A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles

Abstract

This invention relates to thermal management systems for electric motors, batteries, air conditioning, and heat pumps in new energy vehicles. More specifically, it relates to a nine-way electronic water valve with a stepper motor controlling the rotation of a column valve. The invention provides a nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles, comprising a valve body, an actuator flange, a column valve, an actuator, a sealing gasket, a sealing element, a sealing ring, a sealing collar, and a fluid channel. The valve body has nine ports. Through the angle design of each component, flow distribution between different circuits is achieved. The column valve design of the valve core effectively achieves product sealing and reduces internal leakage. By changing the cross-sectional area of ​​the ports, the proportion of liquid in the flow channel is adjusted, reducing assembly difficulty. This invention belongs to the integrated multi-way valve design, reducing the difficulty of vehicle assembly, providing long lifespan and high-precision control, while reducing costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention designs a thermal management system for new energy vehicles, and more specifically, a nine-way electronic water valve that drives a motor to control the rotation of a column valve to achieve switching between different circuits. Background Technology

[0002] With strong national support for new energy vehicles, there is increasing focus on driving range. The greater the driving range of new energy vehicles, the more severe the challenges will be placed on their thermal management systems. Currently, the four main thermal management systems commonly found in new energy vehicles are: air conditioning thermal management system, motor and electronic control thermal management system, battery thermal management system, and heat pump system.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream cooling methods for new energy vehicles are divided into natural air cooling and liquid coolant cooling, with liquid coolant cooling further including transcribed cooling. Because natural air cooling is limited by the external environment and its cooling effect is relatively poor, it is gradually being replaced by liquid coolant cooling. After all, the amount of coolant in the circuit is fixed; it can achieve rapid cooling within a certain time, but beyond that time, the cooling rate gradually decreases, eventually leading to its replacement by transcribed cooling.

[0004] The mainstream heating methods for new energy vehicles are PTC heating and heat recovery heating. When the external environment is extremely cold, the battery pack cannot achieve the best charging and discharging effect. At this time, the PTC heater will continuously provide heat source to the battery pack to keep the battery pack temperature at the best charging and discharging state. Heat recovery heating is currently the newest heating method.

[0005] With the continuous development and expansion of new energy vehicle technology, new energy vehicles are gradually integrating these four major thermal management systems into their thermal management systems and achieving intelligent control. Therefore, in these four thermal management systems, the series and parallel connections of various loops are realized, and the heat in the system is rationally utilized to cool components in different loops. It is evident that multi-way electronic water valves play a crucial role in the thermal management system loops.

[0006] The most common electronic water valves are two-way, three-way, and four-way valves, which use a ball valve structure. If the four major system integration circuits are to be connected in series and parallel, multiple three-way valves and multiple four-way valves need to be connected in series in the circuit, which will lead to energy consumption and reduce the vehicle's driving range.

[0007] Current sealing structures employ a split design, with a support ring added inside the rubber ring. This design has the following drawbacks:

[0008] 1. The support ring inside the rubber ring is machined by turning, which requires high precision of the cutting tool. If not handled carefully, tool marks will be left on the contact surface, which will affect the sealing effect.

[0009] 2. The internal support ring adopts a spherical contour design, which requires high concentricity. During the assembly process, jamming and deformation may occur, which will increase leakage, resulting in poor sealing effect and affecting the heat dissipation effect of the circuit.

[0010] For the installation of electronic water valves, it is common to fasten them to the vehicle body bracket with bolts. However, the vibration environment over a long period of time can cause the fasteners to fail. The disadvantage of this design is that long-term vibration can loosen the smooth inserts, eventually causing the electronic water valve to fail at the fastener.

[0011] In summary, existing technical solutions have problems that affect sealing performance and product performance. To achieve product integration and intelligence, and to improve product performance and service life, existing technologies need to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a new design concept. This invention provides a nine-way electronic water valve for the integration and intelligence of new energy vehicles.

[0013] The technical solution adopted in this invention is a nine-way electronic water valve, including a valve body, an actuator fixing flange, a column valve, an actuator, a sealing gasket, a sealing element, a sealing ring, a sealing ring, and a fluid passage.

[0014] The sealing element, the sealing ring, and the column valve are placed in the cavity formed by the valve body and the flange of the actuator. The column valve is connected to the actuator, and the actuator drives the column valve to rotate by controlling the drive motor to realize the flow direction of coolant in different pipelines.

