Internal combustion engine

Abstract

To improve easiness in inserting an oil level gauge.SOLUTION: An internal combustion engine has an oil level gauge passage 18 formed into a tunnel shape between a front cover 6 and a lid member 13. The oil level gauge passage 18 is formed between a body portion 23 of the lid member 13 and an inner side face 6a of the front cover 6. The body portion 23 is formed into an U-shape on a cross section by connecting one end sides of a pair of leg portions 21 opposed to each other by a connecting portion 22. Thus, the internal combustion engine can guide the oil level gauge 17 by the oil level gauge passage 18 without being caught by an internal combustion body, and re-insertion of the oil level gauge 17 and bending can be prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine having an oil level gauge passage into which an oil level gauge is inserted. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a gauge passage into which an oil level gauge is inserted is provided in a case member attached to one side of a cylinder block. The case member in Patent Document 1 has a rectangular plate-shaped general portion and a pair of side edge portions located on both sides of the general portion in the short direction and continuing along the longitudinal direction of the general portion, with the gauge passage provided along one side edge portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-34528 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, no consideration is given to the ease of inserting the oil level gauge into the gauge passage.

[0005] That is, there is room for further improvement in forming an oil level gauge passage into which an oil level gauge is inserted in a cover member attached to an end face on one end side in the cylinder row direction of an internal combustion engine body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The internal combustion engine of the present invention has a front cover covering one end face of the internal combustion engine body in the cylinder row direction, and a lid member forming an oil level gauge passage into which an oil level gauge can be inserted between the front cover and the lid member, the lid member being connected to the inner surface of the front cover, and the oil level gauge passage being a tunnel-shaped passage that continues along the longitudinal direction of the oil level gauge and is formed between the front cover and the lid member. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The oil level gauge passage allows the internal combustion engine to guide the oil level gauge without it getting caught on the internal combustion engine body, and prevents the oil level gauge from having to be reinserted or from being bent. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram that illustrates a schematic configuration of an internal combustion engine to which the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view of a front cover of the internal combustion engine to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2 . [Diagram 5] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of an internal combustion engine according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic configuration of an internal combustion engine 1 to which the present invention is applied.

[0011] The internal combustion engine 1 is, for example, an in-line multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, and includes a cylinder head 2, a cylinder block 3 attached to the lower part of the cylinder head 2, an oil pan 4 attached to the lower part of the cylinder block 3, and a front cover 6 covering the front surface of the internal combustion engine body 5. The cylinder head 2, the cylinder block 3, and the oil pan 4 constitute the internal combustion engine body 5. Therefore, the inner side surface 6a of the front cover 6 faces an end surface 5a of one end side of the internal combustion engine body 5 in the cylinder row direction, and the inner side surface 6a covers the end surface 5a. The outer side surface 6b of the front cover 6 faces outward. The front cover 6 also has a vertical wall 6c that is continuous around the entire outer periphery.

[0012] The cylinder head 2 is a casting made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and is formed with an intake port (not shown) for supplying intake air to a combustion chamber (not shown), and an exhaust port (not shown) for discharging exhaust gas from the combustion chamber (not shown).

[0013] The cylinder block 3 is a casting made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and has cylinders (not shown) formed therein, the number of which corresponds to the number of cylinders.

[0014] The oil pan 4 is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, or a resin material such as a hard synthetic resin, and together with the cylinder block 3 forms a crankcase (not shown) in which the crankshaft (not shown) is housed, and stores oil for lubrication.

[0015] The front cover 6 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyamide, and is attached liquid-tight to the internal combustion engine body 5 so as to cover the front surface of the internal combustion engine body 5. More specifically, the front cover 6 is attached to the front surface of the cylinder block 3, the front surface of the cylinder head 2, and the front surface of the oil pan 4 with bolts (not shown). In other words, the front cover 6 is attached to the internal combustion engine body 5 so as to cover the end faces on one end side of the cylinder block 3 and the cylinder head 2 in the crankshaft axial direction, i.e., the end face 5a on one end side of the internal combustion engine body 5 in the cylinder row direction.

