JP2000111209A - Electric control valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric control valve which can prevent the noise between the outside periphery of a magnet and the inside periphery of a can surely and simply by a simple means, without generating noise between a rotor and a magnet, and whose magnet can be made small, and which can prevent the noise caused by stopper, too. SOLUTION: A rotor 13 mad of a synthetic resin and a magnet 10 are molded integrally at resin molding of the motor 13 so that the electric control valve may not bring a gap into existence between the rotor 13 and the magnet 10. Moreover, a supporting recess 37 is made at the center of the upper cover of a can 9, and the projection of a guide member 38 is set therein, and the top end of a pin 12 equipped with a needle body 14 is supported slidably by the bottom end of the guide member 38. Thereby, a rotor whirling part La is made to exist within the rotation support part Lb of a rotor assembly 26, thus this control valve is put in both-end support.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric control valve which is incorporated in a refrigeration / refrigeration / air-conditioning cycle such as a heat pump type air conditioner or a refrigerator, and is used for controlling a flow rate of a refrigerant or switching a flow path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a refrigerating / refrigerating / air-conditioning cycle of a heat pump type air conditioner, a refrigerator or a refrigerator, an electric control valve is incorporated in a refrigerant flow path for controlling a flow rate of a refrigerant and switching a flow path. Has been used. For example, in the separate type heat pump air conditioner shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant heated to a high pressure and a high temperature by the compressor 100 is operated by the four-way switching valve 101 during the cooling operation as shown by the solid line in the drawing. To the outdoor heat exchanger 102, which is used as a condenser. Here, the refrigerant liquefied at a low temperature is expanded while being controlled by an external control device by an electric expansion valve 103, and the indoor heat is It is led to the exchanger 104 to evaporate, take heat from the indoor air and perform a cooling action, and again the four-way switching valve 1
01 to the compressor. During the heating operation, the refrigerant which has become high pressure and high temperature in the compressor 100 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 1 by the four-way switching valve 101 as shown by a broken line in the figure.
The indoor heat exchanger 104 is used as a condenser, and heat is applied to the indoor air to perform a heating action. The expansion is performed while being controlled by an external control device, which is evaporated by an outdoor heat exchanger and returned to the compressor again through the four-way switching valve 101.

In a heat pump type air conditioner which operates as described above, an electric expansion valve in particular is frequently operated in order to appropriately control the temperature in a room. Since this type of conventional valve has a large operating noise, it is not preferable to install the valve indoors, and it has been installed on the outdoor unit side provided with an outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, an expansion valve that controls the flow rate of the refrigerant for controlling the temperature in the room must be placed outside the room, away from the room, and the controllability such as responsiveness is poor. The low-temperature refrigerant must be piped outside from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, which has a high temperature, from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. Was causing it.

[0004] In addition to the above-mentioned air conditioners, for example, regarding refrigerators, the spread of large refrigerators in recent years
Alternatively, due to the necessity of strict temperature control of the ice greenhouse and vegetable room, etc., an electric expansion valve that can perform expensive but precise control is used instead of the refrigerant flow control using a conventional inexpensive capillary tube etc. To do more.
Since such a refrigerator is installed and used indoors, an electric control valve such as an electric expansion valve is also installed in the room, and it is expected that operation noise from these electric control valves is reduced as much as possible. It is rare.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, an electrically operated control valve used in the above-described apparatus has a first opening 62 for connecting a first flow path 61 immediately below the valve body 60 in the axial direction. Is provided, and the second flow path 63
And a second opening 64 for connecting the valve body 60
From above, a valve chamber 65 is formed so as to connect the first opening 62 and the second opening 64. The upper part of the valve body 60 is covered with a can 67 having a lower lid 66 provided at the lower part. Inside the can 67, a magnet 68 is provided on the outer periphery and a pin 7 is provided at the center.
0, a rotor 71 made of resin is provided.
The reference numeral 1 extends downward together with the pin 70 therein and is inserted into the valve chamber 65. The needle valve body 7 is provided at the lower end of the pin 70.
2 is provided, and is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat in a first opening 62 as a valve seat. The pin 70 is integrally formed when the synthetic resin rotor 71 is formed, and the pin 70 is prevented from rotating by the step portion 59.

