JP2010151204A - Closing valve for coolant and air conditioner equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coolant closing valve capable of restraining lid body covering an end part of a valve body from dropping-off from a housing, and an air conditioner equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: Each of the coolant closing valves 31, 33 comprises: the housing 45 having an internal valve body passage 43 in which its one-end side is connected to a coolant flow passage 41 and the other-end side is provided with an opening; the valve body 47 supported in the valve body passage 43 for blocking the opening and capable of relatively moving to the axial direction of the valve body passage 43; the lid body 49 covering the end of the valve body 47 and fixed to the housing 45; and elastic member 51 arranged in clearance between the inner surface of the lid body 49 and the end of the valve body 47. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant shut-off valve and an air conditioner including the same.

  Generally, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes a gas side closing valve and a liquid side closing valve at the end of an internal refrigerant circuit. These shut-off valves are in a closed state at the time of shipment from the factory, and after the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are placed on the site and connected to the gas side refrigerant communication pipe and the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe from the indoor unit, respectively. , Switching from the closed state to the open state. Thereby, a refrigerant | coolant can distribute | circulate between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit (for example, patent document 1).

  The closing valve includes a housing having a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows and a valve body that opens and closes the refrigerant flow path. Normally, the valve body has a substantially cylindrical shape and is screwed into a cylindrical valve body passage provided in the housing so as to communicate with the refrigerant flow path. One end side of the valve body faces the refrigerant flow path, and a hexagon hole into which a hexagon wrench is inserted is formed at the other end. By rotating the valve body with a hexagon wrench and tightening it in the direction of the refrigerant flow path, the refrigerant flow path is closed by a portion on one end side of the valve body and closed, and the valve body is rotated in the reverse direction to The refrigerant flow path is opened by being moved away from the refrigerant.

An annular groove is formed in the upper outer periphery on the other end side of the valve body, and an O-ring is fitted in this groove. Thereby, the space between the valve body and the valve body passage is sealed, and the refrigerant is prevented from leaking to the outside. However, since the leakage of the refrigerant cannot be completely prevented only by the O-ring, the other end side of the valve body covers the valve body and the valve body passage, and is a lid body (metal seal) screwed into the housing. Is attached. Thereby, the refrigerant is prevented from leaking outside from the closing valve.
JP-A-3-274360

  However, since there is a slight gap between the inner surface of the lid and the other end of the valve body, a small amount of refrigerant passing through the O-ring may accumulate in this gap. On the other hand, the temperature of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit varies depending on the operation mode, and the temperature of the refrigerant largely fluctuates, for example, in the range of about −20 ° C. to 100 ° C., particularly in the gas side stop valve. Accordingly, when the state of the refrigerant accumulated in the gap between the inner surface of the lid and the other end of the valve body changes from liquid to gas as the temperature rises, the volume of the refrigerant increases in the gap and the pressure in the gap increases. When this pressure becomes larger than the fixing strength of the lid with respect to the housing, there is a problem that the lid is detached from the housing.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant shut-off valve capable of suppressing the cover covering the valve body from being detached from the housing, and an air conditioner including the same. Is to provide.

  The refrigerant shutoff valve of the present invention has a refrigerant flow path (41) through which refrigerant flows, and a valve element having one end connected to the refrigerant flow path (41) and an opening (43a) on the other end. A housing (45) having a passage (43) therein, and a first direction (supported in the valve body passage (43) to close the opening (43a) and from the one end side toward the other end side ( D1) and the second direction (D2) from the other end side toward the one end side can move relative to the valve body passage (43), and the refrigerant moves by moving in the first direction (D1). The valve body (47) that opens the flow path (41) and blocks the refrigerant flow path (41) by moving in the second direction (D2), and the first direction ( D1) Covers the end on the side and is fixed to the housing (45) And the elastic member (51) disposed in the gap between the inner surface of the lid (49) and the end of the valve body (47) on the first direction (D1) side, It is equipped with.

  In this configuration, since the elastic member (51) is disposed in the gap between the inner surface of the lid (49) and the end of the valve body (47) on the first direction (D1) side, the elastic member (51) is accumulated in the gap. Part of the impact caused by the pressure increase when the refrigerant changes its state from liquid to gas as the temperature rises is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member (51). Further, since the elastic member (51) is disposed in the gap, the amount of air existing in the gap can be reduced, so that the volume increase of air accompanying the rise in the temperature of the refrigerant is reduced. You can also. Thereby, it can suppress effectively that the cover body (49) which covers the edge part of a valve body (47) remove | deviates from a housing (45).

