JP7163695B2 - valve device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve device capable of restricting communication between a fluid introduction path and a fluid discharge path.

Conventionally, fluids are used in various devices. Various valves are provided within the device to control the flow of this fluid. Valves of this type are disclosed, for example, in Patent Documents 1 to 4, the sources of which are given below.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cylindrical housing having a plurality of communication holes through which a fluid flows, and a spherical housing accommodated in the housing and having a plurality of openings communicating between a fluid inflow portion and the plurality of communication holes of the housing. and a seal member for suppressing fluid leakage between the housing and the valve body. In this flow control valve, the sealing member is biased toward the valve body by a spring provided on the opposite side of the valve body.

Patent Document 2 discloses a rotor having a sector shape in a plan view, a cylindrical body that rotatably accommodates the rotor, a pair of ports for inflow and outflow of fluid to and from the cylindrical body, and a rotor circumference. A valve is described with a face and an annular sealing member provided in close contact therewith. In this valve, the axial length of the annular seal member is longer on the downstream side in the rotation direction than on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor for closing the port from the open state. Further, the rotor is configured such that when the rotor approaches the seal member, the radial length of the rotor on the side farther from the seal member is longer than the radial length of the rotor on the side closer to the seal member. As a result, the seal member comes into contact with the rotor only when the fluid is shut off, thereby suppressing wear of the seal member.

Patent Document 3 describes a ball valve that includes a spherical valve body and a housing that accommodates the valve body and is provided with an annular seat member. The valve body is configured not to contact the seat member during rotation, and is configured to contact the seat member when blocking the flow path. Further, a member (second shaft) capable of suppressing abrasion of the seat member is provided between the valve body and the seat member.

Patent Document 4 describes a valve device that includes a valve body, a housing, and a seat member. In this valve device, the seat member prevents fluid from leaking between the valve body and the housing, and a seat member fixing means is used to fix the seat member.

JP 2017-166569 A JP 2012-145124 A JP 2008-095811 A JP 2012-145154 A

The technique described in Patent Literature 1 is composed of a spherical valve element and a cylindrical housing, and there are places where seal members are not supported. Therefore, there is a possibility that the sealing member will be deformed due to the differential pressure between the upstream side and the downstream side of the flow control valve and the rotation of the valve body, making it impossible to seal properly.

The technology described in Patent Document 2 is configured by changing the radial length of the fan-shaped rotor and the axial length of the seal member. For example, when the sealing member is displaced in the circumferential direction, there is a possibility that the sealing performance will be greatly deteriorated.

The technique described in Patent Document 3 uses a separate member to prevent deformation of the sealing member, which causes an increase in cost. In addition, since the seal member is fixed, there is a possibility that the load on the seal member varies greatly due to variations in the dimensions of the valve body, housing, shaft misalignment, and the like. put away.

The technology described in Patent Document 4 is excellent in anti-abrasion measures because the valve body and the seat member do not come into contact with each other when the fluid is circulating, and the valve body and the seat member come into contact with each other when the fluid is not circulating. . However, since the seat height is changed in accordance with the rotor diameter, if there is a circumferential displacement of the seat member, it will greatly contribute to the sealing performance.

Therefore, there is a demand for a valve device having a simple structure and a sealing member with excellent sealing performance.

