JP6581367B2 - Flow control valve - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow rate control valve used for controlling the flow rate of cooling water for automobiles, for example.

  For example, as a conventional flow control valve applied to the flow control of cooling water for automobiles, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known.

  This flow control valve is a so-called rotary valve that performs flow control in accordance with the rotational position (phase) of a rotor that is a substantially cylindrical valve body, and is a pair of spur gears connected to the output shaft of an electric motor. A pair of worm gears that are connected to the rotating shaft of the rotor and are constituted by a screw gear and an inclined gear, and a pair that is interposed between the worm gear and the first gear. And a second reduction gear constituted by a spur gear is housed inside the housing, through which the output of the electric motor is reduced and transmitted to the rotor. .

JP 2013-249810 A

  However, according to the conventional flow control valve, for example, when a larger reduction ratio is required, such as an improvement in sealing performance, that is, an increase in the driving torque of the rotor due to an improvement in the pressing force of the seal member that is in sliding contact with the rotor It is necessary to increase the diameter of the bevel gear of the worm gear. Then, due to the increase in diameter, the position of the first and second gears must be changed, and as a result, the projected area of the speed reduction mechanism in the housing may increase, leading to an increase in the size of the housing. It was.

  The present invention has been devised in view of such technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flow control valve capable of suppressing an increase in the size of a housing accompanying an increase in a reduction ratio of a reduction mechanism.

  The present invention connects a valve body for controlling the flow rate of engine cooling water based on a rotation phase, a housing for housing the valve body, an actuator for driving and controlling the valve body, and the actuator and the valve body. And a drive mechanism having at least two or more worm gears.

  According to the present invention, by adopting a drive mechanism having two or more worm gears, it is possible to increase the reduction ratio while suppressing an increase in the projected area of the drive mechanism, and accompanying this increase in the reduction ratio An increase in the size of the apparatus can be suppressed.

It is a cooling water circuit diagram with which it uses for the application description to the circulation system of the cooling water for motor vehicles of the flow control valve which concerns on this invention. It is a cooling water circuit diagram which shows the other example of application of the flow control valve which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the flow control valve concerning the present invention. It is a top view of the flow control valve shown in FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a sliding contact between the seal member and the valve body shown in FIG. 5. It is a side view of the flow control valve shown in FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fail-safe valve shown in FIG. 3, (a) is a valve closing state, (b) is a figure which shows a valve opening state. It is a perspective view of the valve body shown in FIG. 3, Comprising: (a)-(d) is a figure which shows the state seen from another viewpoint, respectively. (A) is the arrow line view seen from the C direction of Fig.10 (a), (b) is the DD sectional view taken on the line of Fig.10 (a). FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the speed reduction mechanism shown in FIG. 3. It is a top view of the deceleration mechanism shown in FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure explaining the operating state of the flow control valve concerning the present invention, and (a) is a state where all the discharge ports are out of communication, (b) is a state where only the 1st discharge port is connected, (c) FIG. 4 is a development view of the valve body housing portion showing a state in which the first and second discharge ports are in communication and (d) is a state in which all the discharge ports are in communication. It is a perspective view of the deceleration mechanism in the conventional flow control valve.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a flow control valve according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following embodiment, a flow control valve according to the present invention will be described as an example in which the flow control valve according to the present invention is applied to a circulating system for automotive cooling water (hereinafter simply referred to as “cooling water”).

  First, the cooling water circulation circuit to which the flow control valve CV is applied will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the flow control valve CV is provided on the side of the engine EG (specifically, a cylinder head not shown). Arranged between the engine EG and the heating heat exchanger HT (EGR cooler EC), the oil cooler OC, and the radiator RD. Then, the cooling water pressurized by the water pump WP and guided to the flow control valve CV through the introduction passage L0 is supplied to the heating heat exchanger HT, the oil cooler OC, and the radiator RD via the first to third pipes L1 to L3. Each flow is distributed to the side, and each flow rate is controlled. At this time, the cooling water led to the heating heat exchanger HT is led to the EGR cooler EC and then returned to the engine EG side.

  Further, the flow rate control valve CV is provided with a bypass passage BL that bypasses the introduction passage L0 and directly leads the cooling water to the throttle chamber TC, and the cooling water guided from the engine EG side with the bypass passage BL. Can always be supplied to the throttle chamber TC. Then, the cooling water supplied to the throttle chamber TC is guided to the EGR cooler EC and is returned to the engine EG side through the EGR cooler EC, similarly to the heating heat exchanger HT. A symbol WT in FIG. 1 indicates a water temperature sensor.

  The arrangement of the flow control valve CV is not limited to the arrangement immediately after the engine EG, and may be arranged immediately before the engine EG as shown in FIG. 2, for example, depending on the specifications of the mounting target. It can be changed as appropriate. Further, since the distribution to the throttle chamber TC does not correspond to the cooling water flow rate control target as will be described later, the presence or absence of the bypass passage BL also conforms to the specification of the mounting target as shown in FIG. It can be changed accordingly.

  Next, the specific configuration of the flow control valve CV will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, the flow control valve CV includes a first housing 11 that houses a valve body 3 and an electric motor 4 described later. And a second housing 12 that houses a speed reduction mechanism 5 to be described later, and an end wall 11b of the first housing 11 that separates the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 from each other. A rotary shaft 2 rotatably supported by a bearing B1 held by 11b, and a substantially cylindrical valve body 3 fixed to one end of the rotary shaft 2 and rotatably accommodated in the first housing 11. And an electric motor 4 disposed in parallel with the valve body 3 in the first housing 11 and used for driving control of the valve body 3, and interposed between the motor output shaft 4 c of the electric motor 4 and the rotary shaft 2. The electric motor 4 A speed reduction mechanism 5 for transmitting by decelerating the speed, and is mainly comprised.

  The first housing 11 is cast from an aluminum alloy material, and a substantially cylindrical valve body accommodating portion 13 that is biased toward one end side in the width direction and accommodates the valve body 3 opens toward one end side in the axial direction. A substantially cylindrical motor housing portion 14 that is formed and is adjacent to the valve body housing portion 13 and is biased toward the other end in the width direction to house the electric motor 4 is opened toward the other end in the axial direction. It is formed and fixed to a side portion of the engine (not shown) by a bolt (not shown) via a first flange portion 11a formed and extending in the outer peripheral area of the one end side opening of the valve body housing portion 13. During the mounting, an annular seal member SL1 is interposed between the first flange portion 11a of the first housing 11 and the engine side portion, and the inside of the valve body housing portion 13 is liquidated by the seal member SL1. It is configured to be held tightly.

  The valve body accommodating portion 13 is configured as an inlet 10 which is a main communication port whose one end side opening communicates with the inside of the engine (not shown) and introduces cooling water from the inside of the engine. The cooling water is guided to an inner peripheral side passage 17 and an outer peripheral side passage 18 respectively formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the body 3. Moreover, the 1st-3rd which is a some cylindrical communication port provided to the surrounding wall of the said valve body accommodating part 13 for a connection with the said 1st-3rd piping L1-L3 in a predetermined | prescribed circumferential direction position. The discharge ports E1 to E3 are formed to penetrate in the radial direction. Of the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3, a medium-diameter first discharge port E1 communicating with the heating heat exchanger HT and a small-diameter second discharge port E2 communicating with the oil cooler OC Are arranged in the axial direction of the valve body housing portion 13 (substantially opposed to the radial direction), and have a small-diameter second discharge port E2 that communicates with the oil cooler OC, and a large-diameter shape that communicates with the radiator RD. The 3rd discharge port E3 is arrange | positioned adjacent to the axial direction of the valve body accommodating part 13 in parallel, 1st, 2nd discharge port E1, E2 is the inlet 10 side, and 3rd discharge port E3 is end wall 11b. Each side is biased.

  Then, on the inner peripheral side of the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3, when the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3 are closed, a space between the discharge ports E1 to E3 and the valve body 3 is provided. Sealing means for liquid-tight sealing is provided. This sealing means is accommodated so as to be able to move forward and backward on the inner end side of each of the discharge ports E1 to E3, and seals between each of the discharge ports E1 to E3 and the valve body 3 by slidingly contacting the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 3. The substantially cylindrical first to third seal members S1 to S3 and the opening edges of the pipes L1 to L3 (the retainer member 16 for the first pipe L1) on the outer ends of the discharge ports E1 to E3 Thus, a first preload is applied between the opening edges of the pipes L1 to L3 and the inner end faces of the seal members S1 to S3, and the seal members S1 to S3 are urged toward the valve body 3 side. 1st-3rd coil spring SP1-SP3 and the inner peripheral surface of each discharge port E1-E3 and each sealing member S1-S3 in the form accommodated in the recessed part notched and formed in the inner peripheral surface of each discharge port E1-E3. Each of the sealing members S1. And a well known O-ring SL2 for sealing between the respective outlet E1~E3 with the seal members S1 to S3, by contact S3 outer peripheral surface in sliding of the.

  Each of the sealing members S1 to S3 is formed in a substantially conical taper shape that is slidably contacted with first to third seal sliding contact portions D1 to D3 described later on the inner peripheral edge on one end side that is the valve body 3 side. While the third valve body sliding contact portions S1a to S3a are provided, on the other end side, flat first to third seating surfaces S1b to S3b used for seating on one end side of the coil springs SP1 to SP3 are provided. Is formed. With such a configuration, the valve body sliding contact portions S1a to S3a have intermediate portions (specifically in FIG. 6) in the thickness width direction (radial direction) with respect to the seal sliding contact surfaces D1 to D3. Only the point F) is in sliding contact, so-called line contact.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the other end side of the valve body accommodating portion 13 is such that the inner end faces the outer peripheral passage 18 and the fourth pipe L4 is connected to the outer end. A fourth discharge port E4 that guides the cooling water to the throttle chamber TC is formed so as to penetrate the bypass passage BL (see FIG. 1). That is, with this configuration, it is possible to always distribute the cooling water guided to the outer peripheral passage 18 to the throttle chamber TC via the fourth pipe L4 regardless of the rotation phase of the valve body 3 described later. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3, 8, and 9, the side of the third discharge port E3 has a valve body accommodating portion 13 in an emergency in which the valve body 3 cannot be driven, for example, when the electric system fails. A fail-safe valve 20 that enables communication between the (outer peripheral side passage 18) and the third discharge port E3 is provided, and the supply of cooling water to the radiator RD is ensured even when the valve body 3 is stationary. Thus, overheating of the engine EG can be prevented.

  The fail-safe valve 20 is accommodated in a valve accommodation hole 11c that communicates the outer peripheral side passage 18 and the third pipe L3, and is substantially cylindrical that allows the cooling water to flow in from the inner end side (outer peripheral side passage 18 side). When the cooling water temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature, the wax (not shown) filled therein expands when the flow path component 21 is accommodated on the inner peripheral side of the flow path component 21. The rod 22a is fixed to the distal end side of the rod 22a of the thermo element 22 so that the rod 22a advances to the outer end side of the flow path component member 21, and the outer end side of the flow path component member 21. A valve member 23 used to open and close the outflow hole 21a formed in the opening, and is elastically mounted between the valve member 23 and the flow path component member 21 with a predetermined preload, and urges the valve member 23 in the valve closing direction. Coil spring And grayed 24, are composed mainly from.

  With this configuration, in a normal state (cooling water temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature), the valve portion 23a formed in a substantially conical taper shape of the valve member 23 with the urging force of the coil spring 24 presses against the outer hole edge of the outflow hole 21a. Thus, the valve closed state is maintained. On the other hand, when the temperature becomes high (cooling water temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature), the wax in the thermo element 22 expands and the valve member 23 moves forward to the outer end side together with the rod 22a against the urging force of the coil spring 24. As a result, the inflow hole (not shown) and the outflow hole 21a communicate with each other, and the cooling water guided to the outer peripheral side passage 18 is supplied to the radiator RD through the third pipe L3. It becomes.

