Heater-equipped valve device

Abstract

To provide a valve device with a heater capable of efficiently preventing freezing or defrosting ices while contributing to space saving.SOLUTION: A valve device with a heater has a valve 10, an introduction path 21 that introduces fluid into a valve; a lead-out path 22 that leads fluid from the valve, and a heater 30, and a heat conductive plate 40 that conducts heat from the heater. A direction in which the fluid is introduced into the valve and a direction in which the fluid is discharged from the valve are substantially parallel. The heat conductive plate is arranged between a portion of the introduction path connected to the valve and a portion of the lead-out path connected to the valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve device in, for example, piping for housing equipment or automotive piping, which can prevent freezing or thaw ice inside the valve, and is related to a device that can efficiently prevent freezing or thaw ice while contributing to space saving.

Background Art

[0002] In piping for housing equipment or automotive piping, valves such as electromagnetic on-off valves are installed to control the flowing fluid. Such piping for housing equipment or automotive piping may freeze the fluid itself or the moisture in the fluid when used in cold regions, so countermeasures for preventing freezing and means for thawing are required. Particularly in the vicinity of the valve seat (valve hole) where the valve opens and closes, the fluid path is narrow and it is a location prone to freezing, and it is necessary to avoid the valve becoming inoperable due to freezing. Therefore, more reliable countermeasures for preventing freezing and means for thawing, such as installing a heater, are required (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, installing heaters is effective in preventing valve freezing and de-icing, and from the standpoint of thermal efficiency, it is most preferable to install the heater as close to the valve as possible. However, in recent years, the miniaturization, high integration, and space-saving of equipment have reduced the flexibility of piping and placed significant restrictions on the installation of peripheral equipment. Heaters are no exception, and it is sometimes not possible to install them near valves. In such cases, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to efficiently prevent valve freezing and de-icing.

[0005] This invention was made to solve the problems of the prior art, and its objective is to provide a heater-equipped valve device that can efficiently prevent freezing or de-icing while contributing to space saving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the heater-equipped valve device according to the present invention comprises a valve, an introduction passage for introducing fluid into the valve, an outlet passage for discharging fluid from the valve, a heater, and a heat conductor plate that transmits heat from the heater, wherein the direction of fluid introduction in the valve and the direction of fluid discharge in the valve are substantially parallel, and the heat conductor plate is positioned between the portion of the introduction passage connected to the valve and the portion of the outlet passage connected to the valve. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the heater is located on the introduction path or the exit path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, since the heat from the heater can be efficiently transferred to the valve by the heat conductor plate, even when there are constraints on the installation of the heater due to requirements such as space saving, the valve can be efficiently prevented from freezing or de-iced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a heater-equipped valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0009] An embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. The valve 10 used in the valve device 1 used in this embodiment is a poppet-type 2-port solenoid valve and consists of a coil 11, a fixed core 12 surrounded by the coil 11, a movable core 13 surrounded by the coil 11 with a valve body 14 installed at its tip, a valve seat 15 facing the valve body 14, a diaphragm 17 separating the valve body 14 and the valve seat 15, and a valve section 16 on which the valve seat 15 is formed and which constitutes part of the flow path. The valve seat 15 communicates with the inlet passage 21, and a hole is formed in the valve section 16 to communicate with the outlet passage 22. In the valve 10, the direction of fluid introduction and the direction of fluid discharge are opposite and parallel, and the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 are bent at a 90-degree angle midway. When the coil 11 is not energized, the valve body 14 and the valve seat 15 are in contact via the diaphragm 17, the valve seat 15 is closed, and fluid cannot pass through. When current is applied to the coil 11, the fixed core 12 and the movable core 13 are magnetized, and the movable core 13 is driven by their mutual attractive force. As a result, the valve body 14 and the valve seat 15, which were in contact via the diaphragm 17, separate, creating a state where fluid can pass through, as shown in Figure 1. The components of the valve 10, the inlet passage 21, and the outlet passage 22 can be made of various known materials and structures according to various required characteristics. Furthermore, the valve seat 15, valve body 16, inlet passage 21, and outlet passage 22 may be integrally molded from engineering plastic or the like. Note that pipes or the like (not shown) are connected to the ends of the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 to form a piping route.

[0010] The heater 30 according to this embodiment consists of a heating element 31, a first electrode terminal 33a, a second electrode terminal 33b, and a case 35. The heating element 31 is a positive characteristic thermistor element (PTC element) made of barium titanate ceramic, formed in a roughly rectangular plate shape with a length of 14.0 mm, a width of 50.0 mm, and a thickness of 1.2 mm. An electrode layer made of silver paste is formed on one main surface, and an electrode layer made of silver paste is also formed on the other main surface. One of these two electrode layers is the positive electrode, and the other is the negative electrode. The material of the heating element 31 can be appropriately set according to the required heating characteristics (e.g., Curie temperature). The first electrode terminal 33a is made of a combination of a 1.0 mm thick copper alloy plate and a 0.3 mm thick phosphor bronze plate with excellent spring elasticity, and the second electrode terminal 33b is made of a 0.3 mm thick phosphor bronze plate with excellent spring elasticity. The first electrode terminal 33a is positioned to contact the electrode layer formed on one main surface of the PTC heating element 31, and the second electrode terminal 33b is positioned to contact the electrode layer formed on the other main surface of the heating element 31. The case 35 is made of polyamide resin and houses the PTC heating element 11, the first electrode terminal 33a, and the second electrode terminal 33b, while also insulating them from the surroundings. The ends of the first electrode terminal 33a and the second electrode terminal 33b are led out from the case 35 and connected to a power supply via connectors and lead wires (not shown).

[0011] The heat conductor 40 is made of a copper alloy plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm and transfers heat from the heater 30 to the valve 10. The material constituting the heat conductor 40 is preferably one with high thermal conductivity, and metal materials such as copper alloys are preferably used. In this embodiment, a portion of the first electrode terminal 33a also functions as the heat conductor 40. The first electrode terminal 33a (i.e., the heat conductor 40) conducts current between the power supply and the PTC heating element 11, and also efficiently transfers the heat generated by the heating element 31 to the valve 10. Since the first electrode terminal 33a directly contacts the PTC heating element 11 without the need for other electrode terminals or insulators, configuring the first electrode terminal 33a to also function as the heat conductor 40 improves thermal efficiency. When the heat conductor 40 is configured to be energized, it is preferable to insulate the heat conductor 40 from its surroundings by covering it with the case 35. Furthermore, by press-fitting or insert-molding the heat sink 40 near the valve portion 16, it can be made to tightly adhere without an air gap, thereby more efficiently transferring heat to the valve 10.

[0012] In this embodiment, the heater 30 is installed on the inlet path 21 via the heat guide plate 40. Of course, the heater 30 may also be installed on the outlet path 22 or in other locations. The heat guide plate 40 can also be installed not only between the heater 30 and the inlet path 21, but also, for example, on top of the heater 30.

[0013] Furthermore, the heat conductor plate 40 is bent to conform to the curve of the inlet passage 21 and extends between the inlet passage 21 and the inlet passage 22. That is, the heat conductor plate 40 is positioned between the portion of the inlet passage 21 connected to the valve 10 and the portion of the outlet passage 22 connected to the valve 10. With this configuration, the heat from the heater 30 is transferred to the valve 10 through the heat conductor plate 40, so even if the heater 30 is installed far from the valve 10, the heat from the heater 30 can be efficiently transferred to the valve 10. In particular, the valve seat 14 portion of the valve 10 is a place where the flow path is narrow and tends to get clogged with ice in cold weather. With the present invention, the heat conductor plate 40 can be positioned near the valve seat 14, so the freezing of the valve 10 can be prevented more effectively.

[0014] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be applied to various other forms. For example, various conventionally known components such as the valve 10 and heater 30 can be used. Furthermore, the heater 30 can be installed in various locations. In addition, in the above embodiment, the heat conductor plate 40 also serves as the electrode terminal, but these may be separate components. [Industrial applicability]

[0015] As detailed above, the present invention provides a heater-equipped valve device that can efficiently prevent freezing or de-icing while contributing to space saving. Such a heater-equipped valve device can be suitably used in various piping systems, such as residential equipment piping, automotive piping, industrial equipment piping, and home appliance piping. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0016] 1. Valve device 10 valves 21 Introductory path 22 Derivation 30 Heater 31 Heating element 33a First electrode terminal 33b Second electrode terminal 35 cases 40 Heat conduction plate

Claims

1. It comprises a valve, an introduction passage for introducing fluid into the valve, an outlet passage for discharging fluid from the valve, a heater, and a heat conductor plate that transmits heat from the heater. The above heater is housed in a case. The direction in which the fluid is introduced into the valve and the direction in which the fluid is discharged from the valve are approximately parallel. A heater-equipped valve device in which only the heat conductor plate and the case are arranged between the portion connected to the valve in the inlet passage and the portion connected to the valve in the outlet passage.

2. The heater-equipped valve device according to claim 1, wherein the heater is located on the introduction path or the outlet path.

Images