Electronic expansion valve

Abstract

The present application discloses an electronic expansion valve. The electronic expansion valve comprises a valve body, a valve seat assembly, a valve needle assembly, and a driving mechanism. The valve body has a first opening and a second opening, the valve seat assembly is mounted in the valve body, the valve seat assembly is provided with a mounting cavity, a first through hole, a second through hole, and a first balance hole, and the second opening, the second through hole, the mounting cavity, the first through hole, and the first opening form a fluid channel; the driving mechanism is connected to the valve seat assembly, the driving mechanism is provided with an accommodating cavity and a second balance hole, and the accommodating cavity is communicated with the mounting cavity by means of the second balance hole, so that the accommodating cavity, the second balance hole, the mounting cavity, and the first balance hole form a balance structure; and one end of the valve needle assembly is mounted in the mounting cavity, and the other end of the valve needle assembly passes into the accommodating cavity and is connected to the driving mechanism. According to the present application, by providing the balance structure, the pressure in the accommodating cavity can be rapidly balanced, so that the valve needle assembly can stably operate, ensuring normal operation of the electronic expansion valve.

Description

Electronic expansion valve

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410424041.7 filed on April 9, 2024, and entitled "Electronic expansion valve", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of flow regulating valves, in particular to an electronic expansion valve. BACKGROUND

[0003] An electronic expansion valve is a throttling element that can regulate the flow of refrigerant into a refrigeration device according to a preset program. The existing electronic expansion valve generally comprises a valve body, a driving member and a valve needle. The valve needle is movably arranged in the valve body, and the driving member is connected with the valve needle to drive the valve needle to move through the driving member, thereby controlling the flow of fluid through the electronic expansion valve.

[0004] However, some electronic expansion valves on the market do not have a balance structure. When the valve needle is running, the volume of the cavity above the valve needle will change, the pressure will change, and then the valve needle will be stressed, affecting the smooth running of the valve needle. In addition, impurities are easily introduced into the running gap of the valve needle, causing the electronic expansion valve to be easily stuck.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] In order to overcome the problems of the prior art, the main purpose of the present application is to provide an electronic expansion valve capable of improving the smoothness of the valve needle operation.

[0007] The present application provides an electronic expansion valve, which comprises:

[0008] a valve body having a first opening and a second opening;

[0009] a valve seat assembly installed in the valve body, and an installation cavity is arranged in the valve seat assembly, a second through hole and a first balance hole are arranged on the side wall of the valve seat assembly, the second opening is communicated with the installation cavity through the second through hole and the first balance hole, a first through hole is arranged on the bottom of the valve seat assembly, and the first opening is communicated with the installation cavity through the first through hole, so that the second opening, the second through hole, the installation cavity, the first through hole and the first opening form a fluid channel;

[0010] a driving mechanism connected with the valve seat assembly, and a receiving cavity is arranged in the driving mechanism, a second balance hole is arranged on the bottom of the driving mechanism, the receiving cavity is communicated with the installation cavity through the second balance hole, and the receiving cavity, the second balance hole, the installation cavity and the first balance hole form a balance structure.

[0011] a valve needle assembly, one end of the valve needle assembly is installed in the installation cavity, the other end of the valve needle assembly penetrates into the receiving cavity and is connected with the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is used to drive the valve needle assembly to move to control the opening degree of the first through hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second through hole and the first balance hole are both provided in plurality, and the plurality of second through holes and the plurality of first balance holes are respectively distributed along the circumference of the valve seat assembly.

[0013] In some embodiments, the valve body is provided with a containing cavity, the containing cavity is respectively communicated with the first opening and the second opening, the valve seat assembly is installed in the containing cavity, the installation cavity is communicated with the containing cavity through the second through hole, and the installation cavity is further communicated with the containing cavity through the first balance hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, the containing cavity comprises a first assembly part and a second assembly part, the valve seat assembly comprises a valve seat and a sealing seat, the valve seat is installed in the first assembly part, the sealing seat is installed in the second assembly part, and the valve seat and the sealing seat are connected to form the installation cavity, the connection part of the valve seat and the sealing seat is provided with the first balance hole, and the sealing seat is provided with the first through hole and the second through hole.

[0015] In some embodiments, the valve seat assembly further comprises a first sealing ring and a second sealing ring, the first sealing ring is sleeved on the valve seat and tightly contacts with the inner wall of the first assembly part, and the second sealing ring is sleeved on the sealing seat and tightly contacts with the inner wall of the second assembly part.

