Vehicle-mounted internal combustion engine
The V-type internal combustion engine with a ribbed boss projection on the head cover protects fuel system components from collision damage while maintaining a compact engine design.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-22
AI Technical Summary
The installation of a protection device to cover fuel system components in an internal combustion engine increases the required space, compromising the engine's layout.
A V-type internal combustion engine with two banks of cylinders and a fuel supply device attached to a head cover, featuring a projection with a ribbed boss that protects the fuel system components without significantly increasing the installation space.
The engine effectively protects fuel system components from collision damage while minimizing the increase in required installation space and weight.
Smart Images
Figure 2026101060000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to an in-vehicle internal combustion engine.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure of a protection device that protects fuel system components from being damaged during a vehicle collision. This protection device is bolted to the boss portion of the internal combustion engine body so as to cover fuel system components such as a fuel tube and a fuel injection valve disposed in the vicinity of the internal combustion engine. This protection device protects the fuel system components from being damaged by receiving a load acting on the fuel system components due to a vehicle collision.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] The above protection device is installed so as to cover the fuel system components. Therefore, the space that must be secured for mounting the internal combustion engine increases by the amount that the protection device is positioned to surround the periphery of the internal combustion engine body.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] The on-board internal combustion engine for solving the above problems comprises two banks: a first bank having a plurality of cylinders arranged along the rotation axis direction of the crankshaft, and a second bank having a plurality of cylinders arranged along the rotation axis direction of the crankshaft. This on-board internal combustion engine is a V-type on-board internal combustion engine having an intake manifold on the outside of each bank. This on-board internal combustion engine is equipped with a head cover on each bank to which a fuel supply device that supplies fuel to the plurality of cylinders is attached. In this on-board internal combustion engine, the rotation axis direction of the crankshaft is the longitudinal direction of the on-board internal combustion engine. In this on-board internal combustion engine, the direction parallel to the reference plane, which is the horizontal plane in the vehicle's orientation, and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is the lateral direction of the on-board internal combustion engine. In this on-board internal combustion engine, the head cover is provided with a projection located outward in the lateral direction from the portion of the fuel supply device exposed from the head cover. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] According to the above-mentioned on-board internal combustion engine, it is possible to protect fuel system components while suppressing an increase in the space required for installation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a vehicle equipped with an engine, which is one embodiment of an on-board internal combustion engine. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a rear view of the engine shown in Figure 1, viewed from the rear side. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a top view of the right bank of the engine shown in Figure 1, seen from above the engine. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a magnified view of the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a top view of the projection shown in Figures 2 to 4, viewed from the direction of the dashed arrow 5 shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a top view of the modified protrusion, seen from the same direction as in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] The following description of engine 10, which is one embodiment of an on-board internal combustion engine, will be given with reference to Figures 1 to 5. <Vehicle 90 composition> Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a vehicle 90 equipped with an engine 10, as seen from above the vehicle 90. In Figure 1, the longitudinal and lateral directions of the vehicle 90 are indicated by arrows.
[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the engine 10 is mounted on the front side of the vehicle 90. As shown in Figure 1, the left-right direction is perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 90 and is also horizontal. The direction that is to the right when facing forward of the vehicle 90 is the right side, and the direction that is to the left when facing forward of the vehicle 90 is the left side.
[0010] Engine 10 comprises a crankshaft 17 and eight cylinders, numbered #1 to #8. In Figure 1, the crankshaft 17 and the eight cylinders, numbered #1 to #8, are shown by dashed lines. The dotted line shown in Figure 1 represents the axis of rotation 16 of the crankshaft 17. Engine 10 has two banks: a right bank 31 and a left bank 32. Engine 10 is a V-type engine. The two banks are positioned at an angle that forms a V shape when viewed from the axial direction of the axis of rotation 16. Engine 10 is a longitudinally mounted V-type engine. In other words, engine 10 is mounted on the vehicle 90 such that the axial direction of the axis of rotation 16 of the crankshaft 17 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 90.
[0011] In engine 10, the direction along the axial axis of the crankshaft 17's rotation axis 16 is the longitudinal direction. Engine 10 has a reference plane. The reference plane of engine 10 is set to coincide with the horizontal plane in the vehicle-mounted position of engine 10. The left-right direction of engine 10 is parallel to the reference plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of engine 10.
