Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6733251
-
Patent Number
6,733,251
-
Date Filed
Monday, June 10, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 11, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Yu; Justine R.
- Gray; Michael K.
Agents
- Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 417 374
- 417 4101
- 417 411
- 417 4105
- 417 4237
- 417 42314
- 417 42313
- 417 321
- 417 360
- 417 42312
- 417 42315
- 062 236
- 418 551
- 184 616
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A compressor with a built-in electric motor has a compression mechanism and the built-in electric motor which are housed in a container. A suction port, a discharge port, inner and outer electric connection parts, and mounting legs of the container are provided on the same side of a body of the container. A bearing part for supporting an end of a driving shaft for driving the compression mechanism is formed on an end wall integral to -the body of the container, where the end of the driving shaft to be supported by the bearing part is located in the direction opposite to the compression mechanism and the driving shaft is connected to the built-in electric motor. In addition, a pumping mechanism is provided in a pumping chamber opened to an external surface of the end wall and is connected to the end of the driving shaft in the direction opposite to the compression mechanism. The opening of the pumping chamber is closed by a closing member. Thereby, the reduction in size and weight of the compressor with the built-in electric motor is achieved.
Description
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-174432, filed on Jun. 8, 2001, the contents of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compressor with a build-in electric motor which is suitable to be mounted on a mobile structure such as a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a mobile structure having such a compressor.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle driven only by an engine, a compressor driven by the engine has been used for air-conditioning the vehicle compartment with the compressor being mounted alongside of the engine.
Hybrid vehicles having both an engine and an electric motor and traveling by use of one of them according to conditions have been practically used for going on public roads. Air-conditioning of the vehicle compartment of this hybrid vehicle is made by a compressor driven by the engine in the same manner as conventional engine-driven vehicles, which compressor is mounted alongside of the engine.
It is proposed that the engines of hybrid vehicles should be shut off while they are temporarily stationary at a place such as a traffic light in order to reduce effects of the engine upon the environment. When the proposal is followed with a vehicle where a compressor driven by the engine is used, air-conditioning stops each time when the vehicle stops, causing problem for the driver and passengers in the compartment in summer and winter seasons, and especially in regions with extremely cold or hot climate.
For solving such a problem, there is an idea of adopting a compressor to be driven by an electric motor, especially a compressor to be used for air-conditioning in a building as shown in FIG.
7
. The compressor with a built-in electric motor is housed in a container
102
made of iron, together with a compression mechanism
100
and an electric motor
101
. In the hybrid vehicle, furthermore, the arrangement of devices in an engine room is based on that of the conventional motor vehicle. Thus, there is no space or location for installing the conventional compressor with the built-in electric motor for air-conditioning in the building in the engine room, so that the compressor should be mounted alongside the engine.
Regarding such a problem, the present inventors have conducted various experiments and found the following facts. That is, there is an inconvenience that a mounting leg or mounting seat
103
made of a sheet-metal welded on the container
102
requires a seat on the engine side. In addition, the compressor is heavy as much as about 9 kg or more. As the compressor is mounted alongside the engine, the strength of the mounting seat
103
is insufficient with respect to the weight of the compressor and vibrations thereof. In addition, the compressor is forced to receive vibrations of the engine, so that a weld zone between the conventional mounting seat
103
and the container
102
may be fractured, resulting in poor durability and lack of reliability. There is also an idea to prevent the influence of vibrations of the engine to the compressor and to the vehicle compartment by sandwiching an elastic member between the mounting seat
103
and the engine. However, the mounting position of the mounting seat
103
to the engine is greatly varied, so that the position on which the elastic member is to be mounted can be also varied. It results in the increase in the number of components and also the increase in the number of fabrication steps, causing the increase in costs. Furthermore, the elastic member arranged on each of the mounting parts exerts its ability of impact absorption on a restricted area on the mounted part, resulting in poor vibration control. If the vibration control is compensated using any member having a small spring constant, the elastic member tends to be broken between the vibrating engine and the compressor.
Furthermore, the conventional compressor with the built-in electric motor has large axial dimensions. For example, the container
102
extends to approximately 250 mm. That is, a discharge port
104
, a suction port
105
, inner and outer electric connection parts
106
, and the mounting legs
103
are longitudinally extended from both ends of the container
102
. In addition, the driving shaft
107
is supported by main- and sub-bearing members
108
,
109
independently installed in the container
102
together with the both ends of the driving shaft
107
connected to the electric motor
101
. In addition, the driving shaft
107
actuates a pump
110
for oil supply being provided independently from the container
102
on the side of the sub-shaft bearing member
109
. Such a complicated construction of the compressor is hardly incorporated in an electric-powered vehicle which has been only realized in a small-sized vehicle.
Simultaneously, the conventional compressor with the built-in electric motor is made of iron, so that the total weight thereof is about 9 kg or more. Thus, it becomes a problem in realizing the high speed and the energy saving because of the increase in driving load when it is mounted on the mobile structure.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIG. 8
, there is provided a compressor with a built-in electric motor in which a container
120
is made of an aluminum material to reduce the weight of the container
120
. In this case, however, the principle configuration of the container
120
is substantially the same as that of the container
102
made of iron except that the axial length of the container
120
is approximately 220 mm which is slightly smaller than that of the container
102
. In addition, just as in the case with one shown in
FIG. 7
, the container
120
is constructed of three container members
120
a
-
120
c
by which two independent connection portions
121
are formed on the body. Those shown in
FIG. 7
are made of iron and are mutually connected to each other by welding under favor of being designed as maintenance-free without overhaul. However, the container members made of aluminum as shown in
FIG. 8
are not suitable for welding, so that they are connected to each other by means of bolt connection. The wall of the aluminum container
120
in the thickness directions is greater than that of the iron container
102
to satisfy the conditions of a pressure container. For the connection with bolts
122
, a pair of flange portions
123
in each of the two connection portions
121
is required. Here, the flange portion
123
is protruded outwardly from the periphery of the container
120
in the radial direction. In addition, the flange portion
123
continuously or discontinuously extends around the container
120
in the circumferential direction. In each connection portion
121
, a lot of bolts
122
, for example eight bolts
122
, may be used so that the total weight of the container
120
is approximately 8 to 9 kg. It means that the substantial reduction in the weight of the container
120
is not achieved.
It becomes urgent business to provide a small-sized and lightweight compressor with a built-in electric motor now in a tendency of planning an electric operation of various kinds of load by using a working voltage of 42 volts in a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an electric-powered vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized and light-weighted compressor with a built-in electric motor.
To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the invention is to provide a compressor with a built-in electric motor, where a compression mechanism and a built-in electric motor for driving the mechanism are housed in a container. In the container, a suction port, a discharge port, inner and outer electric connection parts, and mounting legs are provided on the same side of a body of the container.
According to the above configuration, the entire size of the compressor in the axial direction is reduced till it becomes almost equal to the size of the container in the axial direction. In addition, such a concentrated arrangement of structural components on the predetermined area of the container prevents them from taking up much space, compared with the arrangement of structural components dispersed around the container. As the suction port, the discharge port, the electric connection parts, and the mounting legs are arranged in a restricted area so as to be close to each other to share a part of or the whole of the wall of the container in the thickness direction. Thus, the section of the container on which each of them dominantly arranged is reduced. In addition, since the suction port and the discharge port are positioned on the body of the container, a margin for connection of an external pipe is obtained on the internal diameter side by utilizing the fact that each of the outer and inner peripheries of the end of the container tends to become a dead space. The wall of the container in the thickness direction is shared much more, compared with the case of outwardly extending from the container, so that the reduction in size and weight of the container is achieved. The bulk of the container is further reduced as much as the extent of both the suction port and the discharge port which do not protrude out of the container. Consequently, the compressor with the built-in electric motor is made compact and light weight in addition to allow the reduction in cost. Thus, the compressor is easily mounted on the mobile structure such as an automobile and contributes to energy saving.
A second aspect of the invention is to provide a compressor with a built-in electric motor, where a compression mechanism and a built-in electric motor for driving the mechanism are housed in a container, including: a bearing part for supporting an end of a driving shaft for driving the compression mechanism, the bearing part which is formed on an end wall integral to a body of the container, where the end of the driving shaft to be supported by the bearing part is located in the direction opposite to the compression mechanism and the driving shaft is connected to the built-in electric motor; a pumping mechanism provided in a pumping chamber opened to an external surface of the end wall, which is connected to the end of the driving shaft in the direction opposite to the compression mechanism; and a closing member that closes the opening of the pumping chamber.
In such a configuration, the bearing part of the driving shaft on the side of the pump mechanism and the pump mechanism portion are assembled and concentrated in the end wall of the container. Such a concentrated arrangement prevents them from taking up much space, compared with the arrangement of structural components dispersed around the container. In other words, they are arranged in a restricted area so as to be close to each other to share a part of or the whole of the wall of the container in the thickness direction. In addition, they share a part of or the whole of a space in the container in the axial direction, so that the specific section and the specific space in the container are reduced. Thus, the size of the container is reduced in the axial direction. Furthermore, reduction in weight of the whole is achieved as much as reducing the specific section of the container and the axial size of the container. Consequently, the compressor with the built-in electric motor is made compact and light weight in addition to the reduction in cost. The compressor is thus easily mounted on the mobile structure such as an automobile and contributes to energy saving. Furthermore, since a positioning of the bearing and the container becomes unnecessary by integrating the bearing part of the driving shaft into the end wall of the container, the positioning accuracy is increased while an assembling operation becomes ease, thereby reducing the cost.
While novel features of the invention are set forth in the preceding, the invention, both as to organization and content, can be further understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description and examples when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a cross sectional view of a compressor with a built-in electric motor in a state of being mounted on an engine according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a front view of the compressor shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a plan view of the compressor shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
is a side view from one end of the compressor shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
is a side view from the other end of the compressor;
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of the compressor shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 7
is a side view of a conventional compressor with a built-in electric motor housed in an iron container;
FIG. 8
is a cross sectional view of a conventional compressor with a built-in electric motor housed in an aluminum container; and
FIG. 9
is a perspective view showing an end of the compressor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, a compressor with a built-in electric motor as one of preferred embodiments of the present invention and a mobile structure having such a compressor will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for facilitating the understanding of the invention.
