EP2148058A2 - Forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, and motorcycle - Google Patents
Forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, and motorcycle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2148058A2 EP2148058A2 EP09009562A EP09009562A EP2148058A2 EP 2148058 A2 EP2148058 A2 EP 2148058A2 EP 09009562 A EP09009562 A EP 09009562A EP 09009562 A EP09009562 A EP 09009562A EP 2148058 A2 EP2148058 A2 EP 2148058A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- air intake
- shroud
- intake passage
- cylinder head
- air
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 98
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 46
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 46
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 claims description 45
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 27
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 18
- 230000033001 locomotion Effects 0.000 abstract description 11
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 21
- 230000001012 protector Effects 0.000 description 20
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 3
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000000889 atomisation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000498 cooling water Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001737 promoting effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000006096 absorbing agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000004308 accommodation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003054 catalyst Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002828 fuel tank Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000029058 respiratory gaseous exchange Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000035939 shock Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005549 size reduction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/104—Intake manifolds
- F02M35/108—Intake manifolds with primary and secondary intake passages
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01P1/00—Air cooling
- F01P1/06—Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B61/00—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing
- F02B61/02—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving cycles
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F02D9/00—Controlling engines by throttling air or fuel-and-air induction conduits or exhaust conduits
- F02D9/08—Throttle valves specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of such valves in conduits
- F02D9/10—Throttle valves specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of such valves in conduits having pivotally-mounted flaps
- F02D9/1035—Details of the valve housing
- F02D9/1055—Details of the valve housing having a fluid by-pass
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F02D9/00—Controlling engines by throttling air or fuel-and-air induction conduits or exhaust conduits
- F02D9/08—Throttle valves specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of such valves in conduits
- F02D9/10—Throttle valves specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of such valves in conduits having pivotally-mounted flaps
- F02D9/109—Throttle valves specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of such valves in conduits having pivotally-mounted flaps having two or more flaps
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10209—Fluid connections to the air intake system; their arrangement of pipes, valves or the like
- F02M35/10216—Fuel injectors; Fuel pipes or rails; Fuel pumps or pressure regulators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10209—Fluid connections to the air intake system; their arrangement of pipes, valves or the like
- F02M35/10222—Exhaust gas recirculation [EGR]; Positive crankcase ventilation [PCV]; Additional air admission, lubricant or fuel vapour admission
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/16—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines characterised by use in vehicles
- F02M35/162—Motorcycles; All-terrain vehicles, e.g. quads, snowmobiles; Small vehicles, e.g. forklifts
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M53/00—Fuel-injection apparatus characterised by having heating, cooling or thermally-insulating means
- F02M53/04—Injectors with heating, cooling, or thermally-insulating means
- F02M53/08—Injectors with heating, cooling, or thermally-insulating means with air cooling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01P2050/00—Applications
- F01P2050/16—Motor-cycles
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M69/00—Low-pressure fuel-injection apparatus ; Apparatus with both continuous and intermittent injection; Apparatus injecting different types of fuel
- F02M69/04—Injectors peculiar thereto
- F02M69/042—Positioning of injectors with respect to engine, e.g. in the air intake conduit
- F02M69/044—Positioning of injectors with respect to engine, e.g. in the air intake conduit for injecting into the intake conduit downstream of an air throttle valve
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, and to a motorcycle.
- An engine disclosed in patent document 1 ( WO 2005/098231A ) includes a main air intake passage through which air is supplied into a combustion chamber thereof from an air cleaner.
- An auxiliary air intake passage is branched from the main air intake passage.
- An injector is mounted on a cylinder head of the engine. Intake air supplied from the main air intake passage flows into the auxiliary air intake passage to serve as assist air at least during idling. The assist air is applied to fuel injected from the injector to promote disintegration of the fuel. This increases the fuel combustion efficiency at least during idling.
- the engine disclosed in patent document 1 is of a naturally air-cooled type, which is configured such that an airstream generated by the movement of the vehicle is applied to the engine. Thus, the engine is cooled by the airstream.
- An air-cooled engine and a water-cooled engine are generally known for use in motorcycles and other types of vehicles.
- the air-cooled engine is cooled by applying air to the engine. Therefore, the air-cooled engine has a simplified construction without a need for provision of a radiator and a cooling water pump, which may otherwise be required for the water-cooled engine.
- the injector is mounted on the cylinder head, so that the cylinder head and the injector are cooled by the airstream. This suppresses vapor lock of the fuel supplied into the injector, and promotes atomization of the fuel, thereby improving the combustion efficiency.
- a forced air-cooled engine which includes a fan driven by rotation of a crank shaft of the engine, and a shroud covering a cylinder head, a cylinder block and the like of the engine as disclosed in patent document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-241326 ). Wind generated by the fan flows through an inside space of the shroud to hit the cylinder head and the cylinder block, thereby cooling the engine. A part of the forced air-cooled engine located in the shroud is cooled by the fan.
- the forced air-cooled engine does not need to be located at the position at which the engine can catch the airstream, because the cooling of the engine does not rely on the airstream. Therefore, the flexibility in the layout of the engine in the vehicle is increased.
- a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit which includes: an engine body including a crank case accommodating a crank shaft, a cylinder block connected to the crank case and accommodating a piston in a reciprocally movable manner, and a cylinder head that is cooperative with the cylinder block to define a combustion chamber and defines a part of a main air intake passage connected to the combustion chamber; an air intake pipe connected to the cylinder head and cooperative with the cylinder head to define the main air intake passage; a shroud covering at least a part of the cylinder head; a fan disposed between the shroud and the engine body, and adapted to be driven by rotation of the crank shaft to generate cooling wind for cooling the engine body; a throttle body including two throttle valves spaced from each other in an intake air flowing direction in the air intake pipe, and a tubular member that defines a part of the air intake pipe and accommodates the two throttle valves, the throttle body being disposed outside the shroud; and a fuel injection device attached to the cylinder head and having
- the forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit further includes an auxiliary air intake passage defining member that defines an auxiliary air intake passage branched from the main air intake passage between the two throttle valves to guide intake air into a space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle in the cylinder head at least during idling.
- An air passage is provided around at least a part of the auxiliary air intake passage for communication between an inside and an outside of the shroud.
- the forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit has a simple construction, higher layout flexibility in a vehicle and higher fuel combustion efficiency.
- Fig. 1 is a right side view of a motorcycle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial right side view illustrating a portion of the motorcycle around a vehicle body cover.
- Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of an engine unit as seen in plan.
- Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of major portions of the engine unit as seen from the right side.
- Fig. 5 is a partly broken right side view illustrating the engine unit partly in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line).
- Fig. 6 is a schematic right side view of a throttle body.
- Fig. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the degree (angle) of opening of a first throttle valve and the degree of opening of a second throttle valve.
- Fig. 8 is a schematic right side view illustrating the throttle body with its first and second throttle valves being fully open.
- Fig. 9 is a plan view of a shroud.
- Fig. 10 is a left side view of the engine unit.
- Fig. 11 is a partial bottom view of the shroud.
- Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along a line XII-XII in Fig. 3 .
- Fig. 13 is a front view illustrating major portions of the engine unit partly in section.
- Fig. 14 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 9 .
- Fig. 15 is a right side view illustrating, partly in section, an engine unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- the forced air-cooled engine is configured such that assist air supplied through the auxiliary air intake passage is applied to fuel injected from an injector.
- an engine body including a cylinder block and the like is covered with a shroud. Air is introduced into the inside of the shroud by a fan disposed in the shroud. Thus, the air flows through the inside of the shroud, whereby the engine body is cooled. Therefore, it is desirable to cover the greatest possible portion of the engine body with the shroud.
- the heat of the engine body is liable to be accumulated around the shroud, so that the injector and its peripheral portion are liable to be heated to a higher temperature. If the temperature of the injector rises, air bubbles are liable to occur in the fuel supplied into the injector. This results in vapor lock and breathing, thereby reducing the fuel combustion efficiency.
- the auxiliary air intake passage and the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage are heated to a higher temperature.
- a mixture of the injected fuel and the assist air is heated to a higher temperature, so that the oxygen concentration is correspondingly reduced.
- the rotation speed of the fan is reduced during idling, because the fan is rotated together with a crank shaft provided in the engine body. Therefore, the cooling capability of the fan is reduced during idling, so that heat from the engine body is disadvantageously accumulated in the shroud.
- the cooling of the engine body during the movement of the vehicle and the cooling of the engine body during idling are considered separately. That is, it is simply necessary to improve the cooling effect of the fuel injection device during the movement of the vehicle and during idling.
- the fan is rotated together with the crank shaft at a higher speed and, therefore, the cooling by the fan may be more effective.
- the injector and the auxiliary air intake passage connected to the injector are disposed in a spaced relation from the shroud. With this arrangement, air flows from the inside to the outside of the shroud around the injector and the auxiliary air intake passage. This makes it possible to cool the injector at improved efficiency by the cooling wind generated by the fan during the movement of the vehicle.
- the crank shaft and the fan are each rotated at a lower speed, so that the cooling by the fan is not effective.
- the auxiliary air intake passage is provided, which is branched from the main air intake passage to introduce intake air (assist air) into a space defined around an injection nozzle provided in the cylinder head at least during idling.
- This arrangement which originally serves for air assist, may be more advantageous for cooling the injector by the assist air supplied from the auxiliary air intake passage during idling.
- a throttle body connected to the auxiliary air intake passage is disposed outside the shroud.
- at least an upstream portion of the auxiliary air intake passage is less liable to be affected by the heat in the shroud. This suppresses the temperature rise of the intake air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage, thereby ensuring proper cooling of the injector during idling.
- directions between the front and the back, vertical directions and lateral (transverse) directions are defined on the basis of a reference posture of a motorcycle which travels straight ahead on a horizontal plane as seen from a viewpoint of a forward-facing rider of the motorcycle.
- a forward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow F.
- a rearward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow B.
- an upward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow U, and a downward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow D.
- a leftward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow L, and a rightward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow R.
- Fig. 1 is a right side view of a motorcycle 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- the motorcycle 200 is illustrated partly in a broken-down form.
- the motorcycle 200 is a scooter.
- the scooter will be described as an example of the inventive motorcycle, but the motorcycle is not limited to the scooter.
- the present invention is applicable to other types of motorcycles such as so-called mopeds and off-road vehicles.
- the motorcycle 200 includes a handlebar 10 provided on a front portion thereof.
- the handlebar 10 is connected to a front wheel 14 via a steering shaft 13 extending through a head pipe 11.
- the head pipe 11 is connected to a vehicle body frame 15.
- the vehicle body frame 15 extends in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as a whole.
- the head pipe 11 is connected to a front end of the vehicle body frame 15.
- a seat 16 is attached to a rear portion of the vehicle body frame 15.
- a foot rest plate 17 is attached to a portion of the vehicle body frame 15 in front of the seat 16. The foot rest plate 17 is located at a lower level than the seat 16.
- a vehicle body cover 18 is attached to the vehicle body frame 15.
- the vehicle body cover 18 extends upward from a rear portion of the foot rest plate 17 to surround a lower space G1 present below the seat 16.
- the vehicle body cover 18 surrounds the lower space G1 below the seat 16.
- the vehicle body cover 18 includes a front wall 202 disposed below a front end of the seat 16, and a pair of side walls 203 disposed below right and left edges of the seat 16. In Fig. 2 , only the right one of the side walls 203 is shown.
- the side walls 203 are laterally symmetrical.
- a unit-swing engine unit (or swing type engine unit) 20 is mounted on the vehicle body frame 15.
- the engine unit 20 is of a forced air-cooled type.
- a part of the engine unit 20 is covered with the vehicle body cover 18. More specifically, a front end portion of an engine body 21 of the engine unit 20 and a front end portion of a shroud 50 to be described later are covered with the vehicle body cover 18.
- the engine unit 20 includes the engine body 21, an air intake pipe 36, a throttle body 38, an auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41, and the shroud 50.
- the engine body 21 is disposed behind the front wall 202 of the vehicle body cover 18 in the lower space G1 below the seat 16.
- Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of the engine unit 20 as seen in plan. That is, a part of the engine unit 20 is shown in horizontal section.
- the engine body 21 has a cylinder axis extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle.
- the engine body 21 is a single-cylinder four-stroke engine.
- the engine body 21 includes a cylinder block 22, a cylinder head 23 attached to a front end portion of the cylinder block 22, and a crank case 24 attached to a rear end portion of the cylinder block 22.
- the crank case 24 defines a rear end portion of the engine body 21.
- a crank shaft 57 extending transversely (Y1) of the vehicle is accommodated in the crank case 24.
- the crank shaft 57 is rotatably supported by the crank case 24 via bearings 281, 282.
- a right end portion 204 of the crank shaft 57 projects from a right side surface 246 of the crank case 24.
- a fan 56 is connected to the right end portion 204 of the crank shaft 57 for unitary rotation.
- the fan 56 is driven by the rotation of the crank shaft 57. Air is introduced as cooling wind into the shroud 50 from the outside by the fan 56 for cooling the engine body 21.
- the crank shaft 57 has an intermediate portion which is connected to a large end portion of a connecting rod 205.
- the cylinder block 22 is a tubular member connected to a front end face 206 of the crank case 24.
- An inside space of the cylinder block 22 is defined as a cylinder chamber E1.
- a piston 208 is accommodated in the cylinder chamber E1 so as to be reciprocally movable along the cylinder axis.
- the piston 208 is connected to a small end portion of the connecting rod 205 via a piston pin 29.
- the cylinder head 23 is connected to a front end face of the cylinder block 22, and defines a front end portion of the engine body 21.
- a cam shaft 209 for driving an air intake valve (not shown) and an exhaust valve 31 is accommodated in the cylinder head 23.
- the crank case 24 is connected to the vehicle body frame 15 via a pivot shaft 25.
- the pivot shaft 25 has an axis extending transversely (Y1) of the vehicle.
- a rear wheel 27 is attached to a rear portion of the engine unit 20 via a power transmission member 26.
- a rear shock absorber 28 is provided between a rear portion of the power transmission member 26 and the rear portion of the vehicle body frame 15.
- Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of major portions of the engine unit 20 as seen from the right side of the engine unit 20.
- a space defined between the piston 208 accommodated in the cylinder block 22, the cylinder block 22 and the cylinder head 23 serves as a combustion chamber A1 in which a fuel-air mixture is subjected to combustion.
- the cylinder head 23 is provided with an air intake valve 210 facing the combustion chamber A1 and the aforementioned exhaust valve 31.
- Fig. 5 is a partly broken-away right side view illustrating the engine unit 20 partly in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line).
- the cylinder head 23 includes a first tubular boss 32 provided in an upper right portion thereof.
- the first boss 32 is an integral part of the cylinder head 23.
- the first boss 32 projects out of the shroud 50.
- a distal end portion of the first boss 32 is located outside the shroud 50 and exposed from the shroud 50.
- An inside space of the first boss 32 communicates with a main air intake passage P1 (to be described later) around the air intake valve 210.
- An injector (fuel injection device) 34 is attached to the first boss 32 via a synthetic resin holder 33.
- the injector 34 which is attached to the cylinder head 23, is located at the front end of the engine body 21.
