Intake device for automotive engine

Abstract

To disclose an automobile air cleaner supporting structure which is suppressed in propagation of vibration.SOLUTION: A bracket 28 is fixed to a vertical frame 4 of a radiator support 1, and a one-side part of a body 7 of an air cleaner 2 is fixed to the bracket 28 by bolts 30 with the one-side part being supported via a grommet 27. The body 7 of the air cleaner 2 comprises an intake air flow-in part 20 which is open upward, and a bottom plate 25 of the intake air flow-in part 20 is fixed to the bracket 28 via the grommet 27. Since the vertical frame 4 of the radiator support 1 is of high stiffness, good vibration isolation effect is provided. Also, it is not necessary to newly install a support part and a compact size can be achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intake device for an automotive engine.

Background Art

[0002] Automobiles generally have an engine room at the front of the vehicle body, and equipment such as an engine, an air cleaner, and a battery are arranged in the engine room. The air cleaner is an essential piece of equipment for the engine, and many layout and support structures have been proposed. As an example, Patent Document 1 discloses arranging the air cleaner at one corner of the engine room and supporting the air cleaner on the upper member of the radiator support via a bracket.

[0003] That is, a radiator support having a horizontal upper support for attaching a radiator is arranged at the front end of the engine room of the automobile. However, Patent Document 1 fixes the front end of the bracket to the horizontal upper support constituting the radiator support and suspends and supports the air cleaner with this bracket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Since the running wind of the automobile is taken into the air cleaner, it is reasonable to arrange the air cleaner as far forward as possible in the engine room. Therefore, there is a certain rationality in supporting the air cleaner with the radiator support as in Patent Document 1.

[0006] Now, the air cleaner is supported at multiple points and is often attached to the engine body such as the cylinder head or the head cover via brackets. It is also connected to the cylinder head via an intake duct. In addition, the resonator attached to the air cleaner or the intake duct may be fixed to the cylinder head or the head cover. Due to such circumstances, the air cleaner vibrates integrally with the engine.

[0007] In particular, since the engine tends to vibrate greatly around the crankshaft axis, when the engine is horizontally placed in the engine room, the air cleaner exhibits a combined vibration of vertical vibration and front-rear vibration.

[0008] On the other hand, since the lower part of the radiator is supported by a lower support, the upper support only needs to have a strength sufficient to prevent the radiator support from falling. Therefore, not much rigidity is required for the upper support of the radiator support. For this reason, when the air cleaner is suspended from the upper support via a bracket as in Patent Document 1, the upper support of the radiator support vibrates greatly due to the vibration of the air cleaner, and the vibration is transmitted to the inside of the vehicle through the vehicle body frame, which may deteriorate the riding environment.

[0009] In addition, although a bush-shaped vibration absorber (grommet) made of a soft material such as rubber is often interposed between the air cleaner and the bracket, in this case, when fastening the bracket to the air cleaner or the upper support with a single fastening bolt, in order to prevent the rotation of the bracket, a part of the bracket may be abutted against the air cleaner or the upper support to prevent rotation. Then, the horizontal vibration of the air cleaner may be transmitted to the upper support via the bracket, and the vibration absorption effect may not be fully enjoyed.

[0010] The present invention has been made against such a background, and discloses an air cleaner support structure with improved vibration isolation performance without complicating the structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The invention of the present application relates to an intake device for an automotive engine. As set forth in claim 1, "It has a metal front frame disposed at the front of the vehicle body and an air cleaner disposed behind the front frame, The front frame has a horizontal vertically long on the left and right horizontal frame and upper and lower longitudinal frames supporting the same, and the front part of the air cleaner is its is attached to the longitudinal frame The rear part is supported at two locations on the left and right by the engine body or the vehicle body frame therein." It has the basic configuration described above.

