EP1482136B1 - Breather device for an engine - Google Patents
Breather device for an engine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1482136B1 EP1482136B1 EP04253174A EP04253174A EP1482136B1 EP 1482136 B1 EP1482136 B1 EP 1482136B1 EP 04253174 A EP04253174 A EP 04253174A EP 04253174 A EP04253174 A EP 04253174A EP 1482136 B1 EP1482136 B1 EP 1482136B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- cylinder head
- partition plate
- engine
- breather
- communication passage
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 claims description 77
- 238000000638 solvent extraction Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 86
- 239000003595 mist Substances 0.000 description 54
- 210000001331 nose Anatomy 0.000 description 10
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000314 lubricant Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010687 lubricating oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01M—LUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; CRANKCASE VENTILATING
- F01M13/00—Crankcase ventilating or breathing
- F01M13/04—Crankcase ventilating or breathing having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil
- F01M13/0416—Crankcase ventilating or breathing having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil arranged in valve-covers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a breather device in an engine.
- the device is for preventing oil mist being mixed with blow-by gas in a cam chamber between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover when the blow-by gas having reached the cam chamber is sucked into an intake pipe communicating with a cylinder.
- US4597372 A discloses an oil separator for blow-by gas in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having rotating cams, the oil separator comprising a baffle having a side wall and a bottom wall amongst other features.
- a breather device in an engine is disclosed in JP-A-2002-129929 .
- the engine comprises a cylinder head, a cylinder head cover attached to an upper side of the cylinder head to form a cam chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head, a camshaft disposed in the cam chamber and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head for rotation about an axis extending generally horizontally, a partition plate attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover to form a breather chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head cover, a communication passage formed through the partition plate for communication of the side of the cylinder head and the breather chamber to each other, and a gas passage for communication of an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and the breather chamber to each other.
- Lubricating oil is stored in the cam chamber.
- blow-by gas having reached from the cylinder side to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber is sucked through the communication passage, the breather chamber and the gas passage in sequence into the intake passage, and then sucked into the cylinder and burned therein.
- the cylinder head side opening of the communication passage opens in a tangential direction of the camshaft.
- part of oil mist splashed up by the rotating camshaft in its tangential direction may enter the communication passage through the opening and reach the breather chamber.
- the prior art is not necessarily sufficient to prevent oil mist from being mixed with blow-by gas.
- baffle plate in the vicinity of the lower section of the opening of the communication passage to prevent oil mist from directly entering the opening. To do this, however, a space to additionally provide a baffle plate is needed in the cam chamber. This is not preferable because the engine may be increased in size for the baffle plate.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and it is, therefore, an object of examples of the present invention to allow blow-by gas existing between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover to be sucked into an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and burned in the cylinder without mixing oil mist with the blow-by gas so that oil will not be uselessly consumed.
- Another object of examples of the present invention is to accomplish the above abject without increasing the size of the engine.
- the breather device in an engine of an aspect of the present invention which has been made to seek accomplish the above objects, is constituted as follows.
- the reference numerals attached to the terms in this section should not be taken as limiting the technical scope of the present invention within the content of the described embodiments of the invention, or limiting in any other way.
- a breather device in an engine comprising: a cylinder head 7; a cylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of the cylinder head 7 to form a cam chamber 8 in conjunction with the cylinder head 7; camshafts 14 and 15 disposed in the cam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head 7 for rotation R about axes 11 and 12, respectively, extending generally horizontally; a partition plate 40 attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover 9 to form a breather chamber 39 in conjunction with the cylinder head cover 9; a communication passage 41 formed through the partition plate 40 for communicating the side of the cylinder head 7 and the breather chamber 39 to each other; and a gas passage 42 for communicating an intake passage 30 communicated to a cylinder 6 and the breather chamber 39 to each other, wherein the communication passage 41 has a lower opening 49 on the side of the cylinder head 7 which opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts 14 and 15.
- the communication passage 41 has a bottom surface extending obliquely downward from the side of the breather chamber 39 to a lower edge of the lower opening 49.
- the lower opening 49 is overlapped with the rotation locus 52 of cam noses 18 of the camshafts 14 and 15 as viewed in a direction along the axes 11 and 12 of the camshafts 14 and 15 (see Fig. 6 ).
- the partition plate 40 has a main partition plate 46 attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover 9, and a baffle plate 48 attached to the main partition plate 46 in an overlapping manner and that the communication passage 41 is formed between the main partition plate 46 and the baffle plate 48 and has an upper opening 50 on the side of the breather chamber 39 which is formed through the part of the main partition plate 46 above the baffle plate 48.
- the lower sides of opening edges of the upper opening 50 and the upper side of the baffle plate 48 are separated from each other to form a space 53 therebetween.
- the upper sides of opening edges of the upper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding the upper opening 50 to the upper opening 50.
- the device further comprise a pair of first and second vertical plates 58 and 59 extending vertically and located at positions separated from each other for partitioning the breather chamber 39 into a space 56 on the side of the communication passage 41 and a space 57 on the side of the gas passage 42, the first vertical plate 58 protruded upward from the partition plate 40 and the second vertical plate 59 protruded downward from a ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover 9.
- the device further comprises a drain hole 60 formed through the part of the partition plate 40 under a space between the first and second vertical plates 58 and 59 and extending to the side of the cylinder head 7.
- the first vertical plate 58 protruded upward from the partition plate 40 has a notch 61 formed at a lower end of a side thereof.
- a broad aspect of the invention provides apparatus for returning blow-by gas from a cam chamber to a cylinder in an engine, the apparatus being adapted to reduce the amount of lubricant returned to the cylinder with the blow-by gas.
- the apparatus comprises a communication passage, the arrangement being such that the lubricant is substantially prevented from entering the communication passage.
- the apparatus includes a communication passage having a lower surface which is configured such that lubricant deposited on the lower surface is returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber.
- a further broad aspect of the invention provides a breather device for an engine, the device comprising a breather chamber and a communication passage for connecting a cylinder head of the engine and the breather chamber, wherein the communication passage has a lower opening on the side of the cylinder head, the arrangement being such that the lower opening opens in a direction along the axis of a camshaft of the engine.
- the engine 1 has an engine body 2 supported by a vehicle body.
- the engine body 2 has a crankcase 5 for supporting a crankshaft 4 for rotation about an axis 3 extending generally horizontally, cylinders 6 extending upward from the crankcase 5, a cylinder head 7 attached to an upper side of the cylinders 6, a cylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of the cylinder head 7 to form a cam chamber 8 in conjunction with the cylinder head 7, and a valve mechanism 10 housed in the cam chamber 8.
- the valve mechanism 10 is lubricated by oil stored in the cam chamber 8 and oil supplied by a separately provided oil pump.
- the valve mechanism 10 has intake and exhaust camshafts 14 and 15 disposed in the cam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head 7 by bearings 13 for rotation indicated by R about axes 11 and 12, respectively, extending parallel to the axis 3 of the crankshaft 4, and chain entraining means 16 for operatively connecting the camshafts 14 and 15 with the crankshaft 4.
- Each of the camshafts 14 and 15 has a shaft member 17 supported by the bearing 13 and cam noses 18 formed integrally with the shaft member 17.
- Designated by reference numeral 19 is a spark plug.
