JP4916563B2 - Throttle control device for motorcycle engine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a throttle control device for a motorcycle engine in which the opening degree of a throttle valve is controlled by a drive motor based on a throttle opening / closing input by manually operating a throttle member such as a throttle grip or an accelerator pedal.

  In recent years, a so-called electronic throttle control device has been proposed in which an operation amount of a throttle grip or an accelerator pedal is detected and an opening degree of a throttle valve is controlled by a drive motor based on the operation amount.

  When installing this type of throttle control device in an engine equipped with a fuel injection valve that injects fuel into the intake passage, for example, a drive motor is arranged as compact as possible while avoiding interference with the fuel injection valve. It is desirable to do.

  However, depending on the arrangement of the drive motor, there are cases where the above-mentioned demand for compactness cannot be met. For example, when the drive motor is disposed so as to face the outer end portion of the valve shaft of the throttle valve, the drive motor protrudes to the outside. Further, when the drive motor is attached to the engine or the vehicle body via a stay or the like, there is a problem that the number of parts increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a throttle control device for an engine of a motorcycle that can avoid an increase in size of the entire engine when a drive motor is arranged.

A throttle control device for a motorcycle engine according to the present invention includes a plurality of cylinders arranged in parallel in a vehicle width direction, an intake passage having one end connected to the cylinder and the other end connected to an air cleaner, and the intake passage. A throttle body that forms a part of the throttle body, a throttle valve disposed in the throttle body, a fuel injection valve that injects fuel into the intake passage on the downstream side of the throttle valve, and a throttle that extends in a vehicle width direction. A valve shaft that connects the valves, a drive motor that drives the throttle valve to open and close, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the drive motor to the valve shaft. In a throttle control device for a motorcycle engine that is controlled by the drive motor based on a throttle operation amount by human operation, Motor, in the vehicle width direction, a position as to overlap with a plurality of the throttle body, and, in a side view, are positioned opposite to the fuel injection valve of the intake passage, the driving motor, In a side view, the position does not overlap with the throttle body, the position of the drive shaft of the drive motor in the front-rear direction is different from the position of the valve shaft in the front-rear direction, and the position of the drive shaft of the drive motor in the vertical direction Is different from the vertical position of the valve shaft .

  According to the throttle control device of the present invention, since the drive motor is disposed on the side opposite to the fuel injection valve in the intake passage, when the fuel injection valve is disposed in the intake passage, it is necessarily on the opposite side to the fuel injection valve. The drive motor can be arranged by effectively using the free space that is generated, and the enlargement of the engine can be avoided.

It is a partial cross section side view for demonstrating the throttle control apparatus of an engine. It is a top view of the engine by which the said throttle control apparatus was arrange | positioned. It is a rear view of the engine. It is a figure which shows the connection part of the drive motor and valve shaft of the said throttle control apparatus. It is a side view of the reduction gear mechanism of the drive motor. It is a figure which shows the deceleration mechanism of the drive motor by a modification. It is a top view for demonstrating a throttle control apparatus. It is a schematic side view for demonstrating a throttle control apparatus. It is a rear view for demonstrating the throttle control apparatus of an engine.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIGS. 1 to 5 are views for explaining an engine throttle control device according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are partial cross-sectional side views of an engine provided with the throttle control device, respectively. FIG. 4 is a plan view, a rear view, FIG. 4 is a view showing a connecting portion between a drive motor and a valve shaft, and FIG. 5 is a side view of a reduction gear mechanism of the drive motor.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a water-cooled four-cycle parallel four-cylinder engine employed in a motorcycle. The engine 1 has each cylinder axis A oriented vertically and a crankshaft (not shown) oriented in the vehicle width direction. Mounted on the body frame (not shown).

  In the engine 1, a cylinder head 3 is bolted to an upper joint surface of a cylinder block 2 in which four cylinders 2 a are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction, and a head cover 4 is attached to the upper joint surface of the cylinder head 3. In addition, it has a schematic structure in which a crankcase (not shown) is coupled to the lower joint surface of the cylinder block 2.

  An intake valve opening 3a and an exhaust valve opening 3b are opened in a recess forming the combustion chamber of the cylinder head 3, and the valve openings 3a and 3b are opened and closed by an unillustrated intake valve and exhaust valve. The exhaust port 3c connected to the exhaust valve opening 3b is led out to the front wall of the cylinder head 3, and an exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected to each exhaust port 3c. An intake port 3d connected to the intake valve opening 3a is led out to the rear wall of the cylinder head 3, and a throttle body 5 is connected to each intake port 3d.

