JP2007170241A - Engine cover structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an engine cover structure capable of contributing to an increase in the cooling efficiency of an inter-cooler during the traveling of a vehicle and maintaining the sound isolation performance of an engine cover against radiation noise from an engine in those cases other than during the traveling of the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: In this engine cover structure of the engine cover partitioning an engine side space part 18 from an inter-cooler side space part 17 in an engine room 14, the engine cover 19 comprises an opening part 22 allowing the inter-cooler side space part 17 to communicate with the engine side space part 18 and an opening/closing means for opening and closing the opening part 22. When the opening/closing means opens the opening part 22, the airflow flowing from the inter-cooler side space part 17 into the engine side space part 18 through the opening 22 is generated. When it cuts off the opening part 22, the radiation noise from the engine side space part 18 is cut off. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine cover structure, and more particularly, to an engine cover structure of an engine cover that covers an engine housed in an engine room of a vehicle.

Conventionally, an engine cover covering a vehicle engine is widely known.
Usually, the engine cover is provided in order to protect the engine and prevent the sound emitted from the engine from being radiated to the outside.
In particular, in the case of a diesel engine, intermittent engine sounds are easily recognized as unpleasant sounds during idling, and sound insulation of engine sounds by the engine cover has been established as an effective measure.
Incidentally, when the vehicle is traveling, it is often a continuous engine sound, and even if the sound itself is louder than the engine sound during idling, it is difficult to be recognized as an unpleasant sound.

In a vehicle including an engine covered with an engine cover and an air-cooled intercooler, the engine and the intercooler may be accommodated in the engine room close to each other.
The intercooler is for cooling the high-temperature air compressed by the turbocharger (supercharger or turbo) provided in the engine, and it is necessary to actively cool the intercooler in order to increase the air compression efficiency. is there.
In the conventional air-cooled intercooler, when the vehicle travels, an air flow is generated around the intercooler in the engine room, and the generated air flow is deprived of heat to cool the intercooler.
In particular, it is desirable to further cool the intercooler when the vehicle is traveling at high speed.

Incidentally, as a technique for cooling the engine with air from the outside in relation to cooling with the air of the intercooler, for example, a ventilation cooling device for an engine room of a work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.
This type of ventilation cooling device has an auxiliary vent that communicates with the engine room and the outside, and an opening and closing device that opens and closes the auxiliary vent.
During normal operation, the switchgear closes the auxiliary vent and shuts off air from the outside into the engine room, and during overload operation, the switchgear opens the auxiliary vent and takes air from the outside into the engine room.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-71319

However, in the conventional engine cover structure, since the volume of the engine room is limited, the space around the intercooler may become narrow for design reasons.
The narrow space around the intercooler reduces the flow rate of the cooling airflow around the intercooler when the vehicle is traveling, or deteriorates the cooling efficiency of the intercooler by reducing the flow of the airflow.
In other words, the conventional engine cover structure has a sound insulation performance against the engine sound, but the narrow space around the intercooler is further narrowed by the engine cover itself, which becomes an element that lowers the cooling efficiency of the intercooler. there is a possibility.
On the other hand, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is merely a technique intended to reduce the noise by opening the auxiliary vent to cool the inside of the engine room or closing the auxiliary vent to reduce the noise. is not.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention can contribute to the improvement of the cooling efficiency of the intercooler during traveling of the vehicle. The engine cover structure is capable of maintaining the sound insulation performance of the engine cover against the radiated sound.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an engine cover structure of an engine cover that separates an engine side space portion and an intercooler side space portion in an engine room, wherein the engine cover includes the intercooler side space. An opening communicating with the engine-side space, and an opening / closing means for opening / closing the opening, and when the opening / closing means opens the opening, the inter-cooler-side space to the engine-side space When an air flow flowing through the opening is generated and the opening is shielded, the sound emitted from the engine-side space is blocked.

