JP5962019B2 - Solenoid valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a solenoid valve capable of switching a fluid supply destination.
Specifically, a solenoid portion that controls reciprocating movement of the plunger by energization, a sleeve that is attached while being inserted into an object to be attached, and a valve that reciprocates by the action of the plunger inside the sleeve. The sleeve has a cylindrical shape, and has a plurality of fluid communication openings on the peripheral wall portion. A plurality of lands projecting in an annular shape are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve, and the supply of fluid to a predetermined fluid supply destination is controlled by connecting and blocking the opening by reciprocating movement of the sleeve.

Conventionally, as this type of solenoid valve, for example, there is one disclosed in JP-A-11-2354 (Patent Document 1). In this solenoid valve, for example, when the oil that has been supplied to the external actuator is returned to the solenoid valve, the return oil is first introduced into the internal space of the valve via a radial oil passage provided in the wall portion of the valve. This oil flows along the reciprocating direction of the valve, and then is discharged from the end of one side of the valve to the outside of the solenoid valve.
Conventionally, by effectively using the internal space of the valve in this way, it has been possible to obtain a solenoid valve with a compact body size, light weight and excellent wearability.

JP-A-11-2354 (paragraph [0019])

However, when the oil to be discharged is circulated along the internal space of the valve, some frictional force is generated between the inner surface of the valve and the oil. As a result, an external force along the oil flow direction acts on the valve, and the accuracy of valve position control by the solenoid unit is impaired.
In addition, since the oil that has entered the valve maintains some pressure, this hydraulic pressure acts on the valve, a plunger that pushes and operates the valve, and becomes an external force that causes the valve to malfunction.
In order to eliminate the malfunction of the valve thus generated, it is necessary to supply a considerable amount of electric power to the solenoid unit. For this reason, a part of the current adjustment region by the solenoid unit is consumed to prevent the malfunction, and as a result, the position control capability is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve these disadvantages, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a solenoid valve having a valve with few malfunctions during fluid flow.

[First characteristic configuration]
The first characteristic configuration of the solenoid valve according to the present invention is a state in which the end surface of the tip portion is opposed to the drain flow path with respect to the solenoid object that controls the reciprocating movement of the plunger by energization and the attachment target having the drain flow path. A cylindrical sleeve having a plurality of openings in the peripheral wall portion and a plurality of lands formed in an annular shape on the outer peripheral portion, and slides along the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve as the plunger moves. A movable cylindrical valve, and a plurality of openings of the sleeve, a fluid receiving port for receiving fluid from the fluid supply source, and a predetermined fluid supply destination according to sliding of the valve a plurality of fluid supply and discharge openings for feeding and discharging with respect to, formed on the opposite side to the distal end portion so as to discharge the fluid returned to the fluid supply and discharge port from the fluid supply destination outside of the sleeve And a rain outlet, the fluid from the drain port, so as to guide to said drain passage in a state of being isolated from the fluid receiving opening and the plurality of fluid supply and discharge port, an end surface of the tip portion along the axial direction The groove part extended to the point is provided on the outer surface of the sleeve.

[Function and effect]
In this configuration, in particular, the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination is discharged to the outside of the solenoid valve through a groove provided on the outer surface of the sleeve. Thereby, until the discharged fluid is returned to the fluid supply / discharge port and discharged to the outside of the solenoid valve, the contact opportunity between the discharged fluid and the valve can be minimized. According to this configuration, unlike the prior art, the discharged fluid does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the valve, so that no viscous resistance is generated between the discharged fluid and the valve. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the valve from malfunctioning in any of the retracting directions.

Further, as in the prior art, when the internal space of the valve is used as a drain flow path, the exhaust fluid flowing through the valve has some internal pressure. In other words, since the solenoid valve is required to be compact, there is a certain limit to reducing the internal cross-sectional area of the valve, and the pressure of the exhaust fluid flowing through the internal space of the valve does not always decrease to atmospheric pressure. Because. In that case, the pressure of the remaining fluid may act on the plunger to push out the plunger. As a result, the valve is moved to the protruding side in synergy with the action of the viscous resistance.
However, as in this configuration, the inconvenience is eliminated by circulating the discharged fluid along the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve. Thus, with this configuration, a solenoid valve with excellent controllability can be obtained without causing the valve to malfunction when the fluid is discharged.
Further, by extending the groove portion to the end surface of the distal end portion of the sleeve, the chance that the fluid contacts the valve is substantially zero in the drain process of the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination. Therefore, the malfunction of the valve can be minimized.
Furthermore, the fluid drain flow path can be improved only by improving the sleeve. For example, no special improvement is required on the attachment object side, so that a solenoid valve with excellent versatility can be obtained.

[Second characteristic means]
According to a second characteristic configuration of the solenoid valve of the present invention, the fluid receiving port and the plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports are formed in a long hole shape along a circumferential direction with respect to the peripheral wall portion, and the groove portion is formed of the fluid. It is in a point that it extends linearly without intersecting the receiving port and the plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports .

[Third characteristic means]
According to a third characteristic configuration of the solenoid valve of the present invention, the sleeve includes a first fluid supply / discharge port, a fluid receiving port, a second fluid supply / discharge port, and a drain port in order from the distal end in the longitudinal direction. It is in a formed point.

[Function and effect]
Conventionally, when the first fluid supply / discharge port and the second fluid supply / discharge port are provided separately on both sides of the fluid receiving port, the fluid returned to any fluid supply / discharge port is discharged from the common drain channel. Therefore, the fluid returning to one of the fluid supply / exhaust ports often joins the fluid related to the other fluid supply / exhaust port via the internal space of the valve. In other words, when the fluid supply / discharge ports are formed in a distributed manner, the internal space of the valve is usually used as a part of the drain flow path.
In this respect, the solenoid valve of this configuration uses the outer surface of the sleeve as a fluid discharge channel, so that the fluid supply / discharge port is distributed particularly in a solenoid valve having fluid supply / discharge ports on both sides of the fluid receiving port. This arrangement is very effective in that it does not cause a malfunction of the valve while maintaining the arrangement.

[Fourth characteristic means]
A fourth characteristic configuration of the solenoid valve according to the present invention lies in that an engagement portion for determining an insertion and fixing posture of the sleeve with respect to the attachment object is provided at a distal end portion of the sleeve.

[Function and effect]
The solenoid valve of the present invention has a limitation in the arrangement relationship between the groove and the other first fluid supply / discharge port. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure positional consistency with respect to the fluid flow path provided in the attachment object. By providing an engagement concave portion at the tip of the sleeve as in this configuration and providing an engagement convex portion on the attachment object, the sleeve can be attached easily.

Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of this invention The perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of a sleeve

(Overview)
A solenoid valve according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid valve of the present invention includes a solenoid part A that is attached while being exposed to the outside of the attachment object 1, and a flow path switching part B that is attached while being inserted inside the attachment object 1. It has.
The solenoid part A includes a coil 2 that generates a magnetic field by energization, a plunger 3 that reciprocates at the center position of the coil 2 by the generated magnetic field, and the like. The electric power supplied to the coil 2 is input from a connector 5 provided at the end of the case 4 containing the solenoid part A.

  The flow path switching unit B includes a valve 6 that is mainly pushed by the plunger 3, and a sleeve 7 and a spring 8 that are inserted into the valve 6 so as to be reciprocally movable. One end of the valve 6 is pushed by the plunger 3. The other end of the valve 6 is biased toward the plunger 3 by a spring 8 provided between the valve 6 and the sleeve 7. An O-ring 9 that seals between the attachment object 1 and the sleeve 7 is provided on the solenoid part A side from the position of the drain port 73. Thereby, the excess fluid outside the sleeve 7 is prevented from leaking to the solenoid part A side.

(valve)
The valve 6 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. The valve 6 slides along the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 7 by the pushing operation of the plunger 3 and the returning operation of the spring 8. A plurality of lands L are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the bulb 6 so as to project in an annular shape. In the present embodiment, three lands L are shown. A streak-like cut 65 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of each land L along the circumferential direction. This notch 65 holds fluid and ensures the slidability of the valve 6 with respect to the sleeve 7.

No hole is particularly formed between the lands L in the cylindrical wall portion 62 of the valve 6. By not providing the hole, the internal space of the valve 6 is not used as a drain flow path like a conventional solenoid valve. By not forming a hole in this portion, the strength of the cylindrical wall portion 62 is increased, and the valve 6 can be made difficult to bend.
In addition, when the hole is provided, the inside of the valve 6 is often used as a fluid circulation space. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide a hole having a predetermined size. Therefore, as long as the hole is formed, it is necessary to configure the axial length of the cylindrical portion to a predetermined length, and the length of the valve 6 is increased. However, since it is not necessary to provide a hole in the valve of this configuration, the length of the valve 6 can be shortened, and further, the length of the solenoid valve can be shortened.

