CN113280122A

CN113280122A - Electric valve and refrigeration cycle system

Info

Publication number: CN113280122A
Application number: CN202110076182.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中川大树; 小池亮司
Original assignee: Saginomiya Seisakusho Inc
Current assignee: Saginomiya Seisakusho Inc
Priority date: 2020-02-19
Filing date: 2021-01-20
Publication date: 2021-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2041-01-20
Also published as: JP7361628B2; JP7581461B2; CN113280122B; JP2023174727A; JP2021131121A; CN116292917A

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric valve having two-stage flow rate control regions. The main valve body is in a state of being seated on the main valve seat, and the main valve body is in a state of being seated on the main valve seat. The flow control of the refrigerant in the small flow control area, the electric valve improves the quietness in the small flow control area. The electric valve includes a main valve body which is provided in the main valve chamber (1R) and opens and closes a main valve port (13a) opening to the main valve chamber (1R). A sub-valve (4) for controlling the opening of the sub-valve port (3a) is provided by moving in the direction of the axis (L) of the sub-valve port (3a) formed in the main valve body (3). The sub-valve 4 includes a needle valve (42) inserted in the direction of the axis (L) with respect to the sub-valve port (3a). The main valve body (3) is provided with a throttle (C) that communicates from the main valve chamber (1R) to between the sub valve port (3a) and the needle valve (42) in the direction intersecting the axis (L) and A throttling flow path (3c) with a uniform flow path cross-sectional area.

Description

Electric valve and refrigeration cycle system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrically operated valve used in a refrigeration cycle or the like and a refrigeration cycle.

Background

Currently, as an electric valve provided in a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner, there is an electric valve that performs flow rate control in a small flow rate control area and a large flow rate control area. Such an electrically operated valve has applications (e.g., a dehumidification valve) to be mounted in an indoor unit, and is disclosed in, for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2019-132347 (patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2019-132347

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In such an electric valve, a small flow rate control region is a region in which a dehumidification operation is performed, for example, and in the small flow rate control region, a main valve port of a main valve seat is fully closed by a main valve body, and a refrigerant passes through a throttle portion formed between a sub valve port of the main valve body and a needle valve (sub valve body). However, in the conventional motor-operated valve described above, in the small flow rate control region, the fluid flows from the valve chamber (main valve chamber) into the sub-valve chamber through the communication hole, and the fluid flows out from the throttle portion between the sub-valve port and the sub-valve body through the sub-valve chamber. Therefore, the fluid flowing from the main valve chamber to the throttle portion temporarily expands when flowing from the pilot hole to the sub valve chamber. As a result, there is a problem that the sub valve body generates noise due to vibration of the sub valve body caused by pressure fluctuation of the refrigerant in the sub valve chamber.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing an electrically operated valve having a two-stage flow rate control region, the electrically operated valve having a main valve element in a state of being seated on a main valve seat, wherein flow rate control of refrigerant in a small flow rate control region is performed by a throttle portion formed between a sub valve port of the main valve element and a needle valve, and the electrically operated valve improves quietness in the small flow rate control region.

Means for solving the problems

An electric valve according to the present invention includes a main valve element provided in a main valve chamber of a valve main body and opening and closing a main valve port opening to the main valve chamber, and an auxiliary valve element moving in an axial direction of an auxiliary valve port formed in the main valve element and controlling an opening degree of the auxiliary valve port, wherein the electric valve is a two-stage electric valve having a large flow rate control region where a fluid flows by controlling the opening degree of the main valve port by the main valve element and a small flow rate control region where the fluid is throttled by a throttle portion between the auxiliary valve port and the auxiliary valve element by closing the main valve port by the main valve element, and wherein the auxiliary valve element has a needle valve inserted in the axial direction with respect to the auxiliary valve port, and a throttle flow path is provided in the main valve element, the flow path cross-sectional area of the throttle flow path is uniform from the main valve chamber to the throttle portion between the sub valve port and the needle valve in a direction intersecting the axis.

In this case, it is preferable that the electric valve be configured such that a needle guide hole coaxial with the sub valve port and opposed to the sub valve port is formed in the main valve body, the needle of the sub valve body has a straight portion in the axial direction, and the straight portion is guided on the axial direction by the needle guide hole.

