JP5699635B2 - Front structure of vehicle engine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle engine. More specifically, the engine is disposed horizontally in an engine room at a front portion of the vehicle so that a crank axis is directed in a vehicle width direction, and is made of resin on the front side of the engine. The present invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle engine in which an intake manifold is fastened between an upper portion and a lower portion, and a fuel distribution pipe extending in a crank axis direction is disposed below an upper mounting portion of the intake manifold.

Conventionally, when an engine is placed horizontally in the engine room at the front of the vehicle so that the crank axis is directed in the vehicle width direction, an intake manifold is provided on the front side of the engine and an exhaust manifold is provided on the rear side of the engine. It is common.
In order to reduce weight, the intake manifold is made of synthetic resin, but the intake manifold has a complicated shape including a surge tank and a number of branch pipes corresponding to cylinders, and all of them are integrally formed. Therefore, the intake manifold is formed by joining the formed parts by vibration welding, and the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion of the intake manifold are fastened to the vehicle front side of the engine. ing.

  On the other hand, when a direct injection engine of a type that directly injects fuel into the combustion chamber is employed as the engine, a fuel injection valve (so-called injector) is disposed below the intake valve on the pent roof type combustion chamber wall. That is, the position of the fuel injection valve is limited to a position slightly below the intake valve on the intake side surface of the cylinder head, and in this connection, a fuel distribution pipe (so-called fuel distribution pipe) that distributes fuel to the fuel injection valve described above. The fuel rail) is arranged to extend in the crank axis direction below the upper mounting portion of the intake manifold, and the intake manifold and the fuel distribution pipe are in close proximity to each other.

  In such a structure, if the intake manifold is excessively resistant to the collision energy when dealing with a vehicle collision, the engine itself moves backward during the collision, which is not preferable. On the other hand, when receiving a load locally such as a pole collision, if the intake manifold is destroyed early, the intake manifold interferes with the fuel distribution pipe described above, which is not preferable.

  Therefore, the intake manifold mentioned above absorbs the energy at the time of front collision (at the time of a frontal collision) and prevents the engine from retreating, and suppresses early destruction when receiving a load locally like a pole collision. However, in the conventional structure described above, there is no means for restricting the reverse of the resin intake manifold when a local load is input. Currently.

  By the way, Patent Document 1 discloses that an intake manifold for an internal combustion engine in which a central portion of an intake manifold is formed with higher strength than other portions and the central high strength portion is supported by an engine via a flange and a stay. Although the apparatus is disclosed, the fuel from the injector is of a type that is injected into the intake port instead of the combustion chamber, and is not a direct injection engine. Therefore, the technical problem as in the present invention does not occur.

JP 2006-336528 A

  In view of the above, the present invention is configured such that the intake manifold is divided into a plurality of divided parts formed on the side close to the engine and the side far from the engine and joined together, and the base part close to the engine is located on the side farther from the engine. It has a strength higher than that of the divided parts and has an upper mounting part and a lower mounting part, and a resin oil separator cover is provided on the vehicle front side of the engine. By providing each of the retraction restriction portions that contact each other in the process of displacement of the base divided body, at the time of a frontal collision, the other divided body on the side farther from the engine of the intake manifold is deformed at an early stage, thereby achieving shock absorption. When maintaining the shape retention performance of the base split on the side close to the engine when a further load is input, and when receiving a load locally like a pole collision Utilizing the mutual resin properties of the intake manifold and the oil separator cover, it is possible to reliably prevent interference with the fuel distribution pipe while preventing the base part from being destroyed quickly. For the purpose of provision.

