Electrically operated valve

Abstract

To prevent a valve opening spring from being caught by a main valve seat surface by a pressing force of a refrigerant and prevent malfunctions and valve leakage.SOLUTION: An electrically driven valve comprises: a valve main body 13 that has a main valve chamber 14 and a pilot valve chamber 22 inside, has an inflow port 15 and an outflow port 16 for a refrigerant, and has a main valve seat 17 formed at an end part of the outflow port on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body 18 that moves forward and backward with respect to the main valve seat to open and close the outflow port; a valve opening spring 21 that biases the main valve body in a valve opening direction; a pilot passage 19 that passes through the main valve body and selectively communicates the pilot valve chamber and the outflow port; a pressure equalizing path 20 that communicates the main valve chamber and the pilot valve chamber; a pilot valve seat 23 that is formed at an end part of the pilot passage on the pilot valve chamber side; a pilot valve body 24 that moves forward and backward with respect to the pilot valve seat to open and close the pilot passage; and an electrical driving device 41 that drives the pilot valve body. The inflow port is formed so as to be open at a side surface part of the main valve chamber. The valve opening spring is provided such that a lower end of the valve opening spring is located higher than a lower end of the inflow port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrically driven valve, and more particularly to a valve structure that prevents a valve-opening spring provided in a main valve of a pilot-operated valve from becoming caught in a valve seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrically driven valves (sometimes simply referred to as "driven valves" in this application), which open and close the valve using an electrical drive device such as a solenoid or an electric motor, are used in refrigeration cycle devices equipped with a refrigerant circuit, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers.

[0003] Another type of valve is a pilot-operated valve, in which a pilot valve is driven to open and close by a drive device, and the main valve opens and closes in response to the opening and closing of the pilot valve. In a pilot-operated valve, a coil spring (valve-opening spring) is generally provided in the main valve chamber to bias the main valve body in the valve-opening direction so that the main valve can be opened reliably even at zero pressure difference.

[0004] Further, the following patent documents disclose a pilot-operated valve equipped with such a valve-opening spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-7572 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the conventional valve as described above, the valve-opening spring may become jammed due to the fluid force of the refrigerant flowing into the main valve chamber, which may result in malfunction of the valve or valve leakage.

[0007] FIG. 12 shows the open state of a conventional driven valve, and the valve-opening spring 21 is pushed and deformed by the refrigerant (see symbol F1) flowing into the main valve chamber 14 from the inlet 15. When the valve is closed, the main valve body 18 should normally seat on the main valve seat 17 to close the outlet 16 as shown in FIG. 13, but as shown in FIG. 14, the valve-opening spring 21 becomes caught (is sandwiched between the main valve body 18 and the main valve seat 17), causing the main valve body 18 to malfunction.

[0008] In particular, in a heat pump cycle device in which a two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows, the valve-opening spring 21 is pressed by the liquid phase with a strong pressing force at the time of start-up, and thus jamming is likely to occur.

[0009] On the other hand, in order to prevent pinching, it is also possible to dispose the valve-opening spring 21 above the upper end of the inlet 15 so as to be out of the refrigerant flow path as shown in Figure 15. However, adopting such a structure has the problem that the height dimension of the driven valve becomes large.

[0010] It should be noted that the valves shown in Figures 12 to 15 are normally open type valves, but normally closed type valves also use a valve-opening spring, and so the above-mentioned jamming problem can occur.

[0011] Furthermore, there is room for improving the ease of assembly of conventional valves equipped with a valve-opening spring, particularly for normally closed type valves.

[0012] Specifically, to assemble a normally closed type driven valve, it is necessary to prepare the valve section 12 in which the valve-opening spring 21 and the main valve body 18 are inserted in that order into the valve body 13 as shown in Figure 16, and the drive section 42 in which the valve-closing spring 49 and the plunger 46 are inserted in that order into the sleeve 48 from the other end of the sleeve 48, one end of which is blocked by a suction element 45 and the other end of which has a connecting member 26 fixed thereto, as shown in Figure 17, and then screw the connecting member 26 into the top opening of the valve body 13 (the male thread 26a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 26 is screwed into the female thread 13c formed on the top opening of the valve body 13) to connect the two (valve section 12 and drive section 42) (the connected state is shown in Figure 18).

[0013] However, the valve-opening spring 21 and main valve element 18 of the valve portion 12 are merely inserted into the valve body 13 and are not fixed to it, and similarly, the valve-closing spring 49 and plunger 46 are merely inserted into the sleeve 48 and are not fixed thereto. Therefore, when connecting the valve portion 12 and the drive portion 42, care must be taken to prevent these from coming loose (to prevent the main valve element 18 and valve-opening spring 21 from falling off the valve body 13, and the plunger 46 and valve-closing spring 49 from falling off the sleeve 48), which can be a hassle.

