CN111795180A

CN111795180A - Four-way valve and air conditioner

Info

Publication number: CN111795180A
Application number: CN202010557725.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杜顺祥; 陈炳泉; 赵润鹏
Original assignee: Qingdao Economic And Technology Development District Haier Water Heater Co ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Qingdao Haier New Energy Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Economic And Technology Development District Haier Water Heater Co ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Qingdao Haier New Energy Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-18
Filing date: 2020-06-18
Publication date: 2020-10-20

Abstract

The invention provides a four-way valve and an air conditioner, and relates to the technical field of air conditioners. This cross valve includes: the valve comprises a valve body, a valve body and a valve body, wherein a cavity is formed in the valve body, and a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port are sequentially arranged on the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body; the communicating piece is arranged in the cavity and can rotate relative to the valve body, so that the first port is communicated with the second port, the third port is communicated with the fourth port, or the first port is communicated with the fourth port, the second port is communicated with the third port, and the four-way valve is not easy to block and the problem of refrigerant leakage is not easy to occur.

Description

Four-way valve and air conditioner

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of air conditioners, in particular to a four-way valve and an air conditioner.

Background

The four-way valve is commonly used in the air conditioner for switching the refrigeration and heating states of the air conditioner, and is provided with four ports which are respectively connected with an exhaust port of the compressor, an air suction port of the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator.

The main valve of the four-way valve comprises a valve body and a valve core in the valve body, wherein high-pressure refrigerant and low-pressure refrigerant can be respectively introduced into two sides of the valve core, and the valve core is pushed to reciprocate along the length direction of the valve body through the pressure difference of the high-pressure refrigerant and the low-pressure refrigerant so as to realize the connection between different ports.

However, the valve cartridge is easily jammed within the valve body.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a four-way valve and an air conditioner, which aim to solve the problem that a valve core is easy to block in a valve body in the related technology.

The invention provides a four-way valve, which comprises: the valve comprises a valve body, a valve body and a valve body, wherein a cavity is formed in the valve body, and a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port are sequentially arranged on the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body; the communicating piece is arranged in the cavity and can rotate relative to the valve body, so that the first port is communicated with the second port, the third port is communicated with the fourth port, or the first port is communicated with the fourth port, and the second port is communicated with the third port.

The four-way valve is characterized in that the outer wall surface of the communicating piece is attached to the inner wall surface of the cavity, and two first communicating channels which are not communicated with each other are arranged in the communicating piece; the communication member is rotatable relative to the valve body such that both ends of one of the first communication passages are aligned with the first port and the second port and both ends of the other of the first communication passages are aligned with the third port and the fourth port; or both ends of one of the first communication passages are aligned with the first port and the fourth port, and both ends of the other of the first communication passages are aligned with the second port and the third port.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein a second communication passage having three ports is provided on the communication member, and the communication member is rotatable with respect to the valve body to communicate the three ports of the second communication passage with any three of the first port, the second port, the third port, and the fourth port.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein the four-way valve further comprises a first driving member connected to the valve body, and the first driving member is connected to the communicating member to drive the communicating member to rotate relative to the valve body.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein the first driving member includes a first magnet and a first coil surrounding the first magnet, the first magnet is connected to the communicating member, and the first magnet is capable of rotating relative to the first coil to drive the communicating member to rotate around its axis.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein the four-way valve further comprises a valve core disposed within the cavity; a third communication channel for communicating the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port is formed between the valve core and the inner wall surface of the cavity, the communication piece comprises a first blocking piece and a second blocking piece which are arranged in the third communication channel at intervals, and the first blocking piece and the second blocking piece divide the third communication channel into a first sub-communication channel and a second sub-communication channel which are not communicated with each other; the first blocking member and the second blocking member are capable of rotating relative to the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body, so that the first sub communication channel is communicated with the first port and the second port, the second sub communication channel is communicated with the third port and the fourth port, or the first sub communication channel is communicated with the first port and the fourth port, and the second sub communication channel is communicated with the second port and the third port.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein the four-way valve further comprises a second driving member connected to the valve body, and the second driving member is connected to the first blocking member and the second blocking member to drive the first blocking member and the second blocking member to rotate relative to the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body.

The four-way valve as described above, wherein the second driving element includes a second magnet and a second coil surrounding the second magnet, the second magnet is connected to the first blocking element and the second blocking element, and the second magnet can rotate relative to the second coil to drive the first blocking element and the second blocking element to rotate around the axis of the valve core.

