Fuel supply valve

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel supply valve that can operate smoothly, even in high-pressure environments, and improve durability, the fuel supply valve comprising: a holder having a supply port and a discharge port; a plunger movably installed inside the holder; a valve body that is installed inside the holder and moved by the plunger to connect the supply port to the discharge port or disconnect the supply port from the discharge port; and a spring that elastically supports the plunger so that the valve body disconnects the supply port from the discharge port. A bypass flow path connected to the supply port is formed inside the holder, and a pilot flow path connected to the discharge port is formed in the valve body.

Description

fuel supply valve

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel supply valve, and more particularly, to a fuel supply valve provided in a fuel cell system for a vehicle.

[0002] In general, a fuel cell is a type of power generation device that converts the chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction within a stack rather than converting it into heat through combustion.

[0003] A fuel cell system for a vehicle includes a stack that generates electric energy, a fuel supply device that supplies hydrogen as fuel to the stack, an air (oxygen) supply device that supplies air (oxygen) as an oxidizer necessary for electrochemical reaction to the stack, a heat / water management device that removes reaction heat from the stack to the system to control the operating temperature and performs a water management function, and a control device that controls the overall operation of the fuel cell system.

[0004] Among the above-described configurations, the fuel supply device includes a fuel tank in which fuel is filled, various valves for supplying and discharging fuel, and a regulator for controlling the pressure of the fuel supplied and discharged.

[0005] Meanwhile, valves installed in the fuel supply device include a supply valve that supplies fuel to the stack, a quantitative valve that controls the flow rate of fuel supplied to the stack, and a discharge valve that discharges fuel to the outside when the temperature of the fuel tank rises.

[0006] However, the conventional fuel supply valve had a problem of reduced operability and durability due to the pressure difference between the supply (high pressure) side connected to the fuel tank and the discharge (low pressure) side connected to the stack.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply valve that supplies fuel from a fuel tank to a stack, which can operate smoothly even in a high-pressure environment and has improved durability.

[0008] The present invention relates to a fuel supply valve including a valve operated by a solenoid, comprising: a holder having a supply port and a discharge port formed therein; a plunger movably installed inside the holder; a valve body installed inside the holder and moved by the plunger to connect or block the supply port and the discharge port; and a spring for elastically supporting the plunger so that the valve body blocks the connection between the supply port and the discharge port. At this time, a bypass path connected to the supply port is formed inside the holder, and a pilot path connected to the discharge port is formed in the valve body.

[0009] The present invention, configured as described above, enables the valve body to operate smoothly even in a high-pressure environment and improves durability by connecting the bypass path and the pilot path to each other at the initial stage of operation of the valve when the plunger is separated from the valve body, thereby eliminating the pressure difference between the supply port side and the discharge port side.

[0010] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel supply valve according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a fuel supply valve according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

[0013] Figures 4 to 6 are drawings illustrating the operation process of a fuel supply valve according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The above-described objects, features, and advantages will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the technical idea of ​​the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of known technologies related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

[0015] Although terms like "first" and "second" are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another, and unless otherwise specified, a "first" component may also be a "second" component.

[0016] Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, each element may be singular or plural.

[0017] Hereinafter, the phrase "any configuration is placed on the "upper (or lower)" part of a component or "upper (or lower)" part of a component may mean that any configuration is placed in contact with the upper surface (or lower surface) of the component, and that another configuration may be interposed between the component and any configuration placed on (or below) the component.

[0018] Additionally, when it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the components may be directly connected or connected to one another, but that other components may also be "interposed" between the components, or that each component may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" through another component.

[0019] As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" should not necessarily be construed to include all of the components or steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or steps may not be included, or that additional components or steps may be included.

[0020] Throughout the specification, when we refer to "A and / or B", this means A, B, or A and B, unless otherwise stated, and when we refer to "C to D", this means C or more and D or less, unless otherwise stated.

[0021] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a fuel supply valve according to one embodiment of the present invention is a valve that supplies fuel from a tank of a fuel cell vehicle to a stack, and is configured to include a valve (100) that controls the flow of fuel, and a solenoid (200) that operates the valve (100).

[0022] The valve (100) is composed of a holder (110, 120) in which a port (112, 122) for fuel inlet and outlet is formed, a plunger (130) and a valve body (140) movably installed inside the holder (110, 120), and a spring (150) that elastically supports the plunger (130).

[0023] In addition, the solenoid (200) is composed of a case (210), a coil assembly (220, 230) installed inside the case (210) and to which a holder (110, 120) is coupled, and a core (240) provided between the coil assembly (220, 230) and the holder (110, 120).

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the components (110 to 150) of the valve (100) are as follows.

[0025] The holder (110, 120) is composed of a hollow holder body (110) extending in one direction (up and down in the drawing) and a disc-shaped holder cap (120) coupled to the lower end of the holder body (110).

[0026] The holder body (110) has a pipe shape with a circular cross-section.

