Valve device

Abstract

Provided is a valve device that prevents foreign matter from intruding into a gap formed between a valve body and a housing that accommodates the valve body.　A valve device 1 according to the present invention comprises: a housing 11 in which an inflow port 11a and an outflow port 11b for a cooling liquid, and an internal space 11c communicating with the inflow port 11a and the outflow port 11b are formed; a valve body 12 that is accommodated in the internal space 11c, rotates around a rotation axis, and switches a communication state between the inflow port 11a and the outflow port 11b by rotation; and a shaft 13 positioned on the rotation axis. Moreover, the valve body 12 includes an inner cylinder 12a, an outer cylinder 12b disposed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 12a, and a wall-like connection end part 12c connecting an axial one end of the inner cylinder 12a and an axial one end of the outer cylinder 12b, and has a valve hole 12e formed in the outer cylinder 12b. Furthermore, the valve body 12 is provided with an annular flange part 12g projecting toward an inner wall of the housing 11, at an end part of an outer wall of the outer cylinder 12b at which the connection end part 12c is provided.

Description

Valve device

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In automotive cooling circuits (coolant circulation systems), valve devices have conventionally been used to distribute the inflowing coolant to various devices such as a radiator, an oil cooler, and an air conditioning heat exchanger.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses, as an example of a valve device used in an automobile cooling circuit, a flow control valve that distributes cooling water supplied from the cylinder head side by pressurizing the water pump to a radiator, etc., and controls the flow rate.

[0004] Specifically, the flow control valve described in Patent Document 1 is provided in the cylinder head of the engine, and coolant flowing through the cylinder block and cylinder head of the engine flows into this flow control valve. This coolant is then supplied from the flow control valve to various devices such as the radiator, oil cooler, and air conditioning heat exchanger. After being supplied to these devices, the coolant is returned to the water pump, pressurized, and used again to cool the engine.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses that the above-mentioned flow control valve is configured to include a valve housing having an internal space and a plurality of housing-side openings that connect this internal space to the outside, a valve member that is rotatably accommodated in this valve housing and has a plurality of valve-member-side openings that can communicate with the plurality of housing-side openings, and a shaft that rotatably supports this valve member.

[0006] JP 2023-16987 A

[0007] In the flow control valve (valve device) described in Patent Document 1, the multiple valve member-side openings are formed so that communication between the multiple housing-side openings and the internal space of the valve member switches as the valve member rotates. As a result, coolant taken into the internal space of the valve member from the engine side is discharged toward various devices such as a radiator, oil cooler, and air conditioning heat exchanger in accordance with the opening and closing of the valve member-side openings.

[0008] On the other hand, in a valve device having a structure in which a valve body (corresponding to the valve member described above) is rotatably accommodated inside a housing (corresponding to the valve housing described above), the cooling water taken into the internal space of this valve device generally flows toward the internal space of the valve body and also flows into the gap (space) formed between the valve body and the housing that accommodates this valve body.

[0009] Specifically, automotive cooling water often contains foreign matter such as dust and foundry sand (sand used to make molds), which can get into the gap. If foreign matter gets into such a gap, it can become caught between the valve disc and the housing, and further between the shaft that supports the valve disc and the housing, and this can hinder the rotation of the valve disc.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a valve device that prevents foreign matter from entering the gap formed between the valve body and the housing that accommodates the valve body.

[0011] The valve device of the present invention comprises a housing in which a coolant inlet and outlet are formed, and an internal space communicating with these; a valve body accommodated in the internal space and rotating about a rotation axis, the rotation switching the communication state between the inlet and the outlet; a shaft positioned on the rotation axis; a seal member attached to the inlet or outlet and in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve body; and a drive device that rotationally drives the valve body.

