JP4306366B2 - Refrigerant control valve - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant control valve, and particularly to a refrigerant control valve used as an expansion device for dehumidification in an air conditioner having a dehumidifying function.

  The air conditioner is provided with a refrigerant control valve that can be fully opened and throttled between two indoor heat exchangers, and the refrigerant control valve is set in a throttled state so that the indoor heat exchanger on the upstream side of the refrigerant flow So that the air passing through the evaporator is cooled and dehumidified, and the air is further passed through the condenser so as to be warmed. There is one that performs cooling (heating operation) with the refrigerant control valve fully opened while operating (reheat dry operation). In such an air conditioner, during the dehumidifying operation, the refrigerant control valve is closed, and the refrigerant flows through the throttle passage in the refrigerant control valve, so that the refrigerant flow is disturbed and an annoying refrigerant passing sound is generated.

  In view of this, a porous member is provided in the throttle passage, or the throttle passage is configured by the porous member, and the refrigerant flows through the porous member to rectify (homogenize) to reduce refrigerant passage noise. is doing. However, since solid contaminants (sludge and the like) called contamination are present in the refrigerant flow, the porous member is clogged with contaminants and the refrigerant flow rate changes during long-term use. For this reason, since it is difficult to obtain a stable dehumidifying operation performance for a long period of use, an expansion valve in which a filter is incorporated is known (see Patent Document 1).

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of a conventional expansion valve. In FIG. 8, 120 is an expansion valve (refrigerant control valve), and an arrow indicates the direction of the refrigerant flow when the expansion valve 120 is closed.
101 is a first refrigerant inlet / outlet, and 102 is a second refrigerant inlet / outlet. The first refrigerant inlet / outlet 101 is connected to the upstream (indoor condenser side) piping during the dehumidifying operation, and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 102 is connected to the downstream (indoor evaporator side) piping during the dehumidifying operation. 103 is a valve seat formed between the two refrigerant inlets and outlets 101, 102, 104 is a valve hole formed in the valve seat 103, 105 reciprocates with respect to the valve seat 103, and a tip portion is separated from and contacting the valve seat 103. This is a valve rod that opens and closes the valve hole 104. 106 is a throttle passage formed in the valve stem, 107 and 108 are two porous bodies made of a porous material disposed before and after the throttle passage 106, 109 is formed at the tip of the valve stem 105, and the throttle passage 106 , 110 is a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve rod 105, 111 is a refrigerant passage formed along the outer peripheral surface of the filter 110, communicating with one refrigerant inlet / outlet 101, A communication path 112 communicates the filter 110 with one porous body 107, and a housing 113 has a valve seat 103 and a valve hole 104.

The expansion valve 120 is opened during the refrigerant operation, and the refrigerant flows in the forward direction to the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 101, the valve hole 104, and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 102.
Further, during the heating operation, the valve is opened and the refrigerant flows in the reverse direction to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 102, the valve hole 104, and the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 101.
On the other hand, during the dehumidifying operation, the valve is closed and the refrigerant is in the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 101, the refrigerant passage 111, the filter 110, the communication passage 112, the porous body 107 on the filter side (communication passage side), the throttle passage 106, and the tip of the valve stem. It flows to the porous body 108 on the side (opening side), the opening 109, and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 102 in this order.
JP 2002-323273 A

However, in the expansion valve 120 shown in FIG. 8, when the valve is closed, the refrigerant that has passed from the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 101 to the refrigerant passage 111 is a part where the pressure loss of the filter 110 is small and a part where the filter 110 is short. It flows in a concentrated manner (in the vicinity of the communication path 112). For this reason, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the porous body and the throttle passage inside the valve stem is likely to pulsate, and when the refrigerant is a gas-liquid two-phase flow, the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant alternately flow, and thus the pulsation causes discontinuity There is a problem that it is easy to generate a refrigerant passing sound.
Further, since the refrigerant flows intensively to a part of the filter, there is a problem that the part is easily clogged and the refrigerant flow path changes with time.

The refrigerant control valve according to the first aspect of the invention is a valve formed between the first refrigerant inlet / outlet on the upstream side during the dehumidifying operation, the second refrigerant inlet / outlet on the downstream side during the dehumidifying operation, and these two refrigerant inlets / outlets. A seat, a valve hole formed in the valve seat, a valve rod that reciprocates with respect to the valve seat, and opens and closes the valve hole when the tip portion contacts and closes the valve seat; and a throttle passage formed in the valve rod; An opening formed at the tip of the valve stem and communicating the throttle passage to the tip of the valve stem; a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem; and a first refrigerant inlet / outlet along the outer peripheral surface of the filter And a communication passage that communicates the filter and the throttle passage. When the valve is opened, the first refrigerant inlet / outlet communicates with the second refrigerant inlet / outlet, and when the valve is closed, the refrigerant passage The refrigerant flows from the first refrigerant inlet / outlet to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet through the filter, the communication passage, the throttle passage, the opening and the valve hole. The refrigerant flow restricting means is configured to increase the refrigerant flow resistance of the filter portion in the vicinity of the communication path as compared with the refrigerant flow resistance of the other part of the filter, whereby the refrigerant flows in the vicinity of the communication path. I am trying to relax.

