Exhaust treatment apparatus

• US 7,040,148 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwata, Yoshinari, Shimizu, Masatake
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US10/694,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20040163453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 731/181, 731/16, 731/172, 731/173, 731/19.R, 73/233.1, 73/233.2
• US Class Current: 73/116.04
• 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 between a first position proximate the exhaust port and a second position spaced away from the exhaust port; and

a test bed having a restriction mechanism which restricts rocking of the internal combustion engine;

wherein the test bed is equipped with the displacement mechanism;

and wherein the displacement mechanism comprises 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.

2. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing mechanism which when the displacement mechanism is in the first position 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 in the first position proximate 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, wherein the restriction mechanism is a clamp mechanism to clamp the internal combustion engine.

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

7. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement mechanism comprises an elongated rotatably-mounted arm with the exhaust inlet portion provided at a distal end of the arm to rotate between the first position and the second position.

8. 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 in the first position the seal member seals between the exhaust inlet portion and the internal combustion engine.

9. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the seal member is made of a heat resistant and resilient material.

10. The exhaust treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the seal member is made of a fluorine-based rubber material.

11. An exhaust treatment apparatus 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 between a first position proximate the exhaust port and a second position spaced away from the exhaust port; and

a test bed having a restriction mechanism which restricts rocking of the internal combustion engine;

wherein the test bed is equipped with the displacement mechanism;

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

a test bed having a restriction mechanism which restricts rocking of the internal combustion engine;

wherein the test bed is equipped with the displacement mechanism; and

wherein the displacement mechanism comprises;

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.