V-Type Engine Air Cleaner with Inclined Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air cleaner assemblies for V-type engines struggle to achieve equal distribution of intake air to both the front and rear banks, leading to inefficient engine performance.
Innovation Solution
The air cleaner structure features a filter housing with obliquely inclined cleaner elements and a partition wall to ensure equal airflow distribution between the left and right sides, allowing air to pass through the filter elements and into a shared filtered air chamber, thereby equalizing air intake to both banks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single air cleaner with cleaner elements is used for both front and rear banks, then the device complexity is reduced, but the air distribution between banks becomes unequal
Solution Approach 1:
The air cleaner is segmented into distinct functional zones: a first cleaner element for the front bank and a second cleaner element for the rear bank. Each cleaner element has specific geometric features (first and second cleaner portions) designed to direct air flow to its respective bank, ensuring equal distribution while maintaining a single integrated air cleaner unit.
Solution Approach 2:
Each cleaner element is designed with local geometric features tailored to its specific function. The first cleaner element has a first cleaner portion with specific geometry to direct air to the front bank, while the second cleaner element has a second cleaner portion with different geometry for the rear bank. This local optimization ensures equal air distribution to both banks.
2Area of stationary object
If the filter housing width is increased to increase filtration area, then the filtration area increases, but the overall engine space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaner elements are designed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the engine (front-to-back) rather than increasing the lateral width of the filter housing. The first and second cleaner portions extend forward and backward respectively, utilizing the longitudinal dimension to provide adequate filtration area while keeping the filter housing width compact.
Data Source
AI summary
An air cleaner for a V-type internal combustion engine includes a filter housing with introduction ports formed in both left and right lateral walls communicating with respective air intake ducts and a pair of cleaner elements fixedly disposed in the filter housing to partition the inside thereof into an upper unfiltered air chamber communicating with both the introduction ports and a filtered air chamber disposed below the unfiltered air chamber. The cleaner elements are disposed on both sides of a vertical plane passing through a vehicle body centerline, extend forward and rearward of the air introduction ports, and are inclined to be gradually lowered as they extend away from the vertical plane to face the respective air introduction ports.