JP2005300000A - Expansion valve with piping - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an expansion valve with piping manufacturable at a comparatively low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The expansion valve with piping is provided with a block-like case 3 having a refrigerant discharge passage 6 and a refrigerant supply passage 5, and a pipe 13 connected to either one of opened ends of the passages 5 and 6. A recessed part 124 housing a round collar part 131 formed with a diameter larger than the passages 5 and 6 and provided on a connection end part 130b of the pipe 13, and a circumferential wall part 125 covered on the round collar part 131 by thinly cutting it away from an outer circumference side of the recessed part 124 by a cutting tool and bending it in an inner circumference side are provided on the opened end of at least one of passages 5 and 6. By this, in comparison with a conventional structure wherein a connector is precedently fixed to the connection end part 130b of the piping 130, and the connector and the expansion valve are fastened together by a bolt, a manufacturing cost can be reduced since there is no need to fix the connector. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an expansion valve disposed during a cooling cycle of an automotive air conditioning system, for example.

A conventional expansion valve of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this conventional description, in order to fix the connection pipe to the expansion valve, a connector is fixed to the connection end of the pipe by brazing, and the connector and the expansion valve are fastened by bolts.
JP-A-7-329549

  However, in such a prior art, it is necessary to fix the connector to the pipe by brazing or welding in advance before bolting the connector at the connection end of the pipe to the expansion valve. There was a tendency for the manufacturing cost of the to increase.

  The present invention has been made based on such a conventional technique, and an object of the present invention is to provide an expansion valve with piping that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

The invention of claim 1 is a block-like case having a refrigerant discharge passage through which refrigerant discharged from the evaporator flows and a refrigerant supply passage through which refrigerant supplied to the evaporator flows, and the refrigerant supply passage of the case Or a pipe connected to the open end of the refrigerant discharge passage, and an expansion valve with a pipe,
The opening end of at least one of the passages is formed into a recess having a diameter larger than that of the passage and accommodating a circular flange provided at the connection end of the pipe, and is thinned by a cutting tool from the outer peripheral side of the recess. And a peripheral wall portion that covers the circular flange portion by being bent and deformed to the inner peripheral side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power element that outputs changes in the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator as a change in the detection member, and a flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator based on the change in the detection member. A valve part for controlling the expansion valve function part integrally provided,
A block-like case having an attachment hole into which the expansion valve function part is inserted and fixed, a refrigerant discharge passage through which refrigerant discharged from the evaporator flows, and a refrigerant supply passage through which refrigerant supplied to the evaporator flows When,
A pipe connected to an open end of the refrigerant supply passage or the refrigerant discharge passage of the case;
An expansion valve with piping comprising
The opening end of at least one of the passages is formed into a recess having a diameter larger than that of the passage and accommodating a circular flange provided at the connection end of the pipe, and is thinned by a cutting tool from the outer peripheral side of the recess. And a peripheral wall portion that covers the circular flange portion by being bent and deformed to the inner peripheral side.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the expansion valve with pipe according to the second aspect, wherein the expansion preventing means for locking the expansion valve function portion inserted into the mounting hole of the case at a predetermined mounting position is provided as the expansion valve. It is provided between the part other than the power element of the valve function part and the case.

Invention of Claim 4 is an expansion valve with piping of Claim 3, Comprising: The said retaining means is an outer periphery rather than the said attachment hole of the said case, and the round collar part protrudingly provided by the outer periphery of the said valve part A spring holding portion having a hook portion formed on the side and having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the circular flange portion, and housed in the spring holding portion, the diameter can be increased by spring deformation and the circle is in its original state. A ring spring having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the buttocks,
The ring spring is reduced in diameter after riding on the outer periphery of the conical portion of the expansion valve functional portion when the expansion valve functional portion is inserted, and enters the space between the conical portion and the hook portion. And the hook part are engaged, and the expansion valve function part is locked at a predetermined mounting position.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the expansion valve with pipe according to the third aspect, wherein the retaining means is formed so as to open to a concave portion formed on an outer periphery of the valve portion and the mounting hole of the case. And the fitting member inserted into the fitting groove, and the expansion valve function portion is inserted into the mounting hole, and is inserted into the fitting groove. The expansion valve function part is attached when the fitting member enters the recess.

  The invention of claim 6 is the expansion valve with pipe according to claim 3, wherein the retaining means includes an engagement piece projectingly provided on an outer periphery of the valve portion, and a peripheral edge of the mounting hole of the case And an adapter formed with an engagement groove that is inclined in the circumferential direction along with the axial displacement of the mounting hole, and the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole, The expansion valve function part is attached by the engagement piece part of the expansion valve function part entering the engagement groove of the adapter.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to fix the connector to the connection end of the pipe, so that the manufacturing cost of the expansion valve with the pipe is reduced as compared with the prior art (for example, Patent Document 1).

