WO2018043646A1

WO2018043646A1 - Ball valve

Info

Publication number: WO2018043646A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/031374
Authority: WO
Inventors: 昌太郎宮脇; 裕之大前
Original assignee: ミネベアミツミ株式会社
Priority date: 2016-09-01
Filing date: 2017-08-31
Publication date: 2018-03-08
Also published as: JP6782128B2; JP2018035905A

Abstract

A ball valve (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with: a valve main body (11) having a valve chamber formed in a fluid flow path; and a ball valve body (14, 14a, 14b) in which a through hole is formed and which rotates inside the valve chamber so as to open and close the fluid flow path. In the valve main body (11), at least a part of the inner surface of the valve chamber is formed of a curved surface. A through hole (113) and a support portion (112) rotatably supporting the ball valve body (14, 14a, 14b) are formed at positions, on the rotation axis of the ball valve body (14, 14a, 14b), opposite to each other on the side wall of the valve chamber. A supported portion (141) supported by the support portion (112) and a fitting recessed portion (142) to which a transmission shaft for transmitting a rotation force is fitted through the through hole (113), are formed at positions, on the rotation axis, opposite to each other on the surface of the ball valve body (14, 14a, 14b).

Description

Ball valve

The present invention relates to a ball valve.

The ball valve has a ball valve body in which a through hole is formed in a housing (valve body) in which a fluid inlet and outlet are formed, and the ball valve body is operated from the outside of the housing to rotate. Thus, the fluid flow path is opened and closed. Such a ball valve is used, for example, for opening and closing a flow path of a gas such as a gas or a liquid such as water.

JP 2000-283306 A

By the way, in the above-described ball valve, in order to suppress rattling of the ball valve body due to the clearance when the ball valve body is incorporated in the housing, a biasing member such as a spring, a support member that supports the biasing member, and the like are provided in the housing. May be placed inside. However, since the ball valve is limited in size and the like depending on the application, it is desired to improve the accuracy of incorporating the ball valve body into the housing and suppress the increase in the number of parts in the housing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a ball valve that can improve the accuracy of incorporation of the ball valve body into the housing and can suppress an increase in the number of components in the housing. Objective.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a ball valve according to an aspect of the present invention includes a valve body in which a valve chamber is formed in a fluid flow path, and a through-hole. And a ball valve body that rotates to open and close the fluid flow path. The valve body has at least a part of a curved surface inside the valve chamber, and the through hole and the ball valve body are rotatable at opposite positions on the rotation axis of the ball valve body on the side wall of the valve chamber. And a support portion to be supported. The ball valve body has a fitting recess that fits with a supported portion supported by the support portion and a transmission shaft that transmits the rotational force through the through hole at a position opposite to the rotation shaft on the surface. And are formed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of assembling the ball valve body into the housing and to suppress an increase in the number of parts in the housing.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ball valve according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the ball valve according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a top view of the ball valve according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3B is a top view of the ball valve according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the transmission shaft according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ball valve body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the incorporation of the ball valve body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an example of a fitting portion according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an example of the fitting unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of a fitting portion according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of a fitting portion according to the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, the ball valve according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the relationship of the dimension of each element in a drawing, the ratio of each element, etc. may differ from reality. Even between the drawings, there are cases in which portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, in FIG. 1B, a longitudinal section of the ball valve 1 is shown. As shown in FIG. 1A, the ball valve 1 includes a housing (valve body) 11, a cover 12, and a ball valve side joint portion 13, and the ball valve side joint portion 13 includes a motor side joint portion 21 in the motor 2. By joining, the motor 2 is joined. Here, the ball valve side joint portion 13 and the motor side joint portion 21 are joined by, for example, a screw or a snap fit.