A characteristic configuration of the valve device according to the present invention is a housing having a cylindrical inner peripheral wall in which a columnar space is formed, and a fluid formed in the housing and communicating with the columnar space at the inner peripheral wall. an introduction passage, a plurality of fluid discharge passages formed in the housing and communicating with the cylindrical space on the inner peripheral wall, and a plurality of fluid discharge passages accommodated in the columnar space and arranged between the fluid introduction passage and the plurality of fluid discharge passages. a valve body made of a spherical body having therein a communication passage for communicating with at least one of them, and a valve body for rotating the valve body within the cylindrical space about the axis of the cylindrical space as the rotation axis. a rotating mechanism; a protrusion that surrounds at least a portion of an opening of the fluid introduction path in the inner peripheral wall of the housing by protruding from the inner peripheral wall of the housing toward the axis of the cylindrical space; and a sealing member that is provided and can abut against the valve body, and when the valve body is viewed along the axis, the valve body has a predetermined shape according to the inner radius of the inner peripheral wall of the housing. A large-radius portion formed with a first inner radius, a small-radius portion formed with a second inner radius smaller than the first inner radius, and the large-radius portion and the small-radius portion formed to connect and has an intermediate portion whose distance from the axial center is an intermediate distance between the first inner radius and the second inner radius, and the distance from the axial center to the tip of the protrusion is the above It lies in that it is longer than the second inner radius .

With such a characteristic configuration, since the housing having the cylindrical inner peripheral wall and the spherical valve body are provided, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the sealing performance due to the displacement of the housing with respect to the inner peripheral wall in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to realize a valve device with a simple structure and excellent sealing performance.

Further, with such a configuration, by providing the valve disc with the large radius portion, the small radius portion, and the intermediate portion, while the large radius portion has a sealing function, the intermediate portion and the small radius are prevented from rotating when the valve disc rotates. It is possible to prevent the seal member from being pinched or caught between the radius portion and the inner peripheral wall of the housing. Further, by assembling the valve body in the space with the small radius portion or the intermediate portion facing the protrusion, interference between the large radius portion and the protrusion can be prevented, so that the assembly can be easily performed.

a biasing member biasing the seal member from the upstream side of the fluid introduction passage toward the valve body; It is preferable to further include a regulation mechanism that regulates the projection so as not to protrude.

With such a configuration, the seal member is pressed against the large radius portion by the biasing member to enhance the liquid tightness with the valve body, and since the seal member does not abut against the small radius portion, the seal member rotates as the valve body rotates. It is possible to suppress wear and deterioration of the seal member due to friction.

It is a figure which shows the example of application of a valve apparatus. 1 is a perspective view of a valve device; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second communication state; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a non-communication state; It is an enlarged view of a sealing portion.

The valve device according to the present invention is configured such that the seal member is less likely to deteriorate. The valve device 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows a usage example of the valve device 1 of this embodiment. The valve device 1 controls the amount of humidification of air supplied to the stack 2 of the vehicle fuel cell system 100 and the amount of air supplied to the stack 2 . Specifically, when the membranes in the stack 2 are in a dry state, the flow path is switched to supply the air circulated through the humidifier 3 to the stack 2, and when the membranes in the stack 2 are in a wet state, the humidifier 3 is switched to the flow path for supplying the air bypassing to the stack 2 . The valve device 1 is configured to allow such channel switching.

A perspective view of the valve device 1 is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line III--III of FIG. FIG. 4 shows a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the valve device 1 includes a housing 10, a fluid introduction path 20, a fluid discharge path 30, a valve body 40, a valve body rotation mechanism 50, a projecting portion 55, a sealing member 60, a biasing member. 70 and a regulation mechanism 80 .

Here, in order to facilitate understanding, in this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the "upper" means the arrow U along the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the valve device 1 in the state shown in FIGS. , and "downward" means the direction of arrow D along the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the valve device 1 in the state shown in FIGS.

The housing 10 has a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 12 in which a cylindrical space 11 is formed. In this embodiment, the housing 10 is made of resin so that the inner peripheral wall 12 forms a cylindrical space 11 . The inner peripheral wall 12 is configured such that a cross section perpendicular to the axis X of the cylindrical space 11 has a circular shape. In this embodiment, the space 11 is surrounded by an inner peripheral wall 12 and a bottom surface 13 having a uniform inner diameter around the axis X. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the space 11 is configured to be surrounded by bowl-shaped walls.