[0012] As shown in Figure 1, in vehicle 90, the longitudinal direction of vehicle 90 coincides with the longitudinal direction of engine 10. As shown in Figure 1, in vehicle 90, the lateral direction of vehicle 90 coincides with the lateral direction of engine 10.
[0013] The right bank 31 has four cylinders #1, #3, #5, and #7 arranged along the axial direction of the rotation axis 16 of the crankshaft 17. The left bank 32 has four cylinders #2, #4, #6, and #8 arranged along the axial direction of the rotation axis 16 of the crankshaft 17. The right bank 31 is the first bank in the engine 10. The left bank 32 is the second bank in the engine 10.
[0014] The engine 10 has two intake manifolds 22 and one exhaust manifold 23. Engine 10 is a so-called external-bank intake V-type engine. The right bank 31 and left bank 32 of engine 10 each have an intake manifold 22 attached to the outside of each bank. Air is introduced into the right bank 31 and left bank 32 from the outside via the intake manifold 22 connected to each bank.
[0015] The right bank 31 and left bank 32 of the engine 10 have exhaust manifolds 23 mounted inside the banks. Exhaust from the right bank 31 and left bank 32 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust manifolds 23 connected to both banks.
[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 90 comprises a cross member 92, which is a structural component of the vehicle 90, and two side members 91, a right side member 91R and a left side member 91L.
[0017] The crossmember 92 is located in front of the engine 10. The crossmember 92 extends long in the lateral direction of the vehicle 90. The right side member 91R is arranged on the right side of the engine 10. The left side member 91L is arranged on the left side of the engine 10. Both of the above two side members 91 extend long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 90. The front end of the right side member 91R is connected to the right end of the cross member 92. The front end of the left side member 91L is connected to the left end of the cross member 92.
[0018] The engine 10 is surrounded in three directions, namely the front, the left, and the right, by the cross member 92 and the two side members 91. <Configuration of the engine 10> Figure 2 is a rear view of the engine 10 as seen from the rear side of the engine 10.
[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the engine 10 includes a cylinder block 11, two cylinder heads 20, and two head covers 21. The cylinder block 11 includes a crankcase 12 and two cylinder rows 13 on the upper part of the crankcase 12. The vertical direction of the engine 10 is a direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the engine 10.
[0020] In the right cylinder row 13 in Figure 2, four cylinders #1, #3, #5, and #7 are aligned. In the left cylinder row 13 in Figure 2, four cylinders #2, #4, #6, and #8 are aligned. Each cylinder constitutes the lower side of a combustion chamber that burns a mixture of fuel and intake air. The fuel in the engine 10 is, for example, gasoline.
[0021] A cylinder head 20 is attached to the upper part of each cylinder row 13. By combining one cylinder row 13 and one cylinder head 20 as a set, four combustion chambers are formed per bank.
[0022] A head cover 21 is attached to the top of each cylinder head 20. Each bank, the right bank 31 and the left bank 32, is equipped with a cylinder row 13, a cylinder head 20, and a head cover 21, respectively.
[0023] As shown in Figure 2, each cylinder in the cylinder row 13 houses a piston 14 and a connecting rod 15. The connecting rod 15 is connected to a crankshaft 17 housed in the crankcase 12.
[0024] Each cylinder head 20 is provided with an intake passage 24 and an exhaust passage 25. Each cylinder head 20 is also provided with an ignition system, an intake valve, and an exhaust valve (not shown).
[0025] The intake passage 24 is the end portion of each intake manifold 22 shown in Figure 1, branching out toward the four combustion chambers in each cylinder row 13. The end portion of the intake passage 24 is connected to the cylinder head 20. The intake passage 24 introduces intake air, which flows in from the outside via the intake manifold 22, into each combustion chamber of each cylinder row 13. The end portion of the intake passage 24 is in communication with the combustion chamber. The opening of the intake passage 24 to the combustion chamber is opened and closed by an intake valve.
[0026] The exhaust passage 25 is the branched end of the exhaust manifold 23 shown in Figure 1, which branches out toward the four combustion chambers in each cylinder row 13. The end of the exhaust passage 25 is connected to the cylinder head 20. The exhaust passage 25 introduces exhaust gas from each combustion chamber of each cylinder row 13 into the exhaust manifold 23. The end of the exhaust passage 25 is in communication with the combustion chamber. The opening of the exhaust passage 25 to the combustion chamber is opened and closed by an exhaust valve.
