ACTIVE AIR VENT UTILIZING SMART MATERIAL ACTUATION
First Claim
1. An active air intake adapted for use with an internal combustion engine, said intake comprising:
- a housing defining an opening in fluid communication with an ambient environment and the engine;
at least one covering member translatable, so as to be caused to move between opened and closed conditions, relative to the opening, wherein the member covers at least a portion of the opening in the closed condition, and does not obstruct the portion, so as to allow an increase in fluid flow between the environment and the engine, in the opened condition; and
at least one actuator drivenly coupled to the member, and including an active material element operable to undergo a reversible change in fundamental property when exposed to an activation signal,said actuator being configured such that the change is operable to cause or enable the member to move to one of the opened and closed conditions.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An active air intake adapted for selectively regulating fluid flow into an engine generally includes a housing defining an opening, a covering member disposed relative to the opening and translatable between opened and closed conditions, an actuator including an active material element operable to effect movement of the member, a load limit protector configured to present a secondary output path for the element, an overheat protection mechanism for preventing unintentional activation and stress loads in the element, a biasing mechanism for returning the member to the original condition, and a latching mechanism for retaining the member in the closed condition.
17 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An active air intake adapted for use with an internal combustion engine, said intake comprising:
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a housing defining an opening in fluid communication with an ambient environment and the engine; at least one covering member translatable, so as to be caused to move between opened and closed conditions, relative to the opening, wherein the member covers at least a portion of the opening in the closed condition, and does not obstruct the portion, so as to allow an increase in fluid flow between the environment and the engine, in the opened condition; and at least one actuator drivenly coupled to the member, and including an active material element operable to undergo a reversible change in fundamental property when exposed to an activation signal, said actuator being configured such that the change is operable to cause or enable the member to move to one of the opened and closed conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An active air intake adapted for use with an internal combustion engine, said intake comprising:
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a housing defining an opening in fluid communication with an ambient environment and the engine; at least one member translatable, so as to be caused to move between open and closed conditions, relative to the opening, and including a plurality of vanes pivotally connected to the housing so as to define an equal plurality of pivot axes, wherein the vanes cooperatively cover at least a portion of the opening in the closed condition, and do not obstruct the portion, so as to allow fluid flow between the engine and environment, in the opened condition; and at least one actuator drivenly coupled to the vanes, and including an active material element operable to undergo a reversible change in fundamental property when exposed to an activation signal, said actuator and vanes being cooperatively configured such that the change is operable to cause the vanes to mutually and congruently rotate in opposite directions, so as to achieve one of the open and closed conditions. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of selectively modifying a fluid flow into a vehicle engine, said method comprising the steps of:
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a. fluidly coupling the engine to an ambient environment through an opening, so as to allow a fluid flow therebetween; b. securing an active material element relative to the opening; c. determining a sample value of an environment condition or vehicle characteristic; d. comparing the sample value to a threshold, and determining a non-compliant value, when the sample value exceeds the threshold; e. activating the element when the non-compliant value is determined; and f. modifying the opening, so as to modify the fluid flow, as a result of activating the element. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification