engine

Abstract

To protect a fuel hose from vehicle collision while suppressing the temperature rise of the fuel hose.SOLUTION: An engine including an engine body consisting of a pair of cylinder banks includes an intake manifold mounted to the engine body for guiding air to an intake port. The engine further includes a clip provided in the intake manifold and including a fragile part, and the fuel hose mounted to the clip for guiding fuel to an injector. Furthermore, the engine includes an energizing member mounted to the fuel hose for energizing the fuel hose to the engine body side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine having a pair of cylinder banks. [Background technology]

[0002] Engines equipped with a pair of cylinder banks include horizontally opposed engines and V-type engines. A fuel hose that supplies fuel to the engine is arranged in the engine compartment where the engine is housed. A structure that protects such fuel hoses from vehicle collisions is employed (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-114167 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-70092 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-124943 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to protect the fuel hose from a vehicle collision, it is desirable to position the fuel hose near the surface of the cylinder block to avoid interference with auxiliary machinery that moves backward during a vehicle collision. However, positioning the fuel hose near the cylinder block can cause the fuel hose to heat up and can cause a so-called vapor lock, making it difficult to supply fuel. For this reason, there is a need for a method to protect the fuel hose from a vehicle collision while suppressing the temperature rise of the fuel hose.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to protect a fuel hose from a vehicle collision while suppressing a rise in temperature of the fuel hose. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, the engine is an engine having an engine body consisting of a pair of cylinder banks, and includes an intake manifold attached to the engine body and guiding air to an intake port, a clip provided on the intake manifold and having a fragile portion, a fuel hose attached to the clip and guiding fuel to an injector, and a biasing member attached to the fuel hose and biasing the fuel hose toward the engine body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In one embodiment, the engine includes a clip provided to an intake manifold and having a frangible portion. The engine also includes a fuel hose attached to the clip and guiding fuel to an injector, and a biasing member attached to the fuel hose and biasing the fuel hose toward the engine body. This configuration can protect the fuel hose from a vehicle collision while suppressing a temperature rise in the fuel hose. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the engine in the engine compartment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the engine shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view showing the engine from the front of the vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a view showing the engine from the front of the vehicle. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the clip of the branch and its vicinity taken along line AA in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which a fuel hose moves due to a vehicle collision. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the position of the fuel hose after a vehicle collision. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an engine according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, identical or substantially identical configurations and elements are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described repeatedly.

[0010] [Vehicle structure] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle 11 equipped with an engine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 11 is equipped with a powertrain 13 including the engine 10 and a transmission 12. Wheels 17 are connected to an output shaft 14 of the powertrain 13 via a propeller shaft 15 and a differential mechanism 16. The vehicle 11 is also provided with a fuel tank 18 that stores fuel such as gasoline, and the fuel tank 18 and the engine 10 are connected to each other via a low-pressure fuel pipe 19 and the like. The vehicle 11 shown in the figure is a rear-wheel drive vehicle, but is not limited to this and may be a front-wheel drive vehicle or an all-wheel drive vehicle.

[0011] [Engine structure] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the engine 10 in the engine room 20 from above, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the engine 10 shown in Fig. 2. Note that the engine 10 shown in the figure is a horizontally opposed engine having a pair of cylinder banks 21, 22, but is not limited to this and may be a V-type engine having a pair of cylinder banks, etc.

[0012] 2 to 4, the engine 10 has an engine body 23 consisting of a pair of cylinder banks 21, 22. The engine body 23 includes a cylinder block 24 that constitutes one of the cylinder banks 21, and a cylinder block 25 that constitutes the other of the cylinder banks 22. A cylinder head 26 is attached to one of the cylinder blocks 24, and a cylinder head 27 is attached to the other of the cylinder blocks 25. Each of the cylinder heads 26, 27 is formed with intake ports 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b that communicate with the combustion chambers, as well as with an exhaust port (not shown) that communicates with the combustion chambers.

[0013] The engine body 23 is also provided with an intake system 30 that supplies air to the intake ports 26a, 26b, 27a, and 27b. The intake system 30 is composed of an intake duct 31, an air cleaner box 32, an intake duct 33, a throttle body 34, and an intake manifold 35. The intake manifold 35 attached to the engine body 23 includes a surge tank 36 connected to the throttle body 34 and multiple branches 37, 38, 39, and 40 extending from the surge tank 36 toward the intake ports 26a, 26b, 27a, and 27b. Clips 41 and 42 are formed on the branches 37 and 38 of the intake manifold 35, and a fuel hose 43 is attached to these clips 41 and 42. The intake manifold 35, which guides air toward the intake ports 26a, 26b, 27a, and 27b, is made of a synthetic resin material such as nylon resin or polyamide resin.

[0014] 3, engine body 23 is provided with a fuel system 50 that supplies fuel to injectors 44-47. Fuel system 50 includes a fuel pump 51 driven by a camshaft (not shown) or the like, a low-pressure fuel system 52 connected to an intake port 51i of fuel pump 51, and a high-pressure fuel system 53 connected to a discharge port 51o of fuel pump 51. Low-pressure fuel system 52 includes a fuel hose 43 connected to intake port 51i of fuel pump 51, and a feed pump 54 connected to fuel hose 43 via low-pressure fuel piping 19. Fuel is supplied from fuel tank 18 to fuel pump 51 by driving feed pump 54 in fuel tank 18.

[0015] The high-pressure fuel system 53 has a delivery pipe 55 provided in one cylinder head 26 and a delivery pipe 56 provided in the other cylinder head 27. One delivery pipe 55 is connected to a discharge port 51o of the fuel pump 51 via a high-pressure fuel pipe 57, and the other delivery pipe 56 is connected to the fuel tank 18 via a relief valve 58 and a return pipe 59. The two delivery pipes 55, 56 are also connected to each other via a high-pressure fuel pipe 60. Furthermore, one delivery pipe 55 is provided with injectors 44, 46 that inject fuel into a combustion chamber (not shown), and the other delivery pipe 56 is provided with injectors 45, 47 that inject fuel into a combustion chamber (not shown).

[0016] The engine body 23 is also provided with a compressor 62 and an alternator 63, both of which are driven by a crank pulley 61. The compressor 62 and the alternator 63 are disposed in front of the intake manifold 35, i.e., at the front of the vehicle. The illustrated compressor 62 is a compressor for an air conditioner.

[0017] [Fuel hose mounting structure] Next, the mounting structure of the fuel hose 43 to the intake manifold 35 will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are views showing the engine 10 from the front of the vehicle 11. Figure 4 shows the engine 10 with the alternator 63 and compressor 62 attached, while Figure 5 shows the engine 10 with the alternator 63 and compressor 62 removed. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the clip 41 of the branch 37 and its vicinity taken along line AA in Figure 5. The clip 42 provided on the branch 38 has the same structure as the clip 41 shown in Figure 6.

[0018] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, clips 41 and 42 are provided on the branches 37 and 38 of the intake manifold 35, and these clips 41 and 42 hold the fuel hose 43. By arranging the fuel hose 43 along the branches 37 and 38 of the intake manifold 35 in this way, the fuel hose 43 can be arranged away from the cylinder blocks 24 and 25. This makes it possible to suppress a temperature rise in the fuel hose 43 through which low-pressure fuel flows, thereby suppressing the generation of fuel vapor and avoiding so-called vapor lock. The fuel hose 43, which guides fuel toward the injectors 44 to 47, has a two-layer or three-layer structure made of flexible rubber, resin, or the like. The fuel hose 43 is also called a fuel tube.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 6 , clip 41, which holds fuel hose 43, is configured with a rear wall 70, an upper wall 71, and a lower wall 72 so as to have a substantially C-shaped cross section. A thin plate connecting portion (weak portion) 74 is provided on rear wall 70 of clip 41, and clip 41 is connected to a side wall 73 of branch 37 via connecting portion 74. A protrusion 75 that protrudes toward rear wall 70 of clip 41 is formed on side wall 73 of branch 37. Clip 41 and engine body 23 are connected to each other via spring member (biasing member) 80, and the spring force of spring member 80 biases clip 41 toward engine body 23. That is, one end of spring member 80 is attached to clip 41, and the other end of spring member 80 is attached to engine body 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the clip 42 and the engine body 23 are connected to each other via a spring member (biasing member) 81, and the clip 42 is biased toward the engine body 23 by the spring force of the spring member 81.

[0020] [Fuel hose movement due to vehicle collision] Next, the movement of fuel hose 43 due to a vehicle collision will be described. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the movement of fuel hose 43 due to a vehicle collision. Fig. 7 shows the movement of fuel hose 43 due to a vehicle collision in the order of times t1, t2, and t3. Note that Fig. 7 shows the same parts as those shown in Fig. 6.

[0021] In the event of a frontal vehicle collision of the vehicle 11, the components in the engine compartment 20 are pushed in and move rearward. As a result, the compressor 62 and alternator 63, which are disposed in front of the intake manifold 35, also move toward the rearward intake manifold 35 during a vehicle collision. As shown at time t2 in FIG. 7 , when the compressor 62 is pushed toward the rearward clip 41, the rearward moving compressor 62 comes into contact with the clip 41. When a load is input from the compressor 62 to the clip 41 in this way, the connecting portion 74 of the clip 41, which is weaker than other portions, breaks.

