Patent ID: 7302798

Claim:
A hydraulic system for a motor vehicle, comprising: an oil pump driven by a prime mover for discharging operating oil from a discharge port thereof; at least one functional component hydraulically operated by the operating oil discharged form the oil pump passing therethrough; at least one flow divider provided between the oil pump and the at least one functional component for dividing the operating oil discharged from the oil pump into a part thereof directed toward the at least one functional component and the remaining part thereof; an oil reservoir provided independently of the oil pump and fluidly connected to the at least one functional component through at least one conduit for receiving the operating oil returned from the at least one functional component; and a pump suction enhancer provided bodily with the oil reservoir outside the same for boosting the suction of the operating oil into the oil pump and including: (a) a body section provided on an external portion of the oil reservoir for defining a side chamber opening to a reservoir chamber defined in the oil reservoir; (b) a venturi tube passage exposed at an inner end thereof to the side chamber and fluidly connected to a suction port of the oil pump through a second conduit for enabling the operating oil to be drawn into the suction port of the oil pump; and (c) a nozzle fluidly connected to the at least one flow divider for receiving the remaining part of the operating fluid returned from the at least one flow divider and protruding into the side chamber to face the inner end of the venturi tube passage with a space relative to the venturi tube passage for ejecting ajet stream of the operating oil into the venturi tube passage thereby to introduce the operating oil from the side chamber into the venturi tube passage.