JP7741554B2 - Combined Valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a composite valve.

An example of a combined valve that integrates multiple valves is the combined valve described in Patent Document 1. The combined valve described in Patent Document 1 has a three-way valve and an on-off valve provided in the valve body.

JP 2013-249860 A

As a combined valve for switching between multiple flow paths, it is possible to install two four-way valves inside the valve body. However, simply placing two four-way valves inside the valve body does not allow the entire combined valve to be stored compactly.

The present invention takes the above into consideration and aims to provide a combined valve that can be stored compactly as a whole.

The combined valve described in claim 1 comprises a valve body with multiple fittings for allowing fluid to flow in and out, and two four-way valves provided inside the valve body for selectively allowing fluid flowing in through one of the fittings to flow out through one of the other fittings. The shaft for operating the valve element of one of the four-way valves is provided on one side of the valve body, and the shaft for operating the valve element of the other four-way valve is provided on the opposite side of the valve body.

In the combined valve described in claim 1, the shaft that operates the valve element of one four-way valve is provided on one side of the valve body, and the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve is provided on the opposite side of the valve body. Therefore, the combined valve described in claim 1 can be placed more compactly overall than when the shaft that operates the valve element of one four-way valve and the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve are provided on only one side or only the other side of the valve body.

In a combined valve, the valve element may be a rotary type.

In a combined valve, the axis of the shaft that operates the valve element of one of the four-way valves and the axis of the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve may be aligned on the same line.

In a combined valve, the valve body may be formed in a cross shape having a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion intersecting the first portion and extending in a direction intersecting the first direction, and a first four-way valve drive device that transmits a rotational driving force to the shaft that operates the valve element of one of the four-way valves may be provided on one cross face of the cross-shaped valve body, and a second four-way valve drive device that transmits a rotational driving force to the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve may be provided on the other cross face of the cross-shaped valve body.

In the combined valve, the valve body may be provided with, in addition to the two four-way valves, four three-way valves for selectively allowing fluid flowing in from any of the couplings to flow out from any of the other couplings, and four three-way valve drive devices for driving the three-way valves may be distributed and positioned at the four corners formed by the first and second parts.

In the combined valve, the first section may have the one four-way valve located in the longitudinal center and the three-way valve located on both sides of the one four-way valve, with the one four-way valve and the two three-way valves arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first section; the second section may have the other four-way valve located in the longitudinal center and the remaining three-way valve located on both sides of the other four-way valve, with the one four-way valve and the remaining two three-way valves arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second section.

In the combined valve, four of the joints may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the first portion of the cross-shaped surface on one side, and four other joints may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the second portion of the cross-shaped surface on the other side.

In a composite valve, the valve body may be equipped with eight of the couplings.

As explained above, the combined valve of the present invention can be housed in a compact overall size.

1 is a perspective view showing a combined valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a rear view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a top view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a left side view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a right side view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a cross-sectional view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 2 taken along line AA. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the combined valve shown in FIG. 2 along line BB. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a first four-way valve and a first four-way valve drive motor. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing a first four-way valve. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a first three-way valve and a first three-way valve drive motor. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views showing a first three-way valve. 14A is a circuit diagram showing an example of a fluid flow, and FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the open/closed state of a three-way valve in the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 14A. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing another example of a fluid flow. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing yet another example of fluid flow. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a combined valve according to a second embodiment.

[First embodiment]
A combined valve 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. FIG.
In the drawings, the direction of arrow F indicates the direction toward the front of the combined valve 10, the direction of arrow B indicates the direction toward the back of the combined valve 10, the direction of arrow U indicates the direction toward the top of the combined valve 10, the direction of arrow D indicates the direction toward the bottom of the combined valve 10, the direction of arrow R indicates the direction toward the right side of the combined valve 10, and the direction of arrow L indicates the direction toward the left side of the combined valve 10.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the combined valve 10 includes a body block 12, an example of a valve body made of synthetic resin, that is cross-shaped when viewed from the front. The cross shape can also be referred to as a plus (+) shape.

The body block 12 comprises a first portion 14 extending horizontally and a second portion 16 extending vertically and intersecting the first portion 14 at a right angle. In this embodiment, the first portion 14 and the second portion 16 are formed to be the same length. As a result, the body block 12 has a cross-shaped front cross surface 18 on the front side, and a cross-shaped rear cross surface 20 on the rear side, as shown in Figure 3.

