JP7120735B2 - automotive engine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automobile engine characterized by an oil strainer and an oil pan.

The engine is equipped with an oil pan that stores oil, and the oil that has accumulated in the oil pan is sucked up by a strainer and sent to each part. Strainers come in many forms, but often have a mouthpiece that extends generally downward toward the bottom surface of the oil. On the other hand, the oil pan is provided with a drain hole for draining the oil when changing the oil, and the drain plug is removed to drain the oil.

As a prior art related to the strainer and the drain hole, Patent Document 1 discloses that the suction port of the strainer and the drain hole are formed concentrically, the lower end of the suction port and the drain plug are engaged, and the suction port is drained. A structure is disclosed that allows extraction from a hole.

CD-ROM of Japanese Utility Model No. 05-96411

By the way, in the automobile engine, the mounting manner to the vehicle body differs depending on the structure of the automobile.In the sedan type, it is arranged in the engine room located in front of the passenger compartment, and the windshield rises from the front grill. In such a one-box vehicle, the engine is arranged in the space under the floor.

In any case, since the oil pan, which constitutes the lower surface of the engine, is exposed toward the ground, the oil pan may be hit by pebbles splashed by the running of the car, or by hitting stones protruding from the road surface. The bread may become dented.

If the dent in the oil pan is large, the suction port of the strainer may receive an impact, and the suction port may be broken or deformed. become. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to easily confirm the state of damage to the mouthpiece.

In this regard, if the strainer and the drain hole are formed concentrically as in Patent Document 1, if the oil pan is dented and the suction port is damaged, the suction port can be visually recognized by removing the drain plug. However, since the end face of the mouthpiece can only be seen from below, there are cases where it is not possible to grasp what kind of damage the mouthpiece has received, and there are cases where it is difficult to judge whether or not it can be driven. be.

The present invention is made to improve such a situation.

The claimed invention is
"An oil pan and a strainer are provided, and the oil pan has a drain hole that is closed by a drain plug, while the strainer has a suction port that is immersed in the oil accumulated in the oil pan from above. and
A weakened portion that can be broken or deformed when the oil pan deforms upward and collides is formed in the lower part of the mouthpiece of the strainer.
In claim 1, in the basic configuration,
"The drain hole has an upwardly sloping wall and is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed, and the weakened portion is broken or deformed. It is visible through the drain hole.”
It is configured.
On the other hand, in the invention of claim 2, in claim 1,
"The drain hole is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed,
The weakened portion is formed such that the weakest portion faces the drain hole."
It is configured.

In the present invention, when the oil pan contacts the road surface and deforms while the automobile is running, and the strainer's mouthpiece is impacted by the deformation, the weakened portion is damaged or deformed, and the mouthpiece closes. You can prevent it from slipping. Therefore, when the impact due to contact with the road surface is not so strong, the oil sucking function is maintained, so that the engine operation (the vehicle running) can be continued.

In addition, according to the present invention, since a person can visually recognize the damaged state of the mouthpiece through the drain hole, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the operation can be continued without removing the oil pan. If the size of the drain hole is set so that a person's finger can be inserted, even if it is dark and it is difficult to see the inside of the oil pan, inserting a finger into the drain hole and touching the mouthpiece will prevent damage to the mouthpiece. It is possible to grasp the situation of

As described above, according to the present invention, since it is possible to check the state of damage to the suction port without removing the oil pan, it is possible to promptly take countermeasures thereafter.
When the drain hole is formed in the inclined wall portion of the oil pan as in claim 2, the drain hole and the drain plug are positioned higher than the bottom surface of the oil pan, so the drain plug collides with the road surface. can be prevented. Also, if it is formed in the rear part of the oil pan, the drain hole and the drain plug are located behind in the forward direction of the vehicle body. It is possible to prevent this and facilitate the draining of the oil.

It is the back view which looked at the engine of embodiment from the back. FIG. 2 is a bottom view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an auxiliary crankcase; It is the figure which looked at the auxiliary crankcase from the IV-IV direction of FIG. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view seen from the V-V direction of FIG. 1; It is the perspective view which looked at the auxiliary crankcase from the top. There is a VII-VII cross section in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6; It is a bottom view of an auxiliary crankcase. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X of FIG. 9, and (B) is a diagram showing the action.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following description, terms such as front-rear, left-right, and up-down are used to specify directions. The front-rear direction is the direction of the crank axis, the left-right direction is the horizontal direction orthogonal to the crank axis direction, and the up-down direction is the vertical direction. . Regarding the front and rear, according to the general designation used for engines, the side where the timing chain and auxiliary equipment are arranged is the front, and the side where the transmission is arranged is the rear. For clarity, the directions are clearly indicated in FIGS. 1-4.

