US20060037310A1 - Airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine - Google Patents
Airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060037310A1 US20060037310A1 US11/175,433 US17543305A US2006037310A1 US 20060037310 A1 US20060037310 A1 US 20060037310A1 US 17543305 A US17543305 A US 17543305A US 2006037310 A1 US2006037310 A1 US 2006037310A1
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- Prior art keywords
- valve
- passage
- exhaust gas
- air
- control valve
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N3/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust
- F01N3/08—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous
- F01N3/10—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust
- F01N3/24—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust characterised by constructional aspects of converting apparatus
- F01N3/30—Arrangements for supply of additional air
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
- Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an airflow control valve for opening or closing an air passage communicating with an exhaust gas passage in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an airflow control valve for controlling an amount of secondary air supplied from an air pump to an exhaust pipe.
- Examples of an airflow control valve for supplying secondary air to a three-way catalyzer in an exhaust pipe for raising temperature of the three-way catalyzer when an engine is being started are disclosed in JP-A-2002-272080 and JP-A-2002-260919.
- the airflow control valve disclosed therein includes an electromagnetic valve and a one-way valve. An essential portion of the airflow control valve is shown in FIG. 10 attached hereto.
- the electromagnetic valve 102 contained in a valve housing 104 is composed of a valve 106 for opening or closing an opening 105 formed in the valve housing, a solenoid actuator for driving the valve 106 in a direction to open the opening 105 , and a coil spring 107 for biasing the valve 106 in a direction to close the opening 105 .
- the one-way valve 103 is disposed at a boundary portion connecting the valve housing 104 and an outlet casing 110 .
- the one-way valve 103 is composed of a reed valve 112 for opening or closing an opening 111 formed in a metal plate 114 and a reed stopper 113 for protecting the reed valve 112 .
- Air pressurized by an air pump (not shown) is introduced into the valve housing 104 , and the introduced air is supplied to a three-way catalyzer (not shown) in an exhaust pipe through an air passage shown with white arrows when the valve 106 opens the opening 105 .
- the one-way valve 103 is opened by the air passing through the air passage and is closed by exhaust gas (shown with dotted arrows in FIG. 10 ) blown back from the exhaust pipe.
- the blown back exhaust gas that includes unburned gas, carbon particles and other small particles is prevented from entering into the valve housing 104 by the one-way valve 103 .
- An exhaust gas control valve is conventionally used in an exhaust gas re-circulation system.
- part of the exhaust gas is introduced into an air-intake pipe of an engine to reduce an amount of nitrogen-oxides formulated in combustion by lowering a combustion temperature.
- the re-circulating exhaust gas is supplied to the intake pipe through the exhaust gas control valve.
- the exhaust gas control valve is composed of a housing forming an exhaust gas passage therein, a valve for closing or opening the exhaust gas passage, and a coil spring biasing the valve in the closing direction.
- the valve is driven by a motor actuator in the opening direction.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved airflow control valve, in which an amount of deposits accumulating on a control valve and a one-way valve is reduced.
- the airflow control valve has an air passage and an electromagnetically driven valve disposed in the air passage.
- the air passage is divided into two passages by the valve, i.e., an upstream passage having an inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port. Secondary air compressed by an air pump is introduced into the upstream passage through the inlet port and supplied from the downstream passage to an exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine through the outlet port. An amount of air supplied to the exhaust pipe is controlled by opening or closing the valve.
- the outlet port is open to the exhaust pipe, and exhaust gas is blown back into the downstream passage.
- a barrier facing the outlet port from which the exhaust gas enters into the airflow control valve is disposed in the downstream passage to reduce an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the valve.
- the barrier may be made in a form of a dead end space having a small opening facing the outlet port.
- the exhaust gas entering into the airflow control valve stagnates in the dead end space, and some foreign particles are kept therein.
- bent portions may be made at the opening of the dead end space.
- An interfering wall directly facing the outlet port may be made in the downstream passage to form a stagnating space between the interfering wall and the outlet port.
- one-way valve for preventing the exhaust gas from entering into the upstream passage while permitting the secondary air to flow therethrough is disposed immediately downstream of the valve.
- the valve is prevented from being directly hit by the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe.
- the one-way valve is also protected from being directly hit by a large amount of the exhaust gas by the barrier, the dead end space or the interfering wall disposed in the downstream passage.
- the airflow control valve may be used as a valve for controlling an amount of exhaust gas to be re-circulated from an exhaust pipe into an intake pipe of an engine.
- the exhaust gas is introduced from the outlet port, and the inlet port is connected to the intake pipe of the engine.
- an amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the valve and the one-way valve is reduced and an amount of deposits accumulating on and around the valve and the one-way valve is reduced. Accordingly, the airflow control valve can be operated without being hindered by accumulation of deposits.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the same airflow control valve as shown in FIG. 1 , including arrows showing flow directions of air and exhaust gas;
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an outlet casing used in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the same airflow control valve as shown in FIG. 5 , including arrows showing flow directions of air and exhaust gas;
- FIG. 8A is a plan view showing an outlet casing used in the airflow control valve shown in FIG. 5 , viewed from its topside;
- FIG. 8B is a plan view showing a modified form of the outlet casing shown in FIG. 8A ;
- FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the same outlet casing as shown in FIG. 8B , in an enlarged scale.
- FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional airflow control valve.
- a stagnating space in which exhaust gas blown back from an exhaust pipe stagnates is provided in an outlet casing of an airflow control valve in order to reduce accumulation of deposits on a control valve.
- the airflow control valve is disposed in an air passage for supplying secondary air to a three-way catalyzer in an exhaust pipe.
- the secondary air is sent from a motor-driven air pump to the airflow control valve that includes an electromagnetic valve for controlling an amount of the secondary air supplied to the three-way catalyzer. Operation of the motor for driving the air pump and the electromagnetic valve is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU).
- ECU electronice control unit
- the secondary air is supplied to the three-way catalyzer to activate the catalyzer when an engine is being started and an exhaust gas temperature is low.
