JP5699873B2 - Fluid control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid control device, and more particularly to a fluid control device including a rotary valve body.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique that is considered to be related to the present invention with respect to a fluid control device including a rotary valve body. In US Pat. No. 6,057,049, an adjustment member that includes a body with a fluid inlet and at least two fluid outlets and can take various angular positions to control the distribution of fluid through the fluid outlet is rotated together. A control valve surrounded by a sealing ring is disclosed.

JP 2011-217733 A

  In a fluid control device including a rotary valve body, the phase of the rotary valve body can be controlled, for example, as follows. In other words, a rotation prevention part for initial phase setting is provided on the rotary valve body, and after learning the phase where the rotation operation of the rotary valve body is mechanically stopped by the rotation prevention part as the initial phase, the degree of rotation from the initial phase is The phase of the rotary valve body can be controlled.

  On the other hand, in a fluid control device including a rotary valve body, fluid leakage may occur from around the rotary valve body. On the other hand, in order to prevent fluid leakage, for example, a seal member that can rotate integrally with the rotary valve body can be provided between the passage portion where the rotary valve body is interposed and the rotary valve body. However, in the case where the rotation preventing element for initial phase setting is provided on the rotary valve body, even if a malfunction occurs in which the seal member is separated from the rotary valve body due to breakage or falls off, for example. May not be detected.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid control device capable of setting an initial phase of a rotary valve body and detecting a failure of a seal member.

The present invention provides a passage portion that allows fluid to flow, a rotary valve body that is provided so as to be interposed in the passage portion, and that controls the flow of fluid that flows through the passage portion by a rotating operation, and the passage portion and the rotary valve body. A seal member provided integrally with the rotary valve body in a rotatable manner, and a detent portion for initial setting of the phase of the rotary valve body with respect to an actuator that drives the rotary valve body It is a fluid control apparatus provided.

  In the present invention, in a state where the rotary valve body and the seal member are combined, a restraining portion for restraining the seal member to the rotary valve body is provided in accordance with a position where the rotation preventing portion is provided in the circumferential direction. It can be set as the structure which has.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to set the initial phase of the rotary valve body and to detect the malfunction of the seal member.

It is a schematic block diagram of a fluid control apparatus. It is an external view of a rotary valve body and a seal member. It is a top view of a rotation unit. It is a bottom view of a gear box part. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of ECU with a flowchart. It is a figure explaining the influence of thermal expansion. It is a figure which shows the rotation unit at the time of thermal expansion. It is a figure which shows the modification of a sealing member. It is a figure which shows the modification of a restraint part.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fluid control device 100. In FIG. 1, a water pump (hereinafter referred to as W / P) 1 is also shown together with the fluid control device 100. The fluid control device 100 includes a rotary valve 10 and an ECU 30. The rotary valve 10 includes a first passage portion 11, a second passage portion 12, a rotary valve body 13, a drive portion 14, a valve body bypass passage portion 15, a bypass valve 16, a first thermostat 17, and a second thermostat 18. It has. In addition, it includes inlet portions In1, In2, and In3 and outlet portions Out1 and Out2. The outlet part Out1 is connected to the cylinder head of the engine, and the outlet part Out2 is connected to the cylinder block of the engine.

  The 1st channel | path part 11 is provided between the coolant outlet part of W / P1, and an engine, and distribute | circulates the engine coolant which is a fluid. The 2nd channel | path part 12 is provided between the coolant inlet_port | entrance part of W / P1, and a radiator, and distribute | circulates a coolant. The passage portions 11 and 12 are arranged side by side. The passage portions 11 and 12 are connected to W / P1 at the ends in a state where they are arranged side by side. The first passage portion 11 is connected to the coolant outlet portion of W / P1, and the second passage portion 12 is connected to the coolant inlet portion of W / P1. In the first passage portion 11, the W / P1 side is the upstream side, and in the second passage portion 12, the W / P1 side is the downstream side. The passage portions 11 and 12 may be provided as part of the same housing, for example.

  The first passage portion 11 communicates with the outlet portions Out1 and Out2 on the downstream side of the rotary valve body 13. The second passage portion 12 communicates with the inlet portion In1 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the rotary valve body 13. Further, the rotary valve body 13 communicates with the inlet portion In2 on the upstream side and the downstream side. Furthermore, it communicates with the inlet portion In3 on the upstream side of the rotary valve body 13. For convenience of illustration, the state in which the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the inlet portion In1 and the second passage portion 12 communicate with each other is not shown in FIG. The second passage portion 12 communicates the first communication portion B1 communicating with the upstream portion of the rotary valve body 13 and the inlet portion In2, and the downstream portion of the rotary valve body 13 and the inlet portion In2. And a second communication part B2.

