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

Mounting bracket

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

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

[0003] However, since the front cover of Patent Document 1 is made of resin, in order to ensure the rigidity of the mount portion, the cross-sectional shape of the mount portion needs to be made larger, which may make it difficult to mount on a vehicle.

[0004] International Publication No. 2020 / 183687

[0005] The mounting bracket of the present invention has a plurality of mounting portions for attaching an internal combustion engine to a vehicle body, and the plurality of mounting portions are configured as bulging portions that protrude forward from an end face on one end side of the internal combustion engine.

[0006] The mount bracket has a plurality of mount portions formed by bulging portions, and thus can be formed to be highly rigid and compact, thereby improving the ease of mounting on a vehicle.

[0007] An explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an internal combustion engine to which the present invention is applied. A front view of the internal combustion engine with an internal combustion engine side mount bracket attached. An exploded perspective view of a front cover and an internal combustion engine side mount bracket attached to the internal combustion engine. A rear view of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket. A perspective view of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket as seen from the rear side. A perspective view of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket as seen from the rear side.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the X-axis indicates an axis along the longitudinal 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 indicates an axis along the lateral direction of the internal combustion engine 1 (the width direction of the internal combustion engine), and the Z-axis indicates an axis along the vertical direction of the internal combustion engine 1 (an axis parallel to the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1).

[0009] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows 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 surface of the internal combustion engine 1, and a metal internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6 located in front of the front cover 5. Note that reference numeral 7 in Fig. 1 denotes a vehicle-side mount 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 is formed with an intake port (not shown) for supplying intake air to a 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 an aluminum alloy, and has cylinders (not shown) formed therein, the number of which corresponds to the number of cylinders.

[0013] The cam bracket 4 is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and supports a camshaft (not shown) rotatably 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 surfaces of the cylinder block 3, the cylinder head 2, and the cam bracket 4 with bolts (not shown). In other words, the front cover 5 is arranged so as to cover one end surface of the cylinder block 3 and one end surface of the cylinder head 2 in the crankshaft axial direction, i.e., one end surface of the internal combustion engine body in the cylinder row direction. The front cover 5 may also be a casting made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy.

[0015] 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) are housed in the space formed between the front cover 5 and the front surface of the internal combustion engine body. A timing chain (not shown) for transmitting rotational power is wound around the crank sprocket and the cam sprocket.

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

[0017] 2 and 3, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 has six bolt boss portions 9, namely, a first bolt boss portion 9a to a sixth bolt boss portion 9f. Fig. 2 is a front view of the internal combustion engine 1 to which the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 is attached. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front cover 5 and the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 attached to the internal combustion engine 1.

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

[0019] The second bolt 8b passes through the front cover 5 and secures the upper part of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6, approximately at the center in the width direction of the internal combustion engine, to the cylinder head 2. The second bolt 8b passes through a second bolt boss portion 9b of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6.

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

[0021] The fourth bolt 8d secures the lower portion of one end of the engine-side mount bracket 6 in the width direction of the engine to the cylinder block 3 outside the front cover 5. The fourth bolt 8d passes through a 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 internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 at approximately the center in the width direction of the internal combustion engine to the cylinder block 3. The fifth bolt 8e passes through a fifth bolt boss portion 9e of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6.

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

[0024] 2 and 3, the internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6 has a plurality (three) of mount portions 10. The mount portions 10 are used to attach the internal combustion engine 1 to the vehicle body, and have upper end surfaces 11 fixed to the vehicle body-side mount bracket 7 with bolts (not shown).

[0025] The mount 10 is configured as a bulging portion with a semi-cylindrical cross section that protrudes forward from one end face of the internal combustion engine 1. In other words, the mount 10 has a hollowed-out back surface. Here, the forward side of one end face of the internal combustion engine 1 refers to the front side of the internal combustion engine 1, the left side in FIG. 1 , and the near side in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2 . The mount 10 is formed to extend in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1. In other words, the mount 10 is elongated in the vertical direction, and its upper end face 11 is fixed to the vehicle-side mount bracket 7. The upper end face 11 is formed to be horizontal when the internal combustion engine 1 is mounted on the vehicle body.

[0026] The mount portions 10 provided on the internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6 include a first mount portion 10a located on one end side of the internal combustion engine width direction of the internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6, a second mount portion 10b located on the other end side of the internal combustion engine width direction of the internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6, and a third mount portion 10c located in the center in the internal combustion engine width direction of the internal combustion 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 internal combustion engine width direction.

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

[0028] The first mount portion 10a is formed so that its center line C1 points toward the fourth bolt 8d through which the fourth bolt boss portion 9d passes. In other words, the first mount portion 10a is formed so that its lower end points toward the fastening point of the engine-side mount bracket 6 with respect to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0029] This makes it easier for the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to support the load received by the upper end surface 11a of the first mount portion 10a at the attachment point to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

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

[0031] The second mount portion 10b is formed so that its center line C2 points toward the sixth bolt 8f through which the sixth bolt boss portion 9f passes. In other words, the second mount portion 10b is formed so that its lower end points toward the fastening point of the engine-side mount bracket 6 with respect to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0032] This makes it easier for the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to support the load received by the upper end surface 11b of the second mount portion 10b at the attachment point to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

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

[0034] The third mount portion 10c is formed so that its center line C3 points toward the fifth bolt 8e through which the fifth bolt boss portion 9e passes. In other words, the third mount portion 10c is formed so that its lower end points toward the fastening point of the engine-side mount bracket 6 with respect to the internal combustion engine 1.

