JP2019039499A - Fluid control valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid control valve capable of flowing a predetermined amount of fluid even when the hydraulic pressure is low. SOLUTION: A valve body 7 having a portion 7a made of a magnetic material and controlling the flow of fluid, a valve seat 4, a first spring 8 for urging the valve body 7 to the valve seat 4 side, and a valve body 7 A solenoid 5 for moving the valve seat 4 toward the valve seat 4, a pressing body 21 for pressing the valve body 7 in the opening direction to separate the valve body 7 from the valve seat 4, a second spring 22 for urging the pressing body 21 in the opening direction, and a pressing body. A regulating portion 31 that regulates the movement of the pressing body 21 by contacting the 21 is provided, the urging force of the second spring 22 is set to be larger than the urging force of the first spring 8, and the solenoid 5 is de-energized. Moreover, when there is no flow of fluid, the pressing body 21 abuts on the regulating portion 31 while pressing the valve body 7 by the urging force of the second spring 22, so that the valve body 7 is separated from the valve seat 4 by a predetermined distance in a small amount. It is held in the distribution position. [Selection diagram] Fig. 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid control valve including a valve body that has a portion made of a magnetic body and controls the flow of fluid, a valve seat that can come into contact with the valve body, and a solenoid that moves the valve body to the valve seat side. About.

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

  Patent Document 1 discloses a fluid control valve provided with a spring that urges the valve body to abut against the valve seat so that the valve body can be held in a closed state where the valve body abuts against the valve seat when the solenoid is de-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 comes into contact with the valve seat until the hydraulic pressure on the inflow passage side rises to a level that resists the biasing force of the spring. For this reason, the coolant cannot be circulated until the fluid pressure on the inflow passage side rises to a level that resists the biasing force of the spring, and the controllable coolant flow rate range is narrowed.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 includes, as a spring mechanism, a first spring that biases the valve body toward the side close to the valve seat, and a second spring that biases the valve body toward the side away from the valve seat. A fluid control valve is disclosed. The 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. For this reason, when the solenoid is de-energized, the valve body and the valve seat do not adhere to each other, and the valve body moves to the side away from the valve seat with good responsiveness as the hydraulic pressure on the inflow passage increases. Can be made. Thereby, the flow range of the coolant that can be controlled by the fluid control valve can be expanded.

JP 2015-121247 A JP 2014-101943 A

  The fluid control valve of Patent Document 2 includes a spring force of a first spring that biases the valve body toward the side close to the valve seat, and a spring force of a second spring that biases the valve body toward the side away from the valve seat. The position at which the valve body is separated from the valve seat when the solenoid is not energized is determined in accordance with the balance. For this reason, 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. Adjustment of the separated position cannot be easily performed.

  In a cooling system that cools an automobile engine with a coolant, a water pump is disposed in a flow path in which a fluid control valve is provided, 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 through the heat exchanger such as the heater core is generated, the fluid control valve can be opened by increasing the number of rotations of the electric motor. On the other hand, when the water pump is a mechanical pump, the rotation speed of the water pump varies in proportion to the rotation of the engine. Therefore, for example, when the number of revolutions of the engine is low, such as when the automobile is stopped, the number of revolutions of the water pump is also lowered. For this reason, when the request | requirement which distribute | circulates cooling fluid to heat exchangers, such as a heater core, generate | occur | produces the state where the liquid pressure of a cooling fluid is low, a fluid control valve may not transfer to an open state.

  In view of the above circumstances, there is a need for a fluid control valve that can flow 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 includes a valve body that has a portion made of a magnetic body and controls the flow of fluid, a valve seat that can contact the valve body, and the valve body on the valve seat side. A first spring for biasing, a solenoid that moves the valve body to the valve seat side, and an upstream that is provided upstream of the valve body in the fluid flow direction and that separates the valve body from the valve seat. A pressing body that presses in the direction, a second spring that urges the pressing body in the opening direction, and a downstream of the fluid in the fluid flow direction with respect to the pressing body. A restricting portion that restricts the movement of the pressing body, the biasing force of the second spring is set to be larger than the biasing force of the first spring, the solenoid is de-energized and there is no fluid flow, While the pressing body presses the valve body by the urging force of the second spring, By contacting, in that the valve body is held in a small amount distribution position separated by a predetermined distance from said valve seat.