[0014] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the valve-opening spring from being pinched by the pressing force of the refrigerant, and to prevent malfunction and valve leakage of the electrically driven valve. Another object of the present invention is to improve the ease of assembly of the electrically driven valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] [First invention] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, an electrically driven valve according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a valve body having a main valve chamber and a pilot valve chamber therein, an inlet for introducing a refrigerant into the main valve chamber and an outlet for discharging the refrigerant from the main valve chamber, and a main valve seat provided at an end of the outlet on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body that moves back and forth relative to the main valve seat to open and close the outlet; a valve-opening spring that biases the main valve body in the valve-opening direction; a pilot passage that passes through the main valve body and selectively connects the pilot valve chamber and the outlet; and a pilot valve seat formed at an end of the pilot passage on the pilot valve chamber side, a pilot valve body which opens and closes the pilot passage by moving back and forth relative to the pilot valve seat, and an electrically driven device which drives the pilot valve body. The inflow port is formed to open into a side portion of the main valve chamber, and a valve-opening spring is provided so that its lower end is positioned above the lower end of the inflow port when the direction from the main valve seat to the main valve body is defined as up and the direction from the main valve body to the main valve seat is defined as down.

[0016] In the first invention of the present application, the valve-opening spring is provided so that its lower end is located above the lower end of the inlet through which the refrigerant flows. This makes it possible to reduce the pressing force that the valve-opening spring receives from the refrigerant flowing into the main valve chamber from the inlet. In particular, when the refrigerant is in a two-phase gas-liquid state, the liquid phase, which has a larger mass (specific gravity) than the gas phase and exerts a stronger pressing force on the valve-opening spring, flows on the lower end side of the inlet. However, by locating the lower end of the valve-opening spring above the lower end of the inlet, the liquid phase can be avoided (even if it cannot be completely avoided, the pressing force from the liquid phase can be reduced), which effectively prevents the valve-opening spring from getting caught and prevents malfunction of the electrically driven valve and valve leakage.

[0017] In the first aspect of the present invention, the valve-opening spring is preferably provided such that the lower end of the valve-opening spring is positioned lower than the upper end of the inlet.

[0018] This is to reduce the height of the valve-opening spring. It is possible to completely remove the valve-opening spring from the inlet (to place the entire valve-opening spring above the upper end of the inlet) so that it is not directly subjected to the pressing force of the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet, but this structure results in a large height of the valve-opening spring as described above. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the valve-opening spring as described above, that is, so that the lower end of the valve-opening spring is located above the lower end of the inlet and below the upper end of the inlet.

[0019] [Second Invention] a pilot valve body having a main valve chamber and a pilot valve chamber therein, an inlet for allowing a refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber and an outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the main valve chamber, and a main valve seat provided at an end of the outlet on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body that opens and closes the outlet by moving back and forth relative to the main valve seat; a valve-opening spring that biases the main valve body in a valve-opening direction; a pilot passage that passes through the main valve body and selectively connects the pilot valve chamber and the outlet; a pressure equalizing path that connects the main valve chamber and the pilot valve chamber; a pilot valve seat formed at an end of the pilot valve chamber side of the pilot passage; a pilot valve body that opens and closes the pilot passage by moving back and forth relative to the pilot valve seat; and an electrically driven device that drives the pilot valve body,

[0020] In the second invention of the present application, a valve-opening spring is provided so that its lower end is located above the main valve seat. When the valve is open, refrigerant flows into the main valve chamber from the inlet and is discharged from the outlet. The main valve seat is provided at the upper end of the outlet, so by locating the valve-opening spring above the main valve seat, the force that the valve-opening spring receives from the flow of refrigerant that flows in from the inlet and is discharged from the outlet can be reduced, and jamming of the valve-opening spring can be suppressed or prevented.

[0021] Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention (the term "the present invention" refers to both the first and second inventions), in the first and second inventions and a preferred aspect of the first invention, the inner surface of the main valve chamber is provided with a plurality of support portions which protrude from the inner surface of the main valve chamber toward the center of the main valve chamber and support the lower end side of the valve-opening spring, and the main valve body is guided by the support portions by moving up and down while in contact with the support portions.

[0022] According to this aspect, the inclination of the main valve element that moves up and down as the valve is opened and closed can be suppressed, and the operability and durability of the driven valve can be improved. Note that the support portion may be integral with the valve body or may be a separate member.

[0023] In addition, in the above-mentioned one aspect, one or more of the multiple support parts may have a lower end locking part that holds a lower end of the valve-opening spring and restricts vertical movement of the lower end of the valve-opening spring, and the main valve body may have an upper end locking part that holds an upper end of the valve-opening spring and restricts relative vertical movement between the upper end of the valve-opening spring and the main valve body.

