Motor vehicle cylinder head

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle cylinder head. The motor vehicle cylinder head is provided with a single flat planar surface in which spaced integral inlet and outlet ports are formed for connecting respective coolant supplies and returns to a cooling jacket defined within the cylinder head. The use of a common planar surface to locate the inlet and outlet ports provides a more reliable seal of the cylinder head to the respective coolant supplies and returns.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to UK Patent Application No. 1708143.1 filed on May 22, 2017. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines, and in particular to cooling of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. Background Art

[0004] It is known to provide the cylinder head of a combustion engine with a number of internal coolant passages, often referred to as cooling jackets or water jackets, for flowing coolant around the cylinder head.

[0005] Typically, supplying coolant to or from the cylinder head requires applying an external conduit to the cylinder head, which must be sealed at both opposing ends. This can result in the conduit needing to be sealed in a vertical plane at one end and in a horizontal plane at the opposite end, which is difficult to achieve.

[0006] Furthermore, the layout of the internal coolant passages is designed to provide optimized cooling with a reduced priority on ease of manufacture, particularly with regard to how to remove the core used to create the internal coolant passages during the casting process. This often results in the need for additional holes in the cylinder head to enable easy removal of the core material. Summary of the invention

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cylinder head in which it is easier to establish a connection with an internal coolant passage in the cylinder head in a more reliable manner and which cylinder head offers improved manufacturability.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cylinder head of an engine having a cooling jacket formed therein for circulating coolant through the cylinder head and a combined inlet and outlet connector formed as an integral part of the cylinder head for connecting the cylinder head to an external coolant system, the combined inlet and outlet connector comprising a flat planar surface defining a coolant inlet port and an outlet port in a spaced-apart manner, wherein the coolant inlet port is vertically positioned below the coolant outlet port, wherein a lower surface of the cylinder head is formed by a flame plate of the cooling jacket, and an internal supply passage connected to the inlet port is positioned adjacent to the flame plate so that the coolant flows above the flame plate.

[0009] The inlet port may be a cylindrical port formed in a flat planar surface and the outlet port may be a cylindrical port formed in a flat planar surface.

[0010] The cooling jacket may include a number of internal return passages for allowing coolant to flow through the cooling jacket back to the outlet port.

[0011] The internal supply passage may be connected to the internal return passage to form a cooling circuit within the cylinder head.

[0012] The inlet port can be located on the lower face of the cylinder head and near a first side of the cylinder head, and the outlet port can be located on the upper face of the cylinder head and near the first side of the cylinder head, and the cooling circuit of the cylinder head can flow coolant from the inlet port through the internal supply passage to a second, opposite side of the cylinder head, from the second side of the cylinder head upward and rearward across the cylinder head through the internal return passage to the outlet port near the first side of the cylinder head.

[0013] The cooling circuit in the cylinder head may be a double-pass two-plane cooling circuit.

[0014] The cylinder head may have an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof.

[0015] A flat planar surface is produced by machining the outer face of the cylinder head.

[0016] The inlet port is manufactured by a casting and finish machining process.

[0017] The outlet port is manufactured by a casting and finishing process.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an engine having a cylinder block, to which the cylinder head constructed according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is sealingly fixed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present disclosure will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are drawn to scale, but other relative dimensions may be used if desired.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an internal combustion engine having a cylinder head constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 an end view of a cylinder head showing combined inlet and outlet coolant connectors;

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 an enlarged view of the combined inlet and outlet coolant connector shown;

[0023] Figure 4 is a pictorial view of a second embodiment of a cylinder head according to the present disclosure showing combined inlet and outlet coolant connectors;

[0024] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A rear end view of the cylinder head is shown;

[0025] Figure 6 is Figure 4 and Figure 5 A plan view of the cylinder head in the direction of arrow V;

[0026] Figure 7 is shown for manufacturing Figures 4 to 6 A side view of the inlet core and outlet core of the internal cooling passage of the cylinder head is shown;

[0027] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A top-down drawn view of the core shown;

[0028] Fig. 9 The coolant passes through the inlet port of the combined inlet and outlet coolant connector. Figures 4 to 6 A graphical representation of the outlet port of the cylinder head flowing to the connector is shown; and

[0029] Fig.10 Has an engine and is used for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an engine system showing a cooling system of an engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Reference Figures 1 to 3 , which shows an internal combustion engine 5 having a cylinder block 6 and a cylinder head 10 .