[0016] In some embodiments, the valve needle assembly comprises a valve rod and a valve needle, the valve needle is arranged in the installation cavity, a first end of the valve rod is connected with the valve needle, and a second end of the valve rod penetrates into the receiving cavity and is connected with the driving mechanism.

[0017] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism comprises a motor, a sleeve and a nut, the motor comprises a stator unit and a rotor unit;

[0018] the sleeve is connected with the valve seat, the nut is arranged in the sleeve, and the bottom of the nut is connected with the valve seat, so that the sleeve, the valve seat and the bottom of the nut enclose the receiving cavity;

[0019] the stator unit is arranged outside the sleeve, the rotor unit is installed in the sleeve, and the rotor unit is connected with the nut, the bottom of the nut is provided with the second balance hole, and the valve rod is threadedly connected with the nut.

[0020] In some embodiments, the bottom of the nut is provided with a plurality of second balance holes.

[0021] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism further comprises a guide spring and a sliding ring, the guide spring and the sliding ring are sleeved on the nut respectively, and the sliding ring is connected with the rotor unit and the guide spring respectively.

[0022] In some embodiments, the electronic expansion valve further comprises an upper cover, which is arranged on the upper surface of the driving mechanism.

[0023] The electronic expansion valve of the present application comprises a valve body, a valve seat assembly, a driving mechanism and a valve needle assembly. The valve body has a first opening and a second opening. The valve seat assembly is installed in the valve body, and the inside of the valve seat assembly is provided with an installation cavity. The side wall of the valve seat assembly is provided with a second through hole and a first balance hole. The second opening is communicated with the installation cavity through the second through hole and the first balance hole. The bottom of the valve seat assembly is provided with a first through hole. The first opening is communicated with the installation cavity through the first through hole, so as to form a fluid channel of the second opening, the second through hole, the installation cavity, the first through hole and the first opening. The driving mechanism is connected with the valve seat assembly, and the driving mechanism is provided with a receiving cavity. The bottom of the driving mechanism is provided with a second balance hole, so as to form a balance structure of the receiving cavity, the second balance hole, the installation cavity and the first balance hole. One end of the valve needle assembly is installed in the installation cavity, and the other end of the valve needle assembly penetrates into the receiving cavity and is connected with the driving mechanism, so as to drive the valve needle assembly to move through the driving mechanism, thereby controlling the opening degree of the first through hole and controlling the fluid flow rate through the electronic expansion valve. Compared with the prior art, the receiving cavity is communicated with the second opening through the second balance hole and the installation cavity to form a balance structure, so that the gas in the receiving cavity and the gas in the second opening can flow to each other. When the valve needle assembly operates and the volume of the receiving cavity changes, the gas in the receiving cavity and the gas in the second opening will flow to each other, thereby rapidly balancing the pressure in the receiving cavity, so that the valve needle assembly can operate smoothly, and the normal work of the electronic expansion valve is ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the electronic expansion valve provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the electronic expansion valve provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG3 is a perspective exploded view of the electronic expansion valve provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve seat assembly in FIG. 2 .

[0029] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of the valve seat assembly in FIG2 .

[0030] FIG6 is a perspective view of the sealing seat in FIG2 .

[0031] FIG7 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic expansion valve provided in an embodiment of the present application from another perspective.

