JP2015194100A - Internal combustion engine thermostatic valve gear - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermostatic valve gear excellent in thermosensitivity and low in the flow resistance of coolant.SOLUTION: A thermostatic valve gear 4 comprises: a fixed shaft 12; and a movable cylinder 13, and a main valve body 17 and a thermosensitive portion 13a are provided in the movable cylinder 13. The fixed shaft 12 is held immovably by a support frame 14b provided in a valve seat 14a. The support frame 14b is twisted spirally around an axial center O of a main passage 3, and a swirl flow guide plate 22 applying a swirl flow to coolant is formed on the support frame 14b. Furthermore, a swirl flow guide rib 23 applying a swirl flow is provided on an inner surface of a housing 2 to protrude inward. The swirl flow can increase the mixture of coolant returned from a radiator with coolant returned from a heater, thereby ensuring high thermosensitivity. Since the coolant can flow into the main passage 3 with high direct advance performance, the coolant is low in flow resistance.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermo valve device used for controlling the flow of cooling water in an internal combustion engine.

  In a water-cooled internal combustion engine for a vehicle, a thermo valve device provided with a temperature sensitive member is provided in a cylinder head in order to control the flow of cooling water in accordance with the temperature of the engine. That is, the cooling water generally cools the cylinder head regardless of the temperature and flows to the heater. However, if the water temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the cooling water does not circulate through the radiator, and if the water temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature, the cooling water Is automatically controlled by a thermo-valve device to circulate through the radiator.

  This thermo-valve device has a fixed shaft fixedly disposed in a main passage (valve chamber) through which cooling water returned from a radiator flows, a valve body slidably mounted on the fixed shaft, and a valve body as a valve seat. And a spring that biases the valve body, and the opening degree of the valve body is changed by the movement of the valve body together with the temperature sensing portion that moves according to the temperature of the cooling water.

  The temperature sensing part is arranged on the downstream side of the main passage with the valve seat interposed therebetween. When the valve body is opened, the temperature sensing part is also exposed to the return cooling water from the radiator. On the other hand, in a thermo valve device for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, a return passage from the heater is opened downstream of the valve seat in the main passage, and when the coolant returned from the heater reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature sensing portion Moves so that the valve element opens.

  After the valve body is opened, the temperature sensing unit is exposed to both the cooling water returned from the radiator and the cooling water returned from the heater, and the cooling water returned from the heater and the cooling water returned from the radiator Therefore, if the temperature sensor moves strongly in response to the temperature of one of the cooling waters, it will be overcooled by excessive cooling with a radiator against the cooling performance actually required by the engine. Or, conversely, there is a risk that the amount of water passing through the radiator will be insufficient and an overheating tendency will occur.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the main passage is shifted from the axial center, and the flow direction of the cooling water toward the inlet is directed in a direction perpendicular to the axial center of the main passage, whereby the cooling water returned from the radiator is transferred to the main passage. It is disclosed that a swirl flow is imparted inside the interior, thereby improving the mixing of the cooling water returned from the radiator and the cooling water returned from the heater, and averaging the temperature of the cooling water.

JP 2010-48142 A

  In Patent Document 1, the return cooling water from the radiator inside the main passage can improve the mixing with the return cooling water from the heater, but the cooling water passage is bent before the entrance of the main passage. The water flow resistance is large, and the power loss of the water pump may increase. Moreover, since it cannot apply to the type which has arrange | positioned the cooling water inlet to a main channel | path concentrically with a main channel | path, there exists a possibility that it may be inferior to versatility.

  The present invention has been made to improve the current situation.

  This invention includes the structure of Claims 1-3. Among these, the invention of claim 1 includes, as main elements, a housing having a main passage having a cooling water main inlet opened at one end thereof, a fixed shaft disposed substantially concentrically with the main passage in the housing, and the fixed shaft. And a valve seat arranged so as to cross the main passage, a water-permeable support frame that is integrally connected to the valve seat and holds the fixed shaft, and is slidably mounted on the fixed shaft. A valve body and a temperature sensing part, and a spring for biasing the valve body from the downstream side in the fluid flow direction to the valve seat are provided.

  The support frame is located on the upstream side of the main passage with the valve seat interposed therebetween, and is disposed so as to surround the fixed shaft, while the temperature sensing portion has the main passage with the valve seat and the valve body interposed therebetween. The valve body is also moved together by moving on the fixed shaft by expansion / contraction of the temperature sensing body in which the temperature sensing section is built. The above is the basic configuration.

