FIELD OF INVENTION

The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to a straddle type vehicle and in particular, relates to the placement of an air filter within the straddle type vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, straddle type vehicles, for example, motorcycles, scooters, etc., include a combustion chamber in the engine in which, fuel and air undergo combustion to provide power to drive the vehicle. The emissions resulting from the combustion are released to the atmosphere via an exhaust port. Typically, an air system is used to supply air at the exhaust port of the combustion chamber to reduce harmful emissions from the exhaust port. For example, air supplied at the exhaust port reduces the harmful emissions by converting carbon monoxide and un-burnt hydrocarbons into their respective oxides.

For this, the air system has an air filter that filters the air before providing the air to the exhaust port of the engine. Typically, the air filter is mounted about a body frame of the vehicle, usually below the seat or in front of the vehicle or below the fuel tank. The air filter generally requires periodic cleaning and replacement due to collection of impurities on the surface of the air filter and in the filter medium. However, as the air filter is located about the body frame of the vehicle, it is difficult for a user to access the air filter for cleaning, replacement, or servicing. Due to this, the replacement or cleaning of the air filter becomes time consuming and is often neglected. Moreover, the efficiency of the air filter also gets reduced as more impurities including dirt, grease, and water get settled on the surface of the air filter.

SUMMARY

The subject matter described herein is directed towards an assembly of an air filter in a straddle type vehicle.

In one embodiment, the straddle type vehicle includes a head pipe and a vehicle body frame including a front frame and a rear frame. The vehicle body frame can have a under-bone type frame structure. The front frame has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the front frame is connected to the head pipe and the distal end of the front frame is connected to the rear frame. At the distal end of the front frame, an air injection filter, also referred to as filter, is positioned inside the front frame and close to a rear fender of a rear wheel. The outlet port of the filter is connected to an outlet pipe, which in turn is connected to an air injection valve.

The filter is supported inside the front frame preferably by a single mount. The single mount enables easy removal of the filter for maintenance or cleaning purposes, as the mounting is done only at a single point. Also, this position of the filter inside the front frame enables protection of the filter from external hazards such as dirt, grease, and damage. In addition, the front frame covers the filter from multiple sides so that minimal sides, if any, are exposed to the surroundings. Such a position of the filter facilitates cleaning of the filter and results in an increased life of the filter assembly. Further, due to the above mentioned positioning of the filter, the body frame layout space is reduced and a compact layout is possible.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will be better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will now be described in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. The drawings include the following figures.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a straddle type vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary air injection filter assembly in the straddle type vehicle shown in FIG. 1.

Fig. 3(a) illustrates a front view of an air injection filter in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Fig. 3(b) illustrates a side view of the air injection filter in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Fig. 3(c) illustrates a cross-sectional view of the air injection filter in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Fig. 3(d) illustrates an exploded view of the air injection filter in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an implementation, a straddle type vehicle includes an air injection filter, also referred to as filter, supported and secured inside a body frame of the vehicle. The body frame of the vehicle includes a first frame and a second frame, which correspond to a front frame and a rear frame. The filter is mounted, preferably by a single mount, inside the front frame via a fastening means. The filter separates pollutants, such as dirt, gravel, water, and the like, from the air taken in from the external environment and provides the filtered air to an exhaust port of an engine. The filtered air reacts with high-temperature exhaust gases at the exhaust port to oxidize monoxides and other un-burnt hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases.

The above mentioned positioning of the filter advantageously facilitates easy detachability of the filter from a vehicle for a variety of purposes, for example cleaning, replacement, etc. It also ensures easy access to the filter for periodic maintenance and servicing of the including assembly. Moreover, such a positioning of the filter secures and protects multiple sides of the filter from the external environment and also, provides for a compact vehicle layout.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a straddle type vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The straddle type vehicle can be of a variety of types such as motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, and so on. In an embodiment, the straddle type vehicle 100 is a motorcycle including a handle bar 102, a head pipe 104, a body frame, a front wheel 106, and a rear wheel 108. The handle bar 102 is mounted on the head pipe 104, which is connected to the body frame.

