Support device for peripheral structure of engine

Abstract

To suppress charging of a peripheral structure of an engine, in a support device that supports the peripheral structure of the engine to a vehicle body.SOLUTION: A lower support rod 12 is attached to an exhaust pipe 30, which is an example of a peripheral structure of an engine 20. A support rubber 16 is elastic and conductive, and is connected to the lower support rod 12. An upper support rod 14 is connected to the support rubber 16 and a vehicle body 18, and is grounded to the vehicle body 18. The exhaust pipe 30 is supported on the vehicle body 18 by the lower support rod 12, the support rubber 16, and the upper support rod 14. Also, a ground path is formed by the lower support rod 12, the support rubber 16, and the upper support rod 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for supporting a peripheral structure of an engine on a vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an exhaust apparatus in which exhaust system components of an engine are supported on a vehicle body via a non-conductive support member. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that by installing a self-discharging static eliminator on the support member, the amount of charged electric charge of the exhaust system components is reduced, thereby improving the output of the engine.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the exhaust apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the support member is constituted by an insulator, the support member is likely to be charged. When the support member is charged, the sensitivity of a sensor (for example, an exhaust sensor) provided around the engine may decrease. Further, due to the decrease in the sensitivity of the sensor, the running performance of the vehicle may decrease.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to suppress charging of a peripheral structure of an engine in a support apparatus for supporting the peripheral structure of the engine on a vehicle body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure includes a first suspension member attached to a structure around an engine, a support member that is an elastic body and a conductor, and is connected to the first suspension member, and a second suspension member that is connected to the support member and a vehicle body and is grounded to the vehicle body. The first suspension member, the support member, and the second suspension member support the engine peripheral structure on the vehicle body. A support device for an engine peripheral structure is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, in a support device that supports the peripheral structure of an engine on a vehicle body, it is possible to suppress the charging of the peripheral structure of the engine.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the support device 10 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the support device 10 and shows the lower structure of the vehicle body 18. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the support rubber 16.

[0010] An engine 20, a transmission 22, an exhaust manifold 24, and an exhaust sensor 26 are attached to the lower side of the vehicle body 18 at the front of the vehicle. For example, the exhaust sensor 26 is an A / F sensor (air-fuel ratio sensor). An auxiliary battery 28 is provided at the front of the vehicle.

[0011] Further, an exhaust pipe 30, a sub - muffler 32, and a main muffler 34 are provided below the vehicle body 18. The tip of the exhaust pipe 30 is attached to the exhaust manifold 24. The exhaust pipe 30 is provided extending from the front part to the rear part of the vehicle. The main muffler 34 is attached to the exhaust pipe 30 on the rear side of the vehicle. The sub - muffler 32 is attached to the exhaust pipe 30 at a position between the exhaust manifold 24 and the main muffler 34.

[0012] The exhaust pipe 30, the sub - muffler 32, and the main muffler 34 are an example of the exhaust system components of the engine 20 and correspond to an example of the peripheral structure of the engine 20.

[0013] The exhaust gas discharged from the engine 20 is sent to the exhaust pipe 30 through the exhaust manifold 24. The exhaust gas is sequentially sent into the sub - muffler 32 and the main muffler 34 through the exhaust pipe 30, and then is sent to the rear of the vehicle and discharged into the atmosphere.

[0014] The support device 10 supports the peripheral structure of the engine 20 to the vehicle body 18 below the vehicle body 18. Specifically, the support device 10 prevents the vibration of the engine 20 from being transmitted to the vehicle body 18 by vibration - proof - supporting the exhaust pipe 30 to the vehicle body 18.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support device 10 includes a lower support rod 12, an upper support rod 14, and a support rubber 16. In the example shown in FIG. 1, two support devices 10 are provided, but one support device 10 or three or more support devices 10 may be provided. The lower support rod 12 corresponds to an example of a first suspension member, the upper support rod 14 corresponds to an example of a second suspension member, and the support rubber 16 corresponds to an example of a support member.

