Control valve for controlling a fluid flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113664-B2
Application number	US-201615538096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A control valve for controlling a fluid flow is disclosed, in particular a coolant flow in a coolant circuit of an internal combustion engine, including a valve element which is provided with at least one opening, and which can move relative to a valve housing. With a movement of the valve element, the at least one opening can be brought into a position in which it overlaps a line cross-section defined on the valve housing side, in order to permit a flow of fluid. In addition, a sealing element is provided which is accommodated on the valve housing such that it radially surrounds the line cross-section, and a sealing surface of which can be brought into contact with a surface of the valve element, thus bridging a gap that extends between the surface of the valve element and the valve housing in a region of the sealing element. In order to provide a control valve that has minimal friction losses over the working range thereof, the extent of the gap changes according to the movement of the valve element in relation to the valve housing. In addition, the extent of the gap reaches a maximum in a region in which the at least one opening overlaps the line cross-section, at which extent the sealing element with its sealing surface is raised from the surface of the valve element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control valve for controlling a fluid flow, comprising a valve housing, a valve element that is equipped with an opening and is movable relative to the valve housing, wherein, by moving the valve element, the opening is movable to overlap a line cross section defined by the valve housing, in order to allow a flow of fluid, a sealing element on the valve housing radially surrounding the line cross section that is brought into contact via a sealing surface thereof with a surface of the valve element while bridging a gap that extends between the surface of the valve element and the valve housing in an area of the sealing element, wherein an extent of the gap changes as a function of a movement of the valve element relative to the valve housing and in an area of the overlap of the opening with the line cross section, the gap reaches a maximum extent at which the sealing surface of the sealing element is extended from the surface of the valve element,
wherein the extent of the gap decreases and increases during movement of the valve element relative to the valve housing in a first direction.

2. The control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the valve element has a non-uniform shape that provides for changing the extent of the gap, and an additional contour increasing a dimension of the valve element in a direction of the valve housing is set up on a base body of the valve element away from the at least one opening.

3. The control valve according to claim 2 , wherein transitions between different dimensions of the valve element are each constructed in the direction of the valve housing by ramps.

4. The control valve according to claim 3 , wherein the ramps are provided on both sides of the opening which is formed as an elongated hole, the ramps decrease to a smaller dimension of the valve element run starting from a beginning of an overlap of the elongated hole with the line cross section up to a complete release of the line cross section, and the ramps increase to a larger dimension of the valve element run starting from an end of the complete release of the line cross section through the elongated hole up to an end of the overlap of the elongated hole with the line cross section.

5. The control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the valve element is equipped with a ball-like surface or is provided as part of a ball-like surface.

6. The control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the line cross section is defined by a fitting of the valve housing.

7. The control valve according to claim 6 , wherein the fitting and another part of the valve housing define an intermediate space that holds a spring element that pre-tensions the sealing element in a direction of the valve element, and a mechanical stop for the sealing element is provided that prevents the sealing element from contacting the surface when the gap is at the maximum extent.

8. The control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the opening in the valve element is constructed as an elongated hole.

9. A fluid circuit comprising a control valve according to claim 1 .

10. The control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform shape comprises a ramp extending along less than one-quarter of a circumference of valve element.

11. A control valve for controlling a fluid flow comprising a valve housing, a valve element that is equipped with an opening and is movable relative to the valve housing, wherein, by moving the valve element, the opening is movable to overlap a line cross section defined by the valve housing, in order to allow a flow of fluid, a sealing element on the valve housing radially surrounding the line cross section that is brought into contact via a sealing surface thereof with a surface of the valve element while bridging a gap that extends between the surface of the valve element and the valve housing in an area of the sealing element, wherein an extent of the gap changes as a function of a movement of the valve element relative to the valve housing and in an area of the overlap of the opening with the line cross section, the gap reaches a maximum extent at which the sealing surface of the sealing element is extended from the surface of the valve element,
wherein the surface of the valve element has a non-uniform shape that provides for changing the extent of the gap, and an additional contour increasing a dimension of the valve element in a direction of the valve housing is set up on a base body of the valve element away from the at least one opening, and
wherein the base body is provided as a first ball or as part of a first ball on which ball or on which part of said ball the additional contour is set up in the form of a part of a second ball.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Hurst Sebastian

Classifications

• F16K5/20

  for plugs with spherical surfaces · CPC title

• F16K39/06 Primary

  for taps or cocks · CPC title

• F01P7/14

  the coolant being liquid · CPC title

• F16K5/0605

  with particular plug arrangements, e.g. particular shape or built-in means · CPC title

• F16K5/0689

  between housing and plug · CPC title