Preferably, the electric valve has a feature that the needle guide hole intersects the throttle channel along the axis.

Further, it is preferable that the motor-operated valve has a plurality of throttle flow passages formed around the axis and at positions rotationally symmetrical around the axis.

Preferably, the motor-operated valve has a feature that the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the plurality of throttle flow paths is set to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the sub-valve port.

Preferably, the motor-operated valve further includes a cylindrical expansion hole formed inside a lower portion of the main valve body, the expansion hole communicating with a lower opening of the sub valve port and having an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the sub valve port, and a noise reduction member is disposed at an opening portion of the throttle flow path of the main valve body on the main valve chamber side and/or an opening portion of the expansion hole.

The refrigeration cycle system of the present invention includes a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, an electronic expansion valve provided between the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger, and a dehumidification valve provided in the indoor heat exchanger, and is characterized in that the motor-operated valve is used as the dehumidification valve.

The effects of the invention are as follows.

According to the motor-operated valve and the refrigeration cycle system of the present invention, in a state where a small flow rate is controlled by the throttle portion (gap) between the sub valve body and the sub valve port, the fluid flowing from the main valve chamber to the throttle portion passes through only the throttle flow path having a uniform flow path cross-sectional area, and the pressure fluctuation of the refrigerant is suppressed, so that the state of the refrigerant is stabilized, and by guiding the needle valve to the vicinity of the sub valve port through the needle valve guide hole, the vibration of the sub valve body and the like can be suppressed, and by providing the noise reduction member at the opening portion on the valve chamber side of the throttle flow path of the main valve body and/or the opening portion of the expansion valve, the noise reduction performance is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state of a small flow rate control region of an electrically operated valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main portion of the sub-valve body of the electric valve according to the embodiment in a slightly raised state from the state of the small flow rate control region in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing a modification of the main valve element in the motor-operated valve according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a refrigeration cycle system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure:

1-a valve housing, 1R-a main valve chamber, 11-a first joint pipe, 12-a second joint pipe, 13-a main valve seat, 13 a-a main valve port, L-an axis, C-a throttle portion, 2-a guide member, 2A-a guide hole, 24-a holder portion, 24 a-an internal thread portion, 3-a main valve spool, 31-a main valve portion, 32-a holding portion, 3 a-an auxiliary valve port, 3B-a valve needle guide hole, 3C-a throttle flow path, 4-an auxiliary valve spool, 41-a guide boss portion, 42-a needle valve, 42A-a straight portion, 42B-a valve needle, 5-a driving portion, 5A-a stepping motor, 5B-a screw feed mechanism, 5C-a limit mechanism, 51-a rotor shaft, 51 a-an external thread portion, 52-a magnetic rotor, 53-a stator coil, 91-a first indoor side heat exchanger, 92-a second indoor side heat exchanger, 93-an electronic expansion valve, 94-an outdoor side, 95-a compressor, 96-four-way valve, 100-electric valve.

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of an electric valve and a refrigeration cycle system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a small flow rate control range state of an electric valve according to an embodiment, and fig. 2 is a main-part enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a sub-valve body of the electric valve according to the embodiment is slightly raised from the small flow rate control range state shown in fig. 1. Note that the concept of "top and bottom" in the following description corresponds to the top and bottom in the drawings of fig. 1 and 2. The motor-operated valve 100 includes a valve housing 1, a guide member 2, a main valve element 3, a sub valve element 4, and a drive unit 5.

The valve housing 1 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape, for example, from brass, stainless steel, or the like, and has a main valve chamber 1R inside thereof. A first joint pipe 11 that communicates with the main valve chamber 1R is connected to one side of the outer periphery of the valve housing 1, and a second joint pipe 12 is connected to a cylindrical portion that extends downward from the lower end. A main valve seat 13 is formed on the valve housing 1 on the main valve chamber 1R side of the second joint pipe 12, and the inside of the main valve seat 13 serves as a main valve port 13 a. The main valve port 13a is a cylindrical through hole (through hole) centered on the axis L, and the second joint pipe 12 communicates with the main valve chamber 1R through the main valve port 13 a. The first joint pipe 11 and the second joint pipe 12 are fixed to the valve housing 1 by brazing or the like.