- the airflow control valve is composed of a valve housing 3 containing an electromagnetic valve 1 having a poppet-type valve 2 therein, an outlet casing 9 having a one-way valve 6 and other associated components.
- An air passage ( 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 17 ) for supplying the secondary air to the three-way catalyzer is formed in the valve housing 3 and the outlet casing 9 .
- the electromagnetic valve 1 includes the poppet-type valve 2 , a solenoid actuator 4 for driving the valve 2 in the opening direction and a coil spring 5 for biasing the valve 2 in the closing direction.
- the valve 2 is formed in a disc shape having a resilient rubber ring disposed around its outer periphery.
- the valve 2 is connected to a valve shaft 21 that is reciprocated in the vertical direction.
- the valve 2 is seated on a valve seat 23 formed on a valve sheet frame 22 of the valve housing 3 to close an opening 13 .
- the valve 2 is driven, the valve 2 is lifted from the valve seat 23 to open the opening 13 .
- the valve shaft 21 is slidably inserted into a sleeve 25 , and a seal rubber 24 is disposed to close a small sliding gap between the sleeve 25 and the valve shaft 21 to thereby prevent small particles from entering into the sliding gap.
- the valve housing 3 is made of aluminum by die-casting, and includes a inner space for accommodating the solenoid actuator 4 and a connecting pipe 26 having an inlet port 10 for introducing the secondary air supplied from the air pump.
- the outlet casing 9 is also made of aluminum by die-casting, and includes air passages 16 , 17 , an outlet port 18 to be connected to the exhaust pipe and a dead end space 19 (described later in detail).
- An upper end of the outlet casing 9 is connected to a flange 39 formed at a lower end of the valve housing 3 , and a one-way valve 6 is positioned at the upper end portion of the outlet casing 9 .
- a circular seal rubber 37 is disposed between the valve housing 3 and the outlet casing 9 for hermetically seal the connecting portion.
- the air passage formed in the valve housing 3 and the outlet casing 9 is separated by the valve 2 into an upstream passage 11 , 12 and a downstream passage 14 , 16 , 17 .
- the solenoid actuator 4 for driving the valve 2 is composed of a solenoid coil 28 wound around a coil bobbin 27 , a pair of terminals 29 for supplying electric power to the solenoid coil 28 , a housing cover 30 supporting the terminals 29 , a cylindrical yoke 31 , a cylindrical stator core 32 connected to the yoke 31 forming a space for accommodating the solenoid coil 28 therebetween, and a moving core 33 connected to the valve shaft 21 .
- the coil bobbin 27 is made of a resin material such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and fixedly positioned in a cylindrical space between the yoke 31 and the stator core 32 .
- PBT polybutylene terephthalate
- the moving core 33 connected to the valve shaft 21 is driven downward by magnetic field generated in the yoke 31 and the stator core 32 thereby to open the valve 12 against the biasing force of the coil spring 5 .
- the terminals 29 are connected to the ECU through a wire harness, and the operation of the electromagnetic valve 1 is controlled by the ECU.
- a flange portion forming the air passage 12 is provided, and at a center portion of the stator core 32 , a thin wall portion 35 is formed to provide a high magnetic resistance in the magnetic circuit.
- the moving core 33 moves downward to open the valve 2 when the magnetic field is generated by the solenoid coil 28 .
- the valve shaft 21 is inserted into a center hole of the moving core 33 and a center hole of a washer 36 so that a step formed on the valve shaft 21 abuts the bottom end of the moving core 33 , and the upper end of the valve shaft 21 is staked to fixedly connect the valve shaft 21 to the moving core 33 .
- the coil spring 5 is disposed outside of the sleeve 25 , and its upper end is connected to the bottom of the moving core 33 and its lower end is connected to a flange portion of the sleeve 25 , so that a biasing force of the coil spring 5 is given to the valve 2 in the closing direction.
- the one-way valve 6 is a valve for preventing the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe from entering into the valve housing 3 while allowing the secondary air to flow therethrough.
- the one-way valve 6 is composed of a metal plate 41 that has plural openings 15 , a reed valve 7 for opening or closing the openings 15 , and a reed valve stopper 8 for limiting the reed valve 7 at its maximum open position.
- the metal plate 41 is made of a metallic material such as aluminum and includes plural openings 15 formed in a mesh-like shape.
- the reed valve 7 is made of a metallic material such as a spring plate.
- the reed stopper 8 is made of a metallic material. One end of the reed stopper 8 is connected to the metal plate 41 , and the other end thereof is a free end having double or triple tongues.
- the exhaust gas may be blown back from the exhaust pipe into the air passage 16 , 17 through the outlet 18 due to a pressure pulsation generated in the exhaust pipe.
- the exhaust gas includes small particles consisting of unburned gas, carbon particles or the like. These small particles accumulate on the reed valve 7 forming deposits thereon. When the deposits are formed on the reed valve 7 , the reed valve 7 may become impossible to close to prevent the exhaust gas from entering into the valve housing 3 .
- barrier 51 is formed so that a passage surface 52 of the barrier 51 faces the outlet 18 .
- a dead end space 19 is formed inside of the barrier 51 .
- One end of the dead end space 19 is an opening 54 facing the outlet 18 , and the other end thereof is closed with a hermetic plug 53 .
- a center line of the head end space 19 is substantially directed to a center line of the outlet port 18 .
- the dead end space 19 is positioned in the downstream passage, i.e., downstream of the valve 2 and the one-way valve 6 .
- the dead end space 19 functions as a stagnating space in which the blown back exhaust gas stagnates, thereby reducing an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the reed valve 7 .
- the dead end space 19 is positioned at a far most position from the electromagnetic valve 1 to suppress a temperature rise due to the exhaust gas in a space around the electromagnetic valve 1 .
- the barrier 51 includes a bent portion 55 for preventing foreign particles once entered into the dead end space 19 from bouncing out again into the air passage 16 .
- the bent portion 55 is bent downwardly so that the opening 54 becomes narrower than an inside space of the dead end space 19 .
- a curved surface 57 is formed above the dead end space 19 . The curved surface 57 facilitates a smooth flow of the secondary air flowing out through the plural openings 15 of the metal plate 41 .
