JP2021055623A - Engine for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an engine for an automobile, which can easily grasp damage situation while suppressing the damage from spreading over the entire strainer when an oil pan collides with a road surface and dents.SOLUTION: The lower end part of a suction port 28 in a strainer 26 has a small diameter part 28a as a weakening part. A drain hole 42 is provided in the vicinity of the small diameter part 28a in an oil pan 4 so that the small diameter part 28a can be visually recognized when a drain plug 43 is removed. When the oil pan 4 collides with a road surface and dents, the situation of the suction port 28 can be confirmed by removing the drain plug 43 and looking inside the oil pan 4. Therefore, the subsequent correspondence can be easily determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

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

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

As a prior art regarding the strainer and the drain hole, Patent Document 1 states that the mouthpiece and the drain hole of the strainer are concentrically formed to engage the lower end of the mouthpiece with the drain plug and drain the mouthpiece. A structure is disclosed that allows it to be extracted from the hole.

CD-ROM of Jitsukaihei 02-168124

By the way, in the engine for automobiles, the mounting mode on the vehicle body differs depending on the structure of the automobile, and in the sedan type, it is arranged in the engine room arranged in front of the passenger compartment, and the windshield rises from the front grill. In a one-box car of this type, the engine is placed in the space under the floor.

In any case, since the oil pan that constitutes the underside of the engine is exposed toward the ground, pebbles that jumped when the car was running hit the oil pan, or the oil pan hit the stones protruding from the road surface and oil. The bread can be dented.

The dent of the oil pan is so large that the strainer's mouthpiece may be impacted and the mouthpiece may be broken or deformed. In this case, depending on the degree of breakage or deformation, the strainer may or may not be able to run. Or become. Therefore, it is preferable that the state of damage to the mouthpiece can be easily confirmed.

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

The present invention has been made to improve such a situation.

The invention of the present application is
"The oil pan and the strainer are provided, and the oil pan is formed with a drain hole that is closed by a drain plug, while the strainer is a mouthpiece that is immersed in the oil accumulated in the oil pan from above. Is equipped with "
In the basic configuration
"At the lower part of the mouthpiece in the strainer, a weakened portion that can be broken or deformed when the oil pan is deformed upward and collides is formed, while being formed.
The drain hole is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed. "
It is configured as.

In the present invention, when the oil pan comes into contact with the road surface and is deformed while the automobile is running, and the strainer's mouthpiece is impacted by the deformation, the weakened portion is damaged or deformed, and the mouthpiece is closed. It can be prevented from being stowed. Therefore, when the impact due to the contact with the road surface is not so strong, the oil suction function is maintained and the engine operation (driving of the automobile) can be continued.

Then, in the present invention, since the damaged state of the mouthpiece can be visually recognized from the drain hole, it can be easily determined whether or not the operation can be continued without removing the oil pan. If the drain hole is set to a size that allows a human finger to be inserted, even if it is dark and it is difficult to see the inside of the oil pan, inserting the finger into the drain hole and touching the mouthpiece will damage the mouthpiece. You can grasp the situation of.

As described above, in the present invention, since the state of damage to the mouthpiece can be confirmed without removing the oil pan, subsequent measures can be taken promptly.

It is a rear view which looked at the engine of an embodiment from the rear. FIG. 1 is a bottom view of II-II of FIG. It is a perspective view of the auxiliary crankcase. It is the figure which looked at the auxiliary crankcase from the IV-IV direction of FIG. It is a side sectional view seen from the VV viewing direction of FIG. It is a perspective view which looked at the auxiliary crankcase from the top. There is a VII-VII visual cross section of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. It is a bottom view of the auxiliary crankcase. (A) is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9, and (B) is a diagram showing an action.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the words front-back, left-right, and up-down are used to specify the direction, but the front-back direction is the crank axis direction, the left-right direction is the horizontal direction orthogonal to the crank axis direction, and the up-down direction is the vertical direction. .. Regarding the front and back, according to the general name used for engines, the side where timing chains and accessories are placed is the front, and the side where the mission is placed is the back. As a precaution, the directions are clearly shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

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

(1). Outline of engine This embodiment is applied to a 4-cylinder engine. As shown in FIG. 1 (see also FIG. 2), the engine includes a cylinder block 1, a cylinder head 2 fixed to the top surface of the cylinder block 1, and a head cover 3 fixed to the top surface of the cylinder head 2. It is a slant type engine with the axis O1 laid down greatly. The cylinder axis O1 is inclined at an angle of a little over 60 ° with respect to the vertical line O2 (a little less than 30 ° with respect to the horizontal plane O3).

