Four-way valve assembly

Abstract

A four-way valve assembly relates to the field of refrigeration, the four-way valve assembly comprises a valve body assembly, a piping assembly and a copper pipe, the valve body assembly comprises a valve body and a valve connecting pipe, one end of the valve connecting pipe is welded with the valve body, the other end of the valve connecting pipe is connected with the piping assembly through the copper pipe, the valve connecting pipe comprises a stainless steel connecting pipe and a first copper sleeve, and the stainless steel connecting pipe is connected with the first copper sleeve. The first copper sleeve is welded with the stainless steel connecting pipe, the piping assembly comprises a stainless steel accessory and a second copper sleeve, the second copper sleeve is welded with the stainless steel accessory, one end of the copper pipe is welded with the first copper sleeve, and the other end of the copper pipe is welded with the second copper sleeve. The valve connecting pipe and the piping assembly are connected through flame brazing of the connecting pipe assembly, a high-temperature environment is not needed, crystal phase change caused by heating during welding can be relatively reduced, and the risk of brittleness increase of the copper connecting pipe is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of air conditioners, in particular, to a four-way valve assembly. BACKGROUND

[0002] The four-way reversing valve is widely used in heat pump air conditioning systems, and usually needs to be connected with other devices in the air conditioning system by using pipe fittings. In order to facilitate the connection with other copper pipes in the air conditioning system, the pipe structure of the existing four-way valve is usually made of all copper.

[0003] With the rise of copper prices, the overall cost of the air conditioning system is high. In order to reduce the cost, the main pipe is changed to stainless steel in the related technology. However, the welding of stainless steel thin pipe and stainless steel thin pipe is the most stable and reliable in the furnace. In addition, the four-way reversing valve assembly is close to the compressor, and the vibration generated by the compressor during operation is easy to cause cracks or fractures of the stainless steel pipe. Compared with stainless steel pipe, copper pipe can better adapt to the vibration frequency of the compressor and is not easy to crack or fracture due to vibration. However, the copper pipe will change the crystal phase after high temperature treatment, which will cause the brittleness to change. How to ensure the anti-vibration performance of the four-way valve assembly and help reduce the cost is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to provide a four-way valve assembly which can ensure the anti-vibration performance of the four-way valve assembly and help reduce the product cost.

[0005] The present application provides a four-way valve assembly, which comprises a valve body assembly, a pipe assembly and a copper pipe. The valve body assembly comprises a valve body and a valve connecting pipe. One end of the valve connecting pipe is welded to the valve body, and the other end is connected to the pipe assembly through the copper pipe. The valve connecting pipe comprises a stainless steel connecting pipe and a first copper sleeve. The first copper sleeve is welded to the stainless steel connecting pipe. The pipe assembly comprises a stainless steel fitting and a second copper sleeve. The second copper sleeve is welded to the stainless steel fitting. One end of the copper pipe is welded to the first copper sleeve, and the other end is welded to the second copper sleeve.

[0006] In this scheme, the first copper sleeve, the copper pipe and the second copper sleeve are used to connect the stainless steel connecting pipe and the stainless steel fitting. Since the welding of the copper pipe and the first copper sleeve and the second copper sleeve does not need to use the furnace brazing process, the valve body does not need to go through high temperature environment, which avoids the performance damage of the four-way valve caused by the furnace temperature. At the same time, the copper pipe also avoids the brittleness change caused by the change of crystal structure due to the influence of furnace temperature, which helps to improve the anti-vibration performance of the four-way valve assembly and reduce the cost by using stainless steel connecting pipe and stainless steel fitting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the four-way valve assembly of the present application.

