JP6786535B2 - Dehumidifying valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dehumidifying valve provided between a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger constituting an indoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner to throttle a refrigerant during a dehumidifying operation.

Conventionally, as a dehumidifying valve of this type, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-177470 (Patent Document 1). In this dehumidifying valve, a plurality of bleed grooves are formed in the valve seat portion of the valve seat member, the valve member (valve body) is seated on the valve seat member, and the valve port is closed. The refrigerant expands and flows out from the groove.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-177470

In Patent Document 1, a plurality of bleed grooves are formed in the valve seat member at equal intervals, but the bleed grooves are deformed due to wear of the valve seat member due to repeated seating of the valve member on the valve seat member. Therefore, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out from the bleed groove, that is, the bleed flow rate changes. In particular, when a very small amount of bleed flow rate is obtained, there is a problem that the bleed flow rate is reduced due to wear of the bleed groove and the like, and a stable bleed flow rate cannot be obtained.

The present invention is a dehumidifying valve in which the refrigerant flowing in from the side of the valve member is throttled through a bleed groove around the valve port, and a dehumidifying valve capable of suppressing a decrease in the bleed flow rate when the valve member is repeatedly operated is provided. The challenge is to provide.

The dehumidifying valve according to claim 1 has a valve housing forming a valve chamber and a valve port, a valve seat portion provided in the chamber and formed around the valve port, and an inlet side communicating with a side portion of the valve chamber. The joint, the outlet side joint communicating with the valve chamber via the valve port, the valve member provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the valve port, and the plunger connected to the valve shaft of the valve member are described. An electromagnetic drive unit that is driven in the axial direction to move the valve member is provided, and the valve member is seated / separated from the valve seat portion by driving the electromagnetic drive unit, and when the valve member is seated. A dehumidifying valve that allows the refrigerant flowing from the inlet side joint to flow out from the valve chamber to the outlet side joint through a bleed groove formed in the valve seat portion, and is an opening of the valve port of the valve seat portion. The portion of the periphery that is opposite to the inlet side joint is the initial seating portion that the valve member first contacts, the bleed groove is formed avoiding the initial seating portion, and the valve member is said. It is characterized by being provided with a runout regulating means for regulating runout to the opposite side to the inlet side joint.

The dehumidifying valve according to claim 2 is the dehumidifying valve according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic drive unit includes a suction element for sucking the plunger, and the valve shaft of the valve member has an insertion hole for the suction child. It is characterized in that the runout controlling means is formed by being connected to the plunger via the above and the inner circumference of the insertion hole of the suction element abuts on the valve shaft.

The dehumidifying valve according to claim 3 is the dehumidifying valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distribution of the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnetic coil unit in the electromagnetic drive unit with respect to the plunger has a magnetic flux density around the axis. The electromagnetic drive unit is positioned with respect to the valve housing so that the position around the axis, which is biased and has a high magnetic flux density, is the position of the initial seating portion.

The dehumidifying valve according to claim 4 is the dehumidifying valve according to claim 2, and when the valve member is seated on the valve seat portion, there is a gap between the plunger of the electromagnetic drive portion and the suction element. It is characterized in that it is configured so that it can be used.

According to the dehumidifying valves of claims 1 to 4, in the process of seating the valve member on the valve seat portion, the valve member first contacts the initial seating portion of the valve seat portion, and the initial seating portion has a bleed groove. Since it is not formed, the contact with the initial seating portion before the valve member is completely seated on the valve seat portion relaxes the force when the valve member contacts the bleed groove. Further, even if the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet side joint exerts a fluid pressure on the side portion of the valve member, the runout regulating means regulates the runout of the valve member to the opposite side to the inlet side joint, so that the valve member is initially seated. The position of contact with the portion can be kept constant, and the sliding length until the valve member is completely seated on the valve seat portion can be reduced. Therefore, the wear of the bleed groove can be reduced by the repeated operation of the valve member, and the decrease in the bleed flow rate can be suppressed with high durability.

