Exhaust control valve of saddle-riding vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10890118-B2
Application number	US-201916540828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2019
Priority date	Aug 24, 2018
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

An engine exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle is provided with: a valve shaft disposed in an intersecting manner with a center line of a main pipe portion of an engine exhaust pipe; a valve plate mounted on the valve shaft and rotatably positioned within an inner peripheral surface of the main pipe portion; a valve rotational drive portion mounted on one shaft end of the valve shaft; a drive motor for driving the valve rotational drive portion; and a control unit for controlling the drive motor. Protruding portions with which outer peripheral edges of the valve plate are brought into contact at a rotational limit of the valve plate in a closing direction are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the main pipe portion. The above structure provides a high degree of sealing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle in which an engine exhaust pipe of the saddle-riding vehicle has a main pipe portion and a branch pipe portion which are connected to an exhaust muffler at a downstream side, and a branching portion, where the branch pipe portion is branched sideward from the main pipe portion, the exhaust control valve being provided to perform a full-open to full-closed control of the main pipe portion at a downstream side of the branching portion, the exhaust control valve comprising:
a valve shaft disposed in the main pipe portion, at a position facing a branch opening of the branch pipe portion, to extend in a manner intersecting a center axis of the main pipe portion;
a valve plate mounted on the valve shaft to be rotatable about the valve shaft in and along an inner peripheral surface of the main pipe portion;
a valve rotational drive portion mounted on one end of the valve shaft, penetrating the inner peripheral surface of the main pipe portion;
a drive motor for driving the valve rotational drive portion; and
a control unit for controlling the drive motor,
wherein protruding portions are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the main pipe portion, the protruding portions being formed so as to be brought into contact with outer peripheral edges of the valve plate at a rotational limit of the valve plate of the exhaust control valve in a closing direction.

2. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protruding portions have respective cutout portions in areas around the valve shaft.

3. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the protruding portions include an upstream-side protruding portion formed so as to be disposed adjacent to a downstream-side edge of the branch opening of the branch pipe portion, the valve plate has a downstream-side valve plate section directed, in a fully-open state, in a downstream direction of the center line of the main pipe portion with respect to the valve shaft, and the valve plate is rotatable from a downstream side of the center axis into a fully-closed state, where the downstream-side valve plate is in contact with the upstream-side protruding portion at a valve angle of less than 90°.

4. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protruding portions include an upstream-side protruding portion formed so as to be disposed adjacent to a downstream-side edge of the branch opening of the branch pipe portion, the valve plate has a downstream-side valve plate section directed, in a fully-open state, in a downstream direction of the center line of the main pipe portion with respect to the valve shaft, and the valve plate is rotatable from a downstream side of the center axis into a fully-closed state, where the downstream-side valve plate is in contact with the upstream-side protruding portion at a valve angle of less than 90°.

5. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 4 , wherein, in a state where the outer peripheral edges of the valve plate are brought into contact with the protruding portions, the control unit of the drive motor for driving the valve rotational drive portion is configured to hold a motor duty ratio in which a predetermined holding drive force is generated in a direction in which the exhaust control valve is closed.

6. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a full closing detection range is provided in connection with an actual motor rotational angle in the fully-closed state of the valve plate of the exhaust control valve, and the control unit is configured to change the motor duty ratio so as to change a drive force of the exhaust control valve to said predetermined holding drive force in a case where the motor actual rotational angle is not shifted even when the motor duty ratio of a predetermined value or more is generated in driving the valve plate within the full closing detection range.

7. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the actual motor rotational angle on a valve full open side of the full closed detection range is set as a locking detection range, and the control unit is configured to stop driving of the exhaust control valve in a case where the actual motor rotational angle is not shifted even when an increase of the motor duty ratio of a predetermined value or more is generated in driving the valve plate within the lock detection range.

8. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the actual motor rotational angle on a valve full open side of the full closed detection range is set as a locking detection range, and the control unit is configured to stop driving of the exhaust control valve in a case where the actual motor rotational angle is not shifted even when an increase of the motor duty ratio of a predetermined value or more is generated in driving the valve plate within the lock detection range.

9. The exhaust control valve of a saddle-riding vehicle as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the actual motor rotational angle on a valve full open side of the full closed detection range is set as a locking detection range, and the control unit is configured to stop driving of the exhaust control valve in a case where the actual motor rotational angle is not shifted even when an increase of the motor duty ratio of a predetermined value or more is generated in driving the valve plate within the lock detection range.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miura Katsuki

Classifications

• F02D9/1065

  Mechanical control linkage between an actuator and the flap, e.g. including levers, gears, springs, clutches, limit stops of the like · CPC title

• F01N1/166

  for changing the flow path through the silencer or for adjusting the dimensions of a chamber or a pipe (F01N1/165 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02D9/1045 Primary

  for sealing of the flow in closed flap position, e.g. the housing forming a valve seat · CPC title

• F01N1/165

  for adjusting flow area · CPC title

• F01N2260/14

  for modifying or adapting flow area or back-pressure · CPC title