Valve device

Abstract

To provide a valve device capable of suppressing partial wear.SOLUTION: A valve device 1 of the present invention includes: a housing 11 having an internal space 11c, an inflow port 11a, and an outflow port 11b; a valve 12 housed in the internal space 11c; a seal member 13 attached to the inflow port 11a; and a driving device 14 for rotationally driving the valve 12. The valve 12 has a shaft 12a and a valve body 12b. The valve body 12b includes a spherical outer peripheral wall 12g and a valve hole 12h, and a chamfer portion 12m is formed on a peripheral edge of the valve hole 12h. The seal member 13 has a cylindrical valve seat 13a, and a tapered seat surface 13c is formed on a distal end thereof. During valve closing, a distal end opening of the valve seat 13a is closed by the outer peripheral wall 12g, and during valve opening, the distal end opening of the valve seat 13a is overlapped with the valve hole 12h, and a contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g and the seat surface 13c at valve opening is shifted to an outer peripheral side of the seat surface 13c relative to a contact position at valve closing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a trunnion-type valve equipped with a spherical plug. This valve is composed of a valve body that forms an internal fluid flow path, a ball-shaped hollow plug that is rotatably disposed in the center of the valve body and opens and closes the flow path, and a valve stem that rotates the plug when driven by an actuator. In this valve, the flow path within the valve body is divided into a primary flow path and a secondary flow path by the plug. The plug has an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and a spherical seat is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the plug.

[0003] A seat ring is provided in the primary flow passage of the valve body, and is pressed against the plug by a spring. The seat ring's inner diameter is greater than the height of the inlet-side opening of the plug.

[0004] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the rotation of the plug around the valve stem. In a valve with the above configuration, as the plug is gradually rotated in the direction of the arrow from the fully closed state (see Figure 7(a)), the inlet opening gradually becomes connected to the primary flow path, and the outlet opening gradually becomes connected to the secondary flow path. As a result, fluid begins to flow from the primary flow path through the inside of the plug to the secondary flow path. Then, as the plug is further rotated, the valve becomes fully open (see Figure 7(b)). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-232260 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the valve (valve device) described in Patent Document 1, as described above, the seat ring (sealing member) is pressed against the plug (valve body) and is in close contact with the spherical seat (outer wall) formed on the outer periphery of the plug. That is, the seat ring slides against the spherical seat due to the rotation of the plug around the valve shaft. As a result, the contacting portion of the seat ring wears.

[0007] When the valve is fully closed, the entire annular edge of the seat ring comes into contact with the plug seat (see the dotted line in Figure 7(a)), whereas when the valve is fully open, only the upper and lower parts of the seat ring come into contact with the plug seat (see the dashed-dotted line in Figure 7(b)), and the other parts do not come into contact with the seat.

[0008] Therefore, wear on the seat ring will not be uniform when the valve is closed and when it is open. As shown in Figure 7, if only the upper and lower parts of the seat ring contact the plug when the valve is open, the amount of wear on the upper and lower parts that are in constant sliding contact will increase, creating a lateral groove. This could cause fluid to leak from the lateral groove when the valve is closed.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve device that can suppress uneven wear and fluid leakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The valve device of the present invention comprises a housing having an internal space and formed with an inlet and an outlet that connect the internal space to the outside, a valve housed in the internal space and that switches the communication state between the inlet and the outlet by rotation, a sealing member attached to the inlet or the outlet, and a drive device that rotationally drives the valve.

[0011] In the valve device according to the present invention, the valve includes a shaft located at the center of rotation and a valve body disposed on the outer periphery of the shaft. The valve body has a hollow, spherical outer wall and a valve hole opening into the outer wall, with a chamfered periphery of the valve hole. The seal member includes a cylindrical valve seat and a biasing member that biases the valve seat toward the valve body, with a tapered seat surface at the tip of the valve seat that slides against the outer wall.

[0012] The valve device according to the present invention is characterized in that, when the valve is closed, the tip opening of the valve seat is blocked by the outer peripheral wall, and when the valve is open, the tip opening of the valve seat overlaps with the valve hole, and the contact position between the outer peripheral wall and the seat surface when the valve is open is shifted toward the outer periphery of the seat surface relative to the contact position between the outer peripheral wall and the seat surface when the valve is closed.

