JP2016196238A - Motor actuator and actuator unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of saving a space in mounting a gas sensor on a device to be driven.SOLUTION: A motor actuator comprises: an actuator housing 32; gas chambers 42A, 42B formed in the actuator housing 32 while partitioned off from other inner chambers; outside air vents 40A, 40B opened in an external surface of the actuator housing 32; communication paths 44A, 44B linking the outside air vents 40A, 40B to the gas chambers 42A, 42B; and a sensor 64 configured to detect a physical quantity associated with gases taken in the gas chambers 42A, 42B from the outside air vents 40A, 40B through the communication paths 44A, 44B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a motor actuator for driving a driven device such as a vehicle air conditioner and an actuator unit using the motor actuator.

  In an air conditioner, a plurality of doors for adjusting the flow of air are provided in a blower case, and each door is driven by a motor actuator (hereinafter also simply referred to as an actuator). By switching the open / closed state of each door with an actuator, the temperature of the air blown into the passenger compartment is adjusted.

  This type of air conditioner may be equipped with a sensor (hereinafter referred to as a gas sensor) for detecting a physical quantity related to the gas flowing in the blower case. In the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, in order to detect clogging of a filter installed in a blower case, a temperature sensor is disposed on the downstream side of the filter, and the temperature of air on the downstream side of the filter is detected.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-19442

  When a gas sensor is mounted on a driven device such as an air conditioner driven by an actuator as in Patent Document 1, a dedicated member for attaching the gas sensor to the driven device or a dedicated space for arranging the gas sensor Need extra. The present inventor has recognized that there is room for improvement with respect to the conventional structure from the viewpoint of space saving.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and one of its purposes is to provide a technique capable of saving space when a gas sensor is mounted on a driven device. .

In order to solve the above-described problems, a motor actuator according to an aspect of the present invention includes an actuator housing, a gas chamber that is partitioned from the other internal chamber in the actuator housing, and opens to an outer surface of the actuator housing. An external vent,
A passage section that communicates the external vent and the gas chamber, and a sensor that detects a physical quantity related to gas taken into the gas chamber from the external vent through the passage section.

  According to the present invention, space can be saved when a gas sensor is mounted on a driven device.

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing an actuator unit in which the actuator according to the first embodiment is used, and FIG. 1B is a diagram schematically showing a plane cross section thereof. It is a top view which expands and shows the actuator of Fig.1 (a). It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the first leg portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the second leg portion. It is a bottom view of the actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the gas sensor of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of Fig.4 (a). 1 is a block diagram showing a motor control system in which an actuator according to a first embodiment is used. It is a top view which shows the motor actuator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the whole motor actuator in the D1-D1 sectional view of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the whole motor actuator in the D2-D2 sectional view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the motor actuator which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the gas sensor of FIG.

  Hereinafter, in each embodiment and modification, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. Moreover, in each drawing, a part of component is abbreviate | omitted suitably for convenience of explanation.

[First Embodiment]
Fig.1 (a) is a top view which shows the actuator unit 12 in which the actuator 10 is used, FIG.1 (b) is a figure which shows the plane cross section typically.
The actuator unit 12 includes an actuator 10, an air conditioner 16 having an intake door 14 serving as a driven body driven by the actuator 10, and a power transmission mechanism 18 capable of transmitting the driving force of the actuator 10 to the intake door 14. . Details of the actuator 10 will be described later.

  The air conditioner 16 is a driven device that is driven by the actuator 10. The air conditioner 16 includes a blower case 20 to which the actuator 10 is attached, an intake door 14 and a filter 22 arranged in the blower case 20. In addition, although not shown, the air conditioner 16 is provided with a fan, an evaporator, a heater core, and the like. Since these are well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The blower case 20 is an intake box, and a blower passage 24 serving as an internal space of the air conditioner 16 is formed inside. In the blower case 20, an outside air introduction passage 24a for introducing outside air, an inside air introduction passage 24b for introducing inside air, and air taken from the outside air introduction passage 24a or the inside air introduction passage 24b are led out to the fan side. The lead-out passage 24c is formed. Each passage 24 a to 24 c is formed as a part of the air passage 24.

  The intake door 14 has a rotation shaft 14a supported by the blower case 20, and the entire intake door 14 is provided to be rotatable in a direction Pa around the rotation shaft 14a. The intake door 14 can switch the air introduced into the blower case 20 between the outside air and the inside air by selectively opening and closing the outside air introduction passage 24a and the inside air introduction passage 24b. That is, the intake door 14 changes the flow of air in the blower case 20 by opening and closing a part of the blower passage 24.

  The filter 22 is installed so as to cross the air passage 24. The filter 22 is used for capturing foreign substances in the air flowing through the air passage 24. The filter 22 is installed in the outlet passage 24c, but the installation position is not limited to this.