[0006] The outer periphery of the needle valve 72 directly above the needle valve 72 is rotatably fitted to the inner wall of the valve body, and constitutes a lower guide portion 79. A male screw part 69 is formed on the outer periphery of the protruding part 73 extending below the rotor 71, and a female screw part 75 is formed on the valve chamber wall facing the male screw part 69,
Both are screwed together. Accordingly, when the rotor rotates, the female screw portion 75 is fixed, so that the rotor 71 screwed with the female screw portion moves up and down, and the needle valve body 72 integrated with the rotor 71 moves up and down in the first opening 62. Then, the flow rate is controlled. In addition, this screw portion constitutes an upper guide portion.

The upper end 76 of the pin 70 projects from the rotor 71 and faces the inner surface of the upper lid 77 of the can 67. The outer periphery of the rotor 71 and the inner periphery of the magnet 68 are opposed by a first cylindrical portion 78 eccentric at the upper portion and a second cylindrical portion 80 having a smaller diameter at the lower portion. An upwardly directed first magnet portion 81 of the magnet 68 is formed between the second cylindrical portion 78 and the second cylindrical portion 80, and a downwardly directed first rotor portion 82 is engaged with this portion of the rotor 71. A second magnet portion 89 is provided below the second cylindrical portion 80 of the magnet 68, and a support portion 83 is formed by this portion. The support portion 83 is formed by an upper protruding portion 84 protruding above the valve body 60.
Opposes the upper surface. An equalizing hole 85 is formed in the upper protruding portion 84 of the valve main body 60, so that the pressure of the refrigerant in the valve chamber 65 and the pressure in the rotor chamber 86 in the can 67 are made equal.

The lower end of the magnet 68 is partially connected to the valve body 6.
The upper projecting portion 84 extends to the outer periphery, and a part thereof further extends downward to form a lower projecting portion 87, which is formed on the lower lid 66 as shown in FIG. The stopper pin 88 can be contacted. The downward movement of the rotor 71 may be restricted by the stopper pin 88 or by bringing the second step portion 89 of the magnet 68 into contact with the upper surface of the upward projecting portion 84.
A part of the upper end of the magnet 68 extends upward to form an upper protruding portion 90, and the upper protruding portion 90 is provided on a stopper member 91 fixed to the inner periphery of the upper lid portion of the can 67 and extends downward from the outer periphery. The stopper 92 can be abutted. A coil 93 is provided around the cylindrical outer periphery of the can 67.
Are fixed and connected to the outside by a connector 94.

In the electric control valve 95 of the flow rate control type using the needle valve configured as described above, the rotor 71 is rotated by the rotation of the magnet 68 due to the energization of the coil 93, and is formed on the protrusion 73 of the rotor 71. The rotor 71 moves up and down while rotating by the screwing of the externally threaded rotor portion 69 with the internally threaded portion 75 formed on the inner wall of the valve chamber, thereby forming a needle formed at the lower end of the pin 70 fixed to the rotor 71. The valve body 72 moves up and down, changes the opening area of the first opening 62 as a valve seat, and controls the flow rate.

[0010]

In manufacturing and assembling the rotating portion including the rotor 71 in such an electric control valve 95, the pin 70 is integrally formed when the rotor 71 made of synthetic resin is molded, or the pin 70 is formed. The pin 70 is pressed into the through hole at the center of the resin rotor 71 to be integrated. This is inserted into the center hole of the magnet 68 from above and fitted into it to assemble it. This rotor 7
At the time of insertion of 1, in addition to simple fitting, insertion is performed by screwing, press fitting or the like. In the rotor assembly molded in this way, when the rotor and the magnet are assembled by screwing, there is a gap in the threaded portion. The resin is loosened due to contraction deformation or the like, and as shown in FIG. 2, a gap is generated between the first cylindrical portion 78 between the rotor 71 and the magnet 68 and the second cylindrical portion 80, and play occurs in the radial direction. When the rotor rotates, a collision noise is generated in this portion, which is a cause of noise. Further, as shown in FIG.
A gap is also formed between the magnet 2 and the magnet first step portion 81, and play is possible in this portion in the axial direction. Therefore, when vertical movement occurs due to vibration of the device or the like, a collision between the two occurs at this portion, and noise is generated.

