U.S. patent number RE37,090 [Application Number 08/614,847] was granted by the patent office on 2001-03-13 for check valve.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dura Automotive Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to John Barlow, Kenneth D. Kloosterman.
United States Patent |
RE37,090 |
Kloosterman , et
al. |
March 13, 2001 |
Check valve
Abstract
A check valve which is positioned in the vacuum air line of an
internal combustion engine. The check valve includes a single-piece
valve body having an outlet port and two or more inlet ports, with
one outlet port located substantially in line with the inlet port
and connected by a venturi tube. The second inlet port is separated
from the main air flow line by the valve stem and a diaphragm which
allows communication there between and prevents back pressure. The
second inlet port communicates with the outlet port through the
valve stem and a second venturi tube which provides a vacuum boost
to a device, usually vehicle brakes, connected to the inlet.
Inventors: |
Kloosterman; Kenneth D.
(Elkhart, IN), Barlow; John (Mishawaka, IN) |
Assignee: |
Dura Automotive Systems, Inc.
(Rochester Hills, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
25544146 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/614,847 |
Filed: |
March 8, 1996 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
997546 |
Dec 28, 1992 |
05291916 |
Mar 8, 1994 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
137/112; 137/895;
137/907; 417/159 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60T
17/02 (20130101); B60T 17/04 (20130101); Y10S
137/907 (20130101); Y10T 137/87643 (20150401); Y10T
137/2567 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B60T
17/00 (20060101); B60T 17/04 (20060101); F16K
011/10 (); F16K 015/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;137/112,114,606,895,907
;417/152,159 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hepperle; Stephen M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a check valve including a valve body having a first air inlet
port, an air outlet port in air flow communication with said first
air inlet port to define an air passageway, a second air inlet port
in air flow communication with said first air inlet port and said
air outlet port wherein air is drawn from said second air inlet
port towards said air outlet port, valve means positioned between
said air passageway and said second air inlet port for inhibiting
air flow from said air passageway through said second air inlet
port, the improvement wherein said air passageway includes a
venturi conduit positioned between said first air inlet port and
said outlet port, said venturi conduit constituting means for
enhancing air flow through said outlet port with a corresponding
enhancement of air drawn from said second air inlet port towards
said outlet port, said valve means including a valve seat
positioned between said first and second inlet ports having an
opening communicating with said air passageway, flexible seal means
positioned in said valve seat for responding to air exiting said
second air inlet port under outside vacuum influence and for
seating against said valve seat to prevent air flow from said air
passageway from exiting through said second air inlet port, said
venturi conduit positioned immediately adjacent said valve seat
opening to provide maximum vacuum boost through the valve seat.
2. The check valve of claim 1 and further including a third air
inlet port in air flow communication with said second air inlet
port to define a second air passageway in said valve body, said
valve means positioned between said first-mentioned air passageway
and said second air passageway.
3. The check valve of claim 2 wherein said valve means includes
first and second spaced valve seats, each valve seat including a
flexible seal means positioned in the valve seat for responding to
air exiting one of said second and third air inlet ports under
outside vacuum influence and for seating against its associated
valve seat to prevent air flow from said first-mentioned passageway
from exiting through its respective second and third air inlet
ports.
4. The check valve of claim 3 wherein said venturi conduit has a
tapered central portion of narrowed diameter immediately adjacent
said valve seat opening..Iadd.
5. A check valve including a valve body having therewithin a first
air inlet port, an air outlet port in air flow communication with
said first air inlet port to define a first air passageway, said
first air passageway including a first venturi conduit positioned
between said first air inlet port and said air outlet port, a
second air inlet port in air flow communication with said air
outlet port to define a second air passageway, and valve means,
including a valve seat positioned within said valve body between
said first and second inlet ports and having an opening
communicating with said first passageway, flexible seal means
positioned in said valve seat for responding to air exiting said
second air inlet port under outside vacuum influence and for
seating against said valve seat to prevent air flow from said air
passageway from exiting through said second air inlet port, said
valve means being positioned between said first air passageway and
said second air inlet port for inhibiting air flow from said first
air passageway through said second air inlet port, said first
venturi conduit being positioned immediately adjacent said valve
means, wherein substantially all of the air drawn from said first
air inlet port flows through said first air passageway towards said
air outlet port and substantially all of the air drawn from said
second air inlet port flows through both of said first and second
air passageways towards said air outlet port..Iaddend..Iadd.
