Engine including motorized throttle valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9739210-B2
Application number	US-201414480118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2014
Priority date	Sep 25, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An engine including a motorized throttle valve that can implement mutually neighboring disposition of a throttle body and a cylinder head and can implement a good opening and closing responsibility thereof. A swelling portion is formed on a side wall of a valve chamber in such a manner so as to bite between those of throttle bodies which neighbor with each other in order to accept a protrusion of part of a valve system in a radial direction of first and second camshafts. An electric motor is disposed at one side of the group of the throttle bodies. A speed reduction mechanism, for transmitting output power of the electric motor to a valve shaft, is disposed between those throttle bodies, which neighbor with each other at a different location in the group of the throttle bodies, in a neighboring relationship with the valve chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine, comprising:
a cylinder head joined to an upper end face of a cylinder block having three or more cylinders disposed in series to each other;
a head cover connected to an upper end face of the cylinder head;
a valve system accommodated in a valve chamber defined by and between the cylinder head and the head cover and including first and second camshafts extending in parallel to each other;
a plurality of throttle bodies disposed at a side of the valve chamber and corresponding to the cylinders;
an electric motor connected to a valve shaft for throttle valves, for opening and closing intake paths of the throttle bodies, and configured to drive the throttle valves to open or close; and
a gear train configured to transmit output power of the electric motor to the valve shaft,
wherein the electric motor is disposed at one side of the group of the throttle bodies while the speed reduction mechanism is disposed between those throttle bodies, which neighbor with each other at a different location in the group of the throttle bodies, in a neighboring relationship with the valve chamber,
wherein the electric motor is disposed between the valve chamber and the group of the throttle bodies in an offset relationship from a swelling portion of the valve chamber in an axial direction of the first and second camshafts, and
wherein the gear train comprises:
a pinion gear attached to the electric motor;
a first gear meshing with the pinion gear; and
a second gear attached to the valve shaft meshing with the first gear,
wherein the second gear is sector shaped.

2. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the valve system includes a timing transmission apparatus for transmitting output power of a crankshaft to the first camshaft, and a synchronization transmission apparatus for rotating the first and second camshafts in synchronism with each other.

3. The engine according to claim 2 , wherein the timing transmission apparatus is disposed in a timing transmission chamber formed on an engine outer side wall so as to protrude to the outer side of the group of the cylinders and is connected to one end portion of the first camshaft.

4. The engine according to claim 3 , wherein the electric motor is disposed between the throttle body positioned at an intermediate location of the group of the throttle bodies and the valve chamber.

5. The engine according to claim 2 , wherein the synchronization transmission apparatus is configured from a pair of synchronization gears fixedly mounted on the first and second camshafts and meshing with each other.

6. The engine according to claim 2 , wherein the synchronization transmission apparatus is configured from a pair of sprocket wheels fixedly mounted on the first and second camshafts, and an endless transmission belt extending between and around both of the sprocket wheels.

7. The engine according to claim 2 , wherein the electric motor is disposed between the throttle body positioned at an intermediate location of the group of the throttle bodies and the valve chamber.

8. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the electric motor and the speed reduction mechanism are disposed such that a straight line for connecting center axes of the valve shaft and a rotor shaft of the electric motor to each other is inclined in a direction in which the rotor shaft side of the straight line comes near to the upstream side of the intake path with respect to a center axial line of the intake path.

9. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the electric motor is disposed between the throttle body positioned at an intermediate location of the group of the throttle bodies and the valve chamber.

10. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the swelling portion is formed on a side wall of the valve chamber in such a manner as to bite between those of the throttle bodies which neighbor with each other in order to accept a protrusion of part of the valve system in a radial direction of the first and second camshafts.

11. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first gear of the gear train comprises a first set of gear teeth meshing with the pinion gear and a second set of gear teeth meshing with the second gear,
wherein the first set of gear teeth has a diameter greater than the second set of gear teeth.

12. An engine, comprising:
a cylinder head joined to an upper end face of a cylinder block having three or more cylinders disposed in series to each other;
a head cover connected to an upper end face of the cylinder head;
a valve system accommodated in a valve chamber defined by and between the cylinder head and the head cover and including first and second camshafts extending in parallel to each other;
a plurality of throttle bodies disposed at a side of the valve chamber and corresponding to the cylinders;
an electric motor connected to a valve shaft for throttle valves, for opening and closing intake paths of the throttle bodies, and configured to drive the throttle valves to open or close; and
a gear train configured to transmit output power of the electric motor to the valve shaft,
wherein the electric motor is disposed at one side of the group of the throttle bodies with the speed reduction mechanism being disposed between a second pair of predetermined throttle bodies, said second pair of predetermined throttle bodies being disposed at a different location in the group of the throttle bodies with respect to the first pair of predetermined throttle bodies,
wherein the electric motor is disposed between the valve chamber and the group of the throttle bodies in an offset relationship from an enlarged portion of the valve chamber in an axial direction of the first and second camshafts, and
wherein the gear train comprises:
a pinion gear attached to the electric motor;
a first gear meshing with the pinion gear; and
a second gear attached to the valve shaft meshing with the first gear,
wherein the second gear is sector shaped.

13. The engine according to claim 12 , wherein the valve system includes a timing transmission apparatus for transmitting output power of a crankshaft to the first camshaft, and a synchronization transmission apparatus for rotating the first and second camshafts in synchronism with each other.

14. The engine according to claim 13 , wherein the timing transmission apparatus is disposed in a timing transmission chamber formed on an engine outer side wall so as to protrude to the outer side of the group of the cylinders and is connected to one end portion of the first camshaft.

15. The engine according to claim 13 , wherein the synchronization transmission apparatus is configured from a pair of synchronization gears fixedly mounted on the first and second camshafts and meshing with each other.

16. The engine according to claim 13 , wherein the synchronization transmission apparatus is configured from a pair of sprocket wheels fixedly mounted on the first and second camshafts, and an endless transmission belt extending between and around both of the sprocket wheels.

17. The engine according to claim 13 , wherein the enlarged portion is formed on a side wall of the valve chamber, said enlarged portion being positioned between a first pair of predetermined adjacent throttle bodies for accepting a protrusion formed as part of the valve system, said protrusion projecting in a radial direction of the first and second camshafts.

18. The engine according to claim 12 , wherein the first gear of the gear train comprises a first set of gear teeth meshing with the pinion gear and a

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kontani Masahiro
• Sugiura Hiroyuki

Classifications

• F01L1/022

  Chain drive · CPC title

• F01L2250/04

  the camshaft being driven by belts · CPC title

• F02M35/162

  Motorcycles; All-terrain vehicles, e.g. quads, snowmobiles; Small vehicles, e.g. forklifts · CPC title

• F02D9/107

  Manufacturing or mounting details · CPC title

• F01L2810/00

  Arrangements solving specific problems in relation with valve gears · CPC title