# US 2014/0151149 A1 · Conformal transverse muffler

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- Number: US 2014/0151149 A1
- Document ID: US20140151149A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/692,943
- Filed: 2012-12-03
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-03
- Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Brian Ross; Joel John Beltramo; Erich James Nowka; Kerry Timothy Havener
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151149A1

## CPC

- F01N 13/08: Other arrangements or adaptations of exhaust conduits {(pipes, joints or supports therefor in general F16L; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005)}
- F01N 1/02: by using resonance
- F01N 13/00: Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features
- F01N 13/1888: {the housing of the assembly consisting of two or more parts, e.g. two half-shells}
- F01N 2490/16: Chambers with particular shapes, e.g. spherical
- F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16)

## Abstract

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a conformal transverse muffler including an enclosure shaped to fit around a bottom and a side of a feature of a vehicle. The enclosure may include a mid section fittable below the feature, and two side sections fittable in opposite locations only radially outside of a circumference of the spare tire well. The side sections may be thicker than the mid section and may have a vertical center above a vertical center of the mid section.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-11. (canceled)

### Claim 12

A muffler comprising:
an enclosure including:
a relatively thin volume fittable under a preselected feature of a vehicle, and
at least one relatively thick volume fittable alongside the preselected feature,
an exhaust gas entry port,
a tailpipe exit port, and
partitions within the thin volume forming:
an expansion chamber at the entry port, and
a tailpipe extension at the exit port.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the at least one relatively thick volume is two relatively thick volumes fluidically coupled to the thin volume on opposite sides thereof and both configured to fit alongside the preselected feature, the entry port being two entry ports, the expansion chamber being two expansion chambers directly downstream from the respective two entry ports and configured to direct a stream into the respective two relatively thick volumes; and
the partitions also forming a balance tube within the relatively thin volume fluidically coupling the two relatively thick volumes.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the at least one relatively thick volume is an expansion chamber for a single inlet/single outlet exhaust system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the enclosure is formed from a top shell coupled with a bottom shell, wherein the bottom shell is tub shaped, and the top shell includes wide approximately U shaped side walls and three top surfaces including a lower middle surface and two relatively higher side surfaces.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The muffler of claim 15, wherein the top shell and the bottom shell are molded plastic shells.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the tailpipe extension is a tubular member located within the enclosure.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the tailpipe extension is two or more tailpipe extensions having substantial rectangular cross sections, further comprising substantial rectangular end-forms to mate the two or more tailpipe extensions to respective two or more tailpipes.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the preselected feature is a spare tire well, and further comprising a top surface contour, a circular center depression formed in the top surface contour defined by the spare-tire well.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein the partitions are positioned to form a first balance passage located adjacent and substantially parallel with a forward wall of the enclosure, and a second balance passage located adjacent and substantially parallel with a rearward wall of the enclosure, wherein the tailpipe extension is located a spaced apart distance from a forward wall of the enclosure, and further comprising a second tailpipe extension located another spaced apart distance from a rearward wall of the enclosure.

### Claim 21 (depends on 12)

The muffler of claim 12, wherein one or more of the partitions include tabs disposed substantially perpendicular to a substantially vertical face of the one or more partitions, the tabs being fixed to a top and/or a bottom inner surface face of the enclosure.

### Claim 22

A dual exhaust system comprising:
at least two exhaust passages in fluidic communication with respective two banks of combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine;
first and second resonator chambers in fluidic communication with the two respective exhaust passages;
at least two tailpipe passages in fluidic communication with the first and second resonator chambers;
a balance passage fluidically inter-coupling the first and second resonator chambers;
wherein a portion of each of the two exhaust passages, a portion of each of the two tailpipe passages, and the balance passage are all co-located within a middle volume where the two tailpipe passages share a first partition, the middle volume included in an enclosure; and
wherein the first and second resonator chambers are located in the enclosure on opposite sides of the middle volume.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The dual exhaust system of claim 22, wherein the first and second resonator chambers occupy relatively thick volumes and the middle volume occupies a relatively thin volume, where the first partition separates the two tailpipe passages, and wherein the enclosure has a cross-sectional shape approximating a wide square U shape.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The dual exhaust system of claim 22, further comprising a spare tire wheel well, the enclosure fitting around and conforming to the spare tire wheel well, the first and second resonator chambers located at a height in a vehicle approximately at a height of a spare tire and only radially outside of a circumference of the spare tire wheel well.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The dual exhaust system of claim 22, wherein the middle volume is located below a spare tire wheel well, wherein the enclosure is a stamped enclosure, and, wherein the middle volume includes:
a second and a third partition extending from respective sides of inlet holes forming respective first and second expansion chambers at ends of exhaust pipes between top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume and between a side wall of the enclosure and the second and third partitions; and
a fourth partition at a spaced apart distance from the first and second partitions and forming the balance passage between the top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume and the fourth partition and the second and first partitions.

### Claim 26

A dual exhaust system comprising:
at least two exhaust passages in fluidic communication with respective two banks of combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine;
first and second resonator chambers in fluidic communication with the two respective exhaust passages;
at least two tailpipe passages in fluidic communication with the first and second resonator chambers;
a balance passage fluidically inter-coupling the first and second resonator chambers;
wherein a portion of each of the two exhaust passages, a portion of each of the two tailpipe passages, and the balance passage are all co-located within a middle volume included in an enclosure;
wherein the first and second resonator chambers are located in the enclosure on opposite sides of the middle volume;
wherein the middle volume is located below a spare tire wheel well, wherein the enclosure is a stamped enclosure, and, wherein the middle volume includes:
a first and a second partition extending from respective sides of inlet holes forming respective first and second expansion chambers at ends of exhaust pipes between top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume and between a side wall of the enclosure and the first and second partitions;
a third partition at a spaced apart distance from the first and second partitions and forming the balance passage between the top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume and the third partition and the first and second partitions; and
a fourth partition at a second spaced apart distance from the third partition forming a first tailpipe extension on a first side of the fourth partition between the top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume, and a second tailpipe extension on a second side of the fourth partition between the top and bottom surfaces of the middle volume.