  The valve body passage (43) has a female threaded portion on the inner surface thereof, and the valve body (47) has a male threaded portion engaged with the female threaded portion on the outer surface thereof, and the valve body (47) The end on the first direction (D1) side is fitted with a tool that rotates the valve body (47) to move the valve body (47) in the first direction (D1) or the second direction (D2). It is preferable that a recess (63) is provided, and the elastic member (51) is also disposed in the recess (63).

  In this configuration, since the elastic member (51) is also disposed in the recess (63) for fitting the tool for rotating the valve body (47), the above-described effect of absorbing the impact when the pressure rises and The effect of reducing the volume increase of air can be further increased.

  The elastic member (51) may be integrated with the lid (49) on the inner surface of the lid (49).

  In this configuration, since the elastic member (51) is integrated with the lid (49), the elastic member (51) can be attached at the same time when the lid (49) is attached to the housing (45). Improves.

  The air conditioner of the present invention is arranged in an indoor unit (25), an outdoor unit (73), a refrigerant pipe (35, 37) through which these are connected and a refrigerant flows inside, and the refrigerant pipe (35, 37). And a refrigerant flow path opening / closing mechanism constituted by the provided refrigerant closing valves (31, 33).

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress the cover body covering the valve body from being detached from the housing, and therefore it is possible to suppress the leakage of the refrigerant to the outside.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 71 according to the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 25 and an outdoor unit 73. The air conditioner 71 includes a heat exchanger 19 disposed in the indoor unit 25, a compressor 75, a heat exchanger 77 and an expansion valve 79 disposed in the outdoor unit 73, and piping connecting them. A refrigerant circuit is provided. The air conditioner 71 can switch between a cooling operation and a heating operation by switching the flow direction of the refrigerant by a four-way switching valve 87 arranged in a part of the piping of the refrigerant circuit. The indoor unit 25 and the outdoor unit 73 are provided with blowers 17 and 81, respectively.

  The outdoor unit 73 includes a refrigerant flow path opening / closing mechanism configured by the gas side closing valve 31 and the liquid side closing valve 33 at the end of the internal refrigerant circuit. The gas side shut-off valve 31 is disposed between the gas side refrigerant communication pipe 35 from the indoor unit 25 and the internal pipe 36 connected to the expansion valve 79 in the outdoor unit 73 to connect these pipes. The liquid side closing valve 33 is disposed between the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 37 from the indoor unit 25 and the internal pipe 38 connected to the four-way switching valve 87 in the outdoor unit 73 to connect these pipes. Since the gas side shut-off valve 31 and the liquid side shut-off valve 33 in the embodiment shown below have the same structure, the gas-side shut-off valve 31 will be representatively described below, and the explanation regarding the liquid-side shut-off valve 33 is omitted. To do.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the closing valve 31 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the housing 45 of the closing valve 31, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve body 47 of the closing valve 31. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the valve body 47, the lid body 49 and the elastic member 51 in the closing valve 31. In FIG. 3, the lid 49 and the elastic member 51 are not shown in order to illustrate the structure of the end of the valve body 47.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the closing valve 31 has a refrigerant passage 41 in which a refrigerant flows, and a valve body passage 43 having one end connected to the refrigerant passage 41 and provided with an opening 43 a on the other end. , A valve body 47 that is supported in the valve body passage 43 and closes the opening 43a, and a lid body 49 that covers the valve body 47 and the other end side of the valve body passage 43. .

  The housing 45 includes four cylindrical portions 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d protruding in four directions. These cylindrical portions 45 a to 45 d each have a through-hole inside, and communicate with each other at a central portion 45 e of the housing 45.

  As shown by the two-dot chain line arrows in FIGS. 2 and 4, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow path 41 that continues from the through hole of the cylindrical part 45 a through the central part 45 e to the through hole of the cylindrical part 45 b. A gas-side refrigerant communication pipe 35 is connected to the through-hole of the cylindrical portion 45a constituting the refrigerant flow path 41, and the substantially cylindrical valve with which the tip of the valve body abuts the through-hole of the cylindrical portion 45b. A seat 46 is fitted, and an internal pipe 36 is connected to the valve seat 46.

