Patent Publication Number: US-6213072-B1

Title: V-shaped internal combustion engine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a V-shaped internal combustion engine, particularly, a V-shaped internal combustion engine having a balancer device for canceling a secondary vibromotive force thereof. 
     Conventionally, there have been proposed many engines each comprising a sub-chain for driving a balancer device, an oil pump, a water pump and the like in addition to a timing chain for connecting a valve cam on a cylinder head and a crankshaft so as to drive said valve cam (for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho. 62-233423). 
     For instance, if a plane crank is adopted in a four-cycle V-shaped eight cylinder engine having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees (which is formed between the V-shaped banks of cylinders) in which plane crank axial centers of all crank pins are located on the same plane, operating cycles of two cylinder banks shift 180 degrees, and explosions take place in the respective cylinder banks in an alternate fashion. According to this construction, since explosions on one of the banks are timed at a regular interval, causing no exhaust interference, the plane crank configuration is advantageous in achieving a high output. On the other hand, in the V-shaped eight cylinder engine adopting the plane crank, secondary imbalance is generated by virtue of an inertia force generated in turn by the reciprocating mass of the engine. The direction of the inertia force so generated while the secondary imbalance is being generated becomes similar to that of an inertia force generated in a state in which cylinders of a conventional in-line four cylinder engine are made horizontal when the engine is viewed as a whole. The aforesaid imbalance can, therefore, be compensated for by adopting the theory of the secondary balancer for a conventional in-line four cylinder engine, and rotating in opposite directions to each other two balancer shafts disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to a horizontal plane acting as a center therebetween which bisects the bank defining angle and passes through the center of a crankshaft (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-193648). 
     When trying to provide the aforesaid balancer in the V-shaped eighth cylinder engine adopting the plane crank, it is practical to provide the same at a lower portion of one of the cylinder heads so as to be driven by the sub-chain, as shown in the above Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei.8-193648. 
     On the other hand, since with a V-shaped engine having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees two cylinder heads are spaced away form each other relatively wide, it is the normal practice that separate endless power transmission timing belts are provided between the crankshaft and the respective cylinder heads individually therefor. In this case, it is natural that the balancer is disposed such that it does not interfere with an endless power transmission timing belt. In addition, however, in a case where the balancer is driven by means of a chain, the driver chain also has to be disposed such that it does not interfere with the endless power transmission timing belt. 
     This requires the triple provision of pulleys or sprockets on the crankshaft and due to this the engine tends to be expanded in the axial direction of the crankshaft. This is a first problem in the conventional technique. 
     However, it is the normal practice that a guide for the valve cam driving timing chain and a guide for the sub-chain are provided separately. In this case, the chains are spaced away from each other so that they do not interfere with each other, and the chain guides have to be enlarged unnecessarily in order to secure support portions for the chain guides, these eventually leading to a problem of the engine being made larger in size and heavier in weight. This is a second problem in the conventional technique. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention was made with a view to solving the problem inherent in the conventional technique. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a V-shaped internal combustion engine with a balancer device that can be miniaturized so as to be equipped on mass-production vehicles. 
     The above-mentioned object can be achieved by a V-shaped internal combustion engine having a balance device, the engine according to the present invention, comprising: 
     a crankshaft; 
     V-shaped cylinder banks having a bank defining angle of 90 degree; 
     a first endless power transmission belt for driving a first camshaft member which is provided above a cylinder head of one of the V-shaped cylinder banks; 
     a first gear interposed between the first endless power transmission belt and the crankshaft; 
     a second endless power transmission belt for driving a second camshaft member which is provided above a cylinder head of the other of the V-shaped cylinder banks; 
     a second gear interposed between the second endless power transmission belt and the crankshaft, 
     a pair of balancer shafts rotating in opposite directions to each other and extending in parallel with an axis of the crankshaft; 
     a pair of third gears driving the pair of balance shafts respectively; and 
     a third power transmission belt for connecting the crankshaft and one of the balancer shafts, the third power transmission belt being disposed at a position outside an area interfering with the first and second endless power transmission belts on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the crankshaft. 