The fluid control valve of this configuration includes a pressing body that is held in a small flow position that is a predetermined distance away from the valve seat when the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow. For this reason, when the solenoid is not energized, the valve body and the valve seat do not adhere to each other, and a small amount of fluid can be circulated even when the fluid pressure on the inflow passage side is low. Thereby, 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 irrespective of the magnitude of the fluid 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 are increased according to the increase amount. The interval between the seats is increased. Therefore, with the fluid control valve of this configuration, the minimum flow rate for circulating 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 made of resin.

  In the fluid control valve, when the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow, the pressing body comes into contact with the restricting 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. When the solenoid is energized while being held in a separated small flow position, the valve element receives the magnetic force from the valve seat and is attracted to the valve seat. At this time, as in this configuration, if the pressing body is made of resin, the pressing body does not interfere with reducing the magnetic force applied to the valve body from the valve seat, so the valve body is stably maintained in the closed position. Can do.

It is a schematic diagram of the cooling system equipped with the 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 in which the fluid control valve is opened by hydraulic pressure. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closing state of a fluid control valve. It is a perspective view which shows a solenoid. It is a perspective view which shows a press body. It is a perspective view of the press body of the fluid control valve of 2nd Embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the initial state of the fluid control valve of 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an engine cooling system 100 equipped with a vehicle coolant stop valve A 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. An outlet port 58 of the thermostat valve 56 is connected to a suction port 61 of a water pump 60 driven by the engine 51. A discharge port (not shown) of the water pump 60 is connected to a 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 outlet port 58.

  The engine cooling system 100 is cooled so that the coolant (an example of fluid) heated inside the engine 51 is cooled by the radiator 53 and then returned to the engine 51 via the thermostat valve 56 by driving the water pump 60. Circulate the liquid. When the temperature is low, the thermostat valve 56 is kept closed so that 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 back 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 that has a portion made of a magnetic material in a housing 6 provided with a coolant flow hole 3 and controls the coolant flow. A valve seat 4 that can contact 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 (closing direction) are disposed. Yes. The coolant stop valve A is excited so that the valve element 7 moves toward the valve seat 4 (in the closing direction) by energization of the solenoid 5.

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

  As shown in FIG. 5, the solenoid 5 includes a plate-like 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 a magnetic field is generated in the fixed yoke 9 by energization of the solenoid 5 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 has a pair of extending plates that are extended so as to face each other in parallel from the positions of both sides of the substrate portion 9a that sandwich the circulation hole 3 in the substrate portion 9a. It is formed in a substantially “U” shape in a plan view integrally including the portion 9 b, and the peripheral portion of the flow hole 3 is provided as the valve seat 4. The solenoid 5 is insert-molded in the housing body 6b so that a portion of the base plate portion 9a constituting the valve seat 4 is exposed to the outside.

  The electromagnetic coil 10 is configured by winding an insulating lead wire around a bobbin 10a formed of a non-magnetic material such as resin, and the inner side of the electromagnetic coil 10, that is, the inner peripheral side of the bobbin 10a is made of a magnetic material such as iron. The core 12 formed in a shape is mounted coaxially with the axial center of the bobbin 10a. The electromagnetic coil 10 is attached to the fixed yoke 9 via the core 12 with the coil axis being orthogonal to the moving direction of the valve element 7 (direction along the flow path axis X). Both end portions of the core 12 are supported by a pair of support portions 13 integrally formed with each of the extended plate portions 9b so as to face each other in a direction parallel to the direction in which the flow hole 3 is sandwiched 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 the extended plate portion 9b at a right angle. The end of the core 12 is engaged with and supported by the slit groove 13b from the core radial direction. Thereby, 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 extended plate portions 9b, and the substrate portion 9a.

  The valve body 7 is formed by insert-molding an annular band plate member 7a formed of a magnetic material such as iron into a resin portion 7b so that the surface thereof is exposed to the valve seat 4 side. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the valve body 7 is accommodated in the valve body accommodation space 15 formed in the housing main body 6b.

  The coil spring 8 is mounted on the inside of 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 valve body 7 is urged by the coil spring 8 in a direction close to the valve seat 4 (closing 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 by the liquid pressure of the coolant generated by the operation of the water pump 60. In the present embodiment, a guide portion 17 that guides the movement of the valve body 7 in the direction of the flow axis X is provided on the inner surface of the housing body 6b. The valve body 7 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the resin portion 7b. It moves in the direction of the flow path axis X with a part in contact with the guide portion 17.

