Indian Patents. 252095:FOUR CYCLE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND VEHICLE

Title of Invention	FOUR CYCLE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND VEHICLE
Abstract	An engine has cylinder-sided passages, through which burnt gasses pass. Also, the engine includes an inter- cylinder passage in communication with the cylinder-sided passages.

Full Text	FOUR CYCLE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND VEHICLE This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-006375 filed on January 15, 2007. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a four-cycle internal combustion engine having an exhaust gas re- circulation device (EGR), and a vehicle including such four-cycle internal combustion engine. 2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, four-cycle internal combustion engines having an exhaust gas re-circulation device (EGR) for returning part of exhaust gas (burnt gasses) to a combustion chamber are widely used. The EGR slows down combustion of a fuel/air mixture in a combustion chamber, lowers the highest combustion temperature, and to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) . For example, an EGR including a gas storage chamber is known, in which an auxiliary exhaust valve is provided at an auxiliary exhaust port coupled to a combustion chamber and part of burnt gasses (EGR gas) discharged via the auxiliary exhaust port is stored in the gas storage chamber (see JP-A-05-086992 (page 6, FIGs. 17 and 18), 1 for example) . In such an EGR, EGR gas stored in the storage chamber is returned to the combustion chamber at a predetermined timing. A four-cycle internal combustion engine having the EGR disclosed in JP-A-05-086992 requires a main exhaust port and a main exhaust valve, and an auxiliary exhaust port and an auxiliary exhaust valve in addition. Therefore, there is a problem that the structure of a cylinder head is complicated and production cost becomes expensive especially with a multi-cylinder four-cycle internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinder sections. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention is made in consideration of the foregoing problem. The object of the present invention is to provide a four-cycle internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinder sections in which a structure of a cylinder head is not complicated, a fuel consumption can be improved, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) can be reduced, and also provide a vehicle including the four-cycle internal combustion engine described above. To solve the above problems, the present invention has following features. A first aspect of the present 2 invention is a four-cycle internal combustion engine (engine 100), including a plurality of cylinder sections (for example, first cylinder section 110) each including a cylinder (for example, cylinder 110S) and an exhaust passage (for example, exhaust port 110ex) in communication with the inside of the cylinder, in which the cylinder section is in communication with the exhaust passage and has a cylinder-sided passage section (for example, cylinder-sided passage section 151) in communication with the exhaust passage, through which burnt gasses pass, and the engine further including an inter-cylinder passage (inter-cylinder passage 150) in communication with a plurality of the cylinder-sided passage sections. With such a four-cycle internal combustion engine, an internal EGR amount can be made larger than those in conventional cases, and thus a pumping loss decreases. Also, the four-cycle internal combustion engine has the cylinder-sided passage in communication with the exhaust passage through which burnt gasses pass, and the inter- cylinder passage in communication with a plurality of the cylinder-sided passages. Therefore, differently from a conventional EGR, the engine needs to have no special intake or exhaust passage in communication with a gas storage chamber, or an intake and exhaust valve. 3 Namely, with such features, the structure around a cylinder head is not complicated in the case that the engine has a plurality of cylinder sections, a fuel consumption can be improved, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) can be reduced. A second aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the first aspect, in which a direction in which the burnt gasses are introduced into the cylinder-sided passage section is a direction along a periphery (periphery 110p) of the cylinder, as seen from an axial view of the cylinder. A third aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the first aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an exhaust valve (for example, exhaust valve 112) for opening or closing the exhaust passage; and a time period during which the exhaust valve of one cylinder section (for example, first cylinder section 110) is opened overlaps at least partially another time period during which the exhaust valve (exhaust valve 132) of another cylinder section (third cylinder section 130). A fourth aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the third aspect, further including: a crankshaft (crankshaft 160), and a valve actuating mechanism (sprocket 170 and cam 4 chain 180) for opening or closing the exhaust valve at a predetermined period with rotation of the crankshaft. A fifth aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the second aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an intake passage (for example, intake port 110in) in communication with the inside of the cylinder; a direction in which a fluid is taken into the inside of the cylinder via the intake passage is the direction along the periphery of the cylinder, as seen from the axial view of the cylinder; and a direction in which the burnt gasses are introduced corresponds to a direction in which the fluid is swirled about an center axis of the cylinder. A sixth aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the third aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an intake passage (for example, intake port 110in) in communication with the inside of the cylinder (for example, cylinder 110S) , and an intake valve (intake valve 111) for opening or closing the intake passage, and a period during which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during which the intake valve opens. A seventh aspect of the present invention is the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the first aspect, in which the inter-cylinder passage extends 5 along an arrangement of the plurality of the cylinder sections, and the cylinder-sided passage section branches from the inter-cylinder passage and extends toward the exhaust passage. An eighth aspect of the present invention is the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the first aspect, in which the cylinder-sided passage section is directed to an exhaust passage opening (an air gap inside an exhaust valve seat 112S) that is open to the inside of the cylinder. A ninth aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine in accordance with the first aspect, in which the exhaust