Pressure regulating valve

Abstract

Pressure control valve (10) for regulating pressure in an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, comprising an actuating part (12) designed as a magnetic part for at least one valve element, a hydraulic part (14) for connection to at least one hydraulic line, and an intermediate piece (52) which connects the hydraulic part (14) and the actuating part (12), wherein the intermediate piece (52) and the hydraulic part (14) are initially manufactured as separate parts and are connected to each other by positive locking after manufacture, wherein the intermediate piece (52) is annular and designed as a flow disk with a through-opening (50), characterized in that the hydraulic part (14) has a flange (44) with several detent elements (48) projecting towards the actuating part (12), wherein the detent elements (48) each engage in segment-like recesses (56) on an inner surface of the through-opening (50) of the flow disk.wherein the pressure regulating valve (10) comprises a locking element designed as a pole tube (24) for locking the detent elements (48) in the detent position and wherein the intermediate piece (52) is a stamped and bent part.

Description

State of the art

[0001] The invention relates to a pressure control valve for regulating pressure in an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a pressure control valve for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle according to the preamble of the corresponding dependent claim.

[0002] Modern automatic transmissions in passenger cars require pressure control valves to actuate hydraulic clutches for gear changes. These conventional pressure control valves are electromagnetically actuated and therefore generally comprise two basic components: an actuating element and a hydraulic element. The actuating element is typically a solenoid and essentially consists of a magnetic armature, a pole tube, and a solenoid coil. The hydraulic element essentially comprises a flange, an actuating element, at least one valve seat with a closing element, a filter element, and O-rings. The connecting element between the hydraulic element and the solenoid is currently a machined metal disc (so-called magnetic flux disc), which, during the manufacturing of the hydraulic element, creates a rigid connection between the disc and the flange of the hydraulic element using an injection molding process. For this purpose, a radial groove is milled or machined into the disc.The hydraulic component and the disc are therefore already a single unit during the manufacturing of the hydraulic component. The disc, together with the hydraulic component, is then crimped to the magnet housing, thus forming a firm connection with the magnet.

[0003] From DE 10 2006 046 825 A1, a pressure control valve is known in which the magnetic iron circuit of the pressure control valve is formed by a maximum of three components. These components of the magnetic iron circuit are connected to each other by simple joining processes, without the need for any additional parts.

[0004] From DE 43 32 538 A1 a hydraulic unit for a slip-controlled braking system of motor vehicles with an electromagnetically actuated valve is known.

[0005] Another pressure regulating valve with an older date priority is described in the subsequently published document DE 10 2008 043 962 A1. Disclosure of the invention

[0006] The object of the invention is to further develop a pressure control valve of the type mentioned above, in which the pressure control valve can be manufactured reliably, quickly and even more cost-effectively.

[0007] The problem is solved by a pressure regulating valve with the features of claim 1. Further features important to the invention are found in the following description and in the drawing, whereby the features can be important to the invention both individually and in various combinations, without this being explicitly stated in each case. Advantageous embodiments are found in the dependent claims.

[0008] The manufacturing process for the pressure regulating valve comprises three separate production steps. The intermediate component can, for example, be a flux disc made of a magnetically conductive metal. These three independent production steps prevent issues such as tilting during insertion of the intermediate component in the injection molding process, and the resulting potential damage to the mold, which was possible in the conventional manufacturing process. Furthermore, the number of injection cycles can be increased because the time-consuming insertion of the intermediate component into the mold during the injection process is eliminated. Therefore, the production of the pressure regulating valve becomes more cost-effective, and costly risk factors are reduced.

[0009] It is particularly advantageous if the intermediate piece is annular and the hydraulic component or the intermediate piece has at least one locking element that interacts with a corresponding receiving section on the other part. This allows for a secure connection between the hydraulic component and the intermediate piece to be established using simple means. For example, the end of the hydraulic component facing the intermediate piece can have axially projecting locking lugs and / or barbs that interact with contours in the receiving sections of the intermediate piece in such a way as to create a firm and preferably permanent connection. The locking elements can be evenly distributed around the circumference of the annular disc. Of course, the intermediate piece can also have the locking elements, and the hydraulic component can have the contours in the receiving sections. The locking element can be formed by a closed, continuous locking ring.The locking elements are lightweight and therefore inexpensive to manufacture.

