Patent Application
20070261387
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to exhaust enhancement devices for motorcycles.
Motorcyclists are always seeking the right blend of sound and performance from their motorcycles. Often the sound is inextricably intertwined with the horsepower and performance of the engine. For example, using an aftermarket exhaust pipe to gain horsepower and performance may change the sound of the motorcycle. Furthermore, many motorcyclists prefer a particular type of sound for their motorcycle. For example, many motorcyclists try to achieve a “deep,” “rich,” and “throaty” sound. Motorcyclists, however, must also be aware of the many noise ordinances that have been put in place around the country. Many motorcyclists have, therefore, strived to create aftermarket exhaust pipes that achieve a proper balance of sound, volume, and performance. It would therefore be desirable to have an exhaust system that produces a quality sound without sacrificing performance. It would also be desirable to have an exhaust system that produces quality sound and performance at an acceptable volume level. It would also be desirable if such a device could be adjustable, customizable, or in some way changeable such that the motorcyclist can change the sound and performance of the motorcycle depending on the motorcyclists preferences or intended uses.
In general terms, embodiments of the present invention provide an exhaust enhancement device for a motorcycle exhaust pipe. The exhaust enhancement device may include a cylindrical tubular body portion configured to be received within a motorcycle exhaust pipe. The exhaust enhancement device may further include foraminous screen extending from said first end of the cylindrical tubular body portion. The formanious screen has a frustoconical configuration converging as it extends away from the body portion to define an open first end of a diameter generally corresponding to the diameter of said first end of the body portion and an open opposite second end of a smaller diameter. At least one obstruction is positioned within the cylindrical tubular body portion or the frustoconical screen in the flow path of exhaust gases passing through the enhancement device. In some advantageous embodiments of the invention, the at least one obstruction comprises a flat circular member oriented in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical tubular body portion. The flat circular member may suitably have a central opening and may be positioned coaxially of the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body portion. According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the flat circular member is positioned within the frustoconical screen. In another exemplary embodiment, the flat circular member is positioned within the tubular body portion.
In some embodiments, the exhaust enhancement device has two flat circular members, one flat circular member positioned within the tubular body portion and another flat circular member positioned within the frustoconical screen. In general, the outside diameter of at least a portion of the cylindrical tubular body portion is approximately equal to the inside diameter of the motorcycle exhaust pipe. In one embodiment, the cylindrical tubular body portion includes a reduced-diameter center chamber between its two opposite ends. In such an embodiment, a flat circular member may be positioned within one of the opposing cylindrical ends.
Embodiments of the present invention further provide a motorcycle exhaust system having an exhaust pipe for expelling exhaust from an engine; a cylindrical tubular body portion disposed within the exhaust pipe; a frustoconical screen extending from one end of the cylindrical tubular body portion, the frustoconical screen generally converging as it extends away from the cylindrical tubular body portion, and the frustoconical screen having at least one opening therethrough; and a flat circular member positioned within the cylindrical tubular body portion or the frustoconical screen in the path of the exhaust gasses. The frustoconical screen may extend from the end of the cylindrical tubular body portion generally toward an engine end of the exhaust pipe or may extend from the end of the cylindrical tubular body portion generally toward an exit end of the exhaust pipe.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
a schematically illustrates a motorcycle engine with a pair of exhaust pipes and shows where the exhaust enhancement devices may be located in the exhaust pipes, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
b schematically illustrates how the exhaust enhancement device may be located in the exhaust pipe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
a and 2b illustrate a perspective sectional view and an exploded view, respectively, of an exhaust enhancement device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
a and 3b illustrate a perspective sectional view and an exploded view, respectively, of an exhaust enhancement device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
a schematically illustrates a motorcycle engine 1 with a pair of exhaust pipes 2, and shows where the exhaust enhancement devices 10 may be located in the exhaust pipes 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in
