JP7542983B2 - Valve body drive device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve body drive device.

Various valve body drive devices have been used in the past. Among these valve body drive devices, there is a valve body drive device that controls the opening and closing of a pipe through which a fluid flows by rotating a valve body. Patent Document 1 discloses a valve drive device that transmits the rotation of a pinion attached to a rotor support shaft via a gear to rotate a valve body held by an elastic arm portion and control the opening and closing of an outflow pipe through which a fluid flows.

JP 2003-56734 A

However, in a valve body drive device such as the valve drive device of Patent Document 1, which has an arm that holds the valve body in a rotatable state and controls the opening and closing of a pipe through which a fluid flows by rotating the valve body, the valve body is prone to tilting. The arm has a fulcrum at a position offset from the rotation axis of the valve body when viewed from the direction along the rotation axis, and since applying force to the rotation axis makes it difficult to maintain the valve body in a rotatable state, it is shaped so that the force is applied from a position away from the rotation axis and is pressed against a valve seat or the like that supports the valve body from an oblique direction. If the valve body tilts relative to the valve seat, leakage may occur, causing problems with flow rate adjustment in the pipe through which the fluid flows. Therefore, the present invention aims to suppress leakage and problems with flow rate adjustment caused by the valve body tilting in a valve body drive device.

The valve body drive device of the present invention includes a plate to which a tube through which a fluid flows is connected, a case body that forms a flow path of the fluid together with the plate, a valve body that can rotate at a position facing the connection port of the tube on the plate with the direction of the rotation axis facing the plate, a drive source that rotates the valve body, a transmission member that transmits a rotational force from the drive source to the valve body to rotate the valve body, and a holding unit for the valve body having a flexible arm that can press the valve body against the plate with a fulcrum at a position shifted from the rotation axis of the valve body in a radial direction intersecting the rotation axis direction and a force point on the opposite side of the fulcrum, and the force point of the arm is a position closer to the center of rotation of the valve body in the radial direction than the tip on the opposite side of the fulcrum.

According to this aspect, the arm applies force at a position closer to the center of rotation of the valve body in the radial direction than the tip on the opposite side from the fulcrum. In other words, the arm can apply force near the axis of rotation. This makes it possible to press the valve body against the plate in a state in which the valve body is less likely to tilt, and prevents leakage caused by the valve body tilting, which can cause problems with flow rate adjustment.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the force point is formed by bending the arm portion in the direction of the rotation axis in the opposite direction to the side where the valve body is located. This is because the simple structure of bending the arm portion in the opposite direction to the side where the valve body is located can suppress leakage caused by the valve body tilting and problems with flow rate adjustment.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the arm portion is provided with a hole that fits onto the rotating shaft. This is because the valve body can be easily held rotatably by providing a hole that fits onto the rotating shaft.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the holding part forms the fulcrum by bending the arm part in the rotation axis direction toward the side where the valve body is located. This is because the fulcrum configuration, i.e., the configuration that allows the valve body to be pressed against the plate, can be easily formed.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the holding part forms the force point by bending the arm part in the direction of the rotation axis opposite to the side where the valve body is located. By forming the force point by bending the valve body, the folded crease can be used as the force point, and the force point can be accurately located close to the center of rotation of the valve body.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, the holding part forms the fulcrum by bending the arm part in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side where the valve body is located, and forms the force point by bending the arm part in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side opposite the side where the valve body is located, and it is preferable that the bending directions at the fulcrum and the force point are parallel. This is because by making the bending directions at the fulcrum and the force point parallel, it is easy to form the force point at a position particularly close to the center of rotation of the valve body.

In the valve body drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the plate has a plurality of connection ports at a position opposite the valve body, and the valve body is capable of opening and closing the plurality of connection ports provided at the opposite positions. This is because the fluid can flow efficiently through the plurality of connection ports.

