The present disclosure relates to a scroll compressor and more particularly to a scroll compressor capable of improving the performance and efficiency of the compressor by increasing the amount of refrigerant discharged from a compression chamber by introducing not only refrigerant at suction pressure but also refrigerant at an intermediate pressure to the compression chamber of the scroll compressor, capable of freely changing the position of a port by simplifying the shape of an injection valve assembly and by disposing a fastening bolt on an introduction chamber side, and capable of compactifying the injection valve assembly.
In general, a vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning (A/C) system for heating and cooling the interior of the vehicle. Such an air conditioning system includes a compressor as a component of the cooling system. The compressor compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant introduced from an evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and transfers it to a condenser.
There are two types of compressors, that is to say, a reciprocating type compressor which compresses a refrigerant according to a reciprocating motion of a piston and a rotary type compressor which compresses a refrigerant while performing a rotational motion. The reciprocating type compressor includes a crank type compressor which transmits a driving force of a driving source to a plurality of pistons by using a crank and a swash plate type compressor which transmits a driving force of a driving source to a rotating shaft with the swash plate installed therein, etc., in accordance with a transmission method of the driving source. The rotary type compressor includes a vane rotary type using a rotating shaft and a vane, and a scroll type compressor using an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll.
The scroll compressor is widely used for refrigerant compression in air conditioners, etc., because the scroll compressor can obtain a relatively high compression ratio compared to other types of compressors and can obtain a stable torque thanks to smooth connection of the suction, compression, and discharge strokes of the refrigerant.
Patent Document 1 (KR 10-2018-0094483 A) discloses a scroll compressor in the related art that performs a series of processes of sucking only a refrigerant with suction pressure into a compression chamber, compressing the refrigerant, and then discharging the refrigerant to the outside. However, the scroll compressor in the related art has a problem in which a discharge amount of the refrigerant to be discharged from the compression chamber is determined, which causes a limitation in improving the performance and efficiency of the compressor.
To solve the problem, Patent Document 2 (KR 2021-0118743 A) discloses a scroll compressor equipped with an injection valve assembly 700 including a leakage prevention means and an injection valve configured to open or close an injection flow path that guides a middle-pressure refrigerant, which is introduced from the outside of a compressor, to a compression chamber C.
Specifically, the injection valve assembly 700 includes a cover plate 710, an injection valve 720, a valve plate 730, and a gasket retainer 790 provided as a leakage prevention means. A fastening bolt 770 is fastened to a fastening recess 138a of a rear housing through a first fastening hole 739a of the valve plate, a third fastening hole 796 of the gasket retainer, and a second fastening hole 714 of the cover plate, so that the injection valve assembly 700 can be fastened to the rear housing 130. Due to this, the gasket retainer 790 is compressed between the cover plate 710 and the valve plate 730 and sealing is made between them. The injection valve 720 is compressed together between the cover plate 710 and the gasket retainer 790 and fixed.
However, since the injection valve assembly 700 has a complex shape and is difficult to rotate, there is a problem that it is difficult to change the design according to positions of an introduction port 133 and a discharge port 131 for each vehicle. In other words, the injection valve assembly 700 has a low design flexibility. Also, there is a disadvantage that the fastening bolt 770 is disposed on the outside of a third annular wall 138 that forms an introduction chamber I, making a package larger.
The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a scroll compressor capable of improving the performance and efficiency of the compressor by increasing the amount of refrigerant discharged from a compression chamber by introducing not only refrigerant at suction pressure but also refrigerant at an intermediate pressure to the compression chamber of the scroll compressor, capable of freely changing the position of a port by simplifying the shape of an injection valve assembly and by disposing a fastening bolt on an introduction chamber side, and capable of compactifying the injection valve assembly.
The technical problem to be overcome in the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems. Other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood from those described below by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
One embodiment is a scroll compressor including: a housing; a motor provided within the housing; a rotation shaft configured to be rotated by the motor; an orbiting scroll configured to perform an orbiting motion in conjunction with the rotation shaft; and a fixed scroll configured to form, together with the orbiting scroll, a compression chamber. The housing includes a rear housing that forms a discharge chamber receiving refrigerant discharged from the compression chamber. The rear housing includes a partition wall that partitions the discharge chamber and an introduction chamber into which the refrigerant is introduced from the outside of the housing. An injection valve assembly is provided between the fixed scroll and the partition wall of the rear housing, covers the introduction chamber, and guides the refrigerant of the introduction chamber to the compression chamber. The partition wall has a first surface and a second surface higher than the first surface such that they surround a portion of a side of the injection valve assembly. The first surface may be formed more inward in the partition wall in the radial direction
than the second surface. The first surface and the second surface may be connected by a third surface facing a portion of the side of the injection valve assembly.