A small hole 64 formed in the vicinity of the end portion on the plunger 3 side of the end portion of the valve 6 allows fluid existing in the solenoid portion A to communicate with the internal space 63 of the valve 6. This prevents the fluid remaining in the solenoid part A from obstructing the reciprocating movement of the valve 6.
Note that the end of the valve 6 opposite to the side where the plunger 3 is provided is configured in an open state. The outside of the end portion is an arrangement space for the spring 8 and further communicates with the drain flow path 10.

As a material constituting the valve 6, a light metal such as aluminum can be used. If the valve 6 is light, control responsiveness is improved.
Further, as other materials, various resin materials can be used. For example, PPS (
Polyphenylene sulfide resin) and PES (polyethersulfone resin) are suitable. By using a resin, it is lighter and easier to process than those made of conventional aluminum. Furthermore, the strength and rigidity of the resin can be significantly improved by mixing reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers into these resins.

(sleeve)
On one side of the solenoid valve, a cylindrical sleeve 7 having a plurality of openings 72 in its peripheral wall portion 71 is provided. The plurality of openings 72 include, for example, a fluid receiving port 72a that receives fluid from a fluid supply source, and a plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports that supply and discharge fluid to and from a predetermined fluid supply destination according to sliding of the valve 6. 72b. In addition to the plurality of openings 72, the sleeve 7 includes a drain port 73 that discharges the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination to the fluid supply / discharge port 72 b to the outside of the sleeve 7.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a first fluid supply / exhaust port 721b, a fluid receiving port 72a, a second fluid supply / exhaust port 722b, and a drain port 73 are formed in this order from the tip end side of the sleeve 7. It is. As shown in FIG. 2, these are configured in a long hole shape along the circumferential direction with respect to the cylindrical peripheral wall portion 71.

Further, a groove portion 74 communicating with the drain port 73 is formed on the outer surface of the peripheral wall portion 71. The groove 74 extends along the longitudinal direction of the sleeve 7 without intersecting the first fluid supply / discharge port 721b, the fluid receiving port 72a, and the like. In the present embodiment, the drain port 73 is formed on the most proximal side of the sleeve 7, and the groove 74 extends to the opposite end of the sleeve 7.
By providing the groove 74 over the entire length of the sleeve 7 in this way, only the shape of the sleeve has to be changed with respect to the conventional solenoid valve. Therefore, there is no need to improve the attachment object 1, such as an engine block, and a versatile solenoid valve can be obtained.

  FIG. 1B shows a state where the valve 6 protrudes most. The center land L of the valve 6 moves to the distal end side of the sleeve 7, and the second fluid supply / exhaust port 722 b and the drain port 73 communicate with each other. As a result, the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination flows through the second fluid supply / exhaust port 722b and the drain port 73 to the groove 74, and further flows to the tip of the sleeve 7 and then through the drain flow channel 10. Discharged.

  At this time, the pressure of the fluid flowing through the groove 74 is lower than that in the case of discharging to the fluid supply destination. However, the flow rate flowing through the groove 74 may be equivalent to the amount on the discharge side. Therefore, the fluid flowing through the groove 74 generates a viscous resistance between the wall surface of the groove 74 and the inner surface of the attachment object 1. However, since these hardly affect the movement of the valve, the controllability of the valve is greatly improved in the solenoid valve of the present invention.

  Note that the pressure of the fluid flowing out from the groove 74 toward the drain channel 10 may act on the end surface of the plunger 3 or the like via the internal space 63 of the valve 6 and the valve 6 may move. The However, when the cross-sectional area of the drain channel 10 is compared with the cross-sectional area of the internal space 63, the drain channel 10 is formed wider in the apparatus of this embodiment. Therefore, the pressure of the fluid reaching the drain channel 10 from the groove 74 tends to further decrease, and the influence of the discharged fluid on the valve 6 is extremely small. Thus, by forming the groove 74 to the end of the sleeve 7, the influence of the fluid pressure on the valve 6 can be kept to a minimum.