- a three-way catalyzer for converting CO, HC and NOx contained in the exhaust gas into harmless components is installed in an exhaust pipe of an automobile.
- To realize a good conversion reaction in the three-way catalyzer it is required to keep air-fuel mixture supplied to an internal combustion engine at a stoichiometric ratio (15:1) and to raise the exhaust gas temperature above a certain level, e.g., 350° C.
- a certain level e.g. 350° C.
- secondary air is supplied from an air pump to the three-way catalyzer to raise its temperature.
- the catalyzer is activated by heat generated by burning hydrocarbons contained in the exhaust gas.
- the secondary air is supplied from the air pump to the three-way catalyzer through the airflow control valve.
- the valve 2 is opened under the control of the ECU, and the secondary air is sent through the upstream passage 11 , 12 , the opening 13 , the passage 14 , the opening 15 and the downstream passage 16 , 17 , as shown with white arrows in FIG. 2 .
- the one-way valve 6 is opened by the pressure of the secondary air.
- the secondary air smoothly flows along the curved surface 57 toward the outlet port 18 .
- the three-way catalyzer is activated to convert harmful components in the exhaust gas into harmless components.
- the blown back exhaust gas enters into the air passage 16 , 17 .
- Particles contained in the exhaust gas form deposits on and around the reed valve 7 of the one-way valve 6 .
- the reed valve 7 becomes unable to close. If the one-way valve 6 does not function as a one-way valve, the exhaust gas entered the air passage 16 further proceeds to the air passage 14 through the opening 15 of the one-way valve 6 . If this happens, it is highly possible that deposits are formed on and around the valve 2 , making the valve 2 unable to work properly. If the valve 2 does not work properly, a sufficient amount of the secondary air will not be supplied to the three-way catalyzer.
- the dead end space 19 is formed in the outlet casing 9 according to the present invention.
- the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe enters into the air passage 16 , 17 along a bottom wall 56 and proceeds to the dead end space 19 through the opening 54 .
- the exhaust gas entered into the dead end space 19 hits the wall of the dead end space 19 and stagnates therein. Therefore, an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced. Accordingly, formation of the deposits on and around the reed valve 7 is suppressed.
- the opening 54 of the dead end space 19 is made narrower than the inside space, and the bent portion 55 is formed at the opening 54 . Therefore, the exhaust gas once entered into the dead end space circulates therein, keeping the foreign particles contained in the exhaust gas in the dead end space.
- FIG. 3 A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .
- a shape of the barrier 51 in the first embodiment is modified to a barrier 51 a shown in FIG. 3 .
- the barrier 51 a includes a passage surface 52 a standing up from the bottom wall 56 at a right angle.
- a stagnating space 59 is formed between the air passage 17 and the passage surface 52 a.
- the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe and entering into the outlet casing 9 from the outlet port 18 hits the passage surface 52 a .
- An amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced, and the exhaust gas stagnates in the stagnating space 59 .
- Foreign particles included in the exhaust gas form deposits in the stagnating space 59 or accumulates therein.
- an amount of deposits formed on and around the reed valve 7 is reduced.
- the barrier 51 a in the second embodiment functions similarly to the barrier 51 in the first embodiment.
- FIG. 4 A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4 .
- a barrier 51 b is further modified from the barrier 51 a of the second embodiment.
- the barrier 51 b includes a passage surface 52 b standing up from the bottom wall 56 forming an acute angle.
- a stagnating space 59 b is formed between the air passage 17 and the passage surface 52 b .
- the amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced in the same manner as in the second embodiment.
- the foreign particles in the exhaust gas once kept in the stagnating space 59 b are prevented from bouncing out of the stagnating space 59 b by the passage surface 52 b forming an acute angle between itself and the bottom wall 56 .
- FIGS. 5-9 A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5-9 .
- an interfering wall 61 standing up from the bottom wall 56 at a right angle is formed in the inner space of the outlet casing 9 .
- the interfering wall 61 has a wall surface 62 directly facing the outlet port 18 , and a stagnating space 64 is formed between the air passage 17 and the wall surface 62 .
- the interfering wall 61 further includes a pair of bent portions 63 bent toward the outlet port 18 .
- passage surfaces 66 having an inclination as shown in FIG. 6 are formed on an inner wall of the outlet casing 9 for smoothly guiding the secondary airflow sent through the valve 2 to the outlet 18 .
- An air passage 67 converging to the outlet port 18 is formed by the passage surfaces 66 .
- Holes 43 (shown in FIG. 6 ) are holes for connecting the outlet casing 9 to the valve housing 3 with screws or the like.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 A an exhaust gas flow is shown with dotted arrows and a secondary airflow is shown with white arrows
- the exhaust gas entering into the air passage 17 from the outlet port 18 hits the interfering wall 61 and stagnates in the stagnating space 64 .
- a certain amount of foreign particles included in the exhaust gas is kept in the stagnating space 64 , and an amount of exhaust gas hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced.
- the foreign particles once kept in the stagnating space 64 are prevented from bouncing out of the stagnating space 64 toward the one-way valve 6 by the pair of bent portions 63 . In this manner, an amount of deposits formed on and around the reed valve 7 is reduced.
- the interfering wall 61 could be an obstacle to the secondary airflow supplied from the air pump through the valve 2 .
- the inclined passage surfaces 66 are formed on the inner wall of the outlet casing 9 , and inclined surfaces 65 along the secondary airflow are formed on the bent portions 63 .
- a smooth air passage 67 for the secondary airflow is formed by the inclined passage surfaces 65 , 66 . Therefore, the secondary air smoothly flows through the air passage 67 without generating a high amount of pressure loss.
- the outlet casing 9 in the fourth embodiment may be further modified to a form shown in FIGS. 8B and 9 .
- a barrier 71 is formed in the outlet casing 9 .
- the barrier 71 includes a passage surface 72 directly facing the outlet 18 so that the exhaust gas entering into the outlet casing 9 hits the passage surface 72 .
