JPH10311624A - Accumulator equipped with channel switching mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an accumulator equipped with a channel switching mechanism in which the entirety can be made compact by a structure wherein a driver for shifting a valve is integrated with the valve and further integrated with the accumulator. SOLUTION: The accumulator disposed in a passage for transporting a working gas through a compressor 2 is provided with a movable valve 20 for switching the channel of the working gas through reciprocal rotation by a specified angle. A CASING 10 and the valve 20 are provided with drive elements 6 being attracted or repelled magnetically. The valve 20 is turned reciprocally by a specified angle relative to the casing 10 by switching the exciting state of an electromagnet 6B constituting the drive element 6 thus switching first and second channels R1, R2 selectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an accumulator suitable for being incorporated in a refrigerant circulation path in, for example, a cooling and heating apparatus using a heat pump.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally, a cooling and heating apparatus using a heat pump switches between heating and cooling by switching a circulation path of a refrigerant as a working gas by a four-way valve. At that time, a compressor is used to circulate the refrigerant, which is a working gas, and an accumulator is provided in the circulation path of the refrigerant in the immediate vicinity of the compressor to remove impurities such as oil and solids contained in the path and to remove the working gas. Of the pulsation of the vehicle. By the way, even with this type of device, there is a demand for improved performance as well as space saving and further cost reduction, and corresponding improvements have been made for each functional component.

[0003] However, it has become common technical knowledge that accumulators, four-way valves, and driving devices that shift-drive the valve element of the four-way valve have different functions or functions. They were merely seeking ways to make them compact. For this reason, in a situation where the overall device is required to be compact and low in cost, the accumulating action, the valve action, and the shifting action as described above may have been recognized as separate components in the design concept. However, there is a limit to the purpose of obtaining a new idea.

[0004]

