Fluid control valve and valve timing changing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12134976-B2
Application number	US-202318154851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2023
Priority date	Mar 7, 2022
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A fluid control valve includes: a sleeve in a bottomed cylindrical shape, including an inlet, communication ports, an inner peripheral surface, and an inflow annular groove recessed from the inner peripheral surface in a region facing the inlet; a spool slidably disposed on the inner peripheral surface in the sleeve to open and close the communication ports; a C-shaped leaf spring formed by bending a leaf spring into an annular shape with two ends facing each other to form a notch and disposed in the inflow annular groove capable of being contracted in diameter to open and close the inlet; and a restricting part provided on the sleeve for restricting diameter contraction of the C-shaped leaf spring beyond a predetermined inner diameter and for restricting a position of the notch in a region away from the inlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve timing changing device for changing opening and closing timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve driven by a camshaft, the valve timing changing device comprising:
a housing rotor that rotates coaxially with the camshaft;
a vane rotor that defines an advance chamber and a retard chamber together with the housing rotor and that rotates integrally with the camshaft; and
a fluid control valve that controls supply and discharge of hydraulic oil with respect to the advance chamber and the retard chamber,
wherein the fluid control valve comprises:
a sleeve in a bottomed cylindrical shape, comprising an inlet into which the hydraulic oil flows, a communication port that communicates with outside to allow the hydraulic oil to pass, a cylindrical inner peripheral surface centered on an axis, and an inflow annular groove that is recessed from the inner peripheral surface in a region facing the inlet;
a spool slidably disposed on the inner peripheral surface in the sleeve to open and close the communication port;
a C-shaped leaf spring which is formed by bending a leaf spring into an annular shape with two ends facing each other to form a notch with a predetermined gap and which is disposed in the inflow annular groove to be able to be contracted in diameter to open and close the inlet; and
a fitting pin provided on the sleeve for restricting diameter contraction of the C-shaped leaf spring beyond a predetermined inner diameter and for restricting a position of the notch in a region away from the inlet, wherein the fitting pin is fitted to a fitting hole of the sleeve,

wherein the inlet is a supply port to which the hydraulic oil is supplied,
wherein the communication port comprises a first communication port and a second communication port,
the first communication port is a retard port that communicates with the retard chamber, and
the second communication port is an advance port that communicates with the advance chamber,
wherein the C-shaped leaf spring is disposed such that the fitting pin is positioned in the gap of the notch, and is bent in advance to have an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the inflow annular groove formed in the sleeve,
in response to an action of the hydraulic oil on the C-shaped leaf spring, the C-shaped leaf spring relatively moves in a circumferential direction so that one end and the other end move toward the fitting pin, and contracts the outer diameter while maintaining the annular shape,
the diameter contraction of the C-shaped leaf spring stops in response to the one end and the other end coming into contact with each other to sandwich the fitting pin, and
the C-shaped leaf spring is restricted from contracting beyond the predetermined inner diameter by the fitting pin, the predetermined inner diameter is an inner diameter at which the hydraulic oil flowing from the supply port becomes a desired inlet amount and which secures a gap that allows the spool reciprocating inside the C-shaped leaf spring to move smoothly without contact so that the C-shaped leaf spring does not interfere with the spool while the outer diameter of the C-shaped leaf spring is contracted.

2. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the C-shaped leaf spring comprises chamfered corners at the two ends.

3. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the C-shaped leaf spring comprises bent pieces bent radially inward at the two ends.

4. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the fitting pin protrudes radially inward from a bottom surface of the inflow annular groove.

5. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises, as the inlet, a first inlet and a second inlet that are spaced apart around the axis, and
the fitting pin is disposed so that the notch of the C-shaped leaf spring is positioned in a region away from the first inlet and the second inlet.

6. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a communication annular groove recessed from the inner peripheral surface in a region facing the communication port, and
the C-shaped leaf spring has a width dimension in a direction of the axis larger than a width dimension of the communication annular groove.

7. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the spool comprises an end to which a drive shaft of an electromagnetic actuator engages and exerts a driving force.

8. The valve timing changing device according to claim 7 , further comprising a biasing spring disposed within the sleeve to bias the spool against the driving force of the drive shaft.

9. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication port and the second communication port are located on two sides of the inlet in a direction of the axis, and
the spool comprises a rod that reciprocates within the sleeve, a first valve portion that is provided on the rod to open and close a passage between the inlet and the first communication port, and a second valve portion that is provided on the rod to open and close a passage between the inlet and the second communication port.

10. The valve timing changing device according to claim 9 , wherein the sleeve comprises a first discharge passage that communicates with the first communication port and is able to discharge the hydraulic oil when the first valve portion is closed, and a second discharge passage that communicates with the second communication port and is able to discharge the hydraulic oil when the second valve portion is closed.

11. The valve timing changing device according to claim 10 , wherein the spool comprises a compression spring disposed between the first valve portion and the second valve portion,
the first valve portion comprises:
a first fixed part fixed to the rod and having a first land capable of closing the first communication port and a first internal passage formed inside the first land; and
a first movable part movably supported along the rod and having a first lid part for opening and closing the first internal passage,

the second valve portion comprises:
a second fixed part fixed to the rod and having a second land capable of closing the second communication port and a second internal passage formed inside the second land; and
a second movable part movably supported along the rod and having a second lid part for opening and closing the second internal passage, and

the compression spring is disposed to exert a biasing force to close the first lid part and to close the second lid part.

12. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a fastening bolt that fastens the vane rotor to the camshaft,
wherein the fastening bolt is formed in a cylindrical shape and comprises a passage through which the hydraulic oil passes, and
the fluid control valve is disposed inside the fastening bolt.

13. The valve timing changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is a torque-driven and hydraulically-driven fluid control valve capable of reciprocating the hydraulic oil between the retard chamber and the advance chamber by a fluctuating torque received by the camshaft and discharging a part of the supplied hydraulic oil.

Assignees

• Mikuni Kogyo Kk

Inventors

• Sugano Kouji
• Sasaki Tetsuya

Classifications

• F16K15/142

  the closure elements being shaped as solids of revolution, e.g. toroidal or cylindrical rings · CPC title

• F16K15/028

  the valve member consisting only of a predominantly disc-shaped flat element · CPC title

• F16K11/0716

  with fluid passages through the valve member (F16K11/0704, F16K11/0708, F16K11/0712 take precedence) · CPC title

• F01L2001/34433

  Location oil control valves · CPC title

• F01L2001/3443

  Solenoid driven oil control valves · CPC title