JP6968627B2 - Flow control valve - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a flow control valve.

The refrigerant expansion valve used in the refrigerator constituting the evaporative compression type refrigeration cycle needs to perform precise flow rate adjustment, and for example, a flow rate control valve such as a needle valve is used. Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator using a needle valve as a refrigerant expansion valve.

In order to perform precise flow control in a refrigerant expansion valve, etc., it is necessary to change the fluid passage cross-sectional area little by little with respect to the amount of movement of the valve spindle and valve body. Therefore, the needle valve body is made thinner. Moreover, it is necessary to loosen the taper of the needle valve body. However, a needle valve body having a gentle taper is difficult to process, and there is a problem that the positional relationship between the orifice hole constituting the flow path and the needle valve body is not stable. That is, the thin needle valve body tends to vibrate due to the flow of fluid, and may come into contact with the inner surface of the orifice hole and be damaged.

Patent Document 2 discloses a flow rate control valve in which the tip of a valve body is fitted into an orifice hole and a flow path is formed by a groove formed on the peripheral surface of the valve body. According to this flow rate control valve, since the valve body is fitted in the orifice hole, it is considered that the problem that the needle valve body vibrates due to the flow of fluid is solved.

International Publication No. 2015/063876 Japanese Patent No. 4923670

In the needle valve disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the valve body becomes thin, the material that can be processed is limited to a tough material. Further, in order to obtain a desired flow rate, precision processing is required for the needle tip shape of the needle valve body, which increases the cost required for processing.
In the flow rate control valve disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the tip of the valve body is fitted into the orifice hole, the flow path may be clogged in the case of a highly viscous fluid. In addition, galling may occur between the tip of the valve body and the orifice hole.

In view of the above problems, one object of the present invention is to propose a flow rate control valve having a simple structure that enables accurate flow rate adjustment without requiring precision machining of the valve body and does not cause clogging in the flow path. And.

(1) The flow rate control valve according to the embodiment is
A housing with an outlet flow path in which a female thread is formed,
A valve body built in the housing and having a flow path forming groove and a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery on one end side.
A drive unit for applying a rotational force to the other end side of the valve body to rotate the valve body, and
Equipped with
The flow rate can be adjusted by the axial position of the valve body with respect to the outlet flow path.

In the configuration of (1) above, the female screw portion formed in the outlet flow path and the male screw portion formed in the valve body are screwed, so that the valve body is rotated by the drive portion to rotate the valve. You can move your body in the axial direction.
According to the configuration of (1) above, since the valve body and the outlet flow path are screwed through the threaded portion, the valve body does not eccentric or vibrate in the outlet flow path, and the valve does not vibrate. Can support the body stably. In addition, since the flow rate is adjusted by the shape of the groove for forming the flow path, precise flow rate control is possible, precision processing of the valve body is not required, and the valve body can be made thicker, so that the degree of freedom in material selection is increased. Can be expanded.

Further, since the male threaded portion of the valve body is screwed with the female threaded portion formed in the outlet flow path, clogging or galling does not occur between the valve body and the outlet flow path. Further, since the axial movement of the valve body only needs to rotate the valve body by the drive unit, the mechanism for transmitting the driving force from the drive unit to the valve body can be simplified.

(2) In one embodiment, in the configuration of (1) above,
It is fixed to the housing and includes a support portion for supporting the other end side of the valve body so as to be movable along the axial direction of the valve body.
According to the configuration of (2) above, since the other end side of the valve body is supported by the support portion, the valve body is supported at both ends, and the valve body can be stably supported. Therefore, the valve body enables stable rotational movement.

(3) In one embodiment, in the configuration of (2) above,
The support portion is composed of a guide shaft inserted into a recess formed along the axial direction of the valve body on the other end side of the valve body.
According to the configuration of (3) above, since the valve body is supported by the guide shaft, the valve body can be supported without any trouble in the rotational movement of the valve body, and the weight of the valve body is not applied to the guide shaft, so that the strength of the guide shaft is increased. Can be reduced.