A guide member 2 is attached to an opening portion at the upper end of the valve housing 1. The guide member 2 has: a press-in portion 21 that is press-fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the valve housing 1; substantially

cylindrical guide portions

22 and 23 having a diameter smaller than that of the press-fitting portion 21 and located above and below the press-fitting portion 21; a bracket portion 24 extending above the upper guide portion 22; and an annular flange 25 provided on the outer periphery of the press-fitting portion 21. The press-fitting portion 21, the

guide portions

22 and 23, and the holder portion 24 are formed as a single resin member. The flange portion 25 is a metal plate such as brass or stainless steel, for example, and the flange portion 25 is integrally provided with the resin press-fitting portion 21 by insert molding.

The guide member 2 is assembled to the valve housing 1 by the press-fitting portion 21, and is fixed to the upper end portion of the valve housing 1 by welding via the flange portion 25. In the guide member 2, a cylindrical guide hole 2A coaxial with the axis L is formed inside the press-fitting portion 21 and the upper and

lower guide portions

22 and 23, and a female screw portion 24a coaxial with the guide hole 2A and a screw hole thereof are formed at the center of the holder portion 24. Further, the main valve element 3 is disposed inside the guide hole 2A inside the lower guide portion 23.

The main valve body 3 includes a main valve portion 31 that seats on and unseats from the main valve seat 13, and a holding portion 32 that holds the sub valve body 4. A cylindrical inflation hole 3A is formed inside the main valve portion 31, and a cylindrical sub-valve guide hole 3B is formed inside the holding portion 32. A cylindrical sub valve port 3A that opens to the inflation hole 3A about the axis L is formed between the main valve portion 31 and the holding portion 32, and a cylindrical valve needle guide hole 3B that is coaxial with the axis L is formed on the sub valve guide hole 3B side.

A throttle flow path 3C is formed at a connection portion between the main valve portion 31 and the holding portion 32 of the main valve body 3, and communicates with a throttle portion C (fig. 2) between the sub valve port 3a and a needle 42 described below in a direction intersecting the axis L from the main valve chamber 1R. The throttle passage 3c is formed in a cylindrical shape having a constant passage cross-sectional area from the main valve chamber 1R side to the sub valve port 3a side. In this embodiment, a plurality of (for example, four) throttle channels 3c are radially formed at positions to be rotated in the direction around the axis L. The total flow path cross-sectional area of the four throttle flow paths 3c is set larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the sub-valve port 3 a. The "flow path cross-sectional area" refers to a cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the fluid flows. Here, an example is shown in which four throttle flow paths 3c are provided, but two or more throttle flow paths 3c may be provided as long as the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the throttle flow paths is set larger than the flow path area of the sub valve port 3 a.

The main valve body 3 has a retainer 34 at an upper end of the retaining portion 32, and a main valve spring 35 between the retainer 34 and an upper end of the guide hole 2A of the guide member 2, and the main valve body 3 is biased in the direction of the main valve seat 13 (closing direction) by the main valve spring 35.

The sub-valve 4 is formed integrally with the rotor shaft 51 at the lower end of the rotor shaft 51, and the sub-valve 4 is composed of a guide boss 41 and a needle valve 42. As shown in fig. 2, the needle valve 42 of the sub-valve 4 is inserted in the direction of the axis L into the sub-valve port 3a, and the needle valve 42 is composed of a straight portion 42a and a needle 42b that decreases in diameter toward the tip end side, and the straight portion 42a is composed of a circular column having the axis L as the center line. The straight portion 42a has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sub-valve port 3a, and a throttle portion C (a portion surrounded by a single-dot chain line circle) is formed between the straight portion 42a and the sub-valve port 3a or between the needle 42b and the sub-valve port 3 a. Then, a small flow rate of the refrigerant is caused to flow through the throttle portion C to perform a small flow rate control. An annular washer 43 made of a lubricating resin is disposed at the upper end of the guide boss 41, and the washer 43 and the guide boss 41 are slidably inserted into the sub-valve guide hole 3B.

The straight portion 42a of the needle valve 42 is slidably guided along the inner periphery of the needle guide hole 3b intersecting the orifice flow path 3c along the axis L in the vicinity of the sub-valve port 3 a.