According to the present invention, since the opening / closing means opens the opening during traveling of the vehicle, an air flow through the opening flowing from the intercooler side space to the engine side space is generated during traveling of the vehicle.
By generating an air flow that flows from the intercooler side space portion to the engine side space portion through the opening, the flow rate of the air flow flowing along the intercooler increases, and the air flow more easily takes the heat of the intercooler.
Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the intercooler during vehicle travel is improved.
Further, since the opening / closing means closes the opening in addition to running the vehicle, the sound emitted from the engine is blocked by the engine cover.
In cases other than vehicle running, radiation of the radiated sound from the engine can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, in the engine cover structure described above, the intercooler may be disposed above the engine cover, and the opening may be positioned below the intercooler.

In this case, since the intercooler is disposed above the engine cover and the opening is located below the intercooler, the opening is opened, so that the space between the intercooler and the engine cover in the upper intercooler-side space is reduced. The air flow flows to the lower engine side space.
The air flow flowing from the upper intercooler side space to the lower engine side space improves the cooling efficiency of the intercooler on the engine side even when the intercooler is disposed above the engine.

  According to the present invention, in the engine cover structure described above, the opening / closing means includes a shutter member that opens and closes the opening, and an opening / closing drive source that operates the shutter member. The shutter member may be operated so as to close the opening and open the opening during traveling.

In this case, the opening is shielded by the shutter member during idling, but the shutter member is actuated by the opening / closing drive source.
Therefore, the opening / closing of the opening by the shutter member can be controlled in correspondence with the vehicle traveling and idling.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the cooling efficiency of the intercooler during traveling of the vehicle, while maintaining the sound insulation performance of the engine cover against the radiated sound from the engine in cases other than during traveling of the vehicle. An engine cover structure can be provided.

Hereinafter, an engine cover structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an engine cover structure according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the engine cover structure according to the first embodiment, and FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows the engine cover structure which concerns on embodiment.

A vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 has an engine room 14 below an engine hood 11.
The engine room 14 is a space defined by an engine hood 11, a front front grill 12, a rear dash panel 13, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, an engine 15 and an intercooler 16 are accommodated in the engine room 14.

Although the engine 15 according to this embodiment is schematically shown in FIG. 1, it is a known engine.
The engine 15 can be of any type such as a V type, a series type, and a horizontally opposed type.
The engine 15 includes a supercharger (not shown), and the supercharger compresses air introduced into the intake system of the engine 15.
The supercharger is connected to an intercooler 16 located above the engine 15 through a pipe.
The intercooler 16 is an air-cooled intercooler having a function of cooling the air compressed by the supercharger.
The intercooler 16 is connected to the intake system of the engine 15 through a pipe (not shown).

An engine cover 19 is provided between the engine 15 and the intercooler 16.
By providing the engine cover 19, the engine room 14 forms an intercooler side space 17 in which the intercooler 16 is disposed and an engine side space 18 in which the engine 15 is accommodated.
That is, the engine room 14 is divided into upper and lower spaces constituted by the intercooler side space portion 17 and the engine side space portion 18 by the installation of the engine cover 19.
Accordingly, the engine cover 19 is positioned below the intercooler 16, and the engine hood 11 is positioned above the intercooler 16.

The engine cover 19 will be described in detail.
The engine cover 19 is a cover that covers the upper portion of the engine 15, and mainly has a function of shielding sound emitted from the engine 15.
As shown in FIG. 2, the engine cover 19 according to this embodiment has an engine cover main body 20 formed of a metal material.
The front portion of the engine cover body 20 is bent so as to go around to the front side of the engine 15.
Further, a sound absorbing material 21 is attached to the lower surface of the engine cover main body 20.
The sound absorbing material 21 is mainly formed of foamed urethane or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin having heat resistance.
Since the sound absorbing material 21 absorbs a part of the radiated sound radiated from the engine 15, it has a function of improving the sound insulation effect of the engine sound by the engine cover 19 as well as the sound insulation effect of the engine cover main body 20. .