  Each throttle body 5 is arranged so as to be substantially horizontal, and an air intake duct 6 a is connected to an air intake port which is an upstream end of the throttle body 5. The air intake duct 6 a is connected to a common air cleaner 6. Is opened in the middle of the air cleaner 6. Reference numeral 6b denotes an air cleaner element.

  A butterfly throttle valve 7 is disposed in the intake passage 5a of each throttle body 5 so as to be opened and closed between a fully closed position and a fully opened position. The throttle valves 7 are connected to each other by a common valve shaft 8, and a return spring 9 for urging the throttle valve 7 to the fully closed position is disposed on the valve shaft 8. A throttle opening sensor 10 is attached to the right end of the valve shaft 8.

  A fuel injection valve 11 is mounted on the upper wall 5 b of each throttle body 5. A valve hole 5c is formed in the downstream portion of the upper wall 5b of the throttle valve 7, and the nozzle of the fuel injection valve 11 is inserted into each valve hole 5c. Each fuel injection valve 11 is disposed obliquely upward and rearward, and fuel from each fuel injection valve 11 is injected through the intake port 3d toward the rear surface of the umbrella portion of the intake valve.

  A common fuel supply unit 15 is connected to each fuel injection valve 11. The fuel supply unit 15 is disposed above the throttle body 5 and is disposed at the left end of the fuel supply pipe 16 disposed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction in plan view so as to extend in parallel with the fuel supply unit 16. The left end of the hose 17 is assembled and integrated in a U shape via a joint pipe 18.

  The upper end of each fuel injection valve 11 is inserted and connected to a connection port 16a that is branched from the fuel supply pipe 16. A fuel pump (not shown) is connected to the upstream end of the fuel supply hose 17. A regulator 20 for adjusting fuel pressure is connected to the downstream end of the fuel supply pipe 16, and the regulator 20 is connected to a fuel tank (not shown) via a return pipe 21. Reference numeral 21 denotes a negative pressure hose for introducing intake negative pressure into the regulator 20, and the regulator 20 variably adjusts the fuel pressure to the fuel injection valve 11 in accordance with the intake negative pressure. Reference numeral 19 denotes a harness for supplying power to each fuel injection valve 11, and the harness 19 is routed along the fuel supply pipe 16.

  Each throttle valve 7 and a throttle grip (not shown) are connected via a throttle control device. The throttle control device includes a throttle operation detection sensor (not shown) that detects the amount (rotation amount) of the throttle grip by the driver, a drive motor 22 that opens and closes each throttle valve 7, and the throttle operation detection sensor. And a controller (not shown) for driving and controlling the drive motor 22 based on the detected value from the above.

  The drive motor 22 is accommodated in a housing 23 made of aluminum die cast, and a gear case 26 in which a reduction gear mechanism 25 is accommodated is integrally connected to the housing 23. The gear case 26 is disposed so as to be positioned between the two throttle bodies 5 and 5 at the center in the vehicle width direction.

  The drive motor 22 has its rotating shaft 22 a oriented parallel to the valve shaft 8 and is disposed on the opposite side of the throttle body 5 from the fuel injection valve 11. Specifically, the drive motor 22 is mounted and fixed by spanning the housing 23 over the lower walls 5e of the two right throttle bodies 5 and 5. The drive motor 22 is disposed so as to be exposed below the engine 1, so that the drive motor 22 can be maintained from below the engine.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the reduction gear mechanism 25 includes a throttle gear 27 attached to the valve shaft 8, a rotation gear 28 attached to the rotation shaft 22 a of the drive motor 22, and both gears 27, 28. An intermediate gear train 29 is provided. The intermediate gear train 29 includes a reduction large gear 29a meshing with the rotary gear 28 and a reduction small gear 29b meshing with the throttle gear 27. The 29 gear shafts 29 c are supported by the gear case 26.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a connecting shaft 27a protruding outward from the gear case 26 is inserted and fixed to the throttle gear 27, and the left and right valve shafts 8a and 8b are connected to the connecting shaft 27a. The left and right valve shafts 8a, 8b are formed with concave grooves extending in the axial direction, and both end portions of the connecting shaft 27a are formed with convex portions that engage with the concave grooves. 8a and 8b rotate together through a connecting shaft 27a.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  When the driver rotates the throttle grip, the drive motor 22 rotates according to the amount of operation, and this rotation is transmitted to the valve shaft 8 via the reduction gear mechanism 25, and as the valve shaft 8 rotates. Each throttle valve 7 rotates.