[0008] Figure 2 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a valve body assembly; Figure 1 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the valve body assembly;

[0009] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a copper pipe; Figure 1 Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the copper pipe;

[0010] Figure 4 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a pipe assembly; Figure 1 Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the pipe assembly;

[0011] Figure 5 Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a partial structure; Figure 1 Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the partial structure;

[0012] Reference numerals:

[0013] 1 valve body assembly; 11 valve body; 12 valve connector; 121 stainless steel connector; 1211 first flared portion; 122 first copper sleeve; 1221 first butt joint portion; 1222 second butt joint portion; 2 copper pipe; 21 first end portion; 22 second end portion; 23 bent portion; 3 pipe assembly; 31 stainless steel fitting; 32 second copper sleeve; 311 second flared portion; 312 body; 313 first port portion; 314 second port portion; 315 branch pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. When the description of the embodiments refers to arrangements and devices, similar elements perform similar functions and have similar designations and, as such, the foregoing description applies to each like element of the individual embodiments. The following detailed description is not intended to be understood in a restrictive sense, and is not completely exhaustive of all embodiments suitable for practice. Numerous embodiments are described by way of example only, and various substitutions and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Such embodiments do not limit the scope of the disclosure but merely exemplify the state of the art. Various alternative embodiments of the present disclosure involve combinations and permutations of the described features. Further, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but rather, the intended scope of the present disclosure is to cover all those and equivalents that fall within the scope of the claims.

[0015] It should be understood that the use of "first", "second", and "third" words and the like in the present application specification and claims does not indicate any order, number or importance, but only distinguishes different components. Similarly, "one" or "a" and the like do not indicate a quantity limitation, but indicate the existence of at least one; "several" indicates a number of two or more, unless otherwise indicated. The orientation words mentioned or possibly mentioned in the text, such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inner, outer, top, bottom, etc. are defined with respect to the structure shown in the corresponding drawing, and they are relative concepts, so they can change accordingly according to their different positions, different use states. Therefore, these or other orientation words should not be interpreted as limiting words. "Include" or "contain" and the like mean that the elements or objects appearing before "include" or "contain" cover the elements or objects listed after "include" or "contain" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0016] The following will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to 5 The four-way valve assembly of the example embodiment of the present application will be described in detail. The features in the following embodiments and implementations can be supplemented or combined with each other without conflict.

[0017] The present application provides a four-way valve assembly which can be applied in an air conditioning system requiring switching between refrigeration and heating functions. Please refer to Figure 1 The four-way valve assembly includes a valve body assembly 1, a copper pipe 2 and a pipe assembly 3. The valve body assembly 1 includes a valve body 11 and a valve connecting pipe 12. One end of the valve connecting pipe 12 is welded to the valve body 11, and the other end is connected to the copper pipe 2 and the pipe assembly 3. Specifically, the valve connecting pipe 12 and the valve body 11 are welded together by furnace brazing, and the valve connecting pipe 12 and the pipe assembly 3 can be connected only through the copper pipe 2. Of course, other components can be provided between the copper pipe 2 and the valve connecting pipe 12 and the pipe assembly 3 to achieve connection. In this embodiment, when the four-way valve assembly is assembled, the valve connecting pipe 12 and the valve body 11 are first welded together by furnace brazing, and then other components in the valve body assembly 1 are assembled. The pipe assembly 3 is also assembled first, and then the assembled valve body assembly 1 and the pipe assembly 3 are welded together through the copper pipe 2.

[0018] Further, as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the valve connecting pipe 12 includes a stainless steel connecting pipe 121 and a first copper sleeve 122, the first copper sleeve 122 and the stainless steel connecting pipe 121 are welded, the pipe assembly 3 includes a stainless steel fitting 31 and a second copper sleeve 32, the second copper sleeve 32 and the stainless steel fitting 31 are welded, one end of the copper pipe 2 is welded with the first copper sleeve 122, and the other end is welded with the second copper sleeve 32. Since the welding of the copper pipe 2 and the first copper sleeve 122 and the second copper sleeve 32 can not use the furnace brazing process, the valve body 11 does not need to pass through the high temperature environment, avoiding the performance damage of the four-way valve affected by the furnace temperature, at the same time, the copper pipe 2 also avoids the brittleness change caused by the change of crystal phase structure due to the influence of the furnace temperature, which helps to improve the anti-shock performance of the four-way valve assembly and the use of stainless steel connecting pipe 121 and stainless steel fitting 31 helps to reduce the cost.

