Flow Passage Switching Valve Assembly for Precise Sensor Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow channel switching valves face challenges in precisely aligning the base body that supports a rotational angle sensor with the valve shaft, leading to potential misalignment issues.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a valve body with a valve shaft rotatably supported by a bearing, a rotational position detection system featuring a rotational angle sensor and a base body with a sensor support portion having through-holes or an arc-shaped configuration, allowing for precise adjustment using a jig to ensure proper alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the potentiometer base is mounted on the case and then the potentiometer is mounted on the potentiometer base, then the rotational angle sensor can be installed, but misalignment between the potentiometer and valve shaft occurs due to difficulty in maintaining precision during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor support portion is designed with through-holes before assembly, enabling preliminary positioning and alignment adjustment of the potentiometer base relative to the valve shaft. This preliminary action allows alignment to be established before final mounting, preventing misalignment issues that would occur with conventional sequential assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The through-holes in the sensor support portion act as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates precise alignment between the potentiometer base and valve shaft. By providing a reference structure through the holes, the design enables accurate positioning without requiring complex alignment procedures or specialized tooling during assembly.
2Measurement precision
If the base body is designed to support the rotational angle sensor, then rotational position detection is enabled, but precise disposal of the base body with respect to the valve shaft becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The base body incorporates through-holes that enable preliminary positioning and alignment adjustment before final mounting. This allows the base body to be precisely disposed with respect to the valve shaft by establishing alignment through the holes prior to securing the component in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor support portion of the base body is designed with localized through-holes that provide reference features for precise positioning. This local structural feature enables high positioning precision at the critical interface between the base body and valve shaft without requiring the entire base body to be manufactured with uniform high precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A flow channel switching valve that enables a base body that supports a rotational angle sensor to be disposed with precision with respect to a valve shaft, and a method for assembling the flow channel switching valve are provided. In a flow channel switching valve (1), a rotational position detection portion (80) that the rotational position of a ball valve member (20) includes a potentiometer (85) that detects the rotational angle of a valve shaft (40) and a potentiometer base (82) that supports the potentiometer (85). The potentiometer base (82) includes a base main body portion (83) that is mounted on a case (50) and a sensor support portion (84) that is disposed facing the round columnar portion 41 of the valve shaft (40) and that the potentiometer (85) is mounted thereon. The sensor support portion (84) has a position adjustment through-hole (84a1) that has an arc shape along an outer circumferential surface (41b) of the round columnar portion (41) of the valve shaft (40) .