  The power transmission mechanism 18 is configured by combining a link mechanism or the like, although illustration and description are omitted in detail. When receiving the rotation of the output shaft 34 (not shown in the figure) of the actuator 10, the power transmission mechanism 18 transmits power so as to rotate the rotation shaft 14a of the intake door 14.

2 is an enlarged plan view showing the actuator 10 of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
The blower case 20 is provided with a plurality of actuator attachment portions 26, 26A, 26B (hereinafter also simply referred to as attachment portions) to which the actuator 10 is attached. The actuator 10 is attached to the attachment portions 26, 26A, and 26B using screws 28 that serve as fasteners. The attachment portions 26, 26 </ b> A, and 26 </ b> B are formed so as to protrude from the outer surface of the blower case 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of attachment portions 26, 26 </ b> A, and 26 </ b> B include a first attachment portion 26 </ b> A and a second attachment portion 26 </ b> B that are formed at positions that straddle the filter 22 in the ventilation direction Pb. The first attachment portion 26A and the second attachment portion 26B are formed in a cylindrical shape. Inside each attachment portion 26A, 26B, there is formed a conduction path 30 that communicates external ventilation openings 40A, 40B (described later) of the actuator 10 with the air passage 24. Low-pressure air on the downstream side of the filter 22 can be taken out from the conduction path 30 of the first attachment portion 26A. High-pressure air upstream of the filter 22 can be taken out from the conduction path 30 of the second mounting portion 26B.

  The actuator 10 includes an actuator housing 32 (hereinafter simply referred to as a housing 32) and an output shaft 34 mounted on the housing 32. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the output shaft 34 is referred to as the height direction Z of the housing 32.

  The housing 32 is made of a resin material. The housing 32 includes an upper housing member 32a as a first housing member and a lower housing member 32b as a second housing member. Each housing member 32a, 32b has a shape obtained by dividing the housing 32 in the height direction Z. The housing 32 is configured by detachably assembling the housing members 32a and 32b by a snap-fit method or the like. Each housing member 32a, 32b is assembled in a state in which the opposing surfaces 33 face each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 32 includes a hollow main body 36 and a plurality of legs 38, 38 </ b> A, 38 </ b> B provided on both sides of the main body 36. In addition to the output shaft 34, the main body 36 houses internal components such as an electric motor 60 described later. Each leg part 38,38A, 38B becomes a to-be-attached part for attaching to the attaching part 26,26A, 26B of the ventilation case 20. FIG. Each leg part 38,38A, 38B is provided corresponding to the attachment part 26,26A, 26B of the ventilation case 20 on a one-to-one basis. The plurality of leg portions 38, 38A, 38B include a first leg portion 38A and a second leg portion 38B corresponding to the first attachment portion 26A and the second attachment portion 26B, respectively.

4A is an enlarged view of the first leg portion 38A of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the second leg portion 38B.
The actuator 10 has a first external vent 40A and a second external vent 40B that open to the first leg 38A and the second leg 38B, which are the outer surfaces of the housing 32, respectively. Each external vent 40A, 40B is for taking in air from the conduction path 30 of each of the first mounting portion 26A and the second mounting portion 26B. Each external vent 40A, 40B is formed at the open end of insertion holes 46A, 46B, which will be described later.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the actuator 10 includes a first passage portion 44 </ b> A and a first passage portion 44 </ b> A that communicate each of the external vent holes 40 </ b> A and 40 </ b> B with each of the first gas chamber 42 </ b> A and the second gas chamber 42 </ b> B provided in the housing 32. Two passage portions 44B are provided. 44 A of 1st channel | path parts are for taking in the low pressure air of the downstream of the filter 22 from the ventilation case 20, and 44B of 2nd channel | path parts are for taking in the high pressure air of the upstream of the filter 22. FIG. .