  The rotary valve body 13 is provided so as to be interposed between the first passage portion 11 and the second passage portion 12. The rotary valve body 13 controls the circulation of the coolant flowing through the first passage portion 11 and the circulation of the coolant flowing through the second passage portion 12 by a rotation operation. The rotary valve body 13 includes a first valve body portion R1 interposed in the first passage portion 11 and a second valve body portion R2 interposed in the second passage portion 12. The insides of the valve body portions R1 and R2 are individually hollow, and an opening provided in the peripheral wall portion allows the coolant to flow through the valve body portions R1 and R2. The rotary valve body 13 prohibits and permits the circulation of the coolant flowing through the first passage portion 11 and the circulation of the coolant flowing through the second passage portion 12. It can be performed.

  The drive unit 14 includes an actuator 14 a and a gear box unit 14 b and drives the rotary valve body 13. The actuator 14a is specifically an electric motor, for example. The actuator 14a may be a hydraulic actuator that can be electronically controlled by a hydraulic control valve, for example.

  The valve body bypass passage portion 15 communicates the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the first passage portion 11 with respect to the rotary valve body 13. The bypass valve 16 is a differential pressure valve, and in the first passage portion 11, the coolant pressure (upstream pressure) in the upstream portion of the rotary valve body 13 and the downstream portion of the rotary valve body 13. In accordance with the pressure difference with the coolant pressure (downstream pressure), the flow of the coolant through the valve body bypass passage 15 is restricted and the restriction is released (specifically, prohibited or permitted here). .

  The first thermostat 17 is provided in the first communication part B1, and the second thermostat 18 is provided in the second communication part B2. The first thermostat 17 opens when the temperature of the coolant is higher than the first predetermined value, and closes when the temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined value. The second thermostat 18 opens when the temperature of the coolant is higher than the second predetermined value, and closes when the temperature is equal to or lower than the second predetermined value. The second predetermined value is set higher than the first predetermined value.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 19. The rotary valve 10 further includes a seal member 19. The material of the seal member 19 is, for example, a resin such as PTFE, rubber, or a combination thereof, and the coefficient of thermal expansion is higher than that of the metal rotary valve body 13. The seal member 19 has a cylindrical shape and is assembled around the rotary valve body 13. In the rotary valve 10, the seal member 19 is provided between the first passage portion 11 and the rotary valve body 13 (specifically, the first valve body portion R1), and the second passage portion 12 and the rotary valve body. 13 (specifically, the second valve body R2). The seal member 19 is provided with an opening corresponding to the opening provided in the peripheral wall of the rotary valve body 13.

  FIG. 3 is a top view of a rotary unit that is a combination of the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 19. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the gear box portion 14b. The seal member 19 includes an anti-rotation portion S for initial phase setting. The anti-rotation portion S is provided in a protruding shape on the upper end surface of the seal member 19. The rotation preventing portion S moves along an arc-shaped rail groove provided on the lower surface of the gear box portion 14 b according to the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13. Then, when the end of the rail groove is reached, the rotating operation of the rotary valve body 13 is mechanically stopped.

  Ribs Rb are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 19, and grooves D are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary valve body 13. The rib Rb and the groove D serve as an engagement portion between the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 19. The seal member 19 is provided on the rotary valve body 13 in a state where the rib Rb is engaged with the groove portion D, so that the seal member 19 is rotatably provided integrally with the rotary valve body 13. In a state where the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 19 are combined, the rib Rb and the groove portion D are provided in accordance with the position where the rotation preventing portion S is provided in the circumferential direction. The rib Rb and the groove D constitute a restraining portion P that restrains the seal member 19 to the rotary valve body 13.

  The rotary valve body 13 includes a first valve body opening G11 and a second valve body opening G12 in the first valve body R1. The valve body openings G11 and G12 are provided in the peripheral wall portion of the first valve body portion R1, and communicate with each other inside a hollow space. The valve body openings G11 and G12 are provided so that the passage formed by the first passage portion 11 can be communicated and blocked.

