Patent ID: 7089919
Filing Date: 2006-08-15
Classification: F02M,F16K

Abstract:
1. A purge valve for a vehicle, the purge valve comprising: a body constructed and arranged to be coupled to an intake manifold of the vehicle and to a canister, the body having an orifice for communicating vapor from the canister with airflow in the intake manifold, a valve movable between a first position closing the orifice and a second position opening the orifice, and a shape memory alloy (SMA) structure associated with the valve such that when electric current is provided to the SMA structure to heat the SMA structure above a transformation temperature thereof, the SMA structure transforms from an original shape to a second shape, thereby causing the valve to move from the first position to the second position, and when the current is removed from the SMA structure, the SMA structure returns to the original shape, thereby permitting the valve to return to the first position.