[0027] <Configuration of fuel supply device 28> As shown in Figure 2, a fuel supply device 28 is attached to each head cover 21. The fuel supply device 28 consists of an injector 27 and a delivery pipe 26. The delivery pipe 26 stores the fuel supplied from the fuel tank. The delivery pipe 26 is a passage that supplies the high-pressure fuel stored inside to the injector 27. The injector 27 supplies the high-pressure fuel in the delivery pipe 26 by directly injecting it into the combustion chamber.
[0028] Figure 3 is a top view of the right bank 31 of the engine 10, seen from above. As shown in Figure 3, the head cover 21 of the right bank 31 is fitted with four injectors 27 that inject fuel into the combustion chambers of cylinders #1, #3, #5, and #7. A delivery pipe 26 is attached to the head cover 21 so as to extend from the rear end of the engine 10 to the front of the engine 10. The delivery pipe 26 supplies fuel to the four injectors 27.
[0029] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 4, the injector 27 is inserted into the cylinder head 20 from the head cover 21. The injector 27 is fixed to the head cover 21.
[0030] The delivery pipe 26 protrudes upward from the head cover 21. More specifically, the delivery pipe 26 protrudes outward in the left-right direction of the engine 10, and also protrudes upward in the vertical direction of the engine 10. The fuel supply device 28 has the delivery pipe 26, which is part of it, exposed from the head cover 21.
[0031] <Configuration of projection 50> As shown in Figure 4, the head cover 21 is provided with a projection 50. The projection 50 is located to the right of the position of the delivery pipe 26.
[0032] Figure 5 is a top view of the projection 50 as seen from the direction of arrow 5, which is shown by a dashed line in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the projection 50 has a boss 51 and three ribs 52. In other words, the projection 50 is a ribbed boss with ribs 52 attached to the boss 51. The boss 51 is cylindrical.
[0033] The rib 52 extends radially outward from the side of the boss 51. The end of the rib 52 is located on the head cover 21. The three ribs 52 are positioned such that the central angle between each rib 52 is 120 degrees, with the boss 51 as the center.
[0034] As shown in Figure 4, each rib 52 is provided on the side of the boss 51, extending from the base of the boss 51 to just before the tip of the boss 51. The boss 51 is inclined to the right in Figure 4 with respect to the vertical direction of the engine 10. Due to this inclination, the upper part of the boss 51 is located further to the right in Figure 4.
[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the rightmost part of the projection 50 is the tip of the boss 51. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the three ribs 52 of the projection 50 are composed of an upper rib 52B and two lateral ribs 52A. As shown in Figure 4, the two ribs 52 extending downward from the side of the boss 51 to the engine 10 are the lateral ribs 52A.
[0036] On the other hand, the rib 52 extending to the left in the left-right direction of the engine 10 from the side of the boss 51 is the upper rib 52B. The upper rib 52B is provided on the boss upper surface 53, which is part of the side of the boss 51. The boss upper surface 53 is the uppermost part of the side of the boss 51 in the vertical direction of the engine 10.
[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the upper surface 54 of the rib is the upper surface of the upper rib 52B. The upper surface 54 of the rib is parallel to the reference plane of the engine 10. In other words, the upper rib 52B extends along the reference plane from the upper surface 53 of the boss to the end of the upper rib 52B that connects to the head cover 21.
[0038] <Positional relationship between delivery pipe 26 and projection 50> As shown in Figure 4, the projection 50 is located to the right of the delivery pipe 26 exposed from the head cover 21. The virtual plane shown by the dashed line in Figure 4 is a virtual plane that passes through the rightmost position of the delivery pipe 26 and is perpendicular to the left-right direction of the engine 10. As shown in Figure 4, a portion of the projection 50 protrudes to the right of this virtual plane. In other words, the projection 50 is located to the right of the delivery pipe 26 in Figure 4.
[0039] The above explanation regarding the projection 50 is also valid if the right bank 31 is replaced with the left bank 32. In this case, the left and right expressions in the above explanation should be interpreted accordingly, with their left and right reversed. For example, the projection 50 provided on the head cover 21 of the left bank 32 is located to the left of the delivery pipe 26 and on the outside of the engine 10 in the left-right direction.
