Patent Application
20100059130
This invention relates to a directional control valve assembly, in which a check valve for controlling a flow rate of pressure oil flowing into a directional control valve as a main valve and a control means for limiting an opening degree of the check valve by causing a pressure to act on a valve element of the check valve are integrated with the directional control valve.
With reference to
The conventional directional control valve assembly 60 is provided with a directional control valve 10 as a main valve, a check valve 20 for controlling a flow rate of pressure oil to be allowed to pass through the directional control valve 10, and a control means for controlling the check valve 20.
The directional control valve 10 is a spool valve, and is a spring-centered three-position valve. Formed in a valve body 61 of the directional control valve 10 are a supply port 12, first and second reservoir ports 13A, 13B, first and second I/O ports 14A,14B, a supply passage 15 extending from the supply port 12, and first and second branch passages 16A, 16B diverged from the supply passage 15.
The three valve positions of the directional control valve 10 include a neutral position, a first position and a second position. At the neutral position, the directional control valve 10 cuts off communication between the first branch passage 16A and the first I/O port 14A and also cuts off communication between the second I/O port 14B and the second branch passage 16B. At the first valve position, the directional control valve 10 communicates the first branch passage 16A and the first I/O port 14A but cuts off the communication between the second I/O port 14B and the second branch passage 16B to bring the second I/O port 14B into communication with the second reservoir port 13B. At the second valve position, the directional control valve 10 communicates the second branch passage and the second I/O port but cuts off the communication between the first I/O port 14A and the first branch passage 16A to bring the first I/O port 14A into communication with the first reservoir port 13A.
The check valve 20 is a spring-return valve, which is arranged to be capable of permitting or cutting off communication between a divergence portion 17, where the first and second branch passages 16A,16B are diverged from the supply passage 15, and the supply passage 15 and to limit a flow of pressure oil between the supply passage 15 and the divergence portion 17 of the first and second branch passages 16A,16B to a direction that the flow is directed from the supply passage 15 toward the divergence portion 17.
The control means is provided with a pressure chamber 24 and a control valve 25. The pressure chamber 24 also serves as a spring chamber for a return spring 23 of the check valve 20, and can apply a pressure to a valve element 21 of the check valve 20 in a same direction as a biasing force by the return spring 23. The control valve 25 has a first port 31 interconnected with the divergence portion 17 via the second branch passage 16b and passages 62,63, a second port 32 interconnected with the pressure chamber 24 via a passage 64, and a spool 26 formed to be capable of permitting and cutting off communication between the first and second ports 31,32 and changing an opening degree of the communication.
The control means also has an oil chamber 39 formed in an outer peripheral wall of the valve element 21 of the check valve 20, an annular cutout 65 formed in the valve body 61 and being open to the pressure chamber 24 formed in the valve body 61, and a control slot 41 interconnecting these oil chamber 39 and annular cutout 65 with each other. Also arranged are an intra-valve-element passage 42 and au auxiliary check valve 43. The intra-valve-element passage 42 is formed inside the valve element 21 of the check valve 20, and is open at an end portion of the valve element 21, said end portion facing the supply passage 15, and also at the outer peripheral wall of the valve element 21, said outer peripheral wall facing the oil chamber 39. The auxiliary check valve 43 is arranged on the intra-valve-element passage 42, and allows pressure oil of a preset pressure or higher to flow from the supply passage 15 into the intra-valve-element passage 42.
The conventional directional control valve 60 is further provided with a protective member 66 and a rectifying member 67. The protective member 66 prevents positional displacements of the return spring 23 by flows of pressure oil that occur between the pressure chamber 24 and the second port 32. The rectifying member 67 straightens up each flow between the pressure chamber 24 and the second port 32.
Directional control valve assemblies of this kind include one disclosed in Patent Document 1.
In the above-mentioned conventional directional control valve assembly 60, the second port 32 of the control valve 24 is interconnected with the oil chamber 39 via the passage 64, pressure chamber 24, annular cutout 65 and control slot 42. When the auxiliary check valve 43 opens while the control valve 25 is in an open state, pressure oil is guided from the supply port 12 by way of the intra-valve-element passage 42, oil chamber 39, control slot 41, annular cutout 65, pressure chamber 24, passage 64, control valve 25, passages 62,63 and second branch passage 16B, and flows out into the divergence portion 17, that is, the pressure chamber 24 is included in the passage that guides the pressure oil from the supply port 12 to the divergence portion 17.