6. The check valve of claim 5 wherein said second air passageway
includes a second venturi conduit positioned between said second
air inlet port and said air outlet port..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to valves, and will have special application
to check valves used in internal combustion engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Internal combustion engines have long employed air flow conduits to
provide vacuum assist for automobile subsystems, such as brakes,
automatic transmissions and others. These systems often employed
chick valves located along the air flow conduit to prevent
subsystem back pressure from reaching the engine. A typical check
valve of this sort is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,710.
Prior check valves employed either a continuous diameter airway or
employed multiple valves and hoses to create a venturi effect and
act as a vacuum booster for the subsystem to which it was
associated. Space limitations in the automobile engine compartment
all but preclude the use of multiple valve-hose system, while the
prior art continuous diameter airways did not provide the increased
power boost desired to implement the brakes or other subsystem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides for a space-saving vacuum booster check
valve located along a conduit between the air intake manifold and
the brake booster. The check valve includes three or more ports
connected by hoses to the air intake, block, and one or more
vehicle subsystems. Venturi tubes in the valve body connect the
various ports to provide a vacuum booster effect to the subsystem.
A common concave valve seat and diaphragm serve to prevent back
pressure from the subsystem from entering the main conduit between
the air intake and the engine block.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide for a
novel and improved check valve assembly.
Another object is to provide a check valve for an internal
combustion engine which acts as a vacuum booster for vacuum
assisted subsystems.
Another object is to provide a check valve for an internal
combustion engine which is efficient, economical, durable, and
still meets the minimal size specifications of an automobile engine
compartment.
Other objects will become apparent upon a reading of the following
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the invention has been depicted for
illustrative purposes only wherein:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the check valve of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG.
1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lower valve port.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of the invention herein described is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form disclosed. It is chosen and described to explain the
principles of the invention, and its application and practical use
to enable others skilled in the art to follow its-teachings.
Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers
generally to the check valve of this invention. Check valve 10 is
normally employed in an internal combustion engine in the air flow
line between the engine block and the air intake port at the full
mixing port, normally a carburetor or fuel injection port. For
clarity, the engine, carburetor, hose connections, and subsystems
are not shown, and it is understood that these ports are common to
the internal combustion engines found in almost all vehicles.
The air flow system in the typical internal combustion engine
operates on the principle that as the engine operates, a partial
vacuum is created which pulls air through the air intake port of
the carburetor of fuel injector to aid in proper fuel combustion.
This vacuum has been found to be useful in supplementing vacuum
assist subsystems in the vehicle, particularly brakes, automatic
transmissions and most recently, air conditioners. Check valve 10
provides the connection between the main airway and the subsystem
and serves to inhibit back pressure from the subsystem from
disturbing airflow through the main airway.
Check valve 10 shown in the drawings include a substantially one
piece valve body 12 which is preferably formed of a top valve half
14 and a bottom valve half 16. The designations of top and bottom
halves are for descriptive purposes only and are not limitative of
the orientation of valve 10 in the engine compartment. Preferably,
top valve half 14 is joined to bottom valve half 16 by sonic
welding, heating or other conventional method prior to its use.
Bottom valve half 16 includes an air inlet 18 and an air outlet 20
which are in direct air flow communication via air passageway 22.
In typical use in an internal combustion engine, air inlet 18 will
be connected via a conduit (not shown) to the air intake port in
the engine carburetor or other fuel injection member (not shown).
Air outlet 20 is preferably connected via a conduit (not shown) to
the vacuum port of the engine block (not shown).
As shown, bottom valve half 16 also includes lower valve seats 24,
26. Each lower valve seat 24, 26 is defined by a continuous outer
wall 28, 29, and a bottom wall 30, 31. A bore 32, 33 is defined in
each lower valve seat 24, 26 to allow for air flow communication
with air passageway 22. Each outer wall 28, 29 may include stepped
portion 58, 59 as shown to provide for ease in mating with upper
valve seats 25, 27, as described later in this specification. A
plurality of radially spaced fingers 34, 35 extend integrally
upwardly from each bottom wall 30, 31 and serve to support a
flexible seal member 36, 37. Air passageway 22 has an opening 38
which allows for air communication between the passageway and valve
seat 24.
As shown in FIG. 2, air passageway 22 is defined by a tapering
outer passage 40 which narrows from inlet port 18 up to the opening
38, and a widening passage 42 from opening 38 to the intersection
of passageway 22 and valve seat 26. This configuration of
passageway 22 is commonly known as a venturi conduit, whose
functions are well known to those skilled in the art.
Upper valve half 14 is adopted to mate with lower valve half 14 to
form check valve 10. Upper valve half 14 as shown includes inlet 44
and inlet 46 which may be connected in air flow communication by
air passageway 48. In a typical connection to an internal
combustion engine, inlet 44 will be connected via an air hose (not
shown) to a brake system (not shown) and inlet 46 will be either
capped or connected to another subsystem of a vehicle, such as the
air conditioner compressor (not shown).
As shown, upper valve half 14 includes valve seats 25, 27. Each
upper valve seat 25, 27 is defined by continuous outer wall 50, 51
and bottom wall 52, 53. A bore 54, 55 is defined in each upper
valve seat 25, 27 to allow for air communication with air
passageway 48 and inlets 44, 46. Bottom walls 52, 53 are preferably
of a smooth concave configuration as shown with bores 54, 55 of a
slightly lesser diameter than that of seals 36, 37. Each outer wall
50, 51 preferably has a circumferential groove 56, 57 substantially
complemental to the stepped portion 58, 59 of the lower valve seats
24, 26.
Check valve 10 is assembled by aligning valve seats 24, 26 with
valve seats 25, 27 such that stepped portions 58, 59 are aligned
with grooves 56, 57. Seals 36, 37 are placed on fingers 34, 35, and
the valve parts 14, 16 are then pressed together and joined as by
sonic welding or other common method. The preferred method of
joining valve parts 14, 16 will generally depend on the material
used to form the valve parts, in this embodiment an injection
molded heat resistant, rigid plastic. It is understood that an
suitable plastic or metal or other compound may be used in forming
check valve 10, which is now ready for implementation in the
internal combustion engine as follows.
With the above hose hook-ups mentioned above, check valve 10
functions as follows. As the engine (not shown) operates, it draws
air through inlet 18, passageway 22 and outlet 20. This creates a
partial vacuum in valve seats 24-27 and passageway 48 to draw seals
36, 37 downward against fingers 34, 35. Due to the spacing of
fingers 34, 35 (FIG. 3) free air flow from passageway 48 to
passageway 22 is allowed. The partial vacuum created by the
operation of the engine serves in the vacuum assistance of the
operation of the brake, and, if desired, air conditioning
subsystems (not shown) in a common manner.
If for any reason, back pressure in one of the subsystems is
generated to create a positive air flow through passageway 48 to
inlets 44, 46 a reverse flow vacuum is generated to draw seals 36,
37 tight against valve seat bottom walls 52, 53 to prevent the
vacuum from interfering with the above described air flow through
passageway 22. The functioning of check valve 10 as thus far
described is well-known to those skilled in the art.
As shown in FIG. 2 of the present invention, the tapering and
widening passageways, 40, 42 create the novel venturi effect on the
partial vacuum generated during the operation of the engine (not
shown). By their configurations, passageways 40, 42 allow for a
marked increase in the velocity with reduced pressure of the air
passing through passageway 42. Due to the connection of passageway
22 and valve seats 24, 25, a marked increase in the amount of air
drawn through passageway 48 and valve seats 25, 24 provides a
significant boost in the vacuum assist for the subsystems (not
shown) As an example, check valve 10 was tested in a conventional
internal combustion engine which normally pulls a vacuum of about
seven inches of mercury (7" Hg). The observed vacuum at outlet 44
with valve 10 in place was eighteen inches of mercury (18" Hg)
which amounts to a 157% increase generated due to the use of valve
10 with its venturi effect passageways 40, 42.
It is understood that the above description does not limit the
invention to the precise details disclosed, but may be modified
within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *