Engine air intake valve
AssigneeCarter Automotive Company, Inc.
InventorSteven R. Bollinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine air intake valve for controlling engine idling speed includes a rotary electrical actuator for actuating a rotary slidable valve element across a flow port in a cylindrical valve seat. The flow port is rectangular so that each unit angular movement of the valve element produces the same in air flow rate. The rotary electrical actuator includes a stator having a wire wound therearound to produce two opposed magnetic poles at diametrically-spaced points on the stator circumference.
Claims20
In combination with an internal combustion engine, a system for regulating engine speed by regulating the air flow across a throttle valve in an air intake passage, said system comprising an engine air intake valve and means for sensing an operating variable representative of engine speed and sending an electrical signal representative of the engine speed to said engine air intake valve,
- said engine air intake valve comprising a common housing having a first actuator chamber and a second valve chamber,
- a rotary electrical actuator mounted in said first chamber, said actuator comprising an electrical rotor,
- said second valve chamber defining an air passageway having an inlet on one side of said throttle valve and an outlet on the other side of said throttle valve,
- said rotor comprising an axial extension having a cylindrical side surface movable rotationally along a cylindrical surface of said second valve chamber, and
- a flow port in said cylindrical side surface of said second valve chamber intermediate the inlet and outlet thereof, the area of said flow port being determined by the rotational position of said axial extension of said rotor across said flow port in response to the electrical signal generated by said sensing means.
The combination of claim wherein the flow port is rectangular.
An engine air intake valve comprising an electrical rotary actuator and a flow control element rotatable around the actuator axis to vary the flow rate through the valve;
- said actuator comprising an annular cylindrical stator, a rotor located in the space circumscribed by the stator, and an electrical winding on two different sections of the stator;
- said winding comprising a single insulated wire wound radially and axially around the stator surface so that the windings on one section of the stator have a different electrical direction than the windings on the other section of the stator.
An engine air intake valve comprising a housing, an electrical rotary actuator and flow control element disposed within said housing, said flow control element being rotatable around the actuator axis to vary the flow rate through the valve;
- said actuator comprising an annular cylindrical stator, a rotor located in the space circumscribed by the stator, and rotary support means between the rotor and stator;
- said rotary support means comprising a first radial end plate at one end of the stator, diametrically-spaced locator elements for securing the stator to the radial end plates, first ball bearing races formed on said end plates, second ball bearing races formed at axially-spaced points on the rotor, and anti-friction balls rollably engaged in said races whereby the rotor axis is accurately aligned with the stator axis.
An engine air intake valve comprising a rotary actuator and a rotary flow control element, said actuator including a rotor that has an integral axial extension thereon configured to form the rotary flow control element;
- a permanent magnet assembly secured to said rotor;
- and
- an electrical stator surrounding said rotor and having electrical windings provided thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.