JP6715159B2 - Flow path switching valve and heat medium system for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flow path switching valve and a vehicle heat medium system using the flow path switching valve, and for example, distributes cooling water for cooling a heat source such as an internal combustion engine or a lithium battery to various heat auxiliaries. The present invention relates to a flow path switching valve used for that purpose, and a heat medium system for an automobile using the flow path switching valve.

In a typical automobile, the cooling water is circulated to a radiator to radiate the heat of the cooling water for cooling the internal combustion engine to the outside, or the cooling water having a high temperature is circulated to a heating device to heat the passenger compartment. For such a purpose, cooling water is distributed to various heat auxiliaries by using a flow path switching valve.

Such a flow path switching valve for distributing cooling water for cooling the internal combustion engine of an automobile to various heat auxiliaries is described in, for example, JP-A-2015-218775 (Patent Document 1). The flow passage switching valve described in Patent Document 1 is a rotary valve in which a valve main body, which is a tubular valve body, is rotatably housed in a housing and the flow passage is switched according to the rotational position of the valve main body. Therefore, the opening of the valve is caused by the overlapping of the communication passage of the housing and the opening of the valve body, and the cooling water flowing from the inflow port is passed through the opening of the valve body and the communication passage of the housing for various types of heat auxiliary equipment for automobiles. It is configured to be distributed to.

JP, 2005-218775, A

By the way, this flow path switching valve is composed of a hollow cylindrical valve main body and a housing main body provided with a communication passage that surrounds the valve main body from the outside and is connected to each heat auxiliary machine. A minute gap is formed between the tip end surface of the cylindrical seal member arranged in the communication passage and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body so that the valve body can slide. This causes a phenomenon in which suspended matter such as metal powder made of aluminum or iron contained in the cooling water enters.

The invaded suspended matter may be caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip surface of the seal member when the valve body rotates, and the suspended matter may damage the contact surface of the valve body or the seal member. For this reason, if the contact surface of the valve body or the seal member is damaged, there arises a problem that the sealing performance is deteriorated as a result.

Next, this problem will be briefly described with reference to the drawings, but the following description exemplifies a case where cooling water for an internal combustion engine is used as a heat medium. 10 is a lateral cross-section of the vicinity of the communication passage of the flow path switching valve, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the contact area between the valve body and the seal member.

In FIG. 10, reference numeral 10 indicates a flow path switching valve, and the valve body 12 is rotatably attached to a valve housing portion 27 formed in the housing body 11. The valve body 12 can rotate about an axis extending perpendicularly to the paper surface, and the communication passage 13 opens in a direction orthogonal to the tangent line of the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12.

Cooling water from the internal combustion engine, which is pressure-fed from the cooling water pump, flows in from a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and flows out to the communication passage 13 through the opening 14 formed in the valve body 12. A cylindrical seal member 15 is arranged between the communication passage 13 and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12, and the seal member 15 is a compression spring arranged on the end surface of the connection pipe 16D fitted into the housing body 11. The outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 is pressed by 17 and is in liquid-tight contact. It should be noted that FIG. 10 will be supplemented in the description of the embodiment.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the axial shape of the inner peripheral surface 15S of the conventional seal member 15 is a linear inner peripheral surface 15S up to the tip surface 15C that contacts the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. Is formed on. The opening 14 communicates with the communication passage 13, and the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 formed on the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 is located in the area of the internal passage 15P formed inside the seal member 15. Then, when the cooling water flows out from the opening 14 to the communication passage 13, the cooling water flows out as shown by the streamline S.

Therefore, a vortex Vr is generated in the space region formed near the tip of the inner peripheral surface 15S of the seal member 15 downstream of the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 formed in the valve body 12. Moreover, this vortex Vr has a strong tendency to remain in the space area downstream of the opening edge 12E, and the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water also moves in the space area downstream of the opening edge 12E according to the movement of the vortex Vr. Will stay.

Therefore, when the valve body 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow R, the floating substance Dst is caught in the gap between the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15. Incidentally, this phenomenon is explained when the discharge side of the cooling water pump is connected to the valve storage chamber 27 and the cooling water flows out from the valve storage portion 27 into the communication passage 13 of the housing body 11.

