Check valve

Abstract

To prevent or suppress generation of collision noise from a check valve in opening the valve.SOLUTION: A check valve includes an outer pipe 12 having an inlet port and an outlet port, and a valve assembly 21 housed in the outer pipe. The valve assembly has: a cylindrical guide member 25 having a bent portion 27 bent inward at one end; a valve element 22 slidably housed in the guide member and restricted in moving limit to a valve opening direction by the bent portion; a valve seat member 28 disposed on the other end of the guide member and including a valve seat 30 with which the valve element is kept into contact or separated therefrom; and a seal member 32 for sealing between an outer peripheral surface of the valve seat member and an inner peripheral surface of the outer pipe. The check valve further includes a buffer structure (flange portion 33 and leaf spring portion 34) for softening impact shock of collision of the valve element to the bent portion in opening the valve, on the bent portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a check valve, and more particularly to a valve structure that prevents the occurrence of a collision noise of a valve body when the valve is opened. [Background technology]

[0002] Refrigeration and freezing equipment and air conditioners that utilize the refrigeration cycle are widely used today. For example, heat pump heating and cooling air conditioning systems that can both heat and cool are used in air conditioners for transportation equipment such as car air conditioners, room air conditioners for homes and stores, and central air conditioning equipment for large buildings.

[0003] Furthermore, in such air conditioning systems, check valves are used in refrigerant piping (for example, at branching sections) to switch the flow path of the refrigerant.

[0004] Figures 12 and 13 show an example of a conventional check valve (Figure 12 shows the closed state, and Figure 13 shows the open state). As shown in these figures, this check valve 51 consists of an outer tube 12 having an inlet port (not shown; formed at the bottom in Figures 12 and 13) for allowing fluid to flow in and an outlet port (not shown; formed at the top in Figures 12 and 13) for allowing fluid to flow out, and a valve assembly 52 housed inside the outer tube 12 between the inlet port and the outlet port.

[0005] The valve assembly 52 includes a cylindrical guide member 54 having a bent portion 53 bent inward at one end, a valve element 22 housed in the guide member 54 and having a movement limit in the valve opening direction determined by the bent portion 53 (movement in the valve opening direction is restricted and becomes the movement limit in that direction), a valve seat member 28 attached to the other end of the guide member 54 and having a valve seat 30 with which the valve element 22 comes into contact, and a seal member 32 that seals between the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat member 28 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 12. The valve element 22 has a valve portion 23 that comes into contact with and separates from the valve seat 30, and four wing-like portions 24 that extend in the axial direction on the back side of the valve portion 23. The four wing-like portions 24 come into slidable contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide member 25, so that the valve element 22 moves in the axial direction while being guided by the guide member 54 without being displaced in the radial direction.

[0006] The bent portion 53 is a flange-like portion that bends at a right angle from one end edge of the guide member 54 and extends horizontally (in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the guide member 54) toward the center of the guide member 54. The valve body 22 moving in the valve opening direction (direction away from the valve seat member 28) is stopped when the wing-shaped portion 24 hits the bent portion 53 (see Figure 13), and the check valve 51 becomes open.

[0007] Furthermore, the following patent documents disclose check valves used in such air conditioning systems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-44418 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Incidentally, in the conventional check valve 51, the valve body 22 (the vane-like portion 24) may collide with the bent portion 53 when the valve is opened, generating a sound (a collision sound).

[0010] On the other hand, along with the spread of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, there has been a tendency for quietness inside automobiles to improve in recent years. Therefore, if the above-mentioned collision noise occurs in an automobile air conditioner, it will reduce the quietness inside the automobile and cause a loss of comfort. Moreover, the problem of such collision noise is not limited to automobile air conditioners, but can also occur in other refrigeration cycle devices such as room air conditioners and building air conditioning systems.

