Valve with a housing body extending along a valve axis and a tappet

Abstract

Valve with a housing body (14) extending along a valve axis (12) and a plunger (16), wherein the plunger (16) has a stem element (18) and a closing element (20) connected to the stem element (18), wherein the housing body (14) has a bushing part (22) comprising a first valve opening (26) and a channel (28) extending through the bushing part (22) from the first valve opening (26) along the valve axis (12), a return element (30) and a bearing part (24) with a second valve opening (32), wherein the closing element (20) is arranged in the channel (28) between the first valve opening (26) and the second valve opening (32), wherein the return element (30) is mounted on the bearing part (24) and drives the closing element (20) towards the first valve opening (26) with a predefined return force, wherein the The bearing part (24) and the bushing part (22) are connected to each other via a plug connection (34),wherein the plug connection (34) has a first plug partner (36) which is connected to the bushing part (22), and a second plug partner (38) which interacts with the first plug partner (36) and is connected to the bearing part (24), characterized in that the housing body (14) has on an outer surface (58) a first sealing element (46) extending around the valve axis (12) and a second sealing element (48) extending around the valve axis (12), wherein the plug connection (34) is arranged between the first sealing element (46) and the second sealing element (48) and / or the housing body (14) has a connecting part (44) for locking the plug connection (34) which extends around the plug connection (34) and the valve axis (12) and is arranged on an outer surface (58) of the housing body (14).

Description

The invention relates to a valve having a housing body extending along a valve axis and a tappet.For the mechanical level regulation of a cabin suspension, air suspension legs are used, in which the available air volume is regulated by means of valves. In this case, air springs are filled and vented via internal valves in order to set the hardness of the air spring.The use of valves in air springs is known, for example, from DE 102011 114 570 B4. The valves will thereby be reused for the admission and discharge of air into the air.DE 37 22 665 A1 discloses a valve as a backflow preventer in which a valve body is movable. The backflow preventer includes an outer housing and a valve guide part. The valve guide part can be inserted and locked into the outer housing. JP 2001-280 521 A discloses a valve whose housing portion and valve body fixing portion are clipped to each other. A sanitary backflow preventer valve is disclosed in DE 10 2016 001 431 A1.A discharge valve is known from DE 20 2019 100 707 U1. A suction valve is known from DE 20 2018 106 952 U1. The valves each comprise a cylindrical housing with a through opening which is closed by a plug which has a through channel. The cylindrical housing and the plug are flanged together. A plunger is disposed in the through channel and extends into the cylindrical housing into the through opening. The through-channel connects the through-opening to the surroundings of the valve. In a closed position, the plunger closes the passageway on the plug. The components of the discharge valve are mostly made of metallic blocks and subsequently assembled into the valve. Therefore, noise is generated in the closing operation. Furthermore, the production and testing of the metallic components are associated with high outlay.It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which requires a reduced manufacturing and testing outlay.Main features of the invention are set out in the characterizing part of claim 1. Embodiments are the subject matter of claims 2 to 12.In a valve having a housing body extending along a valve axis and a tappet, wherein the tappet has a shaft element and a closure element connected to the shaft element, wherein the housing body has a socket part which comprises a first valve opening and a channel extending through the socket part away from the first valve opening along the valve axis, a restoring element and a bearing part having a second valve opening, wherein the closure element is arranged in the channel between the first valve opening and the second valve opening, wherein the restoring element is mounted on the bearing part and drives the closure element with a predefined restoring force to the first valve opening, it is provided according to the invention that the bearing part and the socket part are connected to one another via a plug connection, wherein the plug connection has a first plug partner which is connected to the socket part, and a second mating partner cooperating with the first mating partner, which is connected to the bearing part.The invention provides a valve whose housing body has a bearing part and a socket part which is connected to one another via a plug connection. The socket part and the bearing part each have a plug partner which cooperate with one another to produce the plug connection. A plunger having a shaft element and a closure element connected to the shaft element is mounted in the bushing part. A restoring element is mounted on the bearing part, which restoring element drives the closure element with a predefined restoring force to a first valve opening on the bushing part. This means that the restoring element is not mounted on the socket part but on another component of the housing body. The bearing part includes a second valve opening that is opposite the first valve opening. Between the valve openings, the bushing part comprises a through opening, which connects the two valve openings to one another. In the manufacture of the housing body, the plunger