CN211599545U

CN211599545U - Electronic expansion valve

Info

Publication number: CN211599545U
Application number: CN201922324365.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王鑫楠
Original assignee: Dunan Environment Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Dunan Environment Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2020-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-20

Abstract

The utility model provides an electronic expansion valve, this electronic expansion valve includes: a housing; the guide sleeve is arranged in the shell; the valve needle assembly is movably arranged in the guide sleeve in a penetrating mode, the outer wall of the valve needle assembly is arranged corresponding to the inner wall of the guide sleeve, and the guide sleeve is used for guiding the valve needle assembly; the guide sleeve and/or the valve needle assembly are made of non-metal materials; or part of the guide sleeve and/or part of the valve needle assembly are integrally formed by metal and non-metal materials, the inner wall of the guide sleeve is in contact with the outer wall of the valve needle assembly, and at least one surface of the guide sleeve is made of the non-metal materials. Through the technical scheme provided by the application, the problems of large noise and short service life in the prior art can be solved.

Description

Electronic expansion valve

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an electronic expansion valve technical field particularly, relates to an electronic expansion valve.

Background

Generally, an electronic expansion valve includes a housing, a guide sleeve, and a valve needle assembly, both disposed within the housing. Wherein, the uide bushing is fixed to be set up in the casing, and the movably wearing of needle subassembly is established in the uide bushing, and the uide bushing is used for leading the needle subassembly to guarantee that needle subassembly and valve port aim at.

In the prior art, the guide sleeve and the valve needle assembly are both made of metal materials, but the friction between metals is very large, so that large friction noise is generated, the abrasion of parts is increased, and the service life of the device is shortened. Therefore, the prior art has the problems of large noise and short service life.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides an electronic expansion valve to solve the big, the low problem of life of noise among the prior art.

The utility model provides an electronic expansion valve, electronic expansion valve includes: a housing; the guide sleeve is arranged in the shell; the valve needle assembly is movably arranged in the guide sleeve in a penetrating mode, the outer wall of the valve needle assembly is arranged corresponding to the inner wall of the guide sleeve, and the guide sleeve is used for guiding the valve needle assembly; the guide sleeve and/or the valve needle assembly are made of non-metal materials; or part of the guide sleeve and/or part of the valve needle assembly are integrally formed by metal and non-metal materials, the inner wall of the guide sleeve is in contact with the outer wall of the valve needle assembly, and at least one surface of the guide sleeve is made of the non-metal materials.

Further, the valve needle assembly comprises a spring sleeve and a valve needle, the valve needle is arranged in the spring sleeve in a penetrating mode, and at least part of the outer wall of the spring sleeve is made of a non-metal material.

Further, the spring housing includes: the outer wall of the first body is provided with a first mounting groove, and the lower end of the first mounting groove is of an opening structure; the first nonmetal layer is arranged in the first mounting groove, the upper end of the first nonmetal layer is abutted to the groove wall of the first mounting groove, and the outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer is larger than or equal to that of the first body.

Further, the spring housing is made of a non-metallic material.

Further, the guide sleeve includes: the inner wall of the second body is provided with a second mounting groove, and the upper end of the second mounting groove is of an opening structure; and the second nonmetal layer is arranged in the second mounting groove, the lower end of the second nonmetal layer is abutted against the groove wall of the second mounting groove, and the inner diameter of the second nonmetal layer is smaller than or equal to that of the guide sleeve.

Furthermore, the guide sleeve comprises an inner layer and an outer layer which are mutually connected, the outer layer is sleeved outside the inner layer, and the inner layer is made of non-metal materials.

Further, the upper end face of the inner layer is higher than or equal to the upper end face of the outer layer.

Further, the guide sleeve is made of a non-metallic material.

Further, the non-metallic materials include polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyamide.

Further, electronic expansion valve still includes rotor, nut seat and screw rod, and the rotor rotationally sets up in the casing, and the nut seat sets up in the casing, and the screw rod is movably worn to establish in the nut seat, and the rotor is connected with the screw rod drive, and the needle subassembly sets up the one end at the screw rod to drive needle subassembly axial displacement through the screw rod, the needle subassembly still includes: the pressing sleeve is fixedly arranged at the upper end of the spring sleeve, and the screw rod is arranged in the pressing sleeve in a penetrating manner; the bushing is sleeved on the screw rod and is positioned between the pressing sleeve and the valve needle; one end of the pre-tightening spring is sleeved on the bushing, and the other end of the pre-tightening spring is sleeved on the valve needle.