[0011] Incidentally, the above-mentioned problems are not pointed out in Patent Document 1, nor does Patent Document 1 show any means for solving them.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to prevent or suppress the generation of impact noise from a check valve when the valve is opened. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the check valve of the present invention comprises an outer tube having an inlet port for allowing a fluid to flow in and an outlet port for allowing the fluid to flow out, and a valve assembly housed inside the outer tube between the inlet port and the outlet port, the valve assembly being a check valve having a cylindrical guide member having a bent portion where one end is bent inward, a valve disc that is slidably housed inside the guide member and whose movement limit in the valve opening direction is determined by the bent portion, a valve seat member that is attached to the other end of the guide member and has a valve seat against which the valve disc comes into contact and separates, and a seal member that seals between the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat member and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube, and the bent portion is provided with a cushioning structure that cushions the impact of the valve disc colliding with the bent portion when the check valve is fully open.

[0014] In the check valve of the present invention, a cushioning structure is provided at the bent portion which acts as a stopper for the valve body (i.e., the valve body which moves in the valve opening direction when the valve is fully open hits and stops), thereby preventing or suppressing the generation of collision noise from the valve body.

[0015] As specific embodiments of the cushioning structure, a first embodiment in which the bent portion itself has spring properties, or a second embodiment in which a cushioning material is provided at the bent portion, can be adopted, as described below.

[0016] [First aspect] In a first aspect, in the check valve of the present invention described above, the bent portion has a flange portion with which the valve body collides when the check valve is fully open, and a flexible leaf spring portion that connects the cylindrical main body portion of the guide member and the flange portion and has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the outlet port side from the flange portion.

[0017] The leaf spring may extend in a ring shape between the flange and the main body of the guide member and have a plurality of through holes passing through the leaf spring in the axial direction of the check valve. This is to make the leaf spring more flexible, thereby improving the effect of absorbing the impact of the valve body collision and more effectively preventing the generation of collision noise.

[0018] [Second aspect] In a second aspect, in the check valve according to the present invention, a ring-shaped retaining space is formed by bending the tip of the bent portion into a hook shape, and a cushioning material is provided within the retaining space against which the valve body collides when the check valve is fully open, and which cushions the impact of the valve body collision.

[0019] The buffer material is typically an elastic material. For example, a ring-shaped member (such as an O-ring) made mainly of rubber or resin can be used as the buffer material. In addition, since it is only necessary to reduce the impact sound, the buffer material can also be made of a low-hardness metal (such as tin).

[0020] It is also preferable to form a narrowed portion at the entrance of the holding space, the narrowed portion being narrower than the inner side of the holding space, in order to prevent the cushioning material accommodated in the holding space from falling out.

[0021] The narrowed portion can be formed, for example, by bending the hook-shaped tip of the bent portion in a direction that narrows the holding space.

[0022] Also, for example, it is possible to form a protrusion that protrudes toward the retaining space on the main body of the guide member facing the hook-shaped tip of the bent portion, and to form the above-mentioned narrowed portion by this protrusion and the tip of the bent portion.

[0023] Furthermore, the cushioning material may have one or more protrusions protruding toward the valve body, and the protrusions may be configured to abut against the valve body when the check valve is fully open. This is to prevent the valve body from sticking to the cushioning material and impeding the valve closing operation. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or suppress the generation of impact noise from the check valve when the valve is opened.

[0025] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. In addition, the same reference numerals in each drawing indicate the same or corresponding parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a check valve (closed state) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the check valve (open state) according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the valve assembly (in a valve closed state) of the check valve according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-section taken along the arrow BB in FIG. 3) showing the valve assembly of the check valve according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a main part (part C in FIG. 3) of the valve assembly (in an open state) of the check valve according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part (corresponding to part C in FIG. 3) of a check valve (in an open state) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing a main part of a modified example of the check valve (in an open state) according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing a main part of another modified example of the check valve (in an open state) according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing a main part of still another modified example of the check valve (in an open state) according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing a main part of still another modified example of the check valve (open state) according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing a main part of still another modified example of the check valve (open state) according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional check valve (closed state). [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view showing the conventional check valve (in an open state). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] [First embodiment] A check valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a check valve 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises an outer tube 12 having an inlet port 13 for allowing a fluid to flow in and an outlet port 14 for allowing the fluid to flow out, and a valve assembly 21 fitted into the outer tube 12 and arranged between the inlet port 13 and the outlet port 14.

