Automobile electronic water valve actuator

Abstract

The utility model provides an automobile electronic water valve actuator which comprises a lower shell and an upper shell, a gear set, a motor and a PCB are arranged in an installation cavity of the lower shell, the upper shell is connected to the opening end of the lower shell, an upper positioning portion is arranged on the lower end face of the upper shell, a lower positioning portion is arranged on the lower shell, the upper positioning portion is matched with the lower positioning portion, and the upper positioning portion is matched with the lower positioning portion. The PCB is pressed and limited between the upper positioning part and the lower positioning part; the free end of an output shaft of the motor is sleeved with a magnetic ring, the PCB is connected with a Hall sensor used for sensing signals of the magnetic ring, and the Hall sensor is electrically connected with the PCB. According to the automobile electronic water valve actuator disclosed by the utility model, the accurate control of the output angle of the actuator is ensured by improving the assembly accuracy of parts and improving the control of the output angle of the motor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automobile equipment control, in particular to an automobile electronic water valve actuator. Background Art

[0002] With the innovative development of the automobile industry, especially the rapid development of new energy, driverless and other technologies, automotive electronics has been widely used and has become an important part of the vehicle. Its performance directly affects the power, economy, reliability, safety and comfort of the vehicle.

[0003] In new energy vehicles, actuators are accessories and are one of the indispensable parts of modern automobiles. Actuators are a kind of miniature actuators that control the movement of valve cores. They are composed of a housing, a micro motor, a micro transmission unit, a PCB board, etc. After receiving the signal, the PCB of the actuator precisely controls the rotation of the output shaft to meet different functional requirements. It can be used in automotive air-conditioning dampers, automotive electronic water valves and other mechanisms.

[0004] In the prior art, the actuator usually uses the circuit system to output feedback voltage to control the angle. In actual applications, this control method often results in inaccurate positioning and large output angle deviation, which cannot meet the intelligent and precise control requirements of new energy vehicles. On the other hand, in the existing actuator, since the gear shafts at both ends of each gear structure of the transmission unit are rotatably connected to the plastic upper shell and lower shell respectively, if the upper shell and the lower shell are not accurately installed and positioned, it may affect the assembly accuracy of the gear shaft, thereby causing inaccurate matching between the transmission gears, that is, unreasonable side clearance is likely to exist between the gears, and the size of the side clearance will also change under different working temperatures, resulting in the inability of the output shaft of the actuator to accurately control the rotation angle of the valve core. In addition, unreasonable tooth clearance may also cause transmission noise. Utility Model Content

[0005] The problem solved by the utility model is: to overcome at least one defect in the prior art and to provide an automotive electronic water valve actuator, which ensures accurate control of the actuator output angle by improving the assembly accuracy of components and improving the output angle control of the motor itself.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides an automotive electronic water valve actuator, including a lower shell and an upper shell, the lower shell is provided with an installation cavity with an upper opening, a gear set, a motor for driving the gear set to operate and a PCB board are arranged in the installation cavity, the upper shell is connected to the open end of the lower shell, the lower end surface of the upper shell is provided with an upper positioning portion, the lower shell is provided with a lower positioning portion, the upper positioning portion cooperates with the lower positioning portion, and the PCB board is pressed and limited between the upper positioning portion and the lower positioning portion; the free end of the output shaft of the motor is sleeved with a magnetic ring, a Hall sensor for sensing a magnetic ring signal is connected to the PCB board, and the Hall sensor is electrically connected to the PCB board.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0008] In the automotive electronic water valve actuator structure of the utility model, corresponding positioning parts are respectively arranged on the upper shell and the lower shell to ensure the position accuracy when the upper and lower shells are connected, so as to improve the assembly accuracy of each gear shaft of the gear set, and finally ensure that the output shaft of the actuator can more accurately control the rotation angle of the valve core, and at the same time can prevent the increase of the actuator noise after long-term work and improve the life of the actuator; in addition, a magnetic ring is also arranged at the free end of the output shaft of the motor, and a Hall sensor is connected to the PCB board. The Hall sensor is used to feedback the angular position of the magnetic ring at the motor end, so as to better meet the intelligent and precise control requirements of new energy vehicles.

