Expansion valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113779-B2
Application number	US-201414917416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Sep 11, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

When a power element expands in a direction of a uniaxial center, a diaphragm is pressed, in the direction of the uniaxial center, against a pressing portion of a lid member fixed to a body unit. A holder member of the power element is displaced away from the pressing portion as the diaphragm further expands outward in the direction of the uniaxial center. Displacement of the holder member in the direction of the uniaxial center is transmitted to a spherical valve, thereby increasing or decreasing an opening degree of the spherical valve. Accordingly, it is not necessary to dispose a member which may cause complicated processing work for an expansion valve between the holder member and the spherical valve, e.g., a member which needs complicated welding processing work.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expansion valve comprising:
an expansion unit that has a diaphragm expanding in an axial direction of a uniaxial center, and an enclosing space forming member stacked with the diaphragm in the axial direction, the enclosing space forming member defining a fluid enclosing space, in which an enclosed fluid is sealed, between the diaphragm and the enclosing space forming member in the axial direction;
a flow channel forming portion that defines a first flow channel through which a flowing fluid flows, the first flow channel having a decompressing flow channel to decompress the flowing fluid;
a valve body that selectively opens and closes the decompressing flow channel;
a pressing portion that is fixed to the flow channel forming portion, the diaphragm being pressed against the pressing portion in the axial direction when the diaphragm expands in the axial direction; and
a displacement transmitting portion that transmits displacement of the enclosing space forming member along the axial direction to the valve body, the displacement transmitting portion selectively increasing and decreasing an opening degree of the valve body, wherein
the enclosing space forming member is displaced away from the pressing portion as the diaphragm outwardly expands in the axial direction.

2. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the diaphragm has a peripheral edge portion at a peripheral edge of the diaphragm,
the enclosing space forming member has an annular contact surface in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm, and
the enclosing space forming member is joined to an outer side of the diaphragm, the outer side of the diaphragm being outward of an inner peripheral end of the contact surface in a radial direction of the uniaxial center.

3. The expansion valve according to claim 2 , wherein
the expansion unit has an annular collar that is disposed on a side of the diaphragm opposite to the contact surface of the enclosing space forming member in the axial direction of the uniaxial center,
the collar has a collar contact surface in contact with the diaphragm, and
the collar contact surface is joined to an outer side of the diaphragm, the outer side of the diaphragm being outward of an inner peripheral end of the collar contact surface in the radial direction of the uniaxial center.

4. The expansion valve according to claim 3 , wherein
the collar includes a prohibiting portion that prohibits the diaphragm from expanding to be deformed.

5. The expansion valve according to claim 4 , wherein
the prohibiting portion extends radially inward from the collar and prohibits deformation of the diaphragm by coming into contact with the diaphragm when the diaphragm expands to be deformed.

6. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
a second flow channel, through which the flowing fluid flows, is formed in the flow channel forming portion, the second flow channel being separately from the first flow channel, and
the enclosing space forming member includes a flow channel arrangement portion arranged inside the second flow channel.

7. The expansion valve according to claim 6 , wherein
an accommodating space in communication with the second flow channel is formed in the flow channel forming portion, and
the diaphragm of the expansion unit is accommodated inside the accommodating space.

8. The expansion valve according to claim 6 , wherein
the fluid enclosing space is formed to extend to the flow channel arrangement portion.

9. The expansion valve according to claim 8 , wherein
the expansion unit has an adsorbent to adsorb the enclosed fluid, the adsorbent being disposed inside a portion of the fluid enclosing space included in the flow channel arrangement portion.

10. The expansion valve according to claim 8 , wherein
at least one of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the flow channel arrangement portion is covered with a member that has thermal conductivity lower than that of the enclosing space forming member.

11. The expansion valve according to claim 6 , wherein
the enclosing space forming member includes a plurality of the flow channel arrangement portions.

12. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
a second flow channel, through which the flowing fluid flows, is formed in the flow channel forming portion, the second flow channel being separately from the first flow channel,
an accommodating space in communication with the second flow channel is formed in the flow channel forming portion, and
the diaphragm of the expansion unit is accommodated inside the accommodating space.

13. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the displacement transmitting portion includes an actuating bar that is restrained in the radial direction of the uniaxial center with respect to the flow channel forming portion, the actuating bar extending in the axial direction of the uniaxial center,
a fitting hole is formed on one side of the enclosing space forming member opposite to the diaphragm in the axial direction of the uniaxial center, and
the actuating bar is fitted into the fitting hole.

14. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the displacement transmitting portion includes a plurality of the actuating bars that extend in the axial direction of the uniaxial center,
the plurality of actuating bars are interposed between the enclosing space forming member and the valve body in the axial direction of the uniaxial center, and
the plurality of actuating bars are arranged in parallel with each other.

15. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the expansion unit is accommodated inside the flow channel forming portion.

16. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the pressing portion is formed of a resin.

17. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the diaphragm is directly, without interruption, pressed against the pressing portion in the axial direction when the diaphragm expands in the axial direction.

18. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the enclosed fluid is fluid tightly sealed in the fluid enclosing space between the diaphragm and the enclosing space forming member in the axial direction.

19. The expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the fluid is a refrigerant.

20. The expansion valve according to claim 19 , wherein
the refrigerant is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Ito Shigeki

Classifications

• F25B2500/01

  Geometry problems, e.g. for reducing size · CPC title

• F25B2341/0683

  the sensor is disposed in the suction line and influenced by the temperature or the pressure of the suction gas · CPC title

• F25B41/062 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F16K31/002 Primary

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• F25B41/335

  via diaphragms · CPC title