JP7305598B2 - flow control valve - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to flow control valves.

Conventionally, there is a relief valve mechanism adjusting device described in Patent Document 1, for example. The adjustment device includes a relief valve seat (corresponding to the "housing main body" in this specification) having a valve opening at the bottom of a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a relief valve (also referred to as "valve element") for opening and closing the valve opening. ), a relief spring that biases the relief valve in the closing direction (same as "spring"), and a relief spring stopper (same as "Valve opening pressure adjusting member"). The set load of the relief spring is adjusted according to the amount of press fit of the relief spring stopper into the relief valve seat.

JP 2019-27286 A

According to the conventional example, since the relief spring stopper is fully press-fitted into the relief valve seat over the entire circumference, there is a problem that the press-fitting load of the relief spring stopper is large.

The problem to be solved by the technique disclosed in this specification is to reduce the press-fitting load of the valve opening pressure adjusting member to the housing.

In order to solve the above problems, the technique disclosed in this specification takes the following measures.

The first means comprises a housing having a hollow cylindrical valve chamber with a valve port opened at one end of the valve chamber, a valve body for opening and closing the valve port, and a valve body attached in the closing direction. and a valve opening pressure adjusting member having a spring seat supporting an end of the spring opposite to the valve element side, wherein the amount of press fit of the valve opening pressure adjusting member into the housing In the flow control valve, the set load of the spring is adjusted according to the pressure, wherein the valve opening pressure adjusting member is intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the valve opening pressure adjusting member and is elastically attached to the housing A flow control valve in which a press-fit piece group is formed of a plurality of press-fit pieces that come into contact with.

According to the first means, the valve opening pressure adjusting member is formed with a press fitting piece group consisting of a plurality of press fitting pieces that are intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the valve opening pressure adjusting member and elastically contact the housing. there is Therefore, compared to the case where the valve-opening pressure adjusting member is entirely press-fitted into the housing over the entire circumference (see Patent Document 1), the press-fitting load of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member into the housing can be reduced. As a result, the workability of press-fitting the valve-opening pressure adjusting member can be improved.

A second means is the flow control valve of the first means, wherein the press-fit piece group is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the valve opening pressure adjusting member.

According to the second means, the press-fit piece group can be brought into contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber of the housing. As a result, there is no need to provide a dedicated wall surface with which the press-fit pieces come into contact.

A third means is the flow control valve of the second means, wherein the press-fitting piece group extends from the base end in a direction opposite to the side that compresses the spring in a direction that gradually expands in diameter. , is the flow control valve.

According to the third means, the press-fit piece group can be easily press-fitted into the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber of the housing. In addition, it is possible to suppress displacement of the press-fit piece group in the removal direction after the adjustment of the valve opening pressure.

A fourth means is the flow control valve of the third means, wherein a cylindrical spring guide for guiding the spring is provided between the spring seat portion of the valve opening pressure adjusting member and the press-fitting piece group. A portion is formed in the flow control valve, and the press-fit piece group is arranged at a position axially spaced apart from the spring seat portion.

According to the fourth means, the length in the axial direction of the spring guide portion can be increased compared to the case where the group of press-fitting pieces is arranged at a position close to the spring seat portion. Thereby, the posture of the spring can be further stabilized.

A fifth means is the flow control valve of the first means, wherein the housing is formed with a mounting hole that opens on the side opposite to the valve port of the valve chamber, and the valve opening pressure is adjusted. The member is formed with a fitting portion that fits into the mounting hole, and the press-fit piece group is the flow control valve arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the fitting portion.

According to the fifth means, the diameter of the valve opening pressure adjusting member can be reduced. As a result, the flow control valve can be miniaturized.

A sixth means is the flow control valve of any one of the second to fifth means, wherein the inclination of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member is suppressed between the adjacent press-fitting pieces of the press-fitting piece group. It is a flow control valve in which a tilt suppressing portion is formed.

According to the sixth means, when the valve-opening pressure adjusting member is tilted when the valve-opening pressure adjusting member is press-fitted into the inner peripheral wall surface of the mounting hole of the housing, the tilt suppressing portion abuts against the inner peripheral wall surface of the mounting hole. Thus, the inclination of the valve opening pressure adjusting member can be suppressed.

A seventh means is the flow control valve of any one of the first to sixth means, wherein the valve opening pressure adjusting member is made of a metal material, the housing is made of a resin material, and the housing includes the It is a flow control valve in which a metal ring with which a group of press-fit pieces contacts is arranged.

According to the seventh means, since the press-fit piece group of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member and the metal ring arranged in the housing are in contact with each other, the valve-opening pressure caused by the resin creep due to the thermal load of the housing is reduced. It is possible to suppress the displacement of the adjusting member in the removal direction, and improve the reliability against the removal of the valve opening pressure adjusting member.