As described above, the oil pan 4 is attached to the bottom surface of the cylinder block 1 via the auxiliary crankcase 5 by largely slanting the cylinder shaft center O1 to a posture close to horizontal. That is, the auxiliary crankcase 5 is fixed to the bottom surface of the cylinder block 1, and the oil pan 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the auxiliary crankcase 5.

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

As shown in FIG. 7, the journal portion of the crankshaft 6 is rotatably held by the group of crank caps 7 at the bottom opening of the cylinder block 1. Therefore, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, notches 8 for releasing the crank cap 7 are formed on both the front and rear wall portions of the auxiliary crankcase 5.

As shown with parallel diagonal lines in FIG. 1, receiving ribs 9 for fixing the transmission case are formed on the rear surfaces of the auxiliary crankcase 5 and the auxiliary crankcase 5 (therefore, the parallel diagonal lines are the end faces of the auxiliary crankcase 5). It is not a display. The same applies to other figures except for FIG. 5).

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

The engine of the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle body in a posture in which the crankshaft 6 is oriented in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. That is, it is a longitudinal engine. Therefore, the front-rear direction of the engine and the front-rear direction of the vehicle body coincide with each other. Further, the engine of the present embodiment is for a one-box vehicle, and is arranged in the lower space under the floor of the passenger compartment.

The cylinder block 1 is formed with an oil return passage for returning the oil accumulated in the valve chamber to the oil pan 4. However, in the longitudinal engine, the oil is on the front side and the tension side of the timing chain 13 when the vehicle body turns. It tends to lean towards, which can lead to inadequate oil reconstitution.

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

(2). Basic structure of auxiliary crankcase As shown in FIG. 7, a cylinder bore 17 is opened in the cylinder block 1. On the other hand, as can be easily understood from FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, the auxiliary crankcase 5 is open toward the cylinder block 1 and downward, and the oil pan 4 is fixed to the lower surface.

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

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the baffle plate 20 has a plurality of oil pits 23 (23a, 23b, 23c). A plurality of oil pits 23 are open, and when they are collectively referred to, a reference numeral 23 is attached, and when it is necessary to give individual names and indicated, subscripts a, b, and c are attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, an inward boss portion 24 for fixing the auxiliary crankcase 5 to the cylinder block 1 is provided on the upper longitudinal side portion 18 and the lower longitudinal side portion 19 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 in the front-rear direction. It is formed by arranging it intermittently in the direction. Since the upper surface of the oil pan 4 is horizontal, the left-right width of the upper longitudinal side portion 18 is large, and the left-right width of the lower longitudinal side portion 19 is large.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 8, a downward step portion 25 is formed on the upper longitudinal side portion 18 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 in a long posture in the front-rear direction (crankshaft direction), and the step portion 25 is formed. The baffle plate 20 is connected to the bottom end of the.

The oil pump is arranged on the front cover 14 to be displayed in FIG. 2, and oil is sucked into the oil pump from, for example, the strainer 26 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the strainer 26 is composed of a lateral pipe 27 (see also FIG. 4) long in the crank axis direction and a suction port 28 connected to the tip thereof. Therefore, it has a bent structure.

As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the lateral pipe 27 of the strainer 26 is arranged at a position along the front end portion of the lower longitudinal side portion 19 inside the auxiliary crankcase 5, and the auxiliary crankcase 5 is arranged. It is fixed to the front wall portion 21 and the lower longitudinal side portion 19 with bolts. The bolts fixed to the front wall portion 21 have a long posture in the crank axis direction, while the bolts fixed to the lower longitudinal side portion 19 have a posture orthogonal to the crank axis.