In this embodiment, the compressor is a scroll type compressor with a built-in electric motor to be mounted on an engine of a hybrid vehicle in a horizontal position. However, the invention is not limited to such a type of compressor. The present invention is also applicable to any compressor for air-conditioning of the interior of a room in addition to the vehicle compartment of a typical mobile structure such as a motor vehicle, exerting the advantages of weight reduction and miniaturization. According to the invention, various kinds of compression mechanisms, for example rotary and reciprocation type compression mechanisms, may be used. Furthermore, any vertical type compressor may be used.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a hybrid vehicle
27
includes a gasoline-powered engine
2
and a motor
3
to be driven by the supply of power from a battery
1
. The battery
1
is a rechargeable battery. While the vehicle runs using the engine
2
, the battery
1
is charged. While the battery
1
has a sufficient charged capacity, the motor
3
is controlled to receive the supply of power for driving the vehicle with the motor
3
to restrict the discharge of exhaust gas to a minimum. When the vehicle is running with the engine
2
, the engine
2
is controlled such that the engine
2
is stopped while the vehicle is temporally stopped, for example at a traffic light.
In this embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a compressor
11
driven by a built-in electric motor
13
is used for an air-conditioning of the vehicle compartment of the hybrid vehicle. The compressor
11
is constructed to keep the air-conditioning of the vehicle compartment even though the vehicle running with the engine
2
is temporally stopped at a traffic light or the like and the engine
2
is stopped.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a scroll type compression mechanism
10
and the electric motor
13
having a driving shaft
14
to drive the compression mechanism
10
are housed in a container
12
to constitute the compressor
11
. The electric motor
13
is operated by the supply of power through a terminal
15
provided as inner and outer electric connection parts of the container
12
to actuate the compression mechanism
10
. The compression mechanism
10
inspires a refrigerant after passing through a refrigeration cycle via a suction port
16
of the container
12
to compress the refrigerant. Then, the compressed refrigerant is discharged into the inside of the container
12
to cool the electric motor
13
, followed by discharging the refrigerant into an external pipe
20
outside the container
12
via a discharge port
17
of the container
12
to supply the refrigerant to the refrigeration cycle for air-conditioning. Subsequently, these steps are repeated.
In the container
12
, there is oil
18
being stored. The oil is inhaled by a pump
19
driven by the driving shaft
14
. The oil is then supplied to a main bearing
21
of a main axial part
14
b
of the driving shaft
14
on the side of the compression mechanism
10
, a bearing
22
of a coupling portion between the main axial part
14
b
and the compression mechanism
10
, and a sliding portion of the compression mechanism
10
to make smooth. After lubricating the bearings and the sliding portion, the oil
18
seeps through each lubricating object by means of a supply pressure and then returns to the inside of the container
12
, followed by repeating such a lubricating process. By means of the action of a compatibility, a part of the refrigerant to be discharged into the container
12
brings the oil
18
stored in an oil storage portion
24
in the container
12
into a part such as a sub-bearing
23
which cannot be supplied with oil
18
by the pump
19
, lubricating the sub-bearing
23
or the like. The sub-bearing
23
is responsible for bearing a sub-axial part
14
a
on the side of the driving shaft
14
opposite to the compression mechanism
10
. Consequently, the compressor
11
having the built-in electric motor of the present embodiment satisfies the requirements for maintenance free.
In the compressor of the present embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a suction port
16
, a discharge port
17
, the terminal
15
provided as inner and outer electric connection parts, and mounting legs
25
of the container
12
are provided on the same side of a body of the container
12
. In other words, the suction port
16
, the discharge port
17
, the terminal
15
, and mounting legs
25
are concentrated on the same side of the body of the container
12
as shown in
FIGS. 1
to
3
and FIG.
6
. Because they are not axially protruded out of the end of the container
12
, the size of the entire compressor in the axial direction is reduced till it becomes almost equal to the size of the container
12
in the axial direction. In addition, such a concentrated arrangement of structural components on the predetermined area of the container prevents them from taking up much space, so that it is more preferable than the arrangement of structural components dispersed around the container
12
. In other words, as the suction port
16
, the discharge port
17
, the terminal
15
, and the mounting legs
25
are arranged in a restricted area so as to be close to each other to share a part of or the whole of the wall of the container
12
in the thickness direction. Thus, the section of the container
12
on which each of them dominantly arranged is reduced. In addition, since the suction port
16
and the discharge port
17
are positioned on the body of the container
12
, a margin S for connection of an external pipe
20
is obtained on the internal diameter side as shown in
FIG. 1
, by utilizing the fact that each of the outer and inner peripheries of the end of the container
12
tends to become a dead space
26
. The wall of the container
12
in the thickness direction is shared much more, compared with the case of outwardly extending from the container
12
, so that the reduction in size and weight of the container is achieved. The bulk of the container is further reduced as much as the extent of both the suction port
16
and the discharge port
17
which do not protrude out of the container
12
.