- the passage surface 72 stands up from the bottom wall 56 at a right angle, and a stagnating space 74 is formed between the barrier 71 and the outlet port 18 . Bent portions 73 for preventing the foreign particles once trapped in the stagnating space 74 from easily bouncing out of the stagnating space 74 are formed on the passage surface 72 .
- inclined passage surfaces 75 for smoothly guiding the airflow 76 of the secondary air toward the outlet port 18 are formed.
- the exhaust gas entering into the air passage 17 from the outlet port 18 hits the passage wall 72 and stagnates in the stagnating space 74 . Foreign particles in the exhaust gas are accumulated or deposited in the stagnating space 74 . An amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced, and an amount of foreign particles deposited on and around the reed valve 7 is reduced.
- the secondary air supplied from the air pump through the valve 2 is smoothly led to the outlet port 18 along the inclined passage walls 75 .
- the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but it may be variously modified.
- the barrier and/or the stagnating space for the exhaust gas according to the present invention may be applied to various valves such as a swirl control valve, an intake-air control valve in a swirl control valve, a tumble control valve, an intake-air control valve in a tumble control valve, or a throttle valve for controlling amount of intake-air.
- the present invention may be applied also to an exhaust gas re-circulating valve for supplying a certain amount of exhaust gas into an air-intake pipe of an internal combustion engine.
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- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
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- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
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Abstract
An airflow control valve is composed of a housing forming an air passage therein and an electromagnetically driven valve disposed in the air passage. The valve divides the air passage into an upstream passage having an air inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port open to an exhaust pipe. A barrier facing an exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe is formed in the downstream passage in order to reduce an amount of deposits accumulating on and around the valve due to foreign particles contained in the exhaust gas. The barrier may be a dead end space in which the exhaust gas stagnates or a wall interfering with a flow of the exhaust gas. A one-way valve may be disposed immediately downstream of the valve to prevent the exhaust gas from flowing toward the valve.
Description
- This application is based upon and claims benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-240955 filed on Aug. 20, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an airflow control valve for opening or closing an air passage communicating with an exhaust gas passage in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an airflow control valve for controlling an amount of secondary air supplied from an air pump to an exhaust pipe.
- 2. Description of Related Art
- Examples of an airflow control valve for supplying secondary air to a three-way catalyzer in an exhaust pipe for raising temperature of the three-way catalyzer when an engine is being started are disclosed in JP-A-2002-272080 and JP-A-2002-260919. The airflow control valve disclosed therein includes an electromagnetic valve and a one-way valve. An essential portion of the airflow control valve is shown in
FIG. 10 attached hereto. - As shown in
FIG. 10 , theelectromagnetic valve 102 contained in avalve housing 104 is composed of avalve 106 for opening or closing anopening 105 formed in the valve housing, a solenoid actuator for driving thevalve 106 in a direction to open theopening 105, and acoil spring 107 for biasing thevalve 106 in a direction to close theopening 105. The one-way valve 103 is disposed at a boundary portion connecting thevalve housing 104 and anoutlet casing 110. The one-way valve 103 is composed of areed valve 112 for opening or closing anopening 111 formed in ametal plate 114 and areed stopper 113 for protecting thereed valve 112. - Air pressurized by an air pump (not shown) is introduced into the
valve housing 104, and the introduced air is supplied to a three-way catalyzer (not shown) in an exhaust pipe through an air passage shown with white arrows when thevalve 106 opens theopening 105. The one-way valve 103 is opened by the air passing through the air passage and is closed by exhaust gas (shown with dotted arrows inFIG. 10 ) blown back from the exhaust pipe. The blown back exhaust gas that includes unburned gas, carbon particles and other small particles is prevented from entering into thevalve housing 104 by the one-way valve 103. - In the conventional airflow control valve, however, following problems are involved. When the
valve 106 is closed, exhaust gas is blown back due to pulsating pressure of the engine and enters into theoutlet casing 110 as shown with dotted arrows inFIG. 10 . Small particles contained in the exhaust gas adhere to thereed valve 112, forming deposits thereon. If the deposits are formed between themetal plate 114 and thereed valve 112, thereed valve 112 becomes unable to close, and the exhaust gas enters intovalve housing 104 containing thevalve 106 therein. In other words, thereed valve 112 becomes unable to function as the one-way valve for preventing the exhaust gas from being blown back into thevalve housing 104. The deposits may be formed on thevalve 106 and the valve seat. If this happens, movement of thevalve 106 is hindered, and thevalve 106 may not be smoothly opened. As a result, the secondary air cannot be sufficiently supplied to the three-way catalyzer. - An exhaust gas control valve is conventionally used in an exhaust gas re-circulation system. In this system, part of the exhaust gas is introduced into an air-intake pipe of an engine to reduce an amount of nitrogen-oxides formulated in combustion by lowering a combustion temperature. The re-circulating exhaust gas is supplied to the intake pipe through the exhaust gas control valve. The exhaust gas control valve is composed of a housing forming an exhaust gas passage therein, a valve for closing or opening the exhaust gas passage, and a coil spring biasing the valve in the closing direction. The valve is driven by a motor actuator in the opening direction.
- Small particles contained in the exhaust gas adhere to the valve and the valve seat in the exhaust gas control valve, forming deposits around the valve. To reduce an amount of deposits accumulated around the valve, an exhaust gas recirculation valve having a side hole in the passage for accumulating the deposits therein is proposed in JP-A-2002-339811. However, the small particles in the exhaust gas once entered into the side hole are highly possible to bounce out into the passage. Therefore, much effect cannot be expected for the proposed side hole.
- The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved airflow control valve, in which an amount of deposits accumulating on a control valve and a one-way valve is reduced.
- The airflow control valve has an air passage and an electromagnetically driven valve disposed in the air passage. The air passage is divided into two passages by the valve, i.e., an upstream passage having an inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port. Secondary air compressed by an air pump is introduced into the upstream passage through the inlet port and supplied from the downstream passage to an exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine through the outlet port. An amount of air supplied to the exhaust pipe is controlled by opening or closing the valve. The outlet port is open to the exhaust pipe, and exhaust gas is blown back into the downstream passage.