  In addition to such a temperature rise, when the pressure of the cooling water exceeds a predetermined pressure, the valve member 23 is pushed away against the urging force of the coil spring 24, so that the unshown inflow hole and outflow hole are not shown. As a result, the internal pressure of the flow control valve CV decreases, and as a result, failure of the flow control valve CV can be avoided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, the second housing 12 has one end facing the first housing 11 straddling the valve body housing portion 13 and the motor housing portion 14 so as to cover the housing portions 13 and 14. Is fixed to the other end side of the first housing 11 by a plurality of bolts BT1 through a second flange portion 12a that is formed in a concave shape that opens to the outer peripheral area of the one end side opening. A speed reduction mechanism accommodating portion 15 that accommodates the speed reduction mechanism 5 is formed between the other end side of the one housing 11. When the first and second housings 11 and 12 are joined, an annular seal member SL3 is interposed between the joining surfaces, so that the inside of the speed reduction mechanism housing portion 15 is held in a liquid-tight manner.

  The rotating shaft 2 is rotatably supported by the bearing B1 accommodated and disposed in a shaft insertion hole 11d formed through the end wall 11b corresponding to the other end wall of the valve body accommodating portion 13, and is axially supported. A valve body 3 is fixed to one end, and a second bevel gear HG2 described later is fixed to the other end so as to be integrally rotatable. An annular seal member SL4 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 2 and the inner end side opening edge of the shaft insertion hole 11d, and the seal member SL4 rotates with the shaft insertion hole 11d. The inflow of cooling water from the valve body housing part 13 side to the speed reduction mechanism housing part 15 through the radial clearance with the shaft 2 is suppressed.

  The valve body 3 is integrally molded with a predetermined synthetic resin material, and as shown in FIGS. 5, 10, and 11, one end side in the axial direction is the cooling water guided from the inlet 10 of the first housing 11. An opening is formed as the inflow port 3a for inflow into the inner peripheral passage 17. On the other hand, the other end side is closed by the end wall 3b, and a plurality of substantially arc-shaped communication ports 3c that allow the inner peripheral side passage 17 and the outer peripheral side passage 18 to communicate with each other are provided in the circumferential direction on the end wall 3b. A notch is formed along. A substantially cylindrical shaft fixing portion 3d provided for attachment to the rotary shaft 2 extends along the axial direction at the central portion of the end wall 3b corresponding to the axial center of the valve body 3, A metal insert member 3e is integrally formed on the inner peripheral side of the shaft fixing portion 3d so as to be press-fitted and fixed to the rotary shaft 2 via the insert member 3e.

  Further, the valve body 3 is in contact with the seal members S1 to S3 to provide a substantially spherical seal slide contact portion (first to third seal slide contact portions D1 to D3 described later) that serve a sealing action when the valve is closed. ) Are connected in series in the axial direction, and are configured to be opened and closed by rotating within a predetermined angular range of about 180 ° in the circumferential direction. Yes. During the rotation, the valve body 3 is rotationally supported by a bearing B2 that is fitted and held on the inner peripheral side of the introduction port 10 via a bearing portion 3g having a large diameter formed at one end. Has been.

  Here, in forming the seal sliding contact portions D1 to D3, the valve body 3 includes a first axial region X1 on one end side, a second axial region X2 on the other end side, and two axial regions. Broadly divided. The first and second axial regions X1 and X2 are formed substantially evenly with a substantially intermediate position in the axial direction of the valve body 3 as a boundary. In any of the axial regions X1 and X2, at least hole edges of first to third openings M1 to M3 described later are formed in a substantially spherical shape, that is, a curved surface having substantially the same curvature. In addition, the curvature is configured to be the same as the rotation radius of the valve body 3.

  As shown in FIG. 11 (b), the first axial direction region X1 is provided over substantially a half circumference, the first seal sliding contact portion D1 slidably in contact with the first seal member S1, and the remaining half circumference. And a second seal sliding contact portion D2 that is in sliding contact with the second seal member S2. The first seal sliding contact portion D1 is provided with a first opening portion M1 having a long hole shape that is set to have an axial width that overlaps with the first discharge port E1 almost without excess or shortage along the circumferential direction. ing. Similarly, the second seal sliding contact portion D2 is provided with a second opening portion M2 having a long hole shape that is set to have an axial width that overlaps with the second discharge port E2 substantially without excess or deficiency along the circumferential direction. It has been.

  Here, in this embodiment, as described above, the first opening M1 and the second opening M2 are superposed in different circumferential positions in the first axial region X1 in the rotational axis direction of the valve body 3. As a result, the valve body 3 is reduced in size in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 11 (a), the second axial direction region X2 is provided over a half circumference and includes a third seal sliding contact portion D3 that is in sliding contact with the third seal member S3, and a remaining circumferential region. And a non-seal sliding contact portion D4 that does not face the third discharge port E3 and does not provide a sealing action by the third seal member S3. The third seal sliding contact portion D3 is provided with a long-hole-shaped third opening M3 set in the circumferential direction so as to overlap with the third discharge port E3 without substantial excess or deficiency. ing.

  The non-seal sliding contact portion D4 is provided with an auxiliary suction port M4 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view along the circumferential direction. The auxiliary suction port M4 serves to introduce the cooling water flowing in the outer peripheral side passage 18 into the inner peripheral side passage 17, and in addition to the inlet 3a, the auxiliary suction port M4 also serves as an inner periphery of the cooling water. The introduction of the coolant into the side passage 17 is made possible, and a larger amount of cooling water is taken into the inner peripheral passage 17 and discharged from each of the discharge ports E1 to E3, thereby reducing the introduction resistance of the cooling water. Yes. In addition, since the non-seal slidable contact portion D4 is a so-called non-use area, unlike the first to third seal slidable contact portions D1 to D3 formed in a substantially spherical shape, the non-seal slidable contact portion D4 is a flat surface having an aspheric shape Thus, the weight of the valve body 3 and the yield of the material constituting the valve body 3 are reduced.

  About the respective shapes and circumferential positions of the first to third openings M1 to M3 provided as described above, first to fourth states to be described later shown in FIG. In this order, the communication state with the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3 is switched.

  The third seal sliding contact portion D3 at the other end of the valve body 3 is provided with a pair of contact portions 3f and 3f for use in restricting the rotation of the valve body 3. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the contact portions 3 f and 3 f are provided so as to be able to contact a rotation restricting portion 11 e protruding from the other peripheral wall of the valve body housing portion 13. The rotation range of the valve body 3 is regulated within the predetermined angle range by coming into contact with the portion 11e. Since the contact portions 3f and 3f are inevitably provided in accordance with the configuration of the valve body 3, the rotation restricting stopper is separately provided by using the contact portions 3f and 3f. There is no need to provide the flow rate control valve CV, and the cost is reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the electric motor 4 includes a flange portion 4 b provided at the base end portion of the motor body 4 a in a state where the motor body 4 a is housed in the motor housing portion 14 of the first housing 11. The motor output shaft 4c faces into the speed reduction mechanism accommodating portion 15 of the second housing 12 through the opening on the one end side of the motor accommodating portion 14. It is out. The electric motor 4 is driven and controlled by a vehicle-mounted electronic controller (not shown), and the valve body 3 is controlled to rotate according to the vehicle operating state, thereby appropriately distributing the cooling water to the radiator RD and the like. Realized.

  The speed reduction mechanism 5 is a drive mechanism composed of two worm gears. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the speed reduction mechanism 5 is linked to the motor output shaft 4 c and reduces the rotation of the electric motor 4. A second worm gear G2 connected to the first worm gear G1 and further decelerating the rotation of the electric motor 4 transmitted through the first worm gear G1 and transmitting it to the rotary shaft 2; The worm gear G2 is disposed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first worm gear G1.