In the ball valve 1, a valve chamber is formed inside the housing 11, and a ball valve body is incorporated in the valve chamber. In the ball valve 1, the ball valve body is sealed with a seal member, the gap is sealed with an O-ring, and is covered with a cover 12. Details of the inside of the ball valve 1 will be described later. The motor 2 is a driving source that supplies a driving force for rotating the ball valve body in the ball valve 1 and is, for example, a stepping motor.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the ball valve 1 includes a ball valve body 14, a seal member 15, an O ring 16, and an O ring 17 disposed in a housing 11 covered with a cover 12. The body 14 rotates, and the through-hole 143 formed in the ball valve body 14 connects the fluid flow path, whereby the flow path 4 is formed and the fluid flows. The housing 11 is formed in a hollow shape, and a valve chamber 111 is formed therein. The valve chamber 111 is a space in which the ball valve body 14 is incorporated. Here, in the housing 11, at least a part of the inner surface of the valve chamber 111 is formed as a curved surface, and the through hole 113 and the ball valve body 14 are located at corresponding positions on the rotation axis of the ball valve body 14 on the side wall of the valve chamber 111. A support portion 112 is formed to rotatably support the. That is, the housing 11 has a through hole 113 and a support portion 112 formed on the rotation axis indicated by the straight line L1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing 11 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 has a through hole 113 formed in the side wall on the ball valve side joint 13 side, that is, the side wall on the side joined to the motor 2. The through hole 113 is a hole into which the transmission shaft 22 that transmits the rotation of the motor 2 to the ball valve body 14 is inserted. The housing 11 has a support portion 112 formed at a position facing the through hole 113 on the side wall of the valve chamber 111. The support portion 112 is, for example, a fitting concave portion into which a fitting convex portion formed on the ball valve body 14 is fitted. Here, the through hole 113 and the support portion 112 are formed so that the rotation axis of the ball valve body 14 is coaxial with the rotation axis of the motor 2. That is, the through hole 113 and the support portion 112 are formed so that the rotation center of the transmission shaft 22 of the motor 2 inserted from the through hole 113 and the center of the support portion 112 coincide with each other.

Returning to FIG. 1B, the ball valve body 14 has a supported portion 141 supported by the support portion 112 and a transmission shaft 22 that transmits a rotational force through the through hole 113 at a position opposite to the rotation axis on the surface. And a fitting recess 142 to be fitted. For example, the supported portion 141 is a fitting convex portion that fits into a fitting concave portion formed as the supporting portion 112, as shown in FIG. 1B. The fitting recess 142 is fitted with the tip portion of the transmission shaft 22. In the ball valve body 14, the supported portion 141 is fitted to the support portion 112 formed so that the rotation center of the transmission shaft 22 of the motor 2 inserted from the through hole 113 and the center of the support portion 112 coincide with each other. The fitting recess 142 is fitted to the transmission shaft 22 inserted from the through hole 113, so that it is supported in the valve chamber 111.

3A and 3B are top views of the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, FIG. 3A shows a top view of the ball valve 1 when the cover 12 and the seal member 15 are removed. 3B shows a top view of the ball valve 1 when the housing 11 is further removed from FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3A, the ball valve body 14 has a supported portion 141 and a fitting recess 142 (see FIG. 1B) formed at opposing positions in the direction orthogonal to the through hole 143, and the valve of the housing 11. It is supported in the chamber 111. Then, the ball valve body 14 rotates in the housing 11 according to the rotation of the transmission shaft 22 with the supported portion 141 supported by the support portion 112 as a fulcrum.

For example, when the ball valve body 14 is in the state shown in FIG. 3A due to the rotation of the motor 2, the through hole 143 of the ball valve body 14 communicates with the fluid inlet and outlet in the housing 11, and the flow path is opened. It becomes a state. On the other hand, when the ball valve body 14 is rotated “90 °” from the state shown in FIG. 3A by the rotation of the motor 2, the through hole 143 of the ball valve body 14 is orthogonal to the fluid inlet and outlet in the housing 11. As a result, the flow path is closed.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3B, in order to rotate the ball valve body 14 so that the rotation shaft of the motor 2 (the rotation shaft of the transmission shaft 22) and the rotation shaft of the ball valve body 14 coincide with each other, the transmission shaft 22 is rotated. A concave-convex shape is formed at a fitting portion between the fitting recess 142 (see FIG. 1B). Specifically, the transmission shaft 22 has an engaging portion formed in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft. The fitting recess 142 is formed with an engaging portion that faces the engaging portion of the transmission shaft 22. For example, D-cut, spline, serration or the like is used for fitting between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142. Hereinafter, a case where the D-cut is used for fitting between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142 will be described as an example. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the transmission shaft 22 according to the first embodiment. The transmission shaft 22 is coupled to the output shaft of the motor 2 and rotates according to the rotation of the output shaft. The transmission shaft 22 is formed with a plane 222 (an engagement portion in the transmission shaft 22) along the rotation axis direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the transmission shaft 22 has two flat surfaces 222 formed at opposing positions along the rotation axis. Note that the number of the planes 222 is not limited to two, and one or three or more planes may be formed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ball valve body 14 according to the first embodiment. The fitting recess 142 in the ball valve body 14 is formed with a flat surface 1421 (an engaging portion in the fitting portion 142) facing the flat surface 222 formed in the transmission shaft 22. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the fitting recess 142 has two flat surfaces 1421 that are opposed to the two flat surfaces 222 formed on the transmission shaft 22. In other words, the ball valve body 14 receives the rotational force of the transmission shaft 22 on the flat surface 1421 facing the flat surface 222 by forming the flat surface 1421 facing the flat surface 222 formed on the transmission shaft 22 in the fitting recess 142. be able to.

