Intake Assembly

Abstract

To provide a throttle device and an intake assembly, which facilitate the assembling of a throttle valve and can suppress an increase of flow channel resistance in a bore.SOLUTION: A throttle device 10 is equipped with a throttle body 20 that has a bore 12 opening to a first end surface 21 and a second end surface 22, a throttle shaft 40 that is rotatably provided in the bore 12, and a throttle valve 50 that is fixed to the throttle shaft 40 so as to be at least partially located in the bore 12. The bore 12 has an inner surface defining an intake channel 13 at least partially decreasing a channel cross-sectional area from a first opening end 14 toward a second opening end 16. On the inner surface of the bore 12, a pair of through-holes 18 which the throttle shaft 40 penetrates, and a pair of grooves 24 continuing from the respective through-holes 18 to an edge of the second opening end 16 are formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a throttle device and an intake assembly. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a throttle device is known which is provided in an intake passage of an internal combustion engine to adjust the intake air flow rate. A typical throttle device has a throttle shaft rotatably mounted in a bore of a throttle body, and a throttle valve fixed to the throttle shaft. The throttle valve opens and closes as the throttle shaft rotates.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a throttle device in which a diffuser is provided downstream of a throttle body. The diffuser has a flow passage cross-sectional area that expands downstream. A flow straightening protrusion is provided downstream of the throttle shaft, where the inner surface of the throttle body protrudes inward. A valve insertion groove is formed in the flow straightening protrusion, allowing a throttle valve to be inserted from the diffuser side.

[0004] The throttle device is assembled by first rotatably mounting the throttle shaft to the throttle body, and then mounting the throttle valve on the throttle shaft from the upstream or downstream side of the bore. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-179364 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When assembling the throttle valve to the throttle shaft, the throttle valve must be inserted into the bore and then moved within the bore toward the throttle shaft. At this time, the maximum diameter of the throttle valve may come into contact with the inner surface of the bore, making it difficult to assemble the throttle valve efficiently. In particular, when the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage at least partially decreases from the first open end toward the second open end of the bore, it is difficult to assemble the throttle valve onto the throttle shaft from the second open end side.

[0007] In this regard, if a valve insertion groove is provided on the inner surface of the bore as in the throttle device described in Patent Document 1, the throttle valve assembly work becomes easier, but the valve insertion groove increases the flow resistance within the bore.

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, at least one embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a throttle device and an intake assembly that allows for easy assembly of the throttle valve and can suppress an increase in flow resistance within the bore. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] (1) A throttle device according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a throttle body having a first end surface, a second end surface opposite the first end surface, and a bore opening to the first end surface and the second end surface; a throttle shaft rotatably disposed within the bore; a throttle valve fixed to the throttle shaft so as to be at least partially located within the bore; Equipped with the bore has an inner surface defining an intake flow passage that at least partially decreases in cross-sectional area from a first open end of the bore at the first end surface to a second open end of the bore at the second end surface; On the inside of the bore, a pair of through holes through which the throttle shaft passes; a pair of grooves extending from each through hole to an edge of the second open end; is formed.

[0010] (2) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (1), The pair of grooves extend along a line segment where a plane including the central axis of the bore and the rotational center axis of the throttle shaft intersects with the inner surface of the bore.

[0011] (3) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (1) or (2), When the maximum dimension of the throttle valve along the extension direction of the throttle shaft is Dmax, the distance between the bottom surfaces of the pair of grooves on the second end surface is L, and the total depth of the pair of grooves on the second end surface is d, Ld <Dmax<L Meet the following.

[0012] (4) In some embodiments, in any of the configurations (1) to (3) above, The throttle valve is a first portion located on a first end face side of the throttle shaft when the throttle valve is fully open; a second portion located on a second end face side of the throttle shaft when the throttle valve is fully open, the second portion being thicker than the first portion; Including, The width of each groove is greater than the thickness of the second portion at the end on the throttle shaft side.

[0013] (5) In one embodiment, in the configuration of (4), The second portion has a streamlined profile that decreases in thickness with increasing distance from the throttle shaft.

[0014] (6) Intake assemblies according to at least some embodiments of the present invention include: A throttle device according to any one of (1) to (5) above; an intake part connected to the throttle body at a second end surface side and having an intake passage communicating with the intake flow path formed by the bore; Equipped with The intake part includes a pair of protrusions that protrude toward the throttle body, The pair of protrusions are configured to fit into the pair of grooves, respectively, when the intake part is connected to the second end surface of the throttle body.

[0015] (7) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (6), The protrusion has a flow passage forming surface that forms a flow passage wall of the intake flow passage along the inner surface of the bore around each groove.

[0016] (8) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (6) or (7), Each of the protrusions has a tapered shape corresponding to each groove, with the groove width decreasing from the second end face toward the through hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to at least some embodiments of the present invention, the throttle valve can be easily assembled from the second end face side of the throttle body by moving the throttle valve within the bore along a continuous groove that runs from the through hole through which the throttle shaft passes to the edge of the second opening end of the bore. Furthermore, by closing the groove with a protrusion provided on the intake part connected to the throttle device on the second end face side, an increase in flow resistance within the bore can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an intake assembly according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a throttle device according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a throttle device according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a throttle body according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of a throttle device according to one embodiment; [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a bore of a throttle device according to one embodiment. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of a throttle device according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an intake part according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of an intake part and a throttle body according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a cross section of an intake part and a throttle body according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a valve assembly according to one embodiment. [Figure 11A] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside a bore of a throttle device according to one embodiment. [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of a throttle device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an intake assembly according to one embodiment. As shown in the figure, the intake assembly 100 includes a throttle device 10 having a bore 12 that forms an intake flow passage 13, and an intake part 110 having an intake passage 113 that communicates with the intake flow passage 13. The intake passage 113 is formed by an internal flow passage 112 of the intake part 110. The intake part 110 may be an intake boot or an intake manifold. The intake part 110 may be made of resin, rubber, or metal. The intake part 110 made of rubber can suppress vibrations transmitted to the throttle device 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the intake assembly 100 includes, in addition to the throttle device 10 and the intake part 110, another intake part 150 located on the opposite side of the throttle device 10 from the intake part 110.

[0021] The intake assembly 100 constitutes an intake system for the engine 300 . 1, engine 300 includes cylinder 302 and piston 304 that reciprocates within cylinder 302. An intake valve 320 is provided in a cylinder block having cylinder 302, and intake valve 320 opens and closes in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of piston 304, thereby enabling switching of the state of supply of an air-fuel mixture to cylinder 302. A fuel injector 310 for injecting fuel into intake passage 113 is provided upstream of intake valve 320 and downstream of valve assembly 30, which will be described later. Fuel injected from fuel injector 310 is mixed with intake air flowing through intake assembly 100, and is supplied to cylinder 302 as an air-fuel mixture. The piston 304 is pushed down by energy generated by the combustion of an air-fuel mixture taken into the cylinder 302 through the intake valve 320. The reciprocating motion of the piston 304 is transmitted to the crankshaft 308 via the connecting rod 306.

[0022] The throttle device 10 includes a throttle body 20 having a bore 12 and a valve assembly 30 disposed within the bore 12 .

[0023] The throttle body 20 has a first end face 21 and a second end face 22 where the bore 12 opens. The first end face 21 and the second end face 22 are both end faces of the throttle body 20 in the intake air flow direction (the central axial direction of the bore 12), and the second end face 22 is located on the opposite side of the first end face 21.

[0024] The valve assembly 30 is provided in the intake passage 13 that communicates with the intake passage 113 of the intake part 110, and is used to adjust the amount of intake air. The valve assembly 30 includes a throttle shaft 40 rotatably mounted within the bore 12, and a throttle valve 50 fixed to the throttle shaft 40 so as to be at least partially located within the bore 12. The throttle valve 50 opens and closes by rotating about the central axis of the throttle shaft 40 as the throttle shaft 40 rotates. Specifically, the rotation of the throttle shaft 40 rotates the throttle valve 50 approximately 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A from a closed state in which the throttle valve 50 is oriented perpendicular to the intake air flow, to an open state in which the throttle valve 50 is oriented along the intake air flow direction. FIG. 1 shows the throttle valve 50 in an approximately closed state. The specific configuration of the valve assembly 30 will be described in detail later.