A fluid introduction path 20 is formed in the housing 10 and communicates with the cylindrical space 11 on the inner peripheral wall 12 . The fluid introduction path 20 serves as an introduction path to the valve device 1 for the fluid whose flow rate is controlled by the valve device 1 . An opening 14 is provided in the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 , and the fluid introduction path 20 communicates with the space 11 through this opening 14 . In this embodiment, the housing 10 is provided with one fluid introduction path 20 .

A fluid discharge path 30 is formed in the housing 10 and communicates with the cylindrical space 11 at the inner peripheral wall 12 . The fluid discharge path 30 serves as a discharge path from the valve device 1 for the fluid whose flow rate is controlled by the valve device 1 . The inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 is provided with an opening portion 15 different from the opening portion 14 described above, and the fluid discharge path 30 communicates with the space 11 through this opening portion 15 . Although a plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 are provided in the housing 10, two fluid discharge paths 30 are provided in this embodiment.

Here, although it is not particularly limited, the opening 14 and the two openings 15 are formed with the same inner diameter in this embodiment. For ease of understanding, when distinguishing between the two fluid discharge paths 30, the one closer to the fluid introduction path 20 along the circumferential direction (upstream side) is referred to as the first fluid discharge path 31. A side (downstream side) farther from the fluid introduction path 20 along the circumferential direction will be described as a second fluid discharge path 32 .

The valve body 40 is composed of a spherical body. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 40 is configured in a shape in which the upper and lower sides of the spherical body are cut along a plane perpendicular to the axis X, but the valve body 40 is configured without such cuts. is also possible. Further, in the present embodiment, the valve body 40 is made of resin like the housing 10 and is housed in the cylindrical space 11 of the housing 10 described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 40 does not have an arc consisting of a single inner radius (not a perfect circle) when viewed from above (when viewed in the direction along the axis X), but has multiple inner radii. It is composed of curved lines and straight lines. Specifically, the valve body 40 has a large radius portion 41 , a small radius portion 42 and an intermediate portion 43 .

The large radius portion 41 is formed with a predetermined first inner radius corresponding to the inner radius of the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 in plan view. As described above, the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 has a uniform inner diameter centered on the axis X. As shown in FIG. The large-radius portion 41 is formed with a first inner radius that is smaller than the inner radius of the inner peripheral wall 12 so as not to come into contact with the inner peripheral wall 12 when rotated about the axis X as the rotation axis. Although not particularly limited, the difference between the inner radius of the inner peripheral wall 12 and the first inner radius is such that when the valve body 40 rotates about the axis X as the rotation axis, it does not come into contact with the inner peripheral wall 12 (sliding). It is sufficient that at least a gap is formed so that dynamic resistance does not occur.

In this embodiment, the large radius portion 41 is provided at two locations along the circumferential direction of the valve body 40, as shown in FIG. Positions in the respective circumferential directions are such that when one large-radius portion 41 faces the inner peripheral wall 12 between the fluid introduction passage 20 and the second fluid discharge passage 32, the other large-radius portion 41 It is provided at a position that allows the opening portion 15 in the first fluid discharge path 31 to be closed. Therefore, the position of the large radius portion 41 in the circumferential direction is set according to the position of the fluid discharge passage 30 in the circumferential direction.

The small radius portion 42 is formed with a second inner radius that is smaller than the first inner radius. The first inner radius is the inner radius of the large radius portion 41 . Accordingly, the small radius portion 42 is configured with a smaller inner radius than the large radius portion 41 as shown in FIG. As described above, a gap is formed between the large radius portion 41 and the inner peripheral wall 12 so that the valve element 40 does not come into contact with the inner peripheral wall 12 when the valve body 40 rotates about the axis X as the rotation axis. Between the small radius portion 42 and the inner peripheral wall 12 , a gap is formed that is longer in the radial direction than the gap between the large radius portion 41 and the inner peripheral wall 12 .

