FR2749638A1 - Coolant fluid regulator for motor vehicle IC-engine - Google Patents

Abstract

The circuit has two (20,21) passages for fluid flow and valves (33,35) to selectively open and close the passages. Two thermal cylinders (25,30) are provided containing a material of which the volume varies as a function of temperature to vary the length of the cylinders. The cylinders are exposed to the heat of the coolant circuit fluid passing through the passages and are connected to the valves to actuate them as a function of coolant temperature.

Description

 Apparatus for regulating the flow of a fluid.

especially for water circuit
of an internal combustion engine "
The present invention relates to an apparatus for regulating the flow of a fluid, in particular for the water circuit of an internal combustion engine, and has in particular the objective of proposing an apparatus of simple structure, capable of regulating the fluid flow preferably without external controls.

 The apparatus for regulating the flow of at least one fluid according to the invention comprises first and second fluid flow passages; means for closing / opening at least partially said first flow passage and / or said second flow passage; first and second thermal cylinders respectively containing a material whose volume varies with temperature and respectively comprising two parts capable of moving relative to each other under the effect of this variation in volume, said first and second cylinders being arranged so as to be respectively sensitive to the temperature of the fluid capable of flowing through said first flow passage and through said second flow passage and being connected to said closing / opening means to cause the displacement of these latter ; so that the flow of fluid through said first passage and / or through said second passage is determined by the position of said closing / opening means, controlled by the position of said parts of said first thermal cylinder and said second thermal cylinder .

According to the invention, said thermal cylinders preferably have thresholds for actuating said closing / opening means corresponding to different temperature thresholds
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a fluid inlet and outlet which are connected in parallel through said flow passages, a fluid reserve being arranged between said inlet and said first flow passage and said first thermal cylinder being sensitive to the temperature of the fluid in this reserve.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening means preferably comprise a first member for closing / opening of said first flow passage and a second member for closing / opening of said second flow passage.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening members are preferably connected so that one is closed when the other is open.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening members preferably travel a determined distance between the closed position of one and the closed position of the other.

 According to the invention, said thermal cylinders preferably have actuation thresholds corresponding to different temperature thresholds such that when the temperature exceeds one of these thresholds, one or the other of said thermal cylinders is capable of open said first closing / opening member.

 According to the invention, one of the parts of said second thermal cylinder preferably carries said closing / opening means and its other part is connected to the movable part of said first thermal cylinder.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening means may advantageously comprise at least one valve capable of cooperating with at least one seat surrounding one of said flow passages.

 According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, said closing / opening means comprise at least one valve constituted by a skirt carried by a movable part of one of said thermal cylinders and engaged in at least one of said passages of flow.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening means may advantageously comprise at least a first valve actuated by a movable part of one of said thermal cylinders and a second valve actuated by the movable part of the other thermal actuator, these valves being one on the other or one in the other.

 According to the invention, said closing / opening means can comprise the body of at least one of said thermal cylinders.

 The device according to the invention can advantageously include means for returning said closing / opening means in the opposite direction to the direction of actuation of said thermal cylinders.

 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said thermal cylinders, said closing / opening means and said passages are arranged on the same geometric axis, one of the parts of said second thermal cylinder carrying said closing / opening means and the movable part of said first thermal cylinder being connected to the other part of said second thermal cylinder.

 According to a preferred variant of the invention, the apparatus comprises a body which is mounted on said reserve and which comprises an inlet channel connecting said inlet and said first passage, a chamber into which said passages open in an aligned and opposite manner, an outlet channel connecting this chamber and said outlet, a bypass channel connecting said inlet channel and the lower part of said reserve and a return channel connecting the upper part of said reserve and said second passage, said second thermal cylinder being arranged in said chamber.

 According to one application of the invention, the device can be installed in the cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, upstream of the engine inlet and / or upstream of a heating radiator.

