CRYOCOOLER AND ROTARY VALVE MECHANISM

Abstract

A rotary valve mechanism includes a stator valve member furnished with one of either a dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or a high-pressure flow path made of metal, and a rotor valve member furnished with the other of either the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or the high-pressure flow path made of metal, and seals a high-pressure region being the high-pressure flow path communicated with the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area and is disposed adjoining the stator valve member such as to isolate the high-pressure region from its low-pressure surrounding environs.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Priority is claimed to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-257052, filed Dec. 28, 2015, the Entire Content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention in particular embodiments relates to cryocoolers and rotary valve mechanisms for cryocoolers.

Description of Related Art

Cryocoolers, typified by Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers, include working-gas (also called refrigerant-gas) expanders and compressors. Expanders for the most part include a displacer that is axially reciprocated by a driving means, and a regenerator that is built into the displacer. The displacer is accommodated in a cylinder that guides its reciprocation. The variable volume that by the relative movement of the displacer with respect to the cylinder is formed between the two is employed as the working-gas expansion chamber. By appropriately synchronizing expansion-chamber volume change and pressure change, the expander is able to produce coldness.

For that purpose, the cryocooler is furnished with a valve unit for controlling the pressure of the expansion chamber. The valve unit is configured so as to switch alternately between supply of high-pressure working gas from the compressor to the expander, and recovery of low-pressure working gas from the expander to the compressor. The usual practice is to employ a rotary valve mechanism as the valve unit. The valve unit is also furnished in other cryocoolers such as pulse-tube refrigerators.

SUMMARY

The present invention in one aspect affords a cryocooler including: a working gas compressor provided with a compressor expulsion port and a compressor suction port; an expander provided with a gas expansion chamber and a low-pressure gas chamber communicated with the compressor suction port; a stator valve member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber, and provided with a stator-side rotary sliding surface, a high-pressure gas inlet port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface and communicated with the compressor expulsion port, and a gas venting port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface and communicated with the gas expansion chamber; and a rotor-valve polymer member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber such as to rotate about an axis with respect to the stator valve member and configured such as to isolate a rotor valve high-pressure recess area from the low-pressure gas chamber, the rotor valve high-pressure recess area being formed such as to communicate the high-pressure gas inlet port with the gas venting port in a portion of a single cycle of rotation of the rotor-valve polymer member and to cut off the high-pressure gas inlet port from the gas venting port in the remainder of the single cycle. The rotor-valve polymer member includes a rotor-valve outer peripheral surface facing the low-pressure gas chamber, a rotor-side rotary sliding surface surrounding the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, and in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface, a recess-area bottom wall surface facing the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, a recess-area peripheral wall surface forming a recess-area contour line on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface and extending from the recess-area contour line and directed toward the recess-area bottom wall surface, the polymer's thickness toward the rotor-valve outer peripheral surface varies running along the recess-area contour line, and a first thin-walled polymer portion having a first minimum polymer thickness from the recess-area peripheral wall surface to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface, and including a first inclination join region connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface and being inclined with respect to both the recess-area bottom wall surface and the recess-area peripheral wall surface.

The present invention in another aspect affords a cryocooler rotary valve mechanism including: a stator valve member disposed in a low-pressure gas chamber of a cryocooler, and provided with a stator-side rotary sliding surface, a high-pressure gas inlet port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface, and a gas venting port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface; a rotor-valve polymer member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber such as to rotate about an axis with respect to the stator valve member and configured such as to isolate a rotor valve high-pressure recess area from the low-pressure gas chamber, the rotor valve high-pressure recess area being formed such as to communicate the high-pressure gas inlet port with the gas venting port in a portion of a single cycle of rotation of the rotor-valve polymer member and to cut off the high-pressure gas inlet port from the gas venting port in the remainder of the single cycle. The rotor valve resin member includes a rotor-valve outer peripheral surface facing the low-pressure gas chamber, a rotor-side rotary sliding surface surrounding the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, and in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface, a recess-area bottom wall surface facing the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, a recess-area peripheral wall surface forming a recess-area contour line on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface and extending from the recess-area contour line and directed toward the recess-area bottom wall surface, the polymer's thickness toward the rotor-valve outer peripheral surface varies running along the recess-area contour line, and a thin-walled polymer portion having a minimum polymer thickness from the recess-area peripheral wall surface to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface, and including a first inclination join region connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface and being inclined with respect to both the recess-area bottom wall surface and the recess-area peripheral wall surface.

The present invention in still another aspect affords a rotary valve mechanism including: a stator valve member furnished with one of either a dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or a high-pressure flow path made of metal; and a rotor valve member furnished with the other of either the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or the high-pressure flow path made of metal, and seals a high-pressure region being the high-pressure flow path communicated with the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area and is disposed adjoining the stator valve member such as to isolate the high-pressure region from its low-pressure surrounding environs.

It should be understood that among methods, devices, systems, etc. of the present invention, those in which constituent elements or representations have been interchanged are valid as modes of the present invention as well.

