JP7584544B2 - Engine-driven power supply unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an engine-driven power supply unit.

There is an engine-driven power supply unit that uses a power generation engine to drive a generator to output electric power (for example, see Patent Document 1). The engine-driven power supply unit described in Patent Document 1 has a power generation rotary engine, a generator driven by the power generation rotary engine, an intake system that supplies air to the power generation rotary engine, and an exhaust system that receives exhaust from the power generation rotary engine.

Publication No. 2016-078622

There is a demand for engine-driven power supply units to be compact, while suppressing noise and achieving output performance. The object of the present invention is to provide an engine-driven power supply unit that is compact and capable of suppressing noise and achieving output performance.

The present inventors have studied how to obtain output performance while suppressing noise while configuring a compact engine-driven power supply unit. The engine-driven power supply unit described in Patent Document 1 is a dedicated product mounted in the engine room of an automobile. The intake system and exhaust system connected to the generator engine described in Patent Document 1 are spread out within the engine room. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the engine-driven power supply unit in Patent Document 1 is configured compactly as a unit.
In order to compactly configure the engine drive power supply unit described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to configure the intake system and exhaust system connected to the generator engine to be short. However, if the intake system and exhaust system are configured to be short, it is not possible to obtain the length of the intake system and exhaust system required to obtain output performance. In addition, the noise generated by the generator engine becomes louder.

Therefore, the inventor further studied how to obtain output performance while suppressing noise while configuring the engine-driven power supply unit compactly. In the course of this study, the inventor discovered that by arranging a cylinder between the intake system and the exhaust system and arranging the intake system and the exhaust system so that they extend along the cylinder, it is possible to achieve a compact layout while obtaining the length of the intake system and the exhaust system. More specific layouts of the intake system and the exhaust system are described below. By arranging the intake system and the exhaust system of the engine-driven power supply unit in this way, it is possible to obtain output performance while suppressing noise while configuring the engine-driven power supply unit compactly.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an engine driven power supply unit has the following configuration.
(1) A generator engine having a crankcase that houses a crankshaft, a cylinder attached to the crankcase, and a cylinder head attached to the cylinder;
a generator driven by the generator engine to generate electricity;
an intake system connected to the cylinder head for supplying air to the generator engine;
an exhaust system connected to the cylinder head and supplied with exhaust from the generator engine,
the engine-driven power supply unit is configured not to extract mechanical rotational power of the crankshaft to an outside of the engine-driven power supply unit,
the generator is provided so that half or more of the generator overlaps with the generator engine as viewed in a crankshaft axis direction,
The intake system and the exhaust system are
(A) the cylinder is located between the intake system and the exhaust system as viewed in the crankshaft axis direction,
(B) each of the intake system and the exhaust system extends from the cylinder head in the axial direction of the cylinder from a first region to a second region beyond a crankshaft center reference line in a manner such that the shortest distance between the intake system and the crankcase, as viewed in the crankshaft axial direction, is less than the crank radius of the crankshaft; the crankshaft center reference line is defined as a straight line perpendicular to both the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the crankshaft; the first region is defined as the region that includes the cylinder, of two regions defined by the crankshaft center reference line; and the second region refers to the region of the two regions that is not the first region;
(C) The crankcase is disposed so as to be located between the intake system and the outward path portion and the return path portion of the exhaust system on the crankshaft center reference line when viewed in the crankshaft axis direction, the outward path portion refers to a portion of the exhaust system that extends from the cylinder head through the first area to the second area, and the return path portion refers to a portion of the exhaust system that is connected to the outward path portion and extends from the second area to the first area.
They are arranged as follows.

