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EP-4301967-B1 - EXHAUST GAS SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE, AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING SAME

EP4301967B1EP 4301967 B1EP4301967 B1EP 4301967B1EP-4301967-B1

Inventors

  • Boepple, Otto
  • GLAESER, UWE
  • Fragonikolakis, Alexandros
  • KLUNKER, STEPHAN

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220202

Claims (8)

  1. Method for assembling an exhaust system (100) for a vehicle, in particular a passenger car, comprising the steps of: a) providing an outlet pipe (11) of a catalytic converter (10), b) providing a connecting piece (20) with a passage for guiding an exhaust gas flowing from the outlet pipe (11) during intended use of the exhaust system (100), c) providing a connecting element (30) with a passage for guiding the exhaust gas flowing from the connecting piece (20) during intended use of the exhaust system (100), d) at least partially placing the connecting piece (20) over the outlet pipe (11) or at least partially inserting the connecting piece into the outlet pipe, e) setting a predefined tilting angle (+ α, - α) between a longitudinal axis (L2) of the connecting piece (20) and a longitudinal axis (L1) of the outlet pipe (11), f) welding the outlet pipe (11) and the connecting piece (20) at the set tilting angle (+ α, - α), and g) connecting the connecting element (30) to the connecting piece (20), characterized in that in step b) a connecting piece (20) with a first section (21) is provided, which in step d) is at least partially placed over the outlet pipe (11), wherein the first section (21) of the connecting piece (20) tapers at least in sections toward an end (24) of the connecting piece (20), in particular tapers conically, which in step d) is placed over the outlet pipe (11), or in step a) an outlet pipe is provided with a section into which the connecting piece is at least partially inserted in step d), wherein the section of the outlet pipe tapers at least in sections toward an end of the outlet pipe, in particular tapers conically, into which in step d) the connecting piece is at least partially inserted, in step b) a connecting piece (20) with a second section (22) adjoining the first section (21) of the connecting piece (20) and tapering at least in sections toward the first section (21) of the connecting piece (20), in particular tapering conically, is provided, in step c) a connecting element (30) with a first section (31) and a second section (32) adjoining the first section (31) is provided, wherein the second section (32) has a smaller outer dimension than an end (33) of the first section (31) of the connecting element (30) adjoining the second section (32), wherein the first section (31) of the connecting element (30) tapers at least in sections in a direction away from the end (33) adjoining the second section (32) of the connecting element (30), in particular tapers conically, in step g) the first section (31) of the connecting element (30) is at least partially inserted into the second section (22) of the connecting piece (20), and the method further comprises the following step: h) connecting the connecting element (30) to the connecting piece (20) by means of a clamp (40), in particular wherein the clamp (40) engages the end (33) of the first section (31) of the connecting element (30) and an end (23) of the second section (22) of the connecting piece (20) facing away from the first section (21) of the connecting piece (20).
  2. Method according to claim 1, wherein in step a) an outlet pipe (11) having predetermined outer dimensions is provided, in step b) a connecting piece (20) having a passage with predetermined inner dimensions is provided, and the predetermined outer dimensions of the outlet pipe (11) and the predetermined inner dimensions of the passage of the connecting piece (20) are selected such that, in the state where the connecting piece (20) is at least partially placed over the outlet pipe (11), the connecting piece (20) is movable along the longitudinal axis (L1) of the outlet pipe (11) and/or tiltable at least by the predefined tilting angle (+ α, - α), or in step a) an outlet pipe having a passage with predetermined inner dimensions is provided, in step b) a connecting piece having predetermined outer dimensions is provided, and the predetermined outer dimensions of the connecting piece and the predetermined inner dimensions of the passage of the outlet pipe are selected such that, in the state where the connecting piece is at least partially inserted into the outlet pipe, the connecting piece is movable along the longitudinal axis of the outlet pipe and/or tiltable at least by the predefined tilting angle (+ α, - a).
  3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet pipe (11) provided in step a) and the connecting piece (20) provided in step b) are configured such that in step d) when a predefined section of the connecting piece (20) is placed over the outlet pipe (11), or when a predefined section of the connecting piece is inserted into the outlet pipe, the connecting piece (20) is tiltable relative to the outlet pipe (11) according to the predefined tilting angle (+ α, - α) between the longitudinal axis (L2) of the connecting piece (20) and the longitudinal axis (L1) of the outlet pipe (11).
  4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in step g) the connecting element (30) is connected to the connecting piece (20) by means of a clamp (40), in particular wherein the clamp (40) engages a radially projecting section of the connecting piece (20) and a radially projecting section of the connecting element (30).
  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in step e) the tilting angle (+ α, - α) is set using a gauge.
  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet pipe (11) provided in step a) and/or the connecting piece (20) provided in step b) and/or the connecting element (30) provided in step c) comprise a metal or consist of at least one metal.
  7. Exhaust system (100), assembled according to a method according to one of claims 1 to 6.
  8. Vehicle, in particular a passenger car, comprising an exhaust system (100) according to claim 7.