In the front structure of the vehicle engine according to the present invention, the engine is disposed horizontally in the engine room at the front of the vehicle so that the crank axis is directed in the vehicle width direction, and a resin intake manifold is disposed on the front side of the engine. concluded in the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion, below the upper mounting portion of the intake manifold, a front structure of an engine for a vehicle arranged fuel distribution pipe extending in the crank axis direction, the intake manifold It is divided into a part close to the engine and a part far from the engine, and consists of a plurality of joined parts. The base part near the engine is stronger than the other parts far from the engine, and the upper mounting portion and having the lower mounting portion, the vehicle front side of the engine, when viewed from the vehicle front side at a position overlapped with the intake manifold, and the top Between the attaching portion and the lower attachment portion, the fuel distribution pipe and the resin of the oil separator cover is provided at a distance from each other in the vertical direction, the above-mentioned base divided body and the oil separator cover, said base division at the time of a collision said base divided bodies in the course of the displacement body is mutually contact before the contact with the fuel delivery pipe, in which the backward movement limiting portion for suppressing the displacement of the base portion divided body is provided respectively .

According to the above configuration, the base division on the side closer to the engine of the intake manifold has a higher strength than the other division on the side farther from the engine, in other words, the other division on the side farther from the engine is relatively Because the strength has been reduced, the other parts on the side farther from the engine of the intake manifold are deformed early in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, thereby absorbing shocks and on the side closer to the engine with higher strength when further load is input. The shape retention performance of the base divided body can be maintained.
Moreover, since the base split body and the oil separator cover are respectively provided with retraction restricting portions that come into contact with each other in the course of displacement of the base split body at the time of a collision, when receiving a load locally like a pole collision, By utilizing the mutual resin properties of the manifold and the oil separator cover, it is possible to reliably suppress the interference between the base divided body and the fuel distribution pipe while suppressing the early destruction of the base divided body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the retreat restricting portion is formed integrally with the base divided body and the oil separator cover.
According to the said structure, the stress of the retraction | retraction control part integrally formed by the base part division body and the oil separator cover can be absorbed with each member (base part division body, oil separator cover), and inadvertent damage can be suppressed. .

In one embodiment of the present invention, the base divided body and the oil separator cover are in contact with each other so that the base divided body is displaced toward the end connecting portion side of the fuel distribution pipe in the vehicle width direction at the time of an oblique collision. The lateral displacement restricting portions that are regulated in (1) are formed integrally with each other.
According to the above configuration, the amount of displacement of the base manifold of the intake manifold in the vehicle width direction at the time of an oblique collision can be suppressed by the contact of each of the above-described regulating parts, and the end of the fuel distribution pipe is the base split body Can be prevented from interfering with.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the oil separator cover has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the retreat restricting portion of the base divided body, and the retreat restricting portion on the oil separator cover side is provided on the projecting portion. is there.
According to the above configuration, the shape strength of the oil separator cover can be increased by the above-described protruding portion, which is advantageous as a load receiving structure by the retraction restricting portion on the oil separator cover side.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the retraction restricting portion and the lateral deviation restricting portion on the oil separator cover side are integrally connected.
According to the above configuration, since the retraction restricting portion and the lateral displacement restricting portion are integrally connected on the oil separator cover side, one restricting portion reinforces the other restricting portion, and when a local load such as a pole collision is input and an oblique collision The load resistance can be improved at any time.
Specifically, when the local load is input, the backward restriction part can be backed up by the lateral deviation restriction part, and the lateral deviation restriction part can be back-backed by the backward restriction part at the time of an oblique collision. Can be planned.

  According to the present invention, the intake manifold is formed of a plurality of divided bodies that are divided and joined on the side close to the engine and the side far from the engine, and the base divided body on the side close to the engine has the other side farther than the engine. It has a strength higher than that of the divided parts and has an upper mounting part and a lower mounting part, and a resin oil separator cover is provided on the vehicle front side of the engine. Since each of the backward restricting portions that come into contact with each other in the process of displacement of the base divided body is provided, at the time of a frontal collision, the other divided body on the side farther from the engine of the intake manifold is deformed at an early stage so as to absorb shock, The shape retention performance of the base segment on the side close to the engine can be maintained when a further load is input, and when the load is received locally, such as in a pole collision, While suppressing the premature destruction of the base portion divided body between our respective resin properties between Horudo and the oil separator cover, there is an effect that it is possible to reliably suppress the interference between the fuel distribution pipe.

