JP2016070162A - Thermoelement - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermoelement that can be operated under different temperature ranges such as low temperature/high temperature through nice combinations of a plurality of cubical expansion bodies of different temperature ranges.SOLUTION: A thermoelement is constituted in such a way that cubical expansion bodies 22 and 24 showing volume expansion or volume shrinkage due to ambient temperature change are filled in an element main body 12 and a piston rod 16 moved forward or rearward in a guide body 14 protruded out of the element main body due to volume change of the cubical expansion bodies is installed. A sealed chamber 20 filled with the cubic expansion bodies is provided within the element main body, the sealed chamber is divided into a series of a plurality of chambers 20A and 20B by resilient membranes 32 and 34 in an advancing or retarding direction of the piston rod. Several kinds of the cubical expansion bodies 22 and 24 showing different expansion temperature regions are filled in these several chambers and their displacement can be transmitted under a lift characteristic in a plurality of different temperature ranges in respect to the piston rod.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermoelement suitable for use as a thermoactuator for driving an on-off valve unit that switches a flow path of an exhaust gas in, for example, an exhaust heat recovery device for an automobile.

  Conventionally, it has a built-in thermal expansion body (volume expansion body) that expands and contracts due to a temperature change of the detection object, and is configured such that the piston rod can be moved back and forth within the guide portion by the volume change of the thermal expansion body. A thermo element is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this type of thermo element, paraffin wax is generally used as a thermal expansion body, and the movement of the piston rod due to thermal expansion and contraction in a predetermined temperature range is taken out as an actuator displacement.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-315720

By the way, in the thermo element as described above, when paraffin wax is used as the volume expansion body, the following problems occur.
That is, the expansion region of paraffin wax is −10 degrees to 130 degrees. However, it is very expensive to use paraffin wax in a desired temperature range (particularly, one that covers a high temperature range or one that is below freezing point). Furthermore, it is difficult to give such a paraffin wax two properties such as expansion at a low temperature range and expansion at a high temperature range.

  In addition, since paraffin wax requires a certain amount of time until it senses temperature and expands, there is a problem that it cannot be handled if it is desired to rapidly operate as a thermoactuator at low temperatures.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and operates in different temperature ranges such as low temperature / high temperature by enclosing a plurality of volume expansion bodies having different temperature ranges through elastic diaphragms and skillfully combining them. It is an object to obtain a thermo element that can be made to operate.

  In order to meet such a purpose, the thermo-element according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 1) encloses a volume expansion body that expands and contracts in volume due to a change in ambient temperature in the element body. A thermo element having a piston rod that moves forward and backward in a guide body projecting outward from the element body due to volume change, wherein a sealing chamber for sealing the volume expansion body is provided in the element body. The chamber is divided into a plurality of chambers in series along the advancing / retreating operation direction of the piston rod by an elastic diaphragm, and a plurality of types of volume expansion bodies having different expansion temperature ranges are enclosed in the plurality of chambers, and a plurality of different volumes are provided for the piston rod. It is characterized in that the displacement can be transmitted with a lift characteristic in the temperature range.

  The thermoelement according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 2) is the thermoelement according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of volume expanders are first expandable at a first predetermined temperature (for example, −10 ° C.) or less. Two media are used: a medium and a second medium capable of volume expansion at a second predetermined temperature (for example, 70 ° C.) or higher, which is higher than the first predetermined temperature.

The thermoelement according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 3) is the thermo-element according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of volume expanders are capable of volume expansion at a first predetermined temperature (eg, −10 ° C.) or less, and A first medium that can be expanded and contracted again at a temperature equal to or higher than a third predetermined temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) that is higher than a predetermined temperature of 1, and a second predetermined temperature that is higher than the first predetermined temperature (for example, 70 ° C.) or higher, and a second medium capable of volume expansion is used.
Here, the second predetermined temperature and the third predetermined temperature may be the same temperature, or may be either a high temperature or a low temperature.

  The thermo element according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 4) is the thermo element according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the first medium is a water-based medium, and the second medium is paraffin wax. It is characterized by that.

  The thermoelement according to the present invention (invention of claim 5) is the thermoelement according to claim 1, wherein the volume expansion body that is volume-expanded on the highest temperature side among the plurality of types of volume expansion bodies is arranged on the side opposite to the piston rod of the enclosure chamber. A thermo-element, wherein a volume expansion body that expands in volume at the lowest temperature side is enclosed in an end chamber in order of increasing temperature of volume expansion in an end chamber on the piston rod side of the enclosure chamber.

