JP7556516B2 - Actuator for solenoid valve and solenoid valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an actuator for a solenoid valve that includes a bobbin around which a conducting wire is wound to form an excitation coil, a fixed core, a movable core, and a yoke that is integrated with the bobbin to form a magnetic path around the excitation coil, as well as a solenoid valve that includes such an actuator for a solenoid valve.

As a solenoid valve equipped with this type of solenoid valve actuator, the following patent document discloses a latch-type solenoid valve (hereinafter simply referred to as a "solenoid valve") equipped with a solenoid. In this solenoid valve, the solenoid is composed of a coil bobbin (hereinafter simply referred to as a "bobbin"), a coil formed by winding a conductor around the bobbin, a fixed iron core, a plunger, a spring, a yoke, and a permanent magnet. In addition, in this solenoid valve, a valve body (for pilot valve) that can open and close the drain port (valve port) is attached to the lower end of the plunger, and the valve body (for main valve: diaphragm) that is operated by the pressure of water flowing in through the drain port is also included.

In this solenoid valve, in the normal state (when no current is applied to the coil), the magnetic force of the permanent magnet and the biasing force of the spring keep the plunger closed against the drain. In this state, the valve body (diaphragm) is pressed against the valve seat, blocking the flow of water. On the other hand, when current is applied to the solenoid coil, the plunger is pulled up against the biasing force of the spring, opening the drain. In this state, the magnetic force of the permanent magnet restricts (latches) the sliding of the plunger, and the valve body (diaphragm) is moved away from the valve seat, allowing the flow of water.

JP-A-11-280933 (page 2-3, figure 1-8)

However, the solenoid valve and its solenoid disclosed in the above patent document have the following problems. Specifically, in the solenoid of the solenoid valve disclosed in the above patent document, the yoke is composed of two members: a U-shaped member when viewed from the side (hereinafter also referred to as the "U-shaped member") and an I-shaped member when viewed from the side (hereinafter also referred to as the "I-shaped member"). In addition, in this solenoid, a plunger, spring, and fixed iron core are inserted in that order into the cylindrical portion of the bobbin around which a conductor is wound to form a coil, and the components are integrated by being sandwiched between the U-shaped member and I-shaped member of the yoke.

In this case, in this type of solenoid, the U-shaped member and the I-shaped member are fixed to each other and the components of the solenoid are integrated by a fixing structure such as "crimping" in which the convex parts formed on both ends of the U-shaped member are inserted into the insertion hole or notch formed in the I-shaped member and crimped (the convex parts are compressed and deformed), "screw fixing" in which a fixing screw inserted through an insertion hole formed in one of the U-shaped member and the I-shaped member is screwed into a screw hole formed in the other of both members, or "molding fixing" in which both ends of the U-shaped member are molded together with other bobbins while in contact with the I-shaped member. Note that the above patent document does not provide a detailed explanation of the fixing structure of the U-shaped member and the I-shaped member, but since there are no fixing screws or molding materials, it is presumed that the U-shaped member and the I-shaped member are fixed to each other by "crimping" and the components of the solenoid are integrated.

In this case, in the case of a configuration in which the components of the solenoid are integrated by "crimping", a press machine (the machine itself and a special jig to be set in the machine) is required for the crimping process, making it difficult to reduce manufacturing costs. In addition, in the case of a configuration in which the components of the solenoid are integrated by "screw fixing", in addition to the part cost of the fixing screws, it is difficult to reduce manufacturing costs because of the process of forming at least two screw holes and the process of screwing in at least two fixing screws, and the large number of processes makes it difficult to shorten the manufacturing time. Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which the components of the solenoid are integrated by "mold fixing", in addition to the part cost of the molding agent, it is difficult to reduce manufacturing costs because it requires equipment for the molding process (the machine itself and a mold for molding), and in addition, it is difficult to shorten the manufacturing time because of the waiting time required for the molding agent to harden.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its main objective is to provide an actuator for a solenoid valve that can reduce manufacturing costs and shorten manufacturing time, and a solenoid valve equipped with such an actuator for a solenoid valve.

