Login| Sign Up| Help| Contact|

Patent Searching and Data


Title:
EXHAUST REGULATING UNIT OF EXHAUST SYTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2004/106704
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
An exhaust regulating unit of n exhaust system for a car’s internal combustion engine includes a casing inserted into a damper pipe installed within a housing of a silencer and including a hollow tube, a guide unit including at least one guide wing formed in a radial shape such that the at least one guide wing is fixed within the casing due to forced insertion and including a rotary shaft expanding in a predetermined length, a rotary body installed around the rotary shaft of the guide unit and including at least one blade rotating in response to the exhaust gas, a free rotation means enabling the rotary body to freely rotate around the rotary shaft in response to the exhaust gas, and a diffuser installed at the rotary shaft having passed through the rotary body to guide the exhaust gas.

More Like This:
Inventors:
WOO HAN-SOEK (KR)
Application Number:
PCT/KR2003/001049
Publication Date:
December 09, 2004
Filing Date:
May 28, 2003
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
DAS (KR)
WOO HAN-SOEK (KR)
International Classes:
F01N1/18; F01N3/08; F01N1/00; (IPC1-7): F01N3/037
Foreign References:
US5325729A1994-07-05
US4987879A1991-01-29
US4267899A1981-05-19
US4616732A1986-10-14
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Park, Young-il (5F. 649-14 Yoksam-Don, Gangnam-gu Seoul 135-080, KR)
Download PDF:
Claims:
What is claimed is:
1. An exhaust regulating unit of an exhaust system for a car's internal combustion engine, the exhaust regulating unit comprising: a casing inserted into a damper pipe installed within a housing of a silencer, the casing comprising a hollow tube having a predetermined size; a guide unit comprising at least one guide wing formed in a radial shape such that the at least one guide wing is fixed within the casing due to forced insertion and guides exhaust gas and comprising a rotary shaft expanding in a predetermined length from an opposite side to a side of the guide unit where the at least one guide wing is formed; a rotary body installed around the rotary shaft of the guide unit, the rotary body comprising at least one blade freely rotating in response to the exhaust gas; a free rotation means enabling the rotary body to freely rotate around the rotary shaft in response to the exhaust gas; and a diffuser installed at the rotary shaft having passed through the rotary body to guide the exhaust gas.
2. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 1, wherein the free rotation means comprises: a bearing inserted into a bore of the rotary body in contact therewith and coupled around the rotary shaft; a fixing protrusion extending from an outer circumference of an end of the rotary shaft to be in contact with a side of an inner wheel of the bearing; an elastic member installed around the rotary shaft having passed through the rotary body to be in contact with an opposite side of the inner wheel of the bearing, the elastic member having a predetermined elastic force; a fixing element installed around the rotary shaft having passed through the elastic member to be elastically supported by the elastic member; and a stop ring inserted into a keeper groove formed on the rotary shaft having passed through the fixing element to make the elastic member elastically support the fixing element.
3. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 1, further comprising one or more rotary bodies installed around the rotary shaft to rotate freely.
4. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 1, further comprising: a stopping sill formed at a predetermined position at an end portion of a bore of the damper pipe to stop the casing inserted into the damper pipe; a key groove formed having a predetermined width on an inner circumference of the damper pipe at an end of the casing; and a ring key having a ring shape to be inserted into the key groove to fix the casing within the damper pipe, the ring key comprising an opening and two handles bent in a predetermined length at opposite ends of the opening such that a diameter of the ring key is reduced by pulling the handles inward.
5. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one insertion groove formed on either of an inside and an outside of the casing, wherein a magnet is inserted into the at least one insertion groove and the at least one blade is made of a magnetic material such that a magnetic field induced by the magnet interferes with the at least one blade.
6. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 5, wherein an N pole is positioned at an end of one magnet and an S pole is positioned at an end of another magnet adjacent to the one magnet such that a magnetic force line is formed in a direction in which the at least one blade rotates in response to the exhaust gas flowing into the casing.
7. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 5, further comprising: a screw hole formed at a predetermined position of the damper pipe corresponding to the insertion groove of the casing; a static electricity inductor piercing the housing of the silencer and coupled with the screw hole to induce current according to a change in the magnetic field formed when the at least one blade rotates; an amplifier amplifying a voltage generated by the static electricity inductor; an analogtodigital converter converting an amplitude and a period of the voltage amplified by the amplifier into digital data; a controller calculating a displacement and a flow rate of the exhaust gas referring to a voltage table stored in a memory unit based on the digital data; and a display unit displaying the calculated displacement and flow rate of the exhaust gas.
8. The exhaust regulating unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one blade is made of an ultrasonic material.
Description:
EXHAUST REGULATING UNIT OF EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Technical Field The present invention relates to an exhaust regulating unit of an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to an exhaust regulating unit which maintains exhaust resistance constant using a blade freely rotating according to the displacement and flow rate of the exhaust gas when the flow rate is medium or low and which quickly discharges the exhaust gas using rotational inertia of the freely rotating blade at a high flow rate of the exhaust gas, thereby increasing efficiency of an internal combustion engine and reforming noxious substances in the exhaust gas passing the blade.

