Electronic expansion valve

Abstract

An electronic expansion valve (100), comprising a mounting base (60), a valve body (10) and a valve needle assembly (30), wherein a mounting cavity (61) is provided in the mounting base (60); the valve body (10) is arranged in the mounting cavity (61); the valve body (10) has a valve cavity (101) and a valve port (102) in communication with the valve cavity (101); the valve needle assembly (30) is arranged in the valve cavity (101); the valve body (10) comprises a first valve body (11), the first valve body (11) comprises a guide section (111), and an inner wall of the guide section (111) and an outer wall of the first valve body (11) arranged opposite the inner wall of the guide section are of an integral structure; and the end of the valve needle assembly (30) close to the valve port is provided with a throttling section (301), and when the electronic expansion valve (100) is in a throttling mode, at least part of the throttling section (301) extends into the valve port (102) and fits with the valve port (102).

Description

Electronic expansion valve

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent applications with application number 202420711358.4, filed on April 8, 2024, entitled “Electronic expansion valve”, and 202421472662.4, filed on June 25, 2024, entitled “Electronic expansion valve”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of expansion valves, in particular to an electronic expansion valve. BACKGROUND

[0004] Electronic expansion valves are often used in air conditioning systems to throttle and reduce pressure and regulate flow. Currently, to meet the higher flow requirements in air conditioning systems, electronic expansion valves with large-diameter valve ports are often used.

[0005] However, when designing large-diameter electronic expansion valves, the valve needle is often only considered to have the function of closing the valve port, and the flow regulation function of the valve needle is ignored, which leads to insufficient flow regulation performance of the large-diameter electronic expansion valve, making it difficult to meet the environment requiring high-precision flow regulation, and reducing the use performance of the electronic expansion valve. SUMMARY

[0006] According to various embodiments of the present application, an electronic expansion valve is provided.

[0007] The present application provides an electronic expansion valve, which comprises a mounting seat, a valve body and a valve needle assembly, the mounting seat is provided with a mounting cavity, at least part of the valve body is arranged in the mounting cavity, the valve body is provided with a valve cavity and a valve port communicating with the valve cavity, and the valve needle assembly is movably arranged in the valve cavity to open or close the valve port; the valve body comprises a first valve body connected with the mounting seat, the first valve body comprises a guide section, the inner wall of at least part of the guide section and the outer wall of the first valve body opposite to the inner wall are in an integral structure, and the outer side wall of the valve needle assembly directly contacts and guides the inner wall of the guide section; wherein one end of the valve needle assembly close to the valve port is provided with a throttling section, the electronic expansion valve has a throttling mode, and when the electronic expansion valve is in the throttling mode, at least part of the throttling section extends into the valve port and cooperates with the valve port to regulate the flow of the valve port.

[0008] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present application will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better description and illustration of embodiments and / or examples of the inventions disclosed herein, reference can be made to one or more of the accompanying drawings. Additional details or examples used to describe the drawings should not be considered as limiting the scope of any of the disclosed inventions, presently described embodiments and / or examples, and the best mode presently understood of these inventions.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Fig. 2 is a partially cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Fig. 4 is a partially cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve according to still another embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Fig. 5 is a side view of a partially structured electronic expansion valve according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve in a fully open state according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic expansion valve according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] The symbols in the drawings represent the following meanings: 100, electronic expansion valve; 10, valve body; 101, valve cavity; 1011, back pressure cavity; 102, valve port; 103, flow-through port; 11, first valve body; 111, guide section; 12, second valve body; 13, valve seat ring; 20, valve sleeve; 30, valve needle assembly; 301, throttling section; 302, first mounting groove; 303, second mounting groove; 304, third mounting groove; 305, balancing passage; 31, first valve needle section; 3101, assembly cavity; 3101a, first connecting section; 3101b, second connecting section; 3102, welding groove; 3103, sealing groove; 311, valve needle main body; 312, connecting column; 314, first needle section; 313, second needle section; 32, second valve needle section; 3201, first through hole; 3202, second through hole; 3203, third through hole; 321, throttling ring; 322, second valve needle main body; 323, spring sleeve; 33, protrusion; 40, first sealing member; 401, sealing cone section; 50, second sealing member; 60, mounting seat; 61, mounting cavity; 70, first elastic member; 80, drive assembly; 81, screw rod; 90, third sealing member; 1011, transition section; 1013, flow-through section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more clear and comprehensible, specific embodiments of the present application will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without using some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present application.

[0020] It is to be noted that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element or layer, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements or layers present. The use of the term "connected" includes the presence of a wired or wireless connection. The use of the terms "on" and "under" as used herein refer to the relative position of one element to another element, and do not necessarily indicate a positional relationship of the elements.

