Engine side structure

Abstract

To suppress detachment and breakage of a fuel pipe in head-on collision of a vehicle, when an engine is vertically disposed in an engine room.SOLUTION: A side structure of an engine includes: an alternator 2 disposed at a front side of an intake manifold 10; and a fuel pipe 3 disposed at a rear side of the intake manifold 10 in a manner of being vertically extended. The intake manifold 10 has: a plurality of independent intake pipe portions 11 respectively connected to a part at one side in a vehicle width direction, of an engine 1 at one end portion; and a surge tank portion 13 to which the other end portions of the plurality of independent intake pipe portions 11 are respectively connected. When observed from a rear side, a part near the surge tank portion 13 of the fuel pipe 3 is positioned at one side in the vehicle width direction of the engine 1 with respect to the surge tank portion 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, measures have been considered for dealing with vehicle collisions by devising an intake manifold structure connected to an engine.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a front structure of an engine in which an engine is placed horizontally in an engine compartment so that the row of cylinders coincides with the width of the vehicle, a plastic intake manifold is fastened at its top and bottom to the front of the engine, a fuel distribution pipe extending in the direction of the crankshaft is arranged below an upper mounting part of the intake manifold, the intake manifold is divided into a side closer to the engine and a side farther from the engine and is composed of a number of joined segments, the base segment closer to the engine has greater strength than the other segment farther from the engine, a plastic oil separator cover is provided on the front of the engine, and the base segment and the oil separator cover are each provided with a setback restriction portion that abuts against each other as the base segment is displaced during a collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-158994 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When an engine is arranged so that the cylinder rows are aligned in the vehicle front-rear direction, the intake manifold is arranged on one side of the engine in the vehicle width direction. In this case, a fuel pump and a fuel pipe connected to the fuel pump are arranged in the rear part of the engine, and an alternator and other vehicle components are arranged in the front part of the engine. In such a configuration, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the vehicle components move backward and come into contact with the intake manifold. As a result, if the intake manifold moves backward in a chain reaction, the intake manifold may interfere with the fuel pipe, causing it to become detached from the fuel pump or to become damaged.

[0006] The engine structure described in Patent Document 1 is configured to suppress interference between the intake manifold and the fuel pipes on the assumption that the engine is placed horizontally in the engine room, but does not suppress detachment or damage to the fuel pipes even when the engine is placed vertically in the engine room. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of suppressing detachment or damage to the fuel pipes when the engine is placed vertically in the engine room.

[0007] The technology disclosed herein has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to prevent fuel piping from becoming detached or damaged in the event of a vehicle frontal collision when the engine is mounted vertically in the engine compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technology disclosed herein targets a side structure of an engine having an intake manifold connected to one side portion in a vehicle width direction of an engine that is vertically arranged in an engine room so that a cylinder row direction is in the vehicle front-rear direction, and further includes a vehicle part arranged on the vehicle front side of the intake manifold, and a fuel pipe arranged on the vehicle rear side of the intake manifold so as to extend in a vertical direction and through which fuel flows, the intake manifold has a plurality of independent intake pipe sections each having one end connected to the one side portion in the vehicle width direction of the engine, and a surge tank section to which the other ends of the plurality of independent intake pipes are respectively connected, and a portion of the fuel pipe closer to the surge tank section as viewed from the vehicle rear side is located closer to the surge tank section than the surge tank section in the vehicle width direction of the engine. Close to the engine The structure is designed to be located to the side.

[0009] With this configuration, even if the vehicle parts move backwards during a vehicle frontal collision, causing the surge tank to move backwards in a chain reaction, the surge tank moves backwards while avoiding the fuel pipe. This makes it possible to prevent interference between the intake manifold and the fuel pipe during a vehicle frontal collision. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fuel pipe from coming off or being damaged.

[0010] In one embodiment of the engine side structure, the surge tank portion is disposed so that a surface portion thereof on the side closer to the engine is substantially flat in the vertical direction.

