Internal-combustion engines – Intake manifold – Manifold tuning – balancing or pressure regulating means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-29
2002-05-07
Kamen, Noah P. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Intake manifold
Manifold tuning, balancing or pressure regulating means
C123S184440
Reexamination Certificate
active
06382162
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved variable intake apparatus for an in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engine which can obtain a high intake air charging efficiency and a high output torque over a wide engine speed range of the internal combustion engine from low to high engine speed ranges.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various types of intake apparatuses have been proposed which are designed to make use of intake air pressure-wave pulse generated in air intake passages connecting to communicate with the respective cylinders of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, so as to obtain an extra charging effect by elevating the pressure at inlet ports of respective cylinders of the engine toward a latter half of an intake stroke in the respective cylinders.
For example, the length and/or volume of intake pipes is varied in response to the speed of an internal combustion engine so as to obtain an inertial supercharging effect and a resonance supercharging effect in supercharging intake air. With a suitable combination thereof, the intake air charging efficiency is highly maintained over a wide engine speed range from low to high engine speed ranges, whereby the output torque of the internal combustion engine is aimed at being improved.
In in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engines, there has been proposed a variable intake apparatus in which the length of air intake passages communicating with respective cylinders of an engine varies in triple stages such as for the low engine speed range, intermediate engine speed range and high engine speed range so as to obtain a high intake air charging efficiency to thereby aim at improving the output torque of the engine (JP-B-7-30698). Further, three has been proposed a variable intake apparatus in which junction portions where air intake passages communicating with respective cylinders of an engine are arranged in such a manner that the air intake passages are connected to the cylinders which do not have successive intake strokes are made to function as a resonating chamber, in which resonating pipes are provided on upstream sides of the resonating chambers so as to connect thereto along a direction in which the cylinders are arranged, and in which a collecting portion is provided upstream of the pair of resonating pipes. And, in the latter variable intake apparatus, the communication between the pair of resonating chambers is blocked off and established for the low and intermediate engine speed range and the high engine speed range of the internal combustion engine so as to obtain a high intake air charging efficiency using resonating and inertial supercharging effects, to thereby aim at improving the output torque of the engine (JP-A-10-73024).
However, with the former variable intake apparatus, two air intake control valves are needed which operate individually, and this increases the number of components used in and weight of the intake apparatus, resulting a problem that the engine is disadvantageous with respect to space. In addition, in the case of the latter variable intake apparatus in which the resonating supercharging effect is used in the low and intermediate engine speed range, the resonating chambers, resonating pipes and collecting chamber need to be provided, and the provision of the pair of resonating pipes increase the size of the intake apparatus itself in the direction in which the cylinders are arranged, this making the engine disadvantageous with respect to the space in the direction in which the cylinders are arranged. Moreover, it has been difficult to obtain a flat intake air charging efficiency at a narrow portion between the low and intermediate engine speed range and the high engine speed range.
There are variable intake apparatuses employing a rotary valve in internal combustion engines (JP-7-253063). However, the rotary valve used in such variable intake apparatuses is such that the rotary valve is switched over in double stages in response to low and high engine speed ranges of the internal combustion engine and that only sealing between adjacent air intake passages is intended by effecting sealing between the adjacent air passages only with simple O-type seal rings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a variable intake apparatus for an in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engine which can solve the problems inherent in the conventional in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engines so as to obtain a high intake air charging efficiency over a wide range of engine speeds such as from the low engine speed range to the high engine speed range of an internal combustion engine to thereby obtain a high output torque and which can reduce the number of components used therein and simplify the construction thereof so as to require less space for provision thereof.
To solve the above object, there is provided a variable intake apparatus for an in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engine, characterized in that:
four air intake passages which are independent from each other and which connect to and communicate with respective cylinders of the in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engine, respectively, at one ends thereof and a single intake air collecting chamber at the other ends thereof are arranged sideways in line with each other in a direction in which the cylinders of the internal combustion engine are arranged; in that
the air intake passages are curved so as to wind inwardly, and the intake air collecting chamber is disposed in an internal space in the curved portion of the air intake passages; in that
a rotary valve is provided in such a manner that a part of the outer circumference thereof projects into intermediate portions along the length of the air intake passages in an arc-like fashion; in that
the rotary valve comprises control means that can be switched over in triple stages at equal intervals in response to the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine; in that
the rotary valve establishes or cuts off a communication between the air intake passages which are adjacent to each other or between each of pairs of air intake passages connecting to and communicating with respective cylinders of pairs of cylinders which do not have successive intake strokes, at the one ends thereof; and in that
the control means is constructed such that at a low engine speed range of the internal combustion engine, a communication is cut off between the air intake passages which are adjacent to each other, at an intermediate engine speed range of the engine, a communication is established between each of the pairs of air intake passages connecting to and communicating with the respective cylinders of the pairs of cylinders which do not have successive intake strokes at one ends thereof, and at a high engine speed range thereof, a communication is established between the air intake passages which are adjacent to each other.
According to the invention, the four air intake passageways are provided so as to be arranged sideways in line with each other which are independent from each other and which connect to and communicate with respective cylinders of an in-line four-cylinder internal combustion engine, respectively, at one ends and a single intake air collecting chamber at the other ends thereof. As a result, the respective air intake passageways in no case intersect with each other, and the intake apparatus (an intake manifold) can be formed compact in the direction in which the cylinders of the engine are arranged, providing a good space efficiency. Additionally, the equalization of the lengths of the respective air intake passageways can be eased.
In addition, provided between the intermediate portion along the length of the four air intake passageways which are independent from each other and the intake air collecting chamber is the rotary valve which is adapted to establish or cut off a communication in a shortcut fashion between the respective air intake passageways
Sagano Tatsuya
Umino Yoshiyuki
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Huynh Hai
Kamen Noah P.
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