FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10; rule 13)


TITLE OF THE INVENTION A System to Reduce Cold Phase Emissions of Vehicles
APPLICANTS
TATA MOTORS LIMITED, an Indian company
having its registered office at Bombay House,
24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai 400 001 Maharashtra, India
INVENTORS
Mr. Dattatraya R. Katkar, Mr. Deepak S. Kulkarni
both Indian Nationals
of TATA MOTORS LIMITED,
an Indian company having its registered office
at Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai 400 001 Maharashtra, India

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner
in which it is to be performed

FIELD OF INVENTION
This is invention relates to a device that helps in reducing the emissions of automobiles. More particularly, it relates to device that reduces the emissions during cold phase emissions of the vehicle by attaining catalytic warm up faster.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rapid growth of economy coupled with growth in industry has resulted in growth in automotive population. This has also resulted considerable in emissions from the vehicles. Increase in the number & usage of vehicles concentrated in city area along with traffic congestion has resulted in even further increase in emissions. In order to address this problem, automotive manufacturers are developing environmentally friendly vehicles, which will pollute less. However old & in use vehicles constitute a large portion of the vehicles on road. Similarly whether new or old, all vehicles emit more amount of pollutants during the cold phase of the engine. Hence, attempts to improve the cold phase emissions will have a positive impact in reducing vehicle out pollutants at a global scale.
PRIOR ART
US patent 5180559 teaches a method of reducing light-off time of a catalytic converter by exposing the matrix of the converter to an alternating magnetic field or to electromagnetic radiation having frequency such that the washcoat and the catalyst particles supported by the matrix are heated to light off temperature without a corresponding increase in temperature of the entire matrix. The catalytic converter includes a matrix formed in two or more parts of which the downstream parts are conventional. The upstream part of the matrix consists of a honeycomb made of a

material which does not absorb the microwave energy , is coated with a washcoat dispersed with catalyst particles which does heat up when exposed to microwave energy and is enclosed in a wave guide having perforated walls through which exhaust gases can flow.
Us patent 5163290 teaches a method and apparatus for electrical preheating of the catalytic converter in the exhaust has system of an internal combustion engine. The heating system includes an ignition system having battery as a starting medium, which is provisionally connected to the catalytic converters heating element to raise the catalytic converter from the ambient temperature to an intermediate temperature and subsequently to a temperature at which the catalytic converter will most effectively function.
The above two patents that electrical heating of the catalytic converter is to heat the catalytic converter. In the first case a the upstream part of the matrix is made up of material which does not absorb the microwave radiation and the washcoat which can be heated with the microwave radiation. In short it calls for a special material and construction of the catalytic converter. In the second case an electrical heater which is installed in heat exchange association of the catalytic converter to heat up the catalytic converter. In both the cases the catalytic converter construction is modified. Thus these systems are suitable only for new vehicles.
Secondly the presence of microwave heating element, electrical heater will alter the flow through the catalytic converter and increase the exhaust back pressure. Thirdly there is no control on the extent of heating or on the time for which the heating. The present invention aims at eliminating the above mentioned limitations.

THEORY OF AUTOMOTIVE EMISSION CONTROL
Modern automotive vehicles make use of advanced technologies such as common rail direct injection for Diesel & multipoint fuel injection for petrol and gas applications. These vehicles essentially make use of a catalytic converter for the emission control. The size, specification & location of the catalytic converter are optimized for vehicle. The recent trend is to use a close couple catalytic converter which is helpful in controlling cold phase emissions since it is mounted near the exhaust manifold. Any catalytic converter works satisfactorily and reduces pollution
if,
1) Air-fuel ratio is maintained properly
2) Engine combustion system is function satisfactorily
3) The catalyst has attained a temperature higher than its light off temperature.
It also means that any vehicle will emit high amount of pollutants under cold conditions. Catalytic converter maintained to engine technology are designed to meet the regularly emission requirements which also includes cold phase emissions after a cold start. This also means that cold running the vehicle out emissions are higher . This effect is more severe for vehicles that are used for a short trips in which the distance traveled in pre-catalyst light off condition is significant compared to total distance traveled in a trip.
Thus any attempt, in addition current automotive technology to reduce the cold phase duration during vehicle running will reduce the vehicle emissions