  The first passage portion 44A includes a first insertion hole 46A, a first inner groove passage 48A, a first passage hole 50A, a first pipe 52A (see also FIG. 2) from the first external vent 40A to the first gas chamber 42A. ), The second passage hole 54A is provided in order. The first insertion hole 46A, the first inner groove passage 48A, and the first passage hole 50A are formed in the first leg portion 38A. The first insertion hole 46A penetrates the lower housing member 32b and the upper housing member 32a in the height direction Z. The first passage hole 50A penetrates only the upper housing member 32a in the height direction Z. The first inner groove passage 48A is formed in a groove shape on the opposing surface 33 of the upper housing member 32a, and communicates the first insertion hole 46A and the first passage hole 50A. Both ends 52Aa of the first pipe 52A are connected to the upper housing member 32a (see also FIG. 2). The second passage hole 54A is formed in the main body portion 36 of the upper housing member 32a, and penetrates the upper housing member 32a in the height direction Z.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the actuator 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the second passage portion 44B extends from the second external vent 40B to the second gas chamber 42B, the second insertion hole 46B, the second inner groove passage 48B, the third passage hole 50B, and the second pipe. 52B (see also FIG. 5) and a fourth passage hole 54B are provided in this order. The second insertion hole 46B, the second inner groove passage 48B, and the third passage hole 50B are formed in the second leg portion 38B. The second insertion hole 46B penetrates the lower housing member 32b and the upper housing member 32a in the height direction Z. The third passage hole 50B penetrates only the lower housing member 32b in the height direction Z. The second inner groove passage 48B is formed in a groove shape on the facing surface 33 of the lower housing member 32b, and communicates the second insertion hole 46B and the third passage hole 50B. Both ends 52Ba of the second pipe 52B are connected to the lower housing member 32b (see also FIG. 5). The fourth passage hole 54B is formed in the main body 36 of the lower housing member 32b and penetrates the lower housing member 32b in the height direction Z.

6 is an enlarged view of the gas sensor 64 (described later) in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 6, an upper pipe is connected to the first leg portion 38A on the outer surface of the upper housing member 32a. A connecting portion 56A is formed, and another upper pipe connecting portion 56A is formed in the main body portion 36. The first passage hole 50A and the second passage hole 54A described above are formed in each pipe connection portion 56A. End portions 52Aa on both sides of the first pipe 52A are connected to each pipe connection portion 56A. The first pipe 52A is disposed so as to pass outside (the upper side in the drawing) in the height direction Z of the upper housing member 32a.

  As shown in FIGS. 4B and 6, the lower housing member 32 b has one lower pipe connecting portion 56 B formed on the second leg portion 38 B, and the other lower pipe connecting portion formed on the main body portion 36. 56B is formed. The above-described third passage hole 50B and fourth passage hole 54B are formed in each pipe connection portion 56B. End portions 52Ba on both sides of the second pipe 52B are connected to each lower pipe connection portion 56B. The second pipe 52B is disposed so as to pass outside (the lower side in the figure) in the height direction Z of the lower housing member 32b.

  The pipe connecting portions 56A and 56B of the leg portions 38A and 38B are provided in a cylindrical shape so as to protrude in the height direction Z from the outer surfaces of the housing members 32a and 32b. As shown in FIG. 6, the pipe connecting portions 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B of the main body 36 are provided on both sides in the height direction Z with respect to a gas sensor 64 described later. A recessed portion 58 that is recessed from the outer surface of each of the housing members 32a and 32b is provided at a position where the pipe connecting portions 56A and 56B of the main body portion 36 are provided, and each of the pipe connecting portions 56A and 56B extends from the bottom of the recessed portion 58. It is provided in a cylindrical shape so as to protrude.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the actuator 10.
In addition to the output shaft 34, the actuator 10 mainly includes an electric motor 60, a speed reduction mechanism 62, and a gas sensor 64. These are housed in the housing 32. The electric motor 60 is a direct current motor, but may be an alternating current motor, a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like. The speed reduction mechanism 62 reduces and transmits the rotation of a motor shaft (not shown) of the electric motor 60. The speed reduction mechanism 62 is a gear mechanism that combines a screw gear and a spur gear, and includes an output gear 66 that is a final stage gear. The output shaft 34 is for outputting the rotation transmitted by the speed reduction mechanism 62, and is provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the output gear 66.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the gas sensor 64 is a differential pressure sensor for detecting the differential pressure before and after the filter 22 of the air flowing in the blower case 20 described above. The gas sensor 64 includes a sensor element 68 and a base body 70 on which the sensor element 68 is mounted. The base body 70 includes a sensor substrate 72 on which the sensor element 68 is mounted, and a mold resin 74 that covers both surfaces of the sensor substrate 72 in the plate thickness direction. Details of the sensor element 68 will be described later.

  The base body 70 has a plurality of partition portions 78 that partition the internal space in the housing 32 into gas chambers 42 </ b> A and 42 </ b> B and another internal chamber 76. In the “internal chamber 76”, internal components constituting the actuator 10 such as the electric motor 60 and other than the gas sensor 64 are accommodated. The partition portion 78 is formed by a part of the sensor substrate 72 and a cylindrical portion 80 formed on the mold resin 74 so as to protrude from the sensor substrate 72 in the height direction Z. A stepped bottomed hole portion 82 is formed in the cylindrical portion 80. The bottomed hole portion 82 is provided with a large inner diameter portion and a small inner diameter portion on the inlet side and the bottom side, respectively. A projecting portion 84 that protrudes inwardly from the housing 32 is formed at a position facing the bottomed hole portion 82 in the height direction Z. The convex portion 84 is provided on the back side of the concave portion 58 described above, and has a shape complementary to the concave portion 58. The protruding portion 84 of the housing 32 is inserted into the large inner diameter portion of the bottomed hole portion 82 of the gas sensor 64. Thereby, gas chambers 42A and 42B surrounded by the partition portion 78 of the base body 70 and the protruding portion 84 of the housing 32 are formed. As described above, the gas chambers 42 </ b> A and 42 </ b> B are formed by being partitioned from the other internal chamber 76 by at least the partition portion 78 of the base body 70. A first seal member 86 is interposed between the bottomed hole portion 82 of the gas sensor 64 and the projecting portion 84 of the housing 32 to seal the gap therebetween.

