Electronic expansion valve

Abstract

An electronic expansion valve, comprising a valve seat (10), a guide sleeve (20) and a piston assembly (30); a valve port (11) is provided in the valve seat (10); a balancing channel (40) is provided in the electronic expansion valve, one end of the balancing channel (40) being located at the end of the piston assembly (30) close to the valve port (11) and communicating with the valve port (11), and the other end thereof passing through the end of the guide sleeve (20) away from the valve port (11); a filter screen (41) is provided at the end of the balancing channel (40) close to the valve port (11), and the filter screen (41) protrudes relative to the piston assembly (30) in a direction away from the guide sleeve (20).

Description

Electronic expansion valve

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on February 10, 2025, with application number 202520210196.0, entitled "Electronic Expansion Valve", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of fluid control technology, and in particular to an electronic expansion valve. Background Technology

[0004] Electronic expansion valves are typically used as throttling elements in refrigeration systems. During the opening or closing process, the piston assembly of the electronic expansion valve balances the pressure at both ends through a balancing channel, enabling the electronic expansion valve to open or close smoothly. If impurities enter the balancing channel inside the electronic expansion valve, the piston assembly may become stuck, thus affecting the normal operation of the electronic expansion valve.

[0005] In related technologies, electronic expansion valves typically do not have internal filters. Instead, filters are usually installed in the refrigeration system to remove impurities. This requires system manufacturers to purchase an additional filter, increasing costs and adding a welding process. Summary of the Invention

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

[0007] This application provides an electronic expansion valve, comprising a valve seat, a guide sleeve, and a piston assembly. The valve seat has a valve port. One end of the guide sleeve extends into the valve seat and is sealed to the valve seat. The piston assembly is slidably connected to the guide sleeve so that the piston assembly can slide relative to the valve port to change the distance between the piston assembly and the valve port. The electronic expansion valve has a balance channel. One end of the balance channel is located at the end of the piston assembly near the valve port and communicates with the valve port. The other end passes through the end of the guide sleeve away from the valve port. A filter screen is provided at the end of the balance channel near the valve port. The filter screen protrudes from the piston assembly in a direction away from the guide sleeve.

[0008] In one embodiment, the balancing channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is mounted in the balancing channel via the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket has a mounting groove, and one end of the filter screen is inserted into the mounting groove so that the mounting bracket at least partially covers the filter screen. In one embodiment, the inner wall of the balancing channel has a step, and one end of the mounting bracket abuts against the step.

[0009] In one embodiment, the inner wall of the balancing channel has an inclined surface, one end of the mounting bracket is narrowed, and the outer side of the narrowed end of the mounting bracket abuts against the inclined surface.

[0010] In one embodiment, the outer side of the constricted opening of the mounting bracket is interference-fitted with the bevel.

[0011] In one embodiment, the piston assembly includes a nut seat, a positioning cylinder, and a valve head. The positioning cylinder is movably connected to the guide sleeve. The nut seat is disposed inside the positioning cylinder. The valve head has a communicating hole that communicates with the valve port. The end of the nut seat near the valve head is hollow and communicates with the communicating hole. The filter screen is at least partially disposed inside the communicating hole and protrudes relative to the valve head.

[0012] In one embodiment, the balancing channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is installed in the balancing channel through the mounting bracket. The inner wall of the balancing channel has a step, and one end of the mounting bracket abuts against the step. The step is located on the inner wall of the nut seat.

[0013] In one embodiment, the balancing channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is installed in the balancing channel through the mounting bracket. The inner wall of the balancing channel has an inclined surface, and one end of the mounting bracket is narrowed. The outer side of the narrowed end of the mounting bracket abuts against the inclined surface. The inclined surface is provided on the inner wall of the connecting hole.

[0014] In one embodiment, the nut seat has a polygonal mounting portion at one end near the valve port, and the positioning cylinder has a mounting hole at one end. The mounting hole is polygonal in shape to fit the mounting portion, and the mounting portion is installed in the mounting hole.