Upon raising the pressure in the pressure chamber 24 with the opening degree of the control valve 25 being set at a desired opening degree smaller than the fully opened degree, a pressure loss may hence take place due to a flow of pressure oil that occurs in the pressure chamber 24, thereby possibly affecting control characteristics of the control valve 25. There is also a need for the protective member 66 for protecting the return spring 23 from the flow of pressure oil and the rectifying member 67 for straightening up the flow of pressure oil. Accordingly, the inclusion of the pressure chamber 24 in the passage that guides pressure oil from the supply port 12 to the divergence portion 17 is not preferred either from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts or components.
With the above-mentioned circumstances in view, the present invention has as an object thereof the provision of a directional control valve assembly, in which a check valve for controlling a flow rate of pressure oil to be guided to a directional control valve as a main valve and a control means for limiting an opening degree of the check valve by a pressure are integrated with the directional control valve and therefore, a flow hardly occurs in the pressure oil that produces the pressure.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is constructed as will be described next.
[1] The present invention provides a directional control valve assembly provided with a directional control valve as a main valve, a check valve for controlling a flow rate of pressure oil flowing into the directional control valve, and control means for causing a pressure to act on a valve element, which the check valve is provided with, to limit an opening degree of the check valve.
The directional control valve is provided with a supply port, first and second I/O ports, a supply passage extending from the supply port, and first and second branch passages diverged from the supply passage, and can be switched into a neutral position where the directional control valve cuts off communication between the first branch passage and the first I/O port and also communication between the second I/O port and the second branch passage, a first valve position where the directional control valve communicates the first branch passage and the first I/O port with each other but cuts off the communication between the second I/O port and the second branch passage, or a second valve position where the directional control valve communicates the second branch passage and the second I/O port with each other but cuts off the communication between the first I/O port and the first branch passage.
The check valve is a spring-return valve that is arranged to be capable of permitting or cutting off communication between a divergence portion, where the first and second branch passages are diverged from the supply passage, and the supply passage and to limit a flow of pressure oil to a direction that the flow is directed from the supply passage toward the divergence portion.
The control means has a pressure chamber capable of causing the pressure, which is in a same direction as a biasing direction by a return spring which the check valve is provided with, to act on the valve element, an oil chamber formed around the valve element, a slot formed in at least one of the valve element and a wall of a slide hole, in which the valve element slides, to interconnect the oil chamber and the pressure chamber with each other, a control valve connected directly to the divergence portion and the oil chamber and capable of permitting or cutting off the communication between the divergence portion and the oil chamber and changing an opening degree of the communication, an intra-valve-element passage formed inside the valve element and being open in an end portion of the valve element, the end portion facing the supply passage, and also in an outer peripheral wall of the valve body, said outer peripheral wall being located between the divergence portion and the oil chamber, a control slot formed in the outer peripheral wall of the valve element to communicate the intra-valve-element passage and the oil chamber with each other, and an auxiliary check valve arranged on the intra-valve-element passage to allow pressure oil of a preset pressure or higher to flow from the supply passage into the intra-valve-element passage.
Among operations of the directional control valve assembly of the present invention constructed as described above, its operations in states that the directional control valve has been operated to the first valve position and to the second valve position, respectively, will be described.
In the state that the control valve is fully open, the pressure chamber are in communication with the divergence portion via the slot, oil chamber and control valve and, even when pressure oil flows between the oil chamber and the divergence portion in the control valve, no resistance is produced to the flow of the pressure oil. Therefore, even when the auxiliary check valve is opened by a pressure guided from the supply port via the supply passage and the pressure oil flows from the supply port into the intra-valve-element passage, the pressure oil is not guided into the pressure chamber, but passes through the intra-valve-element passage, control slot, oil chamber and control valve in this order and is then allowed to flow out into the divergence portion.
Even when the control valve is in an open state, resistance is still produced to a flow of pressure oil when the pressure oil flows between the oil chamber and the divergence portion in the control valve if the opening degree of the control valve at that time is smaller than that at the time of full opening. When the auxiliary check valve is opened by a pressure from the supply port and the pressure oil flows from the supply port into the intra-valve-element passage, the pressure oil is divided under the action of the above-described resistance into two portions, one being guided from the intra-valve-element passage to the pressure chamber via the oil chamber and slot and residing there, and the other passing through the intra-valve-element passage, control slot, oil chamber and control valve in this order and flowing out into the divergence portion.
