JPH07224758A - Quantitative valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To vary both an intermittent time and a discharge quantity easily per case of lubrication. CONSTITUTION:A quantitative valve is formed with a piston 12 for discharging oil according to a stroke S, a movable body 20 being driven and advancing in and retreating from the movement passage of the piston 12 and for making the stroke S of the piston 12 variable and a drive portion 23 for driving the movable member 20 and a sensor 28 is provided for sensing whether the movable member 20 is in a designated position as well as whether the piston 12 is in the movement passage of the piston 12 or not. Easy correspondence can be performed in a lubricating system in which required oil quantity of a lubricating part differs per the case of lubrication and a lubricating system in which the oil is required to be supplied in a different time interval per lubricating part by driving the movable member 20 by the drive portion 23 and setting the oil discharge quantity within a designated range including zero.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metering valve that supplies a fixed amount of lubricating oil every time it is lubricated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a metering valve, for example, a piston for discharging oil corresponding to a stroke is provided,
There is one in which the stroke of the piston is made variable by manually advancing / retreating the adjusting rod in the movement path of the piston to make it possible to adjust the discharge amount (for example, the actual opening number 61-20).
No. 994 publication).

Such a metering valve is used, for example, in a lubrication system as shown in FIG. In this lubrication system, a plurality of metering valves V (V1 to Vn) are piped, and oil is intermittently supplied from the pump 1 to the pipes so that a predetermined amount of oil is discharged at every lubrication. By the way, at the lubrication point, the required oil amount may change. Therefore, the discharge amount of the metering valve V is changed at the time of change so as to correspond to the required oil amount at the lubrication point.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional lubrication system using a metering valve, the metering valve is operated under the condition that it is desired to supply oil at different time intervals for each lubricating point. When it is desired to make the intermittent time of V different for each quantitative valve V, specifically, for example, the quantitative valve V1 has an intermittent time of 2 minutes, and the quantitative valve V2 has an intermittent time of 3 minutes.
However, there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to cope with the case where it is desired to discharge the metering valve V3 with an intermittent time of 4 minutes.

Further, when it is desired to change the discharge amount of the metering valve V for every lubrication under the condition that the required oil amount at the lubrication part differs for each lubrication, for example, the metering valve V
The discharge amount of 1 is 1cc for the first time, 3cc for the second time, and 3c for the third time.
When it is desired to discharge c, 4 cc for the second time, 2 cc for the fifth time, etc., it is difficult to manually adjust the adjusting rod for each lubrication, so there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to handle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a metering valve capable of easily changing both the intermittent time and the discharge amount for each lubrication.

[0007]

The technical means of the present invention for solving the above problem is driven in a metering valve provided with a piston for discharging oil in a predetermined range including zero corresponding to a stroke. And a drive unit that drives the movable body, which moves back and forth in the movement path of the piston to make the stroke of the piston variable.

If necessary, a sensor is provided for detecting whether or not the piston is present in the moving path of the piston and also for detecting whether or not the movable body is at a predetermined position.

[0009]

According to the metering valve having the above structure, when the movable body is driven by the drive unit, the movable body advances and retreats in the movement path of the piston to make the stroke of the piston variable. As a result, the amount of oil discharged from the metering valve is set within a predetermined range including zero. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with the condition that the required oil amount of the lubrication point is different for each lubrication time or the condition that the oil is required to be supplied at different time intervals for each lubrication point.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A metering valve according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same components as those described above will be designated by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the metering valve V according to the embodiment has a block-shaped main body 2, and an oil supply port 3 from the pump 1 is formed in the main body 2. Further, the main body 2 is provided with a discharge port portion 5 having an oil discharge port 4 and formed with an internally threaded portion for piping. The outlet 3a side passage of the supply port 3 and the inlet 4a side passage of the discharge port 4 are located coaxially. A cylinder 6 is formed in the main body 2, and a valve chamber 7 is formed in which the upper portion of the cylinder 6, the supply port 3 and the discharge port 4 are communicated with each other, and a check valve 10 is housed so as to be axially movable. Has been done. Reference numeral 8 is a communication passage between the cylinder 6 and the valve chamber 7.