- the engine 1 has an intake system member 23 disposed on one side of the engine body 2 and connected to one side of the cylinder head 7 and an exhaust system member 24 disposed on the other side of the engine body 2 and connected to the other side of the cylinder head 7.
- the intake system member 23 has an intake manifold 26 extending from the cylinder head 7, a surge tank 27 connected to the extending end of the intake manifold 26, an intake pipe 28 extending from the surge tank 27, and a throttle valve 29 interposed in the intake pipe 28 at a position intermediate the length thereof.
- the inside of the intake system member 23 constitutes an intake passage 30 for communicating the atmosphere side to the cylinders 6 via an air cleaner (not shown).
- the engine 1 is provided with a breather device 37.
- the breather device 37 returns blow-by gas 33 having reached the cam chamber 8 from the crankcase 5 and the cylinders 6 as a result of operation of the engine 1 into the cylinders 6 for combustion.
- the breather device 37 has a metal partition plate 40 attached to a lower side of the cylinder head 7 by fixing members 38 to form a breather chamber 39 in conjunction with the cylinder head 7, a communication passage 41 formed through the partition plate 40 for communicating the cylinder head 7 side and the breather chamber 39 in the cam chamber 8 to each other, and a gas passage 42 for communicating the intake passage 30 of the intake system member 23 communicated to the cylinders 6 and the breather chamber 39 to each other.
- the axial direction of the camshafts 14 and 15 is herein defined as longitudinal direction and the left-hand side of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 (indicated by the arrow Fr) is herein defined as front side.
- the breather chambers 39, the partition plates 40, the communication passages 41, and the gas passages 42 comprise a pair of first and second breather chambers 39a and 39b, a pair of first and second partition plates 40a and 40b, a pair of first and second communication passages 41a and 41b, and a pair of first and second gas passages 42a and 42b, respectively, on the left and right.
- the first breather chamber 39a, the first partition plate 40a, the first communication passage 41a and the first gas passage 42a are located above the intake camshaft 14, and the second breather chamber 39b, the second partition plate 40b, the second communication passage 41b and the second gas passage 42b are located above the exhaust camshaft 15.
- the first communication passage 41a is formed through one side end portion (which will be hereinafter referred to as "rear end portion") of the first partition plate 40a and the second communication passage 41b is formed through the other side end portion (which will be hereinafter referred to as "front end portion") of the second partition plate 40b
- the first gas passage 42a communicates the other side end of the first breather chamber 39a and the intake passage 30 in the intake pipe 28 upstream of the throttle valve 29 to each other.
- the second gas passage 42b communicates the one side end of the second breather chamber 39b and the intake passage 30 in the surge tank 27 downstream of the throttle valve 29 to each other.
- a one-way valve 43 which allows gas flow from the second breather chamber 39b to the intake passage 30 only is interposed in the second gas passage 42b at a position intermediate the length thereof.
- the partition plate 40 has a main partition plate 46 extending generally horizontally and attached to a lower side of the cylinder head 7 by fixing members 38 and a baffle plate 48 attached to a lower side of the main partition plate 46 by securing means 47 in an overlapping manner and protruded downward from the main partition plate 46.
- the baffle plate 48 is of U-shaped cross-section as viewed in a direction along the axes of the camshafts 14 and 15 (see, in particular, Fig. 6 ). An upper end portion of the peripheral edges of the baffle plate 48 is joined to the lower side of the main partition plate 46 and secured thereto.
- the securing means 47 which is by means of spot welding in the example shown in the drawing, may be a fastening member or a rivet.
- the main partition plate 46 and the baffle plate 48 may be integrally formed by pressing a metal plate material.
- the communication passage 41 has a lower opening 49 as the cylinder head 7 side end formed among the lower side of the main partition plate 46 and the peripheral edges of the baffle plate 48, and an upper opening 50 as the breather chamber 39 side end, which is located entirely at the part of the main partition plate 46 above the baffle plate 48.
- the lower opening 49 and the upper opening 50 which have rectangular shapes, may have circular shapes.
- the lower opening 49 opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts 14 and 15.
- the communication passage 41 has a bottom surface which linearly extends obliquely downward from the breather chamber 39 side to the lower edge of the lower opening 49 at a descending angle of about 15 to 30°.
- the baffle plate 48 of the partition plate 40 is located above the cam noses 18.
- the minimum gap between the rotation locus 52 of the cam noses 18 and the lower side of the baffle plate 48 in the vertical direction is about 5 mm.
- the lower opening 49 is overlapped with the locus 52 of the cam noses 18.
- the downward protruded end of the baffle plate 48 is located in the vicinity of the shaft member 17.
- the lower sides of the edges of the upper opening 50 and the upper side of the baffle plate 48 are vertically separated to form a space 53 with a thickness of at least a few mm therebetween.
- the upper sides of the edges of the upper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding the upper opening 50 to the upper opening 50 at an angle of about 5 to 20°.
- a pair of first and second vertical plates 58 and 59 extend generally vertically and are opposed to each other at longitudinally spaced positions to form a space 56 on the side of the communication passage 41 and a space 57 on the side of the gas passage 42.
- the first vertical plate 58 is made of a metal plate and protruded upward from the partition plate 40 with its lower end secured to the main partition plate 46 of the partition plate 40 by spot welding.
- a gas passage is formed between the ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover 9 and the protruded end of the first vertical plate 58.
- the second vertical plate 59 is protruded downward integrally from the ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover 9.
- a gas passage is formed between the upper surface of the main partition plate 46 of the partition plate 40 and the protruded end of the second vertical plate 59.
- the second vertical plate 59 may be separate from the cylinder head cover 9.
- the first vertical plate 58 is located on the side of the first communication passage 41a and the second vertical plate 59 is located on the side of the first gas passage 42a.
- the first vertical plate 58 is located on the side of the second gas passage 42b and the vertical plate 59 is located on the side of the second communication passage 41b.
- a drain hole 60 extending vertically to the side of the cylinder head 7 is formed through the part of the main partition plate 46 of the partition plate 40 under the space between the first and second vertical plates 58 and 59.
- the first vertical plate 58 has notches 61 on both sides of the lower end thereof.
- the opening of the throttle valve 29 is increased to supply a large amount of air-fuel mixture 35 into the cylinders 6 while the engine 1 is being driven, the engine 1 is rotated at a high speed and the negative pressure is increased in the intake passage 30 upstream and downstream of the throttle valve 29 in the intake system member 23. Then, by the negative pressure, the blow-by gas 33 on the side of the cylinder head 7 in the cam chamber 8 is sucked through the communication passage 41, the breather chamber 39 and the gas passage 42 in sequence into the intake passage 30 as indicated by solid line arrows. The blow-by gas 33 is then sucked into the cylinders 6 together with the air-fuel mixture 35 and burned therein.
- the engine 1 When the opening of the throttle valve 29 is decreased to reduce the amount of the air-fuel mixture 35 to be supplied into the cylinders 6, the engine 1 is rotated at a low speed and the negative pressure is decreased in the intake passage 30 upstream of the throttle valve 29 in the intake system member 23.
- the negative pressure in the intake passage 30 in the surge tank 27 downstream of the throttle valve 29 is maintained at a high level since the opening of the throttle valve 29 is decreased.
- the lower opening 49 of the communication passage 41 on the side of the cylinder head 7 opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts 14 and 15 as shown, in particular, in Fig. 1 and Fig. 7 .