The electric control valve 95
In the above, the rotor 71 holding the heavy magnet 68 on the upper outer periphery thereof is supported by the threaded portion of the rotor male screw portion 69 and the female screw portion 75 with its thrust force.
Further, the radial force is applied to the lower guide portion 79 which slides on the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 65 directly above the needle valve body 72.
And an upper guide portion 84 which is a screw portion of the rotor male screw portion 69 and the female screw portion 75, and is supported between Lb in the figure. On the other hand, the magnet 68 and the rotor 71
Is supported in a cantilevered state outside the support portion Lb with the La portion up to the upper end portions of the rotor and the magnet as its rotational weight portion, and the support is extremely unstable. Therefore, particularly when the magnet 68 is used for a long period of time, "gap" is generated in the gap and the contact portion, and the rotating magnet 68 is operated in the gap shown in the drawing.
A collision noise and a sliding noise are generated between the outer periphery of the cylinder and the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the can 67.

On the other hand, since the rotor assembly merely supports the entirety by the threaded portion of the rotor male screw portion 69 and the female screw portion 75, the vertical movement relative to the rotor due to the vibration of equipment or the like. If it occurs, it will also collide at the part shown in the figure and generate noise. further,
The stop at the downward movement position in the rotation of the rotor is performed by bringing the protrusion 87 projecting from the lower end of the magnet 68 into contact with the stopper pin 88, and at the upward movement position in the rotation of the rotor. Is stopped by the contact between the upper protrusion 90 protruding from the upper end of the magnet 68 and the upper stopper 92 of the stopper member 91, so that the stopper pin 88 shown in FIG.
Also, the collision sound at the upper stopper 92 shown in the figure also causes noise. As described above, when the downward movement of the rotor 71 is restricted by bringing the second step portion 89 of the magnet 68 into contact with the upper surface of the upper protruding portion 84, the portion shown in FIG. Noise is also generated by the collision between the two. When the rotor assembly is at the lower stop position as shown in FIG.
If the stepped portion 89 is close to the upper protruding portion 84, a collision occurs at the portion in FIG. 2 when the rotor assembly vibrates in the vertical direction as described above, and noise is generated.

As described above, in the conventional motor-operated control valve, the support of the magnet and the rotor is in particular a cantilever type, which is not stable, and slides such as contact between the outer periphery of the magnet and the inner periphery of the can occur. In order to ensure stable operation, the magnet had to be large. Therefore, in addition to the increase in the weight of the entire valve, the current to be supplied to the coil for driving the large magnet must be increased, and the power consumption increases.

Among the various problems of the conventional valve as described above, in a motor-operated flow control valve of a type in which a needle valve is moved up and down, a rotor and a magnet including a valve body are supported by a screw portion and cantilevered. In order to prevent the occurrence of rotational vibration due to the structure, there has also been proposed a structure in which the upper end of the valve holder, which is the center axis of the rotor, is held by a shaft bearing body fixed to the can. (JP-A-6-174129).

However, in this electric flow valve, since the shaft bearing is fixed to the can, the center of the shaft of the shaft does not always coincide with the center of the can. However, the initial effect cannot always be obtained. In addition, no measures are taken against air gaps between the rotor and the magnet, and no measures are taken against collision noise against the stopper.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the noise between the outer periphery of the magnet and the inner periphery of the can can be reliably and simply prevented without generating noise between the rotor and the magnet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor-operated control valve that can be made small and that can also prevent noise caused by a stopper.

