JP2015113001A - Valve control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve control device and the like for closing/opening by controlling an American type valve by a pressure of a fluid supplied to the valve.SOLUTION: When high pressure air is supplied to an air supply chamber 109 of a regulator 14, the high pressure air is fed to an air injection port 89 via an air flow passage 114. In a piston 110 in a cylinder 101, a Y1 direction force based on the pressure of the high pressure air is acting, and also a Y2 direction valve closing force based on a valve spring 87 via a valve body 84 of a tire valve 12 and a piston rod 111 is acting. When the pressure of the high pressure air exceeds a predetermined value, the Y1 direction force acting on the piston 110 exceeds the Y2 direction valve closing force, so that the tire valve 12 comes into an open valve state, and the high pressure air supplied to the air supply chamber 109 passes through the tire valve 12 and fed into a tire tube 9a. When the pressure of the high pressure air becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, the Y1 direction force acting on the piston 110 becomes equal to or less than the Y2 direction valve closing force, and the tire valve 12 comes into a closed valve state.

Description

The present invention relates to a valve control device, and more particularly, to a normally closed valve device that is opened by receiving a valve closing force and displacing the valve body in the closed position to the open position against the valve closing force. The present invention relates to a technique for controlling opening and closing.

  2. Description of the Related Art A pneumatic tire automatic air supply mechanism is known that generates compressed air and supplies it to a pneumatic tire as the wheel body rotates (see Patent Document 1).

  In this example, an English type valve is attached to the pneumatic tire. The English valve is provided with insect rubber (cylindrical backflow prevention valve made of synthetic rubber or the like). The British valve is opened by being deformed so that a part of the insect rubber expands due to the pressure of the compressed air, and the compressed air is supplied to the pneumatic tire through the English valve (the specification of Patent Document 1). 6 page 4th line-17th line, refer FIG.

  When an English-style valve is installed on a pneumatic tire, compressed air with a pressure higher than the proper tire pressure (appropriate pressure) of the pneumatic tire is applied to the air inlet of the valve in consideration of the pressure loss required for deformation of insect rubber. Like to do.

  However, since English valves use insect rubber, they tend to cause air leakage due to deterioration or the like. In addition, since the pressure required for deformation of the rubber rubber varies greatly, even if compressed air having the same pressure is applied to the air inlet of the valve, the pressure of the compressed air reaching the pneumatic tire varies. For this reason, it becomes difficult to maintain the internal pressure of the pneumatic tire at an appropriate tire pressure.

  In this regard, the US-style valve opens when the valve pin (valve rod) provided on the valve is pushed down against the valve closing force based on the elastic restoring force of the valve spring. If compressed air is applied to the air inlet of the valve, compressed air having the same pressure as the applied compressed air is supplied to the pneumatic tire. For this reason, it is easy to maintain the internal pressure of the pneumatic tire at an appropriate tire pressure. In addition, since no insect rubber is used, air leakage due to deterioration or the like hardly occurs. Under such circumstances, adapters and the like for changing a conventional English valve to an American valve are also provided.

On the other hand, in the US type valve, as described above, the valve is not opened unless the valve pin is forcibly pushed down against the valve closing force. For this reason, in a general American type valve, like a British type valve, compressed air cannot be supplied to a pneumatic tire only by giving compressed air to an air inlet of a valve.

WO 2004/087442

The present invention solves such a problem in the prior art. For example, a valve body in a closed position that receives a valve closing force is displaced to an open position against the valve closing force, such as an American valve. An object of the present invention is to provide a valve control device that opens and closes a normally closed valve device that is opened by being controlled by the pressure of a fluid supplied to the valve device.

  The valve control device according to the present invention controls the opening and closing of a normally closed valve device that is in an open state by receiving a valve closing force and causing the valve body in the closed position to be displaced to the open position against the valve closing force. A fluid supply chamber to which a fluid is supplied, a fluid flow passage communicating the fluid supply chamber and the fluid inlet of the valve device, and a fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber exceeding a predetermined value, And a control operation unit that displaces the valve body of the valve device to the open position and allows the valve body to return to the closed position when the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber becomes a predetermined value or less. To do.

The features of the present invention can be broadly shown as described above, but the configuration and contents thereof, together with the objects and features, will be further clarified by the following disclosure in view of the drawings.

  The valve control device according to the first invention of the present application is a normally closed valve device that is opened by receiving a valve closing force and displacing the valve body in the closed position to the open position against the valve closing force. A valve control device that controls opening and closing, wherein a fluid supply chamber to which a fluid is supplied, a fluid flow passage that communicates the fluid supply chamber and a fluid inlet of the valve device, and a fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber has a predetermined value And a control operation unit that displaces the valve body of the valve device to the open position and allows the valve body to return to the closed position when the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber becomes a predetermined value or less, It is characterized by.

  Therefore, the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber reaches the fluid inlet of the valve device via the fluid flow passage. Here, if the fluid pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber exceeds a predetermined value, the valve body is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force, so that the valve device is opened and the supply is performed. The passed fluid passes through the valve device via the fluid inlet. On the other hand, if the fluid pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber is reduced to a predetermined value or less, the valve body returns to the closed position, the valve device is closed, and the supplied fluid does not pass through the valve device.

