Integrated Expansion Valve Structure for Leak-Safe Stable Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional expansion valves for air conditioners are bulky, require many parts, and are prone to refrigerant leakage, making them difficult to miniaturize and lightweight, and they struggle with stabilizing valve motion under pressure fluctuations.
Innovation Solution
The design integrates a guide member with a slidably guided operation rod and an orifice portion to control the valve element, using a staked and pressure-fitted configuration to reduce parts and prevent leakage, while a vibration isolating member stabilizes the valve motion and a threaded mounting system secures the driving device to prevent refrigerant leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional expansion valve design with multiple parts (valve receiving member, spring, adjusting screw) is used, then the valve can perform its function, but the number of parts increases making miniaturization and lightweight difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member integrates multiple functions into a single component: it guides the operation rod, forms the orifice portion for refrigerant flow control, and provides structural support. This merging of functions reduces the number of parts while maintaining the expansion valve's operational capabilities, directly addressing the contradiction between size reduction and functional completeness
2Reliability
If conventional expansion valve design is used, then the valve can be assembled, but refrigerant may leak from the valve chamber through the adjusting screw portion
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member is integrally formed with the orifice portion, eliminating the need for separate adjusting screws and associated sealing components. This integration removes potential leakage paths while reducing part count, simultaneously improving reliability and simplifying the device structure
Solution Approach 2:
A seal member is introduced as an intermediary element between the guide member and valve body to prevent refrigerant leakage. This seal member ensures reliable sealing at the interface without requiring complex adjusting screw mechanisms, addressing the leakage issue while maintaining simplicity
3Reliability
If the driving device is mounted with loose fit, then assembly is easy, but refrigerant may leak from between the driving device mounting hole and mounting seat
Solution Approach 1:
A seal member is placed as an intermediary between the mounting seat and the driving device mounting hole to prevent refrigerant leakage. This seal member ensures reliable sealing without requiring tight tolerances or complex assembly procedures, simultaneously improving reliability and maintaining ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member acts as a flexible barrier that conforms to the interface between the mounting seat and driving device, creating an effective seal against refrigerant leakage while allowing for straightforward assembly without precise fitting
Data Source
AI summary
An expansion valve includes a valve body having a valve body hole, a first passage, a bottomed valve chamber, a second passage, a third passage and a guide member disposed in the valve body hole between the first passage and the third passage. The valve body hole has a first valve body hole portion and a second valve body hole portion of different diameters forming a valve body step between the second passage and the first passage. The guide has a first guide portion and a second guide portion of different diameters forming a guide portion step. The guide is sized to be slidably received by the valve body hole in a close-fitting relationship with the first valve body hole portion receiving the first guide portion, the second valve body hole portion receiving the second guide portion and the valve body step and the guide portion step contacting each other.