The valve body drive device of the present invention can prevent leakage caused by tilting of the valve body, which can cause problems with flow rate adjustment.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a valve body drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic perspective view of the valve body drive device of FIG. 1 with a mounting portion, an outer case, and the like removed. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the valve body drive device in the state shown in FIG. 2, viewed from an angle different from that shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the valve body drive device in the state shown in FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram of the valve body drive device in the state shown in FIG. 3 with a case body and the like removed. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating a holding portion of the valve body drive device of FIG. 1 . 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a fluid path region of the valve body drive device of FIG. 1. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the valve body of the valve body drive device of FIG. 1, seen from the bottom side. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a valve seat of the valve body drive device of FIG. 1 from the bottom side. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a state in which an arm portion of a holding portion of the valve body drive device in FIG. 1 presses a rotating body. FIG. 10A and 10B are conceptual diagrams for explaining a state in which a rotating body is pressed by an arm portion of a holding portion of a valve body drive device of a reference example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A valve body drive device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 and FIG. 11 which is a diagram of a valve body drive device of a reference example.
(Outline of the valve body drive device 1)
First, an overview of the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. The valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment can be used in refrigerators and the like, and is a device that controls the outflow of a refrigerant, which is a fluid, from an outflow pipe 4 by rotating a valve body 31 to change its position relative to a valve seat 32. However, the present invention is not limited to such a valve body drive device. Note that the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions in each figure are directions perpendicular to one another, and among these, the X-axis direction is the direction in which the valve body 31 faces the valve seat 32 and corresponds to the direction of the rotation axis of the valve body 31.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment includes an inflow pipe 2 for a fluid, a fluid path region 3 that forms a path for the fluid that has flowed in from the inflow pipe 2, and an outflow pipe 4 that flows the fluid out of the fluid path region 3. It also includes an outer case 12 that houses a drive source 10 (see Fig. 4) for rotating the valve body 31 provided in the fluid path region 3, an electrical connection portion 21 that is connected to an external device to input an electrical signal to the drive source 10, and an attachment portion 22 for attachment to an external device such as a refrigerator. As shown in Fig. 1, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment includes an upper case 12A and a lower case 12B as the outer case 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the valve body drive device 1 is constructed on a valve seat plate 33 formed by pressing a metal plate and airtightly sealed in a case body 14, and the rotor 15 is driven to rotate by a stator 16 that is attached to the outside of the case body 14 and is fitted around the case body 14. In other words, the rotor 15 and the stator 16 constitute the drive source 10. A drive signal is input from an external device such as a computer via an electrical connection part 21 in which a conductor is connected to the stator coil 16a of the stator 16, and the rotor 15 is controlled to rotate and stop at a specified angle.

The rotor 15 has a magnet 15a fixed integrally to its outer periphery, a pinion 17 formed at the end on the valve seat plate 33 side, and is rotatably supported on a support shaft 18 fixed to the case body 14 and the valve seat plate 33. The case body 14 is formed so that the outer periphery of the magnet 15a of the rotor 15 and the inner periphery of the stator coil 16a are close to each other, and a recess 14a is provided that fits into one end of the support shaft 18 to stably support it in the center position. The valve seat plate 33 is fitted to the side of the case body 14 opposite to the side where the recess 14a is provided.

Here, the other end of the support shaft 18 is fixed to the valve seat plate 33. As shown in FIG. 3 etc., the inlet pipe 2 and the valve seat 32 are fitted into the valve seat plate 33. The inlet pipe 2 is fitted into the inlet 34. The valve seat 32 is provided with two fluid outlets 36, of which outlet 36A is fitted into the outlet pipe 4A and outlet 36B is fitted into the outlet pipe 4B. The valve seat 32 is fitted into the valve seat plate 33 to form a single plate together with the valve seat plate 33.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a valve body 31 fixed to the gear 30 is provided at a position facing the valve seat 32 in the X-axis direction. The gear 30 is also fixed to a pressed portion 37, which is pressed toward the valve seat 32 by a pressing portion 111 of an arm portion 110 of the holding portion 100, described in detail below, on the opposite side of the valve body 31. The gear 30 is engaged with the pinion 17, and the valve body 31 can be rotated together with the gear 30 about a rotation axis 35 along the X-axis direction via the pinion 17 and the gear 30 by rotating the rotor 15. That is, with this configuration, the valve body 31, the gear 30, and the pressed portion 37 form a rotating portion 38.

(Configuration of holding portion 100)
Next, the detailed configuration of the holding part 100 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 6 to 11. The holding part 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to hold the entire rotating part 38 in a state spaced apart from the valve seat 32 when assembling the valve body drive device 1. For this reason, for example, during welding work associated with assembling the valve body drive device 1, it is possible to suppress the transfer of heat associated with the welding work to the valve body 31, etc.

