JP6747174B2 - Fluid control valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to fluid control valves.

For example, an internal combustion engine as a driving force source of a vehicle is cooled by using a cooling device such as a radiator. A liquid coolant (fluid) such as cooling water flows between the radiator and the internal combustion engine, and the internal combustion engine is cooled by heat exchange via the cooling water. A control valve that controls the flow of the cooling water is often provided in the cooling water flow path. International Publication No. 2011/132530 (Patent Document 1) discloses such a control valve. This control valve (1) includes a valve body (11), a valve seat (15), a coil spring (16) for urging the valve body (11) toward the valve seat (15), and a valve body (11). ) Is moved to the valve seat (15) side (2) which has a solenoid (2) in the background art.

Regardless of the energized state (operating state) of the solenoid (2), the valve body (11) is biased toward the valve seat (15) by the biasing force of the coil spring (16). When the cooling water is not supplied from the input port (6), the control valve (1) is closed by at least the biasing force of the coil spring (16). Here, when the cooling water is supplied from the input port (6) and the solenoid (2) is in the non-energized state, when the fluid pressure of the cooling water exceeds the biasing force of the coil spring (16), the valve body (11 ) Moves away from the valve seat (15), and the control valve (1) transitions to the open state. On the other hand, when the cooling water is supplied from the input port (6) and the solenoid (2) is in the energized state, the suction force of the solenoid (2) set to be stronger than the fluid pressure of the cooling water causes the valve element (11). ) Is kept in contact with the valve seat (15), and the control valve (1) maintains the closed state.

As described above, by having the coil spring (16), the solenoid (2) does not have to be energized when the cooling water is not supplied from the input port (6), for example, when the pump or the like is not operating. The control valve (1) can be kept closed. Further, the coil spring (16) brings the valve body (11) into contact with the solenoid (2) through the valve seat (15), so that the magnetomotive force required for the solenoid (2) is relatively small. Can be set weaker. Therefore, mechanically, the solenoid (2) can be reduced in size and weight, and the mountability on the control valve (1) can be improved. Further, electrically, it is possible to reduce the loss of a switching element or the like that drives the solenoid (2), and it is possible to save power in the drive circuit.

However, in the state where the cooling water is supplied from the input port (6), the distance between the valve body (11) and the solenoid (2) is large, so that the control valve (1) is close to the closed state. The attraction force of the solenoid (2) acting on the valve body (11) becomes weak. That is, even if the control valve (1) in the open state is transitioned to the closed state, the suction force of the solenoid (2) may not sufficiently act on the valve body (11). In order to surely bring the valve body (11) into contact with the valve seat (15) and control the control valve (1) to the closed state, it is preferable to stop the supply of the cooling water to the input port (6). For example, it is possible to stop the pump that is the supply source of the cooling water. However, when this pump also supplies cooling water to a device different from the device to which the cooling water is supplied via the control valve (1), the cooling water is supplied to the different device. It becomes impossible to do so, which is not preferable. Further, increasing the suction force of the solenoid (2) impairs the mechanical and electrical advantages described above, which is not preferable.

International Publication No. 2011/132530

In view of the above background, it is desired to provide a technique capable of shifting the valve to the closed state without stopping the flow of the fluid even when the valve is in the open state and the fluid is flowing.

As one aspect, in the fluid control valve in view of the above, a first valve seat having a first circulation hole communicating with the fluid input portion and a second circulation hole communicating with the fluid output portion are formed. A second valve seat, a first valve body made of a magnetic material capable of contacting the first valve seat and closing the first flow hole, and a second valve seat contacting the second valve seat to close the second flow hole. A second valve body, and a biasing member that is arranged between the first valve body and the second valve body and biases the first valve body and the second valve body in a direction of approaching or separating from each other. A solenoid that sucks the first valve body from the side of the first flow hole during operation to bring the first valve body into contact with the first valve seat, and the second valve seat to the second valve. A regulating mechanism that regulates a back pressure, which is a fluid pressure in a direction of separating the body, to regulate the movement of the second valve body in the direction of the second valve seat.

