JP7797432B2 - Water Outlet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water outlet provided at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

Conventionally, a water outlet is attached to the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine. Patent Document 1 discloses a water outlet having multiple connection parts, each of which is connected to a pipe leading to various devices such as a radiator, a heating heat exchanger, etc. This water outlet is equipped with a temperature sensor that can detect the temperature of the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a main passage through which the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine returns to the internal combustion engine via a radiator, a bypass passage through which the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine returns directly to the internal combustion engine, and a thermostat that opens and closes the bypass passage depending on the temperature of the coolant in the main passage.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-214064 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-70760

When using a temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine, it is preferable to place the temperature-sensing part of the temperature sensor close to the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine. However, the location of the temperature sensor cannot be freely set because it is restricted by the layout of other parts that make up the vehicle.
In addition, the position of the connection points for connecting various pipes to the water outlet cannot be freely set depending on the layout of the vehicle. Furthermore, depending on the open/close status of the pipes, stagnation may occur in the flow of coolant passing through the water outlet, and if the temperature sensor is located in this area, it is difficult to accurately detect the temperature of the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a water outlet that can improve the accuracy of temperature detection at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the water outlet according to the present invention is attached to a coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine and forms a flow path forming chamber between the water outlet and the internal combustion engine. The water outlet has a first connection part connected to a main passage leading to a radiator, and a second connection part connected to a bypass passage that bypasses the radiator.
The flow path forming chamber is formed with a coolant inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, and the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine flows into the flow path forming chamber from the inlet and flows out from the first outlet to the first connecting portion or from the second outlet to the second connecting portion.
The water outlet includes a flow straightening wall extending from between the inlet and the second outlet toward the first outlet. The inlet side of the flow straightening wall is the inside of the flow straightening wall, and the second outlet side is the outside of the flow straightening wall. The flow path forming chamber is formed with a first flow path through which the coolant flows from the inside of the flow straightening wall toward the first outlet, and a second flow path through which the coolant flows from the inside of the flow straightening wall, turns around at a longitudinal tip of the flow straightening wall, passes outside the flow straightening wall, and flows toward the second outlet. A temperature sensing portion of a temperature sensor is disposed in a region where the first flow path and the second flow path overlap.

With this configuration, when the main passage is open, the coolant that flows out of the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine and enters the flow passage chamber from the inlet flows through the first flow passage toward the first outlet. On the other hand, when the main passage is closed, the coolant that flows into the flow passage chamber from the inlet flows through the second flow passage toward the second outlet. The temperature sensor's temperature-sensing portion is located at the overlapping portion of the first and second flow passages, where coolant flows regardless of whether the main passage is open or closed. This improves the accuracy of the temperature sensor's detection of the coolant outlet temperature of the internal combustion engine.

Furthermore, in the water outlet, when an imaginary line is drawn connecting the outer periphery of the first outlet closest to the second outlet and the outer tip of the straightening wall, and the flow path forming chamber is divided into the inlet side and the second outlet side by the straightening wall and the imaginary line, the temperature sensing portion may be located in the inlet side region of the straightening wall and the imaginary line. In this way, by providing the temperature sensing portion of the temperature sensor near the straightening wall in the inlet side region, it is easy to position the temperature sensing portion in the overlapping portion of the first flow path and the second flow path. This reliably prevents a decrease in the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor.

The water outlet may also include a baffle plate extending in a direction crossing the first flow path, the baffle plate being located closer to the first outlet than the temperature sensing portion of the first flow path.
In this way, the flow rate of the cooling liquid from the inlet to the first outlet is suppressed by the baffle, so that the flow rate of the cooling liquid toward the second outlet can be secured. Furthermore, since the baffle is provided downstream of the temperature-sensing part, the temperature sensitivity of the temperature sensor can be improved.

