Multi-way valve and heat pump system comprising same

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-way valve and a heat pump system comprising the same. The multi-way valve includes: a valve housing including a plurality of inlets / outlets formed along a circumference and an open lower portion; a valve body rotatably disposed inside the valve housing and including a plurality of connection flow paths configured to selectively and fluidly connect the plurality of inlets / outlets; and a driving portion configured to selectively rotate the valve body.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0173099 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 4, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a multi-way valve and a heat pump system including the multi-way valve, and more particularly to a multi-way valve capable of forming a plurality of refrigerant flow paths through a simple structure and a heat pump system including the multi-way valve. Background Art

[0004] Generally, an air conditioning system for a car includes an air conditioning device that circulates a refrigerant to heat or cool the interior of the car.

[0005] The air conditioning device maintains the temperature inside the vehicle at an appropriate temperature to maintain a comfortable in-vehicle environment regardless of changes in the outside temperature. The air conditioning device is configured to heat or cool the vehicle interior by heat exchange through the evaporator in a process in which the refrigerant discharged according to the drive of the compressor circulates through the condenser, the receiver-drier, the expansion valve, the evaporator, and then returns to the compressor.

[0006] In other words, in the cooling mode in summer, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor is condensed by the condenser, passes through the receiver-drier and the expansion valve, and evaporates in the evaporator to reduce the temperature and humidity in the car.

[0007] Meanwhile, with the recent growing concern over energy efficiency and environmental pollution issues, there is a need to develop environmentally friendly vehicles that can substantially replace internal combustion engine vehicles, and such environmentally friendly vehicles are generally divided into electric vehicles driven by battery power as a power source and hybrid vehicles driven by an engine and a battery.

[0008] In these eco-friendly vehicles, unlike air-conditioning systems of ordinary vehicles, electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles do not use a separate heater, and an air-conditioning device applied to the eco-friendly vehicles is generally called a heat pump system.

[0009] In the case of electric vehicles, the drive motor generates the driving force required to drive the vehicle through the power of the battery. Since the battery and the drive motor generate heat in this process, effectively removing the heat generated by the battery and the drive motor is essential to ensure the performance of the battery and the drive motor.

[0010] In addition, in a hybrid vehicle, driving force is generated by a driving motor using electric power supplied from a battery and an engine operated by general fuel, and here, heat generated by the fuel cell, battery or motor should be effectively removed to ensure the performance of the motor.

[0011] The above information disclosed in this background technology section is provided only for deepening the understanding of the background technology of the present invention and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention provides a multi-way refrigerant valve and a heat pump system comprising the multi-way refrigerant valve. The multi-way refrigerant valve can form a plurality of refrigerant flow paths through one valve to simplify the layout of the heat pump system and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0013] The present invention also provides a multi-way refrigerant valve and a heat pump system including the multi-way refrigerant valve, wherein the multi-way refrigerant valve can form a plurality of refrigerant flow paths in the refrigerant valve through simple control according to a selected mode of a vehicle.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a multi-way valve comprises: a valve housing, which comprises a plurality of inlets / outlets formed along the circumference of the valve housing and an open lower portion. The multi-way valve further comprises: a valve body, which is rotatably disposed inside the valve housing and comprises a plurality of connection flow paths configured to selectively and fluidically connect the plurality of inlets / outlets; and a drive portion, which is configured to selectively rotate the valve body.

[0015] In one embodiment, the valve housing may include a lower housing having an installation space in which the valve body is disposed, the plurality of inlets / outlets being formed in the lower housing, the valve housing may include an upper housing disposed above the lower housing, and the driving portion being disposed in the upper housing.

[0016] In some embodiments, the plurality of inlets / outlets may include first to fourth inlets / outlets formed at equal intervals along a circumference of the lower housing.

[0017] In some embodiments, the upper housing may be formed with a restrictor.

[0018] In some embodiments, the valve body can be formed into a spherical shape, and the multiple connecting flow paths may include a first connecting flow path and a second connecting flow path, wherein the first connecting flow path is formed in a direction from a lower portion of the center of the valve body toward the radial outside of the valve body, and the second connecting flow path is formed in a direction facing the circumferential direction based on the rotation axis of the valve body.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first connection flow path may be formed to fluidly connect a first opening formed at a lower portion of a center of the valve body and a second opening formed at a side surface of the valve body.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second connection flow path may be formed to fluidly connect a third opening formed to be spaced apart from the second opening of the valve body at a set angle and a fourth opening formed to be spaced apart from the third opening at a set angle.

