Motor valve

Abstract

To prevent rapid outflow of a coolant to an outlet when a valve body rotates to allow communication between the outlet of the coolant and a valve hole and control a minute flow rate of the coolant to inhibit clogging of foreign objects in a motor valve.SOLUTION: A motor valve includes: a housing 11 which is open at one end and has a communication port 11b on a peripheral surface; a valve body 12 which is rotatably inserted into the housing and opens or closes the communication port; a cylindrical seal member 14 which is attached to the communication port and slidably contacts with a peripheral surface of the valve body; and a drive device which rotationally drives the valve body. The valve body has a cylindrical valve main body 12b. In the valve body, an outer wall which may close the communication port, a valve hole which may communicate with the communication port, and a valve opening which is formed at one end of the valve main body and communicates with the opening are formed. In the cylindrical seal member, one end of the seal member provided with an opening slidably contacts with the peripheral surface of the valve body. A groove part 14c connected to the opening is formed at the one end of the seal member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor-operated valve. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a rotary flow control valve used in an automobile cooling system has a cylindrical valve element with a spherical or straight outer wall housed in a valve housing (valve element housing portion) so that it can be rotated from the outside. This rotary flow control valve uses a spherical or cylindrical valve element, and is configured to perform a desired operation by appropriately opening and closing an outlet to a passage connected to the valve housing by rotating the valve element. That is, a valve hole is formed on the side of the valve element, and the valve hole is aligned with the outlet formed on the inner surface of the valve housing by rotating the valve element, so that the coolant flows into the outlet.

[0003] In this type of flow control valve, the communication state between the outlet and the valve hole is switched by the rotation of the valve body. If the communication state is switched abruptly by the rotation of the valve body, the flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing through the outlet changes abruptly, which tends to cause large pressure fluctuations and temperature changes on the outlet side. As a countermeasure to this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which the amount of coolant flowing in from the valve hole side is gradually increased, for example, at the beginning of communication between the outlet and the valve hole.

[0004] 6, the flow control valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a slit 52a penetrating the peripheral wall portion formed on the front side in the rotation direction of the valve body 50 among the edge portions of a valve hole 52 formed in a peripheral wall portion 51 of a cylindrical valve body 50. The slit 52a extends from the valve hole 52 along the rotation direction of the valve body 50, and guides the cooling liquid in the inner region of the valve body 50 to the outlet through the slit 52a at a stage before the outlet directly communicates with the valve hole 52. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-138452 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when a slit 52a is formed at the edge of the valve hole 52 penetrating the wall as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the width of the slit becomes narrow when a minute flow rate is to be passed, which raises the risk of foreign matter becoming clogged in the slit.

[0007] The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide an electric valve that can prevent the cooling liquid from suddenly flowing out of the outlet when the valve body rotates and the cooling liquid outlet and the valve hole are connected, can control the minute flow rate of the cooling liquid, and can suppress clogging by foreign matter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the electric valve of the present invention comprises a housing having an opening at one end and a communication port on its circumferential surface, a valve body rotatably inserted into the housing to open and close the communication port, a cylindrical sealing member attached to the communication port and in sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the valve body, and a drive device for rotating the valve body, wherein the valve body has a cylindrical valve body having an outer wall capable of closing the communication port of the housing, a valve hole capable of communicating with the communication port, and a valve opening formed at one end of the valve body and communicating with the opening of the housing, and the cylindrical sealing member is characterized in that one end of the sealing member, where the opening is formed, is in sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the valve body, and one end of the sealing member is formed with a groove portion connected to the opening.

[0009] According to this configuration, in the motor-operated valve, the groove portion first overlaps with the valve hole by rotating the valve body, and the cooling liquid starts to flow from the groove portion to the communication port (outlet). This prevents the cooling liquid from suddenly flowing out to the communication port, and allows the cooling liquid to be controlled at a very small flow rate. In addition, since this is not a structure in which a very small flow rate flows through a narrow slit as in the conventional structure, clogging by foreign matter can be suppressed.

[0010] It is also preferable that at least a region radially outward of the groove at one end of the seal member where the opening is formed is formed so as to be able to come into sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the valve body. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sealing effect when the valve hole and the communication port do not overlap.