In the refrigerant control valve according to the second aspect of the invention, the refrigerant flow restricting means is constituted by a baffle plate disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the filter in the vicinity of the communication path.

In the refrigerant control valve according to the third aspect of the invention, the baffle plate is opposed to the communication path with the filter interposed therebetween, and the baffle plate is brought into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the filter.

In a refrigerant control valve according to a fourth aspect of the invention, the baffle plate is opposed to the communication path with the filter interposed therebetween, and is disposed in the refrigerant path via a gap.

A refrigerant control valve according to a fifth aspect of the invention is a valve formed between a first refrigerant inlet / outlet that is upstream during a dehumidifying operation, a second refrigerant inlet / outlet that is downstream during a dehumidifying operation, and these two refrigerant inlets / outlets. A seat, a valve hole formed in the valve seat, a valve rod that reciprocates with respect to the valve seat, and opens and closes the valve hole when the tip portion contacts and closes the valve seat; and a throttle passage formed in the valve rod; An opening formed at the tip of the valve stem and communicating the throttle passage to the tip of the valve stem; a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem; and a first refrigerant inlet / outlet along the outer peripheral surface of the filter A refrigerant passage formed by connecting the filter and the throttle passage, and a refrigerant passage amount averaging means for equalizing the refrigerant passage flow rate of the filter. The outlet and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet communicate with each other, and when the valve is closed, the refrigerant passage, the filter, the refrigerant passage amount averaging means The refrigerant is configured to flow from the first refrigerant inlet / outlet to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet through the communication passage, the throttle passage, the opening, and the valve hole, and the refrigerant passage amount averaging means is formed between the communication passage and the filter. It is made up of a space part.

In the refrigerant control valve according to a sixth aspect of the invention, the space portion is formed in a tapered shape so that a gap dimension of the space portion increases as the distance from the filter approaches the communication path.

The refrigerant control valve according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the refrigerant control valve according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the porous body on the side of the communication path disposed between the throttle path and the communication path, the throttle path and the opening An opening-side porous body disposed between the refrigerant passage, the filter, the communication passage, the communication passage-side porous body, the throttle passage, the opening-side porous body, the opening, and the valve hole when the valve is closed. The refrigerant flows from one refrigerant inlet / outlet to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet.

The refrigerant control valve according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the refrigerant control valve according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the hole diameter of the filter includes the hole diameter of the communication path, the hole diameter of the porous body on the communication path side, the hole diameter of the porous body on the opening side, and the restriction It is smaller than the hole diameter of the passage.

A refrigerant control valve according to a ninth aspect is the refrigerant control valve according to the fifth or sixth aspect , wherein the refrigerant control valve is formed on a counter valve seat side end face of a porous body on the communication path side disposed between the throttle path and the communication path. The other space portion communicating with the space portion via the communication path is provided.

A refrigerant control valve according to a tenth aspect of the invention is the refrigerant control valve according to the fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the communication path is formed by a small hole formed in the valve shaft direction.

The refrigerant control valve according to an eleventh aspect of the invention is the refrigerant control valve according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the refrigerant flows in the vicinity of the communication path of the filter when the refrigerant flow restriction means is not provided. It is like that.

  First, in each of the following inventions, by improving the arrangement relationship between the shape of the filter and the porous member and the medium passage without increasing the number of parts or increasing the internal shape of the refrigerant control valve, Refrigerant control valve that can average the refrigerant flow rate, can efficiently reduce clogging of contaminants in the throttle passage and refrigerant flow noise, and has a structure that is easy to manufacture, and a refrigerant circuit using the same Can be realized.

In addition, according to the first invention, by increasing the thickness of the filter, the filter area through which the refrigerant passes can be expanded, and the refrigerant passage amount of the filter can be averaged. As a result, a large refrigerant passage area on the filter surface is ensured to increase the removal efficiency of contaminants, and the refrigerant passage flow rate of the filter is made uniform by averaging the refrigerant passage to increase the homogenization of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. Thus, discontinuous refrigerant flow noise can be efficiently reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant flow restricting means can alleviate the concentrated flow of the refrigerant in the vicinity of the communication path and increase the refrigerant passage area of the filter, so that the flow is biased near the communication path. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently reduce discontinuous refrigerant flow noise that is likely to occur in the vicinity of the communication path, and to efficiently reduce contaminants in the refrigerant.

According to the third invention, the baffle plate is arranged on the outer periphery of the filter in the vicinity of the communication path as the refrigerant flow regulating means, so that the refrigerant is restricted from flowing in the vicinity of the communication path, and the refrigerant passage area of the filter is widened. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently reduce discontinuous refrigerant flow noise that is likely to occur in the vicinity of the communication path, and to efficiently reduce contaminants in the refrigerant.

