JP2002213311A - Vehicular air cleaner structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To drain oil and the like via a simple structure by leading oil and moisture in an air cleaner to a drain opening through a passage defined on a bottom surface, reduce the number of parts and the cost of manufacturing by dispensing with a conventional structure having a chamber, and extend the replacement period of an air filter element by separating the bottom surface over a sufficient distance from a lower surface of the air filter element and protecting the air filter element from soil by oil and the like. SOLUTION: The air filter element 77 is arranged in upward separation over a prescribed clearance HL from the bottom surface 81a of an air cleaner case 76 facing the interior of a clean side 93 of the air cleaner 18. The lower surface 77a of the air filter element 77, the bottom surface 81a, and two sidewalls 81b and 82a of the air cleaner case 76 enclose and form the oil passage 90, which has the drain opening for oil and the like at an end.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is suitable for providing a passage for oil or the like in an air cleaner, which has a simple structure, a small number of parts, is easy to assemble, and extends the replacement time of an air filter element. The present invention relates to a vehicle air cleaner structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air cleaner structure of a vehicle provided with a breather device for recirculating blow-by gas from an engine crankcase to an air cleaner is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-1995.
Japanese Patent No. 119431, "Blow-by gas recirculation system for a multi-cylinder engine" is known.

The technique disclosed in the above publication is disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the publication.
As shown in FIG. 2, a cleaner case 63 of the air cleaner 28 (the reference numeral is used in the publication).
The front wall 74 of the front case 67 has a plurality of bolts 8
A chamber 83 is formed by attaching a cover plate 79 in Step 1, and a suction tube 84 connected to a crankcase is connected to the chamber 83 so that the crankcase communicates with the chamber 83 and flows into the chamber 83 from the crankcase. The drained oil mist is discharged to the element 64 side through the communication hole 82 opened in the cover plate 79, and the water and oil in the chamber 83 are discharged to the drain hole 88 by providing the drain hole 88 at the lower part of the chamber 83. is there.

[0004]

In the technique disclosed in the above publication,
By forming the chamber 83, the oil separated in the chamber 83 is discharged by using the lower surface of the chamber 83 as an oil passage, so that the cover plate 79 and the cover plate 79 are formed in order to form the chamber 83 serving as the oil passage. The bolt 81, a female screw into which the bolt 81 is screwed, and a boss portion forming the female screw are required, so that the number of parts increases and the structure becomes complicated. Therefore, many assembly steps are required.

Further, the air cleaner 2 is removed from the chamber 83.
8 is opened near the lower surface of the front case 67, so that the communication hole 82 communicates with the clean side of the front case 67.
Oil mist contained in the blow-by gas flowing into the clean side from below flows toward the element 64 side under the air flowing above the clean side to the element 64 side.
It is expected that the element 64 will be attached and that the replacement time of the element 64 will be accelerated.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a passage for oil or the like in an air cleaner structure for a vehicle, so that the structure is simplified, the number of parts is reduced, and assembly is facilitated. It is necessary to extend the replacement period.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle equipped with an engine breather device for connecting an engine crankcase and an air cleaner by piping. An air filter element is arranged at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface of the air cleaner case, and a passage is formed by surrounding the lower surface of the air filter element, the bottom surface of the air cleaner case, and the two side walls of the air cleaner case. The outlet is provided in the section.

[0008] A passage is formed in the clean side by the lower surface of the air filter element, the bottom surface of the air cleaner case, and the two side walls of the air cleaner case. Oil and the like can be discharged with a simple structure without forming a special passage.

Further, since the structure is not provided with a chamber as in the prior art, no bolt or partition is required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, it is not necessary to tighten bolts to form the chamber, the number of assembling steps can be reduced, the assembling becomes easy, and the assembling cost can be reduced.

Further, if the bottom surface is separated from the air filter element by a sufficient distance below the bottom surface so that oil flowing on the bottom surface of the air cleaner case does not adhere, the air filter element is not contaminated with oil or the like, and the air filter element replacement time is earlier. Can be extended.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle provided with an air cleaner structure according to the present invention, and shows a motorcycle 10 as a vehicle.
A power unit 12 for driving the rear wheel 11, an engine 13 forming a front portion of the power unit 12, a carburetor 16 mounted on the engine 13 via an intake pipe 15, and a connecting tube 17 connected to the carburetor 16 via a connecting tube 17. And an air cleaner 18 attached thereto.

