Valve with fail-safe mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879794-B2
Application number	US-201414900648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A valve for use in a coolant flow. The valve comprises a valve housing with an inlet and at least one outlet, a valve body which is rotatably received by the valve housing, an actuator for rotating the valve body, and a fail-safe mechanism which can be pretensioned rotationally. The valve body is in rotational engagement with an axially moveable coupling element, via which the valve body is releasably connected indirectly to the actuator shaft. In the event of a fault, the valve body can be decoupled from the actuator shaft by an axial movement of the coupling element. The axial movement of the coupling element also causes the fail-safe mechanism to come into rotational engagement with the coupling element in order to rotate the valve body to a predefined fail-safe position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve for use in a coolant flow, comprising:
a valve housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet;
a valve body which is received rotatably by the valve housing, wherein the coolant flow between the inlet and outlet varies depending on the rotary position of the valve body;
an actuator with a shaft for rotating the valve body; and
a fail-safe mechanism which can be pretensioned rotationally;
wherein the valve body is in rotational engagement with an axially moveable coupling element via which the valve body is releasably connected indirectly to the actuator shaft, wherein in the event of a fault, the valve body can be decoupled from the actuator shaft by an axial movement of the coupling element, wherein the fail-safe mechanism is adapted to come into rotational engagement with the coupling element as a result of the axial movement of the coupling element in order to rotate the valve body to a predefined fail-safe position, wherein the coupling element has a cylinder portion, in the outer periphery of which at least one groove is formed which extends in the peripheral direction of the cylinder portion and in which a carrier of the fail-safe mechanism engages and which is limited in the peripheral direction at a first end by a pretension stop and at a second end by a further stop, and wherein two grooves are formed in the cylinder portion which are offset to each other in the axial and in the peripheral direction and in each of which a carrier engages.

2. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one groove has a length in the peripheral direction which corresponds to an arc angle of less than 360° and is preferably around 345°.

3. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one groove has at its first end a widening which widens in the axial direction.

4. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a temperature-sensitive actuating element is provided which, in the event of a fault, as a result of an axially temperature-induced deformation, causes the axial movement of the coupling element, for which it rests on the actuator shaft.

5. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fail-safe mechanism has at least one engagement cam extending in the axial direction, which in a pretensioned state locks the fail-safe mechanism against a housing cover extending in the radial direction, wherein two engagement cams are provided which are offset to each other in the radial and in the peripheral direction.

6. The valve as claimed in claim 5 , wherein at least one ramp portion is provided on the inside of the housing cover which extends in the peripheral direction and forms an abutment, against which the at least one engagement cam of the fail-safe mechanism is pretensioned and locked in its pretensioned state, wherein two ramp portions are provided which are offset to each other in the radial and in the peripheral direction and which are each assigned to one of the two engagement cams.

7. The valve as claimed in claim 6 , wherein at least one engagement cam is formed on a radially extending disc of the fail-safe mechanism which is axially moveable.

8. The valve as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fail-safe mechanism is rotationally pretensioned by a torsion spring which presses the disc in the axial direction against the housing cover.

9. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a substantially hollow-cylindrical form, wherein a beaker portion is connected rotationally fixedly to the valve body in its interior, receives a coupling portion of the coupling element sliding in the axial direction and is in rotational engagement therewith, wherein at least one passage opening for the coolant flow is formed in a side wall of the beaker portion.

10. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is releasably connected to the actuator shaft by a form-fit engagement, wherein the form-fit engagement is released as a result of the axial movement of the coupling element.

11. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the valve body which is mounted in the valve housing has openings in its outer periphery for controlling a flow of coolant through channels in the valve housing, and comprises a temperature-reacting expansion element mounted in the opening on a pot-like carrier, wherein at least one bypass element assigned to the passage opening is arranged in the carrier.

12. A valve for use in a coolant flow, comprising:
a valve housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet;
a valve body which is received rotatably by the valve housing, wherein the coolant flow between the inlet and outlet varies depending on the rotary position of the valve body;
an actuator with a shaft for rotating the valve body; and
a fail-safe mechanism which can be pretensioned rotationally;
wherein the valve body is in rotational engagement with an axially moveable coupling element via which the valve body is releasably connected indirectly to the actuator shaft, wherein in the event of a fault, the valve body can be decoupled from the actuator shaft by an axial movement of the coupling element, wherein the fail-safe mechanism is adapted to come into rotational engagement with the coupling element as a result of the axial movement of the coupling element in order to rotate the valve body to a predefined fail-safe position, wherein the coupling element has a cylinder portion, in the outer periphery of which at least one groove is formed which extends in the peripheral direction of the cylinder portion and in which a carrier of the fail-safe mechanism engages and which is limited in the peripheral direction at a first end by a pretension stop and at a second end by a further stop, wherein two grooves are formed in the cylinder portion which are offset to each other in the axial and in the peripheral direction and in each of which the carrier engages, wherein the fail-safe mechanism has at least one engagement cam extending in the axial direction, which in a pretensioned state locks the fail-safe mechanism against a housing cover extending in the radial direction and, wherein two engagement cams are provided which are offset to each other in the radial and in the peripheral direction.

13. The valve as claimed in claim 12 , wherein at least one ramp portion is provided on the inside of the housing cover which extends in the peripheral direction and forms an abutment, against which the at least one engagement cam of the fail-safe mechanism is pretensioned and locked in its pretensioned state, wherein two ramp portions are provided which are offset to each other in the radial and in the peripheral direction and which are each assigned to one of the two engagement cams.

14. The valve as claimed in claim 13 , wherein at least one engagement cam is formed on a radially extending disc of the fail-safe mechanism which is axially moveable.

15. The valve as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the fail-safe mechanism is rotationally pretensioned by a torsion spring which presses the disc in the axial direction against the housing cover.

16. The valve as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the valve body has a substantially hollow-cylindrical form, wherein a beaker portion is connected rotationally fixedly to the valve body in its interior and receives a coupling portion of the coupling element sliding in the axial direction and which is in rotational engagement therewith, and wherein at least one passage opening for the coolant flow is formed in a side wall of the beaker portion.

17. The valve as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the coupling element is

Assignees

• Magna powertrain gmbh & co kg

Inventors

• Atschreiter Friedrich
• Hofstetter Hannes
• Oberladstätter Markus
• Auinger Andreas
• Schlager Gerd

Classifications

• F16K17/386 Primary

  the closure members being rotatable or pivoting · CPC title

• F16K31/055

  for rotating valves · CPC title

• F16K31/003

  operated without a stable intermediate position, e.g. with snap action (F16K31/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K11/085 Primary

  with cylindrical plug · CPC title

• F01P2031/32

  Deblocking of damaged thermostat · CPC title