According to the fourth invention, since the baffle plate is opposed to the communication path with the filter interposed therebetween, and the baffle plate is brought into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the filter, the refrigerant flows around the baffle plate and flows into the filter. Therefore, the distance passing through the filter is increased, the homogenization of the refrigerant proceeds inside the filter, and further silence of the refrigerant passing sound can be achieved.

According to the fifth aspect, since the baffle plate is floated with respect to the filter and attached to the housing side, the noise passing through the refrigerant is slightly reduced, but the assembly is facilitated and the durability of the refrigerant control valve can be achieved. .

According to the sixth invention, the refrigerant passage flow rate of the filter can be made uniform by the refrigerant passage amount averaging means. That is, since the refrigerant can flow through the space formed between the communication path and the filter, the hole diameter of the communication path with respect to the filter is apparently widened, and local inflow of the refrigerant can be reduced. Thereby, even if it is a gas-liquid two-phase flow, the refrigerant | coolant which passes a filter becomes fixed (homogeneous), and since a pulsation does not arise, the discontinuous refrigerant | coolant flow noise in a communicating path can be reduced efficiently. Further, the refrigerant does not flow concentrated on a part of the filter, and local clogging is less likely to occur.

According to the seventh aspect, since the space formed between the communication path and the filter is formed in a taper shape, the hole diameter of the communication path with respect to the filter is apparently widened and is generated in the vicinity of the communication path. It is possible to efficiently reduce the discontinuous refrigerant flow noise that easily occurs and to prevent clogging. Bubbles in the refrigerant that have passed through the filter are unlikely to recombine when passing through the tapered space, and pulsation is unlikely to occur in the communication path, and refrigerant passage noise is further less likely to occur.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant flowing out of the communication passage is homogenized by the porous body, and the discontinuous refrigerant flow noise in the throttle passage can be efficiently reduced. That is, when the porous body on the communication path side is provided, the porous body can suppress the pulsation of the refrigerant by homogenizing the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant and flowing into the throttle. Further, when the porous body on the opening side is provided, the porous body can suppress the pulsation of the refrigerant by absorbing the energy of the refrigerant jet that has passed through the throttle.

According to the ninth aspect, clogging downstream of the filter, that is, inside the valve stem can be prevented.

According to the tenth aspect, even when impurities are precipitated downstream of the communication path serving as the decompression region, clogging is less likely to occur due to the provision of another space.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a closed state of a refrigerant control valve according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the arrows indicate the direction of refrigerant flow when the refrigerant control valve is closed. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a refrigerant control valve. Reference numeral 1 is a first refrigerant inlet / outlet, and 2 is a second refrigerant inlet / outlet. The first refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 is connected to the upstream (indoor condenser side) piping during the dehumidifying operation, and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 is connected to the downstream (indoor evaporator side) piping during the dehumidifying operation. 3 is a valve seat formed between the two refrigerant inlets and outlets 1 and 2, 4 is a valve hole formed in the valve seat 3, 5 is reciprocated with respect to the valve seat 3, and a tip part is separated from the valve seat 3. This is a valve rod that opens and closes the valve hole 4. 6 is a throttle passage formed in the valve stem, 7 and 8 are two porous bodies made of a porous material disposed before and after the throttle passage 6, and 9 is formed at the tip of the valve stem 5. 10 is a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem 5, 11 is a refrigerant passage formed along the outer peripheral surface of the filter 10 in communication with one refrigerant inlet / outlet 1, Reference numeral 12 denotes a communication passage that communicates the filter 10 with one porous body 7, and reference numeral 14 denotes a housing having a valve seat 3 and a valve hole 4. In this embodiment, the refrigerant passage amount is averaged by the shapes of the filter 10 and the porous body 7 as will be described later, and these function as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13.

The internal structure of the refrigerant control valve will be described in more detail. In the valve stem 5, a porous body 7 is provided between the throttle passage 6 and the communication passage 12, and a porous body 8 is provided between the throttle passage 6 and the opening 9. is doing.
The outer shape of the porous body 7 on the side communicating with the communication passage 12 is made smaller than the outer dimension of the porous body 8 on the other side, and the filter 10 is arranged such that the inner surface is closer to the valve rod than the outer peripheral surface of the other porous body 8. In addition, the filter thickness is set. For example, the thickness of the filter is preferably 1 mm or more.
That is, the outer dimension of the porous body 7 on the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 side communicated with the communication passage 12 is made smaller than the outer dimension of the porous body 8 on the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 side. By increasing the thickness of the filter 10 so as to be closer to the center side of the valve stem 5 than the outer peripheral surface of the body 8, the refrigerant passage area is expanded to average the refrigerant passage amount.
The upper limit of the filter thickness is not particularly limited as long as it can be designed, but considering the diameter required for the porous body 7 provided inside the valve stem 5 and the thickness of the valve stem 5, the radius of the valve stem 5 It is desirable that it is 2/3 or less.