Here, 21, 22, 23 are the engine 13
, A cylinder block, a cylinder head, a head cover, 24 is an exhaust pipe, 25 is a muffler, 26 is a belt converter continuously variable transmission with a centrifugal clutch that constitutes the power unit 12, 31 is a handle, 32 is a headlamp,
33 is a front cover, 34 is a leg shield, 35 is a front fender, 37 is a front fork, 38 is a front wheel, 41 is a floor step, 42 is a body frame, 43
Is a fuel tank, 44 is a seat, 45 is a luggage box, 46 and 46 (the rear side reference numeral 46 is not shown) are a pair of left and right body covers, 47 is a rear cover, 48 is a tail lamp, 51 is a rear fender, 52 is a rear cushion unit, 53 is a stand and 54 is a kick pedal.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a breather device of an engine including an air cleaner according to the present invention, an intake system and an exhaust system. A piston 61 is movably inserted into a cylinder block 21 of an engine 13 which is a four-cycle engine. The piston 61 is connected to a piston pin 62 and a connecting rod 6.
3, a combustion chamber 66 is formed by the upper surface of the piston 61 and the cylinder head 22, and an intake port is formed from the combustion chamber 66 into the cylinder head 22. The intake pipe 67 is connected to the intake port 67, the intake pipe 15 is connected to a carburetor 16, an air cleaner 18 is connected to the carburetor 16 via a connecting tube 17, and an air cleaner 18 is provided from the rear of the air cleaner 18. A drain tube 68 for discharging oil and moisture in the fuel cell 18 is extended, and an exhaust port 71 is extended from the combustion chamber 66 into the cylinder head 22.
An exhaust pipe 24 is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe 24, a muffler 25 is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe 24, and a head cover 23 and an air cleaner for discharging oil mist in the cylinder head 22 communicated with the crankcase 64 into the air cleaner 18. 18
Are connected by a breather tube 72 as a pipe.

When the engine 13 is started, the oil stored in the crankcase 64 is scooped up by the rotating crankshaft 65 and the swinging connecting rod 63, and becomes oil mist and splashes to lubricate each part in the crankcase 64. . The oil mist also flows into the cylinder head 22 through a communication hole (not shown) in the cylinder block 21 to lubricate each part in the cylinder head 22.

The oil mist in the cylinder head 22 is released from the breather tube 7 by the positive pressure in the crankcase 64 and the negative pressure in the air cleaner 18 as shown by arrows.
2 flows into the air cleaner 18. Further, the oil mist flows from the inside of the air cleaner 18 through the connecting tube 17, the carburetor 16, the intake pipe 15, and the intake port 67 as shown by arrows into the combustion chamber 66, and burns to exhaust port 71, exhaust pipe 24 and muffler. Discharge to the outside through 25.

The breather tube 72 and the air cleaner 18 constitute a breather device 74 for recirculating blow-by gas containing oil mist in the crankcase 64.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an air cleaner according to the present invention.
An air filter element 77 is arranged in the inside, and a connecting tube 15 is provided at a front portion (a front side of the vehicle (the front side of the vehicle; the same applies hereinafter) indicated by a white arrow in the drawing is a front portion of the air cleaner 18). And an intake port 78 is provided at the lower rear portion, and a drain tube 68 is provided from the rear portion.
Is extended.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an air cleaner according to the present invention.
Is composed of a case main body 81 and a case cover 82 for closing the opening of the case main body 81, and the case cover 82 is attached to the case main body 81 with screws 83... The state where the connecting tube 17 and the breather tube 72 are connected to the case body 81 is shown. Reference numeral 85 denotes an intake duct that communicates from the intake port 78 (see FIG. 3) into the air cleaner 18, 86 denotes a breather tube mounting pipe provided on the case body 81 to connect the breather tube 72 to the case body 81, 8.
7 is connecting tube 1 to reduce intake noise
7 is a resonator provided in the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3, in which an air filter element 77 is disposed at a predetermined position of the case main body 81 in the air cleaner 18, and the air filter element 77 is sandwiched between the case main body 81. This indicates that the case cover 82 has been attached.

