Mixing valve
The mixing valve design ensures non-obstructive fluid flow and compactness by using a rotor and inflow pipes, addressing fluid stagnation and installation challenges.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023111955
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing mixing valves obstruct fluid flow on the upstream side, leading to decreased heat exchange efficiency and complicate hose routing, making them bulky and difficult to install.
A mixing valve design with a cylindrical housing and a rotor that allows for non-obstructive fluid flow by using inflow pipes, a mixing pipe, and a discharge port, ensuring fluid mixing without stagnation and compactness.
Minimizes the influence on upstream equipment, prevents fluid stagnation, and enhances installation workability by maintaining fluid flow, allowing for a compact and space-saving design.
Smart Images

Figure 2025009151000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a mixing valve, and more particularly to a mixing valve capable of mixing different fluids at a predetermined flow rate ratio to obtain a desired mixed fluid. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a flow control valve that can adjust the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water to obtain hot water at a desired temperature. This flow control valve is used in hot water supply devices and the like, and includes a valve body having a cylindrical valve chamber, and a valve element rotatably inserted into the valve chamber. The valve body has two side ports into which cold water and hot water flow, and a bottom port from which the mixed hot water flows out. Each side port opens into the valve chamber, and the opening area of each side port changes with the rotation of the valve element, thereby adjusting the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-1925 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] When the opening area of each side port, in other words each inlet port, decreases with the rotation of the valve disc, the flow of fluid upstream of each inlet port stagnates. For example, assume that a heat exchanger for adjusting the temperature of the fluid is located upstream of a flow control valve, in other words a mixing valve. In this case, the flow path in the mixing valve is narrowed, and the flow of the fluid stagnates, which may reduce the heat exchange efficiency of the fluid in the heat exchanger. Therefore, there is a demand for a mixing valve that does not obstruct the flow of the fluid upstream, thereby minimizing the impact on equipment located upstream.
[0005] In addition, the bottom port, or in other words the outlet port, is extended in the axial direction of the valve body, so the height dimension of the mixing valve is large. In addition, when connecting hoses to each inlet port and outlet port, the hoses are connected in two directions, the radial direction and the axial direction of the valve body, so the hoses are complicated to route and the workability of installing the mixing valve is deteriorated. In addition, since the hoses connected to each inlet port and outlet port cannot be compactly arranged, it is difficult to realize space saving around the mixing valve.
[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its object is to provide a mixing valve which does not impede the flow of fluid upstream, thereby minimizing the impact on equipment located upstream, while also achieving compactness and space saving, and further improving the ease of installation. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the mixing valve of the present invention comprises a cylindrical housing in which a valve chamber is formed, and a rotor rotatably inserted into the valve chamber, the housing being provided on a first peripheral wall thereof with a first inlet port which opens into the valve chamber with a first opening and through which a first fluid flows, and a second inlet port which opens into the valve chamber with a second opening and through which a second fluid flows, the rotor being provided on a second peripheral wall thereof with a first inlet pipe which communicates with the first opening, a second inlet pipe which communicates with the second opening, and a mixing pipe which forms a mixing flow path through which the first fluid and / or the second fluid flow as a mixed fluid, the mixing pipe which opens in the radial direction of the rotor and communicates with the first inlet pipe and the second inlet pipe through which the mixed fluid flows, the mixing pipe being provided with a discharge port on the first peripheral wall of the housing for discharging the first fluid and / or the second fluid which have flowed into the valve chamber without passing through the first inlet pipe and / or the second inlet pipe of the rotor to the outside of the housing as discharge fluid, and an outlet port which communicates with the mixing pipe.
[0008] Also, preferably, the outlet port opens into the valve chest through a third opening, the mixing tube has a connection portion connected to the second peripheral wall and an opening end that comes into sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing as the rotor rotates, and the opening area of the opening end of the mixing tube is large enough to communicate with the entire area of the third opening over the entire rotational range of the rotor.