[0012] And the invention of claim 1, in addition to the above basic configuration, "On the upper part of the front of the air cleaner, a rib protruding toward the longitudinal frame is formed, and the rib is connected to an upper bracket protruding rearward on the upper part of the longitudinal frame. On the other hand, A downward connecting pin is integrally formed on the lower surface of the front of the air cleaner and The lower part of the front of the air cleaner is connected to a lower bracket provided on the longitudinal frame via the connecting pin and a grommet made of a soft material is The front part of the air cleaner is supported only by the vertical frame " It has the configuration described above.

[0013] This application claims also includes the invention of No. 2. This invention is in the above basic configuration , "On the side of the air cleaner, an intake air inlet portion opens upward, and the bottom plate of the intake air inlet portion in the air cleaner is fastened to a part of a bracket provided on the longitudinal frame with a fastener." It has the configuration described above. As the fastener, bolts, push rivets, etc. can be used.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] Since the horizontal frames that make up the front frame are made of thin plates and cannot ensure high rigidity because a downward load acts as a bending force, while the vertical frames have high rigidity because a downward load acts as a compressive force. Also, because the vertical frames function to support the horizontal frames, they are often made more robust than the horizontal frames. being This is often the case.

[0015] The present invention focuses on the characteristics of such vertical frames and supports the front (side) part of the air cleaner with vertical frames having high rigidity. while ensuring high stability by a three-point support structure This can improve the anti-vibration performance. Further, the vibration of the air cleaner is mainly in the vertical direction. Therefore, the vibration of the air cleaner acts on the vertical frame as a downward compressive load. However, since the vertical frame does not undergo compressive deformation due to the downward load, the vibration of the air cleaner can be significantly blocked. And since existing members such as radiator supports can be used, no additional members are required, and costs can be suppressed.

[0016] Also, the air cleaner has a structure in which a filter unit is sandwiched between a main body having an intake introduction part and a cover having an intake outlet. The main body is fixed, and the cover is detachable or rotatable. Therefore, multiple locations of the main body are attached to other members. However, as in the present invention, when one side part of the air cleaner is supported by a vertical frame, the support position of the air cleaner can be made lower compared to Patent Document 1. Thus, it becomes possible to enhance the stability of the air cleaner and suppress the swaying movement. That is, the vibration of the air cleaner itself can also be suppressed. In this regard as well, the present invention exhibits a high vibration blocking effect.

[0017] In the present invention, it is also possible to integrally provide an air cleaner support part such as a stepped part on the vertical frame of the upper support. However, 1 as in claim upper and lower when using a bracket to support the air cleaner, it can be directly applied to the vertical frames in the existing form. Therefore, it has high versatility and flexibility, and the design effort can be reduced.

[0018] In addition, since the bracket is fixed to the vertical frame, it is not necessary to have part of it contact the air cleaner for anti-rotation purposes. Therefore, when a vibration absorber ( grommet ) made of an elastic body such as rubber is interposed between the bracket and the air cleaner, vertical vibration and horizontal vibration can be accurately absorbed. In this regard too, it can contribute to vibration suppression.

[0019] Claim 1 When the configuration of is adopted, by pre-attaching a grommet to the bracket and simply inserting the connecting pin into the grommet, the air cleaner lower part of can be attached to the vertical frame. Therefore, the labor for attaching the air cleaner can be significantly reduced. Also, since the grommet absorbs vertical vibration and horizontal vibration, the vibration isolation performance is excellent.

[0020] Claim 2 When the configuration of is adopted, the air cleaner can be firmly fixed to the vertical frame using the bottom plate of the intake inflow section. However, since fasteners such as bolts can be inserted into the intake inflow section from above, the attachment work of the air cleaner can be easily performed. In the case of bolt fastening, a wrench is used, but since the wrench is also inserted into the intake inflow section from above, the rotation operation of the bolt can be easily performed.

[0021] Claim 1 In, by pre-attaching the grommet to the bottom plate of the air cleaner, the bottom plate of the air cleaner can be reliably sealed, and vertical and horizontal vibrations can be accurately absorbed to ensure high vibration isolation performance.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the words "front-rear" and "left-right" are used to specify directions, and this direction is defined as the direction seen from the driver. Therefore, the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction is the width direction of the vehicle. For the sake of caution, the general direction is appropriately indicated in the drawings.

