WO2016104948A1

WO2016104948A1 - Thermostat

Info

Publication number: WO2016104948A1
Application number: PCT/KR2015/012166
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이진우; 하승찬
Original assignee: 인지컨트롤스주식회사
Priority date: 2014-12-24
Filing date: 2015-11-12
Publication date: 2016-06-30
Also published as: KR101602680B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermostat. The present invention comprises: a housing which has a cooling water flow path on the inside thereof; an actuator which has one end fixed on the inside of the housing and provides actuating force; a sealing member which is installed at one end of the actuator to seal a space between the outer peripheral face of the actuator and the side wall of the housing; a valve member which opens and closes the flow path of the housing by means of the actuating force of the actuator; and at least one support unit which has higher rigidity than the sealing member and resiliently supports the side wall of the housing and the side of the actuator between the housing and the actuator.

Description

Thermostat

The present invention relates to a thermostat, and more particularly, to a thermostat installed between an engine and a radiator to maintain a cooling water in a set temperature range by adjusting a flow rate flowing to a radiator while being opened and closed automatically according to a change in temperature of the cooling water. .

In general, the thermostat is installed at the outlet of the coolant passage of the cylinder head to automatically open and close the passage according to the change of the coolant temperature inside the engine to adjust the coolant temperature to be 75 ℃ ~ 90 ℃.

That is, when the coolant temperature is lower than normal, the valve is closed to prevent the coolant from flowing to the radiator side, and the coolant is allowed to purify the engine through the bypass passage.

And when the cooling water temperature is 76 ℃ ~ 82 ℃ slowly starts to open to flow the cooling water to the radiator side, when the cooling water temperature is 95 ℃ completely opened.

These thermostats are classified into mechanical thermostats and electronic thermostats, and mechanical thermostats operate in accordance with opening and closing temperatures set at a prescribed temperature, and simply open and close valves only at a predetermined temperature. We cannot actively cope with changes in conditions.

The electronic thermostat was developed to compensate for the disadvantages of the mechanical thermostat. By actively controlling the coolant temperature of the engine according to the driving conditions such as the load condition of the vehicle, the electronic thermostat can maintain the optimum coolant temperature. In comparison, fuel efficiency and emissions reduction can be expected.

However, in the conventional electronic thermostat as described above, a gap is formed between the wax case in which the heater for heating the wax is installed and the housing in which the wax case is inserted and installed, and moisture is introduced through the gap so that failure of the heater is prevented. There is a disadvantage that occurs frequently.

In particular, the conventional electronic thermostat has a disadvantage in that the airtightness between the housing and the wax case is remarkably degraded while the wax case flows instantaneously along the upper and lower installation spaces of the housing due to changes in external environment and internal pressure.

Accordingly, studies to improve the airtightness between the wax case and the housing of the thermostat and to prevent the flow of the wax case to improve overall quality have been actively conducted.

The matters described in this Background section are intended to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention, and may include matters not previously known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a thermostat is installed between the installation space of the housing and the wax case to support the wax case while providing an elastic force to the side wall side of the installation space, the support unit for maintaining the air tightness of the installation space.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention to reduce the volume of the installation space on top of the heater disposed on the installation space, to provide a thermostat that is installed a sealing cap to protect the heater from water flowing into the installation space.

Thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention is a housing in which a coolant flow path is formed; An actuator fixed to the inside of the housing by interference fitting and providing a driving force; A sealing member installed at one end of the actuator and made of a rubber material sealing between the outer circumferential surface of the actuator and the side wall of the housing; A valve member for opening and closing a flow path of the housing while moving by a driving force of the actuator; And at least one support unit having a higher rigidity than the sealing member and elastically supporting the sidewall of the housing and the side of the actuator between the housing and the actuator.

In addition, in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, the support unit is a sheet formed in a groove shape along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the actuator; And it is formed in the shape of a ring cut in part to allow the seat to be seated on the sheet while elastically deformed, one side is elastically supporting the wall surface of the sheet at one side of the inside of the sheet, The other side may include an incision ring protruding to the outside of the actuator to elastically support the side wall of the housing.

In addition, in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting ring is an inner portion for supporting the outer peripheral surface of the actuator in the inner side of the seat; An outer portion supporting the sidewalls of the housing; And a connecting part connecting the outer part and the inner part in an inclined state. Including, the cutting ring is formed of a metal plate has the inner portion, the outer portion and the connecting portion as the central portion is bent, the elastic force can be secured by bending.

In addition, in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper portion of the actuator is disposed on the installation space formed in the housing to reduce the volume of the installation space, to protect the heater from the water flowing into the installation space A sealing cap may be installed.

In addition, in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing cap is a body coupled to the outside of the heater; And a fitting end extending from the lower end of the body to the inner side of the body and fitted to the outside of the heater.