     In the above-mentioned construction, it is preferable that the crankshaft comprises a plane crank in which axial centers of all crank pins for relative cylinders are located in a common plane, the V-shape cylinder banks comprise a cylinder block in which an upper block and a lower block thereof are separated from each other with a substantially horizontal plane passing through a center of the crankshaft, one of the pair of balancer shafts which is located in the lower block side is connected to the crankshaft through the third endless power transmission belts, and the other of the pair of balancer shafts which is located in the upper block side is connected to the one of the pair of balancer shafts by intermeshing the pair of third gears with each other in such a manner that the pair of balancer shafts rotate in opposite directions to each other. 
     The object above can also be attained by an V-shaped internal combustion engine, according to a first aspect of the present invention, having a balancer device with a plane crank in which centers of all crank pins are located on the same plane and having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees, wherein first and second gears  12  are interposed, respectively, between first and second endless power transmission belts (chains  15 ) each for driving a camshaft of a cylinder head of each of V-shaped cylinder banks and a crankshaft  7 , wherein a pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to a separating plane acting as a center therebetween where an upper block  1  and a lower block  2  of a cylinder block are separated from each other from a horizontal plane passing through a center of the crankshaft  7  in such a manner that axes of the pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  become parallel with the crank shaft  7  so that the balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  rotate in opposite directions to each other, and wherein the crankshaft  7  and the balancer shaft  16   b  on the lower block  2  side are connected to each other by means of a third endless power transmission belt (a chain  19 ), and the balancer shaft  16   b  on the lower block  2  side and the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side are connected to each other by means of third gears  20   a ,  20   b , whereby the pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  are driven to rotate in the opposite directions. According to this construction, the first and second endless power transmission belts for driving the camshafts and the third endless power transmission belt for driving the balancer shaft are prevented from overlapping each other in an axial direction of the crankshaft, whereby the expansion of the engine in the axial direction of the crankshaft can be prevented. In particular, the expansion of the engine in the axial direction of the crankshaft can further be prevented by disposing the first to third power transmission belts on a plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of the crankshaft, and providing the first to third gears on another plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of said crankshaft. Moreover, a relative phase angle error between the crankshaft  7  and both of the balancer shafts  16  can be minimized and a dead space formed therebetween can be utilized effectively by disposing the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block  1  side on a tensioned side of the third power transmission belt, and providing a guide member  28  for the third power transmission belt (the chain  19 ) and a support portion  28   a  therefor between the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block  1  side and the tensioned side of the third power transmission belt. 
     Further, in the above-mentioned construction of the present invention, it is preferable that a balancer shaft driving sub-chain  19  for connecting one of balancer shafts  16  provided, for instance, in a four-cycle V-shaped eight cylinder engine adopting a plane crank and having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees and a crankshaft  7  so as to drive the one of the balancer shafts  16  and a cam driving timing chain  15  for driving a cam for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve are made to confront each other on tensioned sides thereof, and a guide member  28  and a guide member  25  for the respective chains are made integral with each other. 
     In addition, the balancer shaft driving sub-chain  19  and the cam driving timing chain  15  for driving a cam for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve are disposed on the same plane intersecting at right angles with an axis of the crankshaft  7  so that a guide member  28  and a guide member  25  for the respective chains are made integral with each other, whereby the number of guide members for the chains can be reduced and a support portion for the guide members can be shared. This serves to prevent the enlargement of the guide members in an axial direction of the crankshaft. Moreover, since there is no torsional load applied to the guide members from the chains, in other words, since loads applied from the chains are directed to be generated only in the same plane, the durability of the guide members can be improved. Furthermore, the integrated guide members  25 ,  28  are provided on an axis of the balancer shaft  16   a  supported on a cylinder block above the balancer shaft driving sub-chain  19  at an end of the balancer shaft  16   a , whereby the guide members  25 ,  28  can be provided by effectively utilizing a space on the axis of the balancer shaft, and oil can be supplied to the sub-chain  19  from the balancer shaft  16   a  side via these guide members  25 ,  28 . The sub-chain may be sued for not only driving a balancer device but also driving an oil pump, a water pump or the like. 
