Automotive emission control valve with a cushion media
First Claim
1. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising an armature and a guide hole within which the armature is guided substantially for axial motion but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve which is connected to a portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open axial end of the guide hole and which is operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed around that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, and the medium having a radially confronting portion a) which radially confronts that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, and b) through which that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole axially moves when the armature is moved axially by the actuator.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A valve assembly (14) has an internal main flow passage through a valve body (24) between a first port (25) and a second port (26), an electric actuator (30), and a valve (86) operated by an armature (58) of the actuator to selectively open and close the passage. A force-balancing mechanism (92) applies to the valve (86) a force that opposes force created by pressure differential between the first and second ports. The valve has cushion media (76, 80, 142) that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature and cushion media (76) for cushioning axial impact between the armature and stator. An overmold (32) encloses internal parts, and one of the ports contains sonic nozzle structure (28). the valve exhibits improved noise attenuation, durability, and performance.
70 Citations
19 Claims
- 1. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising an armature and a guide hole within which the armature is guided substantially for axial motion but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve which is connected to a portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open axial end of the guide hole and which is operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed around that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, and the medium having a radially confronting portion a) which radially confronts that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, and b) through which that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole axially moves when the armature is moved axially by the actuator.
- 4. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising an armature and a guide hole within which the armature is guided substantially for axial motion but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve which is connected to a portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open axial end of the guide hole and which is operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed around that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, wherein the medium comprises an annular member, the guide hole is in a bobbin on which an electromagnetic coil is disposed, the bobbin has an end wall containing the open end of the guide hole from which that portion of the armature protrudes axially outward, further including a retainer for retaining the annular member on the bobbin end wall, and wherein the bobbin end wall containing the open end of the guide hole from which that portion of the armature protrudes axially outward comprises a cavity surrounding the open end of the guide hole, and the retainer is lodged in the cavity to retain the annular member on the bobbin end wall.
- 6. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising an armature and a guide hole within which the armature is guided substantially for axial motion but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve which is connected to a portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open axial end of the guide hole and which is operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed around that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, wherein the medium comprises an annular member, the guide hole is in a bobbin on which an electromagnetic coil is disposed, the bobbin has an end wall containing the open end of the guide hole from which that portion of the armature protrudes axially outward, further including a retainer for retaining the annular member on the bobbin end wall, and including stator structure providing a portion of a magnetic circuit that includes the armature for conducting magnetic flux created by electric current flow in the coil, the stator structure including a stator part separated from the armature by an air gap, and further including a cushion for cushioning impact between the armature and the stator part.
- 10. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising an armature and a guide hole within which the armature is guided substantially for axial motion but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve which is connected to a portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open axial end of the guide hole and which is operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium that cushions impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed around that portion of the armature that protrudes axially outward from an open end of the guide hole, and further including a counter-force mechanism that, when the valve is closing the passage, applies a counter-force to the valve opposite the force due to pressure differential between the first and second ports, the counter-force mechanism including a chamber space that is internal to the body and bounded in part by a fluid-impermeable movable wall that extends between and is sealed to both the body and the valve, and a communication passage that communicates one of the ports to the chamber space when the valve is closing the passage, wherein the valve comprises plural parts in assembly relation, one of the plural parts being a valve head and another of the plural parts being a retainer, the valve head and the retainer coacting to hold the movable wall sealed to the valve.
- 17. An electric-operated valve assembly comprising a body having an internal main flow passage between a first port and a second port, an annular valve seat in circumscribing relation to the passage, an electric actuator comprising a guide hole, a walled sleeve extending axially in the guide hole, an armature guided substantially for axial motion within the sleeve but with some lateral clearance that allows slight lateral displacements of the armature to occur as the armature is moved axially by the actuator, a valve operated by the armature to selectively open and close the passage, and a medium for cushioning impact of lateral displacements of the armature, the medium being disposed axially between the sleeve and the guide hole.
Specification