MXPA97008353A

MXPA97008353A - Electrical valve assembly and method of doing

Info

Publication number: MXPA97008353A
Application number: MXPA/A/1997/008353A
Authority: MX
Inventors: James Cooper Robert
Original assignee: Cooper Robert J
Priority date: 1996-10-31
Filing date: 1997-10-30
Publication date: 1998-04-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of making an electrically operated valve assembly, comprising: (a) forming a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, a valve chamber therebetween, and a movable valve member for controlling the flow from the inlet to the outlet, (b) arranging an armature and said valve member within a guide member for movement therein and forming at least one bonding surface on said guiding member; and sealing said guide member in said body on said armature and said valve member: (d) subsequently arranging and orienting a solenoid coil over said guide in a desired orientation and linking said coil with said at least one bonding surface and securing said orientation, and (e) retaining said coil in said guide in said orientation, wherein said joining step includes rotating welding an annular member in said body.

Description

ELECTRICAL VALVE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MAKING IT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to techniques for manufacturing and assembling an electrically operated valve assembly, and particularly to such a valve assembly utilizing a solenoid operator. In particular, the invention relates to a solenoid operated valve of the type having a relatively small, low current solenoid actuator for moving a pilot operator to effect the opening of the valve. Valves operated by solenoid-operated pilot of the aforementioned type are commonly employed as water inlet valves for programmable household appliances such as automatic clothes washers and automatic dishwashers. Electrically operated water inlet valves for dishwashers and automatic washing machines are typically attached to the cabinet or housing of the domestic appliance and have provisions for attaching a water supply hose to the inlet from the outside of the cabinet of the domestic appliance; and the valve outlet is connected to a hose or tube internally of the cabinet or housing of the domestic appliance and electrical solenoid terminals are connected to a wiring harness inside the cabinet of the domestic appliance. In the manufacture of the aforementioned home appliances, it is necessary to properly orient the terminals connecting the solenoid coil so that there is sufficient clearance between the terminals and the cabinet to allow connection of the wiring harness to the solenoid connector terminals. Where it is desired to provide a common valve for different models or configurations of household appliances having different cabinet configurations and requiring different arrangements of the valve inlet and electrical connector terminals, it has been found difficult to anticipate variations in the orientation of the appliances. Solenoid connector terminals with respect to the valve gates without requiring to re-manipulate the valve with tools for each desired orientation for the coil terminals with respect to the valve gates. This is particularly a problem where the valve body is mass produced in high quantities by injection molding thermoplastic material with the solenoid coil assembly attached to the valve body in a permanently fixed orientation of the solenoid connector terminals with respect to the body . Alterations in the orientation of the solenoid with respect to the body of the valve have proven to be costly and have required different manipulation with tools to manufacture the body and solenoid components. In this way, it has been desired to find a way or means of providing for variation in the orientation of the solenoid coil assembly in the valve body of an appliance water inlet valve in a form that can be varied after the completes the valve assembly and does not require changes in handling with tools for the manufacture of valve component parts. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive way to allow variations in the orientation of a solenoid coil assembly on a valve body to allow different orientations of the solenoid connector terminals with respect to valve gates in the body. It is an object of the present invention to provide for the rapid change of orientation of the solenoid connector terminals with respect to the gates of the valve body to which the solenoid has been attached during the assembly of the valve. It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost technique to alter the orientation of the connector terminals The solenoid's electrical contacts with respect to the body of a valve in a form that can be carried out after the assembly of the movable components of the valve and which does not require manipulation with tools to change the orientation. The present invention employs an encapsulated coil solenoid sub-assembly having a plurality of teeth molded around the periphery of one end of the coil encapsulation which links a corresponding plurality of teeth formed in the valve armature guide in which the coil is assembled. The solenoid coil is oriented on the valve armature guide in the desired arrangement and the solenoid is frictionally linked with the armature guide and moved axially to link corresponding teeth in the guide to hold the coil in position to a rotational orientation desired. The orientation of the solenoid coil terminals can be changed after assembly by slight axial movement to disengage the teeth and re-orient the coil terminals and re-link the teeth by axial movement of the coil over the guide with resilient nipples provided in the guide to hold the coil axially in the selected orientation. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the assembled valve of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the valve of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an axonometric view of the valve of Figure 1, taken from the left; Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the indicator lines of section 4-4 of Figure 2, and shows an attachment and installed mounting bracket; Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the solenoid coil assembly for the valve of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a top view of the coil assembly of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the indicator lines of section 7-7 of Figure 5; and Figure 8 is an exploded view of the coil assembly of Figure 5. Detailed Description of the Invention Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the valve assembly of the present invention is generally indicated at 10 and includes a solenoid actuator. generally indicated at 12 which is attached to a body 14 having an inlet passage 16 communicating with a valve chamber 18 having therein formed a valve seat 20 communicating with an outlet passage 22 formed in an outlet fitting 24. The inlet passage 16 preferably includes a resiliently compressible flow control sheave 26 and a retainer 28 and a filter screen 30 which is retained by an inlet fitting 32 secured to the body by the mounting bracket 34 and sealed against it by a resilient seal ring 36. A movable valve member, preferably a flexible diaphragm 38 with a thickened central portion 40 comprising a valve pad. the, is disposed in the valve chamber 18 and the pad 40 is movable to make contact with or close or open the valve seat 20. The pad portion 40 of the diaphragm 38 has a rigid insert 42 received therethrough having therein. formed a pilot valve seat 44 communicating with the outlet passage 22 through a pilot passage of reduced diameter 43. A pilot valve member 46 is arranged to seat against the valve seat 44 and is retained at the end of a ferromagnetic armature 48 which is slidably disposed in a tubular guide 50 formed of non-magnetic material, preferably thermoplastic material; and the armature 48 is biased in contact with the valve seat 44 by a spring 52 which registers against the lower surface of the closed upper end of the guide 50. The lower end of the guide 50 has a bell mouth portion or flange of enlarged diameter 54 formed integrally therein, which is received in the body 14 and seals the outer peripheral rim of the diaphragm 38 in the body. The enlarged diameter tab 54 of the armature guide tube 50 is retained in the body by an annular retaining member or ring 56 which, in presently preferred practice, is formed of thermoplastic material as is the body 14; and ring 56 is preferably secured to the body by welding such as spin welding.