  The thermo element according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 6) is the thermo element according to claim 1, 2 or 3, through the elastic diaphragm so as to enclose two kinds of volume expansion bodies having different expansion temperature ranges. An element body having a sealed chamber divided into two chambers, a guide body projecting outward from the element body, and a piston rod held so as to be able to advance and retreat in the guide body, A main body case having a bottomed cylindrical shape that forms one chamber of the enclosure chamber, and a connecting guide cylinder that is provided on the open end side of the main body case and forms the other chamber of the enclosure chamber. The main body case, the connecting guide cylinder, and the guide body are connected and integrated in series by crimping the end portion of the guide cylinder to the main body case and the guide body.

  The thermoelement according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 7) is the thermoelement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, through the elastic diaphragm so as to enclose two kinds of volume expansion bodies having different expansion temperature ranges. An element body having a sealed chamber divided into two chambers, a guide body projecting outward from the element body, and a piston rod held so as to be able to advance and retreat in the guide body, A main body case having a bottomed cylindrical shape that forms the enclosing chamber, and a cylindrical guide that is inserted into the main body case to divide and form the enclosing chamber, and the main body case is attached to the guide body. The main body case and the guide body are connected and integrated in series by crimping.

  As described above, according to the thermoelement of the present invention, not only wax but also water expansion characteristics are used for the volume expansion body so that the wax can be operated even at a freezing point where the wax does not expand. Since it comprised, there exist various outstanding effects enumerated below.

1. Can be operated in different temperature ranges such as low / high temperature.
2. By using a medium containing water as a main component for the volume expansion body, the volume expands rapidly in the freezing temperature range, so that it can be operated rapidly.

3. By enclosing paraffin wax, water-based medium, and semi-fluid in that order from the anti-piston rod side of the thermo element, the paraffin wax can be operated even in a solid state.
4. Using a medium containing water as a main component and reducing the volume expansion, the amount of paraffin wax, etc., due to the characteristic of water volume expansion again around 40-70 ° C (above the second predetermined temperature). And cost reduction can be achieved.

5.By using a connecting guide cylinder, the simple structure of crimping both ends of the guide tube to the main body case and the guide body enables reliable sealing with a small number of parts. A compact thermo element can be obtained.

It is principal part sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the thermo element which concerns on this invention. It is the graph for demonstrating the element characteristic by the two-step lift by the thermo element which concerns on this invention, and the state change figure of an element. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows another embodiment of the thermo element which concerns on this invention.

  An enclosure chamber for enclosing a volume expansion body is provided in the element body of the thermo element, and the enclosure chamber is divided into a plurality of chambers in series along the advancing / retreating operation direction of the piston rod by an elastic diaphragm, By enclosing a plurality of types of volume expansion bodies having different regions, the piston rod can be configured to transmit displacement with lift characteristics in a plurality of different temperature regions.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of a thermo element according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a characteristic graph and a state change diagram for explaining an operating state of the thermo element of FIG.

  In these drawings, a reference numeral 10 indicates a thermo element, and a volume expansion body that expands and contracts in volume due to a change in ambient temperature is enclosed in the element main body 12, and the element main body changes in volume by the volume expansion body. A piston rod 16 that moves forward and backward in a guide body 14 projecting outward from 12 is provided.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the element body 12 of the thermo element 10 includes an elastic diaphragm 32 such as a diaphragm so as to enclose two kinds of volume expansion bodies 22 and 24 having different expansion temperature ranges. An enclosure chamber 20 is formed that is partitioned into two chambers via 34. The element main body 12 forms a bottomed cylindrical main body 30 that forms one chamber 20 </ b> A of the enclosure chamber 20, and forms the other chamber 20 </ b> B of the enclosure chamber 20 provided on the opening end side of the main body case 30. It is comprised from the guide cylinder 40 for a connection.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting guide tube 40 is connected to the main body case 20 by fitting one end of the connecting guide tube 40 to the opening end portion of the main body case 20 and tightening the tip thereof over the entire circumference. The guide tube 40 is integrally connected and fixed. In the figure, reference numeral 42 denotes a caulking portion on the main body case 20 side.

