Media Channel Assembly for an Internal Combustion Engine, Internal Combustion Engine Having a Media Channel Assembly, Motor Vehicle Having an Internal Combustion Engine and Method for Producing a Media Channel Assembly

Abstract

A media channel assembly for an internal combustion engine includes at least one distribution channel for distributing a medium to various components of the internal combustion engine, and at least one supply channel, which is coupled to the distribution channel by way of at least one media passage opening. At least a wall region of the distribution channel lying opposite the media passage opening is curved, at least in parts, toward the media passage opening. An internal combustion engine includes such a media channel assembly, and a motor vehicle includes such an internal combustion engine.

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. A media channel assembly for an internal combustion engine, comprising: at least one distributor channel, which serves for distributing a medium to various components of the internal combustion engine; and at least one inflow channel, which is coupled to the distributor channel via at least one media passage opening, wherein at least one first wall region, situated opposite the media passage opening, of the distributor channel is, at least regionally, curved toward the media passage opening.

11. The media channel assembly according to claim 10, wherein at least one second wall region, which adjoins the first wall region and is situated opposite the media passage opening, is curved oppositely in relation to the media passage opening.

12. The media channel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the distributor channel has a narrowing region with an opening cross section which narrows in a direction of a channel end which is spaced apart from the first wall region.

13. The media channel assembly according 12, further comprising: a plurality of media outflow channels which are spaced apart from one another and are distributed along the narrowing region, the plurality of media outflow channels being capable of being supplied with the medium via the distributor channel.

14. The media channel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the media channel assembly is, at least regionally, formed from plastic.

15. The media channel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the media channel assembly is an oil gallery.

16. An internal combustion engine comprising a media channel assembly according to claim 10.

17. A motor vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine according to claim 16.

18. A method for producing a media channel assembly, comprising: introducing a liquid plastic into a cavity which shapes the media channel assembly to have a distributor channel and an inflow channel coupled to the distributor channel via at least one media passage opening, wherein a first wall region, situated opposite the media passage opening, of the distributor channel is, at least regionally, curved toward the media passage opening; and subsequently pressing a liquid into the cavity so as to force a part of the liquid plastic out of the cavity, whereby the part of the liquid plastic is separated from plastic remaining in the cavity that forms the media channel assembly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a highly abstract illustration of a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine which has a media channel assembly (shown in a schematic side view);

[0020] FIG. 2 is an enlarged illustration of a region A (bordered in FIG. 1) of the media channel assembly; and

[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional illustration of the media channel assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a highly abstract illustration of a motor vehicle K with an internal combustion engine 100.

[0023] The internal combustion engine 100 comprises a media channel assembly 10, which is in the form of an oil gallery in the present case. The media channel assembly 10 thus serves for guiding a medium 12 (illustrated by respective arrows), which medium is oil, in particular engine oil, in the present case.

[0024] The media channel assembly 10 comprises a distributor channel 20, via which the medium 12 can be guided to various components, including for example crankshaft bearings of the internal combustion engine 100. For this purpose, the media channel assembly 10 comprises a plurality of media outflow channels 60 which are spaced apart from one another, wherein in each case one of the media outlet channels 60 serves for guiding the medium 12 (oil in this case) to in each case one of the components.

[0025] The media channel assembly 10 furthermore comprises an inflow channel 70, which is coupled to the distributor channel 20 via a media passage opening 72. The medium 12 can thus be introduced into the distributor channel 20 through the inflow channel 70 and via the media passage opening 72. The media passage opening 72 is indicated in FIG. 1 by a dashed line.

[0026] A wall region 30, situated opposite the media passage opening 72, of the distributor channel 20 is curved toward the media passage opening 72, as can be seen particularly clearly in FIG. 2, which shows an enlarged illustration of a region A that is bordered by dashed lines in FIG. 1. In other words, it is thus the case that the distributor channel 20 has a curvature which is associated with the wall region 30 and which faces toward the media passage opening 72, which curvature may also be referred to as first curvature.

[0027] A second wall region 50, which adjoins the wall region 30 and is situated opposite the media passage opening 72, is—by contrast to the (first) wall region 30—curved oppositely in relation to the media passage opening 72. In other words, it is thus the case that the distributor channel 20 has a curvature which is associated with the second wall region 50 and which faces away from the media passage opening 72, which curvature may also be referred to as second curvature.

[0028] The distributor channel 20 moreover comprises a narrowing region 40 with an opening cross section 42 which narrows in the direction 22 of a channel end which is spaced apart from the wall region 30. Here, the direction 22 is illustrated by a further arrow. Arranged distributed along the narrowing region 40 are the respective media outflow channels 60, which can be supplied with the medium 12 via the distributor channel 20.

[0029] In the present case, the media channel assembly 10 is formed completely from plastic 14, wherein respective wall thicknesses of a wall, formed from the plastic, of the media channel assembly 10 can be seen in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 moreover shows that the media channel assembly 10 comprises a rising channel 62 which can be supplied with the medium 12 via the distributor channel 20. The medium 12 can be guided via the rising channel 62 to a cylinder head (not shown in any more detail) as a further component of the internal combustion engine 100.

[0030] In a method for producing the media channel assembly 10, firstly liquid plastic can be introduced into a cavity (not shown in any more detail in the present case), which provides shaping for the media channel assembly 10. The cavity may for example be in the form of a cast component. Subsequently, a liquid, in particular water, is pressed into the cavity and is in this way, as it were, injected into the cavity. In this way, a part of the liquid plastic is displaced from and thus forced out of the cavity, whereby the part of the liquid plastic is separated from plastic 14 remaining in the cavity, which forms the media channel assembly 10. The remaining plastic 14 forms in this case a thermally insulating wall of the media channel assembly 10.

[0031] In summary, the present media channel assembly 10 makes possible guidance of the medium 12 (oil in this case) that particularly has low flow resistance and consequently is optimized in terms of pressure loss, particularly as the media channel assembly 10 is not only provided with the correspondingly curved wall regions 30, 50 but also has roundings and the narrowing region 40. The cavity may, for example, be in the form of and provided as a cast component into which the liquid plastic can be introduced. The pressing of the liquid into the cavity results in the surplus part of the liquid plastic being displaced from the cavity, wherein the plastic 14 remaining in the cavity provides thermally insulating action.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0032] 10 Media channel assembly [0033] 12 Medium [0034] 14 Plastic [0035] 20 Distributor channel [0036] 22 Direction [0037] 30 Wall region [0038] 40 Narrowing region [0039] 42 Opening cross section [0040] 50 Second wall region [0041] 60 Media outflow channel [0042] 62 Rising channel [0043] 70 Inflow channel [0044] 72 Media passage opening [0045] 100 Internal combustion engine [0046] K Motor vehicle