Consequently, the compressor
11
with the built-in electric motor is made compact and light weight in addition to the reduction in cost. The compressor
11
is thus easily mounted on the mobile structure such as a vehicle
27
and contributes to energy saving.
Furthermore, each of the suction port
16
, the discharge port
17
, the terminal
15
, and the mounting legs
25
are axially arranged on the container
12
. Thus, the concentration of these structural components around the container
12
is increased, and it becomes more advantageous in the miniaturization and weight-saving.
Furthermore, one of the mounting legs
25
and the suction port
16
are paired, while another one of the mounting legs
25
and the discharge part
17
are paired. Then, these pairs are positioned on the opposite sides of the body of the container
12
in the longitudinal direction, respectively. In addition, the terminal
15
is located between these pairs. Thereby, the terminal
15
which tends to protrude outward is placed on an intermediate position between the above pairs, so that the terminal
15
is placed in a dead space
29
which exists in a wide variety of forms between the mounting portions
28
respectively including two mounting legs
25
. Thus, the terminal
15
does not interfere with others even though it is arranged in the narrow cabinet of the vehicle
27
, so that a wiring
31
to be connected from the outside and its wiring connection is protected from an undesired external force.
Furthermore, as shown in
FIGS. 1
to
3
and
FIG. 6
, the suction port
16
and the discharge port
17
are located on the outermost portion of the container
12
, i.e., the opposite ends of the container
12
. With this constitution, the external pipes
20
for the refrigerating cycle are easily connected and disconnected outside the two mounting legs
25
on both sides of the connector
15
without being obstructed by the external wirings
31
to the terminal
15
, and the two mount portions
28
.
The container
12
is made of aluminum, so that it is advantageous to weight saving. In addition, such an aluminum container
12
can be easily molded into a desired shape, so that a cylindrically protruded connection opening
51
for mounting the terminal
15
, the mounting legs
25
, and so on are integrally molded on the container
12
as shown in
FIGS. 1
to
6
. Thus, it is advantageous to weight saving since there is no need to perform any additional work that takes a lot of trouble, such as post-mounting of each mounting leg and there is no factors that increase the weight of the resulting container, such as welding or bolt connection to be retrofitted. Furthermore, it is easy to work around a poor strength to be caused by retrofitting or the like even though the mounting legs
25
are provided for direct connection to the engine
2
of the vehicle
27
as in the present embodiment. The mounting legs
25
can be provided as specific mounting legs suitable for direct connection to the engine
2
. As shown in the figures, the container
12
has a pair of the mounting legs
25
and another pair of mounting legs
32
which are positioned on opposite sides of the container
12
with respect to a diameter thereof.
Specifically, as the container
12
is made of aluminum, the container
12
can be integrally molded with the mounting legs
25
,
32
with a simple structure without increasing its manufacturing cost, allowing an advantage of achieving a sufficient strength of the container
12
with a low cost. Thus, it is suitable for the usage such as direct connection to the engine
2
of the vehicle
27
in which the mounting strength is one of the important factors.
More specifically, the mounting legs
25
,
32
are provided on the container
12
such that they are symmetrical with respect to a direction perpendicular to an axial line of the compressor
11
. In addition, these legs
25
,
32
are slightly projected from the periphery of the container
12
such that they are almost symmetrical with respect to the center of gravity (G) of the compressor
11
. According to the present invention, however, the concrete configuration of these mounting legs
25
,
32
is not limited to a specific one. The connection opening
51
is positioned to a coil end
13
a
of the electric motor
13
on the compression mechanism
10
side so as to make easy the connection between the terminal
15
and a connection terminal
13
b
of the coil end
13
a.
For providing the terminal
15
on the connection opening
51
formed in the body of the aluminum container
12
, a sealing between the terminal
15
and the connection opening
51
is performed by means of conventional glass sealant. A connection plate
15
a
made of iron in the terminal
15
cannot be welded to the connection opening
51
made of aluminum, so that the connection plate
15
a
is used after being deformed into a flat shape. The terminal
15
is mounted on the connection opening
51
so as to satisfy the functions of pressure-proof and waterproof by placing the outer periphery of the iron connection plate
15
a
on a step portion
51
a
on the middle of the inner periphery of the connection opening
51
via a seal member
52
and by sandwiching the connection plate
15
a
between the step portion
51
a
and a ring nut
53
screwed from the opening end of the connection opening
51
. The seal member
52
is attached in the inside of a groove of the step portion
51
a.
The terminal
15
has an inner connection terminal
15
b
in the inside of the connection plate
15
a
and an outer connection terminal
15
c
on the outside thereof. The number of terminals can be varied depending on the type of the electric motor
13
and the system of control. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the terminals include three power-supply terminals as the electric motor
13
is a three-phase motor and two signal terminals for a sensor of detecting the temperature of the electric motor
13
.
