JP2018193946A - Throttle device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology which can suppress the enlargement of a spring while securing an area of an abutting portion at the energization of a valve body.SOLUTION: A coil spring for energizing a valve body comprises: a first spring part which is arranged in an intermediate position from one end of the coil spring, and energizes a valve body toward an initial opening when the valve body rotates to a direction in which the valve body is opened from the initial opening; a second spring part which is arranged in the intermediate position from the other end of the coil spring, and energizes the valve body toward the initial opening when the valve body rotates to a direction in which the valve body is closed from the initial opening; and a first abutment part which is arranged along the second spring part at the outside of the second spring part. At least either of a throttle main body and a throttle gear may comprise a second abutment part which abuts on the first abutment part when the valve body is maintained in the initial opening.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present specification relates to a throttle device mounted on an automobile or the like.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a throttle device. The throttle device includes a spring that urges the valve element to opener opening. The spring includes a second spring portion that urges the valve body toward the opener opening degree when the valve body moves in the closing direction from the opener opening degree. When the valve body moves from the opener opening in the closing direction, the second spring portion is pressed by the stopper and elastically deformed. The second spring portion biases the valve body by a restoring force against elastic deformation.

JP 2013-185489 A

  In the above technique, when the valve body rotates in the opening direction from the opener opening, the second spring portion is separated from the stopper. As a result, when the valve body returns to the opener opening, the second spring portion collides with the stopper. As a result, the portion where the second spring portion and the stopper abut easily wears. For this reason, it is desired to reduce the pressure applied from the spring to the stopper. On the other hand, in order to reduce the pressure, it is desired to avoid increasing the size of the spring by enlarging the area of the portion that abuts when the valve body is biased.

  In this specification, the technique which can suppress the enlargement of a spring is provided, ensuring the area of the part which contact | abuts at the time of energizing of a valve body.

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a throttle device. The throttle device includes a throttle body, a valve body that is rotatably supported by the throttle body, a throttle gear that rotates the valve body, and a coil spring that biases the valve body. The spring is disposed at an intermediate position from one end of the coil spring, and when the valve body rotates in the opening direction from the initial opening degree, the first spring part urges the valve body toward the initial opening degree. And the second position for biasing the valve body toward the initial opening when the valve body rotates in the closing direction from the initial opening degree. A spring part, a first contact part disposed along the second spring part outside the second spring part, and one of the first contact part and the end on the intermediate position side of the first spring part A connecting portion including a pair of connecting portions that connect the end of the second spring portion opposite to the intermediate position and the first abutting portion. At least one of the throttle body and the throttle gear may include a second contact portion that contacts the first contact portion when the valve body is maintained at the initial opening.

  According to this structure, the 1st contact part of the coil spring contact | abutted to a 2nd contact part can be arrange | positioned along a 2nd spring part. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure the length of the first contact portion while suppressing an increase in the overall length of the coil spring. Moreover, it can also suppress that a coil spring expands to radial direction. According to this configuration, by ensuring the length of the first contact portion that is a portion that contacts when the valve body is biased, the area where the first contact portion and the second contact portion contact each other is ensured. However, the enlargement of the spring can be suppressed.

  The second contact portion may include a main body side contact portion disposed on the throttle body and a gear side contact portion disposed on the throttle gear. The main body side contact portion and the gear side contact portion are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the coil spring at the initial opening degree, and the first contact portion is the main body side contact portion and You may have the shape which straddles the said gear side contact part. According to this configuration, the contact area of the first contact part and the second contact part is increased by the first contact part contacting both the main body side contact part and the gear side contact part. Can do.

The perspective view of a throttle device is shown. The perspective view of the state which removed the throttle main body of the throttle apparatus of 1st Example is shown. The perspective view of the coil spring of 1st Example is shown. The perspective view of the state which removed the cover of the throttle device of 1st Example is shown. The side view of the coil spring and throttle gear of 1st Example is shown. The perspective view of the state which removed the cover of the throttle device of 2nd Example is shown. The side view of the coil spring and throttle gear of 2nd Example is shown. The perspective view of the valve body of 2nd Example, a coil spring, and a throttle gear is shown. The perspective view of the coil spring of 3rd Example is shown. The perspective view of the coil spring of a modification is shown.

