Solenoid valve

Abstract

To downsize a cartridge type solenoid valve.SOLUTION: Provided is a solenoid valve 10 including: a valve body 21, in which a first flow passage 31 that can be inserted into a flow passage block 16 and communicates with an inflow port 12 of a flow passage block 16 and a second flow passage 32 that communicates with an outflow port 14, are formed, and in which a main valve chamber 40 having a main valve seat 42 between the first flow passage 31 and the second flow passage 32, is provided; a suction element 20; a plunger 24 that is sucked into the suction element 20; a main valve body 26 that is provided in the main valve chamber 40 and moves in an axial direction to come into contact with or separate from the main valve seat 42; a holder 22 that is provided on an opposite side to the main valve seat 42 in a through-hole 21A in an axial direction, and provided with an auxiliary valve chamber 60 that communicates with the main valve chamber 40 and has an auxiliary valve seat 62; and an auxiliary valve body 36 that is provided in the auxiliary valve chamber 60 and comes into contact with or separate from the auxiliary valve seat 62 by opening and closing of a port 36A by the plunger 24. A relief flow passage 68 that releases pressure of the auxiliary valve chamber 60 to the outflow port 14 is provided outside the main valve body 26 in a radial direction in the valve body 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] A two-stage pilot type solenoid valve is disclosed in which a main body member having an inlet and an outlet is provided with a pilot type first valve body and a pilot type second valve body for operating the first valve body (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-224649 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned conventional example is a so-called block type solenoid valve in which a valve body is assembled in a main body having an inlet and an outlet, and the overall design is changed according to the specifications. On the other hand, there is also a cartridge type solenoid valve which is prepared separately from the main body member and is used by attaching it to a main body member of any specification.

[0005] However, a long hole (first pilot main passage) is formed along the axial direction of the first valve body located in the second stage, and simply changing from the block type to the cartridge type is thought to result in an increase in size due to the long hole.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of a cartridge-type solenoid valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The solenoid valve according to the first aspect is a cartridge-type solenoid valve that is attached to a flow path block having an inlet and an outlet and is used, and includes a valve body that is configured in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the flow path block, has a through hole formed in an axial direction, has a first flow path that communicates with the inlet when attached to the flow path block, and a second flow path that communicates with the outlet, and has a main valve chamber having a main valve seat between the first flow path and the second flow path, an attractor attached to the valve body on the opposite side to the second flow path in the axial direction, a plunger that is magnetized and attracted by the magnetized attractor, and a front valve seat. the valve body includes a pilot-type main valve element which is provided in the main valve chamber and moves in the axial direction to abut against or move away from the main valve seat, a holder which is provided on the opposite side of the main valve seat in the through hole and which is provided with a sub-valve chamber which communicates with the main valve chamber and has a sub-valve seat, and a pilot-type sub-valve element which is provided in the sub-valve chamber and has a port which is opened and closed by the plunger, and which moves in the axial direction to abut against or move away from the sub-valve seat as the port is opened and closed, and a relief flow path which releases pressure in the sub-valve chamber to the outlet when the port is opened is provided radially outside the main valve element in the valve body.

[0008] This solenoid valve is a double pilot type solenoid valve having a pilot type main valve body and a pilot type sub-valve body. The type may be either a normally closed type in which the main valve body is closed when the suction element does not attract the plunger, or a normally open type in which the main valve body is open when the suction element does not attract the plunger. In the normally closed type, when the plunger is attracted by the suction element, the port is opened and the pilot type sub-valve body separates from the sub-valve seat. The fluid in the sub-valve chamber is allowed to flow to the outlet through the relief flow path. Then, the pressure on the holder side of the main valve body in the main valve chamber becomes lower than the pressure on the first flow path side that communicates with the inlet, so the main valve body separates from the main valve seat. When the suction element stops attracting the plunger, the port is blocked by the plunger, so the sub-valve body abuts against the sub-valve seat due to the increase in pressure in the sub-valve chamber, and the main valve body abuts against the main valve seat due to the further increase in pressure in the main valve chamber.

[0009] In this solenoid valve, a relief flow path that releases the pressure in the sub-valve chamber to the outlet when the port is open is provided radially outside the main valve element in the valve body, making it possible to reduce the size of the cartridge-type solenoid valve.

[0010] In a second aspect, in the solenoid valve of the first aspect, a guide member against which the main valve body slides is provided on the main valve chamber side of the holder, and at least a portion of the relief flow path is formed between the guide member and the inner surface of the valve body.

[0011] In this solenoid valve, at least a part of the relief flow path is formed between the guide member and the inner surface of the valve body, making it easier to manufacture and reduce the size compared to a case in which the relief flow path is drilled into the valve body.

