JPH10227372A - Thermostat valve device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To open and close a valve with speed and certainty in a thermostat valve device which has function for varying opening temperature. SOLUTION: A thermostat main body 23 is arranged on an opening 21a of a housing 21, which thermostat main body 23 moves a piston rod 29 by the use of volume fluctuation of wax housed inside a temperature sensing case 27 due to temperature fluctuation. The piston rod 29 is arranged on an inner side of the temperature sensing case 27. A main valve 41 is arranged outside the thermostat main body 23 for opening and closing the opening 21a interlockingly with the movement of the temperature sensing case 27. In such a thermostat valve device, a support member 69 which supports a leading end of the piston rod 29 penetrates the housing 21 in a movable manner in an axial direction. A moving means 71 is arranged for moving the support member 69.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a thermostat valve device, and more particularly to a thermostat valve device having a function of changing a valve opening temperature.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an engine cooling system of an automobile,
In order to keep the temperature of the cooling water at a predetermined temperature, a thermostat valve device for controlling the flow of the cooling water to the radiator side is arranged. However, in the conventional general thermostat valve device, in consideration of the safety of the engine, the valve opening temperature can be set only to a relatively low constant value of, for example, about 80 ° C., which causes a problem in the combustion efficiency of the engine. Had become.

That is, by setting the valve opening temperature to a relatively high value of, for example, about 90 ° C., it becomes possible to increase the combustion efficiency of the engine. However, in this case, the safety of the engine is a problem. become. In other words, even if the water temperature is increased during low load of the engine during normal running and the combustion efficiency is improved, if the load suddenly increases, the time delay until the water temperature rises, and the reaction speed of the wax decreases. The valve opening is delayed and overheating occurs.

Conventionally, as a thermostat valve device which solves such a problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
The one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2006-26095 is known. FIG. 4 shows a thermostat valve device disclosed in this publication.
In this device, a thermostat main body 2 is housed in a housing 1. The thermostat body 2 has a temperature-sensitive case 4 in which the wax 3 is accommodated, and a piston rod 5 that is moved by a volume change due to the temperature of the wax 3 accommodated in the temperature-sensitive case 4.

The temperature-sensitive case 4 is fixed to a horizontal web 7 via a holder 6, and a main valve 8 is attached to the piston rod 5.
And the bypass valve 9 is fixed. In this thermostat valve device, the electric heater 10 is arranged in the temperature-sensitive case 4.

In such a thermostat valve device, the valve opening temperature is, for example, 90 ° C. under a normal engine load.
When the load on the engine is likely to increase rapidly, the electric heater 10 is turned on to forcibly heat the wax 3 contained in the temperature-sensitive case 4. Thus, the valve can be opened without waiting for the temperature of the engine cooling water to rise, and the safety of the engine can be ensured.

Since the valve opening temperature can be set to a relatively high value, for example, about 90 ° C.,
The generation of hydrocarbons and the like in the exhaust gas of the engine can be reduced, and the fuel consumption can be improved.

[0008]

However, in such a conventional thermostat valve device, the wax 3 in the temperature sensitive case 4 is heated by the electric heater 10 to change the valve opening temperature. There is a problem that the time constant of the wax 3 is relatively gradual, which is an obstacle to performing high water temperature control.

That is, generally, the high water temperature control is performed when the engine load is low. However, when the engine load suddenly becomes high load, there is no margin in the limit water temperature. It takes a long time to increase the flow rate of cooling water to the engine, and there is a problem that the engine may be overheated. The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and enables quick opening and closing of a valve.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermostat valve device that can reliably perform the operation.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermostat valve device having a thermostat main body for moving a piston rod in an opening of a housing by utilizing a volume change due to a temperature of wax contained in a thermosensitive case. A thermostat comprising: a main valve for arranging the piston rod inside the thermosensitive case; and a main valve for opening and closing the opening in conjunction with movement of the thermosensitive case outside the thermostat body. In the valve device, a support member that supports the distal end of the piston rod is disposed so as to be movable in an axial direction through the housing, and a moving unit that moves the support member is disposed. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermostat valve device according to the first aspect, wherein the support member is capable of being separated from a distal end surface of the piston rod. The thermostat valve device according to claim 3 is the thermostat valve device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving means includes a screw member fixed to the housing and screwed with the support member, and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the support member. And a motor that rotates through the motor.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermostat valve device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a bypass valve is arranged in the thermostat body.

