JP2011149505A - Motor-operated valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a motor-operated valve for eliminating the need for welding to a dissimilar metal while securing accuracy similar to the dimensional and positional accuracy of a valve element driving part, required for a valve body formed of aluminum or its alloy. <P>SOLUTION: A valve seat 101 which a valve element 91 is on/off is provided on a valve seat member 100 which is fixed to a supporting member 50 fixed to the valve body 10. The supporting member 50, the valve seat member 100 and the valve element 91 are integrated into one unit with a driving part side such as a can or a stepping motor. The supporting member 50 is fixed to the valve body 10 with mechanical fixing means such as screws (a female screw 16 and a male screw 53) to fix the unit to the valve body 10 in a lump. The supporting member 50 and the valve seat member 100 for the valve seat 101 are formed of stainless steel to enable manufacture and assembly of the unit with high dimensional and assembling accuracy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a motor-operated valve that is used, for example, in an automobile air conditioner or an aircraft galley and whose valve body is made of aluminum or an alloy thereof.

  Conventionally, as an example of an electric valve, the valve main body is made of aluminum or an alloy thereof, the valve seat is provided on the main body side, the fluid inlet and outlet are provided, and the valve opening is provided at the communication portion between the fluid inlet and outlet. There has been proposed an electric flow control valve comprising a provided valve body, a valve rod having a valve portion for controlling the opening degree of the valve opening of the valve body, and a can for sealing the drive portion of the valve rod. .

  In this motor-operated valve, the applicant of the present invention is configured such that the valve body is composed of an integrated part by forging in which the fluid inlet and outlet and the can joint are integrally provided, and the can joint of the valve body is the opening of the can. And a ring-shaped recess that is recessed in the outer periphery of the protrusion and seals the opening end flange portion of the can with an O-ring to be received and supported. An electric flow control valve has been proposed in which a can fixing ring is fixed by caulking at a main body caulking portion, and an opening end flange portion of the can is sandwiched and fixed between the can fixing ring and the valve main body (patent) Reference 1). According to this electric flow control valve, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost by eliminating the number of parts by eliminating the lower lid that has been conventionally necessary for supporting the can, and eliminating the number of welding points. In addition, by connecting and fixing the valve body and can by caulking the main body caulking part, the valve body made of forged products such as aluminum and the can made of stainless steel can be connected and fixed easily and accurately. The quality of the control valve is improved.

  In addition, the present applicant is particularly for an automotive air conditioner, and includes a valve body having a valve chamber and an orifice, a guide bush fixed to the valve body, a cylindrical can attached to the valve body, and an outside of the can. A motor comprising a stator member and a rotor member disposed inside the can; a valve holder integrally connected to the rotor member and screwed into the guide bush; and a valve body supported by the valve holder And a motor-operated valve in which the working fluid is introduced into the can by controlling the flow rate of the working fluid at the orifice by a valve body contacting and separating from the orifice (see Patent Document 2). A valve body that constitutes an electric valve, a can that houses the rotor, a guide bush with a screw feed mechanism that converts the rotation of the rotor into a linear motion and opens and closes the valve body with respect to the orifice, the valve body and the valve holder are made of aluminum alloy By making it, the weight of the entire motor-operated valve is reduced, and the corrosion resistance and durability are improved by anodizing the surface of the aluminum alloy member. Further, by providing the guide bush and the screw portion of the valve holder with a molybdenum disulfide coating layer, lubricity is ensured and a smooth screw feed mechanism is obtained.

Japanese Patent No. 3573300 JP-A-10-281324

  In the case of automobile air conditioners or aircraft galleys, piping and equipment are required to be made of a lightweight material such as aluminum or an alloy thereof from the viewpoint of weight reduction of the moving body. As part of this, the motor body is also required to be made of aluminum or an alloy thereof. However, aluminum or an alloy thereof is difficult to weld with dissimilar metals (iron and copper), and requires an alumite treatment (anodization treatment) to form a hard and durable oxide film on the surface. Therefore, there is a problem that the dimensional accuracy between other components is difficult to be obtained, and it is not possible to adopt an assembly method such as brazing or press-fitting as used in current motor-driven valves for home appliances. .

