Engine side structure

Abstract

To suppress separation and breakage of a fuel rail in collision.SOLUTION: A side structure of an engine includes: a fuel rail 5 disposed on a face portion at one side in a prescribed direction of an engine main body 1 and extending along a cylinder row direction for distributing a fuel; a throttle body 60 mounted on an intake air introduction pipe 14 and positioned at one side in the cylinder row direction with respect to the fuel rail 5; and a protector 20 disposed in a manner of covering an end portion at one side in the cylinder row direction of the fuel rail 5 when observed from the above-mentioned one side in the cylinder row direction. The protector 20 is disposed at a height position substantially same as the throttle body 60 and at least partially disposed at the other side in the cylinder row direction with respect to the throttle body 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein belongs to the technical field relating to engine side structures. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional structure is known in which an intake manifold is attached to a surface portion of one side of a multi-cylinder engine in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the cylinder row direction, and a fuel rail is disposed between the surface portion of the one side and the intake manifold. In this type of structure, an intake introduction pipe that introduces intake air into a surge tank of the intake manifold and the fuel rail are disposed close to each other.

[0003] A throttle body is disposed in the intake pipe to adjust the amount of intake air introduced into the surge tank. Therefore, when the throttle body is displaced during a vehicle collision, there is a risk that the throttle body and the fuel rail may interfere with each other. In response to this, for example, Patent Document 1 has proposed an engine side structure.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which the engine body is placed horizontally in the engine compartment so that the cylinder row direction is the vehicle width direction, an intake manifold is provided at the front of the engine body, a delivery pipe (fuel rail) is arranged on the vehicle front side of the engine body, an intake upstream pipe section extends approximately in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the delivery pipe, a metal throttle body is attached to the intake upstream pipe section, and the throttle body is located outboard in the vehicle width direction from the end of the delivery pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4581747 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a structure such as that described in Patent Document 1, interference between the throttle body and the fuel rail can be suppressed in a collision mode in which a load is input from a direction perpendicular to the cylinder row direction (frontal collision in Patent Document 1). However, Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration interference between the throttle body and the fuel rail in a collision mode in which a load is input in a direction along the cylinder row direction (side collision in Patent Document 1).

[0007] Even in a collision mode in which a load is input in the cylinder row direction, if the throttle body is displaced toward the fuel rail, there is a risk of interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body. If the throttle body and the fuel rail interfere with each other, the fuel rail may fall off the engine body or the fuel rail itself may be damaged, causing a fuel leak.

[0008] The technology disclosed herein has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to prevent the fuel rail from becoming detached or damaged in the event of a collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technology disclosed herein targets a side structure of an engine in which an intake manifold is attached to a surface portion on one side in a predetermined direction perpendicular to a cylinder row direction of an engine body having a plurality of cylinders, and the technology relates to an engine side structure including an independent intake pipe portion for introducing intake air from a surge tank provided in the intake manifold to each of the cylinders, an intake introduction pipe that extends along the cylinder row direction to one side of the independent intake pipe portion in the cylinder row direction and introduces intake air to the surge tank, and an intake intake pipe that is provided on the surface portion on one side in the predetermined direction of the engine body and extends along the cylinder row direction. the engine comprises a fuel rail for distributing fuel to a fuel supply device which supplies fuel to each of the cylinders; a throttle body attached to the intake pipe and located on one side of the fuel rail in the cylinder row direction; and a protector provided to cover the end of the fuel rail on one side in the cylinder row direction when viewed from the one side in the cylinder row direction, the protector being provided at approximately the same height as the throttle body, with at least a portion of the protector being located on the other side of the throttle body in the cylinder row direction.

[0010] With this configuration, even if a load along the cylinder row direction is input to the throttle body and the throttle body is displaced toward the fuel rail, the throttle body abuts against the protector, preventing the throttle body from approaching the fuel rail. This prevents interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body during a collision. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fuel rail from becoming detached or damaged during a collision.