(External structure of composite valve)
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, on the front cross surface 18 of the body block 12, an H joint 22, a G joint 24, an E joint 26, and an F joint 28 are provided at intervals in the first portion 14 from the direction of arrow L to the direction of arrow R.

As shown in Figure 8, the H joint 22, G joint 24, E joint 26, and F joint 28 are inserted into holes 12A in the body block 12 and are held in place by plate P1, which is screwed to the body block 12. O-rings 39 are attached to the outer periphery of the large diameter portions of the H joint 22, G joint 24, E joint 26, and F joint 28 to seal the gap between them and hole 12A.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a first four-way valve drive motor 30, which is an example of a first four-way valve drive device (described below), is screwed to the front cross face 18 on the arrow F side of the body block 12 along the longitudinal direction of the second section 16.

As shown in Figure 3, the B fitting 34, C fitting 32, D fitting 38, and A fitting 36 are spaced apart on the second portion 16 of the rear cross surface 20 of the body block 12, from the direction of arrow U to the direction of arrow D. As shown in Figure 9, the B fitting 34, C fitting 32, D fitting 38, and A fitting 36 are inserted into holes 12B in the body block 12 and are held in place by plate P1, which is screwed to the body block 12. O-rings 39 are attached to the outer peripheries of the large-diameter portions of the B fitting 34, C fitting 32, D fitting 38, and A fitting 36 to seal the gaps between them and hole 12B.

As shown in Figure 3, a second four-way valve drive motor 40, which is an example of a second four-way valve drive device (described below), is screwed to the rear cross face 20 of the body block 12 along the longitudinal direction of the first section 14.

As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5, a first three-way valve drive motor 42, which serves as an example of a three-way valve drive device (described below), is disposed in the corner formed by the upper surface of the first part 14 on the arrow L side of the second part 16 and the side surface of the second part 16 on the arrow L side. The first three-way valve drive motor 42 is screwed to the side surface of the second part 16.

As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6, a second three-way valve drive motor 44, which serves as an example of a three-way valve drive device (described below), is disposed in the corner formed by the upper surface of the first part 14 on the side of the second part 16 in the direction of arrow R and the side surface of the second part 16 on the side of the second part 16 in the direction of arrow R. The second three-way valve drive motor 44 is screwed to the upper surface of the first part 14.

As shown in Figures 2, 5, and 7, a third three-way valve drive motor 46, which is an example of a three-way valve drive device described below, is disposed in the corner formed by the underside of the first part 14 on the arrow L side of the second part 16 and the side surface of the second part 16 on the arrow L side. The third three-way valve drive motor 46 is screwed to the underside of the first part 14.

As shown in Figures 2, 6, and 7, a fourth three-way valve drive motor 48, which is an example of a three-way valve drive device described below, is disposed in the corner formed by the underside of the first part 14 on the side of the second part 16 in the direction of arrow R and the side of the second part 16 on the side of the second part 16 in the direction of arrow R. The fourth three-way valve drive motor 48 is screwed to the side of the second part 16.

(Internal structure of an 8-way valve)
As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 8, inside the body block 12, a first four-way valve 50 driven by a first four-way valve drive motor 30 is provided on the side in the direction of arrow F, and a second four-way valve 52 driven by a second four-way valve drive motor 40 is provided on the side in the direction of arrow B.
The first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52 have the same configuration, so the first four-way valve 50 will be described below as a representative.

(First four-way valve)
As shown in Figures 8, 10, and 11, the first four-way valve 50 has a stem valve 56, which is an example of a rotary valve element, rotatably disposed inside a valve chamber 54 formed in the body block 12. A shaft 56A that rotates the stem valve 56 is integrally formed with the stem valve 56. The tip of this shaft 56A is connected to the first four-way valve drive motor 30, and the stem valve 56 is rotationally driven by the first four-way valve drive motor 30. The first four-way valve drive motor 30 is screwed to the body block 12 via a plate 68 shown in Figure 10.

The first four-way valve drive motor 30 has an elongated box shape and is screwed to the second part 16 of the front cross surface 18 so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the second part 16.

