TWM676889U - Water pump assembly structure - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a water pump assembly structure, including a water-cooled engine, a coolant tank, an electric water pump, a first coolant pipe, a second coolant pipe, a third coolant pipe, and an electronic control unit. The water-cooled engine is mounted on a vehicle frame and includes a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a water jacket. The cylinder head is connected to the cylinder, and the water jacket, housed within the cylinder head and cylinder, includes a water jacket inlet and a water jacket outlet. The coolant tank includes a tank inlet, a tank outlet, and a cooler body. The electric water pump includes a pump inlet, a pump outlet, and a pump body. The first cooling water pipe connects to the water jacket outlet and the water tank inlet at both ends, the second cooling water pipe connects to the water tank outlet and the water pump inlet at both ends, and the third cooling water pipe connects to the water pump outlet and the water jacket inlet at both ends. The electronic control unit is electrically connected to the electric water pump. In this invention, the mechanical water pump and thermostat of a conventional water-cooled engine are replaced by an electric water pump, which automatically controls the water flow rate of the water cooling system. The speed of the electric water pump is adjusted according to the different heat loads of the water-cooled engine, thus avoiding the loss of power to certain parts of the water-cooled engine and achieving energy saving.

Description

Water pump assembly structure

This work relates to a water pump assembly structure, and more particularly to a water pump assembly structure suitable for water-cooled engines.

In recent years, with stringent environmental regulations and the energy crisis worldwide, automobile and motorcycle manufacturers have been actively developing low-pollution, low-fuel-consumption, and high-performance engines. Among these, the side-mounted water-cooled engine technology, due to its compact design, achieves miniaturization of mechanical space and maximizes storage space, making it one of the engine technologies for small and medium-sized scooters that balances low fuel consumption and high-performance output.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a cross-sectional view of a conventional water-cooled engine with a mechanical water pump. The figure shows a common mainstream side-mounted water-cooled engine 9, which mainly includes a cylinder head 91 and a cylinder 92. The mechanical water pump 94 is located on the side of the cylinder head 91, which avoids the traditional placement in the crankcase 93 housing, making the lateral space of the crankcase 93 more compact (that is, the axial space of the crankshaft 931), so as to maximize the vehicle's cornering angle and achieve optimal vehicle handling. In addition, the water-cooled engine 9 also needs to be equipped with a coolant tank 95 and a thermostat 96. The coolant tank 95 is used to cool the temperature of the coolant, and the thermostat 96 is used as a switching switch to block the water circuit.

However, the coaxial mounting of the mechanical water pump 94 and the cam shaft 911 of the cylinder head 91 will partially deplete the power of the water-cooled engine 9, preventing further improvement in the energy efficiency of the water-cooled engine 9. Driven by this, and with a spirit of active creation, the creator sought a water pump assembly structure that could solve the aforementioned problem, and after numerous research and experiments, finally completed this creation.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a water pump assembly structure that replaces the mechanical water pump and thermostat of conventional water-cooled engines with an electronic water pump, which automatically controls the water flow rate of the water cooling system. The speed of the electronic water pump is adjusted according to the heat load of the water-cooled engine, thus avoiding the loss of local power of the water-cooled engine and achieving energy saving of the water-cooled engine.

To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a water pump assembly structure mounted on a motorcycle frame, including a water-cooled engine, a coolant tank, an electric water pump, a first coolant pipe, a second coolant pipe, a third coolant pipe, and an electronic control unit. The water-cooled engine, mounted on the frame, includes a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a water jacket. The cylinder head connects to the cylinder, and the water jacket is housed within the cylinder head and cylinder, including a water jacket inlet and a water jacket outlet. The coolant tank includes a tank inlet, a tank outlet, and a cooler body for cooling the coolant. The electric water pump includes a pump inlet, a pump outlet, and a pump body. The electronic control unit controls the operation timing of the electric water pump. The first cooling water pipe is connected to the water jacket outlet and the water tank inlet at both ends, respectively. The second cooling water pipe is connected to the water tank outlet and the water pump inlet at both ends, respectively. The third cooling water pipe is connected to the water pump outlet and the water jacket inlet at both ends, respectively. The electronic control unit is electrically connected to the electronic water pump.