Use the technical scheme of the utility model, this electronic expansion valve include casing, uide bushing and needle subassembly, and the uide bushing setting is in the casing, and in the movably guide bushing of wearing to establish of needle subassembly, the inner wall setting of the outer wall correspondence uide bushing of needle subassembly, the uide bushing is used for leading to the needle subassembly. The guide sleeve and/or the valve needle assembly are made of non-metal materials, or part of the guide sleeve and/or part of the valve needle assembly are integrally formed by metal and non-metal materials, the inner wall of the guide sleeve is in contact with the outer wall of the valve needle assembly, at least one surface of the inner wall of the guide sleeve is made of the non-metal materials, friction between the valve needle assembly and the guide sleeve can be converted into friction between the non-metal materials and the metal materials or between the non-metal materials and the non-metal materials, friction noise can be reduced, meanwhile abrasion of parts can be reduced, and the service life of the device is prolonged.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present application, are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic expansion valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an assembly view of the guide sleeve and valve needle assembly of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a valve needle assembly provided by the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 shows a schematic structural diagram of a guide sleeve provided by the third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 shows an assembly view of the guide sleeve and the valve needle assembly according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein the figures include the following reference numerals:

10. a housing;

20. a guide sleeve; 21. a second body; 22. a second non-metal layer; 23. an inner layer; 24. an outer layer;

30. a valve needle assembly; 31. a spring housing; 311. a first body; 312. a first non-metal layer; 32. a valve needle; 33. pressing the sleeve; 34. a bushing; 35. pre-tightening the spring;

40. a rotor; 50. a nut seat; 60. a screw; 70. a valve seat core.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic expansion valve, which includes a housing 10, a guide sleeve 20, and a valve needle assembly 30. The guide sleeve 20 is fixedly disposed in the housing 10, the valve needle assembly 30 movably penetrates through the guide sleeve 20, and the valve needle assembly 30 is disposed corresponding to the valve port. Specifically, the outer wall of the valve needle assembly 30 is disposed corresponding to the inner wall of the guide sleeve 20, the valve needle assembly 30 is movable along the axial direction of the guide sleeve 20, and the guide sleeve 20 is used for guiding the valve needle assembly 30 to ensure the coaxiality between the valve needle assembly 30 and the valve port. Wherein at least a portion of the guide sleeve 20 and/or the valve pin assembly 30 is made of a non-metallic material. Specifically, the guide sleeve 20 and/or the valve pin assembly 30 are made of non-metallic materials; alternatively, part of the guide sleeve 20 and/or part of the valve needle assembly 30 are formed by integrally molding metal and non-metal materials, and at least one surface of the inner wall of the guide sleeve 20 is in contact with the outer wall of the valve needle assembly 30 and is made of non-metal material. With the above structure, the contact surface between the valve needle assembly 30 and the guide sleeve 20 can be contacted by the non-metallic material, and the friction can be reduced.

With the electronic expansion valve provided by the embodiment, the guide sleeve 20 and/or the valve needle assembly 30 are made of a non-metal material, or a part of the guide sleeve 20 and/or a part of the valve needle assembly 30 are integrally formed by metal and the non-metal material, and the valve needle assembly 30 and the guide sleeve 20 are in contact through the non-metal material, so that friction force, particularly friction force of spiral reciprocating rotation of the valve needle assembly 30, can be reduced, friction noise is reduced, wear of components is reduced, and the service life of the device is prolonged.

In the present embodiment, the valve needle assembly 30 includes a spring sleeve 31 and a valve needle 32, the valve needle 32 is disposed in the spring sleeve 31, and at least a portion of an outer wall of the spring sleeve 31 is made of a non-metallic material.

Wherein, the guide sleeve 20 and/or the valve needle assembly 30 are made of non-metal materials, and include the following three structures: first, the guide sleeve 20 is made of a non-metallic material; second, the valve needle assembly 30 is made of a non-metallic material; third, the guide sleeve 20 and the needle assembly 30 are made of non-metallic materials.