[0024] This is to improve the ease of assembly of the driven valve. As described above, when assembling the driven valve, it is necessary to insert the valve-opening spring and the main valve body into the valve body and connect them to the drive part (connecting member). However, according to the above embodiment, which has a lower end locking part that holds the lower end of the valve-opening spring and an upper end locking part that holds the upper end, the valve-opening spring is locked to the valve body by the lower end locking part, and the main valve body is locked to the upper end of the valve-opening spring by the upper end locking part. Therefore, both the valve-opening spring and the main valve body are locked to the valve body, and there is no risk that the valve-opening spring and the main valve body installed in the valve body will come off the valve body during assembly, which improves the ease of assembly of the driven valve. Note that the specific assembly procedure will be described in detail later in the description of the embodiment with reference to the drawings.

[0025] In addition, in a typical aspect of the present invention, the valve body has two or more openings on a side portion of the valve body which can be used as inlets, the upper end locking portion is a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main valve body so as to extend circumferentially, into which the upper end of the valve-opening spring can be fitted, and the lower end locking portion is a groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber so as to extend circumferentially and between adjacent openings, into which the lower end of the valve-opening spring can be fitted. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the valve-opening spring from being pinched by the pressing force of the refrigerant, and to prevent malfunction of the electrically driven valve and valve leakage. Also, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the assemblyability of the electrically driven valve.

[0027] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along X1-X1 in FIG. 3) showing an electrically driven valve (pilot type solenoid valve) according to a first embodiment of the present invention in an open state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along line X2-X2 in FIG. 3) showing the electrically driven valve according to the first embodiment in an open state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electrically driven valve (coils and the like are not shown) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view showing a valve body of the electrically driven valve according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along line X1-X1 in FIG. 3) showing the electrically driven valve according to the first embodiment in a closed state. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along line X2-X2 in FIG. 3) showing the electrically driven valve according to the first embodiment in a closed state. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an electrically driven valve (pilot type solenoid valve / valve section and drive section are connected / coil and the like are not shown) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a process for assembling the electrically driven valve according to the second embodiment (a state in which a valve-opening spring is attached to the main valve body). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a process for assembling the electrically driven valve according to the second embodiment (a state in which the main valve element to which the valve-opening spring is attached is assembled into the valve body). [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an assembly process (a process of connecting the valve portion and the drive portion) of the electrically driven valve according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified example of the electrically driven valve according to the second embodiment (the drive portion is not shown). [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a conventional electrically driven valve (pilot type solenoid valve) in an open state. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the conventional electrically driven valve in a normally closed state (a state in which the supply of current to the coil is stopped and the valve is normally closed). [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an abnormal valve-open state of the conventional electrically driven valve (a state in which the valve-opening spring becomes stuck in the main valve seat surface after the power supply to the coil is stopped). [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an open state of an electrically driven valve (pilot type solenoid valve) according to a comparative example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a process for assembling a conventional electrically driven valve (a state in which a valve-opening spring and a main valve body are assembled into a valve body). [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a process for assembling the conventional electrically driven valve (a state in which a valve-closing spring and a plunger are assembled into the sleeve of the drive section). [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the assembly process of the conventional electrically driven valve (with the valve portion and the drive portion connected). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] [First embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, an electrically driven valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention is (Solenoid valve 11) is a pilot type solenoid valve that includes a valve portion 12 that opens and closes the refrigerant flow path and an electromagnetic actuator (electrical drive device) 41 that drives the valve portion 12, and that controls a main valve that opens and closes the refrigerant flow path with a pilot valve. The solenoid valve 11 is a so-called cartridge type solenoid valve that can be incorporated into a refrigeration cycle device such as a heat pump type heating and cooling system by mounting it on a housing member (not shown) that has an inlet and outlet path for the refrigerant, and is a normally open type valve that is in an open state when not energized.

[0030] The present invention is not limited to cartridge-type valves. The present invention is also not limited to normally open valves, and can be similarly applied to normally closed valves. Furthermore, in each drawing, mutually orthogonal two-dimensional coordinates representing up / down, left / right, and front / rear directions are appropriately displayed, and the following description will be based on these directions, but the present invention and the solenoid valve of this embodiment can be used in various directions, and each direction is for the convenience of explanation and does not impose any limitations on the configuration of each part of the present invention.