The engine-driven power supply unit (1) includes a generator engine, a generator, an intake system, and an exhaust system.
The generator engine has a crankcase, a cylinder, and a cylinder head. The crankcase houses a crankshaft. The cylinder is attached to the crankcase. The cylinder head is attached to the cylinder.
The generator is driven by the generator engine to generate electricity and is disposed so that more than half of the generator overlaps with the generator engine when viewed in the crankshaft direction.
The intake system is connected to the cylinder head and supplies air to the generator engine.
The exhaust system is connected to the cylinder head and is supplied with exhaust from the generator engine.
The intake system and the exhaust system are arranged so as to satisfy the following (A) to (C).
(A) The cylinder is located between the intake system and the exhaust system when viewed in the crankshaft direction.
(B) Each of the intake system and the exhaust system extends from the cylinder head in the axial direction of the cylinder from the first region to the second region beyond the crankshaft center reference line, with the shortest distance to the crankcase being less than the crank radius of the crankshaft, as viewed in the crankshaft axial direction. The crankshaft center reference line is defined as a straight line perpendicular to both the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the crankshaft. The first region is defined as the region that includes the cylinder, of the two regions defined by the crankshaft center reference line. The second region is the region other than the first region, of the two regions defined by the crankshaft center reference line.
(C) The crankcase is disposed so as to be located between the intake system and the outward and return paths of the exhaust system on the crankshaft center reference line when viewed in the crankshaft axis direction. The outward path refers to a portion of the exhaust system that extends from the cylinder head through the first region to the second region, and the return path refers to a portion of the exhaust system that is connected to the outward path and extends from the second region to the first region.
The engine-driven power supply unit (1) is configured so as not to extract the mechanical rotational power of the crankshaft to the outside of the engine-driven power supply unit.

In the engine-driven power supply unit of (1), the intake system and exhaust system are arranged to satisfy (A) and then (B), so that the intake system and exhaust system can be brought closer to the generator engine. This allows the engine-driven power supply unit to be configured compactly. Furthermore, by arranging the intake system and exhaust system to satisfy (C), the intake system and exhaust system can be brought closer to the generator engine while obtaining the length of the intake system and exhaust system so that output performance can be obtained while suppressing noise. Therefore, the engine-driven power supply unit of (1) is compact and can obtain output performance while suppressing noise.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(2) An engine-driven power supply unit according to (1),
The intake system and the exhaust system are
Regarding (C), the crankcase is disposed so as to be located between the intake system and the outward path portion, the return path portion, and the re-outward path portion of the exhaust system on the crankshaft center reference line when viewed in the crankshaft axis direction, and the re-outward path portion refers to a portion of the exhaust system that is connected to the return path portion and extends from the first area to the second area.
They are arranged as follows.

In the engine-driven power supply unit of (2), the crankcase is positioned on the crankshaft center reference line as viewed in the crankshaft axis direction, between the intake system and the outward path section, return path section, and re-outward path section of the exhaust system. The re-outward path section refers to the portion of the exhaust system that is connected to the return path section and extends from the first area to the second area. This allows the engine-driven power supply unit of (2) to be compactly configured, while obtaining the length of the exhaust system, thereby suppressing noise and obtaining output performance.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(3) An engine-driven power supply unit according to (1) or (2),
A catalyst is disposed in the outward passage of the exhaust system.

In the engine driving power supply unit (3), the catalyst is placed in the outward path of the exhaust system, so the distance of the exhaust passage from the cylinder head can be increased. This allows the engine driving power supply unit (3) to be constructed compactly while still obtaining the length of the exhaust system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(4) An engine-driven power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (3),
A chamber is disposed in the return path of the exhaust system.

In the engine-driven power supply unit of (4), the chamber is located in the return passage of the exhaust system, so the distance of the exhaust passage from the cylinder head can be made longer. This allows the engine-driven power supply unit of (4) to be constructed compactly while still obtaining the length of the exhaust system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(5) An engine-driven power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (4),
the intake system includes an intake passage connected to the cylinder head and an air cleaner into which the intake passage is inserted,
The intake passage has a portion inserted into the air cleaner that is longer than the distance between the entrance of the intake passage and the inner wall of the air cleaner that the entrance faces.

In the engine drive power supply unit (5), the portion of the intake passage of the intake system inserted into the air cleaner is made longer than the distance between the intake passage entrance and the inner wall of the air cleaner that the entrance faces. This allows the engine drive power supply unit (5) to obtain output performance by obtaining the length of the intake system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(6) An engine-driven power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (5),
The power generation engine is a water-cooled engine.

