IP Library Granted Patent US 7,249,587
Granted Patent B2
US 7,249,587 · App. 11/084,839 · Granted Jul 31, 2007

Air-intake device of engine for leisure vehicle and engine

Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,249,587
App. No.
11/084,839
Granted
Jul 31, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

An air-intake device of an engine for a leisure vehicle, in which at least two air-intake passages are arranged within an engine body of the engine, is disclosed, including an air-intake pipe through which fresh air is supplied to the at least two air-intake passages arranged within the engine body, and a throttle valve openably mounted within a passage of the air-intake pipe. Typically, the air-intake pipe is structured such that the passage has a cross-section of a non-perfect circle shape and an outer periphery of the air-intake pipe has a cross-section of a circle shape with a continuously varying positive curvature. Typically, the throttle valve has a valve disc of a non-perfect circle shape conforming to the shape of the cross-section of the passage of the air-intake pipe.

Claims (32)

1. An air-intake device of an engine for a leisure vehicle, in which at least two air-intake passages are arranged within a cylinder head of the engine, the air-intake device comprising:

an air-intake pipe having a passage through which fresh air is supplied to the at least two air-intake passages arranged within the cylinder head; and

a throttle valve openably mounted within the passage of the air-intake pipe;

wherein the passage of the air-intake pipe has an air-flow cross-section of a non-perfect circle shape in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe, and the non-perfect circle shape is substantially an elongated circle shape having long and short axes or substantially an oval shape having long and short axes;

wherein the throttle valve has a valve disc of a non-perfect circle shape conforming to the shape of the air-flow cross-section of the passage of the air-intake pipe;

wherein an area of the air-flow cross-section of a portion of the air-intake pipe that is located in the vicinity of the air-intake passage of the cylinder head, gradually decreases toward the air-intake passage, and with a first taper angle of an inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed when sectioned along the long axis of the air-flow cross-section and with a second a taper angle of the inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed when sectioned along the short axis, the first taper angle being configured to be smaller than the second taper angle.

2. The air-intake device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner wall of the air-intake pipe with the first and second taper angles is formed from a downstream end of the air-intake pipe in air flow to the valve disc and the inner wall of the air-intake pipe with a third taper angle is formed from the valve disc to an upstream end of the air-intake pipe so as to increase the area of the air-flow cross section from the valve disc toward the upstream end.

3. An air-intake device of an engine for a leisure vehicle, in which at least two air-intake passages are arranged within a cylinder head of the engine, the air-intake device comprising:

an air-intake pipe having a passage through which fresh air is supplied to the at least two air-intake passages arranged within the cylinder head; and

a throttle valve having a valve disc and a pivot shaft rotatably supported by the air-intake pipe and openably mounted within the passage of the air-intake pipe;

wherein the passage of the air-intake pipe is configured to have an air-flow cross-section of a non-perfect circle shape in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe; and

wherein the valve disc has a non-perfect circle shape conforming to the shape of the air-flow cross-section of the passage of the air-intake pipe, wherein the air-intake pipe within which the throttle valve is mounted is divided into two parts so that a divided surface of the air-intake pipe is located at an axis of the pivot shaft of the throttle valve.

4. An air-intake device according to claim 3 wherein the pivot shaft is formed to extend outward from both ends of the valve disc, the pivot shaft including a pivot portion being rotatably supported by the air-intake pipe via a bearing and a flange portion provided between the valve disc and the pivot portion to contact the bearing.

5. The air-intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the air-intake pipe is divided at a position of the axis of the pivot shaft of the throttle valve in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe to form an upstream portion and a downstream portion in air flow.

6. The air-intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the air-intake pipe is divided at a position of the axis of the pivot shaft of the throttle valve in a longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe.

7. The air-intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the non-perfect circle shape of the passage of the air-intake pipe is substantially an elongated circle shape having long and short axes or substantially an oval shape having long and short axes; and

wherein the area of the air-flow cross-section of a portion of the air-intake pipe that is located in the vicinity of the air-intake passages of the cylinder head, gradually decreases toward the downstream end with a first taper angle of an inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed when sectioned along the long axis of the area of the air-flow cross-section and with a second taper angle of an inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed along the short axis, the first taper angle being configured to be smaller than the second taper angle.

8. The air-intake device according to claim 7 , wherein the inner wall of the air-intake pipe with the first and second taper angles is formed from a downstream end of the air-intake pipe in air flow to the valve disc and the inner wall of the air-intake pine with a third taper angle is formed from the valve disc to an upstream end of the air-intake pipe so as to increase the area of the air-flow cross section from the valve disc toward the upstream end.

9. The air-intake device according to claim 4 , wherein the bearing is a ball bearing and wherein a seal member is externally fitted to an outer end portion of the ball bearing.

10. An engine for a leisure vehicle comprising:

an air-intake device in which at least two air-intake passages are arranged within a cylinder head of the engine, including:

an air-intake pipe having a passage through which fresh air is supplied to the at least two air-intake passages arranged within the cylinder head; and

a throttle valve openably mounted within passage of the air-intake pipe;

wherein the passage of the air-intake pipe has an air-flow cross-section of a non-perfect circle shape in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe

wherein the throttle valve has a valve disc of the non-perfect circle shape conforming to the shape of the air-flow cross-section of the passage of the air-intake pipe; and

wherein an area of the air-flow cross section of a portion of the air-intake pipe that is located in the vicinity of the air-intake passage of the cylinder head, gradually decreases toward the air-intake passage with a first taper angle of an inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed when sectioned alone the long axis of the air-flow cross-section and with a second taper angle of the inner wall of the air-intake pipe which is formed when sectioned along the short axis, the first taper angle being configured to be smaller than the second taper angle.

11. An engine for a leisure vehicle, comprising:

an air-intake device in which at least two air-intake passages are arranged within a cylinder head of the engine, including:

an air-intake pipe having a passage through which fresh air is supplied to the at least two air-intake passages arranged within the cylinder head; and

a throttle valve having a valve disc and a pivot shaft rotatably supported by the air-intake pipe and openably mounted within the passage of the air-intake pipe;

wherein the passage of the air-intake pipe is configured to have an air-flow cross-section of a non-perfect circle shape in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the air-intake pipe; and

wherein the valve disc has a non-perfect circle shape conforming to the shape of the cross-section of the passage of the air-intake pipe and the air-intake pipe within which the throttle valve is mounted is divided into two parts so that a divided surface of the air-intake pipe is located at an axis of the pivot shaft of the throttle valve.

Assignments (3)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 060300/0504 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 016285 FRAME 0575. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CORRECT SPELLING OF THE ASSIGNEE NAME TO BE KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Recorded Aug 15, 2006
From: MATSUDA, YOSHIMOTO
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 018113/0296 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 27, 2005
From: MATSUDA, YOSHIMOTO
To: KAWASAK JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 016285/0575 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2004-087118 · Mar 24, 2004 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20050211221A1 · Sep 29, 2005