Indian Patents. 197766:A STRUCTURE OF AN AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES

Title of Invention	A STRUCTURE OF AN AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES
Abstract	A structure of an air intake passage for engines wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of said pipe member is used as a part of said intake passage.

Full Text	197766 FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10] ' A STRUCTURE OF AN AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES" SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, a Japanese company, of 300, Takatsuka-cho, Hamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:- GRANTED 3-5-2005 STRUCTURE OF AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of air intake passage for engine that uses a pipe member (mount member) for supporting the engine body as a part of the air intake passage. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the turbo vehicles having a power unit disposed at the center of the vehicle body under the floor have such a layout that the power unit 21, that is, an engine 22 and a transmission 23 are positioned as low as possible above the ground 24 in order to reserve a space in the cabin of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 5. However, when a mount member 25 for supporting the engine 22 or the like is mounted in order to improve the performance to restrain vibration and noise, the mount member 25 is disposed on the front side or the rear side of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the engine 22, considering the height thereof above the ground. In Fig. 5, the numerals U, R and F represent the upper direction, the rearward direction and the frontward direction of the vehicle, respectively. Especially, in case of the 4WD (four wheel drive), a mount member 25 is routed on the front side of an engine 22 since a transfer case (not shown) is too large to route the mount member 25 along the rear side of the engine 22 as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. In case of the turbo vehicle, an intercooler 27 to be connected to a supercharger (exhaust gas turbine system) 26 is necessary to be disposed in the forward section of the vehicle that is subjected to a wind from a performance viewpoint, and thus an intercooler pipes 28 extending from the intercooler 27 are separated at the front section of the vehicle F to the left and the right of the vehicle; to the supercharger 2 6 on the exhaust side at one end and to a throttle body 29 on the intake side at the other end. The numeral 30 in Figs. 5 to 7 designates a mount member comprising a mount bracket 31 and a mount (right side in Fig. 6 only) 32, the numeral 33 in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 designates a front propeller shaft, the numerals 34L and 34R in Fig. 7 designate the left vehicle body frame and the right vehicle body frame respectively, and the numeral 35 is a cross member connecting the frames 34L and 34R. In the prior art described above, in case of the 4WD turbo vehicle, when the mount member 25 is routed on the front side of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the same, the mount member 25 have to be made into a complex shape disadvantageously to bypass the front propeller shaft 33 disposed on the front side of the engine 22. The shape of the mount member 25 have to be made in a complex shape disadvantageously as in the above-described case also because the intercooler pipes 28 are disposed in such a manner that they are separated at the front section F of the vehicle into the left and the right so as to prevent interference with the front propeller shaft 33. In addition, since the intercooler pipe 28 and mount member 25 are routed along the positions close with respect to each other due to the layout thereof, it is difficult to establish a clearance between them. In this case, when the position of the mount member 25 takes priority over that of the intercooler pipe 28, the intercooler pipe 28 have to be routed around the vehicle body frames 34L and 34R. As a consequent, the length of the intercooler pipe 28 increases, and thus the weight increases as well, and accordingly, the cost increases. Moreover, when the length of the intercooler pipe 28 increases, it is vulnerable to pressure loss or the like, thereby deteriorating the performance. There is an air intake apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 5-34412. However, the subject of the present invention, which is to eliminate the intercooler pipe, is not achieved in this apparatus disclosed in the publication since the air intake pipe extending from the intercooler to the air intake manifold is routed through the side frame. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With these conditions in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of an air intake passage for engine, in which a hollow portion of the mount member (pipe member) for supporting the engine is used as a part of an air intake passage, and the intercooler pipe is eliminated to reduce the weight and cost and to prevent the complexity of the shape of the mount member. In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention relates to a structure of an air intake passage for engine comprising a power unit disposed in a vehicle, wherein the power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between the front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of the pipe member is used as a part of the intake passage. According to the first aspect of the invention, the hollow portion of the pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view for supporting the power unit (the engine and the transmission) disposed in the vehicle is used as a part of the air intake passage from a supercharger to a throttle body, and an intake air is supplied