JPH1123106A - Accumulator equipped with passage switching mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an accumulator that is equipped with a passage switching mechanism which promotes the compactness by incorporating a switching valve in the accumulator, and also which promotes a low cost of a valve body. SOLUTION: In an accumulator 1 which is provided in a path where an operating gas is transferred by a compressor 2, a valve body 20, which switches the passage of the operating gas by rotating reciprocally at a fixed angle, is equipped inside a switching valve chamber 8, and also this valve body 20 forms a communicating chamber 20c out of a bowl-shaped case part 20a and a blocking plate 20b which is assembled to block the open side of the case part 20a. Moreover, the case part 20a and the blocking plate 20b are formed out of a metal plate through press treatment. In switching the passage, a slider 62, which is driven by an electromagnet 65 that is fixed to the outside of the switching valve chamber 8, is contacted with an eccentric pin 61, and then the valve body 20 is rotated reciprocally at a fixed angle through a rotation shaft 26.

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 switching valve such as a four-way valve. At that time, a compressor is used to circulate the refrigerant as the working gas, and an accumulator is provided in the circulation path of the refrigerant in the immediate vicinity of the compressor,
The removal of impurities such as oil and solids contained in the passage, the pulsation of the working gas, and the like are performed. Conventionally, this type of accumulator and switching valve are usually designed as separate components. However, as demands for compactness and cost reduction of the entire apparatus increase, this idea has been limited. Therefore, based on the idea of fusing the accumulator and the switching valve described above, the present applicant also incorporated a shift mechanism that drives the switching valve and the valve element into the accumulator,
Japanese Patent Application No. 9-13768 for the purpose of further downsizing
Patent applications such as No. 0 "accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism" and Japanese Patent Application No. 9-137681 "Accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism" have been filed.

In recent years, the switching valve has been changed from a slide type in which a valve element is slid in a casing to switch a flow path to a so-called rotary type in which the valve element is rotated. This is because the rotary type is more airtight to prevent leakage of the refrigerant as the working gas. Therefore, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 9-13768.
This rotary type switching valve is also applied to No. 0 “accumulator provided with flow path switching mechanism” and Japanese Patent Application No. 9-137681 “Accumulator provided with flow path switching mechanism”. However, while pushing down the size, a shift mechanism that rotates the valve body is also incorporated into the valve body, and the valve body itself is formed by cutting a block-shaped member made of a metal material and incorporating an electromagnet etc. And the cost of the valve was increased. Of course, when priority is given to downsizing, the shift mechanism can also be incorporated into the valve body. However, if a certain amount of installation space can be secured, the cost of the valve body and the cost of the accumulator can be reduced. There is also a demand for giving priority to.

[0004]

[Technical Problems Attempted to Be Developed] The present invention was made as a part of such a development, and the electromagnet for shifting the valve body while reducing the size by incorporating a switching valve into an accumulator is a valve body. An attempt was made to develop an accumulator provided with a new flow path switching mechanism separately provided to reduce the cost of the valve body.

[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. An accumulation chamber and a switching valve chamber are provided by partitioning by a plate, and a switching element for switching the flow path of the working gas is rotatably incorporated in the switching valve chamber. The body is characterized in that a communication chamber is formed therein by a bowl-shaped case portion and a closing plate integrally assembled so as to close the open side of the case portion. According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the valve body by incorporating the switching valve into the accumulator, and to reduce the cost of the valve body, thereby reducing the cost of the accumulator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the case portion and the closing plate of the valve body are formed by pressing a metal plate. It is characterized by being performed. According to the present invention, when forming the valve element, it is not necessary to take a conventional method of cutting a block-shaped metal material, for example, and the cost of the valve element and thus the accumulator can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein the valve element further includes a rotation shaft for rotating the valve element. An eccentric pin is provided at a position eccentric from the axis of the rotating shaft, and when switching the flow path, an eccentric pin driven by an electromagnet fixed to the outside of the switching valve chamber is used. , So that the valve element is reciprocally rotated by a predetermined angle. According to the present invention, since the electromagnet for rotating the valve element is provided outside the switching valve chamber, the structure of the valve element can be simplified.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The accumulator 1 provided with the flow path switching mechanism includes a partition plate 10a inside the casing 10 as shown in FIG.
The lower part is an accumulation chamber 7 and the upper part is a switching valve chamber 8. In the switching valve chamber 8, the valve body 2 reciprocatingly rotates by a certain angle by the rotation switching drive mechanism 6.
With zero. The flow path switching mechanism in the name of the present invention includes the switching valve chamber 8, the valve body 20, and the rotation switching drive mechanism 6.
And a member for switching the flow path of the working gas (refrigerant) centered on, and takes the form of a so-called four-way valve as an example. Further, the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 is provided outside the switching valve chamber 8 as an example. In FIG. 1, the heating operation is performed.