passage is formed in a cylinder head (cylinder head 110sh); and the inter- cylinder passage and the cylinder-sided passage section are formed, on an exhaust passage side, in the cylinder head. A tenth aspect of the present invention is the four- cycle internal combustion engine according to the ninth aspect, in which the cylinder head has a face (a plain surface contacting a gasket 190) mating with a cylinder block (cylinder block 110sb) which forms the cylinder; and the inter-cylinder passage has an opening portion (opening portion 150a) that is open toward the mating face. 6 An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the tenth aspect, in which the opening portion is blocked in a manner such that the cylinder head and the cylinder block are assembled together. A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle comprising the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to any one of the first through eleventh aspects. According to the aspects of the present invention, a four-cycle internal combustion engine having plural number of cylinders is provided which allows to further improve a fuel consumption and reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) without the structure of the cylinder head being complicated, and also a vehicle including such four-cycle internal combustion engine is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view in the F3-F3 direction shown in FIG. 2; and 7 FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram, explaining about flows of burnt gasses occurring with operations of intake valves and exhaust valves of the four-cycle internal combustion engine according to then embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Construction of Vehicle) Next, embodiments of the vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference numerals and symbols are given to the same or similar parts in expressions of the following drawings. However, attention should be paid on that the drawings are schematic figures and the proportions of the objects are different from the reality. Therefore, specific sizes and so forth should be determined referring the following descriptions. Also, it is a matter of course that the relationships between sizes or the proportions of the objects are different mutually between the drawings. (1) General Construction of the Whole FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle 10 as a vehicle of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the motorcycle 10 includes a front wheel 20 and a rear wheel 8 70. An engine 100 produces a driving force and drives the rear wheel 70. The engine 100 is a four-cycle engine. A sprocket 170 rotating together with a camshaft (not shown) is disposed above a cylinder head 110sh (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 3) of the engine 100. In this embodiment, the engine 100 structures a four-cycle internal combustion engine. A cam chain 180 is engaged with a crankshaft 160, which is actually a sprocket (not shown) rotating together with the crankshaft 160, and the sprocket 170. An intake pipe 30 in communication with intake ports 110in to 140in (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2) is coupled to the engine 100. Also, an exhaust pipe 40 in communication with exhaust ports 110ex to 140ex is coupled to the engine 100. (2) Construction of Four-Cycle Internal Combustion Engine FIG. 2 is a plan view of the engine 100 structuring a four-cycle internal combustion engine in this embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the engine 100 in a position along the F2-F2 line shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view along the F3-F3 line shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG.2, the engine 100 includes four 9 cylinder sections, specifically, a first cylinder section 110, a second cylinder section 120, a third cylinder section 130, and a fourth cylinder section 140. The first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140 are arranged along the crankshaft 160. That is, the engine 100 is an four-cylinder in-line engine. The first cylinder section 110 has a cylinder 110S. Specifically, the cylinder 110S is formed with a cylinder block HOsb (see FIG. 3) . A piston 113 is disposed inside the cylinder 110S. The first cylinder section 110 has the intake port 110in and the exhaust port 110ex. Specifically, the intake port 110in and the exhaust port 110ex are formed with the cylinder head 110sh (see FIG. 3). The intake port 110in is in communication with the inside of the cylinder 110S. In this embodiment, the intake port 110in configures an intake passage. Similarly to the intake port 110in, the exhaust port 110ex is in communication with the inside of the cylinder 110S. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 110ex configures an exhaust passage. As shown in FIG. 3, the intake port 110in and the exhaust port 110ex are formed in the cylinder head 110sh. 10 An intake valve 111 is disposed at the intake port 110in. The intake valve 111 opens or closes the intake port 110in at a predetermined period. An exhaust valve 112 is disposed at the exhaust port 110ex. The exhaust valve 112 opens or closes the exhaust port 110ex at a predetermined period. A coil spring (not shown) for urging the intake valve 111 in a direction that it closes the intake port 110in is mounted on the intake valve 111. Similarly, a coil spring (not shown) for urging the exhaust valve 112 in a direction that it closes the exhaust port 110ex is mounted on the exhaust valve 112. That is, the intake valve 111 opens or closes the intake port 110in at a predetermined period by rotation of the camshaft together with the sprocket 170. Similarly, the exhaust valve 112 opens or closes the exhaust port 110ex at a predetermined period by rotation of the camshaft together with the sprocket 170. In this embodiment, the sprocket 170 and the cam chain 180 (see FIG. 1) configure a valve actuating mechanism. The second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140 each have a construction similar to the first cylinder section 110. Namely, the second cylinder section 120 has a 11 cylinder 120S, the intake port 120in, and the exhaust port 120ex. An intake valve 121 is disposed at the intake port 120in. An exhaust valve 122 is disposed at the exhaust port 120ex. The third cylinder section 130 has a cylinder 130S, the intake port 130in, and the exhaust port 130ex. An intake valve 131 is disposed at the intake port 130in. An exhaust valve 132 is disposed at the exhaust port 130ex. Similarly, the fourth cylinder section 140 has a cylinder 140S, the intake port 140in, and the exhaust port 140ex. An intake valve 141 is disposed at the intake port 140in. An exhaust valve 142 is disposed at the exhaust port 140ex. Each of the first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140 has a cylinder-sided passage in communication with the exhaust port, through which burnt gasses (EGR gas) pass. For example, the first cylinder section 110 has a cylinder-sided passage 151. Similarly, the second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140 have cylinder-sided passages 152, 153, and 154, respectively. The cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154 are in communication with an inter-cylinder passage 150. That 12 is, the inter-cylinder passage 150 is in communication with a plurality of the cylinder-sided passages. The inter-cylinder passage 150 is formed along the axial direction of the crankshaft 160. Namely, the inter- cylinder passage 150 extends in a direction that a plurality of the cylinders is arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154 are obliquely coupled to the inter-cylinder passage 150 formed along the axial direction of the crankshaft 160 in a plan view of the engine 100. The cylinder-sided passages 151 through 154 branch out from the inter-cylinder passage 150, and extend toward the exhaust ports 110ex to 140ex. As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 151a of the cylinder- sided passage 151 adjoins the top end of an annular exhaust valve seat 112S. Burnt gasses discharged from the opening 151a toward the cylinder-sided passage 151 are supplied to another cylinder (specifically, the third cylinder section 130) via the cylinder-sided passage 151 and the inter-cylinder passage 150. The cylinder-sided passage 151 is directed to an opening portion of the exhaust port 110ex that is open to the cylinder 110S, specifically a gap inside the exhaust valve seat 112S. The inter-cylinder passage 150 and the cylinder-sided passage 151 are formed in the cylinder head 110sh on the 13 side that the exhaust port 110ex is formed. Burnt gasses supplied from another cylinder section (specifically, the second cylinder section 120) via the inter-cylinder passage 150 and the cylinder-sided passage 151 are introduced into the inside of the cylinder 110S through the opening 151a. The direction of the cylinder- sided passage 151, specifically, a direction of the burnt gasses introduced into the cylinder 110S through the opening 151a, is a direction along a periphery 110p of the cylinder 110S (see FIG. 2) viewing the cylinder 110S in its axial direction (the direction shown in FIG. 2). The cylinder head 110sh and the cylinder block 110sb are coupled together through a gasket 190. That is, the cylinder head 110sh has a face mating with the cylinder block 110sb, which is a plain surface contacting the gasket 190 in this embodiment. Further, the inter-cylinder passage 150 has an opening 150a open to the face mating with the cylinder block 110sb. The inter-cylinder passage 150 forms a closed space in such a manner that the cylinder head 110sh and the cylinder block HOsb are combined together to block the opening 150a. The volume (a cross sectional area in the direction of a smaller diameter) of the inter-cylinder passage 150 is larger than that of the cylinder-sided passage 151 14 (152, 153 or 154) . In addition, the cylinder-sided passages 152, 153, 154 each have a shape similar to the cylinder-sided passage 151. (Operation of Four-Cycle Internal Combustion Engine) Next, an operation of the engine 100 of the four- cycle internal combustion engine in this embodiment will be described. Specifically, descriptions will be made about a flow of burnt gasses occurring with operations of the intake valves and the exhaust valves of the engine 100. FIG. 4 shows operation timings of the intake valves and the exhaust valves of the engine 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the engine 100 repeats explosions in order of the first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section 120, the fourth cylinder section 140, and the third cylinder section 130 (see "exhaust valve open" and "intake valve open" timings in the figure). In FIG. 4, arrows show flows of burnt gasses. For example, when the exhaust valve 112 of the first cylinder section 110 is open, burnt gasses flowing from the cylinder 110S into the cylinder-sided passage 151 are supplied to the cylinder 130S of the third cylinder section 130 via the inter-cylinder passage 150 and the cylinder-sided passage 153. Further, in FIG. 4, as an arrow directs toward the exhaust valve 112 of the first 15 cylinder section 110, part of the burnt gasses flowing from the cylinder 110S into the cylinder-sided passage 151 returns from the cylinder-sided passage 151 to the cylinder 110S. A period during which the exhaust valve of any one of the cylinder sections opens, for example, the exhaust valve 112 opens in the first cylinder section 110 overlaps at least partially a period during which the exhaust valve of the cylinder section other than the first cylinder section 110, specifically, the exhaust valve 132 of the third cylinder section 130 opens. That is, the engine 100 includes the four cylinder sections (the first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140) . A period during which an exhaust valve (the exhaust valve 112) in any one of the cylinder sections (for example, the first cylinder section 110) opens overlaps at least partially a period during which an exhaust valve (the exhaust valve 132) opens. Also, in each of the cylinder sections, a period during which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during which the intake valve opens. (Action and Effect) With the engine 100, an internal EGR amount can be 16 made larger than that in a conventional exhaust gas re- circulation device (EGR) , and thus a pumping loss can be reduced. Therefore, a throttle valve (not shown) of the engine 100 is set more open, thereby improving the fuel consumption. The engine 100 has the cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154 in communication with the exhaust ports through which burnt gasses pass, and the inter-cylinder passage 150 in communication with the cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154. Therefore, differently from a conventional EGR, the engine needs to have no special intake and exhaust passage in communication with a gas storage chamber, or no intake and exhaust valve. That is, with the engine 100, in the case that the engine has a plurality of cylinders (the cylinders 110S, 120S, 130S, 140S), the construction of the cylinder head 110sh is not complicated, the fuel consumption can be improved, and nitrogen oxides (NOX) can be reduced. In this embodiment, the direction of burnt gasses discharged from the cylinder-sided passage into the inside of the cylinder is the direction along the periphery (for example, the periphery 110p) of the cylinder. Therefore, burnt gasses can be discharged to swirl along the periphery of the cylinder. That is, in the engine 100, unburned gasses in a quenching area (not 17 shown) are reduced by the burnt gasses, and thus the amount of HC production can be reduced. Further, in the engine 100, the burnt gasses are discharged (refluxed) and swirled inside of the cylinder, and thus burnt gasses flowing near the periphery and a fresh fuel/air mixture flowing from the intake port can be stratified. Namely, it improves an EGR rate (a value obtained by dividing an amount of burnt gasses refluxed into the inside of the cylinder by an amount of an intake air) . Therefore, this contributes for a further improvement in the fuel consumption and cleanup of exhaust gas. In this embodiment, a period during which an exhaust valve of a certain cylinder section, for example the exhaust valve 112 of the first cylinder section 110 opens overlaps a period during which an exhaust valve of a cylinder section other than the first cylinder section 110, specifically, the exhaust valve 132 of the third cylinder section 130 opens. That is, burnt gasses produced in the certain cylinder section are immediately supplied to the another cylinder section. Therefore, this contributes for a further improvement in the fuel consumption and cleanup of exhaust gas. (Other Embodiments) As foregoing, the content of the present invention is disclosed with an embodiment of the present invention. 