[0021] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used herein only to describe various elements, and do not imply a relative importance or a specific order of the elements. Thus, features defined with "first", "second", etc. can include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0022] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "on", "under", "above", and "over" of a first feature to a second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Moreover, "on", "above", and "over" of a first feature to a second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only means that the first feature is horizontally higher than the second feature. "Under", "below", and "underneath" of a first feature to a second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only means that the first feature is horizontally lower than the second feature.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description of the application herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The use of the terms "and / or" includes a combination of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the present application provides an electronic expansion valve 100. The electronic expansion valve 100 comprises a mounting seat 60, a valve body 10, a valve sleeve 20 and a valve needle assembly 30. The mounting seat 60 is provided with a mounting cavity 61, and at least part of the valve body 10 is arranged in the mounting cavity 61. The mounting seat 60 is a mounting carrier of the valve body 10, that is, the electronic expansion valve 100 is fixedly connected with the outside through the mounting seat 60, thereby facilitating the assembly of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0025] Further, the valve body 10 is provided with a valve cavity 101 and a valve port 102 communicating with the valve cavity 101. The valve needle assembly 30 is movably arranged in the valve cavity 101 to open or close the valve port 102. The valve body 10 comprises a first valve body 11. At least part of the outer wall of the first valve body 11 is directly connected with the mounting seat 60, and one end of the first valve body 11 is connected with the valve sleeve 20. The first valve body 11 comprises a guide section 111. At least part of the inner wall of the guide section 111 is integrally formed with the outer wall of the first valve body 11 opposite to it. The outer side wall of the valve needle assembly 30 directly contacts and guides with the inner wall of the guide section 111. The end of the valve needle assembly 30 close to the valve port 102 is provided with a throttling section 301. The electronic expansion valve 100 has a throttling mode. When the electronic expansion valve 100 is in the throttling mode, at least part of the throttling section 301 extends into the valve port 102 and cooperates with the valve port 102 to adjust the flow of the valve port 102.

[0026] It can be understood that, by arranging at least part of the inner wall of the guide section 111 and the outer wall of the first valve body 11 opposite to it as an integral structure, that is, there is no other structural component at the position of the guide section 111 of the first valve body 11, and by making the outer side wall of the valve needle assembly 30 directly contact and guide with the inner wall of the guide section 111 of the first valve body 11, the size of the valve needle assembly 30 along its radial direction can be sufficiently ensured to be large enough, thereby facilitating the cooperation between the valve needle assembly 30 and the valve port 102 with large diameter, and being conducive to setting the valve port 102 with large diameter. Further, by arranging the throttling section 301 at one end of the valve needle assembly 30, the valve needle assembly 30 can control the distance of the throttling section 301 extending into the valve port 102, so that the throttling section 301 and the valve port 102 form a channel with different flow areas, thereby adjusting the flow of the valve port 102.

[0027] Specifically, the throttling section 301 is arranged in a conical shape. The valve port 102 comprises a straight section with equal diameter. When the valve needle assembly 30 moves away from the valve port 102, the gap between the throttling section 301 and the straight section gradually increases, and the flow increases until the valve port 102 is fully opened.

[0028] It should be noted that, since the valve port 102 of the large-diameter electronic expansion valve 100 has a large diameter, the pressure of the refrigerant is also relatively large. In order to reduce the opening valve driving force and improve the response speed, the large-diameter electronic expansion valve 100 adopts an internal balance structure. That is, a third sealing member 90 is further arranged between the valve needle assembly 30 and the valve body 10, and the valve needle assembly 30 is in movable sealing cooperation with the valve body 10 through the third sealing member 90. The valve cavity 101 between the end of the valve needle assembly 30 and the valve body 10 is a back pressure cavity 1011, and the valve needle assembly 30 is provided with a balance channel 305. The back pressure cavity 1011 is always in communication with the valve port 102 through the balance channel 305, that is, the pressure in the back pressure cavity 1011 and the valve port 102 is always equal. In this way, the problem of opening and closing valve difficulty caused by fluid pressure difference can be solved.

[0029] It should also be noted that the drive assembly 80 is usually installed in the valve sleeve 20, and the drive assembly 80 is used to cooperate with the external structure to realize the axial reciprocating movement of the valve needle assembly 30. Specifically, the drive assembly 80 includes a screw rod 81 connected to one end of the valve needle assembly 30. The screw rod 81 can cooperate with a spring to realize the reciprocating movement of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0030] Since the large-diameter valve port 102 has a larger flow, if only the first sealing member 40 is arranged in the valve needle assembly 30, the deformation of the first sealing member 40 made of plastic material caused by the temperature difference of the cold and hot refrigerant reduces the interference between the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle assembly 30, and the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 cannot be sealed. Therefore, in order to improve the sealing performance of the valve port 102, in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the electronic expansion valve 100 further comprises a first sealing member 40 and a second sealing member 50. The first sealing member 40 is connected to the valve needle assembly 30, and the second sealing member 50 is arranged between the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle assembly 30. In this way, the second sealing member 50 can keep the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 in a sealed state, avoiding leakage of the valve port 102 when the valve is closed.

[0031] In an embodiment, the first sealing member 40 and the second sealing member 50 are separately arranged, and the second sealing member 50 is in sealing abutment with the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle assembly 30, respectively. In this way, the sealing performance of the valve port 102 when the valve is closed is ensured.

[0032] Specifically, the first seal 40 and the second seal 50 are both made of elastic material, and the first seal 40 and the second seal 50 are both assembled with the valve needle assembly 30 by interference, wherein the first seal 40 is also interfered against the valve port 102 to realize the sealing of the valve port 102. In this way, by the cooperation of the first seal 40 and the second seal 50, when the first seal 40 has a gap with the valve needle assembly 30 due to factors such as thermal expansion and contraction, the second seal 50 can ensure the sealing between the first seal 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 by relying on its own elasticity, avoiding leakage of refrigerant from the gap between the first seal 40 and the valve needle assembly 30, thereby greatly improving the sealing performance of the valve port 102 and effectively ensuring the use performance of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0033] More specifically, the first seal 40 in the embodiment is a sealing gasket, and the second seal 50 is an O-ring. The material of the first seal 40 and the second seal 50 can be butyl rubber, fluororubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyurethane, etc., as long as the same effect can be achieved.

[0034] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve needle assembly 30 includes a protrusion 33 embedded at least partially inside the first seal 40, wherein the protrusion 33 is the second seal 50, and the first seal 40 is still in sealing cooperation with the valve port 102. When the protrusion 33 is embedded in the first seal 40, the first seal 40 elastically deforms under force, and under the action of elastic restoring force, the first seal 40 can tightly fit with the protrusion 33. In this way, the protrusion 33 can block the gap channel between the first seal 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 to avoid leakage of refrigerant from the gap between the first seal 40 and the valve needle assembly 30.

