Collection-amount detection method for particulate matters and collection-amount detection apparatus therefor and exhaust-gas converting apparatus

• US 8,119,988 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Daido, Shigeki, Oyama, Naohisa, Tsuji, Shinji, Suzuki, Juji, Kato, Hitoshi, Shibuya, Takayuki, Kawase, Kodo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaworecki, Mark R
• Application Number:
  US12/664,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20100187089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 250/339.12, 250/339.13
• US Class Current: 250/339.13
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2273/22 Making use of microwaves, e.g. for measurements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/30 for treatment of exhaust gases from IC Engines
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2418 Honeycomb filters used for filtering exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine F01N3/022; ceramic honeycomb structures per se C04B38/0006
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/442 by measuring the concentration of particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/84 by heating only
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2550/04 Filtering activity of particulate filters
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/05 the means being a particulate sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/06 the means being a temperature sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/08 the means being a pressure sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/12 Other sensor principles, e.g. using electro conductivity of substrate or radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/025 using fuel burner or by adding fuel to exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A filter 2 for collecting PMs, a microwave transmitter 30 for emitting electromagnetic waves whose frequency is dozens of GHz-a few of THz onto the filter 2, a microwave receiver 31 for detecting an intensity of the electromagnetic waves that have transmitted through the filter 2, and a computing means for computing a collection amount of PMs from the intensity that has been detected with the microwave receiver 31 are included. Since it is possible to detect the distribution of the collection amount of PMs with good accuracy, it is possible to carry out a recycling process in a state where the collection amount does not become too much, and thereby it is possible to make a reducing-agent supply amount into exhaust gases minimum at the time of the recycling process.

Claims

1. A collection-amount detection method for particulate matters, the collection-amount detection method being a collection-amount estimation method for estimating a collection amount of particulate matters, which have been collected in a collector container, by putting the collector container in place in a flow passage in which gases including the particulate matters distribute, and including:

an emission step of emitting electromagnetic waves whose wave length is millimeter wave length or submillimeter wave length onto the collector container from the outside of the collector container; and

a detection step of detecting an intensity of the electromagnetic waves that have transmitted through the collector container, and then substituting the intensity into a relational expression between intensity and collection amount that have been determined in advance, thereby computing a collection amount of the particulate matters.

2. A collection-amount detection apparatus for particulate matters, including:

a collector container being put in place in a flow passage in which gases including particulate matters distribute;

an electromagnetic-wave emitting means for emitting electromagnetic waves whose wave length is millimeter wave length or submillimeter wave length onto the collector container from the outside of the collector container;

an electromagnetic-wave receiving means for detecting an intensity of the electromagnetic waves that have transmitted through the collector container; and

a computing means for computing a collection amount of the particulate matters from the intensity that has been detected with the electromagnetic-wave receiving means.

3. An exhaust-gas converting apparatus including:

a filter being put in place in an exhaust-gas flow passage, and being for collecting particulate matters in which carbon makes the majority;

an accommodator container for accommodating the filter therein;

an electromagnetic-wave emitting means for emitting electromagnetic waves whose wave length is millimeter wave length or submillimeter wave length onto the filter through an incident window that is formed in the accommodator container;

an electromagnetic-wave receiving means for detecting an intensity of the electromagnetic waves that have transmitted through the filter and have then radiated through a radiation window that is formed in the accommodator container; and

a computing means for computing a collection amount of particulate matters from the intensity that has been detected with the electromagnetic-wave receiving means.

4. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said computing means calculates an absorption coefficient of said electromagnetic waves at said filter, onto which particulate matters have been collected, from a value being detected by means of said electromagnetic-wave receiving means, and then computes a collection amount of particulate matters from a ratio with respect to an absorption coefficient of said electromagnetic waves, absorption coefficient which has been measured in advance, at said filter alone onto which no particulate matters are collected.

5. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 4, being further equipped with a reducing-agent supplying means for supplying a reducing agent into exhaust gases on an upstream side of said filter.

6. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 5, being further equipped with:

an estimating means for estimating said collection amount of particulate matters that have been collected onto said filter; and

a controlling means for controlling driving of said reducing-agent supplying means based on said collection amount of particulate matters, collection amount which has been estimated by means of said estimating means.

7. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said estimating means estimates the collection amount of particulate matters based on at least one of a value being detected by a differential-pressure detecting means for detecting a differential pressure between an upstream side of said filter and a downstream side thereof, and a value being detected by a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of said filter.

8. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 3 being further equipped with a reducing-agent supplying means for supplying a reducing agent into exhaust gases on an upstream side of said filter.

9. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 8 being further equipped with:

an estimating means for estimating said collection amount of particulate matters that have been collected onto said filter; and

a controlling means for controlling driving of said reducing-agent supplying means based on said collection amount of particulate matters, collection amount which has been estimated by means of said estimating means.

10. The exhaust-gas converting apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said estimating means estimates the collection amount of particulate matters based on at least one of a value being detected by a differential-pressure detecting means for detecting a differential pressure between an upstream side of said filter and a downstream side thereof, and a value being detected by a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of said filter.