  That is, a normally closed valve device that is opened when the valve body in the closed position in response to the valve closing force is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force is replaced with the fluid supplied to the valve device. It is possible to realize a valve control device that opens and closes by being controlled by pressure.

  The valve control device according to the second invention of the present application is the valve control device according to the first invention of the present application, wherein the control operation portion receives a force based on the valve closing force via the valve body of the valve device and the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber. A displacement body that receives a force in a direction against the force based on the valve closing force and displaces based on a difference between the force based on the valve closing force and a force in the direction against the force based on the valve closing force, A displacement body configured to displace the valve body in conjunction with the displacement of the displacement body is provided.

  Therefore, the displacement body is displaced based on the difference between the force based on the valve closing force and the force due to the fluid pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber, and the opening and closing of the valve device is controlled in conjunction with the displacement of the displacement body. Can do.

  For this reason, by providing a displacement body having a function of converting the fluid pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber into a force in a direction against the force based on the valve closing force, the pressure of the fluid supplied to the valve device can be reduced. A valve control device or the like that is controlled to open and close can be easily realized.

  A valve control device according to a third invention of the present application is the valve control device according to the second invention of the present application, characterized in that the displacement body is a piston reciprocally held in a cylinder communicating with the fluid supply chamber. To do.

  Therefore, by using a piston that is reciprocally held in a cylinder communicating with the fluid supply chamber as the displacement body, the direction of the fluid pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber is resisted against the force based on the valve closing force. It is possible to easily realize the function of converting to the power of.

  A valve control device according to a fourth invention of the present application is the valve control device according to any one of the first to third inventions of the present application, wherein the fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber is compressed air as the wheel body rotates. The valve control device further shuts off the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere when the rotational speed of the wheel body exceeds a predetermined value, and when the rotational speed of the wheel body falls below the predetermined value, It is characterized by comprising a communication / blocking control unit for bringing the fluid inlet and the atmosphere into communication.

  Therefore, when the rotational speed of the wheel body exceeds a predetermined value, the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere are cut off, so that compressed air is supplied to the valve device as the wheel body rotates. The valve device can be controlled to open and close with the pressure of the supplied air. On the other hand, since the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere are in communication with each other when the number of rotations of the wheel body falls below a predetermined value, the valve body of the valve device returns to the closed position, and as a result, air flows back from the valve device. Can be prevented from leaking out.

  When air is injected into a fluid holding device (for example, a pneumatic tire) via a valve device, the pressure of the air compressed and supplied to the fluid supply chamber as the wheel body rotates is set to an appropriate pressure of the fluid holding device. In general, the fluid pressure (predetermined value) for displacing the valve body to the open position is supplied so that the valve can be reliably opened even if the valve closing force varies. The pressure is set to be somewhat lower than the pressure of the air supplied to the chamber (that is, the appropriate pressure of the fluid holding device).

  As a result, when the rotation of the wheels stops and the pressure of the air supplied to the fluid supply chamber decreases, the valve device is open until the predetermined value is reached, so the internal pressure of the fluid holding device is the appropriate pressure. There is a risk of lowering.

  If the communication / shut-off control unit is provided, the valve device can be automatically closed when the rotation speed of the wheel main body becomes a predetermined value or less. It is possible to prevent the internal pressure from falling below the appropriate pressure.

  The fluid holding device according to the fifth invention of the present application is the above-described valve device (i.e., when the valve body in the closed position receiving the valve closing force is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force) The normally-closed valve device is provided with the valve control device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions of the present application.

  Therefore, for example, using an existing pump (fluid supply device) having a function of applying compressed air to the air inlet of the valve, such as a pump for supplying air to an English valve, It becomes easy to inject air (fluid) having a predetermined appropriate pressure into a tire, tube, or the like (fluid holding device) provided with such a valve device.

  The fluid supply device according to the sixth invention of the present application is the above-described valve device (i.e., when the valve body in the closed position receiving the valve closing force is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force) A fluid supply device that supplies a fluid to a fluid holding device having a normally closed valve device), and is characterized by including the valve control device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions of the present application.

Therefore, by using the fluid supply device, for example, air (fluid) having a predetermined appropriate pressure can be injected into an existing pneumatic tire or the like (fluid holding device) equipped with a valve device such as an American valve. It becomes easy.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a wheel 5 provided with an air pump 10. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the air pump 10 attached to the hub 6. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the air pump 10 shown in FIG. 4 and shows a state where the piston 50 is at the top dead center. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the air pump 10 and shows a state where the piston 50 is at the bottom dead center. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 and shows a case where the tire valve 12 is in a closed state. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 and shows a case where the tire valve 12 is in an open state. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of the regulator 214 in a state where the rotation speed of the wheel 5 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the state of the regulator 214 in a state where the rotation speed of the wheel 5 exceeds a predetermined value. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the regulator 314.

  A valve core regulator (hereinafter simply referred to as “regulator”) 14 which is a valve control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a bicycle wheel 5 which is a tire-equipped wheel provided with an air pump 10 which is a fluid supply device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 5 is held so as to be sandwiched between front forks 2 (not shown) provided at the front portion of a bicycle frame 1 and formed in a bifurcated shape. That is, the wheel 5 is a front wheel of a bicycle. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the front wheel of a bicycle, and can be applied to, for example, the rear wheel of a bicycle.

