JP2024142098A - Water Outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water outlet capable of improving temperature detection accuracy at a cooling liquid outlet of an internal combustion engine.SOLUTION: A flow passage formation chamber 10 is provided with: a first flow passage F1 for allowing a cooling liquid to flow from the inside of a rectification wall 15 toward a first outlet 11; and a second flow passage F2 for allowing the cooling liquid to turn at a tip in a longitudinal direction of the rectification wall from the inside of the rectification wall, and to flow toward a second outlet 12 via the outside of the rectification wall. A temperature sensing portion 7a of a temperature sensor 7 is disposed in a region where the first flow passage and the second flow passage are overlapped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a water outlet provided at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

Conventionally, a water outlet is attached to the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine. Patent Document 1 discloses a water outlet having a plurality of connection parts, each of which is connected to a pipe leading to various devices such as a radiator, a heating heat exchanger, etc. A temperature sensor is attached to this water outlet, and the temperature of the coolant flowing out from the internal combustion engine can be detected.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a main passage through which the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine returns to the internal combustion engine via a radiator, a bypass passage through which the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine returns directly to the internal combustion engine, and a thermostat that opens and closes the bypass passage depending on the temperature of the coolant in the main passage.

JP 2005-214064 A JP 2006-70760 A

When the temperature sensor detects the temperature of the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine, it is preferable to place the temperature sensor's temperature-sensing part close to the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine. However, the position of the temperature sensor cannot be freely set because it is restricted by the layout of other parts that constitute the vehicle.
In addition, the position of the connection part for connecting various pipes to the water outlet cannot be freely set depending on the layout of the vehicle. Depending on the open/closed state of the pipes, the flow of the coolant passing through the water outlet may become stagnant. If the temperature sensor is located in this part, it is difficult to accurately detect the temperature of the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a water outlet that can improve the accuracy of temperature detection at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

In order to solve the above problems, the water outlet according to the present invention is attached to a coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine and forms a flow passage forming chamber between the water outlet and the internal combustion engine. The water outlet has a first connection part connected to a main passage leading to a radiator, and a second connection part connected to a bypass passage that bypasses the radiator.
The flow path forming chamber is formed with a coolant inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, and the coolant flowing out of the internal combustion engine flows into the flow path forming chamber from the inlet and flows out from the first outlet to the first connection portion or from the second outlet to the second connection portion.
The water outlet includes a straightening wall extending from between the inlet and the second outlet to the first outlet side. When viewed from the straightening wall, the inlet side is the inside of the straightening wall and the second outlet side is the outside of the straightening wall. In the flow path forming chamber, a first flow path through which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall to the first outlet, and a second flow path through which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall to the end in the length direction of the straightening wall, turns around at the end of the straightening wall in the length direction, and flows to the second outlet through the outside of the straightening wall. A temperature sensing portion of a temperature sensor is disposed in a region where the first flow path and the second flow path overlap each other.

According to the above configuration, when the main passage is open, the coolant that flows out of the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine and flows into the flow passage forming chamber from the inlet flows through the first flow passage toward the first outlet. On the other hand, when the main passage is closed, the coolant that flows into the flow passage forming chamber from the inlet flows through the second flow passage toward the second outlet. The temperature sensor's temperature sensing portion is provided at the overlapping portion of the first flow passage and the second flow passage, where coolant flows regardless of whether the main passage is open or closed. This allows the temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the coolant outlet of the internal combustion engine with good accuracy.

In addition, in the water outlet, when an imaginary line is drawn connecting the position of the outer periphery of the first outlet closest to the second outlet and the outer tip of the straightening wall, and the flow passage forming chamber is divided into the inlet side and the second outlet side by the straightening wall and the imaginary line, the temperature sensing part may be located in the inlet side area of the straightening wall and the imaginary line. In this way, if the temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor is provided near the straightening wall in the inlet side area, it is easy to arrange the temperature sensing part in the overlapping part of the first flow passage and the second flow passage. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress a decrease in the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor.

