Crankcase Ventilation Patents (Class 55/DIG19)
  • Patent number: 6009846
    Abstract: The combination apparatus silences and filters air flow, separates air-contaminant mixtures, and maintains a regulated vacuum therein. An air filter joins an annular housing which has an outer wall and a channel defining a central axis, the channel having a primary gas inlet coupled to the air filter and a primary gas outlet and a channel wall. The apparatus has a secondary inlet port passing through the outer wall. A secondary outlet port defines an opening in the channel wall such that there is no straight line flow path between the secondary inlet and the secondary outlet. An air silencer is contained within the channel. A passageway between the secondary inlet and the secondary outlet is defined exteriorly by the outer wall and interiorly by the channel wall. A vacuum regulating means is disposed within the annular housing and is positioned next to an opening in the secondary outlet to regulate the amount of vacuum imposed within the passageway so that it does not exceed a determined maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Inventor: Robert A. Walker, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5927258
    Abstract: In a venting arrangement with integrated oil separator for venting gases from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine having a cylinder head with a cylinder head cover, the cylinder head cover includes integrally formed therewith a housing divided into a raw gas space receiving vent gases from the engine crankcase and having an exit opening directed toward the cylinder head and a purified gas space having an inlet opening disposed adjacent the exit opening of the raw gas space and both openings are disposed above a collection space which is formed in the cylinder head and in which the raw gas flow from the raw gas space is reversed and redirected into the purified gas space whereby the oil droplets are separated from the vent gas and collected in the collection space to be returned to the engine crankcase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Daimler-Benz A.G.
    Inventors: Roland Clauss, Georg Leipner, Willy Treyz
  • Patent number: 5837018
    Abstract: An oil mist separating element composed of a web of material formed of threads, yarns, wires or a combination thereof, the material of the oil mist separating element being formed at least partially, or entirely, of a mesh, raschel, knit or woven fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Filterwerk Mann & Hummel GmbH
    Inventor: Guenther Goerg
  • Patent number: 5681372
    Abstract: A device and method for separating oil from the vent of an oil reservoir, such as a sump of an oil-free compressor, includes a suction pump for drawing in air from the oil reservoir through a first venting line and delivering the air through a second venting line to a filter on the one hand, and a connection between the oil reservoir and the environment on the other hand. The suction pump always draws a flow at a rate which is greater than a normal venting flow to the sump such that flow through the connection is always from the environment to the oil reservoir in order to maintain a constant air content and pressure in the oil reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower, N.V.
    Inventor: Hans Magits
  • Patent number: 5586996
    Abstract: In a device for separating oil from the blow-by exhaust vapors of a combustion engine, a filter stack is mounted in a canister having an inlet port for the intake of vapors from the engine, a gas outlet port for connection to a source of suction for causing the vapors to flow through the canister, and a discharge port communicating with a flow passage for removal of condensed oil. The filter stack is operatively arranged so that the vapors pass in contact with and through the filter stack. A plate partially surrounds the filter so that the oil in the vapors condense, and flow outwardly through the passage between the plate and the interior wall surface of the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Inventor: Arman K. Manookian, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5507268
    Abstract: A device for the separating of oil and/or soot from a stream of air, gas and/or vapor, particularly for combustion engines, characterized by at least one drum which is arranged in a closed chamber and can be driven in rotation by a drive around a longitudinal axis or drum axis, the drum forming an inner space and a plurality of openings being provided in screen-like manner on a part of its wall which surrounds the axis of the drum and limits the inner space, through which openings the individual spaces formed by the inner space of the drum and the part of the chamber surrounding the drum are in communication, by at least one first connection debouching into on of the individual spaces for the feeding of the stream of air, gas and/or vapor, and by a second connection debouching into the other individual space for the discharge of a purified stream of air, gas and/or vapor and/or of a stream of air, gas and/or vapor which has been freed from oil and/or soot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Inventor: Alice Schlattl
  • Patent number: 5494020