  One or both of the support frame and the housing are provided with guide means for imparting a swirling flow around the axis of the fixed shaft to the cooling water flowing into the main passage from the cooling water main inlet. Yes.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the guide means is provided with a swirl flow guide plate that is twisted around the axis of the fixed shaft, and the housing is provided with the support frame as the guide means. The swirl flow guide ribs that partially overlap the swirl flow guide plate from the circumferential direction are provided to project inward.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in one or both of the swirl flow guide plate and the swirl flow guide rib, an alignment unit that does not overlap unless both are in a predetermined posture is provided.

  In the present invention, since a swirling flow is imparted to the cooling water flowing into the main passage from the main inlet, the cooling water flowing from the main inlet and the cooling water flowing from the side into the main passage are mixed firmly, and this mixing is performed. The temperature sensitive part can be reacted with the cooling water. As a result, the degree of opening of the valve body can be appropriately controlled to prevent overcooling or insufficient cooling.

  In addition, since a conventional support frame can be used, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts and an increase in labor for management and storage. Further, the cost can be suppressed as much as possible. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to bend the flow path before reaching the main path, it can be said that the versatility is high.

  If the structure of Claim 2 is employ | adopted, a swirl flow guide plate and a swirl flow guide rib will cooperate, and a strong swirl flow can be provided to cooling water. For this reason, the stirring / mixing action of the cooling water inside the main passage can be enhanced to further contribute to the appropriate opening degree control.

  Now, the valve seat of the thermo valve device has an air vent hole when it is filled with cooling water, and a jiggle pin acting by buoyancy is fitted into the air vent hole so as to be normally closed. The air vent hole is positioned at the upper end, and therefore the valve seat has directionality. On the other hand, the housing is often fastened to the cylinder head with bolts, and members such as valve bodies are set in the housing in advance, and the housing in which these members are incorporated is fixed to the cylinder head with bolts. Yes.

  The fastening position with bolts is specified so that the housing cannot be fixed to the cylinder head unless it is in a predetermined posture. However, since the valve seat is circular and can be attached to the housing in any posture, conventionally, the housing bolt insertion Positioning with a jig so that the drainage hole of the valve seat and the hole is in a predetermined positional relationship, it took time and effort.

  In this regard, when the invention of claim 3 of the present application is adopted, the valve seat is set to have a predetermined posture when the swirl flow guide plate of the support frame and the swirl flow guide plate of the cover housing overlap each other. The valve seat can be precisely aligned so that its drain hole is on top. For this reason, the set which uses a jig | tool one by one becomes unnecessary and the effort of an assembly can be reduced.

It is a vertical side view in the valve-closing state of embodiment of 1st Embodiment. It is a vertical side view in the valve opening state of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows 2nd-3rd embodiment.

(1) Structure of First Embodiment Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is applied to a thermo valve device for a vehicle internal combustion engine. Therefore, the cooling water sent from the jacket of the engine body (cylinder head) to the heater for heating the vehicle returns to the thermo valve device.

  In the present embodiment, a main passage (valve chamber) 3 is configured by the cylinder head 1 and the substantially cylindrical housing 2, and a thermo valve device 4 is disposed in the main passage 3. The housing 2 is fixed to the cylinder head 1 with a plurality of bolts 2a.

  The main passage 3 has its axis O in a horizontal direction (horizontal horizontal direction) orthogonal to the side surface of the cylinder head 1. The housing 2 has a main main inlet 5 protruding to the opposite side of the cylinder head 1, and the main passage 3. A heater return passage 6 opened in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the heater is provided. Although not shown, the discharge port toward the water pump opens in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Although not mentioned, a return pipe (not shown) from the radiator is connected to the main inlet 5 of the main passage 3. A heater return pipe 8 is connected to the heater return passage 6.

  A bypass passage 9 is opened on the bottom surface 3 a of the main passage 3 in the cylinder head 1 so as to face the radiator return passage 5. The bypass passage 9 has an L shape and opens to the main passage 3 in a different direction.

  The thermo valve device 4 includes a fixed shaft 12 disposed concentrically with the axis O of the bypass passage 9, and a movable cylinder (cylindrical slide body) 13 slidably fitted to the fixed shaft 12. One end 12 a of the fixed shaft 12 located on the side of the radiator return passage 5 is held by the first bracket 14 so as not to move.