[0009] Preferably, the mixing tube has a third peripheral wall that is expanded in diameter from the connection portion toward the open end. Preferably, the first inlet port, the second inlet port, the outlet port, and the discharge port are provided on the same radial surface of the housing and protrude from the first peripheral wall in the radial direction of the housing.
[0010] In addition, preferably, when the fluid inflow angle is defined as the intersection angle between a first line connecting the rotation center of the rotor and the radial center of the first opening and a second line connecting the rotation center and the radial center of the second opening on the same radial plane, and the fluid mixing angle is defined as the intersection angle between a third line connecting the rotation center and the radial center of the opening of the first inlet pipe and a fourth line connecting the rotation center and the radial center of the opening of the second inlet pipe on the same radial plane, the fluid mixing angle is smaller than the fluid inflow angle. Effect of the Invention
[0011] According to the present invention, a mixing valve can be provided that does not obstruct the flow of fluid on the downstream side, thereby minimizing the impact on equipment located upstream, while also achieving compactness and space saving, and further improving the ease of installation. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mixing valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the mixing valve of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of the rotor as viewed from a direction A in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor of FIG. 3 taken along the line BB. [Diagram 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mixing valve of FIG. 1 taken along the CC direction. [Figure 6] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a mixing valve in which the first communication area is the entire area of the first opening. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a mixing valve in which the second communication area is the entire area of the second opening. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a graph showing a flow rate ratio of a first fluid to a second fluid in a mixed fluid according to a rotational position of a rotor. [Figure 9] 4 is a graph showing a flow rate ratio between a first fluid and a second fluid in a discharged fluid according to a rotational position of a rotor. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a temperature adjustment system in which a mixing valve is installed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a modified mixing valve. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a modified rotor. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor of FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a mixing valve 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the mixing valve 1 of Fig. 1. The mixing valve 1 comprises a cylindrical housing 2 which is a valve body (valve main body) and a rotor 4 which is a valve element. A valve chamber 6 is formed inside the housing 2, and the rotor 4 is rotatably inserted into the valve chamber 6. More specifically, the rotor 4 has an upper drive shaft 4a and a lower tube portion 4b. The drive shaft 4a is rotationally driven by an actuator such as a stepping motor (not shown).
[0014] The housing 2 is formed, for example, by welding an upper cover member 2a and a lower cylindrical member 2b together. The drive shaft 4a of the rotor 4 is rotatably supported on the inner circumferential surface of the cover member 2a of the housing 2 via a shaft seal device 10. The shaft seal device 10 is composed of a seal member such as an O-ring and a bearing such as a bearing, and the valve chamber 6 is sealed and partitioned within the housing 2 by the shaft seal device 10.
[0015] A first peripheral wall 12 formed on the cylindrical member 2b is provided with a first inlet port 14, a second inlet port 16, an outlet port 18, and a discharge port 20. In the case of this embodiment, the first inlet port 14, the outlet port 18, the second inlet port 16, and the discharge port 20 are all provided protruding from the first peripheral wall 12 in the radial direction of the housing 2 at positions spaced substantially 90 degrees apart in the counterclockwise circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall 12 as viewed in FIG.
[0016] Specifically, the ports 14, 16, 18, and 20 are provided on the same radial surface of the housing 2 and protrude from the first peripheral wall 12 in the radial direction of the housing 2. The first inlet port 14 opens into the valve chamber 6 through a first opening 22, and the first fluid F1 flows in through the first inlet port 14. The second inlet port 16 opens into the valve chamber 6 through a second opening 24, and the second fluid F2 flows in through the second inlet port 16. The outlet port 18 opens into the valve chamber 6 through a third opening 26, and communicates with a mixing tube 36 described below, through which a mixed fluid MF of the first fluid F1 and / or the second fluid F2 flows out. The exhaust port 20 opens into the valve chamber 6 through a fourth opening 28, and the exhaust fluid DF flows out through the exhaust port 20.
