JP2000161156A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air cleaner to be mounted on a vehicle such as a motorcycle or off-road vehicle, capable of preventing water from entering the clean area of the air cleaner and of rapidly discharging water that entered a dirty area, while allowing easy maintenance. SOLUTION: An air cleaner A mounted in a vehicle that travels off-road is divided at its longitudinal cross section into two parts: a clean area 10 and a dirty area. In this case, an air element 3 is freely removably placed between the clean area 10 and the dirty area and a water collecting space 3C for temporarily retaining water entering inside and discharging it to the outside is provided in the position of the dirty area 11 lower than the lower end of the air element 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air cleaner suitable for motorcycles, vehicles running on uneven terrain, etc., and particularly suitable for motorcycles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an engine of a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle, or the like, an air cleaner is used to remove dust and the like contained in air when supplying outside air to the engine. It is attached. A sponge or paper air element (filter) is disposed in the air cleaner, and the air element removes dust in the air sucked from outside air.

[0003] Accordingly, the air element is cleaned or replaced with a new one every predetermined traveling distance.

[0004] By the way, when the air element is used in a place where the pavement condition of the road is good, it is not necessary to clean or replace the air element for a relatively long period of time. Need to be cleaned at relatively short intervals.

[0005] However, in the case of models that are used exclusively on uneven terrain, measures are taken to increase the capacity of the air cleaner in advance so that the interval between the cleaning and replacement is not too short. In addition, when used in an area where roads are flooded during the rainy season, such as in the Southeast Asian region, water is not sucked from the air cleaner while traveling in a puddle. Is required to be discharged quickly.

Further, in an area where the vehicle travels on rough terrain or in puddles, it is necessary to provide a structure that allows easy maintenance of the air cleaner.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-319909 discloses this type of air cleaner.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and prevents water from entering the clean area side of the air cleaner, allows water that has entered the dirty area side to be quickly discharged, and further facilitates maintenance. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air cleaner mounted on a vehicle such as a motorcycle or an all-terrain vehicle.

[0009]

An air cleaner according to a first aspect of the present invention is an air cleaner mounted on a vehicle running on uneven terrain, wherein the air cleaner has a vertical section and is composed of a clean area and a dirty area. The air element is disposed so as to be detachable between the clean area and the dirty area, and water that has entered inside is temporarily stored at a position lower than the lower end of the air element in the dirty area, and It is characterized by the provision of a water collection space for draining water.

An air cleaner according to a second aspect of the present invention is an air cleaner mounted on a motorcycle, wherein the air cleaner has two sections, a clean area and a dirty area, in a longitudinal section along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The air element is disposed so as to be detachable between the clean area and the dirty area, and water that has entered inside is temporarily stored at a position lower than the lower end of the air element in the dirty area, and It is characterized by the provision of a water collection space for draining water.

According to the air cleaner constructed as in the first and second aspects of the present invention, since the water collecting space is provided at a position lower than the lower end of the air element, the air cleaner is temporarily provided in the air cleaner. Even if water enters, it accumulates in this water collection space and is discharged to the outside.
Therefore, intrusion of water from the outside through the air cleaner can be prevented in the clean area of the air cleaner. Also, water that has entered the dirty area side of the air cleaner
The water will be quickly discharged to the outside from the low water collection space.

An air cleaner according to a third aspect of the present invention is an air cleaner provided with a drain mechanism for draining liquid accumulated in an air cleaner of a motorcycle. The drain mechanism is formed at a lower end of the air cleaner. The drainage hole is formed by attaching a rubber tube having a slit at the lower end at the lower end, which communicates to the outside due to the liquid pressure accumulated inside and maintains a closed state under the external pressure. It is characterized by.

According to the air cleaner configured as described above, it is possible to obtain a configuration in which water does not enter the inside of the air cleaner even when the water level rises to the lower end of the air cleaner in a pool or the like.

In addition, a partition is provided around the air element disposed between the clean area and the dirty area except at least a bottom portion of the air element to hold the air element at the position and guide water to enter downward. When an intake port for taking in outside air is provided above the air cleaner, water that has entered the air cleaner from the outside can be promptly guided to the water collecting space in the dirty area.