- A barrier facing the outlet port from which the exhaust gas enters into the airflow control valve is disposed in the downstream passage to reduce an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the valve. Thus, an amount of deposits accumulating on and around the valve due to foreign particles contained in the exhaust gas is reduced. The barrier may be made in a form of a dead end space having a small opening facing the outlet port. The exhaust gas entering into the airflow control valve stagnates in the dead end space, and some foreign particles are kept therein. To prevent the foreign particles once kept in the dead end space from bouncing out of the dead end space toward the valve, bent portions may be made at the opening of the dead end space. An interfering wall directly facing the outlet port may be made in the downstream passage to form a stagnating space between the interfering wall and the outlet port.
- Preferably, one-way valve for preventing the exhaust gas from entering into the upstream passage while permitting the secondary air to flow therethrough is disposed immediately downstream of the valve. The valve is prevented from being directly hit by the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe. The one-way valve is also protected from being directly hit by a large amount of the exhaust gas by the barrier, the dead end space or the interfering wall disposed in the downstream passage.
- The airflow control valve may be used as a valve for controlling an amount of exhaust gas to be re-circulated from an exhaust pipe into an intake pipe of an engine. In this case, the exhaust gas is introduced from the outlet port, and the inlet port is connected to the intake pipe of the engine.
- According to the present invention, an amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the valve and the one-way valve is reduced and an amount of deposits accumulating on and around the valve and the one-way valve is reduced. Accordingly, the airflow control valve can be operated without being hindered by accumulation of deposits. Other objects and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a better understanding of the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the following drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the same airflow control valve as shown inFIG. 1 , including arrows showing flow directions of air and exhaust gas; -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a third embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an airflow control valve as a fourth embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an outlet casing used in the fourth embodiment shown inFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the same airflow control valve as shown inFIG. 5 , including arrows showing flow directions of air and exhaust gas; -
FIG. 8A is a plan view showing an outlet casing used in the airflow control valve shown inFIG. 5 , viewed from its topside; -
FIG. 8B is a plan view showing a modified form of the outlet casing shown inFIG. 8A ; -
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the same outlet casing as shown inFIG. 8B , in an enlarged scale; and -
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional airflow control valve. - A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment, a stagnating space in which exhaust gas blown back from an exhaust pipe stagnates is provided in an outlet casing of an airflow control valve in order to reduce accumulation of deposits on a control valve. The airflow control valve is disposed in an air passage for supplying secondary air to a three-way catalyzer in an exhaust pipe. The secondary air is sent from a motor-driven air pump to the airflow control valve that includes an electromagnetic valve for controlling an amount of the secondary air supplied to the three-way catalyzer. Operation of the motor for driving the air pump and the electromagnetic valve is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU). The secondary air is supplied to the three-way catalyzer to activate the catalyzer when an engine is being started and an exhaust gas temperature is low. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the airflow control valve is composed of avalve housing 3 containing anelectromagnetic valve 1 having a poppet-type valve 2 therein, anoutlet casing 9 having a one-way valve 6 and other associated components. An air passage (11, 12, 14, 16, 17) for supplying the secondary air to the three-way catalyzer is formed in thevalve housing 3 and theoutlet casing 9. - The
electromagnetic valve 1 includes the poppet-type valve 2, a solenoid actuator 4 for driving thevalve 2 in the opening direction and acoil spring 5 for biasing thevalve 2 in the closing direction. Thevalve 2 is formed in a disc shape having a resilient rubber ring disposed around its outer periphery. Thevalve 2 is connected to avalve shaft 21 that is reciprocated in the vertical direction. Thevalve 2 is seated on avalve seat 23 formed on avalve sheet frame 22 of thevalve housing 3 to close anopening 13. When thevalve 2 is driven, thevalve 2 is lifted from thevalve seat 23 to open theopening 13. Thevalve shaft 21 is slidably inserted into asleeve 25, and aseal rubber 24 is disposed to close a small sliding gap between thesleeve 25 and thevalve shaft 21 to thereby prevent small particles from entering into the sliding gap. - The
valve housing 3 is made of aluminum by die-casting, and includes a inner space for accommodating the solenoid actuator 4 and a connectingpipe 26 having aninlet port 10 for introducing the secondary air supplied from the air pump. Theoutlet casing 9 is also made of aluminum by die-casting, and includesair passages outlet port 18 to be connected to the exhaust pipe and a dead end space 19 (described later in detail). An upper end of theoutlet casing 9 is connected to aflange 39 formed at a lower end of thevalve housing 3, and a one-way valve 6 is positioned at the upper end portion of theoutlet casing 9. Acircular seal rubber 37 is disposed between thevalve housing 3 and theoutlet casing 9 for hermetically seal the connecting portion. The air passage formed in thevalve housing 3 and theoutlet casing 9 is separated by thevalve 2 into anupstream passage downstream passage - The solenoid actuator 4 for driving the
valve 2 is composed of asolenoid coil 28 wound around acoil bobbin 27, a pair ofterminals 29 for supplying electric power to thesolenoid coil 28, ahousing cover 30 supporting theterminals 29, acylindrical yoke 31, acylindrical stator core 32 connected to theyoke 31 forming a space for accommodating thesolenoid coil 28 therebetween, and a movingcore 33 connected to thevalve shaft 21. Thecoil bobbin 27 is made of a resin material such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and fixedly positioned in a cylindrical space between theyoke 31 and thestator core 32. - Upon supplying electric power to the
solenoid coil 28 from theterminals 29, the movingcore 33 connected to thevalve shaft 21 is driven downward by magnetic field generated in theyoke 31 and thestator core 32 thereby to open thevalve 12 against the biasing force of thecoil spring 5. Theterminals 29 are connected to the ECU through a wire harness, and the operation of theelectromagnetic valve 1 is controlled by the ECU. - At the bottom end of the
