Refrigerant distributor

Abstract

A refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) for a vehicle refrigeration circuit is proposed, comprising: - distributor plates (2, 3, 4) bonded together, which limit the refrigerant channels (7, 8) running between the distributor plates, - a connecting piece (9) that is materially bonded to one of the distribution plates (2), - and an expansion valve (10) included in the connecting piece with a valve piston (13) which separates the refrigerant channels from each other in contact with a valve seat (16). The valve seat shall be formed directly either by the connecting piece or by an insert (35) arranged therein, which is materially connected to one distributor plate.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a refrigerant distributor for a refrigeration circuit of a vehicle, comprising: - distributor plates bonded together, which limit refrigerant channels running between the distributor plates, - a connecting piece that is materially bonded to one of the distribution plates, - and an expansion valve with a valve piston, which separates the refrigerant channels from each other in contact with a valve seat, is included in the connector.

[0002] Refrigerant distributors, particularly in battery-electric vehicles with complex refrigeration circuits and various operating modes (cooling and heating the passenger compartment, conditioning the traction battery, etc.), serve to provide the necessary interconnection of valves and connections to other components such as refrigerant compressors and various heat exchangers in a compact and integrated design.

[0003] A refrigerant distributor of this type is described in the unpublished application with the file number DE 10 2024 117 569.9. The distributor plates and the connecting pieces form a materially bonded subassembly into which an expansion valve is screwed as a further subassembly.

[0004] The present invention is based on the objective of constructively improving a refrigerant distributor of the generic type.

[0005] The solution to this problem arises from the features of claim 1. Accordingly, the valve seat is to be formed directly either by the connecting piece or by an insert arranged therein, which is (also) metallurgically bonded to one of the distributor plates. This design differs – viewed at the assembly level – from the prior art designs by relocating the valve seat from the previously fully functional expansion valve to the interface between the subassemblies distributor plates with connecting piece / insert on the one hand and the expansion valve on the other. The general concept of the invention therefore consists in the fact that functions which the expansion valve previously had to fulfill as a separate component are now an integral part of the connecting piece or insert.The insert is designed so that the expansion valve is no longer functional independently, but only when assembled with the connector. The resulting elimination of individual components is advantageous in terms of manufacturing, assembly, and production costs of the refrigerant distributor.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] Preferably, further functional structures can be relocated to the connecting piece. These include a valve guide that allows longitudinal movement of the valve piston, a sealing ring that seals the valve piston in a pressure-tight manner, and a pressure equalization bore that compensates for axial forces on the valve piston.

[0008] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the drawings with exemplary embodiments of refrigerant distributors according to the invention. Unless otherwise stated, identical or functionally equivalent components or features are designated with the same reference numerals. The figures show a longitudinal section through the connection piece: Fig. 1 a first embodiment; Fig. 2 a second embodiment; Fig. 3 a third embodiment; Fig. 4a a fourth embodiment; Fig. 4b the fourth embodiment without expansion valve in the explosion; Fig. 5a a fifth embodiment; Fig. 5b the fifth embodiment without expansion valve; Fig. 6a a sixth embodiment; Fig. 6b the sixth embodiment without expansion valve; Fig. 7a a non-inventive embodiment; Fig. 7b the connecting piece as a single part according to Fig. 7a.

[0009] Fig. Figure 1 shows a section of a refrigerant distributor 101 according to the invention for a refrigeration circuit of a battery-electric vehicle. The refrigerant distributor 101 comprises several distributor plates that define the refrigerant channels running between them. The distributor plates, of which the section of Figure 1 shows a section of the Fig. As can be seen in Figure 1, the distributor plates 2, 3, and 4 are pressure-tight and, in this case, bonded together by brazing. The distributor plates 2, 3, and 4 are sheet metal components, with distributor plate 2 being essentially flat and recesses 5 and 6 projecting from this plane into the separate distributor plates 3 and 4 to form the refrigerant channels 7 and 8. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), recesses forming refrigerant channels can be formed in all distributor plates to reduce stresses in the joint between the distributor plates. Furthermore, the number of distributor plates can be limited to two.

[0010] The refrigerant distributor 101 further comprises a connection piece 9, which is also bonded to the distributor plate 2 by means of brazing, and an expansion valve 10 housed in the connection piece 9, which expands the refrigerant, which is under high pressure in the refrigeration circuit, to low pressure. The refrigerant channel 7 is a high-pressure channel coming from a refrigerant compressor, which runs via an opening 11 through the distributor plate 2 to the inlet of the expansion valve 10. The refrigerant channel 8 is a low-pressure channel leading to a refrigerant evaporator, which runs from the outlet of the expansion valve 10 through a further opening 12 through the distributor plate 2.

[0011] The expansion valve 10 comprises an electrically driven valve piston 13, which is arranged to be continuously longitudinally movable in a longitudinal bore 14 connecting the refrigerant channels 7, 8 and has a conically tapered piston tip 15 which, in conjunction with a valve seat 16 formed directly through the longitudinal bore 14 (sa Fig. 2) a throttle cross-section that generates refrigerant expansion changes depending on the longitudinal position of the valve piston 13. The longitudinal bore 14 is integrated directly into the connecting piece 9. The inlet and outlet of the expansion valve 10, i.e., the refrigerant channels 7, 8, are separated from each other when the valve piston 13 is in contact with the valve seat 16.

