Electric valve

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric valve that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by air bubbles contained in the fluid as the fluid passes through the valve orifice. [Solution] The electric valve 1 comprises a main body 20 having a valve chamber 22 formed inside, an inlet hole 23 for connecting an inlet passage 25 for fluid to flow into the valve chamber 22, and a valve port 24 that leads to the valve chamber 22; a valve body 30 disposed in the valve chamber 22 for opening and closing the valve port 24; and a guide part 35 provided in the valve chamber 22 at a position closer to the valve port 24 than the inlet hole 23, which guides the valve body 30 as it moves to open and close the valve port 24. The guide part 35 has a plurality of flow paths 36 that connect the space on the inlet hole 23 side and the space on the valve port side of the valve chamber 22.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric valve.

Background Art

[0002] In air conditioners, refrigerators and the like, electric valves are used to change the direction and flow rate of the refrigerant flowing inside according to the intended function. In this electric valve, abnormal noise is generated when the refrigerant flows into the valve body and air bubbles contained in the refrigerant pass through the orifice.

[0003] In order to prevent the occurrence of such abnormal noise, a technique has been proposed in which a perforated plate having a large number of small holes formed at the port and pipe connection portion of the electric valve is arranged as a flow regulating member, and the refrigerant is passed through the small holes to miniaturize the bubbles contained in the refrigerant, thereby preventing the generation of abnormal noise caused by the bursting of bubbles when passing through the orifice (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that bubbles may grow in the refrigerant that has flowed into the valve chamber after passing through the flow regulating member, and further improvement of the noise reduction effect has been desired.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an electric valve that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by bubbles contained in a fluid such as a refrigerant when the fluid passes through a valve port (orifice).

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] An electric valve according to one aspect of the present invention is A main body portion having a valve chamber formed inside, an inlet hole for connecting an inlet passage for fluid to flow into the valve chamber, and a valve opening leading to the valve chamber, A valve body is arranged in the valve chamber and opens and closes the valve opening, A guide portion is provided in the valve chamber at a position closer to the valve opening than the inlet hole, and guides the valve body that moves to open and close the valve opening, Equipped with, The guide portion has a plurality of flow paths that connect the space on the inlet side and the space on the valve opening side in the valve chamber. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the electric valve of this disclosure, even if bubbles are generated in the fluid flowing into the valve chamber, the bubbles are reduced in size by multiple flow-rectifying channels formed in a guide member located closer to the valve opening than the inlet hole. This suppresses the generation of abnormal noise caused by bubbles in the fluid as the fluid passes through the valve opening (orifice). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electric valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the closed state of an electric valve according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2B] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the open state of an electric valve according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the valve body in an electric valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow AA in Figure 3.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity, configurations having the same reference numerals as those already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted from the description. In the following description of the embodiments, the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction within the plane of the paper in Figures 1 to 3 (the axial direction indicated by "Y" in these figures), and the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 4.

[0011] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electric valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the closed state of the electric valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the open state of the electric valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electric valve 1 includes a drive unit 10, a main body 20, and a valve body 30.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the drive unit 10 includes a drive shaft 11, a bearing member 12, a connecting member 13, a planetary gear mechanism 14, a rotor 15, and a rotor shaft 16.

[0013] The drive shaft 11 has a ball 11a and a male screw 11t, and is located above the valve body 30. The ball 11a is located between the upper surface of the valve body 30 and the lower end surface of the drive shaft 11. The male screw 11t is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 11. The ball 11a prevents the rotation of the drive shaft 11 from being transmitted to the valve body 30, while the vertical movement of the drive shaft 11 is transmitted to the valve body 30.

[0014] The bearing member 12 is substantially cylindrical in shape and has an internal thread 12t on its inner circumference. The bearing member 12 is located in the internal space of the main body 20 and is positioned to cover the side surface of the drive shaft 11. The internal thread 12t is screwed onto the external thread 11t.

[0015] The connecting member 13 is a roughly disc-shaped member and is integrally molded with the rotor 15 and the sun gear of the planetary gear mechanism 14. The connecting member 13 is supported by the rotor shaft 16 and transmits the rotation of the rotor 15 to the sun gear of the planetary gear mechanism 14.

[0016] The planetary gear mechanism 14 is a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the speed of rotation of the rotor 15 and transmits it to the drive shaft 11. The planetary gear mechanism 14 is composed of, for example, a fixed ring gear, a sun gear, a plurality of planetary gears, a carrier, an output gear, an output shaft, and the like.

[0017] The rotor 15 constitutes a stepping motor together with the stator 50 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the rotor 15, and the drive current supplied to the stator 50 causes the rotor 15 to rotate around the axis indicated by "Y" in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as "Y-axis").

