JP6972776B2 - Fluid control valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a fluid control valve including a valve body having a portion made of a magnetic material and controlling the flow of fluid, a valve seat capable of contacting the valve body, and a solenoid for moving the valve body to the valve seat side. Regarding.

The fluid control valve is provided between the internal combustion engine and a heat exchanger such as a heater core in a cooling system for cooling an automobile engine with a coolant, and controls the flow rate of the coolant flowing from the internal combustion engine to the heat exchanger. It is configured as.

Patent Document 1 describes a fluid control valve provided with a spring that urges the valve body to abut on the valve seat so that the valve body can be held in a closed state where the valve body abuts on the valve seat when the solenoid is not energized. Is disclosed. In this fluid control valve, when the solenoid is not energized, the valve body is held in a closed state in which the valve body abuts on the valve seat until the hydraulic pressure on the inflow path side rises to a magnitude that resists the urging force of the spring.
Therefore, the coolant cannot be circulated until the hydraulic pressure on the inflow path side rises to a magnitude that opposes the urging force of the spring, and the controllable flow rate range of the coolant is narrowed.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, as a spring mechanism, a first spring that urges the valve body toward the side close to the valve seat and a second spring that urges the valve body toward the side away from the valve seat are provided. A provided fluid control valve is disclosed. This spring mechanism is configured to hold the valve body in a balanced state at a position separated from the valve seat by a predetermined distance when the solenoid is not energized. Therefore, when the solenoid is not energized, the valve body and the valve seat do not adhere to each other, and the valve body moves responsively to the side separated from the valve seat according to the increase in the hydraulic pressure on the inflow path side. Can be made to. As a result, the flow rate range of the coolant that can be controlled by the fluid control valve can be expanded.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-12147 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-101943

In the fluid control valve of Patent Document 2, the spring force of the first spring that urges the valve body to the side close to the valve seat and the spring force of the second spring that urges the valve body to the side away from the valve seat. The position where the valve body separates from the valve seat when the solenoid is not energized is determined according to the balance of. Therefore, in order to change the position, it is necessary to readjust the balance between the spring force of the first spring and the spring force of the second spring, so that the valve body is released from the valve seat when the solenoid is not energized. The separation position cannot be easily adjusted.

In a cooling system that cools an automobile engine with a coolant, a water pump is arranged in a flow path provided with a fluid control valve, and fluid from the water pump is supplied to the fluid control valve. When the water pump is an electric pump, the hydraulic pressure of the coolant can be increased by increasing the rotation speed of the electric motor regardless of the rotation speed of the engine. Therefore, when a request for circulating the coolant to a heat exchanger such as a heater core occurs, the fluid control valve can be opened to respond by increasing the rotation speed of the electric motor. On the other hand, when the water pump is a mechanical pump, the rotation speed of the water pump fluctuates in proportion to the rotation of the engine. Therefore, when the engine speed is low, for example, when the automobile is stopped, the water pump speed is also low. Therefore, when a request for circulating the cooling liquid is generated in a heat exchanger such as a heater core, the state where the liquid pressure of the cooling liquid is low may be maintained and the fluid control valve may not shift to the open state.

In view of the above circumstances, there is a demand for a fluid control valve capable of flowing a predetermined amount of fluid even when the hydraulic pressure is low.

The characteristic configuration of the fluid control valve according to the present invention is a valve body having a portion made of a magnetic material and controlling the flow of fluid, a valve seat capable of contacting the valve body, and the valve body on the valve seat side. A first spring for urging, a solenoid for moving the valve body to the valve seat side, and an opening provided on the upstream side of the valve body in the flow direction of the fluid to separate the valve body from the valve seat. The pressing body for pressing in the direction, the second spring for urging the pressing body in the opening direction, and the pressing body provided on the downstream side in the flow direction of the fluid with respect to the pressing body are brought into contact with the pressing body to bring the pressing body into contact with the pressing body. When the second spring is set to have a larger urging force than the first spring urging force, the solenoid is not energized, and there is no fluid flow. The pressing body abuts on the regulating portion while pressing the valve body by the urging force of the second spring, so that the valve body is held at a small amount distribution position separated from the valve seat by a predetermined distance. be.

