Valve for a coolant system

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve (2) for a coolant system, comprising a first valve plane (4) and a second valve plane (6), a housing (8) which has at least one first housing opening (40, 42, 44, 46, 48) associated with the first valve plane (4) and has at least one second housing opening (60, 62) associated with the second valve plane (6), a first valve body (5) which is associated with the first valve plane (4) and has at least one first valve body recess (50, 52, 54) associated only with the first valve plane (4), and a second valve body (7) which is associated with the second valve plane (6) and has at least one second valve body recess (70) associated only with the second valve plane (6), wherein the valve is designed in such a way that, in an operating mode of the valve, and by means of one of the first valve body recesses of the first valve body (5) and one of the second valve body recesses of the second valve body (7), a flow-conducting connection is permitted between a first housing opening of the first valve plane and a second housing opening of the second valve plane.

Description

[0001] Valve for a coolant system

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a valve of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

[0004] Such valves for coolant systems are already known in the art in numerous embodiments. The known valves comprise a first valve plane and a second valve plane arranged parallel to the first valve plane, a housing with at least one first housing opening assigned solely to the first valve plane and at least one second housing opening assigned solely to the second valve plane, each for flow-conducting connection with a flow channel of the coolant system for a fluid, and a first valve body assigned to the first valve plane with at least one first valve body recess assigned solely to the first valve plane and a second valve body assigned to the second valve plane with at least one second valve body recess assigned solely to the second valve plane.wherein the two valve bodies are arranged together in the housing and are rotatable about a common axis of rotation by means of one of the valve body recesses for the flow-conducting connection of at least two of the housing openings, and wherein a seal is arranged between the housing and the two valve bodies for sealing the valve.

[0005] This is where the present invention comes in.

[0006] The present invention is based on the objective of improving a valve for a coolant system.

[0007] This problem is solved by a valve for a coolant system with the features of claim 1, characterized in that the valve is designed such that, in one operating mode of the valve, a flow-conducting connection is enabled between one of the at least one first housing opening of the first valve body and one of the at least one second housing opening of the second valve body by means of one of the at least one first valve body recesses of the first valve body and one of the at least one second valve body recesses of the second valve body. The dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0008] A significant advantage of the valve according to the invention for a coolant system lies particularly in its improved design. Due to the valve's inventive design, it is possible to control multiple flow channels of a fluid system, for example, with multiple fluid circuits, in a structurally and circuit-wise simple manner. The invention thus makes it possible to design a valve for a coolant system, with simultaneously reduced design, manufacturing, and circuit-related effort, suitable for a multitude of combinations of flow channels that can be connected and separated in a flow-conducting manner for a multitude of fluid systems. Accordingly, the assembly effort, costs, and required installation space are significantly reduced.

[0009] In principle, the valve for a coolant system can be freely selected within wide suitable limits with regard to type, function, material, dimensions and arrangement.

[0010] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that the valve has a coupling device for torque-transmitting coupling of the first and second valve bodies, preferably that the coupling device is designed such that the aforementioned first valve body recess of the first valve body and the aforementioned second valve body recess of the second valve body are flow-conductingly connected to each other by means of a flow channel formed in the coupling device. In this way, it is possible to rotate both valve bodies together about the axis of rotation.Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that the aforementioned flow-conducting connection is made possible in a particularly simple manner in terms of design, manufacturing and flow engineering by means of one of the at least one first valve body recess of the first valve body and one of the at least one second valve body recess of the second valve body between one of the at least one first housing opening of the first valve plane and one of the at least one second housing opening of the second valve plane by means of one of the at least one first housing opening of the first valve plane and one of the at least one second housing opening of the second valve plane.

[0011] An advantageous further development of the aforementioned embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that the valve is designed such that each of the at least one flow-conducting connection that can be produced by means of the second valve body can be realized by means of the flow channel of the coupling device. This further simplifies the design and manufacturing technology of the valve according to the invention.

