Patent Application
20250052186
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-129341 filed on Aug. 8, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an installation structure of a water temperature sensor.
In an engine, a circulation flow passage is generally formed. In the circulation flow passage, cooling water from a water pump returns to the water pump via a water jacket in a cylinder and a radiator. A water temperature sensor is attached to the engine, and the temperature of the cooling water in the water jacket is detected by the water temperature sensor. The detection temperature of the water temperature sensor is output to the electronic control unit, and various types of processing such as fuel injection processing and ignition processing are controlled. As an example of a straddle-type vehicle including this type of engine, JP5140529B2 proposes a vehicle in which a water temperature sensor is attached to the rear surface of the cylinder head on the intake side.
In the model disclosed in JP5140529B2, the rear of the cylinder head is surrounded by the vehicle body frame and is narrowed, and an intake component or the like is also provided inside the vehicle body frame. Therefore, if the priority is given to the layout of the intake component or the like, the attachability of the water temperature sensor deteriorates. In order to meet the exhaust gas regulation and the improvement in fuel efficiency in recent years, further improvement in sensing accuracy of the water temperature sensor is required.
The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and the object of the present disclosure is to provide an installation structure of a water temperature sensor that can improve the attachability of the water temperature sensor and the sensing accuracy.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides an installation structure of a water temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of cooling water in an engine, in which: an outlet of an exhaust port is opened in a front surface of a cylinder head of the engine; and the water temperature sensor is provided at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in a front view.
According to the installation structure of the water temperature sensor in one aspect of the present disclosure, the water temperature sensor is provided in a wide space in front of the cylinder head, and the attachability of the water temperature sensor to the cylinder head is improved. Since high heat from the exhaust port is transferred to the cooling water at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port, convection of the cooling water occurs around the water temperature sensor at an early stage, and the sensing accuracy during cold engine startup is improved.
The present disclosure will be described in detail based on the following without being limited thereto, wherein:
A water temperature sensor according to an aspect of the present disclosure is configured to detect a temperature of cooling water in an engine. An outlet of an exhaust port is opened in a front surface of a cylinder head of the engine, and the water temperature sensor is provided at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in a front view. Since the water temperature sensor is provided in a wide space in front of the cylinder head, the attachability of the water temperature sensor to the cylinder head is improved. Since high heat from the exhaust port is transferred to the cooling water at the location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port, convection of the cooling water occurs around the water temperature sensor at an early stage, and the sensing accuracy during cold engine startup is improved.
Hereinafter, a straddle-type vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
A front fork 31 is supported on the head pipe 11 via a steering shaft (not shown) so as to be steerable. A handlebar 32 is provided on the upper portion of the front fork 31, and a front wheel 33 is rotatably supported on the lower portion of the front fork 31. A fuel tank 34 is placed over the upper portions of the pair of main frames 12, and the main frames 12 and the fuel tank 34 are covered by front side covers 41 from the lateral sides. A seat 42 is provided behind the fuel tank 34, and a seat frame supporting the seat 42 from below is covered from the lateral sides by rear side covers 43.
A swing arm 44 is supported on the body frame 13 so as to be swingable. The swing arm 44 extends rearward from the body frame 13, and a rear wheel 45 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the swing arm 44. The engine 20 is a four-stroke single-cylinder engine, and is suspended inside the vehicle body frame 10 via a plurality of suspension brackets. A cylinder assembly in which a cylinder 22, a cylinder head 23, and a cylinder head cover 24 are stacked is attached to the upper portion of a crankcase 21 of the engine 20. An air cleaner 46, a starter motor 49, and the like are provided behind the cylinder head 23.