Incidentally, in the state of FIG. 1A, the tip of the valve 6 is retracted to a position where the first fluid supply / exhaust port 721 b penetrates into the sleeve 7. In this case, the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination is discharged to the drain flow path 10 through the interior space of the spring 8 provided inside the sleeve 7. There is concern about whether the pressure of the fluid in the interior space of the spring 8 affects the movement of the valve 6 and the plunger 3, but in this case, the drain flow path 10 is disposed adjacent to the interior space. In addition, the pressure of the fluid is considered to decrease immediately.
Further, the flow direction of the fluid flowing into the interior space through the gap between the wall surface of the first fluid supply / exhaust port 721b and the tip of the valve 6 is clearly directed not to the plunger 3 but to the side away from the valve 6. From this point, it may be determined that the influence of the fluid on the inside of the valve 6 is small.

In addition, the groove part 74 does not need to be provided in the full length along the longitudinal direction of the sleeve 7. FIG. For example, the groove portion 74 may be provided only in a half length in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve 7, and the other groove portion may be formed on the inner surface of the attachment object 1 facing the outer surface of the sleeve 7.
In this case, although it is necessary to perform special processing on the side of the attachment target body, the degree of processing with respect to the outer surface of the sleeve 7 is reduced. Therefore, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the 1st fluid supply / exhaust port 721b processed into the sleeve 7 and the fluid receiving port 72a can be raised.

  As described above, the solenoid valve of the present invention is limited in the positional relationship between the groove 74 and the other first fluid supply / exhaust port 721b. Therefore, it is necessary to match the position with the fluid flow path provided in the attachment object 1. In order to make the mounting posture of the solenoid valve a predetermined posture, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an engaging recess 75 as an engaging portion is provided at the tip of the sleeve 7, and the mounting object 1 has an engaging protrusion. It is good to provide the part 11.

  Alternatively, the case 4 includes a fixing flange 41, and the mounting position of the fixing flange 41 is associated with the position of the groove 74, and the fixing flange 41 is attached to a predetermined position of the mounting object 1. Anyway.

The sleeve 7 can be made of various materials. For example, it can be comprised with metal materials, such as steel and aluminum. Moreover, it can also be comprised with the resin material which mixed various resin materials or a reinforced fiber.
As a method of forming the groove 74, there is a room for various selections depending on the material used. For example, various methods such as grinding, sintering, casting, injection molding, and forging can be employed.

  The solenoid valve of the present invention can be applied to various devices that control the operation of mechanical elements by fluid control, for example, as a control unit that supplies oil to each part of an engine.

Attachment object 1
Plunger 3
Sleeve 7
Valve 6
Perimeter wall 71
Opening 72
Fluid receiving port 72a
Fluid supply / discharge port 72b
First fluid supply / exhaust port 721b
Second fluid supply / exhaust port 722b
Drain port 73
Groove 74
Engagement part 75
Land L

Claims (4)

A solenoid unit for reciprocating the plunger by energization;
A cylindrical sleeve having a plurality of openings in the peripheral wall portion attached to an attachment target having a drain flow channel, with the end face of the tip facing the drain flow channel ,
A plurality of lands formed annularly projecting on the outer periphery, and provided with a cylindrical valve slidable along the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve as the plunger moves,
A fluid receiving port for receiving fluid from the fluid supply source as a plurality of openings in the sleeve;
A plurality of fluid supply and discharge ports for supplying and discharging fluid to and from a predetermined fluid supply destination in accordance with sliding of the valve;
A drain port formed on the opposite side of the tip so as to discharge the fluid returned from the fluid supply destination to the fluid supply / discharge port to the outside of the sleeve;
The fluid from the drain port is formed to extend to the end surface of the tip portion along the axial direction so as to guide the fluid to the drain flow channel in a state of being isolated from the fluid receiving port and the plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports . A solenoid valve having a groove on the outer surface of the sleeve. The fluid receiving port and the plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports are configured in a long hole shape along a circumferential direction with respect to the peripheral wall portion,
The solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the groove portion extends linearly without intersecting the fluid receiving port and the plurality of fluid supply / discharge ports . The sleeve in turn in the longitudinal direction from the tip, the first fluid supply and discharge port, said fluid receiving port, the second fluid supply and discharge port, a solenoid according to claim 1 or 2 is formed with the drain port valve.   The solenoid valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an engagement portion that determines an insertion and fixing posture of the sleeve with respect to the attachment object is provided at a distal end portion of the sleeve.

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