18 However, it should not be recognized that the descriptions and drawings constituting part of this disclosure limits the present invention. The skilled in this art will appreciate that various alternative embodiments may be made obviously from the disclosure. For example, the direction of introducing a fluid, specifically a fuel/air mixture, into the inside of the cylinder via the intake port, is along the periphery of the cylinder 110S viewing the cylinder 110S in its axial direction. The direction of introducing burnt gasses can be the same as a swirl direction of the fuel/air mixture in the case that the axis of the cylinder 110S is the rotational center. For example, in the first cylinder section 110 shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the intake port 110in can be modified into a shape shown by the one-dot chain-line so that the direction of introducing a fuel/air mixture inside of the cylinder 110S via the intake port 110in is made generally the same as the direction of introducing the burnt gasses. In this case, it is preferred that the period during which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during which the intake valve opens. With a modification in such a manner, a swirl flow of burnt gasses discharged inside of the cylinder can be enhanced. While the period during which the exhaust valve of a 19 certain cylinder section opens overlaps the period during which the exhaust valve of a cylinder other than the certain cylinder opens in the above embodiment, the both periods do not necessarily need to overlap. In the above embodiment, the direction of discharging burnt gasses from the cylinder-sided passage into the inside of the cylinder is along the periphery (for example, the periphery 110p) of the cylinder. However, the direction of discharging burnt gasses does not necessarily need to be along the periphery of the cylinder. In the above embodiment, the engine 100 is an in-line four-cylinder engine. However, the engine 100 is not limited to the in-line four-cylinder engine, but can be an in-line six-cylinder engine, or a V-type eight- cylinder engine. Further, the engine 100 does not necessarily have to be an even number cylinder in-line engine. For example, the engine 100 can be a three- cylinder engine or a five-cylinder engine. In the above embodiments, the descriptions are made with the motorcycle 10 as an example. However, it is a matter of course that the present invention can be applied to vehicles other than a motorcycle, for example, an engine (a four-cycle internal combustion engine) carried on a four wheeled motor vehicle. 20 It is therefore a matter of course that the present invention includes various embodiments that are not described in this document. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited solely by the specific inventive elements valid in the above descriptions according to claims. 21 WE CLAIM: 1. A four-cycle internal combustion engine comprising: a plurality of cylinder sections each including a cylinder and an exhaust passage in communication with an inside of the cylinder, wherein: the cylinder section is in communication with the exhaust passage and has a cylinder-sided passage section in communication with the exhaust passage through which burnt gasses pass; and the engine further comprising an inter-cylinder passage in communication with a plurality of the cylinder-sided passage sections. 2. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a direction in which the burnt gasses are introduced into the cylinder-sided passage section is a direction along a periphery of the cylinder, as seen from an axial view of the cylinder. 3. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the cylinder section includes an exhaust valve for opening or closing the exhaust passage; and a time period during which the exhaust valve of one 22 cylinder section is opened overlaps at least partially another time period during which the exhaust valve of another cylinder section. 4. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3, further comprising: a crankshaft; and a valve actuating mechanism for opening or closing the exhaust valve at a predetermined period with rotation of the crankshaft. 5. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the cylinder section includes an intake passage in communication with the inside of the cylinder; a direction in which a fluid is taken into the inside of the cylinder via the intake passage is the direction along the periphery of the cylinder, as seen from the axial view of the cylinder; and a direction in which the burnt gasses are introduced corresponds to a direction in which the fluid is swirled about an center axis of the cylinder. 6. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3, wherein: 23 the cylinder section includes an intake passage in communication with the inside of the cylinder, and an intake valve for opening or closing the intake passage; and a period during which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during which the intake valve opens. 7. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the inter-cylinder passage extends along an arrangement of the plurality of the cylinder sections; and the cylinder-sided passage section branches from the inter-cylinder passage and extends toward the exhaust passage. 8. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylinder-sided passage section is directed to an exhaust passage opening that is open to the inside of the cylinder. 9. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the exhaust passage is formed in a cylinder head; and the inter-cylinder passage and the cylinder-sided 24 passage section are formed, on an exhaust passage side, in the cylinder head. 10. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the cylinder head has a face mating with a cylinder block which forms the cylinder; and the inter-cylinder passage has an opening portion that is open toward the mating face. 25 11. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the opening portion is blocked in a manner such that the cylinder head and the cylinder block are assembled together. 12. A vehicle comprising the four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in any of claims 1 through 11. An engine has cylinder-sided passages, through which burnt gasses pass. Also, the engine includes an inter- cylinder passage in communication with the cylinder-sided passages.