[0011] It is also preferable that the seal member has a concave or convex engaging portion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the seal member, the concave or convex engaging portion being engaged with a convex or concave portion formed on the communication port side. By providing the engagement portion for preventing rotation on the outer circumferential surface of the seal member in this manner, it is possible to prevent the seal member from rotating in the circumferential direction. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the electric valve of the present invention, when the valve body rotates and the coolant outlet and the valve hole are connected, a sudden outflow of the coolant into the outlet can be prevented, the minute flow rate of the coolant can be controlled, and clogging by foreign matter can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a motor-operated valve according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a valve body provided in the motor-operated valve of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seal member of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the seal member of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5(a) is a plan view of a groove portion of the seal member of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5(b) is a plan view showing a modified example of the groove portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing the shape of a conventional valve hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the motor-operated valve according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. In addition, in the specification and drawings of the present application, elements that can be similarly described may be given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a motor-operated valve according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the upper and lower sides in Fig. 1 are simply referred to as "upper" and "lower".

[0016] The motor-operated valve 1 of this embodiment is assumed to be used in an automobile cooling circuit (coolant circulation system) that includes, for example, a cooling path through which coolant flowing out of the engine (cylinder head side) returns to the engine (cylinder block side) via a radiator, and a bypass path through which coolant flowing out of the engine returns to the engine without (bypassing) the radiator.The motor-operated valve 1 controls the opening and closing of a valve hole formed in the valve body to release the coolant that has flowed in through the engine toward the cooling path and the bypass path, respectively, and to control the flow rate.

[0017] <Basic structure of motor-operated valve> The motor-operated valve 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 11 in which a coolant inlet 11a and multiple outlets 11b (11b1, 11b2) are formed, a valve element 12 accommodated in the internal space of the housing 11 and rotatable about an axis in the internal space, an adapter 13 (131, 132) connected to the outlet 11b, and seal members 14 (141, 142) for preventing leakage of the coolant that passes through valve holes 12f (12f1, 12f2) formed in the valve element 12 and is discharged to the adapter 13 side. This motor-operated valve 1 appropriately discharges the coolant, for example, toward a cooling path and a bypass path, by controlling the rotation of the valve element 12 according to instructions from a control device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle.

[0018] The structure of the motor-operated valve 1 of this embodiment will be described in more detail below. In this embodiment, the direction along the axis that is the center of rotation of the valve body 12 will be described as the "axial direction", the direction perpendicular to the axis will be described as the "radial direction", and the direction around the axis will be described as the "circumferential direction".

[0019] The housing 11 includes a main body 11c having an internal space (valve body accommodating section 20) for accommodating the valve body 12, and a bottomed lid 11d that forms a space for accommodating the reducer 15 between the main body 11c and the upper surface of the main body 11c, and an open end (periphery) of the lid 11d is attached to the upper surface of the main body 11c to close the internal space of the lid 11d. The reducer 15 accommodated in the space of the lid 11d includes multiple gears and has the function of reducing the rotation of a motor (drive device: not shown) that operates in response to a command from a control device and transmitting the reduced rotation to the valve body 12.

[0020] In addition, in the housing 11, a cylindrical insertion tube portion 11e is provided on the upper portion of the main body portion 11c, and rotatably supports the shaft 12a that functions as the rotation axis of the valve body 12 while being inserted therethrough. A bearing 11f that rotatably supports the upper portion of the shaft 12a is provided on the inner periphery of the insertion tube portion 11e.

[0021] In the housing 11, a generally cylindrical outlet port 11b (11b1, 11b2) which is a communication port is provided on the peripheral surface of the main body 11c (the inner wall 20a of the valve body accommodating portion 20) so as to protrude radially outward. The outlet ports 11b1, 11b2 shown in FIG. 1 are provided at different positions in the axial and circumferential directions. Furthermore, cylindrical adapters 13 (131, 132) which communicate with the above-mentioned cooling path and bypass path are inserted and fixed into the outlet ports 11b.

[0022] In FIG. 1 (cross-sectional view), outlets 11b are provided in two locations on main body 11c; however, this is not limited to this, and outlets 11b may be formed in locations other than those shown in FIG. 1 depending on the number and direction of flow paths for discharging the cooling liquid.

[0023] Furthermore, an inlet 11a is formed at the lower end of the housing 11, which is an opening that communicates with the cylinder head side and takes in the coolant into the valve body 12 side. A frame 17 is attached to this inlet 11a. A cylindrical portion 17a formed in the center of this frame 17 rotatably supports the lower end of the shaft 12a. The coolant can flow into the housing 11 through this frame 17.

