four-way valve

Abstract

The application relates to a four-way valve which comprises a valve body, a valve seat and a slider structure, the valve seat is fixedly arranged in the valve body, and the slider structure is movably arranged in the valve body; the slider structure comprises a slider main body and a bottom plate, the slider main body is integrally formed with the bottom plate as an insert, the hardness of the slider main body is greater than that of the bottom plate, the bottom plate is arranged at the bottom of the slider main body and is attached to the valve seat, and the bottom plate is used for sliding along the surface of the valve seat. The four-way valve provided by the application can guarantee that the slider structure has good pressure resistance, can improve the sealing performance of the slider structure and can reduce the processing difficulty.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of valve technology, and in particular to a four-way valve. Background Technology

[0002] A four-way valve is a common type of switching valve, often used in air conditioning systems. A four-way valve includes a valve body, a valve seat, and a slider that is movable within the valve body. The valve seat is fixed within the valve body and has multiple valve ports. The bottom of the slider slides along the surface of the valve seat and switches the valve ports, thereby realizing the reversal of the four-way valve.

[0003] In the operation of a four-way valve, the outer side of the slider carries the high-pressure medium, while the inner side carries the low-pressure medium. Therefore, the slider needs to have high pressure resistance. The slider is typically injection molded from a single piece of plastic, which ensures good pressure resistance but also makes the material relatively hard. For sliders made of hard material, the bottom needs to be machined to reduce roughness, allowing the bottom of the slider to effectively fit against the valve seat surface, thus ensuring a tight seal between the valve block and the valve seat. However, this process is difficult and costly to manufacture. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a four-way valve that can ensure the slider has good pressure resistance while improving the sealing performance of the slider and valve seat surface and reducing the processing difficulty.

[0005] A four-way valve includes a valve body, a valve seat, and a slider structure. The valve seat is fixedly disposed within the valve body, and the slider structure is movably disposed within the valve body. The slider structure includes a slider body and a base plate. The slider body is integrally injection molded with the base plate as an insert, and the hardness of the slider body is greater than that of the base plate. The base plate is located at the bottom of the slider body and is fitted to the valve seat. The base plate is used to slide along the surface of the valve seat.

[0006] In one embodiment, one of the slider body and the base plate is provided with a groove, and the other is provided with a positioning post, which is inserted into the groove along the thickness direction of the base plate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the grooves and positioning posts are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence and the number of each is configured to be multiple. The multiple grooves are opened on the base plate and distributed at intervals along the circumference of the base plate.

[0008] In one embodiment, the groove is formed on the base plate, the thickness of the base plate is T, the depth of the groove along the thickness direction of the base plate is h, and (1 / 3)T < h < (2 / 3)T.

[0009] In one embodiment, at least a portion of the bottom of the slider body is recessed inward along the thickness direction of the base plate to form an assembly groove, and at least a portion of the base plate is embedded in the assembly groove.

[0010] In one embodiment, the slider body has a cavity, and the base plate has a through hole communicating with the cavity; on the side near the through hole, one of the slider body and the base plate is provided with a slot, and the other is provided with a reinforcing rib, the reinforcing rib extending along the thickness direction of the base plate, and the reinforcing rib is engaged in the slot.

[0011] In one embodiment, the assembly groove includes a first section and a second section that are connected to each other. The cross-sectional width of the first section is greater than that of the second section, and a limiting step is formed at the junction of the first section and the second section. The top of the base plate is provided with a protruding edge. One end of the protruding edge is connected to the base plate, and the other end protrudes from the base plate along the width direction. The protruding edge is installed in the first section and cooperates with the limiting step.

[0012] In one embodiment, the slot is formed on the convex edge; the slot extends through both ends of the convex edge along the thickness direction of the base plate.

[0013] In one embodiment, the convex edge has a top wall and side walls located on both sides of the top wall, and the connection between the top wall and the side walls is provided with rounded corners.

[0014] In one embodiment, the through hole is configured as an oblong hole, which includes a straight segment and two arc segments located at both ends of the straight segment. The number of slots is configured to be multiple, and the multiple slots are distributed at intervals along the extension direction of the straight segment.