[0027] A fuel inlet supply port (112) is formed on the lower periphery of the holder body (110), and a narrow portion (114) is formed inside the lower portion to guide the movement of the valve body (140).

[0028] The narrow portion (114) protrudes radially inward from the holder body (110), and a guide hole (115) through which the valve body (140) passes is formed in the center thereof. The guide hole (115) is formed in a hexagon corresponding to the small diameter portion (144) of the valve body (140), which will be described later, so as to guide the movement of the valve body (140) and prevent the valve body (140) from rotating.

[0029] An operating space (116) is formed inside the holder body (110). In the operating space (116), a plunger (130), a valve body (140) moved by the plunger (130), and a spring (150) elastically supporting the plunger (130) are installed.

[0030] The holder cap (120) is a multi-stage disc shape that is coupled to the open bottom of the holder body (110). That is, the holder cap (120) is a multi-stage disc shape in which a valve seat (124) of relatively small diameter is formed on the upper part, and a discharge port (122) for discharging fuel is formed in the center thereof.

[0031] The valve seat (124) blocks the connection with the supply port (112) by closing the discharge port (122) when in contact with the valve body (140). At this time, the upper end of the discharge port (122) formed in the valve seat (124) is formed in a hopper shape so as to be in direct contact with the conical lower end of the valve body (140).

[0032] The plunger (130) is movably installed in the operating space (116) and rises or falls by the magnetic force generated from the solenoid (200) or the elastic force of the spring (150).

[0033] The plunger (130) has a circular cross-section shaft shape extending in one direction (up and down in the drawing), and a D-cut surface (132) is provided on one side thereof to form a bypass path (162).

[0034] It is preferable that the D-cut surface (132) extends to the top of the plunger (130) so as to eliminate the operating resistance of the plunger (130) due to the pressure of the fuel charged in the operating space (116).

[0035] A mounting groove (134) is formed at the bottom of the plunger (130), a large-diameter portion (142) of a valve body (140) is inserted into the mounting groove (134), and a stopper (136) is installed at the bottom opening of the mounting groove (134) to prevent the large-diameter portion (142) from coming off. At this time, an orifice (166) connecting a bypass passage (162) and a pilot passage (164) to be described later is formed at one side of the mounting groove (134).

[0036] Meanwhile, an auxiliary valve body (170) for opening and closing the pilot oil (164) is installed in the mounting groove (134). The auxiliary valve body (170) can maintain a seal when in contact with the valve seat (148) described later, and has a spherical shape so as to reliably open and close the pilot oil (164).

[0037] The valve body (140) is installed in the operating space (116) and moves by the plunger (130) to connect or block the supply port (112) and the discharge port (122). To this end, the valve body (140) is inserted into the mounting groove (134) so ​​as to be spaced apart from the plunger (130).

[0038] The valve body (140) is a multi-stage shaft shape composed of a large diameter portion (142) inserted into a mounting groove (134) and a small diameter portion (144) protruding outward from the mounting groove (134). At this time, the small diameter portion (144) is formed with a hexagonal cross-section corresponding to the guide hole (115) of the narrow portion (114), and each corner is formed to be rounded so as to be able to connect the supply port (112) formed at the lower portion of the narrow portion (114) and the bypass path (162) provided at the upper portion.

[0039] Meanwhile, an insertion groove (146) is formed at the top of the valve body (140), and a valve seat (148) that comes into contact with the auxiliary valve body (170) is installed in the insertion groove (146).

[0040] The spring (150) elastically supports the plunger (130) downward so that the valve body (140) blocks the connection between the supply port (112) and the discharge port (122).

[0041] Meanwhile, the bypass flow path (162) formed by the D-cut surface (132) of the plunger (130) is connected to the supply port (112) through the guide hole (115). In addition, a pilot flow path (164) connected to the discharge port (122) is formed inside the valve body (140). At this time, the bypass flow path (162) and the pilot flow path (164) are connected through the orifice (166) of the plunger (130), but are connected only when the plunger (130) is spaced from the valve body (140).

[0042] Referring again to Fig. 1, the components (210 to 240) of the solenoid (200) are as follows.

[0043] The case (210) has a cup shape with an open bottom and a closed top. A space is formed inside the case (210), and the above-described components (220 to 240) are installed in the space.

[0044] The coil assembly (220, 230) includes a hollow spool-shaped bobbin (220) and a coil (230) wound around the outer surface of the bobbin (220) to generate a magnetic field.

[0045] The bobbin (220) is made of synthetic resin so as to electrically insulate between the coil (230) and the core (240), and between the coil (230) and the plunger (130). The coil (230) is a conductor that generates a magnetic field around the bobbin (220) when power is applied, and is wound tightly and uniformly around the outer surface of the bobbin (220) to form a cylindrical shape.

[0046] When power is applied, a magnetic field generated from the coil (230) is induced by the core (240) to raise the plunger (130). At this time, the strength of the magnetic field is proportional to the strength of the current flowing along the coil (230) and the number of coils (230) wound around the bobbin (220).

