WO2015091774A1

WO2015091774A1 - Valve for controlling circulation with retaining ring of a sealing segment with optimised support

Info

Publication number: WO2015091774A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/078433
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emmanuel Talon; Benoît MAURICE; Laurent SOUYRI
Original assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques
Priority date: 2013-12-19
Filing date: 2014-12-18
Publication date: 2015-06-25
Also published as: FR3015619A1; FR3015619B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a barrel for a control valve (10) for a fluid-circulation circuit, said barrel (26) including a sealing segment (30) generally in the form of an angular portion of a cylindrical shell (39) capable of sealingly opening/closing the side openings of the valve body in accordance with the angular position of the barrel such as to allow/interrupt the delivery of the fluid through said side openings, said barrel also including a retaining ring forming a spring (40), said retaining ring being capable of exerting a resilient return force which makes it possible to separate the free ends of said angular portion of the cylindrical shell (41, 43) from one another, said retaining ring comprising two parallel vertical arms (44, 46) which are secured in corresponding receiving grooves (48, 50) of said sealing segment (30), said retaining ring and said grooves being configured such as to allow said vertical arms (44, 46) to transmit said force at the medium height of said segment (30).

Description

CIRCULATION CONTROL VALVE WITH SEGMENT RING

SEALING WITH OPTIMIZED SUPPORT

The invention relates to a control valve for a fluid circulation circuit, in particular for a cooling circuit of a motor vehicle engine.

More particularly, the invention relates to a control valve for a fluid circulation circuit, comprising a valve body in a fixing face from which opens a blind axial bore having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall in which at least two open lateral openings.

Said bore receives an axially rotating plug adapted to occupy at least two angular positions to open / close said lateral orifices according to its angular position to allow / interrupt the distribution of the fluid through said lateral orifices, said plug having a rotary mounted axial hub. on an axial shaft extending from the bottom wall of the bore.

A generally angular portion of cylindrical envelope sealing segment coaxially surrounds the hub which it is integral in rotation.

The plug further comprises a spring rod interposed between the two free ends of said angular portion of cylindrical envelope. Said ring is able to exert a transverse elastic return force between said free ends in order to deform said segment radially outwardly to ensure a plating of said sealing segment against the wall of the bore. Said rod comprises a transverse branch on either side of which are arranged two parallel vertical branches which are fixed in corresponding receiving gutters of the sealing segment which extend along the vertical edges of the two free ends of said segment of sealing.

It is already known, according to the international patent application WO-A1-2005/124205, a control valve of this type that can also be described as "rotary valve" since the bushel rotates about an axis of rotation and is received in the bore formed in the valve body. In this known control valve, the bore opens into an attachment face of the valve body via an axial orifice which usually constitutes an inlet for the fluid, while the lateral orifices constitute outlet for the fluid, the distribution of the fluid through the outlet channels being controlled according to the angular position taken by the plug.

This known control valve finds a particular application in the cooling circuits of motor vehicle thermal engines. In this case, the axial orifice, forming fluid inlet, is connected to a cooling fluid inlet from the engine, while the three lateral orifices, fluid outlet, are respectively connected to three branches of the circuit. This circuit comprises for example a first branch which contains a cooling radiator of the engine, a second branch which constitutes a bypass of the cooling radiator and a third branch which contains a heater for heating the passenger compartment.

The control valve described in the application WO-A1-2005/124205 comprises a plug having a hub surrounded by a sealing segment in the form of an angular section of cylindrical envelope which is also integral in rotation with said hub.

To ensure a satisfactory seal of the plug in the bore, it is necessary that the sealing segment is pressed permanently against the wall of the bore.