According to this configuration, the input part and the output part can be closed by different valve bodies. That is, in order to stop the flow of the fluid from the input part to the output part, either the first flow hole communicating with the input part or the second flow hole communicating with the output part may be closed. Then, these two flow holes are closed by different valve bodies of the first valve body and the second valve body, respectively. In order to bring the first valve body and the first valve seat into contact with each other against the fluid pressure by causing the suction force of the solenoid to act on the first valve body while the fluid is flowing from the input section to the output section. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the suction force of the solenoid. However, if the restriction is released, the second valve body whose movement is restricted by the restriction mechanism can move toward the second valve seat and close the second circulation hole. According to this configuration, the regulation mechanism can adjust the back pressure, which is the fluid pressure in the direction in which the second valve body is separated from the second valve seat, so that the regulation is released by the adjustment, and the second The valve body can be moved to close the second circulation hole. If the second flow hole is closed, the flow of the fluid from the input part to the output part is stopped, so it is not necessary to immediately increase the suction force of the solenoid to close the first flow hole. When the flow of the fluid from the input portion to the output portion is stopped, the fluid pressure inside the fluid control valve decreases, so that the first valve body moves in the direction away from the second valve body by the urging force of the urging member. And approaches the first valve seat. Therefore, even if the solenoid does not have a high suction force, the solenoid is driven to suck the first valve body to bring it into contact with the first valve seat, close the first flow hole, and close the fluid control valve. It can be in a state. When the fluid control valve is opened again, it is sufficient to stop the driving of the solenoid to reduce the suction force, so that proper fluid control by the fluid control valve is not impaired. As described above, according to this configuration, even when the valve is in the open state and the fluid is flowing, the valve can be transited to the closed state without stopping the flow of the fluid.

As one aspect, the regulation mechanism can protrude from the second valve seat by a protrusion amount according to the adjustment amount of the back pressure, and can hold the second valve body at a position separated from the second valve seat. It is preferable to provide a stopper.

By holding the second valve body with the stopper, the second circulation hole can be maintained in the open state. Therefore, in this state, by controlling only the first valve body to be in the open state, it is possible to appropriately control the flow of the fluid in the fluid control valve.

Further, as one aspect, it is preferable that the second valve body and the stopper are integrated.

Since the second valve body and the stopper are integrated, the structure of the fluid control valve can be simplified.

Further, as one aspect, the regulating mechanism communicates with the second circulation hole to apply the back pressure to the stopper, and a back pressure control valve that adjusts the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the back pressure channel. And are preferably provided.

When the fluid control valve is in the open state, the fluid is flowing inside the valve, and when it is in the closed state, the fluid is filled inside the valve. The back pressure passage and the back pressure control valve can apply the back pressure to the stopper by utilizing the fluid existing inside the valve, so that the structure of the fluid control valve can be simplified.

Further features and advantages of the fluid control valve will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments described with reference to the drawings.

Schematic block diagram of cooling system Cross-sectional view of the fluid control valve in the first closed state (standard closed state/opening ready state) Sectional view of fluid control valve in open state Sectional drawing of the fluid control valve of a 2nd valve closing state Sectional drawing of the fluid control valve of a 3rd valve closing state

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fluid control valve will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the fluid control valve 10 is a valve that controls the flow of cooling water (fluid) in a cooling water circuit (fluid circuit) of an engine cooling system 100 that cools an engine of a vehicle. The engine cooling system 100 of the present embodiment includes an engine 51, a radiator 53, a thermostat valve 56, a pump 60, a heater core 62, a fluid control valve 10, and a flow path connecting these. The engine output port 52 is connected to a radiator input port 54, the radiator output port 55 is connected to a thermostat first input port 57, the thermostat output port 58 is connected to a pump input port 61, and a pump output port (not shown). Is connected to an engine input port (not shown). Such a cooling water circulation path is the main cooling water circuit that is the core of the engine cooling system 100.

