Automatic water drain valve

Abstract

The automatic water drain valve comprises a water collecting cup, a water level sensor, a sealing assembly, an electromagnetic valve and an elastic element, the water collecting cup is provided with a containing cavity, a mounting opening is formed in the top of the containing cavity, and a water outlet hole is formed in the bottom of the containing cavity; the water level sensor and the electromagnetic valve are arranged in the water collecting cup, and the sealing assembly is arranged in the containing cavity and located above the water outlet hole. The lower end of the elastic element abuts against the sealing assembly. The water level sensor, the electromagnetic valve and other parts are all integrated on the water collecting cup, the structure is simple, and the integration degree is high. The sealing assembly, the water collecting cup, the water level sensor, the electromagnetic valve and the like are assembled into a whole in advance, and when the filter is assembled, only the assembled automatic water drain valve needs to be installed on the filter shell, so that the assembling steps are simplified, and the production efficiency of the assembling procedure is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of filter water discharge, and in particular relates to an automatic water discharge valve. Background Art

[0002] The fuel filter is a component of the automobile fuel supply system, and its function is to filter impurities in the fuel. Since diesel contains a certain amount of water, the fuel filter will filter out some water after a period of use, so a water drain device needs to be set on the fuel filter to drain the water in time. There are two types of fuel filter drainage devices available on the market. One is a manual drainage device, which requires manually loosening the drain valve at the bottom to connect the water outlet to the outside and use gravity to drain the water. The other is to set an automatic drain device, which controls the on and off of the drain port through the internal solenoid valve to achieve the function of draining water.

[0003] The main components of the automatic water drain device are the water level sensor and the solenoid valve. The water level sensor and the solenoid valve on the market are single components. During assembly, the two are separately assembled at the bottom of the fuel filter tank. This results in more parts to be assembled during product assembly and the steps are more complicated. The prior art lacks a drain valve that integrates the water level sensor and the solenoid valve into one. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model provides an automatic water drain valve, aiming to solve the problem in the prior art that there is a lack of a water drain valve which integrates a water level sensor and a solenoid valve into one.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0006] Provided is an automatic water drain valve, comprising:

[0007] A water collecting cup, wherein the water collecting cup has a receiving cavity, a mounting opening is provided at the top of the receiving cavity, and a water outlet is provided at the bottom of the receiving cavity;

[0008] A water level sensor is disposed in the accommodating cavity;

[0009] A sealing assembly is arranged in the accommodating cavity and located above the water outlet;

[0010] an electromagnetic valve, disposed in the accommodating chamber, wherein an actuator of the electromagnetic valve is connected to the sealing assembly and the actuator of the electromagnetic valve is movable in a vertical direction; and

[0011] An elastic element is disposed in the accommodating cavity, the lower end of the elastic element abuts against the sealing assembly, and the elastic element is configured with a pre-tightening force that causes the sealing assembly to press the water outlet downward.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the water collecting cup includes:

[0013] an upper housing, wherein the water level sensor and the solenoid valve are respectively arranged on the upper housing; and

[0014] The lower shell is connected to the lower part of the upper shell. The lower shell and the upper shell together enclose the accommodating cavity. The water outlet is provided at the bottom of the lower shell.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the water level sensor and the coil of the solenoid valve are respectively buried within the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup, and the sensing portion of the water level sensor extends outside the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the lower shell has a funnel-shaped inner cavity, the water outlet is opened at the bottom of the inner cavity of the lower shell, and the water outlet is connected to a drain pipe.

[0017] In a possible implementation, a side wall of the water collecting cup forming the mounting opening has an external thread.

[0018] In a possible implementation, a water inlet channel is formed in the accommodating cavity, the water outlet hole is opened at the bottom of the water inlet channel, the solenoid valve and the sealing assembly are respectively arranged in the water inlet channel, and a filter screen is provided at the water inlet end of the water inlet channel.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the sealing assembly includes:

[0020] A bracket, disposed above the water outlet, wherein the upper end of the bracket is connected to the actuator of the solenoid valve; and

[0021] The sealing plug is arranged at the bottom of the bracket, and the elastic element is connected between the sealing plug and the bracket.

