GB2541032A

GB2541032A - Oil cooler for an internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: GB2541032A
Application number: GB1514061.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Candela Giorgio
Original assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Current assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Priority date: 2015-08-07
Filing date: 2015-08-07
Publication date: 2017-02-08
Also published as: GB201514061D0

Abstract

An oil cooler 500 comprises a cooling block 520 made of a plurality of stacked plates 525 fixed to the upper surface 510a of a base plate 510 which is suitable for mounting on an internal combustion engine (110, Fig. 1). The base plate 510 has at least one reinforcing rib 530a, 530b. The base plate 510 may be substantially rectangular with the ribs 530a, 530b arranged on at least one of the longest sides 560b, 560d of the base plate 510. The ribs 530a, 530b may extend orthogonally from the upper surface 510a toward the cooling block 520. The base plate 510 may be formed from a plurality of layers 515a, 515b with the reinforcing ribs 530a, 530b on the uppermost layer 515b. The reinforcing ribs 530a, 530b may be longer than the length of the stacked plates 525.

Description

OIL COOLER FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger and more specifically to an oil cooler for an internal combustion engine used to exchange heat between two fluids, e.g. an oil and a coolant.

BACKGROUND

It is known that internal combustion engines are provided with an oil cooler to transfer heat from oil (e.g. the engine oil) to a liquid coolant (e.g. the engine coolant). Typically, an oil cooler comprises a plurality of stacked plates, made of a metallic material, stacked in a spaced manner for forming a cooling block provided with adjacent chambers. Each stacked plate is provided with four passage openings, two for the oil flow and two for the liquid coolant flow, preferably arranged at the corners of the stacked plates.

The stacked plates are configured, in a known manner, to form different flow paths in the cooling block. In particular, oil and liquid coolant can flow into different hollow chambers between the stacked plates without entering in direct contact with each other. In this way the heat of the oil flow is transferred to the stacked plates which in turn transfer it to the liquid coolant flow.

The cooling block is closed by a cover plate and by a base plate, disposed at opposite sides of the cooling block and typically provided with fittings for the inlet and the outlet of oil and liquid coolant. The base plate of the oil cooler is fastened to the internal combustion engine, e.g. to the engine block, for example by means of fasteners passing through bores provided in the base plate.

During the operation of the engine, the oil cooler is subjected to stresses due to heat and/or to vibrations and/or to the oil pressure that tend to deform the base plate. The cooling block is welded on the upper surface of the base plate. Thus, a deformation of the base plate can cause a partial detachment of the cooling block (typically at the welding) from the base plate with a consequent oil outflow from the oil cooler. A classic solution for this problem consists in increasing the base plate thickness in order to increase its stiffness and to obtain a base plate more resistant to stresses. For example, the base plate can be produced by a thermoforming process wherein a plurality of metal sheets, with the same shape and thickness, are stacked and fixed together. Thus, the number of metal sheets forming the base plate can be increased to achieve a proper stiffness. This solution has the drawback of increasing the oil cooler mass with the consequence of increasing the production costs. Another classic solution consists in changing the arrangement of the fasteners on the base plate to obtain a minor stress load at the welding between the base plate and the cooling block. The above solutions can cause packaging problems and/or layout problems concerning the arrangement of the oil cooler in the engine.

In view of the above, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an oil cooler more compact and more resistant than the oil coolers of the prior art.

Another object of an embodiment of *he present invention is to provide an oil cooler with a base plate having a mass reduced with respect to the oil coolers of the prior art.

Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an internal combustion engine more reliable than the engine of the prior art.

Another object is that of accomplishing the above-mentioned goals with a simple, rational and rather inexpensive solution.

SUMMARY

These and other objects are achieved by an oil cooler according to an embodiment of the invention as defined in the independent claim. The dependent claims include preferred and/or advantageous aspects of said embodiments.

An embodiment of the invention provides for an oil cooler for an internal combustion engine comprising a base plate for fastening said oil cooler to said internal combustion engine and a cooling block provided with a plurality of stacked plates for cooling oil, said cooling block being fixed to the upper surface of said base plate, wherein said base plate is provided with at least one reinforcing rib.

Advantageously, at least one reinforcing rib allows to improve the oil cooler resistance to stresses without increasing the thickness of the base plate of the oil cooler.

According to an aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib is arranged at a lateral surface of said base plate. Thank to this aspect, the reinforcing rib can operate effectively and it can be easily realized on the oil cooler. This aspect allows to concentrate stresses in a portion of the base plate (i.e. the reinforcing rib) which is distanced from the cooling block. Advantageously, the at least one reinforcing rib according to the invention is configured as a tab.

According to another aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib extends with respect to said upper surface of said base plate.

According to still another aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib comprises at least one portion arranged tilted (inclined), preferably substantially orthogonally, with respect to said upper surface of said base plate.

These aspects allow to simplify the production of the reinforcing rib on the base plate. Also this aspect provides for a particularly compact structure. Finally, reinforcing ribs according to this aspect have proven to provide a particularly effective resistance to deformations of the base plate.

According to another aspect of the invention, said reinforcing rib extends towards the cooling block. Thank to this, the oil cooler can be provided with a compact structure that can be easily fastened to an internal combustion engine.

According to still another aspect of the invention, said base plate has a main direction of extension and said at least one reinforcing rib is arranged along said main direction of extension.

This aspect allows to improve the stiffness of the base plate along the direction along which a deformation of the base plate is more likely to occur.

According to another aspect of the invention, said base plate is substantially rectangular in plant view. Thanks to this aspect, the oil cooler can be fastened in a simple manner to an internal combustion engine. Production of a base plate having a simple shape is also easy and cost effective.

According to an aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib is arranged along at least one of the longest sides of said base plate.

As mentioned, this aspect allows to improve the stiffness of the base plate along the direction along which a deformation of the base plate is more likely to occur.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, said base plate is formed by a plurality of base layers stacked and fixed one to each other, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib is provided on at least one base layer of said plurality of base layers.

This aspect of the invention allows to provide the reinforcing rib on the base plate in a simple manner and by means of a reliable production process.

According to another aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib is provided on the uppermost base layer of said plurality of base layers.

Thanks to this, it is possible to improve the stiffness of the base plate at the welding zone wherein the cooling block is fixed to the base plate.

According to still another aspect of the invention, said at least one reinforcing rib has a length greater than the length of the stacked plates, preferably the difference between the reinforcing rib length and the stacked plates length being greater than 5% of the stacked plates length.

Advantageously, this configuration has proven to provide a particularly effective behavior of the base plate, i.e. a base plate which is effectively capable of bearing high stresses without deforming.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the height of said at least one reinforcing rib is substantially equal to three times the thickness of the reinforcing rib. A rib according to this embodiment has proven to be a good compromise between production costs, easiness of production and increase of resistance of the base plate.

According to another aspect of the invention, the reinforcing ribs are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cooling block. Thank to this the stability of the oil cooler structure is improved.

According to another aspect of the invention, the base layers of the base plate have the same thickness between each other. This aspect allows to simplify the design step and the production process steps of the oil cooler.

Another embodiment of the invention provides for an internal combustion engine comprising an oil cooler according to anyone of the preceding aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features, advantages and details appear, by way of example only, in the following detailed description of embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: • Figure 1 schematically shows an automotive system belonging to a motor vehicle; • Figure 2 is the section A-A of an internal combustion engine belonging to the automotive system of figure 1; • Figure 3 is a perspective view of an oil cooler according to a particular embodiment of the present invention; • Figure 4 is a lateral view of the oil cooler shown in figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments may include an automotive system 100, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, that includes an internal combustion engine (ICE) 110 having an engine block 120 defining at least one cylinder 125 having a piston 140 coupled to rotate a crankshaft 145. A cylinder head 130 cooperates with the piston 140 to define a combustion chamber 150. A fuel and air mixture (not shown) is disposed in the combustion chamber 150 and ignited, resulting in hot expanding exhaust gasses causing reciprocal movement of the piston 140.