On the other hand, the engine 51 is also provided with a heating output port (not shown), the heating output port is connected to the input port 6 (see FIG. 2) of the fluid control valve 10, and the output port 7 of the fluid control valve 10 is connected. The heater input port 63 of the heater core 62 of the heater is connected to. The heater output port 64 of the heater core 62 is connected to the thermostat second input port 59 of the thermostat valve 56. As described above, the thermostat output port 58 is connected to the pump input port 61, and the pump output port (not shown) is connected to the engine input port (not shown). Such a cooling water circulation path is a heating cooling water circuit. The input port 6 of the fluid control valve 10 corresponds to the fluid input section of the fluid control valve 10, and the output port 7 of the fluid control valve 10 corresponds to the fluid output section of the fluid control valve 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid control valve 10 includes a first valve 1, a second valve 2, a regulating mechanism 3, a solenoid 4, and a first spring 5 (biasing member). The first valve 1 includes a first valve body 11 and a first valve seat 12, and the second valve 2 includes a second valve body 21 and a second valve seat 22. A first flow hole 18 communicating with the input port 6 is formed in the first valve seat 12. That is, the first circulation hole 18 is opened in the first valve seat 12. A second circulation hole 28 is formed in the second valve seat 22. That is, the second circulation hole 28 is opened in the second valve seat 22.

The first valve body 11 is positionally displaceable between a state where it abuts the first valve seat 12 and a state where it separates from the first valve seat 12. When the first valve body 11 comes into contact with the first valve seat 12, the first circulation hole 18 is closed. That is, in the state where the first valve body 11 is in contact with the first valve seat 12, the first flow hole 18 is closed, the first valve 1 is closed, and the first valve body 11 moves from the first valve seat 12 to the closed state. In the separated state, the first circulation hole 18 communicates with the valve internal space S, and the first valve 1 is opened.

The second valve body 21 is positionally displaceable between a state where it abuts the second valve seat 22 and a state where it separates from the second valve seat 22. When the second valve body 21 contacts the second valve seat 22, the second flow hole 28 is closed. That is, when the second valve body 21 is in contact with the second valve seat 22, the second flow hole 28 is closed, the second valve 2 is closed, and the second valve body 21 moves from the second valve seat 22. In the separated state, the second circulation hole 28 communicates with the valve internal space S, and the second valve 2 is opened.

When both the first valve 1 and the second valve 2 are open, the input port 6, the first flow hole 18, the valve internal space S, the second flow hole 28, and the output port 7 communicate with each other. As a result, the fluid control valve 10 is opened. On the other hand, when either one of the first valve 1 and the second valve 2 is in the closed state, the communication from the input port 6 to the valve internal space S is stopped, or the valve internal space S is output from the output port. 7 can no longer communicate. Therefore, when either one of the first valve 1 and the second valve 2 is closed, the fluid control valve 10 is closed.

The first spring 5 is arranged between the first valve body 11 and the second valve body 21. In the present embodiment, the first spring 5 biases the first valve body 11 and the second valve body 21 in the direction in which they are separated from each other. Although illustration of a configuration example is omitted, a structure in which a spring is provided so as to bias the first valve body 11 and the second valve body 21 in the directions in which they approach each other may be adopted. In the present embodiment, at least a part of the first valve body 11 is made of a magnetic material. Therefore, the attraction force by the electromagnet of the solenoid 4, which will be described later, acts on the first valve body 11.

The solenoid 4 attracts the first valve body 11 made of a magnetic material from the side of the first flow hole 18, brings the first valve body 11 into contact with the first valve seat 12, and maintains the contact state. The solenoid 4 has a core 41 formed of a magnetic material such as iron, a bobbin 42 around which a coil 43 is wound, and a yoke 44 serving as an electromagnet. The coil 43 is connected to an external solenoid drive circuit (not shown) via a connector or the like not shown. The solenoid 4 is installed in a housing 8 having an input port 6 and an output port 7. The first circulation hole 18 is formed inside the core 41.

The regulation mechanism 3 regulates the back pressure, which is a fluid pressure in the direction of separating the second valve body 21 from the second valve seat 22, to regulate the movement of the second valve body 21 in the direction of the second valve seat 22. It is a mechanism to do. In the present embodiment, the regulation mechanism 3 has a stopper 31, a back pressure flow path 33, a back pressure control valve 35, an O ring 37 as a seal member, and a second spring 39. The stopper 31 is a member that protrudes from the second valve seat 22 toward the second valve body 21 and can hold the second valve body 21 at a position separated from the second valve seat 22. Therefore, it can be said that the stopper 31 is a portion that can be held in a state in which the contact surfaces where the second valve seat 22 and the second valve body 21 contact each other are separated from each other. In the present embodiment, the stopper 31 and the second valve body 21 are illustrated as separate bodies, but the stopper 31 may be formed integrally with the second valve body 21. ..

As a matter of course, the stopper 31 and the second valve body 21 may be configured by members independent of each other and may be separated from each other. In particular, when the first spring 5 biases the first valve body 11 and the second valve body 21 in the direction in which they approach each other, the stopper 31 and the second valve body 21 are formed by independent members. Is preferred.

The back pressure flow passage 33 is a flow passage that gives the stopper 31 a back pressure for maintaining the state where the stopper 31 projects from the second valve seat 22 toward the second valve body 21. The back pressure channel 33 communicates with the second circulation hole 28, and cooling water (fluid) for giving a back pressure is supplied through the second circulation hole 28. The back pressure control valve 35 is a valve that adjusts the flow rate of the cooling water flowing through the back pressure passage 33. Although it is obvious to those skilled in the art, a detailed description of the structure will be omitted, but it has a structure having an electromagnet like the solenoid 4, and is driven by an external drive circuit (not shown). The second spring 39 urges the stopper 31 from the second valve seat 22 toward the second valve body 21. That is, the second spring 39 urges the stopper 31 in the direction in which the stopper 31 projects from the second valve seat 22.

The operation of the fluid control valve 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 2 shows the fluid control valve 10 in the first valve closed state (standard valve closed state/valve opening ready state), and FIG. 3 shows the fluid control valve 10 in the valve opened state. FIG. 4 shows the fluid control valve 10 in the second closed state after the transition from the open state, and FIG. 5 shows the fluid control valve 10 in the third closed state after the transition from the second open state. There is. The fluid control valve 10 transits from the third closed state to the first closed state (standard closed state/opening preparation state) shown in FIG. That is, the state of the fluid control valve 10 circulates and transits to the first valve closed state, the valve opened state, the second valve closed state, the third valve closed state, the first valve closed state, and so on.

The first closed state shown in FIG. 2 is a state in which when the valve needs to be opened, the solenoid 4 can be quickly changed to the opened state. It can be called a valve state. In the first valve closed state, the coil 43 of the solenoid 4 is energized, and the first valve body 11 is attracted by the solenoid 4 toward the first valve seat 12. The first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 are in contact with each other and are attracted by the solenoid 4. The suction force of the solenoid 4 in the state where the first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 are in contact with each other is more than the water pressure (fluid pressure) applied to the first valve body 11 through the first circulation hole 18. Is also set to be large. Therefore, even if the cooling water is supplied from the input port 6, the state in which the first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 are in contact with each other is maintained, and the state in which the fluid control valve 10 is closed continues.

In the first valve closed state, the stopper 31 is maintained in a state of protruding from the second valve seat 22 toward the second valve body 21. Therefore, the second valve body 21 and the second valve seat 22 are separated from each other. That is, the first valve closed state is a state in which the second valve 2 is in the valve opened state, the first valve 1 is in the valve closed state, and the fluid control valve 10 is in the valve closed state. Therefore, when the first valve 1 is opened, that is, when the first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 are separated from each other, the fluid control valve 10 is opened. Therefore, the first valve closed state can be referred to as a valve opening preparation state. In the second valve closed state and the third valve closed state, which will be described later, the fluid control valve 10 does not open even if the first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 separate from each other. Therefore, the first valve closed state can be referred to as a standard valve closed state in distinction from these states.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the first spring 5 has an urging force in a direction in which the first valve body 11 and the second valve body 21 are separated from each other. Therefore, in order to keep the stopper 31 protruding in the first valve closed state, even if the second valve body 21 moves to the second valve seat 22 side and contacts the stopper 31, the stopper 31 is withdrawn. In order not to do so, it is preferable to apply back pressure to the stopper 31 via the back pressure passage 33. Specifically, the back pressure control valve 35 is fully closed while the back pressure passage 33 is filled with cooling water.