Generally, a silencer and a muffler in an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine is provided to remove an explosive sound produced when combustion gas of the internal combustion engine is directly discharged and discharge exhaust gas to increase efficiency of the internal combustion engine.

This silencer is usually formed by installing an expansion chamber in an exhaust pipe to attenuate sound using resonance or sound wave reflection on an inner wall or by putting an acoustic absorbent in a passage of exhaust gas to reduce sound energy using friction with sound waves.

Background Art A conventional silencer will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

A housing 2 in a muffler 1 has a space in predetermined size. A damper pipe 3 is installed within the housing 2 in a lengthwise direction.

A discharge pipe 4 is connected to an end of the damper pipe 3 to discharge exhaust gas flowing in the silencer 1. The discharge pipe 4 communicates with an outside of the housing 2.

An exhaust pipe 5 is connected to an opposite end of the damper pipe 3 to lead exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine. A rotor 6 is fixedly coupled to the opposite end of the damper pipe 3 to be surrounded by an inner circumference of the damper pipe 3. The rotor 6 has a plurality of blades 6a twisted at a predetermined angle to aspirate and whirl exhaust gas.

Exhaust gas output from the internal combustion engine flows into the exhaust pipe 5 in the silencer 1. Then, the exhaust gas is whirled by the blades 6a of the rotor 6 at the opposite end of the damper pipe 3 and led into the damper pipe 3.

Since the exhaust gas does not make a straight advance but is whirled when passing through the damper pipe 3, it is gradually expanded and lowered in pressure and temperature due to a plurality of holes 7 communicating with the inside and the outside of the damper pipe 3. As a result, an explosion of the exhaust gas is prevented.

However, when a noise reduction effect of conventional silencers is increased, exhaust resistance is also increased, thereby decreasing a power of the internal combustion engine. Conversely, when the exhaust resistance is reduced, the noise reduction effect is decreased.

Meanwhile, in a case where the exhaust gas flows at a medium or low rate, efficiency of the internal combustion engine is increased when the exhaust gas is stagnated by constant exhaust resistance, instead of being quickly discharged. In a case where the exhaust gas flows at a high rate, the efficiency of the internal combustion engine is increased when the exhaust gas is quickly discharged. However, in the conventional silencers, the exhaust gas is discharged with uniform exhaust resistance regardless of the flow rate of the exhaust gas. As a result, the conventional silencers cannot maximize the efficiency of the internal combustion engine.

Moreover, hydro carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide contained in the exhaust gas generated in the internal

combustion engine is a major factor of environmental pollution.

Reforming of the exhaust gas has been an important social issue.

However, the conventional silencers do not reform noxious substances contained in the exhaust gas, thereby adversely affecting the environmental pollution.

Disclosure of the Invention The present invention provides an exhaust regulating unit which increases or decreases exhaust resistance according to the displacement of exhaust gas when discharging the exhaust gas, thereby reducing fuel consumption due to an increase in the power of an internal combustion engine, and which reforms noxious substances contained in the exhaust gas polluting air.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exhaust regulating unit of an exhaust system for a car's internal combustion engine, including a casing inserted into a damper pipe installed within a housing of a silencer, the casing including a hollow tube having a predetermined size; a guide unit including at least one guide wing formed in a radial shape such that the at least one guide wing is fixed within the casing due to forced insertion and guides exhaust gas and including a rotary shaft expanding in a predetermined length from an opposite side to a side of the guide unit where the at least one guide wing is formed; a rotary body installed around the rotary shaft of the guide unit, the rotary body including at least one blade freely rotating in response to the exhaust gas; a free rotation means enabling the rotary body to freely rotate around the rotary shaft in response to the exhaust gas; and a diffuser installed at the rotary shaft having passed through the rotary body to guide the exhaust gas.

