Air intake device with a variable-length intake duct and a separate centering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280300-B2
Application number	US-202117307257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2021
Priority date	May 7, 2020
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

An air intake device with a variable-length intake duct, comprising: a base duct component with a base duct, configured for the passage of intake air through the base duct component, an extension duct component with an extension duct, configured for the passage of intake air through the extension duct component, a guidance arrangement which guides the extension duct component and the base duct component to relative movement between a first operating position and a second operating position, wherein in the first operating position the base duct and the extension duct form, in mutually prolonging abutment, a continuous duct section, and wherein in the second operating position the extension duct is arranged at a distance from the base duct, and a first centering arrangement which when the duct components approach the first operating position is configured to decrease a radial distance in relation to a virtual base duct path conceived as passing centrally through the base duct between an end section of the base duct facing towards the extension duct component and an end section of the extension duct facing towards the base duct component, wherein the first centering arrangement is configured as separate from the base duct and from the extension duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air intake device with a variable-length intake duct for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
a base duct component with a base duct extending along a virtual base duct path, configured for the passage of intake air along the base duct path through the base duct component, wherein the base duct path is conceived as passing centrally through the base duct,
an extension duct component with an extension duct extending along a virtual extension duct path, configured for the passage of intake air along the extension duct path through the extension duct component, wherein the extension duct path is conceived as passing centrally through the extension duct,
a guidance arrangement, which guides the extension duct component and the base duct component to a relative movement between a first operating position and a second operating position, wherein in the first operating position the base duct and the extension duct form, in mutually prolonging abutment, a continuous common duct section extending along the base duct and the extension duct as part of the intake duct, and wherein in the second operating position the extension duct is arranged at a distance from the base duct, such that only the base duct forms part of the intake duct, and
a first centering arrangement, configured on the approach of the duct components to the first operating position to decrease a radial distance in relation to the base duct path between an end section of the base duct path facing towards the extension duct component and an end section of the extension duct path facing towards the base duct component,
the first centering arrangement is configured as separate from the base duct and from the extension duct.

2. The air intake device according to claim 1 , wherein the first centering arrangement is arranged spatially between the guidance arrangement on the one hand and the base duct and the extension duct on the other.

3. The air intake device according to claim 1 , further comprising a contact arrangement with a contact formation and a mating contact formation, wherein in the first operating position the abutment between the base duct and the extension duct is configured as abutment of the contact formation against the mating contact formation, and wherein in the first operating state the contact formation and the mating contact formation are passed through by the common duct section.

4. The air intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the first centering arrangement is configured at a distance from the contact arrangement.

5. The air intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the contact arrangement comprises a second centering arrangement configured as separate from the first centering arrangement, configured on the approach of the duct components to the first operating position to decrease a radial distance in relation to the base duct path between the end section of the base duct path facing towards the extension duct component and the end section of the extension duct path facing towards the base duct component.

6. The air intake device according to claim 5 , wherein the contact arrangement comprises a gasket bearing surface configured at the contact formation and a gasket arranged at the mating contact formation, wherein in the first operating position the gasket bearing surface is in contact with the gasket.

7. The air intake device according to claim 3 , wherein the contact arrangement comprises a gasket bearing surface configured at the contact formation and a gasket arranged at the mating contact formation, wherein in the first operating position the gasket bearing surface is in contact with the gasket.

8. The air intake device according to claim 7 , wherein the gasket is arranged at a distance from a longitudinal end nearer to the gasket of the duct of the duct component carrying the gasket.

9. The air intake device according to claim 8 , wherein the gasket is arranged in a groove that in the first operating position surrounds the common duct section.

10. The air intake device according to claim 7 , wherein the gasket is arranged in a groove that in the first operating position surrounds the common duct section.

11. The air intake device according to claim 10 , wherein the groove exhibits at least one anchoring recess arranged at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction of the groove.

12. The air intake device according to claim 11 , wherein the gasket engages with the anchoring recess.

13. The air intake device according to claim 11 , wherein the groove exhibits a number of anchoring recesses and at least one of the number of anchoring recesses penetrates through a surface bounding the groove.

14. The air intake device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the number of anchoring recesses penetrates through a groove bottom or a groove flank.

15. The air intake device according to claim 6 , wherein the material of the gasket exhibits a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the mating contact formation.

16. The air intake device according to claim 11 , wherein the material of the gasket exhibits a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the mating contact formation.

17. The air intake device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second operating position are each end positions of the relative movement of the extension duct component and of the base duct component, wherein the first centering arrangement comprises a centering socket and a centering spike configured for engaging with the centering socket.

18. The air intake device according to claim 17 , wherein the centering spike is configured for engaging with the centering socket over at least 15% of the relative movement between its end positions.

19. The air intake device according to claim 17 , wherein the centering spike is configured for engaging with the centering socket over at least 75% of the relative movement between its end positions.

20. The air intake device according to claim 1 , wherein the relative movement of the extension duct component and of the base duct component proceeds in parallel to a plane of movement, wherein in the first operating state this plane of movement is intersected by a virtual duct section path conceived as passing centrally through the common duct section at a non-zero angle.

Assignees

• Roechling Automotive Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Barbolini Marco
• Migliorini Alberto

Classifications

• F02B27/0231 Primary

  Movable ducts, walls or the like (F02B27/0257 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02M35/10013

  Means upstream of the air filter; Connection to the ambient air · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F02M35/10144 Primary

  Connections of intake ducts to each other or to another device · CPC title

• F02M35/1222

  by using adjustable or movable elements, e.g. valves, membranes, bellows, expanding or shrinking elements · CPC title