JP7327196B2 - engine with balancer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an engine with a balancer.

The engine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a balancer that suppresses secondary vibration of the engine, and an oil pump that supplies oil stored in an oil pan to predetermined portions. The balancer and oil pump are adjacent to each other. The oil pump is provided with a strainer. The strainer filters oil sucked from the oil pan by the oil pump.

JP 2015-98811 A

By the way, in order to reduce the weight of the engine, improve the customizability, etc., the strainer is sometimes configured as a separate member from the oil pump. In this case, the strainer tends to vibrate starting from the connecting portion with the oil pump.

Vibration of the strainer is undesirable because it causes the generation of air bubbles (cavitation) in the oil stored in the oil pan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to suppress vibration of a strainer that is formed of a member separate from that of the oil pump.

A balancer-equipped engine according to the present invention includes a balancer provided in a cylinder block, an oil pump, and a strainer for filtering oil sucked up from an oil pan by the oil pump, wherein the strainer includes a strainer main body. and a connecting pipe portion connecting the oil pump and the strainer main body, the distal end portion of the connecting pipe portion being inserted into a suction port provided in the housing of the oil pump. The housing is provided with a through hole through which the connection pipe portion is inserted, and the balancer housing and the oil pump housing are in contact with each other at the through hole and the suction port.

In such a configuration, since the connection pipe portion of the strainer, which is made of a separate member from the oil pump, is inserted into the suction port, connection rigidity between the strainer and the oil pump becomes a problem.

Therefore, the housing of the balancer and the housing of the oil pump are brought into contact with each other at the through hole and the suction port. As a result, the rigidity around the suction port in the housing of the oil pump is increased, so that the connection rigidity between the strainer and the oil pump can be increased.

Therefore, it is possible to suppress the vibration of the strainer, which is formed by a member separate from the oil pump.

In one embodiment, the stiffness of the strainer is lower than the stiffness of the balancer housing and the stiffness of the oil pump housing.

For example, if the strainer is made of a material with low rigidity such as resin, the strainer is likely to vibrate. Therefore, by taking measures to suppress vibration using the through holes of the balancer described above, it is possible to alleviate the tendency of the strainer to vibrate due to its low rigidity.

In one embodiment, the strainer is fastened to the balancer with a fastening member.

With such a configuration, the strainer is supported not only by the oil pump but also by the balancer, so vibration of the strainer can be further suppressed.

In one embodiment, the oil pump is supported by the cylinder block.

According to such a configuration, vibration of the oil pump itself can be suppressed. As a result, the vibration of the strainer connected to the oil pump can also be suppressed.

In one embodiment, the balancer is provided below the cylinder block, the deepest part of the oil pan is located substantially in the center of the oil pan in the crankshaft direction, and the oil pump The balancer is provided at one end of the oil pan in the crankshaft direction, and the strainer main body is arranged near the deepest part of the oil pan.

In such a configuration, the distance between the strainer main body and the oil pump is large, so the connection pipe portion is lengthened, and the strainer is likely to vibrate. Therefore, by taking the vibration suppression measures described above, it is possible to reduce the tendency of the strainer to vibrate due to the length of the connecting pipe portion.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress vibration of a strainer that is configured as a separate member from an oil pump.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an engine with a balancer according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the engine with the oil pan removed. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the engine with the oil pan removed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inside of the balancer and oil pump as viewed from below. FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing the inside of the strainer. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the balancer. FIG. 7 is a front view of the oil pump.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. The following description of preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its applicability or its uses.

The engine according to the present embodiment is, for example, a large displacement engine with a displacement of 2000 cc or more. Such a large-displacement engine often poses a problem of secondary vibration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the engine is provided with a balancer that suppresses the secondary vibration of the engine (an engine with a balancer).

As shown in FIG. 1, the engine 1 is a vertically mounted multi-cylinder engine in which a plurality of cylinders (not shown) are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (horizontal direction in FIG. 1). ) coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The engine 1 is housed in an engine room in front of the vehicle. The drive system is a front engine/rear drive (FR) system, and the driving force of an engine 1 in front of the vehicle is transmitted to the rear wheels via a propeller shaft.

The engine 1 has a cylinder block 3 . The cylinder block 3 has a vertically split structure, and has an upper upper block 4 and a lower lower block 5 . The upper block 4 and the lower block 5 are flange-jointed to each other. The upper block 4 is provided with a plurality of cylinders containing pistons. A crankshaft 2 is arranged between the lower end of the upper block 4 and the upper end of the lower block 5 .