The present invention will be better understood from the study of flow control apparatuses described by way of nonlimiting examples and illustrated by the drawing in which
- Figure 1 shows a schematic vertical section of a first device according to the invention;
- Figure 2 shows an enlarged vertical section of the apparatus of Figure 1, in a first flow situation
- Figure 3 shows an enlarged vertical section of the apparatus of Figure 1, in a second flow situation;
- Figure 4 shows an enlarged vertical section of the apparatus of Figure 1, in a third flow situation;
- Figure 5 shows an enlarged vertical section of another device according to the invention;
- And Figure 6 shows an enlarged vertical section of another device according to the invention.

 Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, it can be seen that a device for regulating water flow has been shown, generally identified by the reference 1.

 This device 1 comprises a water reservoir 2, of cylindrical section which has a vertical neck 3, of cylindrical section, the upper part of which has a peripheral rim 4.

This tank 2 has a thermally insulating wall.

 On the tank 2 is mounted a body generally identified by the reference 5, preferably made of plastic, which comprises a plate 6 bearing on the rim 4 of the tank 2 and fixed to the latter, a cylindrical part 7 which extends vertically through the neck 3 and which protrudes inside the tank 2, as well as an off-center plunger 8 which extends a lateral part of the lower end surface 9 of the cylindrical part 7, until low distance from the bottom 10 of the tank 2.

 The plate 6 of the body 2 has an inlet channel 11 and an outlet channel 12 which are formed diametrically opposite and separated by a wall 13 offset from the axis of the cylindrical part 7 and from the side of the channel exit 12.

 The plate 16 carries an inlet nozzle 14 on which is connected a water supply hose 15 and carries, in the opposite example, an outlet nozzle 16 on which is connected a discharge hose 17 of water, the hoses 14 and 17 being for example part of the cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, the device 1 being placed upstream of the water inlet of this engine or upstream of the heating radiator of the vehicle interior.

 The cylindrical part 7 of the body 5 has, in its upper part, a chamber 18 which communicates, in its lower part, with a space 19 by a first axial cylindrical flow passage 20 and, in its upper part, with the channel d inlet 1 1 through a second axial cylindrical flow passage 21 situated in the vicinity of the partition 13, said flow passages being of smaller cross section than that of chamber 18.

 On the other side of the partition 13, the body 5 has a vertical outlet passage 22 which connects the upper part of the chamber 18 to the outlet channel 12.

 The body 5 also has an off-center vertical bypass channel 23 which connects the inlet channel 1 1 inside the tank 2 and which extends through its cylindrical part 7 passing laterally to the chamber 18 and through diver 8.

 The cylindrical part 7 of the body 5 also has an off-center vertical channel 24 which connects the upper part of the reservoir 2 to the space 19 and therefore to the chamber 18 through the flow passage 20, this return channel 24 opening into the tank 2.

 It follows that water can flow into the device 1, between its inlet channel 1 1 and its outlet channel 12 by two parallel circuits which have in common the chamber 18 and the outlet channel 22, one comprising the bypass channel 23, the reservoir 2 which happens to be filled up to the lower part of the cylindrical part 7, the return channel 24, the space 19 and the flow passage 20 and the another comprising the flow passage 21.

 The apparatus 1 comprises a thermal cylinder 25 whose axis is disposed along an axis parallel to the axis of the cylindrical part 7 of the body 5 and slightly offset away from the plunger 8, and whose body 26 is fixed against the lower surface 9 of the cylindrical part 7 of the body 5 so as to extend inside the upper part of the tank 2, the body 26 of the thermal cylinder 25 having for this purpose a front part 27 screwed into an axial bore 28 of the cylindrical part 7, this thermal cylinder 25 having an actuating rod 29 which extends upwards in this bore 28.

 The apparatus 1 further comprises a second thermal cylinder 30 which is disposed in the chamber 18 along the axis of the first thermal cylinder 25 and which comprises a body 31 and an actuating rod 32 which extends downwards.

