IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0434333
(2006-05-15)
|
등록번호 |
US-7690397
(2010-05-20)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
2 인용 특허 :
10 |
초록
▼
A valve includes a body having an interior and defining at least one inlet passageway and discharge passageway. The valve also includes a flow diverter disposed within the body between the inlet and discharge passageways to receive a fluid from the inlet passageway in an inlet direction. The diverte
A valve includes a body having an interior and defining at least one inlet passageway and discharge passageway. The valve also includes a flow diverter disposed within the body between the inlet and discharge passageways to receive a fluid from the inlet passageway in an inlet direction. The diverter is adapted to discharge the fluid to at least one discharge passageway in a direction that differs from the inlet direction. The diverter is rotatable to vary the discharge direction. According to one embodiment, the discharge direction is substantially perpendicular to the inlet direction.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A valve for controlling flow of coolant through a coolant system in a vehicle, the valve comprising: a substantially cylindrical valve body having an inlet passageway and at least two substantially circular discharge passageways including a first discharge passageway and a se
What is claimed is: 1. A valve for controlling flow of coolant through a coolant system in a vehicle, the valve comprising: a substantially cylindrical valve body having an inlet passageway and at least two substantially circular discharge passageways including a first discharge passageway and a second discharge passageway; a substantially tubular flow diverter disposed within the body for receiving a flow of coolant from the inlet passageway in an inlet direction and for discharging the flow of coolant into one or the other of the first and second discharge passageways in a discharge direction that is different from the inlet direction, the flow diverter having a substantially cylindrical wall, an open end, and an end wall opposite the open end, the flow diverter being rotatable about a central axis with respect to the body to direct at least a portion of the flow of coolant to one or the other of the first and second discharge passageways, the flow diverter preventing flow from being simultaneously directed to both the first and second discharge passageways, the flow diverter including an asymmetric discharge opening bounded by a first edge having a radius of curvature substantially matching the radius of curvature of one or the other of the discharge passageways, a pair of substantially parallel second edges extending from the first edge, and a third edge projecting inwardly into the opening between the second edges, the third edge providing for faster opening and slower closing of the one or the other discharge passageway than a substantially circular edge as the flow diverter is rotated to cause the third edge to pass across the one or the other discharge passageway; and a motor coupled to the flow diverter for drivingly rotating the flow diverter with respect to the body, an output shaft of the motor being received into a blind socket in the end wall of the flow diverter. 2. The valve according to claim 1, the end wall having at least one aperture providing a pressure balance between the inlet and discharge passageways. 3. The valve according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting plate located at an end of the substantially cylindrical the body, the mounting plate being adapted to receive a plurality of fasteners for removeably attaching the valve body to the motor to facilitate removal of the valve body from the motor thereby providing access to the valve interior for repair or replacement of a valve component. 4. The valve according to claim 3, wherein the body of the valve includes a flange located at an end of the main junction opposite the mounting plate, the flange defining a recessed shoulder on an inner surface of the flange, the body further including a closure plate received by the recessed shoulder of the flange to enclose the flow diverter within the interior of the main junction of the body. 5. The valve according to claim 4, wherein the valve body is made from a plastic material and wherein the closure plate is secured to the flange of the body using a spin welding process. 6. The valve according to claim 1, further comprising a groove formed in an outer surface of the flow diverter and a seal member located within the groove and adapted to prevent leakage between the flow diverter and the valve body. 7. The valve according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the outlets includes at least one reinforcing web adjacent an end of the outlet to provide reinforcing support for the seal member. 8. The valve according to claim 6, wherein the groove formed in the outer surface of the flow diverter is substantially circular and wherein the seal member located within the groove is substantially circular. 9. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flow diverter is rotatable between first and second flow positions, the passageways and the flow diverter arranged such that the flow diverter directs substantially all of the coolant flow from the inlet passageway into the first passageway when the flow diverter is in the first flow position and into the second passageway when the flow diverter is in the second flow position. 10. The valve according to claim 9, wherein the flow diverter includes a substantially cylindrical wall and defines a discharge opening extending around approximately one-half of a circumference of the cylindrical wall. 11. The valve according to claim 1 further comprising a pair of bearings located between the flow diverter and the body to facilitate rotatable support of the flow diverter with respect to the body. 12. A valve for controlling flow of coolant through a coolant system in a vehicle, the valve comprising: a body having an inlet passageway, a first substantially circular discharge passageway, and a second substantially circular discharge passageway, each of the first and second discharge passageways being aligned substantially perpendicularly to the inlet passageway; and a substantially tubular flow diverter disposed within the body for receiving a flow of coolant from the inlet passageway and for discharging the flow of coolant into one of the first discharge passageway and the second discharge passageway, the flow diverter being rotatable with respect to the body about an axis of rotation to direct the flow of coolant to one of the first and second discharge passageways, the flow diverter preventing flow from being simultaneously directed to both the first and second discharge passageways, the flow diverter having a substantially cylindrical wall with an axial length and an asymmetric hole formed in the wall with a size that is substantially less than the axial length of the wall, and an end wall with a blind socket for receiving a driven shaft of a motor, the hole being bounded by a first edge having a radius of curvature substantially matching the radius of curvature of one or the other of the discharge passageways, a pair of substantially parallel second edges extending from the first edge, and a third edge projecting inwardly into the opening between the second edges, the third edge providing for faster opening and slower closing of the one or the other discharge passageway than a substantially circular edge as the flow diverter is rotated to cause the third edge to pass across the one or the other discharge passageway. 13. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the inlet passageway is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation for the flow diverter. 14. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the third edge forms two substantially triangular opening portions symmetrically disposed about a generally triangular flow-controlling tongue that projects inwardly between the second edges into the hole in the flow diverter. 15. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the end wall has at least one aperture to provide a pressure balance between the inlet and discharge passageways. 16. The valve according to claim 12 further comprising a motor driven shaft coupled to the blind socket in the end wall of the flow diverter for rotating the flow diverter with respect to the body. 17. The valve according to claim 16, wherein the shaft includes a non-circular periphery engagingly received by the socket for torque transfer between the shaft and the flow diverter. 18. The valve according to claim 17, wherein the body includes a mounting plate at an end of the body for mounting the body to a support member. 19. The valve according to claim 18 further comprising a bushing mounted in the mounting plate, the bushing adapted to receive the shaft to facilitate relative rotation between the shaft and the body. 20. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the body includes a main junction defining an interior located between the inlet passageway and the discharge passageways, the flow diverter being rotatably received within the interior of the main junction. 21. A valve for controlling flow of coolant through a coolant system in a vehicle, the valve comprising: a body having an inlet passageway and two discharge passageways including a first substantially circular discharge passageway and a second substantially circular discharge passageway; a substantially tubular flow diverter disposed within the body for diverting a flow of coolant from the inlet passageway into one or the other of the first and second discharge passageways; the flow diverter being rotatable about a central axis between a first flow position and a second flow position with respect to the body such that when the flow diverter is in the first flow position, the flow diverter directs the coolant flow only into the first discharge passageway and substantially blocks flow into the second discharge passageway; when the flow diverter is in the first flow position, the flow diverter directs the coolant flow only into the second discharge passageway and substantially blocks flow into the first discharge passageway; and when the flow diverter is in neither the first flow position nor the second flow position, the coolant flow is not directed to either the first discharge passageway or the second discharge passageway; the flow diverter including an asymmetric discharge opening bounded by a first edge having a radius of curvature substantially matching the radius of curvature of one or the other of the discharge passageways, a pair of substantially parallel second edges extending from the first edge, and a third edge projecting inwardly into the opening between the second edges, the third edge providing for faster opening and slower closing of the one or the other discharge passageway than a substantially circular edge as the flow diverter is rotated to cause the third edge to pass across the one or the other discharge passageway; and a motor coupled to the flow diverter for drivingly rotating the flow diverter between the first and second flow positions with respect to the body, an output shaft of the motor being received into a blind socket in an end wall of the flow diverter. 22. A valve for controlling flow of coolant through a coolant system in a vehicle, the valve comprising: a valve housing having a tubular wall with a substantially cylindrical inner surface bounding an inner cavity and at least two substantially circular openings formed in the tubular wall, a passageway connected to each opening formed in the tubular wall, and a third passageway for permitting flow of coolant either into or out of the housing; a tubular flow diverter rotatably disposed within the inner cavity in the housing, the flow diverter including a wall having a substantially cylindrical outer surface positioned adjacent to the inner surface of the housing, the wall having an inner surface which defines a diverter cavity, the flow diverter including at least one diverter opening formed through the wall for permitting flow between the diverter cavity and one of the two openings formed in the tubular wall of the housing depending on the rotational position of the diverter relative to the housing, the flow diverter preventing flow from being simultaneously directed to both the first and second discharge passageways, the flow diverter opening being bounded by a first edge having a radius of curvature substantially matching the radius of curvature of one or the other of the discharge passageways, a pair of substantially parallel second edges extending from the first edge, and a third edge projecting inwardly into the opening between the second edges, the third edge providing for faster opening and slower closing of the one or the other discharge passageway than a substantially circular edge as the flow diverter is rotated to cause the third edge to pass across the one or the other discharge passageway; and a motor coupled to the flow diverter for drivingly rotating the flow diverter with respect to the housing, an output shaft of the motor being received into a blind socket in an end wall of the flow diverter.
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