An electronic expansion valve structure and vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses an electronic expansion valve structure and vehicle, comprising a valve seat and a housing. A valve core seat is disposed within the valve seat, and a valve core capable of axial displacement is disposed within the valve core seat. A rotor and a transmission rod are coaxially arranged within the housing. The transmission rod is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable, and is fixedly connected to the rotor. The central axis of the transmission rod is not collinear with the central axis of the valve core. The transmission rod and the valve core are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism. This invention provides a novel split-type transmission valve core structure to achieve transmission, adjustment of valve opening, and change of step angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electronic expansion valve, belonging to the field of expansion valve technology, and particularly to an electronic expansion valve structure and a vehicle using the electronic expansion valve. Background Technology

[0002] In refrigeration systems, electronic expansion valves are installed between the receiver and evaporator. They throttle and reduce the pressure of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant from the receiver, regulating and controlling the refrigerant flow into the evaporator. With increasing demands for flow control accuracy, electronic expansion valves are increasingly used in automotive air conditioning systems, heat pump air conditioning systems, and battery cooling systems. The electronic expansion valve is driven by a controller that calculates parameters collected by sensors and sends adjustment commands to a drive board. The drive board then outputs an electrical signal to the electronic expansion valve, which, via a stepper motor, moves the valve core axially up and down, adjusting the throttling area of ​​the valve orifice, thereby controlling the cooling capacity.

[0003] The existing electronic expansion valve has a threaded cartridge structure, which has the following main drawbacks: 1. Existing electronic expansion valves generally use a threaded connection between the nut seat and the rotor connecting screw for transmission, which requires high thread precision and is difficult to process. At the same time, there is a limit to the thread pitch, and high-precision electronic expansion valves are larger in size; 2. The stop mechanism is a spring or hard stop mechanism, which is complex in structure and has problems such as overshoot, failure, and noise; 3. When the electronic expansion valve needs to increase the precision adjustment or the valve opening stroke, it cannot be changed by changing a single component. It requires redesigning and changing the stator coil, magnetic rotor, thread pitch, and stop position, which is difficult and time-consuming for product series expansion and modification. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings and deficiencies of the existing technology, this invention provides an electronic expansion valve structure, which offers a novel split-type transmission valve core structure to achieve transmission, adjustment of valve opening, and step angle change.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention discloses an electronic expansion valve structure, including a valve seat and a housing. A valve core seat is disposed inside the valve seat, and a valve core capable of axial displacement is disposed inside the valve core seat. A rotor and a transmission rod are coaxially arranged inside the housing. The transmission rod is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable and fixed to the rotor. The central axis of the transmission rod is not collinear with the central axis of the valve core. The transmission rod and the valve core are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device includes a valve seat and a housing. The central axis of the valve seat is not collinear with the central axis of the housing. A valve core seat is arranged coaxially with the valve seat. A valve core is coaxially connected to the valve core seat and is capable of axial displacement. A rotor and a transmission rod are coaxially arranged with the housing. The transmission rod is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable and fixed to the rotor. The transmission rod and the valve core are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the worm gear and rack mechanism includes a worm disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the transmission rod and a rack disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve core and extending therein along its axial direction.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a valve core guide seat is fixedly connected inside the valve seat. The valve core guide seat has a hollow cavity for accommodating the worm gear and rack mechanism. The valve core guide seat has a guide hole for guiding the valve core and a clearance hole for avoiding the worm gear on the transmission rod. Both the guide hole and the clearance hole are connected to the hollow cavity. A limit rod is provided inside the hollow cavity. The central axis of the limit rod is perpendicular to the central axis of the valve core.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve core includes a core portion that mates with a valve core seat and a guide portion that mates with a valve core guide seat. The shape of the guide portion corresponds to the shape of the guide hole, and the guide portion is provided with a waist-shaped hole for axially limiting the valve core in conjunction with the limiting rod.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length of the waist-shaped hole corresponds to the target stroke length of the valve core.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing is fixedly connected to the valve seat by a connecting sleeve. The connecting sleeve includes a valve seat connecting portion for connecting the valve seat and a housing connecting portion for connecting the housing. The central axis of the valve seat connecting portion is not collinear with the central axis of the housing connecting portion. A first through hole is provided in the valve seat connecting portion and arranged coaxially therewith. A second through hole is provided in the housing connecting portion and arranged coaxially therewith. The first through hole and the second through hole communicate with each other.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a support rod is fixedly connected to the housing connecting part by a support rod connecting plate. A stepped hole is provided in the support rod and arranged coaxially therewith. A stepped shaft-shaped hollow rotor core is coaxially inserted into the stepped hole. A transmission rod is coaxially welded in the hollow rotor core. The outer wall of the hollow rotor core is fixedly connected to the rotor by a rotor connecting plate.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a spring is provided between the housing and the hollow rotor core, and the spring is fitted onto the hollow rotor core.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve seat connection portion is threaded to the valve seat, and a sealing ring is provided between the valve seat connection portion and the valve seat.

