SWITCHING VALVE

摘要

A switching valve according to an embodiment includes: a body having a refrigerant passage through which a plurality of ports communicate; a shaft extending in a radial direction of the refrigerant passage, the shaft being rotatably supported by the body; a valve element configured to rotate with the shaft to selectively make the ports communicate; a drive mechanism configured to drive the valve element in opening and closing directions of the refrigerant passage via the shaft; a stepping motor including a rotor for actuating the drive mechanism and a stator; and a can that is a cylindrical member fixed to the body and surrounding the rotor, the can defining a pressure acting space in which pressure of refrigerant acts and a non pressure acting space in which pressure of refrigerant does not act. The valve element is part of a butterfly valve and includes a plate rotatable with the shaft and capable of defining a high-pressure region and a low-pressure region in the refrigerant passage. The pressure acting space inside the can communicates with the high-pressure region or the low-pressure region through a communicating path.