Solenoid valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9982797-B2
Application number	US-201615066870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 11, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A solenoid valve has a valve body with first and second passages; a coil wound around a coil bobbin; a stator with a third passage; a plunger having a through hole therein; a flux return device; and a spring. When the coil is energized, the plunger is attracted toward the stator such that the plunger closes the third passage, and connects the first passage with the second passage through the through hole in the coil bobbin. When the coil is not energized, the plunger moves away from the stator such that the plunger closes the first passage, and connects the second passage with the third passage. A resilient gasket between the stator and the flux return device reduces vibration from direct contact between the plunger and the stator, being transmitted to the flux return device, thereby reducing vibration and noise.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. solenoid valve comprising:
a valve body having a first passage and a second passage separated from the first passage;
a coil bobbin comprising a main portion, a connecting portion extending from the main portion, and a mounting portion extending from one end of the connecting portion remote from the main portion, an axial through hole passing through the main portion, connecting portion and mounting portion of the coil bobbin, the mounting portion of the coil bobbin being connected to the valve body;
a coil wound around the main portion of the coil bobbin;
a stator movably mounted at one end of the through hole of the coil bobbin, the stator having a third passage; and an annular groove is formed on an outer surface of the stator;
a plunger movably disposed in the through hole of the coil bobbin, the plunger being movable between an initial state and a working state; and the plunger comprises a main body with a through hole defined therein; a radially outer diameter of two axial ends is less than the radially outer diameter of a middle portion of the main body, such that passageways are formed between outer surfaces of the two axial ends of the main body and an inner surface of the through hole of the coil bobbin, and the passageways communicate with the through hole in the plunger; and each axial end of the plunger has a connecting hole connecting the through hole of the plunger with the passageways;
a flux return device fixed to the connecting portion of the coil bobbin; the flux return device comprises a frame, and the frame includes a bottom portion, and the bottom portion of the frame defines a receiving hole; one end of the stator is loosely received in the receiving hole of the bottom portion of the frame;
a resilient gasket disposed between the stator and the bottom portion of the frame, and a portion of the resilient gasket is received in a groove of the stator, and another portion of the resilient gasket that extends out of the groove abuts against the bottom portion of the frame in axial and radial directions such that the stator is capable of axial deviation; and
a spring disposed between the stator and the plunger for moving the plunger from the working state to the initial state,
wherein when the coil is energized, the plunger moves to the working state by magnetic attraction between the stator and the plunger, in which state the plunger contacts the stator and closes the third passage of the stator, and the first and second passages of the valve body communicate with each other via the through hole in the coil bobbin; and
wherein when the coil is de-energized, the plunger moves to the initial state under the urging of the spring, in which state the plunger closes the first passage of the valve body, and the second passage of the valve body and the third passage of the stator communicate via the through hole and the connecting holes in the plunger and the passageways.

2. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein two plugs are respectively mounted at axial ends of the through hole in the plunger, an inner spring is disposed in the through hole of the plunger and between the two plugs, each axial end of the plunger has a connecting hole connecting the through hole of the plunger with the through hole of the coil bobbin.

3. The solenoid according to claim 2 , wherein the plunger further comprises a fastening cap, the fastening cap is attached over an axial end of the main body of the plunger adjacent the valve body and receives said axial end and one corresponding plug therein to prevent the corresponding plug from being displaced from the through hole of the plunger, the fastening cap defines an axial through hole for allowing the corresponding plug to close the first passage of the valve body.

4. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein a narrow gap is formed between the flux return device and an outer surface of the plunger, and the gap has a width less than 0.85 mm.

5. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein the flux return device comprises a U-shaped frame and a flux plate, the frame includes an open end opposite from the bottom portion.

6. The solenoid according to claim 5 , wherein an outer edge of the flux plate is fixed to the open end of the frame, and an inner edge of the flux plate is fixed to the connecting portion of the coil bobbin by insert-molding, the inner edge of the flux plate defines a first through hole for allowing the plunger and part of the material of the connecting portion of the coil bobbin to pass there through, and a distance between the outer surface of the plunger and an edge of the first through hole of the flux plate is less than 0.85 mm.

7. The solenoid according to claim 6 , wherein the flux plate has a plurality of second through holes, the material of the connecting portion of the coil bobbin fills the plurality of second through holes to form a plurality of connecting rods, and each of the connecting rods interconnects portions of the connecting portion of the coil bobbin located at opposite sides of the flux plate.

8. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein a step is formed in an inner surface of the main portion of the coil bobbin and the step is configured to abut against an end surface of the stator.

9. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein the coil bobbin is rotatably mounted to the valve body.

10. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein the resilient gasket has an amount of compression ranging between 20% to 45%.

11. The solenoid according to claim 1 , wherein the plunger has a travel ranging from 0.32 mm to 0.50 mm.

Assignees

• Johnson Electric Sa

Inventors

• Ye cai quan
• Svensson Carl Henric Andreas
• Roschke Thomas

Classifications

• F16K27/029

  Electromagnetically actuated valves · CPC title

• H01F2007/083

  External yoke surrounding the coil bobbin, e.g. made of bent magnetic sheet · CPC title

• F16K31/0627

  with movable valve member positioned between seats · CPC title

• H01F7/127

  Assembling · CPC title

• F16K31/0696 Primary

  Shock absorbing, e.g. using a dash-pot · CPC title