JP7455621B2 - Thermo valve manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermovalve manufacturing technology.

A thermovalve is placed in the flow path to control the flow rate of the fluid. As a prior art related to such a thermovalve, there is a technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.

A thermovalve as shown in Patent Document 1 includes a thermoactuator that advances or retreats depending on the temperature of the fluid, and a valve body that is caulked to the thermoactuator and can adjust the opening degree of the flow path. .

A recess is formed in the valve body along the circumferential direction. A portion of the caulked thermoactuator is wedged into this recess. The outer periphery of this biting part is a depression. This depression has a vertically elongated shape along the axis.

When the depression was formed in a vertically long shape and when it was formed in a horizontally long shape, the valve body could be more firmly fixed to the thermoactuator in the vertically long shape. Since the area of the pressing surface facing the recess is smaller in the vertically elongated shape, the pressing force per unit area is higher. It is thought that this increased the amount of penetration into the recess.

JP 2019-168074 Publication

As a result of research conducted by the present inventors on the thermovalve disclosed in Patent Document 1, it was found that some valve bodies were fastened to the thermoactuator with lower strength than expected. It is desired to provide a technique that can more reliably connect a valve body and a thermoactuator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can more reliably connect a valve body and a thermoactuator.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a preparation step of preparing a thermoactuator, a valve body, and a jig having a pressing surface including a short side and a long side that is longer than the short side;
An overlapping step of overlapping one of the prepared thermoactuators and the valve body so as to cover the recess formed along the circumferential direction of the other member;
A crimping step in which the short side is made substantially parallel to the recess, the long side crosses the recess, and the pressing surface presses the overlapped portion of the thermoactuator and the valve body. and,
There is provided a method for manufacturing a thermovalve, characterized in that the caulking step is performed by controlling the stroke amount of the jig so that the amount of caulking in the overlapping portion is at least the same as the depth of the recess. .

According to another aspect of the present invention, a preparation step of preparing a thermoactuator, a valve body, and a jig having a pressing surface including a short side and a long side longer than the short side;
An overlapping step of overlapping one of the prepared thermoactuators and the valve body so as to cover the recess formed along the circumferential direction of the other member;
A crimping step in which the short side is made substantially parallel to the recess, the long side crosses the recess, and the pressing surface presses the overlapped portion of the thermoactuator and the valve body. and,
There is provided a method for manufacturing a thermovalve, characterized in that the pressing surface is inclined with respect to the axial center so as to suppress deformation of the other member in the axial direction during pressing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the caulking step is performed by controlling the stroke amount of the jig so that the amount of caulking in the overlapping portion is at least the same as the depth of the recess.

For example, one possible method for managing whether or not caulking has been performed is to use the applied load value. The inventors conducted research and found that in thermovalves where the strength of the connection between the valve body and the thermoactuator was lower than a predetermined strength, the pressing force during caulking escaped in the axial direction. . When managing based on load values, the load (pressure force) escaping in the axial direction is also measured, so it is thought that sufficient load could not be applied in the radial direction. As a result, it was not possible to ensure a sufficient amount of biting into the recess, and it was not possible to obtain a predetermined fastening strength.

On the other hand, in the present invention, caulking is managed by the stroke amount of the pressing surface, so even if a part of the load escapes in the axial direction, a sufficient amount of biting into the recess can be ensured. Thereby, the valve body and the thermoactuator can be connected more reliably.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the pressing surface is inclined with respect to the axial center so as to suppress deformation of the other member in the axial direction during pressing. Thereby, deformation of the other member in the axial direction can be suppressed, and a sufficient amount of biting into the recess can be ensured. Thereby, the valve body and the thermoactuator can be connected more reliably.