Through the above design, the electric water pump of this invention can replace the mechanical water pump and thermostat of conventional water-cooled engines, making the water-cooled engine's space structure more compact and optimizing the vehicle's appearance. Secondly, the electric water pump will not cause problems such as oil emulsification and poor water leakage in water-cooled engines due to mechanical oil seal failure, thus extending its service life. Furthermore, the electric water pump can improve upon the localized power loss in water-cooled engines caused by the continuous operation of conventional mechanical water pumps when heat dissipation is not required, thereby further improving the energy efficiency of water-cooled engines.

The frame may include a head tube, a main tube, a bottom tube and a tail tube connected in sequence.

From the side view of the motorcycle, the electric water pump can be installed in the area surrounded by the coolant tank, one of the underpipe extensions, and the tailpipe.

The aforementioned electric water pump can be configured on the side of the cylinder head.

The aforementioned electric water pump may include a temperature sensor and a pulse width modulator.

The above overview and the following detailed description are illustrative in nature and are intended to further illustrate the scope of the patent application for this invention. Other purposes and advantages of this invention will be explained in the following description and illustrations.

Please refer to Figures 2 to 4, which are respectively a side view, a front view, and an exploded view of a motorcycle with a water pump assembly structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The figures show a water pump assembly structure 1 mounted on a frame 11 of a motorcycle 10. In this embodiment, the frame 11 includes a head pipe 111, a main pipe 112, a bottom pipe 113, and a tail pipe 114 connected in sequence. The water pump assembly structure 1 includes a water-cooled engine 2, a coolant tank 3, an electric water pump 4, a first coolant pipe 5, a second coolant pipe 6, a third coolant pipe 7, and an electronic control unit 44.

The water-cooled engine 2 is mounted on the frame 11 and includes a cylinder head 21, a cylinder 22, and a water jacket 23. The cylinder head 21 is connected to the cylinder 22. The water jacket 23 is housed within the cylinder head 21 and the cylinder 22 and includes a water jacket inlet 231 and a water jacket outlet 232. The coolant tank 3 includes a tank inlet 31, a tank outlet 32, and a cooler body 33, used to cool the temperature of the coolant. The electric water pump 4 is located on the side of the cylinder head 21 and is viewed from the side of the motorcycle 10. The electric water pump 4 is located in the area surrounded by the cooler body 3, the extension line L of the bottom pipe 113, and the tail pipe 114. The electric water pump 4 includes a water pump inlet 41, a water pump outlet 42, a water pump body 43, a temperature sensor (not shown) and a pulse width modulator (PWM) (not shown). The electronic control unit 44 is electrically connected to the electric water pump 4. It senses the change in the operating temperature of the water-cooled engine 2 through the temperature sensor and automatically adjusts the speed and timing of the water pump body 43 by using the pulse width modulator controlled by the electrical connection. The two ends of the first cooling water pipe 5 are respectively connected to the water jacket outlet 232 and the water tank inlet 31. The two ends of the second cooling water pipe 6 are respectively connected to the water tank outlet 32 and the water pump inlet 41. The two ends of the third cooling water pipe 7 are respectively connected to the water pump outlet 42 and the water jacket inlet 231.

The operation of the water pump assembly structure 1 is as follows: When the motorcycle 10 is in a cold state, the coolant flows from the water jacket 23 inside the water-cooled engine 2 through the first coolant pipe 5 to the coolant tank 3 for cooling, and then flows through the second coolant pipe 6 to the electric water pump 4. However, since the operating temperature of the water-cooled engine 2 is relatively low at this time, the electronic control unit 44 will not control the water pump body 43 to rotate, so as to quickly increase the operating temperature of the water-cooled engine 2 and achieve the effect of energy saving. Conversely, when the motorcycle 10 is in a warm-up state, the coolant flows from the water jacket 23 inside the water-cooled engine 2 through the first coolant pipe 5 to the coolant tank 3 for cooling, and then through the second coolant pipe 6 to the electric water pump 4. Because the operating temperature of the water-cooled engine 2 is higher at this time, the electronic control unit 44 will control the water pump body 43 to rotate and pump the coolant back to the water-cooled engine 2 through the third coolant pipe 7 to carry out the water circulation cycle, effectively controlling the operating temperature of the water-cooled engine 2 to be maintained within a specific range, ensuring the life of the water engine 2 is extended.