stator core 32, a flange portion forming theair passage 12 is provided, and at a center portion of thestator core 32, athin wall portion 35 is formed to provide a high magnetic resistance in the magnetic circuit. The movingcore 33 moves downward to open thevalve 2 when the magnetic field is generated by thesolenoid coil 28. Thevalve shaft 21 is inserted into a center hole of the movingcore 33 and a center hole of a washer 36 so that a step formed on thevalve shaft 21 abuts the bottom end of the movingcore 33, and the upper end of thevalve shaft 21 is staked to fixedly connect thevalve shaft 21 to the movingcore 33. Thecoil spring 5 is disposed outside of thesleeve 25, and its upper end is connected to the bottom of the movingcore 33 and its lower end is connected to a flange portion of thesleeve 25, so that a biasing force of thecoil spring 5 is given to thevalve 2 in the closing direction. - The one-
way valve 6 is a valve for preventing the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe from entering into thevalve housing 3 while allowing the secondary air to flow therethrough. The one-way valve 6 is composed of ametal plate 41 that hasplural openings 15, areed valve 7 for opening or closing theopenings 15, and areed valve stopper 8 for limiting thereed valve 7 at its maximum open position. Themetal plate 41 is made of a metallic material such as aluminum and includesplural openings 15 formed in a mesh-like shape. Thereed valve 7 is made of a metallic material such as a spring plate. One end of thereed valve 7 is supported on themetal plate 41 with screws 42 or the like, and the other end of thereed valve 7 is shaped in double tongues or triple tongues. On the surface of the mesh-like openings 15 of themetal plate 41, a rubber seal is formed by baking. Thereed stopper 8 is made of a metallic material. One end of thereed stopper 8 is connected to themetal plate 41, and the other end thereof is a free end having double or triple tongues. - Now, the structure of the
outlet casing 9 having thedead end space 19 will be described in detail. The exhaust gas may be blown back from the exhaust pipe into theair passage outlet 18 due to a pressure pulsation generated in the exhaust pipe. The exhaust gas includes small particles consisting of unburned gas, carbon particles or the like. These small particles accumulate on thereed valve 7 forming deposits thereon. When the deposits are formed on thereed valve 7, thereed valve 7 may become impossible to close to prevent the exhaust gas from entering into thevalve housing 3. To decrease the amount of exhaust gas hitting thereed valve 7,barrier 51 is formed so that apassage surface 52 of thebarrier 51 faces theoutlet 18. - A
dead end space 19 is formed inside of thebarrier 51. One end of thedead end space 19 is anopening 54 facing theoutlet 18, and the other end thereof is closed with ahermetic plug 53. A center line of thehead end space 19 is substantially directed to a center line of theoutlet port 18. Thedead end space 19 is positioned in the downstream passage, i.e., downstream of thevalve 2 and the one-way valve 6. Thedead end space 19 functions as a stagnating space in which the blown back exhaust gas stagnates, thereby reducing an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting thereed valve 7. Thedead end space 19 is positioned at a far most position from theelectromagnetic valve 1 to suppress a temperature rise due to the exhaust gas in a space around theelectromagnetic valve 1. - The
barrier 51 includes a bent portion 55 for preventing foreign particles once entered into thedead end space 19 from bouncing out again into theair passage 16. The bent portion 55 is bent downwardly so that theopening 54 becomes narrower than an inside space of thedead end space 19. Acurved surface 57 is formed above thedead end space 19. Thecurved surface 57 facilitates a smooth flow of the secondary air flowing out through theplural openings 15 of themetal plate 41. - Now, operation of the airflow control valve described above will be explained. A three-way catalyzer for converting CO, HC and NOx contained in the exhaust gas into harmless components is installed in an exhaust pipe of an automobile. To realize a good conversion reaction in the three-way catalyzer, it is required to keep air-fuel mixture supplied to an internal combustion engine at a stoichiometric ratio (15:1) and to raise the exhaust gas temperature above a certain level, e.g., 350° C. When the exhaust gas temperature is low, e.g., when the engine is being started, secondary air is supplied from an air pump to the three-way catalyzer to raise its temperature. By supplying air to the three-way catalyzer, the catalyzer is activated by heat generated by burning hydrocarbons contained in the exhaust gas.
- The secondary air is supplied from the air pump to the three-way catalyzer through the airflow control valve. When the secondary air is required, the
valve 2 is opened under the control of the ECU, and the secondary air is sent through theupstream passage opening 13, thepassage 14, theopening 15 and thedownstream passage FIG. 2 . In this case, the one-way valve 6 is opened by the pressure of the secondary air. The secondary air smoothly flows along thecurved surface 57 toward theoutlet port 18. Thus, the three-way catalyzer is activated to convert harmful components in the exhaust gas into harmless components. - When the
valve 2 is closed, the blown back exhaust gas enters into theair passage reed valve 7 of the one-way valve 6. When a certain amount of the deposits is accumulated on and around thereed valve 7, thereed valve 7 becomes unable to close. If the one-way valve 6 does not function as a one-way valve, the exhaust gas entered theair passage 16 further proceeds to theair passage 14 through theopening 15 of the one-way valve 6. If this happens, it is highly possible that deposits are formed on and around thevalve 2, making thevalve 2 unable to work properly. If thevalve 2 does not work properly, a sufficient amount of the secondary air will not be supplied to the three-way catalyzer. - In order to avoid the trouble mentioned above, the
dead end space 19 is formed in theoutlet casing 9 according to the present invention. As shown inFIG. 2 with dotted arrows, the exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe enters into theair passage bottom wall 56 and proceeds to thedead end space 19 through theopening 54. The exhaust gas entered into thedead end space 19 hits the wall of thedead end space 19 and stagnates therein. Therefore, an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced. Accordingly, formation of the deposits on and around thereed valve 7 is suppressed. Further, theopening 54 of thedead end space 19 is made narrower than the inside space, and the bent portion 55 is formed at theopening 54. Therefore, the exhaust gas once entered into the dead end space circulates therein, keeping the foreign particles contained in the exhaust gas in the dead end space. - Thus, formation of the deposits on and around the one-
