WO2008029056A2

WO2008029056A2 - Test bench arrangement for filling an engine with lubricating oil and draining said oil

Info

Publication number: WO2008029056A2
Application number: PCT/FR2007/051868
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guillaume Buratti; Philippe Cotte
Original assignee: Renault S.A.S.
Priority date: 2006-09-07
Filing date: 2007-09-04
Publication date: 2008-03-13
Also published as: FR2905757A1; WO2008029056A3; FR2905757B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a test bench arrangement for filling an engine with lubricating oil and draining said oil. More specifically, the invention relates to an arrangement for filling an engine (12) with lubricating oil and draining said oil on a test bench (10), characterised in that it consists of: at least one new oil pan (14), at least one intermediate metering tank (18) which supplies the engine (12) with new oil and which includes a controlled fill solenoid valve (EVR) designed to fill the engine (12) with a pre-determined quantity of new oil, a controlled drain solenoid valve (EVV) designed to drain the used oil from the engine (12), and at least one used oil pan (16) for receiving the used oil from the engine (12).

Description

"Arrangement for filling in oil lubrication, and the emptying of an engine on a test bench"

The invention relates to an arrangement for filling lubricating oil, and the emptying of a combustion engine on a test bench, and more particularly to an arrangement able to replace a used oil with a new oil on a bench. engine tests.

Currently, it is necessary to have a human presence to perform a drain. When a test campaign ends in the middle of the night, we have to wait for the operator of the bench to empty and restart another pilot on the same test bench.

There are devices and methods for draining with greater ease. However, all require a human presence.

On the other hand, all these devices and processes have been designed for engines mounted on motor vehicles and not for engine test benches.

There is therefore a need for a device that can automatically perform a drain while ensuring a certain security with scheduled reactions in case of problems.

For this purpose, the present invention provides a device of the type described above characterized in that it comprises: - at least a new oil tank;

- At least one metering intermediate tank which is able to supply the engine with new oil and which comprises a controlled solenoid valve filling so as to fill the engine with a fixed amount of new oil; a controlled solenoid valve for draining the engine of the used oil; and

- at least one used oil tank for receiving used oil from the engine. According to other features of the invention:

the arrangement comprises means for detecting the oil level in the new oil tank, in the used oil tank and in the intermediate metering tank; each means for detecting an oil level is a mechanical sensor which comprises a float;

the opening and / or closing of the filling and emptying solenoid valves is controlled according to parameters representative of the operation of the engine; the arrangement comprises warning means in the case where the new oil tank is empty and / or the used oil tank is full;

the arrangement comprises means for stopping the engine in the case where the new oil tank is empty and / or the used oil tank is full;

the used oil tank is arranged below the engine test stand so that the used oil flows by gravity from the engine to the used oil tank and the new oil tank and the oil tank. intermediate dosing tank are arranged above the engine test stand so that the new oil flows by gravity;

the arrangement comprises a pump for filling the new intermediate oil dosing tank and a drain pump for draining the engine from the used oil. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 shows schematically an arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 represents a part of the arrangement according to the invention; FIG. 3 is a detailed flowchart of an embodiment of the invention according to one embodiment.

In the following description identical, similar or similar elements will be designated by the same numbers or reference letters.

FIG. 1 shows an arrangement for filling lubricating oil, and the emptying of an engine on a test bench according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The arrangement according to the invention comprises a test bench

10 which comprises a motor 12.

The engine is controlled by a control system of the test bench 10 (not shown). The control system of the test bench 10 controls the starting and stopping of the engine as well as the emptying and the filling between each test companion of the test bench 10.

The motor 12 is supplied with oil by an intermediate metering tank 18 via a solenoid valve EVR arranged under the tank 18. The intermediate metering tank 18 is arranged above the engine so that the new oil flows easily. by gravity to power the motor 12.

When it is necessary to carry out a drain, the used oil is extracted from the engine and stored in a used oil tank 16. The used oil is removed from the engine 12 via an EVV drain solenoid valve arranged at the output of the engine 12 .

The intermediate metering tank 18 is itself supplied with new oil by means of a new oil tank 14.

The new oil tank 14 and the used oil tank 16 each have means for detecting the oil level. The oil level detection means are associated with means of alerting and / or stopping on the engine bench which is trigger when the new oil tank is empty and / or when the used oil tank is full.

In a preferred embodiment, the means for raising the oil level are mechanical sensors which each comprise a float indicating the oil level in the tray concerned.

FIG. 2 shows the intermediate metering tank 18 and its oil level sensor.

The intermediate metering tank 18 comprises an oil level sensor 22 of the same type as those equipping the oil tanks.

The sensor 22 comprises a float 21 indicating the oil level in the tank 18.

The sensor is slidably mounted on a rod 25 so as to be able to go up and / or down with the level of oil in the tank 18.

The level sensor also comprises an abutment nut 23 arranged at a high level of the tank 18. When the float 21 comes into abutment on the abutment nut 23, the sensor 22 sends information that stops the filling. of the tank 18.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the cane

25 is threaded at its upper end so as to make it possible to vary the position of the stop nut 23 and to adjust the maximum oil level as a function, for example, of the current test campaign.

The mechanical sensor with a float has good measurement reliability and good robustness, compared to electronic level sensors.

