Valve assembly

Abstract

Valve assembly for pressure regulation of the interior of the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, comprising a housing (1) with a valve chamber (9) having at least one inlet and one outlet, a sealing element (21) movably arranged within the valve chamber (9) between an opening position allowing flow between an inlet and an outlet and a closing position blocking this flow, and an actuator for the sealing element (21), characterized in that the actuator consists of an electromagnet forming at least one pole surface, arranged outside the valve chamber (9), and cooperating with an armature (16) movable between two positions within the valve chamber (9) corresponding to the opening and closing positions, and that a transmission link is arranged and configured between the sealing element (21) and the armature (16) with the following stipulation:that the electromagnet is shown in the open position when de-energized and in the closed position when energized, wherein the opening of the inlet or outlet within the valve chamber (9) forms a valve seat (22) and that the sealing element (21) is designed and arranged to interact with the valve seat (22), wherein the transmission element is represented by a rocker arm (18) mounted in a bearing (19) and carrying the sealing element (21) at one end, wherein the armature (16) is kinematically coupled to the rocker arm (18) such that the position of the rocker arm (18) corresponding to the de-energized state of the electromagnet corresponds to the open position, wherein the open position is secured by a compression spring (23) acting on the rocker arm (18), wherein the electromagnet consists of a coil (11) surrounding a coil core (13) and arranged in a cage (10),wherein an end of the cage (10) facing the valve chamber (9) and of the coil core (13) each form pole surfaces extending in a common plane (15) and cooperating with the armature (16), and wherein a frame (20) is formed on one free end of the armature (16) and is articulated with the end of the rocker arm (18) facing it.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a valve assembly according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Valve assemblies or valves which are arranged within a line and are designed to open or close a flow through this line are used in numerous technical applications, for example in the regulation of the pressure within the crankcase of an internal combustion engine. Since there is always an unavoidable leak between the combustion chamber and the interior of the crankcase, gases enter the crankcase which contain all combustion residues, in particular partially burnt fuel components and their reaction products. These gases, which are at high temperatures and carry a considerable amount of dirt due to these reaction products, occur depending on the operating state of the engine and can also trigger violent movement in the oil bath of the crankcase so that oil is also absorbed into the gas flow. In order to prevent this from happening,...Since gases containing considerable amounts of pollutants can escape into the environment, it is customary to maintain a negative pressure within the crankcase, whereby a valve, depending on the pressure prevailing within the crankcase, creates a continuous connection to the air intake line leading into the combustion chamber of the engine.

[0003] From document EP 2 034 142 A1, a pressure control valve for the crankcase ventilation of a piston engine is known. This pressure control valve consists of a valve chamber arranged in a housing, provided with an inlet line and an outlet line, and delimited on one side by a diaphragm. Within this valve chamber, a valve part is arranged that rests against the diaphragm, is elastically deflectable, and is otherwise supported on the housing wall opposite the diaphragm. The valve part interacts with the end section of the outlet line that forms a valve seat and projects into the valve chamber. It is deflected towards this valve seat in accordance with the pressure difference between the valve chamber and the atmospheric pressure acting on the outside of the diaphragm. The switching behavior of this pressure control valve is thus structurally predetermined for a given atmospheric pressure and depends only on the pressure prevailing within the valve chamber.In particular, it cannot be influenced by other operating conditions of the engine.

[0004] Document DE 195 28 913 A1 discloses a flow control valve whose housing is divided by a diaphragm into two chambers, one of which is intended for connection to a vacuum source and the other of which functions as the inlet. A bushing arranged in the line leading to the vacuum source forms a valve seat at one end, facing the chamber. This valve seat is operatively connected to a blocking body that is kinematically coupled to the armature of an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is de-energized, the valve is in the closed position if a vacuum is present in the line mentioned. When the electromagnet is energized, it is moved into the open position against the vacuum effect. This is therefore a special valve whose switching behavior is directly influenced by external vacuum.

[0005] From document US 4,397,443 A, a valve assembly corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 is known, in which a sealing element is arranged within a valve chamber so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position. An electromagnet is provided as the drive for the sealing element, which is directly operatively connected to the sealing element via an armature such that the sealing element is held in the closed position by a spring when the electromagnet is de-energized. The transition to the open position thus occurs counter to the force generated by the spring. The switching behavior of this valve assembly can thus be controlled by the drive.

[0006] Against this background, the object of the invention is to design a valve assembly of the type mentioned above with a view to a simple structure while simultaneously being suitable for integration into more complex control systems. This object is achieved in such a valve assembly by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

[0007] The essential features of the invention are the use of an electromagnetic drive for the sealing element which controls the flow through the valve assembly, as well as the property that the open position is achieved when the drive, in this case an electromagnet, is de-energised. The electromagnet is connected to an armature which forms part of its magnetic circuit and which is simultaneously operatively connected to a mechanical transmission element in such a way that the open position is achieved when the electromagnet is de-energised. The use of an electromagnetic drive for the sealing element, when the valve assembly is used to regulate the pressure in the interior of a crankcase, has the advantage, in a departure from the prior art described at the outset, of also being able to take into account other influencing variables in addition to atmospheric pressure, e.g.The operating parameters of the internal combustion engine can be taken into account according to a predefined algorithm. The fact that the electromagnet is in the open position when de-energized ensures that an unacceptable pressure increase within the crankcase is prevented even in the event of malfunctions such as a cable break.

