Fluid handling – Systems – Multi-way valve unit
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-21
2003-10-21
Michalsky, Gerald A. (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Systems
Multi-way valve unit
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634381
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-304926 filed on Oct. 4, 2000, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-227199 filed on Jul. 27, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solenoid valve device for controlling openings provided in a tubular portion of a valve housing by displacing a valve member in the tubular portion using a driving force provided by an electromagnetic driving mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
In JP-A-7-293729, the following solenoid valve device is disclosed. In the solenoid valve device, a spool as a valve member is disposed in a valve housing formed in a circular tube shape in a state where the spool can reciprocate in the valve housing. The spool is displaced by a driving force generated at an electromagnetic driving portion, thereby controlling a communication state among openings provided on a peripheral wall of the valve housing.
In the conventional solenoid valve device disclosed in JP-A-7-293729, as shown in
FIG. 11
, an outer diameter of an electromagnetic driving portion
101
of a solenoid valve device
100
is larger than an outer diameter of a valve housing
110
. When this solenoid valve device
100
is used as a hydraulic control valve for controlling the oil pressure of an oil supplied to a hydraulic control apparatus of an automatic gear of a vehicle, the electromagnetic driving portion
101
protrudes from a body
120
of the hydraulic control apparatus. Since it is feared that the electromagnetic driving portion
101
may interfere with components around the body
120
, it is desired to mount the solenoid valve device
100
in the body
120
. Although the solenoid valve device
100
is prevented from interfering with other components by changing a mounting direction of the solenoid valve device
100
, it is feared that the body
120
, in which the solenoid valve device
100
is disposed, is required to be thick to accommodate the mounting direction of the solenoid valve device
100
. If a step-shaped hole is provided in the body
120
, the entire solenoid valve device
100
can be disposed within the body
120
. However, this increases the number of manufacturing processes to be performed on the body
120
.
The electromagnetic driving portion
101
is connected to the valve housing
110
by crimping a flange provided on the valve housing at a side of the electromagnetic driving portion
101
. Since the outer diameter of the flange is larger than the outer diameter of the tube portion of the valve housing
110
, when the valve housing
120
is formed by cutting, it is required to begin with a base material considerably larger in diameter than the outer diameter of the tube portion, thereby increasing the amount of material to be removed.
Therefore, in order to produce a device that does not physically interfere with other components, it has been proposed to reduce the overall diameter of such a device to eliminate the solenoid valve device
100
on the outside of the body
120
, such as the solenoid valve device
100
shown in
FIG. 11
, or reduce the outside diameter of the electromagnetic driving portion
101
in order to incorporate the electromagnetic driving portion
101
within the valve housing
110
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a solenoid valve that can be readily mounted without interfering with other components and a method of manufacturing the solenoid valve. A second object of the present invention is to provide a solenoid valve device which can be readily machined and its manufacturing machining method.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there is provided a solenoid valve device with an electromagnetic driving portion having an outside diameter substantially equal to or smaller than an outside diameter of a tubular portion of a valve housing. Since the entire solenoid valve device can be disposed within a cylindrical reception hole, the solenoid valve device can be prevented from interfering with other components. Additionally, the number of machining steps to produce the reception hole can be reduced.
The outer diameter of the electromagnetic driving portion can be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion of the valve housing as long as any contained fluid is prevented from leaking through the clearance between the valve housing and an inner wall defining the cylindrical reception hole when the solenoid valve device is disposed within the cylindrical reception hole. An outer diameter of the flange of the valve housing is equal to or smaller than an outer diameter of the tube portion of the valve housing. Accordingly, the amount of material to be removed is decreased when the valve housing is formed by cutting a base material of reduced diameter when the electromagnetic driving portion is made no larger than the diameter of the valve housing. Further, the valve housing can be machined by through-feed cutting, thereby decreasing the cutting time of the valve housing.
In a method of producing the solenoid valve according to the present invention, the valve housing includes an annular recess portion on its peripheral wall. Accordingly, when a crimping tool approaches the yoke, located at a periphery of the flange, to crimp the yoke to the flange in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the tube portion, the crimping tool protrudes into the annular recess portion without making contact with the valve housing. Additionally, at least one notch is provided on the open end of the yoke around a circumference of the yoke. Accordingly, deformation of the yoke, generated at a time of crimping the open end of the yoke, is absorbed into the notch, thereby preventing the yoke from being deformed. Additionally, at least one recess portion is provided on the circumferential portion of the flange. Further, this deformed portion at the open end of the yoke is entered into the recess portion, thereby preventing the yoke from being rotated relative to the valve housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3661183 (1972-05-01), Komaroff et al.
patent: 5829396 (1998-11-01), Sturman et al.
patent: 5878782 (1999-03-01), Nakajima
patent: 5906351 (1999-05-01), Aardema et al.
patent: 6367434 (2002-04-01), Steigerwald et al.
patent: 6453947 (2002-09-01), Inoue et al.
patent: 11-148575 (1999-06-01), None
patent: 7-293729 (1999-11-01), None
Ando Motoyoshi
Iwasaki Kazutoshi
Matsusaka Noboru
Denso Corporation
Michalsky Gerald A.
Nixon & Vanderhye PC
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