Full Text

FOUR CYCLE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND VEHICLE
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent
Application No. 2007-006375 filed on January 15, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a four-cycle
internal combustion engine having an exhaust gas re-
circulation device (EGR), and a vehicle including such
four-cycle internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, four-cycle internal combustion engines
having an exhaust gas re-circulation device (EGR) for
returning part of exhaust gas (burnt gasses) to a
combustion chamber are widely used. The EGR slows down
combustion of a fuel/air mixture in a combustion chamber,
lowers the highest combustion temperature, and to reduce
nitrogen oxides (NOX) .
For example, an EGR including a gas storage chamber
is known, in which an auxiliary exhaust valve is provided
at an auxiliary exhaust port coupled to a combustion
chamber and part of burnt gasses (EGR gas) discharged via
the auxiliary exhaust port is stored in the gas storage
chamber (see JP-A-05-086992 (page 6, FIGs. 17 and 18),
1

for example) . In such an EGR, EGR gas stored in the
storage chamber is returned to the combustion chamber at
a predetermined timing.
A four-cycle internal combustion engine having the
EGR disclosed in JP-A-05-086992 requires a main exhaust
port and a main exhaust valve, and an auxiliary exhaust
port and an auxiliary exhaust valve in addition.
Therefore, there is a problem that the structure of a
cylinder head is complicated and production cost becomes
expensive especially with a multi-cylinder four-cycle
internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinder
sections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention is made in
consideration of the foregoing problem. The object of
the present invention is to provide a four-cycle internal
combustion engine having a plurality of cylinder sections
in which a structure of a cylinder head is not
complicated, a fuel consumption can be improved, and
nitrogen oxides (NOx) can be reduced, and also provide a
vehicle including the four-cycle internal combustion
engine described above.
To solve the above problems, the present invention
has following features. A first aspect of the present
2

invention is a four-cycle internal combustion engine
(engine 100), including a plurality of cylinder sections
(for example, first cylinder section 110) each including
a cylinder (for example, cylinder 110S) and an exhaust
passage (for example, exhaust port 110ex) in
communication with the inside of the cylinder, in which
the cylinder section is in communication with the exhaust
passage and has a cylinder-sided passage section (for
example, cylinder-sided passage section 151) in
communication with the exhaust passage, through which
burnt gasses pass, and the engine further including an
inter-cylinder passage (inter-cylinder passage 150) in
communication with a plurality of the cylinder-sided
passage sections.
With such a four-cycle internal combustion engine, an
internal EGR amount can be made larger than those in
conventional cases, and thus a pumping loss decreases.
Also, the four-cycle internal combustion engine has the
cylinder-sided passage in communication with the exhaust
passage through which burnt gasses pass, and the inter-
cylinder passage in communication with a plurality of the
cylinder-sided passages. Therefore, differently from a
conventional EGR, the engine needs to have no special
intake or exhaust passage in communication with a gas
storage chamber, or an intake and exhaust valve.
3

Namely, with such features, the structure around a
cylinder head is not complicated in the case that the
engine has a plurality of cylinder sections, a fuel
consumption can be improved, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) can
be reduced.
A second aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the first
aspect, in which a direction in which the burnt gasses
are introduced into the cylinder-sided passage section is
a direction along a periphery (periphery 110p) of the
cylinder, as seen from an axial view of the cylinder.
A third aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the first
aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an exhaust
valve (for example, exhaust valve 112) for opening or
closing the exhaust passage; and a time period during
which the exhaust valve of one cylinder section (for
example, first cylinder section 110) is opened overlaps
at least partially another time period during which the
exhaust valve (exhaust valve 132) of another cylinder
section (third cylinder section 130).
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the third
aspect, further including: a crankshaft (crankshaft 160),
and a valve actuating mechanism (sprocket 170 and cam
4

chain 180) for opening or closing the exhaust valve at a
predetermined period with rotation of the crankshaft.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the second
aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an intake
passage (for example, intake port 110in) in communication
with the inside of the cylinder; a direction in which a
fluid is taken into the inside of the cylinder via the
intake passage is the direction along the periphery of
the cylinder, as seen from the axial view of the
cylinder; and a direction in which the burnt gasses are
introduced corresponds to a direction in which the fluid
is swirled about an center axis of the cylinder.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the third
aspect, in which the cylinder section includes an intake
passage (for example, intake port 110in) in communication
with the inside of the cylinder (for example, cylinder
110S) , and an intake valve (intake valve 111) for opening
or closing the intake passage, and a period during which
the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during which
the intake valve opens.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the
four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the
first aspect, in which the inter-cylinder passage extends
5

along an arrangement of the plurality of the cylinder
sections, and the cylinder-sided passage section branches
from the inter-cylinder passage and extends toward the
exhaust passage.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is the
four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the
first aspect, in which the cylinder-sided passage section
is directed to an exhaust passage opening (an air gap
inside an exhaust valve seat 112S) that is open to the
inside of the cylinder.
A ninth aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine in accordance with the
first aspect, in which the exhaust passage is formed in a
cylinder head (cylinder head 110sh); and the inter-
cylinder passage and the cylinder-sided passage section
are formed, on an exhaust passage side, in the cylinder
head.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the four-
cycle internal combustion engine according to the ninth
aspect, in which the cylinder head has a face (a plain
surface contacting a gasket 190) mating with a cylinder
block (cylinder block 110sb) which forms the cylinder;
and the inter-cylinder passage has an opening portion
(opening portion 150a) that is open toward the mating
face.
6

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the
four-cycle internal combustion engine according to the
tenth aspect, in which the opening portion is blocked in
a manner such that the cylinder head and the cylinder
block are assembled together.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the
vehicle comprising the four-cycle internal combustion
engine according to any one of the first through eleventh
aspects.
According to the aspects of the present invention, a
four-cycle internal combustion engine having plural
number of cylinders is provided which allows to further
improve a fuel consumption and reduce nitrogen oxides
(NOx) without the structure of the cylinder head being
complicated, and also a vehicle including such four-cycle
internal combustion engine is provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the four-cycle internal
combustion engine according to the embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view in the F3-F3
direction shown in FIG. 2; and
7

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram, explaining about
flows of burnt gasses occurring with operations of intake
valves and exhaust valves of the four-cycle internal
combustion engine according to then embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(Construction of Vehicle)
Next, embodiments of the vehicle according to the
present invention will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference
numerals and symbols are given to the same or similar
parts in expressions of the following drawings. However,
attention should be paid on that the drawings are
schematic figures and the proportions of the objects are
different from the reality.
Therefore, specific sizes and so forth should be
determined referring the following descriptions. Also,
it is a matter of course that the relationships between
sizes or the proportions of the objects are different
mutually between the drawings.
(1) General Construction of the Whole
FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle 10 as a
vehicle of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the
motorcycle 10 includes a front wheel 20 and a rear wheel
8