[0013] In addition, in the valve device according to the present invention, the circumferential length of the valve hole may be greater than the inner diameter of the valve seat, and when the valve is open, the seat surface may contact the outer peripheral wall at end contact portions formed on both axial sides of the valve hole and the chamfered portion.

[0014] According to the valve device of the present invention, uneven wear can be suppressed by changing the contact position between the outer wall of the valve body and the seat surface of the seal member when the valve is closed and when it is open. This reduces fluid leakage when the valve is closed. Furthermore, by changing the contact position between the outer wall and the seat surface when the valve is closed and when it is open, wear can be dispersed, improving the durability of the valve seat.

[0015] In the valve device according to the present invention, the chamfered portion may be provided around the entire periphery of the valve hole, which allows the valve seat to be guided by the edge of the valve hole and easily climb up onto the outer peripheral wall when the valve transitions from open to closed, thereby smoothing the rotation of the valve. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a valve device that can suppress uneven wear and fluid leakage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the valve device when the valve is closed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the valve device when the valve is open. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of a valve body which is a constituent member of the valve. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the contact position between the valve body and the valve seat, where (a) is an enlarged view of part A1 in the valve device shown in FIG. 1 when the valve is closed, and (b) is an enlarged view of part A2 in FIG. 4A. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the contact position between the valve body and the valve seat, where (a) is an enlarged view of part B1 in the valve device shown in Figure 2 when the valve is open, and (b) is an enlarged view of part B2 in Figure 5(a). [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the outer wall of the outer cylinder of the valve body unfolded, where (a) is a schematic diagram showing the outer wall in a fully closed state, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing the outer wall in a fully open state. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the plug rotating around the valve stem. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a valve device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, in the specification and drawings of the present application, elements that can be similarly described will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted.

[0019] 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a valve gear according to the present invention, and in detail, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the valve gear when the valve is closed, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the valve gear when the valve is open. The valve gear 1 of this embodiment is used in a cooling circuit (a cooling water circulation system) that cools an automobile engine. For ease of explanation, the upper and lower sides of the valve gear 1 of this embodiment will be referred to simply as "upper" and "lower" in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0020] 1 and 2, the valve device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 11 having an internal space 11c, an inlet 11a, and an outlet 11b, a valve 12 accommodated in the internal space 11c of the housing 11 and rotatable about an axis (rotation axis) in the internal space 11c, a seal member 13 attached to the inlet 11a or the outlet 11b and in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve 12, a drive unit 14 that rotates the valve 12, a case 15 that houses the drive unit 14, a lid 16 that closes the upper opening of the case 15, and an adapter 17 connected to the inlet 11a. In this embodiment, the seal member 13 is attached to the inlet 11a. In this embodiment, the drive unit 14 is composed of a reducer 14a having multiple gears and a motor 14b.

[0021] The valve device 1 configured as described above controls the rotation of the valve 12 in response to instructions from a control device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, and opens and closes the passage of the cooling water from the inlet 11a to the outlet 11b, thereby appropriately discharging the supplied cooling water. The control device may be provided as a control unit within the valve device 1, in which case the control unit receives a signal from a main unit such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and controls the rotation of the valve 12.

[0022] The configuration of the valve device 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 12 is referred to as the "axial direction," the direction perpendicular to the axis is referred to as the "radial direction," and the direction around the axis is referred to as the "circumferential direction."

[0023] 1 and 2, housing 11 has an internal space 11c for accommodating valve 12. Housing 11 is also formed with inlet 11a and outlet 11b for connecting internal space 11c with the outside. Inlet 11a and outlet 11b are formed to protrude outward from housing 11. An adapter 17 is attached to inlet 11a.

[0024] Valve 12 has shaft 12a located at the center of rotation and valve body 12b arranged on the outer periphery of shaft 12a, and valve body 12b rotates integrally with shaft 12a. A gear, which is a component of speed reducer 14a, is attached to shaft 12a. When motor 14b drives and rotates the gear, valve body 12b rotates in conjunction with the gear, opening and closing the passage for cooling water from inlet 11a to outlet 11b. In other words, the rotation of valve 12 switches the communication state between inlet 11a and outlet 11b.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the valve body 12b, a component of the valve 12. The valve body 12b has an inner cylinder 12c, an outer cylinder 12d that is hollow and disposed around the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 12c, and a connecting end 12e that connects one axial end of the inner cylinder 12c and the outer cylinder 12d, forming an inner valve body space 12f between the inner cylinder 12c and the outer cylinder 12d. As shown in Fig. 3, the outer peripheral wall 12g of the outer cylinder 12d is spherical. In this embodiment, the inner cylinder 12c and the outer cylinder 12d are connected by the wall-shaped connecting end 12e formed on both the upper and lower ends of the valve body 12b.

[0026] The outer cylinder 12d is provided with a valve hole 12h, which is an opening that allows communication between the valve body space 12f and the inlet 11a, the outlet 11b, or both. In this embodiment, the valve hole 12h is formed large and extends over at least half the circumference of the outer cylinder 12d. The valve body 12b is provided with one or more pillars 12k to reinforce the valve hole 12h.

[0027] Each connection end 12e is provided below the upper end and above the lower end of the outer cylinder 12d, respectively, and the upper and lower portions of the valve body 12b are shaped with recesses (see FIG. 1). The shape of the connection end 12e is arbitrary. The peripheral edges of the wall-shaped connection end 12e may be shaped to connect to the upper and lower ends of the outer cylinder 12d, respectively, and the upper and lower portions of the valve body 12b may be shaped without recesses.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, the wall-shaped connecting end portions 12e are provided on both the upper and lower ends of the valve body 12b, but this is not limited thereto. For example, if the wall-shaped connecting end portion 12e is not provided on the lower end of the valve body 12b, the lower end of the valve body 12b may have a hole (opening), and there are no particular limitations on the shape as long as it does not hinder the rotational movement of the valve body 12b.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner cylinder 12c of the valve body 12b is joined to the outer periphery of the shaft 12a when the shaft 12a passes through it.

[0030] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the valve body space 12f and the outlet 11b are always in communication. When the valve body 12b rotates about the shaft 12a as a central axis while the valve body space 12f and the outlet 11b are in communication, and the valve hole 12h and the inlet 11a overlap, the inlet 11a, the valve body space 12f, and the outlet 11b are in communication, and cooling water flows from the inlet 11a side toward the outlet 11b side. As a result, cooling water taken into the valve body space 12f from the inlet 11a via the adapter 17 is released from the outlet 11b, and the flow rate is controlled according to the opening degree of the valve hole 12h.

[0031] The seal member 13 has a cylindrical valve seat 13a and a coil spring 13b that functions as a biasing member that biases the valve seat 13a toward the valve body 12b. The valve seat 13a is pressed against the outer cylinder 12d of the valve body 12b by the biasing force of the coil spring 13b. Note that the biasing member may be any other member as long as it can prevent leakage of the cooling water that passes through the adapter 17 and is supplied into the valve body 12b.

[0032] Furthermore, cylindrical insertion portions (11d, 15a) having a through hole for inserting the shaft 12a are provided at the top of the housing 11 and the bottom of the case 15. The lower opening of the housing 11 is closed, and a valve element support portion 18 having a cylindrical, bottomed bearing portion 18a formed in the center thereof for supporting the lower end of the shaft 12a is attached and fixed to the housing 11.

[0033] The gap between the shaft 12a and the cylindrical insertion portion 11d of the housing 11 is closed by a seal ring 19. This prevents the cooling water from leaking out from the cylindrical insertion portion 11d to the case 15 side.

[0034] Furthermore, a reducer 14a constituting the drive device 14 reduces the rotation speed of the motor 14b and transmits the reduced speed to the valve 12. This motor 14b operates in response to a command from a control device. Note that if the control device is provided as a control unit within the valve device 1, the control unit may also be included as part of the configuration of the drive device 14.

[0035] In this embodiment, as an example, only one outlet 11b is provided in the circumferential direction of the housing 11 (see Figure 1), but this is not limited to this, and additional cooling water outlets may be formed at positions other than those shown in Figure 1 depending on the number and direction of flow paths for discharging the cooling water.

