Patent Publication Number: US-2023151746-A1

Title: Cleaning system for vehicle oil circuit

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cleaning system for a vehicle oil circuit. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Engine oil is used for lubrication, sealing, cooling, cleaning and rust prevention. Specifically, the engine oil may be used to prevent abrasion between adjacent moving parts, form an oil film between surfaces of pistons and cylinders to avoid gas penetration, serve as a cooling agent, remove carbon deposition and oil sludge from the engine, or coat on metal parts to inhibit oxidation. 
     However, the oil sludge may deposit in the engine (such as the crankcase) and the vehicle oil circuit in long-term use, which may decrease effects of the engine oil, such as cooling, cleaning and lubrication effects, and influence operation of the vehicle. 
     The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system for a vehicle oil circuit, which can effectively clean the vehicle oil circuit. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a cleaning system for a vehicle oil circuit, including: a filter unit, an oil storage unit and a flushing unit. The filter unit includes a first oil inlet tube, a filter chamber, an oil outlet tube which are communicated with one another and a filter member. The first oil inlet tube is configured to be communicated with a first opening of the vehicle oil circuit, and the oil outlet tube is configured to be communicated with a second opening of the vehicle oil circuit. The first oil inlet tube is configured to guide an oil from the vehicle oil circuit to enter the filter chamber, and the oil outlet tube is configured to guide the oil in the filter chamber to enter the vehicle oil circuit. The filter unit and the vehicle oil circuit form a circulation loop. The filter member is received within the filter chamber and configured to filter the oil. The oil storage unit includes a waste oil chamber and a second oil inlet tube. The second oil inlet tube is configured to be communicated with a third opening of the vehicle oil circuit and guide the oil from the vehicle oil circuit to enter the waste oil chamber. The flushing unit includes a flushing chamber and a flushing tube. The flushing chamber is configured to receive a washing oil, and the flushing tube is communicated respectively with the flushing chamber and a fourth opening of the vehicle oil circuit. The flushing tube is configured to guide the washing oil to enter the vehicle oil circuit. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a stereogram of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a drawing showing a flushing unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    is a cross sectional view of the flushing unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  4    is a top view of the flushing unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  5    is a side view of an oil storage unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross sectional view of the oil storage unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  7    is drawings showing an arrangement of a heat exchange unit and a filter unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  8    is a stereogram of the heat exchange unit according to a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  9    is a breakdown drawing of  FIG.  8   ; 
         FIG.  10    is a cross sectional view taken along the line A-A of  FIG.  8   ; and 
         FIG.  11    is a cross sectional view taken along the line B-B of  FIG.  8   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS.  1  to  11    for a preferable embodiment of the present invention. A cleaning system for a vehicle oil circuit of the present invention includes a filter unit  1 , an oil storage unit  2  and a flushing unit  3 . 
     The filter unit  1  includes a first oil inlet tube  11 , a filter chamber  13  and an oil outlet tube  15  which are communicated with one another and a filter member  16 . The first oil inlet tube  11  is configured to be communicated with a first opening (such as an insertion hole of an oil level gauge) of the vehicle oil circuit, and the oil outlet tube  15  is configured to be communicated with a second opening (such as an inlet of an engine oil) of the vehicle oil circuit. The first oil inlet tube  11  is configured to guide an oil  61  from the vehicle oil circuit to enter the filter chamber  13 , and the oil outlet tube  15  is configured to guide the oil  61  in the filter chamber  13  to enter the vehicle oil circuit. Therefore, the filter unit  1  and the vehicle oil circuit form a circulation loop. The filter member  16  is received within the filter chamber  13  and configured to filter the oil  61  so that the oil  61  is purified and returned to the vehicle oil circuit to flush impurities and oil sludge out. Therefore, the vehicle oil circuit is effectively cleaned in several cycles. 
     In this embodiment, the filter unit  1  further includes a first guiding member  17  and a second guiding member  18 , and the first guiding member  17  and the second guiding member  18  are disposed within the filter chamber  13  and spaced apart from each other. The first guiding member  17  is communicated with the first oil inlet tube  11  and the filter chamber  13 , and the second guiding member  18  is communicated with the oil outlet tube  15  and the filter chamber  13 . The filter member  16  covers an opening of the second guiding member  18  to filter the oil  61  entering the second guiding member  18 . Specifically, the filter chamber  13  is defined by a third container  12  which includes a viewable portion  14 , which allows an operator to observe the filter chamber  13  through the viewable portion  14  and decide whether to change the filter member  16  or clean the filter chamber  13 . 
     The oil storage unit  2  includes a waste oil chamber  21  and a second oil inlet tube  22 , and the second oil inlet tube  22  is configured to be communicated with a third opening (such as the insertion hole of an oil level gauge) of the vehicle oil circuit and guide the oil  61  in the vehicle oil circuit to enter the waste oil chamber  21 . In operation, the oil  61  circulating several times in the vehicle oil circuit is guided to and storage in the oil storage unit  2  after flowing through the filter unit  1 , which is convenient for subsequent waste oil recycling operations. 
     The flushing unit  3  includes a flushing chamber  31  and a flushing tube  33 . The flushing chamber  31  is configured to receive a washing oil  62 , and the flushing tube  33  is communicated respectively with the flushing chamber  31  and a fourth opening (such as an interface of an oil filter) of the vehicle oil circuit. The flushing tube  33  is configured to guide the washing oil  62  to enter and flush the vehicle oil circuit, and the oil sludge stuck on a wall of the vehicle oil circuit may be washed away. Understandably, the washing oil  62  is directly exhausted to the external environment after flush, through an oil pan drain hole, for example. 
     Preferably, the flushing unit  3  further includes a gas tube  37  and a first gas pump  381 , and the flushing tube  33  includes a first tube  34 , a second tube  35  and a second communication tube  36 . The first tube  34  communicates the flushing chamber  31  with the second communication tube  36 , and the gas tube  37  communicates the first gas pump  381  with the second communication tube  36 . The second tube  35  communicates the second communication tube  36  with the fourth opening. The gas tube  37 , the first tube  34  and the second tube  35  are communicated with one another by the second communication tube  36 . The second tube  35  is configured to guide at least one of the washing oil  62  and a gas supplied from the first gas pump  381  to enter the vehicle oil circuit. Therefore, the vehicle oil circuit may be washed with oil or gas alternatively, or be washed with oil and gas at the same time to increase flushing strength or produce interval-flushing effect. 
     In this embodiment, the flushing unit  3  further includes a second gas pump  382  and a venturi tube  39 , and the flushing chamber  31  has an oil inlet  32  configured to be communicated with an external environment. The venturi tube  39  includes a gas inlet portion  391 , a gas outlet portion  392  and a branch portion  393 . The gas inlet portion  391  is communicated with the second gas pump  382 , and the branch portion  393  is communicated with the flushing chamber  31 . The gas outlet portion  392  is selectively openable. When the gas outlet portion  392  is closed, a gas supplied from the second gas pump  382  enters the flushing chamber  31  through the branch portion  393  and is configured to drive the washing oil  62  to enter the second communication tube  36  to flush the vehicle oil circuit. When the gas outlet portion  392  is opened, the gas of the second gas pump  382  is discharged into the external environment through the gas outlet portion  392 , and a gas in the flushing chamber  31  is indrawn into the branch portion  393 . The oil inlet  32  has a negative pressure relative to a pressure of the external environment, which is contributed to draw the washing oil  62  into the flushing chamber  31 . 
     Preferably, the cleaning system for the vehicle oil circuit further includes a heat exchange unit  4 , and the heat exchange unit  4  includes a communication channel  41 , a first container  42  and a second container  45 . At least a portion of the first container  42  is located within an interior of the second container  45 . The first container  42  defines a first space  43 , the second container  45  and the first container  42  define a second space  46  therebetween, and the first space  43  is non-communicated with the second space  46 . The communication channel  41  communicates the second guiding member  18  with the first space  43 , and the oil outlet tube  15  is communicated with the first space  43 . The first space  43  is configured to receive the oil  61  from the communication channel  41  and guide the oil  61  to the oil outlet tube  15 . The second space  46  is configured to receive a detergent  63 . When the oil  61  is in the first space  43 , a heat of the oil  61  is transferred to the detergent  63  through the first container  42  so that the detergent  63  is warmed and activated by the heat of the oil  61  to provide good decontamination effect. 
     In this embodiment, the communication channel  41  includes a first communication tube  411 , a second communication tube  412  and a pump  413 . The first communication tube  411  communicates the second guiding member  18  with the pump  413 , and the second communication tube  412  communicates the pump  413  with the first space  43 . Moreover, the first container  42  is entirely disposed within the second space  46  so as to increase a contact area of the first container  42  with the detergent  63  and provide good heat exchange efficiency. The first container  42  includes a communication segment  441  and an enlarged segment  442  which are communicated with each other, and a diametrical dimension of the enlarged segment  442  is larger than a diametrical dimension of the communication segment  441 . The enlarged segment  442  provides a large space to receive the oil  61  and slow down a flow rate of the oil  61  so as to have sufficient time for heat exchange. The enlarged segment  442  is communicated with the communication channel  41  to receive the oil  61  with a higher temperature, and the communication segment  441  is communicated with the oil outlet tube  15 . 
     Preferably, the diametrical dimension of the enlarged segment  442  is at least twice the diametrical dimension of the communication segment  441  so as to provide a sufficient receiving space and effectively slow down the flow rate of the oil  61 . 
     Moreover, the enlarged segment  442  is made of a material with a thermal conductivity greater than 60 W/m.K for rapid heat transfer and good heat exchange efficiency. The enlarged segment  442  may be made of metal, such as copper, aluminum, iron, or the like. 
     The cleaning system for the vehicle oil circuit further includes an atomizing unit  5 , and the second container  45  includes a gas inlet channel  47 . When the second space  46  is partially filled with the detergent  63 , a portion of the second space  46  filled with the detergent  63  defines a liquid region  461 , and a portion of the second space  46  without the detergent  63  defines a gas region  462 . The gas inlet channel  47  is communicated with the gas region  462 , and the atomizing unit  5  includes three first communication tubes  51  communicated with one another. One of the three first communication tubes  51  is communicated with the gas region  462 , another of the three first communication tubes  51  is communicated with the liquid region  461 , and the other of the three first communication tubes  51  is configured to be communicated with an outlet. 
     For using the detergent  63 , a high pressure gas is supplied into the second space  46  through the gas inlet channel  47 , and the high pressure gas urges the detergent  63  to flow into the atomizing unit  5 . At the same time, a portion of the high pressure gas is supplied into the atomizing unit  5 , and the detergent  63  in the atomizing unit  5  is dispersed and atomized by the high pressure gas. Then, the detergent  63  being atomized is discharged from the outlet for cleaning operation. 
     The second container  45  further includes a liquid inlet  48  and a plug member  49 , and the liquid inlet  48  is communicated with the second space  46 . The operator can add the detergent  63  into the second space  46  through the liquid inlet  48 . Specifically, the plug member  49  is detachably screwed to a peripheral wall defining the liquid inlet  48 . 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.