  According to invention of Claim 2, since it becomes unnecessary to fix a connector to the connection end part of piping, the manufacturing cost of the expansion valve with piping is reduced compared with the past (patent document 1 etc.). Moreover, since the case and the expansion valve function part are separate bodies, it is possible to prevent the expansion valve function part from being accidentally damaged by a tool such as a cutting tool when the pipe is attached.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, since the retaining means is provided in a part other than the power element of the expansion valve function part, it is detached when the expansion valve function part is attached and in the attached state. The stopping means can prevent the precision power element from being deformed or damaged. As a result, it is possible to prevent the detection characteristics of the power element from being shifted due to the attachment of the expansion valve function section. Further, the expansion valve function part can be easily replaced.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the expansion valve function part can be attached simply by inserting the expansion valve function part into the attachment hole of the case, and the workability of attachment is very good. . That is, in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-97867), the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole, and the fixed cap is put on the inserted expansion valve function part while aligning, and the fixed cap is covered with a predetermined amount. Since it must be rotated by torque, the mounting workability was poor, but the expansion valve function part can be mounted with one touch.

  According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the expansion valve function part is attached only by inserting the expansion valve function part into the mounting hole of the case and inserting the fitting member into the fitting groove. The attachment workability of the expansion valve function part is good. That is, in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-97867), the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole, and the fixed cap is put on the inserted expansion valve function part while aligning, and the fixed cap is covered with a predetermined amount. Since it must be rotated by torque, the mounting workability is poor, but the expansion valve function section can be easily mounted as compared with the conventional example.

  According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole while being rotated while the engagement piece part of the expansion valve function part is engaged with the engagement groove. The expansion valve function part can be attached simply, and the attachment workability of the expansion valve function part is good. That is, in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-97867), the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole, and the fixed cap is put on the inserted expansion valve function part while aligning, and the fixed cap is covered with a predetermined amount. Since it has to rotate with torque, the workability of the attachment was poor, but the expansion valve function part can be easily attached.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an expansion valve with a pipe according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the process of attaching an expansion valve function unit 2 to a case 3 of the expansion valve body 1, and FIG. The main part front view which is a figure explaining the attachment work process of the expansion valve function part 2 to the case 3 of the expansion valve main body 1, Comprising: The collar part 22 of the expansion valve function part 2 shows the state which contact | abutted against the ring spring 24, FIG. 4-7 is a figure explaining the piping connection structure and connection process of the expansion valve with piping of 1st Embodiment of this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the expansion valve with a pipe according to the first embodiment is a pipe-integrated expansion valve including an expansion valve main body 1 and pipes 130 and 130 connected to the expansion valve main body 1. . The expansion valve main body 1 has a structure including a block-shaped case 3 and an expansion valve function unit 2 attached to the case 3 by retaining means 4A. In the expansion valve with piping of the first embodiment, the piping 130 and 130 are first connected to the block-shaped case 3, and then the expansion valve function unit 2 is attached to the case 3 using the retaining means 4A. It is attached. This first embodiment is mainly characterized by the connection structure of the pipes 130 and 130 and the retaining means 4A.

"Overall structure of expansion valve body"
First, the entire structure of the expansion valve body 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The block-like case 3 is formed with a refrigerant supply passage 5 for refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 104 and a refrigerant discharge passage 6 discharged from the evaporator 104. In the state where the refrigeration cycle (compressor 101, condenser 102, receiver 103, expansion valve 1, evaporator 104) is assembled as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 1, the upstream side of the refrigerant supply passage 5 is a pipe (not shown). The downstream side is connected to the inlet of the evaporator 104 via the pipe 130. The upstream side of the refrigerant discharge passage 6 is connected to the outlet side of the evaporator 104 via a pipe 130, and the downstream side is connected to the inlet of the compressor 101 via a pipe (not shown).

  The case 3 is formed with an attachment hole 7 that penetrates both the refrigerant supply passage 5 and the refrigerant discharge passage 6, and the expansion valve function portion 2 is attached to the attachment hole 7.

  In the expansion valve function unit 2, the power element 10 and the valve unit 11 are integrally formed. The power element 10 is exposed above the case 3 from the mounting hole 7, while the valve portion 11 is disposed in the mounting hole 7 of the case 3. The power element 10 has a diaphragm 14 which is a detection member sandwiched between the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13, and the upper and lower housings 12 and 13 are separated from the upper and lower housings 12 and 13 with the diaphragm 14 as a boundary. A detection refrigerant chamber 16 is formed. A refrigerant gas having a predetermined pressure is sealed in the sealed chamber 15, and the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 104 is guided to the detection refrigerant chamber 16 through a communication hole (not shown) of the pipe portion 17. When the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 104 are high, the diaphragm 14 changes to a state where the central portion bulges upward. When the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant is low, the central portion bulges downward. It changes to the state to do. That is, the power element 10 outputs changes in the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 104 as a transition of the diaphragm 14.

  The valve portion 11 includes an extended tube portion 13a integrally connected to the lower portion of the lower housing 13, and a pipe portion 17 fixed to the lower end of the extended tube portion 13a. The extended tube portion 13a and the pipe The part 17 is inserted into the mounting hole 7. The pipe portion 17 penetrates the refrigerant discharge passage 6 without completely blocking it, but penetrates the refrigerant supply passage 5 in a state of being completely blocked. The refrigerant supply passage 5 is configured such that the upstream side and the downstream side closed by the pipe portion 17 communicate with each other only via the valve passage 18 formed in the pipe portion 17.

