JP6407557B2 - Control valve device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control valve device.

  The operation of an automatic transmission of an automobile is controlled by driving oil. For this reason, a control valve device for supplying driving oil to the automatic transmission is mounted together with the automatic transmission in the automobile. A conventional control valve device is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-44367.

The control valve device of the publication includes a spool valve that switches the flow path in the valve body. The spool valve has a spool hole provided in the valve body and a spool disposed in the spool hole, and the flow path is switched by sliding of the spool in the spool hole (see paragraph 0017). In addition, in order to control the flow rate of oil by finely adjusting the opening of the valve together with on / off, the publication spool valve is equipped with a sensor for detecting the position of the spool, and corresponds to the control of the flow rate. (See paragraph 0011, FIG. 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-44367

  The sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-44367 includes a linear sensor and a sensor rod that expands and contracts from the axis of the linear sensor. The sensor rod expands and contracts according to the displacement of the sensor plate that moves with the spool. The linear sensor outputs an electrical signal according to the amount of expansion / contraction of the sensor rod (see paragraph 0011, FIG. 1). That is, in this publication, the driving of the spool is detected via the sensor plate and the sensor rod. However, in such a structure, the number of parts increases due to the sensor plate and the sensor rod, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the control valve device.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of reducing the number of parts in a part related to spool position detection in a control valve device having a function of detecting the position of the spool in the axial direction.

An exemplary control valve device according to the first invention of the present application is a control valve device that supplies oil to a device to be controlled. The control valve device includes a valve body having an oil passage therein, and is provided in the valve body. A spool hole connected to the oil passage, a spool disposed in the spool hole and extending in the axial direction from the front side to the back side of the spool hole, and a stroke sensor for detecting the axial position of the spool. The spool is made of metal, and the stroke sensor includes a coil disposed substantially coaxially with the spool, and a sensor circuit electrically connected to the coil. At least a part of the movement range of the end portion is located inside the coil and has a resin sensor cylinder portion inserted into the spool hole, Serial embedded in the sensor tube portion, said sensor circuit further includes a resin cover portion for holding therein a by the lid, the spool hole is summarized as that the sealed.

  According to the first exemplary invention of the present application, the axial position of the spool is detected by utilizing the fact that the inductance of the coil changes due to the movement of the metal spool. In this way, if the movement of the spool is directly detected, the addition of components related to the spool position detection can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the spool hole is sealed by the resin lid that holds the sensor circuit inside, the number of parts can be reduced, and the spool valve and the stroke sensor can be downsized as a whole.

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device. FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the control valve device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the resin member, the sensor protection member, and the coil spring. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the control valve device. FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device according to a modification. FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device according to a modification. FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device according to a modification.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present application, the direction along the center axis of the spool is referred to as “axial direction”. Further, along the axial direction, the shape and positional relationship of each part will be described with the opening side of the spool hole as “front side” and the opposite side as “back side”. In each figure of the present application, “front side” and “back side” are indicated by arrows.

<1. Control Valve Device According to One Embodiment>
1 and 2 are partial longitudinal sectional views of a control valve device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control valve device 1 is mounted on a transport device such as an automobile, and controls the drive of the continuously variable transmission by supplying oil (automatic transmission fluid, ATF) to the continuously variable transmission in the transport aircraft. Device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the control valve device 1 of this embodiment includes a valve body 10, a spool 20, and a stroke sensor 30.

  The valve body 10 is a metal housing having an oil passage 11 inside. The valve body 10 is configured by laminating a plurality of (for example, two to three) substantially plate-like members in upper and lower stages. The plurality of members are fixed to each other by being screwed in the vertical direction. The individual members constituting the valve body 10 are formed by die casting of a metal such as aluminum, for example. 1 and 2 show a part of one metal member in the valve body 10.

  A plurality of oil passages 11 serving as oil passages are provided inside the valve body 10. The plurality of oil passages 11 are intricately complicated inside the valve body 10. A spool hole 12 connected to a plurality of oil passages 11 is provided in the valve body 10. The spool hole 12 extends in the horizontal direction from the side surface of the member constituting the valve body 10 toward the inside of the member.