[0021] In some embodiments, the multi-way valve may further include: a valve seat disposed at the plurality of inlets / outlets of the valve housing and configured to rotatably support the valve body.

[0022] In some embodiments, a support surface of the valve seat facing the valve body may be formed in a partial spherical shape corresponding to the valve body.

[0023] In some embodiments, the multi-way valve may further include: a cap disposed radially outside the valve seat and configured to prevent separation of the valve body.

[0024] In some embodiments, the multi-way valve may further include: a first O-ring and a second O-ring, wherein the first O-ring is disposed on the valve seat; and the second O-ring is disposed on the cap.

[0025] In some embodiments, the driving part may include: a driving gear and a driving shaft, the driving gear being formed with a stopper protrusion; the driving shaft being configured to rotate integrally with the driving gear and being engaged to the valve body. Specifically, the stopper protrusion may selectively contact a limiter formed on an upper portion of the valve housing to selectively limit the rotation of the driving gear.

[0026] In some embodiments, the multi-way valve may further include: a gasket disposed outside the valve housing.

[0027] According to another embodiment, a heat pump system includes: a multi-way valve, the multi-way valve including a valve housing, a first connection flow path, a valve body, and a drive unit, the valve housing having first to fourth inlets / outlets and an open lower portion formed along the circumference of the valve housing, the first connection flow path being rotatably disposed inside the valve housing and selectively fluidly connected to at least one of the first to fourth inlets / outlets, the valve body being formed with a second connection flow path, and the drive unit being configured to selectively rotate the valve body; a first refrigerant pipeline, the first refrigerant pipeline being arranged below the valve housing, and the refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant pipeline; and second to fifth refrigerant pipelines, the second to fifth refrigerant pipelines being arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a set angle in sequence along the circumference of the multi-way valve, and the refrigerant flowing through the second to fifth refrigerant pipelines. Specifically, the multi-way valve selectively operates in a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode according to the rotation of the valve body. In one embodiment, a first side of the first connection flow path is continuously fluidly connected to the first refrigerant pipeline, the other side of the first connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant pipeline, the third refrigerant pipeline or the fifth refrigerant pipeline, one side of the second connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant pipeline, the fourth refrigerant pipeline or the fifth refrigerant pipeline, and the other side of the second connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the third refrigerant pipeline, the fourth refrigerant pipeline or the fifth refrigerant pipeline.

[0028] In some embodiments, in a first mode in which the valve body is located at a reference position, the first refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line may be fluidly connected via a first connecting flow path; and the third refrigerant line and the fourth refrigerant line may be fluidly connected via a second connecting flow path.

[0029] In some embodiments, in a second mode in which the valve body is rotated from a reference position in a set direction by a first set angle, the first refrigerant line and the second refrigerant line can be fluidly connected via the first connecting flow path; the fourth refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line can be fluidly connected via the second connecting flow path.

[0030] In some embodiments, in a third mode in which the valve body rotates from a reference position in a set direction by a second set angle, the first refrigerant line and the third refrigerant line can be fluidly connected via the first connecting flow path; the second refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line can be fluidly connected via the second connecting flow path.

[0031] According to some embodiments, by providing multi-way valves in a plurality of refrigerant flow paths through which the refrigerant flows, the number of refrigerant valves applied to a related art heat pump system may be minimized, and the heat pump system may be simplified.

[0032] In addition, effects that can be obtained or expected due to the embodiments of the present invention should be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In describing some embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings are used for reference, and thus the technical concept of the present invention should not mean that the present invention is limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a multi-way valve according to the embodiment.

[0035] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a multi-way valve according to the embodiment.

[0036] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve housing according to the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve body according to the embodiment.

[0038] Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a valve body according to the embodiment.

[0039] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve seat according to the embodiment.

[0040] Fig.11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a driving portion according to the embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C is a schematic diagram showing an operating state of the multi-way valve according to the embodiment.