[0011] With this configuration, the surge tank portion can be located farther from the engine than the fuel pipe, while still allowing the intake manifold to be compact. Also, because the amount of protrusion of the surge tank portion toward the engine is reduced, it is less likely to interfere with the fuel pipe when the surge tank portion is retracted. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the fuel pipe from coming off or being damaged.

[0012] In one embodiment, the intake manifold may further include an intake inlet pipe extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, connected to an upper part of the surge tank portion, and introducing intake air into the surge tank portion, and in a cross section taken along a plane that passes through the connection between the surge tank portion and the intake inlet pipe and extends in the up-down and vehicle width directions, the surface portion of the surge tank portion closer to the engine may extend downward from the top of the intake inlet pipe closer to the engine in a tangential direction of the intake inlet pipe.

[0013] This configuration allows the intake manifold to be more compact, and also appropriately prevents interference between the intake air introduction pipe and the fuel pipe, making it possible to more effectively prevent the fuel pipe from coming off or being damaged.

[0014] In the engine side structure, the intake manifold may further include a protruding portion that protrudes downward from the surge tank portion toward the engine, and the protruding portion may be fixed to the engine to support the surge tank portion.

[0015] According to this configuration, it is easier to maintain the distance between the surge tank portion and the fuel pipe, and therefore interference between the surge tank portion and the fuel pipe can be more effectively suppressed, which in turn makes it possible to more effectively suppress detachment or damage to the fuel pipe.

[0016] In the engine side structure, each of the plurality of independent intake pipe sections may be configured so that the portion farther from the engine has weaker rigidity than the portion closer to the engine.

[0017] With this configuration, when the independent intake pipe breaks due to a collision load, it breaks at a position as far away from the engine as possible. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the intake manifold from interfering with the fuel pipe. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent the fuel pipe from becoming detached or damaged.

[0018] In the engine side structure, the intake manifold may be made of resin.

[0019] With this configuration, the intake manifold is more easily deformed than when it is made of metal, so that when a vehicle component comes into contact with the intake manifold during a frontal collision, the front portion of the intake manifold can absorb as much of the collision load as possible. This makes it possible to minimize the amount of setback of the intake manifold, effectively preventing interference between the surge tank portion and the fuel pipe. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent detachment or damage to the fuel pipe. Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, the technique disclosed herein can prevent the fuel pipe from becoming detached or broken during a vehicle frontal collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an engine having an intake manifold 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 manifold as viewed from the upper left rear side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the first split piece of the intake manifold as viewed from the right side. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the intake manifold. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line VII-VII in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the intake manifold as viewed from the lower left rear side. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second split piece of the intake manifold. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] 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.

[0023] Fig. 1 is a side view of engine 1 as seen from the left side. Engine 1 is a multi-cylinder engine, specifically having four cylinders. Engine 1 is placed vertically in an engine room of a vehicle so that the cylinders are aligned in the front-to-rear direction. Engine 1 is disposed so that the left side is the intake side and the right side is the exhaust side.

[0024] An intake manifold 10 for introducing intake air into the cylinders is connected to the left side surface of the cylinder head of the engine 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.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, an alternator 2 as a vehicle component, particularly an engine accessory, is disposed in front of the intake manifold 10. The alternator 2 generates electricity by the rotation of the engine and functions as a starter when the engine is started. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the alternator 2 is disposed at the same height as the surge tank portion 13, and is disposed in a position overlapping with the surge tank portion 13 when viewed from the front side.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a fuel pipe 3 through which fuel flows is disposed on the rear side of 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 distribution pipe 5. The fuel distribution pipe 5 is a distribution pipe for supplying fuel to each cylinder, and extends in the front-rear direction along the left side surface of the engine 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel distribution pipe 5 is disposed between a mounting portion 33 (to be described later) and a surge tank portion 13.

