Electromechanical actuator for an internal combustion engine provided with a conditioning circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938893-B2
Application number	US-201514978857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

An electromechanical actuator to operate a component in an internal combustion engine comprising an actuator body housing, on the inside, an actuator device, which controls the movement of the component so as to move it between a maximum opening position and a maximum closing position, and vice versa. The actuator device includes an electric motor and a gear drive that transmits the motion from the electric motor to the component. The electromechanical actuator is made of a first metal material and comprises a conditioning circuit comprising a pipe for the passage of a conditioning fluid, which is made of a second thermally conductive material. A method of manufacturing the electromagnetic actuator is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electromechanical actuator to operate a component in an internal combustion engine, said electromechanical actuator comprising an actuator body housing, an actuator device supported in said housing, said actuator device being made of a first metal material and controls the movement of the component so as to move it between a maximum opening position and a maximum closing position; the actuator device comprises an electric motor (M) and a gear drive that transmits the motion from the electric motor (M) to the component; the electromechanical actuator including a conditioning circuit supported in said actuator body housing and comprising a pipe for the passage of a conditioning fluid, said pipe being made of a second thermally conductive material; wherein the actuator body housing includes a seat that receives the pipe and wherein a layer (S) of a structural and thermally conductive resin with a substantially uniform thickness is interposed between the seat and the pipe and is applied on the entire available surface of the seat between the pipe and the seat; the layer (S) of the structural and thermally conductive resin completely covers an inner surface of the seat and partially covers an outer surface of the pipe, so that the structural and thermally conductive resin does not extend out of the seat towards an upper surface of the electromechanical actuator and so as to allow the pipe to be fixed in the seat; and wherein both the first metal material and the second thermally conductive material are chosen from a group including: steel, stainless steel, aluminum or copper; wherein the seat has an upper side facing an upper side of the electromechanical actuator with an opening along an entire length of the seat to receive a longitudinal length of the pipe; and a surface that defines the seat itself, said surface having a shape that is complementary to an outer surface of the pipe.

2. The actuator as set forth in claim 1 , that is operable to control components chosen from a group including: devices that are part of a variable-geometry turbocharger, a blowoff valve, which is designed to adjust the flow rate of the exhaust gases, a wastegate valve, a low-pressure EGR valve, a high-pressure EGR valve, a valve for the regulation of a cooling/oil circuit, or an exhaust gas partitioning valve.

3. The actuator as set forth in claim 1 and comprising a mechanical locking mechanism to lock the pipe in the seat.

Assignees

• Magneti Marelli Spa

Inventors

• Musolesi Stefano
• Colli Marcello
• Giuliani Gabriele
• Avanzi Matteo

Classifications

• F02M26/53

  using electric actuators, e.g. solenoids · CPC title

• F02M26/05

  High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor · CPC title

• F02M31/102

  Particular constructional characteristics of the shape of the heat exchange surfaces · CPC title

• F02M26/06

  Low pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust downstream of the turbocharger turbine and reintroduced into the intake system upstream of the compressor · CPC title

• F02B37/24

  by using pumps or turbines with adjustable guide vanes · CPC title