Abstract: For the present small solenoid valve, a stem is coupled to a solenoid plunger, and a valve body is attached to a distal end of the stem. A circular-ring shaped valve seat on which the valve body is seated is provided in a valve chamber of a valve casing, and a seal ring is externally fitted on the stem between the valve chamber and the solenoid plunger with an outer peripheral portion of the seal ring made to contact with an inner surface of the valve casing. The valve casing and the seal ring are made of a rubber-like polymer elastic body, a first port is connected to communicate with the valve chamber, and a second port is connected to communicate with an inner side of the valve seat. At actuation of the solenoid, when the stem moves in an axial direction, the seal ring follows the movement by only elastic deformation without sliding.

Abstract: A piston ring having a hard carbon coating film is provided that can be easily formed in the same batch, does not cause delamination, and is excellent in initial running-in and wear resistance. A hard carbon coating film is formed at least on an outer peripheral sliding surface of a piston ring base and contains substantially no hydrogen, wherein the hard carbon coating film has an sp2 content ratio ranging from 40% to 80% measured in a TEM-EELS spectrum where transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) are combined together, and an area ratio of contained macro particles on a surface of the hard carbon coating film ranges from 0.1% to 10.0%.

Abstract: A breather chamber for an internal combustion engine wherein the breather chamber has a large size that is formed while an increase in the size of the internal combustion engine is suppressed. The breather chamber of an internal combustion engine includes looped cam chains for transmitting the power of a horizontally disposed crankshaft to camshafts provided in cylinder heads and includes cam chain chambers disposed alongside portions of cylinder block portions which intersect the direction of the crankshaft. The breather chamber is located on a side of a plane formed by a rotation locus of the cam chain in the direction of the crankshaft in the cam chain chamber.

Abstract: Provided are a coating film, a manufacturing method for the same, and a PVD device that not only sufficiently improve the balance of low-friction properties and wear resistance, but also improve chipping resistance and peeling resistance. This film is coated on a substrate surface, wherein the coating film has a hard carbon that presents relatively black and white when observed in a cross-sectional bright-field TEM image, a mesh-shaped hard carbon layer is formed using a PVD method, said layer having white-colored hard carbon in a mesh shape extending in the thickness direction and black-colored hard carbon dispersed into the cavities in the mesh, and the ID/IG ratio is 1-6 when the mesh-shaped hard carbon layer is measured using Raman spectroscopy, said ratio being the ratio of the Raman spectrum D band peak area intensity and G band peak area intensity.

Abstract: Provided are a coating film, a manufacturing method for the same, and a PVD device that not only sufficiently improve the balance of low-friction properties and wear resistance, but also improve chipping resistance (defect resistance) and peeling resistance. This coating film coats a substrate surface, wherein a hard carbon layer is formed extending in columns-shape perpendicular to the substrate when observed in a cross-sectional bright-field TEM image, the hard carbon layer is formed using a PVD method, and the ID/IG ratio is 1-6 when the hard carbon layer is measured using Raman spectroscopy, said ratio being the ratio of the Raman spectrum D band peak area intensity and G band peak area intensity.

Abstract: An engine including a motorized throttle valve that can implement mutually neighboring disposition of a throttle body and a cylinder head and can implement a good opening and closing responsibility thereof. A swelling portion is formed on a side wall of a valve chamber in such a manner so as to bite between those of throttle bodies which neighbor with each other in order to accept a protrusion of part of a valve system in a radial direction of first and second camshafts. An electric motor is disposed at one side of the group of the throttle bodies. A speed reduction mechanism, for transmitting output power of the electric motor to a valve shaft, is disposed between those throttle bodies, which neighbor with each other at a different location in the group of the throttle bodies, in a neighboring relationship with the valve chamber.

Abstract: A water pump unit has, within a water pump case, a drive shaft for driving an impeller, and a transmission member for transmitting power of a power supply device to the drive shaft. The water pump unit is configured such that the water pump case receives therein and supports the drive shaft, the transmission member is supported by the water pump case by means of the drive shaft with a part of the transmission member protruding from within the water pump case, and an attachment surface of the water pump case, for joining the water pump case to the power supply device, is formed to extend along the transmission member.