In the compressor
11
with the built-in electric motor of the present example, as shown In
FIG. 1
, a sub-bearing part
42
that supports a sub-axial portion
14
a
of the driving shaft
14
by a sub-bearing
23
is formed on the end wall
41
integral with the body of the container
12
. Also, the pump
19
is provided as a pump mechanism in a pump chamber
43
opened in the outer surface
41
a
of the end wall
42
and is then connected to the sub-axial portion
14
a
of the driving shaft
14
, followed by closing the opening
43
a
of the pump chamber
43
by means of a closing member
44
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the sub-bearing part
42
and the pump
19
are assembled and concentrated in the end wall
41
of the container
12
. Here, the sub-bearing part
42
is on the side of the sub-axial portion
14
a
of the driving shaft
14
that actuates the pump
19
, while the pump
19
includes the pump chamber
43
. As a result, the bulk is prevented, compared with the bulk to be caused by distributing them around the container
12
. In other words, they are arranged in a restricted area so as to be close to each other to share a part of or the whole of the wall of the container
12
in the thickness direction. In addition, they share a part of or the whole of a space in the container in the axial direction, so that the specific section and the specific space in the container are reduced, respectively. Thus, the size of the container
12
is reduced in the axial direction. Furthermore, the reduction in weight of the whole is achieved as much as reducing the specific section of the container
12
and the axial size of the container
12
. Consequently, the compressor
11
with the built-in electric motor becomes compact in size and light weight, so that the decrease in cost is achieved. Furthermore, the compressor is easily mounted on the mobile structure such as a vehicle
27
, contributing to the energy saving.
Furthermore, a positioning of the sub-bearing part
42
and sub-bearing
23
to the container
12
becomes unnecessary by integrating the sub-bearing part
42
of the driving-shaft
14
into the end wall
41
of the container
12
. Thus, the positioning accuracy is increased while an assembling operation becomes ease, so that the cost is reduced accordingly.
The pump chamber
43
is opened to the external surface of the end wall
41
of the container
12
. It is easy to post-fitting the pump
19
from the outside to connect to the sub-axial part
14
a
of the driving shaft
14
to be supported on the end wall
41
even though the pump chamber
43
is integrally formed in the end wall
41
of the container
12
. In addition, after the connection, the opening may be closed by the closing member
44
, so that the assembling operation is not complicated and does not take much time. Furthermore, as shown in
FIGS. 1
to
3
and
FIG. 6
, the container
12
may be designed so as to be divided into a body part
12
a
and a lid portion
12
b
at a portion of the body. In this case, the divided portions are assembled together at a later time. Thus, the number of flanges
46
that are integrally molded for connection and the number of bolts
47
for joining the flanges
46
are reduced to further reduction in size and weight. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 5
, there are four bolts
47
used. Each of a pair of the mounting legs
25
and a pair of the mounting legs
32
, which are arranged in the axial direction of the container
12
, does not stand on both sides of the boundary of the separated portions (i.e., the connected portion
45
) of the container
12
. These pairs are positioned on only one side of the boundary of the separated portions. In the figure, for example, they are arranged and concentrated on the container main body portion
12
a.
Thus, the load at the time of supporting the compressor
11
on the engine
2
or the like using the mounting legs
25
or
32
does not extend to the connection portion
45
between the body portion
12
a
and the lid portion
12
b
of the separated container
12
. Accordingly, it is advantageous that there is no need to consider the load when the compressor
11
is fixed and supported on the container
12
by means of connection using bots
47
in the connection portion
45
. The strength of connection between the container main body portion
12
a
and the lid portion
12
b
may only consider the pressure-proof to a refrigerant. A seal member
85
is provided on the connection portion
45
and is then attached in the groove of the side of the lid portion
12
b.
The pump chamber
43
is integrally formed as a circular recessed portion extending to the inside directly from the opening
43
a
of the external surface
41
a
of the end wall
41
. The sub-axial part
14
a
of the driving shaft
14
of the back wall
41
b,
so that a pump
19
is constructed so as to be connected to the sub-axial part
14
a
at a position between the back wall
41
b
and a lid plate
54
placed on the back wall
41
b
from the outside. In addition, the suction port
19
a
is formed in the lid plate
54
and is opened to the pump chamber
43
. The closing member
44
has a plug portion
44
a
to be fit into the pump chamber
43
from the opening
43
a
to a predetermined position, while a space between the outer periphery of the plug portion
44
a
and the inner periphery of the pump chamber
43
is sealed with a sealing member
55
to make the pump chamber
43
airtight. The sealing member
55
is attached in an outer peripheral groove of the plug portion
44
a.
The closing member
44
has a flange portion
44
b
integrally formed on an external end of the plug portion
44
a
as shown in
FIGS. 1
,
4
, and
6
. The flange portion
44
b
extends to the both sides in the radial direction and is fixed on the end wall
41
using the bolts
49
while it is fitted into a recessed portion
43
a
1
extending to the both sides from the opening
43
a.
Thus, the pump chamber
43
keeps its enclosed space with the closing member
44
.
The closing member
44
may be smaller than the end wall
41
and may be located in the center of the end wall
41
. The closing member
44
is fixed on the end wall
41
using two or a few bolts
49
or by being screwed into the opening
43
a,
so that it is allowed to make the pump chamber
43
close simply and easily. There is no need to provide any element which tends to cause the fabrication of the container
12
difficult or to cause the increase in weight and size of the container
12
.
