JP3150791B2 - Refrigerant control valve and refrigeration cycle device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerant control valve having both a flow path switching function and a pressure reducing function, and a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a dehumidifying function using the refrigerant control valve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A heat pump type refrigeration cycle device having a dehumidifying function, for example, having a configuration shown in FIG. 5 is conventionally known.

In this refrigeration cycle apparatus, a compressor 1, a four-way valve 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3, an expansion valve 4 as a pressure reducing mechanism, and a pair of indoor heat exchangers 5, 6 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe 7. A closed refrigeration cycle is configured. The refrigerant pipe 7 includes a bypass pipe 8 that bypasses the expansion valve 4 and a bypass valve 9 that opens and closes the bypass pipe 8.
Are provided.

On the indoor side, the refrigerant pipe 7 is branched into two branches, and the indoor heat exchangers 5 and 6 are connected to the branch pipes 7a and 7b, respectively. The branch pipes 7a and 7b are connected to auxiliary pipes 10 for connecting the indoor heat exchangers 5 and 6 in series.
The auxiliary pipe 10 is provided with an expansion valve (or a capillary tube) 11 as a pressure reducing mechanism.

[0005] Each of the branch pipes 7a and 7b has branch portions 12a and 12b from the mother pipe and branch points 13a and 1 of the auxiliary pipe 10.
3b, on-off valves 14 and 15 are provided.

[0006] During cooling, the bypass valve 9 is closed and the expansion valve 1 is closed.
1 is open and the on-off valves 14 and 15 are open.
As shown by a solid arrow a, the air flows sequentially through the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the expansion valve 4, and the indoor heat exchangers 5, 6.

During heating, the valves 9, 11, 14, and 15 are in the same state as described above, and the refrigerant flows in FIG.
It flows in the direction shown by.

At the time of dehumidification, the bypass valve 9 is opened, the respective on-off valves 14 and 15 are closed, and the expansion valve 11 functions. In this state, the refrigerant flows in substantially the same direction as during cooling (the direction of arrow a). That is, as indicated by the white arrow c, the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 8 and the auxiliary pipe 10, and the expansion valve 4 in the mother pipe portion.
Does not work. In the branch pipes 7a and 7b, as shown by a white arrow d, the refrigerant is supplied to one indoor heat exchanger 5, the expansion valve 11 of the auxiliary pipe 10, and the other indoor heat exchanger 6
Flows sequentially. That is, one indoor heat exchanger 5 located on the upstream side of the expansion valve 11 functions for reheating, the decompression action is performed on the expansion valve 11, and the other indoor heat exchange located on the downstream side of the expansion valve 11 is performed. The vessel 6 functions for cooling.
The indoor heat exchanger 6 for cooling is arranged on the windward side of the indoor unit to perform dehumidification, and the indoor heat exchanger 5 for reheating is arranged on the leeward side to reheat the cooled air.

[0009]

In such a conventional refrigeration cycle apparatus, a plurality of valves (9, 1) are provided in the system.
4, 15) and the decompression mechanism (4, 11), the number of parts increases, and the configuration is complicated. Therefore, a lot of labor is required for the production, and the production cost is also increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional, high-efficiency refrigerant capable of integrating a plurality of valve functions into one and switching a plurality of flow paths and reducing pressure. It is to provide a control valve.

A second object of the present invention is to reduce the number of flow path switching valves and pressure reducing mechanisms by using the refrigerant control valve as compared with the prior art, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the configuration. Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration cycle apparatus that can reduce the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerant control valve according to the present invention comprises: a cylindrical case body having a plurality of refrigerant passages provided at intervals in an axial direction; A plurality of valve seats provided at positions partitioning the respective refrigerant passages, a valve rod inserted through an axial portion of the case body, a drive mechanism for driving the valve rod to advance and retreat in an axial direction, and the valve A plurality of valve elements provided on the rod and coming into contact with and separating from the respective valve seats as the valve rod advances and retreats. And a closed mode in which all the refrigerant passages are closed, and at least one of the valve bodies is biased in the opening direction by a spring to open in the closed mode. In addition to making it possible, the secondary valve chamber of the valve Characterized in that it was.