According to the technique disclosed in this specification, it is possible to reduce the press-fit load of the valve opening pressure adjusting member to the housing.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an evaporated fuel processing device according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a relief valve; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing part III of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the relief valve before the cover is attached; It is a perspective view showing a retainer. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a retainer; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a relief valve according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing the X section of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a retainer according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a retainer according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a relief valve according to Embodiment 5; 14 is an enlarged view showing the XIV part of FIG. 13; FIG. It is a perspective view showing a retainer. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a retainer; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII of FIG. 16; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 16; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for assembling the retainer;

Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the technology disclosed in this specification will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
The flow control valve of this embodiment is provided as a relief valve in an evaporative fuel processing device mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with an internal combustion engine (engine). For this reason, the relief valve will be described after the summary of the evaporated fuel processing device is described.

(Overview of Evaporative Fuel Processing Device)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an evaporative fuel processing device. As shown in FIG. 1, in the evaporative fuel processing device 10 , the evaporative fuel evaporated in the fuel tank 12 passes through the vapor passage 13 and is adsorbed by an adsorbent such as activated carbon in the canister 17 . In the middle of the vapor passage 13, a shutoff valve 14 is interposed, which is an electric opening/closing valve. A bypass passage 15 that bypasses the block valve 14 is provided in the vapor passage 13 . A relief valve 30 is interposed in the middle of the bypass passage 15 . The fuel in the fuel tank 12 is supplied from the fuel tank 12 to the internal combustion engine 24 through the fuel supply path 22 by the fuel supply device 20 .

The canister 17 is connected through a purge passage 18 to an intake passage 26 of an internal combustion engine 24 . A purge valve 19 is interposed in the middle of the purge passage 18 . When the purge valve 19 is opened at a predetermined timing while the internal combustion engine 24 is running, the vaporized fuel in the canister 17 passes through the purge passage 18 and into the intake passage 26 using the intake negative pressure of the internal combustion engine 24 . supplied to The closing valve 14 and the purge valve 19 are controlled to be opened and closed by an engine control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 28 .

Further, when the vehicle is parked, the vapor passage 13 is shut off by maintaining the shutoff valve 14 in the closed state. Therefore, the evaporated fuel in the fuel tank 12 does not flow into the canister 17 . During refueling, the vapor passage 13 is communicated by opening the block valve 14 . Therefore, the evaporated fuel in the fuel tank 12 passes through the vapor passage 13 and is adsorbed by the adsorbent in the canister 17 . Further, the pressure in the fuel tank 12 is kept at a proper pressure by the relief valve 30 when the shutoff valve 14 is closed while the vehicle is parked.

(Relief valve 30)
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a relief valve. Regarding the relief valve 30, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are defined based on FIG. For example, the relief valve 30 may be arranged so that the axial direction of the vehicle is oriented in the vertical direction. The relief valve 30 corresponds to the "flow control valve" referred to in this specification.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the relief valve 30 includes a housing 31 , a positive pressure side relief valve mechanism 50 and a negative pressure side relief valve mechanism 60 . The housing 31 has a housing body 32 , a cover 40 and a retaining member 42 . The housing main body 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom. A cover 40 closes the upper end opening of the housing body 32 . The housing body 32 and the cover 40 form a hollow cylindrical valve chamber 33 whose axial direction extends vertically. The housing main body 32 and the cover 40 are each made of a resin material.

The housing main body 32 has a cylindrical tubular wall portion 32a and a bottom wall portion 32b that closes the lower opening of the tubular wall portion 32a. A first communication port 34 is concentrically formed in the central portion of the bottom wall portion 32b. The first communication port 34 opens at one end (lower end) of the valve chamber 33 . The first communication port 34 corresponds to the "valve port" in this specification. A second communication port 35 is formed on the left side of the tubular wall portion 32a.

The first communication port 34 is connected to the fuel tank 12 via passage portions (see FIG. 1) of the vapor passage 13 and the bypass passage 15 on the fuel tank 12 side. Further, the second communication port 35 is connected to the canister 17 via the passage portion (see FIG. 1) of the vapor passage 13 and the bypass passage 15 on the canister 17 side.

An annular valve seat 37 is concentrically arranged on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 32b. The valve seat 37 is made of a metal material and integrated with the bottom wall portion 32b by insert molding. The inner periphery of the valve seat 37 forms the upper edge of the first communication port 34 . In addition, a stepped fitting recess 38 is formed in the inner peripheral portion of the upper end of the cylinder wall portion 32a (see FIG. 3).

The cover 40 is shaped like a cap that closes the upper end opening of the cylindrical wall portion 32 a of the housing body 32 . A lower outer peripheral corner portion 40a of the cover 40 is fitted into a fitting recess 38 of the tubular wall portion 32a (see FIG. 3). A stepped engagement concave portion 40 b is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the upper end of the cover 40 .