[0035] Specifically, the protrusion 33 is annular, and the protrusion 33 can be arranged at any position on the contact surface of the valve needle assembly 30 and the first seal 40. Preferably, the protrusion 33 is embedded in the lower end surface of the first seal 40 to prevent the first seal 40 from expanding and deforming away from the axis of the electronic expansion valve 100. In this way, the protrusion 33 can not only have a sealing effect, but also fix the first seal 40.

[0036] For example, the number of protrusions 33 is one to reduce the difficulty of setting. However, the number of protrusions 33 can also be two, three or more, which are not listed one by one here.

[0037] It should be noted that the lower end surface of the first seal 40 is the end surface of the first seal 40 close to the valve port 102.

[0038] In addition, compared with the scheme that the first seal 40 is arranged on the valve body 10 and the valve port 102 is arranged on the first seal 40, the first seal 40 in the scheme is more prone to wear, and the deformation of the first seal 40 will affect the throttling flow, resulting in low throttling accuracy. However, when the electronic expansion valve 100 in the embodiment is in the throttling mode, the first seal 40 does not affect the throttling flow, and therefore, the throttling accuracy is higher.

[0039] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve body 10 further includes a second valve body 12 arranged separately from the first valve body 11, and the valve port 102 is located on the second valve body 12. The first valve body 11 is further provided with a flow-through port 103 in communication with the valve cavity 101. In this way, the machining of the valve port 102 is facilitated, and the machining accuracy of the valve port 102 can be improved. Specifically, in the embodiment, the first valve body 11 is sleeved on part of the circumferential side of the second valve body 12 and is connected with the second valve body 12.

[0040] In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve body 10 further includes a second valve body 12 arranged separately from the first valve body 11, and the valve port 102 is located on the second valve body 12. The second valve body 12 is further provided with a flow-through port 103 in communication with the valve cavity 101. In this way, the machining of the valve port 102 is facilitated, and the machining accuracy of the valve port 102 can be improved. Specifically, in the embodiment, the second valve body 12 is sleeved on part of the circumferential side of the first valve body 11 and is connected with the first valve body 11.

[0041] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the valve needle assembly 30 includes a first valve needle segment 31 and a second valve needle segment 32, at least part of the second valve needle segment 32 is mounted on one end of the first valve needle segment 31 and surrounds the first valve needle segment 31 to form a first mounting groove 302, and the first seal 40 is mounted in the first mounting groove 302. By arranging the valve needle assembly 30 as the first valve needle segment 31 and the second valve needle segment 32 arranged separately, the installation of the first seal 40 is facilitated, and the assembly difficulty of the first seal 40 is reduced.

[0042] Embodiment one

[0043] In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first valve needle segment 31 includes a valve needle body 311 and a connecting column 312 connected to one end of the valve needle body 311. The second valve needle segment 32 includes a throttling ring 321, the throttling ring 321 is sleeved on the circumferential side of the connecting column 312 and abuts against the valve needle body 311, wherein the throttling segment 301 is arranged on the throttling ring 321, and the first mounting groove 302 is formed between the valve needle body 311 and the throttling ring 321.

[0044] That is, in the embodiment, the throttle ring 321 and the valve needle body 311 are in a split structure, so that, on the one hand, different materials can be used to manufacture the throttle ring 321 and the valve needle body 311 to reduce the overall cost. On the other hand, the machining precision of the throttle section 301 on the throttle ring 321 can be improved accordingly, thereby improving the throttling precision of the throttle section 301.

[0045] Specifically, the valve needle body 311 and the connecting column 312 are in an integrated structure to reduce the assembly steps and improve the machining efficiency. The throttle ring 321 and the connecting column 312 can be fixed by laser welding or riveting. In this way, reliable connection between the throttle ring 321 and the connecting column 312 can be achieved, and at the same time, the thermal effects of ordinary welding processes on them can be avoided, thereby further improving the throttling precision of the throttle ring 321.

[0046] In an embodiment, the outer diameter of the throttle ring 321 is greater than the outer diameter of the end face of the valve needle body 311 close to the connecting column 312, so that the throttle ring 321 and the valve needle body 311 can be clamped to form the first mounting groove 302. That is, along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, the first mounting groove 302 is provided with an opening at one end close to the throttle ring 321. In assembly, the first sealing member 40 can be inserted into the first mounting groove 302 through the opening, and then the throttle ring 321 is sleeved on the connecting column 312 to achieve connection. The entire assembly operation is simple, and the assembly efficiency of the first sealing member 40 and the throttle ring 321 can be improved.

[0047] Further, in an embodiment, the valve needle body 311 or the second valve needle section 32 is provided with a second mounting groove 303, and the second mounting groove 303 is in communication with the first mounting groove 302. The electronic expansion valve 100 further comprises a second sealing member 50, which is installed in the second mounting groove 303 and located between the first sealing member 40 and the valve needle body 311. In this way, the installation of the second sealing member 50 can be achieved to further improve the sealing effect of the valve port 102 and ensure the use performance of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0048] Embodiment Two

[0049] In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the first valve needle section 31 is provided with an assembly cavity 3101, and at least part of the second valve needle section 32 is located in the assembly cavity 3101. One end of the second valve needle section 32 is spaced apart from one end of the first valve needle section 31, and one end of the second valve needle section 32 and one end of the first valve needle section 31 clampingly form the first mounting groove 302. The throttle section 301 is arranged at one end of the second valve needle section 32.

