Stator unit and motor-operated valve

Abstract

A stator unit (100) comprises: a stator body (10) having an engaged part (11) on a side surface; and an attachment part (50) that has an engaging part (51), which extends along a central axis Y of the stator body (10) and elastically deforms, and that is attached to the stator body (10) by engagement of the engaging part (51) with the engaged part (11). The engaging part (51) and the engaged part (11) have a snap-fit structure that restricts the positions of the stator body (10) and the attachment part (50) relative to each other in the central axis Y direction. The attachment part (50) has, at a portion different from the engaging part (51), a restriction part (54) for restricting rotation around the central axis Y relative to the stator body (10).

Description

Stator Unit and Motor-operated Valve

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a stator unit and a motor-operated valve.

[0002] There is known a motor-operated valve having a structure in which a stator body and a valve body are fixed to each other via a mounting plate (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-166341

[0004] Incidentally, a snap-fit structure is known as a method for joining elastic members. The snap-fit structure is, for example, a structure in which a hook provided on a mounting plate is fitted into a claw portion provided on a mating member while being elastically deformed. When a stator body and a valve body are assembled by a snap-fit structure, there is a problem that the fixing strength is high in the central axial direction (mounting direction) of the stator body, but the fixing strength is low in the rotational direction around the central axis.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a stator unit and a motor-operated valve with high fixing strength.

[0006] A stator unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a stator body having an engaged portion on a side surface thereof; and a mounting portion that extends along a central axis of the stator body, has an elastically deformable engaging portion, and is assembled to the stator body by engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion, wherein the engaging portion and the engaged portion form a snap-fit structure that regulates mutual positions of the stator body and the mounting portion in the central axial direction, and the mounting portion has, at a portion different from the engaging portion, a restricting portion that restricts rotation of the stator body around the central axis.

[0007] An electric valve according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a stator body having a first engaged portion on its side surface; a body block having a valve chamber and a second engaged portion; and a mounting portion having a first engaged portion that extends along the central axis of the stator body and is elastically deformable, and a second engaged portion that engages with the second engaged portion of the body block, and is assembled to the stator body by the engagement of the first engaged portion and the first engaged portion, and is assembled to the body block by the engagement of the second engaged portion and the second engaged portion, wherein the first engaged portion and the first engaged portion have a snap-fit ​​structure that restricts the relative positions of the stator body and the mounting portion in the direction of the central axis, and the mounting portion has a restricting portion at a different location from the first engaged portion that restricts rotation of the stator body around the central axis.

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a stator unit and an electric valve with high fixing strength.

[0009] This is a perspective view of an electric valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a cross-sectional view of an electric valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, before the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a bottom view of a stator unit according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, before the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, before the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of a stator unit according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion is assembled to the stator body. This is a perspective view of the stator body according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from the bottom. This is a partial cutaway view of an electric valve according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity, configurations having the same reference numerals as those already described will be omitted from the description. Furthermore, the dimensions of the components shown in these drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of the components for the sake of clarity. In the following description of the embodiments, the upward, downward, left, right, forward, and backward directions refer to directions within Figures 1 to 11, represented by U, D, L, R, F, and B respectively. This does not mean that the technical scope of this disclosure will be narrowed.

[0011] <Electric Valve> Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electric valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electric valve 1 comprises a stator body 10, a valve body 60 (hereinafter also referred to as a body block), and a mounting portion 50.

[0012] The stator body 10 is a cylindrical member and has a first engaged portion 11 that protrudes radially outward from its outer surface. The valve body 60 has a second engaged portion 61 that is groove-shaped and recessed radially inward from its outer surface. The mounting portion 50 is, for example, a metal member and has a base portion 53, a first engaged portion 51, and a second engaged portion 52. The first engaged portion 51 and the second engaged portion 52 are each cantilevered and provided on the outside of the base portion 53.

[0013] The first engaging portion 51 and the first engaged portion 11 are a snap-fit ​​structure that restricts the relative positions of the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 in the direction of the central axis Y. The first engaged portion 11 has a slope in which its radial thickness gradually increases upward. The first engaging portion 51 has an elastic force that causes it to elastically deform radially outward. When the mounting portion 50 is assembled to the stator body 10 in the direction of the central axis Y, the first engaging portion 51 elastically deforms radially outward along the slope of the first engaged portion 11. Subsequently, when the tip of the first engaging portion 51 is positioned above the first engaged portion 11, the elastic deformation of the first engaging portion 51 returns to its original state, and the tip of the first engaging portion 51 comes into contact with the upper surface of the first engaged portion 11 and the outer surface of the stator body 10. As a result, the first engaging portion 51 engages with the first engaged portion 11. The second engaging portion 52 is screwed to the second engaged portion 61, for example, by a screw B.

