Internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders, each of which two intake valves and two exhaust valves, respectively arranged in a valve mount of a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine as well as a coolant distributing chamber and a coolant accumulating chamber being associated to. For each cylinder two coolant ducts are formed in the cylinder head and each is fluidly connected to the corresponding coolant distributing chamber and the corresponding coolant accumulating chamber. A first one of the coolant ducts on a first side extends about a first one of the intake valves and on a second side opposite the first side about a first one of the exhaust valves, and a second one of the coolant ducts extends on the first side about a second one of the intake valves and on the second side about a second one of the exhaust valves.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder operably connected to a respective coolant distributing chamber and a respective coolant accumulating chamber; and a cylinder head including a plurality of valve mounts associated to the cylinders such that each of the cylinders is operably connected to two of the valve mounts for receiving two intake valves, respectively, and operably connected to two of the valve mounts for receiving two exhaust valves, respectively, said cylinder head including for each of the cylinders two coolant ducts fluidly connected to the coolant distributing chamber and the coolant accumulating chamber, said coolant ducts extending fluidly separated from each other from the coolant distributing chamber to the coolant accumulating chamber, wherein the two coolant ducts have a curved configuration such that a first one of the coolant ducts is configured to extend in part on one side of a first one of the intake valves and in part on another side of a first one of the exhaust valves, and a second one of the coolant ducts is configured to extend in part on one side of a second one of the intake valves and another side of a second one of the exhaust valves.

2. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein each of the cooling ducts are in a curved shape so that the first one of the ducts extends outside of the first one of the intake valves and inside of the first one of the exhaust valves, and the second one of the coolant ducts extends inside of the second one of the intake valves and outside of the second one of the exhaust valves.

3. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein each of the cooling ducts are in a curved shape so that the first one of the ducts extends inside of the first one of the intake valves and outside of the first one of the exhaust valves, and the second one of the coolant ducts extends outside of the second one of the intake valves and inside of the second one of the exhaust valves.

4. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein the coolant ducts are arranged in a same plane.

5. The internal combustion engine of claim 4, wherein the plane is perpendicular to a longitudinal center axis of the cylinder.

6. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, further comprising a coolant circuit, said coolant distributing chamber having a coolant inlet port in fluid communication with the coolant circuit, and said coolant accumulating chamber having a coolant outlet port in fluid communication with the coolant circuit.

7. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein the coolant ducts have the same flow cross section.

8. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein the first of the intake valves and the first of the exhaust valves as well as the second of the intake valves and the second of the exhaust valves are respectively arranged in symmetry in relation to a symmetry plane extending through a longitudinal center axis of the cylinder.

9. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, further comprising a coolant conduit branching between the coolant distributing chamber and the coolant accumulating chamber from at least one of the coolant ducts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the drawing, without limiting the invention. It is shown hereby by the sole

(2) FIG. 1 a sectional view of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine having several cylinders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(3) The FIG. 1 shows a sectional view through a region of an internal combustion engine 1, namely through a cylinder head 2 of the internal combustion engine 1. The internal combustion engine 1 has several cylinders, not shown here in greater detail, with two intake valves and two exhaust valves, not shown here in greater detail, being associated to each of the cylinders. The intake valves are arranged or can be arranged in valve mounts 3 and 4, the exhaust valves in valve mounts 5 and 6. Within the scope of this application, the arrangement of an intake valve or exhaust valve always relates to the arrangement of the corresponding valve mounts 3 to 6, or vice versa.

(4) An injector mount 7 can be seen between the valve mounts 3 to 6 of each cylinder. As an alternative, a spark plug may be provided at this location. For cooling the cylinder head 2 or the valves arranged in the valve mounts 3 to 6, a coolant distributing chamber 8, a coolant accumulating chamber 9 and at least two coolant ducts 10 and 11 are associated to each cylinder. The coolant ducts 10 and 11 extend hereby all in the same plane, in particular a plane that is perpendicular to longitudinal central axes 12 of the cylinders. The plane corresponds in the illustration chosen here to the drawing plane. The centers of the coolant ducts 10 and 11 respectively extend hereby in this plane, while the coolant ducts 10 and 11 extend, of course, downwardly and upwardly beyond this drawing plane.

(5) As is readily apparent, the coolant ducts 10 and 11 are each configured in the embodiment shown here, in the shape of an S. As an alternative, a mirrored configuration may, however, also be provided. The configuration is realized such that the coolant ducts 10 and 11 are fluidly separated from each other and extend from the coolant distributing chamber 8 to the coolant accumulating chamber 9. One of the coolant ducts 10 and 11, in this case, the coolant duct 11, extends hereby in a plan view between the valve mounts 3 and 4 for the intake valves and the other one of cooling ducts 10 and 11, here, the coolant duct 10, between the valve mounts 5 and 6 for the exhaust valves. In this way, a particularly good cooling effect for the intake valves and the exhaust valves is realized.

(6) The coolant distributing chamber 8 receives coolant via a coolant inlet port from a coolant circuit of the internal combustion engine 1. It then flows from the coolant distributing chamber 8 into the coolant accumulating chamber 9 and flows from the latter via a coolant outlet port again into the coolant circuit of the internal combustion engine 1. Preferably, the coolant inlet ports of all cylinders are connected in parallel relation to the coolant circuit of the internal combustion engine 1.

(7) To realize a uniform flow through the coolant ducts 10 and 11, the latter have the same flow cross section, in particular over their entire longitudinal extension. It can be provided that a coolant conduit 13 branches from at least one of the coolant ducts 10 and 11, here some of the coolant ducts 10, and is connected on its side distal to the coolant ducts 10 to a coolant pocket 14 which is also formed in the cylinder head 2. With the aid of the coolant conduit 13, regions of the cylinder head 2 at a remote location to the valve mounts 3 to 6 can be reliably supplied with coolant.