[0031] The solenoid valve 11 of this embodiment has, as a valve portion 12 (main valve), a valve body 13 with a main valve chamber 14 therein, an inlet 15 drilled into the side (circumferential surface) of the valve body 13 so as to allow the refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber 14, an outlet 16 that penetrates the bottom 13b of the valve body 13 in the vertical direction and stands vertically upward and has an upper end that protrudes into the main valve chamber 14 so as to allow the refrigerant to flow out of the main valve chamber 14, a main valve seat 17 formed at the upper end of the outlet 16, a main valve element 18 that opens and closes the outlet 16 by moving back and forth (up and down) relative to the main valve seat 17, a valve-opening spring 21 that urges the main valve element 18 in the valve-opening direction (upward), and a connecting member 26 that connects the electromagnetic actuator 31 to the valve body 13.

[0032] The valve body 13 is a cylindrical member with an open top and bottom (openings), the opening on the top is closed by the connecting member 26, and the opening on the bottom serves as the outflow port 16. As described above, the solenoid valve 11 of this embodiment is used by being attached to a housing member, and when the valve body 13 is inserted into a valve mounting hole of the housing member, the outflow port 16 on the bottom surface of the valve body 13 communicates with an outflow passage that opens into the bottom surface of the valve mounting hole of the housing member, thereby making it possible to allow the refrigerant in the main valve chamber 14 to flow out through the outflow passage.

[0033] Meanwhile, the valve body 13 has a plurality of openings 25 (in this embodiment, one each on the front, rear, left and right, a total of four) on its circumferential surface that can be used as the inlet 15, and these openings 25 become the inlet 15. Specifically, when the valve body 13 is inserted into a valve mounting hole of a housing member, the four openings 25 are communicated with each other by a ring-shaped gap formed between the valve body 13 and the housing member. This allows the refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber 14 through the openings 25.

[0034] The ring-shaped gap formed between the valve body 13 and the housing member is sealed by sealing members (O-rings / not shown) attached to the recesses 60, 61 of the valve body 13, respectively, so that the refrigerant does not leak out to the outside or into the outflow path.

[0035] The upper part of the main valve element 18 is supported by a cylinder portion 13a formed on the upper part of the valve body 13 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. In addition, a valve-opening spring 21 that urges the main valve element 18 in the valve-opening direction (upward) is provided between the bottom surface of the main valve chamber 14 and the main valve element 18. This valve-opening spring 21 is a compression coil spring that is installed in a compressed state between a plurality of support portions 31 (four in this embodiment) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber 14 so as to surround the middle part of the main valve element 18 and a step portion formed on the underside of the upper part of the main valve element 18 that is slidably supported by the cylinder portion 13a.

[0036] The support portions 31 that support the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 are formed between adjacent holes 25. Each support portion 31 has a protruding portion 32 that protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the valve body 18 (main valve chamber 14) toward the central axis A of the solenoid valve 11 (main valve chamber 14), and a fitting groove 33 into which the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 can be fitted when the valve-opening spring 21 is installed in the main valve chamber 14. The protruding portion 32 has an upper surface 32a that extends horizontally so that the valve-opening spring 21 can be placed, and the fitting groove 33 is formed in the inner circumferential surface of the valve body 13 so as to follow the outer periphery of the upper surface 32a (the edge portion on the side farther from the central axis A of the solenoid valve 11).

[0037] The fitting groove 33 is a groove with a triangular cross section formed by a tapered upper surface that widens outward (in the direction away from the central axis A of the solenoid valve 11) as it goes downward at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder portion 13a, and a lower surface that continues to the protruding portion upper surface 32a and widens horizontally outward. The valve-opening spring 21 has a lower end that widens (has a larger diameter) as it goes downward so as to fit into the fitting groove 33. Therefore, in this embodiment, the valve-opening spring 21 can be installed inside the valve body 13 by fitting the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 into the fitting groove 33 with a simple operation of simply dropping the valve-opening spring 21 into the main valve chamber 14 from the upper opening of the valve body 13.

[0038] Each support portion 31 has the function of holding the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 within the fitting groove 33, and also functions to guide the main valve body 18 which moves back and forth (up and down) relative to the main valve seat 17 within the main valve chamber 14 by abutting the protrusion 32 against the lower peripheral surface of the main valve body 18 so that the main valve body 18 can slide up and down, thereby preventing the main valve body 18 from shifting laterally (displacement in a direction intersecting the central axis A) or tilting.

[0039] In particular, according to this embodiment (as well as the second embodiment described below), not only is the upper part of the main valve body 18 slidably supported by the cylinder portion 13a on the upper part of the valve body, but the lower part of the main valve body 18 is slidably supported by the support portion 31 (protrusion portion 32) (supporting both the upper end and the lower end), so that lateral shifting or tilting of the main valve body 18 can be more reliably prevented, and the operability and durability of the solenoid valve 11 can be further improved.