In this embodiment, the small radius portions 42 are provided at two locations along the circumferential direction of the valve body 40, as shown in FIG. The respective positions in the circumferential direction are such that when one small radius portion 42 faces the fluid introduction passage 20, the other small radius portion 42 faces the opening portion 15 of the second fluid discharge passage 32. provided in Therefore, the position of the small radius portion 42 in the circumferential direction is set according to the circumferential positions of the fluid introduction path 20 and the fluid discharge path 30 .

The intermediate portion 43 is formed to connect the large-radius portion 41 and the small-radius portion 42, and has a distance from the axis X that is intermediate between the first inner radius and the second inner radius. “Formed so as to connect the large radius portion 41 and the small radius portion 42 ” means that it is provided across the large radius portion 41 and the small radius portion 42 in plan view of the valve body 40 . In this embodiment, the large-radius portion 41 and the small-radius portion 42 are each provided at two locations. Therefore, the intermediate portions 43 are provided at four locations so as to connect the large-radius portion 41 and the small-radius portion 42, respectively. "The distance from the axis X is formed by the middle distance between the first inner radius and the second inner radius" means that the inner radius of the intermediate portion 43 is equal to the first inner radius of the large radius portion 41 and the small radius. It means to be formed with an inner radius between the second inner radius of the portion 42 . Here, the inner radius between the first inner radius of the large radius portion 41 and the second inner radius of the small radius portion 42 is not a single inner radius, but the first inner radius of the large radius portion 41 and the smaller radius. It is an inner radius whose length varies within a range from the second inner radius of the radius portion 42 . The intermediate portion 43 may be formed in an arc shape that is smooth in plan view. That is, the intermediate portion 43 may be configured such that the inner radius is smoothly changed (gradually changed). Moreover, it may be formed so as to have an acute-angled portion that is acute in plan view.

The valve body 40 has therein a communication passage 45 that enables communication between the fluid introduction passage 20 and at least one of the plurality of fluid discharge passages 30 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , two opening portions 44 are provided along the circumferential direction of the valve body 40 so as to extend over both the small radius portion 42 and the intermediate portion 43 . Moreover, these opening portions 44 are provided on the side surface of the valve body 40 in the state accommodated in the space 11, as shown in FIG. In addition, the opening portion 44 may be opened in at least one of the small radius portion 42 and the intermediate portion 43 . Also, the outer edge of the opening 44 may be configured to have an arcuate shape when viewed from above.

The communicating passage 45 communicates with at least one of the opening portions 44 provided at the two locations, and penetrates the valve body 40 along the radial direction. In this embodiment, by controlling the valve body 40, a first communication state in which the communicating passage 45, the fluid introduction passage 20, and the first fluid discharge passage 31 are mainly communicated, and a first communication state in which the fluid introduction passage 20 and the second fluid discharge passage are communicated. 32 are mainly communicated with each other, and a blocking state in which communication between the fluid introduction passage 20 and both the first fluid discharge passage 31 and the second fluid discharge passage 32 is blocked.

The valve body 40 is accommodated in the space 11 of the housing 10 with the rotating shaft 90 inserted along the direction of the axis X in the radial center portion. A rotating shaft 90 is coaxial with the axis X, and one end thereof is supported by the bottom surface 13 via a supporting member 91 . The upper side of the space 11 is liquid-tightly closed by the lid member 18 through which the rotary shaft 90 is passed. In this embodiment, the other side of the rotary shaft 90 is supported by the cover member 18 via the support member 92 . Also, the lid member 18 is fastened and fixed to the housing 10 with bolts 93 .

The valve body rotation mechanism 50 rotates the valve body 40 within the columnar space 11 via the rotation shaft 90 with the axis X as the rotation axis. The valve body rotating mechanism 50 is configured with a motor M, and rotates a rotating shaft 90 according to an instruction from a host system. In response to this instruction, the valve body 40 rotates, and the valve body 40 is switched among the above-described first communication state, second communication state, and cutoff state.

In the first communication state, as shown in FIG. 5, the fluid introduction passage 20 and the first fluid discharge passage 31 are mainly communicated by the communication passage 45 of the valve body 40, and the opening portion 15 of the second fluid discharge passage 32 is maintained. is closed by the large radius portion 41 . In the second communication state, as shown in FIG. 3, the fluid introduction passage 20 and the second fluid discharge passage 32 are mainly communicated by the communication passage 45 of the valve body 40, and the opening portion 15 of the first fluid discharge passage 31 is The large radius portion 41 causes the closed state.

It should be noted that the second fluid discharge path 32 in the first communication state does not have to be completely closed, and the amount of fluid flowing through the second fluid discharge path 32 is the same as that of the first fluid discharge path 31 in the first communication state. should be closed so as to be smaller than the amount of fluid flowing through. Also, the first fluid discharge passage 31 in the second communication state does not have to be completely closed, and the amount of fluid flowing through the first fluid discharge passage 31 is less than the second fluid discharge passage 32 in the second communication state. should be closed so as to be smaller than the amount of fluid flowing through.

In the blocking state, the large-radius portion 41 of the valve body 40 closes the opening portion 14 of the fluid introducing passage 20, as shown in FIG. In this state, the fluid introduction path 20 and the communication path 45 are not communicated with each other, and the fluid flowing through the fluid introduction path 20 does not flow into the communication path 45 . At this time, the opening portion 15 of the first fluid discharge passage 31 and the opening portion 15 of the second fluid discharge passage 32 may or may not be closed by the valve bodies 40, respectively. In either case, since the large radius portion 41 closes the opening portion 14 of the fluid introduction passage 20, introduction of the fluid into the space 11 (communication passage 45) is prevented.

Here, in the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10, at least a part of the opening portion 14 of the fluid introduction path 20 in the inner peripheral wall 12 protrudes from the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 toward the axis X of the cylindrical space 11. A protrusion 55 is provided that encloses the "At least part of the opening 14 of the fluid introduction path 20 is protruded from the inner peripheral wall 12 of the housing 10 toward the axis X of the cylindrical space 11" means that the opening 14 of the inner peripheral wall 12 is It means that at least a portion of the fluid introduction path 20 extends cylindrically from the edge toward the axis X of the space 11 . The projecting portion from the inner peripheral wall 12 that extends at least a portion of the fluid introduction path 20 in this manner corresponds to the projecting portion 55 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, projections 55 are provided so as to connect the edges on both sides of the opening portion 14 of the fluid introduction path 20 . In other words, the housing 10 is not completely cylindrical, but has a D-shape when viewed from the top, which has a flat surface only where a sealing member 60 (described later) is inserted.

In this embodiment, the protrusion 55 is configured such that the distance from the axis X to the protrusion 55 is longer than the second inner radius, which is the inner radius of the small radius portion 42 . As a result, the fluid introduction passage 20 provided with the projecting portion 55 can be prevented from being closed when the valve body 40 is rotated and at least the small radius portion 42 is positioned in front. Further, with such a configuration, the valve body 40 can be accommodated and assembled in the space 11 of the housing 10 with the projecting portion 55 and the small radius portion 42 aligned in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis X. can be done.

A seal member 60 is provided to reliably prevent the introduction of fluid from the fluid introduction path 20 into the space 11 in the blocked state. The seal member 60 is provided on the projecting portion 55 and is provided so as to be able to contact the large radius portion 41 of the valve body 40 . The seal member 60 is formed according to the shape of the inner peripheral surface 55A at the end of the projecting portion 55. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 55A of the end portion of the protruding portion 55 has a circular shape when viewed in the radial direction from the axis X, so the seal member 60 is positioned in the direction in which the fluid flowing through the fluid introduction passage 20 flows (hereinafter referred to as , simply referred to as the “axial direction”) is formed into a circular cylinder.

The sealing member 60 is formed using an elastic material (for example, a rubber member), has one axial end inserted into the opening 14 and the projecting portion 55 of the housing 10 , and has the other axial end inserted into the space 11 . It is provided in a state of protruding to the The amount (length) by which the seal member 60 protrudes toward the space 11 is such that when the valve body 40 is rotated by the valve body rotation mechanism 50 and shifted to the shut-off state, the large radius portion 41 is sealed as shown in FIG. It abuts against the tip portion 61 of the member 60 (corresponding to the “other side in the axial direction”), and is set so that the fluid introduction path 20 and the space 11 are not in a communicating state. At this time, the seal member 60 is in liquid-tight contact (inner fit) with the housing 10 (the inner peripheral surface 55A of the protruding portion 55) at the outer peripheral portion, and the fluid flows between the sealing member 60 and the protruding portion 55. To prevent leakage into the space 11 through the gap. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the introduction of fluid into the space 11 in the blocked state.

On the other hand, in the first circulating state and the second circulating state, the fluid from the fluid introduction path 20 needs to be introduced into the space 11 (communication path 45). Therefore, in the first flow state and the second flow state, the tip portion 61 of the seal member 60 on the side of the valve body 40 (corresponding to the “other side in the axial direction”) contacts the small radius portion 42 . It is provided in a non-contact state.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the sealing portion by the sealing member 60. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the inner radius along the first inner radius of the large radius portion 41 is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. In the blocking state, the seal member 60 and the large radius portion 41 are in contact with each other, and in the first and second flow states, as shown in FIG. It is provided in a non-contacting state.

In this way, the seal member 60 protrudes into the space 11 so as not to come into contact with the small radius portion 42 even when the valve element 40 is rotating along the rotation axis X by means of a regulation mechanism 80 which will be described later. The amount (length) to be applied is set. As a result, when the fluid is introduced into the space 11, the seal member 60 and the valve body 40 are prevented from coming into contact with each other. It is possible to suppress the wear and deterioration of the seal member 60 due to the friction associated with the rotation of the .

In the present embodiment, when the fluid introduction path 20 is blocked by the valve body 40, the biasing member 70 is placed in the fluid introduction path 20 in order to increase the liquid tightness of the seal member 60 with the valve body 40. It is configured to bias the seal member 60 from the upstream side toward the valve body 40 side. In this embodiment, the biasing member 70 is a coiled spring, and is fitted between the groove 16 of the housing 10 and the flange 200 so that the axis of the spring extends along the axial direction. Therefore, the biasing force of the biasing member 70 acts along the axial direction.

In the present embodiment, the sealing member 60 is configured so that the tip portion 61 of the sealing member 60 on the side of the valve element 40 does not protrude toward the valve element 40 beyond the second inner radius. A regulation mechanism 80 is provided to regulate the amount of protrusion. The regulation mechanism 80 is formed in an annular shape by processing a thin plate. Particularly in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the regulation mechanism 80 has a plurality of surfaces perpendicular to the axial direction formed stepwise along the axial direction. A first stepped portion 81 on the side of the biasing member 70 is pressed against the wall portion 17 of the groove portion 16 of the housing 10 by the biasing force of the biasing member 70 , and a second stepped portion 82 on the side of the valve body 40 is pushed against the sealing member 60 . It is provided so as to face one end in the axial direction. The seal member 60 is attached to the end of the regulation mechanism 80 on the valve body 40 side by means of an adhesive or the like, and the seal member 60 and the regulation mechanism 80 are configured to move together in the axial direction. As a result, the seal member 60 in the state where the first stepped portion 81 is in contact with the wall portion 17 of the groove portion 16 does not protrude further in the axial center X direction. As a result, the seal member 60 does not come into contact with the small radius portion 42 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the seal member 60 protrudes most in the direction of the axis X, it intersects with the large radius portion 41 indicated by the chain double-dashed line. Therefore, when the tip portion 61 of the seal member 60 is in contact with the large radius portion 41, the seal member 60 moves radially outward from the axis X against the biasing force of the biasing member 70. . At this time, the first step portion 81 of the restricting mechanism 80 is separated from the wall portion 17 of the groove portion 16 of the housing 10 , and the biasing force of the biasing member 70 directly acts on the seal member 60 . That is, the biasing force of the biasing member 70 is the pressing force of the seal member 60 against the valve body 40 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the opening portion 15 of the first fluid discharge path 31 and the opening portion 15 of the second fluid discharge path 32 are biased by coil springs, respectively. A member 110 is provided, a seal member 111 made of an annular elastic member (for example, a rubber member) is provided on the upstream side (space 11 side) of the urging member 110, and an annular resin member 112 (for example, polyethylene) is provided on the upstream side. tetrafluoroethylene) is provided. Since polytetrafluoroethylene has good slidability and high wear resistance, by configuring in this way, while ensuring sealing performance between the opening portions 15 of the plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 and the valve body 40, Wear of the resin member 112 can be suppressed.

