Internal combustion engine

Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprising an engine unit including a cylinder block (23) with a crankcase structure and a cylinder head (22) attached to said cylinder block, which is adapted to support auxiliary equipment driven from the engine by continuous drive means. Said engine unit comprising a front cover (26) that covers at least a front surface of the cylinder block (23) adjacent to said drive means wherein said front cover (26) and/or an associated external member (27) are adapted to accommodate a coolant arrangement of the engine.

Description: The present invention refers to an internal combustion engine having an engine unit comprising a cylinder head cover, a cylinder block including a crankcase structure, a water jacket, a cylinder head attached to said cylinder block, and a crankcase, said engine further comprising a front cover covering at least partially a front surface of said cylinder block, and auxiliary equipment including a coolant pump, driven from the engine by continuous drive means arranged at the front side of said engine, a turbine housing of said coolant pump and at least one coolant connection passage way to an opening of said water jacket Conventional four-cycle internal combustion engines for automobiles comprise an engine cooling configuration using a water pump which recirculates coolant from the radiator through a water jacket outside the circumference of the cylinders. The water heated by performing this cooling action is then moved to the radiator where it is cooled and is subsequently returned to the water jacket by a water pump acting as a drive source. This type of water pump is mounted near the cylinder block and is driven by the rotation of the crankshaft, and the turbine housing of the pump is connected by a coolant passage to the water jacket; a pulley connected to the input shaft of the turbine is driven by a belt spanning it and a pulley on the output shaft of the crankshaft. A part of the coolant output by the water pump is also supplied to an oil cooler. However, in automobiles with four-cycle engines employing the above mentioned type of water pump, there is generally a front cover (chain cover) that covers the various chains on the front side of the engine and that spans the cylinder block and the crankcase. As a result, when the water pump is mounted on the engine unit, it projects significantly in the transverse direction away from the engine unit. This projection of the water pump from the side of the engine requires that there be a special hose or some other means between the water pump and the oil cooler in order to return the coolant from the oil cooler to the water pump after that coolant has been sent from the water pump to the oil cooler, thereby requiring the use of a lengthy coolant conduit. Prior art document DE 42 11 896 A1 presents a front cover for an internal combustion engine being fixed at the engine casing and comprising various parted chambers being arranged for receiving auxiliary devices like oil cooler and coolant pump and a number of fluid channels. This, however, presents the problem that if one of the fluid channels is plugged or one of the auxiliary devices is defect, the entire front cover including all of the auxiliary devices and their interconnection wires or tubes need to be disassembled for the repair/service of this one device, which is highly inefficient. An internal combustion engine of the type as indicated above is known from document US 5,148,784 which disclosed a chain cover and a pump housing attached to a front surface of a cylinder block. The pump room or cavity is formed by joining a separate pump housing to a chain cover. The coolant passage walls defining a coolant passage way to an opening of a water jacket are integrated within said front surface of the cylinder block and said chain cover, respectively. However, this engine needs a lot of parts which have to be assembled. Therefore, mounting of an engine of the above kind becomes troublesome. Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to improve an internal combustion engine of the type as mentioned above so that a defect of an auxiliary device like the water pump or a plugged coolant can be repaired without the need of detaching the entire front cover and all of the auxiliary devices, while at the same time avoiding the provision of the special hoses to be used for connecting different portions of the cooling system and to facilitate the mounting of an internal combustion engine of the above kind. According to the present invention, the above objective is performed by an internal combustion engine of the type as indicated above, wherein said turbine housing of said coolant pump, as well as said coolant connection passageway and a coolant passage to an oil cooler are formed by said front cover and an external member, attached to said front cover, such that said turbine housing, said coolant connection