The stem valve 56 is formed in a roughly fan shape when viewed from the axial (rotational axis) direction. When viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the axis, an L-shaped passage 58 is formed inside the stem valve 56. An L-shaped recess 60 is formed on the outer surface of the stem valve 56 on the opposite side of the axis from the passage 58. When the stem valve 56 is placed inside the valve chamber 54, the L-shaped recess 60 becomes an L-shaped passage through which fluid flows.

As shown in Figure 11, both ends of the passage 58 open on the outer peripheral surface of the stem valve 56 opposite the recess 60, and an O-ring 64 and an annular valve seat 66 are fitted into annular grooves 62 formed in each opening. The O-ring 64 and valve seat 66 seal the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber 54 and the outer peripheral surface of the stem valve 56 opposite the recess 60.

As shown in Figure 8, the stem valve 56 and annular valve retainer 70 are inserted into the valve chamber 54 in that order. The plate 68 shown in Figure 10 is screwed to the outer surface of the body block 12 together with the first four-way valve drive motor 30, and presses down on the valve retainer 70 and stem valve 56 so that they remain in their predetermined positions within the valve chamber 54. The shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 passes through the valve retainer 70 and protrudes from the body block 12 in the direction of arrow F.

As shown in Figures 8 and 10, an O-ring 72 is attached to the outer periphery of the valve retainer 70 to seal the gap between it and the inner periphery of the valve chamber 54, and an O-ring 74 is attached to the outer periphery of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 to seal the gap between it and the inner periphery of the valve retainer 70.

The valve retainer 70 is provided with a protrusion 70A that acts as a stopper for the stem valve 56, and the first four-way valve 50 is configured so that the rotation angle of the stem valve 56 is limited when the side of the stem valve 56 abuts against the protrusion 70A.

(Second four-way valve)
The second four-way valve 52 has a similar configuration to the first four-way valve 50, but is provided in the opposite direction to the first four-way valve 50, with the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 protruding from the body block 12 in the direction of arrow B, as shown in Figure 8. In this embodiment, the axis of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the axis of the shaft 56A of the second four-way valve 52 are on the same line CL. Note that in the second four-way valve 52, the same components as those in the first four-way valve 50 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in Figure 3, the second four-way valve drive motor 40, like the first four-way valve drive motor 30, has an elongated box shape and is disposed in the first portion 14 of the rear cross surface 20 so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the first portion 14.

(Three-way valve)
As shown in Figure 8, a first three-way valve 80 is provided in the first part 14 of the body block 12 on the arrow R side of the first four-way valve 50, and a second three-way valve 82 is provided on the arrow L side of the first four-way valve 50.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a third three-way valve 84 is provided on the arrow U side of the second four-way valve 52 in the second portion 16 of the body block 12, and a fourth three-way valve 86 is provided on the arrow D side of the second four-way valve 52. In this embodiment, the first three-way valve 80, second three-way valve 82, third three-way valve 84, and fourth three-way valve 86 are configured to connect three flow paths that are oriented at 90° apart, and to switch the flow paths between a straight direction and an L-shaped direction.

(First three-way valve)
The first three-way valve 80 to the fourth three-way valve 86 have the same configuration, so the first three-way valve 80 will be described below as a representative.
8, 12, and 13, the first three-way valve 80 has a ball valve element 90, which is an example of a rotary valve element, rotatably disposed inside a valve chamber 88 formed in the body block 12. A stem 92 that rotates the ball valve element 90 and a joint shaft 94 are connected to the ball valve element 90. The stem 92 and the joint shaft 94 are connected so as not to rotate relative to each other.

The joint shaft 94 of the first three-way valve 80 protrudes outside the body block 12 and is connected to the first three-way valve drive motor 42, which rotates the ball valve element 90. The axes of the stem 92 that rotates the ball valve element 90 and the joint shaft 94 are oriented in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 56A of the first four-way valve 50 and the axis of the shaft 56A of the second four-way valve 52.

An annular retainer 96, shown in Figure 12, is disposed between the first three-way valve drive motor 42 and the body block 12. This retainer 96 is screwed to the body block 12.

A protrusion 98 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer 96, and a protrusion 100 that can come into contact with the protrusion 98 of the retainer 96 is formed on the base 94A of the joint shaft 94 that passes through the retainer 96. The protrusion 98 of the retainer 96 and the protrusion 100 of the joint shaft 94 form a stopper that limits the rotation angle of the ball valve body 90.

