KR20180088211A - Four way valve for change flow direction of Coolant - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage. Specifically, the present invention provides advantages of increasing initial driving torque of a valve pad unit and enhancing a sealing function to improve performance and durability of a product by comprising: a first housing having a refrigerant charging chamber filled with a refrigerant; a second housing coupled to the first housing and having a drive unit space in which a rotation drive unit is disposed; a deceleration unit for increasing the driving torque by driving force transmitted from the rotation drive unit of the drive unit space to transmit the driving torque to the refrigerant charging chamber; and the valve pad unit rotationally disposed in the refrigerant charging chamber to be rotatable about a rotary support shaft and eccentric to one side about the rotary support shaft, the driving torque being transmitted from the deceleration unit to primary driving torque.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a four-

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage, and more particularly, to a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage, which improves a switching force by increasing a primary drive torque of a valve pad portion, To a four-way four-way valve.

2. Description of the Related Art [0002] Generally, in the case of a cooling / heating apparatus that performs cooling or heating using a phase change of a refrigerant, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger is disposed therein and an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger is disposed.

The refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit so that the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit functions as the evaporator to cool the room, and upon heating, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit And functions as a condenser for condensing high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, thereby heating the room.

Here, substantially whether the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor is caused to flow into the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger is determined by the switching operation of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage.

In general, a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage includes a valve body body provided with a refrigerant charging chamber filled with refrigerant. The valve body is connected to the compressor, the first heat exchanger and the accumulator to circulate the refrigerant.

The valve body may be provided with a switching element for switching the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor to any one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The switching body has a predetermined switching flow path so that the above-described refrigerant can be switched while being moved inside the valve body.

However, one example of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the prior art is that the external pressure of the valve, which is received by the refrigerant filled in the valve body, and the moment of inertia according to the external shape and weight of the switching body, There is a problem that the initial drive torque of the drive motor provided for pivoting must be increased.

Further, in the case where the driving motor driven by the electric force is provided outside the valve body, there is no possibility of a sealing problem related to the outflow of the refrigerant. In this case, the constituent for transmitting the driving force may be complicated, Is provided inside the valve body, there is a burden that the sealing must be completed in relation to the refrigerant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage, which can improve durability by enhancing switching force by increasing initial driving torque of a valve pad portion, The purpose of that is to do.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage by reducing the number of sealing or Hall IC sensors by providing a driving motor as a DC motor.

A preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention comprises a first housing having a refrigerant charging chamber filled with a refrigerant, a driving unit space coupled to the first housing, A speed reducing unit for increasing a driving torque by a driving force transmitted from the rotation driving unit of the driving unit space to transmit the driving torque to the refrigerant charging chamber; And a valve pad portion having a shape eccentric to one side with respect to the rotation support shaft and rotated with the drive torque transmitted from the deceleration portion as an initial drive torque.

In this case, on one side of the first housing, a high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole communicating with the compressor discharge pipe, a first heat exchanger connection hole communicating with the refrigerant pipe of the first heat exchanger, Pressure refrigerant discharge hole of one of the holes formed on one side surface of the first housing, and a low-pressure refrigerant discharge hole communicating with the second heat exchanger connecting hole and the accumulator connecting pipe, And a valve plate having at least three inlet / outlet holes communicating with the remaining holes except for one of the three inlet / outlet holes, wherein the valve pad portion rotates to contact one surface of the valve plate, The discharge hole may be formed in an eccentric shape so as to selectively point to the remaining two of the three discharge holes in a state in which the discharge hole is normally maintained.

The driving unit may further include a mounting plate disposed between the first housing and the second housing so as to be partitioned into the refrigerant charging chamber and the driving unit space, To the refrigerant charging chamber.

The reduction gear portion may include an input gear portion disposed in the drive portion space and rotated by receiving a driving force from the rotation driving portion, and an input gear portion disposed in the refrigerant filling chamber, for rotating the valve pad portion at a rotational speed of a gear ratio changed by the input gear portion. And a transmission gear portion disposed to penetrate the gear through hole formed in the mounting plate and arranged to be engaged with the input gear portion and the output gear portion at the same time.

Further, a quad-ring may be interposed between the gear through hole and the transmission gear portion.

The input gear portion is formed with a stopper end protruding downward. The stopper end of the stopper end interferes at one side and the other of the rotational direction of the input gear portion to stop the rotation of the input gear portion. A slot can be formed.

The control unit may further include a middle housing disposed in the driving unit space to protect the rotation driving unit and the input gear unit.