A housing 14 is airtightly fixed to the upper end of the valve housing 1 by welding or the like, and a driving portion 5 is formed inside and outside the housing 14. The drive unit 5 includes a stepping motor 5A, a screw feed mechanism 5B that advances and retracts the sub-valve body 4 by rotation of the stepping motor 5A, and a stopper mechanism 5C that restricts rotation of the stepping motor 5A.

The stepping motor 5A includes a rotor shaft 51, a magnetic rotor 52 rotatably disposed inside the housing 14, a stator coil 53 disposed on the outer periphery of the housing 14 so as to face the magnetic rotor 52, and other yokes, exterior members, and the like, which are not shown. The rotor shaft 51 is attached to the center of the magnetic rotor 52 via a sleeve, and a male screw portion 51a is formed on the outer periphery of the rotor shaft 51 on the guide member 2 side. The male screw portion 51a is screwed into the female screw portion 24a of the guide member 2, whereby the guide member 2 supports the rotor shaft 51 on the axis L. The female screw portion 24a of the guide member 2 and the male screw portion 51a of the rotor shaft 51 constitute a screw feeding mechanism 5B. A cylindrical portion 14a that holds the rotation restricting mechanism 5C is provided at the inner top portion of the housing 14, and a guide member 52 that guides the upper end of the rotor shaft 51 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 14 a.

According to the above configuration, when the stepping motor 5A is driven, the magnetic rotor 52 and the rotor shaft 51 rotate, and the rotor shaft 51 moves in the axis L direction together with the magnetic rotor 52 by the screw feeding mechanism 5B in which the male screw portion 51a of the rotor shaft 51 and the female screw portion 24a of the guide member 2. Then, the sub-valve body 4 moves forward and backward in the direction of the axis L, and the needle valve 42 approaches and separates from the sub-valve port 3 a. When the needle 42 is lifted, the washer 43 engages with the holder 34 of the main valve body 3, and the main valve body 3 moves together with the sub valve body 4 and is unseated from the main valve seat 13. The magnetic rotor 52 is provided with a projection 52a, and the projection 52a regulates the lowermost end position and the uppermost end position of the rotor shaft 51 (and the magnetic rotor 52) by operating the rotation limiting mechanism 5C in accordance with the rotation of the magnetic rotor 52.

In the small flow rate control region state of fig. 1, in a state where the main valve body 3 is seated on the main valve seat 13, the main valve port 13a is closed, and the opening degree of the sub valve port 3a is controlled by the needle valve 42 of the sub valve body 4, whereby the small flow rate is controlled. At this time, the refrigerant in the main valve chamber 1R flows through the throttle flow path 3C to the throttle portion C, but flows to the throttle portion C at a stable pressure due to the uniform flow path cross-sectional area of the throttle flow path 3C. The refrigerant expands when flowing out from the throttle portion C to the expansion hole 3A. That is, since the flow of the refrigerant is stabilized until the refrigerant passes through the throttle portion C from the main valve chamber 1R, vibration of the motor-operated valve and the like can be prevented.

Further, since the plurality of throttle channels 3c are provided at positions rotationally symmetrical about the axis L, it is possible to suppress a force that is greatly biased in a direction intersecting the axis L by the refrigerant passing through the throttle channels 3c against the needle valve 42, and further, since the straight portion 42a of the needle valve 42 is guided by the needle guide hole 3b in the vicinity of the position immediately above the sub-valve port 3a, it is possible to further suppress vibration of the sub-valve body 4 caused by the flow of the refrigerant.

Further, although the needle 42a of the needle valve 42 advances and retreats with respect to the auxiliary valve port 3a, the flow path cross-sectional area of the throttle portion C, which is a gap between the outer periphery of the needle 42a and the auxiliary valve port 3a, is always smaller than the total flow path cross-sectional area of the plurality of throttle flow paths 3C. This makes it possible to accurately perform low flow rate control of the sub-valve 4 without being affected by the throttle flow path 3 c.