[0009] As an improvement, a plurality of first support columns are provided on the lower end surface of the upper shell, and a positioning pin is provided on the lower end surface of each of the first support columns to form the upper positioning portion; a plurality of second support columns corresponding to each of the first support columns are provided at the bottom of the installation cavity, and a positioning socket for each of the second support columns to cooperate with each of the positioning pins is provided on the upper end to form the lower positioning portion; a plurality of connecting through holes for each of the positioning pins to pass through are provided on the PCB board, and the PCB board is clamped and limited between the plurality of first support columns and the plurality of second support columns. In the above improved structure, the position accuracy of the upper shell and the lower shell during installation is ensured by the provision of the first support column, the positioning pin, the second support column, and the positioning socket, thereby improving the assembly accuracy of the gear set and ensuring that the output shaft can more accurately control the rotation angle of the valve core; in addition, this structure simultaneously realizes the positioning of the PCB board, does not require additional fasteners, simplifies the connection structure, and reduces costs.

[0010] Preferably, each gear of the gear set is made of plastic material. Plastic gears are easy to process and can reduce weight to better meet the lightweight development trend of new energy vehicles; and plastic gears can better optimize gear tooth profiles, increase gear pressure angles, increase output torque, and ensure output angle accuracy.

[0011] Further improved, two positioning bosses are symmetrically arranged on the outer shell of the motor, two first support plates are arranged at intervals at the bottom of the installation cavity, and two second support plates corresponding to the first support plates are arranged on the lower end surface of the upper shell; the upper and lower parts at both ends of the motor axial direction are respectively limited and matched between the two second support plates and between the two first support plates, and the two positioning bosses are respectively pressed and matched between the two first support plates and the two second support plates. In the above improved structure, the second support plate and the first support plate are arranged on the upper and lower shells to further enhance the axial limit of the motor, while ensuring the stable positioning of the motor in the vertical direction and reducing vibration noise.

[0012] In a further improvement, both positioning bosses are cylindrical structures, and arc grooves matching the shape of the positioning bosses are provided on the upper ends of the two first support plates and the lower end surfaces of the two second support plates. In the above improved structure, the cylindrical positioning bosses and the arc groove structure matched therewith effectively improve the stability of the motor after positioning at both ends, and reduce or even eliminate vibration noise.

[0013] In a further improvement, a positioning seat is provided at the bottom of the installation cavity, a positioning groove is provided on the upper end surface of the positioning seat, and arc surfaces matching the shape of the motor are provided on the two inner side walls in the width direction of the positioning groove, and two first support plates are formed at both ends in the length direction of the positioning seat. In the above improved structure, the positioning groove and the arc surface structure further ensure the stability of the motor after assembly, and can stably limit the position in both the vertical and horizontal directions, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the output angle of the motor shaft.

[0014] In a further improvement, the outer periphery of the lower end surface of the upper shell is provided with an annular positioning slot, the top of the open end of the lower shell is provided with an annular positioning plug plate, the positioning plug plate is inserted and fitted in the positioning slot, and the upper shell and the lower shell are fixed together by laser hot-melt welding. In the above improved structure, the upper shell and the lower shell are fixed by hot-melt welding, eliminating the fastener structure, preventing the noise generated by the loose fasteners in the later stage, and at the same time better ensuring the sealing performance in the installation cavity.

[0015] Other improved features and advantages of the utility model will be described in the subsequent specific embodiments, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by implementing the utility model. The purpose and other advantages of the utility model can be achieved and obtained through the structures specifically pointed out in the description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the automotive electronic water valve actuator of the utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the automotive electronic water valve actuator of the utility model after the housing is removed;

[0018] Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of the automotive electronic water valve actuator of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the lower housing in the utility model;

[0020] Figure 5 This is another angle structural diagram of the lower shell in the utility model.

[0021] Description of reference numerals:

