JP2011241861A - Multi-way selector valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-way selector valve capable of lowering differential pressure between the inside and outside of a valve body during switching of a flow path, even when high pressure fluid is introduced into the valve body, and allowing the valve body to smoothly and reliably perform flow path switching operation.SOLUTION: A valve chamber 21 is divided by a partitioning member 20c into an upper chamber part 21A to which a high pressure refrigerant introduction port 11 is opened and a lower chamber 21B on a valve seat part 25 side. A relief port 23 for connecting the upper chamber 21A and the lower chamber 21B is formed in the partitioning member 20C, and an auxiliary valve 40 for opening the relief port 23 just before the start of flow path switching operation by the valve body 30 and closing it almost simultaneously with the completion of the flow path switching operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-way switching valve such as a three-way switching valve or a four-way switching valve used in a refrigeration cycle (heat pump) or the like, and in particular, a rotary that performs switching of a flow path by rotating a valve body with an actuator such as a motor. The present invention relates to a multidirectional switching valve of the type.

  As a multi-way switching valve of this type, the applicant of the present application previously has a valve housing having a valve seat portion in which a plurality of fluid inlet / outlet ports are formed, as seen in Patent Documents 1, 2, 3, etc., A valve body that is rotated while being in contact with the valve seat portion; and an actuator that rotationally drives the valve body. A fluid introduction port and / or a fluid outlet port is formed in the valve housing, and the valve body A passage for selectively communicating the fluid introduction port or fluid outlet port and the plurality of fluid input / output ports, and the valve body is rotated by the actuator so that the fluid introduction port or fluid A large number of switches that selectively switch the outlet port and any of the plurality of inlet / outlet ports through the valve body passage to switch the flow path. It is.

JP 2002-13843 A JP 2002-340446 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-203926

  In the multi-way switching valve as described above, a large differential pressure is usually generated between the inside and outside of the valve body, that is, the pressure inside the valve body (passage) and the pressure outside the valve body (valve chamber). More specifically, in the four-way switching valve described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the valve body passage is connected to the suction side of the compressor via the fluid outlet port, the valve chamber becomes a fluid introduction port. Since it is connected to the discharge side of the compressor via the pressure, the pressure becomes high. On the other hand, in the four-way switching valve described in Patent Document 3, the valve body passage is connected to the discharge side of the compressor via the fluid introduction port, so that the valve chamber is connected to the discharge side of the compressor. Because it is connected to the suction side of the compressor, the pressure is low.

  When a large differential pressure is generated inside and outside the valve body in this way, the flow path switching operation by the valve body tends to be heavy, and the flow path switching operation may not be performed normally. In particular, in the four-way switching valve described in Patent Document 3, the valve body and the valve body passage are reverse L-shaped or crank-shaped, and the outlet of the valve body passage is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis of the valve body. Since the high-pressure refrigerant is introduced into the valve body passage, the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant introduced into the valve body passage causes a force to tilt the valve body toward the outlet side. There is a strong tendency that the flow path switching operation becomes heavy.

  Therefore, as a countermeasure against the differential pressure, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a pressure equalizing hole is formed in the wall portion of the valve body (main valve body) so as to communicate the inside and the outside, and a sub-opening that opens and closes the pressure equalizing hole. The valve body is arranged on the outer periphery of the main valve body, and when the flow path is switched, the subvalve body is rotated in synchronization with or interlocked with the rotation of the main valve body to open the pressure equalizing hole. It has been proposed to release the high pressure in the valve chamber to the valve body passage to reduce the differential pressure.

  However, it is difficult to apply this measure to the one described in Patent Document 3. That is, in the one described in Patent Document 3, since the valve body has a high pressure and the valve chamber has a low pressure, the sub-valve element disposed on the outer periphery of the main valve body is pushed outward by the high pressure in the valve body. (Floating), the pressure equalizing hole may open undesirably, and high-pressure refrigerant in the valve body passage may leak into the valve chamber.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the valve body at the time of switching the flow path even when high pressure fluid is introduced into the valve body. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-way switching valve capable of smoothly and reliably performing a flow path switching operation by a valve body.