[0014] In this manner, the stator body 10 and the valve body 60 are fixed to each other via the mounting portion 50. Hereafter, the configuration in which the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are assembled in a snap-fit ​​structure consisting of a first engaging portion 51 and a first engaged portion 11 will be referred to as the stator unit 100.

[0015] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electric valve 1 according to the present disclosure. Figure 2 shows the valve body 22 in the closed state.

[0016] The stator body 10 is equipped with a cylindrical resin molded cover 24, and inside the resin molded cover 24 are a motor 12, a valve shaft 15, a support member 16, a rotor support part 17, a planetary gear mechanism 18, a power supply terminal 19, a screw drive member 20, and a can 23.

[0017] The motor 12 is, for example, a stepping motor and has a stator 13 and a rotor 14. The stator 13 has a plurality of coils. The rotor 14 is rotatably arranged inside the stator 13. The valve stem 15 is connected to the rotor 14 and is located inside the rotor 14. The support member 16 supports the upper end of the valve stem 15. By supplying a drive current from a control board (not shown) to the stator 13 via a power supply terminal 19, the rotor 14 is controlled to rotate around the central axis Y. The rotational force of the rotor 14 is transmitted to the planetary gear mechanism 18 via the rotor support part 17. The rotor 14, valve stem 15, support member 16, rotor support part 17, and planetary gear mechanism 18 are arranged inside the can 23.

[0018] The planetary gear mechanism 18 is a reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation of the rotor 14 and transmits rotational force to the screw drive member 20 located below the planetary gear mechanism 18. The planetary gear mechanism 18 is composed of, for example, a fixed ring gear, a sun gear, multiple planetary gears, a carrier, an output gear, an output shaft, etc. In this embodiment, the sun gear is integrally provided on the rotor support portion 17.

[0019] The screw drive member 20 is driven linearly in the direction of the central axis Y by the transmission mechanism 21, using the rotational force transmitted from the planetary gear mechanism 18 as its power source. A valve body 22 is connected to the lower end of the screw drive member 20. The linear driving force of the screw drive member 20 is transmitted to the valve body 22 via a ball joint 31 and a spring receiving member 32.

[0020] The valve body 60 includes a valve chamber 62, an inlet passage 63 for introducing fluid into the valve chamber 62, and an outlet passage 64 for releasing fluid. A valve seat 65 is formed at the upper end of the opening of the inlet passage 63 to the valve chamber 62. The valve body 60 is connected to the can 23 by a connecting member 30.

[0021] The valve body 22 is driven in the direction of the central axis Y, and opens and closes the outlet passage 64 by seating on or separating from the valve seat 65. Therefore, when the valve body 22 is in the open state, the fluid flowing in from the inlet passage 63 flows out to the outlet passage 64 via the valve chamber 62, and when the valve body 22 is in the closed state, it does not flow out to the outlet passage 64. A compression coil spring 33 is provided below the spring receiving member 32, and by applying the biasing force of the compression coil spring 33 to the valve body 22 via the spring receiving member 32, the valve can be reliably opened during the opening operation.

[0022] <Stator Unit According to the First Embodiment> Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stator unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, before the mounting portion 50 is assembled to the stator body 10. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the stator unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion 50 has been assembled to the stator body 10. Figure 5 is a bottom view of the stator unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion 50 has been assembled to the stator body 10.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the base 53 of the mounting portion 50 is ring-shaped. The resin molded cover 24 of the stator body 10 has a circular bottom surface 24A. The outer diameter of the base 53 and the diameter of the bottom surface 24A are approximately the same. When the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are assembled, the upper surface 53A of the base 53 and the bottom surface 24A of the resin molded cover 24 come into contact, as shown in Figure 4.

[0024] A first engaging portion 51 and a second engaging portion 52 are provided on the outer circumference of the base portion 53 in a cantilevered manner. The first engaging portion 51 is a U-shaped plate-like member extending in the direction of the central axis Y and has elastic force in the radial direction. Furthermore, a notch portion 51A is provided on the outer side of the first engaging portion 51 on the outer circumference of the base portion 53, which constitutes part of the cantilevered beam of the first engaging portion 51. By providing the notch portion 51A in this way, the elastic force of the first engaging portion 51 in the radial direction is increased. The second engaging portion 52 is a plate-like member extending in the direction opposite to the first engaging portion 51 and in the direction of the central axis Y, and as shown in Figure 1, it has a fixing hole H for fixing to the second engaged portion 61 of the valve body 60 with a screw B.