In order to achieve the above object, an actuator for a solenoid valve according to claim 1 is an actuator for a solenoid valve comprising: a bobbin having flanges at both ends of a cylindrical portion around which a conducting wire forming an excitation coil is wound; a fixed core inserted into one end of the cylindrical portion in a state in which sliding relative to the bobbin is restricted; a movable core inserted into the other end of the cylindrical portion so as to be able to slide relative to the bobbin; and a yoke integrated with the bobbin to form a magnetic path around the excitation coil, and configured so that a valve body can be attached to the end of the movable core on the opposite side to the fixed core, wherein the yoke comprises a pair of first members and a second member connecting the first members together, The two first members are opposed to each other across the tubular portion, and the second member is disposed on the one end side of the tubular portion and is integrated with the bobbin, and the bobbin is provided with a pair of engaging claws that can engage with the second member on the first flange portion of the two flange portions that is provided on the one end side of the tubular portion, and is configured so that the bobbin can transition from a disengaged state in which the two engaging claws are not engaged with the second member to an engaged state in which the two engaging claws are engaged with the second member by relative rotation of the bobbin with respect to the yoke about a virtual rotation axis along the tube length direction of the tubular portion, and both engaging claws are engaged with the second member and integrated with the yoke.

Furthermore, the actuator for an electromagnetic valve according to claim 2 is the actuator for an electromagnetic valve according to claim 1 , wherein a permanent magnet is attached to a second flange portion, of the two flange portions of the bobbin, which is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical portion, for latching the movable core within the cylindrical portion.

Furthermore, the actuator for an electromagnetic valve according to claim 3 is the actuator for an electromagnetic valve according to claim 1 or 2 , in which the fixed core is inserted into the one end side of the cylindrical portion of the bobbin while being fixed to the second member of the yoke.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a solenoid valve including the actuator for a solenoid valve according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, and a valve body attached to the movable core.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solenoid valve as recited in the fourth aspect, wherein a valve seat portion having a valve port that is opened and closed by the valve body is formed integrally with the bobbin.

In the solenoid valve actuator of claim 1, the yoke includes a pair of first members and a second member connecting the first members, the first members facing each other across the cylindrical portion of the bobbin and the second member disposed at one end of the cylindrical portion, the bobbin is integrated with the yoke, and a pair of engaging claws engageable with the second member of the yoke are provided on a first flange of two flanges provided on both ends of the cylindrical portion, and the bobbin is integrated with the yoke by engaging both engaging claws with the second member. Also, in the solenoid valve of claim 4 , the solenoid valve is configured with the above-mentioned solenoid valve actuator and a valve body attached to the movable core.

Therefore, according to the solenoid valve actuator of claim 1 and the solenoid valve of claim 4 , unlike the configuration in which the components of the solenoid valve actuator are integrated by "crimping", a press machine (the machine itself and a dedicated jig to be set in the machine) for performing the crimping process is not required, and unlike the configuration in which the components of the solenoid valve actuator are integrated by "screw fixing", not only is a fixing screw not required, but also a process for forming a screw hole and a process for screwing in the fixing screw are not required, and unlike the configuration in which the components of the solenoid valve actuator are integrated by "mold fixing", not only is a molding agent not required, but also a machine for performing the molding process (the machine itself and a dedicated mold to be set in the machine) is not required, and no waiting time until the molding agent hardens is required. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the manufacturing cost while shortening the manufacturing time of the solenoid valve actuator and the solenoid valve, and as a result, it is possible to provide the solenoid valve actuator and the solenoid valve at low cost.