  The gas chambers 42A and 42B include a first gas chamber 42A on one side (upper side in the figure) of the sensor substrate 72 and a second gas chamber 42B on the other side (lower side in the figure). Low-pressure air is taken into the first gas chamber 42A as a gas flowing downstream of the filter 22 through the first passage portion 44A, and as a gas flowing upstream of the filter 22 through the second passage portion 44B into the second gas chamber 42B. High pressure air is taken in. The sensor substrate 72 is formed with an introduction hole 72a for introducing high-pressure air from the second gas chamber 42B to the back side of the sensor element 68.

  The sensor element 68 is a pressure sensitive element such as a piezoresistive sensor element. The sensor element 68 receives a differential pressure between the low-pressure air taken into the first gas chamber 42A and the high-pressure air taken into the second gas chamber 42B, and the pressure-sensitive portion is displaced. The sensor element 68 has a size corresponding to the amount of displacement. Generate electrical signals. This signal has a magnitude indicating the differential pressure of air before and after the filter 22 in the blower case 20. As described above, the gas sensor 64 detects the differential pressure between the two types of gases as physical quantities related to the two types of gases taken into the gas chambers 42A and 42B from the external vents 40A and 40B through the passage portions 44A and 44B. .

  According to the actuator 10 described above, since the actuator 10 can be attached to the air conditioner 16 together with the gas sensor 64, a dedicated member for attaching the gas sensor 64 to the air conditioner 16 becomes unnecessary. Therefore, when the gas sensor 64 is mounted on the air conditioner 16, it is possible to save the space of the entire actuator unit 12.

  Moreover, since the gas sensor 64 is accommodated in the housing 32, the arrangement space of the housing 32 can be shared with the gas sensor 64, and a dedicated space for arranging the gas sensor 64 becomes unnecessary. Therefore, when the gas sensor 64 is mounted on the air conditioner 16, further space saving of the entire actuator unit 12 can be achieved. Further, since the gas sensor 64 is accommodated in the housing 32, the gas sensor 64 can be protected from external stress by the housing 32.

  In addition, if the entire first passage portion 44A and the second passage portion 44B are provided only in the housing 32, the shape of the housing 32 is greatly restricted. In this regard, a part of each of the passage portions 44A and 44B is formed by the pipes 52A and 52B connected to the housing 32, so that the shape of the housing 32 is not easily restricted, and the degree of design freedom is increased.

  Moreover, if the gas sensor 64 is arrange | positioned in the ventilation case 20, ventilation will be prevented. In this regard, according to the actuator unit 12 of the present embodiment, since the gas sensor 64 is provided in the housing 32, the physical quantity related to the air flowing in the air blowing case 20 can be measured without disturbing the air permeability in the air blowing case 20. Can be detected.

Next, other features of the actuator 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the leg portions 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B of the housing 32 can be attached to the attachment portions 26 </ b> A and 26 </ b> B of the blower case 20 using screws 28 serving as fasteners. The leg portions 38A and 38B are formed with insertion holes 46A and 46B through which the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28 is inserted. A female screw portion 30a into which the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28 is screwed is formed in one end portion of the passage longitudinal direction in the conduction path 30 of the blower case 20. The leg portions 38A and 38B of the housing 32 are fastened and attached to the attachment portions 26A and 26B of the blower case 20 by screwing the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28 into the female screw portion 30a. At this time, the external vents 40 </ b> A and 40 </ b> B of the housing 32 are communicated with the air passage 24 (see FIG. 3) through the conduction passage 30 of the air blowing case 20.

