Variable funnel device

Abstract

To provide a variable funnel device which can achieve downsizing and reduction of the weight by devising a drive mechanism of a variable funnel.SOLUTION: In a variable funnel device (1), a variable funnel (8) disposed at the upstream side of a throttle body (13) is supported in a manner that the variable funnel (8) can reciprocate along an intake air passage direction. The movable funnel (8) is driven by a drive mechanism (M) using a ball screw (22). The variable funnel device (1) further includes: a fixed funnel (10) disposed at the upstream side of intake air relative to the movable funnel (8); and an injector (11) for injecting a fuel from the upstream side of the fixed funnel (10). The fixed funnel (10) and the injector (11) are supported by the drive mechanism (M).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a variable funnel device, and more particularly to a variable funnel device that allows intake funnels arranged upstream of a throttle body of an internal combustion engine to reciprocate. [Background technology]

[0002] A variable funnel device has been known for some time that allows the output characteristics of an internal combustion engine to be adjusted by reciprocating a movable intake funnel arranged upstream of a throttle body, which is the intake device of the internal combustion engine, along the flow direction of the intake air.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a variable funnel device in which a movable funnel is reciprocated by a swing lever driven by an actuator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-128154 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 requires that free space be reserved within the range in which the oscillating lever oscillates, and there is the problem that increasing the operating range of the movable funnel makes the oscillating lever longer, which makes the variable funnel device prone to becoming larger.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a variable funnel device that can solve the problems of the prior art and achieve a smaller and lighter size by improving the drive mechanism of the movable funnel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a first feature in that, in a variable funnel device (1) that supports a movable funnel (8) arranged upstream of a throttle body (13) so that it can move back and forth along the flow direction of intake air, the movable funnel (8) is driven by a drive mechanism (M) that uses a ball screw (22).

[0008] A second feature of the engine is that it includes a fixed funnel (10) arranged upstream of the movable funnel (8) in the intake air direction, and an injector (11) that injects fuel from the upstream side of the fixed funnel (10), and the fixed funnel (10) and the injector (11) are supported by the drive mechanism (M).

[0009] Furthermore, the drive mechanism (M) has the ball screw (22), a funnel support arm (21) that reciprocates as the ball screw (22) rotates, and a tubular member (6) that houses the ball screw (22) and the funnel support arm (21), and a boot member (20, 25) is placed over the outer periphery of the ball screw (22), and the outer diameter dimension (φ1) of the boot member (20, 25) is at least three-quarters of the inner diameter dimension (φ2) of the tubular member (6).

[0010] A fourth feature is that discharge holes (40, 41) connecting the inside and outside of the cylindrical member (6) are provided at a position near the bottom of the cylindrical member (6).

[0011] A fifth feature of the present invention is that a plurality of the discharge holes (40, 41) are provided, at least one of which is provided at the lower end of the cylindrical member (6).

[0012] Furthermore, a sixth feature is that an actuator (4) that rotates the ball screw (22) is attached to the upper part of the cylindrical member (6), and the center (32a) of the rotation axis (32) of the actuator (4) and the center (22a) of the ball screw (22) are aligned in a straight line.

[0013] A seventh feature is that the funnel support arm (21) is shaped to extend radially outward from the cylindrical member (6) and reciprocates along a notch (23) formed in the cylindrical member (6).

[0014] An eighth feature is that the boot members (20, 25) are bellows-shaped.

[0015] Furthermore, the ninth feature is that the funnel support arm (21) is fixed to a nut (30) that threads onto the ball screw (22), and the boot members (20, 25) consist of an upper boot member (20) located above the nut (30) and a lower boot member (25) located below the nut (30).

[0016] Furthermore, a tenth feature is that a communication passage (T) is provided to communicate the interior of the upper boot member (20) with the interior of the lower boot member (25). [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the first feature, in a variable funnel device (1) that supports a movable funnel (8) arranged upstream of a throttle body (13) so that it can move back and forth along the flow direction of intake air, the movable funnel (8) is driven by a drive mechanism (M) that uses a ball screw (22), making it possible to significantly reduce the size and weight of the drive mechanism compared to conventional configurations in which the movable funnel is driven by a swing arm, for example.

