Title of Invention

VEHICLE AIR CLEANER STRUCTURE

Abstract

[Type of Document] Abstract [Abstract] [Means of Solution] An air cleaner 14 is provided with an insertion hole 36a in which a secondary air inlet port 35 of a secondary air control valve 25 is directly inserted, and an air discharge pipe 36 having the insertion hole 36a supports a case 37 of the secondary air control valve 25. [Effect] The secondary air control valve can be easily supported, and the secondary air control valve can be easily attached to the air cleaner. Further, parts to connect the secondary air control valve to the air cleaner can be reduced, and the cost for attaching the secondary air control valve can be reduced. [Selected Drawing] Fig. 3 9

Full Text

204770 FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10; rule 13] "VEHICLE AIR CLEANER STRUCTURE." HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, a corporation of Japan, 1-1, Minamiaiyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed: 21-6-2006 1 The present invention relates to a vehicle air cleaner structure which facilitates attachment of secondary air control valve and preferably reduces attachment cost. [Prior Art] As a structure where an air passage is provided from the air cleaner side to the engine intake passage side or exhaust. passage side, a seconciary air control valve is provided in the middle of the air passage, and the secondary air control valve is connected to the air cleaner side, for example, a structure disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Utility-Model Application No. Sho 60-87325 "Internal Combustion Engine Secondary Air Control Apparatus" is known. The structure win be described with reference to Fig. 2 of the above-mentioned publication as Fig. 8, and Fig. 4 of the above-mentioned publication, as Fig. 9. Note, that reference numerals are reassigned. Fig. 8 is a cross - sectional view of the conventional secondary air control valve, in which an air-fuel mixture control valve 100 as a secondary air control valve is provided with a flange 102 on the third chamber 101 side to introduce secondary air, and the flange 102 is attached to a volume case 104 provided on the air cleaner side by fixing members 103, 103 such as bolts. Note that numeral 105 denotes a secondary air passage communicated with an engine intake passage; and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional secondary air control valve, in which an air-fuel mixture control valve 110 as the secondary air control valve is provided with a secondary air introduction port 111 extended from the third chamber 101 side, and one end of introduction pipe 112 such as a rubber hose is connected to the introduction port 111, and the other end of the introduction pipe 112 is connected 2 to a secondary air discharge pipe 113 projected from the volume case 104. In this example, the volume case 104 and the secondary air discharge pipe 113 are added to Fig. 4 of the above-mentioned publication. [Problems to Be Solved by the Invention] In Fig. 8, as the air-fuel mixture control valve 100 is attached to the volume case 104 on the air cleaner side by plural fixing members 103, 103 such as bolts, it takes much time to attach the air-fuel mixture control valve 100. Further, as the secondary air passage 105 and the negative pressure passage 106 project sideways, tools cannot be easily used when the fixing members 103 are screwed-in, and attachment cannot be easily made. Further, in Fig. 9, as the introduction port 111 of the air-fuel mixture control valve 110 and the discharge pipe 113 on the volume case 104 side are connected by the introduction pipe 112 such as a rubber hose, and in accordance with circumstance, the introduction pipe 112 must be fixed to the introduction port 111 side and the discharge pipe 113 side by a clip for prevention of dropping, the number of parts to connect the air-fuel mixture control valve 110 to the air cleaner side is large, and the attachment cost is high. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to facilitate attachment of secondary air control valve and further reduce attachment cost in a vehicle air cleaner 3 structure. [Means to Solve the Problems] To attain the foregoing object, claim 1 is characterized in that in a vehicle where an air cleaner and an engine exhaust passage are connected with each other by a secondary air supply passage and the secondary air supply passage is provided with a secondary air control valve so as to control the amount of air supplied from the air cleaner to the engine exhaust passage, the air cleaner is provided with an insertion portion in which an air inlet port of the secondary air control valve is directly inserted, and a case of secondary air control valve is supported by the insertion portion. Conventionally, the secondary air control valve is fixed to the air cleaner by bolts or the like. In comparison with this structure, in the present invention, as the air cleaner is provided with an insertion portion, the secondary air control valve can be easily supported by the insertion portion, accordingly, the secondary air control valve can be easily attached to the air cleaner. Further, the parts to connect the secondary air control valve to the air cleaner can be reduced, and the cost for attaching the secondary air control valve can be reduced. Claim 2 is characterized in that the air cleaner is provided with a sub air cleaner chamber to supply air to the side of the secondary air control valve, aside from a main air 4 cleaner chamber to supply air to an engine intake passage. As the air cleaner is provided with the sub air cleaner chamber, the secondary air control valve side is not influenced by the pulse of pressure on the main air cleaner chamber side. Thus sufficient air can be supplied to the secondary air control valve side, and oxidation of unburned gas in the exhaust passage can be excellently performed. [Working Examples of the Invention] Hereinbelow, working examples of the present invention will be described in accordance with the attached drawings. Note that the figures are to be viewed along directions of numerals. [Brief Explanation of the Drawings] [Fig. 1] A side view of the vehicle where the air cleaner structure according to the present invention is employed. [Fig. 2] A system diagram of the intake system and the secondary air supply system according to the present invention. [Fig. 3] A plan view of the air cleaner and the secondary air control valve according to the present invention. [Fig. 4] A diagram viewed along 4 arrows in Fig. 3. [Fig. 5] A cross - sectional view of the secondary air control valve according to the present invention. [Fig. 6] Operation diagrams explaining the operation of the air cleaner structure according to the present invention. 5 [Fig. 7] - A plan view showing another working example of the air cleaner structure according to the present invention. [Fig. 8] A cross-sectional view of the conventional secondary air control valve. [Fig..9] A cross - sectional view of another conventional secondary air control valve. Fig. 1 is a side view of a vehicle where an air cleaner structure according to the present invention is employed. In a scooter vehicle 10 as the vehicle, a power unit 13 comprising an engine 11 and a power transmission system 12 is provided in a rear lower part, an air cleaner 14 is provided in a rear upper part of the power unit 13, and a muffler 16 is provided in the rear side of a rear wheel 15 attached to the power unit 13. Note that numeral 18 denotes an intake passage; 21, a carburetor provided in the middle of the intake passage 18; and 22, an exhaust pipe from the engine 11 to the muffler 16. Fig. 2 is a system diagram of intake system and secondary air supply system according to the present invention. The 6 intake passage 18 is connected to the air cleaner 14, an end of the intake passage 18 is connected to a cylinder head 24 of the engine 11, the exhaust pipe 22 is extended form the cylinder head 24, the muffler 16 is attached to a rear end of the exhaust pipe 22, a secondary air control valve 25 is connected to the air cleaner 14, and a secondary air supply pipe 27 as a secondary air supply passage is extended from the secondary air control valve 25 to a reed valve 26 provided in the cylinder head 24. Further, a negative pressure introduction pipe 28 is extended from the secondary air control valve 25 to the intake passage 18 on the engine side from the carburetor 21. Note that numeral 31 denotes an inlet port of the air cleaner 14. The secondary air control valve 25 is opened/closed by a negative pressure obtained from the intake passage 18 via the negative pressure introduction pipe 28, and when it is open, it supplies air, filtered by sucking from the inlet port 31 of the air cleaner 14 as indicated by the arrow, to the exhaust passage 32 provided in the cylinder head 24 via the secondary air supply pipe 27 and the reed valve 26. When it is closed, the above-described air supply to the exhaust passage 32 is stopped. The air supplied into the exhaust passage 32 cleans unburned gas, especially HC (hydrocarbons), N0X (nitrogen oxides) in the exhaust passage 32, the exhaust pipe 22 and the muffler 15 by oxidation, and the gas is discharged to the outside. 7 Fig. 3 is a plan view of the air cleaner and the secondary air control valve according to the present invention. The air cleaner 14 comprises an air cleaner main body 33, a cover 34 which covers an opening of the air cleaner main body 33, and an air filter element (not shown). An air discharge pipe 36 to be connected to a secondary air inlet port 35 as an air inlet port of the secondary control valve 25 is attached to the air cleaner main body 33, and a case support member 38 to support a case 37 of the secondary air control valve 25 is integrally formed with the air cleaner main body 33. The air discharge pipe 36 has an insertion hole 36a through which air is discharged from the air cleaner 14 to the secondary air control valve 25, and into which the secondary air inlet port 35 is inserted. The air discharge pipe 36 is formed with rubber material, and the pipe may have a small thickness for improvement in flexibility. Note that numeral 39 denotes an intake passage connection hole provided in the air cleaner main body 33 to be connected to the intake passage 18 (See Fig. 2); 41, a support piece provided at an end of the case support member 3 8; and 42, a clip to prevent the secondary air inlet port 35 of the secondary air control valve 25 from dropping from the air discharge pipe 36. Fig. 4 is a diagram viewed along 4 arrows in Fig. 3. In 8 We Claim: 1. A vehicle air cleaner (14, 70) structure in a vehicle where an air cleaner (14, 70) and an engine (11) exhaust passage (32) are connected with each other by a secondary air supply passage (27) and the secondary air supply passage (27) is provided with a secondary air control valve (25) so as to control the amount of air supplied from the air cleaner to the engine exhaust passage, characterized in that air cleaner (14, 70) is provided with an insertion portion (369) in which an air inlet port (35) of said secondary air control valve (25) is directly inserted, and a case of secondary air control valve (25) is directly inserted, and a case (37) of secondary air control valve (25) is supported by the insertion portion (36) "said air cleaner is also provided with an support piece (41) to which a rubber member (44) in the secondary air control valve is attached." 2. The vehicle air cleaner structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air cleaner (14, 70) is provided with a sub air cleaner chamber to supply air to the side of said secondary air control valve (25), aside from a main cleaner chamber (74) to supply air to an engine intake passage (18). 3. A vehicle air cleaner structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this September 28, 2001. 9

Documents:

946-mum-2001-abstract(21-6-2006).doc

946-mum-2001-abstract(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-cancleed page(28-9-2001).pdf

946-mum-2001-claim(granted)-(21-6-2006)0002.pdf

946-mum-2001-claims(granted)-(21-6-2006)0002.doc

946-mum-2001-correspondence(22-12-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-correspondence(ipo)-(20-12-2007).pdf

946-mum-2001-drawing(28-9-2001).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 1(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 18(2-9-2005).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 2(granted)-(21-6-2006).doc

946-mum-2001-form 2(granted)-(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 3(2-1-2002).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 3(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 3(28-9-2001).pdf

946-mum-2001-form 5(28-9-2001).pdf

946-mum-2001-petition under rule 137(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-petition under rule 138(21-6-2006).pdf

946-mum-2001-power of authority(14-12-2007).pdf

946-mum-2001-power of authority(21-6-2006).pdf

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