The engine cover 19 is formed with an opening 22 that communicates the intercooler side space 17 and the engine side space 18.
The opening 22 is a through hole for generating an air flow from the intercooler side space 17 to the engine side space 18.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of openings 22 are formed in the front-rear direction of the engine cover 19, and each opening 22 is inclined with respect to the engine cover 19. The upper end of 22 is arranged on the vehicle front side with respect to the lower end.
This is to facilitate the creation of an air flow from the front to the rear.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of openings 22 are also formed in the width direction of the engine cover 19 (vehicle width direction).
That is, in this embodiment, the double-row double-column openings 22 are formed in the engine cover 19.
The position of each opening 22 is a position included in a range (a range surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line S in FIG. 3) projected when the intercooler 16 is projected onto the engine cover 19 on a plane.

A shutter member 23 is provided on the upper surface of the engine cover 19 as opening / closing means for opening and closing the opening 22.
The shutter member 23 is a member that slides back and forth along the upper surface of the engine cover 19 and has an area that covers all the openings 22.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shutter member 23 has a through hole 24 corresponding to each opening 22.
Therefore, when the position where the shutter member 23 closes each opening 22 is a closed position, the position when the shutter member 23 is slid rearward is the open position where each opening 22 is opened.
When the shutter member 23 is in the open position, the through hole 24 of the shutter member 23 and the opening 22 of the engine cover 19 coincide with each other, and the intercooler side space 17 and the engine side space 18 are communicated.

The shutter member 23 is slid rearward by an actuator (not shown) as an opening / closing drive source.
Specifically, a wire 25 that connects the actuator and the shutter member 23 is provided, and the wire 25 pulls the shutter member 23 backward by driving the actuator.
The actuator is driven using the rotational force of the engine 15, and for example, an air negative pressure type actuator attached to a turbo with a variable nozzle that is a supercharger may be used.
The force generated by driving the actuator may be used as the pulling force of the wire 25.

Furthermore, it is preferable that an elastic member such as a spring is provided on the actuator so that the shutter member 23 returns to the closed position when the tensile force generated by driving the actuator is released from the wire 25.
In this case, the wire 25 is pulled against the elastic force of the elastic member, and the elastic force returns the shutter member 23 to the closed position when the force pulling the wire 25 is released.

  In this embodiment, control is performed such that the actuator is not driven during idling and the actuator is driven when the vehicle 10 is traveling so that the shutter member 23 is positioned at the closed position during idling.

Next, the effect | action by the engine cover structure of this embodiment is demonstrated.
First, the case where the engine 15 is operated with the vehicle 10 stopped, that is, idling will be described.
Since the actuator is not driven during idling, the shutter member 23 is in the closed position for closing the opening 22 of the engine cover 19 as shown in FIG.
When the shutter member 23 closes each opening 22, the intercooler side space 17 and the engine side space 18 are separated.

In this state, the sound emitted from the engine 15 is absorbed by the sound absorbing material 21 or blocked by the engine cover main body 20.
For this reason, the radiated sound from the engine 15 is not easily leaked to the outside of the engine cover 19.
During idling, since the load on the engine 15 is small, it is not necessary to increase the cooling performance of the intercooler 16 as compared to when traveling.
For this reason, there is no problem even if the air flow around the intercooler 16 is small.

Next, a case where the vehicle is traveling will be described.
When the vehicle travels, the actuator controls the shutter member 23 through the wire 25 so as to be in the open position.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the shutter member 23 is slid to the open position, and the opening 22 in the engine cover 19 is opened in the shutter member 23.
At this time, the intercooler side space portion 17 and the engine side space portion 18 are in communication with each other via the through hole 24 of the shutter member 23 and the opening portion 22 of the engine cover 19.

