Automotive coolant control valve
View Patent ↗A flow control valve for selectively routing a coolant in a dual-zone heater system is provided. The flow control valve includes a housing and a flow control device. The housing includes an inlet port, a bypass outlet, a front heater outlet, and a rear heater outlet communicating through an internal cavity. The flow control device, which can be a cylinder, sphere, etc., is rotatably positioned in the internal cavity. The flow control device has an axial channel and generally radial aperture. The axial channel transports the coolant received from the inlet port through the flow control device, and the aperture delivers the coolant to one or more of the bypass outlet, the front heater outlet, and the rear heater outlet as the flow control device is rotated. In this way the circuit is not deadheaded.
1. A flow control valve for selectively routing a coolant, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity, the housing including an inlet port, a bypass outlet, a front heater outlet, and a rear heater outlet in fluid communication with the internal cavity, the inlet port being positioned about a first axis and the bypass outlet, the front heater outlet, and the rear heater outlet being co-planer with one another on a plane normal to the first axis, the bypass outlet and the front heater outlet being positioned on opposite sides of the housing and aligned about a second axis lying in the plane, the rear heater outlet being positioned about a third axis lying in the plane normal to the second axis; and
a flow control device rotatably positioned within the internal cavity, the flow control device defining an axial channel positioned therein along the first axis and a generally radial channel in communication with the axial channel, the axial channel and the generally radial channel configured to provide selective fluid communication between the inlet port and the bypass outlet in a first position, between the inlet port and both the bypass outlet and the front heater outlet in a second position, between the inlet port and the front heater outlet in a third position, and between the inlet port and both the front heater outlet and the rear heater outlet in a fourth position.
2. The flow control valve of claim 1 , wherein the inlet port, the bypass outlet, the front heater outlet, and the rear heater outlet are orthogonal to each other.
3. The flow control valve of claim 2 , wherein the axial channel and the inlet port are axially aligned.
4. The flow control valve of claim 1 , wherein the flow control device is configured such that the generally radial channel partially aligns with the bypass outlet and the front heater outlet to provide approximately equal fluid communication from the inlet port while blocking the rear heater outlet when rotated between about thirty-five and forty degrees relative to the first position.
5. The flow control valve of claim 1 , wherein the flow control device is configured such that the generally radial channel fully aligns with the front heater outlet while blocking the bypass outlet and the rear heater outlet in the third position located between about sixty-five and ninety degrees relative to the first position.
6. The flow control valve of claim 1 , wherein the flow control device is configured such that the generally radial channel fully aligns with the front heater outlet and at least partially aligns with the rear heater outlet while blocking the bypass outlet in the fourth position located between about ninety-five and one hundred degrees relative to the first position.
7. The flow control valve of claim 1 , wherein the generally radial channel is configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and the front heater outlet and the rear heater outlet in a ratio of about sixty percent to about forty percent when the flow control device is rotated about one hundred and thirty degrees relative to the first position.
8. A flow control valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and including an inlet port, a first outlet, a second outlet, and a third outlet in fluid communication with the internal cavity, the inlet port being positioned about a first axis and the first outlet, the second outlet, and the third outlet being co-planer with one another on a plane normal to the first axis, the first outlet and the second outlet being positioned on opposite sides of the housing and aligned about a second axis lying in the plane, the third outlet being positioned about a third axis lying in the plane normal to the second axis; and
a cylinder rotatably positioned in the internal cavity, the cylinder defining a channel extending at least partially therethrough in communication with an aperture, the channel positioned to align with the inlet port, and the aperture positioned to selectively at least partially align with at least one of the first outlet, the second outlet and the third outlet to enable fluid communication between the inlet port and at least one of the first outlet, the second outlet and the third outlet in every rotational position thereof, the aperture being sized to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and both the first outlet and the second outlet in at least one rotational position.
9. The flow control valve of claim 8 , wherein the cylinder including a blocking wall to selectively control fluid communication between the inlet port and at least one of the first outlet, the second outlet and the third outlet.
10. The flow control valve of claim 8 , wherein the aperture is sized to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and the first outlet when the cylinder is rotated to a first position.
11. The flow control valve of claim 10 , wherein the aperture is configured to provide an approximately equal amount of fluid communication to the first outlet and the second outlet when the cylinder is rotated between approximately thirty-five and forty degrees relative to the first position.
12. The flow control valve of claim 10 , wherein the aperture is configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and only the second outlet when the cylinder is rotated between approximately sixty-five and ninety degrees relative to the first position.
13. The flow control valve of claim 10 , wherein the aperture is configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and the second outlet and the third outlet when the cylinder is rotated between about ninety-five and one hundred degrees relative to the first position.
14. The flow control valve of claim 13 , wherein the aperture is configured to provide about sixty percent of fluid entering the inlet port flows through the second outlet and about forty percent of the fluid entering the inlet port flows through the third outlet when the cylinder is rotated about one hundred and thirty degrees relative to the first position.
15. The flow control valve of claim 8 , wherein the inlet port is positioned orthogonal to the first outlet, the second outlet, and the third outlet.
16. The flow control valve of claim 8 , further comprising an actuator operatively coupled to the cylinder to control a position thereof.
17. An automotive dual-zone heater flow control valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity, the housing including an inlet port for receiving heated coolant from an engine coolant circuit, a front heater outlet for delivering heated coolant to a front heater core, a rear heater outlet for delivering heated coolant to a rear heater core, and a bypass outlet for returning heated coolant to the engine coolant circuit, the inlet port being positioned about a first axis and the bypass outlet, the front heater outlet, and the rear heater outlet being co-planer with one another on a plane normal to the first axis, the bypass outlet and the front heater outlet being positioned on opposite sides of the housing and aligned about a second axis lying in the plane, the rear heater outlet being positioned about a third axis lying in the plane normal to the second axis; and
a flow control device rotatably positioned within the housing to provide selective fluid communication between the inlet port and at least one of the bypass outlet, the front heater outlet and the rear heater outlet in every rotational position of the flow control device such that the engine coolant circuit is not deadheaded.