[0013] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A refrigeration cycle device in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompression mechanism, and at least a pair of indoor heat exchangers are connected by a refrigerant pipe, and the indoor heat exchangers are connected in series for reheating and cooling during a dehumidifying operation. Wherein the refrigerant pipe is branched on the indoor side and a refrigerant passage is connected to the branch pipe to incorporate the refrigerant control valve according to claim 1 and connected to each refrigerant passage of the refrigerant control valve. Among the branch pipes, the indoor heat exchanger for reheating is connected to the pipe that communicates with the valve body that can be opened in the closed mode of the refrigerant control valve and becomes the primary side at the time of dehumidification. The cooling indoor heat exchanger is connected to a secondary side.

[0014]

According to the refrigerant control valve of the present invention, by setting a plurality of valve elements to the open mode or the closed mode, the refrigerant passages can be opened and closed in a pair-wise correspondence, and a plurality of switching valves can be provided. A corresponding channel switching function is obtained.

Also, at least one of the valve bodies is biased in the opening direction by a spring so that the valve can be opened in the closed mode, and the secondary valve chamber of the valve body is an expansion chamber. When the high-pressure refrigerant is supplied, the refrigerant can flow even in the closed mode, and the refrigerant can expand. Therefore, it has a pressure reducing function as well as a flow path switching function, and has a plurality of types of valve functions.

According to the refrigeration cycle apparatus of the present invention, a refrigerant control valve having a combination of a plurality of valve functions as described above is incorporated, and one valve is used as an on-off valve for switching a flow path and an expansion valve. Therefore, there is no need to provide an independent opening / closing valve, expansion valve, auxiliary pipe, or the like as in the related art. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, simplify the configuration, reduce the time and effort for manufacturing, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a refrigerant control valve according to the present embodiment, and a system configuration of a heat pump type refrigeration cycle apparatus having a dehumidifying function incorporating the refrigerant control valve.
4 to 4 show a detailed configuration and an operation state of the refrigerant control valve.

As shown in these figures, the refrigerant control valve 21 of the present embodiment includes a vertically long cylindrical case body 22, and the case body 22 has four refrigerant passages 2 spaced apart in the axial direction.
3, 24, 25, and 26 are provided. Ring-shaped valve seats 27, 28, 29 are provided between the respective refrigerant passages 23, 24, 25, 26, and each of the valve seats 27, 28, 2 is provided.
A cylindrical or ring-shaped valve body 30, 31, 32 is respectively engaged with 9 from above and below.

Each of the valve bodies 30, 31, and 32 includes a case body 22.
The valve stem 33 is driven in the axial direction (vertical direction) by a pulse motor 34 as a driving mechanism provided at the upper end of the case 22.

The uppermost valve element (first valve element) 30 opens and closes the uppermost refrigerant passage (first refrigerant passage) 23 and the lower refrigerant passage (second refrigerant passage) 24. , The tapered lower edge of which is the uppermost valve seat (upper valve seat)
27 is engaged from above. This first valve body 30 is
3 can be slid vertically in a certain range.

The first valve body 30 is configured so that a flange 35 provided on an inner surface thereof abuts on a locking ring 36 provided on a valve rod 33 so as to be interlocked upward. Further, a compression coil spring 37 is interposed between the flange 35 and the stepped portion 33a formed on the upper stage of the valve stem 33, whereby the first valve body 30 is always pushed down with respect to the valve stem 33. Has been energized. The joint space between the first valve body 30 and the valve rod 33 is closed by a seal ring 38.

The intermediate valve element (second valve element) 31 is composed of a second refrigerant passage 24 and a lower refrigerant passage (third refrigerant passage) 25.
The lower edge of the tapered shape engages with a middle valve seat (middle valve seat) 28 from above. The second valve element 31 is fixed to the valve rod 33 and moves up and down integrally with the valve rod 33.

