Engine exhaust apparatus

• US 5,431,013 A
• Filed: 12/21/1993
• Issued: 07/11/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Hiroaki, Tateno, Yoshimitsu, Yamaki, Yasuhito, Nakazato, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O'CONNOR, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US08/170,751
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 60/289, 60/293, 60/298, 60/299, 60/302, 60/307, 60/308, 181/256, 181/262, 181/272
• US Class Current: 60/289
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/24 by using sound-absorbing materials F01N1/04, F01N1/06, F01N1/10, F01N1/14, F01N1/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2270/02 for cooling exhaust gases or the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0335 with exhaust silencers in a single housing
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/306 Preheating additional air
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/34 using air conduits or jet air pumps, e.g. near the engine exhaust port
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An engine exhaust apparatus comprises a sound suppressing section for lowering the exhaust noise level as an exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port passes through it. The exhaust apparatus is provided with an ejector section for introducing secondary air into the exhaust gas delivered from the sound suppressing section and mixing the gases, and a post-treatment section for purifying the gas mixture delivered from the ejector section. The exhaust gas discharged from an exhaust manifold gets into the ejector section through the sound suppressing section, and is then purified in the post-treatment section. Therefore, the ejector effect cannot be reduced by the sound suppressing section which is subject to high flow resistance. Thus, the exhaust noise level can be lowered with the ejector effect of the introduction of the secondary air improved considerably, and low cost and simple construction can be enjoyed.

Claims

1. An engine exhaust apparatus for purifying an exhaust gas discharged from an exhaust port of an engine and lowering the exhaust noise level, said apparatus comprising:

a sound suppressing section for lowering the exhaust noise level as the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port passes through the sound suppressing section;

an ejector section for introducing secondary air into the exhaust gas delivered from the sound suppressing section and mixing the secondary air and the exhaust gas so as to cool said whole exhaust apparatus by inducing said secondary air through ejecting effect of said exhaust gas; and

a post-treatment section for purifying the gas mixture delivered from the ejector section so as to completely purify said exhaust gas in a simple structure.

2. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sound suppressing section includes:

a first expansion chamber for receiving the exhaust gas;

a second expansion chamber communicating with the first expansion chamber by a guide pipe; and

a third expansion chamber defined between the first and second expansion chambers and communicating with the second expansion chamber.

3. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ejector section includes:

a barrel member;

an exhaust gas intake pipe connecting the barrel member and the sound suppressing section;

an air intake pipe for externally introducing the secondary air; and

a diffuser pipe for mixing the secondary air and the exhaust gas and guiding the resulting gas mixture into the post-treatment section.

4. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said exhaust gas intake pipe intersects the central axis of the barrel member at right angles thereto so that the exhaust gas introduced into the barrel member swirls in an accelerating flow.

5. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a check valve in the air intake pipe for preventing the unpurified exhaust gas from being discharged into the atmosphere through the air intake pipe.

6. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a fourth expansion chamber defined adjacent to said post-treatment section and guiding some of the exhaust gas from the second expansion chamber into a discharge port whereby the exhaust gas from the second expansion chamber is mixed with the secondary air in the ejector section, and the resulting gas mixture is introduced into the catalyst, while some of the exhaust gas from the second expansion chamber is introduced into the fourth expansion chamber, and then into the exhaust chamber, so that the introduced gas is mixed with the exhaust gas purified by the catalyst, and the resulting gas mixture is discharged into the atmosphere.

7. An engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a cover member covering at least a part of the body of the exhaust apparatus in a manner such that an intake passage for introducing secondary air is defined between the cover member and the apparatus body so as to cool said apparatus body;

sound suppressing means set in the intake passage;

wherein said ejector section is for feeding the secondary air from the intake passage into the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port and mixing the secondary air and the exhaust gas.

8. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said ejector section includes:

an exhaust nozzle for delivering the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port; and

a diffuser surrounding the exhaust nozzle and used to introduce the secondary air from the intake passage into the region around the exhaust nozzle so that the exhaust gas and the secondary air are mixed, and to discharge the resulting mixture into the post-treatment section.

9. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port contains oil, and said apparatus further comprising:

an oil separating chamber for separating the oil from the exhaust gas from the exhaust port by whirling the exhaust gas.

10. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said ejector section includes:

an exhaust nozzle for delivering the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port; and

a diffuser surrounding the exhaust nozzle and used to introduce the secondary air from the intake passage into the region around the exhaust nozzle so that the exhaust gas and the secondary air are mixed, and to discharge the resulting mixture into the oil separating chamber.

11. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said post-treatment section includes:

a reactor for purifying some of the exhaust gas discharged from the oil separating chamber.

12. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said post-treatment section includes:

guide means for guiding unburned oil separated from the soil separating chamber; and

combustion means for burning the unburned oil guided by the guide means.

13. The engine exhaust apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the secondary air in the secondary air intake passage is sucked and discharged by the ejector effect from the muffler cooling diffuser section of the cover member, in which the discharge port of the tailpipe is loosely fitted, whereby the muffler body is cooled by the secondary air, so that its high-temperature deterioration can be restrained.