JP7585182B2 - Motor-operated valve and refrigeration cycle system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrically operated valve for use in a refrigeration cycle system and a refrigeration cycle system.

A known motor-operated valve includes a valve body having a valve chamber and a valve port, a valve element that changes the opening of the valve port, a drive unit that drives the valve element back and forth in the axial direction, and a support member that constitutes a screw feed mechanism together with the drive shaft of the drive unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the motor-operated valve of Patent Document 1, the rotational motion of the drive shaft of the drive unit is converted into linear motion in the axial direction of the drive shaft by the screw feed mechanism, and the opening of the valve port is controlled by the valve member of the valve element connected to the drive shaft.

JP 2021-124153 A

To improve the operational durability and valve closing functionality of motor-operated valves, a structure is required in which a valve guide member such as a guide bush suppresses the inclination of the valve disc relative to the valve port of the valve body. However, because the valve guide member separates the inside of the valve chamber, pressure equalization within the valve chamber is required. For this reason, a pressure equalization passage that connects the valve chamber and auxiliary valve chamber is sometimes provided. Such a pressure equalization passage can be formed, for example, by chamfering the valve guide member on two sides. However, because the jet flowing from the lower joint causes the flow within the valve chamber to become uneven, the pressure distribution within the valve chamber becomes unstable and vibrations may occur in the valve disc. In addition, the valve disc may vibrate due to the fluid flowing from the chamfered part into the auxiliary valve chamber.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electric valve and a refrigeration cycle system that can prevent vibration of the valve body caused by fluid flow by stabilizing the pressure distribution in the valve chamber.

The motor-operated valve of the present invention comprises a valve body having a valve chamber and a valve port, a valve member for changing the opening degree of the valve port, a drive unit having a drive shaft for driving the valve member back and forth in the axial direction of the valve port, and a support member constituting a screw feed mechanism together with the drive shaft, wherein the rotational motion of the drive unit is converted by the screw feed mechanism into linear motion in the axial direction of the drive shaft, and the opening degree of the valve port is controlled by the valve member connected to the drive shaft, and the support member is fixed to a bottom cover member which is fixed to the valve body. and further comprising a cylindrical valve guide portion which guides the valve member in the axial direction, the valve guide portion being molded integrally with the support member, penetrating a guide portion accommodating chamber formed inside the bottom cover member and extending toward the valve chamber, the valve chamber and the guide portion accommodating chamber being communicated with each other via a pressure equalizing passage formed by at least one of a gap between an outer circumferential surface of the valve guide portion and an inner circumferential surface of the valve body and a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the valve guide portion and an inner circumferential surface of the bottom cover member.

According to the present invention, the jet flowing in from the valve chamber flows evenly into the guide portion housing chamber, making it difficult for differences in pressure distribution to occur within the valve chamber. In addition, because the valve disc is housed in the valve guide portion, the fluid flowing into the guide portion housing chamber does not collide with the valve disc, and vibration of the valve disc can be suppressed. Thus, according to the present invention, by stabilizing the pressure distribution within the valve chamber, vibration of the valve disc caused by the flow of fluid can be prevented.

In this case, it is preferable that the pressure equalizing passage is formed in a state in which the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and the inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber is in communication with the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and the inner peripheral surface of the lower cover member.

The valve guide portion preferably has an outer shape that is tapered inwardly from the guide portion housing side toward the valve chamber side. Furthermore, it is preferable that the relationship between the first gap dimension A on the inlet side of the pressure equalizing passage and the second gap dimension B on the outlet side is set to A>B. According to this embodiment, by making the outer shape of the valve guide portion a tapered shape that is tapered inwardly from the guide portion housing side toward the valve chamber side, the relationship between the first gap dimension A on the inlet side of the pressure equalizing passage and the second gap dimension B on the outlet side is set to A>B, so that the flow of fluid into the guide portion housing chamber can be rectified and the pressure distribution in the valve chamber can be more stabilized.

It is also preferable that the tip of the valve guide portion is disposed so as to protrude from the end of the first joint pipe, which is connected laterally to the valve body and faces the guide portion housing chamber, toward a position inward in the radial direction of the first joint pipe. According to this configuration, by having the tip (lower end) of the valve guide portion protrude inward in the radial direction from the upper end of the first joint pipe, the flow to the pressure equalizing passage and the flow from the first joint pipe do not stagnate near the tip of the valve guide portion, and the pressure distribution in the valve chamber can be further stabilized.