- the holder 33 includes a cylindrical portion 211 and a flange 212 provided at a proximal end of the cylindrical portion 211.
- the flange 212 abuts against the distal end of the first boss 32.
- the holder 33 is positioned with respect to the first boss 32.
- the cylindrical portion 211 is accommodated in an accommodation space H1 defined in the first boss 32.
- a gap between an outer peripheral surface of a proximal end portion 213 of the cylindrical portion 211 and an inner peripheral surface of the first boss 32 is liquid-tightly sealed by a first seal member 214 such as an O-ring.
- An annular space is defined as a chamber G2 between an outer peripheral surface of an intermediate portion 215 of the cylindrical portion 211 and the inner peripheral surface of the first boss 32.
- a distal edge of a distal end portion 216 of the cylindrical portion 211 is engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the first boss 32 with virtually no gap.
- An inside space of the distal end portion 216 of the cylindrical portion 211 is defined as an injection space G3 adjacent to an injection nozzle 35 of the injector 34.
- the injection space G3 is provided as a space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle 35.
- the injection space G3 is thus provided in the cylinder head 23, and communicates with the combustion chamber A1 via the air intake valve 210.
- the distal end portion 216 of the cylindrical portion 211 is formed with a plurality of through-holes 217.
- the through-holes 217 e.g., four through-holes
- the chamber G2 communicates with the injection space G3 via the through-holes 217.
- the injector 34 serves to inject fuel supplied from a fuel tank (not shown) into the air intake passage.
- the injector 34 includes an injector body 218 having an elongated shape, and an injection nozzle 35 disposed at a distal end of the injector body 218.
- the injector body 218 is inserted in the cylindrical portion 211 of the holder 33 to be thereby retained by the holder 33.
- a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the injector body 218 and an inner peripheral surface of the holder 33 is liquid-tightly sealed by a second seal member 219 such as an O-ring.
- the injection nozzle 35 faces the injection space G3, and is oriented so as to inject the fuel toward the air intake valve 210 via a part of the main air intake passage P1 present in the cylinder head 23.
- Fuel injection timing at which the injector 34 injects the fuel toward the air intake valve 210 is controlled by a controller such as an ECU (an engine control unit or an electronic control unit) not shown.
- the air intake pipe 36 includes an air intake hose 37 extending forward from an air cleaner (not shown) connected thereto, a tubular member 220 connected to a front end portion of the air intake hose 37, and a connection pipe 39 connected to a front end portion of the tubular member 220 and curved downward.
- the cylinder head 23 includes a tubular air intake port 221.
- the part of the main air intake passage P1 present in the cylinder head 23 is defined by the air intake port 221.
- the air intake valve 210 is located at one of opposite ends of the air intake port 221.
- the other end of the air intake port 221 opens into an upper surface of the cylinder head 23.
- the other end of the air intake port 221 is defined by a flange 222 provided on the cylinder head 23.
- the flange 222 abuts against a flange 223 provided at a front end portion of the connection pipe 39, and is fixed to the flange 223 by fixture screws not shown.
- the air intake port 221 is connected to the front end portion of the connection pipe 39 (i.e., a downstream end of the air intake pipe 36).
- the main air intake passage P1 is defined by the air intake port 221 of the cylinder head 23 and the air intake pipe 36.
- the throttle body 38 includes the tubular member 220, and two throttle valves, i.e., first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B.
- the tubular member 220 has an axis extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle.
- the tubular member 220 is located above the cylinder block 22 of the engine body 21 and above an upper wall 243 of a tubular portion 51 of the shroud 50 as will be described later.
- the throttle body 38 is entirely located outside the shroud 50.
- the first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B each serve to open and close the main air intake passage P1 in the air intake pipe 36.
- the first throttle valve 40A and the second throttle valve 40B are spaced from each other in an intake air flowing direction C1 in the main air intake passage P1 .
- the first throttle valve 40A and the second throttle valve 40B are accommodated in the tubular member 220.
- the first throttle valve 40A is located downstream of the second throttle valve 40B with respect to the intake air flowing direction C1. That is, the first throttle valve 40A is located between the second throttle valve 40B and the cylinder head 23 in the main air intake passage P1.
- the first throttle valve 40A and the second throttle valve 40B each have a disk shape.
- the first throttle valve 40A is supported by a first rotation shaft 224 extending perpendicularly to a center axis of the tubular member 220.
- the second throttle valve 40B is supported by a second rotation shaft 225 extending perpendicularly to the center axis of the tubular member 220.
- Fig. 6 is a schematic right side view of the throttle body 38.
- the first rotation shaft 224 and the second rotation shaft 225 are each rotatably supported by the tubular member 220.
- the first throttle valve 40A is rotated together with the first rotation shaft 224 about the first rotation shaft 224 by the rotation of the first rotation shaft 224.
- the second throttle valve 40B is rotated together with the second rotation shaft 225 about the second rotation shaft 225 by the rotation of the second rotation shaft 225.
- a driving pulley 226 is coupled to the second rotation shaft 225 for unitary rotation.
- a throttle cable (not shown) is attached to the driving pulley 226.
- the driving pulley 226 is rotated by a throttle operation performed by the rider.
- the rotation of the driving pulley 226 rotates the second rotation shaft 225, thereby opening and closing the second throttle valve 40B.
- the opening/closing operation of the second throttle valve 40B is linked with the opening/closing operation of the first throttle valve 40A by a link mechanism 227. That is, the first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B are coupled to each other.
- the link mechanism 227 has a so-called lost motion structure such that the first throttle valve 40A starts the opening operation with a time delay after the start of the opening operation of the second throttle valve 40B.
- the link mechanism 227 includes a first main link member 228, a second main link member 229 disposed on the rear side of the first main link member 228, a sub-link member 230, and a rotation transmission member 231.
- the second main link member 229 is a small piece provided integrally with the driving pulley 226.
- the second main link member 229 is rotatable about the second rotation shaft 225.
- the second main link member 229 is connected to the sub-link member 230 via a second connection shaft 232 for relative rotation.
- the sub-link member 230 is a rod member elongated in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, and links the second main link member 229 to the first main link member 228.
- the second connection shaft 232 is disposed at a rear end of the sub-link member 230.
- a front end of the sub-link member 230 is connected to the first main link member 228 via a first connection shaft 233 for relative rotation.
- the first main link member 228 is an elongated metal plate member. A front end of the first main link member 228 is connected to the first connection shaft 233. An intermediate portion of the first main link member 228 is connected to the first rotation shaft 224 for relative rotation. Thus, the first main link member 228 is rotatable independently of the first rotation shaft 224.
- the first main link member 228 includes a press member 234 provided at a rear end thereof.
- a center axis J1 of the second rotation shaft 225 serving as a pivot center of the second main link member 229 is spaced a distance D2 from a center axis J2 of the second connection shaft 232.
- a center axis J3 of the first rotation shaft 224 serving as a pivot center of the first main link member 228 is spaced a distance D1 from a center axis J4 of the first connection shaft 233.
- a relationship between the distances D1 and D2 is D2 > D1.
- the rotation transmission member 231 is a plate member.
- the rotation transmission member 231 is connected to the first rotation shaft 224 for unitary rotation.
- the rotation transmission member 231 includes a to-be-pressed member 235 to be brought into abutment against the press member 234. With the second throttle valve 40B being fully closed, the press member 234 and the to-be-pressed member 235 are opposed to and spaced a predetermined distance from each other circumferentially of the first rotation shaft 224.
- the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 extends from the tubular member 220 of the throttle body 38 to the first boss 32 of the cylinder head 23.
- the entire auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is located outside the shroud 50.
- the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 defines an auxiliary air intake passage K1.
- the first boss 32 is provided as the integral part of the cylinder head 23.
- the injector 34 is fixed in the first boss 32.
- the cylinder head 23 further includes a fourth boss 239 provided integrally with the first boss 32.
- the fourth boss 239 extends perpendicularly to an axis of the injector 34.
- the cylinder head 23 further includes a third boss 238 attached to the fourth boss 239.
- the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 includes a second boss 236 fixed to the tubular member 220, the fourth boss 239 and the first boss 32 provided as the integral parts of the cylinder head 23, the cylindrical portion 211 of the holder 33 provided in the first boss 32, the third boss 238 attached to the fourth boss 239, and a hose 237 which connects the third boss 238 to the second boss 236.
- the second boss 236 is an L-shape tubular metal member.
- the second boss 236 is disposed on an upper portion of the tubular member 220.
- One of opposite end portions of the second boss 236 serves as an upstream end defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- One of opposite ends of the upstream end defining portion 240 is fixed to the tubular member 220 between the first throttle valve 40A and the second throttle valve 40B.
- a part of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 present in the second boss 236 is defined as an upstream end portion K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1, and communicates with the main air intake passage P1.
- the hose 237 is a tube formed of a flexible material such as rubber. One of opposite ends of the hose 237 is connected to the other end of the second boss 236.
- the fourth boss 239 is provided integrally with the first boss 32. Center axes of the fourth boss 239 and the first boss 32 extend generally perpendicularly to each other. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 , the fourth boss 239 is located outside the shroud 50. Portions of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 present in the other end portion of the hose 237 and the third and fourth bosses 238, 239, the chamber G2 in the first boss 32, and the through-holes 217 of the cylindrical portion 211 collectively define a downstream end portion K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. The downstream end portion K3 communicates with the injection space G3 in the first boss 32.
- the other end of the third boss 238 is connected to the fourth boss 239.
- the other end portion of the hose 237, the third boss 238, the fourth boss 239, the first boss 32, and the cylindrical portion 211 of the holder 33 collectively define a downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 is located outside the shroud 50. Particularly, a part of the downstream end defining portion 241 defined by the first boss 32 is located outside the shroud 50.
- the upstream end portion K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is defined by the upstream end defining portion 240 of the second boss 236, and communicates with the main air intake passage P1 between the first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B.
- the downstream end portion K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is defined by the downstream end defining portion 241.
- the downstream end portion K3 communicates with the injection space G3.
- Intake air is introduced as assist air into the auxiliary air intake passage K1 from the main air intake passage P1.
- the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is further introduced into the injection space G3.
- the assist air supplied into the injection space G3 is applied to the fuel injected from the injector 34, thereby promoting the disintegration of the fuel.
- Fig. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the degree of opening of the first throttle valve 40A and the degree of opening of the second throttle valve 40B.
- the degree of opening of the first throttle valve 40A is zero during idling.
- the degree of opening of the second throttle valve 40B is zero during idling.
- a solid line indicates a relationship between the degrees of opening of the first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B in this embodiment. As indicated by the solid line, the degree of opening of the first throttle valve 40A is kept at zero when the degree of opening of the second throttle valve 40B is not greater than 10 degrees.
- a broken line in Fig. 7 indicates that the degree of opening of the first throttle valve is always equal to the degree of opening of the second throttle valve because the lost motion structure is not provided.
- the first throttle valve 40A is opened with a time delay after the second throttle valve 40B is opened in this embodiment. The operations of the first and second throttle valves 40A, 40B will be described below in greater detail.
- the degrees of opening of the first throttle valve 40A and the second throttle valve 40B are controlled in the following manner according to a change in load (throttle operating amount).
- a change in load throttle operating amount
- the first throttle valve 40A located on a downstream side with respect to the intake air flowing direction C1 is maintained in a fully closed position when the vehicle is operated in an operation state ranging from a non-load operation state (idling state) to a predetermined partial load operation state.
- the rotation of the driving pulley 226 occurring due to the throttle operation performed by the rider is not transmitted to the first rotation shaft 224 but transmitted only to the second rotation shaft 225. Therefore, only the second throttle valve 40B is opened or closed by the rotation of the second rotation shaft 225.
- the sub-link member 230 and the first main link member 228 operate in response to the operation of the second main link member 229.
- the first main link member 228 is rotated about the first rotation shaft 224.
- the first rotation shaft 224 and the first throttle valve 40A are not rotated until the press member 234 of the first main link member 228 is brought into abutment against the to-be-pressed member 235.
- the amount of air flowing into the injection space G3 of the injection nozzle 35 is controlled only based on the degree of opening of the second throttle valve 40B until the operation state reaches the partial load operation state.
- the assist air flowing into the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is mixed with the fuel injected from the injection nozzle 35 in the injection space G3.
- the disintegration of the fuel is promoted to increase the fuel combustion efficiency. This reduces the possibility of imperfect fuel combustion which is liable to occur at the cold start of the engine.
- the first throttle valve 40A is opened according to the throttle operation.
- the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 but also the intake air flowing through the other end of the air intake port 221 is introduced into the cylinder head 23.
- the opening/closing speed of the first throttle valve 40A is higher than that of the second throttle valve 40B in the higher load operation state. As a result, the first throttle valve 40A is fully opened when the second throttle valve 40B is fully opened.
- an exhaust pipe 43 connected to the exhaust valve 31 of the cylinder head 23 and a muffler 44 connected to a rear end of the exhaust pipe 43 are attached to the engine body 21.
- the exhaust pipe 43 and the muffler 44 extend in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as a whole.
- the exhaust pipe 43 is disposed below the engine body 21.
- An upstream end portion (front end portion) of the exhaust pipe 43 is curved upward, and is connected to a lower surface of the cylinder head 23 to communicate with an exhaust passage adjacent to the exhaust valve 31.
- the rear end of the exhaust pipe 43 is connected to a front end of the muffler 44 at substantially the same position, as seen in the direction between the front and the back, as a rear end surface of the crank case 24.
- the muffler 44 extends obliquely in the upward and rearward directions on the right side of the rear wheel 27. A catalyst device not shown is accommodated in the muffler 44.
- Fig. 9 is a plan view of the shroud 50.
- the engine unit 20 is partly illustrated in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line).
- the shroud 50 is attached to the engine body 21 for cooling the engine body 21.
- the shroud 50 includes a tubular portion 51 which entirely surrounds the cylinder block 22 and a rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23, a side plate 52 which covers the crank case 24 from the right side, and a protector 53.
- the shroud 50 includes two half members, i.e., left and right half members 54L, 54R, which are combined together.
- the tubular portion 51 is defined by the entire left half member 54L and a front end portion of the right half member 54R.
- the side plate 52 and the protector 53 are defined by a portion of the right half member 54R rearward of the tubular portion 51.
- the tubular portion 51 includes a right wall 242 disposed on the right side of the engine body 21 and bulged to the right side.
- the right wall 242 covers a right side surface of the cylinder block 22 and a part of a right side surface of the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23.
- a rear end portion of the right wall 242 is bulged rightward to a greater extent than a front end portion of the right wall 242.
- the tubular portion 51 further includes an upper wall 243 disposed above the engine body 21, and a left wall 244 disposed on the left side of the engine body 21.
- the upper wall 243 covers an upper surface of the cylinder block 22, and a part of an upper surface of the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23.
- the left wall 244 covers a left side surface of the cylinder block 22 and a part of a left side surface of the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23.
- the tubular member 220 is located in a generally laterally intermediate portion of the engine body 21.
- Fig. 11 is a bottom view of major portions of the shroud 50.
- the engine unit 20 is partly illustrated in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line).
- the tubular portion 51 further includes a bottom wall 245 disposed below the engine body 21.