Description

The present invention relates to an exhaust system for a vehicle and a method for assembling the same. The present invention relates in particular to an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, for example, a passenger car. Conventional exhaust systems for a vehicle's internal combustion engine feature a catalyst with an exhaust pipe that is connected via a connecting element or directly to the vehicle's exhaust system to direct exhaust gas flowing from the catalyst's exhaust pipe out of the vehicle into the environment. The location and orientation of the catalytic converter's exhaust pipe can depend on the specific configuration of the vehicle, particularly its engine compartment. For example, it may be a conventional vehicle with only a combustion engine or a hybrid vehicle with both a combustion engine and an electric motor. In such cases, different components are required to discharge the exhaust gas flowing from the catalytic converter into the environment, and potentially different tools are needed to assemble these components, thus increasing the vehicle's manufacturing costs. The documents are state-of-the-art. US 2008/277016 A1 , US 2008/084065 A1 and GB 2 207 615 A known. One object of an embodiment of the present invention is to improve an exhaust system for a vehicle and a method for assembling the same. This problem is solved by a method with the features of claim 1 or an exhaust system with the features of claim 7. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for assembling an exhaust system for a vehicle, in an embodiment for a passenger car, comprises the following steps: a) Providing an outlet pipe of a catalyst, b) Providing a connecting piece with a passage for guiding exhaust gas flowing from the outlet pipe during normal use of the exhaust system, c) Providing a connection element with a passage for guiding the exhaust gas flowing from the connecting piece during the intended use of the exhaust system, d) at least partially fitting the connector over the outlet pipe or at least partially inserting the connector into the outlet pipe, e) Setting a predetermined tilt angle between a longitudinal axis of the connecting piece and a longitudinal axis of the outlet pipe, f) Welding the outlet pipe and the connecting piece at the set tilt angle, and g) Connecting the connecting element to the connector. This allows, in a single design for different positions and/or orientations of the catalytic converter's exhaust pipe, the same connector to be used to join the exhaust pipe to the connecting element. This is achieved by adjusting the tilt angle between the longitudinal axis of the connector and the longitudinal axis of the exhaust pipe, and then welding the exhaust pipe and connector together at the set tilt angle. This reduces the vehicle's manufacturing costs. The tilt angle is the angle by which the connector, and thus its longitudinal axis, would need to be rotated so that the longitudinal axis of the connector and the longitudinal axis of the exhaust pipe coincide or are at least parallel to each other. Alternatively, it is the angle by which the exhaust pipe, and thus its longitudinal axis, would need to be rotated so that the longitudinal axis of the connector and the longitudinal axis of the exhaust pipe coincide or are at least parallel to each other. In one embodiment, the specified tilt angle between the longitudinal axis of the connecting piece and the longitudinal axis of the outlet pipe is different from 0°, in one embodiment greater than 5°, in one embodiment greater than 10°, in one embodiment greater than 20°, in one embodiment greater than 30°. Furthermore, in one version, a gas-tight connection can be created between the outlet pipe and the connecting piece by welding the outlet pipe and the connecting piece. In one embodiment, in step a) an outlet pipe with predetermined outer dimensions is provided, and in step b) a connector with a passage with predetermined inner dimensions is provided, wherein the predetermined outer dimensions of the outlet pipe and the predetermined inner dimensions of the passage of the connector are selected such that, in the at least partially inserted state of the connector over the outlet pipe, the connector is movable along the longitudinal axis of the outlet pipe and/or can be tilted at least by the predetermined tilting angle; or, in step a) an outlet pipe with a passage with predetermined inner dimensions is provided, and in step b) a connector with predetermined outer dimensions is provided, wherein the predetermined outer dimensions of the connector and the predetermined inner dimensions of the passage of the outlet pipe are selected such that, in the at least partially inserted state of the connector into the outlet pipe, the connector is movable along the longitudinal axis of the outlet pipe and/or can be tilted at least