Nissan Motor Company Limited

Takao Kubozuka

Yoshinori Hirano

Naoki Ogawa

Hirofumi Takei

Akira Sasaki

Hiroshi Miyakubo

Masahiko Kondo

Kazushige Maeda

Yoshimasa Hayashi

Eiichi Abe

Haruki Yashiro

Yoji Ito

Hisafumi Usuki

Yoichi Uraki

Hideya Yamaguchi

An expansion chamber, and first and second volume chambers on either side of said expansion chamber, are formed inside a muffler housing. Engine exhaust is led by an inlet tube to the first volume chamber, and an opening facing the expansion chamber is formed in an intermediate part of the inlet tube. Exhaust in the second volume chamber is discharged outside by a tail tube, and an opening is formed facing the expansion chamber in an intermediate part of the tail tube. A valve is provided for leading exhaust from the first volume chamber to the second volume chamber according to a pressure difference between the chambers. This forms two exhaust flowpaths. A resonance system with two degrees of freedom is thereby formed with respect to exhaust discharged via the two openings and the expansion chamber, and a high noise silencing efficiency is obtained.

Automobile exhaust noise silencer

An inlet tube leads exhaust gas from an automobile engine to an expansion chamber inside a muffler housing. Exhaust gas from the expansion chamber is discharged to the atmosphere via a first tail tube. A dead space chamber and volume chamber are disposed on either side of the expansion chamber in the housing, and a first internal tube connects the volume chamber and expansion chamber. A second internal tube having a valve which opens under pressure of the exhaust gas connects the volume chamber and dead space chamber. Exhaust gas from the dead space chamber is discharged to the atmosphere via a second tail tube. As the dead space chamber and volume chamber are not adjacent, pressure waves in the volume chamber do not cause a volume change of the dead space chamber, and emission noise from the second tail tube due to excitation of a resonance system comprising the dead space chamber, is reduced.

An oil pan for an internal combustion engine includes an outer shell made of metal plate an includes on at least a bottom surface of the outer shell and inner pan separate from the outer shell. The bottom of the oil pan includes a deep portion and a shallow portion and a baffle plate is disposed over the inner pan. The inner pan settles on the inner surface of the outer shell amidst the oil contained in the oil pan, thereby forming a layer of oil between the outer shell and the inner pan. Thus, oil flow is not impeded and vibration of the oil pan is significantly reduced. In addition, wall portions of the inner pan are made to be deformable so as not to cause strong impact to other portions of the oil pan structure or to engine components.

Construction of oil pan for internal combusion engine

A front cover has at a front surface central portion thereof an integral mounting seat for installation of a mounting bracket and at a rear surface central portion thereof an integral boss adapted to extend between the mounting seat and a front end of a cylinder head and cylinder block assembly. The boss is fastened together with the mounting bracket to the front end of the cylinder head and cylinder block assembly. A resilient sealing member is interposed between the peripheral end of the front cover and the front end of the cylinder head and cylinder block assembly such that the front cover is supported rigidly at the boss together with the mounting bracket and resiliently at the peripheral end upon the front end of the cylinder head and cylinder block assembly.

Front cover arrangement in transversely mounted type internal combustion

An engine anti-knock control arrangement controls both the ignition timing system and an evaporative cooling system so that when the engine is operating in a predetermined engine speed and load zone and engine knock is detected, the cooling system is operated to reset the temperature to which the coolant (and therefore the engine) should be controlled, to a predetermined minimum value and the ignition timing incrementally retarded until the knocking phenomenon terminates. While the temperature is dropping and knocking is absent, the ignition timing is incrementally advanced until the knock threshold is reached and thus brings the timing as close as practical to the MBT value for the instant set of operating conditions. Cyclic repetition of the ignition timing advancement and retardation holds the timing at MBT while the engine is operating in the predetermined zone.

Anti-knock system for automotive internal combustion engine

An evaporative cooling system features a reservoir which contains only sufficient coolant to fill the radiator when the engine is not in use and thus reduces the weight of the system. The remaining sections of the cooling circuit such as the upper section of the coolant jacket which are fairly resistant to corrosion are filled with air during non-use periods. The air is suitably purged out during engine warm-up and operation in accordance with the temperature differential which exists between the coolant jacket and the bottom of the radiator.