  The drive mechanism of the present embodiment will be described by exemplifying the speed reduction mechanism 5 constituted by the two worm gears G1 and G2. However, the drive mechanism in the present invention may be constituted by at least two or more worm gears. It is possible to provide three or more worm gears according to the specifications of the apparatus such as a required reduction ratio. Further, the drive mechanism may be configured not only as the speed reduction mechanism 5 but also as a speed increasing mechanism.

  The first worm gear G1 is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the motor output shaft 4c. The first screw gear WG1 rotates integrally with the motor output shaft 4c, and the first screw gear WG1 substantially parallel to the motor rotation shaft 4c. The first inclined tooth is integrally provided on the outer periphery of one end side of the rotary shaft 19 provided in a shape orthogonal to the first shaft, and meshes with the first screw gear WG1 to decelerate and output the rotation of the first screw gear WG1. And a gear HG1. In the first worm gear G1, the first screw gear WG1 is constituted by a single thread, the first inclined gear HG1 is constituted by 14 teeth, and the reduction ratio is set to 1/14. Has been.

  The second worm gear G2 is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the other end of the rotary shaft 19, and is orthogonal to the second screw gear WG2 and a second screw gear WG2 that rotates integrally with the first inclined gear HG1. A second inclined tooth which is fixed to the outer periphery of the other end of the rotary shaft 2 arranged in a shape so as to be integrally rotatable and decelerates and outputs the rotation of the second screw gear WG2 by meshing with the second screw gear WG2. And a gear HG2. The second worm gear G2 also has the second screw gear WG2 formed of a single thread and the second inclined gear HG2 formed of 14 teeth, similarly to the first worm gear G1. The reduction ratio is set to 1/14.

  Hereinafter, a specific operation state of the flow control valve CV will be described with reference to FIG. In the description, in FIG. 15, the first to third openings M1 to M3 of the valve body 3 are indicated by broken lines, while the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3 of the first housing 11 are hatched. For convenience, relative identification of each of the outlets E1 to E3 and each of the openings M1 to M3 is performed by painting and displaying the state in which these E1 to E3 and M1 to M3 are overlapped and communicated. Shall be intended.

  That is, the flow control valve CV is driven and controlled by the control current from the electronic controller (not shown) that is calculated and output based on the driving state of the vehicle, so that the flow control valve CV corresponds to the driving state of the vehicle. The rotational position (phase) of the valve body 3 is controlled so that the relative relationship between the discharge ports E1 to E3 and the openings M1 to M3 is as follows.

  In the first state shown in FIG. 15A, all of the first to third openings M1 to M3 are not in communication with the respective discharge ports E1 to E3. Thus, in the first state, the cooling water is not supplied to any of the heating heat exchanger HT, the oil cooler OC, and the radiator RD.

  After the first state, in the second state shown in FIG. 15B, only the first opening M1 is in a communication state, and the second and third openings M2 and M3 are in a non-communication state. Thereby, in the said 2nd state, based on this communication state, cooling water is supplied only from the 1st discharge port E1 to the heating heat exchanger HT through the 1st piping L1, and the 1st discharge port E1 and the 1st The supply amount changes based on the polymerization amount with the opening M1.

  After the second state, in the third state shown in FIG. 15C, only the third opening M3 is in a non-communication state, and the first and second openings M1 and M2 are in a communication state. Thereby, in the said 3rd state, based on this communication state, with respect to the heating heat exchanger HT and the oil cooler OC through the 1st, 2nd piping L1, L2 from the 1st, 2nd discharge port E1, E2, respectively. Cooling water is supplied, and the supply amount changes based on the polymerization amount of the first and second discharge ports E1 to E2 and the first and second openings M1 and M2.

  In the fourth state shown in FIG. 15D after the third state, all of the first to third openings M1 to M3 are in communication with the discharge ports E1 to E3. Thereby, in this 4th state, cooling water is supplied with respect to all of the heating heat exchanger HT, the oil cooler OC, and the radiator RD, and the 1st-3rd discharge ports E1-E3 and the 1st-3rd opening The supply amount changes based on the polymerization amount with the parts M1 to M3.