[0024] (1). Basic Structure of the First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion near the left corner of the engine room seen from slightly behind. As shown in this figure, a radiator support 1 is arranged at the front of the engine room, and an air cleaner 2 is arranged behind it. Although not shown, the engine body is horizontally arranged on the right side of the air cleaner 2.

[0025] The radiator support 1 is an example of the front frame described in the claims, and has a horizontal posture vertically long on the left and rightIt includes an upper support 3 and vertical frames 4 connected to both left and right ends thereof. The upper support 3 is an example of the horizontal frame described in the claims. The upper support 3 and the vertical frames 4 are made of steel plates. The upper support 3 is basically formed in a gutter shape that opens downward, and the vertical frames 4 are formed in a gutter shape that opens inwardly to the left and right. Accordingly, the vertical frame 4 includes a substrate 4a facing the left-right direction and a pair of front and rear side plates 4b. A vertical groove 5 for reinforcement is formed to bulge inwardly on the substrate 4a of the vertical frame 4.

[0026] Below the upper support 3, a radiator (not shown) is arranged. The lower end (lower tank) of the radiator is held by a lower support so as not to shift horizontally, and the upper end (upper tank) of the radiator is held by the upper support 3 so as not to shift horizontally. The fan shroud is fixed to the radiator support 1. At the left end of the upper support 3, a receiving seat 6 for supporting other members is protruded (welded).

[0027] The air cleaner 2 includes an upward-opening main body 7 constituting its lower part, an intermediate frame 8 with upper and lower openings integrally joined to the upper surface of the main body 7 by welding or the like, and a downward-opening cover 9 detachably overlapping the intermediate frame 8 from above. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7(A), the filter unit is sandwiched between the intermediate frame 8 and the cover 9. The lower part of the filter unit 10 is a dirty chamber, and the upper part of the filter unit 10 is a clean chamber.

[0028] The main body 7, the intermediate frame 8, and the cover 9 are injection molded products made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene. On the other hand, the filter unit 10 is composed of a resin outer frame 11, a filter element 12 made of paper or the like disposed inside thereof, and a sealing material 13 attached to an outwardly protruding piece of the outer frame 11.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7(A), an inward flange 14 is formed over the entire circumference at the upper end of the intermediate frame 8, and an outward flange 15 is formed at the lower end of the cover 9. The sealing material 13 of the filter unit 10 is sandwiched between these upper and lower flanges 14 and 15.

[0030] At the tip of the outward flange 15 in the cover 9, a surrounding wall 16 is integrally formed, and a large number of vertically longitudinal reinforcing ribs 9a are formed in the circumferential direction inside the surrounding wall 16. Then, as roughly shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a pair of front and rear hinge portions 17 are provided at the left end portion of the cover 9, and the hinge portions 17 are engaged with a receiving portion (not shown) provided on the intermediate frame 8. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 5, at the right end portion of the cover 9, two locations C-shaped clips 18 are rotatably attached, and the clips 18 are engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the intermediate frame 8.

[0031] In this embodiment, the cover 9 is removed from the intermediate frame 8 by rotating the clip 18 upward to release the engagement with the intermediate frame 8 and then lifting the cover 9 to disengage the hinge portion 17 from the intermediate frame 8. Therefore, the cover 9 is detachable, but a rotatable cover 9 can also be adopted.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 9 is in a box shape with a longitudinal length in the left-right direction, and a boss-shaped intake outlet 19 through which purified air is discharged projects from the right end surface. An intake duct (not shown) is connected to the intake outlet 19.

[0033] On the other hand, the main body 7 is in a tray shape that opens upward, but as shown in FIG. 4(B), it is in a mode closer to the left side, and an intake inflow portion 20 that opens upward is formed at the left end portion and the front portion of the main body 7 in a state of protruding forward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7(A), the intake inflow portion 20 is also formed by the intermediate frame 8. The upper portion of the intake inflow portion 20 is an intake inlet 21 that is square in plan view, and an air introduction duct 22 (see FIGS. 3 and 4(B)) is connected to the intake inlet 21.