- the bottom wall 245 covers a bottom surface of the cylinder block 22 and a part of a bottom surface of the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23.
- the side plate 52 includes a major plate portion 247 opposed to the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24 transversely (Y1) of the vehicle with the intervention of the fan 56, and an arcuate plate portion 248 projecting from an outer peripheral edge of the major plate portion 247.
- the major plate portion 247 covers the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24 from the right side.
- a front end of the major plate portion 247 is connected to the right wall 242 of the tubular portion 51.
- the arcuate plate portion 248 has an arcuate shape.
- the arcuate plate portion 248 extends from the major plate portion 247 toward the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24, and is connected to the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24 via a third seal member 249.
- the arcuate plate portion 248 is fixed to the crank case 24 with the use of fixture screws not shown.
- a front space M1 is defined between outer peripheral surfaces of the cylinder block 22 and the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23 and an inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 51.
- a rear space M2 is defined between an inner surface of the side plate 52 and the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24.
- the front space M1 and the rear space M2 collectively define a cooling wind passage M3 through which cooling wind generated by the fan 56 flows.
- the cooling wind passage M3 is partly located between the front end portion of the shroud 50 and the rear end portion 207 of the cylinder head 23.
- a gap between a part of a front end portion of the tubular portion 51 and an outer surface of the cylinder head 23 is air-tightly sealed. This sealing arrangement will be described later in detail.
- the rear edge of the tubular portion 51 air-tightly contacts the front end face 206 of the crank case 24. More specifically, rear edges of the upper wall 243, the left wall 244 and the bottom wall 245 of the tubular portion 51 abut against the front end face 206 of the crank case 24.
- Fig. 12 is a sectional view of major portions taken along a line XII-XII in Fig. 3 .
- the arcuate third seal member 249 is disposed between a left edge of the arcuate plate portion 248 of the side plate 52 and the right side surface 246 of the crank case 24.
- the third seal member 249 is conformable to the arcuate shape of the arcuate plate portion 248.
- the fan 56 is disposed in the rear space M2 in a rear end portion of the shroud 50.
- the side plate 52 has an air intake portion 58.
- the air intake portion 58 includes a plurality of small openings provided on the right side of the fan 56. With the fan 56 being rotated, outside air is introduced into the rear space M2 through the air intake portion 58.
- the shroud 50 has a through-hole 59 formed in the front end portion thereof.
- the through-hole 59 is located in the front side of the right wall 242 and in the front side of the bottom wall 245 of the tubular portion 51.
- the exhaust pipe 43 is inserted through the through-hole 59.
- the bottom wall 245 has a release port 250 provided in a front end portion thereof.
- the release port 250 has, for example, a rectangular shape.
- the through-hole 59 and the release port 250 are arranged transversely (Y1) of the vehicle.
- Fig. 13 is a front view illustrating major portions of the engine unit 20 partly in section.
- a fourth seal member 251 and a fifth seal member 252 each composed of an elastic material such as rubber are disposed on the front end portion of the tubular member 51.
- the fourth seal member 251 and the fifth seal member 252 are shown in section.
- the fourth seal member 251 is an elongated unitarily molded member, and is attached to the tubular portion 51.
- the fourth seal member 251 includes a first portion 253 and a second portion 254.
- the upper wall 243 has a flange 255 projecting downward from a front edge thereof.
- the first portion 253 of the fourth seal member 251 is attached to an edge of the flange 255 of the upper wall 243.
- the first portion 253 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of the flange 255 and the outer surface of the cylinder head 23.
- the left wall 244 has a flange 256 projecting rightward from a front edge thereof.
- the flange 256 of the left wall 244 is conformable in shape to the left side surface of the cylinder head 23. More specifically, a vertically intermediate portion of the flange 256 is recessed leftward.
- the second portion 254 of the fourth seal member 251 is grooved.
- the second portion 254 is conformable in shape to an edge of the flange 256 of the left wall 244.
- the second portion 254 of the fourth seal member 251 is attached to the edge of the flange 256 of the left wall 244.
- the second portion 254 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of the flange 256 and the left side wall of the cylinder head 23.
- the fifth seal member 252 is an elongated unitarily molded member, and is held by the tubular portion 51.
- the fifth seal member 252 includes a first portion 257, a second portion 258 and a third portion 259.
- the bottom wall 245 has a flange 260 projecting upward from a front edge thereof.
- the flange 260 abuts against a portion of the bottom surface of the cylinder head 23 opposed to the flange 260.
- the first portion 257 of the fifth seal member 252 is attached to an edge portion of the flange 260 of the bottom wall 245 extending from a laterally intermediate portion to a right end portion. The first portion 257 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of the flange 260 of the bottom wall 245 and the bottom surface of the cylinder head 23.
- the right wall 242 has a flange 261 projecting from a lower edge of the front end portion thereof toward the right side surface of the cylinder head 23.
- the second portion 258 of the fifth seal member 252 is attached to an edge of the flange 261 of the right wall 242.
- the second portion 258 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of the flange 261 and the right side surface of the cylinder head 23.
- the third portion 259 of the fifth seal member 252 contacts a front portion of an outer peripheral surface of a fifth boss 262 projecting from the cylinder head 23.
- An upper portion of the third portion 259 of the fifth seal member 252 is fixed to a portion of the cylinder head 23 adjacent to the fifth boss 262.
- An ignition plug (not shown) is inserted in the cylinder head 23 through the fifth boss 262.
- the right wall 242 has a recess 263 provided on the front end portion thereof and receiving the fifth boss 262 inserted therein.
- a peripheral portion of the recess 263 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the fifth boss 262.
- the outer peripheral surface of the fifth boss 262 is surrounded by the peripheral portion of the recess 263 and the third portion 259 of the fifth seal member 252.
- Fig. 14 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 9 .
- the upper wall 243 of the tubular portion 51 has a cutaway portion 60 provided in the front end portion thereof.
- the cutaway portion 60 is such that a part of the front end portion of the upper wall 243 is recessed in the rearward direction.
- An edge 264 of the cutaway portion 60 includes a first edge portion 265 opposed to the flange 222 of the cylinder head 23, and a second edge portion 266 and a third edge portion 267 opposed to the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- the flange 222 of the cylinder head 23 has an opposed portion 268 opposed to the first edge portion 265.
- the first edge portion 265 is conformable in shape to the opposed portion 268. More specifically, the first edge portion 265 has a front portion extending generally in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, a portion which is intermediate in the direction between the front and the back and which extends obliquely in the rearward and rightward directions, and a rear portion extending generally transversely (Y1) of the vehicle as seen in plan.
- a laterally intermediate portion of the cutaway portion 60 defines a first opening region N1 from which the flange 222 of the cylinder head 23 is exposed.
- a gap between the first edge portion 265 and the opposed portion 268 of the flange 222 of the cylinder head 23 is air-tightly sealed by a sixth seal member 269.
- the sixth seal member 269 is attached to the upper wall 243.
- the second edge portion 266 is located at a right end of the cutaway portion 60 in the vicinity of the other end of the hose 237 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 and the fourth boss 239. As seen in plan, the second edge portion 266 is recessed in the rightward direction.
- the second edge portion 266 has a rear end portion extending generally in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as seen from the right side.
- the second edge portion 266 further has a front end portion recessed in the downward direction as seen from the right side.
- the outer peripheral surface of the fourth boss 239 has an opposed portion 270 opposed to the second edge portion 266.
- the outer peripheral surface of the hose 237 has an opposed portion 272 opposed to the second edge portion 266 at the other end thereof.
- the second edge portion 266 is spaced several millimeters from the opposed portion 270, and is spaced several millimeters from the opposed portion 272.
- a first air passage Q1 is defined between the second edge portion 266 and the opposed portions 270, 272 of the downstream end defining portion 241. That is, the second edge 266 of the shroud 50 serves to define the first air passage Q1. Further, the opposed portions 270, 272 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 serve to define the first air passage Q1 with respect to the shroud 50.
- the first air passage Q1 permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 in the shroud 50 and the outside of the shroud 50.
- the cooling wind flowing through the cooling wind passage M3 partly flows through the first air passage Q1 to be released outside the shroud 50.
- the cutaway portion 60 defines a second opening region N2 in the vicinity of the second edge portion 266 thereof for exposing the fourth boss 239.
- the third edge portion 267 is located at a front right portion of the cutaway portion 60 in the vicinity of the first boss 32.
- the third edge portion 267 has an arcuate shape.
- the third edge portion 267 extends along an opposed portion 271 of the outer peripheral surface of the first boss 32 opposed to the third edge portion 267. That is, the opposed portion 271 defines a part of the downstream end defining portion 241.
- the third edge portion 267 is spaced several millimeters from the opposed portion 271 of the first boss 32.
- a second air passage Q2 is defined between the third edge portion 267 and the opposed portion 271 of the first boss 32. That is, the third edge portion 267 of the shroud 50 serves to define the second air passage Q2.
- the second air passage Q2 permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 in the shroud 50 and the outside of the shroud 50.
- the second air passage Q2 and the first air passage Q1 communicate with each other.
- the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 are defined around the downstream end defining portion 241.
- the cooling wind flowing through the cooling wind passage M3 partly flows through the second air passage Q2 to be released outside the shroud 50.
- the cutaway portion 60 defines a third opening region N3 in the vicinity of the third edge portion 267 for exposing the first boss 32. That is, the third opening region N3 defined by the cutaway portion 60 is located on the right side of the first opening region N1 to prevent interference between the shroud 50 and the first boss 32 for the injector 34.
- the first boss 32 projects outside the shroud 50 from the third opening region N3.
- the fourth boss 239 is located on a portion of the first boss 32 projecting outside the shroud 50. Therefore, the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is connected to the cylinder head 23 outside the shroud 50.
- the aforementioned arrangement is such that the second and third edge portions 266, 267 defining the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 are disposed on a side of the cylinder head 23 of the engine body 21 vertically opposite from the release port 250 and the through-hole 59.
- the first air passage Q1, the second air passage Q2, the release port 250 and the through-hole 59 collectively serve as a release member, and are located at the front end of the tubular portion 51. That is, the first air passage Q1, the second air passage Q2, the release port 250 and the through-hole 59, which collectively serve as the release member for releasing the cooling wind from the shroud 50, are located on the front side of the shroud 50.
- the cooling air introduced into the rear space M2 is blown forward through the cooling wind passage M3 by the fan 56 to provide the cooling wind.
- the cooling wind is divided into an air stream flowing toward the upper wall 243 of the tubular portion 51 of the shroud 50 and an air stream flowing toward the bottom wall 245 as indicated by arrows R2 in Fig. 5 .
- the cooling wind flows into the front space M1 from the rear space M2 of the cooling wind passage M3 to remove heat from the engine body 21. Cooling wind flowing to below the front space M1 is released through the release port 250 and the through-hole 59 as indicated by arrows R3 in Figs. 5 and 11 .
- cooling wind flowing to above the front space M1 is released outside the shroud 50 through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2.
- the cooling wind flows toward the outer surface of the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- the cooling wind flowing through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 removes heat from the downstream end defining portion 241.
- intake air flowing through the downstream end portion K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is introduced into the injection space G3 at a lower temperature.
- the cooling wind released through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 partly hits the first boss 32.
- the cooling wind removes heat from the first boss 32, thereby cooling the injector 34 attached to the first boss 32.
- the engine unit 20 is of the air-cooled type and, therefore, obviates the need for the provision of the radiator and the cooling water pump which may otherwise be required for the water-cooled engine unit.
- the engine unit 20 has a simplified construction.
- the engine unit 20 is of the forced air-cooled type which is adapted to forcibly generate the cooling wind by means of the fan 56. This obviates the need for locating the engine unit 20 at a position at which the engine unit 20 can catch the airstream in the motorcycle 200, thereby improving the flexibility in the layout of the engine unit 20 in the motorcycle 200.
- the fan 56 is rotated together with the crank shaft 57 at a higher speed during the movement of the vehicle, whereby the cooling wind is sufficiently generated in the shroud 50.
- a sufficient amount of the cooling wind flows into the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. Therefore, the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is reliably cooled by the cooling wind generated by the fan 56.
- the temperature of the mixture of the assist air and the fuel is kept at a lower level, thereby increasing the fuel combustion efficiency.
- the intake air is introduced as the assist air into the injection space G3 from the auxiliary air intake passage K1 at least during idling.
- the assist air is applied to the fuel injected from the injection nozzle 35, thereby promoting the disintegration of the fuel.
- the fuel combustion efficiency is increased during idling and during the movement of the vehicle with a lower load.
- the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is branched from the main air intake passage P1 defined in the tubular member 220 disposed outside the shroud 50. Therefore, at least the portion of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 connected to the tubular member 220 is disposed outside the shroud 50.
- the entire auxiliary air intake passage K1 is unlikely to be affected by the heat in the shroud 50, so that the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 can be maintained at a lower temperature.
- the injector 34 is cooled by the lower temperature assist air, the fuel flowing through the injector 34 can be maintained at a lower temperature, thereby further improving the fuel combustion efficiency.
- the fuel combustion efficiency can be maintained at a higher level even during idling, during which the crank shaft 57 is rotated at a lower speed and hence the fan 56 generates a smaller amount of cooling wind.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 is located adjacent to the injection nozzle 35 provided in the cylinder head 23 which is liable to be heated to a higher temperature by the heat from the combustion chamber A1. Therefore, the downstream end defining portion 241 is liable to be affected by the heat of the cylinder head 23. However, the downstream end defining portion 241 is reliably cooled by the cooling wind flowing through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. This reliably suppresses the heating of the assist air flowing through the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 is disposed outside the shroud 50.
- the heat of the engine body 21 in the shroud 50 is less liable to be transferred to the downstream end defining portion 241. Therefore, the heat of the engine body 21 is less liable to be transferred to the assist air in the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. This reliably suppresses the temperature rise of the assist air.
- the cooling wind can be reliably applied to the downstream end defining portion 241. This reliably suppresses the heating of the assist air flowing through the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1.
- the cooling wind stream flowing toward the first and second air passages Q1 and Q2 from the fan 56 and the cooling wind stream flowing toward the release port 250 and the through-hole 59 from the fan 56 occur in the shroud 50.
- These cooling wind streams flow on opposite sides of the cylinder head 23.
- a cooling wind flowing area in the shroud 50 is increased, so that the engine body 21 is efficiently cooled.
- the cooling wind to be released from the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 is substantially prevented from being taken into the release port 250 and the through-hole 59.
- the cooling wind is reliably released from the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 to effectively cool the downstream end defining portion 241.
- connection pipe 39 is disposed between the tubular member 220 of the throttle body 38 and the cylinder head 23.
- the throttle body 38 and the upstream end defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 can be reliably isolated from the high temperature cylinder head 23. Therefore, the heat of the cylinder head 23 is less liable to be transferred to the upstream end defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- the assist air is substantially prevented from being heated at the upstream end K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 by the heat of the cylinder head 23.
- the connection pipe 39 prevents the transfer of the heat from the cylinder head 23 to the tubular member 220 of the throttle body 38. That is, the connection pipe 39 serves as a heat insulator between the cylinder head 23 and the throttle body 38.