The present invention enables improved reliability in cryocooler rotary-valve mechanisms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view which schematically shows the entire configuration of a cryocooler according to an embodiment of the present invention and schematically shows a cross section of an expander of the cryocooler.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a main portion of a rotary valve which may be used in the cryocooler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a rotor valve member which may be used in the cryocooler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a simulation result of a flow rate of a working gas in a high-pressure flow path with respect to the rotor valve member shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a rotor valve member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a simulation result of von Mises stress applied to the rotor valve member shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is desirable to improve reliability of a rotary valve mechanism of a cryocooler.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in descriptions thereof, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately omitted. Moreover, configurations described below are exemplified and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, a rotary valve mechanism of a cryocooler includes a stator valve member formed of metal (or a resin) and a rotor valve member which rotationally slides on the stator valve member and is formed of a resin (or metal). The stator valve member and the rotor valve member may be respectively referred to as a stator valve plate and a rotor valve plate.

The rotary valve mechanism is installed in a low-pressure chamber which is filled with a relatively low-pressure working gas. A metal member includes a high-pressure flow path for a high-pressure working gas, and the high-pressure flow path is formed to penetrate the metal member. A resin member includes a dome-shaped high-pressure recessed portion for a high-pressure working gas. A dome-shaped recessed portion is formed in which a cross section perpendicular in a depth direction of the recessed portion gradually decreases in the depth direction. The dome-shaped recessed portion is formed by an arbitrary processing method. For example, the dome-shaped recessed portion may be formed by fillet processing or chamfering processing. The rotor valve member seals a high-pressure region in which the high-pressure flow path of metal communicates with the dome-shaped high-pressure recessed portion of a resin, and is disposed to be adjacent to the stator valve member to separate the high-pressure region from the a low-pressure surrounding environment. The dome-shaped recessed portion may communicate with the high-pressure flow path in at least a portion of a rotation of one period of the rotary valve mechanism and may block the high-pressure flow path in other portions of the rotation.

Accordingly, at least a portion (particularly, a portion facing the high-pressure region) of solid portions of the rotor valve member and the stator valve member functions as a pressure partition wall which receives a load of a differential pressure between a high pressure and a low pressure. In the dome-shaped recessed portion, the thickness of the partition wall portion gradually increases in the depth direction. Accordingly, stress which is applied to the surface of the dome-shaped recessed portion or the inside of the partition wall decreases. Particularly, a decrease of stress in a thin portion of the resin member reduces damage risk at the location and improves reliability of the rotary valve mechanism. In addition, since the surface of the dome-shaped recessed portion does not have a sharp corner portion which significantly influences the flow of the working gas, a decrease in pressure loss of the flow of the working gas and improvement in refrigeration performance are realized.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a cryocooler 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cryocooler 10 includes a compressor 12 which compresses a working gas and an expander 14 which cools the working gas by adiabatic expansion. For example, the working gas is helium gas. The expander 14 may be also referred to as a cold head. A regenerator 16 which pre-cools the working gas is included in the expander 14. The cryocooler 10 includes a gas pipe 18 which includes a first pipe 18a and a second pipe 18b which are respectively connected to the compressor 12 and the expander 14. The shown cryocooler 10 is a single-staged GM cryocooler.

As is well known, a working gas having a first high pressure is supplied from a discharging port 12a of the compressor 12 to the expander 14 through the first pipe 18a. The pressure of the working gas is decreased from the first high pressure to a second high pressure which is lower than the first high pressure due to adiabatic expansion in the expander 14. The working gas having the second high pressure is returned from the expander 14 to a suction port 12b of the compressor 12 through the second pipe 18b. The compressor 12 compresses the returned working gas having the second high pressure. Accordingly, the pressure of the working gas increases to the first high pressure again. In general, the first high pressure and the second high pressure are significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure. For convenience of descriptions, the first high pressure and the second high pressure are simply referred to as a high pressure and a low pressure, respectively. Typically, for example, the high pressure is 2 to 3 MPa, and the low pressure is 0.5 to 1.5 MPa. For example, a difference between the high pressure and the low pressure is approximately 1.2 to 2 MPa.

The expander 14 includes an expander movable portion 20 and an expander stationary portion 22. The expander movable portion 20 is configured so as to reciprocate in an axial direction (up-down direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the expander stationary portion 22. The movement direction of the expander movable portion 20 is indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 1. The expander stationary portion 22 is configured so as to support the expander movable portion 20 to be reciprocated in the axial direction. In addition, the expander stationary portion 22 is configured of an airtight container in which the expander movable portion 20 is accommodated along with a high-pressure gas (including first high-pressure gas and second high-pressure gas).

The expander movable portion 20 includes a displacer 24 and a displacer drive shaft 26 which reciprocates the displacer 24. A regenerator 16 is built in the displacer 24. The displacer 24 includes a displacer member 24a which surrounds the regenerator 16. An internal space of the displacer member 24a is filled with a regenerator material. Accordingly, the regenerator 16 is formed inside the displacer 24. For example, the displacer 24 has a substantially columnar shape which extends in the axial direction. The displacer member 24a includes an outer diameter and an inner diameter which are substantially constant in the axial direction. Accordingly, the regenerator 16 also has a substantially columnar shape which extends in the axial direction.

