Straddle Vehicle Air Cleaner Cover Longitudinal Labyrinth Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional air cleaner apparatus for straddle type vehicles has a design flaw where the cover protrudes downward, compromising the outer appearance and allowing water and foreign materials to enter the upper stream air chamber, affecting both purification efficiency and aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
The air inlet is positioned further frontward than the longitudinal center of the air cleaner case, and the intake passage is extended longitudinally to create a labyrinth structure, with the cover member extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction to reduce vertical projection and improve appearance, while the drain holes and ribs enhance purification efficiency and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cover protrudes downward from the air cleaner case, then the air inlet can be positioned to create a labyrinth structure, but the outer appearance performance deteriorates and the integrated appearance is faded
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to extend primarily in the longitudinal direction (front-rear axis) rather than protruding downward in the vertical direction. This dimensional shift allows the cover to achieve the necessary length for the labyrinth structure while maintaining a sleek vertical profile that integrates well with the air cleaner case, thus resolving the contradiction between functional effectiveness and aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover employs asymmetric design where the longitudinal extension exceeds the vertical projection. This asymmetric configuration allows the cover to fulfill its protective function through extended length while minimizing its visual impact from the side view, thereby improving outer appearance performance without compromising the labyrinth structure's ability to suppress water and foreign materials.
2Shape
If the cover extends in the longitudinal direction to improve appearance, then the vertical projection is reduced, but the labyrinth structure effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The labyrinth structure is achieved by extending the cover in the longitudinal direction rather than increasing vertical projection. This dimensional reorientation allows the air passage to follow a longer, more effective labyrinth path while maintaining a compact vertical profile that improves outer appearance performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the key parameter from vertical projection length to longitudinal extension length. By increasing the cover's length in the front-rear direction while reducing its vertical projection, the labyrinth structure maintains or enhances its water and foreign material suppression capability while simultaneously improving aesthetic appearance.
3Reliability
If the air inlet is positioned further frontward, then the labyrinth structure is enhanced, but the cover must extend longer longitudinally which may increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to integrate multiple functions: it serves as both the protective cover and the structural element that creates the labyrinth air passage. By merging these functions into a single component, the design achieves enhanced labyrinth effectiveness through the cover's longitudinal extension without increasing overall device complexity, as no additional separate components are required.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] The present invention aims to suppress the water, foreign materials and the like entering the unpurified chamber, simultaneously to improve the outer appearance performance in the air cleaner apparatus for straddle type vehicle. [Means for Solving Problem] In an air cleaner apparatus 30 comprising: an air cleaner case 40 whose inside is divided into an unpurified chamber 44 and a purified chamber 46 by an air cleaner element 42; an intake duct 50 attached to the air cleaner case 40 so as to communicate with the unpurified chamber 44, simultaneously provided with an air inlet opening 52 directing the front direction; a cover member 60 forming an intake passage 62 between the air cleaner case 40 and the cover member and covering an air inlet opening 52, the cover member 60 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle such that the longitudinal length becomes longer than the vertical length, the air inlet opening 52 is positioned further frontward than the longitudinal center of the air cleaner case 40, an air inlet 70 to the intake passage 62 is formed further rearward than the longitudinal center of the air cleaner case 40 as well as on the rear portion of the cover member 60.