Further, if the bottom surface of the water collecting space is constituted by a slope inclined downward toward a discharge port for discharging water to the outside, the water accumulated in the water collecting space is quickly discharged. A configuration that can be used.

Further, if a protruding portion is formed in the middle of the inclined surface so as to be curved upward from the inclined surface, it is possible to prevent water temporarily accumulated in the water collecting space from moving upward. .

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an air cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a motorcycle will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the external structure of the air cleaner according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the air cleaner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a motorcycle using the air cleaner shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the air cleaner is attached to a frame when the air cleaner is mounted on the frame.
FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the motorcycle, showing an embodiment in which the motorcycle is equipped with the air cleaner shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, A is an air cleaner. The air cleaner A is a vertical section, that is, a divided section extending in the vertical direction, and has two parts (base and cover) on the left and right, that is, an air cleaner case (base) 1 and an element. As shown in FIG. 2, a clean area 10 is formed inside the air cleaner case 1, and a dirty area 12 is formed inside the element cover 2. As shown in FIG. 2, an air element 3 for separating the clean area 10 and the dirty area 12 is provided between the air cleaner case 1 and the element cover 2, and an element cover of the air cleaner case 1 is provided. 2A, a partition wall 1A that covers the air element 3 from the outer periphery so as to guide water entering from the bonding surface downward.
Are protruded from the end surface 1a of the outer peripheral edge of the air cleaner case 1 to the element cover 2 side. A fixed wall 1B is formed in a lattice shape inside the partition 1A so that the air element 3 does not move to the clean area 10 side. Then, first, a metal mesh member 5 is provided, and then a sponge air element 3 is provided so that one side surface is in contact with and held by the fixed wall 1B. In addition, the holding member 6 is fixed to the element cover 2 side with a screw (not shown), and the element cover 2 is attached to the air cleaner case 1 so that the holding member 6 presses the air element 3 to remove the air element 3. It is configured so that it can be fixed inside. That is, the air element 3 is configured to be attached / detached with a so-called one-touch operation.

Further, as described above, the air cleaner case 1
When the and the element cover 2 are joined, a water collecting space 3C is formed below the partition 1A. The air cleaner case 1, which forms the bottom of the water collecting space 3C,
As shown in FIG. 4, the inner bottom surface 3b of the element cover 2 has an inclined surface which becomes lower on the front side when attached to the vehicle body F, and is formed in the middle of the inclined surface constituting the bottom surface 3b. , That is, a portion where the inclination angle changes, a protruding portion 3d that protrudes upward in a curved shape is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 3 d is provided with a mounting hole 9 for mounting the element cover 2 to the air cleaner case 1.
Is formed using the peripheral portion (part of the outer peripheral portion).

The air cleaner case 1 and the element cover 2 are fixed in a state where they are joined together by a fixing bolt (not shown) as shown in FIG. The joint surface between the air cleaner case 1 and the element cover 2 is
Since an O-ring-shaped sealing member (not shown) is interposed at the fitting portion, the joining surfaces have watertightness.

As shown in FIG. 3, the size of the air cleaner A is close to the entire width of the vehicle body F (in this embodiment, about 3% of the vehicle width of the portion where the air cleaner is disposed).
寸 法), and the engine E (FIG. 4)
), And has a height of about 1/3 of
This is a large-sized air cleaner having a volume as large as the combination of the cylinder and the cylinder head of the engine E.

On the upper surface of the rear end of the element cover 2 (the rear end in the running direction of the vehicle), a suction port 14 for taking in outside air into the air cleaner A is provided as shown in FIG. The suction port 1 is formed
4, an inverted L-shaped duct 15 is attached so that an intake port 15a of the duct 15 opens toward the inside of the vehicle body (toward the center). This duct 15 is made of flexible rubber. The water collecting space 3C is located below the suction port 14.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, on the right side of the air cleaner case 1, a case 16 in which a tool case and a battery case are integrated is integrally formed.

The air cleaner A is detachably bolted to the vehicle body F of the motorcycle B via a bracket (not shown) attached to the vehicle body F as shown in FIG.

