JPH11107769A - Vehicle engine room structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently secure a ground clearance by gathering a front side exhaust pipe connected to a cylinder on a vehicle front side of a V-engine and a rear side exhaust pipe connected to a vehicle rear side cylinder together in the vehicle front side position of an engine oil pan arranged below the V- engine. SOLUTION: In a V-engine 10 mounted on a parallel-crosses type frame 20 positioned in the lower part of an engine room 1, a front side bank is positioned on the front side while a rear side bank is positioned on the rear side of the vehicle. An exhaust manifold 14 is extended from the side face of the front side bank while an exhaust manifold 15 is extended from the rear side bank. An exhaust pipe 16 is connected to these exhaust manifolds 14, 15. In this case, the exhaust pipe 16 is constructed of a front side exhaust pipe 16a and a rear side exhaust pipe 16b, which are connected to an exhaust pipe 16c in junction parts positioned below the front side of the engine 10, and the exhaust pipe 16c, and a joining exhaust pipe 42 is connected to the exhaust pipe 16c via a bellows pipe 40 so as to be arranged substantially in parallelly to the rear side exhaust pipe 16b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine room structure of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an engine room structure of a vehicle in which shacyclos members, which are reinforcing frames, are individually arranged at the rear of the engine room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle such as a passenger car, in which an engine is mounted in an engine room provided in a front part of the vehicle, an exhaust pipe connected to a side surface of the engine via an exhaust manifold is provided below the engine. And a bellows-shaped universal tube for absorbing vibration of the engine, that is, a bellows tube, extends toward the rear of the vehicle. The bellows tube is provided so as to be normally located at the rear of the engine room behind the engine when viewed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

However, since this bellows tube is configured to have a bellows function on the outer periphery so that exhaust gas passes through the inside,
Its outer diameter is larger than the exhaust pipe. Therefore,
If the bellows tube is directly connected to the extension of the exhaust pipe extending to the rear of the vehicle at the lower side of the engine, the outer skin portion of the bellows tube will protrude below the vehicle. There is a problem that the minimum ground clearance cannot be secured.

An engine room structure is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-126773, in which the space in the rear of the engine room is effectively used without interference with other components such as a steering rack so that the position of the bellows tube is separated from the ground as much as possible. It is disclosed in gazettes and the like. According to the structure disclosed in the publication, the entire engine room can be lowered while securing the minimum ground clearance, and a low bonnet can be formed. As a result, air resistance during traveling of the vehicle can be reduced, and the field of view of the driver can be widened.

[0005]

By the way, as disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the rear portion of the engine room is generally provided with a shacyclos member for the purpose of further increasing the rigidity of the vehicle body and improving the running stability of the vehicle. (Suspension cross member) is extended in the vehicle width direction, and the Shacross member is fixed to a lower part of the vehicle body by a fastener or the like. And, as in the example of the above-mentioned publication, in the case of a vehicle having an engine configuration in which the engine is a V-type engine and is disposed horizontally so that the front wheels can be driven and an exhaust pipe extends from a bank on the rear side of the vehicle. The bellows tube is necessarily disposed at a position where the bellows tube interferes with the shaft member when viewed in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

However, a dash panel for separating a passenger cabin (operating cab) from an engine room protrudes to the engine room side in order to increase the cabin capacity at the rear of the engine room in which the shash cyclos member is disposed. In this area, the space for disposing the shacyclos member, the bellows tube and the like is narrowed. Therefore, as disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, when the Shacyclos member and the bellows tube are in a position where they interfere with each other when viewed in the vertical direction of the vehicle, for example, as in an engine with a large displacement, the exhaust pipe is thick and outside the bellows tube. If the diameter is considerably large, a relief for the bellows tube is provided in the Shacyclos member by mounting the Shacyclos member at a low position or bending a part of the Shacyclos member downward, for example, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. There must be.

[0007] However, the provision of the shash cyclos member at a low position means that the position of the transmission and, consequently, the engine is raised in order to secure a minimum ground clearance, and it is difficult to achieve a low bonnet. In addition, bending the cycloss member reduces the tensile, compression and torsional stiffness of the cycloss member in the vehicle width direction, and thus reduces the rigidity of the entire vehicle body, which is not preferable. It is possible to secure sufficient rigidity while bending, but in this case,
It is necessary to increase the thickness of the member of the shacyclos member in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and it is also difficult to form a low bonnet for securing a minimum ground clearance. Also, increasing the thickness of the member is not preferable because it causes an increase in vehicle weight.