In addition, in the thermostat according to the embodiment of the present invention, a through hole through which the power cable of the heater penetrates may be formed on the body.

In addition, in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting ring is an inner portion for supporting the outer peripheral surface of the actuator in the inner side of the seat; An outer portion supporting the side wall of the housing; And a connecting part connecting the outer part and the inner part in an inclined state. It includes, but is formed of a metal plate has the inner portion, the outer portion and the connecting portion as the center portion is bent, the elastic force is secured by bending, the outer portion may be formed with a plurality of notches along the circumference.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wax case may be firmly fixed on the installation space while the support unit having an elastic force contacts the sidewall of the installation space with a gap formed between the installation space of the housing and the wax case.

And the cutting ring outer portion of the support unit can block the gap to improve the airtightness of the installation space in which the heater and the wax case is installed.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention through the sealing cap disposed on the installation space, the volume of the installation space is reduced by the external environment and internal pressure change, to prevent the wax case flows on the installation space with the support unit You can.

In addition, through the sealing cap, it is possible to protect the heater from water flowing through the support unit and the sealing member into the installation space.

In addition, a part of the incision ring is cut and can be easily seated by inserting the incision ring into the seat of the actuator through the incision gap. Can be fixed firmly.

In addition, since the connecting portion connects the outer and inner portions of the cutting ring in an inclined state, the cutting ring can be easily elastically deformed.

In addition, as the through hole is formed in the body of the sealing cap, the power cable of the heater can be easily connected to the heater through the sealing cap.

Furthermore, when the notch is formed on the outer side of the incision ring, not only can the elastic deformation of the incision ring more easily, but also the elastic force of the incision ring can be more easily secured.

In addition, the effects that can be obtained or predicted by the embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. That is, various effects predicted according to an embodiment of the present invention will be disclosed in the detailed description to be described later.

1 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a thermostat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of portion A of Figure 1 showing a support unit applied to a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the incision ring of the support unit applied to the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 1 showing a sealing cap applied to a thermostat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

However, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings, and is shown by enlarging the thickness in order to clearly express various parts and regions. It was.

In addition, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the embodiments of the present invention, and throughout the specification, when any part “contains” a certain element, it is a different configuration unless otherwise stated. It does not exclude the element, it means that it may further include other components.

Thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electronic thermostat installed between the engine and the radiator to actively control the coolant temperature of the engine in accordance with the driving environment, such as the load state of the vehicle.

Such a thermostat includes an actuator 9 including a housing 3, a wax case 5, and a heater 7, a main valve 10, a main spring 11, and a bypass valve as shown in FIG. 1. 12), a valve member 19 including a bypass spring 13, a diaphragm 15 and oil 17, a piston 21, a connector 23, and the like. The actuator 9 provides a driving force to the main valve 10 or the bypass valve 12 as the wax W embedded in the wax case 5 is expanded or contracted. The main valve 10 and the bypass valve 12 are formed in the housing 3 while being moved by the driving force of the actuator 9 and then returned to their original positions by the elastic forces of the main spring 11 and the bypass spring 13. Open and close the flow path. The piston 21 operates the bypass valve 12 while expanding as the oil 17 flows by the squeezed or contracted wax W. At this time, the bypass valve 12 is coupled to the lower portion of the housing 3 in the drawing to open and close the flow path of the lower housing not shown to form the housing (3).

Since this configuration is a well-known technique well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted or briefly described for convenience of description, and the support unit 40 applied to the thermostat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention; The sealing cap 50 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, a thermostat 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 3, an actuator 9, a sealing member 25, a valve member 19, and a support unit 40. .

The housing 3 has a coolant flow path 27 through which coolant flows. In addition, the actuator 9 is fixed to the upper part by being fitted in the installation space (S) formed in the housing 3, and provides a driving force to the valve member (19).

This actuator 9 comprises a wax case 5 and a heater 7.

The wax case 5 is filled with a wax (W) in the lower portion, the upper portion is fitted by interference fit on the installation space (S) formed in the housing (3).

At this time, the heater 7 is fastened with a screw from the top of the wax case 5 toward the inside, and the fastened bottom heats the wax W while contacting the wax W filled therein. And it is connected via the connector 23 and the power cable 29 installed on one side of the housing (3).

The sealing member 25 is made of a rubber material and is inserted into a plurality along the outer circumferential surface of the wax case 5 fitted into the housing 3 to install the space S of the housing 3 sidewall S1 and the wax. The gap G formed between the cases 5 is sealed.

At this time, the sealing member 25 is preferably made of an O-ring (O-ring).

The valve member 19 opens and closes the cooling water flow path 27 of the housing 3 while moving by the driving force of the actuator 9. The valve member 19 includes a main valve 10, a main spring 11, a bypass valve 12, a bypass spring 13, a diaphragm 15, and an oil 17.

