemble various constituents, components, subassemblies and assemblies according to their size, shapes, orientations and interrelationships. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.

The exemplary embodiments described in this specification are intended merely to provide an understanding of various manners in which this embodiment may be used and to further enable the skilled person in the relevant art to practice this invention. The description herein is purely exemplary and for illustration.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, shall be understood to implies including a described element, integer or method step, or group of elements, integers or method steps, however, does not imply excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or method steps. In the claims and the description, the terms “containing” and “having” are used as linguistically neutral terminologies for the corresponding terms “comprising”.

The use of the expression “a”, “at least” or “at least one” shall imply using one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as used in the embodiment of the disclosure in order to achieve one or more of the intended objects or results of the present invention. Furthermore, the use of the term “one” shall not exclude the plurality of such features and components described.

The numerical values given of various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.

The various features and advantageous details are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiment/s in the above description in accordance with the present invention. The descriptions of well-known components and manufacturing and processing techniques are consciously omitted in this specification, so as not to unnecessarily obscure the specification.

Furthermore, the various components shown or described herein for any specific application of this invention can be widely known or used in the art by persons skilled in the art and each will likewise not therefore be discussed in significant detail. When referring to the figures, like parts are numbered the same in all of the figures. ,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. An oil-cooler filter module for turbocharged gasoline engine, comprising a low-weight and simpler configuration with reduced number of components and having a shorter oil drainage passage in the cylinder block.

2. An oil-cooler filter module for turbocharged gasoline engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the turbocharged gasoline engine is a Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI).

3. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cored hole is made for draining oil from the cartridge area.

4. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cored hole drains oil from the cartridge area via an oil drainage path leading from the engine side.

5. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall weight of casted part is reduced by 10 to 20%, preferably by 15%.

6. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall weight of casted part is reduced by about 200-400 g, preferably by 300 g.

7. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI) engine comprises a shorter oil drainage passage in the cylinder block.

8. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 7, wherein a cored hole is made for draining oil from the cartridge area to drain oil from the cartridge area via an oil drainage path leading from the engine side.

9. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the overall weight of casted part is reduced by 10 to 20%, preferably by 15%.
10. Oil-cooler filter module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the overall weight of casted part is reduced by about 200-400 g, preferably by 300 g.

Dated: this day of 20th March 2017. SANJAY KESHARWANI
APPLICANT’S PATENT AGENT