In the solenoid valve actuator according to claim 1 , the bobbin is configured to be able to transition from a disengaged state in which both engagement claws are not engaged with the second member to an engaged state in which both engagement claws are engaged with the second member by relative rotation of the bobbin with respect to the yoke about a virtual rotation axis along the cylindrical length direction of the cylindrical portion. Therefore, according to the solenoid valve actuator according to claim 1 and a solenoid valve including such an actuator, unlike a configuration in which the bobbin is moved relative to the yoke along the cylindrical length direction of the cylindrical portion while deforming the engagement claws to engage the engagement claws with the second member, the engagement claws can be engaged with the second member without deforming the engagement claws when the bobbin and the yoke are integrated, so that the engagement claws can be structured to have a sufficient strength to not be easily deformed, and unintended detachment of the engagement claws from the second member can be avoided, and as a result, unintended separation of the yoke and the bobbin can be preferably avoided.

In the solenoid valve actuator of claim 2 , a permanent magnet for latching the movable core in the cylindrical portion is attached to the second of the two flanges on the bobbin. Therefore, according to the solenoid valve actuator of claim 2 and a solenoid valve equipped with such a solenoid valve actuator, unlike a configuration in which a permanent magnet for latching is fixed to the solenoid valve actuator with adhesive or the like, the permanent magnet can be easily fixed to the bobbin, thereby further reducing the manufacturing costs of the solenoid valve actuator and the solenoid valve.

In the solenoid valve actuator of claim 3 , the fixed core is inserted into one end of the cylindrical portion of the bobbin while being fixed to the second member of the yoke. Therefore, with the solenoid valve actuator of claim 3 and a solenoid valve equipped with such a solenoid valve actuator, it is possible to maintain a good magnetic coupling state between the fixed core and the yoke and to sufficiently improve the positional accuracy of the fixed core relative to the yoke, thereby preferably avoiding malfunctions of the solenoid valve actuator and the solenoid valve.

According to the solenoid valve of claim 5 , the valve seat portion, in which the valve port that is opened and closed by the valve body is formed, is integrally formed with the bobbin. This makes it possible to further reduce the manufacturing costs of the solenoid valve by eliminating the need for a process of integrating the two, as opposed to a configuration in which the solenoid valve actuator and the valve seat portion are manufactured separately and then integrated.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the solenoid valve 1. FIG. 2 is another external perspective view of the solenoid valve 1. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the solenoid valve 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the solenoid valve 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the engagement claws 33a, 33 of the bobbin 21 are engaged with the flat plate portion 42. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a state in which a magnet 28 is inserted into an insertion portion 32a of the bobbin 21. FIG. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams for explaining a method of assembling the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3). 11 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the assembly method of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3). FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the solenoid valve actuator and solenoid valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

The solenoid valve 1 shown in Figures 1 to 6 is an example of a "solenoid valve" in which the valve body 2 and actuator 3 are integrally formed and configured to restrict/allow the passage of liquid (tap water as an example) by opening and closing the valve body 2 with the actuator 3. Note that in this example, as an example, the configuration of the solenoid valve 1 is described as having a valve body 2 that is attached to a main valve (diaphragm valve) (not shown) and can be used as a pilot valve that allows liquid to flow into a pressure chamber for controlling the opening and closing of the main valve. However, for example, when the flow rate of the liquid allowed to pass is small, the solenoid valve 1 can also be used alone without being used in conjunction with the main valve (the solenoid valve 1 can be used as a "direct acting solenoid valve").

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the valve body 2 includes a partition wall 11, a valve body 12, and O-rings 13a and 13b. The partition wall 11 is integrally formed with the bobbin 21 of the actuator 3 as described below, and is formed with a valve port 11a (an orifice that is the starting point of the pilot line) that is opened and closed by the valve body 12, and an insertion hole 11b that allows liquid to flow into the partition wall 11 as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5. In the solenoid valve 1 (valve body 2) of this example, the portion where the valve port 11a is formed in the partition wall 11 corresponds to the "valve seat portion". The valve body 12 is an example of a "valve body", and is attached to the movable core 25 of the actuator 3 as described below, and is moved toward and away from the edge portion (valve seat portion) of the valve port 11a by the actuator 3. The O-rings 13a and 13b are fitted into an attachment groove provided on the outer periphery of the partition wall 11, and seal the gap between the attachment target and the partition wall 11 when the solenoid valve 1 is attached to the attachment target (for example, the pressure chamber in the main valve described above).

