Caterpillar Inc.

Frank Jianyuan Yang

Wade James Robel

Kenneth Carroll Adams

Particularly in an engine that has been inactive for a substantial period of time at a cold temperature, fluid forces acting on moving members, such as electronically-activated fluid control valves, may be significant until the engine warms up. A way to reduce the fluid forces and their detrimental effects is to reduce the volume of fluid which are creating the fluid forces, including venting all or some of this fluid to drain. Additionally, fluid that gathers can be drained away. In order to accomplish such venting, the present disclosure includes a fluid control valve having a body with at least one fluid passage connected to a bore, a movable member in the bore, an actuator connected to the movable member to move the movable member, and at least one vent passage opening into the bore between the fluid passage and the actuator. The disclosure may include additional drain passages to drain away gathered fluid from actuating components.

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

Frank Jianyuan Yang