[0022] In a possible implementation, a slot is provided at the bottom of the actuator of the solenoid valve, and the sealing assembly has a buckle that is engaged with the slot.

[0023] In a possible implementation, an auxiliary drain port is further provided at the bottom of the accommodating cavity, and the sealing plug corresponds one-to-one to the auxiliary drain port.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the bracket has an adjustment cavity arranged vertically, the lower end of the sealing plug extends out of the bottom of the adjustment cavity and slidably cooperates with the inner wall of the adjustment cavity, the lower end of the elastic element is accommodated in the adjustment cavity and abuts against the upper part of the sealing plug, and the upper end of the elastic element abuts against the water collecting cup.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the automatic drain valve provided by the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] The automatic drain valve provided by the utility model includes a water collecting cup, a water level sensor, a sealing component, a solenoid valve and an elastic element. The water level sensor, the solenoid valve and other components are integrated on the water collecting cup, and the structure is simple and the integration is high. The sealing component, the water collecting cup, the water level sensor, the solenoid valve and the like are pre-assembled into one body. When assembling the filter, it is only necessary to install the assembled automatic drain valve on the filter housing, so that the assembly steps are simplified, which helps to improve the production efficiency of the assembly process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic drain valve provided in one embodiment of the utility model Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 2 An internal cross-sectional view of an automatic drain valve provided in one embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 3 It is a partial enlarged view of part A in 2;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic drain valve provided in one embodiment of the utility model Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a solenoid valve, a sealing assembly and an elastic element in one embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic drain valve provided in one embodiment of the utility model Figure 3 ;

[0033] Description of reference numerals:

[0034] 1. Automatic drain valve; 10. Water collecting cup; 11. Upper shell; 12. Lower shell; 121. Water outlet; 122. Auxiliary drain port; 123. Drain pipe; 13. Power supply port; 20. Water level sensor; 21. Induction unit; 30. Sealing assembly; 31. Bracket; 311. Adjusting chamber; 312. Buckle; 32. Sealing plug; 40. Solenoid valve; 41. Coil; 42. Fixed iron core; 43. Moving iron core; 431. Slot; 50. Elastic element; 60. Filter; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to", "fixed" or "fixedly disposed" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" or "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. When an element is referred to as being "set to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. "Multiple" refers to two or more quantities. "At least one" refers to one or more quantities. "Several" refers to one or more quantities.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

[0038] Please also read Figures 1 to 6 , the automatic drain valve 1 provided in the embodiment of the utility model is described below.

[0039] See also Figures 1 to 5 The embodiment of the utility model provides an automatic drain valve 1, including a water collecting cup 10, a water level sensor 20, a sealing assembly 30, a solenoid valve 40 and an elastic element 50. The water collecting cup 10 has a receiving chamber, a mounting port is provided at the top of the receiving chamber, and a water outlet 121 is provided at the bottom of the receiving chamber; the water level sensor 20 is arranged in the receiving chamber; the sealing assembly 30 is arranged in the receiving chamber and is located above the water outlet 121; the solenoid valve 40 is arranged in the receiving chamber, the actuator of the solenoid valve 40 is connected to the sealing assembly 30, and the actuator of the solenoid valve 40 can move in the vertical direction; the elastic element 50 is arranged in the receiving chamber, the lower end of the elastic element 50 is in contact with the sealing assembly 30, and the elastic element 50 is configured with a pre-tightening force that causes the sealing assembly 30 to press the water outlet 121 downward.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the automatic drain valve 1 provided in the embodiment of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0041] The automatic drain valve 1 provided in the embodiment of the utility model comprises a water collecting cup 10, a water level sensor 20, a sealing assembly 30, a solenoid valve 40 and an elastic element 50. The water level sensor 20, the solenoid valve 40 and other components are integrated on the water collecting cup 10, and the structure is simple and the integration is high. The sealing assembly 30, the water collecting cup 10, the water level sensor 20, the solenoid valve 40 and the like are pre-assembled as one body. When assembling the filter, it is only necessary to install the assembled automatic drain valve 1 on the filter housing, so that the assembly steps are simplified, which helps to improve the production efficiency of the assembly process.