[0019] Further, as shown in the figure, Figure 2 the copper pipe 2 includes a first end 21 and a second end 22, the first end 21 and the first copper sleeve 122 are welded by flame brazing, and the second end 22 and the second copper sleeve 32 are welded by flame brazing. In another embodiment, the first end 21 and the first copper sleeve 122 are welded by high frequency welding, the second end 22 and the second copper sleeve 32 are welded by high frequency welding, of course, the first end 21 and the first copper sleeve 122 can be welded by flame brazing, the second end 22 and the second copper sleeve 32 can be welded by high frequency welding, or the first end 21 and the first copper sleeve 122 can be welded by high frequency welding, the second end 22 and the second copper sleeve 32 can be welded by flame brazing, which is selected according to the product design requirements, welding space, cost and other comprehensive considerations.

[0020] Further, the first end 21 and the second end 22 of the copper pipe 2 have at least one bending part 23, the first end 21 and the second end 22 are arranged in staggered positions through the bending part 23, so that the pipe assembly 3 is directed to the side away from the valve body assembly 1. It can be understood that the bending part 23 changes the pipe port position of the refrigeration pipe, which not only realizes the distribution form of the pipe of the refrigeration system, but also simplifies the clamping positioning equipment and action rhythm of the welding gun when welding. In addition, the copper pipe has better toughness than the stainless steel pipe, which is convenient for forming the refrigeration bending pipe. It can be understood that the copper pipe 2 is bent and then connected to the valve body assembly 1 and the pipe assembly 3 as an independent pipe component, which can simplify the welding difficulty of the bending part in the refrigeration pipe system when flame brazing, and also reduce the required working space when the pipe is bent, and improve the portability of the pipe connection.

[0021] Preferably, the copper pipe 2, the pipe assembly 3 and the valve connecting pipe 12 of the four-way valve assembly are welded by flame brazing, the copper pipe 2 is clamped with the pipe assembly 3 and the valve connecting pipe 12 in the middle, and the welding ring solder used is phosphor copper solder.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3 , the stainless steel connecting pipe 121 and the first copper sleeve 122 are welded by furnace brazing, specifically, the first copper sleeve 122 includes a first butt joint portion 1221 and a second butt joint portion 1222, the outer diameter of the first butt joint portion 1221 is smaller than that of the second butt joint portion 1222, at least part of the first butt joint portion 1221 is embedded in the stainless steel connecting pipe 121, and there is solder between the first butt joint portion 1221 and the stainless steel connecting pipe 121, in this embodiment, the solder is tin bronze solder. In the production process of the product, the stainless steel connecting pipe 121, the valve body 11 and the first copper sleeve 122 can be assembled first and then welded by one-time furnace brazing, which helps to improve the production efficiency.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the first end portion 21 of the copper pipe 2 is embedded in the second butt joint portion 1222, and the first end portion 21 and the second butt joint portion 1222 are filled with solder, and the solder is phosphor bronze solder, specifically, the copper pipe 2 and the first copper sleeve 122 are welded by manual flame brazing, for the welding of copper and copper, the manual flame brazing is a local heating welding method, which has little effect on the crystal phase structure of the copper pipe 2, in addition, the manual flame brazing is convenient, has high yield and is easy to industrialize.

[0024] Further, as shown in Figure 5 , the stainless steel fitting 31 and the second copper sleeve 32 are welded by furnace brazing, and there is solder between the second copper sleeve 32 and the stainless steel fitting 31, specifically, when the stainless steel fitting 31 is a pipe fitting, the stainless steel fitting 31 is provided with a second flared portion 311 on one side end portion, at least part of the second copper sleeve 32 is embedded in the second flared portion 311, and the second copper sleeve 32 and the second flared portion 311 are filled with solder, in this embodiment, the second copper sleeve 32 and the second flared portion 311 are filled with tin bronze solder. By providing the second flared portion 311 on the stainless steel fitting 31, the inner diameter of the stainless steel fitting 31 and the inner diameter of the copper pipe 2 can be close to each other, so as to ensure the flow of the four-way valve assembly.