In particular, in the case of a vehicle such as a four-wheel drive vehicle, which is provided with a transfer device for rear-wheel drive extending in the center to the rear of the vehicle, the presence of the transfer device further increases the bellows tube of the shy cyclos. The member is pushed to the member side, which is a factor that further increases the degree of escape (curving) of the shacyclos member. Further, as disclosed in the above publication, when the bellows tube is disposed above the shacyclos member, the bellows tube approaches the dash panel. When the bellows pipe approaches the dash panel in this way, the cabin is exposed to the heat of the exhaust pipe, which is heated by high-temperature exhaust gas,
Therefore, the temperature in the cabin increases, which is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to prevent a temperature rise in a cabin due to heat of an exhaust pipe and to provide a sufficient rigidity of a vehicle body without lowering the strength of a shacyclos member. It is an object of the present invention to provide an engine room structure of a vehicle that can secure a required minimum ground clearance while maintaining a vehicle height and that can be formed into a low bonnet.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a front exhaust pipe connected to a front cylinder of a V-type engine and a rear cylinder of the V-type engine are provided. And a rear exhaust pipe connected to an engine oil pan disposed below the V-type engine at a position in front of the vehicle.

Therefore, the front and rear exhaust pipes and the exhaust pipe extending downstream are usually connected by a bellows-like connecting pipe capable of absorbing the vibration of the engine, as described above. Although the outer diameter is larger and thicker than the engine exhaust pipe and the collective exhaust pipe, the connecting pipe having the larger outer diameter is arranged below the V-type engine and is not arranged near the Shacyclos member. You may. Therefore, the minimum height of the vehicle is sufficiently secured without the driver's cab being compressed and narrowed by the connecting pipe, and the engine is set at a low position without interfering with the connecting pipe, thereby achieving a low bonnet of the vehicle.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive mechanism and the collective exhaust pipe are disposed above and below the shacyclos member, and the shacyclos member is formed substantially flat between the side members. The rigidity of the shash cyclos member in the expansion / contraction direction and the torsion direction is maintained high while the and the exhaust pipe are properly disposed, so that the running stability of the vehicle is improved.

[0013] Preferably, the collective exhaust pipe is disposed below the shacyclos member. In this case, the operating cab is prevented from being inadvertently heated by the heat of the exhaust gas flowing through the collective exhaust pipe. You.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a view of an engine room of a vehicle according to the present invention as viewed from the side of the vehicle, and FIG. 2 shows a view of the engine room as viewed from above the vehicle. The engine room structure of the vehicle according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the engine room 1
A front end assembly 4 is welded to a front end of a pair of left and right side members 2 and 2 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a dash panel (wall member) 6 is welded to a rear end. An engine hood 8 is mounted on the upper opening so as to be freely opened and closed. As shown in these drawings, an engine 10 is housed in an engine room 1. The engine 10 is mounted on a girder frame 20 having a girder shape at a lower portion of the engine room 1 by a rubber bush (not shown). , That is, the engine 10
In practice, the front end of the girder frame 20 to which the engine 10 is attached is fixed to the lower end of the front cross member 4 and the rear end is fixed to the lower end of the rear end of the side members 2 and 2 by bolts 21. It is housed in the engine room 1.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle is a four-wheel drive vehicle capable of driving the front and rear wheels. Therefore, the engine 10 has a so-called horizontal configuration with a crankshaft extending in the vehicle width direction. A transfer device (drive mechanism) 30 for transmitting the driving force of the engine 10 to the front wheels and also to the rear wheels via the transmission 12 is connected to the crankcase and extends rearward of the vehicle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, from the transfer device 30,
Axle shafts 34, 35 extend in the vehicle width direction via joints 32, 33, respectively, and wheels 36, 37 are attached to respective ends. A propeller shaft 38 that transmits driving force to the rear wheels is connected to a rear end of the transfer device 30 and extends rearward of the vehicle.

Further, in the present embodiment, the engine 10
Type engine, and one bank of V type (hereinafter referred to as
The front bank 10a is located on the front side of the vehicle, and the other bank (hereinafter, called the rear bank) 10b is located on the rear side. An exhaust manifold 14 extends forward and downward from the side surface of the front bank 10a.
An exhaust manifold 15 extends rearward and downward from the rear bank 10b. An exhaust pipe 16 is connected to the exhaust manifold 14 and the exhaust manifold 15. The exhaust pipe 16 is disposed below the engine 10 so as to sandwich the engine 10 in a U-shape as shown in FIG. 1. A front exhaust pipe 16 a is connected to the exhaust manifold 14, and a rear exhaust pipe 16 is provided. 16 b is connected to the exhaust manifold 15.

More specifically, as shown in FIG.
The confluence part 1 in which the front exhaust pipe 16a and the rear exhaust pipe 16b are located at the lower front part (front position of the vehicle) of the engine 10
7, a single exhaust pipe 16c is connected (collected) to be communicable with one exhaust pipe 16c, and a collective exhaust pipe 42 is connected to the rear exhaust pipe 16b via a bellows pipe (connection pipe) 40. Are connected so as to be arranged substantially in parallel. The collective exhaust pipe 42 is fixed to a floor member on the vehicle body side. In other words, the rear exhaust pipe 16b connected to the exhaust manifold 15 does not extend toward the rear of the vehicle as it is, but once extends forward of the vehicle and is connected to the front exhaust pipe 16a at the lower front side of the engine 10. ing.

