Motor-operated valve

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a motor-operated valve having a rotary valve body, and reduces pressure loss when a cooling liquid passes through the valve body.　A valve body 12 includes: a hollow valve part 12b; a rotary shaft holding part 12c which is positioned at the center of the valve part and through which a rotary shaft is inserted; and a film part 30 positioned inside the valve part. The valve part is disposed with one end facing an opening 11a, has an outer wall capable of closing a communication port 11b, a valve hole capable of communicating with the communication port, and a valve opening formed at the one end of the valve part and communicating with the opening. When the opening side of the valve hole is the lower side and the opposite side is the upper side, the film part is formed in a fan shape in a plan view, an upper end is connected to an inner wall of the valve part so as to be along an upper edge of the valve hole, and a lower end is connected to a part which is an outer periphery of the rotary shaft holding part and faces the valve hole.

Description

Electric valve

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

[0002] For example, rotary flow control valves used in automotive cooling systems include a valve housing that houses a cylindrical valve element with a spherical or straight outer wall, which can be rotated from the outside. These rotary flow control valves use a spherical or cylindrical valve element, and are configured to open and close a passage connected to a valve chamber in the valve housing by rotating the valve element. Specifically, a valve hole (opening) is formed in the side of the valve element, and by rotating the valve element, the valve hole is aligned with an outlet formed on the inner surface of the valve housing, allowing the coolant to flow through the outlet.

[0003] The coolant from the engine (cylinder head) flows into the valve body from the axial direction of the valve body, passes through the valve hole on the side of the valve body, and flows to the outlet. In other words, due to the structure inside the valve body, the coolant flow path is at a nearly right angle.

[0004] 5(a), a configuration is disclosed in which a valve element bottom 203 is provided at a position opposite a coolant inlet 202 in the direction of a rotation axis 201 of a valve element 200, and a plurality of plate-shaped ribs 205 are provided radially outward in the radial direction as viewed from the rotation axis 201. The ribs 205 guide the coolant flowing through the valve element 200 from the center of the valve element bottom 203, where the rotation axis 201 is located, in the radial direction outward.

[0005] Patent No. 6773247

[0006] However, because the ribs 205 are plate-shaped and there are gaps between adjacent ribs 205, the coolant flows into these gaps, making it difficult to smoothly guide the coolant flowing inside the valve body 200 in a radially outward direction, and it is not possible to sufficiently reduce the pressure loss when the coolant passes through the valve body. This problem can also occur when the coolant flows in the opposite direction.

[0007] The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and aims to provide an electric valve equipped with a rotary valve body that can reduce pressure loss when coolant passes through the valve body.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the motor-operated valve of the present invention comprises a housing having an opening at one end and a communication port on its outer periphery, a valve element that is inserted into the housing and rotates around a rotation axis to open and close the communication port, and a drive device that rotationally drives the valve element, wherein the valve element has a hollow valve section, a rotary shaft holding section that is located at the center of the valve section and through which the rotary shaft is inserted, and a film section that is located inside the valve section, and the valve section is arranged with one end facing the opening, and is formed with an outer wall that can close the communication port, a valve hole that can communicate with the communication port, and a valve opening that is formed at one end of the valve section and communicates with the opening, and when the opening side of the valve hole is defined as the lower side and the opposite side as the upper side, the film section is formed in a fan shape in a plan view, and its upper end is connected to the inner wall of the valve section so as to follow the upper edge of the valve hole, and its lower end is connected to a part of the outer periphery of the rotary shaft holding section that faces the valve hole.

[0009] With this configuration, the coolant that flows into the valve portion from the opening can be smoothly guided to the valve hole. As a result, the pressure loss of the coolant flowing through the valve body can be reduced, leading to reduced power consumption. Furthermore, because the pressure loss within the valve body can be reduced, the diameter of the valve hole can be designed to be smaller, improving layout flexibility. Furthermore, the valve body can be made lighter and its durability can be improved.

[0010] Furthermore, it is desirable that the circumferential length of one side of the film portion connected to the inner wall of the valve portion so as to follow the upper edge of the valve hole be equal to or greater than the circumferential length of the upper edge of the valve hole. With this configuration, the coolant that flows in from the opening can be efficiently flowed into the valve hole.

[0011] Furthermore, in the longitudinal cross section of the valve disc, it is desirable that the center of the film portion be curved or inclined in a direction away from the valve hole. With this configuration, pressure loss of the coolant flowing into the valve hole can be reduced as much as possible.

