CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a U.S. national stage of International application No. PCT/EP2019/058760, filed on Apr. 8, 2019, which claims priority to German Application No. 10 2018 205 557.2, filed Apr. 12, 2018, the content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a seal arrangement (i.e., assembly) and to a fluid valve or fluid control valve having such a seal. A fluid valve or fluid control valve is to be understood here as meaning in particular a cooling-water valve or cooling-water control valve, in particular for use in a vehicle. A vehicle is to be understood here as meaning any type of vehicle which has to be supplied with a liquid and/or gaseous fuel for operation, but in particular passenger motor vehicles and/or utility vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicle may also be a partially electric or fully electric vehicle, but in particular passenger motor vehicles and/or utility vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Seals as such can have different roles. They can, for example, serve to prevent or at least to limit undesired fluid losses. A fluid can be understood here as meaning a liquid and/or gaseous medium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a seal arrangement for use in a fluid valve, in particular in the form of a cooling-water valve, in particular for use in a vehicle, wherein the intention is for the seal arrangement to meet the highest requirements for long-term leak-tightness under known large temperature variations of a combustion engine periphery and/or an electric motor periphery. Moreover, the seal arrangement should be inexpensive to produce, and should make possible force- and friction-optimized operation of the fluid valve.

This object may be achieved by a seal arrangement for use in a fluid valve that includes:an actuatable valve body for opening and closing at least one connection of the fluid valve, andat least one seal for sealing abutment against the valve body at one side and for sealing abutment against a valve housing of the fluid valve at the other side.

Here, integrally formed on the proposed valve body sectionally is at least one elevation from the valve body lateral surface for activating the seal in a closed position of the fluid valve.

The elevation is to be understood here as meaning a contour or raised contour of the valve body that protrudes from the valve body lateral surface, or is raised therefrom, in order to interact, in a manner dependent on a valve body position, with the assigned seal. In a closed position of the valve body—this simultaneously being a closed position of the fluid valve—the contour presses against a contact point, having linear and/or areal sealing action, of the seal. As a result, the seal, which as such is elastically deformable owing to the interaction with the valve body, is compressed and braced. This in turn is associated with an activation of the seal, which as such applies its complete sealing action for the first time through this elastic deformation. By contrast, outside this closed position, the seal undergoes relief of tension since outside this closed position it does not interact with the elevated contour, because the sealing action is not required outside this closed position.

The proposed elevation or elevated contour of the valve body lateral surface thus makes possible force- and friction-optimized operation of the fluid valve. This in turn is associated with relatively low current or energy consumption on the part of an actuator for controlling the fluid valve, and this in turn counteracts self-heating of the actuator and is consequently favorable in terms of its service life.

Moreover, the proposed elevation or elevated contour facilitates the fitting of a fluid valve having the above-described seal arrangement.

The surface of the contour is, together with its transitions to that portion of the valve body having the contour, advantageously configured here to be smooth to such an extent that the seals are not damaged when interacting with the contour.

According to one embodiment, the elevation may advantageously be integrally formed in a closed encircling manner on the valve body lateral surface. This brings about uniformly elastic deformation of the seal along the circumferential extent thereof, that is to say uniform activation of the seal along the circumferential extent thereof.

According to a further embodiment, that portion of the valve body having the elevation may be of spherical form. This is associated with particularly good sealing action of the seal arrangement. In principle, the valve body may however also be of cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form or even have a different shaping, for example a sectionally spherical and/or cylindrical shaping. Another differently convex curvature of that portion of the valve body having the elevation is in principle also conceivable.

According to a further embodiment, a face side, facing the valve body, or a face-side end, facing the valve body, of the seal may be set at an angle or inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the seal in a manner corresponding to the shaping of the valve body. Here, the face side or the face-side end may include an angle of approximately 45° to 75° with the longitudinal direction. This too is favorable for the sealing action of the seal arrangement.

Also proposed is a fluid valve having a seal arrangement of the above-described type for sealing off at least one connection region of the fluid valve, in particular in the form of a multi-way fluid valve—which can function as a mixing valve and/or distributor valve. A fluid valve may however in principle also be understood as meaning a switching valve, shut-off valve and the like.

The use of a fluid valve of this type as a cooling-water valve, in particular of a vehicle, is also proposed. Here, the cooling-water valve may have the function of a mixing valve, distributor valve, switching valve, shut-off valve and/or the like.