  In order to achieve the above object, a multi-way switching valve according to the present invention basically rotates while contacting a valve housing having a valve seat portion in which a plurality of fluid inlet / outlet ports are formed, and the valve seat portion. A high pressure fluid introduction port formed in the valve housing, and the high pressure fluid introduction port and the plurality of fluid input / output ports in the valve body. And the valve body is rotated by the actuator to select either the high-pressure fluid introduction port or the plurality of inlet / outlet ports via the valve body passage. The flow path is switched by communicating with each other, and a valve chamber having the valve seat portion as a bottom portion is formed in the valve housing. The valve chamber is a partition portion. Is divided into an upper chamber in which the high-pressure fluid introduction port is opened and a lower chamber on the valve seat side, and a relief port is formed in the partition member to communicate the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the relief port Is provided with a sub-valve that opens and closes according to the rotation of the valve body.

  The sub-valve preferably opens the relief port immediately before the flow path switching operation by the valve body is started and closes it almost simultaneously with the end of the flow path switching operation.

  The sub-valve is preferably configured to open and close the relief port using the rotational driving force of the actuator.

  The sub valve is preferably pressed against the surface of the partition member on the upper chamber side.

  In another preferred aspect, the rotational driving force of the actuator is transmitted to the valve body via a drive side gear, and is also transmitted to the subvalve via a driven side gear meshing with the drive side gear. Configured.

  In this case, in a more specific preferable aspect, the valve body and the drive side gear have a common rotation axis, and the rotational driving force of the actuator is transmitted to the valve body later than the auxiliary valve. A drive pin protrudes from the valve body, and an arc-shaped elongated hole into which the drive pin is loosely inserted is formed in the drive side gear.

  In the multi-way selector valve according to the present invention, the valve chamber is divided into an upper chamber portion and a lower chamber by a partition member, and a relief port for communicating the upper chamber and the lower chamber is formed in the partition member, and the relief port Since a sub-valve that opens and closes according to the rotation of the valve body is provided, even when high pressure fluid is introduced into the valve body, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the valve body is reduced when the flow path is switched. Thus, the flow path switching operation by the valve body can be performed smoothly and reliably.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Embodiment of the multiway switching valve which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing another cross section of the valve body of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. 1. (A) is sectional drawing which follows the XX arrow line of FIG. 1, (B) is sectional drawing which follows the YY arrow line of FIG. The figure which is provided for operation | movement description of embodiment shown by FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows other embodiment of the multiway switching valve which concerns on this invention. The figure which is provided for operation | movement description of other embodiment shown by FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the multi-way selector valve of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a multi-way switching valve according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing another cross section of the valve body of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG.

  The multi-way selector valve 10 of the present embodiment includes a high-pressure refrigerant inlet port 11, a first refrigerant inlet / outlet port 12, a second refrigerant inlet / outlet port 13, and a low-pressure refrigerant outlet port 14 used in a heat pump device. A stepping motor 15 as a flow path switching actuator comprising a rotor 16 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the can 18 and a stator 17 externally fixed to the outer periphery of the can 18, and the stepping motor 15 rotates the stepping motor 15. A valve body (main valve body) 30 that can be moved and a valve housing 20 that rotatably holds the valve body 30 are provided.

  The valve housing 20 includes an upper body 20A, a bottom lid-like body 20B, a partition member 20C, and upper and lower cylindrical bodies 20D and 20E whose ends are welded together to connect them. A chamber 21 is defined. The valve chamber 21 is divided into an upper chamber 21A and a lower chamber 21B in which the high-pressure refrigerant introduction port 11 is opened by a partition member 20C.

  A planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 19 is provided in the motor 15, and the rotational driving force of the motor 15 is transmitted from the output shaft 19 e of the planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 19 to the valve body 30 via the drive side spur gear 41. At the same time, it is transmitted to the auxiliary valve 40 disposed in the upper chamber 21A via a driven spur gear 42 (the same diameter and the same number of teeth as the drive spur gear 41) that meshes with the drive spur gear 41. (It will be described in detail later).

  A vertical hole 26 is provided on one side (left side) of the upper body 20A, and a drive-side flat connected to the output shaft 19e by a sleeve-like bearing member 27 mounted in the vertical hole 26 so as to be integrally rotatable. A shaft portion 41a of the gear 41 is rotatably supported.

