U.S. patent application number 14/169738 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-07 for motorcycle engine.
The applicant listed for this patent is Midwest Motorcycle Supply Distributors Corp.. Invention is credited to John M. Garrison.
Application Number | 20140216392 14/169738 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51258197 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140216392 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Garrison; John M. |
August 7, 2014 |
Motorcycle Engine
Abstract
A motorcycle engine comprises an oil pump and a cam chest cover.
The cam chest cover comprises a crankshaft pinion bearing and a
camshaft bearing. The engine is configured and adapted such that
the oil pump supplies pressurized oil to the crankshaft pinion
bearing and the camshaft bearing. The engine is also adapted to
receive both a crankshaft position sensor and, alternatively, a
camshaft position sensor. The cam chest cover also comprises a
pressure relief valve that diverts excess oil into a scavenge oil
passageway that leads out of the engine. Still further, the engine
comprises at least one check valve that allows air to pass from the
wheel chest to the cam chest, but not the reverse.
Inventors: |
Garrison; John M.; (Arnold,
MO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Midwest Motorcycle Supply Distributors Corp. |
Pevely |
MO |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51258197 |
Appl. No.: |
14/169738 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61759564 |
Feb 1, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
123/196R |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01M 1/02 20130101; F01M
1/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
123/196.R |
International
Class: |
F01M 1/02 20060101
F01M001/02 |
Claims
1. A motorcycle engine comprising a crankshaft pinion bearing, a
camshaft bearing, and an oil pump, the engine being configured and
adapted such that the oil pump supplies pressurized oil to the
crankshaft pinion bearing and the camshaft bearing.
2. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the
engine comprises a cam chest cover and the cam chest cover
comprises the camshaft bearing and the crankshaft pinion
bearing.
3. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the
engine comprises a pressure relief valve that diverts oil from a
pressurized oil passageway to a scavenged oil passageway, the
scavenged oil passageway leading out of the engine and being
downstream of any scavenge pump.
4. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 3 wherein the
engine is configured and adapted to divert oil from through a
filter located downstream of the pressure pump and upstream of the
pressure relief valve.
5. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the
engine comprises a wheel chest, a cam chest, and two scavenge
pumps, one of the scavenge pumps is operatively connected to the
wheel chest to scavenge oil therefrom, and the other of the
scavenge pumps is operatively connected to the cam chest to
scavenge oil therefrom.
6. A motorcycle engine comprising a cam chest cover, the cam chest
cover comprising an oil passageway and a pressure relief valve, the
pressure relief valve being configured and adapted to regulate oil
pressure within the oil passageway.
7. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 6 wherein the cam
chest cover comprises a camshaft bearing and crankshaft pinion
bearing, and the oil passageway is configured to supply pressurized
oil the camshaft bearing and to the crankshaft pinion bearing.
8. A motorcycle engine comprising a camshaft and a cam chest cover,
the cam chest cover comprising a camshaft bearing and a crankshaft
pinion bearing, the camshaft being supported by the camshaft
bearing for rotation relative to the cam chest cover, the
crankshaft pinion being supported by the crankshaft pinion bearing
for rotation relative to the cam chest cover, the cam chest cover
comprising an opening configured such that an ignition timing unit
can be operatively attached to the camshaft from the exterior side
of the cam chest cover.
9. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 7 wherein the
engine comprises an externally accessible fitting that is adapted
and configured to receive a crankshaft position sensor.
10. A motorcycle engine comprising a pressurized oil passageway, a
scavenged oil passageway, and a pressure relief valve, the
scavenged oil passageway being configured to route oil out of the
engine, the pressure relief valve being configured and adapted to
regulate oil pressure within the pressurized oil passageway and to
divert oil from the pressurized oil passageway to the scavenged oil
passageway.
11. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 10 wherein the
engine comprises at least one scavenge pump, the scavenge pump
being adapted and configured to deliver oil to the scavenged oil
passageway.
