JP2001027339A - Mixing valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an increase of driving force and the abrasion and damage of a sliding face by setting the positional relation of the action point of the driving force to the neutral face of the force existing at the position expressed by a specific equation consisting of the distance between both sliding faces of a valve element and the frictional forces generated on both sliding faces. SOLUTION: The neutral face H of the frictional force R1 between a rotor side adhesive face 5A and a stator side adhesive face 6E and the frictional force R2 between a rotor side sliding face 5B and a case side sliding face 1D is located at a position shown by the expression L.R2/R1+R2 apart from the adhesive face 5A side, where L is the thickness of a valve element. The rocking range of a drive shaft is set so that the action point of the driving force passes on the neutral face H, which is located at a position nearly at the center of the valve element thickness L or slightly near the adhesive faces 5A, 6E side when fluid lubrication is used and at a position about 1/4 of the valve element thickness L from the adhesive faces 5A, 6E when a solid lubricating film is used on the adhesive face side and the fluid lubrication is used on the sliding face side, or the action point is located between the neutral face H and the sliding faces 5B, 1D having the large frictional force R2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for forming a flow channel.
The present invention relates to a driving portion of a mixing valve that changes a mixing ratio and a flow rate of two kinds of fluids by a relative movement of a flat plate. In particular, the present invention relates to a means for driving a valve element of a lever-operated so-called single-lever mixing tap which is frequently used for opening and closing and mixing of hot and cold water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-272774, a driving means for a conventional valve element includes an advancing and retreating guide member,
It is common to use a drive shaft for the valve body and a recess provided at the top of the valve body as a driven part. In addition, the valve body is always squeezed vertically by packing or a spring, and when the valve body moves forward and backward, a frictional force proportional to the squeezing force is generated on the vertical sliding surface of the valve body.

[0003]

In the case of the above-mentioned prior art configuration, the input for driving the valve element and the couple resulting from the frictional force generated on the upper and lower sliding surfaces of the valve element. Generates a moment to rotate the valve body in the forward and backward directions,
The valve element behaved like biting into the valve seat. That is, in the related art, a neutral surface described later is located at a position very close to the valve seat side, but the point of application of the driving force is near the upper surface of the valve body, and the above-mentioned moment has an extremely large value. Was. Due to this behavior, the load at the distal end of the valve body in the traveling direction is locally increased, leading to an increase in the driving force and, at the same time, leading to wear and damage of the sliding surface and breakage of the lubricating surface.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to prevent an increase in driving force and wear and damage of a sliding surface by minimizing a moment for turning a valve body in a reciprocating direction.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The means adopted to solve the problem in the present invention is to change the opening area of the fluid passage opening by moving in close contact with the valve seat and moving forward and backward. In a mixing valve composed of a valve body having a flat surface, the eccentricity of the resultant force and the driving force is minimized in order to minimize the couple resulting from the frictional force generated on the upper and lower surfaces of the valve body and the driving force. The positional relationship between the input point of the driving force and the point of action was set.

That is, the distance between the two sliding surfaces of the valve element is L
The frictional force generated on one sliding surface is defined as R1, and the frictional force generated on the other sliding surface is defined as R2.
With respect to the neutral surface of the force at the position of L · R1 / (R1 + R2), the point of application of the driving force passes through the neutral surface, or the sliding surface having a larger frictional force with the neutral surface. The positional relationship is set so that the entire movement range of the action point falls within the range.

Normally, the frictional force is greater on the contact surface side between the valve body and the valve seat, so that it is more effective to bring the point of action as close to the valve seat side as possible. Therefore, the driven means serving as the action point uses a recess provided in the valve body,
A concave portion is provided on the valve seat side to escape the tip of the drive shaft which is recessed. Further, by using the opening of the flow path, the action points of both recesses could be made closer to the valve seat side.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As a preferred example, the details of a valve cartridge in a single-lever mixer tap will be described in detail. The valve cartridge 30 shown in FIG.
, The case 1 and the cap 7 constitute a container for accommodating each member. An operation portion 2A of the lever 2 for driving the valve body 20 is exposed at the upper opening 1E of the case. By swinging and rotating this operation portion, the valve body 20 that is in close contact with the stator 6 as a valve seat is provided. To adjust water discharge, water stoppage, and mixing. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface has an inlet 30A for water as a first fluid, an inlet 30B for hot water as a second fluid, and an outlet 30 for mixed water.
C is open. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

The stator 6 as a valve seat shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is constructed as follows. The rotor-side contact surface 5A is in water-tight contact with the stator-side contact surface 6E as a plane on which the water-side passage 6A of the first fluid passage and the hot-side passage 6B of the second fluid passage are provided. When the rotor-side contact surface 5A advances and retreats and rotates, the opening areas of both passage openings are changed, and the mixing ratio and the amount of water discharged are adjusted. The water-side water passage 6A and the hot-water passage 6B gradually change from a crescent-shaped shape, and open on the lower surface as a cylindrical water-side inlet 6F and a hot-water-side inlet 6G. 30A and hot water inlet 30B. The packing 8 is in contact with the packing contact surface 6D on the lower surface, and seals the flow paths of the hot and cold water, and at the same time, receives the reaction force of compressing and shrinking the packing 8, thereby bringing the stator 6 into close contact with the rotor 5. The mixed water flow passage 6C is a part of the mixed water outflow passage, and communicates immediately above the mixed water outlet 30C.

As shown in FIG. 5, the valve body 20 comprises a holder 4 and a rotor 5. The holder 4 is fitted into the rotor recess 5D, and the swing arm 2C of the lever 2 is provided.
Are received by the driven parts 4A and 4B and transmitted to the rotor 5. In this embodiment, the valve body 20 is constituted by the holder 4 and the rotor 5, but may be formed integrally. The rotor-side sliding surface 5B is in close contact with the case-side sliding surface 1D, and supports the reaction force due to the interference of the packing 8.

As shown in FIG. 6, the water passage opening 5C has a substantially hexagonal water inlet and a rectangular water outlet.

As shown in FIG. 7, the driven parts 4A and 4B are recessed in the rectangular water discharge part, and the concave part 20 as driven means is provided.
A.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are plan views of the valve in the fully opened and fully closed positions, respectively. By swinging the lever 2,
The valve body 20 moves during this period.

As shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of each part of the lever 2 is as follows. The operation unit 2A protrudes from the upper surface of the case 1 to the outer surface, the lever of the faucet is fixed, and receives an operation input. The spherical portion 2B is supported by the bearing surface 1B of the case 1 and the bearing surface 3A of the support 3 so that the spherical portion 2B can rotate in three axial directions.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the swing arm 2C
Is indented between the driven parts 4A and 4B constituting the acting part of the force in the opening and closing directions of the valve body, and pushes the driven parts 4A and 4B by swinging. The outer periphery of the spherical portion 2B of the lever is sealed with a seal 10.

As shown in FIG. 12, the driven parts 4A, 4B
Are located between the stator-side contact surface 6E and the case-side sliding surface 1D. The thickness of the valve body 20 is L, and the contact surfaces 5A, 6
E and the frictional force between the sliding surfaces 5B and 1D are R
The position of the neutral surface of the frictional force determined as 1, R2 is located at L · R2 / (R1 + R2) from the contact surface 5A side. By transforming this equation as a ratio in the thickness direction from the contact surface 5A side using the friction coefficient, the neutral surface position δ = μ2
/ (Μ1 + μ2). Here, μ1 and μ2 are friction coefficients between the contact surfaces 5A and 6E and between the sliding surfaces 5B and 1D, respectively.

The specific position of the neutral plane is about μ1 = 0.03 to 0.05 when fluid lubrication is performed, and μ2 = 0.
03, that is, δ = 0.37 to 0.5, that is, a position substantially at the center of the valve body thickness or slightly closer to the contact surface side. When a solid lubricating film such as DLC is used on the contact surface side and fluid lubrication is performed on the sliding surface side, μ1 = 0.1, μ2 =
Approximately 0.03, and δ = 0.23. That is, the neutral surface is located at a position about 1/4 of the valve body thickness from the close contact surface.

As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the driving force is applied such that the point of application of the driving force passes through the neutral surface H or is located between the neutral surface H and the surface having a large frictional force. The swing range α of the shaft is determined. Therefore, in the entire swing range α, the eccentricity d of the resultant force of the driving force and the friction force shown in FIG.
And the moment M for turning the valve body 20 in the forward and backward directions can be suppressed to a small value. In addition, the position of the rotor 5 changes the contact force due to the packing reaction force, the water pressure, and the like, so that the position of the neutral surface H also changes. Desirably, the neutral plane H
It is effective to select the swing range so that the amount of eccentricity from the shaft becomes small, in order to reduce the biting force.