Referring to Figures 5 to 8, the solenoid coil assembly 12 is shown as including an encapsulated coil 58 having electrical terminals 60, 62 for external electrical connection thereto, which terminals 60, 62 are oriented in parallel relation , spaced apart and extend generally at right angles to the axis of the coil. The coil is denoted by the reference numeral 64 in Fig. 4. A ferromagnetic pole frame 66 is disposed around the coil and is preferably formed by two right angle members having interlocking tabs 68 formed in diagonally opposite corners of the coil. frame formed by them. Referring to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the pole frame 66 is integrally formed with tubular flanges 70, 72 extending inwardly from the coil from axially opposite ends thereof and which form an air-free space. between them. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the armature guide has at least one, and preferably a plurality, of position linking surfaces therein formed which, in presently preferred practice, comprise a plurality of teeth 74 spaced peripherally around the flange 54. The lower portion or flange 76 of the encapsulation 58 of the coil assembly 12 has a pair of oppositely disposed slots 78 formed to receive through it. the lower cross member of the pole frame 66. The remaining portion of the flange 76 of the coil encapsulation has corresponding engaging surfaces 78 formed on its inner periphery and which comprise teeth 80 interdigitating with teeth 74 in the armature guide. The upper end of the armature guide tube 50 has at least one and preferably a plurality of press-bonding surfaces comprising tabs 82 formed therein that are adapted to be compressed radially in a resilient manner for assembly of the interior of the pole tubes. 70, 72 about them. The upper end of the guide tube extends through the pole tubes and the tabs 82 are allowed to deform slightly radially inwardly during assembly and return to their undeformed position, as shown in Figure 4, to retain the coil assembly 12 on the armature guide tube 50. It will be understood that upon axially assembling the coil assembly 12 in the armature guide tube 50, the coil is rotationally positioned to the desired orientation of the terminals 60, 62 and the teeth 74, 80 are linked by axially assembling the coil on the guide tube 50 and are axially retained by the tabs 82 and thus rotationally locked in the desired position by the teeth 74, 80. The present invention of this way provides a unique and novel way to orient the solenoid coil with respect to a valve body of a solenoid-operated valve upon the occurrence of coil assembly on the solenoid valve. armature guide tube attached to the body and allows the coil to be oriented in any desired rotational position and secured in the selected position by bonding corresponding bonding surfaces provided within the encapsulation of the coil assembly and the outside of the guide rail. armor. In the illustrated embodiment, the bonding surfaces are a plurality of peripheral teeth, spaced apart; however, it will be understood that the bonding surfaces may comprise any convenient shape, such as for example a single projecting notch and nipple or interlinking surfaces of polygonal shape or any other desired geometric configuration. Although the invention has been described above with respect to the illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is only limited by the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A method of making an electrically operated valve assembly, comprising: (a) forming a valve body having an inlet, an outlet and a movable valve member to control the flow from the inlet to the outlet; (b) arranging an armature within a guiding member and forming at least one bonding surface externally on the guiding member; (c) joining and sealing said guide member in said body on said valve member; (d) arranging and orienting a solenoid coil on said guide and linking said at least one bonding surface; and (e) fastening said coil in said guide. The method defined in claim 1, wherein said joint includes rotating welding an annular member in said body. The method defined in claim 1, wherein said step of forming at least one bonding surface includes molding a plurality of teeth. 4. An electrically operated valve assembly, comprising: (a) a body defining an inlet, an outlet and a valve seat therebetween and including a valve member movable with respect to said valve seat and a movable frame for effecting the movement of said valve member; (b) a guide member secured to said body to seal said chamber and to guide the movement of said armature, said guide member having certain position orientation surfaces therein formed; (c) operative retention means for joining and sealing said guide member in said body; (d) an electromagnetic operator assembly that includes a coil and a pole piece with said coil received on said guide member and said operator assembly having locating surfaces for linking said orientation surfaces and rotationally placing said coil in said body; Y (e) retaining means in said guide operable to link said operator assembly and retain it in said rotational position in said guide. The valve assembly defined in claim 4, wherein said guide member is centrally disposed within said coil and said retaining means include deflectable tabs on said guide. The valve assembly defined in claim 4, wherein said coil is encapsulated in thermoplastic material and said pole piece comprises a ferromagnetic frame over said encapsulation; and said orientation surfaces comprise a plurality of teeth formed in said thermoplastic material. The valve assembly defined in claim 4, wherein said certain orientation surfaces and said locating surfaces each comprise a plurality of interlinking teeth disposed peripherally. The valve assembly defined in claim 4, wherein said retaining means comprises an annular member received on said guide member secured to said body by welding.