In addition, when pressing the long side portion along the circumferential direction, the deformation caused by the pressing surface of the thermoactuator or the valve body just bites into the recess. Therefore, the problem of the load escaping in the axial direction during caulking as in the present invention is less likely to occur. In other words, it can be said that the present invention solves the problems that occur when caulking by making the long sides intersect with the recesses.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an oil flow path in which a thermovalve manufactured by the thermovalve manufacturing method according to Example 1 is used. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the thermovalve shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the thermovalve shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve body shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fastening section shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a jig used in the thermovalve manufacturing method according to Example 1, and FIG. 6B is a view taken along arrow 6B in FIG. 6A. 7A is a diagram illustrating a thermoactuator in which the protrusion amount of the rod is L1 under a predetermined temperature atmosphere, FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a thermoactuator in which the protrusion amount of the rod is L2 in a predetermined temperature atmosphere, FIG. 7C is a partial cross-sectional view of the valve body, FIG. 7D is a diagram illustrating the thermoactuator stacking process shown in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7E is a diagram explaining the thermoactuator stacking process shown in FIG. 7B. It is. 8A is a diagram explaining the caulking process of caulking the thermoactuator to the valve body shown in FIG. 7D, FIG. 8B is a diagram explaining the thermoactuator and the valve body after the caulking process shown in FIG. 8A, FIG. 8C is a diagram illustrating a crimping process of crimping the thermoactuator onto the valve body shown in FIG. 7E. 9A is an enlarged view of section 9A in FIG. 8A, FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of section 9B in FIG. 8B, and FIG. 9C is an enlarged view of section 9C in FIG. 8C. 10A is a diagram illustrating the action of the thermovalve using the thermoactuator shown in FIG. 8A at low temperatures; FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating the action of the thermovalve shown in FIG. 10A at high temperature; FIG. 10C FIG. 8C is a diagram illustrating the action of a thermovalve using the thermoactuator shown in FIG. 8C at a high temperature. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a thermovalve according to Example 2, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing the pressing surface viewed from the front. 12A is a diagram illustrating a modification of FIG. 8A, and FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a modification of FIG. 11.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the description, up, down, left and right refer to the top, bottom, left and right with reference to the drawings. Further, in the figure, Up indicates the top and Dn indicates the bottom.

<Example 1>
Please refer to FIG. The thermovalve 40 according to the present invention is built into the oil pump 20 disposed in the oil flow path 10, for example. The oil flow path 10 is a flow path that connects the oil pan Op and the oil pump 20 and the oil pump 20 and the engine En to circulate oil.

The oil flow path 10 includes a main flow path 11 and a bypass flow path 12 in which a part of the main flow path 11 is detoured.

The oil pump 20 is a so-called internal gear pump. The oil pump 20 includes a rotating shaft portion 22 that is rotated by the operation of the engine En, an inner rotor 23 that is rotated by the rotating shaft portion 22, and an inner rotor 23 that surrounds the periphery of the inner rotor 23 and is rotated by the inner rotor 23. The outer rotor 24 and a thermovalve 40 that operates depending on the temperature of oil are housed in a housing 30.

The rotating shaft portion 22 is connected to, for example, a crankshaft. The rotating shaft portion 22 can be connected to any member such as a camshaft in addition to the crankshaft. That is, the external drive source is not limited to the crankshaft.

The thermovalve 40 is arranged below the lower end of the outer rotor 24 along the horizontal axis. The end portion of the thermovalve 40 is located below the rotating shaft portion 22 when viewed from the front. Note that the term "front view" refers to the oil pump 20 viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft portion 22.

Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3. The thermovalve 40 includes a substantially cylindrical case 41, a thermoactuator 50 that operates depending on the temperature of oil, a valve body 43 fastened to the thermoactuator 50, and a thermoactuator 50 and the valve body 43 that are moved in the return direction. A biasing return spring 44 is housed. One end of the case 41 is closed by an actuator lid 45. The actuator lid portion 45 is prevented from coming off from the case 41 by a C-shaped retaining ring 46 sandwiched between the actuator lid portion 45 and the case 41 .

The case 41 has four or two windows 41a formed on the outer periphery of the thermoactuator 50, a case hole 41b that is opened and closed by the valve body 43, and a retaining ring storage groove 41c in which the C-shaped retaining ring 46 is accommodated. and a female tapered portion 41d which is formed on the distal end side of the retaining ring housing groove 41c and has a widening shape.

The case 41 is formed to be thin so that the outer diameter of the area around the area where the case hole 41b is formed is smaller over the entire circumference than other areas. As a result, oil can be discharged without stagnation regardless of the phase of the case hole 41b.

Oil always passes through the window portion 41a while the oil is circulating.

