JP2012067833A - Multi-way selector valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-way selector valve that has high operability and gives all combinations of opening and closing according to a rotation angle in one round of the valve element.SOLUTION: A common rotary valve element 15 having four communication holes rotates when driven by a drive motor 21. The fluid that flows into the valve chamber 10 from a fluid inlet 11 flows through the communication holes 25, 26 of the common rotary valve element 15 to the fluid outlets 12, 13 whose locations agree with the locations of the communication holes. Since every combination where the locations of the communication holes 25, 26 agree with the locations of the fluid outlets 12, 13 of the valve chamber 10 to give an open state, appears once in one or half round of the common rotary valve element 15, the flow of a liquid is switched through an open communication hole and a fluid outlet in one selected combination.

Description

  The present invention relates to a switching valve for switching a flow path, and more particularly to an electric switching valve using a stepping motor suitable for use in a refrigerant circulation system such as a refrigerator or an air conditioner.

  In general, when the fluid flowing through one channel A is arbitrarily switched to one of the two channels B and C, it is usually between the channel A and the channels B and C. Three-way switching valve is installed in

  Specifically, for example, in a refrigerator, a flow path A into which refrigerant from a compressor is introduced, a flow path B that leads the refrigerant to an evaporator on the freezer compartment side, and a refrigerant is led to the evaporator on the refrigerator compartment side. A three-way switching valve is interposed between the flow path C, and the refrigerant introduced into the flow path A is selectively set to only one of the flow path B and the flow path C by the switching operation of the three-way switching valve. It is configured to flow. In this case, in the three-way switching valve, the channel A (inlet) is always open, and when the channel B (first outlet) is opened, the channel C (second outlet). Is closed, and conversely, when the flow path B is closed, the flow path C is configured to open.

  In recent years, for example, in a refrigerator, there is a tendency to provide an evaporator in each of a freezing room, a refrigerated room, and a vegetable room so that each room is reliably cooled. This is not possible with the conventional three-way valve. Therefore, as a switching valve that can solve the above problems, the applicant of the present application is able to provide a freezer, a refrigerator, and a refrigerator that can cool each room by providing an evaporator in each vegetable room. An electric switching valve such as a valve has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  The electric switching valve according to the above proposal is a switching valve for selectively flowing a fluid from one inflow port to a plurality of outflow ports, and a can, a stator attached to the outer periphery of the can, and the can A stepping motor comprising a rotor or the like disposed on the circumference, a valve body disposed on the inner circumferential side of the rotor via the rotor and a valve driving body so as to be integrally rotatable, and one end of the valve body A valve seat member disposed opposite to the valve seat member, the valve seat member having a plurality of outlets opened on a seat surface thereof and an inlet port opened on a side surface of the valve seat member. The valve body is provided with a closing valve portion on a surface facing the seat surface, and the closing valve portion selectively opens the plurality of outlets according to the rotation stop position. It is the composition to do. Therefore, according to this proposal, it is possible to move the valve body in a three-dimensional manner with a simple configuration to perform actions such as full opening, partial opening, and full closing, and the conventional three-way valve can be stopped. For example, it is possible to use a four-way valve.

JP 2002-357275 A

However, in a multi-way switching valve, an improvement is required in that all open / close combinations are obtained for a plurality of outflow ports while the valve body is rotated within a predetermined rotation operation range such as one or half rotation. ing.
Therefore, in the multi-way switching valve, there is a problem to be solved in that a full opening / closing combination is realized according to the rotation angle until the valve body makes one round.
An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-way switching valve with good operability by realizing a full open / close combination in accordance with the rotation angle until the valve body makes one round.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a multi-way switching valve according to the present invention is provided with a valve body in which a fluid inlet and three fluid outlets are formed, and a valve body formed therein. A rotary valve body in which four communication holes for selectively communicating the valve chamber and the three fluid outlets according to a rotation operation are formed, and a drive motor for rotating the rotary valve body, The four communication holes are arranged so as to select all open / close combinations that define communication and blocking between the valve chamber and the three fluid outlets until the rotary valve body makes one rotation. It is characterized by that.

  The multi-way switching valve according to the present invention includes a valve body in which a valve chamber in which a fluid inlet and two fluid outlets are open is formed, and the valve chamber. A rotary valve body in which four communication holes for selectively communicating the valve chamber and the two fluid outlets are formed; and a drive motor for rotating the rotary valve body, the four communication holes being The rotary valve body is arranged so as to select a full open / close combination that defines communication and blocking between the valve chamber and the two fluid outlets until the rotary valve body makes a half rotation.

  According to this multi-way switching valve, when the drive motor is driven, the rotary valve body in which the four communication holes are formed is rotated by the output thereof, and the fluid flowing into the valve chamber from the fluid inlet is The fluid flows through the communication hole to the fluid outlet that is aligned with the communication hole. Since all the combinations in which the positions of the communication hole and the fluid outlet opening in the valve chamber coincide with each other and appear in an open state according to the rotation position during one or half turn of the rotary valve body, With one selected combination, the flow of the liquid can be switched through the open communication hole and the fluid outlet. Therefore, the flow of the fluid that has flowed into the valve chamber from the fluid inlet is switched through the communication hole and the fluid outlet that are switched to the open state in a combination selected according to the rotational position of the rotary valve body.

  Since the multi-way switching valve according to the present invention is configured as described above, any one of the communication holes or a combination of two or more depending on the rotational position of the rotary valve body during one or half turn. When the position of the communication hole coincides with the fluid outlet, the communication hole is switched so as to be in an open state with respect to the fluid outlet having the same position. The fluid that has flowed into the valve chamber from the fluid inlet can flow through the communication hole and the fluid outlet that are switched to the open state in the selected combination. In this way, in one switching valve, the communication hole and fluid flow that can be opened in one combination among many combinations by simply selecting the position by a simple switching operation of rotating the rotary valve body. The fluid flow through the outlet can be switched.

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 perspective view showing a main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rotary valve body constituting a main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a switching sheet constituting the main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another example of the switching sheet constituting the main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a mode of switching accompanying rotation of the rotary valve body when a four-way switching sheet or a three-way switching sheet is used for the rotary valve body. FIG. 7 is a view showing a second embodiment using a rotary valve body in which the position of the communication hole provided at an angle of 45 ° is changed. FIG. 8 is a view showing a third embodiment using a rotary valve body in which the position of the communication hole provided at an angle of 45 ° is changed to another position. FIG. 9 is a view showing a fourth embodiment using a rotary valve body in which the position of the communication hole provided at an angle of 45 ° is changed to another position.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a multi-way selector valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a multi-way switching valve according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a switching sheet constituting the main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a main part of the multi-way switching valve shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the switching sheet | seat to comprise.

  A multi-way switching valve 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a valve body 2 to which a fluid inflow pipe 6 and fluid outflow pipes 7, 8, 9 (two of these fluid outflow pipes 7, 8 are shown) are connected. Yes. In the valve body 2, a fluid inlet 11 connected to the fluid inlet pipe 6 is opened on one side (upper wall 3 in the drawing), and a fluid outflow flows on the other side (lower wall 4 in the drawing) facing one side. A valve chamber 10 is formed in which three fluid outlets 12, 13, and 14 (showing two fluid outlets 12 and 13 among them) of the pipes 7, 8, and 9 are opened. In the valve body 2, the upper wall portion 3 is fitted and fixed from above to a side wall portion 5 formed integrally with the lower wall portion 4.

  In the valve chamber 10, a common rotary valve body 15 as a rotary valve body and a switching sheet 30 in which the common rotary valve body 15 is slidably contacted are disposed on the lower wall portion 4. The switching sheet 30 is disposed on the bottom surface 4 a of the lower wall portion 4 in the valve chamber 10, and the common rotary valve body 15 has the rotation center shaft 16 as the rotation center so as to be in sliding contact with the switching sheet 30. It is provided so that rotation is possible. In the valve chamber 10, a coil is interposed between the head 17 of the male screw 16 that passes through the switching sheet 30 and is fixed to the valve body 2 and the upper surface 15 a of the common rotary valve body 15 via washers 19 a and 19 b. The spring 18 is wound in a compressed state, and the coil spring 18 presses the common rotary valve body 15 toward the switching seat 30 by its restoring force.

  On the upper surface 15a of the common rotary valve body 15, a tapered bevel gear 20 is formed at an annular edge 15b near the outer periphery thereof. A stepping motor 21 is fixed to the side wall 5 of the valve main body 2 in a liquid-tight manner via an O-ring 22 by means such as fitting and caulking. A bevel gear 24 is attached to the tip of the rotation output shaft 23 of the stepping motor 21 that protrudes into the valve chamber 10, and the bevel gear 24 meshes with the bevel gear 20 of the common rotary valve body 15. Therefore, the rotation output of the stepping motor 21 is transmitted to the common rotary valve body 15 via the bevel gears 24 and 20, and the common rotary valve body 15 is rotationally driven on the switching seat 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the common rotary valve body 15 has a thick disk shape as a whole, and four communication holes 25, 26, 27, and 28 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed. Has been. Of the four communication holes 25 to 28, three communication holes 25 to 27 are arranged at concentric positions spaced apart from each other by 90 degrees, and the remaining one communication hole 28 is located at the same concentric position. Further, it is arranged at an outer position by an angle of 45 ° with respect to the communication hole 25 located at the end.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the switching sheet (four-way switching sheet) 30 of the multi-way switching valve (four-way switching valve) 1 is fixed to the lower wall portion 4 of the valve body 2. In the switching sheet 30, the three through holes A, B, and C are spaced apart from each other at an angle of 90 degrees with the positions of the three fluid outlets 12, 13, and 14 connected to the fluid outlet pipes 7, 8, and 9. It is formed at the position.

  FIG. 5 shows a switching sheet (three-way switching sheet) 40 used in the case of a multi-way switching valve (three-way switching valve). The switching sheet 40 is a switching sheet that is fixed to the lower wall portion 4 of the valve body 2 in the same manner as the switching sheet 30, but is aligned with the two fluid outlets 12 and 13 connected to the fluid outflow pipes 7 and 8. Only the two through holes A and B are formed at positions spaced apart from each other by an angle of 180 degrees.

  6 shows a four-way switching sheet 30 (FIG. 4) in which through holes A, B, and C are formed and a three-way switching in which only through holes A and B are formed with respect to the common rotary valve body 15 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the aspect of the switching accompanying rotation of the common rotary valve body 15 when using the sheet | seat (FIG. 5) 40, respectively. The middle row in FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a valve-seat assembly diagram, and when the position of the common rotary valve body 15 and the through hole of the communication hole coincide with each other when viewed from above. The communication hole is indicated by cross hatching. In the right column of FIG. 6, the OPEN (open state indicated by “◯”) in which the communication hole of the common rotary valve body 15 and the through hole of the switching sheet 30 match to allow the flow, and these holes match. CLOSE (the closed state indicated by “x”) in which the flow is interrupted.

When the rotation angle of the common rotary valve body 15 is 0 °, the positions of the communication holes 25, 26, 27 of the common rotary valve body 15 coincide with the positions of the through holes A, B, C of the switching sheet 30. A, B and C are all open.
At a rotation angle of 45 ° of the common rotary valve body 15, only the communication hole 28 coincides with the position of the through hole A of the switching sheet 30, the through hole A is in the open state, and the through holes B and C are in the closed state. is there.
When the rotation angle of the common rotary valve body 15 is 90 °, the communication holes 25 and 27 coincide with the positions of the through holes C and B of the switching sheet 30, the through holes B and C are open, and the through hole A is closed. Is in a state.
At a rotation angle of 135 ° of the common rotary valve body 15, only the communication hole 28 coincides with the position of the through hole C of the switching sheet 30, the through hole C is in the open state, and the through holes A and B are in the closed state. is there.
When the rotation angle of the common rotary valve body 15 is 180 °, the communication holes 25 and 26 coincide with the positions of the through holes B and A of the switching sheet 30, the through holes B and A are open, and the through hole C is closed. Is in a state.
At the rotation angle 225 ° of the common rotary valve body 15, only the communication hole 28 coincides with the position of the through hole B of the switching sheet 30, the through hole B is in the open state, and the through holes A and C are in the closed state. is there.
At the rotation angle 270 ° of the common rotary valve body 15, the communication holes 26 and 27 coincide with the positions of the through holes C and A of the switching sheet 30, the through holes C and A are open, and the through hole B is closed. Is in a state.
At the rotation angle 315 ° of the common rotary valve body 15, none of the communication holes 25 to 28 coincides with the positions of the through holes A to C of the switching sheet 30, and all the through holes A, B, and C are closed. is there.

