manifold

Abstract

To suppress stress concentration corresponding to weld portions of upper and lower housings to configure a high-strength manifold.SOLUTION: A housing 10 comprises a valve for controlling a flow of fluid, and a plurality of flow path chambers LS, which are partitioned by partition walls in an internal space and through which the fluid flows. The housing 10 has a joint part W that joins an upper housing 10a including a first opening part S1 that opens downward, and a lower housing 10b including a second opening part S2 that opens upward, by thermally welding the first opening part S1 and the second opening part S2. The joint part W is arranged eccentrically to an upper or lower side with respect to a center position C of the housing 10 in a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manifold. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 shows a cooling system for a fuel cell vehicle, which includes a first cooling circuit including an FC system radiator that cools the fuel cell, a second cooling circuit including an EV system radiator that cools the EV unit, a bypass outward path for causing refrigerant to flow from the first cooling circuit to the second cooling circuit, and a bypass return path for causing refrigerant to flow from the second cooling circuit to the first cooling circuit.

[0003] This Patent Document 1 shows a first cooling circuit that enables cooling of a fuel cell by circulating a coolant between a fuel cell (FC) and an FC radiator using an FC pump. This Patent Document 1 also shows that it is possible to cool an EVU unit (EVU) that includes a motor, inverter, battery, etc., by circulating a coolant between the EVU radiator and the EVU pump.

[0004] Patent Document 2 shows a reservoir tank in which a reservoir tank body is formed by joining a lower flange at the lower end of a vertical wall portion of a lower reservoir and an upper flange at the upper end of a vertical wall portion of an upper reservoir.

[0005] In Patent Document 2, the reservoir tank body is made of resin, and the upper end of a molten rib protruding upward from the top surface of the lower flange is brought into contact with the underside of the upper flange, and the lower flange and upper flange are joined by vibration welding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-120893 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-23125 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In a cooling system that circulates refrigerant through multiple flow paths as described in Patent Document 1, it is desirable to form the pump and the flow paths integrally in the housing from the standpoint of handling and ease of mounting on the vehicle body.

[0008] In this way, from the viewpoint of ease of handling, ease of installation, etc., it is also conceivable to use a manifold that integrates a plurality of flow paths, pumps, valves, etc., housed in a case.

[0009] As a specific configuration, similar to the configuration described in Patent Document 2, an upper housing and a lower housing are manufactured separately, and a flange formed on the upper housing and a flange formed on the lower housing are welded to each other to form a manifold.

[0010] In this case, in order to ensure that the fluid pressure is applied evenly, it is common to set the vertical dimensions of the outer periphery vertical wall of the upper housing and the outer periphery vertical wall of the lower housing to be equal, and to weld these vertical walls at the vertical center position of the manifold.

[0011] On the other hand, when the fluid pressure inside the manifold increases, the vertical wall of the manifold deforms so as to bulge outward. Judging from this type of deformation, if the vertical wall of the upper housing and the vertical wall of the lower housing are welded at the center position in the vertical direction of the manifold, stress will concentrate at the welded area, which may lead to damage.

[0012] For these reasons, there is a need for a manifold that can suppress stress concentration at the welded portions of the upper and lower housings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A characteristic configuration of the manifold of the present invention is that it comprises a valve that controls the flow of a fluid, and a housing having a plurality of flow path chambers in an internal space partitioned by partition walls through which the fluid flows, the housing having an upper housing including a first opening that is open to the bottom and a lower housing including a second opening that is open to the top, and a joint where the first opening and the second opening are joined by thermal welding, and the joint is positioned biased above or below the center of the housing in the vertical direction.

