Patent ID: 6014960
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: F02B,F02M

Abstract:
An internal combustion engine comprising:a plurality of cylinder banks, each bank having an exhaust manifold and an associated exhaust passage fluidly separated from an exhaust passage of another bank, and an intake manifold shared with the other bank;an exhaust gas recirculation valve apparatus including:a housing having a first and second separate exhaust inlet passages connected exclusively respectively at one end to each of said banks, said first passage having a first port communicating with the intake manifold and said second passage having a second port communicating with the intake manifold; andfirst and second valve members mounted for linear movement in said housing, said first valve member being disposed to move from a closed position sealing said first port to an open position permitting exhaust flow from said first port to said intake manifold, said second valve member being disposed to move from a closed position sealing said second port to an open position permitting exhaust flow from said second port to said intake manifold, each of said valve members being functionally engaged to a linear actuator;and an engine ECU operatively associated with said linear actuators to independently operate each of said first and second valve members to be either in said open position or said closed position to provide one of a plurality of predetermined valve position configurations providing varying amounts of EGR flow in response to at least one sensed operational parameter of the engine being monitored by the ECU falling within one of a plurality of predetermined ranges for such parameter stored in the ECU memory corresponding to said one of a plurality of predetermined valve position configurations, thereby providing a particular mode of exhaust gas recirculation.