[0017]

According to the present invention, there is provided an electric control having a magnet, a rotor, and a pin having a needle valve formed at a lower end in a can having a coil on an outer periphery. In the valve, a magnet is integrally molded on the outer periphery of the synthetic resin rotor to form a rotor assembly, a concave portion is formed in the center of the upper inner surface of the can, the protrusion of the guide member is fitted, and the tip of the pin is slid by the guide member. The motor-operated control valve is configured by being movably supported.

According to the present invention, as described above, since a magnet is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the synthetic resin rotor to form a rotor assembly, no gap is formed between the outer periphery of the rotor and the magnet. Collision noise can be prevented, and a recess is formed in the center of the upper inner surface of the can and the tip of the pin is supported by this recess. Since the rotating part of the magnet and the rotor can be arranged between the lower end supporting parts, the rotation is stabilized, collision and sliding contact between the outer periphery of the magnet and the inner peripheral surface of the can are eliminated, and the pin Since the protrusion of the guide member that supports the tip is fitted into the recess formed directly on the can, the center position of the can is It is possible to truly match. Further, since the rotation of the rotor is stabilized, the size of the magnet can be reduced.

In the rotor assembly in which the upper and lower portions of the rotor assembly are supported by springs, the rotation of the rotor assembly can be further stabilized, and the valve is provided immediately above the needle valve formed at the lower end of the pin. In the case where the guide portion rotatably fitted to the indoor wall is provided, the rotor assembly is supported at substantially both ends of the pin, and a heavy component such as a magnet can be arranged at an arbitrary position therebetween. The degree of freedom in design. In the guide member having the upper spring receiving portion formed thereon, the configuration of the upper spring receiving portion can be simplified, and
In the case where the tip of the pin and the guide member are fitted and supported so that they cannot rotate with each other and are slidable in the axial direction, the guide member also rotates with the rotation of the rotor and the pin, and is contracted between the guide member and the rotor. Since the upper spring rotates together, the upper spring is not twisted, the operation is stable, and when the guide provided directly above the needle valve is used as the receiving part for the lower spring, the receiving part for the lower spring is used. The configuration can be simplified.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, the main structure of which is the same as that of the electric control valve shown in FIG. 2 described in the prior art. That is, in the electric control valve 1, the valve body 2 is provided with the first opening 4 for connecting the first flow path 3 immediately below the valve body 2,
A second opening 6 for connecting the second flow path 5 is provided on a side portion in the vicinity thereof, and the first opening 4 and the second opening
A valve chamber 7 is formed so as to connect the openings 6. The upper part of the valve body 2 is covered with a can 9 provided with a lower lid 8 at the lower part. Inside the can 9, a resin rotor 13 having a magnet 10 on the outer periphery and a pin 12 at the center is provided.
The rotor 13 extends downward together with the pin 12 therein and is inserted into the valve chamber 7. A needle valve element 14 is provided at the lower end of the pin 12 and is disposed in the first opening 4 as a valve seat so as to be able to advance and retreat.

The magnet 10, the rotor 13, and the pin 12
Are integrally formed when the rotor is molded. That is, in a mold for molding the rotor, the pin 12 is supported in advance at the center, the magnet 10 is fixed to the outer periphery of the mold, and these are integrally molded by injecting a synthetic resin into the mold. You. As described above, since the rotor 12 and the magnet 10 are integrally formed, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, the first cylindrical portion, which has a gap in the conventional example shown in FIG. The second cylindrical portion 17, the first cylindrical portion 17, and the first step portion 18 are in close contact with each other, and do not generate a gap, and this state does not change thereafter. Further, the pin 12 is fixed to the rotation stop at the step 58. Further, since the magnet 10 and the rotor 13 are integrally formed, there is no need to eccentrically couple the first cylindrical portion 16 as in the conventional example shown in FIG.

