Air shutoff valve
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsRodney A. Lawrence, Bradley J. Shaffer, Brandyn A. Stack, Joseph John Stabnik, Eric W. Ferguson, Yegor Litvinov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air shutoff valve for use on an internal combustion engine includes a gate that is moveable between armed and triggered positions by springs when a release pin is retracted and allows a spring loaded retention pin to retract and release the gate, which is also spring loaded, to drop. The release pin is operated by an actuator.
Claims20
An air shutoff valve for use on an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a body having an inlet portion forming an inlet opening, an outlet portion forming an outlet opening, a gate portion and an actuator portion;
- the body forming an air passage that fluidly connects the inlet opening and the outlet opening;
- a gate slidably disposed in the gate portion of the body, the gate being selectively moveable between an armed position and a triggered position, in which triggered position the gate is disposed in the air passage and fluidly blocks the outlet opening from the inlet opening;
- a lift rod connected to the gate, the lift rod including a transverse opening;
- a retention pin slidably disposed in the actuator portion of the body, the retention pin having a tip extending through the transverse opening in the lift rod when the gate is in the armed position;
- a release pin disposed in a release opening formed in the retention pin when the gate is in the armed position, the release pin preventing sliding motion of the retention pin relative to the body when the release pin is in an extended position;
- an actuator connected to the release pin and operating to move the release pin from the extended position to a retracted position, in which the release pin is clear of the retention pin;
- at least one spring disposed between the body and the retention pin, the at least one spring disposed to urge the retention pin in a direction away from the lift rod;
- and
- at least one lift spring disposed between the body and the gate, the at least one lift spring disposed to urge the gate towards the triggered position.
An air shutoff valve for an internal combustion engine comprising a gate valve element slidably disposed within a body of the valve and operating to selectively fluid connect or block an air passage, the gate valve element moving along a guillotine axis between a retracted position, in which the air passage is clear, and an extended position, in which the air passage is blocked, the air shutoff valve further comprising:
- a linear actuator operating between a default, extended actuator position and an active, retracted actuator position;
- a release pin disposed to move with the linear actuator between the extended and retracted actuator positions;
- a retention pin slidably disposed in the body of the valve, the retention pin having an opening that accepts therein a portion of the release pin;
- at least one spring disposed between the body of the valve and the retention pin, the at least one spring urging the retention pin in one direction;
- a lift rod connected to the gate valve element, the lift rod having an elongate slot that accepts therein a tip of the retention pin;
- and
- at least one lift spring disposed between the body of the valve and the gate valve element, the at least one lift spring urging the gate valve element towards the extended position.
An air shutoff valve for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a body forming an air passage that fluidly connects an inlet opening with an outlet opening;
- a gate slidably disposed in the body and being selectively moveable along a gate axis between an armed position and a triggered position, in which the air passage is fluidly blocked;
- a lift rod connected to the gate and including a transverse opening;
- a retention pin slidably disposed in the body along a retention axis and having a tip extending through the transverse opening in the lift rod when the gate is in the armed position;
- a release pin disposed in a release opening formed in the retention pin when the gate is in the armed position, the release pin preventing sliding motion of the retention pin relative to the body when the release pin is in an extended position;
- an actuator connected to the release pin and operating to move the release pin along an actuator axis from the extended position to a retracted position, in which the release pin is clear of the retention pin;
- at least one spring disposed between the body and the retention pin, the at least one spring disposed to urge the retention pin in a direction away from the lift rod;
- and
- at least one lift spring disposed between the body and the gate, the at least one lift spring disposed to urge the gate towards the triggered position;
- wherein the gate axis and the actuator axis are parallel;
- and
- wherein the actuator axis and the retention axis are perpendicular.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.