[0015] The valve body is designed with nine ports, with the angle α between seven ports designed to be 45° and the angle β between the other two ports designed to be 29°. The column valve has four channels inside, with three channels having openings at both ends at 45° evenly distributed, and one channel having openings at both ends at 135°. The corresponding angle δ between the openings of the column valve is designed to be 26°~28°. The angle α between the valve body ports and the column valve openings is designed to be 45°. The valve body ports have at least two ports for liquid inflow and at least two ports for liquid outflow, enabling four-port liquid input and four-port liquid output functions. As the column valve rotates, the liquid at different ports can be switched.

[0016] The actuator flange and the valve body are fitted with irregularly shaped double hemispherical gaskets.

[0017] The valve stem and the valve body are connected by an injection-molded integrated sealing ring, and the side that mates with the valve stem has a coating layer.

[0018] Preferably, the coating material is polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0019] The rounded corner design at the valve inlet, in conjunction with the sealing ring, prevents the valve from scratching the sealing ring during rotation.

[0020] The bottom of the column valve has a chamfered design, and the sealing ring is protected from being scratched by the column valve during assembly.

[0021] The sealing ring has an internal skeleton design that works with the valve body. This design prevents the sealing ring from deforming due to the rotation of the valve.

[0022] The actuator controls the rotation of the column valve, causing a change in the relative position between the internal pipe of the column valve and the valve body port, thereby changing the overlapping area of ​​different pipes and achieving the switching of the liquid flow direction in the pipe.

[0023] The valve body ports all have a smooth chamfer design that follows the direction of liquid flow, avoiding excessive liquid flow resistance.

[0024] Preferably, the actuator flange is connected to the valve body using self-tapping bolts.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0027] (1) The sealing ring design, which is formed by the rubber ring, skeleton and PDFE coating, effectively improves the deformation of the split polytetrafluoroethylene during the assembly process, reduces the assembly process, and drives the sealing ring to rotate along the center of the column valve. The skeleton design inside the sealing ring effectively avoids the deformation of the sealing ring.

[0028] (2) The knurling design of the metal bushing effectively prevents the lifespan of the electronic water valve from being shortened due to vibration, and effectively prevents the electronic water valve from failing due to long-term high-frequency vibration.

[0029] (3) The bottom of the valve body is designed with a two-lobed arc, which can improve the contact between the bottom shaft of the valve and the liquid, greatly reduce wear, play a lubricating role, and at the same time ensure the coaxiality of the valve body and the valve.

[0030] (4) The sealing ring and sealing gasket have a side protrusion design, which effectively ensures that the sealing ring and sealing gasket are placed in the center, making the sealing effect more obvious; Attached Figure Description

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will describe the specific implementation methods.

[0032] The accompanying drawings used in the description of the implementation methods or prior art are briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below will be helpful in understanding the implementation methods or prior art.

[0033] The accompanying drawings illustrate some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, these embodiments can be easily understood without any creative effort.

[0034] It should be noted that other figures can be obtained from these figures.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the nine-way electronic water valve of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the valve body structure of the nine-way electronic water valve of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing ring;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a sealing gasket;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing ring;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the seal.

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the valve body;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the actuator flange;

[0043] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a column valve structure;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the column valve;

[0045] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated to 0° in the embodiment;

[0046] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 27°.

[0047] Figure 13 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 45°.

[0048] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 72° in the embodiment;

[0049] Figure 15 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 90° in the embodiment;

[0050] Figure 16 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 117° in the embodiment;

[0051] Figure 17This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 135° in the embodiment;

[0052] Figure 18 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 162° in the embodiment;

[0053] Figure 19 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 180°.

[0054] Figure 20 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 207° in the embodiment;

[0055] Figure 21 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 225°.

[0056] Figure 22 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 252° in the embodiment;

[0057] Figure 23 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 270°.

[0058] Figure 24 This is a cross-sectional view of the product when it is calibrated at 297° in the embodiment;

[0059] Figure 25 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 315°.

[0060] Figure 26 This is a cross-sectional view of the product in the embodiment when it is calibrated at 325°.