The retainer member 42 is formed in an annular shape to cover the upper outer peripheral portion of the cylinder wall portion 32 a and the outer peripheral portion including the engaging recess 40 b of the cover 40 . The retaining member 42 is formed by secondary molding of resin. The retaining member 42 connects the cover 40 to the housing body 32 in a retaining state. The housing main body 32 and the cover 40 are each formed by primary molding of resin.

The positive pressure side relief valve mechanism 50 and the negative pressure side relief valve mechanism 60 are incorporated in the valve chamber 33 of the housing 31 . The positive pressure side relief valve mechanism 50 is a valve mechanism that opens when the pressure on the side of the first communication port 34, that is, on the fuel tank 12 side becomes equal to or higher than the valve opening pressure on the positive pressure side. The negative pressure side relief valve mechanism 60 is a valve mechanism that opens when the pressure on the fuel tank 12 side becomes equal to or lower than the valve opening pressure on the negative pressure side. In FIG. 2, both relief valve mechanisms 50, 60 are shown in the closed state.

The first valve body 51 of the positive pressure side relief valve mechanism 50 and the second valve body 61 of the negative pressure side relief valve mechanism 60 are concentrically arranged in the valve chamber 33 so as to be vertically movable. The first valve body 51 has an annular plate-shaped first valve plate portion 51 a that opens and closes the first communication port 34 . An inner tubular portion 51b and an outer tubular portion 51c having an inner and outer double tubular shape are formed concentrically on the first valve plate portion 51a. The first valve body 51 corresponds to the "valve body" referred to in this specification.

An annular sealing member 53 made of a rubber-like elastic material is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the first valve plate portion 51a. An outer peripheral side seal lip 53a and an inner peripheral side seal lip 53b protrude in a double annular shape from the lower surface of the sealing member 53 . The outer seal lip 53 a faces the valve seat 37 . The inner peripheral seal lip 53 b faces the second valve plate portion 61 a of the second valve body 61 .

A plurality of communication holes 52 (two are shown in FIG. 2) are formed in the first valve plate portion 51a radially inward of the seal member 53 and penetrate in the plate thickness direction (vertical direction).

A retainer 70 is arranged above the valve chamber 33 . The retainer 70 is arranged in the valve chamber 33 of the housing body 32 prior to the cover 40 . The retainer 70 is a member that supports the first spring 55 and adjusts the set load of the first spring 55 . The retainer 70 will be explained later.

A first spring 55 made of a coil spring is concentrically arranged between the facing surfaces of the first valve plate portion 51 a of the first valve body 51 and the retainer 70 . The first spring 55 urges the first valve body 51 downward, that is, in the closing direction. A lower end portion of the first spring 55 is supported by the first valve plate portion 51 a inside the outer cylindrical portion 51 c of the first valve body 51 . The first spring 55 corresponds to the "spring" referred to in this specification.

The second valve body 61 concentrically has a disk-shaped second valve plate portion 61a and a valve shaft portion 61b protruding above the second valve plate portion 61a. The valve shaft portion 61b is inserted through the inner cylindrical portion 51b of the first valve body 51 from below so as to be vertically movable. An annular plate-shaped spring receiving member 62 is attached to the tip (upper end) of the valve shaft portion 61b. The second valve plate portion 61 a opens and closes the communication hole 52 of the first valve body 51 and faces the inner peripheral seal lip 53 b of the seal member 53 .

A second spring 65 made of a coil spring is interposed concentrically between the facing surfaces of the first valve plate portion 51 a of the first valve body 51 and the spring receiving member 62 . A lower end portion of the second spring 65 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylindrical portion 51 b of the first valve body 51 . The second spring 65 biases the second valve body 61 upward, that is, in the closing direction. The second spring 65 has a biasing force smaller than that of the first spring 55 .

(Operation of relief valve 30)
Normally (see FIG. 2), the first valve plate portion 51a of the first valve body 51 is seated on the valve seat 37 by the force of the first spring 55, which is the valve closed state. At this time, the outer peripheral seal lip 53 a of the seal member 53 is in close contact with the valve seat 37 . Also, the second valve plate portion 61a of the second valve body 61 is seated on the first valve plate portion 51a of the first valve body 51 by the force of the second spring 65, which is the closed state. At this time, the second valve plate portion 61 a is in close contact with the inner peripheral seal lip 53 b of the seal member 53 .

When the pressure on the fuel tank 12 side becomes equal to or higher than the valve opening pressure on the positive pressure side, the first valve body 51 rises against the force of the first spring 55, that is, the valve is opened. Thereby, the pressure in the fuel tank 12 is lowered. At this time, the outer peripheral seal lip 53 a of the seal member 53 is separated from the valve seat 37 .

Further, when the pressure on the fuel tank 12 side becomes equal to or lower than the valve opening pressure on the negative pressure side, the second valve body 61 moves downward against the force of the second spring 65, that is, the valve is opened. As a result, the pressure inside the fuel tank 12 is increased. At this time, the second valve plate portion 61 a of the second valve body 61 is separated from the inner peripheral seal lip 53 b of the seal member 53 .

