This application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/CN2017/080042, filed Apr. 11, 2017, which claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201610264898.2, titled “THERMOSTATIC VALVE”, filed on Apr. 26, 2016 with the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office. The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present application relates to the field of fluid control, and specifically to a thermostatic valve.
During the running of a vehicle, various parts of the vehicle need to be timely lubricated with lubricating oil, to ensure the normal running of the vehicle. For an ordinary vehicle, the lubricating oil directly passes through a cooling device to be regulated, that is, the lubricating oil must pass through the cooling device no matter whether the lubricating oil needs to be regulated or not, which inevitably results in energy waste and runs counter to the trend of energy saving and emission reduction which is strongly advocated currently.
In some high-class vehicles, the temperature of the oil in the gear box is mainly regulated by a cooling flow path formed by a thermostatic valve and a cooling device. However, the conventional thermostatic valves generally have a large volume, occupy a large space and are not easily mounted. It is desired to reduce the size and weight of the thermostatic valve in the context of calling for miniaturization and light weight of the vehicle.
Moreover, since the operating environment of the vehicle is complex, a braking element in a thermostatic valve is easily deviated under the vibration caused by poor road conditions and this a control error may be generated, but in this case, the temperature of the lubricating oil rises sharply and needs to be cooled. Therefore, the stability of thermostatic valve is also a problem to be solved urgently.
A thermostatic valve that has a small size, a light weight and good stability is provided according to technical solutions of the present application. The thermostatic valve includes a valve body provided with a chamber. The chamber has one open end. In a direction from the open end of the chamber to inside, an end cover, a thermal actuator and a first spring are provided in sequence in the chamber. The valve body is further provided with a first connecting port, a second connecting port and a third connecting port. The first connecting port is in communication with the chamber. A mounting cavity is provided in the end cover. The end cover is provided with a first valve seat. The first valve seat is provided with a first valve port. The first valve port faces the second connecting port, and the first valve seat encloses an inner port of the second connecting port close to the chamber. An otter wall of a portion of the first valve seat enclosing the inner port of the second connecting port is in clearance fit with an inner wall of the chamber. The thermal actuator includes a thermal actuator body. An outer wall of an end of the thermal actuator body close to the end cover is in sliding fit with an inner all of the valve seat. The first valve port is opened or closed by the thermal actuator body of the thermostatic valve. The second connecting port is not in communication with the first connecting port when the first valve port is closed by the thermal actuator body. The first connecting port is in communication with the second connecting port via the first valve port when the first valve port is opened by the thermal actuator body.
An initial deformation force described in this specification refers to a pressure subjected by an elastic element, which is in a compressed condition when not being employed, when the elastic element is subjected to an external force and intends to deform.
The technical solutions are illustrated in detail with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments, and the locality terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “left” and “right” described in this specification are all set forth according to the respective locality relationships in the drawings.
A thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown in
It should be noted that the third connecting port 27 and the fourth connecting port 28 may be merged into one connecting port. That is, only the third connecting port may be provided. In this embodiment, the third connecting port and the fourth connecting port are provided to facilitate the connecting and mounting of pipelines of the thermostatic valve.
The chamber 21 herein refers to a chamber formed by drilling a series of holes in the valve body 2, and parts may be arranged and mounted in this chamber.
The thermal actuator 3 includes a thermal actuator body 31, a valve rod 36, and a heat sensitive substance filled in the thermal actuator body. The thermal actuator body 31 includes a first otter wall portion 311 and an annular end portion 312. The annular end portion 312 is located at an end of the thermal actuator body 31 close to the valve rod 36, and the first outer wall portion 311 is located at an end of the thermal actuator body 31 close to the annular end portion 312. The volume of the heat sensitive substance may change with the temperature, such that the valve rod 36 is subjected to a force, which can urge the thermal actuator body 31 to move relative to the valve rod 36 or urge the valve rod to move relative to the thermal actuator body 31.