[0025] Further, as shown in Figure 2 , when the stainless steel fitting 31 is a muffler, a filter or the like, the stainless steel fitting 31 includes a body 312 and a first port portion 313 and a second port portion 314 located at both ends of the body 312, the first port portion 313 and the second port portion 314 can be respectively formed by spinning and shrinking from the cylinder body 33 to both ends, and the second copper sleeve 32 is welded with the first port portion 313 by furnace brazing, specifically, at least part of the second copper sleeve 32 is embedded in the first port portion 313, and the second copper sleeve 32 and the first port portion 313 are filled with solder, in this embodiment, the second copper sleeve 32 and the first port portion 313 are filled with tin bronze solder.

[0026] Further, the stainless steel fitting 31 comprises a branch pipe 315 connected to the second port part 314 of the stainless steel fitting 31, the branch pipe 315 is a stainless steel pipe, in the production process, the branch pipe 315, the second copper sleeve 32 and the muffler, filter and the like are welded by one-time furnace brazing to form the stainless steel fitting 31, which helps to improve the production efficiency.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4 , Figure 5 , the second end part 22 of the copper pipe 2 is embedded in the inside of the second copper sleeve 32, and the copper pipe 2 and the second copper sleeve 32 have solder therebetween, the solder is phosphor copper solder, specifically, the copper pipe 2 and the second copper sleeve 32 are welded by manual flame brazing, for the welding of copper and copper, the manual flame brazing is a local heating welding method, which has little effect on the crystal structure of the copper pipe 2, in addition, the manual flame brazing is convenient, has high yield and is easy to industrialize.

[0028] In an embodiment, the end part of the copper pipe 2 is changed in diameter by a flaring tool to form a first end part 21 and / or a second end part 22 with a larger diameter than the original pipe diameter, the first end part 21 and / or the second end part 22 is sleeved on the outer circumferential side of the stainless steel connector pipe 121 and the stainless steel fitting 31, and the nested stainless steel connector pipe 121 and the stainless steel fitting 31 are located inside the copper pipe 2, which can supplement the welding effect of the stainless steel connector pipe 121 and the first copper sleeve 122, and the stainless steel fitting 31 and the second copper sleeve 32, and increase the fatigue resistance and welding yield of the overall four-way valve assembly.

[0029] In an embodiment, the four-way valve assembly is connected with pipe assembly 3 of different purposes at the end of the valve connecting pipe 12 on the valve body assembly 1, for example, the pipe assembly 3 comprises an exhaust pipe assembly, a condenser connecting pipe assembly, a low-pressure valve connecting pipe assembly and a gas return pipe assembly, which are respectively connected with different devices in the air conditioning system.

[0030] It can be understood that the valve body assembly 1 comprises a valve seat 111 and a slider 112, the slider 112 can slide along the end face of the valve seat 111, the slider 112 is made of non-metal material, and the slider 112 is sensitive to temperature, so the valve body assembly 1 is not suitable for being put into a brazing furnace for processing, and the four-way valve assembly of the present application is helpful in producing by the following processing method in the production process:

[0031] S1: brazing the valve body 11, the valve connecting pipe 12 and the first copper sleeve 122 in the furnace;

[0032] S2: assembling the slider 112 and the like and the welded four-way valve blank to obtain a four-way valve;

[0033] S3: brazing the second copper sleeve 32 and the stainless steel fitting 31 in the furnace to obtain the pipe assembly 3;

[0034] S4: connect the four-way valve and the pipe assembly 3 through the copper pipe 2, and the connection mode can adopt welding modes such as local heating flame brazing and high-frequency welding.

[0035] In the present application, the valve body 11, the valve connecting pipe 12 and most of the structure of the pipe assembly 3 in the four-way valve assembly can be replaced by stainless steel instead of copper material, which greatly reduces the material cost of the four-way valve assembly. The present application further connects the copper pipe 2 between the valve body assembly 1 and the pipe assembly 3, and connects the two copper bushings at the end of the stainless steel pipe through the copper pipe 2 to realize switching. This setting can be welded by manual flame brazing, and only the local heating is used to realize the pipe connection. The main part of the valve body assembly 1 does not need to pass through a high-temperature environment, which avoids the influence on the heat-sensitive components inside the four-way valve assembly, and also reduces the change of the crystal phase of the copper pipe caused by heating, and reduces the brittleness of the copper pipe.