The middle housing may be provided with a motor mounting portion on which the rotation driving portion is mounted, a seating hole through which each vertical axis to be a rotation axis of the input gear portion passes, and a seating portion on which the input gear portion is seated.

The input gear unit is provided with a pair of magnets spaced apart from each other for detecting the origin of rotation of the valve pad unit, and a predetermined signal is generated in the middle housing by interaction with the pair of magnets A single sensor may be provided.

Further, the pair of magnets may be located within the same radius from the rotational center of the input gear portion.

According to a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, the following various effects can be achieved.

First, when transmitting the driving force generated from the rotation driving portion to the valve pad portion, the reduction gear is transmitted through the reduction portion disposed therebetween so that the gear ratio is changed, so that the valve pad portion can be driven with a high initial driving speed So that torque can be generated and rotated.

Secondly, since the valve pad portion is formed eccentrically to one side of the rotary shaft, the friction surface area of the valve plate is reduced to reduce the driving torque load required from the rotary drive portion.

Third, since the valve plate rotatably connected to the valve pad portion can be formed in a non-circular shape, the overall weight of the product can be reduced.

Fourth, by applying the quadring to the transmission gear portion that rotates through the mounting plate that is partitioned between the driving unit space and the refrigerant charging chamber, the sealing function of the refrigerant is stably secured, while the rotational resistance of the transmission gear unit is reduced, And the durability can be improved.

1 is a refrigerant flow chart showing the flow of refrigerant during cooling and heating operation,
2 is a schematic view showing a HVAC module of a vehicle equipped with a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a connection of a four-way valve and various refrigerant pipes in the configuration of FIG. 2,
4 is a projection perspective view showing the internal structure of a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage according to the present invention,
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4,
Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the driving-space-side component in Fig. 4,
Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the constitution of Fig. 4 in which the refrigerant charge chamber side component is disassembled,
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a rotation restricting configuration of a valve pad portion in the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention,
Figs. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views taken along line AA and line BB in Fig. 4,
10A and 10B are a perspective view and a bottom view showing an operating relationship of the valve pad portion.

The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the term in order to best describe its invention It should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention, It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications are possible.

Hereinafter, a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a HVAC module of a vehicle equipped with a four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a configuration FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection of a four-way valve and various refrigerant pipes. FIG.

1 to 3, the embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention includes various refrigerant pipes 3, 13, 43, and 53 for changing the refrigerant flow path implementing the refrigeration cycle, Is directly connected to the housing part (110).

The refrigerant flow in the in-vehicle cooling or heating using the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention having the above-described structure will now be described.

1 (a), when the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 1, the refrigerant is discharged from the first heat exchanger 20 ) And is condensed. The refrigerant condensed by the first heat exchanger 20 is expanded by the expansion valve 30 and then supplied to the second heat exchanger 40 provided in the HVAC housing 60 And evaporated. Exchanges heat with indoor air introduced into the HVAC housing 60 to cool the room, then flows into the four-way valve 100 and is recovered to the accumulator 50 and then circulated to the compressor 1.

1 (b), when the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 1, the first heat exchange and the second heat exchange provided in the HVAC housing 60 by the four- Is directly supplied to the condenser 40 and condensed. At this time, the second heat exchanger (40) exchanges heat with the room air introduced into the HVAC housing (60), and the room is heated and air-conditioned. The refrigerant condensed by the second heat exchanger 40 is expanded by the expansion valve 30 and then supplied to the first heat exchanger 20 provided outside the room to be evaporated and then passed through the four- The refrigerant is recycled to the compressor 1 after being recovered by the accumulator 50.

Hereinafter, a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor 1 and the four-way valve 100 will be referred to as a 'compressor discharge pipe 3', and a refrigerant pipe connecting the first heat exchanger 20 and the four-way valve 100 will be referred to as' The refrigerant pipe connecting the second heat exchanger 40 and the four-way valve 100 is referred to as a "second heat exchanger refrigerant pipe 43", the accumulator 50 is referred to as a "first heat exchanger refrigerant pipe 13" And the four-way valve 100 will be referred to as an " accumulator connection pipe 53 ".

The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 is supplied to the interior of the four-way valve 100, and then is supplied to the first heat exchanger refrigerant pipe (not shown) (13) and the second heat exchanger refrigerant pipe (43). The refrigerant supplied to the first heat exchanger 20 or the second heat exchanger 40 is recovered to the inside of the four-way valve 100 after completing a predetermined function of the refrigerant, (50).