[0022] 1. Lower shell; 2. Upper shell; 3. Mounting cavity; 4. Gear set; 5. Motor; 6. PCB board; 7. Magnetic ring; 8. Hall sensor; 9. First support column; 10. Positioning column; 11. Second support column; 12. Positioning socket; 13. Positioning boss; 14. First support plate; 15. Second support plate; 16. Arc groove; 17. Positioning seat; 18. Positioning groove; 19. Arc surface; 20. Positioning slot; 21. Positioning plug plate; 22. Input gear; 23. Intermediate gear; 24. Output gear; 25. Spline matching hole; 26. Worm; 27. Limiting boss; 28. Mounting column; 29. ​​Mounting hole; 30. Oil storage tank; 31. Support platform; 32. Positioning groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper end", "lower end", "inner side wall", "top" and "bottom" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the utility model provides an automotive electronic water valve actuator, including a lower shell 1 and an upper shell 2, the lower shell 1 is provided with a mounting cavity 3 with an upper opening, a gear set 4, a motor 5 for driving the gear set 4 to operate, and a PCB board 6 are arranged in the mounting cavity 3; specifically, a worm 26 for driving the gear set 4 to operate is connected to the output shaft of the motor 5, and in addition, in this structure, the worm 26 and the output shaft are processed separately and are later connected to an integrated structure, that is, the worm 26 is sleeved on the outside of the output shaft, and the free end of the output shaft passes through the worm 26, and the free end of the output and the motor 5 housing are respectively connected to the inner wall of the mounting cavity 3; more specifically, a first mounting portion for mounting the motor 5 and a second mounting portion for positioning the free end of the output shaft are arranged at intervals at the bottom of the mounting cavity 3.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the first mounting portion includes two first support plates 14 arranged at intervals, and two positioning bosses 13 are symmetrically arranged on the outer shell of the motor 5. The two axial ends of the motor 5 are limited between the two first support plates 14, and the top plates of the two first supports are abutted against the lower ends of the two positioning bosses 13, and the upper shell 2 is pressed and limited at the upper end of the motor 5; first reinforcing ribs are arranged at the lower ends of the two first support plates 14 and on at least one side along the thickness direction thereof; preferably, reinforcing ribs are integrally formed at the lower ends of the two first support plates 14 and on both sides along the thickness direction thereof.

[0028] In this embodiment, since the upper shell 2, the lower shell 1 and the first support plate 14 are all made of plastic, the plastic itself is elastic, which can not only limit the axial movement of the motor 5, but also play a buffering role, thereby reducing the working noise of the actuator; on the other hand, a buffer pad is provided between the lower end face of the motor 5 and the bottom wall of the mounting cavity 3, and between the upper end face and the lower end face of the upper shell 2. Preferably, the buffer pad is a seismic isolation sponge. A seismic isolation material is attached to the surface of the motor 5 shell to reduce the abnormal sound generated when the motor 5 contacts the shell, thereby avoiding the actuator from generating abnormal sound of a fixed frequency, so that the motor 5 can work smoothly.

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, the second mounting portion is a mounting vertical plate close to the free end of the output shaft of the motor 5, and a support platform 31 is provided on the side of the mounting vertical plate close to the output shaft. A positioning groove 32 is provided on the upper end surface of the support platform 31, and the free end of the output shaft of the electrode fits in the positioning groove 32; this structure is used to vertically support the output shaft and to radially position it, thereby preventing the free end of the output shaft from radially swinging, thereby avoiding friction noise between the worm 26 and the turbine.

[0030] In addition, in the present embodiment, an upper positioning portion is provided on the lower end surface of the upper shell 2, and a lower positioning portion is provided on the lower shell 1. The upper positioning portion cooperates with the lower positioning portion, and the PCB board 6 is pressed and limited between the upper positioning portion and the lower positioning portion. Corresponding positioning portions are respectively provided on the upper shell 2 and the lower shell 1 to ensure the position accuracy when the upper and lower shells are connected, so as to improve the assembly accuracy of each gear shaft of the gear set 4, and can simultaneously realize the fixation of the PCB board 6, simplify the connection structure, and reduce the cost.

[0031] The free end of the output shaft of the motor 5 is provided with a magnetic ring 7, and a Hall sensor 8 for sensing the signal of the magnetic ring 7 is connected to the PCB board 6, and the Hall sensor 8 is electrically connected to the PCB board 6. The Hall sensor 8 is used to feedback the angular position of the magnetic ring 7 at the end of the motor 5, and then, in combination with a suitable control unit, specific operations can be performed on the motor 5, so that the preset rotation angle of the output shaft or each actuator can be adjusted, thereby better meeting the intelligent and precise control requirements of new energy vehicles.