An end cover 1 is mounted at the open end 22 of the chamber 21, and at least a part of the end cover 1 is extended to the chamber 21 through the open end 22. A sealing ring may be provided between the end cover 1 and an inner wall of the chamber 21 for sealing. The end cover 1 may be secured by a retaining ring.
The end cover 1 includes an end cover main body 11, a incomplete portion 12 and a connecting portion 13. The connecting portion 13 is located between the end cover main body 11 and the incomplete portion 12. The connecting portion 13 connects the end cover main body 11 and the incomplete portion 12 and allows a distance H1 to be kept between a lower end surface of the end cover main body 11 and an upper end surface of the incomplete portion 12.
A mounting cavity 113 is provided in the end cover main body 11. An outer wall of the end cover main body 11 may further be provided with a groove 112 for accommodating the sealing ring.
The connecting portion 13 at least includes a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion. In the present embodiment, both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are of columnar-like structures. Outer wall surfaces of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are arc-shaped curved surfaces, and inner wall surfaces of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are also arc-shaped curved surfaces. The inner wall surfaces of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion define a second fitting portion 131. Of course, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion may also be of other structures. For example, side wall surfaces of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion may be arc-shaped surfaces or irregular concave-convex surfaces. The maximum distance between the outer wall of the first connecting portion and the outer wall of the second connecting portion is greater than an inner diameter of an inner port of the second connecting port.
A wall thickness of the connecting portion 13 is less than a wall thickness of the end cover main body 11, so that a third fitting portion 111 is formed at a portion of a lower bottom surface of the end cover main body 11 close to the mounting cavity 113. The third fitting portion 111 may be of an annular structure.
The incomplete portion 12 has a flat annular structure with a gap, and has a certain thickness. An end of the first connecting portion and an end of the second connecting portion are respectively connected to an upper end surface of the incomplete portion 12. An inner side surface of the incomplete portion 12 is an arc-shaped surface, and a first fitting portion 121 is formed by a portion of the inner side surface of the incomplete portion 12 between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion. In the present embodiment, two end portions of the incomplete portion 12 are respectively connected to the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, so that a side wall of the first connecting portion close to the incomplete portion 12, a side wall of the second connecting portion close to the incomplete portion 12, a portion of a lower end portion of the end cover main body 11 close to the incomplete portion 12, and a portion between the first and second connecting portions located at the upper end of the incomplete portion 12 together form a first valve seat. A first valve port 14 is in communication with the second connecting port through a channel formed between the side wall of the first connecting portion close to the incomplete portion 12 and the side wall of the second connecting portion close to the incomplete portion 12 along a direction of the upper end surface of the incomplete portion 12. The first valve port 14 is located at the first valve seat. Of course, the first valve seat may also be arranged on both the connecting portion and the incomplete portion, and the first valve port may also be arranged only on the connecting portion. Therefore, the first valve seat needs to meet a condition that the first valve seat encloses the inner port of the second connecting port close to the chamber. An outer wall of the first valve seat enclosing the inner port of the second connecting port is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the chamber. A flow channel is formed between the outer wall of the first valve seat facing the first connecting port and the inner wall of the chamber. The flow channel is in communication with the first connecting port.
In addition, an outer diameter of the end cover main body 11, an outer diameter of the connecting portion 13 and an outer diameter of the incomplete portion 12 are the same, or outer walls of the end cover main body 11, the connecting portion 12, and the incomplete portion 13 are formed by a same blank as described in the present embodiment.
As shown in
The chamber 21 includes a first chamber close to the end cover 1 and a second chamber close to a first spring 33. An inner diameter of the first chamber is greater than the inner diameter of the second chamber. A second valve port 26 that is in communication with the third connecting port and the fourth connecting port, is provided between the first chamber and the second chamber, so that a stepped annular valve seat 25 is formed between the first chamber and the second chamber.