Fig. 3 is a main part enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a state of a small flow rate control region of a modification of the motor-operated valve according to the embodiment, and in the modification described below, the overall configuration of the motor-operated valve other than its characteristic parts is the same as that of fig. 1 and 2. In this modification, the main valve portion 31 and the holding portion 32 are formed of different members in the main valve body 3', a noise cancellation member 36 is disposed at an opening portion of the expansion hole 3A of the main valve portion 31, and a noise cancellation member 37 is disposed at a connecting portion between the holding portion 32 and the main valve portion 31 and distributed to an opening portion of the throttle flow path 3c on the main valve chamber 1R side. This allows the sound of refrigerant passing through to be absorbed by the

muffler members

36 and 37, thereby further improving the silencing effect. Further, only one of the

muffler members

36 and 37 may be used.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a refrigeration cycle system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the refrigeration cycle system according to the embodiment will be described based on this diagram. The refrigeration cycle is used for, for example, an air conditioner such as a household air conditioner. The motor-operated valve 100 of the above embodiment is provided between the first indoor-side heat exchanger 91 (which operates as a cooler during dehumidification) and the second indoor-side heat exchanger 92 (which operates as a heater during dehumidification) of the air conditioner, and constitutes a heat pump refrigeration cycle together with the compressor 95, the four-way valve 96, the outdoor-side heat exchanger 94, and the electronic expansion valve 93. The first indoor heat exchanger 91, the second indoor heat exchanger 92, and the motor-operated valve 100 are installed indoors, and the compressor 95, the four-way valve 96, the outdoor heat exchanger 94, and the electronic expansion valve 93 are installed outdoors, thereby constituting a cooling/heating apparatus.

In the motor-operated valve 100 as the dehumidification valve according to the embodiment, the main valve is fully opened during cooling or heating other than dehumidification, and the first indoor heat exchanger 91 and the second indoor heat exchanger 92 are one indoor heat exchanger. The integrated indoor and outdoor heat exchangers 94 alternatively function as "evaporators" or "condensers". That is, the electric valve 93 as an electronic expansion valve is provided between the evaporator and the condenser.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes other configurations and the like that can achieve the object of the present invention, and the present invention also includes modifications and the like described below. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example of the motor-operated valve 100 used in an air conditioner such as a home air conditioner is shown, but the motor-operated valve of the present invention is not limited to the home air conditioner, and may be a commercial air conditioner, and may be applied to various refrigerators and the like without being limited to the air conditioner.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, other embodiments are also described in detail, but the specific configurations are not limited to the above embodiments, and design changes and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric valve includes a main valve body provided in a main valve chamber of a valve body and opening and closing a main valve port opening to the main valve chamber, and a sub valve body moving in an axial direction of a sub valve port formed in the main valve body to control an opening degree of the sub valve port,

the electric valve is a two-stage electric valve having a large flow rate control region in which the opening degree of the main valve port is controlled by the main valve element to cause a fluid to flow, and a small flow rate control region in which the main valve port is closed by the main valve element and the fluid is throttled by a throttle portion between the sub valve port and the sub valve element,

the above-mentioned electric valve is characterized in that,

the main valve body has a main valve chamber, a sub valve port, and a throttle flow path having a flow path cross-sectional area that is uniform in a direction intersecting the axis line from the main valve chamber to the throttle portion between the sub valve port and the needle valve.

2. Electrically operated valve according to claim 1,

a needle guide hole coaxial with the sub-valve port and opposed to the sub-valve port is formed in the main valve body, and the needle of the sub-valve body has a straight portion in the axial direction, and the straight portion is guided on the axis by the needle guide hole.

3. Electrically operated valve according to claim 2,

the valve needle guide hole intersects the throttle flow path along the axis.

4. Electrically operated valve according to any of claims 1 to 3,

the throttle flow path is formed in plural around the axis, and the plural throttle flow paths are formed at positions rotationally symmetrical around the axis.

5. Electrically operated valve according to claim 4,

the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the plurality of throttle flow paths is set to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the sub-valve port.

6. Electrically operated valve according to any of the claims 1 to 5,

a cylindrical expansion hole having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the sub valve port and communicating with the lower opening of the sub valve port is formed inside the lower portion of the main valve body,

a sound deadening member is disposed at an opening of the throttle flow path of the main valve element on the main valve chamber side and/or an opening of the expansion hole.

7. A refrigeration cycle system comprising a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, an electronic expansion valve disposed between the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger, and a dehumidification valve disposed in the indoor heat exchanger,

use of an electrically operated valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 as the above-mentioned dehumidification valve.