  In the present embodiment, the four oil passages 11 of the signal oil passage 61, the input oil passage 62, the output oil passage 63, and the discharge oil passage 64 are connected to the spool hole 12. The signal oil passage 61 is connected to the innermost end of the spool hole 12. The signal oil passage 61 is an oil passage for supplying a signal pressure, which is a pressure toward the front side in the axial direction, to the spool 20 described later. The signal oil passage 61 is connected to the oil pump 2 installed outside the valve body 10 via a solenoid valve 13 provided at another location in the valve body 10.

  The input oil passage 62 is connected to a position closer to the spool hole 12 than the signal oil passage 61. The output oil passage 63 is connected to a position closer to the spool hole 12 than the input oil passage 62. Further, the drain oil passage 64 is connected to a position closer to the spool hole 12 than the output oil passage 63.

  The spool 20 is a columnar member disposed in the spool hole 12. The spool 20 extends in the axial direction from the near side to the far side of the spool hole 12. The spool 20 has a large diameter portion 21 having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the spool hole 12 and a small diameter portion 22 having an outer diameter smaller than the large diameter portion 21. As the material of the spool 20, for example, a metal such as aluminum having a magnetic permeability different from that of oil is used.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a coil spring 40 is interposed between the spool 20 and a sensor protection member 34 described later. The coil spring 40 is disposed in the spool hole 12 in a state compressed in the axial direction rather than the natural length. For this reason, the spool 20 always receives a repulsive force from the coil spring 40 toward the back side in the axial direction. Further, since the coil spring 40 is compressed as the position of the spool 20 moves toward the front side in the axial direction, the repulsive force received by the spool 20 from the coil spring 40 becomes larger.

  When the solenoid valve 13 is opened and oil is supplied to the signal oil passage 61, a signal pressure is applied to the spool 20 toward the front side in the axial direction. The solenoid valve 13 has its opening degree adjusted based on the drive current supplied from the control unit 3 in accordance with various conditions such as the operation state of the shift lever in the transport equipment, the speed of the transport equipment, and the engine speed. Is done. As a result, the signal pressure applied to the spool 20 changes. The spool 20 is positioned at a position where the oil signal pressure is equal to the repulsive force of the coil spring 40.

  When the axial position of the spool 20 changes, the connection state of the input oil passage 62, the output oil passage 63, and the discharge oil passage 64 changes. For example, in the state of FIG. 1, the drain oil passage 64 is isolated from the other two oil passages 62 and 63. The input oil passage 62 and the output oil passage 63 communicate with each other through the notch 23 provided in the large diameter portion 21 of the spool 20 and the space around the small diameter portion 22. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 1, the oil introduced from the input oil passage 62 flows into the output oil passage 63 and is supplied to the continuously variable transmission to be controlled.

  In the state of FIG. 2, the input oil passage 62 is isolated from the other two oil passages 63 and 64. The output oil passage 63 and the discharge oil passage 64 communicate with each other through the notch 23 provided in the large diameter portion 21 of the spool 20 and the space around the small diameter portion 22. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 2, the oil returned from the continuously variable transmission to the output oil passage 63 flows into the discharge oil passage 64 and is discharged from the discharge oil passage 64 to the outside.

  The stroke sensor 30 is a non-contact type sensor that detects the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction. As described above, the spool 20 is positioned by the oil signal pressure and the repulsive force of the coil spring 40. However, even when the same signal pressure is applied, a slight difference occurs in the position of the spool 20 due to individual differences in the spring coefficient of the coil spring 40 and the like. Further, when the position of the spool 20 changes slightly, the flow rate of the output oil also changes. For this reason, in the control valve device 1, the stroke sensor 30 is used to actually control the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stroke sensor 30 of this embodiment includes a coil 31, a sensor circuit 32, a resin member 33, and a sensor protection member 34.

  The coil 31 is formed of a conductive wire wound in a spiral shape. The coil 31 is disposed substantially coaxially with the spool 20. The end of the spool 20 on the front side in the axial direction is disposed inside the coil 31. When the spool 20 moves in the axial direction, the axial length of the portion of the spool 20 that is disposed inside the coil 31 changes. As a result, the inductance of the coil 31 changes. That is, the inductance of the coil 31 is a parameter reflecting the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction.

  The sensor circuit 32 is an electric circuit for generating a detection signal indicating the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction. The sensor circuit 32 is electrically connected to the coil 31. The sensor circuit 32 measures the inductance of the coil 31 and calculates the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction from the measured inductance. Then, a detection signal indicating the axial position of the spool 20 is output to the external control unit 3 via the connector 35. The control unit 3 adjusts the opening degree of the solenoid valve 13 based on the received detection signal. Thereby, the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction is feedback-controlled.

