Coolant regulator

Abstract

The invention relates to a coolant regulator (1), comprising: a housing (2) having a coolant chamber (3) and coolant channels (10 to 15) leading into the coolant chamber; a rotary slide valve (4) disposed in the coolant chamber; and a seal (18 to 23) having a main seal ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18-1), which is subjected to a spring force so as to sealingly contact the rotary slide valve, and a secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2), which is axially sandwiched between the housing and the primary sealing ring so as to be elastically deformed, and which generates a spring force acting on the primary sealing ring and seals the coolant chamber with respect to the coolant passage. The clamping of the secondary sealing ring against the housing is considered permeable to the coolant, with the coolant passage leading to a radially open peripheral sealing lip (26) of the secondary sealing ring, which sealing lip is in sealing contact with the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coolant regulator, the coolant regulator comprising: a housing having a coolant chamber and a coolant passage leading to the coolant chamber; a rotary slide valve disposed in the coolant chamber; and a seal having a main sealing ring and a secondary sealing ring, the main sealing ring being subjected to a spring force to make sealing contact with the rotary slide valve, the secondary sealing ring being axially clamped between the housing and the main sealing ring, thereby undergoing elastic deformation, and the secondary sealing ring generating a spring force acting on the main sealing ring and sealing the coolant chamber against the coolant passage. Background Technology

[0002] Coolant regulators are used, for example, in the cooling circuits of internal combustion engines or battery-electric drives in motor vehicles, where the coolant flowing through a corresponding sub-circuit can be continuously or in stages depending on the position of the rotary slide valve. The sealing effect of the seal in the sealing contact between the seal and the rotary slide valve is typically based on a metal spring, which is usually held as a preloaded wave spring between the seal and the housing, and presses the seal against the rotary slide valve.

[0003] Alternative designs are known from patent literature in which a separate spring is omitted and the spring force is generated by the elastic deformation of the seal itself. Examples of this are: DE 10 2016 205750 A1 with a one-piece seal, EP 3 730 823 A1 with a two-piece seal, and DE 10 2020207 303 A1 with a three-piece seal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of this invention is to disclose a coolant regulator of the type mentioned at the beginning, which has an improved sealing design.

[0005] This objective is achieved by a design where the clamping of the secondary sealing ring against the housing is permeable to coolant, wherein a coolant passage leads to a radially opening peripheral sealing lip of the secondary sealing ring, which makes sealing contact with the housing. In this design, the coolant pressure acts directly on the sealing lip and thus acts as a contact force amplifier in the sealing contact between the secondary sealing ring and the housing. Additionally, the coolant pressure also acts indirectly, i.e., via the secondary sealing ring, on the primary sealing ring and thus also acts as a contact force amplifier in the sealing contact between the primary sealing ring and the rotary sliding valve.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are the subject of the dependent claims. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and from exemplary embodiments according to the invention. Unless otherwise stated, identical or functionally identical parts or features are given the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

[0008] Figure 1 The coolant regulator according to the invention is shown in a top perspective view;

[0009] Figure 2 A longitudinal section of the coolant regulator is shown, which is shown through the rotary sliding valve of the coolant regulator;

[0010] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 Enlarged section of the longitudinal section in the middle;

[0011] Figure 4 A top perspective view of the opening of the coolant passage in the coolant chamber of the coolant regulator is shown;

[0012] Figure 5 An enlarged longitudinal section is shown with Figure 4 One of the inlet channels of the associated seal;

[0013] Figure 6 An enlarged longitudinal section is shown with Figure 4 One of the outlet channels in the associated seal outlet channel;

[0014] Figure 7 Shown in top 3D view Figure 5 The seals in the middle;

[0015] Figure 8 The bottom 3D view shows Figure 7 The seals in the middle;

[0016] Figure 9 Shown in longitudinal section Figure 7 The seals in the middle;

[0017] Figure 10 Shown in top 3D view Figure 7 The main sealing ring of the sealing element in the middle;

[0018] Figure 11 The bottom 3D view shows Figure 7 The main sealing ring of the sealing element in the middle;

[0019] Figure 12 Shown in top 3D view Figure 7 The secondary sealing ring of the sealing element in the middle;