through the pipe member. This connection contributes to eliminate a part of the specific air intake passage (intercooler pipe). According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, the air intake passage constitutes a part of the passage extending from the supercharger through the intercooler that cools supercharged intake air down to the throttle body. In the structure of the second aspect of the present invention, a part of the air intake passage extending from the supercharger through the intercooler to the throttle body is formed of the pipe member for supporting the power unit. In other words, the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage connecting between the supercharger located on the exhaust side of the engine and the throttle body located on the air intake side of the engine, so that parts of the air intake passage (intercooler pipe) upstream and downstream from the intercooler are eliminated, thereby increasing the flexibility in layout of the auxiliary machines of the engine such as the mount member or the generator. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the second aspect of the invention, the pipe members are separated at an arbitrary position in front of the power unit to form two pipe members, and one of them is used as an upstream passage of the intercooler and the other is used as a downstream passage of the intercooler. In the structure of the third aspect of the present invention, a pipe member located in front of the power unit is used as an air intake passage of the intercooler, which is in many cases disposed in front of the power unit in order to enhance the cooling performance. With the pipe member used in such a manner, the passage for the intercooler is formed without additional components. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the third aspect of the invention, the pipe member used as an upstream passage of the intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the supercharger, the connecting portion between the pipe member and the piping on the side of the supercharger is located on one of the sides of the power unit, the pipe member used as a downstream passage of the intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the throttle body, and the connecting portion between the pipe member and the piping on the side of the throttle body is located on the other one of the sides of the power unit. In the structure of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pipe member located on the exhaust side of the engine is connected with the air intake passage from the supercharger, that is, the piping on the side of the supercharger, and the pipe member located on the air intake side of the engine is connected with the air intake passage to the throttle body, that is, the piping on the side of the throttle body, so that the pipe members for supporting both sides of the power unit are effectively used. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, the pipe member is connected with the mount member for connecting between both side portions of the power unit and the pipe member, so that at least one of the portions of the pipe members connected with the mount members on both sides of the power unit serves as an air intake resonator. In the structure of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the portion of the pipe member that is not used as a main air intake passage is functioned as an air intake resonator. Therefore, the specific resonator is not necessary to be provided. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, the power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and the pipe member constitutes a part of the air intake passage extending from an air cleaner to a throttle body. In the structure of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the pipe member for supporting the power unit can be used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the air cleaner to the throttle body even in the case where an supercharger is not provided and the air cleaner and the throttle body are disposed separately on the air intake side and the exhaust side of the engine respectively. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a new layout for an air intake passage for preventing interference with the mount member or the like of the pipe member. The present invention relates to a structure of an air intake passage for engines wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of said pipe member is used as a part of said intake passage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING RAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a principal portion of an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the principal portion in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the rear end portion of the mount member in Fig. 1 is formed as an air intake resonator; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing other embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 5 is an explanatory side view showing the mount member of the vehicle having an engine disposed at the center of the vehicle body under the floor; Fig.. 6 is a plan view showing a conventional layout of the mount member and the intercooler pipe; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the layout in Fig. 6. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 schematically illustrating a principal portion, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In these figures, identical numerals are designated to the identical parts in Figs. 5 to 7. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 schematically show the principal portion of the turbo vehicle having a power unit 21 at the center of the vehicle under the floor. The vehicle has an engine 22 and a transmission 23 constituting the power unit 21 disposed therein. Disposed on the front side and both sides of the power unit 21 are mount members 1 formed of metallic pipe members in substantially U-shape in top view in such a manner as to enclose the power unit 21. The mount member 1 serves to support the engine body via a mount member 30 provided on both sides of the engine 22. The above-described mount members 1 are separated at the appropriate point in front of the engine 22, and one of the separated mount members IL is disposed from the front surface of the engine 22 along the left side of the engine 22, and the other mount member 1R is disposed from the front surface of the engine 22 along the right side of the engine 22. The front portion of the respective mount members IL and 1R are bent in front of the engine 22 and then extending straightforward of the vehicle in parallel. These two front portions are welded into a single unit with a connecting plate 2. The mount members 1 are suspended from the vehicle body (not shown), by a brackets 3 welded to the mount member on one side IL and the mount member on the other side 1R respectively. The portion of the mount member on one side IL located in front of the engine 22 is bent upwardly to prevent interference with a front propeller shaft 33 for the four wheel drive (4WD) as shown in Fig. 2. Since the mount member 1 is formed of a pipe member as described above, the hollow portion therein can be commonly used as a part of the air intake passage. Therefore, the portion of the mount member on one side IL located on the left side of the engine 22 is connected to one end of a piping 4 on the side of an exhaust gas turbine type supercharger 26, and the other end of piping 4 is connected to the supercharger 26. The portion of the mount member on the other side 1R located on the right side of the engine 22 is connected with one end of a piping 5 on the side of a throttle body 29, and the other end of piping 5 is connected to the throttle body 29. The connecting portion between the mount member on the other side 1R and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body is always provided on the opposite side of the connecting portion between the mount member on one side 1L and the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger. On the respective front portions of the mount member on one end 1L and the mount member on the other end IR, there is connected an intercooler 27 for cooling supercharged intake air down. In this arrangement, the upstream passage of the intercooler 27 is constructed by the piping 4 on the side of supercharger and the mount member on one side 1L formed of a pipe member, and the downstream passage of the intercooler 27 is constructed by the mount member on the other side IR formed of a pipe member and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body. The air intake passage of the vehicle is constructed by the upstream passage, the intercooler 27 and the downstream passage. The mount member on one side 1L is provided with a left mount member 30L for connecting the mount member on one side 1L and the left side portion of the engine 22 mounted thereon. In addition, the mount member on the other side IR is provided with a right mount member 30R for connecting the mount member on the other side IR and the right side portion of the engine 22 mounted thereon. The left mount member 30L is composed of a mount bracket 31L and a mount (not shown), and the right mount member 30R is composed of a mount bracket 31R and a mount 32R (the right mount member 30R in Fig. 1 is composed of the mount bracket 31R and the mount 32R integrated as a single unit). These left and right mount members 1L and IR, and the engine 22 are connected by the known mount members 30L and 30R respectively. As shown in Fig. 3, since the hollow portion of the section of the mount member on one side 1L to which the left mount member 30L is connected is not used as a main passage of the air intake passage, this portion can be used as an air intake resonator 6 for canceling out a specific frequency. The hollow portion of the mount member on the other side IR to which the right mount member 30R is connected is not used as a main passage of the air intake passage as well, therefore this portion can also be used as an air intake resonator 6. In this case, lids 7 (see Fig. 2) are fitted to rear portions of the mount member on one side 1L and the mount member on the other side 1R to keep them airtight. The capacity of the resonator 6 can easily be altered by changing the mounting position of the lid 7. It is enough to form the air intake resonator 6 on at least one of the mount member on one side 1L and the mount member on the other side 1R. The effect of the embodiment is as follows. The mount members 1 formed of pipe members arranged on the front and both sides of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the engine 22 are connected with the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body as parts of the conventional intercooler pipe 28 (See Fig. 6 and Fig. 7), and the intercooler 27 to use the mount member 1 as the intercooler pipe. Therefore, the conventional intercooler pipe 28 can be eliminated. In this arrangement, intake air is compressed by the supercharger 2 6, the compressed air is fed from the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger and the mount member on one side 1L to the intercooler 27 to decrease the temperature of the intake air elevated by the compression, and intake air at the lowered temperature is fed through the mount member on the other side 1R and the piping 5 on the throttle body to the throttle body 2 9 for combustion. With the mount member 1 used as a part of the air intake passage, the air intake passage can satisfactorily be established without the conventional intercooler pipe 28. Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, in a vehicle having no supercharger and being provided with an air cleaner 8 and a throttle body 29 mounted separately on the left and the right sides of the vehicle body, a piping 9 on the side of the air cleaner to be connected to the air cleaner 8 is connected to one end of a mount member 10 and a piping 5 on the side of the throttle body 29 to be connected to the throttle body 29 is connected to the other end of the mount member 10 to form a single unit so that the mount member 10 can be used as a part of the air intake passage. In this arrangement, an additional air intake passage is not necessary. Since the present invention is a structure of the air intake passage for engines constructed as described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pipe member for supporting the power unit disposed on the vehicle can be used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the supercharger to the throttle body, whereby a part of the specific air intake passage can be eliminated. Accordingly, the number of the components or of the steps of assembly may be reduced, thereby improving operability. Reduced number of the components reduces the weight to a large extent and reduces the required space. In addition, since the air intake passage (intercooler pipe) can be shortened in comparison with that of the prior art, the performance of the intercooler can be improved. Since the intercooler pipe can be eliminated, the mount member can easily be arranged. In the second aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage connecting the supercharger located on the exhaust side of the engine and the throttle body located at the air intake side of the engine, a part of air intake passage upstream and downstream from the intercooler (intercooler pipe) can be eliminated, and thus the flexibility in layout of the auxiliary machines of the engine such as a mount member, a generator, a compressor or the like can be increased. In addition, as it is not necessary to dispose the intercooler pipe while bypassing the mount member, there is no possibility that the intercooler pipe projects out of the frame, thereby improving appearance thereof and increasing the value of the product. In the third aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member located in front of the power unit is used as a connecting pipe of the intercooler that is generally disposed in front of the power unit in order to enhance the cooling property, the piping of the intercooler can be realized without additional components. In the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member located on the exhaust side of the engine is connected with the piping on the side of the supercharger and the pipe member located on the air intake side of the engine is connected with the piping on the side of the throttle body, the pipe member for supporting both sides of the power unit can effectively be used. In the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the portion of the pipe member, which is not used as a main air intake passage, is functioned as an air intake resonator, the specific resonator is not necessary. Therefore, space-saving is realized and the number of the components and steps of assembly can be reduced, thereby improving operability. In addition, the reduced number of the components contributes to reduce the weight to a large extent. In the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the air cleaner to the throttle body even for the vehicle having no supercharger and being provide with an air cleaner and a throttle body mounted separately on the air intake side and the exhaust sides of the engine body, a new arrangement of the air intake passage for preventing interference with the mount member or the like can be eliminated. WE CLAIM: 1. A structure of an air intake passage for engines wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of said pipe member is used as a part of said intake passage. 2. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air intake passage constitutes a part of the passage extending from a supercharger through an intercooler that cools supercharged intake air down to a throttle body. 3. The structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pipe members are separated at an arbitrary position in front of the power unit to form two pipe members, and one of them is used as an upstream passage of the intercooler and the other is used as a downstream passage of the intercooler. 4. The structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pipe member used as an upstream passage of said intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the supercharger, the connecting portion between said pipe member and the piping on the side of the supercharger is located on either one of the sides of said power unit, the pipe member used as a downstream passage of said intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the throttle body, and the connecting portion between said pipe member and the piping on the side of the throttle body is located on the other one of the sides of said power unit. 5. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pipe member is connected with the mount member for connecting between both side portions of said power unit and the pipe member, so that at least one of the portions of the pipe members connected with said mount members on both sides of said power unit serves as an air intake resonator. 6. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and said pipe member constitutes a part of said air intake passage extending from an air cleaner to a throttle body. 7. A structure of an air intake passage for engines substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 20th day of April, 2001. [RITUSHKA NEGI] OF REMFRY & SAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Full Text

