JP7120618B2 - spool valve - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a spool valve used in refrigerating cycles such as air conditioners and refrigerators.

2. Description of the Related Art In air conditioners, refrigerators, and the like, spool valves are used as multi-way valves for changing the direction and flow rate of refrigerant flowing therein according to the intended function. A spool valve has a plurality of ports provided on the wall surface of a cylindrical valve chamber, and a valve element coaxial with the valve chamber is incorporated in the valve chamber so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Between the inner wall surface of the valve chamber and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, there is provided a gap that serves as a coolant flow path, and this flow path communicates with each port.

In the spool valve, by sliding the valve body, the position of the ring-shaped projection provided on the outer circumference of the valve body is changed, and a predetermined port is selected from among the multiple ports provided on the wall surface of the valve chamber. The flow path is switched by connecting to the flow path. At this time, in order to ensure the sealing performance between the valve disc and the valve chamber, a seal member is provided on the inner surface of the valve chamber, and when the valve disc moves, this seal member and the convex portion on the outer periphery of the valve disc are brought into close contact with each other. there is

In such a spool valve, each time the valve body moves, the protrusion contacts and rides on the seal member, and the seal member is pressed against the surface of the protrusion and deformed. In that case, if the contact portion of the projection with the seal member has an angle, the seal member will be burdened. Alternatively, it is necessary to carry out curved surface processing or the like so as not to damage or deform the sealing member.

JP 2017-133641 A JP-A-58-28066

However, the valve body of the prior art is formed by cutting a cylindrical metal rod to form a flow path through which the coolant flows on the outer peripheral surface and inside thereof, and a convex portion that contacts the sealing member to block the flow path. It is formed in a ring shape on the outer peripheral surface of the valve body. Therefore, performing tapering or curved surface processing as described above on the initial contact position of the valve body with the seal member, that is, the corner portion of the convex portion that contacts the seal member increases the man-hours for manufacturing the valve body. Therefore, the cost was high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a spool valve which is easy to manufacture and less wear and tear of the sealing member.

In order to achieve the above objects, a spool valve according to the present invention has the following configuration.
(1) A valve body having a cylindrical valve chamber.
(2) A piston chamber provided at the end of the valve chamber.
(3) A plurality of ports provided on wall surfaces at different positions in the axial direction of the valve chamber.
(4) A valve body having a metal tube slidable in the axial direction and arranged coaxially with the axial line inside the valve chamber.
(5) A piston portion connected to the valve body side.
(6) A first flow path formed between the outer periphery of the valve body and the inner wall surface of the valve chamber and communicating with the port.
(7) A seal member provided in a ring shape along the circumferential direction on the inner surface of the valve chamber to seal a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the valve chamber.
(8) The metal pipe of the valve body has a small diameter portion that forms the first flow path between the valve body and the peripheral surface of the valve chamber.
(9) A large-diameter portion that contacts and separates from the seal member to open and close the first flow path.
(10) A widened portion connecting the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion with a smooth curved surface.

In the present invention, the following configuration can be adopted.
(1) The piston chambers are provided at both ends of the valve chamber, and the piston portions that slide in the piston chambers are provided at both ends of the valve body.
(2) The piston chamber is provided at one end of the valve chamber, the piston portion that slides in the piston chamber is provided at one end of the valve body, and the spring holding portion is provided at the other end of the valve chamber. A spring is arranged between the other end of the valve body and the spring holding portion to bias the valve body in its axial direction.
(3) A plurality of openings penetrating the wall surface of the metal pipe and communicating with the first flow path are formed in the small diameter portion of the valve body, and the inside of the valve body communicates with the first flow path. It is characterized in that a second flow path is provided for performing.
(4) An opening having the same diameter as the small diameter portion is formed at the end of the valve body, and the opening is sealed by the piston portion.
(5) One end of the valve body is provided with an end surface portion that is bent from the end of the small diameter portion to the inner peripheral side of the valve body, and a connecting member that extends coaxially with the valve body is provided on the end surface portion. It is fixed, and the piston member is connected to the connecting member.
(6) The piston chamber is composed of a single tubular member, and an opening located at the end of the piston chamber opposite to the valve body is closed by a cover plate.
(7) The piston chamber is composed of a single tubular member having a bottom at one end, and one end of the piston chamber has an opening located at the end opposite to the valve body and closed by a cover plate. , on the other side of the piston chamber, is closed by the tubular member bottom.
(8) one end of the valve body is closed by the piston part, the other end of the valve body is opened, and the end of the spring on the side of the valve body is inserted into the valve body from the opening of the valve body; It is in contact with the piston portion.
(9) One end of the valve body is closed by the piston part, the other end of the valve body is opened, and the inside of the valve body is axially closed between the opening of the valve body and the piston part. A sealing plate is provided, a gap is provided between the piston portion and the sealing plate to form a second flow path communicating with the first flow path, and an end of the spring on the valve body side is inserted into the valve body, It is in contact with the sealing plate.