  The wheel 5 is rotatably supported with respect to a hub shaft 4 that is fixedly attached using a hub nut 3 to a pair of fork ends (not shown) provided at the lower end of the front fork 2. .

  That is, the wheel 5 includes a hub 6 that is rotatably supported with respect to the hub shaft 4 and is positioned at the center of the wheel 5, a rim 8 that is fixedly connected to the hub 6 via a plurality of spokes 7, and a rim. 8 is provided with a pneumatic tire (pneumatic tire; hereinafter simply referred to as “tire”) 9 which is a fluid holding device and is fixedly attached to the outer side of the wheel 5 and located on the outermost periphery of the wheel 5. The tire 9 includes a tire valve 12 that is a valve device. The hub 6, the spokes 7, and the rim 8 constitute a wheel body 13.

  The air pump 10 is fixedly attached to the approximate center of the wheel body 13. That is, the air pump 10 is attached to the hub 6 located at the center of the wheel body 13, and as described later, high-pressure air that is high-pressure gas (high-pressure fluid) generated in the air pump 10 is stored in the storage chamber. It passes through a certain air supply pipe 11 and is fed into the inside of the tire 9 via the regulator 14 and the tire valve 12.

  Therefore, it can be considered that the regulator 14 is provided on the wheel 5, it can be considered that the regulator 14 is provided on the tire 9, and it can be considered that the regulator 14 is provided on the air pump 10.

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing the air pump 10 attached to the hub 6. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hub 6 includes a substantially cylindrical hub body 20, a pair of hub collars 21 fixedly fitted on both sides of the hub body 20, and fixed to the hub collars 21. The hub shaft is provided with a plurality of steel balls 24 disposed between the pair of claws 23 and the one 22 fixedly provided on the hub shaft 4. 4 is held rotatably and immovable in the axial direction of the hub shaft 4.

  A through hole 25 is provided in the approximate center of the hub body 20, and the air pump 10 is attached to the outer periphery of the hub body 20 so as to cover the through hole 25.

  The air pump 10 includes a substantially cylindrical pump body 30. As shown in FIG. 4, an attachment portion 32 formed in a shape along the surface of the hub body 20 is extended to the base end portion 31 of the pump body 30, and a pair of through holes 33 provided in the attachment portion 32 are provided. The pump body 30 is fixed to the hub body 20 by the pair of bolts 26 inserted.

  In a state where the pump body 30 is fixed to the hub body 20, the substantially cylindrical inner space 34 of the pump body 30 communicates with the inner space 27 of the hub body 20 through the through hole 25 provided in the hub body 20. doing.

  A substantially cylindrical piston 50 made of, for example, synthetic resin is disposed in the internal space 34 of the pump body 30, and a connecting pin 51 is fitted into the lower end portion of the piston 50, and a roller 52 is provided at the approximate center of the connecting pin 51. Is supported rotatably.

  An eccentric cam 28 is fixedly attached to the hub shaft 4 substantially at the center of the internal space 27 of the hub body 20. That is, the eccentric cam 28 is provided with a cylindrical cam surface 29, and the center axis of the cam surface 29 and the center axis of the hub shaft 4 are parallel and do not coincide with each other.

  A substantially donut-shaped rotating ring 53 is disposed so as to wrap a part of the cam surface 29 (the left part in FIG. 3). That is, a part of the cam surface 29 enters the inner diameter side of the rotating wheel 53 and can rotate with respect to each other. The rotating wheel 53 is provided with a through hole 54, and the end of the connecting pin 51 is inserted into the through hole 54, so that the connecting pin 51 and the rotating wheel 53 can rotate with respect to each other.

  Therefore, when the wheel 5 rotates with respect to the hub shaft 4, that is, when the wheel body 13 rotates with respect to the hub shaft 4 (hereinafter, refer to FIG. 1), the roller 52 cams according to the guidance of the rotating wheel 53. The surface 29 rolls, and as a result, the piston 50 reciprocates in the internal space 34 of the pump body 30.

  In this embodiment, the case where the eccentric cam 28 is fixedly attached to the hub shaft 4 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the cam is not limited to the eccentric cam, and the member to which the cam is attached is not limited to a member fixed to the front fork 2 or the frame 1 of the bicycle, such as the hub shaft 4. . In short, the cam only needs to be supported so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the wheel main body 13, and when the wheel main body 13 rotates, when the cam rotates relative to the wheel main body 13, a reciprocating motion is given to the piston 50. It only has to be configured.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the air pump 10 shown in FIG. 4 and shows a state where the piston 50 is at the top dead center. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the air pump 10 and shows a state where the piston 50 is at the bottom dead center.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a substantially cylindrical bearing 35 with a flange made of, for example, a sintered alloy is press-fitted and fixed in the internal space 34 in the base end portion 31 of the pump main body 30. The outer periphery of 50 is configured to slide smoothly and without play in the reciprocating direction of the piston 50.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the internal space 34 in the intermediate portion of the pump body 30 functions as a cylinder 36 that is a compression chamber of the air pump 10. The cylinder 36 and the piston 50 constitute a compressor.

  Near the upper end of the piston 50, an annular packing 55 that slides in an airtight manner with respect to the inner wall of the cylinder 36 is attached.

  An intake passage 37 that communicates from the lower end of the cylinder 36 to the internal space 27 of the hub body 20 is formed.

