engine

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp bracket for fixing a headlight to the upper tip of an engine, which can efficiently attach the headlight and peripheral members to the engine body. The engine includes a lamp bracket having a fixing portion for fixing a top cover, and a headlight located below the top cover and attached to the lamp bracket.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in small diesel engines and the like, a configuration has been known in which a fuel tank for storing fuel and a radiator for cooling the engine's cooling water are disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the engine body in consideration of engine size reduction and convenience. Specifically, for example, a horizontal water-cooled engine is known in which an engine body composed of a cylinder head, a cylinder block, and a crankcase is disposed horizontally (see, for example, Patent Document 1), a fuel tank is disposed above the engine body, and a radiator for cooling the cooling water is disposed adjacent to this fuel tank. Such small engines are used for various purposes because they are compact and easy to use.

[0003] Small engines such as those described above are expected to be used in a variety of situations, and may be equipped with a headlight for illuminating the road ahead at the front of the engine body (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-083780 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2013 / 042558 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-mentioned small engines, the space above the engine body is limited because large components such as the fuel tank and the radiator are disposed above the engine body. Therefore, when disposing a lamp bracket for mounting a headlight on the engine body, it is desirable to effectively utilize this lamp bracket to efficiently mount other components.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned facts, and its main technical object is to provide a lamp bracket for fixing a headlight to the upper tip of an engine, which can efficiently attach the headlight and surrounding components to the engine body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An engine according to one embodiment includes a bracket having a fixing portion for fixing a top cover, and a headlight located below the top cover and attached to the bracket. Effect of the Invention

[0008] It is possible to provide a lamp bracket that can efficiently attach a headlight and peripheral members to an engine body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of a horizontal engine configured based on the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an assembly state of each component part to the lamp bracket of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view for explaining the details of the lamp bracket shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view of a state in which a fuel tank is attached to the front part of the horizontal engine shown in FIG. 1 via a lamp bracket, as viewed obliquely from the front right. [Diagram 5]5 is a perspective view showing a structure for attaching a top cover and a lamp guard to the front part of the engine body shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a headlight is attached to the front of the horizontal engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a lamp bracket configured based on the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] The engine 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a single-cylinder, water-cooled, horizontal diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as a "horizontal engine"). In describing this horizontal engine, the longitudinal direction of the engine indicated by the arrow X in Fig. 1 is defined as the front-rear direction, the width direction of the engine indicated by the arrow Y is defined as the left-right direction, and the height direction of the engine indicated by the arrow Z is defined as the up-down direction. In addition, in the present invention, "horizontal" refers to a direction parallel to the installation surface when the horizontal engine 1 is installed on a horizontal surface.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the horizontal engine 1 comprises an engine body 4 with a cylinder head 3 disposed behind a cylinder block 2. A fuel tank 20 that supplies fuel to the horizontal engine 1 is disposed at the front upper part of the cylinder block 2. The upper surface of the fuel tank 20 is formed by a tank cover 21. A radiator (not shown) whose upper surface is covered by a radiator cover 8 is disposed on the upper surface of the cylinder block 2 behind the fuel tank 20.

[0013] A headlight 30 is disposed on the front side of the fuel tank 20, and first protective members (side covers) 7 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the fuel tank 20. As shown in the figure, a top cover 40 is disposed between the front end of the tank cover 21 of the fuel tank 20 and the upper end of the headlight 30, covering an attachment structure on the front side of the fuel tank 20, which will be described later. A lamp guard 35, which will be described in detail later, is attached below the headlight 30.

[0014] The radiator is covered by the above-mentioned radiator cover 8 and left and right second protective members (screens) 9 which are disposed contiguous with the rear ends of the left and right side covers 7 and have mesh-like ventilation holes 13 formed therein.

[0015] A fuel cap 10 is disposed at the center of the upper surface of a tank cover 21 that constitutes the fuel tank 20. A radiator cap 11 is disposed at the center of the radiator cover 8, and a hanging bolt 12 for hoisting the horizontal engine 1 at the center of gravity protrudes in front of the radiator cap 11.

[0016] At the rear of the engine body 4, an air cleaner 15 that supplies intake air to a combustion chamber (not shown) formed in the cylinder head 3 of the horizontal engine 1, and a muffler 16 that discharges exhaust gas from the combustion chamber to the outside are arranged on the left and right.

