This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-063155 filed on Mar. 28, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a scroll type compressor.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-64189 discloses a conventional scroll type compressor. The scroll type compressor includes a housing, a fixed scroll, a movable scroll, and a shaft support member. The fixed scroll is fixed to the housing. The fixed scroll and the housing cooperate to define a discharge chamber. The movable scroll is supported to be prevented from rotating and allowed to revolve around a revolution shaft of the movable scroll in the housing. The movable scroll and the fixed scroll cooperate to define a compression chamber. The shaft support member is fixed to the housing. The shaft support member and the movable scroll cooperate to define a back pressure chamber. In addition, the shaft support member and the housing cooperate to define a suction chamber. The scroll type compressor includes a motor mechanism configured to drive the movable scroll in the suction chamber. The fixed scroll has a base plate and a fixed scroll wall integrally formed with the base plate. The movable scroll has a scroll plate that faces the base plate and a movable scroll wall integrally formed with the scroll plate in engagement with the fixed scroll wall.
The movable scroll has a fluid supply passage configured of an inlet, an outlet, and a communication hole. The inlet opens at a front end face of the movable scroll wall and communicates with the compression chamber. The outlet opens at the scroll plate and communicates with the back pressure chamber. The inlet and the outlet communicate with each other through the communication hole. When the movable scroll deforms elastically or moves in an axial direction, the fluid supply passage provides communication between the compression chamber and the back pressure chamber. The back pressure chamber and the suction chamber communicate with each other through an extraction passage having a differential pressure control valve.
In the scroll type compressor, the movable scroll revolves by driving the motor mechanism compressing refrigerant gas as fluid in the compression chamber to a high pressure. The compressed refrigerant gas is discharged to the outside of the scroll type compressor through the discharge chamber. During this compression process, back pressure of the back pressure chamber is increased through fluid supply passage, urging the movable scroll toward the fixed scroll. This achieves high compression efficiency of the scroll type compressor. When back pressure of the back pressure chamber becomes excessively high, the differential pressure control valve of the extraction passage is opened by differential pressure between the back pressure of the back pressure chamber and suction pressure of the suction chamber. The refrigerant gas in the back pressure chamber flows to the suction chamber, preventing wear of the movable scroll caused by the excessively high back pressure.
However, the above conventional scroll type compressor is configured so as to open the differential pressure control valve of the extraction passage when back pressure of the back pressure chamber becomes excessively high. Fluid in the back pressure chamber flows into the suction chamber. With this configuration, the fluid that has been compressed is sucked into the compression chamber from the suction chamber and compressed again, causing power loss of the scroll type compressor.
The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances and is directed to providing a scroll type compressor that prevents wear and the like of the movable scroll by excessively high back pressure while reducing power loss of the scroll type compressor.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a scroll type compressor that includes a housing, a fixed scroll fixed to the housing, and cooperating with the housing to define a discharge chamber, a movable scroll supported so as to be allowed to revolve around a revolution shaft in the housing, and cooperating with the fixed scroll to define a compression chamber, and a shaft support member fixed to the housing, cooperating with the movable scroll to define a back pressure chamber, and cooperating with the housing to define a suction chamber. The fixed scroll has a base plate and a fixed scroll wall integrally formed with the base plate. The movable scroll has a scroll plate facing the base plate and a movable scroll wall integrally formed with the scroll plate and engaging with the fixed scroll wall. Fluid in the compression chamber is supplied to the back pressure chamber, the back pressure chamber and the discharge chamber communicate with each other through a relief passage. A check valve is disposed in the relief passage, and the check valve allows the fluid to flow from the back pressure chamber to the discharge chamber, when back pressure of the back pressure chamber is higher than discharge pressure of the discharge chamber.
Other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the disclosure.
The disclosure, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:
The following will describe a first embodiment to a fourth embodiment according to the present disclosure with reference to the accompany drawings.
(First Embodiment)
A scroll type compressor of a first embodiment is an electric compressor, as shown in
In the following description, a side near the front housing 1, that is, a left side of
Referring to
The motor housing 3 has a bottom wall 3a and a cylindrical shaft support portion 3b extending forward from the bottom wall 3a in the center of an inner surface of the bottom wall 3a. The shaft support member 11 has a cylindrical main body 11a and a flange portion 11b protruding outward from an opening edge of a front end of the main body 11a. The main body 11a has through the center thereof a shaft hole 11c. The flange portion 11b is fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the motor housing 3. The flange portion 11b has a rotation preventing pin 17a protruding forward from a front surface of the flange portion 11b. The rotation preventing pin 17a prevents a movable scroll 15 from rotating and allows the movable scroll 15 to revolve. The movable scroll 15 is described later in detail.