[0014] According to this configuration, the first opening of the upper housing and the second opening of the lower housing are thermally welded to form a housing in which the upper and lower housings are integrated. Since the welded portion is located above or below the vertical center of the housing, for example, even if the vertical center of the outer wall of the housing expands outward most due to an increase in pressure of the fluid flowing inside the housing, stress is not concentrated on the welded portion, and damage to the welded portion can be prevented. Thus, a manifold capable of suppressing stress concentration on the welded portions of the upper and lower housings has been constructed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the manifold in the region from the valve to the pump. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a bottom view of the upper housing showing the shape of the first opening. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 shows a cutout between the first main annular rib and the first partition wall rib. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 shows cutouts between first partition wall ribs. [Figure 7] 13 is a plan view of the lower housing showing the shape of the second opening. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 shows a cutout between the second main annular rib and the second partition wall rib. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 shows cutouts between second partition wall ribs. [Figure 10] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the manifold taken along line ZZ shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 11] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the manifold taken along line ZZ in FIG. 3, in which the manifold is separated into an upper housing and a lower housing. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a manifold showing the positions of joints in another embodiment (a). [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of upper ribs, lower ribs, etc. in another embodiment (d). [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the upper rib and the lower rib in a welded state in another embodiment (d). [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a lower housing of another embodiment (d). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a manifold according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The manifold controls the flow of fluid that performs heat exchange for a battery or the like in an electric vehicle as described below, but is not limited to the following embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0017] [Basic configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, a manifold M is configured by providing a housing 10 with a plurality of cylindrical ports 1 (examples of inlet / outlet pipes), a pair of valves 2, and a pair of pumps 3, and by forming a flow path L (see FIG. 2) in the internal space of the housing 10.

[0018] The manifold M is mounted on an electric vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as an "electric vehicle") that runs on electricity. The manifold M controls the fluid that flows between objects to be cooled (not shown), such as a battery, an inverter, and a driving motor mounted on the electric vehicle, and a heat dissipation unit (not shown), such as a radiator or a chiller.

[0019] The driving motor is a driving source that operates when supplied with electric power, and the inverter controls the electric power supplied to the driving motor. The battery is configured as a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery, and supplies electric power to the inverter, driving motor, etc. as needed.

[0020] Examples of electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

[0021] This manifold M constitutes a part of a temperature management unit (not shown). The temperature management unit includes a control unit (not shown) that acquires signals from sensors such as a battery temperature sensor (not shown) that measures the temperature of the battery and a fluid temperature sensor (not shown) that measures the temperature of the fluid in the flow path L, and that controls the pair of valves 2 and the pair of pumps 3 independently.

[0022] A cooling fluid such as long-life coolant (LLC) is used as the fluid in the manifold M. The fluid is not limited to cooling fluids such as long-life coolant (LLC), and may be a refrigerant such as insulating oil of paraffin or the like, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), hydrofluoroolefin (HFO), or the like.

[0023] [Manifold] A housing 10 constituting a manifold M is provided on an electric vehicle in the position shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 10, the manifold M is composed of a housing 10 in which an upper housing 10a made of a thermoplastic resin and a lower housing 10b made of the same thermoplastic resin material as the upper housing 10a are integrated by thermal welding using infrared rays.

[0024] The upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b are molded products using glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin. The fibers used for reinforcement are not limited to glass fibers, and may be high-strength fibers such as carbon fibers. Thermal welding will be described later.

[0025] 2, the housing 10 has a flow path chamber LS through which a fluid flows between a plurality of partition walls 22 or between the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22. This flow path chamber LS communicates with a preset cylindrical port 1 or with the inside of the cylindrical portion 12 of the valve 2. The valve 2 controls the flow of the fluid between the plurality of flow path chambers LS.

[0026] 2, 4, 7, and 10, the outer wall 21 is further composed of a first outer wall rib 21a formed on the upper housing 10a and a second outer wall rib 21b formed on the lower housing 10b. The partition wall 22 is composed of a first partition wall rib 22a formed on the upper housing 10a and a second partition wall rib 22b formed on the lower housing 10b.

[0027] The first outer wall rib 21a and the second outer wall rib 21b are integrated by thermal welding to form the outer wall 21. The first partition wall rib 22a and the second partition wall rib 22b are integrated by thermal welding to form the partition wall 22. The welding will be described later.

[0028] [Upper housing] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the upper housing 10a is substantially rectangular in plan view, and the multiple cylindrical ports 1 (inlet / outlet pipes) protrude outward in a lateral orientation relative to the upper housing 10a. Also, as shown in Figures 4, 10, and 11, the upper housing 10a is formed with a first opening S1 that opens downward.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper housing 10a has two valves 2 arranged in the center. The valves 2 accommodate a valve body 13 rotatably inside a cylindrical portion 12 centered on the vertical axis X. The valve body 13 has an operating shaft 13a that protrudes in the vertical direction. The valve 2 has an electric valve driver 14 that drives and rotates the operating shaft 13a of the valve body 13, and this valve driver 14 is provided in the upper part of the upper housing 10a.