[0027] Of the fuel pipes 3, particularly the high pressure pipe 3b is located to the right of the surge tank portion 13 when viewed from the rear, that is, on the side closer to the left side surface 1a of the engine 1. Similarly, the low pressure pipe 3a is located to the right of the surge tank portion 13 when viewed from the rear in an unloaded state (such as when the vehicle is parked).

[0028] Hereinafter, the configuration of the intake manifold 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, each independent intake pipe section 11 of the intake manifold 10 is integrally connected to the lower left portion of the surge tank section 13. Each independent intake pipe section 11 extends from the connection section with the surge tank section 13 in a curved manner 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 independent intake pipe sections 11 (particularly the independent intake pipe section 11 located at the front side) covers the upper side of the intake introduction pipe 14. Each independent intake pipe section 11 is connected to the inside of the surge tank section 13 at its 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.

[0030] 6, each independent intake pipe section 11 has, in order from the intake upstream side, a main passage section 12, an intermediate section 44 (a section of a second split piece 40 described below), and a downstream end section 34 (a section of a first split piece 30 described below). Each independent intake pipe section 11 is formed by joining the main passage section 12, the intermediate section 44, and the downstream end section 34 to each other.

[0031] The main passage sections 12 of the independent intake pipe sections 11 are integrated with each other over the entire longitudinal direction. That is, adjacent main passage sections 12 are connected to each other via a connecting section 52 located between both the independent intake pipe sections 11. The connecting section 52 is provided with a plurality of horizontal ribs 52a extending in the front-rear and left-right directions in order to improve the rigidity of the independent intake pipe sections 11.

[0032] Adjacent intermediate portions 44 are connected to each other via connecting portions 44a. Each intermediate portion 44, except for the frontmost intermediate portion 44, has a vertical rib 44b (see FIG. 8) extending in the left-right direction.

[0033] Adjacent downstream ends 34 are connected to each other via connecting portions 34c. The two rear downstream ends 34 are shorter than the two front downstream ends 34. The two front downstream ends 34 are formed with horizontal ribs 34a extending in the front-rear direction and vertical ribs 34b extending in the left-right direction, which are perpendicular to each other and form a mesh-like shape. The two rear downstream ends 34 are formed with only vertical ribs 34b, without the horizontal ribs 34a.

[0034] 5 and 6, the ends of the independent intake pipe sections 11 opposite the surge tank section 13 (i.e., the most downstream portion of the downstream end section 34) are integrated with each other to form a mounting section 33 for mounting the intake manifold 10 to the cylinder block of the engine 1. The mounting section 33 is located above and away from the surge tank section 13.

[0035] The mounting portion 33 spreads in the front-rear direction so as to integrate the multiple independent intake pipe sections 11 with one another. The mounting portion 33 is formed in a flange shape. The mounting portion 33 has multiple fastening portions 35 (five in this example) that are fastened and fixed to the left side surface of the cylinder head of the engine 1 with bolts 62 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fastening portions 35 are provided at the front portion of the foremost independent intake pipe section 11, the portion between adjacent independent intake pipe sections 11, and the rear portion of the rearmost independent intake pipe section 11. The multiple fastening portions 35 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the up-down direction relative to the front-rear direction. Specifically, when the multiple fastening portions 35 are arranged from the front side as the first fastening portion 35a, the second fastening portion 35b, the third fastening portion 35c, the fourth fastening portion 35d, and the fifth fastening portion 35e, the first fastening portion 35a, the third fastening portion 35c, and the fifth fastening portion 35e are located relatively lower, and the second fastening portion 35b and the fourth fastening portion 35d are located relatively upper.

[0036] The mounting portion 33 has a front mounting portion 36 located relatively forward and a rear mounting portion 37 located relatively rearward. The front mounting portion 36 is a portion that connects the independent intake pipe portions 11 that make up the first intake pipe group 11a in the front-rear direction, and the rear mounting portion 37 is a portion that connects the independent intake pipe portions 11 that make up the second intake pipe group 11b in the front-rear direction.

