Intake duct

Abstract

To reduce costs of an air intake duct.SOLUTION: An air intake duct 10 includes: a fitting part 16 inserted into a connection port 102 of an air cleaner 100; and sealing parts 20 which extend from an outer surface of the fitting part 16 and close a gap between the connection port 102 and the fitting part 16. Each sealing part 20 is formed by the same material as the fitting part 16 and may elastically deform. The sealing part 20 can be thinner at its tip than at its root which continues into the fitting part 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intake duct connected to an air cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] The intake duct is connected to the air cleaner by inserting its downstream end into the connection port of the air cleaner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Here, in order to suck in hot air from the engine room through the gap between the air cleaner connection port and the downstream end of the intake duct and to prevent engine noise from leaking, a urethane foam sealant is attached to the downstream end to seal the gap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-115643 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned intake duct requires an increased number of parts due to the addition of a sealing material, and the cost increases due to the labor required to attach the sealing material.

[0005] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems associated with the conventional technology, in order to preferably solve these problems, and has an object to provide an inexpensive intake duct that can reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, the intake duct of the present invention comprises: A fitting portion that is inserted into a connection port of an air cleaner; a sealing portion that protrudes from an outer surface of the fitting portion and closes a gap between the connection port and the fitting portion, The sealing portion is formed of the same material as the fitting portion and is elastically deformable. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The air intake duct according to the present invention allows costs to be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing an intake duct according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the intake duct of the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an intake duct of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the intake duct of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4A and 4B are enlarged end views showing a main portion of the intake duct of the embodiment, in which FIG. 4A shows the duct before it is attached to the air cleaner, and FIG. 4B shows the duct after it is attached to the air cleaner. [Figure 6] 13 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a modified example of the sealing portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Next, an air intake duct according to the present invention will be described below by way of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, an air intake duct, also called an inlet duct, used in the air intake system of a vehicle such as an automobile is shown. EXAMPLES

[0010] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the intake duct 10 according to the embodiment has an air flow passage 12 that guides air from the intake port 10a to the delivery port 10b, and guides the air to an air cleaner 100 (see Fig. 1) located downstream. As shown in Fig. 4, the intake duct 10 according to the embodiment is formed into a cylindrical shape by assembling a plurality of (two in the embodiment) divided bodies 14A and 14B by butting their edges together and fitting them with claws. In the embodiment, the downstream end of the intake duct 10, including the delivery port 10b, a fitting portion 16 and a sealing portion 20 described later, is formed by the first divided body 14A, while the intake port 10a and most of the air flow passage 12 except for the downstream end of the intake duct 10 are formed by combining the first divided body 14A and the second divided body B. The divided bodies 14A and 14B may be made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin (ABS).

[0011] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the downstream end of the intake duct 10 where the delivery port 10b is provided is provided with a fitting portion 16 that is inserted into the inside of the connection port 102 of the air cleaner 100. The outer shape of the fitting portion 16 is formed similar to the inner shape of the connection port 102. In the embodiment, the outer shape of the fitting portion 16 is formed in a rectangular shape to match the inner shape of the rectangular connection port 102. The outer dimensions of the fitting portion 16 are set to be slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of the connection port 102. A flange portion 18 that protrudes outward is provided at the base of the fitting portion 16. When the fitting portion 16 is inserted into the connection port 102, the flange portion 18 abuts against the open end of the connection port 102, so that the insertion position of the fitting portion 16 can be determined (see Fig. 5(b)).

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the intake duct 10 includes a sealing portion 20 that protrudes from the outer surface of the fitting portion 16 and seals the space between the connection port 102 and the fitting portion 16. The fitting portion 16 and the sealing portion 20 are made of the same material. In the embodiment, the first divided body 14A including the fitting portion 16 and the sealing portion 20 is molded, so that the fitting portion 16 and the sealing portion 20 are formed seamlessly and integrally.

[0013] The sealing portion 20 is elastically deformable. As shown in Fig. 5, the sealing portion 20 is adapted to bend and deform in the direction of insertion / removal of the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102 (the direction of inserting the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102). The fitting portion 16 is made relatively thick to prevent bending. In contrast, the sealing portion 20 is made thinner than the fitting portion 16, so that it is elastically deformable even if it is made of the same material as the fitting portion 16.

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the sealing portion 20 is fin-shaped and rises from the outer surface of the fitting portion 16. The sealing portion 20 of the embodiment protrudes so as to be perpendicular to the outer surface of the fitting portion 16. The sealing portion 20 protrudes more than the distance between the outer surface of the fitting portion 16 and the inner surface of the connection port 102. The sealing portion 20 is thinner at the tip than at the base connected to the fitting portion 16 (see Fig. 5). This makes the sealing portion 20 more susceptible to elastic deformation at the tip side than at the base side. The sealing portion 20 of the embodiment has both surfaces in the thickness direction (the direction of insertion into and removal from the connection port 102 in the fitting portion 16) inclined so as to approach each other from the base to the tip.

[0015] 2, the sealing portion 20 is disposed so as to surround the fitting portion 16. The sealing portion 20 in the embodiment is formed in a continuous closed ring shape around the entire circumference of the fitting portion 16. The sealing portions 20 are provided in a plurality of rows spaced apart in the direction of insertion into and removal from the connection port 102 in the fitting portion 16. Adjacent sealing portions 20 may be spaced apart to such an extent that the elastically deformed sealing portion 20 does not come into contact with the adjacent sealing portion 20, and for example, the spacing can be set to approximately the lap dimension between the sealing portion 20 and the connection port 102.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 6, the sealing portion 20 may have a slit 22. The slit 22 may be, for example, a "V" shape that opens at the tip of the sealing portion 20 and narrows from the tip to the base side of the sealing portion 20 (see FIG. 6), a slit shape, or other shapes. In the embodiment, the slit 22 is formed from the tip of the sealing portion 20 to a midway position of the sealing portion 20. The slit 22 may be set so that the opening edges of the slit 22 overlap each other when the sealing portion 20 is deformed, and the slit 22 closes. The slit 22 is preferably provided at the corner portion of the fitting portion 16 of the sealing portion 20 (see FIG. 6(a)) and / or at a portion that protrudes from the vicinity of the corner portion (see FIG. 6(b)). The slit 22 may be provided at the same portion in a plurality of rows of sealing portions 20, or the slits 22 may be arranged offset from each other in adjacent sealing portions 20. For example, if a slit 22 is formed in a corner portion of a first row of sealing portions 20 (see FIG. 6(a)), a slit 22 can be formed near the corner portion of a second row of sealing portions 20 (see FIG. 6(b)), so that the positions of the slits 22 are shifted from each other.

[0017] In the above-mentioned intake duct 10, by inserting the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102, the sealing portion 20, which protrudes from the outer surface of the fitting portion 16 and is elastically deformable, blocks the gap between the connection port 102 and the fitting portion 16, thereby preventing air leakage from the inside and water intrusion from the outside. At this time, the sealing portion 20 hits the inner surface of the connection port 102 and bends in the opposite direction to the insertion direction of the fitting portion 16. Then, the elasticity of the sealing portion 20, which tries to return to its original shape before bending, works in the sealing portion 20, so that the sealing portion 20 strongly presses the inner surface of the connection port 102, and the gap between the connection port 102 and the fitting portion 16 can be appropriately sealed. When the inside of the intake duct 10 and the air cleaner 100 becomes negative pressure due to the intake of air, the sealing portion 20 bent outward is pulled inward and hits the inner surface of the connection port 102 strongly. The sealing part 20 bends outward when the fitting part 16 is inserted into the connection port 102. Therefore, even if negative pressure is applied from the inside and the sealing part 20 is pulled, it cannot overcome the inner surface of the connection port 102 and deform inward, so that the sealed state between the connection port 102 and the fitting part 16 can be maintained.

[0018] The intake duct 10 of the embodiment is attached by fixing the intake port 10a side to the vehicle body and inserting the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102 of the air cleaner 100. When the fitting portion 16 is inserted into the connection port 102, the sealing portion 20 is located between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102, so that the sealing portion 20 elastically deforms to absorb vibrations during vehicle running, etc., and the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented. In addition, the elastic deformation of the sealing portion 20 absorbs dimensional errors in the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102, and the space between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102 can be appropriately sealed.

[0019] As described above, the sealing portion 20 has a simple shape that protrudes from the outer surface of the fitting portion 16, so the cost of forming the sealing portion 20 can be reduced. In addition, because the sealing portion 20 is made of the same material as the fitting portion 16, the sealing portion 20 can be formed together with the fitting portion 16 when molding the first divided body 14A. In this way, by integrally forming the fitting portion 16 and the sealing portion 20, it is possible to reduce the cost of the intake duct 10 by suppressing an increase in the number of parts and eliminating the need to attach the sealing portion 20.

[0020] Since the sealing portion 20 is formed in a continuous manner with the fitting portion 16 using the same material, the sealing portion 20 will not be displaced by inserting the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102, as occurs when a separate seal material is attached. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sealing portion 20 from protruding from the connection port 102, which would cause a poor appearance, or to prevent poor sealing between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102. The sealing portion 20 can be easily modified in its thickness or shape to change its ease of deformation, and its sealing properties and its ease of assembly to the connection port 102 can be easily adjusted. Since the sealing portion 20 can be made of a material that is resistant to the same heat, vibration, and the like as the fitting portion 16 (the main body of the intake duct 10), it is possible to avoid deterioration due to hydrolysis, as occurs with sealing materials made of urethane foam, or loss of elasticity due to deterioration over time caused by heat, vibration, and the like. In this way, the sealing portion 20 can provide functions such as sealing properties and vibration absorption properties over a long period of time.

[0021] The sealing portion 20 is thinner at the tip than at the base continuing to the fitting portion 16. This makes it easier for the tip side of the sealing portion 20 that comes into contact with the inner surface of the connection port 102 to deform, making it easier to insert the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102. The tip side of the sealing portion 20 deforms to conform to the inner surface of the connection port 102, allowing the gap between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102 to be properly sealed. In addition, since the base side of the sealing portion 20 is relatively thick, it is possible to prevent the sealing portion 20 from bending at the base. Furthermore, since a reaction force is applied by the relatively thick base side of the sealing portion 20, the gap between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102 can be properly sealed.

[0022] By providing multiple rows of sealing portions 20 spaced apart in the insertion direction of the fitting portion 16 into the connection port 102, it is possible to appropriately seal the space between the connection port 102 and the fitting portion 16. Even if multiple rows of sealing portions 20 are provided, the amount of material and effort used for the sealing portions 20 is small, so that an increase in costs can be suppressed.

[0023] Providing the slits 22 in the sealing portion 20 also enables the sealing portion 20 to deform in the circumferential direction such that the opening edges of the slits 22 approach each other. This makes it easier for the sealing portion 20 to follow the inner surface of the connection port 102, and the gap between the fitting portion 16 and the connection port 102 can be appropriately sealed. In particular, when the slits 22 are provided in the sealing portion 20 at a portion corresponding to the corner portion of the fitting portion 16 or a portion in the vicinity thereof, the slits 22 allow the movement of the sealing portion 20 that attempts to deform in the circumferential direction along the corner portion of the inner surface of the connection port 102, and the corner portion can be appropriately sealed by the sealing portion 20.

[0024] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned items, and may be, for example, as follows: It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions of the examples and the following modified examples. (1) The sealing portion is not limited to a configuration in which it protrudes perpendicular to the outer surface of the fitting portion, and may protrude obliquely with respect to the outer surface of the fitting portion. (2) The sealing portion is not limited to having a tapered shape with both sides in the thickness direction inclined, and may have a tapered shape with one side in the thickness direction inclined. (3) The number of sealing portions is not limited to that in the embodiment, and may be one row, two rows, or four or more rows. (4) The protrusion dimensions of the sealing parts are not limited to the same configuration, and when there are multiple sealing parts, the protrusion dimensions of the sealing parts may be different. For example, the protrusion dimensions of the sealing parts may be increased or decreased from the row of the outlet side to the row of the inlet side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 16 fitting portion, 20 sealing portion, 22 gap, 100 air cleaner, 102 connection port

Claims

1. A fitting portion that is inserted into a connection port of an air cleaner; a sealing portion that protrudes from an outer surface of the fitting portion in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface and closes a gap between the connection port and the fitting portion, the sealing portion is formed of the same material as the fitting portion, is bendable and deformable in a direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed, and has a cross-sectional shape along the direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed that is a triangle having a height longer than a base, A cut is formed from the tip of the sealing portion. An intake duct characterized by:

2. A fitting portion that is inserted into a connection port of an air cleaner; a sealing portion that protrudes from an outer surface of the fitting portion and closes a gap between the connection port and the fitting portion, the sealing portion is made of the same material as the fitting portion and is elastically deformable; The sealing portions are provided in a plurality of rows spaced apart from one another in a direction in which the fitting portion is inserted into the connection port, The slits formed from the tip of the sealing portion are provided at positions offset from each other in the adjacent sealing portions. An intake duct characterized by:

3. A fitting portion that is inserted into a connection port of an air cleaner; a sealing portion that protrudes from an outer surface of the fitting portion and closes a gap between the connection port and the fitting portion; an intake port provided at an end of the intake duct opposite to the fitting portion, the sealing portion is formed of the same material as the fitting portion and the intake port, is bendable and deformable in a direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed, and has a cross-sectional shape along the direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed that is a triangle whose height is longer than its base, A cut is formed from the tip of the sealing portion. An intake duct characterized by:

4. A fitting portion that is inserted into a connection port of an air cleaner; a sealing portion that protrudes from an outer surface of the fitting portion and closes a gap between the connection port and the fitting portion; a flange portion that projects from an outer surface of a base of the fitting portion and is capable of contacting an open end of the connection port, the sealing portion is formed of the same material as the fitting portion, is bendable and deformable in a direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed, and has a cross-sectional shape along the direction in which the fitting portion is inserted and removed that is a triangle having a height longer than a base, A cut is formed from the tip of the sealing portion. An intake duct characterized by:

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