JP2012067812A - Connecting spring and passage switching valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting spring and a passage switching valve capable of largely reducing man-caused manhours and cost, while filling up a looseness clearance.SOLUTION: In this passage switching valve 10, the connecting spring 64 is interposed between a recessed part 46 arranged in a top part of a ball valve 14 and a projection part 62 arranged in a lower end part of a shaft 50. The connecting spring 64 includes a pair of arm parts 66 and 67 for sandwiching the projection part 62 by abutting on outside surfaces 62a and 62b of the projection part 62, and an intermediate part 68 for constituting a part between base end parts of the arm parts 66 and 67. Outer surfaces of the arm parts 66 and 68 respectively abut on inside surfaces 46a and 46b of the recessed part 46 in a state of interposing the connecting spring 64 between the recessed part 46 and the projection part 62.

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow path opening / closing valve that switches a flow state of a fluid by opening and closing a flow path through which the fluid flows.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a channel opening / closing valve that is connected to a fluid flow channel and controls the fluid flow state by switching the communication state of the flow channel is known. In such a channel opening / closing valve, a ball valve is provided inside the valve body, and a shaft connected to an upper portion of the ball valve rotates to form a through hole of the ball valve in the valve body. A pair of passages communicate with each other.

  In such a conventional flow path opening / closing valve, a rectangular recess (groove) is provided in the upper part of the ball valve in a plan view, and a protrusion that fits into the recess is provided at the tip (lower end) of the shaft. Is provided. Further, an arc-shaped bulging portion that bulges outward is provided on the side surface of the convex portion, and this bulging portion fills backlash between the convex portion of the shaft and the concave portion of the ball valve, and The rotational phase difference is reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-74685

  In the above-described prior art, in order to form the bulging portion on the side surface of the convex portion of the shaft, it is necessary to perform processing different from the formation of the convex portion, and the bulging portion has a circular arc shape. A processing method such as processing requires considerable labor, and accordingly, man-hours and costs are increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connection spring and a flow path opening / closing valve that can significantly reduce man-hours and costs while filling a gap.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a fitting portion having a concave portion provided on the first element and having a pair of opposed inner surfaces, and an outer surface provided on the second element and constituting surfaces opposite to each other. A connection spring that restrains the relative rotation around the axis of the first element and the second element, and the fitting portion is connected to the both outer surfaces. A pair of arm portions sandwiched between and an intermediate portion that constitutes between the base end portions of the arm portions, the outer surface of the arm portion, the connection spring is disposed between the recess and the fitting portion It is characterized in that it is in contact with the inner surface in the interposed state.

  According to said structure, the play gap formed between a recessed part and a fitting part can be filled up with a connection spring. Such a connection spring can be manufactured easily and at low cost as compared with the case where the bulging portion is formed on the outer surface of the fitting portion. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the man-hours and costs while filling the gap between the concave portion and the fitting portion.

  In the above connection spring, a distance between the arm portions in a natural state where the connection spring is not in the interposed state may be smaller than a thickness of the fitting portion.

  According to said structure, since it can be made to fit a recessed part into a recessed part after it is in the state which attached the connection spring to the fitting part, an assembly operation can be simplified.

  In the above connection spring, each of the arm portions may have an arcuate portion that curves so as to bulge outward.

  According to said structure, it is easy to insert a connection spring in a recessed part, and assembly workability | operativity can be improved.

  Further, the flow path on-off valve according to the present invention includes a ball valve provided with a through hole, a shaft for rotating the ball valve, and a connection spring interposed between the ball valve and the shaft, One of the ball valve and the shaft is formed with a concave portion having a pair of opposed inner surfaces, and the other has a convex surface that has an outer surface that constitutes opposite surfaces and fits into the concave portion. And a pair of arm portions that are in contact with the outer surface and sandwich the convex portion, and an intermediate portion that constitutes between the base end portions of the arm portions, and the outer surface of the arm portion is connected to the connecting portion. The spring is in contact with the inner surface in an interposed state in which the spring is interposed between the concave portion and the convex portion.

  According to said structure, the play gap formed between a recessed part and a convex part can be filled with a connection spring. Such a connection spring can be manufactured easily and at low cost as compared with the case where the bulging portion is formed on the side surface of the fitting portion. Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the man-hours and costs while filling the gap.

  In the above-described flow path opening / closing valve, the interval between the arm portions in a natural state where the connection spring is not in the interposed state may be smaller than the thickness of the convex portion.

