Electronic expansion valve

Abstract

An electronic expansion valve, comprising: a valve sleeve (10), which is provided with a connecting port; and a valve seat (20), which is provided with a valve cavity (100), wherein a mounting section (21), a linear section (22) and a tapered section (23) which are sequentially connected are provided at the end of the valve seat (20) close to the valve sleeve (10); the mounting section (21) runs through the connecting port; the valve cavity (100) is in communication with the valve sleeve (10) by means of the mounting section (21); the valve sleeve (10) fits with the valve seat (20) to form an accommodating cavity, the accommodating cavity being used for having a valve assembly placed therein; the diameter of the tapered section (23) gradually increases in a direction away from the valve sleeve (10); a welding ring (30) is accommodated between the tapered section (23) and the linear section (22), and the valve sleeve (10) is connected to the valve seat (20) by means of the welding ring (30); the maximum outer diameter of the tapered section (23) is greater than the inner diameter of the welding ring (30), and the minimum outer diameter of the tapered section (23) is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the welding ring (30). The problem of the welding ring (30) easily falling off the valve seat (20) is solved.

Description

Electronic expansion valve

[0001] This application claims priority to a patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 30, 2023, with application number 2023229427635 and title “Electronic Expansion Valve.” Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of control valves, and in particular to an electronic expansion valve. Background Art

[0003] At present, electronic expansion valves usually include a valve sleeve and a valve seat. In the prior art, the valve sleeve and the valve seat are connected by welding to ensure the connection performance. Before welding, a welding ring is placed at the connection between the valve sleeve and the valve seat to improve the welding quality. In order to ensure that the welding ring can fill the gap between the valve sleeve and the valve seat, a fixing plate is added to the bottom of the welding ring to ensure the position of the welding ring relative to the valve sleeve and the valve seat. However, during the welding work, the fixing plate may fall off from the valve seat due to movement of the workpiece or thermal deformation, causing the welding ring to fall off, thereby affecting the welding quality between the valve sleeve and the valve seat.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides an electronic expansion valve to solve the problem in the prior art that the welding ring is easily detached from the valve seat.

[0006] The present application provides an electronic expansion valve, which includes: a valve sleeve having a connecting port; a valve seat having a valve cavity, wherein one end of the valve seat close to the valve sleeve has an installation section, a straight section, and a tapered section connected in sequence, the installation section is passed through the connecting port, the valve cavity is communicated with the valve sleeve through the installation section, the valve sleeve and the valve seat cooperate to form an accommodating chamber, the accommodating chamber is used to place the valve assembly, the diameter of the tapered section gradually increases from the direction away from the valve sleeve, the tapered section and the straight section are used to accommodate a welding ring, the valve sleeve is connected to the valve seat through the welding ring, the maximum outer diameter of the tapered section is greater than the inner diameter of the welding ring, and the minimum outer diameter of the tapered section is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the welding ring.

[0007] Through the technical solution of the present application, a welding ring can be accommodated between the tapered section and the straight section, and the diameter of the tapered section gradually increases from the direction away from the valve sleeve. By setting the maximum outer diameter of the tapered section to be larger than the inner diameter of the welding ring, it can be ensured that after the welding ring is assembled on the valve seat, the tapered section plays a blocking role on the welding ring, preventing the welding ring from falling off the valve seat, ensuring the welding quality between the valve seat and the valve sleeve, and enabling the welding ring to climb to the gap between the valve sleeve and the valve seat after melting, and fill the gap, thereby improving the connection strength between the valve seat and the valve sleeve.

[0008] Furthermore, the cone angle of the conical section is α, 0°<α<90°. Through the above arrangement, it is possible to ensure that the welding ring is subjected to a pre-tightening force in the direction of the valve sleeve while ensuring that the valve sleeve is not separated from the valve seat by a large force, thereby ensuring the welding quality between the valve sleeve and the valve seat.

[0009] Furthermore, the diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring is D1, and the length of the straight section along the axial direction is D2, where D2 is less than D1. This arrangement ensures that the welding ring adheres closely to the outer wall of the valve sleeve, ensuring the connection strength between the valve seat and the valve sleeve, and preventing leakage from the valve cavity, while the tapered section provides a preload force for the welding ring toward the valve sleeve.