[0025] Furthermore, the base portion 53 is provided with a restricting portion 54 in a location different from the first engaging portion 51. Specifically, as shown in the lower part of Figure 3, the restricting portion 54 is provided on the inner circumference of the base portion 53. Since the first engaging portion 51 is provided on the outer circumference of the base portion 53, any part of the inner circumference of the base portion 53 corresponds to the "location different from the first engaging portion 51". The restricting portion 54 is, for example, a convex shape that protrudes radially inward.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, a ring-shaped projection 25 is provided on the inside of the bottom surface 24A of the resin molded cover 24 of the stator body 10, projecting downwards. The inner diameter of the base 53 and the outer diameter of the projection 25 are approximately the same, and when the stator body 10 and the mounting part 50 are assembled, the inner circumferential surface of the base 53 fits onto the outer circumferential surface of the projection 25, as shown in Figure 5. In addition, the projection 25 of the resin molded cover 24 is provided with a concave restricted portion 26A that is recessed in a direction intersecting the central axis Y. When the stator body 10 and the mounting part 50 are assembled, the restricting portion 54 engages with the restricted portion 26A. As a result, the stator body 10 and the mounting part 50 are fixed to each other in the rotational direction around the central axis Y.

[0027] In this way, by providing the restricting portion 54 in the mounting portion 50 at a location different from the first engaging portion 51, the fixing strength of the stator unit 100 in the rotational direction around the central axis Y can be improved.

[0028] As shown in the lower part of Figure 3, the restricting portion 54 may be provided in the stress concentration region A of the mounting portion 50 when the first engaging portion 51 undergoes elastic deformation. The stress concentration region A is the area indicated by the dashed line and is the radially inward region of the notch portion 51A in the base portion 53. By providing the restricting portion 54 in the stress concentration region A of the mounting portion 50, the stress applied to the stress concentration region A can be dispersed, thereby preventing the elastic deformation of the first engaging portion 51 from becoming large and causing plastic deformation.

[0029] The restricting portion 54 may be provided at a position radially opposite to the notch portion 51A. By providing the restricting portion 54 at a position radially opposite to the notch portion 51A, the rigidity of the notch portion 51A is increased, the elastic deformation of the first engaging portion 51 is increased, and twisting and plastic deformation of the area around the notch portion 51A can be suppressed.

[0030] <Stator Unit According to the Second Embodiment> Figure 6 is a perspective view of the stator unit 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, before the mounting portion 50 is assembled to the stator body 10. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the stator unit 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, after the mounting portion 50 has been assembled to the stator body 10.

[0031] As shown in the lower part of Figure 6, a cylindrical portion 55 extending in the direction of the central axis Y is provided on the radially inward side of the base portion 53. By providing the cylindrical portion 55 on the radially inward side, the rigidity of the notch portion 51A is increased, the elastic deformation of the first engagement portion 51 is increased, and twisting and plastic deformation of the notch portion 51A can be suppressed.

[0032] Furthermore, the base portion 53 is provided with a restricting portion 54' in a location different from the first engaging portion 51. Specifically, the restricting portion 54' is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 55. The restricting portion 54' is, for example, a convex shape that protrudes radially inward. Note that the restricting portion 54' may be positioned radially opposite to the first engaging portion 51, as shown in the lower part of Figure 6.

[0033] As shown in the upper part of Figure 6, a ring-shaped projection 25 is provided on the bottom side of the resin molded cover 24 of the stator body 10, projecting downwards. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 55 and the outer diameter of the projection 25 are approximately the same, and when the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are assembled, the outer side surface of the projection 25 fits into the inner side surface of the cylindrical portion 55, as shown in Figure 7. As shown in the upper part of Figure 6, the projection 25 of the resin molded cover 24 is provided with a restricted portion 26A', which is a groove shape recessed in a direction intersecting the central axis. When the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are assembled, the restricted portion 54' engages with the restricted portion 26A'. As a result, the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are fixed to each other with respect to the rotational direction around the central axis Y.