passageway and said coolant passage are integrated into the engine unit and that a separate pipe from an oil pump leads to an oil introduction passage, which is connected to the oil introduction passage at the bottom of the crankcase. Other preferred embodiments of the present invention are laid down in the further subclaims. With this construction the coolant pump can be serviced and repaired by only detaching the external member, while leaving the front cover and all further auxiliary devices affixed to it mounted to the engine body. Since also a coolant passage is formed by both, the front cover and the external member, the coolant passage is easily accessible too. Accordingly, with the configuration described above, the water pump is still very compact, and hardly projects at all from the cover member covering the side surface of the engine, and the water pump is positioned amid the various auxiliary equipment which is mounted in the vicinity of the engine. As a result, it is possible to place the pulley affixed to the input end of the water pump in the same plane as the various pulleys for this auxiliary equipment, and to drive all this equipment using a single belt that spans the pulley affixed to the output end of the crankshaft. Thus, the water pump and the various auxiliary equipment can be efficiently driven by a single belt. Further, since the water pump is located in close proximity to the opening to the water jacket in the cylinder block, it is possible for the water pump to efficiently pump coolant into the water jacket of the cylinder block. Further, affixation of the oil cooler is simplified, and a relatively short coolant passage can be used to connect the water pump with the oil cooler, without having to resort to special hoses or other materials. By using the component parts of the engine, it is further possible to integrate the passage into the engine. The present invention is explained in greater detail by means of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front view of the engine with a cooling configuration not being an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view of the engine unit with the auxiliary equipment removed from the engine, Figure 3 is a front view of the engine in Figure 2 with the cover member (front cover) removed, Figure 4 is a sectional view of the engine along line A-A of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a sectional view of the water pump along line B-B of Figure 2, Figure 6 is a searon sectional view showing a part of the engine above the off cooler along line C-C of Figure 2., Figure 7 is a sectional view of a part of the engine corresponding to Figure 6 but having an improved oil cooling arrangement as an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a Figure used to show the circulation of the coolant by the water pump shown in Figure 5, Figure 9 is a Figure used to show the configuration and mounting of the oil cooler affixed to the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 10 is a bottom view showing the configuration and mounting of the oil cooler affixed to the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 11 is a side view showing the affixation of the cylinder block, crankcase and oil cooler at the front of the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 12 is an exploded side view showing a part of the engine unit and the placement of the mounting bracket for the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 13 is a sectional view of the oil pan showing the oil return passage to the oil pan and the blow-by gas passages on the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 14 is a sectional view of the oil pan showing another configuration the oil return passage to the oil pan and the blow-by gas passages on the engine shown in Figure 1, Figure 15 is a front view that corresponds to Figure 2 of an embodiment of the engine unit, not being an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 16 is a front view that corresponds to Figure 2 of yet another embodiment, not according to the invention. An embodiment of the cooling configuration for engines according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 7. Figure 1 shows a multi-cylinder four-cycle engine and the auxiliary equipment mounted around the engine unit when viewed from the front (in the crankshaft direction). Positioned around the engine unit 1 are an alternator 2, a power steering pump 3, an air conditioning compressor 4, and a water pump 5 which is located on the front surface of the engine unit 1. An oil cooler 6 which holds an integral filter is located on the bottom of the engine unit 1. Pulleys 12, 13, 14 and 15 are affixed respectively to the ends of the various input shafts 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the alternator 2, the power steering pump 3, the air conditioning compressor 4, and the water pump 5. In addition, a pulley 16 is affixed to the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft, and