SOUND DAMPER

Abstract

A sound damper for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine includes a sound damper housing, at least one intermediate wall which is arranged in a housing interior and at least one sound damper connection pipe. The sound damper connection pipe is supported in a first pipe end region on the sound damper housing and is arranged in a second pipe end region on a support element which is arranged in the housing interior. The support element forms an integral component of an intermediate wall. The sound damper connection pipe introduces exhaust gas into the housing interior or directs exhaust gas out of the housing interior.

Claims

1. A sound damper for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, the sound damper comprising: a sound damper housing defining a housing interior; at least one intermediate wall arranged in said housing interior; at least one sound damper connection pipe having first and second pipe end regions; a support element arranged in said housing interior and being formed as an integral component of said at least one intermediate wall; and, said at least one sound damper connection pipe being supported in said first pipe end region on said sound damper housing and being arranged in said second pipe end region on said support element for introducing exhaust gas into said housing interior or for directing exhaust gas out of said housing interior.

2. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said at least one intermediate wall defines an intermediate wall plane and includes a wall member located in said intermediate wall plane; and, said support element extends from said wall member out of said intermediate wall plane.

3. The sound damper of claim 2, wherein said support element and said wall member conjointly define a bending region whereat said support element adjoins said wall member and is bent out of said intermediate wall plane in said bending region.

4. The sound damper of claim 2, wherein said support element extends orthogonally to said intermediate wall plane.

5. The sound damper of claim 2, wherein said sound damper housing includes a circumferential wall elongated in a direction of a longitudinal housing axis and first and second end walls at respective axial ends of said circumferential wall; and, said intermediate wall plane is arranged orthogonally to said longitudinal housing axis.

6. The sound damper of claim 2, wherein said at least one sound damper connection pipe defines a longitudinal pipe axis and is elongated in a direction of said longitudinal pipe axis; and, said support element extends orthogonally to said longitudinal pipe axis.

7. The sound damper of claim 6, wherein said longitudinal pipe axis extends parallel to said intermediate wall plane.

8. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said support element defines a formation region and said formation region engages in accordance with at least one of the following: i) around said second pipe end region of said at least one sound damper connection pipe; and, ii) in said second pipe end region of said at least one sound damper connection pipe.

9. The sound damper of claim 8, wherein said at least one sound damper connection pipe is closed off at said second pipe end region thereof by said formation region engaging in said second pipe end region.

10. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said at least one sound damper connection pipe is closed by said support element at said second pipe end region thereof.

11. The sound damper of claim 10, wherein said support element defines a formation region; and, said at least one sound damper connection pipe is closed off at said second pipe end region thereof by said formation region engaging in said second pipe end region.

12. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said at least one sound damper connection pipe is fixed in said second pipe end region thereof to said support element by material engagement.

13. The sound damper of claim 12, wherein said material engagement is by welding.

14. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said sound damper housing has an opening; and, at least one of the following applies: i) said at least one sound damper connection pipe is received with said first pipe end region thereof in said opening of said sound damper housing; and, ii) said at least one sound damper connection pipe is fixed in said first pipe end region thereof by material engagement to said sound damper housing.

15. The sound damper of claim 14, wherein said material engagement is by welding.

16. The sound damper of claim 1, wherein said sound damper connection pipe is supported between said first pipe end region and said second pipe end region thereof by at least one additional support element which forms an integral component of said intermediate wall.

17. The sound damper of claim 16, wherein said at least one additional support element has a formation region engaging around said sound damper connection pipe.

18. An exhaust gas system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, the exhaust gas system comprising at least one sound damper including: a sound damper housing defining a housing interior; at least one intermediate wall arranged in said housing interior; at least one sound damper connection pipe having first and second pipe end regions; a support element arranged in said housing interior and being formed as an integral component of said at least one intermediate wall; and, said at least one sound damper connection pipe being supported in said first pipe end region on said sound damper housing and being arranged in said second pipe end region on said support element for introducing exhaust gas into said housing interior or for directing exhaust gas out of said housing interior.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a sound damper with a sound damper housing which is illustrated in the open state;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the sound damper of FIG. 1 in the region II in FIG. 1;

[0027] FIGS. 3A and 3B show illustrations of alternative configurations of the connection of a sound damper connection pipe to a support element; and,

[0028] FIG. 4 shows another alternative embodiment of the connection of a sound damper connection pipe to a support element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a sound damper 10 of an exhaust gas system which is generally designated 12 for an internal combustion engine in a vehicle having a sound damper housing 14 which is illustrated in the open state. In the embodiment illustrated, the sound damper housing 14 is configured with two housing shells which are constructed, for example, substantially symmetrically to each other and of which FIG. 1 shows only the housing shell 16.

