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DE-102024210851-A1 - Valve unit

DE102024210851A1DE 102024210851 A1DE102024210851 A1DE 102024210851A1DE-102024210851-A1

Abstract

The invention is based on a valve unit with at least one actuator (10), at least one housing outer wall (12) which separates the valve unit from an ambient area (14) of the valve unit, a first space area (16), at least one second space area (18) in which the actuator (10) is at least partially arranged, at least one connection (20) which fluidly connects the first space area (16) and the second space area (18) in at least one first operating state, at least one seal (22) which at least partially closes the connection (20) in at least one second operating state, and at least one spring unit (24) which exerts a force on the seal (22) at least in the second operating state and which is at least partially arranged in the first space area (16). It is proposed that the spring unit (24) be supported against the outer wall of the housing (12).

Inventors

  • Michael Beuschel
  • Johann Steinberger

Assignees

  • AUMOVIO GERMANY GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241112

Claims (10)

  1. Valve unit comprising at least one actuator (10), at least one housing outer wall (12) which separates the valve unit from an ambient area (14) of the valve unit, a first space area (16), at least one second space area (18) in which the actuator (10) is at least partially arranged, at least one connection (20) which fluidly connects the first space area (16) and the second space area (18) in at least one first operating state, at least one seal (22) which at least partially closes the connection (20) in at least one second operating state, and at least one spring unit (24) which exerts a force on the seal (22) at least in the second operating state and which is at least partially arranged in the first space area (16), characterized in that the spring unit (24) is supported on the housing outer wall (12).
  2. Valve unit after Claim 1 , characterized in that the connection (20) is at least a through hole (26) of a one-piece formed component (28) of the valve unit and the component (28) forms at least a part (30) of an outer wall (32) of the valve unit and/or a support (34) for at least a part (36) of a circuit board (38) of the valve unit and/or at least a part (40) of a connection (42) of the valve unit.
  3. Valve unit after at least one of the Claims 1 or 2 , characterized in that the connection (20) is at least one through hole (26) and an opening (41) of the through hole into the second space area (18) is formed free of projections extending into the second space area (18) with respect to a surface (43) surrounding the opening.
  4. Valve unit according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring unit (24) is arranged in a three-dimensional half-space (52) bounded by an imaginary plane (44) which intersects a circuit board (38) of the valve unit arranged in the second space region (18) and is perpendicular to an axial direction (46) of a screw (48) of the valve unit which fastens the circuit board and/or the spring bender, and/or to an axial direction (46) of a plunger (50) of the valve unit, which differs from a three-dimensional half-space (54) bounded by the plane in which an SMA wire (56) of the actuator (10) is arranged.
  5. Valve unit according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring unit (24) has a spherical shape with at least one recess (58) or a spherical shape.
  6. Valve unit after Claim 5 , characterized by a fluid area (60) which is arranged between the outer wall of the housing (12) and the spring unit (24) and is fluidly connected to a port (42) of the valve unit.
  7. Valve unit according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring unit (24) is part of a component (62) which has a plunger (50) and which consists of a single material or of two different materials.
  8. Valve unit according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve unit has a plunger (50) attached to the seal (22) and a spring bender (45) of the actuator (10) has a first end (86) and a second end (87) which has a shorter distance to the plunger than the first end, and an SMA wire (56) of the actuator has a first and a second end (88, 89) which has a shorter distance to the plunger than the first end (88) of the SMA wire, and measured in a principal extension direction (64) of the SMA wire, the second end (87) of the spring bender has a greater distance to the first end (88) of the SMA wire than the plunger.
  9. Valve unit according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve unit is a 2/2-NO valve or a 3/3-NO valve.
  10. Valve unit after Claim 9 , characterized in that the spring unit (24a) is arranged in a fluid channel (68a) which in at least one operating state leads from a first port (42a) of the valve unit to a second port (70a) of the valve unit.

Description

The invention relates to a valve unit. In vehicles, inflatable, elastic cushions are used to shape seat contours. These cushions are typically filled with air. Electrically actuated valves are used to control the airflow. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire can be used as the actuator element for such valves; this wire shortens in length when an electric current flows and the resulting heat is generated. A high number of actuation cycles is required for dynamic contour adjustment applications. At the same time, pressure sensors that measure cushion pressure are often omitted. Unintentional inflation of the cushions due to leakage cannot be detected and must therefore be prevented by design. Normally open (NO) valves are typically used for this purpose. Alternatively, normally closed (NC) valves are designed so that, even in the event of leakage, there is no connection between the pressure supply and the cushion when the valve is closed. The printed matter DE 10 2018 216 874 B4 describes a generic valve unit known for this topic. Furthermore, it reveals DE 10 2019 208 051 B4 a valve unit with SMA actuator. The printed document DE 10 2022 207 882 B3 describes another valve unit known in this context. The object of the invention is, in particular, to achieve an efficient design. This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1, while advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims. The invention is based on a valve unit with at least one actuator, at least one housing outer wall which separates the valve unit from an surrounding area of the valve unit, a first spatial area, at least one second spatial area in which the actuator is at least partially arranged, at least one connection which fluidly connects the first spatial area and the second spatial area in at least one first operating state, at least one seal which at least partially closes the connection in at least one second operating state, and at least one spring unit which exerts a force on the seal at least in the second operating state and which is at least partially arranged in the first spatial area. It is proposed that the spring unit be supported against the outer wall of the housing. The phrase "fluidically connected" between a first and second chamber means, in particular, that a fluid can move from the first chamber to the second chamber and/or from the second chamber to the first. This allows for an efficient design. In particular, compared to valves where the spring is located in a separate chamber, a compact and flat design can be achieved. In particular, the valve unit can be a pneumatic valve unit. Specifically, the spring unit can be designed as a diaphragm. Furthermore, it is proposed that the connection be at least a through-hole in a one-piece component of the valve unit, and that the component form at least part of an outer wall of the valve unit and/or a support for at least part of a circuit board of the valve unit and/or at least part of a connection of the valve unit. "One-piece" is understood to mean, in particular, a single casting and/or injection molding and/or separable only by destruction. This allows for a design with a small number of components. In particular, the connection can be a consumer connection. Advantageously, the connection consists of at least one through-hole, and the opening of the through-hole into the second room area is free of any projections extending into the second room area with respect to the surface surrounding the opening. This saves construction space. Furthermore, it is proposed that the spring unit be arranged in a three-dimensional half-space bounded by an imaginary plane that intersects a circuit board of the valve unit located in the second spatial region and/or a spring bender of the actuator, and is perpendicular to an axial direction of a screw of the valve unit that fastens the circuit board and/or the spring bender, and/or to an axial direction of a plunger of the valve unit. This half-space differs from a three-dimensional half-space bounded by the plane in which an SMA wire of the actuator is arranged. A "half-space" is understood to be, in particular, a half of the three-dimensional space bounded only by the plane. An "SMA wire" is understood to be, in particular, a wire that consists at least partially, and especially entirely, of shape memory wire. This allows for a small spatial extent of the valve unit. This can be achieved with respect to the axial direction of the screw or the axial direction of the plunger. In particular, a large installation space requirement in the axial direction of the screw or in the axial direction of the plunger can be avoided by positioning the actuator based on the position or spatial extent of the spring unit. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spring unit has the shape of a spherical cap with at least one recess or the shape of a spherical cap. This allo