Patent Application
20100068083
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compressor and electric motor combination, and more particularly to a compressor coupled to an electric motor and rotated or driven by the electric motor, without being driven by the engine of an automobile through the rotation transmission belt, for allowing the compressor to be operated or actuated to generate or to provide an air conditioning when the engine of the automobile is stopped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, for vehicles and automobiles, an air conditioning system is an important facility to be provided and comprises a compressor coupled to an engine of the automobile through a rotation transmission means or belt, for allowing the compressor to be operated or actuated to generate or to provide an air conditioning by the engine of the automobile.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,252 to Hattori et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,518 to Sumikawa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,727 to Steele, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,952 to Sato disclose four of the typical compressors for the air conditioning systems of the vehicles and the automobiles, and each comprising a driving shaft for coupling to an engine of the automobile through a magnetic clutch and a rotation transmission means or belt.
However, the typical compressors may only be operated or actuated by the engine of the automobile, and thus may not be operated or actuated when the engine of the automobile is stopped, such that no air conditioning may be generated or provided when the engine of the automobile is stopped.
For decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2), many countries have banned the automobiles to idle for more than three minutes. Without idling the engine of the automobile, the typical compressors may no longer be operated or actuated to generate or to provide the air conditioning to the automobiles.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional compressor and electric motor combinations.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a compressor and electric motor combination including a compressor coupled to an electric motor and rotated or driven by the electric motor, without being driven by the engine of an automobile through the rotation transmission belt, for allowing the compressor to be operated or actuated to generate or to provide an air conditioning when the engine of the automobile is stopped.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a compressor and electric motor combination comprising a compressor including a housing, and a shaft extended out of the housing, an electric motor including a receptacle, and a spindle extended out of the receptacle, and a coupling device for coupling the shaft of the compressor and the spindle of the electric motor together and for allowing the compressor to be operated by the electric motor.
The coupling device includes a follower attached to the shaft of the compressor and rotated in concert with the shaft of the compressor, and a rotary member attached to the spindle of the electric motor for allowing the rotary member to be rotated by the spindle of the electric motor and for allowing the follower and the shaft of the compressor to be driven by the electric motor.
The follower includes a plurality of orifices formed therein, the rotary member includes a plurality of coupling members attached thereto and engaged into the orifices of the follower for allowing the follower and the shaft of the compressor to be rotated by the electric motor with the rotary member.
The coupling members each include a rod having a first end attached to the rotary member, and a second end for engaging into the orifices of the follower. A sleeve is engaged onto the second end of each rod and engaged into the orifices of the follower for softly engaging with the follower.
The second end of each rod includes a frustum-shaped structure for engaging with the sleeve. The rods each include a retaining ring attached to the second end of each rod for engaging with the sleeve and for preventing the sleeve from being disengaged from the rod.
The follower is keyed to the shaft of the compressor. The rotary member is also preferably keyed to the spindle of the electric motor.
The coupling device includes a casing disposed between the housing of the compressor and the receptacle of the electric motor, and secured to the housing of the compressor and the receptacle of the electric motor for solidly coupling the housing of the compressor and the receptacle of the electric motor together, and includes a chamber formed in the casing for receiving the follower and the rotary member.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
It is to be noted that the compressor 10 may be selected from various kinds of compressors, such as the scroll type compressors, swash-plate type compressors, or the like. The electric motor 20 may also be selected from various kinds of electric motors. The structures for the compressor and the electric motor are typical and will not be described in further details. The compressor and electric motor combination 1 in accordance with the present invention further comprises a coupling means or device 30 for coupling the compressor 10 and the electric motor 20 together, particularly for coupling the shaft 12 of the compressor 10 and the spindle 22 of the electric motor 20 together and for allowing the compressor 10 to be operated or actuated by the electric motor 20 to generate or to provide an air conditioning even when the engine of the automobile is stopped.
The coupling means or device 30 includes a casing 31 disposed between the housing 11 of the compressor 10 and the receptacle 21 of the electric motor 20, and secured to the housing 11 of the compressor 10 and the receptacle 21 of the electric motor 20 with latches or fasteners 32 or the like for solidly coupling the housing 11 of the compressor 10 and the receptacle 21 of the electric motor 20 together, and includes a chamber 33 formed in the casing 31. A follower 34 is received in the chamber 33 of the casing 31 and includes a bore 35 formed therein for receiving the shaft 12 of the compressor 10 and for keying with the keys 13 of the shaft 12 of the compressor 10 and for solidly coupling and securing the follower 34 to the shaft 12 of the compressor 10 with latches or fasteners 32 or the like and for allowing the follower 34 to be rotated in concert with the shaft 12 of the compressor 10. The follower 34 further includes a number of (such as four) equally spaced orifices 36 formed therein and arranged around the bore 35 of the follower 34.
A rotary member 40 is also received in the chamber 33 of the casing 31, and includes a bore 41 formed therein for receiving the spindle 22 of the electric motor 20 and for keying with the keys 23 of the spindle 22 of the electric motor 20 and for coupling and securing the rotary member 40 to the spindle 22 of the electric motor 20 and for allowing the rotary member 40 to be rotated or driven by the spindle 22 of the electric motor 20, and includes a number of (such as four) coupling members 42 attached to the rotary member 40 and equally spaced from each other and extended out of the rotary member 40 for engaging into the orifices 36 of the follower 34 (
As shown in
A clamping or retaining ring 49 is attached onto each rod 44 for engaging with the sleeve 48 and for preventing the sleeve 48 from being disengaged from the rod 44. It is to be noted that the frustum-shaped rod 44 may also suitably retain the sleeve 48 on the rod 44 and may also be used for preventing the sleeve 48 from being disengaged from the rod 44. As best shown in
In operation, as shown in
Accordingly, the compressor and electric motor combination in accordance with the present invention includes a compressor coupled to an electric motor and rotated or driven by the electric motor, without being driven by the engine of an automobile through the rotation transmission belt, for allowing the compressor to be operated or actuated to generate or to provide an air conditioning when the engine of the automobile is stopped.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