[0034] The intake air inlet 20 is connected to the inside of the main body 7, and the air introduced into the inside of the main body 7 spreads throughout the entire main body 7, passes through the filter element 12, reaches the inside of the cover 9, and is then discharged from the intake outlet 19 of the cover 9 to the intake duct. More specifically, the air spreads left and right inside the main body 7 and also diffuses forward and backward as it passes through the filter element 12, but as shown in FIG. 4(B), because the right side of the main body 7 is an inclined surface, the air does not flow too far to the right end of the main body 7 and diffuses evenly in all directions. Therefore, the air passes through the filter element 12 evenly.

[0035] (2) Air cleaner support structure 3, 4(B) and 5, connecting pins 23 for mounting to an engine body, a vehicle frame, etc. via a bracket (neither of which are shown) protrude downward from the left and right ends of the rear part of the underside of the intermediate frame 8. The connecting pins 23 are formed in a hollow cylindrical shape that opens downward, and are attached to the bracket via a grommet.

[0036] That is, a cylindrical grommet (sleeve) made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to a through hole provided in the bracket, and the connecting pin 23 is inserted into the grommet from above. The lower end of the connecting pin 23 is provided with a retaining protrusion 24 that is exposed below the grommet.

[0037] Then, for example, as shown in FIG. front part of A through hole 26 is drilled in the bottom plate 25 of the intake inlet 20 formed in the above-mentioned manner, and an elastic grommet 27 is attached to the through hole 26. Meanwhile, a bracket 28 is fixed to the vertical frame 4 of the radiator support 1 by welding, and a nut 29 is fixed to the underside of a first horizontal piece 28c of the bracket 28 by welding. A bolt 30 is inserted into the grommet 27 from inside the intake inlet 20 and screwed into the nut 29. Therefore, the main body 7 of the air cleaner 2 is supported at three points by one location at the front and two locations at the rear

[0038] The grommet 27 is formed with an annular groove 27a into which the inner peripheral portion of the bottom plate 25 fits. Therefore, the grommet 27 does not come off from the bottom plate 25, and the seal between the grommet 27 and the bottom plate 25 is ensured. Further, the connecting pin 23 is inserted into the grommet 27 against elasticity. Therefore, the connecting pin 23 and the grommet 27 are in close contact with each other, and a high sealing property is maintained.

[0039] The form of the bracket 28 is clearly shown in FIG. 6. As shown in this FIG. 6, the bracket 28 has a first vertical piece 28a that overlaps the substrate 4a of the vertical frame 4 in the radiator support 1 from the outside, a second vertical piece 28b that bends from the first vertical piece 28a, and a first horizontal piece 28c provided on the second vertical piece 28b, and a through hole 28d is formed in the first horizontal piece 28c. Further, a third vertical piece 28e for reinforcement is connected to the second vertical piece 28b and the first horizontal piece 28c, and a second horizontal piece 28f is connected to the first vertical piece 28a and the first horizontal piece 28c. With such a form, the bracket 28 has high rigidity.

[0040] Since the air cleaner 2 is supported at three points, it is stably supported. And the air cleaner 2 vibrates mainly in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction in conjunction with the vibration of the engine. However, since the vertical frame 4 of the radiator support 1 that supports the front portion of the air cleaner 2 is in a vertically long posture, it does not undergo compressive deformation due to vertical vibration, nor does it undergo bending deformation due to front-rear vibration. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the vibration of the air cleaner 2 from being transmitted from the radiator support 1 into the vehicle interior.

[0041] That is, the vibration of the air cleaner 2 can be blocked by the vertical frame 4 of the radiator support 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or significantly suppress the vibration of the air cleaner 2 from being transmitted into the vehicle interior through the vehicle body frame from the radiator support 1. Further, since the lower portion of the air cleaner 2 is supported by the vertical frame 4 or the like, the swinging movement of the air cleaner 2 is also significantly suppressed. By being able to suppress the vibration of the air cleaner 2 itself in this way, the effect of preventing vibration and noise can also be improved.

