JP6706976B2 - Method of manufacturing temperature sensitive valve mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a temperature-sensitive valve mechanism having a thermoelement in which the protrusion of a rod expands and contracts according to the ambient temperature and a valve fixed to the thermoelement.

A valve mechanism that controls the flow rate and pressure of the fluid is usually provided in the flow path of the fluid. As a valve mechanism, a temperature-sensitive valve mechanism that opens and closes when the temperature of the fluid changes is known. As a conventional technique related to the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The temperature-sensitive valve mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 is arranged in an oil passage for lubricating oil of an engine, and has a thermoelement that advances and retracts a rod according to the temperature of the lubricating oil, a valve fixed to the tip of the rod, Have. When the rod advances and retreats according to the temperature of the lubricating oil, the valve opens and closes the bypass passage to control the flow of the lubricating oil.

By the way, the thermoelement adjusts the protruding amount of the rod at that temperature by adjusting the internal volume of the housing into which the thermowax enters at a specified temperature (indent step). However, even if the above steps are carried out accurately, when several parts are added to the thermoelement to form a thermoelement with a valve element, the position of the valve element at a predetermined temperature may fluctuate due to variations in each part. I will end up. As a result, it becomes difficult to control the flow of the lubricating oil.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-93430

An object of the present invention is to provide a temperature-sensitive valve mechanism capable of controlling the valve opening more accurately at a predetermined temperature.

According to the invention according to claim 1, comprising a casing which thermowax is sealed with surrounding rods, and thermo element for advancing and retracting the casing relative to the rod according to the ambient temperature, the formed in the casing In the manufacturing method of the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism having a valve fixed to the insertion part,
A mounting step of mounting the thermoelement and the valve in a fluid;
A valve attaching step of advancing the case with respect to the rod by the heat of the fluid, and attaching the valve to the inserted portion in the advanced state;
Wherein the valve attached to the receptacle portion by caulking, possess a crimping step to obtain a thermo element with the valve, the,
In the caulking step, there is provided a method for manufacturing a temperature-sensitive valve mechanism, wherein the thermowax that is a driving source of the thermoelement is in a liquid phase state .

In the invention according to claim 1, in the method for manufacturing a temperature-sensitive valve mechanism, after the thermoelement and the valve are placed in the fluid, the rod is advanced by the heat of the fluid, and the rod is kept in the advanced state. Attach the valve to the insertion part. After that, the valve attached to the inserted portion is caulked to obtain a thermoelement with a valve. Therefore, even when the length of the rod advancement is different for each thermoelement, the variation in the length of the rod advancement is absorbed when the valve is attached. Since the valve is crimped in a state where the variation is absorbed, the thermoelement with the valve improves the accuracy of the mounting position in the axial direction of the valve. As a result, at the temperature where the caulking is performed, the axial position of the valve becomes the same, and the opening and closing of the valve becomes accurate.

In addition, in the temperature range in which the thermowax is in the liquid phase, the volume change of the thermowax with respect to the temperature change is small. Therefore, since the amount of change in the stock of the rod with respect to the temperature change is small, even if the temperature of the surrounding fluid varies in the caulking process, the valve can be fixed at the accurately defined axial position.

It is the figure which built in the temperature type valve mechanism by the example of the present invention in the oil pump. It is a figure explaining opening and closing of the valve of the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the temperature of lubricating oil, and the thermal property of thermo wax. It is a figure explaining the process of obtaining the thermoelement with a plug about the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the process of attaching a valve to the thermoelement with a plug shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of the thermoelement with a plug to which the valve shown in FIG. 5 is attached. It is a figure explaining the process of obtaining the thermoelement with a valve about the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an operation diagram of the temperature sensitive valve mechanism shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure explaining the modification of the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Example>

Please refer to FIG. The temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 according to the present invention is detachably attached to the oil pump 11, for example. The oil pump 11 is provided directly or indirectly on the engine 10 and circulates the lubricating oil Oi.

The oil pump 11 includes an inner gear 12, an outer gear 13, and a pump housing 14 that houses these gears 12, 13.

When the inner gear 12 is rotated by a part of the power of the engine 10, the outer gear 13 is rotated together. During this rotation, the gap G between the gears 12 and 13 changes. As shown by the arrow (1), the lubricating oil Oi is sucked in at the portion where the gap G is wide. As shown by the arrow (2), the lubricating oil Oi is discharged at the portion where the gap G is narrowed.

The pump housing 14 is provided with a main oil passage 15 as an oil passage, and a return oil passage 16 substantially parallel to the main oil passage 15. When the main oil passage 15 is under high oil pressure, the lubricating oil Oi is returned to the return oil passage 16 by a general relief valve provided in the oil passage.

Further, the pump housing 14 is provided with a valve insertion hole 21 into which the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 can be inserted. The valve insertion hole 21 traverses the main oil passage 15 and its tip reaches the vicinity of the return oil passage 16. The valve insertion hole 21 is provided with a female screw 22 at the hole opening and a discharge port 23 communicating with the outside of the pump housing 14 near the tip.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 2A shows the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 inserted into the valve insertion hole 21. The temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 is a type that uses a thermoelement in which the rod expands and contracts according to the ambient temperature.

More specifically, the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 includes a plug 31 fixed to the pump housing 14, a thermo element 32 having one (the rod 51 in this example) supported by the plug 31, and a cover surrounding the thermo element 32. 33, a spring 34 for urging the thermoelement 32 toward the plug 31 side, and a valve 35 fixed to the other side of the thermoelement 32.

The plug 31 includes a flange 41, a hexagonal hole 42, and a male screw 43 formed on the outer circumference. The thermo element 32 includes a rod 51 that moves forward and backward, an elastic film 52 that surrounds the rod 51, a case 53 that surrounds the elastic film 52, and a thermo wax 54 that is enclosed between the case 53 and the elastic film 52. Consists of.

The cover 33 has a cylindrical shape and has a pair of through holes 33a, 33a for allowing the lubricating oil Oi flowing through the main oil passage 15 to contact the thermoelement 32 (see also FIG. 4). The valve 35 has a plurality of through holes 36, 36.

A method of fixing the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 will be described. The temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 is inserted into the valve insertion hole 21, and the plug 31 is rotated using a hexagon wrench. The male screw 43 and the female screw 22 are engaged, and the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 is fixed to the pump housing 14.

When the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi is low, the thermowax 54 is contracted, and the valve 35 does not close the discharge port 23. There are cases where the discharge port 23 is fully opened and cases where it is not fully opened. Therefore, as shown by the arrow (3), the lubricating oil Oi flowing through the main oil passage 15 comes into contact with the thermoelement 32 and flows through the through holes 36, 36 and the discharge port 23 in this order.

Reference is made to FIG. When the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi rises, the thermowax 54 expands and its volume increases. The rod 51 moves forward to the plug 31 side (the production margin extends). Since the rod 51 is in contact with the plug 31, the case 53 moves to the discharge port 23 side. As a result, the valve 35 closes, for example, about half the opening area of the discharge port 23.

When the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi further rises, the thermowax 54 further expands and the volume further increases. The valve 35 moves in a direction to completely close the discharge port 23. On the other hand, when the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi decreases, the thermowax 54 contracts and the valve 35 moves to the plug 31 side.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the time after the engine is started and the oil temperature (the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi in the main oil passage 15) for a general passenger car. The vertical axis represents the oil temperature (°C), and the horizontal axis represents the time (minutes). The solid line shows the oil temperature when the atmospheric temperature is 25°C, and the broken line shows the oil temperature when the atmospheric temperature is 0°C.

In the illustrated passenger car, the lubricating oil Oi, which was 25° C. at the time of engine start, reaches 80° C. after about 15 minutes, and thereafter becomes constant at about 80° C. When the engine stopped at the point P1, the lubricating oil Oi was gradually cooled at a rate of 0.2° C./minute. Lubricating oil Oi, which was 0° C. when the engine was started, reaches 80° C. after 20 minutes, and thereafter becomes constant at about 80° C. When the engine stopped at the point P1, the lubricating oil Oi was gradually cooled at a rate of 0.5° C./minute.

As a result of the measurement, it was found that the normal temperature of the lubricating oil Oi was about 80° C. except when starting and stopping.

Reference is made to FIG. Next, the thermal properties of the thermowax 54, which is the driving source of the thermoelement 32 (see FIG. 2), will be described. The vertical axis represents the rod movement amount (mm), and the horizontal axis represents the temperature of the thermowax (°C). The thermowax 54 becomes a solid phase at a low temperature, a solid-liquid mixed phase at an intermediate temperature, and a liquid phase at a high temperature.

Specifically, the thermowax 54 was set to be a solid phase below the point P3, a solid-liquid mixed phase between the points P3 and P4, and a liquid phase above the point P4. The point P3 is 45°C, the point P4 is 48°C to 56°C, preferably the point P4 is 50°C to 54°C, and more preferably 52°C. This setting is obtained by mixing multiple thermowaxes with different properties. Point P4 corresponds to the boundary temperature between the solid-liquid mixed phase and the liquid phase.

Next, a method of manufacturing the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 will be described.

Reference is made to FIG. First, the plug 31, the thermoelement 32 that supports one end 34a of the spring 34, and the cover 33 are prepared. A cylindrical wall portion 44 is provided on the lower surface of the plug 31. Further, an annular insertion groove 45 is formed on the lower surface of the plug 31 along the wall portion 44. A cylindrical insertion hole 46 is formed in the center of the lower surface of the plug 31. A plugged portion 55 into which the valve 35 (see FIG. 2) is inserted is formed below the thermoelement 32. The plugged portion 55 has a cylindrical shape. The pair of through holes 33a, 33a are largely formed in the cover 33 so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the cylindrical body.

The rod 51 is inserted into the insertion hole 46. The cover 33 is inserted into the insertion groove 45.

Reference is made to FIG. Next, with the thermoelement 32 and the cover 33 attached to the plug 31, the wall portion 44 of the plug 31 is caulked. The thermoelement 32 and the cover 33 are fixed to the plug 31, and the other end 34b of the spring 34 is supported by the cover 33. Thereby, the thermoelement 81 with a plug is obtained.

Reference is made to FIG. Next, a constant temperature liquid tank containing hot water 61 (fluid 61) is prepared, and a valve holding table 62, a caulking machine 63, and a thermo element holding table 64 are placed in the hot water 61. The temperature of the hot water 61 is set to 80° C., which is the normal temperature of the lubricating oil Oi and the thermowax 54 is in the liquid phase. Oil may be added to the constant temperature liquid tank. It is possible to suppress the rust generated in the product immersed in the constant temperature bath.

The valve 35 includes a main body portion 71 that opens and closes the discharge port 23 (see FIG. 2), and an insertion portion 72 that is inserted into the thermoelement 32. The main body 71 is placed on the valve holder 62. The thermoelement 81 with a plug is mounted on the thermoelement holding base 64 (preparation process, mounting process).

Reference is made to FIG. When the thermoelement 81 with a plug is placed in the hot water 61, the heat of the hot water 61 causes the thermowax 54 (see FIG. 2) in the thermoelement 32 to expand and the rod 51 to move forward. The thermoelement 32 is displaced towards the valve 35, as indicated by the arrow (4). Thereby, the thermoelement 32 is attached to the valve 35 (valve attaching step).

The insertion portion 72 has a cylindrical shape. That is, the insertion portion 72 is a hollow body, and serves as a hot water outlet during insertion. Therefore, the insertion portion 72 can be easily attached to the thermoelement 32.

Please refer to FIG. The insertion part 72 of the valve 35 and the insertion part 55 of the thermoelement 32 will be described. The plate thickness of the valve 35 is preferably, for example, about 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm. This is for ensuring a proper springback amount for the valve 35. The reason will be described later.

A recess 74 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 73 of the insertion portion 72 of the valve 35. The recess 74 is continuously formed in an annular shape along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface 73. Note that, for example, a plurality of recesses 74 may be formed along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface 73 so as to be separated from each other in the axial direction, and further, the outer peripheral surface 73 may be knurled.

Reference is made to FIG. Next, with the rod 51 advanced, the inserted portion 55 into which the insertion portion 72 has been inserted is caulked (caulking step). The valve 35 is fixed to the thermoelement 81 with a plug. Thereby, the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 (the thermoelement 82 with a valve) is obtained.

In addition, at least in the caulking step, the thermowax 54 (see FIG. 2) in the thermoelement 32 is in a liquid phase state.

Reference is made to FIG. Next, the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 is taken out of the warm water 61. The thermo element 32 is exposed to the atmosphere, and the rod 51 is retracted by the biasing force of the spring 34. As shown by the arrow (5), the valve 35 moves to the cover 33 side, and the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 is in a contracted state.

Next, the operation and effect of the present invention will be described.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. In the method for manufacturing the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20, after the thermoelement 32 and the valve 35 are placed in the hot water 61, the rod 51 is advanced by the heat of the hot water 61 and is inserted in the advanced state. The valve 35 is attached to the portion 55. After that, the valve 35 attached to the inserted portion 55 is caulked to obtain the thermoelement 82 with a valve.

According to this manufacturing method, even if the advance length of the rod 51 is different for each thermoelement 32, the variation in the advance length of the rod 51 is absorbed when the valve 35 is attached. Since the caulking is performed in a state where the variations are absorbed, the valve-equipped thermoelement 82 has the same distance L (see FIG. 7) from the other end (lower end) of the flange 41 to the other end (lower end) of the valve 35. As a result, when the rod 51 expands and contracts around 80° C. where the caulking process is performed, the displacement accuracy of the valve 35 becomes high.

For example, when the temperature sensitive valve mechanism 20 is attached to the oil pump 11, the opening area of the discharge port 23 by the valve 35 with respect to the temperature change becomes accurate (see FIG. 2).

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. The normal temperature of the lubricating oil Oi is about 80° C., and at 80° C., the thermowax 54 is in a liquid phase state. That is, when the thermowax 54 is in the liquid phase, the insertion portion 72 and the insertion portion 55 are crimped. The thermowax 54 in the liquid state has a smaller volume change rate with respect to temperature change than the solid-liquid mixed phase. If the volume change rate is small with respect to the temperature change, the movement amount of the rod 51 is small, and therefore the error in the displacement of the valve 35 is small even if the temperature during the caulking process varies a little. As a result, it is possible to open and close the valve with less error due to temperature changes.