  According to the throttle control device of the present embodiment, since the drive motor 22 is disposed on the side of the throttle body 5 opposite to the fuel injection valve 11, a space that inevitably occurs below the throttle body 5 without interfering with the fuel injection valve 11. Space can be used effectively, the engine size can be avoided, and the demand for compactness can be met. Further, when the maintenance of the drive motor 22 is performed, it can be easily performed from below the engine, and the workability can be improved.

  In this embodiment, the drive motor 22 is mounted and fixed on the two right throttle bodies 5 and 5, so that the mounting strength of the drive motor 22 can be secured and the connection strength between the throttle bodies 5 can be increased. it can.

  Since the drive motor 22 is directly fixed to the throttle body 5, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the drive motor 22 is fixed via another member such as a stay. Furthermore, the assembly | attachment property to an engine can be improved by integrating | attaching the drive motor 22 to each throttle body 5 previously beforehand.

  In addition, since all the throttle valves 7 are rotationally driven by one drive motor 22, the structure can be simplified and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where each fuel injection valve 11 is arranged on the upper wall 5b of the throttle body 5 has been described. However, the fuel injection valve may be arranged on the lower wall of the throttle body. In this case, the drive motor is disposed on the opposite side of the fuel injection valve above the throttle body.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the rotation of the drive motor 22 is transmitted to the valve shaft 8 via the reduction gear mechanism 25 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a link The valve shaft 8 may be rotated by a mechanism, a wire mechanism, or a combination thereof.

  For example, FIG. 6 shows a modified example of the speed reduction mechanism of the drive motor, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 indicate the same or corresponding parts. This modification is an example in which a large reduction gear 29 a is engaged with the rotary gear 28 of the drive motor 22, and the gear shaft 29 c of the large reduction gear 29 a and the valve shaft 8 are connected via a link mechanism 30. The link mechanism 30 has a structure in which a drive link member 31 fixed to the gear shaft 29c and a driven link member 32 fixed to the valve shaft 8 are rotatably connected by an arm member 33. The same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the throttle control device according to the second embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicate the same or corresponding parts, and the description of the overlapping reference numerals is omitted.

  The throttle control device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the drive motor 22 is arranged on the opposite side of the throttle body 5 from the fuel injection valve 11 and the rotation shaft 22a of the drive motor 22 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the valve shaft 8. It has become. A worm gear 35 is attached to the rotary shaft 22a, and the worm gear 35 meshes with a worm wheel 36 attached and fixed to the valve shaft 8.

  In the present embodiment, the drive motor 22 is arranged on the opposite side of the throttle body 5 from the fuel injection valve 11, and the drive motor 22 is arranged so that the rotary shaft 22 a faces the valve shaft 8 in the direction perpendicular to the valve shaft 8. Since the two throttle bodies 5 are bridged and fixed, the empty space can be used effectively without interfering with the fuel injection valve 11, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a throttle control device according to the third embodiment.

  The throttle control device of the present embodiment is a case where the throttle control device is disposed in a parallel multiple cylinder engine 40 in which the cylinder axis A is inclined obliquely forward and upward. A throttle body 5 is connected vertically upward to each intake port 41a of the cylinder head 41 of the engine 40, and a fuel injection valve 11 is provided downstream of the throttle valve 7 on the rear wall 5d of each throttle body 5. Is installed.

  A drive motor 22 is disposed on the front wall of each throttle body 5 opposite to the fuel injection valve 11, and the drive motor 22 is fixedly attached to the throttle body 5.

  According to this embodiment, in the forward leaning engine 40, the drive motor 22 is disposed on the opposite side of the throttle body 5 from the fuel injection valve 11 and is fixedly attached to the throttle body 5. The space between them can be used effectively, the engine can be prevented from being enlarged, and the maintenance can be easily performed, so that the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a throttle control device according to the fourth embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 denote the same or corresponding parts.

  In the throttle control device of this embodiment, two drive motors 45 and 45 'are disposed on the opposite side of the throttle body 5 from the fuel injection valve 11, and the left drive motor 45 moves the valve shaft 8a of the left cylinder to the right side. The right drive shaft 8b is independently driven by the drive motor 45 '. Each of the drive motors 45 and 45 'is housed in a housing 47 in which a gear case 46 is integrally formed. The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The drive motors 45 and 45 'are mounted and fixed on the left and right throttle bodies 5 and 5, and the left gear case 46 is connected to the outer end portion of the left valve shaft 8a. 46 is connected to the inner end of the right valve shaft 8b.