[0010] The mounting sections are formed by segment-like recesses. This predefines the detent positions. This simplifies the installation of the pressure regulating valve and prevents the intermediate piece from rotating unintentionally after installation.

[0011] To guarantee a secure hold of the intermediate piece on the hydraulic part, the pressure regulating valve includes a locking element for locking the detent elements in the detent position.

[0012] The locking element is designed as a pole tube. This means that no additional component is required for locking; instead, the pole tube already necessary for guiding the magnetic armature in the actuating part can be used. The pole tube can, at least with a portion of its outer circumference, engage the detent elements on the intermediate piece. This reduces manufacturing costs and makes the pressure control valve a compact unit.

[0013] It is also advantageous that the locking elements have thickened sections at their protruding ends. Particularly through the interaction of the locking elements with the locking element during the joining process, these thickened sections enhance the locking effect by preventing the locking elements from slipping out under axial tension against the joining direction. This makes the connection even more reliable.

[0014] The recesses are formed at an inner through-opening of the intermediate piece. This is easy and cost-effective to implement in the manufacturing process of the intermediate piece.

[0015] The intermediate piece is a stamped and bent part. This type of part is significantly faster and easier to manufacture than a turned part. Furthermore, stamping and bent production produces no swarf. This makes the intermediate piece less expensive to manufacture.

[0016] The intermediate piece is riveted to the actuator. The riveting process ensures a reliable and robust assembly of the pressure regulating valve and is cost-effective. Furthermore, after installation in an automatic transmission, the connection is relieved of stress during continuous operation by the pressure exerted on the actuator during operation and the securing of the actuator by clamping elements provided by the customer. Brief description of the characters

[0017] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a pressure regulating valve in longitudinal section; Fig. 2 a detailed view II of Fig. 1 in a cutaway, perspective view; Fig. 3 a detailed view III of Fig. 2 in longitudinal section; and Fig. 4 a detailed view of the river disc Fig. 1 in a cutaway, perspective view. Detailed description

[0018] The in Fig. The pressure control valve shown in section 1 is designed as a three-way pressure control valve and is identified in its entirety by reference numeral 10. It comprises in Fig. 1. On the right side, a magnetic part (actuating part 12) and on the left side, a hydraulic part 14. The magnetic part essentially comprises a magnetic coil 16, a magnetic armature 18, and a rod-shaped actuating element 20, which is held in place by a spring element 22. Fig. The magnetic armature is guided in a pole tube 24.

[0019] The hydraulic section 14 comprises three axially adjacent areas for a pressure medium: an inlet area 26, an outlet area 28, and a working area 30, with the working area 30 being located between the inlet area 26 and the outlet area 28. A spherical first closing element 32 interacts with a first valve seat 34 and can close the inlet area 26 towards the working area 30. The working area 30 can further be closed towards the outlet area 28 by a disc-shaped second closing element 36. The second closing element 36 interacts with a second valve seat 38. The first closing element 32 is a loose ball that is axially guided in four guide ribs (not shown) and is pressed against the actuating element 20 by the pressure in the inlet area 26. The second closing element 36 is rigidly connected to the actuating element 20.The actuating element 20 is designed such that in each end position of the actuating element 20, one of the two closing elements 32 and 36 is always open and the other is closed. To seal the three areas against each other, the working area 30, with an integrated pressure regulating valve 10, is sealed to the inlet area 26 by a first O-ring 40 and to the outlet area 28 by a second O-ring 42.

[0020] Adjacent to the outlet area 28 is an annular flange 44. The flange 44 has a through-bore 46 and several detent elements 48 projecting towards the magnet part, with several detent elements 48 being evenly distributed around the circumference of the through-bore 46. In the installed position, the detent elements 48 engage in segment-like recesses 56 on an inner surface of a through-opening 50 of a flux disk representing an intermediate piece 52 and are blocked radially inwards by an outer shell of the pole tube 24. A detailed description of the detent elements 48 follows later.