4 and 5, the case where the D cut is formed has been described. However, the fitting between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142 is a case where an uneven shape is formed by spline, serration, or the like. May be. In such a case, the transmission shaft 22 is formed with a tooth-like groove (engagement portion in the transmission shaft 22) on the outside along the circumferential direction. The fitting recess 142 is formed with a tooth-like groove (an engagement portion in the fitting portion 142) on the inner side facing the groove formed in the transmission shaft 22.

The ball valve body 14 receives the driving force of the motor 2 from the transmission shaft 22 by the fitting recess 142 formed as described above, and rotates in the valve chamber 111 of the housing 11 to open and close the fluid flow path. . The ball valve body 14 can also be formed with a planar region in accordance with the sliding resistance with the seal member 15. For example, in the ball valve body 14, the area of the outer peripheral surface that slides with the seal member 15 as it rotates can be a flat area 144 according to the sliding resistance, as shown in FIG. .

Here, when the ball valve element 14 according to the first embodiment is incorporated into the housing 11, it is incorporated obliquely as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the incorporation of the ball valve body 14 according to the first embodiment. As described above, at least part of the inner surface of the valve chamber 111 in the housing 11 is a curved surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner surface 1111 of the valve chamber 111 is formed with a curved surface. The housing 11 has a circular opening on the side where the ball valve body 14 is incorporated (see, for example, FIG. 3A). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the ball valve body 14 is passed through the opening of the housing 11 so that the supported portion 141 is inclined downward and supports the supported portion 141 inside the valve chamber 111. By being rotated so as to be fitted to the portion 112, it is incorporated into the housing 11. The curvature of the inner surface of the valve chamber 111 is determined according to the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve body 14.

Referring back to FIG. 1B, the seal member 15 is a ring-shaped elastic member and is disposed so as to abut on the cover 12 side of the ball valve body 14. That is, the seal member 15 is disposed from the opening of the housing 11 after the ball valve body 14 is assembled as described above. The seal member 15 seals between the through hole 143 of the ball valve body 14 and the flow path on the cover 12 side in the housing 11 when the flow path is closed. On the other hand, when the flow path is opened, the seal member 15 seals the communication state between the through hole 143 and the flow path on the cover 12 side of the housing 11 from the valve chamber 111 side.

The cover 12 is fixed to the housing 11 while being in contact with the upper surface of the seal member 15, thereby pressing the seal member 15 and the ball valve body 14 together. The O-ring 16 is disposed between the cover 12 and the housing 11 at the opening of the housing 11 so as to contact with each other, and seals between the housing 11 and the cover 12. The O-ring 17 is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 113 and the transmission shaft 22 and seals between the housing 11 and the transmission shaft 22.

As described above, in the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment, the through hole 113 and the support portion 112 are formed so that the rotation axis of the motor 2 and the rotation axis of the ball valve body 14 are coaxial. Here, each member such as the housing 11, the ball valve body 14, and the cover 12 in the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by injection molding using a synthetic resin. That is, the members such as the housing 11, the ball valve body 14, and the cover 12 are integrally formed. Therefore, since the through hole 113 and the support part 112 in the housing 11 can be formed by one mold, it is possible to ensure accuracy. As a result, the accuracy of incorporating the ball valve body 14 into the housing 11 can be improved, and an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment can suppress rattling in the rotation axis direction due to clearance by using a biasing member that biases the ball valve body 14 in the rotation axis direction. Specifically, the urging member includes a recess formed on a surface facing between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142, a surface facing between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142, and the support portion 112 and the covered portion. It is arrange | positioned in at least 1 position among the support parts 141. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, a recess 221 is formed on the plane of the tip of the transmission shaft 22, and a spring 3 as an urging member is disposed in the recess 221. When the transmission shaft 22 is fitted into the fitting recess 142, the spring 3 biases the ball valve body 14 toward the support portion 112. Thereby, the ball valve 1 can suppress the rattling in the rotation axis direction due to the clearance. The spring 3 may be disposed not only in the recess 221 in the transmission shaft 22 but also in other positions. For example, the spring 3 may be disposed between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142. That is, the spring 3 is disposed between the flat surface at the tip of the transmission shaft 22 and the flat surface facing the fitting recess 142. In this case, the transmission shaft 22 may be a case where the recess 221 is not formed. Further, the spring 3 may be disposed between the support part 112 and the supported part 141. Further, the spring 3 may be disposed not only at any of the above-described positions but also at two or more positions.