(First embodiment)
(Configuration of throttle device)
With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the throttle apparatus 10 of a present Example is demonstrated. The throttle device 10 is mounted on a vehicle including an internal combustion engine such as an automobile. The throttle device 10 is disposed on the intake path of the vehicle. The throttle device 10 opens and closes an intake path according to an instruction from an ECU (Engine Control Unit: not shown) of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the throttle device 10 includes a throttle body 12, a valve body 16, a valve shaft 18, a throttle gear 20, intermediate gears 21 and 22, a motor gear 24, a motor 26, A coil spring 30.

  The throttle body 12 includes a valve body 13 and a cover 14. The valve body 13 is made of an aluminum alloy. The valve body 13 includes an intake passage 13a. The intake path 13a is connected to the intake path of the vehicle. The intake passage 13 a passes through the valve body 13.

  The valve body 13 houses a motor 26, a coil spring 30, a throttle gear 20, intermediate gears 21 and 22, and a motor gear 24. The accommodation space of the valve body 13 is closed by the cover 14. The cover 14 is made of resin.

  The throttle body 12 supports the valve body 16 via a valve shaft 18 so as to be rotatable. The valve shaft 18 is rotatably supported by the throttle body 12. The valve body 16 is disposed in the intake passage 13a. The valve body 16 is arranged in parallel with the central axis of the intake passage 13a from a fully closed state in which the intake passage 13a is completely closed by rotating with respect to the valve main body 13 about the valve shaft 18 ( In the following, it is possible to rotate at an opening degree between the “full open state”.

  A throttle gear 20 is fixed to one end of the valve shaft 18. The throttle gear 20 is made of resin. The throttle gear 20 is fixed to one end of the valve shaft 18 and is rotatably supported by the throttle body 12. The throttle gear 20 meshes with the intermediate gear 21. The intermediate gear 21 is fixed adjacent to the intermediate gear 22. The intermediate gear 22 meshes with the motor gear 24. The intermediate gears 21 and 22 are rotatably supported by the throttle body 12.

  The motor gear 24 is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 26. The motor 26 is driven according to a signal from the ECU. When the motor 26 is driven, the drive shaft rotates. As a result, the throttle gear 20 is rotated via the motor gear 24 and the intermediate gears 21 and 22. As a result, the valve body 16 is rotated around the valve shaft 18 via the valve shaft 18. The motor gear 24 and the intermediate gears 21 and 22 are made of the same resin as the throttle gear 20.

  A coil spring 30 is attached to the throttle gear 20. The coil spring 30 is disposed coaxially with the valve shaft 18. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the coil spring 30. The coil spring 30 includes a first spring portion 32, a second spring portion 34, and a connecting portion 36. The first spring portion 32 extends from the body side end portion 32 a to the intermediate position of the coil spring 30 in a spiral shape. A second spring portion 34 is disposed on the cover 14 side of the first spring portion 32. The second spring portion 34 extends spirally from the body side end portion 34 a located at the intermediate position of the coil spring 30 to the cover 14 side end of the coil spring 30.

  The first spring part 32 and the second spring part 34 are connected by a connecting part 36. The connecting portion 36 is connected to each of the cover side end portion 34 b of the second spring portion 34 and the intermediate position side end portion 32 b of the coil spring 30 of the first spring portion 32. The connecting portion 36 includes a pair of connecting portions 36a extending in the radial direction of the coil spring 30 from each of the cover side end portion 34b and the intermediate position side end portion 32b, and a contact portion 36b ("first contact") that connects the connecting portions 36a. An example of “contact part”. The contact portion 36 b is disposed outside the second spring portion 34 and parallel to the axial direction of the second spring portion 34, that is, the axial direction of the coil spring 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coil spring 30 is slidably disposed on a cylindrical guide portion 20 a disposed at the rotation center of the throttle gear 20 via a guide member 40. The coil spring 30 maintains the valve body 16 in a state in which the valve body 16 is slightly opened from the fully closed state in a state where the throttle device 10 is not energized. Hereinafter, the opening degree of the valve body 16 in a state in which the throttle device 10 is not energized is referred to as “initial opening degree”. FIG. 4 shows the state of the coil spring 30 and the valve body 13 at the initial opening. FIG. 5 shows the state of the coil spring 30 and the throttle gear 20 at the initial opening.