(4) In one embodiment, in the configuration of (3) above,
A slide bearing provided between the valve body and the guide shaft and capable of supporting the valve body is provided.
According to the configuration of (4) above, by providing the slide bearing, the valve body can be stably supported without disturbing the rotational movement of the valve body.

(5) In one embodiment, in any of the configurations (1) to (4) above,
The drive unit
It is composed of a motor having a rotor fixed to the outer periphery of the other end side of the valve body and a stator coil arranged on the outer peripheral side of the rotor.
According to the configuration of (5) above, since the drive unit is composed of a motor having the above configuration, the valve body may be rotated in conjunction with the rotor. Therefore, the power transmission mechanism from the drive unit to the valve body can be simplified and reduced in cost.

(6) In one embodiment, in any of the configurations (1) to (5) above,
A fluid inflow path for inflowing fluid into the valve body is provided.
According to the configuration of (6) above, the housing of the flow control valve can be miniaturized by providing the fluid inflow path in the valve body.

(7) In one embodiment, in any of the configurations (1) to (6) above,
The flow path forming groove is formed along the axial direction of the valve body, and is formed.
The flow path forming groove is configured so that the cross section becomes larger toward the tip end side of the valve body.
According to the configuration of (7) above, the cross section of the flow path forming groove becomes larger toward the tip end side of the valve body, so that the flow rate of the flow rate control valve can be increased by adjusting the axial position of the valve body. It can be adjusted with precision.

(8) The refrigerator according to the embodiment is
Refrigerant circulation path and
Refrigerant cycle components provided in the refrigerant circulation path and
Equipped with
The refrigerating cycle component includes a flow rate control valve having any of the configurations (1) to (7) provided in the refrigerant circulation path as a refrigerant expansion valve.
According to the configuration (8) above, by providing the flow rate control valve having the above configuration as the refrigerant expansion valve, it is possible to precisely control the flow rate, suppress the eccentricity or vibration of the valve body, and the valve body. Since the degree of freedom in material selection is expanded, the cost can be reduced.
Therefore, the cost of the refrigerant expansion valve can be reduced, and the accuracy of the flow rate control of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circulation path can be improved, so that the COP (coefficient of performance) of the refrigerator can be improved.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to perform precise flow rate control without requiring precision processing on the valve body, and it is possible to enable a simple and low-cost flow rate control valve that does not cause clogging or galling in the flow path.

It is a vertical sectional view of the flow rate control valve which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the valve body which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view of the flow rate control valve which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a system diagram of the refrigerator which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the flow rate characteristic of a conventional needle valve.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to this, and are merely explanatory examples.
For example, expressions that represent relative or absolute arrangements such as "in one direction", "along a certain direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric" or "coaxial" are exact. Not only does it represent such an arrangement, but it also represents a tolerance or a state of relative displacement at an angle or distance to the extent that the same function can be obtained.
For example, expressions such as "same", "equal", and "homogeneous" that indicate that things are in the same state not only represent exactly the same state, but also have tolerances or differences to the extent that the same function can be obtained. It shall also represent the existing state.
For example, the expression representing a shape such as a quadrangular shape or a cylindrical shape not only represents a shape such as a quadrangular shape or a cylindrical shape in a geometrically strict sense, but also an uneven portion or a chamfer within the range where the same effect can be obtained. It shall also represent the shape including the part and the like.
On the other hand, the expressions "to have", "to have", "to have", "to include", or "to have" one component are not exclusive expressions that exclude the existence of other components.

1 to 3 show the flow control valves 10 (10A, 10B) according to some embodiments.
In FIGS. 1 to 3, an outlet flow path 14 is formed in the housing 12 containing the valve body, and a female screw portion 16 is formed on the wall surface of the housing wall 12a forming the outlet flow path 14. The valve body 18 is built in the housing 12, and a flow path forming groove 20 and a male screw portion 22 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of one end side (tip side) of the valve body 18. A drive unit 24 for applying a rotational force to the valve body 18 to rotate the valve body 18 is provided on the other end side of the valve body 18.