The free rotation means may include a bearing inserted into a bore of the rotary body in contact therewith and coupled around the rotary shaft; a fixing protrusion extending from an outer circumference of

an end of the rotary shaft to be in contact with a side of an inner wheel of the bearing; an elastic member installed around the rotary shaft having passed through the rotary body to be in contact with an opposite side of the inner wheel of the bearing, the elastic member having a predetermined elastic force; a fixing element installed around the rotary shaft having passed through the elastic member to be elastically supported by the elastic member; and a stop ring inserted into a keeper groove formed on the rotary shaft having passed through the fixing element to make the elastic member elastically support the fixing element.

The exhaust regulating unit may further include one or more rotary bodies installed around the rotary shaft to rotate freely.

The exhaust regulating unit may further include a stopping sill formed at a predetermined position at an end portion of a bore of the damper pipe to stop the casing inserted into the damper pipe; a key groove formed having a predetermined width on an inner circumference of the damper pipe at an end of the casing; and a ring key having a ring shape to be inserted into the key groove to fix the casing within the damper pipe, the ring key including an opening and two handles bent in a predetermined length at opposite ends of the opening such that a diameter of the ring key is reduced by pulling the handles inward.

The exhaust regulating unit may further include at least one insertion groove formed on either of an inside and an outside of the casing. Here, a magnet is inserted into the at least one insertion groove and the at least one blade is made of a magnetic material such that a magnetic field induced by the magnet interferes with the at least one blade. An N pole may be positioned at an end of one magnet and an S pole may be positioned at an end of another magnet adjacent to the one magnet such that a magnetic force line is formed in a direction in which the at least one blade rotates in response to the exhaust gas flowing into the casing.

The exhaust regulating may further include a screw hole formed at a predetermined position of the damper pipe corresponding to the insertion groove of the casing; a static electricity inductor piercing the housing of the silencer and coupled with the screw hole to induce current according to a change in the magnetic field formed when the at least one blade rotates; an amplifier amplifying a voltage generated by the static electricity inductor; an analog-to-digital converter converting an amplitude and a period of the voltage amplified by the amplifier into digital data; a controller calculating a displacement and a flow rate of the exhaust gas referring to a voltage table stored in a memory unit based on the digital data; and a display unit displaying the calculated displacement and flow rate of the exhaust gas.

The at least one blade may be made of an ultrasonic material to oscillate ultrasonic waves when rotating so that the ultrasonic waves interfere with the exhaust gas.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a conventional silencer of an exhaust system.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly structure of an exhaust regulating unit according to the present invention combined with a silencer.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the exhaust regulating unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a state where the exhaust regulating unit according to the present invention is combined with the silencer.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

Best mode for carrying out the Invention Hereinafter, operations of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 through 6 below.

In a silencer 101, a discharge pipe 118 is connected to an end of a damper pipe 103 installed within a housing 102 in a lengthwise direction and communicates with an outside of the housing 102. An exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected to an opposite end of the damper pipe 103.

The exhaust pipe is coupled with the housing 102 to lead exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into the housing 102.

A rotary body 107 combined with a casing 104 is inserted into an end of the damper pipe 103. The rotary body 107 has one or more blades 107a freely rotating according to a flow of the exhaust gas. The rotary body 107 is installed around a rotary shaft 106 of a guide unit 105.

The guide unit 105 has a plurality of guide wings 105a in a radial shape to lead the exhaust gas from the exhaust pipe to the blades 107a of the rotary body 107.

A free rotation means for making the rotary body 107 freely rotate in response to the exhaust gas is implemented by a bearing 109 inserted into a bore of the rotary body 107 in contact with the rotary body 107 and coupled around the rotary shaft 106, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, so that the rotary body 107 and the blades 107a freely rotate in response to the exhaust gas guided by the guide unit 105.

A fixing protrusion 110 extends from an outer circumference of an end of the rotary shaft 106, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The fixing protrusion 110 contacts one side of an inner wheel 109a of the bearing 109 to prevent the guide unit 105 from contacting an outer wheel 109b of <BR> <BR> the bearing 109 and a side of the rotary body 107 (i. e. , a side of each blade 107a). As a result, the rotary body 107 can efficiently rotate without interference of the guide unit 105.

An elastic member 111 is installed around the rotary shaft 106 having passed through the rotary body 107. The elastic member 111

contacts the other side of the inner wheel 109a of the bearing 109. A fixing element 112 is installed around the rotary shaft 106 having passed through the elastic member 111 to be supported by an elastic force of the elastic member 111.

