U.S. patent application number 14/087486 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-19 for variable valve apparatus and muffler provided with the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Seung Hoon Chae, Hong Jae Kim, Hooinyun Kim, Ja Kyung Ku, Jae Hong Kye, Jong Seo Yoon.
Application Number | 20140166392 14/087486 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50821630 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140166392 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kye; Jae Hong ; et
al. |
June 19, 2014 |
VARIABLE VALVE APPARATUS AND MUFFLER PROVIDED WITH THE SAME
Abstract
A variable valve apparatus includes: a housing having a pair of
shaft holes and a gate hole formed in the housing; a gate provided
to selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft
holes and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft
so as to elastically support the gate, in which a gap is formed
between the gate and the housing. The variable valve apparatus may
be provided as part of a muffler installed in a vehicle.
Inventors: |
Kye; Jae Hong; (Incheon,
KR) ; Kim; Hooinyun; (Gunpo, Gyeonggi-do, KR)
; Kim; Hong Jae; (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, KR) ; Ku;
Ja Kyung; (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, KR) ; Yoon; Jong
Seo; (Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, KR) ; Chae; Seung
Hoon; (Ulsan, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hyundai Motor Company
Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd.
Kia Motors Corporation |
Seoul
Ulsan
Seoul |
|
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company
Seoul
KR
Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd.
Ulsan
KR
Kia Motors Corporation
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
50821630 |
Appl. No.: |
14/087486 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/226 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01N 13/1894 20130101;
F01N 2490/06 20130101; F01N 2490/08 20130101; F01N 1/006 20130101;
F01N 1/084 20130101; F01N 1/02 20130101; F01N 1/166 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
181/226 |
International
Class: |
F01N 13/08 20060101
F01N013/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 13, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0147535 |
Claims
1. A variable valve apparatus comprising: a housing having a pair
of shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein; a gate provided to
selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft holes
and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft so as
to elastically support the gate, wherein a gap having a
predetermined size is formed between the gate and the housing.
2. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein: a metal mesh
for supporting the gate is provided in the housing at a position
adjacent to the shaft.
3. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein: a guide space
is formed between the housing and the gate so as to guide exhaust
gas to flow into the gap.
4. The variable valve apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the housing
has an inclined portion formed to be inclined outward, the gate has
a protruding portion protruding to be inclined to an inside of the
housing, and the guide space is defined as a space between the
inclined portion and the protruding portion.
5. The variable valve apparatus of claim 4, wherein: the gate is
completely inserted into the housing without interference.
6. The variable valve apparatus of claim 3, wherein: one end of the
gate and one end of the housing, which form the gap, are positioned
on the same plane.
7. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the shaft
holes are provided with a bushing to support the shaft.
8. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the
predetermined size ranges from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
9. A muffler having a variable valve apparatus, comprising: a
plurality of chambers formed by partitioning an inside of a housing
using partition walls; an inlet pipe for introducing exhaust gas
into the housing; a discharge pipe for discharging exhaust gas
introduced into the chambers to the outside; an inner pipe directly
connecting the chambers inside the housing; and a variable valve
apparatus formed in a downstream side of the inner pipe and
automatically controlling an opening/closing amount according to
exhaust gas pressure, wherein the variable valve apparatus
comprises: the housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole
formed therein; a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole;
a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and
a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the
gate, and a gap having a predetermined size is formed between the
gate and the housing.
10. The muffler of claim 9, wherein: a metal mesh for supporting
the gate is provided in the housing at a position adjacent to the
shaft.
11. The muffler of claim 9, wherein: a guide space is formed
between the housing and the gate so as to guide the exhaust gas to
flow into the gap.
12. The muffler of claim 11, wherein: the housing has an inclined
portion formed to be inclined outward, the gate has a protruding
portion protruding to be inclined to the inside of the housing, and
the guide space is defined as a space between the inclined portion
and the protruding portion.
13. The muffler of claim 12, wherein: the gate is completely
inserted into the housing without interference.
14. The muffler of claim 11, wherein: one end of the gate and one
end of the housing, which form the gap, are positioned on the same
plane.
15. The muffler of claim 9, wherein: the shaft holes are provided
with a bushing to support the shaft.
16. The muffler of claim 9, wherein: the predetermined size ranges
from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(a)
priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.
10-2012-0145735 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on
Dec. 13, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein
by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] (a) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a variable valve apparatus
and a muffler provided with the same, and more particularly, to a
variable valve apparatus capable of reducing touching noise and
booming noise, and a muffler provided with the variable valve
apparatus, where the muffler can be installed in a vehicle.
[0004] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, in a gasoline engine used in a vehicle or the
like (hereinafter, referred to as an engine), silence without noise
is required in an idle rotation region of 750 RPM and a common-use
region of 2500 to 3000 RPM, and high power is required in a fast
rotation region of 3000 RPM or more, rather than silence.
[0006] Most engine noise comes from exhaust sound discharged from
the engine, and a variety of research has been conducted on a
muffler in order to have the muffler not only suppress the exhaust
noise but also exhibit high power.
[0007] It is known to provide a muffler in which a variable valve
is mounted so as to be opened/closed according to exhaust gas
pressure. In a conventional variable valve, however, noise may be
caused by frequent contacts between a gate and a housing due to
change in the exhaust gas pressure.
[0008] The above information disclosed in this Background section
is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the
invention and therefore it may contain information that does not
form the prior art that is already known in this country to a
person of ordinary skill in the art.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention provides a variable valve apparatus
capable of reducing touching noise and booming noise, and a muffler
provided with the variable valve apparatus, where the muffler can
be installed in a vehicle.
[0010] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a
variable valve apparatus including: a housing having a pair of
shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein; a gate provided to
selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft holes
and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft so as
to elastically support the gate, in which a gap having a
predetermined size may be formed between the gate and the
housing.
[0011] A metal mesh for supporting the gate may be provided in the
housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.
[0012] A guide space may be formed between the housing and the gate
so as to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap.
[0013] The housing may have an inclined portion formed to be
inclined outward, the gate may have a protruding portion protruding
to be inclined to an inside of the housing, and the guide space may
be defined as a space between the inclined portion and the
protruding portion.
[0014] The gate may be completely inserted into the housing without
interference.
[0015] One end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form
the gap, may be positioned on the same plane.
[0016] The shaft holes may be provided with a bushing to support
the shaft.
[0017] The predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0
mm.
[0018] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention
provides a muffler having a variable valve apparatus, including: a
plurality of chambers formed by partitioning an inside of a housing
using partition walls; an inlet pipe for introducing exhaust gas
into the housing; a discharge pipe for discharging exhaust gas
introduced to the chambers to the outside; an inner pipe directly
connecting the chambers inside the housing; and a variable valve
apparatus formed in the downstream side of the inner pipe and
automatically controlling an opening/closing amount according to
exhaust gas pressure, in which the variable valve apparatus
includes: the housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole
formed therein; a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole;
a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and
a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the
gate, and a gap having a predetermined size may be formed between
the gate and the housing.
[0019] A metal mesh for supporting the gate may be provided in the
housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.
[0020] A guide space may be formed between the housing and the gate
so as to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap.
[0021] The housing may have an inclined portion formed to be
inclined outward, the gate may have a protruding portion protruding
to be inclined to the inside of the housing, and the guide space
may be defined as a space between the inclined portion and the
protruding portion.
[0022] The gate may be completely inserted into the housing without
interference.
[0023] One end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form
the gap, may be positioned on the same plane.
[0024] The shaft holes may be provided with a bushing to support
the shaft.
[0025] The predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0
mm.
[0026] According to the exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, the variable valve apparatus and the muffler provided
with the same may reduce touching noise and booming noise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a variable muffler according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable muffler
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the variable valve
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 4 is an exploded parts view of the variable valve
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0031] In the following detailed description, only certain
exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and
described, simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the
art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in
various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or
scope of the present invention. Throughout the specification, like
reference numerals represent the same constituent elements. In the
drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc.,
are exaggerated for clarity. When an element such as layer, film,
region, or plate is referred to as being "on" another element, it
may include not only a case in which an element is directly on
another element but also a case in which another element is
interposed therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred
to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening
elements present.
[0032] It is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or
other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in
general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility
vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles,
watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and
the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other
alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other
than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a
vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both
gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As
used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of
one or more of the associated listed items.
[0034] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a variable
muffler according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable muffler
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the variable muffler according
to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a
housing 100, an inlet pipe 110, an outlet pipe 120, and an inner
pipe 130 provided inside the housing 100. The inside of the housing
100 is partitioned into a plurality of chambers 101, 102, and 103
by partition walls 140 formed of a perforated plate.
[0036] The inlet pipe 110 has one end exposed to the outside of the
housing 100 and the other end formed to introduce exhaust gas into
the housing 100. Further, the inlet pipe 110 is laid in such a
manner that one end thereof is inserted into the housing 100, in
order to discharge exhaust gas introduced to the housing to the
rear side of the housing 100.
[0037] The partition walls 140 include first and second partition
walls 141 and 142 provided inside the housing, and the first and
second partition walls 141 and 142 and the housing 100 form the
first, second, and third chambers 101, 102, and 103.
[0038] The inlet pipe 110 communicates with the third chamber 103
through the first chamber 101, the first partition wall 141, and
the second partition wall 142.
[0039] The outlet pipe 120 has a plurality of penetration holes 123
formed to communicate with the second chamber 102. The plurality of
penetration holes 123 may be formed through the outer
circumferential surface of the outlet pipe 120, thereby obtaining a
noise reduction effect. The second chamber 102 may be filled with a
noise absorbing material 300, and the noise absorbing material 300
may be formed of glass wool and serve to reduce flow-induced noise
occurring while exhaust gas passes through the second chamber
102.
[0040] The inner pipe 130 is provided to communicate with the first
and third chambers 101 and 103. The first partition wall 141 has a
plurality of first partition wall penetration holes 143 formed to
connect the first and second chambers 101 and 102.
[0041] The outlet pipe 120 may be formed in a U-shape. The outlet
pipe 120 may be provided to pass through the first to third
chambers 101 to 103 one or more times. The outlet pipe 120 may be
provided to sequentially pass through the first chamber 101, the
second chamber 102, the third chamber 103, the second chamber 102,
the first chamber 101, the second chamber 102, and the third
chamber 103.
[0042] A variable valve 200 for controlling the amount of exhaust
gas is installed in the downstream side of the inner pipe 130, that
is, at an inner pipe exit 132.
[0043] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the variable valve
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and
FIG. 4 is an exploded parts view of the variable valve according to
the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the variable valve apparatus 200
includes a pair of shaft holes 212, a housing 210 having a gate
hole 214 formed therein, a gate 220 provided to selectively open
the gate hole 214, a shaft 230 provided in the shaft holes 212 and
connected to the gate 220, and a spring 240 provided on the shaft
230 so as to elastically support the gate 220. Further, as
illustrated in FIG. 3, a gap G having a predetermined size is
formed between the gate 220 and the housing 210, and the
predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. The gate
220 has connection holes 226 formed therein, and the shaft 230 is
inserted into the connection holes 226 so as to rotatably connect
the gate 220 and the housing 210.
[0045] A metal mesh 250 for supporting the gate 220 may be provided
in the housing 210 at a position adjacent to the shaft 230. The
metal mesh 250 may be provided between the housing 210 and the gate
220, and may reduce noise caused by contact between the housing 210
and the gate 220. Between the housing 210 and the gate 220, a guide
space 260 may be formed to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap
G.
[0046] The housing 210 may have an inclined portion 216 formed to
be inclined outward, the gate 220 may have a protruding portion 222
protruding to be inclined toward the inside of the housing 210, and
the guide space 260 may be defined as a space between the inclined
portion 216 and the protruding portion 222.
[0047] When an engine RPM increases, the pressure of exhaust gas
introduced to the variable valve apparatus 200 opens the gate 220.
The gate 220 is slowly opened during a low-speed period. However,
when excessive pressure fluctuation occurs during a medium and
low-speed period, the gate 220 may come in contact with the housing
210 while the gate 220 is vibrated. However, the guide space 260
serves as a kind of diffuser, and the pressure in the guide space
260 may be reduced. Accordingly, pressure fluctuation may be
reduced to prevent the vibration of the valve. Therefore, it is
possible to suppress noise from being caused by contact between the
gate 220 and the housing 210.
[0048] The gate 220 may be completely inserted into the housing 210
without interference. Such a structure may suppress noise from
being caused by contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210.
Further, one end 221 of the gate and one end 211 of the housing,
which form the gap G, may be positioned on the same plane. The gate
220 may include the protruding portion 222 formed to protrude to
the inside of the housing 210 and a recess portion 224 formed
inside the protruding portion 222 so as to protrude to the outside
of the housing 210. The shaft holes 212 are provided with a bushing
270 to support the shaft 230.
[0049] The recess portion 224 of the variable valve apparatus 200
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may
receive the pressure of exhaust gas transferred to the variable
valve apparatus 200 such that the gate 220 is rotated about the
shaft 230. The gate 220 may be opened by the shape of the recess
portion 224, even though low-speed exhaust gas is transferred to
the gate 220.
[0050] The gap G between the gate 220 and the housing 210 may block
noise caused by contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210,
and the metal mesh 250 may be mounted between the gate 220 and the
housing 210 so as to block contact noise between the gate 220 and
the housing 210.
[0051] The size of the gap G, that is, the predetermined size may
range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and may prevent contact between
the gate 220 and the housing 210 by manufacturing tolerance or
vibration. When a gap larger than the gap G is formed, booming
noise may occur. Therefore, the size of the gap G is limited in the
range of about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
[0052] The guide space 260 between the housing 210 and the gate 220
guides exhaust gas to flow into the gap G. When the gate 220 is to
come in contact with the housing 210 by vibration or the like, the
guide space 260 serves as a kind of cushion, thereby preventing
contact or reducing impact and noise, even though the gate 220
comes in contact with the housing 210.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 4, a stepped portion 216 may be
formed in a portion of the housing 210, which is not adjacent to
the shaft 230, in order to form the guide space 260. The guide
space 260 may be formed by the shape of the stepped portion 216. As
described above, the guide space 260 guides exhaust gas, and serves
as a kind of cushion by the pressure of exhaust gas between the
gate 220 and the housing 210.
[0054] While this invention has been described in connection with
what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments,
it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the
disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover
various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within
the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *