Abstract:
An intake apparatus of an engine according to the present invention comprises; an air cleaner unit for filtering intake air defining an air passageway therein and filtering intake air; and a turbocharger-intercooler unit mounted at a lower portion of the air cleaner unit and compressing and cooling air supplied to the engine. An outlet air passageway of the supercharger-intercooler is configured to contact an air passageway of the air cleaner unit.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority of Korean Application No. 10-2003-0096567, filed on December  24 ,  2003 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to an air intake apparatus of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an air intake apparatus for an air cleaner unit and a supercharger unit.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Generally, a vehicle provided with a supercharger is also provided with an intercooler for decreasing a temperature of air compressed by the supercharger.  
         [0004]     The intercooler cools compressed air passing therethrough by using cooling water or air. Therefore, in order to cool the cooling water or air that is supplied to the intercooler and absorbs heat of the compressed air, a sub-cooling system is installed in an engine compartment. When the sub-cooling system is installed in the engine compartment, the structure of the engine becomes complicated.  
         [0005]     The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     An embodiment of the present invention provides an intake apparatus of an engine in which an air cleaner unit for filtering intake air and a supercharger-intercooler unit for compressing and cooling the intake air are integrated such that the intake apparatus does not need an additional sub-cooling system.  
         [0007]     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the intake apparatus of an engine comprises: an air cleaner unit forming an air passageway therein and filtering intake air; and a supercharger-intercooler unit mounted at a lower portion of the air cleaner unit and pressurizing and cooling air supplied to the engine. An outlet air passageway of the supercharger-intercooler is configured to contact an air passageway of the air cleaner unit.  
         [0008]     It is preferable that the air cleaner unit is provided with a plurality of inlets.  
         [0009]     It is also preferable that the supercharger-intercooler unit comprises a housing, an inlet of which is connected to the air cleaner unit, and an outlet of which is coupled to a cylinder head. A pair of rotors are installed within the housing and compressing the intake air; and an intercooler cooling the air compressed by the pair of rotors.  
         [0010]     Preferably, an outlet air passageway of the intercooler is configured to contact an air passageway of the air cleaner unit.  
         [0011]     It is preferable that the intake apparatus further comprises a throttle body that is mounted to an inlet of the supercharger-intercooler unit and controls an amount of the intake air supplied to the supercharger-intercooler unit.  
         [0012]     It is also preferable that the air cleaner unit and the supercharger-intercooler unit are connected to each other through a tube member.  
         [0013]     It is further preferable that the tube member is made of a rubber material.  
         [0014]     Preferably, the tube member is made of a plastic material.  
         [0015]     It is preferable that the turbocharger-intercooler unit further comprises a pulley that is fixedly connected to one of the pair of rotors, and wherein the pulley is driven by the engine.  
         [0016]     It is preferable that an outlet of the supercharger-intercooler unit is connected to a cylinder head.  
         [0017]     It is further preferable that the outlet of the supercharger-intercooler unit is formed as at least one.  
         [0018]     Preferably, at least one gasket is disposed between the air cleaner and the supercharger-intercooler unit. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention, where:  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a top view of an intake apparatus of an engine of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along a line A-A in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along a line B-B in  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an inner structure of a supercharger-intercooler unit of the intake apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]     Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0025]     As shown in FIGS.  1  to  3 , the intake apparatus of an engine of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an air cleaner unit  100 , and a supercharger-intercooler unit  200  that is installed at a lower portion of the air cleaner unit  100 . At least one first inlet  110  and a first outlet  130  are respectively formed on opposite ends of the air cleaner unit  100 . A first air passageway  120  is formed between the first inlet  110  and the first outlet  130 .  
         [0026]     An air filter (not shown) is installed in the first air passageway  120 , so that foreign substances such as dust contained in intake air are prevented from entering an engine.  
         [0027]     The supercharger-intercooler unit  200  is coupled to a lower portion of the air cleaner unit  100 , for example through at least one bolt  600 . At least one gasket  610  is disposed between the air cleaner unit  100  and the supercharger-intercooler unit  200  for sealing therebetween.  
         [0028]     The supercharger-intercooler unit  200  comprises a housing  210 , a pair of rotors  220 , and an intercooler  230 . The rotors  220  and the intercooler  230  are disposed within the housing  210 . A second inlet  240  is formed at one end of the housing  210 , and at least a second outlet  270  is formed at a lower portion of the housing  210 .  
         [0029]     The second inlet  240  communicates with the first outlet  130  of the air cleaner unit  100 . The second outlets  270  are mounted to a cylinder head of a V-type engine thereby connecting with combustion chambers. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second outlets  270  communicate with a plurality of second air passageways  271  and are preferably disposed on both sides of the housing  210 , so the second outlets  270  act as intake runners of a conventional intake manifold, i.e., intake air is supplied to combustion chambers through the second outlets  270 .  
         [0030]     A throttle body  400  is mounted to the second inlet  240 , and a throttle valve  410  is installed within the throttle body  400 . The opening angle of the throttle valve  410  is controlled by a throttle motor (not shown), so that an amount of air supplied to the supercharger-intercooler unit  200  is regulated.  
         [0031]     The second inlet  240  of the supercharger-intercooler unit  200  is connected to the first outlet  130  of the air cleaner unit  100  through a tube member  500 . The tube member  500  can be made of materials such as rubber, plastic and aluminum.  
         [0032]     A compressing chamber  250 , where intake air is compressed, is defined within the housing  210 . A pair of rotors  220  ( 220 a and  220 b) that operate in an engaged state are installed within the pressurizing chamber  250 , and the rotors  220  compress the intake air.  
         [0033]     A pulley  300  is mounted at an end opposite to the end where the second inlet  240  is formed, and the pulley  300  is connected to an output shaft (not shown) of the engine through a power transmission device such as a belt and is driven by power transmitted through the power transmission device. One of a pair of rotors  220  are fixed to a shaft of the pulley  300  and rotates by a rotation of the pulley  300 , thereby compressing the intake air.  
         [0034]     An opening portion  260  is formed at an upper portion of the compressing chamber  250 , and the air pcompressed by the rotors  220  is supplied to the intercoolers  230   a ,  230   b ,  230   c , and  230   d  through the opening portion  260 .  
         [0035]     The intercooler  230  cools the air compressed in the compressing chamber  250  by heat exchange, and the compressed air passing through the intercooler  230  is supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine along the plurality of second outlets  270  via the second air passageway.  
         [0036]     The second air passageway  271 , formed along an upper surface of the housing, contacts the first air passageway  120  of the air cleaner unit  100  so that the compressed air flowing to the second air passageway  271  is further cooled by heat exchange with the air in the first air passageway  120 .  
         [0037]     Embodiments of the present invention thus provide a number of advantages. For example, as a result of simplified and smaller package, cost and engine layout size are reduced. In another example, as best seen in  FIG. 2 , the super charge air outlet/intercooler flow path shares a common wall with the air cleaner unit. Thus, air flowing through the air cleaner unit provides further cooling to the supercharger compressed air charge for greater efficiency.  
         [0038]     In an intake apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the air cleaner unit for filtering intake air and the supercharger-intercooler unit for compressing and cooling the intake air are integrated, and the compressed air is cooled through heat exchange between the intake air and the compressed air, so that the intake apparatus does not need an additional sub-cooling system and thereby a structure of an engine compartment becomes very simple.  
         [0039]     Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it should be clearly understood that many variations and/or modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught which may appear to those skilled in the present art will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.