| US 7,536,990 B2 | ||
| Hybrid exhaust valve assembly | ||
| Robin Willats, Columbus, Ind. (US); Joseph Callahan, Greenwood, Ind. (US); and Kwin Abram, Columbus, Ind. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Emcon Technologies LLC, Wilmington, Del. (US) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 21, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/602,924. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0116404 A1, May 22, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. F02D 9/04 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 123—323 [123/65 PD; 60/324] | 24 Claims |
| 1. An exhaust valve assembly comprising:
a shaft;
a flapper valve fixed to said shaft and movable between at least a closed position, an intermediate position, and an open
position;
a resilient member biasing said flapper valve toward said closed position;
an electric actuator coupled to said shaft to actively move said flapper valve at least from said closed position to said
intermediate position; and
a coupling mechanism that couples said electric actuator to said shaft, said coupling mechanism allowing said flapper valve
to move to said open position in response to exhaust flow sufficient to overcome a biasing force of said resilient member
without requiring input from said electric actuator.
|