[0016] The front cover 6 has a shallow dish shape and forms a space 7 communicating with the oil storage space in the oil pan 4 between itself and the front surface of the internal combustion engine body 5, which is an end face 5a on one end side of the internal combustion engine body 5 in the cylinder row direction.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a rear view of the front cover 6. As shown in Fig. 2, the front cover 6 has a crankshaft through-hole 11 through which a crankshaft (not shown) passes, and a pipe-like gauge insertion portion 12 formed so as to be continuous with the space 7.

[0018] The gauge insertion portion 12 is formed such that an upper end portion 12a protrudes outward from the front cover 6 and a lower end portion 12b protrudes inward from the front cover 6. The lower end portion 12b of the gauge insertion portion 12 is formed, for example, along the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 so as to be continuous with the inner surface 6a.

[0019] Further, to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6, a lid member 13 made of a synthetic resin material such as polyamide is connected.

[0020] 2 is a section where the pair of protruding walls 14 and the cover member 13 overlap and are connected to each other. Section S2 shown in Fig. 2 is a section where the cover member 13 is not present on the pair of protruding walls 14 and the pair of protruding walls 14 and the cover member 13 are not connected to each other. In other words, the pair of protruding walls 14 are formed to be longer than the cover member 13.

[0021] In section S1, the pair of protruding walls 14 and the cover member 13 are joined to form an oil level gauge passage 18 between them, which is a space into which the oil level gauge 17 can be inserted. The oil level gauge passage 18 is a tunnel-shaped passage that continues along the longitudinal direction of the oil level gauge 17 and is continuous with the lower end 12b of the gauge insertion portion 12.

[0022] In section S2, an open guide passage 19 without a wall is formed on the internal combustion engine body side sandwiched between the pair of protruding walls 14.

[0023] The oil level gauge passage 18 is set so as not to include any sharp curves (arcs with a small radius of curvature) in its path. In this case, the oil level gauge passage 18 requires less force (insertion force) to insert the oil level gauge 17, improving the ease of insertion of the oil level gauge 17.

[0024] The oil level gauge passage 18 and the guide passage 19 are set so that the tip of the oil level gauge 17 can always be inserted into the oil level in the oil pan 4 in a constant posture when inserted. That is, the lower end side of the oil level gauge passage 18 is set to a linear shape having a predetermined length, taking into consideration the length of the guide passage 19, so that the posture of the tip of the oil level gauge 17 is stable when inserted. The guide passage 19 is set to a linear shape having a predetermined length, taking into consideration the length of the linear shape of the lower end side of the oil level gauge passage 18, so that the posture of the tip of the oil level gauge 17 is stable when inserted. The guide passage 19 can be omitted. That is, the pair of protruding walls 14 may be formed to a length that does not allow the guide passage 19 to be set.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the cover member 13 is connected to a pair of protruding walls 14 formed on the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 by, for example, vibration welding. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. The internal combustion engine 1 can reduce the number of fastening parts such as bolts by connecting the cover member 13 to the front cover 6 by welding to integrate them.

[0026] The pair of protruding walls 14 are ridges with a rectangular cross section protruding from the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6, and are formed to extend along the vertical direction of the front cover 6 (the vertical direction in FIG. 2). In other words, the front cover 6 has a pair of protruding walls 14. The pair of protruding walls 14 protrude from the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 in the form of stripes spaced apart from each other.

[0027] The pair of protruding walls 14 are formed so that one end 15 in their longitudinal direction (approximately the vertical direction in Figure 2) is continuous with the lower end 12b of the gauge insertion portion 12, and the other end 16 in their longitudinal direction is formed so as to be positioned lower than the crankshaft through hole 11.

[0028] 3 and 4, the pair of protruding walls 14 are formed so as to protrude more from the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 in a section S2 on the lower end side to which the lid member 13 is not joined than in a section S1 to which the lid member 13 is joined. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in Fig. 2.