Through the above design, the water pump assembly structure 1 of this invention replaces the mechanical water pump and thermostat of the conventional water-cooled engine with an electric water pump 4, which automatically controls the water flow rate of its water-cooling system. The speed of the electric water pump 4 is adjusted according to the different heat loads of the water-cooled engine 2, thus avoiding the loss of local power of the water-cooled engine 2 and achieving energy saving of the water-cooled engine 2.

The above embodiments are merely examples for illustrative purposes. The scope of the rights claimed in this work shall be based on the scope of the patent application, and not limited to the above embodiments.

1: Water pump assembly structure 10: Locomotive 11: Frame 111: Head tube 112: Main tube 113: Bottom tube 114: Tail tube 2: Water-cooled engine 21: Cylinder head 22: Cylinder 23: Water jacket 231: Water jacket inlet 232: Water jacket outlet 3: Coolant tank 31: Coolant tank inlet 32: Coolant tank outlet 33: Cooler body 4: Electric water pump 41: Water pump inlet 42: Water pump outlet 43: Water pump body 44: Electronic control unit 5: First coolant pipe 6: Second coolant pipe 7: Third coolant pipe 9: Water-cooled engine 91: Cylinder head 911: Camshaft 92: Cylinder 93: Crankcase 931: Crankshaft 94: Mechanical Water Pump 95: Coolant Tank 96: Thermostat L: Bottom Pipe Extension Line

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional water-cooled engine with a mechanical water pump. Figure 2 is a side view of a motorcycle with a water pump assembly structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a front view of a motorcycle with a water pump assembly structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an exploded view of the water pump assembly structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1: Water pump assembly structure

113: Bottom tube

114: Tailpipe

2: Water-cooled engine

21: Cylinder head

22: Cylinder

23: Water Jacket

231: Water jacket inlet

232: Water jacket outlet

3: Cooling water tank

31: Water tank inlet

32: Water tank outlet

33: Cooler Body

4: Electric water pump

41: Water pump inlet

42: Water pump outlet

43: Pump Body

44: Electronic Control Unit

5: First cooling water pipe

6: Second cooling water pipe

7: Third cooling water pipe

Claims (5)

A water pump assembly structure, mounted on a motorcycle frame, includes: a water-cooled engine mounted on the frame, including a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a water jacket; the cylinder head is connected to the cylinder; the water jacket is housed within the cylinder head and the cylinder, and includes a water jacket inlet and a water jacket outlet; a coolant tank, including a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and a cooler body; and an electric water pump. The system includes a water pump inlet, a water pump outlet, and a water pump body; an electronic control unit electrically connected to the electronic water pump; a first cooling water pipe connected at both ends to the water jacket outlet and the water tank inlet; a second cooling water pipe connected at both ends to the water tank outlet and the water pump inlet; and a third cooling water pipe connected at both ends to the water pump outlet and the water jacket inlet. The water pump assembly structure as described in claim 1, wherein the frame includes a head tube, a main tube, a bottom tube and a tail tube connected in sequence. As described in claim 2, the electric water pump is disposed within the area enclosed by the cooler body, one of the bottom pipe extensions, and the tailpipe when viewed from the side of the motorcycle. The water pump assembly structure as described in claim 1, wherein the electric water pump is disposed on the side of the cylinder head. The water pump assembly structure as described in claim 1, wherein the electronic water pump includes a temperature sensor and a pulse width modulator.