[0024] <Valve body> The valve element 12 has a shaft 12a that functions as a rotation axis, and a valve body 12b that has an outer wall that can switch the communication state with the outside and is joined to the shaft 12a so as to be rotatable together with the shaft 12a. A gear as a component of the speed reducer 15 is integrally attached to the shaft 12a. As a result, when the gear rotates by the drive of the motor, the valve element 12 (shaft 12a, valve body 12b) rotates together with the gear.

[0025] In the valve element 12, the valve body 12b is provided at its center with a joint 12c (rotating shaft holding portion) that is joined to the outer periphery of the shaft 12a with the shaft 12a passing through it. The valve body 12b is cylindrical, has valve openings at the top and bottom, and has two valve portions connected vertically, each having a spherical outer wall. The valve openings communicate with the inlet 11a (opening) of the housing 11. In this embodiment, one valve portion formed at the bottom is referred to as the first valve portion 12b1, and the other valve portion formed above it is referred to as the second valve portion 12b2.

[0026] More specifically, the valve body 12 is made of resin and formed into a generally cylindrical shape, and is housed in the valve body housing 20. The shaft 12a is located on the central axis of the valve body 12. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the valve body 12. As described above, the valve body 12b of the valve body 12 has the first valve portion 12b1 that opens upward and downward, and the second valve portion 12b2 that similarly opens upward and downward and is formed to communicate in the axial direction from one end (the upper end in FIG. 1) of the first valve portion 12b1. The valve body 12 has a coolant communication passage R formed therein by the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2, and communicating with the inlet 11a (opening).

[0027] In addition, the outer wall 12m of the first valve portion 12b1 is connected and supported by a plurality of (e.g., three) bridges (not shown) between the outer wall 12m of the first valve portion 12b1 and the joint portion 12c that is joined to the outer circumferential portion of the shaft 12a in order to obtain a desired strength. In the first valve portion 12b1, the communication passage R serves as a flow path for the coolant passing between the plurality of bridges.

[0028] The outer walls 12m, 12n (valve outer walls) of the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 are formed in a spherical shape (so-called ball valve) with the largest diameter at the axial center as shown in the figure, and the valve portion inner walls 12i, 12j which form the communicating passage R through which the coolant passes are formed parallel to the axial direction.

[0029] In addition, within the second valve portion 12b2, for example, three reinforcing members 45 are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction to reinforce the valve body 12. These reinforcing members 45 are designed not to interfere with the insertion cylindrical portion 11e. The shaft 12a is guided by the insertion cylindrical portion 11e and rotates integrally with the valve body 12b.

[0030] Also, the gap between the shaft 12a and the insertion cylinder portion 11e of the housing 11 is blocked by a seal ring 12d. This prevents the coolant in the main body portion 11c from flowing into the lid portion 11d from the insertion cylinder portion 11e. Also, the lower end opening of the first valve portion 12b1 functions as an inlet 12e that takes in the coolant flowing in from the cylinder head side through the frame 17 (inlet 11a) into the internal space of the valve body 12.

[0031] The first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 are provided with valve holes 12f1 and 12f2, respectively. The valve holes 12f penetrate the wall thickness of the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 in the radial direction. When the valve body 12 rotates and the valve holes 12f overlap the opening of the seal member 14, the coolant flows out from the overlapping portion. In this manner, each valve hole 12f opens and closes as the valve body 12b rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 12a, and this opening and closing action switches the communication state between the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b (11b1, 11b2). That is, each valve hole 12f provided in the valve body 12 is formed so that the communication state between the corresponding outlet 11b (11b1, 11b2) and the internal space of the valve body 12 is switched as the valve body 12 rotates. As a result, the cooling liquid taken into the internal space of the valve body 12 (first valve portion 12b1, second valve portion 12b2) through the inlet 12e is released toward the cooling path and the bypass path in accordance with the opening and closing operation of each valve hole 12f, and the amount of the flow-out liquid is controlled.

[0032] The communication structure between the valve holes 12f1, 12f2 and the outlet 11b will be described in more detail. A seal member 14 (141, 142) is interposed between the valve body 12 and a cylindrical adaptor 13 (131, 132). FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seal member 14, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the seal member 14. As shown in the figure, the seal member 14 is a cylindrical body consisting of a large diameter portion 14A (first cylindrical portion) and a small diameter portion 14B (second cylindrical portion) having different diameters, and the small diameter portion 14B is inserted into the end of the adaptor 13. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of a coil spring 19 (191, 192) provided in the adaptor 13 abuts against the end of the small diameter portion 14B, and the seal member 14 is pressed against the outer wall 12m (12n) of the valve body 12 by the biasing force of the coil spring 19.