The thermoactuator 50 includes an actuator body 51, a wax 52 that is filled in a hole made in one end of the actuator body 51 and expands as the temperature rises, and a rod that is pushed out of the actuator body 51 as the wax expands. 53, and a large diameter portion 54 projecting radially outward from the actuator main body 51. The large diameter portion 54 receives the end of the return spring 44 and serves as a spring seat.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5. The valve body 43 includes a small valve diameter portion 43a that is inserted into and fastened to a hole 51a formed at the other end of the actuator main body 51, and a valve stepped portion 43b that widens from the end of the small valve diameter portion 43a toward the outer periphery. and a valve large diameter portion 43c that extends in the axial direction from the outer end of the valve step portion 43b and has a larger diameter than the valve small diameter portion 43a. The valve body 43 is fastened to the thermoactuator 50 via a fastening portion E. Note that the valve body 43 may be fastened to a rod 53 of a thermoactuator (see FIG. 3) provided in the opposite direction.

With particular reference to FIG. The valve step portion 43b has an oil passage hole portion 43d through which oil can pass. In the valve small diameter portion 43a, two recesses 43e and 43f are formed in the circumferential direction and spaced apart from each other in the direction of the axis C2. Further, a hole passing through the center of the shaft is formed in the small diameter portion 43a of the valve. In other words, the valve body 43 is formed with a valve body through hole 43g extending along the axis C2. This allows the valve body 43 to be easily inserted into the hole 51a (see FIG. 3) without air resistance.

The recesses 43e and 43f are formed in a concave shape in the radial direction, and are formed at positions offset from each other with respect to the direction along the axis C2. Although the recesses 43e and 43f are formed continuously in the circumferential direction, they may be formed intermittently in the circumferential direction.

See FIG. 2. The caulked tip of the actuator main body 51 is inserted into the recess 43e. The recessed portion 43e can also be said to be a part of the fastening portion E, which is a portion where the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50 are fastened. The outer circumferential surface of the fastening portion E can be said to be a pressed surface that is pressed during caulking.

Note that the caulked tip of the actuator main body 51 may fit into the recess 43f. The reason will be explained later. When the tip of the actuator body 51 is inserted, the recess 43f can be said to be a part of the fastening portion E where the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50 are fastened.

The recesses 43e and 43f may be formed on the inner periphery of the actuator main body 51. Further, the tip of the actuator body 51 may be inserted into the inner periphery of the valve small diameter portion 43a. In this case, recesses 43e and 43f are formed on the inner periphery of the valve small diameter portion 43a or on the outer periphery of the actuator main body 51. The fastening portion E may be formed by fitting a portion of the thermoactuator 50 or the valve body 43 into at least one of the recesses 43e and 43f.

See FIG. 5. A portion of the portion where the thermoactuator 50 and the valve body 43 are overlapped with each other is recessed toward the axis C2. The recess of the fastening portion E has a vertically elongated shape along the axis C2.

See FIG. 3. The actuator lid part 45 has a retaining ring housing groove 45a in which the C-shaped retaining ring 46 is housed, and a male tapered part 45b that is tapered toward the distal end of the retaining ring housing groove 45a. There is.

The outer diameter of the valve large diameter portion 43c is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the case 41. The inner diameter of the case 41 is large at the periphery of the large diameter portion 54 and small at the periphery of the valve body 43. These portions where the diameter changes are formed in a stepped shape, receive the end of the return spring 44, and serve as a spring receiving seat.

A method for manufacturing the thermovalve 40 will be explained.

A case 41, a thermoactuator 50, a return spring 44, an actuator lid 45, a valve body 43, and a C-shaped retaining ring 46 are prepared.

Also refer to FIG. 6A. Furthermore, a jig 60 for caulking the valve body 43 to the thermoactuator 50 is also prepared (preparation step).

The jig 60 includes an actuator 61 having a rod 61a that can move forward and backward, a pressing member 70 supported by the rod 61a of the actuator 61 and capable of pressing the thermoactuator 50, and a stroke sensor 63 for detecting the stroke amount of the rod 61a. and a control section 64 that controls the movement of the rod 61a based on information from the stroke sensor 63.

For example, a mark 61b indicating a specific position is attached to the rod 61a.

Note that the jig 60 may be one that can stroke the rod 61a and/or the pressing member 70 by a predetermined amount. In this case, there is no need to mount the stroke sensor 63.

See Figure 6B. The tip of the pressing member 70 is a pressing surface 71 for pressing the thermoactuator 50 (see FIG. 6A). The pressing surface 71 has a substantially rectangular shape with a short side 71a having a length L1, and a long side 71b having a length L2, which is longer than the short side 71a and arranged parallel to the axis C2. It has . Note that the shape of the pressing surface 71 is not limited to a rectangle, but may have short sides and long sides that are different in length.

