Exhaust treatment apparatus

• US 20040163453A1
• Filed: 10/29/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwata, Yoshinari, Shimizu, Masatake
• Granted Patent: US 7,040,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/118.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/102 by monitoring exhaust gases

Abstract

An exhaust treatment apparatus has an arm rotatably supported on a test bed and a masking section provided at the distal end portion of the arm. The masking section is connected to an exhaust treatment section via an exhaust pipe. When the arm is turned to a test position from a standby position, the masking section faces an internal combustion engine with a predetermined gap therebetween. In this state, a masking-section cylinder presses the masking section toward the internal combustion engine to set the masking section in close contact with the internal combustion engine. As a result, the exhaust port of the internal combustion engine is connected to an inlet port provided in the masking section. Exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port is supplied to the exhaust treatment section through the inlet port, the masking section and the exhaust pipe, and is treated in the exhaust treatment section.

Claims

1. An exhaust treatment apparatus for treating exhaust discharged from an exhaust port of an internal combustion engine when testing the internal combustion engine, comprising:

an exhaust inlet portion having an inlet port through which exhaust discharged from the exhaust port is introduced; and

a displacement mechanism which displaces the exhaust inlet portion in such a way as to set the inlet port close to and away from the exhaust port.

2. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing mechanism which presses the exhaust inlet portion toward the internal combustion engine in order to place the inlet port in close contact with the exhaust port.

3. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust inlet portion is attached to the displacement mechanism via the pressing mechanism, and with the exhaust inlet portion being placed close to the internal combustion engine with a predetermined gap therebetween by the displacement mechanism, the pressing mechanism presses the exhaust inlet portion toward the internal combustion engine.

4. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an exhaust treatment section for treating the exhaust; and

an exhaust pipe which connects the exhaust inlet portion to the exhaust treatment section to lead exhaust, introduced to the exhaust port, to the exhaust treatment section.

5. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a test bed having a restriction mechanism which restricts rocking of the internal combustion engine.

6. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the restriction mechanism is a clamp mechanism to clamp the internal combustion engine.

7. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the test bed is equipped with the displacement mechanism.

8. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the displacement mechanism includes:

an arm supported on the test bed in such a way as to be able to rotate around a predetermined rotational axis; and

an actuator for rotating the arm,

wherein the exhaust inlet portion is provided on the arm.

9. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the displacement mechanism includes:

a slide mechanism provided upright on the test bed; and

an arm which is supported in such a manner as to be liftable up and down with respect to the slide mechanism and is lifted up and down by the slide mechanism,

wherein the exhaust inlet portion is provided on the arm.

10. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust inlet portion is provided with a seal member in such a way as to surround the inlet port, and the seal member seals between the exhaust inlet portion and the internal combustion engine with the exhaust inlet portion connected to the internal combustion engine.

11. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the seal member is made of a heat resistant and resilient material.

12. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the seal member is made of a fluorine-based rubber material.

13. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust inlet portion is attached to the displacement mechanism in a detachable manner.

14. An exhaust treatment apparatus for treating exhaust discharged from an exhaust port of an internal combustion engine when testing the internal combustion engine, comprising:

a test bed equipped with a clamp mechanism to clamp the internal combustion engine;

an arm supported on the test bed in such a way as to be able to rotate around a predetermined rotational axis;

an arm actuator for rotating the arm and moving the arm between a test position close to the internal combustion engine and a standby position distant from the internal combustion engine;

a masking section provided on the arm and having an inlet port to permit inlet of exhaust discharged from the exhaust port; and

a masking-section actuator which couples the masking section to the arm in a movable manner and presses the masking section toward the internal combustion engine with the arm placed at the test position, thereby connecting the inlet port to the exhaust port.

15. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an exhaust treatment section for treating the exhaust; and

a flexible exhaust pipe which connects the masking section to the exhaust treatment section to lead exhaust, introduced to the exhaust port, to the exhaust treatment section.

16. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the masking section is provided with a seal member in such a way as to surround the inlet port, and the masking-section actuator places the masking section in close contact with the internal combustion engine via the seal member.

17. An exhaust treatment apparatus for treating exhaust discharged from an exhaust port of an internal combustion engine when testing the internal combustion engine, comprising:

a test bed equipped with a clamp mechanism to clamp the internal combustion engine;

a slide mechanism provided upright on the test bed;

an arm which is supported in such a manner as to be liftable up and down with respect to the slide mechanism and is lifted up and down by the slide mechanism in such a manner that the slide mechanism moves the arm between a test position close to the internal combustion engine and a standby position distant from the internal combustion engine;

a masking section provided on the arm and having an inlet port to permit inlet of exhaust discharged from the exhaust port; and

a masking-section actuator which couples the masking section to the arm in a movable manner and presses the masking section toward the internal combustion engine with the arm placed at the test position, thereby connecting the inlet port to the exhaust port.

18. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an exhaust treatment section for treating the exhaust; and

a flexible exhaust pipe which connects the masking section to the exhaust treatment section to lead exhaust, introduced to the exhaust port, to the exhaust treatment section.

19. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the masking section is provided with a seal member in such a way as to surround the inlet port, and the masking-section actuator places the masking section in close contact with the internal combustion engine via the seal member.