JP4130291B2 - Leveling valve - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention automatically increases or decreases the distance between the vehicle body and the bogie frame when the height of the air spring mounted between the vehicle body and the bogie frame as a suspension device for railway vehicles and automobiles changes due to the increase or decrease of the vehicle body load. The present invention relates to a leveling valve for controlling the height of an air spring that adjusts to maintain the vehicle body at a constant height.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a suspension device D for controlling the height of this type of air spring is mounted between a vehicle body 11 and a carriage frame 12 as shown in FIG. Is transmitted to the leveling valve V through the connecting rod 13 and the lever 14, and compressed air is supplied from the leveling valve V to the air spring 15, and the change in height generated between the vehicle body 11 and the carriage frame 12 is transmitted. Is automatically adjusted so that the vehicle body 11 is always maintained at a constant height.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 7, the leveling valve V is mainly composed of a buffer spring part a at the center, an air valve part b at the upper part, and an oil damper part c at the lower part, and the buffer spring part a is a swing arm (not shown) on the shaft 2. Is fixed, and the operating arm 3 can freely rotate with respect to the shaft 2 and is incorporated in a state where an initial load is applied to the buffer spring 6 concentrically with the shaft 2. 3 is touching at the same time.
[0004]
In the air valve portion b, air valves 4a and 4b housed in the valve case 1 are provided for the operating arm 18, and the low pressure side of the air valve 4a serving as an air supply valve and the high pressure side (air spring side) of the air valve 4b serving as an exhaust valve. Is communicated by a passage (not shown) penetrating the valve case 1, and a non-return valve ch is provided in the middle of the passage.
[0005]
Since the oil damper portion c adopts a one-handed damper type, a non-return valve 7 is provided inside the miston 5, and the displacement of the vehicle body 11 is transmitted via a roller (not shown) of the operating arm 3, A time delay is given by the damping resistance of the orifice 8 provided in the non-return valve 7.
[0006]
The air spring 15 attached to the vehicle body 11 and the carriage frame 12 expands and contracts due to the vertical movement and vibration generated while the vehicle is traveling, and the leveling valve V, which is an automatic height control valve, is connected via the connecting rod 13 and the lever 14. When the displacement is transmitted, only the buffer spring 6 is transmitted without directly transmitting the vertical movement and vibration displacement of the vehicle body 11 to the air valves 4a and 4b due to a time delay due to the hydraulic resistance generated by the orifice 8 provided in the non-return valve 7. Are compressed, the air valves 4a and 4b do not operate, and the compressed air does not enter and exit.
[0007]
When the load of the vehicle body 11 increases in time, the air spring 15 is bent and the vehicle body 11 sinks until it balances with the load. Therefore, the lever 14 is pushed upward, the swing arm rotates, and the buffer spring 6 is The operating arm 3 rotates while balancing with the hydraulic resistance generated in the oil damper portion c by twisting and restoring force of the spring 6, the air valve 4a is opened after a certain time, and compressed air from an air reservoir (not shown) opens the non-return valve ch. The air spring 15 is supplied to the air spring 15 through a passage (not shown) penetrating the valve case 1. When the air spring 15 is restored to a certain height, the lever 14 returns to the neutral position with respect to the valve case 1, the air valve 4a is closed, and the supply of compressed air is stopped.
[0008]
Further, when the load of the vehicle body 11 is statically reduced, the air spring 15 is extended and the vehicle body 11 is lifted. Therefore, the lever 14 is pulled down, and the air valve 4b is opened after a certain time, contrary to the case where the load is increased. When the compressed air in the air spring 15 is opened and the air spring 15 is restored to a certain height, the lever 14 returns to the neutral position with respect to the valve case 1, and the compressed air from the air spring 15 Exhaust is stopped.
[0009]
As described above, the leveling valve VK has a dead zone and a time delay. The dead zone prevents the leveling valve V from reacting to the slight vibration of the vehicle, and the gap provided between the operating arm 3 and the air valves 4a and 4bi serves the function. The time delay is to send the operation of the leveling valve V for a certain period of time (2 to 3 SEC) in response to a large vertical movement of the vehicle. The piston that moves in conjunction with the shaft is filled with silicon oil in the room configured at the bottom of the body Operate 5 and perform its function using the compressibility of silicone oil.
[0010]
On the other hand, as another conventional leveling valve, for example, the one shown in FIG. 9 has been developed.
