Modular Motorcycle Air Intake Duct for Easy Maintenance
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorcycle air intake ducts are difficult to access for maintenance and replacement of inner devices due to their design, which requires significant effort to remove and limits accessibility to components like the air cleaner.
Innovation Solution
A modular air intake duct design where the duct body can be removed while the duct front remains attached, allowing easy access to inner devices, with features such as different materials for decoration, a unitary duct body for reduced air resistance, and a fastening system hidden from view for improved aesthetics and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air intake duct is designed as a long continuous structure extending through the engine, then the duct can provide stable air supply, but it becomes difficult to remove and access inner devices for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The air intake duct is divided into multiple segments: a fixed front portion (duct front) and a removable rear portion (duct body). This segmentation allows the duct body to be removed for maintenance while the duct front remains installed, providing stable air supply through the fixed portion while enabling easy access to inner devices like the air cleaner.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the duct body is permanently fixed to the engine, then the air intake system remains stable, but maintenance and replacement of inner devices require complete disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The duct body is designed as a separate removable segment from the duct front, connected via a coupling mechanism. This allows the duct body to be detached for maintenance while the duct front remains fixed to the engine, maintaining system stability while simplifying maintenance procedures to simple removal and reattachment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism between the duct body and duct front allows for dynamic reconfiguration - the duct body can be quickly detached and reattached without permanent fastening, enabling easy maintenance while maintaining a stable connected state during normal operation.
3Productivity
If the duct body extends through the engine laterally, then it can efficiently deliver air to the engine, but it blocks access to devices disposed inward of the duct
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral extension of the duct through the engine is achieved through the removable duct body segment. When the duct body is removed for maintenance, the path to inner devices disposed inward of the duct becomes accessible. The duct front remains fixed to maintain air delivery efficiency, while the removable duct body provides access when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
An air intake duct (50) for a motorcycle supplies air taken in through an air inlet (24) in a front portion of a vehicle body to an engine (E) located at a center portion, in a longitudinal direction of the motorcycle, of the vehicle body. The air intake duct (50) includes a duct front (69) having the air inlet (24) formed at a front end thereof, and a duct body (70) removably coupled to a rear end portion of the duct front (69). The duct body (70) extends in the longitudinal direction so as to pass through an outer lateral side of the engine (E) and is removably connected at a rear end portion thereof to an air cleaner (40). In a state in which the duct body (70) is removed from the air cleaner (40), a cleaner element (87) can be attached and removed.