[0033] 1, the large diameter portion 14A has an opening 14A1 at one end thereof, and one end 14A2 of the large diameter portion 14A where this opening 14A1 is formed is in sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the valve body 12, i.e., the outer wall 12m (12n), to prevent leakage of the cooling liquid to be discharged to the adapter 13 side. In addition, the circumferential surface (outer walls 12m, 12n) of the valve body 12 is provided with a plurality of valve holes (12f1, 12f2) that are individually formed corresponding to the outlet 11b so as to overlap with the outlet 11b by axial rotation.

[0034] Here, when one end 14A2 of the seal member 14 overlaps with the valve holes (12f1, 12f2) of the valve body 12 due to the rotation of the valve body 12, if the communication state is switched suddenly, the flow rate of the coolant flowing through the outlet 11b changes suddenly, and the pressure fluctuation and temperature change on the outlet 11b side are likely to become large. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a bottomed groove portion 14C connected to the opening 14A1 is provided in the radial direction at the position where one end 14A2 of the large diameter portion 14A of the seal member 14 first overlaps with the valve holes 12f1, 12f2 due to the rotation of the valve body 12. In addition, at least a region 14A21 radially outward of the groove portion 14C at one end 14A2 of the sealing member 14 is formed so as to be in sliding contact with the outer wall 12m (12n) of the valve body 12, so that the sealing effect is not reduced when the opening 14A1 does not overlap with the valve holes 12f1, 12f2.

[0035] The shape of the groove portion 14C may be a sector shape in which the groove side surfaces 14C1 and 14C2 become wider toward the radial inside as shown in FIG. 5(a) in a plan view, or a shape in which the distance between the groove side surfaces 14C1 and 14C2, i.e., the width, is constant in the radial direction as shown in FIG. 5(b) in a plan view. The groove bottom surface 14C3 may be a surface shape inclined at a predetermined angle to the radial direction, or a surface shape perpendicular to the axial direction. The depth of the groove back surface 14C4 may be set arbitrarily. The design of these groove shapes may be determined according to the required specifications, control method, etc.

[0036] In this manner, by forming groove portion 14C at one end portion 14A2 where opening 14A1 of sealing member 14 that contacts valve body 12 is formed, the inflow of cooling liquid into outlet 11b at the start of communication is slowed down, sudden pressure fluctuations are suppressed, and the flow rate of cooling liquid supplied to outlet 11b can be changed with precision.

[0037] As described above, groove portion 14C is provided at one end portion 14A2, where opening 14A1 of large diameter portion 14A of seal member 14 is formed, at a position that will initially overlap valve holes 12f1, 12f2 due to rotation of valve body 12. However, if seal member 14 rotates relative to adapter 13, it is not possible to slow down the inflow of coolant into outlet 11b when communication between valve holes 12f1, 12f2 and inlet 11a begins. Therefore, in this embodiment, an anti-rotation engagement groove 14D (engagement portion) is provided on the outer circumferential surface of small diameter portion 14B as shown in Fig. 3. Meanwhile, an unillustrated rib (protrusion) formed to engage with engagement groove 14D is provided on the inner circumferential surface (on the communication port side) of adapter 13 into which small diameter portion 14B is inserted. As a result, the sealing member 14 is able to move in the axial direction (the direction toward the valve body 12) due to the biasing force of the coil spring 19, but is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction.

[0038] In this configuration, for example, when the valve body 12 rotates by driving the shaft 12a (rotating shaft) and the valve hole 12f1 (12f2) of the first valve portion 12b1 (second valve portion 12b2) starts to communicate with the outlet 11b1 (outlet 11b2), the coolant flowing in from the engine side first starts to flow from the groove portion 14C formed on the opening 14A1 side of the seal member 141 (142) to the outlet 11b1 (outlet 11b2). That is, the flow of the coolant into the outlet 11b at the start of communication becomes gradual, and abrupt pressure fluctuations are suppressed. As the rotation of the valve body 12 progresses and the valve hole 12f1 (12f2) becomes connected to the outlet 11b1 (outlet 11b2), the cooling liquid flowing in from the engine side is guided from the valve hole 12f1 (valve hole 12f2) to the outlet 11b1 (outlet 11b2) at a desired flow rate.