According to the present invention, the valve body is coaxial with the valve chamber and is composed of a cylindrical metal tube having a uniform wall thickness. A valve body having an opening can be easily manufactured. Further, the expansion of the metal pipe can be formed so that the boundary portions between the small-diameter portion and the expanded portion and between the expanded portion and the large-diameter portion are curved. Since the seal member is deformed by contact with the member, wear of the seal member is prevented, and a spool valve excellent in sealing function and durability can be obtained.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the fourth embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the fifth embodiment; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the fifth embodiment; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the sixth embodiment; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the sixth embodiment; FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the seventh embodiment; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the seventh embodiment; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before switching of flow paths in the eighth embodiment; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after switching of flow paths in the eighth embodiment;

[1. First Embodiment]
[1-1. Constitution]
A first embodiment of a spool valve 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The spool valve 1 is arranged in various directions in actual use, but in this specification, the direction shown in FIG. The positional relationship of each member will be described according to the direction of arrangement in the middle-right direction.

The spool valve 1 of this embodiment has a cylindrical valve chamber 2 with open ends and a circular inner peripheral surface, and two piston chambers 3 a and 3 b provided at both ends of the valve chamber 2 . The valve chamber 2 is formed by cutting or casting a block-shaped metal material. Three ports are provided on the circumferential wall surface of the valve chamber 2 at predetermined intervals. A first port 4 (left side in the drawing) and a third port 6 (right side in the drawing) are provided near the end of the valve chamber 2 and directed in the same direction (upward in the drawing). The second port 5 is provided in the central portion of the valve chamber 2 so as to face in the opposite direction (downward in the figure) to the first port 4 and the third port 6 . It goes without saying that the directions of the three ports may be the same or may be different from each other.

Two ring-shaped grooves 7 are provided in the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 2, and a first seal member 8 (left side in the figure) and a second seal member 9 (right side in the figure) are fitted in the respective grooves 7. . A first sealing member 8 is provided between the first port 4 and the second port 5 , and a second sealing member 9 is provided between the second port 5 and the third port 6 . The inner peripheral surfaces of the first seal member 8 and the second seal member 9 protrude from the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 2 .

Each piston chamber 3a, 3b is configured by a cylindrical metal tube. The first piston chamber 3a is fixed to one side (left side in the drawing) of the opening of the valve chamber 2 that opens in the axial direction. The second piston chamber 3b is fixed to the other (right side in the drawing) of the opening of the valve chamber 2 that opens in the axial direction. One ends of the piston chambers 3a and 3b are inserted into openings provided at the ends of the valve chamber 2 and sealed and fixed by means such as welding. The ends of the piston chambers 3a and 3b on the side opposite to the valve chamber 2 are sealed with a flat cover plate 10. As shown in FIG. A pipe 10a is connected to the cover plate 10 for introducing or discharging a high-pressure fluid for driving the valve element 11 into or from the piston chambers 3a and 3b.

A cylindrical valve body 11 is inserted into the valve chamber 2 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the valve chamber 2 . The valve body 11 is coaxial with the valve chamber 2 and is composed of a cylindrical metal tube having a uniform wall thickness. The valve body 11 has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the valve chamber 2 and includes a small diameter portion 12 forming a first flow path between the valve body 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber 2, a first seal member 8 or a second seal. It has a large diameter portion 13 that contacts the member 9 to close the first flow path. The valve body 11 has a widening portion 14 that spreads from the small diameter portion 12 to the large diameter portion 13 , and has a boundary portion between the small diameter portion 12 and the widening portion 14 and a boundary portion between the widening portion 14 and the large diameter portion 13 . is curved.