[0030] The sound damper housing 14 is elongate in the direction of a longitudinal housing axis G and includes a circumferential wall 18 which surrounds the longitudinal housing axis G and which is substantially elongate in the direction of the longitudinal housing axis G and, at both axial ends of the circumferential wall 18, an end wall 20, 22. In a housing interior 24 which is surrounded by the sound damper housing 14, in the embodiment illustrated three intermediate walls 26, 28, 30 are arranged. As a result of the intermediate walls 26, 28, 30, the housing interior 24 is subdivided into four chambers 32, 34, 36, 38 in principle. In this case, the intermediate walls 26, 28, 30 can be constructed with openings which connect the chambers which are thereby separated from each other, or one or more of the intermediate walls can be constructed substantially without one or more such openings so that at least one chamber can be used as a resonator chamber of a Helmholtz resonator. In the embodiment illustrated, for example, the chamber 32 which is delimited between the end wall 20 and the intermediate wall 26 can be such a resonator chamber which is open via a pipe 40, which extends through the intermediate wall 26 and which provides a resonator neck, to the chambers 36 which are formed between the two intermediate walls 28, 30.

[0031] In this context, it may be noted that FIG. 1 shows only one embodiment of a sound damper 10 with regard to the number and positioning of the intermediate walls and also the direct communication, which is permitted or prevented thereby, of adjacent chambers. It is evident that the number, position and function of the intermediate walls may differ from the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0032] The sound damper 10 has a sound damper connection pipe 42 which acts in the embodiment illustrated as an inlet pipe. The sound damper connection pipe 42 is received with a first pipe end region 44 in an opening 46 which is constructed in the circumferential wall 18 of the sound damper housing 14. This opening 46 can be formed partially in the housing shells which provide the sound damper housing 14. In order to achieve a gas-tight and stable connection, the sound damper connection pipe 42 can be securely connected to the sound damper housing 14 by welding in the first pipe end region 44 thereof.

[0033] In a second pipe end region 48 which is located in the housing interior 24, the sound damper connection pipe 42 is supported on a plate-like support element 50. The plate-like support element 50 forms an integral component of the intermediate wall 30. The intermediate wall 30 is, for example, similarly to the other intermediate walls 26 and 28, provided as a sheet metal formed member and has a substantially planar intermediate wall member 52 which is located in an intermediate wall plane E. In the external circumferential region thereof, the intermediate wall member 52 can be surrounded by an axially bent-away edge 54, with which the intermediate wall 30 is retained on the circumferential wall 18 of the sound damper housing 14.

[0034] In a bending region 56, the support element 50 adjoins the wall member 52 of the intermediate wall 30 or is bent away thereby so that the substantially plate-like support element 50 extends substantially orthogonally from the intermediate wall plane E and consequently substantially parallel with the longitudinal housing axis G and is positioned orthogonally to a longitudinal pipe axis R of the sound damper connection pipe 42.

[0035] In order to provide the support element 50 as an integral component of the intermediate wall 30, a substantially U-shaped cutout can be formed in the wall member 52 of the intermediate wall 30 so that the support element 50 has a connection to the wall member 52 only in the bending region 56.

[0036] In order to be able to retain or position the second pipe end region 48 of the sound damper connection pipe 42 in a defined manner with respect to the support element 50, the support element 50 may have, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a formation region 58. In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the formation region 58 is constructed in a cupola-like manner and has such dimensions that it can be positioned so as to engage in the second pipe end region 48 of the sound damper connection pipe 42. Consequently, a positive-locking connection which produces a defined positioning of the sound damper connection pipe 42 with respect to the support element 50 is produced substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal pipe axis R. In order to additionally achieve a stable connection which in particular also prevents rattling noise, the second pipe end region 48 can be fixed by a weld 60 to the support element 50. This weld 60 may be a weld seam which extends in a circumferential direction around the longitudinal pipe axis R, but may also include a plurality of discrete point-like or line-like weld regions which are located in a circumferential direction around the longitudinal pipe axis R with spacing from each other.