- the blow-by gas 33 existing on the side of the cylinder head 7 in the cam chamber 8 is sucked through the communication passage 41 into the breather chamber 39 by the negative pressure in the intake passage 30. Then, the blow-by gas 33 is sucked through the gas passage 42 and the intake passage 30 into the cylinders 6 and burned therein.
- the bottom surface of the communication passage 41 extends obliquely downward from the side of the breather chamber 39 to the lower edges of the lower opening 49.
- the lower opening 49 is overlapped with the rotation locus 52 of the cam noses 18 of the camshafts 14 and 15 as viewed in a direction along the axes 11 and 12 of the camshafts 14 and 15.
- the partition plate 40 has the main partition plate 46 attached to the lower side of the cylinder head cover 9 and the baffle plate 48 attached to the main partition plate 46 in an overlapping manner, and the communication passage 41 is formed between the main partition plate 46 and the baffle plate 48 and has the lower opening 49 formed among the lower side of the main partition plate 46 and the peripheral edges of the baffle plate 48 and the upper opening 50 at the breather chamber 39 side end of the communication passage 41 formed through the part of the main partition plate 46 above the baffle plate 48.
- the baffle plate 48 prevents oil mist splashed up by the camshafts 14 and 15 in their tangential directions from directly reaching the breather chamber 39 through the upper opening 50.
- the baffle plate 48 is located above the cam noses 18 of the camshafts 14 and 15.
- the lower sides of the edges of the upper opening 50 and the upper side of the baffle plate 48 are separated to form the space 53 therebetween.
- the upper sides of the edges of the upper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding the upper opening 50 to the upper opening 50.
- the paired first and second vertical plates 58 and 59 extend vertically to form the space 56 on the side of the communication passage 41 and the space 57 on the side of the gas passage 42 and are located at positions separated from each other.
- the first vertical plate 58 is protruded upward from the partition plate 40, and the second vertical plate 59 is protruded downward from the ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover 9.
- oil mist passes through the communication passage 41 and reaches the space 56 on the side of the communication passage 41 in the breather chamber 39 together with the blow-by gas 33, and then flows into the space 57 on the side of the gas passage 42.
- the oil mist is guided by the first vertical plate 58 and the second vertical plate 59 together with the blow-by gas 33 and its flowing direction is changed from upward to downward.
- the oil mist adheres to the inner surfaces of the breather chamber 39 or the surfaces of the first and second vertical plates 58 and 59 by inertial force and is prevented from traveling to the intake passage 30 together with the blow-by gas 33.
- the drain hole 60 extending to the cylinder head 7 side is formed through the part of the partition plate 40 under the space between the first and second vertical plates 58 and 59.
- the notches 61 are formed in both sides of the lower end of the first vertical plate 58 protruded upward from the partition plate 40.
- the oil can flow into the drain hole 60 smoothly through the notch 61 without being blocked by the first vertical plate 58 and is returned to the cylinder head 7 side in the cam chamber 8 through the drain hole 60.
- the one-way valve 43 and the second gas passage 42b can be omitted.
- the breather chamber 39 may be communicated to the intake passage 30 downstream of the throttle valve 29 such as the intake passage in the surge tank 27 by the first gas passage 42a.
- An aspect of the present invention provides a breather device in an engine comprising: a cylinder head; a cylinder head cover attached to an upper side of the cylinder head to form a cam chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head; camshafts disposed in the cam chamber and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head for rotation about axes, respectively, extending generally horizontally; a partition plate attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover to form a breather chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head cover; a communication passage formed through the partition plate for communicating the side of the cylinder head and the breather chamber to each other; and a gas passage for communicating an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and the breather chamber to each other, wherein the communication passage has a lower opening on the side of the cylinder head which opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts.
- the blow-by gas existing on the side of the cylinder head in the cam chamber is sucked through the communication passage into the breather chamber by the negative pressure in the intake passage. Then, the blow-by gas is sucked through the gas passage and the intake passage into the cylinders and burned therein.
- the lower opening of the communication passage opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts.
- oil mist splashed up by the camshafts is prevented from entering the lower opening of the communication passage. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being mixed with the blow-by gas directed to the breather chamber through the communication passage, so that the oil mist is prevented from being sucked together with the blow-by gas into the cylinders and burned therein. As a result, useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- the communication passage has a bottom surface extending obliquely downward from the side of the breather chamber to a lower edge of the lower opening.
- the oil mist is prevented from reaching the breather chamber. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the cylinders through the breather chamber together with the blow-by gas, and useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- the lower opening is overlapped with the rotation locus of cam noses of the camshafts as viewed in a direction along the axes of the camshafts.
- the partition plate has a main partition plate attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover, and a baffle plate attached to the main partition plate in an overlapping manner, and the communication passage is formed between the main partition plate and the baffle plate and has an upper opening on the side of the breather chamber which is formed through the part of the main partition plate above the baffle plate.
- the baffle plate prevents oil mist splashed up by the camshafts in their tangential directions from directly reaching the breather chamber through the upper opening.
- the lower sides of opening edges of the upper opening and the upper side of the baffle plate are separated from each other to form a space therebetween.
- the upper sides of opening edges of the upper opening are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding the upper opening to the upper opening.
- the device further comprises a pair of first and second vertical plates extending vertically and located at positions separated from each other for partitioning the breather chamber into a space on the side of the communication passage and a space on the side of the gas passage, the first vertical plate protruded upward from the partition plate and the second vertical plate protruded downward from a ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover.
- oil mist passes through the communication passage and reaches the space on the side of the communication passage in the breather chamber together with the blow -by gas, and then flows into the space on the side of the gas passage.
- the oil mist is guided by the first vertical plate and the second vertical plate together with the blow-by gas and its flowing direction is changed from upward to downward.
- the oil mist adheres to the inner surfaces of the breather chamber or the surfaces of the first and second vertical plates by inertial force and is prevented from traveling to the intake passage together with the blow-by gas.
- the device further comprises a drain hole formed through the part of the partition plate under a space between the first and second vertical plates and extending to the side of the cylinder head.
- the first vertical plate protruded upward from the partition plate has a notch formed at a lower end of a side thereof.
- the oil can flow into the drain hole smoothly through the notch without being blocked by the first vertical plate and is returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber through the drain hole.
- an engine 1 comprises: a cylinder head 7; a cylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of the cylinder head 7 to form a cam chamber 8 in conjunction with the cylinder head 7; a camshaft 14 disposed in the cam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head 7 for rotation R about an axis 11 extending generally horizontally; a partition plate 40 attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover 9 to form a breather chamber 39 in conjunction with the cylinder head cover 9; a communication passage 41 formed through the partition plate 40 for communicating the side of the cylinder head 7 and the breather chamber 39 to each other; and a gas passage 42 for communicating an intake passage 30 communicated to a cylinder 6 and the breather chamber 39 to each other.
- the communication passage 41 has a lower opening 49 on the side of the cylinder head 7 which opens in a direction along the axis of the camshaft 14.
- Such an arrangement can allow blow-by gas existing between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover to be sucked into an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and burned in the cylinder without mixing oil mist with the blow-by gas so that oil will not be uselessly consumed.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Lubrication Details And Ventilation Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a breather device in an engine. In preferred examples, the device is for preventing oil mist being mixed with blow-by gas in a cam chamber between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover when the blow-by gas having reached the cam chamber is sucked into an intake pipe communicating with a cylinder.