[0012] According to the motor-operated valve of the present invention, in a motor-operated valve including a rotary valve body, it is possible to reduce the pressure loss when the coolant passes through the valve body.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the motor-operated valve of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a valve body of a valve disc provided in the motor-operated valve of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the valve body of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the axial direction of the valve body of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a conventional valve disc.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the motor-operated valve 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.

[0015] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an electric valve according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used based on the top and bottom in FIG. 1.

[0016] The motor-operated valve 1 of this embodiment is 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 passing through the radiator (bypassing).The motor-operated valve 1 controls the opening and closing of a valve hole formed in the valve body to discharge coolant that has flowed in through the engine into the cooling path and the bypass path, 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 housed in the interior space of the housing 11 and rotatable about an axis (rotation axis) within the interior space, adapters 13 (131, 132) connected to the outlet 11b, and seal members 14 (141, 142) for preventing leakage of coolant that passes through valve holes 12f (12f1, 12f2) formed in the valve element 12 and is released toward the adapter 13. This motor-operated valve 1 appropriately releases coolant, for example, toward a cooling path and a bypass path, by controlling the rotation of the valve element 12 in response to instructions from a control device (not shown) installed in 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 referred to as the "axial direction," the direction perpendicular to the axis will be referred to as the "radial direction," and the direction around the axis will be referred to as the "circumferential direction."

[0019] The housing 11 includes a main body 11c having an internal space (valve body accommodating portion 20) for accommodating the valve body 12, and a bottomed lid 11d that defines an accommodating space between the main body 11c and the upper surface of the main body 11c for accommodating the reducer 15. The open end (periphery) of the lid 11d is attached to the outer periphery of the upper surface of the main body 11c to close the accommodating space. The reducer 15 accommodated in the accommodating space includes multiple gears and has the function of reducing the rotation of a motor (drive unit: not shown) that operates in response to commands 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 at the top of the main body portion 11c, and rotatably supports the shaft 12a that functions as the rotation axis of the valve body 12 while it is inserted therethrough. A bearing 11f that rotatably supports the upper part of the shaft 12a is provided on the inner periphery of the insertion tube portion 11e.

[0021] Furthermore, in the housing 11, substantially cylindrical outlet ports 11b (11b1, 11b2) serving as communication ports are provided on the outer periphery of the main body portion 11c (inner wall 20a of the valve body accommodating portion 20) and 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) communicating with the above-mentioned cooling path and bypass path are inserted and fixed into the outlet ports 11b, respectively.

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

[0023] Furthermore, an inlet 11a, which is an opening communicating with the cylinder head and through which coolant is introduced into the valve body 12, is formed at the lower end (one axial side) of the housing 11. A frame 17 is attached to the inlet 11a, and supports the lower end of the shaft 12a with a cylindrical portion 17a formed in the center. Specifically, the frame 17 has an annular frame portion 17b attached to the housing 11 along the periphery of the inlet 11a, the cylindrical portion 17a formed in the center of the frame portion 17b, and three bridge portions 17c for reinforcing the frame strength, which connect the cylindrical portion 17a to multiple points (equally spaced) on the frame portion 17b. The coolant is able to flow into the housing 11 through the frame 17.

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

[0025] In addition, the valve body 12b of the valve element 12 has a central joint 12c (rotation 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 also has two valve portions connected vertically, each of which is cylindrical with valve openings at the top and bottom and has 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 12b is made of resin, has a hollow portion, is formed in 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 12b as viewed from below (the coolant inlet side). As shown in FIG. 2, the valve body 12b of the valve body 12 has a first valve portion 12b1 that opens vertically and a second valve portion 12b2 that also opens vertically and is formed axially continuous from one end of the first valve portion 12b1 (the upper end in FIG. 1). The interiors of the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 are connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, a coolant communication passage R is formed within the valve body 12 by the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 and communicates with the inlet 11a (opening).

[0027] As shown in the figure, 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, and inner walls 12i, 12j of the valve portion that form the communication passage R through which the coolant passes are formed parallel to the axial direction. Furthermore, the inner wall 20a of the valve element accommodating portion 20 is formed along the shapes of the outer walls 12m, 12n of the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2, and the gap distance between the inner wall 20a and the outer walls 12m, 12n is formed to be approximately uniform in the circumferential direction.

[0028] 2, for example, three reinforcing members 12h are arranged evenly in the circumferential direction within the first valve portion 12b1 to reinforce the valve body 12. These reinforcing members 12h 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. The communication passage R serves as a flow path for the coolant that passes between the multiple reinforcing members 12h in the first valve portion 12b1.

[0029] A seal ring 12d closes the gap between the shaft 12a and the insertion tube portion 11e of the housing 11. This prevents the coolant in the main body portion 11c from flowing from the insertion tube portion 11e into the lid portion 11d. 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 port 11a) into the internal space of the valve body 12.

[0030] The first valve portion 12b and the second valve portion 12b are provided with valve holes 12f and 12f, respectively. The valve holes 12f and 12f are collectively referred to as valve holes 12f. The valve holes 12f radially penetrate the wall thicknesses of the first valve portion 12b and the second valve portion 12b. When the valve element 12 rotates and the valve holes 12f overlap with the openings of the seal member 14, the coolant flows out from the overlapping portions. 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. This opening and closing action switches the communication state between the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b (11b, 11b). That is, each valve hole 12f provided in the valve body 12 is formed so that, with rotation, the communication state between the corresponding outlet 11b (11b1, 11b2) and the internal space of the valve body 12 is switched. As a result, the coolant 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 flow rate thereof is controlled.

[0031] 3 is a bottom view of the valve body 12b in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the valve body 12b in the axial direction. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, "upper" and "lower" are based on the up and down in FIG. 1, so that the inlet 11a (opening) side of the valve hole 12f is referred to as the lower side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upper side. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the side 12f of the valve hole 12f1 in the first valve portion 12b1 opposite to the inlet 11a in the axial direction is 11 The film portion 30 is provided on the valve hole 12f1 to guide the flow of the coolant that has flowed in from the inlet 11a to the valve hole 12f1 (toward the outlet 11b1). The hatched portion in Fig. 3 does not represent a cross section, but represents the film portion 30. The upper end of the film portion 30 is located at the upper edge of the valve hole 12f1 (one side 12f 11 The film portion 30 is connected to the inner wall 12i of the first valve portion 12b1 along the circumferential direction of the valve hole 12f1, and its lower end is connected to the outer periphery of the joint portion 12c (rotation shaft holding portion) facing the valve hole 12f1. 11 It is formed in a fan shape (in plan view) that connects the

[0032] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one side 12f of the valve hole 12f 11 The film portion 30 is provided from one end to the other end of the valve hole 12f1. 11 The circumferential length of one side (the upper end of the film portion 30) of the film portion 30 connected to the inner wall 12i of the first valve portion 12b1 along the upper edge (side 12f 11 4, the upper edge (one side 12f 11 The upper end of the film portion 30 connected to the inner wall 12i of the first valve portion 12b1 so as to extend along the connecting portion 12c (rotary shaft holding portion) is located downstream of the lower end of the film portion 30 connected to the outer peripheral surface of the joining portion 12c (rotary shaft holding portion) in the communicating passage R. This allows the coolant that has flowed in from the inlet 11a to be smoothly guided to the valve hole 12f1, reducing pressure loss.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of the film portion 30 is curved so as to be concave toward the back when viewed from the valve hole 12f1 or the coolant inlet 11a side (in the longitudinal section, the center of the film portion 30 is curved in a direction away from the valve hole 12f1), in order to minimize pressure loss. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the cross-sectional shape may be linear, for example. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper edge of the valve hole 12f1 (one side 12f 11 The circumferential length (width) of one side of the film portion 30 connected to the inner wall 12i of the first valve portion 12b1 along the upper edge (side 12f 11 ) in the circumferential direction, but the present invention is not limited to this form and may be formed to any width taking into consideration the difference in pressure loss with respect to another port (communication port).

[0034] In this configuration, for example, when the valve disc 12 is rotated by driving the shaft 12a (rotating shaft) and the valve hole 12f of the first valve portion 12b is connected to the outlet 11b, the coolant flowing in from the engine side enters the first valve portion 12b from the inlet 11a, is guided along the surface of the film portion 30 to the valve hole 12f, and flows to the outlet 11b. That is, the coolant flowing in from the inlet 11a can flow to the valve hole 12f of the first valve portion 12b without being returned to the first valve portion 12b as in the conventional configuration. On the other hand, when the valve disc 12 is rotated and the valve hole 12f of the second valve portion 12b is connected to the outlet 11b, the coolant flowing in from the engine side flows through the communication passage R to the second valve portion 12b and then directly flows from the valve hole 12f to the outlet 11b.

[0035] As described above, according to this embodiment, the valve hole 12f of the first valve portion 12b is located on the side 12f opposite to the inlet 11a in the axial direction. 11 A film portion 30 is provided on the valve hole 12f1 to guide the flow of the coolant that has flowed in from the inlet 11a to the valve hole 12f1. The film portion 30 extends from the outer wall of the cylindrical joint portion 12c to one side 12f1 in the circumferential direction of the valve hole 12f1. 11The valve element is formed in a fan shape connecting the first and second valve portions 12b1 and 12b2. This allows the coolant flowing from the inlet 11a to the second valve portion 12b2 to be guided directly to the valve hole 12f2 without returning to the first valve portion 12b1, even if the second valve portion 12b2 has a valve hole 12f2 downstream of the first valve portion 12b1 where the inlet 11a is provided. This reduces pressure loss and power consumption. Furthermore, reducing pressure loss within the valve body allows the valve hole diameter to be designed smaller, improving layout flexibility. Furthermore, the valve body can be made lighter and more durable.

[0036] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the film portion 30 is shown as being formed integrally with the joint portion 12c of the first valve portion 12b1 and the valve hole 12f, but in the present invention, they may be formed integrally or formed separately and then assembled.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the valve element 12 is described as having the first valve portion 12b1 and the second valve portion 12b2 connected in the axial direction, but the motor-operated valve according to the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, three or more spherical valve portions may be connected in the axial direction. Furthermore, each valve portion may be provided with a film portion 30, or, as necessary, only some of the valve portions may be provided with a film portion 30. For example, providing the second valve portion 12b2 with a film portion 30, similar to the first valve portion 12b1, can reduce pressure loss when the coolant flows into the valve hole 12f2.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the coolant flows from the inlet 11a, which is the opening, to the valve holes 12f1 and 12f2 has been described as an example, but the present invention is also suitable for a configuration in which the coolant flows in the opposite direction.

[0039] 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 also be a cylindrical valve body having a straight outer wall surface.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as an example, the electric valve 1 that discharges 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 that communicates with the electric valve 1 is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate 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 outer periphery of the main body portion 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).

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sealing members 14 (141, 142) are pressed against the outer wall of the valve body 12 by the biasing force of the coil spring as shown in FIG. 1, but this is not limited to this, and any other structure may be used as long as it can prevent leakage of the coolant that passes through the valve hole 12f of the valve body 12 and is discharged to the adapter 13 side.

[0042] Furthermore, while the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, modifications, variations, and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. In the claims, the opening side of the housing in the valve hole is defined as the lower side and the opposite side as the upper side, but this does not limit the vertical orientation of the motor-operated valve of the present invention when installed. For example, depending on the orientation of the motor-operated valve, the "lower side of the valve hole" as defined in the claims may be positioned vertically upward or horizontally.

[0043] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Motor-operated valve 11 Housing 11a Opening 11b Outlet (communication port) 12 Valve body 12a Shaft 12b1 First valve portion (valve portion) 12b2 Second valve portion (valve portion) 12f1 Valve hole 12f2 Valve hole 12c Joint portion (rotating shaft holding portion) 12m Outer wall (valve outer wall) 12n Outer wall (valve outer wall) 20 Valve body accommodating portion 20a Inner wall 30 Film portion R Communication passage

Claims

1. An electrically operated valve comprising: a housing having an opening at one end and a communication port on its outer periphery; a valve disc that is inserted into said housing and rotates around a rotation axis to open and close said communication port; and a drive device that rotates said valve disc, wherein said valve disc has a hollow valve section, a rotating shaft holding section located at the center of said valve section and through which said rotating shaft is inserted, and a film section located inside said valve section, wherein said valve section is disposed with one end facing said opening, and has an outer wall capable of closing said communication port, a valve hole that can communicate with said communication port, and a valve opening formed in one end of the valve section and communicating with said opening, wherein if the opening side of said valve hole is the lower side and the opposite side is the upper side, then said film section is formed in a fan shape in a plan view, with an upper end connected to the inner wall of said valve section so as to follow the upper edge of the valve hole, and a lower end connected to a portion of the outer periphery of said rotating shaft holding section that faces said valve hole.

2. The electric valve as described in claim 1, characterized in that the circumferential length of one side of the film portion connected to the inner wall of the valve portion so as to follow the upper edge of the valve hole is formed to be greater than the circumferential length of the upper edge of the valve hole.

3. An electric valve as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, in a longitudinal cross section of the valve body, the center of the film portion is curved or inclined in a direction away from the valve hole.

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