In this embodiment, the expanded portion 14 has a truncated cone shape and both sides (both sides in the axial direction) of the expanded portion 14 are curved (smoothly curved surfaces). of course, the boundary portion (the area including the expanded portion 14) may be curved continuously. That is, the "structure in which the small-diameter portion 12 and the large-diameter portion 13 are connected by a widening portion having a smooth curved surface" in the present invention means that only both sides of the linear widening portion 14 are smooth curves. Alternatively, a structure in which the widened portion 14 as a whole forms a smooth curve and is smoothly connected to the large diameter portion 13 is included. Furthermore, the small-diameter portion 12 and the large-diameter portion 13 may of course be formed of curved surfaces (having curved cross sections in the positive axial direction). In this case, it is desirable that the small diameter portion 12 has an inwardly convex curved surface and the large diameter portion 13 has an outwardly convex curved surface. Further, when the large-diameter portion 13 is configured with a curved surface, the cross section perpendicular to the axis L must be circular.

The large diameter portion 13 is provided substantially in the axial center of the valve body 11 . That is, the large-diameter portion 13 contacts the second seal member 9 at a position where the valve body 11 moves toward the second piston chamber 3b (right side in the figure) as shown in FIG. is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the first seal member 8 at a position moved toward the first piston chamber 3a (left side in the figure).

The valve body 11 of this embodiment is composed of a cylindrical metal tube, the inside of which is hollow. Two sets of refrigerant ports 15a and 15b are opened in the small diameter portion 12 of the valve body 11, penetrating through the wall surface of the metal pipe and communicating with the first flow path. As a result, a second flow path is formed inside the valve body 11 , starting at one refrigerant inlet and outlet and ending at the other refrigerant inlet and outlet.

That is, two sets of refrigerant inlets/outlet ports 15a and 15b are provided at positions closer to the first piston chamber 3a than the large-diameter portion 13 in the small-diameter portion 12 while keeping an interval therebetween. Each set of refrigerant inlet/outlets 15a, 15b is composed of one to several openings, and in this embodiment, four openings are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the valve body 11. As shown in FIG. The first set of refrigerant inlet/outlets 15a faces the first port 4 in a state in which the large diameter portion 13 is in contact with the second seal member 9 as shown in FIG. It is provided at a position where it is inserted into the first piston chamber 3 a while in contact with the member 8 . The second set of refrigerant inlet/outlets 15b is provided at a position facing the second port 5 when the large-diameter portion 13 is in contact with the second seal member 9 as shown in FIG.

A piston portion 16 is provided at both ends of the valve body 11 . That is, the valve body 11 of this embodiment is composed of a cylindrical metal tube, and openings having the same diameter as the small diameter portion 12 are provided at both ends of the valve body 11 , and the openings are sealed by the piston portion 16 . . The piston part 16 includes a plug body 17 that closes the opening of the valve body 11, a piston ring 18 that is in airtight and slidable contact with the inner peripheral surfaces of the piston chambers 3a and 3b, and the piston ring 18 that is fixed to the plug body 17. A support member 19 is provided for

[1-2. action]
In the spool valve having the above structure, by sliding the valve body 11 in its axial direction, the position of the large diameter portion 13 provided in a ring shape on the outer periphery of the valve body 11 is changed, and the large diameter portion 13 is brought into contact with either the first sealing member 8 or the second sealing member 9 . Thus, a predetermined port is selected from a plurality of ports 4 to 6 provided on the wall surface of the valve chamber 2 and communicated with the first flow path and the second flow path, thereby switching the flow path. In the following, switching of flow paths in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

In FIG. 1, the first port 4 and the second port 5 are in communication. In this case, a high-pressure fluid such as high-pressure air or hydraulic pressure flows into the first piston chamber 3a from the pipe 10a, and the pressure of the high-pressure fluid is not applied to the second piston chamber 3b. The piston portion 16 is pressed by the high-pressure fluid on the 3a side, and the valve body 11 moves rightward in the figure to a position where the large diameter portion 13 contacts the second seal member 9. As shown in FIG. When the valve body 11 moves, the boundary portion between the large-diameter portion 13 and the expanded portion 14 is curved, so that the second seal member 9 protruding from the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 2 does not move the expanded portion 14 . After the second sealing member 9 is in contact with the second sealing member 9 , the second sealing member 9 is pressed and compressed while the inclined expanded portion 14 and the curved boundary portion are in smooth contact with each other. As a result, when the movement of the valve body 11 is completed and the large-diameter portion 13 reaches the position of the second seal member 9, the second seal member 9 is pushed into the groove 7 by the surface of the large-diameter portion 13. Sealability between the large-diameter portion 13 and the second seal member 9 is ensured.

