Expansion valve of an air conditioning system in an automobile

• US 6,416,032 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Oh, Man Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Derakshani, Philippe
• Assistant Examiner(s): BONDERER, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US09/749,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20010042851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 251/14, 251/58, 251/61, 251/77, 251/120, 251/264, 251/266, 251/278, 251/229, 251/208
• US Class Current: 251/14
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00485 Valves for air-conditioning devices, e.g. thermostatic valves valves per se F16K; thermostatic valves per se G05D23/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2341/0683 the sensor is disposed in the suction line and influenced by the temperature or the pressure of the suction gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/335 via diaphragms

Abstract

The present invention discloses an expansion valve of an air conditioning system for an automobile which does not employ a conventional method that opens and shuts in response to a motion of a pin and ball and can control a flow of a refrigerant and control linearly a flow rate of a refrigerant flow into an evaporator by using holes of a fixed hole plate fixed to a valve body and holes of a rotatable cam which is rotated by a motion of a pin moved upward and downward in response to a pressure difference between an outlet of an evaporator of an expansion valve and an interior of a pressure proof barrel. In the expansion valve of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a huntting phenomenon a reverse flow of the refrigerant into the evaporator and a noise caused by a ball, which have been generated in a conventional expansion valve, from creating.

Claims

1. An expansion valve of an air conditioning system for an automobile having a valve body in which a refrigerant flow passage is formed, a pressure proof barrel body comprising a pressure proof barrel sealed with a predetermined pressure by a metal diaphragm, and a device for opening or shutting the refrigerant flow passage in the expansion valve, comprising

a pin having a upper end at which a pin guide having a vertical guide groove is formed, an upper surface with which a lower surface of the metal diaphragm is contacted and a lower portion on which a screw portion is formed;

a rotatable cam combined with the screw portion of the pin;

a fixed hole plate located at a lower portion of the rotatable cam and fixed to the valve body;

a refrigerant wall dividing an inlet and an outlet of the evaporator and having a seal member mounted on an inner circumference through which the pin is passed, whereby a mid portion of the pin can be slid therein;

a first spring located between an upper surface of the refrigerant wall and a lower surface of the pin guide at the outlet of the evaporator so as to enable an upper surface of the pin guide to contact with the metal diaphragm; and

a second spring installed between a lower surface of the refrigerant wall and the washer so as to enable the rotatable cam to contact with the fixed hole plate.

2. The expansion valve of claim 1, wherein the pin guide has a specific gap between a circumference surface of the guide groove and the pressure proof barrel body.

3. The expansion valve of claim 1, wherein the rotatable cam is combined rotatably with the pin according to a vertical movement of the pin and has vertical holes through which the refrigerant can be passed, the a washer and a rolling bearing are mounted at an upper portion of the rotatable cam for supporting the second spring and a ball bearing is installed on a lower portion of the rotatable cam whereby the rotatable cam can be rotated freely between the second spring and the fixed hole plate.

4. The expansion valve of claim 1, wherein the fixed hole plate has vertical holes which form the refrigerant flow passages along with the holes of the rotatable cam, each refrigerant passage is increased or reduced linearly in proportion to an overlapping area of the holes of the fixed hole plate and the rotatable cam according to the rotation of the rotatable cam.