When the change range of the lubricating oil Oi is 60° C. to 100° C., the temperature of the lubricating oil Oi may be 60° C. or less when the engine is stopped by a so-called idling stop although the frequency is low. If the point P4 is 56° C., the margin is 4° C., and if the point P4 is 52° C., the margin is 8° C., so there is no fear of being used in the solid-liquid mixed phase. Further, if the point P4 is set to less than 48° C., the point P3 is lowered. Then, it may become a solid-liquid mixed phase at room temperature, which makes handling difficult. Therefore, it is recommended that the point P4 fall within the range of 48°C to 56°C.

Please refer to FIG. Since the insertion portion 72 of the valve 35 is a hollow body, springback is likely to occur. The springback amount V1 of the inserting portion 72 is larger than the springback amount V2 of the inserted portion 55 (see FIG. 8A). Therefore, the insertion portion 72 is in close contact with the insertion portion 55, and the insertion portion 55 and the valve 35 can be prevented from loosening (see FIG. 8B).

In addition, the insertion portion 72 may have a larger proportional limit than the insertion receiving portion 55. Also by this, the springback amount V1 of the inserting portion 72 can be made larger than the springback V2 of the inserted portion 55. Further, the insertion portion 72 may have a higher hardness than the insertion portion 55. Also by this, the springback amount V1 of the inserting portion 72 can be made larger than the springback amount V2 of the inserted portion 55. It is possible to further suppress the loosening of the thermo element 32 and the valve 35 (see FIG. 8B).

In addition, a recess 74 is formed on one of the outer peripheral surfaces 73 of the insertion portion 72. When the inserted portion 55 into which the inserting portion 72 is inserted is crimped, the inner peripheral surface 56 of the inserted portion 55 facing the concave portion 74 becomes the convex portion 57, and the convex portion 57 enters the concave portion 74. Therefore, the insertion part 72 is less likely to come off from the insertion part 55, and the valve 35 is firmly fixed to the thermoelement 32.

In addition, when the valve 35 is firmly fixed to the thermoelement 32, the caulking depth can be suppressed. When the amount of deformation of the inserted portion 55 due to the caulking is small, it is possible to prevent the mounting position of the valve 35 from changing in the extension/contraction direction of the rod 51 (see FIG. 2 ). As a result, the accuracy of the opening area of the discharge port 23 can be maintained.

Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described. Please refer to FIG. Compared with the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20 (see FIG. 6) according to the embodiment, in the modification, the portions where the insertion portion and the insertion portion are formed are exchanged. That is, in the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism 20A of the modified example, the thermoelement 32A is provided with the insertion portion 84A, and the valve 35A is provided with the insertion portion 85A. Further, the concave portion 86A is continuously formed in an annular shape along the entire circumference on the inner peripheral surface 87A of the inserted portion 85A.

In this way, the parts forming the insertion part, the insertion part, and the recess may be exchanged. The valve and thermoelement have a high degree of freedom in selection of materials, plate thickness, etc., and can be easily designed to secure a predetermined springback amount.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism that is attachable to and detachable from the oil pump provided in the engine has been described as an example, but the present invention is limited to the embodiment as long as the effects and advantages of the present invention are exhibited. Not a thing. For example, it can be used in oil passages such as missions, brakes, and power steering. Further, the temperature sensitive valve mechanism may be directly attached to the engine.

The temperature sensitive valve mechanism of the present invention is suitable for the oil passage of the lubricating oil of the engine.

32... Thermo element 35... Valve 51... Rod 55... Inserted part 56... Inner peripheral surface 57... Convex part 61... Warm water (fluid)
72... Inserted portion 73... Outer peripheral surface 74... Recessed portion 81... Thermoelement with plug 82... Thermoelement with valve 84A... Inserted portion 85A... Inserted portion 86A... Recessed portion 87A... Inner peripheral surface V1... Spring of inserted portion Back amount V2: Spring back amount of the inserted part

Claims (1)

Includes a case where the thermo wax is sealed with surrounding rods, and thermo element for advancing and retracting the casing relative to the rod according to the ambient temperature, a valve is fixed to the insertion portion formed in said casing In the method for manufacturing the temperature-sensitive valve mechanism having,
A mounting step of mounting the thermoelement and the valve in a fluid;
A valve attaching step of advancing the case with respect to the rod by the heat of the fluid, and attaching the valve to the inserted portion in the advanced state;
Wherein the valve attached to the receptacle portion by caulking, possess a crimping step to obtain a thermo element with the valve, the,
In the caulking step, the thermowax, which is a driving source of the thermoelement, is in a liquid phase state .

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