Control device for the coolant flow in a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359138-B2
Application number	US-201715583562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2017
Priority date	May 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

This disclosure pertains to a control device for the coolant flow in a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine with the following characteristics: a housing with an inlet opening, an outlet opening and a movable control element for varying the flow-through cross section of the channel; an annular seal arrangement comprising a sealing frame and a sealing ring is seated between a sealing surface of the housing and a sealing surface of the control element. According to this disclosure, it is proposed that the sealing ring rests against a plane sealing surface of the housing in a sealing fashion and meets this plane sealing surface along a contact line that encloses a first surface area. Depending on the flow direction through the seal arrangement, the sealing ring features a surface section that has a defined circumference referred to the length of the contact line between the sealing ring and the housing. The sealing surface of the sealing frame is perpendicularly projected into a plane of projection and thereby has an inner and/or outer boundary line, which respectively encloses a second or third surface area that has a certain relation to the first surface area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device ( 1 ) for the coolant flow in a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine with the following characteristics:
a housing ( 2 ) with an inlet opening ( 22 ), an outlet opening ( 23 ), a channel ( 10 , 11 , 16 ) extending from the inlet opening ( 22 ) to the outlet opening ( 23 ) and a movable control element ( 6 ) for varying the flow-through cross section of the channel;
an annular seal arrangement ( 7 ) is seated between a sealing surface ( 13 ) of the housing ( 2 ) and a sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ), wherein said seal arrangement ( 7 ) has a flow-through passage ( 15 ) and a circumferential direction extending around the passage ( 15 );
the control element ( 6 ) can be moved relative to the seal arrangement ( 7 ) between a closed position and an open position along its sealing surface ( 12 );
the control element ( 6 ) can in its closed position effect a pressure differential from a higher pressure in an upstream channel section ( 24 ) to a lower pressure in a downstream channel section ( 25 ) between the inlet opening ( 22 ) and the outlet opening ( 23 ), wherein the seal arrangement ( 7 ) can be partially pressurized by the higher pressure and partially pressurized by the lower pressure;
the upstream channel section ( 24 ) is connected to the downstream channel section ( 25 ) via the passage ( 15 ) in the open position of the control element ( 6 );
the seal arrangement ( 7 ) comprises a sealing frame ( 18 ) and a sealing ring ( 19 ) that is in fluid-tight contact with the sealing frame ( 18 );
the sealing frame ( 18 ) has a sealing surface ( 20 ) on its side facing the control element ( 6 ), wherein said sealing surface ( 20 ) rests against the sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ) in a sealing fashion at least in the closed position thereof;
the sealing ring ( 19 ) consists of a rubbery-elastic material, rests against the housing ( 2 ) in a sealing fashion on its side facing away from the sealing frame ( 18 ) and resiliently presses the sealing surface ( 20 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ) against the sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ) in the closed position thereof;