[0015] In one embodiment, a first balancing hole is formed on the side of the nut seat, a second balancing hole is formed on the positioning cylinder, and a third balancing hole is formed on the guide sleeve. The communicating hole, the interior of the nut seat, the first balancing hole, the inner cavity of the positioning cylinder, the second balancing hole, the inner cavity of the guide sleeve, and the third balancing hole form the balancing channel. Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become apparent from the specification, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To better describe and illustrate embodiments and / or examples of the inventions disclosed herein, reference may be made to one or more 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, the currently described embodiments and / or examples, or the best mode of these inventions as currently understood.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a partial piston assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 is a magnified view of part A in Figure 1.

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of part of the piston assembly and guide sleeve.

[0020] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional view of the nut seat.

[0021] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic expansion valve.

[0022] Reference numerals: 100, Electronic expansion valve; 10, Valve seat; 11, Valve port; 12, First port; 13, Second port; 20, Guide sleeve; 21, Limiting rod; 22, First groove; 23, Second groove; 24, First chamber; 25, Third balance hole; 30, Piston assembly; 31, Nut seat; 311, Mounting part; 312, First balance hole; 32, Screw; 33, Positioning cylinder; 331, Limiting hole; 332, Mounting hole; 333, Positioning sleeve; 334, Positioning piece; 3341, Second balance hole; 34, Valve head; 341, Connecting hole; 40, Balance channel; 41, Filter screen; 42, Mounting bracket; 421, Mounting groove; 43, Step; 44, Inclined surface; 50, Coil assembly; 51, Shell cover; 52, Motor; 521, Gear; 53, Connecting plate; 54, Bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0024] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0025] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0026] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5. This application provides an electronic expansion valve 100 for controlling the flow rate of a medium. It is commonly used in refrigeration systems as one of the four major components of a refrigeration system.

[0029] Specifically, the electronic expansion valve 100 includes a valve seat 10, a guide sleeve 20, and a piston assembly 30. The valve seat 10 has a valve port 11. One end of the guide sleeve 20 extends into the valve seat 10 and is sealed to the valve seat 10. The piston assembly 30 is slidably connected to the guide sleeve 20 so that the piston assembly 30 can move along the guide sleeve 20 within the valve seat 10 to change the distance between the piston assembly 30 and the valve port 11, thereby changing the flow area of ​​the valve port 11 and realizing flow control.

[0030] The valve seat 10 also has a first port 12 and a second port 13, which are connected through the valve port 11. The first port 12 and the second port 13 are respectively used to connect the connecting pipe.

[0031] Please refer to Figures 1 and 4. The piston assembly 30 includes a nut seat 31, a screw 32, and a positioning cylinder 33. The nut seat 31 is disposed inside and connected to the positioning cylinder 33. The screw 32 passes through the positioning cylinder 33 and is threadedly connected to the nut seat 31. The screw 32 can rotate, and the positioning cylinder 33 is limited circumferentially, thereby restricting the circumferential rotation of the nut seat 31, so that the nut seat 31 and the positioning cylinder 33 can only move axially.

[0032] The guide sleeve 20 is provided with a limiting rod 21, and the positioning cylinder 33 is provided with a limiting hole 331. One end of the limiting rod 21 passes through the limiting hole 331. Since the guide sleeve 20 is connected to the valve seat 10, it will not rotate relative to the valve seat 10. The cooperation between the limiting rod 21 and the limiting hole 331 can realize the circumferential limitation of the positioning cylinder 33, and the limiting rod 21 plays a guiding role in the movement of the positioning cylinder 33.

[0033] One end of the nut seat 31 is provided with a mounting part 311, and the end of the positioning cylinder 33 near the valve port 11 is provided with a mounting hole 332. The mounting hole 332 is polygonal in shape, and the mounting part 311 is also polygonal. The mounting part 311 is installed in the mounting hole 332. The polygonal fit prevents the nut seat 31 from rotating relative to the positioning cylinder 33, thus limiting the nut seat 31 circumferentially by the positioning cylinder 33. It should be noted that the polygon in this application can be a triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, or hexagon or more.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 3. The positioning cylinder 33 includes a positioning sleeve 333 and a positioning piece 334. The positioning piece 334 is located at the end of the positioning sleeve 333 away from the valve port 11. A limiting hole 331 is formed on the positioning piece 334. A screw 32 passes through the positioning piece 334 and extends into the positioning sleeve 333. The screw 32 and the positioning piece 334 are spaced apart. A nut seat 31 is located inside the positioning sleeve 333, and a mounting hole 332 is located inside the positioning sleeve 333. The positioning cylinder 33 is a separate unit, which facilitates the installation of the nut seat 31.