In the straddle-type vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, left and right radiators 51 and 56 (only the radiator 51 is shown in
As described above, the air cleaner 46 and the starter motor 49 are provided behind the cylinder head 23. Therefore, when the water temperature sensor 77 is provided behind the cylinder head 23, the attachability of the water temperature sensor 77 deteriorates due to the air cleaner 46, the starter motor 49, and the like. When the water temperature sensor 77 is provided on the side surface of the engine 20, the water temperature sensor 77 may be damaged when the vehicle falls over. Since the water temperature sensor 77 is separated from an exhaust port 75 in any installation place, the sensing performance during cold engine startup is not high. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the water temperature sensor 77 is provided at a location adjacent to an outlet 76 (see
The installation structure of the water temperature sensor will be described with reference to
As shown in
A clutch cover 25 that covers a clutch (not shown) from the lateral side is attached to the right side surface of the crankcase 21. The starter motor 49 that starts the engine 20 is provided above the clutch cover 25. A water pump 26 that feeds cooling water to the engine 20 is provided in front of the clutch cover 25. The discharge port of the water pump 26 is connected to a water jacket 27 (see
As shown in
A cylindrical thermostat case 61 (see
In the right radiator 51, the cooling water flows upward from the right inlet tank 53 toward the right outlet tank 54, and while the cooling water passes through the right radiator core 52, the heat of the cooling water is radiated into the air. The cooling water is sent from the right outlet tank 54 to the left inlet tank 58 through the inter-radiator hose 66. In the left radiator 56, the cooling water flows downward from the left inlet tank 58 toward the left outlet tank 59, and while the cooling water passes through the left radiator core 57, the heat of the cooling water is radiated into the air. The heat of the cooling water is radiated in two stages by the right radiator 51 and the left radiator 56, and the cooling efficiency is improved.
A three-way pipe 68 (see
The thermostat 62 controls the flow of the cooling water according to the temperature of the cooling water at the outlet of the thermostat case 61 (the engine 20). When the detection temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the thermostat 62 is closed, and the flow of the cooling water from the engine 20 toward the right radiator 51 is blocked at the outlet of the thermostat case 61. The cooling water is returned from the thermostat case 61 to the water pump 26 through the bypass hose 71. When the detection temperature rises to a predetermined temperature or higher, the thermostat 62 opens, and the cooling water flows from the thermostat case 61 to the right radiator 51 and the left radiator 56 to effectively cool the engine 20.
The exhaust port 75 (see
The water temperature sensor 77 is provided at a location adjacent to the exhaust port 75. The water temperature sensor 77 is located below the inlet hose 65 in the front view, and the water temperature sensor 77 is located behind the down frame 14 in the side view. The water temperature sensor 77 is located at the same height as that of the trapezoidal right inlet tank 53 of the right radiator 51, and a part of a terminal portion 78 of the water temperature sensor 77 is partially covered by the right inlet tank 53 in the front view. The water temperature sensor 77 is partially covered by the right radiator 51 from the front, so that the water temperature sensor 77 is protected from the flying stone, the mud splash, and the like that are splashed up by the front wheel 33 (see
As shown in
The outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75 and the water temperature sensor 77 are inclined forward in a manner of being separated from each other in the left-right direction (the engine width direction). A detection end 79 (see
The thermostat 62 is provided inside the thermostat cover 63, and the thermostat 62 is adjacent to the lateral side of the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75. Regardless of whether the thermostat 62 is open or closed, the main flow of the cooling water is formed near the thermostat 62. The water temperature sensor 77 is provided below the thermostat 62, and the water temperature sensor 77 detects the temperature of the cooling water flowing toward the thermostat 62 in the water jacket 27. The water temperature sensor 77 is positioned near the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75 and near the main flow of the cooling water, so that the sensing accuracy of the water temperature sensor 77 is improved.
The layout of the water temperature sensor will be described in detail with reference to
As shown in
According to such a layout of the water temperature sensor 77 and the bypass union 72, even when the bypass union 72 is located near the water temperature sensor 77, the attachability of the water temperature sensor 77 is not impaired. The terminal portion 78 of the water temperature sensor 77 protrudes obliquely forward to the right, and the bypass union 72 protrudes downward. The installation direction of the water temperature sensor 77 and the installation direction of the bypass union 72 with respect to the cylinder head 23 intersect. Therefore, even when the cable is connected to the terminal portion 78 of the water temperature sensor 77 and the bypass hose 71 is connected to the bypass union 72, the cable for the water temperature sensor 77 and the bypass hose 71 are not tangled.
The water temperature sensor 77 and the bypass union 72 are located between (i.e., inside a region between) both end positions P1 and P2 of the thermostat cover 63 in the left-right direction (the engine width direction). The thermostat 62 is located at the same height as that of the upper half portion of the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75, and the water temperature sensor 77 and the bypass union 72 are located at the same height as that of the lower half portion of the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75. With such an arrangement, the thermostat cover 63, the water temperature sensor 77, the bypass union 72, and the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75 are compactly provided on the front surface of the cylinder head 23. The same height is not necessarily completely the same height, but may be approximately the same height.