As shown in FIG. 2, the back pressure flow passage 33 has a first back pressure flow passage 33a on the stopper 31 side and a second back pressure flow passage 33 on the second flow hole 28 (and output port 7) side with the back pressure control valve 35 interposed therebetween. The back pressure channel 33b is included. When the back pressure control valve 35 is fully closed in a state where the back pressure flow path 33 is filled with cooling water, the back pressure control valve 35 is sealed by the O-ring 37. The cooling water is sealed in the internal space 31s and the first back pressure channel 33a. Even if the second valve body 21 tries to move toward the second valve seat 22, the stopper 31 hardly moves due to the sealed cooling water, so that the movement of the second valve body 21 is also restricted.

Here, when the energization of the coil 43 is released, the attraction force of the solenoid 4 also disappears. The biasing force of the first spring 5 is set to be smaller than the water pressure (fluid pressure) applied to the first valve body 11 via the first circulation hole 18. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the first spring 5 contracts and the first valve body 11 separates from the first valve seat 12. When the first valve body 11 and the first valve seat 12 are separated from each other, the first circulation hole 18 is changed from the closed state to the open state. That is, the first valve 1 is opened.

The stopper 31 is maintained in a state of protruding from the second valve seat 22 toward the second valve body 21, similarly to the first valve closed state described above with reference to FIG. 2. Therefore, the second circulation hole 28 is not closed, and the second valve 2 is in the open state. The fluid control valve 10 is in a state where the input port 6, the first circulation hole 18, the valve internal space S, the second circulation hole 28, and the output port 7 are in communication with each other, and the fluid control valve 10 as a whole is in a valve open state.

In this valve open state, since the first valve body 11 and the solenoid 4 are separated from each other, even if the coil 43 is energized, the suction force acting on the first valve body 11 is the same as the first valve body 11 and the first valve body 11. It is smaller than the attraction force of the solenoid 4 in the state where it is in contact with the valve seat 12. Further, when the pump 60 is operating and the cooling water is circulating in the cooling water circuit, the water pressure is also applied to the first valve body 11 via the first circulation hole 18. When the sum of the attraction force of the solenoid 4 acting on the first valve body 11 and the urging force of the first spring 5 in the valve open state is smaller than this water pressure, even if the coil 43 is energized, the first valve The body 11 cannot be moved to the first valve seat 12 side.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second valve 2 is closed before the first valve 1 to reduce the water pressure on the first valve body 11. That is, the second valve body 21 is brought into contact with the second valve seat 22, and the stopper 31 is retracted in order to close the second circulation hole 28. Specifically, the back pressure control valve 35 is opened. The second valve body 21 receives water pressure applied to the first valve body 11 via the first spring 5, and is applied with a force in the direction of the second valve seat 22. The back pressure flow path 33 that gives a back pressure to the stopper 31 communicates with the second flow hole 28 and the output port 7 via the opened back pressure control valve 35. Therefore, the state where the cooling water is not sealed in the internal space 31s of the stopper 31 and the first back pressure passage 33a is lost, and the back pressure is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stopper 31 moves toward the second valve seat 22 and retreats, the second valve body 21 contacts the second valve seat 22, and the second circulation hole 28 is closed. (Second valve closed state). That is, the second valve 2 is closed. Note that this state is a state different from the standard valve closed state described above, and is a state in the process of transitioning to the standard valve closed state.

The opening amount of the second valve 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening amount of the back pressure control valve 35. Therefore, the flow rate of the fluid control valve 10 can be adjusted by the opening amount of the second valve 2 as well as the transition of the fluid control valve 10 from the open state to the second closed state.

When the second valve 2 is closed, the flow of cooling water inside the fluid control valve 10 is stopped. As a result, the water pressure acting in the valve internal space S in the direction of separating the first valve body 11 from the first valve seat 12 also decreases. As a result, the first valve body 11 moves toward the first valve seat 12 by the urging force of the first spring 5. When the coil 43 is energized in a state where the first valve body 11 is sufficiently close to the first valve seat 12, the first valve body 11 is attracted by the electromagnet of the solenoid 4 and the first valve body 11 moves to the first position. It is held in contact with the valve seat 12 (see FIG. 5).