[0035] The piston assembly 30 also includes a valve head 34, which is located at the end of the positioning sleeve 333 away from the positioning plate 334, and is used to block the valve port 11.

[0036] The valve head 34 and the positioning sleeve 333 are threaded together, making installation convenient.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 5. The electronic expansion valve 100 has a balance channel 40. One end of the balance channel 40 passes through the end of the guide sleeve 20 away from the valve port 11, and the other end of the balance channel 40 is connected to the valve port 11. It is used to balance the pressure at both ends of the piston assembly 30, so that when the electronic expansion valve 100 is closed or opened, the piston assembly 30 will not be resisted by the pressure difference at both ends, and the piston assembly 30 can move smoothly.

[0038] The nut seat 31 is hollow, the valve head 34 has a connecting hole 341 that communicates with the valve port 11, the nut seat 31 has a first balance hole 312 on its side, the positioning plate 334 has a second balance hole 3341, and the guide sleeve 20 has a third balance hole 25. The connecting hole 341, the inner cavity of the nut seat 31, the first balance hole 312, the inner cavity of the positioning sleeve 333, the second balance hole 3341, the inner cavity of the guide sleeve 20, and the third balance hole 25 form a balance channel 40.

[0039] In one embodiment, the gap between the screw 32 and the positioning piece 334 forms a third balancing hole 25. This arrangement avoids the need for an additional step of setting the third balancing hole 25.

[0040] The inner wall of the balance channel 40 is provided with a filter screen 41, which protrudes relative to the piston assembly 30, that is, protrudes relative to the valve head 34, so that when the electronic expansion valve 100 is closed, at least part of the filter screen 41 is located inside the valve port 11. The filter screen 41 can filter impurities, preventing impurities from entering from the balance channel 40 and affecting the operation of the piston assembly 30. Moreover, since the filter screen 41 is protruding, impurities will accumulate on the outer surface of the protruding part of the filter screen 41. When the electronic expansion valve 100 is opened, the medium will flush away the accumulated impurities, preventing the filter screen 41 from becoming clogged.

[0041] The inner wall of the balance channel 40 is provided with a mounting bracket 42, and the filter screen 41 is installed through the mounting bracket 42.

[0042] One end of the mounting bracket 42 is bent to form a mounting groove 421, and one end of the filter screen 41 is inserted into the mounting groove 421 so that the mounting bracket 42 at least partially covers the filter screen 41, thereby enhancing the installation stability of the filter screen 41.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 2. The inner wall of the balance channel 40 is provided with a step 43. One end of the mounting bracket 42 abuts against the step 43 to limit the filter screen 41, so as to ensure that a part of the filter screen 41 protrudes out of the piston assembly 30.

[0044] The inner wall of the balance channel 40 has an inclined surface 44. The inclined surface 44 is away from the guide sleeve 20 relative to the step 43. One end of the mounting bracket 42 is narrowed. The outer side of the narrowed part abuts against the inclined surface 44. The inclined surface 44 is used to limit the lower position of the mounting bracket 42. The narrowed mounting bracket 42 can limit the filter screen 41, and the outer side of the narrowed part is adapted to the inclined surface 44.

[0045] The mounting bracket 42 and the inclined surface 44 are interference-fitted to prevent impurities from entering the balance channel 40 through the gap between the mounting bracket 42 and the inclined surface 44.

[0046] The filter screen 41 is at least partially located inside the nut seat 31. In this way, the filter screen 41 does not occupy more space in terms of height, so that the positioning sleeve 333 can have more positions to connect with the valve head 34. More threads can be provided on the positioning sleeve 333, thereby strengthening the connection between the positioning sleeve 333 and the valve head 34.

[0047] In one embodiment, the step 43 is provided inside the nut seat 31, and the inclined surface 44 is provided on the inner wall of the connecting hole 341. This not only allows the filter screen 41 to protrude from the valve head 34, but also ensures that the long filter screen 41 does not occupy more height space.

[0048] The electronic expansion valve 100 also includes a coil assembly 50, which is located at the end of the guide sleeve 20 away from the valve seat 10. The coil assembly 50 is connected to the screw 32 and is used to drive the screw 32 to rotate.