The refrigeration cycle system of the present invention is a refrigeration cycle system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and is characterized in that any one of the motor-operated valves is used as the expansion valve.

As described above, according to the present invention, the motor-operated valve of the present invention can prevent vibration of the valve body caused by the flow of fluid by stabilizing the pressure distribution in the valve chamber, thereby reducing noise caused by such vibration and enabling a refrigeration system that is quieter during operation.

The motor-operated valve and refrigeration cycle system of the present invention can stabilize the pressure distribution in the valve chamber, thereby preventing vibration of the valve body caused by the flow of fluid.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a motor-operated valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the motor-operated valve of FIG. 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a motor-operated valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a motor-operated valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a refrigeration cycle system of the present invention.

The motor-operated valve according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the motor-operated valve 10 of this embodiment comprises a valve body 1, a valve element 2, a stepping motor 3 as a drive unit, and a valve port 14. Note that the concept of "upper and lower" in the following description corresponds to the upper and lower in the drawing of Fig. 1. Also, for the sake of convenience, the compression coil spring 64 has been omitted from Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the valve body 1 has a cylindrical valve housing member 1A, a valve guide portion 1B disposed inside the valve housing member 1A, a case 4 which is a cylindrical bottom cover member fixed to the top of the valve housing 1A, and a support member 5 which is fixed to the top opening of the case 4. The case 4 is assembled so as to fit onto the outer periphery of a rim 1b which is formed by extending from the inner circumferential surface 1a at the top of the valve housing member 1A, and is fixed to the valve housing member 1A by crimping the rim 1b and brazing the bottom outer periphery. In this embodiment, the valve guide portion 1B is provided integrally with the support member 5, as will be described in detail later.

The valve housing member 1A has a substantially cylindrical valve chamber 1C formed therein, and a first coupling pipe 11 is attached to the side of the valve housing member 1A, which communicates with the valve chamber 1C. The bottom of the valve housing member 1A is provided with a valve seat portion 13 having a valve seat surface 13a to which the valve body 2 approaches or moves away, and a cylindrical valve port 14 is formed in the center of the valve seat surface 13a of the valve seat portion 13. In more detail, the valve housing member 1A is provided with the valve seat portion 13 as an integral part of the valve housing member 1A, and a cylindrical valve port 14 is formed in the center of the valve seat surface 13a of the valve seat portion 13 facing the valve chamber 1C and facing the valve body 2. In this embodiment, the valve housing member 1A and the valve seat portion 13 (and the valve port 14) are provided integrally, but the valve seat portion 13 may be provided as a separate part from the valve housing member 1A.

In this embodiment, the valve chamber 1C has a side wall that stands up from the bottom where the valve seat portion 13 of the valve housing member 1A is provided, and the side wall constitutes the inner peripheral surface 1a of the valve chamber 1C. In addition, a rim 1b is formed at the upper end of the valve housing member 1A so as to surround the valve guide portion 1B. Furthermore, a second coupling tube 12 that communicates with the valve chamber 1C is provided at the bottom of the valve housing member 1A coaxially with the valve port 14. The end of the second coupling tube 12 on the valve chamber 1C side is attached to the valve housing member 1A by brazing. When a refrigerant, which is a fluid, flows in from the first coupling tube 11, the refrigerant flows out of the second coupling tube 12 through the valve chamber 1C. Here, the first coupling tube 11 and the second coupling tube 12 are made of a metal such as a copper alloy or stainless steel.

1 and 2, the valve guide portion 1B is integrally molded with the support member 5 from a resin material (e.g., PPS (Poly Phenylene Sulfide) resin), for example, and is attached so as to penetrate a cylindrical guide portion accommodating chamber 1D formed inside the case 4 and be inserted into the valve chamber 1C from the top of the valve housing member 1A. In other words, the valve guide portion 1B is disposed so as to penetrate the guide portion accommodating chamber 1D and extend toward the valve chamber 1C. A valve guide hole 16 is formed in this valve guide portion 1B, centered on the axis L. The valve guide portion 1B may be made of metal and insert molded into the support member 5, so as to be provided integrally with the support member 5. In addition, when the valve guide portion 1B is arranged to extend toward the valve chamber 1C, it means that the position of the tip portion 1Bb of the valve guide portion 1B is arranged to extend at least to the connection portion between the valve housing member 1A of the valve body 1 and the case 4, and also includes the case where it is arranged to extend beyond this position toward the valve chamber 1C (i.e., into the valve chamber 1C).