The fuel is provided by at least one fuel injector 160 and the air through at least one intake port 210. The fuel is provided at high pressure to the fuel injector 160 from a fuel rail 170 in fluid communication with a high pressure fuel pump 180 that increase the pressure of the fuel received from a fuel source 190. Each of the cylinders 125 has at least two valves 215, actuated by a camshaft 135 rotating in time with the crankshaft 145. The valves 215 selectively allow air into the combustion chamber 150 from the port 210 and alternately allow exhaust gases to exit through a port 220. In some examples, a cam phaser 155 may selectively vary the timing between the camshaft 135 and the crankshaft 145.

The air may be distributed to the air intake port(s) 210 through an intake manifold 200. An air intake duct 205 may provide air from the ambient environment to the intake manifold 200. In other embodiments, a throttle body 330 may be provided to regulate the flow of air into the manifold 200. In still other embodiments, a forced air system such as a turbocharger 230, having a compressor 240 rotationally coupled to a turbine 250, may be provided. Rotation of the compressor 240 increases the pressure and temperature of the air in the duct 205 and manifold 200. An intercooler 260 disposed in the duct 205 may reduce the temperature of the air. The turbine 250 rotates by receiving exhaust gases from an exhaust manifold 225 that directs exhaust gases from the exhaust ports 220 and through a series of vanes prior to expansion through the turbine 250. This example shows a variable geometry turbine (VGT) with a VGT actuator 290 arranged to move the vanes to alter the flow of the exhaust gases through the turbine 250. In other embodiments, the turbocharger 230 may be fixed geometry and/or include a waste gate.

The exhaust gases exit the turbine 250 and are directed into an exhaust system 270. The exhaust system 270 may include an exhaust pipe 275 having one or more exhaust aftertreatment devices 280. The aftertreatment devices may be any device configured to change the composition of the exhaust gases. Some examples of aftertreatment devices 280 include, but are not limited to, catalytic converters (two and three way), oxidation catalysts, lean NOx traps, hydrocarbon adsorbers, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, and particulate filters. Other embodiments may include an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system 300 coupled between the exhaust manifold 225 and the intake manifold 200. The EGR system 300 may include an EGR cooler 310 to reduce the temperature of the exhaust gases in the EGR system 300. An EGR valve 320 regulates a flow of exhaust gases in the EGR system 300.

The automotive system 100 may further include an electronic control unit (ECU) 450 in communication with one or more sensors and/or devices associated with the ICE 110. The ECU 450 may receive input signals from various sensors configured to generate the signals in proportion to various physical parameters associated with the ICE 110. The sensors include, but are not limited to, a mass airflow and temperature sensor 340, a manifold pressure and temperature sensor 350, a combustion pressure sensor 360, coolant and oil temperature and level sensors 380, a fuel rail pressure sensor 400, a cam position sensor 410, a crank position sensor 420, exhaust pressure and temperature sensors 430, an EGR temperature sensor 440, and an accelerator pedal position sensor 445. Furthermore, the ECU 450 may generate output signals to various control devices that are arranged to control the operation of the ICE 110, including, but not limited to, the fuel injectors 160, the throttle body 330, the EGR valve 320, the VGT actuator 290, and cam phaser 155. Note, dashed lines are used to indicate communication between the ECU 450 and the various sensors and devices, but some are omitted for clarity.

Turning now to the ECU 450, this apparatus may include a digital central processing unit (CPU) in communication with a memory system and an interface bus. The CPU is configured to execute instructions stored as a program in the memory system 460, and send and receive signals to/from the interface bus. The memory system 460 may include various storage types including optical storage, magnetic storage, solid state storage, and other non-volatile memory. The interface bus may be configured to send, receive, and modulate analog and/or digital signals to/from the various sensors and control devices.

