JP7793263B2 - Valve and valve assembly method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve for controlling a working fluid and a method for assembling the valve.

Valves used to control working fluids in various industrial fields have a valve seat and a valve body that can be attached to or detached from the valve seat, and by adjusting the valve opening, the pressure and flow rate of the working fluid can be controlled.

Typical valve types include spool valves, in which the spool, or valve element, moves parallel to the opening that serves as the valve seat; butterfly valves, in which the valve element has a pivot axis; and lift valves, in which the valve element moves perpendicular to the opening that serves as the valve seat. Among these valves, spool valves have a spool whose movement direction intersects with the direction in which the working fluid flows, making it difficult for the fluid pressure of the working fluid to act in the direction of spool movement, resulting in high spool responsiveness to driving force.

A known example of a spool valve is the solenoid valve disclosed in Patent Document 1. The solenoid valve in Patent Document 1 is primarily composed of a cylindrical spool housed in a sleeve, a solenoid unit fixed to one end of the sleeve and driving the spool, a retainer fixed to the other end of the sleeve, and a biasing means held between the spool and the retainer.

The retainer is press-formed into a bottomed cylinder and is composed of a cylindrical peripheral wall that is fixed to the sleeve and a bottom wall that is connected to the cylindrical peripheral wall. The biasing means is held between the spool and the bottom wall. After the cylindrical peripheral wall is fixed to the sleeve, the bottom wall is pressed toward the spool from the outside, causing plastic deformation at the connection between the cylindrical peripheral wall and the bottom wall, compressing the biasing means and allowing the biasing force of the biasing means to be appropriately adjusted. Furthermore, because the connection between the cylindrical peripheral wall and the bottom wall is plastically deformed, the biasing means can be held in a compressed state.

JP 2010-185497 A (page 5, Figure 8)

However, in the solenoid valve of Patent Document 1, the bottom wall is pressed toward the spool from the outside, causing plastic deformation at the connection between the cylindrical peripheral wall and the bottom wall. Therefore, if the bottom wall is moved toward the spool beyond its appropriate position, it cannot be returned in a direction away from the spool, resulting in low accuracy in adjusting the biasing force of the biasing means.

The present invention was developed to address these problems, and aims to provide a valve and a valve assembly method in which the biasing force of the biasing means is highly accurate.

In order to solve the above problems, the valve of the present invention comprises:
A valve comprising: a valve body movable within a case; a biasing means for biasing the valve body; and a retainer for holding the biasing means,
the retainer includes a cylindrical member fixed to the case, and a receiving member disposed within the cylindrical member and supporting one end of the biasing means;
The outer peripheral surface of the receiving member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member.
With this, the retainer is composed of separate members, the receiving member and the cylindrical member, and the receiving member is fixed to the cylindrical member in an appropriate position, so that a valve can be provided in which the biasing force of the biasing means is highly accurate.

A crimped portion may be formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical member.
According to this, since the crimping portion is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical member, the receiving member can be firmly fixed to the cylindrical member.

The cylindrical member may be made of a plastically deformable thin plate.
This allows the crimped portion to be configured well.

The receiving member may be a plate material.
This allows the axial dimension of the valve to be reduced.

A method for assembling a valve including a valve body movable within a case, a biasing means for biasing the valve body, and a retainer for holding the biasing means, comprising the steps of:
the retainer includes a cylindrical member fixed to the case, and a receiving member disposed within the cylindrical member and supporting one end of the biasing means,
After the receiving member is moved relative to the cylindrical member in the axial direction, the outer peripheral surface of the receiving member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member.
This allows the biasing means to be compressed or extended by moving the receiving member relative to the axial direction of the tubular member, and the receiving member can be fixed to the tubular member with the biasing force of the biasing means adjusted, so the biasing force of the biasing means can be adjusted with precision.

The receiving member may be fixed to the cylindrical member by crimping from the outer periphery of the cylindrical member.
This allows the receiving member to be easily fixed to the cylindrical member.

The cylindrical member may have a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the receiving member may be temporarily held at the bottom of the cylindrical member before being fixed to the cylindrical member.
This simplifies assembly of the valve because the cylindrical member and the receiving member can be handled as a unit before being fixed.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a solenoid valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 . 1A is a side view of the cylindrical member, FIG. 1B is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1A is a view of the receiving member as seen from the axial direction, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a state before the receiving member is fixed to the cylindrical member, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a state after the receiving member has been moved toward the other axial end by an operating jig. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the receiving member and the tubular member are fixed, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the operating jig has been removed after the receiving member and the tubular member have been fixed.