When the case cover 82 is attached to the case body 81, the lower surface 77 of the air filter element 77
a, a bottom surface 81a and a side wall 81b provided below the case body 81, and a side wall 82a provided below the case cover 82
The oil passage 90 constitutes an oil passage 90 as a passage for flowing oil and water in the air cleaner 18, particularly for flowing oil.

The width of the oil passage 90 is adjusted by the side walls 81b, 82a.
W, which is the distance between them, HU, which is the maximum height of the oil passage 90 and the distance between the bottom surface 81a and the protruding portion 82b, and HL which is the minimum height of the oil passage 90 and which is the distance between the bottom surface 81a and the lower surface 77a. This is the predetermined interval described in claim 1). Here, 92 is a dirty side of the air cleaner 18, and 93 is a clean side of the air cleaner 18.

As described above, the air filter element 7
7 can be fixed in the air cleaner 18 simply by being sandwiched between the case body 81 and the case cover 82.
Thus, in the present invention, the air filter element 77
And the formation of the oil passage 90 can be performed simultaneously, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced, the manufacturing cost of the air cleaner 18 can be reduced, and the productivity can be increased.

The air filter element 77 includes a filter paper 77b for removing dust and dirt contained in the air in the dirty side 92, and a soft material 77c provided around the filter paper 77b to flexibly support the filter paper 77b. , This soft material 77
and an element holder 77d for holding c.

The element holder 77d is made of a soft material 77c.
Is formed in a frame shape in order to hold the sheet, and is formed from a thin metal plate. Conventionally, the element holder is formed of resin. However, by forming the element holder 77d with a thin metal plate, the air filter element 7 is formed.
7 can be made thinner, the space in the air cleaner 18 can be used effectively, and the air passage can be made larger, so that the intake efficiency can be improved. Further, the thickness (the thickness in the vehicle width direction) of the air cleaner 18 can be reduced, and the vehicle width can be suppressed.

Projecting portions 82b and 82c of case cover 82
Has a structure in which the soft material 77c of the air filter element 77 is pressed, so that the air filter element 77 can be attached between the case body 81 and the case cover 82 without rattling. It is possible to absorb a dimensional error of a portion of the air filter element 82 that sandwiches the air filter element 77.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a case main body according to the present invention.
Separated into a partition section 96 and a second partition section 97,
Although not shown, each of the partitioning section 96 and the second partitioning section 97 is also combined with a first partitioning section and a second partitioning section in which the space inside the case cover 82 (see FIG. 4) is separated by a partition wall, thereby providing an air cleaner. 18, a first chamber 101 is formed by a first partition 96 and a first partition, and a second chamber 97 is formed.
The second chamber 102 is formed by the and the second partition.

The first chamber 101 in which the air filter element 77 is disposed has a curved wall 1 for preventing oil mist flowing from the breather tube 72 (see FIG. 4) through the communication hole 103 from flowing toward the air filter element 77.
04 and a through-hole 105 provided on the curved wall 104 to allow the oil mist to blow downward,
A first bottom surface 81d and a second bottom surface 81e that constitute one bottom surface 81a, and a discharge port 81q for discharging oil flowing through the first and second bottom surfaces 81d and 81e are provided.
81h, 81j, 81k, 81m are positioning portions for positioning the air filter element 77, and 81n is a connecting tube mounting hole for mounting the connecting tube 17 (see FIG. 4).

In a state where the stand 52 is used without riding on the motorcycle 10 shown in FIG. 1, the first bottom surface 81d is inclined backward by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane 107 in FIG. Is inclined further backward and downward than the inclination angle θ of the first bottom surface 81d.