(6) The generator engine of the engine-driven power supply unit is a water-cooled engine. If the generator engine is a water-cooled engine, there is no need to provide cooling fins and a cooling fan, as with an air-cooled engine, so the engine can be made compact while still achieving the output performance of the generator engine.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(7) An engine-driven power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (6),
The engine-driven power supply unit does not include a fuel tank as part of its configuration.

The engine-driven power supply unit (7) does not include a fuel tank as part of its configuration, so the fuel tank is installed separately. Therefore, the engine-driven power supply unit (7) can be configured compactly.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(8) An engine-driven power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (7),
The power generation engine is a single-cylinder engine or a two-cylinder engine having two of the cylinders with cylinder axes parallel to each other.

The engine-driven power supply unit of (8) can suppress an increase in width in a direction parallel to the crankshaft center reference line. Therefore, the engine-driven power supply unit of (8) is compact and can obtain output performance while suppressing noise. A two-cylinder engine in which the cylinder axes of the two cylinders are parallel to each other is, for example, a parallel two-cylinder engine or a horizontally opposed two-cylinder engine. In an engine-driven power supply unit having a two-cylinder engine as a power generating engine, if the intake system and exhaust system for one of the two cylinders are arranged to satisfy the above requirements (A) to (C), the engine-driven power supply unit may correspond to the engine-driven power supply unit of (1) above.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the engine driven power supply unit can employ the following configuration.
(9) A series hybrid saddle-type vehicle,
The series hybrid straddle-type vehicle includes an engine drive power supply unit according to any one of (1) to (8),
A drive wheel for driving the series hybrid straddle-type vehicle;
a drive motor that receives power from the engine drive power supply unit with or without passing through a power storage device and drives the drive wheels;
The series hybrid straddle-type vehicle is configured such that the power output by rotation of the crankshaft is not mechanically transmitted to the drive wheels, and the drive wheels are driven by the drive motor.

(9) The series hybrid saddle-type vehicle is equipped with a compactly configured engine-driven power supply unit, making it possible to make it small and lightweight.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of defining particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any or all combinations of one or more of the associated listed components. As used herein, the use of the terms "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof identifies the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or their equivalents, but may include one or more of the steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the terms "attached," "connected," "coupled," and/or their equivalents are used broadly and include both direct and indirect attachments, connections, and couplings. Furthermore, "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, but may include direct or indirect electrical connections or couplings. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant technology and this disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein. In the description of the present invention, it is understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has separate benefits, and each can also be used with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Thus, for clarity, this description will refrain from unnecessarily repeating all possible combinations of individual steps. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that all such combinations are within the scope of the present invention and claims.

Described herein is a novel engine driven power supply unit. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. The present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated in the following drawings or description.

The power generation engine is, for example, an engine having a high load region and a low load region. The power generation engine is, for example, a four-stroke engine. The four-stroke engine has a high load region and a low load region during the four strokes. The four-stroke engine having a high load region and a low load region is, for example, a single-cylinder engine. Also, it has a high load region and a low load region. The four-stroke engine having a high load region and a low load region is, for example, a two-cylinder engine, an unevenly-spaced combustion type three-cylinder engine, or an unevenly-spaced combustion type four-cylinder engine. The four-stroke engine having a high load region and a low load region includes a continuous non-combustion section of 180 degrees or more during one cycle of 720 degrees. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the four-stroke engine is, for example, a single-cylinder engine or a multi-cylinder engine. The multi-cylinder engine may be an unevenly-spaced combustion engine having multiple cylinders. An example of an unevenly-spaced combustion engine having multiple cylinders is a horizontally opposed engine. In relation to the above (1) to (9), when the generator engine is a multi-cylinder engine, it is not necessary for all cylinders to satisfy the positional relationships between the intake system and the exhaust system and the cylinders (e.g., the above (A) to (C)). When at least one cylinder satisfies the positional relationships, the engine-driven power supply unit can correspond to the engine-driven power supply unit according to the present invention.
In a four-stroke engine having a high load region and a low load region, the fluctuation of rotation at low rotation speeds is larger than in other types of engines. The high load region refers to the region in one combustion cycle of the engine where the load torque is higher than the average value of the load torque in one combustion cycle. The low load region refers to the region in one combustion cycle other than the high load region. When viewed based on the rotation angle of the crankshaft, the low load region of the engine is, for example, wider than the high load region. The compression stroke overlaps with the high load region.
For example, in an engine having a high load region and a low load region, the starting position of the crankshaft can be adjusted so that an approach section is obtained for the rotational force of the crankshaft to overcome the compression reaction force of the high load region when the engine is started.
The crank radius is the distance perpendicular to the crankshaft from the center of the crank pin attached to the crank arm of the crankshaft to the center of rotation of the crankshaft. The stroke of the engine is twice the crank radius.