  The cylindrical portion 45c is provided with a service port 53 to which a hose from a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected. The through hole of the cylindrical portion 45 c functions as a passage 61 of the valve core 65, and this passage 61 is closed by the valve core 65. When the hose from the vacuum pump is connected to the valve core 65, the valve core 65 is opened, and the gas side refrigerant communication pipe 35 connected to the service port 53 and the cylindrical portion 45a is evacuated.

  A male screw portion 48 is formed on the outer surface of the end portion of the cylindrical portion 45c. The service port 53 is closed by screwing a valve core cap 67 having an internal thread portion formed on the inner surface thereof into the external thread portion 48 of the cylindrical portion 45c. The valve core cap 67 is removed from the end of the cylindrical portion 45c when performing the above-described evacuation.

  The valve body passage 43 is a path along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 45d connected to the refrigerant flow path 41 from the through-hole of the cylindrical portion 45d, as indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow in FIG. A female thread portion 54 is formed along the axial direction on the inner surface of one end side (center portion 45e side) of the valve body passage 43.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the valve body 47 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a male screw portion 50 is formed on the outer surface on one end side (the lower side in FIG. 5). The valve body 47 is disposed in the valve body passage 43 and closes the opening 43 a of the valve body passage 43. The male thread part 50 of the valve body 47 is screwed into the female thread part 54 of the housing 45. Thus, the valve body 47 is supported by the housing 45 so as to be movable in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 in the valve body passage 43.

  A hexagon hole 63 into which a not-shown hexagon wrench is inserted is formed on the other end side (upper side in FIG. 5) of the valve body 47. By inserting a hexagon wrench into the hexagonal hole 63 and rotating the valve body 47, the valve body 47 moves in the valve body passage 43 in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

  An end portion of the valve body 47 on the second direction D2 side faces the refrigerant flow path 41, and a tapered portion 52 that is reduced in diameter toward the second direction D2 is formed. The valve body 47 is blocked by the valve body 47 by moving the valve body 47 in the second direction D <b> 2 with a hexagon wrench and bringing the tapered portion 52 into contact with the end 46 a of the valve seat 46. On the other hand, the refrigerant flow path 41 is opened by moving the valve body 47 in the first direction D1 from this blocked state. The end of the valve body 47 on the second direction D2 side is provided with a recess 66 that is perforated toward the first direction D1. The recess 66 is for reducing the pressure loss of the refrigerant.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a substantially cylindrical reduced diameter portion 64 having an outer diameter smaller than other portions is formed at the end of the valve body 47 on the first direction D1 side. Thereby, an annular groove is formed between the reduced diameter portion 64 of the valve body 47 and the inner surface of the housing 45. An O-ring 60 is disposed in the groove, and an O-ring retaining ring 62 for fixing the O-ring 60 is disposed on the first direction D1 side of the O-ring 60. Thereby, the space between the inner surface of the valve body passage 43 and the outer surface of the valve body 47 is sealed.

  The lid 49 has a female threaded portion on the inner surface thereof, and the female threaded portion is fixed to the housing 45 by being screwed into a male threaded portion 56 formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 45d. The lid 49 is attached to the cylindrical portion 45d during normal operation, and is removed from the cylindrical portion 45d when the closing valve 31 is opened and closed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the closing valve 31 of this embodiment includes an elastic member 51 in the gap between the inner surface of the lid 49 and the end of the valve 47 on the first direction D1 side. The elastic member 51 has a flat shape that fills a flat gap between the inner surface of the lid 49 and the end of the valve body 47.

  The surface of the elastic member 51 on the first direction D1 side is a substantially flat surface along the inner surface of the lid body 49, and the surface on the second direction D2 side is near the center along the unevenness of the end of the valve body 47. A recess having a recess is formed.

  As the material constituting the elastic member 51, a material having elasticity at the temperature when the refrigerant accumulated in the gap between the lid body 49 and the valve body 47 changes from liquid to gas as the temperature rises is used. Further, as the material constituting the elastic member 51, a material having elasticity capable of absorbing at least a part of an impact caused by pressure when the refrigerant changes its state from a liquid to a gas is used.

