Composite valve with main valve element and sub-valve element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9732874-B2
Application number	US-201314080708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2012
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A control valve according to an exemplary embodiment includes an interlocking mechanism that achieves a first operation and a second operation simultaneously or continuously. In the first operation, a sub-valve is opened by having an actuating rod displaced integrally with a sub-valve element in accordance with the magnitude of solenoidal force. In the second operation, a load, by which to bias a main valve element in a closing direction of a main valve, is increased by displacing the actuating rod relative to the main valve element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composite valve comprising:
a body having a lead-in port through which a working fluid is led in, a lead-out port through which the working fluid is led out, and a lead-in/out port through which the working fluid is led out while the lead-in/out port communicates with the lead-in port and through which the working fluid is led in while the lead-in/out port communicates with the lead-out port;
a main valve provided in a main passage that communicates between the lead-in port and the lead-in/out port;
a sub-valve provided in a sub-passage that communicates between the lead-in/out port and the lead-out port;
a main valve element configured to open and close the main valve by touching and leaving a main valve seat provided in the main passage, the main valve element being slidably supported by a guiding passage provided in the body;
a sub-valve element configured to open and close the sub-valve by touching and leaving a sub-valve seat provided in the sub-passage;
a solenoid including a core fixed to the body, and a plunger disposed opposite to the main valve element with respect to the core, the plunger being displaceable in a direction of axis line, the solenoid being configured to generate a suction force, having a magnitude corresponding to an amount of current supplied, between the core and the plunger, the suction force being a solenoidal force in a closing direction of the main valve, which is an opening direction of the sub-valve;
an actuating rod configured to be capable of directly or indirectly transmitting the solenoidal force to the main valve element and the sub-valve element, the actuating rod being coupled to the plunger;
a biasing member configured to bias the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve so that the actuating rod and the main valve element are kept in a state in which the actuating rod and the main valve element are not displaced relative to each other in the direction of axis line while the main valve element is normally slidable along the guiding passage, the biasing member being made of an elastic material; and
an interlocking mechanism including the actuating rod, the interlocking mechanism being configured to continuously perform a first operation of opening the sub-valve in a manner such that the actuating rod is displaced integrally with the sub-valve element in accordance with a magnitude of the solenoidal force and a second operation of increasing a pressing load, by which to press the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve, in a manner such that the actuating rod is displaced relative to the main valve element after the opening of the sub-valve starts, in accordance with a magnitude of the solenoidal force,
wherein as the solenoidal force is increased while the main valve element is incapable of normally sliding along the guiding passage, the pressing load of the actuating rod pressing the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve is increased in such a manner that the actuating rod is driven in the opening direction of the sub-valve, which is the closing direction of the main valve, to press the sub-valve element up from the sub-valve seat so that the actuating rod is displaced relative to the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve, and
wherein the sub-valve element has a through-hole formed in the direction of axis line, through which an end of the actuating rod farther from the plunger is inserted.

2. A composite valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-passage is so provided as to run through the main valve element, and
wherein the sub-valve seat is formed in the main valve element.

3. A composite valve according to claim 1 , wherein the actuating rod has an engagement portion provided integrally therewith, the engagement portion being formed such that the solenoidal force is directly transmitted to the main valve element by engaging the engagement portion with a to-be-engaged portion provided integrally with the main valve element, and
wherein the interlocking mechanism is configured such that the actuating rod is displaced relative to the main valve element so as to engage the engagement portion with the to-be-engaged portion and such that the solenoidal force is directly exerted on the main valve element.

4. A composite valve according to claim 3 , wherein the biasing member biases the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve such that a predetermined interval is formed between the engagement portion and the to-be-engaged portion while the sub-valve is closed.

5. A composite valve according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined interval while the sub-valve is closed is equal to an uplift amount of the sub-valve element from the sub-valve seat while the sub-valve is fully open.

6. A composite valve according to claim 5 , wherein the biasing member is set between a part integrated with the actuating rod and the main valve element, and the biasing member is so configured as to be displaceable integrally with the actuating rod,
wherein the interlocking mechanism further includes the biasing member, and
wherein when movement of the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve is restricted, the interlocking mechanism displaces the actuating rod relative to the main valve element in the closing direction of the main valve as the solenoidal force is increased, so as to compress the biasing member such that a pressing load of the biasing member pressing the main valve element in the valve closing direction of the main valve, is made larger than a pressing load of the biasing member in a state where the sub-valve is closed.

7. A composite valve according to claim 6 , wherein the composite valve is configured as a control valve for a variable displacement compressor where a discharging capacity of the variable displacement compressor, which compresses a refrigerant introduced into a suction chamber and then discharges the compressed refrigerant from a discharge chamber, is varied by controlling a flow rate of the refrigerant to be introduced from the discharge chamber into a crankcase,
the control valve for the variable displacement compressor including:
the body having a crankcase communication port that communicates with the crankcase as the lead-in/out port, a discharge chamber communication port that communicates with the discharge chamber as the lead-in port, and a suction chamber communication port that communicates with the suction chamber as the lead-out port; and
a pressure-sensing section configured to sense a suction pressure of the suction chamber or a crank pressure of the crankcase as a pressure to be sensed and configured to exert a valve-opening-direction force on the main valve element via the actuating rod when the pressure to be sensed is lower than a set pressure.

8. A composite valve according to claim 5 , wherein the composite valve is configured as a control valve for a variable displacement compressor where a discharging capacity of the variable displacement compressor, which compresses a refrigerant introduced into a suction chamber and then discharges the compressed refrigerant from a discharge chamber, is varied by controlling a flow rate of the refrigerant to be introduced from the discharge chamber into a crankcase,
the control valve for the variable displacement compressor including:
the body having a crankcase communication port that communicates with the crankcase as the lead-in/out port, a discharge chamber communication port that communicates with the discharge chamber as the lead-in port, and a suction chamber communication port that communicates with the suction chamber as the lead-out port; and
a pressure-sensing section conf

Assignees

• Tgk Co Ltd
• Tgk Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saeki Shinji
• Kaneko Yuuki
• Tonegawa Masaaki

Classifications

• Y10T137/86879

  Reciprocating valve unit · CPC title

• F04B2027/1831

  between crankcase and suction chamber · CPC title

• F16K31/0603 Primary

  Multiple-way valves · CPC title

• F04B27/1804 Primary

  Controlled by crankcase pressure · CPC title

• F04B2027/1813

  Crankcase pressure · CPC title