  From FIG. 6, when the positions of the three communication holes 25 to 27 coincide with the positions of the three through holes A to C according to the rotation of the common rotary valve body 15, respectively, The positions of the two communication holes of the communication holes 25 to 27 are the positions of the two through holes of the through holes A, B, and C. It can be seen that there are cases where the position matches (three ways). The position of only one communication hole coincides with the position of one through hole because the communication hole 28 formed by being displaced by an angle of 45 ° is one of the through holes A, B, and C. It can also be seen that it is only when the position matches (three ways). Further, there is no overlapping combination that is in a communication state with one rotation of the common rotary valve body 15, and the communication states obtained at the 45 ° rotation positions of the common rotary valve body 15 are all different. It is configured as compact as possible and there is no waste in operability.

  When the three-way switching sheet 40 is used, all the combination patterns are patterns surrounded by a broken line in the right column of FIG. Each combination appears only once in a half turn, and all combinations appear twice in a single turn. In the case of using a three-way switching sheet (a switching sheet in which only the through holes B and C are formed) in which the through holes are arranged 90 ° differently, all combination patterns are indicated by two-dot chain lines in the right column of FIG. It is an enclosed pattern. There is no change in that each combination appears only once in a half rotation and all combinations appear twice in a single rotation.

  7 shows the position of the communication hole 28 provided at an angle of 45 ° in the common rotary valve body 15 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 at an angle of 45 ° opposite to the direction from the communication hole 26 toward the communication hole 27. It is a figure which shows 2nd Example using the common rotary valve body 50 changed to the position (it shows by the communicating hole 28a). In FIG. 7, the four-way switching sheet 40 in which the through holes A, B, and C are formed and the through holes A and B are formed in the common rotary valve body 50 in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 6. A mode of switching accompanying rotation of the common rotary valve body 50 when using the three-way switching sheet 30 is shown. The middle row in FIG. 7 is a view showing a valve-seat assembly diagram, and when viewed from above, the communication holes 25, 26, 27 are started every 45 ° starting from 0 ° of the common rotary valve body 50. , 28a and the through holes A, B, and C match or do not match, and when the positions of the through holes match the through holes, the through holes are shown by cross hatching. In the right column of FIG. 7, the positions of the communication holes of the common rotary valve body 50 and the through holes of the seat 30 coincide with each other to allow flow (open state indicated by “◯”), CLOSE (the closed state indicated by “x”) in which the position does not match and the flow is interrupted.

  In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the order of the communication state is different from the case shown in FIG. 6, but the positions of the three communication holes 25 to 27 are changed to the three through holes A according to the rotation of the common rotary valve body 50. ˜C each of which corresponds to the position of (C), one of the three through holes A to C (one way), and two of the communication holes 25 to 27. When the position of the communication hole coincides with the position of two of the through holes A, B, and C (three ways), and when only one communication hole coincides with the position of one through hole (Three ways; the communication hole 28a coincides with one of the through holes A, B, and C) is the same as in the case of FIG.

  When the three-way switching sheet 40 is used, all the combination patterns are patterns surrounded by a broken line in the right column of FIG. Each combination appears only once in a half turn, and all combinations appear twice in a single turn. In the case of using a three-way switching sheet in which through holes are arranged 90 ° differently (a three-way switching sheet in which only through holes B and C are formed), all combination patterns are indicated by two-dot chain lines in the right column of FIG. This is an enclosed pattern, which is the same as in the first embodiment, including the point that each combination appears only once in a half rotation and all combinations appear twice in a single rotation.

  FIG. 8 shows a common rotary valve in which the position of the communication hole provided at an angle of 45 ° in the common rotary valve body 15 shown in FIGS. It is a figure which shows 3rd Example using the body 51. FIG. In FIG. 8, the four-way switching sheet 40 in which the through holes A, B, and C are formed and the through holes A and B are formed in the common rotary valve body 51 as in the case shown in FIG. A mode of switching performed in accordance with the rotation of the common rotary valve body 51 when using the three-way switching sheet 30 is shown. The description of the valve-seat assembly diagram shown in FIG. 8 is the same as the first and second embodiments shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 except that it differs due to the communication hole 28b. The description will not be repeated. Regarding the switching action by the communication hole 28b, the switching order that appears along with the rotation of the common rotary valve body 51 is different, and there is no change in the appearance of all switching combinations. To do.

  When the three-way switching sheet 40 is used, all combination patterns are patterns surrounded by a broken line in the right column of FIG. Each combination appears only once in a half turn, and all combinations appear twice in a single turn.