The following describes an embodiment of a valve according to the present invention. Note that the embodiment uses a solenoid valve as an example, but the invention can also be applied to other uses.

The solenoid valve according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following description, the right side of Figure 1 will be referred to as one axial end of the solenoid valve, and the left side of Figure 1 will be referred to as the other axial end of the solenoid valve.

As shown in Figure 1, the solenoid valve 1 of this embodiment is a spool-type solenoid valve used in hydraulically controlled devices such as a vehicle's automatic transmission. The solenoid valve 1 is attached to a mounting hole in the valve housing of the device.

Solenoid valve 1 is constructed by integrating valve section 2, which adjusts the flow rate of a fluid, i.e., a control fluid such as hydraulic oil, with solenoid section 3. Note that Figure 1 shows solenoid valve 1 in its off state, with no current flowing through the coil of solenoid section 3.

First, we will provide a brief explanation of the structure of the solenoid unit 3. The solenoid unit 3 contains a coil, stator, yoke, movable core, etc., housed within a cylindrical solenoid case 30. When the solenoid valve 1 is in the off state, the spool 22 is urged toward the other axial end by the force of the spring 29 (see Figure 1), and as a result, the spool 22 and rod 5 move toward the other axial end.

When the solenoid valve 1 is in the on state, a magnetic circuit is formed within the solenoid section 3 by energizing the coil, and magnetic force is generated between the stator and the movable core, causing the movable core and rod 5 to move axially toward one axial end. As a result, the spool 22 moves toward one axial end, compressing the spring 29 (not shown).

Next, the structure of the valve section 2 will be explained. As shown in Figure 1, the valve section 2 is mainly composed of a sleeve 21 as a case, a spool 22 as a valve body, a spring 29 as a biasing means, and a retainer 23.

The sleeve 21 has openings for various ports, such as an input port 24, an output port 25, an exhaust port 26, a drain port 27, and a feedback port 28, which are connected to flow paths provided within the mounting hole of the valve housing.

The spool 22 is liquid-tightly housed in a through-hole 21a formed axially on the inner diameter side of the sleeve 21.

The spool 22 is capable of reciprocating axially. By reciprocating axially, the communication state of the various ports is changed, thereby controlling the pressure and flow rate of the hydraulic oil. The sleeve 21 and spool 22 are made of materials such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel, and resin.

The spring 29 is a coil spring that biases the spool 22 toward the other axial end. One axial end of the spring 29 is held by the retainer 23.

As shown in Figure 2, the retainer 23 includes a cylindrical member 231 fixed to one axial end of the sleeve 21, and a receiving member 232 disposed within the cylindrical member 231 and supporting one end of the spring 29.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cylindrical member 231 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. Specifically, the cylindrical member 231 includes a disk-shaped bottom portion 231a, a cylindrical side wall portion 231b extending from the outer edge of the bottom portion 231a toward the other axial end, and an annular flange portion 231c extending radially outward from the other axial end of the side wall portion 231b.

This cylindrical member 231 is formed by pressing a thin plate made of a plastically deformable metal such as aluminum, iron, or stainless steel.

The bottom portion 231a has multiple (four in this embodiment) through holes 231d evenly spaced around the circumference at positions offset from the center toward the outer diameter.

The side wall portion 231b extends from the outer edge of the bottom portion 231a toward the other axial end, widening slightly. The smallest inner diameter of this side wall portion 231b is L1.

The flange portion 231c extends approximately parallel to the bottom portion 231a.

The cylindrical member 231 configured in this manner is fixed to the sleeve 21 by crimping the crimping piece 21c extending from the outer edge of the end face 21b toward the one axial end of the sleeve 21 toward the inner diameter side with the flange portion 231c abutting against the end face 21b at one axial end of the sleeve 21 (see Figure 2). Note that the cylindrical member 231 may be fixed to the sleeve 21 in a manner other than crimping.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the receiving member 232 is made of a plastically deformable material such as aluminum, iron, or stainless steel, preferably a metal plate. In this embodiment, the receiving member 232 is fixed to the cylindrical member 231 at a position spaced further axially toward the other end than the bottom 231a of the cylindrical member 231.

This receiving member 232 has a circular shape when viewed in the axial direction, and a through hole 232a is formed in its center.

The radial dimension of the receiving member 232 is L2. This radial dimension L2 is slightly smaller than the minimum inner diameter dimension L1 of the side wall portion 231b (L1 > L2). The thickness dimension L3 of the receiving member 232 is smaller than the radial dimension L2 (L2 > L3).