[0040] <Operation of this embodiment> When a collision occurs involving vehicle 90, the side members 91, which are components positioned around the engine 10, may be pushed towards the engine 10. When the side members 91 are pushed towards the engine 10 due to the collision, they may come into contact with the delivery pipe 26, which is the portion of the fuel supply system 28 that is exposed from the head cover 21.
[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the engine 10 has projections 50 that are located outward in the left-right direction from the delivery pipe 26. Therefore, when the side members 91 positioned around the engine 10 are pushed toward the engine 10 by a collision, the side members 91 will first contact the projections 50 before contacting the delivery pipe 26. In this way, the projections 50 prevent the delivery pipe 26 from contacting the side members 91. Furthermore, the projections 50 do not cover the entire delivery pipe 26. Therefore, the projections 50 can achieve the above with a relatively small structure.
[0042] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) The engine 10 protects the delivery pipe 26 while suppressing an increase in the space required for installation.
[0043] (2) The projection 50 of the engine 10 is a ribbed boss, which has a rib 52 extending radially outward from the side surface of a cylindrical boss 51. Of the projection 50 of the engine 10, the tip of the boss 51 is located furthest outward in the left-right direction of the engine 10.
[0044] By providing ribs 52 on the side of the boss 51, the rigidity of the boss 51 can be improved. The engine 10 is equipped with a ribbed boss, whose rigidity is enhanced by the ribs 52, as a projection 50.
[0045] According to the engine 10, even if the vehicle 90 is subjected to a strong impact due to a collision, damage to the delivery pipe 26 can be suppressed. (3) Each rib 52 of the projection 50 of the engine 10 is arranged at equal angles with respect to the boss 51.
[0046] By arranging three or more ribs 52 at equal angles, the projection 50 exhibits high rigidity regardless of the direction of the load applied by the collision. According to the engine 10, a projection 50 that exhibits high rigidity regardless of the direction of load input can be realized, thereby suppressing damage to the delivery pipe 26.
[0047] (4) The engine 10 has three ribs 52 provided on the projection 50. When multiple ribs 52 are arranged at equal angles, the minimum number of ribs 52 required for the projection 50 to exhibit high rigidity against loads applied from any direction is three. The projection 50 of the engine 10 has high rigidity against loads from any direction with the minimum number of ribs 52. By reducing the number of ribs 52, the projection 50 can be made smaller.
[0048] According to the engine 10, the increase in weight caused by providing the protrusion 50 can be suppressed. (5) The engine 10 is inclined such that the boss 51 is positioned further outward in the left-right direction as it rises in the vertical direction of the engine 10, which is perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the engine 10. The engine 10 has an upper rib 52B provided on the upper surface 53 of the boss 51, which is the upper surface when the engine is mounted in the vehicle, and the upper rib 52B extends along the reference plane from the upper surface 53 to the end of the upper rib 52B.
[0049] In the engine 10, the upper rib 52B, which is provided on the upper surface 53 of the boss 51, is positioned to fill the gap above the boss 51 in the vehicle-mounted position and to brace it horizontally. With the engine 10, the rigidity of the projection 50 can be increased against deformation of the boss 51, which would cause the boss 51 to tilt inward in the left-right direction due to the load acting on the projection 50 inward in the left-right direction.
[0050] According to the engine 10, the delivery pipe 26, which is located inward in the left-right direction of the engine 10, can be protected more effectively than the protrusion 50. <Example of changes> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.
[0051] The shape of the boss 51 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The shape of the boss 51 may be approximately cylindrical. The shape of the boss 51 may be, for example, approximately cylindrical, approximately rectangular tubular, and approximately rectangular prism. The rib 52 may be provided to connect with other bosses provided on the engine 10. For example, the rib 52 may be a rib 52 that connects boss 51 with another adjacent boss.
[0052] The projection 50 does not necessarily have to have three ribs 52. The projection 50 may have three or more ribs 52. The projection 50 is not limited to having three or more ribs 52. The projection 50 may have one or two ribs 52. The projection 50 may also consist only of a boss 51 without any ribs 52.
[0053] When providing three or more ribs 52, it is advisable to arrange the ribs 52 by changing the size of the central angle between each rib 52 so that each rib 52 is arranged at equal angles, according to the number of ribs 52 on the projection 50. The effect of (3) above can be obtained by arranging three or more ribs 52 at equal angles with respect to the boss 51.