[0022] Here, as indicated by arrow α in Figure 7, clip 41 is being pulled downward by spring member 80. Therefore, as indicated by time t3 in Figure 7, clip 41, whose connecting portion 74 has broken and separated from intake manifold 35, moves toward cylinder block 24, i.e., engine body 23, due to the spring force of spring member 80. At this time, fuel hose 43 is held by clip 41, so fuel hose 43 also moves toward cylinder block 24 together with clip 41. Note that with regard to clip 42 of branch 38, connecting portion 74 breaks due to contact with alternator 63, which moves rearward due to a vehicle collision, and clip 42 and fuel hose 43 move toward cylinder block 24.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the position of fuel hose 43 after a vehicle collision. Similarly to FIG. 5, FIG. 8 shows engine 10 as seen from the front of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 8, clips 41 and 42 move toward cylinder blocks 24 and 25 due to a vehicle collision, and fuel hose 43 also moves closer to cylinder blocks 24 and 25. This allows fuel hose 43 to escape from compressor 62 and alternator 63, which are moving rearward, thereby protecting fuel hose 43 during a vehicle collision. Furthermore, the vicinity of cylinder blocks 24 and 25, where fuel hose 43 moves, is less likely to be intruded into by components during a vehicle collision compared to other locations in engine compartment 20. Therefore, fuel hose 43 can be appropriately protected from this perspective as well.

[0024] [Other embodiments] In the above description, the spring members 80, 81 are attached to the clips 41, 42 of the branches 37, 38, but this is not limitative and the spring members 80, 81 may be attached directly to the fuel hose 43. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an engine 90 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Like Fig. 5, Fig. 9 shows the engine 90 as seen from the front of the vehicle.

[0025] As shown in Figure 9, clips 41, 42 are provided on branches 37, 38 of intake manifold 35, and these clips 41, 42 hold fuel hose 43. Furthermore, fuel hose 43 and engine body 23 are connected to each other via spring members 80, 81, and the spring force of spring members 80, 81 urges fuel hose 43 toward engine body 23. Note that one end of spring members 80, 81 is attached to fuel hose 43 via collars 91, 92, and the other end of spring members 80, 81 is attached to engine body 23. Even when spring members 80, 81 are attached directly to fuel hose 43 in this way, like engine 10 described above, fuel hose 43 can be moved toward cylinder blocks 24, 25 during a vehicle collision, making it possible to protect fuel hose 43 from a vehicle collision.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the above description, the clips 41, 42 are provided with the thin-plate connecting portions (weak portions) 74. However, this is not a limitation. For example, the clips 41, 42 may be provided with connecting portions having other shapes, such as rod shapes. In the illustrated example, the clips 41, 42 are integrally formed with the intake manifold 35. However, this is not a limitation. The intake manifold 35 and the clips 41, 42 may be formed separately. In the above description, the intake manifold 35 and the clips 41, 42 are formed using a synthetic resin material. However, this is not a limitation. The intake manifold 35 and the clips 41, 42 may be formed using a metal material, such as aluminum.

[0027] In the above description, two clips 41, 42 are provided for intake manifold 35, but this is not limited thereto, and one clip may be provided for intake manifold 35, or three or more clips may be provided for intake manifold 35. Also, in the above description, two spring members 80, 81 are provided for fuel hose 43, but this is not limited thereto, and one spring member may be provided for fuel hose 43, or three or more spring members may be provided for fuel hose 43.

[0028] In the above description, the connecting portions 74 of the clips 41, 42 are broken by the compressor 62 or the alternator 63 moving backward, but this is not limited thereto, and the connecting portions 74 of the clips 41, 42 may be broken by other components in the engine compartment 20. Also, in the above description, the connecting portions (weak portions) 74 are provided on the rear walls 70 of the clips 41, 42, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, a weak portion such as a notch may be formed in the bottom walls 72 of the clips 41, 42. In this case, by breaking the bottom walls 72 of the clips 41, 42 in the event of a vehicle collision, the fuel hose 43 can be separated from the clips 41, 42, and the fuel hose 43 can be moved near the cylinder blocks 24, 25.

[0029] In the above description, spring members 80, 81 are used as the biasing members that bias the fuel hose 43 toward the engine body 23, but this is not limiting. For example, a rubber member that biases the fuel hose 43 by elastic force may be used as the biasing member, or a magnet that biases the fuel hose 43 by magnetic force may be used as the biasing member. Furthermore, in the above description, the engines 10, 90 are provided with a high-pressure fuel system 53, but this is not limiting, and the present invention may be applied to engines that do not have a high-pressure fuel system 53. Furthermore, while the engine 10 shown in the drawings is a longitudinally mounted engine, this is not limiting, and the present invention may be applied to a transversely mounted engine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10 Engine 21,22 cylinder banks 23 Engine body 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b intake ports 35 intake manifold 41,42 clips 43 Fuel hose 44~47 Injector 62 Compressor 63 Alternator 74 Connecting part (weak part) 80, 81 Spring member (biasing member) 90 Engine

Claims

1. An engine having an engine body consisting of a pair of cylinder banks, an intake manifold attached to the engine body and guiding air to an intake port; a clip provided on the intake manifold and having a fragile portion; a fuel hose attached to the clip and guiding fuel to the injector; a biasing member attached to the fuel hose and biasing the fuel hose toward the engine body; An engine having:

2. 2. The engine of claim 1, The biasing member is attached to the fuel hose via the clip. engine.

3. 3. The engine of claim 2, The biasing member is a spring member attached to the engine body and the clip. engine.

4. In the engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a compressor disposed in front of the intake manifold; engine.

5. The engine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, an alternator disposed in front of the intake manifold; engine.

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