Abstract:
An intake valve system for an engine mounted on a vehicle and generating electric power used by the vehicle. The system includes a valve device having a valve body being moved by a stepping motor; and a controller configured to control a degree of opening of the valve device by supplying to the valve device a request indicating a specific number of steps in which the specific number of steps is a number of steps for driving the engine with a specific characteristic and the stepping motor is to operate according to the specific number of steps, and the controller is configured to control the degree of opening of the valve device by correcting a number of steps when an actual characteristic of the engine is different from the specific characteristic under a situation where the request indicating the specific number of steps is supplied to the valve device.
Abstract:
In an EGR valve including a double eccentric valve, a passage is divided into upstream and downstream passages with the valve seat as the boundary and the valve element is disposed in the upstream passage. The valve element includes a first side part and a second side part that have as a boundary a virtual surface extending from the axis of the rotary shaft parallel to the direction in which the axis of the valve element extends. When the valve element rotates in the valve-opening direction from the fully closed state, the first side part rotates into the downstream passage and the second side part rotates into the upstream passage. A valve closing stopper is provided to be engageable with the first side part. A return spring for rotationally biasing the valve element in the fully closed state in the direction of valve-closing is also provided.
Abstract:
An EGR apparatus includes an EGR passage to allow part of exhaust gas discharged from an engine to an exhaust passage to flow as EGR gas into an intake passage; an EGR valve to regulate an EGR flow rate in the EGR passage; various sensors for detecting an engine running state; and an ECU to control the EGR valve based on the detected running state to diagnose abnormality in the EGR valve. The ECU calculates a reference intake pressure according the detected engine rotation speed and load by reference to a reference intake pressure map showing a relationship of the reference intake pressure to engine rotation speed, and engine load, and determine whether or not the EGR valve has abnormality in opening/closing by comparing the reference intake pressure with the detected intake pressure.
Abstract:
An eccentric valve has a drive mechanism, a drive force receiving part, a bearing for supporting a rotary shaft, and a return spring for generating a return spring force. During non-operation of the drive mechanism, the eccentric valve generates a separating-direction urging force to cause the rotary shaft to incline about the bearing serving as a fulcrum and urge the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat, the separating-direction urging force being a force caused by the return spring force. Either the valve element or the valve seat is provided with a sealing member to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the drive mechanism.
Abstract:
In a fuel cell system, each of an inlet sealing valve and an outlet integration valve is provided with a valve seat including a valve hole and a seat surface formed on a circumferential edge of the valve hole, a valve element formed, on its outer periphery, with a seal surface corresponding to the seat surface, and a motor to move the valve element away from the valve seat upon receipt of electric power supplied from outside. The valve seat is provided with a seal member to seal between the valve element and the valve seat during non-operation of the motor. In an inlet-side bypass passage connected to an air supply passage by detouring around the inlet sealing valve, there are arranged an inlet-side bypass passage and an inlet bypass valve.
Abstract:
A fuel cell system uses, as an inlet sealing valve, an eccentric valve having a rubber seat provided with a seal part having such a shape as to increase the surface pressure of a portion in contact with a seal surface of a valve element when pressure in an air supply passage rises. Each of an outlet integration valve and a bypass valve is constituted of an eccentric valve basically identical in structure to the inlet sealing valve. When supply of air to a fuel cell stack is to be stopped during deceleration of a vehicle, a controller closes the inlet sealing valve and opens the bypass valve and, after the inlet sealing valve is fully closed, closes the bypass valve.
Abstract:
A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell for generating electricity with the supply of hydrogen gas and air, a hydrogen supply unit for supplying the hydrogen gas to the fuel cell, an air supply unit for supplying the air to the fuel cell, and a produced water atomizing apparatus for atomizing the produced water produced in association with electricity generation in the fuel cell and emitting the atomized water to the atmosphere. The air supply unit includes an air pump for pressure-feeding the air to the fuel cell, and the produced water atomizing apparatus includes an aspirator to atomize the produced water by use of the air emitted from the air pump as operation air. The air emitted from the air pump is cooled by an intercooler. The air utilized in the aspirator as the operation air is supplied to the aspirator on an upstream side of the intercooler.
Abstract:
A pressure-reducing apparatus is configured to reduce and regulate a primary-side gas pressure through two pressure-reducing valves arranged in series to generate a secondary-side gas pressure. In an intermediate passage, the gas after being pressure-reduced by the first pressure-reducing valve but before being pressure-reduced by the second pressure-reducing valve. The communication passage allows communication between the intermediate passage and a second pressure-regulating chamber of the second pressure-reducing valve. A check valve and configured to open when the gas pressure in the intermediate passage becomes higher than a predetermined valve opening pressure, thereby allowing the gas to flow from the intermediate passage toward the second pressure-regulating chamber through the communication passage, and block a flow of gas in an opposite direction. The communication passage has at least part having a passage cross-sectional area set smaller than a passage cross-sectional area of the intermediate passage.
Abstract:
In an apparatus for heating an intake system for an engine of a vehicle by hot water, the vehicle having an engine compartment placed in a front part, in which a radiator is placed on a front side, and the engine and the intake system are placed behind the radiator. The intake system includes an intake passage and a throttle device. A hot water passage is provided to circulate hot water around the throttle device to heat the throttle device, the hot water having been warmed by cooling the engine. In the hot water passage, a hot water control valve is provided. In the hot water control valve, an expanding-contracting member made of shape-memory alloy is provided to control opening and closing of the hot water control valve in response to the internal temperature of the engine compartment.
Abstract:
An EGR valve includes a housing formed with a passage, a valve seat provided in the passage, a valve element seatable on the valve seat, a valve stem provided with the valve element at an end, and an actuator for making stroke movement of the valve stem. The valve element is moved together with the valve stem with respect to the valve seat to change an open area of a measuring section, thereby changing an opening degree of the valve element, to adjust a flow rate of EGR gas in the passage. The EGR valve has high-resolution flow-rate characteristics in a low opening region of the valve element and large flow-rate characteristics in a high opening region. The valve element and the valve seat have predetermined shapes to cause the flow-rate characteristics in the low opening region to change in a curve without a step.