Wherein, part guide sleeve 20 and/or part needle subassembly 30 are made by metal and non-metallic material integrated into one piece, include following three kinds of structures: part of the guide sleeve 20 is made of metal and non-metal materials through integral molding; secondly, part of the valve needle assembly 30 is made of metal and non-metal materials through integral molding; third, a portion of the guide sleeve 20 and a portion of the needle assembly 30 are formed integrally from metallic and non-metallic materials.

Specifically, part of the guide sleeve 20 is made of metal and non-metal materials by integral molding, and comprises the following two structures: first, a part of the inner wall of the guide housing 20 is made of a non-metallic material in the axial direction of the guide housing 20; second, the guide sleeve 20 is divided into an inner layer and an outer layer in the radial direction, and the inner layer of the guide sleeve 20 is made of a non-metallic material.

Specifically, part of the valve needle assembly 30 is made of metal and non-metal materials by integral molding, and includes the following two structures: first, in the axial direction of the spring housing 31, part of the outer wall of the spring housing 31 is made of a non-metallic material; second, the spring housing 31 is divided into an inner layer and an outer layer in the radial direction, and the inner layer of the spring housing 31 is made of a non-metallic material.

The structure of the guide sleeve 20 and the structure of the spring sleeve 31 can be selected according to the use requirement.

In this embodiment, spring housing 31 is whole to be made by non-metallic material, and the uide bushing 20 is whole to be made by non-metallic material, and the whole contact surface of so spring housing 31 and uide bushing 20 is the non-metallic material contact, can reduce frictional noise, reduces wearing and tearing, increases life, reduces the rolling resistance, promotes action performance and ability of opening the valve.

Specifically, the grooves are formed in the guide sleeve 20 and/or the spring sleeve 31, so that the contact area between the guide sleeve and the spring sleeve can be reduced, the noise can be further reduced, and the service life can be prolonged.

The non-metal materials include, but are not limited to, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyamide, which have good smoothness (reduced friction), hardness (less deformation), and wear resistance (long life).

As shown in fig. 1, the electronic expansion valve further includes a rotor 40, a nut seat 50, and a screw 60, wherein the rotor 40 is rotatably disposed in the housing 10, the nut seat 50 is fixedly disposed in the housing 10, and the screw 60 is movably disposed in the nut seat 50. Specifically, the rotor 40 is drivingly connected to the screw rod 60, and the valve needle assembly 30 is disposed at one end of the screw rod 60, so that the screw rod 60 drives the valve needle assembly 30 to axially move, thereby opening and closing the valve port.

Wherein, needle subassembly 30 still includes pressing cover 33, bush 34 and pretension spring 35, pressing cover 33 is fixed to be set up in the upper end of spring housing 31, screw rod 60 wears to establish in pressing cover 33, bush 34 cover is established on screw rod 60, bush 34 is located and presses between cover 33 and the needle 32, establish on bush 34 through the pot head with pretension spring 35, establish the other end cover of pretension spring 35 on needle 32, utilize pretension spring 35 can play the effect of buffering, avoid needle 32 direct impact valve port, further reduce noise at work and life.

In this embodiment, the electronic expansion valve further includes a valve seat core 70, one end of the guide sleeve 20 is sleeved on the valve seat core 70, the other end of the guide sleeve 20 is inserted into the nut seat 50, and the nut seat 50 can be guided by the guide sleeve 20, so as to ensure the coaxiality of the guide sleeve 20, the nut seat 50 and the valve seat core 70. Specifically, the valve seat core 70 is provided with a valve port, and the valve needle 32 is arranged corresponding to the valve port.

As shown in fig. 3, a second embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic expansion valve, and the difference between the electronic expansion valve provided by the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the spring housing 31 includes a first body 311 and a first nonmetal layer 312, a first mounting groove is provided on an outer wall of the first body 311, a lower end of the first mounting groove is an opening structure, the first nonmetal layer 312 is disposed in the first mounting groove, and an upper end of the first nonmetal layer 312 abuts against a groove wall of the first mounting groove to limit the first nonmetal layer 312 from being separated from the first mounting groove. The outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer 312 is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the first body 311. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer 312 is equal to the outer diameter of the first body 311. The first non-metal layer 312 is combined with the first body 311 by injection molding, press fitting, hot melting, and other processes.