The check valve 10 is a cap type valve integrally formed of rubber, which closes the inlet 4a of the discharge port 4 at the time of oil supply and through the communication passage 8 of the cylinder 6 from the outside of the cap-shaped lip 11. Allow the oil to flow into 6,
When the oil is not supplied, the outlet 3a of the supply port 3 is closed to allow the oil to flow from the cylinder 6 to the discharge port 4 through the communication passage 8.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a piston, which is a sliding member 13 which slides on the inner wall of the cylinder 6 and is located on the upper side of the cylinder 6.
And a sliding body 13 fixed to the lower side of the cylinder 6 and having a piston rod 14 coaxial with the cylinder 6 and storing oil flowing in through the communication passage 8 of the cylinder 6 when moving to the lower side. While forming the chamber 15, the oil stored in the cylinder chamber 15 is discharged through the communication passage 8 of the cylinder 6 when moving to the upper side. Reference numeral 16 denotes a lower wall of the cylinder 6, through which the piston rod 14 penetrates. A coil spring 17 is interposed between the sliding body 13 and the lower wall 16 and constantly biases the sliding body 13 and the piston rod 14 to the upper side. Reference numeral 18 denotes a moving chamber which is provided in the main body 2 and in which the end of the piston rod 14 protruding from the lower wall 16 can move.

20 is driven to advance and retreat to the moving path of the end portion 14a of the piston rod 14 of the piston 12 and the piston 1
It is a movable body that makes the stroke S of 2 variable. Movable body 2
0 is formed by a male screw coaxial with the piston rod 14,
It is supported by a holder 21 that is engaged with a spline so as to slide forward and backward in the axial direction. And this movable body 20 is
The position of the end portion 14a of the piston rod 14 is regulated by the tip 20a depending on the stop position in the moving chamber 18, and the stroke S of the piston 12 is made variable in the range from the maximum value to the minimum value (zero).

Reference numeral 23 is a drive unit for driving the movable body 20. The drive unit 23 has a female screw portion that is provided inside the main body 2 and that is screwed into the movable body 20, has a gear formed on the outside, and is driven at a fixed position to drive the movable body 20 to move forward and backward.
And a drive gear 25 that meshes with the driven gear 24 to rotate the driven gear 24, and a drive gear 25 attached to the outside of the main body 2.
And a well-known step motor 26 for rotating the. 27 is a cover for covering the step motor 26.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a photoelectric sensor, for example, provided in the moving chamber 18 for detecting the tip 20a of the movable body 20 at the origin position P and detecting whether or not the movable body 20 is at the origin position P. . The origin position P is, for example, the piston 1
When 2 is at the top dead center, the movable body 20 is advanced to bring the end portion 14a of the piston rod 14 into contact with the tip 20a of the movable body 20, and the contact point is set to the origin position P. The origin position P is not limited to this, and may be provided anywhere in the movement path of the movable body 20. The sensor 28 also has a function of detecting the end portion 14a of the piston rod 14 and detecting whether or not the piston 12 is present in the moving path of the piston 12.

This metering valve is used in a lubrication system as shown in FIGS. This lubrication system
Discharge rate metering valve V (V1 to Vn) according to the lubrication point
A plurality of pipes are provided, and oil is intermittently supplied from the pump 1 to the pipes so that the oil is discharged at every lubrication.

In this lubrication system, as shown in FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 is a control unit for activating the drive unit 23 for each lubrication and positioning the movable body 20 at a required position. In the control unit 30, 31 is a discharge information storage means for storing discharge information of the metering valve V at the time of lubrication. As the discharge information, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a time table that defines a discharge amount (unit cc) including zero for each elapsed time of each metering valve V is stored. In this example, 1 cc of the metering valve V1 is discharged for 2 minutes, and the metering valve V2 is
For example, 3 cc is discharged for 3 minutes, the fixed quantity valve V3 discharges different discharge quantity for 4 minutes, and the constant quantity valve Vn discharges different discharge quantity for different intermittent times.

Reference numeral 32 is a movable body position calculating means for calculating the stop position of the movable body 20 at each lubrication time based on the discharge information stored in the discharge information storage means 31. The movable body position calculation means 32 calculates the number of rotation steps for moving the movable body 20, for example, from a reference position Q described later. Reference numeral 33 is operation command means for issuing an operation command to the drive section 23 so as to drive the movable body 20 to the stop position calculated by the movable body position calculation means 32. Based on the detection of the sensor 28, the operation command means 33 drives the movable body 20 toward the origin position P and also has a reference position Q having a predetermined relationship with the origin position P.
(In the embodiment, the position is the origin position P.) The primary operation command means 34 for issuing a primary operation command to stop the movable body 20 from the reference position Q to the stop position calculated by the movable body position calculation means 32. And a secondary operation command means 35 for issuing a next operation command. Primary operation command means 34
Issues a command to drive the movable body 20 toward the origin position P when the sensor 28 detects that the movable body 20 is absent after power-on, and issues a command to move the movable body 20 backward when the sensor 28 detects the presence. After that, when the sensor 28 detects the absence, it has a function of issuing a command to drive the movable body 20 toward the origin position P.