On the other hand, the support unit 40 has a higher rigidity than the sealing member 25, is installed at least one between the housing 3 and the actuator 9, the side wall (S1) of the installation space (S) and While supporting the side of the actuator 9 elastically, the wax case 5, that is, the actuator 9 is firmly supported on the installation space S of the housing 3, and the airtightness of the installation space S is maintained. .

Hereinafter, the support unit 40 will be described in more detail.

2 is an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 1 showing a support unit applied to a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of an incision ring of a support unit applied to a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

2 and 3, the support unit 40 is seated on the seat 41 and the seat 41 formed in a groove shape along the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the wax case 5 of the actuator 9. An incision ring 42.

The cutting ring 42 is formed in a circular shape, a part of which is cut at a predetermined angle to form an inlet 43, and is seated while being elastically deformed by being fitted to the seat 41 through the inlet 43.

The cutting ring 42 is installed inside the housing 3 as one end of the actuator 19 is fitted into the housing 3 as described above. At this time, the cutting ring 42 is seated on the seat 41 while being elastically deformed in the form of being slightly retracted as both sides are pressed to the side wall of the housing 3 and the wall surface of the seat 41 during the interference fitting of the actuator 19. do. Thus, the cut ring 42 elastically supports the side wall of the housing 3 and the wall surface of the seat 41 in a state of being seated on the seat 41.

Here, the above-described set angle may be made at an angle between 110 ° ~ 130 ° angle with respect to the center of the cutting ring 42, in the embodiment of the present invention is preferably cut at 120 ° angle.

This setting angle range is a range that is smoothly fitted and firmly fixed when the cutting ring 42 is fitted to the sheet 41 formed on the wax case 5.

That is, when the cut-out angle of the inlet 43 is larger than the set angle described above, the inlet 43 is loosely fitted into the wax case 5 and easily detached. On the contrary, when the set angle is small, it is difficult to fit the wax case 5. .

The cutting ring 42 has one side elastically supporting the outer circumferential surface of the wax case 5, that is, the wall surface of the sheet 41, on the inside of the seat 41, and the other side protrudes out of the wax case 5 so as to support the housing. The side wall S1 of the installation space S of (3) is elastically supported.

To this end, the incision ring 42 includes an inner portion 44, an outer portion 45 and a connecting portion 46 together with the inlet 43.

The inner part 44 elastically supports the outer circumferential surface of the wax case 5 inside the seat 41, and the outer part 45 elastically supports the side wall S1 of the installation space S of the housing 3. do. The connecting portion 46 connects the inner portion 44 and the outer portion 45 in an inclined state.

That is, the cutting ring 42 has a cross-sectional shape of "∧" so that the front end portions of the inner portion 44 and the outer portion 45 of the seat 41 and the installation space S of the wax case 5 are respectively. It is supported while applying elastic force to the side wall S1.

According to the support unit 40 including the cut ring 42, the wax case 5 can be firmly fixed on the installation space S through the cut ring 42, and at the same time, the housing 3 Block the gap (G) formed between the installation space (S) and the wax case (5).

Accordingly, the support unit 40 may improve the airtightness of the installation space S together with the sealing member 25, and the heater 7 disposed on the installation space S through the gap G. Protect from incoming water.

In addition, the wax case 5 is firmly supported on the installation space S to prevent the actuator 9 from flowing along the top and bottom of the installation space S due to changes in the external environment and internal pressure. Can be.

On the other hand, at least one notch 47 may be formed on the outer portion 45 of the cutting ring 42.

The notch 47 may be formed in plural along the circumference of the outer portion 45. This notch 47 partially weakens the stiffness of the incision ring 42 as described below. The notch 47 may be variously formed in the form of a semi-circle or a polygon such as a triangle or a square, depending on the magnitude of the required rigidity of the cutting ring 42.

According to the notch 47, each corner of the portion where the formation of the notch 47 begins to contact the side wall (S1) of the installation space (S) and the rotation torque generated by the change in the external environment and internal pressure, and the like; It is possible to prevent the wax case 5 from rotating in response to the vibration.

The cut ring 42 is more easily elastically deformed by the notch 47 when it is seated on the seat 41 and elastically deformed as described above. Because the cutting ring 42 is elastically deformed more easily as the area is partially weakened by the notch 47.

Accordingly, the thermostat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is prevented from being rotated at the same time as flowing along the upper and lower portions of the installation space S through the cutting ring 42 of the support unit 40. Can be.

Hereinafter, the sealing cap 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG. 1 showing a sealing cap applied to a thermostat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4, the upper portion of the heater 7 is disposed on the installation space (S) of the housing 3 to reduce the volume of the installation space (S), from the water flowing into the installation space (S) The sealing cap 50 which protects the heater 7 is provided.