The expander stationary portion 22 approximately has two configurations which includes a cylinder 28 and a drive mechanism housing 30. The upper portion of the expander stationary portion 22 in the axial direction is the drive mechanism housing 30, the lower portion of the expander stationary portion 22 in the axial direction is the cylinder 28, and the drive mechanism housing 30 and the cylinder 28 are firmly connected to each other. The cylinder 28 is configured to guide the reciprocation of the displacer 24. The cylinder 28 extends in the axial direction from the drive mechanism housing 30. The cylinder 28 has an inner diameter which is substantially constant in the axial direction. Accordingly, the cylinder 28 has a substantially cylindrical inner surface which extends in the axial direction. The inner diameter is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the displacer member 24a.

Moreover, the expander stationary portion 22 includes a cooling stage 32. The cooling stage 32 is fixed to the terminal of the cylinder 28 on the side opposite to the drive mechanism housing 30 in the axial direction. The cooling stage 32 is provided so as to transfer coldness generated by the expander 14 to other objects. The objects are attached to the cooling stage 32, and are cooled by the cooling stage 32 during the operation of the cryocooler 10.

During the operation of the cryocooler 10, the regenerator 16 includes a regenerator high-temperature portion 16a on one side (upper side in the drawing) in the axial direction, and a regenerator low-temperature portion 16b on the side (lower side in the drawing) opposite to the regenerator high-temperature portion 16a. In this way, the regenerator 16 has a temperature distribution in the axial direction. Similarly, other components (for example, displacer 24 and cylinder 28) of the expander 14 which surrounds the regenerator 16 also have axial temperature distributions. Accordingly, the expander 14 includes a high-temperature portion on one side in the axial direction and a low-temperature portion on the other side in the axial direction during the operation of the expander 14. For example, the high-temperature portion has a temperature such as an approximately room temperature. The cooling temperatures of the low-temperature portion are different from each other according to the use of the cryocooler 10, and for example, the low-temperature portion is cooled to a temperature which is included in a range from approximately 10 K to approximately 10 0 K. The cooling stage 32 is fixed to the cylinder 28 to enclose the low-temperature portion of the cylinder 28.

In the present specification, for convenience of the description, terms such as an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction are used. As shown by an arrow A, the axial direction indicates the movement direction of the expander movable portion 20 with respect to the expander stationary portion 22. The radial direction indicates a direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) perpendicular to the axial direction, and the circumferential direction indicates a direction which surrounds the axial direction. An element of the expander 14 being close to the cooling stage 32 in the axial direction may be referred to “down”, and the element being far from the cooling stage 32 in the axial direction may be referred to as “up.” Accordingly, the high-temperature portion and the low-temperature portion of the expander 14 are respectively positioned on the upper portion and the lower portion in the axial direction. The expressions are used so as to only assist understanding of a relative positional relationship between elements of the expander 14. Accordingly, the expressions are not related to the disposition of the expander 14 when the expander 14 is installed in site. For example, in the expander 14, the cooling stage 32 may be installed upward and the drive mechanism housing 30 may be installed downward. Alternatively, the expander 14 may be installed such that the axial direction coincides with the horizontal direction.

In addition, terms such as the axial direction, the radial direction, and the circumferential direction are used with respect to the rotary valve mechanism. In this case, the axial direction indicates the direction of the rotary shaft of the rotary valve mechanism.

The configuration of the flow path of the working gas in the expander 14 is described. The expander 14 includes a valve portion 34, a housing gas flow path 36, an upper gas chamber 37, a displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38, a displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39, a gas expansion chamber 40, and a low-pressure gas chamber 42. A high-pressure gas flows from the first pipe 18a to the gas expansion chamber 40 via the valve portion 34, the housing gas flow path 36, the upper gas chamber 37, the displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38, the regenerator 16, and the displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39. The gas returned to the gas expansion chamber 40 flows to the low-pressure gas chamber 42 via the displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39, the regenerator 16, the displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38, the upper gas chamber 37, the housing gas flow path 36, and the valve portion 34.

Although it is described below in detail, the valve portion 34 is configured to control the pressure of the gas expansion chamber 40 to be synchronized with the reciprocation of the displacer 24. The valve portion 34 functions as a portion of a supply path for supplying a high-pressure gas to the gas expansion chamber 40, and function as a portion of a discharging path for discharging a low-pressure gas from the gas expansion chamber 40. The valve portion 34 is configured to end the discharging of the low-pressure gas and to start the supply of the high-pressure gas when the displacer 24 passes a bottom dead center or the vicinity thereof. The valve portion 34 is configured to end the supply of the high-pressure gas and to start the discharging of the low-pressure gas when the displacer 24 passes a top dead center or the vicinity thereof. In this way, the valve portion 34 is configured to switch the supply function and the discharging function of the working gas to be synchronized with the reciprocation of the displacer 24.

The housing gas flow path 36 is formed so as to penetrate the drive mechanism housing 30 such that gas flows between the expander stationary portion 22 and the upper gas chamber 37.