The lowermost valve element (third valve element) 32 includes a third refrigerant passage 25 and a lower refrigerant passage (fourth refrigerant passage).
26 is opened and closed, and has a cylindrical shape, and a tapered lower peripheral edge engages with a lower valve seat (lower valve seat) 29 from above, and an upper peripheral edge of the same shape forms a middle valve seat 28. It is designed to engage from below.

The third valve body 32 is slidable up and down in a certain range with respect to the valve rod 33. The flange 39 provided on the inner surface side of the third valve body 32 is
3 is elastically abutted on a pair of upper and lower locking rings 40, 41 via compression coil springs 42, 43, whereby the third valve body 32 is vertically moved with a constant urging force against the valve rod 33. It follows the direction. The joint space between the third valve body 32 and the valve rod 33 is also closed by the seal ring 44.

With such a configuration, a valve chamber is formed inside the case body 22. Hereinafter, with respect to these valve chambers, the space between the upper valve seat 27 and the middle valve seat 28 is referred to as an upper valve chamber 45, and the space between the middle valve seat 28 and the lower valve seat 29 is an intermediate valve chamber 46. The space below the lower valve seat 29 is referred to as a lower valve chamber 47.

Next, the valve action will be described.

FIG. 2 shows an open mode in which the valve rod 33 is moved upward by the pulse motor 34 to the maximum. In this open mode, all the valve bodies 30, 31, and 32 rise together with the valve rod 33, and the respective valve bodies 30, 31, and 32 are separated from the lower valve seats 27, 28, and 29, respectively. However, the peripheral edge of the upper end of the third valve body 32 abuts against the middle valve seat 28 from below, and the second refrigerant passage 24 and the third refrigerant passage 25 are shut off. Therefore, in this state, the first refrigerant passage 23 and the second refrigerant passage 24 and the third refrigerant passage 25 and the fourth refrigerant passage 26 adjacent to each other communicate with each other.

FIG. 3 shows a closed mode in which the valve rod 33 is moved downward by the pulse motor 34 as much as possible. In this closed mode, all the valve bodies 30, 31, and 32 descend together with the valve rod 33, and the respective valve bodies 30, 31, and 32 abut against the lower valve seats 27, 28, and 29, respectively. Therefore,
In this state, the respective refrigerant passages 23, 24, 25, 26 are closed by the respective valve seats 27, 28, 29, respectively.

FIG. 4 shows a transition state from the closed mode to the partially open mode in which some valves are opened. That is, in the closed mode shown in FIG. 3, the first and third valve bodies 30, 32 are elastically pressed down from above by the compression coil springs 37, 42, respectively, and the springs are contracted. In this state, the third refrigerant passage 25 and the intermediate valve chamber 46 communicate with each other.

In this state, when the valve rod 33 is moved upward until the compression springs 37 and 42 for pushing down are fully extended, the first valve body 30 and the third valve body 32 move the upper valve seat 27.
The second valve body 31 moves up while being in contact with the lower valve seat 29.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the second valve element 31 is raised together with the valve rod 33 in this way. In this state, the second valve element 31 is opened, the upper valve chamber 45 communicates with the intermediate valve chamber 46, and the third refrigerant passage 25 communicates with the second refrigerant passage 24.

Next, a refrigeration cycle apparatus using the refrigerant control valve 21 having such a configuration will be described.

In the refrigeration cycle apparatus of this embodiment, a compressor 51, a four-way valve 52, an outdoor heat exchanger 53, an expansion valve 54 as a pressure reducing mechanism, and a pair of indoor heat exchangers 55,
56 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe 57. The refrigerant pipe 57 has a bypass pipe 5 that bypasses the expansion valve 54.
8 and a bypass valve 59 for opening and closing the bypass pipe 58
Are provided.