[0015] The present invention also discloses a vehicle that uses the electronic expansion valve structure as described above.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention achieves and adjusts the valve opening through a brand-new split-type transmission valve core structure, thereby completing the flow regulation of the electronic expansion valve. When the design is changed, the accuracy, stroke and flow of the electronic expansion valve can be changed only by changing the rack ratio of the transmission rod and the valve core, without changing the coil and rotor.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention includes a valve seat and a housing. The valve seat contains a valve core seat, and the valve core seat contains a valve core capable of axial displacement. The housing contains a rotor and a transmission rod arranged coaxially. The transmission rod is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable and fixed to the rotor. The central axis of the transmission rod is not collinear with the central axis of the valve core. The transmission rod and the valve core are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism. The present invention uses the worm gear and rack mechanism to drive and cooperate with the eccentric valve core assembly (including the valve core, transmission rod, and valve core guide seat). The rotation of the transmission rod cooperates with the up and down movement of the rack on the valve core to adjust the valve opening and control the flow rate. When there is a change in the flow rate design, only the shape of the valve core needs to be changed. When there is a change in the precision adjustment, only the worm gear and rack mechanism needs to be changed.

[0018] Furthermore, the worm gear rack mechanism of the present invention includes a worm gear disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the transmission rod and a rack disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve core and extending axially thereon. It should be noted that, compared with the prior art where the processing of small threads and small pitches is limited by processing equipment and process capabilities, and cannot achieve the high-precision or even ultra-high-precision flow design and adjustment requirements of electronic expansion valves, the worm gear rack mechanism of the present invention has a large transmission ratio, which can meet the high-precision adjustment requirements of electronic expansion valves. Moreover, the worm gear rack mechanism has a simple transmission structure and a self-locking function, which matches the function of electronic expansion valves.

[0019] Furthermore, the valve seat of the present invention is fixedly connected to a valve core guide seat, and the valve core guide seat is provided with a hollow cavity for accommodating the worm gear and rack mechanism. The valve core guide seat is provided with a guide hole for cooperating with the valve core and a clearance hole for avoiding the worm on the transmission rod. Both the guide hole and the clearance hole are connected to the hollow cavity. A limit rod is provided in the hollow cavity, and the central axis of the limit rod is perpendicular to the central axis of the valve core. This structural design is more conducive to the assembly and debugging of the worm gear and rack mechanism.

[0020] Furthermore, the valve core of the present invention includes a core body portion that mates with a valve core seat and a guide portion that mates with a valve core guide seat. The shape of the guide portion corresponds to the shape of the guide hole. The guide portion is provided with an oblong hole for axially limiting the valve core in mate with a limiting rod. The length of the oblong hole corresponds to the target stroke length of the valve core. This stop setting structure is set inside the valve core guide seat, which is simple to process and prevents overshoot and failure.

