Motorcycle Air Cleaner Positioning for Dust Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motorcycles with unit swing type power units, it is challenging to reduce water and dust ingress into the air cleaner while maintaining a compact vehicle design and increasing the storage box capacity under the seat.
Innovation Solution
The air cleaner is positioned over the cylinder and under the storage box, with the pivot shaft located under the cylinder, allowing the air cleaner to swing together with the power unit while minimizing vertical swinging motion, thus reducing water and dust ingress and allowing for a larger storage box capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air cleaner is positioned inside the vehicle body cover to protect it from water and dust, then the protection of the air cleaner is improved, but the storage box capacity is reduced due to limited space
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement inside the vehicle body cover to a vertical arrangement above the cylinder and below the storage box. This dimensional change allows the air cleaner to be protected from water and dust while preserving storage box capacity by utilizing the vertical space between the cylinder and storage box.
2Volume of moving object
If the vehicle body cover is made compact to maintain a compact vehicle design, then the vehicle size is reduced, but the storage box capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is arranged in the vertical direction above the cylinder and below the storage box, utilizing the vertical dimension rather than horizontal space. This allows the vehicle body cover to remain compact while the storage box maintains adequate capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air cleaner is nested in the vertical space between the cylinder and the storage box, effectively utilizing the available space without increasing the overall vehicle footprint or reducing storage capacity.
3Reliability
If the air cleaner is positioned to swing with the power unit, then the air cleaner protection from water and dust is improved, but the vertical swinging motion may cause contact with the storage box
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is positioned above the cylinder and below the storage box in the vertical direction, rather than horizontally adjacent to it. This vertical arrangement reduces the horizontal clearance requirements while maintaining protection during swinging motion.
Data Source
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AI summary
A motorcycle has a frame, a seat supported at the frame, a storage box provided under the seat, a power unit including a cylinder in the front portion and provided under the storage box, a pivot shaft that extends in the vehicle widthwise direction under the cylinder and supports the power unit in a swingable manner relative to the frame, a rear wheel positioned behind the cylinder and coupled to the power unit, a cover having a lower edge arranged to extend backward and upward and positioned above the rear wheel when seen in a side view, and provided below the seat to cover at least a part of a side of the storage box when seen in a side view, and an air cleaner positioned over or on the cylinder and under the storage box to swing together with the power unit.