Engine cooling structure, and engine incorporating same
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsKaoru Wachigai, Kenji Oki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine cooling structure for a water cooled engine includes water pump and a thermostat. The water pump pumps coolant to a water jacket of the engine. The water pump and thermostat are provided on a cover member installed on an outside of a crankcase of the engine, and a coolant passage, which communicates with the water jacket through the water pump from the thermostat, is integrally formed in the cover member, so as to obtain arrangement of the cooling structure that is efficient in terms of space. The engine cooling structure increases the degree of freedom of layout around a cylinder head by keeping the projection amount on a side of the cylinder head small, simplifies the piping construction, and reduces the number of assembly steps.
Claims17
An engine provided with a cooling structure, the engine comprising:
- a casting having a water jacket formed therein and surrounding a portion of the engine;
- a radiator;
- a water pump for pumping coolant to the water jacket of the engine;
- a main circulation channel for returning the coolant which has passed through the water jacket to the water pump through the radiator;
- a bypass channel for returning the coolant which has passed through the water jacket to the water pump not through the radiator;
- and
- a thermostat which is operable to switch the operative channel for returning the coolant to the water pump, between the main circulation channel and the bypass channel according to coolant temperature, the thermostat being provided at a position close to the water pump, and
- a cover member installed on an outside of the engine crankcase, the cover member having a coolant passage formed therein which communicates with the water jacket through the water pump from the thermostat;
- wherein the water pump and the thermostat are operatively attached to the cover member, and;
- wherein the coolant discharged from the water pump is pumped to the water jacket through the coolant passage of the cover member.
An engine cooling structure for an engine, the engine comprising a crankcase, the engine cooling structure comprising
- a water jacket surrounding at least a portion of the engine;
- a radiator;
- a water pump pumping coolant to the water jacket of the engine;
- a plurality of channels permitting coolant flow between the water pump, the water jacket and the radiator;
- and
- a thermostat which selects a channel from the plurality of channels based on coolant temperature, wherein
- the water pump and the thermostat are provided on an outside of the crankcase of the engine, and
- wherein the engine further comprises
- a crankshaft rotatably supported by the crankcase,
- a generator generating electricity by rotation of the crankshaft, and
- a transmission for transmitting power from the engine,
- wherein the transmission is disposed on a first end of the crankshaft, and the generator is disposed on a second end of the crankshaft, the second end opposed to the first end, and
- the water pump is disposed at said the second end of the crankshaft so as to lie below the generator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.