  At the initial opening, the connecting portion 36a of the connecting portion 36 is in contact with the contact portion 20b of the throttle gear 20. Furthermore, the contact portion 36 b of the connecting portion 36 is in contact with the contact portion 13 c (an example of a “second contact portion”) of the valve body 13. Further, the body side end portion 34 a of the second spring portion 34 is in contact with the contact portion 20 c of the throttle gear 20. The second spring portion 34 is attached to the throttle gear 20 in a state in which the second spring portion 34 is elastically deformed in a direction in which the inner diameter of the second spring portion 34 decreases. Although not shown, the body side end portion 32 a of the first spring portion 32 is in contact with the valve body 13. Thereby, the initial opening degree is determined.

  When the valve body 16 rotates in the closing direction from the initial opening degree (clockwise in FIG. 4 and counterclockwise in FIG. 5), the contact portion 20c moves the body side end 34a counterclockwise in FIG. Press. The connecting portion 36 is abutted against the abutting portion 13c of the valve body 13 and is prohibited from moving. As a result, when the valve body 16 rotates in the closing direction, the second spring portion 34 is deformed so that its inner diameter becomes smaller. Thereby, the valve body 16 is biased toward the initial opening by the second spring portion 34. When the valve body 16 rotates in the closing direction from the initial opening degree, a stopper mechanism (for example, a mechanism in which a part of the valve body 13 and a part of the throttle gear 20 abut) in a fully closed state set in advance. The rotation of the valve body 16 is restricted.

  On the other hand, when the valve body 16 rotates in the opening direction from the initial opening degree (counterclockwise in FIG. 4 and clockwise in FIG. 5), the contact portion 20b presses the connecting portion 36 in the clockwise direction in FIG. To do. The body-side end portion 32a of the first spring portion 32 is in contact with the valve body 13 and is prohibited from moving clockwise. As a result, when the valve body 16 rotates in the opening direction, the first spring portion 32 is deformed so that its inner diameter becomes smaller. Thereby, the valve body 16 is biased toward the initial opening by the first spring portion 32.

  In this configuration, when the valve body 16 rotates in the opening direction, the contact portion 36 b is separated from the contact portion 13 c of the valve body 13. As a result, when the valve body 16 returns to the initial opening degree from the state where the valve element 16 is opened more than the initial opening degree, the contact part 36b and the contact part 13c collide by the restoring force of the first spring part 32. For this reason, the contact part 36b and the contact part 13c are easily worn. When the contact part 36b and the contact part 13c are worn, the initial opening cannot be maintained. The initial opening is, for example, an opening required for securing intake air in a situation where the throttle device 10 does not operate normally. If the initial opening degree cannot be maintained, intake may not be ensured in a situation where the throttle device 10 does not operate normally. For this reason, it is desired to suppress the wear of the contact portion 36b and the contact portion 20b and avoid the situation where the initial opening cannot be maintained.

  In FIG. 3, a schematic diagram of the contact portion 20b and the contact portion 13c is indicated by a broken line. In the coil spring 30, the abutting portion 36 b of the connecting portion 36 is disposed outside the second spring portion 34 and parallel to the axial direction of the second spring portion 34. The area where the contact portion 36b and the contact portion 13c contact can be ensured along the axial direction of the second spring portion 34. Thereby, abrasion with the contact part 36b and the contact part 13c can be suppressed. Further, the overall length of the coil spring 30 can be shortened as compared with the configuration in which the contact portion 36b is disposed between the first spring portion 32 and the second spring 34 portion. Furthermore, the radial direction of the coil spring 30 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the contact portion 36 b is disposed along the radial direction of the coil spring 30. Thereby, it can suppress that the throttle apparatus 10 enlarges.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 20 b of the throttle gear 20 (an example of a “second contact portion”) contacts the contact portion 36 b of the connecting portion 36. On the other hand, the valve body 13 includes a contact portion 13 b that contacts the connection portion 36 a of the coupling portion 36. On the other hand, the valve body 13 is not in contact with the contact portion 36 b of the connecting portion 36.