[0039] As described above, according to this embodiment, the groove portion 14C is provided at the one end portion 14A2 where the opening 14A1 of the large diameter portion 14A of the seal member 14 is formed, at a position that first overlaps with the valve holes 12f1, 12f2 by the rotation of the valve body 12. As a result, the coolant starts to flow from the groove portion 14C to the outlet 11b, preventing the coolant from suddenly flowing out to the outlet 11b and controlling the minute flow rate of the coolant. In addition, since this is not a structure in which a minute flow rate flows from a narrow slit as in the conventional structure, clogging with foreign matter can be suppressed. Furthermore, if the sealing member 14 rotates in the circumferential direction, the effect of the groove portion 14C formed in the large diameter portion 14A cannot be obtained. However, by providing an engagement groove 14D for preventing rotation on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 14B, the circumferential rotation of the sealing member 14 can be prevented. Moreover, the above-described configuration makes it possible to suppress sudden pressure fluctuations and temperature changes, and improve the durability of each core part connected to the outlet 11b without increasing the number of parts.

[0040] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which one groove portion 14C is provided on the opening 14A1 side of the large diameter portion 14A of the seal member 14, but the present invention is not limited to this form, and multiple groove portions 14C may be provided along the circumferential direction of one end portion 14A2 of the seal member 14 in which the opening 14A1 is formed.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which one engagement groove 14D is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 14B of the sealing member 14, but the present invention is not limited to this form, and multiple engagement grooves 14D may be provided along the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion 14B. Furthermore, in the present invention, the engagement groove 14D as an engagement portion does not have to be in a groove shape (concave shape) but may be in a convex shape such as a rib, in which case a concave portion such as a groove (not shown) may be provided on the inner surface of the adapter 13 into which the small diameter portion 14B is inserted so as to engage with the convex portion as an engagement portion formed on the small diameter portion 14B.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the valve body 12 in which the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 are connected in the axial direction has been described as an example, but the valve body according to the present invention is not limited to this form. For example, the valve portion may be one, or three or more spherical valve portions may be connected in the axial direction. In addition, in this embodiment, a valve body having a spherical outer wall (a so-called ball valve) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this form and may be a cylindrical valve body having a straight outer wall surface.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, as an example, an electric valve 1 that releases the coolant that flows in from the inlet 11a (on the frame 17 side) toward the cooling path and the bypass path has been described, but the connection configuration of the flow path communicating with the electric valve 1 is not limited to this and can be changed appropriately depending on the specifications of the automobile's cooling circuit (coolant circulation system) (for example, a flow path that flows from the inlet (upstream side) formed on the peripheral surface of the main body 11c of the housing 11 (inner wall 20a of the valve body accommodating portion 20) to the outlet (downstream side) on the frame 17 side).

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, the sealing member 14 (141, 142) is structured to be pressed against the outer wall of the valve body 12 by the biasing force of a coil spring as shown in FIG. 1, but this is not limited to this and may be realized by other structures as long as it is possible to prevent leakage of the cooling liquid that passes through the outlet 11b and is discharged to the adapter 13 side.

[0045] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, modifications, variations and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Motor-operated valve 11. Housing 11a Inlet (opening) 11b Outlet (communication port) 12 Valve body 12a shaft 12b1 First valve section (valve body) 12b2 Second valve section (valve body) 12f1 valve hole 12f2 valve hole 12m Outer wall (valve outer wall) 12n Groove 14 Sealing material 14A Large diameter section (first cylinder section) 14A1 Aperture 14A2 One end 14B Small diameter part (second cylinder part) 14C Groove 14D Engagement groove (engagement part) 20 Valve body receiving portion 20a inner wall R communication path

Claims

1. a housing having an opening at one end and a communication port on a peripheral surface thereof; a valve body rotatably inserted into the housing for opening and closing the communication port; a cylindrical seal member attached to the communication port and in sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the valve body; and a drive device for rotationally driving the valve body; The valve body has a cylindrical valve body, The valve body includes: an outer wall capable of closing the communication port of the housing, a valve hole capable of communicating with the communication port, and a valve opening formed at one end of the valve body and communicating with an opening of the housing, The cylindrical sealing member has one end, which has an opening formed therein, that slides against the peripheral surface of the valve body, and the one end of the sealing member has a groove portion formed therein that connects to the opening.

2. The motor-operated valve according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a region radially outward of the groove portion at one end of the seal member in which the opening is formed is formed to be in sliding contact with a peripheral surface of the valve body.

3. The sealing member is 2. The motor-operated valve according to claim 1, further comprising a concave or convex engaging portion formed on an outer circumferential surface of the seal member, the concave or convex engaging portion being engaged with a convex or concave portion formed on the communication port side.

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