  In addition, an operating rod 19 is disposed inside the extended cylinder portion 13a and the pipe portion 17 so as to be movable up and down. An upper end of the operating rod 19 is fixed to the diaphragm 14 side, and a valve body 20 for changing the opening degree of the valve passage 18 is fixed to the lower end of the operating rod 19. The valve body 20 is moved up and down in conjunction with the change of the diaphragm 14, whereby the flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 104 is varied. An urging spring 21 is interposed between the operating rod 19 and the pipe portion 17, and the urging spring 21 urges the operating rod 19 in a direction to close the valve body 20.

  The retaining means 4 </ b> A is attached by a flange 22 protruding from the outer periphery of the valve portion 11, a substantially cylindrical spring holding member 23 fixed to the periphery of the mounting hole 7 of the case 3, and the spring holding member 23. The movement of the hole 7 in the axial direction is restricted to a certain range, and the ring spring 24 is capable of expanding its diameter by spring deformation. The ring spring 24 is configured by, for example, arranging coil springs in an endless ring shape. When the expansion valve function part 2 is inserted into the mounting hole 7 and the ring spring 24 is engaged with the upper surface of the flange part 22 of the expansion valve function part 2, the expansion valve function part 2 is engaged with the case 3. Are combined.

  Note that O-rings 25 and 26 are interposed between the outer periphery of the extending cylindrical portion 13a and the spring holding member 23, and between the spring holding member 23 and the inner surface of the mounting hole 7. 25 and 26 maintain the airtightness of the refrigerant discharge passage. Further, O-rings 27 and 28 are interposed at two locations between the pipe portion 17 and the inner surface of the mounting hole 7, and the refrigerant supply passage 5 and the refrigerant discharge passage 6 are connected by these two O-rings 27 and 28. And the airtightness between the upstream side and the downstream side of the valve passage 18 in the refrigerant supply passage 5 are maintained.

"Piping connection structure"
Next, the connection structure of the pipe 130 will be described in detail. In the first embodiment, the pipe 130 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant supply passage 5 and the inlet of the refrigerant discharge passage 6, but in the present invention, the connection position of the pipe 130 is the inlet / outlet of any passage. It may be.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the connection structure of the pipe 130.

  A recessed portion 124 having a larger diameter than the passages 5 and 6 is formed at the opening ends 123 of the passages 5 and 6 (see FIG. 4). The distal end portion 130 b of the pipe 130 is configured as a connection end portion 130 b inserted into the passages 5 and 6. The connection end portion 130 b is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the passages 5 and 6 of the case 3. An O-ring 132 is attached to the groove portion 130c on the distal end side of the connection end portion 130b, and the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the passage 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the connection end portion 130b is sealed by the O-ring 132. .

  Further, on the proximal end side of the connection end portion 130b (the proximal end side with respect to the O-ring 132), a circular flange portion 131 is provided that protrudes radially outward from the connection end portion 130b. The circular flange 131 is accommodated in the recess 124 at the open end 123 of the passages 5 and 6, and is sandwiched between the bottom surface 124 a of the recess 124 and the peripheral wall 125. Thereby, the pipe 130 is fixedly connected to the case 3. The peripheral wall portion 125 is a portion that is bent and deformed to the inner peripheral side while being cut off from the outer peripheral side (base material of the case 3) of the concave portion 124 and covered with the circular flange portion 121.

"Piping connection process"
Next, the piping connection process will be described. 4 to 7 are enlarged sectional views for explaining the connection process.

  First, in order to obtain the pipe connection structure, a pipe 130 and a case 3 are prepared as shown in FIG. The prepared case 3 has a structure in which a recess 124 having a diameter larger than that of the passages 5 and 6 is provided at the opening ends 123 of the passages 5 and 6. On the other hand, the pipe 130 to be prepared includes a circular flange 131 protruding in the radial direction at the connection end 130 b at the distal end of the pipe 130, and an O-ring 132 mounted in a groove on the distal end side of the circular flange 131. It is a structure provided.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the pipe 130 is inserted into the passages 5 and 6 of the case 3. As a result, the O-ring 132 of the pipe 130 is pressed against the inner periphery of the passages 5 and 6 and the circular flange 131 of the pipe 130 is accommodated in the recess 124.

  From this state, caulking is performed with the blade 140 as shown in FIG. That is, by pressing the tip of the annular blade portion 141 into the upper end surface 125a of the peripheral wall portion 125 of the recess 124, the blade portion 141 is simultaneously cut while the peripheral wall portion 125 of the recess 124 is cut into a thin shape by the blade portion 141. The thin-walled peripheral wall portion 125 is bent and deformed inward by the inclined surface portion (curl portion) 142 on the inner peripheral side, and the substantially dome-shaped thin-walled peripheral wall portion 125 is put on the circular cone portion 131. Thereby, the connection structure of the piping 130 shown in FIG. 7 is obtained.

