Valve apparatus and air conditioning apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US10422433B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Valve apparatus and air conditioning apparatus",
  "abstract": "A valve apparatus includes a valve main body, a shaft body, a first valve element, and a second valve element. The valve main body has a first depressed portion and a second depressed portion in a circular shape, and a first port, a second port, and a third port each communicating with the first depressed portion, and a fourth port and a fifth port each communicating with the second depressed portion. The first port is allowed to selectively communicate with one of the second port and the third port by closure of one of the second port and the third port by the first valve element rotating about an axial direction. A flow amount of a fluid flowing between the fourth port and the fifth port is allowed to be variable by closure of the fourth port by the second valve element rotating about the axial direction.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A valve apparatus comprising: a valve main body having a first depressed portion in a circular shape and a second depressed portion in a circular shape separated from the first depressed portion, and a first port, a second port, and a third port each communicating with the first depressed portion, and a fourth port and a fifth port each communicating with the second depressed portion; a shaft body placed in the valve main body and rotatable about an axial direction; a first valve element placed in the first depressed portion, connected to the shaft body, and having a semicircular plate shape; and a second valve element placed in the second depressed portion, connected to the shaft body to be located beside the first valve element along the axial direction, and having an elliptical plate shape, the first port being allowed to selectively communicate with one of the second port and the third port by closure of one of the second port and the third port by the first valve element rotating about the axial direction, and a flow amount of a fluid flowing between the fourth port and the fifth port being allowed to be variable by closure of the fourth port by the second valve element rotating about the axial direction.",
    "2. The valve apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the second port and the third port is provided in a first wall portion of the valve main body which intersects the axial direction, and the fourth port is provided in a second wall portion of the valve main body which intersects the axial direction.",
    "3. The valve apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first port is provided in a first circumferential wall which surrounds a circumference of the first depressed portion in the circular shape, and the fifth port is provided in a second circumferential wall which surrounds a circumference of the second depressed portion in the circular shape.",
    "4. The valve apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pulse motor connected to the shaft body, wherein the pulse motor is configured to be able to rotate the shaft body about the axial direction.",
    "5. An air conditioning apparatus comprising: the valve apparatus according to claim 1; a compressor; and first and second heat exchangers in which refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows, the first port being connected to one end of the second heat exchanger, the second port being connected to a discharge side of the compressor, the third port being connected to a suction side of the compressor, the fourth port being connected to the other end of the second heat exchanger, and the fifth port being connected to the first heat exchanger."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a valve apparatus, and an air conditioning apparatus including the same.\n\nConventionally, in air conditioning apparatuses, valve apparatuses having an expansion valve and a four-way valve combined therein, such as a control valve described for example in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-281321 (PTD 1), have been proposed. In the control valve described in this publication, a motor operated valve which serves the function of an expansion valve includes a needle-shaped valve provided below a valve shaft, and a valve seat. When the needle-shaped valve moves up and down in an axial direction of the valve shaft, the needle-shaped valve is separated from and comes into contact with the valve seat. Thereby, the flow amount of the motor operated valve is adjusted.\n\nPTD 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-281321\n\nIn the control valve described in the above publication, since the needle-shaped valve moves up and down in the axial direction of the valve shaft, the size of the control valve in the axial direction of the valve shaft is increased. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize a valve apparatus.\n\nThe present invention has been made in view of the aforementioned problem, and one object of the present invention is to provide a valve apparatus which can be downsized, and an air conditioning apparatus including the same.\n\nA valve apparatus of the present invention includes a valve main body, a shaft body, a first valve element, and a second valve element.",
  "cpc": [
    "F16K 11/074",
    "F16K 3/04",
    "F25B 13/00",
    "F25B 2313/0231",
    "F25B 2313/0233",
    "F25B 2313/0272",
    "F25B 2341/0653",
    "F25B 2500/18",
    "F25B 41/04",
    "F25B 41/046",
    "F25B 41/062",
    "F25B 41/20",
    "F25B 41/325",
    "F25B 41/35",
    "Y02B 30/70",
    "Y02B 30/72"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F16K 11/074",
    "F16K 3/04",
    "F25B 41/04",
    "F25B 41/06"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Mitsubishi Electric Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Kosuke Tanaka"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-11-20",
  "publication_date": "2019-09-24",
  "grant_date": "2019-09-24",
  "priority_date": "2015-11-20",
  "application_number": "US-201515758772-A",
  "family_id": "58718597",
  "cited_by_count": 1,
  "citations": [
    "US4355659A",
    "JPH10281321A",
    "US6505647B2",
    "US8122735B2",
    "JP5634849B2"
  ]
}