In this embodiment, the first non-metal layer 312 is a cylindrical structure, the first non-metal layer 312 is disposed on the outer side of the first body 311, and the first non-metal layer 312 is located in the first mounting groove. In other embodiments, the first nonmetal layer 312 may be a plurality of first elongated plates extending along the axial direction of the spring case 31, and the plurality of first elongated plates are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the spring case 31.

As shown in fig. 4, the third embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic expansion valve, the difference between the third embodiment of the present invention and the first embodiment of the present invention is that the guiding sleeve 20 includes a second body 21 and a second nonmetal layer 22, the inner wall of the second body 21 is provided with a second mounting groove, the upper end of the second mounting groove is an opening structure, the second nonmetal layer 22 is disposed in the second mounting groove, the lower end of the second nonmetal layer 22 abuts against the groove wall of the second mounting groove, so as to limit the second nonmetal layer 22 to separate from the second mounting groove. Wherein the inner diameter of the second non-metal layer 22 is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the guide sleeve 20. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the second non-metallic layer 22 is equal to the inner diameter of the guide sleeve 20. The second non-metal layer 22 is bonded to the second body 21 by injection molding, press fitting, hot melting, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the second nonmetal layer 22 is a cylindrical structure, the second nonmetal layer 22 is disposed in the second body 21, and the second nonmetal layer 22 is located in the second mounting groove. In other embodiments, the second nonmetal layer 22 may be a plurality of second elongated plates extending along the axial direction of the guide sleeve 20, and the plurality of second elongated plates are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the guide sleeve 20.

The embodiment of the utility model provides a fourth provides an electronic expansion valve, the difference of the electronic expansion valve that embodiment four provided and embodiment one lies in:

the spring housing 31 includes a first body 311 and a first nonmetal layer 312, a first mounting groove is provided on an outer wall of the first body 311, a lower end of the first mounting groove is of an open structure, the first nonmetal layer 312 is disposed in the first mounting groove, and an upper end of the first nonmetal layer 312 abuts against a groove wall of the first mounting groove to limit the first nonmetal layer 312 from being separated from the first mounting groove. The outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer 312 is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the first body 311. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer 312 is equal to the outer diameter of the first body 311.

The guide sleeve 20 includes a second body 21 and a second nonmetal layer 22, a second mounting groove is provided on an inner wall of the second body 21, an upper end of the second mounting groove is of an open structure, the second nonmetal layer 22 is disposed in the second mounting groove, and a lower end of the second nonmetal layer 22 abuts against a groove wall of the second mounting groove to limit the second nonmetal layer 22 from being separated from the second mounting groove. Wherein the inner diameter of the second non-metal layer 22 is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the guide sleeve 20. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the second non-metallic layer 22 is equal to the inner diameter of the guide sleeve 20.

As shown in fig. 5, a fifth embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic expansion valve, and the difference between the electronic expansion valve provided in the fifth embodiment and the first embodiment is that the guide sleeve 20 includes an inner layer 23 and an outer layer 24 that are connected to each other, the outer layer 24 is sleeved on the outer side of the inner layer 23, and the inner layer 23 is made of a non-metallic material. Specifically, the upper end surface of the inner layer 23 is higher than or equal to the upper end surface of the outer layer 24. In this embodiment, the upper end surface of the inner layer 23 is higher than the upper end surface of the outer layer 24, so that the upper end of the inner layer 23 is fixedly connected with the nut seat 50. In other embodiments, the upper end surface of the inner layer 23 may be equal to the upper end surface of the outer layer 24.

In the present embodiment, the inner layer 23 is a cylindrical structure, and the inner layer 23 is inserted into the outer layer 24. In other embodiments, the inner layer 23 may be a plurality of third elongated plates extending in the axial direction of the guide sleeve 20, and the plurality of third elongated plates are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the guide sleeve 20.

Through the device that this embodiment provided, through making uide bushing 20 and/or needle subassembly 30 by non-metallic material, perhaps, make part uide bushing 20 and/or part needle subassembly 30 by metal and non-metallic material integrated into one piece, because non-metallic material has fine finish, hardness and wear resistance, can reduce friction, reduce the noise, and the part is difficult for deformation, can promote the life of device.