  If the valve main body is made of aluminum or an alloy thereof, the surface needs to be anodized as described above, and there are the following problems. In other words, the hole diameter size and shape accuracy of the seat portion cannot be ensured, the dimensional accuracy of the feed screw press-fit portion cannot be ensured, and it is difficult to ensure the coaxiality with the sheet, or if the press fit is loose, the press-fit omission will not occur. Further, there is a problem that the receiving member that supports the can or the like cannot be coupled to the valve main body by brazing because it is difficult to weld with a dissimilar metal. Therefore, for valve seats (valve seats) that were naturally considered to be provided integrally with the valve body as part of the valve body while requiring dimensional and position accuracy with the valve body, instead of the valve body By aiming at unitization with the drive unit side, it is required to solve the above dimensional accuracy and problems in welding with dissimilar metals.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and easily achieves an accuracy equivalent to the accuracy of the dimension and position of the valve body driving portion that has been conventionally required for valve bodies made of aluminum or its alloys. It is to provide a motor-operated valve that is secured and does not require welding with a different metal.

  To achieve the above object, an electric valve according to the present invention is attached via a valve body made of aluminum or aluminum alloy in which a fluid input port and an output port are formed, and a receiving member fixed to the valve body. A stepping motor comprising a can disposed on the outside of the can, and a rotor disposed on the inside of the can and driven to rotate by the stator. A valve seat that contacts and separates from a fixed valve seat; and a screw feeding member that includes a screw portion that houses the valve body and is screwed into the rotor, wherein the valve seat is attached to the receiving member. It is provided in the member.

  According to this motor-operated valve, the valve seat to which the valve body contacts and separates is provided on the valve seat member that is further fixed with respect to the receiving member that is fixed to the valve body. In addition, the valve body can be unitized with a drive unit such as a can and stepping motor. The unitized drive unit can be fixed to the valve body collectively by fixing the receiving member to the valve body. Since the receiving member and the valve seat member do not need to be made of aluminum or an alloy thereof and can be made of a material such as stainless steel that can be easily raised in accuracy, the assembly between the valve body and the valve seat is also included in the unit. Can be adjusted with high accuracy. Further, mechanical fixing means such as caulking and screws can be used for fixing the receiving member to the valve body.

  In this electric valve, the feed screw member can be indirectly fixed to the valve body via the valve seat member and the receiving member by being held by the receiving member via the valve seat member. Further, the receiving member can be fixed to the main body by screwing, and does not depend on difficult welding of dissimilar metals. Furthermore, also for the valve seat member, like the feed screw member and the receiving member, it is not made of aluminum or an alloy thereof that requires a surface treatment to form a hard film, but is made of a material that easily gives dimensional accuracy such as stainless steel, Assembling accuracy can be improved.

  The motor-operated valve according to the present invention is configured as described above. A valve seat member for providing a valve seat is formed as a separate part from the valve body, and a screw feed member and a receiving member are coupled to the valve seat member. Since the drive unit for the valve body is configured as a unit, the drive unit can be fixed to the valve body made of aluminum or an alloy thereof by caulking, a mechanical coupling means such as a screw, There is no need to employ a difficult method of welding different kinds of metals, and an electric valve that can be easily assembled can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of an electric valve according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a main part of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the motor-operated valve according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a motor-operated valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 3 are a longitudinal sectional view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a motor-operated valve according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows only a part.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of a motor-operated valve according to the present invention. The motor-operated valve generally indicated by reference numeral 1 has a valve body 10 made of aluminum (or an aluminum alloy) and a drive unit 11 that drives the valve body, and the valve body 10 extends in a tubular shape downward and laterally. Ports 20 and 22 (one of which is an input port and the other is an output port) to which an inflow pipe and an outflow pipe are respectively connected are provided. The drive unit 11 is provided in such a manner that it is collectively attached to the upper part of the valve body 10. A can 30, which is a cylindrical pressure vessel, is fixed to the valve body 10 via a receiving member 50 made of, for example, stainless steel. The valve body 10 and the receiving member 50 are made of different metals, and the fixing of the receiving member 50 to the valve body 10 will be described in detail later.