In an implementation, the body frame, having an under-bone type frame structure, has a two part structure having a front frame 110 and a rear frame 112. A proximal end of the front frame 110 is connected to the head pipe 104 via a gusset 114, while a distal end of the front frame 110 is connected to a proximal end of the rear frame 112. The proximal end of the front frame 110 is the end that is closest to the front wheel 106. The distal end of the front frame 110 is the end that is closest to the rear wheel 108. Similarly, the proximal end of the rear frame 112 is the end that is closest to the front wheel 106 and the distal end of the rear frame 112 refers to the end that is closest to the rear wheel 108.

The rear frame 112 has a provision for mounting of a removable seat. The front wheel 106 includes a front fender (not visible in the figure) mounted on the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 108 includes a rear fender (not visible in the figure) mounted on the rear wheel 108. The front fender and the rear fender cover the front wheel 106 and the rear wheel 108 respectively in the fore-and-aft directions.

In said implementation, the straddle type vehicle 100 further includes an engine 116, a belt chamber 118, and an air injection filter 120. The engine 116 is located in a suspended condition below the front frame 110 such that the top of the engine 116 is coupled to the front frame 110. The belt chamber 118 accommodates a transmission belt for transmitting power generated by the engine 116 to the rear wheel 108. In an implementation, the filter 120 is disposed close to the rear fender and is located inside the front frame 110. For example, the filter 120 may be mounted at the distal end of the front frame 110 by a single mount 122. The filter 120 can be mounted inside the front frame 110 at a single point using any of a variety of fastening means known in the art, such as a screw, a nut and bolt, and so on. Due to the use of the single mount 122, the filter 120 can be easily detached for different purposes such as cleaning, replacement, etc. However, it will be understood that more number of mounting points may also be used in other implementations.

The filter 120 removes impurities such as dirt, gravel, and grease from the air by filtering the air and provides the filtered air to an exhaust port (not shown in the figure) of the engine 116. The filtered air aids in oxidation of high-temperature partially burnt monoxides and hydrocarbons at the exhaust port to facilitate complete combustion of the monoxides and the un-burnt hydrocarbons. Consequently, air having a reduced concentration of un-burnt hydrocarbons and monoxides is discharged to the atmosphere via an exhaust muffler 124.

Fig 2 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary air injection filter assembly 200 in the straddle type vehicle 100 of Fig. 1. In an implementation, the filter 120 is mounted inside the front frame 110, at the distal end, by the single mount 122 and is placed in proximity to a rear fender mounted on the rear wheel 108 of the straddle type vehicle 100. The filter 120 can be mounted through a variety of fastening means known in the art to facilitate easy detachability of the filter 120 from the front frame 110. Therefore, such a mounting of the filter 120 inside the front frame 110 reduces the direct effect of external hazards, such as dirt, grease, gravel, and damage, on multiple sides of the filter 120. For example, this mounting of the filter 120 can protect five of the six sides of the filter 120 from the external hazards.

In an embodiment, the filter assembly 200 includes the filter 120, an intake port 202, an outlet port 204, an outlet pipe 206, and an air injection valve 208. The intake port 202 facilitates intake of air from the atmosphere. The outlet port 204 is connected to one end of an outlet pipe 206. The other end of the outlet pipe 206 is connected to an air injection valve 208, also referred to as valve, which is in turn connected to an exhaust port 202 of the engine 116.

In operation, the filtered air is suctioned through the filter 120 due to a pressure differential between the pressure of exhaust gases at the exhaust port 212 and the atmospheric pressure at the intake port 202. The filter 120 removes impurities from the air received via the intake port 202 to provide filtered air to the valve 208. The valve 208 provides the filtered air via a pipe 210 to the exhaust port 212 in an exhaust manifold (not shown in the figure) of the engine 116. At the exhaust port 212, the filtered air oxidizes the carbon monoxide and un-bumt hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases thereby reducing the emissions from the exhaust port 212 into the atmosphere.