70. An engine 100 produces a driving force and drives
the rear wheel 70.
The engine 100 is a four-cycle engine. A sprocket
170 rotating together with a camshaft (not shown) is
disposed above a cylinder head 110sh (not shown in FIG. 1,
see FIG. 3) of the engine 100. In this embodiment, the
engine 100 structures a four-cycle internal combustion
engine.
A cam chain 180 is engaged with a crankshaft 160,
which is actually a sprocket (not shown) rotating
together with the crankshaft 160, and the sprocket 170.
An intake pipe 30 in communication with intake ports
110in to 140in (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2) is
coupled to the engine 100. Also, an exhaust pipe 40 in
communication with exhaust ports 110ex to 140ex is
coupled to the engine 100.
(2) Construction of Four-Cycle Internal Combustion
Engine
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the engine 100 structuring a
four-cycle internal combustion engine in this embodiment.
Specifically, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the engine 100 in
a position along the F2-F2 line shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3
is a cross sectional view along the F3-F3 line shown in
FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG.2, the engine 100 includes four
9

cylinder sections, specifically, a first cylinder section
110, a second cylinder section 120, a third cylinder
section 130, and a fourth cylinder section 140. The
first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section
120, the third cylinder section 130, and the fourth
cylinder section 140 are arranged along the crankshaft
160. That is, the engine 100 is an four-cylinder in-line
engine.
The first cylinder section 110 has a cylinder 110S.
Specifically, the cylinder 110S is formed with a cylinder
block HOsb (see FIG. 3) . A piston 113 is disposed
inside the cylinder 110S.
The first cylinder section 110 has the intake port
110in and the exhaust port 110ex. Specifically, the
intake port 110in and the exhaust port 110ex are formed
with the cylinder head 110sh (see FIG. 3).
The intake port 110in is in communication with the
inside of the cylinder 110S. In this embodiment, the
intake port 110in configures an intake passage.
Similarly to the intake port 110in, the exhaust port
110ex is in communication with the inside of the cylinder
110S. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 110ex
configures an exhaust passage.
As shown in FIG. 3, the intake port 110in and the
exhaust port 110ex are formed in the cylinder head 110sh.
10

An intake valve 111 is disposed at the intake port 110in.
The intake valve 111 opens or closes the intake port
110in at a predetermined period.
An exhaust valve 112 is disposed at the exhaust port
110ex. The exhaust valve 112 opens or closes the exhaust
port 110ex at a predetermined period.
A coil spring (not shown) for urging the intake valve
111 in a direction that it closes the intake port 110in
is mounted on the intake valve 111. Similarly, a coil
spring (not shown) for urging the exhaust valve 112 in a
direction that it closes the exhaust port 110ex is
mounted on the exhaust valve 112.
That is, the intake valve 111 opens or closes the
intake port 110in at a predetermined period by rotation
of the camshaft together with the sprocket 170.
Similarly, the exhaust valve 112 opens or closes the
exhaust port 110ex at a predetermined period by rotation
of the camshaft together with the sprocket 170. In this
embodiment, the sprocket 170 and the cam chain 180 (see
FIG. 1) configure a valve actuating mechanism.
The second cylinder section 120, the third cylinder
section 130, and the fourth cylinder section 140 each
have a construction similar to the first cylinder section
110.
Namely, the second cylinder section 120 has a
11

cylinder 120S, the intake port 120in, and the exhaust
port 120ex. An intake valve 121 is disposed at the
intake port 120in. An exhaust valve 122 is disposed at
the exhaust port 120ex.
The third cylinder section 130 has a cylinder 130S,
the intake port 130in, and the exhaust port 130ex. An
intake valve 131 is disposed at the intake port 130in.
An exhaust valve 132 is disposed at the exhaust port
130ex. Similarly, the fourth cylinder section 140 has a
cylinder 140S, the intake port 140in, and the exhaust
port 140ex. An intake valve 141 is disposed at the
intake port 140in. An exhaust valve 142 is disposed at
the exhaust port 140ex.
Each of the first cylinder section 110, the second
cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and
the fourth cylinder section 140 has a cylinder-sided
passage in communication with the exhaust port, through
which burnt gasses (EGR gas) pass. For example, the
first cylinder section 110 has a cylinder-sided passage
151. Similarly, the second cylinder section 120, the
third cylinder section 130, and the fourth cylinder
section 140 have cylinder-sided passages 152, 153, and
154, respectively.
The cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154 are in
communication with an inter-cylinder passage 150. That
12

is, the inter-cylinder passage 150 is in communication
with a plurality of the cylinder-sided passages. The
inter-cylinder passage 150 is formed along the axial
direction of the crankshaft 160. Namely, the inter-
cylinder passage 150 extends in a direction that a
plurality of the cylinders is arranged.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder-sided passages 151
to 154 are obliquely coupled to the inter-cylinder
passage 150 formed along the axial direction of the
crankshaft 160 in a plan view of the engine 100. The
cylinder-sided passages 151 through 154 branch out from
the inter-cylinder passage 150, and extend toward the
exhaust ports 110ex to 140ex.
As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 151a of the cylinder-
sided passage 151 adjoins the top end of an annular
exhaust valve seat 112S. Burnt gasses discharged from
the opening 151a toward the cylinder-sided passage 151
are supplied to another cylinder (specifically, the third
cylinder section 130) via the cylinder-sided passage 151
and the inter-cylinder passage 150. The cylinder-sided
passage 151 is directed to an opening portion of the
exhaust port 110ex that is open to the cylinder 110S,
specifically a gap inside the exhaust valve seat 112S.
The inter-cylinder passage 150 and the cylinder-sided
passage 151 are formed in the cylinder head 110sh on the
13