[0034] In this way, by providing the restricting portion 54' in a location different from the first engaging portion 51, the fixing strength of the stator unit 200 in the rotational direction around the central axis Y can be improved.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in the lower part of Figure 6, notches 55A extending in the direction of the central axis Y may be provided at both ends of the restricting portion 54' of the protruding portion 25. This increases the radial elastic force of the restricting portion 54', and further improves the fixing strength of the stator unit 200 against rotation around the central axis Y.

[0036] <Stator Unit According to the Third Embodiment> Figure 8 is a perspective view of the stator unit 300 according to the third embodiment of this disclosure, before the mounting portion 50 is assembled to the stator body 10. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the stator unit 300 according to the third embodiment of this disclosure, after the mounting portion 50 has been assembled to the stator body 10. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the stator body 10 according to the third embodiment of this disclosure, viewed from the bottom.

[0037] As shown in Figure 8, the base portion 53 is provided with a restricting portion 54'' in a location different from the first engaging portion 51. Specifically, the restricting portion 54'' is provided on the upper surface 53A of the base portion 53. The restricting portion 54'' is a convex shape that protrudes in the direction of the central axis Y, and is an elastic member having elastic force in the direction of the central axis Y, formed, for example, by cutting and bending the upper surface 53A of the base portion 53.

[0038] As shown in Figure 10, the bottom surface 24A of the resin molded cover 24 is provided with a restricted portion 26A'' which is recessed in the direction of the central axis Y. When the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are assembled, a part of the restricted portion 54'' is fitted into the restricted portion 26A'' in the direction of the central axis Y. As a result, the stator body 10 and the mounting portion 50 are fixed to each other in the rotational direction around the central axis Y.

[0039] In this way, by providing the restricting portion 54'' at a location different from the first engaging portion 51, the fixing strength of the stator unit 100 in the rotational direction around the central axis Y can be improved.

[0040] <Electric Valve According to the Fourth Embodiment> Figure 11 is a partially cutaway view of the electric valve 1' according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11 shows a partially cutaway view of the inside of the stator body 10 of the electric valve 1'. The electric valve 1' according to the fourth embodiment is an electric valve assembled using any of the stator units 100, 200, and 300 according to the first to third embodiments described above.

[0041] As shown in Figure 11, the stator body 10 has an internal path P formed by the inner surface 28 of the resin molded cover 24 along the central axis Y direction and the connecting member 30. A sealing member 29 is arranged inside the internal path P to seal the internal path P. The sealing member 29 has, for example, a ring shape with the central axis Y direction as its central axis, and prevents fluid flowing in from the inlet passage 63 (see Figure 2) from entering the motor 12 (see Figure 2). Here, the area in contact between the internal path P and the sealing member 29 is defined as the contact area C. The position of the contact area C in the direction of the central axis Y is defined as H1.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 11, a downwardly projecting ring-shaped protrusion 25 is provided on the bottom surface side of the resin mold cover 24 of the stator main body 10. The protrusion 25 includes a regulated portion 26A (see Fig. 5) which is a concave shape recessed in a direction intersecting the central axis described in the first embodiment, a regulated portion 26A' (see Fig. 6) which is a concave shape recessed in a direction intersecting the central axis described in the second embodiment, or a regulated portion 26A'' (see Fig. 10) which is a concave shape recessed in the central axis Y direction described in the third embodiment. Here, the position of the regulated portions 26A, 26A', 26A'' in the central axis Y direction is defined as H2.

[0043] At the position H1 of the contact area C, dimensional accuracy of the inner diameter of the inner side surface 28 of the resin mold cover 24 is required because the sealing member 29 seals the internal path P. On the other hand, at the position H2 of the regulated portions 26A, 26A', 26A'', the outer diameter R1 of the protrusion 25 is smaller than the outer diameter R2 of the resin mold cover 24 above the protrusion 25, and the protrusion is thin in the radial direction. When molding a thin-walled portion, there is a possibility that sufficient dimensional accuracy of the inner diameter of the inner side surface 28 of the portion cannot be ensured. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sealing member 29 and the protrusion 25 are arranged such that the position H1 of the contact area C and the position H2 of the regulated portions 26A, 26A', 26A'' are different in the central axis Y direction. This makes it possible to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the inner diameter of the inner side surface 28 at the position H1 of the contact area C, and suppress a decrease in the sealing performance of the sealing member 29.

[0044] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of equivalents thereof.