[0040] The height h of the support portion 31 (the vertical distance from the lower end of the inlet 15 to the upper surface 32a of the protrusion 32), i.e., the height of the protrusion upper surface 32a on which the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 is supported, is set to a height at which the protrusion upper surface 32a is positioned above the vertical center of the inlet 15 (a height position from the lower end of the inlet 15 to half the diameter of the inlet 15, in other words, the central axis of the inlet 15) and below the upper end of the inlet 15.

[0041] The reason why the support portion 31 (the protruding portion upper surface 32a) is set higher than the center of the inlet 15 in the vertical direction is to prevent the valve-opening spring 21 from receiving as much pressing force as possible from the refrigerant flowing from the inlet 15 into the main valve chamber 14. In particular, when the refrigerant is in a gas-liquid two-phase state, the liquid phase, which exerts a strong pressing force on the valve-opening spring 21, flows on the lower end side of the inlet 15. By setting the height in this manner, it is possible to avoid or reduce the strong pressing force from the liquid phase on the valve-opening spring 21, and it is possible to effectively prevent the valve-opening spring 21 from being pinched. In this embodiment, the height of the support portion 31 is set higher than the height of the main valve seat 17, and from this point of view, this embodiment has a structure in which the valve-opening spring 21 is less likely to receive the pressing force of the refrigerant flowing from the inlet 15 toward the outlet 16 (main valve seat 17).

[0042] On the other hand, the reason why the protruding portion upper surface 32a is positioned below the upper end of the inlet 15 is to reduce the height of the solenoid valve 11.

[0043] In this embodiment, since the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 is supported at the height position as described above, the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 is visible through the opening 25 before being installed in the housing member.

[0044] The connecting member 26 that closes the top opening of the valve body 13 is a ring-shaped member with a central hole, and is provided on its outer peripheral surface with male threads 26a that screw into female threads 13c formed on the inner peripheral surface of the top opening of the valve body 13. The connecting member 26 is fixed to the valve body 13 by screwing it into the top opening of the valve body 13. Also, a suction element 45 (described later) is fitted into the central hole of the connecting member 26 and fixed therein.

[0045] The main valve element 18 has a pilot passage 19 that passes through its center in the vertical direction to communicate between the main valve chamber 14 and the pilot valve chamber 22, and a pressure equalizing passage 20 that also passes through the main valve element 18 in the vertical direction to communicate between the main valve chamber 14 and the pilot valve chamber 22 but has a smaller diameter than the pilot passage 19. The main valve chamber 14 is the space between the main valve element 18 and the main valve seat 17 and the space facing the inlet 15, and the pilot valve chamber 22 is the space formed above the main valve element 18 (between the main valve element 18 and the connecting member 26). The upper peripheral edge of the main valve element 18 protrudes upward, and when the main valve element 18 rises in the open state, the peripheral edge comes into contact with the lower surface of the connecting member 26, causing the main valve element 18 to stop.

[0046] A pilot valve is provided between the upper surface of the main valve body 18 and the electromagnetic actuator 41. Specifically, a pilot valve seat 23 is formed at the upper end (the center of the upper surface of the main valve body 18) of a pilot passage 19 that opens into a pilot valve chamber 22 formed on the upper side of the main valve body 18, and a pilot valve body 24 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the pilot valve seat 23. The pilot valve body 24 is fixed to the lower end of a plunger 46 (described later), and opens and closes the pilot passage 19 by moving up and down together with the plunger 46.

[0047] The electromagnetic actuator 41 for driving the pilot valve includes a coil 44 formed by winding a bobbin 43, an attractor 45 disposed inside the coil 44, and a plunger 46 attracted to the attractor 45 by the magnetic force generated by the coil 44. The bobbin 43 has a cylindrical portion at its center, and the attractor 45 and the plunger 46 are disposed in this cylindrical portion while being housed in a sleeve 48. The sleeve 48 is a cylindrical member with no bottom and a lid (the upper surface is closed and the lower surface is open), and the lower end portion is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the attractor 45, and forms a sealed space on the upper surface of the valve body 13 together with the connecting member 26. The plunger 46 is housed inside the sleeve 48 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and an upper coil spring (compression coil spring) 47 is provided between the plunger 46 and the attractor 45 to urge the plunger 46 upward, urging the pilot valve body 24 in the valve opening direction.

[0048] The operation of the solenoid valve according to this embodiment will be described as follows.

[0049] 1 and 2, the pilot passage 19 is open, and the high-pressure refrigerant that flows into the main valve chamber 14 from the inlet 15 and flows through the pressure equalizing path 20 into the pilot valve chamber 22 is discharged from the outlet 16 through the pilot passage 19 without accumulating in the pilot valve chamber 22. As a result, the pressure in the pilot valve chamber 22 does not increase, and the main valve element 18 is pressed against the lower surface of the connecting member 26 by the urging force of the valve-opening spring 21 that urges the main valve element 18 upward (in the valve-opening direction), maintaining the open valve state, and the refrigerant that has flowed into the main valve chamber 14 from the inlet 15 (see arrow F1) flows out from the outlet 16 (see arrow F2).