[0012] The valve body also has an inner tube, an outer tube arranged on the outer periphery of the inner tube, and a wall-shaped connecting end portion that connects the inner tube and the outer tube at one end side, the other end side, or both, in the rotation axis direction, and a valve body space is formed between the inner tube and the outer tube, and a valve hole is formed in the outer tube that can communicate the valve body space with the inlet port, the outlet port, or both.

[0013] The valve body is characterized in that an annular flange portion that projects toward the inner wall of the housing is provided at one end, the other end, or both ends in the rotation axis direction of the outer wall of the outer cylinder.

[0014] In the valve device according to the present invention, a clearance may be formed around the entire circumference between the periphery of the flange and the inner wall of the housing. In the valve device according to the present invention, the periphery of the flange may be in sliding contact with the inner wall of the housing. Furthermore, in the valve device according to the present invention, the surface shape of the periphery of the flange may be shaped to fit the inner wall of the housing.

[0015] By configuring the valve body as described above, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the gap formed between the valve body and the housing that houses the valve body, and as a result, it is possible to prevent the valve body from malfunctioning due to foreign matter getting caught in it.

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a valve device that prevents foreign matter from entering the gap formed between the valve body and the housing that accommodates the valve body.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a valve device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a valve body, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of part A shown in Fig. 1.

[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 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the valve device of this embodiment. For the sake of convenience, in the valve device of this embodiment, the upper and lower sides in FIG. 1 will be simply referred to as "upper" and "lower".

[0020] The valve device 1 of this embodiment is used in an automotive cooling circuit (coolant circulation system) that includes 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. The valve device 1 of this embodiment discharges coolant supplied from the cylinder head side into the cooling path or the bypass path by pressurizing the water pump, and controls the flow rate. Note that the valve device 1 may also return coolant supplied from the cooling path or the bypass path to the cylinder block side via the water pump and control the flow rate. The bypass path may also pass through devices such as a heater, a battery, or EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation).

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the valve device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 11 having a cooling water inlet 11a, an outlet 11b, and an internal space 11c communicating with the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b, a valve element 12 accommodated in the internal space 11c of the housing 11 and rotatable about an axis (rotation axis) in the internal space 11c, a shaft 13 positioned on the rotation axis, an adapter 14 connected to the outlet 11b, a sealing member 15 attached to the inlet 11a or the outlet 11b and in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve element 12, a reducer 16, a case 17 with a bottom that forms a reducer accommodating chamber 17a on the upper side of the housing 11 for accommodating the reducer 16, and a lid 18 that covers the upper opening of the case 17 and closes the reducer accommodating chamber 17a. The valve device 1 controls the rotation of the valve element 12 in response to instructions from a control device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, and opens and closes the coolant passage from the inlet 11 a to the outlet 11 b, thereby appropriately discharging the coolant supplied from the cylinder head side toward the cooling path or bypass path. 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 element 12.

[0022] The structure 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 body 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] The housing 11 has an internal space 11c for accommodating the valve element 12. Furthermore, the upper part of the housing 11 and the lower part of the case 17 are provided with insertion cylindrical parts (11d, 17b) having a through hole for inserting the shaft 13. The lower opening of the housing 11 is closed, and a valve element support part 19 having a bottomed cylindrical bearing part 19a formed in the center thereof for supporting the lower end of the shaft 13 is attached and fixed to the housing 11.

[0024] The housing 11 is also provided with a coolant inlet 11a and outlet 11b. The inlet 11a and outlet 11b protrude outward from the outer periphery of the housing 11 and each communicate with an internal space 11c. An adapter 14 is attached to the outlet 11b. The adapter 14 communicates with the cooling path or a bypass path.

[0025] The reducer 16 housed in the reducer housing chamber 17a has a plurality of gears and reduces the rotation of the motor 20 before transmitting it to the valve element 12. The motor 20 operates in response to a command from a control device. In this embodiment, the reducer 16 and the motor 20 constitute a drive device that rotates and drives the valve element 12. 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 drive device.