For this purpose, a U-shaped spring rod, which is generally made of spring steel wire, and which comprises a transverse branch and two vertical branches, is interposed between the two free ends of said angular portion of the casing. cylindrical. For this purpose, the two free ends of the segment comprise gutters for receiving the vertical branches of the ring. Ideally, the ring should solicit the segment all along its vertical branches. However, it has been found that such a result is particularly difficult to achieve. Most often, the ring thus solicits the segment in inappropriate areas giving the segment a taper having a negative effect on the desired seal. The invention overcomes this disadvantage by providing a valve of the type described above, which avoids such a taper effect. For this purpose, the invention proposes a valve for a control valve for a fluid circulation circuit, said valve comprising a sealing segment generally in the form of an angular portion of cylindrical envelope adapted to open / close sealingly orifices lateral of the valve body according to the angular position of the plug to allow / interrupt the distribution of the fluid through said lateral orifices, said plug further comprising a spring rod, said rod being adapted to exert an elastic return force allowing spacing free ends of said angular portion of cylindrical envelope from one another, said ring comprising two parallel vertical branches which are fixed in corresponding receiving grooves of said sealing segment.

According to the invention, said rod and said gutters are configured to allow said vertical branches to transmit said force at mid height of said segment. By "mid-height" means in particular to plus or minus 20% of the middle of the height of the segment. "Segment height" means the dimension of the segment along its longitudinal axis, particularly along its free ends or its largest free end. By applying the force of separation of the free edges of the plug at this level, the cylindrical configuration of the plug is maintained and the sealing of the valve is promoted.

According to other features of the invention that can be taken together or separately:

said vertical branches have a curvature allowing axial displacement of a transmission point of said force by a rolling effect of said branches in said gutters,

- The ring comprises a transverse branch having at each of its ends a connection section to the vertical branches of the ring, said connecting portion being tangent to a general direction of opening of the channel,

the transverse branch comprises an intermediate section located between said connection zones,

said intermediate section is located in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the bushel, the intermediate section is in an arc of circle and has a first determined curvature able to avoid any interference of said intermediate section with a shaft of the valve,

each connecting section forms with the intermediate section a bend, the general opening direction of each gutter is radial,

- The ring is made of a wire which each branch has a cylindrical section,

each receiving groove is shaped as an angular portion of a cylinder of radius corresponding to the section of said wire,

- The ring is a wire ring made of spring steel,

said vertical branches extend along vertical edges of the two free ends of the segment.

The invention also relates to a control valve for a fluid circulation circuit comprising a plug as described above.

Said valve comprises, for example, a valve body in a face which opens a blind axial bore having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall into which said lateral openings open, said bore receiving said plug.

Said ring, in particular its transverse branch, is advantageously mounted near a bottom wall of the bore. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a valve according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is an exploded detail view of a segment and a ring of the valve of Figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the elements inside the bore of the valve of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the segment and the ring of FIG. 2.

In the following description, like reference numerals designate like parts or having similar functions.

FIG. 1 shows a control valve 10 for a fluid circulation circuit, in particular a coolant circulation circuit of a motor vehicle. Such a valve 10 is for example intended to be attached to an engine block of a vehicle, and to be connected to different bodies of the vehicle requiring a supply of coolant.

The valve 10 comprises, in a known manner, a valve body 12 comprising a fixing face 14 on the associated engine block (not shown) of the vehicle. The face 14 is for example a rectified face.

A blind axial bore 16 of the body 12 opens into the face 14. As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, which represent in particular the detail of the elements inside the bore 16 of the valve 10, the bore 16 comprises a bottom wall 18 and a peripheral wall 20 into which at least two lateral ports (not shown) associated with valve conduits connected to different members of the vehicle.

Thus, by way of example and in a nonlimiting manner of the invention, at least two orifices (not shown) associated with conduits 22, 24, visible in FIG. 1, open into the peripheral wall 20 of the bore 16 The ducts 22, 24 may, in a non-limiting manner of the invention, be associated with an engine cooling radiator, a bypass of the cooling radiator, or a heater for heating the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The derivation may include other exchangers.

The bore 16 receives a plug 26 mounted axially rotatable about an axial direction "A". As illustrated in Figure 3, the plug 26 is rotatably mounted on a fixed axial shaft 27 which extends from the bottom wall 18 of the bore. This plug 26 is able to occupy at least two angular positions to open / close the lateral orifices to allow / interrupt the distribution of the fluid through said lateral orifices and consequently through the conduits 22, 24. The control of the angular position of the bushel will be advantageously configured to allow it to occupy any desired angular positions between two end positions.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the plug 26 essentially comprises a hub 28 and a sealing segment 30 in the form of an angular portion of cylindrical envelope, which surrounds said hub 28 and which is rotationally integral with said hub 28. .