With this configuration, the moment M
Due to the local increase of the tip load in the direction of travel of the valve element,
Since the increase in driving force can be reduced, it has become possible to prevent wear and damage of the sliding surface and breakage of the lubricating surface.

As shown in FIG. 12, the tip of the swing arm 2C having a cylindrical shape has a stator-side contact surface 6E when swinging.
Projecting further downward, and enter into the inlet-side opening of the mixing-side water passage 6C. Thereby, even under the condition that the neutral surface is very close to the stator-side contact surface 6E,
The amount of eccentricity can be made sufficiently small.

When a fluid lubricant such as grease or oil is used, unstable phenomena such as outflow or durability deterioration may occur. If the rotor 5 and the stator 6 are manufactured, a valve can be configured without using a fluid lubricant. As a combination of materials, ceramic or a material having a considerable elastic modulus and a resin, for example, alumina, PPS to which PTFE, calcium carbonate, or the like is added,
POM to which PTFE, carbon, etc. are added, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene are exemplified. When a solid lubricating film such as DLC or diamond is formed on the rotor-side contact surface 5A or the stator-side contact surface 6E, the frictional force is further reduced, and the movement of the valve body becomes smooth. In the case of the configuration as in the present invention, a combination of materials having a friction coefficient of 0.1 or less is desirable.

As shown in FIG. 13, the swing arm portion 2C is not on the straight line of the operation portion 2A, but is connected to the spherical portion 2B at an angle. When the operation unit 2A tilts backward to the maximum, the swing arm unit 2C
Are perpendicular to the forward and backward directions, and are located at the forefront, which is the fully opened position of the valve body 20. When the operation unit 2A stands upright,
The rocking arm 2C is located at the rearmost position where the valve body 20 stops water. The tip of the swing arm 2C is indented into the recess 20A as the driven means in FIG. 7 over the entire swing range, and the rotation direction input of the drive shaft is applied to the side wall of the water passage opening shown in FIG. Acts on 5E.

As shown in FIG. 14, the protruding portion 2F at the lower part of the lever forms a contact surface 2G with the valve body 20 which is a cylindrical surface concentric with the swing center of the lever 2 at the tip. Even if it swings, the upper surface of the valve body 20, that is, the holder upper surface 4
The state in contact with C is maintained. Further, a cutout portion 2E is provided below the spherical portion 2B in a range where the bearing function is not affected within the swing range of the lever 2, and forms a water flow space above the valve body 20.

As shown in FIG. 15, a non-cylindrical convex portion 2H is formed on the operation portion 2A, and the rotation of the lever 2 around its axis is restricted by abutting against the upper opening 1E of the case. I have.

The structure of the case 1 as a container is as follows. The upper opening 1E of the case 1 from which the operation unit 2A shown in FIG. 1 is exposed serves as a guide for the movement of the lever 2 corresponding to a useful operating range of the valve body and is used as a stopper at the time of lever operation. Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, by directly sliding the case 1 and the rotor 5, the number of parts related to the height in the valve housing 1F is minimized. Variation in the dimension in the thickness direction that affects the margin size can be reduced.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the cap 7 serving as the bottom surface of the container to be accommodated. The cap 7 has a hole 7B through which the water-side flow path 8A and the hot-water-side flow path 8B of the packing 8 penetrate, and a mixed water outflow path 7A. An outflow port of the packing 8 is provided around the mixed water outflow path 7A. The seal 8C is recessed. The boss 7D protruding from the bottom is used for positioning and rotation prevention when assembling the valve cartridge.

The O-ring 9 is interposed between the rib 7C shown in FIG. 17 and the inner wall of the case 1 to make it watertight as shown in FIG. 11, so that the mixed water passes through the water passage opening 5C inside the rotor. Not only does it directly flow out of the mixed water outflow path 7A, but also flows through the entire inside of the case, and a part of the water wraps around the rotor 5 and flows out. Thereby, the pressure loss of the inflowing mixed water can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described as an open type technology having an outlet on the side of a normal cartridge as shown in the prior art in FIG. 18, the outlet of the mixed water outlet 30C as shown in FIG. If the outlet is provided only on the bottom surface of the cartridge as described above, the same usage as the closed type in FIG. 19 becomes possible.

[0029]

According to the present invention, there is provided a valve seat having a fluid passage port,
In a mixing valve composed of a valve body having a flat surface that changes the opening area of the fluid passage port by being brought into close contact with the valve seat and moving forward and backward, in a mixing valve, the resultant force of frictional force generated on the upper and lower surfaces of the valve body and driving In order to minimize the couple due to force, the positional relationship between the input point of the driving force and the point of action was set so as to minimize the eccentricity of the resultant force and the driving force.