According to the dehumidifying valve of claim 2, since the runout regulating means can be further composed of the attractor of the electromagnetic drive unit, the number of parts is reduced.

According to the dehumidifying valve of claim 3, the position where the magnetic flux density of the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnetic coil portion in the electromagnetic drive portion with respect to the plunger is high is the position of the initial seating portion, so that the plunger and the valve member are initially seated. Since it is easily attracted to a fixed position on the portion side, wear of the bleed groove can be further reduced.

According to the dehumidifying valve of claim 4, when the valve member is seated on the valve seat portion, the plunger of the electromagnetic drive portion does not come into contact with the attractor, so that the seat can be reliably seated regardless of the dimensional accuracy of the member in the axial direction. it can.

It is a vertical sectional view of the dehumidifying valve of the 1st Embodiment of this invention in a valve open state. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the valve closed state of the dehumidifying valve of 1st Embodiment. It is a main part plan view which shows the bleed groove of the dehumidifying valve of 1st Embodiment. It is a main part plan view which shows the modification of the bleed groove of the dehumidifying valve of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows from the valve open state to the process from the valve closed state to just before seating in the dehumidifying valve of the 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows from the initial seating to the seating of the valve member in the process from the valve open state to the valve closed state in the dehumidifying valve of the 1st embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view of the dehumidifying valve of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention in a valve closed state.

Next, an embodiment of the dehumidifying valve of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the dehumidifying valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a valve open state, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the dehumidifying valve in a valve closed state, and FIG. 3 is a main part showing a bleed groove of the dehumidifying valve. The plan view and FIG. 4 are a plan view of a main part showing a modified example of the bleed groove of the dehumidifying valve. The concept of "up and down" in the following description corresponds to the top and bottom in the drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The dehumidifying valve of this embodiment has a valve housing 1 made of metal such as brass. In the valve housing 1, a valve chamber 1A, a pipe connection hole 11, a pipe connection hole 12, a valve port 13, and a plunger tube mounting hole 14 are formed by cutting or the like. The pipe connection hole 11 is formed on the side portion of the valve housing 1, and the pipe connection hole 12 is formed on the bottom portion of the valve housing 1. The valve port 13 has a circular shape centered on the axis L, and the circumference of the valve port 13 is a cylindrical valve seat portion 15. The inner peripheral end of the opening of the valve port 13 of the valve seat portion 15 has a mortar-shaped sealing surface 15a, and the valve seat portion 15 has a valve member 2 described later so as to straddle the sealing surface 15a. As shown in FIG. 3, two bleed grooves 16 that cooperate with each other to form a throttle passage are formed at a distance of 180 ° around the axis L.

An inlet side joint 10 through which the fluid flows in is attached to the pipe connection hole 11 as shown by an arrow, and an outlet side joint 20 through which the fluid flows out is attached to the pipe connection hole 12 as shown by an arrow. The inlet side joint 10 is communicated with the valve chamber 1A, and the outlet side joint 20 is communicated with the valve chamber 1A via the valve port 13. A stainless steel cylindrical plunger tube 31 of an electromagnetic drive unit 30, which will be described later, is attached to the plunger tube mounting hole 14. The inlet side joint 10, the outlet side joint 20, and the plunger tube 31 are fixed to the valve housing 1 by brazing around the opening ends of the pipe connection hole 11, the pipe connection hole 12, and the plunger mounting hole 14, respectively. ing.

An electromagnetic drive unit 30 is attached to the valve housing 1 via a plunger tube 31. The electromagnetic drive unit 30 includes a suction element 32 fixed to the bottom of the plunger tube 31 by caulking, a cup-shaped plunger 33 made of a magnetic material movably inserted into the plunger tube 31 in the L direction of the axis, and a plunger. A coil guide member 34 attached to the upper end of the tube 31, an electromagnetic coil portion 35 provided on the outer periphery of the plunger tube 31 and fixed to the coil guide member 34 by a bolt N, and an outer cover made of a U-shaped magnetic material. It is composed of 36, a plunger spring 37 provided between the aspirator 32 and the plunger 33, and a resin material (for example, made of PTFE) for alleviating the collision noise between the plunger 33 and the aspirator 32 provided in the plunger 33. It has a buffer plate 38. An insertion hole 32a centered on the axis L is formed at the center of the suction element 32, and a mortar-shaped tapered surface 32b is formed at the end of the suction element 32 on the plunger 33 side. Further, a tapered surface 33a facing the tapered surface 32a of the suction element 32 is formed on the bottom of the plunger 33 on the suction element 32 side.

