Valve Actuator Damping Stops for Tooth Shock Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve actuators for motor vehicle engines experience mechanical stress and wear due to sudden shocks during valve opening, leading to potential damage and the need for oversized teeth to mitigate this, which increases the valve's size and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An actuator with a toothed sector and a damping mechanism featuring pairs of stops, where one stop is secured to the toothed sector and another to the rod, allowing for simultaneous contact and absorption of shocks, reducing the torque applied to the teeth and preventing oversizing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the teeth of the toothed sector are oversized to withstand shocks during valve opening, then the strength and reliability are improved, but the device complexity and overall size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a damping mechanism with stops that come into contact before the teeth engage during valve opening. This cushioning action absorbs the shock energy beforehand, preventing direct impact on the teeth and allowing them to be smaller while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping stops act as an intermediary element between the actuator's moving parts and the toothed sector. They mediate the shock transmission by absorbing impact energy, thereby protecting the teeth from direct shock loads and enabling reduced tooth size.
2Reliability
If the teeth are sized to withstand sudden shocks during valve opening, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and material usage increase due to oversized components
Solution Approach 1:
The damping stops provide beforehand cushioning by absorbing shock energy before it reaches the gear teeth. This allows the teeth to be manufactured with less material while maintaining durability, directly reducing material usage and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful shock energy into beneficial damping action through the stops. The impact energy that would otherwise damage the teeth is instead absorbed and dissipated by the damping mechanism, protecting the teeth and reducing material requirements.
3Reliability
If a damping mechanism with stops is added to absorb shocks, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping stops are merged with the existing actuator components rather than being completely separate additions. The stops are integrated into the movement mechanism, combining the damping function with the existing structural elements and minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stops serve multiple functions: they provide damping during valve opening, define the travel limit of the mechanism, and guide the movement of the toothed sector. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components, limiting the increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The actuator effectively absorbs shocks during maximum valve opening, reducing mechanical stress on the teeth and minimizing wear, while maintaining compact dimensions compared to prior art valves.
Implementation Method 1
at least one stop of the pair of stops is shaped to absorb relative movements between the toothed sector and the rod
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an actuator (30), in particular intended for being integrated into a valve for a motor vehicle engine, comprising: - a toothed sector (34) rotatably mobile about an axis of rotation, - a rod (32) centred on the axis of rotation, and - a damping means (36) comprising at least one pair of abutments (38), at least one abutment (40) being rigidly connected to the toothed sector (34) and at least one abutment (42) being rigidly connected to the rod (32), and wherein at least one abutment (40, 42) of the pair of abutments (38) is designed to absorb the relative movements between the toothed sector (34) and the rod (32).