[0025] An intake part 110 is connected to the throttle device 10. A second end face 22 of the throttle body 20 is an abutment face with the intake part 110. That is, the intake part 110 is connected to the throttle body 20 on the second end face 22 side. As will be described in detail later, a groove 24 is formed on the inner surface of the bore 12 of the throttle body 20. The groove 24 of the throttle body 20 may have a shape complementary to a protrusion 114 provided on the intake part 110. In this case, when the intake part 110 is assembled to the throttle device 10, the protrusion 114 of the intake part 110 may be fitted into the groove 24.

[0026] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the throttle device 10 is provided with another intake component 150 upstream and the throttle device 10 is provided with an intake component 110 downstream. In this case, the first end face 21 to which the other intake parts 150 are connected is the upstream end face of the throttle body 20 in the intake flow direction, and the second end face 22 to which the intake part 110 is connected is the downstream end face of the throttle body 20 in the intake flow direction.

[0027] Hereinafter, the throttle device 10 according to several embodiments will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6B.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the throttle device 10 according to one embodiment, showing a cross section of the throttle device 10 along the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the throttle device 10 according to one embodiment, showing a state in which a part of the throttle body 20 has been cut open to expose the valve assembly 30. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the throttle body 20 according to one embodiment, showing a state in which the valve assembly 30 has been removed from FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the throttle device 10 according to one embodiment, seen from the second end face 22 side. Fig. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of throttle device 10 according to one embodiment, and is a view of the cross section of throttle device 10 taken along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of throttle shaft 40, viewed from the extension direction of throttle shaft 40. Fig. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of throttle device 10 according to another embodiment, and is a view of the cross section of throttle device 10 taken along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of throttle shaft 40, viewed from the extension direction of throttle shaft 40.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, in some embodiments, the throttle device 10 includes a throttle body 20 and a valve assembly 30 for adjusting the flow rate of intake air passing through an intake passage 13 formed in the throttle body 20.

[0030] The throttle body 20 has a bore 12. The bore 12 has a first open end 14 at a first end face 21 of the throttle body 20 and a second open end 16 at a second end face 22 of the throttle body 20. The cross-sectional shape of the bore 12 is not particularly limited, but may be circular, elliptical, or have an outline defined by a curved line formed by combining a plurality of circular arcs.

[0031] The intake passage 13 formed by the inner surface of the bore 12 has a flow passage cross-sectional area that at least partially decreases from the first open end 14 to the second open end 16 of the bore 12. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage 13 decreases continuously throughout the entire section of the intake passage 13 from the first open end 14 to the second open end 16. In another embodiment, the intake passage 13 has a section in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage 13 is constant and another section in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage 13 decreases from the first open end 14 to the second open end 16.

[0032] The inner surface of bore 12 may at least partially have a tapered shape that is inclined relative to a central axis O (see FIGS. 2 and 4) of bore 12. Specifically, bore 12 may have an inner surface that is inclined relative to central axis O such that the inner diameter of bore 12 decreases from first open end 14 to second open end 16. 3 and 4, bore 12 has the tapered inner surface described above along the entire length of bore 12 from first open end 14 to second open end 16. In other embodiments, the inner surface of bore 12 includes a straight portion with a constant inner diameter and a tapered portion with a varying inner diameter described above.

[0033] 2, the throttle body 20 has a pair of through holes 18 that pass through the throttle body 20 in the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40. Both ends of the throttle shaft 40 are inserted into the pair of through holes 18, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, each through hole 18 opens to the inner surface of bore 12.

[0034] In some embodiments, in addition to the pair of through holes 18 , the inner surface of the bore 12 also has a pair of grooves 24 formed therein, each of which communicates with the corresponding through hole 18 . Each groove 24 is provided continuously from the corresponding through hole 18 to the second opening end 16 of the bore 12. That is, one end of the groove 24 opens to the through hole 18, and the other end of the groove 24 opens to the second end face 22 of the throttle body 20.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6A, and 6B, the pair of grooves 24 extend along a line segment 19 where a plane P including the central axis O of the bore 12 and the rotation central axis R of the throttle shaft 40 intersects the inner surface of the bore 12. In other words, each groove 24 is provided on the plane P. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3, 6A, and 6B, the fully open throttle valve 50 exists on the plane P. In this case, the pair of grooves 24 continuously extend from the through hole 18 to the edge of the second opening end 16 along the fully open throttle valve 50.

