Coupling device for the rotary coupling of a pivot shaft of a flap diaphragm of an exhaust gas flap with a drive element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10508741-B2
Application number	US-201715640694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2017
Priority date	Jul 5, 2016
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A coupling device (32) provides a rotary coupling of a pivot shaft (18) of a flap diaphragm (16) of an exhaust gas flap (10) with a drive element (34). The pivot shaft is to be rotated about a pivot axis (A). The coupling device (32) includes a first coupling part (36) with a first coupling area configured for coupling with the pivot shaft (18) and a second coupling part (38) with a second coupling area configured for coupling with the drive element (34). The first coupling part (36) and the second coupling part (38) are in a rotary coupling positive-locking meshing state with one another in the coupled state and are supported on one another in the direction of the pivot axis (A).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust gas flap for an exhaust gas stream of an internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas flap comprising:
a flap tube;
a pivot shaft;
a flap diaphragm carried in the interior of the flap tube on the pivot shaft and rotatable about a pivot axis;
a pivot drive with a drive element driving the pivot shaft; and
a coupling device coupling the drive element with the pivot shaft for joint rotation of the drive element and the pivot shaft about the pivot axis, the coupling device comprising:
a first coupling part with a first coupling area configured to couple with the pivot shaft; and
a second coupling part with a second coupling area configured to couple with the drive element, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are in a rotary coupling positive-locking meshing state with one another and are made of spring material and are supported on one another in a direction of the pivot axis in the coupled state, such that the first coupling area is prestressed in a direction of the pivot shaft and the second coupling area is prestressed in a direction of the drive element, and that the pivot shaft is prestressed by the coupling device in the direction away from the drive element.

2. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are made of a sheet metal material.

3. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise a sheet-shaped body area providing the coupling area and two positive-locking meshing areas, each of the two positive-locking meshing areas starting from the body area and being bent at an angle in relation to the body area.

4. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the first coupling part or the second coupling part has, or both the first coupling and the second coupling part have, a star-shaped configuration with a plurality of positive-locking meshing areas extending at mutually spaced locations away from the body area and meshing recesses are formed between the positive-locking meshing areas for the meshing of positive-locking meshing areas of the respective other coupling part.

5. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the positive-locking meshing areas are configured to extend in a direction away from the body area or the positive-locking meshing areas are configured as tapering in a direction away from the body area.

6. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise a sheet-shaped body area providing the coupling area and two positive-locking meshing areas, each of the two positive-locking meshing areas extending away from one another and from the body area wherein the two positive-locking meshing areas extend in opposite directions from the body area in relation to the pivot axis.

7. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 6 , wherein:
at least one positive-locking meshing area at the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling part and the second coupling part has at least one positive-locking meshing recess for the positive-locking meshing of a positive-locking meshing projection of a positive-locking meshing area of the other coupling part; or
at least one positive-locking meshing area at ‘the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling has at least one positive-locking meshing projection for the positive-locking meshing with a positive-locking meshing recess of a positive-locking meshing area of the other coupling part.

8. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the two positive-locking meshing areas of the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprise at least one positive-locking meshing recess and at least one positive-locking meshing projection.

9. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the two positive-locking meshing areas of the first coupling part and the second coupling part each comprise at least one positive-locking meshing recess and at least one positive-locking meshing projection.

10. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the at least one positive-locking meshing recess is arranged closer to the body area of the coupling part than the at least one positive-locking meshing projection.

11. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 7 , wherein
one of the positive-locking meshing areas of the first coupling part and the second coupling part has at least one positive-locking meshing recess with no positive-locking meshing projection; and
another of the other positive-locking meshing areas has at least one positive-locking meshing projection with have no positive-locking meshing recess.

12. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 7 , wherein each positive-locking meshing area has a single positive-locking meshing recess or a single positive-locking meshing projection.

13. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the two coupling parts have an identical configuration in relation to one another.

14. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
a first opposite positive-locking coupling formation is provided on the pivot shaft;
a first positive-locking coupling formation, that is in a coupling meshing state with the first opposite positive-locking coupling formation, is provided on the first coupling area of the first coupling part;
a second opposite positive-locking coupling formation is provided on the drive element;
a second positive-locking coupling formation, that is in a coupling meshing state with the second opposite positive-locking coupling formation is provided on the second coupling area of the second coupling part; and
at least one positive-locking coupling formation or opposite positive-locking coupling formation has a polygonal outer profile or star profile and the respective associated opposite positive-locking coupling formation has a complementary polygonal inner profile or star profile.

15. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the first opposite positive-locking coupling formation is configured tapering in the direction of the drive element or the second opposite positive-locking coupling formation is configured tapering in the direction of the pivot shaft or both the first opposite positive-locking coupling formation is configured tapering in the direction of the drive element and the second opposite positive-locking coupling formation is configured tapering in the direction of the pivot shaft.

16. The exhaust gas flap in accordance with claim 14 , wherein:
the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling part and the second coupling part comprises a sheet-shaped body area providing the coupling area and two positive-locking meshing areas, each of the two positive-locking meshing areas extending away from one another and from the body area; and
at least one positive-locking meshing area at the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling part and the second coupling part has at least one positive-locking meshing recess for the positive-locking meshing of a positive-locking meshing projection of a positive-locking meshing area of the other coupling part; or
at least one positive-locking meshing area at the first coupling part or the second coupling part or both the first coupling has at l

Assignees

• Eberspaecher Exhaust Tech Gmbh

Inventors

• Schmitt Steffen
• Wirth Georg
• Kühnemund Maximilian

Classifications

• F16D1/108

  having retaining means rotating with the coupling and acting by interengaging parts, i.e. positive coupling · CPC title

• F16D3/18

  the coupling parts (1) having slidably-interengaging teeth · CPC title

• F16D3/005

  incorporating leaf springs, flexible parts of reduced thickness or the like acting as pivots · CPC title

• F02M26/54

  Rotary actuators, e.g. step motors · CPC title

• F16K31/043

  characterised by mechanical means between the motor and the valve, e.g. lost motion means reducing backlash, clutches, brakes or return means · CPC title