Intake air management apparatus for a vehicle, and motorcycle including same

• US 20050066926A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Yuzuru, Kinoshita, Yoshiteru
• Granted Patent: US 7,104,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/184.340
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 61/02 for driving cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/22 with cylinders in V, fan, or star arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 9/109 having two or more flaps
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/04 specially arranged with respect to engine , to intake system or specially adapted to vehicle; Mounting thereon ; Combinations with other devices combined with silencers F02M35/14
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10039 Intake ducts situated partly within or on the plenum chamber housing
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10052 special shapes or arrangements of plenum chambers; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10072 Intake runners
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10177 Engines having multiple fuel injectors or carburettors per cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/116 for engines with cylinders in V-arrangement or arranged oppositely relative to the main shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/162 Motorcycles; All-terrain vehicles, e.g. quads, snowmobiles; Small vehicles, e.g. forklifts
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/043 for injecting into the intake conduit upstream of an air throttle valve

Abstract

An air cleaner housing includes an upper case, a partition wall and a lower case. The inside thereof is partitioned into an upper, filtered side and a lower unfiltered side. Intake funnel pipes, connected to front and rear cylinders, project into the filtered side. An air cleaner element is provided on the front side relative to a hollow plenum above the intake funnel pipes. Inlets in side surfaces of the unfiltered side face toward a V bank of the engine. During use, air enters the bottom of the housing, and is cleaned by the air cleaner element. The clean air flows through the filtered side of the housing, into the intake funnel pipes and toward the cylinders on the lower side. A raised portion is formed on the front upper side of the upper case, and the air cleaner element is disposed inside the raised portion.

Claims

3. A motorcycle, comprising:

a frame;

a V-type engine mounted on said frame, in which front and rear cylinders extend upwardly and cooperate to form a V bank;

an air cleaner configured to fit between said front and rear cylinders above said V bank, said air cleaner comprising an air cleaner housing having a downwardly-facing opening formed in a base portion thereof for drawing air therethrough, and an air cleaner element mounted inside of said air cleaner housing, wherein said air cleaner housing has front and rear intake passages formed therein for respectively connecting to said front and rear cylinders, said intake passages projecting into the inside of said air cleaner housing, a hollow plenum is provided in the air cleaner housing above said intake passages, and said air cleaner element is spaced away from said plenum in said air cleaner housing;

a fuel tank having an upper portion in abutting contact with a rear surface of said air cleaner housing in an aligned relationship;

an upper cover extending over and closely covering portions of said air cleaner housing and said fuel tank upper portion; and

a plurality of fuel injectors;

wherein said air cleaner housing is formed with a recessed top wall portion on the top end thereof, said recessed top wall portion lowered so as to form an enlarged space between itself and said upper cover, and wherein the fuel injectors are housed inside said enlarged space and are operatively attached to said recessed top wall portion of said air cleaner housing.

6. An air management apparatus comprising an air cleaner housing having an opened inlet for taking in air from the exterior, and a throttle body disposed in said air cleaner housing at a position fronting on said inlet, wherein

a bulkhead is provided between said inlet and said throttle body.

7. An air management apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising an air intake snorkel for placement facing toward the front side of a vehicle body, and an air guide duct member extending from said air intake snorkel to said inlet of said air cleaner housing.

8. An air management apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein

a hollow plenum is formed in said air cleaner housing, and a lateral side of said plenum is surrounded by said bulkhead, the upper side of said plenum is surrounded by a partition wall for partitioning the inside of said air cleaner housing into a filtered side and an unfiltered side, and the lower side of said plenum is surrounded by a lower portion bottom surface of said air cleaner housing, and

further comprising an air cleaner element housed in said air cleaner housing spaced away from said plenum.

9. An air management apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a fuel injector operatively attached to said throttle body.

10. An air management apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising an actuator disposed between said throttle body and said bulkhead for driving a throttle valve.

11-1. The motorcycle of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of fuel injectors operatively attached to an upper surface of said air cleaner housing, wherein said injectors are located above said plenum so as to be substantially opposite said intake passages.