 The front peripheral part of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30, located on the side of its actuating rod 32, carries an annular ring, a closing / opening valve 33 capable of coming to bear on a seat 34 surrounding the flow passage 20, so as to constitute, with the front part of the body of the thermal cylinder 30, a member for closing / opening this flow passage 20.

 The cylindrical body 31 further carries a cylindrical vertical guide skirt 35 which extends through the flow passage 21 and which has peripheral openings 36, so that this skirt 35 is capable of constituting a member or valve of closing / opening of the flow passage 21.

 The actuating rods 29 and 32 of the thermal cylinders 25 and 30 are connected by a vertical slide 37 guided in the bore 28. The ends of this slide 37 have opposite axial holes for receiving the ends of the actuating rods 29 and 32.

 Furthermore, a cylindrical return spring 38 is disposed between the upper face of the valve 33 and the upper wall of the chamber 18.

 The thermal cylinders 25 and 30 contain a material whose volume varies with temperature, this variation in volume producing the vertical movements of their actuating rod relative to their body. This product is advantageously a wax, possibly charged, so that these movements occur when temperature thresholds are crossed.

 In a particular example, when the temperature of the water contained in the tank 2 is lower than a determined temperature threshold, for example substantially equal to 400, the actuating rod 29 of the thermal cylinder 25 is in a retracted position. It passes from this entered position to an extended position when the temperature reaches or exceeds a higher temperature, for example substantially equal to 50, and vice versa.

 In addition, when the temperature of the water contained in the chamber 18 is less than a determined temperature threshold, for example substantially equal to 800, the actuating rod 32 of the thermal cylinder 30 is in a retracted position. It goes from this retracted position to its extended position when the temperature reaches or exceeds a higher value, for example substantially equal to 900, and vice versa.

 The device 1 is arranged so that it can occupy the following positions.

 When the actuating rod 29 of the thermal cylinder 25 and the actuating rod 32 of the thermal cylinder 30 are in their retracted position, the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30 is in its low position in which the lower member or valve 33 is resting on the seat 34 and obstructs the flow passage 20 and the upper member or valve constituted by the skirt 35 is in its fully open position of the flow passage 21, the chamber 18 communicating with the channel inlet 1 1 through the peripheral openings 36 of this skirt 35. This situation is shown in FIG. 2.

 When the actuating rod 29 of the thermal cylinder 25 is in its extended position, the lower member or valve 34 is moved away from the seat 32 so that the flow passage 20 is open and the upper member or valve consists of the skirt 35 is engaged further in the flow passage 21 which is then obstructed, the peripheral openings 36 of this skirt 35 not communicating with the chamber 18. This situation is independent of the position of the actuating rod 32 of the thermal cylinder 30 between its retracted position and its extended position. One of these situations is shown in Figure 3.

 When the actuating rod 29 of the thermal cylinder 25 is in its retracted position and that the actuating rod 32 of the thermal cylinder 30 is in its extended position, the members or valve 32 and 24 are found substantially in the same position as ci above in which the flow passage 20 is open and the flow passage 21 is closed. This situation is shown in Figure 4.

 It follows from the above that the device 1 can operate in the following manner.

 When the temperature of the water in the tank 2 is less than 400 and as long as the water in the chamber 18 is at a temperature below 800, the water flows from the supply hose 15 to the evacuation hose 17 passing through the inlet channel 11, through the flow passage 21, into the chamber 18, into the outlet passage 22 and into the outlet channel 12, the thermal cylinder 30 being sensitive to the temperature of the water flowing in this way.

 When the temperature of the water flowing through the chamber 18 exceeds 800, the thermal cylinder 30 is actuated and its body 31 moves and drives upwards the members or valves 33 and 35 to gradually open the lower passage flow 20 and close the flow upper passage 21. Then, little by little, a parallel flow occurs through the bypass channel 23, the reservoir 2, the return channel 24, the space 19 and from the flow passage 20, generating in the chamber 18 a mixture of the water arriving through the flow passage 21 and the water evacuated from the tank 2, this mixture being evacuated through the outlet passage 22 and the channel output 12.

 When the temperature of the water in the chamber 18 reaches or exceeds 900, without the temperature of the water contained in the tank having reached 400, the flow passage 20 opens completely and the flow passage 21 closes completely, so that all the water arriving through the inlet channel 1 1 passes through the tank 2. If the temperature of the water in the tank 2 exceeds 400, the fully open position of the lower passage of flow 20 and completely closed from the flow upper passage 21 may occur earlier.

 After a certain time, all the water contained in the tank 2 is renewed and its temperature is equal to the temperature of the water arriving through the inlet channel 11.

 If now the temperature of the water in the tank 2 is higher than 400, the lower flow passage 20 is at least partially open. It follows that whatever the temperature of the water arriving through the inlet channel 11, the water flows at least partly through the reservoir 2 and flows entirely if the temperature of the water contained in the tank 2 is greater than 500, the upper flow passage 21 in this case being closed.

 It follows from the above that the water contained in the tank 2 can constitute a reserve of heat capable of being injected into the circuit to which the inlet hose 15 and the discharge hose 17 belong, that the water contained in the tank 2 can be renewed by the water arriving through the inlet channel 1 1 thanks to the various flows described above, and that if the temperature in the tank 2 is less than 400, it can only be renewed and reheated if the temperature of the water entering the inlet channel is greater than 800.

 In its application to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, the device 1 can constitute a means for warming up this engine more quickly at startup or a means for immediately supplying, at startup, heat inside the passenger compartment of this vehicle.

 Referring now to Figure 5, we can see that generally identified by the reference la, which differs from the apparatus 1 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, mainly by the fact that the valve 34 is replaced by a first valve 39 consisting of a bowl whose peripheral edge 40 is capable of bearing on the seat 34 and which has a central portion 41 bearing on the upper end of the slide 37, around the rod actuation 32 of the thermal cylinder 30, and through openings 42, and by a second valve formed by the front peripheral edge 43 of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30 which is capable of being supported on the first valve 39, between its peripheral edge 40 and the openings 42.

 Furthermore, the single spring 38 of the previous example is replaced by a first cylindrical spring 44 disposed between the peripheral edge 40 of the first valve 39 and the upper face of the chamber 18 and a second cylindrical spring 45 disposed between an annular part of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30 and the upper face of the chamber 18, the spring 44 being outside the spring 45.

 The device functions like device 1, except that water can enter chamber 18 through the lower flow passage passing between valve 39 and seat 34 if the thermal cylinder is in contact on this valve 39 and through the openings 42 of the valve 39 and between the valve the front part of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30 if the valve 39 is in abutment on the seat 34.

 Referring now to Figure 6, we can see that there is shown an apparatus generally identified by the reference lb, which differs from the apparatuses described above essentially by the fact that the closing / opening member of the flow lower passage 20 which is equivalent to that of FIG. 5 and which comprises a first valve 47 subjected to a spring 48, respectively equivalent to the valve 39 and to the spring 44 and a second valve which this time consists of a ring 49 fixed to the front annular part 43 of the thermal cylinder 30, the valve 49 carrying upwards a stirrup 50 and a cylindrical spring 51 being disposed between the upper part of this stirrup 49 and the second valve 49.

 In addition, in this example of FIG. 6, the closing / opening member of the upper flow passage 21 is constituted, by replacing the skirt 35 of FIGS. 1 to 4, by a disc 52 placed in the chamber 18 and carried by an upward extension 53 of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30 along which it can slide, a return spring 54 being disposed between this disc and the rear part of the body 31 of the thermal cylinder 30.

