JP2022171220A - Intake manifold - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an intake manifold capable of suppressing a decrease in strength caused by a recess provided on the outer wall of a surge tank.SOLUTION: An intake manifold 10 comprises a surge tank 11, and a delivery pipe 13 having one end connected to the surge tank 11 to lead air from the inside of the surge tank 11 to the outside. The outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is provided with a recess 15 having a partially-recessed shape. The outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is provided with reinforcement ribs 30 having a shape protruding outward of the surge tank 11. The reinforcement ribs 30 extend all around the recess 15 in a manner of being provided at the periphery of the recess 15 and in a manner of being not provided on at least a part of the recess 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to intake manifolds.

An internal combustion engine is provided with an intake manifold that forms a part of an intake system (see Patent Document 1, for example). The intake manifold consists of a surge tank into which air is introduced via a portion on the upstream side in the intake air flow direction in the intake system, and a lead-out where one end is connected to the surge tank and the other end is connected to the intake port of the internal combustion engine. and a tube. Air taken into an intake system is supplied to each cylinder of the internal combustion engine by such an intake manifold.

JP 2010-265871 A

Vehicles in which an internal combustion engine is mounted as a drive source are running out of space in the engine room due to the sophistication of the engine. For this reason, when arranging an intake manifold in an engine room, it may be considered to partially recess the outer wall of the surge tank in order to avoid the members provided around the intake manifold.

Here, since the internal pressure of the surge tank fluctuates during operation of the internal combustion engine, the outer wall of the surge tank vibrates (deforms) with this fluctuation. Therefore, if a structure in which the outer wall of the surge tank is partially recessed is adopted, the deformation of the outer wall of the surge tank differs between the portion provided with the recess and the portion not provided with the recess, so that the entire intake manifold is deformed. The deformation mode becomes complicated. This may lead to a decrease in the strength of the intake manifold.

The intake manifold for solving the above problems includes a surge tank, an outlet pipe connected at one end to the surge tank and leading air from the inside of the surge tank to the outside, and an outlet pipe provided on the outer wall of the surge tank. A recess having a shape in which an outer wall is partially recessed; and a reinforcing rib extending all around the recess in an outwardly protruding manner.

In the above configuration, although the outer wall of the surge tank is provided with the recessed portion, a reinforcing rib having a shape surrounding the recessed portion is provided. Therefore, even if the recessed portion of the outer wall of the surge tank is deformed due to a change in the internal pressure of the surge tank, the effect of the deformation is suppressed from extending to the periphery of the recessed portion. As a result, the deformation of the concave portion and the deformation of the other portion of the outer wall of the surge tank can be separately managed, so that the deformation of the outer wall of the surge tank as a whole can be easily managed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, even though the outer wall of the surge tank is provided with the recess, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the intake manifold due to the recess.

1 is a side view of an intake manifold of one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the intake manifold viewed from the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1; A schematic diagram showing the internal structure of an intake manifold. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the divided body that constitutes the intake manifold;

An embodiment of the intake manifold will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the intake manifold 10 of this embodiment has a surge tank 11, a connector 12, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) outlet pipes 13, and a mounting flange 14. is doing. The intake manifold 10 is composed of a plurality (four in this embodiment) of divided bodies made of synthetic resin divided in one direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 2). The intake manifold 10 has a structure in which the divided bodies are fixed to each other by vibration welding in a state of being superimposed (the state shown in FIG. 2).

The surge tank 11 constitutes a volumetric chamber into which air is introduced.
The connector 12 has a cylindrical shape and extends so as to communicate the inside and outside of the surge tank 11 . A tip portion 12A of the connector 12 is connected to an intake pipe of an internal combustion engine (not shown) when the intake manifold 10 is attached.

The plurality of lead-out tubes 13 are cylindrical. These lead-out pipes 13 are connected to the surge tank 11 in such a manner that the inside and outside of the surge tank 11 are communicated. One end of each lead-out pipe 13 is open inside the surge tank 11 . In this embodiment, the plurality of outlet pipes 13 are arranged such that the openings of the plurality of outlet pipes 13 are aligned in one direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) inside the surge tank 11 . Each outlet pipe 13 extends along the outer surface of the surge tank 11 in a substantially C shape. The mounting flange 14 is provided at the end of each lead-out pipe 13 opposite to the portion connected to the surge tank 11 . Each lead-out pipe 13 is opened separately on the connection surface 14A of the mounting flange 14 .