See FIG. 6A. The pressing surface 71 is inclined with respect to the axis C2 so as to approach the axis C2 from below to above.

In addition, in the figure, the inclination angle of the pressing surface 71 with respect to the axis C2 is shown to be slightly larger than the actual one so that it can be seen that the pressing surface 71 is inclined.

Also refer to FIG. 5. Moreover, when the thermoactuator 50 is arranged on the outer periphery of the valve body 43, the pressing member 70 can press the thermoactuator 50. Further, the pressing surface 71 presses the outer periphery of the thermoactuator 50.

The stroke sensor 63 may be a magnetic sensor, a contact sensor, or the like in addition to an optical non-contact sensor. Any type of sensor can be used as long as it can measure the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71 toward the axis C2.

Further, the stroke sensor 63 may be arranged near the pressing surface 71 to directly detect the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71.

The control unit 64 measures the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71 from the stroke amount of the rod 61a detected by the stroke sensor 63.

Please refer to FIGS. 7A and 7B. Next, the thermoactuators 50A and 50B (A and B are suffixes indicating that they are different. The same applies hereinafter) are placed in a predetermined temperature atmosphere (for example, 80° C.). By placing it in an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature, the wax (see FIG. 2) filled in the thermoactuators 50A and 50B expands, and the rods 53A and 53B advance. At this time, the advancement amounts L1 and L2 of the rods 53A and 53B are measured (advance amount measurement step). Even if the rods 53A and 53B are at the same temperature, the advancement amounts L1 and L2 differ slightly depending on the product.

Also refer to FIG. 7C. The overlapping amount of the valve body 43 and the thermoactuators 50A, 50B is determined based on the advancing amounts L1 and L2 so that the length of the thermovalve at a predetermined temperature is a constant length (step of determining the overlapping amount ).

See FIGS. 7D and 7E. The thermoactuator 50A with a large advancement amount L1 of the rod 53A increases the overlapping amount L4 with the valve body 43, and the thermoactuator 50B with a small advancement amount L2 of the rod 53B decreases the overlapping amount L5 with the valve body 43. .

The gap between the bottom surface of the hole 51a and the tip of the valve body 43 can also be called an adjustment allowance for absorbing dimensional errors. Here, when the advance amount L1 is the maximum value and the advance amount L2 is the minimum value, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the advance amount is L3 (see FIG. 7A). The depth of the hole 51a and the length of the small diameter portion 43a of the valve are set to be larger than the difference L3.

Next, the thermoactuators 50A and 50B are stacked on the valve body 43 based on the stacking amounts L4 and L5 (superposition step). At this time, at least one recess 43e, 43f is covered by the thermoactuator 50A, 50B. In other words, the overlapping step is performed by overlapping the thermoactuators 50A and 50B (the other member) so as to cover the recesses 43e and 43f formed in the circumferential direction of the valve body 43 (one member). be exposed. Thereby, under a predetermined temperature, the lengths L6 and L7 from the tips of the rods 53A and 53B to the tips of the valve body 43 become the same. That is, L6=L7.

See FIGS. 8A and 9A. In order to fasten the valve body 43 to the thermoactuator 50A, the jig 60 is placed near the recess 43e.

Also refer to FIG. 6B. The pressing surface 71 facing the thermoactuator 50A has a short side 71a extending substantially parallel to the recess 43e, and a long side 71b extending to intersect the recess 43e.

See FIGS. 8B and 9B. The pressing member 70 presses the actuator main body 51 from the outer periphery toward the axis C2. That is, the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50 are pressed from the outside in the radial direction toward the axis C2. The overlapping portions of the thermoactuator 50 and the valve body 43 are caulked by pressing (caulking process).

See FIG. 6A. As the rod 61a moves forward, the stroke sensor 63 detects the mark 61b. The control unit 64, which has received information from the stroke sensor 63 that the mark 61b has been detected, determines that the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71 (see FIG. 6B) has reached a predetermined stroke amount. The control unit 64 determines that the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71 (see FIG. 6B) has not reached the predetermined stroke amount until it receives information from the stroke sensor 63 that the mark 61b has been detected. When the predetermined stroke amount is reached, the control section 64 moves the rod 61a backward.

See FIG. 9B. The actuator main body 51 is deformed and a portion enters the recess 43e. Thereby, the valve body 43 is fastened to the thermoactuator 50A. By being fastened, a fastening portion E is formed. The outer circumferential surface of this fastening portion E can also be called a pressed surface that is pressed by the pressing surface 71.