[0031] The cylinder head 10 has an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof and an underside which, in use, is sealingly secured to the upper side of the cylinder block 6 as is well known in the art. The outlet port 30 of the internal exhaust manifold is shown on the side of the cylinder head 10 and is located in an exhaust system mount 12 machined on the exterior of the cylinder head 10. It will be appreciated that, in use, an exhaust system (not shown) is sealingly secured to the exhaust system mount 12 on the cylinder head 10 to divert exhaust gas away from the engine 5 and into the atmosphere.

[0032] The cylinder head 10 has a number of internal coolant passages (not shown) formed therein, which form a cooling jacket for flowing coolant around the cylinder head 10 to cool the cylinder head 10 .

[0033] The cylinder head 10 includes a combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 15 formed as an integral part of the cylinder head 10. The combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 15 includes a flat planar surface 16 machined on the exterior of the cylinder head 10, which defines an inlet port 20 and an outlet port 25, both of which are formed as an integral part of the cylinder head 10 by casting and subsequently by finish machining.

[0034] For the example shown, both the inlet port 20 and the outlet port 25 are cylindrical and are positioned vertically one above the other, with the outlet port 25 being positioned above the inlet port 20 .

[0035] However, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the ports may have different shapes and / or orientations.

[0036] As shown, the inlet port 20 has a concentric O-ring groove 22 for receiving an O-ring (not shown), and the outlet port 25 has a concentric O-ring groove 26 for receiving an O-ring (not shown).

[0037] An advantage of arranging the inlet port 20 below the outlet port is that the internal passage to which the inlet port 20 is connected can thus be positioned adjacent the lower cooling jacket flame plate, which is a critical area requiring considerable cooling influence due to its proximity to the combustion process. The flame plate forms the boundary between the cylinder head 10 and the cylinders of the engine 5.

[0038] The location of the combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 15 and the fact that the inlet port 20 and the outlet ports 25 have relatively large diameters and can be aligned with coolant flow passages that extend a considerable distance along the cylinder head 10, and, in some cases, the entire length of the cylinder head 10, allow for easier extraction of core material used during the manufacture of the cast cylinder head 10.

[0039] It will be appreciated that manufacturing the combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 15 is relatively simple since it merely requires machining a flat planar surface 16 into the cylinder head 10 at the desired location and finishing the inlet port 20 and outlet port 25 into the flat planar surface 16, both of which processes are conventional in nature and can be performed in a consistent and precise manner.

[0040] Furthermore, due to the use of a flat planar surface, sealing of the connector of the cylinder head 10 can be achieved in a reliable manner, which flat planar surface enables many alternative sealing devices to be used efficiently and reliably, examples of which include, for example, O-ring type sealing devices, gasket type sealing devices utilizing flat strips of sealing material, or non-permanent liquid sealant type sealing devices.

[0041] Special reference Figures 4 to 9 , which shows a second embodiment of a cylinder head constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0042] As previously mentioned, the cylinder head 110 has an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof. The cylinder head 110 has an upper surface 114 to which the camshaft cover is secured in use and a lower surface 113 which is sealingly secured to the upper surface of the engine block in use.

[0043] An outlet port 130 of the internal exhaust manifold is shown on the side of the cylinder head 110 and is located in the exhaust system mount 112. It will be appreciated that in use, an exhaust system (not shown) is sealingly secured to the exhaust system mount 112 on the cylinder head 110 to divert exhaust gas away from the engine of which the cylinder head 110 forms a part and into the atmosphere.

[0044] The cylinder head 110 has a number of internal coolant passages formed therein (which are located at Fig. 9 ) to flow coolant around the cylinder head 110, thereby moving heat away from the cylinder head 110 and transferring it to an external coolant system having one or more heat exchangers (see Fig.10 ) to cool the coolant flowing through it.

[0045] exist Fig.10 5 shows an external coolant system 100 connected to the engine 5. It should be appreciated that there are many variations in the connection mode of the coolant system to the engine. For example, in some arrangements, the coolant flows to the cylinder head and returns directly from the cylinder head to the coolant system, and in other embodiments, the coolant is supplied to the cylinder head and returns to the coolant system via the cylinder block of the engine. It should be appreciated that the cylinder head constructed according to the present disclosure is not limited to a specific connection arrangement between the cylinder head and the coolant system.

