Pilot-pressure-controlled flow valve and fluid system containing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549606-B2
Application number	US-201816202735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2018
Priority date	Nov 28, 2018
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

In a thermal fluid system, a control valve includes a flow valve and a solenoid pilot valve. The flow valve has an inlet and an outlet; a control chamber for receiving a pilot pressure; and a valve member operable by the pilot pressure to selectively open and close a fluid path from the inlet to the outlet. The pilot pressure acts in a closing direction of the flow valve. The pilot valve provides the pilot pressure to the control chamber and is a 3/2 way valve with a first port in fluid communication with the control chamber, a second port to be connected to a pressure source, and a third port. The pilot valve has a first position connecting the first port with the second port and a second position connecting the first port with the third port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid system comprising:
a refrigerant loop including a condenser, a refrigerant expansion device, an evaporator, and a refrigerant compressor, the refrigerant loop conveying a phase-changing refrigerant;
at least one thermal fluid circuit for conveying coolant, the thermal fluid circuit forming a closed-loop fluid path and being in thermal communication with the refrigerant loop, either via the condenser for operating as a dedicated heating loop or via the evaporator for operating as a dedicated cooling loop;
the at least one thermal fluid circuit including:
a pump for circulating the coolant through the closed-loop fluid path, the pump having a pressure side;
a consumer device forming a heat sink or a heat source disposed in the closed loop fluid path such that the fluid circulated by the pump may travel through the consumer device; and
a first control valve and a second control valve, each of the first and second control valves including:
a hydraulically actuated flow valve disposed in the thermal fluid circuit between the pressure side of the pump and the consumer device, the flow valve having:
an inlet in fluid communication with the pressure side of the pump,
an outlet in fluid communication with an inlet of the consumer device, and
a control chamber for receiving a pilot pressure, the flow valve being operable to permit the coolant circulated by the pump to reach the consumer device or to block the coolant circulated by the pump from reaching the consumer device; and

a pilot valve configured to be actuated by a solenoid for providing the pilot pressure to the control chamber,

wherein the pilot pressure acts on the flow valve in a closing direction of the flow valve;
wherein the pilot valve has a first setting, in which pressurized coolant flows into the control chamber to move the flow valve to and keep the flow valve in a closed position, in which a fluid path from the inlet to the outlet of the flow valve is shut off as long as the pilot valve is in the first setting,
wherein the pilot valve has a second setting, in which the pilot pressure is lower than the pressure of the pressurized coolant while the pump is operating, and
wherein the first control valve is arranged upstream of the consumer with respect to the circulated coolant and the second control valve is arranged to bypass the consumer.

2. The fluid system of claim 1 , wherein the pilot valve is a 3/2 way valve with a first port in permanent fluid communication with the control chamber, a second port in fluid communication with a pressure source, and a third port in fluid communication with a low-pressure conduit.

3. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the third port is in fluid communication with the outlet of the flow valve.

4. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the second port is in fluid communication with the inlet of the flow valve.

5. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the pilot valve establishes a fluid communication between the first port and the second port in the first setting and a fluid communication between the first port and the third port in the second setting.

6. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the control valve comprises a check valve disposed immediately upstream of the second port to allow pressurized coolant to flow toward the pilot valve and to prevent the coolant from exiting the pilot valve via the second port.

7. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the pilot valve is in the first setting when the solenoid is de-energized and in the second setting when the solenoid is energized.

8. The fluid system of claim 2 , wherein the pilot valve is in the first setting when the solenoid is energized and in the second setting when the solenoid is de-energized.

9. The fluid system of claim 1 , wherein the flow valve further comprises
a valve member formed by a diaphragm separating the inlet and the outlet from the control chamber, and
a valve spring biasing the flow valve toward the closed position.

10. The fluid system of claim 1 , wherein the consumer device is a heat source comprising a vehicle engine or a vehicle energy storage system.

11. A control valve for controlling a fluid flow through a fluid circuit, the control valve comprising:
a 2/2 way hydraulically actuated flow valve having
an inlet and an outlet;
a control chamber for receiving a pilot pressure; and
a valve member operable by the pilot pressure to selectively open and close a fluid path from the inlet to the outlet, the pilot pressure acts on the flow valve in a closing direction of the flow valve; and

a pilot valve configured to be actuated by a solenoid for providing the pilot pressure to the control chamber,
wherein the pilot valve is a 3/2 way valve with a first port in fluid communication with the control chamber, a second port to be connected to a pressure source with a check valve disposed immediately upstream of the second port to allow pressurized coolant to flow toward the pilot valve and to prevent the coolant from exiting the pilot valve via the second port, and a third port connected to the outlet of the flow valve, the pilot valve having a first position connecting the first port with the second port and a second position connecting the first port with the third port,
wherein the valve member is a diaphragm permanently separating the control chamber from both the inlet and the outlet,
wherein the pilot valve establishes a fluid communication between the first port and the second port in a first setting and a fluid communication between the first port and the third port in a second setting, wherein the pilot valve is in one of the first and second settings when the solenoid is energized and in the other one of the first and second settings when the solenoid is de-energized.

12. The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the flow valve further comprises a valve seat on a side of the diaphragm opposite from the control chamber, the valve seat surrounding a central area in fluid connection with the outlet of the flow valve and surrounded by a ring area in fluid connection with the inlet of the flow valve.

13. The control valve of claim 12 , wherein the flow valve further comprises a valve spring biasing the diaphragm toward the valve seat.

14. The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the third port is in fluid communication with the outlet of the flow valve.

15. The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the pilot valve is in the first setting when the solenoid is de-energized and in the second setting when the solenoid is energized.

16. The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the pilot valve is in the first setting when the solenoid is energized and in the second setting when the solenoid is de-energized.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Chowdhury Sourav
• Rupp Daniel
• Zima Mark J
• Cripps Brian
• Curtin Kevin

Classifications

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• B60H1/00485

  Valves for air-conditioning devices, e.g. thermostatic valves · CPC title

• B60H1/3204

  using compression (B60H1/3233 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K17/065 Primary

  with differential piston · CPC title

• F01P3/20

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