The outer diameter of the valve guide portion 1B may be smaller than the inner diameter of the valve housing member 1A or the case 4 (i.e., the inner diameter of the valve chamber 1C or the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D). In addition, it is preferable that the ceiling portion 1Bc of the valve guide portion 1B is located inside the case 4 (inside the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D) (i.e., it extends through the valve chamber 1C into the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D). Furthermore, it is preferable that the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 4a of the case 4 or the inner peripheral surface 1a of the valve housing member 1A is set larger than the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the valve holder 6 described later and the inner peripheral surface of the valve guide hole 16.

The support member 5 is welded to the upper opening of the case 4 via a fixing bracket 41. In the center of the support member 5, there is a female threaded portion 5a formed coaxially with the axis L of the valve port 14, etc., and a bearing portion 5b without a thread groove formed below the female threaded portion 5a, and a cylindrical guide hole 5c with a diameter larger than the outer periphery of the female threaded portion 5a and the bearing portion 5b is formed below. Furthermore, a spiral guide groove 5d is formed on the upper outer periphery of the support member 5. In this embodiment, the fixing bracket 41 of the support member 5 is directly fixed to the upper opening of the case 4, but the fixing bracket 41 may be fixed to the upper opening of the case 4 by further interposing another member such as a washer between the fixing bracket 41 and the upper opening of the case 4.

The valve body 2 has a rod shaft 22 with a needle portion 21 at its lower end, and a valve holder 6 that holds the upper end of the rod shaft 22.

The rod shaft 22 extends from the guide hole 5c of the support member 5 through the valve holder 6, and is inserted slidably in the axial direction L into the valve guide hole 16 of the valve guide portion 1B that communicates with the guide hole 5c. A flange portion 23 is formed at the upper end of the rod shaft 22. The needle portion 21 provided on the rod shaft 22 is located in the valve port 14 when the valve body 2 is in the fully closed state when it is moved to the bottom, and has a shape with an equal percentage characteristic that is chamfered in multiple stages so that the diameter decreases toward the tip side. In the case of this embodiment, the needle portion 21 is connected to a seating surface portion 21a that seats on the valve seat portion 13 when the valve body 2 is in the fully closed state when it is moved to the bottom. The valve body 2 may be set so that a small opening is obtained by not making the needle portion 21 contact the valve seat portion 13 even when it is in the fully closed state when it is moved to the bottom (i.e., when it is closest to the valve seat portion 13).

The valve holder 6 has a flange portion 23 of the rod shaft 22 fixed to the lower end of a cylindrical portion 61, and includes a spring bearing 63, a compression coil spring 64, and a washer 65 inside the cylindrical portion 61. In other words, the valve holder 6 houses the compression coil spring 64 that biases the valve body 2 and the spring bearing 63 in a direction separating them. Furthermore, the valve holder 6 is inserted into the valve guide hole 16 of the valve guide portion 1B that communicates with the guide hole 5c of the support member 5, and is supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction L. The valve body 2 is fixed to one end of the valve body holder 6 on the valve port 14 side by welding. In addition, the rotor shaft 32 described later is connected to the other end of the valve body holder 6 as a drive shaft. At least one of the valve body 2 or the rotor shaft 32 is connected to the inside of the valve body holder 6 so as to be movable forward and backward while being prevented from coming off from the valve body holder 6. In this case, the rotor shaft 32 is provided in the valve body holder 6 so as to be movable back and forth, and the valve body 2 is fixed to the valve body holder 6 by welding, but the valve body holder 6 and the valve body 2 may be formed integrally by cutting. Also, the valve body holder 6 may be fixed to the rotor shaft 32 by crimping or the like, and the valve body 2 may be provided in the valve body holder 6 so as to be movable back and forth. In this embodiment, the valve body 1, case 4, and valve holder 6 are each formed of a metal such as stainless steel.