The top view which shows the front part structure of the vehicle engine of this invention Engine side view Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the main part The perspective view of the state which removed the throttle body from FIG. Side view showing intake manifold The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the intake manifold and the oil separator cover from the vehicle front side Rear view showing intake manifold viewed from the rear of the vehicle Perspective view of intake manifold and oil separator cover Oil separator cover side view Top view of oil separator cover Front view of oil separator cover Bottom view of oil separator cover Explanatory drawing which shows division of base part, middle part, front part

When a frontal collision occurs, the other part of the intake manifold that is farther from the engine is deformed at an early stage to absorb shock and maintain the shape retention performance of the base part closer to the engine when a further load is input. In addition, when receiving a load locally such as a pole collision, the fuel distribution pipe and the fuel distribution pipe can be prevented from being accelerated by utilizing the mutual resin properties of the intake manifold and the oil separator cover. The engine is placed horizontally in the engine room at the front of the vehicle so that the crankshaft is in the vehicle width direction, and a resin intake manifold is installed on the front side of the engine. It entered into the mounting portion and the lower mounting portion, below the upper mounting portion of the intake manifold, d for a vehicle arranged fuel distribution pipe extending in the crank axis direction In the front structure of the Jin, together with the intake manifold is divided formed in the side and the far side closer to the engine, consist of bonded plurality of divided bodies, base divided body close to the engine side is far from the engine side of greater strength than the other portion split body, and has the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion, the vehicle front side of the engine, when viewed from the vehicle front side at a position overlapped with the intake manifold, and the upper mounting between parts and the lower mounting portion, the fuel distribution pipe and the resin of the oil separator cover is provided at a distance from each other in the vertical direction, the above-mentioned base divided body and the oil separator cover, said base divided body at the time of a collision said base divided bodies in the course of displacement of are mutually contact before the contact with the fuel delivery pipe, the backward movement limiting portion for suppressing the displacement of the base portion divided bodies each It was realized by a configuration that is kicked.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows the front structure of the vehicle engine, and FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front structure of the vehicle engine shown with the front bumper, the front fender, and the bonnet removed. A space surrounded by a pair of left and right front side frames 1, 1 extending in the direction, a shroud panel 2 extending in the vehicle width direction at the front of the front side frames 1, 1, and a dash lower panel (not shown) It is said.

  In the engine room 3 described above, the engine 4 is disposed horizontally so that the crank axis is directed in the vehicle width direction, and a transmission 5 is connected to the left side of the engine 4 so that the engine 4 and the transmission 5 are powered. A train 6 is formed.

  The power train 6 is supported at three points on the body side. That is, the power train 6 is supported at three points: an engine mount 7 on one side in the vehicle width direction, a mission mount 8 on the other side in the vehicle width direction, and a mount supported by a perimeter frame (not shown).

  On the other hand, crash cans 9 and 9 as collision energy absorbing members are respectively attached to the front ends of the pair of left and right front side frames 1 and 1, and between the front ends of the left and right crash cans 9 and 9, The bumper rain 10 is mounted in the vehicle width direction.

  The upper part of the engine 4 is covered with an engine cover 11. In FIG. 1, 12 is a suspension tower, 13 is an apron rain, 14 is a cowl provided at the top of the dash lower panel, 15 is a floor panel forming the bottom of the passenger compartment, and 16 is the center of the floor panel 15. In FIG. 2, the tunnel portion protrudes toward the passenger compartment side and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the engine 4 shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, a direct fuel injection type in-line four-cylinder engine is employed.
The engine 4 includes an upper block 18 having cylinder bores 17 corresponding to the number of cylinders, a lower block 19 fastened and fixed to the lower portion of the upper block 18, an oil pan 20 attached to the lower portion of the lower block 19, and an upper block. A cylinder head 21 that is fastened to the upper portion of the cylinder 18 and includes a number of intake ports and exhaust ports corresponding to cylinders, and a cylinder head cover 22 that covers the cylinder head 21 from above. Here, the upper block 18 and the lower block 19 described above form a cylinder block.