[0016] The lower support rod 12 is a metal bracket. For example, the lower end of the lower support rod 12 is fixed to the exhaust pipe 30 by a fastening member such as a bolt, so that the lower support rod 12 is attached to the exhaust pipe 30. The upper end of the lower support rod 12 is connected to the support rubber 16.

[0017] The upper support rod 14 is a metal bracket. For example, the upper end of the upper support rod 14 is fixed to the lower surface of the vehicle body 18 by a fastening member such as a bolt, so that the upper support rod 14 is attached to the vehicle body 18. The upper support rod 14 may be a member integrated with the vehicle body 18. The lower end of the upper support rod 14 is connected to the support rubber 16.

[0018] The support rubber 16 is an elastic body and a conductor (for example, the volume resistivity is about 10,000 Ω·cm). For example, the support rubber 16 is conductive NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber), EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber), or the like. The materials listed here are only examples, and other materials may be used for the support rubber 16.

[0019] The upper part of the support rubber 16 is supported by the vehicle body 18 via the upper support rod 14. The lower part of the support rubber 16 is connected to the exhaust pipe 30 via the lower support rod 12. Thereby, the exhaust pipe 30, the sub-muffler 32, and the main muffler 34 are supported by the vehicle body 18 via the support rubber 16.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, through holes 16a and 16b are formed in the support rubber 16. The through hole 16a is a hole that penetrates the support rubber 16 at the lower part of the support rubber 16. The through hole 16b is a hole that penetrates the support rubber 16 at the upper part of the support rubber 16.

[0021] The upper end of the lower support rod 12 is inserted into the through hole 16a of the support rubber 16. Thereby, the lower support rod 12 and the support rubber 16 are connected to each other. Also, the lower end of the upper support rod 14 is inserted into the through hole 16b of the support rubber 16. Thereby, the upper support rod 14 and the support rubber 16 are connected to each other.

[0022] The support rubber 16 is suspended from the vehicle body 18 via the upper support rod 14, and the lower support rod 12 is suspended from the support rubber 16. That is, the lower support rod 12, the support rubber 16, and the upper support rod 14 are suspended from the vehicle body 18 to the exhaust pipe 30. Thereby, the exhaust pipe 30, the sub - muffler 32, and the main muffler 34 are supported by the vehicle body 18 by the lower support rod 12, the upper support rod 14, and the support rubber 16.

[0023] The engine 20 is grounded to the vehicle body 18 by the ground wire 36. The battery 28 has a positive electrode 28a and a negative electrode 28b. The negative electrode 28b is connected to the vehicle body 18 by the ground wire 38. Thereby, the battery 28 is grounded to the vehicle body 18.

[0024] The lower support rod 12 and the upper support rod 14 are made of metal, and the support rubber 16 is made of a conductor. Therefore, a grounding path is formed from the exhaust pipe 30 to the vehicle body 18 via the lower support rod 12, the support rubber 16, and the upper support rod 14.

[0025] When a plurality of support devices 10 are used, if the support rubber 16 of at least one of the plurality of support devices 10 is a conductor, the above - mentioned grounding path is formed. Therefore, the support rubber 16 of the other support devices 10 may be an insulator.

[0026] As in the modified example shown in FIG. 3, a direct grounding path may be formed by connecting the support rubber 16 to the negative electrode 28b of the battery 28 by the ground wire 40. In this case, the upper support rod 14 may be made of a material other than metal.

[0027] When the vehicle is running, static electricity may be generated when each part of the tire repeatedly contacts and separates from the road surface. Also, static electricity may be generated when the components of the engine 20 and the components of the braking device move relative to each other.

[0028] According to the present embodiment, since the grounding path is formed from the exhaust pipe 30 to the vehicle body 18 by the support device 10, it is possible to suppress the charging of the peripheral structure of the engine 20. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sensitivity of sensors (for example, the exhaust sensor 26) provided around the engine 20, and to suppress a decrease in the running performance of the vehicle.