[0061] In the diagram: 10. Actuator flange, 101. Four-lobed arc boss, 11. Valve body, 111. Metal bushing, 112. Inner cavity boss, 113. Two-lobed arc boss, 114. Valve body positioning block, 12. Actuator, 13. Column valve, 131. Column valve flow channel I, 132. Column valve shaft, 133. Cylindrical platform, 134. Column valve positioning block, 135. Column valve flow channel II, 136. Column valve flow channel III, 137. Column valve flow channel IV, 21. Seal, 211. Hemispherical surface I, 212. Hemispherical surface II, 22. Sealing ring, 221. Sealing ring skeleton, 222. Rubber ring, 223. Coating, 23. Sealing gasket, 231. Square boss, 24. Sealing ring, 241. Lantern-shaped cross-section, 242. Square boss of sealing ring. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. The described implementation methods are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0063] In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer parts of the corresponding components. In the description of this invention, the directions indicated by terms such as "upper" and "lower" are based on the directions shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0064] A nine-way electronic water valve is composed of 10. actuator flange, 11. valve body, 12. actuator, 13. column valve, 21. seal, 22. sealing ring, 23. sealing gasket, and 24. sealing ring.

[0065] The column valve 13 includes a column valve core 132 and a cylindrical platform 133. The cylindrical platform 133 is designed with four flow channels, namely column valve flow channel I 131, column valve flow channel II 135, column valve flow channel III 136, and column valve flow channel IV 137.

[0066] Above the valve body positioning block 114 on the valve body 11 is the first port, and clockwise from there are the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth ports.

[0067] The valve body 11 is designed with nine ports, seven of which have an angle α of 45°; the other two ports have an angle β of 29°. The column valve 13 has four channels inside, with three channels having openings at both ends at 45° evenly distributed, and one channel having openings at both ends at 135°. The corresponding angle δ of the column valve 13 between the openings is designed to be 26°~28°. The angle α of the valve body 11 ports relative to the column valve openings is designed to be 45°. The valve body 11 has at least two ports for liquid inflow and at least two ports for liquid outflow, enabling four-port liquid input and four-port liquid output functions. As the column valve 13 rotates, the liquid switching between different ports can be achieved.

[0068] The actuator 12 has a built-in chip that communicates with the ECU via LIN / SENT signals. It controls the motor to drive the column valve 13 to rotate and reads the zero point position. The nine-way electronic water valve can realize the heating and cooling of four system loops. The ECU calculates the target angle for the rotation of the column valve 13 based on the operating conditions and the temperature monitoring of the system loops, and changes the overlapping area of ​​the cylindrical platform 133 and the flow channel to control the flow rate in the pipeline.

[0069] like Figure 11As shown, this state is the initial 0° state of the electronic water valve. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are involved in the operation. The conducting ports are the first port and the second port, the third port and the seventh port, the fifth port and the sixth port, and the eighth port and the ninth port. At this time, the fifth port and the sixth port are conducting at a small flow rate, and the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0070] like Figure 12 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 27° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the third port, the fourth port and the eighth port, and the sixth port and the seventh port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate. The fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0071] like Figure 13 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 45° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the third port, the fifth port and the eighth port, and the sixth port and the seventh port. At this time, the fifth port and the eighth port are conducting at a low flow rate, and the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0072] like Figure 14 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 72° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the second port, the third port and the fourth port, the sixth port and the ninth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate. The fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0073] like Figure 15 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 90° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting ports are the first port and the second port, the third port and the fifth port, the sixth port and the ninth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, the third port and the fifth port are conducting at a low flow rate, and the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0074] like Figure 16 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 117° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the seventh port, the second port and the third port, the fourth port and the sixth port, and the eighth port and the ninth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate. The fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0075] like Figure 17As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 135° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the seventh port, the second port and the third port, the fifth port and the sixth port, and the eighth port and the ninth port. At this time, the fifth port and the sixth port are conducting at a low flow rate, and the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0076] like Figure 18 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 162° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged, and the conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the eighth port, the third port and the fourth port, and the sixth port and the seventh port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate, and the fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0077] like Figure 19 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 180° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged in operation. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the eighth port, the third port and the fifth port, and the sixth port and the seventh port. At this time, the third port and the fifth port are conducting at a small flow rate, while the other ports are fully open. The fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0078] like Figure 20 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 207° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the second port, the third port and the ninth port, the fourth port and the sixth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate. The fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0079] like Figure 21 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 225° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the second port, the third port and the ninth port, the fifth port and the sixth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, the fifth port and the sixth port are conducting at a small flow rate, while the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0080] like Figure 22 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 252° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged, and the conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the fourth port, the second port and the third port, the sixth port and the seventh port, and the eighth port and the ninth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate, and the fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0081] like Figure 23 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 270° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the fifth port, the second port and the third port, the sixth port and the seventh port, and the eighth port and the ninth port. At this time, the third port and the fifth port are conducting at a small flow rate, while the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0082] like Figure 24 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 297° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged in operation. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the sixth port, the third port and the fourth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate, and the fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0083] like Figure 25 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 315° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the sixth port, the third port and the fifth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, the third port and the fifth port are conducting at a small flow rate, while the other ports are fully open. The fourth port does not participate in the system loop circulation. This process realizes the flow rate regulation of each port.

