JP2012052514A - Exhaust pipe structure for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure layout flexibility of an air-fuel ratio sensor in a space from a collection portion with a plurality of branching pipes collected therein which are connected with respective cylinders of an internal combustion engine to a catalyst.SOLUTION: In the exhaust pipe structure for the internal combustion engine, the plurality of branching pipes 8 connected with respective cylinders of the engine are coupled with an end portion of a first exhaust collection pipes 9, and the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is arranged in the space from the collection parts to a catalyst 10a. The structure includes: a partition plate 14 separating the inner space of the first exhaust collection pipe 9 forming the exhaust pipe from the collection portion to the catalyst 10a into two inner exhaust passages 9c, 9d; and the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 that is arranged to incline toward the partition plate 14 so that the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 intersects the partition plate 14 through a notch 14c.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exhaust pipe structure of an internal combustion engine suitable for use in a vehicle equipped with a multi-cylinder engine.

  A vehicle equipped with an engine may be equipped with an air-fuel ratio sensor to perform air-fuel ratio feedback control. In order to cover a multi-cylinder engine with a single air-fuel ratio sensor, the air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed downstream of a collecting portion in which a plurality of branch pipes connected to each cylinder of the multi-cylinder engine are gathered, and for exhaust purification. It is necessary to arrange upstream of the catalyst. For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose a configuration in which a plurality of branch pipes (branch pipes) connected to each cylinder of a four-cylinder engine are gathered and an air-fuel ratio sensor is arranged downstream of the gathered portion. .

JP 2003-83061 A JP-A-7-83049

  When the air-fuel ratio sensor is close to the collecting portion, the exhaust gas exhausted from each branch pipe comes into contact with the air-fuel ratio sensor without being stirred. For this reason, depending on the position of the air-fuel ratio sensor, the hit (contact flow rate) of the exhaust gas from each branch pipe to the air-fuel ratio sensor differs, and there is a risk that the air-fuel ratio varies between cylinders.

  On the other hand, as described above, the air-fuel ratio sensor needs to be arranged upstream of the catalyst, but it is desirable to arrange the catalyst as upstream as possible in order to improve the exhaust gas purification performance. That is, the space from the gathering part to the catalyst is preferably short, and it is necessary to arrange the air-fuel ratio sensor in the limited space.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the air-fuel ratio sensor in the space from the collecting portion where a plurality of branch pipes connected to each cylinder of the internal combustion engine are gathered to the catalyst. It aims at securing.

An exhaust pipe structure of an internal combustion engine according to the present invention is an exhaust pipe structure of an internal combustion engine in which an air-fuel ratio sensor is arranged in a space from a collecting portion where a plurality of branch pipes connected to each cylinder of the internal combustion engine are gathered to a catalyst. A partition plate that divides the internal space of the exhaust pipe from the gathering portion to the catalyst into two exhaust passages, and an air-fuel ratio sensor that is inclined with respect to the plane so as to intersect with the plane including the partition plate It is characterized by comprising.
Another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine of the present invention is that a notch is formed in the partition plate, and the air-fuel ratio sensor intersects the partition plate through the notch. It is in.
Another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine of the present invention is that the opening area of the notch is larger on the upstream side than the downstream side with respect to the central axis of the air-fuel ratio sensor. It is in.
Another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine according to the present invention is that the bar-shaped detection portion at the tip of the air-fuel ratio sensor has the same exposed area on both sides of the partition plate.
Further, another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine of the present invention is that the air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed at a position closer to the catalyst than the collecting portion.
Another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine according to the present invention is that the partition plate has bent portions for fixing to the inner wall of the exhaust pipe at both ends in the width direction, and the bent portion. Are in opposite directions.
Another feature of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine according to the present invention is that the partition plate has bent portions for fixing to the inner wall of the exhaust pipe at both ends in the width direction, and the bent portion. Of these, the bent portion close to the air-fuel ratio sensor is bent in the direction opposite to the mounting position of the air-fuel ratio sensor.

  According to the present invention, since the air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed to be inclined with respect to the plane including the partition plate, it is possible to ensure a degree of freedom in the layout of the air-fuel ratio sensor. And since an air fuel ratio sensor cross | intersects the plane containing a partition plate, it can detect the oxygen concentration of both the exhaust passages formed of the partition plate.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing a main part of the motorcycle. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the periphery of an engine unit of a motorcycle. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine which concerns on this embodiment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 and 2 are right side views showing a main part of a motorcycle to which the present invention is applicable. In each figure described below, the front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow Fr, the rear is indicated by an arrow Rr, the left side is indicated by an arrow L, and the right side is indicated by an arrow R.

