Patent ID: 7311091
Filing Date: 2007-12-25
Classification: F01M,F02M,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A positive crankcase ventilation PCV valve for use with a vehicle engine having a throttle valve movable between an idle position and a wide-open position, the PCV valve comprising a valve housing shell formed to include an interior region, an inlet opening into the interior region, and an outlet opening into the interior region, a flow regulator including a deformable orifice plate being arranged to lie in the interior region of the valve housing shell to partition the interior region into an inlet chamber coupled to the inlet and adapted to be coupled to a crankcase of a vehicle and an outlet chamber coupled to the outlet and adapted to be coupled to an engine intake manifold of a vehicle, the deformable orifice plate being formed to include a variable-size flow-metering orifice and made of a deformable material to cause the variable-size flow-metering orifice to have a first effective size upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume a first shape and a relatively larger second effective size upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume a second shape, and a flow restrictor located in the interior region of the valve housing shell and arranged to extend into the variable-size flow-metering orifice formed in the deformable orifice plate to define a variable flow-metering channel therebetween, the flow restrictor being mounted for movement in the variable-size flow-metering orifice to vary an effective size of the variable flow-metering channel between (1) a low-vacuum position supported on a restrictor platform included in the valve housing shell to extend through the variable-size flow-metering orifice in response to exposure of the flow restrictor to a low-level vacuum extant in the outlet chamber when the throttle valve has been moved to the wide-open position and located to establish a first effective size of the variable flow-metering channel upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume the first shape and to establish a second effective size of the variable flow-metering channel upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume the second shape and (2) a high-vacuum position located away from and unsupported by the restrictor platform to extend through the variable-size flow-metering orifice in response to exposure of the flow restrictor to a high-level vacuum extant in the outlet chamber that is greater than the low-level vacuum when the throttle valve has been moved to the idle position and to establish a third effective size of the variable flow-metering channel upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume the first shape and to establish a fourth effective size of the variable flow-metering channel upon deformation of the deformable orifice plate to assume the second shape, and wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth effective sizes of the variable flow-metering channel is different from one another to regulate flow of crankcase fumes passing therethrough as a function of deformable orifice plate shape and outlet chamber vacuum magnitude.