Further, in the ball valve 1 according to the first embodiment, a fitting portion is further provided between the transmission shaft 22 and the ball valve body 14 in order to suppress the displacement of the rotation shaft between the transmission shaft 22 and the ball valve body 14. Can be formed. As described above, the transmission shaft 22 and the ball valve body 14 use a D-cut for fitting between the transmission shaft 22 and the fitting recess 142. In this case, the rotation shaft of the transmission shaft 22 and the ball There is a case where the rotational axis of the valve body 14 is displaced. Therefore, in the ball valve 1, a fitting portion for aligning the rotation shaft is further formed on the flat surface at the tip of the transmission shaft 22 and the flat surface facing the tip of the transmission shaft 22 in the fitting recess 142.

7A to 8B are diagrams showing examples of the

fitting portions

18 and 18a according to the first embodiment. 7A and 7B show the fitting portion 18 in which a concave portion is formed in the transmission shaft 22 and a convex portion is formed in the fitting concave portion 142, and the concave portion 221 formed for disposing the spring 3 is used. An example is shown. 8A and 8B show a fitting portion 18a in which a convex portion is formed on the transmission shaft 22a and a concave portion is formed in the fitting concave portion 142. FIG.

For example, in the fitting part 18, as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the ball valve body 14a, a convex portion 145 that fits with the concave portion 221 shown in FIG. 7A is formed in the fitting concave portion 142. Thereby, when the transmission shaft 22 is fitted into the fitting recess 142, the recess 221 and the projection 145 are also fitted, and the rotation axis can be prevented from being displaced.

In addition, a convex part and a recessed part may be formed reversely. For example, in the fitting part 18a, as shown in FIG. 8A, a convex part 223 is formed on the plane of the tip of the transmission shaft 22a. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, a concave portion 146 that fits the convex portion 223 shown in FIG. 8A is formed in the fitting concave portion 142 of the ball valve body 14b. Thereby, when the transmission shaft 22a is fitted into the fitting recess 142, the projection 223 and the recess 146 are also fitted, so that the rotation axis can be prevented from shifting.

When the fitting portion 18 or the fitting portion 18a shown in FIGS. 7A to 8B is formed and the spring 3 is further provided, the spring 3 is provided, for example, between the support portion 112 and the supported portion 141. Is done.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the ball valve body 14 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 2 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a lever may be coupled to the transmission shaft 22 and the ball valve body 14 may be rotated by an operator operating the lever.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the planar region 144 is formed in the ball valve body 14 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the planar region 144 may not be formed, and the outer peripheral surface excluding the through hole 143 may be entirely curved.

Further, the present invention is not limited by the above embodiment. What was comprised combining each component mentioned above suitably is also contained in this invention. Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

1 Ball valve 2 Motor 3 Spring 4 Flow path 11 Housing (valve body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Cover 13 Ball valve

side junction part

14, 14a, 14b Ball valve body 15 Seal member 16, 17 O-

ring

18, 18a Fitting part 21 Motor

side junction part

22, 22a Transmission shaft 111 Valve chamber 112 Support part 113 Through hole 141 Supported part 142 Fitting recessed part 143 Through hole 144

Plane area

145, 223

Convex part

146, 221

Concave part

222, 1421 Plane (engagement part)

Claims

A valve body having a valve chamber formed in a fluid flow path;
A through hole is formed and rotates in the valve chamber to provide a ball valve body for opening and closing the fluid flow path;
The valve body has at least a part of a curved surface inside the valve chamber, and the through hole and the ball valve body are rotatable at opposite positions on the rotation axis of the ball valve body on the side wall of the valve chamber. And a support part for supporting
The ball valve body has a supported portion supported by the support portion at a position opposed to the rotation shaft on the surface, and a fitting recess that fits a transmission shaft that transmits a rotational force through the through hole. A ball valve is formed.
The ball valve according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the ball valve body in a rotation axis direction.
The biasing member includes a recess formed on a surface facing between the transmission shaft and the fitting recess, a surface facing between the transmission shaft and the fitting recess, and the support portion and the supported portion. The ball valve according to claim 2, wherein the ball valve is disposed at at least one of the positions.
The transmission shaft has an engaging portion formed in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft,
The ball valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fitting recess is formed with an engaging portion facing the engaging portion of the transmission shaft.
The ball valve according to claim 4, wherein a fitting portion is formed between a flat surface at a tip of the transmission shaft and a flat surface facing the tip of the transmission shaft in the fitting recess.
The ball valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rotational force is generated by a motor and transmitted to the ball valve body through the transmission shaft.