  The inlet channel portion 6a is provided upstream of the valve body 7 in the flow direction of the coolant, and a pressing body 21 that presses the valve body 7 in the opening direction to separate the valve body 7 from the valve seat 4; A coil spring 22 (an example of a second spring) that biases in the opening direction is arranged. In the present embodiment, the pressing body 21 is made of resin. When the pressing body 21 is made of resin, the pressing body 21 does not prevent the magnetic force applied from the valve seat 4 to the valve body 7 from being reduced. Therefore, 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 annular portion 24 is a thin plate and has a through hole 23 through which a coolant flows in the center. 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 erected vertically from the annular portion 24, and are distributed around the through holes 23. The pressing portion 26 shown in FIG. 6 has a shape obtained by dividing a cylindrical body in the longitudinal direction, and the tip end portion 26a is formed in a spherical shape. Note that the pressing portion 26 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 6, but has a shape in which a space through which the coolant flows is formed between the adjacent pressing portions 26 and can press the valve body 7 in an appropriate posture. Any other shape may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing body 6 b is provided with a restricting portion 31 that restricts the movement of the pressing body 21. The restricting portion 31 is provided on the downstream side in the flow direction of the coolant with respect to the pressing body 21, and restricts the movement of the pressing body 21 in the opening direction when the annular portion 24 of the pressing body 21 contacts.

  One end of the coil spring 22 is fitted and fixed in an 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 channel 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 stop of driving of the water pump 60 (the 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 contacts the restricting portion 31 of the housing body 6b. Thereby, 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 at 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 is started, that is, before the water pump 60 is activated. When the solenoid 5 is energized, the valve element 7 is attracted to the valve seat 4 against the urging force of the coil spring 22 as shown in FIG. 4, and the coolant stop valve A is held in the closed state.

  This prevents the coolant from flowing into the heater core 62 and the EGR cooler 65 regardless of the operation of the water pump 60 associated with the start of the engine 51, and the coolant temperature decreases 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. For this reason, the rise in the coolant temperature during the warm-up operation of the engine 51 can be promoted, and the temperature rise of the engine oil or the like can be promoted, which contributes to an improvement in fuel consumption.

  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 a 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). That is, the valve body 7 is pressed by the pressing body 21 and is held at a small amount distribution position. Thereby, the coolant in 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. Thereafter, when the rotation speed of the water pump 60 is increased by increasing the rotation of the engine 51, the liquid pressure of the coolant is increased at the inlet port 1 of the coolant stop valve A and the flow rate is increased. Thereby, 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 fluid pressure at the inlet port 1, and the coolant at a flow rate corresponding to the fluid pressure is directed from the outlet port 2 toward the heater core 62 and the like. leak.

  Thus, 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 coolant pressure at the inlet port 1 is low, a small amount of coolant flows. Is 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 reliably circulated regardless of the fluid pressure at 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. Therefore, when the flow rate of the coolant increases, the amount increases. Accordingly, the distance between the valve body 7 and the valve seat 4 is increased. Therefore, with 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 coolant flow rate can be controlled over 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. Maintained. The inner wall 16 of the outlet channel 6c is formed with a restricting portion that restricts a moving distance from the initial position of the valve body 7 by contacting the valve body 7.

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

  As shown in FIG. 8, the coolant stop valve A is energized by the coil spring 22 when the solenoid 5 is not energized and the coolant is not circulated due to the stop of the water pump 60 (initial state). The pressed body 41 presses the valve body 7 in the opening direction. At this time, the annular portion 43 of the pressing body 41 abuts on the restriction 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 in the inlet port 1 can flow toward the outlet port 2.

Note that 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 adjacent connecting portions 44, and the pressing body 46 presses the valve body 7 in an appropriate posture. Other shapes may be used as long as they 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 has been described. However, the valve body 7 is not provided on the inner surface of the housing body 6b. The structure which moves to the direction of the flow-path axis X in the state spaced apart from the inner surface of the main body 6b may be sufficient.

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

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

Claims (2)

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;
A first spring that biases the valve body toward the valve seat;
A solenoid for moving the valve body toward the valve seat;
A pressing body that is provided upstream of the valve body in the direction of fluid flow, and that presses the valve body in an opening direction to separate the valve body from the valve seat;
A second spring for urging the pressing body in the opening direction;
A regulating portion that is provided on the downstream side in the fluid flow direction with respect to the pressing body and regulates movement of the pressing body by contacting the pressing body;
The biasing force of the second spring is set larger than the biasing force of the first spring,
When the solenoid is not energized and there is no fluid flow, the pressing body abuts against the regulating portion while pressing the valve body by the urging force of the second spring, whereby the valve body is moved to the valve seat. A fluid control valve that is held at a small flow position separated by a predetermined distance.   The fluid control valve according to claim 1, wherein the pressing body is made of resin.

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