[0010] Furthermore, the electronic expansion valve includes a mounting bracket that is sleeved onto the valve seat and welded to the valve sleeve. The mounting bracket is used to secure the coil. This arrangement secures the coil, preventing the coil from falling off and potentially causing the electronic expansion valve to lose its drive function, thereby improving the stability of the electronic expansion valve during use.

[0011] Furthermore, the mounting bracket has a mounting opening, the valve seat is disposed within the mounting opening, and the welding ring is disposed between the mounting opening and the straight section. The inner diameter of the mounting opening is greater than the outer diameter of the tapered section, the minimum distance between the inner wall of the mounting opening and the tapered section is D3, and the diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring is D1, where D3>D1. This arrangement ensures that there is sufficient space between the inner wall of the mounting opening and the outer wall of the straight section to accommodate the welding ring, ensuring that the welding ring can fill the gap between the valve sleeve and the valve seat during welding.

[0012] Furthermore, the minimum distance between the inner wall of the mounting opening and the welding ring is D4, where D4 is less than D1 / 2. This arrangement allows the welding ring to simultaneously weld to the mounting bracket, valve seat, and valve sleeve after melting, improving the connection strength between the mounting bracket and the valve sleeve and enhancing the overall structural stability of the electronic expansion valve. This arrangement allows the stepped surface to position the valve sleeve while also increasing the contact area between the valve seat and the sleeve.

[0013] Furthermore, the diameter of the installation section is smaller than the diameter of the straight section, a step surface is formed between the installation section and the straight section, and one end of the valve sleeve where the connection port is located abuts against the step surface.

[0014] Furthermore, the conical section is formed by lathing the valve seat. Through the above arrangement, the structural strength of the conical section can be ensured, thereby ensuring the support performance of the conical section on the welding ring, ensuring that the welding ring is subjected to a certain pre-tightening force, and thus improving the welding effect of the valve seat and the valve sleeve.

[0015] Furthermore, the diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring is D1, and the thickness of the fixing frame is h, where h>D1. This arrangement prevents the welding ring from flowing toward the side of the fixing frame away from the valve sleeve after melting, thereby improving the connection strength between the fixing frame and the valve sleeve and ensuring welding quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings that constitute part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation on this application. In the drawings:

[0017] FIG1 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic expansion valve provided by the present application;

[0018] FIG2 shows a schematic structural diagram of the valve seat provided in this application;

[0019] FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a welding ring provided in the present application;

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG. 1 .

[0021] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0022] 100, valve chamber;

[0023] 10. Valve sleeve;

[0024] 20. Valve seat; 21. Mounting section; 22. Straight section; 23. Conical section; 24. Step surface;

[0025] 30. Welding ring;

[0026] 40. Fixing bracket; 41. Mounting port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present application and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] As shown in FIG1 , an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic expansion valve, which includes a valve sleeve 10 and a valve seat 20. The valve sleeve 10 has a connection port, and the valve seat 20 has a valve cavity 100. The valve seat 20, at one end adjacent to the valve sleeve 10, has a mounting section 21, a straight section 22, and a tapered section 23, which are sequentially connected. The mounting section 21 is disposed within the connection port, and the valve cavity 100 communicates with the valve sleeve 10 via the mounting section 21. The valve sleeve 10 and the valve seat 20 cooperate to form a receiving chamber for accommodating a valve assembly. The diameter of the tapered section 23 gradually increases away from the valve sleeve 10. A weld ring 30 is accommodated between the tapered section 23 and the straight section 22. The valve sleeve 10 is connected to the valve seat 20 via the weld ring 30. The maximum outer diameter of the tapered section 23 is greater than the inner diameter of the weld ring 30, and the minimum outer diameter of the tapered section 23 is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the weld ring 30.

