JPS6132169Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a clutch housing cooling device for an automobile that can effectively cool a clutch mechanism such as a torque converter or a dry clutch with a small and inexpensive structure.

In a torque converter, if the cooling is insufficient, the viscosity of the oil decreases and the oil deteriorates. In addition, in a dry clutch, if its cooling is insufficient, durability will be reduced.

Conventionally, as a cooling device for the clutch housing that houses the clutch mechanism of an automobile, an air intake port equipped with an air cleaner is provided at the top of the clutch housing, while an air intake port is provided at the bottom of the clutch housing. By connecting the outlet and the muffler with an air pipe, the negative pressure of the exhaust gas inside the muffler is used to suck out the air inside the clutch housing through the air pipe to the muffler, and the air inside the engine room is transferred to the air cleaner and air intake port. It has been proposed that the clutch mechanism inside the clutch housing is cooled by drawing water into the clutch housing through the clutch housing (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 39-30222).

However, the conventional clutch housing cooling device described above sucks relatively high-temperature air in the engine room into the clutch housing to cool the clutch mechanism, so the cooling effect is insufficient. The air pipe needs to be connected to the clutch housing and the muffler, and has the disadvantage that it is long and the entire device becomes large and expensive.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel automobile clutch housing cooling system that can effectively cool a clutch mechanism with a small and inexpensive construction.

For this reason, this invention provides an air inlet opening to the rear of the cooling fan in the upper part of the clutch housing of the automobile, which has a structure in which the clutch housing housing the clutch mechanism is placed behind the cooling fan of the engine. a ventilation passage having a downstream passage cross-sectional area reduction part, an outside air intake port being provided at the lower part of the clutch housing, and an air outlet of the clutch housing being opened in the passage cross-sectional area reduction part of the ventilation passage. Therefore, the negative pressure generated in the reduced cross-sectional area of the passage due to the cooling air from the cooling fan and the running air draws outside air from outside the engine room into the ventilation passage via the outside air intake, the inside of the clutch housing, and the air outlet. The clutch mechanism is characterized by being able to be effectively cooled with a small and inexpensive structure.

Hereinafter, this invention will be explained in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

In Figures 1 and 2, 1 is a car engine;
2 is a clutch housing that is provided adjacent to the engine 1 and houses a torque converter 3 as an example of a clutch mechanism; 4 is a clutch housing 2;
5 is a differential gear section provided at the rear of the clutch housing 2, 6 is a radiator, 7 is an electric cooling fan for the engine, 8 is a bonnet, and 9 is an engine compartment. The clutch housing 2 is located behind the cooling fan 7, and the lower portion 2a of the clutch housing 2 protrudes below the bottom of the engine 1.

In the upper part of the clutch housing 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a ventilation passage 12 is formed by a pipe 11 whose front end is expanded into a funnel shape, and a funnel-shaped air inlet 13 of the ventilation passage 12 is formed. is opened at the rear of the cooling fan 7, and the ventilation passage 12 is opened at the rear of the cooling fan 7.
A reduced passage cross-sectional area portion 14 is formed downstream of the air inlet 13 of the air inlet 13 .

At the upper part of the clutch housing 2, a second,
As shown in FIG. 3, an air outlet 16 is formed by a short pipe 15, and the air outlet 16 opens into the passage cross-sectional area reduced portion 14 of the ventilation passage 12. Incidentally, the pipe 15 also serves as a bracket for fixing the pipe 11 to the clutch housing 2.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of slits 21, 21, . . . are provided in the undercover 18 at the bottom of the clutch housing 2 on the side of the engine 1, as examples of air intake ports. The slits 21, 21, . . . have a punched structure as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, or a cut-and-raised structure as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Note that 22 is a cut and raised piece.

Note that the oil in the torque converter 3 is cooled by a water-cooled oil cooler (not shown) built into the radiator 6 according to the engine cooling water temperature.

The automobile clutch housing cooling system having the above structure cools the torque converter 3 and the clutch housing 2 as described below.