The direction of the cylinder axis in the cylinder block is called the top face, which faces the piston during the compression stroke, and the bottom face, which faces the piston during the expansion stroke. It is distinguished from the vertical direction, which is the direction.

(1) Outline of Engine This embodiment is applied to a four-cylinder engine. As shown in FIG. 1 (see also FIG. 2), the engine includes a cylinder block 1, a cylinder head 2 fixed to the top surface thereof, and a head cover 3 fixed to the top surface of the cylinder head 2. It is a slant type engine with the axis O1 laid flat. The cylinder axis O1 is inclined at an angle of about a little over 60° (a little less than 30° with respect to the horizontal plane O3) with respect to the vertical line O2.

In this manner, the oil pan 4 is attached to the bottom surface of the cylinder block 1 via the auxiliary crankcase 5 by slanting the cylinder axis O1 substantially horizontally. That is, the auxiliary crankcase 5 is fixed to the bottom surface of the cylinder block 1 and the oil pan 4 is fixed to the bottom surface of the auxiliary crankcase 5 .

In this embodiment, the cylinder block 1, the cylinder head 2, the auxiliary crankcase 5, and the oil pan 4 constitute an engine body. The auxiliary crankcase 5 is an aluminum die-cast product, and the oil pan 4 is a sheet metal product.

As shown in FIG. 7, the journal portion of the crankshaft 6 is rotatably held in the bottom opening of the cylinder block 1 by a group of crank caps 7 . Therefore, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, the front and rear walls of the auxiliary crankcase 5 are formed with notches 8 for allowing the crank cap 7 to escape.

1, the auxiliary crankcase 5 and the rear surface of the auxiliary crankcase 5 are provided with receiving ribs 9 for fixing the transmission case (thus, the parallel oblique lines indicate the end face). It is not a representation, and the same applies to the other figures, except for FIG.

In this embodiment, the intake side faces upward and the exhaust side faces downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a catalyst case 10 is arranged below the cylinder head 2, and an intake manifold 12 having a surge tank 11 is arranged above the cylinder block 1 and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, a timing chain 13 driven by the crankshaft 6 is arranged on the front portion of the main body, and the timing chain 13 is covered with a front cover 14 .

The engine of this embodiment is mounted on the vehicle body with the crankshaft 6 directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In other words, it is a vertically mounted engine. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the engine coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Further, the engine of this embodiment is for a one-box vehicle, and is arranged in the space below the floor of the passenger compartment.

The cylinder block 1 is formed with an oil return passage for returning the oil accumulated in the valve gear chamber to the oil pan 4. In a vertical engine, the oil is directed to the front side and the tension side of the timing chain 13 when the vehicle body turns. , which can lead to insufficient oil return.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the timing chain arrangement space formed by the cylinder block 1 and the front cover 14 is also used as an auxiliary passage for oil return, and when the vehicle body turns, the timing chain 13 goes around the vehicle. The oil is returned to the oil pan 4. Oil flows through the auxiliary passage by the raking action of the timing chain 13 and flows down to the oil pan 4 via the rear portion of the auxiliary crankcase 5 as indicated by arrow 15 in FIG.

(2). Basic Structure of Auxiliary Crankcase As shown in FIG. On the other hand, as can be easily understood from FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, the auxiliary crankcase 5 opens toward the cylinder block 1 and downward, and the oil pan 4 is fixed to the lower surface.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary crankcase 5 has an upper longitudinal side portion (upper surface portion) 18 and a lower longitudinal side portion 19 extending in the crank axial direction, and a baffle plate (bottom plate) 20 connecting them. These three are integrally connected by front and rear walls 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 3, for example.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the baffle plate 20 has a plurality of oil drop holes 23 (23a, 23b, 23c). A plurality of oil pits 23 are provided, and are given a reference numeral 23 when collectively referred to, and are given suffixes a, b, and c when they need to be named individually.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper longitudinal side portion 18 and the lower longitudinal side portion 19 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 are provided with inward boss portions 24 for fixing the auxiliary crankcase 5 to the cylinder block 1. are intermittently arranged in the direction. Since the upper surface of the oil pan 4 is horizontal, the lateral width of the upper longitudinal side portion 18 is large, and the lateral width of the lower longitudinal side portion 19 is large.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 8, the upper longitudinal side portion 18 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 is formed with a downward stepped portion 25 extending in the front-rear direction (crank axis direction). A baffle plate 20 is connected to the bottom end of the .

The oil pump is arranged on the front cover 14 shown in FIG. 2, and the oil is sucked up by the oil pump through a strainer 26 shown in FIG. 8, for example. As shown in FIG. 8, the strainer 26 is composed of a sideways pipe 27 (see also FIG. 4) elongated in the axial direction of the crankshaft and a mouthpiece 28 connected to the tip thereof. Therefore, it has a bent structure.

