Electrically-driven flow rate control valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767787-B2
Application number	US-201916440416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2019
Priority date	Jul 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

Provided is an electrically-driven flow rate control valve capable of controlling a flow rate of a fluid flowing between two inlet/outlet ports, restraining a high pressure of the fluid from being applied to a sub valve body connected to an electric motor. The flow rate control valve has a casing, a raising/lowering drive device, a supply-switching valve, a main valve body, a valve-closing spring. When the electric motor of the raising/lowering drive device moves the sub valve body upward, oil of a back pressure chamber is discharged from a discharge oil passage through a sub valve body communication port and a sub valve body oil passage to open the main valve body. When the main valve body is closed, a pressure of the back pressure chamber is inhibited from being directly applied to a lower end face of the sub valve body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically-driven flow rate control valve, comprising:
a casing comprising a first fluid chamber, a second fluid chamber, a fluid chamber communication port which makes the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber communicate with each other, and a cylinder unit, wherein: a first inlet/outlet port which allows a fluid to flow in/out therethrough between an outside of the casing and the first fluid chamber, and a second inlet/outlet port which allows a fluid to flow in/out therethrough between the outside of the casing and the second fluid chamber, are formed in the casing;
an electric motor;
a main valve body comprising a main valve body tip portion capable of sealing the fluid chamber communication port, which is housed in the cylinder unit in a movable manner between a main valve body unblocking position and a main valve body sealing position, along a predetermined axial direction, and forms a back pressure chamber between the cylinder unit and itself which allows a fluid to flow therein/therefrom, wherein the main valve body tip portion allows a circulation of a fluid between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, by unblocking the fluid chamber communication port, when the main valve body is located in the main valve body unblocking position, and the main valve body tip portion blocks a circulation of a fluid between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, by sealing the fluid chamber communication port, when the main valve body is located in the main valve body sealing position;
an urging mechanism which urges the main valve body towards the main valve body sealing position;
a first communication passage capable of making the first fluid chamber and the back pressure chamber communicate with each other;
a second communication passage capable of making the second fluid chamber and the back pressure chamber communicate with each other;
a switching mechanism capable of changing state between a first communication state which allows a circulation of a fluid in the first communication passage, and blocks a circulation of a fluid in the second communication passage, when a pressure of a fluid in the first fluid chamber is higher than a pressure of a fluid in the second fluid chamber, and a second communication state which allows a circulation of a fluid in the second communication passage, and blocks a circulation of a fluid in the first communication passage, when a pressure of a fluid in the first fluid chamber is lower than a pressure of a fluid in the second fluid chamber;
a first flow rate adjusting mechanism which is located in the first communication passage and adjusts a flow rate of a fluid so as to lower the flow rate of the fluid flowing from the first fluid chamber towards the back pressure chamber;
a second flow rate adjusting mechanism which is located in the second communication passage and adjusts a flow rate of a fluid so as to lower the flow rate of the fluid flowing from the second fluid chamber towards the back pressure chamber;
a sub valve body housed in the back pressure chamber, comprising:
a sub valve body flow passage which communicates with the outside of the casing, and
a sub valve body communication port which makes the back pressure chamber and the sub valve body flow passage to communicate with each other,
which is movable relatively to the main valve body, along the axial direction, between a sub valve body unblocking position and a sub valve body sealing position by receiving a driving force generated by the electric motor, and
which unblocks the sub valve body communication port when the sub valve body is located in the sub valve body unblocking position, to allow a fluid of the back pressure chamber to be discharged to the outside of the casing through the sub valve body flow passage; and seals the sub valve body communication port when the sub valve body is located in the sub valve body sealing position, to block a circulation of a fluid between the back pressure chamber and the sub valve body flow passage, and to allow the main valve body to receive an urging force of the urging mechanism, to locate the main valve body in the main valve body sealing position.

2. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid chamber communication port has a circle shape when viewed along the axial direction, and
the main valve body tip portion has a conical shape capable of sealing the fluid chamber communication port, along the axial direction.

3. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 1 , wherein:
the main valve body comprises an inner space formed into a tubular shape along the axial direction, and communicates with the back pressure chamber at the opposite side from the main valve body tip portion, the inner space allows the sub valve body to enter therein, and an inner wall tip portion which defines a side of the main valve body tip portion of the inner space;
the sub valve body has a cylindrical portion located at least in an end portion in the side of the inner wall tip portion, and the sub valve body communication port opens in the cylindrical portion; and
the inner wall tip portion has a concave portion which allows the cylindrical portion of the sub valve body to enter therein, and comes in close contact with the cylindrical portion entirely in a circumferential direction.

4. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 3 , wherein the sub valve body communication port opens in the sub valve body, on an end face thereof which intersects the axial direction of the cylindrical portion of the sub valve body.

5. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 4 , wherein the concave portion of the inner wall tip portion is formed into a conical shape, and when the sub valve body is located in the sub valve body sealing position, a slant face of the concave portion is in close contact with the periphery of the end face of the cylindrical portion entirely in a circumferential direction.

6. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 3 , wherein:
the sub valve body communication port opens on a flank extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion of the sub valve body,
the concave portion is formed into a cylindrical shape so as to allow the cylindrical portion to enter therein, and
the sub valve body communication port is located in such a position in the cylindrical portion that: the sub valve body communication port is sealed when the cylindrical portion enters in the concave portion according to a movement of the sub valve body, and the sub valve body communication port communicates with the back pressure chamber when the cylindrical portion is detached from the concave portion according to a movement of the sub valve body.

7. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow rate adjusting mechanism and the second flow rate adjusting mechanism are an orifice located in the first communication passage and an orifice located in the second communication passage, respectively.

8. The electrically-driven flow rate control valve according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow rate adjusting mechanism and the second flow rate adjusting mechanism are located between the first fluid chamber and the switching mechanism, and between the second fluid chamber and the switching mechanism, respectively.

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Morita Kei
• Sugano Naoki
• Maekawa Satoshi
• Igaue Takayuki

Classifications

• F16K31/406 Primary

  acting on a piston · CPC title

• G05D7/0635

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K31/42 Primary

  by means of electrically-actuated members in the supply or discharge conduits of the fluid motor (F16K31/40 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B41/06

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic