Patent ID: 7338254

Claim:
A turbocharger comprising: a center housing containing a bearing assembly and a rotary shaft mounted in the bearing assembly; a compressor wheel affixed to one end of the shaft; a turbine wheel affixed to an opposite end of the shaft and disposed in an axial bore of a turbine housing coupled to an opposite side of the center housing, the turbine housing defining a chamber surrounding the turbine wheel for receiving exhaust gas to be directed into the turbine wheel, and defining a nozzle leading from the chamber to the turbine wheel; and a sliding piston assembly comprising: a tubular piston disposed in the bore of the turbine housing such that the piston is axially slidable relative to the turbine housing between a closed position and an open position, the piston in the closed position substantially blocking exhaust gas from passing through the nozzle to the turbine wheel, the piston progressively unblocking the nozzle as the piston travels toward the open position; and a tubular carrier inserted axially into the bore of the turbine housing surrounding the piston and fixed against axial movement relative to the turbine housing, a radially outer surface of the carrier engaging an inner surface of the bore and a radially inner surface of the carrier being slidably engaged by a radially outer surface of the piston, the carrier defining an axial split extending a length of the carrier, and the carrier being resiliently flexible, such that the axial split allows the carrier to expand and contract in diameter.