More specifically, the vehicle is equipped with an HVAC module (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Module) 10 for cooling or heating the interior of the vehicle. The HVAC module 10 includes an HVAC housing 60 in which a second heat exchanger 40, a PTC heater 62 and a blowing fan 61 are provided, a compressor 1, a first heat exchanger 20, An expansion valve 30, and an accumulator 50, as shown in FIG. Here, the expansion valve 30 may be provided inside the HVAC housing 60, or may be provided outside.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a restriction structure of rotation of the valve pad portion in the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 9A and 9B Are cross-sectional views taken along line AA and line BB in Fig.

4 to 7B, the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention comprises a housing part 110 having a refrigerant charging chamber filled with a refrigerant, A valve plate 360 disposed on one side of the valve plate 360 and having at least three inlet / outlet holes 361, 362 and 363 formed therein; And a valve pad portion 390 forming a change-over passage for the refrigerant.

Here, the housing unit 110 includes a first housing 111 having one side opened and having the above-described refrigerant charging chamber, and a second housing 111 coupled to one side of the first housing 111, And a second housing 113 having a first housing 113a and a second housing 113b.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the housing part 110 can be formed in a substantially hollow cylindrical structure with the inside formed by the first housing 111 and the second housing 113, One refrigerant filling chamber may be defined as an inner space formed by the first housing 111 of the housing part 110 having a cylindrical structure.

The compressor discharge piping 3, the first heat exchanger refrigerant piping 13, the second heat exchanger refrigerant piping 43, and the second heat exchanger refrigerant piping are connected to the other closed side of the first housing 111 of the housing part 110, A first heat exchanger piping hole 102, a second heat exchanger piping hole 103 and an accumulator piping hole 104 to which the accumulator connecting piping 53 is connected, respectively.

The compressor pipe hole 101, the first heat exchanger pipe hole 102, the second heat exchanger pipe hole 103, and the accumulator pipe hole 104 may be provided in communication with the refrigerant filling chamber.

On the other hand, the valve plate 360 is disposed in close contact with the inner surface of the first housing 111, and three inlet / outlet holes 361, 362, and 363 are formed.

More specifically, the valve pad portion 390 is provided with an inlet / outlet hole (hereinafter referred to as 'first hole 361') of three inlet / outlet holes 361, 362 and 363 formed in the valve plate 360 Always. In this state, when the valve pad portion 390 is rotated to one side or the other side, any one of the remaining two inlet / outlet holes 362 and 363 except for the first hole 361 of the three inlet / (Collectively referred to as "second holes 362, 363") to communicate with the occupied inlet / outlet holes to form the above-described change passage.

Here, the first hole 361 formed in the valve plate 360 is related to the compressor discharge pipe 3 and can be defined as a 'high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361'. One of the second holes 362 and 363 formed in the valve plate 360 is related to the first heat exchanger refrigerant pipe 13 and is defined as a 'first heat exchanger connection hole 362' . The other one of the second holes 362 and 363 formed in the valve plate 360 is related to the second heat exchanger refrigerant pipe 43 and is defined as a second heat exchanger connection hole 363 .

The high pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 of the valve plate 360 is matched with the compressor pipe hole 101 formed in the first housing 111 and the first heat exchanger connection hole 362 is formed in the first housing 111 And the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 is matched with the second heat exchanger pipe hole 103 formed in the first housing 111 so as to match the first heat exchanger pipe hole 102 formed in the first housing 111 111), as shown in Fig. In other words, the valve plate 360 is provided with the inlet and outlet holes 361, 362, 363 in the pipe holes 101, 102, 103 excluding the accumulator pipe hole 104 of the first housing 111 so as to match the first housing 111, As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the valve pad portion 390 is formed with two communication holes 391 and 392 opened toward one surface of the valve plate 360, and the two communication holes 391 and 392 are mutually communicated to form one communication hole 391 and 392 (The other one of the communication holes indicated by the other communication holes 391 and 392) or the refrigerant introduced into the other communication hole can be discharged to the one communication hole .

It is preferable that the valve pad portion 390 is provided such that the two communication holes 391 and 392 are closely contacted to one surface of the valve plate 360 to be rotated. This is to prevent the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 from leaking into the refrigerant charging chamber directly without passing through the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 described above.

A spring member 600 to be described later may be further provided to improve the adhesion of the valve pad portion 390 to the valve plate 360.

In addition, one surface of the valve plate 360 to which the valve pad portion 390 is closely contacted is preferably formed of a polishing material having a small friction so that the valve pad portion 390 is minimally abraded by friction.

In addition, the valve plate 360 is not formed so as to cover all of the closed other side surfaces of the first housing 111 but may be formed so as to exclude the accumulator pipe hole 104 described above, Provides an advantage.