The water outlet may further include a baffle plate extending in a direction crossing the first flow passage, the baffle plate being located on the first outlet side of the first flow passage relative to the temperature sensing portion.
In this way, the flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing from the inlet to the first outlet is suppressed by the baffle, so that the flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing to the second outlet can be secured. Furthermore, since the baffle is provided downstream of the temperature sensing portion, the temperature sensitivity of the temperature sensor can be improved.

The water outlet of the present invention can improve the accuracy of temperature detection at the coolant outlet of an internal combustion engine.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one state of an engine cooling system including a water outlet according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another state of the engine cooling system including the water outlet according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the water outlet according to the present embodiment as seen from the rear side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear side of the water outlet showing the arrangement area of the temperature sensing portion of the temperature sensor. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the water outlet is attached to the cylinder head. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a first flow passage in a flow passage forming chamber of the water outlet. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the second flow passage in the flow passage forming chamber of the water outlet. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified example of the water outlet according to the present embodiment, seen from the rear side. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional engine cooling system. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional water outlet as viewed from the rear side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A water outlet according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing an example of an engine cooling system for cooling an engine 20 as an internal combustion engine, and include a water outlet 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a first state of the engine cooling system. In the first state, communication between the engine 20 and a radiator 60 is blocked by a thermostat 70. Fig. 2 shows a second state of the engine cooling system. In the second state, communication between the engine 20 and the radiator 60 is permitted.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a cooling circuit is connected to the engine (internal combustion engine) 20. This cooling circuit includes a main passage 31 through which the coolant flowing out of the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20 returns to the engine 20 via the radiator 60, and a bypass passage 32 through which the coolant flowing out of the coolant outlet 21 returns to the engine 20 without passing through the radiator 60 (bypassing the radiator 60). The main passage 31 and the bypass passage 32 join downstream of the radiator 60 and are connected to the coolant inlet 22 of the engine 20. A water pump 80 is provided at the coolant inlet 22 to send coolant to the engine 20. The main passage 31 and the bypass passage 32 join between the radiator 60 and the water pump 80. A thermostat 70 is provided at this joining point. The thermostat 70 opens and closes the main passage 31 depending on the coolant temperature in the bypass passage 32.

Specifically, when the coolant temperature is lower than the valve opening temperature of the thermostat 70, the thermostat 70 closes the main passage 31 and opens the bypass passage 32. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the coolant flowing out of the engine 20 passes through the bypass passage 32 and returns to the engine 20 without passing through the radiator 60. On the other hand, when the coolant temperature becomes higher than the valve opening temperature of the thermostat 70, the thermostat 70 opens the main passage 31. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2, the coolant flowing out of the engine 20 passes through the main passage 31, is cooled by the radiator 60, and returns to the engine 20.
2, the thermostat 70 opens the main passage 31 and closes the bypass passage 32. However, the bypass passage 32 may be always open.

A water outlet 100 is attached to the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20. The water outlet 100 is connected to the pipe constituting the main passage 31 and the pipe constituting the bypass passage 32. In other words, the coolant flowing out from the engine 20 branches at the water outlet 100 and is guided to each pipe. A temperature sensor 7 (FIG. 3) described below is attached to the water outlet 100 to detect the temperature of the coolant on the engine outlet side. The internal combustion engine device D is composed of the engine 20, the water outlet 100, and the temperature sensor 7.

The engine 20 includes a cylinder block 24 in which pistons reciprocate in cylinders and convert this reciprocating motion into rotational motion, and a cylinder head 25 disposed on the cylinder block 24. The cylinder block 24 has a block-side water jacket 28 for coolant around its periphery. The block-side water jacket 28 has a flow path for coolant that cools the cylinder block 24. In addition, the cylinder head 25 has a head-side water jacket 29 disposed around its periphery. The head-side water jacket 29 has a flow path for coolant that cools the cylinder head 25.
The flow passage of the block side water jacket 28 communicates with the flow passage of the head side water jacket 29. The block side water jacket 28 is provided with a coolant inlet 22. The head side water jacket 29 is provided with a coolant outlet 21.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the water outlet 100 according to this embodiment, seen from the back. The water outlet 100 is made of, for example, synthetic resin. The water outlet 100 is fixed to the cylinder head 25 (Figure 5) with bolts (not shown) so as to cover the coolant outlet 21. This water outlet 100 comprises a main body 1 having a recess to form a space between it and the cylinder head 25, a first connection part 2 and a second connection part 3 that are provided so as to rise outward from the bottom 1a side of the main body 1, and an annular flange 4 that protrudes from the opening edge of the main body 1 to the outer periphery.