The upper gas chamber 37 is formed between the expander stationary portion 22 and the displacer 24 on the regenerator high-temperature portion 16a side. More specifically, the upper gas chamber 37 is interposed between the drive mechanism housing 30 and the displacer 24 in the axial direction, and is surrounded by the cylinder 28 in the circumferential direction. The upper gas chamber 37 is adjacent to the low-pressure gas chamber 42. The upper gas chamber 37 is also referred to as a room temperature chamber. The upper gas chamber 37 is a variable volume which is formed between the expander movable portion 20 and the expander stationary portion 22.

The displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38 is at least one opening of the displacer member 24a which is formed to allow the regenerator high-temperature portion 16a to communicate with the upper gas chamber 37. The displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39 is at least one opening of the displacer member 24a which is formed to allow the regenerator low-temperature portion 16b to communicate with the gas expansion chamber 40. A seal portion 44 which seals a clearance between the displacer 24 and the cylinder 28 is provided on the side surface of the displacer member 24a. The seal portion 44 may be attached to the displacer member 24a so as to surround the displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38 in the circumferential direction.

The gas expansion chamber 40 is formed between the cylinder 28 and the displacer 24 on the regenerator low-temperature portion 16b side. Similarly to the upper gas chamber 37, the gas expansion chamber 40 is a variable volume which is formed between the expander movable portion 20 and the expander stationary portion 22, and the volume of the gas expansion chamber 40 is complementarily changed with the volume of the upper gas chamber 37 by the relative movement of the displacer 24 with respect to the cylinder 28. Since the seal portion 44 is provided, a direct gas flow (that is, the flow of gas which bypasses the regenerator 16) between the upper gas chamber 37 and the gas expansion chamber 40 is not generated.

The low-pressure gas chamber 42 defines the inside of the drive mechanism housing 30. The second pipe 18b is connected to the drive mechanism housing 30. Accordingly, the low-pressure gas chamber 42 communicates with the suction port 12b of the compressor 12 through the second pipe 18b. Therefore, the low-pressure gas chamber 42 is always maintained to a low pressure.

The displacer drive shaft 26 protrudes from the displacer 24 to the low-pressure gas chamber 42 through the upper gas chamber 37. The expander stationary portion 22 includes a pair of drive shaft guides 46a and 46b which support the displacer drive shaft 26 in the axial direction in a movable manner. Each of the drive shaft guides 46a and 46b is provided in the drive mechanism housing 30 so as to surround the displacer drive shaft 26. The drive shaft guide 46b positioned on the lower side in the axial direction or the lower end section of the drive mechanism housing 30 is airtightly configured. Accordingly, the low-pressure gas chamber 42 is separated from the upper gas chamber 37. The direct gas flow between the low-pressure gas chamber 42 and the upper gas chamber 37 is not generated.

The expander 14 includes a drive mechanism 48 which is accommodated in the low-pressure gas chamber 42 and drives the displacer 24. The drive mechanism 48 includes a motor 48a and a scotch yoke mechanism 48b. The displacer drive shaft 26 forms a portion of the scotch yoke mechanism 48b. In addition, the scotch yoke mechanism 48b includes a crank pin 49 which extends to be parallel to the output shaft of the motor 48a and is eccentric to the output shaft. The displacer drive shaft 26 is connected to the scotch yoke mechanism 48b to be driven in the axial direction by the scotch yoke mechanism 48b. Accordingly, the displacer 24 is reciprocated in the axial direction by the rotation of the motor 48a. The scotch yoke mechanism 48b is interposed between the drive shaft guides 46a and 46b, and the drive shaft guides 46a and 46b are positioned at different positions from each other in the axial direction.

The valve portion 34 is connected to the drive mechanism 48 and is accommodated in the drive mechanism housing 30. The valve portion 34 is a rotary valve type. The valve portion 34 includes a rotor valve resin member (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a rotor valve member) 34a and a stator valve metal member (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a stator valve member) 34b. That is, the rotor valve member 34a is formed of a resin material (for example, engineering plastic material or fluoropolymer material), and the stator valve member 34b is formed of metal (for example, aluminum material or steel material). Conversely, the rotor valve member 34a may be formed of metal and the stator valve member 34b is formed of a resin.

The rotor valve member 34a is connected to the output shaft of the motor 48a so as to be rotated by the rotation of the motor 48a. The rotor valve member 34a is in surface-contact with the stator valve member 34b so as to rotationally slide on the stator valve member 34b. The stator valve member 34b is fixed to the drive mechanism housing 30. The stator valve member 34b is configured so as to receive the high-pressure gas which enters the drive mechanism housing 30 from the first pipe 18a.

The operation of the cryocooler 10 having the above-described configuration is described. When the displacer 24 moves to the bottom dead center of the cylinder 28 or the position around the bottom dead center, the valve portion 34 is switched to connect the discharging port 12a of the compressor 12 to the gas expansion chamber 40. An intake process of the cryocooler 10 starts. The high-pressure gas enters the regenerator high-temperature portion 16a through the housing gas flow path 36, the upper gas chamber 37, and the displacer upper-lid gas flow path 38 from the valve portion 34. The gas is cooled while passing through the regenerator 16 and enters the gas expansion chamber 40 through the displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39 from the regenerator low-temperature portion 16b. While the gas flows into the gas expansion chamber 40, the displacer 24 moves toward the top dead center of the cylinder 28. Accordingly, the volume of the gas expansion chamber 40 increases. In this way, the gas expansion chamber 40 is filled with a high-pressure gas.