[0042] In the embodiment of the utility model, the water collecting cup 10 can be obtained by injection molding. During the injection molding, the coil 41 and the fixed iron core 42 of the water level sensor 20 and the electromagnetic valve 40 can be pre-buried in the mold. In this way, the water collecting cup 10, the water level sensor 20 and the electromagnetic valve 40 obtained by injection molding are an integrated component, which greatly improves the sealing and assembly convenience of the product and saves materials and space. Of course, the water level sensor 20 and the electromagnetic valve 40 can also be fixed in the accommodating cavity of the water collecting cup 10 by screw connection, gluing, buckle 312 fixing, etc., and the embodiment of the utility model is not limited to this.

[0043] The elastic element 50 is used to provide elastic pre-tightening force to ensure that the sealing assembly 30 is pressed against the water outlet 121 after installation. The elastic element 50 can be a component that can produce elastic deformation, such as a spring or a rubber block.

[0044] The water level sensor 20 and the solenoid valve 40 can be directly selected from existing products on the market, and there is no restriction on their specific specifications and models. Figure 2 As shown, the solenoid valve 40 includes a coil 41, a fixed iron core 42 and a moving iron core 43. The moving iron core 43 serves as an actuator and can drive the sealing assembly 30 to move up and down, thereby controlling the water outlet 121 to be opened or closed.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the two probes of the water level sensor 20 extend upward. When there is water between the two probes of the water level sensor 20 (the probe material is a conductor), the water level sensor 20 is turned on, and at the same time, a water signal is sent to the host ECU to notify the driver that the water needs to be drained. The driver performs the drain operation, and the coil 41 of the automatic drain valve 1 is energized to generate a magnetic field. The fixed iron core 42 and the moving iron core 43 are made of soft magnetic materials and are attracted under the action of the magnetic field. Since the moving iron core 43 and the sealing assembly 30 are in a linked state, the moving iron core 43 serves as an actuator. During the process of the moving iron core 43 attracting and moving, the sealing assembly 30 is lifted, and the rubber seal is away from the sealing surface so that the air inlet and the drain hole are opened, and the water in the water collection cup 10 is discharged under the action of gravity.

[0046] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 In some possible embodiments, the water collecting cup 10 includes an upper shell 11 and a lower shell 12, wherein the water level sensor 20 and the solenoid valve 40 are respectively arranged on the upper shell 11; the lower shell 12 is connected to the lower part of the upper shell 11, and the lower shell 12 and the upper shell 11 are enclosed together to form a receiving cavity, and a water outlet 121 is provided at the bottom of the lower shell 12. The upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12 are connected to each other and can be connected as a whole by screw connection, gluing, etc. In order to avoid leakage, a sealant can be applied between the joint surfaces of the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12.

[0047] See also Figure 2and Figure 4 In some possible embodiments, the water level sensor 20 and the coil 41 of the solenoid valve 40 are respectively buried within the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup 10 (specifically, the upper shell 11), and the sensing part 21 (i.e., the probe) of the water level sensor 20 extends outside the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup 10 to ensure that the sensing part 21 (i.e., the probe) can smoothly contact with water.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, a power supply port 13 is also provided on the outer shell of the water collecting cup 10 for connecting a wiring harness to supply power to the solenoid valve 40 .

