Valve device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196327-B2
Application number	US-202318194220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2023
Priority date	Oct 2, 2020
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A valve device includes a housing, a flow hole forming portion and a rotor. The housing has a passage for fluid. The flow hole forming portion is fixed at the passage and includes: a plurality of flow holes, each of which is configured to conduct the fluid; and at least one partition which is placed between corresponding adjacent two of the flow holes. The rotor includes a passage opening and a closing portion. The at least one partition of the flow hole forming portion has: a parallel portion which extends in parallel with a radial direction of an imaginary circle centered on a rotational axis; and a progressively varying portion which is placed on an outer side of the parallel portion in the radial direction. A width of the progressively varying portion measured in a circumferential direction is progressively increased toward the outer side in the radial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve device comprising:
a housing that has a passage configured to conduct fluid;
a flow hole forming portion that is fixed at the passage of the housing and includes:
a plurality of flow holes, each of which is configured to conduct the fluid; and
at least one partition which is placed between corresponding adjacent two of the plurality of flow holes;

a rotor that is placed in the passage of the housing and is configured to rotate about a rotational axis which is predetermined, wherein the rotor includes:
a passage opening which is configured to communicate with a corresponding predetermined flow hole among the plurality of flow holes of the flow hole forming portion according to a rotation angle of the rotor; and
a closing portion which is configured to close a rest of the plurality of flow holes that is other than the corresponding predetermined flow hole; and

a drive device that is configured to output a torque which rotates the rotor, wherein:
a circle, which is centered on the rotational axis of the rotor and is perpendicular to the rotational axis, is defined as an imaginary circle;
an opening edge of the passage opening of the rotor has a radial section, wherein the radial section faces in a circumferential direction of the imaginary circle and extends along an imaginary line which extends in a radial direction of the imaginary circle; and
the at least one partition of the flow hole forming portion has:
a parallel portion which extends in parallel with the radial direction of the imaginary circle; and
a progressively varying portion which is placed on an outer side of the parallel portion in the radial direction, wherein a width of the progressively varying portion, which is measured in the circumferential direction, is progressively increased toward the outer side in the radial direction.

2. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a peripheral edge of the parallel portion has a first edge section, which faces in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle, wherein the first edge section is spaced by a predetermined distance from a primary imaginary line, which is predetermined and extends in the radial direction of the imaginary circle, toward an inside of a closest one of the corresponding adjacent two of the plurality of flow holes, which is closest to the peripheral edge of the parallel portion, and the first edge section extends in parallel with the primary imaginary line; and
a peripheral edge of the progressively varying portion has a second edge section, which faces in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle, wherein the second edge section extends along a secondary imaginary line, which radially extends and is tilted by a predetermined angle from the primary imaginary line toward the inside of the closest one of the corresponding adjacent two of the plurality of flow holes.

3. The valve device according to claim 2 , wherein an exterior angle, which is defined between the first edge section and the second edge section, is in a range of 5° to 10°.

4. The valve device according to claim 2 , wherein when a radial length of the at least one partition is divided into three equal parts, a connection point between the first edge section and the second edge section is located in a center part among the three equal parts.

5. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein an operation mode of the drive device, in which the passage opening is communicated with the corresponding predetermined flow hole and is blocked from the rest of the plurality of flow holes that is other than the corresponding predetermined flow hole, is changeable among two or more operation modes.

6. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one partition is a plurality of partitions; and
the plurality of flow holes and the plurality of partitions are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle along an entire circumferential extent of the flow hole forming portion.

7. The valve device according to claim 1 , comprising an urging member that is placed around the rotational axis of the rotor and has:
one end portion which is anchored to the housing or a member fixed to the housing; and
another end portion which is anchored to the rotor or a member fixed to the rotor, wherein the urging member is configured to urge the rotor relative to the housing toward one side in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Mizunuma Takehito
• Kimura Shota
• Sano Ryo
• Shimada Hiroki

Classifications

• F16K31/535

  for rotating valves (F16K31/54 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K27/047

  with wedge-shaped obturating members · CPC title

• F16K3/34

  Arrangements for modifying the way in which the rate of flow varies during the actuation of the valve · CPC title

• F16K3/08

  with circular plates rotatable around their centres · CPC title

• F16K31/041

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