A stop ring 114 is inserted into a keeper groove 113 to make the elastic member 111 elastically support the fixing element 112. Here, the fixing element 112 is pushed along the rotary shaft 106 to press the elastic member 111 until the keeper groove 113 formed on the rotary shaft 106 is exposed, and then the stop ring 114 is inserted into the keeper groove 113. As a result, the fixing element 112 is stopped by the stop ring 114 while it is elastically supported by the elastic member 111.

In the meantime, the elastic member 111 elastically supports the inner wheel 109a of the bearing 109 so that the inner wheel 109a is fixed between the fixing protrusion 110 and the elastic member 111.

A washer 119 having a predetermined size is installed between the elastic member 111 and the bearing 109, as shown in FIG. 3, such that the washer 119 is in close contact with the bearing 109 and the elastic member 111 contacts the washer 119 wider than the inner wheel 109a of the bearing 109. As a result, the elastic member 111 can be prevented from interfering with the inner wheel 109a.

The fixing element 112 may have the same shape as the washer 119. Alternatively, to protect the elastic member 111 by surrounding the elastic member 111 and accomplish a good-looking appearance, the fixing element 112 may have a pipe shape, as shown in FIG. 4.

However, the present invention is not restricted thereto.

A diffuser 108 having a plurality of guide planes arranged in a radial shape is fixed to the rotary shaft 106 next to the fixing element 112 to diffuse the exhaust gas having passed the blades 107a.

The guide unit 105, the rotary body 107 with the blades 107a, and the diffuser 108 are fixed within the casing 104 by the guide unit 105 and

the diffuser 108 fixed to an inside of the casing 104 due to forced insertion.

Alternatively, a guide groove (not shown) may be formed on the inside of the casing 104 in a lengthwise direction to guide an edge of a guide wing 105a of the guide unit 105 and an edge of a guide plane of the diffuser 108, and a key groove 116 is formed on an inner circumference of the casing 104 at each of opposite predetermined positions of the casing 104.

After the guide unit 105, the rotary body 107 with the blades 107a, and the diffuser 108 are inserted into the casing 104, a ring key 117b is inserted into the key groove 116. In this case, the guide unit 105, the rotary body 107 with the blades 107a, and the diffuser 108 can be fixed within the casing 104 and can also be easily separated from the casing 104 by removing the ring key 117b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ring key 117b has a circular ring shape having an opening. Two ends of the ring key 117b are bent inward, there by forming handles 117c. When the handles 117c are pulled toward each other, the inner and outer diameters of the ring key 117b are reduced so that the ring key 117b can be easily inserted into the key groove 116 within the casing 104. Thereafter, when the handles 117c are released, the key ring 117b is restored to an original size and stably inserted into the key groove 116. As a result, the ring key 117b forms a sill. Accordingly, the guide unit 105 and the diffuser 108 are kept by sills, respectively, and thus do not escape from the casing 104.

Alternatively, according to a displacement of an internal combustion engine, a plurality of rotary bodies 107 may be coupled around the rotary shaft 106 to be connected to each other by a connection washer 129, as shown in FIG. 5. Here, the rotary bodies 107 may be made freely rotate.

The casing 104 is inserted into the damper pipe 103. To fix the casing 104 within the damper pipe 103, as shown in FIG. 2, a bore of the

damper pipe 103 is cut from an end of the damper pipe 103 to a predetermined depth using a boring process to partially widen the bore of the damper pipe 103. A stopping sill 115 is formed at an inner end of the widened bore to keep the casing 104 inserted into the damper pipe 103 from moving further toward the inside of the damper pipe 103.

In addition, a key groove 116 having a predetermined width is formed at an entrance of the widened bore of the damper pipe 103.

After the casing 104 is inserted into the damper pipe 103, handles 117c of a ring key 117a is pulled inward to reduce the size of the ring key 117a.

The ring key 117a with the size reduced is inserted into the damper pipe 103, and then the handles 117a are released so that the ring key 117a is stably inserted into the key groove 116. As a result, the ring key 117a forms a sill keeping the casing 104 from escaping from the damper pipe 103.

The blades 107a is made of a magnetic material and a plurality of magnets 120 are attached to at least one of the inside and the outside of the casing 104 so that a magnetic field having a predetermined strength interferes with the blades 107a. As a result, the magnetic field weakens binding properties of molecules of noxious substances such as hydro carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide contained in the exhaust gas, thereby reforming the exhaust gas.

When interference occurs in the magnetic field due to the rotation of the blades 107a, resolving power of the molecules is increased, and therefore, the exhaust gas can be reformed efficiently.

When the exhaust gas flowing at a medium or low rate is guided by the guide unit 105 and collides with the blades 107a of the rotary body 107 having stopping inertia, kinetic energy of the exhaust gas is converted into a force rotating the blades 107a and the rotary body 107.