[0037] 6, the thickness of the rear mounting portion 37 in the left-right direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction) is greater than the thickness of the front mounting portion 36 in the left-right direction. Specifically, the thickness of the rear mounting portion 37 is approximately twice as thick as the front mounting portion 36. As a result, the connection portion between the rear mounting portion 37 and the downstream end 34 of the independent intake pipe portion 11 is located farther from the engine 1 (i.e., on the left side) than the connection portion between the front mounting portion 36 and the downstream end 34 of the independent intake pipe portion 11.

[0038] Horizontal ribs 36, 37a extending in the front-rear direction and vertical ribs 36b, 37b extending in the left-right direction are formed on the front mounting portion 36 and the rear mounting portion 37. The horizontal rib 37a of the rear mounting portion 37 is thicker than the horizontal rib 36a of the front mounting portion 36.

[0039] As described above, the independent intake pipe section 11 has a portion closer to the engine 1, particularly the downstream end portion 34 and the mounting portion 33, which are connected to each other and have multiple ribs formed thereon, and therefore has higher rigidity than the portion farther from the engine 1, i.e., the main passage portion 12 and the intermediate portion 44. Therefore, it can be said that the independent intake pipe section 11 is configured such that the portion farther from the engine 1 has weaker rigidity than the portion closer to the engine 1.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 5, the surge tank portion 13 is formed to be continuous with the rear end of the intake air introduction pipe 14, and spreads in the front-rear and left-right directions. As shown in FIG. 7, the surge tank portion 13 has an elliptical shape that is longer in the up-down direction than in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. The right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13 is disposed so as to be substantially flat in the up-down direction. In a cross section of the surge tank portion 13 cut by a plane that passes through the connection portion between the surge tank portion 13 and the intake air introduction pipe 14 and spreads in the up-down direction and the vehicle width direction, the right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13 extends downward from the rightmost apex P of the intake air introduction pipe 14 in a tangential direction of the intake air introduction pipe 14. In addition, in the cross section, the left side surface portion 13c of the surge tank portion 13 extends leftward and downward in a tangential direction of the intake air introduction pipe 14. The surge tank portion 13 has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 13a on the right side to increase the rigidity. Note that the above-mentioned "substantially flat" includes a completely flat surface, a surface that bulges slightly in the left-right direction, and a surface that protrudes slightly toward the engine 1 by the amount of the reinforcing ribs 13a.

[0041] The intake air introduction pipe 14 extends at an incline to the right as it approaches the rear. The intake air introduction pipe 14 does not bulge to the right of the surge tank portion 13, i.e., the side closer to the engine 1. Specifically, when attached to the engine 1, the rightmost apex P of the intake air introduction pipe 14 is formed so as to be at approximately the same position in the left-right direction as the right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, in order to ensure the rigidity of the intake manifold 10, front and rear bridge parts 71, 72 are provided in the right part of the intake manifold 10 so as to extend in the up-down direction and connect the surge tank base part 31, the inlet pipe base part 32, and the mounting part 33, which will be described later. The front bridge part 71 is provided at the position of the second fastening part 35b in the front-rear direction. The upper end part of the front bridge part 71 is connected to the lower end part of the front mounting part 36, the lower end part of the front downstream end part 34, and the lower end part of the front intermediate part 44. The lower end part of the front bridge part 71 is connected to the upper and right part of the intake inlet pipe 14. The upper end part of the front bridge part 71 is formed so as to connect the two front independent intake pipe parts 11 in the front-rear direction. The rear bridge part 72 is provided at the position of the fourth fastening part 35d in the front-rear direction. The upper end of the rear bridge portion 72 is connected to the lower end of the rear mounting portion 37, the lower end of the rear downstream end portion 34, and the lower end of the rear intermediate portion 44. The lower end of the rear bridge portion 72 is connected to an upper and rear portion of the right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13. The upper end of the rear bridge portion 72 is formed so as to connect the two rear independent intake pipe portions 11 in the front-rear direction.