A direct injection engine that directly injects fuel into a pent roof type combustion chamber 23 at a high pressure includes an injector 24 as a fuel injection valve at a lower portion of an intake valve (not shown). the fuel distributor for supplying purposes, you are placing fuel rail 25 as a fuel distribution pipe so as to extend in the crank axis direction.

The above-described fuel rail 25 is fixed to the cylinder head 21 of the engine 4.
A fuel supply pipe 27 is connected to the left end of the fuel rail 25 in the vehicle width direction via an adapter 26 (end connecting portion).

In this embodiment, the vehicle front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the engine 4 is set to the intake side, and the vehicle rear side (right side in FIG. 2) of the engine 4 is set to the exhaust side. A resin oil separator cover 28 is provided on the front side of the vehicle, more specifically, on the front side of the upper block 18 (that is, the intake side).
An oil separator is provided inside the oil separator cover 28. The oil separator separates oil in blow-by gas and returns only unburned gas to the downstream side of the throttle valve. Is schematically described.

  The oil as the lubricating oil pumped up by the oil pump lubricates the crankshaft sliding part, the lower surface of the piston, the valve system, the camshaft sliding surface and the variable valve timing mechanism (so-called VVT). The oil flows back into the oil pan 20 through the oil gallery of the cylinder head 21, the upper block 18, and the lower block 19.

On the other hand, the component of the blow-by gas that blows through the oil seal portion into the crank chamber is unburned gas. In this embodiment, unburned gas containing mist oil from the crank chamber is temporarily supplied to the oil separator using intake negative pressure. The mist oil is supplied and separated here, and only the unburned gas from which the mist oil has been separated is returned to the throttle valve downstream (specifically, the surge tank).
The unburned gas is supplied from a PCV valve 29 (PCV is an abbreviation for positive crankcase ventilation, see FIG. 4) that opens at a high negative pressure, and a port 30 above the PCV valve 29 (see FIG. 4). , A gas reflux pipe 31 (see FIG. 3), a port 32 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) downstream of the pipe 31, a blow-by gas return pipe 33 (see FIG. 7), and a blow-by gas return port 34 (at the end of the pipe 33). It is configured so as to be recirculated into a surge tank downstream of a throttle valve 51 (see FIG. 3) to be described later via FIG.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the intake manifold 40 is fastened to the front side of the above-described engine 4 at its upper part (see the upper mounting part 41a) and lower part (see the stay 41d as the lower mounting part).
The intake manifold 40 described above is formed of a synthetic resin. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the intake manifold 40 is divided into a base part 41 on the side close to the engine 4 (in FIG. 5). A portion on the right side of the arrow A, hereinafter simply abbreviated as a base portion, and another segment 42 on the side farther from the engine 4 (a portion on the left side of the arrow A in FIG. 5, hereinafter simply abbreviated as other portion). Further, the other portion 42 is divided into a middle portion 43 (a portion between arrows A and B in FIG. 5) joined to the base portion 41 and a front portion joined to the middle portion 43. A portion 44 (a portion on the left side of the arrow B in FIG. 5) is divided into two.

That is, since it is difficult to mold the intake manifold 40 having a complicated shape at one time, the intake manifold 40 is divided into three parts, that is, a base part 41, a middle part 43, and a front part 44. The intake manifold 40 is configured by joining parts (see the base portion 41, the middle portion 43, and the front portion 44) by vibration welding.
In addition, the base portion 41 on the side close to the engine 4 is formed so as to be stronger than the other portion 42 on the side farther from the engine 4 (see the middle portion 43 and the front portion 44). FIG. 13 is a side view equivalent to FIG. 5, and is shown with hatching so that the base part 41, the middle part 43, and the front part 44 are clearly distinguished for convenience of illustration.

  The above-described base portion 41 is formed with high rigidity by increasing the thickness thereof, and the base portion 41 includes branch passages 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d (refer to FIG. 6), an upper mounting portion 41a that forms the downstream end, an intake intake port 41b (an intake intake downstream of the throttle) to which the throttle body 50 (refer to FIG. 3) is mounted upstream, and a surge tank A surge tank base 41c that forms a base near the engine and a stay 41d that forms a lower mounting portion are integrally formed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, two ports 45 and 45 for supplying intake air to the intake port of the cylinder head 21, and the upper attachment portion 41 a are fastened to the cylinder head 21. A plurality of fastening portions 46 are arranged in a staggered arrangement.

