VALVE FLAP ASSEMBLY, VALVE ARRANGEMENT, EXHAUST SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE

Abstract

A valve flap assembly for an exhaust-gas valve has a first valve flap provided for closing a first flow cross-section and a second valve flap provided for closing a second flow cross-section. The second valve flap is mounted for swiveling movement relative to the first valve flap. In addition, a valve arrangement for an exhaust system is presented which comprises such a valve flap assembly. Furthermore, an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is presented, which comprises such a valve flap assembly and/or a valve arrangement. A vehicle having such an exhaust system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A valve flap assembly for an exhaust-gas valve, comprising a first swivel bearing element for swiveling the valve flap assembly about a swivel axis between a first position and a second position, a first valve flap for closing a first flow cross-section in the first position, and a second valve flap for closing a second flow cross-section in the second position, wherein the second valve flap is mounted on the first valve flap for swiveling movement relative to the first valve flap.

2. The valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first valve flap and the second valve flap are geometrically different.

3. The valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first swivel bearing element is configured to be adapted to cooperate with a second swivel bearing element to swivel the valve flap assembly about the swivel axis.

4. The valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first valve flap and the second valve flap has a curved sealing section.

5. The valve flap assembly according to claim 4, wherein the curved sealing section is configured as a spherical surface section.

6. The valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first valve flap and the second valve flap has a flat sealing section which is substantially arranged in one plane.

7. The valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the valve flap assembly has a bearing pin, wherein the second valve flap is mounted on the first valve flap via the bearing pin.

8. The valve flap assembly according to claim 7, wherein the bearing pin is rigidly connected to the first valve flap or the second valve flap and is mounted for swiveling movement on a respective other of the first valve flap and the second valve flap.

9. The valve flap assembly according to claim 7, wherein the bearing pin has a ball head and in that the ball head is accommodated in a corresponding ball cup provided on that valve flap of the first valve flap and the second valve flap on which the bearing pin is mounted for swiveling movement.

10. The valve flap assembly according to claim 7, wherein the bearing pin is supported on at least one of the first valve flap and on the second valve flap via at least one of an elastically deformable bearing component and plastically deformable bearing component.

11. The valve flap assembly according to claim 10, wherein the at least one of the elastically deformable bearing component and the plastically deformable bearing component is on the valve flap on which the bearing pin is mounted for swiveling movement.

12. The valve flap assembly according to claim 10, wherein the at least one of the elastically deformable bearing component and the plastically deformable bearing component comprises at least one of a wire mesh, a wire cloth and a shape memory material.

13. The valve flap assembly according to claim 10, wherein the valve flap assembly has a bearing housing, wherein the at least one of the elastically deformable bearing component and the plastically deformable bearing component is arranged within the bearing housing.

14. The valve flap assembly according to claim 10, wherein the at least one of the elastically deformable bearing component and the plastically deformable bearing component surrounds the bearing pin in a peripheral direction with respect to a center axis of the bearing pin.

15. A valve arrangement for an exhaust system, comprising a valve housing and the valve flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the valve flap assembly is adapted to swivel about the swivel axis with respect to the valve housing.

16. The valve arrangement according to claim 15, wherein a second swivel bearing element is provided on the valve housing.

17. An exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, comprising: a valve flap assembly having a first swivel bearing element for swiveling the valve flap assembly about a swivel axis between a first position and a second position, a first valve flap for closing a first flow cross-section in the first position, and a second valve flap for closing a second flow cross-section in the second position, wherein the second valve flap is mounted on the first valve flap for swiveling movement relative to the first valve flap.

18. The exhaust system according to claim 17, including a heat recovery system for the recovery of heat from exhaust gas, and an exhaust gas recirculation system for introducing exhaust gas into an intake tract, and in that the valve flap assembly is a component of the heat recovery system and/or the exhaust gas recirculation system.