The two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 are provided with a first hole 361 which is a high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 when the valve pad portion 390 is rotated to one side or rotated to the other side The first heat exchanger connection hole 362 of the second holes 362 and 363 is simultaneously pointed with the first hole 361 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 362 of the second hole 362 and 363 The base hole 363 is simultaneously pointed with the first hole 361.

When the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 simultaneously point the first hole 361 and the first heat exchanger connection hole 362 of the second holes 362 and 363, The discharged high temperature and high pressure refrigerant flows into the valve pad portion 390 while being shielded from the refrigerant filling chamber through the first connecting hole 141 and then flows into the first heat exchanger connecting hole 362 and the second connecting hole 142, So that refrigerant is supplied to the first heat exchanger (20).

When the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 simultaneously point the first hole 361 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 of the second holes 362 and 363, The discharged high temperature and high pressure refrigerant flows into the valve pad portion 390 in a state of being shielded from the refrigerant filling chamber through the first connecting hole 141 and then flows through the second heat exchanger connecting hole 363 and the third connecting hole 2 heat exchanger (40) so as to supply the refrigerant to the heat exchanger (40).

4 to 7, the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention includes a rotation driving part 200 for generating and transmitting a driving force to rotate the valve pad part 390, And a deceleration unit 300 disposed between the rotary drive unit 200 and the valve pad unit 390 to increase the drive torque transmitted from the rotary drive unit 200. [

Here, the rotation driving unit 200 may be a motor in which a rotor (not shown) is rotated when power is input. In particular, the rotation driving unit 200 may be a DC motor capable of generating a predetermined rotational torque according to a constant voltage among various types of motors.

Meanwhile, the deceleration unit 300 may include a gear train including a plurality of gears 311, 313, and 315 that receive driving force from the rotation driving unit 200 and output the changed gear ratio.

A plurality of gear trains are installed in the mounting plate 500.

4 to 7, the mounting plate 500 is disposed so as to partition a space (hereinafter, referred to as 'driving unit space') provided with the refrigerant filling chamber and the rotary driving unit 200, The rotation shafts of the gears 311, 315, and 313 can be rotatably supported.

That is, the mounting plate 500 serves to partition the refrigerant filling chamber and the driving unit space as described above, and one surface of the mounting plate 500 corresponding to the driving unit space is divided into the rotation driving unit 200 and the gear The other surface of the mounting plate 500 corresponding to the refrigerant filling chamber is provided with a transmission gear portion 370 and a rotation support shaft 386 to be described later, And serves to provide a mounting portion that can be installed in a rotational manner.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the mounting plate 500 can be seated and coupled to cover the upper portion of the first housing 111 to partition the refrigerant charging chamber and the driving unit space .

The upper surface of the mounting plate 500 is formed with a first engaging flange 530 protruding in the horizontal direction so as to be substantially larger than the outer diameter of the first housing 111. 4, a second engagement flange 114 having the same outer diameter as that of the first engagement flange 530 is formed on the lower end outer edge of the second housing 113. As shown in Fig.

A plurality of bolt coupling grooves 115 are formed in the outer circumferential surface of the second housing 113 so as to be vertically vertical to the upper surface of the second coupling flange 114 at an upper end thereof and recessed inwardly from the outer circumferential surface of the second housing 113. Are spaced apart.

A bolt coupling hole 116 is formed in the second coupling flange 114 corresponding to the inside of the plurality of bolt coupling grooves 115 so that a coupling bolt 117 described later penetrates vertically, A bolt through hole 540 is formed at a position corresponding to the coupling hole 116 and a bolt fastening hole 111a for fastening the lower end of the coupling bolt 117 to the upper end of the first housing 111 .

The first housing 111, the second housing 113 and the mounting plate 500 are connected to the bolt insertion holes 116 of the second housing 113 and the bolt insertion holes 540 of the mounting plate 500, And can be firmly coupled by the coupling bolt 117 passing through the bolt fastening hole 111a of the first housing 111 in order.

4, the four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage according to the present invention includes a middle housing (not shown) disposed in a driving unit space for protecting the rotary drive unit 200 and the input gear unit 310 330).

The middle housing 330 is provided with a motor seating portion 331 on which the rotation driving portion 200 is mounted and a seating hole 333 and a gear seating portion 333 through which respective vertical axes, 335 may be formed.