  Two left and right front forks 3 supported by a steering head pipe 2 so as to be pivotable to the left and right are provided at the front of a pair of left and right body frames 1 made of steel or aluminum alloy material. The pair of left and right body frames 1 are coupled in front of the vehicle, and a steering head pipe 2 is provided at the coupling portion, and a steering center is disposed here. A handle (not shown) is fixed to the upper end of the front fork 3, and the front wheel 4 is rotatably supported at the lower part of the front fork 3.

  The vehicle body frame 1 branches from the steering head pipe 2 in a bifurcated left and right direction, and each of them extends in a slanting manner downward. A swing arm 5 is swingably coupled to the rear portion of the body frame 1, and a rear wheel 6 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the swing arm 5. The rear wheel 6 is rotationally driven through a driven sprocket around which a chain for transmitting engine power is wound.

  An engine unit 7 is mounted on a predetermined part of the body frame 1. The engine unit 7 is a four-cycle four-cylinder engine, and a branch pipe 8 is connected to an exhaust port of each cylinder. A branch pipe 8 of each cylinder extends downward in front of the engine unit 7 and is joined to a first exhaust collecting pipe 9 disposed below the engine unit 7. The exhaust gas after combustion in the engine is exhausted from the muffler 11 after passing through the catalyst 10a in the second exhaust collecting pipe 10 in a state of being merged from each branch pipe 8 through the first exhaust collecting pipe 9. Is done.

  Although not shown here, a fuel tank is mounted above the engine unit 7, and seats (rider seats and tandem seats) are continuously provided behind the fuel tanks. In the vehicle exterior, a vehicle exterior shape having a streamline shape is formed by cowling.

  3 and 4 are views showing the main part of the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine according to this embodiment, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the oil pan 12 at the bottom of the engine unit 7 is deep on the left side of the vehicle, but is shallow on the right side of the vehicle, and is recessed in the oil pan 12 (below the shallow portion). A first exhaust collecting pipe 9 is installed.

  The first exhaust collecting pipe 9 has a double structure including an outer pipe 9a and an inner pipe 9b. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 9b is fixed and closed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 9a at the front end portion and the rear end portion, but in the middle portion, between the two tubes 9a and 9b. A space 13 is formed, and glass wool for heat insulation is inserted into the space 13.

  As shown in FIG. 4, four joining cylinder portions 17 are provided at the tip of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9, and the branch pipes 8 of each cylinder are joined to each joining cylinder portion 17. This joint portion corresponds to a collecting portion in which the branch pipes 8 are gathered. The branch pipe 8 of each cylinder is joined to the tip of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 substantially parallel to the axis of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9.

  The second exhaust collecting pipe 10 containing the catalyst 10a is coaxially joined to the rear end of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9.

  A partition plate 14 is horizontally installed inside the inner pipe 9b of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9, and there are two internal spaces of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 forming an exhaust pipe from the collecting portion to the catalyst 10a. The exhaust passages 9c and 9d are partitioned. As shown in FIG. 4, the partition plate 14 has a length from the immediate vicinity of the gathering portion to the immediate vicinity of the catalyst 10a. The exhaust gas from the predetermined two-cylinder branch pipe 8 is introduced into one of the two exhaust passages 9c and 9d, and the exhaust gas from the remaining two-cylinder branch pipe 8 is introduced into the other. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the partition plate 14 has bent portions 14 a and 14 b at both ends in the width direction, and these bent portions 14 a and 14 b are the inner walls of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 (the inner circumference of the inner pipe 9 b). Surface). The bent portions 14a and 14b are opposite to each other, that is, one is bent upward and the other is bent downward. In this way, by bending the bent portions 14a and 14b in opposite directions, when vibration is applied or a pressure difference is generated between the two exhaust passages 9c and 9d and an external force acts on the partition plate 14, The same joint strength can be maintained in both the upward and downward directions.

  An air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is provided in the first exhaust collecting pipe 9. The air-fuel ratio sensor 15 has a stick shape, and is inserted into the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 so as to face obliquely downward from the right side of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. By arranging the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 in this way, it is possible to avoid the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 from contacting the ground even when the vehicle body is tilted to the right (banked) during travel. A cover 16 for protecting the lower side of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9.

  The air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is arranged so as to penetrate from the outer pipe 9 a to the inner pipe 9 b and reach the internal space of the exhaust collecting pipe 9. In this case, the bent portion 14b close to the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is bent in the direction opposite to the attachment position of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15.

  Here, a notch 14c is formed in the partition plate 14 inside the first exhaust collecting pipe 9, and the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 crosses the partition plate 14c through the notch 14c. Since the partition plate 14 defines the exhaust passages 9c and 9d, it is desirable to reduce the opening area. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the opening area of the notch 14c is empty. The upstream side with respect to the central axis O of the fuel ratio sensor 15 is larger than the downstream side. Further, the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 has a rod-shaped portion at the tip thereof as a detection portion 15a, and the exposed area of the detection portion 15a is substantially equal on both sides (up and down) of the partition plate 14 as shown in FIG. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is located on the rear side of the axial center of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9, that is, a collecting section (first exhaust pipe) where the four branch pipes 8 gather and join. It is arranged at a position closer to the catalyst 10a than the tip of the collecting tube 9).