  For example, as the material of the elastic member 51, a synthetic resin, a metal, a composite material combining these, or the like can be used. In the case of a synthetic resin, for example, a foamed resin in which bubbles are included may be used in order to impart appropriate elasticity. Further, in the case of metal, in order to provide appropriate elasticity, it may be processed into a spring shape such as a coil spring or a leaf spring.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the closing valve 31 includes the elastic member 51 disposed in the gap between the inner surface of the lid body 49 and the end portion of the valve body 47 on the first direction D1 side. Therefore, a part of the impact caused by the pressure increase when the refrigerant accumulated in the gap changes from liquid to gas is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member 51. Further, since the elastic member 51 is disposed in the gap, the amount of air existing in the gap can be reduced, so that the volume increase of air accompanying the rise in the temperature of the refrigerant can also be reduced. . Thereby, it can suppress effectively that the cover body 49 which covers the edge part of the valve body 47 remove | deviates from the housing 45. FIG.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as 1st Embodiment here, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the elastic member 51 is also disposed inside the hexagonal hole 63 for fitting a hexagonal wrench, and has a substantially T-shaped cross section. Moreover, the elastic member 51 is joined and integrated with the lid body 49 on the inner surface of the lid body 49. Examples of the method of integration with the lid 49 include bonding by an adhesive and bonding by fusion.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the elastic member 51 is also disposed in the hexagonal hole 63, the effect of absorbing the impact at the time of the pressure increase and the effect of reducing the increase in the volume of air are further enhanced. Can do.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the elastic member 51 is integrated with the lid body 49, the elastic member 51 can be attached at the same time when the lid body 49 is attached to the housing 45, and workability is improved. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, although the description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the gas side closing valve and the liquid side closing valve have the same structure has been described as an example. However, only the gas side closing valve having a large refrigerant temperature change is provided with an elastic member. The liquid side closing valve may not be provided with an elastic member.

It is a lineblock diagram showing the air harmony device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the fragmentary sectional view which looked at the closing valve concerning the 1st Embodiment of the present invention from the front. It is a top view which shows the closing valve concerning 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the housing of the closing valve concerning 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve body of the closing valve concerning 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the valve body in the closing valve concerning 1st Embodiment, a cover body, and an elastic member. It is sectional drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the valve body in the closing valve concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, a cover body, and an elastic member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 Blower 19 Heat exchanger 25 Indoor unit 31 Gas side closing valve 33 Liquid side closing valve 35 Gas side refrigerant communication pipe 37 Liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 41 Refrigerant flow path 43 Valve body passage 45 Housing 47 Valve body 49 Lid body 51 Elastic member 71 Air conditioner 73 Outdoor unit

Claims (4)

A housing having a refrigerant passage (41) through which a refrigerant flows, and a valve body passage (43) having one end connected to the refrigerant passage (41) and an opening (43a) on the other end. (45)
A first direction (D1) from the one end side toward the other end side and a first direction from the other end side toward the one end side are supported in the valve body passage (43) to block the opening (43a). The refrigerant passage (43) is movable relative to the valve body passage (43) in two directions (D2). By moving in the first direction (D1), the refrigerant channel (41) is opened, and the second direction ( A valve body (47) that blocks the refrigerant flow path (41) by moving to D2);
A lid (49) that covers the end of the valve body (47) on the first direction (D1) side and is fixed to the housing (45);
A refrigerant closing valve comprising: an elastic member (51) disposed in a gap between an inner surface of the lid (49) and an end of the valve body (47) on the first direction (D1) side.   The valve body passage (43) has a female threaded portion on the inner surface thereof, and the valve body (47) has a male screw portion threadedly engaged with the female threaded portion on the outer surface thereof, and the valve body (47) The end on the first direction (D1) side is fitted with a tool that rotates the valve body (47) to move the valve body (47) in the first direction (D1) or the second direction (D2). The refrigerant closing valve according to claim 1, further comprising a recess (63) for disposing the elastic member (51) in the recess (63).   The refrigerant closing valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic member (51) is integrated with the lid (49) on an inner surface of the lid (49).   The indoor unit (25), the outdoor unit (73), the refrigerant pipes (35, 37) that connect them and the refrigerant flows inside, and the refrigerant pipes (35, 37). An air conditioner comprising: a refrigerant flow path opening / closing mechanism configured by the refrigerant closing valve (31, 33) according to any one of the above.

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