[0001] The invention relates to an exhaust-gas valve for an exhaust-gas control device of
an internal combustion engine, having a housing, having a first valve body for controlling
the flow to a first outlet duct, and having a second valve body for controlling the
flow to a second outlet duct, having a common shaft for holding the two valve bodies,
having valve seats respectively facing the valve bodies, and having an actuating device
for driving the shaft.
[0002] Exhaust-gas control devices are commonly used in modern motor vehicles for conducting
exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine to a bypass duct, to a catalytic converter,
to an exhaust-gas recirculation arrangement or to a turbocharger, and are known from
practice. The exhaust-gas valve known from practice has a central inlet duct and two
outlet ducts. The outlet ducts are controlled by the valve bodies. The shaft is displaced
by an actuating device, and the position of the two valve bodies relative to the valve
seats is thus controlled. The arrangement of the valve bodies of the exhaust-gas valve
on a common shaft however requires very narrow tolerances, because each of the valves
faces a dedicated valve seat. In the exhaust-gas valve known from practice, both valve
bodies are fastened to the shaft so as to face valve seats which are fixedly arranged
in the housing, which involves a high level of assembly effort.
[0003] The invention is based on the problem of further developing an exhaust-gas valve
of the type mentioned in the introduction such that it is particularly easy to assemble.
[0004] Said problem is solved according to the invention in that the two valve bodies are
formed as a prefabricated unit with the shaft.
[0005] By means of this design, the assembly of the valve bodies within the housing is avoided,
because the prefabricated unit composed of valve bodies and shaft can be inserted
into the housing. There is therefore no need for welded connections to be made within
the housing, which is normally poorly accessible. The positioning of the valve bodies
on the shaft in relation to the positions of the valve seats is furthermore particularly
straightforward. The exhaust-gas valve can thus be assembled in a particularly simple
manner.
[0006] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the positioning of the valve
bodies in the exhaust-gas valve is particularly exact if the shaft and the valve bodies
are manufactured in one piece. Owing to the unipartite form, the shaft and valve bodies
can for example be manufactured as a turned part. In this way, exact parallelism of
disk-shaped valve bodies with respect to one another is furthermore ensured.
[0007] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, tilting of the shaft can be
easily avoided if the shaft has a guide on the end averted from the actuating device.
[0008] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, it is conducive to a further
simplification of the assembly of the exhaust-gas valve if the guide is arranged on
a support element which is supported in the housing. In a case which is particularly
simple in terms of construction, the support element is formed as a disk.
[0009] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, it is conducive to a further
simplification of the assembly of the exhaust-gas valve if the support element is
pressed into the housing.
[0010] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the exhaust-gas valve is particularly
compact if the support element is arranged in one of the outlet ducts and has dimensions
for the throughflow of exhaust gas. In this way, the support element requires no separate
structural space.
[0011] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the valve seats can be positioned
in the housing in a highly exact manner if the valve seats are arranged on inserts
fastened in the housing, and if the inserts bear against one another. By virtue of
the inserts being designed so as to bear against one another, an exact spacing of
the two valve seats is furthermore ensured. The exhaust-gas valve thus has a reliable
sealing action.
[0012] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the exhaust-gas valve exhibits
particularly high stability if the inserts of the valve seats are cohesively connected
to one another. Furthermore, during the assembly process, the valve seats can firstly
be aligned relative to the two valve bodies fastened to the shaft. Since the valve
bodies already have a fixed spacing to one another owing to the unit with the shaft,
the positions of the valve seats relative to the valve bodies are permanently fixed
as a result of the welding of the inserts.
[0013] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, the valve seats can be easily
aligned relative to one another at a preassembly stage if the inserts are connected
to one another by means of an interference fit. The interference fit permits the alignment
of the valve seats with the valve bodies manufactured as a unit with the shaft. The
valve seats can be easily set to the valve bodies outside the housing, allow the sealing
action to be tested, and can in particular be permanently fixed as a result of welding
of the inserts.
[0014] In another advantageous refinement of the invention, it is conducive to a further
simplification of the assembly of the exhaust-gas valve if the inserts are inserted
into the housing from the side of the actuating device. The actuating device is preferably
formed as a housing cover of the housing.
[0015] The invention permits numerous embodiments. To further illustrate its basic principle,
one of these embodiments is illustrated in the drawing and will be described below.
In the drawing:
- figure 1
- schematically shows an exhaust-gas control device of an internal combustion engine
with an exhaust-gas valve,
- figure 2
- shows components of the exhaust-gas valve from figure 1 in the closed state on an
enlarged scale and in a sectional illustration,
- figure 3
- shows a support element of the exhaust-gas valve from figure 1 before the assembly
process, on an enlarged scale and in a side view,
- figure 4
- shows the support element from figure 3 in a further view,
- figure 5
- shows a partial region of two inserts of the exhaust-gas valve on a greatly enlarged
scale.
[0016] Figure 1 schematically shows an internal combustion engine 1 with an exhaust-gas
control device 2 and an exhaust-gas valve 3. An internal combustion engine 1 has an
exhaust-gas pipe 4 and an intake duct 5. An inlet duct 6 of the exhaust-gas valve
3 is connected to the exhaust-gas pipe 4. The exhaust-gas valve 3 has two outlet ducts
7, 8, via which partial streams of the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine
1 are supplied to two schematically illustrated devices 9, 10. The devices 9, 10 may
be a turbocharger, a bypass duct, an exhaust-gas recirculation arrangement or the
like.
[0017] The exhaust-gas valve 3 has a housing 11 with two valve seats 12, 13 fastened therein.
Two valve bodies 14, 15 face the valve seats 12, 13. The valve bodies 14, 15 are arranged
on a common shaft 16. The shaft 16 can be displaced by an actuating device 17, and
the valve bodies 14, 15 can thus be adjusted relative to the valve seats 12, 13. The
actuating device 17 is formed as a housing cover of the housing 11. The valve bodies
14, 15 have different cross sections. The valve seat 13 situated closest to the actuating
device 17 has a larger cross section than the valve seat 12 remote from the actuating
device 17.
[0018] Figure 2 shows the exhaust-gas valve 3 from figure 1 in an enlarged sectional illustration.
The shaft 16 is manufactured in one piece with the two valve bodies 14, 15 as a turned
part. The valve seats 12, 13 are arranged in each case on an insert 18, 19. The inserts
18, 19 are welded to one another and are furthermore pressed into the housing 11.
For the assembly process, the inserts 18, 19 can be preassembled, and aligned with
the valve seats 12, 13 relative to the valve bodies 14, 15, outside the housing 11.
Furthermore, the sealing action of the valve bodies 14, 15 against the valve seats
12, 13 can be tested outside the housing 11. During the preassembly stage, an interference
fit 20 holds the two inserts 18, 19 in their position until they are permanently fixed
to one another by welding. The inserts 18, 19 with the valve seats 12, 13 can subsequently
be pressed into the housing 11 from the side of the actuating device 17. On the side
averted from the actuating device 17, the shaft 16 has a support element 21. The support
element 21 is of disk-shaped form and has a guide 22 for the free end of the shaft
16.
[0019] Figure 3 shows, in an enlarged illustration of the support element 21 from a side
elevation, that said support element has recesses 23 for the throughflow of the exhaust
gas. For illustrative purposes, figure 4 illustrates the support element 21 in a position
rotated in relation to figure 3. It can be seen here that the support element 21 has,
on its ends, claws 24 for the fastening in the housing 11 illustrated in figure 2.
[0020] Figure 5 shows, on a greatly enlarged scale, a partial region of the two inserts
18, 19 with one of the valve seats 13. The inserts 18, 19 form the interference fit
20 in sections which engage around one another, and said inserts have stops 25, 26
facing one another.
1. An exhaust-gas valve (3) for an exhaust-gas control device (2) of an internal combustion
engine (1), having a housing (11), having a first valve body (14) for controlling
the flow to a first outlet duct (7), and having a second valve body (15) for controlling
the flow to a second outlet duct (8), having a common shaft (16) for holding the two
valve bodies (14, 15), having valve seats (12, 13) respectively facing the valve bodies
(14, 15), and having an actuating device (17) for driving the shaft (16), characterized in that the two valve bodies (14, 15) are formed as a prefabricated unit with the shaft (16).
2. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the shaft (16) and the valve bodies (14, 15) are manufactured in one piece.
3. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shaft (16) has a guide (22) on the end averted from the actuating device (17).
4. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the guide (22) is arranged on a support element (21) which is supported in the housing
(11) .
5. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the support element (21) is pressed into the housing (11).
6. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the support element (21) is arranged in one of the outlet ducts (7) and has dimensions
for the throughflow of exhaust gas.
7. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the valve seats (12, 13) are arranged on inserts (18, 19) fastened in the housing
(11), and in that the inserts (18, 19) bear against one another.
8. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the inserts (18, 19) of the valve seats (12, 13) are cohesively connected to one
another.
9. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the inserts (18, 19) are connected to one another by means of an interference fit
(20).
10. The exhaust-gas valve as claimed in at least one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the inserts (18, 19) are inserted into the housing (11) from the side of the actuating
device (17).