Reference numeral 36 is an operation state quality determination means 36 for determining the quality of the operation state of the metering valve V based on the detection of the sensor 28. After the primary operation instructing means 34 detects the presence of the sensor 28, the operating state quality determining means 36 issues an instruction to retract the movable body 20, and then the sensor 2
When the presence of 8 is detected, it is determined that the movable body 20 has not retracted or the piston rod 14 remains, and an abnormality signal is transmitted. Further, in the metering valve V having a stroke S other than zero, when the sensor 28 detects the absence after the driving of the pump 1, it is determined that the piston rod 14 does not move and oil is not stored, and an abnormality signal is sent. Furthermore, after the pump 1 is stopped, when the sensor 28 detects the presence, it is determined that the piston rod 14 does not move and the oil is not discharged, and an abnormality signal is sent. A display unit 37 has a function of receiving an abnormality signal and displaying the abnormality.

Reference numeral 40 denotes pump drive timing calculation means for calculating the drive timing of the pump 1 for supplying oil to the metering valve V based on the discharge information stored in the discharge information storage means 31. That is, according to the timetable shown in FIG. 4, the pump 1 is driven during the time when any one of the quantitative valves V discharges, and the pump 1 is not driven when all the quantitative valves V do not discharge. Is. Reference numeral 41 is a pump drive command signal transmission means for transmitting a pump drive command signal for driving the pump 1 at the drive timing calculated by the pump drive timing calculation means 40. The control unit 30 also includes a pump stop command signal sending means 42 for sending a pump stop command signal for stopping the pump 1 when a predetermined time has elapsed after sending the pump drive command signal. The function of the control unit 30 is realized by the function of a CPU or the like of a microcomputer or the like.

Next, the operation of the metering valve according to the embodiment will be described.
The operation of the lubrication system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the power is turned on (5-1), the sensor 28 always detects, and the primary operation instruction means 34 of the operation instruction means 33 moves the movable body when the sensor 28 detects the absence (5-2N). A command is issued to drive 20 toward the origin position P (5-3). Also,
When the sensor 28 detects the presence (5-2Y), a command to retract the movable body 20 is issued (5-4), and when the sensor 28 detects the absence (5-5N), the movable body 2 is detected.
A command is issued to drive 0 toward the origin position P (5-
3). That is, the movable body 20 is returned once and then moved to the origin position P. Then, after issuing a command to drive the movable body 20 toward the origin position P, when the presence of the sensor 28 is detected (5-7), it is assumed that the movable body 20 is located at the origin position P and the reference position Q ( In the embodiment, it is stopped at the origin position P) (5-8).

When the sensor 28 detects the presence (5-5Y) after issuing a command to retract the movable body 20 to return the movable body 20 once (5-5Y), the operating state pass / fail judgment means 36 moves. When it is determined that the body 20 has not retracted or the piston rod 14 remains, an abnormality signal is output and displayed on the display unit 37.

Next, the movable body position calculation means 32 calculates the stop position of the movable body 20 at each lubrication time based on the discharge information stored in the discharge information storage means 31 (5-9). That is, the discharge amount of each metering valve V at the corresponding time is searched from the time table shown in FIG. 4, and the number of rotation steps of the step motor 26 corresponding to this discharge amount is calculated. Further, the pump drive timing calculation means 40 is used by the discharge information storage means 31.
The drive timing of the pump 1 that supplies oil to the metering valve V is calculated based on the discharge information stored in (5-
9). That is, from the time table shown in FIG. 4, when any one of the fixed quantity valves V discharges, the pump 1 is driven (driving is executed), and when the discharge quantity of all the fixed quantity valves V is zero, the pump 1 is driven. Suppose not to drive.

Then, the secondary operation command means 35 of the operation command means 33 issues a secondary operation command, and the movable body 20 moves from the reference position Q to the stop position calculated by the movable body position calculation means 32.
Is driven (5-10). As a result, the movable body 20 is positioned at a corresponding position that determines the stroke S of the piston 12. After that, the pump drive command signal sending means 41
From the above, a pump drive command signal is transmitted, and the pump 1 is driven at the drive timing calculated by the pump drive timing calculation means 40 (5-11).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, oil is supplied from the supply port 3, the check valve 10 is moved by the pressure of the supplied oil, the discharge port 4 is closed, and the lip 11 is contracted inward. Diameter and allow oil to pass through. The oil passed through the communication passage 8 and the piston 12 to the spring 1
It is pressed against the biasing force of 7 and is stored in the cylinder chamber 15 formed by this pressing. When the piston 12 moves to the lower side and the piston rod 14 comes into contact with the movable body 20, the piston 12 stops and the oil for the stroke S of the piston 12 is stored.