The mounting flange 14 has a plate shape extending in the direction in which the openings of the lead-out pipes 13 are arranged (horizontal direction in FIG. 1). By fixing the mounting flange 14 to the outer wall of the internal combustion engine, each outlet pipe 13 of the intake manifold 10 is connected to each intake port of the internal combustion engine.

As conceptually shown in FIG. 3 , in the intake manifold 10 , air taken into the intake passage is introduced into the surge tank 11 via the connector 12 . The air introduced into the surge tank 11 is distributed and supplied to each intake port of the internal combustion engine by being led out through each lead-out pipe 13 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a portion of the intake manifold 10 corresponding to the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is provided with a recess 15 that is partially recessed toward the inside of the surge tank 11. there is The recess 15 is formed by forming a portion of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 into a smoothly curving shape. The outer edge of the recess 15 in the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is substantially elongated.

Specifically, the recessed portion 15 is provided in one of the four divided bodies (divided body 20 ) that constitute the intake manifold 10 . The divided body 20 has a portion of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 and a portion of a portion where one end of each lead-out pipe 13 is connected to the surge tank 11. As shown in FIG. Also, this divided body 20 has a bifurcated portion 21 in which two adjacent lead-out pipes 13 form a bifurcated shape.

In the intake manifold 10 of this embodiment, the recess 15 is used to avoid interference between the intake manifold 10 and the internal combustion engine. Specifically, when the intake manifold 10 and the internal combustion engine are attached to the vehicle, the knock sensor attached to the internal combustion engine is accommodated within the recessed portion 15 of the intake manifold 10 . As a result, the intake manifold 10 and the internal combustion engine are attached while avoiding mutual interference.

Reinforcing ribs 30 for reinforcing the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 are provided on the intake manifold 10, more specifically, on the portion of the divided body 20 corresponding to the outer wall 11A. The reinforcing rib 30 has a shape protruding outward from the surge tank 11 from the outer surface of the outer wall 11A. The reinforcing rib 30 has a recess rib 31 and an outer wall rib 32 .

The recess rib 31 extends along the outer edge of the recess 15 so as to surround the entire periphery of the recess 15 . The recess rib 31 has a tubular shape with a substantially elongated hole-shaped cross section.
The outer wall rib 32 extends along the periphery of the recess rib 31 . The outer wall rib 32 is integrated with the recess rib 31 . The outer wall rib 32 is provided on substantially the entire surface of the portion of the divided body 20 corresponding to the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 except for the recess 15 . The outer wall rib 32 basically has a cross-sectional grid shape at the central portion 22 in the extending direction of the split body 20, more specifically, at a portion far from the welded portion 16 where the split body 20 is welded. Further, the outer wall ribs 32 are partly formed into a lattice shape at the central portion 22 at the ends 23 in the extending direction of the divided body 20, more specifically, at the portions adjacent to the welded portions 16 of the divided body 20. It extends obliquely to it. In this embodiment, the extending direction of the outer wall ribs 32 at the end portions 23 of the divided body 20 is inclined with respect to the outer wall ribs 32 at the central portion 22 in this manner. As a result, the angle between the extension direction of the outer wall rib 32 and the extension direction of the welded portion 16 is close to a right angle at the end portion 23 of the divided body 20 .

As described above, in this embodiment, the recess 15 is surrounded entirely by the reinforcing ribs 30 projecting from the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11, more specifically, the recess ribs 31 and the outer wall ribs 32. ing.

In intake manifold 10 , reinforcement rib 30 is not provided in recessed portion 15 of divided body 20 . Specifically, in the intake manifold 10 , the reinforcement rib 30 is not provided on the inner peripheral side of the recess rib 31 .

Further, the intake manifold 10 , more specifically, the bifurcated portion 21 of the divided body 20 is provided with a crotch rib 33 that protrudes outward from the surge tank 11 . The crotch rib 33 has a rectangular tubular shape. The crotch rib 33 is integrated with the outer wall rib 32 . In the intake manifold 10 of this embodiment, the crotch rib 33 is not provided on the bifurcated portion 21 on the side closer to the recess 15 (on the left side in FIG. 4), but on the side farther from the recess 15 (on the right side in FIG. 4). is provided only in the forked portion 21 of the.

The effects of the intake manifold 10 of this embodiment will be described below.
A concave portion 15 is provided in a portion of the intake manifold 10 corresponding to the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 . In the intake manifold 10, the recess 15 is not provided with the reinforcing rib 30. As shown in FIG.