On the indoor side, the refrigerant pipe 57 is branched on the expansion valve 54 side into two branch pipes 57a and 57b via a branch part 60, and one of the branch pipes 57a is connected to the first refrigerant passage 23 of the refrigerant control valve 21. After being directly connected and the other branch pipe 57b being connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 55,
The refrigerant control valve 21 is connected to the third refrigerant passage 25. The refrigerant pipe 57 is connected to the branch portion 61 on the four-way valve 52 side.
And one of the branch pipes 57c is connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 56 and then connected to the second refrigerant passage 24 of the refrigerant control valve 21. The other branch pipe 57d is the refrigerant control valve 2
It is directly connected to the first fourth refrigerant passage 26.

In the cooling mode, the bypass valve 59 is closed, the refrigerant control valve 21 is in the open mode shown in FIG. 2, and the refrigerant flows through the compressor 5 as shown by the solid arrow a in FIG.
1. The four-way valve 52, the outdoor heat exchanger 53, the expansion valve 54, and the indoor heat exchangers 55 and 56 sequentially flow. In this case, in the refrigerant control valve 21 in the open mode, the first refrigerant passage 2
3 and the second refrigerant passage 24 communicate with each other via the upper valve chamber 45, and the third refrigerant passage 25 and the fourth refrigerant passage 26 communicate with each other via the lower valve chamber 47. The refrigerant flowing into one branch pipe 57a from 60 is
From the first refrigerant passage 23 of the refrigerant control valve 21 to the second refrigerant passage 2
4 and a branch pipe 57 through a second indoor heat exchanger 56.
c and the branch 61. The refrigerant flowing from the branch portion 60 of the refrigerant pipe 57 into the other branch pipe 57b passes through the first indoor heat exchanger 55, passes through the third refrigerant passage 25 of the refrigerant control valve 21, passes through the fourth refrigerant passage 26, Branch pipe 57d
And a branch 61. In each of the indoor heat exchangers 55 and 56, the cooling operation of the indoor air is performed in parallel (two passes).

At the time of heating, the refrigerant flows in the direction shown by the dashed arrow b in FIG. In this case, the refrigerant control valve 21 remains in the open mode shown in FIG. 2, and the heating operation is performed in two passes.

During dehumidification, the refrigerant is supplied in substantially the same manner as in cooling, as shown in FIG.
, The bypass valve 59 is opened, and the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 58 as shown by the white arrow c in FIG. 1, and the expansion valve 54 in the main pipe portion does not function.

On the other hand, the refrigerant control valve 21 is in a state shown in FIG. 4 in which the second valve body 31 is raised together with the valve rod 33 in the state of the closed mode shown in FIG.

In this state, the refrigerant flows into the branch pipes 57a and 57b via the branch portion 60, but the flow is cut off because one branch pipe 57a is in communication with the closed refrigerant passage 23 of the refrigerant control valve 21. Is done.

On the other hand, in the other branch pipe 57b, the refrigerant passes through the reheat indoor heat exchanger 55, passes through the third refrigerant passage 25 of the refrigerant control valve 21, passes through the intermediate valve chamber 46 and the upper valve chamber 45, and passes through the second refrigerant. It flows out of the passage 24. At this time, the cross-sectional area of the flow passage changes depending on the opening degree of the second valve body 31, whereby the upper valve chamber 45 becomes an expansion chamber, and the refrigerant is subjected to a pressure reducing action.

Then, the refrigerant flowing out of the second refrigerant passage 24 flows into the cooling indoor heat exchanger 56, where it undergoes an evaporating action, where it exerts a dehumidifying function. That is, the indoor heat exchanger 56 for cooling is disposed on the windward side of the indoor unit to perform dehumidification, and the indoor heat exchanger 55 for reheating.
Reheats the cooled air which is arranged on the lee side.

According to the refrigerant control valve 21 of the present embodiment, by setting the three valve bodies 30, 31, 32 to the open mode or the closed mode, the refrigerant passages 23, 24, 25, 26 are set.
Can be opened and closed in a pairwise manner, and a flow path switching function corresponding to two switching valves can be obtained.