On the other hand, conversely, the suction side of the cooling water pump may be connected to the valve storage chamber 27 so that the cooling water flows into the valve storage portion 27 from the communication passage 13 of the housing body 11. In this case, the streamline S shown in FIG. 11 is in the opposite direction, and the suspended matter mixed in the cooling water flows along the streamline S of the fluid, so that the seal member 15 and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 are separated. It will directly collide and stay near the contact surface. Then, when the valve body 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow R, a phenomenon occurs in which the suspended matter Dst is caught in the gap between the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15.

Thus, in any case, the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water is sandwiched between the valve body 12 and the seal member 15, and the suspended matter Dst causes the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15. Will be damaged, resulting in the problem of deterioration of the sealing performance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel flow path switching valve capable of suppressing floating matter from being caught and pinched between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip end surface of the seal member, and the flow path switching valve. It is to provide a used heat carrier system for an automobile.

Here, the present invention is not limited to the cooling water of the internal combustion engine, but is applicable to cooling water for cooling a heat source such as a lithium battery. Therefore, the cooling water is a heat medium, and the internal combustion engine and the lithium battery can be rephrased as a heat source.

A first feature of the present invention is that a vortex that is generated downstream of an opening edge of an opening formed in the valve body is formed at the tip of the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. There is a turning portion formed to turn the flowing fluid toward the flowing fluid.

A second feature of the present invention is that a tip end portion on the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve body causes a flow of fluid that collides near the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve body to open the valve body. There is a turning portion that turns to flow toward.

According to the first feature of the present invention, since the vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve body by the direction changing portion is changed so as to flow toward the fluid flowing through the opening of the valve body, the floating is caused. The substance is positively transported to and discharged from the fluid flowing out from the opening. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the suspended matter from being caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip end surface of the sealing member, and it is possible to maintain good sealing performance.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the direction of the streamline of the fluid is bent toward the opening side formed in the valve body by the direction changing portion, whereby the suspended matter also flows toward the opening side. For this reason, there is less risk that suspended matter will be caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip end surface of the seal member, and good sealing performance can be maintained.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an internal combustion fuel cooling system as an example to which a flow path switching valve of the present invention is applied. 1 is an overall perspective view of a flow path switching valve to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the flow path switching valve shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of a contact area between the valve body and the seal member according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of a contact area between a valve body and a seal member according to a modified example of the first embodiment. It is a partially expanded view of the contact area|region of the valve body and seal member which become the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a partially expanded view of the contact area|region of the valve main body used as the 1st modification of 2nd Embodiment, and a sealing member. It is a partially expanded view of the contact area|region of the valve main body and seal member which become the 2nd modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a partially expanded view of the contact area|region of the valve body and seal member which become the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in which the vicinity of a communication passage of the flow path switching valve shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of a contact area between a valve body and a seal member of a conventional flow path switching valve.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and applications within the technical concept of the present invention. Is also included in the range.

Before describing the embodiments of the present invention, the configuration of the flow path switching valve to which the present invention is applied will be briefly described. However, as described above, in the case of using the cooling water of the internal combustion engine as the heat medium, Is exemplarily shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the cooling water of the internal combustion engine, but can be applied to a heat medium for cooling a heat source such as a lithium battery.

In FIG. 1, cooling water is supplied from a cooling water pump 02 to a cylinder jacket of an internal combustion engine 01, the cooling water that has cooled the cylinder jacket is sent to a flow path switching valve 10, and a part of the cooling water is constantly supplied via a thermostat. It is returned to the suction side of the cooling water pump 02 for circulation. Further, the remaining cooling water is sent to the heat assisting devices such as the heating device 03, the radiator 04, and the oil cooler 05. Note that these heat auxiliaries are shown as examples, and other heat auxiliaries may be used.

The distribution of the cooling water to these heat auxiliaries is controlled by the electronic flow path switching means 06. For example, water temperature information from a water temperature sensor 07 provided in the flow path switching valve 10, operation state information of the internal combustion engine 01, and operation state information of various operating devices in the vehicle compartment are input to the electronic flow path switching means 06. Therefore, the flow path to each heat auxiliary device is switched according to the control signal calculated by the electronic flow path switching means 06.

An electric motor is built in the flow path switching valve 10 as described later, and the rotation of the electric motor is controlled by a control signal from the electronic flow path switching means 06. A valve main body is fixed to the electric motor, and by rotating the valve main body, cooling water is caused to flow in a communication passage connected to each of the heat auxiliaries formed in the flow path switching valve 10, and cooling water from the internal combustion engine is discharged. Is distributed to each heat auxiliary machine.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the flow path switching valve 10. The housing body 11 includes a connection pipe 16A connected to the cylinder jacket, a connection pipe 16B connected to the heating device 03, a connection pipe 16C connected to the radiator 04, and an oil cooler 05. A connecting pipe 16D is provided for connection. Further, the cooling water indicated by the arrow CA flows from the internal combustion engine 01 into the flow path switching valve 10, and the cooling water is distributed to the connection pipes 16A to 16D by the valve main body provided inside the housing main body 11. There is.

The flow path switching valve 10 is provided with a thermostat 18 in which wax is sealed, and the cooling water flowing through the connection pipe 16A is controlled by the temperature. An electronic flow path switching means 06 is fixed to the top of the housing body 11 of the flow path switching valve 10 to control the electric motor housed inside the housing body 11.

FIG. 3 shows a structure of the flow path switching valve 10 shown in FIG. The housing body 11 is formed with a valve housing portion (see FIG. 10) for housing the hollow cylindrical valve body 12 and a motor housing portion 20 for housing the electric motor 19. Further, the electronic flow path switching means 06 is fixed to the housing main body 11 from the outside by a fixing bolt, and is configured as a so-called electromechanical integrated type.

Further, around the housing body 11, a connection pipe 16A connected to the cylinder jacket, a connection pipe 16B connected to the heating device 03, a connection pipe 16C connected to the radiator 04, and a connection pipe 16D connected to the oil cooler 05 are attached. A cover portion 21 that covers the thermostat 18 is integrally formed with the connection pipe 16C. Here, the seal member 15 and the compression spring 17 are arranged between the housing body 11 and the connection pipes 16B to 16D. The seal member 15 is formed in a circular tubular shape with both ends open, and the tip end surface 15C (see FIG. 4) of the seal member 15 is pressed and brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 12AS of the valve body 12.

The valve main body 12 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface 12S is formed with the opening 14 connected to each of the connection pipes 16A to 16D described above. Therefore, the cooling water CA that has been pressure-fed from the cooling water pump 02 and has flowed from the internal combustion engine flows out to each of the connection pipes 16A to 16B through the opening 14.

The valve main body 12 is fixed to the rotary shaft 22 and is rotated in the valve housing portion of the housing main body 11 in synchronization with the rotation of the rotary shaft 22. The connection relationship with the pipes 16A to 16D is selected (switching of flow paths). The opening 14 can control the degree of overlap with the seal member 15 depending on the rotation state of the valve body 12, and thus may be operated to control the flow rate.

The electric motor 19 and the valve body 12 are connected by a worm gear mechanism. That is, a worm wheel 23 is fixed to the opposite end of the rotary shaft 22 to which the valve body 12 is fixed, and the worm wheel 23 is meshed with a worm wheel 24 formed on one side of the worm shaft. There is. The worm 25 formed on the other side of the worm shaft is meshed with the worm 26 fixed to the electric motor 19. Therefore, when the electric motor 19 rotates, this rotation is transmitted to the rotary shaft 23 through the worm 26 ⇒ worm wheel 25 ⇒ worm 24 ⇒ worm wheel 23, and finally rotates the valve body 12.

Further, the electronic flow path switching means 06 is fixed to the housing body 11 so as to cover the electric motor 19 and the worm gear mechanism. A control signal from the electronic flow path switching means 06 is given to the electric motor 19 and operated to perform a predetermined rotation operation.

Since the structure and operation of the flow path switching valve 10 having such a structure are basically well known, further description will be omitted. Then, in the flow path switching valve 10 having such a configuration, as described above, when the valve body 12 rotates, the suspended matter mixed in the cooling water is the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip of the seal member 15. It may be caught between the surfaces, and the suspended matter may damage the contact surface of the valve body or the seal member.

The reason for this is as shown in FIG. That is, in a state where the opening 14 and the communication passage 13 communicate with each other and the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 of the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 is located in the internal passage 15P formed inside the seal member 15, When the gas flows out of the opening 14 into the communication passage 13, a vortex Vr is generated in the space region formed near the tip of the inner peripheral surface 15S of the seal member 15, downstream of the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 formed in the valve body 12. .. Moreover, this vortex Vr has a strong tendency to stay in the space region downstream of the opening edge 12E, and the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water also stays in the space region downstream of the opening edge 12E as the vortex Vr moves. This is because when the valve body 12 rotates, the suspended matter Dst is caught in the gap between the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15.

In order to solve such a problem, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a downstream end of an opening edge of an opening formed in the valve main body is provided at a tip end portion on the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body. A diverting portion is formed to change the direction of the vortex generated in the flow direction toward the cooling water flowing out of the opening of the valve body.

According to this, the vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve main body is redirected so as to flow toward the cooling water flowing through the opening of the valve main body, so that the suspended matter positively affects the cooling water flowing out of the opening. Will be conveyed and discharged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the suspended matter from being caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip end surface of the sealing member, and it is possible to maintain good sealing performance.

Here, before explaining the specific configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention, a supplementary explanation will be given with reference to FIG. 10, which is a lateral cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the communication passage of the flow path switching valve 10.

In FIG. 10, the housing body 11 is integrally formed with a valve housing portion 27 for housing the valve body 12 and a motor housing portion 20 for housing the electric motor 19. The valve body 12 is rotatably accommodated inside the valve accommodating portion 27, and is rotated by the rotating shaft 22 described above. A communication passage 13 is formed in the housing body 11 in a direction orthogonal to a tangent line of the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12, and a connection pipe 16D which is fitted into the communication passage 13 and is connected to the oil cooler 05 has a connection pipe 16D. It is installed. Further, a thermostat 18 is attached on the substantially opposite side thereof, and is subsequently connected to the connection pipe 16A.

Between the communication passage 13 and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12, a cylindrical seal member 15 having both ends opened is arranged, and the seal member 15 is provided on the end surface of the connection pipe 16D fitted into the housing body 11. The arranged compression spring 17 presses and contacts the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. The seal member 15 is made of a synthetic resin that slides smoothly and is excellent in shape stability. In this embodiment, a fluororesin (polytetrafluoroethylene: PTFE) is used.

The opening 14 formed in the valve body 12 overlaps with the internal passage 15P formed in the seal member 15 while sliding with the seal member 15 as the valve body 12 rotates, and the inside of the valve body 12 and the communication passage 13 are connected to each other. Is to connect. Then, the cooling water from the internal combustion engine flows into the inside of the valve body 12 from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and through the opening 14 formed in the valve body 12, the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15, the communication passage 13 and the connection. It flows out to the pipe 16D.

Next, a specific configuration of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the contact area between the valve body and the seal member.

The feature of the present embodiment is that a vortex generated downstream of the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 formed in the valve body 12 is formed at the tip portion on the inner peripheral surface 15S side of the seal member 15 that contacts the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. The direction changing portion 15G is formed to change the direction of the flow so as to flow toward the cooling water flowing out of the opening 14 of the valve body 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the inner peripheral surface 15S side of the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15, an annular direction changing portion 15G that is inclined inward is formed along the circumferential shape of the inner peripheral surface 15S. There is. The direction changing portion 15G is inclined from the inner peripheral surface 15S that extends linearly in the axial direction of the seal member 15 inward, and further so as to continuously reduce the inner diameter toward the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. Further, the inclined surface of the direction changing portion 15G has a linear cross section in the axial direction. The opposite side of the inclined surface of the direction changing portion 15G is formed in the same plane (so-called flush) as the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15.

The opening 14 communicates with the communication passage 13, and the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 formed on the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 is located in the area of the internal passage 15P formed inside the seal member 15. Then, when the cooling water flows out from the opening 14 to the communication passage 13, the cooling water flows out as shown by the streamline S.

At this time, a vortex Vr is generated in the space region formed near the tip of the inner peripheral surface 15S of the seal member 15 downstream of the opening edge 12E of the valve body 12. The vortex Vr moves to the outer peripheral surface 12S side forming the opening 14 of the valve body 12, but in the case of the conventional seal member 15 shown in FIG. 11, the vortex Vr stays on the outer peripheral surface 12S side. Like

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the direction changing portion 15G is formed, the vortex Vr moved to the outer peripheral surface 12S side is directed by the direction changing portion 15G toward the inside of the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15. It is diverted to flow and is guided to join the cooling water flowing out of the opening 14. Therefore, the suspended matter Dst such as metal powder contained in the vortex Vr is also guided so as to join the cooling water flowing through the opening 14 in accordance with the movement of the vortex Vr.

As a result, the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water is suppressed from remaining in the space area downstream of the opening edge 12E. Therefore, the proportion of floating substances present in the space region downstream of the opening edge 12E is reduced, and therefore even if the valve body 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow R, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are rotated. The phenomenon that the suspended matter Dst is sandwiched between the two is reduced. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are prevented from being damaged, so that the sealing performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

Here, the axial length Ls and the radial length Ds of the direction changing portion 15G may be set to appropriate values, and in short, the vortex Vr generated downstream of the opening edge 12E can be generated from the opening 14. It suffices if it has a function of carrying and discharging the cooling water flowing out. Further, since the direction changing portion 15G formed on the seal member 15 is formed integrally with the seal member 15, the manufacturing is facilitated and the increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed to a low level.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve body is formed at the tip of the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. The direction changing portion is formed so as to change the direction so as to flow toward the cooling water flowing out from the opening. According to this, the vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve main body is redirected so as to flow toward the cooling water flowing through the opening of the valve main body, so that the suspended matter positively affects the cooling water flowing out of the opening. Since the particles are conveyed and discharged, the suspended matter can be prevented from being caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip surface of the seal member, and good sealing performance can be maintained.

Next, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the cross section of the direction changing portion 15G is an inclined surface that extends linearly inward from the inner peripheral surface 15S of the seal member 15 toward the outer peripheral surface 12S, but in the present modification example. , And is different in that it is an inclined surface that extends in an arc shape in a diagonal direction toward the outer peripheral surface 12S. Since the other configurations are the same, the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, on the inner peripheral surface 15S side of the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15, an annular direction changing portion 15H that is inclined inward is formed along the circumferential shape of the inner peripheral surface 15S. The direction changing portion 15H is inclined such that the inner diameter thereof is continuously reduced toward the inner side from the inner peripheral surface 15S extending linearly in the axial direction of the seal member 15 and further toward the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. Further, the inclined surface of the direction changing portion 15H has an arcuate cross section in the axial direction. The opposite side of the inclined surface of the direction changing portion 15H is formed in the same plane (so-called flush) as the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 as in the first embodiment.

Since the direction changing portion 15H is also formed in this modification, the vortex Vr moved to the outer peripheral surface 12S side is changed in direction by the direction changing portion 15H so as to flow toward the inside of the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15. And is guided so as to join the cooling water flowing through the opening 14. Therefore, the suspended matter Dst such as metal powder contained in the vortex Vr is also guided so as to join the cooling water flowing through the opening 14 in accordance with the movement of the vortex Vr.