19. A vehicle comprising: an exhaust system comprising a valve flap assembly having a first swivel bearing element for swiveling the valve flap assembly about a swivel axis between a first position and a second position, a first valve flap for closing a first flow cross-section in the first position, and a second valve flap for closing a second flow cross-section in the second position, wherein the second valve flap is mounted on the first valve flap for swiveling movement relative to the first valve flap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The disclosure is explained below with reference to various example embodiments which are shown in the attached drawings in which:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle according the disclosure having an exhaust system according to the disclosure which comprises a valve arrangement according to the disclosure and a valve flap assembly according to the disclosure,

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a section of the exhaust system from FIG. 1,

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a detail III of the exhaust system from FIG. 2,

[0040] FIG. 4 shows the valve flap assembly of the exhaust system according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in an isolated representation,

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 3, the valve flap assembly being configured according to an alternative embodiment, and

[0042] FIG. 6 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 5, wherein dimensional deviations are compensated by the valve flap assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Lists having a plurality of alternatives connected by and/or, for example A, B and/or C are to be understood to disclose an arbitrary combination of the alternatives, i.e. the lists are to be read as A and/or B and/or C. The same holds true for listings with more than two items.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10 having an internal combustion engine 12 coupled to an exhaust system 14. The purpose of the exhaust system 14 is to direct exhaust gas generated by the internal combustion engine 12 to an environment 16.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust system 14 comprises an engine-side exhaust-gas line 18 in the form of an engine-side exhaust-gas pipe through which an exhaust-gas flow 20, symbolized by several arrows, can be introduced into the exhaust system 14.

[0046] At an end of the engine-side exhaust-gas line 18 facing away from the internal combustion engine 12, a branching point 22 is also provided, via which a first partial flow of the exhaust-gas flow 20 can be directed into a first branch 24 of the exhaust system 14. It is equipped with a heat exchanger 26.

[0047] A second partial flow of the exhaust-gas flow 20 can be directed by the branching point 22 into a second branch 28 of the exhaust system 14, which is configured without a heat exchanger.

[0048] Here, the heat exchanger 26 serves to recover heat from the exhaust-gas flow 20, more precisely from the partial flow in the first branch 24, and thus forms a heat recovery system 30.

[0049] Starting from the first branch 24, the exhaust-gas flow 20 can be selectively recirculated into an intake tract of the internal combustion engine 12 via an exhaust gas recirculation line 32 and an exhaust gas recirculation valve 34. In this respect, the exhaust gas recirculation line 32 and the exhaust gas recirculation valve 34 form an exhaust gas recirculation system 36.

[0050] Alternatively or additionally, the exhaust-gas flow from the first branch 24 can be directed via a first flow cross-section 38 into a downstream exhaust-gas line 40 in the form of a downstream exhaust-gas pipe. From there, the exhaust-gas flow 20 can be directed towards the environment 16.

[0051] Starting from the second branch 28, the exhaust-gas flow 20 can also be directed into the downstream exhaust-gas line 40 via a second flow cross-section 42.

[0052] The first branch 24 and the second branch 28 run substantially parallel both in terms of flow and geometrically.

[0053] In addition, a valve arrangement 44 is provided which connects the first branch 24, the second branch 28 and the downstream exhaust-gas line 40.

[0054] It comprises a valve housing 46 and a valve flap assembly 48.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows in detail the valve arrangement 44 including the valve body 46 and the valve flap assembly 48 according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 3, the valve flap assembly 48 is in a first position. In addition, FIG. 4 shows the valve flap assembly 48 in a perspective view.

[0056] The valve flap assembly 48 comprises a first valve flap 52, a second valve flap 54, a first swivel bearing element 56, and a bearing pin 60.

[0057] In the embodiment shown, the first swivel bearing element 56 is attached to the second valve flap 54. It comprises the swivel bearing element sections 56a and 56b, which are fastened to the second valve flap 54 offset to each other.

[0058] A second swivel bearing element 58 is provided on the valve housing 46, the first swivel bearing element 56 and the second swivel bearing element 58 together forming a swivel bearing having a swivel axis 50.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bearing pin 60 is rigidly connected to the first valve flap 52.

[0060] At its end facing away from the first valve flap 52, the bearing pin 60 has a ball head 62. The latter is accommodated in a corresponding ball cup 64 which is provided on the second valve flap 54.

[0061] The ball head 62 and the ball cup 64 thus form a ball joint.

[0062] In addition, the bearing pin 60 is supported on the second valve flap 54 via a bearing component 66 which is substantially purely plastically deformable and is designed as a wire mesh in the embodiment shown.

[0063] In the region of the ball head 62, the bearing component 66 surrounds the bearing pin 60 in the peripheral direction with respect to its center axis and is arranged in a bearing housing 68.

[0064] The bearing housing is attached to the second valve flap 54.

[0065] It can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the two valve flaps 52, 54 are geometrically different and are thus adapted to the respectively assigned flow cross-section 38, 42 to be closed.

[0066] More precisely, the first valve flap 52 is round and the second valve flap 54 is substantially rectangular. Furthermore, the second valve flap 54 is larger than the first valve flap 52.

[0067] In this context, the first valve flap 52 has a sealing section 70 which is designed as a spherical surface section. To close the first flow cross-section 38, it cooperates with an associated sealing contour 72, which is provided in the region of the flow cross-section 38 on the valve housing 46.

[0068] The sealing contour 72 is shaped to as to be substantially complementary to the sealing section 70.

[0069] When the first flow cross-section 38 is closed by the first valve flap 52, the sealing section 70 and the sealing contour 72 form a line contact. The sealing contour 72, for example, has the shape of a truncated cone envelope surface.

[0070] The sealing section 74 of the second valve flap 54 is flat and is arranged substantially in one plane. An associated sealing contour 76, which is provided in the region of the second flow cross-section 42 on the valve body 46, is accordingly also flat and is arranged substantially in one plane.

[0071] The sealing section 74 and the sealing contour 76 thus form a surface contact when the second flow cross-section 42 is closed by the second valve flap 54.

[0072] The valve flap assembly 48 is adapted to be swiveled relative to the valve housing 46 about the swivel axis 50 between a first position and a second position.

[0073] In this way, the valve flap assembly 48 closes the first flow cross-section 38 in the first position and the second flow cross-section 42 in the second position.

[0074] Intermediate positions of the valve flap assembly 48 are of course also conceivable. In an intermediate position, neither the first flow cross-section 38 nor the second flow cross-section 42 is completely closed.

[0075] Via the position of the valve flap assembly 48 and of the exhaust gas recirculation valve 34, it is thus possible to purposefully set which proportion of the exhaust-gas flow 20 is directed through the heat recovery system 30 and which proportion is directed into the exhaust gas recirculation system 36. The valve flap assembly 48 can thus also be regarded as a component of the heat recovery system 30 and of the exhaust gas recirculation system 36.

[0076] Furthermore, the two valve flaps 52, 54 are mounted to each other for swiveling movement via the bearing pin 60. The first valve flap 52 can thus be swiveled in relation to the second valve flap 54 and vice versa.

[0077] The fact that the first valve flap 52 and the second valve flap 54 can be swiveled relative to each other can be used to compensate for dimensional deviations resulting from the manufacture and/or assembly of components of the exhaust system 14 or of the valve arrangement 44. In other words, the first flow cross-section 38 and the second flow cross-section 42 can be reliably closed in a leakage-free manner or with low-leakage even if dimensional deviations occur.

[0078] In this context, the first valve flap 52 can be swiveled relative to the second valve flap 54 under substantially purely plastic deformation of the bearing component 66.

[0079] The plastic deformation of the bearing component 66 ensures that the first valve flap 52 and the second valve flap 54 also remain in this swiveled state until further adjustment of the valve flap assembly 48 might be necessary. Thus, an adjusting movement takes place only once or a few times, thus avoiding wear. In addition, it is also possible to compensate for any new dimensional deviations occurring during operation of the exhaust system 14.

[0080] FIGS. 5 and 6 show a further embodiment of the valve arrangement. It substantially corresponds to that of the first embodiment, so that only the differences are discussed below. Identical and functionally identical parts are marked with the same reference numerals.

[0081] The valve arrangement 44 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the bearing pin 60 is now rigidly connected to the second valve flap 54 and is mounted for swiveling movement on the first valve flap 52.

[0082] For this purpose, a ball cup 64 is now formed on the first valve flap 52. The ball head 62 is accordingly provided at the end of the bearing pin 60 which faces the first valve flap 52.

[0083] In addition, in the second embodiment, the sealing section 74 of the second valve flap 54 is formed by a sealing element 78, which is fastened to the second valve flap 54.

[0084] An overview of FIGS. 5 and 6 also illustrates how the valve flap assembly 48 may compensate for dimensional deviations.

[0085] An initial situation may be shown in FIG. 5. Compared to this initial situation, the first valve flap 52 is swiveled in FIG. 6 by the ball joint formed by the ball head 62 and the ball cup 64 in order to be able to seal the first flow cross-section 38 in a reliable and substantially leakage-free manner despite the dimensional deviations that have occurred.

[0086] In this connection, the bearing component 66 was plastically deformed.

[0087] FIGS. 5 and 6 also show with dotted lines the second position of the valve flap assembly 48.

[0088] Although various embodiments have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.