JP2014020412A - Four-way valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a four-way valve of high thermal efficiency without bypassing of a refrigerant flow.SOLUTION: A four-way valve A connected with a first flow channel 12 at its upper side, connected with second to fourth flow channels 13, 14, 15 at its lower side, and controlling the flow of a fluid, includes a housing 11 composed of a cylinder portion 16 having the shape formed by air-tightly closing both ends of a cylindrical container and connected to the second to fourth flow channels at its lower side, and a connecting portion 17 positioned at an upper side of the cylinder portion and connected to the first flow channel, the inside of the connecting portion 17 has the shape expanded in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder portion from a first flow channel side toward a cylinder portion side, a valve element 22 is provided to move inside the housing 11 and to switch the flow channels, the valve element 22 is disposed from the cylinder portion 16 to the connecting portion 17, and a wall surface 24 of the valve element 22 and an inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 are brought into contact with each other to form a flow channel R1 in the connecting portion 17.

Description

  The present invention relates to a four-way valve that is used in, for example, an air conditioner and switches connection of a flow path through which a refrigerant flows.

  Conventionally, for example, in an air conditioner or the like, a four-way valve has been used to switch a flow path through which a refrigerant flows in order to switch between a cooling operation and a heating operation.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that has a simple structure and suppresses generation of heat loss due to heat leakage between the two even when a high-temperature refrigerant and a low-temperature refrigerant flow in proximity to each other, thereby improving the heating and cooling capacity.

JP 2010-159882 A

However, for example, in the four-way valve shown in Patent Document 1, the main body has a cylinder shape. Therefore, the refrigerant flow path formed inside the four-way valve is not necessarily a linear shape, and the refrigerant flows along the internal structure of the cylinder shape. A detour channel is formed. For this reason, a refrigerant | coolant stagnates inside a four-way valve, As a result, a heat loss may increase.
An object of the present invention is to provide a four-way valve capable of eliminating the retention of the refrigerant flow and suppressing the generation of heat loss.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the problem, the first flow path is connected to the upper side, the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path are connected to the lower side, and the flow of the fluid flows. A four-way valve for switching a path, wherein the four-way valve has a shape in which both ends of a cylindrical container are sealed and the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path are connected to the lower side And a housing comprising a connecting portion that is provided on the upper side of the cylinder portion and is connected to the first flow path and in which the cylinder portion and the interior are connected to each other. It has a shape that spreads in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder part from the first flow path side toward the cylinder part side, and is provided so as to move inside the casing, and is heated to flow in from the first flow path. When the fluid flows out into the second flow path, the low temperature fluid flowing in from the fourth flow path is A low temperature fluid flowing from the second flow channel is caused to flow out to the third flow channel when the high temperature fluid flowing from the first flow channel is caused to flow into the third flow channel and the high temperature fluid flowing from the first flow channel to the fourth flow channel. A valve body for switching the flow path, and the valve body is disposed across the connecting portion from the cylinder portion, and a wall surface of the valve body and an inner wall surface of the connecting portion are in contact with each other, This is a four-way valve characterized by forming a formation flow path.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the four-way valve according to the first aspect, an elastic member is provided on at least one of the inner wall of the connecting portion and the wall surface of the valve body that form the forming flow path. is there.

  The formation flow path formed in the four-way valve is formed as a straight flow path that does not bypass the refrigerant. Accordingly, since the refrigerant flows without detouring, it is possible to provide a four-way valve that can eliminate the retention of the refrigerant flow and suppress the occurrence of heat loss.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing the appearance of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of the air_conditionaing | cooling operation of the four-way valve which concerns on one Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of the heating operation of the four-way valve which concerns on one Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation | movement of the air conditioning apparatus similarly containing the four-way valve which concerns on one Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of the heating operation of the air conditioning apparatus similarly containing the four-way valve which concerns on one Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows an example of other embodiment of a four-way valve similarly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an outline view showing the appearance of a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the operation during cooling operation of the four-way valve according to the embodiment, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of the heating operation of the four-way valve which concerns on one Embodiment.

