Patent Application
20240125257
The present disclosure relates to a fluid drain system for use in internal combustion engines such as, for example, diesel engines, and more particularly to a fluid drain system with one drain plug configured to be removed by a standard tool and another drain plug configured to be removed using the first drain plug.
Some engine applications require a fluid reservoir system with two separate sumps to hold lubricating fluid for the engine. Two sumps are necessary to have sufficient fluid capacity for the engine system while maintaining clearance from the vehicle's chassis in which the engine is installed.
During service events, a two sump system requires the service technician to drain each sump. After fluid is drained, a two sump fluid system can be overfilled because technicians can fail to drain both sumps. An overfilled fluid reservoir could cause damage to the engine. Therefore, there is a need for a fluid drain system which minimizes the likelihood that a technician will fail to drain all sumps of a fluid reservoir of an engine.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fluid drain system is provided, comprising: a fluid reservoir having at least two sumps including a first sump having a first hole for draining fluid from the fluid reservoir and a second sump having a second hole for draining fluid from the fluid reservoir; a first drain plug having a first end with a first drive feature configured to be operated with a tool for insertion and removal of the first drain plug into and out of the first hole of the fluid reservoir and a second end with a second drive feature; and a second drain plug having a first end with a third drive feature configured to be engaged by the second drive feature of the first drain plug for insertion and removal of the second drain plug into and out of the second hole of the fluid reservoir. In one aspect of this embodiment, one of the first sump and the second sump has a larger fluid capacity than the other of the first sump and the second sump. In another aspect, at least one of the first drain plug or second drain plug is made of metal. In yet another aspect, the tool is a standard hand tool, and the second drive feature has a shape that is different from a shape of the first drive feature and disposed opposite of the first end. In still another aspect, the second drive feature of the first drain plug has a shape selected from the group consisting of a triangle, an oval, a hexagon, an octagon, a pentagon, a logo, an alphanumeric character or numeral, and a mathematic symbol. In another aspect, the first drain plug has a first outer diameter, the second drain plug has a second outer diameter, and the first outer diameter is different from the second outer diameter. In a variant of this aspect, the first drain plug includes a body and the second drain plug includes a body, at least one of the first drain plug body and the second drain plug body having threads configured to mate with threads formed in a corresponding one of the first hole and the second hole. In still another aspect, the first hole has a first side wall having a first inner diameter, the second hole has a second side wall having a second inner diameter, and the first inner diameter is different from the second inner diameter. In a variant of this aspect, at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall includes threads configured to mate with threads of a corresponding one of the first drain plug and the second drain plug. Still another aspect of this embodiment further comprises a first marking on the first sump, and a second marking on the second sump, wherein the first marking and the second marking indicate an order for removal of the first drain plug and the second drain plug. Another aspect further comprises a first marking identifying the first sump, and a second marking identifying the second sump. In yet another aspect, the second end of the first drain plug includes side surfaces that protrude from a body of the first drain plug. In another aspect, the first drive feature is formed as a recess into the outer surface. In another aspect, one of the first drive feature, the second drive feature, or third drive feature is in the shape of a polygon having equal sides. In yet another aspect, one of the first drive feature, the second drive feature, or third drive feature is in the shape of a polygon having unequal sides. Another aspect of this embodiment further comprises a first pair of markings on the first sump; and a second pair of markings on the second sump; wherein the first pair of markings and the second pair of markings indicate an order for removal of the first drain plug and the second drain plug.
In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for changing fluids held within a fluid reservoir having a first hole and a second hole, comprising: removing a first drain plug from the first hole of the reservoir; engaging the first drain plug with a first end of a second drain plug; and rotating the first drain plug while the first end of the first drain plug is engaged with the first end of the second drain plug to remove the second drain plug from the second hole of the reservoir. One aspect of this embodiment further comprises identifying a first marking and a second marking on the fluid reservoir and carrying out the removing, inserting and rotating according to information provided by the first marking and the second marking. In another aspect, removing the first drain plug includes inserting a standard hand tool into a drive feature formed on the first drain plug. In yet another aspect, engaging the first drain plug with a first end of the second drain plug includes inserting a drive feature formed at a first end of the first drain plug into a drive feature formed at the first end of the second drain plug. Another aspect further comprises draining fluid from the first hole and the second hole; rotating the first drain plug while the first drain plug is engaged with the first end of the second drain plug to insert the second drain plug into the second hole; disengaging the first drain plug from the first end of the second drain plug; and rotating the first drain plug while the first drain plug is disengaged from the first end of the second drain plug to insert the first drain plug into the first hole.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.
While the present invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the ambit of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
With reference to
In the present disclosure the reservoir 114 is made of metal, the first drain plug 110 is made of metal, or the second drain plug 108 is made of metal or all of the reservoir 114, the first drain plug 110, and second drain plug 108 are made of metal. However further embodiments could include the use of plastics, composites, or other materials.
With reference to
In the depicted embodiment, second drive feature 305 of second end 308 of first fluid drain plug 110 is formed as a triangular protrusion. Specifically, second drive feature 305 includes three side surfaces 326 and a triangular end surface 322. It should be understood that in other embodiments, second drive feature 305 may have different shapes and may be formed as a recess within second end 308 of first fluid drain plug 110 or formed as a protrusion from second end 308. In any embodiment, second drive feature 305 is formed to have a shape that mates with a corresponding shape (male or female) formed in second fluid drain plug 108 as described below. While the second drive feature 305 of the first fluid drain plug 110 is depicted in the shape of a triangle, other embodiments may include any geometric shape such as an oval, pentagon, heptagon, octagon, a logo, alphanumeric character or numeral, or mathematic symbol.
With reference to
In any embodiment, third drive feature 503 is formed to have a shape that mates with a corresponding shape (male or female) formed in first fluid drain plug 110 as described herein. While the third drive feature 503 of the second fluid drain plug 108 is depicted in the shape of a triangle, other embodiments may include any geometric shape such as an oval, pentagon, heptagon, octagon, a logo, alphanumeric character or numeral, or mathematic symbol or other polygon with three or more sides. The outer diameter 306 of the first drain plug 110 is a different size than the outer diameter 520 of the second fluid drain plug 108. The outer diameter 520 of the second fluid drain plug 108 is configured to be threaded into the second drain hole 204. Other embodiments may include different means of attaching the drain plug into the hole such as a press fit or adhesives.
A service technician operates the fluid drain system 100 by first removing fluid from fluid reservoir 114 by removing first drain plug 110 from first sump 206 using a standard tool to engage first drive feature 303 of first drain plug 110. It should be noted that the standard tool can only be used to engage first drain plug 110 because third drive feature 503 of second drain plug 108 is not configured to mate with a standard tool. The technician will then drain second sump 208 by inserting the second drive feature 305 of the first fluid drain plug 110 into third drive feature 503 of second drain plug 108 and removing second drain plug 108. After the fluid is drained, the process is reversed to re-install first drain plug 110 and second drain plug 108.
While embodiments of the present disclosure are described with specificity, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Thus, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed invention might also be embodied in other ways, to include different features, or combinations of features, similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other technologies.
Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements. The scope is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.”
Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic with the benefit of this disclosure in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.
Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/295,738, filed May 20, 2021, which is a U.S. national stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2018/065173, filed Dec. 12, 2018, the entire disclosures of which are being expressly incorporated herein by their reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17295738 | May 2021 | US |
| Child | 18241614 | US |