In essence, the passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port to the pressure chamber and the passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port to the divergence portion are divided from each other after the oil chamber in the directional control valve assembly according to the present invention, so that the pressure chamber is not included in the passage that guides pressure oil from the supply port to the divergence portion. As a consequence, a flow is hardly allowed to occur in the pressure oil for producing a pressure to limit the opening degree of the check valve.
[2] The present invention may provide the directional control valve assembly as described in [1], wherein a slide hole for a spool of the directional control valve, the slide hole for the valve element of the check valve, and a slide hole for a valve element for the control valve are all arranged in a single valve body, and the check valve and the control valve are adjacent to each other such that an operating direction of the valve element of the check valve and an operating direction of the valve of the control valve become parallel to each other. This construction facilitates to provide a directional control valve assembly with reduced dimensions.
[3] The present invention also provides a directional control valve assembly block comprising a plurality of directional control valve assemblies as defined in claim 2 and a valve body composed as an integral unit of valve bodies of the respective directional control valve assemblies, wherein a plurality of passages, which extend from respective drain ports of plural control valves, and a passage, which is interconnected with all of the passages and is open to an outside of the integrated valve body, are formed in the integrated valve body.
The directional control valve assembly block of the present invention constructed as described above can facilitate the piping work for forming passages to guide drains from the respective control valves in the directional control valve assembly block to a working oil reservoir.
As mentioned above, the pressure chamber is not included in the passage that guides pressure oil from the supply port to the divergence portion in the present invention, because the passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port to the pressure chamber and the passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port to the divergence portion are divided from each other after the second oil chamber. Therefore, a flow is hardly allowed to occur in the pressure oil for producing a pressure to limit the opening degree of the check valve. As a result, it is possible to reduce a pressure loss in the pressure chamber of the directional control valve assembly. In addition, it is also possible to omit a part for protecting a spring from flows of pressure oil and also a part for straightening up the flows of pressure oil.
Referring to drawings, a description will be made about the construction of one embodiment of the directional control valve assembly according to the present invention.
This embodiment is directed to a directional control valve assembly 1 shown in
The directional control valve 10 is a hydraulically-piloted spool valve, and is a spring-centered three-position valve. Formed in a valve body 11 of the directional control valve 10 are a supply port 12, first and second reservoir ports 13A,13B, first and second I/O ports 14A,14B, a supply passage 15 extending from the supply port 12, and first and second branch passages 16A,16B diverged from the supply passage 15.
The three valve positions of the directional control valve 10 include a neutral position, a first position and a second position. At the neutral position, the directional control valve 10 cuts off communication between the first branch passage 16A and the first I/O port 14A and also cuts off communication between the second I/O port 14B and the second branch passage 16B. At the first valve position, the directional control valve 10 communicates the first branch passage 16A and the first I/O port 14A but cuts off the communication between the second I/O port 14B and the second branch passage 16B to bring the second I/O port 14B into communication with the second reservoir port 13B. At the second valve position, the directional control valve 10 communicates the second branch passage and the second I/O port but cuts off the communication between the first I/O port 14A and the first branch passage 16A to bring the first I/O port 14A into communication with the first reservoir port 13A.
As depicted in
The control means has a pressure chamber capable of applying a pressure to a valve element 21 of the check valve in a same direction as a biasing force by the return spring 23, for example, a pressure chamber 24 arranged on a rear side of the valve element 21 (on an upper side of
The control valve 25 is a spring-return spool valve. From the side of an outer periphery of the spool 26 of the control valve 25, first and second ports 31,32 extend such that they are aligned in the direction of an axis of the spool 26. The first port 31 is open to the divergence portion 17.
Arranged on the side of one end of a slide hole 30 in the control valve 25 are a pilot pressure chamber 33 interconnected with the slide hole 30 and a pilot port 34 for guiding a pilot pressure to the pilot pressure chamber 33. At an opposite end of the slide hole 30, a drain port 35 is formed.