  Hereinafter, the characteristic operation and effect of the flow control valve CV according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14 show the speed reduction mechanism 5 of the flow control valve CV according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 16 shows the speed reduction mechanism 105 of the conventional flow control valve 100.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the speed reduction mechanism 105 of the conventional flow control valve 100 includes a first spur gear SG1 integrally provided on the drive shaft of the electric motor 104, and a parallel connection with the first spur gear SG1. A second spur gear SG2 meshed with the first spur gear SG1, a third spur gear SG3 connected in series with the second spur gear SG2, and rotating integrally with the second spur gear SG2, A fourth spur gear SG4 which is provided in parallel with the third spur gear SG3 and meshes with the third spur gear SG3, and is connected in series with the fourth spur gear SG4 and rotates integrally with the fourth spur gear SG4. A five-thread gear WG5 and a sixth inclined gear HG6 that are integrally provided on a rotation shaft of a valve body (not shown) and mesh with the fifth screw gear WG5 perpendicularly.

  With this configuration, the reduction ratio of the speed reduction mechanism 105 is (the number of teeth of the second spur gear SG2 / the number of teeth of the first spur gear SG1) × (the number of teeth of the fourth spur gear SG4 / the number of teeth of the third spur gear SG3). The number of teeth) × (the number of teeth of the sixth inclined gear HG6 / the number of teeth of the fifth screw gear WG5).

  From this calculation, when the reduction ratio of the speed reduction mechanism 105 is increased, the number of teeth of the first and third spur gears SG1 and SG3 or the number of teeth of the fifth screw gear WG5 is reduced, or the second and fourth flat gears WG5 are reduced. It is conceivable to increase the number of teeth of the gears SG2, SG4 or the number of teeth of the sixth inclined gear HG6. Here, with regard to a measure for reducing the number of teeth of each of the gears SG1, SG3, WG5, the minimum number of teeth of the spur gear is limited to about three, and the screw gear WG5 is constituted by a single thread. In many cases, it is difficult to adopt a means for reducing the number of strips. Therefore, as an effective measure for increasing the reduction ratio, the number of teeth of the gears SG2, SG4, and HG6 is increased.

  Then, for example, when the number of teeth of the sixth bevel gear HG6 that is the output gear is increased, the need to change the position of the fourth spur gear SG4 arises due to the increase in the diameter of the sixth bevel gear HG6. The movement of the gear SG4 causes the movement of the first to third spur gears SG1 to SG3, resulting in a problem that the projected area of the gears SG1 to SG4 is relatively large. It is possible to increase the number of teeth of each gear SG2, SG4, HG6 without changing the outer diameter of each gear SG2, SG4, HG6. In this case, however, the size of each tooth is reduced. There is a concern that the stress acting on the tooth base will increase.

  On the other hand, the speed reduction mechanism 5 of the flow control valve CV according to the present embodiment is composed of two worm gears composed of the first and second worm gears G1 and G2, as shown in FIGS. The reduction ratio of the reduction mechanism 5 is (number of teeth of the first inclined gear HG1 / number of teeth of the first screw gear WG1) × (number of teeth of the second inclined gear HG2 / number of teeth of the second screw gear WG2). ). Then, since both the first and second screw gears WG1 and WG2 are configured with a single thread, the number of teeth of the first and second inclined gears HG1 and HG2 is required to increase the reduction ratio. Will be increased.

  However, in the speed reduction mechanism 5, by using two worm gears, the first inclined gear HG1 and the second inclined gear HG2 are arranged orthogonally. That is, one (second inclined gear HG2) is arranged in parallel to the end wall 11b of the first housing 11 which is the projection surface, and the other (first inclined gear HG1) is substantially perpendicular to the end wall 11b. Arranged to intersect. For this reason, for example, when the diameter of the second inclined gear HG2 that is the output gear is increased due to an increase in the number of teeth, the position of the first inclined gear HG1 needs to be changed, but the position change becomes a projected area. The effect is relatively small.