  A four-way valve A according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, as an example, a cylinder portion 16 having a shape in which both ends of a cylindrical container are sealed, and a cylinder portion 16 provided on the upper portion, as shown in the outline view of FIG. The housing 11 includes a connection portion 17 that communicates with the housing 11. The first flow path 12 is connected to the apex side of the connection portion 17, and the second flow path 13, the third flow path 14, and the fourth flow path 15 are connected to the bottom surface side of the cylinder section 16. Further, the connection portion 17 has a shape in which the inside expands in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder portion 16 from the first flow path 12 side toward the cylinder portion 16 side.

  Further, the four-way valve A is moved in the housing 11 as shown in a cross-sectional view showing an example of the operation during the cooling operation in FIG. 2 and a cross-sectional view showing an example of the operation in the heating operation in FIG. It has the valve body 22 which switches a flow path. Further, the valve body 22 is made of a heat insulating material as an example, so that the flow path 23 provided on the second flow path 13, the third flow path 14, and the fourth flow path 15 side and the first formation flow path R1 The heat transfer between the two is effectively prevented and heat loss can be suppressed, so that an efficient cooling operation (heating operation) is possible. For example, during the cooling operation, the valve body 22 slides in the left direction of the drawing until the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 come into contact with each other in the drawing. As a result, the first formation flow path R1 is formed in the connection portion 17, and the low temperature fluid flows out by connecting the first flow path 12 and the fourth flow path 15. At this time, the valve body 22 connects the second flow path 13 and the third flow path 14 via the flow path 23. Further, for example, during heating operation, the valve body 22 slides in the right direction of the drawing until the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connection portion 17 abut on each other as shown in FIG. As a result, the second formation flow path R2 is formed in the connection portion 17, and the first flow path 12 and the second flow path 13 are connected to allow the high-temperature fluid to flow out. At this time, the valve body 22 connects the third flow path 14 and the fourth flow path 15 via the flow path 23.

  In addition, the valve body 22 is disposed across the connecting portion 17 from the cylinder portion 16, and when the valve body 22 moves inside the housing 11, the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 Come into contact with each other to form the formation flow paths R1 and R2 in the connection portion 17. The valve body 22 is provided with pistons 36 and 37 to be described later on both sides in the longitudinal direction in the cylinder portion 16. When the formation flow path R1 is formed, the formation flow path R3 is formed between the valve element 22 and the piston 36 in the cylinder portion 16, and when the formation flow path R2 is formed, in the cylinder portion 16 A formation flow path R <b> 4 is formed between the valve body 22 and the piston 37.

  Next, the configuration and operation when a four-way valve according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an air conditioner will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an operation during cooling operation of an air conditioner including a four-way valve A according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an air conditioner including the four-way valve A according to an embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the operation | movement at the time of heating operation of an apparatus.

  4 and 5, the air conditioner has one end connected to the first flow path 12 and the other end connected to the third flow path 14, and compresses the gas refrigerant sucked from the third flow path 14. A compressor 42 that discharges the gas refrigerant that has become high temperature and pressure to the first flow path 12, is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 42 via the first flow path 12, and is heated indoors via the second flow path 13. Connected to the exchanger 45, connected to the suction side of the compressor 42 via the third flow path 14, connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 43 via the fourth flow path 15, and switched between the connections of each flow path The indoor heat exchange functioning as an evaporator during the cooling operation and as a condenser during the heating operation is connected to the valve A and one end to the second flow path 13 and the other end to the expansion means 44 via the refrigerant pipe. 45, one end to the indoor heat exchanger 45 via the refrigerant pipe, and the other end to the outdoor heat exchanger 43 via the refrigerant pipe. An expansion means 44 that is connected and depressurizes the refrigerant, one end is connected to the expansion means 44 via the refrigerant pipe, and the other end is connected to the fourth flow path 15, and functions as a condenser during the cooling operation, and during the heating operation And an outdoor heat exchanger 43 that functions as an evaporator.