[0017] A crankshaft (not shown) is rotatably disposed inside the cylinder block 2 in a left-right orientation, and a flywheel 19 is attached to the left end of this crankshaft (see FIG. 2). The flywheel 19 is rotated at start-up to facilitate engine starting, and also acts to suppress fluctuations in the rotation of the crankshaft after the horizontal engine 1 has started.

[0018] The front support structure for the horizontal engine 1 including the lamp bracket 50 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the assembly structure of each component part to the lamp bracket 50. The lamp bracket 50 shown in FIG. 2 will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The lamp bracket 50 is provided with a substantially horizontally elongated rectangular annular frame portion 52 having an opening 51 into which the bowl-shaped lamp housing 32 constituting the headlight 30 can be inserted from the front side and arranged. This annular frame portion 52 is composed of a lower horizontal frame portion 52A, an upper horizontal frame portion 52B, and left and right frame portions 52C, 52C. On the rear side of the lower horizontal frame portion 52A, a horizontal mounting plate portion 53 that abuts from above against a corner portion 2A (see FIG. 6) at the upper front end of the cylinder block 2 described above, and a vertical mounting plate portion 54 that abuts against the corner portion 2A from the front side are integrally formed.

[0020] A horizontal mounting support surface 52b is formed on the upper horizontal frame portion 52B of the annular frame portion 52 for mounting and supporting the front flange 23 of the fuel tank 20. Tank mounting portions 62 for the front flange 23 of the fuel tank 20 are formed on both left-right ends and the left-right center of the upper horizontal frame portion 52B. Each tank mounting portion 62 is thicker than other portions of the upper horizontal frame portion 52B of the annular frame portion 52, and each tank mounting portion 62 is formed with a screw hole 63 for a bolt 69 for screwing and fixing the flange 23 of the fuel tank 20.

[0021] 3, a fixing portion 58 for attaching the top cover 40 is formed on the front side of the upper horizontal frame portion 52B. A protrusion 58A for aligning the top cover 40 is erected on the fixing portion 58 facing forward. A mounting hole 58B into which a fixing bolt is screwed when fixing the top cover 40 to the lamp bracket 50 is formed in a position adjacent to the protrusion 58A. The mounting hole 58B is drilled from the front side in the front-rear direction when the lamp bracket 50 is attached to the engine body 4, i.e., in the horizontal direction, and a screw thread is formed on the inside portion.

[0022] Both vertical frame portions 52C formed on the left and right sides of the annular frame portion 52 are formed with box-shaped columnar ribs 55 with bolt guide holes 56 formed therein so as to penetrate vertically. A mounting surface 55a is formed on the upper side of the columnar rib 55, on which the tip of the lamp mounting member 34 disposed on the back side of the headlight 30 is placed. An opening 57 is formed in the vertical center on the front side of the columnar rib 55, through which the mounting bolt 37 inserted into the internal bolt guide hole 56 can be confirmed when the lamp bracket 50 is attached to the engine body 4. The headlight mounting structure will be explained later.

[0023] The horizontal mounting plate 53 has a bolt insertion hole (not shown) formed therein for fastening the bolt from above in the vertical direction to a threaded hole (not shown) formed in the upper surface of the above-mentioned corner 2A of the cylinder block 2. The vertical mounting plate 54 has a bolt insertion hole 60 formed therein for fastening the bolt 59 from the horizontal front side to a threaded hole formed in the front side surface of the cylinder block 2, as shown in Fig. 2. The bolt insertion hole 60 is formed in a slightly elongated shape along the vertical direction.

[0024] In addition, arm portions 70 extending outwardly and downwardly in the left-right direction are formed at both corners of the annular frame portion 52 formed by the lower horizontal frame portion 52A and the left and right vertical frame portions 52C. Engagement holes 71 are drilled on the upper side of the middle portions of both arm portions 70, into which positioning pins 33 that function as positioning when attaching a headlight, which will be described later, are engaged. In addition, mounting holes 72 are formed below the engagement holes 71, into which bolts are screwed and fixed when attaching a lamp guard 35, which will be described later.

[0025] The lamp bracket 50 is made of strong, durable die-cast aluminum and is attached to two surfaces, the top surface and front side surface of the cylinder block 2, reducing the concentration of stress on the lamp bracket 50 and contributing to durability. Moreover, the corner portion 2A formed by the top surface and front side of the cylinder block 2 is machined with high precision, so that the mounting precision of each component attached to the lamp bracket 50 to the cylinder block 2 can be ensured.