  Thus, according to the flow control valve CV according to the present embodiment, the reduction mechanism 5 is constituted by the first and second worm gears G1 and G2 which are two worm gears, so that the projected area of the reduction mechanism 5 is obtained. It is possible to increase the reduction ratio while suppressing an increase in the flow rate, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the flow control valve CV accompanying the increase in the reduction ratio.

  In addition, by configuring the speed reduction mechanism 5 with the plurality of worm gears G1 and G2 as described above, the number of teeth of the first and second screw gears WG1 and WG2 serving as the denominator in the speed reduction ratio calculation formula is “1”. It is possible to set to "", and there is an advantage that a larger reduction ratio can be obtained.

  Further, in the flow rate control valve CV according to the present embodiment, the valve body 3 and the electric motor 4 are arranged substantially in parallel based on the orthogonal arrangement of the first and second worm gears G1, G2. Can be reduced in size in the radial direction of the flow control valve CV (in the radial direction of the valve body 3), compared with the case where the are arranged in parallel.

  In addition, in the parallel arrangement described above, the valve body 3 and the electric motor 4 are arranged on the same side (first housing 11 side) with respect to the installation position of the speed reduction mechanism 5 in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 2. Compared with the case where both 3 and 4 are arrange | positioned on a mutually different side, size reduction of the axial direction of the flow control valve CV can be achieved.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration according to the above-described embodiment. For example, the size of the first to third discharge ports E1 to E3 and the shape, quantity and arrangement (circumference) of the first to third openings M1 to M3. Direction position), the flow direction of cooling water (from the inlet 10 to the first to third outlets E1 to E3) and the like, as well as the number, the number of teeth, and the position (arrangement) of the first and second worm gears G1, G2. If it is a form which can show the effect of the above-mentioned present invention etc., it can change freely according to specifications etc.

  In the above embodiment, as an example of the application of the flow rate control valve CV, the application to the circulation system of cooling water has been described as an example. However, the flow rate control valve CV is not limited to cooling water, for example, lubricating oil Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to various fluids.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing 2 ... Rotating shaft 3 ... Valve body 4 ... Electric motor (actuator)
5 ... Deceleration mechanism (drive mechanism)
10 ... Introduction port (main communication port)
G1 ... 1st worm gear (worm gear)
G2 ... Second worm gear (worm gear)
E1 to E3 ... 1st to 3rd discharge port (communication port)
M1 to M3: first to third openings (openings)
S1 to S3: first to third seal members (seal members)

Claims (1)

A drive shaft;
A valve body housing portion into which the drive shaft is inserted ; a main communication port provided in the valve body housing portion for introducing or discharging fluid; and a fluid in the valve body housing portion communicating with the valve body housing portion. A plurality of communication ports for discharging the fluid or introducing the fluid into the valve body housing portion, an end wall through which the drive shaft penetrates and supporting the drive shaft, and the valve body housing portion sandwiching the end wall A housing having a pair of support portions protruding to the opposite side and formed integrally with the end wall ;
Connected to the drive shaft provided in the valve body accommodating portion before Symbol housing, a valve body for changing a connection state between the main communication port and the plurality of communication ports according to the rotational position of the drive shaft,
A motor that rotates the output shaft arranged along the drive shaft, and is arranged alongside the valve body in the radial direction of the drive shaft;
A seal member that is provided at the plurality of communication ports of the housing and seals between the valve body and the housing by slidingly contacting an outer peripheral surface of the valve body;
A second bevel gear fixed to the drive shaft, a first screw gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor, a second screw gear meshing with the second bevel gear, and meshing with the first screw gear The first bevel gear is disposed between the output shaft and the drive shaft at a right angle to the output shaft and the drive shaft, respectively , when viewed from the direction along the output shaft, a rotary shaft supported by the support portion, have a, and the second screw gear to the rotary shaft and the first helical driving mechanism gear is attached,
A flow control valve characterized by comprising:

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