# US 10,371,417 B2 · Cryocooler and rotary valve mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,417 B2 - Document ID: US10371417B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/436,503 - Filed: 2017-02-17 - Published: 2017-08-24 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-18 - Assignees: Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Mingyao Xu; Takaaki Morie; Qian Bao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371417B2 ## CPC - F25B 9/145: {pulse-tube cycle} - F25B 9/14: characterised by the cycle used, e.g. Stirling cycle - F25B 2309/006: using a distributing valve of the rotary type - F25B 2309/1406: Pulse-tube cycles with pulse tube in co-axial or concentric geometrical arrangements - F25B 2309/14181: the valves being of the rotary type - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS ## Abstract A rotary valve mechanism includes a valve stator having a stator recessed portion and a valve rotor having a rotor recessed portion. The rotor recessed portion is formed in the valve rotor such that a rotor-recessed-portion front edge line passes through a stator-recessed-portion front edge line and the rotor recessed portion fluidally communicates with the stator recessed portion at a first phase of rotary-valve-mechanism rotation, and a rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line passes through a stator-recessed-portion rear edge line and the rotor recessed portion is fluidally separated from the stator recessed portion at a second phase thereof, and a shape of the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line coincides with a shape of the stator-recessed-portion front edge line such that the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line overlaps the stator-recessed-portion front edge line at the first phase. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cryocooler, comprising: a compressor for a working gas, the compressor including a compressor discharging port and a compressor suction port; an expander including a gas expansion chamber, the gas expansion chamber defining an axial orientation of the expander, and a low-pressure gas chamber communicating with the compressor suction port; and a rotary valve component, the rotary valve component defining a valve-rotational direction about a valve-rotational axis and the valve-rotational axis being orthogonal to the axial orientation of the expander, the rotary valve component being composed of a valve stator provided with a stator planar surface perpendicular to the valve-rotational axis, a high-pressure gas inflow port opening onto the stator planar surface and communicating with the compressor discharging port, and in the stator planar surface, a stator recessed portion communicating with the gas expansion chamber, and defining a stator-recessed-portion front edge line and a stator-recessed-portion rear edge line located apart from each other in the valve-rotational direction, the valve stator being arranged in the low-pressure gas chamber, and a valve rotor provided with a rotor planar surface perpendicular to the valve-rotational axis and in surface-contact with the stator planar surface, and in the rotor planar surface, a rotor recessed portion communicating with the high-pressure gas inflow port, and defining a rotor-recessed-portion front edge line and a rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line located apart from each other in the valve-rotational direction, the valve rotor being disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber such as to rotate with respect to the valve stator, about the valve rotational axis; wherein the rotor recessed portion is formed in the valve rotor such that the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion front edge line and the rotor recessed portion fluidally communicates with the stator recessed portion at a first phase of rotary-valve-component rotation, and such that the rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line and the rotor recessed portion is fluidally separated from the stator recessed portion at a second phase of the rotary-valve-component rotation, and the rotor recessed portion is shaped such that at the first phase of the rotary-valve-component rotation the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line overlappingly coincides with the stator-recessed-portion front edge line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line and the stator-recessed-portion front edge line are each rectilinear. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line coincides with a shape of the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line such that the rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line overlaps the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line at the second phase. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The cryocooler according to claim 3, wherein the rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line and the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line are each rectilinear. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein: the valve rotor includes a low-pressure gas outflow port which defines an outflow-port front edge line and an outflow-port rear edge line positioned such as to be separated from each other in the valve-rotational direction on the rotor planar surface, and communicates with the low-pressure gas chamber; and the low-pressure gas outflow port is formed in the valve rotor such that the outflow-port front edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion front edge line and the low-pressure gas outflow port fluidally communicates with the stator recessed portion at a third phase of the valve rotation, and the outflow-port rear edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line and the low-pressure gas outflow port is fluidally separated from the stator recessed portion at a fourth phase of the valve rotation, and a shape of the outflow-port front edge line coincides with a shape of the stator-recessed-portion front edge line such that the outflow-port front edge line overlaps the stator-recessed-portion front edge line at the third phase. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cryocooler according to claim 5, wherein the outflow-port front edge line and the stator-recessed-portion front edge line are each rectilinear. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The cryocooler according to claim 5, wherein a shape of the outflow-port rear edge line coincides with a shape of the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line such that the outflow-port rear edge line overlaps the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line at the fourth phase. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cryocooler according to claim 7, wherein the outflow-port rear edge line and the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line are each rectilinear. ### Claim 9 A rotary valve mechanism for a cryocooler having an axially oriented expander, the rotary valve mechanism defining a valve-rotational direction about a valve-rotational axis and the valve-rotational axis being orthogonal to the axial orientation of the expander, the rotary valve mechanism comprising: a valve stator provided with a stator planar surface perpendicular to valve-rotational axis, and in the stator planar surface, a stator recessed portion defining a stator-recessed-portion front edge line and a stator-recessed-portion rear edge line located apart from each other in the valve-rotational direction, the valve stator being a portion of a working gas flow path of a cryocooler; and a valve rotor provided with a rotor planar surface perpendicular to the valve-rotational axis and in surface-contact with the stator planar surface, and in the rotor planar surface, a rotor recessed portion defining a rotor-recessed-portion front edge line and a rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line located apart from each other in the valve-rotational direction, the valve rotor being a portion of the working gas flow path of the cryocooler and being disposed such as to rotate with respect to the valve stator, about the valve-rotational axis; wherein the rotor recessed portion is formed in the valve rotor such that the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion front edge line and the rotor recessed portion fluidally communicates with the stator recessed portion at a first phase of rotary-valve-mechanism rotation, and such that the rotor-recessed-portion rear edge line passes through the stator-recessed-portion rear edge line and the rotor recessed portion is fluidally separated from the stator recessed portion at a second phase of the rotary-valve-mechanism rotation, and a shape of the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line coincides with a shape of the stator-recessed-portion front edge line such that the rotor-recessed-portion front edge line overlaps the stator-recessed-portion front edge line at the first phase. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A cryocooler comprising the rotary valve mechanism according to claim 9.