(Retainer 70)
5 is a perspective view showing the retainer, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the retainer 70 has a spring seat portion 71, a spring guide portion 72, a support portion 73, and a press-fit piece group 74 (see FIGS. 6 to 8). The retainer 70 is made of metal material. Specifically, the retainer 70 is formed by press-molding a springy metal material. The retainer 70 corresponds to the "valve opening pressure adjusting member" referred to in this specification.

The spring seat portion 71 is formed in an annular plate shape. The spring guide portion 72 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending axially (downward) from the outer peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 71 . As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper half portion 72a of the spring guide portion 72 is formed in a right cylindrical shape. A lower half portion 72b of the spring guide portion 72 is formed in a gently tapered cylindrical shape whose diameter gradually increases downward. The support portion 73 is formed in the shape of an annular plate that expands radially outward from the lower end portion of the spring guide portion 72 (see FIG. 6). The spring guide portion 72 is arranged between the spring seat portion 71 and the press-fit piece group 74 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , the press-fit piece group 74 is composed of a plurality of (for example, six) press-fit pieces 74 a formed on the outer peripheral portion of the support portion 73 . The press-fit piece 74a is formed in the shape of a square piece (see FIG. 5). The six press-fit pieces 74a are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the support portion 73 . That is, the six press-fit pieces 74a are intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the retainer 70 . The six press-fit pieces 74a, that is, the press-fit piece group 74, as a whole, gradually expands from the lower end (base end) toward the side (upper side) opposite to the side (lower side) that compresses the first spring 55. It is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape with a diameter. The press-fit pieces 74 a have spring properties, that is, elasticity, which allows them to be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the retainer 70 .

The press-fit piece group 74 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the retainer 70 . In addition, the press-fit piece group 74 is arranged at a position away from the spring seat portion 71 in the axial direction, that is, at a position away from the side (lower side) that compresses the first spring 55 (see FIG. 7). In the free state of the press-fit pieces 74a, the base end (lower end) of the press-fit piece group 74 has an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33, and the distal end (upper end) of the press-fit piece group 74 ) has an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 .

Tilt suppressing pieces 75 are arranged between adjacent press-fitting pieces 74 a of the press-fitting piece group 74 . The tilt suppression piece 75 is formed in the shape of a square piece. The six tilt suppressing pieces 75 are generally formed in a right cylindrical shape extending from the lower end (base end) toward the side (upper side) opposite to the side (lower side) that compresses the first spring 55. It is The press-fit piece 74a and the tilt suppression piece 75 that are adjacent to each other are arranged with a predetermined gap therebetween. The tilt suppressing piece 75 corresponds to the "tilt suppressing portion" referred to in this specification.

(Assembly of retainer 70)
As shown in FIG. 4 , the retainer 70 is arranged in the valve chamber 33 of the housing body 32 prior to the cover 40 . Therefore, first, both valve bodies 51 and 61 and both springs 55 and 65 are arranged in the valve chamber 33 of the housing body 32 . Next, the spring guide portion 72 of the retainer 70 is fitted to the upper end portion of the first spring 55 and the spring seat portion 71 is brought into contact with the upper end surface of the first spring 55 . In this state, the retainer 70 is pressed downward against the biasing force of the first spring 55 . As a result, each press-fitting piece 74a of the press-fitting piece group 74 of the retainer 70 is press-fitted into the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32 by utilizing springiness (elasticity) (see two-dot chain line 70 in FIG. 4). This press-fitting is called "temporary press-fitting". Further, when the retainer 70 is press-fitted, the tip of each press-fitting piece 74a is elastically slidably brought into contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32. As shown in FIG. The inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical wall portion 32 a corresponds to the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 .

Next, the set load of the first spring 55 is measured by a measuring device, and the additional press-fitting amount required for the target set load is calculated based on the measured value and the spring constant of the first spring 55 . The retainer 70 is press-fitted into the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32 by a pressing member (not shown) according to the additional press-fitting amount (see solid line 70 in FIG. 4). Thereby, the set load of the first spring 55 is adjusted. The press-fitting at this time is called "main press-fitting". Further, the force for preventing the press-fitting piece group 74 from coming off upward (in the direction opposite to the press-fitting direction) due to the press-fitting of the retainer 70 into the housing body 32 is greater than the spring force of the first spring 55 .

After that, after the cover 40 is fitted to the housing main body 32, the retainer member 42 is secondary molded to the housing main body 32 and the cover 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Note that the cover 40 and the retainer 70 are arranged so as not to contact each other.