Next, a method for assembling the solenoid valve 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, with the receiving member 232 placed inside, the flange portion 231c of the tubular member 231 is brought into face contact with the end face 21b of the sleeve 21, and the crimping piece 21c is crimped to the inner diameter side, thereby fixing the tubular member 231 to the sleeve 21.

Next, the receiving member 232, spring 29, and spool 22 are inserted from the other axial end of the sleeve 21, and the solenoid unit 3 is then fixed to the other axial end of the sleeve 21 (i.e., the state shown in Figure 5(a) is reached). At this time, the receiving member 232 abuts against the bottom 231a of the cylindrical member 231, preventing it from slipping out of the cylindrical member 231 toward the one axial end.

Next, as shown in Figure 5(b), a rod-shaped operating jig 6 is inserted into each through-hole 231d from the outside of the cylindrical member 231, and the receiving member 232 is moved axially toward the other end to adjust the biasing force of the spring 29. At this time, the biasing force of the spring 29 is adjusted while being monitored directly or indirectly by a sensor.

Since multiple through holes 231d are provided, the receiving member 232 can be operated in a balanced manner using multiple operating jigs 6, and tilting of the receiving member 232 can be prevented.

In addition, the through holes 231d are evenly spaced circumferentially at positions offset from the center of the bottom 231a toward the outer diameter, so the operating jig 6 does not interfere with the through hole 232a located in the center of the receiving member 232.

In addition, the radial dimension L2 of the receiving member 232 is slightly smaller than the minimum inner diameter dimension L1 of the side wall portion 231b, so when the receiving member 232 is moved axially, the outer peripheral surface 232b of the receiving member 232 and the inner peripheral surface 231e of the tubular member 231 do not slide against each other. This prevents contamination such as wear debris from occurring when the receiving member 232 is moved axially.

Once the receiving member 232 is positioned so that the biasing force of the spring 29 is appropriate, the receiving member 232 is fixed to the cylindrical member 231, as shown in Figure 6(a).

Specifically, while the receiving member 232 is maintained in the appropriate position by the operating jig 6, the side wall portion 231b is crimped from the outside of the cylindrical member 231 toward the outer peripheral surface 232b of the receiving member 232 using the crimping jig 7. Although not shown, in this embodiment, the crimping jig 7 crimps the side wall portion 231b at multiple locations around the circumference.

By forming multiple crimping portions 233 on the outer periphery of the side wall portion 231b, the portions of the inner periphery 231e of the tubular member 231 located on the inner diameter side of the crimping portions 233 bite into the outer periphery 232b of the receiving member 232, thereby fixing the receiving member 232 to the tubular member 231.

The crimped portion 233 has a V-shaped cross section with an apex on the inner diameter side, i.e., a roughly conical shape, so that the portion of the inner circumferential surface 231e located at the acute apex of the crimped portion 233 easily bites into the outer circumferential surface 232b of the receiving member 232.

Then, as shown in Figure 6(b), the operating jig 6 is removed, completing the assembly of the solenoid valve 1 with the spring 29's biasing force remaining in the appropriate state.

In addition, the receiving member 232 has a through-hole 232a, and the cylindrical member 231 has a through-hole 231d. These through-holes 232a and 231d act as breathing holes that allow hydraulic oil to flow, allowing the spool 22 to operate smoothly when the solenoid valve 1 is in use.

As explained above, the retainer 23 is composed of separate components, the cylindrical member 231 and the receiving member 232. The receiving member 232 can be moved relative to the cylindrical member 231 in the axial direction, and after adjusting them to a suitable relative position, the outer peripheral surface 232b of the receiving member 232 can be fixed to the inner peripheral surface 231e of the cylindrical member 231. This makes it possible to provide a solenoid valve 1 with a highly accurate biasing force of the spring 29.

In addition, a crimping portion 233 is formed on the outer periphery of the tubular member 231. In this way, the receiving member 232 can be easily fixed to the tubular member 231 by crimping from the outer periphery of the tubular member 231, and the inner periphery 231e of the tubular member 231 can be forced into the outer periphery 232b of the receiving member 232 to achieve a firmly fixed state.

In addition, since the cylindrical member 231 is made of a thin plate that can be plastically deformed, the crimped portion 233 can be easily and effectively formed on the cylindrical member 231.