See FIGS. 8C and 9C. The same applies when only the other recess 43f faces the thermoactuator 50B. The pressing member 70 presses the actuator main body 51 from the outer periphery toward the axis C2. That is, the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50B are pressed from the outside in the radial direction toward the axis C2. Pressing is performed to caulk the overlapping parts of the thermoactuator 50B and the valve body 43 (caulking process). The actuator main body 51 is deformed and a portion enters the recess 43f. Thereby, the valve body 43 is fastened to the thermoactuator 50B. By being fastened, a fastening portion E is formed.

Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 6B. The pressed portions of the actuator body 51 and the valve body 43 are slightly depressed (deformed) toward the axis C2. For example, the number of pressed parts is three (note that the number of pressed parts may be four or more in consideration of the fastening strength). Since the long side portion 71b is oriented in the direction along the axis C2 (substantially parallel to the axis C2), the deformed portion (indentation) also deforms into a shape along the axis C2, that is, vertically elongated. If the long side portion 71b is pressed perpendicularly to the axis C2, it will be deformed long in the circumferential direction. For this reason, it is possible to know in what direction the pressing member 70 was oriented for fastening. The recess of the fastening portion E has a vertically elongated shape along the axis C2.

See FIG. 3. The thermoactuator 50 to which the return spring 44 and the valve body 43 are fastened is stored in the case 41 (storage step).

Next, the actuator lid 45 is attached to one end of the case 41 housing the thermoactuator 50 to which the return spring 44 and the valve body 43 are fastened (lid attachment step).

The lid attachment process will be explained in more detail. Push the C-shaped retaining ring 46 along the male tapered portion 45b. The diameter of the C-shaped retaining ring 46 is expanded by the male taper portion 45b. When pushed further, the C-shaped retaining ring 46 fits into the retaining ring housing groove 45a. Next, when attempting to insert the actuator lid portion 45 into the case 41, the diameter of the C-shaped retaining ring 46 is reduced at the female taper portion 41d. When further inserted, the C-shaped retaining ring 46 fits into the retaining ring storage groove 41c. Thereby, the actuator lid part 45 is fixed to the end of the case 41. Thereby, the thermovalve 40 is completed.

The operation of the oil pump 20 will be explained.

Please refer to FIG. The oil pump 20 operates when the engine En operates. When the oil pump 20 operates, the oil accumulated in the oil pan Op flows to the oil pump 20 as shown by arrow A. The oil is then discharged to the outside of the oil pump 20 via the inner rotor 23 and the outer rotor 24. The discharged oil is returned to the engine En, as indicated by arrow B. The oil that has circulated through the engine En accumulates in the oil pan Op as shown by arrow C.

See FIG. 10A. Immediately after starting the engine, the oil temperature is low. When the oil temperature is low, the wax 52 is contracted. Due to the urging force of the return spring 44, the actuator body 51 receives a force directed to the right in the drawing. Thereby, the amount of protrusion of the rod 53A from the actuator main body 51 becomes smaller. That is, the rod 53A retreats when the oil is at a low temperature compared to when the oil is at a high temperature. Thereby, the valve body 43 opens the case hole 41b.

When the case hole 41b is open, a portion of the oil passes between the return spring 44 and the actuator body 51, and passes through the oil passage hole 43d. The oil that has passed through the oil passage hole 43d passes through the case hole 41b.

Please refer to FIG. The oil that has passed through the case hole 41b is returned to the oil pan Op via the bypass passage 12, as shown by arrow D. That is, some oil is not returned to the engine En. Therefore, the flow rate of oil passing through the main flow path 11 can be reduced, and an increase in the oil pressure of the engine En can be suppressed.

The engine En becomes hot as it continues to operate. By cooling the engine En, which has reached a high temperature, the oil becomes high in temperature. As the oil becomes high temperature, the wax 52 inside the thermoactuator 50 also becomes high temperature.

See FIG. 10B. When the oil is hot, the wax 52 expands. As the wax 52 expands, the rod 53A receives a force in the direction of pulling out from the actuator body 51. However, since the tip of the rod 53A is in contact with the actuator cover 45, it is prevented from moving forward. Therefore, the actuator main body 51 relatively retreats to the left in the drawing against the biasing force of the return spring 44. That is, the advancement of the rod 53 refers to its relative relationship to the actuator body 51. In the state where the rod 53 is moving forward (the actuator main body 51 is retreating), the valve body 43 closes the case hole 41b. Therefore, oil passes only through the window portion 41a.