[0012] An advantageous embodiment of one of the latter two embodiments of the valve according to the invention provides that the valve has a sealing device for sealing the coupling device with the flow channel, preferably that the sealing device is arranged on the coupling device and / or is designed as an integral part of the coupling device. In this way, it is ensured that the fluid flowing through the flow channel does not escape from the coupling device in an undesired manner.

[0013] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the valve according to any one of claims 2 to 4 provides that the coupling device is designed such that it allows both valve bodies to be adjusted together by means of a valve shaft by rotating the shaft about the axis of rotation, preferably that the coupling device allows either the joint adjustment of both valve bodies or independent adjustment of at least one of the two valve bodies. This further simplifies the design of the valve according to the invention and additionally reduces the effort required to manufacture it.The preferred embodiment of this further development has the advantage that, depending on the desired operating mode, it is possible to adjust both valve bodies together or to adjust at least one of the two valve bodies independently by means of the valve shaft.

[0014] An advantageous embodiment of the valve according to any one of claims 2 to 5 provides that the coupling device comprises a first coupling element associated with the first valve body and a second coupling element associated with the second valve body. Preferably, the two coupling elements are designed as mutually corresponding and torque-transmitting interlocking pipe stubs, and / or the two coupling elements are each formed on the associated valve body. In this way, the coupling device is separable, i.e., divisible into its first and second coupling elements. For example, the two coupling elements can be manufactured with their respective associated valve bodies. The preferred embodiment of this development provides, on the one hand, a particularly advantageous design of the two coupling elements for practical application.On the other hand, the design and manufacture of the valve according to the invention are further simplified by means of the shaping of the two coupling elements on the respective associated valve body.

[0015] A further advantageous embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that a first sealing element of the seal is assigned to the first valve plane and a second sealing element of the seal to the second valve plane, preferably that the first and / or the second sealing element is designed as a circular arc-shaped sealing element, wherein the arc length of the respective circular arc-shaped sealing element is less than or equal to 360°. This makes it particularly easy to adapt the seal for sealing the valve according to the invention, with its two separate sealing elements, to the requirements of the first and second valve planes. The preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that, for example, the assembly of a seal designed as a separate seal is significantly simplified.An advantageous embodiment of the aforementioned embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that the arc length of at least one of the two sealing elements is less than 360°, wherein the valve is designed such that a housing opening is arranged in a gap separating the two ends of the arc of this sealing element, preferably that the valve has a positioning aid for correctly aligning this sealing element with the aforementioned housing opening, and particularly preferably that this positioning aid is designed as an inwardly projecting projection of the housing arranged at the aforementioned housing opening. In this way, the gap separating the two ends of the arc of the sealing element can be arranged particularly well. The preferred embodiment of this embodiment also offers advantages in terms of handling during the assembly of this sealing element.The particularly preferred embodiment of this further development specifies a particularly suitable design for the positioning aid, since, for example, a corresponding shaping of the housing can be used for this purpose. The shaping can, for example, be designed as two projections arranged laterally to the corresponding housing opening or as a projection framing this housing opening.

[0016] Another advantageous embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that the first valve body has a plurality of first valve body recesses, each of which allows a flow path separate from the other first valve body recesses, preferably that the first valve body has exactly three first valve body recesses. This significantly increases the flexibility of the switching options of the valve according to the invention by means of the first valve body with very little design and manufacturing effort. The preferred embodiment of this further development combines high flexibility in the switching options by means of the first valve body with moderate design and manufacturing effort.Furthermore, a further advantageous embodiment of the valve according to the invention provides that the second valve body has exactly one second valve body recess, wherein the second valve body recess is bounded by at least one valve body wall of the second valve body, preferably that the second valve body recess is bounded by exactly three valve body walls of the second valve body. In this way, the design of the second valve body is greatly simplified and the manufacturing effort is significantly reduced. The preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that—despite the fact that there is only one second valve body recess—a relatively high degree of flexibility in the switching options of the valve according to the invention can be achieved by means of the three valve body walls.