The stepping motor 3 as a drive unit has a can 7, a magnet rotor 31 provided in the can 7, a rotor shaft 32 as a drive shaft, a stator coil (not shown), and a rotation stopper mechanism for the stepping motor 3.

The can 7 is fixed airtightly to the upper end of the case 4 by welding or the like, and houses the support member 5 and the magnet rotor 31. The magnet rotor 31 has a multi-pole magnetized outer periphery, and the rotor shaft 32 is fixed to its center. The lower end of the rotor shaft 32 penetrates the upper end of the cylindrical portion 61 of the valve holder 6 and abuts against the upper surface of the spring bearing 63, and the flange portion 32c for preventing it from coming off is held in the cylindrical portion 61 via a washer 65. In other words, the rotor shaft 32 is prevented from coming off from the valve holder 6, and is provided in a state in which it can move forward and backward within the valve holder 6. In addition, the rotor shaft 32 has a reduced diameter portion 32b formed in the middle portion, and a male thread portion 32a formed on its upper surface. The male thread 32a is screwed into the female thread 5a of the support member 5, and the male thread 32a and the female thread 5a form a screw feed mechanism of the stepping motor 3 (drive unit), which drives the valve body 2 forward and backward in the direction of the axis L. The stator coil is disposed on the outer periphery of the can 7, and when a pulse signal is given to the stator coil, the magnet rotor 31 rotates according to the number of pulses, causing the rotor shaft 32 to rotate.

The rotation stopper mechanism of the stepping motor 3 has a coil-shaped driven slider 8 with a claw portion 81 protruding radially outward, and this driven slider 8 is screwed into the guide groove 5d of the support member 5. When the magnet rotor 31 rotates, the inner protrusion of the magnet rotor 31 abuts against the claw portion 81, and the driven slider 8 rotates following the rotation of the magnet rotor 31 and moves up and down guided by the guide groove 5d. When the end of the follower slider 8 abuts against the bottom or top of the guide groove 5d, the rotation of the magnet rotor 31 is forcibly stopped. In addition, a communication hole 5e is formed in the support member 5, which communicates between the guide hole 5c and the internal space of the can 7.

Here, in the case of this embodiment, the valve chamber 1C and the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D are communicated through a pressure equalizing passage 1E formed by a gap between at least the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 1a of the valve housing member 1A in the valve body 1. As a result, the jet from the second joint pipe 12 flows uniformly into the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D, making it difficult for a difference in pressure distribution to occur in the valve chamber 1C. In addition, the valve chamber 1C and the guide hole 5c of the support member 5 are communicated through a gap between the inner circumference of the valve guide portion 1B (i.e., the valve guide hole 16) and the outer circumference of the valve holder 6. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the fixing metal fitting 41 has communication holes 41a that penetrate the front and back at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction. As a result, the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D and the internal space of the can 7 are communicated through the communication hole of the female thread fixing metal fitting. In addition, the guide hole 5c of the support member 5 and the internal space of the can 7 are connected via the communication hole 5e of the support member 5. For convenience, the spring receiver 63 and the can 7 are omitted from FIG. 3.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the valve guide portion 1B is integrally molded with the support member 5, and is disposed so as to extend through the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D formed inside the case 4 and toward the valve chamber 1C. The valve chamber 1C and the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D are connected through the pressure equalizing passage 1E formed by the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 1a of the valve housing member 1A, so that the jet flowing in from the valve chamber 1C flows uniformly into the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D. Therefore, differences in pressure distribution in the valve chamber 1C are unlikely to occur. In addition, since the valve body 2 is accommodated in the valve guide portion 1B, the fluid flowing into the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D does not collide with the valve body 2, and vibration of the valve body 2 can be suppressed. Thus, according to the motor-operated valve 10 of this embodiment, the pressure distribution in the valve chamber 1C is stabilized, thereby preventing vibration of the valve body caused by the flow of the fluid.