  In addition, one upper surface on the side of the bottom lid-like body 20B of the valve housing 20 is a valve seat portion 25, which includes a first refrigerant inlet / outlet port 12, a second refrigerant inlet / outlet port 13, and a low pressure refrigerant outlet port 14. They are provided at intervals of about 90 degrees. To each of the ports 11, 12, 13, and 14 described above, conduits (joints) 81, 82, 83, and 84 are connected.

  On the other hand, the valve body 30 is, for example, a synthetic resin that is externally fitted and fixed to a cylindrical shaft portion 31 having a ceiling portion 31a and a bottom portion 31b and a lower half (portion located in the lower chamber 21B) of the cylindrical shaft portion 31. The outer shaft member 34 is made of an off-axis member 34 and has an L shape or a crank shape in a side view, and a valve body passage 35 that is substantially similar to the outer shape is provided inside. The valve body passage 35 includes an inlet 35a that opens into the upper chamber 21A, an inner portion 35b of the cylindrical shaft portion 31, a communication passage 35c formed in the lower portion of the cylindrical shaft portion 31 and the off-axis member 34, and an inner portion 35d of the off-axis member 34. , And an outlet 35e facing the valve seat portion 25.

  Further, the cylindrical shaft portion 36 faces upward at the center portion (on the rotation axis O) of the ceiling portion 31a of the cylindrical shaft portion 31 so that the valve body 30 and the drive side spur gear 41 have a common rotation axis O. A cylindrical shaft portion 37 protrudes downward on the rotation axis O at the bottom 31b of the cylindrical shaft portion 31, and the upper shaft portion 36 is a central portion (on the rotation axis O) of the drive side spur gear 41. The lower shaft portion 37 is loosely inserted into the cylindrical support hole 20f formed in the bottom lid 20B so as to be relatively rotatable. ing.

  In order to prevent fluid leakage from the valve body passage 35 to the valve chamber 21 (lower chamber 21B), an end of the valve body 30 on the outlet 35e side of the valve body passage 35 is hermetically pressed against the valve seat portion 25. Further, an O-ring 38 and a square ring 39 as sealing materials are mounted (see FIG. 2). The O-ring 38 is pressed radially outward by the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the valve body passage 35 and the cross section changes from a circular shape to an elliptical shape. One end surface of the rectangular ring 39 is utilized by utilizing the shape change of the O-ring 38. Is pressed against the valve seat portion 25 to obtain a sealing effect.

  In addition, an escape port 23 for communicating the upper chamber 21A and the lower chamber 21B is formed on one side (right side) of the partition member 20C, and the cylindrical shaft portion 31 of the valve body 30 is passed on the other side (left side). A stepped insertion hole 24 is formed, and a sleeve-like bearing member 28 that rotatably supports the cylindrical shaft portion 31 is mounted on the upper chamber 21A side in the insertion hole 24, and a Teflon ( A lip seal 29 made of (registered trademark) is attached.

  In addition to the above, in order to transmit the rotational driving force of the motor 15 to the valve body 30 later than the auxiliary valve 40, the drive pin 33 is perpendicular to a position deviated by a predetermined distance from the rotational axis O in the ceiling portion 31a of the valve body 30. And an arc-shaped long hole 43 (center angle θ is around 90 degrees) about the rotation axis O is formed in which the drive pin 33 is gently inserted into the drive side gear 41 (see FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, the auxiliary valve 40 to which the rotational driving force of the motor 15 is transmitted via the drive side spur gear 41 and the driven side spur gear 42 is connected to the relief port 23 immediately before the flow path switching operation by the valve body 30 is started. It opens and closes almost simultaneously with the end of the flow path switching operation. Specifically, the auxiliary valve 40 is installed in the partition member 20 </ b> C in parallel with the rotational axis O, and guide pins 44 that rotatably support the driven side spur gear 42, and a lower side of the driven side spur gear 42. A thick bowl-shaped holder 45 provided at the lower end of the cylindrical shaft portion 42a extended to the bottom and two lower surfaces provided at an angular interval of 180 degrees in the bowl-shaped holder 45 are opened. Cylindrical first sub-valve body 47A and second sub-valve body 47B that are slidably fitted in the circular holding holes 46A and 46B, the ceiling portions of the circular holding holes 46A and 46B, and the sub-valve bodies 47A and 47B. Compression springs 48 and 48 that are interposed between the spring receiving recesses and urge the sub-valve bodies 47A and 47B against the upper surface of the partition member 20C (downward) at all times.