A rotary shaft 19 that extends in a front and rear direction is inserted through the shaft hole 11c. The rotary shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the shaft support member 11 and the shaft support portion 3b via radial bearings 23 and 21 at each end of the rotary shaft 19. A seal member 25 is provided on the rear side of the radial bearing 23 and seals a space between the shaft support member 11 and the rotary shaft 19.
Referring to
The fixed scroll 13 has a base plate 13a, a shell 13b, and a fixed scroll wall 13c. The base plate 13a has a circular plate shape so as to extend in a radial direction of the scroll type compressor. The shell 13b cylindrically extends rearward from an outer peripheral edge of the base plate 13a. The fixed scroll wall 13c is integrally formed with the base plate 13a and spirally extends rearward from the base plate 13a in the shell 13b. The shell 13b is thicker than the base plate 13a and the fixed scroll wall 13c. The shell 13b is formed so as to surround the fixed scroll wall 13c, and joined to the housing 16.
The movable scroll 15 is disposed between the bush 27 and the fixed scroll 13 via a radial bearing 29. The movable scroll 15 has a scroll plate 15a and a movable scroll wall 15b. The scroll plate 15a has a circular plate shape so as to extend in the radial direction of the scroll type compressor, and faces the base plate 13a. The movable scroll wall 15b is integrally formed with the scroll plate 15a and spirally extends forward from the scroll plate 15a. The movable scroll wall 15b engages with the fixed scroll wall 13c.
The shaft support member 11 cooperates with the movable scroll 15 to define a back pressure chamber 20. The plate 14 is formed in a ring shape and made of spring steel. The plate 14 is disposed between the shaft support member 11 and the movable scroll 15 in the back pressure chamber 20, and held by the shaft support member 11 and the shell 13b of the fixed scroll 13.
The movable scroll wall 15b has an inlet 61a, an outlet 61b, and a communication hole 61c. The inlet 61a opens at a front end face of the movable scroll wall 15b and is communicable with a compression chamber 31. The outlet 61b is formed on the scroll plate 15a and communicates with the back pressure chamber 20. The communication hole 61c that extends linearly in a direction of the central axis O provides communication between the inlet 61a and the outlet 61b. The inlet 61a, the outlet 61b, and the communication hole 61c configure a fluid supply passage 60.
A rear face of the scroll plate 15a is recessed, that is, a rotation preventing hole 17b is formed. An end portion of the rotation preventing pin 17a is loosely fitted to the rotation preventing hole 17b. There is also loosely fitted a cylindrical ring 17c to the rotation preventing hole 17b. The rotation preventing pin 17a slides and rolls on an inner peripheral surface of the ring 17c, so that the movable scroll 15 is supported so as to be prevented from rotating and allowed to revolve around the central axis O (revolution shaft) in the housing 16. The base plate 13a, the fixed scroll wall 13c, the scroll plate 15a, and the movable scroll wall 15b cooperate to define the compression chamber 31, that is, the movable scroll 15 cooperates with the fixed scroll 13 to define the compression chamber 31.
Referring to
The motor housing 3 has a suction port 3e that provides communication between the motor chamber 3c and the outside of the motor chamber 3c. The suction port 3e is connected to an evaporator (not shown) with a pipe. In addition, the evaporator is connected to an expansion valve and a condenser with pipes. Refrigerant of low pressure and low temperature in the evaporator is introduced to the motor chamber 3c through the suction port 3e, and supplied to the compression chamber 31 through a suction passage (not shown) formed in the shaft support member 11.
The base plate 13a of the fixed scroll 13 cooperates with the front housing 1 to define a discharge chamber 37 therebetween. The base plate 13a has through the center thereof a discharge port 13d that provides communication between the compression chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 37. In addition, referring to
Referring to
The base plate 13a has a reed valve 39 that deforms elastically and a retainer 41 configured to restrict amount of deformation of the reed valve 39. Referring to
The reed valve 39 is integrally configured of a discharge valve portion 39a to open and close the discharge port 13d, a sub-valve portion 39b to open and close the sub-port 13e, a sub-valve portion 39c to open and close the sub-port 13f, and a check valve portion 39d to open, and close the relief hole 55. The discharge valve portion 39a corresponds to the discharge valve in the present disclosure. The check valve portion 39d corresponds to the check valve in the present disclosure.