[0036] In this embodiment, the inlet 11a in FIG. 1 may be the outlet for the cooling water, and the outlet 11b in FIG. 1 may be the inlet for the cooling water.

[0037] Next, a detailed description will be given of the sealing structure of the valve device 1 of this embodiment. Note that Figures 1 and 2 shown above show cross sections of the valve device 1 when the valve is closed and when the valve is open, respectively, cut along a plane passing through the center of rotation of the valve 12 and the center of the cylindrical valve seat 13a.

[0038] Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the contact position between the valve body 12b and the valve seat 13a, where Figure 4(a) is an enlarged view of part A1 in the valve device 1 when the valve is closed as shown in Figure 1, Figure 4(b) is an enlarged view of part A2 in Figure 4(a), Figure 5(a) is an enlarged view of part B1 in the valve device 1 when the valve is open as shown in Figure 2, and Figure 5(b) is an enlarged view of part B2 in Figure 5(a).

[0039] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tip of the valve seat 13a is formed with a tapered seat surface 13c that slides against the outer peripheral wall 12g of the outer cylinder 12d of the valve body 12b. This seat surface 13c is tapered from the very tip (the outer peripheral tip) of the cylindrical valve seat 13a toward the inner peripheral side (see Figures 4(a) and 5(b)). Also, as shown in Figure 5(b), a chamfered portion 12m is formed on the periphery of the valve hole 12h. This chamfered portion 12m is provided around the entire periphery of the valve hole 12h.

[0040] 6(a) and 6(b) are schematic views showing a portion of the outer peripheral wall 12g of the outer cylinder 12d in a developed state, with Fig. 6(a) being a schematic view showing the outer peripheral wall 12g in a fully closed state and Fig. 6(b) being a schematic view showing the outer peripheral wall 12g in a fully open state. In this embodiment, as described above, the valve hole 12h is formed large over more than half the circumference of the outer cylinder 12d, and therefore the circumferential length T of the valve hole 12h (see Fig. 6(a)) is larger than the inner diameter S of the valve seat 13a (see Figs. 4(a) and 5(a)).

[0041] In the valve device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the valve body 12b is rotated in the direction of the arrow from the fully closed state (see Figure 6(a)), the overlap between the valve hole 12h and the tip opening of the valve seat 13a gradually increases. As a result, the inner space 12f communicates with the cooling water passage on the inlet 11a side, and cooling water begins to flow from the inlet 11a side through the inner space 12f toward the outlet 11b side. Then, when the valve body 12b is further rotated, the valve device 1 reaches the fully open state (see Figure 6(b)).

[0042] In this case, in the fully closed state, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the spherical outer peripheral wall 12g contacts the tapered seat surface 13c, and this contact forms a circular line contact as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 6(a). That is, a circular contact portion 13d is formed on the seat surface 13c due to the line contact between the spherical outer peripheral wall 12g and the tapered seat surface 13c. Therefore, the tip opening of the valve seat 13a is closed by the contact between the circular contact portion 13d and the outer peripheral wall 12g.

[0043] On the other hand, in the fully open state, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the seat surface 13c does not contact the chamfered portion 12m and the valve hole 12h, so the contact between the spherical outer peripheral wall 12g and the tapered seat surface 13c is not a circular line contact. Specifically, due to the chamfered portion 12m, the spherical outer peripheral wall 12g and the tapered seat surface 13c contact each other at a position shifted toward the outer periphery of the seat surface 13c from the circular contact portion 13d (see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)), and the contact is an arc-shaped line contact (see FIG. 6(b)). That is, when the tip opening of the valve seat 13a overlaps the valve hole 12h, the seat surface 13c contacts the outer peripheral wall 12g at arc-shaped end contact portions 13e formed on both axial sides of the valve hole 12h and the chamfered portion 12m.

[0044] In this way, in the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g of the valve body 12b and the seat surface 13c of the seal member 13 is changed depending on whether the valve is closed or open. In detail, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 6, the diameter X of the circular contact portion 13d is smaller than the length Y of the longest portion in the axial direction between the end contact portions 13e formed on both sides of the valve hole 12h (X <Y)。

[0045] As described above, the valve device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 11 having an internal space 11c and formed with an inlet 11a and an outlet 11b that connect the internal space 11c to the outside, a valve 12 housed in the internal space 11c and that switches the communication state between the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b by rotation, a sealing member 13 attached to the inlet 11a or the outlet 11b, and a drive unit 14 that rotationally drives the valve 12.

[0046] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the valve 12 has a shaft 12a located at the center of rotation and a valve body 12b arranged on the outer periphery of the shaft 12a. The valve body 12b has a hollow, spherical outer peripheral wall 12g and a valve hole 12h opening into the outer peripheral wall 12g, with a chamfered portion 12m formed around the periphery of the valve hole 12h. The seal member 13 has a cylindrical valve seat 13a and a coil spring 13b that biases the valve seat 13a toward the valve body 12b, and the tip of the valve seat 13a is formed with a tapered seat surface 13c that slides against the outer peripheral wall 12g.

[0047] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, when the valve is closed, the tip opening of the valve seat 13a is blocked by the outer peripheral wall 12g, and when the valve is open, the tip opening of the valve seat 13a overlaps with the valve hole 12h, and the contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g and the seat surface 13c when the valve is open is shifted toward the outer periphery of the seat surface 13c compared to the contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g and the seat surface 13c when the valve is closed.

[0048] Furthermore, in the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the circumferential length of the valve hole 12h is greater than the inner diameter of the valve seat 13a, and when the valve is open, the seat surface 13c comes into contact with the outer peripheral wall 12g at the end contact portions 13e formed on both sides in the axial direction across the valve hole 12h and the chamfered portion 12m.

[0049] According to the valve device 1 of this embodiment, uneven wear can be suppressed by changing the contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g of the valve body 12b and the seat surface 13c of the seal member 13 when the valve is closed and when it is open. This makes it possible to suppress liquid leakage when the valve is closed. Furthermore, changing the contact position between the outer peripheral wall 12g and the seat surface 13c when the valve is closed and when it is open distributes wear, improving the durability of the valve seat 13a.

[0050] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the chamfered portion 12m is provided around the entire periphery of the valve hole 12h. As a result, when the valve transitions from open to closed, the valve seat 13a is guided by the edge of the valve hole 12h and easily climbs onto the outer peripheral wall 12g, resulting in smooth rotation of the valve 12.

[0051] Although the valve device 1 of this embodiment has been described as being used in a cooling circuit for cooling an automobile engine, it is not limited to this and can also be used for cooling the battery of an electric vehicle (EV) or the fuel cell stack of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Valve gear 11. Housing 11a Inlet 11b Outlet 11c Internal space 12 valves 12a shaft 12b Valve body 12g outer wall 12h valve hole 12m chamfered section 13 Sealing material 13a Valve seat 13b coil spring 13c Seat surface 13e End contact part 14 Drive unit

Claims

1. a housing having an internal space and having an inlet and an outlet formed therein that communicate the internal space with the outside; a valve that is housed in the internal space and that switches a communication state between the inlet and the outlet by rotating; a seal member attached to the inlet or the outlet; a drive device that rotates the valve; Equipped with The valve has a shaft located at the center of rotation and a valve body disposed on the outer periphery of the shaft, The valve body has a hollow, spherical outer circumferential wall and a valve hole that opens into the outer circumferential wall, A chamfer is formed on the periphery of the valve hole, The sealing member has a cylindrical valve seat and a biasing member that biases the valve seat toward the valve body, A tapered seat surface that comes into sliding contact with the outer peripheral wall is formed at the tip of the valve seat, When the valve is closed, the tip opening of the valve seat is blocked by the outer peripheral wall, When the valve is open, the tip opening of the valve seat overlaps with the valve hole, a contact position between the outer peripheral wall and the seat surface when the valve is open is shifted toward the outer periphery of the seat surface relative to a contact position between the outer peripheral wall and the seat surface when the valve is closed; A valve device characterized by:

2. The circumferential length of the valve hole is greater than the inner diameter of the valve seat, When the valve is open, the seat surface contacts the outer peripheral wall at end contact portions formed on both sides in the axial direction across the valve hole and the chamfered portion.

2. The valve device according to claim 1.

3. The chamfered portion is provided around the entire periphery of the valve hole.

3. The valve device according to claim 1 or 2.

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