A valve member 2 is provided in the valve chamber 1A and the plunger tube 31 so as to be movable in the axis L direction of the valve port 13. The valve member 2 is formed by integrally forming a valve portion 21 having a tapered surface 21a having a truncated cone side surface shape at the lower portion and a columnar valve shaft 22 having a diameter smaller than that of the valve portion 21. Then, the valve member 2 is inserted through the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32, and is caulked and coupled to the bottom of the plunger 33 by the stem portion 22a at the upper end of the valve shaft 22. As a result, the valve member 2 moves integrally with the plunger 33 in the L direction of the axis.

In FIG. 1, the electromagnetic drive unit 30 is in a non-energized state, and the plunger 33 is separated from the attractor 32 by the urging force of the plunger spring 37. As a result, the valve portion 21 of the valve member 2 is separated from the valve seat portion 15 and the valve port 13 is in the valve open state. When the electromagnetic coil portion 35 of the electromagnetic drive portion 30 is energized, the plunger 33 is attracted to the suction element 32 side against the urging force of the plunger spring 37 as shown in FIG. 2, and the valve portion 21 of the valve member 2 is valved. Seated on the seat 15, the valve port 13 is in the valve closed state. Then, in this valve closed state, the valve chamber 1A and the valve port 13 are electrically connected by the bleed groove 16, and the refrigerant in the valve chamber 1A expands and flows out into the valve port 13 through the bleed groove 16.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the clearance “C1” between the inner peripheral surface of the plunger tube 31 and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger 33, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32, and the outer peripheral surface of the valve shaft 22. What is the clearance "C2" between the surfaces?
C1 <C2
It has become. For example, under the condition of C1 <C2, C1 = 0.05 to 0.2 mm and C2 = 0.1 to 0.4 mm. As a result, the plunger 33 and the valve member 2 can freely move in the L direction of the axis. At the same time, the plunger 33 and the valve member 2 can be slightly inclined with respect to the axis L.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the process from the valve open state to the valve closed state in the dehumidifying valve of the embodiment until just before seating, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the valve member in the process from the valve open state to the valve closed state in the dehumidifying valve. It is a figure which shows from the initial sitting to the sitting. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the reference numerals are given only to the main parts, and the reference numerals are omitted for the other members. FIG. 5A shows the time when the valve member 2 starts to descend from the fully opened state, and the fluid pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the valve chamber 1A from the inlet side joint 10 acts on the valve portion 21 of the valve member 2. To do. As a result, the valve member 2 and the plunger 33 are slightly inclined with respect to the axis L. However, the valve shaft 22 comes into contact with the inner circumference of the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32 and does not incline any more.

Next, when the valve member 2 is lowered to the state shown in FIG. 5B, the tip of the tapered surface 21a of the valve portion 21 approaches the sealing surface 15a of the valve seat portion 15, and further, FIG. 6A. As described above, of the tapered surface 21a of the valve portion 21, only the portion on the side opposite to the inlet side joint 10 first contacts (contacts) the seal surface 15a of the valve seat portion 15. Then, when the valve member 2 is further lowered, the tapered surface 21a of the valve portion 21 slides with respect to the sealing surface 15a of the valve seat portion 15, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the inlet side joint of the tapered surface 21a The portion on the 10 side finally contacts the seal surface 15a of the valve seat portion 15, and the valve is closed.