When the vehicle travels, air taken from the front grill 12 as it travels flows through the engine room 14 as an air flow, and the air flow reaches around the intercooler 16.
The airflow flowing between the intercooler 16 and the engine cover 19 flows from the intercooler side space portion 17 to the engine side space portion 18 through the opened opening 22.
By opening each opening 22, a backward air flow is generated between the intercooler 16 and the engine cover 19.

As a result of the generation of an air flow flowing from the intercooler side space portion 17 to the engine side space portion 18, the flow rate of the air flow flowing along the intercooler 16 becomes larger than when each opening 22 is closed, and the flow rate increases. The air flow thus made makes it easier for the intercooler 16 to take heat away.
Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, the intercooler 16 is sufficiently cooled rather than the airflow that flows only through the intercooler side space portion 17.
In addition, since the radiated sound from the engine 15 when the vehicle travels is radiated as a continuous sound, the discomfort due to the discontinuous sound as during idling hardly occurs.

The engine cover structure of this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) When the vehicle travels, an air flow that flows through the opening from the intercooler side space portion 17 to the engine side space portion 18 is generated, so that the flow rate of the air flow that flows along the intercooler 16 increases. Since it becomes easier to take the heat of the intercooler 16, the cooling efficiency of the intercooler during traveling of the vehicle is improved.
Furthermore, in the engine room 14 in a limited space, the intercooler 16 can be reliably cooled by the airflow when the vehicle is traveling.
Further, since the shutter member 23 closes each opening 22 other than the vehicle running, the radiated sound from the engine 15 is shielded by the engine cover 19. Can be suppressed.

(2) Since the intercooler 16 is disposed above the engine cover 19 and the opening 22 is located below the intercooler 16, the opening of the opening 22 opens the intercooler in the upper intercooler side space portion 17. The air flow between the engine cover 19 and the engine cover 19 flows to the lower engine side space 18. The air flow from the upper intercooler side space 17 to the lower engine side space 18 causes the intercooler 16 to Even if arranged above, the cooling efficiency on the engine side of the intercooler 16 is improved.
(3) Although the opening 22 is shielded by the shutter member 23 during idling, since the shutter member 23 is controlled by an actuator, the opening / closing of the opening 22 by the shutter member 23 is controlled corresponding to when the vehicle is running and when idling. be able to.

(4) Since the shutter member 23 that slides along the engine cover 19 is provided and the shutter member 23 is controlled using the drive of the actuator to open and close the opening 22, the complication of the engine cover 19 is suppressed. Can do.
(5) Since air flows from the upper intercooler side space portion 17 to the lower engine side space portion 18 during traveling, the cooling effect on the upper portion of the engine 15 can be expected by the air flowing into the engine side space portion 18. It is also possible to improve the cooling efficiency of the engine 15.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an engine cover structure according to the second embodiment will be described.
In the engine cover structure of this embodiment, since the other elements excluding the shutter member are the same as those in the first embodiment, the reference numerals are common, and the description of the first embodiment is used for the common elements.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view showing the outline of the engine cover structure.
The engine cover 19 shown in FIG. 5 uses a butterfly valve type shutter member 31 as an opening / closing means for opening and closing each opening 22.

A shutter member 31 substantially corresponding to the shape of the opening 22 of the engine cover 19 is provided in each opening 22.
The shutter member 23 includes a shaft body 32 that is horizontally mounted over the opening 22, and a rotating plate 33 that is attached to the shaft body 32 and covers the opening 22.
The shaft body 32 is rotatable with respect to the engine cover body 20.
A wire (not shown) for connecting the shaft body 32 and an actuator (not shown) is provided.
When the shutter member 31 is not under the control of the actuator, the shutter member 31 is held in a state of covering the opening 22 and is in a closed position for closing the opening 22.
The shutter member 31 is in a closed position that covers the opening 22 when the vehicle is not traveling, such as during idling. In this case, the radiated sound from the engine 15 is less likely to leak from the engine cover 19.

