Expansion valve and vibration-proof spring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9702601-B2
Application number	US-201313862365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2013
Priority date	Apr 25, 2012
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An expansion valve includes a shaft for transmitting the drive force to a valve element and a vibration-proof spring, set between the body and the shaft, which generates the sliding friction by biasing the shaft. The vibration-proof spring includes a spring body of a hollow tube shape, a spring part, which is integrally formed with a side wall of the spring body, and a bulging portion formed on the spring part in a protruding manner such that the tip of the bulging portion is placed opposite to a part of the shaft. When the bulging portion abuts against the shaft inserted to the vibration-proof spring, the spring part is placed in a position along the spring body or is warped outwardly from the spring body, so that the elastically reactive force resulting from the warped spring part allows the shaft to slide in a stabilized manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expansion valve that throttles and expands refrigerant introduced from an upstream side of a refrigeration cycle by allowing the refrigerant to pass through a valve section in a body so as to deliver the refrigerant to a downstream side thereof, the expansion valve comprising:
a refrigerant passage, formed in such a manner as to run through the body, having a lead-in port of the refrigerant at one end thereof and having a lead-out port of the refrigerant at the other end thereof;
a valve hole provided midway along the refrigerant passage;
a valve element configured to open and close the valve section by touching and leaving the valve hole;
a drive section configured to generate drive force used to open and close the valve section;
an actuating rod, supported by the body, configured to transmit the drive force of the drive section to the valve element; and
a vibration-proof spring, set between the body and the actuating rod, configured to develop a sliding friction by biasing the actuating rod,
the vibration-proof spring including:
a spring body, of a hollow tube shape, inside which the actuating rod is insertable, the spring body having a plurality of flat side walls and having a polygonal cross section;
a plurality of spring parts, each integrally formed with a respective one of the side walls of the spring body, the spring parts being supported by the spring body; and
a plurality of contact portions, each formed on a face of a respective one of the spring parts in a protruding manner, the face facing the actuating rod,

wherein, when the contact portions abut against the actuating rod inserted to the vibration-proof spring, the spring parts are warped to positions along the side walls of the spring body or to positions outside of the side walls of the spring body, and an elastically reactive force of the warped spring parts allows the actuating rod to slide in a stabilized manner,
wherein each of the spring parts is located at a position of an opening formed in a respective one of the side walls and extends in a cantilevered manner along the side wall in a circumferential direction of the spring body, and the spring parts are in contact with the actuating rod at a plurality of positions,
wherein the spring body is elastically inserted in a hole section having a circular cross section formed in the body, the hole section and the actuating rod are concentric, and the spring body is supported by the body through the elastically reactive force, and
wherein gaps between the side walls of the spring body and an inner wall of the hole section constitute spaces allowing the spring parts to warp to the outside of the side walls.

2. An expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration-proof spring is configured such that the vibration-proof spring is mounted to the body while the spring body is elastically deformed and such that the vibration-proof spring is secured to the body by an elastically reactive force.

3. An expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein the spring body is formed of a hollow tube having a triangular cross section.

4. An expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein the spring body is formed such that an elastic plate is bent and processed along an extending direction, and the plate is constructed in a stepped form such that one end and the other end of the plate overlap with each other in a width direction.

5. An expansion valve according to claim 1 , wherein the expansion valve is configured as a thermostatic expansion valve which delivers the throttled and expanded refrigerant, having passed through the valve section, from the lead-out port and supplies the throttled and expanded refrigerant to an evaporator and which controls a valve opening degree of the valve section by sensing a pressure and a temperature of the refrigerant returned from the evaporator,
the thermostatic expansion valve including:
a return passage, formed separately from the refrigerant passage in such a manner as to run through the body, the return passage having the refrigerant returned from the evaporator pass therethrough; and
a power element, provided as the drive section, configured to be enabled upon sensing the temperature and the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the return passage and configured to control a flow rate of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator by transmitting the drive force to the valve element via the actuating rod and varying the valve opening degree of the valve section.

6. A vibration-proof spring, which functions in a state inserted in a hole section having a circular cross section, for applying sliding friction to a member inserted in the vibration-proof spring, the vibration-proof spring comprising:
a spring body of a hollow tube shape having a plurality of flat side walls and having a polygonal cross section;
a plurality of spring parts, each integrally formed with a respective one of the side walls of the spring body, the spring parts being supported by the spring body in a cantilevered manner; and
a plurality of contact portions, each formed on a respective one of the spring parts, the contact portions protruding toward the inside of the spring body,
wherein each of the spring parts is located at a position of an opening formed in a respective one of the side walls and extends along the side wall in a circumferential direction of the spring body,
wherein, in a state where no load is applied to the spring parts, the spring parts are at positions along the side walls of the spring body or positions outside of the side walls of the spring body and end surfaces of the contact portions are at positions inside of the side walls.

Assignees

• Tgk Co Ltd

Inventors

• Satake Ryosuke
• Watanabe Takeshi

Classifications

• F25B2341/0683

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

• F25B2341/06

  Details of flow restrictors or expansion valves · CPC title

• F25B2500/12

  Sound · CPC title

• F16F7/00

  Vibration-dampers; Shock-absorbers (using fluid F16F5/00, F16F9/00; specific for rotary systems F16F15/10 {; belt tensioners F16H7/12}) · CPC title

• F16F1/324

  characterised by having tongues or arms directed in a generally radial direction, i.e. diaphragm-type springs · CPC title