[0037] FIG. 3A shows that, as a result of the formation region 58, the sound damper connection pipe 42 is substantially closed in the second pipe end region 48 thereof so as to prevent the discharge of exhaust gas. This means that exhaust gas which is introduced into the sound damper 10 via the sound damper connection pipe 42 can be introduced into the housing interior 24 in the region of the chamber 36 only through a perforation 62 which is formed in the sound damper connection pipe 42. If an axial introduction with respect to the longitudinal pipe axis R into the chamber 36 is also necessary, it is possible to provide one or more openings which permit the passage of exhaust gas in the cupola-like or dome-like formation region 58.

[0038] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3B, for example, the formation region 58 is in the form of a passage which forms an opening 64 for receiving the second pipe end region 48 of the sound damper connection pipe 42. The second pipe end region 48 can be introduced in this opening 64 and can be securely retained therein by the weld 60.

[0039] In order to direct away the exhaust gas which is introduced via the sound damper connection pipe 42 into the housing interior 24, an additional sound damper connection pipe 66, which acts as an outlet pipe and which is received, for example, in the region of the circumferential wall 20 in an opening which is formed in the sound damper housing 14 and which is fixed in this region, for example, by welding to the sound damper housing 14, can be provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the additional sound damper connection pipe 66 extends through the three intermediate walls 26, 28, 30 and is open toward the chamber 38.

[0040] In this context, it may also be noted that the extent of such an additional connection pipe and the connection thereof to the sound damper housing 14 could be configured differently from what is illustrated in the figures. It is also possible for the additional sound damper connection pipe 66 to be used as an inlet pipe while the sound damper connection pipe 42 is used as an outlet pipe. Furthermore, it is evident that a plurality of such sound damper connection pipes 42 which are supported in the respective second pipe end region via a support element 50 which is constructed integrally with an intermediate wall may be provided. To this end, such a support element which is integrally connected therewith could be provided on an additional intermediate wall or two support elements which extend in opposite directions from the wall member thereof can be provided on an intermediate wall.

[0041] In an additional construction variant, the formation region which is formed on the support element 50 could have a plurality of portions which are arranged in a radially offset manner relative to each other with respect to the longitudinal pipe axis R, wherein some of these portions engage in the sound damper connection pipe 42 and consequently support it from a radially internal position, and some of the portions are located radially outside the sound damper connection pipe 42 and consequently support it from a radially external position. Such portions may, for example, be provided as circumferential portions, which are located in a manner radially offset relative to each other, of the formation region which is in the form of a passage and which is illustrated in FIG. 3B.

[0042] Finally, a configuration of the support element 50 is also possible, wherein it is constructed substantially without any formation so that the sound damper connection pipe 42 abuts it with the second pipe end region 48 thereof in a substantially obtuse manner and is fixed by the weld 60.

[0043] Another alternative construction variant is illustrated in FIG. 4. In this construction variant, the sound damper connection pipe 42 is supported not only in the second pipe end region 48 thereof by a support element 50 which is integrally constructed on the intermediate wall 30, but also in an intermediate region 68 which is located between the two pipe end regions 44, 48. In this configuration, the intermediate wall 30 has a plurality of support elements 50, 50, in the embodiment illustrated two, which are successive in the direction of the longitudinal pipe axis R and which are bent out of the plane E in respective bending regions 56.

[0044] The support element 50 provided in association with the second pipe end region 48 can, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, have a formation region 58 which engages in the second pipe end region 48 or can, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, have a formation region 58 which engages round the second pipe end region 48.

[0045] The support element 50 which is provided in association with the intermediate region 68 has a formation region 58 which engages round the intermediate region 68 and which has an opening 64 which receives the sound damper connection pipe 42. In this region, a very stable connection can also be achieved in that the support element 50 is connected in a materially engaging manner to the sound damper connection pipe 42, for example, by welding.

[0046] It is understood that the foregoing description is that of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.