In a direction from the open end of the chamber 21 to inside, the end cover 1, the thermal actuator 3 and the first spring 33 are arranged in sequence in the chamber 21. An initial elastic deformation force of the second spring 34 is greater than the maximum deformation force of the first spring 33. The space between the end cover 1 and the valve body 2 is sealed by a sealing ring, and the end cover 1 is secured in the chamber 21 by a retaining ring. The outer wall of the main body 11 of the end cover 1 is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the first chamber of the chamber 21, the outer wall of the connecting portion 13 is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the first chamber of the chamber 21, and the incomplete portion 12 is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the first chamber of the chamber 21. It should be noted that the clearance in the clearance fit is not large, such that an oil sealing can be formed in the clearance when lubricating oil flows into the thermostatic valve.
As shown in
One end of the thermal actuator 3 abuts against the end cover 1 via the valve rod 36, and the other end of the thermal actuator 3 abuts against the first spring 33 via a baffle 32 fixedly sleeved on an end portion of the thermal actuator body 31. An inner diameter of the second valve port 26 is less than an outer diameter of the baffle 32 and is greater than an outer diameter of the thermal actuator body abutting against the first spring 33, so that the baffle 32 and the thermal actuator body 31 may cover and close the second valve port. One end of the first spring 33 abuts against the baffle 32, and the other end of the first spring 33 passes through the second valve port 26 to abut against a bottom of the second chamber. It should be noted that, the first spring 33 may abut against the end portion of the thermal actuator body 31, and an abutment portion abutting against the first spring 33 may be formed on the end portion of the thermal actuator body 31. In the present embodiment, the baffle 32 is additionally provided, so that the thermal actuator body can be easily manufactured at a low cost.
As shown in the drawings, the second valve port 26 is opened or closed by moving the baffle 32 at the end of the thermal actuator body 31 and the thermal actuator body 31 close to or away from the annular valve seat 25. A distance of the baffle 32 moving close to or away from the annular valve seat 25 is indicated by H2.
The first outer wall portion 311 at the other end of the thermal actuator body 31 may be respectively in sliding fit with the first fitting portion 121 and the second fitting portion 131. It should be noted that the sliding fit herein means that there is a clearance but the clearance is not large, and the oil sealing is formed in the clearance when the lubricating oil flows into the thermostatic valve.
As shown in
As shown in
In a case that the temperature of the fluid still rises after the second valve port 26 is closed, the valve rod 36 may move upwards and compress the first spring 33 because the initial elastic deformation force of the second spring 34 is greater than the maximum deformation force of the first spring 33, thus counteracting the force generated by the expansion of the heat sensitive substance, and preventing the thermal actuator from being damaged.
It should be noted that, the outer diameter of the first outer wall portion 311 may be equal to outer diameters of other outer walls of the thermal actuator body or the outer diameter of the first outer wall portion 311 may be greater than the outer diameters of other outer walls of the thermal actuator body as described in the present embodiment. With the arrangement in the present embodiment, the thermal actuator body has a small volume and a low cost, and the arrangement may also be suitable for arranging internal components of the thermal actuator. In the case that the outer diameter of the first outer wall portion 311 is greater than the outer diameters of other outer walls of the thermal actuator body, a height H3 of the first outer wall portion 311 should be greater than the distance H1 between the lower end surface of the end cover main body 11 and the upper end surface of the incomplete portion 12, to ensure that the first outer wall portion 311 is fitted with the first fitting portion 121 and the second fitting portion 131, and the annular end portion 312 is fitted with the third fitting portion 111 in order to close the first valve port 14. For ensuring that at least a part of the first outer wall portion 311 is always fitted with the first fitting portion 121, a distance H4 between the lower end surface of the end cover main body 11 and the lower end surface of the incomplete portion 12 should be greater than the distance H2 of the baffle 32 moving close to or away from the annular valve seat 25, so that the first fitting portion 121 and the second fitting portion 131 may have a guiding function, thus the thermal actuator 3 is prevented from deviating, the deviating may result in failure of the thermal actuator and a degraded control accuracy, and also a part of the impulse on the thermal actuator body 31 by the fluid flowing from the first connecting port 23 into the chamber 21 can be counteracted, which can further increase the stability of the thermal actuator.