a illustrates the exhaust enhancement device 10 positioned in the exhaust pipe 2 such that the frustoconical screen 30 is on the “downstream” end of the cylindrical tubular body portion 20, which is the end of the cylindrical tubular body portion 20 positioned closer to the exit of the exhaust pipe 2. In another embodiment, however, the exhaust enhancement device 10 may be positioned such that the frustoconical screen 30 is on the “upstream” end of the cylindrical tubular body portion 20, which is the end that is closer to the engine side of the exhaust pipe 2. Such an embodiment is illustrated in
In general, embodiments of the exhaust enhancement device 10 create a unique rich and throaty sound at an appealing volume when the exhaust enhancement device 10 is installed in a motorcycle's exhaust pipe 2. However, changing the orientation of the exhaust enhancement device 10 from the orientation shown in
a and 2b illustrate a perspective sectional view and a perspective exploded view, respectively, of an exhaust enhancement device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the cylindrical tubular body portion 20 has two cylindrical end portions 24 and 25 on either side of a reduced diameter center chamber portion 22. The cylindrical tubular body portion 20 has a longitudinal axis 15 extending through the center of the cylindrical portions 24 and 25. The two cylindrical end portions 24 and 25 are generally configured to have an outside diameter that is approximately equal to or just less than the inside diameter of the exhaust pipe 2 for which the exhaust enhancement device 10 is designed. In this way, the exhaust from the exhaust pipe 2 is forced through the exhaust enhancement device 10 when the exhaust enhancement device 10 is installed inside the exhaust pipe 2.
For example, in an exemplary embodiment, a 1.75-inch diameter tube is cut to a length of approximately 4.5 inches to use in the formation of the cylindrical tubular body portion 20. Each end of the tubing may then be swaged or expanded to various diameters (dependent on the exhaust pipe 2 into which it will be installed) to form the cylindrical end portions 24 and 25 of substantially uniform diameter, leaving the reduced diameter center chamber portion 22 of approximately 2 inches in length and 1.75 inches in outside diameter. In an exemplary embodiment, the cylindrical tubular body portion 20 is made from high carbon steel tubing and is dipped in a black oxide solution to heat treat the cylindrical portion 20 and to make it more rust and corrosion resistant. It should be noted that the dimensions described herein are merely examples of dimensions that may be typical for an exhaust enhancement device configured for a typical exhaust pipe. The actual dimensions (e.g., the length and diameter of the cylindrical portion 20) of the exhaust enhancement device 10 may depend on the particular exhaust pipe 2 in which the exhaust enhancement device 10 is to be installed.
As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the anti-reversion member 40 includes a circular member 42 centrally located within the cylindrical portion 20. The circular member 42 may be, for example, a flat washer-like piece of metal having a central opening 43. A shaft 44 may be used to couple the circular member 42 to an inside wall of the cylindrical portion 20. In an exemplary embodiment, the shaft is configured to hold the circular member 42 such that the circular member 42 is oriented in a plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 15 of the cylindrical portion 20. The circular member 42 may also be oriented such that the center of the central opening 43 is located substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis 15 of the cylindrical portion 20.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the cylindrical tubular body portion 20 is comprised of an embodiment of the exhaust enhancement device described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,252 or co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/005,655, which are incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, the anti-reversion member 40 of embodiments of the present invention may be configured in a manner similar to the baffling/anti-reversion pieces described in these co-owned references.
As illustrated in
At one end (e.g., the “base” end of the conical portion), the cross-section of the conical portion 30 has an outside diameter that is approximately equal to or slightly less than the inside diameter of the cylindrical end 24 of the cylindrical portion 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the conical portion 30 has a cylindrical end 31 having an outside diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the cylindrical end 24 so that conical portion 30 may be coupled to the cylindrical portion 20 by coupling the cylindrical end 31 of the conical portion 30 to the cylindrical end 24 of the cylindrical portion 20. At the other end of the conical portion 30, the conical portion 30 typically has an opening 32 for permitting exhaust to travel therethrough. In this regard, the conical portion 30 generally has a frusto-conical shape. In addition to the opening 32 in the end of the conical portion 30, the conical portion 30 may have a plurality of other openings or holes in the walls of the conical portion 30 that also permit exhaust to travel therethrough. In this regard, in one embodiment, the conical portion 30 is perforated with an array of holes and may be manufactured, for example, from a metallic foraminous screen. As with the cylindrical portion 20, the conical portion 30 may be dipped in or otherwise coated with a black oxide solution to heat treat the conical portion 20 and to make it more rust and corrosion resistant.