way valve 6 and thevalve 2 is suppressed, thereby securing proper operation of the airflow control valve. Further, since thedead end space 19 is formed at the position far from thevalve 2, a temperature rise in theelectromagnetic valve 1 due to the exhaust gas is suppressed. Since thecurved surface 57 is formed above thedead end space 19, the secondary air smoothly flows through theair passage valve 2 is opened. The foreign particles accumulated in thedead end space 19 when thevalve 2 is closed are sucked back again into the exhaust pipe together with the secondary air when thevalve 2 is opened. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide adead end space 19 with a large size or to provide additional means for scavenging thedead end space 19. - A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, a shape of thebarrier 51 in the first embodiment is modified to a barrier 51 a shown inFIG. 3 . The barrier 51 a includes a passage surface 52 a standing up from thebottom wall 56 at a right angle. A stagnatingspace 59 is formed between theair passage 17 and the passage surface 52 a. - The exhaust gas blown back from the exhaust pipe and entering into the
outlet casing 9 from theoutlet port 18 hits the passage surface 52 a. An amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced, and the exhaust gas stagnates in the stagnatingspace 59. Foreign particles included in the exhaust gas form deposits in the stagnatingspace 59 or accumulates therein. Thus, an amount of deposits formed on and around thereed valve 7 is reduced. In this manner, the barrier 51 a in the second embodiment functions similarly to thebarrier 51 in the first embodiment. - A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in
FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, abarrier 51 b is further modified from the barrier 51 a of the second embodiment. Thebarrier 51 b includes apassage surface 52 b standing up from thebottom wall 56 forming an acute angle. A stagnatingspace 59 b is formed between theair passage 17 and thepassage surface 52 b. The amount of exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced in the same manner as in the second embodiment. Further, in this third embodiment, the foreign particles in the exhaust gas once kept in the stagnatingspace 59 b are prevented from bouncing out of the stagnatingspace 59 b by thepassage surface 52 b forming an acute angle between itself and thebottom wall 56. - A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIGS. 5-9 . In this embodiment, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 , an interferingwall 61 standing up from thebottom wall 56 at a right angle is formed in the inner space of theoutlet casing 9. The interferingwall 61 has awall surface 62 directly facing theoutlet port 18, and a stagnatingspace 64 is formed between theair passage 17 and thewall surface 62. As shown inFIG. 6 the interferingwall 61 further includes a pair ofbent portions 63 bent toward theoutlet port 18. Further, passage surfaces 66 having an inclination as shown inFIG. 6 are formed on an inner wall of theoutlet casing 9 for smoothly guiding the secondary airflow sent through thevalve 2 to theoutlet 18. Anair passage 67 converging to theoutlet port 18 is formed by the passage surfaces 66. Holes 43 (shown inFIG. 6 ) are holes for connecting theoutlet casing 9 to thevalve housing 3 with screws or the like. - As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8 A (an exhaust gas flow is shown with dotted arrows and a secondary airflow is shown with white arrows), the exhaust gas entering into theair passage 17 from theoutlet port 18 hits the interferingwall 61 and stagnates in the stagnatingspace 64. A certain amount of foreign particles included in the exhaust gas is kept in the stagnatingspace 64, and an amount of exhaust gas hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced. The foreign particles once kept in the stagnatingspace 64 are prevented from bouncing out of the stagnatingspace 64 toward the one-way valve 6 by the pair ofbent portions 63. In this manner, an amount of deposits formed on and around thereed valve 7 is reduced. - The interfering
wall 61 could be an obstacle to the secondary airflow supplied from the air pump through thevalve 2. To avoid the interferingwall 61 from becoming an obstacle to the secondary airflow, as shown inFIG. 8A , the inclined passage surfaces 66 are formed on the inner wall of theoutlet casing 9, andinclined surfaces 65 along the secondary airflow are formed on thebent portions 63. Asmooth air passage 67 for the secondary airflow is formed by the inclined passage surfaces 65, 66. Therefore, the secondary air smoothly flows through theair passage 67 without generating a high amount of pressure loss. - The
outlet casing 9 in the fourth embodiment may be further modified to a form shown inFIGS. 8B and 9 . In this modified form, abarrier 71 is formed in theoutlet casing 9. Thebarrier 71 includes apassage surface 72 directly facing theoutlet 18 so that the exhaust gas entering into theoutlet casing 9 hits thepassage surface 72. Thepassage surface 72 stands up from thebottom wall 56 at a right angle, and a stagnatingspace 74 is formed between thebarrier 71 and theoutlet port 18.Bent portions 73 for preventing the foreign particles once trapped in the stagnatingspace 74 from easily bouncing out of the stagnatingspace 74 are formed on thepassage surface 72. Further, inclined passage surfaces 75 for smoothly guiding theairflow 76 of the secondary air toward theoutlet port 18 are formed. - The exhaust gas entering into the
air passage 17 from theoutlet port 18 hits thepassage wall 72 and stagnates in the stagnatingspace 74. Foreign particles in the exhaust gas are accumulated or deposited in the stagnatingspace 74. An amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the one-way valve 6 is reduced, and an amount of foreign particles deposited on and around thereed valve 7 is reduced. The secondary air supplied from the air pump through thevalve 2 is smoothly led to theoutlet port 18 along theinclined passage walls 75. - The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but it may be variously modified. The barrier and/or the stagnating space for the exhaust gas according to the present invention may be applied to various valves such as a swirl control valve, an intake-air control valve in a swirl control valve, a tumble control valve, an intake-air control valve in a tumble control valve, or a throttle valve for controlling amount of intake-air. The present invention may be applied also to an exhaust gas re-circulating valve for supplying a certain amount of exhaust gas into an air-intake pipe of an internal combustion engine.
- While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (14)
1. An airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine, the airflow control valve comprising:
a housing forming an air passage therein;
a valve disposed in the air passage for opening or closing the air passage, the air passage being separated by the valve into an upstream passage having an inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port from which air is blown out, the outlet port being open to a source of exhaust gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine; and
a barrier disposed in the down stream passage to face the outlet port for reducing an amount of the exhaust gas directly hitting the valve when the exhaust gas enters the downstream passage from the outlet port.
