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US-20260126120-A1 - ROTARY DISC VALVE

US20260126120A1US 20260126120 A1US20260126120 A1US 20260126120A1US-20260126120-A1

Abstract

A rotary disc valve is used in a fluid delivery system to control flow of fluid between fluid lines connecting elements of the system. The valve includes a valve body that supports a fixed disc and receives a diverter having a movable disc. The diverter is configured to rotate relative to the valve body about a rotational axis and cooperate with the fixed disc to control fluid flow through the valve body. The fixed disc and the movable disc have through openings that provide fluid flow through the valve according to a fluid flow rate versus diverter position curve or set of curves.

Inventors

  • Jongwan Kim
  • Paul Mason
  • David Toutant
  • James Christopher Franklin

Assignees

  • ROBERT BOSCH GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241107

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A valve comprising: a valve body including an inlet port and an outlet port; and a diverter rotatably disposed in the valve body, the diverter configured to control flow through the valve body in such a way that fluid flows through the first outlet port according to a flowrate versus diverter position curve, wherein the rate of fluid flow through the valve body can be adjusted with a first resolution for a diverter position in a first range of positions and with a second resolution for a diverter position in a second range of positions, and the second resolution is more coarse than the first resolution.
  2. 2 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the second range of positions is non-overlapping with the first range of positions, and each position of the second range of positions corresponds to a greater diverter position value than each position of the first range of positions.
  3. 3 . A valve comprising: a valve body including an inlet port, a first outlet port and a second outlet port; a fixed disc disposed in and fixed relative to the valve body; and a diverter rotatably disposed in the valve body, the diverter including a movable disc that is parallel to the fixed disc and configured to rotate relative to the fixed disc about a rotational axis, the diverter cooperating with the fixed disc to control fluid flow from the inlet port to at least one of the first outlet port and the second outlet port in such a way
  4. That fluid flows through the first outlet port according to a first flowrate versus diverter position curve having a first curve portion and a second curve portion that adjoins the first curve portion, the first curve portion having a first linear slope, the second curve portion having a second linear slope, wherein the second linear slope has an absolute value that is greater than the absolute value of first linear slope, and fluid flows through the second outlet port according to a second flowrate versus diverter position curve, and the second flowrate versus diverter position curve is a mirror image of the first flowrate versus diverter position curve relative to a predetermined flowrate.
  5. 4 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined flowrate intersects the second curve portion of the first flowrate versus diverter position curve.
  6. 5 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the second curve portion is non-overlapping with the first curve portion, the fluid flow through the first outlet port is such that the flow rate for each diverter position of the second curve portion is less than the flow rate for each diverter position of the first curve portion, and the fluid flow through the second outlet port is such that the flow rate for each diverter position of the second curve portion is greater than the flow rate for each diverter position of the first curve portion.
  7. 6 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the second curve portion of the first flowrate versus diverter position curve intersects the second curve portion of the second flowrate versus diverter position curve.
  8. 7 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the second curve portion of the first flowrate versus diverter position curve intersects the second curve portion of the second flowrate versus diverter position curve at a diverter position in a range of 85 percent to 95 percent of the complete range of diverter positions.
  9. 8 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined flow rate is in a range of 8 (liters/min) to 12 (liters/min).
  10. 9 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the first flowrate versus diverter position curve has a maximum flowrate for a diverter position in a range of 0 percent to 10 percent of the complete range of diverter positions.
  11. 10 . The valve of claim 3 , wherein the valve body includes a seat and a cover, wherein the seat extends with in a plane and includes a periphery that is surrounded by an upright rim, and the cover includes a cylindrical sidewall and a cap portion that closes one end of the sidewall, the seat and the cover cooperating in a fluid tight manner to define a valve chamber that is configured to receive the diverter and is in fluid communication with the inlet port, the first outlet port and the second outlet port.
  12. 11 . The valve of claim 10 , wherein the inlet port, the first outlet port and the second outlet port are each formed in the seat.
  13. 12 . The valve of claim 10 , wherein the diverter comprises a driver and the movable disc, and the movable disc is disposed on a seat-facing surface of the driver and configured to be driven to rotate by the driver.
  14. 13 . The valve of claim 10 , wherein the diverter comprises a driver and the movable disc, the movable disc is compressed between a seat-facing surface of the driver and a cap portion-facing surface of the fixed disc, and the movable disc is driven to rotate by the driver.
  15. 14 . The valve of claim 13 , wherein the driver has a disc-shaped foot that is disposed in the valve chamber and a stem that protrudes from a cap portion-facing surface of the foot, the stem is configured to extend through an opening in the cap portion and be mechanically connected to an actuator, the stem has a centerline that coincides with the rotational axis, and the diverter is configured to control fluid flow through the valve body based on a rotational orientation of the driver relative to the valve body.
  16. 15 . The valve of claim 14 , wherein the foot comprises a plurality of foot through openings.
  17. 16 . The valve of claim 14 , wherein a cap-portion-facing surface of the foot comprises a protrusion that is configured to engage with a stop element of the cover to limit an extent of rotation of the driver relative to the valve body.
  18. 17 . The valve of claim 10 , wherein the fixed disc is supported on, and fixed relative to, the seat, a sealing element is disposed between the fixed disc and the seat, the sealing element providing a fluid tight seal between the fixed disc and the seat, and a cap portion-facing surface of the fixed disc faces and abuts a seat-facing surface of the diverter.
  19. 18 . A valve comprising: a valve body including a first end, a second end, a cylindrical sidewall that extends between the first end and the second end, the first end, the second end and the sidewall together enclosing a valve chamber, an inlet port that communicates with the valve chamber, a first outlet port that communicates with the valve chamber, and a second outlet port that communicates with the valve chamber; a fixed disc that is fixed relative to the valve body and segregates the valve chamber into a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion, the fixed disc including fixed disc openings, and a diverter rotatably disposed in the first chamber portion, the diverter including a movable disc that abuts the fixed disc and rotates relative to the fixed disc, the movable disc including a movable disc opening, wherein the fixed disc openings and the movable disc opening are configured so that the valve controls fluid flow through the valve body is characterized in that fluid flows through the first outlet port according to a first flowrate versus diverter position curve having a first curve portion and a second curve portion that adjoins the first curve portion, the first curve portion having a first linear slope, the second curve portion having a second linear slope, wherein the absolute value of the second linear slope is greater than the absolute value of the first linear slope, and fluid flows through the second outlet port according to a second flowrate versus diverter position curve, and the second flowrate versus diverter position curve is a mirror image of the first flowrate versus diverter position curve relative to a predetermined flowrate.
  20. 19 . The valve of claim 18 , wherein each of the inlet port, the first outlet port and the second outlet port communicate with the second chamber.