As shown in FIG. 7, a hole 29 communicating with the mouthpiece 28 is formed at the tip of the lateral pipe 27. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 9 and 10, the baffle plate 20 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 has a relief hole 30 through which the suction port 28 passes.

The oil sucked by the oil pump is filtered by the oil filter 31 shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a mounting seat 32 for fixing the oil filter 31 is projected forward on the front wall portion 21 of the auxiliary crankcase 5. Reference numerals 33 and 34 in FIG. 3 are boss portions forming an oil passage.

Further, what is indicated by reference numeral 35 in FIG. 7 is a PCV passage formed in the cylinder block 1. The auxiliary crankcase 5 is formed with a canopy-shaped baffle rib 36 and a land portion 37 facing the PCV passage 35 in order to prevent the oil mist flow generated by the rotation of the crankshaft 6 from heading toward the PCV passage 35. doing.

(3). Structure of baffle plate As shown in FIG. 8 (see also FIG. 10), the baffle plate 20 of the auxiliary crankcase 5 has a curved portion 20a that bulges upward in a normal cross-sectional view seen from the crankshaft direction. It is formed. The curved portion 20a is gently curved as a whole, but the highest apex (ridge line) is more than the longitudinal center line O4 (see FIGS. 6 and 9) that divides the oil pan 4 (and the baffle plate 20) into two left and right). It is moved (offset) to the cylinder block 1 so as to be located near the cylinder block 1. In the present embodiment, the baffle plate 20 is curved as a whole, but the curved portion 20a may be formed only at a portion close to the crankshaft 6, and the baffle plate 20 may be composed of the curved portion 20a and the flat portion. It is possible.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the front portion of the baffle plate 20 near the oil filter mounting seat 32 is a flat portion 20b having no curved portion 20a. Therefore, the flat portion 20b is lower than the lower end of the curved portion 20a. Then, as described above, when the vehicle body turns, the oil is scraped toward the oil pan 4 by using the timing chain 13, but the scraped oil goes toward the flat portion 20b. Therefore, the flat portion 20b is provided with an auxiliary oil pit 23 that is long in the longitudinal direction (long in the left-right direction).

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

Strictly speaking, it is difficult to distinguish between the main and sub because the oil scattered in the crank chamber also flows into the main oil pit 23b, but it is formed at a portion closer to the crankshaft 6 than the apex 40 of the curved portion 20a. The one that is formed can be called the main oil pit 23b, and the one that is formed farther from the crankshaft 6 than the apex 40 of the curved portion 20a can be called the sub oil pit 23c.

By the way, in order to shorten the warm-up operation time of the engine, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the oil at an early stage, and for that purpose, it is beneficial to return the heated oil to the oil pump and circulate it around each part of the engine. is there. However, if the oil returned from the cylinder block 1 is widely diffused into the oil pan 4, the oil that has been heated around the engine cannot be effectively used, and the early temperature rise of the oil is impaired.

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

As a means of returning the oil to the portion of the oil pan 4 close to the cylinder block 1, it is possible to project left and right longitudinal ribs on the baffle plate 20, but in this case, the auxiliary crankcase 5 is die-cast. Die-casting becomes difficult during manufacturing. That is, in the auxiliary crankcase 5, the upper mold and the lower mold, which are separated from each other in the vertical direction in the state of FIG. 8, are the main molds, and the inner surface is formed by the slide mold provided on the upper mold. Since it slides in the direction indicated by the arrow 41, the rib cannot be projected.

On the other hand, when the curved portion 20a is formed as in the embodiment, the curved portion 20a can be formed in a state where the slide type can be retracted, so that the oil can be introduced into the main oil pit 23b without causing a manufacturing problem. It is possible to achieve an early temperature rise by returning to. This point is one of the great advantages of this embodiment.

Further, the baffle plate 20 can prevent oil from splashing up as its function, but since it is integrally formed with the auxiliary crankcase 5, the rigidity of the auxiliary crankcase can be improved. Further, when the baffle plate 20 is curved, there is an advantage that the movement of the oil can be smoothed and the inflow property to the mouthpiece 28 can be improved when the vehicle body sways from side to side and the oil sways.

