Patent ID: 7451594

Claim:
A vehicle exhaust apparatus comprising: an exhaust conduit; an exhaust aftertreatment device configured to remove pollutants from an exhaust stream positioned within the exhaust conduit, the exhaust aftertreatment device including an upstream face and a downstream face; an inlet for directing exhaust gas into the exhaust conduit; and a flow distribution arrangement positioned upstream from the aftertreatment device for distributing flow across the upstream face of the aftertreatment device, the flow distribution arrangement including a plate having: a concave side that faces the exhaust aftertreatment device and a convex side that faces the inlet; at least 6 wedge-shaped flow distribution openings defined by the plate that extend radially outwardly from a central region of the plate, wherein the flow distribution openings increasing in size as the flow distribution openings extend radially away from the central region of the plate; radial flow distribution members that separate the flow distribution openings, wherein the radial flow distribution members are interconnected at the central region of the plate with each having a generally constant width; and a boundary defined by the inlet at the convex side of the plate, wherein a sum of an area defined by each of the flow distribution openings within the boundary divided by a total area within the boundary is greater than or equal to 75 percent.