Description

BACKGROUND A rotary valve is a type of directional control valve that may be used in a fluid delivery system to control fluid flow and distribution through the system. For example, rotary valves may be used to control the flow of coolant through a vehicle coolant control system. The rotary valve may include a valve body that defines fluid ports and a diverter that is disposed in the valve body. The diverter is shaped to distribute the flow to predetermined fluid ports for certain rotational orientations of the diverter within the valve body and is rotated relative to the valve body to control flow through the valve. In some conventional rotary disc valves, one or more discs are disposed in the valve body. The discs move relative to each other and cooperate to block flow or to direct a full or partial flow to one or more ports in the valve body. In some applications, it may be desirable for a rotary disc valve to control fluid flow while having specific flow characteristics. SUMMARY A thermal management system for an electric vehicle may include a coolant control system having a disc-type rotary fluid valve that can be used by the thermal management system to direct coolant, for example, to cool a drive motor, a charge air heat exchanger, a battery, power electronics modules, the vehicle passenger cabin and/or other vehicle components or systems that require temperature control. For purposes of operational and packaging efficiency, it may be useful to combine multiple components of the vehicle thermal management system into a single, integrated module. Such a module may include the coolant control system, a refrigerant control system or both. The coolant control system may include, for example, one or more circulation pumps, a fluid reservoir, one or more fluid valves, a coolant control system controller, sensors, heat exchangers, etc. A housing of the module may include internal passageways that permit fluid communication between the various components of the system included in the module. Portions of the module housing may be configured to replace housing elements of certain components. For example, a portion of the module housing may be used to provide a lid of a fluid valve and/or fluid valve assembly, whereby the fluid valve assembly is connected to the module housing. For other components, the module may be configured to permit the component to “plug into” an appropriately configured portion of the module housing. Such complex fluid delivery systems may require a rotary valve that is capable of controlling fluid flow between two, three, four or more individual ports of the valve body. For example, a multi-port rotary disc valve may be used in a coolant control system of an electric vehicle to control flow of coolant fluid between a radiator, an electric drive motor, a battery, vehicle electronics, and/or one or more bypass lines. Moreover, such valves may be required to output fluid having specific flow characteristics from one or more of the ports. The rotary disc valve may include a valve body (e.g., a valve housing) that provides a valve chamber, the valve body including an inlet port, a first outlet port and a second outlet port that each open to the valve chamber. The valve may include a fixed disc that is disposed in the valve chamber and is fixed relative to the valve body. The valve may include a diverter disposed in the valve chamber. The diverter includes a moveable disc that is parallel to and abuts the fixed disc. The diverter is configured to rotate relative to both the valve body and the fixed disc about a rotational axis. The orientation of the diverter including the movable disc relative to the fixed disc about the rotational axis provides control of the fluid flow from the inlet port to the first and second outlet ports. In addition, each of the movable and fixed discs include through openings that are shaped and dimensioned to output fluid having specific flow characteristics from one or more of the ports. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the fluid flow from the inlet to either the first or second outlet is controlled to permit fine control of fluid flow volume in one range of valve opening amounts and to permit coarse control of fluid flow volume in another range of valve opening amounts. In particular, the valve controls fluid flow in such a way that fluid flows through the first outlet port according to a first flowrate versus diverter position curve having a first curve portion and a second curve portion that adjoins the first curve portion. The first curve portion has a first slope that is linear. The second curve portion has a second slope that is linear. The absolute value of the second linear slope is greater than that of the first linear slope. In addition, fluid flows through the second outlet port according to a second flowrate versus diverter position curve. The second flowrate versus diverter position curve is a mirror image of the first flowrate versus diverte