a single belt 18 spans a tension pulley 17 and the various pulleys 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Further, the engine unit 1 is affixed to the vehicle by bolts which fasten it to the mounting bracket, and this mounting bracket is affixed to the top of the alternator 2. As shown in Figure 12, this mounting bracket 19 comprises an affixing member 19e for attachment to the vehicle, and a fastening member 19f which is affixed to the top of the alternator 2 and attachment bolts 19a, 19b, 19c, and 19d fasten it to various parts 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d of the engine unit 1, thereby affixing it across both the cylinder head 22 and the cylinder block 23, Figure 2 shows the engine unit 1 of Figure 1, but minus the various pulleys 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16; the belt 18; the alternator 2, the power steering pump 3, the air conditioning compressor 4 and the mounting bracket 19 (but still with the oil cooler 6 and the water pump 5). A front cover 26 is affixed to the engine unit 1 composed of the cylinder head cover 21, cylinder head 22, cylinder block 23, crankcase 24, and the oil pan 25 which spans the front surfaces of both the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 34. Further, the water pump 5 and the coolant passage 55, etc., are present in the surface of the front cover 26, and a part of that is covered by an outer element. In the present embodiment, the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 are split into two members, but it would also be possible to have a monoblock construction wherein the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 are unifized. Figure 3 shows the engine unit 1 of Figure 2 with the outer element being additionally removed from the front cover 26. In this Figure, the front surface of the cylinder block 23 comprises the water jacket opening 32 for the introduction of the coolant from the water pump 5 into the water jacket of the cylinder block. The opening of the oil introduction passage 24a, which introduces oil pumped by the oil pump into the oil cooler 6, is located on the lower front surface of the crankcase 24, which is positioned above the oil cooler 6. Two parallel sprockets 60, 60, one of which engages chain 61 while the other engages chain 62, are affixed to the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft, which is located between the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24. The chain 61 transmits the rotational drive of the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft to the air intake side camshaft 64 and exhaust camshaft 65 which services the three air intake valves and two exhaust valves in a five valve twin cam (not shown) configuration located in the top portion of the engine. It represents the lower chain in a two stage drive transmission system wherein an intermediate rotating shaft 67 rotates the various camshafts 64, 65 by means of the upper chain 68. The two chains used in this twin cam valve system may be externally adjusted for tension by the tensioner 71 on the cylinder head 22 which serves the upper chain, and by the tensioner 72 on the cylinder block 23 which serves the lower chain. In order to secure the space required for locating the tensioners 71, 72, the intermediate rotating shaft 67 is offset from the centerline of the engine that passes through the cylinder axis toward the side of the engine that is opposite the tensioners 71, 72. Chain 62 transmits the rotation of the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft to the input shaft 63 of an oil pump (not shown) located inside the oil pan 25 under the engine. In the above described engine, the attachment area 19f of the mounting bracket 19 is secured to the attachment area 2a above the alternator 2 by a bolt, and the lower attachment area 2b is affixed to the attachment area 23d of an integrally formed alternator support member 23c, in a manner such that the alternator 2 is supported above and below with respect to the engine unit 1 as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 4, the lower support member 23c for the alternator 2 is formed integrally as a projection from the cylinder block 23 in the width direction of the engine. An attachment area 23d present in the support member 23c enables the alternator to be affixed at its lower attachment area 2b by a bolt. Because the alternator 2 is affixed to the engine unit by the attachment area 19f on the mounting bracket 19 and by the support member 23c of the cylinder block, the attachment to the engine at the lower attachment area is very strong, and since the upper attachment area 2a is affixed by the mounting bracket 19 to the vehicle body, the attachment condition is little affected by engine vibration. Further, should the specifications for the alternator 2 change, a different alternator could be used by merely changing to a different mounting bracket 