  According to said structure, since it can be made to fit a recessed part into a recessed part after it is in the state which attached the connection spring to the fitting part, an assembly operation can be simplified.

  In the above-described flow path opening / closing valve, each of the arm portions may have an arc-shaped portion that bulges outward.

  According to said structure, it is easy to insert a connection spring in a recessed part, and assembly workability | operativity can be improved.

  According to the connection spring and the flow path opening / closing valve according to the present invention, it is possible to significantly reduce the man-hours and costs while filling the gap.

It is sectional drawing of the flow-path on-off valve which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view showing a ball valve and its peripheral part in a valve opened state. FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connecting spring and its peripheral portion in a state in which the connecting spring is mounted between the concave portion and the convex portion, and FIG. 3B shows that the axis of the ball valve is inclined with respect to the axis of the shaft. It is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the state which carried out. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the channel on-off valve concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a connection spring and a flow path opening / closing valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a flow path opening / closing valve 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow path opening / closing valve 10 includes a body main body 12, a ball valve 14 (first element) 14 that is rotatably provided inside the body main body 12, and a valve presser 16 that contacts the outer peripheral surface 15 of the ball valve 14. A valve seat 18 that contacts the ball valve 14 on the opposite side of the valve presser 16, and a driving force transmission mechanism 20 that is provided at the top of the body main body 12 and applies a rotational driving force to the ball valve 14. Have

  The flow path opening / closing valve 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as an exhaust gas circulation valve (EGR valve) 10A, and a gas inlet through which exhaust gas containing vaporized fuel is supplied to the lower portion of the body main body 12. 22 is provided, and on the opposite side of the gas inlet with the ball valve 14 therebetween, a gas outlet 24 is provided for extracting exhaust gas and circulating it to an internal combustion engine (not shown).

  In the body main body 12, the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24 are provided on a substantially straight line. Here, in FIG. 1, symbol C is a straight line passing through the center of the gas inlet 22 and the center of the gas outlet 24, and the direction along the straight line C is indicated by an arrow X.

  A communication chamber 26 is formed in the body body 12 between the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24, and a substantially spherical ball valve 14 rotates around the axis A <b> 1 of the shaft 50 in the communication chamber 26. Arranged freely.

  A ring-shaped valve retainer 16 is provided between the communication chamber 26 and the gas inlet 22, and the valve retainer 16 is mounted in an annular first mounting groove 28 whose diameter is larger than that of the gas inlet 22. . That is, the valve retainer 16 is disposed so that one end surface thereof faces the communication chamber 26 and abuts the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve 14, and the other side surface faces the gas inlet 22.

  A communication hole 30 communicating with the gas inlet 22 and penetrating along the axial direction (arrow X direction) of the valve retainer 16 is formed at the center of the valve retainer 16. A seat surface 32 with which the ball valve 14 abuts is formed on the surface of the valve retainer 16 on the X2 direction side. The seat surface 32 has an annular shape extending around the axis of the valve presser 16 and is configured as a spherical surface having the same curvature as the spherical surface portion of the ball valve 14.

  A coil spring 34 as an elastic biasing member is interposed between the valve presser 16 and the body main body 12, and the valve presser 16 is always elastically biased toward the ball valve 14 (in the direction of the arrow X2). ing. The elastic biasing member interposed between the valve presser 16 and the body main body 12 is not limited to the coil spring 34, and may be another elastic body such as a spring washer, for example.

  A ring-shaped valve seat 18 is provided between the communication chamber 26 and the gas outlet 24. The valve seat 18 is mounted in an annular second mounting groove 36 formed between the gas outlet 24 and the communication chamber 26. The valve seat 18 is disposed so that one end surface thereof faces the communication chamber 26 and abuts the outer peripheral surface 15 of the ball valve 14, and the other side surface thereof faces the gas outlet 24. The valve seat 18 is provided coaxially with the valve presser 16 with the communication chamber 26 as the center.

  A second communication hole 38 communicating with the gas outlet 24 and penetrating along the axial direction is formed at the center of the valve seat 18. A seat surface 40 with which the ball valve 14 abuts is formed on the surface of the valve seat 18 on the X1 direction side. The seat surface 40 has an annular shape extending about the axis of the valve seat 18 and is configured as a spherical surface having the same curvature as the spherical portion of the ball valve 14.