2. The airflow control valve as in claim 1 , wherein:
the barrier includes a passage surface facing the outlet port; and
a stagnating space for stagnating the exhaust gas flow is formed in the vicinity of the passage surface.
3. An airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine, the airflow control valve comprising:
a housing forming an air passage therein;
a valve disposed in the air passage for opening or closing the air passage, the air passage being separated by the valve into an upstream passage having an inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port from which air is blown out, the outlet port being open to a source of exhaust gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine; and
a dead end space disposed in the downstream passage to face the outlet port for stagnating the exhaust gas entering into the downstream passage from the outlet port, the dead end space having an opening from which the exhaust gas enters.
4. The airflow control valve as in claim 3 , wherein:
the dead end space includes a passage surface facing the outlet port, and the opening of the dead end space open to the passage surface.
5. The airflow control valve as in claim 3 , wherein:
the opening of the dead end space is smaller than an inside of the dead end space.
6. The airflow control valve as in claim 3 , wherein:
a bent portion for preventing foreign particles, contained in the exhaust gas, once entered into the dead end space from bouncing out of the dead end space is formed at the opening of the dead end space.
7. The airflow control valve as in claim 6 , wherein:
the bent portion is formed at a portion of the opening close to the valve.
8. An airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine, the airflow control valve comprising:
a housing forming an air passage therein;
a valve disposed in the air passage for opening or closing the air passage, the air passage being separated by the valve into an upstream passage having an inlet port and a downstream passage having an outlet port from which air is blown out, the outlet port being open to a source of exhaust gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine; and
an interfering wall disposed in the downstream passage for interfering with a flow of the exhaust gas entering into the downstream passage from the outlet port.
9. The airflow control valve as in claim 8 , wherein:
the interfering wall includes a wall surface directly facing the outlet port; and
a stagnating space for stagnating the exhaust gas therein is formed between the wall surface and the outlet port.
10. The airflow control valve as in claim 9 , wherein:
the downstream passage includes passage surfaces inclined along a flow direction of the air to be blown out from the outlet port so that the air smoothly flows through the downstream passage.
11. The airflow control valve as in claim 1 , wherein:
the upstream passage is a passage for introducing compressed secondary air to be supplied to an exhaust pipe of the internal combustion engine;
the downstream passage is a passage for supplying the air to the exhaust pipe of internal combustion engine; and
the valve is a valve for controlling an amount of the secondary air to be supplied to the exhaust pipe of the engine by opening or closing the air passage.
12. The airflow control valve as in claim 11 , wherein:
a one-way valve for preventing the exhaust gas from entering into the upstream passage is provided in the downstream passage.
13. The airflow control valve as in claim 12 , wherein:
the one-way valve includes a metal plate having air passages through which the secondary air flows, a reed valve for opening or closing the air passages, and a reed valve stopper for limiting an opening degree of the reed valve; and
the one-way valve is positioned in the vicinity of the valve.
14. The airflow control valve as in claim 1 , wherein:
the air passage is a passage for connecting an exhaust pipe to an intake pipe of the internal combustion engine for re-circulating part of the exhaust gas to the engine for decreasing a combustion temperature in the engine, and an amount of the exhaust gas to be re-circulated is controlled by the valve.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2004240955A JP4360303B2 (en) | 2004-08-20 | 2004-08-20 | Air control valve |
JP2004-240955 | 2004-08-20 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060037310A1 true US20060037310A1 (en) | 2006-02-23 |
Family
ID=35721789
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/175,433 Abandoned US20060037310A1 (en) | 2004-08-20 | 2005-07-07 | Airflow control valve for use in an internal combustion engine |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20060037310A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4360303B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE102005039330A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102200044A (en) * | 2010-03-22 | 2011-09-28 | 电装国际美国公司 | Secondary air control valve |
US20130019593A1 (en) * | 2011-07-19 | 2013-01-24 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Secondary air injection system and method |
CN103244311A (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-14 | 爱三工业株式会社 | Exhaust gas recirculation apparatus for engine |
US8806868B2 (en) | 2011-02-17 | 2014-08-19 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Secondary air injection system and method |
US9528455B2 (en) | 2012-05-10 | 2016-12-27 | Isuzu Motors Limited | Internal combustion engine and control method therefor |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP5143066B2 (en) * | 2008-09-29 | 2013-02-13 | 株式会社クボタ | Multi-cylinder engine |
JP4972665B2 (en) * | 2009-03-25 | 2012-07-11 | 株式会社クボタ | Multi-cylinder engine |
JP6063815B2 (en) * | 2013-05-22 | 2017-01-18 | 株式会社デンソー | Secondary air control system |
JP7020124B2 (en) * | 2018-01-11 | 2022-02-16 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Secondary air supply device for internal combustion engine |
JP2021042677A (en) * | 2019-09-06 | 2021-03-18 | 日野自動車株式会社 | Intake manifold |
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- 2004-08-20 JP JP2004240955A patent/JP4360303B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
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- 2005-08-19 DE DE102005039330A patent/DE102005039330A1/en not_active Withdrawn
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CN102200044A (en) * | 2010-03-22 | 2011-09-28 | 电装国际美国公司 | Secondary air control valve |
US8806868B2 (en) | 2011-02-17 | 2014-08-19 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Secondary air injection system and method |
US20130019593A1 (en) * | 2011-07-19 | 2013-01-24 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Secondary air injection system and method |
US8966896B2 (en) * | 2011-07-19 | 2015-03-03 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Secondary air injection system and method |
CN103244311A (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-14 | 爱三工业株式会社 | Exhaust gas recirculation apparatus for engine |
US9528455B2 (en) | 2012-05-10 | 2016-12-27 | Isuzu Motors Limited | Internal combustion engine and control method therefor |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2006057552A (en) | 2006-03-02 |
JP4360303B2 (en) | 2009-11-11 |
DE102005039330A1 (en) | 2006-02-23 |
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Owner name: DENSO CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SAKATA, MASAKI;ISHIGAKI, SATOSHI;REEL/FRAME:016766/0807 Effective date: 20050622 |
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