[0029] The pair of protruding walls 14 become components of an oil level gauge passage 18 in a section S1 where the cover member 13 is joined, and become components of a guide passage 19 in a section S2 where the cover member 13 is not joined.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the cover member 13 has a main body 23 formed into a U-shaped cross section by connecting one end sides of a pair of opposing legs 21 with a connecting portion 22, a first side wall 24 protruding from the outer surface of the first leg 21a, which is one of the pair of legs 21, and extending along the longitudinal direction of the main body 23, and a second side wall 25 protruding from the outer surface of the second leg 21b, which is the other leg of the pair of legs 21, and extending along the longitudinal direction of the main body 23.

[0031] The first side wall portion 24 has a first bottom wall 26 protruding from the first leg portion 21a so as to be perpendicular to the first leg portion 21a, a first cover side wall 27 connected to the tip of the first bottom wall 26 so as to be perpendicular to the first bottom wall 26, and a first engine body side wall 28 connected to the tip of the first bottom wall 26 and formed to extend in the opposite direction to the first cover side wall 27, and has a T-shaped cross section.

[0032] The first leg portion 21a and the first side wall portion 24 form a first housing portion 29 having a U-shaped cross section capable of housing a tip end of the first protruding wall 14a, which is one of the pair of protruding walls 14. In other words, the first housing portion 29 is formed by the first leg portion 21a, the first bottom wall 26, and the first cover side wall 27.

[0033] The first housing portion 29 contributes to dimensional control of the welding allowance when the lid member 13 is welded to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6.

[0034] Moreover, the first engine body side wall 28 is formed so as to be located closer to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 than the body portion 23 is when the cover member 13 is joined to the front cover 6.

[0035] The second side wall portion 25 has a second bottom wall 30 protruding from the second leg portion 21b so as to be perpendicular to the second leg portion 21b, a second cover side wall 31 connected to the tip of the second bottom wall 30 so as to be perpendicular to the second bottom wall 30, and a second engine body side wall 32 connected to the tip of the second bottom wall 30 and formed to extend in the opposite direction to the second cover side wall 31, and has a T-shaped cross section.

[0036] The second leg portion 21b and the second side wall portion 25 form a second accommodation portion 33 having a U-shaped cross section capable of accommodating the tip of the second protruding wall 14b, which is the other of the pair of protruding walls 14. In other words, the second accommodation portion 33 is formed by the second leg portion 21b, the second bottom wall 30, and the second cover side wall 31.

[0037] The second housing portion 33 contributes to dimensional control of the welding allowance when the lid member 13 is welded to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6.

[0038] Further, the second engine body side wall 32 is formed so as to be located closer to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 than the body portion 23 when the cover member 13 is joined to the front cover 6.

[0039] Within the first accommodating section 29, the first bottom wall 26 of the first accommodating section 29 is connected to the tip of the first protruding wall 14a by vibration welding, and within the second accommodating section 33, the second bottom wall 30 of the second accommodating section 33 is connected to the tip of the second protruding wall 14b by vibration welding.

[0040] An oil level gauge passage 18 is formed between the main body 23 of the lid member 13 and the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6. In other words, the oil level gauge passage 18 is a space surrounded by the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 and the main body 23 of the lid member 13 all around the periphery of the oil level gauge 17.

[0041] In the internal combustion engine 1 of the embodiment described above, the oil level gauge passage 18 is formed in the shape of a tunnel between the front cover 6 and the lid member 13 .

[0042] As a result, the internal combustion engine 1 can guide the oil level gauge 17 through the oil level gauge passage 18 without getting caught (interfering) with the internal combustion engine body 5 (cylinder block 3, etc.). Therefore, the internal combustion engine 1 can prevent the oil level gauge 17 from being reinserted or bent.

[0043] In the internal combustion engine 1, the pair of protruding walls 14 formed on the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 can be easily formed into a shape suitable for vibration welding.

[0044] When forming the oil level gauge passage 18, the cover member 13 of the internal combustion engine 1 can have a small height dimension, which is the amount of protrusion from the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 when attached to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6, depending on the amount of protrusion of the pair of protruding walls 14 from the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6.

[0045] Therefore, when the cover member 13 is pressed against the front cover 6 for joining, the internal combustion engine 1 can prevent the main body portion 23, the first accommodating portion 29, and the second accommodating portion 33 from opening up. In other words, when the cover member 13 is pressed against the front cover 6 for joining, the internal combustion engine 1 can prevent the pair of legs 21, the first side wall portion 24, and the second side wall portion 25 from opening up.