The second chamber 102 is provided with a small-diameter intake port 108 and a large-diameter discharge port 109. An intake tube (not shown) is connected to the intake port 108, and the tip of the intake tube is connected to the body frame 42. (See FIG. 1), a secondary air control valve (not shown) is attached to the discharge port 109, and the secondary air valve is provided on the cylinder head 22 (see FIG. 1) via a discharge tube. Connected to a reed valve (not shown), and an exhaust port 71 (see FIG. 2) from the reed valve.
Connect to

With such a configuration, the air taken into the second chamber 102 from the intake side tube is filtered by an air filter (not shown), and the flow of the filtered air is opened and closed by opening and closing the secondary air control valve. When the secondary air control valve is opened, air is supplied to the exhaust port 71 through a reed valve to oxidize unburned gas in the exhaust gas, thereby purifying the exhaust gas.
Discharge to the outside. The opening and closing of the secondary air control valve is controlled by the intake pipe 15
This is performed using the negative pressure inside.

Reference numeral 111 denotes an endless first seal member surrounding the first partition portion 96, and reference numeral 112 denotes a second seal member surrounding a part of the second partition portion 97. These first seal member 111 and second seal member 112 are provided. The member 112 is a member that fits into a groove formed on each mating surface of the case main body 81 and the case cover 82. The second seal member 112 includes end portions 112a, 1
12b, these ends 112a, 112b being the first
By forming the groove of the above-mentioned mating surface so as to be in close contact with the seal member 111, a seal function equivalent to that of the endless seal member is provided, and it is easier to manufacture than the endless seal member. Therefore, the cost of parts can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 3, and the case cover 82 is attached to the case cover 82 so as to surround the periphery of the curved wall 104 of the case body 81 in the air cleaner 18.
And that the curved wall 114 is provided with the penetrating portion 115. These curved walls 104 and 114 can prevent the oil mist flowing into the air cleaner 18 from flowing toward the air filter element 77 (see FIG. 6).

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIG.
Direction)) to form a concave portion 81p.
Is provided behind the oil outlet 81q. The discharge port 81q connects the drain tube 68.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the rear part of the vehicle illustrating the drain tube attached to the rear part of the air cleaner according to the present invention.
Attach to the rear end with a clip 117 and drain tube 68
Is closed by the plug 118. Note that 12
Reference numeral 1 denotes a band for fixing the plug 118 to the drain tube 68.

The operation of the above-described air cleaner structure will now be described. FIG. 10 is an operation diagram illustrating the operation of the air cleaner structure according to the present invention. The air cleaner 18 sucks the outside air from the intake port 78 into the dirty side via the intake duct as shown by the outline arrows a to d, and the air is filtered by the air filter element 77 and flows into the clean side 93. Connecting tube 1
Pour into 7.

On the other hand, the oil mist flowing into the air cleaner 18 from inside the cylinder head of the engine through the breather tube and the communication hole 103 passes through the through portions 105 and 115 as indicated by arrows (reference numeral 115 denotes FIG. 7). Flows into the connecting tube 17 together with the flow of air.

Further, a part of the oil mist becomes oil droplets and falls on the first bottom surface 81d as shown by an arrow.
It flows on the inclined first bottom surface 81d as shown by the arrow, and further,
As shown by the arrow, from the first bottom surface 81d to the second bottom surface 81e.
To the recess 81 from the second bottom surface 81e as shown by the arrow.
It flows into the drain tube 68 through p and the outlet 81q (see FIG. 8). Then, the oil accumulates in the drain tube 68 shown in FIG. In this way, the accumulated oil is drained periodically by removing the plug 118.

As described above, in FIG. 6, the position of the communication hole 103 from which the oil mist blows out from the breather tube 72 (see FIG. 4) to the air cleaner 18 is set between the air filter element 77 and the connecting tube 17 and the case body 81. The oil mist that has flowed into the air cleaner 18 from the communication hole 103 by the flow of air flowing from the air filter element 77 side to the connecting tube 17 side in the air cleaner 18 can be prevented from flowing to the air filter element 77 side. Thus, it is possible to prevent the air filter element 77 from being soiled by the oil mist.