  A check valve holder 40 made of, for example, brass is integrally formed with the pump body 30 by, for example, insert molding, in the internal space 34 in the upper part of the pump body 30, that is, immediately above the cylinder 36.

  The check valve holder 40 is configured as a bottomed cylinder, and the bottom functions as a cylinder head 46. A through hole 41 is formed in the cylinder head 46.

  In the cylindrical inner space of the check valve holder 40, an O-ring 42 as a valve seat, a steel ball 43 as a valve, and a compression coil spring 44 as a valve spring are arranged in this order from the cylinder head 46 side. A check valve 45 is configured.

  The air supply pipe 11 is coupled to the exhaust side of the check valve 45, and the high pressure air compressed by the cylinder 36 passes through the through hole 41 provided in the cylinder head 46, the check valve 45, the air supply pipe 11, and the regulator. 14. It is fed into the tire 9 via the tire valve 12 (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the air pump 10 is provided with a drain valve 60 that is a discharge valve. The drain valve 60 is disposed in an internal space 71 of a substantially cylindrical drain valve holder 70 provided integrally with the pump body 30 slightly above the middle of the pump body 30.

  The drain valve 60 opens when the internal pressure of the cylinder 36 exceeds a predetermined pressure, and drains the water in the cylinder 36 into the water conduit 73, the internal space 71 of the drain valve holder 70, and the drain plug 64. Via the hole 65, it is comprised so that it may discharge | release outside the air pump 10, ie, air | atmosphere.

  In this embodiment, the valve opening pressure of the drain valve 60 is set to a value obtained by adding the valve opening pressure of the check valve 45 to a preset storage pressure that is a predetermined internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11. . With this configuration, when the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined set storage pressure, the drain valve 60 is kept closed and high-pressure air is supplied via the check valve 45 to the air supply pipe 11. When the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 exceeds the set storage pressure, the drain valve 60 is opened, and the water present in the cylinder 36 can be discharged together with the high-pressure air.

  Thus, by adjusting the valve opening pressure of the drain valve 60, it is possible to maintain the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 at a desired set storage pressure without providing a pressure regulating valve in the air supply pipe 11. . That is, the drain valve 60 also functions as a pressure regulating valve.

  The drain valve (or pressure regulating valve) can be provided in the air supply pipe 11 as well as directly in the pump body 30 as in this example. When provided in the air supply pipe 11, the valve opening pressure of the drain valve (or pressure regulating valve) may be set so as to be a set storage pressure that is a predetermined internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11.

  In this embodiment, the set storage pressure is set to a value obtained by adding a valve opening pressure of a check valve 90 described later to an appropriate tire pressure (appropriate tube internal pressure) that is an appropriate pressure of the tire tube 9a. Yes.

  7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this example, the tire 9 includes a tire tube 9a and a tire body 9b arranged so as to cover the tire tube 9a. The tire valve 12 is provided in the tire tube 9a, and air is fed into the tire tube 9a through the tire valve 12.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to, for example, a tubeless tire. In the case of a tubeless tire, for example, a tire valve is mounted on the rim, and the fluid holding device is configured by the rim and the tubeless tire.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the air supply pipe 11 and the tire valve 12 are coupled via the regulator 14. The high-pressure air generated in the air pump 10 is sent to the tire valve 12 via the air supply pipe 11 and the regulator 14.

  FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 and shows a case where the tire valve 12 is in a closed state. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 and shows a case where the tire valve 12 is in an open state.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the tire valve 12 is a so-called American type valve, and includes a substantially cylindrical valve stem 81 made of metal and a valve core 82 that is screwed and fixed inside the valve stem 81.

  The valve stem 81 is hermetically fixed to the tire tube 9a through a rubber valve base 80 molded so as to wrap one end side (end side in the Y1 direction in the figure) from the outside.

  The valve core 82 is partially held inside a metal substantially cylindrical inner cylinder 83 and the inner cylinder 83, and is supported inside the valve stem 81 so as to be movable a predetermined distance in the axial direction (Y direction in the figure). The valve body 84 is provided.

  The outer periphery of the inner cylinder 83 is in airtight contact with the inner periphery of the valve stem 81 via a rubber packing 88.

  The valve body 84 includes a substantially cylindrical valve rod 86 made of metal, and a packing 85 fixed to one end of the valve rod 86 (from the Y1 direction in the drawing). The other end (Y2 direction end in the drawing) 86a of the valve stem 86 is exposed to an air injection port 89 that is a fluid injection port at the other end (Y2 direction end in the drawing).

  A valve spring 87 is provided between the inner cylinder 83 and the valve body 84. Due to the elastic restoring force of the valve spring 87, the valve body 84 is urged in the Y2 direction in the figure with respect to the inner cylinder 83. For this reason, one end (end in the Y1 direction) of the inner cylinder 83 and the packing 85 of the valve body 84 are normally in airtight contact.

  In addition to the elastic restoring force of the valve spring 87, the air pressure in the tire tube 9a acts on the valve body 84 as a force in the Y2 direction. The sum of these forces is the closing force of the tire valve 12.

  In order to open the tire valve 12 (see FIG. 9), the other end 86a of the valve rod 86 may be pushed down in the Y1 direction against the valve closing force.

  That is, the tire valve 12 is a normally closed valve device that is opened when the valve body 84 in the closed position is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force in response to the valve closing force.

  The regulator 14 controls opening and closing of the tire valve 12. The regulator 14 includes a regulator main body 100 including a cylinder 101 having an inner circumference and a substantially columnar piston 110 that is a displacement body that slides in the cylinder 101 in the axial direction (Y direction in the drawing). Yes.

  In this example, a through hole 102 that communicates with the atmosphere from the inside of the cylinder 101 is provided near the bottom of the cylinder 101. In addition, it can also comprise so that the through-hole 102 may not be provided.

  A substantially cylindrical valve connecting portion 104 is formed at one end of the regulator body 100 (Y1 direction end in the figure), and a rod holding portion 103 is formed so as to connect the valve connecting portion 104 and the cylinder 101. Furthermore, a substantially cylindrical air supply pipe connecting portion 105 for connecting to the air supply pipe 11 is provided continuously to the cylinder 101 at the other end (Y2 direction end in the figure) of the regulator main body 100.

  By inserting a female screw provided inside the valve connection portion 104 of the regulator body 100 into a male screw provided outside the other end (Y2 direction end in the drawing) of the valve stem 81 of the tire valve 12, the tire valve 12 is provided. And regulator 14 are coupled. At this time, the tire valve 12 and the regulator 14 are hermetically coupled by the O-ring 106.

  A substantially cylindrical piston rod 111 having a smaller diameter than the piston 110 extends in the Y1 direction from the center of one end of the piston 110 (the Y1 direction end in the figure). In this example, the piston 110 and the piston rod 111 are integrally formed and constitute a control operation unit 91.

  The piston rod 111 is held inside the rod holding portion 103 of the regulator main body 100 so as to be movable in the Y direction in the figure. At this time, an airtight state is maintained between the outer periphery of the piston rod 111 and the inner wall of the rod holding portion 103 by the O-ring 107.

  The piston 110 is provided with a piston ring 115 made of rubber, for example, and maintains airtightness between the outer periphery of the piston 110 and the inner wall of the cylinder 101. This airtightness is only in one direction (Y1 direction), and there is no airtightness in the opposite direction (Y2 direction).

  The other end (Y2 direction end in the figure) of the piston 110 is a piston head 113, and an air flow passage 114 as a fluid flow passage is provided from the piston head 113 along the substantially central axis of the piston 110 and the piston rod 111. And communicates with the air inlet 89.

  Note that the air flow passage is not necessarily provided in the piston 110 and the piston rod 111. For example, the regulator body 100 may be provided. The point is that the air flow passage only needs to communicate between an air supply chamber 109 (described later) of the regulator 14 and an air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12.

  The regulator 14 and the joint tool 116 are coupled by screwing the female screw provided on the inner side of the air pipe connection portion 105 of the regulator main body 100 into the male screw provided on one side (Y1 direction in the figure) of the joint tool 116. Is done. At this time, the regulator 14 and the joint tool 116 are hermetically coupled by the O-ring 108.

  In the closed state of the tire valve 12, the distance between the other end 86a of the valve stem 86 and one end (Y1 direction end in the figure) 116a of the joint rod 116 is one end (Y1 direction end in the figure) 112 and the piston head. It is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the distance to 113.

  One side (Y1 direction in the figure) of the joint tool 116 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a check valve 90 including a steel ball 117, a spring 118, and an O-ring 119 is provided therein. One end of the spring 118 is in contact with the steel ball 117 and the other end is in contact with the piston head 113. The air supply pipe 11 (see FIG. 7) is airtightly connected to the other side (Y2 direction in the drawing) of the joint tool 116. Thereby, the regulator 14 and the air supply pipe 11 are airtightly coupled.

  A space in contact with the piston head 113 in the joint 116 is an air supply chamber 109 that is a fluid supply chamber. Note that the check valve 90 is not necessarily provided. When the check valve 90 is not provided, the internal space of the air supply pipe 11 is also included in the air supply chamber 109.

  In addition, the material of the member which comprises the regulator 14 is not specifically limited, However, A lightweight thing is preferable if it has required intensity | strength and durability. In particular, when it is used by being mounted on a wheel that rotates at high speed, it is preferable that it is lightweight so as not to greatly break the so-called wheel balance.

  For example, a light metal, for example, an aluminum alloy such as A2011-T6 (JIS standard), aluminum, or a synthetic resin can be used as the material of the regulator main body 100, the piston 110, the piston rod 111, and the joint tool 116 constituting the regulator 14.

  Next, the force acting on the piston 110 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Since the air supply chamber 109 communicates with the air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12 via the air flow passage 114, the piston 110 has a piston rod from the cross-sectional area of the cylinder 101 (the area of the inner diameter of the cylinder 101). A force in the Y1 direction is applied to the area obtained by reducing the cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area) of 111 by the air pressure (set storage pressure) of the air supply chamber 109. Note that the elastic restoring force of the spring 118 also acts on the piston 110 as a force in the Y1 direction. However, in general, the force is based on the air pressure of the air supply chamber 109 and is ignored in this example. ing.

  On the other hand, one end 112 of the piston rod 111 receives a force in the Y2 direction corresponding to the valve closing force of the tire valve 12 via the valve body 84 of the tire valve 12. In this state, of the forces in the Y2 direction acting on the valve body 84 of the tire valve 12, the force based on the air pressure in the tire tube 9a is the force in the Y1 direction based on the air pressure of the air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12. As a result, the closing force of the tire valve 12 is substantially equal to the elastic restoring force of the valve spring 87.