When the large-diameter portion 13 reaches the position of the second seal member 9 in this way, the first refrigerant inlet/outlet 15a faces the position of the first port 4, and the second refrigerant inlet/outlet 15b faces the position of the second port 5. opposite. As a result, part of the fluid that has flowed into the valve chamber 2 from the second port 5 flows through the first flow path between the valve body 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber 2 to the first port 4. At the same time, another part of the fluid flows to the first port 4 through the second flow path from the second refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 b to the first refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 a via the inside of the valve body 11 . Thereby, the first port 4 and the second port 5 are communicated with each other.

In order to switch from the state of FIG. 1 to the state of FIG. 2 in which the third port 6 and the second port 5 are in communication, the high-pressure fluid is discharged from the first piston chamber 3a to release the pressurized state, and the second piston chamber is closed. The piston portion 16 is pressurized to the left in the drawing by causing high-pressure fluid to flow into 3b. As a result, the valve body 11 is moved leftward in the figure by the pressure of the high-pressure fluid, and moves to a position where the large diameter portion 13 contacts the first seal member 8 . At this time, since the expanded portion 14 is an inclined surface and the boundary portion between the expanded portion 14 and the large diameter portion 13 is curved, the large diameter portion 13 does not damage the first seal member 8, The first seal member 8 is smoothly compressed, and the tight contact between the large diameter portion 13 and the first seal member 8 is ensured.

At the position where the large diameter portion 13 contacts the first seal member 8 in this manner, the refrigerant inlet/outlet port 15b faces the first port 4, and the second port 5 has the small diameter portion 12 without the refrigerant inlet/outlet ports 15a and 15b. opposite. As a result, the refrigerant that has flowed into the valve chamber 2 from the third port 6 is formed in the gap between the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 2 and the small diameter portion 12 without flowing into the second flow path inside the valve body 11. It flows to the second port 5 only through the first channel. In this case, since the first port 4 side of the first flow path is sealed by the large diameter portion 13 and the first sealing member 8 , the coolant does not flow through the first port 4 .

[1-3. effect]
The spool valve of this embodiment can have the following effects.
(1) Since the valve body 11 is coaxial with the valve chamber 2 and is composed of a cylindrical metal tube having a uniform wall thickness, the metal tube is hydroformed to obtain the large-diameter portion 13, the small-diameter portion 12, and the The valve body 11 having the expanded portion 14 can be manufactured easily.

(2) By widening the metal pipe, the boundary portions between the small diameter portion 12 and the widened portion 14 and between the widened portion 14 and the large diameter portion 13 can be curved. Since the seal members 8, 9 protruding to the inner surface are brought into contact with the seal members 8, 9 and are gradually deformed, wear of the seal members 8, 9 is prevented, and a spool valve excellent in sealing function and durability is obtained. be able to.

(3) The inside of the valve body 11 can be used as a second flow path for the coolant by constructing the valve body 11 from a hollow metal tube and providing the valve body 11 with the refrigerant inlets and outlets 15a and 15b. Become. As a result, in a pipeline having a relatively low flow rate such as the second port 5 and the third port 6, only the first flow path formed on the outer periphery of the valve body 11 is used, and the first port 4 and the second port In the case of a pipe line having a large port diameter and a large flow rate, such as 5, the second flow path inside the valve body 11 can also be used to flow the refrigerant.

[2. Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 2nd Embodiment provides the sealing board 20 inside the valve body 11 with respect to 1st Embodiment. As a result, the unused space inside the valve body 11 is utilized, and even when the third port 6 and the second port 5 communicate with each other, the fluid flows through the second flow path to increase the flow rate. It is. An embodiment of a spool valve according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is common to all the embodiments of the present invention that the valve body 11 is made of a metal tube and has a small diameter portion 12, a large diameter portion 13, an enlarged portion 14, and a curved boundary portion. Also, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the spool valve of this embodiment, the small-diameter portion 12 of the valve body 11 located closer to the third port 6 than the large-diameter portion 13 is provided with a sealing plate 20 that partitions the interior of the valve body 11 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction thereof. is provided. The sealing plate 20 is a disk-shaped member and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the valve body 11 by welding or the like. A second flow path provided inside the valve body 11 is partitioned into two areas on the side of the first port 4 and the side of the third port 6 by a sealing plate 20, and sealing is maintained between the areas. . As in the first embodiment, the area on the first port 4 side is provided with two sets of refrigerant inlets and outlets 15a and 15b, and the area on the third port side is provided with one set of refrigerant inlets and outlets 15c and 15d. In this case, the refrigerant inlet/outlets 15c and 15d provided in the region on the third port side face the second port 5 and the third port 6 when the valve body 11 moves to the third port side, that is, to the right side in the figure. It is provided at a position where

In the second embodiment having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, when the valve element 11 is moved to the left in the drawing and the first port 4 and the second port 5 are in communication, the state is different from that of the first embodiment. Similarly, the coolant flows through both the first channel around the outer periphery of the valve body 11 and the second channel inside the valve body. At this time, since the inside of the valve body 11 is partitioned by the sealing plate 20, the refrigerant flowing into the valve body 11 is blocked by the sealing plate 20 and does not move to the refrigerant inlet/outlet port 15c side. Refrigerant does not flow to On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the valve body 11 moves to the right side in the drawing and the second port 5 and the third port 6 communicate with each other, the large diameter portion 13 and the first Refrigerant flows from the third port 6 to the second port 5 because the seal member 8 is in contact. In this case, the refrigerant inlet/outlets 15c and 15d provided in the valve body 11 face the second port 5 and the third port 6, so that the refrigerant flowing from the third port 6 flows together with the first flow path around the outer periphery of the valve body 11. , through the refrigerant inlets and outlets 15c and 15d, and also flows into the second flow path inside the valve body 11. As shown in FIG.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment are exhibited, and even when the third port 6 and the second port 5 communicate with each other, the fluid is supplied to the second flow path. Since it is possible to flow, it is possible to increase the flow rates of the third port 6 and the second port 5 compared to the first embodiment.

[3. Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. In the third embodiment, a portion of the valve is formed into a stem to reduce the difficulty of forming the bulge and to increase the flow rate. In this embodiment, the stem refers to a columnar or bracket-like member such as a cylinder.

In the present embodiment, the valve body 11 is composed of a cylindrical metal tube with a bottom closed on the side of the first port 4 . An end face portion 11a is provided at one end portion of the valve body 11 and is bent from the end portion of the small diameter portion 12 to the inner peripheral side of the valve body 11 . The end surface portion 11a is provided at a position facing the first port 4 in a state where the large diameter portion 13 and the first seal member 8 are in contact with each other as shown in FIG. One end of a columnar connecting member 21 coaxial with the valve element 11 and thinner than the outer diameter of the valve element 11 is fixed to the first piston chamber 3a side of the end surface portion 11a. The other end of the connecting member 21 is inserted into the first piston chamber 3a, and the piston portion 16 is connected to the tip of the inserted portion. An insertion hole 11b is provided in the end surface portion 11a so as not to seal the internal space of the valve body 11. As shown in FIG.

Since the cylindrical connecting member 21 does not have a space inside and is thinner than the outer diameter of the valve body 11, there is a first flow path around it that is significantly wider than in the first embodiment. Although formed, there is no second flow path provided within the valve body 11 . On the other hand, the second port 5 provided on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 12 located on the third port 6 side of the large diameter portion 13 and the first flow path on the third port 6 side have the same width as in the first embodiment. be.

In the third embodiment, when high-pressure fluid is introduced into the first pinton chamber 3a or the second piston chamber 3b, the valve body 11 and the connecting member 21 are integrally fixed, so the valve body 11 and the connecting member 21 are Move left and right in room 2. When the large-diameter portion 13 comes into contact with the first seal member 8 as shown in FIG. It flows through the first channel. On the other hand, when the large diameter portion 13 comes into contact with the second seal member 9 as shown in FIG. .

In the second embodiment having such a configuration, by forming a part of the valve body 11 into a stem, the axial length of the metal tube that constitutes the valve body 11 is shortened, and the difficulty of bulging is can be dropped. In addition, by using the connecting member 21 having a smaller outer diameter than the metal pipe that constitutes the valve body 11, the cross-sectional area of the first flow path formed around it can be increased, and the flow rate of the refrigerant can be increased. It is possible to increase

[4. Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment will be described according to FIG. The fourth embodiment aims to increase the flow rate by utilizing the internal space of the valve body 11 that was not used in the third embodiment.