The injection valve assembly may be formed in a circular shape, and a fastening bolt that fastens the injection valve assembly to the rear housing may be disposed on the first surface.
The injection valve assembly may include: a cover plate configured to be disposed on the partition wall and has an inlet through which the refrigerant of the introduction chamber is introduced; a gasket retainer configured to be coupled to the partition wall; an injection valve configured to be interposed between the cover plate and the gasket retainer and opens or closes the inlet; and a valve plate configured to be coupled to the gasket retainer and to have an outlet through which the refrigerant introduced through the inlet flows out.
The cover plate may come in surface contact with the first surface.
The injection valve may include: a circular ring-shaped body portion; and a valve portion configured to extend from one side of the body portion toward the inlet.
The gasket retainer may include: a circular ring-shaped body portion; a retainer portion configured to obliquely extend close to the valve plate toward the inlet from one side of the body portion; and a support portion configured to connect the other side of the body portion and the retainer portion and supports the retainer portion in such a way as to be inclined.
The gasket retainer may be coupled to the second surface.
The partition wall may be formed in a circular shape and may protrude from a rear end plate of the rear housing in such a way as to form a space of the introduction chamber.
A height difference “h” between the first surface and the second surface may be smaller than a sum of a thickness “t1” of the cover plate and a thickness “t2” of the injection valve.
The gasket retainer may include a bead portion protruding toward the valve plate on the circumference thereof.
When the injection valve assembly is assembled, the bead portion may be disposed on a radially outer side of the injection valve.
A fastening recess formed concave inward in the radial direction for a fastening bolt that fastens the injection valve assembly to the rear housing to pass through may be formed on a periphery of the cover plate and a periphery of the injection valve, respectively.
The gasket retainer may include a fastening hole through which a fastening bolt that fastens the injection valve assembly to the rear housing passes, and the bead portion may surround the fastening hole.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the performance and efficiency of the compressor by increasing the amount of refrigerant discharged from a compression chamber by introducing not only refrigerant at suction pressure but also refrigerant at an intermediate pressure to the compression chamber of the scroll compressor
Also, as the injection valve assembly is formed in a circular shape, the injection valve assembly is able to rotate with respect to the introduction chamber, so that it is possible to freely change the design of the injection valve assembly depending on the position of the port for each vehicle. Also, an axial force of the fastening bolt and surface pressure generated by the bead portion of the gasket retainer may be wholly uniformly transferred along the perimeter of the injection valve assembly.
Also, the fastening bolt is disposed on the introduction chamber side, that is, on the first surface of the partition wall forming the introduction chamber, so that the injection valve assembly can be compactified.
Also, the cover plate is seated on a stepped portion provided on the partition wall of the rear housing, so that the cover plate itself can perform serve as a seal to prevent internal leakage between the discharge chamber and the introduction chamber. As a result, there is no requirement for a separate O-ring between the partition wall of the rear housing and the cover plate and groove processing for the O-ring, so that the number of parts, processing time, and cost can be reduced and there is no problem that the O-ring is separated from the groove. Moreover, the injection valve assembly includes the gasket retainer coupled to the partition wall in such a manner as to surround the stepped portion, thereby preventing the internal leakage between the discharge chamber and the introduction chamber by the single sealing member (gasket retainer).
The effect of the present disclosure is not limited to the above effects and should be construed as including all the effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the present disclosure disclosed in the detailed description or claims of the present disclosure.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a scroll compressor of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Also, the below-mentioned terms are defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure and may be changed according to the intention of users or operators or custom. The following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure and are merely exemplary of the components presented in the claims of the present disclosure.
Parts irrelevant to the description will be omitted for a clear description of the present disclosure. The same or similar reference numerals will be assigned to the same or similar components throughout this specification. Throughout this specification, when it is mentioned that a portion “includes” an element, it means that the portion does not exclude but further includes other elements unless there is a special opposite mention.