4, the lateral pipe 27 of the strainer 26 is arranged inside the auxiliary crankcase 5 along the front end of the lower longitudinal side portion 19. It is bolted to the front wall 21 and the lower longitudinal side 19 . The bolts fixed to the front wall 21 are elongated in the direction of the crank axis, while the bolts fixed to the lower longitudinal side 19 are perpendicular to the crank axis.

As shown in FIG. 7, a hole 29 communicating with a mouthpiece 28 is formed at the tip of the horizontal pipe 27 . 2, 6, 9 and 10, the baffle plate 20 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 is provided with relief holes 30 through which the mouthpiece 28 passes.

The oil sucked by the oil pump is filtered by the oil filter 31 shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the front wall portion 21 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 is provided with a mounting seat 32 for fixing the oil filter 31 so as to protrude forward. It should be noted that reference numerals 33 and 34 in FIG. 3 denote boss portions forming oil passages.

A PCV passage formed in the cylinder block 1 is indicated by reference numeral 35 in FIG. The auxiliary crankcase 5 is provided with eaves-like baffle ribs 36 and a land portion 37 facing the PCV passage 35 in order to prevent the flow of oil mist generated by the rotation of the crankshaft 6 from flowing toward the PCV passage 35. is doing.

(3) Structure of Baffle Plate As shown in FIG. 8 (see also FIG. 10), the baffle plate 20 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 has a curved portion 20a that bulges upward when viewed in a front sectional view from the crank axial direction. formed. The curved portion 20a is gently curved as a whole, but the highest vertex (ridgeline) is located at the longitudinal center line O4 (see FIGS. 6 and 9) that bisects the oil pan 4 (and the baffle plate 20) into left and right. It is brought close to the cylinder block 1 (offset) so as to be positioned near the cylinder block 1 . In this embodiment, the baffle plate 20 is curved as a whole, but the curved portion 20a may be formed only at a portion near the crankshaft 6, and the baffle plate 20 may be composed of the curved portion 20a and the flat portion. It is possible.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the front portion of the baffle plate 20 near the oil filter mounting seat 32 is a flat portion 20b that is not provided with the curved portion 20a. Therefore, the flat portion 20b is lower than the lower end of the curved portion 20a. As described above, when the vehicle body turns, the oil is scraped out toward the oil pan 4 using the timing chain 13, and the scraped-out oil is directed toward the flat portion 20b. Therefore, the flat portion 20b is provided with an auxiliary oil drop hole 23 that is long in the longitudinal direction (long in the left-right direction).

In addition, the baffle plate 20 has a main oil drop hole 23b into which the oil flowing down from the oil return passage provided in the cylinder block 1 directly enters, and the oil flowing on the upper surface of the baffle plate 20 and the oil of the oil jet for cooling the piston. A sub-oil drop hole 23c is formed into which the oil scattered in the crank chamber enters.

Since the oil scattered in the crank chamber also flows into the main oil drop hole 23b, strictly speaking, it is difficult to distinguish between the main oil drop hole 23b and the sub drop hole. A main oil pit 23b can be called a main oil pit 23b, and a sub oil pit 23c can be called a sub oil pit 23c formed farther from the crankshaft 6 than the vertex 40 of the curved portion 20a.

In order to shorten the warm-up time of the engine, it is necessary to quickly raise the temperature of the oil, and in order to do so, it is beneficial to circulate the oil that has been warmed through various parts of the engine and return it to the oil pump. be. However, if the oil returned from the cylinder block 1 diffuses widely in the oil pan 4, the oil that has heated up around the engine cannot be effectively used, and the early temperature rise of the oil is impaired.

On the other hand, as in the embodiment, if the curved portion 20a is formed in the baffle plate 20 and the main oil drop hole 23b is formed in a portion closer to the crankshaft 6 than the apex 40 of the curved portion 20a, the oil in the cylinder block 1 will be Since the oil that has flowed down from the drop passage flows down to the vicinity of the suction port 28 of the strainer 26, the heated oil can be sucked up again and circulated. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to shortening the warm-up time by realizing an early temperature rise of the oil.

As means for returning the oil to a portion of the oil pan 4 near the cylinder block 1, it is possible to provide the baffle plate 20 with longitudinal ribs. It becomes difficult to remove from the mold during manufacturing. That is, the auxiliary crankcase 5 has an inner surface formed by a slide die provided on the upper die, with the upper die and the lower die separated vertically in the state shown in FIG. Since it slides in the direction indicated by the arrow 41, the rib cannot be projected.

On the other hand, if the curved portion 20a is formed as in the embodiment, the curved portion 20a can be formed in a state in which the slide die is allowed to retreat. can be concentrated to achieve an early temperature rise. This point is one of the great advantages of the present embodiment.