[Technical Problem Attempted to Be Developed] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a drive device for shifting a valve itself is fused with a valve body, and furthermore, this is also fused with an accumulator, so that the overall structure is improved. An attempt was made to develop an accumulator equipped with a novel flow path switching mechanism that can be configured compactly.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the accumulator is provided in a path for moving a working gas by a compressor. It is configured such that an accumulation chamber and a switching valve chamber are provided by partitioning by a plate, and a switching body for switching the flow path of the working gas is rotatably provided in the switching valve chamber, The casing and the valve body forming the switching valve chamber are provided with drive elements that approach or move away from each other by magnetic force, and by switching the excitation state, the valve body reciprocates at a fixed angle relative to the casing. The alternative communication state is set by moving the communication device. According to the present invention, the accumulator, the valve element, and the driving device of the valve element are conventionally three separate members, but are housed in a single casing in a fused manner, thereby realizing space saving. In particular, the valve element itself plays a part of a drive device, for example, a rotor (for example, an armature of a DC motor), and rotates the valve element via a separate drive transmission member as in the related art. In other words, it is not necessary to use a large number of useless and complicated configurations, and efficient switching can be achieved by an electromagnet having a small electromotive force. Since no separate drive transmission member is used, the switching reaction speed is high and the movement is precise. In addition, since the number of members is reduced, the apparatus can be configured to be compact as a whole and can be implemented relatively inexpensively.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the switching valve chamber includes:
A first connection port that is in communication with the compressor, a second connection port and a third connection port that are in communication with the external circulating device, and a communication port that is in communication with the accumulation chamber, while the accumulation chamber has A pipe connected to the suction port of the compressor is provided, and the valve body further includes a first switching path, a second switching path, and a third switching path, and the first switching path, the second switching path, Are connected to form a first switching path, and the first switching path and the third switching path are connected to form a second switching path, and the first connection port and the first switching path are always in contact with each other. The valve body is rotatably supported on an axis passing through the first switching port and the first connection port while communicating with the second switching port, the second switching path, and the third connection port. The port and the third switching path port are to reciprocate the valve body by a certain angle. Ri those comprising as a feature that it has to alternatively set the communication state. According to the present invention, the casing and the valve element each have one suction port for the working gas from the compressor, one of the first connection port and one of the first switching path ports, and are suctioned through the first switching path and the second switching path. The mouth is shared. Therefore, there is no waste, and since the suction port is always in communication, the airtightness in the switching valve chamber is improved, and many members for maintaining the airtightness at this location are not required.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the circulation path of the working gas is a compressor, a first connection port, a first switching path, a second switching path in a normal circulation. Connection port, first external circulation device, last external circulation device, third connection port, switching valve chamber, communication port, accumulate chamber, circulate in the order of the compressor,
In reverse circulation, the compressor, the first connection port, the second switching path,
The third connection port, the last external circulation device, the first external circulation device, the second connection port, the switching valve chamber, the communication port, the accumulation chamber, and the compressor are circulated in this order. . According to the present invention, there is no unnecessary waste in the circulation path and the circulation efficiency of the working gas is not reduced.
Further, since the pressure in the switching valve chamber is low, the pressure of the working gas is not applied to the valve body, and the turning operation is smooth.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein in addition to the above requirements, the switching of the excitation state is performed by switching a direction of a direct current to a drive element. It is. According to the present invention, the switching reaction speed is high, the movement is precise,
It can withstand many uses.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator including the flow path switching mechanism, wherein the driving element further comprises:
One is a permanent magnet, and the other is an electromagnet. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while accurate movement can be expected about the rotation drive of a valve body, it is excellent in durability.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the permanent magnet is provided on an inner peripheral surface of a casing forming the switching valve chamber. Is characterized by being provided on the valve body. According to the present invention, the configuration of the drive element can be performed relatively easily, and the magnetic force of the permanent magnet acts most directly on the electromagnet of the valve element without waste.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the accumulator is a refrigerant in a cooling and heating apparatus using a heat pump. In the circulating path. According to the present invention, in particular, the outdoor unit in a cooling / heating device incorporating a recent accumulator or the like is more compact in terms of housing circumstances and aesthetics, such as not only improving the performance but also requiring less installation space in an apartment or the like. Is required, and the result of achieving space saving of the present invention and achieving high accuracy in switching the valve element is fully utilized, which is preferable.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[Embodiment 1] The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism according to the present invention, wherein the inside of a casing 10 is partitioned by a partition plate 10a, the lower part is an accumulation chamber 7, and the upper part is a switching valve chamber 8. The switching valve chamber 8 is provided with a valve element 20 that is reciprocated at a predetermined angle by the driving element 6. The flow path switching mechanism in the name of the present invention is a general term for a structure for switching the flow path of the working gas (refrigerant) around the switching valve chamber 8, the valve element 20, and the drive element 6. In FIG. 1, the heating operation is performed.

First, prior to a detailed description of the accumulator 1 provided with a flow path switching mechanism, an overall configuration of a cooling and heating device incorporating the accumulator 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the first pipe H1 is connected to the switching valve chamber 8 from the discharge port of the compressor 2, and the fourth pipe H4 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 2 from the accumulation chamber 7. In addition, the second pipe H2 and the third pipe H3 are connected from the accumulator 1 having the flow path switching mechanism to the indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 5.
Is connected. The indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 5 are connected by piping with a capillary tube 4 for decompressing the refrigerant interposed therebetween. During the heating operation, the refrigerant is a compressor 2 as shown in FIGS. Circulating back to compressor 2 again. During the cooling / dehumidifying operation, as shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerant includes a compressor 2, an accumulator 1 having the above-mentioned flow switching mechanism, an outdoor heat exchanger 5, a capillary 4, an indoor heat exchanger 3, and a flow switching mechanism. Accumulator 1 and compressor 2 again
Circulating back to.