-
US4597372 A discloses an oil separator for blow-by gas in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having rotating cams, the oil separator comprising a baffle having a side wall and a bottom wall amongst other features. - A breather device in an engine is disclosed in
JP-A-2002-129929 - While the engine is being driven, blow-by gas having reached from the cylinder side to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber is sucked through the communication passage, the breather chamber and the gas passage in sequence into the intake passage, and then sucked into the cylinder and burned therein.
- In the above case, part of oil mist splashed up by the camshaft rotated by the operation of the engine tends to flow into the breather chamber. However, the oil mist collides with the lower side of the partition plate and is thereby prevented from flowing into the breather chamber. Thus, oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the cylinder together with blow-by gas and burned therein. Thereby, useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- In the above prior art, the cylinder head side opening of the communication passage opens in a tangential direction of the camshaft. Thus, part of oil mist splashed up by the rotating camshaft in its tangential direction may enter the communication passage through the opening and reach the breather chamber. Thus, the prior art is not necessarily sufficient to prevent oil mist from being mixed with blow-by gas.
- It is thought to provide a baffle plate in the vicinity of the lower section of the opening of the communication passage to prevent oil mist from directly entering the opening. To do this, however, a space to additionally provide a baffle plate is needed in the cam chamber. This is not preferable because the engine may be increased in size for the baffle plate.
- The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and it is, therefore, an object of examples of the present invention to allow blow-by gas existing between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover to be sucked into an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and burned in the cylinder without mixing oil mist with the blow-by gas so that oil will not be uselessly consumed.
- Another object of examples of the present invention is to accomplish the above abject without increasing the size of the engine.
- The breather device in an engine of an aspect of the present invention, which has been made to seek accomplish the above objects, is constituted as follows. The reference numerals attached to the terms in this section should not be taken as limiting the technical scope of the present invention within the content of the described embodiments of the invention, or limiting in any other way.
- According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a breather device in an engine, comprising: a
cylinder head 7; acylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of thecylinder head 7 to form acam chamber 8 in conjunction with thecylinder head 7;camshafts cam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of thecylinder head 7 for rotation R aboutaxes partition plate 40 attached to a lower side of thecylinder head cover 9 to form abreather chamber 39 in conjunction with thecylinder head cover 9; acommunication passage 41 formed through thepartition plate 40 for communicating the side of thecylinder head 7 and thebreather chamber 39 to each other; and agas passage 42 for communicating anintake passage 30 communicated to acylinder 6 and thebreather chamber 39 to each other,
wherein thecommunication passage 41 has alower opening 49 on the side of thecylinder head 7 which opens in a direction along the axes of thecamshafts - Preferably the
communication passage 41 has a bottom surface extending obliquely downward from the side of thebreather chamber 39 to a lower edge of thelower opening 49. - Preferably the
lower opening 49 is overlapped with therotation locus 52 ofcam noses 18 of thecamshafts axes camshafts 14 and 15 (seeFig. 6 ). - Preferably the
partition plate 40 has amain partition plate 46 attached to a lower side of thecylinder head cover 9, and abaffle plate 48 attached to themain partition plate 46 in an overlapping manner and that thecommunication passage 41 is formed between themain partition plate 46 and thebaffle plate 48 and has anupper opening 50 on the side of thebreather chamber 39 which is formed through the part of themain partition plate 46 above thebaffle plate 48. - Preferably the lower sides of opening edges of the
upper opening 50 and the upper side of thebaffle plate 48 are separated from each other to form aspace 53 therebetween. - Preferably the upper sides of opening edges of the
upper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding theupper opening 50 to theupper opening 50. - Preferably the device further comprise a pair of first and second
vertical plates breather chamber 39 into aspace 56 on the side of thecommunication passage 41 and aspace 57 on the side of thegas passage 42, the firstvertical plate 58 protruded upward from thepartition plate 40 and the secondvertical plate 59 protruded downward from a ceiling surface of thecylinder head cover 9. - Preferably the device further comprises a
drain hole 60 formed through the part of thepartition plate 40 under a space between the first and secondvertical plates cylinder head 7. - Preferably the first
vertical plate 58 protruded upward from thepartition plate 40 has anotch 61 formed at a lower end of a side thereof. - A broad aspect of the invention provides apparatus for returning blow-by gas from a cam chamber to a cylinder in an engine, the apparatus being adapted to reduce the amount of lubricant returned to the cylinder with the blow-by gas.
- Preferably the apparatus comprises a communication passage, the arrangement being such that the lubricant is substantially prevented from entering the communication passage.
- Preferably the apparatus includes a communication passage having a lower surface which is configured such that lubricant deposited on the lower surface is returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber.
- A further broad aspect of the invention provides a breather device for an engine, the device comprising a breather chamber and a communication passage for connecting a cylinder head of the engine and the breather chamber, wherein the communication passage has a lower opening on the side of the cylinder head, the arrangement being such that the lower opening opens in a direction along the axis of a camshaft of the engine.
- The invention extends to methods and/or apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular, method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects, and vice versa.
- Preferred features of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1-1 inFig. 4 , looking in the direction of the appended arrows. -
Fig. 2 is a front view of an engine. -
Fig. 3 is a side view of the engine. -
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the engine. -
Fig. 5 is a plan view of what is shown inFig. 1 . -
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 inFig. 4 , looking in the direction of the appended arrows. -
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 inFig. 4 , looking in the direction of the appended arrows. -
Fig. 8 is a plan view of what is shown inFig. 7 . - In
Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 , designated byreference numeral 1 is a multi-cylinder (four-cylinder), four-cycle engine (internal combustion engine) mounted on a vehicle such as a car. Theengine 1 has anengine body 2 supported by a vehicle body. - The
engine body 2 has acrankcase 5 for supporting acrankshaft 4 for rotation about anaxis 3 extending generally horizontally,cylinders 6 extending upward from thecrankcase 5, acylinder head 7 attached to an upper side of thecylinders 6, acylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of thecylinder head 7 to form acam chamber 8 in conjunction with thecylinder head 7, and avalve mechanism 10 housed in thecam chamber 8. Thevalve mechanism 10 is lubricated by oil stored in thecam chamber 8 and oil supplied by a separately provided oil pump. - The
valve mechanism 10 has intake andexhaust camshafts cam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of thecylinder head 7 bybearings 13 for rotation indicated by R aboutaxes axis 3 of thecrankshaft 4, and chain entraining means 16 for operatively connecting thecamshafts crankshaft 4. Each of thecamshafts shaft member 17 supported by the bearing 13 andcam noses 18 formed integrally with theshaft member 17. Designated byreference numeral 19 is a spark plug. - The