  The seal member 19 has a first seal opening G21 provided in correspondence with the first valve body opening G11, and a second seal opening G22 provided in correspondence with the second valve body opening G12. And. The seal openings G21, 22 are provided so that the seal member 19 does not block the corresponding valve element openings G11, G12 under the operating temperature environment. In this regard, the seal openings G21 and G22 have an opening shape whose width in the circumferential direction is larger than the corresponding valve element openings G11 and G12. The seal openings G21 and 22 can have an opening shape whose width in the circumferential direction is larger than that of the corresponding valve element openings G11 and G12 toward at least the side where the restricting portion P is provided.

  The valve body openings G11 and G12 may be, for example, openings provided in the second valve body R2, and at the same time the seal openings G21 and G22 are provided in the openings provided in the second valve body R2. It may be an opening provided correspondingly.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the ECU 30 is an electronic control device, and an actuator 14 a is electrically connected to the ECU 30 as a control target. In addition, the ECU 30 is electrically connected to a phase detection sensor built in the actuator 14a as a sensor switch, and an ignition switch 40 of the engine. In this regard, the output of the ignition SW 40 may be indirectly input to the ECU 30 via, for example, an engine control ECU. Or ECU30 may be ECU for engine control, for example.

  The ROM is configured to store a program describing various processes executed by the CPU, map data, and the like. Various functions are realized in the ECU 30 when the CPU executes processing while using a temporary storage area of the RAM as required based on a program stored in the ROM. In this regard, in the ECU 30, for example, the following control unit is functionally realized.

  When the control unit starts the coolant flow control by the rotary valve body 13, the control unit drives the rotary valve body 13 until the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13 is mechanically stopped by the anti-rotation unit S. The phase of the rotary valve body 13 when stopped by the stopper S is learned. Then, the flow control of the coolant is started when the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is within the allowable range, and the flow control of the coolant is stopped when the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is outside the allowable range. To do. When the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is outside the allowable range, the control unit simultaneously detects that a failure has occurred in the seal member 19.

  Specifically, until the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13 is mechanically stopped by the anti-rotation portion S, the control unit rotates the rotary valve body 13 along either one of the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. And the phase of the rotary valve body 13 when it is stopped by the rotation stopper S is learned. When the rotary valve body 13 is driven along the normal rotation direction and when the rotary valve body 13 is driven along the reverse rotation direction, the control unit rotates the rotary valve body 13 when mechanically stopped by the anti-rotation unit S. The coolant flow control is started when each of the learned phases of the rotary valve body 13 is within the allowable range, and cooling is performed when each of the learned phases of the rotary valve body 13 is outside the allowable range. Liquid flow control may be stopped.

  Next, the control operation of the ECU 30 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The ECU 30 determines whether or not the ignition SW (IGSW) 40 is turned on (step S1). In step S <b> 1, the start condition for starting the initial phase setting operation of the rotary valve body 13 is that the ignition SW 40 is turned on. For example, the start condition may be that the ignition SW 40 is turned off.

  If a negative determination is made in step S1, the process returns to step S1. If an affirmative determination is made in step S1, the ECU 30 drives the rotary valve body 13 along the normal rotation direction (step S2). Subsequently, the ECU 30 determines whether or not the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13 has been stopped (step S3). Whether or not the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13 has stopped can be determined based on, for example, the output of the phase detection sensor built in the actuator 14a. If a negative determination is made in step S3, the process returns to step S2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S3, the ECU 30 detects and stores the stop phase of the rotary valve body 13 (step S4). Thereby, the initial phase of the rotary valve body 13 is learned.

  Subsequent to step S4, the ECU 30 determines whether or not the learned phase of the rotary valve body 13 (stop phase of the rotary valve body 13) is within an allowable range (step S5). Thus, it is determined whether or not a failure has occurred in the seal member 19. Whether or not the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is within the allowable range is, for example, whether the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is within a preset allowable range in the absolute phase of the actuator 14a based on the machine origin. It can be determined by determining whether or not.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S5, the ECU 30 determines that the rotary valve 10 is normal and starts the coolant flow control (step S6). In this case, the phase of the rotary valve body 13 can be controlled by the degree of rotation from the initial phase with the learned phase of the rotary valve body 13 as the initial phase. If a negative determination is made in step S5, the ECU 30 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the rotary valve 10, and stops the coolant flow control (step S7). In step S7, a warning for notifying that an abnormality has occurred can be output at the same time.