According to the intake manifold 10 as described above, it is possible to increase the usable space in the recessed portion 15 compared to the case where the recessed portion 15 is provided with reinforcing ribs. Therefore, when arranging the intake manifold 10 and the internal combustion engine, the space in the recess 15 can be effectively utilized as a space for housing the knock sensor integrated with the internal combustion engine. Moreover, the weight of the intake manifold 10 can be reduced as compared with the one in which the recess 15 is provided with reinforcing ribs.

On the other hand, in the intake manifold 10 of the present embodiment, since the reinforcing ribs 30 are not provided in the recesses 15, compared to the intake manifold 10 in which the recesses 15 are provided with reinforcing ribs, the recesses 15 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 are The part that hits becomes a structure that is easy to deform. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the surge tank 11 fluctuates during the operation of the internal combustion engine, the amount of deformation of the recessed portion 15 may increase due to the fluctuation of the internal pressure. If such deformation of the recessed portion 15 is transmitted to the welded portion 16 of the intake manifold 10, there is a risk that a force will act to shift the relative positions of the pair of welded surfaces that weld the two split bodies. In this case, the strength of the welded portion 16 may be lowered.

In the intake manifold 10 of the present embodiment, as the reinforcing ribs 30 that reinforce the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11, the ribs 31 for recesses are cylindrical and extend around the ribs 31 for the recesses. Outer wall ribs 32 are provided. Accordingly, although the intake manifold 10 is provided with the recess 15 in the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11, the reinforcing rib 30 is provided so as to surround the recess 15. As shown in FIG. The reinforcement rib 30 reinforces the periphery of the recess 15 in the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 .

By providing such reinforcing ribs 30, the deformation of the recess 15 and the deformation of the other portions of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 can be separately managed, so that the deformation of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 as a whole can be controlled. Aspects can be easily managed. Specifically, when the portion of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 corresponding to the recess 15 is deformed during operation of the internal combustion engine, it is possible to suppress the influence of the deformation from extending to the periphery of the recess 15.

Further, in the divided body 20 of the intake manifold 10 of the present embodiment, the outer wall rib 32 is provided on substantially the entire surface of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 other than the portion corresponding to the recess 15 . In other words, the divided body 20 of the intake manifold 10 has the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 reinforced by the outer wall ribs 32 throughout the portion other than the recess 15 . Therefore, even if the recessed portion 15 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is deformed, the deformation of the recessed portion 15 does not affect the welded portion 16 to which the plurality of divided bodies constituting the intake manifold 10 are welded and fixed. You can prevent it from reaching. As a result, the strength of the welded portion 16 and thus the strength of the intake manifold 10 can be suppressed.

The bifurcated portion 21 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11, where the lead-out pipe 13 is bifurcated, tends to cause stress concentration when the outer wall 11A deforms. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the forked portion 21 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is provided with a crotch rib 33 for reinforcing the outer wall 11A. Since the bifurcated portion 21 is reinforced by the rib 33 for the crotch portion, the strength reduction of the bifurcated portion 21 can be suppressed. As a result, a decrease in the strength of the intake manifold 10 can be suppressed.

The intake manifold 10 of this embodiment has two bifurcated portions 21 . The crotch rib 33 is provided only on one of the two forked portions 21 . This is for the following reasons.

Through various experiments and simulations, the inventors conducted an experiment to measure the internal stress generated in the bifurcated portion 21 of the intake manifold in which the crotch rib 33 is not provided during operation of the internal combustion engine. As a result, the internal stress in the bifurcated portion 21 on the side closer to the recess 15 (left side in FIG. 4) does not increase so much, whereas the internal stress in the bifurcated portion 21 on the side farther from the recess 15 (left side in FIG. 4) increases. found to be relatively large.

Based on this point, in the intake manifold 10 of the present embodiment, the crotch rib 33 is not provided on the forked portion 21 on the side closer to the recessed portion 15, but only on the forked portion 21 on the side farther from the recessed portion 15. is provided. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the rib 33 for the crotch portion can be provided as necessary to suppress the decrease in the strength of the forked portion 21 .

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A reinforcing rib 30 extending all around the recess 15 is provided on the periphery of the recess 15 in the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 in a manner not provided in the recess 15 . As a result, even though the outer wall 11</b>A of the surge tank 11 is provided with the recess 15 , it is possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the intake manifold 10 caused by the recess 15 .