OBJECT OF THIS INVENTION
The main object of the present invention is to heat the automotive catalyst before cold start condition of the vehicle and thereby reduce the light off time and the cold
phase emissions.
• Yet another object of the invention is to provide a catalyst heating device which heats the catalytic converter independent of vehicle start.
• Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an add on device that can be retrofitted on in use vehicle.
• Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and cost effective device to reduce the cold phase emissions from the vehicle.
• Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device and an arrangement that improves the cold phase emissions that does not affect the engine and its control system.
• Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device and an arrangement whose functioning and effectiveness is independent of engine condition and its parameters.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention aims at reducing the vehicle out cold phase emissions by attaining the catalyst light off temperature without waiting for the catalyst light off

temperature for catalyst warm up (heating) from the exhaust gas. The catalyst heating is done externally. Hot stream of air coming out of the vortex tube is used to heat the catalyst substrate. The heating is started even before the engine starting. This results in higher catalyst substrate temperature at the instant of starting of the vehicle. Thus the time required to attain the catalyst light off temperature is reduced resulting in reduced cold phase emissions
Accordingly, the present invention discloses a system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles comprising, exhaust manifold, exhaust font pipe, catalytic converter and silencer connected in series to convey exhaust gases from the engine to the atmosphere wherein said exhaust font pipe is provided with an inlet nipple configured to receive hot air from a vortex tube and an exhaust gas temperature sensor; said vortex tube being controlled by an programmed electronic controller operable through a solenoid locator upstream through a pressure sensor; said vortex tube being connected to a storage tank for receiving hot air; and said electronic controller programmed to enable the ingress of hot air to said catalytic converter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows the state of art schematic arrangement of components of the exhaust
system of the vehicle.
Figure 2 shows the schematic arrangement of exhaust system with external heating of
the catalytic converter in accordance with this invention.
Figure 3 shows the schematic details of the electronic controller for external heating
of the catalytic converter.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFFERED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for the purpose of limiting the same
The sketches showing details of the schematic and arrangement for device for reducing the cold phase emissions from the vehicle are given below.
As shown in fig.l the exhaust system for an automotive vehicle comprises of an exhaust font pipe (1) which connects the exhaust manifold (2) and the catalytic converter (3) The silencer (4) is connected to the downstream side of the catalytic converter. The location of the catalytic converter is decided based on vehicle packaging boundary conditions making every possible attempt to locate the catalytic converter as near the engine as possible. This is to ensure the faster warm up of the catalytic converter.
Figure 2 shows the exhaust system for an automotive vehicle in accordance with the present invention. The system comprises of an exhaust font pipe (1) which connects the exhaust manifold (2) and the catalytic converter (3). The silencer (4) is connected to the downstream side of the catalytic converter. In addition, the exhaust front pipe is provided with an inlet nipple (5) and an exhaust gas temperature sensor (6). The inlet nipple receives the hot air from the vortex tube (7). This hot air is used to heat up the catalytic converter substrate before starting the vehicle. The exhaust gas temperature sensor is located just at near the catalytic converter and downstream of the inlet nipple. This ensures that it can predict the catalytic converter substrate temperature more accurately during the vehicle running and can also measure the temperature of the hot stream entering the catalytic converter. The vortex tube is

operated by an electronic controller (8) through an electrically operated solenoid valve (9). The electrically operated solenoid valve is located upstream of the vortex tube and between the pressure sensor (13) and the vortex tube (7). The compressed air required for the vortex tube operation is supplied through a storage tank (10). The compressor (11) mounted on the engine fills the storage tank during the normal running of the engine. In addition, the storage tank has a provision (12) for filling from an external source. The pressure sensor (13) which is mounted between the storage tank and vortex tube provides a pressure signal to the electronic controller.
Figure 3 shows the schematic details of the electronic controller. The electronic controller (8) is a microprocessor based unit capable of being programmed with MAPs and capable of receiving multiple inputs. It receives the following inputs (15)
i) Engine stop signal
ii) Ambient air temperature
iii) Engine Coolant temperature
iv) Exhaust gas temperature
v) Compressed air pressure
vi) Override input
The engine stop signal triggers the electronic clock inside the controller and the clock counts the time since engine stop. Based on the engine coolant temperature, and exhaust gas temperature, the electronic controller finds the temperature at the catalytic converter substrate. The temperature at the time of engine atop is treated as an initial temperature. Using these initial conditions, the electronic controller then determines/ predicts the catalyst substrate temperature as a function of time since engine stop and the ambient temperature. A look up MAP is programmed into the electronic controller which helps in determining/predicting the temperature at the catalyst substrate. The MAP uses a thermal cooling model for predicting the catalyst