[0017] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the attached, roughly schematic drawing. This drawing shows:

[0018] Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the valve according to the invention in a cutaway front view,

[0019] Fig. 2 shows the embodiment in a perspective exploded view,

[0020] Fig. 3 shows the embodiment in a cross-section through the first valve plane,

[0021] Fig. 4 shows the embodiment in a cross-section through the coupling device and

[0022] Fig. 5 shows the embodiment in a cross-section through the second valve plane.

[0023] Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the valve according to the invention for a coolant system by way of purely exemplary illustration.

[0024] The coolant system, which is not described in detail here, serves for the efficient thermal management of an electric or hybrid vehicle, specifically for the demand-based temperature control of the vehicle's powertrain (i.e., the electric motor including power electronics), the vehicle's drive battery, and the vehicle's interior. For this purpose, such a vehicle typically has, among other things, the following coolant circuits: a powertrain circuit, a radiator circuit, a battery circuit, and a chiller circuit. While the radiator circuit serves to transfer heat between the coolant system and the vehicle's surroundings, the chiller circuit is used to transfer heat to the vehicle's refrigerant system, thus enabling the cooling of the fluid flowing in the coolant system, i.e., the coolant, regardless of the ambient temperature.

[0025] The valve 2 for a coolant system comprises a first valve plane 4 and a second valve plane 6 arranged parallel to the first valve plane 4, a housing 8 with at least one first housing opening 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 associated solely with the first valve plane 4 and with at least one second housing opening 60, 62 associated solely with the second valve plane 6, each for flow-conducting connection with a flow channel of the coolant system for a fluid, namely a coolant, and a first valve body 5 associated with the first valve plane 4 with at least one first valve body recess 50, 52, 54 associated solely with the first valve plane 4 and a second valve body 7 associated with the second valve plane 6 with at least one second valve body recess 70 associated solely with the second valve plane 6, wherein the two valve bodies 5,7 are jointly arranged in the housing 8 and are rotatable about a common axis of rotation 10 for the flow-conducting connection of at least two of the housing openings 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 60, 62 by means of one of the valve body recesses 50, 52, 54, 70, and wherein a seal 9 is arranged between the housing 8 and the two valve bodies 5, 7 for sealing the valve 2. The first valve body 5 thus has a plurality of first valve body recesses, namely exactly three valve body recesses 50, 52, 54, wherein each of the first valve body recesses 50, 52, 54 enables a flow path separate from the other first valve body recesses 50, 52, 54. In contrast, the second valve body 7 has only exactly one second valve body recess 70, wherein the second valve body recess 70 is formed by at least one valve body wall of the second valve body 7, namely by exactly three valve body walls 72, 74, 76 of the second valve body 7.is limited.

[0026] According to the invention, the valve 2 is designed such that in an operating mode of the valve 2, a flow-conducting connection is enabled between one of the first housing openings 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 of the first valve body 4 and one of the second housing openings 60, 62 of the second valve body 6 by means of the first valve body recess 54 of the first valve body 5 and the second valve body recess 70 of the second valve body 7.

[0027] The valve 2 has a coupling device 12 for torque-transmitting coupling of the first and second valve bodies 5, 7, wherein the coupling device 12 is designed such that the aforementioned first valve body recess 54 of the first valve body 5 and the aforementioned second valve body recess 70 of the second valve body 7 are flow-conductingly connected to each other by means of a flow channel 14 formed in the coupling device 12. Furthermore, the valve 2 is designed such that each of the at least one flow-conducting connection that can be established by means of the second valve body 7 can be realized by means of the flow channel 14 of the coupling device 12. The valve 2 has a separate sealing device 16 for sealing the coupling device 12 with the flow channel 14.Alternatively, embodiments of the invention are also conceivable in which the sealing device is arranged on the coupling device and / or is designed as an integral part of the coupling device. The same applies to the at least one seal 9 for sealing the valve 2. As an alternative to the present embodiment, this could, in other embodiments of the invention, be designed as an integral part of the housing and / or of the first and second valve bodies.

[0028] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the coupling device 12 is designed such that it enables both valve bodies 5, 7 to be adjusted together by a shaft 18 of the valve 2 by rotating the shaft 18 about the axis of rotation 10. Alternatively, embodiments of the invention are also conceivable in which the coupling device optionally enables the adjustment of both valve bodies together or the independent adjustment of at least one of the two valve bodies.

[0029] The coupling device 12 here has a first coupling element 56 assigned to the first valve body 5 and a second coupling element 78 assigned to the second valve body 7, wherein the two coupling elements 56, 78 are designed as mutually corresponding and torque-transmitting interlocking pipe stubs, and wherein the two coupling elements 56, 78 are each formed on the assigned valve body 5, 7.

[0030] The first valve level 4 is assigned a first sealing element 90 of the seal 9, and the second valve level 6 is assigned a second sealing element 92 of the seal 9, wherein the first and the second sealing elements 90, 92 are each designed as arc-shaped sealing elements, such that the arc length of the respective arc-shaped sealing element 90, 92 is less than 360°. For example, the arc length of the sealing element 90 is less than 360°, wherein the valve 2 is designed such that one of the first housing openings, namely the housing opening 48, is arranged in a gap separating the two ends of this sealing element 90.Furthermore, the valve 2 has a positioning aid for the correct positioning of this sealing element 90 relative to the aforementioned housing opening 48, wherein this positioning aid is designed as an inwardly projecting projection 80 of the housing 8 arranged at the aforementioned housing opening 48. As already explained in the introductory description, this projection 80 can, for example, be designed as two projections flanking this housing opening laterally or as a projection framing this housing opening.

[0031] The present embodiment of the valve according to the invention thus enables the flow-conducting connection of a plurality of flow channels of the coolant system connected to the housing openings 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 60, 62 of the valve 2, so that - depending on the operating mode, i.e. switching state of the valve 2 - at least a subset of the above-mentioned partial circuits can be advantageously combined.

[0032] Due to the inventive design of the valve according to the present embodiment, namely valve 2, it is possible to control a plurality of flow channels of a fluid system with, for example, a plurality of fluid circuits in a structurally and circuit-wise simple manner. The valve according to the present embodiment, namely valve 2, is suitable for a multitude of combinations of flow channels that can be connected and separated in a flow-conducting manner for a multitude of fluid systems, whereby the design, manufacturing, and circuit-related effort is reduced. Accordingly, the assembly effort and costs, as well as the installation space required, are significantly reduced.

[0033] The invention is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the valve according to the invention can be advantageously used for a multitude of applications in the field of automotive engineering and outside of automotive engineering.

[0034] In particular, the invention is not limited to the design, manufacturing, and circuitry details of the present embodiment. See, for example, the relevant explanations in the introductory section of the description and the alternative or optional embodiments mentioned in the section corresponding to the specific embodiment. List of reference numerals

