Three-way valve with top end-stop on the air pathway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9534698-B2
Application number	US-201213591554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2012
Priority date	Aug 23, 2011
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Three-way valve with two flaps comprising single control means ( 9 ) for the two flaps and actuation means ( 12, 13, 50 ) arranged each to drive, pivotwise, one of the two flaps, from one to the other of its open and closed position of one of the pathways, with a temporal phase-shift, characterized in that it comprises maximum displacement end-stops for each of said actuation means, the end-stop ( 31 ) of the second actuation means ( 12, 50 ) corresponding to a fully closed position of its flap and the end-stop of the first actuation means ( 13 ) being positioned beyond the position of said first actuation means when the second actuation means ( 12, 50 ) is on its end-stop ( 31 ), the kinematic chains linking the first and second actuation means to the single control means operating nominally.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A three-way valve with two gates respectively arranged in two of three pathways of the three-way valve, said three-way valve comprising:
a single control gear for the two gates; and
a first gear and a second gear arranged to be controlled by the single control gear, each of the first and second gears configured to drive a respective one of the two gates from a first position to a second position,
said single control and the first and second gears being configured to enable the two gates, in a normal operating mode, to reach their respective second positions, wherein said three-way valve includes a maximum displacement end-stop for at least one of said first and second gears, said maximum displacement end-stop being configured to block said first and second gears when a second gate of the two gates is in the second position; and
a detection system for detecting a travel of a first gate of the two gates that exceeds further than the second position, the detection system comprising a sensor, and
wherein said maximum displacement end-stop blocks said second gear, and
said detection system further comprises an end-stop for the first gear that is disposed at a predetermined position from the end stop of said first gear when the second gear is on the maximum displacement end-stop in the normal operating mode.

2. The three-way valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor of the detection system is configured to measure a position of the second gate.

3. The three-way valve according to claim 2 , wherein the detection system further comprises an end-of-travel end-stop, provided on said first gear and a detector of contact between said end-of-travel end-stop and the end-stop of said first gear.

4. The three-way valve according to claim 1 , wherein said two gates are flaps, and wherein said single control and first and second gears are configured to drive said flaps pivot-wise and the first and second gears each include toothed crown ring segments.

5. The three-way valve according to claim 4 , wherein said end-stop of the first gear is arranged facing one face of a corresponding toothed crown ring segment, forming an end of the corresponding toothed crown ring segment.

6. The three-way valve according to claim 4 , wherein the second gears also comprises a pawl circulating in a scallop formed in the toothed crown ring segment of the second gear, the maximum displacement end-stop associated with said second gear being attached to a body of the three-way valve and positioned facing said pawl.

7. The three-way valve according to claim 4 , wherein the second gear further comprises a control wheel, linked in rotation to the first flap and free in rotation relative to said toothed crown ring segment of the second gear, said control wheel being driven by said toothed crown ring segment of the second gear when said first flap switches from the first position to the second position.

8. The three-way valve according to claim 7 , wherein said control wheel includes a diagnostic end-stop configured to abut against the maximum displacement end-stop when the second gate is in the second position.

9. The three-way valve according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second positions are open and closed positions of one of the two pathways.

10. The three-way valve according to claim 1 , wherein said single control and first and second gears are configured to drive said two gates with a temporal phase-shift so that, while continuing to displace the first gate from the first position to the second position via the first gear to an open position, which respectively open the corresponding pathway, the second gate is made to begin to displace from the first position to the second position via the second gear to a closed position, which respectively closes the corresponding pathway.

11. The three-way valve according to claim 10 , wherein said second gear is returned by a return spring from the second position to the first position.

12. The three-way valve according to claim 1 , wherein the two gates are arranged in the two inlet pathways, the three-way valve then being an EGR (exhaust &as recirculation) loop valve for a cold side, linked to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.

13. A method for testing the integrity of the kinematic chain of a three-way valve according to claim 1 , comprising:
setting said first gear in motion via said single control gear, from the first position of an associated gate of the two gates towards the second position of said associated gate of the two gates; and
measuring the extreme position reached by a flap.

Assignees

• Hodebourg Grégory
• Adenot Sébastien
• Valeo Systemes De Controle Moteur

Inventors

• Hodebourg Grégory
• Adenot Sébastien

Classifications

• F02M26/71

  Multi-way valves · CPC title

• Y10T137/87692

  With common valve operator · CPC title

• F02M26/54

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

• Y10T137/8225

  Position or extent of motion indicator · CPC title

• Y10T137/0329

  Mixing of plural fluids of diverse characteristics or conditions · CPC title