As shown in Figure 13, when the ball valve body 90 is viewed in cross section perpendicular to the axis (axis of rotation), a T-shaped passage 90A is formed inside the ball valve body 90, and three openings are formed on the outer surface of the ball valve body 90.

The valve chamber 88 is formed by closing the opening of a circular hole 102 formed in the body block 12 with an E-joint 26. An O-ring 104 is attached to the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion of the E-joint 26 that is inserted into the circular hole 102 to seal the gap between the E-joint 26 and the circular hole 102.

Inside the valve chamber 88 are inserted a ball valve element 90, an annular valve seat 106 that sandwiches the ball valve element 90 from both sides, and an O-ring 108 that presses the valve seat 106 against the ball valve element 90.

(Connection of fittings, four-way valves, and three-way valves)
Next, the connection of the flow paths of the H joint 22, G joint 24, E joint 26, F joint 28, C joint 32, B joint 34, A joint 36, D joint 38, first four-way valve 50, second four-way valve 52, first three-way valve 80, second three-way valve 82, third three-way valve 84, and fourth three-way valve 86 will be described.
As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 14(A) and (B), the first four-way valve 50 is connected to a flow path 110 connected to the A joint 36, a flow path 112 connected to the second three-way valve 82, a flow path 114 connected to the B joint 34, and a flow path 116 connected to the first three-way valve 80.

The second four-way valve 52 is connected to a flow path 118 connected to the F fitting 28, a flow path 120 connected to the third three-way valve 84, a flow path 122 connected to the H fitting 22, and a flow path 124 connected to the fourth three-way valve 86.

In addition to flow path 116, the first three-way valve 80 is also connected to E-joint 26 and flow path 128, which is connected to flow path 118.

In addition to the flow path 112, the second three-way valve 82 is also connected to a G-joint 24 and a flow path 132 connected to the flow path 122.

In addition to the flow path 120, the third three-way valve 84 is also connected to a C-joint 32 and a flow path 136 that is connected to the flow path 114.

In addition to flow path 124, the fourth three-way valve 86 is also connected to a D-joint 38 and a flow path 138 that is connected to flow path 110.

(Action, effect)
By driving the first four-way valve drive motor 30, the first four-way valve 50 can switch the stem valve 56 between a first state (stem valve angle 0°) shown in Fig. 11(A) and a second state (stem valve angle 90°) shown in Fig. 11(B). In the first state, the flow path 110 and the flow path 112 communicate with each other, and the flow path 114 and the flow path 116 communicate with each other. On the other hand, in the second state, the flow path 110 and the flow path 116 communicate with each other, and the flow path 112 and the flow path 114 communicate with each other.

Although not illustrated, the second four-way valve 52 can also switch the communication state of each flow path in the same way as the first four-way valve 50.

By driving the first three-way valve drive motor 42, the first three-way valve 80 can switch the ball valve element 90 between the first state shown in Figure 13(A) (ball valve element angle 0°), the second state shown in Figure 13(B) (ball valve element angle 90°), and the third state shown in Figure 13(C) (ball valve element angle 180°).

Although not illustrated, the second three-way valve 82, third three-way valve 84, and fourth three-way valve 86 can also switch the communication state of each flow path in the same way as the first three-way valve 80.

As an example, the combined valve 10 of this embodiment can switch the flow of fluid at each joint, as shown in Figures 14(A), 15, and 16. In the circuit diagrams of Figures 14(A), 15, and 16, arrows A to H indicate the direction of fluid flow in and out of each joint. In the first three-way valve 80, second three-way valve 82, third three-way valve 84, and fourth three-way valve 86 shown in the circuit diagram of Figure 14(A), open triangles indicate the open state, and solid triangles indicate the closed state (see Figure 14(B)).

For example, in the state shown in Figure 14 (A), fluid flowing in from the A joint 36 passes through the first four-way valve 50 and the second three-way valve 82 and is discharged from the G joint 24, fluid flowing in from the B joint 34 passes through the first four-way valve 50 and the first three-way valve 80 and is discharged from the E joint 26, fluid flowing in from the F joint 28 passes through the second four-way valve 52 and the third three-way valve 84 and is discharged from the C joint 32, and fluid flowing in from the H joint 22 passes through the second four-way valve 52 and the fourth three-way valve 86 and is discharged from the D joint 38.