See FIG. 10C. The overlapping amount is adjusted so that the length from the tip of the rod 53B to the tip of the valve body 43 is the same as that of the other thermoactuators 50A when the oil is at a high temperature. Therefore, the valve body 43 can reliably close the case hole 41b. Therefore, oil passes only through the window portion 41a.

Please refer to FIG. When the case hole 41b is closed, oil flows only through the main flow path 11 and does not flow into the bypass flow path 12. When the engine En is at a high temperature, the flow rate of oil flowing to the engine En is increased to efficiently cool the engine En.

The effects of the thermovalve manufacturing method described above will be explained.

See FIGS. 6A and 6B. In the thermovalve manufacturing method, the crimping step is performed by controlling the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71 (jig 60) so that the radial crimping amount in the overlapping portion is at least the same as the depth of the recesses 43e and 43f. conduct.

Also refer to FIG. 8A. For example, one possible method for managing whether or not caulking has been performed is to use the applied load value. The present inventors conducted research and found that in a thermovalve 40 (see FIG. 2) in which the strength of the connection between the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50 was lower than a predetermined strength, the pressing force at the time of caulking was It was found that the object was escaping upward along the . When managing based on load values, the load (pressure force) escaping in the direction of the axis C2 is also measured, so it is considered that a sufficient load could not be applied in the radial direction. As a result, a sufficient amount of biting into the recesses 43e and 43f could not be ensured, and a predetermined fastening strength could not be obtained.

On the other hand, in the present invention, caulking is managed by the stroke amount of the pressing surface 71, so even if a part of the load escapes in the direction of the axis C2, a sufficient amount of biting into the recesses 43e and 43f can be ensured. I can do it. Thereby, the valve body 43 and the thermoactuator 50 can be connected more reliably.

In addition, the pressing surface 71 is inclined with respect to the axis C2 so as to suppress deformation of the thermoactuator 50 in the direction of the axis C2 during pressing. In other words, the pressing surface 71 moves toward the axis C2 so that it gradually approaches the axis C2 from the overlapping portion of the thermoactuator 50 and the valve body 43 toward the upper end 50u of the thermoactuator 50 (the other member). leaning against. By tilting the pressing surface 71 with respect to the axis C2, the pressing force can be prevented from escaping along the axis C2 and can be transmitted in the radial direction. As a result, a sufficient amount of biting into the recesses 43e and 43f can be ensured, and the valve body 43 and thermoactuator 50 can be connected more reliably.

Note that when pressing the long side portion 71b along the circumferential direction of the valve body 43 (parallel to the recesses 43e and 43f), the deformation of the thermoactuator 50 or the valve body 43 by the pressing surface 71 is exactly the same as the recess 43e. , it bites into 43f. For this reason, the problem of the load escaping in the direction of the axis C2 during caulking as in the present invention is unlikely to occur in the first place. That is, it can be said that the present invention solves the problem that occurs when caulking by making the long side portion 71b intersect with the recesses 43e and 43f.

<Example 2>
Next, Example 2 will be described based on the drawings. Note that for the same parts as in Example 1, reference numerals are used and detailed explanations are omitted.

See FIGS. 11A and 11B. First, the thermoactuator 150, the valve body 143, and the jig 160 are prepared (preparation step).

Two recesses 150e and 150f are formed in the actuator body 151 of the thermoactuator 150 at different positions in the direction of the axis C2. These recesses 150e and 150f are formed in a concave shape from the outer periphery of the actuator main body 151 toward the axis C2.

The jig 160 is inclined with respect to the axis C2 so that the pressing surface 171 of the pressing member 170 approaches the axis C2 from above to below. The pressing surface 171 includes a short side 171a and a long side 171b longer than the short side 171a.

Next, the actuator body 151 and the valve body 143 are overlapped by inserting the tip of the actuator body 151 into the inner periphery of the valve body 143. The valve body 143 (the other member) is overlapped so as to cover at least one of the recesses 150e and 150f formed in the circumferential direction of the actuator main body 151 (one member) (overlapping step).

Note that the above-mentioned advance amount measuring step and overlapping amount determining step can be performed as appropriate between the preparation step and the overlapping step.

Next, the pressing member 170 presses the valve body 143 from the outer periphery toward the axis C2. That is, the valve body 143 and the thermoactuator 150 are pressed from the outside in the radial direction toward the axis C2. The overlapping portions of the thermoactuator 150 and the valve body 143 are caulked by pressing (caulking process).