197766
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10]
' A STRUCTURE OF AN AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES"

SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, a Japanese company, of 300, Takatsuka-cho, Hamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan,
The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

GRANTED

3-5-2005

STRUCTURE OF AIR INTAKE PASSAGE FOR ENGINES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of air intake passage for engine that uses a pipe member (mount member) for supporting the engine body as a part of the air intake passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the turbo vehicles having a power unit disposed at the center of the vehicle body under the floor have such a layout that the power unit 21, that is, an engine 22 and a transmission 23 are positioned as low as possible above the ground 24 in order to reserve a space in the cabin of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 5. However, when a mount member 25 for supporting the engine 22 or the like is mounted in order to improve the performance to restrain vibration and noise, the mount member 25 is disposed on the front side or the rear side of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the engine 22, considering the height thereof above the ground. In Fig. 5, the numerals U, R and F represent the upper direction, the rearward direction and the frontward direction of the vehicle, respectively.
Especially, in case of the 4WD (four wheel drive), a mount member 25 is routed on the front side of an engine 22 since a transfer case (not shown) is too large to route the mount member 25 along the rear side of the engine 22 as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7.
In case of the turbo vehicle, an intercooler 27 to be connected to a supercharger (exhaust gas turbine system) 26 is necessary to be disposed in the forward section of the vehicle that is subjected to a wind from a performance viewpoint, and thus an intercooler pipes 28 extending from the intercooler 27 are separated at the front section of the vehicle F to the left and the right of the vehicle; to the supercharger 2 6 on the exhaust side at one end and to a throttle body 29 on the

intake side at the other end.
The numeral 30 in Figs. 5 to 7 designates a mount member comprising a mount bracket 31 and a mount (right side in Fig. 6 only) 32, the numeral 33 in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 designates a front propeller shaft, the numerals 34L and 34R in Fig. 7 designate the left vehicle body frame and the right vehicle body frame respectively, and the numeral 35 is a cross member connecting the frames 34L and 34R.
In the prior art described above, in case of the 4WD turbo vehicle, when the mount member 25 is routed on the front side of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the same, the mount member 25 have to be made into a complex shape disadvantageously to bypass the front propeller shaft 33 disposed on the front side of the engine 22.
The shape of the mount member 25 have to be made in a complex shape disadvantageously as in the above-described case also because the intercooler pipes 28 are disposed in such a manner that they are separated at the front section F of the vehicle into the left and the right so as to prevent interference with the front propeller shaft 33.
In addition, since the intercooler pipe 28 and mount member 25 are routed along the positions close with respect to each other due to the layout thereof, it is difficult to establish a clearance between them. In this case, when the position of the mount member 25 takes priority over that of the intercooler pipe 28, the intercooler pipe 28 have to be routed around the vehicle body frames 34L and 34R. As a consequent, the length of the intercooler pipe 28 increases, and thus the weight increases as well, and accordingly, the cost increases. Moreover, when the length of the intercooler pipe 28 increases, it is vulnerable to pressure loss or the like, thereby deteriorating the performance.
There is an air intake apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 5-34412. However, the subject of the present invention, which is to eliminate the

intercooler pipe, is not achieved in this apparatus disclosed in the publication since the air intake pipe extending from the intercooler to the air intake manifold is routed through the side frame.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With these conditions in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of an air intake passage for engine, in which a hollow portion of the mount member (pipe member) for supporting the engine is used as a part of an air intake passage, and the intercooler pipe is eliminated to reduce the weight and cost and to prevent the complexity of the shape of the mount member.
In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention relates to a structure of an air intake passage for engine comprising a power unit disposed in a vehicle, wherein the power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between the front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of the pipe member is used as a part of the intake passage.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the hollow portion of the pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view for supporting the power unit (the engine and the transmission) disposed in the vehicle is used as a part of the air intake passage from a supercharger to a throttle body, and an intake air is supplied through the pipe member. This connection contributes to eliminate a part of the specific air intake passage (intercooler pipe).
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, the air intake passage constitutes a part of the passage extending from the supercharger through the intercooler that cools supercharged intake air down to the throttle body.
In the structure of the second aspect of the present invention, a part of the air intake passage extending from the