The actuator 3 is an example of an "actuator for a solenoid valve" and, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, includes a bobbin 21, an excitation coil 22, a fixed core 23, an O-ring 24, a movable core 25, a spring 26, a yoke 27, and magnets 28, 28. Note that the excitation coil 22 is not shown in Figure 6.

The bobbin 21 is an example of a "bobbin (winding frame)" and includes a cylindrical portion 31, which is an example of a "tubular portion", a flange portion 32, which is an example of a "second flange" as a "flange portion", and a flange portion 33, which is an example of a "first flange" as a "flange portion". In this case, in the bobbin 21 in the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) of this example, the cylindrical portion 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the fixed core 23 and the movable core 25 can be inserted. In addition, in this bobbin 21, the partition portion 11 of the valve body 2 is integrally formed with the flange portion 32, and insertion portions 32a, 32a into which the magnets 28, 28 can be inserted are provided in the flange portion 32, and engaging claw portions 33a, 33a corresponding to a "pair of engaging claw portions" are provided in the flange portion 33. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the engagement claw portion 33a includes an upright portion 35 that stands up from the flange portion 33 along the tube length direction (the up-down direction in the figure) of the tube portion 31 of the bobbin 21, and an extension portion 36 that extends parallel to the flange portion 33 (the left-right direction in the figure) from the upper end of the upright portion 35 toward the center of the flange portion 33, and is formed with an L-shaped cross section so that the distance between the flange portion 33 and the extension portion 36 is approximately the same as the thickness of the flat portion 42 of the yoke 27.

As shown in FIG. 5, the excitation coil 22 is configured by winding a conductor 22a around the tubular portion 31 of the bobbin 21. In this case, both ends of the conductor 22a constituting the excitation coil 22 are connected to a control device (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fixed core (fixed iron core: plug nut) 23 is formed in an approximately cylindrical shape and inserted into one end side (upper end side in FIG. 5) of the tubular portion 31 of the bobbin 21, and is fixed to the yoke 27 so that sliding relative to the bobbin 21 (detachment from the bobbin 21) is restricted as described below (an example of a configuration in which the fixed core 23 is inserted into one end side of the tubular portion of the bobbin while being fixed to the yoke). The fixed core 23 is provided with a protrusion 23a that can be inserted into the insertion hole 42a in the yoke 27, which will be described later. The O-ring 24 is attached to the fixed core 23 and inserted into the cylindrical portion 31 of the bobbin 21 together with the fixed core 23 to seal the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the fixed core 23 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31.

The movable core (plunger) 25 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with approximately the same diameter as the fixed core 23, and is inserted into the other end side (lower end side in FIG. 5) of the tube portion 31 so that it can slide relative to the bobbin 21. In this case, the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) of this example employs a configuration in which the valve body 12 of the valve body 2 is attached to the end side (lower end side in FIG. 5) of the movable core 25 opposite the fixed core 23 side. The spring 26 is disposed between the fixed core 23 and the movable core 25, and biases the movable core 25 in a direction that moves it away from the fixed core 23.

The yoke 27 is integrated with the bobbin 21 on which the excitation coil 22 is formed, and functions as a magnetic path forming member that forms a magnetic path (a magnetic path extending from one end side to the other end side of the cylindrical portion 31) connecting the fixed core 23 and the movable core 25 inserted in the cylindrical portion 31 around the excitation coil 22. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the yoke 27 is formed in a U-shape in side view with a pair of flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41 (an example of a "pair of first members") and a flat plate-shaped portion 42 (an example of a "second member") that connects the two flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41, and is integrated with the bobbin 21 in a state where the two flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41 are opposed to each other across the cylindrical portion 31 of the bobbin 21, and the flat plate-shaped portion 42 is disposed on the one end side of the cylindrical portion 31 (the side where the fixed core 23 is inserted).