Further, while the first valve body 30 and the third valve body 32 are kept in contact with the respective valve seats 27 and 29 by the compression coil springs 37 and 42, the second valve body 31 can be opened. Since the upper valve chamber 45, which is the secondary valve chamber of the second valve element 31, is an expansion chamber, the refrigerant can be expanded. Therefore, it has a pressure reducing function as well as a flow path switching function, and has a plurality of types of valve functions.

Further, according to the refrigeration cycle apparatus of this embodiment, the refrigerant control valve 21 having both two types of switching valve functions and expansion valve functions is incorporated, whereby one valve is switched on / off valve for switching the flow path. And an expansion valve, so that the on-off valve (1 in FIG.
4, 15), an expansion valve (11 in the same figure) or an auxiliary pipe (10 in the same figure) need not be provided. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, simplify the configuration, reduce the time and effort for manufacturing, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a heat pump type refrigeration cycle apparatus. However, the present invention can of course be applied to a refrigeration cycle apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, the refrigerant control valve has a structure having two opening / closing valve functions and one expansion valve function. However, these functions can be implemented by appropriately increasing the functions.

Further, various modifications and applications other than the above-described embodiment are possible for the configuration of the valve element, the valve seat, the refrigerant passage, and the like.

[0049]

As described above, according to the refrigerant control valve of the present invention, a multi-function, high-efficiency refrigerant control valve capable of switching a plurality of flow paths and reducing pressure by integrating a plurality of valve functions into one is provided. According to the refrigeration cycle apparatus of the present invention, the number of valves for switching the flow path and the number of pressure reducing mechanisms can be reduced as compared with the related art, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the configuration. In addition, the manufacturing labor can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a refrigerant control valve and a system of a refrigeration cycle device.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the refrigerant control valve according to the embodiment, showing an open mode.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the refrigerant control valve according to the embodiment, showing a closed mode.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the refrigerant control valve according to the embodiment, showing a partially open mode.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Refrigerant control valve 22 Case body 23, 24, 25, 26 Refrigerant passage 27, 28, 29 Valve seat 30, 31, 32 Valve body 33 Valve rod 34 Drive mechanism (pulse motor) 37, 42 Spring (compression coil spring) 45 Expansion chamber (upper valve chamber) 51 Compressor 53 Outdoor heat exchanger 54 Depressurization mechanism (Expansion valve) 55 Indoor heat exchanger for reheating 56 Indoor heat exchanger for cooling 57 Refrigerant piping 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d Branch piping

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cylindrical case body in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are provided at intervals in an axial direction, a plurality of valve seats provided at positions partitioning the respective refrigerant passages in the case body, A valve stem inserted through a shaft portion, a drive mechanism for driving the valve stem to move forward and backward along the axial direction, and a valve stem provided to the valve stem, which comes into contact with and separates from each of the valve seats as the valve stem moves forward and backward. A plurality of valve elements are provided, and the drive mechanism is set to an open mode in which the refrigerant passages communicate with each adjacent one by one-way movement of the valve rod, and a closed mode in which all the refrigerant passages are closed. And that at least one of the valve bodies is urged in the opening direction by a spring so that the valve can be opened in the closed mode, and the secondary valve chamber of the valve body is an expansion chamber. Characteristic refrigerant control valve. 2. A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompression mechanism, and at least a pair of indoor heat exchangers connected by a refrigerant pipe, wherein the indoor heat exchangers are used for reheating and cooling during a dehumidifying operation. In the one that is provided for refrigerant flow in a serially connected state for use, the refrigerant pipe is branched on the indoor side, and a refrigerant passage is connected to the branch pipe, and the refrigerant control valve according to claim 1 is incorporated therein. Among the branch pipes connected to the respective refrigerant passages, the reheat indoor heat exchanger is connected to a pipe that communicates with a valve body that can be opened in the closed mode of the refrigerant control valve and that becomes a primary side during dehumidification. A refrigeration cycle apparatus wherein the cooling indoor heat exchanger is connected to a secondary side at the time of dehumidification.