Abstract: An oil passage of an internal combustion engine including a crankcase, a cylinder block integrally connected to the crankcase, a piston operatively mounted within the cylinder block, a piston jet for providing oil to the piston within the cylinder block and a breather device integrally formed on the cylinder block wherein the breather device is in communication with the inside of the crankcase. An elevation of temperature of the oil which flows in an oil supply path is prevented thus allowing oil in the oil supply path to maintain a low temperature wherein the oil in the supply path is supplied to a piston jet formed on the internal combustion engine. An oil supply path through which oil is supplied to the piston jet is integrally formed on a wall body exposed to ambient air on a peripheral wall which forms the breather device.

Abstract: A damper unit of an internal combustion engine includes an input-side rotor, an output-side rotor, first coiled springs, second coiled springs, an input-side sliding contact surface, and a biasing member. The input-side rotor includes a first spring holder, a second spring holder, and a connecting portion. The second spring holder is arranged on a second side of the output-side rotor, has a facing side facing the output-side rotor, and has second spring accommodation portions on the facing side each of which accommodates each of the second coiled springs. The input-side sliding contact surface is provided in the second spring holder so as to be in sliding contact with an output-side sliding contact surface of the output-side rotor. The biasing member is provided between the first spring holder and the output-side rotor to press the output-side rotor toward the second spring holder.

Abstract: A circular arc shaped flow path (21) is formed as a microfluidic flow path in a sheet-like microfluidic chip (20). A roller (15) on a rotor (10) is pressed against the circular arc shaped flow path (21) in the microfluidic chip (20), the rotor (10) is rotary-driven by a driving motor 4, and the circular arc shaped flow path (21) is caused to make a peristaltic motion by rotation of the rotor (10), to send a liquid in the flow path. On the flat surface of the rotor (10), a plurality of rollers (15) are held so as to be pressed in contact with the circular arc shaped flow path (21), to freely rotate on the flat surface perpendicular to a rotary shaft (13) of the rotor (10). The circular arc shaped flow path (21) is disposed along the rotational trajectory of the plurality of rollers (15).

Abstract: A cam bearing lubrication structure for an internal combustion engine includes a cylinder head having a cam bearing region, a plug hole for an ignition plug and a plug tube fitted liquid-tight therein. The cam bearing lubrication structure includes an outer periphery oil path bypassing along an outer peripheral face of the plug tube, a main lubricating oil passage extending through the plug hole and formed to connect to the outer periphery oil path and a guide passage formed in and through the cam bearing region to connect a sliding face of the cam bearing region from the outer periphery oil path and supplying lubricating oil to a sliding face of the cam bearing region and a camshaft. In addition, a lubricating oil supplying structure is provided for a valve apparatus for further increasing the oil supply amount to achieve a further increase in the speed of the engine.

Abstract: A saddle-riding type vehicle wherein an electric power transmission apparatus is rendered compact and a clearance is kept between a front wheel and a shift motor in a structure wherein a change mechanism and the shift motor are disposed in a forward direction of a power unit. A change mechanism for selectively establishing a gear stage of a transmission and a shift motor for supplying rotational power to the change mechanism are disposed in a forward direction of a power unit. A speed reducer gear mechanism for reducing the speed of the rotational power from the shift motor is disposed in a forward direction of a transmission compartment. The shift motor is disposed such that a main motor body thereof is positioned rearwardly of the speed reducer gear mechanism.

Abstract: A piston ring having a hard carbon film formed on at least an external peripheral sliding surface of a piston ring base material, the hard carbon film having an sp2 component ratio within a range of 40% to 80% inclusive as measured by a TEM-EELS spectrum which combines electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) with a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a hydrogen content being in a range of 0.1 at. % to 5 at. % inclusive, and an amount of macroparticles appearing on the surface being within a range of 0.1% to 10% inclusive by area ratio. The hard carbon film is formed on a hard carbon foundation film formed under low-speed film-forming conditions on the side of the piston ring base material, and the hard carbon foundation film is formed with an arc current value 80% or less of the arc current value during the formation of the hard carbon film.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a crankcase, a case cover for covering a side of the crankcase, a crankshaft and a balancer shaft. A balancer has a balancer driven gear and a balance weight provided on the balancer driven gear and is acted upon and driven by a driving force of the crankshaft to rotate. An oil pump is accommodated in the crankcase and has an oil pump driving shaft disposed in parallel to the crankshaft and the balancer shaft. The oil pump includes a pump driven gear. The balancer has a pump driving gear which has a diameter smaller than that of the balancer driven gear and rotates together with the balancer driven gear. The pump driving gear meshes with the pump driven gear. The oil pump driving shaft is disposed within a range of rotation of the balance weight as viewed in an axial direction thereof.

