Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
  • F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
  • F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
  • F02M35/10209—Fluid connections to the air intake system; their arrangement of pipes, valves or the like
  • F02M35/10222—Exhaust gas recirculation [EGR]; Positive crankcase ventilation [PCV]; Additional air admission, lubricant or fuel vapour admission
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
  • F02M25/00—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture
  • F02M25/08—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture adding fuel vapours drawn from engine fuel reservoir
  • F02M25/0836—Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
  • F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
  • F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
  • F02M35/10314—Materials for intake systems
  • F02M35/10321—Plastics; Composites; Rubbers
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05C—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MATERIALS, MATERIAL PROPERTIES OR MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR MACHINES, ENGINES OR PUMPS OTHER THAN NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F05C2225/00—Synthetic polymers, e.g. plastics; Rubber
  • F05C2225/08—Thermoplastics

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to emission control devices for internal combustion engine powered motor vehicles, and in particular to mountings for emission control valves.
• Known emission control valves for internal combustion engine powered motor vehicles include, one, purge valves for purging fuel vapors from evaporative emission spaces of fuel storage systems to engine intake manifolds to entrain the fuel vapors in fresh fuel-air charges entering the engines for combustion, and two, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves for recirculating hot exhaust gases from exhaust manifolds to intake manifolds for thermal doping of fresh fuel-air charges entering the engines for combustion.
• EGR exhaust gas recirculation
• Known mountings for such valves include mounting brackets that can be attached to components of automotive vehicles by fasteners such as screws. It is also known to mount EGR valves directly on engines.
• an emission control for an internal combustion engine comprising: an emission control device for controlling the passage of a fluid associated with operation of an internal combustion engine through the device comprising a body having an imaginary axis and a flange that extends radially and circumferentiaily on the body; a mounting for the device comprising a catch and receptacle defining a receptacle space within which at least a portion of the body of the device is disposed; and a retaining clip engaging the mounting to retain the device in the mounting and comprising a capturing formation coacting with the receptacle to axially capture the body of the device in the receptacle space and a locking formation releasably locking the clip with the catch; in which the receptacle comprises a circumferentiaily extending wall having a slot that extends radially through the wall and circumferentiaily about the axis; in which the capturing formation enters the slot, exits the slot, passes across
• an emission control for an internal combustion engine comprising: an emission control valve for conveying gases associated with operation of an internal combustion engine comprising a body having an imaginary axis and a flange that extends radially and circumferentiaily on the body; a mounting for the valve comprising a receptacle defining a receptacle space within which at least a portion of the body of the valve is disposed; and a retaining clip engaging the mounting to retain the valve in the mounting and comprising a capturing formation coacting with the receptacle to axially capture the body of the valve in the receptacle space; in which the receptacle comprises a generally circumferentiaily extending wall having a slot that extends radially through the wall and circumferentiaily about the axis; the capturing formation of the dip entering the slot, exiting the slot, passing across the receptacle space in overlapping relation to the flange, and re-entering the slot
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automotive emission control valve and mounting in accordance with principles of the invention.
• Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross section view through the emission control valve by itself.
• Figure 4 is a top plan view of the mounting by itself.
• Figure 5 is a transverse cross section view in the direction of arrows 5-
• Figure 6 is a left side elevation view in the direction of arrows 6-6 in Figure 4.
• Figure 7 is a rear elevation view in the direction of arrows 7-7 in Figure 4.
• Figure 8 is a top plan view of a retaining clip for removably securing the valve in the mounting.
• Figure 9 is a front elevation view of Figure 8.
• Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the retaining clip.
• Figure 1 1 is a left side elevation view of Figure 8.
• Figure 12 is a top plan view in the direction of arrow 12 in Figure 1 on a reduced scale.
• Figure 13 is a front elevation view of Figure 12.