[0017] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the rotor 4 as viewed from direction A in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the rotor 4 in direction BB in Fig. 3. A second peripheral wall 30 formed in the pipe portion 4b of the rotor 4 is provided with a first inlet pipe 32 into which the first fluid F1 flows in from the first inlet port 14, a second inlet pipe 34 into which the second fluid F2 flows in from the second inlet port 16, and a mixing pipe 36 from which the mixed fluid MF flows out.
[0018] In the present embodiment, the first inlet pipe 32, the mixing pipe 36, and the second inlet pipe 34 are provided in this order at positions spaced substantially 90 degrees from the second peripheral wall 30 in the counterclockwise circumferential direction as viewed in Figures 3 and 4, and all protrude from the second peripheral wall 30 in the radial direction of the rotor 4. In more detail, the first inlet pipe 32, the second inlet pipe 34, and the mixing pipe 36 are provided on the same radial surface of the pipe portion 4b of the rotor 4 and protrude from the second peripheral wall 30 in the radial direction of the pipe portion 4b.
[0019] A mixing flow path 38 through which the mixed fluid MF flows is formed in the mixing tube 36. The mixing tube 36 also has a connection portion 40 connected to the second circumferential wall 30, and an open end 42 that comes into sliding contact with the inner circumferential surface of the housing 2 via a seal member 54 (see FIG. 5 ), which will be described later, as the rotor 4 rotates. The mixing tube 36 also has an expanded tube shape in which the third circumferential wall 44 expands in diameter from the connection portion 40 toward the open end 42. The mixing tube 36 of this embodiment has a slightly flattened expanded tube shape.
[0020] Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view in the CC direction of the mixing valve 1 in Fig. 1. The first inlet pipe 32 communicates with the mixing flow passage 38, and a first communication area 46 of the first inlet pipe 32 communicating with the first opening 22 changes as the rotor 4 rotates. The second inlet pipe 34 communicates with the mixing flow passage 38, and a second communication area 48 of the second inlet pipe 34 communicating with the second opening 24 changes as the rotor 4 rotates.
[0021] In this embodiment, a first non-communication region 50 may be formed in the first opening 22. The first non-communication region 50 communicates with the valve chamber 6 in response to the rotation of the rotor 4, but does not communicate with the first inlet pipe 32. On the other hand, a second non-communication region 52 may be formed in the second opening 24. The second non-communication region 52 communicates with the valve chamber 6 in response to the rotation of the rotor 4, but does not communicate with the second inlet pipe 34.
[0022] The first fluid F1 and / or the second fluid F2 that have flowed into the valve chamber 6 through the first non-communicating region 50 and / or the second non-communicating region 52, respectively, flow through the space of the valve chamber 6 below the rotor 4, and are discharged as a discharge fluid DF to the outside of the housing 2 through the discharge port 20. In other words, the first fluid F1 that flows in from the first opening 22 and does not pass through the first inlet pipe 32 flows into the valve chamber 6, and the second fluid F2 that flows into the second opening 24 and does not pass through the second inlet pipe 34 flows into the valve chamber 6, and the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 are mixed in the valve chamber 6 and are discharged as a discharge fluid DF to the outside of the housing 2 through the discharge port 18.
[0023] The discharged fluid DF is used appropriately in a temperature adjustment system 56, which will be described later, etc. As shown in Fig. 5, seal members 54 are attached to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 2b of the housing 2 near the first opening 22, the second opening 24, and the third opening 26, respectively, so that the first inlet pipe 32, the second inlet pipe 34, and the mixing pipe 36 smoothly slide against them as the rotor 4 rotates and so that the valve chamber 6 is tightly sealed.
[0024] Meanwhile, the first fluid F1 flowing through the first communication region 46 of the first inlet pipe 32 and the second fluid F2 flowing through the second communication region 48 of the second inlet pipe 34 flow through the mixing flow passage 38 formed in the mixing tube 36 of the rotor 4, and are discharged from the outlet port 18 as a mixed fluid MF. The mixed fluid MF is appropriately used in a temperature adjustment system 56, which will be described later. In the case shown in FIG. 5, the ratio of the first communication region 46 to the area of the first opening 22, in other words, the opening degree of the first inlet pipe 32, is 50%, and the ratio of the second communication region 48 to the area of the second opening 24, in other words, the opening degree of the second inlet pipe 34, is 50%, and the rotational position of the rotor 4 in this case is referred to as R2.