In addition, the tip 1Bb of the valve guide 1B is preferably arranged in a state where it protrudes from the end of the guide part accommodation chamber 1D side of the first joint pipe 11 connected laterally to the valve housing member 1A of the valve body 1 toward a position inward in the radial direction of the first joint pipe 11. That is, the tip 1Bb of the valve guide 1B is preferably arranged in a state where it protrudes from the guide part accommodation chamber 1D side into the valve chamber 1C to a position facing the open end face of the first joint pipe 11. According to this embodiment, the tip 1Bb as the end located below the valve guide 1B protrudes from the end of the guide part accommodation chamber 1D side of the first joint pipe 11 toward a position inward in the radial direction, so that the flow to the pressure equalizing passage 1E and the flow from the first joint pipe 11 do not stagnate near the tip 1Bb of the valve guide 1B, and the pressure distribution in the valve chamber 1C can be further stabilized.

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in which the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to those in FIG. 2, the valve guide portion 1B may have an outer shape that is tapered inwardly from the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D side toward the valve chamber 1C side. In this case, the valve guide portion 1B has a first gap dimension A on the inlet side of the pressure equalizing passage 1E and a second gap dimension B on the outlet side, which is set to A>B. In this way, by making the outer shape of the valve guide portion 1B a tapered shape that is tapered inwardly from the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D side toward the valve chamber 1C side, the relationship between the first gap dimension A on the inlet side of the pressure equalizing passage 1E and the second gap dimension B on the outlet side is set to A>B, so that the flow of fluid to the guide portion accommodation chamber 1D can be rectified and the pressure distribution in the valve chamber 1C can be more stabilized.

In the above embodiment, the pressure equalizing passage 1E is connected through the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 4a of the case 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in which the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts in FIG. 4, the case 4 may be assembled to the upper part of the valve housing member 1A so as to fit onto the outer periphery of the rim 4b formed by extending from the inner peripheral surface 4a at the bottom, and the rim 4b may be crimped and fixed to the valve housing member 1A by brazing the outer periphery of the bottom. In this case, the pressure equalizing passage 1E is formed by the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 4a of the case 4.

In addition, when the tip 1Bb of the valve guide portion 1B is positioned to extend toward the valve chamber 1C below the position up to the connection portion between the valve housing member 1A and the case 4 shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the pressure equalizing passage 1E is formed in a state in which the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 1a of the valve chamber 1C is in communication with the gap between the outer peripheral surface 1Ba of the valve guide portion 1B and the inner peripheral surface 4a of the case 4.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the needle portion 21 of the valve body 2 is chamfered in multiple stages to have an equal percentage characteristic so that the diameter decreases toward the lower tip, but this is not limited to this, and the needle portion 21 may be shaped into a curved surface or a cone whose diameter decreases toward the tip.

Moreover, it is preferable that the motor-operated valve 10 performs bidirectional control so that either the first joint pipe 11 or the second joint pipe 12 can be the inlet for the fluid. In other words, the fluid flows in from the first joint pipe 11 and flows out from the second joint pipe 12 via the valve port 14, or flows in from the second joint pipe 12 and flows out from the first joint pipe 11 via the valve port 14. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, in either of these flow directions, the flow to the pressure equalizing passage 1E near the tip 1Bb of the valve guide portion 1B is less likely to stagnate. However, in the conventional structure, the fluid is more likely to stagnate when it flows in from the second joint pipe 12, but the present invention makes it less likely to cause stagnation.

Next, the refrigeration cycle system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the refrigeration cycle system of the present invention. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 100 denotes an expansion valve using the motor-operated valves 10 to 10C of the above-mentioned embodiments, 200 denotes an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on the outdoor unit, 300 denotes an indoor heat exchanger mounted on the indoor unit, 400 denotes a flow path switching valve constituting a four-way valve, and 500 denotes a compressor. The motor-operated valve 100, the outdoor heat exchanger 200, the indoor heat exchanger 300, the flow path switching valve 400, and the compressor 500 are each connected by conduits as shown in the figure, constituting a heat pump type refrigeration cycle. Note that the accumulator, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, etc. are omitted from the illustration.

The flow path of the refrigeration cycle is switched between two paths, one for cooling operation and one for heating operation, by the flow path switching valve 400. During cooling operation, as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 6, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 500 flows from the flow path switching valve 400 into the outdoor heat exchanger 200, which functions as a condenser, and the liquid refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 200 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 300 via the expansion valve 100, which functions as an evaporator.