side that the exhaust port 110ex is formed.
Burnt gasses supplied from another cylinder section
(specifically, the second cylinder section 120) via the
inter-cylinder passage 150 and the cylinder-sided passage
151 are introduced into the inside of the cylinder 110S
through the opening 151a. The direction of the cylinder-
sided passage 151, specifically, a direction of the burnt
gasses introduced into the cylinder 110S through the
opening 151a, is a direction along a periphery 110p of
the cylinder 110S (see FIG. 2) viewing the cylinder 110S
in its axial direction (the direction shown in FIG. 2).
The cylinder head 110sh and the cylinder block 110sb
are coupled together through a gasket 190. That is, the
cylinder head 110sh has a face mating with the cylinder
block 110sb, which is a plain surface contacting the
gasket 190 in this embodiment.
Further, the inter-cylinder passage 150 has an
opening 150a open to the face mating with the cylinder
block 110sb. The inter-cylinder passage 150 forms a
closed space in such a manner that the cylinder head
110sh and the cylinder block HOsb are combined together
to block the opening 150a.
The volume (a cross sectional area in the direction
of a smaller diameter) of the inter-cylinder passage 150
is larger than that of the cylinder-sided passage 151
14

(152, 153 or 154) . In addition, the cylinder-sided
passages 152, 153, 154 each have a shape similar to the
cylinder-sided passage 151.
(Operation of Four-Cycle Internal Combustion Engine)
Next, an operation of the engine 100 of the four-
cycle internal combustion engine in this embodiment will
be described. Specifically, descriptions will be made
about a flow of burnt gasses occurring with operations of
the intake valves and the exhaust valves of the engine
100.
FIG. 4 shows operation timings of the intake valves
and the exhaust valves of the engine 100. As shown in
FIG. 4, the engine 100 repeats explosions in order of the
first cylinder section 110, the second cylinder section
120, the fourth cylinder section 140, and the third
cylinder section 130 (see "exhaust valve open" and
"intake valve open" timings in the figure).
In FIG. 4, arrows show flows of burnt gasses. For
example, when the exhaust valve 112 of the first cylinder
section 110 is open, burnt gasses flowing from the
cylinder 110S into the cylinder-sided passage 151 are
supplied to the cylinder 130S of the third cylinder
section 130 via the inter-cylinder passage 150 and the
cylinder-sided passage 153. Further, in FIG. 4, as an
arrow directs toward the exhaust valve 112 of the first
15

cylinder section 110, part of the burnt gasses flowing
from the cylinder 110S into the cylinder-sided passage
151 returns from the cylinder-sided passage 151 to the
cylinder 110S.
A period during which the exhaust valve of any one of
the cylinder sections opens, for example, the exhaust
valve 112 opens in the first cylinder section 110
overlaps at least partially a period during which the
exhaust valve of the cylinder section other than the
first cylinder section 110, specifically, the exhaust
valve 132 of the third cylinder section 130 opens.
That is, the engine 100 includes the four cylinder
sections (the first cylinder section 110, the second
cylinder section 120, the third cylinder section 130, and
the fourth cylinder section 140) . A period during which
an exhaust valve (the exhaust valve 112) in any one of
the cylinder sections (for example, the first cylinder
section 110) opens overlaps at least partially a period
during which an exhaust valve (the exhaust valve 132)
opens.
Also, in each of the cylinder sections, a period
during which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period
during which the intake valve opens.
(Action and Effect)
With the engine 100, an internal EGR amount can be
16

made larger than that in a conventional exhaust gas re-
circulation device (EGR) , and thus a pumping loss can be
reduced. Therefore, a throttle valve (not shown) of the
engine 100 is set more open, thereby improving the fuel
consumption.
The engine 100 has the cylinder-sided passages 151 to
154 in communication with the exhaust ports through which
burnt gasses pass, and the inter-cylinder passage 150 in
communication with the cylinder-sided passages 151 to 154.
Therefore, differently from a conventional EGR, the
engine needs to have no special intake and exhaust
passage in communication with a gas storage chamber, or
no intake and exhaust valve.
That is, with the engine 100, in the case that the
engine has a plurality of cylinders (the cylinders 110S,
120S, 130S, 140S), the construction of the cylinder head
110sh is not complicated, the fuel consumption can be
improved, and nitrogen oxides (NOX) can be reduced.
In this embodiment, the direction of burnt gasses
discharged from the cylinder-sided passage into the
inside of the cylinder is the direction along the
periphery (for example, the periphery 110p) of the
cylinder. Therefore, burnt gasses can be discharged to
swirl along the periphery of the cylinder. That is, in
the engine 100, unburned gasses in a quenching area (not
17

shown) are reduced by the burnt gasses, and thus the
amount of HC production can be reduced. Further, in the
engine 100, the burnt gasses are discharged (refluxed)
and swirled inside of the cylinder, and thus burnt gasses
flowing near the periphery and a fresh fuel/air mixture
flowing from the intake port can be stratified.
Namely, it improves an EGR rate (a value obtained by
dividing an amount of burnt gasses refluxed into the
inside of the cylinder by an amount of an intake air) .
Therefore, this contributes for a further improvement in
the fuel consumption and cleanup of exhaust gas.
In this embodiment, a period during which an exhaust
valve of a certain cylinder section, for example the
exhaust valve 112 of the first cylinder section 110 opens
overlaps a period during which an exhaust valve of a
cylinder section other than the first cylinder section
110, specifically, the exhaust valve 132 of the third
cylinder section 130 opens. That is, burnt gasses
produced in the certain cylinder section are immediately
supplied to the another cylinder section. Therefore,
this contributes for a further improvement in the fuel
consumption and cleanup of exhaust gas.
(Other Embodiments)
As foregoing, the content of the present invention is
disclosed with an embodiment of the present invention.
18