• Figure 14 is a left side elevation view of Figure 12.
• FIG 1 shows an automotive emission control valve 18 removably secured in a mounting 20 by a retaining clip 22.
• Valve 18 is illustratively disclosed as a balanced vapor purge valve for purging fuel vapors from confinement within an evaporative emission space of a fuel storage system to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine.
• Valve 18, further detail of which appears in Figures 2 and 3, comprises a body 24 having an inlet port 25 and an outlet port 26, the latter including a sonic nozzle structure 28.
• Body 24 is fabricated from suitable fuel-tolerant material and embodies outlet port 26 as a depending tube that is coaxial with a main longitudinal axis AX.
• annular seat surface 29 circumscribes a main flow passage extending internally of body 24 between the two ports.
• a solenoid assembly 30 is housed within body 24 coaxial with axis AX.
• An electric connector 32 for connecting solenoid assembly 30 with an external electric circuit (not shown) is present on the exterior of body 24.
• a multi-part valve head assembly 34 is operatively coupled with solenoid assembly 30, and a force-balancing mechanism 36 is associated with valve head assembly 34.
• Figure 3 shows a spring 37 biasing valve head assembly 34 to seal against seat surface 29 and thereby close the internal passage between the two ports when no electric current is being delivered to solenoid assembly 30.
• valve head assembly 34 When valve 18 is closed, valve head assembly 34 is force-balanced by communicating whatever pressure is present at outlet port 26 (positive, negative, or nil) to a chamber space 38 via through-holes in valve head assembly 34. The communicated pressure acts on valve head assembly 34 via force-balancing mechanism 36 in a sense along axis AX that is opposite the sense of whatever force is acting directly on the seated area of valve head assembly 34 due to pressure at outlet port 26.
• valve 18 is made essentially insensitive to varying manifoid vacuum at outlet port 26 over the valve's operating range.
• intake manifold vacuum is delivered through outlet port 26 and will act on the area circumscribed by the seating of valve head assembly 34 on seat surface 29. Absent force-balancing, varying manifoid vacuum would vary the force required to open valve 18 and hence cause variation in electric current required to open the valve. Force-balancing de-sensitizes valve operation, initial valve opening in particular, to varying manifold vacuum.
• valve 18 Once valve 18 has opened beyond an initial unseating transition, sonic nozzle structure 28 becomes effective as a true sonic nozzle (assuming sufficient pressure differential between inlet and outlet ports) providing sonic purge flow and being essentially insensitive to varying manifold vacuum. Further detail of valve 18 may be found in the above-referenced Non-provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 08/918,071.
• Mounting 20 is illustratively disclosed by Figures 2 and 4-7 as a generally cylindrical walled formation in a plastic intake manifold of an internal combustion engine.
• the full manifold is not expressly shown in the drawings.
• the formation may be created in a manifold wall during the process of forming the manifold.
• Mounting 20 comprises a walled receptacle that provides a receptacle space for valve 20.
• Mounting 20 may be considered to comprise a lower wall 40 in the form of an integral multi- shouldered depression of the manifold wall, bounding by an upright upper wall 42.
• An axial slot 43 that has an entrance at the rim of upper wall 42 extends to a depth that allows port 25 to travel through the slot during assembly of valve 18 into mounting 20.
• Assembly of valve 18 into the receptacle space provided by mounting 20 is performed by initially inserting the end of the valve which contains outlet port 26 into the open end of the receptacle space bounded by upper wall 42, and then advancing the valve to more fully insert it into the receptacle space.
• shoulders 44, 46 of valve body 24 are in intimate juxtaposition to respective shoulders 48, 50 of lower wall 40, inlet port 25 protrudes through slot 43 at the end of the slot opposite the slot's entrance end, and outlet port 26 protrudes through a circular hole 52 at the center of lower wall 40.
• a circular lip 54 of a lip seal member 56 whose body is disposed around outlet port 26 seals against a surface of lower wall 40 to create a gas-tight seal of the tubular side wall of outlet port 26 to the receptacle wall proximate hole 52.
• body 24 comprises a radially outwardly directed circular flange 58 that is coaxial with, and perpendicular to, axis AX.
• flange 58 When valve 18 has been inserted to the fully installed position, flange 58 is in juxtaposition to a further shoulder 60 of mounting 20 at the junction of lower wall 40 and upper wall 42.
• Diametrically opposite portions of wall 42 contain respective slots 62, 64.
• Each slot 62, 64 is discrete from the other, having a uniform axial dimension, extending radially through wall 42, and having somewhat less than a semi-circular extent about axis AX in a respective semi-circumference of wall 42.