(2) The reinforcing rib 30 is composed of a cylindrical concave portion rib 31 surrounding the entire periphery of the concave portion 15 and an outer wall rib 32 provided on the peripheral edge of the concave portion rib 31 . Therefore, the periphery of the recess 15 in the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 can be reinforced by the rib 31 for the recess and the rib 32 for the outer wall.

(3) The reinforcing rib 30 is not provided in the recess 15 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 . Therefore, when arranging the intake manifold 10 and the internal combustion engine, the space in the recess 15 can be effectively utilized as a space for housing the knock sensor integrated with the internal combustion engine. Moreover, the weight of the intake manifold 10 can be reduced as compared with the one in which the recess 15 is provided with reinforcing ribs.

(4) The fork portion 21 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is provided with the fork portion rib 33 . As a result, a decrease in strength of the bifurcated portion 21 can be suppressed, and a decrease in strength of the intake manifold 10 can be suppressed.

(5) Even if the recessed portion 15 of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 is deformed, the influence of the deformation of the recessed portion 15 on the welded portion 16 of the intake manifold 10 can be suppressed. Therefore, the strength of the welded portion 16 and thus the strength of the intake manifold 10 can be suppressed.

It should be noted that the above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The above embodiments and the following modifications can be combined with each other within a technically consistent range.

- The shape of the concave portion 15 can be arbitrarily changed, such as a shape with a circular outer edge, a shape with a polygonal outer edge, or the like. The shape of the recess 15 may be determined according to the shape of the members (the knock sensor, the harness, etc.) provided around the intake manifold 10 .

- The extending shape of the outer wall ribs 32 is not limited to a lattice shape, and can be arbitrarily changed, for example, to a honeycomb shape.
In the divided body 20, the outer wall rib 32 is provided on the entire surface of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 other than the recess 15, and the outer wall rib 32 is provided on a part of the outer wall 11A of the surge tank 11 other than the recess 15. 32 may be set.

・If a region is set where no ribs for reinforcement are provided in a part of the recess 15, a rib for reinforcement may be provided in the same recess 15, such as by providing a rib on the inner edge portion of the rib 31 for recess. can be done.

The rib 31 for the recess can be omitted after the rib 32 for the outer wall extends to surround the entire periphery of the recess 15 . In short, as long as the reinforcing ribs 30 extend over the entire periphery of the recess 15, the extending manner of the reinforcing ribs 30 can be arbitrarily changed.

The shape of the rib 33 for the crotch portion is not limited to a rectangular tubular shape, and can be arbitrarily changed to, for example, a tubular shape with an elongated hole, a cross-sectional shape, or the like.
- The crotch rib 33 may be provided on both of the two forked portions 21 .

- The crotch rib 33 may be provided at a position spaced apart from the outer wall rib 32 .
- The crotch rib 33 can be omitted.
The intake manifold according to the above embodiment can be applied to an intake manifold having only one outlet pipe, an intake manifold having two outlet pipes, and an intake manifold having four or more outlet pipes.

- The intake manifold according to the above embodiment can also be applied to an intake manifold having a structure in which a plurality of divided bodies are joined by a method other than welding (for example, adhesion).

Reference Signs List 10: Intake manifold 11: Surge tank 11A: Outer wall 13: Outlet pipe 15: Recessed portion 16: Welded portion 20: Divided body 21: Bifurcated portion 30: Reinforcing rib 31: Recessed portion rib 32: Outer wall rib 33: Fork rib

Claims (5)

surge tank and
a lead-out pipe having one end connected to the surge tank and leading air from the inside of the surge tank to the outside;
a recess provided in the outer wall of the surge tank and having a shape in which the outer wall is partially recessed;
It is provided on the periphery of the recess in the outer wall, is not provided in at least a part of the recess, and protrudes outward from the surge tank. a reinforcing rib extending over the entire perimeter;
intake manifold. 2. The intake manifold according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib has a cylindrical recess rib surrounding the entire periphery of the recess and an outer wall rib extending along the periphery of the recess rib. 3. The intake manifold according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcing rib is not provided in said recess. A plurality of the outlet pipes are provided,
The bifurcated portion of the outer wall where the lead-out pipe is bifurcated is provided with a crotch rib that protrudes outward from the surge tank. intake manifold. The intake manifold according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the intake manifold is composed of a plurality of divided bodies, and has a structure in which the plurality of divided bodies are superimposed and welded and fixed. .

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