For this purpose, in a nonlimiting manner of the invention, the hub 28 comprises a radial arm 32 whose end 34 is received in a notch 36 formed on the surface of an inner periphery 38 of the segment 30.

The plug 26 comprises a rod 40 forming a spring which is interposed between the two free ends 41, 43 of said angular portion of cylindrical envelope. The ring 40 is able to exert a transverse elastic return force between the free ends 41, 43 in order to deform the segment 30 radially outwards in order to ensure that said sealing segment 30 is pressed against the wall 20 of the bore 16 .

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the rod 40 has substantially the shape of a U having a transverse leg 42 on either side of which are arranged two parallel vertical branches 44, 46 which are fixed in corresponding receiving gutters 48, 50 of the sealing segment 30.

Preferably, said vertical branches 44, 46 will not be exactly parallel but will form a slight angle with each other.

According to the invention, said rod 30 and said gutters 48, 50 are configured to allow said vertical branches 44, 46 to transmit said force at mid-height of said segment 30. This avoids deformation of the segment in a conical configuration. In addition, the points of contact between the rod 40 and the gutters 48, 50 are then arranged along the branches 44, 46 of the vertical rod 40. This is the entire length of the branches 44, 46 between the two contact points who works. The vertical branches 44, 46 thus provide a function of damping and distribution of the force along the gutters 48, 50 of reception, which limits the transverse stiffness of the rod 40, which would be too high if only the transverse branch 42 participated in this stiffness.

For this, said vertical branches 44, 46 may have a curvature for axial displacement of a transmission point of said force by a rolling effect of said branches 44, 46 in said gutters 48, 50.

Furthermore, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the transverse branch 42 may have opposite ends 52, 54 of junction with the parallel vertical branches 44, 46.

The gutters 48, 50, visible in particular in FIG. 2, extend here along the vertical edges of the two free ends 41, 43 of the sealing segment 30. In the absence of a particular conformation of the ends 52, 54 of connection of the transverse branch 42 with the vertical branches 44, 46, it has been found that the transverse branch 42 of the rod 40 can urge said vertical branches locally out of the gutters 48, 50. This bias tends to cause a deformation of the branches 48, 50 vertical rods away from each other. Their curvature thus induced then no longer makes it possible to exert a uniformly distributed force on the free ends 41, 43 of the angular portion of cylindrical envelope which forms the segment 30. It then occurs under certain conditions of pressure of the fluid in the Bore 16 of the valve 10 deformation of the segment 30 which then no longer ensures its sealing role.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the ring comprises connecting sections to the vertical branches whose profile is optimized. For this purpose, the transverse branch 42 of the ring comprises at least at each of its ends 52, 54 a section 56, 58 of connection to the vertical branches of the rod which is oriented tangentially to a general direction (D-ι, D ₂ ) of opening of the gutter (48, 50).

To prevent any inappropriate movement of the vertical branches 44, 46 of the ring 40, it suffices that each connection section 56, 58 is oriented in the general direction "D1", "D2" of opening of the associated channel 48, 50. However, in the preferred embodiment of the invention and as shown in Figure 4, the return force exerted by the branches 44, 46 of the spring in the gutters 48, 50 will be optimal if the general direction "D1", "D2" opening of the associated gutter 48, 50 is radial. In this case, the resulting force will be best able to press the segment 30 against the walls of the bore 16.

The connection sections 54 and 56 advantageously make it possible to disengage the transverse branch 42 of the gutters 48, 50. This allows folding of the transverse branch 42 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. In the absence of connection sections 54 and 56, the transverse branch 42 should be arranged above or below the segment 30 and out of the gutters 48, 50 and would be axially more bulky. For this, said connecting portions 54, 56 form, as it were, chamfers between said vertical branches 44, 46 and said transverse branch 42.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the rod 40 is made of a metal wire of which each branch has a cylindrical section, and each receiving groove 48, 50 is shaped in an angular section of cylinder of corresponding radius.