[0029] The outer tube 12 has a large diameter section 15 that houses the valve assembly 21, an inlet side tapered section 16 whose diameter (outer diameter and inner diameter) gradually decreases from the large diameter section 15 toward the inlet port 13 which has a smaller diameter than the large diameter section 15, and an outlet side tapered section 17 whose diameter (outer diameter and inner diameter) gradually decreases from the large diameter section 15 toward the outlet port 14 which has a smaller diameter than the large diameter section 15.

[0030] The valve assembly 21 comprises a cylindrical guide member 25 having a bent portion 27 where one end (the outlet port 14 side) is bent inward, a valve body 22 slidably accommodated in the guide member 25, a valve seat member 28 fixed to the other end (the inlet port 13 side) of the guide member 25, and a seal member 32 which seals between the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat member 28 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 12.

[0031] The seal member 32 is, for example, a rubber O-ring, and is fixed by being fitted into a groove 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the valve seat member 28. The valve seat member 28 is made of a metal such as brass, the valve body 22 is made of a resin material, and the outer tube 12 is made of a metal material such as copper or stainless steel.

[0032] The valve seat member 28 is a ring-shaped member having a valve port 29, which is a through hole that communicates between the inlet port 13 and the inside of the guide member 25, and is provided with a valve seat 30 at one end of the valve port 29 (on the inside side of the guide member 25). The valve body 22 has a valve portion 23 that opens and closes the valve port 29 by moving toward and away from the valve seat 30 (abutting or separating), and four wing-like portions 24 that extend in the axial direction (the direction in which the valve body 22 moves) on the back side (the side closer to the bent portion 27) of the valve portion 23. The four wing-like portions 24 slidably contact the inner circumferential surface of the guide member 25, so that the valve body 22 moves in the axial (central axis A) direction while being guided by the guide member 25 without being displaced in the radial direction.

[0033] Furthermore, the movement limit of the valve element 22 in the valve opening direction is determined by the bent portion 27. That is, when the valve element 22 moves in the valve opening direction, it hits the bent portion 27 and is stopped as shown in Figure 2. This is the same as the conventional check valve 51 described above (Figures 12 and 13).

[0034] On the other hand, in the check valve 11 of this embodiment, the bent portion 27 is provided with a cushioning structure that cushions the impact of the valve element 22 colliding with the bent portion 27 when the valve is fully open (the state in FIG. 2). Specifically, the bent portion 27 is formed by bending one end (the end on the outlet port 14 side) of the guide member 25 so as to protrude toward the outlet port 14 and bending it horizontally (in a direction perpendicular to the central axis A) toward the center of the guide member 25, so that the bent portion 27 comprises a ring-shaped flange portion 33 that spreads concentrically with respect to the main body portion 26 of the guide member 25 inside the main body portion 26 and with which the valve element 22 (wing-shaped portion 24) collide, and a flexible leaf spring portion 34 that curves and communicates (connects) the flange portion 33 and the guide member main body portion 26.

[0035] Therefore, in the check valve 11 of this embodiment, when the valve body 22 collides, the bent portion 27 (particularly the leaf spring portion 34) bends, thereby mitigating the impact of the collision and making it possible to prevent or reduce the generation of collision noise. Note that, in order to make the leaf spring portion 34 easier to bend, a plurality of through holes 35 (eight in this embodiment / see FIG. 4) are drilled in the leaf spring portion 34. Note that the hole 45 formed by being surrounded by the tip end 27a of the bent portion 27 serves as an outflow hole through which the refrigerant flows out from the inside of the guide member 25 toward the outlet port 14.

