Adaptive air intake sealing joint

Abstract

An adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine comprising a molded elastomeric duct body having standing ribs constructed and arranged to provide a continuous and sufficient contact force across the face of a joint of an adjoining duct body. A clamp secured to the duct causes the ribs to provide a continuous and sufficient contact force across a seal surface, eliminating the need for constant tension clamp and improving the air intake joint seal to prevent leakage that is especially common in cold environments.

Claims

1. An adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine comprising: a first duct body (12) having an interior surface (15) formed from a continuous sidewall section (13) with a first diameter, a second continuous sidewall section (19) with a second diameter larger than said first diameter forming a recessed area extending from a catch tab(61)to an end (25) of said first duct body (12), said catch tab (61) positioned between said first continuous sidewall section (13) and said second continuous sidewall section (19) and formed from a first catch wall (27) extending perpendicular outwardly from said interior surface (15), a second catch wall (29) extending perpendicular outwardly from said interior surface (15) of second continuous sidewall section (19), and a sloped catch wall (32) formed between said first (27) and second (29) catch walls, said first duct body (12) further defined by an exterior surface (17) having at least two flexible sawtooth shaped ribs (14) located between first (16) and second (18) walls extending around said exterior surface (17); a second duct body (29) having an latching tab (63) constructed and arranged to fit within said catch tab (61) of said first duct body (12) and an interior surface (31) formed by an insertion end (35) providing substantially the same diameter as said first duct body sidewall section (13), said latching tab (63) having a front insertion wall (42) with substantially the same orientation of said first catch wall (27), a rear insertion wall (44) with substantially the same orientation of said second catch wall (29), and a sloped insertion wall (46) with substantially the same orientation of said sloped catch wall (32) arranged to frictionally engage said catch tab (61); a rear wall (30) formed along an exterior surface (33) for capturing an end (25) of said first duct body (12) upon installation and preventing detachment; and a clamp (20) positioned over said ribs (14); wherein said clamp (20) is tightened to cause compression of the ribs (14) to provide a constant pressure on the joint (41) whereby said first duct body (12) and said second duct body (29) form a sealed passageway without an overlapping joint protruding into the passageway.

2. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein said ribs (14) are formed from rubber.

3. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein said ribs (14) are formed from an elastomer.

4. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein said ribs (14) has peaks (51) and valleys (53).

5. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 4 wherein said peaks (51) are rounded.

6. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 4 wherein said peaks are flat (42).

7. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein said first (16) and second walls (18) positioned on either side of said ribs (14) have a height (H1) greater than a height (H2) of said ribs (14).

8. The adaptive air intake joint for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein said first body (12) and said second duct body (29) are tubular shaped.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a duct with molded standing ribs;

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the duct depicted in FIG. 1 with a clamp;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rubber, TPE or TPV duct;

(4) FIG. 4A is a side view of a non-solid area with square top ribs;

(5) FIG. 4B is a side view of a non-solid area with round ribs;

(6) FIG. 4C is a side view of an alternative embodiment having compressible material adjoined to the base;

(7) FIG. 5 is a comparative graph based on FEA runs of sealing contact forces for both improved and non-improved designs at high temperatures; and

(8) FIG. 6 is a comparative graph based on FEA runs of sealing contact forces for both improved and non-improved designs at low temperatures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(9) A detailed embodiment of the instant invention is disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representation basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. The embodiment described herein has been proven in practice to resolve severe leakage issues compared to duct designs not incorporating the circumferential ribs, which would otherwise have required the use of expensive constant-tension clamps.

(10) Referring now to FIG. 1, depicted is a duct 10, having a construction consisting of a singular tubular piece of material. For purposes of this discussion, the material of construction may consist of rubber, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizates) or the like. The duct may consist of a combination of different materials including those that could be overmolded, co-injected, or otherwise joined. A receptacle duct 10 has a side walls 16 and 18 with a series of ribs 14 that are molded around the entire circumference of the duct. The ribs 14 in the preferred embodiment consist of three standing ribs of a rubber material capable of deformation sealing upon compression. The standing ribs 14 are positioned between side walls 16 and 18 so as to maintain a clamp in position once installed.

(11) FIG. 2 illustrates the standing ribs 14, placed between side walls 16 and 18, with a clamp 20 tightened over the standing ribs so as to cause compression and create a sealing of a joint 41 formed between the receptacle duct 10 and the inner, generally rigid inserted duct member 37. Joints between adjoining tubular pipes are notorious for leaking especially when a vehicle is used in extreme temperature variations or after a vehicle has aged. Cycling of the engine can result in conventional ducts experiencing compression set that results in lowered sealing forces at the interface, thus causing loosening and leaks. Additionally, shape changes in the adjoining solid duct due to thermally induced expansion or contraction, softening, and plastic creep can be overcome by elastomeric ducts so endowed with circumferential or sawtooth like ribs.

(12) When the clamp 20 is properly torqued the standing ribs 14 are slightly compressed. Rubber-like materials tend to exhibit incompressible properties and, when solid, generally limit the benefit of the material's elasticity in maintaining proper sealing forces. When ribbed, the space between ribs can be filled by the ribs as they are compressed radially by the clamp, expanding laterally, thus enabling the storage of elastic forces that can be used to maintain contact forces normal to the sealing interface during changing conditions. In an effort to optimize the storage and application of stored elastic forces, the shapes of individual ribs, shapes of gaps between ribs, the relative height of the ribs, and even the material properties of the ribs can be modified. Variations in the ribbing can be lateral as well as circumferential in order to adapt to uneven clamp loading arising from clamp style or underlying duct structure. This can offer enhanced adaptability for distortion of the solid mating surface due to diameter, thickness, clamp loads, material selection, and thermally induced loads and shape changes, etc. Intuitively, such ribbing applied to the sealing surface seems obvious, but do not perform well due to their tendency to fold, buckle, or roll over during assembly and clamping, thus creating leak paths. Employing the ribs outside the mating surface prevents this issue. They can be adjusted in shape, size, and material to adjust for displacement relative to bore distortion which differs depending on diameter, thickness and torque loads. Vibrations, temperature variations and the like are examples of environmental changes that typically cause a joint to leak are prevented as the ribs accommodate for changes in the joint.

(13) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the duct 10, having wherein a clamp is positionable between the ridges 16 and 18 so as to secure the duct 10 against an appropriately-sized duct that fits within the receptacle end 25. In this embodiment, the duct 10 is of a corrugated shape allowing for ease of bending along the length of the structure. The receptacle end 25 receives an insertion end, not shown, that interfaces with the interior surface of the receptacle end 25. The ribs 14 receive the clamp to provide compressive forces to the receptacle end to capture the insertion end.

(14) Referring to FIG. 4A, illustrated duct 10 has standing ribs 14 defining a non-solid area 44 beneath and/or around the ribs 14, which provide a step load on the joint when compressed. The ribs 14 are preferably constructed from elastomeric (rubber, TPV, TPE etc.) and molded in as part of the base duct 10.

(15) Similarly, FIG. 4B, alternative embodiment depicts standing ribs 46 having a non-solid area 48 which, upon compression, puts a step load on the joint with flat tops 42. The ribs depicted in FIG. 4A are shown as a flat top, and in FIG. 4B shown as a rounded top. Material 47 of construction remains the same in the two embodiments. FIG. 4C depicts an alternative embodiment where an alternate compressible material (55) is adjoined to the base duct through typical manufacturing methods like bonding, overmolding, welding, mechanical fastening, and co-injection, etc. These illustrations highlight where the duct is altered to function similar to a constant tension clamp. Constant tension clamps, not shown, are clamps known wherein a compression clamp includes integrated springs which flex during compression. However, the clamps are dependent upon proper installation and the springs are typically located on a particular circumference section of the clamp requiring proper torque in order to obtain proper sealing. In comparison, the instant invention includes ribs that are molded around the entire circumference of the duct, wherein a clamp providing compression provides uniform clamping around the circumference of the joint.

(16) The adaptive air intake joint is for an internal combustion engine comprising a first tubular shaped duct defined by an interior and exterior surface with at least one receptacle end; a second tubular shaped duct defined by an interior and exterior surface with at least one insertion constructed and arranged to fit within said receptacle end forming a joint therebetween, said receptacle end having at least one rib positioned around the circumference of the exterior surface of said first duct; and a clamp positioned over said rib wherein the restricting of the clamp circumference seals the joint whereby the rib provides a constant pressure on the joint to maintain the seal.

(17) The adaptive air intake joint comprises a first duct body (12) having an interior surface (15) and an exterior surface (17). The interior surface (15) provides a first air flow passageway (21) between a first end (19) and a receptacle end (23). At least two ribs (14) are positioned over the exterior surface (17) of the receptacle end (23). A second duct body (29) has an interior surface (31) and an exterior surface (33). The interior surface (31) of the second duct body 29 provides a second air flow passageway (32) between an insertion end (35) and a second end (37), said insertion end 35 insertable into the receptacle end (23) of the first duct body (12) with the exterior surface (33) of the insertion end (35) constructed and arranged to frictionally engage the interior surface (15) of the receptacle end (23) to form a joint (41). A clamp (20) is positioned over the ribs (14) wherein the clamp (20) is tightened to cause compression of the ribs (14) to provide a constant pressure on the joint (41). The first duct body (12) and the second duct body (29) forming a sealed passageway between the first (19) and the second ends (37).

(18) The ribs (14) are preferably molded into the duct (12) if the duct material is flexible or formed by the process of overmolding or co-injection for securing a second flexible material such as rubber to the receptacle end providing peaks (51) and valleys (53) in the form of a sawtooth shape. The peaks (51) can be rounded or flat (42). The ribs may include first (16) and second walls (18) positioned on either side of said ribs (14). Each side wall having a height (H1) greater than a height (H2) of the ribs (14) which helps position a clamp, and maintains the clamp over the joint despite the movement of the vehicle, i.e. off road use.

(19) In the preferred embodiment, the first body (12) and said second duct body (29) are tubular shaped. The shape directed by the placement of the duct within an engine compartment and may combine different shapes to meet the application.

(20) The adaptive air intake joint includes a catch tab (61) on the interior surface (15) of said receptacle end (23). The catch tab (61) is positioned between a first continuous sidewall section (13) and a second continuous sidewall section (19) and formed from a first catch wall (27) extending perpendicular outwardly from the interior surface (15) of the first duct body (12). A second catch wall (29) extends perpendicular outwardly from the interior surface (15) of the second continuous sidewall section (19). A sloped catch wall (32) formed between the first (27) and second (29) catch walls. The first duct body (12) further defined by an exterior surface (17) having at least two flexible ribs (14) located between the first (16) and second (18) walls extending around said exterior surface (17). The insertion end (35) is formed in the shape of a latching tab (63) constructed and arranged to engage the catch tab (61). The latching tab (63) is constructed and arranged to fit within said catch tab (61) of the first duct body (12) and an interior surface (31) is formed by an insertion end (35) providing substantially the same diameter as the first duct body sidewall section (13). The latching tab (63) having a front insertion wall (42) with substantially the same orientation of the first catch wall (27). A rear insertion wall (44) with substantially the same orientation of the second catch wall (29). And a sloped insertion wall (46) with substantially the same orientation of the sloped catch wall (32) arranged to frictionally engage the catch tab (61). The first duct body (12) and the second duct body (29) form a sealed passageway (32) without an overlapping joint protruding into the passageway. The exterior of the insertion end includes a rear wall (30) for capturing the receptacle end (23) between the catch tab (61) and rear wall (30). The ribs (14) are sawtooth in nature to allow for compressibility during tightening of the clamp (20). The compressible area essentially placing a step load on the joint.

(21) FIG. 5 is a comparative graph of sealing contact forces for both improved and non-improved designs at high temperature. The left side of graph depicts the relative surface contract pressure in relation to the position across the clamping surface. A receptacle end (23) with a 3 mm thick flat seal versus a 3 mm thick seal with sawtooth ribs, maintained at a temperature of 110 C, were analyzed.

(22) FIG. 6 is a comparative graph of sealing contact forces for both improved and non-improved designs at low temperature. The left side of graph depicts the relative surface contract pressure in relation to the position across the clamping surface. A receptacle end (23) with a 3 mm thick flat seal versus a 3 mm thick seal with sawtooth ribs, maintained at a temperature of 40 C, were analyzed.

(23) It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.

(24) One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims.

(25) Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.