[0015] Compared to existing technologies, the four-way valve provided in this application has a slider body with a higher hardness than the base plate, meaning the base plate is softer than the slider body. Therefore, the slider body has greater pressure resistance than the base plate. Furthermore, under the same roughness, a softer material provides better sealing than a harder material. By placing the base plate at the bottom of the slider body and fitting it against the valve seat, the harder slider body does not directly contact the valve seat but slides along the valve seat surface via the softer base plate. This ensures a tight seal when the base plate slides along the valve seat without requiring deep machining of the bottom of the slider body to reduce its roughness. Moreover, the slider body is integrally injection molded with the base plate as an insert, significantly improving the robustness of the connection between the slider body and the base plate, further preventing media leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the four-way valve provided in this application;

[0018] Figure 2 An exploded view of the slider structure provided in this application;

[0019] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the length of the slider structure provided in this application;

[0020] Figure 4 A side view of the slider structure provided in this application;

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Sectional view at AA;

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 5 An enlarged view at point B;

[0023] Figure 7 for Figure 4 Sectional view at CC.

[0024] Reference numerals: 100, four-way valve; 10, slider structure; 11, slider body; 101, cavity; 111, positioning post; 112, reinforcing rib; 113, assembly groove; 1131, first section; 1132, second section; 1133, limiting step; 12, base plate; 121, groove; 122, through hole; 1221, straight section; 1222, arc section; 123, slot; 124, protruding edge; 1241, top wall; 1242, side wall; 1243, rounded corner; 20, valve body; 21, port D; 30, valve seat; 31, port E; 32, port S; 33, port C. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0026] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0028] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] Please see Figures 1 to 2 This application provides a four-way valve 100, which includes a valve body 20, a valve seat 30, and a slider structure 10. The valve seat 30 is fixedly disposed within the valve body 20, and the slider structure 10 is movably disposed within the valve body 20. The slider structure 10 includes a slider body 11 and a base plate 12. The slider body 11 is integrally injection molded with the base plate 12 as an insert, and the hardness of the slider body 11 is greater than the hardness of the base plate 12. The base plate 12 is located at the bottom of the slider body 11 and is fitted to the valve seat 30. The base plate 12 is used to slide along the surface of the valve seat 30.

[0031] It is understandable that the slider body 11 has a higher hardness than the base plate 12, meaning the base plate 12 is softer than the slider body 11. Therefore, the slider body 11 has greater pressure resistance than the base plate 12. Furthermore, under the same roughness, a softer material provides better sealing than a harder material. Therefore, by placing the base plate 12 at the bottom of the slider body 11 and fitting it against the valve seat 30, the harder slider body 11 does not directly contact the valve seat 30, but instead slides along the surface of the valve seat 30 through the softer base plate 12. This ensures the sealing performance of the base plate 12 when sliding along the valve seat 30 without requiring deep machining of the bottom of the slider body to reduce its roughness. Moreover, the slider body 11 is integrally injection molded with the base plate 12 as an insert, significantly improving the strength of the connection between the slider body 11 and the base plate 12, which further helps to prevent media leakage.

[0032] Specifically, the slider body 11 is integrally injection molded with the base plate 12 as an insert. Optionally, in one embodiment, the base plate 12 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and the slider body 11 is made of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). PTFE is soft and has good sealing performance, while PPS is hard. Thus, the integral injection molding of the slider body 11 and the base plate 12 gives the slider structure 10 strong pressure resistance while also improving the sealing performance during sliding contact with the valve seat 30.

[0033] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, one of the slider body 11 and the base plate 12 is provided with a groove 121, and the other is provided with a positioning post 111. The positioning post 111 is inserted into the groove 121 along the thickness direction of the base plate 12.

[0034] In other words, the slider body 11 can have a groove 121 and the base plate 12 can have a positioning post 111; or the base plate 12 can have a groove 121 and the slider body 11 can have a positioning post 111. By setting the positioning post 111 to be inserted into the groove 121 along the thickness direction of the base plate 12, the positioning post 111 can be matched with the side wall of the groove 121 for limiting, thereby providing a locking force for the slider body 11 and the base plate 12 in the moving direction of the slider structure 10. This prevents the base plate 12 from sliding along the surface of the valve body 20, causing the base plate 12 and the slider body 11 to be misaligned in the moving direction of the slider structure 10 due to the frictional resistance between the base plate 12 and the surface of the valve body 20. That is, it can prevent the slider body 11 and the base plate 12 from moving relative to each other in the moving direction of the slider structure 10.

[0035] In one embodiment, the grooves 121 and the positioning posts 111 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence and are each configured to be multiple. The multiple grooves 121 are provided on the base plate 12 and distributed at intervals along the circumference of the base plate 12. Specifically, when the slider body 11 is integrally injection molded with the base plate 12 as an insert, the injection molding material of the slider body 11 fills the grooves 121 on the base plate 12 and forms the positioning posts 111 after molding.