[0050] In addition, in this open valve state, as already described in this embodiment, the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 is positioned higher than in the conventional case, so that the pressing force received by the valve-opening spring 21 from the refrigerant is kept small, preventing the valve-opening spring 21 from deforming or displacing. This makes it possible to prevent malfunctions such as the valve-opening spring 21 getting caught in the main valve seat surface during the valve closing operation described below, preventing the main valve from closing and resulting in valve leakage.

[0051] In the above-mentioned valve-open state, when the coil 44 in the electromagnetic actuator 41 is energized, the plunger 46 is attracted by the attractor 45 and moves down against the biasing force of the upper coil spring 47, and the pilot valve element 24 seats on the pilot valve seat 23. This closes the pilot passage 19, and the refrigerant pressure introduced into the pilot valve chamber 22 through the pressure equalizing path 20 accumulates without being released through the pilot passage 19, and the pressure in the pilot valve chamber 22 rises. Then, when the force pressing the main valve element 18 downward, which is the refrigerant pressure in the pilot valve chamber 22 (more precisely, the pressure difference between the pilot valve chamber 22 and the main valve chamber 14) and the suction force of the attractor 45 (the downward force attracting the plunger 46), exceeds the upward biasing force of the valve-opening spring 21, the main valve element 18 moves down and seats on the main valve seat 17. This closes the outlet 16, resulting in a valve-closed state.

[0052] On the other hand, when the current supply to the coil 44 is stopped in this valve-closed state, the suction force of the suction element 45 disappears and the plunger 46 is released from the suction element 45, so that the plunger 46 is pushed back upward by the upper coil spring 47, the pilot valve body 24 moves away from the pilot valve seat 23, and the pilot passage 19 is opened. Then, the refrigerant accumulated in the pilot valve chamber 22 is discharged from the outlet 16 through the pilot passage 19, and the pressure in the pilot valve chamber 22 decreases. Furthermore, since the cross-sectional area of ​​the pilot passage 19 is larger than that of the pressure equalizing passage 20, a pressure difference that pulls the main valve body 18 upward is generated on the upper and lower surfaces of the main valve body 18. In addition, the valve-opening spring 21 has a biasing force that pulls the main valve body 18 upward. As a result, the main valve body 18 is pushed up, and the main valve body 18 moves away from the main valve seat 17, opening the outlet 16 and creating an open valve state (see Figs. 1 and 2).

[0053] In this open valve state, the plunger 46 is pushed up by the upper coil spring 47 and is in the uppermost position where it abuts against the top surface 48a of the sleeve 48, and the main valve body 18 is stopped by abutting against the underside of the connecting member 26. As a result, a certain gap is formed between the pilot valve body 24 at the lower end of the plunger and the pilot valve seat 23 in the center of the upper surface of the main valve body 18, and the pilot passage 19 is open.

[0054] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 11. As shown in Figure 7, an electrically driven valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention. (Solenoid valve 51) As in the first embodiment, this embodiment is a cartridge-type solenoid valve equipped with a pilot-type valve portion 12 and an electromagnetic actuator 41 (coils and the like are not shown) including a drive portion 42 that drives the valve portion 12, and is equipped with a support portion 31 that supports the lower end portion of the valve-opening spring 21 that biases the main valve body 18 in the valve-opening direction at an upper position in the main valve chamber 14 to prevent the valve-opening spring 21 from getting caught, but in addition to this, it has a structure that improves assembly. In the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment, and duplicate descriptions are omitted, and the description will focus on the differences.

[0055] Also, unlike the first embodiment, the solenoid valve 51 of this embodiment is a normally closed type valve that is in a closed state when not energized. For this reason, the electromagnetic actuator 41 has, as the drive unit 42, a sleeve 48 that is a cylindrical member with no bottom or lid (both the upper and lower surfaces are open), an attractor 45 that closes the upper surface of the sleeve 48 by fixing the upper end of the sleeve 48 to the outer circumferential surface, a plunger 46 provided below the attractor 45 so as to be slidable (movable up and down) within the sleeve 48, and a valve-closing spring (compression coil spring) 49 arranged between the attractor 45 and the plunger 46. The valve-closing spring 49 urges the plunger 46 downward (in the direction to close the pilot valve).

[0056] The plunger 46 is provided with the pilot valve body 24 at its lower end, and is attracted to the attractor 45 by a magnetic force generated by a coil (not shown) disposed on the outside of the sleeve 48. The sleeve 48 is fixed to the upper surface of the connecting member 26 by inserting its lower end into the central hole of the connecting member 26.

