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US 9,316,327 B1Granted
Refrigerant control valves
OwnerCarlos Quesada Saborioinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerant valve has a body with a through bore. Multiple tubes have openings aligned in a ring around a middle of the bore. The tubes lead to larger channels in the body. A needle assembly inserted through an end of the bore reciprocates a needle with a stepper motor and speed reducer to precisely control sizes of the openings. Further advancing the needle shaft after closing the openings to the tubes, engages and slides a bypass sleeve against a return spring force to open a bypass in a side of the valve body. A connector connects the bypass in a first end of the bore to outward opening holes of the channels.
Claims15
Apparatus comprising
- a refrigerant control valve having a valve body,
- a bore in the valve body,
- the bore having a first end portion, a medial portion and a second end portion,
- the first end portion of the bore comprising a first cylinder with a first diameter,
- the second end portion of the bore compressing a second cylinder with a second diameter larger than the first diameter,
- the medial portion of the bore comprising
- a valve seat having a frustoconical shape connecting the first and second cylinder,
- plural channels extending through the valve body,
- the channels having first and second ends,
- plural elongated lateral openings adjacent the valve seat in the medial portion of the bore,
- the first ends of the channels severally connected to the lateral openings in the medial portion of the bore,
- a needle assembly mounted in the second end of the through bore, the needle assembly having a conical portion and a cylindrical portion, the conical portion having a shape and slope similar and complementary to the frustoconical shape of the valve seat,
- a longitudinal needle motion controller connected to the needle assembly, and disposed with the needle assembly to move the needle in the bore and to move an end of the needle in the bore to selectively open and close the lateral openings concurrently with opening and closing the needle seat and to control fluid flowing through the first end portion of the bore and through the plural lateral openings and the plural channels.
10 more elements
Apparatus comprising
- a refrigerant control valve having a valve body,
- a bore in the valve body,
- the bore having a first end portion, a medial portion and a second end portion
- plural channels extending through the valve body,
- the channels having first and second ends,
- plural lateral openings in the medial portion of the through bore,
- a valve seat in the medial portion immediately adjacent the lateral openings,
- the first ends of the channels severally connected to the lateral openings in the medial portion of the through bore,
- a needle assembly mounted in the second end of the bore, the needle assembly having
- a needle with first and second ends,
- an end needle on the first end of the needle shaft,
- a recess in the second end of the needle shaft,
- a threaded shaft having first and second ends,
- the threaded shaft mounted in the recess in the second end of the needle shaft,
- a reduction gear assembly connected to the second end of the threaded shaft,
- a stepper motor connected to the reduction gear assembly and disposed with the needle assembly to move the needle shaft in the bore and to move the end needle in the through bore to selectively open and obscure the lateral openings and to control fluid flowing through the first end portion of the bore and through the plural lateral openings and the plural channels.
13 more elements
A method comprising
- providing a refrigerant control valve having a valve body with a connection to a refrigerant,
- providing a bore in the valve body,
- providing plural channels extending through the valve body,
- providing plural lateral openings from the channels in the medial portion of the bore,
- providing a valve seat adjacent the openings in the medial portion,
- providing a needle assembly mounted in a second end of the bore,
- the needle assembly having an end needle on a first end of the needle shaft,
- providing a longitudinal needle motion controller on a second end of the needle shaft,
- moving the needle shaft in the bore, and selectively opening, partially closing and closing the lateral openings and controlling refrigerant fluid flowing between the first end of the bore and the plural channels.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.