The first connection part 2 is connected to one end of the pipeline that constitutes the main passage 31 shown in Figures 1 and 2. On the other hand, the second connection part 3 is connected to one end of the pipeline that constitutes the bypass passage 32 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 1 of the water outlet 100 is concave and recessed in a direction away from the cylinder head 25. A recess 25b (FIG. 6) recessed in a direction away from the water outlet 100 is also provided on the cylinder head 25 side. Between the cylinder head 25 and the water outlet 100, a flow passage forming chamber 10 is formed into which the coolant flowing out from the cylinder head 25 flows.

The coolant that flows out of the cylinder head 25 flows into the flow passage forming chamber 10 from the coolant outlet 21. When this flow of coolant is viewed from the flow passage forming chamber 10 side, the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20 becomes the coolant inlet 9. In other words, the coolant outlet 21 of the engine 20 and the inlet 9 of the flow passage forming chamber 10 are one (common) opening, and this opening is called the coolant outlet 21 when viewed from the engine 20 side, and called the inlet 9 when viewed from the flow passage forming chamber 10 side.

For this reason, in the flow passage forming chamber 10, the inlet 9 for the coolant is formed on the cylinder head 25 side. In addition, a first outlet 11 and a second outlet 12 that serve as outlets for the coolant are formed on the water outlet 100 side of the flow passage forming chamber 10. The first outlet 11 serves as the inlet for the coolant of the first connection part 2, and the coolant flows from the first connection part 2 to the main passage 31. The second outlet 12 serves as the inlet for the coolant of the second connection part 3, and the coolant flows from the second connection part 3 to the bypass path 32.

3, 4, 7, and 8, the position of the inlet 9 is indicated by an ellipse with two-dot chain lines to clarify the position of the inlet 9 relative to the first outlet 11 and the second outlet 12. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the joint surface 40 of the water outlet 100 that contacts the cylinder head 25 with the water outlet 100 attached to the cylinder head 25 (water outlet attached state) (plan view), the inlet 9, first outlet 11, and second outlet 12 of the flow passage forming chamber 10 are arranged in a triangular shape.

A plurality of bolt holes 4a are formed in the flange 4. Bolts (not shown) are inserted into these bolt holes 4a so as to be fastened to the cylinder head 25.
The flange 4 is formed with a joint surface 40 that contacts the cylinder head 25, and a groove 4b that is recessed into the joint surface 40. The groove 4b is annular, and is disposed so as to surround the opening of the concave-shaped main body 1 when the water outlet is attached. An annular gasket 6 is fitted into the groove 4b.
In the water outlet installation state in which the flange 4 is fixed to the cylinder head 25 with bolts, the opening of the main body 1 faces the opening of the recess 25b of the cylinder head 25, and the gap between the joint surface 40 of the flange 4 and the joint surface of the cylinder head 25 is sealed by the gasket 6. This makes it possible to prevent the cooling liquid in the flow passage forming chamber 10 from leaking from the joint between the cylinder head 25 and the water outlet 100.

As described above, the main body 1 has a concave shape. A flow straightening wall 15 is provided inside the main body 1 so as to rise from the bottom 1a of the main body 1 toward the cylinder head 25. A temperature sensor 7 is attached to the center of the main body 1.
The straightening wall 15 has a base end connected to the peripheral wall 1b of the main body 1 and a tip end extending to the center of the bottom 1a. The straightening wall 15 is located between the inlet 9 and the second outlet 12 of the flow passage forming chamber 10 in a plan view, and is slightly curved (draws a gentle curve) so as to bulge toward the second outlet 12. In addition, the tip end of the straightening wall 15 in the height direction is located near the joint surface when viewed from a direction along the joint surface between the flange 4 and the cylinder head 25 (side view).
This straightening wall 15 promotes the flow of the coolant from the inlet 9 of the flow path forming chamber 10 toward the first outlet 11. On the other hand, the straightening wall 15 impedes the flow of the coolant from the inlet 9 of the flow path forming chamber 10 toward the second outlet 12, and promotes the coolant to bypass the straightening wall 15 and flow toward the second outlet 12. In this way, the straightening wall 15 is provided so as to separate the inlet 9 and the second outlet of the flow path forming chamber 10.

For ease of explanation, the inlet 9 side as viewed from the straightening wall 15 is defined as the inside of the straightening wall 15, and the second outlet 12 side as viewed from the straightening wall 15 is defined as the outside of the straightening wall 15. As shown in FIG. 9, by providing this straightening wall 15, a first flow path F1 is formed in the flow path forming chamber 10, in which the cooling liquid flowing in from the inlet 9 passes inside the straightening wall 15 and flows to the first outlet 11 as if urged by the straightening wall 15. Also, a second flow path F2 is formed in the flow path forming chamber 10, in which the cooling liquid flowing in from the inlet 9 passes inside the straightening wall 15, turns around at the tip 15b in the length direction of the straightening wall 15, passes outside the straightening wall 15, and makes a U-turn to the second outlet 12.

The temperature sensor 7 has a temperature sensing part 7a for detecting temperature. As shown in Fig. 8, the temperature sensor 7 is provided such that the temperature sensing part 7a is inserted into the flow path forming chamber 10 from the bottom 1a of the main body part 1, approximately perpendicular to the joining surfaces 25a, 40. The temperature sensing part 7a is disposed in a region where the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 overlap.
Referring to Figure 4, in this embodiment, when an imaginary line L1 is drawn connecting a position on the outer circumferential edge of the first outlet 11 closest to the second outlet 12 and the tip of the outer side 15b of the straightening wall 15, and the flow path forming chamber 10 is divided by the straightening wall 15 and the imaginary line L1 into a region E1 on the inlet 9 side and a region E2 on the second outlet 12 side, the temperature sensing portion 7a is located in the vicinity of the tip 15b of the straightening wall 15, in the region E1 on the inlet 9 side.

The effects of the water outlet 100 according to this embodiment will be explained below in comparison with the conventional structure shown in Figures 10 and 11.

First, in the flow passage forming chamber 201 formed between the conventional water outlet 200 and the engine 50 shown in FIG. 11, a flow of coolant (first flow passage r1) from the inlet 203 to the first outlet 204 and a flow of coolant (second flow passage r2) from the inlet 203 to the second outlet 205 are formed. The temperature sensor 250 is configured to detect the temperature of the coolant flowing through the first flow passage r1.

Referring to FIG. 10, the first outlet 204 is connected to the main passage 31 connected to the radiator 60. This main passage 31 is opened and closed by the thermostat 70 according to the temperature of the bypass passage 32. When the main passage 31 is closed, the coolant does not move through the first outlet 204. This causes stagnation in the flow of the coolant between the inlet 203 and the first outlet 204 of the flow passage forming chamber 201 in FIG. 11. If the temperature sensing portion 250a is located in the part where this stagnation occurs, the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 250 decreases, and the temperature of the coolant outlet 51 of the engine 50 cannot be detected accurately.

In contrast, the water outlet 100 of this embodiment is provided with a straightening wall 15. As a result, in the flow path forming chamber 10, a first flow path F1 is formed in which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall 15 toward the first outlet 11, and a second flow path F2 is formed in which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall 15, turns around at the end of the straightening wall 15 in the longitudinal direction, passes outside the straightening wall 15, and flows toward the second outlet 12. The temperature sensing part 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is disposed in the area where the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 overlap.

The second outlet 12 is connected to a bypass passage 32 whose temperature is sensed by the thermostat 70. Even when the thermostat 70 closes the main passage 31, the bypass passage 32 has a flow of coolant for the thermostat 70 to sense the temperature. Therefore, even when the main passage 31 is closed and the flow of coolant through the first outlet 11 is stopped, the coolant flows through the second outlet 12, and the coolant flows through the second passage F2. In this embodiment, the temperature sensing portion 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is located at the overlapping portion of the first passage F1 and the second passage F2, so that the temperature sensor 7 can always detect the temperature of the portion where the coolant flows, and the temperature detection accuracy of the coolant outlet 21 can be improved.
Furthermore, by providing the flow straightening wall 15 on the bottom 1a of the water outlet 100, it is possible to prevent the water outlet 100 from being warped and deformed by the reaction force of the gasket 6. This makes it possible to maintain the sealing performance of the gasket 6 excellent.

In addition, in this embodiment, when an imaginary line L1 is drawn connecting the position on the outer periphery of the first outlet 11 closest to the second outlet 12 and the outer tip of the straightening wall 15, and the straightening wall 15 and the imaginary line L1 divide the flow passage forming chamber 10 into an area E1 on the inlet 9 side and an area E2 on the second outlet 12 side, the temperature sensing part 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is located in the inlet side area E1. If the temperature sensing part 7a of the temperature sensor 7 is provided near the straightening wall 15 in the area E1, it is easy to position the temperature sensing part 7a in the overlapping area of the first flow passage F1 and the second flow passage F2, and a decrease in the temperature detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 7 can be reliably suppressed.

9, the water outlet 100 may include a baffle 16 extending in a direction crossing the first flow path F1. The baffle 16 is located closer to the first outlet 11 than the temperature-sensing portion 7a of the first flow path F1. With this configuration, the baffle 16 restricts the flow rate of the cooling liquid from the inlet 9 to the first outlet 11, so that the flow rate of the cooling liquid toward the second outlet 12 can be ensured. Furthermore, since the baffle 16 is provided downstream of the temperature-sensing portion 7a, the temperature sensitivity of the temperature sensor 7 can be improved.
The flow rate toward the radiator 60 side and the flow rate toward the bypass passage 32 side can be adjusted by changing the heights of the flow straightening wall 15 and the baffle plate 16. The baffle plate 16 may be omitted.

The above describes in detail the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but modifications, variations, and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

2 First connection part 3 Second connection part 7 Temperature sensor 7a Temperature sensing part 9 Inlet 10 Flow passage forming chamber 11 First outlet 12 Second outlet 15, 23 Flow straightening wall 16 Baffle plate 20 Engine (internal combustion engine)
21 Coolant outlet 25 Cylinder head 31 Main passage 32 Bypass passage 60 Radiator 100 Water outlet D Internal combustion engine device F1 First passage F2 Second passage L1 Virtual line

Claims (3)

a flow passage forming chamber is formed between the cooling fluid outlet of the internal combustion engine and the cooling fluid outlet of the internal combustion engine;
a first connection portion connected to a main passage leading to a radiator;
a second connection portion connected to a bypass passage that bypasses the radiator,
The flow passage forming chamber is formed with an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet for the coolant,
a cooling liquid flowing out from the internal combustion engine flows into the flow passage forming chamber from the inlet and flows out from the first outlet to the first connecting portion or from the second outlet to the second connecting portion,
a flow straightening wall extending from between the inlet and the second outlet toward the first outlet,
When viewed from the straightening wall, the inlet side is defined as the inside of the straightening wall, and the second outlet side is defined as the outside of the straightening wall,
The flow path forming chamber includes:
a first flow path through which the coolant flows from an inner side of the flow straightening wall toward the first outlet;
a second flow path is formed in which the coolant flows from the inside of the straightening wall, turns around at the end in the longitudinal direction of the straightening wall, passes through the outside of the straightening wall, and flows toward the second outlet;
The water outlet according to claim 1, wherein a temperature sensing portion of a temperature sensor is disposed in an area where the first flow path and the second flow path overlap each other. When an imaginary line is drawn connecting a position of an outer circumferential edge of the first outlet closest to the second outlet and an outer tip of the flow straightening wall, and the flow passage forming chamber is divided into the inlet side and the second outlet side by the flow straightening wall and the imaginary line,
The water outlet according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensing portion is located in a region of the straightening wall and the imaginary line on the inlet side. A baffle plate extending in a direction crossing the first flow path is provided,
The water outlet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the baffle plate is located on the first outlet side of the first flow path relative to the temperature sensing portion.

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