Intake system for a vehicle

Abstract

Intake system (1) of a vehicle, comprising: an intake manifold (2) having a plurality of passages for supplying intake gas to a multi-cylinder engine; a surge tank cover (3) coupled to the intake manifold (2) to define a surge tank (7) communicating with the plurality of passages via the intake manifold (2); an intake air inlet (20) formed on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the intake air flows into the expansion tank (7); an intake outlet (25) formed on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the intake air flows successively through the intake air inlet (20), the surge tank (7) and the duct and is discharged to the engine as the intake gas; a gas inlet (10) which is a passage formed on the intake manifold (2) and selectively receives recirculation exhaust gases; a gas chamber (12) formed on the intake manifold (2) so that the recirculation exhaust gas flows through the gas inlet (10), the gas chamber (12) being located on the intake manifold (2) to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber (12) and a gas distribution passage (14); a plurality of gas distribution passages (14) on the intake manifold (2) to communicate with the gas chamber (12), the plurality of gas distribution passages (14) being part of the gas chamber (12); a gas distribution hole (16) on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the recirculation exhaust gas, which flows sequentially through the gas inlet (10), the gas chamber (12) and the plurality of gas distribution passages (14), flows into the plurality of channels, respectively; and a gas chamber cover (18) configured to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber (12) by covering an opened surface of the gas chamber (12).

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle intake system, particularly to a vehicle intake system for improving fuel efficiency. background

[0002] In general, an internal combustion engine has characteristics in that a gas mixture is burned in a combustion chamber and is operated with the energy generated by the heat of combustion.

[0003] An internal combustion engine includes a multi-cylinder engine equipped with a plurality of cylinders to increase engine power and reduce noise and vibration.

[0004] This multi-cylinder engine is equipped with an intake manifold, which is a channel for guiding intake from an intake passage to each cylinder, and an exhaust manifold, which is a channel for collecting exhaust gas discharged from each cylinder to be transmitted to an exhaust passage.

[0005] On the other hand, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is installed in the vehicle to reduce harmful exhaust gases and improve the engine's fuel consumption.

[0006] The exhaust gas recirculation device is used to reduce the amount of oxygen in a mixture, reduce the amount of exhaust gas, and reduce pollutants in the exhaust by circulating part of the exhaust gas emitted by the engine to the inlet.

[0007] When the exhaust gas recirculated by the exhaust gas recirculation system flows into the rear end of a throttle valve, the temperature drops as the exhaust gas mixes with the intake gas, potentially causing condensation, which is the moisture in the exhaust gas. If the condensation flows into the engine's combustion chamber, engine performance may be affected and failure may occur. This problem can also occur with the introduction of the recirculated exhaust gas into a surge tank, which communicates with each port of the intake manifold.

[0008] To solve this problem, an intake system has recently been used in which the exhaust gas from the recirculation flows into each port of the intake manifold and is supplied to each cylinder.

[0009] However, it is not easy to distribute the recirculated exhaust gas evenly to each cylinder through each intake manifold port, and uneven supply of the recirculated exhaust gas to each cylinder may lead to a deterioration in fuel efficiency. On the other hand, if a piping is complicated to evenly distribute the recirculated exhaust gas to each intake manifold port, the volume of a protruding portion of the intake manifold may expand, while simultaneously increasing the piping resistance. Thus, the piping resistance may deteriorate the supply efficiency of the recirculated exhaust gas, generate heat due to the resistance, and reduce the space utilization due to the larger intake manifold volume.

[0010] Furthermore, from JP 2018 - 044 518 A, a vehicle intake system is known, comprising: an intake manifold having a plurality of channels for supplying intake gas to a multi-cylinder engine; an intake air inlet formed on the intake manifold as a passage through which the intake air flows into the surge tank; an intake outlet formed on the intake manifold as a passage through which the intake air flows sequentially through the intake air inlet, the surge tank, and the channel and is discharged to the engine as the intake gas; a gas inlet, which is a passage formed on the intake manifold and selectively receives recirculation exhaust gases; a gas chamber formed on the intake manifold such that the recirculation exhaust gas flows through the gas inlet; a plurality of gas distribution passages on the intake manifold to communicate with the gas chamber;and a gas distribution hole on the intake manifold as a passage through which the recirculation exhaust gas, which sequentially flows through the gas inlet, the gas chamber and the plurality of gas distribution passages, flows into the plurality of channels, respectively.;

[0011] DE 11 2012 001 567 T5 discloses an intake system with a two-part intake manifold, on which an intake manifold with expansion tank and corresponding expansion tank cover is provided in the flange area close to the engine.