Abstract: An oil supply structure for a power unit includes a working oil pump, a lubrication oil pump, an oil storage section, a working oil pressure detection part and a lubrication hydraulic pressure detection part, the oil storage section including a lubrication oil storage chamber in which a suction section of the lubrication oil pump is opened, and a working oil storage chamber in which a suction section of the working oil pump is opened, and oil overflowed from the working oil storage chamber being stored in the lubrication oil storage chamber.

Abstract: The second compression ring is formed such that the outer peripheral surface shape has a tapered face, and the radial cross-sectional shape is a rectangular ring, a scraper ring, or a Napier ring, and has a piston ring base and a hard film provided at least on an outer peripheral sliding surface thereof. The piston ring base is composed of a low-alloy steel or carbon steel having a Vickers hardness of Hv 350 Hv 550. The outer peripheral sliding surface is formed so that the axial length is from 0.01 to 0.30 mm between the outer edge end part of the tapered outer peripheral sliding surface and an imaginary line contacting with a lower end surface where a curved surface having a diameter that decreases gradually inward from the outer edge end part toward the lower end in the axial direction is parallel to a ring underside.

Abstract: An oil filter exposed to an outside of an internal combustion engine that may be damaged by a stone or a similar object thrown rearwardly from a front tire. A saddle-ride type vehicle includes a power unit that includes an internal combustion engine and a transmission. The transmission is coupled to the internal combustion engine. A lower portion of the power unit forms an oil reservoir. The power unit includes an oil filter, an actuator, and a transmission mechanism. The actuator is configured to drive the transmission. The transmission mechanism is configured to transmit power from the actuator to the transmission. The oil filter is disposed outside a wall portion of the power unit. The wall portion configures a part of the oil reservoir. The oil filter is disposed adjacent to the wall portion and the actuator.

Abstract: An exhaust emission control device for an internal combustion engine including multiple reed valve chambers which are provided to cylinder head portions of a multi-cylinder engine. The reed valve chambers are formed by covering recessed portions in the cylinder head portion with reed valve covers. Upstream sides of the reed valve chambers communicate with the atmosphere via a secondary air supply pipe. Downstream sides of the reed valve chambers communicate with exhaust ports via communication passages provided to the cylinder head portion. The reed valves are interposed between the upstream sides and the downstream sides of the reed valve chambers, and are opened by exhaust pulsation pressure. In the cylinder head portion, the multiple reed valve chambers are disposed with spaces therebetween. The reed valve covers communicate individually with the secondary air supply pipe, and the reed valve covers are connected in series by the secondary air supply pipe.

Abstract: For the present small solenoid valve, a stem is coupled to a solenoid plunger, and a valve body is attached to a distal end of the stem. A circular-ring shaped valve seat on which the valve body is seated is provided in a valve chamber of a valve casing, and a seal ring is externally fitted on the stem between the valve chamber and the solenoid plunger with an outer peripheral portion of the seal ring made to contact with an inner surface of the valve casing. The valve casing and the seal ring are made of a rubber-like polymer elastic body, a first port is connected to communicate with the valve chamber, and a second port is connected to communicate with an inner side of the valve seat. At actuation of the solenoid, when the stem moves in an axial direction, the seal ring follows the movement by only elastic deformation without sliding.

Abstract: A saddle-type vehicle that allows an oil pressure adjusting system for a hydraulic clutch to be optimally disposed in a power unit in which a crankshaft is disposed along the vehicle body front-rear direction. A crankshaft of an engine is disposed along the vehicle front-rear direction. An oil pressure adjusting system that operates hydraulic clutches is attached to a clutch cover of a power unit. The oil pressure adjusting system is disposed so as to overlap with the hydraulic clutches as viewed in the axial direction of the crankshaft.