[0026] Next, the mounting structure of the front part of the fuel tank 20 will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the fuel tank 20 is composed of a tank cover 21 made of sheet metal constituting the upper part that opens downward, and a tank body 22 made of sheet metal constituting the lower part that opens upward. An annular flange integrally formed and protruding outward from the periphery of the lower opening of the tank cover 21 and a flange integrally formed and protruding outward from the periphery of the upper opening of the tank body 22 are overlapped and welded by seam welding. A flange 23 that goes all the way around in the horizontal direction is formed on the outer periphery of the fuel tank 20 integrated by this seam welding.

[0027] When attaching the front part of the fuel tank 20 to the engine body 4, first, as shown in Fig. 2, the flange 23 located at the front part of the fuel tank 20 is placed on the mounting support surface 52b of the lamp bracket 50 fixed to the cylinder block 2 in advance via a vibration-proof rubber 65, and a pressing plate 67 is placed on the upper surface of the flange 23 of the fuel tank 20 via a vibration-proof rubber 66. In this state, a metallic cylindrical positioning collar 73 is fitted and attached between the inner surface of the bolt insertion hole 68 in the flange 23 of the fuel tank 20 and the outer surface of the bolt 69, and between the upper surface of the upper horizontal frame part 52B of the lamp bracket 50 and the lower surface of the pressing plate 67, and the bolt 69 inserted into the bolt insertion hole 67a of the pressing plate 67 is passed through and screwed into the screw hole 63 of the upper horizontal frame part 52B of the lamp bracket 50. In this way, the fuel tank 20 can be firmly attached to the engine body 4 with little vibration.

[0028] Next, the mounting structure of the top cover 40 using the lamp bracket 50 will be described.

[0029] As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the top cover 40 is composed of a central cover portion 40A facing the front end 21A of the tank cover 21 of the fuel tank 20, and two inclined covers 40B facing the left and right inclined wall portions 21B of the tank cover 21. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, mounting pieces 42 are arranged on both left and right sides of the lower edge of the central cover portion 40A, hanging down from a position slightly lower rearward from the lower edge of the central cover portion 40A. The mounting pieces 42 are formed with a step portion 42b for engaging with the positioning protrusion 58A arranged on the fixing portion 58 of the lamp bracket 50 described above. The step portion 42b is composed of a horizontal portion that is positioned in the up and down direction by abutting against the upper surface of the protrusion 58A, and a vertical portion that is positioned in the left and right direction by abutting against the vertical side portion of the protrusion 58A. Furthermore, the mounting pieces 42 are formed with an insertion hole 42a through which the bolt 41 can be inserted. This insertion hole 42a is formed to be slightly larger in diameter than the bolt 41, so that the top cover 40 can be screwed and fixed to the lamp bracket 50 using the bolt 41 while maintaining the positioning state achieved by engagement between the protrusion 58A of the lamp bracket 50 and the step portion 42b of the mounting piece 42 of the top cover 40.

[0030] 2, 4, and 5, when attaching the top cover 40 to the front of the engine body 4, the step portion 42b of the mounting piece 42 is engaged with the protrusion 58A of the lamp bracket 50 from the left side. This allows the top cover 40 to be accurately positioned in the vertical and horizontal directions. With the step portion 42b of the mounting piece 42 abutting against the protrusion 58A of the lamp bracket 50, the bolt 41 is screwed into the mounting hole 58B to fix the top cover 40. Thereafter, the ends of the inclined cover 40B of the top cover 40 are screwed and fixed to the stays 25 welded to the flanges 23 on the left and right sides of the fuel tank 20 with the bolts 45.

[0031] The mounting hole 58B of the lamp bracket 50 is formed in a direction extending horizontally from front to rear, and the bolt 45 can be inserted horizontally from the front side and screwed in for fixation. In addition, since the protrusion 58A is formed to be engaged with the step portion 42b of the mounting piece 42 of the top cover 40 for positioning, the top cover 40 can be attached while confirming that the step portion 42b of the mounting piece 42 is abutted against the protrusion 58A and positioned, and it is possible to ensure a high level of mounting accuracy of the top cover 40. Therefore, the ridge lines of the faces constituting the surface of the tank cover 21 of the fuel tank 20 and the ridge lines of the faces constituting the surface of the top cover 40 can be easily aligned, without impairing the appearance.