Fig. 3(a) illustrates a front view of the air injection filter 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it will be appreciated that the specific , structure of the filter 120 can be altered from that illustrated in the figure and described herein. In an embodiment, the filter 120 has a first end 302 and a second end 304. On mounting, the first end 302 is located towards the proximal end of the front frame 110, while the second end 304 is located towards the distal end of the front frame 110. The first end 302 of the filter 120 is connected to the intake port 202 and the second end 304 of the filter 120 is connected to the outlet port 204. The first end 302 and the second end 304 are inter-connected through a pair of fasteners, for example fasteners 306-1 and 306-2. The filter 120 can be secured inside the front frame 110 of the body frame of the straddle type vehicle 100 by the mount 122.

A line AA' longitudinally divides the filter 120 into two equal halves, namely, upper half and lower half, along the length of the filter 120. The filter 120 is mounted inside the front frame 110 using a fastening means, such as the mount 122, in the upper half. On the other hand, the outlet port 204 is located in the lower half of the filter 120.

Fig. 3(b) illustrates a side view of the air injection filter 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The side view of the filter 120 is seen from the second end 304 of the filter 120 shown in Fig. 3(a). The side view indicates the relative positioning of the outlet port 204 and the mount 122, In an implementation, the outlet port 204 is located at the bottom-centre of the second end 304 of the filter 120, while the mount 122 is located at the top-left of the second end 304 of the filter 120.

Fig. 3(c) shows a cross sectional view of the filter 120 along the line AA' shown in Fig. 3(a). In an embodiment, the cross sectional view shows a location of a filter element 308 inside the filter 120. The filter element 308 is located substantially at the centre of the filter 120, at the junction of the first end 302 and the second end 304 of the filter 120. The filter element 308 has a pair of support foams 310-1 and 310-2 on either side of the filter element 308. Further, a seal 312 is provided in between the support foam 310-1 and the filter element 308. The support foams 310-1 and 310-2 assist the filter element 308 in effective cleaning of the suctioned air. The seal 312 prevents the incoming air from escaping through a gap at the circumference of the filter element 308.

Fig. 3(d) illustrates an exploded view of the air injection filter 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The exploded view provides details of the relative placement of various components of the filter 120 such as the outlet port 204, the filter element 308, the support foams 310-1 and 310-2, and the seal 312 inside the filter 120. The outlet port 204 can be directly connected to the outlet pipe 206 through which the air filtered by the filter 120 is provided to the exhaust port 212. The support foams 310-1 and 310-2 sandwich the filter element 308 and the seal 312 between them to represent a sandwiched structure. This sandwiched structure is located inside the filter 120, while the fasteners 306-1 and 306-2 facilitate connection of the first end 302 with the second end 304 of the filter 120.

Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein.

I/We Claim:

1. A straddle type vehicle (100) comprising:

a vehicle body frame including a head pipe (104), a front frame (110) connected to said head pipe (104), and a rear frame (112) connected to said front frame (110);

an engine (116) having an exhaust port (212), wherein said engine (116) is mounted on the said vehicle body frame; and

an air injection filter (120) connected to said exhaust port (212);
characterized in that said filter (120) is secured inside said front frame (110) of said straddle type vehicle (100), wherein a plurality of sides of said filter (120) are secured by said front frame (110).

2. The straddle type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said filter (120) is attached inside said front frame (110) at a single point.

3. The straddle type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said filter (120) attached at said single point is detachable from said front frame (110).

4. The straddle type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said filter (120) is mounted using a screw.

5. The straddle type vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least four sides of said filter (120) are secured by said front frame (110).

6. An exhaust system comprising:

an engine (116) supported by a front frame (110) of a body frame of a straddle type vehicle (100);

an exhaust port (212) for receiving exhaust gases from said engine (116); and
an air injection filter (120) connected to said exhaust port (212);
characterized in that,

said filter (120) is secured inside said front frame (110); and
at least four sides of said filter (120) are secured by said front frame (110).

7. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said filter (120) is attached inside said
front frame (110) at a single point.

8. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said filter (120) attached is detachable from said front frame (110).

9. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said filter (120) is mounted using a screw.

10. The exhaust system as claimed i8n claim 6, wherein said exhaust port (212) is connected to said filter (120) through an outlet pipe (206).