When the displacer 24 moves to the top dead center of the cylinder 28 or the position around the top dead center, the valve portion 34 is switched so as to connect the suction port 12b of the compressor 12 to the gas expansion chamber 40. The intake process ends and an exhaust process starts. The high-pressure gas is expanded in the gas expansion chamber 40. The expanded gas enters the regenerator 16 through the displacer lower-lid gas flow path 39 from the gas expansion chamber 40. The gas is cooled while passing through the regenerator 16. The gas is returned from the regenerator 16 to the compressor 12 via the housing gas flow path 36, the valve portion 34, and the low-pressure gas chamber 42. While the gas flows out from the gas expansion chamber 40, the displacer 24 moves toward the bottom dead center of the cylinder 28. Accordingly, the volume of the gas expansion chamber 40 decreases and a low-pressure gas is discharged from the gas expansion chamber 40. If the exhaust process ends, the intake process starts again.

The above-described process is one-time cooling cycle in the cryocooler 10. The cryocooler 10 repeats the cooling cycle and cools the cooling stage 32 to a desired temperature. Accordingly, the cryocooler 10 can cool an object which is thermally connected to the cooling stage 32 to a cryogenic temperature.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a main portion of an exemplary rotary valve used in the cryocooler 10 shown in FIG. 1. A dashed line Y shown in FIG. 2 indicates a rotary shaft of the valve portion 34.

The stator valve member 34b has a flat stator-side rotary sliding surface 50, and similarly to the stator valve member 34b and a rotor valve member 134a has a flat rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52. The stator-side rotary sliding surface 50 and the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 are perpendicular to the rotation axis Y. Since the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50 and the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 are in surface-contact with each other, leakage of a refrigerant gas is prevented.

The stator valve member 34b is fixed to the inside of the drive mechanism housing 30 by a stator valve fixing pin 54. The stator valve fixing pin 54 engages with a stator valve end surface 51 which is positioned on the side opposite to the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50 of the stator valve member 34b in the rotation axis direction, and regulates the rotation of the stator valve member 34b.

The rotor valve member 134a is rotatably supported by a rotor valve bearing 56 shown in FIG. 1. An engagement hole (not shown) which engages with the crank pin 49 is formed on a rotor valve end surface 58 which is positioned on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 of the rotor valve member 134a in the rotation axis direction. The motor 48a rotates the crank pin 49, and thereby, the rotor valve member 134a rotates so as to be synchronized with the scotch yoke mechanism 48b. Moreover, the rotor valve member 134a includes a rotor valve outer peripheral surface 60 which connects the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 to the rotor valve end surface 58. The rotor valve outer peripheral surface 60 is supported by the rotor valve bearing 56 and faces the low-pressure gas chamber 42.

The stator valve member 34b includes a high-pressure gas inlet port 62 and a gas flow port 64. The high-pressure gas inlet port 62 is opened to the center portion of the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50, and is formed to penetrate the center portion of the stator valve member 34b in the rotation axis direction. The high-pressure gas inlet port 62 communicates with the discharging port 12a of the compressor 12 through the first pipe 18a. The gas flow port 64 is opened outside the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 in the radial direction on the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50. The gas flow port 64 is formed in an approximately arc-shaped groove with the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 as a center.

The stator valve member 34b includes a communication path 66 which is formed so as to penetrate the stator valve member 34b to connect the gas flow port 64 to the housing gas flow path 36. Accordingly, the gas flow port 64 finally communicates with the gas expansion chamber 40 via the communication path 66 and the housing gas flow path 36. One end of the communication path 66 is opened to the gas flow port 64 and the other end thereof is opened to the side surface of the stator valve member 34b. While the portion of the communication path 66 on the gas flow port 64 side extends in the rotation axis direction, the portion of the communication path 66 on the housing gas flow path 36 side which is orthogonal to the portion of communication path 66 on the gas flow port 64 side extends in the radial direction.

The low-pressure returned gas flows from the gas expansion chamber 40 to the gas flow port 64 in the exhaust process while the high-pressure gas flows to the gas flow port 64 in the intake process of the cryocooler 10.

The rotor valve member 134a includes a rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 and a rotor valve opening portion 70. The rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 is in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50 around the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68. Similarly, the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 is in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface 50 around the rotor valve opening portion 70.

The rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is opened to the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 and is formed in an elliptical groove. The rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 extends from the center portion of the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 to the outside in the radial direction. The depth of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is smaller than the length of the rotor valve member 134a in the rotation axis direction, and the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 does not penetrate the rotor valve member 134a. One end of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 in the radial direction is positioned at the location corresponding to the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52. Accordingly, the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is connected to the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 always. The other end in the radial direction of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is formed so as to be positioned on approximately the same circumference as that of the gas flow port 64 of the stator valve member 34b.