As shown in
At this time, the inlet of the cooling water to the bypass union 72 is located above the water temperature sensor 77. The cooling water in the bypass union 72 is pulled. Accordingly, the flow of the cooling water is formed such that the cooling water that received heat from the engine 20 does not stagnate and actively comes into contact with the thermostat 62. The thermostat 62 can be opened with a small time lag after the temperature of the cooling water rises to the predetermined temperature or higher. When the thermostat 62 is opened, the cooling water flows from the water jacket 27 to the thermostat cover 63, and the cooling water is returned to the engine 20 via the right radiator 51 and the left radiator 56.
The detection end 79 of the water temperature sensor 77 protrudes into the water jacket 27. The water temperature sensor 77 is provided obliquely with respect to the cylinder head 23 such that the detection end 79 of the water temperature sensor 77 faces the exhaust port 75. At this time, the detection end 79 of the water temperature sensor 77 is closer to the exhaust port 75 than is the thermostat 62. The sensing accuracy is improved by directing the detection end 79 of the water temperature sensor 77 toward the exhaust port 75, where the temperature changes rapidly. As described above, the thermostat 62 is smoothly opened, so that the temperature of the cooling water that reflects the route change is detected by the water temperature sensor 77, and the delay in sensing is reduced.
As described above, according to the installation structure of the water temperature sensor 77 in the present embodiment, the water temperature sensor 77 is provided in a wide space in front of the cylinder head 23, and the attachability of the water temperature sensor 77 to the cylinder head 23 is improved. Since high heat from the exhaust port 75 is transferred to the cooling water at a location adjacent to the outlet 76 of the exhaust port 75, convection of the cooling water occurs around the water temperature sensor 77 at an early stage, and the sensing accuracy during cold engine startup is improved.
In the present embodiment, the water temperature sensor is provided on the right side of the outlet of the exhaust port. However, the water temperature sensor only needs to be provided at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port, and the water temperature sensor may be provided above, below, or on the left side of the outlet of the exhaust port.
In the present embodiment, the water temperature sensor is provided below the thermostat at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in the front view. Alternatively, the water temperature sensor may be provided above the thermostat.
In the present embodiment, the water temperature sensor is inclined obliquely rightward toward the front side, and the outlet of the exhaust port is inclined obliquely leftward toward the front side. However, it is sufficient that the water temperature sensor and the outlet of the exhaust port are inclined to be separated from each other in the engine width direction toward the front side. For example, the water temperature sensor may be inclined obliquely upward toward the front side, and the outlet of the exhaust port may be inclined obliquely downward toward the front side.
In the present embodiment, the bypass union is located between the water temperature sensor and the outlet of the exhaust port. However, the position of the bypass union is not particularly limited as long as the position does not interfere with the attachability of the water temperature sensor. It is sufficient that the bypass union is provided at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port.
In the present embodiment, the vehicle body frame is exemplified in which the down frame extends downward from the head pipe, but the structure of the vehicle body frame is not particularly limited.
The installation structure of the water temperature sensor according to the present embodiment is not limited to the off road type straddle-type vehicle described above, and may be used in other types of straddle-type vehicles. The straddle-type vehicle is not limited to a general vehicle in which the driver rides on the seat in a posture of straddling the seat, and includes a scooter-type vehicle in which the driver rides on the seat without straddling the seat.
As described above, the first aspect is an installation structure of a water temperature sensor (77) capable of detecting a temperature of cooling water in an engine (20), in which an outlet (76) of an exhaust port (75) is opened in a front surface of a cylinder head (23) of the engine, and in which the water temperature sensor is provided at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in a front view. According to this configuration, the water temperature sensor is provided in a wide space in front of the cylinder head, and the attachability of the water temperature sensor to the cylinder head is improved. Since high heat from the exhaust port is transferred to the cooling water at a location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port, convection of the cooling water occurs around the water temperature sensor at an early stage, and the sensing accuracy during cold engine startup is improved.