[0046] The first receiving portion 29 and the second receiving portion 33 of the cover member 13 can serve to guide the positioning of the cover member 13. Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, the workability when joining the cover member 13 to the front cover 6 is improved.

[0047] The second moment of area of ​​the cover member 13 is increased by the first engine body side wall 28 and the second engine body side wall 32, and the rigidity can be improved.

[0048] The first engine body side wall 28 and the second engine body side wall 32 are formed so as to be located closer to the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 than the main body portion 23 when the cover member 13 is joined to the front cover 6.

[0049] Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, the cover member 13 is less likely to interfere with members on the internal combustion engine body side, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the space 7 formed between the front cover 6 and the internal combustion engine body 5 can be increased.

[0050] Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described, in which the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the duplicated description will be omitted.

[0051] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an internal combustion engine 1 in the second embodiment, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2.

[0052] The internal combustion engine 1 of the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the internal combustion engine 1 of the first embodiment described above, but has a pair of groove-shaped recesses 41 spaced apart from each other on the inner side surface 6a of the front cover 6, as shown in FIG. 5. The pair of recesses 41 are specifically formed between three protruding ridges 42 formed side by side (in parallel) at a distance from each other on the inner side surface 6a of the front cover 6. The first protruding portion 42a located in the center of these protruding portions 42 is formed to have a width shorter than the distance between the pair of legs 21 of the main body portion 23. The second protruding portion 42b and the third protruding portion 42c on both sides of these protruding portions 42 are formed at positions spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance from the first protruding portion 42a so that there is a gap between the first protruding portion 42a and the leg portion 21 of the cover member 13. These protruding portions 42 are, for example, rectangular in cross section and protrude in a stripe shape.

[0053] In addition, in the second embodiment, the main body 23 of the cover member 13 is arranged so that the other end of the first leg 21a is inserted into the first recess 41a, which is one of the pair of recesses 41, and the other end of the second leg 21b is inserted into the second recess 41b, which is the other recess of the pair of recesses 41.

[0054] Lid member 13 in the second embodiment is, for example, composed only of main body portion 23. That is, lid member 13 in the second embodiment has a shape obtained by omitting first side wall portion 24 and second side wall portion 25 from lid member 13 in the first embodiment.

[0055] In the second embodiment, the cover member 13 has the other end of the first leg 21a joined to a bottom surface 43 of the first recess 41a by, for example, vibration welding, and the other end of the second leg 21b joined to a bottom surface 44 of the second recess 41b by, for example, vibration welding. Here, the bottom surfaces 43, 44 are formed on the same plane as the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6.

[0056] In the internal combustion engine 1 of the second embodiment, an oil level gauge passage 18 is formed between the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 and the main body 23 of the cover member 13 in which the other end tips of a pair of legs 21 are inserted into a pair of recesses 41, respectively.

[0057] In the internal combustion engine 1 of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above, the oil level gauge 17 is guided in the tunnel-shaped oil level gauge passage 18, so that the oil level gauge 17 is guided without getting caught (interfering) with the internal combustion engine body 5 (cylinder block 3). Therefore, the internal combustion engine 1 can prevent the oil level gauge 17 from being reinserted or bent.

[0058] The side walls of the pair of recesses 41 formed on the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 can serve as guides for positioning the cover member 13. Therefore, in the second embodiment as well, the internal combustion engine 1 improves the workability when joining the cover member 13 to the front cover 6.

[0059] In the internal combustion engine 1 of the second embodiment, the side walls of the recess 41 formed on the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6 can prevent the cover member 13 from opening when pressed against the front cover 6 for joining by vibration welding.

[0060] In the second embodiment described above, the pair of recesses 41 may be formed by recessing the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6. In other words, the connection between the other end of the first leg 21a and the first recess 41a and the connection between the other end of the second leg 21b and the second recess 41b may be made closer to the outer surface 6b of the front cover 6 than the inner surface 6a of the front cover 6.

[0061] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0062] For example, the lid member 13 may be adhered to the front cover 6 with an adhesive.