[0042] It should be understood that the drawings referenced above are not necessarily drawn to scale, but rather present slightly simplified representations of various features illustrating the basic principles of the invention. Certain design features of the present invention (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes) should be determined in part by specific target applications and use environments.

[0043] Description of Reference Numerals

[0044] 100: Valve housing

[0045] 110: Lower housing

[0046] 111: First entrance / exit

[0047] 112: Second entrance / exit

[0048] 113: Third entrance / exit

[0049] 114: Fourth entrance / exit

[0050] 120: Upper shell

[0051] 121: Mounting hole

[0052] 123: Limiter

[0053] 130: Pad

[0054] 200: Valve body

[0055] 201: First opening

[0056] 202: Second opening

[0057] 203: The third opening

[0058] 204: The fourth opening

[0059] 209: Joint slot

[0060] 210: First connection flow path

[0061] 220: Second connection flow path

[0062] 230: Rotation axis

[0063] 310: Valve seat

[0064] 311: Support surface

[0065] 320: Cap

[0066] 330: First O-ring

[0067] 340: Second O-ring

[0068] 400: Drive unit

[0069] 401: Power Source

[0070] 410: Drive gear

[0071] 420: Stop protrusion

[0072] 430: Drive shaft

[0073] 500: Heat pump system

[0074] 501: First refrigerant pipeline

[0075] 502: Second refrigerant pipeline

[0076] 503: The third refrigerant pipeline

[0077] 504: Fourth refrigerant pipeline

[0078] 505: The fifth refrigerant pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] The terms used herein are only used to describe the purpose of specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to also include the plural form. When the terms "including" and / or "including" are used herein, the characteristics, numerical values, levels, operations, elements and / or components recorded are specified, but it should also be understood that this does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more characteristics, numerical values, levels, operations, elements, components and / or their groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one or all combinations of related enumerated items.

[0080] Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to allow those skilled in the art to easily practice the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0081] In order to more clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description may be omitted, and the same or similar components may be denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0082] For convenience of explanation, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings may be arbitrarily shown, and therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, and the thickness of various parts and regions are exaggerated for clarity.

[0083] In addition, the terms "module" and / or "part" used for components in this specification are used only for the purpose of easily writing this specification. Therefore, these terms have no mutually distinguishing meanings or functions. When a component, device, element, etc. of the present invention is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the component, device or element should be considered as "configured to" meet the purpose or perform the operation or function herein.

[0084] In describing the embodiments, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description has been omitted.

[0085] The accompanying drawings of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and should not be interpreted as being limited to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited to a specific disclosed form, but includes all modified embodiments, equivalent embodiments and replacement embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[0086] Terms including ordinal numbers (eg, first, second, etc.) may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to the above terms.

[0087] In the following description, unless an explicit expression such as "one" or "single" is used, an expression described in the singular may be construed as either singular or plural.

[0088] The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0089] Hereinafter, a multi-way valve according to an embodiment is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] Figure 1 : is a perspective view showing the configuration of a multi-way valve according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a multi-way valve according to the embodiment.

[0091] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the multi-flow path valve according to the embodiment includes a valve housing 100, the valve housing 100 includes a plurality of inlets and outlets formed along the circumference of the valve housing and an open lower portion. The multi-flow path valve further includes: a valve body 200 and a driving part 400, the valve body 200 is rotatably disposed inside the valve housing 100; the driving part 400 selectively rotates the valve body 200.

[0092] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The valve housing 100 may include a lower housing 110 and an upper housing 120 disposed on the top of the lower housing 110 .

[0093] The lower housing 110 may include an installation space where the valve body 200 is installed, a lower portion that may be opened, and a plurality of inlets / outlets that may be formed along a circumference of the lower housing 110. The lower housing 110 may be formed in a substantially square block shape or a cylindrical shape.

[0094] The plurality of inlets / outlets may include first to fourth inlets / outlets (111, 112, 113, and 114) formed at equal intervals along the circumference of the lower housing 110. For example, the first to fourth inlets / outlets 111 to 114 may be formed at 90 degree intervals along the circumference of the lower housing 110.

[0095] The upper housing 120 is mounted on the top of the lower housing 110 and may be formed in a generally plate shape. The driving part 400 may be mounted to the upper housing 120. A mounting hole 121 may be formed at the center of the upper housing 120, and a driving shaft 430 described below may be rotatably mounted to the mounting hole 121.