[0032] Illustrations: 1. Valve body; 11. First opening; 12. Second opening; 13. Accommodating chamber; 13a. First assembly part; 13b. Second assembly part; 2. Valve seat assembly; 20. Mounting chamber; 21. Valve seat; 22. Sealing seat; 221. First through hole; 222. Second through hole; 223. First balancing hole; 23. First sealing ring; 24. Second sealing ring; 3. Valve needle assembly; 31. Valve needle; 32. Valve stem; 4. Driving mechanism; 41. Motor; 411. Stator unit; 412. Rotor unit; 42. Sleeve; 421. Accommodating chamber; 43. Nut; 431. Second balancing hole; 44. Guide spring; 5. Upper cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the electronic expansion valve of the present application comprises a valve body 1, a valve seat assembly 2, a valve needle assembly 3, a driving mechanism 4 and an upper cover 5. The valve body 1 has a first opening 11 and a second opening 12. The valve seat assembly 2 is installed in the valve body 1 and has a mounting cavity 20, a first through hole 221, a second through hole 222 and a first balance hole 223. The mounting cavity 20 communicates with the second opening 12 through the second through hole 222 and the first balance hole 223, and further communicates with the first opening 11 through the first through hole 221, so that the second opening 12, the second through hole 222, the mounting cavity 20, the first through hole 221 and the first opening 11 form a fluid passage for fluid flow. The driving mechanism 4 is connected with the valve seat assembly 2 and is provided with a receiving cavity 421 and a second balance hole 431. The receiving cavity 421 communicates with the mounting cavity 20 through the second balance hole 431, so that the receiving cavity 421, the second balance hole 431, the mounting cavity 20 and the first balance hole 223 form a balance structure for balancing the pressure in the receiving cavity 421. For example, when the gas pressure in the receiving cavity 421 is greater than the gas pressure at the second opening 12, the gas in the receiving cavity 421 will flow to the second opening 12 through the second balance hole 431, the mounting cavity 20 and the first balance hole 223; when the gas pressure at the second opening 12 is greater than the gas pressure in the receiving cavity 421, the gas at the second opening 12 will flow to the receiving cavity 421 through the first balance hole 223, the mounting cavity 20 and the second balance hole 431, thereby achieving the purpose of balancing the pressure in the receiving cavity 421. The upper cover 5 is arranged on the upper surface of the driving mechanism 4 to prevent impurities from entering the driving mechanism 4. One end of the valve needle assembly 3 is installed in the mounting cavity 20, and the other end of the valve needle assembly 3 penetrates into the receiving cavity 421 and is connected with the driving mechanism 4. The driving mechanism 4 is used to drive the valve needle assembly 3 to move, so as to control the opening degree of the first through hole 221 and thereby control the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the electronic expansion valve.

[0035] For example, the electronic expansion valve can be installed in a cooling circulation system. Specifically, the first opening 11 and the second opening 12 of the electronic expansion valve can be connected to the pipelines of the cooling circulation system, respectively, so that the refrigerant of the cooling circulation system can flow into the mounting cavity 20 through the second opening 12 and the second through hole 222, and then flow out through the first opening 11 and the first through hole 221. When controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the electronic expansion valve, the driving mechanism 4 drives the valve needle assembly 3 to move, so that the valve needle assembly 3 moves along its axial direction to control the area of the valve needle assembly 3 blocking the first through hole 221, thereby controlling the opening degree of the first through hole 221, i.e. controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the electronic expansion valve.

[0036] In the embodiment, the installation cavity 20 is formed in the inner portion of the valve seat assembly 2, the second through hole 222 and the first balance hole 223 are formed in the side wall of the valve seat assembly 2, and the first through hole 221 is formed in the bottom of the valve seat assembly 2. The accommodation cavity 421 is formed in the inner portion of the driving mechanism 4, and the second balance hole 431 is formed in the bottom of the driving mechanism 4.

[0037] When the valve needle assembly 3 moves up and down under the driving of the driving mechanism 4, the volume of the accommodation cavity 421 changes. If no balance structure is provided, the volume change of the accommodation cavity 421 will cause the pressure change in the accommodation cavity 421, so that the valve needle assembly 3 cannot run smoothly due to the pressure change, and the debris generated by the friction between the valve needle assembly 3 and the valve seat assembly 2 during the operation or the impurities flowing from the outside will enter the gap between the valve needle assembly 3 and the valve seat assembly 2, which may cause the electronic expansion valve to be stuck. The balance structure provided in the present application can quickly balance the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421 when the volume of the accommodation cavity 421 changes during the operation of the valve needle assembly 3, so that the valve needle assembly 3 can run smoothly. At the same time, when the valve needle assembly 3 rubs against the valve seat assembly 2 during the operation to generate debris or external impurities flow in, the debris or impurities will be discharged from the first balance hole 223, thereby avoiding the electronic expansion valve from being stuck.

[0038] With continuous reference to FIG. 2, the valve body 1 is provided with an accommodation cavity 13, which is in communication with the first opening 11 and the second opening 12, respectively. The valve seat assembly 2 is installed in the accommodation cavity 13, and the installation cavity 20 of the valve seat assembly 2 is in communication with the accommodation cavity 13 through the second through hole 222 and the first balance hole 223. Specifically, the accommodation cavity 13 includes a first mounting portion 13a and a second mounting portion 13b, the valve seat assembly 2 includes a valve seat 21 and a sealing seat 22, the valve seat 21 is installed in the first mounting portion 13a, the sealing seat 22 is installed in the second mounting portion 13b, and the sealing seat 22 and the valve seat 21 are connected to form the installation cavity 20. The connection between the valve seat 21 and the sealing seat 22 is provided with the first balance hole 223 (shown in FIG. 3), the bottom of the sealing seat 22 is provided with the first through hole 221, the side wall of the sealing seat 22 is provided with the second through hole 222, the installation cavity 20 is in communication with the accommodation cavity 13 through the second through hole 222, and the installation cavity 20 is also in communication with the accommodation cavity 13 through the first balance hole 223.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 4-6, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve seat assembly in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the valve seat assembly in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sealing seat in FIG. 2. The first through hole 221 is formed in the bottom of the sealing seat 22, and the second through hole 222 and the first balance hole 223 are each provided with a plurality of holes. The plurality of second through holes 222 and the plurality of first balance holes 223 are respectively and separately formed in the side wall of the sealing seat 22 along the circumferential direction of the sealing seat 22, and the plurality of first balance holes 223 are respectively above the plurality of second through holes 222.

