Valve flap device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041419-B2
Application number	US-201013508996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2010
Priority date	Nov 10, 2009
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A valve flap device having at least one valve housing having a shaft comprising a bearing surface and a valve axis, the shaft being rotationally supported about the valve axis by means of the bearing surface in the valve housing. A bearing element having a sliding bearing surface, wherein the bearing surface of the shaft contacts the sliding bearing surface. A bearing housing provided on the valve housing, in which the bearing element is supported at least in the radial direction to the valve axis, wherein the bearing element has an outer surface contacting the bearing housing. The support of the shaft is intended to be sufficiently tightly sealed, even for gaseous media, while simultaneously ensuring precise and statically determinate support. To this end, the bearing element is designed as a separate component coupled to the bearing housing about the valve axis with respect to the circumferential direction, such that the relative position between the bearing element and the bearing housing does not change in the circumferential direction when the shaft is rotated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve flap device, comprising at least:
a) one valve housing
b) a shaft which can turn about a valve axis with a bearing surface for a bearing in a radial direction to the valve axis and with a shaft shoulder for a bearing in an axial direction to the valve axis,
c) a bearing element bearing the shaft in the valve housing with a sliding bearing surface for the bearing surface of the shaft and with a supporting surface in direct contact with the shaft shoulder, wherein the bearing element is mounted in a bearing housing able to move in both axial directions relative to the shaft,
d) the bearing housing fastened to the valve housing, in which the shaft and the bearing element are arranged, for radial support of the bearing element,
e) a spring element by which the bearing element is pretensioned relative to the bearing housing in the axial direction and in direct contact against the shaft shoulder, wherein
f) the bearing element is directly coupled in a form-fitting manner to the bearing housing, about the valve axis that prevents a relative rotary movement with respect to a circumferential direction between the bearing housing and the bearing element.

2. The valve flap device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a valve flap is provided that can swivel about the valve axis in the valve housing, being supported by a bearing pin in the valve housing in the axial and radial direction to the valve axis, wherein the bearing pin is pretensioned indirectly by the valve flap and the shaft by the spring element in the axial direction.

3. The valve flap device according to claim 2 , wherein at least part of an inside surface of the bearing housing and at least part of an outer surface of the bearing element have geometrically similar cross sectional shapes a) that prevent a relative rotary movement in the circumferential direction between the bearing housing and the bearing element, and b) that are oriented parallel to the valve axis.

4. The valve flap device according to claim 3 , wherein at least one axially extending bulge is provided on the outer surface of the bearing element and at least one axially extending groove, receiving the bulge, on the inside surface of the bearing housing, and wherein the bulge forms a form-fitting rotation lock in the groove.

5. The valve flap device according to claim 4 , wherein the outer surface of the bearing element has at least one flat region arranged parallel to the valve axis and one inner side of the bearing housing has at least one flat segment arranged parallel to the valve axis and the region can abut against the segment, thereby forming a form-fitting rotation lock.

6. The valve flap device according to claim 5 , wherein the bearing housing has a housing opening, through which the shaft is led, while a shoulder is provided at the housing opening and the spring element fashioned as a disk spring abuts tight against the shoulder.

7. A system consisting of a valve flap device according to claim 6 and an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine or for a motor vehicle.

8. The valve flap device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least part of an inside surface of the bearing housing and at least part of an outer surface of the bearing element have geometrically similar cross sectional shapes a) that prevent the relative rotary movement in the circumferential direction between the bearing housing and the bearing element, and b) that are oriented parallel to the valve axis.

9. The valve flap device according to claim 8 ,
wherein at least one axially extending bulge is provided on the outer surface of the bearing element and at least one axially extending groove, receiving the bulge, on the inside surface of the bearing housing, and wherein the bulge forms a form-fitting rotation lock in the groove.

10. The valve flap device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the outer surface of the bearing element has at least one flat region arranged parallel to the valve axis and one inner side of the bearing housing has at least one flat segment arranged parallel to the valve axis and the region can abut against the segment, thereby forming a form-fitting rotation lock.

11. The valve flap device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the bearing housing has a housing opening, through which the shaft is led, while a shoulder is provided at the housing opening and the spring element fashioned as a disk spring abuts tight against the shoulder.

12. A system consisting of a valve flap device according to claim 1 and an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine or for a motor vehicle.

13. A method for the rotational mounting of a shaft about a valve axis in a bearing housing, with a valve flap arranged on the shaft, wherein the shaft is mounted in the radial direction by a single bearing element in the bearing housing, comprising the steps of: using a sliding bearing bush as the bearing element and coupling the sliding bearing bush to the bearing housing directly in form fitting manner to prevent twisting in the circumferential direction of the valve axis and at the same time the sliding bearing bush is in direct contact with the shaft and pushed in both directions of the valve axis relative to the shaft in the bearing housing and pretensioned by a spring element.

Assignees

• Weidner Thomas
• Weinert Rico
• Schinko Alexander
• Womann Marcel
• Reichling Karlheinz
• Tenneco Gmbh

Inventors

• Weidner Thomas
• Weinert Rico
• Schinko Alexander
• Womann Marcel
• Reichling Karlheinz

Classifications

• Y10T137/0525

  Butterfly valve · CPC title

• F16K1/2071

  and being forced into sealing contact with the valve member by a spring or a spring-like member · CPC title

• F02D9/1045 Primary

  for sealing of the flow in closed flap position, e.g. the housing forming a valve seat · CPC title

• F02D9/102

  the flap having movable parts fixed onto it · CPC title

• F16K1/18

  with pivoted discs or flaps · CPC title