  The filter 10 is formed of a porous material having a pore diameter smaller than that of the porous bodies 7 and 8. This is to prevent clogging on the downstream side of the filter 10. Further, the finer the screen, the higher the homogenization on the upstream side of the valve, and the greater the effect of reducing the flow noise. Specification may be sufficient.

The porous bodies 7 and 8 may be any material that allows the refrigerant to pass therethrough. However, a porous material having uniform eyes (pores) is more preferable from the viewpoint of preventing clogging from occurring unevenly. For example, foamed metal, foamed resin, sintered metal, sintered ceramics, superposed metal meshes, fibers wound in multiple layers, and homogeneous materials such as honeycomb structural members are less likely to clog and serve as filter materials. Particularly preferred.
However, when materials with slightly inhomogeneous eyes (holes) such as non-woven fabrics made of metal wires or glass fibers are used, they are slightly inferior in terms of clogging, but they are sufficiently excellent in terms of silencing performance of refrigerant pulsation noise. Therefore, even heterogeneous materials can be used.
From the viewpoint of preventing clogging of the throttle passage 6, it is desirable to use a porous member having a finer diameter than the diameter of the throttle passage 6 as the porous body.

The communication path 12 is formed by a plurality of small holes formed in the peripheral wall of the valve stem 5 in a direction perpendicular to the valve shaft direction. If a plurality of holes are provided, the influence of the refrigerant state (liquid and gas variations) upstream of the throttle passage 6 is averaged, thereby reducing noise.
One end of the hole of the communication path 12 communicates with the inner surface of the filter, and the other end communicates with the porous body 12. The hole diameter of the communication path 12 is preferably 0.5 mm or more in view of ease of hole processing.
In particular, when the thickness is 0.7 mm or more, the flow path cross-sectional area can be sufficiently increased without increasing the number of holes. The number of holes in the communication path 12 is preferably 6 or less so as to reduce the processing cost.
The upper limit of the hole diameter of the communication passage 12 is not particularly limited as long as the valve rod is not structurally unstable and there is no difficulty in drilling.

Here, the hole diameters of the porous bodies 7 and 8, the hole diameter of the filter 10, and the hole diameter of the communication passage 12 will be described. The hole diameters of the porous bodies 7 and 8 are set smaller than the hole diameter of the throttle passage 6 to prevent clogging in the throttle passage 6.
The pore diameter of the filter 10 is made smaller than the pore diameter of the communication passage 12, the pore diameters of the porous bodies 7 and 8, and the diameter of the throttle passage 6, thereby preventing clogging downstream of the filter 10, that is, inside the valve stem 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, there may be only one throttle passage 6, but by using a plurality of throttle passages 6, energy accompanying decompression is dispersed, and further noise reduction can be achieved.
The cross-sectional area of the communication passage 12 (meaning the sum of cross-sectional areas when there are a plurality of communication passages 12) is the cross-sectional area of the throttle channel 6 (meaning the sum of cross-sectional areas when there are a plurality of constriction passages 6) Is also made considerably large so that the throttle channel 6 becomes the main decompression region. In general, since impurities in the refrigerant are deposited in the reduced pressure region, it is possible to improve the reliability by suppressing precipitation due to reduced pressure outside the throttle channel. Specifically, if the cross-sectional area of the communication passage 12 is 5.5 times or more the cross-sectional area of the throttle passage 6, deposits can be made difficult to adhere.

  On the other hand, although the cross-sectional area of the communication passage 12 is made larger than the cross-sectional area of the throttle passage 6, it is inferior in terms of impurity precipitation if it is 0.01 times or more and twice or less, but the pressure is reduced even outside the throttle passage 6. Thus, the decompression of the refrigerant is multistaged, which is preferable from the viewpoint of noise reduction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a concave space of 0.6 mm or more is formed on the downstream side of the throttle passage 6. Therefore, clogging can be prevented from occurring due to the concave space of 0.6 mm or more formed on the downstream side even if the dissolved component in the refrigerant is deposited due to the decompression due to the passage of the throttle passage 6. Further, by forming a concave space of the same shape on the upstream side, the upper and lower sides of the throttle passage 6 are the same concave shape, so that no assembly error occurs when the throttle passage (orifice) is incorporated into the refrigerant control valve.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, when the throttle passage 6 is formed in a two-stage shape so that the diameter on the downstream side is enlarged, the refrigerant rapidly expands at the step portion, so that the energy in the refrigerant can be absorbed and the noise is reduced. Can be achieved. Furthermore, if a step having the same shape is provided on the upstream side, an assembly error does not occur when the throttle passage is incorporated.