- the entire auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is disposed on the outer side of the shroud 50 at which the temperature is lower than the inside of the shroud 50. This makes it possible to maintain the assist air at a lower temperature in the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41.
- the shroud 50 is provided so as not to cover the first boss 32 and the injector 34. This permits size reduction of the shroud 50 to increase the size of the lower space G1 present below the seat 16.
- the motorcycle 200 is thus provided, which includes the engine unit 20 having a simplified construction. Since the engine unit 20 is of the forced air-cooled type, there is no need to apply the airstream to the engine body, thereby improving the flexibility in the layout of the engine unit 20 in the motorcycle 200. As a result, the engine unit 20 can be placed in position so as to be surrounded by the vehicle body cover 18. That is, the present invention is applicable to the scooter-type motorcycle 200. Since the disintegration of the fuel is promoted by the lower temperature assist air and the assist air in the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is cooled by the cooling wind generated by the fan 56, the motorcycle 200 has a very high fuel combustion efficiency during idling as well as during the movement of the vehicle.
- the engine body 21 can be generally horizontally disposed as extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. This reduces the size of the engine body 21 as measured in the vertical direction (Z1) of the vehicle, thereby increasing the size of a space defined between the engine body 21 and the seat 16. This makes it possible to provide a greater-volume storage box in this space. Even in this case, the height of the seat is not excessively increased.
- the cooling wind generated by the fan 56 can be applied to a region ranging from the rear end to the front end of the shroud 50. This makes it possible to apply the cooling wind generated by the fan 56 to an extensive surface region of the engine body 21, thereby ensuring efficient cooling of the engine body 21.
- the engine unit 20 of this embodiment includes the engine body 21 having the cylinder head 23, the fan 56, the shroud 50 covering a region of the engine body 21 except for at least a part of the cylinder head 23, and the injector 34 attached to the portion of the cylinder head 23 exposed outside the shroud 50.
- the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 which permit the cooling wind passage M3 defined between the shroud 50 and the engine body 21 to communicate with the outside of the shroud 50 are provided in the vicinity of the injector 34.
- the shroud 50 does not cover the entire engine body 21 but the region of the engine body 21 except for at least the part of the cylinder head 23. This prevents the increase in the size of the shroud 50.
- the cooling wind introduced by the fan 56 into the cooling wind space M3 defined between the shroud 50 and the engine body 21 partly flows out of the shroud 50 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2.
- the injector 34 is cooled, so that the temperature rise of the injector 34 is suppressed.
- the first boss 32 fitted with the injector 34 is provided in the portion of the cylinder head 23 exposed outside the shroud 50, and the second air passage Q2 is defined between the third edge portion 267 of the shroud 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the first boss 32. Therefore, the cooling wind flowing out of the second air passage Q2 flows in the vicinity of the injector 34 and, therefore, effectively cools the injector 34.
- the cylinder head 23 and the injector 34 are located on the front end portion of the engine body 21, and the fan 56 is disposed in the rear portion of the shroud 50.
- the release port 250 and the through-hole 59 for releasing the cooling wind from the shroud 50 are disposed in the front portion of the shroud 50.
- the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 are disposed on the downstream side with respect to the cooling wind flowing direction in the shroud 50. This promotes the flow of the cooling wind out of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2.
- the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 are disposed on the side of the engine body 21 vertically opposite from the release port 250 and the through-hole 59.
- the cooling wind to be released from the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 is less liable to be taken into the release port 250 and the through-hole 59. Therefore, the cooling wind reliably flows out of the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2.
- the shroud 50 has the first opening region N1 through which the flange 222 of the cylinder head 23 connected to the downstream end of the air intake pipe 36 is exposed.
- the downstream end of the air intake pipe 36 is not covered with the shroud 50. Therefore, the size of the shroud 50 is reduced as compared with the case in which the downstream end of the main air intake passage is covered with the shroud.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is provided in the portion of the cylinder head 23 exposed outside the shroud 50.
- the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is connected to the cylinder head 23 outside the shroud 50. Therefore, the size of the shroud 50 is reduced as compared with the case in which the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is covered with the shroud.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is provided in the vicinity of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 and, therefore, cooled by the cooling wind flowing out of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2.
- reduction in the oxygen concentration of the assist air supplied into the injection space G3 from the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is prevented which may otherwise occur due to the temperature rise of the assist air. This increases the combustion efficiency.
- the protector 53 provided as an integral part of the shroud 50 will be described next.
- the protector 53 covers a right outer surface portion of the rear end portion of the exhaust pipe 43.
- the protector 53 projects downward from a lower edge of the major plate portion 247 of the side plate 52.
- the protector 53 is elongated in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, and disposed on the right side of the exhaust pipe 43.
- the position of the protector 53, as seen in the direction between the front and the back, corresponds to that of the fan 56.
- the protector 53 is disposed at a position close to the fan 56.
- a rear end portion of the protector 53 projects in the rearward direction of a rear end of the side plate 52.
- JP-A-2008-190425 discloses a shroud for cooling the engine body.
- this shroud is not formed with the protector for covering the exhaust pipe and the muffler.
- the provision of the protector increases the number of components.
- this embodiment requires a smaller number of components, because the protector 53 is provided as the integral part of the shroud 50.
- the protector 53 is disposed in the vicinity of the fan 56. Thus, outside air sucked by the fan 56 is partly brought into contact with the surface of the protector 53. This suppresses the temperature rise of the protector 53. Further, the protector 53 is configured so as to be generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the exhaust pipe 43, so that the size of the protector 53 is not unnecessarily increased. This prevents the size increase of the shroud 50.
- Fig. 15 is a right side view illustrating, partly in section, of an engine unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described. Like components will be denoted by like reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member 41 is disposed inside the shroud 50 in this embodiment. More specifically, the shroud 50 further includes a cover member 275 fixed to the upper wall 243 of the tubular portion 51.
- the cover member 275 is provided separately from the half members 54L, 54R (the half member 54L is not shown). The cover member 275 is located on the upper wall 243.
- the cover member 275 includes a first cover 276, and a second cover 277 disposed behind the first cover 276.
- the first cover 276 is located in front of the first boss 32, and covers the first boss 32, the holder 33, the injector 34 and the downstream end defining portion 241 from the front side.
- the second cover 277 has, for example, an inverted U-shape as seen in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. The front end of the second cover 277 is connected to the first cover 276.
- the second cover 277 covers the first boss 32, the holder 33, the injector 34 and the downstream end defining portion 241 from the right side, the upper side and the left side.
- An upper space M4 is defined as a part of the cooling wind passage M3 in the second cover 277.
- the upper space M4 communicates with the front space M1.
- a third air passage Q3 is defined between a rear end portion 277a of the second cover 277, an adjacent portion 243a of the upper wall 243 adjacent to the rear end portion 277a and the other end 237a of the hose 237 of the downstream end defining portion 241.
- the third air passage Q3 is located around the downstream end defining portion 241, and permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 and the outside of the shroud 50. The cooling wind is released through the third air passage Q3.
- the cooling wind released through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 hits the downstream end defining portion 241 in the upper space M4 inside the cover member 275 as indicated by arrows R4, and is then released from the third air passage Q3 behind the cover member 275 as indicated by an arrow R5.
- the downstream end defining portion 241 is disposed inside the cover member 275 of the shroud 50 in which the cooling wind flows.
- the cooling wind generated by the fan 56 is reliably applied to the downstream end defining portion 241. Therefore, the cooling wind reliably suppresses the heating of the downstream end defining portion 241 and the assist air flowing through the downstream end defining portion 241 which may otherwise occur due to the heat of the engine body 21.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Control Of Throttle Valves Provided In The Intake System Or In The Exhaust System (AREA)
- Cylinder Crankcases Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
- Automatic Cycles, And Cycles In General (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, and to a motorcycle.
- An engine disclosed in patent document 1 (
WO 2005/098231A ) includes a main air intake passage through which air is supplied into a combustion chamber thereof from an air cleaner. An auxiliary air intake passage is branched from the main air intake passage. An injector is mounted on a cylinder head of the engine. Intake air supplied from the main air intake passage flows into the auxiliary air intake passage to serve as assist air at least during idling. The assist air is applied to fuel injected from the injector to promote disintegration of the fuel. This increases the fuel combustion efficiency at least during idling. - The engine disclosed in
patent document 1 is of a naturally air-cooled type, which is configured such that an airstream generated by the movement of the vehicle is applied to the engine.
Thus, the engine is cooled by the airstream. - An air-cooled engine and a water-cooled engine are generally known for use in motorcycles and other types of vehicles. The air-cooled engine is cooled by applying air to the engine. Therefore, the air-cooled engine has a simplified construction without a need for provision of a radiator and a cooling water pump, which may otherwise be required for the water-cooled engine.
- In the engine disclosed in
patent document 1, the injector is mounted on the cylinder head, so that the cylinder head and the injector are cooled by the airstream. This suppresses vapor lock of the fuel supplied into the injector, and promotes atomization of the fuel, thereby improving the combustion efficiency. - However, the engine disclosed in
patent document 1 is of the naturally air-cooled type. Therefore, it is necessary to locate the engine at a position at which the engine can easily catch the airstream. This disadvantageously reduces flexibility in the layout of the engine in the vehicle. - To cope with this, a forced air-cooled engine has been developed, which includes a fan driven by rotation of a crank shaft of the engine, and a shroud covering a cylinder head, a cylinder block and the like of the engine as disclosed in patent document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
2001-241326 - The forced air-cooled engine does not need to be located at the position at which the engine can catch the airstream, because the cooling of the engine does not rely on the airstream. Therefore, the flexibility in the layout of the engine in the vehicle is increased.
- In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit which has a simple construction, higher layout flexibility in a vehicle and higher fuel combustion efficiency, and to provide a motorcycle including such an engine unit.
- This object is achieved by a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit of
claim 1, and by a motorcycle of claim 9. - According to the present invention, there is provided a forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, which includes: an engine body including a crank case accommodating a crank shaft, a cylinder block connected to the crank case and accommodating a piston in a reciprocally movable manner, and a cylinder head that is cooperative with the cylinder block to define a combustion chamber and defines a part of a main air intake passage connected to the combustion chamber; an air intake pipe connected to the cylinder head and cooperative with the cylinder head to define the main air intake passage; a shroud covering at least a part of the cylinder head; a fan disposed between the shroud and the engine body, and adapted to be driven by rotation of the crank shaft to generate cooling wind for cooling the engine body; a throttle body including two throttle valves spaced from each other in an intake air flowing direction in the air intake pipe, and a tubular member that defines a part of the air intake pipe and accommodates the two throttle valves, the throttle body being disposed outside the shroud; and a fuel injection device attached to the cylinder head and having an injection nozzle which injects fuel into the part of the main air intake passage defined in the cylinder head. The forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit further includes an auxiliary air intake passage defining member that defines an auxiliary air intake passage branched from the main air intake passage between the two throttle valves to guide intake air into a space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle in the cylinder head at least during idling. An air passage is provided around at least a part of the auxiliary air intake passage for communication between an inside and an outside of the shroud.
- With this unique arrangement, the forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit has a simple construction, higher layout flexibility in a vehicle and higher fuel combustion efficiency.
-
Fig. 1 is a right side view of a motorcycle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial right side view illustrating a portion of the motorcycle around a vehicle body cover. -
Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of an engine unit as seen in plan. -
Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of major portions of the engine unit as seen from the right side. -
Fig. 5 is a partly broken right side view illustrating the engine unit partly in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line). -
Fig. 6 is a schematic right side view of a throttle body. -
Fig. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the degree (angle) of opening of a first throttle valve and the degree of opening of a second throttle valve. -
Fig. 8 is a schematic right side view illustrating the throttle body with its first and second throttle valves being fully open. -
Fig. 9 is a plan view of a shroud. -
Fig. 10 is a left side view of the engine unit. -
Fig. 11 is a partial bottom view of the shroud. -
Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along a line XII-XII inFig. 3 . -
Fig. 13 is a front view illustrating major portions of the engine unit partly in section. -
Fig. 14 is a partially enlarged view ofFig. 9 . -
Fig. 15 is a right side view illustrating, partly in section, an engine unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. - An attempt has been made to provide a forced air-cooled engine which incorporates the features of the engine including the injector attached to the cylinder head thereof and adapted to promote the atomization of the fuel by the assist air. Such a forced air-cooled engine may have higher fuel combustion efficiency and higher layout flexibility in the vehicle.
- With provision of an auxiliary air intake passage, the forced air-cooled engine is configured such that assist air supplied through the auxiliary air intake passage is applied to fuel injected from an injector. In the forced air-cooled engine, an engine body including a cylinder block and the like is covered with a shroud. Air is introduced into the inside of the shroud by a fan disposed in the shroud. Thus, the air flows through the inside of the shroud, whereby the engine body is cooled. Therefore, it is desirable to cover the greatest possible portion of the engine body with the shroud. With the engine body being covered with the shroud, however, the heat of the engine body is liable to be accumulated around the shroud, so that the injector and its peripheral portion are liable to be heated to a higher temperature. If the temperature of the injector rises, air bubbles are liable to occur in the fuel supplied into the injector. This results in vapor lock and breathing, thereby reducing the fuel combustion efficiency.
- Even if the auxiliary air intake passage is provided in the engine which suffers from the heat accumulation due to the coverage with the shroud, the auxiliary air intake passage and the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage are heated to a higher temperature. As a result, a mixture of the injected fuel and the assist air is heated to a higher temperature, so that the oxygen concentration is correspondingly reduced. This reduces the fuel combustion efficiency. Further, the rotation speed of the fan is reduced during idling, because the fan is rotated together with a crank shaft provided in the engine body. Therefore, the cooling capability of the fan is reduced during idling, so that heat from the engine body is disadvantageously accumulated in the shroud.
- To cope with the aforementioned problems, the cooling of the engine body during the movement of the vehicle and the cooling of the engine body during idling are considered separately. That is, it is simply necessary to improve the cooling effect of the fuel injection device during the movement of the vehicle and during idling.
- During the movement of the vehicle, the fan is rotated together with the crank shaft at a higher speed and, therefore, the cooling by the fan may be more effective. For the effective cooling of the injector (fuel injection device) by the fan, it may be more advantageous that the injector and the auxiliary air intake passage connected to the injector are disposed in a spaced relation from the shroud. With this arrangement, air flows from the inside to the outside of the shroud around the injector and the auxiliary air intake passage. This makes it possible to cool the injector at improved efficiency by the cooling wind generated by the fan during the movement of the vehicle.
- During idling, the crank shaft and the fan are each rotated at a lower speed, so that the cooling by the fan is not effective. For improvement of the fuel combustion efficiency, the auxiliary air intake passage is provided, which is branched from the main air intake passage to introduce intake air (assist air) into a space defined around an injection nozzle provided in the cylinder head at least during idling. This arrangement, which originally serves for air assist, may be more advantageous for cooling the injector by the assist air supplied from the auxiliary air intake passage during idling.
- It is also conceivable that a throttle body connected to the auxiliary air intake passage is disposed outside the shroud. Thus, at least an upstream portion of the auxiliary air intake passage is less liable to be affected by the heat in the shroud. This suppresses the temperature rise of the intake air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage, thereby ensuring proper cooling of the injector during idling.