[0026] The valve element 12 has a side wall (corresponding to an outer cylinder 12b described later) that can switch the communication state between the cooling passage and the bypass passage. The valve element 12 rotates integrally with the shaft 13. A gear as a component of the speed reducer 16 is attached to the shaft 13. When the gear rotates due to the drive of the motor 20, the valve element 12 rotates in conjunction with the gear, opening and closing the passage of cooling water from the inlet 11a to the outlet 11b (switching the communication state with the outside).

[0027] Furthermore, the gap between the shaft 13 and the cylindrical insertion portion 11d of the housing 11 is closed by a seal ring 21. This prevents the cooling water in the valve body 12 from leaking from the cylindrical insertion portion 11d into the reducer accommodating chamber 17a.

[0028] 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 the flow paths for discharging the cooling water.

[0029] In addition, in this embodiment, the valve device 1 that discharges the coolant flowing in from the inlet 11a toward the cooling path or the bypass path has been described as an example, but the connection configuration of the flow paths that communicate with the valve device 1 is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the automotive cooling circuit (coolant circulation system). Also, the inlet 11a in Fig. 1 may be the coolant outlet, and the outlet 11b in Fig. 1 may be the coolant inlet.

[0030] 1, the sealing member 15 is pressed against the outer wall of the valve body 12 (the outer cylinder 12b described later) by the biasing force of a coil spring, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sealing member 15 may be realized by other structures as long as it can prevent leakage of the cooling water that passes through the valve body 12 and is discharged to the adapter 14 side.

[0031] Next, the valve element 12, which is one of the components constituting the valve device 1 of this embodiment, will be described in detail. Fig. 2 shows an example of the shape of the valve element 12, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is an enlarged view of part B. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of part A shown in Fig. 1.

[0032] The valve element 12 includes an inner cylinder 12a (see FIGS. 1 and 3), a spherical outer cylinder 12b disposed around the inner cylinder 12a, and a connecting end 12c connecting one axial end of the inner cylinder 12a and the outer cylinder 12b. A valve body space 12d is formed between the inner cylinder 12a and the outer cylinder 12b. In FIG. 2, the inner cylinder 12a and the outer cylinder 12b are connected by the wall-shaped connecting end 12c formed at the upper and lower ends of the valve element 12. A valve hole 12e is formed in the outer cylinder 12b, allowing communication between the valve body space 12d and the inlet 11a, the outlet 11b, or both. In this embodiment, the valve hole 12e is formed large, extending over more than half the circumference of the outer cylinder 12b. The valve element 12 also includes one or more pillars 12f for reinforcing the valve hole 12e.

[0033] In this embodiment, the outer cylinder 12b of the valve body 12 has a spherical shape, but this is not limitative and it may have a cylindrical shape.

[0034] In this embodiment, the connection ends 12c are provided below the upper end and above the lower end of the outer tube 12b, respectively, and the upper and lower portions of the valve body 12 are recessed (see FIG. 1), but this shape is arbitrary. The peripheral edges of the wall-shaped connection ends 12c may be connected to the upper and lower ends of the outer tube 12b, respectively, and the upper and lower portions of the valve body 12 may be formed without recesses.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner cylinder 12a of the valve body 12 is joined to the outer periphery of the shaft 13 when the shaft 13 passes through the inner cylinder 12a.