It will be understood that for the branches 44, 46 of the rod 40, enter the gutters 48, 50 and are maintained there the angular opening thereof must be close to 180 °. An opening slightly less than 180 ° can be envisaged to ensure a nesting of the branches 44, 46 in the gutters 48, 50.

The previously mentioned configuration is not limiting of the invention, and the rod 40 could be made of flat wire, the gutters 48, 50 then having a conformal profile. Whatever the section of the ring 40, the ring 40 is preferably made in the form of a wire rod made of spring steel. This configuration makes it possible to confer bending stiffness at the transverse branch 42 in order to exert a transverse return force between the vertical branches 44, 46.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figure 4, the transverse branch 42 has an intermediate portion 60 in a circular arc arranged in the plane "P" perpendicular to the axial direction. This section 60 has a first determined curvature capable of avoiding any interference of said intermediate section 60 with the shaft 27 of the valve. In the particular and nonlimiting case of the invention in which the intermediate section 60 is shaped along an arc of a circle centered on the axis "A" of the shank, the radius of curvature of the section 60 is therefore greater than the radius of the shank 27, and the difference of these two rays is constant. However, it will be understood that the intermediate section 60 shaped in a circular arc is not necessarily centered on the axis "A" of the shaft 27.

Furthermore, each connecting section forms with the intermediate section a bend 62, 64 of a second determined curvature.

Advantageously, it will be noted that the transverse branch 42 of the segment 40 is mounted close to the bottom wall 18 of the bore 16. This configuration makes it possible to avoid any interference of the transverse branch 42 with the attachment face 14 of the body 12 of the valve, especially to prevent a foreign body can not cling to the transverse branch 42 when the valve 10 is mounted on an associated motor unit.

The invention therefore proposes a valve 10, the rod 40 of which provides optimized support for the segment 30, which is thus able to seal the ducts 22, 24 in a sealed manner.

Claims

claims

1. Control valve plug (10) for a fluid circulation circuit, said plug (26) having a sealing segment (30) generally in the form of an angular portion of a cylindrical envelope (39) adapted to open / close in a manner sealing of the lateral orifices of the body of the valve according to the angular position of the plug to allow / interrupt the distribution of the fluid through said lateral orifices, said plug further comprising a rod forming a spring (40), said rod being able to exert an elastic return force for moving free ends of said angular portion of cylindrical envelope (41, 43) away from each other, said rod comprising two parallel vertical branches (44, 46) which are fixed in corresponding receiving troughs (48, 50) of said sealing segment (30), said ring and said troughs being configured to allow said vertical legs (44, 46) to transmit said force at mid-height of said segment (30).

2. bushel according to the preceding claim wherein the rod comprises a transverse branch (42) having at each of its ends (52, 54) a connecting portion (56, 58) to the vertical branches (44, 46) of the rod (40). ), said connecting portion being tangent to a general direction (D-ι, D ₂ ) of opening of the gutter (48, 50).

3. bushel according to the preceding claim, wherein the transverse branch (42) comprises an intermediate portion (60) located between said connection areas.

4. Bushel according to the preceding claim wherein said intermediate section

(60) is located in a plane perpendicular (P) to the axial direction (A) of the plug.

5. Bushel according to any one of claims 3 or 4 wherein the intermediate portion (60) is in a circular arc and has a first determined curvature capable of preventing interference of said intermediate portion (60) with a shank (27). the valve (10).

6. bushel according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein each connecting portion (56, 58) forms with the intermediate portion (60) a bend (62, 64).

7. Bushel according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the general direction (D1, D2) opening of each gutter (48, 50) is radial.

8. A bushel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rod (40) is made of a wire of which each leg (42, 44, 43) has a cylindrical section, and wherein each gutter (48, 50) of reception is shaped into angular section of cylinder corresponding radius.

9. Bushel according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said vertical legs (44, 46) have a curvature allowing axial displacement of a transmission point of said force by a rolling effect of said legs (44, 46) in said gutters (48, 50).

10. A tumbler as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said vertical limbs extend along vertical edges of the two free ends (41, 43).

1 1. Control valve for a fluid circulation circuit comprising a plug according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. Control valve (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein said rod (40) is mounted near a wall (18) of a bottom of a bore (16) of said valve, said bore (16). receiving said plug (26).