  Thus, the stroke sensor 30 of this embodiment detects the position of the spool 20 in the axial direction by utilizing the fact that the inductance of the coil 31 changes due to the movement of the metal spool 20. That is, the coil 31 of the stroke sensor 30 directly detects the movement of the spool 20 itself. For this reason, in the structure of this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide components, such as a sensor plate and a sensor rod, in the stroke sensor 30 separately. Therefore, the number of parts of the control valve device 1 can be reduced, and the spool valve and the stroke sensor 30 can be downsized as a whole.

  The spool 20 of the present embodiment has a substantially cylindrical spool cylinder portion 24 that extends from the front end portion toward the axially back side. The outer diameter of the spool cylinder portion 24 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the sensor cylinder portion 331 and the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 21. A part on the back side of the coil spring 40 is accommodated in the spool cylinder portion 24. Therefore, the spool cylinder portion 24 is disposed outside the coil spring 40, that is, at a position closer to the coil 31 than the coil spring 40. For this reason, the distance between the coil 31 and the outer peripheral surface of the spool 20 is closer than when the coil spring 40 is disposed outside the spool 20. As a result, the coil 31 can detect the axial position of the spool 20 with higher accuracy.

  The coil 31 and the sensor circuit 32 are held by a continuous resin member 33. The resin member 33 is formed of a solid resin having heat resistance. For example, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is used as the material of the resin member 33. The heat resistant limit temperature of the resin member 33 is preferably sufficiently higher than the temperature of the oil filled in the spool hole 12. Specifically, the heat resistant limit temperature of the resin member 33 may be set to 200 ° C. or more, for example.

  The resin member 33 is molded by a resin mold using the coil 31 and the sensor circuit 32 as insert parts. Specifically, first, a coil 31 is formed by winding a conducting wire around a pre-molded resin bobbin. Then, in a state where the bobbin, the coil 31, and the sensor circuit 32 are arranged inside the mold, molten resin is poured into the space in the mold. Then, the resin member 33 is obtained by solidifying the poured molten resin.

  The resin member 33 according to the present embodiment includes a cylindrical sensor tube portion 331 that holds the coil 31 and a substantially disk-shaped lid portion 332 that holds the sensor circuit 32.

  The sensor tube portion 331 extends in a substantially cylindrical shape from the back surface of the lid portion 332 toward the back in the axial direction. The sensor cylinder portion 331 is inserted into the spool hole 12 of the valve body 10. The coil 31 is embedded in the resin of the sensor tube portion 331. Therefore, the oil in the spool hole 12 does not directly contact the coil 31. Further, the distance between the coil 31 and the spool 20 is closer than when the coil 31 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the sensor tube portion 331. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the spool 20 by the coil 31 is improved.

  The lid portion 332 is attached to the opening on the near side of the spool hole 12. Thereby, the spool hole 12 is sealed. The sensor circuit 32 is embedded in the resin of the lid portion 332. Therefore, the oil in the spool hole 12 does not directly contact the sensor circuit 32. Further, by arranging the sensor circuit 32 in the lid portion 332, it is not necessary to secure a space for arranging the sensor circuit 32 separately from the lid portion 332. As a result, the control valve device 1 can be further downsized.

  The sensor protection member 34 is disposed on the inner side of the sensor tube portion 331 and on the inner side of the lid portion 332. As the material of the sensor protection member 34, for example, a metal such as aluminum is used. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the resin member 33, the sensor protection member 34, and the coil spring 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor protection member 34 has a plate-like portion 341 and a pair of leg portions 342. The plate-like portion 341 extends perpendicular to the central axis 9. The pair of leg portions 342 extend from the plate-like portion 341 toward the front side in the axial direction.

  The sensor protection member 34 may be integrated as an insert part when the resin member 33 is molded, or may be attached to the molded resin member 33. The front end of the coil spring 40 is in contact with the inner surface of the plate-like portion 341. That is, in the present embodiment, the back surface of the plate-like portion 341 is a spring receiving surface 343. The positional relationship between the coil 31 and the spring receiving surface 343 is always constant.