[0011]
In this case, intake or exhaust is performed by an annular gap of the valve rod 22 formed in the main body 21. Moreover, there is no function called a dead zone. Regarding the time delay, the shaft 23 rotates in response to the movement of the lever, and the piston 24 moves to the left and right. At that time, the parallel (gap) portion A section provided in the main body 21 and the valve rod 22 restricts the flow of air and fulfills its function. Moreover, although it cannot be said that it is a complete dead zone, it can be said that this section serves as both a dead zone and a time delay.
[0012]
The passage of air and air at the time of exhaust uses the groove B or the inner diameter C of the outer periphery after passing the A part of the valve lot 22. At that time, one of the passages is blocked by the seal 25 so that air does not flow.
[0013]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional leveling valve has the following problems.
[0014]
In the leveling valve shown in FIG. 7, the air flow rate of the air supply or exhaust can be adjusted by changing the diameters of the air valves 4a and 4b. However, the overall number of parts is large, the structure is complicated, and the assembly and economy are inferior.
[0015]
Furthermore, since silicon oil is used with a time delay, it is expensive and there is a risk of leakage of silicon oil. In addition, since the temperature of silicon oil varies with time delay, additional equipment such as a heat insulation box is required.
[0016]
On the other hand, the leveling valve shown in FIG. 9 has few parts and is easy to assemble and economical. Although it is excellent in maintainability, there is a problem that the flow rate characteristics at the time of air supply and exhaust cannot be individually adjusted because the throttle passage of the air at the time of air supply or exhaust is the same.
[0017]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a leveling valve that has a simple structure, is excellent in assemblability, economy, and maintainability, and that can individually adjust flow rate characteristics during supply and exhaust.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the means of the present invention is a leveling valve provided between an air source and an air spring and selectively communicating with the air source or the atmosphere. Side valve hole, exhaust side valve hole, air supply port that connects the air supply side valve hole to the air source, an air supply passage that connects the exhaust side valve hole to the air spring side, and an exhaust port that connects the air side A piston driven from the outside is movably inserted into the exhaust side valve hole, and the piston is connected to a high pressure chamber communicating with the exhaust side valve hole and a low pressure chamber communicating with the exhaust port. A first valve for partitioning and connecting the two chambers, and selectively opening and closing the high-pressure chamber in the supply side valve hole to the supply side valve hole and the communication port of the piston; A second valve for opening and closing the air supply port in the air supply side valve hole; First, it is characterized in that by inserting a spring for biasing the second valve in opposite directions.
[0019]
In this case, the first valve is formed of a valve body having a T-shaped cross section with a flange portion and a rod portion protruding from the center of the flange portion, the flange portion is inserted into the supply side valve hole, and the rod portion is inserted into the piston. It is preferable that the air flow rate be adjusted between the flange portion outer peripheral gap and the rod portion outer peripheral gap by inserting the air into the communication port.
[0020]
Similarly, a hollow bush is inserted into the air supply side valve hole, the first and second valves and a spring are inserted into the bush, and the piston is composed of a land portion and a rod portion protruding from the land portion. The first valve is composed of a valve body comprising a flange portion, a hollow rod protruding from the center of the flange portion, a first seal provided on the end face of the flange portion, and a second seal provided on the end face of the hollow rod. The rod portion on the piston side is movably inserted into the hollow rod, the first seal is detachably contacted with the bush, and the second seal is detachably contacted with the piston-side land portion. Good [0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
1 to 5 show a leveling valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023]
This leveling valve is provided between the air source and the air spring as in the prior art of FIG. 8, and the vehicle body is always kept at a constant height by selectively communicating the air spring with the air source or the atmosphere. It is intended to be maintained. This leveling valve has an air supply side valve hole 33, an exhaust side valve hole 32, an air supply port 34 communicating the air supply side valve hole 33 with an air source, and an exhaust side valve hole 32 in the valve body 31. An air supply passage 35 connected to the spring side and an exhaust port 36 communicating with the atmosphere side are provided.
[0024]
A piston 37 driven from the outside is movably inserted into the exhaust side valve hole 32, and the piston 37 is connected to the high pressure chamber 38 that communicates the exhaust side valve hole 32 with the air supply passage 35 and the low pressure that communicates with the exhaust port 36. A communication port 40 is provided which is divided into a chamber 39 and connects the two chambers 38 and 39.