  A second seal member 90 is attached to each leg portion 38A, 38B at a position facing an attachment seat 88 provided on the front end surface of the attachment portions 26A, 26B of the blower case 20. A third seal member 92 is attached to each leg 38A, 38B at a position facing the head 28b of the screw 28. Each of the seal members 90 and 92 is an elastic body such as an O-ring. Each seal member 90, 92 is disposed along an annular seal groove formed in each leg 38A, 38B. The seal members 90 and 92 are crushed by the head portion 28 b of the screw 28 and the mounting seat 88 by fastening the leg portions 38 A and 38 B of the housing 32 and the mounting portions 26 A and 26 B of the blower case 20 with the screws 28. Accordingly, the seal members 90 and 92 are provided between the head portion 28b of the screw 28 and the leg portions 38A and 38B or the mounting seat so as to regulate the leakage of gas from the passage portions 44A and 44B and the conduction path 30. Seal between 88 and legs 38A, 38B.

  A fourth seal member 94 is interposed between the opposing surfaces 33 of the lower housing member 32b and the upper housing member 32a. The fourth seal member 94 is an elastic body such as an O-ring. The fourth seal member 94 seals between the housing members 32a and 32b so as to restrict air leakage from the passage portions 44A and 44B and the conduction path 30.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. In this figure, the external thread portion 28a of the screw 28 is schematically shown by a two-dot chain line.
The conduction path 30 is formed with a notch groove 96 extending in the longitudinal direction of the passage outside the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28. The notch groove 96 is seen from the longitudinal direction of the passage, that is, seen from the same viewpoint as FIG. 8, and the outer diameter of the top of the thread of the male screw portion 28a is centered on the axial center position Cp of the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28. It is formed so as to pass outside the virtual circle having (radius). The notch groove 96 is formed in the entire range in the longitudinal direction of the conduction path 30.

  According to the actuator 10 described above, when the leg portions 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B of the housing 32 are attached to the attachment portions 26 </ b> A and 26 </ b> B of the blower case 20, the external vents 40 </ b> A and 40 </ b> B of the housing 32 pass through the conduction path 30 of the blower case 20. Communication with the air passage 24 is possible. Therefore, the gas in the blower case 20 can be taken into the gas chambers 42A and 42B of the actuator 10 using the mounting portions 26A and 26B of the blower case 20, and a dedicated part for taking in the gas in the blower case 20 is secured separately. It gets better without it. For this reason, when mounting the gas sensor 64 in the air conditioner 16, further space saving of the entire actuator unit 12 can be achieved.

  In addition, the external vents 40A and 40B of the passage portions 44A and 44B are formed at the opening ends of the insertion holes 46A and 46B through which the screws 28 are inserted. Both can be easily communicated while aligning the open end of the conduction path 30.

  Further, the second seal member 90 and the third seal member 92 are attached to the leg portions 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B of the housing 32 at positions to face the mounting seat 88 of the blower case 20 and the head 28 b of the screw 28. These can be crushed by fastening the leg portions 38A, 38B of the housing 32 and the actuator mounting portions 26A, 26B of the blower case 20 with screws 28. Therefore, the airtightness of each of the passage portions 44A and 44B and the conduction passage 30 can be easily ensured by simply fastening the screw 28 while attaching the blower case 20 to the housing 32.

  Further, since the notch groove 96 is formed outside the male threaded portion 28a of the screw 28 in the conducting path 30, even when the male threaded part 28a of the screw 28 is screwed into the female threaded part 30a of the conducting path 30, the notched groove 96 is passed through. Air becomes easy to flow. As a result, it is easy to increase the amount of gas taken into the passage portions 44A and 44B from the conduction path 30, and the gas sensor 64 can easily detect a physical quantity related to the gas flowing in the blower case 20.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a motor control system 100 in which the actuator 10 is used.
The motor control system 100 is used as part of a vehicle air conditioning system. The motor control system 100 includes an actuator 10 and an electronic control unit (ECU) 102 as main components.

  The ECU 102 is an external control device that comprehensively controls a plurality of actuators 10 (only one is shown in the figure) using detection values output from various sensors (not shown) such as a temperature sensor for air conditioning control. . The ECU 102 is electrically connected to each actuator 10 and each sensor for air conditioning control via the wire harness 104. The wire harness 104 includes a power line 104a, a ground line 104b, and a communication line 104c. A functional block of the ECU 102 will be described later.

  The actuator 10 includes a rotation position sensor 106 and a main board 108 in addition to the electric motor 60 and the gas sensor 64 as main control system components.

  As described above, the gas sensor 64 is a signal indicating the differential pressure between the two types of gas (hereinafter referred to as a first detection signal) as a physical quantity related to the two types of gas taken into the first gas chamber 42A and the second gas chamber 42B. ) And is output to the control unit 112 (described later) of the main board 108.

  Although not shown in detail, the rotational position sensor 106 is disposed between the output gear 66 and the bottom wall surface of the lower housing member 32b with reference to FIG. The rotational position sensor 106 is a potentiometer and detects the rotational position of the output shaft 34. When the output shaft 34 rotates together with the output gear 66, the rotational position sensor 106 generates signals indicating these rotational positions (hereinafter referred to as second detection signals), and this is generated by a control unit 112 (described later) of the main board 108. Output to.