Therefore, the valve closing force is F, the cylinder effective area (the area obtained by subtracting the cross-sectional area of the piston rod 111 from the cross-sectional area of the cylinder 101) is S, and the valve body 84 is displaced to the open position (returns to the closed position). If the air pressure (predetermined value) in the air supply chamber 109 is P0,
P0 = F / S (1)
It can be expressed as

In this embodiment, if the appropriate tire pressure (set storage pressure) of the tire tube 9a is P1,
P1> P0 = F / S (2)
The cylinder effective area S is set so that

If the elastic restoring force of the spring 118 cannot be ignored as the force in the Y1 direction acting on the piston 110, if the elastic restoring force of the spring 118 is assumed to be f, instead of the above formulas (1) and (2), (1-2) and (2-2) may be used.
P0 = (F−f) / S (1-2)
P1> P0 = (F−f) / S (2-2)

  Next, the operation of the air pump 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the wheel 5 rotates around the hub axle 4 as the bicycle (not shown) travels, the air pump 10 provided on the hub 6 constituting the wheel 5 is moved together with the wheel 5 to the hub. The shaft 4 rotates around the hub shaft 4 as a fixed shaft.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the roller 52 provided at the lower end portion of the piston 50 constituting the air pump 10 is a cam surface of the eccentric cam 28 fixedly provided with respect to the hub shaft 4. Roll along the cam surface 29 along 29.

  Therefore, when the wheel 5 rotates around the hub axle 4 (see FIG. 1), as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the piston 50 is in a top dead center (position of the piston 50 shown in FIG. 5) in the cylinder 36. And the bottom dead center (the position of the piston 50 shown in FIG. 6) are reciprocated in the axial direction of the cylinder 36. In this example, the piston 50 reciprocates once while the wheel 5 rotates once.

  When the piston 50 reaches the bottom dead center (position shown in FIG. 6), air is sucked into the cylinder 36 from the internal space 27 of the hub body 20 via the intake passage 37. Note that. For example, air is sucked into the internal space 27 of the hub body 20 from the outside of the hub body 20 through gaps (not shown) between the plurality of steel balls 24 shown in FIG. 3.

  The air sucked into the cylinder 36 is compressed in the process in which the piston 50 moves from the bottom dead center (position shown in FIG. 6) to the top dead center (position shown in FIG. 5).

  The air compressed in the cylinder 36 (high pressure air) is shown in FIG. 6 until the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 reaches the set storage pressure (that is, until the air pressure of the tire tube 9a reaches the appropriate tire pressure). A tire tube of the tire 9 is fed into the air feeding pipe 11 through a through hole 41 and a check valve 45 provided in the head 46, and further from the air feeding pipe 11 through the regulator 14 and the tire valve 12 shown in FIG. It is sent to 9a. The operation of the regulator 14 will be described later.

  When the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 reaches the set storage pressure (that is, when the air pressure of the tire tube 9a reaches the appropriate tire pressure), the air compressed in the cylinder 36 is checked together with the moisture present in the cylinder 36. Without passing through the valve 45, the air is discharged to the outside of the air pump 10 through the water conduit 73, the drain valve 60, and the drain plug 64 communicating with the upper part of the cylinder 36 shown in FIG. 6.

  For some reason, when the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 becomes lower than the set storage pressure (that is, when the air pressure of the tire tube 9a becomes lower than the appropriate tire pressure), the air compressed in the cylinder 36 again causes the check valve 45 to be turned on. Then, the air is supplied to the air supply pipe 11 and further supplied from the air supply pipe 11 to the tire tube 9a of the tire 9 via the regulator 14 and the tire valve 12 shown in FIG.

  Next, the operation of the regulator 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the high-pressure air sent from the air pump 10 to the air supply pipe 11 (see FIG. 1) is sent to the regulator 14, via the check valve 90, the air supply chamber 109, and the air flow passage 114. The air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12 is reached.

  Until the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109 reaches a predetermined value P0, the force P · S in the Y1 direction acting on the valve body 84 based on the air pressure P is smaller than the force based on the valve closing force F in the Y2 direction. The tire valve 12 is in a closed state, and high-pressure air is not sent into the tire tube 9a.

  Thereafter, when the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109 exceeds a predetermined value P0, as shown in FIG. 9, the force PS in the Y1 direction acting on the valve body 84 based on the air pressure P becomes the valve closing force in the Y2 direction. Since the force is greater than the force based on F, the valve body 84 is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force F, so that the tire valve 12 is opened, and the supplied high-pressure air passes through the air inlet 89. It passes through the tire valve 12 and is injected into the tire tube 9a.

  When the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109, that is, the air pressure in the tire tube 9a reaches the appropriate tire pressure P1 (that is, when the internal pressure of the air supply pipe 11 reaches the set storage pressure), as described above, The compressed air is discharged to the outside of the air pump 10 through the drain valve 60 shown in FIG. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the air pressure of the tire tube 9a from exceeding the appropriate tire pressure P1.

  When the rotation of the wheel 5 is stopped and the supply of high-pressure air from the air pump 10 is stopped, the tire valve 12 is open if the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109 exceeds a predetermined value P0. The action of the check valve 90 and the check valve 45 (see FIG. 6) prevents the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109 (that is, the air pressure of the tire tube 9a) from decreasing.