Next, the operation of the refrigerant control valve 20 will be described.
The refrigerant control valve 20 is opened during refrigerant operation, and the refrigerant flows in the forward direction to the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 1, the valve hole 4, and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2.
Further, during the heating operation, the valve is opened and the refrigerant flows in the reverse direction to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2, the valve hole 4, and the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 1.

On the other hand, during the dehumidifying operation, the valve is closed and the refrigerant is in the first refrigerant inlet / outlet 1, the refrigerant passage 11, the filter 10, the communication passage 12, the porous body 7 on the filter side (communication passage side), the throttle passage 6, and the tip of the valve rod. It flows to the porous body 8 on the side (opening side), the opening 9 and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 in order. At this time, since the refrigerant passes through the surface of the filter 10 in a wide range by the thick filter 10 functioning as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13, the refrigerant passage flow rate is made uniform to homogenize the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. Thus, discontinuous refrigerant flow noise in the communication path can be efficiently reduced.
Furthermore, there is no portion where the refrigerant flows intensively, and local clogging of the filter 10 is alleviated.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a closed state of a refrigerant control valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numerals 1 to 12, 14 and 20 are the same as those in FIG.
In this embodiment, the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13 is provided with refrigerant flow restriction means for making the refrigerant flow resistance of a part of the filter near the communication path 12 larger than the refrigerant flow resistance of the other part of the filter 10. .

  In the refrigerant flow regulating means for increasing the refrigerant flow resistance, a part for increasing the refrigerant flow resistance of the filter 10 itself and a baffle plate for increasing the flow resistance are arranged on a part of the outer periphery of the filter 10. There is a thing. FIG. 2 shows a filter 10 provided with baffle plates 13a on the outer periphery. That is, it is a refrigerant flow restriction means that is made of a baffle plate that faces the communication path 12 and is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the filter 10, and this functions as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13.

  In this case, the baffle plate 13a may be a member that does not allow the coolant to pass through, such as a metal ring or a seal, or a member that does not easily pass the coolant, such as a high-pressure loss porous member. May be. Further, a plurality of fine holes may be punched in a part of the metal ring.

  On the other hand, although not shown, the refrigerant flow resistance of the filter 10 itself may be changed instead of the baffle plate 13a. That is, the density of the filter in the vicinity of the communication path 12 can be increased, and the filter density can be decreased as the distance from the communication path 12 is increased, thereby providing the refrigerant flow regulating means.

  With the configuration of the second embodiment, the refrigerant flow restriction means 12 disposed in the vicinity of the communication path can serve as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13 so that the refrigerant can flow in a wider range of the filter. Since the refrigerant passage distance can be increased and the refrigerant can flow, the refrigerant ceases to flow in a concentrated manner on the filter surface in the vicinity of the communication path 12, the refrigerant pulsation is more easily averaged, and discontinuous refrigerant passage noise is efficiently reduced. In addition, the homogenization of the refrigerant progresses inside the filter, and the noise can be further reduced. Furthermore, local filter clogging can be prevented.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a closed state of a refrigerant control valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. 3, reference numerals 1 to 12, 14 and 20 are the same as those in FIG. 13 b is a baffle plate that faces the communication passage 12 and is disposed in the refrigerant passage 11 away from the filter 10. The baffle plate 13 b is a refrigerant flow restricting means and functions as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13.
As in the second embodiment, the baffle plate 13b is configured to increase the refrigerant flow resistance of a part of the filter near the communication path 12 as compared with the refrigerant flow resistance of the other part of the filter.
Since the baffle plate 13b is floated with respect to the filter 10 and attached to the housing 14, the noise passing through the refrigerant is slightly reduced, but the assembly is facilitated and the durability of the refrigerant control valve 20 is increased.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 7 to be described later, the external filter 28 is disposed upstream of the refrigerant control valve 20, and the hole diameter of the external filter 28 is a gap between the filter 10 and the baffle plate 13b in the communication path 11, That is, it is possible to prevent the residue that has passed through the external filter 28 from being clogged in the refrigerant control valve 20 by setting it to be narrower than a gap in a part of the sliding portion on which the valve stem 5 slides. Further, it is possible to prevent the residue that has passed through the external filter 28 from being caught by the sliding portion and causing the valve rod to malfunction.