[0049] The coil assembly 50 includes a housing 51, a motor 52, and a connecting plate 53. The motor 52 is mounted on the connecting plate 53 and is located inside the housing 51. The housing 51 and the guide sleeve 20 are fixedly connected.

[0050] The guide sleeve 20 has a first groove 22 and a second groove 23 at its two ends. The first groove 22 faces the coil assembly 50, and the second groove 23 faces the valve port 11. The positioning sleeve 333 and the groove wall of the second groove 23 are slidably connected. The third balance hole 25 connects the first groove 22 and the second groove 23, and the balance channel 40 connects the first groove 22.

[0051] A connecting plate 53 is placed over the opening of the first groove 22 to form a first cavity 24. The output shaft of the motor 52 passes through the connecting plate 53 and extends into the first cavity 24. A gear 521 is provided on the output shaft. The gear 521 is connected to the screw 32 through a bearing 54. The rotation of the gear 521 drives the screw 32 to rotate.

[0052] During operation, the medium enters through the balance channel 40 and is filtered by the filter screen 41. Impurities will adhere to the outer surface of the filter screen 41. When the electronic expansion valve 100 is opened, the medium will flow through the first port 12 and the second port 13. The medium will flush away the impurities attached to the protruding filter screen 41 to prevent the filter screen 41 from becoming clogged.

[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic expansion valve, comprising a valve seat, a guide sleeve, and a piston assembly, wherein the valve seat has a valve port, one end of the guide sleeve extends into the valve seat and is sealed to the valve seat, and the piston assembly is slidably connected to the guide sleeve so that the piston assembly can slide relative to the valve port to change the distance between the piston assembly and the valve port; Its features are, The electronic expansion valve has a balance channel. One end of the balance channel is located at the end of the piston assembly near the valve port and is connected to the valve port. The other end passes through the end of the guide sleeve away from the valve port. A filter screen is provided at the end of the balance channel near the valve port. The filter screen protrudes from the piston assembly in a direction away from the guide sleeve.

2. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein, The balancing channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is installed in the balancing channel through the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket has a mounting groove, and one end of the filter screen is inserted into the mounting groove so that the mounting bracket at least partially covers the filter screen.

3. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, wherein, The inner wall of the balancing channel has a step, and one end of the mounting bracket abuts against the step.

4. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 2, wherein, The inner wall of the balancing channel has an inclined surface, one end of the mounting bracket is narrowed, and the outer side of the narrowed part of the mounting bracket abuts against the inclined surface.

5. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein, The outer side of the constricted opening of the mounting bracket is interference-fitted with the inclined surface.

6. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein, The piston assembly includes a nut seat, a positioning cylinder, and a valve head. The positioning cylinder is movably connected to the guide sleeve. The nut seat is disposed inside the positioning cylinder. The valve head has a communicating hole that communicates with the valve port. The end of the nut seat near the valve head is hollow and communicates with the communicating hole. The filter screen is at least partially disposed inside the communicating hole and protrudes relative to the valve head.

7. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, wherein, The balancing channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is installed in the balancing channel through the mounting bracket. The inner wall of the balancing channel has a step, and one end of the mounting bracket abuts against the step. The step is located on the inner wall of the nut seat.

8. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, wherein, The balance channel is provided with a mounting bracket, and the filter screen is installed in the balance channel through the mounting bracket. The inner wall of the balance channel (40) has an inclined surface. One end of the mounting bracket is narrowed, and the outer side of the narrowed part of the mounting bracket abuts against the inclined surface. The inclined surface is disposed on the inner wall of the connecting hole.

9. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, wherein, The nut seat has a polygonal mounting portion at one end near the valve port, and the positioning cylinder has a mounting hole at one end. The mounting hole is polygonal in shape to fit the mounting portion, and the mounting portion is installed in the mounting hole.

10. The electronic expansion valve according to claim 6, wherein, The nut seat has a first balance hole on its side, the positioning cylinder has a second balance hole, and the guide sleeve has a third balance hole. The connecting hole, the interior of the nut seat, the first balance hole, the inner cavity of the positioning cylinder, the second balance hole, the inner cavity of the guide sleeve, and the third balance hole form the balance channel.

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