Furthermore, as shown in
FIG. 1
, there is an oil passage
48
formed in the end wall
41
of the container
12
such that the pump chamber
43
communicates to the oil storage portion
24
in the container
12
. The oil passage
48
is formed such that it shares the wall of the container
12
in the thickness direction with other structural components. The oil passage
48
is thus formed to allow the tip
33
of the pump
19
to reach the bottom of the oil storage portion
24
to draw the oil
18
into the pump
19
. Such a configuration of the oil passage
48
contributes to the reduction in size and weight of the container
12
.
More specifically, the oil passage
48
is located around the pump chamber
43
formed in the end wall
41
of the container
12
. The oil passage
48
has a passage portion
48
a
communicating through the pump chamber
43
on the axial line
56
shown in
FIG. 1
which is located at the same position as that of the discharge port
17
opened to the outer periphery of the container
12
or at the position deviated from the discharge port
17
. According to such a configuration of the oil passage
48
, it is possible to make the passage portion
48
a
extending from the pump chamber
43
to the proximity of the bottom of the oil storage portion
24
by perforating from the outside through the discharge port
17
. Thereby, the oil passage
48
that allows the communication between the pump chamber
43
and the oil storage portion
24
is formed without difficulty by perforating from the bottom of the oil storage portion
24
in the inside of the container
12
to the passage portion
48
b.
Here, when the closing member
44
is located on a fixed position as shown in
FIG. 1
, the communication between the oil passage
48
and the discharge port
17
is blocked while allowing the communication between the oil passage
48
and the pump chamber
43
. Concretely, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 4
, the plug portion
44
a
of the closing member
44
is provided as a hollow portion, so that the wide space of the pump chamber
43
is obtained. Utilizing such a structural advantage, a communication pore
58
that communicates to the passage portion
48
a
of the oil passage
48
is formed only on a circumferential point on the peripheral wall of the plug portion
44
a
to allow the communication between the oil passage
48
and the pump chamber
43
. On the other hand, as the passage portion
48
a
is perforated, an opening of an upper loophole
59
or the like formed in the pump chamber
43
is closed by fitting the peripheral wall of the plug portion
44
a
with the inner periphery of the pump chamber
43
. A sealed portion by the sealing member
55
is located close to the external surface
41
a
of the end wall
41
, compared with the positions of the communication pore
58
and loophole
59
.
Thus, even though the loophole
59
communicating to the discharge port
17
and the inside of the container
12
are formed in the pump chamber
43
by means of the perforation through the discharge port
17
, the closing member
44
is fixed on a predetermined position to close the loophole
59
. Thereby, the pump chamber
43
is only communicated with the oil passage
48
without the addition of any particular structural component or any operation for closing the loophole
59
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the pump chamber
43
has an oil filter
61
. That is, the oil filter
61
is attached on the pump chamber
43
such that the outer periphery of the oil filter
61
is sandwiched between the plug portion
44
a
of the closing member
44
and the back wall
41
b
together with the lid plate
54
of the pump
19
. The oil filter
61
is allowed to cover an extended area around the small suction port
19
a
of the pump
19
through the use of the space of the pump chamber
43
. Compared with the configuration of the conventional compressor in which the oil filter is provided on the suction port of a narrow oil passage, the oil-passing area of the oil filter
61
is increased through the use of the pump chamber
43
having a wide space. In other words, the oil-passing resistance of the oil filter
61
is minimized. In addition, the life of such an oil filter
61
is prevented from being shortened, so that the oil
18
is stably supplied for a long time.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, there is an inner opening
17
a
of the discharge port
17
formed in the inner surface of the end wall
41
of the container
12
. In addition, means for separating the oil
18
by blocking the inflow of a refrigerant, such as a plate-like oil separator
62
, is provided in the inner opening
17
a
while leaving a gap
64
for introducing the refrigerant into the inside of the end wall
41
. As shown in the figure, the oil separator
62
is fixed on a mounting surface
65
by means of a bolt
63
. The mounting surface
65
is inwardly protruded from the inner opening
17
a
of the end wall
41
to some extent. The oil separator
62
is mounted without requiring an additional space such that it is placed on the position close to the inner opening
17
a
of the discharge port
17
formed by sharing the wall of the end wall
41
in the thickness direction. Accordingly, the oil separator
62
is capable of blocking the direct inflow of the refrigerant toward the discharge port
17
while allowing the separation of the oil components accompanied with the refrigerant.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the above connection portion
45
of the container
12
is arranged on a position located between the built-in electric motor
13
and the compression mechanism
10
in the body of the container
12
. Thus, if the container
12
is constructed of two body portions, a stator
13
c
of the electric motor
13
may be fixed on one of the container main body portions
12
a
by means of bolt connection, thermal insert, welding, or the like. In this case, there is no trouble in the work for assembling the rotor
13
e
of the electric motor
13
and the driving shaft
14
. The fabrication of the container
12
is completed by connecting the compression mechanism
10
to the main axial part
14
b
of the driving shaft
14
, followed by connecting to the remained lid portion
12
b.