4 and 5, the plurality of gear trains includes an input gear portion 310 disposed in a driving portion space defined by the mounting plate 500 and receiving a driving force from the rotation driving portion 200, And an output gear portion 380 disposed in the refrigerant charging chamber on the basis of the mounting plate 500 to rotate the valve pad portion 390 at a rotational speed of a changed gear ratio, As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the output gear portion 380 is engaged with the input gear portion 310 disposed in the driving portion space through the mounting plate 500 and is engaged with the output gear portion 380 disposed in the refrigerant charging chamber. (Not shown).

More specifically, the rotation driving part 200 includes a worm gear part 201 provided at the tip of a rotary shaft (not shown) of the rotor disposed horizontally on the upper side of the mounting plate 500 corresponding to the driving part space, . ≪ / RTI > That is, it can be understood that the rotation axis of the rotor has a horizontal axis.

Here, one of the input gear portions 310 is engaged with the worm gear of the worm gear portion 201 to change the driving force of the rotation driving portion 200 to a constant gear ratio and transmit the same.

The input gear portion 310 may be a combination of a plurality of gears 311, 313, and 315, as shown in FIGS. That is, the first input gear 311 that directly meshes with the gear teeth of the worm gear portion 201 to change to the first change gear ratio and rotates to one side or the other side in the horizontal direction about the vertical rotation axis, A second input gear 313 which meshes with the first input gear 311 to change the gear ratio to a second change gear ratio and transmits a driving force to the second input gear 313, And a third input gear 315 for transmitting the input signal to the transmission gear unit 370.

The driving force input from the worm gear portion of the rotation driving portion 200 is sequentially engaged with the first input gear 311, the second input gear 313, and the third input gear 315, So that the driving torque of the valve pad unit 390 can be increased.

The first input gear and the second input gear 311 and 313 respectively have main gears 311a and 313a having relatively large diameters and sub gears 311b and 313b having relatively small diameters at upper and lower portions of the main gears 311a and 313a, And 313b, respectively, so that the gear ratio can be appropriately changed so as to form the drive torque to be provided by the valve pad portion 390. [

Here, the first input gear 311 functions to transmit the driving force horizontally transmitted through the rotation axis of the rotor having the horizontal axis in the vertical direction, as described above. Meanwhile, the main gear 311a of the first input gear 311 is required to transmit the driving force in a direction orthogonal to the helical worm gear of the worm gear portion 201, and is preferably provided as a helical gear. The sub gear 311b of the first input gear 311 may be a general pinion gear.

The first input gear 311 and the second input gear 313 all have vertical axes vertically arranged in the figure and the main gear 313a of the second input gear 313 is connected to the first input gear 311 and the second input gear 313. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, The sub gear 313b of the second input gear 313 is formed to be smaller in diameter than the main gear 313a of the first input gear 311 And may be provided with a pinion gear.

Unlike the first input gear 311 and the second input gear 313, the third input gear 315 is not divided into a main gear and a sub gear. The upper end of the transmission gear portion 370 is inserted So that the transmission gear portion 370 itself serves as a rotating shaft. It will be appreciated that the third input gear 315 may also be provided with a pinion gear which is engaged with the sub gear 313b of the second input gear 313. [

That is, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving force generated from the rotary drive unit 200 is sequentially transmitted from the main gear 311a of the first input gear 311 to the sub gear 311b of the first input gear 311 The third gear 315 of the second input gear 313 and the sub gear 313b of the second input gear 313 and the transmission gear portion 370 of the second input gear 313, It is transmitted to the filling room side.

The center portion of the third input gear 315 is vertically passed through and the upper end portion of the transmission gear portion 370 is inserted into the transmission gear portion 370. When the third input gear 315 rotates, .

7, a pinion gear 371 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the transmission gear portion 370 on the side of the refrigerant charge chamber side, and the pinion gear 371 of the transmission gear portion 370 is a pinion gear Thereby rotating the output gear portion 380.

7 and 9B, the output gear portion 380 includes an output gear body 381 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the pinion gear, a valve gear portion 381 extending downward from the output gear body 381, A plurality of fastening ribs 384 inserted and fastened to upper portions of the first and second fastening portions 390 and 390 may be provided.

That is, the output gear portion 380 and the valve pad portion 390 may be provided so as to be interlocked with the valve pad portion 390 when the output gear portion 380 receives the driving force from the input gear portion 310 have.

4 and 6, the valve pad portion 390 includes a coupling portion 394 connected to the output gear portion 380, and a coupling portion 394 connected to the output gear portion 380 when rotated And an exchange portion 393 for communicating the first hole 361 and the second holes 362 and 363 of the valve plate 360 to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant.

