Patent Application
20210115835
The present disclosure relates to motor vehicles and, in particular, to a muffler heat protection assembly for motor vehicle exhaust systems.
Motor vehicles having internal combustion engines are often provided with an exhaust system to expel exhaust gases to the rear of the vehicle. The exhaust system typically includes one or more conduits for conveying exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine to one or more tail pipes. The exhaust system can also include after-treatment devices, such as catalytic converters for reducing pollutants contained in the emissions from the engine and mufflers for reducing exhaust noise. Since temperatures in an exhaust system can reach elevated levels resulting in negative performance or damage to one or more components of the motor vehicle, a heat shield is generally used for reducing the surface temperature of the muffler. Many vehicles have heat shields simply made of stamped metal that surrounds the upper surface of the muffler to protect the underside of the vehicle from the heat generated by the exhaust. In more recent years, additional improvements have been made to better dissipate the exhaust heat and protect neighboring components.
Improvements aimed at managing exhaust heat from vehicles is an ongoing area of development in the art.
Vehicle exhaust systems generate a significant amount of heat that can be detrimental to neighboring engine components and cause negative impacts to the surrounding area. Heat from exhaust systems can also be a potential safety hazard when the exhaust comes into contact with the external environment.
In one aspect, the disclosure herein provides a muffler heat protection assembly for use with a muffler on a vehicle, the muffler heat protection assembly having a muffler heat shield configured to extend circumferentially around a portion of the muffler, the muffler heat shield having a first end and a second end; and a heat shield extension secured to the first end of the muffler heat shield.
Another aspect of the disclosure provides a heat protection assembly for use with a muffler on a vehicle, the heat protection assembly having a double wall exhaust pipe including an inner exhaust pipe and an outer covering pipe disposed over the inner exhaust pipe, the outer covering pipe having a first end portion and a second end portion, and the inner exhaust pipe having a first end portion and a second end portion, the second end portion of the outer covering pipe configured to be secured to the muffler; and a pipe ring welded to the first end portion of the outer covering pipe and disposed over the inner exhaust pipe, the first end portion of the inner exhaust pipe extending through the pipe ring and being unsecured relative to the pipe ring so as to allow longitudinal movement between the inner exhaust pipe and the outer covering pipe due to thermal expansion. An air space is defined between the inner exhaust pipe and the outer covering pipe.
Further, in another aspect, a muffler system for a vehicle provides a muffler; a muffler heat shield configured to extend circumferentially around a portion of the muffler, the muffler heat shield having a first end and a second end; a heat shield extension secured to the first end of the muffler heat shield; a double wall exhaust pipe including an inner exhaust pipe and an outer covering pipe disposed over the inner exhaust pipe, the outer covering pipe having a first end portion and a second end portion, and the inner exhaust pipe having a first end portion and a second end portion; wherein the second end portion of the outer covering pipe is welded to the muffler at a welded connection seam; and wherein the heat shield extension projects outward over the welded connection seam.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims.
The disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The term “motor vehicle” as used throughout the specification and claims refers to any moving vehicle that is capable of carrying one or more human occupants or cargo in the case of unmanned vehicles, and is powered by any form of energy. The term “motor vehicle” or “vehicle” includes, but is not limited to: All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROV), cars, trucks, vans, minivans, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV), motorcycles, scooters, boats, personal watercraft, and aircraft.
A muffler heat protection assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure is shown generally in
Referring also to
The inner pipe 22 further includes an oxygen sensor assembly configured to measure the oxygen content of the exhaust gas flowing through the inner pipe 22. A boss 32 protrudes from the inner pipe 22 into the space between inner pipe 22 and outer pipe 24 and an oxygen sensor 33 is installed therein. The outer pipe 24 includes an oxygen sensor access cut-out or opening 30 for the oxygen sensor 32. The opening 30 is larger than the oxygen sensor 32 itself in order to allow for thermal expansion. The oxygen sensor assembly may also include a heat shield 32a surrounding the boss 32. As shown in
The muffler heat shield 20 extends axially along the length of the muffler and circumferentially around approximately one-half of the muffler such that at least the width of the muffler 18 is covered by the muffler heat shield 20. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, coverage may be dictated by surrounding components that need protection from the heat. More particularly, the heat shield 20 has a semi-circular configuration and is disposed over an upper surface of the muffler 18, that is, a surface of the muffler 18 that is facing towards the vehicle V. The heat shield 20 is held in place and spaced from the muffler 18 by a plurality of band clamps 36 extending around the body of the muffler 18. One or more bolts 44 also extend through the rear of the heat shield 20 and secure the heat shield 20 to the body of the muffler 18. The muffler 18 also has one or more muffler stays 46 including a bracket and pin to secure the muffler 18 to the vehicle body, thereby maintaining the muffler 18 and attached heat shield 20 in a fixed location.
Referring also to
Accordingly, the muffler heat shield 20 and extension 38 and/or the double wall pipe 16, individually or in combination, provide an improved system for effectively protecting the vehicle from high temperature exhaust gases. Depending on the architecture of the vehicle, the exhaust may be contained within the vehicle instead of an exterior area. Therefore one of the advantages of the present configuration is heat protection on all sides of the exhaust. Moreover, locating the exhaust in the vehicle may prevent it from being damaged with ground contact since a skid plate and frame are expected to contact the ground first on rough terrain.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.