  If for some reason the air pressure P in the air supply chamber 109 becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value P0, the tire valve 12 is closed, and the air pressure in the tire tube 9a is prevented from becoming lower than the predetermined value P0.

  As described above, by using the regulator 14, the tire valve 12 can be controlled to be opened / closed by the pressure of the air supplied to the tire valve 12.

  Next, a regulator 214 which is a valve control device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of the regulator 214 in a state where the rotation speed of the wheel 5 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the state of the regulator 214 in a state where the rotation speed of the wheel 5 exceeds a predetermined value. 10 and 11, parts having the same functions as those of the regulator 14 (see FIG. 8) are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the regulator 214 is different from the regulator 14 in that it includes a communication / cutoff control unit 222.

  In the regulator 214, a nut 217 is screwed into a male screw provided outside the other end (Y2 direction end in the drawing) of the valve stem 81 of the tire valve 12, and further, the valve connection of the regulator main body 100 is connected via a washer 218. The tire valve 12 and the regulator 214 are coupled by screwing a female screw provided inside the portion 104.

  A through-hole 215 that communicates the air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12 and the atmosphere is provided in the middle portion of the substantially cylindrical rod holding portion 103 of the regulator main body 100.

  A substantially cylindrical weight 220 is attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the rod holding portion 103. The weight 220 is supported on the outer periphery of the rod holding portion 103 so as to be movable a predetermined distance in the Y direction. That is, the weight 220 includes a state where the other end (Y2 direction end) of the weight 220 is in contact with the stepped portion 216 of the rod holding portion 103 (a state shown in FIG. 10) and one end (Y1 direction end) of the weight 220. ) Is in contact with the washer 218 (the state shown in FIG. 11).

  The weight 220 is biased in the Y2 direction by the elastic restoring force of the spring 219. When the wheel 5 rotates, the centrifugal force acts in the Y1 direction. Therefore, when the centrifugal force acting on the weight 220 exceeds the elastic restoring force of the spring 219, the weight 220 moves in the Y1 direction, as shown in FIG. It becomes.

  A packing 221 is attached to a part of the weight 220. In this example, an annular packing 221 is mounted in an annular groove provided on the inner periphery of the weight 220.

  The packing 221 moves together with the weight 220 in the Y direction along the outer periphery of the rod holding portion 103.

  In the state shown in FIG. 11, the through hole 215 is hermetically closed by the packing 221 and the air inlet 89 is shut off from the atmosphere. In the state shown in FIG. 10, the through-hole 215 is not blocked by the packing 221 and the air inlet 89 is in communication with the atmosphere.

  That is, the communication / blocking control unit 222 includes a through-hole 215 provided in the regulator 214 for communicating the air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12 and the atmosphere, and a weight 220 that moves by receiving centrifugal force due to the rotation of the wheel 5. The spring 219 that urges the weight 220 to move in the direction opposite to the moving direction due to the centrifugal force, and the weight 220 moves in accordance with the movement of the weight 220. And a packing 221 for releasing the blocking of the through hole 215 when the rotational speed of the wheel 5 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value.

  By adjusting the elastic restoring force of the spring 219 and the mass of the weight 220, it is possible to adjust the predetermined value (the number of rotations of the wheel 5) for switching communication / blocking between the air inlet 89 and the atmosphere. For example, the elastic restoring force of the spring 219 and the mass of the weight 220 can be adjusted so that the weight 220 does not move in the Y1 direction even when gravity acts in the Y1 direction when the wheel 5 is stopped.

  Next, the operation of the regulator 214 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in a state where the rotation speed of the wheel 5 exceeds a predetermined value, the air inlet 89 is shut off from the atmosphere, so that the regulator 214 performs the same operation as the regulator 14 described above.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the rotational speed of the wheel 5 becomes a predetermined value or less, the air inlet 89 of the tire valve 12 is in communication with the atmosphere, so that the valve body 84 of the tire valve 12 is immediately closed. Return to position.

  For this reason, for example, even when a failure occurs in the high pressure air supply system, for example, the check valve 90, the check valve 45, etc., when the wheel 5 is stopped, the air flows back from the tire valve 12 and leaks out. Can be prevented.

  Other configurations and operations of the regulator 214 are the same as those of the regulator 14.

  The communication / cutoff control unit is not limited to the configuration shown in the communication / cutoff control unit 222 described above. When the rotation number of the wheel body is detected by some means and the rotation number exceeds a predetermined value, the valve Any device may be used as long as the fluid inlet of the device and the atmosphere are shut off, and the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere are in communication with each other when the rotational speed falls below the predetermined value.

  Next, a regulator 314 which is a valve control device according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the regulator 314. In FIG. 12, parts having the same functions as those of the regulator 14 (see FIG. 8) are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the regulator 314 is different from the regulator 14 in that a check valve 315 is provided instead of the check valve 90 (see FIG. 8).

  In the check valve 315, a moving body 316 is used instead of the steel ball 117 (see FIG. 8), and an O-ring 320 is used instead of the O-ring 119 (see FIG. 8). The spring 118 is similar to that of the check valve 90.

  The moving body 316 includes an O-ring holding portion 317 that is fitted to the inner diameter side of the O-ring 320 without a gap and holds the O-ring 320, a pressing portion 318 having a pressing surface 318a that presses the O-ring 320 in the Y2 direction, and a spring. And a spring guide portion 319 for guiding 118.