[0012] The drive mechanism of the valve piston 13 is known per se and is therefore only briefly summarized here. The expansion valve 10 comprises an electric motor with a rotor 18, which is pressure-tightly enclosed by a canned tube 17 and is set in rotation by a stator 19 surrounding the canned tube 17. The rotation is transformed into the longitudinal movement of the valve piston 13, which is secured against rotation, via a spindle drive with an external thread 20 on a rotor shaft 21 and an internal thread 22 in the valve piston 13. The anti-rotation mechanism is achieved by a disk 23, which is in a circumferentially positive-locking connection with the valve piston 13 on one side and with a longitudinal groove 24 formed directly in the connecting piece 9 on the other. The radial support of the rotor shaft 21 is provided by a ball bearing 25 on the side of the valve piston 13, which is inserted in a stepped bore 26 formed directly in the connecting piece 9.

[0013] The valve piston 13 passes through a valve guide 27 formed directly by the connector 9, which on one side defines one refrigerant channel 7 and on the other side defines a pressure chamber 28 facing the electric motor. In the closed position, the valve piston 13 is axially free of force because the pressure chamber 28 communicates with the other refrigerant channel 8 via a pressure equalization bore 29 that passes directly through the connector 9. A sealing ring 31 is inserted in a further stepped bore 30 formed directly in the connector 9 on the side of the valve guide 27, and this sealing ring provides a pressure-tight seal around the valve piston 13.

[0014] The canned tube 17 is in two parts and includes a welded union nut 32, by means of which the electromechanical part of the expansion valve 10 is (removably) screwed to the connecting piece 9. The pressure chamber 28 is sealed against the environment by a seal 33, which is axially clamped between the connecting piece 9 and the union nut 32.

[0015] The following explanations and, in some cases, illustrations are limited to the essential differences compared to the previously explained examples.

[0016] At the second refrigerant distributor 201 according to Fig. 2 is the thread of the union nut 32 which is concentric to the valve piston 13 according to Fig. 1 integrated in the one-piece split tube 17.

[0017] At the third refrigerant distributor 301 according to Fig. 3 the split tube 17 is welded to a stepped bore 34 of the connecting piece 9.

[0018] In contrast to the previously explained examples, the one in the Fig. The fourth refrigerant distributor 401, shown in Figure 4, is oriented perpendicular to the main plane of extension of the distributor plates 2, 3, 4, rather than parallel to it. An insert 35 is arranged in the connecting piece 9, which, like the connecting piece 9, is brazed to the distributor plate 2 to seal against internal and external leaks. The insert 35 has an inlet opening 36 aligned with the opening 11 of the distributor plate 2 and the valve seat 16, which is formed directly by the insert 35 and is aligned with the further opening 12 of the distributor plate 2. In its closed position, the valve piston 13 projects into the refrigerant channel 8 running between the distributor plates 2, 4. The pressure equalization bore 29 is aligned with a third bore 37 of the distributor plate 2.

[0019] The one in the Fig. The fifth refrigerant distributor 501 shown in Figure 5 omits the insert 35 according to the Fig. 4. In this embodiment, the high-pressure refrigerant channel 7 runs as an inclined channel bore 38 in the connecting piece 9 to the inlet of the expansion valve 10.

[0020] In the sixth refrigerant distributor 601, the high-pressure refrigerant channel 7 is guided to the inlet of the expansion valve 10 via two intersecting, perpendicular channel bores 39 and 40 in the connecting piece 9. The channel bore 40, which is parallel to the main extension plane of the distributor plates 2, 3, 4, is sealed from the environment by means of a sealing screw 41.

[0021] The Fig.Figure 7 shows a non-inventive embodiment of a refrigerant distributor 701, in which the distributor plates 2, 3, 4 described above are functionally integrated into a connection piece 9' designed as a valve block. Like the connection pieces 9 shown above, the connection piece 9' comprises the longitudinal bore 14 with valve seat 16 formed directly therein for the valve piston 13 of the expansion valve 10 and the pressure equalization bore 29 directly therein, which is sealed to the environment by the sealing screw 41. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] FROM 10 2024 117 569.9

[0003]

Claims

[1] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) for a refrigeration circuit of a vehicle, comprising: - distributor plates (2, 3, 4) connected to each other in a material-bonded manner, which limit refrigerant channels (7, 8) running between the distributor plates (2, 3, 4), - a connecting piece (9) that is materially bonded to one of the distribution plates (2), - and an expansion valve (10) included in the connecting piece (9) with a valve piston (13) which, in contact with a valve seat (16), separates the refrigerant channels (7, 8) from each other, characterized by , that the valve seat (16) is formed directly either by the connecting piece (9) or by an insert (35) arranged therein, which is materially connected to one distributor plate (2). [2] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to claim 1, characterized by, that the valve piston (13) passes through a valve guide (27) formed directly by the connecting piece (9), which on the one hand defines one of the refrigerant channels (7) and on the other hand defines a pressure chamber (28) which communicates pressure with the other of the refrigerant channels (8) via a pressure equalization bore (29) passing directly through the connecting piece (9). [3] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to claim 2, characterized by a sealing ring (31) inserted directly in the connecting piece (9) between the pressure chamber (28) and the valve guide (27), which surrounds the valve piston (13) in a pressure-tight manner. [4] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the expansion valve (10) comprises a canned tube (17) joined to the connecting piece (9). [5] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201) according to claim 4, characterized by, that the slotted tube (17) is screwed to the connecting piece (9) via a thread concentric with the valve piston (13). [6] Refrigerant distributor (201) according to claim 5, characterized by , that the split tube (17) is one piece. [7] Refrigerant distributor (301, 401, 501, 601) according to claim 4, characterized by , that the split tube (17) is welded to the connecting piece (9). [8] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the distribution plates (2, 3, 4) and the connector (9) are hard-soldered together. [9] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the distributor plates (2, 3, 4) are sheet metal parts. [10] Refrigerant distributor (101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601) according to claim 9, characterized by , that one of the distribution plates (2) is essentially flat.

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