Thermo valve and method of manufacturing same
AssigneeYamada Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorsJunichi Miyajima, Yoshiharu Fuju
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermo valve is configured by coupling a valve body to a thermo actuator via a coupling part. The valve body has at least two recesses extending in a peripheral direction. The thermo actuator and the valve body overlap each other in a direction of an axial centerline to cover at least one of the recesses. The coupling part is formed by at least a certain section of the overlapping portion being depressed toward the axial centerline and another section of the thermo actuator fitting in the recesses. The depression of the coupling part has a shape elongated in a longitudinal direction along the axial centerline.
Claims6
A thermo valve comprising:
- a thermo actuator in which a rod moves as temperature of a fluid changes;
- a valve body coupled to the thermo actuator at a coupling part and configured to control a flow rate of the fluid;
- and a return spring configured to bias the thermo actuator and the valve body in a returning direction,
- one of the thermo actuator and the valve body having at least two recesses that have depths in a radial direction, respectively, said at least two recesses being formed at positions offset from each other in a direction of an axial centerline,
- the thermo actuator and the valve body overlapping each other in the direction of the axial centerline such that the thermo actuator and the valve body cover at least one of the recesses,
- at least a certain section of the overlapping portion having a depression, which has a depth toward the axial centerline, and another section of the other of the thermo actuator and the valve body fitting in at least one of the recesses to form the coupling part, and
- the depression of the coupling part having a shape that is elongated in a longitudinal direction along the axial centerline.
A method of manufacturing a thermo valve that includes a thermo actuator in which a rod moves in accordance with temperature of a fluid, and a valve body coupled to the thermo actuator and configured to control a flow rate of the fluid, the method comprising:
- a preparation step of preparing the thermo actuator and the valve body;
- a forward movement amount measuring step of placing the prepared thermo actuator in an atmosphere at predetermined temperature, and measuring an amount of forward movement of the rod in this situation;
- a step of determining an amount of overlapping between the valve body and the thermo actuator based on the amount of forward movement such that a length of the thermo valve takes a constant value at the predetermined temperature;
- an overlapping step of overlapping the valve body and the thermo actuator based on the amount of overlapping such that at least one of recesses, which are formed in one of the thermo actuator and the valve body and have depths in a radial direction, is covered;
- and
- a caulking step of caulking an overlapping portion of the valve body and the thermo actuator,
- the caulking step being carried out by pressing the valve body and the thermo actuator toward an axial centerline from a radially outward position with a jig,
- a pressing face of the jig having a short side and a long side, which is longer than the short side, and
- said pressing with the jig being carried out with the long side extending generally in parallel to the axial centerline of the thermo actuator, and the short side extending generally in parallel to the recesses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.