supercharger through the intercooler to the throttle body is formed of the pipe member for supporting the power unit. In other words, the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage connecting between the supercharger located on the exhaust side of the engine and the throttle body located on the air intake side of the engine, so that parts of the air intake passage (intercooler pipe) upstream and downstream from the intercooler are eliminated, thereby increasing the flexibility in layout of the auxiliary machines of the engine such as the mount member or the generator.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the second aspect of the invention, the pipe members are separated at an arbitrary position in front of the power unit to form two pipe members, and one of them is used as an upstream passage of the intercooler and the other is used as a downstream passage of the intercooler.
In the structure of the third aspect of the present invention, a pipe member located in front of the power unit is used as an air intake passage of the intercooler, which is in many cases disposed in front of the power unit in order to enhance the cooling performance. With the pipe member used in such a manner, the passage for the intercooler is formed without additional components.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the third aspect of the invention, the pipe member used as an upstream passage of the intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the supercharger, the connecting portion between the pipe member and the piping on the side of the supercharger is located on one of the sides of the power unit, the pipe member used as a downstream passage of the intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the throttle body, and the connecting portion between the pipe member and the piping on

the side of the throttle body is located on the other one of the sides of the power unit.
In the structure of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pipe member located on the exhaust side of the engine is connected with the air intake passage from the supercharger, that is, the piping on the side of the supercharger, and the pipe member located on the air intake side of the engine is connected with the air intake passage to the throttle body, that is, the piping on the side of the throttle body, so that the pipe members for supporting both sides of the power unit are effectively used.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, the pipe member is connected with the mount member for connecting between both side portions of the power unit and the pipe member, so that at least one of the portions of the pipe members connected with the mount members on both sides of the power unit serves as an air intake resonator.
In the structure of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the portion of the pipe member that is not used as a main air intake passage is functioned as an air intake resonator. Therefore, the specific resonator is not necessary to be provided.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the first aspect of the invention, a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, the power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and the pipe member constitutes a part of the air intake passage extending from an air cleaner to a throttle body.
In the structure of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the pipe member for supporting the power unit can be used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the air cleaner to the throttle body even in the case where an supercharger is not provided and the air cleaner and the

throttle body are disposed separately on the air intake side and the exhaust side of the engine respectively. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a new layout for an air intake passage for preventing interference with the mount member or the like of the pipe member.
The present invention relates to a structure of an air intake passage for engines wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of said pipe member is used as a part of said intake passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING RAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a principal portion of an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the principal portion in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the rear end portion of the mount member in Fig. 1 is formed as an air intake resonator;
Fig. 4 is a plan view showing other embodiments of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is an explanatory side view showing the mount member of the vehicle having an engine disposed at the center of the vehicle body under the floor;
Fig.. 6 is a plan view showing a conventional layout of the mount member and the intercooler pipe; and
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the layout in Fig. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 schematically illustrating a principal portion, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In these figures, identical numerals are designated to the identical parts in Figs. 5 to 7. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 schematically show the principal portion of the turbo vehicle having a power unit 21 at the center of the vehicle under the floor. The vehicle has an engine 22 and a transmission 23 constituting the power unit 21 disposed therein.
Disposed on the front side and both sides of the power unit 21 are mount members 1 formed of metallic pipe members in

substantially U-shape in top view in such a manner as to enclose the power unit 21. The mount member 1 serves to support the engine body via a mount member 30 provided on both sides of the engine 22.
The above-described mount members 1 are separated at the appropriate point in front of the engine 22, and one of the separated mount members IL is disposed from the front surface of the engine 22 along the left side of the engine 22, and the other mount member 1R is disposed from the front surface of the engine 22 along the right side of the engine 22.
The front portion of the respective mount members IL and 1R are bent in front of the engine 22 and then extending straightforward of the vehicle in parallel. These two front portions are welded into a single unit with a connecting plate 2. The mount members 1 are suspended from the vehicle body (not shown), by a brackets 3 welded to the mount member on one side IL and the mount member on the other side 1R respectively.
The portion of the mount member on one side IL located in front of the engine 22 is bent upwardly to prevent interference with a front propeller shaft 33 for the four wheel drive (4WD) as shown in Fig. 2.
Since the mount member 1 is formed of a pipe member as described above, the hollow portion therein can be commonly used as a part of the air intake passage. Therefore, the portion of the mount member on one side IL located on the left side of the engine 22 is connected to one end of a piping 4 on the side of an exhaust gas turbine type supercharger 26, and the other end of piping 4 is connected to the supercharger 26.
The portion of the mount member on the other side 1R located on the right side of the engine 22 is connected with one end of a piping 5 on the side of a throttle body 29, and the other end of piping 5 is connected to the throttle body 29. The connecting portion between the mount member on the other side 1R and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body is always provided on the opposite side of the connecting portion

between the mount member on one side 1L and the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger.
On the respective front portions of the mount member on one end 1L and the mount member on the other end IR, there is connected an intercooler 27 for cooling supercharged intake air down.
In this arrangement, the upstream passage of the intercooler 27 is constructed by the piping 4 on the side of supercharger and the mount member on one side 1L formed of a pipe member, and the downstream passage of the intercooler 27 is constructed by the mount member on the other side IR formed of a pipe member and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body. The air intake passage of the vehicle is constructed by the upstream passage, the intercooler 27 and the downstream passage.
The mount member on one side 1L is provided with a left mount member 30L for connecting the mount member on one side 1L and the left side portion of the engine 22 mounted thereon. In addition, the mount member on the other side IR is provided with a right mount member 30R for connecting the mount member on the other side IR and the right side portion of the engine 22 mounted thereon.
The left mount member 30L is composed of a mount bracket 31L and a mount (not shown), and the right mount member 30R is composed of a mount bracket 31R and a mount 32R (the right mount member 30R in Fig. 1 is composed of the mount bracket 31R and the mount 32R integrated as a single unit). These left and right mount members 1L and IR, and the engine 22 are connected by the known mount members 30L and 30R respectively.
As shown in Fig. 3, since the hollow portion of the section of the mount member on one side 1L to which the left mount member 30L is connected is not used as a main passage of the air intake passage, this portion can be used as an air intake resonator 6 for canceling out a specific frequency. The hollow portion of the mount member on the other side IR to

which the right mount member 30R is connected is not used as a main passage of the air intake passage as well, therefore this portion can also be used as an air intake resonator 6.
In this case, lids 7 (see Fig. 2) are fitted to rear portions of the mount member on one side 1L and the mount member on the other side 1R to keep them airtight. The capacity of the resonator 6 can easily be altered by changing the mounting position of the lid 7. It is enough to form the air intake resonator 6 on at least one of the mount member on one side 1L and the mount member on the other side 1R.
The effect of the embodiment is as follows. The mount members 1 formed of pipe members arranged on the front and both sides of the engine 22 in such a manner as to enclose the engine 22 are connected with the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger and the piping 5 on the side of the throttle body as parts of the conventional intercooler pipe 28 (See Fig. 6 and Fig. 7), and the intercooler 27 to use the mount member 1 as the intercooler pipe. Therefore, the conventional intercooler pipe 28 can be eliminated.
In this arrangement, intake air is compressed by the supercharger 2 6, the compressed air is fed from the piping 4 on the side of the supercharger and the mount member on one side 1L to the intercooler 27 to decrease the temperature of the intake air elevated by the compression, and intake air at the lowered temperature is fed through the mount member on the other side 1R and the piping 5 on the throttle body to the throttle body 2 9 for combustion. With the mount member 1 used as a part of the air intake passage, the air intake passage can satisfactorily be established without the conventional intercooler pipe 28.
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, in a vehicle having no supercharger and being provided with an air cleaner 8 and a throttle body 29 mounted separately on the left and the right sides of the vehicle body, a piping 9 on the side of the air

cleaner to be connected to the air cleaner 8 is connected to one end of a mount member 10 and a piping 5 on the side of the throttle body 29 to be connected to the throttle body 29 is connected to the other end of the mount member 10 to form a single unit so that the mount member 10 can be used as a part of the air intake passage. In this arrangement, an additional air intake passage is not necessary.
Since the present invention is a structure of the air intake passage for engines constructed as described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pipe member for supporting the power unit disposed on the vehicle can be used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the supercharger to the throttle body, whereby a part of the specific air intake passage can be eliminated. Accordingly, the number of the components or of the steps of assembly may be reduced, thereby improving operability. Reduced number of the components reduces the weight to a large extent and reduces the required space. In addition, since the air intake passage (intercooler pipe) can be shortened in comparison with that of the prior art, the performance of the intercooler can be improved. Since the intercooler pipe can be eliminated, the mount member can easily be arranged.
In the second aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage connecting the supercharger located on the exhaust side of the engine and the throttle body located at the air intake side of the engine, a part of air intake passage upstream and downstream from the intercooler (intercooler pipe) can be eliminated, and thus the flexibility in layout of the auxiliary machines of the engine such as a mount member, a generator, a compressor or the like can be increased. In addition, as it is not necessary to dispose the intercooler pipe while bypassing the mount member, there is no possibility that the intercooler pipe projects out of the frame, thereby improving appearance thereof and increasing the

