Multi-way selector valve

Abstract

There is provided a multi-way selector valve capable of suppressing any excessive rise in the pressure of a high-pressure refrigerant during a transitional phase of flow path switching and of preventing malfunctioning of a flow path switching operation, while also being capable of preventing situations in which erroneous judgments of anomaly/failure occurrences in the device are made by a fail-safe mechanism to cause the device to stop unduly. A high-pressure passage portionto which a high-pressure fluid is introduced is formed in a valve member. A valve seat portionprovided with a first inlet/outletand a second inlet/outletthat are selectively communicated with an outlet-side end portionof the high-pressure passage portion, and a valve chestinto which a low-pressure fluid is selectively introduced via the first inlet/outletand the second inlet/outletare provided in a valve body. During the transitional phase of flow path switching, the outlet-side end portionof the high-pressure passage portionof the valve memberis made to slide while being pressed against a portion between the first inlet/outletand the second inlet/outletin the valve seat portion. There is formed between the first inlet/outletand the second inlet/outletof the valve seat portionan escape passage portioncomprising a groove, notch, through-hole or the like for allowing the high-pressure refrigerant of the high-pressure passage portionto escape to the side of the valve chestduring the transitional phase of flow path switching.