At this time, the operating condition pass / fail judgment means 36
After driving the pump 1, the presence or absence of detection by the sensor 28 is checked,
When the absence is detected (5-12N), it is determined that the piston 12 does not move and the oil is not stored, and an abnormality signal is sent and displayed on the display unit 37 (5-13).

When a predetermined time has elapsed after sending the drive command signal, a pump stop command signal for stopping the pump 1 is sent to stop the pump 1 (5-14). When the pump 1 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 1, the urging force of the spring 17 pushes the stored oil in the piston 12, and the pressure of the oil moves the check valve 10 to close the supply port 3 so that the oil continues. Discharge from the discharge port 4 through the passage 8,
Oil corresponding to the stroke S of the piston 12 is discharged from the discharge port 4.

At this time, the operating condition quality determining means 36 is
Checking whether or not the sensor 28 is detected after the pump 1 is stopped,
When the presence is detected (5-15Y), the piston rod 14
Is determined not to move and oil is not discharged, an abnormal signal is sent and displayed on the display unit 37 (5-16). When the sensor 28 detects the absence (5-15N), it is determined that the discharge is completed (5-17), and the primary operation command means 34
Issues a command to drive the movable body 20 toward the origin position P, and performs the same control as above.

In this way, the above operation is repeated. Accordingly, when the condition is such that oil is to be supplied at different time intervals for each lubrication point, that is, when the intermittent time of the metering valve V is to be different for each metering valve V, it is possible to easily cope with the situation. Further, when it is desired to change the discharge amount of the metering valve V for each lubrication under the condition that the required oil amount at the lubrication point is different for each lubrication, it is possible to easily cope with the situation.

In the above embodiment, the movable body 20
Is formed by a male screw, but is not necessarily limited to this, and another form such as a cam may be used. Further, the drive unit 23 is not limited to the one described above, and may be appropriately changed, for example, by using a so-called linear solenoid whose advancing / retreating position can be freely changed. Further, the form of the metering valve is not limited to the one described above, and may be any form.

[0032]

As described above, according to the metering valve of the present invention, since the movable body and the drive unit for driving the movable body are provided, it is possible to easily control the amount of oil discharged from the metering valve by controlling the drive unit. Therefore, in various lubrication systems, it is possible to set the discharge amount for each lubrication system when the required oil amount at the lubrication point is different for each lubrication system. It is possible to respond by discharging oil from.

Further, since the amount of oil discharged from the metering valve can be easily set to zero by controlling the drive unit, in various lubrication systems, it is desirable to supply oil at different time intervals for each lubrication point. At this time, it is possible to easily cope with the problem by prolonging the intermittent time in a timely manner and making the intermittent time of the quantitative valve different for each quantitative valve. That is,
Both the intermittent time of the metering valve and the discharge amount can be easily changed for each lubrication, and proper lubrication with less waste can be performed in accordance with the lubrication condition for each lubrication point.

Furthermore, when a sensor for detecting the piston and the movable body is provided, the sensor also has the function of detecting the piston and the movable body. Assembling becomes easy, and space saving and cost reduction can be achieved. Further, as a result, it is possible to judge whether the operating states of both the piston and the movable body are good or bad, so that the lubrication can be surely confirmed and the safety can be made extremely high.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a metering valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a metering valve according to an embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a side view and (b) is a bottom view.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a lubrication system in which a metering valve according to an embodiment of the present invention is used.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of discharge information of a metering valve stored in a discharge information storage means in a control unit of a lubrication system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the lubrication system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a lubrication system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 V (V1 to Vn) Metering valve 1 Pump 2 Main body 3 Supply port 4 Discharge port 6 Cylinder 7 Valve chamber 8 Communication passage 10 Check valve 12 Piston 13 Sliding body 14 Piston rod 16 Lower wall 17 Spring 18 Moving chamber 20 Movable body S Stroke 23 Drive unit 26 Step motor 28 Sensor 30 Control unit P Origin position Q Reference position

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A fixed valve having a piston that discharges oil in a predetermined range including zero corresponding to a stroke, and a movable body that is driven to advance and retreat to a moving path of the piston to make the stroke of the piston variable. A metering valve comprising: a drive unit for driving the. 2. A sensor for detecting whether or not the piston is present in the moving path of the piston, and further comprising a sensor for detecting whether or not the movable body is at a predetermined position. The metering valve described in 2.