The retainer 41 is also integrally configured of a discharge retainer portion 41a that is configured to restrict amounts of deformation of the discharge valve portion 39a, a sub-retainer portion 41b that is configured to restrict amounts of deformation of the sub-valve portion 39b, a sub-retainer portion 41c that is configured to restrict amounts of deformation of the sub-valve portion 39c, and a check valve retainer portion 41d that is configured to restrict amounts of deformation of the check valve portion 39d. The discharge retainer portion 41a and the check valve retainer portion 41d correspond to the discharge valve retainer and the check valve retainer in the present disclosure, respectively. In other words, the base plate 13a has the discharge valve portion 39a, the discharge retainer portion 41a, the check valve portion 39d, and the check valve retainer portion 41d. The discharge valve portion 39a has a plate shape, is located in the discharge chamber 37, and opens and closes the discharge port 13d by elastic deformation. The check valve portion 39d has a plate shape, and opens and closes an opening of a relief passage 50 near the discharge chamber 37 by elastic deformation.
Referring to
The compression mechanism 10 is configured of the motor chamber 3c, the rotary shaft 19, the bush 27, the radial bearing 29, the movable scroll 15, the fixed scroll 13, the discharge chamber 37, the reed valve 39, the retainer 41, and the like to compress the refrigerant. The compression mechanism 10 may also include an oil separator disposed in the discharge chamber 37. The compression mechanism 10 is driven by the motor mechanism 12 including the rotor 35, the stator 33, and the rotary shaft 19. Three-phase alternating current is supplied to the motor mechanism 12 by an inverter (not shown).
The electric compressor having the configuration described above cooperates with the evaporator, the expansion valve, and the condenser to configure a refrigerating circuit of an air conditioning device for a vehicle. This electric compressor operates as follows. When an operator of a vehicle operates an air conditioning device for a vehicle, an inverter rotates the rotor 35 and the rotary shaft 19 having the eccentric pin 19a by controlling the motor mechanism 12. The eccentric pin 19a is rotated around the central axis O. While the eccentric in 19a is rotated around the central axis O, the rotation preventing pin 17a slides and rolls on the inner peripheral surface of the ring 17c, so that the movable scroll 15 is prevented from rotating and allowed to revolve around the central axis O. The compression chamber 31 is moved radially inward from an outer peripheral side of both scrolls 13, 15 by revolution of the movable scroll 15 while the compression chamber 31 reduces its volume. Refrigerant supplied from the evaporator to the motor chamber 3c through the suction port 3e is sucked to the compression chamber 31 and compressed for the movement of the compression chamber 31. When pressure of the refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber 31 reaches discharge pressure, the refrigerant moves through the discharge port 13d, opens the discharge valve portion 39a of the reed valve 39, and then is discharged to the discharge chamber 37. The discharge retainer portion 41a of the retainer 41 is configured to restrict amount of deformation of the discharge valve portion 39a. Finally, the refrigerant of high pressure is discharged to the condenser through the discharge port 1a, so that air conditioning is performed by air conditioning device for a vehicle.
While air conditioning is performed, the inlet 61a communicates with the compression chamber 31, that is, the fluid supply passage 60 provides communication between the compression chamber 31 and the back pressure chamber 20 by elastic deformation or movement in the direction of the central axis O of the movable scroll 15. Refrigerant gas of high pressure in the compression chamber 31 is supplied to the back pressure chamber 20. The back pressure of the back pressure chamber 20 is increased, urging the movable scroll 15 toward the fixed scroll 13. This may achieve high compression efficiency of the scroll type compressor. The refrigerant gas corresponds to the fluid in the present disclosure.
When liquid refrigerant and lubrication oil increases in the compression chamber 31, the liquid refrigerant and the lubrication oil opens the sub-valve portions 39b, 39c of the reed valve 39 through the sub-ports 13e, 13f, and are discharged to the discharge chamber 37. The sub-retainer portions 41b, 41c to of the retainer 41 are configured to restrict amounts of deformation of the sub-valve portions 39b, 39c. Furthermore, the liquid refrigerant and the lubrication oil in the compression chamber 31 is moved to the back pressure chamber 20 through the fluid supply passage 60. These configurations prevent impacts generated by increasing pressure of the liquid.
When back pressure of the back pressure chamber 20 is higher than discharge pressure of the discharge chamber 37, the refrigerant in the back pressure chamber 20 opens the check valve portion 39d of the reed valve 39 though the guide groove 51, the communication hole 53, and the relief hole 55, and is discharged to the discharge chamber 37, as shown in
In this compression process, the refrigerant gas in the back pressure chamber 20 does not flow into the motor chamber 3c. This means that the compressed refrigerant gas is not sucked into the compression chamber 31 and compressed again. When back pressure of the back pressure chamber 20 is lower than discharge pressure of the discharge chamber 37, the check valve portion 39d of the reed valve 39 closes the relief hole 55. The refrigerant gas in the back pressure chamber 20 remains in the back pressure chamber 20, appropriately urging the movable scroll 15 toward the fixed scroll 13. This may achieve high compression efficiency of the scroll type compressor.