[0025]
Further, a first valve 41 for selectively opening and closing the high pressure chamber 38 to the air supply side valve hole 33 and the piston communication port 40 and the air supply port 34 are supplied into the air supply side valve hole 33. A second valve 42 that opens and closes in the side valve hole 33 and a spring 41 that biases the first and second valves 41 and 42 in opposite directions are inserted. The piston 37 forms a piston main body with a land portion 37a and a cylindrical portion 37 formed with a plurality of slits. A communication port 40 having a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion is formed in the piston main body. A notch 43 is formed.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, a pin 44 is inserted into the notch 43 of the piston 37, and this pin 44 communicates with a shaft 47 that is rotatably attached to the cap 46 via a crank arm 45. The cap 46 is coupled to the valve body 31 via a bolt 48.
[0027]
The air supply port 34 is brought into contact with the air source via the connector C1, the air supply passage 35 is connected to the air spring side via the connector C2, and the exhaust port 36 is opened to the atmosphere via the filter F.
[0028]
The first valve 41 is formed of a valve body having a T-shaped cross section with a flange portion 41a and a rod portion 41b protruding from the center of the flange portion 41a, and the flange portion 41a is provided with a gap S1 in the supply side valve hole 33. The rod portion 41b is inserted into the communication port 40 of the piston 37 while providing a clearance S2, and the air flow rate is adjusted by the outer peripheral clearance S1 of the flange portion 41a and the outer peripheral clearance S2 of the rod portion 41b. The first valve 41 is in contact with the end surface of the piston 37 and the stepped portion 50 of the air supply side valve hole 33 through the shiher 49 when neutral.
[0029]
Next, the operation up to the leveling valve will be described.
[0030]
For example, when the load on the vehicle body increases statically, the air spring compresses and the vehicle body sinks until it balances with the load. Accordingly, in conjunction with this, the lever is displaced and the shaft 47 is rotated. For this reason, the pin 44 moves through the crank arm, and moves the piston 37 to the right as shown in FIG. At this time, the seal 49 is slightly separated from the end face of the piston 37 and the stepped portion 50, and the air flow is restricted by the gap S1. When the piston 37 moves further to the right, the first valve 41 opens the gap S1 against the spring 43, and then the compressed air from the air source opens the second valve 42 from the supply port 34, and the supply side When the air spring is supplied to the valve spring 33 through the slit-air supply passage 35 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 37b of the S1 piston, and the air spring is restored to a certain height, the height of the vehicle is set to a desired level. Return to height. When the air spring is restored, the lever moves to the neutral position, the piston 37 returns to the neutral position, and the first valve 41 is also returned to the neutral cutoff position by the spring 43.
[0031]
Similarly, when the load on the vehicle body decreases statically, the air spring expands and the vehicle height increases. In this case, contrary to the above case, the shaft 47 rotates in the reverse direction, causing the piston 37 to move to the left as shown in FIG. Therefore, the first valve 41 is left seated on the stepped portion 50, the end surface of the piston 37 is separated from the seal 49, and the air supply passage 35 is communicated with the communication port 40 through the gap S2. At this time, the air in the air spring is discharged to the atmosphere side through the air supply passage 35 -the high pressure chamber 38 -the gap S2 -the communication port 39 -the exhaust port 36 -the filter F, and the air spring is restored to a constant height, The vehicle height also returns to a certain height. When the vehicle height is restored, the piston 37 is returned to the neutral position in FIG.
[0032]
FIG. 6 shows a leveling valve according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0033]
In this leveling valve, a hollow bush 51 is inserted into the air supply side valve hole 33, first and second valves 41, 42 and a spring 43 are inserted into the bush 51, and the piston 37 is connected to the land portion 37a. A rod portion 37c protruding from the land portion 37a, and a first valve 41 is provided on the flange portion 41a, a hollow rod 41c protruding from the center of the flange portion 41, and a first seal 49 provided on an end surface of the flange portion 41a. It comprises a valve body composed of a second seal 49a provided on the end face of the hollow rod 41c. A piston-side rod portion 37c is movably inserted into the hollow rod 41c, and the first seal 49 is attached to and detached from the bush 51. The second seal 49a is detachably contacted with the piston-side land portion 37a.
[0034]
The other structure is the same as that of the leveling valve of FIG. 1, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the details are omitted.
[0035]
In this embodiment, when the compressed air is supplied to the air spring, the first seal 49 is separated from the stepped portion of the bush 51, and conversely, when the air spring is exhausted, the second seal 49 is attached to the piston 37. The air is released from the end surface of the land 37a, and air is guided to the communication port 40 through a gap S3 between the inner periphery of the hollow rod 41c and the outer periphery of the rod portion 37c. Other functions and cost are the same as those of the embodiment of FIG.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
[0037]
(1) According to the invention of each claim, since silicon oil is not used, the size and weight can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced without worrying about leakage of silicon oil.
