Exhaust apparatus for four wheeled utility vehicle

• US 8,893,471 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Takagi, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Audrey K
• Application Number:
  US13/780,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 602/76, 602/99, 603/01, 603/13, 603/20, 603/24, 181/227, 181/228, 181/247, 181/252, 181/256
• US Class Current: 60/276
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 11/00 Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus , e.g. for catalytic activity safety, indicating or supervising devices for internal combustion engines F02B77/08; testing of machines G01M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/008 Mounting or arrangement of exhaust sensors in or on exhaust apparatus sensor arrangements for engine control F02D41/1439
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/08 Other arrangements or adaptations of exhaust conduits pipes, joints or supports therefor in general F16L; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2260/022 using air
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2340/04 characterised by the arrangement of an exhaust pipe, manifold or apparatus in relation to vehicle frame or particular vehicle parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2885 with exhaust silencers in a single housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

Provided is an exhaust apparatus for a utility vehicle which discharges exhaust gas from exhaust pipes connected to exhaust ports of an engine including cylinders, the apparatus including an exhaust gathering portion gathering the exhaust pipes, a catalyst portion located on a downstream side of the exhaust gathering portion and purifying the exhaust gas, and a sensor attaching pipe provided between the exhaust gathering portion and the catalyst portion and to which an exhaust gas sensor is detachably attached, wherein the sensor attaching pipe, in a state where the exhaust gas sensor is attached, has a height in which a sensing portion of the exhaust gas sensor is located in the sensor attaching pipe, and the sensor attaching pipe is provided such that a top end to which the exhaust gas sensor is detachably attached is located above a base end and away from a surrounding heat source.

Claims

1. An exhaust apparatus for a utility vehicle which discharges exhaust gas from a plurality of exhaust pipes connected to exhaust ports of cylinders, the apparatus comprising:

an exhaust gathering pipe having an exhaust gathering pipe portion connected to the exhaust pipes and a catalyst pipe portion located on a downstream side of the exhaust gathering pipe portion to purify the exhaust gas;

a sensor attaching pipe provided on the exhaust gathering pipe between the exhaust gathering pipe portion and the catalyst pipe portion, said sensor attaching pipe has a base end attached to the exhaust gathering pipe, and a remote end opposite the base end disposed remotely from the exhaust gathering pipe;

an exhaust gas sensor detachably attached to the remote end of the sensor attaching pipe, said exhaust gas sensor having a sensing portion located at a distal end thereof nearest to the exhaust gathering pipe, wherein

the sensor attaching pipe is tilted relative to said exhaust gathering pipe such that the remote end of the sensor attaching pipe is located above the base end of the sensor attaching pipe and away from a surrounding heat source, and

the sensor attaching pipe has a height so that the sensing portion at the distal end of the exhaust gas sensor is located within the sensor attaching pipe.

2. The exhaust apparatus for the utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the remote end of the sensor attaching pipe is tilted relative to the exhaust gathering pipe toward an exhaust downstream side.

3. The exhaust apparatus for the utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the utility vehicle includes a continuously variable V-belt transmission having a cooling device,

the cooling device includes an exhaust duct arranged to discharge air in the continuously variable V-belt transmission, and

regulating walls provided at an outlet of the exhaust duct are configured to receive the discharged air, regulate air discharging direction, and guide the discharged air to the exhaust gas sensor.

4. The exhaust apparatus for the utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

punching metals are provided on inner surfaces of the exhaust gathering pipe portion, said punching metals having holes therein;

an inside of the sensor attaching pipe and an inside of the exhaust gathering pipe communicating with each other through the holes in the punching metals;

a boss attaching hole is formed in the exhaust gathering pipe and communicates betwee the inside of the sensor attaching pipe and the inside of the exhaust gathering pipe; and

noise absorbing members are provided along the inner surfaces of the exhaust gathering pipe portion, except that said noise absorbing members are absent from a location adjecent to the boss attaching hole.

5. The exhaust apparatus for the utility vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the catalyst pipe portion has an exhaust upstream end abutted onto exhaust downstream ends of the punching metals to perform positioning in an exhaust flow direction of the catalyst pipe portion in the exhaust pipes.