[0018] According to the second feature, the device comprises a fixed funnel (10) arranged upstream of the movable funnel (8) in the intake air direction, and an injector (11) that injects fuel from the upstream side of the fixed funnel (10), and the fixed funnel (10) and the injector (11) are supported by the drive mechanism (M).Since the drive mechanism supports the fixed funnel and the injector, it becomes easier to maintain their positional relationship with the movable funnel.

[0019] According to the third feature, the drive mechanism (M) has the ball screw (22), a funnel support arm (21) that reciprocates with the rotation of the ball screw (22), and a tubular member (6) that houses the ball screw (22) and the funnel support arm (21), and a boot member (20, 25) is placed over the outer periphery of the ball screw (22), and the outer diameter dimension (φ1) of the boot member (20, 25) is set to be at least three-quarters of the inner diameter dimension (φ2) of the tubular member (6).Therefore, by making the outer diameter dimension of the boot member and the inner diameter dimension of the tubular member closer to each other, the drive mechanism can be made more compact.

[0020] According to the fourth feature, discharge holes (40, 41) connecting the inside and outside of the cylindrical member (6) are provided at a position near the bottom of the cylindrical member (6), so that oil and other substances accumulated in the cylindrical member can be actively discharged, thereby reducing the impact on the operation of the movable funnel.

[0021] According to the fifth feature, a plurality of the drain holes (40, 41) are provided, at least one of which is provided at the lower end of the cylindrical member (6), thereby improving the effect of draining oil and the like.

[0022] According to the sixth feature, an actuator (4) that rotates the ball screw (22) is attached to the upper part of the cylindrical member (6), and the center (32a) of the rotation shaft (32) of the actuator (4) and the center (22a) of the ball screw (22) are aligned in a straight line, so that the rotational driving force of the actuator can be efficiently transmitted to the ball screw and the driving mechanism can be made smaller.

[0023] According to the seventh feature, the funnel support arm (21) is shaped to extend radially outward from the tubular member (6) and reciprocates along the notch (23) formed in the tubular member (6), thereby preventing oil and other substances from entering the inside of the tubular member.

[0024] According to an eighth feature, the boot members (20, 25) are bellows-shaped, so that the ball screws can continue to be covered by the boot members even if the movable funnel moves significantly.

[0025] According to the ninth feature, the funnel support arm (21) is fixed to a nut (30) that screws onto the ball screw (22), and the boot members (20, 25) consist of an upper boot member (20) located above the nut (30) and a lower boot member (25) located below the nut (30). This allows the boot members to cover only the parts that require protection, and improves the maintainability of the drive mechanism.

[0026] According to the tenth feature, a communication passage (T) is provided that connects the interior of the upper boot member (20) with the interior of the lower boot member (25), thereby making it possible to prevent the air inside the boot member from being compressed as the movable funnel moves up and down, thereby preventing operational resistance from occurring. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a variable funnel device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the drive mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a lower end portion of the tubular member. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end portion of the tubular member as seen from the opposite direction to that of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a variable funnel device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The variable funnel device 1 is attached to a throttle body 13 that adjusts the amount of mixture supplied to an intake port of an internal combustion engine, and is housed inside an air cleaner box (not shown) that filters outside air. The variable funnel device 1 has a fixed funnel 10 located upstream of the intake air, an upstream injector 11 that injects fuel from the upstream side of the fixed funnel 10, a movable funnel 8 that is reciprocable in the flow path downstream of the fixed funnel 10, and a downstream injector 9 that injects fuel downstream of the movable funnel 8.