In this case, as shown in Figures 1 to 6, in the yoke 27 of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) of this example, fixing extensions 41a for fixing the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) to the mounting object are provided on the ends of both flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41 opposite the ends connected by the flat plate-shaped portion 42. Also, in the yoke 27 of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) of this example, as described above, an insertion hole 42a into which the protrusion 23a of the fixed core 23 can be inserted is formed in the flat plate-shaped portion 42.

The magnet 28 is an example of a "permanent magnet" for latching the movable core 25 (restricting the sliding of the movable core 25 relative to the cylindrical portion 31), and as shown in Figures 5 and 8, it is inserted into an insertion portion 32a provided on the flange portion 32 of the bobbin 21 and positioned on the other end side of the cylindrical portion 31 (the side where the movable core 25 is inserted).

In this solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3), an excitation coil 22 is formed, and a fixed core 23, a movable core 25 to which a valve body 12 is attached, and a bobbin 21 with a spring 26 inserted into a cylindrical portion 31 are configured to be integrated with a yoke 27 by engagement of both engagement claw portions 33a, 33a with the flat portion 42 of the yoke 27. Specifically, the bobbin 21 of this example is configured such that the bobbin 21 is moved from a "disengaged state (see Figures 9 and 10)" in which both engaging claws 33a, 33a are not engaged with the flat plate portion 42 of the yoke 27 to an "engaged state (see Figures 1 to 4 and 7)" in which both engaging claws 33a, 33a are engaged with the flat plate portion 42 by relative rotation of the bobbin 21 with respect to the yoke 27 about a virtual rotation axis L along the tube length direction of the tube portion 31 (in this example, the tube portion 31 is cylindrical, the axis overlaps with the center of the tube diameter direction of the tube portion 31: see Figure 6).

When manufacturing (assembling) this solenoid valve 1, the conductor 22a is wound around the tubular portion 31 of the bobbin 21 to form the excitation coil 22, and then an insulating film (not shown) is wound around the excitation coil 22. Next, the movable core 25 to which the valve body 12 is attached, the spring 26, and the fixed core 23 to which the O-ring 24 is attached are inserted in this order into the tubular portion 31. At this time, the valve body 12 attached to the movable core 25 is abutted against the rim portion (valve seat portion) of the valve port 11a in the partition portion 11 of the valve body 2, and the spring 26 urges the fixed core 23 against the movable core 25 in the opposite direction to the insertion direction (from the flange portion 32 side to the flange portion 33 side in the tubular portion 31), resulting in the end of the fixed core 23 on the side where the protrusion 23a is formed protruding from the tubular portion 31 (flange portion 33).

Next, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the bobbin 21 is positioned between the flat portions 41, 41 of the yoke 27, and the flat portion 42 is brought close to the flange portion 33 of the bobbin 21, avoiding the extension portions 36, 36 of both engaging claw portions 33a, 33a, so that the convex portion 23a of the fixed core 23 protruding from the bobbin 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 42a of the flat portion 42 of the yoke 27 (an example of a state in which the fixed core is fixed to the second member of the yoke) and the flat portion 42 is positioned between the two engaging claw portions 33a, 33a. At this time, when the flat portion 42, which has been moved toward the flange 33, comes into surface contact with the flange 33, the fixed core 23, which has been moved together with the flat portion 42 relative to the bobbin 21 (tubular portion 31), is pushed into the tubular portion 31, and the end of the fixed core 23 (the end of the portion excluding the protruding portion 23a) becomes flush with the outer surface of the flange 33.