[0035] 2 valve

[0036] 4 First valve level

[0037] 5 First valve body

[0038] 6 Second valve level

[0039] 7 Second valve body

[0040] 8 cases

[0041] 9 Seal

[0042] 10 Rotation axis

[0043] 12 Coupling device

[0044] 14 Flow channel

[0045] 16 Sealing device

[0046] 18 wave

[0047] 40 First case opening

[0048] 42 First case opening

[0049] 44 First case opening

[0050] 46 First case opening

[0051] 48 First case opening

[0052] 50 First valve body recess

[0053] 52 First valve body recess

[0054] 54 First valve body recess

[0055] 56 First coupling element

[0056] 60 Second case opening

[0057] 62 Second case opening

[0058] 70 Second valve body recess

[0059] 72 Valve body wall

[0060] 74 Valve body wall

[0061] 76 Valve body wall

[0062] 78 Second coupling element

[0063] 80 lead

[0064] 90 First sealing element

[0065] 92 Second sealing element

Claims

Patent claims 1. Valve (2) for a coolant system, comprising a first valve plane (4) and a second valve plane (6) arranged parallel to the first valve plane (4), a housing (8) with at least one first housing opening (40, 42, 44, 46, 48) associated solely with the first valve plane (4) and with at least one second housing opening (60, 62) associated solely with the second valve plane (6), each for flow-conducting connection with a flow channel of the coolant system for a fluid, and a first valve body (5) associated with the first valve plane (4) with at least one first valve body recess (50, 52, 54) associated solely with the first valve plane (4) and a second valve body (7) associated with the second valve plane (6) with at least one second valve body recess (70) associated solely with the second valve plane (6), wherein the two valve bodies (5,7) are jointly arranged in the housing (8) and are rotatable about a common axis of rotation (10) for the flow-conducting connection of at least two of the housing openings (40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 60, 62) by means of one of the valve body recesses (50, 52, 54, 70), and wherein a seal (9) for sealing the valve (2) is arranged between the housing (8) and the two valve bodies (5, 7), characterized in that the valve (2) is designed such that in an operating mode of the valve (2) by means of one of the at least one first valve body recess (54) of the first valve body (5) and one of the at least one second valve body recess (70) of the second valve body (7) between one of the at least one first housing opening (40, 42, 44, 46, 48) of the first valve plane (4) and one of the at least one second housing opening, (60, 62) the second valve level (6) allows a flow-conducting connection.

2. Valve (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (2) has a coupling device (12) for the purpose of torque-transmitting coupling of the first and the second valve body (5, 7), preferably that the coupling device (12) is designed such that the aforementioned first valve body recess (54) of the first valve body (5) and the aforementioned second valve body recess (70) of the second valve body (7) are flow-conductingly connected to each other by means of a flow channel (14) formed in the coupling device (12).

3. Valve (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the valve (2) is designed such that each of the at least one flow-conducting connection that can be produced by means of the second valve body (7) can be realized by means of the flow channel (14) of the coupling device (12).

4. Valve (2) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the valve (2) has a sealing device (16) for sealing the coupling device (12) with the flow channel (14), preferably that the sealing device is arranged on the coupling device and / or is designed as an integral part of the coupling device.

5. Valve (2) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the coupling device (12) is designed such that the coupling device (12) allows for a common adjustment of both valve bodies (5, 7) by means of a shaft (18) of the valve (2) by means of a rotation of the shaft (18) about the axis of rotation (10), preferably that the coupling device optionally enables the joint adjustment of the two valve bodies or an independent adjustment of at least one of the two valve bodies.

6. Valve (2) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the coupling device (12) has a first coupling element (56) associated with the first valve body (5) and a second coupling element (78) associated with the second valve body (7), preferably that the two coupling elements (56, 78) are designed as mutually corresponding and torque-transmitting interlocking pipe stubs, and / or that the two coupling elements (56, 78) are each formed on the associated valve body (5, 7).

7. Valve (2) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a first sealing element (90) of the seal (9) is assigned to the first valve plane (4) and a second sealing element (92) of the seal (9) is assigned to the second valve plane (6), preferably that the first and / or the second sealing element (90, 92) are designed as a circular arc sealing element, wherein a circular arc length of the respective circular arc sealing element (90, 92) is less than or equal to 360°.

8. Valve (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the arc length of at least one of the two sealing elements (90) is less than 360°, wherein the valve (2) is designed such that a housing opening (48) is arranged in a gap separating the two arc ends of this sealing element (90), preferably that the valve (2) has a positioning aid for the correct positioning of this sealing element (90) relative to the aforementioned housing opening (48), preferably that this positioning aid is designed as a projection (80) of the housing (8) arranged at the aforementioned housing opening (48) and projecting inwards.

9. Valve (2) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the first valve body (5) has a plurality of first valve body recesses (50, 52, 54), wherein each of the first valve body recesses (50, 52, 54) enables a flow path separate from the other first valve body recesses (50, 52, 54), preferably that the first valve body (5) has exactly three first valve body recesses (50, 52, 54).

10. Valve (2) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the second valve body (7) has exactly one second valve body recess (70), wherein the second valve body recess (70) is bounded by at least one valve body wall (72, 74, 76) of the second valve body (7), preferably that the second valve body recess (70) is bounded by exactly three valve body walls (72, 74, 76) of the second valve body (7).

Images