[0021] Furthermore, the housing of the present invention is fixed to the valve seat by a connecting sleeve. The connecting sleeve includes a valve seat connecting part for connecting the valve seat and a housing connecting part for connecting the housing. The central axis of the valve seat connecting part is not collinear with the central axis of the housing connecting part. A first through hole is provided in the valve seat connecting part and arranged coaxially therewith. A second through hole is provided in the housing connecting part and arranged coaxially therewith. The first through hole and the second through hole are connected. This structural design is more conducive to the assembly of the valve core and ensures the coaxiality of the valve core and valve seat installation.

[0022] Furthermore, in this invention, a support rod is fixedly connected to the housing connection part via a support rod connecting plate. A stepped hole is provided in the support rod and arranged coaxially therewith. A stepped shaft-shaped hollow rotor core is coaxially inserted into the stepped hole. A transmission rod is coaxially welded inside the hollow rotor core. The outer wall of the hollow rotor core is fixedly connected to the rotor via a rotor connecting plate. This structural design is more conducive to the assembly of the transmission rod and can ensure the coaxiality of the transmission rod installation.

[0023] Furthermore, a spring is provided between the housing and the hollow rotor core of the present invention, and the spring is fitted onto the hollow rotor core. This structural design is more conducive to fixing the rotor position.

[0024] Furthermore, the valve seat connection part of the present invention is connected to the valve seat by threads, and a sealing ring is provided between the valve seat connection part and the valve seat, which has a good sealing effect. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a worm gear and rack mechanism of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a valve core guide seat according to an embodiment of the present invention for an electronic expansion valve structure;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a support rod for an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the support rod of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a hollow rotor core of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the hollow rotor core of an electronic expansion valve structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] In the diagram: 1-Valve seat, 2-Connecting sleeve, 3-Housing, 4-Valve core, 5-Rotor, 6-Support rod, 7-Hollow rotor core, 8-Spring, 9-Worm, 10-Rack, 11-Worm and rack mechanism, 12-Valve core guide seat, 13-Support rod connecting plate, 14-Rotor connecting plate.

[0034] 15-Valve core seat, 16-Hollow cavity, 17-Guide hole, 18-Allowing hole, 19-Limiting rod, 20-Core part, 21-Guide part, 22-Oval hole, 23-Transmission rod; 24-Valve seat connection part, 25-Housing connection part, 26-First through hole, 27-Second through hole, 28-Stepped hole, 29-Sealing ring, 30-Type E snap ring. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0036] Electronic expansion valves are widely used in residential and commercial air conditioners, and are gradually being used in automotive air conditioners as well. A typical electronic expansion valve mainly consists of the following three parts:

[0037] 1. Valve seat: includes inlet channel, outlet channel, and intermediate channel connecting the inlet and outlet channels, with the valve core component installed and fixed in the intermediate channel;

[0038] 2. Valve core assembly (detachably mounted on the valve seat via a threaded connection):

[0039] 1) Valve core seat assembly: including a valve core seat with a valve port (which cooperates with the valve core to regulate flow and connects to the connecting sleeve), a connecting sleeve (which connects to the housing for sealing), a valve core seat sealing ring, and a valve seat sealing ring;

[0040] 2) Rotor assembly (riveted to the valve core seat assembly via bearings): includes a rotor core, a rotor connecting plate, and a rotor. The hollow rotor core 7 is welded to the upper section of the transmission rod 23. When the hollow rotor core 7 rotates under the action of the rotor, it drives the transmission rod 23 to rotate. The transmission rod 23 drives the valve core 4 to move up and down through the worm gear and rack mechanism 11, thus providing power.

[0041] 3) Valve core components: including valve core 4 (which works with the valve port to adjust the flow rate), transmission rod 23, limiting component (with a fully closed upper stop block), and spring (installed on the upper part of the hollow rotor core to apply a downward force to the hollow rotor core and ensure stable contact between the hollow rotor core and the support rod).

[0042] 4) Housing (installed on the outer periphery of the rotor and connected and sealed with the connecting sleeve), cover plate (installed on the upper part of the housing and connected and sealed with the housing);

[0043] 3. Coil assembly: mounted outside the valve core component (to provide a magnetic field for the rotor to generate radial rotational motion).