[0012] JP 2018 135 852 A also discloses an exhaust gas recirculation device provided in an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine with intake ports arranged in the cylinder arrangement direction. The exhaust gas recirculation device includes a manifold extending such that the arrangement direction of the intake ports is the longitudinal direction of the intake ports and having an exhaust gas inlet portion at the end, and a plurality of intake ports arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the manifold and communicating with the manifold to introduce exhaust gas into the respective intake ports.

[0013] The above information disclosed in this Background section is provided merely to facilitate understanding of the background of the disclosure and may therefore contain information that does not constitute prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art. overview

[0014] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle intake system with a simple piping while distributing a recirculation exhaust gas evenly to each cylinder of an engine.

[0015] The problem is solved by an intake system having the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments can be found in the subclaims.

[0016] An intake system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include: an intake manifold having a plurality of passages for supplying intake gas to a multi-cylinder engine; a surge tank cover coupled to the intake manifold to define a surge tank that communicates with the plurality of passages via the intake manifold; an intake air inlet formed on the intake manifold as a passage through which the intake air flows into the surge tank; an intake outlet formed on the intake manifold as a passage through which the intake air sequentially flows through the intake air inlet, the surge tank, and the passage and is discharged to the engine as the intake gas; a gas inlet that is a passage formed on the intake manifold and selectively receives recirculation exhaust gases;a gas chamber formed on the intake manifold so that the recirculation exhaust gas flows through the gas inlet; a plurality of gas distribution passages on the intake manifold to communicate with the gas chamber; a gas distribution hole on the intake manifold as a passage through which the recirculation exhaust gas, which sequentially flows through the gas inlet, the gas chamber, and the plurality of gas distribution passages, flows into the plurality of channels, respectively; and a gas chamber cover configured to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber by covering an opened surface of the gas chamber.

[0017] The channel may have a part formed on the intake manifold and another part formed on the expansion tank cover, wherein an entire pipeline may be completed by the combination of expansion tank cover and intake manifold.

[0018] The expansion tank can communicate with the channel of the expansion tank cover, and the gas chamber can communicate with the channel of the intake manifold through the gas distribution hole.

[0019] A direction in which a flow direction of the recirculation exhaust gas does not rise upward in the state where the engine is mounted in the vehicle may be the direction in which the gas distribution hole is penetrated to connect the gas distribution passage to the duct.

[0020] The gas distribution passage may be formed as part of the gas chamber.

[0021] The gas chamber may be provided to ensure airtightness at a part except the gas inlet and the gas distribution hole.

[0022] A volume of each region of which the gas chamber is evenly divided along a direction away from the gas inlet so that a gas distribution passage is arranged one after another may become smaller in a direction away from the gas inlet.

[0023] The intake air flowing through the intake air inlet can be supplied to an engine as intake gas by passing it sequentially through the expansion tank, the duct and the intake outlet.

[0024] The recirculation exhaust gas selectively flowing through the gas inlet can be supplied to an engine as intake gas by passing sequentially through the gas chamber, the gas distribution passage, the gas distribution hole, the duct and the intake outlet and mixing with the intake air in the duct. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 is an exploded view illustrating a configuration of an intake system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an intake system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along a line AA of Fig. 2. Detailed description of the embodiments

[0025] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing a configuration of an intake system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an intake system of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along a line AA of Fig. 2.

[0027] As in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, an intake system 1 of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes an intake manifold 2, a surge tank cover 3, an intake air inlet 20, an intake outlet 25, a gas inlet 10, a gas chamber 12, a gas distribution passage 14, a gas distribution hole 16, and a gas chamber cover 18.

[0028] The intake manifold 2 is a passage that receives intake air through an intake passage in response to the opening of a throttle valve (not shown), and guides the intake air to be supplied to each cylinder (not shown) of a multi-cylinder engine as intake gas, forming a passage 5 of the same number as a plurality of cylinders. A basic configuration and function of the intake manifold 2 are obvious to one skilled in the art, so a detailed description is omitted.

[0029] The surge tank cover 3 may be combined with the intake manifold 2, thereby forming an intake air flow path. Here, the duct 5 includes a part formed on the intake manifold 2 and another part formed on the surge tank cover 3, and an entire piping system may be completed by the combination of the surge tank cover 3 and the intake manifold 2. On the other hand, the surge tank cover 3 may be configured to vary the flow path of the intake air supplied to the intake manifold 2 in at least two or more ways, and varying the flow path of the intake air may be controlled to selectively vary the flow path of the intake air to be longer or shorter depending on the engine running state or the vehicle driving conditions, or to circulate the intake air quickly or slowly.However, the description of the configuration of the surge tank cover 3, which realizes the variation of the intake air flow path, is omitted in this specification.