Further, a fastening portion 47 for fastening the stay 41d to the upper block 18 of the engine 4 is formed in the above-described stay 41d constituting the lower mounting portion (see FIG. 7).
Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the intake manifold 40 is fastened to the vehicle front side of the engine 4 using a plurality of bolts 48 and 49 as fastening members inserted through the fastening portions 46 and 47 described above (see FIG. 3). 2).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the throttle body 50 is attached to the intake intake port 41b downstream of the throttle shown in FIG. 5, and the throttle body 50 reduces the amount of intake air as shown in FIG. A throttle valve 51 to be controlled and an intake intake 52 on the upstream side of the throttle are provided.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the middle portion 43 described above includes branch passages 44 a, 44 b, 44 c and 44 d (see FIG. 6) of the front portion 44 described later, and a port 45 (see FIG. 7) of the base portion 41. An upper part 43a in which a communication passage communicating with the upper part 43a, a surge tank other part 43b forming the other part of the surge tank, and inner and outer connection parts 43c for connecting the upper part 43a and the surge tank other part 43b in the vertical direction, 43d are integrally formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outer side (vehicle front side) connecting portion 43d is formed in an arch shape, and a space 53 is formed between the outer connecting portion 43d and the inner connecting portion 43c. ing.
Here, the surge tank base 41c of the base portion 41 and the surge tank other portion 43b of the middle portion 43 form one surge tank as a volume chamber.

  The above-described front portion 44 is a member that covers the middle portion 43 from the front side of the vehicle, and the front portion 44 is formed in an arch shape as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. A number of branch passages 44a, 44b, 44c and 44d corresponding to the number of cylinders and an arcuate joint flange 44e are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, there are a plurality of intervals between the branch passages of the front portion 44 described above, that is, between the branch passages 44a and 44b, 44b and 44c, and 44c and 44d with a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The reinforcing ribs 44f are integrally provided, and the front portion 44 is reinforced by these reinforcing ribs 44, and the strength of the collision energy absorption amount, the ease of being crushed, and the like can be controlled by the number of ribs. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 8, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 43 e... For strength adjustment are also provided at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction at the front part of the surge tank other part 43 b of the middle part 43. It is integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the above-mentioned base portion 41 is reinforced by a plurality of reinforcing ribs 41e whose rear side surface extends in the vertical direction, and the reinforcing ribs 41e, 41e extending in the vertical direction are connected in the vehicle width direction. The reinforcing rib 41f is further reinforced.

Further, as shown in the figure, a pair of vertical walls 41g and 41h having a V-shape in rear view constituting a stay 41d as a lower mounting portion are integrally formed with the base portion 41, and between the pair of vertical walls 41g and 41h. The plurality of reinforcing ribs 41i extending in the vehicle width direction, the fastening portion 47, and the reinforcing ribs 41i and 41j ensure the strength of the stay 41d.
Of the vertical walls 41g and 41h of the stay 41d described above, the vertical wall 41g on the left side of the vehicle is such that the base portion 41 is connected to the fuel rail 25 at the time of an oblique collision in which a collision load is input from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. This is a lateral displacement restricting portion 54 that restricts displacement (lateral displacement displacement) in the vehicle width direction toward the end connecting portion side.