6 and 7, the holding part 100 includes a substantially disk-shaped base part 101 that is horizontal in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, mounting parts 102, 103, and 104 for mounting inside the fluid path region 3, and a flexible arm part 110 that can press the rotating part 38 toward the valve seat 32. The mounting parts 102, 103, and 104 and the arm part 110 are provided on the base part 101. In addition, the base part 101 is formed with a round hole 101a through which the pinion 17 passes.

The arm 110 has a bent portion 130 as its base end, which is bent relative to the base 101. The arm 110 is bent toward the valve seat 32 at the bent portion 130 as a crease. A pressing portion 111 is formed at the tip 110a side, opposite the base end, which is the bent portion 130. A round hole 111a is formed in the pressing portion 111, through which the rotation shaft 35 passes. A bending portion 120 is also formed in the pressing portion 111, where the tip 110a is bent toward the opposite side to the valve seat 32. In detail, the bending portion 120 formed at a position that overlaps the round hole 111a is used as a crease to bend the pressing portion 111 toward the opposite side to the valve seat 32.

As described above, the arm 110 of this embodiment has a bent portion 120 formed at a position that overlaps with the circular hole 111a of the pressing portion 111. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the bent portion 120 can press the rotating portion 38 toward the valve seat 32. That is, as shown by the arrow F1 in the figure, the rotating portion 38 can be pressed toward the valve seat 32 at a position close to the rotation axis 35. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the valve body 31 from being pressed against the valve seat 32 when the rotating portion 38 is tilted.

On the other hand, in the arm 110 of the valve body drive device 1 of the reference example in which the bending portion 120 is not formed in the pressing portion 111, the tip portion 110a presses the rotating portion 38 toward the valve seat 32 as shown in FIG. 11. In such a configuration, the position of the rotating shaft 35 and the position where the tip portion 110a presses the rotating portion 38 are separated. For this reason, a force as shown by the arrow F2 in the figure is applied to the rotating portion 38, and there is a risk that the valve body 31 will be pressed against the valve seat 32 with the rotating portion 38 tilted.

Here, the holding part 100 of this embodiment will be described in a different way from the above description. The holding part 100 of this embodiment has a flexible arm 110 that can press the valve body 31 against the valve seat 32 that constitutes a plate together with the valve seat plate 33, using the bent part 120, which is a position offset from the rotation axis 35 of the valve body 31 in the radial direction intersecting with the rotation axis direction of the rotation axis 35, as a fulcrum and the opposite side of the bent part 120 as a force point. In detail, the arm 110 uses the bent part 130, which is a position closer to the rotation center of the valve body 31 in the radial direction, as a force point than the tip part 110a, which is the tip on the opposite side of the bent part 120. Here, the "tip" means the tip on the extension line in the direction extending from the base end of the arm 110. Note that the "direction extending from the base end" may be linear or curved.

In this way, in the holding part 100 of this embodiment, the arm 110 applies force at a position closer to the center of rotation of the valve body 31 in the radial direction than the tip on the opposite side from the fulcrum. In other words, the arm 110 can apply force near the rotation axis 35. Therefore, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment can press the valve body 31 against the valve seat 32 in a state in which the valve body 31 is unlikely to tilt, and it is possible to prevent leakage caused by the valve body 31 tilting and problems with flow rate adjustment.

Here, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment has an inlet pipe 2 and an outflow pipe 4 as pipes through which a fluid flows, and of these, the outflow pipe 4 has a connection port at a position opposite the valve body 31. However, the present invention may have a configuration in which the inlet pipe 2 has a connection port at a position opposite the valve body 31. In addition, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment forms a single plate by fitting the valve seat 32 to the valve seat plate 33, but the present invention may be a plate in which the valve seat 32 and the valve seat plate 33 are integrally formed. In addition, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment has a pinion 17 and a gear 30 as transmission members that transmit the rotational force that rotates the valve body 31 from the drive source 10 to the valve body 31, but it may have a different configuration from this embodiment as long as it is configured to transmit the driving force of the drive source 10 to the rotating part 38 held by the holding part 100 via the transmission member. In addition, "a configuration capable of transmitting the driving force of the driving source 10 to the rotating part 38 held by the holding part 100 via a transmission member" means that any configuration is acceptable as long as the valve body 31 is not directly attached to the rotating shaft of the driving source 10 and the rotating shaft of the driving source 10 and the rotating shaft of the valve body 31 are not common.