  FIG. 9 shows a common rotary valve in which the position of a communication hole (shown by a communication hole 28c) provided at an angle of 45 ° in the common rotary valve body 15 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is changed to a position between the communication holes 25 and 27. It is a figure which shows the 4th Example using the body 52. FIG. 9, the four-way switching sheet 40 in which the through holes A, B, and C are formed and the through holes A and B are formed with respect to the common rotary valve body 52 in the same manner as that shown in FIG. A mode of switching performed in accordance with the rotation of the common rotary valve body 52 when using the three-way switching sheet 30 is shown. The description of the valve-seat assembly diagram shown in FIG. 9 is the same as that of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8 except that it differs due to the communication hole 28c. . Also for the switching action by the communication hole 28c, only the switching order that appears along with the rotation of the common rotary valve body 52 is different, and there is no change that all combinations of switching appear, including the case of using the three-way switching seat 40. Therefore, a description of this will be omitted.

  Although the multi-way selector valve according to the present invention has been described according to each embodiment, various changes and substitutions can be made in each structure within the scope defined by the claims. For example, the driving of the rotary valve body has been described using a stepping motor attached to the side wall portion of the valve body and a transmission mechanism by a bevel gear. The rotary valve body may be driven directly by the drive shaft of the motor, or by a transmission mechanism such as an internal gear and a pinion.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multi-way switching valve 2 Valve body 3 Upper wall part 4 Lower wall part 4a Bottom face 5 Side wall part 6 Fluid inflow pipe 7, 8, 9 Fluid outflow pipe 10 Valve chamber 11 Fluid inflow port 12,13,14 Fluid outflow port 15,45 , 50, 51, 52 Common rotary valve body 15a Upper surface 15b Annular edge 16 Rotation center shaft 17 Head 18 Coil spring 19a, 19b Washer 20 Bevel gear 21 Stepping motor 22 O-ring 23 Rotation output shaft 24 Bevel gears 25, 26 , 27, 28; 28a, 28b, 28c Communication hole 30 Switching sheet 40 Switching sheet A, B, C Through hole

Claims (7)

A valve body in which a valve chamber in which a fluid inlet and three fluid outlets are open is formed;
A rotary valve body that is disposed in the valve chamber and has four communication holes that selectively communicate the valve chamber and the three fluid outlets according to a rotation operation;
A drive motor for rotating the rotary valve body,
The four communication holes are arranged so as to select all open / close combinations that define communication and blocking between the valve chamber and the three fluid outlets until the rotary valve body makes one rotation. A multi-way switching valve characterized by that. The multi-way switching valve according to claim 1,
The three fluid outlets are arranged at an angle of approximately 90 degrees on a concentric circle of the valve body around the rotation center of the rotary valve body,
The four communication holes include three communication holes spaced at an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the concentric circles of the rotary valve body corresponding to the concentric circles around the rotation center, and the three communication holes. A multi-way selector valve comprising one communication hole spaced from one of the communication holes at an angle of 45 degrees. A valve body in which a valve chamber in which a fluid inlet and two fluid outlets are open is formed;
A rotary valve body that is disposed in the valve chamber and has four communication holes that selectively communicate the valve chamber and the two fluid outlets according to a rotation operation;
A drive motor for rotating the rotary valve body,
The four communication holes are arranged so as to select all open / close combinations that define communication and blockage between the valve chamber and the two fluid outlets until the rotary valve body makes a half rotation. A multi-way switching valve characterized by that. The multi-way selector valve according to claim 3,
The two fluid outlets are disposed on a concentric circle of the valve main body at an angle of approximately 90 degrees or 180 degrees around the rotation center of the rotary valve body,
The four communication holes include three communication holes spaced at an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the concentric circles of the rotary valve body corresponding to the concentric circles around the rotation center, and the three communication holes. A multi-way selector valve comprising one communication hole spaced from one of the communication holes at an angle of 45 degrees. In the multi-way selector valve according to claim 2 or 4,
The communication between the valve chamber and only one of the fluid outlets is performed through one communication hole disposed at an angle of 45 degrees,
The multi-way switching valve is characterized in that the communication between the valve chamber and the two or more fluid outlets is performed through the three communication holes arranged at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. In the multi-way selector valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The drive motor is attached to the side wall of the valve body,
An output rotation of the drive motor is transmitted to the rotary valve body through a transmission mechanism having a bevel gear. The multi-way selector valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the valve chamber, the switching sheet in which a through hole corresponding to the fluid outlet is formed is disposed,
The multi-way switching valve is characterized in that the rotary valve body is supported so as to be slidable and rotatable while being urged against the switching sheet.

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