As described above, the conical portion 30 may be coupled to the cylindrical portion 20 by coupling the conical portion's cylindrical end 31 to the cylindrical portion 20. In this regard, in one embodiment the outside surface of the conical portion's cylindrical end 31 is welded, soldered, or otherwise adhered to the inside surface of the cylindrical end 24 of the cylindrical portion 20. In other embodiments, a screw or bolt is used to couple the cylindrical end 31 of the conical portion 30 to the cylindrical portion 20. In other embodiments, the cylindrical end 31 of the conical portion 30 has a diameter that is greater than the end of the cylindrical portion 20 such that the inside surface of the cylindrical end 31 of the conical portion 30 may be coupled to the outside surface of the cylindrical portion 20. In still other embodiments, the conical portion 30 may not have a cylindrical end 31 and may be coupled to the cylindrical portion 20 in other ways apparent to a person skilled in the art in view of this disclosure.
As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the anti-reversion member 45 is embodied as a circular member 47 centrally located within the conical portion 30. The circular member 47 may be, for example, a flat washer-like piece of metal having a central opening 48. In the illustrated embodiment, the circular member 47 is positioned in the conical portion 30 such that the circular member 47 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 15 of the conical portion 30. As also illustrated in
In other embodiments of the present invention, other means may be used to couple the circular member 47 to the conical portion 30 and the circular member 47 may be located and positioned differently in the conical portion 30. For example, in one embodiment, a shaft may be used to couple the circular member 47 to an inside wall of the conical portion 30. In some embodiments, the conical portion 30 may be configured with more than one anti-reversion member 45 located therein, while, in other embodiments, the conical portion 30 may be used without an anti-reversion member 45.
a and 3b illustrate a perspective sectional view and an exploded view, respectively, of an exhaust enhancement device 110 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment of the present invention is generally similar to the embodiment depicted in
The embodiment of the exhaust enhancement device 110 depicted in
a and 3b also illustrate an embodiment of the exhaust enhancement device where only one flat circular member 142 is positioned within the path of the exhaust gasses. In other embodiments, however, such as the embodiment illustrated previously with respect to
In other embodiments of the present invention, the anti-reversion member may be fabricated from a single piece of metal and may be welded to the body of the exhaust enhancement device 10. For example, in one embodiment, the anti-reversion piece may be fabricated from a standard eye-type electrical terminal of the kind commonly used for connecting an automotive battery cable to a battery. The flat circular-shaped portion of the anti-reversion piece is formed by the eye portion of the terminal and shaft portion of the anti-reversion is formed by the lug portion of the terminal which, when used as an electrical connector, is designed to be crimped onto the battery cable. The one end of the shaft portion may then be welded to the interior of the tubular body. The opposite end of the shaft portion terminates in the above-noted flat circular portion, which is position centrally of the cylindrical tubular body. More particularly, the flat circular shaped portion is in the shape of a flat washer having a central opening with a center located substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the tubular body.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/005,655 filed Dec. 7, 2004, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/408,860 filed Apr. 7, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,252 granted Feb. 1, 2005, which claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 60/387,005 filed Jun. 6, 2002.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60387005 | Jun 2002 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11005655 | Dec 2004 | US |
| Child | 11757699 | Jun 2007 | US |
| Parent | 10408860 | Apr 2003 | US |
| Child | 11005655 | Dec 2004 | US |