[0029] As described above, in order to vibrationally isolate the exhaust pipe 30 from the vehicle body 18, it is necessary to use support rubber which is an elastic body. If all the support rubbers are insulators, the exhaust pipe 30 is mounted on the vehicle in an electrically insulated state. As a result, the peripheral structure of the engine 20 may be charged and the sensitivity of the sensor may decrease. To address this, it may be considered to form a grounding path by winding an aluminum tape around the support rubber. However, it is difficult to continuously hold the aluminum tape on the support rubber in the harsh usage environment of the vehicle, and it is not practical. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to form a grounding path through the support rubber 16 without impairing the function of the support rubber 16 of vibrationally isolating the exhaust pipe 30 from the vehicle body 18. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sensitivity of the sensor.

[0030] In addition, by suppressing the charging in the exhaust pipe 30, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the flow of the exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust pipe 30. As a result, the back pressure in the exhaust pipe 30 can be reduced. Further, since the charging outside the exhaust pipe 30 is suppressed, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the air under the vehicle floor. As a result, the running resistance of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0031] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the effects of the support device 10 will be described. FIG. 4 shows the time change of the output value of the exhaust gas sensor 26. FIG. 5 shows the time change of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle.

[0032] In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the output value of the exhaust gas sensor 26. Graph 42 represents the time change of the output value when the support device 10 is used. Graph 44 represents the time change of the output value when the support device according to the comparative example is used. The support device according to the comparative example has a support rubber made of an insulator.

[0033] As indicated by reference numeral 46, in the present embodiment, the response of the exhaust gas sensor 26 after the accelerator is turned from OFF to ON is faster and has a better response than the response according to the comparative example. Further, as indicated by reference numeral 48, the noise of the output value after the accelerator is turned OFF is less than the noise of the output value according to the comparative example. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the response of the exhaust gas sensor 26 is improved and the noise of the output value is reduced.

[0034] In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the running time, and the vertical axis represents the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. Graph 50 represents the time change of the longitudinal acceleration when the support device 10 is used. Graph 52 represents the time change of the longitudinal acceleration when the support device according to the comparative example is used.

[0035] As indicated by reference numeral 54, in this embodiment, the longitudinal acceleration after turning the accelerator from OFF to ON does not become lower than the longitudinal acceleration according to the comparative example, and the rise of the longitudinal acceleration is good. That is, according to this embodiment, since the charging of the exhaust gas sensor 26 is suppressed, the response of the control by the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle can be speeded up, and as a result, the rise of the longitudinal acceleration becomes good.

[0036] Also, as indicated by reference numeral 56, the decrease in the longitudinal acceleration after turning the accelerator to OFF is suppressed more than the decrease in the longitudinal acceleration according to the comparative example. As a result, the decrease in the traveling speed of the vehicle can be suppressed.

[0037] The support device 10 according to this embodiment may be mounted on a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). For example, when a motor for traveling is mounted on a vehicle, the support device 10 may be used as a support device for supporting the peripheral structure of the motor on the vehicle body. By doing so, the charging of the peripheral structure of the motor can be suppressed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0038] 10 Support device, 12 Lower support rod, 14 Upper support rod, 16 Support rubber, 18 Vehicle body, 20 Engine, 26 Exhaust gas sensor, 30 Exhaust pipe.

Claims

1. a first suspension member attached to the engine peripheral structure; a support member that is an elastic body and a conductor and is connected to the first suspension member; a second suspension member connected to the support member and the vehicle body and grounded to the vehicle body; having; supporting the engine peripheral structure to the vehicle body by the first suspension member, the support member, and the second suspension member; A support device for an engine peripheral structure, characterized by the above.

2. In the support device for an engine peripheral structure according to Claim 1, the second suspension member is grounded to a battery provided in the vehicle. A support device for an engine peripheral structure, characterized by the above.

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