19. Located below the support 23c for the alternator is the push rod 72b,which applies pressure to the tension arm 72a of the tensioner 72 for the lower chain 61, and in order to allow the push rod 72b to be adjusted from the outside, the attachment hole 23e for affixing the cylinder 72c to the push rod 72b passes through the cylinder block 23. As shown in Figure 13, an oil return passage 81 opening into the oil pan 25 and a blow-by gas passage 82 are present in the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 of the foregoing engine unit 1. A partition wall 25a in the oil pan 25 separates the opening area 81a of the oil return passage 81 in the crankcase from the inside of the oil pan 25 and protrudes from the floor of the oil pan 25. A drain hole for removing the oil is also drilled into the bottom of the oil pan 25 and a part of the bottom of the partition wall 25a is therefore removed. Therefore, when closing the bottom drain hole from the outside with a plug 83, a connecting area 84 to the extension of the oil return passage 81 is present at the bottom of the partition wall that connects to the inside of the oil pan. By using this partition wall 25a in the oil pan, and by forming the connecting area 84 between the oil pan 25 and the extension of the oil return passage 81 at the bottom of the partition wall 25, the level of the oil in the oil pan is such that when the engine is running, the liquid surface is L 1 and when the engine is stopped the liquid surface is at L 2 , thereby assuring that the opening of the oil return passage 81 is always beneath the surface of the oil and that the oil remains unaffected by blow-by gases. This feature prevents oil from being blown upward, promotes better oil circulation, lowers the amount of air bubble intermixture in the returned oil, and improves its lubricating performance. As shown in Figure 14, an oil reservoir 25c is formed by the partition wall 25b at some distance from the opening 81a of the oil return passage 81 in the crankcase in the area where the oil pan is shallow, and this feature ensures that the opening 81a of the oil return passage 81 always remains under the surface of the liquid in the oil reservoir 25c, thereby creating a siphon area with the connection hole to the opening 81a of the oil return area so that the oil return passage is always open under the surface of the oil unaffected by the blow-by gases. As shown in Figure 2, with respect to the engine with the above described configuration, the surface of the front cover 26 that covers the front surface of the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 is shaped to extend down toward the oil cooler 6 and is further covered by an outer element affixed by bolts. This front cover 26 and outer element form the turbine housing 52 for the water pump 5, the coolant passage 54 to the opening 32 of the water jacket, and the coolant passage 55 to the oil cooler in a manner such that they are integrated into the engine unit To wit, as shown in Figure 5, the front cover 26 and the outer element are configured to create the turbine housing 53 for the water pump 5 and the coolant passage 54 so that the connection opening 31 of the water pump connects to the opening 32 to the water jacket. A turbine 52 is located inside the turbine housing 53 of the water pump 5, and the input shaft of the turbine 52 extends to the outside of the outer element, while a pulley 15 is affixed to its end. The rotation of the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft drives the pulley 16, the belt 18, the pulley 15, and the turbine 52 is rotated by the input shaft 10 to drive the water pump 5. The coolant passage 55 from the water pump 5 to the oil cooler 6 extends downward as a branch from the middle of the coolant passage 54 from the turbine housing 53 to the water jacket opening 32. Therefore, just like the turbine housing 53 of the water pump 5 and the coolant passage 54, most of the coolant passage 55 is present in the front cover 26 and the outer element 27. As shown in Figures 6 and 11, after the lower end 55a of the coolant passage 55 enters the front cover 26, it connects with the coolant inlet 6c of the oil cooler 6. The outer element 27 is affixed to the front surface of the front cover 26 and extends in the transverse direction with respect to the engine. As shown in Figure 4, the mating surfaces 23a, 23b between the cylinder block 23 and the front cover lie in different planes in the transverse direction with respect to the engine (left and right in the Figure). The extent to which the outer element bulges from the front cover 26 can be reduced because the mating surface 23b is set farther back with respect to the side where the outer cover is affixed. The water pump 5 is connected to the oil cooler 6 by the coolant passage 55, and as shown in Figure 9, the cooler 6a and the filter 6b are jointly integrated inside and are located next to a concave area in the side wall of the oil pan and are directly affixed to the bottom surface of the crankcase 24. To wit, as shown in Figure 10, a concave area 25d is present in the front surface of the oil pan and bends inward, so that when the oil pan 25 is affixed to the crankcase 24, the lower surface of the crankcase and the lower surface of the front cover 26 remain exposed in the area of the concave indent 25d in the oil pan 25, whereby the oil cooler 6 can be directly affixed at this exposed area on the bottom surface of the crankcase by inserting it into the concave area 25d from the outside of the oil pan. Also present in the lower surface of the crankcase 24 where the oil cooler 6 is affixed are several openings, an oil introduction area 24b of an oil introduction passage 24a that opens into the bottom front surface of the crankcase 24, an oil passage 93 transmitting the oil upward from the oil cooler 6, and a coolant passage 57 returning coolant to the water pump. The lower opening 55a of the coolant passage 55 is located at the lower surface of the front cover 26 where it meets the oil cooler . Thus, the water pump 5 pumps coolant to the oil cooler 6 directly affixed to the bottom surface of the crankcase 24, and, as shown in Figure 1, the coolant passes through the coolant passage 55 and into the coolant introduction opening 6c of the oil cooler at the lower surface of the front cover 26 and cools the oil inside the cooler 6 that was transmitted therein by the oil pump. After the oil has been cooled, the coolant moves through the coolant exit 6d of the oil cooler in the lower surface of the crankcase 24, and continuing from the coolant passage 57 present in the crankcase 24 and cylinder block 23, it passes through the water pump connection opening 31 (thermostat chamber) and is returned to the water pump 5. On the other hand, the oil that is transmitted to the oil cooler 6 by an oil pump (not shown), and as shown in Figure 6, is sent from the oil passage 91 present in the front cover 26 to the oil introduction passage 24a present in the lower end of the crankcase 24 and is fed into the oil cooler 6 from the lower surface of the crankcase 24. As shown in Figure 11, inside the cooler 9a, the oil is cooled by coolant from the water pump 5 and then passes through the filter 9b, through the oil passage 93, and upward through the main hole 94, from where it is supplied to various parts of the engine. In the present embodiment, the coolant passage 55 from the water pump 5 to the oil cooler 6 is primarily present in the stock of the front cover 26 and in the outer element, and a part of it denoted by 55a is formed in the front cover 26 near its lower end. With regard to this coolant passage 55 from the water pump 5 to the oil cooler 8, it is also possible to completely integrate this coolant passage 55 to the oil cooler 6 into the front cover 26 as shown in Figure 15, or to form the coolant passage 55 to the oil cooler 6 inside the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 as shown in Figure 16. Furthermore, the embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, integrally configures the oil passage 91 from the oil pump (not shown) to the oil introduction passage of the crankcase 24 in the stock of the front cover 26, but according to the invention, it is possible to employ a separate pipe from the oil pump 6 to the oil introduction passage 24a, which would connect to the oil introduction passage 24a at the bottom of the crankcase 24, as shown in Figure 7. The engine of this present embodiment, comprising the above described water pump 5, the oil cooler 6, and coolant passages 54, 55, 57, allows placing the water pump 5 on the front surface of the engine unit 1 in close proximity to the opening 32 to the water jacket of the cylinder block 23, thereby enabling efficient supply of coolant to the inside of the cylinder block 23, with the additional benefit of allowing the water pump 5 to be more compactly installed on the engine unit 1. The mating surfaces 23a, 23b between the cylinder block 23 and the crankcase 24 are present in different planes in the transverse direction with respect to the engine, and the water pump 5 and the coolant passages 54, 55 are formed on the outside surface of the front cover 26 on the side where the mating surface 23b is the more recessed, thereby much reducing the protrusion, from the front side of the engine, by the water pump 5 and the coolant passages 54, 55 compared to the case when these mating surfaces between the side surface of the cylinder block 23 and the front cover 26 are present in the same plane. Furthermore, the pulley 15 on the input shaft of the water pump 5 lies in approximately the same plane as the pulleys 12, 13, 14 of the various auxiliary equipment mounted around the engine, and in the same plane as the pulley 16 on the output shaft 11 of the crankshaft, thereby allowing efficient transmission of the crankshaft output by a single belt 18 to the water pump 5 as well as to the other