The water outlet of the present invention can improve the accuracy of temperature detection at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one state of an engine cooling system including a water outlet according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another state of the engine cooling system including the water outlet according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the water outlet according to this embodiment as seen from the back side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the back side of the water outlet showing the arrangement area of the temperature sensing portion of the temperature sensor. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the water outlet is attached to the cylinder head. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the first flow passage in the flow passage forming chamber of the water outlet. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the second flow path in the flow path forming chamber of the water outlet. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified example of the water outlet according to the present embodiment, seen from the back side. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional engine cooling system. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional water outlet as seen from the rear side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A water outlet according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing an example of an engine cooling system for cooling an engine 20 as an internal combustion engine, and include a water outlet 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a first state of the engine cooling system. In the first state, communication between the engine 20 and a radiator 60 is blocked by a thermostat 70. Fig. 2 shows a second state of the engine cooling system. In the second state, communication between the engine 20 and the radiator 60 is permitted.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a cooling circuit is connected to the engine (internal combustion engine) 20. This cooling circuit includes a main passage 31 through which coolant flowing out of the engine 20's coolant outlet 21 returns to the engine 20 via the radiator 60, and a bypass passage 32 through which coolant flowing out of the coolant outlet 21 returns to the engine 20 without passing through the radiator 60 (bypassing the radiator 60). The main passage 31 and bypass passage 32 merge downstream of the radiator 60 and are connected to the engine 20's coolant inlet 22. A water pump 80 is provided at the coolant inlet 22, which sends coolant to the engine 20. The main passage 31 and bypass passage 32 merge between the radiator 60 and the water pump 80. A thermostat 70 is provided at this junction. The thermostat 70 opens and closes the main passage 31 depending on the coolant temperature in the bypass passage 32.

Specifically, when the coolant temperature is lower than the valve opening temperature of the thermostat 70, the thermostat 70 closes the main passage 31 and opens the bypass passage 32. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the coolant flowing out of the engine 20 passes through the bypass passage 32 and returns to the engine 20 without passing through the radiator 60. On the other hand, when the coolant temperature becomes higher than the valve opening temperature of the thermostat 70, the thermostat 70 opens the main passage 31. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2, the coolant flowing out of the engine 20 passes through the main passage 31, is cooled by the radiator 60, and returns to the engine 20.
2, the thermostat 70 closes the bypass passage 32 while opening the main passage 31. However, the bypass passage 32 may be always open.

A water outlet 100 is attached to the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20. The water outlet 100 is connected to the pipe conduit that constitutes the main passage 31 and the pipe conduit that constitutes the bypass passage 32. In other words, the coolant flowing out of the engine 20 branches at the water outlet 100 and is guided to each pipe. A temperature sensor 7 (Figure 3), described below, that detects the temperature of the coolant on the engine outlet side is attached to the water outlet 100. The internal combustion engine device D is composed of the engine 20, water outlet 100, and temperature sensor 7.

The engine 20 includes a cylinder block 24 in which pistons reciprocate through cylinders and convert this reciprocating motion into rotational motion, and a cylinder head 25 disposed on the cylinder block 24. The cylinder block 24 has a block-side water jacket 28 for coolant around its periphery. The block-side water jacket 28 has a flow path for coolant that cools the cylinder block 24. The cylinder head 25 also has a head-side water jacket 29 disposed around its periphery. The head-side water jacket 29 has a flow path for coolant that cools the cylinder head 25.
The flow path of the block-side water jacket 28 communicates with the flow path of the head-side water jacket 29. A coolant inlet 22 is provided in the block-side water jacket 28. A coolant outlet 21 is provided in the head-side water jacket 29.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the back side of the water outlet 100 according to this embodiment. The water outlet 100 is made of, for example, synthetic resin. The water outlet 100 is fixed to the cylinder head 25 (Figure 5) with bolts (not shown) so as to cover the coolant outlet 21. This water outlet 100 comprises a main body 1 having a recess to form a space between it and the cylinder head 25, a first connecting portion 2 and a second connecting portion 3 that rise outward from the bottom 1a of the main body 1, and an annular flange 4 that projects outward from the opening edge of the main body 1.

