JPH11105747A - Under-cover structure of automobile engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the under-cover structure of an automobile engine which can absorb fluctuation of the engine sufficiently. SOLUTION: A heat-resistant under cover 30 is disposed at the lower side of an engine 10, and fixed to the engine 10. One end edge part 30a of the heat- resistant under cover 30 is positioned in the vicinity of a center member 20 and above an exhaust tube 14. One end part 32a of a synthetic resin under-cover 32 is fitted to the other end edge part 30b distant from the exhaust tube 14 in the heat-resistant under cover 30. In the synthetic resin under cover 32, its the other end part 32b is fitted on a body side. A flexible part 32c formed so as to have lower rigidity than that of a general part is formed between one end part 32a and the other end part 32b of the synthetic resin under-cover 32, and its expanding or shrinking direction is in parallel to the output shaft 10a of the engine 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an undercover structure for an automobile engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional undercover structure for an automobile engine is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-73472. In this undercover structure,
By attaching a metal underguard to the engine, the oil pan under the engine is covered with this underguard, and a guide plate made of a flexible material such as rubber is fixed to the front end of the underguard. The front end cross member is fixed to the front end.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional undercover structure, the guide plate itself has a structure in which the swinging of the engine is absorbed by its flexibility, and therefore, there is a problem that the amount of absorption is limited. is there. In the conventional undercover structure, the guide plate connects the engine and the front end cross member in a direction perpendicular to the output shaft of the engine. Since the swing amount tends to be large, there is a problem that there is a limit in absorbing the swing amount only by the flexibility of the guide plate itself.

Further, in the conventional under cover structure,
Since the lower part in front of the engine is covered by the guide plate, there is a problem that it is difficult to release hot air from the radiator to the outside of the vehicle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an undercover structure for an automobile engine that can sufficiently absorb the oscillation of the engine. I do.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned objects, the invention according to claims 4 to 6 has an object to provide an under cover structure of an automobile engine which can efficiently release hot air from a radiator to the outside of the vehicle. And

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat resistant undercover for covering a lower side of an engine elastically supported by a vehicle body. One end of a synthetic resin undercover is attached to an edge of the heat-resistant undercover which is attached to an engine and away from an exhaust tube disposed below the engine. Is attached to the vehicle body side, and a stretchable flexible portion having lower rigidity than a general portion is formed between the one end and the other end of the synthetic resin under cover. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the flexible portion is extendable and contractible in a direction substantially parallel to an output shaft of the engine. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the flexible portion is positioned below one end of the engine where an accessory belt is provided, and the flexible portion is formed of the synthetic resin under cover. The other end is attached to the vehicle body so as to be openable and closable and is swingable about the flexible portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle as set forth in any of the first to third aspects, wherein the synthetic resin undercover is provided between the radiator installed in front of the engine and the engine and the vehicle body side. To form a gap. The invention described in claim 5 is the same as the claim 4.
In the above description, a tapered surface that gradually rises toward the front is formed at an edge of the synthetic resin undercover that defines a rear edge of the gap.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the edge of the synthetic resin undercover that defines the rear edge of the gap is a front edge of the gap. It is characterized in that it is positioned at a position higher than the edge on the vehicle body side that defines the part.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a stretchable flexible portion having lower rigidity than a general portion is positively provided between one end and the other end of the synthetic resin under cover. By forming, the flexible portion can absorb the swing of the engine. Since the heat-resistant undercover is disposed near the exhaust tube where the temperature becomes highest in the lower part of the engine, the undercover can be attached in a state close to the engine. As a result, there is no restriction on the ground clearance. Since the synthetic resin undercover is attached to the other end edge portion that is farther from the exhaust tube, it is not deformed by heat.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the flexible portion is provided in a direction in which the amount of swing of the engine is small, that is, in a plane perpendicular to the output shaft of the engine. Since it is expandable and contractible in a direction parallel to the output shaft of the engine, which is smaller than the swing amount, it is possible to provide a structure advantageous for absorbing the swing of the engine. According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the flexible portion is positioned below one end of the engine where the accessory belt is provided, so that it is made of synthetic resin. Opening the other end of the under cover with respect to the vehicle body and swinging the synthetic resin under cover about the flexible portion exposes one end of the engine where the accessory belt is disposed. Can be. Thus, the operator can perform maintenance such as replacing the oil filter of the engine and checking the tension of the auxiliary machinery belt from below the vehicle without jacking up the vehicle body.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to third aspects, the synthetic resin undercover is disposed between the radiator and the engine and between the radiator and the engine. , A hot air from the radiator can escape from the gap to the outside of the vehicle. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, the tapered surface formed at the edge of the synthetic resin undercover guides the hot air from the radiator. The vehicle can reliably escape from the gap to the outside of the vehicle.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of claim 4 or 5, the edge of the synthetic resin undercover that defines the rear edge of the gap is formed by the above-mentioned method. By positioning the front edge of the gap higher than the edge on the vehicle body side that defines the front edge of the gap, the edge of the synthetic resin under cover prevents snow from entering from the front while traveling on snowy roads In addition, it is possible to prevent snow from entering through the gap and blowing behind the gap.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, F is the front of the vehicle, U
Indicates a vehicle upper direction, and WW indicates a vehicle width direction. In the figure, 1
0 is an engine elastically supported by the vehicle body,
In the present embodiment, the output shaft 10a of the engine 10 is disposed substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction, and the transmission 12 is connected to the output shaft. An oil filter 16, an air conditioner compressor belt 17 a which is an auxiliary belt, and an alternator belt 17 are provided on one end 10 b of the engine 10 opposite to the side where the transmission 12 is connected.
b, an air conditioner compressor 18, an alternator 19 and the like are provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, an exhaust tube 14 extending from an exhaust manifold 13 of the engine 10 is provided below the engine 10 and extends rearward together with the center member 20. The center member 20 extends between the first cross member 22 and the suspension member 26. A heat-resistant under cover 30 made of a metal such as iron is provided below the engine 10 and is fixed to the engine 10 from below by means such as welding or fastening with bolts or the like. . One end edge 30 a of the heat-resistant under cover 30 is located near the center member 20 and above the exhaust tube 14. The heat-resistant under cover 30 is the engine 1 including the oil pan 15.
0, and a sound insulating material 31 is filled between them. One end 32a of a synthetic resin undercover 32 made of, for example, a polypropylene resin is attached by a clip 42 to the other end 30b of the heat-resistant undercover 30 away from the exhaust tube 14. The other end 32b of the synthetic resin undercover 32 is attached to the vehicle body side. More specifically, the synthetic resin undercover 32 is attached to the splash side cover 34, the front undercover 36, and the rear undercover 38 by a detachable clip 42. The splash side cover 34 is fixed to the front side member 24, and the front under cover 36 is
2 and the center member 20, and the rear under cover 38 is fixed to the suspension member 26.

