Power plants – Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of... – Divider – collector – valve means – or boundary layer device...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-09
2001-09-11
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of...
Divider, collector, valve means, or boundary layer device...
C060S288000, C060S292000, C123S323000, C251S327000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to exhaust systems for internal combustion engines and in particular to an improved exhaust gas control device that can selectively conduct the exhaust gases to a muffler or directly to the atmosphere as desired.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 And 1.98
Muffler systems are well known in the art and are placed on internal combustion engines to enable the engines to run more quietly. However, it is also well known that such systems create back pressure that lessens the efficiency of the engine.
Consequently, many devices have been developed to selectively divert such exhaust gases from the muffler directly to the atmosphere. This allows the engine to operate more efficiently but does increase the noise of the engine.
Such devices in the prior art have always used flapper valves or butterfly valves. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,578, a housing is placed in the exhaust manifold with a diverter plate or flapper valve that, in a first position, lies flat below the exhaust pipe but, when activated, pivots at the base upwardly to divert the incoming exhaust gases outwardly to the atmosphere. Because of the construction of such valve, there is leakage around it and consequently the greatest efficiency is not obtained.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,001, the exhaust control valve is in the form of a butterfly valve that, when vertical, causes the exhaust gases to flow in one path and, when horizontal, allows exhaust gas to flow through a second path. This device is sealed by a complex arrangement of several parts to event escape of exhaust gases.
It would be desirable to have an exhaust control valve that seals off one path to prevent exhaust gases from escaping or alternatively to open a second path and allow them to escape. Such a device can be provided with the use of a gate valve rather than a flapper valve or butterfly valve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a gate valve as the operating valve in the exhaust control device. A gate valve is one that slides into a groove in the interior of the exhaust pipe in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the exhaust pipe to close it off tightly and slides out of the groove when the valve is opened. Thus, an exhaust gas collector pipe extends from an exhaust manifold of an engine to a muffler. A hollow pipe having an input end is fixedly mounted to the collector pipe between the exhaust manifold and the muffler to selectively receive exhaust gases from the collector pipe. It also has an output end that is opened to the atmosphere. A slidably mounted gate valve is provided in the hollow pipe and has a first closed position forcing the flow of exhaust gases through the exhaust manifold. It has a second open position allowing the flow of exhaust gases through the hollow pipe directly to the atmosphere. The slidable mounted gate valve may be operated by a fluid control cylinder such as a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder or may be operated electrically by a solenoid-type cylinder. A control can be mounted in the interior of the vehicle to allow the operator to selectively open or close the slidable gate valve to either force the exhaust gases to pass through the muffler or allow them to be diverted around the muffler.
Thus, the present invention relates to an improved exhaust gas control device that utilizes a slidably mounted gate valve as the exhaust control valve.
It is another object of the present invention to use a slidably mounted gate valve in the form of a substantially flat circular plate that slides into and out of the hollow pipe by following an annular recess on the inside surface of the hollow pipe.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an actuator cylinder controllable from the vehicle interior to selectively slide the gate valve between its first and second positions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to activate the gate valve between its first and second positions with an actuator cylinder that is either a fluid operating cylinder such as hydraulic or air operated, or an electric actuator such as a solenoid.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a slidable gate valve in the form of a wedge-shaped plug.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an exhaust control device having a gate valve slidable between first and second positions and formed of a wedge-shaped plate.
Thus the invention relates to an improved exhaust control device for an engine having an exhaust gas collector pipe extending from an exhaust manifold to a muffler comprising a hollow pipe having an input end fixedly mounted to the exhaust gas collector pipe between the exhaust manifold and the muffler to receive exhaust gasses from the collector pipe and an output opened to the atmosphere. A slidably mounted gate valve in the hollow pipe has a first closed position directing the flow of exhaust gases through the exhaust manifold to the exhaust muffler and a second open position allowing a flow of exhaust gas through the hollow pipe directly to the atmosphere. An operating mechanism such as a fluid-type piston or an electrically operated solenoid-type piston is coupled to the slidably mounted gate valve to selectively move the gate valve between the first and second positions.
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Feeny Robert L.
Penley John
Denion Thomas
Jones Day Reavis & Pogue
Tran Binh
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