[0008] The supply and discharge lines of the housing of the valve assembly are represented by structurally simple means, wherein at least one of the openings of the supply or discharge lines arranged in the valve chamber simultaneously forms a valve seat which interacts with the sealing element.

[0009] The transmission element is designed as a rocker arm, which also acts as a carrier for the sealing element. The rocker arm can be pivoted between two positions, corresponding to the open and closed positions of the valve assembly, with one of these two positions, corresponding to the open position, being secured by a compression spring. The movement of the rocker arm is always kinematically coupled to the movement of the armature, so that the compression spring also influences the position of the armature depending on the current supplied to the electromagnet.

[0010] The electromagnet is arranged in such a way that its magnetic circuit, in this case the cage enclosing a coil, is partially embedded in the housing walls, so that the drive is exposed only through pole faces in a wall of the valve chamber, and not through moving parts. This enables a simple and reliable sealing of the valve chamber.

[0011] Due to the fact that a frame is formed on one free end of the armature, which represents an articulated connection with the facing end of the rocker arm, in conjunction with the axes of the bearings of the rocker arm and the armature being parallel to one another, the kinematic connection of the movements of the armature and the rocker arm can be represented particularly easily.

[0012] The features of claim 2 are directed to the design of the supply and discharge lines of the housing. The connecting pieces arranged or molded at these locations are advantageously equipped with standardized profiles designed for connecting lines.

[0013] The features of claim 3 are directed to the detailed design of the armature, in particular its type of movement. It is preferably pivotably mounted about the axis of a bearing, with this bearing preferably being located at one free end of the armature. In principle, however, only a linear movement of the armature between positions corresponding to the open or closed position of the valve assembly is possible. In each case, the armature forms a component movably arranged within the valve chamber.

[0014] The features of claims 4 and 5 are directed toward the further design of the bearings of the rocker arm and the armature. These bearings have mutually parallel axes, thus resulting in simple structural possibilities for kinematic coupling of their pivoting movements around these axes. The design of these bearings as knife-edge bearings results in a particularly high resistance to contamination from combustion residues, particularly in the form of deposits, possibly sticky substances condensing from the gases, etc., which are always to be expected when used for degassing the interior of a crankcase.

[0015] The valve assembly designed in the above sense, namely its housing, is equipped with assembly aids according to the features of claim 7, which are intended for fastening, for example, in the engine compartment of a vehicle.

[0016] It can be seen that the valve assembly according to the invention provides a means particularly suitable for degassing or pressure regulation of the crankcase, the function of which is not impaired even in the case of heavily contaminated gases, during longer downtimes or due to low temperatures.

[0017] It can also be seen that the valve group is composed of individual parts that are structurally simple and can be manufactured inexpensively.

[0018] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a valve according to the invention in perspective view, Fig. 2 a planar representation of this valve in a section plane II - II of the Fig. 1.

[0019] The valve shown in the drawings consists of a housing 1, which is Fig. 1 lower end 2 is sealed by a lid 3.

[0020] The housing 1 supports an elastic retaining ring 4, which is provided with mounting slots 5, 6 on two diametrically opposite sides, allowing for attachment, for example, within the engine compartment of a motor vehicle. However, this retaining ring 4, provided with mounting slots 5, 6, is to be viewed as a possible embodiment of a fastening method, so that other fastening techniques familiar to those skilled in the art are also possible.

[0021] Two connecting pieces 7, 8 are arranged on the housing 1, one of which is intended for connection to the interior of a crankcase of an internal combustion engine, the pressure of which is to be regulated, and the other of which is intended for connection to the engine's air intake line. For reasons of clarity, the air intake line and the crankcase are not shown.

[0022] The housing 1 encloses, among other things, a valve chamber 9 through which flow takes place, which accommodates all the elements to be described below which control the blocking and opening of a flow, and to which the said connecting pieces are formed.

[0023] Furthermore, an electromagnetic drive for the aforementioned elements is arranged in the housing 1, namely in the form of a coil 11 arranged in a magnetically conductive cage 10. 12 designates an electrical connection socket arranged on the outside of the housing 1, which is connected to the coil 11 within the housing 1.

[0024] The coil 11 consists of a winding 14 surrounding a coil core 13, wherein the said cage 10 is partially integrated into the housing 1 and, on its side facing the valve chamber 9, partially projects into the latter, just like the coil core. The free ends of the cage 11 and the coil core 13 extend within the valve chamber 9 in a common plane and, as a whole, form pole faces which interact with an armature 16 which is arranged between a Fig. 2, opening the magnetic circuit of the coil 11 and a position closing it, that is to say in the said plane resting against the pole faces, is pivotally held.

[0025] The armature 16 is mounted at one end in a bearing 17 around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Fig. 2 rotatably mounted. This is preferably your cutting edge bearing.

[0026] 16 denotes a rocker lever which is pivoted within the valve chamber 9 in a bearing 19 by a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Fig. 2 is rotatably mounted. This bearing is also preferably designed as a cutting edge bearing.

[0027] The rocker lever 18 is connected to a Fig. 2 lower end engages in a form-fitting manner with an approximately U-shaped frame 20 formed on the armature 16, so that the movements of the armature 16 about the axis of the bearing 17 and those of the rocker arm about the axis of the bearing 19 are kinematically coupled.

[0028] Reference numeral 21 designates a sealing element which is firmly connected to the end of the rocker arm 18 facing away from the casing 20 and is intended to interact with the free end of the connection socket 7 projecting into the valve chamber 9, which end thus forms a valve seat 22. By means of a compression spring 23 acting between the housing 1 and the end of the rocker arm 18 facing the sealing element 21, the armature 16 is moved away from the plane 15 when the coil 11 is de-energized by pivoting about the axis of the bearing 17, so that flow via the connection sockets 7, 8 is enabled.Conversely, if the coil is energized, the armature is brought into contact with the plane 15 and thus with the aforementioned pole faces by rotating about the axis of the bearing 17, whereby the rocker arm 18 is pivoted about the axis of its bearing 19 by overcoming the restoring force of the compression spring 23 and the sealing element 21 comes into contact with the valve seat, so that flow via the connecting pieces 7, 8 is now prevented.

[0029] It can be seen that all moving parts of the valve assembly are located outside the live parts of the electromagnetic actuator, making it very easy and effective to create an effective seal for the valve chamber. Condensates, aggressive components, and other contaminants that can be carried along with the gas flows to be regulated during crankcase ventilation do not interfere with the drive system.

[0030] The drive system shown is suitable for interaction with, for example, an engine control system via the connection socket 12, so that in this way it is possible to control the pressure and flow conditions in the crankcase depending on the operating state of the engine. List of reference symbols 1 housing 2 End 3 lids 4 retaining ring 5 mounting slot 6 mounting slot 7 connecting pieces 8 connecting pieces 9 Valve chamber 10 cages 11 coil 12 connection socket 13 coil core 14 Winding 15th Level 16 Anchor 17. Storage 18 rocker levers 19 Storage 20 border 21 Sealing element 22 Valve seat 23 compression spring

Claims

[1] Valve assembly for the pressure control of the interior of the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, comprising a housing (1) with a valve chamber (9) with at least one inlet and one outlet line, a sealing element (21) arranged movably within the valve chamber (9) between an open position releasing a flow between an inlet and an outlet line and a closed position blocking this flow, and a drive for the sealing element (21), characterized bythat the drive consists of an electromagnet forming at least one pole face, arranged outside the valve chamber (9), and cooperating with an armature (16) movable between two positions within the valve chamber (9) corresponding to the open and closed positions, that a transmission member is arranged and configured between the sealing element (21) and the armature (16) with the proviso that the open position is represented when the electromagnet is de-energized and the closed position is represented when energized, wherein the mouth of the supply or discharge line within the valve chamber (9) forms a valve seat (22) and that the sealing element (21) is designed and arranged to cooperate with the valve seat (22), wherein the transmission member is represented by a rocker arm (18) mounted in a bearing (19) and carrying the sealing element (21) at one end,wherein the armature (16) is kinematically coupled to the rocker arm (18) with the proviso that the position of the rocker arm (18) corresponding to the currentless state of the electromagnet corresponds to the open position, wherein the open position is secured by a compression spring (23) acting on the rocker arm (18), wherein the electromagnet consists of a coil (11) surrounding a coil core (13) and arranged in a cage (10), wherein an end of the cage (10) and of the coil core (13) facing the valve chamber (9) each form pole faces extending in a common plane (15) and cooperating with the armature (16), and wherein a frame (20) forming an articulated connection with the facing end of the rocker arm (18) is formed on one free end of the armature (16). [2] Valve assembly according to claim 1, characterized by that the supply and discharge lines are each represented by connecting pieces (7, 8) arranged on the housing (1). [3] Valve assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the armature (16) is rotatably held in a bearing (17) within the valve chamber (9) between two positions corresponding to the opening and closing positions. [4] Valve assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the axes of the bearings (17, 19) run parallel to each other. [5] Valve assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the bearings (17, 19) are designed as cutting edge bearings. [6] Valve assembly according to any preceding claim, characterized by that the cage (10) is at least partially integrated into facing walls of the housing (1). [7] Valve assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that means for mounting in the engine compartment of a vehicle are arranged on the housing (1).

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