Valve with integrated wax motor bypass fail safe
AssigneeCooper-Standard Automotive Inc.
InventorDavid S. Malone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A valve includes a housing including a plurality of ports including an inlet port in communication with a radiator. The valve includes a cylinder located in the housing that includes a plurality of apertures and a fail safe opening. The cylinder is moveable such that one of the plurality of apertures can be aligned with one of the plurality of ports of the housing to determine a flow of a fluid through the valve. The valve includes a moveable feature moveable with and relative to the cylinder, and the moveable feature covers the fail safe opening of the cylinder when a temperature of the fluid flowing through the valve is below a threshold temperature.
Claims19
A valve comprising:
- a housing including a plurality of ports including an inlet port in communication with a radiator;
- a cylinder located in the housing including a plurality of apertures and a fail safe opening, wherein the cylinder is moveable such that one of the plurality of apertures can be aligned with one of the plurality of ports of the housing to determine a flow of a fluid through the valve;
- a moveable feature moveable with and relative to the cylinder, wherein the moveable feature covers the fail safe opening of the cylinder when a temperature of the fluid flowing through the valve is below a threshold temperature;
- and
- an actuator including a portion made of a material that changes shape when exposed to the fluid having a temperature greater than or equal the threshold temperature to move a portion of the actuator to move the moveable feature relative to the cylinder and expose the fail safe opening to allow the fluid to flow through the inlet port and into the valve.
A coolant system comprising:
- a water pump;
- a radiator;
- an engine;
- a vehicle cabin;
- and
- a valve including:
- a housing including a plurality of ports including an inlet port in communication with the radiator, an outlet port in communication with the water pump, a second inlet port in communication with the engine, and a third inlet port in communication with the vehicle cabin, wherein a fluid flows from the outlet port of the valve to the water pump, from the water pump to the engine and to the vehicle cabin, and from the engine to the radiator;
- a cylinder located in the housing including a plurality of apertures and a fail safe opening, wherein the cylinder is moveable such that one of the plurality of apertures can be aligned with one of the plurality of ports of the housing to determine a flow of the fluid through the valve,
- a moveable feature moveable with and relative to the cylinder, wherein the moveable feature covers the fail safe opening of the cylinder when a temperature of the fluid flowing through the valve is below a threshold temperature, and
- an actuator including a portion made of a material that changes shape when exposed to the fluid having a temperature greater than or equal the threshold temperature to move a portion of the actuator to move the moveable feature relative to the cylinder and expose the fail safe opening to allow the fluid to flow through the inlet port and into the valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.