[0050] It can be understood that, in the assembly, the second valve needle segment 32 can be inserted into the assembly cavity 3101 after penetrating the first sealing element 40, which also reduces the assembly difficulty and improves the assembly efficiency of the second valve needle segment 32 and the first sealing element 40.

[0051] Specifically, the first mounting groove 302 is arranged at one end of the valve needle assembly 30 close to the valve port 102. As shown in FIG. 2, the assembly cavity 3101 can be arranged only at one end of the first valve needle segment 31 close to the valve port 102.

[0052] Further, in an embodiment, the outer side wall of the first valve needle segment 31 is provided with a welding groove 3102, and the first valve needle segment 31 is laser penetration welded with the second valve needle segment 32 through the welding groove 3102. In this way, the wall thickness of the first valve needle segment 31 at the welding position of the first valve needle segment 31 and the second valve needle segment 32 can be reduced, thereby facilitating the laser penetration welding.

[0053] To further ensure the connection stability of the first valve needle segment 31 and the second valve needle segment 32, in an embodiment, the inner wall of the assembly cavity 3101 includes a first connecting segment 3101a, the first connecting segment 3101a is located on the side of the welding groove 3102 away from the valve port 102, and the first connecting segment 3101a is in interference fit with the second valve needle segment 32. The interference fit can ensure the connection stability between the second valve needle segment 32 and the first connecting segment 3101a on the assembly cavity 3101, thereby facilitating the interference fit between the second valve needle segment 32 and the first connecting segment 3101a after the completion of the interference fit, and then performing the penetration welding at the welding groove 3102.

[0054] Further, in an embodiment, the inner wall of the assembly cavity 3101 further includes a second connecting segment 3101b, the second connecting segment 3101b is located on the side of the welding groove 3102 close to the valve port 102, and the second connecting segment 3101b is in clearance fit with the second valve needle segment 32. It can be understood that the second connecting segment 3101b and the first connecting segment 3101a are respectively located on both sides of the welding groove 3102 along the axial direction of the electronic expansion valve 100. In this way, the clearance fit can reduce the installation difficulty of the second valve needle segment 32 when the second valve needle segment 32 is inserted into the assembly cavity 3101.

[0055] Specifically, the welding groove 3102 is tapered, and the inner wall of the assembly cavity 3101 is divided into the first connecting segment 3101a and the second connecting segment 3101b by the bottom of the welding groove 3102, thereby facilitating positioning machining.

[0056] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first valve needle segment 31 and the second valve needle segment 32 enclose a second mounting groove 303, the second mounting groove 303 is in communication with the first mounting groove 302, and the second sealing element 50 is installed in the second mounting groove 303. In this way, the second mounting groove 303 is simple to form, and the installation of the second sealing element 50 can be simply realized.

[0057] Specifically, the first valve needle segment 31 is provided with a chamfer close to the end of the second valve needle segment 32, and the chamfer structure can form the second mounting groove 303 with the outer side wall of the second valve needle segment 32 when abutting against the first sealing element 40.

[0058] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second valve needle segment 32 is provided with the second mounting groove 303, the second mounting groove 303 is in communication with the first mounting groove 302, and the second sealing element 50 is mounted in the second mounting groove 303. In this way, the installation of the second sealing element 50 can be realized, and the sealing of the second sealing element 50 to the first sealing element 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 can be realized.

[0059] In yet another embodiment, the first valve needle segment 31 is provided with the second mounting groove 303, the second mounting groove 303 is in communication with the first mounting groove 302, and the second sealing element 50 is mounted in the second mounting groove 303. In this way, the installation of the second sealing element 50 can be realized, and the sealing of the second sealing element 50 to the first sealing element 40 and the valve needle assembly 30 can be realized.

[0060] In summary, the second mounting groove 303 can be formed by surrounding or directly machined, as long as the same effect can be achieved.

[0061] Embodiment Three

[0062] The structure of the present embodiment is basically the same as that of embodiment two, and the same parts will not be described again. The difference is that, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the assembly cavity 3101 is provided through both ends of the first valve needle segment 31, and the second valve needle segment 32 penetrates and protrudes from one end of the assembly cavity 3101 away from the valve port 102.

[0063] Further, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a third mounting groove 304 is formed between the other end of the second valve needle segment 32 and the other end of the first valve needle segment 31. The electronic expansion valve 100 further comprises a first elastic element 70, which abuts against the third mounting groove 304 at one end along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, and abuts against the valve body 10 at the other end. By forming the third mounting groove 304 between the other end of the second valve needle segment 32 and the other end of the first valve needle segment 31, the depth of the third mounting groove 304 in the axial direction of the electronic expansion valve 100 can be increased, the placement space of the first elastic element 70 can be increased, and the phenomenon of insufficient placement space causing the first elastic element 70 to be compressed and unable to recover to its original state (compression and convergence) can be avoided.

[0064] The first elastic member 70 is arranged to apply a force to the valve needle assembly 30 towards the valve port 102, thereby ensuring stability of the valve needle assembly 30 during axial movement or after the valve port 102 is opened or closed, reducing the probability of the valve needle assembly 30 shaking after being impacted by fluid, thereby greatly improving the operation reliability of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0065] Specifically, the third mounting groove 304 is arranged at the end of the valve needle assembly 30 away from the valve port 102. The end of the second valve needle segment 32 away from the first sealing member 40 is connected with the screw rod 81, i.e., the second valve needle segment 32 is connected with the screw rod 81 after penetrating through the first valve needle segment 31, thereby facilitating connection of the split second valve needle segment 32 with the first valve needle segment 31 and forming the third mounting groove 304 between the second valve needle segment 32 and the first valve needle segment 31.