engine 1 has anintake system member 23 disposed on one side of theengine body 2 and connected to one side of thecylinder head 7 and anexhaust system member 24 disposed on the other side of theengine body 2 and connected to the other side of thecylinder head 7. Theintake system member 23 has anintake manifold 26 extending from thecylinder head 7, asurge tank 27 connected to the extending end of theintake manifold 26, anintake pipe 28 extending from thesurge tank 27, and athrottle valve 29 interposed in theintake pipe 28 at a position intermediate the length thereof. The inside of theintake system member 23 constitutes anintake passage 30 for communicating the atmosphere side to thecylinders 6 via an air cleaner (not shown). - When the
engine 1 is driven,atmospheric air 34 in an amount depending upon the opening of thethrottle valve 29 and fuel are supplied as air-fuel mixture 35 through theintake system member 23 into thecylinders 6 for combustion by operation of thevalve mechanism 10 operatively connected to thecrankshaft 4. Exhaust gas generated by the combustion is discharged asexhaust gas 36 through theexhaust system member 24 to the atmosphere side. - As shown in all the drawings, the
engine 1 is provided with abreather device 37. Thebreather device 37 returns blow-bygas 33 having reached thecam chamber 8 from thecrankcase 5 and thecylinders 6 as a result of operation of theengine 1 into thecylinders 6 for combustion. - The
breather device 37 has ametal partition plate 40 attached to a lower side of thecylinder head 7 byfixing members 38 to form abreather chamber 39 in conjunction with thecylinder head 7, acommunication passage 41 formed through thepartition plate 40 for communicating thecylinder head 7 side and thebreather chamber 39 in thecam chamber 8 to each other, and agas passage 42 for communicating theintake passage 30 of theintake system member 23 communicated to thecylinders 6 and thebreather chamber 39 to each other. - The axial direction of the
camshafts Fig. 3 andFig. 4 (indicated by the arrow Fr) is herein defined as front side. Thebreather chambers 39, thepartition plates 40, thecommunication passages 41, and thegas passages 42 comprise a pair of first andsecond breather chambers second partition plates second communication passages second gas passages first breather chamber 39a, thefirst partition plate 40a, thefirst communication passage 41a and thefirst gas passage 42a are located above theintake camshaft 14, and thesecond breather chamber 39b, thesecond partition plate 40b, thesecond communication passage 41b and thesecond gas passage 42b are located above theexhaust camshaft 15. - In this case, as viewed in the axial direction of the
camshafts first communication passage 41a is formed through one side end portion (which will be hereinafter referred to as "rear end portion") of thefirst partition plate 40a and thesecond communication passage 41b is formed through the other side end portion (which will be hereinafter referred to as "front end portion") of thesecond partition plate 40b Thefirst gas passage 42a communicates the other side end of thefirst breather chamber 39a and theintake passage 30 in theintake pipe 28 upstream of thethrottle valve 29 to each other. Thesecond gas passage 42b communicates the one side end of thesecond breather chamber 39b and theintake passage 30 in thesurge tank 27 downstream of thethrottle valve 29 to each other. A one-way valve 43 which allows gas flow from thesecond breather chamber 39b to theintake passage 30 only is interposed in thesecond gas passage 42b at a position intermediate the length thereof. - The
partition plate 40 has amain partition plate 46 extending generally horizontally and attached to a lower side of thecylinder head 7 by fixingmembers 38 and abaffle plate 48 attached to a lower side of themain partition plate 46 by securingmeans 47 in an overlapping manner and protruded downward from themain partition plate 46. Thebaffle plate 48 is of U-shaped cross-section as viewed in a direction along the axes of thecamshafts 14 and 15 (see, in particular,Fig. 6 ). An upper end portion of the peripheral edges of thebaffle plate 48 is joined to the lower side of themain partition plate 46 and secured thereto. The securing means 47, which is by means of spot welding in the example shown in the drawing, may be a fastening member or a rivet. Themain partition plate 46 and thebaffle plate 48 may be integrally formed by pressing a metal plate material. - Between the lower sides of the
main partition plate 46 and thebaffle plate 48, thecommunication passage 41 is formed. Thecommunication passage 41 has alower opening 49 as thecylinder head 7 side end formed among the lower side of themain partition plate 46 and the peripheral edges of thebaffle plate 48, and anupper opening 50 as thebreather chamber 39 side end, which is located entirely at the part of themain partition plate 46 above thebaffle plate 48. Thelower opening 49 and theupper opening 50, which have rectangular shapes, may have circular shapes. - The
lower opening 49 opens in a direction along the axes of thecamshafts communication passage 41 has a bottom surface which linearly extends obliquely downward from thebreather chamber 39 side to the lower edge of thelower opening 49 at a descending angle of about 15 to 30°. Thebaffle plate 48 of thepartition plate 40 is located above thecam noses 18. The minimum gap between therotation locus 52 of thecam noses 18 and the lower side of thebaffle plate 48 in the vertical direction is about 5 mm. As viewed in a direction along theaxes camshafts 14 and 15 (see, in particular,Fig. 6 ), thelower opening 49 is overlapped with thelocus 52 of thecam noses 18. The downward protruded end of thebaffle plate 48 is located in the vicinity of theshaft member 17. - As shown in
Fig. 1 , the lower sides of the edges of theupper opening 50 and the upper side of thebaffle plate 48 are vertically separated to form aspace 53 with a thickness of at least a few mm therebetween. The upper sides of the edges of theupper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding theupper opening 50 to theupper opening 50 at an angle of about 5 to 20°. - As shown in
Fig. 1 andFig. 5 toFig. 8 , in each of the first andsecond breather chambers vertical plates space 56 on the side of thecommunication passage 41 and aspace 57 on the side of thegas passage 42. - - The first
vertical plate 58 is made of a metal plate and protruded upward from thepartition plate 40 with its lower end secured to themain partition plate 46 of thepartition plate 40 by spot welding. A gas passage is formed between the ceiling surface of thecylinder head cover 9 and the protruded end of the firstvertical plate 58. The secondvertical plate 59 is protruded downward integrally from the ceiling surface of thecylinder head cover 9. A gas passage is formed between the upper surface of themain partition plate 46 of thepartition plate 40 and the protruded end of the secondvertical plate 59. The secondvertical plate 59 may be separate from thecylinder head cover 9. - More specifically, in the
first breather chamber 39a, the firstvertical plate 58 is located on the side of thefirst communication passage 41a and the secondvertical plate 59 is located on the side of thefirst gas passage 42a. In thesecond breather chamber 39b, the firstvertical plate 58 is located on the side of thesecond gas passage 42b and thevertical plate 59 is located on the side of thesecond communication passage 41b. - In the
first breather chamber 39a, at least part of adrain hole 60 extending vertically to the side of thecylinder head 7 is formed through the part of themain partition plate 46 of thepartition plate 40 under the space between the first and secondvertical plates vertical plate 58 hasnotches 61 on both sides of the lower end thereof. When thedrain hole 60 is not provided, the descending angle of the bottom surface of thecommunication passage 41 is preferably about 20°. - As shown in all the drawings, when the opening of the
throttle valve 29 is increased to supply a large amount of air-fuel mixture 35 into thecylinders 6 while theengine 1 is being driven, theengine 1 is rotated at a high speed and the negative pressure is increased in theintake passage 30 upstream and downstream of thethrottle valve 29 in theintake system member 23. Then, by the negative pressure, the blow-bygas 33 on the side of thecylinder head 7 in thecam chamber 8 is sucked through thecommunication passage 41, thebreather chamber 39 and thegas passage 42 in sequence into theintake passage 30 as indicated by solid line arrows. The blow-bygas 33 is then sucked into thecylinders 6 together with the air-fuel mixture 35 and burned therein. - When the opening of the