When a rotational force is applied to the valve body 18 by the drive unit 24 to rotate the valve body 18, the valve body 18 and the housing wall 12a forming the outlet flow path 14 are screwed together via the screw portions 16 and 22. Therefore, the valve body 18 moves in the axial direction with respect to the outlet flow path 14. The cross-sectional area of the flow path forming groove 20 differs depending on the axial position of the valve body 18. Therefore, since the flow path area formed between the housing wall 12a and the flow path forming groove 20 differs depending on the axial position of the valve body 18, the valve body 18 is moved axially with respect to the outlet flow path 14. By making it possible, the flow rate of the outlet flow path 14 can be adjusted.

According to the above configuration, since the valve body 18 and the housing wall 12a forming the outlet flow path 14 are screwed through the threaded portions 16 and 22, the valve body 18 is eccentric or eccentric in the outlet flow path 14. It does not vibrate and can stably support the valve body 18. Further, since the flow rate is adjusted by the shape of the flow path forming groove 20, precise flow rate control is possible, precision processing of the outer shape of the valve body 18 is not required, and the valve body 18 can be made thicker. The degree of freedom in selection can be expanded.
As the material of the valve body 18, for example, a cemented carbide such as tungsten carbide or a resin such as PPS material or PEEK material can be used.

Further, since the male threaded portion 22 of the valve body 18 is screwed with the female threaded portion 16 formed in the outlet flow path 14, clogging or galling does not occur between the valve body 18 and the outlet flow path 14. Further, since the axial movement of the valve body 18 only needs to rotate the valve body 18 by the drive unit 24, the mechanism for transmitting the driving force from the drive unit 24 to the valve body 18 can be simplified.

The flow rate characteristics of the conventional needle valve are shown with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 5, the vertical axis indicates the valve opening, 0.0 indicates the fully closed state, and 1.0 indicates the fully open state. The horizontal axis shows the stroke of the conventional needle valve body 100. This needle valve has a stroke of about 15 mm, and in order to make the cross-sectional change of the flow path linear like a line a with a stroke of about 15 mm, the shape of the needle valve body 100 needs to be made like a line b. .. When the diameter of the needle valve body has a small diameter of about 1 mm, the degree of freedom in designing the tip shape is limited, and advanced processing technology is required for manufacturing.

On the other hand, in the valve body 18 according to one embodiment, the groove 20 for forming a flow path may be machined in the outer shape of a relatively thick round bar, so that the outer shape itself of the valve body 18 requires advanced processing technology. do not. In addition, shape inspection and measurement after processing are easy.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the outlet flow path 14 is formed inside the outlet pipe 15 integrally formed with the housing wall 12a.