is first inserted into the socket part. The restoring element is then arranged on the plunger and the socket part is connected to the bearing part via the two plug partners. Since the connecting process only requires the bearing part and the socket part to be plugged together, the production of the plug connection is associated with little effort. The plug connection provides a cost-effective connection possibility between the components of the housing body. This reduces the manufacturing and testing effort of the valve.It is conceivable that the plunger with the shaft element and the closure element connected to the shaft element is mounted in a sliding manner in the bushing part. It is conceivable that the closure element is mounted between the first valve opening and the second valve opening in the channel so as to slide along the valve axis. The closure element can also be guided by the channel, wherein a guide function then adds to the channel. Alternatively or additionally, it is possible for the slide bearing of the tappet to take place in the region of its shaft element or for the tappet to be mounted in the region of the shaft element so as to slide along the valve axis. The plunger can thereby be secured against tilting. The closure element in this case cannot have any supporting or guiding tasks; it can be arranged, for example, with play in the channel. It is further conceivable that the plunger is arranged with play relative to the socket part both in the region of its shank element and in the region of the closure element, so that the plunger is not mounted in a sliding manner at all, but rather is secured loosely against tilting. The plunger is therefore surrounded over its length by an annular gap. In this case, a sufficiently large volume flow past the tappet is possible, namely without further flow grooves or similar structures having to be provided for bridging a volume flow-reducing sliding zone. This and the lack of a slip fit significantly reduces manufacturing costs.If the tappet is mounted in a sliding manner, flow grooves or similar structures can be provided in the tappet for bridging the at least one sliding zone, so that a sufficient volume flow through the valve can be ensured. These flow grooves or similar structures can then be arranged and / or formed in such a way that they enable a tight closure position.In one example, the bushing part and / or the bearing part and / or the plunger can be made of a plastic material.The production of components from plastic material is significantly simpler than their production from metal. Thus, for example, the bushing part and / or the bearing part and / or the plunger can be manufactured by means of injection molding. This further reduces the manufacturing and testing effort of the valve. In addition, the noise is reduced when the valve is opened and closed if, in particular, the plunger is made from a plastic material.The first plug partner and the second plug partner can be locked to one another according to one example, preferably by means of latching noses.The plug connection, which is provided by the first plug partner and the second plug partner, is thus locked via the latching lugs as soon as the plug connection is produced. The manufacture of the housing body is thus further simplified, since only one plug-in process has to be carried out until the locking in order to produce a plug-in connection.Furthermore, for example, the second plug partner can be plugged into the first plug partner and delimit the channel along the valve axis in the direction of the second valve opening.This means that the bearing part is inserted into the bushing part at a position opposite the first valve opening. The plunger and the restoring element are therefore enclosed in the bushing part by the connection of the bearing part to the bushing part.According to another example, the closure element can have a sealing piece extending about the valve axis and the closure element, wherein the sealing piece is arranged on a closure surface of the housing body in a closure position of the closure element in which the closure element closes the channel.With the sealing piece, a geometry and a fit of the closure element can be adapted such that noise is further produced during the closure of the valve. The sealing element further effects an axial sealing of the valve closed by the tappet.It can likewise be provided, for example, that the sealing piece is connected to the closure element in a materially integral manner.Due to the material connection of the sealing piece to the closure element, no form fit is required between the sealing piece and the closure element in order to connect the sealing piece to the closure element. This means that the diameter of the sealing piece and of the closure element can be reduced, so that the effective sealing surface can be reduced. The necessary prestressing force for closing the valve thus likewise falls, so that a more cost-effective restoring element can be used. The cohesive connection between the sealing piece and the closure element can be effected by a vulcanization process or by a two-component injection molding.Furthermore, the closure surface can be arranged, for example, at the first valve opening in the channel.The restoring element thus drives the closing element onto the closing surface, so that the valve is closed when external forces acting on the plunger, which act against the restoring force of the restoring element, are smaller than the restoring force. That is, the valve is closed in the normal state.In another example, the closure surface can be arranged on the bearing part at the second valve opening.The restoring element thus drives the closure element away from the closure surface, so that the valve is opened when