[0043] The front bridge portion 71 extends from the upper end toward the lower end, inclining to the left. Also, the rear bridge portion 72, although not shown, extends from the upper end toward the lower end, inclining to the left. The front bridge portion 71 and the rear bridge portion 72 support the upper portion of the surge tank portion 13 so that the surge tank portion 13 does not approach the engine 1 (so that it does not move to the right).

[0044] A protruding portion 38 that protrudes downward is formed at the bottom of the surge tank portion 13. As shown in Fig. 8, the protruding portion 38 is formed so as to protrude not only downward but also toward the right side (i.e., toward the engine). The lower end of this protruding portion 38 is fastened and fixed to the left side surface of the cylinder block of the engine 1 via a bolt 61. The protruding portion 38 supports the lower portion of the surge tank portion 13 so as to prevent the surge tank portion 13 from approaching the engine 1 (so as to prevent the surge tank portion 13 from moving to the right).

[0045] In this embodiment, the intake manifold 10 is composed of three split pieces divided in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). Specifically, the intake manifold 10 has a first split piece 30 located on the side closest to the engine 1 (right side), a third split piece 50 located on the side farthest from the engine 1 (left side), and a second split piece 40 located between the first split piece 30 and the third split piece 50. These first to third split pieces 30, 40, and 50 are each integrally molded from resin using a mold separately, and after molding, are joined together and integrated by vibration welding. This prevents gaps from being formed between the first to third split pieces 30, 40, and 50.

[0046] The first split piece 30 constitutes the right side portion of the surge tank section 13 (hereinafter referred to as the surge tank base 31), the entire front portion and the right side portion of the rear portion of the intake inlet pipe 14 (hereinafter referred to as the inlet pipe base 32), the mounting portion 33, the right side portion 71a of the front bridge portion 71, the right side portion 72a of the rear bridge portion 72, the downstream end portion 34 of the independent intake pipe section 11, and the protruding portion 38. 9, the second separate piece 40 constitutes the left side of the surge tank section 13 (hereinafter referred to as the surge tank other section 41), the left side of the rear section of the intake introduction pipe 14 (hereinafter referred to as the introduction pipe other section 42), the right side of the main passage section 12 of the independent intake pipe section 11 (hereinafter referred to as the independent pipe base section 43), the intermediate section 44 between the main passage section 12 and the downstream end section 34 of the independent intake pipe section 11, the left side section 71b of the front bridge section 71, and the left side section 72b of the rear bridge section 72. The third separate piece 50 constitutes the left side of the main passage section 12 of the independent intake pipe section 11 (hereinafter referred to as the independent pipe other section 51).

[0047] The intake introduction pipe 14 is formed by mating the first split piece 30 and the second split piece 40 together at the intake introduction pipe 14. The surge tank portion 13 is formed by mating the half of the introduction pipe base portion 32 of the first split piece 30 and the half of the introduction pipe other portion 42 of the second split piece 40 together.

[0048] The main passage portion 12 in the independent intake pipe portion 11 is formed by mating the second split piece 40 and the third split piece 50 together at the main passage portion 12. That is, the main passage portion 12 is formed by mating the half of the independent pipe base portion 43 of the second split piece 40 and the half of the independent pipe other portion 51 of the third split piece 50 together. As shown in Fig. 9, the independent pipe base 43 has a plurality of (four in this case) communication holes 43a that communicate with the inside of the surge tank portion 13, each corresponding to the independent intake pipe portion 11. Intake air is introduced from the surge tank portion 13 to the independent intake pipe portion 11 via the communication holes 43a.