That is, the point of application of the driving force passes through the neutral surface, which is the resultant force of the frictional force generated on the upper and lower sliding surfaces of the valve element, or the neutral surface Since the positional relationship is set so that the entire movement range of the action point falls between the sliding surface of the valve body and the larger sliding surface, the input for driving the valve body and the upper and lower sliding surfaces of the valve body The moment for turning the valve body in the forward / backward direction generated by the couple resulting from the generated frictional force could be reduced. For this reason, it was possible to reduce a local increase in the load at the tip in the valve body traveling direction, which has led to an increase in the driving force, and eventually to the wear and damage of the sliding surface and the destruction of the lubricating surface.

The driven means serving as the point of application of the driving force uses a concave portion provided in the valve body, and a concave portion is provided on the valve seat side to escape the tip end of the drive shaft which is recessed. Further, both recesses
By utilizing the opening of the flow path, the point of action can be brought closer to the valve seat side. Therefore, even when the above-described neutral surface is located at a position close to the close contact surface, the amount of eccentricity with the driving force can be sufficiently increased. Is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a valve cartridge.

FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of a valve cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a stator.

FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of a stator.

FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view of a valve body.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a valve body.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a valve body.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the valve in a fully opened state.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the valve in a fully closed state.

FIG. 10 is an exploded sectional view of a lever portion.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the valve cartridge at a water stop position.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the valve cartridge at a water discharging position.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of swinging of a lever.

FIG. 14 is a lower perspective view of a lever.

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of a lever.

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of a cap.

FIG. 17 is a top perspective view of a cap.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a conventional technology (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-272774) open type.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a conventional type (JP-A-06-272774) closed type.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case 1A ... Butting surface 1B ... Bearing surface 1C ... Sealing groove 1D ... Case side sliding surface 1E ... Upper opening 1F ... Valve storage part 2 ... Lever 2A ... Operating part 2B ... Spherical part 2C ... Rocking arm part 2D ... Intersecting line between the operation part and the spherical part 2E... Notch 2F... Protrusion 2G... Contact surface with valve body 2H... ... Driven part (closed direction) 4C ... Holder upper surface 5 ... Rotor 5A ... Rotor side contact surface 5B ... Rotor side sliding surface 5C ... Water passage opening 5D ... Rotor recess 5E ... Side wall 6 ... Stator 6A ... Water side water passage 6B ... hot water side water passage 6C ... mixed water water passage 6D ... packing contact surface 6E ... stator side close contact surface 6F ... water side inlet 6G ... hot water side inlet 7 ... cap 7A ... mixed water outlet 7B ... hole 7C ... rib 7D ... Bo 8: packing 8A: water-side inflow path 8B: hot-water-side inflow path 8C: outlet seal 9: O-ring 10: seal 20: valve body 20A: concave portion as driven means 30: valve cartridge 30A: water inlet 30B: hot water inlet 30C: mixed water outlet

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A valve seat having a plane provided with a first fluid passage port and a second fluid passage port, and one face slides on the valve seat, and at the same time, the opposite face side is squeezed as a sliding face. The valve body having a plane that changes the opening area of the first and second fluid passage ports by moving forward and backward, and rotating in a state of being moved, a drive shaft that moves the valve body, and an operation unit of the drive shaft are externally provided. Exposed to
A mixing valve configured to contain all the members described above, and configured to include an inlet for the first fluid and the second fluid, and a container provided with an outlet for the mixed fluid, Let L be the distance between the two sliding surfaces and R be the frictional force generated on one of the sliding surfaces.
1. The frictional force generated on the other sliding surface is defined as R2, and R2
The point of application of the driving force passes through the neutral plane at the position of L · R1 / (R1 + R2) from the side surface, or the entire movement range of the applied point is Mixing valve set between vertical surface and sliding surface with larger frictional force 2. The mixing valve according to claim 1, wherein a recess having a driven means serving as a point of application of the driving force is provided between the two sliding surfaces of the valve element. 3. The mixing valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve drive unit of the drive shaft or the driven unit enters the recess provided in the valve seat. 4. The mixing valve according to claim 1, wherein the recess provided with the driven means is a fluid passage port of the valve body. . 5. The mixing valve according to claim 1, wherein the recess provided in the valve seat is a fluid outlet of the valve seat.