Hereinafter, the accumulator 1 provided with the flow path switching mechanism will be specifically described. First, the casing 10 will be described. The casing 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the inside of which is kept airtight, and the lower accumulation chamber 7 and the upper switching valve chamber 8 are partitioned by a partition plate 10a. . Although the casing 10 has a one-package integrated structure,
Actually, the portions forming the accumulation chamber 7, the switching valve chamber 8, and the partition plate 10a are formed separately from each other, and are screwed by brazing, bolting or the like, or screwing directly with members. By doing so, it is configured integrally. As shown in FIG. 3, a first connection port 11 is opened at the center of the upper surface of the casing 10, and a first pipe H <b> 1 connected to a discharge port of the compressor 2 is connected to the first connection port 11. A fourth pipe H4 connected to the suction port of the compressor 2 is inserted into the center of the lower surface of the casing 10, and the suction port faces near the center of the accumulation chamber 7. In the partition plate 10a, a second connection port 12 and a third connection port 13 are opened, and the second connection port 12 and the indoor heat exchanger 3 are connected by a second pipe H2.
3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 5 are connected by a third pipe H3. The partition plate 10a is provided with a communication port 14 for communicating the upper switching valve chamber 8 and the lower accumulation chamber 7 with each other. A filter 16 having a net formed in a cylindrical shape is provided below the communication port 14, and solid impurities and the like in the refrigerant are captured here. A lower bearing 15 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the partition plate 10a.

Next, the valve element 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3A, the valve body 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with right and left side arcs, and is provided with two flow paths communicating from the upper surface to the lower surface. As shown in FIG. 3B, a first switching path 21 is opened at the center of the upper surface, and a second switching path 22 and a third switching path 23 are opened at the left and right positions on the lower surface. The flow path communicating from the first switching path 21 to the second switching path 22 is referred to as a first switching path R1, and the first switching path 2
A flow path communicating from 1 to the third switching path port 23 is defined as a second switching path R2. The first pipe H <b> 1 is inserted into the first switching port 21. On the other hand, a rotation shaft 26 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the valve body 20 and is rotatably fitted to the lower bearing 15 of the casing 10. The valve is connected to the rotation shaft 26 and the first pipe H <b> 1. The body 20 is held in the casing 10 so as to be rotatable at a certain angle. The first switching port 21, the second switching port 22, and the third switching port 23 have O
A cylindrical sealing 25 whose surface is coated with a fluororesin or formed of a fluororesin via a ring 24 is fitted inside with a protruding outer end. As a result, the sealing 25 is elastically pressed against the inner wall surface of the casing 10 by the O-ring 24, and the first switching path R
The working gas (refrigerant) is prevented from leaking from the end openings of the first and second switching paths R2.

Next, the driving element 6 will be described. In the first embodiment, the drive element 6 includes, for example, a permanent magnet 6A and an electromagnet 6B, and substantially constitutes a motor. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 (a), a permanent magnet 6A is attached to an inner wall surface of a casing 10 forming a switching valve chamber 8 with different polarities of the S pole and the N pole. I have. The electromagnets 6B are provided on both side surfaces of the valve body 20, and the coil 6Ba is vertically wound around an umbrella-shaped core. Power is supplied to the coil 6Ba of each electromagnet 6B by the power supply terminal 9. The valve body 20 and the electromagnet 6B
May be formed integrally with the core around which the coil 6Ba is wound, or may be formed separately and assembled later.
The drive element 6 is configured as described above, and rotates the valve body 20 by flowing a current through the coil 6Ba. The direction of rotation is switched depending on the direction of the flow of the current. Further, a stopper for stopping the rotation of the valve body 20 is provided at a fixed angle at which the second switching port 22 is connected to the second pipe H2 and at a certain angle at which the third switching port 23 is connected to the third pipe H3. It is provided in the casing 10.

The first embodiment of the accumulator 1 provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the present invention is constituted as described above. Hereinafter, this operation mode will be described separately for the heating operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation. . (1) At the time of heating operation At the time of heating operation, the second switching passage 22 of the valve body 20 is connected to the second pipe H2 as shown in FIG.
Is a state not connected to the third pipe H3. In this case, the high-pressure gas refrigerant from the compressor 2 is supplied to the compressor 2, the first pipe H1, the first connection port 11, the first switching path R1, the second connection port 12, the second pipe H2, the indoor heat exchanger 3, Capillary tube 4, outdoor heat exchanger 5, third pipe H3, third connection port 13, switching valve chamber 8, communication port 14, accumulate chamber 7, fourth pipe H4, compressor 2. . . Circulate in the order of

