Internal-combustion engines – Cooling – Parallel flow
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-10-23
Argenbright, Tony M. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Cooling
Parallel flow
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305332
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling assembly for an engine, for supplying cooling water from a single water pump to a cooling jacket that is provided on the cylinder head or cylinder block of a horizontally opposed or V-type engine.
2. Description of Related Art
A cooling assembly of the related art is known, for example, in Japanese Patent laid-open No. Hei. 10-103060.
In the above-described cooling assembly of the related art, an upper discharge path communicating with an upper end of a pump chamber, and a lower discharge path communicating with a lower end of the pump chamber are provided inside a pump housing. A pair of discharge ports at outer ends of the upper and lower discharge paths are connected to left and right cooling jackets. It is possible to supply cooling water to the pair of left and right cooling jackets using a single water pump. However, the upper and lower discharge paths are formed in a whirlpool shape, and a discharge port formed by an outer opening of the upper discharge path is located below an upper end of the pump chamber, while a discharge port formed by an outer opening of the lower discharge path is located above a lower end of the pump chamber. This means that air may become trapped in an upper part of the inside of the pump chamber, and in order to remove the air from inside the pump chamber it is necessary to provide an air extraction hole or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in order to solve this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling assembly for an engine that makes it possible to easily extract air from the water pump without the need for a dedicated structure for air intake.
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a cooling assembly for an engine, the engine having first and second cylinder blocks with respective cylinder bores extending in a direction orthogonal to an axis of a crankshaft arranged at right angles to the axis of the crankshaft, a first cooling jacket provided on the first cylinder block and a first cylinder head connected to the first cylinder block, a second cooling jacket provided on the second cylinder block and a second cylinder head connected to the second cylinder block, and first and second discharge ports provided with a single water pump respectively independently connected to the first and second cooling jackets, the cooling assembly comprising a circular pump chamber for rotatably housing an impeller inside a pump housing of a water pump arranged between the two cooling jackets at a position below the lowest part of the first and second cooling jackets, an upper discharge path extending diagonally upwards and connecting to an upper end section of the pump chamber, and a lower discharge path extending diagonally downwards and connecting to a lower end section of the pump chamber, wherein first and second connecting pipes respectively extending in a straight line along a line extended from the upper and lower discharge paths have inner ends communicating with the upper and lower discharge paths, and outer ends stretching to a pump housing as first and second discharge ports.
With this structure, in the water pump for supplying cooling water to the first and second cooling jackets, a passage from the upper end of the pump chamber through the upper discharge path and leading to the first discharge port at the outer end of the first connecting pipe extends diagonally so that the first discharge port is at the highest position, while another passage from the lower end of the pump chamber through the lower discharge path and leading to the second discharge port at the outer end of the second connecting pipe extends diagonally so that the lower end of the pump chamber is at the highest position. This means that there is no section where air will become trapped at any point from the second discharge port through the lower discharge path, pump chamber and upper discharge path to the first discharge path. Therefore, there is no need for a dedicated air extracting structure such as an air extraction bolt etc. Furthermore, it is easy to extract air from the water pump.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, first and second inlet pipes are respectively connected between the first discharge port and the first cooling jacket, and between the second discharge port and the second cooling jacket. Furthermore, the length of the first inlet pipe is shorter than the length of the second inlet pipe by a distance causing a flow resistance corresponding to a difference in height between the first and second discharge ports on the second inlet pipe side. With this structure, a balance is struck between a difference in height between the first and second discharge ports of the water pump and a flow resistance generated in the first and second inlet pipes. Furthermore, it is possible to supply cooling water in a uniform manner to the first and second cooling jackets from a common water pump.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 10103060 (1998-04-01), None
patent: 10-103060 (1998-04-01), None
Hori Yoshiaki
Moriyama Yuichi
Nishi Tohru
Argenbright Tony M.
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Harris Katrina B.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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