The four-way valve comprises a valve body, a valve cover and a valve seat, wherein the valve body comprises four side wall surfaces arranged along the circumferential direction of the valve body, and two adjacent side wall surfaces are vertically arranged; the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port are sequentially arranged on the four side wall surfaces.

The invention also provides an air conditioner, which comprises a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and the four-way valve, wherein the air suction port of the compressor, the air exhaust port of the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator are respectively connected with the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port.

According to the four-way valve and the air conditioner, the valve body and the communicating piece arranged in the valve body are arranged, and the communicating piece can rotate relative to the valve body in the valve body, so that the first port and the second port on the valve body are communicated, the third port and the fourth port are communicated, or the first port and the fourth port are communicated, and the second port and the third port are communicated. The communicating piece rotates in the valve body, and compared with the valve core in the related art, the valve core is pushed to reciprocate in the valve body by the pressure difference of the refrigerant, so that the possibility of clamping the valve core is reduced. And because the driving piece of the communicating piece is positioned outside the valve body, the rotation of the communicating piece does not depend on the driving of the refrigerant, the problem that the valve core does not move in place due to the pressure change of the refrigerant in the related technology is solved, and because a refrigerant pipeline for circulating the refrigerant is not required to be arranged, the leakage of the refrigerant is avoided. The service safety and the service life of the four-way valve and the air conditioner are improved, and the maintenance cost is reduced.

Drawings

The following detailed description of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and it is to be understood that the detailed description set forth herein is merely illustrative and explanatory of the present invention and is not restrictive of the invention as claimed below.

FIG. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram III of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fourth schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a first schematic structural diagram of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a first schematic structural diagram of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference numerals:

10: a valve body;

11: a first port;

12: a second port;

13: a third port;

14: a fourth port;

15: a side wall surface;

16: a body;

17: sealing the cover;

20: a communicating member;

21: a first communicating passage;

22: a second communicating passage;

23: a first barrier;

24: a second barrier;

30: a valve core;

41: a first sub communication passage;

42: a second sub communication passage;

51: a first magnet;

52: a first coil;

53: a coil holder;

54: a first output shaft;

541: and (4) branching.

Detailed Description

In the related art, the four-way valve includes a main valve and a pilot valve, and a high-pressure refrigerant and a low-pressure refrigerant on both sides of a valve core of the main valve are communicated with the pilot valve through refrigerant pipes. The valve core of the pilot valve reciprocates by means of the pressure difference of refrigerant pressure and the elastic force of a spring on the pilot valve, and the valve core of the main valve and the valve core of the pilot valve both reciprocate and are easy to clamp; and because the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant pipeline between the pilot valve and the main valve, the problem of refrigerant leakage is easy to occur; in addition, the refrigerant may have pressure floating change in the flowing process, which easily causes the problems of the main valve spool and the pilot valve spool not moving in place and refrigerant streaming.

The embodiment changes the motion form of the valve core into rotation, solves the problem of valve core blocking, realizes the rotation of the valve core without depending on the pressure of refrigerant, and solves the problems that the refrigerant is easy to leak and the valve core is not moved in place due to the pressure change of the refrigerant.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention, and referring to fig. 1 to fig. 2, the embodiment provides a four-way valve, which includes: the valve comprises a valve body 10, wherein a cavity is formed in the valve body 10, and a first port 11, a second port 12, a third port 13 and a fourth port 14 which are sequentially arranged along the circumferential direction of the valve body 10 are arranged on the valve body 10; and the communicating piece 20 is arranged in the cavity, and the communicating piece 20 can rotate relative to the valve body 10 so as to enable the first port 11 to be communicated with the second port 12 and the third port 13 to be communicated with the fourth port 14, or enable the first port 11 to be communicated with the fourth port 14 and enable the second port 12 to be communicated with the third port 13.

The four-way valve can be applied to pipe connections, such as water pipe diversion pipelines, gas diversion pipelines, and the like. For example, the four-way valve can be applied to heat exchange equipment such as a heat pump, and the heat pump can be generally applied to products such as a water heater, a clothes dryer and an air conditioner. Taking an air conditioner as an example, the air conditioner generally includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator connected by refrigerant pipes, and the air conditioner may be in a cooling state when a discharge port of the compressor is connected to the condenser and in a heating state when the discharge port of the compressor is connected to the evaporator. The connection state switching at the exhaust port of the compressor can be realized by a four-way valve.