• Clip 22 is a one-piece part, preferably fabricated by applying conventional metal-forming methods to suitable metal strip stock of generally uniform thickness. The preferred fabrication yields a one-piece part of homogenous metallic composition throughout.
• Clip 22 comprises a flat fork formation 66 adapted for insertion into slots 62, 64. Formation 66 may be considered to comprise two flat tines 66a, 66b that are mirror images of each other about an imaginary plane PL that bisects the clip. These two tines merge at plane PL.
• clip 22 comprises an integral locking tab formation 68 that joins with fork formation 66 via a reverse bend formation 69. The latter formation is a reverse curve profiled to a generally semi-circular shape.
• Locking tab formation 68 comprises a flat locking tab 68a which is disposed generally parallel with, but spaced axially from, the plane of fork formation 66.
• a lead 68b extends for a short distance from an end of locking tab 68a opposite reverse bend 69.
• Locking tab 68a is generally rectangular in plan and contains a rectangular through-hole 68c. Referring back to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that a portion of wall
• Catch formation 70 comprises a somewhat trapezoidal-shaped tab 70a projecting radially outwardly on the exterior of the radially outer surface of wall 42 midway between slots 62 and 64. Formation 70 also comprises a short rectangular post 70b disposed on the rim of upper wall 42. Tab 70a has a ramp 70c leading to the plateau provided by post 70b. Clip 22 is installed in the following fashion after valve 18 has been fully installed in mounting 20.
• tines 66a, 66b are introduced into slots 62, 64, proximate respective sides of formation 70, in the manner suggested by Figure 2.
• the overall span of fork formation across its two tines is slightly less than the inside diameter of wall 42 so that as the tines are increasingly inserted, the clip's motion is guided in essentially a straight line.
• lead 68b abuts ramp 70c and the free ends of tines 66a, 66b re-enter slots 62, 64 at locations across from the locations where they first entered the slots.
• each tine now spans a segment of wall 42 and is also axially captured by wall 42 at two locations along the tine's length, fork formation 66 is axially captured on mounting 20; now, continued clip insertion results in lead 68b riding up ramp 70c, flexing locking tab 68a from pe ⁇ endicularity with axis AX because of the resilient flexibility imparted by reverse bend 69.
• lead 68b has cleared formation 70, and through-hole 68c has attained registration with both post 70b and ramp 70c, clip 22 relaxes to allow locking tab 68a to abut the rim of wall 42, lodging post 70b and ramp 70c within through-hole 68c. This catching of locking tab formation 68 creates an interference to attempted extraction of clip 22, thereby releasably locking 22 clip in installed position on mounting 20 and securing valve 18 in its installed position in the mounting.
• valve 18 Whenever valve 18 is to be removed from mounting 20, clip 22 is released from catch formation 70. This is done by flexing tab formation 68 (either manually or by a tool) to move locking tab 68a out of interference with formation 70 thereby unlocking the clip, which is then extracted from mounting 20 along a direction opposite that along which it was inserted into mounting 20. Once clip 22 has been removed, valve 18 can be pulled out of mounting 20 along axis AX.
• the invention provides suitable retention of an emission control device in a mounting, especially retention of an emission control valve on an internal combustion engine manifold.
• Clip 22 can be conveniently installed in and removed from mounting 20. When installed, clip 22 is self-locking to mounting 20. Clip 22 is also well suited for fabrication by known mass-production manufacturing techniques.
• slot 43 can advantageously constrain potential rotation of valve 18 within mounting 20 about axis AX due to its relationship to inlet port 25 which projects away from body 24 radially of axis AX, it should be appreciated that in any particular design, suitable clearance should be provided external to the slot to allow a hose (not shown in the drawings) to be fitted onto the nipple end of inlet port 25.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Supplying Secondary Fuel Or The Like To Fuel, Air Or Fuel-Air Mixtures (AREA)
• Fuel-Injection Apparatus (AREA)
• Snaps, Bayonet Connections, Set Pins, And Snap Rings (AREA)
• Magnetically Actuated Valves (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26721571

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (40)

Citations (7)

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• 1998
  • 1998-03-19 US US09/044,444 patent/US5901688A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-09-11 JP JP2000511994A patent/JP2003524718A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-09-11 DE DE69804467T patent/DE69804467T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-09-11 AU AU90581/98A patent/AU9058198A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-09-11 EP EP98942426A patent/EP1012465B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-11 WO PCT/CA1998/000856 patent/WO1999014478A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (7)

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