In the thermostat valve device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the volume of the wax in the temperature-sensitive case changes due to the temperature change during the standard control, the tip of the piston rod is supported by the support member. The temperature-sensitive case moves due to the volume expansion of the wax due to the above, and the opening is opened and closed by a main valve fixed to the temperature-sensitive case side.

In other words, it works as the same function as a usual conventional thermostat. In the thermostat valve device according to the second aspect, at the time of high water temperature control in which the temperature of the cooling water is controlled to be higher,
The support member is moved to the side opposite to the piston rod by the moving means, and the distance between the support member and the distal end surface of the piston rod is set to be larger than that at the time of the standard control, thereby increasing the valve opening temperature and maintaining this movement state. The water temperature is controlled by volume expansion of the wax so as to control the temperature at the target water temperature.

At the time of high water temperature control, there is no allowance for the engine limit water temperature, and when the load of the engine suddenly increases, the system overheats while waiting for the water temperature to rise. Control is performed, the support member is moved to the piston rod side by the moving means, and the main valve fixed to the temperature-sensitive case is quickly opened by pressing the tip of the piston rod.

In the thermostat valve device according to the third aspect, when the motor is driven by the control device for inputting various states of the engine, the support member screwed to the screw member is rotated via the transmission mechanism, and the support member is rotated. Is moved in the axial direction. In the thermostat valve device according to the fourth aspect, the bypass valve is arranged in the thermostat main body, and the bypass passage is opened and closed.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the thermostat valve device of the present invention, and reference numeral 21 denotes
FIG. 2 shows a pipe-shaped housing constituting a conduit for guiding cooling water for an internal combustion engine to a radiator.

A thermostat main body 23 is arranged on the center axis of the opening 21a of the housing 21.
As shown in FIG. 2, the thermostat main body 23 includes a temperature-sensitive case 27
5 and a piston rod 29 moved by a volume change due to temperature.

The temperature sensing case 27 includes a piston rod 29.
Is fixed by caulking. A diaphragm 3 is provided between the guide member 31 and the temperature sensing case 27.
3 are arranged.

A semi-fluid 35, a rubber piston 37, and a Teflon piston 39 are sequentially arranged between the diaphragm 33 of the guide member 31 and the piston rod 29. The piston rod 29 is disposed inside the temperature-sensitive case 27, as shown in FIG. Outside the guide member 31 of the thermostat main body 23, a main valve 4 that opens and closes the opening 21a in conjunction with the movement of the temperature-sensitive case 27 is provided.
1 is arranged.

The main valve 41 has a seal packing 45 on the outer peripheral side of an annular main body member 43. Body member 4
3 is supported and fixed to the guide member 31 via a seal member 47. A retainer 49 is provided outside the thermosensitive case 27.
Is arranged. The upper end of the retainer 49 is fixed to the opening 21a of the housing 21.

The seal packing 45 is provided between the retainer 49 and the seal packing 45 of the main valve 41.
A coil spring 55 that presses to the side is disposed.
A bypass valve 61 that opens and closes a cooling water bypass passage 59 is disposed below the retainer 49. The bypass valve 61 has a stopper 63 fixed to the protruding portion of the temperature-sensitive case 27 and a valve body 65 whose inner periphery is in contact with the upper surface of the stopper 63.

A coil spring 67 for pressing the valve 65 toward the stopper 63 is disposed between the valve 65 and the temperature sensing case 27. In this embodiment, a support member 69 for supporting the distal end of the piston rod 29 is provided.
Are disposed so as to be able to move in the axial direction through the housing 21, and to move the support member 69.
1 is arranged.

That is, a boss 21d is formed integrally with the housing 21 at a position facing the tip of the piston rod 29 so as to protrude outward. A through hole 21e is formed in the boss 21d, and a support member 69 is inserted through the through hole 21e. The packing 73 and the bush 75 are accommodated in the through hole 21e.

A screw member 77 is disposed above the bush 75. The screw member 77 has a boss 2
1d, and the screw portion 6 of the support member 69
9a is screwed. The packing 73 is pressed and fixed by a screw member 77 via a bush 75.