[0036] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the valve body space 12d and the inlet 11a are always in communication. When the valve body 12 rotates about the shaft 13 while the valve body space 12d and the inlet 11a are in communication and the valve hole 12e and the outlet 11b overlap, the inlet 11a, the valve body space 12d, and the outlet 11b are in communication, and cooling water flows from the inlet 11a side to the outlet 11b side. As a result, the cooling water taken into the valve body space 12d through the inlet 11a is released from the outlet 11b via the adapter 14, and the flow rate is controlled according to the opening degree of the valve hole 12e.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, to prevent foreign matter contained in the cooling water taken into the internal space 11c of the valve device 1 from entering a first gap 31 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) formed between the wall-shaped connecting end 12c of the valve element 12 and the housing 11 that accommodates the valve element 12, an annular flange 12g is provided at the upper end of the outer wall side of the outer cylinder 12b of the valve element 12, protruding horizontally (radially) toward the inner wall of the housing 11 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). In this case, a clearance is formed around the entire periphery between the periphery of the annular flange 12g and the housing 11 so as to prevent foreign matter that has entered a second gap 32 (see FIG. 3) formed between the upper end of the outer wall side of the outer cylinder 12b and the housing 11 from entering the first gap 31. In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, since the valve body 12 rotates within the housing 11 with the shaft 13 as the rotation axis, it is assumed that the periphery of the flange portion 12g and the inner wall of the housing 11 facing this periphery are concentric circles.

[0038] Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the shape of the flange portion 12g as long as it is a shape that can prevent foreign matter from entering the first gap 31, but it is preferable that the surface shape of the peripheral edge 12h of the flange portion 12g be a shape that follows the inner wall of the housing 11 (see Figures 2(b) and 3) so as to prevent the entry of foreign matter as efficiently as possible.

[0039] In this embodiment, the annular flange 12g is provided so as to protrude horizontally (radially) from the upper end of the outer wall of the outer cylinder 12b toward the inner wall of the housing 11 (see FIGS. 1 to 3), but the protruding direction of the flange 12g is not limited to this horizontal direction. The annular flange 12g only needs to prevent foreign matter from entering the first gap 31, and may be provided so as to protrude obliquely upward or downward toward the inner wall of the housing 11, for example.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, a clearance is formed between the tip (periphery) of the flange 12g and the inner wall of the housing 11, but this is not limiting. In this embodiment, the flange 12g may be provided so that the tip (periphery) of the flange 12g slides against the inner wall of the housing 11. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the first gap 31.

[0041] In this embodiment, the wall-shaped connecting end 12c is provided on both the upper and lower ends of the valve body 12, but it is not necessary to provide the wall-shaped connecting end 12c on the lower end side where the flange 12g is not provided. If the wall-shaped connecting end 12c is not provided, the lower end side of the valve body 12 may have a hole (opening), and there are no particular restrictions on the shape as long as it does not hinder the rotational movement of the valve body 12.

[0042] As described above, the valve device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 11 in which the coolant inlet 11a, outlet 11b, and internal space 11c communicating with these are formed, a valve body 12 accommodated in the internal space 11c and rotating about the rotation axis, switching the communication state between the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b as a result of the rotation, a shaft 13 positioned on the rotation axis, a sealing member 15 attached to the inlet 11a or the outlet 11b and in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve body 12, and a drive device that rotates the valve body 12.

[0043] The valve body 12 also has an inner tube 12a, an outer tube 12b arranged on the outer periphery of the inner tube 12a, and a wall-shaped connecting end 12c connecting the inner tube 12a and the outer tube 12b at one end side, the other end side, or both in the direction of the rotation axis, and a valve body space 12d is formed between the inner tube 12a and the outer tube 12b, and a valve hole 12e is formed in the outer tube 12b that can connect the valve body space 12d to the inlet 11a, the outlet 11b, or both.

[0044] The valve element 12 is provided with an annular flange 12g that projects toward the inner wall of the housing 11 at one end, the other end, or both ends in the rotational axis direction of the outer wall of the outer cylinder 12b.

[0045] This makes it possible to suppress the intrusion of foreign matter into the first gap 31 formed between the wall-like connecting end 12c of the valve body 12 and the housing 11. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from getting caught between the housing 11 and the valve body 12 (see part C in FIG. 3 ) and between the housing 11 and the shaft 13 (see part D in FIG. 3 ). That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the valve body 12 due to the intrusion of foreign matter.