external forces acting on the plunger, which act against the restoring force of the restoring element, are smaller than the restoring force. That is, the valve is opened in the normal state.According to the invention, the housing body has on an outer surface a first sealing element extending about the valve axis and a second sealing element extending about the valve axis, wherein the plug connection is arranged between the first sealing element and the second sealing element.Valves can be inserted into through-openings of other components, in particular of containers. In order to effect a seal between the valve and the through-opening, sealing elements are used. The plug connection is arranged between the first sealing element and the second sealing element, so that a seal is provided between the valve and the through-opening in both directions from the plug connection.Further according to the invention, the housing body has a connector part for locking the plug connection, which extends around the plug connection and the valve axis and is arranged on an outer surface of the housing body.The connecting part can, for example, compress the housing body at the position of the plug connection when the valve is arranged in a through-opening of a component. By means of the pressure, for example, a friction between the first plug partner and the second plug partner can be increased, so that the plug connection is locked. When the first mating part and the second mating part are locked to each other, the pressure caused by the connecting part can lock the locking of the plug connection, blocking mobility of the mating parts required for releasing the locking.According to a further example, the connecting part can be a slotted fixing ring which locks the plug connection in an assembly position of the valve, in which the valve is arranged in an opening matching the valve.With the slotted fixing ring, a connecting part is provided without great effort, which brings about a locking of the plug connection when the valve is arranged in an opening of another component matching the valve.The bearing part can have, for example, a residual pressure holding valve, wherein the second valve opening is arranged between the channel and the residual pressure holding valve.The residual pressure holding valve can be integrated in the bearing part. This reduces the manufacturing effort during the assembly of the housing body.Further, the residual pressure holding valve may include a silencer element including a microcellular foam.With the microcellular foam, a muffler for the residual pressure holding valve is easily provided that is cost-effective and functions reliably. This further reduces the noise generation of the residual pressure holding valve and thus of the entire valve.Further features, details and advantages of the invention are evident from the wording of the claims and from the following description of exemplary embodiments on the basis of the drawings. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional illustration of a valve using the example of an inlet valve; and FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional illustration of a valve using the example of an outlet valve with a residual pressure-retaining valve.The valve is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10 as shown in FIG. 1.The valve 10 is designed as an inlet valve in FIG. 1. It extends along a valve axis 12, wherein the valve 10 comprises a housing body 14 extending along the valve axis 12 and a tappet 16, which can be made of a plastic material.The housing body 14 is made of several components, all of which may be made of plastic material. The housing body 14 comprises a socket part 22, a restoring element 30 and a bearing part 24. The bearing part 24 has a second valve opening 32 and a second plug partner 38. The first mating part 36 and the second mating part 38 cooperate to form a plug connection 34 between the socket part 22 and the bearing part 24. However, the first plug-in partner 36 can also be plugged into the second plug-in partner 38.Furthermore, the first plug partner 36 comprises at least one latching nose 40 and the second plug partner 38 comprises at least one latching nose 42. The latching noses 40, 42 latch with one another when the first plug partner 36 and the second plug partner 38 are connected.The latching noses 40, 42 do not extend annularly around the valve axis 12, but this is not excluded.A channel 28 extends between the first valve opening 26 and the second valve opening 32 along the valve axis 12. The second valve opening 32 extends through the second plug partner 38.The at least one latching nose 42 of the second plug partner 38 thereby flankes the second valve opening 32. The at least one latching nose 42 thus reduces the cross section of the channel 28 at the second valve opening 32. This leads to a more readily meterable system, so that the control of a fluid quantity in a container with the valve 10 is simplified.The plunger 16 is slidably supported in the channel 28 and includes a shaft member 18 and a closure member 20 connected to the shaft member 18. The closure element 20 has a sealing piece 54 which extends around the closure element 20 and around the valve axis 12. That is, the sealing piece 54 is formed annularly.The sealing piece 54 is further connected to the closure element 20 by means of a material-bonded connection. In this case, the sealing piece 54 can be connected to the closure element 20 by means of two-component injection molding. Alternatively, the sealing piece 54 can be vulcanized onto the closure element 20. A form fit between the sealing piece 54 and the closure element 20 is not required, so that the diameter of the closure element 20 can be reduced in comparison with the prior art. In