[0025] 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the mixing valve 1 in the case where the first communication region 46 is the entire area of the first opening 22. In the case shown in FIG. 6, the opening degree of the first inlet pipe 32 is 100%, the opening degree of the second inlet pipe 34 is 0%, and only the first fluid F1 flowing through the first communication region 46 of the first inlet pipe 32 flows through the mixing flow path 38 and is discharged from the outlet port 18. On the other hand, the second fluid F2 that has passed through the second non-communication region 52 flows through the space of the valve chamber 6 below the rotor 4 and is discharged from the discharge port 20 as the discharge fluid DF. The rotational position of the rotor 4 in this case is referred to as R1.
[0026] 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the mixing valve 1 in the case where the second communication region 48 is the entire area of the second opening 24. In the case shown in FIG. 7, the opening degree of the first inlet pipe 32 is 0%, and the opening degree of the second inlet pipe 34 is 100%, so that only the second fluid F2 flowing through the second communication region 48 of the second inlet pipe 34 flows through the mixing flow path 38 and is discharged from the outlet port 18. On the other hand, the first fluid F1 that has passed through the first non-communication region 50 flows through the space of the valve chamber 6 below the rotor 4 and is discharged from the discharge port 20 as the discharge fluid DF. The rotational position of the rotor 4 in this case is referred to as R3.
[0027] Fig. 8 shows a graph representing the flow rate ratio of the first fluid F1 to the second fluid F2 in the mixed fluid MF according to the rotational position of the rotor 4, and Fig. 9 shows a graph representing the flow rate ratio of the first fluid F1 to the second fluid F2 in the discharge fluid DF according to the rotational position of the rotor 4. At the rotational position R1, as also shown in Fig. 6, the first fluid F1 accounts for 100% of the mixed fluid MF. In this case, conventionally, the second opening 24 of the second inlet port 16 would be completely blocked by the rotor 4, and the second fluid F2 would be blocked.
[0028] For this reason, in the conventional case, the flow of the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the second inlet port 16 is completely stagnated. However, in the case of this embodiment, at the rotation position R1, the discharge fluid DF, which is 100% made up of the second fluid F2, is caused to flow into the valve chamber 6 and discharged from the discharge port 20. As a result, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 are not obstructed.
[0029] 5, the mixed fluid MF is composed of the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 at 50% each. Conventionally, therefore, the flow of the first fluid F1 upstream of the first inlet port 14 and the flow of the second fluid F2 upstream of the second inlet port 16 each stagnate by about half. However, in the case of this embodiment, at the rotation position R2, the discharge fluid DF composed of the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 at 50% each is caused to flow into the valve chamber 6 and discharged from the discharge port 20. As a result, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 upstream of the mixing valve 1 are not obstructed.
[0030] On the other hand, at the rotation position R3, as shown in Fig. 7, the mixed fluid MF is 100% made up of the second fluid F2. For this reason, in the conventional case, the flow of the first fluid F1 on the upstream side of the first inlet port 14 is completely stagnated. However, in the case of the present embodiment, at the rotation position R3, the discharge fluid DF, which is 100% made up of the first fluid F1, is caused to flow into the valve chamber 6 and discharged from the discharge port 20. As a result, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 are not obstructed.
[0031] In this way, regardless of the rotational position of the rotor 4, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 are not impeded, so that it is possible to minimize the effect on the equipment arranged on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1. In addition, as is clear from Figures 5 to 7, the opening area of the open end 42 of the mixing tube 36 is large enough to communicate with the entire third opening 26 of the outlet port 18 over the entire rotational range of the rotor 4.
[0032] 6, when a first line L1 connecting the rotation center C of the rotor 4 and the radial center of the first opening 22 and a second line L2 connecting the rotation center C and the radial center of the second opening 24 are defined on the same radial plane of the housing 2, the intersection angle on the side of the region where the discharge port 20 is provided is defined as a fluid inflow angle α. When a third line L3 (same as the first line L1 in FIG. 6) connecting the rotation center C and the radial center of the opening of the first inlet pipe 32 and a fourth line L4 connecting the rotation center C and the radial center of the opening of the second inlet pipe 34 are defined on the same radial plane of the housing 2, the intersection angle on the side of the region where the discharge port 20 is provided is defined as a fluid mixing angle β.
[0033] At this time, the fluid mixing angle β and the fluid inflow angle α are set to different angles, and preferably, the fluid mixing angle β is set to be smaller than the fluid inflow angle α. In the present embodiment, the fluid inflow angle β is an obtuse angle (about 120 degrees) less than 180 degrees, while the fluid inflow angle α is substantially 180 degrees. In the mixing valve 1, such a relationship between the fluid mixing angle α and the fluid inflow angle β is established, so that the area between the first inlet port 14 and the second inlet port 16 can be secured to be wider than the rotation area of the rotor 4 centered on the rotation center C. Therefore, the first non-communication area 50 and / or the second non-communication area 52 are formed, and the first fluid F1 and / or the second fluid F2 can be caused to flow into the valve chamber 6 and discharged from the discharge port 20 as the discharge fluid DF.
[0034] 10 is a configuration diagram of a temperature adjustment system 56 in which the mixing valve 1 is installed. This temperature adjustment system 56 is mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and includes a radiator coolant circuit 58 and a battery coolant circuit 60. In the radiator coolant circuit 58, a heat exchanger 62 of a cooling heat exchanger, an electric pump 64, the mixing valve 1, and a radiator 66 are inserted in this order in the direction of water flow.
[0035] In the radiator coolant circuit 58, the coolant cooled in the heat exchanger 62 is pumped out by the electric pump 64 and flows into the first inlet port 14 of the mixing valve 1 as a first fluid F1. Then, the coolant is sent from the discharge port 20 to the radiator 66 as a discharge fluid DF, and is used to dissipate heat from devices mounted on the vehicle.
[0036] Meanwhile, in the battery coolant circuit 60, a heat exchanger 68 of a heating heat exchanger, an electric pump 70, a mixing valve 1, a battery 72, and an electric power train 74 are interposed in this order in the direction of water flow. In the battery coolant circuit 60, hot water heated in the heat exchanger 68 is pumped out by the electric pump 70 and flows into the second inlet port 16 of the mixing valve 1 as a second fluid F2. Thereafter, the hot water is pumped from the outlet port 18 as a mixed fluid MF toward the battery 72, and the hot water heats the battery 72 exposed to a low-temperature environment.
[0037] The water used to heat the battery 72 is sent to the electric powertrain 74 and is used to dissipate heat from the inverter, motor, and other components of the electric powertrain 74. In the temperature adjustment system 56, the flow rate ratio of the first fluid F1 (cooling water) and the second fluid F2 (hot water) in the mixed fluid MF is changed by the rotation of the rotor 4, making it possible to cool the battery 72 in a high temperature environment or while the vehicle is running for a long period of time.
[0038] Furthermore, as described above, regardless of the rotational position of the rotor 4, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 are not impeded. Therefore, the flows of the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 are not stagnated on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1, so that a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchange sections 62, 68 arranged on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 can be prevented.
[0039] As described above, in the mixing valve 1 of this embodiment, the first non-communication region 50 may be formed at the first opening 22 of the first inlet port 14, and the first non-communication region 50 communicates with the valve chamber 6 in response to the rotation of the rotor 4 but does not communicate with the first inlet pipe 32. Also, the second non-communication region 52 may be formed at the second opening 24 of the second inlet port 16, and the second non-communication region 52 communicates with the valve chamber 6 in response to the rotation of the rotor 4 but does not communicate with the second inlet pipe 34.