[0096] In an embodiment, the limiter 123 may be formed to protrude from the upper housing 120. The limiter 123 may be formed to be spaced a certain distance from the through hole of the upper housing 120. In other words, the limiter 123 may be formed at a position eccentric to the through hole. The limiter 123 may limit the rotation angle of the driving gear 410 of the driving part 400, which is described below.

[0097] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve body 200 according to the embodiment. Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a valve body 200 according to the embodiment.

[0098] refer to Figures 5 to 8 The valve body 200 may be rotatably mounted in the mounting space of the valve housing 100 and may have a plurality of connection flow paths selectively and fluidically connected to a plurality of inlets / outlets of the valve housing 100. In addition, a coupling groove 209 may be formed at the center of the upper portion of the valve body 200.

[0099] The valve body 200 is formed in a spherical shape, and a plurality of connecting flow paths may include: a first connecting flow path 210 and a second connecting flow path 220, the first connecting flow path 210 being formed in a direction from a lower portion of the center of the valve body 200 toward the radial outside of the valve body 200, and the second connecting flow path 220 being formed in a direction facing the circumferential direction based on a rotation axis 230 of the valve body 200.

[0100] For example, the first opening 201 may be formed at the center of the lower portion of the valve body 200. The second opening 202, the third opening 203, and the fourth opening 204 may be formed on the side surface of the valve body 200 and spaced apart from each other at a set angle in the circumferential direction. In one form, the second opening 202 and the third opening 203 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the third opening 203 and the fourth opening 204 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. The first connecting flow path 210 may be formed to fluidically connect the first opening 201 with the second opening 202, and the second connecting flow path 220 may be formed to fluidically connect the third opening 203 with the fourth opening 204. At this time, one end of the first connecting flow path 210 (e.g., the first opening 201) may be formed to face the direction of gravity.

[0101] The valve body 200 may be formed of a material that blocks heat transfer, so that the valve body 200 may prevent heat exchange between the fluids (e.g., refrigerants) flowing along the first connection flow path 210 and the second connection flow path 220. For example, the valve body 200 may be formed of a heat insulating material. Since the valve body 200 is formed of a heat insulating material, the heat exchange between the high-temperature fluid flowing through the first connection flow path 210 and the low-temperature fluid flowing along the second connection flow path 220 may be minimized. In this way, the overall performance of the heat pump system 500 may be prevented from being deteriorated, and the efficiency of the heat pump system 500 may be improved.

[0102] Return to reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a valve seat 310 may be provided at each of a plurality of inlets / outlets of the valve housing 100. The valve seat 310 may rotatably support the valve body 200. In addition, a cap 320 may be provided radially outside the valve seat 310 to prevent the valve body 200 from being separated.

[0103] In addition, the gasket 130 may be provided outside the valve housing 100. When the multi-way valve is installed in the refrigerant line of the heat pump system 500, it is possible to prevent the fluid flowing in the refrigerant line from leaking to the outside.

[0104] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The valve seat 310 may be formed in a substantially annular shape, and a support surface 311 facing the valve body 200 may be formed in a partial spherical shape corresponding to the valve body 200. The valve seat 310 may serve as a kind of bearing to support the rotation of the valve body 200.

[0105] Return to reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cap 320 may be formed in a substantially annular shape and may be installed at each inlet / outlet of the valve housing 100 to prevent the valve body 200 from being separated from the valve housing 100 .

[0106] In another embodiment, the first O-ring 330 may be disposed between the valve seat 310 and the cap 320, and the second O-ring 340 may be disposed between the cap 320 and the inlet / outlet. The first O-ring 330 and the second O-ring 340 may prevent the fluid flowing through the valve body 200 and the valve housing 100 from leaking to the outside.

[0107] refer to Fig.11 , the driving portion 400 may include a driving gear 410 and a driving shaft 430 integrally engaged with and rotated with the driving gear 410 .

[0108] The driving gear 410 is rotated by power transmitted by a power source 401 (e.g., an electric motor, a stepping motor, or a solenoid, etc.), and the stopper protrusion 420 may be formed on the radially outer side of the driving gear 410. The driving gear 410, the driving shaft 430, and the valve body 200 may be rotated by a set angle (e.g., 90 degrees) by the power source 401.

