Variable intake system for vehicle

Abstract

A variable intake system includes an intake manifold having at least one runner, an opening/closing unit for adjusting a length of the runner, an actuator for activating the opening/closing unit, and a vacuum unit defining a vacuum chamber for driving the actuator. The vacuum unit is disposed inside the intake manifold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable intake system for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a lower body of a variable intake system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an example where a vacuum chamber lower body is coupled to the lower body of the variable intake system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an example where a vacuum chamber upper body is coupled to the vacuum chamber lower body of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A throttle valve 110 through which external air is introduced and an actuator 120 for operating an opening/closing unit 530 using a negative pressure from the vacuum chamber 550 are connected to a variable intake system 100 for a vehicle.

A lower body 200 is placed at a lower portion of the variable intake system 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, a runner 210 of an intake manifold is formed in the variable intake system 100.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper portion of the vacuum chamber 550 is inclined toward a runner inlet 410 and provided with a curved surface. Therefore, when the air is directed toward the runner inlet 410, the airflow resistance is minimized.

For convenience, only one of the runners of the intake manifold will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Referring to FIG. 5, the vacuum chamber upper body 400 is provided with a curved surface, being inclined toward the runner inlet 410.

As shown in FIG. 5, the opening/closing unit 530 for controlling the airflow is provided on an upper portion of the runner 210.

In FIG. 5, the throttle valve 110 is illustrated using a dotted line.

The air directed into the surge tank 510 through the throttle valve 110 is further directed into the runner 210.

The opening/closing unit 530 opens and closes according to the operation of the engine. When the opening/closing unit 530 is closed, the length of the runner 210 through which the air passes increases. When the opening/closing unit 530 is opened, the length of the runner 210 through-which the air passes is reduced.

When the vehicle runs at high speed, the opening/closing unit 530 is opened. When the vehicle runs at low speed, the opening/closing unit 530 is closed.

FIG. 5 shows an example when the opening/closing unit 530 is open. The one-point chain line shows when unit 530 is closed.

When the opening/closing unit 530 is open, air flows from the surge tank 510 into the runner 210 following the dotted arrow.

The opening/closing unit 530 is controlled by the actuator 120, which is driven by the negative pressure in the vacuum chamber 550, generated by the surge tank 510.

The actuator 120 is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper portion of the vacuum chamber 550 functions as a bell mouse that can minimize the airflow resistance when the air flows into the runner 210.

By the bell mouse having a relatively large radius, the chance of vortex generation is low. Also, the airflow resistance is low.

In FIG. 5, air from the surge tank 510 flows into the runner 210 through the runner inlet 410 in the direction of the solid arrow. The arrow in FIG. 5 is curved gently. This means that the airflow resistance is further reduced.

Since the variable intake system of the present invention has the vacuum chamber 550 placed inside, the structural rigidity is enhanced. The intake manifold or the barrier rib can be thin and thus weight of the overall system can be reduced.

Further, the volume of the vacuum chamber 550 can be enlarged without increasing the weight.

The noise is reduced by an air gap effect.

That is, since the vacuum chamber 550 has a different air density inside of the variable intake system, noise is reduced. Experiments show that noise is reduced throughout the entire region of the variable intake system.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A variable intake system for a vehicle, comprising: an intake manifold comprising at least one runner;at least one opening/closing unit for adjusting a length of the runner;at least one actuator for activating the opening/closing unit; andat least one vacuum unit defining a vacuum chamber for driving the actuator,and disposed inside the intake manifold.

2. The variable intake system of claim 1, wherein the vacuum unit comprises a vacuum chamber upper body and a vacuum chamber lower body.

3. The variable intake system of claim 2, wherein the vacuum chamber upper body and the vacuum chamber lower body are coupled to each other by vibration welding.

4. The variable intake system of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the vacuum unit comprises a curved surface inclined toward an inlet of the intake manifold.

5. The variable intake system of claim 1, wherein the opening/closing unit is disposed at an upper portion of the runner.

6. The variable intake system of claim 4, wherein an inlet portion of the runner comprises a shape of bell mouse.