    Abstract: An apparatus for recycling the exhaust gas of an engine crankcase, including an exhaust gas recycling unit having a filter element with a porous filter core supported on a spring inside a cylindrical shell, a mounting frame for mounting inside a car near the engine crankcase, a piston housing extended into the porous filter core at the center cylindrical shell and having a side hole and a bottom hole, a piston reciprocated in the piston housing to alternatively seal and open the side hole and bottom hole on the piston housing, an intake pipe for guiding exhaust gas from the engine crankcase into the exhaust gas recycling unit for filtration through the filter element and the porous filter core permitting filtrated gas to flow into piston housing through the side hole, and an outlet pipe for guiding filtrated gas out of the piston housing into the engine of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Inventor: Frank Meng
  • Patent number: 5479907
    Abstract: The combination apparatus, preseparator, vacuum regulator and check valve silences and filters air flow and separates air-contaminant mixtures. The combination apparatus comprises an annular housing having an outer wall and a channel defining a central axis. The channel has a primary gas inlet coupled to an air filter, a primary gas outlet coupled to an engine induction system, and a channel wall therebetween. A secondary inlet port passes through the outer wall and a secondary inlet port defines an opening in the channel. A baffle is axially disposed within the housing defining a first and second flow passageway. Second baffles are disposed within the first and second passageways to effect serpentine flow through each flow passageway and filter material is disposed within each flow passageway. A preseparator is coupled between the secondary inlet and an engine breather and has an annular housing with preseperator baffles disposed therein for effecting serpentine flow therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Inventor: Robert A. Walker, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5471966
    Abstract: A combination intake air filter for an internal combustion engine and oil collection system for oil in crankcase breather fumes. An enclosed canister having a tubular side wall and two end walls houses a filter element, typically hollow frustum-shaped. A plurality of entrance openings around the periphery of one end wall admit intake air into the canister on one side of the filter element while a central exit opening in the opposite end wall directs the air to the engine after passing through the filter. The entrance openings are sized to create a predetermined pressure drop across the entrance. An inner wall spaced from the sidewall forms and annular space therebetween. An inlet at the top admits breather fumes into the annulus, with a barrier wall between the inner wall and sidewall forces the fumes to travel around the canister through the annulus to an exit connecting the annulus to the canister interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Inventor: James J. Feuling
  • Patent number: 5460147
    Abstract: A cylindrical cyclone separator connected between an air vent, a suction conduit and an oil sump all of an internal combustion engine. A duct extends spirally within the cyclone separator. Oil and aerosols are separated by an increasing centrifugal force as the oil/aerosol mixtures passes through the duct toward the center of the separator and the separator exhaust ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1995
    Assignee: Knecht Filterwerke GmbH
    Inventor: Matthias Bohl
  • Patent number: 5261380
    Abstract: A ventilation system for an automotive engine having a crankcase, 12, an induction system, 14, 16, crankshaft, 18, and at least one camshaft, 20. A processor, 22, pumps gases from the crankcase and separates entrained lubricating oil from the pumped gas flow. A recovery apparatus, 24, 30 introduces the separated gas to the induction system while returning the separated oil to the crankcase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1993
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Ronald Romano
  • Patent number: 5140957
    Abstract: The combination apparatus silences and filters air flow and separates air-contaminant mixtures. An air filter joins an annular housing which has an outer wall and a channel defining a central axis, the channel having a primary gas inlet coupled to the air filter and a primary gas outlet and a channel wall. The apparatus has a secondary inlet port passing through the outer wall. A secondary outlet port defines an opening in the channel wall such that there is no straight line flow path between the secondary inlet and the secondary outlet. An air silencer is contained within the channel. A passageway between the secondary inlet and the secondary outlet is defined exteriorly by the outer wall and interiorly by the channel wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Inventor: Robert A. Walker
  • Patent number: 4886019
    Abstract: A breather assembly for a combustion engine which conserves oil by condensing oil vapors from the engine and returning the oil to the crankcase. The breather assembly is mounted to the crankcase cover and includes a drain tube extending into a low pressure area of the crankcase. The breather includes a baffled interior chamber with an inlet opening at its lower end having a valving mechanism biased towards the closed position. Vapor travels through the valve into the chamber and over a baffle wall into an outer annulus. Breather holes at the bottom of the annulus allow gases to escape. Oil is condensed as the vapor travels up the inner chamber. A vacuum created by the crankcase through the drain back tube causes the condensed oil to flow back into the crankcase. In a preferred embodiment, the breather assembly is molded using a polyurethane material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: Arrow Specialty Company
