Valve device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12078253-B2
Application number	US-202318240390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2023
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A housing has a housing main body and an outlet port. The housing main body includes a cylindrical housing inner wall that defines an internal space therein. The outlet port fluidly connects the internal space and an outside of the housing main body to each other. The valve has a valve body rotatable about an rotation axis along a rotation axis of the cylindrical housing inner wall. The valve is configured to selectively open and close the outlet port depending on a rotation position of the valve. The housing inner wall is formed such that a distance between the housing inner wall and the axis of the housing inner wall varies in a circumferential direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve device configured to control coolant water of a heating element of a vehicle, the valve device comprising:
a housing having an internal space, a radiator port connected to the internal space and connected to a radiator of the vehicle, a heater port connected to the internal space and connected to a heater of the vehicle, and a device port connected to the internal space and connected to a device of the vehicle;
a valve having a valve body rotatable about a rotation axis inside the internal space, the valve being configured to open and close the radiator port, the heater port, or the device port in accordance with a rotation position of the valve body;
a drive unit configured to drive the valve body to rotate; and
a control unit configured to control a flow of the coolant water between the radiator port and the radiator, between the heater port and the heater, and between the device port and the device by controlling an operation of the drive unit and controlling rotational drive of the valve body, wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body in accordance with the rotational drive of the valve body rotating to one side in a rotation direction such that the heater port and the device port are closed and an opening degree of only the radiator port reaches a predetermined opening degree after all opening degrees of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port reached the predetermined opening degree.

2. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body in accordance with the rotational drive of the valve body rotating to one side in the rotation direction such that the heater port and the device port are closed in this order after all opening degrees of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port reached the predetermined opening degree.

3. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body in accordance with the rotational drive of the valve body rotating to one side in the rotation direction such that the device port and the heater port are closed in this order after all opening degrees of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port reached the predetermined opening degree.

4. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body in accordance with the rotational drive of the valve body rotating to one side in the rotation direction such that the heater port and the device port are simultaneously closed after all opening degrees of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port reached the predetermined opening degree.

5. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein
the predetermined opening degree is set to 60% or more.

6. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein
an outer circumferential wall or an inner circumferential wall of the valve body is formed in a spherical or cylindrical shape,
the valve has (i) a valve body internal flow channel formed inside the inner circumferential wall of the valve body, (ii) a radiator opening portion which is formed to connect the outer circumferential wall and the inner circumferential wall of the valve body to each other, (iii) a heater opening portion which is formed to connect the outer circumferential wall and the inner circumferential wall of the valve body to each other, and (iv) a device opening portion formed to connect the outer circumferential wall and the inner circumferential wall of the valve body to each other,
an overlapping ratio between the radiator port and the radiator opening portion is defined as a radiator overlapping ratio,
an overlapping ratio between the heater port and the heater opening portion is defined as a heater overlapping ratio,
an overlapping ratio between the device port and the device opening portion is defined as a device overlapping ratio, and
each of the radiator overlapping ratio, the heater overlapping ratio, and the device overlapping ratio changes in accordance with the rotation position of the valve body.

7. The valve device according to claim 6 , wherein
when the radiator overlapping ratio is greater than 0, the radiator port is opened to cause the valve body internal flow channel and the radiator to be in communication with each other via the radiator opening portion and the radiator port,
when the heater overlapping ratio is greater than 0, the heater port is opened to cause the valve body internal flow channel and the heater to be in communication with each other via the heater opening portion and the heater port, and
when the device overlapping ratio is greater than 0, the device port is opened to cause the valve body internal flow channel and the device to be in communication with each other via the device opening portion and the device port.

8. A valve device configured to control coolant water of a heating element of a vehicle, the valve device comprises:
a housing having an internal space, a radiator port connected to the internal space and connected to a radiator of the vehicle, a heater port connected to the internal space and connected to a heater of the vehicle, and a device port connected to the internal space and connected to a device of the vehicle;
a valve having a valve body rotatable about a rotation axis inside the internal space, the valve configured to open and close the radiator port, the heater port, or the device port in accordance with a rotation position of the valve body;
a drive unit configured to drive the valve body to rotate; and
a control unit configured to control a flow of the coolant water between the radiator port and the radiator, between the heater port and the heater, and between the device port and the device by controlling an operation of the drive unit and controlling rotational drive of the valve body, wherein
the control unit is further configured to:
control the valve body to rotate in a normal mode in which the valve body rotates to one side with respect to a reference position in a rotation direction or in a cooling priority mode in which the valve body rotates to the other side with respect to the reference position in the rotation direction depending on a vehicle environment and/or a vehicle state; and
control the drive unit and the valve body such that the opening degree of only the radiator port reaches a predetermined opening degree at a specific rotation position of the valve body during the normal mode.

9. The valve device according to claim 8 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body during both the normal mode and the cooling priority mode such that the opening degree of the radiator port reaches the predetermined opening degree.

10. The valve device according to claim 9 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body such that the opening degree of each of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port independently reaches the predetermined opening degree.

11. The valve device according to claim 8 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control the drive unit and the valve body such that all opening degrees of the radiator port, the heater port, and the device port reach the predetermined opening degrees during the normal mode.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Sato Shingo
• Sato Yuto
• Ichikawa Masato
• Goto Akihiko
• Ikemoto Tadashi
• Nomura Ryo
• TSUJI Ryuki
• Suzuki Takahito
• Kanzaki Shogo

Classifications

• F16K27/067

  with spherical plugs · CPC title

• F16K31/041

  for rotating valves (F16K31/055 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K27/041

  cylindrical slide valves · CPC title

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F01P7/14

  the coolant being liquid · CPC title