Here, the coupling portion 394 is provided with a shaft through-hole through which the rotation support shaft 386 having one end fixed to the lower surface of the mounting plate 500 and the other end fixed inside the closed other side surface of the first housing 111 A plurality of coupling grooves 395 may be provided in the periphery of the hole 396 and the shaft through hole 396. [

In the preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, the rotation support shaft 386 is provided so as to pass through the entire rotational center of the valve pad portion 390, but only through the rotation of the valve pad portion 390 The drive force generated from the rotary drive unit 200 is transmitted directly to the valve pad unit 390 via the intermediate gear of the output gear unit 380 so that the valve pad unit 390 ) So that a sufficiently high initial drive torque can be generated.

Although not shown in the drawings, the plurality of coupling grooves 395 are not completely annular, but four coupling grooves 395 may be arranged so as to be spaced apart at intervals of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction, have.

The plurality of coupling ribs 384 formed on the lower surface of the output gear portion 380 are respectively inserted and fastened to the plurality of coupling grooves 395 provided in the coupling portion 394 of the valve pad portion 390 . To this end, a plurality of coupling grooves 395 are formed to be open to the upper side in the drawing, and a plurality of coupling ribs 384 are inserted and coupled from the upper side to the lower side of a plurality of coupling grooves 395 having upper openings.

When the output gear portion 380 is rotated by engagement with the transmission gear portion 370 when the plurality of coupling ribs 384 are completely inserted into the plurality of coupling grooves 395, And can be rotated about the support shaft 386 in cooperation with each other.

A support shaft through hole 385 through which the rotation support shaft 386 passes is formed in the center of the output gear portion 380. The rotation support shaft 386 is formed in the valve pad portion 390, The through hole 396 of the output gear portion 380 and the support shaft through hole 385 of the output gear portion 380 simultaneously support the rotation operation of the valve pad portion 390 and the output gear portion 380.

Meanwhile, in a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, the rotation driving part 200 is provided as a DC motor as described above. Although the DC motor has an advantage of generating a high drive torque by using a DC power source, there is a disadvantage in that it is not easy to control the change at an accurate position by the residual driving force of the motor.

In one preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, the rotary drive unit 200 is employed as a dicing motor, and the following two technical elements are provided to facilitate rotation control of the dicing motor.

7B, the third input gear 315 is provided with a pair of magnets 317 spaced apart from each other for sensing the origin of the valve pad portion 390 when the valve pad portion 390 rotates, A Hall IC sensor 331 for generating a predetermined signal by interaction with the magnet 385 may be provided on the PCB 331a provided in the middle housing 330. [

It is preferable that the pair of magnets 317 are disposed so as to be spaced apart from the upper portion of the third input gear 315 positioned close to the lower surface of the middle housing 330 and positioned within the same radius from the center of rotation.

The position of one of the magnets 317a is determined such that the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 are positioned on the valve plate 360 in consideration of the rotational section due to the residual rotational force of the rotary drive portion 200, Pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 and the first heat exchanger connection hole 362 of the second holes 362 and 363, which are the first holes 361 formed in the first heat exchanger 361.

The two magnet holes 317b of the valve pad portion 390 are arranged in the same direction as the valve holes 360 of the valve plate 360 in consideration of the rotation interval of the rotary driving portion 200, Pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 of the second holes 362 and 363, which are the first holes 361 formed in the first and second holes 361 and 362, respectively.

8, the third input gear 315 is formed with a partial gear tooth 315a which engages with the sub gear 313b of the second input gear 313 in a part of the outer circumferential surface, A stopper end 315b protruding downward from a part of the outer circumferential surface may be formed.

The stopper stage 315b is rotated to one side or the other side by an operation in which the partial gear teeth 315a of the third input gear 315 is engaged with the sub gear 313b of the second input gear 313, And interferes with the upper surface of the mounting plate 500 at the other side in the rotating direction to restrict the rotation of the valve pad unit 390.

8, the lower end of the stopper end 315b of the third input gear 315 is inserted into the upper surface of the mounting plate 500 so that the third input gear 315 is moved in the one direction or the other direction A stopper slot 510 may be provided in a slot shape so that the stopper end 315b interferes with one side of the rotation direction while interfering with the stopper end 315b on the other side of the rotation direction.

The stopper 315b is formed in the third input gear 315 and functions to limit the rotation of the third input gear 315. As a result, the rotation of the valve pad portion 390 It has the same meaning as performing the limiting function.

The third input gear 315 transmits the rotational force transmitted from the second input gear 313 to the valve pad portion 390 through a predetermined gear ratio change. The one rotation limited position of the stopper end 315b allows the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 to communicate with the high pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 which is the first hole 361 formed in the valve plate 360, The first heat exchanger connection hole 362 of the holes 362 and 363 can be stably positioned. The other rotation restricting position of the stopper end 315b of the third input gear 315 is a position where the two communication holes 391 and 392 of the valve pad portion 390 are the first holes 361 formed in the valve plate 360 Pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 of the second holes 362 and 363 can be stably positioned.

Here, at least one of the stopper end 315b and the stopper slot 510 may be formed of a rubber material so as to prevent a friction noise between them. It is also possible that an unillustrated noise prevention pad is adhered to the mutual contact surfaces of the stopper end 315b and the stopper slot 510. [

That is, a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant flow path according to the present invention is configured such that electronically stable control is possible through a pair of magnets 317 and a single number of Hall IC sensors 331, It is possible to physically and stably control the stopper slot 315 and the stopper slot 510, thereby further improving the stability of product driving.

4, the housing part 110 is divided into the lower refrigerant filling chamber and the upper driving part space by the mounting plate 500. As shown in FIG.

A portion of the refrigerant received in the refrigerant charging chamber of the housing portion 110 leaks to the outside or the driving portion space may be a space between the mounting plate 500 and the first housing 111 and a space between the transmission gear portion 370 and the first housing 111. [ Hole 520 formed in the mounting plate 500 and the outer circumferential surface of the transmission gear portion 370 so as to penetrate through the through-hole.

In one preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention, in order to prevent the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant charging chamber from leaking to the outside of the housing part 110, the mounting plate 500 and the first housing And a first O-ring 216 disposed between the first O-rings 111 and the second O-

7A and 7B, the first O-ring 216 is provided between the first housing 111 and the mounting plate 500, both of which are fixed regardless of the rotational driving of the rotational driving unit 200, As a result, there is less risk of damage due to abrasion.

In a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant flow path according to the present invention, the gear penetration hole 520 of the mounting plate 500 is formed in a curved shape in order to prevent the refrigerant, And a second O-ring 317 may be interposed between the transmission gear portion 370 and the transmission gear portion 370. More specifically, the second O-ring 217 is engaged with the inner circumferential surface of the gear through hole 520 while being interposed in the outer periphery of the transmission gear portion 370.

7B, the second O-ring 217 includes a transmission gear portion 370 rotated substantially in conjunction with rotation of the rotation driving portion 200 and a gear hole 520 in a fixed state, And can be provided with a quad-ring having a relatively low friction coefficient and a low compression ratio and less wear.

The quadring has an excellent sealing performance compared to a general O-ring such as the first O-ring, can improve a sealing function in a configuration of rotating or reciprocating motion, and has an advantage of excellent durability.

4 and 6, the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention is configured to pass through the closed bottom surface of the housing part 110, particularly the first housing 111 (Hereinafter, referred to as a 'third hole 104' to distinguish the 'first hole 361' and the 'second hole 362 and 363' from each other) have.

4 and 6, when the valve plate 360 is formed in an eccentric shape rather than a circular shape, the third hole 104 may be formed so as to discharge the refrigerant immediately filled in the refrigerant charging chamber have.

The accumulator connecting pipe 53 is connected to the outer surface of the first housing 111 corresponding to the outside of the third hole 104. Therefore, the third hole 104 is communicated with the accumulator connection pipe 53, and two communicating holes 362 of the valve pad portion 390 out of the first heat exchanger connection hole 362 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 Pressure refrigerant discharge hole 104 'in that it is a passage through which the low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the connection hole not occupied by the holes 391 and 392 is supplied to the accumulator 50.

10A and 10B are a perspective view and a bottom view showing an operating relationship of the valve pad portion.

The refrigerant passage switching according to the preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A heat exchanger provided outside the HVAC housing 60 is referred to as a first heat exchanger 20 and a heat exchanger provided inside the HVAC housing 60 is referred to as a second heat exchanger 40. [

First, when the vehicle air conditioner is operated in the cooling mode, the compressor 1 is operated as shown in FIGS. 1A and 9A, and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged to the housing part 110. At this time, the valve pad portion 390 is driven to point to the high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 and the first heat exchanger connection hole 362, and the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows into the high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 And then is discharged to the first heat exchanger 20 through the first heat exchanger connection hole 362 and condensed and then evaporated in the second heat exchanger 40 The refrigerant is returned to the refrigerant charging chamber through the second heat exchanger connection hole 363, and then is recovered to the accumulator 50 through the low-pressure refrigerant discharge hole 104.

