Heat recovery structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10704494-B2
Application number	US-201816021675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2018
Priority date	Jul 25, 2017
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A heat recovery structure includes a pipe portion, a heat exchanging portion and an actuator. The pipe portion is inclined such that a side face of the pipe portion faces a diagonally lower side, and is configured such that exhaust gas from an engine circulates through the pipe portion. The heat exchanging portion is configured to communicate with the pipe portion and to perform heat-exchange between a heat medium and the exhaust gas flowing into the heat exchanging portion from the pipe portion such that the exhaust gas thus subjected to the heat-exchange with the heat medium flows out to the pipe portion. The actuator is configured to operate a selector valve configured to switch between a state where the exhaust gas circulates through the pipe portion and a state where the exhaust gas circulates through the heat exchanging portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat recovery structure comprising:
a pipe portion placed inside a floor tunnel provided on a vehicle floor, the floor tunnel having an opening being opened on a lower side, the pipe portion being inclined such that a side face of the pipe portion faces a diagonally lower side and faces the opening of the floor tunnel, and the pipe portion being configured such that exhaust gas from an engine circulates through the pipe portion;
a heat exchanging portion placed above the pipe portion inside the floor tunnel and configured to communicate with the pipe portion, the heat exchanging portion being configured to perform heat-exchange between a heat medium and the exhaust gas flowing into the heat exchanging portion from the pipe portion such that the exhaust gas thus subjected to the heat-exchange with the heat medium flows out to the pipe portion; and
an actuator placed inside the floor tunnel so as to face the side face of the pipe portion that faces the opening on the lower side of the floor tunnel, the actuator being configured to operate a selector valve configured to switch between a state where the exhaust gas circulates through the pipe portion and a state where the exhaust gas circulates through the heat exchanging portion.

2. The heat recovery structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the heat exchanging portion is placed above the pipe portion.

3. The heat recovery structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the heat exchanging portion is inclined such that a side face on the same side as the side face of the pipe portion faces the diagonally lower side; and
the actuator is placed so as to face the side face of the heat exchanging portion and the side face of the pipe portion.

4. The heat recovery structure according to claim 1 , wherein a height of a bottom most surface of the actuator is equal to or lower than a height of a bottom most surface of the pipe portion.

5. The heat recovery structure according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanging portion and the pipe portion are placed in an inclined manner such that a total length, in a height direction, of the heat exchanging portion and the pipe portion is shorter than a total length of the heat exchanging portion and the pipe portion along the side face of the pipe portion.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Sango Co Ltd

Inventors

• Murata Toshio
• Ichikawa Koji

Classifications

• F01N5/02 Primary

  the devices using heat · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F01N13/18

  Construction facilitating manufacture, assembly, or disassembly · CPC title

• F01P2060/10

  Fuel manifold · CPC title

• F01N2410/00

  By-passing, at least partially, exhaust from inlet to outlet of apparatus, to atmosphere or to other device · CPC title