The bellows tube 40 is a flexible tube through which the exhaust gas can flow, and which can be deformed in the bending direction as well as in the axial direction of expansion and contraction and torsion. That is, as described above, since the engine 10 is connected to the vehicle body via the rubber bush to absorb the vibration of the engine 10, the engine 10 vibrates relative to the vehicle body,
Accordingly, the exhaust pipe 16 also vibrates with respect to the collective exhaust pipe 42, and the bellows pipe 40 is configured to absorb the vibration. Since the bellows pipe 40 is configured to have a bellows function while maintaining the flow path area of the exhaust gas, a bellows-like elastic material or the like is attached to a portion of the outer skin of the outer periphery, and the outer diameter thereof is The diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the exhaust pipe 16 or the collective exhaust pipe 42.

By the way, when the exhaust pipe 16 and the bellows pipe 40 are located below the engine 10,
The relationship between the exhaust pipe 16 and the bellows pipe 40 and the distance from the ground to the vehicle, that is, the minimum ground clearance, becomes a problem. In this regard, according to the engine room structure of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
Is configured to pass through a portion of the oil pan 11 attached to the bottom of the oil pan. That is, referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the rear exhaust pipe 16 b and the bellows pipe 40 along the line AA in FIG. 1, which shows the oil pan 11 as viewed from the front of the vehicle. As shown in FIG.
The rear exhaust pipe 16b and the bellows pipe 40 are largely raised in a concave shape at the portion where the rear exhaust pipe 16b and the bellows pipe 40 pass. It is arranged to pass. The oil pan 11 is formed so that a sufficient oil capacity can be ensured even when the oil pan 11 is raised.

Therefore, in this vehicle, as shown in FIG. 1, the distance from the ground to the lowest part 20a of the girder frame 20, for example, is set to the required minimum ground clearance H, but the rear exhaust pipe 16b And the bellows pipe 40 is preferably disposed in the engine room 1 so as not to be lower than the lowest portion 20a of the girder frame 20, that is, not to be lower than the minimum ground clearance H, so that the vehicle can travel on uneven roads. Even when the vehicle travels, the rear exhaust pipe 16b and the bellows pipe 40 are preferably prevented from being damaged by protrusions on the ground.

By locating the bellows tube 40 in the oil pan 11 in this manner, the bellows tube 40 having a larger outer diameter than the front exhaust pipe 16a can be moved to the engine room 1 as in the prior art. The engine room 1 is arranged in a narrow area at the rear without complicating the area.
It can be arranged well inside. Here, the cross-girder frame 20 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-girder frame 20 is configured to surround the outer periphery of the engine room 1 when viewed from above the vehicle. And a box-shaped frame body 22 which is welded to the frame body 22 so as to close an opening on the vehicle rear side of the frame body 22 and has a hollow inside. And a shacyclos member 24.

A steering rack 50 is mounted on the upper portion of the shaft cyclos member 24 and extends in the same direction as the shaft cyclos member 24 to steer the wheels 36 and 37. More specifically, a groove 26 is formed on the upper surface side of the shaft cyclos member 24 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction, and the steering rack 50 is housed in the groove 26 and a pair of mounting brackets fastened on the shaft cyclos member 24. It is fixed on the shacyclos member 24 by 52,52.

The shacyclos member 24 has a role of securing rigidity in the left-right direction of the vehicle and preventing deformation of the vehicle body such as torsion. It extends straight and flat without bending or bending. Therefore, the Shacyclos member 24
Has extremely high rigidity, especially in the vehicle width direction, so that even if a tension, compression or torsional force acts on the shacyclos member 24, the shacyclos member 24 hardly deforms. Therefore, even if the vehicle travels on a bad road or the like, the torsional deformation of the vehicle body or the like is reliably prevented, and the traveling stability of the vehicle is suitably secured.

By the way, if the shash cyclos member 24 extends straight in the vehicle width direction as described above, the dash panel 6 protrudes from the rear of the engine room 1, so that the mounting position of the engine 10 is reduced as much as possible. In order to secure the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle while keeping the position of the engine hood 8 low and widening the visibility of the driver, it is necessary to connect the Shacyclos member 24 with the transfer device 30, the collecting exhaust pipe 42 and the steering rack 50. The arrangement relationship in the vertical direction of the vehicle becomes a problem.