The scroll compressor according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 100, a motor 200 provided within the housing 100, a rotation shaft 300 that is rotated by the motor 200, an orbiting scroll 400 that performs an orbiting motion in conjunction with the rotation shaft 300, a fixed scroll 500 that forms, together with the orbiting scroll 400, a compression chamber C, and a discharge valve 600 that is disposed on one surface of the fixed scroll 500 and configured to open or close a discharge port 512 of the fixed scroll from which a refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber C is discharged. Here, the components identical to the components of the scroll compressor of Patent Document 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of the identical components will be omitted.
Also, the scroll compressor according to the embodiment may further include an injection valve assembly 2700 that forms and opens or closes an injection flow path configured to guide an intermediate pressure refrigerant to the compression chamber C from the outside of the housing 100 (e.g., a downstream side of a condenser in a vapor compression refrigeration cycle including the scroll compressor, the condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator).
The housing 100 includes a center housing 110 through which the rotation shaft 300 passes, a front housing 120 that forms a motor receiving space receiving the motor 200, and a rear housing 130 that forms a discharge chamber D receiving the refrigerant discharged from the compression chamber C. The injection valve assembly 2700 may be interposed between the fixed scroll 500 and the rear housing 130. The injection valve assembly 2700 covers an introduction chamber I which is within the rear housing 130 and into which the refrigerant is introduced from the outside of the housing. The injection valve assembly 2700 guides the refrigerant of the introduction chamber I to the compression chamber C.
As shown in
The first annular wall 134 is fastened to the center housing 110 and forms a scroll receiving space, and the second annular wall 136 comes into contact with the fixed scroll 500 and form the discharge chamber D. Here, as the second annular wall 136 contacts the fixed scroll 500, when the rear housing 130 is fastened to the center housing 110, the fixed scroll 500 is pressed toward the center housing 110, thereby improving a fastening force between the fixed scroll 500 and the center housing 110 and preventing leakage. The partition wall 138 has a protruding length less than that of the second annular wall 136 in such a way as to be spaced apart from the fixed scroll 500. Also, as to be described below, the partition wall 138 is covered by a cover plate 2710 of the injection valve assembly 2700 and partitions the introduction chamber I.
Here, as shown in
A discharge port 131 that guides the refrigerant in the discharge chamber D to the outside of the housing 100 is formed on the rear end plate of the rear housing 130. The refrigerant in the discharge chamber D is guided to the discharge port 131 through a discharge port inlet 131a shown in
Here, the positions of the discharge port 131 and the introduction port 133 may be changed depending on a vehicle. In order to freely change the design of the injection valve assembly 2700 according to the position of the port for each vehicle, the injection valve assembly 2700 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be formed in a circular shape. That is, as the injection valve assembly 2700 is formed in a circular shape, the injection valve assembly 2700 is able to rotate with respect to the introduction chamber I, so that it is possible to freely change the design of the injection valve assembly 2700 depending on the position of the port for each vehicle. In addition, an axial force of a fastening bolt 770 and surface pressure generated by a bead portion of a gasket retainer 2790, which will be described later, may be wholly uniformly transferred along the perimeter of the injection valve assembly 2700.
In addition, in the present disclosure, the fastening bolt 770 for fastening the injection valve assembly 2700 to the rear housing 130 is disposed on the introduction chamber I side, not on the discharge chamber D side, and specifically on the first surface 138a of the partition wall. Accordingly, the injection valve assembly 2700 can be compactified and the design of the injection valve assembly can be changed more easily. For this purpose, as shown in
Hereinafter, the injection valve assembly 2700 will be described in detail with reference to
Specifically, the injection valve assembly 2700 may include the cover plate 2710 that is disposed on the partition wall 138 and has an inlet 2712 through which the refrigerant of the introduction chamber I is introduced, a gasket retainer 2790 that is coupled to the partition wall 138, an injection valve 2720 that is interposed between the cover plate 2710 and the gasket retainer 2790 and opens or closes the inlet 2712, and a valve plate 2730 that is coupled to the gasket retainer 2790 and has an outlet 2736 through which the refrigerant introduced through the inlet 2712 flows out.
As shown in
In particular, in the embodiment, the cover plate 2710 is seated on a concave portion composed of the first surface 138a and the third surface 138c so as to come in surface contact with the first surface 138a of the partition wall. Accordingly, the cover plate 2710 itself can perform serve as a seal to prevent internal leakage between the discharge chamber D and the introduction chamber I. As a result, there is no requirement for a separate O-ring between the partition wall 138 of the rear housing and the cover plate 2710 and groove processing for the O-ring, so that the number of parts, processing time, and cost can be reduced and there is no problem that the O-ring is separated from the groove.