[0109] One end (e.g., the upper end) of the driving shaft 430 may be integrally coupled to the driving gear 410, and the other end (e.g., the lower end) may be coupled to the upper portion of the valve body 200. One end of the driving shaft 430 may be press-fitted and fixedly coupled to the driving gear 410, and the other end of the driving shaft 430 may be inserted into and coupled to the coupling groove 209 formed at the center of the upper portion of the valve body 200. The driving shaft 430 may be coupled to the valve housing 100 by passing through the mounting hole 121 formed in the upper housing 120 of the valve housing 100.

[0110] As the driving gear 410 rotates, the driving shaft 430 rotates, and when the driving shaft 430 rotates, the valve body 200 rotates.

[0111] The stopper protrusion 420 formed on the driving gear 410 selectively contacts the limiter 123 formed on the upper housing 120 of the valve housing 100 and can limit the rotation of the driving gear 410. By the stopper protrusion 420 and the limiter 123, the driving gear 410 can rotate 360 ​​degrees in one direction (e.g., clockwise) and 360 degrees in the other direction (e.g., counterclockwise).

[0112] Hereinafter, the operation of the multi-way valve according to the embodiment is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0113] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C is a schematic diagram showing an operating state of the multi-way valve according to the embodiment.

[0114] refer to FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C , the multi-way valve can selectively operate in the first mode, the second mode, or the third mode according to the operation mode of the heat pump system 500.

[0115] The heat pump system 500 may include a plurality of refrigerant lines through which the refrigerant flows. For example, the plurality of refrigerant lines may include five refrigerant lines, such as the first refrigerant line 501 to the fifth refrigerant line 505 .

[0116] The first refrigerant line 501 may be arranged at a lower portion of the valve housing 100 of the multi-way valve. The first refrigerant line 501 may be continuously fluidly connected to the first opening 201.

[0117] In one embodiment, the second refrigerant line 502 to the fifth refrigerant line 505 can be arranged in sequence along the circumference of the rotation axis 230 of the multi-way valve at a set angle (e.g., 90 degrees) and spaced apart from each other, and the second refrigerant line 502 to the fifth refrigerant line 505 can be selectively fluidly connected to the second opening 202 to the fourth opening 204.

[0118] In other words, as the valve body 200 rotates, one side of the first connection flow path 210 (the first opening 201 and the first inlet / outlet 111) can be continuously fluidly connected to the first refrigerant line 501, and the other side of the first connection flow path 210 (the second opening 202 and the second inlet / outlet 112) can be selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant line 502, the third refrigerant line 503, or the fifth refrigerant line 505. In addition, one side of the second connection flow path 220 (the third opening 203 and the third inlet / outlet 113) can be selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant line 502, the fourth refrigerant line 504, or the fifth refrigerant line 505, and the other side of the second connection flow path 220 (the fourth opening 204 and the fourth inlet / outlet 114) can be selectively fluidly connected to the third refrigerant line 503, the fourth refrigerant line 504, or the fifth refrigerant line 505.

[0119] The first mode may refer to a state in which the valve body 200 is located at a reference position, the second mode may refer to a state in which the valve body 200 has been rotated from the reference position along a set direction (e.g., counterclockwise) by a first set angle (e.g., 90 degrees), and the third mode may refer to a state in which the valve body 200 has been rotated from the reference position along a set direction (e.g., counterclockwise) by a second set angle (e.g., 180 degrees).

[0120] refer to Fig. 12A In the first mode in which the valve body 200 is located at the reference position, the first opening 201 and the first inlet / outlet 111 can be fluidly connected to the first refrigerant pipeline 501, the second opening 202 and the second inlet / outlet 112 can be fluidly connected to the fifth refrigerant pipeline 505, the third opening 203 and the third inlet / outlet 113 can be fluidly connected to the fourth refrigerant pipeline 504, the fourth opening 204 and the fourth inlet / outlet 114 can be fluidly connected to the third refrigerant pipeline 503, and the second refrigerant pipeline 502 can be blocked.

[0121] In other words, in the first mode, the first refrigerant line 501 and the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be fluidly connected through the first connection flow path 210 , and the third refrigerant line 503 and the fourth refrigerant line 504 may be fluidly connected through the second connection flow path 220 .