Accordingly, when the exhaust gas flows at the medium or low rate, it is discharged slowly with a predetermined exhaust resistance.

As a result, power of the internal combustion engine can be increased.

After the rotary body 107 starts to rotate, when the exhaust gas flows at a high rate, the rotary body 107 rotates faster due to rotating inertia of the blades 107a and the rotary body 107. As a result, the exhaust gas is quickly discharged, and therefore, the power of the internal combustion engine is increased.

Generally, when the internal combustion engine converts from a high-speed operation to a medium-or low-speed operation, a return phenomenon in which the exhaust gas rapidly flows back to the internal combustion engine occurs. If the exhaust gas is sucked into the internal combustion engine due to the return phenomenon, a predetermined amount of energy is required to discharge the sucked exhaust gas, and therefore, the power of the internal combustion engine may be decreased.

However, in the present invention, when the return phenomenon occurs while the blades 107a rotates in a forward direction, the returning exhaust gas should converts the rotation of the blades 107a from the forward direction to a reverse direction and pass the blades 197a.

Accordingly, the returning exhaust gas uses its energy in stopping the blades 107a having the rotating inertia and in rotating the blades 107a in the reverse direction.

This operation acts as exhaust resistance against the returning exhaust gas, thereby suppressing the return of the exhaust gas. As a result, a decrease in the power of the internal combustion engine can be prevented.

Since the rapid return phenomenon occurs for a very short time, the exhaust resistance at a transition point from forward rotation to reverse rotation can maximize the power and efficiency of the internal combustion engine.

When a rotation direction of the blades 107a is determined by the exhaust gas entering the casing 104, an N pole is positioned at an end of a magnet 120 according to the rotation direction and an S pole is

positioned in an end of another magnet 120 adjacent to the former magnet 120 such that a magnetic force line is formed in the rotation direction of the blades 107a. As a result, the blades 107a can efficiently rotate.

A screw hole 122 is formed at a portion of the damper pipe 103 corresponding to a magnet 120 inserted into an insertion groove 121 formed in the casing 104. A static electricity inductor 123 is coupled with the screw hole 122 to induce an electromotive force according to a change in the magnetic field. The static electricity inductor 123 is also connected to the housing 102 of the silencer 101. The static electricity inductor 123 induces the electromotive force using the magnetic field formed by the magnets 120 that changes when the blades 107a rotates within the magnetic field.

In other words, according to Faraday's law in which an electromotive force is provoked when a magnetic force line passing through a circuit so as to flow current in the circuit, when the magnetic force line changes according to the rotation of the blades 107a, the static electricity inductor 123 generates an induced electromotive force.

This induced current flows to an amplifier 124 via a conductive line 130. The amplifier 124 amplifies a voltage of the induced current.

The amplified voltage is converted into digital data by an analog-to digital (A/D) converter 125. A controller 127 calculates the displacement and the flow rate of the exhaust gas referring to a voltage table stored in a memory unit 126 based on an amplitude and a period of the voltage contained in the digital data and displays the displacement and the flow rate of the exhaust gas on a display unit 128 so that a user can always check and monitor the displacement and the flow rate of the exhaust gas generated in the internal combustion engine in real time.

The blades 107a are molded using an ultrasonic material so that noxious substances contained in the exhaust gas passing the blades 107a can be reformed by ultrasonic waves oscillated from the blades

107a. As a result, environmental pollution caused by the exhaust gas can be minimized.

Industrial Applicability As described above, in the present invention, when exhaust gas output from an internal combustion engine flows at a medium or a low rate, the exhaust gas is slowly discharged due to exhaust resistance, and therefore, power of the internal combustion engine is secured. When the exhaust gas flows at a high rate, the exhaust gas is quickly discharged due to rotating inertia of blades, and therefore, the power of the internal combustion engine is increased. In other words, the present invention allows a discharge speed of the exhaust gas to change according to the flow rate of the exhaust gas, thereby maximizing efficiency of the internal combustion engine. In addition, in the present invention, the displacement and flow rate of the exhaust gas and an exhaust state are displayed to allow a user to monitor them during an operation of the internal combustion engine, so that reliability of the internal combustion engine can be improved. In particular, since the exhaust gas is reformed using a magnetic field formed by magnets, a change in the magnetic field, and oscillation of ultrasonic waves, the present invention minimizes environmental pollution caused by the exhaust gas.




 
Previous Patent: ROCKBOLT

Next Patent: VEHICLE EXHAUST SYSTEM