[0036] It should be noted that the grooves 121 and the positioning posts 111 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, meaning that each positioning post 111 is inserted into a corresponding groove 121. By setting multiple grooves 121 on the base plate 12 and distributing them at intervals along the circumference of the base plate 12, the multiple positioning posts 111 cooperate with the multiple corresponding grooves 121 to prevent torsion between the slider body 11 and the base plate 12, thereby helping to ensure a reliable connection between the slider body 11 and the base plate 12.

[0037] In one embodiment, the thickness of the base plate 12 is T, the depth of the groove 121 along the thickness direction of the base plate is h, and (1 / 3)T < h < (2 / 3)T. It is understood that the larger h is, the longer the positioning post 111 can be, and the greater the strength of the positioning post 111. This results in a better limiting effect between the positioning post 111 and the groove 121 on the slider body 11 and the base plate 12. However, if h is too large, it will weaken the structural strength of the base plate 12. Therefore, by setting (1 / 3)T < h < (2 / 3)T, it is possible to ensure that the positioning post 111 has sufficient strength to prevent breakage, and also to ensure that it does not have an excessive impact on the structural strength of the base plate 12. Optionally, the value of h can be 0.334T, 0.4T, 0.5T, 0.6T, etc., and can be set according to actual needs, as long as it is within the above range.

[0038] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, at least a portion of the bottom of the slider body 11 is recessed inward to form an assembly groove 113 along the thickness direction of the base plate 12, and at least a portion of the base plate 12 is embedded in the assembly groove 113. This helps to increase the connection area between the slider body 11 and the base plate 12, thereby ensuring a reliable connection between the base plate 12 and the slider body 11.

[0039] Specifically, the assembly groove 113 includes a first section 1131 and a second section 1132 that are connected. The cross-sectional width of the first section 1131 is greater than that of the second section 1132, and a limiting step 1133 is formed at the junction of the first section 1131 and the second section 1132. The top of the base plate 12 is provided with a protruding edge 124. One end of the protruding edge 124 is connected to the base plate 12, and the other end protrudes from the base plate 12 along the width direction. The protruding edge 124 is installed in the first section 1131 and cooperates with the limiting step 1133. It can be understood that the cooperation between the protruding edge 124 and the limiting step 1133 can prevent the slider body 11 from separating from the base plate 12 along the thickness direction of the base plate 12.

[0040] Optionally, in one embodiment, the protruding edge 124 protrudes only from one side of the base plate 12 along its width direction, in which case the cross-section of the base plate 12 is L-shaped. In another embodiment, the protruding edge 124 may also protrude from both sides of the base plate 12 along its width direction. In this case, the cross-section of the base plate 12 is T-shaped.

[0041] In one embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, the protruding edge 124 and the base plate 12 are integrally formed by injection molding. The protruding edge 124 has a top wall 1241 and side walls 1242 located on both sides of the top wall 1241. A rounded corner 1243 is provided at the connection between the top wall 1241 and the side wall 1242. By providing a rounded corner 1243 at the connection between the top wall 1241 and the side wall 1242, a sharp corner is formed at the connection between the top wall 1241 and the side wall 1242, thus preventing stress concentration and ensuring smooth flow of the injection molding material. Optionally, the radius of the rounded corner 1243 is between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm, and the specific value can be set according to actual needs.

[0042] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the slider body 11 has a cavity 101, and the base plate 12 has a through hole 122 communicating with the cavity 101. On the side near the through hole 122, one of the slider body 11 and the base plate 12 has a slot 123, and the other has a reinforcing rib 112. The reinforcing rib 112 extends along the thickness direction of the base plate 12 and is engaged in the slot 123. That is, in this embodiment, the slider body 11 may have a slot 123 and the base plate 12 may have a reinforcing rib 112; or the base plate 12 may have a slot 123 and the slider body 11 may have a reinforcing rib 112.

[0043] It should be noted that in the operating conditions of the four-way valve, the outer side of the slider structure 10 is a high-pressure medium, while the inner side of the slider structure 10 is a low-pressure medium. That is to say, there is a pressure difference between the medium in the valve body 20 and the medium in the cavity 101. Under the action of the pressure difference, the base plate 12 tends to separate from the slider body 11 from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side. By setting a reinforcing rib 112 or a groove 123 on the side of the slider body 11 near the through hole 122, and setting a corresponding groove 123 or reinforcing rib 112 on the base plate 12, the cooperation of the reinforcing rib 112 and the groove 123 can enhance the compressive strength and extrusion peel strength of the base plate 12.

[0044] Optionally, in one embodiment, the slot 123 is formed on the protruding edge 124, and the slot 123 extends through both ends of the protruding edge 124 along the thickness direction of the base plate 12. That is, the slot 123 is configured as a through groove extending through the protruding edge 124, so that the injection molding material of the slider body 11 can flow into the slot 123, thereby filling the slot 123 to form the reinforcing rib 112.