  Next, the effect of the fluid control apparatus 100 will be described. In the fluid control device 100, the seal member 19 includes a detent portion S for initial phase setting. For this reason, the fluid control device 100 can set the initial phase of the rotary valve body 13 and can detect the malfunction of the seal member 19 depending on whether or not the initial phase of the rotary valve body 13 is within an allowable range. be able to. Further, by using the anti-rotation portion S for initial phase setting to detect a failure of the seal member 19, a configuration that is advantageous in terms of cost can be obtained. By enabling the fluid control device 100 to detect the malfunction of the seal member 19, it is possible to prevent the secondary damage of other systems such as the engine from expanding.

  In the fluid control device 100, in a state where the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 19 are combined, the restraining portion P that restrains the seal member 19 to the rotary valve body 13 is located at a position where the rotation prevention portion S is provided in the circumferential direction. It is provided together. As a result, the fluid control device 100 can prevent the position of the rotation preventing portion S from being displaced in the circumferential direction even when the seal member 19 is largely thermally expanded as compared with the rotary valve body 13. Hereinafter, this point will be specifically described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the influence of thermal expansion. FIG. 6A shows the state of the rotary unit including the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 20 before thermal expansion (for example, when the temperature of the coolant is 25 ° C.), and FIG. 6B shows the state after thermal expansion (for example, cooling). The state of the rotary unit consisting of the rotary valve body 13 and the seal member 20 when the temperature of the liquid is 100 ° C. is shown. The seal member 20 is substantially the same as the seal member 19 except that the restraining portion P is provided at a position shifted by 10 ° from the position where the rotation preventing portion S is provided.

  In this case, the seal member 20 is largely thermally expanded as compared with the rotary valve body 13, so that the positional relationship between the rotation preventing portion S and the restraining portion P before and after the thermal expansion and the rotation preventing portion S and the seal opening G21, It can be seen that the positional relationship with G22 is shifted. Therefore, in this case, the learned initial phase of the rotary valve body 13 and the relative positions of the seal openings G21 and G22 with respect to the valve body openings G11 and G12 are shifted, which is effective when circulating the coolant. As a result of the reduced opening area, the pressure loss may increase.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the rotating unit during thermal expansion. The rotation unit shown in FIG. 7 is provided in the fluid control device 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the seal member 19 expands in the radial direction while moving along the circumferential direction with the restraining portion P as a fixed point even if there is thermal expansion. For this reason, the fluid control apparatus 100 can prevent the position of the rotation prevention part S along the circumferential direction from shifting due to thermal deformation. As a result, since the positional accuracy of the rotary valve body 13 can be improved, it is possible to avoid a situation in which unnecessary pressure loss occurs. This is the same even when, for example, the rotation stopper S is provided on the rotary valve body 13 instead of the seal member 19.

  In the fluid control device 100, the rotary valve body 13 includes valve body openings G11 and G12 that communicate and block the passage formed by the first passage section 11, and the seal member 19 is provided in the first valve body opening G11. A first seal opening G21 provided in correspondence with the second seal opening G22 provided in correspondence with the second valve element opening G12 is provided. The seal openings G21 and G22 have an opening shape whose width in the circumferential direction is larger than that of the corresponding valve element openings G11 and G12.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the fluid control device 100 has the valve body opening G11 even if the relative positions of the seal openings G21 and G22 with respect to the valve body openings G11 and G12 are shifted due to the thermal expansion of the seal member 19. , G12 can be prevented from being blocked by the sealing member 19, or difficult to block. As a result, unnecessary pressure loss can be prevented or suppressed.

  The fluid control device 100 drives the rotary valve body 13 along either one of the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction until the rotation operation of the rotary valve body 13 is mechanically stopped by the anti-rotation portion S. In addition, the phase of the rotary valve body 13 when it is stopped by the anti-rotation portion S is learned.

  In this regard, when the fluid control device 100 is mechanically stopped by the anti-rotation portion S for each of the case where the rotary valve body 13 is driven along the forward direction and the case where the rotary valve body 13 is driven along the reverse direction. The phase of the rotary valve body 13 is learned, and when the learned phase of the rotary valve body 13 is within the allowable range, the coolant flow control is started, and the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 is outside the allowable range. In this case, by stopping the coolant flow control, the detection accuracy of the malfunction of the seal member 19 can be improved as follows.

  That is, for example, when the rotary valve body 13 is driven along either one of the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction, the seal member has a phase in which the phase of the learned rotary valve body 13 falls within an allowable range. Even if the separation of 19 has occurred, since the failure of the seal member 19 can be detected as described above, the detection accuracy of the failure of the seal member 19 can also be increased.

