This application relates to a scroll compressor, wherein a plug is inserted in an oil passage extending through a driveshaft to restrict the flow of oil, particularly at higher speeds.
Scroll compressors are becoming widely utilized in refrigerant applications. In the scroll compressor, first and second scroll members each have a base and a generally spiral wrap extending from the base. The scroll members interfit to define compression chambers. A rotating shaft is driven by an electric motor to cause one of the two scroll members to orbit relative to the other. Typically, the shaft includes an eccentric pin that extends upwardly into a boss extending away from the base of the orbiting scroll member.
An oil supply passage is formed through the shaft, and is formed off-center relative to a rotational axis of the shaft. The off-center positioning causes the passage to operate as an oil pump, bringing oil from an oil sump, upwardly through the shaft, and to bearings and other contact locations.
One concern with this existing scroll compressor is that the amount of oil which is moved is dependent upon the speed of rotation of the shaft. At higher shaft speeds, it is sometimes been the case that too much oil is pumped. This is undesirable.
In the disclosed embodiment of this invention, a plug is inserted into the oil passage, to restrict the flow of oil. The restriction will be more severe at higher speeds, and thus, the unduly large amounts of oil pumped at higher speeds with the prior art will not occur. In a disclosed embodiment, the plug is formed with an opening at a location most spaced from the shaft center axis.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
During the rotation of the shaft 26, an oil passage 30 pulls oil from an oil sump 31 upwardly toward the end of the passage 30. This oil is then delivered to contact surfaces in the scroll compressor. As mentioned, with the prior art, at high speeds too much oil may sometimes have been delivered.
Thus, a plug 32 is inserted into the passage 30. The plug 32 has an opening 34 which restricts the flow of oil compared to the open passage 30. The restriction will have a greater effect at higher speeds, and thus the amount of oil delivered will be closer to an even amount, even at higher speeds.
As shown in
Although an embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5810573 | Mitsunaga et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
6099278 | Hugenroth et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6139294 | Haller | Oct 2000 | A |
6322339 | Mitsunaga et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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6013569 | Jul 1985 | JP |
09079422 | Mar 1997 | JP |