In addition, the combined valve 10 of this embodiment can change the fluid flow in ways other than those shown in Figures 14(A), 15, and 16 by switching the first four-way valve 50, the second four-way valve 52, and the first three-way valve 80 to the fourth three-way valve 86.

(Effect of valve arrangement)
In the combined valve 10 of this embodiment, the shaft 56A that operates the stem valve 56 of one of the first four-way valves 50 is provided on the front side of the body block 12 (the side toward arrow F), and the shaft 56A that operates the stem valve 56 of the other of the second four-way valves 52 is provided on the back side of the body block 12 (the side toward arrow B).
For this reason, the combined valve 10 of this embodiment can be made more compact overall than when the shaft 56A that operates the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the shaft 56A that operates the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 are provided on either the front cross surface 18 on the front side of the body block 12 or the rear cross surface 20 on the rear side.

As in this embodiment, if the first four-way valve drive motor 30 and the second four-way valve drive motor 40, which are elongated box-shaped, were to be placed on either the front cross surface 18 or the rear cross surface 20 so as not to interfere with each other, the body block 12 would have to be made larger, making it impossible to store the combined valve 10 in a compact size.

In the combined valve 10 of this embodiment, the body block 12 is formed in a cross shape with a first portion 14 and a second portion 16 that extends in a direction intersecting the first portion 14, so the four corners formed by the first portion 14 and the second portion 16, i.e., the four recessed portions, become dead space.

In the combined valve 10 of this embodiment, the four three-way valve drive motors - the first three-way valve drive motor 42, the second three-way valve drive motor 44, the third three-way valve drive motor 46, and the fourth three-way valve drive motor 48 - are distributed among the four corners, allowing the entire combined valve 10 to be stored more compactly than if they were not distributed among the four corners.

Second Embodiment
Next, a combined valve 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 17 , in the combined valve 10 of this embodiment, a connecting shaft 56B is formed integrally with each of the stem valves 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52, and the second four-way valve drive motor 40 is omitted.

A convex portion 140 is formed at the tip of the connecting shaft 56B of the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50. This convex portion 140 fits into a concave portion 142 formed at the tip of the connecting shaft 56B of the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52, allowing the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 to rotate together.

The body block 12 has a hole 144 through which the connecting shaft 56B passes. An O-ring 146 is attached to the outer periphery of the connecting shaft 56B of the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 to seal the gap between the hole 144 and the connecting shaft 56B. In addition, in the combined valve 10 of this embodiment, a cover 148 that covers the connecting shaft 56B is screwed to the body block 12 instead of the second four-way valve drive motor 40.

In this embodiment, by driving the first four-way valve drive motor 30, the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 can be rotated synchronously, eliminating the need for the second four-way valve drive motor 40. As a result, the number of valve drive motors is reduced compared to the combined valve 10 of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the first four-way valve drive motor 30 is retained and the second four-way valve drive motor 40 is omitted, but it is also possible to retain the second four-way valve drive motor 40 and omit the first four-way valve drive motor 30.

[Other embodiments]
The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

The combined valve 10 of the above embodiment is a so-called eight-way valve equipped with a total of eight fittings: H fitting 22, G fitting 24, E fitting 26, F fitting 28, C fitting 32, B fitting 34, A fitting 36, and D fitting 38. However, the number of fittings is not limited to eight, and may be seven or less, or nine or more.

In the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, in addition to the first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52, four three-way valves (first three-way valve 80, second three-way valve 82, third three-way valve 84, and fourth three-way valve 86) are provided. However, the valves other than the first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52 may be switching valves, on-off valves, flow control valves, etc., with configurations other than three-way valves.

In the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, the number of valves other than the first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52 may be three or less, or five or more.

The posture (mounting orientation) of the combined valve 10 shown in Figure 1 is an example, and the posture of the combined valve 10 can be changed as appropriate.