[0049] The independent intake pipe section 11 is formed over its entire longitudinal direction by joining together the first to third separate pieces 30, 40, 50. The portion of the independent intake pipe section 11 downstream of the main passage section 12 is formed by joining together the downstream ends 34 of the first separate piece 30 and the middle portions 44 of the second separate piece 40 in the left-right direction.

[0050] The front-side bridge portion 71 is formed by joining the first separate piece 30 and the second separate piece 40 together at the front-side bridge portion 71. That is, the front-side bridge portion 71 is formed by joining the right side portion 71a of the first separate piece 30 and the left side portion 71b of the second separate piece 40 together.

[0051] The rear-side bridge portion 72 is formed by joining the first separate piece 30 and the second separate piece 40 to each other at the rear-side bridge portion 72. That is, the rear-side bridge portion 72 is formed by joining the right side portion 72a of the first separate piece 30 and the left side portion 72b of the second separate piece 40 to each other.

[0052] Here, when the alternator 2 is disposed in front of the intake manifold 10 as in the first embodiment, in the event of a vehicle frontal collision, the alternator 2 moves backward and comes into contact with the intake manifold 10. As a result, if the intake manifold 10 moves backward in a chain reaction, the intake manifold 10 may interfere with the fuel pipe 3. If the intake manifold 10 interferes with the fuel pipe 3, the fuel pipe 3 may become detached from the fuel pump 4 or may be damaged. In particular, if the high-pressure pipe 3b is damaged, a large amount of fuel leakage may occur.

[0053] In contrast, in this embodiment, the portion of the fuel pipe 3 close to the surge tank portion 13 is positioned to the right of the surge tank portion 13 when viewed from the rear. Since the alternator 2 is positioned at the same height as the surge tank portion 13, the alternator 2 comes into contact with the surge tank portion 13 during a vehicle frontal collision. Therefore, when the intake manifold 10 is deformed by a collision load, the surge tank portion 13 moves back, but since the surge tank portion 13 does not overlap with the fuel pipe 3 in the front-rear direction, interference between the surge tank portion 13 and the fuel pipe 3 is suppressed. This makes it possible to suppress detachment or damage to the fuel pipe 3.

[0054] In this embodiment, the right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13 is generally flat in the vertical direction. This allows the intake manifold 10 to be configured compactly while arranging the surge tank portion 13 farther from the engine 1 than the fuel pipe 3. Also, since the amount of protrusion of the surge tank portion 13 toward the engine 1 is reduced, the surge tank portion 13 is less likely to interfere with the fuel pipe 3 when it is retracted. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the fuel pipe 3 from coming off or being damaged.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, the intake manifold 10 includes an intake air introduction pipe 14 that extends in the front-rear direction, is connected to the upper part of the surge tank portion 13, and introduces intake air into the surge tank portion 13. In a cross section cut by a plane that passes through the connecting portion between the surge tank portion 13 and the intake air introduction pipe 14 and extends in the up-down direction and the vehicle width direction, the right side surface portion 13b of the surge tank portion 13 extends downward from the left top portion P of the intake air introduction pipe 14 along the tangential direction of the intake air introduction pipe 14. This allows the intake manifold 10 to be configured more compact. In addition, since the intake air introduction pipe 14 does not protrude to the right of the surge tank portion 13, interference between the intake air introduction pipe 14 and the fuel pipe 3 can be appropriately suppressed. As a result, detachment and damage of the fuel pipe 3 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the intake manifold 10 includes a protruding portion 38 that protrudes downward from the surge tank portion 13 toward the engine 1, and the protruding portion 38 is fixed to the engine 1 to support the surge tank portion 13. This makes it easier to maintain the distance between the surge tank portion 13 and the fuel pipe 3, so that interference between the surge tank portion 13 and the fuel pipe 3 can be more effectively suppressed. As a result, detachment or damage to the fuel pipe 3 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the surge tank portion 13 is supported by a front bridge portion 71 and a rear bridge portion 72 that are inclined upward from the surge tank portion 13 toward the right side when the intake manifold 10 is attached to the engine 1. This allows the surge tank portion 13 to be kept as far away from the engine 1 as possible, and as a result, the surge tank portion 13 can be separated to the left side with respect to the fuel pipe 3. As a result, it becomes easier to maintain the distance between the surge tank portion 13 and the fuel pipe 3, so that interference between the surge tank portion 13 and the fuel pipe 3 can be more effectively suppressed. Therefore, detachment or damage to the fuel pipe 3 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the multiple independent intake pipe sections 11 is configured so that the portion farther from the engine 1 (the main passage section 12 and the intermediate section 44) has weaker rigidity than the portion closer to the engine 1 (the downstream end section 34 and the mounting section 33). As a result, when the independent intake pipe section 11 breaks due to a collision load, it breaks at a position as far away from the engine 1 as possible. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the intake manifold 10 from interfering with the fuel pipe 3. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent the fuel pipe 3 from coming off or being damaged.