In this way, by utilizing the action of the fluid pressure of the refrigerant flowing from the inlet side joint 10 into the valve chamber 1A, the valve member 2 is slightly inclined to the opposite side to the inlet side joint 10, and the insertion hole of the suction element 32 is inserted. By restricting the runout of the valve member 2 by the inner circumference of the 32a, the valve member 2 first contacts a portion of the valve seat portion 15 around the opening of the valve port 13 and opposite to the inlet side joint 10. The initial seating portion is 15A. Further, the inner circumference of the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32 constitutes a runout regulating means for regulating runout of the valve member 2 to the side opposite to the inlet side joint 10. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bleed groove 16 is formed at a position avoiding the initial seating portion 15A of the valve seat portion 15.

As described above, in the process in which the valve member 2 is seated on the valve seat portion 15, the valve member 2 first contacts the initial seat portion 15A of the valve seat portion 15, and the bleed groove 16 is formed in the initial seat portion 15A. It has not been. Therefore, the force when the valve member 2 comes into contact with the bleed groove 16 is relaxed by the contact with the initial seating portion 15A until the valve member 2 is completely seated on the valve seat portion 15. Further, even if the refrigerant flowing from the inlet side joint 10 exerts a fluid pressure on the side portion of the valve member, the inner circumference of the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32 causes the valve member 2 to run out to the opposite side to the inlet side joint 10. Is regulated. Therefore, the position where the valve member 2 comes into contact with the initial seating portion 15A can be kept constant. That is, after that, the sliding conditions when the valve member 2 slides with respect to the valve seat portion 15 can be kept constant. Further, the sliding length until the valve member 2 is completely seated on the valve seat portion 15 can be reduced. Therefore, the wear of the bleed groove 16 can be reduced by the repeated operation of the valve member 2.

In the above first embodiment, the bleed grooves 16 are formed around the axis L at two locations 90 ° apart from the positions of the initial seating portion 15A and the inlet side joint 10, but as in the modified example shown in FIG. The bleed groove 16 may be formed. In FIG. 4A, bleed grooves 16 are formed around the axis L at four locations separated from the positions of the initial seating portion 15A and the inlet side joint 10 by 45 °. FIG. 4B shows bleed grooves 16 formed at six positions around the axis L, 45 ° away from the positions of the initial seating portion 15A and the inlet side joint 10, and 90 ° apart. FIG. 4C shows a bleed groove 16 formed at five locations with the position on the inlet side joint 10 side in the example of FIG. 4B. In either case, the bleed groove 16 is formed at a position avoiding the initial seating portion 15A of the valve seat portion 15.

Next, in the electromagnetic drive unit 30, the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnetic coil unit 35 with respect to the plunger 33 is not symmetrical around the axis L. This is due to the shape of the outer shell 36. The outer body 36 of the electromagnetic drive unit 30 in this embodiment has a structure in which the top plate 36b and the bottom plate 36c are connected by the back plate portion 36a, and the vertical cross-sectional shape thereof is U-shaped (U-shaped). There is. Therefore, as shown by the thick loop-shaped arrow line in FIG. 2, there is a bias in the magnetic flux density, and the magnetic flux density on the back plate 36a side of the outer shell 36 is higher than the axis L. Therefore, in this embodiment, the electromagnetic coil portion 35 and the outer ridge 36 of the electromagnetic drive portion 30 are positioned with respect to the valve housing 1 so that the position around the axis L having a high magnetic flux density is the position of the initial seating portion 15A. ing. This positioning is performed by an engaging means (not shown). As a result, when the electromagnetic drive unit 30 is driven, the plunger 33 and the valve member 2 are likely to be attracted to a fixed position on the initial seating portion 15A side, so that the wear of the bleed groove can be further reduced.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the valve member 2 is seated on the valve seat portion 15, a gap is formed between the tapered surface 33a of the plunger 33 and the tapered surface 32b of the suction element 32. .. That is, since the plunger 33 does not come into contact with the suction element, it can be reliably seated regardless of the dimensional accuracy of the member in the axis L direction.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dehumidifying valve of the second embodiment of the present invention in a valve closed state, and the same elements as those of the first embodiment have the same effects and effects, and are the same as those of FIGS. 1 to 6. Reference numerals will be added and duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate. What is different from the first embodiment in this second embodiment is the structure in which the electromagnetic coil portion 35 and the outer coil 36 coil of the electromagnetic drive unit 30 are attached. In the electromagnetic drive unit 30 of the second embodiment, a fixing block 361 is provided on the top plate 36b of the outer shell 36, and a snap pin P is attached to the fixing block 361. The snap pin P has two elastic pins in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the axis L, and by fitting the boss portion 34a'of the coil guide member 34'between the two elastic pins, The electromagnetic coil portion 35 and the outer coil 36 are fixed to the valve housing 1 at predetermined positions around the axis L. That is, the boss portion 34a'of the coil guide member 34' has a quadrangular shape in a horizontal cross section orthogonal to the axis L, and the elastic force of the two elastic pins of the snap pin P causes the boss portion 34a' to rotate around the axis L. It can be fixed at 4 points that rotate 90 °. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the electromagnetic coil portion 35 and the outer ridge 36 of the electromagnetic drive portion 30 are valve housings so that the position around the axis L having a high magnetic flux density is the position of the initial seating portion 15A. It is positioned with respect to 1. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, when the electromagnetic drive unit 30 is driven, the plunger 33 and the valve member 2 are likely to be attracted to a fixed position on the initial seating portion 15A side, so that the wear of the bleed groove can be further reduced.