In this way, the intake valve is configured in the valve portion 34. The rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is configured so as to allow the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 to communicate with the gas flow port 64 in a portion (for example, intake process) of one period of the rotation of the rotor valve member 134a, and allow the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 not to communicate with the gas flow port 64 in a remaining portion (for example, exhaust process) of the one period. Two areas configured of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 and the high-pressure gas inlet port 62, or three areas configured of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68, the high-pressure gas inlet port 62, and the gas flow port 64 form high-pressure regions (or high-pressure flow paths) which communicate with each other in the valve portion 34. The rotor valve member 134a seals the high-pressure region and is disposed to be adjacent to the stator valve member 34b so as to separate the high-pressure region from the low-pressure surrounding environment (that is, low-pressure gas chamber 42). The rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is provided as a flow direction changing portion or a flow path folding portion in the high-pressure flow path of the valve portion 34.

Meanwhile, the rotor valve opening portion 70 is an arc-shaped hole which penetrates from the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 of the rotor valve member 134a to the rotor valve end surface 58, and forms a low-pressure flow path which communicates with the low-pressure gas chamber 42. The rotor valve opening portion 70 is positioned on approximately the side opposite to the outer end section of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 in the radial direction with respect to the center portion of the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52. The rotor valve opening portion 70 is formed so as to be positioned on approximately the same circle as that of the gas flow port 64 of the stator valve member 34b. In this way, the exhaust valve is configured in the valve portion 34. The rotor valve member 134a is configured to allow the gas flow port 64 to communicate with the low-pressure gas chamber 42 in at least a portion (for example, exhaust process) of the period in which the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 does not communicate with the gas flow port 64.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a rotor valve member 234a which is used in the cryocooler 10 shown in FIG. 1. Similarly to the rotor valve member 134a shown in FIG. 2, the rotor valve member 234a includes the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 and the rotor valve opening portion 70 and functions as an intake/exhaust valve.

The rotor valve member 234a includes a recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 and the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74. The recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 faces the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 and determines the depth of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68. The recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 is parallel to the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 and is perpendicular to the rotation axis direction. The recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 forms an elliptical recessed portion outline 76 on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 and extends from the recessed portion outline 76 to the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72. The recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 intersects the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 so as to be perpendicular to the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72, and forms an edge line 78. Accordingly, the edge line 78 has the same dimension and shape as those of the recessed portion outline 76. The rotor valve opening portion 70 is formed in a fan-shaped through hole.

The resin thickness of the rotor valve member 234a is changed along the recessed portion outline 76 from the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface 60, and the rotor valve member 234a includes a first thinned-wall resin portion 80 and a second thinned-wall resin portion 82. The first thinned-wall resin portion 80 has a first minimum resin thickness 84 from the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface 60. The second thinned-wall resin portion 82 has a second minimum resin thickness 86 from the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 to the rotor valve opening portion 70. The first minimum resin thickness 84 and the second minimum resin thickness 86 may be the same as each other or may be different from each other. The first minimum resin thickness 84 may be larger than or may be smaller than the second minimum resin thickness 86.

The recessed portion outline 76 includes a first arc-shaped portion 76a, a second arc-shaped portion 76b, a first linear portion 76c, and a second linear portion 76d. The first arc-shaped portion 76a and the second arc-shaped portion 76b are respectively positioned on the first thinned-wall resin portion 80 and the second thinned-wall resin portion 82. The first linear portion 76c and the second linear portion 76d connect the first arc-shaped portion 76a to the second arc-shaped portion 76b. The first linear portion 76c and the second linear portion 76d extends from the center portion on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 to the outside in the radial direction, and the gap between the first linear portion 76c and the second linear portion 76d gradually increases from the center portion toward the outside in the radial direction. The width of the outer portion of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 in the radial direction is wider than that of the center portion. Since the gas flow port 64 of the stator valve member 34b is positioned on the outside in the radial direction, according to the shape of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68, it is possible to extend the intake period of the cryocooler 10 to some extent.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a simulation result of a flow rate of a working gas in the high-pressure flow path in the valve portion 34 with respect to the rotor valve member 234a shown in FIG. 3. In the drawing, a region in which the flow rate is small is indicated by a dark gray, and a region in which the flow rate is great is indicated by a light gray.

As understood from the drawing, the flow of the working gas from the high-pressure gas inlet port 62 of the stator valve member 34b to the gas flow port 64 is folded at the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68, a region 92 having a small flow rate is generated in the vicinity of the edge line 78. The region 92 is little used as a flow path, and generates pressure loss in the flow. A fillet surface-shaped boundary 94 is formed between the region 92 and the gas flow region inside the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the rotor valve member 34a according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly to the rotor valve member 134a shown in FIG. 2 and the rotor valve member 234a shown in FIG. 3, the rotor valve member 34a includes the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 and the rotor valve opening portion 70, and functions as an intake/exhaust valve.

The first thinned-wall resin portion 80 and the second thinned-wall resin portion 82 respectively include a first inclination joint region 88 and the second inclination joint region 90. The first inclination joint region 88 connects the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 and is inclined with respect to each of the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 and the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74. The second inclination joint region 90 connects the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 and is inclined with respect to each of the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 and the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74.