[0012] In a third aspect, in the solenoid valve according to the first or second aspect, the holder is provided with an internal flow passage that is formed from the port toward the main valve chamber and further toward the radially outward side and leads to the relief flow passage, and a communication hole that is formed to avoid the internal flow passage and connects the auxiliary valve chamber and the main valve chamber.

[0013] In this solenoid valve, the communication hole in the holder that connects the sub-valve chamber and the main valve chamber is formed in a manner that avoids the internal flow path that leads to the relief flow path, thereby preventing the holder from becoming large, and further preventing the solenoid valve from becoming large.

[0014] In a fourth aspect, in an solenoid valve according to any one of the first to third aspects, the relief flow path opens on the opposite side to the holder in the axial direction of the valve body, which is forward in the direction of insertion into the flow path block.

[0015] In this solenoid valve, the relief flow path opens on the opposite side to the holder in the axial direction of the valve body, which is forward in the direction of insertion into the flow path block. Therefore, when the cartridge-type solenoid valve is attached to the flow path block, the relief flow path can be easily connected to the outlet of the flow path block, which is forward in the direction of insertion.

[0016] In this solenoid valve, the attractor and the plunger are magnetized by an electromagnetic coil, so that the plunger can be attracted to the attractor.

[0017] A fifth aspect is the solenoid valve according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising an electromagnetic coil that generates a magnetic field that magnetizes the attractor. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, the cartridge type solenoid valve can be made smaller. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a solenoid valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the valve body taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a coil is not energized in a solenoid valve, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a plunger is attracted to an attractor by energizing the coil. [Figure 6] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the sub-valve body is separated from the sub-valve seat (valve open state), and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the main valve body is separated from the main valve seat (valve open state). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Components indicated by the same reference numerals in each drawing are the same or similar components. Note that duplicated descriptions and reference numerals in the embodiments described below may be omitted. In addition, all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationship of each element, the ratio of each element, etc. shown in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual ones. In addition, the dimensional relationship of each element, the ratio of each element, etc. between multiple drawings do not necessarily match.

[0021] 1 and 2, the solenoid valve 10 according to the present embodiment is a double pilot type solenoid valve used, for example, in the refrigeration cycle of an automobile air conditioner. The solenoid valve 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called normally closed type solenoid valve that is in a closed state when the solenoid coil 18 is not energized. The solenoid valve 10 is a cartridge type solenoid valve that is attached to a flow path block 16 (FIGS. 5 and 6) having an inlet 12 and an outlet 14. The solenoid valve 10 includes a valve body 21, an attractor 20, a plunger 24, a main valve body 26, a holder 22, and a sub-valve body 36. The solenoid valve 10 may further include an electromagnetic coil 18 that generates a magnetic field that magnetizes the attractor 20.

[0022] (Valve body) The valve body 21 is configured in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the flow path block 16, and has a through hole 21A formed in the axial direction. The valve body 21 has a first flow path 31 and a second flow path 32 formed therein.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the first flow passage 31 is a flow passage that communicates with the inlet 12 in a state where the solenoid valve 10 is attached to the flow passage block 16 (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6), and is formed at eight locations, for example, evenly spaced in the circumferential direction. This is because, even in the case where the solenoid valve 10 is screwed into the flow passage block 16, at least one of the first flow passages 31 is disposed at the position of the inlet 12 of the flow passage block 16 so that the fluid flows from the inlet 12 into the first flow passage 31. For example, two O-rings 28 are attached to the outer periphery of the valve body 21. The first flow passage 31 is formed between the two O-rings 28 in the axial direction of the valve body 21.

[0024] The second flow path 32 is an opening located at the end of the through hole 21A opposite the plunger 24 (the lower end in FIG. 1), and is configured to communicate with the outlet 14 of the flow path block 16 when the solenoid valve 10 is inserted and attached to the flow path block 16.

[0025] The first flow passage 31 and the second flow passage 32 are in communication with each other. In addition, a main valve chamber 40 having a main valve seat 42 is provided between the first flow passage 31 and the second flow passage 32.

[0026] The outer periphery of the valve body 21 is provided with a male thread portion 21B that screws into the flow path block 16. A plurality of recesses 21C are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the end portion (upper end portion in FIG. 1) of the valve body 21 on the plunger 24 side. The recesses 21C are cutouts, for example, with a substantially rectangular cross section, for holding a tool that rotates the valve body 21 around the axial direction. The inner periphery of the end portion (upper end portion in FIG. 1) on the plunger 24 side of the valve body 21 is provided with a female thread portion 21D that screws into the holder 22.