It is noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, and it should be understood that when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, devices, components, and/or combinations thereof, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective portions shown in the drawings are not drawn in an actual proportional relationship for the convenience of description. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, further discussion thereof is not required in subsequent figures.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the orientation words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" etc. are usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplification of description, and in the case of not making a contrary explanation, these orientation words do not indicate and imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore, should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention; the terms "inner and outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the profile of the respective component itself.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "above … …," "above … …," "above," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one device or feature's spatial relationship to another device or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, devices described as "above" or "on" other devices or configurations would then be oriented "below" or "under" the other devices or configurations. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" can include both an orientation of "above … …" and "below … …". The device may be otherwise variously oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to define the components, and are only used for convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components, and if not stated otherwise, the terms have no special meaning, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve, comprising:

a housing (10);

a guide sleeve (20) disposed within the housing (10);

the valve needle assembly (30) is movably arranged in the guide sleeve (20) in a penetrating mode, the outer wall of the valve needle assembly (30) is arranged corresponding to the inner wall of the guide sleeve (20), and the guide sleeve (20) is used for guiding the valve needle assembly (30);

the guide sleeve (20) and/or the valve needle assembly (30) are made of non-metallic materials;

or, part of the guide sleeve (20) and/or part of the valve needle assembly (30) are integrally formed by metal and non-metal materials, the inner wall of the guide sleeve (20) is in contact with the outer wall of the valve needle assembly (30), and at least one surface of the guide sleeve is made of the non-metal material.

2. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve needle assembly (30) comprises a spring sleeve (31) and a valve needle (32), the valve needle (32) is arranged in the spring sleeve (31) in a penetrating manner, and at least part of the outer wall of the spring sleeve (31) is made of a non-metallic material.

3. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, wherein the spring housing (31) comprises:

the device comprises a first body (311), wherein a first mounting groove is formed in the outer wall of the first body (311), and the lower end of the first mounting groove is of an open structure;

the first nonmetal layer (312) is arranged in the first mounting groove, the upper end of the first nonmetal layer (312) is abutted to the groove wall of the first mounting groove, and the outer diameter of the first nonmetal layer (312) is larger than or equal to that of the first body (311).

4. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, wherein the spring housing (31) is made of a non-metallic material.

5. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein the guide sleeve (20) comprises:

the inner wall of the second body (21) is provided with a second mounting groove, and the upper end of the second mounting groove is of an open structure;

and the second nonmetal layer (22) is arranged in the second mounting groove, the lower end of the second nonmetal layer (22) is abutted against the wall of the second mounting groove, and the inner diameter of the second nonmetal layer (22) is smaller than or equal to that of the guide sleeve (20).

6. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein the guide sleeve (20) comprises an inner layer (23) and an outer layer (24) connected to each other, the outer layer (24) being arranged to fit outside the inner layer (23), the inner layer (23) being made of a non-metallic material.

7. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, wherein the upper end surface of the inner layer (23) is higher than or equal to the upper end surface of the outer layer (24).

8. An electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein the guide sleeve (20) is made of a non-metallic material.

9. The electronic expansion valve of claim 1, wherein the non-metallic material comprises polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyamide.

10. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, further comprising a rotor (40), a nut seat (50), and a screw (60), wherein the rotor (40) is rotatably disposed in the housing (10), the nut seat (50) is disposed in the housing (10), the screw (60) is movably disposed in the nut seat (50), the rotor (40) is in driving connection with the screw (60), the valve needle assembly (30) is disposed at one end of the screw (60) to drive the valve needle assembly (30) to axially move by the screw (60), and the valve needle assembly (30) further comprises:

the pressing sleeve (33) is fixedly arranged at the upper end of the spring sleeve (31), and the screw rod (60) penetrates through the pressing sleeve (33);

the bushing (34) is sleeved on the screw rod (60), and the bushing (34) is positioned between the pressing sleeve (33) and the valve needle (32);

and one end of the pre-tightening spring (35) is sleeved on the bushing (34), and the other end of the pre-tightening spring (35) is sleeved on the valve needle (32).