Intake assembly for an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845775-B2
Application number	US-201213657405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2012
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An intake assembly for an internal-combustion engine includes an intake duct for each cylinder, which communicates with an airbox that includes a filtering element. Each intake duct communicates with the airbox by a respective throttle body. A monitoring channel connects the intake ducts together and is configured for perturbing in a negligible way the dynamics of the fluid inside the intake ducts. Associated to said monitoring duct are sensors for monitoring the pressure inside the monitoring duct and designed to send signals indicating the value of pressure of the fluid taken in by the engine to an electronic control unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An intake assembly for a two cylinder four stroke internal-combustion engine, wherein the intake assembly includes:
a plurality of intake ducts, each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts connected to a cylinder of a two cylinder four stroke internal-combustion engine, and
an airbox defining a volume, said airbox in fluid communication with each duct of said plurality of intake ducts,
said airbox in fluid communication with the external environment by an intake mouth and comprising a filter element inside said airbox, said filter filtering a flow of fluid taken in by the internal-combustion engine through said intake mouth;
said airbox comprising a hollow body having an upper surface and a lower surface bounding an internal cavity, said filter element having an independent casing received in a seat of said hollow body and having an upper filter surface and a lower filter surface substantially flush with said upper surface and said lower surface of said hollow body;
each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts being in fluid communication with said airbox by a separate throttle body including a throttle valve operable for regulating a flow rate of fluid taken in by the internal-combustion engine, said throttle body being located between said airbox and each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts;
a monitoring duct directly connected to each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts such that each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts is in fluid communication with each other intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts, and said monitoring duct having a cross section having a diameter not greater than 1/10 of a diameter of a cross section of each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts and a measurement of a pressure in said monitoring duct is about identical to a second measurement in each duct of said plurality of intake ducts;
said plurality of intake ducts comprise a first intake duct and a second intake duct, said first intake duct and said second intake duct each having downstream stretches located downstream of each separate throttle body, said first intake duct and said second intake duct forming a single body of plastic material and have curved shapes identical to one another that extend for an arc of approximately 90°, said first intake duct and said second intake duct being parallel and set at a distance apart and having walls thereof rigidly joined at ends thereof and having respective transverse holes receiving said monitoring duct;
a pressure-sensor associated to said monitoring duct for monitoring the pressure within said monitoring duct and designed to send signals indicating a value of the pressure of the fluid taken in by the engine to an electronic control unit; and
a temperature-sensor associated to said monitoring duct for monitoring the temperature of the fluid inside said monitoring duct and sending signals indicating the value of temperature of the fluid taken in by the engine to an electronic control unit.

2. The intake assembly according to claim 1 , wherein throttle valves of each said throttle body are mechanically connected and operable by a common actuator device.

3. The intake assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of intake ducts and each said throttle body comprise two independent intake manifolds, each manifold of said manifolds consisting of an intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts and the separate throttle body in fluid communication therewith.

4. The intake assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said airbox is substantially L-shaped and comprises:
a first volume, which extends parallel to an array of said plurality of intake ducts and connected to which are said throttle bodies; and
a second volume, housed within which is said filter element, said second volume being substantially orthogonal to said first volume.

5. The intake assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said first volume is traversed by holes designed to house elements for fixing said airbox to said internal combustion engine.

6. The intake assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second intake duct are configured to be coupled to a four-stroke two-cylinder engine.

7. The intake assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said temperature-sensor is set inside said airbox in an area adjacent to said intake ducts.

8. An intake assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders, wherein the intake assembly includes:
a plurality of intake ducts, each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts connected to a cylinder of a plurality of cylinders of an internal-combustion engine, and
an airbox defining an interior volume, said airbox in fluid communication with each duct of said plurality of intake ducts;
said airbox in fluid communication with the external environment by an intake mouth and comprising a filter element inside said airbox, said filter designed for filtering a flow of fluid taken in by the internal-combustion engine;
said airbox comprising a hollow body having an upper surface and a lower surface bounding an internal cavity, said filter element having an independent casing received in a seat of said hollow body and having an upper filter surface and a lower filter surface substantially flush with said upper surface and said lower surface of said hollow body;
said airbox substantially L-shaped and comprising a first volume extending parallel to an array of said plurality of intake ducts and a second volume, receiving said filter element therein, said second volume substantially orthogonal to said first volume;
each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts being in fluid communication with said airbox by a separate throttle body including a throttle valve operable for regulating a flow rate of fluid taken in by the internal-combustion engine, said throttle body being located between said airbox and each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts, each said throttle body connected to said first volume;
each intake duct coupled to a four-stroke two-cylinder engine;
a monitoring duct directly connected to each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts such that each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts is in fluid communication with each other intake duct of said plurality intake ducts;
a temperature-sensor associated to said monitoring duct for monitoring the temperature of the fluid inside said monitoring duct and sending signals indicating the value of the temperature of the fluid taken in by the engine to an electronic control unit, said temperature-sensor is set inside said airbox in an area adjacent to said intake ducts;
an intake duct extension portion extending from each throttle body into said interior volume of said airbox, said intake duct extension portion extending for an arc of approximately 90°, in such a way that an axis of a first end of said intake duct extension portion projects vertically from a bottom wall of said airbox and a second axis of an opposite end of said intake duct extension portion extends horizontally inside said airbox, wherein each intake duct extension portion has a shape identical to each other intake duct extension portion; wherein said monitoring duct has a cross section having a diameter not greater than 1/10 of a diameter of a cross section of each intake duct of said plurality of intake ducts.

9. The intake assembly according to claim 8 , wherein said plurality of intake ducts comprise downstream stretches set downstream of the respective throttle bodies and have curved shapes identical to one another that extend for an arc of approximately 90°, the two ducts being parallel and set at a distance apart and having their walls rigidly joi

Assignees

• C R F Societá Consortile Per Azioni
• Fiat Ricerche

Inventors

• Cuniberti Marco
• Vattaneo Francesco
• Gallone Alessandro
• Guzzi Luigi
• Novella Paolo
• Venezia Caterina
• Nastro Rosario

Classifications

• F02M35/04

  specially arranged with respect to engine {, to intake system or specially adapted to vehicle}; Mounting thereon {; Combinations with other devices (combined with silencers F02M35/14)} · CPC title

• F02D9/109

  having two or more flaps · CPC title

• F02M35/10052

  special shapes or arrangements of plenum chambers; Constructional details · CPC title

• F02M35/044

  Special arrangements of cleaners in or with respect to the air intake system, e.g. in the intake plenum, in ducts or with respect to carburettors · CPC title

• F02D9/1095

  Rotating on a common axis, e.g. having a common shaft · CPC title