The program may embody the methods disclosed herein, allowing the CPU to carryout out the steps of such methods and control the ICE 110.

The program stored in the memory system 460 is transmitted from outside via a cable or in a wireless fashion. Outside the automotive system 100 it is normally visible as a computer program product, which is also called computer readable medium or machine readable medium in the art, and which should be understood to be a computer program code residing on a carrier, said carrier being transitory or non-transitory in nature with the consequence that the computer program product can be regarded to be transitory or non-transitory in nature.

An example of a transitory computer program product is a signal, e.g. an electromagnetic signal such as an optical signal, which is a transitory carrier for the computer program code. Carrying such computer program code can be achieved by modulating the signal by a conventional modulation technique such as QPSK for digital data, such that binary data representing said computer program code is impressed on the transitory electromagnetic signal. Such signals are e.g. made use of when transmitting computer program code in a wireless fashion via a WiFi connection to a laptop.

In case of a non-transitory computer program product the computer program code is embodied in a tangible storage medium. The storage medium is then the non-transitory carrier mentioned above, such that the computer program code is permanently or non-permanently stored in a retrievable way in or on this storage medium. The storage medium can be of conventional type known in computer technology such as a flash memory, an Asic, a CD or the like.

With reference to figures 3 and 4, a possible embodiment of an oil cooler 500 for an internal combustion engine 110 will be now discussed.

Figure 3 shows an oil cooler 500 comprising a cooling block 520 provided with a plurality of stacked plates 525, preferably made of metallic material. The stacked plates 525 are thus preferably arranged in a known manner to provide for heat exchanging between oil and liquid coolant. As an example, stacked plates 525 can be arranged so that oil and liquid coolant can flow between different adjacent stacked plates 525 of the cooling block 520 without entering in contact with each other. In general, stacked plates 525 are coupled one to the other (e.g. by welding) so that different flow paths for oil and liquid coolant are provided into the cooling block 520 for transferring heat between the two fluids.

The oil cooler 500 further comprises a base plate 510 for fastening the oil cooler 500 to an internal combustion engine 110. In particular, the base plate 510 can be fastened to the internal combustion engine 110 (e.g. to the engine block 120) by means of fasteners (e.g. bolts, screws, etc.) passing through bores 550 provided in the base plate 510. In other words, the lower surface 510b of the base plate 510 can be coupled to the Internal combustion engine 110, i.e. to a surface of the internal combustion engine 110.

In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the base plate 510 is provided with four bores 550, preferably arranged at the border of the base plate 510. In general, bores 550 are arranged around the cooling block 520.

In the shown embodiment, the cooling block 520 is substantially rectangular in plant view, i.e. the stacked plates 525 of the cooling block 520 are provided with a substantially rectangular perimeter. Bores 550 are preferably arranged at the comer of a rectangular perimeter comprised between the cooling block perimeter and the base plate perimeter.

The cooling block 520 is fixed (typically welded) to the base plate 510, opposite to the internal combustion engine 110. In particular, the cooling block 520 is typically fixed (e.g. by welding) to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510.

The base plate 510 is typically formed by at least one base layer (e.g. a metal sheet) preferably produced by means of a thermoforming process. Preferably the base plate 510 is formed by a plurality of base layers 515a, 515b, e.g. a plurality of metal sheets stacked and fixed one to each other.

At least one base layer 515b is preferably provided with at least one reinforcing rib 530a, 530b, better discussed later. In the shown embodiment, the base layer 515b is provided with two reinforcing ribs 530a, 530b.

The base layer 515b is thus different (because of the presence of the reinforcing rib 530a) from the other base layers 515a, which are preferably identical between each other. As shown in the figures, the reinforcing rib 530a is configured as a tab of the base plate and in particular of a base layer 515b.

In other words, the base plate 510 of the oil cooler 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be produced by stacking and fixing a plurality of base layers 515a, e.g. having the same shape, and at least one base layer 515b having a different shape and provided with at least one reinforcing rib 530a, 530b. In case of a base plate 510 formed by a single base layer, one (or more) reinforcing rib 530a, 530b is provided on said single base layer.

In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the oil cooler 500 comprises a base plate 510 formed by two base layers: a lower base layer 515a and a upper base layer 515b.

In general, the base plate 510 allows coupling between of the oil cooler 500 to the internal combustion engine 110 and it is provided with one or more reinforcing ribs 530a, 530b. Furthermore, the cooling block 520 is preferably closed by a cover plate 540, fixed to the uppermost stacked plate 525b of the cooling block 520. In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the oil cooler 500 has a cover plate 540 provided with two fittings 540a, 540b for the inlet and the outlet of oil. Other two fittings (not visible in the figures) for the inlet and the outlet of liquid coolant are provided on the lower surface 510b of the base plate 510. In this way the hot oil entering from the inlet fitting 540a, flows through the cooling block 520 and exchanges heat with the liquid coolant, so that a cooled oil can be provided from the outlet connection 540b.

As mentioned, the base plate 510 is provided with at least one reinforcing rib 530a, 530b to increase the stiffness and resistance to stresses of the base plate 510.

In the embodiments of the figures, two reinforcing ribs 530a, 530b are shown. In different embodiments, the number of reinforcing ribs can vary. As an example, different embodiments, not shown, can be provided with a single reinforcing rib. Other embodiments, not shown, are provided v/ith a number of reinforcing ribs greater than two.

For easiness of description, reference to reinforcing rib 530a will be now made. The following description applies as well to reinforcing rib 530b, and in general to a generic reinforcing rib of one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Preferably, the reinforcing rib 530a is provided on the uppermost base layer 515b, i.e. the base layer 515b provided with the upper surface 510a on which the cooling block 520 is fixed.

According to an embodiment, the reinforcing rib 530a can be provided in one piece with one of the base layer 515b of the base plate 510. As an example, a portion of a base layer can be bent to obtain the reinforcing rib 530.

The base plate 510 comprises a lateral surface 560 connecting the upper surface 510a and the lower surface 510b of the base plate 510. In other words, the lateral surface 560 of the base plate 510 defines the lateral boundary of the base plate 510

Preferably, the reinforcing rib 530a is arranged at said lateral surface 560 of the base plate 510. In other words, considering the base plate 510 in plant view (i.e. a view from a plane parallel to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510), the reinforcing rib 530a is arranged at the border of the base plate 510.

As mentioned, in the shown embodiments, the base plate 510 is provided with two ribs 530a, 530b. In particular, ribs 530a, 530b are arranged at the lateral surface of the base plate 510, preferably opposite one to the other.

Preferably, the base plate 510 has a main direction of extension 600 and the reinforcing rib 530a is arranged along said main direction of extension 600.

In more detail, the base plate 510 is preferably an elongated element, having a reduced thickness with respect to the other two dimensions, i.e. width and length. Also, one of the above mentioned other two dimensions (length) is greater than the other dimension (width). Therefore, the base plate 510 is typically provided with a dimension greater than the other two dimensions. Such a greatest dimension (length) is measured along the “main direction of extension” of the base plate 510.

As mentioned, the reinforcing rib 530a is arranged along the main direction of extension 600. In other words the reinforcing rib 530 develops mainly along the main direction of extension 600 of the base plate 510.

In general, the reinforcing rib 530a is an elongated element, too, i.e. it has a dimension (length) greater than the other two dimensions (width and thickness). The main direction of extension 610 of the reinforcing rib 530a (i.e. the direction along which the greatest dimension of the reinforcing rib 530a is measured) is preferably parallel to the main direction of extension 600 of the base plate 510.

As an example, the oil cooler of the embodiment shown in figure 3 is provided with a base plate 510 substantially rectangular in plant view. In other words, a base plate section, contained in a cutting plane parallel to the upper surface 510a of the base plate, is provided with a substantially rectangular shape. In this case the perimeter of the base plate is defined by four sides 560a-560d and the main direction of extension is a direction parallel to the longest sides 560b, 560d of the perimeter of the base plate 510.