  Further, in the air conditioner, the solenoid valve 41 and the second flow path, the four-way valve A, and the third flow path 14 are connected by pipes 31, 32, 33, and 34. Specifically, the solenoid valve 41 includes the first flow path 12 via the pipe 31, one end in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder part 16 (on the cylinder space 35 side) via the pipe 32, and the cylinder part 16 via the pipe 33. The other end in the longitudinal direction (on the cylinder space 38 side) and an electromagnetic valve 41 connected to the third flow path 14 via the pipe 34 are provided, and the pipes 31, 32, 33, 34 are connected by on / off control. Switch. Specifically, when the solenoid valve 41 is off-controlled, the pipe 31 and the pipe 32 are connected, and the pipe 33 and the pipe 34 are connected. Moreover, when the solenoid valve 41 is on-controlled, the pipe 31 and the pipe 33 are connected, and the pipe 32 and the pipe 34 are connected.

  In the air conditioner having such a configuration, the operation during the cooling operation will be described below with reference to FIG. In the air conditioner shown in FIG. 4, during the cooling operation, the electromagnetic valve 41 is off. As a result, the refrigerant flows from the first flow path 12 through the pipe 31 toward the electromagnetic valve 41, and the electromagnetic valve 41 flows from the pipe 32 to the cylinder space 35 and pushes the piston 36 in the four-way valve A to the left, thereby pushing the valve body 22 to the left and fixing it to the position shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the wall surface 24 of the opposing valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connection portion 17 are in contact with each other without a gap. The flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle at this time will be described below.

  The high-pressure and high-temperature gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 42 flows into the four-way valve A through the first flow path 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed from the four-way valve A into the outdoor heat exchanger 43 via the fourth flow path 15 is condensed by exchanging heat with the outside air, and becomes high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has flowed from the outdoor heat exchanger 43 into the expansion means 44 via the refrigerant pipe is decompressed by the expansion means 44 and becomes a low-pressure low-temperature gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The low-pressure and low-temperature gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed from the expansion means 44 into the indoor heat exchanger 45 through the refrigerant pipe exchanges heat with room air and evaporates to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant. This low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant flows into the four-way valve A from the indoor heat exchanger 45 via the second flow path 13 and is sucked into the compressor 42 from the four-way valve A via the third flow path 14 and compressed again. The

  It should be noted here that the wall surface 24 of the opposing valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 are in contact with each other without any gap, so that the refrigerant flowing from the first flow path 12 flows into the piston 37 side. That is not. Therefore, the first forming flow path R1 formed by the casing 11 of the four-way valve A and the valve body 22 provided inside the four-way valve A is linear, and has a region where the fluid bypasses the casing 11. The shape is not good. From this, as shown in Patent Document 1 described above, the refrigerant fills the cylinder as in the formation flow path formed in the cylinder-shaped four-way valve, and the refrigerant bypasses the four-way valve A. It is possible to avoid the problem that the refrigerant stagnates and causes heat loss.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 that forms the first formation flow path R <b> 1 and the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 are formed to be substantially parallel. Thus, the first formation flow path R1 is a cylindrical formation flow path for connecting the first flow path 12 and the fourth flow path 15 in a substantially shortest manner, and has a region in which the fluid bypasses the inside of the housing. It will be a shape that is not.

  Next, the operation | movement at the time of heating operation is demonstrated using FIG. In the air conditioner shown in FIG. 5, the configuration does not change from that in FIG. 4, but the refrigerant flow is reversed from that in the cooling operation.

  That is, during the heating operation, the electromagnetic valve 41 is on, and as a result, the refrigerant flows from the first flow path 12 through the pipe 31 toward the electromagnetic valve 41 and from the electromagnetic valve 41 through the pipe 33 to the cylinder. It flows toward the space 38 and pushes the piston 37 in the four-way valve A to the right, thereby pushing the valve body 22 to the right and fixing it to the position shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the wall surface 24 of the opposing valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connection portion 17 are in contact with each other without a gap. The flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle at this time will be described below.

  The high-pressure and high-temperature gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 42 flows into the four-way valve A through the first flow path 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed from the four-way valve A into the indoor heat exchanger 45 via the second flow path 13 is condensed by exchanging heat with the indoor air and becomes high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has flowed from the indoor heat exchanger 45 into the expansion means 44 via the refrigerant pipe is decompressed by the expansion means 44 and becomes a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 43 from the expansion means 44 via the refrigerant pipe exchanges heat with the outside air and evaporates to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant. This low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant flows into the four-way valve A from the outdoor heat exchanger 43 via the fourth flow path 15 and is sucked into the compressor 42 from the four-way valve A via the third flow path 14 and compressed again. The

  Similarly, it should be noted here that, as shown in FIG. 5, the wall surface 24 of the opposing valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 are in contact with each other without any gap, and therefore flow from the first flow path 12. This means that the refrigerant does not flow into the piston 36 side. Therefore, the second formation flow path R2 formed by the casing 11 of the four-way valve A and the valve body 22 provided inside the four-way valve A is linear, and the first flow path 12 and the second flow path 13 are connected to each other. It is a cylindrical shaped flow path for connection in a substantially shortest length, and has a shape that does not have a region where the fluid bypasses the inside of the housing 11. From this, similarly, the refrigerant is filled in the cylinder as in the formation flow path formed in the cylinder-shaped four-way valve described in Patent Document 1 described above, and the refrigerant stays in the four-way valve to generate heat. It is possible to avoid the problem of generating a loss.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 that forms the second formation flow path R <b> 2 and the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 are formed to be substantially parallel. As a result, the second formation flow path R2 is a cylindrical formation flow path for connecting the first flow path 12 and the second flow path 13 in a shortest distance, and has a region in which the fluid bypasses the housing. It will be a shape that is not.

  Moreover, FIG. 6 is sectional drawing which shows an example of other embodiment of the four-way valve by this invention. Here, packing 51 and packing 52, which are elastic members, are bonded to the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connection portion 17. This packing can further enhance the effect of preventing the refrigerant from passing through the contact surface when the wall surface 24 of the valve body 22 and the inner wall surface 18 of the connecting portion 17 contact each other. As a result, the refrigerant moves mainly only in the first formation flow path R1 or the second formation flow path R2 formed by the casing 11 and the valve body 22, thereby eliminating the stagnation of the flow of the refrigerant and heat. It is possible to realize an air conditioner that can suppress the occurrence of loss and thus improve the cooling and heating efficiency.

  A plurality of various embodiments described above can be carried out simultaneously, and the present invention covers a wide range consistent with the disclosed principle and novel features, and is limited to the above-described embodiments. It is not a thing.

  A ... Four-way valve, 11 ... Housing, 12 ... First flow path, 13 ... Second flow path, 14 ... Third flow path, 15 ... Fourth flow path, 16 ... Cylinder section, 17 ... Connection section, 22 ... Valve body, 23 ... flow path, 31-34 ... piping, 41 ... solenoid valve, 42 ... compressor, 43 ... outdoor heat exchanger, 44 ... expansion means, 45 ... indoor heat exchanger, 51, 52 ... packing.

Claims (2)

A first flow path is connected to the upper side, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path are connected to the lower side, and a four-way valve that switches a flow path through which a fluid flows,
The four-way valve has a shape in which both ends of a cylindrical container are sealed, and a cylinder portion in which the second flow path, the third flow path, and the fourth flow path are connected to the lower side,
Provided with a casing that is provided on the upper side of the cylinder part and is connected to the first flow path and is connected to the cylinder part and the inside thereof;
The connection portion has a shape in which the inside expands in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder portion from the first flow path side toward the cylinder portion side,
The third fluid is provided so as to move inside the housing, and when the high-temperature fluid flowing from the first flow path is caused to flow out to the second flow path, the low-temperature fluid flowing from the fourth flow path is the third. The low temperature fluid flowing from the second flow path is caused to flow out to the third flow path when the high temperature fluid flowing from the first flow path is caused to flow out to the fourth flow path. A valve body for switching the flow path,
The valve body is arranged across the connecting portion from the cylinder portion, and a wall surface of the valve body and an inner wall surface of the connecting portion are in contact with each other to form a forming flow path in the connecting portion. Four-way valve.   The four-way valve according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member is provided on at least one of an inner wall of the connecting portion and the wall surface of the valve body that form the forming flow path.

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