One end portion of the spool 26 is composed of a large-diameter portion 27 facing the pilot pressure chamber 33. An opposite end portion of the spool 26 is composed of a large-diameter portion 28 having the same diametrical dimension as the large-diameter portion 27. Formed between the large-diameter portions 27 and 28 is a small-diameter portion 29 having a diametrical dimension smaller than the large-diameter portions 27,28. The length dimension of the small-diameter portion 29 in the direction of the axis of the spool 26 is set longer than the interval dimension between the first and second ports 31 and 32. In the large-diameter portion 27, a control slot 27a is formed extending from an end face on the side of the small-diameter portion 29 toward the side of the pilot pressure chamber 33. The lengthwise direction of the control slot 27a in the direction of the axis of the spool 26 is set shorter than a maximum displacement of the spool 26.
Within the pilot pressure chamber 33, a return spring 38 of the control valve 25 is accommodated. A rod-shaped portion 36 extends from the large-diameter portion 27 into the pressure chamber 24. On an end of the rod-shaped portion 36, a spring seat 37 is formed for one end of the return spring 38. A spring seat for the opposite end of the return spring 38 is composed of an end face 11a of the valve body 11, said end face 11a being located on a side of an outer periphery of the slide hole 30.
As depicted in
The control means also has an intra-valve-element passage 42, a control slot 41 and a spring-return auxiliary check valve 43. The intra-valve-element passage 42 is formed inside the valve element 21 of the check valve 20, and is open at an end portion of the valve element 21, said end portion facing the supply passage 15, and also at the outer peripheral wall of the valve element 21, said outer peripheral wall being located between the divergence portion 27 and the oil chamber 39. The control slot 41 is formed in the outer peripheral wall of the valve element 21 and communicates the intra-valve-element passage 42 and the oil chamber 39 with each other. The auxiliary check valve 43 is arranged on the intra-valve-element passage 42, and allows pressure oil of a preset pressure or higher to flow from the supply passage 15 into the intra-valve-element passage 42.
It is to be noted that a slide hole 19 for a spool 38 of the directional control valve 10, the slide hole 22 for the valve element 21 of the check valve 20 and the slide hole 30 for the spool 26 of the control valve 25 are all arranged in the single valve body 11. In other words, valve bodies for the directional control valve 10, check valve 20 and control valve 25 are formed as an integral unit. Further, the check valve 20 and the control valve 25 are adjacent to each other such that the operating direction of the valve element 21 of the check valve 20 and the operating direction of the spool 26 of the control valve 25 become parallel to each other. The slide hole 22 of the check valve 20 and the slide hole 30 of the control valve 25 are provided with openings 22a,30b, which are open at the end face 11a of the valve body 11, respectively. These openings 22a and 30b is covered by a cap 44. In the cap 44, the pressure chamber 24, pilot pressure chamber 33 and pilot port 34 are formed.
Among operations of the directional control valve assembly 1 constructed as described above, its operations in states that the directional control valve 10 has been operated to the first valve position and to the second valve position, respectively, will be described.
In the state that the control valve 25 is fully open as described above, the pressure chamber 24 is in communication with the divergence portion 17 via the slot 40, oil chamber 39 and control valve 25. Even when pressure oil flows between the oil chamber 39 and the divergence portion 17, no resistance is produced to the flow of the pressure oil in this state. Accordingly, when the auxiliary check valve 43 opens by a pressure guided from the supply port 12 via the supply passage 15 and the pressure oil flows from the supply port 12 into the intra-valve-element passage 42, the pressure oil is not guided into the pressure chamber 24, but passes through the intra-valve-element passage 42, control slot 41, oil chamber 39 and control valve 25 in this order and flows out into the divergence portion 17.
When the pressing force applied to the valve element 21 by the pressure from the supply passage 15 becomes greater than the pressing force applied to the valve element 21 by the return spring 23 of the check valve 20 at this time, the check valve 20 moves against the return spring 21 to communicate the supply port 21 and the divergence portion 17 with each other. As a result, the pressure oil in the pressure chamber 24 is pressed out and is caused to flow out into the divergence portion 17 via the slot 40, oil chamber 39 and control valve 25. As mentioned above, the control valve 25 is fully open, and no resistance is produced to the flow of pressure oil between the oil chamber 39 and the divergence portion 17. As a consequence, when the pressure in the supply port 12 is sufficiently high compared with the restoring force of return spring 23, the valve 21 moves until it comes into contact with a limiting portion 45 formed on the cap 44, in other words, the check valve 20 fully opens. Therefore, no limitation is imposed on the flow rate of pressure oil that flows into the directional control valve 10 from the supply port 12.