[0122] Therefore, the refrigerant flowing into the first refrigerant line 501 may be discharged to the fifth refrigerant line 505 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing into the fourth refrigerant line 504 may be discharged to the third refrigerant line 503 through the second connecting flow path 220. Alternatively, the refrigerant flowing into the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be discharged to the first refrigerant line 501 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing into the third refrigerant line 503 may be discharged to the fourth refrigerant line 504 through the second connecting flow path 220.

[0123] refer to Fig. 12B In the second mode in which the valve body 200 has been rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the reference position, the first opening 201 and the first inlet / outlet 111 can be fluidly connected to the first refrigerant pipeline 501, the second opening 202 and the second inlet / outlet 112 can be fluidly connected to the second refrigerant pipeline 502, the third opening 203 and the third inlet / outlet 113 can be fluidly connected to the fifth refrigerant pipeline 505, the fourth opening 204 and the fourth inlet / outlet 114 can be fluidly connected to the fourth refrigerant pipeline 504, and the third refrigerant pipeline 503 can be blocked.

[0124] In other words, in the second mode, the first refrigerant line 501 and the second refrigerant line 502 may be fluidly connected through the first connection flow path 210 , and the fourth refrigerant line 504 and the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be fluidly connected through the second connection flow path 220 .

[0125] Therefore, the refrigerant flowing into the first refrigerant line 501 may be discharged to the second refrigerant line 502 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing into the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be discharged to the fourth refrigerant line 504 through the second connecting flow path 220. Alternatively, the refrigerant flowing into the second refrigerant line 502 may be discharged to the first refrigerant line 501 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing into the fourth refrigerant line 504 may be discharged to the fifth refrigerant line 505 through the second connecting flow path 220.

[0126] refer to Fig. 12C In the third mode in which the valve body 200 has been rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise from the reference position, the first opening 201 and the first inlet / outlet 111 can be fluidly connected to the first refrigerant pipeline 501, the second opening 202 and the second inlet / outlet 112 can be fluidly connected to the third refrigerant pipeline 503, the third opening 203 and the third inlet / outlet 113 can be fluidly connected to the second refrigerant pipeline 502, the fourth opening 204 and the fourth inlet / outlet 114 can be fluidly connected to the fifth refrigerant pipeline 505, and the fourth refrigerant pipeline 504 can be blocked.

[0127] In other words, in the third mode, the first refrigerant line 501 and the third refrigerant line 503 may be fluidly connected through the first connection flow path 210 , and the second refrigerant line 502 and the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be fluidly connected through the second connection flow path 220 .

[0128] Therefore, the refrigerant flowing into the first refrigerant line 501 may be discharged to the third refrigerant line 503 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing into the second refrigerant line 502 may be discharged to the fifth refrigerant line 505 through the second connecting flow path 220. Alternatively, the refrigerant flowing from the third refrigerant line 503 may be discharged to the first refrigerant line 501 through the first connecting flow path 210, and the refrigerant flowing from the fifth refrigerant line 505 may be discharged to the second refrigerant line 502 through the second connecting flow path 220.

[0129] According to the multi-way valve according to the embodiment and the heat pump system 500 including the multi-way valve, by setting the multi-way valve in multiple refrigerant flow paths through which the refrigerant flows, the number of refrigerant valves applied to the heat pump system of the related art can be minimized, and the heat pump system can be simplified.

[0130] In addition, according to the present invention, since one or more refrigerant flow paths are formed as the valve body 200 is rotated at a set angle inside the valve housing by the driving part 400, valve control may be facilitated.

[0131] In addition, by simplifying the entire heat pump system 500, manufacturing costs can be reduced, weight can be reduced, and space utilization can be improved.

[0132] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made within the coverage of the claims, the description of the present invention, and the drawings, and such modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-way valve, comprising: A valve housing, comprising: a plurality of inlets / outlets formed along a circumference of the valve housing, and an open lower portion; a valve body rotatably disposed inside the valve housing and including a plurality of connection flow paths configured to selectively and fluidly connect the plurality of inlet / outlet ports; and The driving portion is configured to selectively rotate the valve body.

2. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, wherein: The valve housing comprises: a lower housing having a mounting space in which the valve body is disposed, the plurality of inlets / outlets being formed in the lower housing; and The upper shell is arranged above the lower shell, and the driving part is arranged on the upper shell.