(Advantages of Embodiment 1)
According to this embodiment, the retainer 70 is provided with a plurality of press-fit pieces 74a intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the retainer 70 and elastically contacting the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32 of the housing 31. A press-fit piece group 74 is formed. Therefore, the press-fitting load of the retainer 70 to the housing body 32 of the housing 31 is reduced compared to the case where the retainer 70 is fully press-fitted to the housing body 32 of the housing 31 over the entire circumference (see Patent Document 1). be able to. As a result, the workability of press-fitting the retainer 70 can be improved.

Also, the press-fit piece group 74 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the retainer 70 . Therefore, the press-fit piece group 74 can be brought into contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 of the housing 31 . As a result, there is no need to provide a dedicated wall surface with which the press-fit piece group 74 contacts.

Moreover, the press-fit piece group 74 extends in a direction in which the diameter gradually expands from the base end toward the side opposite to the side that compresses the first spring 55 . Therefore, the press-fit piece group 74 can be easily press-fitted into the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 of the housing 31 (the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32). In addition, it is possible to suppress displacement of the press-fit piece group 74 in the removal direction after the adjustment of the valve opening pressure.

In addition, inclination suppressing pieces 75 are formed between the adjacent press-fitting pieces 74 a of the press-fitting piece group 74 to suppress inclination of the retainer 70 . Therefore, when the retainer 70 is pressed into the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 of the housing 31 , when the retainer 70 is tilted, the tilt suppressing pieces 75 contact the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 , thereby suppressing the tilt of the retainer 70 . can be suppressed.

Further, the retainer 70 is formed with a cylindrical spring guide portion 72 that guides the outer peripheral side of the upper end portion of the first spring 55 . Therefore, the posture of the first spring 55 can be stabilized by the spring guide portion 72 of the retainer 70 . In particular, in this embodiment, the straight cylindrical upper half of the spring guide portion 72 stabilizes the posture of the upper end portion of the first spring 55 (the end portion on the side of the spring seat portion 71 ), while the spring guide portion 72 The tapered tubular lower half portion allows the spring guide portion 72 to be easily fitted to the first spring 55 .

A spring guide portion 72 is formed between the spring seat portion 71 of the retainer 70 and the press-fitting piece group 74 , and the press-fitting piece group 74 is arranged at a position apart from the spring seat portion 71 in the axial direction. . Therefore, compared to the case where the press-fit piece group 74 is arranged at a position close to the spring seat portion 71, the axial length of the spring guide portion 72 can be increased. Thereby, the posture of the first spring 55 can be further stabilized.

In addition, since the retainer 70 after adjustment is not affected by disturbances (for example, caulking pressure when the cover 40 is caulked to the housing body 32, secondary molding pressure of the retainer member 42, etc.), the retainer 70 is not affected by disturbances. By suppressing the positional deviation, the deviation of the set load of the first spring 55 can be suppressed.

Further, since the retainer 70 can be press-fitted into the inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber 33 of the housing 31 steplessly, the set load of the first spring 55 can be adjusted steplessly.

[Embodiment 2]
Since the present embodiment is obtained by modifying the housing body 32 (see FIG. 2) of the first embodiment, the modified parts will be described, and the same parts as in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and duplicated. Description is omitted. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a relief valve, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing part X in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, a metal ring 80 made of a metal material is arranged on the upper inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical wall portion 32a of the housing body 32 of the housing 31. As shown in FIG. The metal ring 80 is formed in a right cylindrical shape. The metal ring 80 is integrated with the housing body 32 by insert molding. The metal ring 80 has the same inner diameter as the inner diameter of the tubular wall portion 32 a of the housing body 32 . Therefore, the tip of each press-fit piece 74a of the press-fit piece group 74 of the retainer 70 elastically contacts the inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 80 (see FIG. 10). The inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 80 corresponds to the "inner peripheral wall surface of the valve chamber" referred to in this specification.

(Advantages of Embodiment 2)
According to this embodiment, since the press-fit piece group 74 of the retainer 70 and the metal ring 80 arranged in the housing body 32 of the housing 31 are in contact with each other, the heat load of the housing body 32 of the housing 31 causes It is possible to suppress displacement of the retainer 70 in the removal direction due to resin creep, and improve reliability against removal of the retainer 70 .

[Embodiment 3]
Since the present embodiment is obtained by modifying the retainer 70 (see FIG. 2) of the first embodiment, only the modified portion will be described, and redundant description will be omitted. Parts corresponding to the retainer of the third embodiment are assigned reference numerals in the 100s. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a retainer. As shown in FIG. 11, a short cylindrical spring guide portion 172 extending downward is concentrically formed on the outer peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 171 of the retainer 170 . A support portion 173 is arranged at the lower end portion of the spring guide portion 172 . A press-fitting piece group 174 made up of a plurality of press-fitting pieces 174 a is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the support portion 173 . The upper end portion of the press-fit piece group 174 is arranged at a position higher than the spring seat portion 171 . 11, the inclination suppressing pieces 75 of the retainer 70 (see FIG. 7) of the first embodiment are omitted. Also, the spring seat portion 171 is formed in a disc shape. The retainer 170 corresponds to the "valve opening pressure adjusting member" referred to in this specification.