Further, the baffle plate 20 has the function of preventing the oil from splashing up, and since it is formed integrally with the auxiliary crankcase 5, the rigidity of the auxiliary crankcase can be improved. Further, when the baffle plate 20 is curved, there is an advantage that when the vehicle body shakes from side to side and the oil fluctuates, the movement of the oil can be smoothed and the inflow to the suction port 28 can be improved.

(4) Mouthpiece/drain hole The mouthpiece 28 that constitutes the strainer 26 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. As well as being located, it is inclined downward and forward (it is also inclined in the left and right direction).

Further, the lower portion of the mouthpiece 28 is a thinned small diameter portion 28a as an example of a weakened portion described in the claims. Accordingly, the small-diameter portion 28a is a weakened portion that is weak against impact, and if the oil pan 4 hits a stone or the like on the road surface and is dented upward, the small-diameter portion 28a is damaged or deformed. Therefore, the mouthpiece 28 does not break from the base of the upper end, and the engine can continue to run even if the damage is minor.

More specifically, since the suction port 28 of the strainer 26 is located at the deepest part of the oil pan 4, the oil pan 4 tends to hit the road surface in the vicinity of the suction port 28 during running. Even if it hits the road surface and is dented and deformed, the damage to the mouthpiece 28 is kept in the lower part, thereby enabling continuous operation.

The small-diameter portion 28a of the mouthpiece 28 may be formed by simply reducing the thickness, or may be reduced in diameter while making the thickness uniform as a whole. If the thickness is made uniform as a whole, a step is formed on the inner surface at the upper end of the small diameter portion 28a.

The baffle plate 20 of the oil pan 4 has a drain hole 42 through which oil is drained when the oil is changed, and the drain hole 42 is closed with a drain plug (bolt) 43 screwed in from below.

In the present embodiment, the drain hole 42 is formed in the inclined portion of the rear wall portion 44 behind the lower end portion of the suction port 28 in the oil pan 4 so that the small diameter portion 28a of the suction port 28 can be visually recognized by a person. is provided with a drain hole 42.

Therefore, if the oil pan 4 is dented and the small diameter portion 28a of the suction port 28 is broken or deformed, the oil can or cannot be sucked by removing the oil and looking inside. You can check whether As a result, it can be easily determined whether the vehicle can be driven to the service shop or whether the tow truck must be used.

The suction port 28 can be seen by looking into the inside of the oil pan 4 with a light, but if there is no light or it is dark and difficult to see, put your fingertip on the small diameter part and feel the damage by feeling. I can grasp it. That is, if the tip of the finger can be reached and the state of breakage or bending can be determined, the operation is possible.

When the drain hole 42 is formed in the inclined rear wall portion 44 at the rear portion of the oil pan 4 as in the embodiment, the drain hole 42 and the drain plug 43 are positioned higher than the lowermost surface of the oil pan 4 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain plug 43 from colliding with the road surface. In addition, since the drain hole 42 is positioned at the rear in the forward direction of the vehicle body, even if the oil pan 4 is greatly dented upon collision with the road surface, the drain plug 43 is prevented from being damaged and the oil is drained. can be easily performed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, the applicable engine is not limited to the slant type, but can be applied to an engine in which the cylinder bore is in a vertical or nearly vertical position. In this case, no auxiliary crankcase is required. Also, as a weakened portion of the mouthpiece, it is possible to form an annular notch in a portion near the lower end.

The present invention can be embodied in an internal combustion engine. Therefore, it can be used industrially.

1 cylinder block 4 oil pan 5 auxiliary crankcase 6 crankshaft 18 upper longitudinal side of auxiliary crankcase 19 lower longitudinal side of auxiliary crankcase 20 baffle plate of auxiliary crankcase 20a curved portion 23 (23a to 23c) oil drop hole 26 Strainer 27 Lateral pipe that constitutes the strainer 28 Mouth that constitutes the strainer 30 Relief hole 40 Vertex of curved portion 42 Drain hole 43 Drain plug

Claims (2)

An oil pan and a strainer are provided, and the oil pan is formed with a drain hole that is closed by a drain plug, while the strainer has a suction port that is immersed from above in the oil accumulated in the oil pan. equipped with
A weakened portion that can be broken or deformed when the oil pan deforms upward and collides is formed at the lower part of the suction port of the strainer,
The drain hole has an upwardly sloping wall and is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed, and the weakened portion is broken or deformed. visible through the hole ,
automotive engine. An oil pan and a strainer are provided, and the oil pan is formed with a drain hole that is closed by a drain plug, while the strainer has a suction port that is immersed from above in the oil accumulated in the oil pan. equipped with
A weakened portion that can be broken or deformed when the oil pan deforms upward and collides is formed at the lower part of the suction port of the strainer ,
The drain hole is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed,
The weakened portion is formed such that the weakest portion faces the drain hole.
automotive engine.

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