  Since it is such a pipe connection structure, it is not necessary to fix a connector to the connection end of the pipe as in the prior art (for example, Patent Document 1), so the manufacturing cost of the expansion valve with pipe is reduced compared to the conventional one. .

  Moreover, since the cutting | disconnection operation | movement and the crimping operation | movement of the surrounding wall part 125 can be performed in the same process only by pressing the front-end | tip of the blade part 141 with respect to the upper end surface 125a of the surrounding wall part 125 of the recessed part 124, conventionally (for example, Unlike the piping connection structure of Japanese Patent No. 259388 (FIG. 1, FIG. 7, FIG. 8), it is not necessary to pre-machine the cylindrical wall around the recess 124 with an end mill. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by reducing the processing amount.

"edged tool"
In addition, description of the specific example of the blade tool used for the above-mentioned piping connection process is added.

  FIG. 8 shows a first example of a cutting tool.

  The cutting tool 140A in FIG. 8 has an annular blade portion 141A that is continuous in the circumferential direction. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, the blade portion 141A forms an outer peripheral cylindrical surface 141a parallel to the central axis L of the cylindrical body on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, and is slightly continuous with the tip of the outer peripheral cylindrical surface 141a. A blade edge 141b having a wall thickness t is formed, and an inclined surface portion 142 is formed continuously on the inner peripheral side of the blade edge 141b. The inclined surface portion 142 has a curl shape that is curved and formed into a concave shape having a predetermined curvature R (the curvature center 141e is set at the same height position as the cutting edge 141b) in order to crimp the circular flange portion 131 of the pipe 130 more securely. It is preferable that In the present invention, the inclined surface 142 may be linear as shown in FIG. 20 or may be convexly curved, and is not particularly limited.

  FIG. 10 shows a second example of the cutting tool.

  The cutting tool 140B of FIG. 10 has a plurality of blade portions 141B arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. The number of the blade portions 141B is preferably a number that can be equally distributed in the circumferential direction, and is not particularly limited. The cross section of each blade 141B is the same as that shown in FIG.

  When caulking is performed with the cutting tool 140A of FIG. 8, the entire circumference of the circular flange 131 can be firmly caulked while the peripheral wall 125 of the recess 124 is cut into a thin continuous cylindrical shape. On the other hand, when caulking is performed with the cutting tool 140B of FIG. 10, the circular hook 131 is easily removed with a small force while the peripheral wall 125 of the recess 124 is cut into thin pieces by the blades 141B arranged at intervals. Can be caulked.

"Expansion valve function installation process"
After connecting the pipes 130 and 130 to the block-shaped case 3 as described above, the expansion valve function unit 2 is attached to the case 3. Hereinafter, the procedure for attaching the expansion valve function unit 2 to the case 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIG. 2, the piping 130 is not shown.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the valve portion 11 of the expansion valve function portion 2 is inserted into the attachment hole 7 of the case 3 with the tip end thereof. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the ring spring 24 comes into contact with the flange portion 22 of the expansion valve function portion 2. When the expansion valve function part 2 is further inserted from this position, the ring spring 24 is expanded in diameter by spring deformation, and the insertion of the flange part 22 is allowed. When the insertion of the expansion valve function part 2 proceeds and the flange part 22 passes the position of the ring spring 24, the ring spring 24 is contracted by spring return deformation, and the ring spring 24 is engaged with the upper surface of the flange part 22 as shown in FIG. Match. With the above, the attachment of the expansion valve function unit 2 is completed, and the desired expansion valve with piping is obtained.

“Effect of the first embodiment”
Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be summarized.

  First, according to the first embodiment, a recessed portion that is formed in the opening end 123 of the passages 5 and 6 to have a larger diameter than the passages 5 and 6 and accommodates the circular flange 131 of the connection end portion 130b of the pipe 130. 124 and a peripheral wall portion 125 that is cut from the outer peripheral side of the concave portion 124 by the cutting tool 140 into a thin wall shape and is bent and deformed to the inner peripheral side to cover the circular flange portion 131. Therefore, it is not necessary to fix the connector to the connection end of the pipe as in the conventional case, and the manufacturing cost of the expansion valve with pipe is reduced as compared with the conventional (Patent Document 1).

  In addition, since the cutting operation of the peripheral wall portion 125 and the caulking operation can be performed in the same process by the cutting tool 140, for example, as in the pipe connection structure of Japanese Patent No. 2591388, FIG. 1, FIG. 7, and FIG. In addition, it is not necessary to cut the cylindrical wall with an end mill in advance, and therefore, a large amount of cutting with an end mill is not required, so the cost can be reduced by reducing the amount of processing.

  2ndly, according to this 1st Embodiment, since the case 3 and the expansion valve function part 2 were provided separately, the expansion valve function part 2 can be attached to the case 3 after piping attachment. For this reason, it can prevent that the expansion valve function part 2 is accidentally damaged by tools, such as the blade tool 140, at the time of piping attachment.