Here, in a system (a vehicle fuel cell system 100 in this embodiment) in which the valve device 1 is used, if each of the plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 is configured to allow an error in the flow division ratio, a plurality of of the fluid discharge passages 30, the sealing performance between the fluid discharge passage 30 and the valve body 40, whose communication state with the fluid introduction passage 20 is restricted, is the seal performance between the fluid introduction passage 20 and the valve body 40 may be configured lower than In such a case, sealing mechanisms such as the biasing member 110, the sealing member 111, the resin member 112, etc. provided for each of the plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 can be eliminated.

In this embodiment, the valve device 1 is configured as described above. According to the valve device 1, the intermediate portion 43 is provided between the large radius portion 41 and the small radius portion 42, and the valve body 40 is formed of a spherical body, so that the valve body 40 rotates. Then, when the large-radius portion 41 comes into contact with the housing 10, it is smoothly pressed against the housing 10 (the housing 10 at the opening portion 14 of the fluid introduction passage 20) as it gradually reaches the large-radius portion 41 from the small-radius portion 42 (gradually contact). Therefore, deterioration of the valve body 40 can be suppressed while maintaining sealing performance. Further, according to the present valve device 1, since a plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 can be switched, the cost of the valve device 1 can be reduced compared to the case where the valve device 1 is provided for each fluid discharge path 30. It becomes possible to

By configuring as described above, the valve device 1 can control the amount of humidification of the air supplied to the stack 2 of the vehicle fuel cell system 100 and the supply of air to the stack 2 .

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the valve device 1 controls the humidification amount of the air supplied to the stack 2 of the vehicle fuel cell system 100 and the air supply to the stack 2. Application to other uses is also possible.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the housing 10 is provided with two fluid discharge paths 30 has been described, but the housing 10 may be provided with three or more fluid discharge paths 30 . Furthermore, the valve device 1 can also be applied to a device in which the total number of the fluid introduction passages 20 and the fluid discharge passages 30 is three or more. That is, the valve device 1 can be applied even if it has a plurality of fluid introduction paths 20 and at least one fluid discharge path 30 .

In the above embodiment, the valve body 40 has a large radius portion 41, a small radius portion 42, and an intermediate portion 43. However, the valve body 40 has a uniform inner radius, that is, a large It is also possible to configure only with the radius portion 41 .

In the above embodiment, the distance from the axis X of the cylindrical space 11 to the tip of the projection 55 is longer than the second inner radius. The distance to the tip may be configured equal to the second inner radius.

In the above-described embodiment, the opening portion 15 of the first fluid discharge path 31 and the opening portion 15 of the second fluid discharge path 32 are provided with the biasing members 110 made of coil springs. Although it has been described that the sealing member 111 made of an annular elastic member (eg, rubber member) is provided on the upstream side (space 11 side), and the annular resin member 112 (eg, polytetrafluoroethylene) is provided on the upstream side. , the first fluid discharge path 31 and the second fluid discharge path 32 can also be provided with the restriction mechanism 80 in the same manner as the fluid introduction path 20. FIG.