As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of X-shaped reinforcing ribs 41k and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 41l extending in the vehicle width direction are provided on the left side of the stay 41d in the vehicle, The strength is improved.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a reinforcing rib 41m extending in the vehicle width direction and a reinforcing rib 41n extending in the vertical direction or the front-rear direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the surge tank base 41c, and these reinforcing ribs 41m are provided. , 41n ensures the rigidity of the surge tank base 41c.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 5, the portion corresponding to the intersection of the X-shaped reinforcing rib 41k and the blow-by gas return pipe 33 protrudes slightly rearward from the outer periphery of the pipe 33, and in the vehicle width direction. A thick-walled retraction restricting portion 55 having a predetermined length is integrally formed.
This reverse restricting portion 55 is in the same process as the reverse restricting portion 56 (see FIGS. 11 and 2) on the oil separator cover 28 side, which will be described later, in the process of displacement of the base portion 41 in the event of a local collision of the vehicle (at the time of a pole collision). It is for abutting and regulating retreat of the base part 41.
Further, as shown in a side view in FIG. 5, the retraction restricting portion 55 is integrally formed directly above the blow-by gas return pipe 33, and a plurality of retreat restricting portions 55 that extend radially from the blow-by gas return pipe 33 forward. It is reinforced by thick reinforcing ribs 41x and 41y.

Next, the structure of the oil separator cover 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12.
As shown in the figure, the oil separator cover 28 includes a cover body 35 and a plurality of baffles 36 (baffles) that protrude from the cover body 35 toward the engine 4. The base portion 41 is integrally formed with a protrusion 37 that protrudes toward the retreat restricting portion 55, and the PCV valve 29 described above is arranged from the upper portion of the protrusion 37 to the inside thereof.

As shown in a front view in FIG. 11, a flange portion 39 having a plurality of mounting holes 38 for the upper block 18 of the engine 4 is integrally formed at the base portion of the cover main body 35.
The oil separator cover 28 is made of synthetic resin and has high rigidity. As shown in the front view of FIG. 11, the upper, lower, right and left sides are spaced apart from each other. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d are integrally formed, and the rigidity of the oil separator cover 28 is improved by these reinforcing ribs 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d.

  Moreover, a retraction restricting portion 56 on the oil separator cover 28 side that slightly protrudes toward the retraction restricting portion 55 (see FIG. 5) of the base portion 41 of the intake manifold 40 is integrally formed on the top of the above-described protrusion 37. The retraction restricting portion 56 is reinforced by a plurality of beads 56a.

The above-described retraction restricting portion 56 abuts against the retraction restricting portion 55 on the base portion 41 side in the course of displacement of the base portion 41 in the event of a local collision of the vehicle (pole collision), and the retraction of the base portion 41 of the intake manifold 40 is performed. It is for regulating.
A lateral displacement restricting portion 57 is integrally formed on the right side of the front portion of the cover main body 35 in correspondence with the right end portion of the retreat restricting portion 56 described above. The lateral displacement restricting portion 57 extends from the back of the portion 57 to the cover main body 35. Reinforced by a plurality of extending reinforcing ribs 57a.

  In the lateral displacement restricting portion 57, the base portion 41 is displaced in the vehicle width direction at the end connecting portion of the fuel rail 25 (lateral displacement displacement) at the time of an oblique collision in which a collision load is input from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. This is for the purpose of regulating by making the lateral deviation regulating portion 54 on the base portion 41 side abut.

Further, as shown in the front view of the oil separator cover 28 in FIG. 11, the retraction restricting portion 56 and the lateral deviation restricting portion 57 are integrally connected, and the load resistance of these restricting portions 56, 57 is improved. It is configured as follows.
Incidentally, when the assembly of the oil separator cover 28 and the intake manifold 40 to the engine 4 is completed, as shown in FIG. 2, the retreat restricting portion 55 on the base portion 41 side and the retreat restricting portion 56 on the oil separator cover 28 side. Are opposed to each other, and as shown in FIG. 6, the lateral deviation regulating portion 54 on the base portion 41 side and the lateral deviation regulating portion 57 on the oil separator cover 28 side are opposed to each other.

  In the figure, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, arrow R indicates the rear of the vehicle, arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, arrow RIGHT indicates the right side of the vehicle, and arrow LEFT indicates the left side of the vehicle.

The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation will be described below.
The intake manifold 40 is such that the base portion 41 on the side close to the engine 4 has relatively high strength, and the other portion 42 (see the middle portion 43 and the front portion 44) on the side far from the engine 4 has relatively low strength. Since it is configured, the front portion 44 and the middle portion 43 are deformed at an early stage in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, so that the collision energy is absorbed and the shape of the base portion 41 having high strength is maintained even when a further collision load is input. Thus, it is possible to prevent the engine 4 itself from moving backward and protect the passengers in the passenger compartment.