[0011] moreover The protector has an upper surface portion located above the fuel rail, a portion of the throttle body is located above the upper surface portion, and the upper surface portion is inclined upward toward the other side in the cylinder row direction.

[0012] According to this configuration, when the throttle body is displaced so as to approach the fuel rail, the throttle body is likely to come into contact with the upper surface of the protector. When the throttle body is displaced to the other side in the cylinder row direction while in contact with the protector, the throttle body is displaced upward so as to move away from the fuel rail. This makes it possible to suppress interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body. As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress detachment or damage to the fuel rail in the event of a collision.

[0013] In the embodiment, the upper surface portion may be configured to be inclined upward toward the other side of the predetermined direction.

[0014] With this configuration, even if the throttle body is displaced toward the other side in the predetermined direction, the throttle body is displaced toward the upper side away from the fuel rail, which makes it possible to suppress interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body and more effectively suppress detachment or damage to the fuel rail in the event of a collision.

[0015] In the engine side structure, the protector may be configured to be spaced apart from the fuel rail in a cylinder row direction.

[0016] With this configuration, even if the protector is deformed, the protector can be prevented from interfering with the fuel rail, thereby more effectively preventing the fuel rail from becoming detached or damaged in the event of a collision.

[0017] In the engine side structure, the throttle body and the protector may be made of metal.

[0018] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the protector from being deformed by the throttle body when the throttle body and the protector come into contact with each other, thereby preventing interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body and more effectively preventing the fuel rail from becoming detached or damaged in the event of a collision. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, according to the technology disclosed herein, when the throttle body is displaced, the protector can displace the throttle body away from the fuel rail, thereby suppressing interference between the fuel rail and the throttle body and suppressing detachment or damage to the fuel rail in the event of a collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an engine having a side structure according to an exemplary embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the intake manifold of the engine. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the intake manifold of the engine. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the intake introduction pipe and its periphery as viewed from the lower left side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the intake manifold as seen from the right side. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view showing the protector and its periphery. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the protector and its periphery seen from above. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view of the protector as seen from the left side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom of a vehicle will be simply referred to as the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom, respectively. With respect to the left-right direction, the left side when looking from the rear to the front side is referred to as the left, and the right side is referred to as the right.

[0022] <Engine configuration> FIG. 1 is a top view of the engine body 1 as seen from above. The engine body 1 is a multi-cylinder engine having a plurality of cylinders, specifically, four cylinders. The engine body 1 is placed vertically in an engine room of a vehicle so that the cylinders are aligned in the front-rear direction. The engine body 1 is disposed so that the left side is the intake side and the right side is the exhaust side. In this embodiment, the left-right direction corresponds to a predetermined direction perpendicular to the cylinder alignment direction, one side of the predetermined direction corresponds to the left side, and the other side of the predetermined direction corresponds to the right side.

[0023] An intake manifold 10 for introducing intake air into the cylinders is connected to a left side surface portion 1a of the cylinder head of the engine body 1. The intake manifold 10 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the intake manifold 10 has a plurality of (four in this example) independent intake pipe sections 11 that are branched for each cylinder and aligned in the front-rear direction, a surge tank section 13 that is connected to the lower end of each independent intake pipe section 11 and distributes the intake air to each independent intake pipe section 11, and an intake introduction pipe 14 that extends forward from a front and upper part of the surge tank section 13 and introduces the intake air from an intake pipe (not shown). A detailed configuration of the intake manifold 10 will be described later.

[0024] A throttle body 60 is attached to the front end of the intake air introduction pipe 14. The throttle body 60 is a vehicle component for adjusting the amount of intake air introduced into the intake manifold 10. A detailed configuration of the throttle body 60 will be described later.