[0029] Through the technical solution of the present application, the welding ring 30 can be accommodated between the tapered section 23 and the straight section 22. The diameter of the tapered section 23 gradually increases in the direction away from the valve sleeve 10. By setting the maximum outer diameter of the tapered section 23 to be larger than the inner diameter of the welding ring 30, it can be ensured that after the welding ring 30 is assembled on the valve seat 20, the tapered section 23 plays a blocking role on the welding ring 30, preventing the welding ring 30 from falling off the valve seat 20, ensuring the welding quality between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10, and allowing the welding ring 30 to climb to the gap between the valve sleeve 10 and the valve seat 20 after melting, and fill the gap, thereby improving the connection strength between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10.

[0030] Specifically, the valve seat 20 is generally made of stainless steel that is suitable for turning and is not prone to deformation, thereby facilitating the processing and forming of the valve seat 20. The valve sleeve 10 is usually formed from stainless steel using a stretching process to reduce production costs. In the present application, the valve sleeve 10 can be an integrally formed structure to reduce the number of parts and the number of steps required to assemble the electronic expansion valve. The valve sleeve 10 can also be a split structure, where a portion of the valve sleeve 10 is welded to the valve seat 20, and then another portion of the valve sleeve 10 is welded to meet the installation requirements of the rotor assembly of the electronic expansion valve.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the tapered section 23 has a taper angle α, where 0° < α < 90°. When α ≤ 0°, the diameter of the tapered section 23 gradually decreases or remains constant in the direction away from the valve sleeve 10. This fails to provide an axial limit for the weld ring 30, causing it to fall off the valve seat 20 and failing to maintain a good weld. When α ≥ 90°, the tapered section 23 exerts a significant pressure on the weld ring 30 toward the valve sleeve 10. The weld ring 30 transmits this pressure to the valve sleeve 10, potentially causing the valve sleeve 10 to separate from the valve seat 20 under the action of the tapered section 23, resulting in weld failure. In this application, by setting 0° < α < 90°, the weld ring 30 is preloaded toward the valve sleeve 10 while preventing the valve sleeve 10 from being separated from the valve seat 20 due to significant force, thereby ensuring a high weld quality between the valve sleeve 10 and the valve seat 20. Specifically, α can be set to 10°, 30°, 60°, or 80°.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 4 , the diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring 30 is D1, and the axial length of the straight section 22 is D2, where D2 is less than D1. Through this arrangement, while the tapered section 23 provides a preload force for the welding ring 30 toward the valve sleeve 10, by setting the axial cross-section diameter of the welding ring 30 to be greater than the axial length of the straight section 22, the welding ring 30 is ensured to be in close contact with the outer wall of the valve sleeve 10. This allows the welding ring 30 to melt during welding and rise into the gap between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10, thereby achieving a weld between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10, ensuring the connection strength between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10, and preventing leakage from the valve cavity 100.

[0033] Furthermore, the electronic expansion valve includes a mounting bracket 40, which is sleeved onto the valve seat 20 and welded to the valve sleeve 10. The mounting bracket 40 is used to secure the coil. Specifically, in this application, the valve assembly can adjust the flow rate of the fluid passing through the valve chamber 100 under the drive of the coil, thereby achieving the flow regulation function of the electronic expansion valve. The mounting bracket 40 can secure the coil, preventing the coil from falling off and causing the electronic expansion valve to fail, thereby improving the stability of the electronic expansion valve during use.

[0034] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the mounting bracket 40 has a mounting opening 41, the valve seat 20 is disposed within the mounting opening 41, and the welding ring 30 is disposed between the mounting opening 41 and the straight section 22. The inner diameter of the mounting opening 41 is greater than the outer diameter of the tapered section 23. The minimum distance between the inner wall of the mounting opening 41 and the tapered section 23 is D3. The diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring 30 is D1, where D3>D1. This arrangement ensures that there is sufficient space between the inner wall of the mounting opening 41 and the outer wall of the straight section 22 to accommodate the welding ring 30, preventing the mounting bracket 40 from squeezing the welding ring 30 and causing it to fall off. This ensures that the welding ring 30 can fill the gap between the valve sleeve 10 and the valve seat 20 during welding, thereby improving welding quality.