  On the other hand, when a load is locally received as in a pole collision, the base part 41 is displaced after the front part 44 and the middle part 43 having relatively low strength have crashed. In this process, when the retraction restricting portion 55 on the base portion 41 side abuts on the retreat restricting portion 56 on the oil separator cover 28 side, further displacement is prevented, so that the destruction of the base portion 41 is prevented from being accelerated. And interference with this base part 41 and the fuel rail 25 can be suppressed reliably.

  On the other hand, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 1, during an oblique collision in which a collision load is input from the front right side of the vehicle, the intake manifold 40 is displaced leftward (lateral displacement) in FIG. When the restricting portion 54 comes into contact with the lateral displacement restricting portion 57 on the oil separator cover 28 side, further lateral displacement of the base portion 41 is prevented, so that the end portion of the fuel rail 25 is prevented from interfering with the base portion 41. Can be suppressed.

  As described above in detail, in the front structure of the vehicle engine of the above embodiment, the engine 4 is disposed horizontally in the engine room 3 at the front of the vehicle so that the crank axis is directed in the vehicle width direction. The intake manifold 40 made of resin is fastened to the front side of the vehicle at its upper and lower portions, and a fuel distribution pipe (see the fuel rail 25) extending in the crank axis direction is disposed below the upper mounting portion 41a of the intake manifold 40. A front structure of a vehicle engine, in which the intake manifold 40 is divided and formed on a side closer to the engine 4 and a side farther from the engine 4, and a plurality of joined divided bodies (see the base portion 41 and the other portion 42). The base part (see the base part 41) on the side closer to the engine 4 is stronger than the other part (see the other part 42) on the side farther from the engine 4, and the upper mounting part 41 And a lower mounting portion (see stay 41d), and a resin-made oil separator cover 28 is provided on the front side of the vehicle of the engine 4, and the base divided body (see the base portion 41) and the oil separator cover 28 are Retraction restricting portions 55 and 56 that are brought into contact with each other in the course of displacement of the base divided body (see the base portion 41) at the time of collision are provided (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

According to this configuration, the base divided body (base portion 41) on the side closer to the engine 4 of the intake manifold 40 has a higher strength than the other divided body on the side farther from the engine 4 (see the other portion 42), in other words. Since the strength of the other divided part (other part 42) on the side farther from the engine 4 is relatively reduced, the other divided part (other part 42) on the side farther from the engine 4 of the intake manifold 40 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. ) Is deformed at an early stage, thereby absorbing the impact and maintaining the shape maintaining performance of the base divided body (base portion 41) closer to the engine 4 having a higher strength when a further load is input.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the engine 4 to the power train 6 from moving backward during a frontal collision.

  In addition, since the base divided body (base portion 41) and the oil separator cover 28 are provided with retraction restricting portions 55 and 56 that contact each other in the course of displacement of the base divided body (base portion 41) at the time of collision, respectively. When receiving a load locally such as a pole collision, the base portion (base portion 41) can be prevented from being destroyed quickly by taking advantage of the mutual resin properties of the intake manifold 40 and the oil separator cover 28. Interference between the divided body (base portion 41) and the fuel distribution pipe (fuel rail 25) can be reliably suppressed.

The retraction restricting portions 55 and 56 are formed integrally with the base divided body (base portion 41) and the oil separator cover 28, respectively (see FIG. 2).
According to this configuration, the stress of the retreat restricting portions 55 and 56 integrally formed on the base divided body (base portion 41) and the oil separator cover 28 is applied to each member (the base portion 41 as the base divided body and the oil separator cover). 28) and can prevent inadvertent breakage.