One end 3 of the synthetic resin under cover 32
A flexible portion 32c having a lower rigidity than the general portion is formed between 2a and the other end portion 32b. The flexible portion 32c is formed in a bellows shape and is capable of expanding and contracting. The direction of expansion and contraction is parallel to the output shaft 10a of the engine 10.
In addition, the flexible portion 32c is provided at one end 10b of the engine 10.
Is located below.

Between the heat-resistant undercover 30 and the front undercover 36 and the synthetic resin undercover 3
Gaps 45 and 46 between the front under cover 36 and the front under cover 36 that can cope with the swing of the engine 10 respectively.
Is provided. Regarding the gap 46, the edge 32d of the synthetic resin undercover 32 that defines the rear edge of the gap 46 is a tapered surface that gradually rises toward the front. On the other hand, the edge 36a of the front undercover 36, which defines the front edge of the gap 46, has a tapered surface that is gradually inclined downward toward the rear. Further, the edge 32d of the synthetic resin undercover 32 is positioned higher than the edge 36a of the front undercover 36.

The engine 1 is also provided between the heat-resistant under cover 30 and the rear under cover 38 and between the synthetic resin under cover 32 and the rear under cover 38.
Clearances 47 and 48 each capable of coping with the zero swing are provided. Thus, the engine 10 in the engine room
The lower side of the periphery, except for the gaps 45, 46, 47, 48,
Generally, it is covered with a heat-resistant under cover 30, a synthetic resin under cover 32, a front under cover 36, and a rear under cover 38. The right half of the engine room is also entirely covered by another under cover 40. The under cover 40 may be composed of a single part, or may be composed of a plurality of parts like the left half.

By covering the lower side around the engine 10 as described above, it is possible to prevent the noise of the engine 10 from being emitted outside the vehicle. Since the heat-resistant undercover 30 is disposed near the exhaust tube 14 where the temperature is highest in the lower part of the engine 10 as shown in FIG. 2, the heat-resistant undercover 30 can be attached in a state close to the engine 10. As a result, there is no restriction on the ground clearance. Synthetic resin under cover 32
Is the other end 30 away from the exhaust tube 14.
Since it is attached to b, it is not deformed by heat. Similarly, the remaining undercovers 36, 38, 4
0 is also apart from the exhaust tube 14, so that it can be made of synthetic resin, and the weight of the vehicle body can be reduced.