  The main board 108 is accommodated in the housing 32 (see FIG. 7). Electronic components such as an IC chip 110 are mounted on the main substrate 108. The main board 108 includes a control unit 112 and a communication unit 114 that are realized by a combination of a CPU including the IC chip 110, an element such as a memory, and a circuit.

  Based on a command from the ECU 102, the control unit 112 controls the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the electric motor 60 so that the rotation position of the output shaft 34 detected by the rotation position sensor 106 approaches the target rotation position. Thereby, the open / closed state of the intake door 14 is controlled.

  Further, when the first detection signal is output from the gas sensor 64, the control unit 112 transmits the first detection signal to the ECU 102 using the communication unit 114. The communication unit 114 transmits and receives data to and from the ECU 102 by multiplex communication using a single communication line 104c according to a predetermined communication protocol. This communication protocol is, for example, LIN (Local Interconncet Network) or CAN (Controller Area Network). The communication unit 114 can transmit the first detection signal output from the gas sensor 64 to the ECU 102 by this multiplex communication.

  The ECU 102 includes a communication unit 116 and a signal processing unit 118. The communication unit 116 transmits and receives data according to the same communication protocol as the communication unit 114 of the actuator 10.

  The signal processing unit 118 performs processing for detecting a clogged state of the filter 22 using the first detection signal output from the gas sensor 64. Specifically, the signal processing unit 118 sets a clogging determination threshold for the output value of the gas sensor 64, and clogging occurs when the differential pressure actually output from the gas sensor 64 exceeds the threshold. If the differential pressure is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined that there is no clogging. This threshold value is set so as to include a value that is assumed to be output from the gas sensor 64 when the filter 22 is in a clogged state that requires replacement. The determination result of the clogged state is displayed on a display unit (not shown) such as a display mounted on the vehicle. Note that a plurality of threshold values for determining clogging may be set in stages.

  The actuator 10 described above includes a communication unit 114 capable of transmitting the first detection signal output from the gas sensor 64 to the ECU 102 by multiplex communication. Therefore, when transmitting the 1st detection signal output from the gas sensor 64 to ECU102, it can transmit using the single communication line 104c with the signal output from another actuator or sensor. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the wire harness 104 by eliminating the need for a dedicated signal line, and it is possible to reduce the size of the connector portion of the actuator housing 32 by reducing the number of connectors connected to the wire harness 104. Thereby, the space saving of the whole actuator unit 12 can be achieved.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the actuator 10 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the entire configuration of the actuator 10 along the section D1-D1 in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the entire actuator 10 along the section D2-D2 in FIG. The actuator 10 of the second embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the first passage portion 44A and the second passage portion 44B.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first passage portion 44A has a first insertion hole shown in FIG. 12 extending from the first external vent 40A (see FIG. 11) to the first gas chamber 42A (see FIG. 12). In addition to 46A, the first inner groove passage 48A, and the first passage hole 50A, a first outer groove passage 120A and a second passage hole 54A shown in FIG. 11 are sequentially provided. Compared to the first embodiment, the first inner groove passage 48A and the first outer groove passage 120A are different.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the first inner groove passage 48A is a path from the first leg portion 38A to the second leg portion 38B, and passes through a path that avoids the inner chamber 76 and the outer space of the lower housing member 32b. Formed as follows. As shown in FIG. 11, the first outer groove passage 120A is formed in a groove shape on the outer surface of the upper housing member 32a, and communicates the first passage hole 50A and the second passage hole 54A. The first passage portion 44A is formed by a part of the upper housing member 32a from the external vents 40A, 40B to the first gas chamber 42A.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the second passage portion 44B has a second insertion hole shown in FIG. 13 extending from the second external vent 40B (see FIG. 13) to the second gas chamber 42B (see FIG. 11). In addition to 46B, the second inner groove passage 48B, and the third passage hole 50B, a second outer groove passage 120B and a fourth passage hole 54B shown in FIG. 11 are provided in this order. Compared to the first embodiment, the second outer groove passage 120B is different. The second outer groove passage 120B is formed in a groove shape on the outer surface of the lower housing member 32b, and communicates the third passage hole 50B and the fourth passage hole 54B. The second passage portion 44B is formed by a part of the lower housing member 32b from the external vents 40A, 40B to the second gas chamber 42B.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the first sealing member 122 is formed on the facing surface 33 of the lower housing member 32 b so as to surround the formation positions of the inner groove passages 48 </ b> A and 48 </ b> B when viewed in the height direction Z. Is attached. The first sealing member 122 is a heat-welded metal material that joins the lower housing member 32b and the upper housing member 32a, but may be a liquid gasket or the like. The same applies to a second sealing member 126 and a third sealing member 128 described later. The 1st sealing member 122 seals between each housing member 32a, 32b so that the leakage of the gas from each inner groove channel | path 48A, 48B may be controlled.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, an upper cover member 124A is attached to the upper housing member 32a so as to cover the first outer groove passage 120A, which is a part of the outer surface, from the outside. The first outer groove passage 120A is formed on the back side of the upper cover member 124A. A second sealing member 126 is attached to the outer surface of the upper housing member 32a at a position facing the upper cover member 124A. The second sealing member 126 joins the upper housing member 32a and the second sealing member 126 together. The second sealing member 126 seals between the upper housing member 32a and the upper cover member 124A so as to restrict gas leakage from the first outer groove passage 120A.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a lower cover member 124B is attached to the lower housing member 32b so as to cover the second outer groove passage 120B, which is a part of the outer surface, from the outside. The second outer groove passage 120B is formed on the back side of the lower cover member 124B. A third sealing member 128 is attached to the outer surface of the lower housing member 32b at a position facing the lower cover member 124B. The third sealing member 128 joins the lower housing member 32b and the lower cover member 124B. The third sealing member 128 seals between the lower housing member 32b and the lower cover member 124B so as to restrict gas leakage from the second outer groove passage 120B.