[0046] The cylinder head 110 includes a combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 115 formed as an integral part of the cylinder head 110. The combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 115 includes a flat planar surface 116 formed by machining the outer surface of the cylinder head 110 defining the inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125.

[0047] Both the inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125 are formed as an integral part of the cylinder head 110 through a casting and finishing process.

[0048] At once Figures 4 to 6 In the illustrated example, the inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125 are both cylindrical and are vertically positioned one above the other, with the outlet port 125 being positioned above the inlet port 120 .

[0049] However, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the inlet and outlet ports may have different shapes and / or orientations.

[0050] The advantage of arranging the inlet port 120 below the outlet port is that the internal channel ( Fig. 9 320B, 320L, 320T) in the lower cooling jacket flame plate can thus be positioned adjacent to the lower cooling jacket flame plate, which is a critical area that requires considerable cooling influence due to its proximity to the combustion process. The lower flame plate forms a boundary between the plurality of cylinders of the engine to which the cylinder head 110 is attached via the lower surface 113 and the rest of the cylinder head 110. It should be appreciated that the lower surface 113 includes a peripheral portion for sealingly attaching the cylinder head 110 to the cylinder block and an inner portion defining the flame plate.

[0051] The location of the combined inlet and outlet coolant connector 115 and the fact that the inlet and outlet ports 120 , 125 have relatively large diameters and can align with coolant flow passages that extend a considerable distance along the cylinder head 110 allow the core material used during casting of the cylinder head 110 to be more easily extracted.

[0052] Now refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , which shows an inlet core and an outlet core for making internal cooling channels connected to the inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125 and for making the ports 120 , 125 .

[0053] The lower inlet core 220 is used to define the internal coolant flow passage and the inlet port 120 , and the upper outlet core 225 is used to define the internal coolant passage and the outlet port 125 .

[0054] The outlet core 225 is placed on the inlet core 220 along a boundary edge 225 e of the outlet core 225 , thereby forming an interconnection or junction between the inlet coolant flow channel and the outlet coolant flow channel of the cylinder head 110 .

[0055] The portion of the lower inlet core 220 that defines the inlet port 120 that is not machined is Figure 7 and Figure 8 The portion of the upper inlet core 225 defining the outlet port 125 which is not machined is indicated by arrow 220p. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Indicated by arrow 225p.

[0056] A core (not shown) forming an internal exhaust manifold is positioned between the upper core 225 and the lower core 220 and has a Figure 7 and Figure 8The portion of the bore 250 is shown in dashed line. The location of the cooling passages in the cylinder head 110 close to the exhaust gas outlet path improves cooling in this area of ​​the cylinder head 110.

[0057] The respective end extensions 220a, 225a of the inlet core 220 and the outlet core 225 (see Figure 7 ) forms a spacer that reduces the need to use additional core supports. After the cylinder head 110 is cast, the end portions 220a, 225a are removed and a flat planar surface 116 is produced at the desired location on the cylinder head 110 using a machining process. The inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125 are then subsequently machined into the flat planar surface 116 by drilling or punching. Both machining methods are conventional in nature and can be performed economically in a consistent and accurate manner.

[0058] Figures 4 to 6 One advantage of the inlet and outlet port arrangement shown is that the internal coolant passages in cylinder head 110 connected to inlet port 120 are aligned with inlet port 120 , and the internal coolant passages in cylinder head 110 connected to outlet port 125 are aligned with outlet port 125 .

[0059] This alignment has two positive effects. First, it improves coolant flow into and out of the cylinder head 110 because there are no sharp corners to flow around, and second, it makes it easier to remove the material forming the inlet core 220 and the outlet core 225 from the cast cylinder head 110 after the cylinder head 110 is cast.

[0060] In addition to the aforementioned manufacturing advantages, the sealing of the connector in and out of the cylinder head 110 can be achieved in a reliable manner due to the use of a flat planar surface that enables the use of various types of sealing devices. For example, it is possible to effectively use a gasket type sealing device using a flat strip of sealing material, a non-permanent liquid sealant type sealing device, or an O-ring type sealing device.