     According to the above-mentioned preferable construction, it is possible to provide a V-shaped internal combustion engine with a sub-chain that can be made smaller in size and lighter in weight. 
     Further, in the above-mentioned construction according to the present invention, it is also advantageous to provide a cam driving structure in which a pair of driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b provided for each cylinder bank are simultaneously brought into mesh engagement with a driver pinion  11  coupled to a crankshaft  7  so as to transmit a rotational force of the crankshaft to a camshaft for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve, wherein the pair of driven pinions are provided such that the pair of driven pinions are brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion in a state in which mesh engagements of the pair of driven pinions with the driver pinion shift half a pitch from each other. 
     According to this construction, since the phases of mesh engagements of the driven pinions with the driver pinion in both of the cylinder blocks shifts half a pitch from each other, and hence the waveforms of interlocking noise generated shift accordingly, the noise level when interlocking noise from the respective cylinder banks in synthesized can be suppressed to a low level. 
     Furthermore, in the above-mentioned construction according to the present invention, it is also advantageous to provide a cam driving structure in which a pair of driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  provided for each cylinder bank are simultaneously brought into mesh engagement with a driver pinion  11  coupled to a crankshaft  7  so as to transmit a rotational force of the crankshaft to a camshaft  5  for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve, wherein a wound-around power transmission means interposed between the driven pinions and the camshaft comprises a chain  15  and sprockets  13 ,  14  or a toothed belt and toothed pulleys, the sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  or toothed pulleys integrally provided on each of said pair of driven pinions being provided such that the sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  or toothed pulleys are brought into mesh engagement with said chain  15  or toothed belt in a state in which mesh engagements of the sprockets or toothed pulleys with the chain or toothed belt shift half a pitch from each other. 
     According to this construction, since the phases of mesh engagements of the sprocket or toothed pulley with the chain or toothed belt in both of the cylinder banks shift half a cycle and the waveforms of interlocking noise generated also shift accordingly, the noise level when interlocking noise from the respective cylinder banks is synthesized can be suppressed to a low level. In addition, although it is effective at the start of mesh engagement when interlocking noise is loud that the sprocket or toothed pulley is brought into mesh engagement with the chain or toothed belt in a state in which a mesh engagement in one of the cylinder bank shift half a pitch from a mesh engagement in the other bank, if such s half-a-pitch shifting mesh engagement is arranged toward the end of a mesh engagement, the noise level can further be reduced. 
     Furthermore, the present invention provides a cam driving structure for a four-cycle V-shaped engine in which a pair of driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  provided for each cylinder bank are simultaneously brought into mesh engagement with a driver pinion  11  coupled to a crank shaft  7  so as to transmit a rotational force of the crankshaft to a camshaft  5  for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve, wherein the pair of driven pinions are provided such that the pair of driven pinions are brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion in a state in which mesh engagements of the pair of driven pinions with the driver pinion shift half a pitch from each other, wherein a wound-around power transmission means interposed between the driven pinions and the camshaft comprises a chain  15  and sprockets  13 ,  14  or a toothed belt and toothed pulleys, the sprockets or toothed pulleys integrally provided on each of the pair of driven pinions being provided such that the sprockets or toothed pulleys are brought into mesh engagement with the chain or toothed belt in a state in which mesh engagements of the sprockets or toothed pulleys with the chain or toothed belt shift half a pitch from each other, and wherein an assembling angle mark  47  for regulating an assembling angle for each cylinder bank is provided on a gear assembly  46  in which the sprockets or toothed pulleys are integrally provided on said driven pinions. 