[0045] In one embodiment, the slot 123 is configured as a semi-cylindrical slot, and correspondingly, the injection molding material of the slider body 11 flows into the slot 123, which can fill the slot 123 to form a semi-cylindrical reinforcing rib 112.

[0046] In one embodiment, the through hole 122 is configured as an oblong hole, which includes a straight segment 1221 and two arc segments 1222 located at both ends of the straight segment 1221. The number of slots 123 is configured to be multiple, and the multiple slots 123 are distributed at intervals along the extension direction of the straight segment 1221.

[0047] For example, in one embodiment, the number of grooves 121 is configured to be four, and the four grooves 121 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the waist-shaped hole along the length direction of the waist-shaped hole.

[0048] The four-way valve 100 provided in this application has a valve seat 30 with an E port 31, an S port 32, and a C port 33 arranged axially along the valve body 20. The S port 32 is located between the E port 31 and the C port 33. A D port 21 is provided on the valve body 20. The D port 21 is connected to the compressor discharge port, the S port is connected to the compressor suction port, the E port is connected to the indoor heat exchanger, and the C port 33 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger. When the slider structure 10 moves along the valve seat 30 to the cavity 101 connecting the E port 31 and the S port 32, the D port 21 connects to the C port 33. When the slider structure 10 moves along the valve seat 30 to the cavity 101 connecting the S port 32 and the C port 33, the D port 21 connects to the E port 31.

[0049] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0050] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A four-way valve, the four-way valve (100) comprising a valve body (20), a valve seat (30) and a slider structure (10), wherein the valve seat (30) is fixedly disposed within the valve body (20) and the slider structure (10) is movably disposed within the valve body (20); Its features are, The slider structure (10) includes a slider body (11) and a base plate (12). The slider body (11) is integrally injection molded with the base plate (12) as an insert. The hardness of the slider body (11) is greater than that of the base plate (12). The base plate (12) is located at the bottom of the slider body (11) and is fitted to the valve seat (30). The base plate (12) is used to slide along the surface of the valve seat (30).

2. The four-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider body (11) and the base plate (12) are provided with a groove (121) and a positioning post (111), respectively. The positioning post (111) is inserted into the groove (121) along the thickness direction of the base plate (12).

3. The four-way valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The grooves (121) are provided one-to-one with the positioning posts (111), and the number of each is configured to be multiple. The multiple grooves (121) are opened on the base plate (12) and distributed at intervals along the circumference of the base plate (12).

4. The four-way valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The groove (121) is formed on the base plate (12), the thickness of the base plate (12) is T, the depth of the groove (121) along the thickness direction of the base plate (12) is h, and (1 / 3)T < h < (2 / 3)T.

5. The four-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the thickness direction of the base plate (12), at least a portion of the bottom of the slider body (11) is recessed inward to form an assembly groove (113), and at least a portion of the base plate (12) is embedded in the assembly groove (113).

6. The four-way valve according to claim 5, characterized in that, The slider body (11) has a cavity (101), and the base plate (12) has a through hole (122) that communicates with the cavity (101). On the side near the through hole (122), one of the slider body (11) and the base plate (12) is provided with a slot (123), and the other is provided with a reinforcing rib (112). The reinforcing rib (112) extends along the thickness direction of the base plate (12) and is engaged in the slot (123).

7. The four-way valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The assembly groove (113) includes a first section (1131) and a second section (1132) that are connected. The cross-sectional width of the first section (1131) is greater than the cross-sectional width of the second section (1132), and a limiting step (1133) is formed at the junction of the first section (1131) and the second section (1132). The top of the base plate (12) is provided with a protruding edge (124). One end of the protruding edge (124) is connected to the base plate (12), and the other end protrudes from the base plate (12) along the width direction of the base plate (12). The protruding edge (124) is installed on the first section (1131) and cooperates with the stop of the limiting step (1133).

8. The four-way valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, The slot (123) is formed on the protruding edge (124); The slot (123) extends through both ends of the protruding edge (124) along the thickness direction of the base plate (12).

9. The four-way valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, The protruding edge (124) has a top wall (1241) and side walls (1242) located on both sides of the top wall (1241), and the connection between the top wall (1241) and the side wall (1242) is provided with a rounded corner (1243).

10. The four-way valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The through hole (122) is configured as an oblong hole, which includes a straight segment (1221) and two arc segments (1222) located at both ends of the straight segment (1221). The number of slots (123) is configured to be multiple, and the multiple slots (123) are distributed at intervals along the extension direction of the straight segment (1221).

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