However, it should not be recognized that the
descriptions and drawings constituting part of this
disclosure limits the present invention. The skilled in
this art will appreciate that various alternative
embodiments may be made obviously from the disclosure.
For example, the direction of introducing a fluid,
specifically a fuel/air mixture, into the inside of the
cylinder via the intake port, is along the periphery of
the cylinder 110S viewing the cylinder 110S in its axial
direction. The direction of introducing burnt gasses can
be the same as a swirl direction of the fuel/air mixture
in the case that the axis of the cylinder 110S is the
rotational center. For example, in the first cylinder
section 110 shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the intake port
110in can be modified into a shape shown by the one-dot
chain-line so that the direction of introducing a
fuel/air mixture inside of the cylinder 110S via the
intake port 110in is made generally the same as the
direction of introducing the burnt gasses.
In this case, it is preferred that the period during
which the exhaust valve opens overlaps a period during
which the intake valve opens. With a modification in
such a manner, a swirl flow of burnt gasses discharged
inside of the cylinder can be enhanced.
While the period during which the exhaust valve of a
19

certain cylinder section opens overlaps the period during
which the exhaust valve of a cylinder other than the
certain cylinder opens in the above embodiment, the both
periods do not necessarily need to overlap.
In the above embodiment, the direction of discharging
burnt gasses from the cylinder-sided passage into the
inside of the cylinder is along the periphery (for
example, the periphery 110p) of the cylinder. However,
the direction of discharging burnt gasses does not
necessarily need to be along the periphery of the
cylinder.
In the above embodiment, the engine 100 is an in-line
four-cylinder engine. However, the engine 100 is not
limited to the in-line four-cylinder engine, but can be
an in-line six-cylinder engine, or a V-type eight-
cylinder engine. Further, the engine 100 does not
necessarily have to be an even number cylinder in-line
engine. For example, the engine 100 can be a three-
cylinder engine or a five-cylinder engine.
In the above embodiments, the descriptions are made
with the motorcycle 10 as an example. However, it is a
matter of course that the present invention can be
applied to vehicles other than a motorcycle, for example,
an engine (a four-cycle internal combustion engine)
carried on a four wheeled motor vehicle.
20

It is therefore a matter of course that the present
invention includes various embodiments that are not
described in this document. Therefore, it is intended
that the scope of the present invention be limited solely
by the specific inventive elements valid in the above
descriptions according to claims.
21

WE CLAIM:
1. A four-cycle internal combustion engine
comprising:
a plurality of cylinder sections each including a
cylinder and an exhaust passage in communication with an
inside of the cylinder, wherein:
the cylinder section is in communication with the
exhaust passage and has a cylinder-sided passage section
in communication with the exhaust passage through which
burnt gasses pass; and
the engine further comprising an inter-cylinder
passage in communication with a plurality of the
cylinder-sided passage sections.
2. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 1, wherein a direction in which the
burnt gasses are introduced into the cylinder-sided
passage section is a direction along a periphery of the
cylinder, as seen from an axial view of the cylinder.
3. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the cylinder section includes an exhaust valve for
opening or closing the exhaust passage; and
a time period during which the exhaust valve of one
22

cylinder section is opened overlaps at least partially
another time period during which the exhaust valve of
another cylinder section.
4. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 3, further comprising:
a crankshaft; and
a valve actuating mechanism for opening or closing the
exhaust valve at a predetermined period with rotation of
the crankshaft.
5. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 2, wherein:
the cylinder section includes an intake passage in
communication with the inside of the cylinder;
a direction in which a fluid is taken into the inside
of the cylinder via the intake passage is the direction
along the periphery of the cylinder, as seen from the
axial view of the cylinder; and
a direction in which the burnt gasses are introduced
corresponds to a direction in which the fluid is swirled
about an center axis of the cylinder.
6. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 3, wherein:
23

the cylinder section includes an intake passage in
communication with the inside of the cylinder, and an
intake valve for opening or closing the intake passage;
and
a period during which the exhaust valve opens
overlaps a period during which the intake valve opens.
7. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the inter-cylinder passage extends along an
arrangement of the plurality of the cylinder sections;
and
the cylinder-sided passage section branches from the
inter-cylinder passage and extends toward the exhaust
passage.
8. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylinder-sided passage
section is directed to an exhaust passage opening that is
open to the inside of the cylinder.
9. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the exhaust passage is formed in a cylinder head; and
the inter-cylinder passage and the cylinder-sided
24

passage section are formed, on an exhaust passage side,
in the cylinder head.
10. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 9, wherein:
the cylinder head has a face mating with a cylinder
block which forms the cylinder; and
the inter-cylinder passage has an opening portion
that is open toward the mating face.
25
11. The four-cycle internal combustion engine as
claimed in claim 10, wherein the opening portion is
blocked in a manner such that the cylinder head and the
cylinder block are assembled together.
12. A vehicle comprising the four-cycle internal
combustion engine as claimed in any of claims 1 through
11.

An engine has cylinder-sided passages, through which
burnt gasses pass. Also, the engine includes an inter-
cylinder passage in communication with the cylinder-sided
passages.

Documents:

« Previous Patent

Next Patent »

Patent Number

252095

Indian Patent Application Number

1666/KOL/2007

PG Journal Number

17/2012

Publication Date

27-Apr-2012

Grant Date

25-Apr-2012

Date of Filing

12-Dec-2007

Name of Patentee

YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Applicant Address

2500 SHINGAI, IWATA-SHI, SHIZUOKA-KEN

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	OSAMU TAKII	C/O. YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA 2500 SHINGAI, IWATA-SHI, SHIZUOKA 4388501
2	YOSHIYUKI HIGAKI	C/O. YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA 2500 SHINGAI, IWATA-SHI, SHIZUOKA 4388501

PCT International Classification Number

F02B75/02, F01L1/18;

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	2007-006375	2007-01-15	Japan