Next, the yoke 27 is rotated relative to the bobbin 21 in the direction of arrow A in both figures (or the bobbin 21 is rotated relative to the yoke 27 in the direction of arrow B) around the center in the tube diameter direction of the tube portion 31 (center of the protrusion 23a and the insertion hole 42a: virtual rotation axis L), to transition from a "disengaged state" in which both engagement claws 33a, 33a are not engaged with the flat plate-shaped portion 42 to an "engaged state" in which both engagement claws 33a, 33a are engaged with the flat plate-shaped portion 42, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 7. At this time, the yoke 27 is rotated relative to the bobbin 21 (or the bobbin 21 is rotated relative to the yoke 27) until the side surface in the width direction of the flat plate-shaped portion 42 abuts against the upright portion 35 of the engagement claw 33a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the end of the flat portion 42 in the width direction is sandwiched between the extension 36 of the engagement claw 33a and the flange 33, and the bobbin 21 and the yoke 27 are integrated.

Then, the magnet 28 is inserted (pressed) into the insertion portions 32a, 32a of the flange portion 32 of the bobbin 21. At this time, the magnet 28 is prevented from coming off the insertion portion 32a by being pressed into the insertion portion 32a, and the magnet 28 is attracted to the flat portion 41 of the yoke 27 by the magnetic force of the magnet 28. As a result, a magnetic path is formed around the excitation coil 22 by the flat portions 41, 41 and the flat portion 42 of the yoke 27, and the magnets 28, 28.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the magnet 28 inserted into the insertion portion 32a functions as a "wedge" to restrict the rotation of the yoke 27 relative to the bobbin 21 in the direction of arrow B in the figure (or the rotation of the bobbin 21 relative to the yoke 27 in the direction of arrow A), restricting unintended transition from an "engaged state" to a "disengaged state." This makes it possible to prevent the integrated bobbin 21 and yoke 27 from unintended separation. Thereafter, O-rings 13a and 13b are attached to the partition portion 11, completing the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3).

When using this solenoid valve 1, the solenoid valve 1 is fixed to the above-mentioned mounting object. In this case, the mounting object has a circular recess into which the valve body 2 (partition wall portion 11) can be inserted, and an insertion groove into which the fixing extensions 41a, 41a of the yoke 27 of the actuator 3 can be fitted (neither is shown). To fix the solenoid valve 1 to such a mounting object, first, the valve body 2 (partition wall portion 11) of the solenoid valve 1 is inserted into the circular recess of the mounting object. At this time, the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the circular recess and the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall portion 11 is sealed by the O-rings 13a, 13b. Next, the solenoid valve 1 is rotated relative to the mounting object around the virtual rotation axis L along the cylinder length direction of the cylinder portion 31 of the bobbin 21 of the actuator 3 (in this example where the cylinder portion 31 is cylindrical, the axis overlaps with the center in the cylinder diameter direction of the cylinder portion 31), so that the fixing extensions 41a, 41a of the yoke 27 are fitted into the insertion groove of the mounting object. This restricts the movement of the solenoid valve 1 relative to the attachment target along the tube length direction of the tube portion 31 of the bobbin 21, completing the fixation of the solenoid valve 1 to the attachment target. Note that the operation of the solenoid valve 1 is similar to that of a typical latch-type solenoid valve, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

In this manner, in this actuator 3, the yoke 27 includes a pair of flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41 and a flat plate-shaped portion 42 connecting the two flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41, and is integrated with the bobbin 21 in a state in which the two flat plate-shaped portions 41, 41 are opposed to each other across the tube portion 31 of the bobbin 21 and the flat plate-shaped portion 42 is disposed on one end side of the tube portion 31, and the bobbin 21 is integrated with the yoke 27 by providing a pair of engaging claws 33a, 33a on the flange portion 33 of the two flange portions 32, 33 provided at both ends of the tube portion 31 that can engage with the flat plate-shaped portion 42 of the yoke 27 and engaging the two engaging claws 33a, 33a with the flat plate-shaped portion 42. In addition, this solenoid valve 1 is configured to include the actuator 3 and a valve body 12 attached to the movable core 25.