A concave portion 69b is formed on the lower end surface of the support member 69, and the tip of the piston rod 29 is inserted into the concave portion 69b. The piston rod 29 has a recess 69b
The bottom surface of the concave portion 69b of the support member 69 can be separated from the distal end surface of the piston rod 29. In this embodiment, the moving means 71 has the above-mentioned screw member 77 fixed to the housing 21 and screwed to the support member 69, and a motor 81 for rotating the support member 69 via the transmission mechanism 79. .

The transmission mechanism 79 has a gear 79a fixed to the end of the support member 69 and a gear 79b fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 81, and a transmission gear 79c between these gears 79a, 79b. , 79d, 79e are interposed.
In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 79 and the motor 8
1 is housed in a case 83 fixed to the housing 21.

The driving of the motor 81 is performed based on signals from an engine control unit (ECU) which performs various controls by inputting various signals of the engine.
The motor 8 is controlled by the engine control unit.
1 is driven, the screw member 7 is transmitted via the transmission mechanism 79.
7 is rotated, and the support member 69 is rotated.
Is moved in the axial direction.

FIG. 3 shows a control mode of the above-described thermostat valve device. Standard control, high water temperature control and high responsiveness control are performed using the thermostat valve device. The basis of these controls is that after the support member 69 is fixed at the set valve opening temperature, opening and closing are performed by moving the temperature sensitive case 27 due to a change in the volume of the wax 25, and overshoot and hunting are attenuated. However, the movement of the support member 69 is not performed during the time when the water temperature decreases at a constant load.

However, when the center value water temperature of the damping amplitude does not reach the target water temperature, control is performed to further finely move the support member 69 to quickly make the water temperature constant. Here, the standard control is similar to the conventional one.
The control is such that the main valve 41 starts to be opened at the cooling water temperature T1 (80 ° C.), and the main valve 41 is fully opened at the cooling water temperature T1 + ΔTL (about 10 ° C.).

In this standard control, the upper end of the piston rod 29 is in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion 69b of the support member 69,
Until the wax 25 in the temperature sensing case 27 reaches the temperature T1, the main valve 41 is fully closed, the bypass valve 61 is fully opened, and the cooling water is circulated from the bypass passage 59 to the engine side (N- in the figure).
1). When the temperature of the wax 25 in the temperature sensitive case 27 reaches the temperature T1 + ΔTL, the main valve 41 is fully opened and the bypass valve 6 is opened.
1 is fully closed, and the cooling water is circulated from the housing 21 to the radiator side (N-2 in the figure).

The high water temperature control is a control for setting a high water temperature of the cooling water. At the time of the high water temperature control, the supporting member 69 is moved to the opposite side of the piston rod 29 by the moving means 71, and the supporting member 69 is moved. The distance between the piston rod 29 and the tip end surface of the piston rod 29 is set larger by X than in the standard control, thereby increasing the valve opening temperature (H-1 in the figure).

That is, in this high water temperature control, the temperature T1
In the embodiment, a space X is formed between the support member 69 and the distal end surface of the piston rod 29, and the temperature of the wax 25 is
At 1 + ΔTX, the support member 69 and the distal end surface of the piston rod 29 come into contact with each other (H-2 in the drawing). And after this,
The main valve 41 starts to open, and the main valve 41 is fully opened at the temperature T1 + ΔTX + ΔTL (H-3 in the figure).

The X dimension is set by the engine control unit. When the X dimension is fixed, self control is performed by a change in the temperature of the wax 25. The high responsiveness control is performed, for example, when the load of the engine suddenly increases during the high water temperature control. The support member 69 is moved by the moving means 71 toward the piston rod 29 by the distance Y, and the tip of the piston rod 29 is moved. By pressing, the main valve 41 fixed to the temperature sensing case 27 is quickly opened (M-1 in the figure).

That is, when the load on the engine suddenly increases during the high water temperature control, the time constant of the wax 25
Since it takes time to close the valve and there is a risk of overheating, the valve can be fully opened even in the high water temperature control H-2 state.
For example, in a short time of about 5 seconds, the supporting member 69 is moved by the moving means 71 toward the piston rod 29 by the distance Y, and the main valve 41 is fully opened.