[Embodiment 4]
Since the present embodiment is obtained by modifying the retainer 70 (see FIG. 2) of the first embodiment, only the modified portion will be described, and redundant description will be omitted. Parts corresponding to the retainer of the fourth embodiment are assigned reference numerals in the 200s. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a retainer. As shown in FIG. 12, a short cylindrical spring guide portion 272 extending downward is concentrically formed on the inner peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 271 of the retainer 270 . The spring guide portion 272 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The spring guide portion 272 is fitted in the upper end portion of the first spring 55 and guides the inner peripheral side of the upper end portion of the first spring 55 .

A press-fit piece group 274 consisting of a plurality of press-fit pieces 274 a is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 271 . The press-fit piece group 274 is arranged at a position higher than the spring seat portion 271 . The spring seat portion 271 also serves as a support portion for the press-fit piece group 274 . 12, the tilt suppressing pieces 75 of the retainer 70 (see FIG. 7) of the first embodiment are omitted. The retainer 270 corresponds to the "valve opening pressure adjusting member" referred to in this specification.

[Embodiment 5]
Since this embodiment is obtained by modifying the attachment structure (see FIG. 2) of the retainer 70 to the housing 31 of the first embodiment, only the modified parts will be described, and redundant description will be omitted. 300-series reference numerals are attached to the parts that are modified from the fifth embodiment. 13 is a sectional view showing the relief valve, FIG. 14 is an enlarged view showing the XIV portion of FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the retainer, FIG. 16 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII--XVIII of FIG. 16, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for assembling the retainer.

(Cover 40)
As shown in FIG. 13, a hollow cylindrical attachment hole 341 is concentrically formed in the central portion of the cover 40 (see FIG. 14). The mounting hole 341 opens on the opposite side (upper side) of the first communication port 34 of the valve chamber 33 . As shown in FIG. 14, the upper end opening of the attachment hole 341 is formed with a recessed groove 341a having a counterbore shape.

A metal ring 380 made of a metal material is concentrically integrated in the mounting hole 341 by insert molding. Metal ring 380 is formed in a right cylindrical shape. The upper end surface of the metal ring 380 is substantially flush with the bottom surface of the groove 341a. A lower end portion of the metal ring 380 protrudes downward from the mounting hole 341 . The inner peripheral wall surface of the lower end portion of the metal ring 380 is formed with a tapered inclined surface 380a by C-chamfering. The inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 380 corresponds to the "inner peripheral wall surface of the mounting hole" referred to in this specification.

(Retainer 370)
As shown in FIG. 13, the retainer 370 has a spring seat portion 371, a spring guide portion 372, and a fitting tubular portion 373 (see FIGS. 15 and 16). The retainer 370 is made of metal material. Specifically, the retainer 370 is formed by press-molding a springy metal material. The retainer 370 corresponds to the "valve opening pressure adjusting member" referred to in this specification.

The spring seat portion 371 is formed in a disc shape. The spring guide portion 372 is formed in a right cylindrical shape extending axially (downward) from the outer peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 371 . A lower end portion 372a of the spring guide portion 372 is formed in a gently tapered cylindrical shape whose diameter gradually increases downward.

The fitting tube portion 373 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape protruding to the opposite side (upper side) from the first spring 55 side at the central portion of the spring seat portion 371 (see FIG. 15). The fitting tube portion 373 is arranged concentrically with the retainer 370 . As shown in FIG. 14, the upper end opening of the fitting tube portion 373 is closed by a disk-shaped cover plate portion 373a. The fitting tube portion 373 corresponds to the “fitting portion” referred to in this specification.

As shown in FIG. 16, a press-fit piece group 374 including a plurality of (for example, six) press-fit pieces 374a is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the fitting cylinder portion 373 (see FIG. 15). The six press-fitting pieces 374a are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the fitting cylinder portion 373 . That is, the six press-fitting pieces 374a are intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the retainer 370 . The press-fit piece 374a is formed in the shape of a vertically long rectangular piece with an arcuate cross section.

As shown in FIG. 17, the press-fitting piece 374a is a band-shaped portion extending from the inner peripheral portion of the spring seat portion 371, that is, the position radially outwardly displaced from the lower end of the fitting tubular portion 373 to the upper end of the fitting tubular portion 373. It is formed by cutting out the The six press-fitting pieces 374a, ie, the press-fitting piece group 374, are formed in a tapered tubular shape that gradually decreases in diameter upward from the base end (lower end) when viewed as a whole. Here, "upward" means the direction opposite to the side (lower side) that compresses the first spring 55 (see FIG. 13).