As a whole, the compressor
11
is easily fabricated, compared with the conventional one.
In the other of the container main body portions
12
a,
more specifically, there is a housing space for fixing a main bearing member
71
for supporting the main bearing
21
on the compression mechanism
10
side of the driving shaft
14
by means of bolt connection, thermal insert, welding, or the like as shown in FIG.
1
. Thus, the electric motor
13
, the driving shaft
14
, and the bearings on the opposite ends of the driving shaft
14
are easily and precisely aligned with reference to one of the container main body portions
12
a.
Subsequently, the compression mechanism
10
is connected to the main bearing member
71
in place on the driving side which has been previously positioned and fixed in place by means of bolts
72
or the like. Then, the remained lid portion
12
b
is connected to the container
12
using bolts
47
. Consequently, the fabrication of the compressor is more facilitated.
The compression mechanism
10
shown in the figures is a scroll type one and is constructed of a fixed scroll
73
secured on the main bearing member
71
by means of bolt connection and a swing scroll
74
having spiral wings being interlocked with each other, where the swing scroll
74
is sandwiched between the main bearing member
71
and the fixed scroll
73
. The compression mechanism
10
is assembled before assembling the main bearing member
71
into the container main portion
12
a.
Furthermore, the compression mechanism
10
is mounted on the lid portion
12
b
together with the main bearing member
71
by means of bolt connection or the like. Subsequently, the resulting integrated components are installed in the container main body portion
12
a.
The main axial part
14
b
has an eccentric shaft
14
c
for driving the scroll-type compression mechanism
10
. The eccentric shaft
14
c
is designed to fit to the swing scroll
74
through the bearing
22
. Thus, the eccentric shaft
14
c
imparts a swing motion to the swing scroll
74
along a predetermined circular orbit by the rotation of the driving shaft
14
. For preventing an undesired rotation of itself at the time of swing motion, a rotation-preventing mechanism
75
is provided between the main bearing member
71
and the swing scroll
74
.
When the swing scroll
74
starts its swing motion, a compression chamber
76
between the fixed scroll
73
and the swing scroll
74
moves from the outer peripheral portion to the center portion while reducing its volume to compress the refrigerant being introduced from the suction port
77
in the outer peripheral portion. As the refrigerant being compressed reaches to a predetermined pressure, the compressed refrigerant is discharged in the container
12
from the discharge port
78
in the center portion through a lead valve
79
.
The suction port
16
of the container
12
is formed such that it shares the wall of another end wall
81
in the thickness direction formed by the lid portion
12
b.
In other words, the suction port
16
is formed so as to extend through the inner dead space
26
of the outer peripheral portion of the container
12
. In this case, the opening
16
a
of the suction port
16
to the inside of the end wall
81
is positioned such that it is directly communicated with the suction port
77
of the compression mechanism
10
. Thus, the suction passage
82
of the refrigerant and the discharge chamber
83
are coexisted without requiring a specific structural component in an area between the compression mechanism
10
and the lid portion
12
b.
The refrigerant is discharged into the discharge chamber
83
. Then, the refrigerant reaches to the side of the electric motor
13
through a passage
84
formed between the compression mechanism
10
and the main axial member
71
or between the container
12
and each of them. Then, the electric motor
13
is cooled by the refrigerator. After the cooling, the refrigerator reaches to the discharge port
17
.
From the above description, the compressor
11
having the built-in electric motor
13
in each of the cases described above is appropriately applied for a mobile structure to be used together with the battery. In addition, it is also appropriately applied for constructing a mobile structure such as a vehicle
27
on which the compressor
11
having the built-in electric motor
13
is mounted together with the battery
1
.
The vehicle
27
may not be limited to a specific one such as a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an electric-powered vehicle. The present invention can be applied on various kinds of the mobile structures including special-purpose vehicles and working-purpose vehicles.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the size of the whole compressor in the axial direction is reduced till it becomes almost equal to the size of the container in the axial direction. In addition, such a concentrated arrangement of structural components on the predetermined area of the container prevents them from taking up much space, compared with the arrangement of structural components dispersed around the container. As a whole, the compressor is made compact and lightweight.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the bearing portion on the driving side of the pump mechanism by the driving shaft of the compressor and the pump mechanism portion are assembled and concentrated in the end wall of the container. Such a concentrated arrangement prevents them from taking up much space, compared with the arrangement of structural components dispersed around the container. In other words, they are arranged in a restricted area so as to be close to each other to share a part of or the whole of the wall of the container in the thickness direction. In addition, they share a part of or the whole of a space in the container in the axial direction, so that the specific section and the specific space in the container are reduced, respectively. Thus, the size of the container is reduced in the axial direction. Furthermore, the reduction in weight of the whole is achieved in the axial direction as much as reducing the specific section of the container.
Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they depart therefrom.