  Outside the can 30, a stator unit 40 of a stepping motor as an example of a drive motor is provided. A rotor unit 60 is rotatably disposed inside the can 30. The rotor unit 60 includes a rotor 62 made of a plastic magnet formed by mixing a magnetic material with resin, and a female screw type screw feed member 70 connected to the rotor 62 via a ring member 64. . The rotor 62 is fixed to the screw feed member 70 via the ring member 64 by caulking means K1. The can 30 and the stator unit 40 are covered with an outer casing 41.

  An internal thread 71 is formed on the inner periphery of the lower end of the screw feed member 70. The stem-shaped feed screw member 72 has a fixed relationship with the valve main body 10 as described later, but includes a male screw portion 73 that is screwed into the female screw portion 71. A rotation stopper member 80 is fixed to the outer side of the screw feed member 70, and the protrusion 81 of the rotation stopper member 80 is fixed to the feed screw member 72 when the rotor unit 60 is lowered to the lowest end. The lower end position of the rotor unit 60 is regulated by contacting the protrusion 75 of the stopper member 74.

  A valve shaft 90 is slidably inserted in the feed screw member 72 in the axial direction thereof. A cone-shaped valve body 91 is formed at the tip of the valve shaft 90. The valve shaft 90 is pressurized in the valve closing direction by a compression coil spring 92 interposed between the valve feed member 70 and the screw feed member 70. The valve body 91 controls the flow path opening area with the valve seat member 100. An urging spring 93 is attached to the upper end portion of the valve shaft 90 for facilitating re-engagement when the rotor unit 60 rises too much and the female screw portion 71 and the male screw portion 73 are unscrewed.

  The valve body 10 is formed with a body hole 12 that penetrates through the connection port of the port 20 and opens at the upper surface. The main body hole 12 is, in order from the lower side, a lower first hole portion 13 communicating with the connection port of the port 20, and a second hole portion 14 as an intermediate hole portion that forms a valve chamber 25 connected to the first hole portion 13. An upper third hole portion 15 is formed which is continuous with the second hole portion 14 and opens in the upper surface 17 of the valve body 10. The hole diameters of these hole portions 13 to 15 gradually increase toward the upper side. Is formed. An internal thread portion 16 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the third hole portion 15. An annular groove 18 is formed around the opening of the third hole 15 on the upper surface 17 of the valve body 10, and a sealing O-ring 19 is accommodated in the annular groove 18. In the state where 50 is attached, the O-ring 19 is sandwiched between the upper surface 17 and the receiving member 50 and is compressed, and the water tightness between the receiving member 50 and the upper side of the body hole 12 is ensured. .

  For example, the stainless steel receiving member 50 includes a large-diameter flange portion 51 that contacts the upper surface 17 of the valve body 10 and a small-diameter cylindrical portion that extends integrally from the large-diameter flange portion 51 and is inserted into the third hole portion 15. 52. A male threaded portion 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter cylindrical portion 52, and the receiving member 50 screws the male threaded portion 53 onto the female threaded portion 16 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the third hole portion 15 of the valve body 10. By combining them, the valve body 10 is mechanically fixed. The receiving member 50 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and inside the cylindrical shape, an upper large-diameter inner peripheral surface 54 corresponding to the large-diameter flange portion 51 and a lower small-diameter inner peripheral surface corresponding to the small-diameter cylindrical portion 52. 55 is connected via an annular shelf surface 56.

  In order to provide the valve seat 101, the valve seat member 100 is mounted in a state of being accommodated in the cylindrical interior of the main body hole 12 and the receiving member 50. The valve seat member 100 is a member that is generally formed in a cylindrical shape, and on the one end side (lower side) in the longitudinal direction, the lower first tube portion that is fitted into the first hole portion 13 of the main body hole 12. 102. An O-ring 111 is fitted in a circumferential groove 110 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylinder portion 102, and provides airtightness with the valve body 10. The inside of the first tube portion 102 communicates with one port 20 of the valve body 10. The valve seat member 100 includes a second cylinder portion 103 that extends from the first cylinder portion 102 at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, and a valve seat 101 is formed on the inner periphery of the second cylinder portion 103. A plurality of lateral holes 105 communicating with the other port 22 are formed in the second cylinder portion 103. The second cylindrical portion 103 is formed in a cylindrical portion such that the valve shaft 90 can freely move up and down in the upper portion from the valve seat 101.