(4). Mouth and drain hole The mouthpiece 28 constituting the strainer 26 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 10 (A) (see also FIG. 8), it is loosely narrowed downward as a whole. At the same time, it is tilted downward so that it goes forward (it is also tilted in the left-right direction).

Further, the lower portion of the mouthpiece 28 is a thinned small diameter portion 28a as an example of the weakened portion described in the claim. Therefore, the small diameter portion 28a is a weakened portion that is vulnerable to impact, and when the oil pan 4 hits a stone or the like on the road surface and is dented upward, the small diameter portion 28a is damaged or deformed. Therefore, the mouthpiece 28 does not break from the base of the upper end, and the engine can be continued to operate in the case of minor damage.

Further, since the mouthpiece 28 of the strainer 26 is arranged at the deepest part of the oil pan 4, the oil pan 4 easily hits the road surface in the vicinity of the mouthpiece 28 during traveling, but the oil pan 4 is supposed to be. Even if it hits the road surface and is dented and deformed, the damage to the mouthpiece 28 is kept at the lower part, so that continuous operation is possible.

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

By the way, the baffle plate 20 of the oil pan 4 has a drain hole 42 for draining oil at the time of oil change, and the drain hole 42 is closed by a drain plug (bolt) 43 screwed from below.

Then, in the present embodiment, the drain hole 42 is located at a position where a person can visually recognize the small diameter portion 28a of the suction port 28 at the inclined portion of the rear wall portion 44 located behind the lower end portion of the suction port 28 in the oil pan 4. There is a drain hole 42 in the drain hole 42.

Therefore, if the small diameter portion 28a of the suction port 28 is dented in the oil pan 4 and is broken or deformed, the damage is in a state where the oil can be sucked or not by removing the oil and looking inside. Can be confirmed. As a result, it is possible to easily determine whether the vehicle can be driven to a service factory or a tow truck must be used.

The mouthpiece 28 can be visually recognized by looking into the inside of the oil pan 4 with a light, but if there is no light or it is dark and difficult to see, put your fingertip on the small diameter part and feel the damage. I can grasp it. That is, it is possible to drive when the fingertip reaches and the broken state or the bent state is known, and when the mouthpiece 28 is greatly bent from the root and the fingertip does not reach, it can be determined that the operation is impossible.

When the drain hole 42 is formed in the rear inclined rear wall portion 44 of the oil pan 4 as in the embodiment, the drain hole 42 and the drain plug 43 are located at positions higher than the lowermost surface of the oil pan 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain plug 43 from colliding with the road surface. Further, since the drain hole 42 is located behind in the forward direction of the vehicle body, even if the oil pan 4 is greatly dented in the event of a collision with the road surface, the drain plug 43 is prevented from being damaged and oil is drained. Can be easily done.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various ways. For example, the applicable engine is not limited to the slant type, but can also be applied to an engine in which the cylinder bore is in a vertical position or a posture close to it. In this case, the auxiliary crankcase is unnecessary. Further, as the weakened portion of the mouthpiece, it is also possible to form an annular notch at a portion near the lower end.

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

1 Cylinder block 4 Oil pan 5 Auxiliary crankcase 6 Crankshaft 18 Upper longitudinal side of auxiliary crankcase 19 Lower longitudinal side of auxiliary crankcase 20 Baffle plate of auxiliary crankcase 20a Curved part 23 (23a-23c) Oil drop hole 26 Strainer 27 Sideways pipes that make up the strainer 28 Mouthpieces that make up the strainer 30 Relief holes 40 Crankcase apex 42 Drain holes 43 Drain plugs

CD-ROM of Jitsukaihei 05-96411

Claims (1)

It is provided with an oil pan and a strainer, and the oil pan is formed with a drain hole closed by a drain plug, while the strainer has a mouthpiece for immersing the oil accumulated in the oil pan from above. It is a configuration that has
At the lower part of the mouthpiece of the strainer, a weakened portion that can be broken or deformed when the oil pan is deformed upward and collides is formed, while being formed.
The drain hole is open at a position where a person can visually recognize the weakened portion of the mouthpiece with the drain plug removed.
Automotive engine.

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