  On the other hand, the base end flange portion of the guide body 14 is inserted into the other end portion of the connecting guide tube 40, and the caulking portion 44 obtained by caulking the entire circumference is used to connect the connecting guide tube 40 to the connecting guide tube 40. On the other hand, the guide body 14 is integrally connected and fixed.

  Therefore, the thermo element 10 has the main body case 20 and the connecting guide cylinder 40 constituting the element main body 12 and the guide body 14 in an assembled state, and both ends of the connecting guide cylinder 40 are connected as described above. By crimping, the whole can be connected and integrated.

  Here, in this embodiment, as the above-described plurality of types of volume expansion bodies, the first medium 24 that is volume-expanded at a temperature equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature and can shrink as the temperature rises from the first predetermined temperature; The second medium 22 and the second medium 22 capable of volume expansion at a predetermined temperature that is higher than the first predetermined temperature are used. In other words, in this embodiment, the medium 24 is mainly composed of water, which is a first medium that can expand in volume as it goes to a low temperature state (for example, −10 ° C. or lower) and shrinks in volume as the temperature rises from the low temperature side. And paraffin wax 22 which is a second medium capable of volume expansion as the temperature becomes higher (70 ° C. or higher).

  Furthermore, the medium 24 mainly composed of water described as the first medium expands in volume below the first predetermined temperature, and can shrink in volume as the temperature rises from the first predetermined temperature. It can be expanded and contracted again at a predetermined temperature or higher (for example, 40 ° C. or higher; 40 to 70 ° C.). Such a second expansion / contraction region is apparent from the range indicated by (3) in FIG. 2, for example.

  Furthermore, among these volume expansion bodies, the volume expansion body (second medium 22) that expands in volume at the highest temperature side is expanded into the end chamber 20A on the side opposite to the piston rod 16 of the enclosure chamber 20 on the lowest temperature side. The volume expansion body (first medium 24) is sealed in the end chamber 20B on the piston rod 16 side of the sealing chamber 20 in order of increasing volume expansion temperature.

Further, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes a guide body 14 between the piston rod 16 and the elastic rods 32, 34 that define the chambers 20 </ b> A, 20 </ b> B enclosing the volume expansion bodies 22, 24 described above. A semi-fluid is sealed in the vacant space formed in the base end portion so that volume changes due to expansion and contraction of the volume expansion bodies 22 and 24 can be transmitted to the piston rod 16. Any suitable fluid can be used as the semi-fluid as long as it is an incompressible fluid.
In the figure, 52 is a resin plate made of fluororesin or the like, and 54 is a rubber piston.

  As described above, according to the paraffin wax 22 formed by the elastic diaphragms 32 and 34 in series in the element body 12 along the forward / backward movement direction of the piston rod 16, and the medium 22 containing water as a main component, it is divided into two stages. Due to the expansion and contraction due to the temperature effect of the stacked volume expansion bodies 22 and 24, the piston rod 16 is given an operation displacement having a lift characteristic as shown in FIG.

  That is, at “−10 ° C. or lower (−20 to −10 ° C.)” shown by (1) in FIG. 2, the paraffin wax 22 is solidified, and the water 24 freezes and expands. It swells upward and its displacement gives the piston rod 16 a predetermined amount of protrusion upward.

  Further, in FIG. 2, at “−10 to 40 ° C.” indicated by (2), the paraffin wax 22 is in a solid state and the water 24 is in a liquid state, and the state is maintained. In this state, as is clear from the state diagram, the elastic diaphragms 32 and 34 are not changed, and the piston rod 16 is in an inoperative state.

  In “40-70 ° C.” indicated by (3) in FIG. 2, the paraffin wax 22 is in a solid state and the water 24 is in a liquid expansion state again. According to the amount of displacement due to the upward expansion associated with the liquid expansion of this water. A required lift amount for jumping upward is given to the piston rod 16.

  In FIG. 2, “70 to 80 ° C.” shown in (4) and 80 ° C. or more shown in (5), the paraffin wax 22 changes from a solid to a liquid expanded state, and the water 24 is also in a liquid expanded state. Both elastic diaphragms 32 and 34 swell upward. Then, a required pop-out amount is given to the piston rod 16 with each combined lift amount.

  Therefore, according to the thermo-element 10 according to the present invention, not only the wax 22 but also the expansion characteristic of water (medium containing water as a main component) 24 is used for the volume expansion body. Can be operated at different temperature ranges such as low temperature / high temperature.