[0040] In order to improve the sealing of the fluid channel, the valve seat 21 is provided with a first limiting groove, the sealing seat 22 is provided with a second limiting groove, and the valve seat assembly 2 further comprises a first sealing ring 23 and a second sealing ring 24. The first sealing ring 23 is sleeved on the valve seat 21 and located in the first limiting groove, and the first sealing ring 23 is in close contact with the inner wall of the first assembly part 13a. The second sealing ring 24 is sleeved on the sealing seat 22 and located in the second limiting groove, and the second sealing ring 24 is in close contact with the inner wall of the second assembly part 13b. In this embodiment, the first sealing ring 23 is provided to seal the connection between the valve seat 21 and the valve body 1, preventing gas in the containing cavity 13 from flowing out through the gap between the valve seat 21 and the valve body 1. The second sealing ring 24 is provided to seal the connection between the sealing seat 22 and the valve body 1, preventing gas in the containing cavity 13 from flowing to the first opening 11 through the gap between the sealing seat 22 and the valve body 1, thereby ensuring the stability of the internal pressure of the electronic expansion valve.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 7, the drive mechanism 4 comprises a motor 41, a sleeve 42, a nut 43, a guide spring 44 and a sliding ring. The motor 41 comprises a stator unit 411 and a rotor unit 412. The sleeve 42 is connected to the valve seat 21. The nut 43 is arranged in the sleeve 42, and the bottom of the nut 43 is connected to the valve seat 21, so that the sleeve 42, the valve seat 21 and the bottom of the nut 43 form a containing cavity 421. The stator unit 411 is arranged on the upper surface of the valve body 1 and located outside the sleeve 42. The rotor unit 412 is installed in the sleeve 42, and the rotor unit 412 is connected to the nut 43. The bottom of the nut 43 is spaced apart and provided with a plurality of second balance holes 431, so that the containing cavity 421 communicates with the mounting cavity 20 through the second balance holes 431. The containing cavity 421, the second balance holes 431, the mounting cavity 20 and the first balance holes 223 form a balance structure.

[0042] The valve needle assembly 3 comprises a valve stem 32 and a valve needle 31. The valve needle 31 is arranged in the mounting cavity 20. The first end of the valve stem 32 is connected to the valve needle 31. The second end of the valve stem 32 penetrates into the containing cavity 421 and is threadedly connected to the nut 43.

[0043] The guide spring 44 and the sliding ring are respectively sleeved on the nut 43, and the sliding ring is connected to the guide spring 44 and the rotor unit 412. When the rotor unit 412 rotates, it drives the sliding ring to rotate. When the sliding ring reaches the lower stop position, it is limited downward by the guide spring 44, and the rotor unit 412 cannot continue to rotate. Similarly, when the sliding ring reaches the upper stop position, it is limited upward by the guide spring 44, and the rotor unit 412 cannot continue to rotate.

[0044] In an actual application scenario, the stator unit 411 and the rotor unit 412 cooperate with each other to drive the rotor unit 412 to rotate, thereby driving the nut 43 to rotate, enabling the valve rod 32 in threaded connection with the nut 43 to move up and down along the axial direction thereof, to drive the valve needle 31 to reciprocate along the axial direction of the valve rod 32, and further control the opening degree of the first through hole 221, i.e., control the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the electronic expansion valve. Meanwhile, in the process of reciprocating movement of the valve rod 32 along the axial direction thereof, the volume of the accommodation cavity 421 will change due to the movement of the valve rod 32, but because the balance structure is provided, the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421 can be quickly balanced through the balance structure, enabling the valve needle assembly 3 to operate smoothly.