(2) At the time of cooling / dehumidifying operation At the time of cooling / dehumidifying operation, the third switching passage 23 of the valve element is connected to the third pipe H3 as shown in FIG.
2 is a state not connected to the second pipe H2. In this case, the high-pressure gas refrigerant from the compressor 2 is supplied to the compressor 2, the first pipe H1, the first connection port 11, the second switching path R2, the third connection port 13, the third pipe H3, the outdoor heat exchanger 5, Capillary tube 4, indoor heat exchanger 3, second pipe H2, second connection port 12, switching valve chamber 8, communication port 14, accumulate chamber 7, fourth pipe H4, compressor 2. . . Circulate in the order of

As a feature of the first embodiment, the rotation of the valve body 20 at the time of switching between the heating operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation takes a form in which an air passage is formed in the armature itself of the DC motor. Therefore, it is performed very smoothly, smoothly and accurately. In particular, in the first embodiment, since the pressure inside the casing 10 is low, the switching of the rotation of the valve body 20 is particularly smooth.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the permanent magnet 6A is provided on the casing 10 and the electromagnet 6B is provided on the valve body 20. However, the opposite may be adopted, or both may be implemented by the electromagnet 6B. It is also possible. Further, the reciprocating rotation of the valve body 20 relative to the casing 10 according to claim 1 means that the valve body 20 is rotated on the side of the valve body 20 in the first embodiment. This means that a configuration in which the casing 10 is fixed and the casing 10 is rotated may be employed.

[Embodiment 3] For example, Embodiment 1
It is also possible to increase the number of the electromagnets 6B provided on the side of the valve body 20 to three or the like, and to implement the number of electromagnets 6B one by one as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). It is also possible.

[Fourth Embodiment] In the first and third embodiments, the second switching port 22 and the third switching port 23 are opened on the lower surface of the valve body 20, and the second connection port 12 and the third Although the three connection ports 13 are opened on the lower surface of the casing 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the second switching port 22 and the third switching port 23 are opened on the side surface of the valve body 20. And the third connection port 13 can be opened on the side surface of the casing 10.

[Fifth Embodiment] In the above embodiment, the reciprocating rotation of a certain angle is performed by switching the polarity of the S pole and the N pole of the electromagnet 6B. The rotation may be performed by a spring, and the rotation in the opposite direction to the biasing direction of the spring may be performed by exciting the electromagnet.

[0024]

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the first aspect, the casing 10 and the valve element 20 are provided with the driving elements 6 which attract and repel each other by magnetic force, and switch the polarity thereof. As a result, the valve body 20 reciprocates relative to the casing 10 by a predetermined angle, so that the valve body 20 itself plays a part of a drive device, for example, a rotor (for example, an electric element of a DC motor). . Therefore, it is not necessary to take out the motive power from the driving device and rotate the valve element 20 via a separate drive transmission member as in the related art. Efficient switching can be achieved by the electromagnet. Since no separate drive transmission member is used, the switching reaction speed is high and the movement is precise. In addition, since the number of members is reduced, the apparatus can be configured to be compact as a whole and can be implemented relatively inexpensively.

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the second aspect, the casing 10 and the valve body 20 are configured such that the suction port of the working gas from the compressor 2 has both the first connection port 11 and the first switching path port 21. And the first switching path R1 and the second switching path R2 share a suction port.
Therefore, there is no waste, and since the suction port is always in communication, the airtightness in the switching valve chamber 8 is improved, and many members for maintaining the airtightness at this location are not required.

According to the accumulator having the flow path switching mechanism according to the third aspect, the flow efficiency of the working gas is not reduced because the working gas flow path is not wastefully forced. Further, since the pressure in the switching valve chamber 8 is low, the pressure of the working gas is not applied to the valve body 20, and the rotation operation is smooth.

In the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the fourth aspect, the switching of the excitation state is performed by switching the direction of the DC current to the drive element 6, and the rotation in one direction is performed by the return spring. Since it is not performed by using such a method, the switching reaction speed is high, the movement is precise, and it can withstand many uses.

According to the accumulator provided with the passage switching mechanism according to the fifth aspect, one of the driving elements 6 is a permanent magnet 6
A, and the other is the electromagnet 6B, so that accurate movement can be expected for the rotational drive of the valve body 20 and the durability is excellent.

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism, the permanent magnet 6A is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the casing 10 forming the switching valve chamber 8, and the electromagnet 6B is provided on the valve body 20. Therefore, the configuration of the drive element 6 can be relatively easily performed, and the magnetic force acts most directly on the electromagnet 6B of the valve body 20 without waste.

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the seventh aspect, the outdoor unit in the air conditioner in which the accumulator and the like are incorporated is not only improved in performance but also has a small installation space in an apartment or the like. Since more compactness is required in terms of housing conditions and aesthetics, the space saving of the present invention can be achieved,
It is preferable that the result of achieving high precision in switching 0 is fully utilized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing Embodiment 1 in which an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism according to the present invention is incorporated in an outdoor unit of a cooling and heating device to perform a heating operation, and an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism. It is a perspective view of.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an accumulator provided with a passage switching mechanism and a compressor.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the direction of the arrow AA in FIG. (B) of Embodiment 1 and a cross-sectional view as viewed from the direction of the arrow BB in FIG. a)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant during a heating operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant during a cooling / humidifying operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a third embodiment in which the electromagnet and the permanent magnet are implemented by one, and a vertical front view seen from the direction of arrows AA.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a fourth embodiment in which a second connection port and a third connection port are opened on a side surface of a casing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Accumulator provided with flow path switching mechanism 2 Compressor 3 Indoor heat exchanger 4 Capillary tube 5 Outdoor heat exchanger 6 Drive element 6A Permanent magnet 6B Electromagnet 6Ba Coil 7 Accumulate chamber 8 Switching valve room 9 Power supply terminal 10 Casing 10a Partition plate 11 First connection port 12 Second connection port 13 Third connection port 14 Communication port 15 Lower bearing 16 Filter 20 Valve element 21 First switching path 22 Second switching path 23 Third switching path 24 O-ring 25 Sealing 26 Rotating shaft H1 First pipe H2 Second pipe H3 Third pipe H4 Fourth pipe R1 First switching path R2 Second switching path

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An accumulator provided in a path for moving a working gas by a compressor, wherein the accumulator is provided with an accumulation chamber and a switching valve chamber by partitioning the inside of the casing by a partition plate. In the switching valve chamber, a valve element for switching the flow path of the working gas is rotatably provided in the switching valve chamber, and the casing and the valve element forming the switching valve chamber approach each other by magnetic force. Alternatively, a driving element that separates is provided, and the alternative communication state is set by switching the excitation state so that the valve body reciprocates relative to the casing by a constant angle. An accumulator with a channel switching mechanism. 2. The switching valve chamber has a first connection port that communicates with a compressor, a second connection port and a third connection port that communicate with an external circulation device, and a communication port that communicates with an accumulation chamber. In the accumulation chamber, a pipe connected to the suction port of the compressor is provided, and the valve body further includes a first switching port, a second switching port, and a third switching port, The first switching path and the second switching path are connected to each other to form a first switching path, and the first switching path and the third switching path are connected to each other to form a second switching path; and The one connection port and the first switching port are always in communication with each other, and the valve body is rotatably supported on an axis passing through the first switching path and the first connection port, while the second connection port is provided. And the second switching port, the third connection port and the third switching port are valve bodies. The accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication state is alternatively set by reciprocating by a predetermined angle. 3. In the normal circulation, the circulation path of the working gas is a compressor, a first connection port, a first switching path, a second connection port, a first external circulation device, a last external circulation device, and a third connection. Port, switching valve chamber, communication port, accumulate chamber, circulate in the order of the compressor, in the reverse circulation, the compressor, the first connection port, the second switching path, the third connection port, the last external circulation equipment, The accumulator having a flow path switching mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the compressor circulates in the order of one external circulating device, a second connection port, a switching valve chamber, a communication port, an accumulation chamber, and the compressor. . 4. The accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the switching of the excitation state is performed by switching a direction of a direct current to a drive element. 5. The driving element according to claim 1, wherein one of the driving elements is a permanent magnet and the other is an electromagnet.
An accumulator comprising the flow path switching mechanism according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. The channel switching mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the permanent magnet is provided on an inner peripheral surface of a casing forming the switching valve chamber, and the electromagnet is provided on a valve body. Accumulator. 7. The accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is incorporated in a circulation path of a refrigerant in a cooling and heating apparatus using a heat pump. .