Heating medium channel switching device, and air conditioning device including the heating medium channel switching device

• US 10,337,626 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Takamatsu, Ryohei, Ogawa, Mizuki, Saito, Koji, Imaizumi, Masaru, Motomura, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Keasel, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/314,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20170191574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 13762516, 13762519, 13762524, 13762547
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/076 with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution

Abstract

In a heating medium channel switching device, a valve body whose interior is partitioned into two channels by a partition plate is axially rotated by a motor, whereby a relative position of the valve body in a valve chamber is controlled. Because of this, one of a first heating medium and second heating medium can be selected and caused to flow out in one channel, and one of a third heating medium and fourth heating medium can be selected and caused to flow in the other channel. Also, heating medium flow can be controlled by an angle of rotation of the valve body being controlled.

Claims

1. A heating medium channel switching device, comprising:

a cylindrical valve body wherein an interior is partitioned into two channels by a partition plate disposed in a longitudinal direction and two aperture portions that form a heating medium outlet and inlet are provided in a side surface corresponding to each of the channels; and

a body having a valve chamber that houses the valve body, a plurality of inlets that communicate with the aperture portions and allow a heating medium to flow into the valve body, and a plurality of outlets that communicate with the aperture portions and allow a heating medium to flow out from the valve body,

wherein

the body has as the inlets, a first inlet into which a first heating medium flows, a second inlet into which a second heating medium flows, and a common inlet into which either one of a third heating medium or fourth heating medium flows, and has as the outlets, a common outlet out of which either one of the first heating medium or the second heating medium flows, a third outlet out of which the third heating medium flows, and a fourth outlet out of which the fourth heating medium flows, and

the valve body being configured such that one of the aperture portions of one of the channels communicates with either one of the first inlet or the second inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates only with the common outlet, and one of the aperture portions of the other channel communicates only with the common inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with either one of the third outlet or the fourth outlet.

2. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, comprising:

a motor that causes the valve body to axially rotate inside the valve chamber, thereby controlling a relative position of the valve body inside the valve chamber, wherein

when an angle of rotation of the valve body is 0 degree when one of the aperture portions of one of the channels of the valve body communicates with the first inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with the common outlet, and one of the aperture portions of the other channel communicates with the common inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with the third outlet in the valve chamber,

one of the aperture portions of one of the channels of the valve body communicates with the second inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with the common outlet, and one of the aperture portions of the other channel communicates with the common inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with the fourth outlet when the angle of rotation of the valve body is 180 degrees, and

none of the inlets or outlets communicates with the aperture portions when the angle of rotation of the valve body is 90 degrees or 270 degrees.

3. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 2, wherein

the motor controls a heating medium flow by controlling the angle of rotation of the valve body.

4. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, wherein

the body has a tapered portion in a peripheral edge portion of a bottom surface of the valve chamber, and the valve body has a leading end portion of a form that coincides with the tapered portion.

5. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, comprising

packing between a bottom surface of the valve chamber of the body and a leading end portion of the valve body opposing the bottom surface.

6. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 5, wherein

polytetrafluoroethylene or a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer is used as a material of the packing.

7. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, wherein

the valve body communicates with the valve chamber in a bottom surface portion of the valve body, and the body has the common inlet or the common outlet in the bottom surface of the valve body.

8. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, wherein

the first inlet, the second inlet, the third outlet, and the fourth outlet being connected, respectively, to a conveying pipe of the first heating medium, a conveying pipe of the second heating medium, a returning pipe of the third heating medium, and a returning pipe of the fourth heating medium.

9. The heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1, wherein

the body has the first inlet, the second inlet, the third outlet, and the fourth outlet, of cylindrical forms wherein both ends are opened, and a plurality of the bodies are coupled by the first inlets, the second inlets, the third outlets, and the fourth outlets of the plurality of the bodies being connected to each other.

10. An air conditioning device, comprising:

a heat source machine disposed outdoors;

a plurality of indoor units installed in a space subjected to air conditioning; and

a relay unit disposed between the heat source machine and indoor units, and having

a refrigerant circulation circuit that causes a heat source side refrigerant to circulate and a heating medium circulation circuit that causes a heating medium to circulate, wherein

the relay unit includes an inter-heating medium heat exchanger, which carries out an exchange of heat between a heat source side refrigerant and a heating medium, and the heating medium channel switching device according to claim 1.

11. A heating medium channel switching device, comprising:

a cylindrical valve body wherein an interior is partitioned into two channels by a partition plate disposed in a longitudinal direction and two aperture portions that form a heating medium outlet and inlet are provided in a side surface corresponding to each of the channels; and

a body having a valve chamber that houses the valve body, a plurality of inlets that communicate with the aperture portions and allow a heating medium to flow into the valve body, and a plurality of outlets that communicate with the aperture portions and allow a heating medium to flow out from the valve body,

wherein

the body has as the inlets, a first inlet into which a first heating medium flows, a second inlet into which a second heating medium flows, and a common inlet into which either one of a third heating medium or fourth heating medium flows, and has as the outlets, a common outlet out of which either one of the first heating medium or the second heating medium flows, a third outlet out of which the third heating medium flows, and a fourth outlet out of which the fourth heating medium flows, and

the valve body being configured such that one of the aperture portions of one of the channels communicates with either one of the first inlet or the second inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with the common outlet, and one of the aperture portions of the other channel communicates with the common inlet while the other aperture portion of the channel communicates with either one of the third outlet or the fourth outlet,

each of the two channels is fluidically isolated from the other of the two channels.