When the vehicle is traveling, when the wire is pulled by driving the actuator, the shutter member 31 rotates around the shaft body 32 as a rotation core.
When the shutter member 31 is rotated, the shutter member 31 is in an open position for opening the opening 22.
When the shutter member 31 is in the open position, the intercooler side space 17 and the engine side space 18 communicate with each other.
As in the first embodiment, an air flow to the intercooler side space portion 17 and the engine side space portion 18 is generated, the air flow around the intercooler 16 is promoted, and the intercooler 16 is sufficiently transported by the air flow. To be cooled.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said 1st, 2nd embodiment, A various change is possible within the range of the meaning of invention, For example, you may change as follows.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the openings formed in the engine cover are a large number of through holes, but the openings are also formed as a single through hole.
The number of through holes constituting the opening is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to provide a large number of through holes having a relatively small diameter in order to promote air flow.
Further, the shape of the through hole may be a circle, an ellipse, an ellipse, or a slit, and the shape can be freely set.
In this case, the shutter member may have a structure that can open and close these through holes.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the opening is opened and closed by sliding the shutter member back and forth or rotating, but the shutter member is not necessarily opened by sliding or rotating. The structure and type of the shutter member are not particularly limited as long as the shutter member can open and close the opening portion to communicate the intercooler side space portion and the engine side space portion.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the opening and closing of the opening by the shutter member is controlled using the air negative pressure type actuator and the wire, but the actuator is not limited to the air negative pressure type actuator. For example, an electric actuator such as a motor may be used.
The opening and closing of the opening by the shutter member may be performed by opening and closing the shutter member using means other than a wire, such as a crank lever.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the air flowing around the intercooler is mainly taken from the front grille. However, for example, an air scoop is provided on the engine hood side, and the air is supplied from the outside of the engine hood. Air may be allowed to flow to the cooler, or air intake from the front grille and air intake by an air scoop may be used in combination.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flow of air that flows around the intercooler during traveling is the air flow that accompanies the vehicle traveling. For example, air flows around the intercooler during traveling by blowing air from a fan included in the engine. You may do it.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the shutter member is controlled by the actuator when the vehicle is traveling and when the vehicle is not traveling such as idling. For example, at a certain vehicle speed or less. The shutter member may be controlled so that the opening is closed and the opening is opened when a certain vehicle speed is exceeded.
In this case, for example, even when the vehicle travels at a low speed, the radiated sound of the engine sound can be suppressed.

In the first and second embodiments, the position of the opening in the engine cover is included in a range (hereinafter referred to as “projection range”) projected when the intercooler is projected onto the engine cover on a plane. However, it is preferable to provide an opening on the front side of the projection range.
In this case, the air flow passing under the intercooler becomes an appropriate air flow by cooling the intercooler.

It is a side view showing the engine cover structure concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a side view which fractures | ruptures and shows the engine cover structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an engine cover structure according to a first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining an effect | action of the engine cover structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which fractures | ruptures and shows the principal part of the engine cover structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 11 Engine hood 14 Engine room 15 Engine 16 Intercooler 17 Intercooler side space 18 Engine side space 19 Engine cover 22 Opening 23, 31 Shutter member 24 Through hole 25 Wire 32 Shaft body 33 Rotating plate

Claims (3)

The engine cover structure of the engine cover that separates the engine side space part and the intercooler side space part in the engine room,
The engine cover has an opening communicating the intercooler side space and the engine side space, and an opening / closing means for opening and closing the opening.
When the opening / closing means opens the opening, an air flow that flows through the opening from the intercooler side space to the engine side space is generated,
An engine cover structure characterized in that when the opening is shielded, the sound emitted from the engine-side space is shielded. The engine cover structure, wherein the intercooler is disposed above the engine cover, and the opening is positioned below the intercooler. The opening / closing means has a shutter member that opens and closes the opening, and an opening / closing drive source that operates the shutter member,
3. The engine cover structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing drive source operates the shutter member so as to close the opening during idling and open the opening during running.

Images