[0049] In the process of injection molding the water collecting cup 10 in this embodiment, the coil 41 of the solenoid valve 40 and the water level sensor 20 are pre-placed in the mold, and are injection molded into one piece with the water collecting cup 10. During assembly, it is only necessary to assemble the sealing assembly 30 (including the plastic bracket 31 and the rubber seal) and the elastic element 50 (compensation spring) into one piece, and fix the moving iron core 43 on the plastic bracket 31 so that it can drive the plastic bracket 31 to move up and down. Finally, the assembled sealing assembly 30 is assembled with the water collecting cup 10, and the assembly process is simple and convenient.

[0050] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some possible embodiments, the lower shell 12 has a funnel-shaped inner cavity, the water outlet 121 is opened at the bottom of the inner cavity of the lower shell 12, and the water outlet 121 is connected to a drain pipe 123.

[0051] In this embodiment, the water outlet 121 is connected to a drain pipe 123 , and the drain pipe 123 can be connected to the outside through a plastic hose. When draining, the water in the water collection cup 10 can be discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 123 and the plastic hose.

[0052] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 In some possible embodiments, the side wall of the water collecting cup 10 forming the installation opening has an external thread, and correspondingly, the bottom of the fuel filter housing is provided with an internal thread, and the water collecting cup 10 cooperates with the bottom thread of the fuel filter housing when installed.

[0053] Of course, in addition to the above connection forms, the water collecting cup 10 can also be connected to the fuel filter housing by screw connection, gluing, etc.

[0054] See also Figures 1 to 3 In some possible embodiments, a water inlet channel is formed in the accommodating cavity, a water outlet hole 121 is opened at the bottom of the water inlet channel, the solenoid valve 40 and the sealing assembly 30 are respectively arranged in the water inlet channel, and a filter net 60 is provided at the water inlet end of the water inlet channel for filtering water entering the water inlet channel to prevent blockage.

[0055] See also Figure 3 and Figure 5 In some possible embodiments, the sealing assembly 30 includes a bracket 31 and a sealing plug 32. The bracket 31 is arranged above the water outlet 121, and the upper end of the bracket 31 is connected to the actuator of the solenoid valve 40; the sealing plug 32 is arranged at the bottom of the bracket 31, and the elastic element 50 is connected between the sealing plug 32 and the bracket 31, and the sealing plug 32 is made of rubber.

[0056] In this embodiment, the elastic element 50 is connected between the sealing plug 32 and the bracket 31, and can press the bracket 31 downward. The sealing plug 32 is made of rubber. The pre-tightening force causes the bracket 31 to press the sealing plug 32 downward, and the sealing plug 32 can seal the joint surface between it and the water outlet 121. When it is necessary to drain water, the moving iron core 43 of the solenoid valve 40 drives the bracket 31 to overcome the pre-tightening force of the elastic element 50 and move upward, and the water outlet is opened.

[0057] See also Figure 3 and Figure 5 In some possible embodiments, a card slot 431 is provided at the bottom of the actuator of the solenoid valve 40 (i.e., the moving iron core 43), and the sealing assembly 30 has a buckle 312 that is engaged with the card slot 431, so that the actuator of the solenoid valve 40 and the bracket 31 can be linked.

[0058] See also Figure 6 In some possible embodiments, an auxiliary drain port 122 is further provided at the bottom of the accommodating cavity, and the sealing plug 32 corresponds to the auxiliary drain port 122 one by one. One or more auxiliary drain ports 122 can be provided as needed.

[0059] See also Figure 5 In some possible embodiments, the bracket 31 has an adjusting cavity 311 arranged vertically, the lower end of the sealing plug 32 extends out of the bottom of the adjusting cavity 311 and slides with the inner wall of the adjusting cavity 311, the lower end of the elastic element 50 is accommodated in the adjusting cavity 311 and abuts against the upper part of the sealing plug 32, and the upper end of the elastic element 50 abuts against the water collecting cup 10.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the sealing plug 32 is movably arranged in the corresponding adjusting cavity 311. When there are multiple sealing plugs 32, each sealing plug 32 is relatively independent. Different from the integrated sealing design in the traditional design, the sealing surface between the different sealing plugs 32 and the water collecting cup 10 in the present embodiment will not be affected by factors such as dimensional tolerance, temperature conditions, and vibration conditions. The sealing plug 32 that can be moved independently can ensure sealing, so that the product is more stable during use and the sealing effect is better.