The generator is, for example, a permanent magnet type starter generator. The generator may be, for example, a motor that does not use permanent magnets. The permanent magnet type generator is, for example, a brushless motor. The brushless motor is a motor that does not have a commutator. The generator is a motor generator that is driven by a power generation engine to generate power. The generator may function as a starter motor that starts the power generation engine. The generator is not limited to this. The permanent magnet type generator may be, for example, a brushed DC motor. The brushless motor may be, for example, an outer rotor type or an inner rotor type. The brushless motor may also be an axial gap type instead of a radial gap type. The generator may also be, for example, a type that does not have a permanent magnet in the rotor.

The intake system is a group of components that make up the pathway that supplies air to the engine. The air that the intake system sends to the engine may or may not be mixed with fuel. The intake system includes at least one of the following components, for example: an intake passage, an air cleaner, a carburetor, an air element, and a reed valve.

The exhaust system is a group of parts that form the path through which exhaust gas from the engine passes. The exhaust system includes at least one of the following parts: an exhaust passage, a catalyst, a chamber, etc. The chamber may include at least one of an expansion chamber and a silencer.

Regarding series hybrid straddled vehicles, a straddled vehicle refers to a vehicle in which the driver sits astride a saddle. Examples of straddled vehicles include moped, off-road, and on-road motorcycles. In addition, the straddled vehicle is not limited to motorcycles, and may be, for example, a three-wheeled motor vehicle, an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), etc. A three-wheeled motor vehicle may have two front wheels and one rear wheel, or one front wheel and two rear wheels. The driving wheels of the straddled vehicle may be the rear wheels or the front wheels. In addition, the driving wheels of the straddled vehicle may be both the rear wheels and the front wheels. In addition, it is preferable that the straddled vehicle is configured to be able to turn in a lean position. A straddled vehicle configured to be able to turn in a lean position is configured to turn in a position tilted to the center of the curve. As a result, the saddle-type vehicle, which is configured to be able to turn in a lean position, resists the centrifugal force acting on the vehicle when turning.

The present invention makes it possible to provide an engine-driven power supply unit that is compact and can achieve output performance while reducing noise.

1 is a left side view showing a configuration of an engine driving power supply unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a left side view showing a configuration of an engine driving power supply unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a left side view showing a configuration of an engine driving power supply unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a left side view showing a configuration of an engine driving power supply unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an enlarged left side view showing a saddle-ride type vehicle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the configuration of an engine driving power supply unit 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The engine-driven power supply unit 1 in FIG. 1 includes a generator engine 10, a generator 20, an intake system 30, and an exhaust system 40.
The generator engine 10 has a crankcase 11, a cylinder 12, and a cylinder head 13. The crankcase 11 houses a crankshaft 111. The cylinder 12 is attached to the crankcase 11. The cylinder head 13 is attached to the cylinder 12. The generator 20 is driven by the generator engine 10 to generate electricity. The generator 20 is disposed such that more than half of the generator 20 overlaps with the generator engine 10 when viewed in the direction of the crank axis S. The intake system 30 is connected to the cylinder head 13 and supplies air to the generator engine 10. The exhaust system 40 is connected to the cylinder head 13 and is supplied with exhaust gas from the generator engine 10.

The intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 are arranged so as to satisfy the following (A) to (C).
(A) The cylinder 12 of the generator engine 10 is located between the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 when viewed in the direction of the crank axis S.
(B) When viewed in the crank axis S direction, the intake system 30 extends from the cylinder head 13 toward the cylinder axis T of the cylinder 12 from the first region A1 to the second region A2 beyond the crankshaft center reference line U. At this time, when viewed in the crank axis S direction, the shortest distance X1 between the intake system 30 and the crankcase 11 is less than the crank radius Y1 of the crankshaft 111. Also, when viewed in the crank axis S direction, the exhaust system 40 extends from the cylinder head 13 toward the cylinder axis T of the cylinder 12 from the first region A1 to the second region A2 beyond the crankshaft center reference line U. At this time, when viewed in the crank axis S direction, the shortest distance X2 between the exhaust system 40 and the crankcase 11 is less than the crank radius Y1 of the crankshaft 111. The crankshaft center reference line U is defined as a straight line perpendicular to both the cylinder axis T of the cylinder 12 and the crank axis S of the crankshaft 111. The first area A1 is defined as the area including the cylinder 12 among the two areas defined by the crankshaft center reference line U. The second area A2 refers to the area other than the first area A1 among the two areas defined by the crankshaft center reference line U.
(C) When viewed in the direction of the crank axis S, the crankcase 11 is disposed so as to be located on the crankshaft center reference line U between the intake system 30 and the outward path portion 41 and the return path portion 42 of the exhaust system 40. The outward path portion 41 refers to a portion of the exhaust system 40 that extends from the cylinder head 13 through the first area A1 to the second area A2, and the return path portion 42 refers to a portion of the exhaust system 40 that is connected to the outward path portion 41 and extends from the second area A2 to the first area A1.
Further, the engine driving power supply unit 1 is configured so as not to extract the mechanical rotational power of the crankshaft 111 to the outside of the engine driving power supply unit 1 .

In the engine-driven power supply unit 1 of this embodiment, the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 are arranged to satisfy (A) and then (B), so that the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 can be brought closer to the crankcase 11 of the generator engine 10 than the crank radius Y1. This allows the engine-driven power supply unit 1 to be configured compactly. Furthermore, in the engine-driven power supply unit 1, the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 are arranged to satisfy (C), so that the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 can be brought closer to the generator engine 10 while obtaining the length of the intake system 30 and the exhaust system 40 so that output performance can be obtained while suppressing noise. Therefore, in this embodiment, the engine-driven power supply unit 1 can be configured compactly while suppressing noise and obtaining output performance.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 2 is an enlarged left side view showing the configuration of an engine-driven power supply unit 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the engine-driven power supply unit 2 is configured as follows. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the engine-driven power supply unit 1 shown in Fig. 1.

2 are arranged such that the crankcase 11 is located on the crankshaft center reference line U, as viewed in the direction of the crank axis S, between the intake system 30 and the outward path section 41, return path section 42, and re-outward path section 43 of the exhaust system 40. The re-outward path section 43 refers to the portion of the exhaust system 40 that is connected to the return path section 42 and extends from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The engine-driven power supply unit 2 of this embodiment can be configured compactly while suppressing noise and obtaining output performance by obtaining the length of the exhaust system 40.

In addition, in this embodiment, a catalyst 411 can be disposed in the forward path section 41 of the exhaust system 40. In addition, a chamber 421 can be disposed in the return path section 42 of the exhaust system 40. As a result, the engine driving power supply unit 2 of this embodiment can obtain the length of the exhaust system 40 by increasing the distance of the exhaust passage from the cylinder head 13, thereby suppressing noise and obtaining output performance.