  According to the configuration of the third embodiment, the baffle plate 13b is floated with respect to the filter 10 and attached to the main body as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13, so the refrigerant passage sound is slightly reduced, but assembly is easy. Thus, the durability of the refrigerant control valve can be achieved.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a closed state of the refrigerant control valve 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 4, reference numerals 1 to 12, 14 and 20 are the same as those in FIG. Reference numeral 13 c denotes a space formed between the filter 10 and the communication passage 12 formed on the end face on the counter valve seat side of the porous body 7, and this space 13 c functions as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13. That is, by providing the space 13c, the hole diameter of the communication path 12 with respect to the filter 10 is apparently increased, and the range of the filter surface into which the refrigerant flows is expanded.
As the depth of the space 13c increases, the filter surface into which the refrigerant flows becomes wider, and the refrigerant passing sound due to the refrigerant pulsation on the outer periphery of the filter can be reduced. However, the refrigerant refined and homogenized by the filter 10 The air bubbles inside are recombined to form large air bubbles and pass through the actual communication path 12, so that the refrigerant noise is increased. Therefore, in order to prevent generation of large bubbles, the depth width of the space is preferably about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

  According to the configuration of the fourth embodiment, the refrigerant can flow in the space formed between the communication path and the filter with an apparent hole diameter of the communication path increased, so that the discontinuity is likely to occur in the vicinity of the communication path. It is possible to efficiently reduce the refrigerant flow noise.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a closed state of a refrigerant control valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. 5, reference numerals 1 to 12, 14 and 20 are the same as those in FIG. 13 d is a space formed between the filter 10 and the communication passage 12 formed on the end face on the counter valve seat side of the porous body 7, and functions as the refrigerant passage amount averaging means 13. The space portion 13d is formed in a tapered shape so that the depth dimension of the space portion 13d decreases as the distance from the porous body 7 increases. This tapered space 13d also increases the apparent hole diameter of the communication path 12, and the filter surface area into which the refrigerant flows is expanded.

  With the configuration of the fifth embodiment, the refrigerant flowing through the communication passage 12 can be made to flow wider in the space portion 13d formed along the side surface of the valve rod 5 of the filter 10, so that bubbles in the refrigerant that have passed through the filter 10 , It becomes difficult to recombine when passing through the space 13d. Therefore, pulsation is less likely to occur in the communication path 12, and refrigerant passage noise is unlikely to occur.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a closed state of a refrigerant control valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, reference numerals 1 to 12, 14 and 20 are the same as those in FIG. 13e is a space portion formed along the inner surface of the filter 10, 13f is a space portion formed on the counter valve seat side end surface of the porous body 7, and the space portion 13e communicates with the communication path 12 and the space portion 13f. As the distance from the porous body 7 increases, the depth of the space 13e is reduced. This tapered space 13e also increases the apparent hole diameter of the communication passage 12, and the filter surface into which the refrigerant flows is expanded. Further, by communicating with the space portion 13f via the communication passage 12 serving as the constriction portion, clogging occurs due to the provision of the space portion 13f even when impurities are precipitated on the downstream side of the communication passage 12 serving as the decompression region. Is less likely to occur.
Further, as in the first embodiment, by making the cross-sectional area of the communication channel 12 considerably larger than the cross-sectional area of the throttle channel 6, the throttle channel 6 can be a main decompression region. Since impurities in the refrigerant are deposited in the reduced pressure region, it is possible to improve the reliability by suppressing precipitation due to reduced pressure outside the throttle channel. Specifically, if the cross-sectional area of the communication passage 12 is set to 5.5 times or more the cross-sectional area of the throttle passage 6, the deposits can be made difficult to adhere.
Further, as in the first embodiment, if the cross-sectional area of the communication passage 12 is about 0.01 to 2 times the cross-sectional area of the throttle passage, the communication passage 12 functions as a decompression region. Therefore, the energy of the refrigerant is dispersed and noise reduction can be achieved.

  According to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, the refrigerant flowing through the communication passage can be made to widen and flow in the space formed along the side surface of the valve rod of the filter, so that bubbles in the refrigerant that has passed through the filter pass through the space. Difficult to recombine when. Therefore, pulsation hardly occurs in the communication path, so that refrigerant passing sound hardly occurs.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using a refrigerant control valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, this refrigerant circuit includes a refrigerant control valve 20, an indoor second heat exchanger 21 that becomes an indoor evaporator during dehumidifying operation, an internal / external communication pipe 22, a four-way valve 23, a compressor 24, and outdoor heat exchange. This is a closed circuit in which an oven 25, an expansion valve 26, an inside / outside communication pipe 22, and an indoor first heat exchanger 27 that becomes an indoor condenser during dehumidifying operation are sequentially connected. The refrigerant control valve 20 has a refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 connected to the indoor first heat exchanger 27 by piping and the refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 connected to the indoor second heat exchanger 21 by piping.
In order to prevent impurities from entering the refrigerant control valve between the refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 and the indoor first heat exchanger 27 (the upstream side of the refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 during the dehumidifying operation) during the dehumidifying operation. An external filter 28 is provided.

  The air conditioner having the above configuration performs cooling operation when the expansion valve 26 is fully opened and the four-way valve 23 is in the state indicated by the solid line arrow, and heating operation is performed when the four-way valve 22 is switched to the state indicated by the dotted line arrow. . On the other hand, when the four-way valve 23 is in the cooling operation state shown in FIG. 7 and the refrigerant control valve 20 is in the throttle state shown in FIG. 1, for example, the refrigerant control valve 20 functions as an expansion source, and the indoor first heat exchanger 27 and the indoor second heat exchanger 21 can be operated to perform a dehumidifying operation (reheat drying operation).