[0030] The intake air inlet 20 is formed in the intake manifold 2 as a passage through which the intake air flows into the intake manifold 2. At this time, the intake air flow to the intake manifold 2 through the intake air inlet 20 is temporarily stored in a surge tank 7 surrounded by the intake manifold 2 and the surge tank cover 3. That is, the intake air inlet 20 connects the outside of the intake manifold 2 to the surge tank 7, and the surge tank 7 communicates with the channel 5 formed in the surge tank cover 3. Here, the basic structure and function of the surge tank 7 are obvious to a person skilled in the art, so a detailed description is omitted.

[0031] The intake outlet 25 is formed in the intake manifold 2 and is the passage through which the intake air flows into the engine as intake via the intake manifold 2. That is, the intake outlet 25 is located at the rearmost end of the duct 5 based on the direction in which the intake air flows.

[0032] The gas inlet 10 is formed in the intake manifold 2 and is a passage through which the exhaust gas (recirculation exhaust gas) selectively recirculated by the exhaust gas recirculation device (not shown) flows into the intake manifold 2 as intake gas.

[0033] The gas chamber 12 is formed in the intake manifold 2 and is a space in which the recirculated exhaust gas flowing into the intake manifold 2 through the gas inlet 10 is temporarily stored. That is, the gas inlet 10 connects the outside of the intake manifold 2 to the gas chamber 12.

[0034] The gas distribution passage 14 is formed in the intake manifold 2 as a pipe communicating with the gas chamber 12. The gas distribution passage 14 may be formed as a part of the gas chamber 12. Furthermore, gas distribution passages 14 with the same number as the channels 5 are provided to respectively communicate with the channels 5, which are formed with the same number as the majority of cylinders. Here, the gas distribution passage 14 may be formed according to the design of a person skilled in the art, taking into account the distance from the gas inlet 10, so that recirculated exhaust gas is evenly distributed to each channel 5. Assuming, for example, that the gas chamber 12 with which the gas distribution passage 14 communicates is divided into regions of uniform width along a direction away from the gas inlet 10, i.e.In a case where the part where four gas distribution passages 14 are formed as one region for each four cylinders is divided into four regions along a direction away from the gas inlet 10, a volume including the gas chamber 12 and the gas distribution passage 14 decreases in a direction away from the gas inlet 10 in one region. To realize this volume distribution, the gas distribution passage 14 may be designed to be shorter in a direction away from the gas inlet 10, but this is not limitative. On the other hand, uniform distribution of the recirculation exhaust gas through the gas distribution passage 14 can be easily realized by providing the gas chamber 12, which is the space in which the recirculation exhaust gas flowing into the intake manifold 2 is temporarily stored.

[0035] The gas distribution hole 16 is formed in the intake manifold 2 as a passage through which the recirculation exhaust gas flows into the passage 5 via the gas distribution passage 14. That is, the gas distribution hole 16 is formed to connect the gas distribution passage 14 to the passage 5 formed in the intake manifold 2. Here, the direction in which the gas distribution hole 16 is passed through to connect the gas distribution passage 14 to the passage 5 is the direction in which the flow direction of the recirculation exhaust gas does not rise in the state where the engine is mounted on the vehicle. This ensures that the recirculation exhaust gas flows horizontally or downwards to ensure efficient flow performance.

[0036] The gas chamber cover 18 is provided to ensure gas tightness of the gas chamber 12 and the gas distribution passage 14 at the part except the gas inlet 10 and the gas distribution hole 16. That is, the gas chamber cover 18 is connected to the intake manifold 2 between the intake manifold 2 and the surge tank cover 3, and serves to partition the surge tank 7 and the gas chamber 12. At this time, since the gas chamber cover 18 is bolted to maximize the effect of bolt B for connecting the intake manifold 2 and the surge tank cover 3, the number of additional bolts (B) required to bolt the gas chamber cover 18 can be minimized.Here, the gas chamber 12 is formed in consideration of the ease of manufacture so that one side is open at the intake manifold 2 and the gas chamber cover 18 closes only the open side of the gas chamber 12, but without limitation, the person skilled in the art may select other methods to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber 12 and the gas distribution passage 14 at the part except the gas inlet 10 and the gas distribution hole 16.

[0037] In the following, the flow of the intake air is described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 described.

[0038] In Fig. 2 and Fig. In Figure 3, the intake air flow is shown as a dot-dash line, the recirculation exhaust gas flow is shown as a solid line, and the mixture flow is shown as a two-dot-dash line. This represents a mixture of intake air and recirculation exhaust gas.