 When the upper flow passage 21 is completely open, the disc 52 is at a distance from the upper face of the chamber 18 surrounding this flow passage 21 and is in abutment against an end shoulder 55 of the extension 53, the passage of flow 21 is capable of being closed by the disc 52 when the latter comes to bear against the upper face of the chamber 18 surrounding this flow passage, the thermal cylinder 30 being able to extend its travel by compression of the spring 54.

 The present invention is not limited to the examples described above. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims (16)

RE VENDICA TIONS  1. Apparatus for regulating the flow of at least one fluid, characterized in that it comprises:  - first and second passages (20, 21) for fluid flow  - at least partial closing / opening means (33, 35) of said first flow passage and / or of said second flow passage  - a first and a second thermal cylinders (25, 30) respectively containing a material whose volume varies with temperature and comprising respectively two parts capable of moving relative to each other under the effect of this variation in volume  - said first and second thermal cylinders (25, 30) being arranged so as to be respectively sensitive to the temperature of the fluid capable of flowing through said first flow passage (20) and through said second flow passage (21) and being connected to said closing / opening means (33,35) to cause the displacement of the latter  such that the flow of fluid through said first passage and / or through said second passage is determined by the position of said closing / opening means, controlled by the position of said parts of said first thermal cylinder and said second thermal cylinder.  2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said thermal cylinders (25, 30) have actuation thresholds of said closing / opening means corresponding to different temperature thresholds.  3. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises an inlet (11) and an outlet (12) of fluid which are connected in parallel through said flow passages, a reserve of fluid (2) being disposed between said inlet (11) and said first flow passage (20) and said first thermal cylinder (25) being sensitive to the temperature of the fluid in this reserve.  4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing / opening means comprise a first closing / opening member (33) of said first flow passage (20) and a second closing member / opening (36) of said second flow passage (21).  5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said closing / opening members are connected (37) so that one is closed when the other is open.  6. Apparatus according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that said closing / opening members (33, 36) travel a determined path between the closed position of one and the closed position of the other.  7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said thermal cylinders (25, 30) have actuation thresholds corresponding to different temperature thresholds such as when the temperature exceeds one of these thresholds, one or the other of said thermal cylinders is capable of opening said first closing / opening member (33).  8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the parts of said second thermal cylinder (30) carries said closing / opening means (33, 36) and its other part is connected to the part mobile (29) of said first thermal cylinder (25).  9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing / opening means comprise at least one valve (33) capable of cooperating with at least one seat (34) surrounding one of said passages of flow.  10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing / opening means comprise at least one valve constituted by a skirt (36) carried by a movable part of one of said thermal cylinders and engaged in at least one of said flow passages (21).  11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing / opening means comprise at least a first valve (39) actuated by a movable part of one of said thermal cylinders and a second valve (43 ) actuated by the movable part of the other thermal cylinder, these valves being one on the other or one in the other.  12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing means opening comprises the body of at least one of said thermal cylinders.  13. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises return means (38) of said closing / opening means in the direction opposite to the direction of actuation of said thermal cylinders.  14. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said thermal cylinders (25, 30), said closing / opening means (33, 36) and said flow passages (20, 21) are arranged on the same geometric axis, one of the parts of said second thermal cylinder carrying said closing / opening means and the movable part of said first thermal cylinder being connected to the other part of said second thermal cylinder.  15. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a body (5) mounted on said reserve (2) and which comprises an inlet channel (11) connecting said inlet and said second passage flow (21), a chamber (18) into which said flow passages (20, 21) open in an aligned and opposite manner, an outlet channel (12) connecting this chamber (18) and said outlet, a channel bypass (23) connecting said inlet channel (11) and the lower part of said reserve (2) and a return channel (24) connecting the upper part of said reserve (2) and said first flow passage ( 20), said second thermal cylinder being disposed in said chamber.  16. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is installed in the cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, upstream of the engine inlet and / or upstream of a heating radiator.