Conversely, when the vehicle air conditioner is operated in the heating mode, the compressor 1 is operated and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged to the housing part 110, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 9B. At this time, the valve pad portion 390 is driven so as to point to the high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 and the second heat exchanger connection hole 363, and the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows into the high-pressure refrigerant inlet hole 361 And then discharged to the second heat exchanger 40 through the second heat exchanger connection hole 363 to be condensed and then evaporated in the second heat exchanger 40 The refrigerant is returned to the refrigerant charging chamber through the first heat exchanger connecting hole 362 and is then recovered to the accumulator 50 through the low-pressure refrigerant discharge hole 104.

Even when the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is discharged to the inside of the housing part 110, the valve pad part 390 receives the driving force from the rotation driving part 200, The speed reduction unit 300 is rotated at a predetermined speed reduction ratio to rotate the valve pad unit 390 such that a higher driving torque that can sufficiently overcome the frictional force generated when the valve pad unit 390 rotates is generated, .

As described above, a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above-described preferred embodiments, and that various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art something to do. Therefore, it is to be understood that the true scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

1: compressor 20: first heat exchanger
30: expansion valve 40: second heat exchanger
50: Accumulator 60: HVAC housing
100: Four-way valve 110: Housing part
117: contact end 200: rotation drive
300: deceleration unit 310: input gear unit
360: valve plate 361, 362, 363: first and second holes
370: transmission gear portion 380: output gear portion
390: valve pad portion 391: first communication hole
392: second communication hole 393:
394: coupling part 500: mounting plate

Claims (10)

A first housing having a refrigerant charging chamber filled with a refrigerant;
A second housing coupled to the first housing and having a drive unit space in which the rotation drive unit is disposed;
A deceleration unit that increases a driving torque by a driving force transmitted from the rotation driving unit of the driving unit space and transfers the driving torque to the refrigerant charging chamber;
And a valve pad portion rotatably disposed in the refrigerant charging chamber so as to be rotatable around the rotary support shaft and eccentric to one side of the rotary support shaft and rotated with the drive torque transmitted from the deceleration portion as a primary drive torque The four-way valve for switching the refrigerant passage.
The method according to claim 1,
A first heat exchanger connecting hole communicating with the refrigerant pipe of the first heat exchanger; a second heat exchanger communicating with the second heat exchanger refrigerant pipe; A low-pressure refrigerant discharge hole communicating with the primary connection hole and the accumulator connection pipe is formed,
Pressure refrigerant discharge hole, and a valve plate disposed so as to be in contact with the inside of one side surface of the first housing and having at least three inlet / outlet holes communicating with the remaining holes of the holes formed in one side surface of the first housing, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the valve pad portion is rotated to contact one surface of the valve plate so that one of the three inlet / outlet holes is constantly in contact with the other one of the three inlet / outlet holes, A four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage formed in an eccentric shape so as to be pointed.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a mounting plate disposed between the first housing and the second housing so as to be partitioned into the refrigerant charging chamber and the driving unit space,
Wherein the deceleration section transmits driving force in the driving section space through the mounting plate to the refrigerant charging chamber.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
An input gear disposed in the driving unit space and rotated by receiving a driving force from the rotation driving unit;
An output gear portion disposed in the refrigerant charge chamber and rotating the valve pad portion at a rotational speed of a gear ratio changed by the input gear portion;
And a transmission gear portion disposed so as to pass through the gear hole formed in the mounting plate and arranged to be engaged with the input gear portion and the output gear portion at the same time.
The method of claim 4,
And a quad-ring is interposed between the gear through hole and the transmission gear portion.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the input gear portion is formed with a stopper end protruding downward,
Wherein a stopper slot for limiting the rotation of the input gear portion is formed in the mounting plate by an operation in which the stopper end interferes at one side and the other side in the rotational direction of the input gear portion.
The method of claim 4,
And a middle housing disposed in the drive unit space to protect the rotation drive unit and the input gear unit.
The method of claim 7,
In the middle housing,
A four-way valve for switching a refrigerant passage in which a seat for seating the rotary drive unit, a seating hole through which each vertical axis that becomes a rotation axis of the input gear unit passes, and a seating part for seating the input gear unit.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the input gear portion is provided with a pair of magnets spaced apart from each other for sensing an origin of the valve pad portion when the valve pad portion rotates,
Wherein the middle housing is provided with a single Hall effect sensor for generating a predetermined signal by interaction with the pair of magnets.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein the pair of magnets are located within the same radius from the rotation center of the input gear portion.

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