Patent ID: 8418724

Claim:
A solenoid valve, comprising: a spool case that including: a supply port to which hydraulic fluid is supplied; an output port from which the hydraulic fluid is output; and a drain port from which the hydraulic fluid is drained, and that has a valve hole into which the supply port, the output port and the drain port are open; a spool that is provided in the valve hole so as to be slidable in an axial direction of the spool case, and that has multiple lands that are formed so as to be apart from each other in the axial direction and that have outer peripheral faces that conform to an inner peripheral face of the spool case; and a plunger that is moved in an axial direction of the solenoid valve by electromagnetic force, wherein, in the solenoid valve, axial locations of the lands within the valve hole are changed by a movement of the spool within the valve hole, caused in accordance with a movement of the plunger, to form a flow-blocking portion, having an overlap length that corresponds to an amount of the movement of the spool, in a passage between the supply port and the output port, and a passage between the output port and the drain port, using an outer peripheral face of the land and the inner peripheral face of the spool case, whereby a state of communication among the ports is adjusted, multiple flow-blocking portions are formed so as to be aligned in the axial direction in at least one of the passage between the supply port and the output port, and the passage between the output port and the drain port, in a non-energized state, at least two flow-blocking portions are formed so as to be aligned in the axial direction, in the passage that is formed within the valve hole at a portion between the drain port and the output port, and in an energized state, at least two flow-blocking portions are formed so as to be aligned in the axial direction, in the passage that is formed within the valve hole at a portion between the supply port and the output port.