  Thirdly, according to the first embodiment, the retaining means 4A is provided in the portion other than the power element 10 (the valve portion 11 in this example) of the expansion valve function portion 2, so that the expansion valve function portion 2 is attached. It is possible to prevent the power element 10 from being deformed or damaged by the retaining means 4A at the time and in the attached state, and to prevent the detection characteristics of the power element 10 from being shifted.

  Further, the use of the retaining means 4A has an advantage that the expansion valve function unit 2 can be easily replaced.

  Fourthly, according to the first embodiment, the expansion valve function part 2 can be attached with one touch by simply inserting the expansion valve function part 2 into the attachment hole 7 of the case 3 by the retaining means 4A. Workability is very good. That is, in the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-97867), the expansion valve function part is inserted into the mounting hole, and the fixed cap is put on the inserted expansion valve function part while aligning, and the fixed cap is covered with a predetermined amount. Since it has to rotate with torque, the mounting workability is poor, but in the first embodiment, the expansion valve function section can be mounted with one touch.

  In the present invention, the retaining means is not limited to the retaining means 4A of the first embodiment, and may be other forms such as retaining means 4B, 4C described below. In the following description, the same or similar components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

"Second example of retaining means"
Hereinafter, the retaining means 4B of the second example will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the expansion valve main body 1 using the second example retaining means 4B, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the second example retaining means 4B.

  As shown in FIGS. 25 and 27, the retaining means 4B includes a recess 30 formed on the outer periphery of the valve portion 11, a fitting groove 31 formed so as to open in the mounting hole 7 of the case 3, and this fitting. It is comprised from the fitting member 32 inserted in the joint groove | channel 31. FIG. In the state where the expansion valve function part 2 is inserted into the attachment hole 7, the expansion member function part 2 is attached by the fitting member 32 inserted into the fitting groove 31 entering the recess 30.

  Next, a procedure for attaching the expansion valve function unit 2 to the case 3 will be described. The valve portion 11 of the expansion valve function portion 2 is inserted into the mounting hole 7 of the case 3 with the tip end. Next, the fitting member 32 is inserted into the fitting groove 31. Then, the fitting member 32 enters the recess 30 and completes.

  With such a configuration, when an external force acts on the expansion valve function part 2 via the fitting member 32, the external force acts on the valve part 11 and does not act on the power element 10. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a shift in detection characteristics of the power element 10 due to the attachment of the expansion valve function unit 2.

  In this example, the expansion valve function part 2 can be attached simply by inserting the expansion valve function part 2 into the mounting hole 7 of the case 3 and inserting the fitting member 32 into the fitting groove 31. 2) Good workability.

"Third example of retaining means"
The third example of the retaining means 4C according to the third example will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the expansion valve main body 1 using the retaining means 4C of the third example, and FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the retaining means 4C.

  As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, the retaining means 4 </ b> C is fixed to the engagement piece portion 33 projecting at three locations on the outer periphery of the valve portion 11 and the periphery of the attachment hole 7 of the case 3. 7 and an adapter 34 formed with an engaging groove 34a that is inclined in the circumferential direction along with the change in the axial direction. In the state where the expansion valve function part 2 is inserted into the attachment hole 7, the expansion valve function part 2 is attached by the engagement pieces 33 of the expansion valve function part 2 entering the engagement grooves 34a.

  Next, a procedure for attaching the expansion valve function unit 2 to the case 3 will be described. The valve part 11 of the expansion valve function part 2 is used as a tip, and each engagement piece part 33 of the expansion valve function part 2 is aligned with each engagement groove 34a. Then, the expansion valve function part 2 is inserted into the attachment hole 7 of the case 3 while being rotated. Then, each engagement piece part 33 gradually enters the back of each engagement groove 34a, and this is completed.

  With such a configuration, when an external force acts on the expansion valve function unit 2 via the adapter 34, the external force acts on the valve unit 11 and does not act on the power element 10. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a shift in detection characteristics of the power element 10 due to the attachment of the expansion valve function unit 2.

  In this example, the expansion valve function part 2 is simply inserted by rotating the expansion valve function part 2 into the mounting hole 7 while engaging the engagement piece part 33 of the expansion valve function part 2 with the engagement groove 34a. Since it can be attached, the workability of the expansion valve function unit 2 is good.

  Second Embodiment: FIG. 11 shows an expansion valve with a pipe according to a second embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of a main part in which a pipe connection structure is enlarged.

  The second embodiment is an example in which two passages 5 and 6 formed in the case 3 are close to each other. More specifically, at the closest locations of the peripheral wall portions 125, 125 of the recesses 124, 124 of the two passages 5, 6, a thickness (bent inwardly) sufficient to cut each peripheral wall portion 125, 125 for caulking. This is a structure in which H1 is ensured (about twice the thickness of the peripheral wall portion 125 to be deformed).

  According to the second embodiment, the wall thickness (only enough to cut each peripheral wall portion 125, 125 for caulking at the closest location of the peripheral wall portions 125, 125 of the recesses 124, 124 of the two passages 5, 6 ( Since it is a structure in which H1 is secured, the distance between the two passages 5 and 6 can be narrowed compared to the first embodiment. Therefore, the size of the case 3 can be reduced.