[0036] The depth of the groove 24 is determined in consideration of the maximum dimension Dmax of the throttle valve 50 along the extending direction of the throttle shaft 40. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the depth of the pair of grooves 24 is such that the sum d (= d1 + d2) of the depths d1, d2 of each groove 24 at the second end face 22 satisfies L - d < Dmax < L, where L is the distance between the bottom surfaces 25 of the pair of grooves 24 at the second end face 22. In some embodiments, at any longitudinal position x of the groove 24 along the central axis O of the bore 12, the total depth d(x) of each groove 24 at that position satisfies L(x) - d < Dmax < L(x), where L(x) is the distance between the bottom surfaces 25 of the pair of grooves 24 at that position. Here, d(x) and L(x) both mean functions of the longitudinal position x of the groove 24. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface 25 of each groove 24 is a plane along the central axis O of the bore 12, and the distance L(x) between the bottom surfaces 25 of the pair of grooves 24 is constant regardless of the longitudinal position x.

[0037] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 5 to 6B, the throttle shaft 40 includes a slit 41 through which the throttle valve 50 can be inserted, and a fastener 42 for fastening the throttle valve 50 inserted into the slit 41. The shape of the slit 41 is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that allows the throttle valve 50 to be inserted therethrough. In the examples shown in Figures 3 and 5 to 6B, the slit 41 has a rectangular cross section, the slit width of the slit 41 corresponds to the thickness of the throttle valve 50, and the slit length of the slit 41 is greater than the maximum dimension Dmax of the throttle valve 50. Here, the slit length of the slit 41 means the length of the slit 41 in the direction in which the throttle shaft 40 extends. The fastener 42 may include a bolt or a screw that passes through a through hole (not shown) provided in the throttle valve 50. In this case, the throttle shaft 40 may be formed with a female-threaded screw hole into which the fastener 42, which may be a bolt or a screw, is threaded.

[0038] In some embodiments, the throttle shaft 40 has a flat surface 44 at least at the location where the throttle valve 50 is fastened by the fastener 42, as shown in Figures 3 and 5 . The flat surface 44 may be a plane that extends along the extension direction of the throttle valve 50. In this case, the flat surface 44 may be parallel to the plane P when the throttle valve 50 is in a fully open state, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B. 3 and 5 to 6B, the portion of the throttle shaft 40 that is exposed within the intake passage 13 formed by the bore 12 has a flat surface 44. In contrast, the portion of the throttle shaft 40 that is inserted into the through-hole 18 formed in the throttle body 20 is cylindrical.

[0039] The thickness of the throttle valve 50 is set to satisfy a predetermined relationship with the width of the pair of grooves 24 . 6A and 6B, the width w of each groove 24 is greater than the thickness t of the throttle valve 50. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the width w of each groove 24 is constant regardless of any longitudinal position x of the groove 24 along the central axis O of the bore 12. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 6B, the width w of each groove 24 monotonically increases from the first end face 21 to the second end face 22. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the width w of the groove 24 at the connection position with the through hole 18 (i.e., the minimum value of the width w of the groove 24) is greater than the thickness t of the throttle valve 50. 3 to 6B show an example of a throttle valve 50 in which the thickness t is constant regardless of location, but the thickness of the throttle valve 50 may vary depending on location. In this case, the width w of each groove 24 may be determined based on the thickness t of the outer edge of the throttle valve 50 in the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40. In other words, the width w of each groove 24 may be set to be larger than the thickness t of the portion of the throttle valve 50 that enters each groove 24 (outer edge) or the portion of the throttle valve 50 that is closest to each groove 24 (outer edge).