  The air conditioner is automatically cooled for a certain period of time before being dehumidified by a control unit (not shown). As a result, the residue remaining between the refrigerant control valve 20 and the external filter 28 in the opened state flows to the downstream side of the refrigerant control valve 20, thereby preventing the filter 10 and the throttle channel 6 from being clogged. be able to. In particular, if the position where the external filter is provided is immediately before the inlet of the refrigerant control valve 20, the internal residue can be easily washed away downstream during the cooling operation.

In the present embodiment, the external filter 28 is provided between the refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 and the indoor first heat exchanger 27. However, this reduces the piping distance between the external filter 28 and the refrigerant control valve 20 as much as possible to remove the residue. This is to reduce the necessary space and shorten the cooling operation time for removing the residue before the dehumidifying operation. On the other hand, when the external filter 28 is attached between the refrigerant inlet / outlet 1 and the indoor first heat exchanger 27, the pressure loss increases because the gas flows during the cooling operation and the heating operation.
Therefore, in order to reduce the pressure loss, the external filter 28 may be attached to the position A immediately before the upstream inlet of the indoor first heat exchanger 27. In this way, since the liquid refrigerant flows through the external filter 28, the pressure loss is reduced. However, since the piping distance to the refrigerant control valve 20 becomes long, it is necessary to lengthen the cooling operation time for removing the residue.

Further, an external filter 28 may be provided downstream B of the refrigerant control valve 20 (that is, the second refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 side of the refrigerant control valve 20), or an external filter may be provided downstream C of the indoor evaporator 21.
Comparing position B and position C, position B where the liquid remains is more advantageous in terms of pressure loss and less residue, but position B is difficult to mount a filter due to the structure of the heat exchanger and increases costs. Connected.
On the other hand, position C has a lot of gas refrigerant and is inferior in terms of pressure loss, but it is easy to attach a filter because of its structure.

As described above, since there are merits and demerits depending on the mounting position of the external filter 28, the external filter 28 may be provided at an optimum position as necessary. Further, not only one external filter but also a plurality of external filters may be attached.
As described above, the clogging of the communication path 12 can be further prevented if the residue in the refrigerant is also captured by these external filters 28.

  Further, a muffler 29 for reducing the refrigerant passing sound may be further arranged, and the external filter 28 may be formed in the muffler 29. Thereby, the passage area of the refrigerant passing through the external filter 28 can be increased, and the low pressure loss can be achieved.

Note that the hole diameter of the external filter 28 needs to be set to be smaller than the gap of the communication passage 12 of the refrigerant control valve 20. Thereby, the possibility that the residue that has passed through the external filter 28 clogs the communication path 12 is reduced.
In particular, when the refrigerant control valve 20 using the baffle plate shown in the third embodiment is mounted so as to float from the filter, the hole diameter of the external filter 28 is a part of the sliding region in which the valve rod of the refrigerant control valve 20 slides. It is necessary to set narrower than the gap (the part where the gap is minimized). Thereby, clogging in the sliding region can also be prevented.

The pore size of the external filter 28 is preferably in the range of 100 to 200 mesh (100 mesh has a gap of 0.154 mm, 150 mesh has a gap of 0.109 mm, and 200 mesh has a gap of 0.77 mm). In particular, since 100, 150, and 200 mesh materials are widely used and are easily available and inexpensive, it is desirable to use one of them.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the residue that has passed through the external filter 28 from being clogged in the communication path and the sliding portion, and it is also possible to suppress the pressure loss when flowing the refrigerant to a level that does not cause any trouble. .

At this time, since the refrigerant control valve 20 of Example 1 to Example 7 is used, it is possible to prevent clogging of contaminants in the throttle passage and generation of refrigerant passing sound.
In this air conditioner, the refrigerant is not limited to the HCFC refrigerant, and various refrigerants such as an HFC refrigerant can be used. In addition to mineral oil, ether-based and ester-based oils can be used as the refrigeration oil. .

  With the configuration of the seventh embodiment, the refrigerant control valve of the present invention can be applied as an expansion device for an air conditioner having a stable and quiet dehumidifying operation performance.

  The refrigerant control valve of the present invention can be applied as a refrigerant control valve of an air conditioner such as a hospital or library that requires stable and quiet dehumidifying operation performance.

