Hybrid exhaust valve assembly
AssigneeEmcon Technologies LLC
InventorsRobin Willats, Joseph Callahan, Kwin Abram, Govindaraj Kalyanasamy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exhaust valve assembly includes a flapper valve fixed to a valve shaft where the flapper valve is movable between a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open position. A resilient member biases the flapper valve toward the closed position. An electric actuator actively moves the flapper valve at least from the closed position to the intermediate position. A coupling mechanism couples the valve shaft to an electric actuator shaft and allows the flapper valve to move to the open position in response to exhaust flow sufficient to overcome a biasing force of the resilient member without requiring input from the electric actuator.
Claims27
An exhaust valve assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a flapper valve fixed to said shaft and movable relative to an exhaust component housing between a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open position;
- a resilient member biasing said flapper valve toward said closed position;
- an electric actuator coupled to said shaft to actively move said flapper valve at least from said closed position to said intermediate position;
- and
- a coupling mechanism that couples said electric actuator to said shaft, said coupling mechanism allowing said flapper valve to move to said open position in response to exhaust flow sufficient to overcome a biasing force of said resilient member without requiring input from said electric actuator.
An exhaust valve assembly comprising:
- a shaft;
- a flapper valve fixed to said shaft and movable relative to an exhaust component housing between a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open position;
- a resilient member biasing said flapper valve toward said closed position;
- an electric actuator coupled to said shaft to actively move said flapper valve at least from said intermediate position to said open position;
- and
- a coupling mechanism that couples said electric actuator to said shaft, said coupling mechanism allowing said flapper valve to move to said intermediate position in response to exhaust flow sufficient to overcome a biasing force of said resilient member without requiring input from said electric actuator.
A method for controlling actuation of an exhaust valve assembly between at least closed, intermediate, and open positions comprising:
- (a) biasing a flapper valve supported on a shaft toward the closed position;
- (b) actively actuating the flapper valve with an electric actuator to move the flapper valve from at least the intermediate position to the open position;
- and
- (c) coupling the electric actuator to the shaft to allow the flapper valve to move to the intermediate position in response to exhaust flow sufficient to overcome a biasing force defined in step (a) without requiring input from the electric actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.