Thermal management valve module with concentric shafts for rotary valve control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10544725-B2
Application number	US-201514818408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2015
Priority date	Aug 5, 2014
Publication date	Jan 28, 2020
Grant date	Jan 28, 2020

Abstract

A thermal management valve module is provided which includes a housing with at least one flow chamber. First and second valve bodies are rotatably positioned in the housing, and control the opening and closing of ports located on the housing. The first and second valve bodies include fluid pathways that allow flow through the first port and second port, dependent upon rotational positions of the valve bodies. First and second actuator shafts extend in the housing, the second actuator shaft is hollow and the first actuator shaft extends, preferably concentrically, through the second actuator shaft. The first valve body is rotationally fixed to the first actuator shaft and the second valve body is rotationally fixed to the second actuator shaft allowing separate positioning of the first and second valve bodies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management valve module, comprising:
a housing with at least one flow chamber;
a first port and a second port on the housing;
a first valve body rotatably positioned in the at least one flow chamber, the first valve body including a fluid pathway that, in a first rotational position, connects the first port to the at least one flow chamber, and in a second rotational position, prevents flow from the first port, and in an intermediate position, throttles the flow from the first port to the at least one flow chamber;
a second valve body rotatably positioned in the at least one flow chamber, the second valve body including a fluid pathway that in a first rotational position of the second valve body connects the second port to the at least one flow chamber, and in a second rotational position of the second valve body, prevents flow from the second port, and in an intermediate position of the second valve body throttles the flow from the second port;
first and second actuator shafts extend in the housing, the second actuator shaft is hollow and the first actuator shaft extends through the second actuator shaft, the first valve body is rotationally fixed to the first actuator shaft and the second valve body is rotationally fixed to the second actuator shaft in order to allow independent rotation of the first and second valve bodies;
at least one of the first or second ports is configured with a seal that engages at least one of the valve bodies; and
an isolating wall located in the housing that separates the housing into a first flow chamber and a second flow chamber that are isolated from one another, the first flow chamber having the first valve body and the second flow chamber having the second valve body,
wherein the first port is a first inlet port that connects to the first flow chamber, and the second port is a second inlet port that connects to the second flow chamber,
wherein the intermediate position of the second valve body allows a mixture of flows from the second inlet port and an additional inlet port.

2. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the second actuator shaft is concentric to the first actuator shaft.

3. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , further comprising a first outlet port of the housing that connects to the first flow chamber, and a second outlet port of the housing that connects to the second flow chamber, wherein a rotational position of the first valve body controls a flow from the first flow chamber and a rotational position of the second valve body controls a flow from the second flow chamber.

4. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein first and second position sensors are located on the respective first and second actuator shafts.

5. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the first actuator shaft extends beyond both ends of the second actuator shaft, and a first end of the first actuator shaft is supported in a bearing in the housing.

6. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein second ends of the first and the second actuator shafts extend outside of the housing for connection to separate actuators.

7. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein a first actuator is connected to the first actuator shaft and a second actuator is connected to the second actuator shaft.

8. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the first actuator shaft extends beyond both ends of the second actuator shafts, and first and second ends of the first actuator shaft are supported in bearings in the housing.

9. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the first or second valve body is formed as a spheroid body.

10. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the first valve body has a hollow center defining part of the respective fluid pathway and through which the first actuator shaft extends, and the second valve body has a hollow center defining part of the respective fluid pathway and through which the first and second actuator shafts extend.

11. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate position of the first valve body allows a mixture of flows from the first inlet port and a third inlet port.

12. The thermal management valve module of claim 1 , further comprising a first outlet port of the housing that connects to the first flow chamber, and a second outlet port of the housing that connects to the second flow chamber, wherein a rotational position of the first valve body controls a flow from the first flow chamber and a rotational position of the second valve body controls a flow from the second flow chamber,
wherein the intermediate position of the first valve body throttles flow to the first outlet port, and the intermediate position of the second valve body throttles flow to the second outlet port.

13. A method of operating a thermal management valve, comprising:
providing thermal management valve module including a housing with two flow chambers that are isolated from one another, a first port and a second port on the housing, a first valve body rotatably positioned in a first flow chamber, the first valve body including a fluid pathway that, in a first rotational position, connects the first port to the first flow chamber, and in a second rotational position, prevents flow from the first port, and in an intermediate position, throttles the flow from the first port to the first flow chamber, a second valve body rotatably positioned in a second flow chamber, the second valve body including a fluid pathway that in a first rotational position of the second valve body connects the second port to the second flow chamber, and in a second rotational position of the second valve body, prevents flow from the second port, and in an intermediate position of the second valve body throttles the flow from the second port, and first and second actuator shafts extend in the housing, the second actuator shaft is hollow and the first actuator shaft extends through the second actuator shaft, the first valve body is rotationally fixed to the first actuator shaft and the second valve body is rotationally fixed to the second actuator shaft, wherein at least one of the first or second inlet ports or first or second outlet ports is configured with a seal that engages at least one of the valve bodies;
rotating the first actuator shaft to position the first valve body;
independently rotating the second actuator shaft about the first actuator shaft to position the second valve body,
connecting a first actuator to the first actuator shaft and connecting a second actuator to the second actuator shaft, wherein the rotating of the first actuator shaft is carried out by the first actuator, and the rotating of the second actuator shaft is carried out by the second actuator, and
providing first and second position sensors associated with the respective first and second actuator shafts, wherein the position sensors are connected to a controller and the actuators are connected to the controller, and the controller adjusts a position of the first and second valve bodies independently,
wherein the thermal management valve is connected to a coolant system in a motor vehicle, and the controller adjusts the position of the first valve body and the second valve body in order to separately control coolant flows from the thermal management valve.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first or second valve body is formed as a spheroid body.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag
• Schaeffler Group Usa Inc

Inventors

• Schaefer Peter

Classifications

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F01P7/16 Primary

  by thermostatic control · CPC title

• F01P3/20

  Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine (F01P3/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05D7/0641

  using a plurality of throttling means (G05D7/067 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K11/202

  with concentric handles · CPC title