Separate oil gallery for piston cooling with electronic oil flow control

Abstract

An engine oil distribution system for an internal combustion engine includes a main gallery and a separate oil gallery for piston cooling nozzles. The separate gallery may be controlled by a control valve that regulates the oil flow. The oil flow to the separate gallery may be controlled by an electronic control module in accordance with the piston cooling needs, for example, varied as a function of the load applied to the engine, or as a function of engine temperature. Preferably, engine temperature is sensed by coolant fluid temperature, or directly measured metal temperature, correlated to the thermal state of the piston.

1 . An oil distribution system for internal combustion piston engines having a pump, a sump, and an electronic control unit for operating the supply of oil from said sump to a main gallery through a flow circuit, wherein the flow circuit comprises a piston cooling arrangement comprising: 
 at least one piston cooling jet and a supply passage in fluid communication with said jet;    a separate gallery in fluid communication with said flow circuit and with said supply passage; and    at least one control valve responsive to detected piston cooling need by indicia reflecting accumulating piston heat as determined by said electronic control unit and in fluid communication with said separate gallery.    
   
   
       2 . The invention as described in  claim 1  wherein said distribution system includes an oil filter and said control valve is downstream of said filter.  
   
   
       3 . The invention as described in  claim 1  wherein said distribution system includes an oil cooler and said separate gallery is downstream of said oil cooler.  
   
   
       4 . The invention as described in  claim 1  wherein said control valve is opened as a function of at least one of engine load, fluid temperature, or directly measured metal temperature correlated to the thermal state of the piston.  
   
   
       5 . The invention as described in  claim 4  wherein said valve is variably opened in correlation to increasing engine load.  
   
   
       6 . The invention as described in  claim 1  wherein said control valve is positioned to provide separate conditioning of the oil in said separate gallery from said main gallery.  
   
   
       7 . The invention as described in  claim 6  wherein said separate gallery is located inside said engine block.  
   
   
       8 . The invention as described in  claim 7  wherein said separate gallery is different than the main gallery and exclusively coupled to said at least one piston cooling jet.  
   
   
       9 . A method for cooling pistons with a lubrication system for an internal combustion, compression ignition engine having a pump, a sump, an oil gallery receiving output from said pump and a manifold distributing oil from said gallery to a plurality of zones, at least one zone of said plurality of zones including a piston cooling nozzle, and comprising: 
 providing a separate gallery; and    controlling a valve in communication with said gallery as a function of at least one of engine load and engine operating temperature.    
   
   
       10 . In combination with an internal combustion engine having a lubrication system with a pump, the improvement comprising: 
 a gallery for receiving an oil supply output from said pump;    at least one piston cooling nozzle coupled in fluid communication with said gallery;    at least one control valve for selectively delivering oil downstream from said pump to said gallery; and    an electronic control module for adjusting said selectively delivering as a function of at least one of engine load, fluid temperature, or directly measured metal temperature correlated to the thermal state of the piston.    
   
   
       11 . An oil distribution system for internal combustion piston engines having a pump, a sump, and an electronic control unit for operating the supply of oil from said sump through a flow circuit, wherein the flow circuit comprises a piston cooling arrangement comprising: 
 at least one piston cooling jet and a supply passage in fluid communication with said jet, and with said flow circuit; and    at least one control valve responsive to detected piston cooling need by indicia reflecting accumulating piston heat as determined by said electronic control unit and in fluid communication with said supply passage.