In more detail, the base plate 510 of the embodiment shown in figure 3 is provided with two reinforcing ribs 530 arranged along the two long sides 560b, 560d of the base plates 510. These long sides 560b, 560d are preferably parallel to the two long sides of the stacked plates 525 of the cooling block 520, which has in turn rectangular section. In other words, reinforcing ribs 530 are arranged along the two longest sides of the base plate 510 that are preferably parallel to the longest sides of the stacked plates 525 of the cooling block 520.

Further embodiments can provide different shapes of the base plate, for example a base plate substantially oval in plant view. In this latest case the main direction of extension is parallel to the greater diameter of said oval.

Preferably, the reinforcing rib 530a extends with respect to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510.

In other words, the reinforcing rib 530a protrudes from (i.e. extends outside) the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510 (i.e. it protrudes from the plane defined by the upper surface 510).

According to an embodiment, the reinforcing rib 530a comprises at least a portion 532a tilted with respect to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510. Preferably such a tilted portion 532a is arranged substantially orthogonally with respect to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510.

In particular, in the shown embodiment, the reinforcing rib 530a comprises a supporting portion 531a substantially parallel to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510, and a tilted portion 532a orthogonal with respect to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510.

The supporting portion 531a is interposed between the lateral surface 560 of the base plate 510 and the tilted portion 532a of the reinforcing rib. As a result, in the shown embodiment, the tilted portion 532a of the reinforcing rib is placed at a distance from the lateral surface 560 of the base plate 510.

Other embodiments are possible, e.g. embodiments where the supporting portion 531a is omitted and/or the second portion 532a is tilted by an angle different than 90 degrees with respect to the upper surface 510a. Furthermore, the reinforcing rib 530a can comprise a plurality of portions, e.g. tilted one with respect to the other.

According to an embodiment, the reinforcing rib 530a extends towards the cooling block 520.

In other words, the angle between the upper surface 510a and the tilted portion 532a of the reinforcing rib 530 is less than 180 degrees.

Typically, a portion of the base layer 515b is bent towards the cooling block 520, at an angle preferably of substantially 90 degrees with respect to the upper surface 510a.

With reference to figure 4, the reinforcing rib 530 has a length B greater than the length L of the stacked plates 525. In general the length L of stacked plates 525 can be defined as the longest dimension of the cooling block in a plant view. By defining D as the difference between the reinforcing rib length B and the stacked plates length L (i.e. B=L+D), the difference D is preferably greater than 5% of the stacked plates length L, more preferably it is equal to about the 10% of the stacked plates length L.

Preferably, the reinforcing rib 530a is arranged symmetrically with respect to the cooling block 520. In other words, the difference D between the reinforcing rib length B and the stacked plates length L is distributed in a symmetrical manner with respect to the cooling block 520, i.e. the reinforcing rib is arranged laterally with respect to the cooling block 520 so that it extends beyond opposite sides of the cooling block 520 by a portion having length D/2.

For example, in the shown embodiment, the longest sides of the stacked plates have a length L equal to about 110mm. The reinforcing rib 530 has length B equal to about 120mm, i.e. D=10mm that is about 9% of the stacked plates length L. In particular the reinforcing rib 530a extends by 5mm (i.e. D/s) beyond opposite sides of the cooling block 520.

With reference to figure 4, the reinforcing rib 530 has a height A equal to about three times the reinforcing rib thickness S. The height A of is the dimension of the reinforcing rib 530a measured on a plane orthogonal to the upper surface 510a of the base plate 510.

As mentioned, the base plate 510 is provided with a plurality of base layers 515a, 515b, and the reinforcing rib 530a is obtained by bending one of the base layers. A typical thickness for the base layer Is e.g. about 3 mm. As a result, according to the above mentioned embodiment, the reinforcing rib 530 has an height A equal to about 9mm.