In this embodiment, the small diameter portion 12 of the valve body 11 is formed with two sets of refrigerant inlets/outlet ports 15c and 15d that penetrate through the wall surface of the metal pipe and communicate with the first flow path. When the large-diameter portion 13 is in contact with the first seal member 8 , the refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 c faces the second port 5 and the refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 d faces the third port 6 . As a result, the valve body 11 moves to the right side in the drawing, and in a state where the third port 6 and the second port 5 communicate with each other, a second flow path communicating with the first flow path is formed inside the valve body 11. be. As a result, in the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the third embodiment, even when the third port 6 and the second port 5 communicate, The refrigerant will flow, and it is possible to pass a larger flow rate of refrigerant.

[5. Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. In contrast to the first embodiment, the fifth embodiment simplifies processing, reduces internal heat loss, and reduces weight by forming the outer shells of the valve chamber 2 and the piston chambers 3a and 3b into a single tubular member. It is intended to

In the present embodiment, the valve body 11 and the piston chambers 3a and 3b are composed of a single tubular member 22 made of metal. Both ends of the tubular member 22 are closed by cover plates 10 forming end wall surfaces of the piston chambers 3a and 3b. A first sealing member 8 and a second sealing member 9 are provided between the first port 4 and the second port 5 and between the second port 5 and the third port 6 of the tubular member 22, as in the first embodiment. is provided. In this embodiment, in order to fix the seal members 8 and 9 to the inner surface of the tubular member 22, a cylindrical spacer 23 is fixed inside the tubular member 22 by means of welding, press fitting, or the like, and the inner surface of the spacer 23 is fixed. A groove 7 for fitting the sealing member is provided. The spacer 23 is provided to avoid the first port 4 and the third port 6, and the portion of the spacer 23 facing the second port 5 is formed with an opening corresponding to the shape of the port, and the spacer 23 blocks the flow of the coolant. never

Without using the spacer 23, the tubular member 22 may be deformed by a method such as hydroforming to form the groove 7, or the tubular member 22 may be cut or cast to integrally form the groove 7. It is possible.

In the fifth embodiment having such a configuration, in addition to the effect of preventing damage to the seal members 8 and 9 exhibited in each of the above-described embodiments, the valve chamber 2 and the left and right piston chambers 3a and 3b have outer shells. By using a single cylindrical part, it is possible to simplify the processing of the valve chamber 2 and the piston chambers 3a and 3b, reduce internal heat loss, and reduce weight. In addition, since joints between the valve chamber 2 and the piston chambers 3a and 3b are also reduced, there is an effect of reducing the possibility of refrigerant leakage.

[6. Sixth Embodiment]
A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. In the sixth embodiment, the piston on one side is replaced with a coil spring to reduce the number of parts, improve the ease of assembly, and reduce the size of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the piston chamber 3b is provided at the end of the valve chamber 2 on the third port side, and the spring holding portion 24 is provided at the end of the valve chamber 2 on the first port side. A spring 25 that biases the valve body 11 in its axial direction is arranged between the valve body 11 and the spring holding portion 24 . In other words, the opening of the cylindrical valve body 11 on the side of the third port 6 is closed by the piston part 16, the end of the valve body 11 on the side of the first port 4 opens, and one end of the spring 25 extends from this opening. It is inserted into the valve body 11 and is in contact with the piston portion 16 .

The spring holding portion 24 holds the spring 25 coaxially with the valve body 11, and in this embodiment is a circular concave portion into which the end of the spring 25 is fitted. The shape of the spring holding portion 24 is not limited to that shown in the drawing, and other shapes such as a protrusion that enters the inside of the coil-shaped spring 25 may be used.

The end of the valve body 11 on the side of the first port 4 faces the second port 5 when the valve body 11 moves to the side of the third port 6 as shown in FIG. is provided at a position facing the first port 4 in a state in which is moved to the first port 4 side. That is, in the present embodiment, only the expanded portion 14 is formed on the first port 4 side of the large diameter portion 13, and the small diameter portion 12 is not provided. Therefore, when the valve body 11 moves to the third port 6 side, the valve body 11 does not exist between the first port 4 and the second port 5, and the two ports 4 and 5 are connected via the valve chamber 2. communicate.