[0040] 2 to 6B, grooves 24 continuing from each through hole 18 to the edge of second opening end 16 are provided on the second opening end 16 side of bore 12, where the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​intake flow path 13 is relatively small, so that assembly of throttle valve 50 to throttle shaft 40 from the second end face 22 side is easy. In other words, by moving throttle valve 50 within bore 12 along grooves 24 continuing from the through hole 18, through which throttle shaft 40 passes, to the edge of second opening end 16 of bore 12, assembly of throttle valve 50 from the second end face 22 side of throttle body 20 can be easily performed. Furthermore, groove 24 provided on the inner surface of bore 12 continues from through hole 18 to the edge of second open end 16 of bore 12. Therefore, by blocking groove 24 with protrusion 114 (see FIG. 1) provided on intake part 110 connected to throttle device 10 on the second end face 22 side, an increase in flow resistance within bore 12 can be suppressed.

[0041] The pair of grooves 24 also extend along a line segment 19 at which a plane P, which includes the central axis O of the bore 12 and the central axis R of rotation of the throttle shaft 40, intersects with the inner surface of the bore 12. Therefore, the throttle valve 50 can be easily assembled to the throttle shaft 40 by moving the throttle valve 50 linearly within the bore 12 along the grooves 24 (along the plane P) while maintaining the orientation of the throttle valve 50 in the fully open state (FIGS. 3 and 5 to 6B).

[0042] Furthermore, in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2, when the maximum dimension of the throttle valve 50 along the extending direction of the throttle shaft 40 is defined as Dmax, the distance between the bottom surfaces 25 of the pair of grooves 24 in the second end face 22 is defined as L, and the total depth of the pair of grooves 24 in the second end face 22 is defined as d, Ld <Dmax<L Meet the following. In this case, by inserting the outer edge of the throttle valve 50 into the groove 24 provided on the inner surface of the bore 12, contact between the inner surface of the bore 12 and the throttle valve 50 can be avoided when the throttle valve 50 is assembled.

[0043] Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, a connection structure between the throttle device 10 and the intake part 110 according to some embodiments will be described. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an intake part 110 according to one embodiment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the intake part 110 and the throttle body 20 according to one embodiment, in which the intake part 110 and the throttle body 20 are cut open to show the inside of the intake flow path 13 and the intake passage 113. Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the intake part 110 and the throttle body 20 according to one embodiment.

[0044] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the intake part 110 includes an abutment surface 116 that abuts against the second end face 22 of the throttle body 20, and a pair of protrusions 114 that protrude from the abutment surface 116 toward the throttle body 20 along the above-mentioned plane P. Each of the protrusions 114 has a flow path forming surface 115 that is continuously connected to the flow path wall of the internal flow path 112 of the intake part 110 that forms the intake passage 113. The flow path forming surfaces 115 of the pair of protrusions 114 are arranged opposite each other across the intake passage 113.

[0045] As shown in Figure 7, when the intake part 110 is assembled to the throttle device 10, each protrusion 114 is located on the intersection 117 between the abutment surface 116 and a plane P (see Figures 3, 4, 6A and 6B) that includes the central axis O of the bore 12 and the central axis R of rotation of the throttle shaft 40. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the intake part 110 is assembled to the throttle device 10, the pair of protrusions 114 are fitted into the grooves 24 of the throttle body 20, respectively.

[0046] In this way, the protrusion 114 of the intake part 110 connected to the second end face 22 side of the throttle body 20 fits into the groove 24 on the inner surface of the bore 12, thereby reducing the step in the flow path wall caused by the groove 24 and suppressing an increase in flow path resistance within the bore 12.

[0047] In some embodiments, the flow passage forming surface 115 of each protrusion 114 forms a flow passage wall of the intake flow passage 13 along the inner surface of the bore 12 around each groove 24, as shown in FIGS. In this case, turbulence of the intake air flow in the intake passage 13 can be more effectively suppressed, and the flow resistance in the bore 12 can be reduced.

[0048] Each of the protrusions 114 has a shape corresponding to the groove 24 to be fitted therein. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, each protrusion 114 has a tapered shape corresponding to each groove 24 (see Figure 6B) in which the groove width w decreases from the second end surface 22 toward the through hole 18. In this case, when assembling the intake part 110 to the throttle device 10, the tapered convex portion 114 can be easily fitted into the groove 24.

[0049] In another embodiment, each of the protrusions 114 has a straight shape corresponding to the groove 24 , in which the groove width w is constant over the entire length of the groove 24 from the second end surface 22 to the through hole 18 .

[0050] Although several embodiments have been described above, modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the throttle device 10 is mainly described as including a flat throttle valve 50 whose thickness is substantially constant regardless of location, but the shape of the throttle valve is not limited to this example.

[0051] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a valve assembly 400 according to one embodiment. Fig. 11A is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of a throttle device 500 according to one embodiment, and is a view of the cross section of the throttle device 500 taken along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40, viewed from the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40. Fig. 11B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the bore of a throttle device 600 according to another embodiment, and is a view of the cross section of the throttle device 600 taken along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40, viewed from the extension direction of the throttle shaft 40.

[0052] In Figures 10 to 11B, the configuration of the throttle body 20 and the throttle shaft 40 is the same as that described above with reference to Figures 2 to 6B, and the connection structure between the throttle device 500, 600 and the intake parts 110 is the same as that described above with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the configuration of throttle valve 450.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 10-11B, the throttle valve 450 includes a first portion 452 and a second portion 454 that is thicker than the first portion 452.

[0054] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-11B, the second portion 454 of the throttle valve 450 has a streamlined profile that decreases in thickness with increasing distance from the throttle shaft 40. In this case, turbulence of the intake air flow in the bore 12 caused by the throttle shaft 40 and the throttle valve 450 can be suppressed, and the resistance of the intake air flow path in the bore 12 can be reduced.

[0055] The first portion 452 is set to a thickness that allows it to pass through the slit 41 of the throttle shaft 40. In other words, the thickness of the first portion 452 is equal to or less than the slit width of the slit 41. In contrast, second portion 454 has a maximum thickness that is greater than the slit width of slit 41. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 11B, when the contour of second portion 454 is a streamlined shape in which the thickness decreases with increasing distance from throttle shaft 40, the thickness of second portion 454 becomes a maximum value (= tmax) at the end portion on the throttle shaft 40 side. In this example, the thickness (= tmax) of second portion 454 at the end portion on the throttle shaft 40 side is greater than the slit width of slit 41.

[0056] Assuming that the intake air flows within the bore 12 from the first opening end 14 to the second opening end 16, it is desirable to position the second portion 454 having a streamlined contour downstream of the throttle shaft 40 in order to suppress turbulence in the intake air flow that occurs downstream of the throttle shaft 40. In particular, since it is important to reduce flow loss when the throttle valve 450 is fully open, it is desirable that the throttle valve 450 be oriented such that, when fully open, the second portion 454 is located on the second end face 22 side of the throttle shaft 40 on plane P. Therefore, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 11A and 11B, when the throttle valve 450 is in a fully open state, the first portion 452 is located on the first end face 21 side of the throttle shaft 40, and the second portion 454 is located on the second end face 22 side of the throttle shaft 40.

[0057] On the other hand, in order to arrange the relatively thick second portion 454 on the second end face 22 side of the throttle shaft 40, the throttle valve 450 needs to be attached to the throttle shaft 40 from the second end face 22 side. In this case, the throttle valve 450 is inserted into the bore 12 from the second opening end 16 side where the flow passage cross-sectional area is narrow, and the first portion 452 is inserted into the slit 41 of the throttle shaft 40. At this time, contact between the throttle valve 450 and the inner surface of the bore 12 can be a problem, but since the inner surface of the bore 12 is provided with a groove 24 that continues from the through hole 18 to the edge of the second opening end 16, the groove 24 can prevent contact between the throttle valve 450 and the inner surface of the bore 12.

[0058] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the width w of the pair of grooves 24 of the throttle body 20 is greater than the maximum thickness tmax of the second portion 454 of the throttle valve 450. 11A, the width w of each groove 24 is constant regardless of any longitudinal position x of the groove 24 along the central axis O of the bore 12. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 11B, the width w of each groove 24 monotonically increases from the first end face 21 toward the second end face 22. In the example shown in FIG. 11B, the width w of the groove 24 at the connection position with the through hole 18 (i.e., the minimum value of the width w of the groove 24) is greater than the maximum thickness tmax of the second portion 454 of the throttle valve 50.