In this regard, in the engine room structure of the present invention, as described above, the groove 2
6, a sufficient space is provided between the sash cyclos member 24 and the dash panel 6 by burying the steering rack 50 therein, and the transfer device 30 is passed through this space. The collective exhaust pipe 42 is flattened and passed through the lower side.
That is, referring to FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view along the line BB in FIG. 1 is schematically shown. However, regarding the collective exhaust pipe 42, as shown in FIG.
The exhaust pipe 42 is flattened so as to spread in the vehicle width direction while keeping the passage area substantially constant in a portion overlapping the vertical direction. As a result, the collective exhaust pipe 42 secures the above-mentioned minimum ground clearance H and secures the lowest part 20 of the girder frame 20.
It can be satisfactorily arranged below the shacyclos member 24 so as not to be lower than a. The collective exhaust pipe 4
2 is a steel pipe, so that the collective exhaust pipe 42 can be easily flattened.

As described above, in the engine room structure of the present invention, the bellows pipe 40 that connects the exhaust pipe 16 extending from the engine 10 and the collective exhaust pipe 42 fixed to the vehicle body so as to be able to absorb vibration is connected to the oil pan. 11 is buried in a space below the engine 10 formed by raising the bottom, and furthermore, the Shacyclos member 24 of the girder frame 20 is extended straight to ensure extremely high rigidity. The transfer device 30, the collecting exhaust pipe 42, and the steering rack 50 located above and below 24 are arranged compactly without interference in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

Therefore, while improving the running stability of the vehicle by increasing the rigidity of the vehicle body, the minimum ground clearance required for the vehicle is ensured without reducing the cabin volume, and the mounting position of the engine 10 on the vehicle body is reduced. And the position of the engine hood 8 can be lowered to achieve a low bonnet, so that the air resistance during vehicle running is reduced and the driver's view can be widened.

[0029] Further, since the common exhaust pipe 42 is disposed on the opposite side of the dash panel 6 with the shacyclos member 24 interposed therebetween and separated from the dash panel 6, the common exhaust pipe 42 is provided.
The dash panel 6 is heated by the heat of the exhaust gas flowing through the
It is also possible to prevent the cabin from being carelessly heated and heated as in the related art. In the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle is equipped with a V-type engine and is a four-wheel drive vehicle is described as an example. However, the engine room structure of the present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with a normal V-type in-line engine. It can also be applied to a two-wheel drive vehicle, that is, a front-wheel drive vehicle or a rear-wheel drive vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the shacyclos member 24 is formed as a part of the girder frame 20.
The frame is formed in a T-shape, and
It may be configured as a part of the character-shaped frame, or the shacyclos member may be configured by an independent single beam member.

[0031]

As described above in detail, according to the engine room structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the connecting pipe having a large outer diameter from being disposed near the shacyclos member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the driver's cab from being pressed by the connecting pipe, sufficiently secure the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle, and achieve a low bonnet by setting the engine at a low position.

Further, according to the engine room structure of the vehicle, the rigidity of the shash cyclos member in the expansion and contraction direction and the torsion direction can be maintained high while properly arranging the drive mechanism and the exhaust pipe. Running stability of the vehicle can be improved. Further, in the case where the collective exhaust pipe is provided below the shacyclos member, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the operation cab from being carelessly raised by the heat of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view of an engine room of a vehicle according to the present invention as viewed from a side of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a view of an engine room of the vehicle according to the present invention as viewed from above the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing a relationship between an oil pan below an engine, an exhaust pipe, and a bellows pipe.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1, and is a view showing a relationship among the shacyclos member, the transfer device, the collective exhaust pipe, and the steering rack.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine room 2 Side member 6 Dash panel (wall member) 10 Engine (V-type engine) 11 Oil pan 16 Exhaust pipe 16a Front exhaust pipe 16b Rear exhaust pipe 17 Confluence part 20 Cross beam frame 24 Shacyclos member 26 Groove 30 Transfer device (Drive mechanism) 40 Bellows pipe (connecting pipe) 42 Collective exhaust pipe 50 Steering rack

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI F02B 67/00 F02B 67/00 F

Claims (2)

[Claims] A pair of left and right side members and a pair of side members extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle along a side wall of the engine room are provided in an engine room defined by a wall member at a front portion of the vehicle. An engine room structure of a vehicle including a V-type engine extending in a vehicle width direction on the pair of side members, wherein a cylinder on a vehicle front side of the V-type engine is provided. The connected front exhaust pipe and the rear exhaust pipe connected to the cylinder on the vehicle rear side of the V-type engine are assembled at the vehicle front position of an engine oil pan disposed below the V-type engine. An engine room structure of a vehicle, characterized by: 2. A drive mechanism for driving rear wheels is provided on the vehicle rear side of the V-type engine, and the drive mechanism and a collective exhaust pipe connected to the front and rear exhaust pipes are connected to the chassis. 2. The engine room structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said cross member is disposed above and below said cross member and said shacyclos member is substantially flat between said side members.