[0066] Further, in an embodiment, the second valve needle segment 32 comprises a second valve needle body 322 and a spring sleeve 323, and the screw rod 81, the spring sleeve 323 and the second valve needle body 322 are connected in sequence. To enhance the stability of the first elastic member 70, the other end inner ring of the first elastic member 70 is attached to the outer wall of the second valve needle segment 32. Specifically, the inner ring of the end of the first elastic member 70 away from the valve sleeve 20 is attached to the outer wall of the second valve needle body 322.

[0067] In an embodiment, the top of the valve body 10 (i.e., the end of the valve body 10 away from the valve port 102) is defined as a valve seat ring 13, and the valve seat ring 13 has a certain gap with the top of the second valve needle segment 32. Specifically, when the spring sleeve 323 is inserted into the valve seat ring 13, there is a certain gap between them.

[0068] Therefore, to prevent the top of the first elastic member 70 from being clamped into the gap and affecting the normal movement of the valve needle assembly 30, as shown in FIG. 4, the opening sizes of the two ends of the first elastic member 70 are set to be equal, and the outer ring of the first elastic member 70 is attached to and guided by the inner wall of the first valve needle segment 31. In this way, the first elastic member 70 can avoid the above-mentioned gap, and the inner wall of the first valve needle segment 31 can ensure the stability of the first elastic member 70.

[0069] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, one end of the first elastic member 70 can have an opening size smaller than the other end, and the other end inner ring of the first elastic member 70 is attached to the outer wall of the second valve needle segment 32. The end of the first elastic member 70 close to the valve sleeve 20 has a large size. In this way, the first elastic member 70 can also avoid the above-mentioned gap, and the outer wall of the second valve needle segment 32 can ensure the stability of the first elastic member 70.

[0070] It should be noted that in Embodiment One and Embodiment Two, the first elastic member 70 can also be arranged and directly abut against the end face of the first valve needle segment 31 to improve stability to a certain extent. Alternatively, a third mounting groove 304 can be directly machined on the first valve needle segment 31 to facilitate mounting and fixing of the first elastic member 70.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 5-8, the flow-through port 103 is arranged on the peripheral side of the valve body 10 and communicates with the valve cavity 101. In the axial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, the valve port 102 protrudes from the bottom of the flow-through port 103 near the end of the valve needle assembly 30, and the height L1 of the end of the valve port 102 protruding from the bottom of the flow-through port 103, the distance L2 of the end of the valve needle assembly 30 to the valve port 102 when the electronic expansion valve 100 is fully open, and the diameter D of the flow-through port 103 satisfy L1+L2≥D / 2 and L1+(L2 / 2)<D / 2.

[0072] It can be understood that since the distance L2 of the end of the valve needle assembly 30 to the valve port 102 remains unchanged when the electronic expansion valve 100 is fully open, based on this, the application raises the height of the valve port 102, that is, sets L1+L2≥D / 2, so that the position of the valve needle assembly 30 when it is fully open is correspondingly raised, at this time, the end of the valve needle assembly 30 will be higher than the middle position of the flow-through port 103, thereby reducing the shielding area of the valve needle assembly 30 to the flow-through port 103, which is conducive to better reducing the flow resistance of the refrigerant flowing from the flow-through port 103. Further, by setting L1+(L2 / 2)<D / 2, the excessive increase in refrigerant flow rate caused by the raising of the valve port 102 can be avoided, so that the refrigerant flow rate is more reasonable, and at the same time, the excessive raising of the valve port 102 can be avoided, thereby facilitating the reduction of the processing difficulty and cost of the valve port 102.

[0073] It should be noted that the principle of raising the valve port 102 and the valve needle assembly 30 to reduce the shielding area of the flow-through port 103 is that since the flow-through port 103 is usually circular, the projections of the two end faces of the valve needle assembly 30 and the valve port 102 on the flow-through port 103 can form a figure consisting of two arcs and a parallel line with the side wall of the flow-through port 103, and the refrigerant flowing into the valve cavity 101 from the part of the flow-through port 103 within the figure will not be blocked by the outer side wall of the valve needle assembly 30 or the valve port 102. When the valve port 102 and the valve needle assembly 30 are raised correspondingly, the center of the above-mentioned figure will gradually move towards the center of the flow-through port 103, so that the area of the figure gradually increases, thereby increasing the area of the flow-through port 103 that is not blocked by the outer side wall of the valve port 102 or the valve needle assembly 30, and thus facilitating the increase of the refrigerant flow rate.

[0074] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the first mounting groove 302 is defined with a first inner wall and a second inner wall on both sides of the valve needle assembly 30 in the axial direction. The first inner wall is located on the side of the second inner wall away from the valve port 102. The first sealing member 40 is formed with a sealing cone section 401 for sealing cooperation with the valve port 102. In the direction from the second inner wall to the first inner wall, the sealing cone section 401 has a gradually expanding trend. In this way, the sealing cone section 401 facilitates the sealing cooperation between the first sealing member 40 and the end of the valve port 102.

[0075] Further, in an embodiment, the first sealing member 40 is defined with a first end and a second end on both ends of the valve needle assembly 30 in the axial direction. The length of the first end in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 is not less than the length of the second end in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30. The first end is in contact with the first inner wall, and the second end is in contact with the second inner wall. The length of the first inner wall in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 is not less than the length of the first end in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, and the length of the second inner wall in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 is not less than the length of the second end in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30. In the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, the maximum length of the inner periphery of the first sealing member 40 from the outer periphery is not greater than the length of the first end in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0076] That is, the two side surfaces of the first sealing member 40 in the axial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 are both covered by the two inner walls of the first mounting groove 302, and only the outer surface of the first sealing member 40 is in an exposed state. In this way, the outer surface where the sealing cone section 401 is located can be used to achieve sealing cooperation with the valve port 102, and the two inner walls of the first mounting groove 302 can stably support the first sealing member 40 to prevent the first sealing member 40 from deforming during use.