[0057] Furthermore, the solenoid valve 51 in this embodiment has a protrusion 32 and an engagement groove 33 (called a "lower engagement groove" in this embodiment) as a support part 31 that holds the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21, as in the first embodiment, but in addition to this, it has an upper engagement groove 35 that holds the upper end of the valve-opening spring 21.

[0058] This upper fitting groove 35 is formed on the underside of the upper part of the main valve body 18, which is slidably supported on the cylinder portion 13a of the valve body 13, so as to extend circumferentially along the outer circumferential surface of the main valve body 18, and by fitting the upper end of the valve-opening spring 21 into the upper fitting groove 35, the valve-opening spring 21 and the main valve body 18 can be integrated together.

[0059] The assembly process of the solenoid valve of this embodiment will be described.

[0060] First, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper end of the valve-opening spring 21 is fitted into the upper fitting groove 35, thereby attaching the valve-opening spring 21 to the main valve body 18.

[0061] Next, the main valve element 18 with the valve-opening spring 21 attached is dropped into the inside of the valve body 13 from the top opening of the valve body 13 as shown in Fig. 9. This causes the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 to fit into the lower fitting groove 33 of the valve body 13 (support portion 31), and the valve-opening spring 21 and the main valve element 18 can be installed in the valve body 13. In this state, the main valve element 18 and the valve-opening spring 21 are integrated via the upper fitting groove 35, and the valve-opening spring 21 and the valve body 13 are integrated via the lower fitting groove 33, so that the valve-opening spring 21 and the main valve element 18 will not fall off from the valve body 13 even if the valve body 13 is turned upside down (upside down).

[0062] Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, a separately prepared drive unit 42 is supported upside down, and the valve unit 12 is placed over it upside down and the two are rotated relative to each other, and the connecting member 26 is screwed into the top opening of the valve body 13 (by screwing the male thread 26a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 26 into the female thread 13c formed on the inner peripheral surface of the top opening of the valve body 13), thereby connecting the valve unit 12 and the drive unit 42.

[0063] During this connection operation, there is no risk of the plunger 46 or the valve-closing spring 49 coming out of the drive unit 42 (sleeve 48). The plunger 46 and the valve-closing spring 49 of the drive unit 42 are simply inserted into the sleeve 48 from the bottom opening of the sleeve 48 and are not fixed in place, but this is because the work is performed with the drive unit 42 turned upside down, so the bottom opening of the sleeve 48 is located on the upper side, and the top opening of the sleeve 48, which is located on the lower side during work, is closed by the suction element 45 being fixed thereto.

[0064] Furthermore, the various components of the valve portion 12 (valve body 13, valve-opening spring 21, and main valve element 18) are integrated together by fixing the valve-opening spring 21 to the upper fitting groove 35 and the lower fitting groove 33, so that the main valve element 18 and the valve-opening spring 21 will not fall out of the valve portion 12 (valve body 13).

[0065] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operation of connecting the valve portion 12 and the drive portion 42 can be performed efficiently, and the assembly of the solenoid valve 51 can be improved.

[0066] Furthermore, Fig. 11 shows a modified example of this embodiment. In this modified example, the upper surface of the lower fitting groove 36 that holds the lower end of the valve-opening spring 21 is formed horizontally so as to be parallel to the protruding portion upper surface 32a. According to this embodiment, it is possible to make it difficult for the valve-opening spring 21 to come out of the lower fitting groove 36 during the connecting work (Fig. 10), and it is possible to more reliably prevent the main valve body 18 and the valve-opening spring 21 from falling off.

[0067] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0068] For example, the present invention is not limited to solenoid valves, but can also be applied to electrically driven valves such as motor-operated valves equipped with an actuator that uses a motor to move the valve body. When applied to motor-operated valves, a pilot valve body may be provided at the tip of a lifting member (e.g., a valve stem or a valve rod) that serves as a moving body that is moved up and down by a lifting device using a screw feed mechanism, to open and close the pilot passage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] A Central axis of solenoid valve F1, F2 refrigerant flow 11,51 Solenoid valve 12 Valve section 13 Valve body 13a Cylinder section 13b Bottom of valve body 13c Female thread 14 Main valve chamber 15 Inlet 16 Outlet 17 Main valve seat 18 Main valve body 19 Pilot Passage 20 Pressure Equalizing Path 21 Valve opening spring 22 Pilot valve chest 23 Pilot valve seat 24 Pilot valve body 25 Open hole 26 Connecting members 26a Male thread 31 Support part 32 Protrusion 32a Upper surface of protrusion 33,36 Fitting groove (lower fitting groove) 35 Upper fitting groove 41 Electromagnetic Actuator 42 Drive unit 43 Bobbin 44 Coil 45 Attractor 46 Plunger 47 Upper coil spring 48 Sleeve 48a Top of sleeve 49 Valve closing spring 60,61 Recess