wherein
the sealing ring ( 19 ) rests against a plane sealing surface ( 13 ) of the housing ( 2 ) in a sealing fashion;
a surface section ( 27 ) of the sealing ring ( 19 ), which can be pressurized by the lower pressure, and a section ( 28 ) of the plane sealing surface ( 13 ) of the housing ( 2 ), which can be pressurized by the lower pressure, meet and contact one another along a contact line ( 29 ) extending in the circumferential direction of the seal arrangement ( 7 ), wherein the contact line ( 29 ) lies in a plane of projection ( 14 ) extending along the plane sealing surface ( 13 ) of the housing ( 2 ) and encloses a first surface area (A 1 ) lying in the plane of projection ( 14 );
the passage ( 15 ) of the seal arrangement ( 7 ) forms part of the downstream channel section ( 25 );
the sealing ring ( 19 ) has a surface section ( 30 ) that lies outside the passage ( 15 ), wherein the outer circumference (U) of said surface section ( 30 ) measured parallel to the plane of projection ( 14 ) is no longer than the length of the aforementioned contact line ( 29 ) between the sealing ring ( 19 ) and the housing ( 2 );
the sealing surface ( 20 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ) is projected into the plane of projection ( 14 ) perpendicular to the plane of projection ( 14 ) and is bordered therein by an inner boundary line ( 36 ), which extends in the circumferential direction of the seal arrangement ( 7 ) and encloses a second surface area (A 2 ) in the plane of projection ( 14 );
the inner boundary line ( 36 ) is, if the sealing surface ( 20 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ) comprises a gap ( 40 ; 41 ) in the circumferential direction, closed in the region of the gap ( 40 ; 41 ) with an auxiliary line ( 45 ; 46 ) of minimal length extending in the plane of projection ( 14 ) in order to enclose the second surface area (A 2 ), wherein the auxiliary line ( 46 ), which encloses the smallest surface area (A 2 ) together with the inner boundary line ( 36 ), is chosen if several auxiliary lines ( 46 , 47 , 48 ) of identical length exist for bridging the gap ( 41 );
the first surface area (A 1 ) is smaller than the second surface area (A 2 ) and the difference between the second surface area (A 2 ) and the first surface area (A 1 ) forms a pressure-active surface (AP), which—in the closed position of the control element ( 6 )—effects the sealing frame ( 18 ) to be pressed against the control element ( 6 ) with increasing contact pressure as the pressure differential from the upstream channel section ( 24 ) to the downstream channel section ( 25 ) increases;
and the quotient of the pressure-active surface (AP) and the surface area (AC) of the sealing surface ( 20 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ), which is projected into the plane of projection ( 14 ) perpendicular to the plane of projection ( 14 ), lies in the range between 0.7 and 1.3.

2. The control device according to claim 1 with the following additional characteristics:
the sealing surface ( 20 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ) is on its side facing the passage ( 15 ) bordered by an inner sealing edge ( 31 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 );
the inner boundary line ( 36 ) is formed by the inner sealing edge ( 31 ), which is projected into the plane of projection ( 14 ) perpendicular to the plane of projection ( 14 ).

3. The control device according to claim 2 with the following additional characteristics:
the sealing frame ( 18 ) features a step ( 33 ) forming the inner sealing edge ( 31 ) on its side facing the control element ( 6 );
a surface section ( 34 ) of the sealing frame ( 18 ), which is spaced apart from the sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ) and forms an annular space ( 35 ), is arranged adjacent to the step ( 33 ), wherein said annular space extends in the circumferential direction of the seal arrangement ( 7 ) and can be pressurized by the lower pressure in the closed position of the control element ( 6 ).

4. The control device according to claim 1 , in which the quotient lies in the range between 1.0 and 1.2.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , in which the sealing surface ( 20 ; 20 ′) of the sealing frame ( 18 ; 18 ′) extends between an inner sealing edge ( 31 ; 31 ′) and an outer sealing edge ( 32 ; 32 ′), which respectively extend in the circumferential direction of the seal arrangement ( 7 ; 7 ′), particularly in an uninterrupted fashion along the entire circumference.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , in which the inner sealing edge ( 31 ; 31 ′) and the outer sealing edge ( 32 ; 32 ′) define a minimal width (B) of the sealing surface ( 20 ; 20 ′) of the sealing frame ( 18 ; 18 ′), which is measured parallel to the plane of projection ( 14 ) and lies between 1 mm and 3 mm.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , in which the control element ( 6 ) is pivotable about an axis of rotation and the sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ) extends rotationally symmetrical around the axis of rotation.

8. The control device according to claim 1 , in which the sealing surface ( 12 ) of the control element ( 6 ) has the shape of the circumferential surface ( 12 ) of a circular cylinder.

9. The control device according to claim 1 , in which a section of the sealing ring ( 19 ; 19 ′) resting against the sealing surface ( 13 ) of the housing ( 2 ) is designed in the form of a sealing lip ( 26 ; 26 ′).

10. The control device according to claim 9 , in which the inner circumference and the outer circumference (U) of the sealing lip ( 26

Assignees

• Borgwarner Ludwigsburg Gmbh

Inventors

• Bareis Bernd
• Auer Markus
• Herrmann Christian
• Halder Nicolai

Classifications

• F16J15/061

  with positioning means (F16J15/0831 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01P7/14

  the coolant being liquid · CPC title

• F16K5/0689 Primary

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F01P2007/143

  using restrictions · CPC title

• F16L21/03 Primary

  placed in the socket before connection ({F16L21/022,} F16L21/025 take precedence) · CPC title