It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closed state of the refrigerant control valve by Example 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closed state of the refrigerant control valve by Example 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closed state of the refrigerant control valve by Example 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closed state of the refrigerant | coolant control valve by Example 4 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closing state of the refrigerant | coolant control valve by Example 5 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closing state of the refrigerant | coolant control valve by Example 6 of this invention. It is a circuit diagram of the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner using the refrigerant control valve by Example 7 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the valve closed state of the refrigerant | coolant control valve by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerant inlet / outlet 2 Refrigerant inlet / outlet 3 Valve seat 4 Valve hole 5 Valve rod 6 Restriction passage 7 Porous body 8 Porous body 9 Opening 10 Filter 11 Refrigerant passage 12 Communication passage 13 Refrigerant passage amount averaging means 14 Housing 20 Refrigerant control valve 21 Indoor evaporator 22 Internal / external communication pipe 23 Four-way valve 24 Compressor 25 Outdoor heat exchanger 26 Expansion valve 27 Indoor condenser 28 External filter 29 Muffler

Claims (11)

  A first refrigerant inlet / outlet that is upstream during the dehumidifying operation, a second refrigerant inlet / outlet that is downstream during the dehumidifying operation, a valve seat formed between these two refrigerant inlets / outlets, and a valve formed in the valve seat A valve rod that reciprocates with respect to the hole and the valve seat, and opens and closes the valve hole when the tip portion contacts and closes the valve seat; a throttle passage formed in the valve rod; and a tip portion of the valve rod, An opening communicating the throttle passage with the tip end of the valve stem, a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem, a refrigerant passage communicating with the first refrigerant inlet / outlet and formed along the outer peripheral surface of the filter, a filter, A communication passage that communicates with the throttle passage. When the valve is opened, the first refrigerant inlet / outlet communicates with the second refrigerant inlet / outlet. When the valve is closed, the refrigerant passage, filter, communication passage, throttle passage, opening And the refrigerant flows through the valve hole from the first refrigerant inlet / outlet to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet,
  Refrigerant flow restricting means is provided to increase the refrigerant flow resistance of the filter portion near the communication path as compared with the refrigerant flow resistance of the other part of the filter, thereby reducing the concentration of refrigerant flowing in the vicinity of the communication path. A featured refrigerant control valve.   2. The refrigerant control valve according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant flow restricting means includes a baffle plate disposed on an outer peripheral portion of a filter in the vicinity of the communication path.   The refrigerant control valve according to claim 2, wherein the baffle plate is opposed to the communication path with the filter interposed therebetween, and the baffle plate is brought into contact with an outer peripheral portion of the filter.   The refrigerant control valve according to claim 2, wherein the baffle plate is opposed to the communication path with the filter interposed therebetween, and is disposed in the refrigerant path via a gap.   First refrigerant inlet / outlet on the upstream side during the dehumidifying operation, second refrigerant inlet / outlet on the downstream side in the dehumidifying operation, a valve seat formed between these two refrigerant inlets / outlets, and a valve formed on the valve seat A valve rod that reciprocates with respect to the hole and the valve seat, and opens and closes the valve hole when the tip portion contacts and closes the valve seat; a throttle passage formed in the valve rod; and a tip portion of the valve rod, An opening communicating the throttle passage with the tip end of the valve stem, a filter disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem, a refrigerant passage communicating with the first refrigerant inlet / outlet and formed along the outer peripheral surface of the filter, a filter, A communication passage communicating with the throttle passage and a refrigerant passage amount averaging means for equalizing the refrigerant passage flow rate of the filter are provided, and when the valve is opened, the first refrigerant inlet / outlet and the second refrigerant inlet / outlet are communicated via the valve hole. When the valve is closed, the refrigerant passage, filter, refrigerant passage amount averaging means, communication passage, throttle passage, opening and Is composed from the first coolant inlet and outlet through the valve hole so the refrigerant flows through the second coolant inlet and outlet,
  The refrigerant control valve according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant passage amount averaging means comprises a space formed between the communication path and the filter.   The refrigerant control valve according to claim 5, wherein the space portion is formed in a tapered shape so that a gap dimension of the space portion increases as the distance from the filter approaches the communication path.   A porous body on the side of the communication path disposed between the throttle path and the communication path, and a porous body on the side of the opening disposed between the throttle path and the opening,
  When the valve is closed, the refrigerant flows from the first refrigerant inlet / outlet to the second refrigerant inlet / outlet through the refrigerant passage, the filter, the communication passage, the porous body on the communication passage side, the throttle passage, the porous body on the opening side, the opening and the valve hole. It is comprised, The refrigerant | coolant control valve as described in any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.   8. The refrigerant control valve according to claim 7, wherein the hole diameter of the filter is smaller than the hole diameter of the communication path, the hole diameter of the porous body on the communication path side, the hole diameter of the porous body on the opening side, and the hole diameter of the throttle passage. .   It is formed on the counter valve seat side end surface of the porous body on the communication passage side disposed between the throttle passage and the communication passage, and another space portion communicating with the space portion through the communication passage is provided. The refrigerant control valve according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the refrigerant control valve is characterized in that:   The refrigerant control valve according to claim 5, wherein the communication path is formed by a small hole formed in a valve shaft direction.   The refrigerant control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the refrigerant flow regulation means is not provided, the refrigerant flows in a concentrated manner in the vicinity of the communication path of the filter.

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