Air expansion chamber

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to air expansion chambers for air filter assemblies or exhaust systems of internal combustion engines.

[0002] Air filter assemblies for internal combustion engines comprise one or more expansion chambers through which air passes before entering the combustion chambers of the engine, an air filter being mounted in the, or one of the, chambers. For example, in one conventional single-chamber air filter assembly, the expansion chamber comprises a supporting surface on which a removable annular air filter may be positioned, an annular wall surrounding the supporting surface and a closure. The air filter is usually held centrally within the chamber between the supporting surface and the closure, and air is drawn through the filter from an air inlet in the annular wall to an air outlet positioned centrally in the supporting surface. For example, French Patent Specification No. 1109653 discloses an assembly in which the outlet orifice is formed by the mouth of a tube positioned symmetrically at the centre of the chamber and having a side aperture or an end elbow, or by a central opening which is shrouded by a deflector plate.

[0003] The shape and relative positions of the inlet and outlet to the expansion chamber must be so positioned that the air filter assembly does not interfere with the surrounding components of the engine on which it is mounted. For this reason, it is sometimes desirable to mount the outlet to the expansion chamber asymmetrically with respect to the surrounding walls of the chamber. For example French Patent Specification No. 1406243 discloses an assembly in which the outlet orifice is formed in a domed internal portion of a lower wall of the chamber and is positioned asymmetrically with respect to the lower wall. The outlet orifice also lies in a plane which is inclined to the horizontal. US-A-1930201 discloses an assembly in which an outlet orifice at the centre of the chamber is formed by the mouth of one limb of a U-tube the other limb of which is itself fixed at one side of the chamber.

[0004] FR-A-1140679 discloses a two part chamber in which an air filter element is positioned in one part of the chamber around a central conduit communicating with the other part of the chamber, and the outlet is positioned asymmetrically in the other part of the chamber.

[0005] Where the outlet is in the form of a simple aperture in one wall of the chamber, the chamber can generate undesirably high noise levels within certain operating frequencies of the engine. Similarly, asymmetrical outlet orifices in expansion chambers of exhaust systems can generate high noise levels.

[0006] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an expansion chamber for an air filter assembly or an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine comprising an inlet orifice and outlet orifice in one wall of the chamber, and a removable filter element positionable around the outlet orifice, the outlet orifice being positioned asymmetrically with respect to surrounding walls of the chamber and lying within the chamber in a plane which is inclined at an angle of less than 90° to the plane of the said one wall, characterised in that the outlet orifice faces generally in the direction of that part of the surrounding walls furthest from the outlet orifice.

[0007] By arranging the outlet orifice in a place which is inclined at an acute angle to the said wall and so as to face generally in the direction of that part of the surrounding walls furthest from the outlet orifice, we have found that the noise emitted from the chamber during operation is significantly reduced.

[0008] In one embodiment of the invention, the expansion chamber is constructed to ac- comodate an air filter element which is positioned around the outlet orifice 10, and a wall opposite the said one wall comprises a removable closure allowing access to the extension chamber for installation and removal of the filter element. With such a chamber, the outlet orifice is preferably so inclined that its -plane intersects the wall opposite the said one wall. In general the outlet orifice may be inclined to the said one wall at any angle of less than 90°. Preferably the angle of inclination is from 10 to 60°, desirably from 15° to 30°.

[0009] In order to improve air flow through the outlet, the outlet orifice is preferably surrounded by an outwardly flared lip.

[0010] The chamber may be manufactured from any suitable material, for example pressed steel or a moulded plastics material.

[0011] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through a first embodiment of an air filter assembly incorporating an expansion chamber in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse cross-section of the assembly of Figure 1 on a reduced scale with its filter and closure removed;

Figure 3 is a plan view of an expansion chamber of similar construction to that of Figures 1 and 2 but not in accordance with the invention;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-section of part of an alternative chamber in accordance with the invention;

Figure 5 is a graph indicating the sound characteristics of various air filter assemblies.

[0012] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the air filter assembly comprises an expansion chamber 1 one wall 2 of which acts as a supporting wall and is formed integrally with a surrounding wall 3. In the embodiment illustrated, the surrounding wall 3 is circular in plan, but other shapes may be used. A closure 5 is mounted on top of the wall 3 by a conventional releasable fastener (not shown) and forms an airtight seal with the wall 3.

[0013] An annular filter cartridge 6 is positioned between the closure 5 and the wall 2 and is held in sealing engagement therewith.

