Coolant Control Valve Actuator Stopper Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coolant-control valves lack a mechanical stopper for initialization learning, leading to potential failures due to over-rotation and increased manufacturing costs and size, as stoppers are typically placed on the valve body or casing, requiring reinforcement and high-strength materials.
Innovation Solution
A coolant-control valve with an actuator that includes a reduction gear and a restricting means, such as an arch-shaped groove and angle stopper, to regulate the operating range of the power transmission element, allowing for efficient initialization learning without the need for reinforcement or increased size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a mechanical stopper is provided on the valve body or casing for initialization learning, then the valve position control is improved, but the device size and manufacturing cost increase due to required reinforcement and high-strength materials
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical stopper function is extracted from the valve body/casing structure and relocated to the actuator assembly. This allows the stopper to be integrated with the drive mechanism rather than requiring separate structural modifications to the valve body, thereby avoiding the need for reinforcement and high-strength materials in the main valve structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical stopper acts as an intermediary element between the actuator's power transmission system and the valve body. It provides the necessary positioning function through the actuator's internal mechanisms (pinion gear and sector gear) rather than requiring direct structural integration with the valve body or casing.
2Extent of automation
If a mechanical stopper is provided on the valve body or casing for initialization learning, then the initialization learning function is achieved, but twisted forces occur between the actuator and housing
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical stopper within the actuator serves as an intermediary that enables initialization learning without transmitting twisted forces to the connection between actuator and housing. The stopper engages with the sector gear's arc-shaped groove, providing positioning through the power transmission elements rather than through the actuator-housing interface.
3Ease of operation
If the operating range of the valve body is not restricted, then the valve can operate freely, but over-rotation failures occur due to malfunction of the drive device
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical stopper provides preliminary anti-action by physically preventing the valve body from rotating beyond its designated operating range. The stopper engages with the arc-shaped groove in the sector gear, creating a mechanical barrier that stops rotation before over-rotation can occur, thereby protecting the drive device from malfunction.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a coolant-control valve that is able to perform the initialization learning using a stopper and to provide an efficient structure, by providing an initialization learning stopper within an actuator which drives a valve body. The coolant-control valve is equipped with a rotor that is driven to control a flow rate of coolant for cooling an engine, a casing that houses the rotor, and a rotary drive device 3 that drives the rotor. Control means of the rotary drive device 3 has an initialization learning function of an operating range of the rotor. The rotary drive device 3 is equipped with a motor 33 and a reductiongear 34. The operating range of the rotor is restricted, by restricting the operating range of an output gear 41 among power transmission elements provided in the reduction gear 34. Furthermore, a groove 43 of the output gear, and a fixed-angle stopper 44 inserted into the groove 43 are provided as restricting means for use during initialization learning by the control means.