- Thus, the present invention has been accomplished.
- With reference to the attached drawings, the present invention will hereinafter be described by way of specific embodiments. In the following description, directions between the front and the back, vertical directions and lateral (transverse) directions are defined on the basis of a reference posture of a motorcycle which travels straight ahead on a horizontal plane as seen from a viewpoint of a forward-facing rider of the motorcycle.
- In the drawings, a forward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow F. Similarly, a rearward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow B. Further, an upward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow U, and a downward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow D. A leftward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow L, and a rightward direction of the motorcycle is indicated by an arrow R.
-
Fig. 1 is a right side view of amotorcycle 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. InFig. 1 , themotorcycle 200 is illustrated partly in a broken-down form. In this embodiment, themotorcycle 200 is a scooter. In this embodiment, the scooter will be described as an example of the inventive motorcycle, but the motorcycle is not limited to the scooter. The present invention is applicable to other types of motorcycles such as so-called mopeds and off-road vehicles. - The
motorcycle 200 includes ahandlebar 10 provided on a front portion thereof. Thehandlebar 10 is connected to afront wheel 14 via asteering shaft 13 extending through ahead pipe 11. Thehead pipe 11 is connected to avehicle body frame 15. - The
vehicle body frame 15 extends in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as a whole. Thehead pipe 11 is connected to a front end of thevehicle body frame 15. Aseat 16 is attached to a rear portion of thevehicle body frame 15. Afoot rest plate 17 is attached to a portion of thevehicle body frame 15 in front of theseat 16. Thefoot rest plate 17 is located at a lower level than theseat 16. - A
vehicle body cover 18 is attached to thevehicle body frame 15. Thevehicle body cover 18 extends upward from a rear portion of thefoot rest plate 17 to surround a lower space G1 present below theseat 16. - As shown in an enlarged partial right side view of
Fig. 2 , the vehicle body cover 18 surrounds the lower space G1 below theseat 16. Thevehicle body cover 18 includes afront wall 202 disposed below a front end of theseat 16, and a pair ofside walls 203 disposed below right and left edges of theseat 16. InFig. 2 , only the right one of theside walls 203 is shown. Theside walls 203 are laterally symmetrical. - A unit-swing engine unit (or swing type engine unit) 20 is mounted on the
vehicle body frame 15. Theengine unit 20 is of a forced air-cooled type. A part of theengine unit 20 is covered with thevehicle body cover 18. More specifically, a front end portion of anengine body 21 of theengine unit 20 and a front end portion of ashroud 50 to be described later are covered with thevehicle body cover 18. As best shown inFig. 1 , theengine unit 20 includes theengine body 21, anair intake pipe 36, athrottle body 38, an auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41, and theshroud 50. - The
engine body 21 is disposed behind thefront wall 202 of the vehicle body cover 18 in the lower space G1 below theseat 16. -
Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of theengine unit 20 as seen in plan. That is, a part of theengine unit 20 is shown in horizontal section. Theengine body 21 has a cylinder axis extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. Theengine body 21 is a single-cylinder four-stroke engine. Theengine body 21 includes acylinder block 22, acylinder head 23 attached to a front end portion of thecylinder block 22, and a crankcase 24 attached to a rear end portion of thecylinder block 22. - The crank
case 24 defines a rear end portion of theengine body 21. Acrank shaft 57 extending transversely (Y1) of the vehicle is accommodated in thecrank case 24. Thecrank shaft 57 is rotatably supported by thecrank case 24 viabearings right end portion 204 of thecrank shaft 57 projects from aright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24. Afan 56 is connected to theright end portion 204 of thecrank shaft 57 for unitary rotation. Thefan 56 is driven by the rotation of thecrank shaft 57. Air is introduced as cooling wind into theshroud 50 from the outside by thefan 56 for cooling theengine body 21. Thecrank shaft 57 has an intermediate portion which is connected to a large end portion of a connectingrod 205. - The
cylinder block 22 is a tubular member connected to afront end face 206 of thecrank case 24. An inside space of thecylinder block 22 is defined as a cylinder chamber E1. Apiston 208 is accommodated in the cylinder chamber E1 so as to be reciprocally movable along the cylinder axis. Thepiston 208 is connected to a small end portion of the connectingrod 205 via apiston pin 29. - The
cylinder head 23 is connected to a front end face of thecylinder block 22, and defines a front end portion of theengine body 21. Acam shaft 209 for driving an air intake valve (not shown) and anexhaust valve 31 is accommodated in thecylinder head 23. - As shown in
Fig. 1 , thecrank case 24 is connected to thevehicle body frame 15 via apivot shaft 25. Thepivot shaft 25 has an axis extending transversely (Y1) of the vehicle. Arear wheel 27 is attached to a rear portion of theengine unit 20 via apower transmission member 26. Arear shock absorber 28 is provided between a rear portion of thepower transmission member 26 and the rear portion of thevehicle body frame 15. With this arrangement, theengine unit 20 and therear wheel 27 are vertically pivotal about thepivot shaft 25 with respect to thevehicle body frame 15. -
Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of major portions of theengine unit 20 as seen from the right side of theengine unit 20. A space defined between thepiston 208 accommodated in thecylinder block 22, thecylinder block 22 and thecylinder head 23 serves as a combustion chamber A1 in which a fuel-air mixture is subjected to combustion. Thecylinder head 23 is provided with anair intake valve 210 facing the combustion chamber A1 and theaforementioned exhaust valve 31. -
Fig. 5 is a partly broken-away right side view illustrating theengine unit 20 partly in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line). Referring toFigs. 4 and5 , thecylinder head 23 includes a firsttubular boss 32 provided in an upper right portion thereof. Thefirst boss 32 is an integral part of thecylinder head 23. Thefirst boss 32 projects out of theshroud 50. A distal end portion of thefirst boss 32 is located outside theshroud 50 and exposed from theshroud 50. An inside space of thefirst boss 32 communicates with a main air intake passage P1 (to be described later) around theair intake valve 210. - An injector (fuel injection device) 34 is attached to the
first boss 32 via asynthetic resin holder 33. Theinjector 34, which is attached to thecylinder head 23, is located at the front end of theengine body 21. - Referring to
Fig. 4 , theholder 33 includes acylindrical portion 211 and aflange 212 provided at a proximal end of thecylindrical portion 211. Theflange 212 abuts against the distal end of thefirst boss 32. Thus, theholder 33 is positioned with respect to thefirst boss 32. Thecylindrical portion 211 is accommodated in an accommodation space H1 defined in thefirst boss 32. A gap between an outer peripheral surface of aproximal end portion 213 of thecylindrical portion 211 and an inner peripheral surface of thefirst boss 32 is liquid-tightly sealed by afirst seal member 214 such as an O-ring. An annular space is defined as a chamber G2 between an outer peripheral surface of anintermediate portion 215 of thecylindrical portion 211 and the inner peripheral surface of thefirst boss 32. A distal edge of adistal end portion 216 of thecylindrical portion 211 is engaged with the inner peripheral surface of thefirst boss 32 with virtually no gap. - An inside space of the
distal end portion 216 of thecylindrical portion 211 is defined as an injection space G3 adjacent to aninjection nozzle 35 of theinjector 34. The injection space G3 is provided as a space defined adjacent to theinjection nozzle 35. The injection space G3 is thus provided in thecylinder head 23, and communicates with the combustion chamber A1 via theair intake valve 210. Thedistal end portion 216 of thecylindrical portion 211 is formed with a plurality of through-holes 217. The through-holes 217 (e.g., four through-holes) are located equidistantly on the circumference of thedistal end portion 216 of thecylindrical portion 211. The chamber G2 communicates with the injection space G3 via the through-holes 217. - The
injector 34 serves to inject fuel supplied from a fuel tank (not shown) into the air intake passage. Theinjector 34 includes aninjector body 218 having an elongated shape, and aninjection nozzle 35 disposed at a distal end of theinjector body 218. - The
injector body 218 is inserted in thecylindrical portion 211 of theholder 33 to be thereby retained by theholder 33. A gap between an outer peripheral surface of theinjector body 218 and an inner peripheral surface of theholder 33 is liquid-tightly sealed by asecond seal member 219 such as an O-ring. Theinjection nozzle 35 faces the injection space G3, and is oriented so as to inject the fuel toward theair intake valve 210 via a part of the main air intake passage P1 present in thecylinder head 23. Fuel injection timing at which theinjector 34 injects the fuel toward theair intake valve 210 is controlled by a controller such as an ECU (an engine control unit or an electronic control unit) not shown. - The
air intake pipe 36 includes anair intake hose 37 extending forward from an air cleaner (not shown) connected thereto, atubular member 220 connected to a front end portion of theair intake hose 37, and aconnection pipe 39 connected to a front end portion of thetubular member 220 and curved downward. - The
cylinder head 23 includes a tubularair intake port 221. The part of the main air intake passage P1 present in thecylinder head 23 is defined by theair intake port 221. Theair intake valve 210 is located at one of opposite ends of theair intake port 221. The other end of theair intake port 221 opens into an upper surface of thecylinder head 23. The other end of theair intake port 221 is defined by aflange 222 provided on thecylinder head 23. Theflange 222 abuts against aflange 223 provided at a front end portion of theconnection pipe 39, and is fixed to theflange 223 by fixture screws not shown. Thus, theair intake port 221 is connected to the front end portion of the connection pipe 39 (i.e., a downstream end of the air intake pipe 36). - The main air intake passage P1 is defined by the
air intake port 221 of thecylinder head 23 and theair intake pipe 36. - The
throttle body 38 includes thetubular member 220, and two throttle valves, i.e., first andsecond throttle valves tubular member 220 has an axis extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. Thetubular member 220 is located above thecylinder block 22 of theengine body 21 and above anupper wall 243 of atubular portion 51 of theshroud 50 as will be described later. Thus, thethrottle body 38 is entirely located outside theshroud 50. - The first and
second throttle valves air intake pipe 36. Thefirst throttle valve 40A and thesecond throttle valve 40B are spaced from each other in an intake air flowing direction C1 in the main air intake passage P1 . Thefirst throttle valve 40A and thesecond throttle valve 40B are accommodated in thetubular member 220. Thefirst throttle valve 40A is located downstream of thesecond throttle valve 40B with respect to the intake air flowing direction C1. That is, thefirst throttle valve 40A is located between thesecond throttle valve 40B and thecylinder head 23 in the main air intake passage P1. Thefirst throttle valve 40A and thesecond throttle valve 40B each have a disk shape. - The
first throttle valve 40A is supported by afirst rotation shaft 224 extending perpendicularly to a center axis of thetubular member 220. Thesecond throttle valve 40B is supported by asecond rotation shaft 225 extending perpendicularly to the center axis of thetubular member 220. -
Fig. 6 is a schematic right side view of thethrottle body 38. Referring toFig. 6 , thefirst rotation shaft 224 and thesecond rotation shaft 225 are each rotatably supported by thetubular member 220. Thefirst throttle valve 40A is rotated together with thefirst rotation shaft 224 about thefirst rotation shaft 224 by the rotation of thefirst rotation shaft 224. Similarly, thesecond throttle valve 40B is rotated together with thesecond rotation shaft 225 about thesecond rotation shaft 225 by the rotation of thesecond rotation shaft 225. - A driving
pulley 226 is coupled to thesecond rotation shaft 225 for unitary rotation. A throttle cable (not shown) is attached to the drivingpulley 226. Thus, the drivingpulley 226 is rotated by a throttle operation performed by the rider. The rotation of the drivingpulley 226 rotates thesecond rotation shaft 225, thereby opening and closing thesecond throttle valve 40B. - The opening/closing operation of the
second throttle valve 40B is linked with the opening/closing operation of thefirst throttle valve 40A by alink mechanism 227. That is, the first andsecond throttle valves - The
link mechanism 227 has a so-called lost motion structure such that thefirst throttle valve 40A starts the opening operation with a time delay after the start of the opening operation of thesecond throttle valve 40B. Thelink mechanism 227 includes a firstmain link member 228, a secondmain link member 229 disposed on the rear side of the firstmain link member 228, asub-link member 230, and arotation transmission member 231. - The second
main link member 229 is a small piece provided integrally with the drivingpulley 226. The secondmain link member 229 is rotatable about thesecond rotation shaft 225. The secondmain link member 229 is connected to thesub-link member 230 via asecond connection shaft 232 for relative rotation. - The
sub-link member 230 is a rod member elongated in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, and links the secondmain link member 229 to the firstmain link member 228. Thesecond connection shaft 232 is disposed at a rear end of thesub-link member 230. A front end of thesub-link member 230 is connected to the firstmain link member 228 via afirst connection shaft 233 for relative rotation. - The first
main link member 228 is an elongated metal plate member. A front end of the firstmain link member 228 is connected to thefirst connection shaft 233. An intermediate portion of the firstmain link member 228 is connected to thefirst rotation shaft 224 for relative rotation. Thus, the firstmain link member 228 is rotatable independently of thefirst rotation shaft 224. The firstmain link member 228 includes apress member 234 provided at a rear end thereof. - A center axis J1 of the
second rotation shaft 225 serving as a pivot center of the secondmain link member 229 is spaced a distance D2 from a center axis J2 of thesecond connection shaft 232. Further, a center axis J3 of thefirst rotation shaft 224 serving as a pivot center of the firstmain link member 228 is spaced a distance D1 from a center axis J4 of thefirst connection shaft 233. A relationship between the distances D1 and D2 is D2 > D1. - The
rotation transmission member 231 is a plate member. Therotation transmission member 231 is connected to thefirst rotation shaft 224 for unitary rotation. Therotation transmission member 231 includes a to-be-pressed member 235 to be brought into abutment against thepress member 234. With thesecond throttle valve 40B being fully closed, thepress member 234 and the to-be-pressed member 235 are opposed to and spaced a predetermined distance from each other circumferentially of thefirst rotation shaft 224. - Referring to
Fig. 4 , the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 extends from thetubular member 220 of thethrottle body 38 to thefirst boss 32 of thecylinder head 23. The entire auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is located outside theshroud 50. The auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 defines an auxiliary air intake passage K1. - As described above, the
first boss 32 is provided as the integral part of thecylinder head 23. Theinjector 34 is fixed in thefirst boss 32. Thecylinder head 23 further includes afourth boss 239 provided integrally with thefirst boss 32. Thefourth boss 239 extends perpendicularly to an axis of theinjector 34. Thecylinder head 23 further includes athird boss 238 attached to thefourth boss 239. - The auxiliary air intake
passage defining member 41 includes asecond boss 236 fixed to thetubular member 220, thefourth boss 239 and thefirst boss 32 provided as the integral parts of thecylinder head 23, thecylindrical portion 211 of theholder 33 provided in thefirst boss 32, thethird boss 238 attached to thefourth boss 239, and ahose 237 which connects thethird boss 238 to thesecond boss 236. - The
second boss 236 is an L-shape tubular metal member. Thesecond boss 236 is disposed on an upper portion of thetubular member 220. One of opposite end portions of thesecond boss 236 serves as an upstreamend defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. One of opposite ends of the upstreamend defining portion 240 is fixed to thetubular member 220 between thefirst throttle valve 40A and thesecond throttle valve 40B. A part of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 present in thesecond boss 236 is defined as an upstream end portion K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1, and communicates with the main air intake passage P1. - The
hose 237 is a tube formed of a flexible material such as rubber. One of opposite ends of thehose 237 is connected to the other end of thesecond boss 236. - One of opposite ends of the
third boss 238 is connected to the other end of thehose 237. Thefourth boss 239 is provided integrally with thefirst boss 32. Center axes of thefourth boss 239 and thefirst boss 32 extend generally perpendicularly to each other. Referring toFigs. 4 and5 , thefourth boss 239 is located outside theshroud 50. Portions of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 present in the other end portion of thehose 237 and the third andfourth bosses first boss 32, and the through-holes 217 of thecylindrical portion 211 collectively define a downstream end portion K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. The downstream end portion K3 communicates with the injection space G3 in thefirst boss 32. The other end of thethird boss 238 is connected to thefourth boss 239. The other end portion of thehose 237, thethird boss 238, thefourth boss 239, thefirst boss 32, and thecylindrical portion 211 of theholder 33 collectively define a downstreamend defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. The downstreamend defining portion 241 is located outside theshroud 50. Particularly, a part of the downstreamend defining portion 241 defined by thefirst boss 32 is located outside theshroud 50. - With the aforementioned arrangement, the upstream end portion K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is defined by the upstream
end defining portion 240 of thesecond boss 236, and communicates with the main air intake passage P1 between the first andsecond throttle valves end defining portion 241. The downstream end portion K3 communicates with the injection space G3. - Intake air is introduced as assist air into the auxiliary air intake passage K1 from the main air intake passage P1. The assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is further introduced into the injection space G3. The assist air supplied into the injection space G3 is applied to the fuel injected from the
injector 34, thereby promoting the disintegration of the fuel. -
Fig. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the degree of opening of thefirst throttle valve 40A and the degree of opening of thesecond throttle valve 40B. InFig. 7 , the degree of opening of thefirst throttle valve 40A is zero during idling. Similarly, the degree of opening of thesecond throttle valve 40B is zero during idling. - In
Fig. 7 , a solid line indicates a relationship between the degrees of opening of the first andsecond throttle valves first throttle valve 40A is kept at zero when the degree of opening of thesecond throttle valve 40B is not greater than 10 degrees. - On the other hand, a broken line in