Claims
- 1. A compressor with a built-in electric motor, comprising:a compression mechanism; a built-in electric motor for driving the compression mechanism; and a container for housing the compression mechanism and the built-in electric motor, the container comprising a suction port, a discharge port, inner and outer electric connection parts, and mounting legs, which are provided on a same side of the container; wherein said suction port extends from a side of said container at a first end thereof adjacent to a first mounting leg and said discharge port extends from said side of said container at a second end thereof adjacent to a second mounting leg, and said suction port and said discharge port do not protrude axially from said container such that an axial length of said compressor is substantially the same as an axial length of said container.
- 2. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 1, whereinthe suction port, the discharge port, the inner and outer electric connection parts, and the mounting legs of the container are aligned in an axial direction of the container.
- 3. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 2, whereinone of the mounting legs and the suction port are paired, while another one of the mounting legs and the discharge port are paired, the pairs are positioned on opposite sides of the container in a longitudinal direction of the body, and the inner and outer electric connection parts are provided between the pairs.
- 4. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 3, whereinthe suction port and the discharge port are located at an outermost portion of the container.
- 5. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 1, whereinthe container is made of aluminum.
- 6. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 1, whereinthe mounting legs are integrally molded with the container and are designed for direct connection to a vehicle engine.
- 7. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 1, whereinthe compressor is used together with a battery.
- 8. A mobile structure mounted with the compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 1; anda battery.
- 9. A compressor with a built-in electric motor, comprising:a scroll type compression mechanism; a built-in electric motor for driving the scroll type compression mechanism; a container for housing the scroll type compression mechanism and the built-in electric motor; a bearing part for supporting an end of a driving shaft for driving the scroll type compression mechanism, which is formed on an end wall integral to a body of the container, the end of the driving shaft to be supported by the bearing part being located in a direction opposite to the scroll type compression mechanism, the driving shaft being connected to the built-in electric motor, and the scroll type compression mechanism positioned at a closed end of the container; a pumping mechanism provided in a pumping chamber opened to an external surface of the end wall, the pumping mechanism being connected to the end of the driving shaft in a direction opposite to the scroll type compression mechanism; and a closing member for closing the opening of the pumping chamber.
- 10. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinthe closing member is fixed on the end wall by means of bolt connection or is fixed on the pumping chamber by means of screwing the closing member into the pumping chamber.
- 11. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinan oil passage is formed in the end wall of the container, for making communications between the pumping chamber and an oil storage portion in the container.
- 12. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereina discharge port of the container is formed around the pumping chamber such that the discharge port is opened to an outer periphery of the container, and the discharge port has a portion formed on a same axial line to be communicated with the oil passage through the pumping chamber.
- 13. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 12, whereinthe closing member blocks the communication between the oil passage and the discharge port while allowing the communication between the oil passage and the pumping chamber when the closing member is located on a predetermined fixed position.
- 14. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinan oil filter is arranged in the pumping chamber.
- 15. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinan inner opening of the discharge port is formed in a inner surface of the end wall of the container, and an oil separator for separating oil by interrupting an inflow of refrigerant into the inner opening is formed in the inside of the end wall.
- 16. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereina single connection portion is formed on a predetermined area of the body of the container, which corresponds to an area between the electric motor and the compression mechanism.
- 17. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinthe container is made of aluminum, on which mounting legs are integrally formed.
- 18. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 17, whereinthe mounting legs are directly connected to a vehicle engine.
- 19. The compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, whereinthe compressor is used together with a mobile battery.
- 20. A mobile structure mounted with the compressor with a built-in electric motor according to claim 9, along with a battery.
- 21. A compressor with a built-in electric motor, comprising:a compression mechanism; a built-in electric motor for driving the compression mechanism; a container for housing the compression mechanism and the built-in electric motor; a bearing part for supporting an end of a driving shaft for driving the compression mechanism, which is formed on an end wall integral to a body of the container, the end of the driving shaft to be supported by the bearing part being located in a direction opposite to the compression mechanism, the driving shaft being connected to the built-in electric motor; a pumping mechanism provided in a pumping chamber opened to an external surface of the end wall, the pumping mechanism being connected to the end of the driving shaft in a direction opposite to the compression mechanism; and a closing member for closing the opening of the pumping chamber; wherein a discharge port of the container is formed around the pumping chamber such that the discharge port is opened to an outer periphery of the container, and the discharge port has a portion formed on a same axial line to be communicated with the oil passage through the pumping chamber.
- 22. A compressor with a built-in electric motor, comprising:a compression mechanism; a built-in electric motor for driving the compression mechanism; a container for housing the compression mechanism and the built-in electric motor; a bearing part for supporting an end of a driving shaft for driving the compression mechanism, which is formed on an end wall integral to a body of the container, the end of the driving shaft to be supported by the bearing part being located in a direction opposite to the compression mechanism, the driving shaft being connected to the built-in electric motor; a pumping mechanism provided in a pumping chamber opened to an external surface of the end wall, the pumping mechanism being connected to the end of the driving shaft in a direction opposite to the compression mechanism; and a closing member for closing the opening of the pumping chamber; wherein an inner opening of the discharge port is formed in a inner surface of the end wall of the container, and an oil separator for separating oil by interrupting an inflow of refrigerant into the inner opening is formed in the inside of the end wall.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2001-174432 |
Jun 2001 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (11)