  A fluid control device 100 configured to be able to suppress the influence of thermal deformation, such as providing a restraining portion P that restrains the seal member 19 to the rotary valve body 13 in accordance with a position where the rotation preventing portion S is provided in the circumferential direction. It is suitable for the case where the engine coolant whose temperature changes according to the engine operating state is circulated as a fluid. When the engine coolant is circulated as a fluid, the fluid control device 100 mechanically stops the rotation-preventing portion S in accordance with the phase of the rotary valve body 13 when stopping the coolant flow when the engine is cold. By providing the anti-rotation portion S to the engine, it is possible to favorably promote warm-up at the time of engine cold start.

  The rotary valve body 13 simultaneously controls the circulation of the cooling liquid in the first passage portion 11 and the circulation of the cooling liquid in the second passage portion 12 by a rotating operation, for example, cooling that circulates in the passage portions 11 and 12. Compared with the case where the flow control of the liquid is individually performed by the two flow control valves, the flow control with high reliability can be performed. In this regard, the fluid control device 100 is suitable for further improving the reliability of the flow control when the rotary valve body 13 is provided.

  Even when the positions in the circumferential direction of the restraining portion P and the rotation preventing portion S are different from each other (for example, when the sealing member 20 is provided instead of the sealing member 19), the fluid control device 100 is circumferentially dependent on the temperature. By correcting the positions of the seal openings G21 and G22, it is possible to avoid a situation in which unnecessary pressure loss occurs. The temperature in this case is preferably the temperature of the seal member 20, and when it is difficult to detect the temperature of the seal member 20, for example, the temperature of the circulating coolant can be applied.

  In this regard, the phase correction amount of the seal openings G21 and G22 taking into account the change in the initial phase of the rotary valve body 13 due to thermal deformation is obtained by grasping the thermal deformation of the seal member 20 based on normal temperature (for example, 25 ° C.). , Can be grasped in advance. Therefore, in this case, the fluid control device 100 calculates the phase correction amount of the seal openings G21 and G22 according to the temperature by the control unit, and corrects the phase of the rotary valve body 13 by the calculated phase correction amount. In addition, by driving the rotary valve body 13, it is possible to avoid a situation in which unnecessary pressure loss occurs. However, in this case, for example, simplification of control is hindered by the amount that such correction control is required.

  In the fluid control device 100, the seal member 19 is not restrained at a portion other than the restraining portion P. In this regard, for example, the seal member 19 may include an absorption portion T that relaxes deformation due to thermal expansion on the opposite side of the restraining portion P as shown below. FIG. 8 is a view showing a seal member 21 which is a modification of the seal member 19. The seal member 21 is substantially the same as the seal member 19 except that an absorption portion T is provided on the opposite side of the restraining portion P. The sealing member 21 can be relaxed by absorbing the deformation due to thermal expansion by the absorbing portion T. As a result, the valve body openings G11 and G12 can be prevented from being blocked by the sealing member 21, or can be prevented from being blocked. Specifically, the absorption part T is, for example, an opening. The absorption part T may be, for example, a divided part.

  In the fluid control device 100, the rib Rb and the groove part D constitute a restraint part P. In this regard, the restraining portion P may be realized as follows, for example. FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the restraining portion P. As shown in FIG. The rotary valve body 13 'is substantially the same as the rotary valve body 13 except that a non-restraining portion H1 to which a mechanical restraining element E is assembled is provided instead of the rib Rb. The seal member 19 ′ is substantially the same as the seal member 19 except that a non-restraining portion H2 to which a mechanical restraining element E is assembled is provided instead of the groove portion D. As shown in FIG. 9, the restraining portion P may be realized by a mechanical restraining element E such as a bolt, a screw, a knock pin, or the like.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

Rotary valve 10
First passage part 11
Second passage 12
Rotating valve body 13, 13 '
Seal member 19, 19 ', 20, 21
ECU 30
Fluid control device 100

Claims (2)

A passage for circulating fluid;
A rotary valve body that is provided so as to be interposed in the passage portion, and controls the circulation of the fluid flowing through the passage portion by a rotation operation;
A seal member that is rotatably provided integrally with the rotary valve body between the passage portion and the rotary valve body,
The fluid control device , wherein the seal member includes a rotation preventing portion for initial setting of a phase of the rotary valve body with respect to an actuator that drives the rotary valve body . The fluid control device according to claim 1,
In a state in which the rotary valve body and the seal member are combined, a fluid that is provided in accordance with a position where a restraint portion that restrains the seal member to the rotary valve body is provided in the circumferential direction. Control device.

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