Therefore, according to this actuator 3 and solenoid valve 1, unlike the configuration in which the components of the actuator 3 are integrated by "crimping", a press machine (the machine itself and a dedicated jig to be set in the machine) for performing the crimping process is not required, and unlike the configuration in which the components of the actuator 3 are integrated by "screw fixing", not only is a fixing screw not required, but the process of forming a screw hole and the process of screwing in the fixing screw are not required, and unlike the configuration in which the components of the actuator 3 are integrated by "mold fixing", not only is a molding agent not required, but a machine for performing the molding process (the machine itself and a dedicated mold to be set in the machine) is not required, and there is no waiting time until the molding agent hardens. As a result, it is possible to shorten the manufacturing time of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) while sufficiently reducing the manufacturing cost, and as a result, it is possible to provide the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) at a low price.

In addition, in this actuator 3, the bobbin 21 is configured to be able to transition from a "disengaged state" in which both engagement claw portions 33a, 33a are not engaged with the flat plate-shaped portion 42 to an "engaged state" in which both engagement claw portions 33a, 33a are engaged with the flat plate-shaped portion 42 by relative rotation of the bobbin 21 with respect to the yoke 27 around a virtual rotation axis L (in this example, the center of the cylindrical diameter of the cylindrical portion 31) along the cylindrical length direction of the cylindrical portion 31. Therefore, with this actuator 3 and solenoid valve 1, unlike a configuration in which the "engagement claw" is engaged with the "second member" by moving the "bobbin" relative to the "yoke" along the tube length direction of the "tube" while deforming the "engagement claw", the engagement claws 33a, 33a can be engaged with the flat plate-shaped portion 42 without deforming the engagement claws 33a, 33a when integrating the bobbin 21 and the yoke 27. This allows the engagement claws 33a, 33a to have a structure strong enough not to be easily deformed, and prevents the engagement claws 33a, 33a from unintentionally separating from the flat plate-shaped portion 42. As a result, the yoke 27 and the bobbin 21 can be prevented from unintentionally separating.

Furthermore, in this actuator 3, magnets 28, 28 for latching the movable core 25 in the cylindrical portion 31 are attached to the flange portion 32 of the two flange portions 32, 33 on the bobbin 21. Therefore, with this actuator 3 and solenoid valve 1, unlike a configuration in which a "permanent magnet" for latching is fixed to the "solenoid valve actuator" with adhesive or the like, the magnets 28, 28 can be easily fixed to the bobbin 21, which further reduces the manufacturing costs of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3).

Furthermore, in this actuator 3, the fixed core 23 is inserted into one end of the tube portion 31 of the bobbin 21 while being fixed to the flat plate portion 42 of the yoke 27. Therefore, with this actuator 3 and solenoid valve 1, the magnetic coupling state between the fixed core 23 and the yoke 27 can be made good, and the positional accuracy of the fixed core 23 relative to the yoke 27 can be sufficiently improved, so that malfunctions of the solenoid valve 1 (actuator 3) can be suitably avoided.

In addition, with this solenoid valve 1, the "valve seat portion (in this example, the portion of the partition portion 11 where the valve orifice 11a is formed)" in which the valve orifice 11a that is opened and closed by the valve body 12 is formed is integral with the bobbin 21. This makes it possible to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the solenoid valve 1 by eliminating the need for a process for integrating the "solenoid valve actuator" and the "valve seat portion" as opposed to a configuration in which the "solenoid valve actuator" and the "valve seat portion" are manufactured separately and then integrated.

The configuration of the "electromagnetic valve actuator" and the "electromagnetic valve" is not limited to the above-mentioned example of the configuration of the actuator 3 and the electromagnetic valve 1. For example, the configuration in which the engaging claws 33a, 33a are engaged with the widthwise edge of the flat plate portion 42 of the yoke 27 to integrate the bobbin 21 and the yoke 27 has been described as an example, but instead of such a configuration, a long hole that is arc-shaped in plan view is formed in the "second member", and the "engaging claws" are inserted into the long hole, and then the "yoke" is rotated relative to the "bobbin" around the "virtual rotation axis" (or the "bobbin" is rotated relative to the "yoke") to engage the "engaging claws" with the longitudinal ends of the long hole to integrate the "bobbin" and the "yoke" (not shown).