Cooling system for automotive engine or the like

In order to prevent wasteful cooling fan energization when the radiator or condensor of an evaporative type cooling system is partially filled in a manner which hinders heat exchange promotion and defeats any merit derived by operating a fan at full power, the fan is operated at a lower level to reduce fan noise and power consumption.

In order to diagnose a malfunction an evaporative cooling system upon the engine being initially started or in response to a demand for engine operation (e.g. cranking of the engine) the outputs of a sensor or sensors are monitored and diagnostic check of the system performed to determine if the sensors and or valves of the system are operating properly. In the event that a malfunction is indicated a warning is issued and/or the operation of the engine prevented.

In order to predict a system malfunction which will lead to overheat and thermal damage of the engine the operation of a level sensor which controls the level of coolant in the coolant jacket of the engine is monitored and in the event that frequency or the time for which the level sensor indicates a low level, falls outside of a predetermine range which defines malfunction free operation, a warning of impending engine overheat or the like is issued.

In order to obviate vapor locking and subsequent cavitation of a pump which returns coolant vapor condensate from a radiator to the coolant jacket of an evaporative type cooled internal combustion engine and maintains the highly heated structure of the engine immersed in a predetermined depth of liquid coolant, the load on the pump is sensed by determining the amount of electrical current the pump is drawing and in the event that the load is at a level indicative of pump cavitation the connection between the radiator and the pump is interrupted and communication between a reservoir and the pump is established so as to introduce cool liquid coolant into the induction port of the pump.

In the event that the normal coolant return pump of an evaporative type automotive cooling system malfunctions, a back-up system establishes fluid communication between the cooling circuit and the circulation pump of a heater circuit in a manner which enables the heater circulation pump to be used in place of the normal unit until such time as repair can be effected.

Cooling system for automotive engine or the like including coolant

In order to minimize the size of an evaporation cooled internal combustion engine, the coolant vapor collection space located within the coolant jacket above the most strongly heated structure of the engine is reduced in size and a separator unit, which separates liquid coolant from the gaseous form, is disposed between a vapor manifold mounted on the engine a radiator in which the coolant vapor is condensed to its liquid state. The coolant collected in the separator is pumped back into the coolant jacket at locations where the coolant boils most vigorously. An amount of coolant extracted from a relatively cool section of the coolant jacket is also recirculated by the pump to the same locations.

In order to rapidly bring the temperature of the coolant in the coolant jacket of an evaporative type cooling system to a derived target value, both the rate of heat exchange between the condenser or radiator of the system and the surrounding ambient atmospheric air and the amount of coolant in the cooling circuit are varied in a manner to change the pressure and therefore the boiling point of the coolant. With the invention coolant is positively pumped to and from a reservoir which is maintained at atmospheric pressure into and out of a cooling circuit which is hermetically sealed during engine operation.

A vapor cooled type internal combustion engine is provided with an auxiliary reservoir and a coolant management system. The management system establishes fluid communication between the reservoir and a cooling circuit of the engine in a manner to fill the latter with liquid coolant when the engine is not in use and thus exclude contaminating non-condensible air from same, and monitors the operation of the system when operating in a closed mode to determine if too much or too little coolant has been retained in the circuit following a warm-up mode wherein the excess coolant which fills the system when cold, is displaced by its own vapor pressure. The management system also ensures that the cooling circuit is not switched from closed to open states while the possibility of superatmospheric pressures developing therein exist and thus prevents violent displacement of coolant out of the circuit to the reservoir in a manner which invites spillage of coolant and the entry of large amounts of contaminating air.

Cooling system for automotive engine

An improved cylinder head of internal combustion engine cooled by a so-called boiling liquid cooling system is disclosed, which has in its coolant jacket baffle members in order to inhibit the movement of liquid coolant within the jacket due to changes in attitude of the engine.

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Takao Kubozuka