The four-way valve comprises a valve body 10 and a communicating piece 20 arranged in the valve body 10, and a driving piece of the communicating piece 20 can be positioned outside the valve body 10 or arranged in the valve body 10; the valve body 10 is in a container shape with a cavity, and the valve body 10 can be made of metal materials, has high strength and is easy to be connected with a refrigerant pipeline.

The valve body 10 is provided with a first port 11, a second port 12, a third port 13 and a fourth port 14 penetrating the side wall of the valve body 10. Illustratively, when the first port 11 and the fourth port 14 are communicated and the second port 12 and the third port 13 are communicated, the compressor discharge port may be connected with the evaporator, and the air conditioner is in a heating state, and when the first port 11 and the second port 12 are communicated and the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 are communicated, the compressor discharge port may be communicated with the condenser, and the air conditioner is in a cooling state.

The first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 may be through holes formed in the valve body 10, or may be a connection pipe protruding out of the outer wall surface of the valve body 10, and the other end of the connection pipe is connected to a refrigerant pipeline, and the connection pipe may be made of a metal material.

The distribution positions of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 on the valve body 10 can be determined according to the movement form of the communicating member 20, in this embodiment, the communicating member 20 rotates in the valve body 10, the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 can be arranged along the circumferential direction of the communicating member 20, namely, along the circumferential direction of the valve body 10 at intervals, so that the second port 12 and the fourth port 14 are respectively arranged on two sides of the first port 11, and the second port 12 and the fourth port 14 are also respectively arranged on two sides of the third port 13.

The first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 may be disposed at equal and unequal intervals in a circumferential direction of the valve body 10, and illustratively, a central angle between the first port 11 and the second port 12 may be an acute angle or an obtuse angle. For convenience of manufacturing, the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 may be disposed at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the valve body 10, that is, central angles between the first port 11 and the second port 12, between the second port 12 and the third port 13, between the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, and between the fourth port 14 and the first port 11 are 90 °, respectively.

Further, the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 may be disposed at intervals in the axial direction of the communication member 20. In order to reduce the size of the four-way valve, in this embodiment, the axes of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 may be on the same plane, that is, a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the communicating member 20 is taken as a cross section, and the cross section may cut the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 at the same time.

A refrigerant passage may be formed inside the communication member 20 or the communication member 20 may divide a cavity inside the valve body 10 into refrigerant passages, such that the communication between the first port 11 and the second port 12 and the communication between the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 are achieved, or the communication between the first port 11 and the fourth port 14 and the communication between the second port 12 and the third port 13 are achieved when the communication member 20 rotates.

The four-way valve provided by the embodiment realizes the switching of the connection state by rotating the communicating piece 20 in the valve body 10, and can avoid the jamming of the communicating piece 20 in the valve body 10 compared with the situation that the valve core moves in the valve body 10 in the related art; the communicating piece 20 is driven by the driving piece, does not depend on the pressure difference between the high-pressure refrigerant and the low-pressure refrigerant, and solves the problem that the valve core in the related art does not move in place due to the pressure change of the refrigerant; further, since the communication member 20 does not rotate depending on the refrigerant, the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 of the valve body 10 are directly connected to the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator, and leakage of the refrigerant is prevented.

When a refrigerant channel is formed inside the communicating piece 20, the outer wall surface of the communicating piece 20 can be attached to the inner wall surface of the cavity, and two first communicating channels 21 which are not communicated with each other are arranged in the communicating piece 20; the communication member 20 is rotatable relative to the valve body 10 such that both ends of one first communication passage 21 are aligned with the first port 11 and the second port 12, and both ends of the other first communication passage 21 are aligned with the third port 13 and the fourth port 14; or the both ends of one first communicating path 21 are aligned with the first port 11 and the fourth port 14 and the both ends of the other first communicating path 21 are aligned with the second port 12 and the third port 13.

The volume of the cavity inside the valve body 10 may be greater than the volume of the communication member 20. Alternatively, at least the outer wall surface of the communication member 20 in the circumferential direction is in abutment with the inner wall surface of the cavity. Illustratively, the communicating member 20 may be spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, conical, etc., as long as the communicating member 20 can rotate around its axis in the cavity. A lubricating gap for containing lubricating oil can be arranged between the outer wall surface of the communicating piece 20 and the inner wall surface of the cavity, so that the communicating piece 20 is prevented from being blocked.

