Mounting bracket

Abstract

An internal-combustion-engine-side mounting bracket (6) is made of a metal and has a plurality of mounting portions (10). The mounting portions (10) are configured of protrudent parts each having a semi-cylindrical cross-sectional shape and projecting on the front side of a one-end-side surface of an internal combustion engine (1). Since the internal-combustion-engine-side mounting bracket (6) has the plurality of mounting portions (10), the mounting bracket (6) can be formed so as to be highly rigid and compact, without the need of enlarging the cross-sectional shape of the mounting portions (10). Mountability to vehicles can hence be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mount bracket for attaching an internal combustion engine to a vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a resin front cover in which a mount portion for attaching an internal combustion engine to a vehicle body is integrally formed.

[0003] However, since the front cover of Patent Document 1 is made of resin, if an attempt is made to ensure the rigidity of the mount portion, it is necessary to increase the cross-sectional shape of the mount portion, which may deteriorate the vehicle mounting property.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The mount bracket of the present invention has a plurality of mount portions for attaching an internal combustion engine to a vehicle body, and the plurality of mount portions are constituted by bulging portions protruding forward of the front end surface on one end side of the internal combustion engine.

[0006] By having a plurality of mount portions constituted by bulging portions, the mount bracket can be formed with high rigidity and compactness, and the vehicle mounting property can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory drawing schematically showing a schematic configuration of an internal combustion engine to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] A front view of an internal combustion engine to which an internal combustion engine side mount bracket is attached. [Figure 3]An exploded perspective view of the front cover and the mounting bracket on the internal combustion engine, which are attached to the internal combustion engine. [Figure 4] Rear view of the mounting bracket on the internal combustion engine side. [Figure 5] A perspective view of the internal combustion engine mounting bracket, seen from the rear. [Figure 6] A perspective view of the internal combustion engine mounting bracket, seen from the rear. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the X-axis represents the axis along the front-rear direction of the internal combustion engine 1 (an axis parallel to the central axis of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1), the Y-axis represents the axis along the left-right direction of the internal combustion engine 1 (the width direction of the internal combustion engine), and the Z-axis represents the axis along the up-down direction of the internal combustion engine 1 (an axis parallel to the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1).

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the general configuration of an internal combustion engine 1 to which the present invention is applied.

[0010] The internal combustion engine 1 is, for example, an in-line multi-cylinder internal combustion engine and includes a cylinder head 2, a cylinder block 3 attached to the lower part of the cylinder head 2, a cam bracket 4 attached to the upper part of the cylinder head 2, a front cover 5 that covers the front of the internal combustion engine 1, and a metal internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 located on the front of the front cover 5. Reference numeral 7 in Figure 1 indicates a vehicle body side mounting bracket fixed to the vehicle body.

[0011] The cylinder head 2 is a casting made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and has an intake port (not shown) for supplying intake air to the combustion chamber (not shown) and an exhaust port (not shown) for discharging exhaust gas from the combustion chamber (not shown).

[0012] The cylinder block 3 is a casting made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy, and has a number of cylinders (not shown) corresponding to the number of cylinders.

[0013] The cam bracket 4 is made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy and rotatably supports the camshaft (not shown) together with the cylinder head 2.

[0014] The front cover 5 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyamide and is attached to the internal combustion engine body so as to cover the front surface of the engine body. More specifically, the front cover 5 is attached to the front surface of the cylinder block 3, the front surface of the cylinder head 2, and the front surface of the cam bracket 4 by bolts (not shown). In other words, the front cover 5 is positioned to cover one end face of the cylinder block 3 and cylinder head 2 in the direction of the crankshaft axis, that is, one end face of the internal combustion engine body in the direction of the cylinder row. The front cover 5 may also be a casting made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy.

[0015] The front cover 5 houses a crank sprocket (not shown) fixed to the front end of a crankshaft (not shown) and a cam sprocket (not shown) fixed to the front end of a camshaft (not shown) in the space formed between it and the front of the internal combustion engine body. A timing chain (not shown) for transmitting rotational power is wrapped around these crank sprockets and cam sprockets.