Claims

1. a valve body having a main valve chamber and a pilot valve chamber therein, an inlet for allowing a refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber and an outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the main valve chamber, and a main valve seat provided at an end of the outlet on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body that moves toward and away from the main valve seat to open and close the outlet; a valve opening spring that biases the main valve body in a valve opening direction; a pilot passage passing through the main valve body and selectively connecting the pilot valve chamber and the outlet port; a pressure equalizing passage that communicates the main valve chamber and the pilot valve chamber; a pilot valve seat formed at an end of the pilot passage on a pilot valve chamber side; a pilot valve body that moves toward and away from the pilot valve seat to open and close the pilot passage; an electric drive device for driving the pilot valve body; An electrically driven valve comprising: The inlet is formed to open to a side surface of the main valve chamber, When the direction from the main valve seat to the main valve body is defined as an up direction and the direction from the main valve body to the main valve seat is defined as a down direction, The valve-opening spring is provided so that the lower end of the valve-opening spring is located above the lower end of the inlet and below the upper end of the inlet.

1. An electrically driven valve.

2. a plurality of support portions are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber, the support portions protruding from an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber toward a center portion of the main valve chamber and supporting a lower end side of the valve-opening spring; The main valve body is guided by the support portion by moving up and down while in contact with the support portion. The electrically operated valve according to claim 1 .

3. a valve body having a main valve chamber and a pilot valve chamber therein, an inlet for allowing a refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber and an outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the main valve chamber, and a main valve seat provided at an end of the outlet on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body that moves toward and away from the main valve seat to open and close the outlet; a valve opening spring that biases the main valve body in a valve opening direction; a pilot passage passing through the main valve body and selectively connecting the pilot valve chamber and the outlet port; a pressure equalizing passage that communicates the main valve chamber and the pilot valve chamber; a pilot valve seat formed at an end of the pilot passage on a pilot valve chamber side; a pilot valve body that moves toward and away from the pilot valve seat to open and close the pilot passage; an electric drive device for driving the pilot valve body; An electrically driven valve comprising: The inlet is formed to open to a side surface of the main valve chamber, When the direction from the main valve seat to the main valve body is defined as an up direction and the direction from the main valve body to the main valve seat is defined as a down direction, The valve-opening spring is provided so that a lower end of the valve-opening spring is located above a lower end of the inlet, a plurality of support portions are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber, the support portions protruding from an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber toward a center portion of the main valve chamber and supporting a lower end side of the valve-opening spring; The main valve body is guided by the support portion by moving up and down while in contact with the support portion.

1. An electrically driven valve.

4. a valve body having a main valve chamber and a pilot valve chamber therein, an inlet for allowing a refrigerant to flow into the main valve chamber and an outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the main valve chamber, and a main valve seat provided at an end of the outlet on the main valve chamber side; a main valve body that moves toward and away from the main valve seat to open and close the outlet; a valve opening spring that biases the main valve body in a valve opening direction; a pilot passage passing through the main valve body and selectively connecting the pilot valve chamber and the outlet port; a pressure equalizing passage that communicates the main valve chamber and the pilot valve chamber; a pilot valve seat formed at an end of the pilot passage on a pilot valve chamber side; a pilot valve body that moves toward and away from the pilot valve seat to open and close the pilot passage; an electric drive device for driving the pilot valve body; An electrically driven valve comprising: When the direction from the main valve seat to the main valve body is defined as an up direction and the direction from the main valve body to the main valve seat is defined as a down direction, The valve-opening spring is provided so that a lower end of the valve-opening spring is located above the main valve seat, a plurality of support portions are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber, the support portions protruding from an inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber toward a center portion of the main valve chamber and supporting a lower end side of the valve-opening spring; The main valve body is guided by the support portion by moving up and down while in contact with the support portion.

1. An electrically driven valve.

5. One or more of the plurality of support portions have a lower end locking portion that holds a lower end portion of the valve-opening spring and restricts vertical movement of the lower end portion of the valve-opening spring, The main valve body has an upper end locking portion that holds an upper end of the valve-opening spring and restricts relative movement in the vertical direction between the upper end of the valve-opening spring and the main valve body.

5. An electrically driven valve according to claim 2.

6. The valve body has two or more openings in a side surface of the valve body, the openings being capable of being the inlet ports; the upper end locking portion is a groove formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main valve body so as to extend in a circumferential direction, into which an upper end of the valve-opening spring can be fitted, The lower end locking portion is a groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main valve chamber so as to extend in the circumferential direction and between adjacent ones of the openings, into which the lower end of the valve-opening spring can be fitted.

6. The electrically operated valve according to claim 5.

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