Fig. 7 indicates that the degree of opening of the first throttle valve is always equal to the degree of opening of the second throttle valve because the lost motion structure is not provided. As indicated by the broken line and the solid line, thefirst throttle valve 40A is opened with a time delay after thesecond throttle valve 40B is opened in this embodiment. The operations of the first andsecond throttle valves - Referring to
Figs. 6 and 7 , the degrees of opening of thefirst throttle valve 40A and thesecond throttle valve 40B are controlled in the following manner according to a change in load (throttle operating amount). First, thefirst throttle valve 40A located on a downstream side with respect to the intake air flowing direction C1 is maintained in a fully closed position when the vehicle is operated in an operation state ranging from a non-load operation state (idling state) to a predetermined partial load operation state. - More specifically, until the operation state reaches the partial load operation state, the rotation of the driving
pulley 226 occurring due to the throttle operation performed by the rider is not transmitted to thefirst rotation shaft 224 but transmitted only to thesecond rotation shaft 225. Therefore, only thesecond throttle valve 40B is opened or closed by the rotation of thesecond rotation shaft 225. At this time, thesub-link member 230 and the firstmain link member 228 operate in response to the operation of the secondmain link member 229. Thus, the firstmain link member 228 is rotated about thefirst rotation shaft 224. However, thefirst rotation shaft 224 and thefirst throttle valve 40A are not rotated until thepress member 234 of the firstmain link member 228 is brought into abutment against the to-be-pressed member 235. - Therefore, the amount of air flowing into the injection space G3 of the
injection nozzle 35 is controlled only based on the degree of opening of thesecond throttle valve 40B until the operation state reaches the partial load operation state. In the partial load operation state, the assist air flowing into the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is mixed with the fuel injected from theinjection nozzle 35 in the injection space G3. Thus, the disintegration of the fuel is promoted to increase the fuel combustion efficiency. This reduces the possibility of imperfect fuel combustion which is liable to occur at the cold start of the engine. - On the other hand, when the operation state is shifted from the partial load operation state to a higher load operation state, the
first throttle valve 40A is opened according to the throttle operation. Thus, not only the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 but also the intake air flowing through the other end of theair intake port 221 is introduced into thecylinder head 23. - Referring to
Figs. 7 and8 , more specifically, when the operation state is shifted from the partial load operation state to the higher load operation state, the rotation amount of the firstmain link member 228 with respect to a reference rotation amount observed during idling exceeds a predetermined level. As a result, thepress member 234 of the firstmain link member 228 is brought into abutment against the to-be-pressed member 235 of therotation transmission member 231. Therefore, therotation transmission member 231 and thefirst rotation shaft 224 are rotated in response to the rotation of the firstmain link member 228, whereby thefirst throttle valve 40A is rotated. Thus, not only the intake air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 but also the air flowing through theconnection pipe 39 is introduced into thecylinder head 23. - Since the distance D2 is greater than the distance D1 in the
link mechanism 227 as described above, the opening/closing speed of thefirst throttle valve 40A is higher than that of thesecond throttle valve 40B in the higher load operation state. As a result, thefirst throttle valve 40A is fully opened when thesecond throttle valve 40B is fully opened. - Referring to
Fig. 1 , anexhaust pipe 43 connected to theexhaust valve 31 of thecylinder head 23 and amuffler 44 connected to a rear end of theexhaust pipe 43 are attached to theengine body 21. Theexhaust pipe 43 and themuffler 44 extend in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as a whole. - The
exhaust pipe 43 is disposed below theengine body 21. An upstream end portion (front end portion) of theexhaust pipe 43 is curved upward, and is connected to a lower surface of thecylinder head 23 to communicate with an exhaust passage adjacent to theexhaust valve 31. The rear end of theexhaust pipe 43 is connected to a front end of themuffler 44 at substantially the same position, as seen in the direction between the front and the back, as a rear end surface of thecrank case 24. Themuffler 44 extends obliquely in the upward and rearward directions on the right side of therear wheel 27. A catalyst device not shown is accommodated in themuffler 44. -
Fig. 9 is a plan view of theshroud 50. InFig. 9 , theengine unit 20 is partly illustrated in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line). Referring toFigs. 5 and9 , theshroud 50 is attached to theengine body 21 for cooling theengine body 21. Theshroud 50 includes atubular portion 51 which entirely surrounds thecylinder block 22 and arear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23, aside plate 52 which covers thecrank case 24 from the right side, and aprotector 53. - The
shroud 50 includes two half members, i.e., left andright half members tubular portion 51 is defined by the entireleft half member 54L and a front end portion of theright half member 54R. Theside plate 52 and theprotector 53 are defined by a portion of theright half member 54R rearward of thetubular portion 51. - Referring to
Figs. 3 and5 , thetubular portion 51 includes aright wall 242 disposed on the right side of theengine body 21 and bulged to the right side. Theright wall 242 covers a right side surface of thecylinder block 22 and a part of a right side surface of therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23. A rear end portion of theright wall 242 is bulged rightward to a greater extent than a front end portion of theright wall 242. - As shown in
Fig. 9 andFig. 10 , which is a left side view of major portions of theengine unit 20, thetubular portion 51 further includes anupper wall 243 disposed above theengine body 21, and aleft wall 244 disposed on the left side of theengine body 21. Theupper wall 243 covers an upper surface of thecylinder block 22, and a part of an upper surface of therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23. - The
left wall 244 covers a left side surface of thecylinder block 22 and a part of a left side surface of therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23. Thetubular member 220 is located in a generally laterally intermediate portion of theengine body 21. -
Fig. 11 is a bottom view of major portions of theshroud 50. InFig. 11 , theengine unit 20 is partly illustrated in a two-dot-and-dash line (phantom line). Referring toFigs. 5 and11 , thetubular portion 51 further includes abottom wall 245 disposed below theengine body 21. Thebottom wall 245 covers a bottom surface of thecylinder block 22 and a part of a bottom surface of therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23. - Referring to
Figs. 3 and5 , theside plate 52 includes amajor plate portion 247 opposed to theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24 transversely (Y1) of the vehicle with the intervention of thefan 56, and anarcuate plate portion 248 projecting from an outer peripheral edge of themajor plate portion 247. Themajor plate portion 247 covers theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24 from the right side. A front end of themajor plate portion 247 is connected to theright wall 242 of thetubular portion 51. - The
arcuate plate portion 248 has an arcuate shape. Thearcuate plate portion 248 extends from themajor plate portion 247 toward theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24, and is connected to theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24 via athird seal member 249. Thearcuate plate portion 248 is fixed to the crankcase 24 with the use of fixture screws not shown. - Referring to
Fig. 3 , a front space M1 is defined between outer peripheral surfaces of thecylinder block 22 and therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23 and an inner peripheral surface of thetubular portion 51. Further, a rear space M2 is defined between an inner surface of theside plate 52 and theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24. The front space M1 and the rear space M2 collectively define a cooling wind passage M3 through which cooling wind generated by thefan 56 flows. The cooling wind passage M3 is partly located between the front end portion of theshroud 50 and therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23. - At a front end of the front space M1, a gap between a part of a front end portion of the
tubular portion 51 and an outer surface of thecylinder head 23 is air-tightly sealed. This sealing arrangement will be described later in detail. - At a rear end of the front space M1, on the other hand, the rear edge of the
tubular portion 51 air-tightly contacts thefront end face 206 of thecrank case 24. More specifically, rear edges of theupper wall 243, theleft wall 244 and thebottom wall 245 of thetubular portion 51 abut against thefront end face 206 of thecrank case 24. - In the rear space M2, a gap between the
arcuate plate portion 248 of theside plate 52 and theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24 is air-tightly sealed. This sealing arrangement will be described below. -
Fig. 12 is a sectional view of major portions taken along a line XII-XII inFig. 3 . Referring toFigs. 3 and12 , the arcuatethird seal member 249 is disposed between a left edge of thearcuate plate portion 248 of theside plate 52 and theright side surface 246 of thecrank case 24. Thethird seal member 249 is conformable to the arcuate shape of thearcuate plate portion 248. - An upper surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface and a left side surface of the
crank case 24 are uncovered with theshroud 50 to be exposed. - The
fan 56 is disposed in the rear space M2 in a rear end portion of theshroud 50. Theside plate 52 has anair intake portion 58. Theair intake portion 58 includes a plurality of small openings provided on the right side of thefan 56. With thefan 56 being rotated, outside air is introduced into the rear space M2 through theair intake portion 58. - Referring to
Figs. 5 and11 , theshroud 50 has a through-hole 59 formed in the front end portion thereof. The through-hole 59 is located in the front side of theright wall 242 and in the front side of thebottom wall 245 of thetubular portion 51. Theexhaust pipe 43 is inserted through the through-hole 59. Further, thebottom wall 245 has arelease port 250 provided in a front end portion thereof. Therelease port 250 has, for example, a rectangular shape. The through-hole 59 and therelease port 250 are arranged transversely (Y1) of the vehicle. - The cooling wind introduced into the rear space M2 of the cooling wind passage M3 by the
fan 56 flows into the front space M1. At this time, the cooling wind is brought into contact with the surface of theengine body 21, whereby heat is removed from theengine body 21. - Next, the sealing arrangement provided between the front end portion of the
tubular portion 51 and the outer surface of therear end portion 207 of thecylinder head 23 will be described. -
Fig. 13 is a front view illustrating major portions of theengine unit 20 partly in section. Afourth seal member 251 and afifth seal member 252 each composed of an elastic material such as rubber are disposed on the front end portion of thetubular member 51. InFig. 13 , thefourth seal member 251 and thefifth seal member 252 are shown in section. - The
fourth seal member 251 is an elongated unitarily molded member, and is attached to thetubular portion 51. Thefourth seal member 251 includes afirst portion 253 and asecond portion 254. - The
upper wall 243 has aflange 255 projecting downward from a front edge thereof. Thefirst portion 253 of thefourth seal member 251 is attached to an edge of theflange 255 of theupper wall 243. Thefirst portion 253 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of theflange 255 and the outer surface of thecylinder head 23. - Further, the
left wall 244 has aflange 256 projecting rightward from a front edge thereof. Theflange 256 of theleft wall 244 is conformable in shape to the left side surface of thecylinder head 23. More specifically, a vertically intermediate portion of theflange 256 is recessed leftward. Thesecond portion 254 of thefourth seal member 251 is grooved. Thus, thesecond portion 254 is conformable in shape to an edge of theflange 256 of theleft wall 244. Thesecond portion 254 of thefourth seal member 251 is attached to the edge of theflange 256 of theleft wall 244. Thesecond portion 254 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of theflange 256 and the left side wall of thecylinder head 23. - The
fifth seal member 252 is an elongated unitarily molded member, and is held by thetubular portion 51. Thefifth seal member 252 includes afirst portion 257, asecond portion 258 and athird portion 259. - The
bottom wall 245 has aflange 260 projecting upward from a front edge thereof. Theflange 260 abuts against a portion of the bottom surface of thecylinder head 23 opposed to theflange 260. Thefirst portion 257 of thefifth seal member 252 is attached to an edge portion of theflange 260 of thebottom wall 245 extending from a laterally intermediate portion to a right end portion. Thefirst portion 257 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of theflange 260 of thebottom wall 245 and the bottom surface of thecylinder head 23. - The
right wall 242 has aflange 261 projecting from a lower edge of the front end portion thereof toward the right side surface of thecylinder head 23. Thesecond portion 258 of thefifth seal member 252 is attached to an edge of theflange 261 of theright wall 242. Thesecond portion 258 air-tightly seals a gap between opposed portions of theflange 261 and the right side surface of thecylinder head 23. - The
third portion 259 of thefifth seal member 252 contacts a front portion of an outer peripheral surface of afifth boss 262 projecting from thecylinder head 23. An upper portion of thethird portion 259 of thefifth seal member 252 is fixed to a portion of thecylinder head 23 adjacent to thefifth boss 262. An ignition plug (not shown) is inserted in thecylinder head 23 through thefifth boss 262. - Referring to
Figs. 5 and13 , theright wall 242 has arecess 263 provided on the front end portion thereof and receiving thefifth boss 262 inserted therein. A peripheral portion of therecess 263 contacts the outer peripheral surface of thefifth boss 262. The outer peripheral surface of thefifth boss 262 is surrounded by the peripheral portion of therecess 263 and thethird portion 259 of thefifth seal member 252. -
Fig. 14 is a partially enlarged view ofFig. 9 . Referring toFigs. 5 and14 , theupper wall 243 of thetubular portion 51 has acutaway portion 60 provided in the front end portion thereof. Thecutaway portion 60 is such that a part of the front end portion of theupper wall 243 is recessed in the rearward direction. Anedge 264 of thecutaway portion 60 includes afirst edge portion 265 opposed to theflange 222 of thecylinder head 23, and asecond edge portion 266 and athird edge portion 267 opposed to the downstreamend defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. - The
flange 222 of thecylinder head 23 has an opposedportion 268 opposed to thefirst edge portion 265. Thefirst edge portion 265 is conformable in shape to the opposedportion 268. More specifically, thefirst edge portion 265 has a front portion extending generally in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, a portion which is intermediate in the direction between the front and the back and which extends obliquely in the rearward and rightward directions, and a rear portion extending generally transversely (Y1) of the vehicle as seen in plan. - A laterally intermediate portion of the
cutaway portion 60 defines a first opening region N1 from which theflange 222 of thecylinder head 23 is exposed. A gap between thefirst edge portion 265 and theopposed portion 268 of theflange 222 of thecylinder head 23 is air-tightly sealed by asixth seal member 269. Thesixth seal member 269 is attached to theupper wall 243. - The
second edge portion 266 is located at a right end of thecutaway portion 60 in the vicinity of the other end of thehose 237 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 and thefourth boss 239. As seen in plan, thesecond edge portion 266 is recessed in the rightward direction. - The
second edge portion 266 has a rear end portion extending generally in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle as seen from the right side. Thesecond edge portion 266 further has a front end portion recessed in the downward direction as seen from the right side. The outer peripheral surface of thefourth boss 239 has an opposedportion 270 opposed to thesecond edge portion 266. The outer peripheral surface of thehose 237 has an opposedportion 272 opposed to thesecond edge portion 266 at the other end thereof. Thesecond edge portion 266 is spaced several millimeters from the opposedportion 270, and is spaced several millimeters from the opposedportion 272. - Thus, a first air passage Q1 is defined between the
second edge portion 266 and theopposed portions end defining portion 241. That is, thesecond edge 266 of theshroud 50 serves to define the first air passage Q1. Further, theopposed portions passage defining member 41 serve to define the first air passage Q1 with respect to theshroud 50. - The first air passage Q1 permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 in the
shroud 50 and the outside of theshroud 50. The cooling wind flowing through the cooling wind passage M3 partly flows through the first air passage Q1 to be released outside theshroud 50. - The
cutaway portion 60 defines a second opening region N2 in the vicinity of thesecond edge portion 266 thereof for exposing thefourth boss 239. - The
third edge portion 267 is located at a front right portion of thecutaway portion 60 in the vicinity of thefirst boss 32. Thethird edge portion 267 has an arcuate shape. Thethird edge portion 267 extends along anopposed portion 271 of the outer peripheral surface of thefirst boss 32 opposed to thethird edge portion 267. That is, theopposed portion 271 defines a part of the downstreamend defining portion 241. - The
third edge portion 267 is spaced several millimeters from the opposedportion 271 of thefirst boss 32. Thus, a second air passage Q2 is defined between thethird edge portion 267 and theopposed portion 271 of thefirst boss 32. That is, thethird edge portion 267 of theshroud 50 serves to define the second air passage Q2. The second air passage Q2 permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 in theshroud 50 and the outside of theshroud 50. The second air passage Q2 and the first air passage Q1 communicate with each other. Thus, the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 are defined around the downstreamend defining portion 241. The cooling wind flowing through the cooling wind passage M3 partly flows through the second air passage Q2 to be released outside theshroud 50. - The
cutaway portion 60 defines a third opening region N3 in the vicinity of thethird edge portion 267 for exposing thefirst boss 32. That is, the third opening region N3 defined by thecutaway portion 60 is located on the right side of the first opening region N1 to prevent interference between theshroud 50 and thefirst boss 32 for theinjector 34. Thefirst boss 32 projects outside theshroud 50 from the third opening region N3. Further, thefourth boss 239 is located on a portion of thefirst boss 32 projecting outside theshroud 50. Therefore, the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is connected to thecylinder head 23 outside theshroud 50. - Referring to
Figs. 11 and14 , the aforementioned arrangement is such that the second andthird edge portions cylinder head 23 of theengine body 21 vertically opposite from therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59. The first air passage Q1, the second air passage Q2, therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59 collectively serve as a release member, and are located at the front end of thetubular portion 51. That is, the first air passage Q1, the second air passage Q2, therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59, which collectively serve as the release member for releasing the cooling wind from theshroud 50, are located on the front side of theshroud 50. - Next, effects of this embodiment will be described.