3. The multi-way valve according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of inlets / outlets include a first inlet / outlet, a second inlet / outlet, a third inlet / outlet, and a fourth inlet / outlet formed at equal intervals along a circumference of the lower housing.

4. The multi-way valve according to claim 3, wherein: The upper housing is formed with a limiter.

5. The multi-way valve according to claim 3, wherein: The valve body is formed into a spherical shape; The plurality of connected flow paths include: a first connecting flow path formed in a direction from a lower portion of the center of the valve body toward a radially outer side of the valve body, and A second connecting flow path is formed in a direction facing the circumferential direction based on the rotation axis of the valve body.

6. The multi-way valve according to claim 5, wherein: The first connection flow path is configured to fluidically connect a first opening formed at a lower portion at a center of the valve body and a second opening formed at a side surface of the valve body.

7. The multi-way valve according to claim 6, wherein: The second connection flow path is configured to fluidly connect a third opening formed to be spaced apart from the second opening of the valve body at a set angle and a fourth opening formed to be spaced apart from the third opening at a set angle.

8. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising: A valve seat is provided at the plurality of inlets / outlets of the valve housing and is configured to rotatably support the valve body.

9. The multi-way valve according to claim 8, wherein: A supporting surface of the valve seat facing the valve body is formed in a partial spherical shape corresponding to the valve body.

10. The multi-way valve according to claim 8, further comprising: A cap is disposed radially outside the valve seat and configured to prevent separation of the valve body.

11. The multi-way valve according to claim 10, further comprising: a first O-ring disposed on the valve seat; and A second O-ring is disposed on the cap.

12. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, wherein: The driving unit comprises: a driving gear formed with a stopper protrusion; and a drive shaft configured to rotate integrally with the drive gear and coupled to the valve body; The stop protrusion is configured to selectively contact a limiter formed on an upper portion of the valve housing to selectively limit the rotation of the driving gear.

13. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, further comprising: A gasket is disposed outside the valve housing.

14. A heat pump system, comprising: A multi-way valve comprising: A valve housing comprising: a first inlet / outlet, a second inlet / outlet, a third inlet / outlet, and a fourth inlet / outlet formed along a circumference of the valve housing; an open lower portion; a first connecting flow path rotatably disposed inside the valve housing and selectively fluidly connected to at least one of the first inlet / outlet, the second inlet / outlet, the third inlet / outlet, and the fourth inlet / outlet; a valve body formed with a second connecting flow path; and a driving portion configured to selectively rotate the valve body; a first refrigerant line which is arranged below the valve housing and through which refrigerant flows; and a second refrigerant line, a third refrigerant line, a fourth refrigerant line, and a fifth refrigerant line, wherein the second refrigerant line, the third refrigerant line, the fourth refrigerant line, and the fifth refrigerant line are arranged to be sequentially spaced apart from each other at a set angle along the circumference of the multi-way valve, and refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant line, the third refrigerant line, the fourth refrigerant line, and the fifth refrigerant line; in: The multi-way valve is configured to selectively operate in a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode according to the rotation of the valve body; A first side of the first connection flow path is continuously fluidly connected to the first refrigerant line; The second side of the first connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant line, the third refrigerant line, or the fifth refrigerant line; The first side of the second connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the second refrigerant line, the fourth refrigerant line, or the fifth refrigerant line; The second side of the second connection flow path is selectively fluidly connected to the third refrigerant line, the fourth refrigerant line, or the fifth refrigerant line.

15. The heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein: In the first mode, when the valve body is in the reference position, the first refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line are fluidly connected via the first connecting flow path; The third refrigerant line and the fourth refrigerant line are fluidly connected through the second connection flow path.

16. The heat pump system according to claim 15, wherein: In the second mode, the valve body rotates from the reference position to a first set angle in a set direction. the first refrigerant line and the second refrigerant line are fluidly connected via the first connecting flow path; The fourth refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line are fluidly connected through the second connection flow path.

17. The heat pump system according to claim 15, wherein: In the third mode, the valve body rotates from the reference position in the set direction by a second set angle. the first refrigerant line and the third refrigerant line are fluidly connected via the first connecting flow path; The second refrigerant line and the fifth refrigerant line are fluidly connected through the second connection flow path.

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