ATMOSPHERE-CLEANING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES

• US 20150343379A1
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: TOMIMATSU, Makoto, HOSHI, Koichi, SHINODA, Yoshihisa, SUGIMOTO, Kazuhiro, OOKUBO, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,446,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/102 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/1021 Platinum
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/1023 Palladium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/1025 Rhodium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/1026 Ruthenium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/104 Silver
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/106 Gold
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/2073 Manganese
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/20738 Iron
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/20746 Cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/20753 Nickel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/20761 Copper
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/50 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/702 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/106 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/06 Polluted air
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4566 for use in transportation means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/8675 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/8696 Controlling the catalytic process
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/88 : Handling or mounting catalysts

Abstract

An object of this invention is to provide an atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles that is capable of restoring the function of an ozone purifying body carried by a vehicle component. Mud, dust, snow-melting agents as well as SOx and NOx are scattered into the atmosphere as a result of being swirled up by a preceding vehicle or due to weather and climate conditions. When such extraneous substances adhere or the like to an ozone purifying body, the purification sites thereof are clogged and the ozone purification function deteriorates. Therefore, when a predetermined removal implementation condition is established, control is executed to inject cleaning liquid from an injector to enhance the fluidity of the extraneous substances and wash the extraneous substances away. The function of the ozone purifying body can thereby be restored.

Claims

1. An atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles, comprising:

a vehicle component that is arranged at a location at which a flow path of atmospheric air is formed while a vehicle is travelling;

an ozone purifying body that is carried by the vehicle component and that has an ozone purification function;

remover injection means configured to inject onto the ozone purifying body a remover for removing a deterioration-causing substance that causes a deterioration in an ozone purification function; and

a controller programmed to set an injection amount of the remover from the remover injection means using at least one of a rate of decline in an ozone purification rate based on an ozone purification rate in an initial state of the ozone purifying body, an atmospheric air velocity with respect to atmospheric air passing through the ozone purifying body, and a bed temperature of the ozone purifying body.

2. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

acquire the bed temperature, and

set the injection amount so that, the higher the bed temperature that is acquired is, the greater the injection amount becomes.

3. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

acquire the atmospheric air velocity,

set the injection amount so that, the higher the atmospheric air velocity that is acquired is, the greater the injection amount becomes.

4. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

acquire the rate of decline,

set the injection amount so that, the larger the rate of decline that is acquired is, the greater the injection amount becomes.

5. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein:

the remover is a liquid, and

the controller is further programmed to control the remover injection means so as to divide an operation to inject the remover from the remover injection means into a main injection, and a pre-injection in which the remover is injected at a lower injection pressure than in the main injection.

6. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

acquire the rate of decline,

in a case where the rate of decline that is acquired is within a set range, increase an injection proportion of the remover at a pre-injection time and also set an interval period between the pre-injection and the main injection to a long period in accordance with the rate of decline, and in a case where the rate of decline that is acquired is lower than the set range, keep the injection proportion constant, and set the interval period to a long period in accordance with the rate of decline.

7. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

determine whether or not a predetermined stop condition relating to the vehicle is established;

acquire a travelled distance of the vehicle from a previous time the predetermined stop condition is established until a current time the predetermined stop condition is established; and

in a case where it is determined that the predetermined stop condition is established, prohibit the setting of the injection amount using the at least one of the rate of decline, the atmospheric air velocity, and the bed temperature, and set an injection amount of the remover from the remover injection means using the travelled distance of the vehicle that is acquired.

8. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further programmed to set the injection amount so that, the longer the travelled distance of the vehicle that is acquired is, the greater the injection amount becomes.

9. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 7, wherein the remover is a liquid;

the atmosphere-cleaning device further comprising a fan that is configured to send atmospheric air that is present at a rear of the vehicle component to a front of the vehicle component; and

wherein

the controller is further programmed to control, in a case where it is determined that the predetermined stop condition is established, the fan in advance of control of the remover injection means.

10. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein:

the remover injection means is an injector having a plurality of injection holes, and the plurality of injection holes are respectively arranged facing a plurality of regions that are previously set as regions in which a passing atmospheric air amount is large of a surface of the vehicle component.

11. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein:

the injector comprises;

a plate that has a single injection hole and that is disposed so as to cover the plurality of injection holes, and

plate rotation means for rotating the plate so that one injection hole among the plurality of injection holes, and the single injection hole communicate per injection.

12. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein:

the remover injection means is a plurality of injectors, and injection holes of the plurality of injectors are respectively arranged facing a plurality of regions that are previously set as regions in which a passing atmospheric air amount is large of a surface of the vehicle component.

13. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle component is a casing that is provided in a vehicle width direction, and

the remover injection means comprises piping that is extended in the vehicle width direction at an upper portion of the casing and is configured to inject the remover along a surface of the casing from the upper portion to a lower portion of the casing.

14. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further programmed to

acquire the atmospheric air velocity, and

set the injection amount so that, the higher the atmospheric air velocity that is acquired is, the less an injection amount of the remover from the piping becomes.

15. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle component is a radiator or an intercooler.

16. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the ozone purifying body includes a porous material.

17. The atmosphere-cleaning device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the remover is antifreeze or water.