Patent ID: 8375902

Claim:
A poppet valve assembly, comprising: a housing; a poppet valve having a valve head and a valve stem extending away from the valve head, the valve stem having a central longitudinal axis, a portion of the valve stem being received in the housing; a piston disposed at least in part in the housing, the piston being capable of reciprocating motion relative to the housing along a reciprocation axis coaxial with the central longitudinal axis, the piston having a valve-receiving portion, the valve-receiving portion defining an aperture for receiving therein an end portion of the valve stem opposite the valve head, the piston and the housing defining an air chamber therebetween; at least one air port fluidly communicating with the air chamber to supply air to the air chamber; a cotter disposed between the valve-receiving portion and the end portion, the cotter securing the valve stem to the piston such that the piston and the poppet valve reciprocate together along the reciprocation axis; and a cap disposed generally around at least a portion of the valve-receiving portion, the cap having: a cap end portion disposed at least in part over the aperture to form a generally flat abutment surface adapted to be contacted by a valve actuator of an internal combustion engine; and a cap lateral portion extending away from the cap end portion generally in the direction of the valve head, at least one part of the cap lateral portion being angled toward the reciprocation axis and being closer to the reciprocation axis than at least part of the valve-receiving portion, at least one part of the valve-receiving portion being disposed and held in a direction generally parallel to the reciprocation axis between at least part of the cap end portion and the at least one part of the cap lateral portion being angled toward the reciprocation axis.