value of the product.
In the third aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member located in front of the power unit is used as a connecting pipe of the intercooler that is generally disposed in front of the power unit in order to enhance the cooling property, the piping of the intercooler can be realized without additional components.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member located on the exhaust side of the engine is connected with the piping on the side of the supercharger and the pipe member located on the air intake side of the engine is connected with the piping on the side of the throttle body, the pipe member for supporting both sides of the power unit can effectively be used.
In the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the portion of the pipe member, which is not used as a main air intake passage, is functioned as an air intake resonator, the specific resonator is not necessary. Therefore, space-saving is realized and the number of the components and steps of assembly can be reduced, thereby improving operability. In addition, the reduced number of the components contributes to reduce the weight to a large extent.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the pipe member for supporting the power unit is used as a part of the air intake passage extending from the air cleaner to the throttle body even for the vehicle having no supercharger and being provide with an air cleaner and a throttle body mounted separately on the air intake side and the exhaust sides of the engine body, a new arrangement of the air intake passage for preventing interference with the mount member or the like can be eliminated.

WE CLAIM:
1. A structure of an air intake passage for engines wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and a hollow portion of said pipe member is used as a part of said intake passage.
2. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air intake passage constitutes a part of the passage extending from a supercharger through an intercooler that cools supercharged intake air down to a throttle body.
3. The structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pipe members are separated at an arbitrary position in front of the power unit to form two pipe members, and one of them is used as an upstream passage of the intercooler and the other is used as a downstream passage of the intercooler.
4. The structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pipe member used as an upstream passage of said intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the intercooler and the supercharger, the connecting portion between said pipe member and the piping on the side of the supercharger is located on either one of the sides of said power unit, the pipe member used as a downstream passage of said intercooler constitutes a part of the passage connecting between the

intercooler and the throttle body, and the connecting portion between said pipe member and the piping on the side of the throttle body is located on the other one of the sides of said power unit.
5. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pipe member is connected with the mount member for connecting between both side portions of said power unit and the pipe member, so that at least one of the portions of the pipe members connected with said mount members on both sides of said power unit serves as an air intake resonator.
6. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a power unit is disposed in a vehicle, said power unit is supported by a pipe member of substantially U-shape in top view connecting between front surface and both side surfaces, and said pipe member constitutes a part of said air intake passage extending from an air cleaner to a throttle body.
7. A structure of an air intake passage for engines substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of April, 2001.
[RITUSHKA NEGI]
OF REMFRY & SAGAR
ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

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Patent Number

197766

Indian Patent Application Number

356/MUM/2001

PG Journal Number

41/2008

Publication Date

10-Oct-2008

Grant Date

27-Jan-2006

Date of Filing

20-Apr-2001

Name of Patentee

SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION

Applicant Address

300, TAKATSUKA-CHO, HAMATSU-SHI, SHIZUOKA-KEN, JAPAN.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	MANABU WADA	C/O SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, 300, TAKATSUKA-CHO, HAMATSU-SHI, SHIZUOKA-KEN, JAPAN.
2	ATSUSHI KOBAYASHI	C/O SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, 300, TAKATSUKA-CHO, HAMATSU-SHI, SHIZUOKA-KEN, JAPAN.
3	SHINICHIRO KATO	C/O SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, 300, TAKATSUKA-CHO, HAMATSU-SHI, SHIZUOKA-KEN, JAPAN.

PCT International Classification Number

N/A

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	2000-131221	2000-04-28	Japan