The fluid control valve of this configuration includes a pressing body in which the valve body is held in a small amount flow position separated from the valve seat by a predetermined distance when the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow. Therefore, when the solenoid is not energized, the valve body and the valve seat do not adhere to each other, and even when the hydraulic pressure on the inflow path side is low, a small amount of fluid can flow. As a result, when it is necessary to circulate the fluid in the fluid control valve, the fluid supplied to the fluid control valve can be reliably circulated regardless of the magnitude of the hydraulic pressure on the inflow path side.
Further, if the water pump is driven, the valve body is separated from the valve seat and the fluid flows even when the solenoid is not energized. Therefore, when the flow rate of the fluid increases, the valve body and the valve according to the increase amount. The space between the seats increases. Therefore, with the fluid control valve having this configuration, the minimum flow rate for flowing the fluid can be set to a small amount, and the flow rate of the fluid can be controlled over a wide range.

Another characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the pressing body is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a through hole through which a fluid flows in the center.
Another characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the pressing body is made of resin.

In the fluid control valve, when the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow, the pressing body abuts on the regulating portion while pressing the valve body by the urging force of the second spring, so that the valve body is only a predetermined distance from the valve seat. It is held in a small amount of separated flow position, and when the solenoid is energized, the valve body receives the magnetic force from the valve seat and is attracted to the valve seat. At this time, if the pressing body is made of resin as in the present configuration, the pressing body does not hinder the reduction of the magnetic force acting on the valve body from the valve seat, so that the valve body should be stably maintained in the closed position. Can be done.

It is a schematic diagram of a cooling system equipped with a fluid control valve. It is sectional drawing which shows the initial state of a fluid control valve. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the fluid control valve opens by hydraulic pressure. It is sectional drawing which shows the closed state of a fluid control valve. It is a perspective view which shows the solenoid. It is a perspective view which shows the pressing body. It is a perspective view of the pressing body of the fluid control valve of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the main part which shows the initial state of the fluid control valve of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an engine cooling system 100 equipped with a coolant stop valve A for a vehicle as an example of a fluid control valve according to the present invention.

In the engine cooling system 100, the coolant outlet port 52 of the engine 51 is connected to the inlet port 54 of the radiator 53, and the outlet port 55 of the radiator 53 is connected to the inlet port 57 of the thermostat valve 56. The outlet port 58 of the thermostat valve 56 is connected to the suction port 61 of the water pump 60 driven by the engine 51. The discharge port (not shown) of the water pump 60 is connected to the coolant inlet port (not shown) of the engine 51.

The heating outlet port (not shown) of the engine 51 is connected to the inlet port 1 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) of the coolant stop valve A. The outlet port 2 of the coolant stop valve A is connected to the inlet port 63 of the heater core 62 and the inlet port 66 of the EGR cooler 65. The outlet port 64 of the heater core 62 and the outlet port 67 of the EGR cooler 65 are connected to the bypass inlet port 59 of the thermostat valve 56. The bypass inlet port 59 communicates with the exit port 58.

The engine cooling system 100 is driven by the water pump 60 to cool the coolant (an example of the fluid) heated inside the engine 51 with the radiator 53, and then cools the cooling liquid so as to return to the engine 51 via the thermostat valve 56. Circulate the liquid. At low temperatures, the thermostat valve 56 is kept closed and the coolant does not flow to the radiator 53, and the coolant that has passed through the internal flow path of the engine 51 is the coolant stop valve A, the heater core 62 or the EGR cooler 65, and the thermostat. It circulates so as to return to the engine 51 via the valve 56.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the coolant stop valve A includes a valve body 7 having a portion made of a magnetic material in a housing 6 provided with a coolant flow hole 3 and controlling the flow of the coolant. , A valve seat 4 capable of contacting the valve body 7, a solenoid 5, and a coil spring 8 (an example of a first spring) that urges the valve body 7 toward the valve seat 4 (closed direction) are arranged. There is. The coolant stop valve A is excited so that the valve body 7 moves toward the valve seat 4 (closed direction) by energizing the solenoid 5.

The resin housing 6 includes an inlet flow path portion 6a, a housing main body 6b, and an outlet flow path portion 6c. The inlet flow path portion 6a has an inlet port 1 into which the coolant from the outlet port of the engine 51 flows. The housing body 6b has a coolant flow hole 3 that communicates the inlet port 1 and the outlet port 2, a valve seat 4 provided around the flow hole 3, and a solenoid 5. The outlet flow path portion 6c has an outlet port 63 connected to an inlet port 63 of the heater core 62 and an inlet port 66 of the EGR cooler 65. The inlet flow path portion 6a and the outlet flow path portion 6c are connected so as to be integrated with the housing body 6b so that the axis of the inlet port 1 and the axis of the outlet port 2 are the same flow path axis X. It is configured.

As shown in FIG. 5, the solenoid 5 includes a plate-shaped fixed yoke 9 and an electromagnetic coil 10. The fixed yoke 9 is made of a magnetic material such as iron. The electromagnetic coil 10 is attached to the fixed yoke 9, and when the solenoid 5 is energized, a magnetic field is generated in the fixed yoke 9 to attract the valve body 7 to the valve seat 4. The solenoid 5 has a socket (not shown) that electrically connects the electromagnetic coil 10 to an external drive circuit (not shown).

The fixed yoke 9 is a pair of extending plates extending in parallel to each other from the positions of the substrate portion 9a on which the circular flow hole 3 is formed and the positions of both sides of the substrate portion 9a sandwiching the flow hole 3 so as to face each other in parallel. It is formed in a substantially "U" shape in a plan view having the portion 9b integrally, and the peripheral portion of the flow hole 3 is provided as a valve seat 4. The solenoid 5 is insert-molded into the housing body 6b so that the portion constituting the valve seat 4 of the substrate portion 9a is exposed to the outside.

The electromagnetic coil 10 is configured by winding an insulating conducting wire around a bobbin 10a formed of a non-magnetic material such as resin, and a shaft made of a magnetic material such as iron is formed on the inside of the electromagnetic coil 10, that is, on the inner peripheral side of the bobbin 10a. The core 12 formed in a shape is mounted in a shape coaxial with the shaft core of the bobbin 10a. The electromagnetic coil 10 is attached to the fixed yoke 9 via the core 12 with the coil axis in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the valve body 7 (direction along the flow path axis X). Both ends of the core 12 are supported by a pair of support portions 13 integrally formed with each of the extending plate portions 9b so as to face each other in a direction parallel to the direction of sandwiching the flow hole 3 in the substrate portion 9a.

Each support portion 13 is configured by forming a slit groove 13b in a bent piece 13a formed by bending a side edge portion of an extended plate portion 9b at a right angle. The end portion of the core 12 is engaged with and supported by the slit groove 13b from the core radial direction. As a result, the magnetic path of the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnetic coil 10 is formed in an annular shape by the core 12, the pair of extending plate portions 9b, and the substrate portion 9a.

The valve body 7 is formed by insert-molding an annular strip member 7a made of a magnetic material such as iron into a resin portion 7b so that its surface is exposed on the side of the valve seat 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the valve body 7 is housed in the valve body accommodating space 15 formed in the housing body 6b.

The coil spring 8 is mounted inside the housing 6 over the valve body 7 and the outlet flow path portion 6c, and the end portion on the side facing the valve body 7 is outside the annular convex portion 7c provided on the resin portion 7b. It is fitted and fixed. The coil spring 8 urges the valve body 7 in a direction close to the valve seat 4 (closed direction). Therefore, when the solenoid 5 is not energized, the valve body 7 can move in the opening direction against the urging force of the coil spring 8 due to the hydraulic pressure of the coolant generated by the operation of the water pump 60. In the present embodiment, a guide portion 17 for guiding the movement of the valve body 7 in the direction of the flow path axis X is provided on the inner surface of the housing body 6b, and the valve body 7 is the outer peripheral surface of the resin portion 7b. It moves in the direction of the flow path axis X with a part of it in contact with the guide portion 17.

The inlet flow path portion 6a includes a pressing body 21 provided on the upstream side of the valve body 7 in the flow direction of the coolant and pressing the valve body 7 in the opening direction to separate the valve body 7 from the valve seat 4, and a pressing body 21. A coil spring 22 (an example of a second spring) that biases in the opening direction is arranged. In this embodiment, the pressing body 21 is made of resin. When the pressing body 21 is made of resin, the pressing body 21 does not hinder the reduction of the magnetic force acting on the valve body 7 from the valve seat 4, so that the valve body 7 can be stably maintained in the closed position.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing body 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes an annular portion 24, a side wall portion 25, and a plurality of pressing portions 26 provided on the annular portion 24. The annulus portion 24 has a thin plate shape and has a through hole 23 in the center through which the coolant flows. The side wall portion 25 extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion 24. The plurality of pressing portions 26 are formed in a rod shape and are vertically erected from the annular portion 24, and are dispersedly arranged around the through holes 23. The pressing portion 26 shown in FIG. 6 has a shape in which a cylindrical body is divided in half in the vertical direction, and the tip portion 26a is formed in a spherical shape. The pressing portion 26 is not specified in the shape shown in FIG. 6, and a space through which the coolant flows is formed between the pressing portion 26 and the adjacent pressing portion 26 so that the valve body 7 can be pressed in an appropriate posture. If it is, it may have another shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing body 6b is provided with a regulating portion 31 that regulates the movement of the pressing body 21. The restricting portion 31 is provided on the downstream side of the pressing body 21 in the flow direction of the coolant, and the annular portion 24 of the pressing body 21 comes into contact with the pressing body 21 to restrict the movement of the pressing body 21 in the opening direction.