In the above-described embodiment, the seal member 60 is provided so that the tip portion 61 on the side of the valve body 40 contacts the large radius portion 41 of the valve body 40 and does not contact the small radius portion 42 . However, the sealing member 60 may be provided in such a state that the tip portion 61 on the side of the valve body 40 contacts both the large radius portion 41 and the small radius portion 42 of the valve body 40 .

In the above-described embodiment, the fluid introduction path 20 is provided with the biasing member 70 and the regulation mechanism 80 . Alternatively, the fluid introduction path 20 may be configured to include only the biasing member 70 . Also, at least one of the plurality of fluid discharge paths 30 may be provided with both the biasing member 70 and the regulation mechanism 80, or may be provided with the biasing member 70 only.

In the above-described embodiment, the sealing performance between the valve element 40 and the fluid discharge path 30, which is limited in communication with the fluid introduction path 20, among the plurality of fluid discharge paths 30, is Although described as having a lower sealing performance than between the fluid discharge passages 30, between the fluid discharge passage 30 whose communication state with the fluid introduction passage 20 is restricted and the valve body 40 among the plurality of fluid discharge passages 30 The sealing property may be configured in the same manner as the sealing property between the fluid introduction path 20 and the valve body 40 .

In the above embodiment, the valve body 40 is described as being made of resin. When the valve body 40 is formed by resin molding, it is preferable that the parting line is positioned at the small radius portion 42 . With such a configuration, the surface of the large-radius portion 41 can be made smooth, so that wear and damage of the seal member 60 due to the protruding portion of the resin at the parting line can be suppressed, and long-term sealing performance can be ensured. becomes possible. Of course, the valve body 40 can also be constructed using metal instead of resin.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a valve device capable of restricting communication between a fluid introduction path and a fluid discharge path.

1: Valve Device 11: Space 10: Housing 12: Inner Peripheral Wall 14: Opening Portion 20: Fluid Introduction Path 30: Fluid Discharge Path 40: Valve Body 41: Large Radius Portion 42: Small Radius Portion 43: Intermediate Portion 45: Communicating Path 50: Valve body rotation mechanism 55: Protrusion 60: Sealing member 70: Biasing member 80: Regulating mechanism X: Axial center

Claims (2)

a housing having a cylindrical inner peripheral wall in which a cylindrical space is formed;
a fluid introduction path formed in the housing and communicating with the cylindrical space on the inner peripheral wall;
a plurality of fluid discharge paths formed in the housing and communicating with the cylindrical space on the inner peripheral wall;
a valve body made of a spherical body that is housed in the cylindrical space and has therein a communication passage that communicates the fluid introduction passage with at least one of the plurality of fluid discharge passages;
a valve body rotating mechanism that rotates the valve body within the cylindrical space with the axis of the cylindrical space as the rotation axis;
a protruding portion that surrounds at least a portion of an opening of the fluid introduction path in the inner peripheral wall of the housing that protrudes from the inner peripheral wall of the housing toward the axis of the cylindrical space;
a seal member provided on the projecting portion and contactable with the valve body;
equipped with,
When the valve body is viewed along the axis, the valve body includes a large radius portion formed with a predetermined first inner radius corresponding to the inner radius of the inner peripheral wall of the housing, and the first inner A small-radius portion formed with a second inner radius smaller than the radius, and a small-radius portion formed so as to connect the large-radius portion and the small-radius portion, and the distance from the axis is the first inner radius and the second inner radius. and an intermediate portion that is an intermediate distance from the inner radius,
A distance from the axis to the tip of the projection is longer than the second inner radius. valve device. a biasing member that biases the seal member from the upstream side of the fluid introduction path toward the valve body;
2. The valve device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a regulation mechanism that regulates a distal end portion of the seal member on the valve body side so as not to protrude further toward the valve body than the second inner radius.

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