Four stroke internal combustion engines need a supply of oil to the pistons, valves and other moving parts in order to maintain smooth function of the engine. A supply of oil is maintained in an oil pan and an oil pump provides pressure to supply oil through oil channels to the necessary moving parts. Supplying the correct volume and pressure of oil to the moving parts of an engine is critical.
Providing an oil pump with a minimum of moving parts and the ability to operate over a long period of time is the goal of designing an oil pump. Many different designs for oil pumps have been developed over the years. An example of one oil pump is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,855 (Havlik et al). A pump body includes a first gear chamber and a second gear chamber, each housing a set of intermeshing involute spur gears. The gears are driven by a drive shaft. The pump body has both a check valve assembly and a pressure release valve. Passages direct oil to lifters, push rods, rocker arms, valve guides and piston oilers.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oil pump for an engine having a minimum of moving parts by providing a satisfactory volume and pressure of oil to the engine.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oil pump using gerotors to pump oil.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oil pump driven by a shaft connected to a cam shaft of the engine.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.