[0025] The throttle body 60 has a communication portion 61 that communicates with the intake air introduction pipe 14, and a throttle valve 62 provided within the communication portion 61. The throttle valve 62 is a valve that adjusts the amount of intake air introduced into the intake manifold 10.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a fuel pipe 3 through which fuel flows is disposed behind the intake manifold 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel pipe 3 includes a low-pressure pipe 3a that supplies fuel from a fuel tank (not shown) to a fuel pump 4, and a high-pressure pipe 3b through which fuel pressurized by the fuel pump 4 flows. The low-pressure pipe 3a is made of a flexible resin tube. The high-pressure pipe 3b is made of a metal pipe. The low-pressure pipe 3a and the high-pressure pipe 3b are both disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction. The downstream end of the high-pressure pipe 3b is connected to the rear end of the fuel rail 5. The fuel rail 5 is a rail for distributing fuel to an injector (fuel supply device) that supplies fuel to each cylinder, and extends in the front-rear direction along the left side surface portion 1a of the engine body 1. The fuel rail 5 is located at approximately the same height as the intake air introduction pipe 14, more specifically, at a position slightly lower than the intake air introduction pipe 14 and to the right of the intake air introduction pipe 14. In other words, the fuel rail 5 is located closer to the left side surface portion 1 a of the engine body 1 than the intake air introduction pipe 14 is.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the fuel rail 5 has a rail body 5a extending in the front-rear direction, and a connector portion 5b extending from the middle of the rail body 5a toward the engine body 1 and connected to the engine body 1. That is, the fuel rail 5 is connected to the left side surface portion 1a of the engine body 1 via the connector portion 5b. The rail body 5a extends slightly forward of the connector portion 5b. The front end portion of the rail body 5a is closed. Four connector portions 5b are provided corresponding to the number of cylinders of the engine body 1 (FIG. 4 shows the two connector portions 5b on the front side). A fuel return pipe (not shown) is connected to the fuel rail 5, and excess fuel is returned to the fuel pump 4 through this fuel return pipe.

[0028] A protector 20 for protecting the fuel rail 5 is attached to the left side surface portion 1a of the engine body 1. The protector 20 is located forward of the tip of the fuel rail 5 and is separated from the fuel rail 5 in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the protector 20 is provided so as to cover the tip of the fuel rail 5 when viewed from the front. The protector 20 is a member for preventing vehicle parts from interfering with the fuel rail 5 from the front in the event of a frontal collision. The detailed configuration of the protector 20 will be described later.

[0029] <Intake manifold> As shown in Fig. 2, the intake manifold 10 is formed by joining three split pieces, namely, first to third split pieces 30, 40, 50. The first to third split pieces 30, 40, 50 are arranged in the order of the first split piece 30, the second split piece 40, and the third split piece 50, from the side closest to the engine body 1 (i.e., the right side). The split pieces 30, 40, 50 are firmly joined by vibration welding their edges in an assembled state. The edges of the split pieces 30, 40, 50 are thicker than other parts of the split pieces 30, 40, 50, and the joints between the split pieces 30, 40, 50 have high rigidity.

[0030] Each independent intake pipe section 11 of the intake manifold 10 is composed of a first split piece 30, a second split piece 40, and a third split piece 50. Each independent intake pipe section 11 is integrally connected to the lower left part of the surge tank section 13. Each independent intake pipe section 11 extends from the connection section with the surge tank section 13 so as to curve upward and to the right, and is disposed so as to cover the upper side of the surge tank section 13. At least a part of the multiple independent intake pipe sections 11 (particularly the independent intake pipe section 11 located on the front side) covers the upper part of the intake introduction pipe 14 and extends so as to intersect with the intake introduction pipe 14. Each independent intake pipe section 11 is connected to the inside of the surge tank section 13 at the lower end. The intake air passes through the intake introduction pipe 14 and is stored in the surge tank section 13, and then passes through each independent intake pipe section 11 and is introduced into the cylinder.

[0031] The surge tank section 13 is composed of a first separate piece 30 and a second separate piece 40. As shown in Fig. 5, the surge tank section 13 is formed continuous with the rear end of the intake air introduction pipe 14 and extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. When viewed from the front-rear direction, the surge tank section 13 has an elliptical shape that is longer in the up-down direction than in the left-right direction (see Fig. 3). The surge tank section 13 has multiple reinforcing ribs on the right side to increase rigidity.