  The first bracket 14 includes a ring plate-shaped valve seat 14 a fixed to the housing 2 via a seal ring, and a pair of support frames 14 b protruding from the valve seat 14 a to the upstream side of the main passage 3. The pair of support frames 14b form a dome shape, and the apexes of both support frames 14b are integrally connected by the cylindrical portion 14c, and the tip of the fixed shaft 12 is held by the cylindrical portion 14c. There is a space between the pair of support frames 14b. Therefore, the cooling water freely flows toward the valve seat 14c. A drain hole 15 is provided at the upper end (vertical upper end) of the valve seat 14a, and the jiggle pin 16 is fitted in the drain hole 15 so as not to be detached.

  The movable cylinder 13 is integrally formed with a main main valve body 17 that contacts the valve seat 14a of the first bracket 14 (the main main valve body 17 is configured separately and fixed to the movable cylinder 13). May be.) Further, the movable cylinder 13 is provided with a large-diameter temperature sensing portion 13 a in which a temperature sensing member is incorporated, and an inwardly curled portion at the tip of the second bracket 18 fixed to the valve seat 14 a of the first bracket 14. 18a is slidably fitted to the temperature sensing portion 13a from the outside.

  A first spring 19 is disposed between the inwardly curled portion 18 a of the second bracket 18 and the main main valve body 17. Accordingly, the movable cylinder 13 can move forward against the first spring 19. Then, the main main valve body 17 moves away from the first bracket 14, returns from the radiator, and the cooling water passes through the main passage 3. Flowing toward the water pump.

  The temperature sensing part 13 a of the movable cylinder 13 is located at the opening part of the heater return passage 6. For this reason, in a state where the main valve body 17 is closed, the temperature sensing member (for example, temperature sensing wax) built in the temperature sensing portion 13a is exclusively returned from the heater return passage 6 and exposed to the cooling water. When the water temperature rises to some extent, the movable cylinder 13 moves in the axial direction due to the expansion of the temperature sensing member, and the main valve element 17 opens.

  The bypass passage 9 is closed with a bypass valve body 20 from the main passage 3 side. Further, a compression coil spring type second spring 21 is disposed between the temperature sensing portion 13 a of the movable cylinder 13 and the bypass valve body 20. The spring force of the second spring 21 is weaker than the spring force of the first spring 19. Accordingly, both the movement of the movable cylinder 13 and the movement of only the bypass valve body 20 without moving the movable cylinder 13 are permitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of support frames 14 b are twisted counterclockwise around the axis O of the main passage 3 and the fixed shaft 12 when viewed from the flow direction of the return cooling water from the radiator. (Spiral shape).

  Further, a swirl flow guide plate 22 as guide means described in the claims is integrally provided on a longitudinal side edge on the rear side of the support frame 14b facing the twist direction. The swirl flow guide plate 22 is also twisted counterclockwise in accordance with the twist of the support frame 14b. More specifically, the support frame 14b and the swirl flow guide plate 22 are twisted while spreading outward in the radial direction from the apex of the fixed shaft 12 toward the valve seat 14a.

  Further, on the inner surface of the housing 2, a swirl flow guide rib 23 is provided so as to project inwardly to abut on the front surface facing the torsional direction of the outer edge of the swirl flow guide plate 22. The swirl flow guide rib 23 may be configured to contact the rear surface of the swirl flow guide plate 22. The swirl flow guide rib 23 is also in a state of spreading radially outward from the distal end portion of the fixed shaft 12 toward the valve seat 14a. Further, the swirl flow guide plate 22 and the swirl flow guide rib 23 are in contact with each other over substantially the entire length.

(2) Summary of First Embodiment As described above, when the main valve body 17 is closed, only the cooling water returned from the heater hits the temperature sensing portion 13a, and when the water temperature rises to some extent, the temperature sensing portion. 13a begins to move away from the valve seat 14a, and the cooling water returned from the radiator begins to pass through the main passage 3.

  The cooling water that has flowed into the main passage 3 hits the swirling flow guide plate 22 and the swirling flow guide rib 23, but the cooling water is guided by the guide action caused by the swirling flow guide plate 22 and the swirling flow guide rib 23 being spirally twisted. Becomes a swirl flow that flows around the axis O of the main passage 3 and the fixed shaft 12, and the mixing property with the cooling water discharged from the heater return passage 6 is remarkably increased. Therefore, the temperature sensing unit 13a is exposed to the cooling water whose temperature is averaged, and as a result, the degree of opening of the valve body can be appropriately controlled to prevent overcooling and insufficient cooling.

  Further, since the return cooling water from the radiator flows into the main passage 3 from the direction of the axis O, there is almost no flow resistance. For this reason, power loss of the water pump can be reduced, and the circulation amount of the cooling water can be increased. Furthermore, since the conventional support frame 14b is used and provided with the swirl flow guide function, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts and an increase in labor for management and storage.