This sealing cap 50 is composed of a body 51 and the fitting end (52). The body 51 is fitted to the outside of the heater 7 is coupled to surround the heater (7). The fitting end 52 is extended from the lower end of the body 51 toward the inner side of the body 51 is fitted to the engaging jaw 53 formed on the outside of the heater 7 is caught. Therefore, the sealing cap 50 is firmly fixed to the outside of the heater 7 to seal the outside of the heater 7.

In addition, a through hole 55 through which the power cable 29 of the heater 7 penetrates is formed in the upper surface 54 of the body 51, and a power cable 29 penetrating through the through hole 55 is formed. It is connected to the connector (23).

At this time, the upper surface 54 of the body 51 is installed to contact the upper surface (S2) of the installation space (S) of the housing (3). Therefore, since the sealing cap 50 is supported in the locked state on the upper surface S2, it is stably fixed to the inside of the housing 3.

The sealing cap 50 is disposed on the installation space S to be in contact with the upper surface S2 of the installation space S, and the volume between the upper surface S2 of the installation space S and the heater 7. In other words, the gap between the upper surface S2 and the heater 7 is prevented from occurring so that the wax case 5, i.e., along the upper and lower sides of the installation space S due to the change in the external environment and the internal pressure, The actuator 9 is prevented from flowing.

And the sealing cap 50 is the sealing member 25 and the support unit 40 to the heater 7 from the water flowing into the installation space (S) through the gap (G) in accordance with the flow of the wax case (5) Protect with). That is, the sealing cap 50 may be sealed by shielding between the upper surface S2 and the sealing member 25, and may protect the heater 7 from moisture when water is introduced through the gap G. .

According to the thermostat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, first, it has an elastic force that is installed between the installation space (S) of the housing (3) and the wax case (5) of the actuator (9) Through the inner and

outer portions

44 and 45 of the cutting ring 42 of the support unit 40, the wax case 5, that is, the actuator 9, is firmly fixed on the installation space S and thus the installation space S. Flow along can be prevented.

At this time, the support unit 40 is a gap (G) formed between the installation space (S) and the wax case 5 while the outer portion 45 of the cutting ring 42 is supported on the side wall of the installation space (S). By blocking it can achieve the airtightness of the installation space (S).

And according to the thermostat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the sealing cap 50 disposed on the installation space (S) by reducing the volume of the installation space (S) in accordance with the external environment and the internal pressure change It is possible to prevent the actuator 9 from flowing along the installation space S together with the support unit 40.

In addition, through the sealing cap 50, it is possible to more easily protect the heater 7 from the water flowing through the sealing member 25 and the support unit 40 into the installation space (S). .

That is, the thermostat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a gap between the installation space S of the housing 3 and the actuator 9 through the sealing member 25 and the support unit 40 multiplely ( G) is blocked, and the sealing cap 50 together with the support unit 40 prevents the flow of the actuator 9 and the heater 7 is protected from moisture, thereby improving the overall airtightness.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and is easily changed by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It includes all changes to the extent deemed acceptable.

Claims

A housing in which a cooling water flow path is formed;

An actuator fixed to the inside of the housing by interference fitting and providing a driving force;

A sealing member installed at one end of the actuator and made of a rubber material sealing between the outer circumferential surface of the actuator and the side wall of the housing;

A valve member for opening and closing a flow path of the housing while moving by a driving force of the actuator; And

And at least one support unit having a higher rigidity than the sealing member and elastically supporting the sidewall of the housing and the side of the actuator between the housing and the actuator.
The method of claim 1, wherein the support unit,

A sheet formed in a groove shape along the circumferential direction on an outer circumferential surface of the actuator; And

It is formed in the shape of a ring in which a portion is cut to allow the seat to be seated on the seat while being elastically deformed, one side elastically supporting the wall surface of the seat from the inside of the seat, and the other side protrudes out of the actuator. And a cutting ring to elastically support the sidewall of the housing.
The method of claim 2, wherein the cutting ring,

An inner portion supporting an outer circumferential surface of the actuator on the inner side of the sheet;

An outer portion supporting the side wall of the housing; And

A connecting portion connecting the outer portion and the inner portion in an inclined state; Including;

The cutting ring is formed of a metal plate having the inner portion, the outer portion and the connecting portion as the center portion is bent, the thermostat characterized in that the elastic force is secured by bending.
The method of claim 1,

And a sealing cap installed on an upper portion of the actuator and disposed on an installation space formed in the housing to reduce a volume of the installation space and protect a heater from moisture introduced into the installation space. .
The method of claim 4, wherein the sealing cap,

A body coupled to the outside of the heater; And

And a fitting end extending from the lower end of the body to the inner side of the body and fitted to the outside of the heater.
The method of claim 5, wherein the body,

Thermostat characterized in that the through-hole is formed through the power cable of the heater is formed.
The method of claim 3, wherein the cutting ring,

A notch formed around the outer portion; Thermostat further comprising.