[0020] Figure 13 The bottom 3D view shows Figure 7The secondary sealing ring of the sealing element in the middle;

[0021] Figure 14 Shown in top 3D view Figure 6 The seals in the middle;

[0022] Figure 15 Shown in longitudinal section Figure 14 The seals in the middle;

[0023] Figure 16 The bottom 3D view shows Figure 14 The seals in the middle;

[0024] Figure 17 Force-displacement diagrams are shown with different geometries and elastomer hardness of one of the sub-sealing rings as parameters;

[0025] Figure 18 A sealing ring for a spherical rotary slide valve according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The coolant regulator 1 of a battery-electric vehicle, comprising multiple sub-circuits, is shown in perspective and longitudinal section. The coolant regulator 1 includes a housing 2 with a coolant chamber 3 and a rotary slide valve 4 with a drive pin 5 arranged within the coolant chamber. This drive pin is rotated to discrete positions by an electric motor 7 via a transmission gear 6. The coolant regulator 1 also includes two electric coolant pumps 8 and 9, which pump coolant through the sub-circuits. The sub-circuits are either separated from or connected to each other depending on the rotational position of the rotary slide valve 4.

[0027] from Figures 3 to 6 As can be clearly seen from the outline, coolant passages 10 to 15 extend within the housing 2, leading to the coolant chamber 3, and the rotary slide valve 4 connects or disconnects the coolant passages via connecting passages 16 and 17 according to its current rotational position. Coolant passages 10, 12, 13, and 15 are inlet passages through which coolant flows according to… Figure 4 The flow arrows shown indicate that the coolant flows to the rotary slide valve 4. Coolant passages 11 and 14 are correspondingly outlet passages through which coolant flows away from the rotary slide valve 4. The openings of coolant passages 10 to 15 are provided with seals 18 to 23, which, in this exemplary embodiment, seal against the flat end face 24 of the rotary slide valve 4 on one hand, and seal the coolant chamber 3 relative to the coolant passages 10 to 15 on the other.

[0028] Seals 18 to 23 are each designed in two parts, including main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 and secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2. Each secondary sealing ring 18-2 to 23-2 is axially clamped between the housing 2 and the main sealing ring 18-1 to 23-1 resting against the end face 24 of the rotary slide valve 4 under elastic deformation, thereby generating a spring force that spring-loads the associated main sealing ring 18-1 to 23-1 into sealing contact with the rotary slide valve 4. For relatively low component and assembly costs and to accommodate the correspondingly small installation space requirements of seals 18 to 23, no separate spring, such as a metal wave spring, is used.

[0029] The main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 are each made of a thermoplastic material, and in this case, the thermoplastic material is polyoxymethylene (POM), or alternatively, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Alternatively, the main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 can be made of a thermosetting plastic. The secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 are each made of an elastic material (including thermoplastic elastomers), and in this case, the elastic material is ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). In this exemplary embodiment, the main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 and the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 are manufactured separately from each other and then joined together in a separable manner by simple interlocking. Alternatively, the seals can also be produced in a two-part injection molding process, wherein the components can be partially material-bonded to each other to accommodate the elastic deformability required for the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2.

[0030] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 Examples of seals 18 on the inlet channel 10 and 19 on the outlet channel 11 are illustrated, respectively, with each sub-sealing ring 18-2 to 23-2 being permeable to coolant by the clamping of the housing 2. Coolant passages extend between a plurality of protrusions 25 on the housing-side end portions of the sub-sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 and lead to the peripheral sealing lip 26 of the sub-sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 in sealing contact with the housing 2. The coolant passages may optionally or alternatively be formed by housing recesses (not shown) located in the region of the housing-side end portions of the sub-sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2.