[0032] The intake air introduction pipe 14 is composed of a first split piece 30 and a second split piece 40. As shown in Fig. 1, the intake air introduction pipe 14 extends along the front-rear direction. More specifically, the intake air introduction pipe 14 extends at an incline towards the right towards the rear, and also extends at an incline towards the downward direction towards the rear, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0033] 1 and 4, the intake air introduction pipe 14 extends forward beyond the independent intake pipe section 11. An extension section 31, which is a portion of the intake air introduction pipe 14 extending forward beyond the independent intake pipe section 11, is composed of only the first split piece 30 among the first to third split pieces 30, 40, 50.

[0034] The left side of the extension 31 is a thin-walled portion 31a that is thinner than the right side. Specifically, the thin-walled portion 31a is about 2 / 3 thicker than the other parts of the extension 31. Due to the presence of this thin-walled portion 31a, the left side of the extension 31 is less rigid than the right side. In particular, the upper left part of the extension 31 is less rigid than the lower right part.

[0035] The extension 31 has a flange 32 at a front end portion. The flange 32 has a plurality of fastening portions (four in this embodiment) to which bolts 100 (see FIG. 7) are respectively fastened.

[0036] <Throttle body> As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, a throttle body 60 is attached to the front end of the intake introduction pipe 14, i.e., the front end of the extension portion 31. As shown in Figure 1, the throttle body 60 is located forward of the front end of the fuel rail 5. The throttle body 60 is located at approximately the same height as the protector 20. The throttle body 60 is made of metal, for example, an aluminum alloy. The throttle body 60 may be made of a metal other than an aluminum alloy.

[0037] The throttle body 60 has a communication part 61 that communicates with the intake air introduction pipe 14, and a throttle valve 62 provided in the communication part 61. The throttle valve 62 is a valve that adjusts the amount of intake air introduced into the intake manifold 10. The amount of intake air introduced into the intake manifold 10 is adjusted by adjusting the opening of the throttle valve 62. In this embodiment, the throttle valve 62 is of an electric type. However, the throttle valve 62 may be of a mechanical type.

[0038] The throttle body 60 has an actuator housing 63 that houses an actuator (not shown) for adjusting the opening of the throttle valve 62. As shown in Fig. 2, the actuator housing 63 is provided so as to extend to the upper right side of the communication part 61, and extends upward and to the right beyond the communication part 61. When viewed from the front, the actuator housing 63 extends upward and to the right beyond the extension part 31. When viewed from the front, the actuator housing 63 is located on the upper left side of the fuel rail 5. The actuator is composed of a motor and gears for transmitting the rotation of the motor to the throttle valve 62.

[0039] The rear end of throttle body 60 is a flange 64. Flange 64 has a fastening portion at a position corresponding to the fastening portion of extension portion 31. After aligning the fastening portion with the fastening portion of extension portion 31, throttle body 60 is attached to extension portion 31 by tightening the fastening portions together with bolts 100.

[0040] Protector Next, the detailed configuration of the protector 20 will be described.

[0041] As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the protector 20 has a front portion 21 that covers the front end of the fuel rail 5 from the front side, an upper surface portion 22 that extends from the upper end of the front portion 21 toward the rear side and is located above the fuel rail 5, and a side portion 23 that is provided continuously with the right end of the front portion 21 and the right end of the upper surface portion 22. The portions between the front portion 21, the upper surface portion 22, and the side portion 23 have a smoothly curved shape. The protector 20 is made of metal, for example, an aluminum alloy. The material of the protector 20 is not limited to an aluminum alloy as long as it is a metal that can have rigidity equal to or greater than that of the material of the throttle body 60.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 8, the front surface portion 21 extends substantially straight in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 7, the position of the front surface portion 21 in the front-rear direction is a position that overlaps with the actuator housing 63 of the throttle body 60 when viewed from above. Note that in Fig. 7, the front surface portion 21 does not appear to overlap with the actuator housing 63.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 6, the upper surface portion 22 extends at an incline upward toward the right side. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 8, the upper surface portion 22 extends at an incline upward toward the rear side. As shown in Fig. 7, the front portion of the upper surface portion 22 overlaps with the actuator housing 63 of the throttle body 60 when viewed from above. In other words, the actuator housing 63 of the throttle body 60 is located above the upper surface portion 22. The rear portion of the upper surface portion 22 is located rearward of the throttle body 60 when viewed from above.

