Valves and valve actuation – Electrically actuated valve – Including solenoid
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2003-05-13
Hirsch, Paul J. (Department: 3754)
Valves and valve actuation
Electrically actuated valve
Including solenoid
C251S129020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561482
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control valve for a variable capacity compressor used in an air conditioning device for vehicles and the like, and more specifically relates to a control valve for a variable capacity compressor that controls according to need the supply of refrigerant gas from a discharge pressure region to an intermediate pressure region of the compressor.
Heretofore, a variable capacity compressor equipped with a cylinder, a piston, a cam plate and the like is used for example to compress and discharge a refrigerant gas in an air conditioning device mounted on a vehicle. A known control valve for the variable capacity compressor comprises a refrigerant gas passage that communicates a discharge pressure region with a crank chamber that is in an intermediate pressure region, and by adjusting the pressure within the crank chamber, the tilt angle of the cam plate is changed so as to vary the discharge capacity. The pressure adjustment within the crank chamber is performed by adjusting the opening of the control valve mounted between the refrigerant passage, thereby supplying a high-pressure compressed refrigerant gas from the discharge pressure region to the crank chamber.
One typical type of control valve mentioned above is shown in
FIG. 3
as a control valve
100
for a variable capacity compressor (hereinafter called “control valve”) (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-120912). The control valve
100
is mounted to the rear housing side of the variable capacity compressor, and mounted via o-rings
121
a
,
121
b,
and
131
b
so as to maintain an airtight state, thereby adjusting the pressure within the crank chamber of a variable capacity compressor.
The control valve
100
comprises a control valve body
120
, a solenoid excitation unit
130
, and a pressure sensitive unit
145
, wherein the solenoid excitation unit
130
is positioned at the center of the control valve
100
and to both sides of the solenoid excitation unit
130
are positioned the control valve body
120
and the pressure sensitive unit
145
.
The solenoid excitation unit
130
comprises on the outer circumference thereof a solenoid housing
131
, and in the interior of the solenoid housing
131
are positioned a solenoid
131
A, a plunger
133
that moves up and down by the excitation of the solenoid
131
A, and a magnetic drawer
141
. A plunger chamber
130
a
housing the plunger
133
is communicated to a suction refrigerant port
129
equipped to the control valve body
120
. Further, the solenoid
131
A is connected with a cord (not shown) that is capable of supplying excitation current controlled by a control computer (not shown).
The pressure sensitive unit
145
is positioned below the solenoid housing
131
, and in the inside thereof is formed a pressure sensitive chamber
145
a
. The pressure sensitive chamber
145
a
includes a bellows
146
and a pressure sensitive spring
159
that operates the plunger
133
through a stem
138
and the like, and the interior of the pressure sensitive chamber
145
a
is maintained at a vacuum state.
The control valve body
120
comprises a valve chamber
123
, and a valve means
132
that opens and closes by the plunger
133
is positioned within the valve chamber
123
. A refrigerant gas having a high discharge pressure Pd is introduced to the valve chamber
123
through the discharge pressure region of the compressor and the discharge refrigerant port
126
. On the bottom surface of the valve chamber
123
is formed a valve hole
125
that communicates to a crank chamber refrigerant port
128
, and the upper space within the valve chamber
123
is sealed by a stopper
124
. At the center of the stopper
124
is created a pressure chamber
151
formed as a vertical hole with a bottom having a cross-sectional area equal to the valve hole
125
and opposing to the valve hole
125
. The pressure chamber
151
is also formed as a screw storage chamber
151
a
, to the bottom of which is positioned a valve closing spring
127
that biases the valve means
132
toward the bottom surface of the valve chamber
123
.
The valve means
132
is a shaft-like body including an upper portion
132
a
, an enlarged valve portion
132
b
, a small-diameter portion
132
c
and a lower portion
132
d
. The upper portion
132
a
and the lower portion
132
d
have the same cross-sectional area as the valve hole
125
. The upper portion
132
a
is fit to and supported by the stopper
124
having the pressure chamber
151
, the enlarged valve portion
132
b
is positioned inside the valve chamber
123
, and the small-diameter portion
132
c
opposes a crank chamber refrigerant port
128
that communicates to a crank chamber (intermediate pressure Pc)within the valve hole
125
. The lower portion
132
d
is fit to and supported by the control valve body
120
, the end portion of which is inserted to a plunger chamber
130
a
into which a refrigerant gas having a suction pressure Ps is introduced, being contacted to the plunger
133
. The valve means
132
moves up and down along with the vertical movement of the plunger
133
, and the enlarged valve portion
132
b
of the valve means
132
adjusts the gap between a valve seat
125
a
on the upper surface of the valve hole
125
. The low-temperature suction pressure Ps introduced to the plunger chamber
130
a
enters the pressure sensitive portion
145
.
The stopper
124
is equipped with a horizontal hole
153
that communicates to the pressure chamber
151
, and the horizontal hole
153
communicates the pressure chamber
151
with a gap portion
139
defined by the stopper
124
and the control valve body
120
. On the other hand, the control valve body
120
is equipped with a cancel hole
155
that communicates the gap portion
139
with the plunger chamber
130
a
into which the refrigerant gas having a suction pressure Ps enters. Accordingly, the refrigerant gas having a suction pressure Ps inside the plunger chamber
130
a
is introduced to the pressure chamber
151
through the cancel hole
155
, and the valve means
132
receives the suction pressure Ps from both the upper and lower portions
132
a
and
132
d
. Moreover, since the upper and lower portions
132
a
and
132
d
of the valve means
132
have the same cross-sectional areas, the suction pressure Ps received from the upper and lower portions
132
a
and
132
d
are balanced and cancelled, so that the valve means
132
will not substantially be influenced by the discharge pressure Pd. Moreover, the valve means
132
includes a small-diameter portion
132
c
positioned near the crank chamber refrigerant port
128
having a crank chamber pressure Pc, so when the valve portion
132
b
of the valve means
132
is seated on the valve seat
125
a
, the valve means
132
will not receive unnecessary pressure even when the pressure Pc within the crank chamber is loaded, since the forces toward the upper and lower directions are balanced.
A plunger
133
, to which is fixed the valve means
132
, is mounted inside the solenoid housing
131
, and the plunger
133
is slidably supported by a pipe
136
that contacts the end portion of the control valve body
120
tightly through an o-ring
134
a
. The upper end
138
A of a stem
138
is inserted and fixed to a storage hole
137
formed to the lower end of the plunger
133
, and the lower end
138
B of the stem
138
is supported slidably against the magnetic drawer so that it protrudes from the upper storage hole
142
of the drawer
141
toward the lower storage hole
143
. A valve opening spring
144
is positioned between the plunger
133
and the upper storage hole
142
of the magnetic drawer
141
, biasing the plunger
133
toward the direction separating from the magnetic drawer
141
.
Further, out of the pair of stoppers
147
and
148
inside the bellows
146
positioned within the pressure sensitive chamber
145
a
, the stopper
147
is mounted to the lower portion
138
B of the stem
138
, the stopper
147
being able to move away from the stem. A sprin
Fujikoki Corporation
Hirsch Paul J.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
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