Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ian Graham Pegg

Roland Paul Stark

Robert Helle-Lorentzen

Timothy James Bowman

Andrew Vernon Olver

Thomas Reddyhoff

Sorin-Cristian Vladescu

Nigel Philip Harold Fawcett

Les William Routledge

Emad Abdul Wahab

Paul Shayler

Mitchell Piddock

Leslie Routledge

An engine assembly for a motor vehicle is provided. The assembly comprises a bearing housing portion configured to support a bearing for a crankshaft of the engine assembly, wherein the bearing housing portion comprises a bearing interface surface configured to interface with the bearing and an end face adjacent to the bearing interface surface, the end face being arranged so as to face a web of the crankshaft when installed. The engine assembly further comprises an insulation layer provided on the end face, the insulation layer being positioned such that the insulation layer is between the bearing housing portion and the web of the crankshaft when the crankshaft is installed in the engine assembly.

Engine assembly with insulated crankshaft bearing housing

A machine having a cylinder, the configuration of the machine being such that a body portion of a piston of the machine periodically engages an inner surface of the cylinder during operation of the machine, this engagement defining a contact zone between the body portion of the piston and the inner surface of the cylinder, the inner surface of the cylinder having an enhanced bearing region comprising one or more recesses indented into the inner surface, the enhanced bearing region being smaller than the inner surface of the cylinder and being substantially centered on the contact zone.

Machine with reduced cylinder friction

An engine assembly is provided. The engine assembly comprises an oil system comprising: a first oil pump configured to supply oil at a first pressure to one or more first components of the engine assembly; and a second oil pump configured to supply oil at a second pressure to one or more second components of the engine assembly, the second pressure being higher than the first pressure; wherein the second oil pump is provided adjacent to a valve train of the engine assembly.

Engine assembly

A crankcase oil catcher, the crankcase oil catcher comprising one or more surfaces configured to catch dispersed oil in a crankcase and direct the oil along the surfaces of the crankcase oil catcher away from a crankcase casing wall and towards a crank sump.

Crankcase oil catcher with an aperture and seal

A bearing interface of an apparatus, the apparatus having a first element and a second element configured to move relative to each other during operation of the apparatus, the first element comprising a first bearing surface configured to engage at least a portion of a second bearing surface of the second element thereby defining a contact zone between the first bearing surface and the second bearing surface, the first bearing surface having at least one recess indented into the first bearing surface, wherein the dimension of the recess in the direction of movement of the second element relative to the first element is less than the dimension of the contact zone in the direction of movement of the second element.

Bearing interface with recesses to reduce friction

A machine having one or more cylinders, each cylinder having an inner surface configured to engage a circumferential surface of a piston ring of a piston thereby defining a contact zone between the inner surface of the cylinder and the circumferential surface of the piston ring, the inner surface having at least one recess indented into the inner surface, wherein the ratio of the dimension of the recess in the direction of travel of the piston to the dimension of the contact zone in the direction of travel of the piston is in the range of approximately 1:5 to 3:5.

A piston ring for a piston, the piston ring having a circumferential surface configured to engage an inner surface of a cylinder, the inner surface having at least one recess indented into the inner surface, the engagement of the circumferential surface of the piston ring with the inner surface of the cylinder defining a contact zone therebetween, wherein the circumferential surface of the piston ring is configured such that the ratio of the dimension of the contact zone the direction of travel of the piston to the dimension of the recess in the direction of travel of the piston is in the range of approximately 5:1 to 5:3.

Piston ring configured to reduce friction

A crankcase assembly for an engine comprising: a crankcase comprising a crank sump; the crank sump comprising primary and secondary sump volumes; one or more crankcase oil catchers, the crankcase oil catchers comprising surfaces to catch dispersed oil in the crankcase and direct the oil away from a crankcase casing wall and towards the crank sump, wherein the crankcase oil catchers are provided above a crankshaft and below a piston of the engine; and one or more guides to collect oil and guide the oil to the primary sump volume. At least a portion of the guide is movable between a first configuration in which the guide collects the captured oil that would otherwise have.

Crankcase oil catcher with movable guide

A crankcase assembly for an engine is provided. The crankcase assembly includes a crankcase comprising a crank sump, the crank sump including a primary sump volume and a secondary sump volume, one or more crankcase oil catchers, the crankcase oil catchers comprising one or more surfaces configured to catch dispersed oil in the crankcase and direct the oil along the surfaces of the crankcase oil catcher away from a crankcase casing wall and towards the crank sump, wherein the crankcase oil catchers are provided above a crankshaft and below an associated piston of the engine, and one or more guides configured to collect oil captured by the crankcase oil catchers and guide the oil to the primary sump volume.

Crankcase assembly

An engine block has one or more bores configured for receiving one or more respective pistons; one or more coolant passages; and one or more lubricant passages. At least portions of the coolant passages and lubricant passages are disposed adjacent to and about the bores so as to cool the bores. The coolant passage portion extends over a first lengthwise portion of the bores and the lubricant passage portion extending over a second lengthwise portion of the bores. The first and second lengthwise portions are longitudinally spaced apart along the bores.

Engine block

A crankcase oil catcher configured for placement above a crankshaft and below a piston is described. In one particular example, the crankcase oil catcher has a contour that catches dispersed oil within the crankcase while directing the oil away from a casing wall and towards a crank sump along the contoured surface of the crankcase oil catcher. Inclusion of an aperture within the surface allows for passage of a connecting rod of the crankshaft while providing for a protruding lip around the perimeter of the aperture that prevents oil on the top surface from falling through the aperture.

Crankcase oil catcher

A bearing block assembly in an engine is provided. The bearing block assembly includes at least one bearing block to rotatably support an oil lubricated shaft and fastening apparatus to attach the at least one bearing block to a flat mounting surface on a large engine component and a thermal barrier positioned between the shaft and the flat mounting surface configured to reduce the loss of heat to the large engine component from oil used to lubricate the shaft.

Engine bearing block assembly

An engine oil supply system for a motor vehicle and a method of controlling an engine oil supply system of a motor vehicle is disclosed in which, particularly during an engine overrun period or an engine shut-down, kinetic energy from the slowing engine is used to drive an oil pump so as to store oil in an oil accumulator for later use by one or more engine components without the engine using fuel. The stored oil allows a downsized oil pump to be used thereby saving fuel by providing a supply of oil in addition to or as an alternative to the oil supplied from the oil pump.

Engine oil supply system and a method of controlling an engine oil supply system

An apparatus for heating a fluid such as engine oil includes an auxiliary pump, a conduit connected to the auxiliary pump and provides fluid communication from the auxiliary pump and an aperture in the conduit. In use the auxiliary pump contains the fluid. A first portion of the fluid is pumped into the conduit by the auxiliary pump and a second portion of the fluid remains in the auxiliary pump. The aperture restricts the flow of the first portion of the fluid in the conduit. The second portion of the fluid is heated due to friction between the second portion of the fluid and the pump. There is also described a method of heating a fluid.

Fluid heating apparatus and method

An engine system is disclosed in which the transfer of heat from pressurized oil flowing through an integrally formed oil transfer passage of the engine is reduced by providing a thermal barrier between the oil and the engine. In one example the thermal barrier is provided by the use of a thick walled plastic tube and in other embodiments ribs are used to separate an oil flow passage from the engine.

Growing community of inventors

Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Ian Graham Pegg