[0054] Each rib 52 of the projection 50 does not have to be arranged at equal angles with respect to the boss 51. The ribs 52 may be positioned to be biased to a location that makes it easier to increase rigidity against the load that is likely to be generated by a collision of the vehicle 90, taking into consideration the direction of the load.
[0055] The rib 52 may extend from the base of the boss 51 to the tip of the boss 51. • The projection 50 is a ribbed boss, which has ribs 52 on the boss 51. The projection 50 does not have to be a ribbed boss. For example, the projection 50 may have a shape that does not have a boss 51, consisting only of the rib 52 portion of the projection 50.
[0056] As an example, Figure 6 shows a projection 60 to which the above modification example has been applied. Figure 6 is a top view of projection 60, viewed from the same direction as in Figure 5, similar to projection 50. Like projection 50, projection 60 has three ribs 52: an upper rib 52B and two lateral ribs 52A. Projection 60 has a shape in which the three ribs 52 extend radially from the center 61 of projection 60.
[0057] The central part 61 is smaller than the boss 51. By making the central part 61 smaller than the boss 51, the weight of the projection 60 can be reduced. The projection 60 makes it possible to achieve the effects described in (1) to (5) above while suppressing an increase in the weight of the projection portion.
[0058] The engine 10 does not have to be a longitudinally mounted V-type engine. The engine 10 may be a transversely mounted V-type engine in which the axial direction of the rotation axis 16 of the crankshaft 17 coincides with the left-right direction of the vehicle 90. In this case, when the cross member 92, which is positioned in front of the engine 10, is pushed toward the engine 10 by the collision of the vehicle 90, the cross member 92 will come into contact with the projection 50 before the delivery pipe 26. With this projection 50, the effect of (1) above can be achieved when the vehicle 90 is hit from the front.
[0059] The engine 10 is not limited to a V-type engine. The engine 10 may be, for example, an inline engine or a horizontally opposed engine. This can be applied when, in the vehicle-mounted position, fuel system components exposed from the head cover 21 are positioned to come into contact with components located around the engine 10 during a collision with the vehicle 90. For example, when a horizontally opposed engine is mounted longitudinally, the fuel system components protrude outward in the left-right direction from the head cover of the horizontally opposed engine. In this case, the effect of (1) above can be obtained by providing the projection 50 to extend outward in the left-right direction beyond the exposed portion of the fuel system components. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0060] 10…Engine, 13…Cylinder row, 16…Rotating shaft, 17…Crankshaft, 21…Cylinder head cover, 22…Intake manifold, 24…Intake passage, 26…Delivery pipe, 27…Injector, 28…Fuel supply system, 31…Right bank, 32…Left bank, 50…Protrusion, 51…Boss, 52…Rib, 52A…Lateral rib, 52B…Upper rib, 53…Top surface of boss, 54…Top surface of rib, 60…Protrusion, 61…Center, 90…Vehicle
Claims
1. A V-type onboard internal combustion engine comprising two banks: a first bank having a plurality of cylinders arranged along the rotation axis of the crankshaft, and a second bank having a plurality of cylinders arranged along the rotation axis of the crankshaft, with each bank having an intake manifold on the outside, Each bank is equipped with a head cover on which a fuel supply device is attached to supply fuel to multiple cylinders. When the rotation axis direction of the crankshaft is defined as the longitudinal direction of the vehicle-mounted internal combustion engine, and the direction parallel to the reference plane which is the horizontal plane in the vehicle's orientation and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as the lateral direction of the vehicle-mounted internal combustion engine, The head cover is provided with a projection that is located outward in the left-right direction from the portion of the fuel supply device that is exposed from the head cover. Vehicle-mounted internal combustion engine.
2. The projection is a ribbed boss, which has ribs on the side surface of the cylindrical boss that extend radially outward from the boss. Of the aforementioned protrusions, the tip of the boss is located furthest outward in the left-right direction. An on-board internal combustion engine according to claim 1.
3. The ribbed boss has three or more ribs, each rib being arranged at equal angles with respect to the boss. The on-board internal combustion engine according to claim 2.
4. The ribbed boss has three ribs. The on-board internal combustion engine according to claim 3.
5. The boss is inclined such that the upper part in the vertical direction, which is perpendicular to both the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction, is positioned further outward in the left-to-right direction. Of the side surfaces of the boss, the rib provided on the upper surface in the vehicle mounting position extends along the reference plane from the upper surface to the end of the rib. The on-board internal combustion engine according to claim 3.