The press-fit piece 374a has a spring property, ie, elasticity, that allows it to be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the retainer 370 (see two-dot chain line 374a in FIG. 17). In the free state of the press-fitting pieces 374a, the base end (lower end) of the press-fitting piece group 374 has an outer diameter 374d slightly larger than the inner diameter 380d of the metal ring 380, and the distal end of the press-fitting piece group 374 ( The upper end) has an outer diameter 374e that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter 380d of the metal ring 380.

As shown in FIG. 16, tilt suppressing pieces 375 are arranged between adjacent press-fitting pieces 374a of the press-fitting piece group 374 (see FIG. 15). The tilt suppressing piece 375 is formed in the shape of a pillar extending from the lower end of the fitting tube portion 373 to the cover plate portion 373a. The six tilt suppressing pieces 375 are formed based on the fitting tube portion 373 and are formed in a right cylindrical shape as a whole. The press-fit piece 374a and the tilt suppression piece 375 that are adjacent to each other are arranged with a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. The tilt suppressing piece 375 corresponds to the "tilt suppressing portion" referred to in this specification.

As shown in FIG. 18, the six tilt suppression pieces 375 including the cover plate portion 373a have an outer diameter 375d slightly smaller than the inner diameter 380d of the metal ring 380. As shown in FIG. As a result, the six tilt suppression pieces 375 can be fitted into the metal ring 380 of the cover 40 with a small clearance.

(Assembly of retainer 370)
As shown in FIG. 19, the fitting tubular portion 373 of the retainer 370 is inserted into the metal ring 380 of the cover 40 from below. As a result, each press-fitting piece 374a of the press-fitting piece group 374 of the fitting tube portion 373 is press-fitted into the metal ring 380 of the cover 40 by utilizing springiness (elasticity). This press-fitting is called "temporary press-fitting". When the retainer 370 is temporarily press-fitted, each press-fitting piece 374a of the press-fitting piece group 374 is elastically brought into sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the metal ring 380 (specifically, the upper end corner of the inclined surface 380a). As a result, each press fitting piece 374a is elastically deformed (flexurally deformed) in the direction of diameter reduction. Further, in this specification, press-fitting in the direction of compressing the first spring 55 is also referred to as "forward press-fitting". ” is also called.

On the other hand, both valve bodies 51 and 61 and both springs 55 and 65 are arranged in the valve chamber 33 of the housing body 32 . Next, the spring guide portion 372 of the retainer 370 attached to the cover 40 in advance is fitted to the upper end portion of the first spring 55 , and the spring seat portion 371 is brought into contact with the upper end surface of the first spring 55 . In this state, the cover 40 is pressed downward against the biasing force of the first spring 55 and fitted into the housing body 32 . After that, the retaining member 42 is secondarily formed on the housing main body 32 and the cover 40 (see FIG. 13). The retainer 370 at this time is positioned higher than the position shown in FIG.

Next, the set load of the first spring 55 is measured by a measuring device, and the additional press-fitting amount required for the target set load is calculated based on the measured value and the spring constant of the first spring 55 . Depending on the additional press-fitting amount, the fitting cylinder portion 373 of the retainer 370 is press-fitted downward (forward direction) by a pressing member (not shown) (see FIG. 13). Thereby, the set load of the first spring 55 is adjusted. The press-fitting at this time is called "main press-fitting". Further, by the full press-fitting of the retainer 370 into the cover 40 , the press-fitting piece group 374 maintains the press-fitted state of the cover 40 with respect to the metal ring 380 by elastic restoring force. At this time, the force for preventing the press-fit piece group 374 from coming off upward (in the direction opposite to the positive press-fit direction) is greater than the spring force of the first spring 55 .

Then, the groove 341a of the cover 40 is filled with a sealing material 378 made of potting resin or the like. The encapsulant 378 is then cured.

(Advantages of Embodiment 5)
According to this embodiment, the retainer 370 is press-fitted with a plurality of press-fitting pieces 374a intermittently arranged in the circumferential direction of the retainer 370 and elastically contacting the inner peripheral wall surface of the mounting hole 341 of the cover 40 of the housing 31. A strip group 374 is formed. Therefore, compared to the case where the retainer 370 is entirely press-fitted to the cover 40 of the housing 31 over the entire circumference (see Patent Document 1), the press-fit load of the retainer 370 to the cover 40 of the housing 31 can be reduced. can. As a result, the workability of press-fitting the retainer 370 can be improved.

A mounting hole 341 is formed in the cover 40 of the housing 31 , and a fitting cylinder portion 373 that fits into the mounting hole 341 is formed in the retainer 370 . are located on the outer periphery of the Therefore, the diameter of the retainer 370 can be reduced. As a result, the relief valve 30 can be miniaturized.

Moreover, the press-fit piece group 374 extends in a direction in which the diameter gradually decreases from the base end toward the side opposite to the side that compresses the first spring 55 . Therefore, the press-fit piece group 374 can be easily press-fitted into the inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 380 of the cover 40 of the housing 31 .

