TODAY’S PATENT – METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ENGINE SMOKE EMISSIONS

The Method of and apparatus for reducing engine smoke emissions was invented by Izuru Morita (Tokyo), Keisuke Kishitani (Tokyo), Masayoshi Kajitani (Kanagawa), Shoji Tozawa (Akashi), Masanori Satoh (Sagamihara), Kisaburo Otabe (Isehara), Mamoru Onda (Sagamihara) on December 5, 1989 bearing patent number US4884398A.

The present invention provides, in one of its aspects, an apparatus for reducing the amount of smoke emitted from a diesel engine, comprising: a trap for trapping black smoke particles which is disposed within the exhaust system of the engine, the trap including a ceramic trap assembly having a honeycomb structure in which a catalyst which enables lowering of the combustion temperature of black smoke is carried on internal passage walls; a pressure sensor provided at the inlet of the trap; an engine speed sensor; a butterfly valve provided in the intake system of the engine; a combination of a controller and an actuator arranged to obtain a specified exhaust pressure range in the trap on the basis of a signal from the engine speed sensor, compare a value representing the exhaust pressure and supplied by the pressure sensor with the specified exhaust pressure range, and control the degree of opening of the butterfly valve such that the exhaust pressure inside the trap is maintained within the specified exhaust pressure range; and an indicator for indicating the exhaust pressure state of the trap.