  The four-way switching valve 10 having such a configuration rotates any of the first coolant inlet / outlet port 12 and the second coolant inlet / outlet port 13 through the valve body passage 35 and the valve chamber 21 (lower chamber 21A) by rotating the valve body 30. The flow path is switched by selectively communicating with either the high-pressure refrigerant introduction port 11 or the low-pressure refrigerant outlet port 14.

  Here, in the four-way switching valve 10 of the present embodiment, the outlet side end portion (square ring 39) of the valve body passage 35 is the first fluid inlet / outlet port 12 of the valve seat portion 25 as shown in FIG. The high pressure fluid introduction port 11 and the first fluid inlet / outlet port 12 communicate with each other via the valve body passage 35 (referred to as a first flow state). Then, the drive pin 33 comes close to or abuts on one end side of the elongated hole 43 (the tip side when viewed in the rotational direction of the drive side spur gear 41 (clockwise in this case)), and the first sub valve body 47A is a relief port. 23 is closed.

  When the drive-side spur gear 41 is rotated clockwise by the center angle θ of the long hole 43 from the first flow state, the drive pin 33 is connected to the other end of the long hole 43 as shown in FIG. However, the rotational driving force of the drive side spur gear 41 is not transmitted to the valve body 30 and the valve body 30 remains in the first flow state, but is driven by the driven side spur gear 41. Since the gear 42 is rotated counterclockwise, the first auxiliary valve body 47A opens the relief port 23. As a result, the high-pressure refrigerant in the upper chamber 21 </ b> A is released to the lower chamber 21 </ b> B through the escape port 23, and the pressure difference inside and outside the valve body 30 is reduced.

  When the drive side spur gear 41 is further rotated about 45 degrees clockwise from such a state, the rotational driving force of the drive side spur gear 41 is driven from the other end of the elongated hole 43 as shown in FIG. The valve body 30 is rotated clockwise by being transmitted to the pin 33, and the outlet side end portion (square ring 39) of the valve body passage 35 is connected to the first fluid inlet / outlet port 12 and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet port 13 of the valve seat portion 25. The first sub-valve body 47A is further away from the escape port 23, and the second sub-valve body 47B approaches the escape port 23, but the relief port 23 remains open. Get smaller.

  When the drive side spur gear 41 is further rotated about 45 degrees clockwise from this state, the valve body 30 is further rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 4 (4), and the outlet side end of the valve body passage 35 is rotated. Portion (rectangular ring 39) is located directly above the second fluid inlet / outlet port 13 (the valve body 30 contacts the stopper 62), and the high pressure fluid introduction port 11 and the second fluid inlet / outlet port 13 pass through the valve body passage 35. In this way, the flow switching operation from the first flow state to the second flow state is completed. At substantially the same time, the escape port 23 is closed by the second sub valve body 47B, and the high-pressure refrigerant in the upper chamber 21A is not released to the lower chamber 21B.

  The switching from the second flow state to the first flow state is performed by rotating the drive side spur gear 41 in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) to the above.

  As described above, in the four-way switching valve 10 of the present embodiment, the valve chamber 21 is divided into the upper chamber portion 21A where the high-pressure refrigerant introduction port 11 is opened by the partition member 20C and the lower chamber 21B on the valve seat portion 25 side. The member 20C is formed with a relief port 23 that allows the upper chamber 21A and the lower chamber 21B to communicate with each other. The relief port 23 is opened immediately before the flow path switching operation by the valve body 30 is started, and substantially simultaneously with the end of the flow path switching operation. Since the closing sub valve 40 is provided, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the valve body 30 can be reduced at the time of switching the flow path even when high pressure refrigerant is introduced into the valve body 30, The flow path switching operation by the valve body 30 can be performed smoothly and reliably.