In order to enable the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 to be communicated with each other in pairs, the refrigerant channel may include two first communication channels 21, and the two first communication channels 21 are independently disposed inside the communication member 20 and disposed on two sides of the axis of the communication member 20, that is, a middle axial plane passing through the axis of the communication member 20 may be disposed between the two first communication channels 21, so as to prevent series flow of the refrigerant in the two first communication channels 21.

Both ends of every first intercommunication passageway 21 all form the through hole on the outer wall of connecting piece 20, for avoid the refrigerant to form the vortex in through hole department, the bore and the first port 11 of each through hole, second port 12, third port 13, the bore of fourth port 14 can be the same for after each through hole aligns with first port 11 on the valve body 10, second port 12, third port 13, fourth port 14, the through hole can with the port smooth transition that corresponds on the valve body 10.

In the embodiment, the cavity inside the valve body 10 is attached to the outer wall surface of the communicating piece 20, no additional space exists in the cavity, and the problem of series flow of the refrigerant caused by the fact that the communicating piece 20 does not move in place is avoided; and the communicating piece 20 is driven by the driving piece, and the driving piece and the communicating piece 20 are not required to be driven by the refrigerant, so that the refrigerant leakage can be avoided.

Further, when three pipes need to be communicated simultaneously, for example, when fluid needs to be injected from one pipe and flushed to two pipes, or the fluid needs to be flushed from two pipes to the other pipe; when the four-way valve is applied to an air conditioner, when the pressure of an air conditioning system is relieved, an air inlet and an air outlet of a compressor need to be communicated at the same time, or when the air conditioner is required to be defrosted, a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from an air outlet of the compressor needs to be led to a frosted heat exchanger, and meanwhile, the high-temperature refrigerant and a low-temperature refrigerant after defrosting and cooling need to be used for neutralization. Fig. 6 is a first structural schematic diagram of another four-way valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 7 is a second structural schematic diagram of another four-way valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention, please refer to fig. 6 and 7, a second communication channel 22 may further be disposed on the communication member 20, the second communication channel 22 has three ports, and the communication member 20 can rotate relative to the valve body 10 to enable the three ports of the second communication channel 22 to communicate with any three of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14.

The second communicating path 22 and the first communicating path 21 may be spaced along the axial direction of the communicating member 20, and correspondingly, the through-hole formed on the communicating member 20 by the first communicating path 21 and the through-hole formed on the communicating member 20 by the second communicating path 22 are also spaced along the axial direction of the communicating member 20, so that when the valve body 10 is communicated with the second communicating path 22 or the first communicating path 21, the communicating member 20 needs to move along its own axial direction.

Alternatively, in order to reduce the size of the four-way valve, the through-openings formed on the communicating member 20 by the first communicating path 21 and the through-openings formed on the communicating member 20 by the second communicating path 22 in this embodiment may be located on the same plane, that is, along the circumferential direction of the valve body 10, three through-openings formed on the outer wall surface of the communicating member 20 by the second communicating path 22 and four through-openings formed on the outer wall surface of the communicating member 20 by the two first communicating paths 21 are provided at intervals. At this time, the first communicating passage 21 or the second communicating passage 22 may be extended obliquely in the axial direction of the communicating member 20, and the first communicating passage 21 and the second communicating passage 22 are not communicated.

In order to further reduce the extension length of the communicating member 20 in the direction of the axis thereof and reduce the size of the four-way valve, the first communicating path 21 and the second communicating path 22 may be located in the same plane, and at this time, any one of the first communicating path 21 and the second communicating path 22 may communicate. When the second communication passage 22 communicates any three of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14, four through ports formed by the two first communication passages 21 all face the inner wall surface of the cavity, the inner wall surface of the cavity closes the four through ports formed by the two first communication passages 21, and meanwhile, another one of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 is also closed by the inner wall surface of the cavity. When the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 are communicated two by two through the two first communication passages 21, three through-openings of the second communication passage 22 are also closed by the inner wall surface of the cavity.

The four-way valve provided by the embodiment can realize connection of two or three of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, avoids the need of dismounting the four-way valve when communicating three pipelines simultaneously, and reduces the manufacturing cost and the maintenance cost of the structure.