As described above, when the air cleaner A is attached to the vehicle body F, a drain hole (discharge port) 2e (see FIG. 3) is formed at the bottom of the front end of the air cleaner A, that is, at the front end of the bottom of the dirty area 12. 5) is formed to discharge water accumulated in the dirty area 12 to the outside. In particular, in the drain hole 2e (see FIG. 5),
When a tube 13 having a check valve function shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C is provided, the drain mechanism becomes a preferable drain mechanism for the air cleaner A.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the tube 13 is provided at the distal end of the drain hole 2e of the air cleaner A so that the proximal end 13a of the tube 13 and the distal end 13b face the center of the vehicle. It is attached diagonally. And
When the tube 13 is attached in this manner, the drain hole 2
e is formed by an opening formed on the side of the end of a pipe 2r protruding from the front end of the bottom of the air cleaner A on the side of the element cover 2, and the opening of the end of the pipe 2r is taken by the tube 13. In the attached state, the tube 13 comes into contact with the wall surface of the tube 13 and is closed. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the tube 13 has an opening formed at the base end 13a.
The drain hole 2e is inserted into the pipe 2r, and the water passage 13e of the tube 13 communicates with the drain hole 2e. And the tube 1
A slit 13s is formed at the lower end of the tube 3 by a cutter or the like in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tube 13, and the slit 13s acts like a lip to function as a check mechanism. That is, when water accumulates in the internal water passage 13e, the water pressure (hydraulic pressure) causes the slit 13
s leaks outside. On the other hand, when pressure is applied from the outer periphery of the tube 13, the tube 13 contracts, thereby closing the slit 13s, thereby preventing water from entering the inside from the outside.

With such a drain mechanism,
Even if the water level rises to a position higher than the position of the drain hole 2e of the air cleaner A, water hardly enters the inside of the air cleaner A from the drain hole 2e. In addition, liquid such as water collected in the water collecting space 3C of the air cleaner A can leak outside through the tube 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, a communication port 7 for communicating with the carburetor C is provided above the front end wall of the clean area 10 of the air cleaner case 1.
Is formed, and the clean area 10 is formed through the duct D.
(See FIG. 2) and the carburetor C.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the air cleaner A disposed behind the engine E is attached so that the duct 15 is located below and adjacent to the main frame 19 supporting the seat S of the motorcycle. Will be. Also,
The side of the air cleaner A is covered by a side cover 20 illustrated in FIG. Although not shown, a case 16 (see FIG. 1) in which the tool case and the battery case arranged on the opposite side of the motorcycle in FIG. 4 are integrated is also covered by a similar side cover. .

The air cleaner thus configured operates as follows. That is, even when traveling inside a squall unique to Southeast Asia, the outside air is sucked into the air cleaner A from the duct 15 in which the upper part is covered by the sheet and the side is covered by the side cover 20, Water hardly enters the inside of the air cleaner A. In addition, when the vehicle travels in a puddle, as shown in FIG. 4, the engine E and the underguard plate (not shown) are positioned so as to prevent water scattered from obliquely downward from the front. Since it is arranged in such a hidden position, water hardly enters the inside of the air cleaner A from below.

Also, even if water enters the air cleaner A from the duct 15 or the like, the water is guided directly or to the partition wall 1A, accumulates in the lower water collecting space 3C, and is guided to the inclined bottom surface 3b. Then, the water is discharged to the outside from the slit 13s of the tube 13 through the drain hole 2e at the front end of the water collecting space 3C. Then, at this time, since the protruding portion 3d is formed as described above,
Even if the vehicle body swings back and forth, the water collected in the water collecting space 3C is smoothly discharged without flowing upward.

That is, the water that has entered the air cleaner A is guided to below the dirty area 12 and is quickly discharged therefrom, so that the water does not enter the clean area 10.

Further, in the case of the air cleaner A, since the air cleaner A is provided with the above-mentioned drain mechanism, even if the water level reaches the lower part except the top of the air cleaner A, the tube 13 and the drainage water enter the air cleaner A. Hole 2
Water does not enter through e. Further, dust, insects, and the like do not enter through the tube 13 and the drain hole 2e.

