AIR VALVE AND METHOD OF USE
An air valve and its method of use including an air valve housing; a throttle plate disposed on a throttle shaft; a driven gear attached on the throttle shaft; a brushless direct current motor assembly in connection via a pinion with the driven gear; an integrated electronic valve controller including digital signal processing on a circuit board; and a throttle position sensor on the circuit board, wherein the throttle position sensor includes at least one non-contact type sensor. In a preferred embodiment, the air valve includes an inlet port and an outlet port connected to an engine via an air intake manifold, such that re-circulated exhaust gas is introduced into the air intake manifold.
1 . An air valve comprising:
an air valve housing;
a throttle plate disposed on a throttle shaft;
a driven gear attached on the throttle shaft;
a brushless direct current motor assembly in connection via a pinion with the driven gear;
an integrated electronic valve controller including digital signal processing on a circuit board; and
a throttle position sensor on the circuit board, wherein the throttle position sensor comprises at least one non-contact type sensor.
2 . The air valve of claim 1 further comprising a torsion spring.
3 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein a gear reduction is achieved through a single stage gear set.
4 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the air valve can manage fluids over about 125 psi absolute.
5 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the driven gear is a helical gear, spring gear, bevel gear, or spiral gear.
6 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the integrated electronic valve controller is capable of communicating with an engine control unit via PWM and CAN signals.
7 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the air valve has a response time of less than about 125 ms for a full rotation of the throttle plate.
8 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the air valve has a valve position resolution of less than about 1 angular degree.
9 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the air valve further comprises:
an inlet port;
an outlet port connected to an engine by an air intake manifold; and
a source of re-circulated exhaust gas;
wherein the source is connected to the air intake manifold.
10 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein a position of the throttle plate is established by an onboard controller based on a command signal received from a vehicle engine control unit.
11 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein signals from the engine control unit are pulse width modulation or controller area network protocol.
12 . The air valve of claim 1 wherein the air valve is a butterfly style air valve.
13 . An air valve comprising:
an air valve housing;
a throttle plate disposed on a throttle shaft;
a driven capable of acting on the throttle shaft;
a brushless direct current motor assembly in connection with the driven gear;
a torsion spring; and
a throttle position sensor located on a circuit board, wherein the throttle position sensor comprises at least one non-contact sensor;
wherein a position of the throttle plate is established by an onboard controller based on a command signal received from a vehicle engine control unit.
14 . The air valve of claim 13 wherein the driven gear is a helical gear, spring gear, bevel gear, or spiral gear.
15 . The air valve of claim 13 wherein the air valve comprises an inlet port and an outlet port connected to an engine via an air intake manifold, wherein a source of re-circulated exhaust gas is connected to the air intake manifold.
16 . The air valve of claim 13 further comprising an integrated electronic valve controller including digital signal processing in the BLDC controller and sensor on the circuit board.
17 . A method of using an air valve which comprises the steps of:
(a) sensing a position of a throttle plate disposed on a throttle shaft connected to driven gear within an air valve housing in the air valve by using a throttle position sensor on a circuit board, wherein the throttle position sensor comprises at least one non-contact sensor;
(b) actuating a brushless direct current motor assembly in connection with the driven gear; and
(c) rotating the throttle plate.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising the step of biasing the throttle plate in an open position with a torsion spring.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the air valve comprises an inlet port and an outlet port connected to an engine via an air intake manifold, further comprising the step of re-circulating exhaust gas to the air intake manifold.
20 . The method of claim 17 , which further comprises the step of positioning the throttle plate by using an onboard controller based on a command signal received from a vehicle engine control unit.
21 . The method of claim 17 , which further comprises using an integrated electronic valve controller including digital signal processing in the BLDC controller.