throttle valve 29 is decreased to reduce the amount of the air-fuel mixture 35 to be supplied into thecylinders 6, theengine 1 is rotated at a low speed and the negative pressure is decreased in theintake passage 30 upstream of thethrottle valve 29 in theintake system member 23. The negative pressure in theintake passage 30 in thesurge tank 27 downstream of thethrottle valve 29 is maintained at a high level since the opening of thethrottle valve 29 is decreased. - Thus, by the negative pressure in the
intake passage 30 in thesurge tank 27, freshatmospheric air 34 is sucked through thefirst gas passage 42a of thegas passage 42, thefirst breather chamber 39a of thebreather chamber 39, and thefirst communication passage 41a of thecommunication passage 41 in sequence to the side of thecylinder head 7 in thecam chamber 8 as indicated by dot-dash line arrows and mixed therein with the blow-bygas 33. Then, the blow-bygas 33 is sucked through thesecond communication passage 41b of thecommunication passage 41, thesecond breather chambers 39b of thebreather chamber 39, the one-way valve 43 and thesecond gas passage 42b of thegas passage 42 in sequence into theintake passage 30 in thesurge tank 27 as indicated by double-dot-dash line arrows. The blow-bygas 33 is then sucked into thecylinders 6 together with the air-fuel mixture 35 and burned therein. - According to the above constitution, the
lower opening 49 of thecommunication passage 41 on the side of thecylinder head 7 opens in a direction along the axes of thecamshafts Fig. 1 andFig. 7 . - As described before, when the
engine 1 is being driven, the blow-bygas 33 existing on the side of thecylinder head 7 in thecam chamber 8 is sucked through thecommunication passage 41 into thebreather chamber 39 by the negative pressure in theintake passage 30. Then, the blow-bygas 33 is sucked through thegas passage 42 and theintake passage 30 into thecylinders 6 and burned therein. - When the
engine 1 is driven and thecamshafts camshafts lower opening 49 of thecommunication passage 41 opens in a direction along the axes of thecamshafts - Thus, oil mist splashed up by the
camshafts lower opening 49 of thecommunication passage 41. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being mixed with the blow-bygas 33 directed to thebreather chamber 39 through thecommunication passage 41, so that the oil mist is prevented from being sucked together with the blow-bygas 33 into thecylinders 6 and burned therein. As a result, useless consumption of oil can be prevented. - As described before, the bottom surface of the
communication passage 41 extends obliquely downward from the side of thebreather chamber 39 to the lower edges of thelower opening 49. - Thus, even when oil mist splashed up by the
camshafts lower opening 49 of thecommunication passages 41, the oil mist tends to adhere to the inner surfaces of thecommunication passage 41. Then, the oil slides down smoothly on the bottom surface of thecommunication passage 41 obliquely downward and is returned through thelower opening 49 to thecylinder head 7 side in thecam chamber 8. - Thus, even when oil mist enters the
lower opening 49, the oil mist is prevented from reaching thebreather chamber 39. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being sucked into thecylinders 6 through thebreather chamber 39 together with the blow-bygas 33, and useless consumption of oil can be prevented. - As described before, the
lower opening 49 is overlapped with therotation locus 52 of thecam noses 18 of thecamshafts axes camshafts - Thus, since the
camshafts partition plate 40 through which thecommunication passage 41 is formed are arranged in a compact manner, useless consumption of oil can be prevented without increasing the size of theengine 1. - As described before, the
partition plate 40 has themain partition plate 46 attached to the lower side of thecylinder head cover 9 and thebaffle plate 48 attached to themain partition plate 46 in an overlapping manner, and thecommunication passage 41 is formed between themain partition plate 46 and thebaffle plate 48 and has thelower opening 49 formed among the lower side of themain partition plate 46 and the peripheral edges of thebaffle plate 48 and theupper opening 50 at thebreather chamber 39 side end of thecommunication passage 41 formed through the part of themain partition plate 46 above thebaffle plate 48. - Thus, since the
upper opening 50 is entirely covered with thebaffle plate 48 from below, thebaffle plate 48 prevents oil mist splashed up by thecamshafts breather chamber 39 through theupper opening 50. - Thus, oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the
cylinders 6 through thebreather chamber 39 together with the blow-bygas 33, and useless consumption of oil can be prevented. - The
baffle plate 48 is located above thecam noses 18 of thecamshafts - Thus, although a considerably large amount of oil mist is splashed up by the
cam noses 18 of thecamshafts baffle plate 48. Thus, the oil mist is prevented from entering thelower opening 49 of thecommunication passage 41 more reliably. - As described before, the lower sides of the edges of the
upper opening 50 and the upper side of thebaffle plate 48 are separated to form thespace 53 therebetween. - Thus, even when oil mist splashed up by the
camshafts lower opening 49 of thecommunication passage 41 and adheres to the inner surfaces of thecommunication passage 41, and even when the oil having adhered to the inner surfaces of thecommunication passage 41 is urged to flow toward thebreather chamber 39 by the energy of the blow-bygas 33 flowing through thecommunication passage 41 to thebreather chamber 39, the flow of the oil is prevented by the lower sides of the edges of thelower opening 49. - Then, even when oil mist enters the
lower opening 49, the oil mist is prevented from reaching thebreather chamber 39. Namely, oil mist is prevented from being sucked into thecylinders 6 through thebreather chamber 39 together with the blow-bygas 33, and useless consumption of oil is prevented. - As described before, the upper sides of the edges of the
upper opening 50 are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding theupper opening 50 to theupper opening 50. - Thus, even if oil mist passes through the
communication passage 41 and reaches the upper sides of the edges of theupper opening 50, the oil mist having adhered to the upper sides flows to theupper opening 50 because of the tilt of the upper sides and is returned to thecylinder head 7 side in thecam chamber 8 through thecommunication passage 41. - As described before with reference to, in particular,
Fig. 1 andFig. 7 , in thebreather chamber 39, the paired first and secondvertical plates space 56 on the side of thecommunication passage 41 and thespace 57 on the side of thegas passage 42 and are located at positions separated from each other. The firstvertical plate 58 is protruded upward from thepartition plate 40, and the secondvertical plate 59 is protruded downward from the ceiling surface of thecylinder head cover 9. - Here, suppose that oil mist passes through the
communication passage 41 and reaches thespace 56 on the side of thecommunication passage 41 in thebreather chamber 39 together with the blow-bygas 33, and then flows into thespace 57 on the side of thegas passage 42. In this case, the oil mist is guided by the firstvertical plate 58 and the secondvertical plate 59 together with the blow-bygas 33 and its flowing direction is changed from upward to downward. Thus, the oil mist adheres to the inner surfaces of thebreather chamber 39 or the surfaces of the first and secondvertical plates intake passage 30 together with the blow-bygas 33. - As described before, the
drain hole 60 extending to thecylinder head 7 side is formed through the part of thepartition plate 40 under the space between the first and secondvertical plates - Most of the oil mist flowing from the
space 56 to thespace 57 in thebreather chamber 39 is captured by the first and secondvertical plates cylinder head 7 side in thecam chamber 8 through thedrain hole 60. - As described before, the
notches 61 are formed in both sides of the lower end of the firstvertical plate 58 protruded upward from thepartition plate 40. - Thus, when oil accumulates on the upper surface of the
partition plate 40 or when the vehicle runs and oil flows on the upper surface of thepartition plate 40, the oil can flow into thedrain hole 60 smoothly through thenotch 61 without being blocked by the firstvertical plate 58 and is returned to thecylinder head 7 side in thecam chamber 8 through thedrain hole 60. - Description has been made of the example shown in the drawings. However, the one-
way valve 43 and thesecond gas passage 42b can be omitted. In this case, thebreather chamber 39 may be communicated to theintake passage 30 downstream of thethrottle valve 29 such as the intake passage in thesurge tank 27 by thefirst gas passage 42a. - The effects of preferred features of the present invention are as follows.