Moreover, as will be described later, the injection valve assembly 2700 includes the gasket retainer 2790 coupled to the second surface 138b of the partition wall in such a manner as to surround the stepped portion, thereby preventing the internal leakage between the discharge chamber D and the introduction chamber I by the single sealing member (gasket retainer).
Here, it is desirable that the partition wall 138 should be formed in a circular shape as with the injection valve assembly 2700 formed in a circular shape. Due to this, the cover plate 2710 is seated on the concave portion of the stepped portion, thereby covering the introduction chamber I within the partition wall 138.
As shown in
The cover plate 2710 further includes a first positioning hole 2716 through which a positioning pin passes. Also, since the fastening bolt 770 is disposed within the partition wall 138, a second fastening recess 2714 that is formed concave inward in the radial direction for the fastening bolt 770 to pass through is formed on a periphery of the cover plate 2710.
As shown in
Here, the first valve portion 2721a includes a first head 2722a that is disposed on the first inlet 2712a, and a first leg 2724a that connects the first head 2722a and the body portion 2726. Likewise, the second valve portion 2721b includes a second head 2722b that is disposed on the second inlet 2712b, and a second leg 2724b that connects the second head 2722b and the body portion 2726.
The body portion 2726 further includes a second positioning hole 2727 which is in communication with the first positioning hole 2716 and through which a positioning pin passes. Also, a third fastening recess 2728 that is formed concave inward in the radial direction for the fastening bolt 770 to pass through is formed on a periphery of the injection valve 2720, more precisely, on a periphery of the body portion 2726.
As shown in
Specifically, the gasket retainer 2790 includes a first retainer portion 2794a extending obliquely from one side of the body portion 2791 toward the first inlet 2712a in such a way as to correspond to the first valve portion 2721a, and a second retainer portion 2794b extending from the other side of the body portion 2791 toward the second inlet 2712b in such a way as to correspond to the second valve portion 2721b. Also, the first support portion 2795a connects the other side of the body portion 2791 and the first retainer portion 2794a, and the second support portion 2795b connects one side of the body portion 2791 and the second retainer portion 2794b.
The first retainer portion 2794a and the second retainer portion 2794b are processed obliquely to be closer to the valve plate 2730 as they extend from the body portion 2791. Therefore, when the injection valve 2720 is opened to open the pair of inlets 2712, the first retainer portion 2794a and the second retainer portion 2794b may limit positions where the first valve portion 2721a and the second valve portion 2721b are opened to the maximum while supporting the first valve portion 2721a and the second valve portion 2721b, respectively. In the embodiment, the first retainer portion 2794a and the second retainer portion 2794b extend parallel to each other on opposite side of the body portion 2791 in correspondence to the first valve portion 2721a and the second valve portion 2721b.
Here, a flow hole 2796 may be formed in front of the retainer portion 2794 such that the refrigerant introduced through the inlet 2712 can flow to the outlet 2736 to be described later, without pressure loss when the injection valve 2720 is opened on the retainer portion 2794. In the embodiment, since the support portion 2795 is connected to the front end of the retainer portion 2794 that is spaced furthest from the body portion 2791 in the direction in which the injection valve 2720 is opened, the flow hole 2796 may be formed in the support portion 2795. That is, the first support portion 2795a is provided with the first flow hole 2796a, so that the refrigerant introduced through the first inlet 2712a can flow directly through the first flow hole 2796a to the first outlet 2736a to be described later, and the second support portion 2795b is provided with the second flow hole 2796b, so that the refrigerant introduced through the second inlet 2712b can flow directly through the second flow hole 2796b to the second outlet 2736b to be described later. In particular, the retainer portion 2794 and the support portion 2795 are arranged in a line. Due to this, the refrigerant introduced through the inlet 2712 can flow directly to the outlet 2736 through the flow hole 2796 instead of flowing to both sides of the retainer portion 2794, so that the refrigerant flow through the gasket retainer 2790 is not interfered, and thus, no pressure loss occurs.
In addition, an open surface of the flow hole 2796 may extend from the support portion 2795 to a portion of the body portion 2791, and may include a surface parallel to the body portion 2791 and an inclined surface of the support portion 2795. The interference of the refrigerant flow can be further minimized.