  In the above embodiment, the drive-side spur gear 41 and the driven-side spur gear 42 are set to have the same outer diameter and the same number of teeth, and the relief port 23 is opened and closed by the two auxiliary valve bodies 47A and 47B. However, instead of this, the number of teeth of the driven side spur gear 42 'is half that of the driving side spur gear 41', for example, as in the multi-way switching valve 10 'of the other embodiment shown in FIGS. In addition, the relief port 23 may be opened and closed with only one sub valve body 47A. In this case, the driven spur gear 42 ′ rotates once while the drive spur gear 41 ′ rotates 180 degrees, and the relief port 23 is started by one sub-valve body 47 </ b> A, and the flow path switching operation by the valve body 30 is started. It can be opened just before and closed almost simultaneously with the end of the flow path switching operation.

  In the above embodiment, the relief port 23 is opened and closed by rotating the auxiliary valve 40 using the spur gears 41 and 42. However, the opening and closing method of the relief port 23 is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the relief port may be opened and closed by raising and lowering the sub-valve using a cam, a screw feed mechanism, or the like.

  In the above embodiment, two refrigerant inlet / outlet ports (reference numerals 12 and 13) are provided. However, three or more refrigerant inlet / outlet ports are provided, and the valve body 30 communicates one of the inlet / outlet ports. It is also possible to apply the present invention to such a multi-way switching valve.

  Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a multi-way switching valve including a three-way switching valve in which the low-pressure refrigerant outlet port 14 is omitted and the high-pressure refrigerant inlet port 11 communicates with any one of two or more refrigerant inlet / outlet ports. Is possible.

  Furthermore, the fluid flowing through the flow path switched by the multi-way switching valve of the present invention may be any fluid other than the refrigerant.

10 Multi-way switching valve (4-way switching valve)
11 High-pressure refrigerant introduction port 12 First refrigerant inlet / outlet port 13 Second refrigerant inlet / outlet port 14 Low-pressure refrigerant outlet port 15 Motor (actuator)
20 Valve housing 20A Upper body 20B Bottom lid-like body 20C Partition member 23 Relief port 30 Valve body 33 Drive pin 35 Valve body passage 40 Sub valve 41 Drive side spur gear 42 Drive side spur gear 43 Slotted holes 47A, 47B Sub valve body

Claims (6)

A valve housing having a valve seat portion in which a plurality of fluid inlet / outlet ports are formed; a valve body that is rotated while being in contact with the valve seat portion; and an actuator that rotationally drives the valve body. A high-pressure fluid introduction port is formed in the valve body, and a passage for selectively communicating the high-pressure fluid introduction port and the plurality of fluid input / output ports is formed in the valve body. A multi-way switching valve that is configured to switch the flow path by rotating and selectively communicating any one of the plurality of inlet / outlet ports with the passage in the valve body. And
A valve chamber having the valve seat portion as a bottom portion is formed in the valve housing, and the valve chamber is divided by a partition member into an upper chamber in which the high-pressure fluid introduction port is opened and a lower chamber on the valve seat portion side. The partition member is provided with a relief port that allows the upper chamber and the lower chamber to communicate with each other, and a sub-valve that opens and closes the relief port according to the rotation is provided. Switching valve.   2. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, wherein the sub-valve is configured to open the relief port immediately before the flow path switching operation by the valve body is started and to close the relief port substantially simultaneously with the end of the flow path switching operation. Switching valve.   3. The multi-way selector valve according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary valve is configured to open and close the relief port using a rotational driving force of the actuator.   The multi-way selector valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sub valve is pressed against a surface of the partition member on the upper chamber side.   The rotational driving force of the actuator is configured to be transmitted to the valve body via a driving gear, and to the auxiliary valve via a driven gear that meshes with the driving gear. The multi-way switching valve according to claim 3 or 4, wherein   The valve body and the drive-side gear have a common axis of rotation, and a drive pin projects from the valve body to transmit the rotational driving force of the actuator to the valve body with a delay from the sub-valve. 6. The multi-way selector valve according to claim 5, wherein an arc-shaped elongated hole into which the drive pin is loosely inserted is formed in the drive side gear.

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