[0042] In addition, in the embodiment, the main body 7 of the air cleaner 2 can be fixed to the bracket 28 by the bolt 30, which improves the unity between the vertical frame 4 and the air cleaner 2 and improves vibration isolation performance, but since the bottom plate 25 of the intake air inlet 20 is used to fix to the bracket 28, there is no need to add a support to the main body 7, and since only a part of the grommet 27 and the head of the bolt 30 protrude from the bottom plate 25, the flow of air is not impeded. Therefore, the main body 7 can be firmly fixed to the vertical frame 4 without increasing in size.

[0043] When assembling the air cleaner 2 to an automobile, the bolts 30 can be rotated with a wrench (not shown) inserted from above into the intake inlet 20, making the installation easy. Needless to say, when assembling the air cleaner 2 to an automobile, the intake inlet 20 of the air cleaner 2 is fixed to the bracket 28 with the bolts 30, and then the air introduction duct 22 is fitted into the intake inlet 20 to install it.

[0044] Furthermore, since the protruding dimension of the first horizontal piece 28b of the bracket 28 is small, the moment acting on the first horizontal piece 28c is small, and therefore the necessary support strength (rigidity) can be ensured while making the thickness as thin as possible. By providing the second and third vertical pieces 28b, 28d and the second horizontal piece 28f as in the embodiment, the bracket 28 can be made thin while providing high support strength to the first horizontal piece 28c, which has the advantage of making the bracket 28 lighter while ensuring the necessary rigidity.

[0045] (3) Other embodiments In the second embodiment shown in Fig. 7(B), a cylindrical connecting pin 23 is provided on the lower surface of the intake inlet 20 so as to protrude downward, while a cylindrical grommet 27 is attached to a first horizontal piece 28c of a bracket 28 through a through hole 26, and the connecting pin 23 is inserted into the grommet 27 from above. A retaining protrusion 24 is formed on the lower end of the connecting pin 23 and exposed below the grommet 27. The grommet 27 is attached to the first horizontal piece 28c of the bracket 28 so as not to come off. In Figs. 3 and 4(B), the connecting pin 23 provided on the intake inlet 20 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0046] In this embodiment, since there are no through holes in the bottom plate 25 of the intake air inlet portion 20, there is no air leakage and no problem regarding sealing performance. Further, since the connecting pin 23 only needs to be inserted into the first horizontal piece 28c of the bracket 28 from above, the labor for the attachment work of the air cleaner 2 can be reduced. Furthermore, since bolts 30 and nuts 29 are not required, there is also an advantage in that the number of components can be reduced and the cost can be lowered. provided In addition, although it is also possible to fix the air introduction duct 22 to the upper support 3 of the radiator support 1 with bolts (screws), in this case, since a large downward load does not act on the upper support 3, no problem of vibration occurs. Also, when the intake duct is fixed to the upper support 3, upward movement of the air cleaner 2 is blocked, so even if it is only attached by the connecting pin 23, the air cleaner 2 can be prevented from floating up.

[0047]

[0048] In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the air cleaner 2 has a main body 7 disposed on the side of the radiator support 1, an intermediate frame 8 joined to the rear surface of the main body 7, and a cover 9 overlapping the rear surface of the intermediate frame 8, and the filter unit 10 is sandwiched between the intermediate frame 8 and the cover 9. That is, the air cleaner 2 is of a horizontal type in which air flows laterally and passes through the filter element 12. The air intake port of the main body 7 and the air intake outlet of the cover 9 are arranged on the back side of the paper surface, and the air flowing into the air intake port passes through the filter element 12 backward.

[0049] In FIG. 9, the state where the main body 7 and the filter unit 10 are partitioned by the intermediate frame 8 is shown, but this structure is partial, and actually, the main body 7 and the intermediate frame 8 are largely in communication. Also, in the illustrated example, the cover 9 opens and closes by rotating back and forth with its lower end as a fulcrum, and the filter unit 10 is replaced in the state of being tilted backward and opened.