An oil pan 6 is provided below the lower block 5 . Specifically, the flange portion 6a of the oil pan 6 is joined to the flange portion 5a provided on the outer edge of the lower end portion of the lower block 5 by bolts.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine 1 has a balancer 20 . The balancer 20 is provided below the lower block 5 . The balancer 20 is housed inside the oil pan 6 . The balancer 20 extends from the front end to the rear end of the lower block 5 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Balancer 20 has a balancer housing 21 . The balancer housing 21 has a vertically split structure, and has an upper upper housing 22 and a lower lower housing 23 . The upper housing 22 and the lower housing 23 are fastened together with bolts.

As shown in FIG. 3, the balancer housing 21 is joined to a joint surface 5b provided inside the flange portion 5a of the lower block 5 by a plurality of bolts 25, 25, . The fastening direction (bonding direction) between the balancer housing 21 and the lower block 5 is the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the balancer 20 has a first balancer shaft 26 and a second balancer shaft 27 . Each balancer shaft 26 , 27 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and parallel to the crankshaft 2 . Each balancer shaft 26 , 27 is housed in the balancer housing 21 . The first balancer shaft 26 and the second balancer shaft 27 are adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction.

A sprocket 28 is coupled to the front end of the first balancer shaft 26 so as to rotate integrally. The sprocket 28 is linked by a chain 29 to a sprocket (not shown) that is integrally connected to the front portion of the crankshaft 2 for rotation.

The rotation of the crankshaft 2 is transmitted to the first balancer shaft 26 via the sprocket on the crankshaft 2 side, the chain 29, and the sprocket 28 on the first balancer shaft 26 side.

A balancer weight 30 is coupled to the first balancer shaft 26 so as to rotate integrally. The balancer weight 30 is arranged eccentrically with respect to the first balancer shaft 26 .

A second balancer shaft drive gear 31 is coupled to rotate integrally with the first balancer shaft 26 in front of the balancer weight 30 . On the other hand, in the first balancer shaft 26, a pump driving gear 32 is coupled to rotate integrally behind the balancer weight 30, more specifically, to the rear end portion.

Similar to the first balancer shaft 26 , a balancer weight 33 is coupled to the second balancer shaft 27 so as to rotate integrally. The balancer weight 33 is arranged eccentrically with respect to the second balancer shaft 27 .

A second balancer shaft driven gear 34 corresponding to the second balancer shaft drive gear 31 is coupled to rotate integrally with the second balancer shaft 27 ahead of the balancer weight 33 . The second balancer shaft drive gear 31 and the second balancer shaft driven gear 34 mesh with each other.

Rotation of the first balancer shaft 26 is transmitted to the second balancer shaft 27 via the second balancer shaft drive gear 31 and the second balancer shaft driven gear 34 .

The balancer weight 30 (first balancer shaft 26) and the balancer weight 33 (second balancer shaft 27) rotate at twice the speed of the crankshaft 2 in opposite directions. As a result, secondary vibration of the engine 1 (vibration with a frequency twice as high as the rotational speed of the crankshaft 2) is suppressed.

A rear end portion (one end portion in the crankshaft direction) of the balancer housing 21 in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed with a joint surface 35 with an oil pump 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). As shown in FIG. 5, a through hole 36 (see FIG. 6) extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (crankshaft direction) is provided in the lower portion of the rear end portion of the balancer housing 21 (lower housing 23). The through hole 36 penetrates a part (lower portion at the rear end) of the balancer housing 21 (lower housing 23). An opening of the through hole 36 on the vehicle rear side is positioned on the joint surface 35 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the engine 1 has an oil pump 40 . The oil pump 40 is provided at the rear end portion of the balancer 20 in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction). The type of oil pump 40 is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 3, the oil pump 40 has a pump housing 41. As shown in FIG. The pump housing 41 is divided in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction) and has a pump accommodating portion 41a and a gear accommodating portion 41b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the oil pump 40 has a pump shaft 44 . The pump shaft 44 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and parallel to the crankshaft 2 . A pump rotor 47 (see FIG. 5) is coupled to the pump shaft 44 so as to rotate integrally. The pump rotor 47 is housed in a pump chamber 48 (see FIG. 5) provided within the pump housing portion 41 a of the pump housing 41 .