[0044] The side surface portion 23 is a portion that is supported on the engine body 1 via a bolt. The side surface portion 23 has a first fixing portion 23a that is fixed to the engine body 1 via a bolt. The protector 20 is supported on the engine body 1 by the first fixing portion 23a. As shown in FIG. 8, a positioning hole 23b is provided below the mounting position of the bolt on the side surface portion 23. The positioning hole 23b is a hole portion into which an alignment pin is inserted when mounting the protector 20 to the engine body 1. The positioning hole 23b allows the protector 20 to be mounted at an appropriate position relative to the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60.

[0045] As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the protector 20 further has a bracket 24 attached to the right surface of the side surface portion 23. The bracket 24 has an upper extension portion 25 extending upward. The upper end of the upper extension portion 25 is provided with a second fixing portion 25a that is fixed to the engine body 1 via a bolt. The protector 20 is also supported by the engine body 1 by the second fixing portion 25a. In other words, the protector 20 is supported by the engine body 1 at least at two points, the first fixing portion 23a and the second fixing portion 25a. The upper extension portion 25 has a long hole 25b extending in the up-down direction at the center in the width direction. This long hole 25b makes it difficult for a load to be transmitted in the front-rear direction, so that the protector is less likely to deform even if a load is input in the front-rear direction.

[0046] Here, in a collision mode in which a load is generated in the direction along the cylinder row, specifically, in a frontal collision of the vehicle, an on-board component (such as a radiator) located at the front of the vehicle may move backward and come into contact with the throttle body 60. When the on-board component comes into contact with the throttle body 60 from the front side, a rearward collision load is input to the throttle body 60. When a rearward load is input to the throttle body 60, the throttle body 60 moves backward. At this time, if the throttle body 60 moves to the left and downward, there is a risk that the throttle body 60 and the fuel rail 5 will come into contact with each other. When the throttle body 60 and the fuel rail 5 come into contact with each other, the connector portion 5b of the fuel rail 5 may fall off the engine body 1 or the rail body 5a may be damaged, which may cause a fuel leak.

[0047] In contrast, in this embodiment, a protector 20 is provided to cover the fuel rail 5 from the front side. The protector 20 is provided at approximately the same height as the throttle body 60, and the rear portion of the upper surface portion 22 is located rearward of the throttle body 60. Therefore, even if a rearward load is input to the throttle body 60 during a frontal collision of the vehicle and the throttle body 60 is displaced so as to approach the fuel rail 5, the throttle body 60 abuts against the protector 20, and the throttle body 60 can be prevented from approaching the fuel rail 5. This makes it possible to suppress interference between the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60 during a collision. As a result, it is possible to suppress detachment or damage of the fuel rail 5 during a collision.

[0048] In this embodiment, the actuator housing 63 of the throttle body 60 is located above the upper surface portion 22 of the protector 20, and the upper surface portion 22 is inclined upward toward the rear. This makes it easier for the throttle body 60 to come into contact with the upper surface portion 22 of the protector 20 when the throttle body 60 is displaced toward the fuel rail 5. In addition, when the throttle body 60 is displaced toward the rear while in contact with the protector 20, the throttle body 60 is displaced upward away from the fuel rail 5. As a result, interference between the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60 can be suppressed, and detachment or damage to the fuel rail 5 in the event of a collision can be more effectively suppressed.

[0049] In the embodiment, the upper surface portion 22 is inclined upward toward the right side. As a result, even if the throttle body 60 is displaced toward the right side, the throttle body 60 is displaced upward so as to move away from the fuel rail 5. As a result, interference between the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60 can be suppressed, and detachment or damage of the fuel rail 5 in the event of a collision can be more effectively suppressed.