[0032] Next, the mounting structure of the lamp guard 35 will be described. The lamp guard 35 is formed by bending a metal plate member, and as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, is composed of a substantially U-shaped main body 35A having an open portion on the rear side in a plan view, and a mounting portion 35B having a bent end for fixing to the lamp bracket 50. An insertion hole 35b is formed in the mounting portion 35B, through which the bolt 36 is inserted when the lamp guard 35 is mounted to the lamp bracket 50.

[0033] When attaching the lamp guard 35, the insertion hole 35b of the attachment portion 35B of the lamp guard 35 is positioned in the attachment hole 72 of the lamp bracket 50, and the bolt 36 is inserted from the front side and screwed in for fixation. As shown in Fig. 1, in the state where the lamp guard 35 is attached to the lamp bracket 50, the main body portion 35A of the lamp guard 35 is positioned on the lower side of the headlight 30, and the front end portion of the lamp guard 35 is formed to be forward of the lower end portion of the headlight 30. The shape of the lamp guard 35 can be changed as appropriate, and is not limited to the shape of this embodiment.

[0034] As described above, the lamp bracket 50 is made of a high-strength material (made of die-cast aluminum) and is fixed directly to the front end corner 2A of the cylinder block 2, so that even if an obstacle approaches the headlight and comes into contact with the lamp guard 35, the impact is prevented from reaching anything other than the lamp guard 35.

[0035] Next, the mounting structure of the headlight 30 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 6. Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear cross section of the position of the columnar rib 55 of the lamp bracket 50. The headlight 30 is constructed by fitting and joining the peripheral portion of the lens portion 31 and the peripheral portion of the lamp housing 32 equipped with the light source 29 in a watertight manner. The lens portion 31 is constructed of a front lens portion 31A that is bent in a generally L-shape and bulges forward in a side view, and a side lens portion 31B that extends rearward and outward from the left and right sides of the front lens portion 31A. The lamp housing 32 is constructed of a bowl-shaped reflecting surface portion 32A that houses the light source 29, and a side cover portion 32B that extends rearward and outward from both left and right sides of the reflecting surface portion 32A along both side lens portions 31B of the lens portion 31.

[0036] 2, a positioning pin 33 is provided on both left and right sides of a lower side of the rear surface of the lamp housing 32 of the headlight 30, the lower side being biased inward from the fitting edge between the lens portion 31 and the lamp housing 32. A mounting member 34 is provided on a mounting surface 55a of a columnar rib 55 of the lamp bracket 50 and extends horizontally on both left and right sides of an upper side of the rear surface of the lamp housing 32, the upper side being biased inward from the fitting edge between the lens portion 31 and the lamp housing 32. An insertion notch 34a is formed on the tip of the mounting member 34 for inserting a fixing bolt 37, which will be described later. A clip nut 34B is attached to the insertion notch 34a on the tip of both mounting members 34.

[0037] When mounting the headlight 30 to the lamp bracket 50, the tips of both positioning pins 33 of the lamp housing 32 described above are inserted into and engaged with the positioning engagement holes 71 formed in both arm portions 70 of the lamp bracket 50 with both positioning pins 33 engaged from the front side. Furthermore, the positioning pins 33 are engaged with the positioning engagement holes 71, and the clip nuts 34B attached to the tips of both mounting members 34 of the lamp housing 32 are placed on the mounting surfaces 55a of the columnar ribs 55 for temporary assembly.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the headlight 30 is temporarily assembled to the lamp bracket 50, a fixing bolt 37 is inserted from below the bolt guide hole 56 formed to penetrate the columnar rib 55 from above and below, and reaches the nut portion of the clip nut 34B attached to the tip portion of both mounting members 34 of the lamp housing 32, and the headlight 30 is screwed and fixed to the lamp bracket 50. The worker who attaches the headlight 30 to the lamp bracket 50 first inserts the long fixing bolt 37 from below the bolt guide hole 56, and can temporarily fix the fixing bolt 37 by hand to the clip nut 34B positioned on the mounting surface 55a of the columnar rib 55. Then, the fixing bolt 37 can be rotated by an impact driver or the like to be firmly screwed and fixed. Since the fixing of the headlight 30 is performed after the top cover 40 is attached as described above, the fixing bolt 37 is screwed and fixed from below. Therefore, in this embodiment, the headlight 30 can be easily fixed by forming the above-mentioned configuration, that is, by configuring an attachment structure in which the bolt guide hole 56 is formed, the fixing bolt 37 is inserted from below along the bolt guide hole 56, and fixed by screwing it into the clip nut 34B. When inserting the fixing bolt 37 into the bolt guide hole 56 before provisionally assembling the headlight 30 to the lamp bracket 50, the insertion state can be confirmed from the opening 57 formed so that the inside of the bolt guide hole 56 can be seen from the front side, and the work can be performed efficiently.