[0018] The rotation of the rotor 15 is transmitted to the drive shaft 11 by the planetary gear mechanism 14. When the drive shaft 11 rotates, the drive shaft 11 moves downward due to the feed screw action, and the valve body 30 is pushed down. When the valve portion 32 of the valve body 30 is seated on the valve seat 27 (closing the valve port 24), the motor-operated valve 1 is closed. The configuration and operation of the valve body 30 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The main body portion 20 is a bottomed cylindrical member that is open at the top and elongated in the Y-axis direction. A valve chamber 22 accommodating the valve body 30 is formed inside the main body portion 20. An inflow hole 23 is provided on the side surface of the main body portion 20. The inflow hole 23 is connected to an inflow pipe 25 which is an inflow path for allowing fluid to flow into the valve chamber 22.

[0020] Further, the main body portion 20 is connected to an outflow pipe 26 for allowing fluid to flow out from the valve chamber 22 to the outside. A valve port 24 that connects the valve chamber 22 and the outflow pipe 26 is provided on the lower surface of the main body portion 20. A valve seat 27 against which the valve portion 32 of the valve body 30 abuts is formed on the peripheral edge of the valve port 24.

[0021] The valve body 30 has a body portion 31, a valve portion 32, a receiving portion 33, and a ball receiving portion 34. The body portion 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the Y-axis direction. The valve portion 32 is located below the body portion 31 and has a substantially conical shape with its tip pointed downward in the Y-axis direction. The main body portion 20 and the valve body 30 are arranged such that the tip of the valve portion 32 and the center of the valve opening 24 are both aligned along the Y-axis. The receiving portion 33 is located above the body portion 31 and has a substantially ring shape. The outer diameter of the receiving portion 33 is larger than the outer diameter of the body portion 31, and the ball receiving portion 34 is fixed in a recess provided on the upper surface of the receiving portion 33. Note that the body portion 31, valve portion 32, and receiving portion 33 constituting the valve body 30 may be integrally formed.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the valve body 30 is provided so as to be movable up and down along the Y-axis direction within the valve chamber 22 formed inside the main body 20 as the drive shaft 11 in the drive unit 10 moves. That is, the valve body 30 can move downward along the Y-axis direction to the position shown in Figure 2A until the valve opening 24 is closed by the tip of the valve body 32. In the state shown in Figure 2A, since the valve opening 24 is closed by the valve body 30, the fluid that flows from the inlet pipe 25 through the inlet hole 23 of the main body 20 into the valve chamber 22 remains inside the main body 20, such as in the valve chamber 22. The valve body 30 can also move upward along the Y-axis direction to the position shown in Figure 2B. In the state shown in Figure 2B, since the valve opening 24 is not closed by the valve body 30, the fluid in the valve chamber 22 is discharged from the valve opening 24 to the outlet pipe 26.

[0023] Furthermore, the valve body 30 in this example is provided with a guide portion 35 extending from the outer surface of the valve body 30 to the inner surface of the main body 20 at a position closer to the valve opening 24 than the inlet hole 23 within the valve chamber 22. This guide portion 35 is formed integrally with the other parts of the valve body 30. The outer circumferential surface of the guide portion 35 faces the inner surface 28 of the main body 20. When the valve body 30 moves in the vertical direction, the guide portion 35 is guided along the inner surface 28 of the main body 20. Therefore, the guide portion 35 is the part that guides the valve body 30 as it moves to open and close the valve opening 24. Also, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the guide portion 35 divides the valve chamber 22 into a space 22A on the inlet hole 23 side and a space 22B on the valve opening 24 side.

[0024] Furthermore, a coil spring 40, acting as a biasing member, is housed between the bottom surface 27a of the main body 20, where the valve opening 24 is formed, and the guide portion 35. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one end of the coil spring 40 is in contact with the lower surface of the guide portion 35, and the other end is in contact with the bottom surface 27a of the main body 20. This coil spring 40 biases the valve body 30 in a direction that moves it away from the valve opening 24. By arranging the coil spring 40, which acts as the valve opening spring in the electric valve 1, inside the valve chamber 22 in this way, the electric valve 1 can be made more compact compared to when it is arranged outside the valve chamber 22.

[0025] Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the valve body 30 in the electric valve 1 according to the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a view taken along the AA cross-sectional line in Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the guide portion 35 has a plurality of flow paths 36 that connect the space on the inlet hole 23 side and the space on the valve port 24 side of the valve chamber 22. In this example, the plurality of flow paths 36 are formed such that they approach the valve port 24 in the radial direction (direction perpendicular to the Y axis) of the electric valve 1 as they move from the inlet hole 23 side to the valve port 24 side of the guide portion 35.