The gasket retainer 2790 further includes a bead portion 2792 protruding toward the valve plate 2730 on the circumference thereof, more precisely, on the circumference of the body portion 2791. As shown in
Specifically, the bead portion 2792 includes an outer inclined bead portion 2792a on the radially outer side thereof, an inner inclined bead portion 2792b on the radially inner side thereof, and a protruding bead portion 2792c connecting the outer inclined bead portion 2792a and the inner inclined bead portion 2792b. In the embodiment, the outer inclined bead portion 2792a and the inner inclined bead portion 2792b extend to the same height, so that the protruding bead portion 2792c is formed in a flat shape. As a result, the outer inclined bead portion 2792a may be compressed between the second surface 138b of the partition wall and the valve plate 2730 during the assembly, and the inner inclined bead portion 2792b may be compressed between the first surface 138a of the partition wall and the valve plate 2730 during the assembly.
The gasket retainer 2790 further includes a fourth fastening hole 2797 through which the fastening bolt 770 passes, and a third positioning hole 2798 that communicates with the second positioning hole 2727 and through which the positioning pin passes. Here, the bead portion 2792 surrounds the fourth fastening hole 2797 in order to support and evenly transmit the fastening force generated by the fastening bolt 770. Specifically, the fourth fastening hole 2797 is formed more inward in the radial direction than the outer inclined bead portion 2792a and is formed at a position overlapping the inner inclined bead portion 2792b. However, when the inner inclined bead portion 2792b passes through the fourth fastening hole 2797, the inner inclined bead portion 2792b detours radially inward and is arranged to surround the fourth fastening hole 2797.
Next, as shown in
The valve plate 2730 further includes a first protrusion 2732a and a second protrusion 2732b which protrude toward the injection port of the fixed scroll 500. The first outlet 2736a passes through the first protrusion 2732a from the first inclined space 2734a, and the second outlet 2736b passes through the second protrusion 2732b from the second inclined space 2734b. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out of the outlet 2736 may be supplied to the compression chamber C through the injection port of the fixed scroll 500.
Here, such that the refrigerant flowing through the flow hole 2796 can flow out directly to the outlet 2736 without pressure loss, it is preferable that the first outlet 2736a should be disposed at a position corresponding to the first flow hole 2796a and the second outlet 2736b should be disposed at a position corresponding to the second flow hole 2796b.
The valve plate 2730 further includes a fifth fastening hole 2737 through which the fastening bolt 770 passes, and a fourth positioning recess 2739 that communicates with the third positioning hole 2798 and into which the positioning pin is inserted. The fifth fastening hole 2737 of the valve plate is disposed on the radially outer side of the inclined space 2734.
Accordingly, the positioning pin passes through the first positioning hole 2716, the second positioning hole 2727, and the third positioning hole 2798 and is inserted into the fourth positioning recess 2739, so that the cover plate 2710, the injection valve 2720, the gasket retainer 2790, and the valve plate 2730 can be aligned.
Also, the fastening bolt 770 passes through the fifth fastening hole 2737 and the fourth fastening hole 2797 and is fastened to the first fastening recess 139 through the third fastening recess 2728 and the second fastening recess 2714, so that the injection valve assembly 2700 may be fastened to the rear housing 130.
Here, since the fastening bolt 770 is disposed on the introduction chamber I side, specifically on the first surface 138a of the partition wall, there is a concern that the refrigerant leaks through the space through which the fastening bolt 770 passes. For the purpose of preventing this, the injection valve assembly may be provided with a sealing portion which seals between the injection valve assembly 2700 and a head of the fastening bolt 770.
In the embodiment, as shown in
The present invention is not limited to the described specific embodiments and descriptions described above. Various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Such modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
The present disclosure relates to a scroll compressor and more particularly to a scroll compressor capable of improving the performance and efficiency of the compressor by increasing the amount of refrigerant discharged from a compression chamber by introducing not only refrigerant at suction pressure but also refrigerant at an intermediate pressure to the compression chamber of the scroll compressor, capable of freely changing the position of a port by simplifying the shape of an injection valve assembly and by disposing a fastening bolt on an introduction chamber side, and capable of compactifying the injection valve assembly.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0123767 | Sep 2022 | KR | national |
This is a U.S. national phase patent application of PCT/KR2023/005342 filed Apr. 20, 2023 which claims the benefit of and priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0123767, filed on Sep. 28, 2022, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2023/005342 | 4/20/2023 | WO |