[0040] The first fluid F1 and / or the second fluid F2 that has flowed into the valve chamber 6 through the first non-communicating region 50 and / or the second non-communicating region 52, respectively, is discharged as a discharge fluid DF to the outside of the housing 2 through the discharge port 20. As a result, regardless of the rotational position of the rotor 4, the flows of both the first fluid F1 and the second fluid F2 on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1 are not impeded. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the effect on the equipment arranged on the upstream side of the mixing valve 1, and specifically, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchange sections 62, 68 as described above.
[0041] Furthermore, in addition to the first inlet port 14 into which the first fluid F1 flows in and the second inlet port 16 into which the second fluid F2 flows in, the first peripheral wall 12 of the housing 2 is provided with a discharge port 20 from which the discharge fluid DF is discharged and an outlet port 18 which communicates with the mixing tube 36 and from which the mixed fluid MF flows out. That is, by providing all of the ports 14, 16, 18, and 20 on the first peripheral wall 12 of the housing 2, the axial length of the rotor 4 can be shortened, and therefore the height dimension of the mixing valve 1 can be made as small as possible, thereby achieving a significant reduction in the size of the mixing valve 1.
[0042] In addition, because the ports 14, 16, 18, and 20 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall 12 of the housing 2, hoses and the like connected to the ports 14, 16, 18, and 20 can be easily handled, improving the workability when installing the mixing valve 1. In addition, because the hoses and the like connected to the ports 14, 16, 18, and 20 can be compactly arranged along the circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall 12, space around the mixing valve 1 can be saved.
[0043] Furthermore, the first inlet port 14, the second inlet port 16, the outlet port 18, and the discharge port 20 are provided on the same radial surface of the housing 2 and protrude from the first peripheral wall 12 in the radial direction of the housing 2. This makes it possible to more effectively make the mixing valve 1 compact, improve the ease of installation of the mixing valve 1, and reduce the space around the mixing valve 1.
[0044] Furthermore, the opening area at the open end 42 of the mixing tube 36 is large enough to communicate with the entire area of the third opening 26 of the outlet port 18 over the entire rotational range of the rotor 4. This allows the flow of the mixed fluid MF to be unimpeded regardless of the rotational position of the rotor 4, making it possible to more reliably suppress the effects on equipment arranged upstream of the mixing valve 1.
[0045] Furthermore, the mixing tube 36 has an expanded tube shape in which the third peripheral wall 44 expands in diameter from the connection portion 40 toward the open end 42. This makes it possible to reduce the diameters of the drive shaft 4a and the tube portion 4b of the rotor 4 while ensuring the opening area at the open end 42 of the mixing tube 36 described above. This therefore makes it possible to more effectively promote the compactness of the mixing valve 1.
[0046] Furthermore, when the fluid inflow angle α and the fluid mixing angle β are defined as above, the fluid mixing angle β is smaller than the fluid inflow angle α. This makes it possible to ensure a region between the first inlet port 14 and the second inlet port 16 that is wider than the rotation region of the rotor 4 about the rotation center C. This makes it possible to form the first non-communication region 50 and / or the second non-communication region 52, and makes it possible for the first fluid F1 and / or the second fluid F2 to flow into the valve chamber 6 and be discharged from the discharge port 20 as the discharge fluid DF.
[0047] Therefore, by simply adjusting the positions of the first inlet port 14 and the second inlet port 16 in the housing 2 and the positions of the first inlet pipe 32 and the second inlet pipe 34 in the rotor 4 so that the fluid mixing angle β is smaller than the fluid inflow angle α, it is possible to realize a mixing valve 1 that does not obstruct the flow of fluid upstream and that can minimize the impact on equipment located upstream.
[0048] Although the description of one embodiment of the present invention has been completed above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, a rotor 4 in which the fluid mixing angle β is substantially 180 degrees may be adopted, and in this case, the second inlet port 16 may be provided protruding from the first inlet port 14 at a position substantially greater than 180 degrees in the clockwise circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall 12.