Referring toFigs. 3 and5 , thefan 56 is rotated when thecrank shaft 57 of theengine body 21 is driven. Thus, outside air is introduced as cooling air into the rear space M2 of the cooling wing passage M3 in theshroud 50 from theair intake portion 58 of theshroud 50. The flow of the outside air is indicated, for example, by an arrow R1. - The cooling air introduced into the rear space M2 is blown forward through the cooling wind passage M3 by the
fan 56 to provide the cooling wind. At this time, the cooling wind is divided into an air stream flowing toward theupper wall 243 of thetubular portion 51 of theshroud 50 and an air stream flowing toward thebottom wall 245 as indicated by arrows R2 inFig. 5 . Thus, the cooling wind flows into the front space M1 from the rear space M2 of the cooling wind passage M3 to remove heat from theengine body 21. Cooling wind flowing to below the front space M1 is released through therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59 as indicated by arrows R3 inFigs. 5 and11 . - As indicated by arrows R4 in
Figs. 5 and14 , cooling wind flowing to above the front space M1 is released outside theshroud 50 through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2. The cooling wind flows toward the outer surface of the downstreamend defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. Thus, the cooling wind flowing through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 removes heat from the downstreamend defining portion 241. As a result, intake air flowing through the downstream end portion K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is introduced into the injection space G3 at a lower temperature. - The cooling wind released through the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 partly hits the
first boss 32. Thus, the cooling wind removes heat from thefirst boss 32, thereby cooling theinjector 34 attached to thefirst boss 32. - This embodiment provides the following effects. The
engine unit 20 is of the air-cooled type and, therefore, obviates the need for the provision of the radiator and the cooling water pump which may otherwise be required for the water-cooled engine unit. Thus, theengine unit 20 has a simplified construction. - Further, the
engine unit 20 is of the forced air-cooled type which is adapted to forcibly generate the cooling wind by means of thefan 56. This obviates the need for locating theengine unit 20 at a position at which theengine unit 20 can catch the airstream in themotorcycle 200, thereby improving the flexibility in the layout of theengine unit 20 in themotorcycle 200. - The
fan 56 is rotated together with thecrank shaft 57 at a higher speed during the movement of the vehicle, whereby the cooling wind is sufficiently generated in theshroud 50. As a result, a sufficient amount of the cooling wind flows into the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. Therefore, the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is reliably cooled by the cooling wind generated by thefan 56. This prevents the auxiliary air intake passage K1 from being heated by the heat of theengine body 21. Therefore, the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 and theinjector 34 around which the assist air flows are each prevented from being heated to a higher temperature. As a result, the temperature of the mixture of the assist air and the fuel is kept at a lower level, thereby increasing the fuel combustion efficiency. - Further, the intake air is introduced as the assist air into the injection space G3 from the auxiliary air intake passage K1 at least during idling. Thus, the assist air is applied to the fuel injected from the
injection nozzle 35, thereby promoting the disintegration of the fuel. As a result, the fuel combustion efficiency is increased during idling and during the movement of the vehicle with a lower load. In addition, the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is branched from the main air intake passage P1 defined in thetubular member 220 disposed outside theshroud 50. Therefore, at least the portion of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 connected to thetubular member 220 is disposed outside theshroud 50. As a result, the entire auxiliary air intake passage K1 is unlikely to be affected by the heat in theshroud 50, so that the assist air flowing through the auxiliary air intake passage K1 can be maintained at a lower temperature. Since theinjector 34 is cooled by the lower temperature assist air, the fuel flowing through theinjector 34 can be maintained at a lower temperature, thereby further improving the fuel combustion efficiency. Thus, the fuel combustion efficiency can be maintained at a higher level even during idling, during which thecrank shaft 57 is rotated at a lower speed and hence thefan 56 generates a smaller amount of cooling wind. - The downstream
end defining portion 241 is located adjacent to theinjection nozzle 35 provided in thecylinder head 23 which is liable to be heated to a higher temperature by the heat from the combustion chamber A1. Therefore, the downstreamend defining portion 241 is liable to be affected by the heat of thecylinder head 23. However, the downstreamend defining portion 241 is reliably cooled by the cooling wind flowing through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. This reliably suppresses the heating of the assist air flowing through the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. - The downstream
end defining portion 241 is disposed outside theshroud 50. Thus, the heat of theengine body 21 in theshroud 50 is less liable to be transferred to the downstreamend defining portion 241. Therefore, the heat of theengine body 21 is less liable to be transferred to the assist air in the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. This reliably suppresses the temperature rise of the assist air. - It is possible to apply the cooling wind to the downstream
end defining portion 241 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 defined between the second andthird edge portions shroud 50 and theopposed portions end defining portion 241. Therefore, the cooling wind can be reliably applied to the downstreamend defining portion 241. This reliably suppresses the heating of the assist air flowing through the downstream end K3 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1. - As indicated by the arrows R2, the cooling wind stream flowing toward the first and second air passages Q1 and Q2 from the
fan 56 and the cooling wind stream flowing toward therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59 from thefan 56 occur in theshroud 50. These cooling wind streams flow on opposite sides of thecylinder head 23. Thus, a cooling wind flowing area in theshroud 50 is increased, so that theengine body 21 is efficiently cooled. Further, the cooling wind to be released from the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 is substantially prevented from being taken into therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59. Thus, the cooling wind is reliably released from the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 to effectively cool the downstreamend defining portion 241. - The
connection pipe 39 is disposed between thetubular member 220 of thethrottle body 38 and thecylinder head 23. Thus, thethrottle body 38 and the upstreamend defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 can be reliably isolated from the hightemperature cylinder head 23. Therefore, the heat of thecylinder head 23 is less liable to be transferred to the upstreamend defining portion 240 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. As a result, the assist air is substantially prevented from being heated at the upstream end K2 of the auxiliary air intake passage K1 by the heat of thecylinder head 23. Further, theconnection pipe 39 prevents the transfer of the heat from thecylinder head 23 to thetubular member 220 of thethrottle body 38. That is, theconnection pipe 39 serves as a heat insulator between thecylinder head 23 and thethrottle body 38. - The entire auxiliary air intake
passage defining member 41 is disposed on the outer side of theshroud 50 at which the temperature is lower than the inside of theshroud 50. This makes it possible to maintain the assist air at a lower temperature in the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41. - The
shroud 50 is provided so as not to cover thefirst boss 32 and theinjector 34. This permits size reduction of theshroud 50 to increase the size of the lower space G1 present below theseat 16. - The
motorcycle 200 is thus provided, which includes theengine unit 20 having a simplified construction. Since theengine unit 20 is of the forced air-cooled type, there is no need to apply the airstream to the engine body, thereby improving the flexibility in the layout of theengine unit 20 in themotorcycle 200. As a result, theengine unit 20 can be placed in position so as to be surrounded by thevehicle body cover 18. That is, the present invention is applicable to the scooter-type motorcycle 200. Since the disintegration of the fuel is promoted by the lower temperature assist air and the assist air in the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is cooled by the cooling wind generated by thefan 56, themotorcycle 200 has a very high fuel combustion efficiency during idling as well as during the movement of the vehicle. - Further, the
engine body 21 can be generally horizontally disposed as extending in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. This reduces the size of theengine body 21 as measured in the vertical direction (Z1) of the vehicle, thereby increasing the size of a space defined between theengine body 21 and theseat 16. This makes it possible to provide a greater-volume storage box in this space. Even in this case, the height of the seat is not excessively increased. Further, the cooling wind generated by thefan 56 can be applied to a region ranging from the rear end to the front end of theshroud 50. This makes it possible to apply the cooling wind generated by thefan 56 to an extensive surface region of theengine body 21, thereby ensuring efficient cooling of theengine body 21. - The
engine unit 20 of this embodiment includes theengine body 21 having thecylinder head 23, thefan 56, theshroud 50 covering a region of theengine body 21 except for at least a part of thecylinder head 23, and theinjector 34 attached to the portion of thecylinder head 23 exposed outside theshroud 50. The first and second air passages Q1, Q2 which permit the cooling wind passage M3 defined between theshroud 50 and theengine body 21 to communicate with the outside of theshroud 50 are provided in the vicinity of theinjector 34. - With this arrangement, the
shroud 50 does not cover theentire engine body 21 but the region of theengine body 21 except for at least the part of thecylinder head 23. This prevents the increase in the size of theshroud 50. The cooling wind introduced by thefan 56 into the cooling wind space M3 defined between theshroud 50 and theengine body 21 partly flows out of theshroud 50 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. When the cooling wind partly flows in the vicinity of theinjector 34, theinjector 34 is cooled, so that the temperature rise of theinjector 34 is suppressed. - The
first boss 32 fitted with theinjector 34 is provided in the portion of thecylinder head 23 exposed outside theshroud 50, and the second air passage Q2 is defined between thethird edge portion 267 of theshroud 50 and the outer peripheral surface of thefirst boss 32. Therefore, the cooling wind flowing out of the second air passage Q2 flows in the vicinity of theinjector 34 and, therefore, effectively cools theinjector 34. - The
cylinder head 23 and theinjector 34 are located on the front end portion of theengine body 21, and thefan 56 is disposed in the rear portion of theshroud 50. Therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59 for releasing the cooling wind from theshroud 50 are disposed in the front portion of theshroud 50. - With this arrangement, the cooling wind introduced into the
shroud 50 by thefan 56 and released out of theshroud 50 through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2, therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59 flows forward in theshroud 50 as a whole. The first and second air passages Q1, Q2 are disposed on the downstream side with respect to the cooling wind flowing direction in theshroud 50. This promotes the flow of the cooling wind out of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. - The first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2 are disposed on the side of the
engine body 21 vertically opposite from therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59. Thus, the cooling wind to be released from the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 is less liable to be taken into therelease port 250 and the through-hole 59. Therefore, the cooling wind reliably flows out of the first air passage Q1 and the second air passage Q2. - The
shroud 50 has the first opening region N1 through which theflange 222 of thecylinder head 23 connected to the downstream end of theair intake pipe 36 is exposed. Thus, the downstream end of theair intake pipe 36 is not covered with theshroud 50. Therefore, the size of theshroud 50 is reduced as compared with the case in which the downstream end of the main air intake passage is covered with the shroud. - The downstream
end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is provided in the portion of thecylinder head 23 exposed outside theshroud 50. With this arrangement, the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is connected to thecylinder head 23 outside theshroud 50.