A pump driven gear 45 corresponding to the pump drive gear 32 is coupled to the front end of the pump shaft 44 so as to rotate integrally. The pump driven gear 45 is housed in the gear housing portion 41 b of the pump housing 41 . The pump driving gear 32 and the pump driven gear 45 mesh with each other. That is, the rotation of the first balancer shaft 26 is transmitted to the pump shaft 44 via the pump drive gear 32 and the pump driven gear 45 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a joint surface 42 corresponding to the joint surface 35 of the balancer housing 21 is formed at the front end of the gear housing portion 41 b of the pump housing 41 . The oil pump 40 is provided to the balancer 20 by fastening the joint surfaces 35, 42 together with a plurality of bolts 43, 43, . . .

As shown in FIG. 5, the pump housing 41 is provided with an oil suction port 46 (see FIG. 7). Specifically, the oil suction port 46 opens near the lower end of the joint surface 42 and communicates with the pump chamber 48 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine 1 includes a bracket 50 that connects the oil pump 40 and the lower block 5 together. Bracket 50 extends downward from lower block 5 . The bracket 50 is fastened to the pump housing 41 with bolts 51 (see FIG. 2).

The bracket 50 has a flange portion 52 (see FIG. 3). The flange portion 52 is joined together with the balancer housing 21 to the joining surface 5 b of the lower block 5 with bolts 53 . That is, oil pump 40 is supported by lower block 5 via bracket 50 . The fastening direction (joining direction) between the bracket 50 and the lower block 5 is the vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, the number of fastening points between the oil pump 40 (bracket 50 ) and the lower block 5 is smaller than the number of fastening points between the balancer 20 and the lower block 5 . That is, the oil pump 40 vibrates more easily in the vertical direction than the balancer 20 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the engine 1 has a strainer 60 . The strainer 60 filters oil sucked from the oil pan 6 by the oil pump 40 . The strainer 60 according to this embodiment is made of resin. Therefore, the rigidity of the strainer 60 is lower than the rigidity of the balancer housing 21 made of metal and the rigidity of the pump housing 41 made of metal. Therefore, the resin strainer 60 vibrates more easily than, for example, a metal strainer.

The strainer 60 has a strainer body 61 and a connecting pipe portion 62 . A mesh (not shown) for filtering oil is provided inside the strainer body 61 .

The strainer body 61 is fastened to the balancer housing 21 by a bolt 63 as a fastening member at a mounting portion 61 a extending upward from the strainer body 61 .

Here, the deepest portion 6b of the oil pan 6 is positioned substantially at the center C of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction). The strainer main body 61 is arranged near the deepest portion 6b of the oil pan 6 (substantially near the center C).

Further, in the present embodiment, the axle for the front wheels is provided to pass through the oil pan 6 for convenience of layout. ) are provided. Therefore, in order to avoid the axle (hole 7), the oil pump 40 is provided in the balancer 20 at the rear end of the oil pan 6 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (one end in the crankshaft direction).

As shown in FIG. 5 , the connection pipe portion 62 extends in the vehicle rear direction from the rear end portion of the strainer body 61 toward the oil pump 40 side, and connects the oil pump 40 and the strainer body 61 . A distal end portion 62 a of the connecting pipe portion 62 is inserted into the oil suction port 46 of the oil pump 40 . Also, the through hole 36 of the balancer 20 allows the connecting pipe portion 62 to pass therethrough.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5 , the joint surfaces 35 and 42 of the balancer housing 21 and the pump housing 41 are in contact with each other at the through hole 36 and the oil suction port 46 . Specifically, the opening edge portion 46a (see FIG. 7) of the oil suction port 46 located on the joint surface 42 of the pump housing 41 is aligned with the opening edge portion 36a of the through hole 36 located on the joint surface 35 of the balancer housing 21. (see FIG. 6) are in contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outer wall portion 62b of the connecting pipe portion 62 does not contact the inner wall portion 36b of the through hole 36. As shown in FIG. That is, there is a gap 64 between the outer wall portion 62b of the connecting pipe portion 62 and the inner wall portion 36b of the through hole 36. As shown in FIG.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the connection pipe portion 62 of the strainer 60, which is formed of a separate member from the oil pump 40, is inserted into the oil suction port 46, connection rigidity between the strainer 60 and the oil pump 40 is a problem. becomes.

Therefore, the balancer housing 21 and the pump housing 41 are brought into contact with each other at the through hole 36 and the oil suction port 46 . As a result, the rigidity around the oil suction port 46 (opening edge 46a) on the joint surface 35 of the pump housing 41 is increased, so that the connection rigidity between the strainer 60 and the oil pump 40 can be increased.

