Flow control valve and fuel vapor processing apparatus incorporating the flow control valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280874-B2
Application number	US-201514962108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A flow control valve including a passage, and first and second valve devices disposed in the passage and comprising first and second valve members, valve seats, and seal members, respectively. Each valve member is movable for opening and closing the passage. Each seal member may seal between the corresponding valve member and seat. The first valve member moves in a first direction toward a closing position of the first valve device. The second valve member moves in a second direction, opposite the first closing direction, toward a closing position of the second valve device. The first or the second seal member may include a base portion attached to one of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat, a lip extending from the base portion, and a turning-up inhibiting device configured to inhibit the lip from turning up when the corresponding valve member is in the closing position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow control valve, comprising:
a valve housing defining a flow passage including a first passage portion and a second passage portion in communication with the first passage portion;
a first valve device and a second valve device each comprising a valve member, a valve seat, an urging device and an annular seal member;
wherein:
the valve member of each of the first valve device and the second valve device is movable relative to the corresponding valve seat for opening and closing the flow passage;
the annular seal member of each of the first valve device and the second valve device is disposed between the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat and is configured to elastically seal therebetween when the corresponding valve member is in a closing position;
the urging device of the first valve device is configured to urge the valve member of the first valve device in a first closing direction that is opposite to a direction of flow of fluid from the first passage portion to the second passage portion; and
the urging device of the second valve device is configured to urge the valve member of the second valve device in a second closing direction that is opposite to the first closing direction; and

wherein the seal member of the first valve device and the seal member of the second valve device each comprise:
an annular base portion configured to be attached to one of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat; and
a conical tubular seal lip protruding obliquely inwards in an axial direction from the corresponding annular base portion and configured to elastically contact the other of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat;

wherein the seal member of at least one of the first valve device and the second valve device comprises an annular rib-shaped protrusion arranged to surround an outer periphery of the corresponding seal lip and configured to elastically contact the other of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat; and
wherein when the seal member including the annular rib-shaped protrusion is not engaged with the other of the corresponding valve member or the corresponding valve seat, the corresponding seal lip extends farther from the corresponding annular base portion than the rib-shaped protrusion.

2. The flow control valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
the valve member of the first valve device and the valve member of the second valve device are coaxially fitted with each other;
the valve seat of the first valve device is disposed at the valve housing; and
the valve seat of the second valve device is disposed on the valve member of the first valve device.

3. The flow control valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first valve device is a positive pressure release valve configured to be opened when a pressure within the first passage portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined positive pressure value; and
the second valve device is a negative pressure release valve configured to be opened when the pressure within the first passage portion is less than a predetermined negative pressure value.

4. The flow control valve according to claim 2 , wherein the annular base portion of the seal member of the first valve device is integrated with the annular base portion of the seal member of the second valve device so that the seal member of the first valve device and the seal member of the second valve device form a single seal member.

5. The flow control valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
the urging device of the at least one of the first valve device and the second valve device is a coil spring arranged coaxially with the rib-shaped protrusion and having a coil diameter that is the same or substantially the same as a diameter of the rib-shaped protrusion.

6. A flow control valve, comprising:
a valve housing defining a flow passage;
a first valve device and a second valve device disposed in the flow passage and each comprising a valve member, a valve seat and a seal member;
wherein:
the valve member of each of the first valve device and the second valve device is movable relative to the corresponding valve seat for opening and closing the flow passage; and
the seal member of each of the first valve device and the second valve device is disposed between the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat and is configured to elastically seal therebetween when the corresponding valve member is in a closing position;
the valve member of the first valve device moves in a first closing direction toward the closing position;
the valve member of the second valve device moves in a second closing direction toward the closing position, the second closing direction being opposite to the first closing direction;

wherein the seal member of the first valve device and the seal member of the second valve device each comprise:
an annular base portion configured to be attached to one of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat; and
a conical tubular seal lip protruding obliquely inwards in an axial direction from the corresponding annular base portion and configured to elastically contact the other of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat;

wherein the seal member of at least one of the first valve device and the second valve device comprises a turning-up inhibiting device configured to inhibit the corresponding seal lip from turning up due to a difference in pressure between an upstream side and a downstream side of the flow passage with respect to the corresponding seal member when the corresponding valve member is in the closing position;
wherein when the seal member including the turning-up inhibiting device is not engaged with the other of the corresponding valve member or the corresponding valve seat, the corresponding seal lip extends farther from the corresponding annular base portion than the turning-up inhibiting device.

7. The flow control valve according to claim 6 , wherein the turning-up inhibiting device comprises a projection projecting from the annular base portion, the projection being configured to elastically contact the other of the corresponding valve member and the corresponding valve seat when the seal member of the at least one of the first valve device and the second valve device is in the closing position.

8. The flow control valve according to claim 7 , wherein, for the seal member including the projection, each of the seal lip and the projection has an annular or tubular shape with a central axis, and the projection is spaced from the seal lip in a radial direction with respect to the central axis.

9. The flow control valve according to claim 8 , wherein the annular base portion of the seal member of the first valve device is integrated with the annular base portion of the seal member of the second valve device so that the seal member of the first valve device and the seal member of the second valve device form a single seal member that is formed of a same elastic material.

10. A fuel vapor processing apparatus comprising:
a vapor passage configured to allow communication of a fluid between a fuel tank and a canister;
a closing valve disposed in the vapor passage and configured to open and close the vapor passage, the closing valve comprising:
an electric valve that is configured to be electrically controlled to adjust a flow rate of the fluid;
a bypass passage connected to the vapor passage to bypass the electric valve; and
a flow control valve disposed in the bypass passage,

wherein the flow control valve comprises:
a valve housing defining a flow passage including a first passag

Assignees

• Aisan Ind

Inventors

• Tsuzuki Yasuhiro

Classifications

• Y10T137/7772

  One head and seat carried by head of another · CPC title

• F02M25/0836 Primary

  Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold · CPC title

• F02M25/089

  Layout of the fuel vapour installation · CPC title

• F16K1/36

  Valve members (for double-seat valves F16K1/44 {; for butterfly valves F16K1/222, F16K1/223}) · CPC title

• F16K17/196

  spring-loaded · CPC title