  The sensor protection member 34 is interposed between the lid portion 332 and the spool 20. Therefore, when the spool 20 is moved to the maximum in the axial direction, the front end of the spool cylinder 24 comes into contact with the sensor protection member 34 and stops. This prevents the front end portion of the spool cylinder portion 24 from directly colliding with the lid portion 332. As a result, damage to the sensor circuit 32 due to the impact of the spool 20 can be suppressed. In particular, in this embodiment, since the sensor protection member 34 is made of metal, the sensor protection member 34 has high hardness and low elasticity compared to the case of resin. For this reason, the stop position on the near side of the spool 20 can be accurately positioned.

  The retainer member 50 is a member for limiting relative movement of the resin member 33 with respect to the valve body 10. The retainer member 50 is inserted from the bottom to the top with respect to both the valve body 10 and the resin member 33. The retainer member 50 is formed of a metal such as aluminum, for example. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded sectional view of the control valve device 1 in the vicinity of the stroke sensor 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 10 is provided with a pair of through holes 71 penetrating vertically on the upper side and the lower side of the spool hole 12. In addition, a pair of through holes 72 penetrating vertically is also provided in the sensor cylinder portion 331 of the resin member 33.

  When the control valve device 1 is assembled, first, the spool 20 and the coil spring 40 are inserted into the spool hole 12 of the valve body 10 in this order. Next, the sensor tube portion 331 of the resin member 33 is inserted into the spool hole 12. Then, the retainer member 50 is inserted into the through holes 71 and 72 while pushing the resin member 33 until the pair of through holes 71 of the valve body 10 and the pair of through holes 72 of the resin member 33 overlap each other. To do. Thereby, the resin member 33 is prevented from coming out from the spool hole 12 to the near side.

  The lower end portion of the retainer member 50 is bent in the axial direction. After the retainer member 50 is inserted into the through hole 71, another member or lid body of the valve body 10 is disposed below the retainer member 50. Thereby, it is prevented that the retainer member 50 falls off downward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the retainer member 50 is disposed between the plate-like portion 341 of the sensor protection member 34 and the lid portion 332 of the resin member 33. The sensor protection member 34 always receives a repulsive force from the coil spring 40 toward the front side in the axial direction. As a result, the near side surface of the plate-like portion 341 contacts the far side surface of the retainer member 50. Further, the front side surface of the retainer member 50 contacts the edges of the pair of through holes 71 of the valve body 10. Thereby, the positional relationship between the valve body 10, the retainer member 50, and the stroke sensor 30 in the axial direction is always fixed. In other words, in the control valve device 1, the backlash of the stroke sensor 30 in the axial direction is suppressed by the repulsive force of the coil spring 40. As a result, the detection accuracy by the stroke sensor 30 is further improved.

<2. Modification>
As mentioned above, although exemplary embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device 1A according to a modification. In the example of FIG. 5, the upper end portion of the retainer member 50A is positioned in the spool hole 12A. That is, in the example of FIG. 5, the retainer member 50 </ b> A does not penetrate through the members constituting the valve body 10 </ b> A. Even in such a structure, if the valve body 10A, the retainer member 50A, and the resin member 33A are in axial contact with each other, the resin member 33A can be prevented from coming off from the spool hole 12A, and the stroke sensor Shaking in the axial direction of 30A can be suppressed. Thus, the retainer member does not necessarily have to penetrate the valve body and the resin member.

  Moreover, the retainer member does not necessarily need to be inserted in the up-down direction. For example, the retainer member may be inserted obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. That is, the retainer member may be any member that is inserted into both the valve body and the resin member substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

  FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device 1B according to another modification. In the example of FIG. 6, a small diameter portion 22B having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the spool hole 12B is provided in the vicinity of the front end portion of the spool 20B. And the small diameter part 22B is inserted inside the coil spring 40B. Therefore, the coil spring 40B is disposed outside the small diameter portion 22B with respect to the central shaft 9B. With such a structure, the diameter of the coil spring 40B can be increased. Therefore, buckling of the coil spring 40B can be suppressed and the spool 20B can be positioned more accurately.

  FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a control valve device 1C according to another modification. In the example of FIG. 7, a convex portion 344C is provided on the sensor protection member 34C of the stroke sensor 30C. The convex portion 344C protrudes from the spring receiving surface 343C of the sensor protection member 34C toward the back side in the axial direction. And the convex part 344C is inserted inside the coil spring 40C. If it does in this way, buckling of coil spring 40C can be controlled by convex part 344C. Therefore, the spool 20C can be positioned more accurately. Further, since the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the spool 20C and the coil 31C is closer than in the structure of FIG. 6, the detection sensitivity of the stroke sensor 30C can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the continuously variable transmission of the transport device is a control target. However, the control valve device of the present invention may be an automatic transmission other than the continuously variable transmission. Good. In addition, the control valve device of the present invention may be a control target for equipment other than the automatic transmission controlled by oil.

  In the above embodiment, the spool 20 moves in the horizontal direction. However, in the posture when the control valve device is used, the movement direction of the spool 20 is not necessarily horizontal.

  In the above embodiment, the front end of the spool 20 is always located inside the coil. However, the end portion on the near side of the spool may move to a position on the far side rather than the end portion on the far side of the coil. That is, it is sufficient that at least a part of the movement range of the front end portion of the spool is located inside the coil.

  Moreover, it does not specifically limit about parts other than the structural requirements of this invention of a control valve apparatus. Further, the detailed shape of the valve body, spool, stroke sensor, etc. may be different from the shape shown in each drawing of the present application.

  Moreover, you may combine suitably each element which appeared in said embodiment and modification in the range which does not produce inconsistency.

  The present invention can be used for a control valve device.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C Control valve device 2 Oil pump 3 Control unit 9, 9B Center shaft 10, 10A Valve body 11 Oil passage 12, 12A, 12B Spool hole 13 Solenoid valve 20, 20B, 20C Spool 21 Large diameter portion 22 , 22B Small diameter part 23 Notch 24 Spool cylinder part 30, 30A, 30C Stroke sensor 31 Coil 32 Sensor circuit 33, 33A Resin member 34, 34C Sensor protection member 35 Connector 40, 40B, 40C Coil spring 50, 50A Retainer member 61 Signal Oil passage 62 Input oil passage 63 Output oil passage 64 Discharge oil passage 71, 72 Through hole 331 Sensor cylinder portion 332 Lid portion 341 Plate-like portion 342 Leg portion 343, 343C Spring receiving surface 344C Protruding portion

Claims (7)

A control valve device for supplying oil to the equipment to be controlled, a valve body having an oil passage therein, is provided in the bulb body, a spool bore leading to a plurality of the oil passage, the spool bore A spool that is disposed and extends in the axial direction from the front side to the back side of the spool hole, and a stroke sensor that detects a position in the axial direction of the spool, and the spool is made of metal, and the stroke sensor A coil disposed substantially coaxially with the spool, and a sensor circuit electrically connected to the coil, wherein at least a part of the movement range of the front end of the spool is the inner side of the coil located in, has a sensor tube portion made of resin is inserted into the spool bore, the coil is embedded in the sensor tube portion, said sensor circuit Further comprising a lid portion made of resin for holding the parts, by the lid, the spool hole is sealed, the control valve device. The control valve device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor cylinder portion and the lid portion constitute a continuous resin member, and both the valve body and the resin member are substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. A control valve device further comprising a retainer member to be inserted. The control valve device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the stroke sensor further includes a sensor protection member interposed between the lid and the spool. The control valve device according to claim 3 , wherein the sensor protection member is made of metal. A control valve device for supplying oil to a device to be controlled, comprising a valve body having an oil passage therein, a spool hole provided in the valve body and connected to the plurality of oil passages, and in the spool hole A spool that is disposed and extends in the axial direction from the front side to the back side of the spool hole, and a stroke sensor that detects a position in the axial direction of the spool, and the spool is made of metal, and the stroke sensor A coil disposed substantially coaxially with the spool, and a sensor circuit electrically connected to the coil, wherein at least a part of the movement range of the front end of the spool is the inner side of the coil located in the have a constant spring receiving surface relative positions of the coils, the compression is between the spool and the spring receiving surface, in the axial direction than the natural length A control valve device further comprising a coil spring interposed in a separated state . The control valve device according to claim 5 , wherein the spool has a substantially cylindrical spool tube portion extending from an end on the near side to the axially back side, and the coil spring is disposed inside the spool tube portion. A control valve device that houses a part of the back side. The control valve device according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the stroke sensor further includes a convex portion that protrudes from the spring receiving surface toward the inside of the coil spring.

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