[0045] Exemplarily, when the valve rod 32 drives the valve needle 31 to move in the direction close to the upper cover 5, the volume of the accommodation cavity 421 becomes smaller, and the gas in the accommodation cavity 421 can flow to the second opening 12 through the second balance hole 431, the mounting cavity 20 and the first balance hole 223, to maintain the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421; when the valve rod 32 drives the valve needle 31 to move in the direction away from the upper cover 5, the volume of the accommodation cavity becomes larger, and the gas in the second opening 12 can flow to the accommodation cavity from the first balance hole 223, the mounting cavity 20 and the second balance hole 431, to maintain the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421. Therefore, no matter whether the volume of the accommodation cavity 421 becomes larger or smaller, the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421 can be quickly balanced through the balance structure, to enable the valve needle assembly 3 to operate smoothly without being affected by the pressure in the accommodation cavity 421, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the electronic expansion valve.

[0046] In addition, when the valve needle 31 rubs against the inner wall of the mounting cavity 20 during operation to generate debris or external impurities flow in, the debris or impurities will flow out from the first balance hole 223 to the accommodation cavity 13, and then flow out from the second through hole 222, the mounting cavity 20, the first through hole 221 and the first opening 11 in turn due to the high pressure at the second opening 12, thereby avoiding the debris or impurities from entering the gap between the valve needle 31 and the sealing seat 22, and avoiding the electronic expansion valve from being stuck due to the debris or impurities.

[0047] The above merely describes a preferred specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which shall be encompassed in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve, characterized in that: include: a valve body having a first opening and a second opening; a valve seat assembly, the valve seat assembly being mounted in the valve body, and having an installation cavity defined therein; a second through hole and a first balancing hole being defined on a side wall of the valve seat assembly; the second opening being in communication with the installation cavity via the second through hole and the first balancing hole; a first through hole being defined at the bottom of the valve seat assembly; the first opening being in communication with the installation cavity via the first through hole, so that the second opening, the second through hole, the installation cavity, the first through hole, and the first opening form a fluid passage; a driving mechanism connected to the valve seat assembly, wherein a receiving chamber is provided in the driving mechanism, a second balancing hole is provided at the bottom of the driving mechanism, the receiving chamber is connected to the mounting chamber through the second balancing hole, and the receiving chamber, the second balancing hole, the mounting chamber, and the first balancing hole form a balancing structure; A valve needle assembly, one end of which is installed in the installation cavity, and the other end of which penetrates into the receiving cavity and is connected to the driving mechanism, wherein the driving mechanism is used to drive the valve needle assembly to move so as to control the opening of the first through hole.

2. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple second through holes and multiple first balancing holes, and the multiple second through holes and the multiple first balancing holes are respectively distributed along the circumference of the valve seat assembly.

3. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve body is provided with an accommodating cavity, which is communicated with the first opening and the second opening respectively. The valve seat assembly is installed in the accommodating cavity. The installation cavity is communicated with the accommodating cavity through the second through hole. The installation cavity is also communicated with the accommodating cavity through the first balancing hole.

4. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The accommodating cavity includes a first assembly part and a second assembly part, and the valve seat assembly includes a valve seat and a sealing seat. The valve seat is installed in the first assembly part, and the sealing seat is installed in the second assembly part. The valve seat and the sealing seat are connected to form the installation cavity. The first balancing hole is provided at the connection between the valve seat and the sealing seat, and the first through hole and the second through hole are opened in the sealing seat.

5. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The valve seat assembly also includes a first sealing ring and a second sealing ring. The first sealing ring is sleeved on the valve seat and is in close contact with the inner wall of the first assembly part. The second sealing ring is sleeved on the sealing seat and is in close contact with the inner wall of the second assembly part.

6. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The valve needle assembly includes a valve stem and a valve needle. The valve needle is arranged in the installation cavity. The first end of the valve stem is connected to the valve needle. The second end of the valve stem penetrates into the receiving cavity and is connected to the driving mechanism.

7. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a motor, a sleeve and a nut, and the motor includes a stator unit and a rotor unit; The sleeve is connected to the valve seat, the nut is disposed in the sleeve, and the bottom of the nut is connected to the valve seat, so that the sleeve, the valve seat and the bottom of the nut enclose the receiving cavity; The stator unit is arranged outside the sleeve, the rotor unit is installed in the sleeve, and the rotor unit is connected to the nut. The bottom of the nut is provided with the second balancing hole, and the valve stem is threadedly connected to the nut.

8. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: A plurality of second balancing holes are spaced apart at the bottom of the nut.

9. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driving mechanism further includes a guide spring and a slip ring. The guide spring and the slip ring are respectively sleeved on the nut, and the slip ring is respectively connected to the rotor unit and the guide spring.

10. The electronic expansion valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The electronic expansion valve further includes an upper cover, which is arranged on the upper surface of the driving mechanism.

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