[0030] A bearing hole 16a is formed in the bottom plate 16 formed at the lower part of the cylindrical part 12. As described above, the upper end of the operating shaft 13a of the valve body 13 is connected to the valve driving part 14, and the lower end of the operating shaft 13a is supported by the bearing hole 16a, so that the valve body 13 rotates about the vertical axis X to control the flow of fluid.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the upper housing 10a forms a main annular rib 17 (an example of a first annular rib) at the lower end of the tubular portion 12, and forms a sub-annular rib 18 (an example of a second annular rib) inside this main annular rib 17.

[0032] The main annular rib 17 (first annular rib) and the sub annular rib 18 (second annular rib) are disposed coaxially with the vertical axis X. The main annular rib 17 has a radius substantially equal to that of the cylindrical portion 12, and the sub annular rib 18 has a smaller diameter than the main annular rib 17.

[0033] The main annular rib 17 (first annular rib) is composed of a first main annular rib 17a formed on the upper housing 10a and a second main annular rib 17b formed on the lower housing 10b. The sub-annular rib 18 (second annular rib) is composed of a first sub-annular rib 18a formed on the upper housing 10a and a second sub-annular rib 18b formed on the lower housing 10b.

[0034] The first major annular rib 17a and the second major annular rib 17b are integrated by welding to form the major annular rib 17. The first minor annular rib 18a and the second minor annular rib 18b are integrated by welding to form the minor annular rib 18. The welding will be described later.

[0035] 1 and 2, the pump 3 is provided in a state where it is connected to flange portions 4 at both ends of the upper housing 10a in the longitudinal direction in a plan view. The pump 3 is a unit consisting of an electric motor portion 3a and an impeller portion 3b. The pump 3 is provided in a form where the impeller portion 3b is inserted into the opening of the flange portion 4.

[0036] The upper housing 10a bulges upward at the portion where the valve 2 is disposed, and the vertical dimension of the outer wall 21 (first outer wall rib 21a) at the outer edge is the smallest. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the upper housing 10a has a vertical wall portion 5 integrally formed at the outer periphery of the upper housing 10a to increase the strength of the outer periphery.

[0037] The vertical wall portion 5 is a plate-like portion rising upward from the outer periphery of the upper housing 10a, and is connected such that the outer surface of the vertical wall portion 5 and the outer surface of the first outer wall rib 21a are flush with each other. The vertical wall portion 5 is disposed at a position overlapping the first outer wall rib 21a in a plan view. Some of the cylindrical ports 1 are disposed penetrating the vertical wall portion 5.

[0038] The strength of a part of the outer edge of the upper housing 10a is improved by forming the vertical wall portion 5. In addition, a concave space that opens upward is formed between the upper housing 10a and the vertical wall portion 5. The vertical wall portion 5 forms a water drainage hole 5a (an example of a liquid drainage hole) for draining water (liquid) that accumulates in the concave space.

[0039] [Lower housing] 2, 7, 10, and 11, the lower housing 10b has a bottom wall 7. The lower housing 10b is formed with a second opening S2 that opens upward. The first opening S1 and the second opening S2 described above are joined by thermal welding to integrate the lower housing 10b with the upper housing 10a, thereby forming the housing 10.

[0040] [First opening] The first opening S1 shown in FIG. 4 represents the shape of the opening of the upper housing 10a before welding.

[0041] The first opening S1 is formed with a first outer wall rib 21a and a plurality of first partition wall ribs 22a in a region surrounding the outer periphery of the upper housing 10a. Furthermore, the first opening S1 is formed with a first main annular rib 17a, a first minor annular rib 18a, and a first partition wall rib 22a.

[0042] In particular, the first pressure-receiving rib region 21ap of the first outer wall rib 21a, which is a relatively long region where the pressure of the fluid in the flow path chamber LS acts from the inside, is molded in a curved shape that bulges toward the region where the fluid flows (inward: downward in Figure 4), thereby suppressing deformation due to pressure.

[0043] As mentioned above, the flow path chamber LS is formed between multiple partition walls 22 or between the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22, but Figure 4 shows the position of the flow path chamber LS between multiple first partition wall ribs 22a or between the first outer wall rib 21a and the first partition wall rib 22a.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of cylindrical ports 1 (inlet / outlet pipes) arranged in a penetrating state between the first outer wall rib 21a and the first partition wall rib 22a are supported in a reinforced state by resin reinforcing parts T at the portions penetrating the first outer wall rib 21a and the first partition wall rib 22a.