  In the exhaust pipe structure of the internal combustion engine as described above, the exhaust gas after combustion in the engine is introduced into the joining cylinder portion 17 and the inner pipe 9b of the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 through the branch pipe 8. . The inner space of the inner pipe 9b is partitioned by the partition plate 14 into two exhaust passages 9c and 9d, so that exhaust interference can be avoided and the exhaust pipe length can be substantially increased. As a result, it is possible to improve the output in the low to medium speed region while minimizing the space from the collecting portion where the branch pipes 8 of each cylinder are gathered to the catalyst 10a. The exhaust gas introduced into the first exhaust collecting pipe 9 passes through the catalyst 10 a in the second exhaust collecting pipe 10 and is then exhausted from the muffler 11.

  Here, the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the partition plate 14. Thus, by inclining the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 with respect to the partition plate 14, the degree of freedom of the layout of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 can be ensured. In addition, since the bent portion 14b close to the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is bent in the direction opposite to the mounting position of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15, it is possible to avoid the bent portion 14b from interfering with the air-fuel ratio sensor 15. For example, even when the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 has the boss portion 15b (see FIG. 3), the boss portion 15b of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 can be brought closer to the partition plate 14 while minimizing the notch 14c.

  Since the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 passes through the notch 14c and intersects the partition plate 14, the oxygen concentration in both the exhaust passages 9c and 9d can be detected. In particular, since the exposed areas of the detection portions 15a of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 are substantially equal on both sides (upper and lower sides) of the partition plate 14, the exhaust gases in both the exhaust passages 9c and 9d are in uniform contact with the air-fuel ratio sensor 15, The oxygen concentration can be detected without variation. Further, since the opening area of the notch 14c is larger on the upstream side than the downstream side with respect to the central axis O of the air-fuel ratio sensor 15, the exhaust gases of both the exhaust passages 9c and 9d are mixed. The oxygen concentration can be detected in the state.

  Further, since the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is disposed at a position closer to the catalyst 10a than the gathering portion where the four branch pipes 8 gather and join, the exhaust gas from each branch pipe 8 hits the air-fuel ratio sensor 15. (Contact flow rate) can be made uniform, and variation in the air-fuel ratio between cylinders can be suppressed.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with various embodiment, this invention is not limited only to these embodiment, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 is configured to intersect with the partition plate 14 through the notch 14c, but is not limited thereto. For example, instead of positioning the rear end of the partition plate 14 in the immediate vicinity of the catalyst 10a as in the above embodiment, the rear end of the partition plate 14 is positioned slightly away from the catalyst 10a, and the rear end of the partition plate 14 and the catalyst 10a The air-fuel ratio sensor 15 may be disposed between the two. That is, the air-fuel ratio sensor 15 only needs to be inclined with respect to the plane so as to intersect with the plane including the partition plate 14.

  The air-fuel ratio sensor referred to in the present invention may be an oxygen sensor or a wide area air-fuel ratio sensor.

  7: engine unit, 8: branch pipe, 9: first exhaust collecting pipe, 9a: outer pipe, 9b: inner pipe, 9c, 9d: exhaust passage, 10: second exhaust collecting pipe, 10a: catalyst, 11 : Muffler, 14: Partition plate, 14a, 14b: Bending part, 14c: Notch, 15: Air-fuel ratio sensor, 15a: Detection part, 17: Joining cylinder part

Claims (7)

An exhaust pipe structure of an internal combustion engine in which an air-fuel ratio sensor is arranged in a space from a collecting portion where a plurality of branch pipes connected to each cylinder of the internal combustion engine are gathered to a catalyst,
A partition plate that divides the internal space of the exhaust pipe from the collecting portion to the catalyst into two exhaust passages;
An exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed to be inclined with respect to the plane so as to intersect the plane including the partition plate.   2. An exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein a notch is formed in the partition plate, and the air-fuel ratio sensor intersects the partition plate through the notch.   The exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein the opening area of the notch is larger on the upstream side than on the downstream side with respect to the central axis of the air-fuel ratio sensor.   The exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rod-shaped detection portion at the tip of the air-fuel ratio sensor has the same exposed area on both sides of the partition plate.   The exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed at a position closer to the catalyst than the collecting portion.   6. The partition plate according to claim 1, wherein the partition plate has a bent portion for fixing to the inner wall of the exhaust pipe at both ends in the width direction, and the bent portion is opposite to each other. An exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1.   The partition plate has bent portions for fixing to the inner wall of the exhaust pipe at both ends in the width direction, and a bent portion close to the air-fuel ratio sensor among the bent portions is located at a position where the air-fuel ratio sensor is attached. The exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the exhaust pipe structure is bent in a reverse direction.

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