[0059] (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.

[0060] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the intake manifold structure is applied to a four-cylinder engine, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an engine having three or less cylinders, or may be applied to an engine having five or more cylinders.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the alternator is given as an example of the vehicle part, but the vehicle part is not limited thereto and may be, for example, a motor, a battery, or the like.

[0062] 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]

[0063] The technology disclosed herein is useful as an intake manifold structure having an intake manifold connected to one side in the vehicle width direction of a multi-cylinder engine that is vertically mounted in an engine compartment with the cylinders aligned in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Engine 1a Left side 2 Alternator (vehicle part) 3 Fuel piping 10. Intake manifold 11 Independent intake pipe section 12 Main passage section (the part of the independent intake pipe farthest from the engine) 13 Surge tank section 13b Right side surface (surface of surge tank part close to engine) 14 Intake pipe 33 Mounting section (part of independent intake pipe closest to the engine) 34 Downstream end (the part of the independent intake pipe closest to the engine) 38 Protrusion 44 Middle section (the part of the independent intake pipe farther from the engine)

Claims

1. A side structure of an engine, comprising an intake manifold connected to one side portion in a vehicle width direction of an engine that is vertically disposed in an engine room such that a cylinder row direction is in a vehicle front-rear direction, A vehicle component disposed on a vehicle front side of the intake manifold; a fuel pipe arranged on a vehicle rear side of the intake manifold so as to extend in a vertical direction and through which fuel flows, The intake manifold is a plurality of independent intake pipe sections, each having one end connected to a portion of the engine on one side in a vehicle width direction; a surge tank portion to which the other ends of the plurality of independent intake pipes are respectively connected; having 1. An engine side structure, characterized in that, when viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a portion of the fuel pipe near the surge tank portion is located closer to the engine in a vehicle width direction than the surge tank portion.

2. The engine side structure according to claim 1, 1 is a side structure of an engine, the surge tank portion being disposed so that a surface portion thereof on a side closer to the engine is substantially flat in the vertical direction.

3. The engine side structure according to claim 2, the intake manifold further includes an intake introduction pipe extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, connected to an upper portion of the surge tank portion, and introducing intake air into the surge tank portion, An engine side structure characterized in that, in a cross section taken along a plane passing through the connection between the surge tank portion and the intake air introduction pipe and extending in the vertical and vehicle width directions, the surface portion of the surge tank portion closer to the engine extends downward from the top of the intake air introduction pipe on the side closer to the engine along the tangential direction of the intake air introduction pipe.

4. In the engine side structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The intake manifold further includes a protruding portion protruding downward from the surge tank portion toward the engine, The engine side structure, characterized in that the protrusion is fixed to the engine and supports the surge tank portion.

5. In the engine side structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A side structure of an engine, characterized in that each of the plurality of independent intake pipe sections is configured so that a portion farther from the engine has weaker rigidity than a portion closer to the engine.

6. In the engine side structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 13. An engine side structure, comprising: an intake manifold made of resin.

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