As a result, the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water is suppressed from remaining in the space area downstream of the opening edge 12E. Therefore, the proportion of floating substances present in the space region downstream of the opening edge 12E is reduced, and therefore even if the valve body 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow R, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are rotated. The phenomenon that the suspended matter Dst is sandwiched between the two is reduced. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are prevented from being damaged, so that the sealing performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

Furthermore, in this modified example, since the shape of the direction changing portion 5H is formed in an arc shape, the vortex Vr can be smoothly guided and guided to the inside of the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15 as compared with the first embodiment. Is possible. Further, as in the first embodiment, since the direction changing portion 15H is formed integrally with the seal member 15, the manufacturing is facilitated and the increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed to a low level.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the direction changing portion is formed integrally with the seal member, but this embodiment is different in that the direction changing portion is separately formed and integrated with the seal member. Since the other configurations are the same, the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 6, on the inner peripheral surface 15S side of the seal member 15, a direction changing member 28 made separately from the seal member 15 is integrally fixed. Here, the seal member 15 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) having good shape stability, and the direction changing member 28 is excellent in heat resistance and is a soft synthetic resin that is soft and deformable, such as soft silicone. Made of resin. The direction changing member 28 is integrated with the seal member 15 by its elasticity or an adhesive.

The direction changing member 28 contacts the flat surface portion 28F that contacts the compression spring 17, the inner peripheral surface portion 28S that contacts the inner peripheral surface 15S of the seal member 15, and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12, and is generated downstream of the opening edge 12E. And a direction changing portion 28G that changes the direction of the flowing vortex so as to flow toward the inside of the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15. The tip of the direction changing portion 28G is determined to have a length extending beyond the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15, and the portion beyond the tip surface 15C is deformed and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 12S. ing.

As described above, since the direction changing member 28 made of the soft silicone resin is soft and easily deformed, the direction changing portion 28G extends inward from the linear inner peripheral surface portion 28S and further toward the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. As a result, an arc-shaped inclined surface whose inner diameter is continuously reduced can be obtained. Since the direction changing portion 28G also has the same function and effect as the second embodiment with respect to the discharge function of the vortex Vr, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, since the direction changing member 28 is simply attached to the existing seal member 15, manufacturing is facilitated, and since the direction changing portion 28G is soft, it is easy to make close contact with the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12, resulting in sealing performance. It is possible to improve.

Next, a first modified example of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, the characteristic point is that the direction changing member 28 is obtained by removing the plane portion 28F of the direction changing member 28. Since the direction changing member 28 shown in FIG. 6 has the flat portion 28F having a soft property, it is difficult to properly manage the compression force of the compression spring 17, and accordingly, the contact pressure of the seal member 15 should be constantly managed. There is a problem that you cannot do it.

On the other hand, in the first modified example shown in FIG. 7, since the flat portion 28F is removed, the compression spring 17 presses the end surface of the seal member 15 made of polytetrafluoroethylene having good shape stability. .. Therefore, the compression force of the compression spring 17 can be controlled to be substantially constant, and as a result, the contact pressure with which the seal member 15 contacts the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 can be controlled to be substantially constant. ..

Next, a second modification of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first modification shown in FIG. 7, the direction changing member 28 is integrated with the sealing member 15 by its elasticity or adhesive, but in the second modification shown in FIG. Is integrally formed with the seal member 15 by insert molding, and the seal member 15 and the direction changing member 28 are firmly integrated.

This reduces the risk that the direction changing member 28 will fall off the seal member 15. If the direction changing member 28 falls and floats in the cooling water and flows, the cooling water pump may be damaged. However, by integrally inserting the direction changing member 28 into the seal member 15 by insert molding. It is possible to prevent.