In one embodiment, in the flow rate control valve 10 (10A) shown in FIG. 1, the inlet pipe 26 is provided in the housing 12, and the fluid f flows from the inlet pipe 26 into the inside of the housing 12. The fluid f that has flowed into the inside of the housing 12 passes through the flow path forming groove 20 and flows out to the outlet flow path 14.
In one embodiment, the inlet pipe 26 is connected sideways to the housing 12 and tangentially to the inner peripheral surface of the housing 12.
According to this embodiment, since the fluid f flowing into the housing 12 from the inlet pipe 26 swirls along the inner peripheral surface of the housing 12, a valve provided in the center of the housing 12 and extending in the axial direction of the housing 12. It is possible to go to the outlet flow path 14 without being hindered by the body 18. As a result, the occurrence of flow turbulence can be suppressed, so that the flow rate control accuracy can be improved.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the valve body 18 is formed in a rod shape, and a flow path forming groove 20 and a male screw portion 22 are formed on one end side of the rod-shaped body on the outer periphery of the rod-shaped body. .. As shown in FIG. 2, the flow path forming groove 20 is provided on one end side of the valve body 18 along the axial direction of the valve body 18. In one embodiment, a plurality of flow path forming grooves 20 are provided in parallel along the circumferential direction of the valve body 18.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the other end side of the valve body 18 is supported by the support portion 28. The support portion 28 is fixed to a pressure bulkhead 44 provided on the outside of the support portion 28, and supports the other end side of the valve body 18 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the valve body 18.
According to this embodiment, since the support portion 28 supports the other end side of the valve body 18, the valve body 18 is stably supported and stable rotational movement is possible. Since one end side of the valve body 18 is supported by the housing wall 12a forming the outlet flow path 14 together with the outlet pipe 15 , the valve body 18 is supported at both ends, and stable rotational movement is possible.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a recess 30 is formed on the other end side of the valve body 18 along the axial direction of the valve body 18, and the support portion 28 is a guide shaft inserted into the recess 30. It is composed of 32.
According to this embodiment, since the valve body 18 is supported by the guide shaft 32, it does not interfere with the rotational movement of the valve body 18. Further, since the weight of the valve body 18 is not added to the guide shaft 32, the strength of the guide shaft 32 can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the recess 30 is formed in the center of the valve body 18 along the axial direction of the valve body 18. Further, the guide shaft 32 is provided at the center of the housing 12 along the axial direction of the housing 12. Therefore, the guide shaft 32 does not hinder the rotational movement of the valve body 18 at all. Further, since the guide shaft 32 supports the valve body 18 at the center of rotation of the valve body 18, the centrifugal force generated by the rotational movement of the valve body 18 is not applied, so that the strength of the guide shaft 32 can be reduced.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a slide bearing 34 is provided between the valve body 18 and the guide shaft 32. The valve body 18 is supported by a slide bearing 34.
According to this embodiment, by providing the slide bearing 34, the valve body 18 can be stably supported without disturbing the rotational movement of the valve body 18.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the slide bearing 34 is fixed to the valve body 18 and slidably provided with respect to the guide shaft 32. By locating the sliding surface on the center side in this way, the area of the sliding surface can be reduced and the frictional resistance due to sliding can be reduced.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the drive unit 24 has a magnet rotor 36 fixed to the outer periphery of the other end side of the valve body 18 and a stator coil arranged on the outer peripheral side of the magnet rotor 36. It is composed of a motor having 38 and.
According to this embodiment, since the drive unit 24 is composed of a motor having the above configuration, the valve body 18 may be rotated in conjunction with the magnet rotor 36. Therefore, since the rotational motion of the magnet rotor 36 may be converted into the rotational motion of the valve body 18, the power transmission efficiency can be maintained high, and the rotational function of the valve body 18 can be simplified and reduced in cost.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pressure bulkhead (non-magnetic thin-walled pipe) 44 is provided in the housing 12 on the outside of the magnet rotor 36. The magnet rotor 36 is surrounded by the pressure bulkhead 44, and the stator coil 38 is arranged outside the pressure bulkhead 44. An electrically insulating coil cover 13 is provided on the outside of the pressure bulkhead 44 and the stator coil 38, and the stator coil 38 is fixed inside the coil cover 13. The magnet rotor 36 and the valve body 18 are rotated by the electromagnetic force generated by the stator coil 38.
When the fluid f is a high-pressure refrigerant, the fluid f can be sealed inside the pressure bulkhead 44 by providing the pressure bulkhead 44, so that the stator coil 38 side is affected by the pressure and contact of the fluid f (for example, the refrigerant). No.

In one embodiment, the motor can be configured as a stepping motor.
In one embodiment, the pressure bulkhead 44 is fixed on an extension of the housing 12, and the support 28 is fixed to the inner surface of the pressure bulkhead 44.

In one embodiment, the flow rate control valve 10 (10B) shown in FIG. 3 includes a fluid inflow path 40 for inflowing the fluid f into the valve body 18.
According to this embodiment, by providing the fluid inflow path 40 in the valve body 18, the valve body of the flow rate control valve 10 (10B) can be miniaturized.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the fluid inflow path 42 is formed in the support portion 28 and the guide shaft 32, and the fluid inflow path 42 communicates with the fluid inflow path 40 formed in the valve body 18. As a result, the valve body of the flow rate control valve 10 (10B) can be miniaturized.
In one embodiment, the fluid inflow path 40 is formed axially and centered on the valve body 18. As a result, the centrifugal force generated by the rotational movement of the valve body 18 is not applied to the fluid f flowing through the fluid inflow path 40, so that the fluid f can flow to the outlet flow path 14 side without disturbing the flow.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the flow path forming groove 20 is formed along the axial direction of the valve body 18. Further, the flow path forming groove 20 is configured so that the cross section becomes larger toward the tip end side of the valve body 18.
According to this embodiment, the cross section of the flow path forming groove 20 becomes larger toward the tip end side of the valve body 18, so that the flow rate of the flow rate control valve 10 can be increased by adjusting the axial position of the valve body 18. It can be adjusted with precision.