[0031] In the cases of inlet channels 10, 12, 13, and 15, the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 seal the primary sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 in a sealing manner in each case, wherein the sealing lip 26 is radially outwardly flared and makes sealing contact with the inner surface 27 of the inlet channel 10, 12, 13, or 15. In the cases of outlet channels 11 and 14, the primary sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 seal the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 in a sealing manner in each case, wherein the sealing lip 26 is radially inwardly flared and makes sealing contact with the outer surface 28 of the outlet channel 11 or 14. The positive pressure of the coolant present in the inlet channels 10, 12, 13, and 15 and the negative pressure of the coolant present in the outlet channels 11 and 14 each cause the pressurized coolant to act on the sealing lip 26 via the coolant passage, such that the radial pressure component increases the sealing contact force between the sealing lip 26 and the housing 2. Simultaneously, the axial pressure component results in a sealing contact force between the main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 and the rotary sliding valve 4, which exceeds the spring force of the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2. Among the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2, only secondary sealing rings 18-2 and 19-2 are visible in the figure and are marked with their reference numerals.

[0032] Figures 7 to 9 Seal 18 is shown. Figure 10 and Figure 11 Its main sealing ring 18-1 is shown, and Figure 12 and Figure 13 The secondary sealing ring 18-2 is shown. Seal 18 is structurally identical to seal 20 and defines a circular flow cross-section. The primary sealing ring 18-1, like all primary sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1, has a generally L-shaped cross-section, and the secondary sealing ring 18-2, like all secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2, has a generally Y-shaped cross-section. The Y-shaped cross-section protrudes relative to the L-shaped cross-section at a housing-side end section and has an axially opposite primary sealing ring-side end section that is sealed in a sealing manner within an axial groove 29. This axial groove absorbs the spring force of the secondary sealing ring 18-2 in the L-shaped profile legs of the primary sealing ring 18-1, which in this case point radially outward. Therefore, the secondary sealing ring 18-2 is connected to the primary sealing ring 18-1 in a form-fit manner on both the radially inner and radially outer sides. This dual-shape fit prevents the secondary sealing ring 18-2 from circumferentially and locally radially moving and lifting from the primary sealing ring 18-1, and thus prevents higher displacement forces on the seal 18 and / or uncontrolled leakage at the sealing lip 26.

[0033] The double-shape fit connection between the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 and the main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 can be alternatively replaced by a material bond produced, for example, during the 2K injection molding process, which is generally limited to the sealing area at the axial height of the original axial groove 29.

[0034] As will be referred to below Figure 17 To explain in more detail, besides the elastomer material, the number and shape of the protrusions 25 forming the coolant passages have a significant impact on the spring characteristics of the sub-sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2. In this case, sub-sealing rings 18-2 and 20-2 have eight protrusions 25 evenly distributed on their circumference, which protrude in a serrated manner with a trapezoidal shape. The (circumferential) width of the trapezoids is smaller than the gaps between them, which form coolant passages.

[0035] Figures 14 to 16 Different views of the seal 19 on the outlet channel 11 are shown. This seal is structurally identical to the seal 22 on the outlet channel 14 and defines a non-circular but kidney-shaped flow cross-section. The foregoing statements apply accordingly to the profile cross-sections of the main sealing ring 19-1 and the secondary sealing ring 19-2, wherein the L-shaped profile legs of the main sealing ring 19-1 point radially inward, and the sealing lip 26 opens radially inward.

[0036] Figure 17 The force-displacement diagram shown illustrates the effect of the elastomer material and protrusions 25 on the spring characteristics using an example of the secondary sealing ring 18-2. The spring force F acting on the primary sealing ring 18-1 is shown along the axial deformation path s of the seal 18. The influencing parameters listed in the legend are the Shore hardness of the secondary sealing ring material and the presence of the protrusions 25: for example, "S 60Z" indicates the secondary sealing ring 18-2 shown in the upper left corner of the figure, which has an elastomer hardness of 60 Shore A and eight protrusions 25. Subsidiary sealing rings labeled "S 50", "S 60", and "S 70", i.e., those without the suffix Z, have no protrusions on the housing-side end section.