In the fourth embodiment having such a configuration, the elasticity of the spring 25 presses the valve body 11 toward the third port 6 when no pressure is applied to the piston chamber 3b as shown in FIG. , stops at a position where the large diameter portion 13 contacts the second seal member 9 . In this state, since the valve body 11 does not exist between the first port 4 and the second port 5 , the refrigerant flowing from the second port 5 flows through the inside of the valve chamber 2 to the first port 4 .

In order to switch the valve, high-pressure fluid is introduced into the piston chamber 3b to press the piston portion 16 toward the first port 4, that is, toward the left side in FIG. It stops at a position where the diameter portion 13 contacts the first seal member 8 . Then, since the small diameter portion 12 of the valve body 11 faces the second port 5 and the third port 6, the refrigerant flows through the first channel between the outer circumference of the small diameter portion 12 and the inner wall surface of the valve chamber 2. .

In the sixth embodiment, in addition to the effects common to each of the above embodiments, one of the two pistons provided in the first to fifth embodiments is replaced with a spring 25, thereby reducing the number of parts. It is possible to reduce the number of parts, improve the ease of assembly, and reduce the size. Further, since the piping for the high-pressure fluid for controlling the movement of the valve body 11 can be provided at only one location, the switching control of the valve is facilitated. In particular, since the piston chamber is provided outside the valve body 11 and requires a movement stroke of the piston portion 16 corresponding to the movement stroke of the valve body 11, the length of the entire valve in the axial direction is increased. As a result of using a spring 25 with one end inserted inside the valve body 11 in the embodiment, the compression stroke of the spring 25 is absorbed inside the valve body 11 . As a result, the overall axial length can be significantly shortened.

[7. Seventh Embodiment]
A seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. In contrast to the sixth embodiment, the seventh embodiment is intended to increase the flow rate by providing a sealing plate 20 inside and utilizing the unused space inside the valve body 11. .

In this embodiment, the opening of the cylindrical valve body 11 on the side of the third port 6 is closed by the piston part 16, and the end of the valve body 11 on the side of the first port 4 is open. A sealing plate 20 is provided between the opening of the valve body 11 and the piston portion 16 to axially close the inside of the valve body 11 . The end of the spring 25 on the side of the valve body 11 is inserted into the valve body 11 through the opening of the valve body 11 on the side of the first port 4 and contacts the sealing plate 20 .

Two pairs of refrigerant inlets/outlets 15c and 15d are formed in the small diameter portion 12 of the valve body 11 so as to penetrate through the wall surface of the metal pipe and communicate with the first flow path. When the large-diameter portion 13 is in contact with the first seal member 8 , the refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 c faces the second port 5 and the refrigerant inlet/outlet 15 d faces the third port 6 . Thereby, a gap serving as a second flow path is provided between the piston portion 16 and the sealing plate 20 inside the valve body 11 . As a result, in the seventh embodiment, in addition to the effects of the sixth embodiment, even when the third port 6 and the second port 5 communicate, Since the coolant flows through the second channel, it is possible to pass a larger flow rate of the coolant.

[8. Eighth Embodiment]
An eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. The eighth embodiment is a modified example of the sixth embodiment, in which the valve chamber 2, the piston chamber 3b, and the outer shell of the holding portion 24 of the spring 25 are made into a bottomed deep-drawn shape, thereby simplifying the processing. This is designed to reduce internal heat loss and reduce weight.

In this embodiment, it is composed of a single cylindrical tubular member 22 whose end on the side of the first port 4 is closed with a bottom plate. The end portion of the tubular member 22 on the side of the third port 6 is closed by a cover plate 10 that constitutes the end wall surface of the piston chamber 3b. A spacer 23 is fixed in the tubular member 22 , and a first sealing member 8 and a second sealing member 9 are provided in two grooves 7 provided in the spacer 23 .

The end of the spring 25 on the side of the first port 4 is held in contact with the inner surface of the bottom plate portion of the tubular member 22 . In the drawing, the spring 25 is held in pressure contact with the bottom plate, but the movement of the end of the spring 25 is prevented by integrally forming recesses or projections on the bottom plate or by welding separate members. It is also possible to On the other hand, the end portion of the spring 25 on the side of the third port abuts against the back surface of the piston portion 16 as in the sixth embodiment. As in the seventh embodiment, the sealing plate 20 may be provided inside the valve body 11 and the end portion of the spring 25 may be brought into contact with the sealing plate 20 .