[Third embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Fig. 3 is an enlarged left side view showing the configuration of an engine-driven power supply unit 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the engine-driven power supply unit 3 is configured as follows. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the engine-driven power supply unit 1 shown in Fig. 1.
3 has an intake system 30 including an intake passage 31 connected to the cylinder head 13 and an air cleaner 32 into which the intake passage 31 is inserted. An insertion portion Z1 of the intake passage 31 into the air cleaner 32 is longer than a distance Z2 between an inlet 311 of the intake passage 31 and an inner wall 322 of the air cleaner 32 that the inlet 311 faces. As a result, in the engine driving power supply unit 3 of this embodiment, the intake system 30 can be lengthened to obtain output performance.

[Fourth embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 4 is an enlarged left side view showing the configuration of an engine-driven power supply unit 4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the engine-driven power supply unit 4 is configured as follows. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the engine-driven power supply unit 1 shown in Fig. 1.

The engine-driven power supply unit 4 in FIG. 4 does not include a fuel tank 50 as part of its configuration. Therefore, the fuel tank 50 is attached separately to the engine-driven power supply unit 4. Therefore, the engine-driven power supply unit 5 of this embodiment can be configured compactly.

[Fifth embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 5 is an enlarged left side view of a series hybrid saddle-ride vehicle 100 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the engine drive power supply unit 5 of the series hybrid saddle-ride vehicle 100 is any of the engine drive power supply units of the first to fourth embodiments. In this embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the engine drive power supply unit 1 shown in Fig. 1.
5, F indicates the forward direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1. B indicates the rearward direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1. FB indicates the front-rear direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1. U indicates the upward direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1. D indicates the downward direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1. UD indicates the up-down direction of the saddle riding type vehicle 1.

The series hybrid saddle-type vehicle 100 in FIG. 5 includes an engine drive power supply unit 5, drive wheels 110, and a drive motor 120. The engine drive power supply unit 5 is an engine drive power supply unit according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments. The drive wheels 110 drive the series hybrid saddle-type vehicle 100. The drive motor 120 receives power from the engine drive power supply unit 5 with or without passing through a power storage device 130, and drives the drive wheels 110. The series hybrid saddle-type vehicle 100 is configured such that the power output by the rotation of the crankshaft 111 is not mechanically transmitted to the drive wheels 110, and the drive wheels 110 are driven by the drive motor 120.

The series hybrid saddle-type vehicle 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a compactly configured engine-driven power supply unit 5, and can therefore be made small and lightweight.

The generator engine 10 of the series hybrid straddle-type vehicle 100 of this embodiment can be a water-cooled engine. This means that the generator engine of the engine-driven power supply unit does not need to be provided with cooling fins and a cooling fan, as is the case with air-cooled engines, so the engine can be made compact while still achieving the output performance of the generator engine.

The generator engine 10 of the series hybrid saddle-ride vehicle 100 of this embodiment is a single-cylinder engine. The generator engine 10 of this embodiment may be a two-cylinder engine. When the generator engine of this embodiment is a two-cylinder engine, the cylinder axes T of the cylinders are parallel to each other. Examples of two-cylinder engines in which the cylinder axes T of the cylinders are parallel to each other include parallel two-cylinder engines and horizontally opposed two-cylinder engines. When the generator engine 10 is a two-cylinder engine, it is sufficient that the intake system 30 and exhaust system 40 of the engine-driven power supply unit 5 are arranged so as to satisfy the above requirements (A) to (C) for one cylinder.

(Modification)
5, the generator engine 10 of the engine-driving power supply unit according to the first to fourth embodiments has a crank axis S oriented in the left-right direction and a cylinder axis T oriented in the front-rear direction FB. However, in this case, the cylinder axis T can be oriented in the up-down direction UD (variation 1).
In the series hybrid straddle-type vehicle 100 of Fig. 5, the generator engine 10 of the engine-driving power supply unit of the first to fourth embodiments can have the crankshaft 111 oriented in the front-rear direction FB. At this time, the cylinder axis T of the cylinder 12 can be oriented in the up-down direction UD (Modification 2) or the left-right direction (direction of the crankshaft S) (Modification 3). In addition, when the generator engine 10 is a horizontally opposed engine, the crankshaft 111 of the generator engine 10 can be oriented in the front-rear direction FB as in Modification 3, and the cylinder axis T of the cylinder 12 can be oriented in the left-right direction (Modification 4). In Modification 4, the horizontally opposed engine can also be configured compactly, with reduced noise and output performance.