A second aspect is directed to the first aspect, in which the outlet of the exhaust port and the water temperature sensor are inclined to be separated from each other in an engine width direction toward a front side. According to this configuration, the detection end of the water temperature sensor in the cylinder head is brought close to the outlet of the exhaust port, and the detection end of the water temperature sensor is directed to a place where the temperature changes rapidly, thereby improving the sensing accuracy. On the other hand, although the terminal portion of the water temperature sensor outside the cylinder head is susceptible to heat, the terminal portion of the water temperature sensor is separated from the outlet of the exhaust port to reduce the heat damage. Since the attaching direction of the water temperature sensor does not interfere with the exhaust port, the attachability of the water temperature sensor is improved.
A third aspect is directed to the first aspect and the second aspect, in which a thermostat (62) is provided adjacent to a lateral side of the outlet of the exhaust port, and in which the water temperature sensor is provided above or below the thermostat at the location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in the front view. According to this configuration, the detection end of the water temperature sensor is positioned near the main flow of the cooling water, and the sensing accuracy is improved.
A fourth aspect is directed to the third aspect, in which the thermostat is covered with a thermostat cover (63), and in which the water temperature sensor is located between both end positions of the thermostat cover in an engine width direction. According to this configuration, the thermostat cover and the water temperature sensor are compactly provided on the front surface of the cylinder head.
A fifth aspect is directed to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in which the thermostat has a same height as that of an upper half portion of the outlet of the exhaust port, and in which the water temperature sensor has a same height as that of a lower half portion of the outlet of the exhaust port. According to this configuration, the outlet of the exhaust port, the thermostat cover, and the water temperature sensor are compactly provided on the front surface of the cylinder head.
A sixth aspect is directed to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, in which a radiator (a right radiator 51) is provided on a front side of the cylinder head, and in which the water temperature sensor is covered with the radiator from the front side. According to this configuration, the water temperature sensor is protected from the flying stone, the mud splash, and the like that are splashed up by the front wheel.
A seventh aspect is directed to any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, in which a down frame (14) extends from a head pipe (11) toward a lower side of a vehicle, and in which a terminal portion (78) of the water temperature sensor on a distal end side thereof protrudes from the down frame in the front view. According to this configuration, the water temperature sensor is attached without interfering with the down frame. Even when the water temperature sensor is provided on the front surface of the cylinder head, a gap between the water temperature sensor and the down frame is ensured, and an increase in size of the vehicle is prevented.
An eighth aspect is directed to any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect, in which a radiator is provided on a front side of the cylinder head, in which a thermostat is provided adjacent to a lateral side of the outlet of the exhaust port, in which a bypass passage (a bypass union 72) is provided below the thermostat and configured to return the cooling water to the engine while bypassing the radiator when the thermostat is closed, and in which the water temperature sensor is provided below the thermostat at the location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in the front view, and the bypass passage is located between the water temperature sensor and the outlet of the exhaust port. According to this configuration, even when the thermostat is closed, the cooling water is circulated through the bypass passage. Even when the bypass passage is located near the water temperature sensor, the attachability of the water temperature sensor is not impaired.
A ninth aspect is directed to any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, in which a radiator is provided on a front side of the cylinder head, in which a thermostat is provided adjacent to a lateral side of the outlet of the exhaust port, in which a bypass passage is provided below the thermostat and configured to return the cooling water to the engine while bypassing the radiator when the thermostat is closed, and in which the water temperature sensor is provided below the thermostat at the location adjacent to the outlet of the exhaust port in the front view, and an inlet of the cooling water to the bypass passage is located above the water temperature sensor. According to this configuration, even when the thermostat is closed, the cooling water is circulated through the bypass passage. The cooling water in the bypass passage is pulled. Accordingly, the flow of the cooling water is formed such that the cooling water that received heat from the engine does not stagnate and actively comes into contact with the thermostat. Since the thermostat can be opened with a small time lag after the cooling water rises to a predetermined temperature or higher, the temperature of the cooling water that reflects the route change is detected by the water temperature sensor, and the delay in sensing is reduced.
Although the present embodiment has been described, a part or all of the embodiment and modifications described above may be combined as another embodiment.
The technique according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described above, and may be variously changed, replaced, or modified without departing from the gist of the technical concept. Further, the present disclosure may be implemented by other methods as long as the technical concept can be implemented by the methods through advance of the technique or other derivative techniques. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical concept.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-129341 | Aug 2023 | JP | national |