Fig. 3 is a third schematic structural diagram of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a fourth schematic structural diagram of the four-way valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 5 is a fifth schematic structural diagram of the four-way valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to fig. 3 to 5, in order to drive the communicating member 20 to rotate, the four-way valve further includes a first driving member connected to the valve body 10, and the first driving member is connected to the communicating member 20 to drive the communicating member 20 to rotate relative to the valve body 10.

The first driver may be arranged inside the valve body 10 or outside the valve body 10.

Illustratively, the first driving member may be a first motor, the first motor may be connected to a control component such as a controller, and an output end of the first motor is connected to the communicating member 20 to drive the communicating member 20 to rotate. Wherein, the first motor may include a first coil 52 and a first magnet 51, and according to the different kinds of the first motor, the first coil 52 may surround the first magnet 51, or the first coil 52 may penetrate through the first magnet 51, wherein the first magnet 51 is connected with a first output shaft 54, and the first output shaft 54 penetrates through the side wall of the valve body 10 to be connected with the communicating member 20

The first driving member can also drive the communicating member 20 to rotate by adopting an electromagnetic driving mode. Illustratively, the first driving member may include a coil holder 53, the first coil 52 is sleeved outside the coil holder 53, the first driving member may further include a first magnet 51, the first magnet 51 may be inserted into the coil holder 53, and the first output shaft 54 of the first driving member connects the first magnet 51 and the communicating member 20, wherein the coil holder 53 may be made of an insulating material such as polyoxymethylene.

In the embodiment, the first driving member drives the communicating member 20 to rotate, so that the rotation angle of the first output shaft 54, that is, the communicating member 20, is easy to control, and the communicating member 20 is convenient to rotate in place.

In some embodiments, the valve body 10 may include a body 16 having an opening and a cover 17 closing the opening, the body 16 and the cover 17 enclosing the cavity accommodating the communication member 20. Alternatively, the cover 17 may be provided with a connecting hole for the first output shaft 54 to pass through, one end of the first output shaft 54 located in the cavity is connected to the communicating member 20, and one end of the first output shaft 54 located outside the cavity is connected to the first magnet 51.

The coil holder 53 may have a barrel-shaped structure, the first magnet 51 is located inside the coil holder 53, and an open end of the coil holder 53 faces the cover 17 and is sealed by the cover 17. Optionally, an annular accommodating gap may be further disposed between the outer wall surface of the cover 17 and the inner wall surface of the body 16, and the coil holder 53 is inserted into the annular accommodating gap, so that not only can the fixation of the coil holder 53 be achieved, but also the sealing of the coil holder 53 can be formed.

The side of the cover 17 inside the coil holder 53 may also be provided with a protruding mounting portion for supporting the first magnet 51, so as to prevent the first magnet 51 from being skewed and driving the communicating member 20 to be skewed, thereby causing the communicating member 20 to be jammed.

In some embodiments, the first output shaft 54 may be a rod-shaped structure, and optionally, when the volume of the cavity inside the valve body 10 is greater than the volume of the communicating member 20, one end of the first output shaft 54 connected to the communicating member 20 may have a plurality of branches 541, the plurality of branches 541 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the first output shaft 54, one end of each branch 541 is connected to the first output shaft 54, and the other end of each branch 541 is fixedly connected to the communicating member 20, so that the centering stability of the communicating member 20 is high, and the communicating member 20 is prevented from being jammed.

Fig. 8 is a first structural schematic view of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 9 is a second structural schematic view of another four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, and referring to fig. 8 and 9, when the communicating member 20 divides the cavity inside the valve body 10 into refrigerant channels, the four-way valve further includes a valve core 30 disposed in the cavity; a third communication channel for communicating the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 is formed between the valve core 30 and the inner wall surface of the cavity, and at this time, a flow gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the valve core 30 and the inner wall surface of the cavity, the flow gap is a third communication channel, and the third communication channel is annular and surrounds the outside of the valve core 30.

In order to divide the third communicating channel into two parts, so that the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 are communicated with each other two by two, the communicating member 20 further comprises a first blocking member 23 and a second blocking member 24 which are arranged in the third communicating channel at intervals, the third communicating channel is divided into a first sub communicating channel 41 and a second sub communicating channel 42 which are not communicated with each other by the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24, and the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are circumferentially spaced to suitably divide the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 two by two. In the present embodiment, a line connecting the first barrier 23 and the second barrier 24 may intersect with the axis of the spool 30, and the central angle of the first barrier 23 and the second barrier 24 is 180 °.

