Patent Application
20180313307
This application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102017000044358 filed on Apr. 21, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a pneumatically insulating and acoustically permeable symposer device for a noise transmission duct of an internal combustion engine.
The invention finds advantageous application in a high-performance sports car, to which explicit reference will be made in the description below without because of this loosing in generality.
In a high-performance sports car, the noise of the internal combustion engine perceived inside the passenger compartment is highly important.
A significant component in the judgement of a high-perforce sports car is the “quality” of the sound emitted by the exhaust system (not only and not primarily in terms of intensity of the sound, but especially in terms of “likeability” of the emitted sound), namely the degree of satisfaction in the use of a high-performance sports car is significantly influenced also by the “quality” of the sound emitted by the exhaust system. In order to actively control the sound emitted by the exhaust system, different high-performance sports cars are equipped with an exhaust system with a variable geometry, namely an exhaust system provided with one or more electrically or pneumatically controlled valves, which allow the path of the exhaust gases (and, hence, of the sound) along the exhaust system to be changed; as a consequence, in use, the electronic control unit of the engine changes in real time the geometry of the exhaust system so as to try and always offer a sound emitted by the exhaust system that matches the expectations of the users of the car, obviously in compliance with the achievement of type approval targets concerning exhaust noise intensity.
Generally speaking, turbocharged engines are disadvantaged as the presence of the turbine along the exhaust duct and of the compressor along the intake duct add a filter and a lowering of the sound levels both of the exhaust system and of the intake system.
Furthermore, recent EURO6C emission standards establish the use of exhaust gas treatment devices that significantly jeopardize sound performances, as a particulate filter (also called GPF, i.e. “Gasoline Particulate Filter”) must necessarily be present in series to the catalytic converter, even in petrol engines.
In order to improve how the noise of the internal combustion engine is perceived inside the passenger compartment, intake noise amplifying devices were suggested, for example like the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,802B2 or in U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,888B2. A known intake noise transmission device comprises an amplification pipe, which originates from the intake duct between the air filter and the throttle valve and has an outlet opening, which is free and faces the passenger compartment; along the amplification pipe there is arranged a symposer device, which is pneumatically insulating and acoustically permeable and fulfils the function of forbidding pressure losses in the intake duct without jeopardizing the transmission of sound waves.
In order to improve how the noise of the internal combustion engine is perceived inside the passenger compartment, exhaust noise amplifying devices were also suggested, for example like the ones described in patent application IT102016000057222A, in patent application DE102012109668A1, or in patent application DE10042012A1. A known exhaust noise transmission device comprises a transmission duct, which originates close to the outlet pipe of the silencer and ends in the area of a wall of the passenger compartment; along the transmission duct there is arranged a symposer device, which is pneumatically insulating and acoustically permeable and fulfils the function of forbidding exhaust gas losses through the transmission duct without jeopardizing the transmission of sound waves.
Some known symposer devices comprise a flexible membrane, which seals in a fluid-tight manner and, at the same time, is free to deform in order to permit the transmission of sound waves. Other known symposer devices (e.g. the one described in patent application EP1365120A1) comprise a rigid plate and an elastic element with an annular shape (which can be flat, cup-shaped or bellows-shaped), which is arranged around the rigid plate and is fixed to an inner wall of the corresponding duct in order to hang the rigid plate, which, therefore, is free to oscillate due to the thrust of pressure pulsations. Therefore, a known symposer device is a “mass-spring” system (namely, a system consisting of a spring hanging from a constraint coupled to a mass), which, from the acoustic point of view, behaves like a band-pass filter centred on the resonance frequency of the system; the acoustic passband of the symposer device must be positioned in the area of the most significant frequencies of the noise generated by the internal combustion engine (approximately between 350 and 600 Hz) and must be sufficiently wide (it must approximately have a total width of at least 250-300 Hz).