The outer periphery immediately above the needle valve element 14 is the valve chamber 7
And is rotatably fitted to the inner wall of the lower guide portion 21 to form a lower guide portion 21. A male screw portion 19 is formed on the outer periphery of the protruding portion 15 extending below the rotor 13, and a female screw portion 20 is formed on the inner wall of the valve body facing the male screw portion 19, and both are screwed together. Accordingly, when the rotor rotates, the female screw portion 20 is fixed, and the rotor 13 screwed with the female screw portion 20 moves up and down, and the needle valve element 14 integrated with the rotor 13 moves up and down in the first opening 4. Then, the flow rate is controlled. An equalizing hole 27 is formed in the upper protruding portion 26 of the valve body 2, so that the pressure of the refrigerant in the valve chamber 7 and the pressure in the rotor chamber 28 in the can 9 are equalized. A lower spring 32 is contracted between a lower portion of the fitting portion at a portion immediately above the needle valve element 14 and a lower end surface of the valve chamber 7.

An upper projection 43 of a guide member 38 is fitted into a support recess 37 provided at the center of the upper lid 33 of the can 9. Further, the center hole 39 of the guide member 38 and the pin 12
The upper end is fitted to be able to move up and down by serration connection or the like. The center hole 39 of the guide member 38
The connection between the pin and the upper end of the pin 12 can be performed by connecting the two so as to be vertically movable and rotatable by a connection after the cylindrical surface or the like, in addition to the above-described connection. Also,
A spring receiving portion 42 is formed on the outer periphery of the guide member 38, and an upper spring 41 is contracted between the spring receiving portion 42 and the lower surface 31 of the concave fitting portion of the rotor. A coil 50 is fixed to the cylindrical outer periphery of the can 9,
The connector 51 connects to the outside.

In the electric control valve of the flow rate control type using the needle valve configured as described above, the rotor 13 is rotated by the rotation of the magnet 10 due to the energization of the coil 50, and is formed on the protrusion 15 of the rotor 13. The magnet 1 formed integrally with the rotor 13 by screwing a male screw 19 and a female screw 20 formed on the inner wall of the valve chamber.
It moves up and down while rotating with 0 and the pin 12. Thereby, the needle valve body 14 formed on the pin 12 moves up and down,
The flow area is controlled by changing the opening area of the first opening 4.

In setting the male screw 19 and the female screw 20, for example, by finely adjusting the pitch between the male screw 19 and the female screw 20, the rotation is once caused by the difference in pitch between the predetermined number of rotations in the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction of the rotor. It is limited, and both are gently re-tightened within a predetermined rotation range. By restricting the rotation, the function of the stopper can be made. With such a stopper structure, the conventional upper stopper and stopper pin are not required, and the collision sound at and in FIG. 2 can be eliminated. If the retightening action is too large, the reverse rotation operation from this state is hindered.
Of course, it must be set within this range. Further, when the second step portion of the magnet 10 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the protruding portion 26 from the valve body, the collision noise in the conventional example shown in FIG. 2 can be eliminated. Further, in the present invention, when the upper end of the pin 12 and the center hole of the guide member 38 are fitted by serration connection or the like, and the guide member 38 is configured to rotate with the rotation of the rotor, the guide member It is also possible to provide a stopper function by providing a means for stopping the rotation of.

In this electric control valve, as described above, since the magnet 10 is integrally formed with the synthetic resin rotor 12 at the time of resin molding, there is no gap between the two. In the prior art shown in FIG. 1, no collision noise is generated in the cylindrical surface or the gap between the steps in the portion in the figure, and the noise conventionally generated in this portion can be eliminated.

The tip of the pin 12 serves as a first guide portion supported by a support recess 37 formed in the upper lid 33 of the can 9 via a guide member 38, while being formed at the lower end of the pin 12. The outer periphery of the lower guide portion 21 provided directly above the needle valve body 14 is fitted to the valve chamber wall to form a second guide portion, and the upper end portion of the magnet 10 and the male screw of the rotor are provided between the support portions Lb at both ends. Since the support portion La in the portion 19 is configured to be present, its rotation is stable, collision and sliding contact between the magnet and the inner peripheral surface of the can are eliminated, and noise in the portion of the conventional device shown in FIG. 2 is reduced. The occurrence is prevented.