- An aspect of the present invention provides a breather device in an engine comprising: a cylinder head; a cylinder head cover attached to an upper side of the cylinder head to form a cam chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head; camshafts disposed in the cam chamber and supported on an upper side of the cylinder head for rotation about axes, respectively, extending generally horizontally; a partition plate attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover to form a breather chamber in conjunction with the cylinder head cover; a communication passage formed through the partition plate for communicating the side of the cylinder head and the breather chamber to each other; and a gas passage for communicating an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and the breather chamber to each other,
wherein the communication passage has a lower opening on the side of the cylinder head which opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts. - As described before, when the engine is being driven, the blow-by gas existing on the side of the cylinder head in the cam chamber is sucked through the communication passage into the breather chamber by the negative pressure in the intake passage. Then, the blow-by gas is sucked through the gas passage and the intake passage into the cylinders and burned therein.
- When the engine is driven and the camshafts are rotated, oil mist is splashed up by the camshafts in their tangential directions. Here, the lower opening of the communication passage opens in a direction along the axes of the camshafts.
- Thus, oil mist splashed up by the camshafts is prevented from entering the lower opening of the communication passage. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being mixed with the blow-by gas directed to the breather chamber through the communication passage, so that the oil mist is prevented from being sucked together with the blow-by gas into the cylinders and burned therein. As a result, useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- Preferably the communication passage has a bottom surface extending obliquely downward from the side of the breather chamber to a lower edge of the lower opening.
- Thus, even when oil mist splashed up by the camshafts in their tangential directions enters the lower opening of the communication passage, the oil mist tends to adhere to the inner surfaces of the communication passage. Then, the oil slides down smoothly on the bottom surface of the communication passage obliquely downward and is returned through the lower opening to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber.
- Thus, even when oil mist enters the lower opening, the oil mist is prevented from reaching the breather chamber. Namely, the oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the cylinders through the breather chamber together with the blow-by gas, and useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- Preferably the lower opening is overlapped with the rotation locus of cam noses of the camshafts as viewed in a direction along the axes of the camshafts.
- Thus, since the camshafts and the partition plate through which the communication passage is formed are arranged in a compact manner, useless consumption of oil can be prevented without increasing the size of the engine.
- Preferably the partition plate has a main partition plate attached to a lower side of the cylinder head cover, and a baffle plate attached to the main partition plate in an overlapping manner, and the communication passage is formed between the main partition plate and the baffle plate and has an upper opening on the side of the breather chamber which is formed through the part of the main partition plate above the baffle plate.
- Thus, since the upper opening is entirely covered with the baffle plate from below, the baffle plate prevents oil mist splashed up by the camshafts in their tangential directions from directly reaching the breather chamber through the upper opening.
- Thus, oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the cylinders through the breather chamber together with the blow-by gas, and useless consumption of oil can be prevented.
- Preferably the lower sides of opening edges of the upper opening and the upper side of the baffle plate are separated from each other to form a space therebetween.
- Thus, even when oil mist splashed up by the camshafts enters the lower opening of the communication passage and adheres to the inner surfaces of the communication passage, and even when the oil having adhered to the inner surfaces of the communication passage is urged to flow toward the breather chamber by the energy of the blow-by gas flowing through the communication passage to the breather chamber, the flow of the oil is prevented by the lower sides of the edges of the lower opening.
- Then, even if oil mist enters the lower opening, the oil mist is prevented from reaching the breather chamber. Namely, oil mist is prevented from being sucked into the cylinders through the breather chamber together with the blow-by gas, and useless consumption of oil is prevented.
- Preferably the upper sides of opening edges of the upper opening are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding the upper opening to the upper opening.
- Thus, even when oil mist passes through the communication passage and reaches the upper sides of the edges of the upper opening, the oil mist having adhered to the upper sides flows to the upper opening because of the tilt of the upper sides and is returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber through the communication passage.
- Preferably the device further comprises a pair of first and second vertical plates extending vertically and located at positions separated from each other for partitioning the breather chamber into a space on the side of the communication passage and a space on the side of the gas passage, the first vertical plate protruded upward from the partition plate and the second vertical plate protruded downward from a ceiling surface of the cylinder head cover.
- Here, suppose that oil mist passes through the communication passage and reaches the space on the side of the communication passage in the breather chamber together with the blow -by gas, and then flows into the space on the side of the gas passage. In this case, the oil mist is guided by the first vertical plate and the second vertical plate together with the blow-by gas and its flowing direction is changed from upward to downward. Thus, the oil mist adheres to the inner surfaces of the breather chamber or the surfaces of the first and second vertical plates by inertial force and is prevented from traveling to the intake passage together with the blow-by gas.
- Preferably the device further comprises a drain hole formed through the part of the partition plate under a space between the first and second vertical plates and extending to the side of the cylinder head.
- Most of the oil mist flowing from the space to the space in the breather chamber is captured by the first and second vertical plates and flows downward. Thus, the oil is smoothly returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber through the drain hole.
- Preferably the first vertical plate protruded upward from the partition plate has a notch formed at a lower end of a side thereof.
- Thus, when oil accumulates on the upper surface of the partition plate or when the vehicle runs and oil flows on the upper surface of the partition plate, the oil can flow into the drain hole smoothly through the notch without being blocked by the first vertical plate and is returned to the cylinder head side in the cam chamber through the drain hole.
- In a preferred example, an
engine 1 comprises: acylinder head 7; acylinder head cover 9 attached to an upper side of thecylinder head 7 to form acam chamber 8 in conjunction with thecylinder head 7; acamshaft 14 disposed in thecam chamber 8 and supported on an upper side of thecylinder head 7 for rotation R about anaxis 11 extending generally horizontally; apartition plate 40 attached to a lower side of thecylinder head cover 9 to form abreather chamber 39 in conjunction with thecylinder head cover 9; acommunication passage 41 formed through thepartition plate 40 for communicating the side of thecylinder head 7 and thebreather chamber 39 to each other; and agas passage 42 for communicating anintake passage 30 communicated to acylinder 6 and thebreather chamber 39 to each other. Thecommunication passage 41 has alower opening 49 on the side of thecylinder head 7 which opens in a direction along the axis of thecamshaft 14. - Such an arrangement can allow blow-by gas existing between a cylinder head and a cylinder head cover to be sucked into an intake passage communicated to a cylinder and burned in the cylinder without mixing oil mist with the blow-by gas so that oil will not be uselessly consumed.
-
- 1: engine
- 6: cylinder
- 7: cylinder head
- 8: cam chamber
- 9: cylinder head cover
- 10: valve mechanism
- 11: axis
- 12: axis
- 14: camshaft
- 15: camshaft
- 18: cam nose
- 23: intake system member
- 29: throttle valve
- 30: intake passage
- 33: blow-by gas
- 34: air
- 37: breather device
- 39: breather chamber
- 40: partition plate
- 41: communication passage
- 42: gas passage
- 46: main partition plate
- 48: baffle plate
- 49: lower opening
- 50: upper opening
- 52: rotation locus
- 53: space
- 56: space
- 57: space
- 58: first vertical plate
- 59: second vertical plate
- 60: drain hole
- 61: notch
- R: rotation
Claims (9)
- A breather device (37) for an engine comprising:a cylinder head (7);a cylinder head cover (9) attached to an upper side of said cylinder head (7) to form a cam chamber (8) in conjunction with said cylinder head (7);a camshaft (14, 15) disposed in said cam chamber (8) and supported on an upper side of said cylinder head for rotation about an axis (11, 12) extending generally horizontally;a partition plate (40) attached to a lower side of said cylinder head cover (9) to form a breather chamber (39) in conjunction with said cylinder head cover (9);a communication passage (41) formed through said partition plate (40) for communicating the side of said cylinder head (7) and said breather chamber (39) to each other; anda gas passage (42) for communicating an intake passage (30) communicated to a cylinder (6) and said breather chamber (39) to each other,characterised in that said communication passage (41) has a lower opening (49) on the side of said cylinder head (7) which opens in a direction along the axis of said camshaft (14, 15).
- The breather device (37) in an engine of Claim 1 wherein said communication passage (41) has a bottom surface extending obliquely downward from the side of said breather chamber to a lower edge of said lower opening.
- The breather device in an engine of Claim 1 or 2 wherein said lower opening (49) is overlapped with the rotation locus (52) of a cam nose (18) of said camshaft (14, 15) as viewed in a direction along said axis (11, 12) of said camshaft (14, 15).
- The breather device (37) in an engine of any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said partition plate (40) has a main partition plate (46) attached to a lower side of said cylinder head cover (9), and a baffle plate (48) attached to said main partition plate (40) in an overlapping manner, and wherein said communication passage (41) is formed between said main partition plate (46) and said baffle plate (48) and has an upper opening (50) on the side of said breather chamber (39) which is formed through the part of said main partition plate (46) above said baffle plate (48).
- The breather device (37) in an engine of Claim 4 wherein the lower sides of opening edges of said upper opening (50) and the upper side of said baffle plate (48) are separated from each other to form a space (53) therebetween.
- The breather device (37) in an engine of Claim 5 wherein said upper sides of opening edges of said upper opening (50) are gradually tilted downward from the region horizontally surrounding said upper opening (50) to said upper opening (50).
- The breather device (37) in an engine of any one of Claims 1 to 6, further comprising a pair of first (58) and second (59) vertical plates extending substantially vertically and located at positions separated from each other for partitioning said breather chamber (38) into a space (53) on the side of said communication passage (41) and a space (53) on the side of said gas passage (42),
said first vertical plate (58) protruding upward from said partition plate (40) and said second vertical plate (59) protruding downward from a ceiling surface of said cylinder head cover (9). - The breather device (37) in an engine of Claim 7, further comprising a drain hole (60) formed through the part of said partition plate (40) under a space (53) between said first (58) and second (59) vertical plates and extending to the side of said cylinder head (7).
- The breather device (37) in an engine of Claim 8 wherein said first vertical plate (58) protruding upward from said partition plate (46) has a notch (61) formed at a lower end of a side thereof.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2003150309A JP2004353505A (en) | 2003-05-28 | 2003-05-28 | Breather device for engine |
JP2003150309 | 2003-05-28 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP1482136A1 EP1482136A1 (en) | 2004-12-01 |
EP1482136B1 true EP1482136B1 (en) | 2012-03-28 |
Family
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP04253174A Expired - Fee Related EP1482136B1 (en) | 2003-05-28 | 2004-05-28 | Breather device for an engine |
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EP (1) | EP1482136B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2004353505A (en) |
CN (1) | CN100451302C (en) |
GB (1) | GB2402435B (en) |
MY (1) | MY136461A (en) |
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JP4661733B2 (en) * | 2006-08-22 | 2011-03-30 | マツダ株式会社 | Engine oil separator device |
US8011338B2 (en) | 2008-09-11 | 2011-09-06 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Camcover oil separator |
JP5330050B2 (en) * | 2009-03-26 | 2013-10-30 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | 4-stroke cycle internal combustion engine |
JP5032641B2 (en) * | 2010-09-06 | 2012-09-26 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Vehicle engine |
JP5613594B2 (en) * | 2011-03-03 | 2014-10-29 | 株式会社クボタ | Overhead cam engine |
JP5740290B2 (en) * | 2011-11-25 | 2015-06-24 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Oil passage structure of internal combustion engine |
JP5994362B2 (en) * | 2012-04-27 | 2016-09-21 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Engine oil separator |
CN104594975B (en) * | 2014-12-05 | 2017-12-26 | 重庆龙卓机械制造有限责任公司 | The unidirectional respiratory system of trunnion axis vertical petrol machinery |
CN104594974B (en) * | 2014-12-05 | 2018-06-12 | 重庆龙卓机械制造有限责任公司 | Trunnion axis vertical petrol machinery |
JP6412425B2 (en) * | 2014-12-18 | 2018-10-24 | 株式会社マーレ フィルターシステムズ | Oil separator inlet structure of internal combustion engine |
CN114991986B (en) * | 2021-03-01 | 2024-05-07 | 比亚迪股份有限公司 | Cylinder head cover and engine |
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JPS59167906U (en) * | 1983-04-26 | 1984-11-10 | 愛知機械工業株式会社 | Oil separation device for internal combustion engine rocker cover |
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JP3137397B2 (en) * | 1991-12-24 | 2001-02-19 | マツダ株式会社 | Oil separator for blow-by gas reduction unit |
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DE19700733C2 (en) * | 1997-01-11 | 2001-11-22 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag | Crankcase ventilation through the cylinder head cover with integrated additional functions |
DE19715061C2 (en) * | 1997-04-11 | 1999-01-21 | Daimler Benz Ag | Ventilation device for a crankcase of an internal combustion engine |
JP2000045749A (en) * | 1998-07-31 | 2000-02-15 | Tennex Corp | Oil separator for blow-by gas |
JP3917303B2 (en) * | 1998-09-14 | 2007-05-23 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Breather structure of 4-cycle engine |
JP4119023B2 (en) * | 1998-11-25 | 2008-07-16 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Breather device in engine |
JP3378234B2 (en) | 2000-10-25 | 2003-02-17 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Breather device for internal combustion engine |
US6443136B1 (en) * | 2000-10-25 | 2002-09-03 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Breather apparatus for an internal combustion engine |
US6412478B1 (en) * | 2001-01-02 | 2002-07-02 | Generac Power Systems, Inc. | Breather for internal combustion engine |
DE10154669A1 (en) * | 2001-11-07 | 2003-05-22 | Porsche Ag | Internal combustion engine with at least two rows of cylinder banks |
-
2003
- 2003-05-28 JP JP2003150309A patent/JP2004353505A/en active Pending
-
2004
- 2004-05-27 MY MYPI20042025A patent/MY136461A/en unknown
- 2004-05-28 CN CNB200410048805XA patent/CN100451302C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2004-05-28 GB GB0412042A patent/GB2402435B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2004-05-28 EP EP04253174A patent/EP1482136B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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CN1573039A (en) | 2005-02-02 |
JP2004353505A (en) | 2004-12-16 |
EP1482136A1 (en) | 2004-12-01 |
GB0412042D0 (en) | 2004-06-30 |
GB2402435A (en) | 2004-12-08 |
MY136461A (en) | 2008-10-31 |
GB2402435B (en) | 2006-08-02 |
CN100451302C (en) | 2009-01-14 |
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