In the eighth embodiment having such a configuration, in addition to the effects of the sixth and seventh embodiments, the valve chamber 2 and the piston chamber 3b are configured by a single deep-drawn metal tube. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the construction and manufacturing work of the spool valve, and the seamless valve chamber 2 and the piston chamber 3b effectively prevent leakage of the refrigerant.

[9. Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described as above, various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, depending on the use of the spool valve to be implemented, the configuration of each part employed in the embodiments described herein can be appropriately selected and combined. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

Further, although the illustrated embodiments are directed to a three-way valve, the main point of the present invention is to expand a metal tube to form a small diameter portion, a large diameter portion and an expanded portion, and to form the expanded portion and the large diameter portion. It is possible to smoothly deform the seal member by curving the boundary part of the three-way valve, and other multi-way valves as long as the spool valve has such a configuration and effect. Applicable.

Reference Signs List 1 spool valve 2 valve chambers 3a, 3b piston chamber 4 first port 5 second port 6 third port 7 groove 8 first seal member 9 second seal member 10 cover plate 10a Piping 11 Valve body 12 Small diameter portion 13 Large diameter portion 14 Widening portions 15a to 15d Refrigerant inlet/outlet port 20 Sealing plate 21 Connecting member 22 Metal tubular member 23 Spacer 24 Spring holding portion 25 spring

Claims (10)

a valve body having a cylindrical valve chamber;
a piston chamber provided at the end of the valve chamber;
a plurality of ports provided on wall surfaces at different positions in the axial direction of the valve chamber;
a valve body having a metal tube slidable in the axial direction inside the valve chamber and arranged coaxially with the axial line;
a piston portion connected to the valve body;
a first flow path formed between an outer periphery of the valve body and an inner wall surface of the valve chamber and communicating with the port;
a ring-shaped sealing member provided along the circumferential inner surface of the valve chamber along the circumferential direction to seal a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the valve body and the valve chamber;
In a spool valve comprising
The metal pipe of the valve body has a small diameter portion forming the first flow path between the valve body and the peripheral surface of the valve chamber;
a large-diameter portion that contacts and separates from the seal member to open and close the first flow path;
a widened portion connecting the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion with a smooth curved surface;
A spool valve comprising: The piston chambers are provided at both ends of the valve chamber,
2. The spool valve according to claim 1, wherein the piston portions that slide in the respective piston chambers are provided at both ends of the valve body. The piston chamber is provided at one end of the valve chamber, and a spring holding portion is provided at the other end of the valve chamber,
The piston portion that slides in each of the piston chambers is provided at one end of the valve body, and a spring that biases the valve body in its axial direction is arranged between the valve body and the spring holding portion. Item 2. The spool valve according to item 1. A plurality of openings penetrating the wall surface of the metal pipe and communicating with the first flow path are formed in the small diameter portion of the valve body,
4. The spool valve according to claim 2, wherein a second flow path communicating with the first flow path is provided inside the valve body. 4. The spool valve according to claim 2, wherein an opening having the same diameter as the small diameter portion is formed in the end of the valve body, and the opening is sealed by the piston portion. One end of the valve body is provided with an end face portion that is bent from the end of the small diameter portion toward the inner peripheral side of the valve body, and a connecting member that extends coaxially with the valve body is fixed to the end face portion, 4. A spool valve according to claim 2, wherein said piston member is connected to said connecting member. 7. The piston chamber according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the piston chamber is composed of a single tubular member, and an opening located at the end of the piston chamber opposite to the valve body is closed by a cover plate. 2. The spool valve according to item 1. wherein the piston chamber is composed of a single tubular member having a bottom at one end;
In one of the piston chambers, an opening located at the end opposite to the valve body is closed by a cover plate,
7. A spool valve as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the other side of the piston chamber is closed by the tubular member bottom. One end of the valve body is closed by the piston part, the other end of the valve body is opened, the end of the spring on the side of the valve body is inserted into the valve body from the opening of the valve body, and the piston part 4. The spool valve of claim 3, wherein the spool abuts on the One end of the valve body is closed by the piston part, the other end of the valve body is open, and a sealing plate axially closing the inside of the valve body is provided between the opening of the valve body and the piston part. A gap is provided between the piston portion and the sealing plate to form a second flow path that communicates with the first flow path,
4. The spool valve according to claim 3 , wherein the end of the spring on the side of the valve body is inserted into the valve body and abuts against the sealing plate.

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