As shown in the drawing, the rotor valve member 34a includes a fillet surface which connects the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 over the entire periphery of the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74. The first inclination joint region 88 and the second inclination joint region 90 form a portion of the fillet surface. In this way, the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 of the rotor valve member 34a is formed in a dome shape. The rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 does not have the edge line 78 which is included in the rotor valve member 234a shown in FIG. 3, and is smoothly curved from the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 to the recessed portion bottom wall surface 72.

The dome-shaped recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 determines the maximum depth of the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 from the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52. The first minimum resin thickness 84 and the second minimum resin thickness 86 is smaller than the maximum depth. In this way, the resin thickness of the rotor valve member 34a is relatively thin. This contributes to a decrease in the size of the rotor valve member 34a.

From the viewpoint of easiness of fillet processing, the fillet surface has a fillet radius which is smaller than the radius of the first arc-shaped portion 76a or the second arc-shaped portion 76b. In addition, the fillet radius is greater than 1/10 of the radius of the arc-shaped portion. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain stress alleviation effects in the first thinned-wall resin portion 80 and the second thinned-wall resin portion 82. It is possible to obtain greater stress alleviation effects by increasing the fillet radius.

Similarly to the rotor valve member 234a shown in FIG. 3, the first linear portion 76c and the second linear portion 76d extends from the center portion on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface 52 to the outside in the radial direction, and the gap between the first linear portion 76c and the second linear portion 76d gradually increases from the center portion toward the outside in the radial direction.

As described above, the rotor valve member 34a may be formed of a fluoropolymer material. In this case, the fillet surface may have a fillet radius which is determined such that the maximum value of von Mises Stress applied to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 is smaller than ⅓ (or ⅕) of the tensile strength of the fluoropolymer material. The fillet radius may be determined such that the maximum value of von Mises stress applied to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 is smaller than ⅕ of the tensile strength of the fluoropolymer material. In this way, it is possible to sufficiently decrease a damage risk of the rotor valve member 34a in the first thinned-wall resin portion 80 and the second thinned-wall resin portion 82 in the practical use by designing the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 as described above. In addition, the fillet radius may be determined such that the maximum value of von Mises stress applied to the recessed portion peripheral wall surface 74 is larger than ⅙ (or ⅛) of the tensile strength of the fluoropolymer material.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a simulation result of the von Mises stress applied to the rotor valve member 34a shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 shows the simulation result during the operation of the cryocooler 10 (that is, a state where the pressure of the region inside the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68 is high and the pressure of the region (low-pressure gas chamber 42) around the rotor valve member 34a is low). In the drawing, a region in which the stress is great is indicated by dark gray, and a region in which the stress is small is indicated by light gray. In this simulation model, the rotor valve opening portion 70 is omitted.

As understood from the drawing, the maximum value of the von Mises stress is generated in the inner surface of the first thinned-wall resin portion 80 facing the rotor valve high-pressure recessed portion 68. The maximum value is approximately 6.66 MPa. Here, the tensile strength of the used fluoropolymer material is approximately 37 MPa. Accordingly, the maximum value of the von Mises stress is smaller than ⅕ of the tensile strength of the used material.

Meanwhile, according to the simulation result under the same conditions, in the rotor valve member 234a shown in FIG. 3 having the edge line 78, similarly, the maximum value of the von Mises stress is generated on the inner surface of the first thinned-wall resin portion 80, and the value is approximately 8.5 MPa.

In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to decrease the stress applied to the thin portion by providing the inclination joint region on the thinned-wall resin portion of the rotor valve member 34a. The damage risk is decreased by the thin portion, and it is possible to improve reliability of the rotary valve mechanism. In addition, the dome-shaped recessed portion bottom wall surface 72 is formed along the boundary 94 shown in FIG. 4. The region 92 contributing to the pressure loss is embedded in the material so as to form a smooth curved surface. Accordingly, it is possible to decrease the pressure loss of the flow of the working gas and improve refrigeration performance of the cryocooler 10.

Hereinbefore, the present invention is described based on the embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and a person skilled in the art understands various design modifications can be applied, various modification examples can be applied, and the modification examples are also included in the scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the first inclination joint region 88 and the second inclination joint region 90 are formed on the fillet surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first inclination joint region 88 and/or the second inclination joint region 90 may be a flat inclined surface (for example, a surface which is chamfered by 45°, or a surface which is chamfered by an arbitrary angle).

In the above-described example, the embodiment is described in which the cryocooler is a single-stage GM cryocooler. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the flow path of the working gas according to the embodiment can be applied to a two-stage or a multiple-stage GM cryocooler, or can be applied to other cryocoolers such as a pulse tube cryocooler.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be modified into various forms on the basis of the spirit of the invention. Additionally, the modifications are included in the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A cryocooler comprising:

a working gas compressor provided with a compressor expulsion port and a compressor suction port;

an expander provided with a gas expansion chamber and a low-pressure gas chamber communicated with the compressor suction port;

a stator valve member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber, and provided with a stator-side rotary sliding surface, a high-pressure gas inlet port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface and communicated with the compressor expulsion port, and a gas venting port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface and communicated with the gas expansion chamber; and

