Claims
- 1. An exhaust gas control valve, comprising:
a valve housing having at least one inlet port, at least one outlet port, and a flow channel having a centerline extending between the ports; a valve seat adjacent an opening in the at least one outlet port; a rotatable actuator shaft offset from said centerline; at least one L-shaped valve armature having a first leg and a second leg, said first leg operably connected to said actuator shaft so that rotation of said actuator shaft in a first direction positions said second leg into sealing engagement with said valve seat to close said flow channel.
- 2. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said first leg is substantially perpendicular to said second leg.
- 3. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said first leg has a length less than the length of said second leg.
- 4. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said first leg includes at least two mounting holes, each of said holes operably associated with a mounting screw for fastening said first leg to said actuator shaft.
- 5. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 4, wherein said mounting holes have a first diameter, and each of said screws has a shank having a second diameter, said first diameter being greater than said second diameter.
- 6. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said second leg includes a sealing surface for sealing engagement with said valve seat.
- 7. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said actuator shaft is rotatable in a second direction for positioning said second leg substantially perpendicular to said valve seat to open said flow channel.
- 8. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said flow channel is substantially unrestricted by said armature when said armature is in an open position.
- 9. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said armature is biased towards a closed position.
- 10. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein a plurality of armatures are operably associated with said actuator shaft for closing said flow channel through a plurality of outlet ports.
- 11. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 1, wherein said actuator is offset a first distance from said centerline and is offset a second distance from said valve seat.
- 12. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 11, wherein said first distance is greater than said second distance.
- 13. An exhaust gas control valve, comprising:
a valve housing having at least one inlet port, a plurality of outlet port, and a flow channel having a centerline extending between the inlet and outlet ports; at least one valve seat adjacent an opening of at least one outlet port; a rotatable actuator shaft offset from said centerline; a plurality of L-shaped valve armatures, each of said armatures having a first leg and a second leg, said first leg operably connected to said actuator shaft so that rotation of said actuator shaft in a first direction positions said second leg into sealing engagement with said valve seat to close said flow channel.
- 14. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein each of said first legs is substantially perpendicular to each of said second legs.
- 15. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein each of said first legs includes at least two mounting holes, each of said holes operably associated with a mounting screw.
- 16. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 15, wherein said holes have a first diameter, and said screw has a shank having a second diameter, said first diameter being greater than said second diameter.
- 17. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein each of said second legs includes a sealing surface for sealing engagement with said valve seat.
- 18. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein said actuator shaft is rotatable in a second direction for moving each of said second legs away from the associated valve seat to open said flow channel.
- 19. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein each of said second legs is movable to an open position so that said flow channel is substantially unrestricted by said armatures.
- 20. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein said armatures are biased toward a closed position.
- 21. The exhaust gas control valve of claim 13, wherein at least two of said plurality of L-shaped valve armatures are offset at differing distances from said centerline.
- 22. A method of adjusting a valve armature on a valve seat, comprising the steps of:
providing an L-shaped valve armature having a first leg and a second leg, the first leg having mounting holes and the second leg having a sealing surface; positioning the first leg on an actuator shaft so that the first leg is offset from a valve seat and the second leg is offset from an opening defined by the valve seat; positioning fasteners through the mounting holes and into the actuator shaft so that the first leg is transversely slideable relative to the actuator shaft; rotating the actuator shaft so that the second leg is parallel to the valve seat; sliding the first leg relative to the actuator shaft until the sealing surface engages the valve seat; and securing the fasteners so that the armature is secured to the actuator shaft.
- 23. The method of claim 22, including the step of providing as the fasteners screws having a head and a shank, the shank having a diameter less than a diameter of the mounting holes.
- 24. A method of controlling exhaust flow through a flow channel, comprising the steps of:
providing a valve housing having an inlet port, an outlet port, a flow channel having a centerline extending between the ports, and a valve seat adjacent an opening in the outlet port; providing an actuator shaft offset from the centerline, the actuator shaft having an L-shaped armature extending therefrom, the armature having a first leg and a second leg; and rotating the actuator shaft in a first direction for positioning the second leg substantially perpendicular to and offset from the centerline so that the flow channel is substantially unrestricted.
- 25. The method of claim 24, comprising the further step of rotating the actuator shaft in a second direction for positioning the second leg into sealing engagement with the valve seat to close the flow channel.
- 26. An L-shaped valve armature, comprising:
a first leg; and a second leg perpendicular to and integral with a first end of said first leg.
- 27. The valve armature of claim 26, wherein said first leg includes mounting holes for connecting said first leg to an actuator shaft using fasteners.
- 28. The valve armature of claim 26, wherein said second leg comprises a sealing surface for engaging a valve seat.
- 29. The valve armature of claim 26, wherein said first leg has a length less than a length of said second leg.
- 30. The valve armature of claim 26, wherein said second leg includes a curved end opposite an end integral with said first leg.
- 31. The valve armature of claim 26, wherein said first leg includes a curved end opposite said first end.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM TO PRIORITY
[0001] This is a nonprovisional application of provisional application, Ser. No. 60/372,137, filed Apr. 15, 2002, by John P. Hartley, entitled Exhaust Gas Control Valve, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, and priority of which is claimed pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60372137 |
Apr 2002 |
US |