[0029] The movable funnel 8 is driven by a drive unit M that uses a ball screw mechanism. The drive unit M consists of a cylindrical member 6 that houses the ball screw mechanism and an actuator 4 that is fixed to the top of the cylindrical member 6. An upstream injector support arm 2 that supports an upstream injector 11 is fixed to the top of the actuator 4 that drives the ball screw mechanism, and a fixed funnel support arm 5a that supports a fixed funnel 10 extends from the side of an upper member 5 that is fixed to the upper end of the cylindrical member 6. A position sensor 7 that detects the position of the movable funnel 8 is disposed near the bottom of the cylindrical member 6.

[0030] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism M. The same reference numerals as those used above indicate the same or equivalent parts. A movable funnel support arm 21 that supports the movable funnel 8 is attached to a nut 30 that threads onto the ball screw 22. The movable funnel support arm 21 is fixed to the nut 30 by a support plate 24. The movable funnel support arm 21 is provided with an engagement shaft 21a that engages with a transmission arm 29 (see Figure 3) that transmits the position of the movable funnel 10 to the position sensor 7.

[0031] An upper boot member 20 made of rubber or the like is fitted over the upper ball screw 22 of the movable funnel support arm 21, and a similar lower boot member 25 is fitted over the lower ball screw 22 of the movable funnel support arm 21. The movable funnel support arm 21 moves up and down along a long notch 23 formed in the tubular member 6. The width of the notch 23 is kept to a minimum to prevent oil and other substances from entering the inside of the tubular member 6. A bottom member 27 is fixed to the lower end of the tubular member 6 by a fastening member 26 such as a screw. The position sensor 7 is attached to the side of the bottom member 27.

[0032] In this embodiment, the movable funnel 8 is driven by a drive mechanism M using a ball screw 22, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the size and weight of the drive mechanism M compared to, for example, a conventional configuration in which the movable funnel is driven by a swing arm. Also, since the fixed funnel 10 and the injector 11 are supported by the drive mechanism M, it becomes easier to maintain the positional relationship between the fixed funnel 10 and the injector 11 and the movable funnel 8.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged side view of the drive mechanism M. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the drive mechanism M. The same reference numerals as those used above indicate the same or equivalent parts. The position sensor 7 is attached to the side of a bottom member 27 that is fixed to the lower flange 6a of the cylindrical member 6. When the ball screw 22 is rotated by the actuator 4 and the movable funnel support arm 21 moves up and down accordingly, the sensor arm 28 of the position sensor 7 is configured to swing due to the transmission arm 29 that engages with the engagement shaft 21a.

[0034] The upper boot member 20 and the lower boot member 25 are each a bellows-shaped cover made of thin rubber or the like, and protect the ball screw 22 and the nut 30 from oil and the like (water, fuel, oil, etc.), sand, etc. that may enter through the notch 23 of the tubular member 6. In this embodiment, by dividing the boot member into two, an upper part and an lower part, it is possible to cover only the parts that require protection with the boot member, and to improve the maintainability of the drive mechanism M. Furthermore, by making the upper boot member 20 and the lower boot member 25 bellows-shaped, it is possible to continue covering the ball screw 22 even when the movable funnel 8 moves significantly.

[0035] In this embodiment, the center 32a of the rotation shaft 32 of the actuator 4 and the center 22a of the ball screw 22 are configured to be aligned on a straight line. This allows the rotational driving force of the actuator 4 to be efficiently transmitted to the ball screw 22, and also makes it possible to reduce the size of the drive mechanism M. Also, a communication passage T is provided that connects the interior of the upper boot member 20 with the interior of the lower boot member 25. This makes it possible to prevent the air inside the boot members 20 and 25 from being compressed as the movable funnel 8 moves up and down, thereby preventing operational resistance from occurring.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the outer diameter dimension φ1 of the upper boot member 20 and the lower boot member 25 is set to be three-quarters or more of the inner diameter dimension φ2 of the tubular member 6. This allows the outer diameter dimensions of the upper boot member 20 and the lower boot member 25 to be closer to the inner diameter dimension of the tubular member 6, thereby making it possible to further miniaturize the drive mechanism M.