Therefore, this electric compressor prevents wear and the like of the movable scroll 15 by excessively high back pressure while reducing power loss.
In this electric compressor, at least a part of the relief passage 50 extends through the shell 13b of the fixed scroll 13. The shell 13b is formed so as to have a sufficient thickness because the shell 13b requires high stiffness to prevent the base plate 13a and the fixed scroll wall 13c from being distorted, so that the relief hole 55 providing communication between the back pressure chamber 20 and the discharge chamber 37 is easily formed in the shell 13b, and the shell 13b is not easily distorted when fluid of high pressure flows through the relief hole 55. In addition, the relief passage 50 easily provides communication between the back pressure chamber 20 and the discharge chamber 37, lowering cost of the electric compressor.
In this electric compressor, the reed valve 39 and the retainer 41 integrally have a check valve portion 39d and the check valve retainer portion 41d, respectively. With this configuration, no additional check valves and retainers are required other than the existing discharge valve and retainer that open and close the discharge port 13d and the sub-valve portions 39b and 39c, so that the number of parts of the electric compressor is reduced. Reducing the number of parts also lowers the cost of the electric compressor.
In this electric compressor, the plate 14, which urges the movable scroll 15 toward the fixed scroll 13 by its own spring characteristics and back pressure, is disposed between the shaft support member 11 and the movable scroll 15, and the plate 14 has therethrough the communication hole 53 that is a part of the relief passage 50. This achieves addition of the relief passage 50 while an advantage of using the plate 14 is ensured.
(Second Embodiment)
Referring to
In this electric compressor, liquid refrigerant and lubrication oil in the compression chamber 31 is moved to the back pressure chamber 20 through the fluid supply passage 60. The relief passage 50 serves a function as a sub-port through which the liquid refrigerant is discharged, preventing impacts generated by increasing pressure of the liquid, so that sub-ports 13e, 13f may be reduced or eliminated. Reducing or eliminating the sub-ports achieves high volume efficiency by reducing dead volume and lowers manufacturing cost of the electric compressor by reducing working man hours. The other advantageous effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.
(Third Embodiment)
Referring to
A ball 44 as the check valve in the present disclosure is disposed on the valve seat 64a side in the valve chamber 64. An urge spring 42 is disposed between the ball 44 and the spring washer 2b. The relief hole 62, the valve chamber 64, the opening 2a, and the recessed groove 2c correspond to a relief passage 52. The other configurations of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, identical configurations have the same reference numerals, and a detail description of the configurations is omitted.
In this electric compressor, when back pressure of the back pressure chamber 20 is higher than discharge pressure of the discharge chamber 37, refrigerant in the back pressure chamber 20 passes through the relief hole 62 and presses the ball 44 so as to be distanced away from the valve seat 64a, so that the refrigerant is discharged to the discharge chamber 37 through the valve chamber 64, the opening 2a, and the recessed groove 2c. When back pressure of the back pressure chamber 20 is lower than discharge pressure of the discharge chamber 37, the ball 44 is seated on the valve seat 64a, so that the refrigerant in the back pressure chamber 20 remains in the back pressure chamber. The other advantageous effects are the same as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
(Fourth Embodiment)
In an electric compressor of a fourth embodiment, the check valve is provided not by a ball but by a spool valve 46, as shown in
This electric compressor has the same advantageous effects as those of the third embodiment.
The present disclosure is described above in accordance with the first to the fourth embodiment. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the first to the fourth embodiments, and may be appropriately modified within the gist of the disclosure.
For example, although fluid of high pressure in the compression chamber 31 is supplied to the back pressure chamber 20 through the fluid supply passage 60 formed in the movable scroll 15 in the first to the fourth embodiment, fluid of high pressure in the compression chamber 31 may be supplied to the back pressure chamber 20 by providing communication between the discharge chamber 37 and the back pressure chamber 20.
The present disclosure is not limited to the scroll type compressor that includes the shaft support member accommodated in the housing. The scroll type compressor may include the shaft support member held by the housing configured of two parts.
Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to an electric compressor, and may be a scroll type compressor driven by an engine or a motor of a vehicle.
The present disclosure may be applied to conditioning device for a vehicle and the like.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2019-063155 | Mar 2019 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country |
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Entry |
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English translation of JP-2004353565 by Espacenet 8/111/21. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200309126 A1 | Oct 2020 | US |