[0045] By forming the reinforcing portion T in this manner, not only is the cylindrical port 1 firmly supported, but the positional relationship between the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22 is properly maintained, and as a result, the shape retention of the housing 10 is improved.

[0046] [Second opening] The second opening S2 shown in FIG. 7 represents the shape of the opening of the lower housing 10b before welding.

[0047] The second opening S2 is formed with a second outer wall rib 21b and a plurality of second partition wall ribs 22b in a region surrounding the outer periphery of the lower housing 10b. Furthermore, the second opening S2 is formed with a second main annular rib 17b, a second minor annular rib 18b, and a second partition wall rib 22b.

[0048] Similar to the first opening S1, the position of the flow path chamber LS is shown to be between the plurality of second partition wall ribs 22b, or between the second outer wall rib 21b and the second partition wall rib 22b.

[0049] In the second opening S2, the second main annular rib 17b and the second sub annular rib 18b are disposed at positions where they can overlap with the first main annular rib 17a and the first sub annular rib 18a. The second partition wall ribs 22b are arranged at positions where they can overlap the corresponding first partition wall ribs 22a.

[0050] Furthermore, the second opening S2 has a second outer wall rib 21b at a position where it can overlap with the first outer wall rib 21a. A second pressure-receiving rib region 21bp is formed at a position where it can overlap with the first pressure-receiving rib region 21ap. This second pressure-receiving rib region 21bp is also curved and bulges in the direction in which the fluid flows (inward), thereby suppressing deformation due to pressure.

[0051] In addition, the first outer wall rib 21a, the first partition wall rib 22a, etc. exposed to the first opening S1 may be simply referred to as "ribs", and the second outer wall rib 21b, the second partition wall rib 22b, etc. exposed to the second opening S2 may be simply referred to as "ribs".

[0052] [Notch] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the position where the first outer wall rib 21a formed in the first opening S1 connects to the first partition wall rib 22a, or the area where the first main annular rib 17a connects to the first partition wall rib 22a, forms a boundary area having the same shape as a three-way intersection.

[0053] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the position where the second outer wall rib 21b formed in the second opening S2 is connected to the second partition wall rib 22b, or the area where the second main annular rib 17b is connected to the second partition wall rib 22b, forms a boundary area having the same shape as a three-way intersection.

[0054] The thermal welding is realized by bonding the opposing portions of the first opening S1 and the second opening S2 in a heated state by pressure bonding. In this bonding, the opposing surfaces of the first outer wall rib 21a and the second outer wall rib 21b are bonded in a molten state, and the first partition wall rib 22a and the second partition wall rib 22b are bonded in a molten state.

[0055] After this joining, it is desirable for the joint area to dissipate heat evenly and for the resin to solidify. However, since the three-way intersection area is thicker than the rib that connects to it, there is a delay in the temperature drop in part of the three-way intersection area during heat welding. This delay in temperature drop can cause distortion and other deformations on the joint surface due to differences in the amount of thermal expansion.

[0056] In order to prevent such inconvenience, a notch N is formed to make the thickness of the three-way intersection uniform, as shown in Figures 5, 6, 8, and 9. The thickness Y of each rib is constant, and in order to make the thickness Y constant at the three-way intersection, the notch N has a shape that combines arc surfaces with a radius equal to the thickness Y.

[0057] For example, in the case of the first outer wall rib 21a, if the bend radius is small at the corners of the first outer wall rib 21a, the corners are likely to be deformed during heat welding. For this reason, a bend shape with a large radius is also adopted to suppress deformation at the corners.

[0058] [Setting welding position] As shown in FIGS. 2, 10 and 11, the boundary between the first opening S1 and the second opening S2 in the housing 10 when they are thermally welded together is referred to as a joint W.

[0059] In this manifold M, the joint W is disposed below the center position C of the housing 10 in the up-down direction. In other words, the lower dimension Hb from the joint W to the lower end of the lower housing 10b is set to a smaller value than the upper dimension Ha from the joint W to the upper end of the upper housing 10a. In this embodiment, the upper dimension Ha is about four times the lower dimension Hb. This upper dimension Ha is preferably at least two times the lower dimension Hb, and more preferably at least three times the lower dimension Hb.

[0060] In the housing 10, in a portion where the pressure of the fluid flowing in the flow passage chamber LS acts on the outer wall 21, when the pressure of the fluid increases, the outer wall 21 deforms so as to bulge laterally outward.

[0061] This deformation causes the housing 10 (manifold M) to bulge outward most at the vertical center position C. For example, if the joint W is located at the vertical center position C of the housing 10, the stress caused by this deformation may be concentrated at the joint W, causing the joint W to break.

[0062] In particular, the housing 10 is made of a glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin. However, this resin is in a state where only the resin is joined at the joint W during heat welding, and the joint surface is easily damaged when an external force is applied.

[0063] In order to prevent such damage, the bottom dimension Hb of the lower housing 10b is set smaller than the top dimension Ha of the upper housing 10a, so that the joint W is set below the vertical center position C of the upper housing 10a.

[0064] With this configuration, even if the housing 10 is deformed by expanding due to the pressure of the fluid, the resin matrix material containing glass fiber of the upper housing 10a is deformed, reducing the stress acting on the joint W and suppressing the inconvenience of breakage.

[0065] [Effects of the embodiment] In this way, the joint W at which the first opening S1 of the upper housing 10a and the second opening S2 of the lower housing 10b are joined by thermal welding is disposed below the vertical center position C of the housing 10. Therefore, even if the vertical center position C of the outer wall 21 of the housing 10 bulges outward the most as the pressure of the fluid flowing inside the housing 10 increases, stress is not concentrated at the joint W, and the joint W is not damaged.

[0066] In the thermal welding, the first opening S1 and the second opening S2 are heated by heat from an infrared heat source, and the ribs exposed at the upper opening S and the ribs exposed at the second opening S2 are melted. Next, pressure is applied to the upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b to join the molten ribs together, and the resin is solidified by heat dissipation, completing the thermal welding.

[0067] In this thermal welding, a notch N is formed in the boundary region of the three-way intersection of the rib, allowing heat to be dissipated uniformly at the joint surfaces between the ribs, thereby suppressing deformation such as distortion.

[0068] The cylindrical portion 12, which houses the valve body 13 so as to be freely rotatable, has a double structure in which the main annular rib 17 and the sub annular rib 18 arranged at the bottom are coaxial, thereby making it possible to stabilize the posture of the cylindrical portion 12.

[0069] The main annular rib 17 is formed by heat welding the first main annular rib 17a and the second main annular rib 17b, and the sub annular rib 18 is formed by heat welding the first sub annular rib 18a and the second sub annular rib 18b. This allows for proper joining with good heat dissipation during heat welding without increasing the thickness of the main annular rib 17 and the sub annular rib 18.

[0070] The outer wall 21 on which the pressure from the fluid in the flow path chamber LS acts is formed in a curved shape bulging toward the flow path chamber LS, thereby eliminating the inconvenience of deformation such that the outer wall 21 bulges outward even if the outer wall 21 is relatively longer than the other outer walls 21.

[0071] The cylindrical port 1 penetrating from the first outer wall rib 21a to the first partition wall rib 22a is reinforced at the penetrating portion by a reinforcing portion T. This not only firmly supports the cylindrical port 1, but also stabilizes the posture of the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22, thereby improving the shape retention of the housing 10.

[0072] The outer periphery of the upper housing 10a is strengthened by the vertical wall 5 formed integrally with the outer periphery. By suppressing warping of the welded end surface, it becomes easier to secure the welding area and prevent a decrease in welding strength. Furthermore, by forming the vertical wall portion 5, water that has entered the recessed space can be drained through the water drainage holes 5a (liquid drainage holes).

[0073] [Another embodiment] The present invention may be configured as follows other than the above-described embodiment (common numbers and symbols as in the embodiment are used to designate components having the same functions as in the embodiment).

[0074] 12, the joint W of the manifold M is set above the center position C in the vertical direction of the housing 10. Even in this configuration, even if the outer wall 21 expands laterally outward due to the action of the pressure of the fluid flowing in the flow passage chamber LS, the resin matrix material containing glass fiber of the upper housing 10a is deformed, suppressing an increase in stress acting on the joint W and preventing problems that may lead to breakage.

[0075] (b) The ribs exposed at the first opening S1 and the second opening S2 are not limited to flat surfaces, but may be, for example, shaped with a concave portion and a convex portion that enable partial engagement with the lower end of the first outer wall rib 21a and the upper end of the second outer wall rib 21b.

[0076] By using the recessed portion and the protruding portion in this manner, it becomes possible to properly maintain the positional relationship between the first opening portion S1 and the second opening portion S2 when the recessed portion and the protruding portion are fitted together and thermal welding is performed.

[0077] (c) The shape of the notch N is not limited to a combination of arc surfaces. For example, it may be concave in plan view by combining short straight lines.

[0078] (d) As shown in FIGS. 4, 13, and 14, the first opening S1 of the manifold M has an end face (lower face) of the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra of the upper housing 10a. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7, 13, and 14, the second opening S2 of the manifold M has an end face (upper face) of the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb of the lower housing 10b.

[0079] The manifold M has the end face of the rib lower end Rae and the end face of the rib upper end Rbe joined by thermal welding at the joint W shown in FIG. 14. In the following description, at the joint W, the boundary where the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb are joined is referred to as the welding surface MT.

[0080] The upper rib Ra is the superordinate concept of the first main annular rib 17a, the first sub-annular rib 18a, the first outer wall rib 21a, and the first partition wall rib 22a shown in FIG. 4. The lower rib Rb is the superordinate concept of the second main annular rib 17b, the second sub-annular rib 18b, the second outer wall rib 21b, and the second partition wall rib 22b shown in FIG. 7.

[0081] In this alternative embodiment (d), as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 15, the thickness of the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra (hereinafter referred to as the upper rib width Da) and the thickness of the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb (hereinafter referred to as the lower rib width Db) are made different. In this alternative embodiment (d), the upper rib width Da is set to be narrower than the lower rib width Db (the relationship Da < Db). Note that this dimensional relationship may be implemented in the reverse (Da > Db).

[0082] By setting the dimensional relationship between the upper rib width Da and the lower rib width Db in this manner, even if the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb deviate in the rib width direction, for example, within the tolerance range, the inconvenience of one of the widthwise ends of the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb protruding outward from the other widthwise end is suppressed, making it possible to perform heat welding while keeping the rib width within the rib width direction.

[0083] The reason for setting such a dimensional relationship is to improve the bonding strength of the joint W by increasing the area of ​​the joint W, and to enable welding of the rib lower end Rae and the rib upper end Rbe within the width in the rib width direction, as described above.

[0084] A structure in which the upper rib width Da and the lower rib width Db are simply enlarged in order to improve the bonding strength of the joint W would lead to an increase in the weight of the manifold M and an increase in the amount of resin used. To solve this problem, as shown in Fig. 13, an upper rib width Da is set that is necessary to increase the bonding strength of the joint W, and a lower rib width Db that is larger than this is set.

[0085] When two ribs with different rib widths (the lower end of the rib Rae and the upper end of the rib Rbe) are heated simultaneously and equally for thermal welding, it can be confirmed that the temperature of the rib with the smaller rib width becomes higher than that of the rib with the larger rib width, because the smaller the rib width, the less heat is dissipated to the outside due to thermal conduction.

[0086] In addition, when two ribs with a temperature difference at their joining surfaces (the end surface of the rib lower end Rae and the end surface of the rib upper end Rbe) are welded together, the required strength may not be obtained at the welded surface MT. The reason for this is thought to be that when pressure is applied to the two ribs to bring them into contact for welding, the molten resin at the joining surface of the rib on the high temperature side has high fluidity, so pressure does not act appropriately between the two ribs, and the molten resin does not bond with the required force.

[0087] In another embodiment (d), good thermal welding is made possible by reducing the temperature difference between the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb. That is, when the rib lower end Rae and the rib upper end Rbe are heated for thermal welding, an infrared heater 26 is disposed between the rib lower end Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end Rbe of the lower rib Rb as shown in FIG.

[0088] In thermal welding, when the temperature of the end faces of the rib lower ends Rae and upper ends Rbe exceeds the temperature at which the resin melts due to heating by the infrared heater 26, the heat source is removed and the rib lower ends Rae and Rbe are brought into contact with each other with moderate pressure.

[0089] In this way, by contacting the lower end Rae of the rib with the upper end Rbe of the rib with an appropriate pressure, the molten resin at each end face is pressed together, as shown in Figure 14, making it possible to create a firmly joined welded surface MT.