[0044] The above-mentioned coil assembly and valve core seat assembly structure can be referenced from Chinese utility model patents CN211202920U, CN211423508U, CN101956830B, CN103388694B, and CN111963695A. The core of this invention focuses on the improvement of the housing and valve core parts. Therefore, the valve core seat assembly and rotor assembly parts, which are existing technologies, can be referenced from the contents disclosed in patents such as CN211202920U, CN211423508U, CN101956830B, CN103388694B, and CN111963695A, and will not be elaborated further in this article.

[0045] The core of this invention is an eccentric valve core consisting of a transmission rod 23, a valve core guide seat 12, and a valve core 4.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses an electronic expansion valve structure, which includes a valve seat 1 and a housing 3. A valve core seat 15 is provided in the valve seat 1, and a valve core 4 capable of axial displacement is provided in the valve core seat 15. A rotor 5 and a transmission rod 23 are coaxially arranged in the housing 3. The transmission rod 23 is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable and fixed to the rotor 5. The central axis of the transmission rod 23 is not collinear with the central axis of the valve core 4. The transmission rod 23 and the valve core 4 are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism 11.

[0047] Preferably, the device includes a valve seat 1 and a housing 3. The central axis of the valve seat 1 is not collinear with the central axis of the housing 3. A valve core seat 15 is arranged coaxially with the valve seat 1. A valve core 4 is arranged coaxially with the valve core seat 15 and can be displaced along its axial direction. A rotor 5 and a transmission rod 23 are arranged coaxially with the housing 3. The transmission rod 23 is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable and fixed to the rotor 5. The transmission rod 23 and the valve core 4 are connected by a worm gear and rack mechanism 11.

[0048] Preferably, such as Figure 2 As shown, the worm gear and rack mechanism 11 includes a worm 9 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the transmission rod 23 and a rack 10 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve core 4 and extending axially thereon. After the worm gear and rack mechanism 11 is introduced, the transmission rod rotates in coordination with the rack on the valve core to move up and down, thereby adjusting the valve opening and controlling the flow rate. When there is a change in the flow rate design, only the shape of the valve core needs to be changed. When there is a change in the precision adjustment, only the worm gear and rack need to be changed.

[0049] Preferably, such as Figure 3 As shown, a valve core guide seat 12 is fixedly connected inside the valve seat 1. The valve core guide seat 12 has a hollow cavity 16 for accommodating the worm gear and rack mechanism 11. The valve core guide seat 12 has a guide hole 17 for guiding the valve core 4 and a clearance hole 18 for avoiding the worm gear 9 on the transmission rod 23. Both the guide hole 17 and the clearance hole 18 are connected to the hollow cavity 16. A limit rod 19 is provided inside the hollow cavity 16. The central axis of the limit rod 19 is perpendicular to the central axis of the valve core 4. The limit rod 19 is limited and connected to the valve core guide seat 12 by an E-type snap ring 30.

[0050] Preferably, such as Figure 3 As shown, the valve core 4 includes a core portion 20 that mates with the valve core seat 15 and a guide portion 21 that mates with the valve core guide seat 12. The shape of the guide portion 21 corresponds to the shape of the guide hole 17. The guide portion 21 is provided with a waist-shaped hole 22 for axially limiting the valve core 4 by mates with the limiting rod 19. The waist-shaped hole 22 and the limiting rod 19 mate to form an axial displacement stop mechanism for the valve core. This mechanism is not only simple to process, but also can prevent the valve core 4 from overshooting and failing.

[0051] Preferably, the length of the waist-shaped hole 22 corresponds to the target stroke length of the valve core 4.

[0052] Preferably, such as Figure 1As shown, the housing 3 is fixed to the valve seat 1 by the connecting sleeve 2. The connecting sleeve 2 includes a valve seat connecting part 24 for connecting the valve seat 1 and a housing connecting part 25 for connecting the housing 3. The central axis of the valve seat connecting part 24 is not collinear with the central axis of the housing connecting part 25. A first through hole 26 is provided in the valve seat connecting part 24 and arranged coaxially therewith. A second through hole 27 is provided in the housing connecting part 25 and arranged coaxially therewith. The first through hole 26 and the second through hole 27 are connected.