In addition, with respect to the swing of the engine 10, the swing in a plane perpendicular to the output shaft 10 a of the engine 10 can be absorbed by the gaps 45, 46, 47, 48. Swinging in a direction parallel to the output shaft 10a of the
It can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the second flexible portion 32c. Generally, the swing of the engine 10 in the direction perpendicular to the output shaft 10a of the engine 10 (the direction of FIG. 3A) is greater in the direction parallel to the output shaft 10a of the engine 10 (see FIG. 3). 2B direction), it is about two to three times larger than the gaps 45, 46, 4
7, 48, and the smaller swing can be dealt with by the expansion and contraction of the flexible portion 32c, so that a structure advantageous for swing can be obtained. Thus, the entire lower part of the engine 10 can be covered as much as possible by the undercovers 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40.

The flexible portion 30c is positioned below the one end 10b of the engine 10, and as described above,
The other end 32b of the synthetic resin under cover 32 is attached to the splash side cover 34, the front under cover 36, and the rear under cover 38, which are fixed to the vehicle body, by the detachable clip 42. By swinging the other end 32b downward by utilizing the flexibility of the portion 30c, the one end 10b of the engine 10 can be exposed as shown in FIG. This allows the operator to perform maintenance such as replacement of the oil filter 16 on the one end 10b of the engine 10 and adjustment of the belt tension of the accessory belt 17 from between the front tire 29 and the front fender 28,
There is no need to jack up the body.

The gaps 45 and 46 in the present embodiment are
Because it is located between the radiator 50 and the engine 10,
Hot air from the radiator 50 can escape to the outside of the vehicle through the gaps 45 and 46. In particular, since the edge 36a of the front undercover 36 and the edge 32d of the synthetic resin undercover 32 are tapered, hot air is guided by the tapered surface, and the edge 32d causes the hot air to flow. Hot air can reliably pass through the gap 46 and escape to the outside of the vehicle.

Further, since the edge 32d is higher than the edge 36a, the tapered edge 32d removes snow while traveling on a snowy road, and snow enters through the gap 46. Thus, it is possible to prevent blowing behind the gap 46. In the above embodiment, an example in which the undercover is set for the purpose of sound insulation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an undercover set for the purpose of protecting the engine 10.

In the above embodiment, the engine 1
Although the description has been made with respect to an automobile in which 0 is set horizontally, the present invention is not limited to this.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an undercover structure of an automobile engine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 4) illustrating an undercover structure of the engine of the automobile in FIG.

1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 4) showing an undercover structure of the engine of the automobile shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating an undercover structure of the engine of the automobile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the automobile as viewed from the direction of arrow 5 in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Engine 10a Output shaft 10b One end side 14 Exhaust tube 30 Heat-resistant under cover 30b Other end edge (end edge away from exhaust tube) 32 Synthetic resin under cover 32a One end 32b Other end 32c Flexible portion 32d Edge 34 Splash side cover (vehicle side) 36 Front undercover (vehicle side) 36a Edge 38 Rear undercover (vehicle side) 46 Clearance 50 Radiator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A heat-resistant undercover for covering an underside of an engine elastically supported by a vehicle body is integrally attached to the engine, and the heat-resistant undercover is disposed below the engine. Attach one end of a synthetic resin under cover to an edge portion away from the exhaust tube, attach the other end of the synthetic resin under cover to the vehicle body side, and attach the one end and the other end of the synthetic resin under cover. An undercover structure for an automobile engine, wherein a stretchable flexible portion having a lower rigidity than a general portion is formed between the portion and the portion. 2. The undercover structure for an automobile engine according to claim 1, wherein said flexible portion is extendable and contractible in a direction substantially parallel to an output shaft of the engine. 3. The flexible portion is positioned below one end of the engine where an accessory belt is disposed, and the other end of the synthetic resin under cover is openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body. 3. The under cover structure for an automobile engine according to claim 2, wherein the under cover structure is attached to the vehicle and is swingable about the flexible portion. 4. The synthetic resin undercover forms a gap between the radiator installed in front of the engine and the engine and the vehicle body side. 4. The undercover structure for an automobile engine according to claim 1. 5. A tapered surface gradually rising toward the front is formed at an edge of the synthetic resin undercover which defines a rear edge of the gap. 5. An undercover structure for an automobile engine according to item 4. 6. An edge portion of a synthetic resin undercover that defines a rear edge portion of the gap is positioned higher than an edge portion on a vehicle body side that defines a front edge portion of the gap. The undercover structure for an automobile engine according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: