Valve device in a motor vehicle, and production method

Abstract

A valve device for a fuel cell arrangement in a motor vehicle includes: a housing; a spindle mounted rotatably in the housing; a flow duct disposed in the housing; a flap fastened to the spindle, the flap being configured to influence a flow cross section in the flow duct; a drive configured to drive the flap via the spindle; a valve seat arranged in the flow duct; and a seal arranged on a radially circumferential edge of the flap, the seat being m contact with the valve scat in a closed position of the flap, such that the spindle passes through the flap at an angle. The seal has an annular base body, the annular base body having at least one opening, the at least one opening being filled with a material of the flap.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A valve device for a fuel cell arrangement in a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing; a spindle mounted rotatably in the housing; a flow duel disposed in the housing; a flap fastened to the spindle, the flap being configured to influence a flow cross section in the flow duct; a drive configured to drive the Hap via the spindle; a valve seat arranged in the flow duct; and a seal arranged on a radially circumferential edge of the flap, the seal being in contact with the valve seat in a closed position of the flap, such that the spindle passes through the flap at an angle, wherein the seal has an annular base body, the annular base body having at least one opening, the at least one opening being filled with a material of the flap.

14. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the seal has two to ten openings.

15. The valve device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the seal has an odd number of openings, the odd number of openings being distributed symmetrically on a periphery of the seal.

16. The valve device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the seal has an even number of openings, the openings being arranged in two regions of the seal having the greatest angular deflection upon rotation of the flap.

17. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings and each of the plurality of openings is circular.

18. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings and each of the plurality of openings is arcuate.

19. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings and each of the plurality of openings has a rectilinear extent.

20. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein an inner contour of the seal is circular.

21. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein an inner contour of the seal is elliptical.

22. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the seal is made of an elastomer or of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

23. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flap is injection molded.

24. A method for producing a valve device having a seal as claimed in claim 13, comprising: placing a seal having at least one opening in a mold of an injection molding machine; closing the mold; injecting a plastics material into the mold so that the plastics material tills the mold and thus fills the at least one opening in the seal; and removing the flap from the mold.

25. The valve device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the seal has three to six openings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a valve device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows the flow duct of the valve device according to FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a seal; and

[0026] FIGS. 4-6 show further embodiments of the seal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The valve device for a motor vehicle in FIG. 1 includes a housing 1 with a flow duct 2, through which a fluid can flow, arranged in the housing. An air flow is controlled by the valve device. A spindle 3, which is mounted in bearings on both sides in the housing 1, is arranged in the flow duct 2. The first bearing 4 is located on the side of the housing 1 on which a transmission 5 is arranged. The transmission 5 is connected on the output side to the spindle 3 and on the input side to an electric motor (not shown) which is accommodated in a separate chamber 6 of the housing 1. The second bearing 7 for the spindle 3 is located on the side of the flow duct 2 opposite the transmission 5. A flap B having a bore 9 through which the spindle 3 passes is arranged on the spindle 3. To secure the flap 8 to the spindle 3 the flap 8 is fixed by a screw. The flap 8 further has a radially circumferential edge 10 on which a seal 11 is arranged. In the representation shown, the flap 8 is in the closed position, so that the seal 11 cooperates with the region of the flow duct 2 acting as the valve seat 12 and entirely occludes the flow duct 2.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows the flow duct from FIG. 1 rotated through 90°. The spindle 3 is arranged perpendicularly to the image plane and is disposed with a slight upward inclination into the image plane. In order to receive the seal 11, the radially circumferential edge 10 of the flap 8 has a greater thickness in its axial extent than the adjoining region on the radially inner side. The seal 11 has openings 13 which are filled with the material of the flap 8, thereby securely anchoring the seal 11 in the flap 8. The flap 8 is connected non-rotatably to the spindle 3 by a screw arrangement 14.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows the seal 11, which has a base body 15 and the adjoining sealing lip 16. Whereas the sealing lip 16 has a circular outer contour, the inner contour 17 of the base body 15, and therefore of the seal 11, is elliptical. Consequently, the base body 15 has a smaller radial extent in regions 18 oriented along the major axis of the elliptical inner contour 17, than the regions 19 oriented along the minor axis. The regions 19 are those with the greatest angular deflection upon swiveling of the flap 8. In each of these regions are arranged three openings 13 through which the material of the flap 8 passes when the flap material is injected around the seal 11 during production of the flap 8.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a seal 11, which has a circular inner contour 17. The regions 19, 18 therefore have the same radial extent. Eight openings with circular contours are arranged symmetrically in the base body 15. FIG. 6 shows a seal 11 with the same inner contour 7 in which an odd number of openings 13 are distributed symmetrically on the periphery.

[0031] The seal 11 in FIG. 5 differs from the seal in FIG. 3 with respect to the openings 13. The four arcuate openings 13 are arranged analogously to those in FIG. 3. Because of the larger area of the openings 13, only two openings 13 are provided per region 19.

[0032] Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will foe understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.