     According to this construction, since the phases of mesh engagements in both of the cylinder blocks shifts half a pitch from each other, and hence the waveforms of interlocking noise generated shift accordingly, the noise level when interlocking noise from the respective cylinder banks is synthesized can be suppressed to a low level, and an erroneous assembly can be avoided to thereby realize securely a predetermined mesh engagement conditions. In other word, although the mesh engagement of the driven pinions to the driver pinion described above can be realized by assembling the respective gears to pivot shafts disposed so as to satisfy predetermined conditions, the positional relationship of the sprocket or toothed pulley is affected by the assembling angle at which the integrally provided driven pinions are assembled, and if they are erroneously assembled, the aforesaid predetermined mesh engagement state cannot be realized. To cope with this, as described above, an erroneous assembly can be avoided by affixing the assembly angle mark on the gear assembly for the respective cylinder banks. In addition to this, the gear assembly can be shared between the respective cylinder banks, this resulting in an advantage in which the increase in the number of types of components can also be maintained low. 
     According to this construction, it is possible to provide a cam driving structure constructed so as to eliminate a risk of high level noise being generated, respectively, from a speed reduction mechanism independently provided in a pair of cylinder banks of a four-cycle V-shaped engine. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a crank pulley side of a V-shaped internal combustion engine according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of other main part of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of another main part of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Hereinafter, a preferable embodiment according to the present invention will be explained in the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation of a crank pulley side of a four-cycle V-shaped eight cylinder engine to which the present invention is applied. 
     This engine E comprises an upper block  1  provided with a pair of cylinder banks whose included angle is 90 degrees, a lower block  2  joined to a lower surface of the upper block  1 , an oil pan  3  joined to a lower surface of the lower block  2  and cylinder heads  4   a ,  4   b  joined, respectively, to upper surfaces of both the cylinder banks of the upper block  1 . In addition, two camshafts  5   a ,  5   b  are provided above the respective cylinder heads  4   a ,  4   b , and these camshafts  5   a ,  5   b  are covered, respectively, with head covers  6   a ,  6   b  joined to upper surfaces of the cylinder heads  4   a ,  4   b.    
     A crankshaft  7  is supported on a joining surface between the upper block  1  and the lower block  2  by a main bearing, as with a known engine. 
     A compressor  8  for an air conditioner is mounted on the upper block  1  to the right of the crankshaft  7 , and an alternator  9  is mounted on the lower block  2  to the left of the crankshaft  7 . These compressor  8  and the alternator  9  are interlockingly connected to the crankshaft  7  via a belt/pulley mechanism not shown in the drawing. 
     A crank sprocket  10  is securely fitted over the crankshaft  7  at a position axially inwardly of the crank pulley, and a driver pinion  11  is securely fitted on the crankshaft  7  at a position axially inwardly of the crank sprocket  10 . 
     Two speed reducing driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  are simultaneously brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion  11 , which speed reducing driven pinions act, respectively, as first and second gears which are provided at transversely symmetrical positions with respect to a plane bisecting the bank defining angle and passing through the center of the crankshaft. Small sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  are integrally provided on those driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b , and silent chains  15   a ,  15   b  acting as first and second endless power transmission belts are extended, respectively, between these small sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  and cam sprockets  14   a ,  14   b  each provided on two camshafts  5   a ,  5   b  of each of the cylinder banks in such a manner as to be wound therearound for driving the camshafts. This permits the transmission of a rotational force generated by the crankshaft  7  to the two camshafts  5   a ,  5   b  of both of the cylinder banks. 
     The upper block  1  and lower block  2  are separated from each other from a horizontal plane passing through the center of the crankshaft  7 , and two balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  whose axes extend in parallel with the crankshaft  7  are pivotally supported at vertically symmetrical positions with respect to the separating plane. 
     A balancer shaft sprocket  17  is securely fitted over the balancer shaft  16   b  of those two balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  which is supported on the lower block side at one end thereof. A silent chain  19  acting as a third endless power transmission belt is extended between the balancer shaft sprocket  17 , the crank sprocket  10  and a pump sprocket  18  fixed to an oil pump (not shown) mounted on a lower surface of the lower block  2  in such a manner as to be wound therearound for driving the balancer shafts, whereby the lower balancer shaft  16   b  and the oil pump are constructed so as rotate interlockingly with the crankshaft  7 . 
     The two balancer shafts are adapted to rotate in opposite directions to each other as the same rotational speed through the mesh engagement of gears  20   a ,  20   b  acting as a third gear that are securely fitted over the balancer shafts axially inwardly of the above balancer shaft sprocket  17  and which each have the same number of gear teeth. 
     The balancer shafts  16  are provided on a tensioned side of the silent chain  19  relative to the rotational direction of the crankshaft  7 . This can minimize a relative phase angle error between the crankshaft  7  and the balancer shafts  16 . 
     Here, since the respective camshaft driving silent chains  15   a ,  15   b  are constructed, as described above, so as to be driven by the crankshaft  7  (the driver pinion  11 ) via the speed reducing driving pinions  12   a ,  12   b , they are slightly spaced away from the crankshaft  7 , and since the silent chain  19  is wound around the balancer shaft  16   b  (the balancer shaft sprocket  17 ) supported on the lower block side, there is no risk of the silent chain  15   a  acting as the first endless power transmission belt interfering with the silent chain  19  acting as the third endless power transmission belt. Consequently, the expansion of the engine E particularly in the axial direction of the crankshaft  7  can be prevented. In this construction, the silent chains  15   a ,  15   b  and the silent chain  19  are disposed on a plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of the crankshaft  7 , and the driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  and the gears  20   a ,  20   b  are disposed on a plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of the crank shaft  7 , whereby the expansion of the engine E in the axial direction of the crankshaft  7  can further be prevented. 
     Chain tensioners  22  to  24  in which a pressing force is automatically adjusted by a hydraulic plunger and run-out prevention chain guides  25  to  28  are attached individually to the silent chains  15   a ,  15   b  wound around the cam sprockets  14   a ,  14   b  of the respective camshafts  5  of both of the cylinder banks and the silent chain  19  wound around the balancer shaft sprocket  17  and the pump sprocket  18 . These chain tensioners  22  to  24  and the chain guides  25  to  28  are each fixed with a bolt or the like to a suitable position on an end face of the upper block  1 , lower block  2 , oil pan  3  and cylinder heads  4   a ,  4   b  on the crank pulley side thereof. 
     Here, the chain guide  28  and a support portion  28   a  therefor on the tensioned side of the silent chain  19  are provided between the tensioned side of the silent chain  19  and the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side. This facilitates the effective utilization of a dead space formed between the tensioned side of the silent chain  19  and the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side and therefore obviates the necessity of enlarging the chain guide  28  unnecessarily. 
     In addition, this chain guide  28  is made integral with the chain guide  25  for the silent chain  15   a  disposed on the side where the balancer shafts  16  are provided. This permits at least two necessary support portions to be shared, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of components and man hours for assembly of components involved. Furthermore, these integrated chain guides  25 ,  28  are constructed so as to cover the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side from where they are located, but since their positions in the axial direction of the crankshaft substantially coincide with the end of the balancer shaft  16   a , those chain guides can be disposed by effectively utilizing a space outwardly of the end of the balancer shaft  16   a  and these chain guides can also be utilized as a thrust bearing for the balancer shaft  16   a . In this case, the necessity of additional thrust bearing components such as a thrust plate can be obviated and this also serves to reduce the number of components and the size of the engine further. 
     As shown in FIG. 3 showing the other main part, the tensioned side of one of the timing chains  15  and the tensioned side of the silent chain  19  are disposed close to each other so that they confront each other. Due to this, the integrated chain guides  25 ,  28  are made smaller. When it is used in here, the word “confront” means that the included angle between the tensioned side of the timing chain  15  and the tensioned side of the silent chain  19  is smaller than 90 degrees. 
     Furthermore, these integrated chain guides  25 ,  28  are constructed so as to cover the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side from where they are located, but since their positions in the axial direction of the crankshaft substantially coincide with the end of the balancer shaft  16   a , those chain guides can be utilized as a thrust bearing for the balancer shaft  16   a . In this case, a thrust plate can be omitted, and oil flowing out from the balancer shaft  16   a  can be supplied to the silent chain  19  via the integrated chain guides  25 ,  28 . 
     On the other hand, the chain guide  27  is configured to cover an upper surface of the pump sprocket  18 . This prevents oil from being stirred unnecessarily by the pump sprocket  18  and the silent chain  19  and diffused thereby. 
     Thus, according to this embodiment, the balancer shaft driving sub-chain for driving one of the balancer shafts provided, for instance, in a four-cycle V-shaped eight cylinder engine adopting a plane crank and having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees and the cam driving timing chain for driving a cam for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve are made to confront each other on the tensioned sides thereof, and their guide members are made integral with each other. This can reduce the number of guide members required for the chains to thereby reduce the number of components, whereby the engine can be miniaturized. Also, the support portion for the guide members can be shared, and man hours required for assembly of components can be reduced. In addition, since the tensioned sides of the respective chains are made to confront each other, the guide members can also be miniatured. Moreover, the balancer shaft driving sub-chain and the above cam driving timing chains are disposed on the same plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of the crankshaft so that the guide members for the respective chains are made integral with each another, whereby the number of guide members for the chains can also be reduced as is described above, and not only can the support portion for the guide members be shared but also the enlargement of the guide members in an axial direction of the crankshaft can be prevented. Moreover, since there is no torsional load applied to the guide members from the chains, in other words, since loads applied from the chains are directed to be generated only in the same plane, the durability of the guide members can be improved. Furthermore, the integrated guide members are provided on the axis of the balancer shaft supported on the cylinder block above the balancer shaft driving sub-chain  19  at the end of the balancer shaft, whereby the guide members can be provided by effectively utilizing the space on the axis of the balancer shaft, and oil can be supplied to the sub-chain from the balancer shaft side via these guide members, this simplifying the construction thereof. 
     As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the left and right driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  are in mesh engagement with the driver pinion  11  in such a manner that the mesh engagement of the driven pinions with the driver pinion shifts half a pitch in the respective cylinder banks. This half-a-pitch shifting mesh engagement of the left and right driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  with the driver pinion  11  becomes clear when comparing mesh engagement portions of those driven pinions and driver pinion along straight lines a, b connecting centers of the respective gears. 
     This mesh engagement state can be realized by setting the relative mounting angle α (degree) of the driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  to the driver pinion  11  as follows. 
     α=(n+½)β 
     where, n is any integer. β is a center angle equal to a pitch of the teeth of the driver pinion  11 , and assuming that the number of teeth of the driver pinion  11  is Z 1 , the center angle is obtained from the following expression; 
     β=360/Z 1   
     In FIG. 4, the number of teeth Z 1  of the driver pinion  11  is  36  and the center angle β is 10 degrees, and the mounting angle α is 85 degrees (n=8). 
     The gear assembly  46  in which the driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  and the small sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  are integrally provided is common over left and right in use, and an assembling angle mark  47  is engraved in an end face of the gear assembly. A letter R of L is affixed to this assembling angle mark  47 , and the gear assembly  46  positioned right-hand side as viewed from the driver&#39;s seat (an left-hand side assembly in FIG. 4) is given an assembling angle mark  47  with an R affixed thereto and is assembled such that the assembling angle mark  47  is located at a point where the driven pinion  12  is brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion, while the gear assembly  46  positioned left-hand side as viewed from the driver&#39;s seat (a right-hand side assembly in FIG. 4) is given an assembling angle mark  47  with an L affixed thereto and is assembled such that the assembling angle mark  47  is located at a point where the driven pinion  12  is brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion. 