[0037] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the tubular member 6. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the tubular member 6, viewed from the opposite direction to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, drain holes 40, 41 are provided at a position near the bottom of the tubular member 6 to drain oil and other contaminants that have entered the inside of the tubular member 6. The drain holes 40 consist of a first drain hole 40 formed by cutting out the lower flange 6a of the tubular member 6, and a second drain hole 41 provided at a position opposite the first drain hole 40 across the lower boot member 25. The second drain hole 41 is formed by combining a cutout formed in the lower flange 6a and the bottom member 27. These two drain holes 40, 41 actively drain oil and other contaminants that have accumulated inside the tubular member 6, reducing their impact on the operation of the variable funnel 8.

[0038] The shape and structure of the variable funnel device, the shape and structure of the drive mechanism, the shape and structure of the ball screw mechanism and tubular member, the shape and structure of the boot member, the number of cylinders of the internal combustion engine, etc. are not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, the drive mechanism may be configured to simultaneously reciprocate multiple movable funnels. The variable funnel device according to the present invention is not limited to motorcycles, but can be applied to various vehicles such as three-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles that use a power unit including an internal combustion engine as a drive source. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1...variable funnel device, 4...actuator, 6...cylindrical member, 8...movable funnel, 10...fixed funnel, 11...injector, 13...throttle body, 20...upper boot member (boot member), 21...funnel support arm, 22...ball screw, 22a...center of ball screw, 3...notch, 25...lower boot member (boot member), 30...nut, 32a...center of actuator rotation shaft, 40...first discharge hole (discharge hole), 41...second discharge hole (discharge hole), φ1...outer diameter dimension of boot member, φ2...inner diameter dimension of cylindrical member, M...drive mechanism

Claims

1. A variable funnel device (1) supports a movable funnel (8) disposed upstream of a throttle body (13) so as to be reciprocable along the flow direction of intake air, A variable funnel device characterized in that the movable funnel (8) is driven by a drive mechanism (M) using a ball screw (22).

2. a stationary funnel (10) disposed upstream of the movable funnel (8) in the direction of intake air; and an injector (11) for injecting fuel from the upstream side of the stationary funnel (10), 2. The variable funnel device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed funnel (10) and the injector (11) are supported by the drive mechanism (M).

3. The drive mechanism (M) includes the ball screw (22), a funnel support arm (21) that reciprocates in accordance with the rotation of the ball screw (22), and a cylindrical member (6) that houses the ball screw (22) and the funnel support arm (21), A boot member (20, 25) is fitted over the outer periphery of the ball screw (22), 3. A variable funnel device according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter dimension (φ1) of the boot member (20, 25) is at least three-quarters of the inner diameter dimension (φ2) of the cylindrical member (6).

4. 3. A variable funnel device according to claim 1, wherein exhaust holes (40, 41) connecting the inside and outside of the cylindrical member (6) are provided at a position near the bottom of the cylindrical member (6).

5. 5. The variable funnel device according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the discharge holes (40, 41) are provided, at least one of which is provided at the lower end of the cylindrical member (6).

6. An actuator (4) for rotating the ball screw (22) is attached to the upper part of the cylindrical member (6), 4. The variable funnel device according to claim 3, wherein the center (32a) of the rotation shaft (32) of the actuator (4) and the center (22a) of the ball screw (22) are aligned on a straight line.

7. A variable funnel device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the funnel support arm (21) is shaped to extend radially outward from the cylindrical member (6) and reciprocates along a notch (23) formed in the cylindrical member (6).

8. 4. The variable funnel device according to claim 3, wherein the boot members (20, 25) are bellows-shaped.

9. The funnel support arm (21) is fixed to a nut (30) that screws onto the ball screw (22), 4. The variable funnel mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the boot members (20, 25) comprise an upper boot member (20) positioned above the nut (30) and a lower boot member (25) positioned below the nut (30).

10. 10. The variable funnel mechanism according to claim 9, wherein a communication passage (T) is provided that communicates the interior of the upper boot member (20) with the interior of the lower boot member (25).

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