In the embodiment, the "runout regulating means" that regulates the runout of the valve member 2 by the inner circumference of the insertion hole 32a of the suction element 32 is configured, but on the side opposite to the inlet side joint 10 with respect to the axis L. A member such as a protrusion may be provided to form a "runout control means".

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the design changes, etc. within the range not deviating from the gist of the present invention, etc. Even if there is, it is included in the present invention.

1 Valve housing 1A Valve chamber 13 Valve port 15 Valve seat 15A Initial seat 15a Seal surface 16 Bleed groove 2 Valve member 21 Valve 21a Tapered surface 22 Valve shaft 10 Inlet side joint 20 Outlet side joint 30 Electromagnetic drive part 31 Plunger tube 32 Aspirator 32a Insertion hole 32b Tapered surface 33 Plunger 33a Tapered surface 34 Coil guide member 35 Electromagnetic coil part 36 Outer ridge 37 Plunger spring L axis

Claims (4)

Through the valve housing forming the valve chamber and the valve port, the valve seat portion provided in the chamber and formed around the valve port, the inlet side joint communicating with the side portion of the valve chamber, and the valve port. The outlet side joint communicating with the valve chamber, the valve member provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the valve port, and the plunger connected to the valve shaft of the valve member are driven in the axial direction. Equipped with an electromagnetic drive unit that moves the valve member,
The valve member is seated / separated from the valve seat portion by the drive of the electromagnetic drive unit, and flows in from the inlet side joint through the bleed groove formed in the valve seat portion when the valve member is seated. A dehumidifying valve that allows the refrigerant to flow out from the valve chamber to the outlet side joint.
The portion of the valve seat portion around the opening of the valve port on the opposite side of the inlet side joint is the initial seating portion where the valve member first contacts, and the bleed groove avoids the initial seating portion. A dehumidifying valve that is formed and is provided with a runout regulating means that regulates runout of the valve member to the side opposite to the inlet side joint. The electromagnetic drive unit includes an attractor that sucks the plunger, and the valve shaft of the valve member is connected to the plunger via the insertion hole of the suction child so that the inner circumference of the insertion hole of the suction child is formed. The dehumidifying valve according to claim 1, wherein the runout controlling means is formed by contacting the valve shaft. The distribution of the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnetic coil unit in the electromagnetic drive unit with respect to the plunger has a magnetic flux density bias around the axis, and the position around the axis having a high magnetic flux density is the position of the initial seating portion. The dehumidifying valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electromagnetic drive unit is positioned with respect to the valve housing. The dehumidifying valve according to claim 2, wherein a gap is formed between the plunger of the electromagnetic drive unit and the suction element when the valve member is seated on the valve seat portion. ..

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