In this case, since the self-control of the wax 25 is performed with the passage of time, control is performed to return the support member 69 to the X-dimensional position at a speed corresponding to the time constant of the wax 25 (FIG. M-2). In the thermostat valve device configured as described above, the piston rod 29
Since the supporting member 69 for supporting the tip of the supporting member 69 is disposed so as to be movable in the axial direction through the housing 21 and the moving means 71 for moving the supporting member 69 is arranged, the supporting member 69 is moved by the moving means 71. Thus, opening and closing of the main valve 41 can be performed quickly and reliably.

Accordingly, it is possible to quickly and reliably perform high-responsiveness control. Further, in the above-described thermostat valve device, the support member 69 can be separated from the distal end surface of the piston rod 29, so that the distance between the support member 69 and the distal end surface of the piston rod 29 is set to be larger than that in the standard control. High water temperature control becomes possible easily.

Further, in the above-described thermostat valve device, the moving means 71 includes a screw member 77 fixed to the housing 21 and screwed with the support member 69, and a motor 81 for rotating the support member 69 via a transmission mechanism 79. Therefore, the highly reliable moving means 71 can be easily and reliably obtained. In the thermostat valve device described above, the bypass valve 61 is disposed in the thermostat main body 23, so that the bypass passage 59 can be opened and closed.

In the above-described embodiment, the support member 6
Although the example in which 9 is provided separately from the piston rod 29 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the support member and the piston rod may be formed integrally. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a diaphragm type thermostat valve device has been described.However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and for example, an accumulator type thermostat valve device may be used. Can be applied.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the motor 81 is used for the moving means 71 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. May be used. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the cooling water flows to the radiator side by opening the valve has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the cooling water flows from the radiator side by opening the valve. You may do it.

[0041]

As described above, in the thermostat valve device according to the first aspect, the support member that supports the tip of the piston rod is disposed so as to be movable in the axial direction through the housing, and the support member is moved. I have arranged the transportation means to
The opening and closing of the valve can be quickly and reliably performed by moving the support member by the moving means.

In the thermostat valve device according to the second aspect, since the supporting member can be separated from the distal end surface of the piston rod, the distance between the supporting member and the distal end surface of the piston rod is set to be larger than that at the time of the standard control, thereby increasing the height. Water temperature control becomes easy. In the thermostat valve device according to claim 3,
Since the moving means is composed of a screw member fixed to the housing and screwed with the supporting member, and a motor for rotating the supporting member via a transmission mechanism, a highly reliable moving means can be easily and reliably obtained. it can. In the thermostat valve device according to the fourth aspect, since the bypass valve is disposed in the thermostat main body, the bypass passage can be opened and closed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of a thermostat valve device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the thermostat main body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a control mode of the thermostat valve device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional thermostat valve device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Housing 21a Opening part 23 Thermostat main body 25 Wax 27 Temperature sensitive case 29 Piston rod 41 Main valve 61 Bypass valve 69 Support member 71 Moving means 77 Screw member 79 Transmission mechanism 81 Motor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An opening (21a) in a housing (21).
First, the wax (2) stored in the temperature-sensitive case (27)
5) A thermostat main body (23) for moving the piston rod (29) using the volume change due to temperature is arranged, and the piston rod (29) is arranged inside the thermosensitive case (27). On the outside of the thermostat body (23), a main valve (4) for opening and closing the opening (21a) in conjunction with the movement of the thermosensitive case (27).
In the thermostat valve device having the arrangement (1), a support member (69) for supporting a tip of the piston rod (29) is arranged so as to be movable in an axial direction through the housing (21), The support member (6
9) A thermostat valve device comprising a moving means (71) for moving the thermostatic valve. 2. The thermostatic valve device according to claim 1, wherein the support member (69) is connected to the piston rod (29).
A thermostatic valve device capable of being separated from a tip end surface of the thermostat valve. 3. The thermostat valve device according to claim 1, wherein said moving means (71) is fixed to said housing (21) and said support member (6).
A thermostat valve device comprising: a screw member (77) to which the component (9) is screwed; and a motor (81) for rotating the support member (69) via a transmission mechanism (79). 4. The thermostat valve device according to claim 1, wherein a bypass valve (61) is provided in the thermostat body (23).
The thermostat valve device characterized by disposing.