The timing of starting energization of the coil 43 is preferably set after the elapse of a first preset time, which is based on the time when the back pressure control valve 35 is opened and the back pressure is started to decrease. The energization start timing can be set without detecting the position of the first valve body 11. The first set time may be set based on an experimental result or a simulation result, and may be set to be executed at the same time as the control for opening the back pressure control valve 35 or subsequent to the control. ..

The first valve body 11 is brought into contact with and held by the first valve seat 12, whereby the first valve 1 is closed. In FIG. 5, at this time, the second valve 2 is also closed. As described below, the first valve 1 and the second valve 2 are both closed for a short time. Alternatively, when the first valve 1 shifts to the closed state, the second valve 2 shifts to the open state at the same time, and the state shown in FIG. 5 may not appear. However, here, in order to facilitate understanding, as shown in FIG. 5, the standard valve closing is performed after the first valve 1 and the second valve 2 are both closed (the third valve closing state). Shall transition to the state. That is, in the present embodiment, the second valve closed state (FIG. 4) and the second valve closed state (FIG. 4) are set as the states in the transition from the valve opened state (FIG. 3) to the standard valve closed state (first valve closed state (FIG. 2)). 3 closed state (FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 5, when the first valve body 11 abuts and is fixed to the first valve seat 12, the first spring 5 is in an extended state and the biasing force is reduced. On the other hand, the second spring 39 is in a state of being retracted by the second valve body 21 and has a high biasing force. Therefore, the second valve body 21 moves in the direction away from the second valve seat 22 until the urging force of the first spring 5 and the urging force of the second spring 39 are in equilibrium. Here, when the back pressure control valve 35 is closed, cooling water is sealed in the internal space 31s of the stopper 31 and the first back pressure passage 33a, and the stopper 31 can be kept in a state of protruding from the second valve seat 22. It becomes a state. That is, the standard valve closed state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.

It is preferable that the timing of closing the back pressure control valve 35 also be after the elapse of the second preset time, which is based on the time when the back pressure control valve 35 is fully opened to start reducing the back pressure. The timing for closing the back pressure control valve 35 is preferably after the timing for starting the energization of the coil 43, and, of course, the second set time is longer than the first set time. The second set time may be set according to a control cycle of a control device (not shown) that controls the back pressure control valve 35, or may be set based on an experimental result or a simulation result.

3: Regulation mechanism 4: Solenoid 5: First spring (biasing member)
6: Input port (input section)
7: Output port (output section)
10: Fluid control valve 11: 1st valve body 12: 1st valve seat 18: 1st circulation hole 21: 2nd valve body 22: 2nd valve seat 28: 2nd circulation hole 31: Stopper 33: Back pressure flow path 33a : First back pressure flow path 35: Back pressure control valve

Claims (4)

A first valve seat having a first flow hole communicating with the fluid input portion;
A second valve seat having a second flow hole communicating with the fluid output portion;
A first valve body made of a magnetic material capable of closing the first flow hole by contacting the first valve seat;
A second valve body that abuts the second valve seat to close the second flow hole;
A biasing member that is disposed between the first valve body and the second valve body and that biases the first valve body and the second valve body in a direction of approaching or separating from each other;
A solenoid that sucks the first valve body from the side of the first flow hole during operation to bring the first valve body into contact with the first valve seat;
A regulating mechanism that regulates a back pressure, which is a fluid pressure in a direction of separating the second valve body from the second valve seat, to regulate the movement of the second valve body in the direction of the second valve seat;
A fluid control valve. The regulation mechanism includes a stopper that protrudes from the second valve seat by a protrusion amount according to the adjustment amount of the back pressure and can hold the second valve body at a position separated from the second valve seat. Item 2. The fluid control valve according to Item 1. The fluid control valve according to claim 2, wherein the second valve body and the stopper are integrated. The control mechanism includes a back pressure flow path that communicates with the second flow hole and applies the back pressure to the stopper, and a back pressure control valve that adjusts a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the back pressure flow path. The fluid control valve according to 2 or 3.

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