Here, as described above, the arm 110 is provided with a round hole 111a that fits onto the rotating shaft 35. By providing a hole that fits onto the rotating shaft 35 in this manner, the valve body 31 can be easily held in a rotatable manner.

As described above, the holding part 100 forms a point of force by bending the arm 110 in the direction of the rotation axis opposite to the side where the valve body 31 is located. By forming the point of force by bending the valve body 31, the folded crease can be the point of force, and the point of force can be accurately located close to the center of rotation of the valve body 31. For example, the arm 110 can be bent in a curved shape to form the point of force, but with this configuration, the contact position (position of the point of force) with respect to the rotating part 38 (pressed part 37) is likely to shift.

The present invention is not limited to a configuration in which the point of force is formed by bending the arm 110 in the direction of the rotation axis opposite the side where the valve body 31 is located. However, regardless of whether or not a crease is formed, it is preferable that the point of force is formed by bending the arm 110 in the direction of the rotation axis opposite the side where the valve body 31 is located. This is because the simple configuration of bending the arm 110 in the direction opposite the side where the valve body 31 is located can prevent leakage caused by the valve body 31 tilting, which can cause problems in adjusting the flow rate.

As described above, it is preferable that the holding part 100 is configured to form a fulcrum by bending the arm 110 in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side where the valve body 31 is located. This is because it is easy to form a fulcrum configuration, i.e., a configuration that allows the valve body 31 to be pressed against the plate (valve seat 32).

Furthermore, as in the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment, the holding part 100 forms a fulcrum by bending the arm part 110 in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side where the valve body 31 is located, and forms a force point by bending the arm part 110 in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side opposite the side where the valve body 31 is located, and it is preferable that the bending directions at the fulcrum and the force point (the directions of the folds at the bending parts 120 and 130) are parallel, as shown in FIG. 6. This is because making the bending directions at the fulcrum and the force point parallel makes it easier to form a force point at a position particularly close to the center of rotation of the valve body 31.

As shown in FIG. 8, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a contact portion 311 on the side facing the valve seat 32, which protrudes toward the side facing the valve seat 32 and contacts the valve seat 32, and a non-contact portion 312 that is recessed toward the side facing the valve seat 32 and does not contact the valve seat 32. Two non-contact portions 312 are provided, non-contact portion 312a and non-contact portion 312b. In addition, a round hole 31a into which the rotation shaft 35 fits is provided in the center portion when viewed from the rotation shaft direction.

As shown in FIG. 9 and other figures, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment has an outlet 36A into which the outlet pipe 4A is fitted, and an outlet 36B into which the outlet pipe 4B is fitted, provided on the valve seat 32. The outlet 36A has a through hole 321A that penetrates the side facing the valve body 31, and the outlet 36B has a through hole 321B that penetrates the side facing the valve body 31. In addition, a round hole 32a into which the rotation shaft 35 is fitted is provided in the center portion when viewed from the rotation shaft direction.

When the contact portion 311 is disposed in a position opposite the outlet 36, the outlet 36 is closed. On the other hand, when the non-contact portion 312 is disposed in a position opposite the outlet 36, the outlet 36 is open. Since the valve body 31 has the shape shown in FIG. 8 and the valve seat 32 has the shape shown in FIG. 9, the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment can adjust the position of the valve body 31 in the rotation direction relative to the valve seat 32 to close both the outlets 36A and 36B, open both the outlets 36A and 36B, close the outlet 36A and open the outlet 36B, or open the outlet 36A and close the outlet 36B.

As described above, in the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment, the valve seat 32 is provided with two outlets 36 (outlet 36A and outlet 36B). The valve body 31 is capable of opening and closing outlets 36A and 36B. In this way, it is preferable that the plate has multiple connection ports at positions opposite the valve body 31, and that the valve body 31 is capable of opening and closing the multiple connection ports provided at the opposite positions. This is because the multiple connection ports allow the fluid to flow more efficiently.

Here, the valve body 31 rotates around the rotation axis 35, but in Figs. 10 and 11, the non-contact portion 312 of the valve body 31 is disposed on the tip side (tip 110a side) of the arm 110. In this state, the valve body 31 is more likely to tilt with respect to the valve seat 32 than in a state in which the contact portion 311 of the valve body 31 is disposed on the tip side of the arm 110. Therefore, in a configuration in which the position of the valve body 31 when the outlet 36 is closed is such that the non-contact portion 312 of the valve body 31 reaches the tip side of the arm 110, in order to suppress leakage of fluid in the closed state, it is particularly necessary to suppress the tilt of the valve body 31 with respect to the valve seat 32.