[0016] The internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 corresponds to the mount bracket and is attached to the end face of one end of the internal combustion engine 1 in the direction of the cylinder row. The internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is a casting made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is attached to the end face of one end of the cylinder head 2 and cylinder block 3 by six bolts 8, from the first bolt 8a to the sixth bolt 8f. The bolts 8 pass through the bolt boss portion 9 of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine-side mount bracket 6 has six bolt bosses 9, namely, the first bolt boss portion 9a to the sixth bolt boss portion 9f. FIG. 2 is a front view of the engine 1 to which the engine-side mount bracket 6 is attached. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front cover 5 attached to the engine 1 and the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0018] The first bolt 8a fixes the upper part of one end side in the engine width direction of the engine-side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder head 2 outside the front cover 5. The first bolt 8a passes through the first bolt boss portion 9a of the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0019] The second bolt 8b passes through the front cover 5 and fixes the upper part of the substantially central portion in the engine width direction of the engine-side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder head 2. The second bolt 8b passes through the second bolt boss portion 9b of the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0020] The third bolt 8c fixes the upper part of the other end side in the engine width direction of the engine-side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder head 2 outside the front cover 5. The third bolt 8c passes through the third bolt boss portion 9c of the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0021] The fourth bolt 8d fixes the lower part of one end side in the engine width direction of the engine-side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder block 3 outside the front cover 5. The fourth bolt 8d passes through the fourth bolt boss portion 9d of the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0022] The fifth bolt 8e passes through the front cover 5 and fixes the lower part of the substantially central portion in the engine width direction of the engine-side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder block 3. The fifth bolt 8e passes through the fifth bolt boss portion 9e of the engine-side mount bracket 6.

[0023] The sixth bolt 8f fixes the lower part of the other end side in the engine width direction of the engine side mount bracket 6 to the cylinder block 3 outside the front cover 5. The sixth bolt 8f penetrates through the sixth bolt boss portion 9f of the engine side mount bracket 6.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine side mount bracket 6 has a plurality (three) of mount portions 10. The mount portions 10 are for attaching the engine 1 to the vehicle body, and the upper end surface 11 is fixed to the vehicle body side mount bracket 7 with bolts (not shown).

[0025] The mount portion 10 is constituted by a bulging portion having a semi-cylindrical cross-section that protrudes forward of the end surface on one end side of the engine 1. That is, the back side of the mount portion 10 is hollowed out. Here, the front side of the end surface on one end side of the engine 1 is the front side of the engine 1, the left side in FIG. 1, and the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2. The mount portion 10 is formed so as to extend along the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the engine 1. That is, the mount portion 10 is elongated in the vertical direction, and its upper end surface 11 is fixed to the vehicle body side mount bracket 7. The upper end surface 11 is formed to be horizontal when the engine 1 is mounted on the vehicle body.

[0026] The mount portions 10 provided on the engine side mount bracket 6 are a first mount portion 10a located at one end side in the engine width direction of the engine side mount bracket 6, a second mount portion 10b located at the other end side in the engine width direction of the engine side mount bracket 6, and a third mount portion 10c located at the center in the engine width direction of the engine side mount bracket 6. The first mount portion 10a and the second mount portion 10b are a pair of mount portions located on both sides in the engine width direction.

[0027] The upper end surface 11a of the first mounting portion 10a is fixed to the vehicle body side mounting bracket 7. As shown in Figure 2, the first mounting portion 10a extends in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and its centerline C1 in the vertical direction is formed to be inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A which is parallel to the Z axis. More specifically, the first mounting portion 10a is formed to be inclined such that the lower end located on the lower side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 is located on one end side in the width direction of the internal combustion engine than the upper end (upper end surface 11a) located on the upper side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6.

[0028] Furthermore, the first mounting portion 10a is formed such that its centerline C1 points towards the fourth bolt 8d through which the fourth bolt boss portion 9d passes. In other words, the lower end of the first mounting portion 10a is formed to point towards the fixing point of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 relative to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0029] As a result, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 can more easily support the load received at the upper end surface 11a of the first mount portion 10a at the point of attachment to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

[0030] The upper end surface 11b of the second mounting portion 10b is fixed to the vehicle body side mounting bracket 7. As shown in Figure 2, the second mounting portion 10b extends in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and its centerline C2 in the vertical direction is formed to be inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A which is parallel to the Z axis. More specifically, the second mounting portion 10b is formed to be inclined such that the lower end located on the lower side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 is located on the other end in the width direction of the internal combustion engine than the upper end (upper end surface 11b) located on the upper side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6.

[0031] Furthermore, the second mounting portion 10b is formed such that its centerline C2 points towards the sixth bolt 8f through which the sixth bolt boss portion 9f passes. In other words, the lower end of the second mounting portion 10b is formed to point towards the fixing point of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 relative to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0032] As a result, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 can more easily support the load received at the upper end surface 11b of the second mount portion 10b at the point of attachment to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

[0033] The upper end surface 11c of the third mounting portion 10c is fixed to the vehicle body side mounting bracket 7. As shown in Figure 2, the third mounting portion 10c extends in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and its centerline C3 in the vertical direction is formed to be inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A which is parallel to the Z axis. More specifically, the third mounting portion 10c is formed to be inclined such that the lower end located on the lower side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 is located on one end side in the width direction of the internal combustion engine than the upper end (upper end surface 11c) located on the upper side of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6.