  The O-ring holding part 317, the pressing part 318, and the spring guide part 319 are formed in a concentric columnar shape with different diameters, and are integrated.

  In this example, the outer diameter of the O-ring holding portion 317 is configured to be smaller than the inner diameter of the vent path 116b of the joint tool 116, and the inner diameter of the O-ring 320 is fitted into the outer diameter of the O-ring holding portion 317 without a gap. It is configured to be able to.

  By configuring so that the inner diameter of the O-ring 320 fits into the outer diameter of the O-ring holding portion 317 without any gap, there is a gap between the outer diameter of the O-ring 320 and the inner diameter of the air supply chamber 109 of the joint tool 116. Even in this case, the center of the pressing portion 318 of the moving body 316 and the center of the O-ring 320 are not shifted. Further, the adhesion between the pressing surface 318a of the pressing portion 318 and the O-ring 320 can be ensured.

  For this reason, the backflow of the compressed air from the air supply chamber 109 to the ventilation path 116b can be prevented more reliably.

  Other configurations and operations of the regulator 314 are the same as those of the regulator 14.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the displacement body constituting the control operation unit of the valve control device is a piston that is reciprocally held in a cylinder communicating with the fluid supply chamber has been described as an example. The displacement body is not limited to the piston, and may be, for example, a diaphragm.

  In general, the displacement body may be an output side movable member of an actuator that is operated by the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber. Further, the control operation unit generally includes an actuator that operates directly or indirectly by the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber, for example, a solenoid that operates by electrically detecting the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber. It may be.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, as a compressor, a so-called reciprocating compressor configured to compress gas by changing a cylinder volume by a reciprocating motion of a piston has been described as an example. It is not limited to this. As the compressor, the present invention can be applied to a positive displacement compressor other than the reciprocating compressor, for example, a screw type, rotary type, or scroll type compressor. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a compressor other than a positive displacement compressor, for example, a centrifugal compressor.

  Moreover, although the bicycle wheel has been described as an example of a wheel with a tire provided with an air pump, the present invention is not limited to this. As the wheel with a tire, for example, the present invention can be applied to a wheel with a tire that is used in all types of vehicles such as a tricycle, a bicycle with a motor, a two-wheeled vehicle, an automobile, a wheelchair, a rear car, and the like. The present invention can also be applied to wheels with tires used for other than vehicles, such as elevator guide wheels and other tire-equipped wheels.

  Further, the fluid holding device is not limited to a tire, but is a concept including a tank for holding air (generally “gas”, more generally “fluid”). Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to the case where fluid is sent to the tank as the wheel rotates.

  Further, as the fluid supply device, an automatic fluid supply mechanism (for example, the air pump 10) that generates a pressurized fluid such as compressed air with the rotation of the wheel body and supplies it to the fluid holding device has been described as an example. The supply device is not limited to this. For example, in addition to a device that automatically or at any time is driven by an electric motor or other power source such as a general power pump to supply pressurized fluid to a fluid holding device, it is manually pressurized like a hand-held air pump An apparatus that supplies fluid to the fluid holding device also corresponds to the fluid supply apparatus.

Although the present invention has been described above as a preferred embodiment, the terminology has been used for description rather than limitation and departs from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Also, while the above describes only some exemplary embodiments of the present invention in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize the exemplary implementations described above without departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. It will be readily appreciated that many variations in form are possible. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

9a: Tire tube 12: Tire valve 14: Regulator 84: Valve body 87: Valve spring 89: Air inlet 101: Cylinder 109: Air supply chamber 110: Piston 111: Piston rod 114: Air flow passage

Patent Applicant Ryuji Nakano Applicant Agent Patent Attorney Koichi Tagawa

Claims (6)

A valve control device that controls opening and closing of a normally closed valve device that is in an open state when a valve body in a closed position in response to the valve closing force is displaced to the open position against the valve closing force,
A fluid supply chamber to which a fluid is supplied;
A fluid flow passage communicating the fluid supply chamber and the fluid inlet of the valve device;
When the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber exceeds a predetermined value, the valve body of the valve device is displaced to the open position, and when the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber falls below the predetermined value, the valve body returns to the closed position. A control action unit that allows
Having
A valve control device. The valve control device according to claim 1, wherein
The control operation unit is
A force based on the valve closing force is received via the valve body of the valve device, and a force in a direction against the force based on the valve closing force is received by the fluid pressure in the fluid supply chamber, and the force based on the valve closing force is A displacement body that is displaced based on a difference from a force in a direction against the force based on the valve closing force, the displacement body configured to be displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the displacement body;
Having
It is characterized by. The valve control device according to claim 2,
The displacement body is
The piston is reciprocally held in a cylinder communicating with the fluid supply chamber;
It is characterized by. The valve control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The fluid supplied to the fluid supply chamber is air compressed as the wheel body rotates,
The valve control device further includes:
When the rotational speed of the wheel body exceeds a predetermined value, the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere are shut off, and when the rotational speed of the wheel body falls below the predetermined value, the fluid inlet of the valve device and the atmosphere Communication / blocking control unit,
Having
It is characterized by. A fluid holding device having the valve device, comprising the valve control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A fluid holding device. A fluid supply device for supplying a fluid to a fluid holding device having the valve device, comprising the valve control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A fluid supply device.

Images