combination with the high material damping properties of the plastic material used, the noise formation is kept at a comparatively low level.The closure member 20 may be moved toward the first valve port 26 or may be moved away from the first valve port 26 by the sliding movement of the plunger 16 in the channel 28.The restoring element 30 drives the closure element 20 in the direction of the first valve opening 26.The sealing piece 54 is arranged between the closure element 20 and the closure surface 56. That is, when the shutter member 20 is moved toward the first valve hole 26, the seal piece 54 is pressed against the shutter surface 56. The valve 10 is thus closed. When the closure element 20 is subjected to a force which acts counter to the force of the restoring element 30 and is greater than the force of the restoring element 30, the closure element 20 is moved away from the closure surface 56, so that the sealing piece 54 is removed from the closure surface 56. The valve 10 is thus opened.Due to the comparatively smaller required diameter of the sealing piece 54, the pressure forces decrease, which act on the sealing piece 54 by a fluid that is under pressure and held in a container by the valve 10. The required restoring force for the restoring element 30 thus likewise falls, so that the restoring element 30 can be formed more easily and economically. This further reduces the contact noise of the sealing piece 54 on the closure surface 56.On an outer surface 58 of the housing body 14, the valve 10 comprises a first sealing element 46 and a second sealing element 48. The first sealing element 46 and the second sealing element 48 each extend about the valve axis 12 along the outer surface 58. When the valve 10 is inserted into a through-opening of a component, the first sealing element 46 and the second sealing element 48 seal the gap between the valve 10 and the through-opening of the component. Since the plug connection 34 is arranged between the first sealing element 46 and the second sealing element 48, the plug connection 34 is also sealed with the two sealing elements 46 and 48.The housing body 14 comprises a connecting part 44 on the plug connection 34 for locking the plug connection 34. The fixing ring extends around the plug connection 34 and around the valve axis 12.The connecting part 44 is placed on the bushing part 22 before the bearing part 24 is inserted into the bushing part 22. If the valve 10 is not arranged in a through-opening of another component, the slotted fixing ring has a diameter which enables a movement of the latching lugs 40, 42 when the plug connection 34 is present. When the valve 10 is placed in a through hole of another component, the slotted fixing ring is compressed. The diameter of the slotted fixing ring is thereby reduced to such an extent that a movement of the latching lugs 40, 42 is no longer possible when the plug connection 34 is present. The plug connection 34 is thus locked.The valve 10 further comprises a snap ring 60 which, in this example, is arranged on the bushing part 22. With the snap ring 60, the valve 10 can be fixed in an assembly position when the valve 10 is arranged in a through-opening of another component. In this case, the snap ring 60 is compressed when the valve 10 is introduced into the through-opening and, in the assembly position, is arranged in an annular groove of the through-opening. The snap ring 60 widens again in the annular groove and thus forms a positive fit with the annular groove. At the same time, the snap ring 60 is arranged in an annular groove on the valve 10, so that the snap ring 60 fixes the valve 10 in a form-fit manner in the mounting position.FIG. 2 shows a valve 10, which in this example is designed as an outlet valve.The numbering of the components of Figure 2 corresponds to the numbering of the components of Figure 1, so that components with the same numbering correspond to the components of Figure 1.In contrast to the example in FIG. 1, the plunger 16 according to FIG. 2 comprises a shaft element 18 which extends through the restoring element 30, which is designed as a helical spring. The closure element 20 is arranged in this example at an end of the shaft element 18 which extends through the restoring element 30. The sealing piece 54 can be arranged along the valve axis 12 at one end of the tappet 16.Furthermore, in FIG. 2, the closure surface 56 is arranged on the bearing part 24 and on the second valve opening 32. The latching noses 42 of the second plug partner 38 flank the closure surface 56.In this example, the reset element 30 therefore drives the closure element 20 away from the closure surface 56. In order to close the valve 10, a force opposite to the force of the restoring element 30 must therefore be applied which is greater than the force of the restoring element 30.Furthermore, the valve 10 according to FIG. 2 has a residual pressure holding valve 50. The residual pressure holding valve 50 is integrated into the bearing member 24. In contrast to the prior art, the residual pressure retaining valve therefore does not have to be introduced later into the bearing part 24 and connected to it. This facilitates the assembly of the valve 10.The residual pressure holding valve 50 has a sound absorber element 52 which comprises a microcellular foam. The microcellular foam of the muffler element 52 reduces the noise generated by the residual pressure retention valve 50 during the closing process. This further reduces the noise generation of the valve 10. Microcellular foam is also cost effective to produce.The residual pressure holding valve 54 closes as soon as a differential pressure between the component in which the valve 10 holds a pressure and an ambient pressure falls below a threshold value. This ensures that