[0036] It should be noted that the above describes the principles and implementation modes of the present application by using specific examples. The above examples are only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, the present application can be improved and modified in several ways, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A four-way valve assembly, characterized in that, The four-way valve assembly includes a valve body assembly (1), a piping assembly (3), and a copper pipe (2). The valve body assembly (1) includes a valve body (11) and a valve connecting pipe (12). One end of the valve connecting pipe (12) is welded to the valve body (11), and the other end is connected to the piping assembly (3) through the copper pipe (2). The valve connecting pipe (12) includes a stainless steel connecting pipe (121) and a first copper sleeve (122). The first copper sleeve (122) is welded to the stainless steel connecting pipe (121). The piping assembly (3) includes a stainless steel fitting (31) and a second copper sleeve (32). The second copper sleeve (32) is welded to the stainless steel fitting (31). One end of the copper pipe (2) is welded to the first copper sleeve (122), and the other end is welded to the second copper sleeve (32).

2. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The copper tube (2) includes a first end (21) and a second end (22). The first end (21) and the first copper sleeve (122) are welded by flame brazing or high-frequency welding, and the second end (22) and the second copper sleeve (32) are welded by flame brazing or high-frequency welding.

3. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The stainless steel fitting (31) and the second copper sleeve (32) are brazed in a furnace, and the stainless steel connecting pipe (121) and the first copper sleeve (122) are brazed in a furnace.

4. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first copper sleeve (122) includes a first mating portion (1221) and a second mating portion (1222). The outer diameter of the first mating portion (1221) is smaller than the outer diameter of the second mating portion (1222). At least a portion of the first mating portion (1221) is embedded in the stainless steel connecting pipe (121). There is solder between the first mating portion (1221) and the stainless steel connecting pipe (121). The first end (21) of the copper pipe (2) is embedded in the second mating portion (1222). There is solder between the first end (21) and the second mating portion (1222).

5. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, At least a portion of the second copper sleeve (32) is embedded in the stainless steel fitting (31), and there is solder between the second copper sleeve (32) and the stainless steel fitting (31). The second end (22) of the copper tube (2) is embedded inside the second copper sleeve (32), and there is solder between the copper tube (2) and the second copper sleeve (32). The inner diameter of the copper tube (2) is not less than the inner diameter of the stainless steel fitting (31).

6. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The stainless steel connecting pipe (121) has a first flared portion (1211) at one end connected to the first copper sleeve (122), and at least part of the first mating portion (1221) is embedded in the flared portion (1211). The inner diameter of the copper pipe (2) is not less than the inner diameter of the stainless steel connecting pipe (121).

7. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, Phosphorus copper solder is present between the copper pipe (2) and the first copper sleeve (122) and between the second copper sleeve (32) and the copper pipe (2), and tin bronze solder is present between the stainless steel fitting (31) and the second copper sleeve (32) and between the stainless steel connecting pipe (121) and the first copper sleeve (122).

8. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The stainless steel fitting (31) is a muffler, filter or shock absorber tube. The muffler, filter and shock absorber tube are made of stainless steel. The second copper sleeve (32) is sleeved on one end of the muffler, filter or shock absorber tube.

9. The four-way valve assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The valve body (11) is made of stainless steel. The valve body (11), the stainless steel connecting pipe (121) and the first copper sleeve (122) are fixed by furnace brazing. The copper tube (2) includes a first end (21) and a second end (22), and there is at least one bend (23) between the first end (21) and the second end (22).

10. The four-way valve assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that, The valve body (11) is provided with a valve seat (111) and a slider (112). The slider (112) can slide along the end face of the valve seat (111). The slider (112) is made of non-metallic material.

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