However, as described above, in the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment, the arm 110 applies force at a position (bent portion 130) that is closer to the center of rotation of the valve body 31 in the radial direction than the tip portion 110a. Therefore, even if the valve body 31 is positioned such that the non-contact portion 312 of the valve body 31 reaches the tip side of the arm 110 when the outlet 36 is closed, the configuration is capable of effectively suppressing the inclination of the valve body 31 with respect to the valve seat 32.

However, in a configuration having a flexible arm 110 capable of pressing the valve body 31 against a plate using a fulcrum at a position offset from the rotation axis of the valve body 31 in the radial direction and a force point on the opposite side of the fulcrum, even if the valve body 31 is positioned such that the contact portion 311 of the valve body 31 reaches the tip side of the arm 110 when the outlet 36 is closed, the valve body 31 may tilt relative to the valve seat 32 depending on the pressing force of the arm 110. As in the valve body drive device 1 of this embodiment, by using a position of the arm 110 closer to the center of rotation of the valve body 31 in the radial direction than the tip portion 110a as the force point, the tilt of the valve body 31 relative to the valve seat 32 can be effectively suppressed even in such a configuration.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention column can be replaced or combined as appropriate to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

1... valve body drive device, 2... inlet pipe (pipe), 3... fluid path area, 4... outlet pipe (pipe),
4A: Outlet pipe (pipe), 4B: Outlet pipe (pipe), 10: Driving source, 12: Outer case,
12A: upper case, 12B: lower case, 14: case body, 14a: recess,
15... rotor, 15a... magnet, 16... stator, 16a... stator coil,
17: Pinion (transmission member), 18: Support shaft, 21: Electrical connection portion, 22: Mounting portion,
30... gear (transmission member), 31... valve body, 31a... round hole, 32... valve seat (plate),
32a...round hole, 33...valve seat plate (plate), 34...inlet, 35...rotation shaft,
36... Outlet, 36A... Outlet, 36B... Outlet, 37... Pressed part, 38... Rotating part,
100: holding portion, 101: base portion, 101a: round hole, 102: mounting portion,
103: mounting portion, 104: mounting portion, 110: arm portion, 110a: tip portion,
111: pressing portion, 111a: round hole, 120: bending portion (force point),
130: Bending portion (fulcrum), 311: Contact portion, 312: Non-contact portion,
312a...Non-contact part, 312b...Non-contact part, 321A...Through hole, 321B...Through hole

Claims (6)

A plate to which a tube through which a fluid flows is connected;
a case body that forms a flow path for the fluid together with the plate;
a valve body that is rotatable around a rotation axis in a direction facing the plate at a position facing the connection port of the tube on the plate;
A drive source that rotates the valve body;
a transmission member that transmits a rotational force from the drive source to the valve body to rotate the valve body;
a holding portion for the valve body having a flexible arm portion capable of pressing the valve body against the plate with a fulcrum at a position shifted from the rotation axis of the valve body in a radial direction intersecting the rotation axis direction and a force point on an opposite side to the fulcrum,
the arm portion has a force point at a position closer to a rotation center of the valve body in the radial direction than a tip end on an opposite side to the fulcrum ,
The holding portion forms the fulcrum by bending the arm portion in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side where the valve body is located, and forms the force point by bending the arm portion in the direction of the rotation axis toward the side opposite the side where the valve body is located, and the bending directions at the fulcrum and the force point are parallel . The valve body drive device according to claim 1,
The valve body drive device according to claim 1, wherein the force point is formed by bending the arm portion in a direction opposite to a side where the valve body is located in the direction of the rotation axis. The valve body drive device according to claim 1 or 2,
The valve body drive device according to claim 1, wherein the arm portion is provided with a hole into which the rotating shaft fits. The valve body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve body drive device, wherein the holding portion forms the fulcrum by bending the arm portion in the direction of the rotation axis toward the valve body. The valve body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The valve body drive device, wherein the holding portion forms the force point by bending the arm portion in the direction of the rotation axis opposite to the side where the valve body is located. The valve body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The plate has a plurality of connection ports at positions facing the valve body,
The valve body drive device is characterized in that the valve body is capable of opening and closing a plurality of the connection ports provided at opposing positions.

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