In the caulking process, the pressing surface 171 is oriented such that the short side 171a is substantially parallel to the recess 150e, and the long side 171b is oriented to intersect the recess 150e.

As the rod 61a moves forward, the stroke sensor 63 detects the mark 61b. The control unit 64, which has received information from the stroke sensor 63 that the mark 61b has been detected, determines that the stroke amount of the pressing surface 171 has reached a predetermined stroke amount (determination step). The control unit 64 determines that the stroke amount of the pressing surface 171 has not reached the predetermined stroke amount until it receives information from the stroke sensor 63 that the mark 61b has been detected. When the predetermined stroke amount is reached, the control section 64 moves the rod 61a backward.

The valve body 143 is deformed and a portion thereof enters the recesses 150e and 150f. Thereby, the valve body 143 is fastened to the thermoactuator 150.

The predetermined effects of the present invention can also be obtained in the thermovalve manufacturing method described above.

Next, a modification of the embodiment described above will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the embodiment described above, and detailed explanations are omitted.

See FIG. 12A. The lower end of the thermoactuator 50 (the other member) has a pressed surface E1 that is pressed by the pressing surface 71. The pressed surface E1 is formed in a tapered shape that narrows (the diameter becomes smaller) from the overlapping portion of the thermoactuator 50 and the valve body 43 toward the upper end 50u of the thermoactuator 50 (the end of the other member). There is.

See FIG. 12B. The upper end of the valve body 143 (the other member) has a pressed surface E2 that is pressed by the pressing surface 171. The pressed surface E2 is formed in a tapered shape that narrows (the diameter becomes smaller) from the overlapping portion of the thermoactuator 150 and the valve body 143 toward the lower end 143d of the valve body 143 (the end of the other member). There is.

The predetermined effects of the present invention can also be obtained in the thermovalve manufacturing method described above.

Furthermore, the pressed surfaces E1 and E2 are formed in a tapered shape that narrows (the diameter becomes smaller) from the overlapping portion toward the end of the other member. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the load from escaping in the direction along the axis C2 during the caulking process. Thereby, the thermoactuators 50, 150 and the valve bodies 43, 143 can be connected with higher strength.

Although the thermovalve according to the present invention has been described based on an example used in an oil pump, the thermovalve may be installed in other devices and is not limited to these types.

Furthermore, although the thermovalve has been described as one that closes the bypass passage when the temperature is high, it may also be one that closes the bypass passage when the temperature is low. In this case, the flow path can be reliably opened at a predetermined temperature.

In addition, although the thermovalve has been described as having a case 41, even in a thermoactuator that does not have a case 41, the valve body can be attached to an accurate position. In this case, the case hole for discharging the oil may be provided in the oil flow path 10 or the housing 30 instead of in the case 41.

That is, the present invention is not limited to the examples as long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved.

The thermovalve manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for a flow control valve used in an oil flow path of a vehicle.

40... Thermo valve 43... Valve body (one member), 43e, 43f... Recessed portion 50... Thermo actuator (other member), 50u... Upper end (end of the other member)
60, 160... Jig 71, 171... Pressing surface, 71a, 171a... Short side part, 71b, 171b... Long side part 143... Valve body (other member), 143d... Lower end part (end part of the other member)
150... Thermoactuator (one member), 150e, 150f... Concave portion E1, E2... Pressed surface C2... Axis center

Claims (2)

A preparation step of preparing a thermoactuator, a valve body, and a jig having a pressing surface including a short side and a long side that is longer than the short side;
An overlapping step of overlapping one of the prepared thermoactuators and the valve body so as to cover the recess formed along the circumferential direction of the other member;
A crimping step in which the short side is made substantially parallel to the recess, the long side crosses the recess, and the pressing surface presses the overlapped portion of the thermoactuator and the valve body. and,
When performing the caulking step with the other member disposed above the one member, the pressing surface extends from the overlapping portion of the one member and the other member to the upper end of the other member. A method of manufacturing a thermovalve, characterized in that the thermovalve is inclined with respect to the axis so as to gradually approach the axis toward the end. The other member has a pressed surface that is pressed by the pressing surface,
2. The method of manufacturing a thermovalve according to claim 1, wherein the pressed surface is formed in a tapered shape that narrows from the overlapping portion toward the end of the other member.

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