[0050] ​The upper end of the main body 7 in the air cleaner 2 is attached to an upper bracket 31 fixed to the upper end of the vertical frame 4, and the lower end of the main body 7 is attached to a lower bracket 32 fixed at a mid-height position of the vertical frame 4.

[0051] That is, first, at the upper part of the main body 7, a forward rib plate 33 projects from the main body 7, and an upper grommet 34 is attached to the rib plate 33. On the other hand, an upper bracket 31 extending rearward is fixed by welding to the upper end of the vertical frame 4 in the radiator support 1. A nut 35 is welded to the lower surface of the horizontal piece 31a of the upper bracket 31, and a bolt 36 inserted through the upper grommet 34 from above is screwed into the nut 35.

[0052] Next, at the lower part of the main body 7, similar to the second embodiment, a lower grommet 37 is attached to the horizontal piece 32a of the lower bracket 32, and a connecting pin 23 projecting from the lower surface of the main body 7 is inserted through the lower grommet 37. In this embodiment, the air cleaner 2 is supported by the engine body or the like at other locations. The other support part has a holding structure using the connecting pin 23 and the grommet. In this embodiment, it is also possible to adopt an attachment structure using the connecting pin 23 for both the upper and lower parts of the air cleaner 2. two locations of In other locations, it is supported by the engine body or the like. The other support part has a holding structure using the connecting pin 23 and the grommet. In this embodiment, it is also possible to adopt an attachment structure using the connecting pin 23 for both the upper and lower parts of the air cleaner 2. locations It is also possible to adopt an attachment structure using the connecting pin 23 for both the upper and lower parts of the air cleaner 2.

[0053] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but the present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, when using brackets, it is also possible to form them by raising a part of the vertical frame. It is also possible to form a rearward or lateral step portion at the mid-height portion of the vertical frame and support one side portion of the air cleaner at this step portion. The intermediate frame of the air cleaner is not necessarily required.

Industrial Applicability

[0054] The present invention can be embodied in a support structure for an air cleaner for automobiles. Therefore, it can be industrially utilized.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1 Radiator support (front frame) 2 Air cleaner 3 is an example of a cross frame Upper support 4 Vertical frame 7 Body of air cleaner 8 Intermediate frame 9 Cover 10 Filter unit 11 Outer frame 12 Filter element 19 Intake outlet 20 Intake inflow section 21 Intake inlet 22 Air introduction duct 23 Connecting pin 25 Bottom plate of intake inflow section 26 Through hole 27 Grommet 28 Bracket 28a First vertical piece 28c First horizontal piece 29 Nut 30 Bolt 31 Upper bracket 32 Lower bracket 33 Rib plate 34 Upper grommet 37 Lower grommet

Claims

1. It has a metal front frame disposed at the front of the vehicle body and an air cleaner disposed behind the front frame, wherein the front frame has a horizontally extending and longitudinally extending left - and - right horizontal frame and a vertically extending longitudinal frame supporting it, and the air cleaner is an intake device for an automotive engine, the front part of which is attached to the longitudinal frame and the rear part of which is supported at two left - and - right positions by the engine body or the vehicle body frame, a rib protruding toward the longitudinal frame is formed at the upper part of the front part of the air cleaner, and the rib is connected to an upper bracket protruding rearwardly at the upper part of the longitudinal frame, a downward - facing connecting pin is integrally formed on the lower surface of the front part of the air cleaner, and the lower part of the front part of the air cleaner is connected to a lower bracket provided on the longitudinal frame via the connecting pin and a grommet made of a soft material, the front part of the air cleaner is supported only by the longitudinal frame, an intake device for an automotive engine.

2. It has a metal front frame disposed at the front of the vehicle body and an air cleaner disposed behind the front frame, wherein the front frame has a horizontally extending horizontal frame and a vertically extending longitudinal frame supporting it, and the air cleaner is an intake device for an automotive engine, the front part of which is attached to the longitudinal frame, an intake inflow part is opened upward at the side part of the air cleaner, and the bottom plate of the intake inflow part in the air cleaner is fastened to a part of a bracket provided on the longitudinal frame by a fastener, an intake device for an automotive engine.

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