The above embodiments and variants are shown in the table below.

Reference Signs List 1 to 5 Engine drive power supply unit 10 Generator engine 11 Crankcase 12 Cylinder 13 Cylinder head 20 Generator 30 Intake system 31 Intake passage 32 Air cleaner 40 Exhaust system 41 Outward path section 42 Return path section 43 Return path section 100 Series hybrid straddle-type vehicle 111 Crankshaft

Claims (8)

1. An engine driven power supply unit, comprising:
The engine-driven power supply unit includes:
a generator engine having a crankcase that houses a crankshaft, a cylinder attached to the crankcase, and a cylinder head attached to the cylinder;
a generator driven by the generator engine to generate electricity;
an intake system connected to the cylinder head for supplying air to the generator engine;
an exhaust system connected to the cylinder head and supplied with exhaust from the generator engine;
The mechanical rotational power of the crankshaft is not taken out to the outside of the engine drive power supply unit,
the generator is provided so that half or more of the generator overlaps with the generator engine as viewed in a crankshaft axis direction ,
The intake system and the exhaust system are disposed such that a positional relationship between the intake system and the exhaust system and between the cylinder, the cylinder head, the crankshaft, and the crankcase satisfies all of the following (A) to (C), and (A) to (C) are:
(A) the cylinder is located between the intake system and the exhaust system as viewed in the crankshaft axis direction,
(B) each of the intake system and the exhaust system extends from the cylinder head in the axial direction of the cylinder from a first region to a second region beyond a crankshaft center reference line in a manner such that the shortest distance between the intake system and the crankcase, as viewed in the crankshaft axial direction, is less than the crank radius of the crankshaft; the crankshaft center reference line is defined as a straight line perpendicular to both the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the crankshaft; the first region is defined as the region that includes the cylinder, of two regions defined by the crankshaft center reference line; and the second region refers to the region of the two regions that is not the first region;
(C) A chamber is disposed in the return path portion of the exhaust system, and the crankcase is disposed so as to be located on the crankshaft center reference line, as viewed in the crankshaft axis direction, between the intake system and the outward path portion of the exhaust system and the return path portion including the chamber , the outward path portion referring to a portion of the exhaust system extending from the cylinder head through the first area to the second area, and the return path portion referring to a portion of the exhaust system connected to the outward path portion and extending from the second area to the first area. 2. The engine driven power supply unit of claim 1,
The intake system and the exhaust system are
Regarding (C), the crankcase is disposed so as to be located between the intake system and the outward path portion, the return path portion, and the re-outward path portion of the exhaust system on the crankshaft center reference line when viewed in the crankshaft axis direction, and the re-outward path portion refers to a portion of the exhaust system that is connected to the return path portion and extends from the first area to the second area.
They are arranged as follows. 3. An engine-driven power supply unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A catalyst is disposed in the outward passage of the exhaust system. 4. An engine driven power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the intake system includes an intake passage connected to the cylinder head and an air cleaner into which the intake passage is inserted,
The intake passage has a portion inserted into the air cleaner that is longer than the distance between the entrance of the intake passage and the inner wall of the air cleaner that the entrance faces. 5. An engine driven power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The power generation engine is a water-cooled engine. 6. An engine driven power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The engine-driven power supply unit does not include a fuel tank as part of its configuration. 7. An engine driven power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:
The power generation engine is a single-cylinder engine or a two-cylinder engine having two of the cylinders with the cylinder axes being parallel to each other. A series hybrid saddle-ride vehicle,
The series hybrid straddle-type vehicle includes an engine drive power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A drive wheel for driving the series hybrid straddle-type vehicle;
a drive motor that receives power from the engine drive power supply unit with or without passing through a power storage device and drives the drive wheels;
The series hybrid straddle-type vehicle is configured such that the power output by rotation of the crankshaft is not mechanically transmitted to the drive wheels, and the drive wheels are driven by the drive motor.

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