On the other hand, during heating operation, as shown by the dashed arrows in Figure 6, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 500 is circulated from the flow path switching valve 400 to the indoor heat exchanger 300, the expansion valve 100, the outdoor heat exchanger 200, the flow path switching valve 400, and then to the compressor 500, with the indoor heat exchanger 300 functioning as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 200 functioning as an evaporator. The expansion valve 100 reduces the pressure and expands the liquid refrigerant flowing in from the outdoor heat exchanger 200 during cooling operation, or the liquid refrigerant flowing in from the indoor heat exchanger 300 during heating operation, and further controls the flow rate of the refrigerant. In FIG. 6, the expansion valve 100 is provided in the refrigeration cycle so that liquid refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger 200 flows into the first 101 of the expansion valve 100 during cooling operation, and liquid refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 300 flows into the second joint pipe 102 of the expansion valve 100 during heating operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The expansion valve 100 may be provided in the refrigeration cycle so that liquid refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger 200 flows into the second joint pipe 102 of the expansion valve 100 during cooling operation, and liquid refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 300 flows into the first joint pipe 101 of the expansion valve 100 during heating operation.

As described above, according to the refrigeration cycle system of the present invention, the motor-operated valve 10 of this embodiment can prevent vibrations caused by the flow of the refrigerant as a fluid, thereby reducing noise caused by such vibrations and making the refrigeration system quieter during operation.

The specific configuration of the refrigeration cycle system of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the motor-operated valve 10 is used as an expansion valve in the refrigeration cycle system, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to other systems, such as a throttling device on the indoor unit side of a multi-air conditioner for a building.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Motor-operated valve 1 Valve body 1A Valve housing member 1a Inner peripheral surface 1B Valve guide portion 1Ba Outer peripheral surface 1Bb Tip portion 1Bc Ceiling portion 1C Valve chamber 1D Guide portion accommodation chamber 1E Pressure equalizing passage 2 Valve body 21 Needle portion 21a Seating surface portion 3 Stepping motor (drive portion)
32 rotor shaft (drive shaft)
4 Case (bottom cover member)
4a Inner circumferential surface 5 Support member 5e Communication hole 13 Valve seat portion 13a Valve seat surface 14 Valve port 100 Expansion valve 200 Outdoor heat exchanger (condenser, evaporator)
300 Indoor heat exchanger (condenser, evaporator)
400 Flow path switching valve 500 Compressor

Claims (6)

an electrically operated valve comprising: a valve body having a valve chamber and a valve port; a valve member for changing an aperture of the valve port; a drive unit having a drive shaft for driving the valve member back and forth in an axial direction of the valve port; and a support member which constitutes a screw feed mechanism together with the drive shaft, wherein rotational motion of the drive unit is converted by the screw feed mechanism into linear motion in the axial direction of the drive shaft, and the aperture of the valve port is controlled by the valve member connected to the drive shaft,
the support member is fixed to a lower cover member fixed to the valve body, and includes a cylindrical valve guide portion that guides the valve member in the axial direction,
the valve guide portion is molded integrally with the support member, passes through a guide portion accommodating chamber formed inside the lower cover member, and is disposed extending toward the valve chamber,
a pressure equalizing passage formed by at least one of a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and an inner peripheral surface of the valve body, and a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and an inner peripheral surface of the bottom cover member. The pressure equalizing passage is
2. The motor-operated valve according to claim 1, wherein a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and an inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber and a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the valve guide portion and an inner peripheral surface of the lower cover member are formed in a state of communication. The motor-operated valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the valve guide portion has an outer shape that is tapered inwardly from the guide portion housing side toward the valve chamber side. The motor-operated valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the relationship between the first gap dimension A on the inlet side of the pressure equalizing passage and the second gap dimension B on the outlet side is set to A>B. The motor-operated valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tip of the valve guide portion is disposed so as to protrude from the end of the first joint pipe connected laterally to the valve body on the guide portion housing chamber side toward a radially inward position of the first joint pipe. A refrigeration cycle system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, characterized in that the motor-operated valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the expansion valve.

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