[0032] In the present embodiment, more specifically, the upper positioning portion includes a plurality of first support columns 9 connected to the lower end surface of the upper shell 2, and the lower end surface of each first support column 9 is provided with a positioning pin 10; the lower positioning portion includes a plurality of second support columns 11 connected to the bottom of the installation cavity 3 and corresponding to each first support column 9, and the upper end of each second support column 11 is provided with a positioning socket 12 for cooperating with each positioning pin 10, and a plurality of connecting through holes for each positioning pin 10 to pass through are opened on the PCB board 6; during installation, the plurality of connecting through holes of the PCB board 6 are mounted on the corresponding positioning pins 10, and then the PCB board 6 and the upper shell 2 are covered on the lower shell 1 together to ensure that the plurality of positioning pins 10 are correspondingly inserted and fitted in each positioning socket 12, until the PCB board 6 is clamped and limited between the plurality of first support columns 9 and the plurality of second support columns 11, and finally the upper shell 2 and the lower shell 1 are fixedly connected. Preferably, the upper and lower shells 1 are fixedly connected by hot-melt welding. Here, an annular positioning slot 20 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end surface of the upper shell 2, and an annular positioning plug plate 21 is provided on the top of the open end of the lower shell 1. The positioning plug plate 21 is inserted and matched in the positioning slot 20, ensuring that the welding and fixing of the upper and lower shells 1 are more stable, and can effectively achieve the dustproof and waterproof functions. In the above structure, in order to reduce the difficulty of processing, multiple first support columns 9 are integrally formed on the upper shell 2, and multiple second support columns 11 are integrally formed on the bottom surface of the installation cavity 3, that is, one-time injection molding, which reduces the subsequent connection process, improves production efficiency, and saves costs.

[0033] In the above structure, the positioning pins 10 and the positioning holes 12 can also be alternately arranged on the end faces of the first support column 9 and the second support column 11; for example: there are four first support columns 9 and four second support columns 11 in this structure, among which the positioning pins 10 are convexly arranged on the lower end faces of two first support columns 9, and the positioning holes 12 are concavely arranged on the lower end faces of the other two first support columns 9; similarly, among the four second support columns 11, two upper end faces are provided with positioning holes 12, and two upper end faces are provided with positioning pins 10. During installation, the positioning pins 10 and the positioning holes 12 of the upper and lower parts can be correspondingly inserted and matched.

[0034] In this embodiment, two second support plates 15 corresponding to the first support plates 14 are arranged on the lower end surface of the upper shell 2. The two second support plates 15 are also limited and matched at the two ends of the axial direction of the motor 5, and the lower ends of the two second support plates 15 are respectively pressed on the upper ends of the two positioning bosses 13, that is, the two positioning bosses 13 at the two ends of the motor 5 are respectively positioned between the two first support plates 14 and the two second support plates 15. The structure is simple, easy to install, and can also achieve axial limitation of the motor 5, while having an elastic buffering effect; the second support plate 15 is close to one end of the upper shell 2 and is provided with a second reinforcing rib along at least one side of the thickness direction thereof to ensure the structural strength of the second support plate 15. Preferably, reinforcing ribs are integrally formed at both ends of the second support plate 15 in the thickness direction.

[0035] In the above structure, the two positioning bosses 13 are both cylindrical structures, and the upper ends of the two first support plates 14 and the lower end surfaces of the two second support plates 15 are provided with arc grooves 16 matching the shape of the positioning bosses 13, so as to better ensure the stability of the motor 5 after connection.

[0036] A positioning seat 17 is provided at the bottom of the mounting cavity 3, and a positioning groove 18 for supporting the motor 5 is provided on the upper end surface of the positioning seat 17, and arc surfaces 19 matching the shape of the motor 5 are provided on the two inner side walls in the width direction of the positioning groove 18. The two first support plates 14 are connected to the two ends of the positioning seat 17 in the length direction. Specifically, the two first support plates 14 are directly injection molded with the positioning seat 17 and the lower shell 1 at one time, which omits the subsequent connection steps and reduces the cost.