[0090] In this alternative embodiment (d), the value of the upper rib width Da is the joint width, which is set to 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less. In this welding, a part of the molten resin flows out from the boundary of the joint W to the outside, forming a flash portion 27. When the joint width is set to 4.5 mm, the maximum stress reduction rate is 48% and the fracture time is more than 20 times longer than when the joint width is set to 3.0 mm, so that the joint width is preferably 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

[0091] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided that no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention.

[0092] In the above-described embodiment, the following configurations are envisaged. (1) A manifold M comprising a valve 2 for controlling the flow of a fluid, and a housing 10 having a plurality of flow passage chambers LS partitioned by partition walls 22 in an internal space through which the fluid flows, the housing 10 having an upper housing 10a including a first opening S1 that is open to the downward side and a lower housing 10b including a second opening S2 that is open to the upward side, the housing 10 having a joint W where the first opening S1 and the second opening S2 are joined by thermal welding, the joint W being positioned above or below the center (center position C) of the housing 10 in the vertical direction.

[0093] According to this characteristic configuration, the first opening S1 of the upper housing 10a and the second opening S2 of the lower housing 10b are thermally welded to join the upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b at the joint W to form an integrated housing 10. Since the joint W is located above or below the center (center position C) of the housing 10 in the vertical direction, for example, even if the center position C in the vertical direction of the outer wall 21 of the housing 10 bulges outward most due to an increase in pressure of the fluid flowing inside the housing 10, stress is not concentrated at the joint W and the joint W is not damaged.

[0094] (2) In the manifold M of (1), it is preferable that the joint W has a notch N that makes the thickness of the three-way intersection uniform in the boundary region of the three-way intersection where two partition walls 22 intersect with each other or where one partition wall 22 intersects with the outer wall 21 of the housing 10.

[0095] According to this, the formation of the notch N makes the thickness uniform, so that when the three-way intersection comes into contact in a heated state and the temperature drops in this contact state, heat is dissipated evenly at the contact portion, eliminating the inconvenience of twisting and distortion.

[0096] (3) In the manifold M of (1) or (2), it is preferable that the valve 2 has a tubular portion 12 centered on a vertical axis X along the up-down direction, and a valve body 13 accommodated inside the tubular portion 12 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis X, and the joint W has a first annular rib (main annular rib 17) arranged at the lower end position of the tubular portion 12, and a second annular rib (secondary annular rib 18) arranged inside the first annular rib (main annular rib 17) in a region centered on the vertical axis X.

[0097] According to this, a first annular rib (main annular rib 17) and a second annular rib (minor annular rib 18) inside the first annular rib are doubly arranged at the lower end of the tubular portion 12. This makes it possible to improve the strength of the lower end of the tubular portion 12. It is also possible to improve the strength by providing a thick (wide) annular rib at the lower end of the tubular portion 12, but this can lead to the inconvenience of uneven heat dissipation during heat welding. In response to this, by arranging the annular ribs in a double configuration, the heat dissipation of the double ribs is made even.

[0098] (4) In the manifold M of (1), it is preferable that the outer wall 21 of the housing 10 which forms a relatively long flow path chamber LS among the multiple flow path chambers LS in the direction in which the fluid flows has a curved shape that bulges toward the flow path chamber LS.

[0099] This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the outer wall 21 such that the outer wall 21 bulges outward even when pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow passage chamber LS acts on the outer wall 21 .

[0100] (5) In the manifold M of (1), it is preferable that the outer wall 21 of the housing 10 and the partition wall 22 are connected by a part of the inlet / outlet pipe (cylindrical port 1).

[0101] As a result, by connecting the inlet / outlet pipe (cylindrical port 1) to the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22, not only is the inlet / outlet pipe (cylindrical port 1) firmly supported, but the relative positional relationship between the outer wall 21 and the partition wall 22 is stabilized, and as a result, the shape retention of the housing 10 is improved.

[0102] (6) In the manifold M of (1), a vertical wall portion 5 is formed along the outer periphery of the housing 10. And This is preferable.

[0103] According to this, by forming the vertical wall portion 5, it is possible to improve the strength of the outer edge portion of the housing 10. This makes it easier to secure the welding area by suppressing warping of the welding end surface, and prevents a decrease in welding strength. do.

