Exhaust cleaning system

Abstract

An exhaust cleaning system for motor vehicles, especially a diesel exhaust cleaning system for medium to heavy utility vehicles. The exhaust cleaning system has an exhaust muffler ( 1 ), a catalytic converter ( 2 ) and an exhaust particle filter element ( 3 ). The exhaust muffler ( 1 ), the catalytic converter ( 2 ) with a U-shaped tubular urea injection element ( 4 ) arranged upstream and an exhaust particle filter element ( 3 ) are integrated in a common housing and designed as a structural, functional unit.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An exhaust cleaning system comprising: 
 a housing having an inlet and outlet;    an exhaust muffler arranged in said housing;    a catalytic converter arranged in said housing;    an exhaust gas particle filter element arranged in said housing, said particle filter and said catalytic converter being formed as separate structures in said housing, said muffler, said catalytic converter and said particle filter being in communication with said inlet and said outlet of said housing, said housing including passages serially connecting said catalytic converter and said particle filter with said inlet and said outlet of said housing, said passages forming absorption and baffle chambers of said muffler.    
     
     
         2 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said exhaust muffler has a multichamber design with at least one baffle chamber and at least one absorption chamber in said housing, said housing having an outer jacket of oval to rectangular cross section and flat axial ends, said baffle chamber and said absorption chamber being separated from one another by at least one radial partition.    
     
     
         3 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said catalytic converter is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalytic converter for the selective catalytic reduction of the harmful substances present in the exhaust gas, said catalytic converter is also a separate structure from said particle filter.    
     
     
         4 . The exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein said SCR catalytic converter has a box-shaped housing.  
     
     
         5 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said exhaust gas particle filter element is a diesel particle filter element.    
     
     
         6 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein: 
 said diesel particle filter element has a conical cleaning bell in an area of an axial end of said housing, with said conical cleaning bell having a blind plug that can be opened at a tapered end of said cleaning bell, wherein said tapered end of said cleaning bell including said blind plug is located substantially in a plane of said axial end of said housing.    
     
     
         7 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said particle filter and said catalytic converter form an exclusive passage between said inlet and said outlet.    
     
     
         8 . An exhaust cleaning system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: 
 one of said passages is between said particle filter and said catalytic converter.