[0047] Therefore, as a strong current is applied to the coil (230) or the number of coils (230) is increased, a strong magnetic field is generated, so the movement of the plunger (130) can be reliably controlled.

[0048] The core (240) is a fixed iron core that induces a magnetic field generated from the coil (230). The magnetic field induced by the core (240) generates an attractive force, and the attractive force causes the plunger (130) to rise.

[0049] Let us examine the operation process of the solenoid valve according to the present embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0050] Figure 4 illustrates a state in which power is not applied to the fuel supply valve.

[0051] When power is not applied to the fuel supply valve, the plunger (130) and the valve body (140) are lowered by the elastic force of the spring (150 in Fig. 1), thereby blocking the connection between the supply port (112) and the discharge port (122), and at the same time, the auxiliary valve body (170) comes into contact with the valve body (140) to close the pilot oil passage (164), thereby preventing the flow of fuel.

[0052] Figure 5 shows the initial state in which power is applied to the fuel supply valve, i.e., the initial operating state of the valve (100).

[0053] Initially, when power is applied to the fuel supply valve, the magnetic field induced by the core (240 in FIG. 1) raises the plunger (130) a certain distance (C in FIG. 3), but the valve body (140) does not rise due to the high pressure difference of the fuel flowing in through the supply port (112). At this time, the auxiliary valve body (170), which rises together with the plunger (130), is separated from the valve body (140) and opens the pilot passage (164), thereby causing the flow of fuel. That is, the fuel flowing in through the supply port (112) sequentially passes through the bypass passage (162), the orifice (166), and the pilot passage (164) and is discharged through the discharge port (122).

[0054] In this way, when the fuel supplied through the supply port (112) is discharged to the discharge port (122) through the bypass passage (162), orifice (166) and pilot passage (164), the pressure difference between the supply port (112) side and the discharge port (122) side is reduced and equilibrium is achieved, thereby reducing the operating resistance applied to the valve body (140).

[0055] Figure 6 shows a later state in which power is applied to the fuel supply valve.

[0056] After power is applied to the fuel supply valve, the magnetic field induced by the core (240 in FIG. 1) completely raises the plunger (130) and simultaneously raises the valve body (140) fixed to the plunger (130). At this time, the supply port (112) and the discharge port (122) are connected so that the fuel introduced through the supply port (112) is discharged through the discharge port (122).

[0057] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings exemplified above, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein, and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Furthermore, even if the operational effects according to the configuration of the present invention have not been explicitly described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the corresponding configuration should also be acknowledged.

Claims

1. A fuel supply valve including a valve operated by a solenoid, The above valve, A holder having a supply port and a discharge port formed therein; A plunger movably installed inside the holder; A valve body installed inside the holder and moved by the plunger to connect or block the supply port and the discharge port; and The valve body includes a spring that elastically supports the plunger to block the connection between the supply port and the discharge port, A bypass path connected to the supply port is formed inside the holder, and a pilot path connected to the discharge port is formed in the valve body. A fuel supply valve characterized in that the bypass path and the pilot path are connected to each other at the initial stage of operation of the valve when the plunger is separated from the valve body, thereby improving the operability of the valve body by eliminating the pressure difference between the supply port side and the discharge port side.

2. In claim 1, The plunger and the valve body are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the holder, and one end of the valve body is inserted so as to be spaced apart from the other end of the plunger. A fuel supply valve characterized in that an orifice connecting the bypass path and the pilot path is formed around the other end of the plunger.

3. In claim 2, A mounting groove is formed at the other end of the plunger into which one end of the valve body is inserted, A fuel supply valve characterized in that the above orifice is connected to the above mounting groove.

4. In claim 3, The valve body includes a large diameter portion inserted into the mounting groove and a small diameter portion protruding outside the mounting groove, A fuel supply valve characterized in that a stopper is installed in the opening of the above mounting groove to prevent the valve body from coming off.

5. In claim 4, A fuel supply valve characterized in that the above mounting groove is provided with a spherical auxiliary valve body that opens and closes the pilot euro.

6. In claim 5, A fuel supply valve characterized in that one end of the valve body is provided with a valve seat that comes into contact with the auxiliary valve body.

7. In claim 6, The above-mentioned large diameter portion is formed with a circular cross-section, and the above-mentioned small diameter portion is formed with a polygonal cross-section. A fuel supply valve characterized in that the holder has a polygonal narrow portion that comes into contact with the small diameter portion, and each corner of the small diameter portion is formed to be rounded so that the supply port and the bypass path are connected.

8. In any one of claims 1 to 7, The above holder is composed of a hollow holder body extending in one direction and a holder cap coupled to the lower end of the holder body. A fuel supply valve characterized in that the supply port is formed on one end of the holder body, and the discharge port is formed on the holder cap.

9. In claim 8, A fuel supply valve characterized in that a valve seat that comes into contact with the valve body is formed on the holder cap.

10. In any one of claims 1 to 7, A fuel supply valve characterized in that the plunger includes a D-cut surface so that the bypass path is formed between the plunger and the holder.

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