The first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 may be fixedly connected to the valve element 30 or integrally formed with the valve element 30, and the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 protrude from the outer wall surface of the valve element 30 and abut against the inner wall surface of the cavity. The side of the first and

second stoppers

23 and 24 contacting the inner wall surface of the cavity may be an arc surface that fits the inner wall surface of the cavity. At this time, in order to drive the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 to rotate, the valve plug 30 is driven to rotate at the same time.

In order to reduce the input power of the driving member, the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 may be separately disposed from the valve core 30, that is, the valve core 30 may be fixedly connected to the valve body 10, and the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are connected to the driving member. First barrier 23 and second barrier 24 are rotatable relative to valve body 10 in the circumferential direction of valve body 10 to allow first sub communication passage 41 to communicate first port 11 with second port 12 and second sub communication passage 42 to communicate third port 13 with fourth port 14, or allow first sub communication passage 41 to communicate first port 11 with fourth port 14 and second sub communication passage 42 to communicate second port 12 with third port 13.

The valve core 30, the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 may be spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, conical, etc. accordingly, the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are in line contact with the valve core 30 and the valve body 10, respectively, the contact area is reduced, the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are not easily clamped, and the input power of the driving member is further reduced.

For example, the four-way valve is in a state where the first port 11 and the second port 12 are communicated and the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 are communicated, and at this time, the first barrier 23 and the second barrier 24 are respectively located between the first port 11 and the fourth port 14 and between the second port 12 and the third port 13. When the connection state needs to be switched, the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are rotated, so that the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 are respectively located between the first port 11 and the second port 12, and between the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, at this time, the first port 11 is communicated with the fourth port 14, and the second port 12 is communicated with the third port 13.

To drive first barrier 23 and second barrier 24 to rotate, the four-way valve further includes a second driving member connected to valve body 10, and the second driving member is connected to first barrier 23 and second barrier 24 to drive first barrier 23 and second barrier 24 to rotate relative to valve body 10 along the circumferential direction of valve body 10.

The number of the second driving pieces can also be two, the first blocking piece 23 and the second blocking piece 24 are respectively connected with one second driving piece, the two second driving pieces can be started and stopped simultaneously, and the starting and stopping can also be controlled independently, so that the circumferential distance between the first blocking piece 23 and the second blocking piece 24 can be adjusted.

Illustratively, one of the second driving members may drive one of the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 to rotate until it blocks any one of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, and the other of the second driving members may drive the other of the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 to rotate to one side of the blocked port, so as to communicate with the other three of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14.

In this embodiment, the number of the second driving members may be one, the second driving members simultaneously drive the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 to rotate, and the interval between the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 is constant.

The second driving member may also be a second motor, and includes a second magnet and a second coil surrounding the second magnet, the second magnet is connected to the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24, and the second magnet can rotate relative to the second coil to drive the first blocking member 23 and the second blocking member 24 to rotate around the axis of the valve core 30, so that the selection can be performed according to the use conditions such as the rotation speed and the voltage.

The structure of the second driving member may be the same as that of the first driving member, and details are not described in this embodiment.

On the basis of the above embodiment, the valve body 10 includes four side wall surfaces 15 arranged along its own circumferential direction, and two adjacent side wall surfaces 15 are arranged vertically; the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 are provided in this order on four sidewall faces 15.

The circumferential distance between the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 is large, and even if the communication member 20 does not rotate in place, the situation of series flow of the refrigerant does not occur, and the safety is high.

The axes of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 may be arranged obliquely to the corresponding sidewall surfaces 15. Optionally, in this embodiment, the axes of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 are all perpendicular to the corresponding sidewall surface 15, that is, the included angle between any two adjacent axes of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 is 90 °, which is convenient for processing and manufacturing.

Thus, when the refrigerant passage is formed inside the communication member 20, the two first communication passages 21 may be arranged in an arc shape, reducing the flow resistance of the refrigerant in the two first communication passages 21.

The present invention further provides an air conditioner, which includes a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and a four-way valve, wherein an air suction port of the compressor, an air exhaust port of the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator are respectively connected to the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, and the structure and the working principle of the four-way valve are described in the above embodiments, which are not repeated in this embodiment.