First, prior to the description of the accumulator 1 having the flow path switching mechanism, the 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. A second pipe H2 and a third pipe H3 are connected from the accumulator 1 to the indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 5. 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 circulates back to the compressor 2, the accumulator 1, the indoor heat exchanger 3, the capillary tube 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 5, the accumulator 1, and the compressor 2 again as shown in FIGS. . During the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 2, the accumulator 1, the outdoor heat exchanger 5, the capillary 4, the indoor heat exchanger 3, the accumulator 1, and the compressor 2 again as shown in FIG.
Circulating back to.

Next, the accumulator 1 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, the parts forming the accumulation chamber 7, the switching valve chamber 8, and the partition plate 10a are actually formed separately from each other, and are brazed. , Are integrally formed by screwing with bolts or the like, or by screwing with screws directly cut into members. 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 H1 connected to a discharge port of the compressor 2 is connected to the first connection port. Casing 1
The fourth pipe H4 connected to the suction port of the compressor 2 is fitted in the center of the lower surface of the compressor 0, and the suction port faces the vicinity of the center of the accumulation chamber 7. Also, the partition plate 10
a, the second connection port 12 and the third connection port 13 are opened,
The second connection port 12 and the indoor heat exchanger 3 are connected by a second pipe H2, and the third connection port 13 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. Also, the partition plate 10
A lower bearing 15 is provided at the center of the lower surface of a.

Next, the valve element 20 provided in the switching valve chamber 8 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, the valve body 20 has a bowl-shaped case portion 20a and a closing plate 20b which is integrally assembled so as to cover the open side of the case portion 20a.
The communication chamber 20c is formed inside. As an example, the case portion 20a is formed such that the right and left side surfaces are formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the internal communication chamber 20c
Is kept airtight. In addition, since the communication chamber 20c is provided with two flow paths communicating from the upper surface to the lower surface, FIG.
As shown in (b), the first switching path 21 is opened at the center of the upper surface, and the second switching path 22 and the third switching path 23 are opened at the left and right positions on the lower surface. And the first switching path 21
Through the first switching path R
1, and a flow path communicating from the first switching path 21 to the third switching path 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 fixedly provided on the valve body 20 at the center of the lower surface of the valve body 20, and is rotatably fitted to the lower bearing 15 of the partition plate 10a. The valve body 20 is rotatably held by the first pipe H1 in the switching valve chamber 8 by a predetermined angle. The first switching passage 21, the second switching passage 22 and the third switching passage 23 are coated with a fluororesin on the surface via an O-ring 24,
Alternatively, a cylindrical sealing 25 made of fluororesin
Is fitted inside with the outer end protruding. Thereby, the sealing 25 is elastically pressed against the inner wall surface of the partition plate 10a by the O-ring 24 so that the working gas (refrigerant) does not leak from the end openings of the first switching path R1 and the second switching path R2. Have been. The case portion 20a and the closing plate 20b of the valve body 20 are formed by pressing a plate material made of a metal material as an example.
It may be formed from an appropriate material. Further, since the valve body 20 is formed in such a simple structure, the cost of the accumulator 1 can be reduced, and a complicated process such as cutting is not required in mass production.

Next, the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3B, the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 includes an eccentric pin 61 provided at the lower end of the rotation shaft 26, a slider 62 into which the eccentric pin 61 is fitted, and an electromagnet 65.
As a main component. Eccentric pin 61
Is provided at a position eccentric from the axis of the rotating shaft 26, and is fitted to the slider 62 in a loosely fitted state. In addition, the slider 62
The slider 62 and the eccentric pin 61 sandwich the eccentric pin 61
The first pressing body 63 and the second pressing body 6
4 is fitted. A bidirectional bias type electromagnet 65 is provided at the other outer end of the slider 62 so as to wind the slider 62. The first and second pressing members 6
Reference numerals 3 and 64 denote parts of the slider 62, which may be formed integrally with the slider 62. Also, the electromagnet 65 of the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 is connected to the outside of the casing 10, for example, as shown in FIG.
(B), as shown in FIG. 3 (b), provided outside the accumulator 1 or above the accumulator 1 as shown in FIG. 2 so as not to obstruct each pipe, but provided inside the accumulator chamber 7. It is also possible to take the form. Further, a form in which a worm gear mechanism is applied to the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 as shown in FIG. In this case, the rotation shaft 26 is connected to the worm wheel 66, and the rotation of the worm 67 by the driving of the motor M causes the rotation shaft 26 to rotate through the worm wheel 66.

Next, the operation state of this device will be described separately for heating operation and cooling / dehumidification 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) Cooling / Dehumidifying Operation During cooling / dehumidifying operation, the third switching port 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

Next, an operation state of the rotation switching drive mechanism 6 when switching from the heating operation to the cooling / dehumidifying operation or from the cooling / dehumidifying operation to the heating operation will be described. First, the electromagnet 6
When a current is applied to the slider 5 to generate a magnetic field and push or suck the slider 62, the eccentric pin 61 fitted to the distal end also moves according to the movement of the slider 62. On the other hand, since the eccentric pin 61 is provided at a position eccentric from the axis of the rotating shaft 26, the eccentric pin 61 actually makes a rotating motion about the axis of the rotating shaft 26, To rotate the valve body 20 fixed to the rotating shaft 26 by a certain angle. For example, if the rotary shaft 26, the eccentric pin 61 and the slider 62 are in a positional relationship as shown in FIG. 6A during the heating operation, the valve body 20 is pushed out by pushing the slider 62.
Is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the drawing to switch to the cooling / dehumidifying operation. If the positional relationship is as shown in FIG. 6B, the valve element 20 is rotated by sucking the slider 62. Will be. In this embodiment, the slider 62 is moved by using one electromagnet 65.
2, the spring may be mounted on the electromagnet 65 side and the slider 62 may be pushed out by elasticity of the spring or the above-described worm gear mechanism may be applied. obtain.

[0016]

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the first aspect, the space for the storage space can be reduced by incorporating the switching valve in the accumulator 1. In addition, the valve body 20 can be manufactured with a reduced cost, and the cost of the accumulator 1 can be reduced.

According to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the second aspect, when the valve body 20 is formed, it is not necessary to take a conventional method of cutting a block-shaped metal material, for example, and to use the valve body. 20 and the cost of the accumulator 1 can be reduced.

Further, according to the accumulator provided with the flow path switching mechanism according to the third aspect, since the electromagnet 65 for rotating the valve element 20 is provided outside the switching valve chamber 8, the structure of the valve element 20 can be simplified. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an accumulator and a compressor.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the accumulator as viewed from the direction of the arrow AA in FIG. 3 (b), and a cross-sectional view as viewed from the direction of the arrow BB in FIG. 3 (a). 5 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the direction of the arrows CC in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant during a heating operation of the accumulator.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant at the time of the cooling / dehumidifying operation.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of switching between a heating operation and a cooling / dehumidifying operation by a rotation switching drive mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view showing an embodiment in which a worm gear mechanism is applied to the rotation switching drive mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Accumulator 2 Compressor 3 Indoor heat exchanger 4 Capillary tube 5 Outdoor heat exchanger 6 Rotation switching drive mechanism 7 Accumulate chamber 8 Switching valve chamber 10 Casing 10a Partition plate 11 First connection port 12 Second connection port 13 Third connection port Reference Signs List 14 communication port 15 lower bearing 16 filter 20 valve body 20a case part 20b closing plate 20c communication chamber 21 first switching path 22 second switching path 23 third switching path 24 O-ring 25 sealing 26 rotating shaft 61 eccentric pin 62 sliding Child 63 first pressing body 64 second pressing body 65 electromagnet 66 worm wheel 67 worm H1 first pipe H2 second pipe H3 third pipe H4 fourth pipe M motor R1 first switching path R2 second switching path

Claims (3)

[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 incorporated, and the valve element is integrally formed with the bowl-shaped case portion so as to close the open side of the case portion. An accumulator provided with a flow path switching mechanism, wherein a communication chamber is formed inside by an assembled closing plate. 2. The accumulator according to claim 1, wherein the case portion and the closing plate of the valve body are formed by pressing a plate material made of a metal material. 3. The valve body is provided with a rotating shaft for rotating the valve body, and the rotating shaft is provided with an eccentric pin at a position eccentric from its axis, so that when the flow path is switched, The valve body is reciprocated at a predetermined angle by bringing a slider driven by an electromagnet fixed outside the switching valve chamber into contact with an eccentric pin. An accumulator comprising the flow path switching mechanism according to 2.