[0027] (Attractor) The attractor 20 is attached to the axial side of the valve body 21 opposite to the second flow path 32. Specifically, the attractor 20 is a soft magnetic material such as magnetic stainless steel, and is fitted, for example, to one end side (upper end side in FIG. 1) of the pipe 38. The other end side (lower end side in FIG. 1) of the pipe 38 is supported by a pipe holder 30, which will be described later.

[0028] (electromagnetic coil) The electromagnetic coil 18 is configured with a winding, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between an upper plate 48U and a lower plate 48L of the housing 48. Furthermore, the electromagnetic coil 18 magnetizes the attractor 20, the plunger, etc., when a current flows through the winding. A pipe 38 passes through the housing 48 and the electromagnetic coil 18, and the upper plate 48U of the housing 48 is fastened to the attractor 20 by, for example, a screw 44. In this way, the housing 48 and the electromagnetic coil 18 are fixed to the pipe 38. The electromagnetic coil 18 is provided with a connector 46 for supplying power.

[0029] (Plunger) The plunger 24 is a soft magnetic member that is magnetized by the electromagnetic coil 18 and attracted to the magnetized attractor 20. Specifically, the plunger 24 is arranged in the pipe 38 so as to be axially slidable. A compression spring 50 is provided between the attractor 20 and the plunger 24. The compression spring 50 biases the plunger 24 toward the sub-valve body 36 (the lower side in FIG. 1). An end of the plunger 24 on the sub-valve body 36 side (the lower end in FIG. 1) is provided with, for example, a substantially conical projection so as to be able to close the port 36A of the sub-valve body 36.

[0030] (Main valve body) The main valve element 26 is a pilot-type valve element, and constitutes a main valve 70 together with the main valve seat 42. The main valve element 26 is provided in the main valve chamber 40, and moves axially to abut against or separate from the main valve seat 42. Specifically, the main valve element 26 is disposed inside a guide member 52 (described later), and is disposed so as to be axially slidable relative to the guide member 52. A piston ring 54 is attached to the side wall of the main valve element 26, and adjusts the area of ​​the gap between the main valve element 26 and the inner wall of the guide member 52. A passage 26A (pressure equalizing hole) communicating with one side and the other side in the axial direction is formed in the main valve element 26.

[0031] A main valve packing 56 is attached to the portion of the main valve body 26 that axially faces the main valve seat 42. A compression spring 58 is provided between the main valve body 26 and the holder 22. The compression spring 58 biases the main valve body 26 toward the main valve seat 42 (the lower side in FIG. 1). When the main valve packing 56 comes into close contact with the main valve seat 42, the main valve 70 is closed.

[0032] (holder) The holder 22 is provided on the opposite side of the through hole 21A of the valve body 21 from the main valve seat 42. The central axis of the holder 22 coincides with the central axis of the through hole 21A. The holder 22 has an outer periphery provided with a male threaded portion 22D that screws into the female threaded portion 21D of the valve body 21. The holder 22 is attached to the valve body 21 by screwing the male threaded portion 21D into the female threaded portion 22D. An O-ring 64 is attached to the outer periphery of the holder 22 on the main valve body 26 side of the male threaded portion 22D. The O-ring 64 seals the gap between the valve body 21 and the holder 22.

[0033] A pipe holder 30 that supports one end (the lower end in FIG. 1) of a pipe 38 is attached to the holder 22. The pipe holder 30 is a cylindrical member that is attached to the holder 22, for example by screwing, from the opposite side of the main valve body 26 in the axial direction. The central axis of the pipe holder 30 coincides with the central axis of the holder 22 (the central axis of the through hole 21A). An O-ring 66 seals the gap between the pipe holder 30 and the holder 22.

[0034] The holder 22 is provided with a sub-valve chamber 60 that communicates with the main valve chamber 40 and has a sub-valve seat 62. The sub-valve chamber 60 is located mainly inside the pipe holder 30. The sub-valve element 36 is disposed in the sub-valve chamber 60 so as to be axially slidable.

[0035] A guide member 52, on the inside of which the main valve body 26 slides, is provided on the main valve chamber 40 side of the holder 22. The guide member 52 is, for example, a cylindrical pipe. The end of the guide member 52 on the second flow path 32 side is fitted and fixed in the valve body 21. The fitting portion between the inner surface of the guide member 52 and the pipe support portion 21E of the valve body 21 is sealed by an O-ring 74. The O-ring 74 is held by a retainer 82 that is crimped to the holder 22 so as not to come off toward the holder 22 side (the upper side in FIG. 1).

[0036] The outer diameter of the guide member 52 is smaller than the inner diameter of the valve body 21 at the portion where the guide member 52 is disposed, and a relief flow passage 68 is formed between the guide member 52 and the inner surface of the valve body 21. The relief flow passage 68 is a flow passage that allows the pressure in the sub-valve chamber 60 to flow to the outlet 14 when the port 36A is opened, and is formed between the guide member 52 and the inner surface of the valve body 21, for example, over the entire circumferential direction.

[0037] The holder 22 is provided with an internal flow passage 22A and a communication hole 22B. The internal flow passage 22A has a first section formed in the axial direction, for example, at the center of the holder 22, from a port 36A of the sub-valve body 36 described later toward the main valve chamber 40 side, and a second section formed toward the radially outer side and communicating with the relief flow passage 68. In this embodiment, the internal flow passage 22A branches from the center of the holder 22 to both sides in the radial direction and penetrates in the diameter direction. That is, the internal flow passage 22A is formed in a T-shape. Note that the shape of the internal flow passage 22A is not limited to this, and may branch out further to avoid the communication hole 22B and open to the outer periphery of the holder 22.

[0038] The communication holes 22B are formed to avoid the internal flow path 22A, and communicate between the sub-valve chamber 60 and the main valve chamber 40. In order to avoid the internal flow path 22A, the communication holes 22B are not included in the cross section of Fig. 1, and therefore the communication holes 22B are shown by imaginary lines in Fig. 1. As an example, the communication holes 22B are located on both radial sides of a portion of the internal flow path 22A that extends in the diameter direction.

[0039] The relief flow passage 68 opens on the opposite side to the holder 22, which is the front side in the insertion direction into the flow passage block 16, in the axial direction of the valve body 21. As an example, a part of the outlet side of the relief flow passage 68 is made into a communication hole 72 having a diameter larger than the gap between the guide member 52 and the inner surface of the valve body 21. The communication holes 72 are formed in two places that are point symmetrical with respect to the center of the valve body 21, for example, while avoiding the first flow passage 31. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the solenoid valve 10 is attached to the flow passage block 16, the second flow passage 32 and the relief flow passage 68 are connected to the outlet 14 of the flow passage block 16.

[0040] (Sub-valve) The sub-valve element 36 is a pilot-type valve element provided in the sub-valve chamber 60, and constitutes a sub-valve 80 together with the sub-valve seat 62. The sub-valve element 36 has a port 36A that is opened and closed by the plunger 24, and moves axially to abut against or move away from the sub-valve seat 62 when the port 36A is opened or closed. The port 36A axially communicates with the internal flow path 22A of the holder 22 from the plunger 24 side. A sub-valve packing 76 is attached to a portion of the sub-valve element 36 that faces the sub-valve seat 62 in the axial direction. When the sub-valve packing 76 comes into close contact with the sub-valve seat 62, the sub-valve 80 is closed.

[0041] (action) The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. The solenoid valve 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called normally closed solenoid valve. In Figs. 5 and 6, when the solenoid coil 18 is energized to magnetize the attractor 20 and the plunger 24, the plunger 24 is attracted to the attractor 20. Then, the plunger 24 moves toward the attractor 20 against the biasing force of the compression spring 50, and the port 36A of the sub-valve body 36 is opened (Fig. 5(B)). Then, the fluid in the sub-valve chamber 60 escapes to the outlet 14 through the port 36A of the holder 22, the internal flow path 22A, and the relief flow path 68, so that the pressure on the plunger 24 side of the sub-valve body 36 in the sub-valve chamber 60 (upper side in Fig. 5(B)) becomes lower than the pressure on the communication hole 22B side (lower side in Fig. 5(B)). As a result, the pilot-type sub-valve element 36 moves away from the sub-valve seat 62 (FIG. 2), and the sub-valve 80 opens (FIG. 6(A)).

[0042] When the sub-valve 80 opens, the fluid on the holder 22 side of the main valve element 26 in the main valve chamber 40 escapes to the outlet 14 through the communication hole 22B, the internal flow path 22A, and the relief flow path 68. Then, the pressure on the holder 22 side of the main valve element 26 in the main valve chamber 40 becomes lower than the pressure on the first flow path 31 side that communicates with the inlet 12. This causes the main valve element 26 to move away from the main valve seat 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and the main valve 70 opens (FIG. 6(B)).

[0043] When the supply of current to the electromagnetic coil 18 is stopped and the attraction of the plunger 24 by the attractor 20 stops, the urging force of the compression spring 50 moves the plunger 24 to block the port 36A, so that the pressure in the sub-valve chamber 60 increases and is equalized, causing the sub-valve body 36 to abut against the sub-valve seat 62 and closing the sub-valve 80. Furthermore, the urging force of the compression spring 58 and the pressure increase and equalization in the main valve chamber 40 cause the main valve body 26 to abut against the main valve seat 42 and close the main valve 70.