  When the swirl flow guide rib 23 is also provided in the housing 2 as in the present embodiment, the swirl flow guide plate 22 and the swirl flow guide rib 23 cooperate to provide a stronger swirl flow to the cooling water. For this reason, the stirring / mixing action of the cooling water inside the main passage 3 can be enhanced to further contribute to the appropriate opening degree control.

  Further, the swirl flow guide plate 22 and the swirl flow guide rib 23 are overlapped with each other, so that the relative posture between the support frame 14b and the valve seat 14a and the housing 2 is positioned. For this reason, by attaching the valve seat 14a to the housing 2 in a state where the swirl flow guide plate 22 overlaps with the swirl flow guide rib 23, the thermo valve device 4 is positioned in a posture in which the water drain hole 15 is positioned upward. For this reason, the setting of the valve seat 14a etc. to the housing 2 can be performed easily.

(3). Other Embodiments / Others FIG. 4 shows another embodiment. Among these, (A) and (B) are modifications of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment shown in (A), the swirl flow guide plate 22 is swung as an example of the alignment means described in the claims. A protrusion 24 is provided that forms a large gap when it hits the flow guide rib 23 from the opposite side. In this case, since a mistake in the posture can be found by forming a large gap, the swirl flow guide plate 22 and the swirl flow guide rib 23 can be reliably held in a predetermined overlapping state.

  In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, a fitting portion 25 that fits into the end of the swirl flow guide rib 23 is provided at the end of the swirl flow guide plate 22 on the downstream side in the flow direction of the cooling water. For this reason, the relative posture between the swirling flow guide plate 22 and the swirling flow guide rib 23 can be reliably maintained.

  In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4 (C), the support frame 14b is not provided with the swirl flow guide plate 22, and the swirl flow guide ribs 23 are disposed on the rear end edge (rearward in the twist direction) of the swirl flow guide plate 22. Edge). In this case, a spiral flow path is formed by the support frame 14b and the swirl flow guide rib 23 housing 2, whereby a swirl flow is imparted to the cooling water.

  In FIG. 4C, the support frame 14b and the swirl flow guide rib 23 are displayed in a simple arc shape, but actually, as in FIG. 3, the support frame 14b and the swirl flow guide rib 23 are It is twisted while spreading outward from the vicinity of the tip of the fixed shaft 12.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can be embodied variously besides said embodiment. For example, the support frame is not cut into a pair, and may be three or more. Further, a large number of spiral ribs may be provided only on the inner surface of the housing 2. Alternatively, the support frame itself may be twisted to serve as guide means.

  The present invention can actually be embodied in a thermo valve device. Therefore, it can be used industrially.

2 Housing 3 Main passage 4 Thermo valve device 5 Cooling water main inlet 6 Heater return passage 12 Fixed shaft 13 Movable cylinder 14 First bracket 14a Valve seat 14b Support frame 15 Air vent hole 16 Jiggle pin 17 Main valve body (valve in claims)
18 Second bracket 19 First spring (Spring of Claim)
22 Rotating flow guide plate as guide means 23 Rotating flow guide rib as guide means

Claims (3)

A housing having a main passage with an opening of a cooling water main inlet at one end; a fixed shaft disposed substantially concentrically with the main passage in the housing; and the fixed shaft penetrating and arranged so as to cross the main passage. A valve seat, a water-permeable support frame that is integrally connected to the valve seat and holds the fixed shaft, a valve body and a temperature sensing portion that are slidably mounted on the fixed shaft, and the valve body is fluidized. A spring urging the valve seat from the downstream side in the flow direction of
The support frame is located on the upstream side of the main passage with the valve seat interposed therebetween, and is disposed so as to surround the fixed shaft, while the temperature sensing portion has the main passage with the valve seat and the valve body interposed therebetween. The valve body is also moved together by moving on the fixed shaft by expansion and contraction of the temperature sensing body in which the temperature sensing unit is built,
Either or both of the support frame and the housing are provided with guide means for imparting a swirling flow around the axis of the fixed shaft to the cooling water flowing into the main passage from the cooling water main inlet.
Thermo valve device for internal combustion engine. The support frame is provided with a swirl flow guide plate twisted around the axis of the fixed shaft as the guide means, while the housing is provided with a swirl flow guide plate of the support frame as the guide means. In contrast, a swirl flow guide rib that partially overlaps from the circumferential direction protrudes inward.
A thermo-valve device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1. Either or both of the swirl flow guide plate and swirl flow guide rib are provided with alignment means that does not overlap unless both are in a predetermined posture.
A thermo-valve device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2.

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