Abstract:
An intake module for a vehicular engine has a casing that is constructed of an air cleaner housing portion and an electronic control unit (ECU) housing portion. The air cleaner housing portion that houses an air cleaner is mounted on the engine. The ECU housing portion that houses an ECU is connected with the air cleaner housing portion. A plurality of reinforcement ribs is formed on an outer periphery of the ECU housing portion.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-22850 filed on Jan. 31, 2002. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an intake module, in which an electronic control unit (ECU) is integrally housed, for a vehicular engine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An intake module, in which an electronic control unit (ECU) is housed, used for a vehicular engine has been introduced. By integrally housing an ECU in an intake module, assembling steps can be reduced. The intake module is constructed of an air cleaner housing portion, an intake air passage portion, and an ECU housing portion. The air cleaner housing portion is fixed on an engine, and the ECU housing portion is positioned away from the engine to reduce the influence of heat. 
     When a vehicle is under service, a force may be applied to the ECU housing portion, for instance, a serviceperson put his or her hand on the ECU housing portion. As a result, the ECU assembly may be damaged. This creates a problem in engine control. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention therefore has an objective to provide an intake module that includes a reinforcement member for an integrally housed ECU to tolerate with an external force. 
     An intake module of the present invention has a casing that is constructed of an air cleaner housing portion and an ECU housing portion. The air cleaner housing portion and the ECU housing portion are integrated, and the air cleaner housing portion is fixed on an engine. The ECU housing portion is not supported from the underneath but has a reinforcement member to improve the rigidity of the ECU housing portion. Therefore, the damage to the ECU in the ECU housing portion is reduced. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1A  is a top view of an intake module according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a front view of the intake module according. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an ECU housing portion of the intake module; 
         FIG. 3A  is a side view of the ECU housing portion of the intake module; 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional side view of the ECU housing portion of the intake module; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a part of reinforcement ribs including a cross section; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the intake module mounted on an engine; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a modified intake module; 
         FIG. 7A  is a side view of a modified intake module; 
         FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional side view of the intake module shown in  FIG. 7A   
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of a modified intake module; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a modified intake module; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a modified intake module; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of a modified intake module; and 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an ECU. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an intake module  1  includes a casing  2  which is made of a resin, such as polypropylene. The casing  2  has an air intake passage in the middle hollow part, an air inlet  3 , and an air outlet  4 . An air cleaner  5  is housed near the air inlet  3 . The air flows into the air module  1  from the air inlet  3 , passes through the air cleaner  5 , and flows out of the intake module  1  via the air outlet  4 . The air outputted from the intake module  1  is inputted to the engine E via an intake hose (not shown). 
     The casing  2  further includes an ECU housing portion  6  for housing an ECU  10 . The ECU hosing portion  6  has a slot  7 , an opening of which is located on the side adjacent to the air outlet  4 . A circuit board  11  of the ECU  10  is inserted into the slot  7  through the opening as shown in FIG.  2 . The ECU  10  also has connectors  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the ECU housing portion  6  has a plurality of reinforcement ribs  9  extended from the outer periphery. The reinforcement ribs  9  are formed together with the casing  2  when the casing  2  is formed. The reinforcement ribs  9  are evenly spaced in the longitudinal direction of the intake module  1 . The thickness T 2  of the reinforcement ribs  9  is thinner than the thickness T 1  of the casing  2  as shown in FIG.  4 . In general, a resin treated piece, such as the casing  2 , has even thickness for convenience in molding. 
     An air cleaner housing portion  8  is fixed on the engine E with three or four mounting screws (not shown). The ECU housing portion  6  is not supported from the underneath. During service of a vehicle, a serviceperson may put his or her hand on the ECU hosing portion  6  as shown in FIG.  5 . In that case, a downward force is applied to the intake module  1 , as indicated with an arrow in FIG.  5 . However, the strength of the ECU housing portion  6  is improved with the reinforcement ribs  9 . Therefore, damages to the ECU  10  can be reduced. 
     Moreover, the reinforcement ribs  9  are provided parallel to the long side of the intake module, covering the ECU housing portion  6 . Therefore, effective reinforcement can be provided. The thickness of the reinforcement ribs  9  is smaller than the thickness of the other part of the casing  2 . Therefore, the heat radiation via the reinforcement ribs  9  is improved, and the operating condition of the ECU  10  is improved. 
     The present invention should not be limited to the embodiment previously discussed and shown in the figures, but may be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     For example, the reinforcement ribs  9  are positioned at an angle with respect to the long side of the intake module  1  as shown in FIG.  6 . The reinforcement ribs  9  may be unevenly spaced. Alternatively, the reinforcement ribs  9  can be in the form of lattice, or in patterns, such as a logo and a symbol. The reinforcement ribs  9  can be formed ornamentally. However, it is preferable that the reinforcement ribs  9  are arranged parallel to the long side of the intake module  1  to tolerate with the force applied to the intake module  1 . 
     The reinforcement ribs  9  may be formed on an inner periphery of the ECU hosing portion  6  as shown in FIG.  7 . Shapes and patterns of the ribs  9  can be arranged as same as in the case of the outer periphery. The ECU housing portion  6  may have a large thickness in areas that cover top and bottom surfaces of a circuit board  11  of the ECU  10 . This improves rigidity of the ECU housing portion  6 . 
     A separate reinforcement member may be attached to the ECU housing portion  6 , for example, a substantially L-shaped reinforcement plate  21  is attached, as shown in  FIG. 9. A  degree of strength of the reinforcement can be varied as necessary by changing the thickness of the reinforcement plate  21 . The reinforcement plate  21  can be a plane plate or a combination of different parts. A plurality of ditches  22  can be formed on the surface of the reinforcement plate  21 . When the ECU housing portion  6  and the reinforcement plate  21  are made of the same resin material, they are bonded by the ultrasonic bonding. Alternatively, they are bonded with screws. 
     The reinforcement plate  21  may be made of different material from the casing  2 . For example, the reinforcement plate  21  is made of a metal material, which has higher rigidity than the resin, which is the material the casing  2  is made of. If heat radiation characteristic is considered, the reinforcement plate  21  may be made of copper or aluminum. 
     A flexible portion may be provided between the air cleaner housing portion  8  and the ECU housing portion  6 . More specifically, an accordion-shaped portion  23 , which corresponds to the flexible portion, is provided between the air cleaner housing portion  8  and the ECU housing portion  6 , as shown in FIG.  11 . The accordion-shaped portion  23  absorbs a force applied to the ECU housing portion  6 . 
     The circuit board  11  of the ECU  10  may be sandwiched by reinforcement plates  24 . This improves the rigidity of the circuit board  11  and damages to the ECU  10  can be reduced.