[0014] The surrounding wall 3 defines an air inlet orifice 7 in which an air feed tube 8 is mounted. The wall 2 includes a cowl 9 which defines a circular outlet orifice 10. The cowl 9 is offset from the centre 11 of the chamber so that the outlet orifice is positioned asymmetrically with respect to the surrounding wall 3 and lines in a plane which is inclined at an angle A to the plane of the wall 2. In the embodiment illustrated the angle A is 45°, and the plane of the orifice 10 passes through the closure 5, as indicated by the broken line B in Figure 1. As best seen from Figure 2, the outlet orifice 10 faces that part of the surrounding wall 3 furthest from the outlet orifice 10 and also faces generally towards the inlet orifice 7. The precise angle of inclination A of the outlet orifice 10 and its orientation with respect to the inlet orifice 7 will vary according to the exact construction of the holder and is determined by simple experiment.

[0015] In use, the chamber 1 is mounted on an internal combustion engine so that the cowl 9 communicates with the carburettor of the engine. The fact that the cowl 9 is off-set from the centre of the chamber 1 facilitates accommodation of the assembly adjacent bulky engine components, and the inclination of the outlet orifice 10 reduces the level of noise which would otherwise be generated in the chamber 1.

[0016] Although we do not wish to be limited by any theoretical explanation of the operation of the expansion chamber we believe that the inclination of the outlet orifice 10 reduces the possibility of reverberation in the chamber 1. Figure 3 illustrates a chamber of similar shape and size to that of Figures 1 and 2 but in which the outlet orifice lies in the plane of the supporting wall 2. We believe that, in the chamber of Figure 3, sound waves emitted from the outlet orifice, indicated by broken lines 14, meet opposite sides of the annular wall 3 at different times, and interfere with the sound waves reflected from the walls 3 indicated by the broken lines 15. At certain frequencies, this interference will be additive, thus causing the chamber to generate a loud note.

[0017] By contrast, in the chamber of the present invention, the sound waves generated at the outlet orifice 10 (see Figure 2) all meet the wall 3 substantially simultaneously. Reflected waves from the walls do not therefore interfere additively with the original waves. In this respect, the wave forms within the chamber are similar to those of conventional expansion chambers in which the outlet is located centrally in the supporting wall. The levels of noise generated by such chambers are usually completely acceptable.

[0018] The audible characteristics of a number of chambers are illustrated in Figure 5. Curve 1 was obtained using a conventional air filter assembly having a chamber of similar shape to that of Figure 1, except that the outlet orifice was located centrally in the supporting wall. The chamber was connected to a loudspeaker system capable of emitting signals in the frequency range 30-100 Hz, and the sound emitted from the chamber was detected and its frequency analysed using conventional sound analysis equipment. Figure 5 illustrates the variation in intensity of the sound emitted by the chamber over the frequency range 400 to 900 Hz, which is the range in which greatest variation in intensities is observed with the chambers tested. The intensity is recorded on the ordinate in decibels, and the frequency is recorded on the abscissa in Hertz. As can be seen from Figure 5, the frequency curve exhibits there maxima in the region of 450, 650 and 850 Hz. The noise emitted by the chamber when fitted to a vehicle was acceptable.

[0019] Curve 2 was obtained using a chamber similar to that illustrated in Figure 3. The noise level emitted by the chamber was generally much higher than that of the first chamber. The curve also exhibits three maxima at approximately the same frequencies as curve 1. However the level of sound emitted at frequencies above 650 Hz is much higher, indicating the general increase in noise which produced unacceptable noise levels when fitted to a vehicle.

[0020] Curve 3 was obtained using a chamber similar to that of Figure 1, except that the cowl 9 is curved through 90° (i.e. the angle A is equal to 90°). The noise emitted by the chamber was less than that emitted by the second chamber and would have been acceptable for commercial use. The level was however greater than that emitted by the first chamber. The curve also exhibits the three maxima at about 430, 650 and 850 Hz. In contrast to curve 2 however, the sound levels at frequencies between 650 and 850 Hz are greatly reduced.

[0021] Curve 4 was obtained using a chamber similar to that of Figure 1 in which the angle A of the cowl was 20°. The noise emitted by this chamber was less than that of either the second or third chamber. Thus, the audible frequency distribution curve exhibits the same three maxima as curves 1 to 3, but the maximum at about 850 Hz is no greater than that for curve 1, and the levels for frequencies in the range 750 to 800 Hz are substantially less than those of curves 2 and 3.

[0022] Figure 4 illustrates an alternative construction for the cowl of a chamber in accordance with the invention. The outlet orifice of the cowl 9 is surrounded by an outwardly flared lip 19 which smooths the passage of air through the cowl and thereby reduces the restriction on the air flow which is produced by sharp-edged orifices.