[0050] Moreover, in this embodiment, the protector 20 is separated from the fuel rail 5 in the front-rear direction. This makes it possible to prevent the protector 20 from interfering with the fuel rail 5 even if the protector 20 is deformed. Furthermore, even if the protector 20 falls off the engine body 1, it makes it possible to prevent the protector 20 from interfering with the fuel rail 5. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the fuel rail 5 from becoming detached or damaged in the event of a collision.

[0051] In this embodiment, the protector 20 is supported on the engine body 1 at least at two points, the first fixing portion 23a of the side surface portion 23 and the second fixing portion 25a of the bracket 24 attached to the side surface portion 23. As a result, when the throttle body 60 and the protector 20 come into contact with each other, the load input to the protector 20 can be received in a distributed manner at the two points, the first fixing portion 23a and the second fixing portion 25a. As a result, it is possible to prevent the protector 20 from falling off the engine body 1 as much as possible.

[0052] In this embodiment, the upper extension 25 of the bracket 24 of the protector 20 has a long hole 25b extending in the up-down direction in the center in the width direction. This makes the protector 20 less likely to deform even if a load is input in the front-rear direction. As a result, interference between the protector 20 and the fuel rail 5 can be more effectively prevented.

[0053] In this embodiment, the side surface portion 23 of the protector 20 is provided with a positioning hole 23b for positioning the protector 20. This allows the protector 20 to be attached at an appropriate position relative to the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60. As a result, interference between the fuel rail 5 and the throttle body 60 can be appropriately suppressed, and detachment or damage to the fuel rail 5 in the event of a collision can be more effectively suppressed.

[0054] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

[0055] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the engine body 1 is placed vertically in the engine room so that the cylinders are aligned in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the engine body 1 may be placed horizontally in the engine room so that the cylinders are aligned in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). In this case, the predetermined direction is the front-rear direction.

[0056] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, and all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0057] The technology disclosed herein is useful as an engine side structure in which an intake manifold is attached to one surface of an engine body having a plurality of cylinders, the surface being in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cylinders are aligned. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 Engine body 5 Fuel Rail 10. Intake manifold 11 Independent intake pipe section 14 Intake pipe 20 Protector 22 Top part 60 Throttle body

Claims

1. A side structure of an engine, comprising an engine body having a plurality of cylinders, an intake manifold attached to one surface of the engine body in a predetermined direction perpendicular to a cylinder row direction, an independent intake pipe portion for introducing intake air from a surge tank provided in the intake manifold to each of the cylinders; an intake pipe extending along a cylinder row direction to one side of the independent intake pipe portion in the cylinder row direction and introducing intake air into the surge tank; a fuel rail provided on a surface portion on one side in the predetermined direction of the engine body, extending along a cylinder row direction, for distributing fuel to a fuel supply device that supplies fuel to each of the cylinders; a throttle body attached to the intake pipe and positioned on the one side of the fuel rail in the cylinder row direction; a protector provided to cover an end portion of the fuel rail on the one side in the cylinder row direction, as viewed from the one side in the cylinder row direction; the protector is provided at substantially the same height as the throttle body, and at least a portion of the protector is located on the other side of the throttle body in the cylinder row direction, The protector has an upper surface portion located above the fuel rail, A portion of the throttle body is located above the upper surface portion, 13. An engine side structure, comprising: an upper surface portion that is inclined upward toward the other side in a cylinder row direction.

2. The engine side structure according to claim 1, An engine side structure, characterized in that the upper surface portion is inclined upward toward the other side of the specified direction.

3. The engine side structure according to claim 1 or 2, 1 is a side structure of an engine, the side structure being characterized in that the protector is spaced apart from the fuel rail in a cylinder row direction.

4. In the engine side structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 13. An engine side structure, comprising: a throttle body and a protector, the throttle body and the protector being made of metal.

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