In addition, by using the medium 24 containing water as a main component for the volume expansion body, the volume expansion suddenly occurs in the freezing temperature range, so that it can be operated rapidly.
Furthermore, by sealing the paraffin wax 22, the medium 24 mainly composed of water, and the semi-fluid 50 in this order from the anti-piston rod 16 side of the thermo element 10, even if the paraffin wax 22 is in a solid state, It can be in an operable state.

  In addition, as an abnormal liquid that expands in volume below a predetermined temperature, there are gallium and the like in addition to water, and these may be used. Here, the abnormal liquid is a substance having a higher density in the liquid state than in the solid state, or, in other words, a substance having a smaller volume in the liquid than the solid when compared with the same mass. say.

  Further, in the above-described structure, the entire structure can be assembled with a simple configuration in which the connecting guide tube 40 is used and both ends thereof are crimped to the main body case 30 and the guide body 14 side, and the number of parts is reduced. Since a reliable seal is possible and the connection is performed by reliable caulking, a compact thermo-element 10 can be obtained.

Here, in assembling the thermo element 10 described above, the elastic diaphragms 32 and 34 and the volume expansion bodies 22 and 24 (paraffin wax, medium containing water as a main component, etc.) may be sealed as follows.
For example, the elastic diaphragm 34 is used to enclose the parts such as the piston rod 16 and the semi-fluid 50 in the guide body 14. On the other hand, the paraffin wax 22 is sealed in the body case 30 constituting the element body 12, and the connecting guide tube 40 is fastened to the body case 30 with the elastic diaphragm 32 interposed. Next, the medium 24 containing water as a main component is sealed in the connecting guide tube 40, and the guide body 14 and the connecting guide tube 40 are crimped in this state. Thereby, each member (30, 40, 14 etc.) which comprises the thermo element 10 is integrated in the state connected and fixed in series.
Of course, such an assembling procedure is not limited to this, and an appropriate modification can be considered.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure demonstrated by embodiment mentioned above, It cannot be overemphasized that the shape of each part which comprises the thermoelement 10, a structure, etc. can be deform | transformed and changed suitably.
That is, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the structure in which the main body case 30 constituting the element main body 12 and the guide body 14 are integrally connected and fixed using the connecting guide cylinder 40 has been described. For example, a structure as shown in FIG. 3 may be adopted.

  More specifically, in this embodiment, the open end portion of the bottomed cylindrical main body case 60 constituting the element main body 12 is a cylindrical connecting portion 62, a cylindrical guide 70 is fitted therein, and the guide is further guided. By inserting the proximal end collar portion of the body 14, a chamber 20 </ b> B or the like is formed in the main body case 60 by the elastic diaphragms 32 and 34. And the main body case 60 of the element main body 12 which comprises the thermoelement 10, the cylindrical guide 70, and the guide body 14 are integrally connected by crimping the opening edge part of the main body case 60 as the crimping part 64. Can be fixed.

  Also in the thermo element 10 having such a structure, the piston rod is obtained by enclosing the paraffin wax 22 and the medium 24 mainly composed of water in the chambers 20A and 20B in the element body 12 as in the above-described embodiment. 16 can be operated with lift characteristics in a plurality of different temperature ranges.

  Here, in the structure described above, the paraffin wax 22 is put in the main body case 60, the elastic diaphragm 32 such as a diaphragm is set, and the cylindrical guide 70 is press-fitted with the elastic diaphragm 32 interposed therebetween. Further, the medium 24 containing water as a main component is placed in the cylindrical guide 70, and an elastic diaphragm 34 such as a diaphragm is set. The base end collar portion of the guide body 14 is a cylindrical connecting portion at the opening end of the main body case 60. It can be assembled by putting it in 62 and integrating the whole by the caulking portion 64. Of course, the piston rod 16, the resin plate 52, the rubber piston 54, and the semi-fluid 50 may be incorporated in the guide body 14 in advance.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the enclosure chamber 20 of the element body 12, the volume expansion body (second medium 22) that is volume-expanded on the highest temperature side is placed in the end chamber 20 </ b> A on the anti-piston rod 16 side of the enclosure chamber 20. The case where the volume expansion body (first medium 24) that expands in volume at the lowest temperature side is sealed in the end chamber 20B on the piston rod 16 side of the sealing chamber 20 in the order of increasing volume expansion has been described. The invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the arrangement may be made in the reverse order in consideration of the combination of the respective volume expansion bodies 22, 24, etc.

  Furthermore, in the thermo element 10 mentioned above, it is also conceivable that a plurality of volume expansion bodies are configured to sense different temperatures, thereby allowing freedom in design as a thermo element and versatility. Can be achieved. For example, the first medium can be made to sense the outside air temperature, and the second medium can be made to sense the temperature of the cooling water, which can be used in an exhaust heat recovery device or the like.

  Further, the device and apparatus to which such a thermo element 10 is applied as an actuator are not limited to the thermo actuator that drives the opening / closing valve of the exhaust heat recovery apparatus for automobiles as described above, and the apparatus and apparatus in various fields. However, any thermoelement that operates according to the ambient temperature can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thermo element 12 Element main body 14 Guide body 16 Piston rod 20 Enclosure chamber 20A, 20B chamber 22 Volume expansion body (2nd medium; paraffin wax)
24 Volume expansion body (first medium; medium mainly composed of water)
32, 34 Elastic diaphragm (diaphragm)
30 Main body case 40 Connecting guide cylinders 42, 44 Caulking portion 60 Main body case 62 Cylindrical connecting portion 64 Caulking portion 70 Cylindrical guide

Claims (7)

A thermostat having a piston rod that moves in and out of a guide body projecting outward from the element body by enclosing a volume expansion body that expands and contracts by an ambient temperature change in the element body. An element,
A sealing chamber for sealing the volume expansion body is provided in the element body,
This enclosure chamber is partitioned into a plurality of chambers in series along the direction of forward and backward movement of the piston rod by an elastic diaphragm,
In these multiple chambers, multiple types of volume expansion bodies with different expansion temperature ranges are enclosed,
A thermo element configured to transmit displacement with lift characteristics in a plurality of different temperature ranges with respect to the piston rod. The thermo element according to claim 1,
As the plurality of types of volume expansion bodies, a first medium capable of volume expansion below a first predetermined temperature and a second medium capable of volume expansion above a second predetermined temperature which is higher than the first predetermined temperature. A thermo element characterized by using two media, i.e. The thermo element according to claim 1,
As the plurality of types of volume expansion bodies, a first medium that is capable of volume expansion below a first predetermined temperature and that can be expanded and contracted again above a third predetermined temperature that is higher than the first predetermined temperature; A thermo element using two media, a second medium capable of volume expansion above a second predetermined temperature which is higher than the first predetermined temperature. In the thermo element according to claim 2 or 3,
A thermo element using a medium mainly composed of water as the first medium and paraffin wax as the second medium. The thermo element according to claim 1,
Of the plurality of types of volume expansion bodies, the volume expansion body that expands volume on the highest temperature side is the end chamber on the side opposite to the piston rod of the enclosure chamber, and the volume expansion body that expands volume on the lowest temperature side is the piston rod of the enclosure chamber. The thermoelement is characterized in that it is sealed in the end chamber on the side in order of increasing volume expansion temperature. In the thermo element according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3,
An element body having an enclosure chamber divided into two chambers via an elastic diaphragm so as to enclose two types of volume expansion bodies having different expansion temperature ranges;
A guide body projecting outward from the element body;
A piston rod that is held so as to be able to advance and retreat in the guide body,
The element body includes a body case having a bottomed cylindrical shape that forms one chamber of the enclosure chamber, and a connecting guide cylinder that is provided on the opening end side of the body case and forms the other chamber of the enclosure chamber. The end portion of the connecting guide cylinder is crimped to the main body case and the guide body so that the main body case, the connecting guide cylinder and the guide body are connected in series and integrated. Thermo element. In the thermo element according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3,
An element body having an enclosure chamber divided into two chambers via an elastic diaphragm so as to enclose two types of volume expansion bodies having different expansion temperature ranges;
A guide body projecting outward from the element body;
A piston rod that is held so as to be able to advance and retreat in the guide body,
The element body consists of a main body case having a bottomed cylindrical shape that forms the enclosing chamber, and a cylindrical guide that is inserted into the main body case to divide and form the enclosing chamber,
A thermo element, wherein the main body case and the guide body are connected and integrated in series by crimping the main body case to the guide body.

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