[0039] Because the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to easily attach the top cover 40 to the lamp bracket 50 while ensuring the attachment strength and attachment accuracy. In addition, since the lamp bracket 50 of the present invention is configured to be able to attach not only the top cover 40 but also the fuel tank 20, the lamp guard 35, etc., it becomes possible to efficiently arrange each component in a small engine, particularly in a horizontal engine where the space for arranging the components is limited.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Various modifications can be envisioned as long as they fall within the technical scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the columnar rib 55 is formed as a box-shaped rib, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a cylindrical rib.

[0041] [Appendix to the invention] In order to solve the above-mentioned main technical problem, according to the present invention, there is provided a lamp bracket which is disposed on the upper tip portion of an engine body and has a fixing portion for fixing a top cover of the engine, wherein the fixing portion has an attachment hole for fixing the top cover via an attachment piece formed on the tip portion of the top cover, and the attachment hole is formed horizontally in the fore-and-aft direction when attached to the engine body.

[0042] It is preferable that the fixing portion has a positioning protrusion extending forward to define a position of the top cover by engaging with the mounting piece of the top cover.

[0043] It is preferable that a columnar rib having a space penetrating in the vertical direction is formed on the lamp bracket, and the space is configured as a bolt guide hole through which a fixing bolt for fixing the headlight to the lamp bracket can be inserted from below.

[0044] The lamp bracket may be formed with a lamp guard mounting hole for mounting a lamp guard for protecting a headlight.

[0045] According to the present invention, there is provided a lamp bracket provided with a fixing portion disposed on the upper tip of an engine body for fixing a top cover of the engine, the fixing portion being formed with a mounting hole for fixing the top cover via a mounting piece formed on the tip of the top cover, the mounting hole being formed horizontally in the front-rear direction when attached to the engine body. This allows the top cover that covers the upper part of the engine body to be easily and efficiently attached using the lamp bracket for mounting a headlight.

[0046] Furthermore, by providing a positioning protrusion facing forward on the fixing portion, which engages with the mounting piece of the top cover to determine the installation position of the top cover, the top cover can be easily positioned and fixed when it is installed. Also, by forming a columnar rib with a space penetrating in the vertical direction on the lamp bracket and configuring the space as a bolt guide hole through which a fixing bolt for fixing the headlight to the lamp bracket can be inserted from below, a structure that makes it easy to install the headlight on the lamp bracket is realized. Furthermore, by forming a lamp guard mounting hole in the lamp bracket for mounting a lamp guard for protecting the headlight, the lamp guard can be efficiently disposed in front of the engine, and even if an obstacle collides with the lamp guard, it is possible to suppress impacts from reaching other parts. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Horizontal engine 2: Cylinder block 3: Cylinder head 4: Engine body 7: Side cover 8: Radiator cover 9: Screen 10: Fuel cap 11: Radiator cap 12: Hanging bolt 15: Air cleaner 16: Muffler 19: Flywheel 20: Fuel tank 21: Tank cover 23: Flange 30: Headlight 35: Lamp guard 37: Mounting bolt 40: Top cover 50: Lamp bracket 52: Ring-shaped frame 55: Columnar rib 58: Fixed part 56: Bolt guide hole 57: Opening

Claims

1. a bracket having a fixing portion for fixing the top cover; a headlight located below the top cover and attached to the bracket; A radiator, a protective member having a mesh-shaped ventilation hole and covering the radiator; the top cover covers at least a portion of the left and right wall portions of the fuel tank, The bracket is attached to the cylinder block in a state where it abuts against two surfaces, i.e., the top surface and the front side surface of the cylinder block. engine.

2. The bracket further includes an attachment portion located below the fixing portion and fixed to the cylinder block.

2. The engine of claim 1.

3. The headlight is disposed on the front side of the fuel tank. An engine as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

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