Patent ID: 6935573

Claim:
An expansion valve comprising: a flange portion; and a tube member formed separately from said flange portion; said tube member having fixed to its interior a guide member, an orifice member and a plate member; said tube member further comprising a shaft member passing through said guide member and said orifice member and driving a valve member disposed within a valve chamber defined by said orifice member, a spring supported by said plate member and biasing said valve member toward said orifice member, a lid member sandwiching between said flange portion a diaphragm and defining a gas charge chamber, and a stopper member in contact with said diaphragm and transmitting the displacement of said diaphragm via said shaft member to said valve member; and at least one seal member, wherein said lid member is fixed to said flange portion with said diaphragm sandwiched therebetween, said flange portion and said tube member connected to each other, and said gas charge chamber together with said diaphragm constitutes a drive mechanism of said valve member and wherein said guide member and said tube member are fixed to each other by a crimp formed into an exterior surface of said tube member and said at least one seal member surrounds said guide member and said tube member while being disposed on or adjacent to the crimp and in contact with the exterior surface of said tube member.