[0035] Furthermore, the minimum distance between the inner wall of the mounting opening 41 and the welding ring 30 is D4, where D4 is less than D1 / 2. This arrangement ensures a sufficient distance between the welding ring and the mounting bracket 40, allowing a portion of the welding ring 30 to melt into the gap between the mounting bracket 40 and the valve sleeve 10. This allows the welding ring 30 to simultaneously weld the mounting bracket 40, the valve seat 20, and the valve sleeve 10, thereby improving the connection strength between the mounting bracket 40 and the valve sleeve 10 and enhancing the overall structural stability of the electronic expansion valve.

[0036] Specifically, in the present application, the diameter of the mounting section 21 is smaller than the diameter of the straight section 22. A stepped surface 24 is formed between the mounting section 21 and the straight section 22. The end of the valve sleeve 10 where the connection port is located abuts against the stepped surface 24. Through this arrangement, the stepped surface 24 can limit the position of the valve sleeve 10 and also increase the contact area between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10. When the welding ring 30 melts, the welding surface between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10 is increased, thereby improving the connection strength between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10.

[0037] Specifically, the tapered section 23 is formed by lathing the valve seat 20. This arrangement ensures the structural strength of the tapered section 23, preventing it from falling off the valve seat 20. This in turn ensures the tapered section 23 supports the welding ring 30, ensuring that the welding ring 30 is subjected to a certain preload force, and thus ensuring a good welding effect between the valve seat 20 and the valve sleeve 10.

[0038] Furthermore, the diameter of the axial cross-section of the welding ring 30 is D1, and the thickness of the fixing frame 40 is h, where h>D1. This arrangement prevents the welding ring 30 from flowing toward the side of the fixing frame 40 away from the valve sleeve 10 after melting, thereby preventing waste of the welding ring 30. It also prevents a reduction in the amount of solder entering between the fixing frame 40 and the valve sleeve 10, thereby improving the connection strength between the fixing frame and the valve sleeve 10 and ensuring welding quality.

[0039] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0040] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to actual proportional relationships. The techniques, methods and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0041] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0042] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0043] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0044] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Persons skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve, characterized in that: The electronic expansion valve comprises: A valve sleeve (10) having a connection port; A valve seat (20) comprises a valve cavity (100). An end of the valve seat (20) close to the valve sleeve (10) comprises a mounting section (21), a straight section (22) and a tapered section (23) which are connected in sequence. The mounting section (21) is inserted into the connection port. The valve cavity (100) is communicated with the valve sleeve (10) through the mounting section (21). The diameter of the tapered section (23) gradually increases from a direction away from the valve sleeve (10). A welding ring (30) is accommodated between the tapered section (23) and the straight section (22). The valve sleeve (10) is connected to the valve seat (20) through the welding ring (30). The maximum outer diameter of the tapered section (23) is greater than the inner diameter of the welding ring (30), and the minimum outer diameter of the tapered section (23) is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the welding ring (30).

2. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cone angle of the cone section (23) is α, 0°<α<90°.

3. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The diameter of the axial cross section of the welding ring (30) is D1, the length of the straight line segment (22) along the axial direction is D2, and D2 <D1。 4. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic expansion valve further comprises a fixing frame (40), wherein the fixing frame (40) is sleeved on the valve seat (20) and is welded to the valve sleeve (10), and the fixing frame (40) is used to fix the coil.

5. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fixing frame (40) has an installation opening (41), the valve seat (20) is inserted into the installation opening (41), the welding ring (30) is arranged between the installation opening (41) and the straight section (22), the inner diameter of the installation opening (41) is greater than the outer diameter of the tapered section (23), the minimum distance between the inner wall of the installation opening (41) and the tapered section (23) is D3, and the diameter of the axial section of the welding ring (30) is D1, and D3>D1.

6. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: The minimum distance between the inner wall of the installation opening (41) and the welding ring (30) is D4, D4 <D1 / 2。 7. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the mounting section (21) is smaller than the diameter of the straight section (22), a stepped surface (24) is formed between the mounting section (21) and the straight section (22), and one end of the valve sleeve (10) where the connection port is located is in abutment with the stepped surface (24).

8. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conical section (23) is formed by turning the valve seat (20).

9. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of the axial cross section of the welding ring (30) is D1, and the thickness of the fixing frame (40) is h, where h>D1.

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