초록 ▼

An intake manifold with a swirl system for an internal combustion engine provided with a number of cylinders; the intake manifold has, for each cylinder, an intake pipe, which is adapted to connect the intake manifold to the cylinder and has, in turn, two reciprocally parallel channels; the swirl sy

An intake manifold with a swirl system for an internal combustion engine provided with a number of cylinders; the intake manifold has, for each cylinder, an intake pipe, which is adapted to connect the intake manifold to the cylinder and has, in turn, two reciprocally parallel channels; the swirl system is provided with: for each intake pipe, a choking valve, which is arranged inside a channel of the intake pipe and is adapted to vary the air introduction section through the channel; and a single actuator device, which simultaneously and synchronically displaces all the choking valves and is provided with a motor and a mechanical transmission system which transmits the motion from the motor to all the choking valves.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. An intake manifold (3) with a swirl system (14) for an internal combustion engine (1) provided with a number of cylinders (2); the intake manifold (3) comprises, for each cylinder (2), an intake pipe (9), which is adapted to connect the intake manifold (3) to the cylind

The invention claimed is: 1. An intake manifold (3) with a swirl system (14) for an internal combustion engine (1) provided with a number of cylinders (2); the intake manifold (3) comprises, for each cylinder (2), an intake pipe (9), which is adapted to connect the intake manifold (3) to the cylinder (2) and comprises, in turn, two reciprocally parallel channels (10); the swirl system (14) comprises: for each intake pipe (9), a choking valve (15), which is arranged inside a channel (10) of the intake pipe (9) and is adapted to vary the air introduction section through the channel (10); and a single actuator device (16), which simultaneously and synchronically displaces all the choking valves (15) and is provided with a motor (17) and with a mechanical transmission system (18) which transmits the motion from the motor (17) to all the chocking valves (15); the intake manifold (3) is characterized in that: each choking valve (15) comprises an actuating lever (22) angularly integral with a pivotally mounted shaft (19) of the choking valve (15) itself; the mechanical transmission system (18) comprises a number of stiff connecting rods (24) which are reciprocally independent and separated, each of which reciprocally connects two actuating levers (22) of two adjacent choking valves (15); and the mechanical transmission system (18) comprises two stroke ends (33) which are arranged at opposite ends of the mechanical transmission system (18) and define the respective limit positions corresponding to the closing and maximum opening positions of the choking valves (15). 2. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 1, wherein the two stroke ends (33) are mechanically coupled to the actuating levers (22) of the two choking valves (15) arranged at the opposite ends of the mechanical transmission system (18). 3. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 1, wherein the actuator device (16) comprises a position sensor (34), which is adapted to either directly or indirectly detect the position of the movable part of the motor (17). 4. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 3, wherein the actuator device (16) comprises a control unit (35), which drives the motor (17) to displace the mechanical transmission system (18) from a first limit position against a corresponding first stroke end (33) to a second limit position against a corresponding second stroke end (33) opposite to the first stroke end (33); the control unit (35) is connected to the position sensor (34) to check if the mechanical transmission system (18) performs a larger displacement than the displacement allowed by the presence of the stroke ends (33) and to indicate a malfunctioning if the mechanical transmission system (18) performs a larger displacement than the displacement allowed by the presence of the stroke ends (33). 5. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 1, wherein the motor (17) is mechanically connected to a central connecting rod (24) of the mechanical transmission system (18). 6. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 5, wherein the actuator device (16) comprises a fork-like connecting element (31), which is fitted onto a shaft of the motor (17) on one side and is coupled to a pin (32) of the central connection rod (24) on the other side, so as to be able to freely rotate with respect to the first pin (32) itself. 7. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 1, wherein the actuating lever (22) of each choking valve (15) has a plate (25) arranged perpendicularly to the rotation axis (20) and fitted onto the shaft (19) and a pair of second pins (26), which are parallel to the rotation axis (20) and are eccentrically arranged on opposite sides of the rotation axis (20) itself; each connecting rod (24) has two opposite ends hinged to two corresponding second pins (26) of two different adjacent choking valves (15). 8. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 7, wherein each connecting rod (24) has two through holes (27), which are arranged at the opposite ends of the connecting rod (24) and receive the corresponding second pins (26) of two different adjacent choking valves (15). 9. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 7, wherein each plate (25) has a central hole (29) having a toothing; each shaft (19) has an end (29) which is inserted into the central hole (29) of the plate (25) and has a toothing which meshes with the toothing of the central hole (29). 10. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 9, wherein the end (29) of the shaft (19) is welded to the plate (25) once it has been inserted into the central hole (29) of the plate (25). 11. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 9, wherein each plate (25) has two side holes (30), which are arranged on the opposite sides of the central hole (29) and receive the two second pins (26). 12. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 11, wherein two second pins (26) are welded to the plate (25) once they have been inserted into the corresponding side holes (30). 13. An intake manifold (3) according to claim 1, wherein each choking valve (15) comprises: the shaft (19), which is pivotally mounted to rotate about a central rotation axis (20) under the bias of the actuator device (16) and has a butterfly valve (21) which is adapted to close a channel (10) of a corresponding intake pipe (9); the actuating lever (22) which is angularly integral with the shaft (19); and a fastening flange (23), which is fitted onto the shaft (19) so as to be able to rotate with respect to the shaft (19) itself and is made integral with a wall of the intake manifold (3).