a rotor-valve polymer member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber such as to rotate about an axis with respect to the stator valve member and configured such as to isolate a rotor valve high-pressure recess area from the low-pressure gas chamber, the rotor valve high-pressure recess area being formed such as to communicate the high-pressure gas inlet port with the gas venting port in a portion of a single cycle of rotation of the rotor-valve polymer member and to cut off the high-pressure gas inlet port from the gas venting port in the remainder of the single cycle; wherein

the rotor-valve polymer member includes a rotor-valve outer peripheral surface facing the low-pressure gas chamber, a rotor-side rotary sliding surface surrounding the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, and in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface, a recess-area bottom wall surface facing the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, a recess-area peripheral wall surface forming a recess-area contour line on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface and extending from the recess-area contour line and directed toward the recess-area bottom wall surface, the polymer's thickness toward the rotor-valve outer peripheral surface varies running along the recess-area contour line, and a first thin-walled polymer portion having a first minimum polymer thickness from the recess-area peripheral wall surface to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface, and including a first inclination join region connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface and being inclined with respect to both the recess-area bottom wall surface and the recess-area peripheral wall surface.

2. The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein:

the rotor-valve polymer member is configured such as to isolate the rotor-valve high-pressure recess area from a rotor-valve opening area, the rotor valve opening area being formed such that the gas venting port is communicated with the low-pressure gas chamber in at least a portion of the remainder of the single cycle; and

the rotor-valve polymer member is furnished with a second thin-walled polymer portion having a second minimum polymer thickness from the recess-area peripheral wall surface to the rotor-valve opening area, and includes a second inclination join region connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface and is inclined with respect to both the recess-area bottom wall surface and the recess-area peripheral wall surface.

3. The cryocooler according to claim 2, wherein the rotor valve polymer member includes a fillet surface connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface over the entire periphery of the recess-area peripheral wall surface, and the first inclination joint region and the second inclination joint region each configure a portion of the fillet surface.

4. The cryocooler according to claim 3, wherein the recess-are contour line includes at least one arcuate section, and the fillet surface has a fillet radius that is smaller than the arcuate section's radius.

5. The cryocooler according to claim 4, wherein the fillet radius is greater than 1/10 of the radius of the arcuate section.

6. The cryocooler according to claim 3, wherein:

the rotor valve polymer member is formed of a fluoropolymer material; and

the fillet surface has a fillet radius determined such that the maximum value of von Mises stress acting on the recess-area peripheral wall surface is less than ⅓ of tensile strength of the fluoropolymer material.

7. The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein the recess-area bottom wall surface determines the maximum depth of the rotor-valve high-pressure recess area from the rotor-side rotary sliding surface, and the first minimum polymer thickness is less than the maximum depth.

8. The cryocooler according to claim 1, wherein:

the high-pressure gas inlet port is located in a central area along the stator-side rotary sliding surface, and the gas venting port is located radially outward with respect to the high-pressure gas inlet port along the stator-side rotary sliding surface; and

the recess-area contour line includes two linear sections extending radially outward from the central area along the rotor-side rotary sliding surface, and an interval between the two linear sections gradually widens radially outward from the central area.

9. A cryocooler rotary valve mechanism comprising:

a stator valve member disposed in a low-pressure gas chamber of a cryocooler, and provided with a stator-side rotary sliding surface, a high-pressure gas inlet port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface, and a gas venting port opening on the stator-side rotary sliding surface; and

a rotor-valve polymer member disposed in the low-pressure gas chamber such as to rotate about an axis with respect to the stator valve member and configured such as to isolate a rotor valve high-pressure recess area from the low-pressure gas chamber, the rotor valve high-pressure recess area being formed such as to communicate the high-pressure gas inlet port with the gas venting port in a portion of a single cycle of rotation of the rotor-valve polymer member and to cutoff the high-pressure gas inlet port from the gas venting port in the remainder of the single cycle; wherein

the rotor-valve polymer member includes a rotor-valve outer peripheral surface facing the low-pressure gas chamber, a rotor-side rotary sliding surface surrounding the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, and in surface-contact with the stator-side rotary sliding surface, a recess-area bottom wall surface facing the rotor valve high-pressure recess area, a recess-area peripheral wall surface forming a recess-area contour line on the rotor-side rotary sliding surface and extending from the recess-area contour line and directed toward the recess-area bottom wall surface, the polymer's thickness toward the rotor-valve outer peripheral surface varies running along the recess-area contour line, and a thin-walled polymer portion having a minimum polymer thickness from the recess-area peripheral wall surface to the rotor valve outer peripheral surface, and including a first inclination join region connecting the recess-area bottom wall surface to the recess-area peripheral wall surface and being inclined with respect to both the recess-area bottom wall surface and the recess-area peripheral wall surface.

10. A rotary valve mechanism comprising:

a stator valve member furnished with one of either a dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or a high-pressure flow path made of metal; and

a rotor valve member furnished with the other of either the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area made of a polymer or the high-pressure flow path made of metal, and seals a high-pressure region being the high-pressure flow path communicated with the dome-shaped high-pressure recess area and is disposed adjoining the stator valve member such as to isolate the high-pressure region from its low-pressure surrounding environs.