[0037] The six spring characteristics indicate that the spring stiffness of the secondary sealing ring 18-2 is significantly affected not only by the Shore hardness of the elastomer material but also by the presence of the protrusions 25. Numerically, the smallest possible spring stiffness is preferred, such that variations in the installation of the deformation path s caused by component tolerances are accompanied by minimal variations in the spring force F. On the one hand, if the spring force is too low due to insufficient elastic deformation, undesirable high internal coolant leakage may occur due to insufficient sealing contact between the main sealing ring and the rotary slide valve, especially because the sealing contact force is reduced by the friction generated between the sealing lip 26 of the secondary sealing ring 18-2 and the housing 2. On the other hand, if the spring force is too high, excessive torque is required to rotate the rotary slide valve 4 due to friction, thus necessitating a more powerful and expensive electric motor 7. Furthermore, increased wear on the sealing contact between the main sealing ring 18-1 and the rotary slide valve 4 is expected. The requirement for the flattest possible spring characteristics led to the selection of a preferred secondary sealing ring design with an elastomer hardness of 50 Shore A and eight protrusions 25.

[0038] The structural connection between the main sealing rings 18-1 to 23-1 and the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2 also has a significant impact on the spring characteristics of the secondary sealing rings 18-2 to 23-2. As shown in the three cross-sectional views above the spring characteristics, taking sealing ring 18 as an example, the axial clamping is intended to deform the secondary sealing ring 18-2 in a convex manner, thereby forming a radial gap 30 relative to the main sealing ring 18-1, wherein the radial gap 30 increases with axial clamping, i.e., deformation path s.

[0039] Figure 18 An alternative exemplary embodiment of the coolant regulator according to the invention is shown. In this embodiment, the seal 18' is in sealing contact with the spherical region 31 (indicated here by dashed lines) of the spherical layered rotary slide valve 4', wherein the contact surface 32 on the main sealing ring 18'-1 is correspondingly spherical in shape.

Claims

1. A coolant regulator (1), comprising: A housing (2) having a coolant chamber (3) and a coolant passage (10 to 15) leading to the coolant chamber; a rotary sliding valve (4) disposed in the coolant chamber (3); and a seal (18 to 23) having a main sealing ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1) and a secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2), the main sealing ring being subjected to spring force to make sealing contact with the rotary sliding valve (4), and the secondary sealing ring being axially clamped between the housing (2) and the main sealing ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1). Between 8'-1), elastic deformation occurs, and the secondary sealing ring generates a spring force acting on the primary sealing ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1) and seals the coolant chamber (3) relative to the coolant passage (10 to 15), characterized in that the secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2) abutting against the housing (2) is permeable to coolant, wherein the coolant passage leads to the radially open peripheral sealing lip (26) of the secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2), the sealing lip being in sealing contact with the housing (2).

2. The coolant regulator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coolant passage extends between the protrusions (25) on the housing-side end sections of the secondary sealing rings (18-2 to 23-2).

3. The coolant regulator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The axial clamping causes the secondary sealing rings (18-2 to 23-2) to deform in a bulging manner, thereby forming a radial gap (30) relative to the main sealing rings (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1), wherein the radial gap (30) increases with the axial clamping.

4. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The secondary sealing rings (18-2 to 23-2) are connected to the primary sealing rings (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1) in a form-fit manner on the radially inner and radially outer sides.

5. The coolant regulator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main sealing ring side end section of the secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2) is received in the axial groove (29) of the main sealing ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1).

6. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The main sealing rings (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1) are made of thermoplastic material, and the secondary sealing rings (18-2 to 23-2) are made of elastic material.

7. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The coolant channels (10, 12, 13, 15) are inlet channels through which coolant flows to the rotary sliding valve (4). The secondary sealing rings (18-2, 20-2, 21-2, 23-2) enclose the main sealing rings (18-1, 20-1, 21-1, 23-1), and the sealing lip (26) opens radially outward and seals against the inner surface (27) of the inlet channel.

8. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The coolant passages (11, 14) are outlet passages through which coolant flows away from the rotary sliding valve (4), wherein the main sealing rings (19-1, 22-1) enclose the secondary sealing rings (19-2, 22-2), and the sealing lip (26) opens radially inward and makes sealing contact with the outer surface (28) of the outlet passage.

9. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that... The L-shaped profile cross-section of the main sealing ring (18-1 to 23-1; 18'-1) and the Y-shaped profile cross-section of the secondary sealing ring (18-2 to 23-2).

10. The coolant regulator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The seals (19, 21, 22, 23) define a non-circular flow cross-section.

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