One end of the coil spring 22 is internally fitted and fixed in the inner space formed by the annular portion 24 and the side wall portion 25 of the pressing body 21, and the other end is fixed to the inlet flow path portion 6a. The coil spring 22 (an example of the second spring) is set to be larger than the urging force of the coil spring 8 (an example of the first spring).

The operation of the coolant stop valve A will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the coolant stop valve A is in a state where the solenoid 5 is not energized and the coolant does not flow due to the drive stop of the water pump 60 (initial state in which the engine 51 is stopped). , The pressing body 21 urged by the coil spring 22 presses the valve body 7 in the opening direction. At this time, the annular portion 24 of the pressing body 21 comes into contact with the restricting portion 31 of the housing body 6b. As a result, the valve body 7 is held at a small flow rate position separated from the valve seat 4 by a predetermined distance L. Therefore, when the valve body 7 is in the small flow rate position, the inlet port 1 and the outlet port 2 communicate with each other through the gap between the valve seat 4 and the valve body 7.

When the driver operates the ignition key or the like, the solenoid 5 is energized before the engine 51 starts, that is, before the water pump 60 operates. As shown in FIG. 4, when the solenoid 5 is energized, the valve body 7 is attracted to the valve seat 4 against the urging force of the coil spring 22, and the coolant stop valve A is held in the closed state.

As a result, regardless of the operation of the water pump 60 accompanying the start of the engine 51, the inflow of the coolant into the heater core 62 and the EGR cooler 65 is prevented, and the coolant temperature drops due to heat exchange in the heater core 62 and the EGR cooler 65. It is suppressed. Further, when the coolant temperature is low, the thermostat valve 56 is also closed, so that the coolant does not flow to the radiator 53 either. Therefore, it is possible to promote an increase in the temperature of the coolant during the warm-up operation of the engine 51 and also to promote an increase in the temperature of the engine oil or the like, which contributes to the improvement of fuel efficiency.

After the engine 51 is started, when the coolant temperature reaches a predetermined temperature (end of warm-up operation), the solenoid 5 is switched to the non-energized state. When the solenoid 5 is switched to the non-energized state, the valve body 7 returns to the initial position (FIG. 2) and moves. That is, the valve body 7 is pressed by the pressing body 21 and held in the small amount distribution position. As a result, the coolant of the inlet port 1 flows out from the outlet port 2 toward the heater core 62 and the like through between the outer peripheral side of the valve body 7 and the inner peripheral side of the housing 6. After that, when the rotation speed of the water pump 60 increases due to the increase in the rotation of the engine 51, the hydraulic pressure of the coolant increases at the inlet port 1 of the coolant stop valve A and the flow rate increases. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 7 moves to the side away from the valve seat 4 from the initial position (FIG. 2). That is, in the coolant stop valve A, the flow rate of the coolant increases in proportion to the hydraulic pressure of the inlet port 1, and the flow rate of the coolant corresponding to the hydraulic pressure is directed from the outlet port 2 toward the heater core 62 and the like. leak.

As described above, when the solenoid 5 is not energized, the valve body 7 and the valve seat 4 do not adhere to each other, and even when the hydraulic pressure of the coolant at the inlet port 1 is low, a small amount of coolant flows. Will be possible. As a result, when it is necessary to circulate the coolant in the coolant stop valve A, the coolant supplied to the coolant stop valve A is surely circulated regardless of the magnitude of the hydraulic pressure of the inlet port 1. be able to.

Further, if the water pump 60 is driven, the valve body 7 is separated from the valve seat 4 and the fluid flows even when the solenoid 5 is not energized, so that the amount increases as the flow rate of the coolant increases. Therefore, the distance between the valve body 7 and the valve seat 4 becomes large. Therefore, in the case of the coolant stop valve A of the present embodiment, the minimum flow rate for circulating the coolant can be set to a small amount, and the flow rate of the coolant can be controlled in a wide range.

The cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the outer peripheral side of the valve body 7 and the inner peripheral side of the housing 6 is constant regardless of the moving distance from the initial position of the valve body 7 to the side away from the valve seat 4. Be maintained. Further, the inner wall portion 16 of the outlet flow path portion 6c is formed with a regulating portion that limits the moving distance of the valve body 7 from the initial position by contact with the valve body 7.

[Second Embodiment]
7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present invention.
In the coolant stop valve A of the present embodiment, the shape of the pressing body 41 is different from that of the first embodiment, and the pressing body 41 is configured to press the central portion of the valve body 7. Specifically, the pressing body 41 includes an annular portion 43 having a through hole 42 in the center, a plurality of connecting portions 44 extending radially inward from the inner peripheral surface 43a of the annular portion 43, and a through hole 42. It has a small diameter portion 45 located at the center of the above and connected to a plurality of connecting portions 44, and a pressing portion 46 is vertically erected from the small diameter portion 45. The tip portion 46a in contact with the valve body 7 in the pressing portion 46 is formed in a disk shape and has a larger diameter than the small diameter portion 45.

The coolant stop valve A is urged by the coil spring 22 as shown in FIG. 8 when the solenoid 5 is not energized and the coolant does not flow due to the drive stop of the water pump 60 (initial state). The pressed pressing body 41 presses the valve body 7 in the opening direction. At this time, the annular portion 43 of the pressing body 41 comes into contact with the restricting portion 31 of the housing body 6b. As a result, the valve body 7 is held at a small flow rate position separated from the valve seat 4 by a predetermined distance L, so that the coolant of the inlet port 1 can be circulated toward the outlet port 2.

The pressing body 41 is not specified in the shape of FIG. 7, and a space through which the coolant flows is formed between the pressing body 41 and the adjacent connecting portion 44, and the valve body 7 is pressed by the pressing portion 46 in an appropriate posture. Any other shape may be used as long as it can be formed.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, an example in which the guide portion 17 for guiding the movement of the valve body 7 is provided on the inner surface of the housing body 6b is shown, but the valve body 7 is the housing without providing the guide portion 17 on the inner surface of the housing body 6b. It may be configured to move in the direction of the flow path axis X while being separated from the inner surface of the main body 6b.

The present invention can be applied to a fluid control valve that controls the flow of a fluid such as a vehicle coolant or oil.

3: Distribution hole 4: Valve seat 5: Solenoid 6: Housing 6a: Inlet flow path 6b: Housing body 6c: Outlet flow path 7: Valve body 7a: Band plate member (magnetic material)
8: Coil spring (first spring)
9: Fixed yoke 10: Electromagnetic coil 15: Valve body accommodation space 21, 41: Pressing body 22: Coil spring (second spring)
23, 42: Through hole 24: Circular portion 25: Side wall portion 26, 46: Pressing portion 26a, 46a: Tip portion 31: Restricting portion 51: Engine 100: Engine cooling system A: Coolant stop valve (fluid control valve)
L: Predetermined distance X: Flow path axis

Claims (3)

A valve body that has a part made of magnetic material and controls the flow of fluid,
A valve seat that can come into contact with the valve body,
A first spring that urges the valve body to the valve seat side,
A solenoid that moves the valve body to the valve seat side,
A pressing body provided on the upstream side of the valve body in the flow direction of the fluid and pressing the valve body in the opening direction to separate the valve body from the valve seat.
A second spring that urges the pressing body in the opening direction,
It is provided with a regulating portion provided on the downstream side in the flow direction of the fluid with respect to the pressing body and restricting the movement of the pressing body when the pressing body comes into contact with the pressing body.
The urging force of the second spring is set to be larger than the urging force of the first spring.
When the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow, the pressing body abuts on the regulating portion while pressing the valve body by the urging force of the second spring, so that the valve body comes into contact with the regulating portion. A fluid control valve that is held in a small flow position separated by a predetermined distance from. The fluid control valve according to claim 1, wherein the pressing body is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a through hole through which a fluid flows in the center. The fluid control valve according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the pressing body is made of resin.

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