As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 50 according to the embodiment includes a refrigerant circulation path 52 and a refrigerating cycle component device provided in the refrigerant circulation path 52.
The refrigerating cycle component includes a flow rate control valve 10 having the above configuration provided in the refrigerant circulation path 52 as a refrigerant expansion valve.
According to the above configuration, by providing the flow rate control valve 10 having the above configuration as the refrigerant expansion valve, the flow rate can be precisely controlled, the eccentricity or vibration of the valve body 18 can be suppressed, and the material of the valve body 18 can be suppressed. Costs can be reduced because the degree of freedom in selection is expanded.
Therefore, the cost of the refrigerant expansion valve can be reduced, and the accuracy of the flow rate control of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circulation path 52 can be improved, so that the COP (coefficient of performance) of the refrigerator 50 can be improved.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerating cycle component further includes a compressor 54, a condenser 56, and an evaporator 58 provided in the refrigerant circulation path 52.
The refrigerant gas supplied to the compressor 54 is compressed by the compressor 54 and becomes high pressure. The high-pressure refrigerant gas is cooled by the condenser 56 with a cooling medium w such as cooling water and liquefied. The refrigerant liquid liquefied by the condenser 56 is depressurized through the flow rate control valve 10 as an expansion valve to become a partially vaporized gas-liquid two-phase flow. The refrigerant decompressed by the flow control valve 10 and becomes a gas-liquid two-phase flow cools the cooled medium c with the evaporator 58, obtains latent heat of vaporization from the cooled medium c, and vaporizes.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to realize a flow rate control valve having a simple structure in which precise flow rate control is possible without requiring precision machining of the valve body and the flow path is not clogged or galled.

10 (10A, 10B) Flow control valve 12 Housing 12a Housing wall 13 Coil cover 14 Outlet flow path 15 Outlet pipe 16 Female thread part 18 Valve body 20 Flow path forming groove 22 Male thread part 24 Drive part 26 Inlet pipe 28 Support part 30 Recess 32 Guide shaft 34 Sliding bearing 36 Magnet rotor 38 Stator coil 40, 42 Fluid inflow path 44 Pressure partition 50 Refrigerant 52 Refrigerant circulation path 54 Compressor 56 Condenser 58 Evaporator c Cooled medium f Fluid w Cooling medium

Claims (8)

A housing with an outlet flow path in which a female thread is formed,
A valve body built in the housing and having a flow path forming groove and a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery on one end side.
A drive unit for applying a rotational force to the other end side of the valve body to rotate the valve body, and
Equipped with
The flow path forming groove is formed along the axial direction of the valve body so as to cross the thread groove of the male thread portion.
A flow rate control valve characterized in that the flow rate can be adjusted according to the axial position of the valve body with respect to the outlet flow path. The flow rate control valve according to claim 1, further comprising a support portion fixed to the housing and for supporting the other end side of the valve body so as to be movable along the axial direction of the valve body. The flow rate adjustment according to claim 2, wherein the support portion is composed of a guide shaft inserted into a recess formed along the axial direction of the valve body on the other end side of the valve body. valve. The flow rate control valve according to claim 3, further comprising a slide bearing provided between the valve body and the guide shaft and capable of supporting the valve body. The drive unit
Any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the motor is composed of a rotor fixed to the outer periphery of the other end side of the valve body and a stator coil arranged on the outer peripheral side of the rotor. The flow rate control valve according to item 1. The flow rate control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a fluid inflow path for inflowing the fluid into the valve body. Flow control valve according to the prior Kiryuro forming trench any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is configured such cross section as the distal end side of the valve body increases. Refrigerant circulation path and
Refrigerant cycle components provided in the refrigerant circulation path and
Equipped with
The refrigerator is characterized in that the refrigerating cycle component device includes the flow rate control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is provided in the refrigerant circulation path as a refrigerant expansion valve.

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