Moreover, the first valve port 14 and the second connecting port 24 face each other, so the first connecting port 23 and the second connecting port 24 may be located at the same height and the first connecting port and the second connecting port do not need to be arranged in a staggered manner to form a valve port between the first connecting port and the second connecting port, which reduces the height of the valve body 2, miniaturizes the thermostatic valve, and saves the cost and installation space.
In order to further reduce the pressure drop loss of the fluid, a second gap portion 114 is further provided at a portion of the end cover main body 11 corresponding to the first gap portion 124.
In the present embodiment, the contact area between the first outer wall portion 311 and the incomplete portion 12 can be further increased, and the stability of the thermal actuator 3 can be further improved, thereby preventing the thermal actuator 3 from being shifted due to vibration or impact of the fluid.
Other structures in the present embodiment are the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiments, which are not repeated herein.
Moreover, the inner diameter of the second valve port 26 is greater than the outer diameter of a portion of the thermal actuator body 31 extendable into the second valve port 26. In the case that the second valve port is closed, at least a part of the lower end surface of the baffle 32 is in communication with the third connecting port 27. In the present embodiment, in order to increase the contact area between the lower end surface of the baffle 32 and the third connecting port 27, an annular region is formed on the lower end surface of the baffle 32 to contact with the third connecting port 27.
When the second valve port 26 is closed and the third connecting port 27 serves as an inlet, if the flow path of lubricating oil from the fourth connecting port to the second connecting port is blocked, the lubricating oil cannot be returned, which may result in lack of oil and thus the damage of a gear box.
Since at least a part of the lower end surface of the baffle 32 is in communication with the third connecting port 27, in the case that the flow path of the lubricating oil from the fourth connecting port to the second connecting port is blocked, the fluid pressure increases, and thus the force applied to the lower end surface of the baffle 32 increases. When the pressure applied on the lower end surface of the baffle 32 is greater than the initial deformation force of the second spring 34, the second valve port 26 is opened, so that the lubricating oil flows back to the gear box through the second valve port 26 and the first connecting port 23.
Other structures in the present embodiment are the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiments, which are not repeated herein.
Other structures in the present embodiment are the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiments, which are not repeated herein.
The foregoing shows merely specific embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application in any form. The locality terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “left” and “right” described in this specification are all described according to the drawings, and are not intend to limit to the orientations. Although the technical solution has been disclosed by preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various possible changes, modifications and equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present application using the above disclosed technical content without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present application. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent substitutions and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present application without departing from the content in the technical solutions of the present application fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present application.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2016 1 0264898 | Apr 2016 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/CN2017/080042 | 4/11/2017 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2017/185972 | 11/2/2017 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20040238650 | Luig et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20060108435 | Kozdras | May 2006 | A1 |
20070164123 | Willers et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20100126594 | Sheppard | May 2010 | A1 |
20150185738 | Qiu et al. | Jul 2015 | A1 |
20150204453 | Qiu | Jul 2015 | A1 |
20160224037 | Qiu | Aug 2016 | A1 |
20190107037 | Qiu | Apr 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1549958 | Nov 2004 | CN |
103573993 | Feb 2014 | CN |
103574264 | Feb 2014 | CN |
205559858 | Sep 2016 | CN |
205559961 | Sep 2016 | CN |
102007039495 | Feb 2009 | DE |
2 884 134 | Jun 2015 | EP |
S57-178106 | Nov 1982 | JP |
H03-114685 | Nov 1991 | JP |
H03-116985 | Nov 1991 | JP |
H10227372 | Aug 1998 | JP |
H11117743 | Apr 1999 | JP |
2007-192406 | Aug 2007 | JP |
WO 2012052553 | Apr 2012 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Extended European Search Report for European Application No. 17788624.9, dated Nov. 13, 2019. |
First Office Action for Chinese Application No. 201610264898.2, dated Mar. 4, 2019. |
Office Action for Japanese Application No. 2018-557011, dated Sep. 17, 2019. |
International Search Report dated Jul. 12, 2017 in connection with International Application No. PCT/CN2017/080042. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20190163212 A1 | May 2019 | US |