[0044] In this embodiment, the relief flow passage 68, which releases the pressure in the sub-valve chamber 60 to the outlet 14 when the port 36A is open, is provided radially outside the main valve element 26 in the valve body 21, making it possible to reduce the size of the cartridge-type solenoid valve. At least a portion of the relief flow passage 68 is formed between the guide member 52 and the inner surface of the valve body 21, making it easier to manufacture and reduce the size compared to the case where the relief flow passage 68 is drilled in the valve body 21.

[0045] Furthermore, in the holder 22, the communication hole 22B that connects the sub-valve chamber 60 and the main valve chamber 40 is formed to avoid the internal flow path 22A that leads to the relief flow path 68, thereby preventing the holder 22 from becoming large, and further preventing the solenoid valve 10 from becoming large.

[0046] Furthermore, since the relief flow passage 68 opens on the side opposite the holder 22, which is forward in the axial direction of the valve body 21 in the direction of insertion into the flow passage block 16, when a cartridge-type solenoid valve is attached to the flow passage block 16, the relief flow passage 68 can be easily connected to the outlet 14 of the flow passage block 16, which is forward in the direction of insertion.

[0047] In this way, according to this embodiment, the cartridge-type solenoid valve 10 can be made smaller in size.

[0048] [Other embodiments] An example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0049] The solenoid valve 10 in this embodiment is of a normally closed type in which the main valve body 26 is closed when the suction element 20 is not attracting the plunger 24, but it may also be of a normally open type in which the main valve body 26 is open when the suction element 20 is not attracting the plunger 24.

[0050] Although the guide member 52, against which the main valve element 26 slides, is provided on the main valve chamber 40 side of the holder 22, the main valve element 26 may slide against the inner surface of the valve body 21 without providing the guide member 52. The relief flow passage 68 is formed in the axial direction within the range of the thickness of the valve body 21. In this case, the relief flow passage 68 can be formed, for example, by extending the communication hole 72 to the opening position of the internal flow passage 22A. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10. Solenoid valve 12 Inlet 14 Outlet 16 Flow path block 18 Electromagnetic Coil 20 Aspirator 21 Valve body 21A through hole 22 Holder 22A Internal flow path 22B Communication hole 24 Plunger 26 Main valve body 31 First Channel 32 Second Flow Path 36 Sub valve body 36A Port 40 Main valve chamber 42 Main valve seat 52 Guide member 60 Sub-valve chamber 62 Sub-valve seat 68 Relief Channel 72 Communication hole

Claims

1. A cartridge-type solenoid valve used by being attached to a flow path block having an inlet and an outlet, a valve body configured in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the flow passage block, having a through hole formed in an axial direction, having a first flow passage communicating with the inlet and a second flow passage communicating with the outlet when attached to the flow passage block, and a main valve chamber having a main valve seat between the first flow passage and the second flow passage; a suction element attached to the valve body on an opposite side to the second flow path in the axial direction; a plunger that is magnetized and attracted to the magnetized attractor; a pilot-type main valve element that is provided in the main valve chamber and moves in the axial direction to come into contact with or separate from the main valve seat; a holder provided on the opposite side of the through hole to the main valve seat, the holder including an auxiliary valve chamber communicating with the main valve chamber and having an auxiliary valve seat; a pilot-type sub-valve element that is provided in the sub-valve chamber, has a port that is opened and closed by the plunger, and moves in the axial direction in response to opening and closing of the port to come into contact with or separate from the sub-valve seat; having a relief passage for releasing the pressure in the sub-valve chamber to the outlet when the port is open, the relief passage being provided radially outside the main valve element in the valve body.

2. a guide member on the inside of which the main valve body slides is provided on the main valve chamber side of the holder, The solenoid valve according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the relief passage is formed between the guide member and an inner surface of the valve body.

3. The holder includes: an internal flow passage formed from the port toward the main valve chamber and further toward the radially outward side, the internal flow passage communicating with the relief flow passage; 2. The solenoid valve according to claim 1, further comprising a communication hole formed to avoid the internal flow passage and communicating between the auxiliary valve chamber and the main valve chamber.

4. The solenoid valve according to claim 1 , wherein the relief flow passage is open on a side opposite to the holder, which is a front side in an axial direction of the valve body in an insertion direction into the flow passage block.

5. Further, an electromagnetic coil is provided to generate a magnetic field that magnetizes the attractor. The solenoid valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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