    Inventors: Thomas L. Davis, Roy A. Harper, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4653457
    Abstract: A crankcase breather for use in the air cleaner of the type used on an internal combustion engine is provided with a grooved, raised boss retainer portion on the outboard wall of the air filter container portion of the crankcase breather so as to encircle the nipple of the crankcase breather and the outer housing shell of the air cleaner is provided with a conforming aperture so that a part of the outer housing shell is received in the groove thus permitting the rest of the raised boss retainer portion to be snapped into locking engagement with the material edges defining the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey J. Stege
  • Patent number: 4602595
    Abstract: An oil separator for separating and collecting lubrication oil contained in blow-by gas of an internal combustion engine. The separator is formed in the cylinder-head cover of the engine and incorporates a porous filter or filters made of foam metal for absorbing oil constituents in the blow-by gas. The filter is vertically arranged so as to make the absorbed oil to fall to the bottom of the separator and to be collected by the oil reservoir for recycling the separated oil to the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1986
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kongoh Aoki, Shuji Okumura
  • Patent number: 4401093
    Abstract: A one-piece combination oil fill/air breather cap for an automotive type engine positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system that includes a filter and oil separator chambers below the filter defined by partitions or baffles upon which the oil droplets impinge during reverse flow operation of the PCV system; a double lip flared annular seal operating in tension being sandwiched between the cap lower surface and the engine rocker arm cover to minimize oil leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Freeman C. Gates, Jr., Egils A. Purins
  • Patent number: 4179246
    Abstract: A crankcase vent apparatus comprises a stack having a lower end adapted for connection to a crankcase vent and an upper end having a filter therein and presenting an irregular opening to an air flow across the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 18, 1979
    Assignee: The Scott & Fetzer Company
    Inventor: James W. Volker
  • Patent number: 4175937
    Abstract: A gas-contaminant separator includes inlet ports at the bottom of each leg of an inverted V-shaped housing and an outlet port at the top vertex. The total cross-sectional area of the inlet ports provide flow velocities below two meters per second and of the outlet port provides flow velocities below one and a half meters per second. First baffles are provided proximate the inlet ports to direct gas-contaminant mixtures towards and into a first contact with each other. Second baffles, disposed above the first contact zone cooperate with the housing to define a primary sedimentary precipitation zone and cause first retroversions of the mixtures towards and across the tops of the first baffles with the bulk of the contaminants being centrifugally precipitated by the first retroversions into the primary sedimentary precipitation zone for sedimentary precipitation to the bottoms of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1977
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1979
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Steven G. Brandau, Robert L. Carmichael
  • Patent number: 4082071
    Abstract: A vapor filter cartridge for use in a volumetrically controlled crankcase ventilation system, which utilizes a cylindrical frame of expanded metal surrounded by a vapor filter cloth. The bottom end of the cylinder is sealed by a shallow cup type closure, having a central opening. The closure is attached and sealed and attached to the cylindrical wall by means of a thermosetting rubber-like material. A support flange is provided of molded thermosetting rubber-like material which is molded to the second end of the cylindrical frame. The flange serves as a structural member to support the cartridge. Also, because of its compliant nature, it serves as a sealing gasket between the support and cover structure of the ventilation device, and the top edge of a jar which is used to catch the liquid and larger particles which are carried into the jar from the crankcase space of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1978
    Inventor: Oscar F. Jones
  • Patent number: 3978671
    Abstract: A dual air-oil separator which separates two air-oil mixtures of differing proportions in a single unit having first and second chambers for the separate mixtures. The two chambers are separated by a perforated partition wall. The air-oil mixture, high in air is separated as it passes from the first chamber through the perforated wall and into the second chamber. The second chamber directly receives the air-oil mixture, low in air, for separation and combination in its sump with the oil from the first chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1974
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1976
    Assignee: The Cessna Aircraft Company
    Inventor: Cesar Gonzalez