Patent Application
20070157467
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exhaust treatment systems and more particularly relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for ensuring proper assembly of an exhaust system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Engine performance is becoming increasingly important under a growing demand for safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly transportation. Pursuant to achieving safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly transportation, is the implementation of effective exhaust treatment systems. Properly assembling exhaust treatment systems is a necessary component to providing effective exhaust treatment systems.
The performance of the exhaust treatment system 100 is dependent upon proper ordering (or sequencing) and rotational alignment of the various subassemblies 110, 120, 130, and 140. For example, in an embodiment where the first intermediate subassembly 130 is a catalytic converter and a second intermediate subassembly 120 is a filter, erroneously placing the filter 120 before the catalytic converter 130 would render the exhaust treatment system 100 useless from an emissions control standpoint. Also, as the pressure sensor 150 is substantially linear in shape and enters both the outflow subassembly 110 and the first intermediate subassembly 130 at openings that are similarly rotationally aligned. Accordingly, the outflow subassembly 110 and first intermediate subassembly 130 must be properly aligned for the pressure sensor to be able to properly enter the subassemblies 110, 130. In a scenario wherein the various subassemblies 110, 120, 130, and 140, are improperly ordered or aligned, the effectiveness of the exhaust treatment system 100 is forfeited.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus and system for ensuring proper assembly of exhaust treatment systems. Beneficially, such an apparatus and system would ensure proper assembly of exhaust subassemblies by requiring proper subassembly ordering and alignment.
The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available solutions. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an apparatus and system for ensuring proper assembly of an exhaust system that overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.
In a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus for ensuring proper assembly of an exhaust system includes an exhaust treatment unit that receives exhaust from an upstream unit and provides exhaust to a downstream unit. The exhaust treatment unit includes a first mating perimeter that mates with a mating perimeter of an upstream unit. The exhaust treatment unit further includes a second mating perimeter that mates with a mating perimeter of a downstream unit. At least one mating perimeter of the first and second mating perimeters comprises a docking element sized, shaped, and placed to mate with a docking element of a particular exhaust treatment unit and thereby selectively mate and rotationally align the exhaust treatment unit with a particular exhaust treatment unit.
In certain embodiments, the first and second mating perimeters each comprise a docking element. In one embodiment, one docking element is a recess that selectively receives a projection from a particular subassembly unit and the other docking element is a projection that selectively mates with a recess of a particular subassembly unit. The exhaust treatment unit may be one of a variety of subassembly units that perform a specific function such as a catalyst subassembly and a filter subassembly. The apparatus may also include a gasket to facilitate mating of the exhaust treatment unit with the at least one other exhaust subassembly unit.
A system of the present invention is also presented for proper assembly of exhaust subassemblies. The system may include an inflow subassembly that receives engine exhaust, at least one intermediate subassembly that selectively mates and rotationally aligns with the inflow subassembly and receives engine exhaust therefrom. Also, the at least one intermediate subassembly selectively mates and rotationally aligns with an outflow subassembly. The outflow subassembly receives engine exhaust from the at least one intermediate subassembly.
In certain embodiments, the at least one intermediate subassembly is a plurality of intermediate exhaust subassemblies that each selectively mate and rotationally align with adjacent subassemblies. In certain embodiments, the at least one intermediate subassembly includes a recess that selectively receives a projection from the inflow subassembly. In such embodiments, the at least one intermediate subassembly may also include a projection configured to selectively mate with a recess of the outflow subassembly. In other embodiments, the at least one intermediate subassembly includes a recess that selectively receives a projection from the outflow subassembly. In such embodiments, the at least one intermediate subassembly may also include a projection configured to selectively mate with a recess of the inflow subassembly.
The various embodiments of the present invention provide corresponding features and advantages. Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.
These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The inflow subassembly 240 receives engine exhaust. The first intermediate subassembly selectively mates and rotationally aligns with the inflow subassembly 240 and receives exhaust therefrom. Similarly, the second intermediate subassembly 220 selectively mates and rotationally aligns with the first intermediate subassembly 230 and receives exhaust therefrom. Also, the outflow subassembly 210 selectively mates with the second intermediate subassembly 220 according to a pre-selected alignment and receives exhaust therefrom.
As further taught in
When mated, the exhaust treatment unit 310 receives exhaust from an upstream unit 340 and provides exhaust to a downstream unit 350. The exhaust treatment unit 310 may include a variety of exhaust treatment subassemblies such as a catalytic converter or a filter. Accordingly, a particular emissions functionality of the exhaust treatment unit 310 is not a necessary aspect of the present invention.