Between the adjacent press-fitting pieces 374 a of the press-fitting piece group 374 , inclination suppressing pieces 375 are formed to suppress inclination of the retainer 370 . Therefore, when the retainer 370 is pressed into the inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 380 of the cover 40 of the housing 31 , when the retainer 370 is tilted, the tilt suppressing pieces 375 abut against the inner peripheral wall surface of the metal ring 380 . can be suppressed.

Further, the retainer 370 is formed with a tubular spring guide portion 372 that guides the outer peripheral side of the upper end portion of the first spring 55 . Therefore, the posture of the first spring 55 can be stabilized by the spring guide portion 372 of the retainer 370 .

In addition, since the press-fit piece group 374 of the retainer 370 and the metal ring 380 arranged on the cover 40 of the housing 31 are in contact with each other, the resin creep due to the heat load of the cover 40 of the housing 31 causes the retainer to leak. Positional deviation of the retainer 370 in the removal direction can be suppressed, and reliability against removal of the retainer 370 can be improved.

In addition, since the retainer 370 after adjustment is not affected by disturbances (for example, caulking pressure when the cover 40 is caulked to the housing body 32, secondary molding pressure of the retaining member 42, etc.), the retainer 370 is not affected by disturbances. By suppressing the positional deviation, the deviation of the set load of the first spring 55 can be suppressed.

Further, since the retainer 370 can be press-fitted into the cover 40 of the housing 31 steplessly, the set load of the first spring 55 can be adjusted steplessly.

[Other embodiments]
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the technique disclosed in this specification may be applied not only to the relief valve 30 of the evaporated fuel processing device 10 but also to relief valves of other devices. Further, the numbers of the press-fitting pieces 74a, 174a, 274a, 374a and/or the tilt suppressing pieces 75, 375 of the retainers 70, 170, 270, 370 may be increased or decreased. Also, the retainers 70, 170, 270, 370 may be made of a resin material. Also, the metal ring 380 may be omitted.

30 relief valve (flow control valve)
31 housing 32 housing body 33 valve chamber 34 first communication port (valve port)
40 cover 51 first valve body (valve body)
55 first spring (spring)
70 retainer (valve opening pressure adjusting member)
71 spring seat portion 72 spring guide portion 74 press-fit piece group 74a press-fit piece 75 tilt suppressing piece (tilt suppressing portion)
80 metal ring 170 retainer (valve opening pressure adjusting member)
171 spring seat portion 172 spring guide portion 173 support portion 174 press-fit piece group 174a press-fit piece 270 retainer (valve opening pressure adjusting member)
271 Spring seat portion 272 Spring guide portion 274 Press-fit piece group 274a Press-fit piece 341 Mounting hole 341a Groove 370 Retainer (valve opening pressure adjusting member)
371 Spring seat portion 372 Spring guide portion 373 Fitting tubular portion (fitting portion)
374 Press-fit piece group 374a Press-fit piece 375 Tilt suppressing piece (tilt suppressing portion)
380 metal ring

Claims (7)

a housing having a hollow cylindrical valve chamber and having a valve opening at one end of the valve chamber;
a valve body that opens and closes the valve opening;
a spring that biases the valve body in a closing direction;
a valve opening pressure adjusting member having a spring seat supporting an end of the spring opposite to the valve body;
and
A flow control valve in which the set load of the spring is adjusted according to the amount of press-fitting of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member into the housing,
The valve opening pressure adjusting member is provided with a press-fitting piece group consisting of a plurality of press-fitting pieces that are intermittently arranged in a circumferential direction of the valve opening pressure adjusting member and elastically contact the housing. valve. A flow control valve according to claim 1,
The flow control valve, wherein the press-fitting piece group is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member. A flow control valve according to claim 2,
A flow control valve, wherein the press-fitting piece group extends in a direction of gradually increasing diameter from a base end toward a side opposite to a side that compresses the spring. A flow control valve according to claim 3,
A cylindrical spring guide portion for guiding the spring is formed between the spring seat portion of the valve opening pressure adjusting member and the press-fitting piece group,
The flow control valve, wherein the press-fit piece group is arranged at a position axially away from the spring seat portion. A flow control valve according to claim 1,
The housing is formed with a mounting hole that opens on a side opposite to the valve port of the valve chamber,
A fitting portion that fits into the mounting hole is formed in the valve opening pressure adjusting member,
The flow control valve, wherein the press-fit piece group is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the fitting portion. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
A flow rate control valve, wherein an inclination suppressing portion for suppressing an inclination of the valve-opening pressure adjusting member is formed between the adjacent press-fit pieces of the press-fit piece group. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The valve opening pressure adjusting member is made of a metal material,
the housing is made of a resin material,
A flow control valve, wherein a metal ring is disposed in the housing with which the press-fit piece group contacts.

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