  The valve seat member 100 further includes a third cylindrical portion 104 on the other longitudinal end side. The third cylinder part 104 may be an extension of the second cylinder part 103. The third cylinder portion 104 is fitted inside the receiving member 50 that is screwed into the third hole portion 15 of the main body hole 12. Specifically, the third cylindrical portion 104 includes an enlarged flange portion 106 at the upper end having an outer peripheral surface that fits into the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 54 and the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 55 of the receiving member 50 and a small-diameter cylindrical portion 107 that is continuous therewith. The enlarged flange portion 106 is mounted in a state of abutting and seating on the annular shelf surface 56 of the receiving member 50.

  In the third cylindrical portion 104 of the valve seat member 100, an inner peripheral surface 108 on which the feed screw member 72 is mounted and an annular shelf 109 are formed inside the small diameter cylindrical portion 107. The lower end portion 76 of the feed screw member 72 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 108 of the third cylindrical portion 104 until the end surface abuts against the annular shelf portion 109, and this fitting structure allows the feed screw member 72 to be fitted to the valve seat. The valve body 10 is fixedly held via the member 100 and the receiving member 50.

  When the rotor unit 60 is rotationally driven in response to a pulse signal (rotational force) from the stator unit 40, the rotor unit 60 is externally threaded 73 of the feed screw member 72 that is fixedly held with respect to the valve body 10. It moves up and down corresponding to the screw pitch with the female thread portion 71 of the screw feed member 70 to be screwed together. The vertical movement of the rotor unit 60 is transmitted to the valve shaft 90, and the valve shaft 90 contacts and separates from the valve seat 101 of the valve seat member 100.

  According to the present embodiment, the receiving member 50 and the valve seat member 100 are unitized as a drive unit together with the feed screw member 72, the screw feed member 70, the rotor unit 60, and the valve body 90, and are made of aluminum or an alloy thereof. The valve body 10 has a different configuration. Therefore, the position and accuracy of the valve seat 101, which are important for the operation of the valve, do not depend on the accuracy of the valve body 10, and the stainless steel receiving member 50 and the valve seat member 100 that are easy to increase processing accuracy and assembly accuracy. Further, it can be determined by the feed screw member 72.

  In the motor-operated valve having such a configuration, by applying a predetermined pulse to the stator unit, the rotor unit 60 can be rotated in a predetermined direction and the valve body 91 can be moved forward and backward.

  5 to 7 are a longitudinal sectional view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing another embodiment of the motor-operated valve according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the motor-operated valve shown in FIG. It is an expanded vertical sectional view which shows a part. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.

  In the motor-operated valve 2 shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the structures of the receiving member and the valve seat member are mainly different from those of the motor-operated valve 1 according to the previous embodiment. The valve main body 10 is formed with a main body hole 140 including a first hole 141 having a small diameter on the lower side and a second hole 142 that opens to the upper surface 143 of the valve main body 10.

  The receiving member 150 includes a first cylindrical portion 151 having a thick upper radial thickness, and a second cylindrical portion 152 that is integrally connected to the first cylindrical portion 151 and extends downward. The first cylindrical portion 151 of the receiving member 150 is formed with a first accommodation hole 153 for accommodating the feed screw member 72 from the upper side until it abuts, and the second cylindrical portion 152 has a valve seat member 160 from the lower side. A second accommodation hole 154 for accommodating and fixing (by a mechanical means such as a screw) until the contact is made is formed. Further, the valve shaft 90 is passed through a through hole 155 that leads to both holes 153 and 154.