[0023] Both embodiments of the invention may be manufactured cheaply and easily as plastics mouldings or, alternatively, as metal pressings.

[0024] Although the embodiments of the invention described above are expansion chambers for air filter assemblies of internal combustion engines; the invention is equally applicable to expansion chambers of engine exhaust systems.

Claims

1. An expansion chamber (1) for an air filter assembly or an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine comprising an inlet orifice (7) and outlet orifice (10) in one wall (2) of the chamber and a removable filter element (6) positionable around the outlet orifice (10), the outlet orifice (10) being positioned asymmetrically with respect to surrounding walls (3) of the chamber and lying within the chamber in a plane (B) which is inclined at an angle (A) of less than 90° to the plane of the said one wall, characterised in that the outlet orifice (10) faces generally in the direction of that part of the surrounding walls (3) furthest from the outlet orifice (1µ).

2. A chamber according to Claim 1 wherein a removable closure (5) is positioned opposite the said one wall (2) allowing access to the expansion chamber (1) for installation and replacement of the filter element.

3. A chamber according to Claim 2 wherein the outlet orifice (10) is so inclined that its plane intersects the wall of the chamber opposite the said one wall.

4. A chamber according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the plane (B) of the outlet orifice (10) is inclined at an angle of from 150 to 60° to the plane of the said one wall (2).

5. A chamber according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the outlet orifice (10) is surrounded by an outwardly flared lip (19).

Revendications

1. Chambre de détente (1) pour un montage de filtre à air ou un système d'échappement d'un moteur à combustion interne comprenant un orifice d'entrée (7) et un orifice de sortie (10) dans une paroi (2) de la chambre et un élément filtrant amovible (6) pouvant être placé autour de l'orifice de sortie (10), l'orifice de sortie (10) étant placé asymétriquement par rapport à la paroi d'entourage annulaire (3) de la chambre et étant disposé dans la chambre dans un plan (B) qui est incliné sous un angle (A) de moins de 90° par rapport un plan de la dite paroi, caractérisée en ce que l'orifice de sortie (10) est orienté d'une manière générale en direction de la partie de la paroi annulaire (3) qui en est la plus éloignée.

2. Chambre suivant la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce qu'un couvercle amovible (5) est placé en face de la dite paroi (2) et permet d'accéder à la chambre de détente (1) pour l'installation et le remplacement de l'élément filtrant.

3. Chambre suivant la revendication 2, caractérisée en ce que l'orifice de sortie (10) est incliné de manière que son plan recoupe la paroi de la chambre en face de la dite paroi.

4. Chambre suivant l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, caractérisée en ce que le plan (B) de l'orifice de sortie (10) est incliné sous un angle de 15 à 60° par rapport au plan de la dite paroi (2).

5. Chambre suivant l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 4, caractérisée en ce que l'orifice de sortie (10) est entouré par une lèvre (19) inclinée vers l'extérieur.

Ansprüche

1. Expansionskammer (1) für ein Filteraggregat oder Auspuffsystem eines Verbrennungsmotors, mit einer Einlassöffnung (7) und einer Auslassöffnung (10) in einer Wand (2) der Kammer und einem herausnehmbaren, um die Auslassöffnung (10) herum anzuordnenden Filtereinsatz (6), wobei die Auslassöffnung (10) asymmetrisch zu den die Kammer einfassenden Wänden (3) liegt und in der Kammer in einer Ebene (B) angeordnet ist, die mit einem Winkel (A) von weniger als 90° gegen die Ebene der besagten einen Wand geneigt ist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Auslassöffnung (10) allgemein in Richtung auf den von ihr am weitesten entfernten Teil der Einfassungswände (3) weist.

2. Kammer nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass ein abnehmbarer Verschluss (5) gegenüber der besagten einen Wand (2) angeordnet ist, um die Expansionskammer (1) zum Einbau und Auswechseln des Filtereinsatzes zugänglich zu machen.

3. Kammer nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Auslassöffnung (10) so geneigt ist, dass ihre Ebene die der besagten einen Wand gegenüberliegende Wand der Kammer schneidet.

4. Kammer nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Ebene (B) der Auslassöffnung (10) mit einem Winkel von 15° bis 60° gegen die Ebene der besagten einen Wand (2) geneigt ist.

5. Kammer nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Auslassöffnung (10) von einer sich nach aussen erweiternden Lippe (19) umgeben ist.

Drawing