One end of the pipe constituting the main passage 31 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is connected to the first connection part 2. On the other hand, one end of the pipe constituting the bypass passage 32 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is connected to the second connection part 3.

As shown in Figure 3, the main body 1 of the water outlet 100 is concave and recessed in the direction away from the cylinder head 25. A recess 25b (Figure 6) recessed in the direction away from the water outlet 100 is also provided on the cylinder head 25 side. A flow path forming chamber 10 is formed between the cylinder head 25 and the water outlet 100, into which the coolant flowing out from the cylinder head 25 flows.

The coolant that flows out of the cylinder head 25 flows into the flow path forming chamber 10 through the coolant outlet 21. When this flow of coolant is viewed from the flow path forming chamber 10 side, the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20 becomes the coolant inlet 9. In other words, the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20 and the inlet 9 of the flow path forming chamber 10 are a single (common) opening, and this opening is called the coolant outlet 21 when viewed from the engine 20 side, and called the inlet 9 when viewed from the flow path forming chamber 10 side.

For this reason, in the flow path forming chamber 10, the coolant inlet 9 is formed on the cylinder head 25 side. In addition, a first outlet 11 and a second outlet 12, which serve as coolant outlets, are formed on the water outlet 100 side of the flow path forming chamber 10. The first outlet 11 serves as the coolant inlet for the first connection portion 2, and the coolant flows from the first connection portion 2 to the main passage 31. The second outlet 12 serves as the coolant inlet for the second connection portion 3, and the coolant flows from the second connection portion 3 to the bypass path 32.

In Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8, the position of the inlet 9 is indicated by an ellipse with two-dot chain lines to clearly show the position of the inlet 9 relative to the first outlet 11 and second outlet 12. When the water outlet 100 is attached to the cylinder head 25 (water outlet attached state) and viewed from a direction perpendicular to the joining surface 40 of the water outlet 100 that contacts the cylinder head 25 (plan view), the inlet 9, first outlet 11, and second outlet 12 of the flow path forming chamber 10 are arranged in a triangular shape.

A plurality of bolt holes 4 a are formed in the flange 4. Bolts (not shown) are inserted into these bolt holes 4 a so as to be fastened to the cylinder head 25.
The flange 4 is formed with a mating surface 40 that contacts the cylinder head 25 and a groove 4b that is recessed into the mating surface 40. The groove 4b is annular and is positioned so as to surround the concave opening of the main body 1 when the water outlet is attached. An annular gasket 6 fits into the groove 4b.
With the flange 4 fixed to the cylinder head 25 with bolts to form the water outlet, the opening of the main body 1 faces the opening of the recess 25b of the cylinder head 25, and the gasket 6 seals the gap between the mating surface 40 of the flange 4 and the mating surface of the cylinder head 25. This prevents the coolant in the flow passage chamber 10 from leaking from the joint between the cylinder head 25 and the water outlet 100.

As described above, the main body 1 has a concave shape. A flow straightening wall 15 is provided inside the main body 1, rising from the bottom 1a of the main body 1 toward the cylinder head 25. A temperature sensor 7 is attached to the center of the main body 1.
The flow straightening wall 15 has a base end connected to the peripheral wall 1b of the main body 1 and a tip end extending to the center of the bottom 1a. In a plan view, the flow straightening wall 15 is located between the inlet 9 and the second outlet 12 of the flow passage forming chamber 10, and is slightly curved (draws a gentle curve) so as to bulge toward the second outlet 12. In addition, the tip of the flow straightening wall 15 in the height direction is located near the joint surface when viewed from a direction along the joint surface between the flange 4 and the cylinder head 25 (side view).
This flow straightening wall 15 promotes the flow of the coolant from the inlet 9 of the flow channel forming chamber 10 toward the first outlet 11. On the other hand, the flow straightening wall 15 obstructs the flow of the coolant from the inlet 9 of the flow channel forming chamber 10 toward the second outlet 12, and encourages the coolant to bypass the flow straightening wall 15 and flow toward the second outlet 12. In this way, the flow straightening wall 15 is provided so as to separate the inlet 9 and the second outlet of the flow channel forming chamber 10.