[0039] The intake air taken in according to the opening of the throttle valve flows into the surge tank 7 via the intake air inlet 20, and the intake air temporarily stored in the surge tank 7 flows into the passage 5 of the surge tank cover 3. The entire piping of the passage 5 in combination with the passage 5 of the surge tank cover 3 and the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2 is completed by the combination of the surge tank cover 3 and the intake manifold 2, wherein the intake air of the surge tank cover 3 flows out through the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2 into the intake outlet 25. The exhaust gas selectively recirculated by the exhaust gas recirculation device flows through the gas inlet 10 into the gas chamber 12, wherein the recirculation exhaust gas temporarily stored in the gas chamber 12 passes through the gas distribution passage 14 and flows into the channel 5 of the intake manifold 2 through the gas distribution hole 16.At this time, the recirculation exhaust gas introduced into the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2 is mixed with the intake air flowing through the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2, and the mixture is discharged to the intake outlet 25. In other words, the intake air is supplied to the engine as the intake gas sequentially flows through the intake air inlet 20, the surge tank 7, the passage 5 and the intake outlet 25, and the exhaust gas is supplied to the engine as intake gas by sequentially flowing through the gas inlet 10, the gas chamber 12, the gas distribution passage 14, the gas distribution hole 16, the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2 and the intake outlet 25 when it is selectively supplied to the intake manifold 2 by the exhaust gas recirculation device, the intake air and the recirculation exhaust gas are mixed in the passage 5 of the intake manifold 2 and exhausted through the intake outlet 25.

[0040] As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, corrosion of the intake manifold 2 and malfunctions of electronic devices such as various sensors can be prevented by minimizing the amount of condensate flowing into the surge tank 7, and ultimately, engine performance can be ensured by minimizing the amount of condensate flowing into the engine's combustion chamber. Furthermore, the recirculation exhaust gas can be evenly distributed to each passage 5 of the intake manifold 2, thereby improving fuel consumption.Furthermore, by simplifying the piping for evenly distributing the recirculation exhaust gas to each channel 5 of the intake manifold 2, the piping resistance is minimized and thus the supply efficiency of the recirculation exhaust gas is ensured, while the volume of the protruding part of the intake manifold 2 is reduced, thereby improving space utilization.

Claims

[1] Intake system (1) of a vehicle, comprising: an intake manifold (2) having a plurality of passages for supplying intake gas to a multi-cylinder engine; a surge tank cover (3) coupled to the intake manifold (2) to define a surge tank (7) communicating with the plurality of passages via the intake manifold (2); an intake air inlet (20) formed on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the intake air flows into the expansion tank (7); an intake outlet (25) formed on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the intake air flows successively through the intake air inlet (20), the surge tank (7) and the duct and is discharged to the engine as the intake gas; a gas inlet (10) which is a passage formed on the intake manifold (2) and selectively receives recirculation exhaust gases; a gas chamber (12) formed on the intake manifold (2) so that the recirculation exhaust gas flows through the gas inlet (10), the gas chamber (12) being located on the intake manifold (2) to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber (12) and a gas distribution passage (14); a plurality of gas distribution passages (14) on the intake manifold (2) to communicate with the gas chamber (12), the plurality of gas distribution passages (14) being part of the gas chamber (12); a gas distribution hole (16) on the intake manifold (2) as a passage through which the recirculation exhaust gas, which flows sequentially through the gas inlet (10), the gas chamber (12) and the plurality of gas distribution passages (14), flows into the plurality of channels, respectively; and a gas chamber cover (18) configured to ensure the airtightness of the gas chamber (12) by covering an opened surface of the gas chamber (12). [2] The vehicle intake system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of passages has a part formed on the intake manifold (2) and another part formed on the surge tank cover (3) so as to define a piping for distributing the recirculation exhaust gas to each passage of the intake manifold (2). [3] The vehicle intake system according to claim 2, wherein the surge tank (7) communicates with the plurality of passages of the surge tank cover (3), and the gas chamber (12) communicates with the plurality of passages of the intake manifold (2) through the gas distribution hole (16). [4] The intake system of the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a direction in which a flow direction of the recirculation exhaust gas does not rise upward in the state in which the engine is mounted in the vehicle is the direction in which the gas distribution hole (16) is penetrated to connect the gas distribution passage (14) to the duct. [5] The vehicle intake system according to claim 1, wherein a volume of each portion of the gas chamber (12) becomes smaller in a direction away from the gas inlet (10) evenly distributed along a direction away from the gas inlet (10) such that each of the plurality of gas distribution passages (14) is arranged one after another. [6] The vehicle intake system according to claim 1, wherein the intake air flowing in through the intake air inlet (20) is supplied to the engine as intake gas by passing sequentially through the surge tank (7), the plurality of passages and the intake outlet (25). [7] The vehicle intake system according to claim 1, wherein the recirculation exhaust gas selectively flowing in through the gas inlet (10) is supplied to the engine as intake gas by passing sequentially through the gas chamber (12), the plurality of gas distribution passages (14), the gas distribution hole (16), the plurality of channels and the intake outlet (25), and is mixed with the intake air in the plurality of channels.

Images