[0036] The operation of the check valve 11 according to this embodiment will be described as follows.

[0037] When the pressure on the outlet port 14 side is higher than the pressure on the inlet port 13 side, the valve portion 23 of the valve body 22 abuts against the valve seat 30 of the valve seat member 25 as shown in FIG. 1, the valve orifice 29 is closed (valve closed state), and the flow of refrigerant is blocked.

[0038] On the other hand, when the pressure on the inlet port 13 side (inflow side) becomes higher than the pressure on the outlet port 14 side (outflow side), the valve body 22 moves toward the outlet port 14 side (the bent portion 27 side) along the inner surface of the guide member 25 (cylindrical main body portion 26) as shown in FIG. 2, so that the valve portion 23 separates from the valve seat 30 and the valve port 29 opens, and the refrigerant flows through the gap between the four vane-shaped portions 24 (see arrow F in FIG. 2), and the refrigerant that has flowed in from the inlet port 13 flows out from the outlet port 14 (valve open state). The valve body 22 then stops by abutting against the bent portion 27, and the open (fully open) state is maintained. At this time, the cushioning structure of the bent portion 27 prevents or reduces the occurrence of collision noise as described above.

[0039] Second Embodiment A check valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 11. In the description of this embodiment, the same or corresponding configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted, and differences will be mainly described.

[0040] The check valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the cushioning structure provided at the bent portion 27 of the guide member 25. In this embodiment, the bent portion 27 is provided with a cushioning material 38, and when the valve is opened, the valve body 22 (wing-shaped portion 24) is caused to collide with this cushioning material 38. The other parts are similar to the check valve 11 of the first embodiment.

[0041] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the bent portion 27 is bent into a hook shape to form a holding space 36 for the cushioning material 38 on the inner side (valve body 22 side) of the guide member 25, and the cushioning material 38 is held in this holding space 36. A protruding portion 37 that protrudes inward (toward the holding space 36) is formed at one end of the guide member main body 25 which forms the entrance to the holding space 36, and the cushioning material 38 is sandwiched between this protruding portion 37 and the tip 27a of the bent portion 27 which has become hook-shaped, thereby preventing the cushioning material 38 from falling out. The formation of the protruding portion 37 forms a narrowed portion as referred to in the present invention at the entrance to the holding space 36.

[0042] The cushioning material 38 is a ring-shaped elastic member (e.g., an O-ring) made of, for example, rubber or resin. When the valve body 22 is opened, the vane-shaped portion 24 hits the cushioning material 38, thereby stopping the valve body 22 (as shown in FIG. 6). At this time, the shock of the collision is mitigated by the cushioning (elasticity) effect of the cushioning material 38, and the generation of the collision sound is suppressed.

[0043] The shape and holding method of the cushioning material 38 can be changed in various ways other than those described above, for example as follows.

[0044] As shown in Figure 7, instead of forming the protrusion 37 (see Figure 6), the tip 27a of the folded portion 27 may be bent so as to fit into the inside of the holding space 36, thereby narrowing the entrance portion of the holding space 36 (forming the narrowed portion), thereby preventing the cushioning material 38 from falling out.

[0045] 8 to 11 show examples in which the shapes of the bent portion 27 and one end portion of the guide member main body portion 26 are the same as those in the example shown in FIG. 6, but the cross-sectional shapes of the cushioning materials 38 are different.

[0046] In the example shown in Fig. 8, a protrusion 44 that protrudes toward the valve body 22 is formed on the surface of the cushioning material 38 facing the valve body 22. By forming such a protrusion 44 and making the valve body 22 abut against the protrusion 44, the protrusion 44 can be elastically deformed to more effectively absorb shock. Also, by making the valve body 22 abut against the protrusion 44, it is possible to prevent the valve body 22 from sticking to the cushioning material 39 and hindering the valve closing operation.