12. A motorcycle engine in accordance with claim 11 wherein the
engine comprises a wheel chest, a cam chest, and at least one check
valve, the check valve being adapted and configured to allow air to
pass from the wheel chest to the cam chest and to prevent air from
passing from the cam chest to the wheel chest.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional App.
Ser. No. 61/759,564, which was filed on Feb. 1, 2013.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable.
APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention pertains to motorcycle engines. More
particularly, one aspect of the invention pertains to a system for
lubricating a motorcycle engine during operation. Another aspect of
the invention pertains to a cam cover that is configured to allow a
cam position sensor to be mounted to the exterior side of the cam
cover. The engine preferably comprises only one camshaft, which is
preferably driven directly via intermeshed gears.
[0006] 2. General Background
[0007] There are two main types of motorcycle lubrication systems,
namely, wet sump and dry sump lubrication systems. In a wet sump
lubrication system, the oil reservoir is contained within the
engine case. In contrast, in a dry sump lubrication system, an
external oil reservoir is provided and excess oil is scavenged from
the engine case. An example of a dry sump motorcycle engine
lubrication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,205, issued
on Sep. 12, 2000. In that lubrication system, a scavenge pump and a
supply pressure pump are located within the cam chest of the
engine. The single scavenge pump is configured to scavenge oil from
the cam chest and from the crank/wheel chest independently of each
other such that when one runs dry, oil continues to be scavenged
from the other. The scavenge pump pumps the scavenged oil to an
external reservoir tank. The supply pressure pump draws oil in from
the reservoir tank and delivers pressurized oil to the crank pin
and lifters. Additional oil passages allow the pressurized oil to
pass from the lifters up to the upper end of the engine and through
the crankshaft to the piston rod and piston/wrist pin. A pressure
relief valve diverts oil from the high pressure side of the supply
pressure pump to the low pressure side of the supply pressure pump
when the oil pressure exceeds a particular pressure. The camshaft
bearings are not pressure lubricated and instead are splash
lubricated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In one aspect of the invention, a motorcycle engine
comprises a crankshaft pinion bearing, a camshaft bearing, and an
oil pump. The engine is configured and adapted such that the oil
pump supplies pressurized oil to the crankshaft pinion bearing and
the camshaft bearing.
[0009] In another aspect of the invention, a motorcycle engine
comprises a cam chest cover. The cam chest cover comprises an oil
passageway and a pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve
is configured and adapted to regulate oil pressure within the oil
passageway.
[0010] In yet another aspect of the invention, a motorcycle engine
comprises a camshaft and a cam chest cover. The cam chest cover
comprises a camshaft bearing and a crankshaft pinion bearing. The
camshaft is supported by the camshaft bearing for rotation relative
to the cam chest cover. The crankshaft pinion is supported by the
crankshaft pinion bearing for rotation relative to the cam chest
cover. The cam chest cover comprises an opening that is configured
such that an ignition timing unit can be operatively attached to
the camshaft from the exterior side of the cam chest cover.
[0011] In still another aspect of the invention, a motorcycle
engine comprises a pressurized oil passageway, a scavenged oil
passageway, and a pressure relief valve. The scavenged oil
passageway is configured to route oil out of the engine. The
pressure relief valve is configured and adapted to regulate oil
pressure within the pressurized oil passageway and to divert oil
from the pressurized oil passageway to the scavenged oil
passageway.
[0012] Further features and advantages of the present invention, as
well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the
present invention, are described in detail below with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] The accompanying drawing, which is incorporated in and forms
a part of the specification, illustrate the preferred embodiment of
the present invention and together with the description, serves to
explain the principles of the invention.
[0014] The FIGURE depicts a motorcycle engine schematically.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] A lubrication system in accordance with the present
invention is shown schematically in the attached FIGURE. The
lubrication comprises two separate scavenge pumps and a pressure
pump. The pumps are preferably each a gear pump and are preferably
attached to the exterior of the engine case beneath the cam chest.