[0046] Furthermore, in the valve device 1 of this embodiment, a clearance may be formed around the entire periphery between the periphery of the flange portion 12g and the inner wall of the housing 11. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter that has entered the second gap 32 (see FIG. 3) from entering the first gap 31.

[0047] In the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the periphery of the flange 12g may be in sliding contact with the inner wall of the housing 11. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the first gap 31.

[0048] Furthermore, in the valve device 1 of this embodiment, the peripheral surface shape of the flange portion 12g may be shaped to conform to the inner wall of the housing 11. This makes it possible to efficiently suppress or prevent the intrusion of foreign matter.

[0049] Although the valve device 1 of this embodiment has been described as being used in a cooling circuit for cooling an automobile engine, the invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to applications such as cooling the battery of an electric vehicle (EV) or the fuel cell stack of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV).

[0050] <First Modification of the Valve Device 1> In the above-described embodiment, wall-shaped connecting ends 12c are provided at both the upper and lower ends of the valve disc 12, and an annular flange 12g is provided at the upper end of the outer wall of the outer tube 12b of the valve disc 12. However, this is not limited to this. The valve device of the first modification may also have an annular flange at the lower end of the outer wall of the outer tube 12b, with a clearance formed between the flange and the inner wall of the housing 11. In this modification, since the valve disc 12 rotates within the housing 11 around the shaft 13 as a rotation axis, it is assumed that the periphery of the flange at the lower end of the outer wall of the outer tube 12b and the inner wall of the housing 11 facing this periphery are concentric (not shown; Figure 1 does not show concentric circles). This prevents foreign matter from entering the gap formed between the bottom of the valve disc 12 and the housing 11. That is, in this modified example, it is possible to prevent the valve body 12 from failing to rotate due to foreign matter entering from the bottom side of the valve body 12 becoming caught.

[0051] <Second Modification of Valve Device 1> In addition, a valve device according to a second modification may have wall-shaped connecting ends 12c at both the upper and lower ends of the valve disc 12. The valve disc 12 may also have a first annular flange (corresponding to flange 12g) at the upper end of the outer wall of the outer tube 12b of the valve disc 12, and a second annular flange (the flange of the first modification described above) at the lower end of the outer wall of the outer tube 12b of the valve disc 12. That is, the valve disc 12 in this valve device includes a first flange for preventing foreign matter from entering from above and a second flange for preventing foreign matter from entering from below. This prevents foreign matter from entering gaps formed above and below the valve disc 12. That is, the second modification can prevent both rotation problems caused by foreign matter entering from the top of the valve disc 12 and rotation problems caused by foreign matter entering from the bottom of the valve disc 12.

[0052] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 valve device 11 housing 11a inlet 11b outlet 11c internal space 12 valve body 12a inner cylinder 12b outer cylinder 12c connection end 12d valve body internal space 12e valve hole 12g flange 12h periphery 13 shaft

Claims

a valve element housed in the internal space and rotating about a rotation axis to switch the communication state between the inlet and the outlet; a shaft located on the rotation axis; a seal member attached to the inlet or the outlet and in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve element; and a drive unit for rotating the valve element, wherein the valve element has an inner tube, an outer tube placed on the outer periphery of the inner tube, and a wall-like connecting end portion connecting the inner tube and the outer tube at one end side, the other end side, or both, in the direction of the rotation axis, wherein a valve body space is formed between the inner tube and the outer tube, and a valve hole is formed in the outer tube to allow communication between the valve body space and the inlet or the outlet, or both, and wherein the valve element has an annular flange at one end, the other end, or both ends, in the direction of the rotation axis, on the outer wall of the outer tube, which protrudes toward the inner wall of the housing.

2. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein a clearance is formed around the entire periphery between the periphery of the flange and the inner wall of the housing.

3. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein the periphery of the flange is in sliding contact with the inner wall of the housing.

4. The valve device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the peripheral surface shape of the flange portion is shaped to conform to the inner wall of the housing.

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