  According to the actuator 10 described above, each passage portion 44A, 44B is formed by a part of each housing member 32a, 32b from each external vent 40A, 40B to each gas chamber 42A, 42B. Accordingly, it is difficult to expose parts such as pipes for forming the passage portions 44A and 44B outside the housing members 32a and 32b. Thereby, it becomes easy to suppress interference with peripheral parts of the actuator 10, and the actuator 10 can be easily downsized.

  The outer groove passages 120A and 120B of the passage portions 44A and 44B are formed on the back side of the cover members 124A and 124B. If the cover members 124A and 124B are not provided, a passage extending in a direction perpendicular to the height direction Z is formed in a part of the passage portions 44A and 44B in the housing members 32a and 32b. A passage with a closed cross section extending in the same direction must be formed, which greatly increases the difficulty of molding. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the outer groove passages 120A and 120B extending in the direction orthogonal to the height direction Z can be formed by the combination of the housing members 32a and 32b and the cover members 124A and 124B. The passage portions 44A and 44B can be formed while suppressing an increase in the number of passages.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the actuator 10 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the gas sensor 64 of the actuator 10. 14 and 15 are views seen from the same viewpoint as FIGS. 3 and 6. The actuator 10 of the third embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in that the filter 22 is not installed in the blower case 20 and the configuration of the gas sensor 64.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the gas sensor 64 is not a differential pressure sensor but a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the air flowing in the blower case 20. A plurality of communication holes 132 are formed in the sensor substrate 72 of the gas sensor 64 to communicate the first gas chamber 42A and the second gas chamber 42B. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 14, the air taken into the first gas chamber 42A through the first passage portion 44A from the conduction passage 30 of the first mounting portion 26A of the blower case 20 from the second gas chamber 42B to the second passage. It flows toward the conduction path 30 of the second attachment portion 26B through the portion 44B, and it becomes easy to accurately detect a physical quantity related to the temperature of the gas in the blower case 20 by the sensor element 68. As shown in FIG. 15, the sensor element 68 is a temperature measuring element such as a thermistor. The sensor element 68 generates an electrical signal having a magnitude corresponding to the temperature of the air flowing through the gas chambers 42A and 42B. The gas sensor 64 detects the temperature of the gas as a physical quantity related to the gas taken into the gas chambers 42A and 42B.

  Thus, the gas sensor 64 only needs to detect a physical quantity related to the gas taken into the gas chambers 42A and 42B, and the type thereof is not limited to the differential pressure sensor and the temperature sensor. “Physical quantity” is, for example, gas pressure, temperature, humidity, concentration of a specific component, and the like. The gas sensor 64 may be a pressure sensor for detecting gas pressure, such as a gauge pressure sensor or an absolute pressure sensor. The gas sensor 64 may be a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the gas in the gas chambers 42A and 42B. Moreover, the gas sensor 64 may be a gas sensor for detecting the concentration of a specific component contained in the gas in the gas chambers 42A and 42B. The “specific component” is, for example, oxygen, oxidizing gas, or the like. Moreover, although the actuator 10 demonstrated the case where the singular kind of gas sensor 64 for detecting the physical quantity regarding gas was provided as an example, you may be provided with the multiple types of gas sensor 64. FIG.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment, embodiment only shows the principle and application of this invention. In the embodiment, many modifications and arrangements can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention defined in the claims.