[0077] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the first valve needle section 31 includes a second needle section 313 and a first needle section 314. The second needle section 313 is located at one end of the first needle section 314 away from the first mounting groove 302. The bottom end of the first needle section 314 is the side wall of the first mounting groove 302 and is in contact with the first sealing member 40. The length of the bottom end of the first needle section 314 in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 is not less than the length of the first sealing member 40 in the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0078] It should be noted that the bottom end of the first needle section 314 is the end of the first needle section 314 close to the valve port 102.

[0079] The present application sets the length of the bottom end of the first needle section 314 to be not less than the length of the first sealing member 40, which specifically realizes the stable support of the first mounting groove 302 side wall to the first sealing member 40 and prevents the first sealing member 40 from deforming.

[0080] Further, in an embodiment, the outer diameter of the second needle segment 313 is smaller than the outer diameter of the first needle segment 314. In this embodiment, the second needle segment 313 is configured to be in movable cooperation with the valve body 10, and to meet the requirement of large flow rate and to ensure the force balance of the valve needle assembly 30 and to reduce the driving force of the on-off valve, the outer diameter of the second needle segment 313 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the valve port 102. In this way, by configuring the first valve needle segment 31 as two parts of the second needle segment 313 and the first needle segment 314, only the first needle segment 314 needs to be machined to increase the outer diameter of the first needle segment 314 to be suitable for the length of the first sealing member 40, which is beneficial to reduce the machining difficulty and machining cost.

[0081] In an embodiment, the valve cavity 101 includes a flow-through segment 1013, and the valve needle assembly 30 and the guide segment 111 are provided with a third sealing member 90, and the valve needle assembly 30 is in movable cooperation with the guide segment 111 through the third sealing member 90. Specifically, the outer side wall of the first valve needle segment 31 is provided with a sealing groove 3103, and the third sealing member 90 is installed in the sealing groove 3103. Here, the valve needle assembly 30 is mainly in movable cooperation with the guide segment 111 through the second needle segment 313 on the first valve needle segment 31. In order to ensure the force balance of the valve needle assembly 30 and to reduce the driving force of the on-off valve, the sealing diameter formed when the sealing cone segment 401 on the first sealing member 40 is in abutting sealing cooperation with the valve port 102 is D1, and the outer diameter of the second needle segment 313 needs to be approximately equal to D1 to ensure the force balance of the valve needle assembly 30. At the same time, since the sealing cone segment 401 is in abutting sealing cooperation with the valve port 102, the maximum outer diameter D2 of the sealing cone segment 401 needs to be greater than D1, and the minimum outer diameter D3 of the outer wall of the first needle segment 314 is not less than D2, so the outer diameter of the first needle segment 314 is larger than the outer diameter of the second needle segment 313.

[0082] Further, the flow-through port 103 is arranged in the flow-through segment 1013, and the dimension of the flow-through segment 1013 along the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30 is greater than the dimension of the guide segment 111 along the radial direction of the valve needle assembly 30. In this way, by increasing the radial dimension of the flow-through segment 1013, the movement of the first needle segment 314 in the flow-through segment 1013 is facilitated.

[0083] Since the outer diameter of the first needle segment 314 is larger than that of the second needle segment 313, when the electronic expansion valve 100 is in the fully open state, the first needle segment 314 can interfere with the inner wall of the guide segment 111, thereby hindering the movement of the valve needle assembly 30 or even causing collision damage. Based on this, in order to reduce the probability of interference between the first needle segment 314 and the inner wall of the guide segment 111, in an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the valve cavity 101 further comprises a transition segment 1011, both ends of the transition segment 1011 communicate with the guide segment 111 and the flow-through segment 1013, respectively, along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly 30, and the transition segment 1011 has a gradually expanding trend from the guide segment 111 to the flow-through segment 1013. Among them, when the electronic expansion valve 100 is in the fully open state, the outer wall of the first needle segment 314 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the transition segment 1011. In this way, the safety of the valve needle assembly 30 when the electronic expansion valve 100 is fully open is greatly improved.

[0084] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer wall of the second valve needle segment 32 protruding from one end of the assembly cavity 3101 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the first valve needle segment 31 and forms a third mounting groove 304, and the first elastic member 70 is mounted in the third mounting groove 304. One end of the first elastic member 70 extending out of the third mounting groove 304 abuts and cooperates with the inner wall of the valve cavity 101. The first elastic member 70 is used to exert a force on the valve needle assembly 30 towards the valve port 102, thereby ensuring the stability of the valve needle assembly 30 during axial movement or after opening and closing the valve port 102, reducing the probability of the valve needle assembly 30 shaking after being impacted by the fluid, and thereby greatly improving the operation reliability of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0085] Further, since the valve needle assembly 30 is in movable sealing cooperation with the inner wall of the valve cavity 101, there will be a pressure difference between the part of the valve cavity 101 located at the end of the valve needle assembly 30 close to the valve port 102 and the part of the valve needle assembly 30 away from the valve port 102, that is, the pressure at the third mounting groove 304 of the valve cavity 101 is different from the pressure at the valve port 102, and the existence of the pressure difference is not conducive to the axial movement of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0086] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second valve needle segment 32 is provided with a first through hole 3201 and a second through hole 3202. One end of the first through hole 3201 is in communication with the valve port 102, and the other end is arranged close to the third mounting groove 304. The second through hole 3202 is arranged on the side wall of the second valve needle segment 32, and both ends of the second through hole 3202 are in communication with the first through hole 3201 and the third mounting groove 304, respectively. In this way, the first through hole 3201, the second through hole 3202 and the third mounting groove 304 can form a partial balance channel 305, so that the refrigerant at the valve port 102 flows into the third mounting groove 304 through the first through hole 3201 and the second through hole 3202, thereby eliminating the pressure difference between the two axial ends of the valve needle assembly 30, and facilitating the stable operation of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0087] In an embodiment, one end of the spring sleeve 323 is connected to the driving assembly 80, and the other end is sleeved and connected to the end of the second valve needle segment 32 protruding from the assembly cavity 3101. That is, the driving assembly 80 is connected to the valve needle assembly 30 through the spring sleeve 323, thereby facilitating the axial movement of the valve needle assembly 30 to realize the opening and closing and flow regulation functions of the electronic expansion valve 100.