[0045] For example, the stator units 100, 200, 300 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure each include four sets of the first engaging portion 51 and the first engaged portion 11, but the number is not limited thereto. Similarly, the stator units 100, 200, 300 each include one set of the second engaging portion 52 and the second engaged portion 61, but the number is not limited thereto. Similarly, the stator unit 100 includes eight sets of the regulating portion 54 and the regulated portion 26A, the stator unit 200 includes four sets of the regulating portion 54' and the regulated portion 26A', and the stator unit 300 includes four sets of the regulating portion 54'' and the regulated portion 26A'', but the number is not limited thereto.

[0046] Furthermore, the base portion 53 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may have a C-shape in which a part of the ring shape is missing.

[0047] Furthermore, the valve main body 60 (main body block) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has an integrated configuration of a block having a valve chamber 62 and a block having an inflow path 63 and an outflow path 64, but the block having the valve chamber 62 and the block having the inflow path 63 and the outflow path 64 may have separate configurations.

[0048] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-055933) filed on March 28, 2025, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0049] 1, 1': Motor-operated valve 10: Stator main body 11: First engaged portion 12: Motor 13: Stator 14: Rotor 15: Valve shaft 16: Support member 17: Rotor support portion 18: Planetary gear mechanism 19: Power feeding terminal 20: Screw driving member 21: Transmission mechanism 22: Valve body 23: Can 24: Resin mold cover 24A: Bottom surface 25: Protruding portion 26A, 26A', 26A'': Regulated portion 28: Inner side surface 29: Sealing member 30: Connection member 31: Ball joint 32: Spring receiving member 33: Compression coil spring 50: Mounting portion 51: First engaging portion 51A: Notch portion 52: Second engaging portion 53: Base portion 53A: Top surface 54, 54', 54'': Regulating portion 55: Cylindrical portion 55A: Notch portion 60: Valve main body 61: Second engaged portion 62: Valve chamber 63: Inflow path 64: Outflow path 65: Valve seat 100, 200, 300: Stator unit

Claims

1. A stator unit comprising: a stator body having an engaged portion on its side surface; and a mounting portion extending along the central axis of the stator body and having an elastically deformable engaging portion, which is assembled to the stator body by the engagement of the engaging portion and the engaged portion, wherein the engaging portion and the engaged portion are a snap-fit ​​structure that restricts the relative positions of the stator body and the mounting portion in the direction of the central axis, and the mounting portion has a restricting portion at a different location from the engaging portion that restricts rotation of the stator body around the central axis.

2. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the regulating portion has a convex shape.

3. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion is provided in the stress concentration region of the mounting portion when the engaging portion is elastically deformed.

4. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion has a ring-shaped base, the engaging portion is provided in a cantilever-like manner on the outer circumference of the base, the base has a notch on its outer circumference that constitutes a part of the cantilever beam, and the regulating portion on its inner circumference at a position radially opposite to the notch.

5. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion has a ring-shaped base, the engaging portion is provided in a cantilever-like manner on the outer circumference of the base, the base has a notch on its outer circumference that constitutes a part of the cantilever beam, and a cylindrical portion extending radially inward in the direction of the central axis, and the regulating portion is provided on the cylindrical portion.

6. The stator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the restricting portion has a convex shape that protrudes radially inward.

7. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion has a ring-shaped base, the engaging portion is provided in a cantilevered manner on the outer circumference of the base, and the restricting portion has a convex shape that protrudes in the direction of the central axis.

8. The stator unit according to claim 7, wherein the regulating portion is elastic.

9. The stator unit according to claim 1, wherein the stator body has an internal path formed by an inner surface, a sealing member that seals the internal path, and a restricted portion that engages with the restricting portion, the restricted portion having a concave shape that is recessed in a direction intersecting the central axis, and the contact areas of the restricted portion and the inner surface and the sealing member are positioned differently from each other in the direction of the central axis.

10. An electric valve comprising: a stator body having a first engaged portion on its side; a body block having a valve chamber and a second engaged portion; and a mounting portion having a first engaged portion that extends along the central axis of the stator body and is elastically deformable, and a second engaged portion that engages with the second engaged portion of the body block, and which is assembled to the stator body by the engagement of the first engaged portion and the first engaged portion, and which is assembled to the body block by the engagement of the second engaged portion and the second engaged portion, wherein the first engaged portion and the first engaged portion have a snap-fit ​​structure that restricts the relative positions of the stator body and the mounting portion in the direction of the central axis, and the mounting portion has a restricting portion at a different location from the first engaged portion that restricts rotation of the stator body around the central axis.

Images