The compressor is used to compress refrigerant gas into a high-temperature and high-pressure state, and may be a reciprocating compressor, a rotary compressor, an axial compressor, a centrifugal compressor, or the like.

When the air conditioner is required to heat, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor can enter the evaporator through the four-way valve to dissipate heat so as to improve the temperature of a member to be heated; the refrigerant after heat dissipation and temperature reduction enters a condenser to absorb heat and evaporate; the refrigerant then passes through the four-way valve into the compressor suction for the next cycle. Both the condenser and the evaporator are heat exchangers, which may be of a kind well known to the person skilled in the art.

When the air conditioner is required to refrigerate, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor can enter the condenser through the four-way valve for heat dissipation, and the refrigerant after heat dissipation and temperature reduction enters the evaporator for heat absorption and evaporation so as to reduce the temperature of a to-be-cooled part; the refrigerant then passes through the four-way valve into the compressor suction for the next cycle.

The air conditioner provided by the embodiment adopts the four-way valve, and can solve the problems of blocking of the four-way valve, leakage of refrigerant and the like in the related technology.

It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; may be mechanically coupled, may be electrically coupled or may be in communication with each other; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through an intermediate. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

In the description above, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, various embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without contradiction.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A four-way valve, comprising:

the valve comprises a valve body, a valve body and a valve body, wherein a cavity is formed in the valve body, and a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port are sequentially arranged on the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body;

the communicating piece is arranged in the cavity and can rotate relative to the valve body, so that the first port is communicated with the second port, the third port is communicated with the fourth port, or the first port is communicated with the fourth port, and the second port is communicated with the third port.

2. The four-way valve according to claim 1, wherein an outer wall surface of the communicating member is attached to an inner wall surface of the cavity, and two first communicating channels which are not communicated with each other are arranged in the communicating member;

the communication member is rotatable relative to the valve body such that both ends of one of the first communication passages are aligned with the first port and the second port and both ends of the other of the first communication passages are aligned with the third port and the fourth port; or both ends of one of the first communication passages are aligned with the first port and the fourth port, and both ends of the other of the first communication passages are aligned with the second port and the third port.

3. The four-way valve according to claim 2, wherein a second communication passage is provided on the communication member, the second communication passage having three ports, and the communication member is rotatable relative to the valve body to communicate the three ports of the second communication passage with any three of the first port, the second port, the third port, and the fourth port.

4. The four-way valve of claim 1 further comprising a first drive member coupled to the valve body, the first drive member coupled to the communication member to drive the communication member to rotate relative to the valve body.

5. The four-way valve according to claim 4, wherein the first driving member comprises a first magnet and a first coil surrounding the first magnet, the first magnet is connected to the communicating member, and the first magnet is capable of rotating relative to the first coil to rotate the communicating member around its axis.

6. The four-way valve of claim 1 further comprising a valve spool disposed within the cavity;

a third communication channel for communicating the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port is formed between the valve core and the inner wall surface of the cavity, the communication piece comprises a first blocking piece and a second blocking piece which are arranged in the third communication channel at intervals, and the first blocking piece and the second blocking piece divide the third communication channel into a first sub-communication channel and a second sub-communication channel which are not communicated with each other;

the first blocking member and the second blocking member are capable of rotating relative to the valve body along the circumferential direction of the valve body, so that the first sub communication channel is communicated with the first port and the second port, the second sub communication channel is communicated with the third port and the fourth port, or the first sub communication channel is communicated with the first port and the fourth port, and the second sub communication channel is communicated with the second port and the third port.

7. The four-way valve of claim 6 further comprising a second actuator coupled to the valve body, the second actuator coupled to the first barrier member and the second barrier member to drive the first barrier member and the second barrier member to rotate relative to the valve body in a circumferential direction of the valve body.

8. The four-way valve according to claim 7, wherein the second driving member comprises a second magnet and a second coil surrounding the second magnet, the second magnet is connected to the first blocking member and the second blocking member, and the second magnet is capable of rotating relative to the second coil to rotate the first blocking member and the second blocking member around the axis of the valve spool.

9. The four-way valve according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the valve body comprises four side wall surfaces arranged circumferentially along the valve body, and two adjacent side wall surfaces are arranged vertically;

the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port are sequentially arranged on the four side wall surfaces.

10. An air conditioner comprising a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and the four-way valve of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a suction port of the compressor, a discharge port of the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator are connected to the first port, the second port, the third port and the fourth port, respectively.