[0034] Furthermore, the third mounting portion 10c is formed such that its centerline C3 points towards the fifth bolt 8e through which the fifth bolt boss portion 9e passes. In other words, the lower end of the third mounting portion 10c is formed to point towards the fixing point of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 relative to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0035] As a result, the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 can more easily support the load received at the upper end surface 11c of the third mounting portion 10c at the point of attachment to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

[0036] Furthermore, the distance between the first mount 10a and the second mount portion 10b along the width direction of the internal combustion engine is formed to be wider (larger) towards the lower side in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1. The distance between the first mount 10a and the third mount portion 10c along the width direction of the internal combustion engine is formed to be wider (larger) towards the lower side in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1.

[0037] The distance between the second mount 10b and the third mount portion 10c along the width direction of the internal combustion engine is formed to become wider (larger) towards the lower side in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1.

[0038] The internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 has multiple ribs 12, as shown in Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a rear view of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6. Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 viewed from the rear (back) side.

[0039] The rib 12 is intended to increase the rigidity of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6, and connects the fastening points of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to the internal combustion engine 1, or the fastening points of the mount portion 10 to the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to the internal combustion engine 1. In other words, the rib 12 connects the bolt boss portions 9 to each other, or the mount portion 10 to the bolt boss portions 9. The rib 12 is a convex ridge formed to protrude from the back surface of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 toward one end face of the internal combustion engine 1, and is formed, for example, as a solid.

[0040] In this embodiment, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is provided with 10 ribs 12, from the first rib 12a to the tenth rib 12j.

[0041] The first rib 12a corresponds to the upper rib, extends linearly along the width direction of the internal combustion engine, and connects the first bolt boss portion 9a and the second bolt boss portion 9b. The first rib 12a is also connected to the upper end of the first mount portion 10a.

[0042] The second rib 12b corresponds to the upper rib, extends linearly along the width direction of the internal combustion engine, and connects the second bolt boss portion 9b and the third bolt boss portion 9c. The second rib 12b is also connected to the upper end of the second mounting portion 10b and the upper end of the third mounting portion 10c.

[0043] The third rib 12c corresponds to the lower rib, extends diagonally and linearly along the width direction of the internal combustion engine, and connects the fourth bolt boss portion 9d and the fifth bolt boss portion 9e. The third rib 12c is also connected to the lower end of the first mounting portion 10a and the lower end of the third mounting portion 10c.

[0044] The fourth rib 12d corresponds to the lower rib, extends diagonally and linearly along the width direction of the internal combustion engine, and connects the fifth bolt boss portion 9e and the sixth bolt boss portion 9f. The fourth rib 12d is also connected to the lower end of the second mounting portion 10b and the lower end of the third mounting portion 10c.

[0045] The fifth rib 12e extends linearly in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1 and connects the first bolt boss portion 9a and the fourth bolt boss portion 9d. The fifth rib 12e is also connected to the lower end of the first mounting portion 10a.

[0046] The sixth rib 12f extends diagonally and linearly along the vertical direction of the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, connecting the second bolt boss portion 9b and the fifth bolt boss portion 9e. The sixth rib 12f is also connected to the upper end of the first mounting portion 10a and the lower end of the third mounting portion 10c.

[0047] The seventh rib 12g extends vertically along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1 and connects the third bolt boss portion 9c and the sixth bolt boss portion 9f. The seventh rib 12g is also formed to curve in an arc outward from the second mounting portion 10b in the width direction of the internal combustion engine, with its upper end connected to the upper end of the second mounting portion 10b and its lower end connected to the lower end of the second mounting portion 10b.

[0048] The eighth rib 12h extends diagonally and linearly along the vertical direction of the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, connecting the second bolt boss portion 9b and the fourth bolt boss portion 9d. The eighth rib 12h is also connected to the upper and lower ends of the first mounting portion 10a.

[0049] The ninth rib 12i extends diagonally and linearly along the vertical direction of the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, connecting the second bolt boss portion 9b and the sixth bolt boss portion 9f. The ninth rib 12i is also connected to the upper end of the first mounting portion 10a and the lower end of the second mounting portion 10b.

[0050] The tenth rib 12j extends diagonally and linearly along the vertical direction of the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, connecting the upper end of the second mounting portion 10b and the fifth bolt boss portion 9e. The tenth rib 12j is also formed to cross the third mounting portion 10c.

[0051] The internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 in the above-described embodiment is made of metal and has multiple mount portions 10a to 10c formed by bulging portions that protrude forward from the end face of one end of the internal combustion engine 1. Therefore, it can be formed to be highly rigid and compact without increasing the cross-sectional shape of each mount portion 10a to 10c, thereby improving vehicle mountability.