[0049] As a result, the fluid inflow angle α becomes greater than 180 degrees, and the fluid mixing angle β becomes smaller than the fluid inflow angle α. Therefore, even in this case, the relationship between the fluid inflow angle α and the fluid mixing angle β described above is established, so that a mixing valve 1 that does not obstruct the flow of fluid on the upstream side can be realized. In addition, the first inlet port 14, the second inlet port 16, the outlet port 18, and the discharge port 20 do not have to protrude from the first peripheral wall 12 in the radial direction of the housing 2, as in the case of the second inlet port 16 shown in FIG. 11.
[0050] The mixing tube 36 described above has an expanding tube shape. However, the mixing tube 36 is not limited to this, and may have, for example, a square tube shape as shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 in which the third peripheral wall 44 does not expand in diameter from the connection portion 40 toward the opening end 42, or may have a simple tube shape. The mixing valve 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to mixing cooling water and hot water in the temperature adjustment system 56 described above, and can be used to mix various fluids including gases and not limited to liquids in systems that perform various adjustments not limited to temperature adjustment. [Explanation of symbols]
[0051] 1 Mixing valve 2. Housing 4 Rotors 6 Valve chamber 12 First peripheral wall 14 First inlet port 16 Second inlet port 18 Exit Port 20 Exhaust port 22 First opening 24 Second Opening 26 3rd Opening 30 Second peripheral wall 32 1st inflow pipe 34 Second inflow pipe 36 Mixing tube 38 Mixing channel 40 Connection 42 Open end 44 Third peripheral wall 46 1st communication area 48 Second communication area 50 First non-connected region 52 Second non-connected region C Rotation center F1 First fluid F2 Second fluid MF Mixed fluid DF Discharge fluid L1 First line L2 Second line L3 Third line L4 Fourth line α Fluid inflow angle β Fluid mixing angle
Claims
1. a cylindrical housing in which a valve chamber is formed; a rotor rotatably inserted in the valve chamber; Equipped with the housing has, in a first peripheral wall thereof, a first inlet port that opens into the valve chamber with a first opening and through which a first fluid flows in, and a second inlet port that opens into the valve chamber with a second opening and through which a second fluid flows in, the rotor has, on a second peripheral wall of the rotor, a first inlet pipe communicating with the first opening, a second inlet pipe communicating with the second opening, and a mixing pipe in which a mixing flow path through which the first fluid and / or the second fluid flow as a mixed fluid is formed; the mixing tube is open in a radial direction of the rotor and communicates with the first inlet tube and the second inlet tube so that the mixed fluid is introduced therein; a mixing valve, wherein the first peripheral wall of the housing is provided with a discharge port for discharging the first fluid and / or the second fluid, which have flowed into the valve chamber without passing through the first inlet pipe and / or the second inlet pipe of the rotor, to the outside of the housing as a discharge fluid, and an outlet port communicating with the mixing pipe.
2. the outlet port opens into the valve chamber through a third opening, the mixing tube has a connection portion connected to the second peripheral wall and an open end that comes into sliding contact with an inner peripheral surface of the housing as the rotor rotates, 2. The mixing valve according to claim 1, wherein an opening area of the opening end of the mixing tube is sized to communicate with the entire area of the third opening over the entire rotational range of the rotor.
3. The mixing valve according to claim 2 , wherein the mixing tube has a third peripheral wall having an expanded shape in which a diameter thereof expands from the connection portion toward the open end.
4. 4. The mixing valve according to claim 2, wherein the first inlet port, the second inlet port, the outlet port, and the discharge port are provided on the same radial surface of the housing and protrude radially from the first peripheral wall of the housing.
5. a fluid inflow angle is defined as an intersection angle between a first line connecting a rotation center of the rotor and a radial center of the first opening and a second line connecting the rotation center and a radial center of the second opening on the same radial plane; When an intersection angle between a third line connecting the rotation center and the radial center at the opening of the first inlet pipe and a fourth line connecting the rotation center and the radial center at the opening of the second inlet pipe on the same radial plane is defined as a fluid mixing angle, The mixing valve of claim 4 , wherein the fluid mixing angle is less than the fluid entry angle.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Flow regulating valve
JP2010001925A