[0035] This makes it easier for the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to support the load received by the upper end surface 11c of the third mount portion 10c at the attachment point to the internal combustion engine 1, thereby improving overall rigidity.

[0036] The distance between the first mount 10a and the second mount portion 10b along the width direction of the internal combustion engine is wider (larger) as it moves downward in the up-down 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 wider (larger) as it moves downward in the up-down 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) toward the lower side in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 has a plurality of ribs 12. Figure 4 is a rear view of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6. Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 as seen from the rear side (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 connects the mount portion 10 to the fastening point of 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 connects the mount portion 10 to the bolt boss portion 9. The rib 12 is a convex strip 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, ten ribs 12, namely, a first rib 12a to a tenth rib 12j, are provided on the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6.

[0041] The first rib 12a corresponds to an 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 an 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 mount portion 10b and the upper end of the third mount portion 10c.

[0043] The third rib 12c corresponds to a lower rib, extends diagonally in a straight line 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 ends of the first mount portion 10a and the third mount portion 10c.

[0044] The fourth rib 12d corresponds to a lower rib, extends diagonally in a straight line 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 ends of the second mount portion 10b and the third mount 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 mount portion 10a.

[0046] The sixth rib 12f extends obliquely in a straight line in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and connects 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 mount portion 10a and the lower end of the third mount portion 10c.

[0047] The seventh rib 12g extends in the vertical direction 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 curved in an arc shape toward the outside of the internal combustion engine 1 more than the second mount portion 10b in the width direction of the internal combustion engine, with its upper end connected to the upper end of the second mount portion 10b and its lower end connected to the lower end of the second mount portion 10b.

[0048] The eighth rib 12h extends obliquely in a straight line in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and connects 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 mount portion 10a.

[0049] The ninth rib 12i extends obliquely in a straight line in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and connects 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 mount portion 10a and the lower end of the second mount portion 10b.

[0050] The tenth rib 12j extends diagonally in a straight line in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and connects the upper end of the second mount portion 10b and the fifth bolt boss portion 9e. The tenth rib 12j is also formed so as to cross the third mount portion 10c.

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

[0052] Furthermore, the mount 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 mount bracket 6 can have high vertical rigidity, and can efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

[0053] The mount portion 10 extends in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1, and is formed so that a center line C along the vertical direction is inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A, which is parallel to the Z axis. Therefore, the internal combustion engine-side mount bracket 6 can increase the left-right rigidity when viewed in the direction of the crankshaft axis of the internal combustion engine 1, and can efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

[0054] Adjacent mount portions 10 are connected to each other by ribs 12 on the back side at their lower ends in the up-down direction along the cylinder axis A of the internal combustion engine 1 .

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

[0056] This allows the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 to more efficiently increase the lateral rigidity when viewed in the direction of the crankshaft axis of the internal combustion engine 1, and more efficiently achieve both high rigidity and compactness.

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

[0058] In more detail, when viewed in the direction of the crankshaft axis of the internal combustion engine 1, the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6 has a first rib 12a and a second rib 12b that connect 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 at the back side, a third rib 12c and a fourth rib 12d that connect 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 at the back side, and a contour line P that connects the first mount portion 10a and the second mount portion 10b located on both sides in the internal combustion engine width direction perpendicular to the cylinder row direction of the internal combustion engine 1, and is formed so that the contour line P is continuous in a ring shape that includes 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] This allows the contour line P of the internal combustion engine side mount bracket 6, which connects the multiple mount portions 10a, 10b, 10c and the multiple ribs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, to be continuous in a ring shape, thereby making it possible to increase rigidity more efficiently.

[0060] Furthermore, the mounting bracket 6 on the internal combustion engine side has its fastening points connected to the internal combustion engine 1 by the fifth to tenth 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 above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

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

[0063] In addition, the internal combustion engine side mounting bracket 6 may be formed so that the center line C along the vertical direction of at least one of the multiple mounting portions 10 is inclined with respect to the cylinder axis A parallel to the Z axis, and the rest are formed parallel to the Z axis.

[0064] The mount portion 10 may be formed so that its center line C is oriented toward the bolt boss portion 9. Furthermore, the mount portion 10 may be formed so that its center line C is not oriented toward the bolt 8 or the bolt boss portion 9.

Claims

1. A mount bracket attached to an end surface of an internal combustion engine in a cylinder row direction, a plurality of mounts for mounting the internal combustion engine to a vehicle body; A mount bracket, wherein the plurality of mount portions are constituted by bulging portions independent of one another and protruding forward from an end face on one side of the internal combustion engine.

2. 2. The mount bracket according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mount portions are formed so as to extend in a vertical direction along a cylinder axis of the internal combustion engine.

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

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

5. a plurality of ribs connected to the plurality of mounting portions; 4. The mount bracket according to claim 2, wherein a contour line connecting the plurality of mount portions and the plurality of ribs is formed so as to be continuous in an annular shape when viewed in the axial direction of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine.

6. 2. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a cross section of a semi-cylindrical shape with a back surface hollowed out.

7. 2. The mount bracket according to claim 1, wherein the bulging portion is formed to extend in the vertical direction along the cylinder axis of the internal combustion engine, and a lower end of the bulging portion faces a fastening point of the mount bracket to the internal combustion engine.