substrate temperature. The cooling of the catalyst substrate is also dependent on thermal mass of the catalyst and its surface area. These parameters decide values of variables in the MAP. The variables in the MAP are filled by experimental measurements and thus separate MAPs are required for different vehicle models.
The compressed air pressure signal is used to predict the temperature of the hot stream coming out of the vortex tube.
Based on these inputs, the controller performs the following comparisons -
i) Whether the instantaneous substrate temperature is lower than the predicted
temperature of the hot air stream coming out of vortex tube, ii) Difference between the predicted temperature of hot air stream coming out
from the vortex tube and the predicted catalyst substrate temperature
Based on the above comparison the electronic controller decides following outputs (16)-
a) Whether to heat the catalyst substrate using hot air stream from the vortex tube ( Such a case may arise if the catalyst substrate is hotter than the hot stream of air )
b) Time for which the solenoid valves to be kept open for attaining the steady state temperature at the catalyst substrate (which is the maximum temperature to which the substrate can be heated using the hot air stream )
This time is primarily dependent on the thermal mass of the catalyst. A look up table is programmed into the electronic controller for given thermal mass of the catalytic converter.

Accordingly the electronic controller actuates the solenoid. The digital display provided at the dashboard gives the time leftover for solenoid ON time. After the solenoid is closed, the electronic controller provides as 'Engine ready To Start' indication on the dashboard after which, the vehicle can be started. In addition, an override switch (14) is also provided on the dashboard to stop the solenoid operation. The override switch can be operated at the beginning or during the catalyst substrate heating operation. After receiving the override signal the electronic controller immediately stops the solenoid and provides ' engine ready to start' signal.
The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for purpose of illustration only, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof.

WE CLAIM
1. A system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles comprising; a
catalytic converter connected in the exhaust system of said vehicle; a vortex tube
connected to compressed air storage tank through an electrically operated solenoid
valve for supplying hot air at the upstream side of said catalytic converter ; an
electronic controller to control said solenoid based on certain parameters.
2. A system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles as claimed in claim 1 wherein said exhaust system includes an exhaust manifold, an exhaust font pipe provided with an inlet nipple configured to receive hot air from said vortex tube, an catalytic converter and a silencer connected in series to convey exhaust gases from the engine to the atmosphere.
3. A system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles as claimed in claim 2 wherein said exhaust font pipe is provided with an exhaust gas temperature sensor.
4. A system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles as claimed in claim 1 wherein said parameters are catalytic converter temperature and compressed air pressure.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electronic controller is
a microprocessor programmed with MAP and is capable of receiving multiple inputs of Engine stop signal, Ambient air temperature, Engine Coolant temperature, Exhaust gas temperature, Compressed air pressure, Override input to predict the catalyst substrate temperature as a function of time since engine stop and the ambient temperature.

6. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said programmed microprocessor is capable of predicting the catalyst substrate temperature on the basis of inputs of variables.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a digital display unit is provided on the dashboard of said vehicle and said electronic controller is programmed to indicate the time for closing of said solenoid.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an override switch is provided on the dash board to control the electronic controller to stop solenoid operation and to give engine start signal.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storage tank receives compressed air from the compressor of the engine or from the external source.
10. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said exhaust gas
temperature sensor is located near said catalytic converter and downstream of said
inlet nipple.
11. A system to reduce cold phase emissions of vehicles substantially as
described herein with particular reference to Figures 2 and 3.
Dated this 3rd day of October 2008