In use, the oil cooler 500 is fixed to an internal combustion engine 110, so that oil and liquid coolant, flowing into the cooling block 520, can exchange heat with each other. The reinforcing rib 530a prevents the deformation of the base plate during the engine operations.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

REFERENCES A height of the reinforcing rib B length of the reinforcing rib L length of the stacked plates

D difference between B and L S reinforcing rib thickness 100 automotive system 110 internal combustion engine 120 engine block 125 cylinder 130 cylinder head 135 camshaft 140 piston 145 crankshaft 150 combustion chamber 155 cam phaser 160 fuel injector 170 fuel rail 180 fuel pump 190 fuel source 200 intake manifold 205 air intake pipe 210 intake port 215 valves 220 exhaust port 225 exhaust manifold 230 turbocharger 240 compressor 250 turbine 260 intercooler 270 exhaust system 275 exhaust pipe 280 exhaust aftertreatment device 290 VGT actuator 300 EGR system 310 EGR cooler 320 EGR valve 330 throttle body 340 mass airflow and temperature sensor 350 manifold pressure and temperature sensor 360 combustion pressure senso' 380 coolant and oil temperature and level sensors 400 fuel rail pressure sensor 410 cam position sensor 420 crank position sensor 430 exhaust pressure and temperature sensors 440 EGR temperature sensor 445 accelerator pedal position sensor

450 electronic control unit ECU 460 memory system 500 oil cooler 510 baseplate 510a upper surface of the base plate 510b lower surface of the base plate 515 base layer 515a lower base layer 515b upper base layer 520 cooling block 525 stacked plate 525b uppermost stacked plate 530a reinforcing rib 530b reinforcing rib 531a supporting portion of the reinforcing rib 532a tilted portion of the reinforcing rib 540 cover plate 540a oil inlet connection 540b oil outlet connection 550 bore 560 lateral surface of the base plate 560a-560d sides of the base plate 600 main direction of extension of the base plate 610 main direction of extension of the reinforcing rib

Claims

1. An oil cooler (500) for an internal combustion engine (110) comprising a base plate (510) for fastening said oil cooler (500) to said internal combustion engine (110) and a cooling block (520) provided with a plurality of stacked plates (525) for cooling oil, said cooling block (520) being fixed to the upper surface (510a) of said base plate (510), wherein said base plate (510) is provided with at least one reinforcing rib (530).

2. The oil cooler (500) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is arranged at a lateral surface (560) of said base plate (510).

3. The oil cooler (500) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) extends with respect to said upper surface (510a) of said base plate (510).

4. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) comprises at least one portion (532a) tilted, preferably substantially orthogonally, with respect to said upper surface (510a) of said base plate (510).

5. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcing rib (530) extends towards the cooling block (520).

6. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said base plate (510) has a main direction of extension (600) and said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is arranged along said main direction of extension (600).

7. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said base plate (510) is substantially rectangular in plant view.

8. The oil cooler (500) according to claim 7, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is arranged along at least one of the longest sides (560b, 560d) of said base plate (510).

9. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said base plate (510) is formed by a plurality of base layers (515a, 515b) stacked and fixed one to each other, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is provided on at least one base layer (515b) of said plurality of base layers (515a, 515b).

10. The oil cooler (500) according to claim 9, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is provided on the uppermost base layer (515b) of said plurality of base layers (515a, 515b).

11. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one reinforcing rib (530) has a length (B) greater than the length (L) of the stacked plates (525).

12. The oil cooler (500) according to claim 11, wherein the difference (D) between the reinforcing rib length (B) and the stacked plates length (L) is greater than 5% of the stacked plates length (L).

13. The oil cooler (500) according to any previous claim, wherein the reinforcing ribs (530) are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cooling block (520).

14. The oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the height (A) of said at least one reinforcing rib (530) is substantially equal to three times the thickness (S) of the reinforcing rib (530).

15. An internal combustion engine (110) comprising and an oil cooler (500) according to any of the preceding claims.