Multi-chamber thermal management rotary valve module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9404594-B2
Application number	US-201514728157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2014
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A rotary valve with ports connected to housing. A first valve body rotatably positioned in a housing flow chamber has a fluid pathway that connects a first and/or second port to the flow chamber in a first rotational position, and prevents flow from the first and/or second port in a second rotational position. A second valve body rotatably positioned in the flow chamber has at least one fluid pathway that connects a third and/or fourth port to the flow chamber in a first rotational position, and prevents flow from the third and/or fourth port in a second rotational position of the second valve body. An actuator positions of the first and second valve bodies, and includes an epicyclic gear arrangement for driving the second valve body such that movement of the actuator shaft that rotates the first valve body results in only a partial movement of the second valve body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary valve module, comprising:
a housing with a flow chamber;
first, second, third, and fourth ports connected to housing in communication with the flow chamber;
a first valve body rotatably positioned in the flow chamber, the first valve body including at least one fluid pathway that connects at least one of the first port or the second port to the flow chamber in a first rotational position, and prevents flow from the at least one of the first port or the second port in a second rotational position;
a second valve body rotatably positioned in the flow chamber, the second valve body including at least a second fluid pathway that connects at least one of the third port or the fourth port to the flow chamber in a first rotational position of the second valve body, and prevents flow from the at least one of the third port or the fourth port in a second rotational position of the second valve body;
an actuator arrangement controls the positions of the first and second valve bodies, and includes an actuator shaft that extends axially through the valve bodies that is connected rotationally fixed to the first valve body, and includes an epicyclic gear arrangement connected to the actuator shaft for driving the second valve body such that movement of the actuator shaft directly positions the first valve body and results in only a partial rotary movement of the second valve body for independent positioning of the first and second valve bodies via a single actuator connected to the shaft.

2. The rotary valve module of claim 1 , wherein the epicyclic gear arrangement comprises a sun gear connected to the actuator shaft, the sun gear including a toothed segment extending only a portion of a circumference thereof, a ring gear connected to the housing, and a planet gear supported on the second valve body that is engaged with the ring gear, the planet gear intermeshes with the sun gear toothed segment during only a part of each revolution of the actuator shaft.

3. The rotary valve module of claim 1 , wherein an intermediate wall divides the flow chamber into first and second flow chambers, and the first valve body is located in the first flow chamber and the second valve body is located in the second flow chamber.

4. The rotary valve module of claim 3 , wherein the actuator shaft passes through the intermediate wall.

5. The rotary valve module of claim 1 , wherein the valve bodies are spherical frustums or spheroids.

6. The rotary valve module of claim 1 , wherein the epicyclic gear arrangement comprises a drive gear located on the actuator shaft, the drive gear includes a toothed segment extending only a portion of a circumference thereof and a shelf on a non-toothed portion that allows for disengagement from an idler gear, the idler gear is rotatably mounted on the housing and is engagable with the toothed segment of the drive gear, the idler gear includes a cut feature through at least some of the teeth that allows the drive gear to rotate without engaging the idler gear when the drive gear toothed segment is out of contact with the idler gear teeth, and a driven gear is attached to the second valve body and is engagement with the idler gear, such that movement of the drive gear when the toothed segment is in engagement with the idler gear results in a rotary positioning movement of the second valve body.

7. The rotary valve module of claim 6 , the shelf, the cut feature and the teeth without the cut feature provide prevent movement of the second valve body when the toothed segment of the drive gear is out of engagement with the idler gear teeth via the shelf on the drive gear being rotatable through the cut feature on one of the idler gear teeth, and neighboring ones of the teeth without the cut feature prevent the idler gear from rotating via contact with the shelf, locking the idler gear and the driven gear that is attached to the second valve body in position.

8. The rotary valve module of claim 6 , further comprising a stop located on the second valve body that can engage against a counter-stop on the housing in order to provide a hard stop for at least one of position verification or calibration.

9. The rotary valve module of claim 6 , further comprising a stop arrangement for the first valve body for at least one of position verification or calibration, the stop arrangement allows for multiple complete rotations of the first valve body to permit positioning of the second valve body.

10. The rotary valve module of claim 9 , wherein the stop arrangement includes a stop idler gear that engages with a partial gearing on the first valve body, the stop idler gear is mounted to freely rotate via a pin mounted on the housing and engages with the partial gearing as first valve body rotates through a full rotation to step the stop idler gear forward by a fixed number of teeth.

11. The rotary valve module of claim 10 , wherein a stop projection extends from the stop idler gear that contacts a fixed counter-stop on the housing.

12. The rotary valve module of claim 10 , wherein the stop arrangement includes a locking arrangement to prevent rotation of the stop idler gear when the partial gearing on the first valve body is out of contact with the stop idler gear, at least some teeth on the stop idler gear include a cut feature, and the first valve body includes a rim in an area that does not have the partial gearing, the rim is rotatable through the cut feature without moving the stop idler gear as the first valve body rotates, and neighboring teeth of the stop idler gear without the cut feature prevent rotation of the stop idler gear.

13. The rotary valve module of claim 6 , wherein an intermediate wall is located in the housing between the first and second valve to define independent first and second flow chambers.

14. The rotary valve module of claim 6 , wherein the valve bodies are spherical frustums or spheroids.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Morein Alexander Joseph

Classifications

• F16H1/28

  with gears having orbital motion · CPC title

• F16K11/0856

  having all the connecting conduits situated in more than one plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug · CPC title

• Y10T137/86863

  Rotary valve unit · CPC title

• F16K31/535

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

• F16K11/076 Primary

  with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution · CPC title