In order for the acoustic passband of the symposer device to be sufficiently wide, the body featuring elasticity (i.e. the flexible membrane or the elastic element) needs to have a high damping, which can be obtained only if the body featuring elasticity is made of a polymer plastic material (for example silicone). As a consequence, in known symposer devices, at least the body featuring elasticity (i.e. the flexible membrane or the elastic element) is made of a plastic material; this is not a problem when the symposer device is used for the transmission of the intake noise, as the temperature of the air taken in always is much lower than 100° C.; on the other hand, this becomes a problem when the symposer device is used for the transmission of the exhaust noise, as the temperature of the exhaust gases can be higher than 700° C. when they flow out of the exhaust manifold. In other words, known symposer devices can be used for the transmission of the exhaust noise only if they are installed at the end of the exhaust duct (where the temperature of the exhaust gases is much lower) and if solutions are adopted to reduce the transmission of heat to the symposer devices themselves.
The object of the invention is to provide a pneumatically insulating and acoustically permeable symposer device for a noise transmission duct of an internal combustion engine, said symposer device being capable of being entirely made of a metal material (hence, resistant to high temperatures), having a wide passband and, at the same time, being simple and economic to be manufactured.
According to the invention, there is provided a pneumatically insulating and acoustically permeable symposer device for a noise transmission duct of an internal combustion engine according to the appended claims.
The appended claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention and form an integral part of the description.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:
In
The internal combustion engine 4 is provided with (at least) an exhaust noise transmission device 6, which is coupled to an exhaust duct and fulfils the function of directing part of the noise present in the exhaust duct towards the passenger compartment 5. The transmission device 6 comprises a transmission duct 7, which originates from the exhaust duct and is oriented towards the passenger compartment 5; for example, the transmission duct 7 ends in the area of a wall of the passenger compartment 5 (such as, for example, the spark arrestor panel). The transmission duct 7 is provided with a symposer device 8, which is arranged along the transmission duct 7 so as to seal the transmission duct 7 itself in a fluid-tight manner, permitting at the same time the transmission of sound (different redundant symposer devices 8 can be arranged in series so as to have a greater guarantee of seal). In other words, the symposer device 8 is pneumatically insulating (i.e. forbids the passage of gas, sealing in a fluid-tight manner) and is acoustically permeable (i.e. permits the passage of sound).
According to
The outer casing 9 houses, on the inside, an actuator plate 15, which is mounted so as to slide longitudinally (namely, parallel to the central axis 10) and is arranged towards the inlet opening 11 (namely, closer to the inlet opening 11), and an emitter plate 16, which is mounted so as to slide longitudinally (namely, parallel to the central axis 10) and is arranged towards the outlet opening 12 (namely, closer to the outlet opening 12). According to a preferred, though non-binding embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, each plate 15 or 16 is cup-shaped, namely comprises a circular element, which is perpendicular to the central axis 10 and is surrounded by an annular edge, which is parallel to the central axis 10 and projects from the central element.
The actuator plate 15 is provided with a central pin 17, which is mounted so as to slide inside a support 18, which is obtained in a corresponding shell 13 and is internally covered by a bushing 19 (i.e. a plain bearing); in other words, the shell 13 where the inlet opening 11 is made features the support 18 provided with a through hole, which is internally covered by the bushing 19 and houses the central pin 17 of the actuator plate 15, thus allowing the central pin 17 itself to slide longitudinally (i.e. parallel to the central axis 10). The emitter plate 16 is provided with a central pin 20, which is mounted so as to slide inside a support 21, which is obtained in a corresponding shell 13 and is internally covered by a bushing 22 (i.e. a plain bearing); in other words, the shell 13 where the outlet opening 12 is made features the support 21 provided with a through hole, which is internally covered by the bushing 22 and houses the central pin 20 of the emitter plate 16, thus allowing the central pin 20 itself to slide longitudinally (i.e. parallel to the central axis 10).
The central pin 17 of the actuator plate 15 is mechanically constrained to the central pin 20 of the emitter plate 16, so that the two central pins 17 and 20 (hence, the two plates 15 and 16) are rigidly integral to one another and always slide longitudinally (i.e. parallel to the central axis 10) together; in this way, the longitudinal sliding movement of the actuator plate 15 is always transmitted as it is to the emitter plate 17 and, therefore, the emitter plate 17 always slides longitudinally in a synchronized manner with the actuator plate 15.
According to a preferred, though not binding embodiment, which is better shown in
According to
In the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 consists of a side wall 30 with a cylindrical shape and shaped like a bellows (hence, provided with a longitudinal elasticity) and of a base 31 with a circular shape, which is clamped between the central pins 17 and 20 of the two plates 15 and 16; in particular, the base 31 of the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 has, at the centre, a through hole 32, trough which the threaded point 23 of the central pin 17 of the actuator plate 15 passes.
Three chambers 33, 34 and 35 are defined inside the casing 9: an inlet chamber 33, which is delimited, on one side, by the inlet opening 11 and, on the other side, by the actuator plate 15 (i.e. the inlet chamber 33 extends from the inlet opening 11 to the actuator plate 15), an intermediate chamber 34, which is delimited, on one side, by the actuator plate 15 and, on the other side, by the insulating plate 27 (i.e. the intermediate chamber 34 extends from the actuator plate 15 to the insulating element 27), and an outlet chamber 35, which is delimited, on one side, by the insulating element 27 and, on the other side, by the outlet opening 12 (i.e. the outlet chamber 35 extends from the insulating element 27 to the outlet opening 12).
The inlet chamber 33 and the intermediate chamber 34 pneumatically communicate with one another in a limited manner, so that the inlet chamber 33 and the intermediate chamber 34 have the same static pressure (i.e. the same mean pressure value), but do not have the same dynamic pressure (i.e. do not have the same instantaneous pressure value). This result is obtained by establishing a pneumatic communication between the inlet chamber 33 and the intermediate chamber 34 only through a communication duct with an adjusted cross section, so that a pressure balance between the inlet chamber 33 and the intermediate chamber 34 requires a relatively long balancing time (e.g. different tenths of a second, namely substantially longer than the period of the sound waves to be transmitted through the symposer device 8); any pressure variation that does not take place in an amount of time that is (substantially) smaller than the balancing time cannot be transmitted between the two chambers 33 and 34 through the communication duct 36. In other words, the adjusted cross section of the communication duct 36 operates like a “pneumatic low-pass filter” and does not permit the transmission of too fast pressure variations between the two chambers 33 and 34. In order to operate like a “pneumatic low-pass filter” having a cutoff frequency of approximately 20-30 Hz, the communication duct 36 must have a passage cross section that is adjusted and relatively small.
In the embodiment shown in
The outlet chamber 35 is comprised between the insulating element 27 and the outlet opening 12 and, therefore, houses the emitter plate 16 on the inside; according to a possible (though not binding) embodiment, the emitter plate 16 is properly smaller than the casing 9, so that the emitter plate 16 (unlike the actuator plate 15) does not pose a significant obstacle to the transmission of pressure and, hence, so that the static pressure and the dynamic pressure upstream of the emitter plate 16 substantially are always equal to the static pressure and the dynamic pressure downstream of the emitter plate 16 (at least in the range of audible frequencies, namely up to approximately 16-20 kHz).
The outlet chamber 35 is pneumatically insulated from the intermediate chamber 34 due to the insulating element 27, which does not permit any fluid communication. As consequence, in the intermediate chamber 34 there is the static pressure of the exhaust duct (from which the transmission duct 7 originates), whereas in the outlet chamber 35 there is the atmospheric pressure (i.e. the pressure of the external environment) as the transmission duct 7 is open towards the passenger compartment (i.e. towards the external environment). As a consequence, the insulating element 27 must bear the pneumatic thrust deriving from the pressure difference existing between the intermediate chamber 34 (where there is the static pressure of the exhaust duct) and the outlet chamber 35 (where there is the atmospheric pressure); this pressure difference can be variable from 0.6-0.8 Bar (60,000-80,000 Pa) up to 2-3 Bar (200,000-300,000 Pa) depending on the point in which the transmission duct 7 is fitted into the exhaust duct (in particular, whether it is upstream or downstream of the turbine of the turbocharger).