[0053] Preferably, such as Figure 5-6 As shown, a support rod 6 is fixedly connected to the housing connection part 25 via a support rod connection plate 13. A stepped hole 28 is provided in the support rod 6 and arranged coaxially therewith. A stepped shaft-shaped hollow rotor core 7 is coaxially inserted into the stepped hole 28. A transmission rod 23 is coaxially welded inside the hollow rotor core 7. The outer wall of the hollow rotor core 7 is fixedly connected to the rotor 5 via a rotor connection plate 14.

[0054] Preferably, a spring 8 is provided between the housing 3 and the hollow rotor core 7, and the spring 8 is fitted onto the hollow rotor core 7.

[0055] Preferably, the valve seat connection part 24 is connected to the valve seat 1 by threads, and a sealing ring is provided between the valve seat connection part 24 and the valve seat 1.

[0056] This invention also discloses a vehicle that uses the aforementioned electronic expansion valve structure. Using the electronic expansion valve structure of this invention solves the technical problem that limitations in processing equipment and technology for small threads and small pitches prevent the achievement of high-precision or even ultra-high-precision flow design and adjustment requirements for electronic expansion valves. The worm gear and rack mechanism 11 has a large transmission ratio, enabling it to meet the high-precision adjustment requirements of the electronic expansion valve. Furthermore, the worm gear and rack mechanism 11 is simple and has a self-locking function, which matches the function of the electronic expansion valve. It should be noted that the working principle of the worm gear and rack mechanism 11 is a conventional technique in the mechanical field, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0057] It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve structure, characterized in that: The system includes a valve seat and a housing. A valve core seat is housed within the valve seat, and a valve core capable of axial displacement is housed within the valve core seat. A rotor and a transmission rod are coaxially arranged within the housing. The transmission rod is axially limited and circumferentially rotatable, and is fixedly connected to the rotor. The central axis of the transmission rod is not collinear with the central axis of the valve core. The transmission rod and the valve core are connected via a worm gear and rack mechanism. A valve core guide seat is fixedly connected within the valve seat, and the valve core guide seat contains a hollow cavity for accommodating the worm gear and rack mechanism. The seat is provided with a guide hole for guiding the valve core and a clearance hole for avoiding the worm gear on the transmission rod. Both the guide hole and the clearance hole are connected to the hollow cavity. A limit rod is provided in the hollow cavity, and the central axis of the limit rod is perpendicular to the central axis of the valve core. The valve core includes a core part that mates with the valve core seat and a guide part that mates with the valve core guide seat. The shape of the guide part corresponds to the shape of the guide hole. The guide part is provided with a waist-shaped hole for axially limiting the valve core in conjunction with the limit rod.

2. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The worm gear and rack mechanism includes a worm disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the transmission rod and a rack disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve core and extending axially thereon.

3. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the waist-shaped hole corresponds to the target stroke length of the valve core.

4. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing is fixed to the valve seat by a connecting sleeve. The connecting sleeve includes a valve seat connecting part for connecting the valve seat and a housing connecting part for connecting the housing. The central axis of the valve seat connecting part is not collinear with the central axis of the housing connecting part. A first through hole is provided in the valve seat connecting part and arranged coaxially therewith. A second through hole is provided in the housing connecting part and arranged coaxially therewith. The first through hole and the second through hole are connected.

5. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: A support rod is fixed to the housing connection part by a support rod connecting plate. A stepped hole is provided in the support rod and is arranged coaxially therewith. A stepped shaft-shaped hollow rotor core is coaxially inserted into the stepped hole. A transmission rod is coaxially welded in the hollow rotor core. The outer wall of the hollow rotor core is fixed to the rotor by a rotor connecting plate.

6. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: A spring is provided between the housing and the hollow rotor core, and the spring is fitted onto the hollow rotor core.

7. The electronic expansion valve structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The valve seat connection part is connected to the valve seat by threads, and a sealing ring is provided between the valve seat connection part and the valve seat.

8. A vehicle, characterized in that: The electronic expansion valve structure as described in any one of claims 1-7 is used.

Images