Valve device in a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215104-B2
Application number	US-201515536784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A valve device for a fuel cell arrangement in a motor vehicle includes: a housing; a flow channel extending in the housing; a flap configured to influence a flow cross-section in the flow channel; a shaft to which the flap is attached, the shaft being rotatably supported in the housing; a drive configured to drive the flap via the shaft; a valve seat arranged in the flow channel; and a seal including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) arranged on a radially peripheral edge of the flap, the seal being configured to contact the valve seat with the flap in a closed position of the flap, so that the shaft passes through the flap at an angle. The seal includes a spring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve device for a fuel cell arrangement in a motor vehicle, the valve device comprising:
a housing;
a flow channel extending in the housing;
a flap configured to influence a flow cross-section in the flow channel;
a shaft to which the flap is attached, the shaft being rotatably supported in the housing;
a drive configured to drive the flap via the shaft;
a valve seat arranged in the flow channel;
a seal comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) arranged so as to extend on a radially peripheral edge of the flap, the seal being configured to contact the valve seat with the flap in a closed position of the flap, so that the shaft passes through the flap at an angle; and
a metal spring arranged radially peripherally with respect to the flap and attached to, or formed within, the seal, the metal spring comprising:
a plurality of spring tongues uniformly disposed at a periphery of the seal, and
an annular base body from which the spring tongues extend radially outwards,

wherein the annular base body of the metal spring and a radially inner-lying part of the seal are partly encapsulated by material of the flap.

2. The valve device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises between 10 and 30 spring tongues.

3. The valve device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seal and the metal spring are partly encapsulated by the material of the flap by injection molding.

4. The valve device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the metal spring comprises at least one section forming an undercut filled with material of the flap.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Kohlen Peter
• Montigny Rainer Johannes
• Kopp Stefan

Classifications

• H01M8/04216

  characterised by the choice for a specific material, e.g. carbon, hydride, absorbent · CPC title

• F02D9/107

  Manufacturing or mounting details · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• F16K17/105

  using choking or throttling means to control the fluid operation of the main valve · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title