[0061] By positioning the inlet port 120 and the outlet port 125 in close proximity on the common flat planar surface 116, a single housing can be sealingly fastened to the cylinder head 110 to connect both the inlet and outlet of the cylinder head 110, or separate housings can be sealingly secured thereto. For example, but not limited to, a water pump housing can be mounted directly on the flat planar surface 116 to supply coolant to the cylinder head 110, if desired, or a thermostat housing can be mounted directly on the flat planar surface 116 to control the flow of coolant into or out of the cylinder head 110, if desired.

[0062] Special reference Fig. 9 , in which coolant flow through the cylinder head 110 is diagrammatically shown.

[0063] Coolant enters the cylinder head 110 through the inlet port 120, which in this case is located on an end of the cylinder head 110 proximate a first side of the cylinder block 110, as indicated by arrow 320. From the inlet port 120, the coolant flows into a longitudinally extending lower coolant supply path 320L, which supplies coolant to a number of transfer passages 320T extending from a first side of the cylinder head 110 to an opposite second side of the cylinder head 110. The longitudinally extending lower coolant supply path 320L and the transfer passages 320T are both located near the flame plate of the cylinder head 110.

[0064] The transfer flow paths 320T are interconnected near the second side of the cylinder head 110 so that coolant can flow therebetween, as indicated by double-headed arrow 320B.

[0065] Fig. 9 Line 325e corresponds to the lower inlet core 220 connected to Figure 8 The position of the edge 225e of the upper outlet core 225.

[0066] From location 325 e , the coolant flows upward and rearward toward a first side of the cylinder block 110 via a transfer flow path 325T formed during manufacture of the upper outlet core 225 before exiting the cylinder block 110 via an outlet gallery 325 connected to the outlet port 125 .

[0067] The coolant flow is a dual-pass cooling path that passes through the cylinder head 110 in two directions from the intake port 120 near the first side of the cylinder head 110 to the opposite second side of the cylinder head 110 and back to the outlet port 125 near the first side of the cylinder head 110, and in two planes from a lower level of the cylinder head 110 adjacent to the lower cooling jacket flame plate near the first side of the cylinder head 110 where it enters to an upper level where less cooling action is required before leaving the cylinder block 110.

[0068] Therefore, in summary, the use of an integrated coolant connector design improves coolant inflow and outflow, and the location of the inlet improves coolant flow into the lower coolant jacket flame plate area, which is critical to maintaining acceptable metal temperatures.

[0069] The integrated design also allows sealing to be done at only a single location on one plane, which makes sealing simpler and allows the inlet and outlet to be sealed together on the same surface.

[0070] The cast core used to make the cooling jacket can utilize the core extensions of the core used to make the inlet and outlet as good supports during the manufacturing process and provide much improved access for sand removal in this area.

[0071] Figure 1-8 An exemplary configuration with relative positioning of various parts is shown. If shown as directly contacting or directly connecting each other, then at least in one example, these elements can be referred to as directly contacting or directly connecting respectively. Similarly, at least in one example, the elements shown as being adjacent or adjacent to each other can be adjacent or adjacent to each other respectively. As an example, the parts placed in face-to-face contact with each other can be referred to as face-to-face contact. As another example, in at least one example, the elements spaced apart from each other and having only space and no other parts therebetween can be described as such. As another example, the elements shown as one above / below another, one at another opposite side or one at another left / right can be described as such relative to each other. In addition, as shown in the figure, in at least one example, the topmost element or the vertex of the element can be referred to as the "top" of the part, and the bottommost element or the bottommost point of the element can be referred to as the "bottom" of the part. As used herein, top / bottom, up / down, above / below can be relative to the vertical axis of the accompanying drawings, and are used to describe the positioning of the elements of the figure relative to each other. Thus, in one example, the element shown as above other elements is vertically positioned above the other elements. As yet another example, the shapes of elements drawn in the drawings may be referred to as having those shapes (e.g., such as being rounded, straight, planar, curved, rounded, chamfered, angled, etc.). Furthermore, in at least one example, elements shown as intersecting each other may be referred to as intersecting elements or intersecting each other. Furthermore, in one example, an element shown as being within another element or an element shown as being outside another element may be described as such.

[0072] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "inside," "outside," "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another (or other) elements or features as shown in the drawings. In addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings, spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, multiple elements described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented as being "above" these elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" may encompass both above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0073] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the present disclosure has been described by way of example with reference to one or more embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and that alternative embodiments may be constructed without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cylinder head for an engine, the cylinder head having a cooling jacket formed therein for circulating coolant through the cylinder head and a combined inlet and outlet connector formed as an integral part of the cylinder head for connecting the cylinder head to an external coolant system, the combined inlet and outlet connector comprising a flat planar surface defining a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port in a spaced-apart manner, wherein the coolant inlet port is vertically positioned below the coolant outlet port, wherein a lower surface of the cylinder head is formed by a flame plate of the cooling jacket, and an internal supply passage connected to the inlet port is positioned adjacent to the flame plate so that coolant flows through the flame plate. 2 . The cylinder head of claim 1 , wherein the inlet port is a cylindrical port formed in the flat planar surface and the outlet port is a cylindrical port formed in the flat planar surface.

3. The cylinder head of claim 2, wherein the cylinder head has an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof.

4. The cylinder head of claim 3, wherein the cylinder head has an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof.

5. The cylinder head of claim 1 wherein said cooling jacket includes a number of internal return passages for flowing coolant through said cooling jacket back to said outlet port.

6. The cylinder head of claim 5, wherein the internal supply passage is connected to the internal return passage so as to form a cooling circuit within the cylinder head.

7. The cylinder head of claim 6, wherein the inlet port is located on a lower surface of the cylinder head and near a first side of the cylinder head, and the outlet port is located on an upper surface of the cylinder head and near the first side of the cylinder head, and the cooling circuit of the cylinder head flows coolant from the inlet port through the internal supply passage to an opposite second side of the cylinder head, from the second side of the cylinder head upward and rearwardly across the cylinder head through the internal return passage to the outlet port near the first side of the cylinder head.

8. The cylinder head of claim 7, wherein the inlet port is manufactured by a casting and finishing process.

9. The cylinder head of claim 7, wherein the outlet port is manufactured by a casting and finishing process.

10. The cylinder head of claim 7, wherein the cooling circuit within the cylinder head is a dual-pass cooling circuit having two planes.

11. The cylinder head of claim 1, wherein the cylinder head has an exhaust manifold formed as an integral part thereof.

12. The cylinder head of claim 1, wherein the flat planar surface is produced by machining an outer face of the cylinder head.

13. The cylinder head of claim 1, wherein the inlet port is manufactured by a casting and finishing process.

14. The cylinder head of claim 1, wherein the outlet port is manufactured by a casting and finishing process.

15. An engine having a cylinder block, a cylinder head sealingly fixed to the cylinder block, wherein the cylinder head has a cooling jacket formed therein for circulating coolant through the cylinder head and a combined inlet and outlet connector formed as an integral part of the cylinder head for connecting the cylinder head to an external coolant system, the combined inlet and outlet connector including flat planar surfaces defining a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port in a spaced-apart manner, wherein the coolant inlet port is vertically positioned below the coolant outlet port, wherein a lower surface of the cylinder head is formed by a flame plate of the cooling jacket, and an internal supply passage connected to the inlet port is positioned adjacent to the flame plate so that coolant flows through the flame plate.

16. The engine of claim 15, wherein the inlet port is a cylindrical port formed in the flat planar surface and the outlet port is a cylindrical port formed in the flat planar surface.

17. The engine of claim 15, wherein the cooling jacket includes a number of internal return passages for flowing coolant through the cooling jacket back to the outlet port; and wherein the internal supply passages are connected to the internal return passages to form a cooling circuit within the cylinder head.

18. The engine of claim 17, wherein the inlet port is located below the cylinder head and near a first side of the cylinder head, and the outlet port is located on an upper surface of the cylinder head and near the first side of the cylinder head, and the cooling circuit of the cylinder head flows coolant from the inlet port through the internal supply passage to an opposite second side of the cylinder head, from the second side of the cylinder head upward and rearward across the cylinder head through the internal return passage to the outlet port near the first side of the cylinder head.

19. An engine product, comprising: An engine cylinder head having a cooling jacket and a combined inlet and outlet connector integrally formed with the cylinder head, the combined inlet and outlet connector connecting the cylinder head to a coolant system external to the engine, the connector having a flat planar surface defining a coolant inlet port vertically below an outlet port, the lower surface of the cylinder head being formed by a cooling jacket flame plate, and an internal supply passage connected to the inlet port being positioned adjacent to the flame plate.

20. The engine article of claim 19, wherein the vertical orientation is relative to gravity when a vehicle including the engine is located on level ground.

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