Although the direction changing portion 28G extends beyond the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15, it may have a shape flush with the tip surface 15C as in the first and second embodiments. .. In this case, since the deforming direction changing portion 28G does not exist, the direction changing member 28 is preliminarily formed with the direction changing portions 15G and 15H according to the first and second embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment (including modified examples), the seal member and the direction changing member formed separately from the seal member are combined, but the seal member in which the direction changing member is combined is It can be regarded as equivalent to the seal member shown in the second embodiment. That is, the direction changing portion is formed at the tip on the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, and the vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve body is generated by the direction changing portion. This is because the direction can be changed so as to flow toward the fluid flowing out of the opening.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the direction changing portion 15G is formed in the middle of the inner peripheral surface 15S extending linearly in the axial direction of the seal member 15, but in the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 29 in the axial direction is formed. The difference is that the entire 29S is tapered. Since the other configurations are the same, the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 9, the tapered inner peripheral surface 29S forming the internal passage 15P of the seal member 29 is formed in a tapered shape in which the inner diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12. Therefore, since the tapered inner peripheral surface 29S is formed, the vortex Vr moved to the outer peripheral surface 12S side flows toward the inner side of the internal passage 15P of the seal member 15 by the tapered inner peripheral surface 29S. It is redirected and guided to meet the cooling water flowing through the opening 14. Therefore, the suspended matter Dst such as metal powder contained in the vortex Vr is also guided so as to join the cooling water flowing through the opening 14 in accordance with the movement of the vortex Vr.

As a result, the suspended matter Dst mixed in the cooling water is suppressed from remaining in the space area downstream of the opening edge 12E. Therefore, the proportion of floating substances present in the space region downstream of the opening edge 12E is reduced, and therefore even if the valve body 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow R, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are rotated. The phenomenon that the suspended matter Dst is sandwiched between the two is reduced. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15 are prevented from being damaged, so that the sealing performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the tapered inner peripheral surface 29S formed on the seal member 15 is formed integrally with the seal member 15, so that the manufacturing is easy and the manufacturing cost is low. The rise of can be kept low.

In the above description, the discharge side of the cooling water pump 02 is connected to the valve storage chamber 27, and the cooling water flows out from the valve storage portion 27 into the communication passage 13 of the housing body 11. There is also a mode in which the suction side of the pump 02 is connected to the valve housing chamber 27 and the cooling water flows into the valve housing portion 27 from the communication passage 13 of the housing body 11.

In this case, the streamline S shown in FIG. 11 is in the opposite direction, and the suspended matter mixed in the cooling water directly collides with the seal member 15 and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 in the vicinity of the contact surface to collide and separate. By the action, the suspended matter Dst comes to stay in the region near the seal member 15 and the opening edge 12E of the opening 14 of the valve body 12. When the valve body 14 rotates in the direction of the arrow, there is a high risk that the valve body 14 will be caught in the gap between the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve body 12 and the tip surface 15C of the seal member 15.

On the other hand, the direction of the streamline of the cooling water is bent toward the opening 14 side by the direction changing portion 15G shown in FIG. 4, so that the suspended matter also flows toward the opening 14 side. Therefore, it is less likely that the suspended matter will be caught in the contact surface between the seal member 15 and the outer peripheral surface 12S of the valve member 12. In this case, it does not function as the direction changing part 15G that changes the direction of the vortex flow, but functions as the direction changing part 15G that changes the direction of the flow line of the cooling water.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the flow path switching valve that distributes the cooling water of the internal combustion engine to the heat auxiliaries has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a general flow path that distributes a fluid. It can also be applied to a switching valve.

As described above, according to the present invention, a vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve body is generated at the tip of the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. The direction changing portion is formed to change the direction of the fluid flowing through the opening.

According to this, the vortex generated downstream of the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve main body is redirected so as to flow toward the fluid flowing through the opening of the valve main body, so that the suspended matter positively affects the fluid flowing out of the opening. Since it is transported and discharged, it is possible to suppress the suspended matter from being caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip surface of the seal member, and it is possible to maintain good sealing performance.

Further, according to the present invention, the flow of the fluid colliding near the opening edge of the opening formed in the valve main body at the tip of the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body The direction changing part is formed so as to change the direction so as to flow toward the direction.

According to this, the direction of the streamline of the fluid is bent toward the opening side formed in the valve body by the direction changing portion, and thus the suspended matter also flows toward the opening side. For this reason, there is less risk that suspended matter will be caught between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the tip end surface of the seal member, and good sealing performance can be maintained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those including all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of a certain embodiment can be added to the configuration of another embodiment. Further, it is possible to add/delete/replace other configurations with respect to a part of the configurations of the respective embodiments.