Further, as described above, since the air element 3 can be made large due to the large capacity of the air cleaner A, the cleaning interval is long even when the air element 3 is used in an area where there is a lot of dust. If so, simply
Simply removing the fixing bolts that fix the element cover 2 to the air cleaner case 1 side exposes the inside,
Since the air element 3 can be removed as it is, the air element 3 can be easily cleaned. Then, after cleaning, it can be easily mounted again in the reverse procedure.

In the above embodiment, the air cleaner applied to the motorcycle is exclusively described. However, it is needless to say that the air cleaner can also be used as an air cleaner for a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and has the same operation and effect.

[0037]

According to the air cleaner of the present invention,
It can be installed on vehicles such as motorcycles or rough terrain vehicles that can prevent water from entering the clean area side of the air cleaner and can quickly drain water that has entered the dirty area side, and are easy to maintain. Air cleaner can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an external configuration of an air cleaner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of the air cleaner shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of the air cleaner illustrated in FIG. 1, and is a diagram illustrating a bottom surface with a part of a side wall of a cover portion cut away.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the air cleaner shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a motorcycle when the air cleaner is mounted on a motorcycle.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the motorcycle, showing an embodiment when the air cleaner shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the motorcycle.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views showing a drain mechanism, FIG. 5A is a partial perspective view of the drain mechanism, FIG.
(C) is a figure which shows the slit formed in the lower end part of the tube.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Air cleaner 1: Air cleaner case 2: Element cover 3C: Water collecting space 10: Clean area 11: Dirty area

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] January 28, 2000 (2000.1.2
8)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The air cleaner according to the first invention is a cleaner equipped in vehicles, the air cleaner, in longitudinal section, is divided into two clean area and dirty areas, An air element is disposed between the clean area and the dirty area so as to be detachable, and at a position lower than a lower end of the air element in the dirty area, water that has entered inside temporarily is collected and discharged to the outside. Air cleaner with water space
In the clean and dirty areas
At least the bottom of the air element located between
Hold the air element in place around the
In addition to providing a partition that guides the incoming water downward,
And a suction port for taking in outside air is provided above the device.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, an air cleaner according to the second invention, Ri Oh in the air cleaner to be mounted to a motorcycle, the <br/> air cleaner, a longitudinal section in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the clean area and dirty The air element is divided between the clean area and the dirty area, and the air element is disposed detachably between the clean area and the dirty area. In an air cleaner that has a water collecting space that collects water and discharges it to the outside,
Air element located between the rear and dirty area
The air element around all but the bottom of the
A partition wall that holds in that position and guides the water in
Inlet for taking in outside air above this partition
Is provided .

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Deleted

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F02M 35/08 K

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An air cleaner mounted on a vehicle, wherein the air cleaner is divided into a clean area and a dirty area in a longitudinal section, and an air element is detachably provided between the clean area and the dirty area. An air cleaner, wherein a water collecting space is provided at a position lower than a lower end of the air element in the dirty area, for temporarily storing water that has entered inside and discharging the water to the outside. 2. An air cleaner mounted on a motorcycle, wherein the air cleaner is divided into two parts, a clean area and a dirty area, in a longitudinal section along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. And a water collecting space for temporarily storing water that has entered inside and discharging the water to the outside at a position lower than the lower end of the air element in the dirty area. An air cleaner characterized by the following. 3. An air element disposed between the clean area and the dirty area, except at least a bottom thereof, is provided with a partition wall for holding the air element at that position and guiding water to enter downward. 3. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a suction port for taking in outside air is provided above the partition. 4. The water collecting space according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the water collecting space is formed by an inclined surface which is inclined downward toward a discharge port for discharging water to the outside. 2. The air cleaner according to item 1. 5. The air cleaner according to claim 4, wherein a projection protruding upward from the inclined surface in a curved shape is formed on the inclined surface. 6. An air cleaner provided with a drain mechanism for draining liquid accumulated in an air cleaner of a motorcycle, wherein the drain mechanism collects in a drain hole formed in a lower end portion of the air cleaner. An air cleaner characterized by being provided with a rubber tube having a slit at a lower end portion which is connected to the outside by hydraulic pressure and maintains a closed state under an external pressure.