  In the present invention, a structure in which the distance between the passages 5 and 6 is minimized so that the two concave portions 124 and 124 overlap each other is also included. In this case, it can respond by not caulking the closest part of the passages 5 and 6. In other words, this can be dealt with by caulking with a blade that does not have a blade portion at a position corresponding to the closest point of the passages 5 and 6.

  12-15 is a figure which shows the 1st example of the crimping die for obtaining the piping connection structure of FIG.

  The caulking die 150 includes a number of blades 151 corresponding to the number of pipes 130 to be connected (two sets in this example), and an attachment base 153 having a recess 152 to which the two sets of blades 151 are attached. Prepare.

  The blade 151 includes a rectangular substrate portion 151 a, an annular blade portion 156 that protrudes from the substrate portion 151 a and has an inclined surface portion 157 on the inner peripheral side, and a pipe penetration portion 154 formed at the center of the annular blade portion 156. And. The two blades 151 are attached to the recess of the mounting base 153 in a state of being adjacent to each other, and the blade portions 156 and 156 are circumscribed. As shown in FIG. 12, the blade edges of the two blade portions 156 and 156 coincide with each other at the two outer contacts. Thereby, between the two peripheral wall portions 125 and 125 of the case 3, a thickness H1 sufficient to cut the peripheral wall portions 125 and 125 (about twice the thickness of the peripheral wall portion 125 to be bent inwardly) is secured. The Rukoto.

  Further, each blade 151 is configured as a half-piece product that is split into two parts so as to pass the pipe through the central pipe penetration part 154, and two sets of blades 151 are formed as shown in FIGS. It consists of four blocks ad in total. As shown in FIG. 13, the mounting base 153 is also divided into two blocks e and f by the same dividing line L2 as the half dividing line L1 of the blade 151, and caulking is performed by combining all the blocks a to f. A mold 150 is configured.

  Here, each of the blocks a to d constituting the cutting tool 151 is provided with a rectangular substrate portion 151 a. By combining the four blocks a to d, a rectangular plate is formed by the substrate portion 151 a, and the rectangular plate Is inserted into the recess 152 of the mounting base 153, the blocks a to d are fixed to the mounting base 153 with bolts 155, and the two blocks e and f constituting the mounting base 153 are combined with each other or a crimping machine (not shown). As a result, the integrated caulking die 150 is completed.

  In the caulking die 150, the cutting tool 151 is formed of a half-proportioned product. Therefore, by dividing the blocks a to d as a half-divided body, piping is inserted into the annular blade portion 156 or an annular shape is formed. It is possible to easily remove the blade 151 from the pipe passing through the inside of the blade portion 156. Further, since the cutting tool 151 has an annular continuous blade portion 156, the entire periphery of the circular flange portion 131 of the pipe 130 is formed by caulking the case 3 with this mold 150 as shown in FIG. It can be caulked and fixed, and the pipe connection strength can be kept high.

  16-19 is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the crimping die for obtaining the connection structure of FIG.

  The caulking die 160 includes two cutting tools 161 corresponding to the number of two pipes to be connected, a mounting base 163 having a recess 162 for accommodating the two cutting tools 161, and a shank portion 164. Become. Each blade 161 is provided with a plurality of blade portions 166 having an inclined surface portion 167 for caulking on the inner circumferential side at the lower end portion of a cylindrical blade body, and adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. A long groove 168 through which the pipe 130 is passed is formed between the blade portions 166, and as many blade tools 161 as the number corresponding to the pipes are fitted into the recesses 162 of the mounting base 163 and fixed with bolts 165. Thus, the caulking die 160 of this example is configured. The outer circumferences of the two cylindrical blades 161 are circumscribed.

  In the caulking die 160, each blade 161 is configured by providing the blade portions 166 at intervals in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the case 3 is caulked with the die 160 as shown in FIG. Thereby, compared with the case where the above-mentioned all-around caulking process is performed, the force required for the separation operation and caulking operation of the peripheral wall 125 of the recess 124 can be reduced, and the workability is improved. Further, since the long groove 168 is provided between the blade portions 166, the piping 130 can be easily taken in and out of the blade portion 166.

  Third Embodiment: FIGS. 21 to 24 are views for explaining an expansion valve with a pipe according to a third embodiment, and are enlarged sectional views showing a pipe connection structure and a pipe connection process.

  This third embodiment is characterized by the shape of the circular flange 131A of the pipe 130. The circular flange 131A is not symmetrical with respect to the thickness center line Z of the circular flange 131 as in the pipe 130 (see FIGS. 4 and 7) of the first embodiment, but is asymmetrical. Specifically, the maximum outer diameter portion 131c of the circular flange portion 131A is eccentric from the thickness center line Z of the circular flange portion 131A toward the distal end side of the pipe 130 (on the concave bottom surface 124a side in the connected state shown in FIG. 24). Thereby, the area of the lower surface 131b of the circular flange portion 131A (the surface of the circular flange portion 131A that is positioned on the distal end side of the pipe 130 from the maximum outer diameter portion 131c and positioned on the concave bottom surface 124a side in the connected state shown in FIG. 24). Rather than the upper surface 131a of the circular flange portion 131A (the surface positioned on the proximal end side of the pipe 130 from the maximum outer diameter portion 131c of the circular flange portion 131A and positioned on the peripheral wall portion 125 side in the connected state shown in FIG. 24). The area is getting wider. Further, the upper surface 131a of the circular hook part 131A is formed with a larger radius of curvature than the upper surface 131a of the circular hook part 131 of the first embodiment. The piping connection process shown in FIGS. 21 → 22 → 23 → 24 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the third embodiment, first, since the maximum outer diameter portion 131c of the circular flange portion 131A is eccentric to the bottom surface 124a side of the concave portion 124, the area of the upper surface 131a of the circular flange portion 131A increases. As a result, the contact area between the upper surface 131a of the circular flange portion 131A and the peripheral wall portion 125 increases, and the crimping force of the circular flange portion 131A by the deformed peripheral wall portion 125 can be improved without increasing the size of the circular flange portion 131A. As a result, even when the size of the concave portion 124 and the circular flange portion 131A cannot be increased due to space restrictions, a stable fixed state of the pipe 130 can be obtained with a sufficient crimping force.

  Secondly, according to the third embodiment, the lower surface 131b of the circular flange portion 131A and the recess bottom surface 124a are formed in parallel, and almost the entire surface of the cylindrical portion lower surface 131a is in contact with the recess bottom surface 124a. Of the lower surface 131b of the portion 131A, the area of the portion X (see FIG. 7) that does not contact the concave bottom surface 124a is reduced, and the crimping force is further improved.

  Third, since the upper surface 131a of the circular hook portion 131A includes a portion formed in a smooth arc shape from the maximum outer diameter portion 131c, the circular flange portion 131A is compared with a structure in which the upper surface of the circular flange portion is formed linearly. It becomes a structure where the peripheral wall part 125 deform | transformed with respect to is easy to stick. For this reason, the crimping force is further improved.

  Fourth Embodiment FIG. 25 is a view for explaining an expansion valve with a pipe according to a fourth embodiment, and is an enlarged sectional view of a pipe connection structure.

  The fourth embodiment is the same as the third embodiment in that the maximum outer diameter portion 131c of the circular hook portion 131B is eccentric to the bottom surface 124a side of the concave portion 124, as in the first embodiment. The shape of 131B is different from the shape of the circular flange portion 131A of the third embodiment. Specifically, in the fourth embodiment, the lower surface 131b of the circular flange portion 131B expands in a tapered shape from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the pipe 130. Further, the concave bottom surface 124a is provided with a tapered portion 124c with which the lower surface 131b of the tapered circular flange portion 131B abuts.

  Even in the fourth embodiment, since the area of the upper surface 131a of the circular hook part 131B is increased as in the third embodiment, the contact area between the upper surface 131a of the circular ring part 131B and the peripheral wall part 125 is increased. Without increasing the size of the portion 131B, the pressure-bonding force of the circular flange portion 131B by the deformed peripheral wall portion 125 can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing of the expansion valve with piping which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the expansion valve which showed 1st Embodiment of this invention and which abbreviate | omitted piping. It is a principal part front view which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and is the attachment work process of an expansion valve function part, Comprising: The collar part of an expansion valve function part has faced the ring spring. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state before insertion of piping. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state before caulking after piping insertion. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion-valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state during caulking. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of piping. Cutting tool used for piping connection structure of 1st Embodiment It is a perspective view including the fracture | rupture part which shows the 1st example of the cutting tool for obtaining the piping connection of 1st Embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view of the blade part of the blade tool of FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the blade tool for obtaining the connection structure of 1st Embodiment, (a) is the perspective view made into the partial cross section, (b) is a bottom view. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which expands and shows the piping connection structure of the expansion valve with piping which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st example of the crimping die for obtaining the piping connection structure of FIG. FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the caulking die in FIG. 11. It is the disassembled perspective view seen in the VIII-VIII arrow direction in FIG. It is a perspective view which takes out and shows the XI arrow part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd example of the crimping die for obtaining the piping connection structure of FIG. FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the caulking die in FIG. 16. It is XIII-XII arrow sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the caulking die of FIG. The expanded sectional view which shows the modification of the blade part of a blade tool. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state before insertion of piping. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state before caulking after piping insertion. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion-valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state during caulking. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention and is a figure explaining the connection process of piping to an expansion valve case, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of piping. The expanded sectional view which shows 4th Embodiment of this invention and shows the connection structure of piping to an expansion valve case. It is a figure explaining the retaining means of a 2nd example, Comprising: It is a disassembled perspective view of an expansion valve. It is sectional drawing which shows the retaining means of a 2nd example. It is a figure explaining the retaining means of a 3rd example, Comprising: It is a disassembled perspective view of an expansion valve. It is sectional drawing which shows the retaining means of a 3rd example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Expansion valve main body 2 ... Expansion valve function part 3 ... Case 4A, 4B, 4C ... Retaining means 5 ... Refrigerant supply passage 6 ... Refrigerant discharge passage 7 ... Mounting hole 10 ... Power element 11 ... Valve part 22 ... Gutter 23 ... Spring holding member 24 ... Ring spring 30 ... Recess 31 ... Fitting groove 32 ... Fitting member 33 ... engaging piece 34 ... Adapter 34a ... engaging groove 123 ... opening end 124 ... recess 124 ... peripheral wall 124a ... recess bottom 124c ... Tapered portion 125 ... Surrounding wall portion 125a ... Upper end surface 130 ... Pipe 130b ... Connection end portion 130c ... Groove portion 131, 131A, 131B ... Round portion 131a ... Upper surface 131b ... Lower surface 131c ... Maximum outer diameter portion 132 ... O-ring 140, 140A , 140B, 151, 161 ... Cutting tool X ... Non-contact portion Z ... Center line

Claims (6)

A block-like case (3) having a refrigerant discharge passage (6) through which refrigerant discharged from the evaporator (104) flows and a refrigerant supply passage (5) through which refrigerant supplied to the evaporator (104) flows; ,
A pipe (130) connected to the open end (123) of the refrigerant supply passage (5) or the refrigerant discharge passage (6) of the case (3);
An expansion valve with piping comprising
The opening end (123) of at least one of the passages (5, 6) has a larger diameter than the passage (5, 6) and is provided at the connection end (130b) of the pipe (130). A concave portion (124) that accommodates the circular flange portion (131, 131A, 131B), and the circular flange portion that is cut into a thin shape by a cutting tool from the outer peripheral side of the concave portion (124) and bent to the inner peripheral side. (131, 131A, 131B) and a peripheral wall portion (125) that covers the expansion valve-equipped expansion valve. A power element (10) that outputs changes in temperature and pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator as a change in the detection member (14), and a refrigerant that is supplied to the evaporator based on the change in the detection member (14) An expansion valve function part (2) integrally provided with a valve part (11) for controlling the flow rate of
The expansion valve function part (2) is inserted and fixed in the mounting hole (7), the refrigerant discharge passage (6) through which the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator (104) flows, and supplied to the evaporator (104). A block-like case (3) having a refrigerant supply passage (5) through which the refrigerant flows;
A pipe (130) connected to the open end (123) of the refrigerant supply passage (5) or the refrigerant discharge passage (6) of the case (3);
An expansion valve with piping comprising
The opening end (123) of at least one of the passages (5, 6) is formed with a diameter larger than that of the passages (5, 6) and provided at the connection end (130b) of the pipe (130). A concave portion (124) that accommodates the flange portion (131, 131A, 131B) and the circular flange portion (124) that is cut into a thin shape by a cutting tool from the outer peripheral side of the concave portion (124) and bent to the inner peripheral side. 131, 131A, 131B) and a peripheral wall portion (125) that covers the expansion valve. An expansion valve with piping according to claim 2,
Retaining means (4A, 4B, 4C) for locking the expansion valve function part (2) inserted into the mounting hole (7) of the case (3) at a predetermined mounting position is provided with the expansion valve function part (2 The expansion valve with piping, which is provided between the part other than the power element (10) and the case (3). An expansion valve with piping according to claim 3,
The retaining means (4A) is provided on the outer peripheral side from the circular flange portion (22) projecting from the outer periphery of the valve portion (11) and the mounting hole (7) of the case (3), A spring holding portion (23) having a hook portion (23b) formed to have a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the circular flange portion (22), and accommodated in the spring holding portion (23), the diameter can be increased by spring deformation. And a ring spring (24) having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the circular flange (22) in the original state,
The ring spring (24) is reduced in diameter after riding on the outer periphery of the circular flange portion (22) of the expansion valve functional portion (2) when the expansion valve functional portion (2) is inserted, and the circular elastic portion (22 ) And the hook portion (23b) to engage the circular flange portion (22) and the hook portion (23b), and engage the expansion valve function portion (2) at a predetermined mounting position. An expansion valve with piping, characterized by stopping. An expansion valve with piping according to claim 3,
The retaining means (4B) includes a recess (30) formed on the outer periphery of the valve part (11) and a fitting groove (opening in the mounting hole (7) of the case (3)). 31) and a fitting member (32) inserted into the fitting groove (31), and the expansion valve function part (2) is inserted into the mounting hole (7), The expansion valve with piping, wherein the expansion valve function part (2) is attached by the fitting member (32) inserted into the fitting groove (31) entering the concave part (30). An expansion valve with piping according to claim 3,
The retaining means (4C) is fixed to the periphery of the engaging piece (33) projecting on the outer periphery of the valve portion (11) and the mounting hole (7) of the case (3). The adapter (34) is formed with an engagement groove (34a) inclined in the circumferential direction along with the axial change of the hole (7), and the expansion valve function part (2) is connected to the mounting hole (7). When the engagement piece (33) of the expansion valve function part (2) is inserted into the engagement groove (34a) of the adapter (34), the expansion valve function part (2) An expansion valve with piping, characterized in that is attached.

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