In the state that the opening degree of the control valve 25 has become smaller than the opening degree at the time of full opening as described above, resistance is produced to a flow of pressure oil when the flow of pressure oil occurs between the oil chamber 39 and the divergence portion 17 in the control valve 25. This resistance increases as the opening degree of the control valve 25, in other words, the displacement of the spool 26 from its neutral position become greater.
When the auxiliary check valve 43 opens by a pressure from the supply passage 15 and pressure oil flows from the supply pressure 15 into the intra-valve-element passage 42, the pressure oil is divided under the action of the above-described resistance into two portions, one being guided from the intra-valve-element passage 42 to the pressure chamber 24 via the oil chamber 39 and slot 40 and residing there, and the other passing through the intra-valve-element passage 42, control slot 41, oil chamber 39 and control valve 25 in this order and flowing out into the divergence portion 17. The pressure oil which resides in the pressure chamber 24 raises the pressure inside the pressure chamber 24, and hence, the pressure inside the pressure chamber 24 becomes closer the pressure in the supply port 12. As a result, the force required to displace the valve element 21 of the check valve 20 in the opening direction becomes greater so that the opening degree of the check valve 20 is limited. As a consequence, a limitation is imposed on the flow rate of the pressure oil that flows into the directional control valve 10 from the supply port 12.
In the state that the control valve 25 is closed as described above, when the auxiliary check valve 43 opens by a pressure from the supply passage 15 and pressure oil flows into the intra-valve-element passage 42 from the supply passage 42, the pressure oil is guided in its entirety from the intra-valve-element passage 42 to the pressure chamber 24 via the oil chamber 39 and slot 40 and then resides there. Therefore, the pressure inside the pressure chamber 25 rises until it becomes equal to that in the supply passage 15. As a result, the valve element 21 is pushed back by the pressure in the pressure chamber 24 and the return spring 23 so that the check valve 20 is closed. As a consequence, the supply passage 15 and the divergence portion 15 are cut off from each other, and pressure oil is no longer allowed to flow into the directional control valve 10 from the supply port 12.
According to the directional control valve assembly 1, the following advantageous effects can be brought about.
The passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port 12 to the pressure chamber 24 and the passage for guiding pressure oil from the supply port 12 to the divergence portion 17 are divided from each other after the oil chamber in the directional control valve assembly 1, so that the pressure chamber 24 is not included in the passage that guides pressure oil from the supply port 12 to the divergence portion 17. Therefore, a flow is hardly allowed to occur in the pressure oil for producing a pressure to limit the opening degree of the check valve 20. As a result, it is possible to reduce a pressure loss in the pressure chamber of the directional control valve assembly. In addition, it is also possible to omit a part for protecting a spring from flows of pressure oil and also a part for straightening up the flows of pressure oil.
In the directional control valve assembly 1, the slide holes 19,22,30 for the spool 18 of the directional control valve 10, the valve element 21 of the check valve 20 and the spool 26 of the control valve 25 are all arranged in the single valve body 11, and the check valve 20 and the control valve 25 are adjacent to each other so that the operating direction of the valve element 21 of the check valve 20 and the operating direction of the spoon 26 of the control valve 25 become parallel to each other. This construction facilitates to provide a directional control valve assembly with reduced dimensions.
With reference to
This embodiment is directed to a directional control valve assembly block 50. This directional control valve assembly block 50 is provided with a plurality, for example, three of directional control valve assemblies 1 as described above, and is provided with a valve body 51 composed as an integral unit of the valve bodies of the respective directional control valve assemblies 1.
Formed in the valve body 51 are a supply port 52 and a passage 53 for guiding oil pressure from the supply port 52 to the supply ports 12 of the respective directional control valves 10. The supply port 52 is connected to a hydraulic pump 54.
Formed within the valve body 51 are three passages 55 extending from the respective drain ports 34 of the three control valves 25 and a passage 56 interconnected with all of these passages 55 and being open to an outside of the valve body 51. The passage 56 is connected to a working oil reservoir 57.
The directional control valve assembly block 50 constructed as described above can facilitate the piping work for forming passages to guide drains from the respective control valves 25 in the directional control valve assembly block 50 to the working oil reservoir 57.
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| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-041023 | Feb 2007 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2008/052669 | 2/18/2008 | WO | 00 | 8/20/2009 |