For safety reasons, the new oil tank 14 and the used oil tank 16 are arranged in an isolated compartment of the engine test bench 10. In this way, the risk of fire due to the storage of the engine is avoided. flammable products. According to one embodiment of the invention, an isolated compartment under the engine test bench 10 is arranged for these two oil tanks.

In this case, the new oil tank 14 comprises a filling pump 20 for conveying the new oil to the intermediate metering tank 18 situated at a higher level, as illustrated in FIG.

The emptying of the engine, meanwhile, is performed simply by gravity. The used oil flows by gravity into the used oil tank 16 via the EVV drain solenoid valve.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the arrangement comprises another drain pump, arranged at the outlet of the engine, so as to evacuate the used oil much more quickly by suction. The oil filling and draining of the engine are performed by the EVR solenoid valve and the EVV solenoid valve, respectively.

These two solenoid valves are controlled by the control system of the test bench 10. At the end of a test campaign of the engine 12, the control system of the engine test bed controls the emptying and filling so as to replace automatically used oil with new oil.

FIG. 3 shows a draining / filling operation mode according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

The operating mode comprises a series of control and test steps so that the emptying and filling of the engine meets all the safety conditions. At the end of a pilot, the operating mode executes a group of steps V corresponding to the emptying of the engine 12. A first step S1 controls the opening of the drain solenoid valve EVV in order to empty the engine of the used oil evacuated towards the used oil tank 16.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, step S1 also starts the operation of the drain pump to draw the used oil out of the engine 12.

During the emptying, the second test step S2 checks the level of the used oil tank noted BHU.

If the level of the used oil tank exceeds a high value, the operating mode goes to a stop step SO which implements means of alert and / or emergency stop of the device so as to avoid an overflow of the used oil tank.

As long as the level of the used oil tank remains below this high value, the operating mode executes a third test step S3 which checks the remaining oil level in the engine noted CNM.

As long as the CNM level has not reached a value close to zero, which means that the motor is completely drained, the EVV drain solenoid valve remains open.

When the CNM level reaches a value close to zero, a fourth step S4 controls the closure of the drain solenoid valve EVV.

Before starting to fill the engine with new oil, the fifth test step S5 verifies the oil level contained in the intermediate metering tank 18, denoted CND.

If the CND level is below a low level, the operating mode executes the step group RC to fill the tank 18 with new oil. A seventh test step S7 verifies the oil level contained in the new oil tank 14, which level is BHN.

If the new oil level BHN is below a low level, the operating mode performs the stop step SO which sets implement warning means and stop the device to indicate that the new oil tank 14 is empty.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the low level CND tank and the new oil tank BHN corresponds to the amount of new oil needed by the engine for optimum operation.

If the new oil level BHN is higher than this low level, a ninth step S9 controls the ignition of the filling pump 20 so as to convey the new oil from the new oil tank 14 to the tank intermediate of dosage 18.

An eleventh test step S1 1 controls the CND level of the tank 18 during filling.

As soon as the CND level reaches a high level, the operating mode goes to a thirteenth step S13 which controls the stopping of the pump 20 and therefore the filling.

The operating mode can then go to the group of steps RM corresponding to the filling of the engine 12 with new oil.

The group of steps RM comprises a sixth step S6 which controls the opening of the filling solenoid valve EVR so that the oil flows from the tank 18 from the engine 12.

An eighth test step S8 checks the CNM level of oil in the engine during filling.

As soon as the quantity of necessary oil is introduced into the engine, the operating mode goes to a tenth step S10 which controls the closing of the filling solenoid valve EVR.

The operating mode can then allow the launch of a new engine control 12.

Claims

REVEN D ICATIONS

1. Arrangement for the filling of lubricating oil, and the emptying of an engine (12) on a test bench (10), the arrangement comprising: - at least one new oil tank (14);

at least one metering intermediate tank (18) which is capable of supplying the engine (12) with new oil and which comprises a controlled solenoid valve (EVR) so as to fill the engine (12) with a predetermined quantity of new oil; a controlled drain solenoid valve (EVV) for draining the engine (12) from the used oil; and

- At least one used oil tank (16) for receiving the used engine oil (12), characterized in that the opening and / or closing of the filling solenoid valves (EVR) and drain (EVV) is automatically controlled according to parameters representative of the operation of the engine (12), so that the used oil change and the new oil filling of the engine (12) is able to be carried out automatically.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for detecting the oil level in the new oil tank (14), in the used oil tank (16) and in the intermediate tank dosing (18).

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that each means for detecting an oil level is a mechanical sensor (22) which comprises a float (21).

4. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises warning means in the case where the new oil tank (14) is empty and / or the used oil tank ( 16) is full.

5. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises means for stopping the motor (12) in the case where the new oil tank (14) is empty and / or the used oil tank (16) is full.

6. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the used oil tank (16) is arranged below the engine test bench (10) so that the used oil flows. by gravity from the engine (12) to the used oil tank (16) and in that the new oil tank (14) and the intermediate metering tank (18) are arranged above the bank of engine tests (10) so that the new oil flows by gravity.

7. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a filling pump (20) of the intermediate metering tank (18) of new oil and a drain pump for draining the engine ( 12) used oil.