[0047] 9, a notch 43 is formed in the side of the cushioning material 40, cutting horizontally (in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the guide member 25) toward the center of the cushioning material 40. By forming such a notch 43, it is possible to make the cushioning material 40 more easily deform so as to be crushed in the moving direction of the valve body 22 (the axial direction of the guide member 25). Therefore, it becomes easier to absorb the impact of the collision of the valve body 22, and it becomes possible to suppress the generation of collision noise.

[0048] In the example shown in Figures 10 and 11, the cushioning materials 41, 42 are configured to have a plurality of radially extending protrusions 44, and the deformation of the plurality of protrusions 44 absorbs the impact of the collision of the valve body 22 and suppresses the generation of collision noise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] A Center axis F Refrigerant flow 11,51 Check valve 12 Outer tube 13 Inlet Port 14 Exit Port 15 Large diameter section 16 Inlet side tapered section 17 Outlet side tapered section 21,52 Valve assembly 22 Valve body 23 Valve section 24 Feather 25,54 Guide member 26 Main body of guide member 27,53 Bend part 27a Tip of bent part 28 Valve seat material 29 Valve Orifice 30 Valve seat 31 Groove 32 Sealing material 33 Flange section 34 Leaf spring part 35 Through hole 36 Holding space 37 Protrusion 38,39,40,41,42 Cushioning material 43 Notch 44 Protrusion 45 Outflow hole

Claims

1. an outer tube having an inlet port for allowing a fluid to enter and an outlet port for allowing the fluid to exit; a valve assembly contained within the outer tube between the inlet port and the outlet port; Equipped with The valve assembly includes: A cylindrical guide member having a bent portion inwardly bent at one end; a valve body that is slidably accommodated inside the guide member and has a movement limit in a valve opening direction that is determined by the bent portion; a valve seat member attached to the other end of the guide member and having a valve seat with which a valve body comes into contact and separates; a seal member that seals between an outer peripheral surface of the valve seat member and an inner peripheral surface of the outer tube; have A check valve, The bent portion is provided with a cushioning structure that cushions the impact of the valve body colliding with the bent portion when the check valve is fully open. A check valve characterized by:

2. The buffer structure includes: The bent portion is a flange portion with which the valve body collides when the check valve is fully opened; a leaf spring portion that connects the cylindrical main body portion of the guide member and the flange portion, has a curved shape so as to protrude from the flange portion toward the outlet port side, and has flexibility; It has been made to have The check valve according to claim 1 .

3. The leaf spring portion is A ring-shaped groove is formed between the flange and the main body of the guide member. The plate spring portion is provided with a plurality of through holes passing through the plate spring portion in the axial direction of the check valve. The check valve according to claim 2.

4. The buffer structure includes: The tip of the bent portion is bent into a hook shape to form a ring-shaped holding space, A cushioning material is provided within the holding space, against which the valve body collides when the check valve is fully open, and which cushions the impact of the collision of the valve body. The check valve according to claim 1 .

5. The cushioning material is a ring-shaped member whose main material is rubber or resin. The check valve according to claim 4.

6. A narrowed portion that is narrower than the inner side of the holding space and can prevent the cushioning material contained in the holding space from falling out is formed at the entrance of the holding space. The check valve according to claim 4.

7. The narrowed portion is formed by bending the tip of the hook-shaped bent portion in a direction that narrows the holding space. The check valve according to claim 6.

8. a protruding portion protruding into the holding space is formed on a main body portion of the guide member facing a tip end portion of the bent portion having a hook shape; The protruding portion and the tip of the bent portion constitute the narrowed portion. The check valve according to claim 6.

9. The cushioning material is The valve body has one or more projections protruding toward the valve body. When the check valve is fully open, the protrusion comes into contact with the valve body. A check valve according to any one of claims 4 to 8.

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