[0038]
(2) Similarly, since the piston, first and second valves, and spring are only assembled in the valve body, the number of parts can be greatly reduced compared to the conventional leveling valve, the assembly is improved, and the disassembly is improved. Since parts can be easily replaced, the maintainability is improved and the economy is excellent.
[0039]
(3) Similarly, it is possible to supply and exhaust air with a single first valve, so there is no need to provide two pairs of supply and exhaust valves, the structure is compact, and the first valve Since the characteristics of air supply or exhaust can be individually adjusted, optimum settings can be made for each vehicle mounted. Moreover, even if the flow characteristics of the air supply or exhaust are the same, it is possible to achieve the characteristics up to the maximum flow with respect to the input angle of the vehicle body side lever interlocked with the piston by setting the length of the minute leak section.
[0040]
(4) Similarly, since the flow characteristics of supply and exhaust can be determined by setting the dimensions of one first valve, it can be used for other models by simply replacing the first valve. Suitable for production.
[0041]
(5) According to the invention of claim 2, the flow rate characteristics can be variously adjusted by changing the flange outer circumferential clearance and the rod outer circumferential clearance.
[0042]
(6) According to the invention of claim 3, by providing the bush, the valve body can be prevented from being damaged, and the damaged bush can be easily replaced. Further, by inserting the piston-side rod portion into the first valve-side hollow rod, the outer diameter of the piston and the outer diameter of the first valve can be reduced. The operating force can be reduced, and the leveling valve itself can be reduced in size and weight.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway longitudinal front view of a leveling valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a longitudinal side view of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a neutral state of the leveling valve of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the same valve during supply.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the valve position during exhaust similarly.
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal front view of a leveling valve according to another embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a conventional leveling valve.
8 is a partially longitudinal front view of a conventional vehicle suspension apparatus to which the leveling valve of FIG. 7 is attached.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional front view of another conventional leveling valve.
[Explanation of symbols]
31 Valve body 32 Exhaust side valve hole 33 Supply side valve hole 34 Supply port 35 Supply path 36 Exhaust port 37 Piston 37a Land portion 37c Rod portion 38 High pressure chamber 39 Low pressure chamber 40 Communication port 41 First valve 41a Flange portion 41b Rod portion 41c Hollow rod 42 Second valve 43 Spring 49 First seal 49a Second seal 51 Bush S1 Flange outer circumferential clearance S2 Rod outer circumferential clearance

Claims (3)

In a leveling valve provided between an air source and an air spring and selectively communicating with the air source or the atmosphere, an air supply side valve hole, an exhaust side valve hole, and an air supply side in the valve body An air supply port that communicates the valve hole with the air source, an air supply passage that connects the exhaust side valve hole to the air spring side, and an exhaust port that communicates with the atmosphere side are provided. The exhaust side valve hole is driven from the outside. The piston is movably inserted, and the piston has a communication port that divides the exhaust side valve hole into a high pressure chamber communicating with the air supply passage and a low pressure chamber communicating with the exhaust port and connecting the two chambers. A first valve that selectively opens and closes the high pressure chamber to the air supply side valve hole and the communication port of the piston, and a first valve that opens and closes the air supply port to the air supply side valve hole. Energize 2 valves and 1st and 2nd valves in opposite directions Leveling valve which is characterized in that is inserted and that the spring. The first valve consists of a valve body with a T-shaped cross section with a flange part and a rod part protruding from the center of the flange part, the flange part is inserted into the air supply side valve hole, and the rod part is inside the communication port of the piston 2. The leveling valve according to claim 1, wherein the air flow rate is adjusted between the flange outer circumferential clearance and the rod outer circumferential clearance. A hollow bush is inserted into the air supply side valve hole, the first and second valves and a spring are inserted into the bush, and the piston is composed of a land portion and a rod portion protruding from the land portion. 1 valve is constituted by a valve body comprising a flange portion, a hollow rod projecting from the center of the flange portion, a first seal provided on the end surface of the flange portion, and a second seal provided on the end surface of the hollow rod, The rod part on the piston side is movably inserted into the rod, the first seal is detachably contacted with the bush, and the second seal is detachably contacted with the piston side land part. The leveling valve according to claim 1.

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