  A surface on the X2 side of the valve seat 18 is formed in a substantially flat shape, and a pipe or the like (not shown) is connected to the gas outlet 24, whereby an axis line in the second mounting groove 36 is formed by an end of the pipe or the like. Displacement in the direction (arrow X direction) is restricted.

  The ball valve 14 is formed with a through hole 44 that passes through the central portion of the ball valve 14 and penetrates from one surface to the other surface. As shown in FIG. 2, when the through hole 44 is aligned with the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24, the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24 communicate with each other through the through hole 44 and the valve is opened. .

  A rectangular recess 46 is formed on the top of the ball valve 14 in plan view. The recess 46 has a curved bottom surface 46c and inner side surfaces 46a, 46b (see FIGS. 2 and 3A) on both sides thereof. The bottom surface 46c in the illustrated example is an arc-shaped surface that curves toward the through hole 44, but may be a flat surface. The inner side surfaces 46a and 46b are planes parallel to each other. A distal end portion (lower end portion) of a shaft 50 to be described later is inserted into the concave portion 46 configured as described above. The recess 46 in the illustrated example extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the through hole 44, but may extend in a direction parallel to or intersecting with the axis of the through hole 44 depending on design conditions and the like. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving force transmission mechanism 20 includes a shaft 50 (second element) connected to the top of the ball valve 14, a rotating yoke 52 connected to the upper end of the shaft 50, and the body main body 12. A drive source 54 connected to the upper portion and rotating the shaft 50 via the rotary yoke 52 is included.

  The shaft 50 is supported by a pair of bearings 56 and 58 provided inside the body body 12 so as to be rotatable about its axis A1. The upper end portion of the shaft 50 is inserted through the substantially central portion of the rotary yoke 52 and is fixed by tightening the nut 60. The drive source 54 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor or a rotary actuator that is rotationally driven under an energization action, and the rotation driving force is transmitted to the shaft 50 via the rotary yoke 52, whereby the ball connected to the shaft 50. The valve 14 rotates in a predetermined direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a protruding portion (fitting portion) 62 that protrudes toward the ball valve 14 side and extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis A <b> 1 is formed at the distal end portion (lower end portion) of the shaft 50. Is provided. The convex portion 62 is formed with outer surfaces 62a and 62b that constitute surfaces opposite to each other. The outer side surfaces 62a and 62b are planes parallel to each other. The cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 62 orthogonal to the axis A1 is a substantially rectangular shape. The convex portion 62 is inserted into the concave portion 46 of the ball valve 14 in the communication chamber 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the width (distance from one inner side surface 46a to the other inner side surface 46b) W1 of the concave portion 46 is the thickness of the convex portion 62 (from one outer side surface 62a to the other outer side surface 62b). Distance) is set larger than W2. For this reason, in a state where the convex portion 62 is inserted into the concave portion 46, a gap is formed between the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46. In order to fill the play due to the gap, a connection spring 64 is interposed in the gap.

  The coupling spring 64 is attached to the convex portion 62 so as to sandwich the convex portion 62 of the shaft 50 from the outer surfaces 62a and 62b, and is inserted into the concave portion 46 of the ball valve 14, so that the concave portion 46 and the convex portion 62 are connected. It will be in the interposed state arrange | positioned by the clearance gap between. The connecting spring 64 is configured to extend along the longitudinal direction of the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46 in the gap, that is, the extending direction of the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46.

  FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the coupling spring 64 and its peripheral portion in the interposed state. As shown in FIG. 3A, the connecting spring 64 includes a pair of arm portions 66 and 67 that sandwich the convex portion 62 from both outer surfaces 62a and 62b, and an intermediate portion that forms between the base end portions of the arm portions 66 and 67. 68.

  The arm portions 66 and 67 are pressed against the outer surfaces 62a and 62b of the convex portion 62 and pressed against the outer surfaces 62a and 62b, and the inner surface of the concave portion 46 is positioned closer to the intermediate portion 68 than the pressing portions 70a and 70b. It has contact portions 72a and 72b that contact 46a and 46b, and has an S-shaped curved shape. That is, the pressing portions 70a and 70b are curved so as to swell toward the inner side (the convex portion 62 side) of the coupling spring 64, and the abutting portions 72a and 72b are formed outside the coupling spring 64 (the outer side surfaces 62a and 62b). It is curved in an arc shape so as to swell toward the side. As described above, since the contact portions 72a and 72b are curved in an arc shape, the connecting spring 64 can be easily inserted into the recess 46, and the assembly workability can be improved.

