Exhaust pipe structure having variable confluence portion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161287-B2
Application number	US-201615366979-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2016
Priority date	Jun 20, 2016
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An exhaust pipe structure having a variable confluence portion may include a first pipe to discharge exhaust gas generated by engine cylinders disposed in a first line, a second pipe to discharge exhaust gas generated by engine cylinders disposed in a second line, a confluence pipe provided with a first end connected to the first pipe for communication with the first pipe and a second end connected to the second pipe for communication with the second pipe, and a valve plate disposed in the confluence pipe and selectively opened and closed, in which the confluence pipe may include a main connection tube disposed at the first end of the confluence pipe and an entry confluence tube and a sub-entry confluence tube branched off from a middle of the confluence pipe and disposed at the second end of the confluence pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust pipe structure having a variable confluence portion, the exhaust pipe structure comprising:
a first pipe discharging exhaust gas generated by engine cylinders disposed in a first line;
a second pipe discharging exhaust gas generated by engine cylinders disposed in a second line;
a confluence pipe provided with a first end connected to the first pipe for fluidic communication with the first pipe and a second end connected to the second pipe for fluidic communication with the second pipe; and
a valve plate disposed in the confluence pipe and selectively opened and closed,
wherein the confluence pipe includes a main connection tube disposed at the first end of the confluence pipe and an entry confluence tube and a sub-entry confluence tube branched off from a middle portion of the confluence pipe and disposed at the second end of the confluence pipe; and
an actuator configured to rotate the valve plate when power is applied to the actuator,
wherein the valve plate has a disc shape and is configured to open or close the confluence pipe according to a rotated angle of the valve plate around a rotary shaft,
wherein the actuator determines whether or not the valve plate is opened or closed by a logic predetermined according to driving information of a vehicle and then rotates the valve plate to open or close the confluence pipe, and
wherein the actuator rotates the valve plate to open the sub-entry confluence tube, in a fourth condition in which an engine is rotated at a constant speed within a third rotation range and an engine load is higher than a predetermined load within a third load range, or in a fifth condition in which the engine is rotated at a speed higher than a predetermined speed within a second rotation range and the engine load is lower than a predetermined load within a fourth load range.

2. The exhaust pipe structure according to claim 1 , wherein the valve plate:
has the disc shape; and
is configured to select one of the entry confluence tube and the sub-entry confluence tube as a path of the confluence pipe according to the rotated angle of the valve plate around the rotary shaft.

3. The exhaust pipe structure according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator rotates the valve plate to close an inside of the confluence pipe, in a first condition in which the engine is rotated at a speed lower than a predetermined speed within a first rotation range, or in a second condition in which the engine is rotated at a speed higher than a predetermined speed within a second rotation range and the engine load is higher than a predetermined load within a first load range.

4. The exhaust pipe structure according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator rotates the valve plate to open the entry confluence tube, in a third condition in which the engine is rotated at a constant speed within a third rotation range and the engine load is lower than a predetermined load within a second load range.

5. The exhaust pipe structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the first pipe and the second pipe each have sections disposed in parallel in front of mufflers; and
the confluence pipe is disposed at the parallel sections of the first and second pipes.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hwang Dae-Gil

Classifications

• F01N13/08 Primary

  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 title

• F01N1/16

  by using movable parts · CPC title

• F01N1/168

  for controlling or modifying silencing characteristics only · CPC title

• F01N13/1844

  Mechanical joints · CPC title

• F01N13/107

  More than one exhaust manifold or exhaust collector · CPC title