Further, the base divided body (base portion 41) is connected to the end divided portion (adapter 26) of the fuel distribution pipe (see the fuel rail 25) at the time of an oblique collision. The lateral displacement restricting portions 54 and 57 for restricting displacement (lateral displacement displacement) in the vehicle width direction to the reference side are formed integrally with each other (see FIG. 6).
According to this configuration, the amount of displacement of the base divided body (base portion 41) of the intake manifold 40 in the vehicle width direction at the time of an oblique collision can be suppressed by the abutment of each of the restricting portions 54 and 57 described above. It can suppress that the edge part of the distribution pipe (fuel rail 25) interferes with the base division body (base part 41).

Furthermore, the oil separator cover 28 has a protruding portion 37 that protrudes toward the retreat restricting portion 55 of the base divided body (see the base portion 41), and the retreat restricting portion 56 on the oil separator cover 28 side of the protruding portion 37. (See FIGS. 2, 9, and 11).
According to this configuration, the shape strength of the oil separator cover 28 can be increased by the above-described protruding portion 37, which is advantageous as a load receiving structure by the retreat restricting portion 56 on the oil separator cover 28 side.

In addition, the retraction restricting portion 56 and the lateral displacement restricting portion 57 on the oil separator cover 28 side are integrally connected (see FIG. 11).
According to this configuration, since the retraction restricting portion 56 and the lateral deviation restricting portion 57 are integrally connected on the oil separator cover 28 side, one restricting portion reinforces the other restricting portion, and a local load such as a pole collision is input. The load resistance can be improved both in the case of the oblique collision.

  Specifically, when the local load is input, the backward restriction part 56 can be backed up by the lateral deviation restriction part 57, and the lateral deviation restriction part 57 can be back-backed by the backward restriction part 56 at the time of an oblique collision. It is possible to reinforce the regulation force for the lateral deviation regulation.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The fuel distribution pipe of the present invention corresponds to the fuel rail 25 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The base division corresponds to the base portion 41,
The other part divided body corresponds to the other part 42,
The lower mounting portion corresponds to the stay 41d,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

3 ... Engine room 4 ... Engine 25 ... Fuel rail (fuel distribution pipe)
28 ... Oil separator cover 37 ... Projection 40 ... Intake manifold 41 Base (base divided body)
41a ... Upper mounting portion 41d ... Stay (lower mounting portion)
42 ... Other part (other part division body)
54, 57 ... lateral displacement regulating portion 55, 56 ... reverse regulating portion

Claims (5)

Place the engine horizontally in the engine room at the front of the vehicle so that the crankshaft is oriented in the vehicle width direction.
A resin intake manifold concluded at its upper mounting portion and the lower attachment portion on the vehicle front side of the engine,
Below the upper mounting portion of the intake manifold, a front structure of an engine for a vehicle arranged fuel distribution pipe extending in the crank axis direction,
The intake manifold is divided and formed on the side close to the engine and the side far from the engine, and is composed of a plurality of joined divided bodies.
Base divided body closer to the engine is greater strength than the other portions divided body of the farther from the engine side, and the upper mounting portion and having the lower attachment portion,
On the vehicle front side of the engine, the fuel distribution pipe and the resin oil separator cover are vertically arranged at a position overlapping the intake manifold when viewed from the front of the vehicle and between the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion. Provided apart in the direction ,
The aforementioned base divided body and the oil separator cover, the base portion divided bodies in the course of the displacement of the base portion divided bodies are mutually contact before the contact with the fuel distribution pipe at the time of collision, the base split body A front structure of a vehicle engine provided with a backward restricting portion for suppressing displacement . 2. The front structure of a vehicle engine according to claim 1, wherein the reverse regulating portion is formed integrally with the base divided body and the oil separator cover. Each of the base part and the oil separator cover has a lateral displacement restricting part that restricts the base part from being displaced in the vehicle width direction toward the end connecting part of the fuel distribution pipe in an oblique collision by mutual contact. The front structure of the vehicle engine according to claim 1, wherein the front structure is formed integrally with the vehicle engine. The oil separator cover has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the receding restricting portion of the base divided body,
The front structure of a vehicle engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion is provided with a retraction restricting portion on the oil separator cover side. The front structure of the vehicle engine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the retraction restricting portion and the lateral deviation restricting portion on the oil separator cover side are integrally connected.

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