Straddled Vehicle Air Cleaner Resonator Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional straddled vehicles with air cleaners and resonators face challenges in providing sufficient clean air to internal combustion engines due to reduced air cleaner case volume, leading to lower engine performance, and increasing the vehicle's size to address this issue is not feasible.
Innovation Solution
A straddled vehicle design that incorporates a duct within the air cleaner case, where the duct forms part of a resonance chamber for the resonator, allowing the resonator to be positioned upstream without increasing the air cleaner case size, utilizing dead space around the duct to reduce noise and maintain sufficient air cleaner volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If resonators are arranged inside the air cleaner case, then noise is reduced, but the volume of the air cleaner case on the downstream side relative to the element is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The resonator is nested within the air cleaner case structure, with the resonator housing forming part of the air cleaner case assembly. The resonator is positioned in the upstream region and utilizes the internal space efficiently without protruding beyond the external dimensions of the air cleaner case, thereby reducing noise while preserving downstream volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The resonator is arranged in the upstream region of the air cleaner case, utilizing the longitudinal dimension before the element. This spatial arrangement allows noise reduction functionality to be incorporated without encroaching on the downstream volume required for clean air storage and delivery to the engine.
2Productivity
If the air cleaner case volume is increased to ensure sufficient clean air supply, then engine performance is improved, but the size of the straddled vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
Clean air is accumulated in the downstream region of the air cleaner case in advance, creating a reservoir of filtered air ready for immediate delivery to the engine. This preliminary accumulation ensures sufficient clean air supply for engine performance without requiring a larger overall vehicle volume, as the air cleaner case is optimized to maximize this storage space.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If resonators are arranged inside the air cleaner case, then noise is reduced, but the air cleaner case design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The resonator housing is merged with the air cleaner case structure, forming an integrated assembly where the resonator housing serves as part of the air cleaner case. This merging eliminates the need for separate resonator housings and simplifies the overall design, reducing noise while avoiding increased design complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air cleaner case structure serves multiple functions: it houses the element for air filtration, provides a downstream volume for clean air storage, and incorporates the resonator for noise reduction. This multi-functionality allows the same structural components to achieve filtration, noise control, and air management without requiring additional separate elements that would increase design complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration ensures a sufficient air cleaner volume for efficient engine performance while reducing noise and preventing an increase in vehicle size, allowing for effective noise suppression across a broader frequency range.
Implementation Method 1
The resonator has an outer wall arranged around the duct. The duct and the outer wall together define at least a portion of a resonance chamber of the resonator
Data Source
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AI summary
A straddled vehicle 50 includes an air cleaner 35 and a resonator 48. The air cleaner 35 includes an air cleaner case 17, an element 45 arranged inside the air cleaner case 17, and a duct 47 that is attached to the element 45 and at least a portion of which is arranged inside the air cleaner case 17, wherein the duct 47 guides the air toward the element 45. The resonator 48 has an outer wall 49 arranged around the duct 47. The duct 47 and the outer wall 49 together define at least a portion of a resonance chamber 60 of the resonator 48.