Fluid flow adjustment door with pivotable inner door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167763-B2
Application number	US-201615252022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a door of an exhaust system of an engine. In one example, a door of an exhaust system may include an outer door pivotable around a first location and an inner door pivotable around a second location, with the inner door positioned within the outer door, and with an amount of opening of an aperture of the outer door adjustable by a position of the inner door.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A door, comprising:
a pivotable outer door coupled to a fluid passage at a first pivot location;
a pivotable inner door within the outer door and coupled to the outer door at a second pivot location; and
a detent at a first end of the inner door shaped to couple a ball at an inner surface of the outer door, the ball biased away from the inner surface of the outer door by a spring.

2. The door of claim 1 , wherein the first pivot location is positioned at a first end of the outer door.

3. The door of claim 2 , wherein the second pivot location is positioned along the outer door, between the first end of the outer door and a second end of the outer door.

4. The door of claim 3 , wherein the second pivot location is positioned closer to the second end of the outer door than the first end of the outer door.

5. The door of claim 4 , wherein the outer door includes an aperture, and wherein a position of the inner door relative to the outer door defines an amount of opening of the aperture.

6. The door of claim 1 , wherein the inner door is positioned approximately parallel to the outer door when the ball is coupled to the detent.

7. The door of claim 6 , further comprising a first angled surface and a second angled surface formed by the detent, wherein the first angled surface and second angled surface each couple to an end surface of the first end of the inner door and to each other, and wherein the first angled surface and second angled surface are each angled relative to the end surface.

8. The door of claim 7 , wherein the first angled surface is angled by a different amount than the second angled surface relative to the end surface.

9. The door of claim 8 , wherein a coupling force to couple the detent with the ball is less than a decoupling force to decouple the detent from the ball.

10. The door of claim 1 , further comprising:
a guide pin coupled to a second end of the inner door; and
a groove formed by the fluid passage, shaped to couple with the guide pin.

11. The door of claim 10 , wherein the groove includes a plurality of curved surfaces, and wherein a curvature of each curved surface of the plurality of curved surfaces is different from each other curved surface.

12. The door of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of curved surfaces includes a first curved surface, a second curved surface, and a third curved surface, and wherein a position of the guide pin along the first curved surface defines a fully closed position of the inner door, wherein a position of the guide pin along the second curved surface defines a plurality of positions of the inner door between a fully opened position and the fully closed position, and wherein a position of the guide pin along the third curved surface defines a position of the inner door relative to a direction of fluid flow through the fluid passage.

13. A method for a door, comprising:
pivoting an outer door around a first pivot location from a first position to a second position, the second position approximately perpendicular to the first position; and
pivoting an inner door positioned within the outer door around a second pivot location relative to the outer door when a fluid pressure difference between a first side and a second side of the door is greater than a threshold fluid pressure difference, wherein pivoting the inner door includes decoupling a detent of the inner door from a ball of the outer door, and wherein a portion of the inner door positioned between the second pivot location and the first pivot location pivots from a third position approximately parallel with the outer door to a fourth position approximately perpendicular with the outer door, in a direction away from the first position and the second position of the outer door.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising sending an electric signal from a controller to an actuator of the outer door to pivot the outer door from the second position to the first position.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein pivoting the outer door from the second position to the first position includes maintaining the inner door in the fourth position, and wherein pivoting the outer door from the second position to the first position couples the detent with the ball.

16. An exhaust system for an engine, comprising:
a first exhaust passage;
a second exhaust passage and a bypass passage, each coupled to the first exhaust passage at a junction;
a door disposed within the junction, the door comprising:
an outer door pivotable relative to the junction at a first pivot location;
an inner door positioned within the outer door and pivotable relative to the outer door at a second pivot location; and
a controller in electronic communication with an actuator of the door; and
a plurality of sensors positioned within the exhaust system.

17. The exhaust system of claim 16 , wherein the controller includes computer-readable instructions stored in non-transitory memory to adjust a position of the door with the actuator in response to electric signals received from the plurality of sensors.

18. The exhaust system of claim 16 , further comprising a pin coupled to the inner door, wherein the pin is configured to couple with a groove formed within the junction and to slide along the groove, and wherein a position of the pin defines a position of the inner door.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Baxendale Timothy

Classifications

• F01N13/08 Primary

  Other arrangements or adaptations of exhaust conduits {(pipes, joints or supports therefor in general F16L; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005)} · CPC title

• F02D9/04

  concerning exhaust conduits (throttle valves, or arrangements thereof in conduits F02D9/08) · CPC title

• F02D9/103 Primary

  the rotation axis being located at an edge · CPC title

• F02D9/1035

  Details of the valve housing · CPC title

• F01N3/08

  for rendering innocuous (using electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01; chemical aspects B01D53/92) · CPC title