Furthermore, the side wall portion 231b of the tubular member 231 extends while widening slightly toward the other axial end, and is crimped from the outer periphery of the side wall portion 231b. As a result, the inner circumferential surface 231e of the side wall portion 231b bites more strongly into the outer circumferential surface 232b of the receiving member 232 at one axial end than at the other axial end. This effectively restricts the receiving member 232 from moving toward the one axial end when the receiving member 232 is fixed to the tubular member 231.

In addition, because the receiving member 232 is made of a plate material whose axial thickness dimension L3 is smaller than its radial dimension L2, the axial dimension of the receiving member 232 can be reduced, allowing the solenoid valve 1 to be constructed compactly. Furthermore, because the plate material is made of a plastically deformable metal, the inner peripheral surface 231e of the tubular member 231 can be suitably fitted into the outer peripheral surface 232b of the receiving member 232.

In addition, before being fixed to the cylindrical member 231, the receiving member 232 is temporarily held at the bottom 231a of the cylindrical member 231, preventing it from slipping out of the cylindrical member 231 toward one axial end. In other words, the cylindrical member 231 and receiving member 232 can be handled as a unit before being fixed, simplifying assembly of the solenoid valve 1.

In addition, because the cylindrical member 231 is fixed so that it bulges out from the end of the sleeve 21 toward one axial end, the axial length of the sleeve 21, which requires strength, can be shortened.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the receiving member is fixed to the tubular member by crimping from the outer periphery of the tubular member to fix the outer peripheral surface of the receiving member to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member. However, this is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral surface of the receiving member may also be fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member by welding or adhesive, for example.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the tubular member and the receiving member are made of thin metal plates that can be plastically deformed, but they may also be made of resin or other materials. In this case, the outer surface of the receiving member and the inner surface of the tubular member can be welded and fixed together.

In addition, while the above embodiment illustrates a configuration in which the receiving member is a circular flat plate, this is not limited to this. For example, the receiving member may have a portion extending from the flat plate portion toward the other end or one end in the axial direction, or may be cylindrical, for example.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the cylindrical member is a cylindrical member with a bottom, but it may also be a cylindrical member that penetrates in the axial direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the biasing means is a compression spring, but it may also be a tension spring.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration was illustrated in which multiple operation through-holes were provided offset from the center in the bottom of the tubular member, and a breathing through-hole was provided in the center of the receiving member, but it is also possible to provide an operation through-hole in the center of the bottom of the tubular member, and a breathing through-hole in a position offset from the center of the receiving member. In this way, it is preferable that the operation through-holes and breathing through-holes are arranged offset from each other in the radial direction.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a spool-type valve was described as using a spool as the valve element, but this is not limited to this and valves using globe valves, gate valves, etc. may also be used.

1 Solenoid valve 6 Operation jig 7 Crimping jig 21 Sleeve (case)
21b End surface 21c Crimping piece 22 Spool (valve body)
23 Retainer 29 Spring (biasing means)
231 Cylindrical member 231a Bottom portion 231b Side wall portion 231c Flange portion 231e Inner peripheral surface 232 Receiving member 232a Through hole 232b Outer peripheral surface 233 Caulking portions S1 to S3 Space

Claims (7)

A valve comprising: a valve body movable within a case; a biasing means for biasing the valve body; and a retainer for holding the biasing means,
the retainer includes a cylindrical member having a bottom and an inner diameter gradually increasing toward the valve body side , the cylindrical member being fixed to the case, and a receiving member being disposed within the cylindrical member and supporting one end of the biasing means,
The outer peripheral surface of the receiving member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member. The valve described in claim 1, wherein a crimped portion is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical member. The valve described in claim 2, wherein the tubular member is made of a plastically deformable thin plate. A valve as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiving member is a plate material. A method for assembling a valve including a valve body movable within a case, a biasing means for biasing the valve body, and a retainer for holding the biasing means, comprising the steps of:
the retainer includes a cylindrical member that is fixed to the case and has a bottom and an inner diameter that gradually increases toward the valve body side , and a receiving member that is disposed within the cylindrical member and supports one end of the biasing means,
A valve assembling method comprising: moving the receiving member relative to the cylindrical member in the axial direction, and then fixing the outer peripheral surface of the receiving member to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member. The valve assembly method described in claim 5, wherein the receiving member is fixed to the cylindrical member by crimping from the outer periphery of the cylindrical member. 7. The method for assembling a valve according to claim 5, wherein the receiving member is temporarily held at the bottom of the cylindrical member before being fixed to the cylindrical member.