The oil passage 90 of the present invention has a relatively large width W as shown in FIG.
Even if the amount of oil flowing through 1a increases, it is possible to make it difficult for oil to adhere to filter paper 77b. Furthermore, the first
Since the bottom surface 81d and the second bottom surface 81e are surfaces inclined backward and downward, oil can be smoothly guided to the discharge port 81q.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the engine 1 in which the crankcase 64 of the engine 13 and the air cleaner 18 communicate with each other through the breather tube 72.
In the motorcycle 10 provided with the breather device 74, the air filter element 77 is disposed at a predetermined distance HL above the bottom surface 81a of the air cleaner case 76 facing the clean side 93 of the air cleaner 18; Bottom surface 77a and bottom surface 81
a and two side walls 81b and 82 of the air cleaner case 76.
a to form an oil passage 90 as a passage, and a discharge port 81 for oil, moisture, etc.
q is provided.

The lower surface 77a of the air filter element 77
The oil passage 90 is formed in the air cleaner 18 by the bottom surface 81a of the air cleaner case 76 and the two side walls 81b and 82a of the air cleaner case 76.
By flowing the oil or the like from 0 to the discharge port 81q, the oil or the like can be discharged with a simple structure without forming a special passage in the air cleaner case 76, and the oil passage 90 is easily formed. be able to.

Further, since the structure is not provided with a chamber as in the prior art, bolts and partition walls are not required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the air cleaner 18 can be reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to tighten bolts to form the chamber, the number of assembling steps of the air cleaner 18 can be reduced, the assembling becomes easier, and the assembling cost of the air cleaner 18 can be reduced.

Further, the bottom surface 81 of the air cleaner case 76
If the bottom surface 81a is separated from the air filter element 77 by a sufficient distance below the air filter element 77, that is, by a predetermined distance HL so that oil flowing through the air filter element 77 does not adhere, the air filter element 77, in particular, the filter paper 77b is not contaminated with oil or the like. Can be extended earlier.

In FIG. 6, the communication hole 103 through which the oil mist flows into the air cleaner 18 is provided on the air filter element 77 side with respect to the connecting tube 17. However, the communication hole 103 is not limited to this. May be provided on the case body 81 on the side opposite to the air filter 77. With this configuration, since the communication hole 103 is separated from the air filter element 77, the oil mist that has exited from the communication hole 103 can be further prevented from flowing toward the air filter element 77.

[0045]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. The air cleaner structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an air filter element is disposed at a predetermined distance above a bottom surface of the air cleaner case facing the clean side of the air cleaner, and a lower surface of the air filter element, a bottom surface of the air cleaner case, and the air cleaner case. A passage is formed by being surrounded by the two side walls, and a discharge port is provided at an end of the passage, so that oil and moisture in the air cleaner can flow from the path provided on the bottom surface to the discharge port, and the air cleaner case Oil and the like can be discharged with a simple structure without forming a special passage.

Further, since the structure is not provided with a chamber as in the prior art, no bolts or partition walls are required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, it is not necessary to tighten bolts to form the chamber, so that the number of assembling steps can be reduced, the assembling becomes easier, and the assembling cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, if the bottom surface is separated from the air filter element by a sufficient distance downward so that oil flowing on the bottom surface of the air cleaner case does not adhere, the air filter element is not contaminated with oil etc. Can be extended.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle provided with an air cleaner structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a breather device, an intake system, and an exhaust system of an engine including an air cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the air cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an air cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a case body according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the rear portion of the vehicle illustrating a drain tube attached to a rear portion of the air cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram illustrating the operation of the air cleaner structure according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle (motorcycle), 13 ... Engine, 18 ... Air cleaner, 64 ... Crankcase, 72 ... Piping (breather tube), 74 ... Breather device, 76 ... Air cleaner case, 77 ... Air filter element, 77a ...
Lower surface of air filter element, 81a: bottom surface of air cleaner case, 81b, 82a: side wall of air cleaner case, 81q: discharge port, 90: passage (oil passage), 9
3: Clean side, HL: Predetermined interval (minimum height of oil passage).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle provided with a breather device for an engine that connects a crankcase of the engine and an air cleaner with a pipe, wherein the air filter element is separated by a predetermined distance upward from a bottom surface of the air cleaner case facing a clean side of the air cleaner. Wherein a passage is formed surrounded by a lower surface of the air filter element, a bottom surface of the air cleaner case, and two side walls of the air cleaner case, and a discharge port is provided at an end of the passage. Air cleaner structure.