[0084] like Figure 26 As shown, relative to the initial 0° state, the column valve 13 rotates 325° clockwise. At this time, all eight ports of the system loop are engaged. The conducting pipeline is divided into the first port and the ninth port, the second port and the sixth port, the third port and the fifth port, and the seventh port and the eighth port. At this time, all eight ports are conducting at a low flow rate, and the fifth port does not participate in the system loop circulation.

[0085] The aforementioned pipes can function as input and output ports, and each port participating in the system loop can achieve flow regulation from 0% to 100%, satisfying the flow regulation and mixing needs of different loops. This allows for heat exchange in multiple loops, and also enables the rapid cooling of heat from one loop by distributing it to multiple pipes.

[0086] The nine-way electronic water valve and the column valve 13, driven by the actuator 12, can rotate arbitrarily between 0° and 325°, realize one-to-many mixing, and realize proportional adjustment of each pipe port when participating in the system loop.

[0087] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it;

[0088] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles, comprising a valve body, an actuator flange, a column valve, an actuator, a sealing gasket, a sealing element, a sealing ring, and a sealing ring. The column valve includes a valve core and a cylinder. The column has a fluid channel designed inside. One end of the column valve is connected to the actuator flange via a sealing element, and the other end is connected to the actuator. The valve body is characterized by having nine ports, all pointing downwards. Seven ports are designed with an included angle of 45°, and the other two ports are designed with an included angle of 25-30°. The ports are symmetrically designed. The minimum opening angle of the fluid channel is 10°, and the maximum opening angle is 45°. The valve body opening relative to the column valve ports is 45° and 135°. The valve body ports have at least four inflow and four outflow paths, enabling the function of liquid flow in different loops. The corresponding angle δ of the column valve body between the openings is designed to be 26°~28°, and the angle α of the valve body port relative to the column valve opening is designed to be 45°. The opening of each flow channel of the column valve corresponds to the pipe port of a single valve body; The sealing ring is composed of a rubber ring, a skeleton, and a polytetrafluoroethylene coating. It adopts an injection-molded integrated design structure. The skeleton fits with the protruding part of the inner wall of the valve body, the rubber fits with the inner wall of the valve body, and the polytetrafluoroethylene coating fits with the column valve.

2. The nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The valve body and the water valve mounting bracket are injection molded as one piece, and the water valve mounting bracket has metal inserts embedded inside.

3. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that... The outer wall of the metal insert is knurled, with one side of the metal insert contacting the valve body and the other side contacting the bolt.

4. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The lower end of the valve body cavity adopts a two-lobed arc design, and the inner wall of the two-lobed arc of the valve body cavity is matched with one end of the column valve.

5. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The valve body's internal port adopts a curved square projection design, and the side wall of the valve body port is interference-fitted with the sealing ring.

6. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The internal structure of the column valve adopts a four-channel design, and the channels are matched with the valve body port. The lower end of the column valve has a chamfered structure design, and the chamfer design of the column valve is adjacent to the end of the sealing ring when the column valve penetrates into the inner cavity of the valve body.

7. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The sealing gasket has a hemispherical contact surface. One side of the sealing gasket is interference-fitted with the valve body, and the other side is interference-fitted with the actuator flange. The sealing gasket material is EPDM.

8. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The top of the actuator flange adopts a four-lobed arc boss design, and the top of the four-lobed arc boss cooperates with the actuator.

9. A nine-way electronic water valve for new energy vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that... The seal adopts a double hemisphere design and a side-distributed protrusion design. One side of the hemisphere of the seal is interference-fitted with the column valve, and the other side is interference-fitted with the actuator flange. The outer wall of the seal fits with the actuator flange, and the inner wall of the seal fits with the column valve.

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