[0037] In this embodiment, a plurality of mounting parts for rotationally cooperating with a plurality of gear shafts of the gear set 4 are arranged on the bottom wall of the mounting cavity 3, and an oil storage tank 30 for storing grease is arranged on the top of each mounting part. Specifically, in this embodiment, the gear set 4 includes an input gear 22, an intermediate gear 23 and an output gear 24, wherein the input end of the input gear 22 is meshed with the worm 26, the output end of the input gear 22 is meshed with the input end of the intermediate gear 23, the output end of the intermediate gear 23 is meshed with the input end of the output gear 24, the output end of the output gear 24 is a spline matching hole 25, and an avoidance through hole is provided at a position corresponding to the spline matching hole 25 on the upper shell 2; an outwardly convex and annular limiting boss 27 is provided on the bottom wall of the mounting cavity 3, the lower end of the output gear 24 is rotatably matched on the limiting boss 27, and an oil storage tank 30 is provided on the top of the limiting boss 27 for storing grease; in addition, mounting columns 28 for rotatably matching the lower end of the intermediate gear and mounting holes 29 for rotatably matching the lower end of the input gear are respectively provided on the bottom wall of the mounting cavity 3, and similarly, an oil storage tank 30 for storing grease is provided at the top of the mounting column 28.

[0038] In addition, the motor 5 involved in this embodiment is preferably a stepper motor 5. The stepper motor 5 can realize stepless speed regulation and arbitrary angle control, and adopts communication control, which is conducive to realizing automobile information sharing.

[0039] In this embodiment, each gear of the gear set 4 is made of plastic material. Plastic gears are easy to process and can better ensure the accuracy of the tooth shape, thereby reducing the transmission gap between gears and improving control accuracy. In addition, plastic materials can reduce weight to better meet the lightweight development trend of new energy vehicles.

[0040] Although the utility model is disclosed as above, the protection scope of the utility model is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, and these changes and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. An automotive electronic water valve actuator, comprising a lower housing (1) and an upper housing (2), wherein the lower housing (1) is provided with a mounting cavity (3) with an upper opening, wherein a gear set (4), a motor (5) for driving the gear set (4) to operate, and a PCB board (6) are arranged in the mounting cavity (3), and the upper housing (2) is connected to the open end of the lower housing (1), characterized in that: The lower end surface of the upper shell (2) is provided with an upper positioning portion, and the lower shell (1) is provided with a lower positioning portion, the upper positioning portion cooperates with the lower positioning portion, and the PCB board (6) is pressed and limited between the upper positioning portion and the lower positioning portion; the free end of the output shaft of the motor (5) is sleeved with a magnetic ring (7), the PCB board (6) is connected to a Hall sensor (8) for sensing a signal of the magnetic ring (7), and the Hall sensor (8) is electrically connected to the PCB board (6).

2. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of first support columns (9) are provided on the lower end surface of the upper shell (2), and a positioning pin (10) is provided on the lower end surface of each of the first support columns (9) to form the upper positioning portion; a plurality of second support columns (11) corresponding to each of the first support columns (9) are provided at the bottom of the installation cavity (3), and a positioning socket (12) for cooperating with each of the positioning pins (10) is provided at the upper end of each of the second support columns (11) to form the lower positioning portion; a plurality of connecting through holes for each of the positioning pins (10) to pass through are provided on the PCB board (6), and the PCB board (6) is clamped and limited between the plurality of first support columns (9) and the plurality of second support columns (11).

3. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each gear of the gear set (4) is made of plastic material.

4. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two positioning bosses (13) are symmetrically arranged on the outer shell of the motor (5); two first support plates (14) arranged at intervals are arranged at the bottom of the installation cavity (3); and two second support plates (15) corresponding to the first support plates (14) are arranged on the lower end surface of the upper shell (2); the upper and lower parts at both axial ends of the motor (5) are respectively limitedly fitted between the two second support plates (15) and between the two first support plates (14), and the two positioning bosses (13) are respectively pressed and fitted between the two first support plates (14) and the two second support plates (15).

5. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The two positioning bosses (13) are both cylindrical structures, and arc-shaped grooves (16) matching the shapes of the positioning bosses (13) are provided on the upper ends of the two first support plates (14) and on the lower end surfaces of the two second support plates (15).

6. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: A positioning seat (17) is provided at the bottom of the installation cavity (3), a positioning groove (18) is provided on the upper end surface of the positioning seat (17), and arc-shaped surfaces (19) matching the outer shape of the motor (5) are provided on two inner side walls in the width direction of the positioning groove (18), and two first support plates (14) are formed at both ends of the positioning seat (17) in the length direction.

7. The automotive electronic water valve actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: An annular positioning slot (20) is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end surface of the upper shell (2), and an annular positioning plug plate (21) is provided on the top of the open end of the lower shell (1); the positioning plug plate (21) is inserted and fitted into the positioning slot (20), and the upper shell (2) and the lower shell (1) are fixed together by laser hot-melt welding.

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