[0026] By providing multiple such flow channels 36 in the guide section 35, even if bubbles are generated in the fluid flowing into the valve chamber 22, the bubbles are miniaturized by the multiple flow-rectifying flow channels formed in the guide member 35. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by bubbles contained in the fluid as the fluid passes through the valve opening 24.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the flow path 36 is formed such that the inclination of the flow path 36 that penetrates the guide portion 35 with respect to the Y-axis direction is approximately the same as the inclination of the outer circumferential surface 32a of the valve portion 32 with respect to the Y-axis direction. In other words, the flow path 36 is inclined with respect to the Y-axis direction so as to be aligned with the outer circumferential surface 32a of the valve portion 32, so that the fluid flowing out of the flow path 36 flows along the outer circumferential surface 32a of the valve portion 32. As a result, when the electric valve 1 is opened, the fluid that flows from the inlet hole 23 into the main body portion 20 and passes through the flow path 36 formed in the guide portion 35 can flow more smoothly to the valve opening 24.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the openings 36a on the valve port 24 side of the multiple flow paths 36 are provided along the outer circumferential surface 32a of the valve portion 32, which is a projection from the guide portion 35 of the valve body 30 toward the valve port 24. In other words, in this example, when the valve body 30 is viewed from below, the openings 36a of the multiple flow paths 36 are provided just outside the outer circumferential surface 32a of the valve portion 32, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 32a.

[0029] Furthermore, in this example, as shown in Figure 4, the sum of the areas of the openings 36a on the valve port 24 side in the multiple flow channels 36 is larger than the opening area of ​​the valve port 24. As a result, the fluid that flows into the valve chamber 22 from the inlet hole 23 can smoothly pass through the flow channels 36 and flow to the valve port 24 without stagnating in front of the guide section 35.

[0030] Furthermore, in this example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the openings 36a on the valve port 24 side of the multiple flow paths 36 are formed on the lower surface of the guide portion 35, excluding the portion of the coil spring 40 that is in contact with one end. In other words, the openings 36a on the valve port 24 side of the multiple flow paths 36 are not partially blocked by the coil spring 40, and are entirely exposed on the lower surface of the guide portion 35. As a result, the fluid that has passed through the multiple flow paths 36 can flow smoothly towards the valve port 24 without its flow being obstructed by the coil spring 40.

[0031] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1: Electric valve 10: Drive unit 11: Drive shaft 11a: Ball 11t: Male thread 12: Bearing component 12t: Female thread 13: Connecting member 14: Planetary gear mechanism 15: Rotor 16: Rotor shaft 17: Rotor Magnet 20: Main body 22: Valve chamber 23:Inflow hole 24: Valve opening 25:Inflow pipe 26:Outflow pipe 27: Alveolar seat 27a: Bottom 28: Inner self 30: Valve body 31: Torso 32: Valve 33: Receiving part 34: Ball receiving section 35: Guide Section 36: Flow channel 36a:Aperture 40: Coil spring 50: Status

Claims

1. A main body portion having a valve chamber formed inside, an inlet hole for connecting an inlet passage for fluid to flow into the valve chamber, and a valve opening leading to the valve chamber, A valve body is arranged in the valve chamber and opens and closes the valve opening, A guide portion is provided in the valve chamber at a position closer to the valve opening than the inlet hole, and guides the valve body that moves to open and close the valve opening, Equipped with, The guide portion has a plurality of flow paths formed therein that connect the space on the inlet side and the space on the valve opening side in the valve chamber.

2. The electric valve according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow paths are formed such that they approach the valve opening in the radial direction of the electric valve as they move from the inlet side to the valve opening side in the guide portion.

3. The electric valve according to claim 1, wherein the opening on the valve port side in the plurality of flow paths is provided along the outer circumferential surface of the projection from the guide portion to the valve port side in the valve body.

4. The electric valve according to claim 1, wherein the sum of the areas of the openings on the valve port side in the plurality of flow paths is greater than the opening area of ​​the valve port.

5. The guide portion is formed integrally with the valve body and extends from the outer surface of the valve body toward the inner surface of the main body. The electric valve according to claim 1, wherein a biasing member is housed between the bottom surface of the main body portion where the valve opening is formed and the guide portion.

6. The biasing member is a coil spring in which one end is in contact with the lower surface of the guide portion and the other end is in contact with the bottom surface of the main body portion. The electric valve according to claim 5, wherein the opening on the valve port side of the plurality of flow paths is formed on the lower surface of the guide portion, in a portion other than the portion that is in contact with one end of the biasing member.

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