The first mating perimeter 320 selectively mates with an upstream mating perimeter 346 of the upstream exhaust treatment subassembly 340. In the depicted embodiment, the first mating perimeter 320 includes a docking element in the form of a projection 322 and the upstream mating perimeter 346 includes a docking element in the form of an upstream recess 342 and upstream recess rim 344. The upstream recess 342 is specifically sized, shaped, and placed to receive the projection 322 of the exhaust treatment unit 310 as opposed to the projection 352 of the downstream exhaust treatment unit 350.
Similarly, the second mating perimeter 330 of the exhaust treatment unit 310 mates with a downstream mating perimeter 354 of the downstream exhaust treatment unit 350. The depicted second mating perimeter 330 includes docking element in the form of a recess 332 and a recess rim 334. The recess 332 is specifically sized to receive the down stream projection 352, similar to the projection 322 and upstream recess 342. Accordingly, the size of the projections 322, 352 and recesses 332, 342 function to ensure selective mating and rotational alignment of the subassemblies 310, 340, 350. In an embodiment involving multiple subassemblies, each subassembly may implement a similar strategy to ensure proper assembly of each subassembly in the entire exhaust treatment system 200 (see
As the mating between the first mating perimeter 320 and upstream mating perimeter 346 and mating between the second mating perimeter 330 and the downstream mating perimeter 354 are substantially similar in the depicted embodiment, the following will disclose, teach, and enable the mating between the first mating perimeter 320 and upstream mating perimeter 346 and thereby inferentially disclose, teach, and enable the mating between the second mating perimeter 330 and the downstream mating perimeter 354.
Accordingly, once the projection 322 is received by the upstream recess 342, the upstream recess rim 344 impedes rotation of the two exhaust treatment units 310, 340 as the received projection 322 is in contact with the upstream rim 344. Accordingly, the specifically sized, shaped, and placed projection 322 and corresponding upstream recess 342 ensure proper mating and rotational alignment, as another subassembly with an overly large projection will not fit into the upstream recess 342 and another subassembly with a projection that is too small will allow a slight rotation of the subassemblies indicating an improper order or sequencing of subassemblies.
In certain embodiments, the shape of the projection 322 and corresponding upstream recess 342 may be substantially triangular, octagonal, etc, as opposed to substantially rectangular as depicted. Accordingly, the size, shape, and placement of the docking elements (i.e. projection 322 and recess 342) need not be specific, so long as the size, shape, and placement ensure selective subassembly mating and rotational alignment.
Accordingly, the projection 322 is received by a specifically sized, shaped, and positioned, upstream recess 342. The recess 342 is a space created by an upstream recess rim 344 that rotationally aligns and selectively mates the exhaust treatment units 310, 340, as only the projection 322 may properly fit into the upstream recess 342 as opposed to the projection of another exhaust treatment unit (see
In the depicted embodiment, the both the projection 322 and the recess 342 are substantially rectangular in shape and complementary in size. Selective mating, proper ordering or sequencing is achieved as only the projection 322 will properly fit into the recess 342. All other projections will have a different size, shape, or position. Rotational alignment is achieved as the first mating perimeter 320 and the upstream mating perimeter 346 can only mate if the projection 322 is fitted within the recess 342. Accordingly, the present invention ensures proper assembly of an exhaust system by requiring selective mating and rotational alignment of the subassemblies within the system.
Similar to the subassembly of
The three projections 522 of the exhaust treatment unit 510 particularly correspond in size, shape, placement, and number to the three upstream recesses 542 of the upstream exhaust treatment unit 540. Similarly, the four recesses 532 of the exhaust treatment unit 510 particularly correspond in size, shape, placement, and number to the four downstream projections 552 of the down stream exhaust treatment unit 550. Accordingly, during assembly, the downstream exhaust treatment unit 550 cannot be erroneously ordered or sequenced next to the upstream exhaust treatment unit 540 as the downstream exhaust treatment unit 550 requires four recesses but the upstream exhaust treatment unit 540 only provides three recesses 542.
In certain embodiments, the number and size of projections 522, 552 may vary. In other embodiments, the exhaust treatment unit 510 provides docking elements of different styles. For example, one docking element may include a set of projections 522 that correspond to upstream recesses 542 on one side of the exhaust treatment unit 510 (as depicted), and the other docking element may include a serrated edge that corresponds the serrated edge of a downstream exhaust treatment unit (not shown). Accordingly, an exhaust treatment unit having docking elements of different styles may adequately accomplish the task of ensuring proper assembly of the exhaust treatment system via selective mating and mandatory rotational alignment. In other words, the docking elements need not be type or style specific to accomplish the general task of ensuring proper assembly of exhaust treatment systems.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