As it is known, the pneumatic thrust is equal to the pressure difference existing between the intermediate chamber 34 and the outlet chamber 35 multiplied by the area affected by the pressure difference itself; as a consequence, the greatest part of the pneumatic thrust acts upon (i.e. is borne by) the rigid part 28 of the insulating element 27 and the remaining (minimum) part of the pneumatic thrust acts upon (i.e. is borne by) the base 31 of the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 (indeed, the rigid part 28 of the insulating element 27 has a much larger area than the base 31 of the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27; the ratio between the area of the rigid part 28 of the insulating element 27 and the area of the base 31 of the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 can approximately range between 20 and 30). The longitudinal movement of the plates 15 and 16 (which, for they are rigidly constrained to one another, always move together) is permitted by the elasticity of the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27, namely it takes place by elastically deforming the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27.
Hereinafter there is a description of the operation of the symposer device 8 with reference to
In use, the sound (acoustic) waves present in the exhaust system propagate along the transmission duct 7 until they reach the symposer device 8 and, hence, enter the inlet chamber 33 of the symposer device 8 through the inlet opening 11. The sound (acoustic) waves in the inlet chamber 33 of the symposer device 8 cause, inside the inlet chamber 33, pressure oscillations with an audible frequency, which are not transmitted to the intermediate chamber 34 of the symposer device 8 because the communication duct 36 between the two chambers 33 and 34 is not capable of transmitting pressure oscillations at an audible frequency (i.e. exceeding 20-30 Hz). Therefore, there is a difference between the dynamic pressure present in the inlet chamber 33 and the dynamic pressure present in the intermediate chamber 34 due to the presence of pressure pulsations at the audible frequency only in the inlet chamber 33; this pressure difference, which is due to the presence of pressure pulsations at the audible frequency only in the inlet chamber 33, generates a pneumatic force which acts upon the actuator plate 15 (indeed, the actuator plate 15 “sees” a pressure difference between its two faces), which causes the actuator plate 15 to oscillate longitudinally (i.e. parallel to the central axis 10). The longitudinal oscillation of the actuator plate 15 is transmitted as it is to the emitter plate 16, as the two plates 15 and 16 are rigidly connected to one another through the respective central pins 17 and 20; the longitudinal oscillation of the emitter plate 16 generates in the outlet chamber 35 pressure pulsations which are completely similar to the pressure pulsations present in the inlet chamber 33 and determine the generation of sound (acoustic) waves, which flow out of the outlet chamber 35 of the symposer device 8 through the outlet opening 12, proceeding along the transmission duct 7 downstream of the symposer device 8.
According to a preferred embodiment, the symposer device 8 is entirely made of a metal material; at least the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 or the entire insulating element 27 are usually (though not necessarily) made of spring steel so as to ensure a greater resistance to fatigue, the plates 15 and 16 are usually made of aluminium so as to be lighter (since they are parts in continuous and quick movement), whereas the casing 9 can be made of steel (in order to be more economic) or aluminium (in order to be lighter).
In the symposer device 8, the pneumatic seal is assigned to the insulating element 27, whereas the transmission of sound (acoustic) waves is assigned to the two plates 15 and 16, which oscillate together longitudinally (i.e. parallel to the central axis 10). In this way, in the symposer device 8, the pneumatic insulation function (carried out by the insulating element 27) is separated from the acoustic transmission function (carried out by the two plates 15 and 16, which oscillate together longitudinally). As a consequence, the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27 can be very small (namely, much smaller than the plates 15 and 16) and, hence, can be subjected to moderate pneumatic-origin forces, whereas the plates 15 and 16 can be very large (namely, much larger than the elastic part 29 of the insulating element 27) so as to have a large receiving/irradiating surface, which maximizes acoustic transmission.
The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another, without for this reason going beyond the scope of protection of the invention.
The symposer device 8 described above has numerous advantages.
First of all, the symposer device 8 described above can be entirely made of a metal material, even though it can have an acoustic passband which is positioned in the area of the most significant frequencies of the noise generated by the internal combustion engine (approximately between 350 and 600 Hz) and is sufficiently wide (approximately with a total width of at least 250-300 Hz). This result is obtained by separating the pneumatic insulation function (carried out by the insulating element 27) from the acoustic transmission function (carried out by the plates 15 and 16).
Furthermore, the symposer device 8 described above is especially sturdy, compact and light-weighted, even though it is entirely made of a metal material.
Finally, the symposer device 8 described above is simple and economic to be manufactured because it consists of a limited number of easily assemblable pieces.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102017000044358 | Apr 2017 | IT | national |
