VARIABLE VALVE APPARATUS AND MUFFLER PROVIDED WITH THE SAME

- Hyundai Motor Company

A variable valve apparatus includes: a housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole formed in the housing; a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the gate, in which a gap is formed between the gate and the housing. The variable valve apparatus may be provided as part of a muffler installed in a vehicle.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0145735 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 13, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a variable valve apparatus and a muffler provided with the same, and more particularly, to a variable valve apparatus capable of reducing touching noise and booming noise, and a muffler provided with the variable valve apparatus, where the muffler can be installed in a vehicle.

(b) Description of the Related Art

Generally, in a gasoline engine used in a vehicle or the like (hereinafter, referred to as an engine), silence without noise is required in an idle rotation region of 750 RPM and a common-use region of 2500 to 3000 RPM, and high power is required in a fast rotation region of 3000 RPM or more, rather than silence.

Most engine noise comes from exhaust sound discharged from the engine, and a variety of research has been conducted on a muffler in order to have the muffler not only suppress the exhaust noise but also exhibit high power.

It is known to provide a muffler in which a variable valve is mounted so as to be opened/closed according to exhaust gas pressure. In a conventional variable valve, however, noise may be caused by frequent contacts between a gate and a housing due to change in the exhaust gas pressure.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a variable valve apparatus capable of reducing touching noise and booming noise, and a muffler provided with the variable valve apparatus, where the muffler can be installed in a vehicle.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a variable valve apparatus including: a housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein; a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the gate, in which a gap having a predetermined size may be formed between the gate and the housing.

A metal mesh for supporting the gate may be provided in the housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.

A guide space may be formed between the housing and the gate so as to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap.

The housing may have an inclined portion formed to be inclined outward, the gate may have a protruding portion protruding to be inclined to an inside of the housing, and the guide space may be defined as a space between the inclined portion and the protruding portion.

The gate may be completely inserted into the housing without interference.

One end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form the gap, may be positioned on the same plane.

The shaft holes may be provided with a bushing to support the shaft.

The predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a muffler having a variable valve apparatus, including: a plurality of chambers formed by partitioning an inside of a housing using partition walls; an inlet pipe for introducing exhaust gas into the housing; a discharge pipe for discharging exhaust gas introduced to the chambers to the outside; an inner pipe directly connecting the chambers inside the housing; and a variable valve apparatus formed in the downstream side of the inner pipe and automatically controlling an opening/closing amount according to exhaust gas pressure, in which the variable valve apparatus includes: the housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein; a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole; a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the gate, and a gap having a predetermined size may be formed between the gate and the housing.

A metal mesh for supporting the gate may be provided in the housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.

A guide space may be formed between the housing and the gate so as to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap.

The housing may have an inclined portion formed to be inclined outward, the gate may have a protruding portion protruding to be inclined to the inside of the housing, and the guide space may be defined as a space between the inclined portion and the protruding portion.

The gate may be completely inserted into the housing without interference.

One end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form the gap, may be positioned on the same plane.

The shaft holes may be provided with a bushing to support the shaft.

The predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the variable valve apparatus and the muffler provided with the same may reduce touching noise and booming noise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a variable muffler according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable muffler according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the variable valve according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded parts view of the variable valve according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals represent the same constituent elements. In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. When an element such as layer, film, region, or plate is referred to as being “on” another element, it may include not only a case in which an element is directly on another element but also a case in which another element is interposed therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a variable muffler according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable muffler according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the variable muffler according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 100, an inlet pipe 110, an outlet pipe 120, and an inner pipe 130 provided inside the housing 100. The inside of the housing 100 is partitioned into a plurality of chambers 101, 102, and 103 by partition walls 140 formed of a perforated plate.

The inlet pipe 110 has one end exposed to the outside of the housing 100 and the other end formed to introduce exhaust gas into the housing 100. Further, the inlet pipe 110 is laid in such a manner that one end thereof is inserted into the housing 100, in order to discharge exhaust gas introduced to the housing to the rear side of the housing 100.

The partition walls 140 include first and second partition walls 141 and 142 provided inside the housing, and the first and second partition walls 141 and 142 and the housing 100 form the first, second, and third chambers 101, 102, and 103.

The inlet pipe 110 communicates with the third chamber 103 through the first chamber 101, the first partition wall 141, and the second partition wall 142.

The outlet pipe 120 has a plurality of penetration holes 123 formed to communicate with the second chamber 102. The plurality of penetration holes 123 may be formed through the outer circumferential surface of the outlet pipe 120, thereby obtaining a noise reduction effect. The second chamber 102 may be filled with a noise absorbing material 300, and the noise absorbing material 300 may be formed of glass wool and serve to reduce flow-induced noise occurring while exhaust gas passes through the second chamber 102.

The inner pipe 130 is provided to communicate with the first and third chambers 101 and 103. The first partition wall 141 has a plurality of first partition wall penetration holes 143 formed to connect the first and second chambers 101 and 102.

The outlet pipe 120 may be formed in a U-shape. The outlet pipe 120 may be provided to pass through the first to third chambers 101 to 103 one or more times. The outlet pipe 120 may be provided to sequentially pass through the first chamber 101, the second chamber 102, the third chamber 103, the second chamber 102, the first chamber 101, the second chamber 102, and the third chamber 103.

A variable valve 200 for controlling the amount of exhaust gas is installed in the downstream side of the inner pipe 130, that is, at an inner pipe exit 132.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the variable valve according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded parts view of the variable valve according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the variable valve apparatus 200 includes a pair of shaft holes 212, a housing 210 having a gate hole 214 formed therein, a gate 220 provided to selectively open the gate hole 214, a shaft 230 provided in the shaft holes 212 and connected to the gate 220, and a spring 240 provided on the shaft 230 so as to elastically support the gate 220. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a gap G having a predetermined size is formed between the gate 220 and the housing 210, and the predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. The gate 220 has connection holes 226 formed therein, and the shaft 230 is inserted into the connection holes 226 so as to rotatably connect the gate 220 and the housing 210.

A metal mesh 250 for supporting the gate 220 may be provided in the housing 210 at a position adjacent to the shaft 230. The metal mesh 250 may be provided between the housing 210 and the gate 220, and may reduce noise caused by contact between the housing 210 and the gate 220. Between the housing 210 and the gate 220, a guide space 260 may be formed to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap G.

The housing 210 may have an inclined portion 216 formed to be inclined outward, the gate 220 may have a protruding portion 222 protruding to be inclined toward the inside of the housing 210, and the guide space 260 may be defined as a space between the inclined portion 216 and the protruding portion 222.

When an engine RPM increases, the pressure of exhaust gas introduced to the variable valve apparatus 200 opens the gate 220. The gate 220 is slowly opened during a low-speed period. However, when excessive pressure fluctuation occurs during a medium and low-speed period, the gate 220 may come in contact with the housing 210 while the gate 220 is vibrated. However, the guide space 260 serves as a kind of diffuser, and the pressure in the guide space 260 may be reduced. Accordingly, pressure fluctuation may be reduced to prevent the vibration of the valve. Therefore, it is possible to suppress noise from being caused by contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210.

The gate 220 may be completely inserted into the housing 210 without interference. Such a structure may suppress noise from being caused by contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210. Further, one end 221 of the gate and one end 211 of the housing, which form the gap G, may be positioned on the same plane. The gate 220 may include the protruding portion 222 formed to protrude to the inside of the housing 210 and a recess portion 224 formed inside the protruding portion 222 so as to protrude to the outside of the housing 210. The shaft holes 212 are provided with a bushing 270 to support the shaft 230.

The recess portion 224 of the variable valve apparatus 200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may receive the pressure of exhaust gas transferred to the variable valve apparatus 200 such that the gate 220 is rotated about the shaft 230. The gate 220 may be opened by the shape of the recess portion 224, even though low-speed exhaust gas is transferred to the gate 220.

The gap G between the gate 220 and the housing 210 may block noise caused by contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210, and the metal mesh 250 may be mounted between the gate 220 and the housing 210 so as to block contact noise between the gate 220 and the housing 210.

The size of the gap G, that is, the predetermined size may range from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and may prevent contact between the gate 220 and the housing 210 by manufacturing tolerance or vibration. When a gap larger than the gap G is formed, booming noise may occur. Therefore, the size of the gap G is limited in the range of about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

The guide space 260 between the housing 210 and the gate 220 guides exhaust gas to flow into the gap G. When the gate 220 is to come in contact with the housing 210 by vibration or the like, the guide space 260 serves as a kind of cushion, thereby preventing contact or reducing impact and noise, even though the gate 220 comes in contact with the housing 210.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a stepped portion 216 may be formed in a portion of the housing 210, which is not adjacent to the shaft 230, in order to form the guide space 260. The guide space 260 may be formed by the shape of the stepped portion 216. As described above, the guide space 260 guides exhaust gas, and serves as a kind of cushion by the pressure of exhaust gas between the gate 220 and the housing 210.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A variable valve apparatus comprising:

a housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein;
a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole;
a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and
a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the gate,
wherein a gap having a predetermined size is formed between the gate and the housing.

2. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a metal mesh for supporting the gate is provided in the housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.

3. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a guide space is formed between the housing and the gate so as to guide exhaust gas to flow into the gap.

4. The variable valve apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the housing has an inclined portion formed to be inclined outward,
the gate has a protruding portion protruding to be inclined to an inside of the housing, and
the guide space is defined as a space between the inclined portion and the protruding portion.

5. The variable valve apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the gate is completely inserted into the housing without interference.

6. The variable valve apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

one end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form the gap, are positioned on the same plane.

7. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the shaft holes are provided with a bushing to support the shaft.

8. The variable valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined size ranges from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

9. A muffler having a variable valve apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of chambers formed by partitioning an inside of a housing using partition walls;
an inlet pipe for introducing exhaust gas into the housing;
a discharge pipe for discharging exhaust gas introduced into the chambers to the outside;
an inner pipe directly connecting the chambers inside the housing; and
a variable valve apparatus formed in a downstream side of the inner pipe and automatically controlling an opening/closing amount according to exhaust gas pressure,
wherein the variable valve apparatus comprises:
the housing having a pair of shaft holes and a gate hole formed therein;
a gate provided to selectively open the gate hole;
a shaft provided in the shaft holes and connected to the gate; and
a spring provided on the shaft so as to elastically support the gate,
and a gap having a predetermined size is formed between the gate and the housing.

10. The muffler of claim 9, wherein:

a metal mesh for supporting the gate is provided in the housing at a position adjacent to the shaft.

11. The muffler of claim 9, wherein:

a guide space is formed between the housing and the gate so as to guide the exhaust gas to flow into the gap.

12. The muffler of claim 11, wherein:

the housing has an inclined portion formed to be inclined outward,
the gate has a protruding portion protruding to be inclined to the inside of the housing, and
the guide space is defined as a space between the inclined portion and the protruding portion.

13. The muffler of claim 12, wherein:

the gate is completely inserted into the housing without interference.

14. The muffler of claim 11, wherein:

one end of the gate and one end of the housing, which form the gap, are positioned on the same plane.

15. The muffler of claim 9, wherein:

the shaft holes are provided with a bushing to support the shaft.

16. The muffler of claim 9, wherein:

the predetermined size ranges from about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
Patent History
Publication number: 20140166392
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 22, 2013
Publication Date: Jun 19, 2014
Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company (Seoul), Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd. (Ulsan), Kia Motors Corporation (Seoul)
Inventors: Jae Hong Kye (Incheon), Hooinyun Kim (Gunpo, Gyeonggi-do), Hong Jae Kim (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do), Ja Kyung Ku (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do), Jong Seo Yoon (Anyang, Gyeonggi-do), Seung Hoon Chae (Ulsan)
Application Number: 14/087,486
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: With Adjustable Fluid Flow (181/226)
International Classification: F01N 13/08 (20060101);