[0059] According to the above configuration, when the throttle valve 450, whose second portion 454 is thicker than the first portion 452, is assembled to the throttle shaft 40 from the second opening end 16 side of the bore 12, the end (outer edge) of the second portion 454 of the throttle valve 450 can enter the groove 24, making it easier to avoid contact between the throttle valve 450 and the inner surface of the bore 12.

[0060] In this specification, expressions expressing relative or absolute arrangement such as "in a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," or "coaxial" not only express such an arrangement strictly, but also express a state in which there is a relative displacement with a tolerance or an angle or distance to the extent that the same function is obtained. For example, expressions such as "identical," "equal," and "homogeneous" that indicate that something is in an equal state not only indicate a state of strict equality, but also indicate a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference to the extent that the same function is obtained. Furthermore, in this specification, expressions representing shapes such as a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape not only represent rectangular shapes or cylindrical shapes in the strict geometric sense, but also represent shapes including uneven portions, chamfered portions, etc., to the extent that the same effect can be obtained. Furthermore, in this specification, the expressions "comprise," "include," or "have" a component are not exclusive expressions that exclude the presence of other components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10,500,600 Throttle device 12 bore 13 Intake passage 14 1st open end 16 2nd open end 18 through holes 19 line segments 20 Throttle body 21 First end surface 22 Second end face 24 groove 25 bottom 40 throttle shaft 50,450 Throttle valve 100 Intake Assembly 110,150 Intake parts 113 Intake passage 114 Convex part 115 Flow path forming surface 452 Part 1 454 Part 2 Dmax maximum dimension

Claims

1. A throttle device; an intake part connected to the throttle device; An intake assembly comprising: The throttle device is a throttle body having a first end surface, a second end surface opposite to the first end surface, and a bore opening into the first end surface and the second end surface; a throttle shaft rotatably disposed within the bore; a throttle valve fixed to the throttle shaft so as to be at least partially located within the bore; Equipped with the bore has an inner surface defining an intake flow passage that at least partially decreases in cross-sectional area from a first open end of the bore at the first end surface to a second open end of the bore at the second end surface; The inner surface of the bore has: a pair of through holes through which the throttle shaft passes; a pair of grooves each extending from the through hole to an edge of the second opening end; is formed, each of the pair of grooves is a bottomed groove having a bottom surface facing the intake flow path defined by the bore; the intake part is connected to the throttle body at the second end surface side and has an intake passage communicating with the intake flow path formed by the bore, the intake part includes a pair of protrusions protruding toward the throttle body, The pair of protrusions are configured to fit into the pair of grooves, respectively, when the intake part is connected to the second end surface of the throttle body. Intake assembly.

2. The pair of grooves extend along a line segment where a plane including the central axis of the bore and the rotation central axis of the throttle shaft intersects with the inner surface of the bore. The intake assembly of claim 1 .

3. When the maximum dimension of the throttle valve along the extending direction of the throttle shaft is Dmax, the distance between the bottom surfaces of the pair of grooves in the second end surface is L, and the total depth of the pair of grooves in the second end surface is d, L−d<Dmax<L fulfill 3. The intake assembly according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The throttle valve is a first portion located on the first end face side of the throttle shaft when the throttle valve is fully open; a second portion located on the second end face side of the throttle shaft when the throttle valve is fully open, the second portion being thicker than the first portion; Including, The width of each of the grooves is greater than the thickness of the end of the second portion on the throttle shaft side. An intake assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The second portion has a streamlined profile that decreases in thickness with increasing distance from the throttle shaft. The intake assembly of claim 4 .

6. The protrusion has a flow path forming surface that forms a flow path wall of the intake flow path along the inner surface of the bore around each of the grooves. An intake assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Each of the protrusions has a tapered shape corresponding to each of the grooves, the groove width of which decreases from the second end surface toward the through hole. An intake assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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