a minimum pressure is always maintained at the level of the threshold value.The valve 10 according to the invention of the two examples according to FIGS. 1 and 2 has a geometry which provides simple mouldability during the production of the housing body 14 by means of injection moulding.Thus, the entire inner region of the bushing part 22 can be axially demolded. The lower, outer part can likewise be axially ejected until the seat of the first sealing element.The inner part of the bearing part 24 can likewise be axially deformed.For producing the outer geometry of the bearing part 24, the bearing part 24 is held annularly centrally in the tool. At both axial ends, jaws are provided in the tool.The invention is not limited to one of the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in many ways.All features and advantages which emerge from the claims, the description and the drawing, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, can be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations.List of reference characters10 Valve 12 Valve axis 14 Housing body 16 Plunger 18 Shaft element 20 Closure element 22 Socket part 24 Bearing part 26 First valve opening 28 Channel 30 Restoring element 32 Second valve opening 34 Plug connection 36 First plug partner 38 Second plug partner 40 Latching noses 42 Latching noses 44 Connecting part 46 First sealing element 48 Second sealing element 50 Residual pressure-retaining valve 52 Sound-damping element 54 Sealing piece 56 Closure surface 58 Outer surface 60 Snap ring

Claims

Valve having a housing body (14) extending along a valve axis (12) and a tappet (16), wherein the tappet (16) has a shaft element (18) and a closure element (20) connected to the shaft element (18), wherein the housing body (14) has a bushing part (22), which comprises a first valve opening (26) and a channel (28) extending through the bushing part (22) away from the first valve opening (26) along the valve axis (12), a restoring element (30) and a bearing part (24) having a second valve opening (32), wherein the closure element (20) is arranged in the channel (28) between the first valve opening (26) and the second valve opening (32), wherein the restoring element (30) is mounted on the bearing part (24) and drives the closure element (20) to the first valve opening (26) with a predefined restoring force, wherein the bearing part (24) and the socket part (22) are connected to one another via a plug connection (34), wherein the plug connection (34) has a first plug partner (36) which is connected to the socket part (22) and a second plug partner (38) which interacts with the first plug partner (36) and is connected to the bearing part (24), characterized in that the housing body (14) has on an outer surface (58) a first sealing element (46) which extends about the valve axis (12) and a second sealing element (48) which extends about the valve axis (12), wherein the plug connection (34) is arranged between the first sealing element (46) and the second sealing element (48) and / or the housing body (14) has a connecting part (44) for locking the plug connection (34), which extends around the plug connection (34) and the valve axis (12) and is arranged on an outer surface (58) of the housing body (14).Valve according to Claim 1, characterized in that the closure element (20) is mounted in the duct (28) such that it slides along the valve axis (12) between the first valve opening (26) and the second valve opening (32), and / or the tappet (16) is mounted in the region of the shaft element (18) such that it slides along the valve axis (12).Valve according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bushing part (22) and / or the bearing part (24) and / or the tappet (16) are made of a plastics material.Valve according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first plug-in partner (36) and the second plug-in partner (38) are latched to one another, preferably by means of latching noses (40, 42).Valve according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second plug-in partner (38) is plugged into the first plug-in partner (36) and delimits the channel (28) along the valve axis (12) in the direction of the second valve opening (32).Valve according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the closure element (20) has a sealing piece (54) which extends about the valve axis (12) and the closure element (20), the sealing piece (54) being arranged on a closure surface (56) of the housing body (14) in a closure position of the closure element (20) in which the closure element (20) closes the duct (28).Valve according to Claim 6, characterized in that the sealing piece (54) is connected to the closure element (20) in a materially integral manner.Valve according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the closure surface (56) is arranged at the first valve opening (26) in the channel (28).Valve according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the closure surface (56) is arranged on the bearing part (24) at the second valve opening (32).Valve according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the connecting part (44) is a slotted fixing ring which locks the plug connection (34) in an assembly position of the valve, in which the valve (10) is arranged in an opening matching the valve (10).Valve according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the bearing part (24) has a residual pressure retaining valve (50), the second valve opening (32) being arranged between the duct (28) and the residual pressure retaining valve (50).Valve according to claim 11, characterized in that the residual pressure retaining valve (50) comprises a silencer element (52) comprising a microcellular foam.

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