[0061] One end of the sealing plug 32 is connected to an elastic element 50, which is a compensation spring. When the automatic drain valve 1 is opened and closed and impacts the sealing plug 32, the compensation spring can fully buffer, thereby reducing the impact force on the sealing plug 32 and extending the service life of the sealing plug 32.

[0062] like Figure 5 As shown, an annular stopper is provided on the inner wall of the bottom outlet of the regulating chamber 311 to prevent the sealing plug 32 from falling from below.

[0063] It can be understood that the various parts in the above-mentioned embodiments can be freely combined or deleted to form different combination embodiments. The specific contents of each combination embodiment will not be repeated here. After this description, it can be considered that the utility model specification has recorded various combination embodiments and can support different combination embodiments.

[0064] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Automatic drain valve, characterized in that: include: A water collecting cup, wherein the water collecting cup has a receiving cavity, a mounting opening is provided at the top of the receiving cavity, and a water outlet is provided at the bottom of the receiving cavity; A water level sensor is disposed in the accommodating cavity; A sealing assembly is arranged in the accommodating cavity and located above the water outlet; an electromagnetic valve, disposed in the accommodating chamber, wherein an actuator of the electromagnetic valve is connected to the sealing assembly and the actuator of the electromagnetic valve is movable in a vertical direction; and An elastic element is disposed in the accommodating cavity, the lower end of the elastic element abuts against the sealing assembly, and the elastic element is configured with a pre-tightening force that causes the sealing assembly to press the water outlet downward.

2. The automatic drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water collection cup comprises: an upper housing, wherein the water level sensor and the solenoid valve are respectively arranged on the upper housing; and The lower shell is connected to the lower part of the upper shell. The lower shell and the upper shell together enclose the accommodating cavity. The water outlet is provided at the bottom of the lower shell.

3. The automatic drain valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower shell has a funnel-shaped inner cavity, the water outlet is opened at the bottom of the inner cavity of the lower shell, and the water outlet is connected to a water discharge pipe.

4. The automatic drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water level sensor and the coil of the electromagnetic valve are respectively buried within the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup, and the sensing part of the water level sensor extends outside the wall thickness range of the water collecting cup.

5. The automatic drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side wall of the water collecting cup forming the installation opening has external threads.

6. The automatic drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: A water inlet channel is formed in the accommodating cavity, the water outlet hole is opened at the bottom of the water inlet channel, the solenoid valve and the sealing assembly are respectively arranged in the water inlet channel, and a filter screen is arranged at the water inlet end of the water inlet channel.

7. The automatic drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing assembly comprises: A bracket, disposed above the water outlet, wherein the upper end of the bracket is connected to the actuator of the solenoid valve; and The sealing plug is arranged at the bottom of the bracket, and the elastic element is connected between the sealing plug and the bracket.

8. The automatic drain valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: A card slot is provided at the bottom of the actuator of the solenoid valve, and the sealing assembly has a buckle that is engaged with the card slot.

9. The automatic drain valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: An auxiliary drain port is also provided at the bottom of the accommodating cavity, and the sealing plug corresponds to the auxiliary drain port one by one.

10. The automatic drain valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bracket has an adjustment cavity arranged vertically, the lower end of the sealing plug extends out of the bottom of the adjustment cavity and slidably cooperates with the inner wall of the adjustment cavity, the lower end of the elastic element is accommodated in the adjustment cavity and abuts against the upper part of the sealing plug, and the upper end of the elastic element abuts against the water collecting cup.

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