Further, since the rotor assembly is pressed and supported by the upper spring 41 and the lower spring 32 from above and below, the rotation of the rotor can be further stabilized, and the rotor can be further prevented from wobbling. In addition, since such sliding contact does not occur and the rotation of the rotor is stable, the magnet may be small, and the whole can be reduced in weight and size, and the power supplied to the coil is small. And power consumption can be reduced.

Since the guide member 38 for guiding the tip of the pin 12 is supported by the support recess 37 formed in the upper lid 33 of the can 9, the support recess 37 is simultaneously positioned at the time of can molding. Can be formed, and the center position can be made accurate. Therefore, as compared with the conventional example described in JP-A-6-174129, another member supporting the tip of the pin is fixed to the upper lid portion while positioning the center of the pin, and more accurately. In addition, the pins can be easily positioned.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, since a magnet is integrally formed on the outer periphery of a synthetic resin rotor to form a rotor assembly, no gap is formed between the outer periphery of the rotor and the magnet. , It is possible to prevent the generation of collision noise between the two. Also, a recess is formed in the center of the upper inner surface of the can, and the protrusion of the guide member into which the tip of the pin is inserted is supported by the recess, so that the rotor can have a rotating structure supported by both ends. Since the rotating part of the magnet and the rotor is arranged between the upper and lower support parts, the rotation is stable, and the collision and sliding contact between the outer circumference of the magnet and the inner peripheral surface of the can are eliminated, thereby reducing noise. No more outbreaks. Furthermore, since the protrusion of the guide member that supports the tip of the pin is fitted into the recess formed directly on the can, the center position of the can is more secure compared to the case where the pin support member is separately fixed to the can. Can be matched. Further, since the rotation of the rotor is stabilized, the size of the magnet can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the upper and lower portions of the rotor assembly are supported by the springs, the rotation of the rotor assembly can be further stabilized. Further, in the invention according to claim 3, a guide portion rotatably fitted to the valve chamber wall is provided immediately above the needle valve formed at the lower end of the pin, so that the rotor assembly is substantially at both ends of the pin. It will be supported by, and heavy parts such as magnets can be arranged at any position between them,
The degree of freedom in design is improved. In the invention according to claim 4, since the receiving portion of the upper spring is formed on the guide member, the configuration of the upper spring receiving portion can be simplified. Further, in the invention according to claim 5, since the tip of the pin and the guide member are fitted and supported so that they cannot rotate with each other and are slidable in the axial direction, the guide member also rotates with the rotation of the rotor and the pin, Since the upper spring contracted between the guide member and the rotor also rotates together, the upper spring is not twisted and the operation is stabilized. In the invention according to claim 6, since the guide portion provided immediately above the needle valve is used as the lower spring receiving portion, the configuration of the lower spring receiving portion can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electric control valve of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional electric control valve.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a refrigeration circuit when the present invention is applied to a separate air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric control valve 2 Valve main body 4 1st opening 6 2nd opening 7 Valve room 9 Can 10 Magnet 12 Pin 13 Rotor 14 Needle valve body 19 Rotor male screw part 20 Female screw part 32 Lower spring 37 Support concave part 38 Guide member 41 Upper spring

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electric control valve having a magnet, a rotor, and a pin having a needle valve formed at a lower end in a can having a coil on the outer periphery, wherein the magnet is integrally molded on the outer periphery of the synthetic resin rotor. An electric control valve comprising: a rotor assembly, a recess formed in the center of the upper inner surface of the can, a projection of the guide member is fitted, and a tip of the pin is slidably supported by the guide member. 2. The electric control valve according to claim 1, wherein upper and lower portions of the rotor assembly are supported by springs. 3. The electric control valve according to claim 1, wherein a guide portion rotatably fitted to the inner wall of the valve chamber is provided immediately above the needle valve formed at the lower end of the pin. 4. The electric control valve according to claim 1, wherein the guide member has a receiving portion for an upper spring. 5. The electric control valve according to claim 4, wherein the tip of the pin and the guide member are fitted and supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction with respect to each other. 6. The electric control valve according to claim 3, wherein a guide provided immediately above the needle valve serves as a receiving portion for the lower spring.