  The lower end portion of the valve seat member 160 is fitted into the first hole portion 141 of the main body hole 140 with airtightness, and the second tube portion on the lower side of the receiving member 150 from the upper surface 143 side is inserted into the second hole portion 142. 152 is fitted. The receiving member 150 is positioned in a state in which the first cylindrical portion 151 is in contact with the upper surface 143 of the valve main body 10, and the fixing of the receiving member 150 to the valve main body 10 is performed by caulking k2 instead of screw coupling. . Watertightness between the receiving member 150 and the valve body 10 is provided by an O-ring 145 disposed in the step groove 144 that follows the second hole 142 of the valve body 10. In this way, the feed screw member 72 is inserted and held directly from above on the receiving member 150, not on the valve seat member 160. The feed screw member 72, the receiving member 150, and the valve seat member 160 are made of stainless steel, so that the processing accuracy and assembly accuracy can be improved.

  Also in this embodiment, the valve seat member 160 and the feed screw member 72 are incorporated in the receiving member 150 in advance, and the valve shaft 90, the feed screw member 70, and the rotor unit 60 are unitized as a drive unit. Is attached to the valve body 10 and the receiving member 150 is fixed by caulking K2, so that the drive unit can be fixed to the valve body 10 as a unit by a simple operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Electric valve 10 Valve main body 11 Drive part 12 Main body hole 13 1st hole part 14 2nd hole part 15 3rd hole part 16 Female thread part 17 Upper surface 18 Annular groove 19 O-ring 20, 22 Pipe connection part 30 Can 40 Stator Unit 50 Receiving member 51 Large diameter flange portion 52 Small diameter cylindrical portion 53 Male thread portion 54 Large diameter inner peripheral surface 55 Small diameter inner peripheral surface 56 Annular shelf surface 60 Rotor unit 62 Rotor 64 Ring member 70 Screw feed member 71 Female thread portion 72 Feed screw member 73 Male thread part 74 Stopper member 75 Projection part 76 Lower end part 80 Rotation stopper member 81 Projection part 90 Valve shaft 91 Valve body 92 Compression coil spring 93 Biasing spring 100 Valve seat member 101 Valve seat 102 First cylinder part 103 Second cylinder part 104 Third cylinder part 105 Horizontal hole 106 Enlarged flange part 107 Small diameter cylinder part 108 Inner peripheral surface 109 Annular shelf 10 circumferential groove 111 O-ring 140 body hole 141 first hole 142 second hole 143 upper surface 144 step groove 144 145 O-ring 150 receiving member 151 first cylinder 152 second cylinder 153 first accommodation hole 154 second accommodation Hole 155 Through-hole 160 Valve seat member K1, K2 Caulking

Claims (7)

A valve body made of aluminum or aluminum alloy in which an input port and an output port for fluid are formed, a can attached via a receiving member fixed to the valve body, a stator disposed outside the can, and the A stepping motor including a rotor disposed inside a can and driven to rotate by the stator; a valve body that moves forward and backward by the rotation of the rotor and contacts and separates from a valve seat that is fixedly connected to the valve body; and A screw feed member having a threaded portion that houses the valve body and is screwed with the rotor;
The motor-operated valve, wherein the valve seat is provided on a valve seat member attached to the receiving member.   The motor-operated valve according to claim 1, wherein the receiving member holds the feed screw member via the valve seat member.   The electric valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving member and the main body are fixed by screwing or caulking.   The electric valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seat member or the receiving member is made of stainless steel.   The valve body is formed with a body hole communicating with the one port and opening on the surface of the valve body. The body hole has a first hole portion and a first hole portion on the one port side. 2. A second hole portion that communicates with the other port side and provides a valve chamber, and a third hole portion that communicates with the second hole portion and opens in the valve body. The motor-operated valve as described in any one of -4.   The valve seat member is generally formed in a cylindrical shape, and is fitted into the first hole at one end in the longitudinal direction and communicates with the one port, and an inner periphery at the middle in the longitudinal direction. The valve seat is formed in the second cylindrical portion formed with a lateral hole communicating with the other port, and the receiving member fitted into the third hole portion on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. The motor-operated valve according to claim 5, further comprising a third cylindrical portion fitted inside.   The receiving member and the valve seat member can be inserted into the body hole from the opening side with respect to the valve body, and the valve seat member has an enlarged flange portion formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction. The motor-operated valve according to claim 6, wherein the motor-operated valve is positioned by contacting an inner peripheral shelf portion of the receiving member.

Images