Therefore, the vibration of the strainer 60, which is a separate member from the oil pump 40, can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the strainer 60 is made of a material with low rigidity such as resin, so the strainer 60 is likely to vibrate. Therefore, by taking measures to suppress vibration using the through hole 36 of the balancer 20 described above, it is possible to reduce the ease with which the strainer 60 vibrates due to its low rigidity.

Since the strainer 60 is supported not only by the oil pump 40 but also by the balancer 20 by the bolts 63, the vibration of the strainer 60 can be further suppressed.

Since the oil pump 40 is supported by the lower block 5 (cylinder block 3) via the bracket 50, vibration of the oil pump 40 itself can be suppressed. As a result, vibration of the strainer 60 connected to the oil pump 40 can also be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the strainer main body 61 and the oil pump 40 is large, so the connecting pipe portion 62 is lengthened, and the strainer 60 is likely to vibrate. Therefore, by taking the vibration suppression measures described above, it is possible to reduce the ease with which the strainer 60 vibrates due to the length of the connection pipe portion 62 .

Since the outer wall portion 62b of the connecting pipe portion 62 does not contact the inner wall portion 36b of the through hole 36, the vibration of the balancer 20 is less likely to be transmitted from the inner wall portion 36b of the through hole 36 to the outer wall portion 62b of the connecting pipe portion 62. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the strainer 60 from vibrating with the through hole 36 as a starting point.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, such description is not intended to be limiting, and various modifications are of course possible.

Although the strainer 60 is made of resin in this embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, strainer 60 may be made of the same metal as balancer housing 21 and pump housing 41 . Any material may be used as long as the strainer 60 is a separate member from the oil pump 40 .

In the present embodiment, the deepest portion 6b of the oil pan 6 is positioned substantially at the center C of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction), but is not limited to this. For example, the deepest portion 6b of the oil pan 6 may be positioned at the rear end portion of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction). In this case, the strainer main body 61 is arranged at the rear end portion of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (crankshaft direction). That is, the connection pipe portion 62 can be shortened by the amount corresponding to the reduction in the distance between the strainer main body 61 and the oil pump 40 as compared with the case of the present embodiment. Therefore, the strainer 60 can be made less likely to vibrate.

In the present embodiment, the oil pump 40 is provided in the balancer 20 at the rear end of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (one end in the crankshaft direction), but the present invention is not limited to this. If the layout permits, for example, the oil pump 40 may be provided in the balancer 20 at the front end portion of the oil pan 6 in the vehicle front-rear direction (the other end portion in the crankshaft direction).

Although the oil pump 40 is supported by the lower block 5 via the bracket 50 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, oil pump 40 may be directly supported by lower block 5 without bracket 50 . Also, the oil pump 40 does not have to be supported by the lower block 5 .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an engine with a balancer, and therefore is extremely useful and has high industrial applicability.

C Near center 1 Engine 2 Crankshaft 3 Cylinder block 5 Lower block 6 Oil pan 6b Deepest part 20 Balancer 21 Balancer housing 23 Lower housing 35 Joint surface 36 Through hole 36a Opening edge 36b Inner wall 40 Oil pump 41 Pump housing 42 Joint surface 46 Oil suction port 46a Opening edge 50 Bracket 60 Strainer 61 Strainer body 62 Connection pipe 62a Tip 62b Outer wall 63 Bolt (fastening member)
64 Gap

Claims (5)

a balancer provided in the cylinder block;
an oil pump;
a strainer for filtering oil sucked from the oil pan by the oil pump;
The strainer is
a strainer body;
a connection pipe portion that connects the oil pump and the strainer body,
a tip end of the connecting pipe portion is inserted into a suction port provided in a housing of the oil pump,
The housing of the balancer is provided with a through hole through which the connection pipe portion is inserted,
The balancer-equipped engine, wherein the balancer housing and the oil pump housing are in contact with each other at the through hole and the suction port. In claim 1,
An engine with a balancer, wherein the stiffness of the strainer is lower than the stiffness of the housing of the balancer and the stiffness of the housing of the oil pump. In claim 1 or 2,
A balancer-equipped engine, wherein the strainer is fastened to the balancer with a fastening member. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
The engine with a balancer, wherein the oil pump is supported by the cylinder block. In any one of claims 1 to 4,
The balancer is provided below the cylinder block,
The deepest part of the oil pan is located substantially in the center of the oil pan in the crankshaft direction,
The oil pump is provided in the balancer at one end of the oil pan in the crankshaft direction,
The engine with a balancer, wherein the strainer body is arranged near the deepest part of the oil pan.

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