  Although the air conditioner 16 has been described as a driven device that is driven by the actuator 10, it is not limited thereto. In this case, the actuator 10 is attached to the case of the driven device, and the driven body to be driven by the driven device is driven by the actuator 10. In addition, the example in which the actuator 10 drives the intake door 14 has been described. The door driven by the actuator 10 only needs to be able to open and close a part of the air passage 24 in order to change the air flow in the air blowing case 20. In addition to the intake door 14, an air mix door, mode It may be a door.

  The example in which the gas sensor 64 of the actuator 10 is entirely accommodated in the housing 32 has been described. However, a part of the gas sensor 64 may be accommodated in the housing 32 or may not be accommodated in the housing 32 but outside the housing 32. It may be attached.

  Although the passage portions 44A and 44B have been described as examples in which at least a part is formed in a part of the housing members 32a and 32b and the pipes 52A and 52B, the present invention is not limited thereto. Moreover, although the pipe 52A, 52B demonstrated the example which both ends were connected to the housing 32, the one end may be connected to the case of a to-be-driven device. In this case, when the inside of the case of the driven device and the gas chambers 42A and 42B of the actuator 10 are communicated with each other, the mounting position of the actuator 10 is not easily restricted, and the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the actuator 10 can be increased.

  The example in which the second seal member 90 and the third seal member 92 are attached to the leg portions 38A and 38B at positions to face the head 28b of the screw 28 and the mounting seat 88 of the driven device has been described. The seal member should just be attached in the position which should oppose at least one.

  Although the example in which the notch groove 96 of the blower case 20 is formed in the entire range in the passage longitudinal direction of the conduction path 30 has been described, it is formed in at least a part of the passage longitudinal direction including the outside of the male screw portion 28a of the screw 28. It only has to be done.

  The rotational position sensor 106 only needs to be able to generate a signal indicating the rotational position of the output shaft 34, and the specific configuration thereof is not particularly limited, and may be a rotary encoder or the like in addition to a potentiometer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Actuator, 12 ... Actuator unit, 14 ... Intake door (driven body), 16 ... Air conditioner (driven device), 20 ... Blower case (case), 26A ... 1st actuator attachment part, 26B ... 2nd actuator Mounting part, 28 ... Screw (fastener), 28a ... Male screw part, 28b ... Head, 30 ... Conducting path, 30a ... Female screw part, 32 ... Actuator housing, 38A ... First leg (first attached part), 38B ... 2nd leg (2nd attachment part), 40A ... 1st external vent, 40B ... 2nd external vent, 42A ... 1st gas chamber, 42B ... 2nd gas chamber, 44A ... 1st channel | path part , 44B ... second passage portion, 46A ... first insertion hole, 46B ... second insertion hole, 52A ... first pipe, 52B ... second pipe, 64 ... gas sensor (sensor) 76 ... inner chamber, 88 ... mounting seat 90 ... Seal member, 96 ... recessed groove, 112 ... communication control unit, 124A ... first cover member, 124B ... second cover member.

Claims (10)

An actuator housing;
A gas chamber partitioned from another internal chamber in the actuator housing;
An external vent opening in the outer surface of the actuator housing;
A passage portion communicating the external vent and the gas chamber;
And a sensor for detecting a physical quantity relating to a gas taken into the gas chamber from the external vent through the passage portion. The actuator housing has a mounted portion for mounting to a driven device,
The external vent is formed in the attached portion, and is capable of communicating with an internal space of the driven device when the attached portion is attached to the driven device. The motor actuator according to 1. The attached portion can be attached to the driven device using a fastener,
The motor actuator according to claim 2, wherein the external vent is formed at an opening end of an insertion hole for inserting the male screw portion of the fastener.   The attached portion can be attached to the driven device using a fastener, and a seal member is attached to a position that should face at least one of the head of the fastener or the attachment seat of the driven device. The motor actuator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the motor actuator is provided.   5. The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the passage portion is formed by a pipe connected to the actuator housing.   5. The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein the passage portion is formed by a part of the actuator housing from the external vent to the gas chamber. A cover member attached to the actuator housing so as to cover a part of the outer surface of the actuator housing;
The motor actuator according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the passage portion is formed on a back side of the cover member.   The motor actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit capable of transmitting a signal output from the sensor to an external control device by multiplex communication. The motor actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A driven device comprising: a case to which the motor actuator is attached; and a driven body that is disposed in the case and driven by the motor actuator;
The actuator unit, wherein the case is formed with a conduction path that communicates the internal space of the case with the external vent. The case has an actuator mounting portion to which the actuator housing is mounted using a fastener,
In the actuator mounting portion, the conduction path is formed,
A female screw part into which the male screw part of the fastener is screwed is formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the passage, and a notch groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the passage is formed outside the male screw part of the fastener. The actuator unit according to claim 9.

Images