10... Flow path switching valve, 11... Housing body, 12... Valve body, 12S... Outer peripheral surface, 12E... Opening edge, 13... Communication passage, 14... Opening, 15... Seal member, 15C... Tip surface, 15P... Internal passage , 15S... Inner peripheral surface, 15G... Direction changing part, 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D... Connection pipe, 17... Compression spring, 18... Thermostat, 19... Electric motor, 20... Motor storage part, 21... Cover part, 22 ... rotary shaft, 23... worm hole, 24... worm, 25... worm, 26... worm wheel, 27... valve accommodating portion, 28... direction changing member, 29... sealing member, 29S... taper inner peripheral surface.

Claims (7)

A valve body which is formed in a cylindrical shape in the direction in which the axis extends and in which an opening through which a fluid flows is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof;
A valve accommodating portion in which the valve body is rotatably accommodated around the axis of the valve body, and an external auxiliary device opened in the valve accommodating portion in a direction orthogonal to a tangent line of the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. A housing main body having a communication passage connected to a class,
An internal passage is formed in the communication passage and has openings at both ends in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, and when the opening of the valve body and the opening of the internal passage overlap each other, A flow-in fluid, a seal member made of a synthetic resin for flowing out to the communication passage through the internal passage,
Furthermore, at the tip end portion of the seal member, which is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, on the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member , the inner diameter is continuously reduced toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. An inclined annular direction changing portion is formed up to the outer peripheral surface of the valve body,
The flow passage switching valve , wherein a tip end portion of the seal member having the direction changing portion is pressed against and brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body by a compression spring . A valve body which is formed in a cylindrical shape in the direction in which the axis extends and in which an opening into which a fluid flows is formed on the outer peripheral surface;
A valve accommodating portion in which the valve body is rotatably accommodated around the axis of the valve body, and an external auxiliary device opened in the valve accommodating portion in a direction orthogonal to a tangent line of the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. A housing main body having a communication passage connected to a class,
An internal passage that is provided in the communication passage and has openings at both ends in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body is formed, and when the opening of the valve body and the opening of the internal passage overlap, the communication passage is formed. A sealing member made of a synthetic resin , which allows an inflowing fluid to flow into the valve body from the opening of the valve body through the internal passage,
Furthermore, at the tip end portion of the seal member, which is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, on the inner peripheral surface side of the seal member , the inner diameter is continuously reduced toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. An inclined annular direction changing portion is formed up to the outer peripheral surface of the valve body,
The flow passage switching valve , wherein a tip end portion of the seal member having the direction changing portion is pressed against and brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body by a compression spring . The flow path switching valve according to claim 1 or 2,
The direction changing portion of the seal member has an inner diameter continuously reduced from the middle of the inner peripheral surface extending linearly in the axial direction of the seal member to the inner side, and further toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. A flow path switching valve having a linear cross section in the axial direction. The flow path switching valve according to claim 1 or 2,
The direction changing portion of the seal member has an inner diameter continuously reduced from the middle of the inner peripheral surface extending linearly in the axial direction of the seal member to the inner side, and further toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. A flow path switching valve having an axial cross section formed in an arc shape. The flow path switching valve according to claim 1 or 2,
The direction changing portion of the seal member is formed between both the openings of the internal passage, and the inner peripheral surface has a tapered shape in which the inner diameter continuously decreases toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. A flow path switching valve characterized in that it is formed in. A fluid pump that pressurizes and feeds a fluid serving as a heat medium that cools a heat source, a flow path switching valve that sends the fluid from the fluid pump to a plurality of accessories, or the fluid from the plurality of accessories. A heat medium system for an automobile, comprising: a flow path switching valve for sending to the fluid pump,
The flow path switching valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the flow path switching valve.
A heat medium system for an automobile, which is characterized in that The heat carrier system for an automobile according to claim 6,
The heat source is an internal combustion engine, and the accessories are at least a radiator, a heating device, and an oil cooler,
The flow path switching valve selectively distributes cooling water of the internal combustion engine to the radiator, the heating device, and the oil cooler.
A heat medium system for an automobile, which is characterized in that

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