For ease of explanation, the inlet 9 side as viewed from the straightening wall 15 is referred to as the inside of the straightening wall 15, and the second outlet 12 side as viewed from the straightening wall 15 is referred to as the outside of the straightening wall 15. As shown in FIG. 9 , by providing this straightening wall 15, a first flow path F1 is formed in the flow path forming chamber 10, in which the coolant flowing in from the inlet 9 passes inside the straightening wall 15 and flows toward the first outlet 11 as urged by the straightening wall 15. In addition, a second flow path F2 is formed in the flow path forming chamber 10, in which the coolant flowing in from the inlet 9 passes inside the straightening wall 15, turns back at the longitudinal tip 15b of the straightening wall 15, passes outside the straightening wall 15, and makes a U-turn toward the second outlet 12.

The temperature sensor 7 has a temperature-sensing part 7a for detecting temperature. As shown in Figure 8, the temperature sensor 7 is provided so that the temperature-sensing part 7a is inserted into the flow path forming chamber 10 from the bottom 1a of the main body 1, approximately perpendicular to the joining surfaces 25a, 40. The temperature-sensing part 7a is disposed in the region where the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 overlap.
Referring to Figure 4, in this embodiment, when an imaginary line L1 is drawn connecting the position on the outer circumferential edge of the first outlet 11 closest to the second outlet 12 and the tip of the outer side 15b of the straightening wall 15, and the flow path forming chamber 10 is divided by the straightening wall 15 and the imaginary line L1 into an area E1 on the inlet 9 side and an area E2 on the second outlet 12 side, the temperature sensing portion 7a is located near the tip 15b of the straightening wall 15, in the area E1 on the inlet 9 side.

The effects of the water outlet 100 according to this embodiment will be explained below in comparison with the conventional structure shown in Figures 10 and 11.

First, in the flow path forming chamber 201 formed between the conventional water outlet 200 and the engine 50 shown in Figure 11, a flow of coolant (first flow path r1) from the inlet 203 to the first outlet 204 and a flow of coolant (second flow path r2) from the inlet 203 to the second outlet 205 are formed. The temperature sensor 250 detects the temperature of the coolant flowing through the first flow path r1.

Referring to Figure 10, the first outlet 204 communicates with the main passage 31, which is connected to the radiator 60. This main passage 31 is opened and closed by the thermostat 70 depending on the temperature of the bypass passage 32. When the main passage 31 is closed, the coolant no longer moves through the first outlet 204. As a result, stagnation occurs in the flow of coolant between the inlet 203 and the first outlet 204 of the flow path forming chamber 201 in Figure 11. If the temperature-sensing portion 250a is located in the area where this stagnation occurs, the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 250 decreases, and the temperature of the coolant outlet 51 of the engine 50 cannot be accurately detected.

In contrast, the water outlet 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a straightening wall 15. As a result, the flow path forming chamber 10 is formed with a first flow path F1 through which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall 15 toward the first outlet 11, and a second flow path F2 through which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall 15, turns around at the longitudinal end of the straightening wall 15, passes around the outside of the straightening wall 15, and flows toward the second outlet 12. The temperature-sensing part 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is positioned in the area where the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 overlap.

The second outlet 12 is connected to a bypass passage 32 whose temperature is sensed by the thermostat 70. Even when the thermostat 70 closes the main passage 31, the bypass passage 32 allows the coolant to flow through the bypass passage 32 for the thermostat 70 to sense the temperature. Therefore, even when the main passage 31 is closed and the coolant no longer flows through the first outlet 11, the coolant still flows through the second outlet 12 and flows through the second passage F2. In this embodiment, the temperature sensing portion 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is located at the overlapping portion of the first passage F1 and the second passage F2, so that the temperature sensor 7 can always sense the temperature of the portion where the coolant flows, thereby improving the accuracy of temperature detection of the coolant outlet 21.
Furthermore, by providing the flow straightening wall 15 on the bottom 1a of the water outlet 100, it is possible to prevent the water outlet 100 from being warped or deformed by the reaction force of the gasket 6. This makes it possible to maintain good sealing performance of the gasket 6.

In addition, in this embodiment, when an imaginary line L1 is drawn connecting the position on the outer periphery of the first outlet 11 closest to the second outlet 12 and the outer tip of the straightening wall 15, and the flow path forming chamber 10 is divided by the straightening wall 15 and the imaginary line L1 into an area E1 on the inlet 9 side and an area E2 on the second outlet 12 side, the temperature sensing portion 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is located in the inlet side area E1. By providing the temperature sensing portion 7a of the temperature sensor 7 near the straightening wall 15 in area E1, it becomes easier to position the temperature sensing portion 7a in the overlapping area of the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2, and a decrease in the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 7 can be reliably prevented.

9, the water outlet 100 may include a baffle 16 extending in a direction crossing the first flow path F1. The baffle 16 is located closer to the first outlet 11 than the temperature-sensing portion 7a of the first flow path F1. With this configuration, the baffle 16 restricts the flow rate of the coolant from the inlet 9 toward the first outlet 11, thereby ensuring the flow rate of the coolant toward the second outlet 12. Furthermore, since the baffle 16 is located downstream of the temperature-sensing portion 7a, the temperature sensitivity of the temperature sensor 7 can be improved.
The flow rate toward the radiator 60 and the flow rate toward the bypass passage 32 can be adjusted by changing the heights of the flow straightening wall 15 and the baffle plate 16. The baffle plate 16 may be omitted.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, modifications, variations, and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

2 First connection part 3 Second connection part 7 Temperature sensor 7a Temperature sensing part 9 Inlet 10 Flow path forming chamber 11 First outlet 12 Second outlet 15, 23 Flow straightening wall 16 Baffle plate 20 Engine (internal combustion engine)
21 Coolant outlet 25 Cylinder head 31 Main passage 32 Bypass passage 60 Radiator 100 Water outlet D Internal combustion engine device F1 First passage F2 Second passage L1 Virtual line

Claims (2)

a coolant passage forming chamber formed between the coolant passage and the internal combustion engine;
a first connection portion connected to a main passage leading to a radiator;
a second connection portion connected to a bypass passage that bypasses the radiator,
The flow path forming chamber is formed with an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet for the coolant,
the coolant flowing out from the internal combustion engine flows into the flow path forming chamber through the inlet and flows out from the first outlet to the first connecting portion or from the second outlet to the second connecting portion,
a flow straightening wall extending from between the inlet and the second outlet toward the first outlet,
When viewed from the straightening wall, the inlet side is the inside of the straightening wall, and the second outlet side is the outside of the straightening wall,
The flow path forming chamber includes:
a first flow path through which the coolant flows from an inner side of the flow straightening wall toward the first outlet;
a second flow path is formed in which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall, turns around at the end in the length direction of the straightening wall, passes through the outside of the straightening wall, and flows toward the second outlet;
a temperature sensing portion of a temperature sensor is disposed in a region where the first flow path and the second flow path overlap ;
a baffle plate extending in a direction crossing the first flow path;
the baffle plate is located on the first outlet side of the first flow path relative to the temperature sensing portion
A water outlet characterized by: When an imaginary line is drawn connecting a position on the outer circumferential edge of the first outlet closest to the second outlet and an outer tip of the flow straightening wall, and the flow path forming chamber is divided into the inlet side and the second outlet side by the flow straightening wall and the imaginary line,
The water outlet according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensing portion is located in an area on the inlet side of the flow straightening wall and the imaginary line.