[0063] For example, due to layout constraints, the cover member 13 may have one of the pair of legs 21 partially cut out along the longitudinal direction. In this case, however, in order to maintain the tunnel-shaped oil level gauge passage 18, a wall portion (e.g., vertical wall 6c) may be provided in the front cover 6 in place of the leg portion 21 of the cover member 13. This wall portion may be an existing one, such as the vertical wall 6c.

[0064] For example, in the internal combustion engine 1 of the first embodiment, if the cover member 13 cannot partially (locally) set one of the first side wall portion 24 and the second side wall portion 25 due to layout constraints, the protruding wall 14 in the section corresponding to the side wall portion that cannot be set among the pair of protruding walls 14 may be partially (locally) omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Internal combustion engine 5…Internal combustion engine body 6…Front cover 6a…Inner surface 13...Cover member 14...Protruding wall 17...Oil level gauge 18...Oil level gauge passage 21...legs 22...Connection part 23…Main body 24…First side wall 25…Second side wall 26…First bottom wall 27…First cover side wall 28…First engine body side wall 29…First storage section 30…Second bottom wall 31…Second cover side wall 32…Second engine body side wall 33…Second storage section

Claims

1. a front cover having an inner surface facing an end face of one end of the internal combustion engine body in a cylinder row direction and covering the end face of the internal combustion engine body in the cylinder row direction; a cover member which defines an oil level gauge passage between the cover member and the front cover, into which an oil level gauge can be inserted; The cover member is connected to an inner surface of the front cover, The oil level gauge passage is a tunnel-shaped passage that continues along the longitudinal direction of the oil level gauge and is formed between the front cover and the lid member.

2. The front cover has a pair of groove-shaped recesses spaced apart from each other on an inner surface thereof, The cover member has a main body portion formed into a U-shaped cross section by connecting one end side of a pair of legs with a connecting portion, 2. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the oil level gauge passage is formed between an inner surface of the front cover and the main body of the lid member in which the tips of the other ends of the pair of legs are inserted into the pair of recesses.

3. 3. The internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein the other end of each of the pair of legs of the cover member is joined to the bottom surface of the pair of recesses by vibration welding.

4. The front cover has a pair of protruding walls spaced apart from each other on an inner surface thereof, The cover member is connected to the pair of protruding walls by vibration welding, 2. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the oil level gauge passage is formed between an inner surface of the front cover, the pair of protruding walls, and the lid member.

5. The cover member has a main body portion formed into a U-shaped cross section by connecting one end sides of a pair of legs with a connecting portion, a first side wall portion protruding from an outer surface of one of the pair of legs, and a second side wall portion protruding from an outer surface of the other of the pair of legs, a first housing portion having a U-shaped cross section and capable of housing a tip end of a first protruding wall that is one of the pair of protruding walls is formed by the one leg portion and the first side wall portion, the other leg portion and the second side wall portion form a second accommodation portion having a U-shaped cross section capable of accommodating a tip end of a second protruding wall that is the other of the pair of protruding walls, The cover member is connected to a tip of the first protruding wall in the first storage portion, 5. The internal combustion engine according to claim 4, wherein the cover member is connected to a tip end of the second protruding wall within the second housing portion.

6. the first side wall portion has a T-shaped cross section and includes a first bottom wall protruding from the one leg portion, a first cover side wall connected to a tip of the first bottom wall, and a first engine main body side wall connected to a tip of the first bottom wall, the first storage portion is formed by the one leg portion, the first bottom wall, and the first cover side wall, the second side wall portion has a T-shaped cross section and includes a second bottom wall protruding from the other leg portion, a second cover side wall connected to a tip of the second bottom wall, and a second engine main body side wall connected to a tip of the second bottom wall, 6. The internal combustion engine according to claim 5, wherein the second housing portion is formed by the other leg portion, the second bottom wall, and the second cover side wall.

7. 7. The internal combustion engine according to claim 6, wherein the first engine body side wall and the second engine body side wall are formed so as to be positioned closer to an inner surface of the front cover than the main body portion when the cover member is joined to the front cover.

Images