  An air passage (not shown) for taking out a negative pressure downstream of the throttle valve 5 is formed on a mounting mating surface between the drive motors 45 and 45 ′ and the throttle body 5. As described above, since the air passage is formed by using the mounting mating surfaces of the drive motors 45, 45 'and the throttle body 5, a dedicated air hose can be dispensed with and the surroundings of the engine can be simplified.

  According to the present embodiment, the valve shafts 8a and 8b are independently driven to rotate by the two drive motors 45 and 45 '. Therefore, when one drive motor fails for some reason, the other drive is driven. Operation can be continued by the motor, and reliability and safety can be improved.

  Further, since each drive motor 45, 45 'is fixed to the two left and right throttle bodies 5, 5, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the drive motors 45, 45' are fixed via separate members such as stays. The effect is obtained as in the first embodiment.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the drive motor is attached and fixed to the throttle body has been described. However, the drive motor may be directly attached and fixed to the cylinder head via an elastic member. In this case, the mounting strength of the drive motor can be increased, and the engine vibration is absorbed by the elastic member, so that the influence on the drive motor can be suppressed.

(reference)
An object of each of the following inventions is to provide an engine throttle control device capable of avoiding an increase in size of the entire engine when a drive motor is arranged.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel injection valve for injecting and supplying fuel into an intake passage, and an engine throttle control in which the opening degree of the throttle valve is controlled by a drive motor based on a throttle operation amount by manual operation of a throttle member In the apparatus, the drive motor is disposed on the side of the intake passage opposite to the fuel injection valve.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, the engine is a parallel multi-cylinder engine provided with a fuel injection valve and a throttle valve for each cylinder, and the throttle valve is divided into a plurality of sets, and each set is independent. The throttle valve opening is controlled by the drive motor.

  A third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the housing of the drive motor is integrally attached to the throttle body.

  According to a fourth invention, in the first or second invention, the housing of the drive motor is directly attached to the cylinder head via an elastic member.

  A fifth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, an air passage for taking out intake negative pressure is formed in a housing of the drive motor.

  According to the throttle control device of the first aspect of the invention, since the drive motor is disposed on the side opposite to the fuel injection valve in the intake passage, when the fuel injection valve is disposed in the intake passage, on the side opposite to the fuel injection valve Thus, the drive motor can be arranged by effectively utilizing the empty space that is inevitably generated, and the enlargement of the engine can be avoided.

  In the second invention, since the throttle valve is divided into a plurality of groups and controlled by independent drive motors for each group, even if one drive motor fails for some reason, the operation is continued with the remaining drive motors. It is possible to improve reliability and safety.

  In the third aspect of the invention, since the drive motor housing is integrally attached to the throttle body, the number of parts can be reduced to the extent that a stay or the like can be eliminated, and the drive motor is pre-assembled and integrated with the throttle body. As a result, the assembly to the engine can be improved.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, since the drive motor housing is directly attached to the cylinder head via the elastic member, the attachment strength can be increased while avoiding the influence of the engine vibration on the drive motor.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, since the air passage for taking out the intake negative pressure is formed in the housing of the drive motor, the conventional dedicated air hose can be dispensed with and the engine surroundings can be simplified.

1, 40 Engine 3, 41 Cylinder head 5a Intake passage 5 Throttle body 7 Throttle valves 8, 8a, 8b, 27a Valve shaft 11 Fuel injection valves 22, 45 Drive motors 23, 47 Housing

Claims (1)

A plurality of cylinders arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction;
An intake passage having one end connected to the cylinder and the other end connected to an air cleaner;
A throttle body forming a part of the intake passage;
A throttle valve disposed in the throttle body;
A fuel injection valve that injects fuel into the intake passage downstream of the throttle valve;
A valve shaft extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the throttle valve;
A drive motor for opening and closing the throttle valve;
A transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor to the valve shaft,
In the throttle control device for a motorcycle engine, the opening of the throttle valve is controlled by the drive motor based on a throttle operation amount by manual operation of a throttle member.
The drive motor is disposed at a position overlapping the plurality of throttle bodies in the vehicle width direction, and at a position opposite to the fuel injection valve in the intake passage in a side view ,
The drive motor does not overlap the throttle body in a side view,
The position in the front-rear direction of the drive shaft of the drive motor is different from the position in the front-rear direction of the valve shaft,
A throttle control device for an engine of a motorcycle , wherein a vertical position of the drive shaft of the drive motor is different from a vertical position of the valve shaft .

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