In addition, although an example has been described in which the fixed core 23 is inserted into the tubular portion 31 of the bobbin 21 while being fixed to the yoke 27 (flat portion 42), the "fixed core" can also be inserted (e.g., pressed) into the "tubular portion of the bobbin" without being fixed to the "yoke (second member)".

In addition, the configuration of the latching solenoid valve 1 (the actuator 3 constituting the latching solenoid valve 1) has been described as an example, but a non-latching solenoid valve 1 (the actuator 3 constituting the non-latching solenoid valve 1) can also be configured by inserting a non-magnetized magnetic body (as an example, the same magnetic body as the material forming the yoke 27) of the same size and shape as the magnet 28 into the insertion portions 32a, 32a of the flange portion 32 instead of the magnets 28, 28 in the above-mentioned latching solenoid valve 1 (the actuator 3 constituting the latching solenoid valve 1).

In addition, while the configuration of the solenoid valve 1 in which the valve body 2 and actuator 3 are integrally formed has been described as an example, the "solenoid valve actuator (a component equivalent to the actuator 3 in the solenoid valve 1)" and the "valve seat portion (a component equivalent to the valve body 2 in the solenoid valve 1)" can also be manufactured separately and then integrated to form the "solenoid valve."

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 solenoid valve 2 valve body 3 actuator 11 partition wall 11a valve port 11b insertion hole 12 valve body 13a, 13b, 24 O-ring 21 bobbin 22 exciting coil 22a conducting wire 23 fixed core 23a protruding portion 25 movable core 26 spring 27 yoke 28 magnet 31 cylindrical portion 32, 33 flange portion 32a insertion portion 33a engaging claw portion 35 rising portion 36 extension portion 41, 42 flat plate portion 41a fixing extension portion 42a fitting hole L imaginary rotation axis

Claims (5)

An actuator for an electromagnetic valve comprising: a bobbin having flanges on both ends of a cylindrical portion around which a conducting wire forming an excitation coil is wound; a fixed core inserted into one end of the cylindrical portion in a state in which sliding relative to the bobbin is restricted; a movable core inserted into the other end of the cylindrical portion so as to be able to slide relative to the bobbin; and a yoke integrated with the bobbin to form a magnetic path around the excitation coil, the actuator being configured so that a valve body can be attached to the end of the movable core opposite to the fixed core,
the yoke includes a pair of first members and a second member connecting the first members, the first members being opposed to each other across the cylindrical portion, and the second member being disposed on the one end side of the cylindrical portion and being integrated with the bobbin;
The bobbin is provided with a pair of engaging claws that can engage with the second member on a first flange portion of the two flange portions that is provided on one end side of the cylindrical portion, and is configured so that the bobbin can be transitioned from a disengaged state in which the engaging claws are not engaged with the second member to an engaged state in which the engaging claws are engaged with the second member by relative rotation of the bobbin with respect to the yoke about a virtual rotation axis along the cylindrical length direction of the cylindrical portion, and the engaging claws are engaged with the second member and integrated with the yoke. 2. The actuator for an electromagnetic valve according to claim 1, wherein a permanent magnet for latching the movable core within the cylindrical portion is attached to a second flange portion of the bobbin that is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical portion. 3. The actuator for a solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the fixed core is inserted into the one end side of the cylindrical portion of the bobbin in a state where the fixed core is fixed to the second member of the yoke. 4. A solenoid valve comprising the actuator for a solenoid valve according to claim 1 and a valve body attached to the movable core. 5. The solenoid valve according to claim 4 , wherein a valve seat portion in which a valve port that is opened and closed by said valve body is formed is integral with said bobbin.

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