The valve discs of the first four-way valve 50 and the second four-way valve 52 may have shapes different from those shown in Figures 10 and 11, etc. Similarly, the valve discs of the first three-way valve 80, the second three-way valve 82, the third three-way valve 84, and the fourth three-way valve 86 may have shapes different from those shown in Figure 12. These valve discs may have any shape as long as they can switch the flow paths by rotating, and may be cylindrical or have another shape, for example.
In addition, the first four-way valve 50, the second four-way valve 52, the first three-way valve 80, the second three-way valve 82, the third three-way valve 84, and the fourth three-way valve 86 may be switching valves of other structures that have valve bodies other than rotary types.

In the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, the axis of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the axis of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 are arranged on the same line CL, but the axis of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the axis of the shaft 56A of the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 do not have to be arranged on the same line CL.
For example, as in the second embodiment, when the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 are rotated synchronously, the connecting shaft 56B of the stem valve 56 of the first four-way valve 50 and the connecting shaft 56B of the stem valve 56 of the second four-way valve 52 can be connected using a gear or the like.

In the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, the body block 12 is cross-shaped, but the body block 12 may be in a shape other than a cross, for example, a cube shape.

In the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, the first four-way valve drive motor 30, the second four-way valve drive motor 40, the first three-way valve drive motor 42, the second three-way valve drive motor 44, the third three-way valve drive motor 46, and the fourth three-way valve drive motor 48 are attached to the outside of the body block 12. However, the body block 12 may be cubic in shape, with the first four-way valve drive motor 30, the second four-way valve drive motor 40, the first three-way valve drive motor 42, the second three-way valve drive motor 44, the third three-way valve drive motor 46, and the fourth three-way valve drive motor 48 built into it. Even in this case, the maximum outer dimensions of the combined valve 10 can be kept compact, approximately the same as those of the combined valve 10 of the above embodiment, which has a cross-shaped body block 12.

10 Composite valve 12 Body block (valve body)
18 Cross face
20 Cross surface 22 Joint H
24 Joint G
26 Joint E
28 Joint F
30 First four-way valve drive device 32 Joint C
34 Joint B
36 Joint A
38 Joint D
40 Second four-way valve drive device 50 First four-way valve (four-way valve)
52 Second four-way valve (four-way valve)
56 Stem valve (valve body)
56A axis

Claims (7)

a valve body having a plurality of fittings for allowing fluid to enter and exit;
two four-way valves provided inside the valve body for selectively allowing a fluid that has flowed in from one of the couplings to flow out from another of the couplings;
Equipped with
A shaft for operating the rotary valve element of one of the four-way valves is provided on one side of the valve body,
The shaft for operating the rotary valve element of the other four-way valve is provided on the opposite side of the valve body from the one side.
Combined valve. The axis of the shaft that operates the valve element of one of the four-way valves and the axis of the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve are arranged on the same line.
The combination valve of claim 1 . The valve body is formed in a cross shape having a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion intersecting the first portion and extending in a direction intersecting the first direction,
a first four-way valve drive device that transmits a rotational drive force to the shaft that operates the valve element of one of the four-way valves, the first four-way valve drive device being provided on a cross surface on one side of the valve body that is formed in a cross shape;
a second four-way valve drive device that transmits a rotational drive force to the shaft that operates the valve element of the other four-way valve, the second four-way valve drive device being provided on the other cross surface of the valve body that is formed in a cross shape;
The combined valve according to claim 1 or claim 2 . The valve body includes, together with the two four-way valves, four three-way valves for selectively allowing a fluid that has flowed in from any of the couplings to flow out from any of the other couplings,
Four three-way valve drive devices for driving the three-way valves are distributed and arranged at four corners formed by the first portion and the second portion.
The combination valve of claim 3 . the first section is provided with the one four-way valve in a central portion in a longitudinal direction, and the three-way valves are provided on both sides of the one four-way valve, and the one four-way valve and the two three-way valves are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first section,
the second section is provided with the other four-way valve in a central portion in the longitudinal direction, and the remaining three-way valves are provided on both sides of the other four-way valve, and the one four-way valve and the remaining two three-way valves are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second section.
The combination valve of claim 4 . The first portion of the cross-shaped surface on one side of the valve body is provided with four joints along a longitudinal direction of the first portion,
The other four joints are provided in the second portion of the cross-shaped surface on the other side of the valve body along the longitudinal direction of the second portion.
The combination valve of claim 5 . The valve body includes eight of the joints.
The combined valve according to claim 1 or claim 2 .