[0021] The pressure control valve 10 regulates the pressure in the working area 30 and essentially functions as follows: When a pressure drop is detected in the working area 30, a control signal is sent to the solenoid. The solenoid coil 16 moves the magnetic armature 18 and thus also the actuating element 20, opening the inlet area 26 accordingly (the first closing element 32 lifts off the valve seat 34). This allows the pressurized medium to flow from the inlet area 26 into the working area 30. Since the inlet area 26 is pressurized to a significantly higher pressure than the control pressure, this results in a pressure increase when the working area 30 is filled, as the outlet area 28 is closed (the second closing element 36 rests against the second valve seat 38).The actuating element 20 can now be moved back by further control information, so that the inlet area 26 is closed relative to the working area 30 (the first closing element 32 rests against the first valve seat 34). The outlet area 28 is connected to the working area 30 by the second closing element 36 lifting off the second valve seat 38. This allows the pressure medium to flow from the working area 30 into the outlet area 28, thus reducing the previously increased pressure in the working area 30. This process can be repeated in fractions of a second.

[0022] Fig. Figure 2 shows a transition area between the magnetic part and the hydraulic part 14 in a cutaway, perspective view in detail and Fig. Figure 3 shows – enlarged again – the area of ​​a single locking element 48 in detail. For clarity, the actuating element 20 is shown in Fig. 2 not shown. The pole tube 24 is inserted into the through-bore 46 of the flange 44. The locking elements 48 have a shape that is slightly bent radially outwards at the projecting end and, with this shape, correspond to a curvature of the inner surface of the through-opening 50 of the flux disk, against which the locking elements 48 bear firmly. In addition, the locking elements 48 have a thickening 54 at a free end, particularly in the direction of the flux disk.

[0023] Fig. Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the flux disk in a cutaway, perspective view. The polarizing tube 24 is not shown for clarity. The locking elements 48 of the flange 44 are each guided in a segment-like recess 56 in the inner surface of the through-opening 50 of the flux disk.

[0024] The hydraulic component 14 is locked in place with the flux disc during the assembly of the pressure control valve 10. The manufacturing and assembly process of the pressure control valve 10 comprises the following steps: In a separate process, the solenoid component with the electromagnetic elements and the pole tube 24 is manufactured. Independently of this, the hydraulic component 14, including the corresponding pressure zones 26, 28, and 30 and the flange 44 with the locking elements 48, is manufactured in another separate process. The flux disc is then manufactured using a stamping and bending process. The flux disc is then applied to the flange 44 of the hydraulic component 14 such that the locking elements 48 of the flange 44 engage in the segmented recesses 56 of the flux disc. Finally, the pole tube 24 is inserted into the through-bore 46 of the flange 44.During the joining process, the locking elements 48 are pressed against the inner surface of the through-hole 50 of the flux disc, thus locking them in place. The thickenings 54 at the free ends of the locking elements 48 further support this locking action. Finally, the housing of the magnetic part is riveted to the flux disc.

Claims

[1] Pressure control valve (10) for regulating pressure in an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, comprising an actuating part (12) designed as a magnetic part for at least one valve element, a hydraulic part (14) for connection to at least one hydraulic line and an intermediate piece (52) which connects the hydraulic part (14) and the actuating part (12) together, wherein the intermediate piece (52) and the hydraulic part (14) are initially manufactured as separate parts and are connected to each other by positive locking after manufacture, wherein the intermediate piece (52) is annular disk-shaped and is designed as a flow disk with a through-opening (50), characterized by, that the hydraulic part (14) has a flange (44) with several detent elements (48) projecting towards the actuating part (12), wherein the detent elements (48) each engage in segment-like recesses (56) on an inner surface of the through-opening (50) of the flow disk, wherein the pressure regulating valve (10) comprises a locking element designed as a pole tube (24) for locking the detent elements (48) in the detent position and wherein the intermediate piece (52) is a stamped and bent part. [2] Pressure regulating valve (10) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the locking elements (48) have a thickening (54) at their projecting ends. [3] Pressure regulating valve (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the intermediate piece (52) is riveted to the actuating part (12).

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