[0052] Furthermore, the mounting portion 10 is formed to extend in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1. Therefore, the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 can have high vertical rigidity, and can efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

[0053] The mounting portion 10 extends vertically along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and its centerline C along the vertical direction is formed to be inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A which is parallel to the Z-axis. As a result, the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 can increase the lateral rigidity when viewed in the axial direction of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1, and can efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

[0054] The adjacent mounting portions 10 are connected on their back sides by ribs 12 at their lower ends in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1.

[0055] More specifically, the upper end of the first mounting section 10a and the upper end of the third mounting section 10c are connected by the first rib 12a and the second rib 12b. The lower end of the first mounting section 10a and the lower end of the third mounting section 10c are connected by the third rib 12c. In other words, the first mounting section 10a and the third mounting section 10c are connected to each other by the first rib 12a, the second rib 12b, and the third rib 12c. Furthermore, the upper end of the second mounting section 10b and the upper end of the third mounting section 10c are connected by the second rib 12b. The lower end of the second mounting section 10b and the lower end of the third mounting section 10c are connected by the fourth rib 12d. In other words, the second mounting section 10b and the third mounting section 10c are connected to each other by the second rib 12b and the fourth rib 12d.

[0056] As a result, the mounting bracket 6 on the internal combustion engine side can more efficiently increase the lateral rigidity of the internal combustion engine 1 in the axial view of the crankshaft, and can more efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

[0057] The internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is formed such that, when viewed in the axial direction of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine 1, the contour line P connecting the multiple mount portions 10 and the multiple ribs 12 is continuous in an annular shape.

[0058] More specifically, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is formed such that, in a view of the crankshaft axis of the internal combustion engine 1, the contour line P connecting the upper ends of the multiple mount portions 10a, 10b, and 10c in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1 on the back side, the third rib 12c and fourth rib 12d connecting the lower ends of the multiple mount portions 10a, 10b, and 10c in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1 on the back side, and the first mount portion 10a and the second mount portion 10b located on both sides in the width direction of the internal combustion engine perpendicular to the cylinder row direction of the internal combustion engine 1, is continuous in an annular shape including the upper ends of the multiple mount portions 10a, 10b, and 10c and the lower ends of the multiple mount portions 10a, 10b, and 10c.

[0059] As a result, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 can have a continuous, ring-shaped contour line P formed by connecting multiple mount sections 10a, 10b, 10c and multiple ribs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, thereby increasing rigidity more efficiently.

[0060] Furthermore, the mounting bracket 6 on the internal combustion engine side is connected to the internal combustion engine 1 at its fastening points by the 5th to 10th ribs 12e, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, and 12j, which also improves rigidity.

[0061] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0062] For example, the number of mounting parts 10 is not limited to three, but may be set according to the number of vehicle-side mounting brackets 7. In other words, for example, if there are four vehicle-side mounting brackets 7 that fix the front side (front end side) of the internal combustion engine body to the vehicle body, the number of mounting parts 10 will be four.

[0063] Furthermore, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 may be formed such that the center line C along the vertical direction of at least one of the multiple mount portions 10 is inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A which is parallel to the Z axis, while the remaining portions are formed parallel to the Z axis.

[0064] The mounting portion 10 may be formed such that its center line C points toward the bolt boss portion 9. Furthermore, the mounting portion 10 can also be formed so that its center line C does not point toward the bolt 8 or the bolt boss portion 9.

Claims

1. A mounting bracket attached to the end face of one end in the cylinder row direction of an internal combustion engine, The above-mentioned internal combustion engine has multiple mounting parts for attaching it to the vehicle body. The mounting bracket comprises multiple mounting portions that protrude independently from each other forward from the center of the mounting hole for fixing the vehicle body-side mounting bracket, which is provided above the mounting portion on the end face of one end of the internal combustion engine, and are also composed of bulging portions that protrude independently from each other at intervals.

2. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mounting portions are formed to extend vertically along the cylinder axis of the internal combustion engine.

3. The mounting bracket according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of mounting portions is formed such that, in a view of the crankshaft axis of the internal combustion engine, its center line along the vertical direction is inclined with respect to the cylinder axis.

4. The mounting bracket according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the adjacent mounting portions are connected to each other by ribs.

5. It has multiple ribs connected to multiple mounting parts, The mounting bracket according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, in an axial view of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, the contour line connecting the plurality of mounting portions and the plurality of ribs is formed to be continuous in an annular shape.

6. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the bulging portion has a semi-cylindrical cross-section with the back side hollowed out.

7. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the bulging portion is formed to extend vertically along the cylinder axis of the internal combustion engine, and its lower end points towards the fixing point of the mounting bracket to the internal combustion engine.

Images