auxiliary equipment mounted around the engine. In addition, the oil cooler 6 contains an integrated cooler member 6a and filter member 6b which are affixed directly to the bottom surface of the crankcase 24 outside the oil pan 25 using simple but compact assembly of the oil cooler and oil filter to the engine. Further, there is no need for piping between the oil cooler and oil filter, and it is easy to replace the oil cooler 6 alone, or only the filter portion 6b. The oil cooler 6, receiving oil from the oil pump and coolant from the water pump 5, receives a matched supply of oil and coolant, which facilitates its efficient operation. Further, the coolant supply passage located between the water pump 5 and the oil cooler 6 is present in the stock of the front cover 26 and the outer element, and the coolant return passage 54 between the oil cooler 6 and the water pump 5 is present in the crankcase 24 and cylinder block 23 so that no special pipes or hoses are required for the coolant passages, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the piping operations for the coolant passage. The engine cooling configuration of this invention as described above utilizes the component stock for the cover member that covers the side surface of the engine for the water pump, thereby enabling the compact placement of the water pump on the side surface of the engine unit; further enabling efficient supply of coolant to the inside of the cylinder block due to the close proximity location of the water pump to the opening for the water jacket into the cylinder block; and again enabling the water pump to be efficiently driven along with the other auxiliary equipment by a single belt. Moreover, the attachment and maintenance operations of the oil cooler are simplified and efficient oil cooler operation is obtained by matching the supply of oil from the oil pump and coolant by the water pump to cool the oil cooler. The specific lubricating arrangement comprising the design as shown in greater detail in figures 13 and 14 can also be used independently from the cooling arrangement of the oil pump. Finally, the embodiments allow coolant passages to be used which eliminate the need for hoses, etc., thereby reducing the number of parts used and improving maintenance operations and properties as well as the life time of the coolant passage piping.

Claims: Internal combustion engine having an engine unit (1) comprising: a cylinder head cover (21), a cylinder block (23) including a crankcase structure (24), a water jacket, a cylinder head (22) attached to said cylinder block (23), and a crankcase (24), said engine further comprising a front cover (26) covering at least partially a front surface of said cylinder block (23), and auxiliary equipment including a coolant pump (5), driven from the engine by continuous drive means (61,62) arranged at the front side of said engine, a turbine housing (52) of said coolant pump (5) and at least one coolant connection passage way (54) to an opening (32) of said water jacket, characterized in that said turbine housing (52) of said coolant pump (5), as well as said coolant connection passageway (54) and a coolant passage (55) to an oil cooler (6) are formed by said front cover (26) and an external member (27), attached to said front cover (26), such that said turbine housing (52), said coolant connection passageway (54) and said coolant passage (55) are integrated into the engine unit (1) and that a separate pipe (96) from an oil pump (6) leads to an oil introduction passage (24a), which is connected to the oil introduction passage (24a) at the bottom of the crankcase (24). Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said coolant passageway (55) extends further through the cylinder block (23) and the crankcase (24). Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a drive pulley (15) affixed to an input end of a water pump drive shaft (10) is disposed in the same plane as various drive pulleys of the auxiliary equipment and that a single drive belt (18) is used spanning the drive pulleys of the auxiliary equipment including the water pump (5) and an output pulley (16) disposed at an output end of the crankshaft (11). Internal combustion engine as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the water pump (5) is arranged in close proximity to an opening of a water jacket of the cylinder block (23). Internal combustion engine as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an engine mounting bracket (19) is affixed to various parts of the cylinder head (22) and the cylinder block (23) and to a top of alternator (2) by means of attachment bolts (19a-d) and a fastening member (19f), said engine mounting bracket (19) comprising an affixing member (19a) for attachment to a vehicle.

Inventors: SAITO TETSUSHI, SAITO, TETSUSHI
Applicants: YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1995
Main classification: F01P5
IPC codes: F02B75, F01P5, F01P11, F02F7, F01M13, F01M11