Therefore, the size of theshroud 50 is reduced as compared with the case in which the downstreamend defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is covered with the shroud. - The downstream
end defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is provided in the vicinity of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 and, therefore, cooled by the cooling wind flowing out of the first and second air passages Q1, Q2. Thus, reduction in the oxygen concentration of the assist air supplied into the injection space G3 from the auxiliary air intake passage K1 is prevented which may otherwise occur due to the temperature rise of the assist air. This increases the combustion efficiency. - Referring to
Figs. 5 and9 , theprotector 53 provided as an integral part of theshroud 50 will be described next. Theprotector 53 covers a right outer surface portion of the rear end portion of theexhaust pipe 43. Theprotector 53 projects downward from a lower edge of themajor plate portion 247 of theside plate 52. - The
protector 53 is elongated in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle, and disposed on the right side of theexhaust pipe 43. The position of theprotector 53, as seen in the direction between the front and the back, corresponds to that of thefan 56. In other words, theprotector 53 is disposed at a position close to thefan 56. A rear end portion of theprotector 53 projects in the rearward direction of a rear end of theside plate 52. -
JP-A-2008-190425 protector 53 is provided as the integral part of theshroud 50. - The
protector 53 is disposed in the vicinity of thefan 56. Thus, outside air sucked by thefan 56 is partly brought into contact with the surface of theprotector 53. This suppresses the temperature rise of theprotector 53. Further, theprotector 53 is configured so as to be generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of theexhaust pipe 43, so that the size of theprotector 53 is not unnecessarily increased. This prevents the size increase of theshroud 50. -
Fig. 15 is a right side view illustrating, partly in section, of an engine unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described. Like components will be denoted by like reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. - Referring to
Fig. 15 , the downstreamend defining portion 241 of the auxiliary air intakepassage defining member 41 is disposed inside theshroud 50 in this embodiment. More specifically, theshroud 50 further includes acover member 275 fixed to theupper wall 243 of thetubular portion 51. Thecover member 275 is provided separately from thehalf members half member 54L is not shown). Thecover member 275 is located on theupper wall 243. - The
cover member 275 includes afirst cover 276, and asecond cover 277 disposed behind thefirst cover 276. - The
first cover 276 is located in front of thefirst boss 32, and covers thefirst boss 32, theholder 33, theinjector 34 and the downstreamend defining portion 241 from the front side. Thesecond cover 277 has, for example, an inverted U-shape as seen in the direction (X1) between the front and the back of the vehicle. The front end of thesecond cover 277 is connected to thefirst cover 276. Thesecond cover 277 covers thefirst boss 32, theholder 33, theinjector 34 and the downstreamend defining portion 241 from the right side, the upper side and the left side. - An upper space M4 is defined as a part of the cooling wind passage M3 in the
second cover 277. The upper space M4 communicates with the front space M1. A third air passage Q3 is defined between a rear end portion 277a of thesecond cover 277, anadjacent portion 243a of theupper wall 243 adjacent to the rear end portion 277a and theother end 237a of thehose 237 of the downstreamend defining portion 241. The third air passage Q3 is located around the downstreamend defining portion 241, and permits communication between the cooling wind passage M3 and the outside of theshroud 50. The cooling wind is released through the third air passage Q3. - The cooling wind released through the first and second air passages Q1, Q2 hits the downstream
end defining portion 241 in the upper space M4 inside thecover member 275 as indicated by arrows R4, and is then released from the third air passage Q3 behind thecover member 275 as indicated by an arrow R5. - According to this embodiment, the downstream
end defining portion 241 is disposed inside thecover member 275 of theshroud 50 in which the cooling wind flows. Thus, the cooling wind generated by thefan 56 is reliably applied to the downstreamend defining portion 241. Therefore, the cooling wind reliably suppresses the heating of the downstreamend defining portion 241 and the assist air flowing through the downstreamend defining portion 241 which may otherwise occur due to the heat of theengine body 21. - The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the attached drawings. For example, the following embodiments also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.
- (1) The shroud may cover the entire cylinder head of the engine body.
- (2) The cooling wind is not necessarily required to be applied to the downstream end defining portion of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member. The cooling wind may be applied to any other portions of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member.
- (3) An air duct may be provided separately from the shroud, so that the cooling wind released from the shroud can be applied to the auxiliary air intake passage defining member through the air duct.
- (4) The release port may be disposed in the vicinity of the first air passage and the second air passage.
- (5) One of the first air passage and the second air passage may be obviated.
- (6) At least a part of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member except for the upstream end defining portion may be disposed inside the shroud.
- (7) The cylinder head and the fuel injection device may be disposed in the portion which is intermediate in the direction between the front and the back or in the rear end portion of the engine body. Similarly, the fan may be disposed in the portion which is intermediate in the direction between the front and the back or in the front end portion of the engine body. In this case, the fan is disposed coaxially with the crank shaft.
- (8) The engine unit is not necessarily required to be supported pivotally about the pivot axis with respect to the vehicle body frame, but may be fixed to the vehicle body frame.
- (9) The auxiliary air intake passage defining member is not necessarily required to be provided separately from the air intake pipe. The auxiliary air intake passage defining member may be provided integrally with the connection pipe or other members of the air intake pipe.
- (10) A gap defined between a front edge of the shroud and the outer peripheral surface of the injector may be utilized as an air passage through which the cooling wind is released. Further, the shroud may have a through-hole provided in a portion thereof adjacent to the injector, and the through-hole may be utilized as the air passage through which the cooling wind is released.
- (11) The air passage through which the cooling wind is released may be disposed at the upstream end of the cooling wind passage in the shroud, or in a generally intermediate portion of the cooling wind passage between the upstream end and the downstream end.
- (12) The protector may be provided separately from the shroud.
- (13) The protector may be disposed apart from the air intake fan.
- (14) The protector may be configured so as to cover the entire exhaust pipe, to cover a part of the exhaust pipe and a part of the muffler, to cover the entire exhaust pipe and a part of the muffler, to cover the entire exhaust pipe and the entire muffler, to cover a part of the muffler, or to cover the entire muffler.
- (15) The auxiliary air intake passage defining member may be configured in a different manner than in the embodiments described above, as long as it defines the auxiliary air intake passage which connects a portion of the main air intake passage between the first and second throttle valves to the injection space defined in the cylinder head. For example, the third boss may be obviated, and the other end of the hose may be fitted around the fourth boss. Alternatively, the fourth boss may be obviated, and the first boss may be formed with a recess in which the third boss is fitted to be fixed. Further, the third boss and the fourth boss may be obviated, and the other end of the hose may be fixed directly to the first boss. Further, the tubular member of the throttle body may be formed with a recess, in which the one end of the hose is fixed.
- (16) The engine unit may be mounted on other types of vehicles than the motorcycle. Examples of such vehicles include straddle-type vehicles such as ATVs (all terrain vehicles) and snow mobiles.
-
- 15 vehicle body frame
- 16 seat
- 17 foot rest plate
- 18 vehicle body cover
- 20 vehicle engine unit (forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit)
- 21 engine body
- 22 cylinder block
- 23 cylinder head
- 24 crank case
- 32 first tubular boss (boss accommodates injection nozzle)
- 34 injector (fuel injection device)
- 35 injection nozzle
- 36 air intake pipe
- 38 throttle body
- 39 connection pipe
- 40A,40B throttle valve
- 41 auxiliary air intake passage defining member
- 50 shroud
- 56 fan
- 57 crank shaft
- 59 through-hole (release portion)
- 200 motorcycle
- 207 rear end portion of cylinder head (part of cylinder head)
- 208 piston
- 220 tubular member
- 240 upstream end defining portion
- 241 downstream end defining portion
- 250 release port
- 264 edge portion (edge portion to define air passage)
- 271 opposed portion (outer surface of downstream end defining portion)
- 270,272 opposed portion (outer surface of downstream end defining portion)
- A1 combustion chamber
- C1 intake air flowing direction
- G1 lower space
- G3 injection space (space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle)
- K1 auxiliary air intake passage
- K2 upstream end portion of auxiliary air intake passage
- K3 downstream end portion of auxiliary air intake passage
- M3 cooling wind passage (inside of shroud)
- P1 main air intake passage
- Q1 first air passage (release portion)
- Q2 second air passage (release portion)
- Q3 third air passage
- X1 in the direction between the front and the back of the vehicle
Claims (10)
- A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit comprising:an engine body (21) including a crank case (24) accommodating a crank shaft (57), a cylinder block (22) connected to the crank case (24) and accommodating a piston (208) in a reciprocally movable manner, and a cylinder head (23) that is cooperative with the cylinder block (22) to define a combustion chamber (A1) and defines a part of a main air intake passage (P1) connected to the combustion chamber (A1);an air intake pipe (36) connected to the cylinder head (23) and cooperative with the cylinder head (23) to define the main air intake passage (P1);a shroud (50) covering at least a part of the cylinder head (23);a fan (56) disposed between the shroud (50) and the engine body (21), and adapted to be driven by rotation of the crank shaft (57) to generate cooling wind for cooling the engine body (21);a throttle body (38) including two throttle valves (40A, 40B) spaced from each other in an intake air flowing direction in the air intake pipe (36), and a tubular member (220) that defines a part of the air intake pipe (36) and accommodates the two throttle valves (40A, 40B), the throttle body (38) being disposed outside the shroud (50);a fuel injection device (34) attached to the cylinder head (23) and having an injection nozzle (35) which injects fuel into the part of the main air intake passage (P1) defined in the cylinder head (23);an auxiliary air intake passage defining member (41) that defines an auxiliary air intake passage (K1) branched from the main air intake passage (P1) between the two throttle valves (40A, 40B) to guide intake air into a space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle (35) in the cylinder head (23) at least during idling; andan air passage (Q1, Q2) that is provided around at least a part of the auxiliary air intake passage (K1) for communication between an inside and an outside of the shroud (50).
- A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the auxiliary air intake passage (K1) includes an upstream end (K2) connected to the main air intake passage(P1), and a downstream end (K3) connected to the space defined adjacent to the injection nozzle (35),
the auxiliary air intake passage defining member (41) includes an upstream end defining portion (240) that defines the upstream end (K2), and a downstream end defining portion (241) that defines the downstream end (K3), and
the cooling wind is introduced through the air passage (Q1, Q2) into at least the downstream end defining portion (241). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 2, wherein
the cylinder head (23) includes a boss (32) exposed outside the shroud (50) and accommodating the injection nozzle (35), and
the downstream end defining portion (241) of the auxiliary air intake passage defining member (41) includes the boss (32). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein
the shroud (50) includes an edge portion (264) that is cooperative with an outer surface of the downstream end defining portion (241) to define the air passage (Q1, Q2). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 4, wherein
the shroud (50) has a release port (250) through which the cooling wind is released outside the shroud (50), and
the edge portion (264) and the release port (250) are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the cylinder head (23). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the air intake pipe (36) includes a connection pipe (39) that connects the tubular member (220) to the cylinder head (23). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the auxiliary air intake passage defining member (41) is entirely located outside the shroud (50). - A forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit as set forth in claim 2, wherein
the downstream end defining portion (241) is located inside the shroud (50). - A motorcycle comprising:a vehicle body frame (15) extending in the direction between the front and the back of the vehicle;a seat (16) supported by the vehicle body frame (15);a foot rest plate (17) disposed in front of the seat (16);a vehicle body cover (18) extending upward from a rear portion of the foot rest plate (17) so as to surround a lower space present below the seat (16); anda forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit (20) as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 8 supported by the vehicle body frame (15) in a vertically pivotal manner, and covered with the vehicle body cover (18) below the seat (16).
- A motorcycle as set forth in claim 9, wherein
the cylinder head (23) and the fuel injection device (34) are located at a front end of the engine body (21),
the fan (56) is located in a rear end portion of the shroud (50), and
a release portion (250) for releasing the cooling wind from the shroud (50) is disposed in a front end portion of the shroud (50).
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2008190450 | 2008-07-24 | ||
JP2009042957 | 2009-02-25 | ||
JP2009042922 | 2009-02-25 | ||
JP2009114018A JP2010223211A (en) | 2008-07-24 | 2009-05-08 | Forced air-cooled engine unit for vehicle and motorcycle |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2148058A2 true EP2148058A2 (en) | 2010-01-27 |
EP2148058A3 EP2148058A3 (en) | 2013-03-13 |
EP2148058B1 EP2148058B1 (en) | 2015-01-21 |
Family
ID=41314648
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP09009562.1A Active EP2148058B1 (en) | 2008-07-24 | 2009-07-23 | Forced air-cooled vehicle engine unit, and motorcycle |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2148058B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2010223211A (en) |
ES (1) | ES2534051T3 (en) |
TW (1) | TWI445637B (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3499001A1 (en) * | 2017-12-13 | 2019-06-19 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Engine |
SE546172C2 (en) * | 2022-05-30 | 2024-06-18 | Husqvarna Ab | A fuel injection arrangement for hand-held powertools |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TWI487835B (en) * | 2012-08-29 | 2015-06-11 | Sanyang Industry Co Ltd | Engine intake manifold control device for vehicles |
JP6003491B2 (en) * | 2012-10-01 | 2016-10-05 | スズキ株式会社 | Engine cooling structure |
JP6107381B2 (en) * | 2013-04-25 | 2017-04-05 | スズキ株式会社 | Fuel injection device for motorcycle engine |
JP6237319B2 (en) * | 2014-02-20 | 2017-11-29 | スズキ株式会社 | Engine cooling structure |
JP2017150311A (en) * | 2014-07-04 | 2017-08-31 | ヤマハ発動機株式会社 | Engine unit and ride type vehicle |
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JP2001241326A (en) | 2000-02-29 | 2001-09-07 | Yamaha Motor Co Ltd | Cooling structure of forced-air-cooled four cycle engine |
WO2005098231A1 (en) | 2004-03-30 | 2005-10-20 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Saddle ride-type motor vehicle |
JP2008190425A (en) | 2007-02-05 | 2008-08-21 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Forcibly air-coolrd internal combustion engine |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS58183815A (en) * | 1982-04-21 | 1983-10-27 | Yamaha Motor Co Ltd | Structure for cooling ignition plug for forced air-cooled engine |
JP2002327665A (en) * | 2001-04-27 | 2002-11-15 | Yamaha Motor Co Ltd | Fuel supply device for four-cycle engine |
AU2003275635A1 (en) * | 2002-10-25 | 2004-05-13 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Two-wheeled motor vehicle |
-
2009
- 2009-05-08 JP JP2009114018A patent/JP2010223211A/en active Pending
- 2009-07-08 TW TW098123104A patent/TWI445637B/en active
- 2009-07-23 ES ES09009562.1T patent/ES2534051T3/en active Active
- 2009-07-23 EP EP09009562.1A patent/EP2148058B1/en active Active
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2001241326A (en) | 2000-02-29 | 2001-09-07 | Yamaha Motor Co Ltd | Cooling structure of forced-air-cooled four cycle engine |
WO2005098231A1 (en) | 2004-03-30 | 2005-10-20 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Saddle ride-type motor vehicle |
JP2008190425A (en) | 2007-02-05 | 2008-08-21 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Forcibly air-coolrd internal combustion engine |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3499001A1 (en) * | 2017-12-13 | 2019-06-19 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Engine |
SE546172C2 (en) * | 2022-05-30 | 2024-06-18 | Husqvarna Ab | A fuel injection arrangement for hand-held powertools |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2148058B1 (en) | 2015-01-21 |
TW201016492A (en) | 2010-05-01 |
EP2148058A3 (en) | 2013-03-13 |
TWI445637B (en) | 2014-07-21 |
JP2010223211A (en) | 2010-10-07 |
ES2534051T3 (en) | 2015-04-16 |
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