  In FIG. 3A, the arm portions 66 and 67 in a natural state where the connection spring 64 is not interposed (a state where no external force is applied to the connection spring 64) are indicated by a two-dot chain line. The interval between the arm portions 66 and 67 in the natural state (specifically, the interval between the pressing portions 70a and 70b) W3 may be set smaller than the thickness W2 of the convex portion 62. When W3 is set in this way, when the connecting spring 64 is attached to the convex portion 62, the arm portions 66 and 67 are elastically deformed and the pressing portions 70a and 70b press the outer side surfaces 62a and 62b of the convex portion 62. For this reason, it is possible to fit the convex portion 62 to the concave portion 46 after the connecting spring 64 is attached to the convex portion 62 during the assembly work. Therefore, the assembly work can be facilitated.

  In the interposed state of the connecting spring 64, the contact portions 72a and 72b may be in contact with the inner side surfaces 46a and 46b, or may press the inner side surfaces 46a and 46b. Thereby, the play due to the gap between the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46 can be completely filled.

  The intermediate portion 68 is a portion of the connecting spring 64 that extends from the base end portion of one arm portion 66, 67 to the base end portion of the other arm portion 66, 67. It is formed smoothly and continuously from the contact portions 72a and 72b with substantially the same curvature as the portions 72a and 72b. The intermediate portion 68 is not limited to a curved shape, and may be a flat shape.

  As a constituent material of the connecting spring 64, the elastic member is appropriately elastically deformed when attached to the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46, and abuts and adheres to the outer side surfaces 62a and 62b of the convex portion 62 and the inner side surfaces 46a and 46b of the concave portion 46. In addition, a metal material or resin having a rigidity that hardly elastically deforms when the rotational driving force is transmitted from the shaft 50 to the ball valve 14 with the coupling spring 64 interposed between the concave portion 46 and the convex portion 62. Materials and the like.

  The flow path opening / closing valve 10 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation and effects thereof will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve closed state in which the flow path between the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24 is blocked by the ball valve 14 will be described as an initial position.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the initial position, a gas (not shown) is supplied to the gas inlet 22, but the position where the through hole 44 of the ball valve 14 is orthogonal to the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24. Thus, both the communication hole 30 of the valve retainer 16 and the communication hole 38 of the valve seat 18 are closed by the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve 14, thereby blocking the flow path between the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24. ing.

  When the drive source 54 shown in FIG. 1 is driven from this valve closed state, the rotational driving force of the drive source 54 is transmitted to the shaft 50 through the rotary yoke 52, and the ball valve 14 connected to the shaft 50 rotates. . In this case, a connecting spring 64 is interposed between the convex portion 62 of the shaft 50 and the concave portion 46 of the ball valve 14, and the play due to the gap is buried, so that the rotational position between the shaft 50 and the ball valve 14 can be reduced. The phase difference is reduced.

  In this way, the ball valve 14 rotates and the through hole 44 is aligned with the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24 so that the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 24 communicate with each other through the through hole 44. Open state. As a result, the gas supplied to the gas inlet 22 flows through the through hole 44 of the ball valve 14 toward the gas outlet 24 and is introduced into an internal combustion engine (not shown).

  As described above, according to the flow path opening / closing valve 10 (EGR valve 10 </ b> A) according to the present embodiment, the play gap formed between the recess 46 and the protrusion 62 can be filled with the connecting spring 64. Such a connection spring 64 can be manufactured easily and at a lower cost than the above-described conventional technique in which the bulging portions are formed on the outer side surfaces 62a and 62b of the convex portion 62. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the man-hours and costs while filling the gap between the concave portion 46 and the convex portion 62.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the interval W3 between the arm portions 66 and 67 in the natural state where the connection spring 64 is not interposed is set to be smaller than the thickness W2 of the convex portion 62. In the assembly operation, the projection 62 can be fitted into the recess 46 after the connection spring 64 is mounted on the projection 62. Therefore, assembly work can be simplified.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, each of the arm portions 66 and 67 has the contact portions 72a and 72b that are curved in an arc shape so as to bulge outward, so that the connecting spring 64 can be easily inserted into the recess 46, and assembly is performed. Workability can be improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, even when the axis A2 of the ball valve 14 is inclined with respect to the axis A1 of the shaft 50 due to an error during manufacture or assembly, the inner side surfaces 46a and 46b of the recess 46 are not connected to the circle of the connection spring 64. Since it moves while sliding on the contact portions 72a, 72b curved in an arc shape, it is possible to prevent excessive rotational friction between the connecting spring 64 and the recess 46.

  FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the flow path opening / closing valve 10a according to the second embodiment. In addition, about the flow-path on-off valve 10a, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the same element as the flow-path on-off valve 10 in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The flow path opening / closing valve 10a according to the second embodiment differs from the flow path opening / closing valve 10 according to the first embodiment in that the configuration of the ball valve 14a and the shaft 50a is different from the ball valve 14 and the shaft 50. That is, a convex portion 76 that protrudes toward the shaft 50a is provided at the top of the ball valve 14a, and a concave portion 78 that is recessed upward is provided at the lower end portion of the shaft 50a. The convex portion 76 and the concave portion 78 are configured in the same manner as the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 46 in the first embodiment, respectively. The configuration of the ball valve 14 a other than the convex portion 76 is the same as that of the ball valve 14. The configuration of the shaft 50 a other than the recess 78 is the same as that of the shaft 50.

  In the gap formed between the convex portion 76 and the concave portion 78, the above-described connecting spring 64 is interposed, and the play due to the gap is filled. In the second embodiment, since the arrangement relationship between the convex portions 76 and the concave portions 78 is opposite to that in the first embodiment, the connection spring 64 is mounted in such a direction that the tips of the arm portions 66 and 67 are directed downward. ing.

  Also by the flow path opening / closing valve 10a according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the same effect as the flow path opening / closing valve 10 according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained by the action of the connection spring 64.

  The flow path opening / closing valves 10 and 10a according to the present invention are not limited to EGR valves, and can be used as valves for opening and closing various fluid flow paths.

  The connection spring 64 described above includes a recess and a fitting portion fitted to the recess, in addition to the connection portion of the shaft 50 (50a) and the ball valve 14 (14a) in the flow path opening / closing valve 10 (10a). It is also possible to interpose the gap formed between the two and use it to fill the play caused by the gap.

  In the above description, the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a ... Flow-path on-off valve 10A ... EGR valve 14 ... Ball valve 46, 78 ... Concave part 46a, 46b ... Inner side surface 50 ... Shaft 62, 76 ... Convex part 62a, 62b ... Outer side surface 64 ... Connection spring 66, 67 ... Arm part 68 ... Intermediate part 72a, 72b ... Contact part

Claims (6)

It is interposed in the clearance gap formed between the recessed part which is provided in the 1st element and which has a pair of opposed inner side surfaces, and the fitting part which is provided in the 2nd element and which constitutes the surface opposite to each other. A coupling spring for restraining relative rotation around the axis of the first element and the second element,
A pair of arm portions sandwiching the fitting portion from the both outer side surfaces;
An intermediate portion that constitutes between the base end portions of the arm portion,
The outer surface of the arm portion is in contact with the inner surface in an interposed state in which the connection spring is disposed between the recess and the fitting portion,
A connecting spring characterized by that. The connection spring according to claim 1,
The interval between the arm portions in a natural state where the connection spring is not in the interposed state is smaller than the thickness of the fitting portion.
A connecting spring characterized by that. The connection spring according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the arm portions has an arc-shaped portion that curves so as to bulge outward.
A connecting spring characterized by that. A ball valve with a through hole;
A shaft for rotating the ball valve;
A connection spring interposed between the ball valve and the shaft;
One of the ball valve and the shaft is formed with a concave portion having a pair of opposed inner surfaces, and the other has a convex surface that has an outer surface that constitutes opposite surfaces and fits into the concave portion. Part is formed,
A pair of arm portions that abut against the outer surface and sandwich the convex portion;
Having an intermediate portion that constitutes between the base end portions of the arm portion,
The outer surface of the arm portion is in contact with the inner surface in an interposed state in which the connection spring is interposed between the concave portion and the convex portion,
A flow path opening / closing valve characterized by that. The flow path opening / closing valve according to claim 4,
The interval between the arm portions in a natural state where the connection spring is not in the interposed state is smaller than the thickness of the convex portion,
A flow path opening / closing valve characterized by that. In the flow path on-off valve according to claim 4 or 5,
Each of the arm portions has an arc-shaped portion that bulges outward.
A flow path opening / closing valve characterized by that.

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