Each of the pumps draws oil in and out through openings provided in
the bottom wall of the cam chest. As illustrated in the drawing,
oil scavenged from the cam chest passes through the cam chest wall
to the cam chest scavenge pump 20. The cam chest scavenge pump 20
then forces the scavenged oil through a scavenged oil passageway 22
that extends through the cam chest wall, and then through the cam
chest cover. The scavenged oil passageway 22 leads to a fitting and
then to an external line that is operatively connected to an
external oil reservoir. In a similar manner, oil scavenged from the
wheel chest passes through the bottom wall of the cam chest to the
wheel chest scavenge pump 24 where it is thereafter forced back
through the cam chest wall and into the scavenged oil passageway
22.
[0016] Oil from the external oil reservoir is sucked into the
engine through a separate external line that attaches to a fitting
on the cam chest cover. A separate passageway 26 in the cam chest
cover then delivers that oil to the pressure pump 28 through the
bottom wall of the cam chest. The pressure pump 28 then forces oil
into a passageway 30 that extends through the cam chest bottom
wall, then through a fitting that that is operatively connected to
another external line, which routes the pressurized oil to the
external oil filter. From the oil filter, oil passes along another
passageway 32 that extends through yet another external line and is
operatively connected to the cam chest cover. That passageway 32
leads to a pressure regulator that is formed in the cam chest
cover. The pressure regulator is configured to divert oil to the
scavenged oil passageway 22 to maintain the oil pressure at
particular pressure. Oil that is not diverted then passes through
another passageway 34 formed in the cam chest cover that delivers
the pressurized oil to a crankshaft pinion bearing, and then to a
camshaft bearing, and ultimately to the top end of the engine
through the lifter block. Some of the pressurized oil is diverted
from the crankshaft pinion bearing through a passageway in the
crankshaft that extends to the piston rod bearings. Most of that
oil then passes up through passageways formed in the piston rods
that lead to the piston wrist pins.
[0017] Gravity carries oil down from the upper end of the engine to
the cam chest, where it once again is scavenged by the cam chest
scavenge pump 20. Likewise, oil dripping from the piston pins and
piston rods is scavenged by the wheel chest scavenge pump 24 as
discussed above. By positioning the various oil pumps on the
exterior of the engine case, the oil pumps can be serviced without
removing the cam chest cover. It should also be appreciated that
because the pressure regulator bleeds excess oil directly into the
scavenge passageway 22, the pressure pump is always supplied with
only cool oil from the oil reservoir, and the flow rate of oil
through the oil filter is maximized. In other words, unlike the
lubrication system disclosed in the patent discussed above, oil
will not circulate within the pressure pump when the pressure pump
is operating faster than needed. Additionally, the excess oil is
ported directly back to the external reservoir, which maximizes oil
cooling.
[0018] As depicted in the drawing FIGURE, the cam chest cover
comprises the camshaft bearing and the crankshaft pinion bearing.
The cam chest cover also comprises an opening that is configured
such that an ignition timing unit can be operatively attached to
the camshaft from the exterior side of the cam chest cover. The
opening preferably has a recess that is configured to at least
partially receive the ignition timing unit. If such an ignition
timing unit is not needed, a cover plate can instead be mounted to
the cam chest cover to thereby cover the opening. The engine
further comprises an externally accessible fitting that is adapted
to receive a crankshaft position sensor for an ignition timing unit
that is adapted to operate off of a crankshaft position sensor
rather than a camshaft position sensor. Thus, the engine can easily
be adapted to operate via different alternative styles of ignition
timing systems, without removal of the cam chest cover.
[0019] The engine also preferably comprises a pair of check valves
that allow air to pass from the crank/wheel chest into the cam
chest, but not the reverse. The check valves are preferably reed
valves and act to reduce the pressure in the crank/wheel chest. The
reduce pressure in the crank/wheel chest facilitates proper piston
ring sealing.
[0020] In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several
advantages of the invention are achieved and attained.
[0021] The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best
explain the principles of the invention and its practical
application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0022] As various modifications could be made in the constructions
and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from
the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter
contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting.
Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be
limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but
should be defined only in accordance with the following claims
appended hereto and their equivalents.
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