     Thus, with the above-described construction in which the left and right driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b  are brought into mesh engagement with the driver pinion in a state such mesh engagements shift half a pitch in the respective cylinder banks, the phases of the driven pinions  12   a ,  12   b and small sprockets  13   a ,  13   b  are set so as to realize a mesh engagement state in which the left and right small sprockets  13   a ,  13   b shift half a pitch relative to the silent chains  15 , and the assembling angle mark  47  is affixed to the gear assembly  46  in each of the cylinder banks, the gear assembly  46  can commonly be used over the respective cylinder banks, the increase in the number of components can be suppressed, and the noise level can suppressed to a remarkably low level. This half-a-pitch shifting mesh engagement state becomes clear when comparing the mesh engagement portions on radial straight lines c, d intersecting, respectively, with the center lines on the pulling side of the silent chains  15  shown in FIG.  4 . In addition, in FIG. 4, the number of teeth Z 2  of the driven pinion  12  is set as  45  and the number of teeth Z 3  of the small sprocket  13  is set as  25 , whereby there is set a relative positional relationship between the two gears in which they take the same position every 72 degrees, thereby making it possible to affix five assembling angle marks  47  to each gear assembly  46 . 
     As has been described heretofore, according to the embodiment above, since the phases of mesh engagements of the gears shift half a pitch in both of the cylinder banks and hence the waveforms of mesh engagements shift accordingly, the noise level when interlocking noise is synthesized can be suppressed to a low level. Thus, this embodiment is advantageous in reducing noise from the engine. 
     In addition, in the above-described construction, the chain is used as the endless power transmission belt, but a belt may be used instead thereof. In this case, the sprockets used in the above construction may be replaced with pulleys. 
     Further, in the aforesaid mode of operation the sub-chain is used for driving the balancer device and the oil pump, but the application of the sub-chain is not limited thereto, and the sub-chain may be used for driving the water pump or the like. 
     While there has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is aimed, therefore, to cover in the appended claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Thus, according to the present invention, since there is provided the balancer device for a V-shaped engine provided with a plane crank in which centers of all crank pins are located on the same plane and having a bank defining angle of 90 degrees, wherein the first and second gears  12  are interposed, respectively, between the first and second endless power transmission belts each for driving the camshafts above the cylinder head of each of the V-shaped cylinder banks and the crankshaft  7 , wherein the pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the separating plane acting as a center therebetween where the upper block  1  and the lower block  2  of the cylinder block are separated from each other from the horizontal plane passing through the center of the crankshaft  7  in such a manner that the axes of the pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  are parallel with the crank shaft  7  so that the balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  rotate in opposite directions to each other, and wherein the crankshaft  7  and the balancer shaft  16   b  on the lower block  2  side are connected to each other by means of the third endless power transmission belt, and the balancer shaft  16   b  on the lower block  2  side and the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block side are connected to each other by means of the third gears  20   a ,  20   b , whereby the pair of balancer shafts  16   a ,  16   b  are driven to rotate in the opposite directions. According to this construction, the first and second endless power transmission belts for driving the camshafts and the third endless power transmission belt for driving the balancer shaft are prevented from overlapping each other in an axial direction of the crankshaft, whereby the expansion of the engine in the axial direction of the crankshaft can be prevent and a complicated layout of the third endless power transmission belt can also be eliminated. In particular, the expansion of the engine in the axial direction of the crankshaft can further be prevented by disposing the first to third power transmission belts on the plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of the crankshaft, and providing the first to third gears on the plane intersecting at right angles with the axis of said crankshaft. Moreover, a relative phase angle error between the crankshaft  7  and both of the balancer shafts  16  can be minimized and a dead space formed therebetween can be utilized effectively by disposing the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block  1  side on the tensioned side of the third power transmission belt, and providing the guide member  28  for the third power transmission belt and the support portion  28   a  therefor between the balancer shaft  16   a  on the upper block  1  side and the tensioned side of the third power transmission belt.