[0104] In the manifold M of (7) and (6), it is preferable that the vertical wall portion 5 has a liquid discharge hole (drain hole 5a) for discharging liquid that has entered the inside of the vertical wall portion 5.

[0105] According to this, a concave space is formed between the outer periphery of the housing 10 and the vertical wall portion 5, and even if water accumulates in this concave space, the water can be drained through the liquid drainage hole (water drainage hole 5a).

[0106] ( 8 In the manifold M of (1), the first opening S1 is a rib lower end Rae of an upper rib Ra extending downward in the upper housing 10a, and the second opening S2 is a rib upper end Rbe of a lower rib Rb formed in the lower housing 10b and extending upward, and it is preferable that the upper rib width Da, which is the thickness of the rib lower end Rae, and the lower rib width Db, which is the thickness of the rib upper end Rbe, are different.

[0107] According to this, even if the rib lower end portion Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end portion Rbe of the lower rib Rb are in a positional relationship that deviates from the appropriate position in the width direction of the ribs, for example, within the tolerance range, the inconvenience of one of the width direction ends of the rib lower end portion Rae of the upper rib Ra and the rib upper end portion Rbe of the lower rib Rb protruding outward from the other width direction end portion is suppressed, and heat welding is possible in a positional relationship that is contained within the width in the rib width direction.

[0108] ( 9 )( 8) In the manifold M, the joining width by thermal welding between the rib lower end portion Rae and the rib upper end portion Rbe is preferably 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

[0109] This enables thermal welding in a practical width range of 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

[0110] ( 10 ) (8) or ( 9In the manifold M of the above, it is preferable that the width of the thinner rib is 75 to 88% of the width of the thicker rib.

[0111] This makes it possible to heat-weld ribs of different widths, where the thinner rib width is 75 to 88% of the thicker rib width. [Industrial Applicability]

[0112] The present invention can be used in a manifold. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1: cylindrical port 1 (inlet / outlet pipe), 2: valve, 5: vertical wall portion, 5a: water drain hole (liquid discharge hole), 10: housing, 10a: upper housing, 10b: lower housing, 12: cylindrical portion, 13: valve body, 17: first annular rib, 18: second annular rib, 21: outer wall, 22: compartment, Da: upper rib width, Db: lower rib width, M: manifold, MT: welding surface, N: notch, Ra: upper rib, Rae: rib lower end Rae, Rb: lower rib, Rbe: rib upper end Rbe, W: joint, X: vertical axis, LS: flow path chamber, S1: first opening, S2: second opening

Claims

1. A valve for controlling the flow of fluid; a housing having a plurality of flow passage chambers in an internal space partitioned by partition walls and through which the fluid flows; the housing has an upper housing including a first opening that is open downward and a lower housing including a second opening that is open upward, and a joint portion at which the first opening and the second opening are joined by thermal welding; A manifold in which the joint portion is positioned above or below the center of the housing in the vertical direction.

2. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein the joint has a notch at a boundary region of a three-way intersection where two of the partition walls or one of the partition walls and the outer wall of the housing intersect, for making the thickness of the three-way intersection uniform.

3. The valve has a cylindrical portion centered on a vertical axis along the up-down direction, and a valve body accommodated inside the cylindrical portion so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, 3. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion has a first annular rib arranged at a lower end position of the tubular portion, and a second annular rib arranged inside the first annular rib in a region centered on the vertical axis.

4. 2. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein an outer wall of the housing that defines one of the plurality of flow passage chambers that is relatively long in the direction in which the fluid flows has a curved shape that bulges toward the flow passage chamber.

5. 2. A manifold according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall of the housing and the partition wall are connected by a portion of an inlet / outlet pipe.

6. 2. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein a vertical wall portion is formed along an outer periphery of the housing, and the vertical wall portion has a liquid discharge hole for discharging liquid that has entered inside the vertical wall portion.

7. the first opening is a lower end of an upper rib extending downward in the upper housing, and the second opening is an upper end of a lower rib formed in the lower housing and extending upward, 2. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein an upper rib width, which is a thickness of the lower end portion of the rib, is different from a lower rib width, which is a thickness of the upper end portion of the rib.

8. 8. The manifold according to claim 7, wherein a joint width between the lower end portion of the rib and the upper end portion of the rib by the thermal welding is 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

9. 9. The manifold of claim 7 or 8, wherein the width of the thinner rib is 75 to 88% of the width of the thicker rib.

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