[0088] Further, the spring sleeve 323 is provided with a second elastic member and a bearing, and the side wall of the spring sleeve 323 is provided with a third through hole 3203 in communication with the third mounting groove 304. The bearing is used to adjust the axis of the valve needle assembly 30 to avoid the axis of the valve needle assembly 30 deviating from the axis of the valve port 102.

[0089] It can be understood that, in the present embodiment, the second valve needle segment 32 is blocked at one end of the spring sleeve 323, and the first through hole 3201 on the second valve needle segment 32 is not directly in communication with the inside of the spring sleeve 323, thereby avoiding impurities mixed in the refrigerant directly entering the spring sleeve 323 and affecting the bearing and the like in the spring sleeve 323, effectively improving the impurity resistance and service life of the bearing. At the same time, the third through hole 3203 is arranged on the side wall of the spring sleeve 323, and the space inside the spring sleeve 323 can be in communication with the third mounting groove 304 through the third through hole 3203, thereby further increasing the flow area of the balance channel, and better balancing the pressure difference.

[0090] It should be noted that when the electronic expansion valve 100 is in the fully open state, although the third through hole 3203 of the spring sleeve 323 is blocked by the structure of the valve body 10, thereby reducing the flow at the third through hole 3203, but at this time, the second through hole 3202 can still be used to eliminate the pressure difference between the two axial ends of the valve needle assembly 30.

[0091] Any combination of the technical features in the above-described embodiments can be made, and for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations are described, however, it is to be understood that the application embraces all such possible combinations.

[0092] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation manners of the application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the application. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled persons in the art, some modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve, characterized in that: The valve comprises a mounting seat, a valve body and a valve needle assembly, wherein the mounting seat defines a mounting cavity, at least a portion of the valve body is disposed in the mounting cavity, the valve body defines a valve cavity and a valve port communicating with the valve cavity, and the valve needle assembly is movably disposed in the valve cavity to open or close the valve port; The valve body includes a first valve body, the first valve body is connected to the valve sleeve, at least a portion of the outer wall of the first valve body is connected to the mounting seat, the first valve body includes a guide section, at least a portion of the inner wall of the guide section and the outer wall of the first valve body opposite thereto are integrally structured, and the outer wall of the valve needle assembly is in direct contact with and guide-fit with the inner wall of the guide section; In which, a throttling section is provided at one end of the valve needle assembly close to the valve port, and the electronic expansion valve has a throttling mode. When the electronic expansion valve is in the throttling mode, at least part of the throttling section extends into the valve port and cooperates with the valve port to adjust the flow of the valve port.

2. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further includes a first sealing member and a second sealing member, wherein the first sealing member is connected to the valve needle assembly, and the second sealing member is provided between the first sealing member and the valve needle assembly; The second sealing member is in sealing contact with the first sealing member and the valve needle assembly respectively, wherein the first sealing member is in sealing cooperation with the valve port.

3. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further includes a first sealing member, which is in sealing cooperation with the valve port; the valve needle assembly further includes a protrusion at least partially embedded in the interior of the first sealing member, which is in sealing cooperation with the valve port.

4. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further comprises a first sealing member, wherein the first sealing member is in sealing cooperation with the valve port; The valve needle assembly includes a first valve needle segment and a second valve needle segment. At least a portion of the second valve needle segment is installed at one end of the first valve needle segment and forms a first installation groove with the first valve needle segment. The first sealing member is installed in the first installation groove.

5. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: The first valve needle section includes a valve needle body and a connecting column, wherein the connecting column is connected to one end of the valve needle body; The second valve needle section includes a throttle ring, which is sleeved on the circumference of the connecting column and abuts against the valve needle body, wherein the throttle section is provided on the throttle ring.

6. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: The first valve needle segment or the second valve needle segment is provided with a second mounting groove, and the second mounting groove is communicated with the first mounting groove; The electronic expansion valve further includes a second sealing member installed in the second installation groove and located between the first sealing member and the valve needle body.

7. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: The first valve needle segment defines an assembly cavity, at least a portion of the second valve needle segment is located in the assembly cavity, one end of the second valve needle segment is spaced apart from one end of the first valve needle segment, and one end of the second valve needle segment and one end of the first valve needle segment are sandwiched to form the first mounting groove; Wherein, the throttling section is arranged at one end of the second valve needle section.

8. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 7, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further includes a second sealing member, the first valve needle segment and the second valve needle segment form a second mounting groove, the second mounting groove is communicated with the first mounting groove, and the second sealing member is installed in the second mounting groove; Alternatively, the first valve needle segment is provided with a second mounting groove, the second mounting groove is communicated with the first mounting groove, and the second sealing member is mounted in the second mounting groove; Alternatively, the second valve needle segment is provided with a second mounting groove, the second mounting groove is communicated with the first mounting groove, and the second sealing member is mounted in the second mounting groove.

9. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: A third mounting groove is formed between the other end of the second valve needle segment and the other end of the first valve needle segment; The electronic expansion valve further includes a first elastic member. Along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly, one end of the first elastic member abuts against the third mounting groove, and the other end abuts against the valve body.

10. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 9, wherein: The openings at both ends of the first elastic member have equal sizes, and the outer ring of the first elastic member is in contact with and guide-fitted against the inner wall of the first valve needle segment.

11. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 9, wherein: The opening size of one end of the first elastic member is smaller than the opening size of the other end, and the inner ring of the other end of the first elastic member is in contact with the outer wall of the second valve needle segment.

12. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further includes a screw connected to an end of the second valve needle segment away from the first sealing member, the second valve needle segment includes a second valve needle body and a spring sleeve, the screw, the spring sleeve and the second valve needle body are connected in sequence; Wherein, the inner ring of the other end of the first elastic member is in contact with the outer wall of the second valve needle body.

13. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 7, wherein: A welding groove is formed on the outer side wall of the first valve needle segment, and the first valve needle segment is welded to the second valve needle segment through the welding groove.

14. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 13, wherein: The inner wall of the assembly cavity includes a first connecting section, the first connecting section is located on a side of the welding groove away from the valve port, and the first connecting section is interference fit with the second valve needle section.

15. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 14, wherein: The inner wall of the assembly cavity further includes a second connecting section, the second connecting section is located on a side of the welding groove close to the valve port, and the second connecting section is clearance-fitted with the second valve needle section; The second connecting section and the first connecting section are respectively located on two sides of the welding groove along the axial direction of the electronic expansion valve.

16. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein: The valve body further includes a second valve body that is separate from the first valve body, and the valve port is located in the second valve body; Wherein, the first valve body or the second valve body is provided with a flow port communicating with the valve cavity.

17. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 16, wherein: The flow port is provided on the circumferential side of the valve body; along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly, the end of the valve port close to the valve needle assembly protrudes from the bottom of the flow port, and the end of the valve port protrudes from the bottom of the flow port by a height L1, and the distance L2 from the end of the valve needle assembly to the valve port when the electronic expansion valve is fully open. The diameter D of the flow port satisfies the following conditions: L1+L2≥D / 2, L1+(L2 / 2) <D / 2。 18. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: The inner walls of the first mounting groove on both sides along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly are defined as a first inner wall and a second inner wall respectively. The two ends of the first sealing member along the axial direction of the valve needle assembly are defined as a first end and a second end respectively. The length of the first end along the radial direction of the valve needle assembly is not less than the length of the second end along the radial direction of the valve needle assembly. The first end is in contact with the first inner wall, and the second end is in contact with the second inner wall. Particularly, the radial length of the first inner wall along the valve needle assembly is not less than the radial length of the first end along the valve needle assembly, and the radial length of the second inner wall along the valve needle assembly is not less than the radial length of the second end along the valve needle assembly; and, along the radial direction of the valve needle assembly, the maximum length of the inner periphery of the first seal from the outer periphery is not greater than the radial length of the first end along the valve needle assembly.

19. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 18, wherein: The first inner wall is arranged on a side of the second inner wall away from the valve port, and the first sealing member is formed with a sealing cone section for sealing with the valve port. The sealing cone section tends to expand gradually along the direction from the second inner wall to the first inner wall.

20. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein: The first valve needle segment is provided with an assembly cavity, one end of the second valve needle segment passes through and protrudes from the assembly cavity, and the other end of the second valve needle segment is spaced apart from and sandwiched with the end of the first valve needle segment to form the first installation groove; The first valve needle segment includes a first needle segment, the bottom end of the first needle segment is the side wall of the first mounting groove and is in contact with the first seal, and the radial length of the bottom end of the first needle segment along the valve needle assembly is not less than the radial length of the first seal along the valve needle assembly.

21. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 20, wherein: The first valve needle segment further includes a second needle segment, which is arranged at an end of the first needle segment away from the first mounting groove; the outer diameter of the second needle segment is smaller than the outer diameter of the first needle segment.

22. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 20, wherein: The valve cavity includes a flow section and a transition section; a third sealing member is provided between the valve needle assembly and the guide section, and the valve needle assembly is in sealing engagement with the guide section via the third sealing member; the flow port is provided in the flow section, and a radial dimension of the flow section along the valve needle assembly is greater than a radial dimension of the guide section along the valve needle assembly; and both ends of the transition section are in communication with the guide section and the flow section, respectively; Wherein, when the electronic expansion valve is in a fully open state, the outer wall of the first needle section is spaced apart from the inner wall of the transition section.

23. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 20, wherein: The outer wall of the second valve needle protruding from one end of the assembly cavity is spaced apart from the inner wall of the first valve needle and forms a third mounting groove; The second valve needle is provided with a first through hole and a second through hole, one end of the first through hole is connected to the valve port, and the other end is arranged close to the third mounting groove, the second through hole is arranged on the side wall of the second valve needle, and the two ends of the second through hole are respectively connected to the first through hole and the third mounting groove.

24. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 23, wherein: The electronic expansion valve further comprises a spring sleeve and a drive assembly, wherein one end of the spring sleeve is connected to the drive assembly, and the other end is sleeved and connected to an end of the second valve needle protruding from the assembly cavity; Wherein, a third through hole is opened on the side wall of the spring sleeve, and the third through hole is communicated with the third installation groove.

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