Valve apparatus

• US 20070075283A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hirano, Akinori, Tsujimoto, Hiroo
• Application Number:
  US11/540,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20070075283A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/11
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/061 Sliding valves

Abstract

A valve apparatus includes a valve body, a seat member, an oil supply port, a movable valve, and a pilot communicating member. The seat member is fixed to the valve body and defines a bleed chamber. The oil supply port supplies oil to the bleed chamber. The movable valve is slidably received in the valve body, wherein the movable valve is displaceable based on a pressure in the bleed chamber, and the movable valve blockades the oil supply port in a state, where the movable valve contacts the seat member. The pilot communicating member provides communication between the oil supply port and the bleed chamber in the state, where the movable valve contacts the seat member. The pilot communicating member includes a slight clearance changing member that increases a degree of the communication when a temperature decreases, and decreases the degree of the communication when the temperature increases.

Claims

1. A valve apparatus, comprising:

a valve body;

a seat member that is fixed to the valve body and defines a bleed chamber;

an oil supply port that supplies oil to the bleed chamber;

a movable valve that is slidably received in the valve body, wherein;

the movable valve is displaceable based on a pressure in the bleed chamber; and

the movable valve blockades the oil supply port in a state, where the movable valve contacts the seat member; and

a pilot communicating member that provides communication between the oil supply port and the bleed chamber in the state, where the movable valve contacts the seat member, wherein the pilot communicating member includes a slight clearance changing member that increases a degree of the communication when a temperature decreases, and decreases the degree of the communication when the temperature increases.

2. The valve apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the seat member includes a seat surface, through which the movable valve contacts the seat member such that the oil supply port is blockaded; and

the slight clearance changing member includes;

a pilot inlet port that is provided at the seat surface and provides the communication in the state, where the moving valve contacts the seat member; and

a thermal-expansion-and-contraction member that contracts to open the pilot inlet port when the temperature decreases, and expands to close the pilot inlet port when the temperature increases.

3. The valve apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the seat member includes;

a tubular portion that internally includes the bleed chamber; and

an annular seat that is located at an end face of the tubular portion to serve as the seat surface;

the pilot inlet port is formed at the annular seat;

the thermal-expansion-and-contraction member is a resin tube that is fixed to the seat member at an inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion on a side different from the annular seat; and

the resin tube contracts in a longitudinal direction of the resin tube to open the pilot inlet port when the temperature decreases, and expands in the longitudinal direction to close the pilot inlet port when the temperature increases.

4. The valve apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the valve body is a sleeve that has a generally tubular shape; and

the movable valve is a spool that is slidably received in the sleeve, slidable in a longitudinal direction of the sleeve.

5. The valve apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the annular seat contacts the movable valve through all around the annular seat in the state, where the movable valve contacts the seat member.