  In this configuration, when the valve body 16 rotates in the closing direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 7), the contact portion 36b of the valve body 13 is inhibited from moving by the contact portion 13b of the valve body 13, and therefore the contact portion 36b It separates from the contact part 20b of the gear 20. As a result, when the valve body 16 returns to the initial opening degree from the state where the valve element 16 is closed from the initial opening degree, the contact part 36b and the contact part 20b collide by the restoring force of the second spring part 34. For this reason, the contact part 36b and the contact part 20b are easily worn. In the throttle device 10 of the present embodiment, an area where the contact portion 36b and the contact portion 20b are in contact can be ensured along the axial direction of the second spring portion 34. Thereby, abrasion with the contact part 36b and the contact part 20b can be suppressed.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, in the coil spring 30, the contact portion 36 b of the connecting portion 36 is curved toward the second spring portion 34 side. The contact portion 36 b extends along the axial direction of the second spring portion 34 and also extends along the radial direction of the second spring portion 34. The contact portion 36b contacts the contact portion 20b of the throttle gear 20 (an example of a “gear-side contact portion”) and is aligned in the radial direction of the contact portion 20b and the second spring portion 34 at the initial opening. It abuts also on the abutting portion 13b (an example of “a body side abutting portion”) of the valve body 13 arranged in the above.

  According to this configuration, the contact portion 36b has a shape straddling the contact portions 20b and 13b, and the contact area between the contact portion 36b and the contact portions 20b and 13b can be further increased. In the modification, the valve body 13 may include a contact portion 13c instead of the contact portion 13b as in the second embodiment. In the initial opening, the contact portion 36b may be in contact with both the contact portion 20b and the contact portion 13c.

  Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.

  (1) The shape of the connection part 36 is not restricted to the shape of said Example. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, the contact portion 36b may have a flat plate shape. Similarly, the connecting portion 36a is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and may be bent or have a flat plate shape, for example.

  (2) The contact portion 20b may be configured separately from the other portion of the throttle gear 20 and may be fixed to the other portion of the throttle gear 20. In this case, the contact portion 20b may be made of a material having higher wear resistance than other portions of the throttle gear 20.

  (3) The contact portions 13b and 13c may be configured separately from other portions of the valve body 13 and may be fixed to the other portions of the valve body 13. In this case, the contact portions 13b and 13c are screwed to other portions of the valve body 13 and may be position-adjustable.

  The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical usefulness by achieving one of the objects.

10: Throttle device 12: Throttle body 13: Valve body 13a: Intake passage 13b: Contact portion 13c: Contact portion 14: Cover 16: Valve body 18: Valve shaft 20: Throttle gear 20a: Guide portion 20b: Contact portion 20c: Contact portion 21: Intermediate gear 22: Intermediate gear 24: Motor gear 26: Motor 30: Coil spring 32: First spring portion 32a: Body side end portion 32b: Intermediate position side end portion 34: Second spring portion 34a: Body side end portion 34b: Cover side end portion 36: Connection portion 36a: Connection portion 36b: Contact portion 40: Guide member

Claims (2)

The throttle body,
A valve body rotatably supported by the throttle body;
A throttle gear for rotating the valve body;
A coil spring for urging the valve body,
The coil spring is
A first spring portion that is disposed at an intermediate position from one end of the coil spring, and biases the valve body toward the initial opening when the valve body rotates in an opening direction from the initial opening;
A second spring portion that is disposed at the intermediate position from the other end of the coil spring, and biases the valve body toward the initial opening when the valve body rotates in a closing direction from the initial opening. When,
A first abutting portion arranged along the second spring portion outside the second spring portion, and one connecting the end on the intermediate position side of the first spring portion and the first abutting portion. A coupling portion comprising a pair of connection portions, the other connecting the first contact portion and the end of the second spring portion opposite to the intermediate position.
At least one of the throttle body and the throttle gear includes a second contact portion that contacts the first contact portion when the valve body is maintained at the initial opening. The second abutting portion includes a main body side abutting portion disposed on the throttle body, and a gear side abutting portion disposed on the throttle gear,
The main body side contact part and the gear side contact part are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the coil spring at the initial opening degree,
2. The throttle device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion has a shape straddling the main body side contact portion and the gear side contact portion.

Images