Assuming that the automobile is currently climbing a slope where the oil temperature in the torque converter 2 is rising, the cooling fan 7 is automatically activated by a device (not shown) upon sensing the rise in the temperature of the engine cooling water that cools the water-cooled oil cooler. . At this time, a part of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan 7 flows in from the air inlet 13 of the ventilation passage 12 as shown by the arrow X in FIGS. is accelerated and discharged backward, and the passage cross-sectional area reduced portion 14
A negative pressure is generated in the clutch housing 2, the air inside the clutch housing 2 is sucked out from the air outlet 16 of the clutch housing 2, and the cold running air flowing below the engine compartment is caused to flow into the clutch housing 2 through the slit 21. In this way, the cold running air from the engine room is allowed to flow into the reduced passage cross-sectional area section 14 where negative pressure is generated behind the cooling fan 7 via the slit 21, the inside of the clutch housing 2, and the air outlet 16 as shown by arrow Y. Therefore, the clutch housing 2 and the torque converter 3 can be effectively cooled. Note that the cooling air from the cooling fan 7 also cools the clutch housing 2 from its outer periphery.

Furthermore, when the automobile is running at high speed, for example, where the oil temperature in the torque converter 3 is relatively high, even if the cooling fan 7 is not operating, a strong running wind flows in the direction of the arrow X, causing the same problem as described above. , a negative pressure is generated in the passage cross-sectional area reduced portion 14 of the ventilation passage 12. Therefore, the cold running wind outside the engine room flows through slit 1 as shown by arrow Y.
2. Inside the clutch housing 2 and air outlet 1
6 and into the reduced passage cross-sectional area 14, the clutch housing 2 and the torque converter 3 are effectively cooled by the cold running air.

In the modification shown in FIG. 8, the clutch housing 2
A rectifier plate 25 whose front end 25a is curved upward and a clutch housing 2 whose front end 25a is curved downward are disposed on the upper part of the body.
A ventilation passage 12 is formed with the upper end outer circumferential surface 2b, and an air outlet 16 opened at the upper end of the clutch housing 2 itself is opened to a reduced passage cross-sectional area 14 downstream of the air inlet 13 behind the cooling fan 7. , the cold air from outside the engine room is passed through the slit 21 into the clutch housing 2 through the reduced passage cross-sectional area 14.
can be inhaled to cool the clutch housing 12 and the torque converter (not shown) therein.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the torque converter 3 is housed within the clutch housing 2 as the clutch mechanism. However, a dry clutch may be housed as the clutch mechanism to effectively cool the dry clutch and improve its durability.

As is clear from the above description, the automobile clutch housing cooling device of this invention forms a ventilation passage in the upper part of the clutch housing that houses the clutch mechanism located behind the cooling fan of the engine.
The air inlet of the ventilation passage is opened to the rear of the cooling fan, while a passage cross-sectional area reduction part is formed in the ventilation passage downstream of the air inflow opening, and the air outlet of the clutch housing is connected to the passage cross-sectional area reduction part. At the same time, an outside air intake is provided at the bottom of the clutch housing, and the negative pressure generated when the cooling air from the cooling fan passes through the reduced passage cross-sectional area allows cold outside air from outside the engine room to be drawn from the outside air intake into the clutch housing. Since the air is drawn into the air passage through the air outlet and the air outlet, the clutch mechanism and clutch housing can be effectively cooled using cold outside air in a small and inexpensive configuration that does not require long piping. can.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a right side view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention.
Figures 4 and 6 are respectively front views of the undercover, Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line - - of Figure 4, Figure 7 is a sectional view taken
The figure is a front view of a modified example. 1...Engine, 2...Clutch housing,
3...Clutch mechanism, 7...Cooling fan, 12...
...Ventilation passage, 13... Air inlet, 14... Passage cross-sectional area reduction part, 16... Air outlet, 21... Outside air intake.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] In an automobile in which a clutch housing for housing a clutch mechanism is located behind an engine cooling fan,
a ventilation passage having an air inlet opening at the rear of the cooling fan and a reduced passage cross-sectional area downstream of the air inlet; an outside air intake provided at the lower part of the clutch housing; and a passage section in the upper air ventilation passage. 1. A clutch housing cooling device for an automobile, comprising: a clutch housing air outlet opening in a reduced area portion.