Suction muffler for compressor

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-69542, filed Sep. 1, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a suction muffler for a compressor, and more particularly, to a suction muffler for a compressor, which efficiently separates liquid components and oil components from a refrigerant to reduce noise generated due to the suction of the refrigerant by means of the compressor and to improve the performance of the compressor.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a refrigerating cycle employed by a refrigerator or an air conditioner is performed through a closed circuit including a compressor for sucking a refrigerant in a low pressure state, compressing the refrigerant, and discharging the refrigerant in a high pressure state, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, an expansion device for expanding the refrigerant condensed by the condenser, an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant expanded by the expansion device so that the refrigerant exchanges heat with surrounding air, and refrigerant pipes for connecting the above components.

The compressor includes a compressing unit for compressing the refrigerant, a driving unit for providing compression power due to the compression of the refrigerant, an airtight container for hermetically sealing the compressing unit and the driving unit, a suction pipe for guiding an external refrigerant to the inside of the airtight container, and a discharge pipe for discharging the refrigerant compressed by the compressing unit to the outside of the airtight container.

The compressing unit includes a cylinder block in which a compression chamber is formed so that the refrigerant is compressed in the compression chamber, a piston for compressing the refrigerant in the compression chamber, a cylinder head connected to one side of the cylinder block for hermetically sealing the compression chamber and provided with a refrigerant discharge chamber and a refrigerant suction chamber which are divided from each other, and a valve device formed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head for intermitting the flow of the refrigerant sucked to the compression chamber or discharged from the compression chamber.

A suction muffler for reducing noise generated from the flow of the refrigerant sucked into the compression chamber is installed between the compression chamber and the suction pipe of the compressor.

The suction muffler includes a main body, to which the suction pipe is connected, forming a designated resonance space therein for reducing the noise generated from the flow of the refrigerant, and a refrigerant outflow pipe connected to the main body to connect the inside of the main body and the refrigerant suction chamber of the cylinder head so that the refrigerant introduced into the main body is transmitted to the compression chamber.

The refrigerant, introduced from the suction pipe to the inside of the main body of the suction muffler when the compressor performs a suction operation, is transmitted to the refrigerant suction chamber of the cylinder head along the refrigerant outflow pipe under the condition that the noise generated due to the flow of the refrigerant is reduced when the refrigerant passes through the inside of the suction muffler forming the resonance space and is then transmitted to the compressor chamber, and the refrigerant transmitted to the compression chamber is pressed by the piston and discharged to the outside of the compressor through the discharge pipe.

Since the suction muffler of the conventional compressor comprises the main body forming one resonance space therein, large quantities of liquid components or oil components contained in the refrigerant transmitted to the inside of the main body through the suction pipe are introduced together with gaseous components of the refrigerant to the inside of the refrigerant outflow pipe. Accordingly, when the mixed fluid of liquid and gaseous components is transmitted to the refrigerant suction chamber through the refrigerant outflow pipe, noise generated due to the suction of the refrigerant is increased, and the liquid components of the refrigerant are transmitted to the inside of the compressor chamber, thereby deteriorating the performance of the compressor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, one aspect of the invention is to provide a suction muffler for a compressor, which efficiently separates liquid components and oil components from a refrigerant to reduce noise generated due to the suction of the refrigerant and to improve the performance of the compressor.

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a suction muffler for a compressor comprising: a main body, to which a suction pipe of the compressor is connected; a refrigerant inflow chamber formed in the main body for allowing a refrigerant transmitted from the suction pipe to flow from the upper portion thereof to the lower portion thereof; a refrigerant outflow pipe for connecting a compression chamber of the compressor and the refrigerant inflow chamber; a resonance chamber formed in the main body such that the resonance chamber is divided from the refrigerant inflow chamber; a partition unit for dividing the resonance chamber and the refrigerant inflow chamber; and a communication portion formed through the partition unit for communicating the refrigerant inflow chamber and the resonance chamber.

Preferably, the refrigerant inflow chamber includes a guide chamber for forming the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber and guiding the refrigerant flowing to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber to the inside of the refrigerant outflow pipe, and the communication portion is formed through a portion of the partition unit above the guide chamber.

Further, preferably, the partition unit includes an upper partition member extended downwardly from the inner surface of the upper portion of the main body and a lower partition member extended upwardly from the inner surface of the lower portion of the main body, and the communication portion is formed between the upper and lower partition members.

Preferably, the upper partition member and the lower partition member are separated from each other under the condition that the upper and lower partition members cross each other, and the end of the lower partition member is located closer to the refrigerant inflow chamber than the end of the upper partition member.

Further, preferably, a subsidiary communication portion for communicating the refrigerant inflow chamber and the resonance chamber is formed between the main body and the lower partition member close to the guide chamber.

Moreover, preferably, the subsidiary communication portion is formed in the longitudinal direction of the lower partition member so that the subsidiary communication portion is communicated with the communication portion.

Preferably, a first discharge hole for discharging liquid components and oil components contained in the refrigerant to the outside of the main body is formed through the main body at a portion in which the resonance chamber is formed.

Further, preferably, a second discharge hole for discharging the liquid components and the oil components contained in the refrigerant to the outside of the main body is formed through the main body at a portion in which the guide chamber is formed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating the overall structure of a compressor in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the structure of a suction muffler for a compressor in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the structure of a suction muffler for a compressor in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the structure of a suction muffler for a compressor in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the annexed drawings.

A compressor of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises an airtight container 1 formed by the connection of an upper container 1a and a lower container 1b, a compressing unit 10 prepared in the airtight container 1 for compressing a refrigerant, a driving unit 20 for providing compression power due to the compression of the refrigerant, a suction pipe 2 installed at one side of the airtight container 1 for guiding an external refrigerant to the inside of the airtight container 1, and a discharge pipe 3 installed at the other side of the airtight container 1 for discharging the refrigerant compressed by the compressing unit 10 to the outside of the airtight container 1.

The compressing unit 10 includes a cylinder block 11 in which a compression chamber 11a is formed so that the refrigerant in the compression chamber 11a is compressed, a piston 12 rectilinearly reciprocating in the compression chamber 11a for compressing the refrigerant, a cylinder head 13 connected to one side of the cylinder block 11 for hermetically sealing the compression chamber 11a and provided with a refrigerant discharge chamber 13a and a refrigerant suction chamber 13b, which are divided from each other, and a valve device 14 formed between the cylinder block 11 and the cylinder head 13 for intermitting the flow of the refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction chamber 13b to the compression chamber 11a or discharged from the compression chamber 11a to the refrigerant discharge chamber 13a.

The driving unit 20 provides driving force for reciprocating the piston 12 in the compression chamber 11a, and includes a stator 21 fixed in the airtight container 1 and a rotor 22 installed in the stator 21 such that the rotor 22 is separated from the inner wall of the stator 21 and electromagnetically interacting with the stator 21. A rotary shaft 23 is installed in the center of the rotor 22 so that the rotary shaft 23 is rotated together with the rotation of the rotor 22, and an eccentric unit 24 eccentrically rotated and a connecting rod 25 for converting the eccentric rotation of the eccentric unit 24 to the rectilinear movement are installed on the upper surface of the rotary shaft 23. Here, one end of the connecting rod 25 is connected to the eccentric unit 24 such that the end can be rotated, and the other end of the connecting rod 25 is installed in the piston 12 such that the end can be rotated and rectilinearly moved.

A suction muffler 30 for reducing noise generated due to the flow of the refrigerant sucked from the suction pipe 2 to the compression chamber 11a is installed between the compression chamber 11a and the suction pipe 2. The suction muffler 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a main body 40 having a refrigerant inflow pipe 41 to which the suction pipe 2 is connected to form a refrigerant inflow channel 50, a first body 42 for forming a refrigerant inflow chamber 60 provided with an inner space directly communicated with the refrigerant inflow channel 50, and a second body 43 separated from the refrigerant inflow channel 50 by a designated interval for forming a resonance chamber 70 divided from the refrigerant inflow chamber 60. Here, the refrigerant inflow pipe 41, the first body 42, and the second body 43 are integrally formed.

The suction pipe 2 is connected to the inlet of the refrigerant inflow pipe 41, the outlet of the refrigerant inflow pipe 41, also serving as the inlet of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, is located on one side surface of the upper portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, and a refrigerant outflow pipe 80 for connecting the inside of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and the refrigerant suction chamber 13b of the cylinder head 13 is installed in the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 so that the refrigerant transmitted to the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 through the refrigerant inflow pipe 41 is transmitted to the compression chamber 11a. Here, the outlet of the refrigerant outflow pipe 80 is extended to the upper portion of the first body 42 and connected to the refrigerant suction chamber 13b of the cylinder head 13, and the lower portion of the refrigerant outflow pipe 80 provided with the inlet thereof passes through the inlet of the refrigerant inflow pipe 41 and is extended to the lower portion of the inside of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 by a designated distance.

A partition unit 90 for dividing the resonance chamber 70 and the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 is installed between the resonance chamber 70 and the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 in the main body 40 in the longitudinal direction of the main body 40. Through the partition unit 90, the refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant inflow pipe 41 to the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 flows from the upper portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60.

The refrigerant inflow chamber 60 includes a guide chamber 61 for forming the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and guiding the refrigerant from the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 to the inside of the refrigerant outflow pipe 80. The guide chamber 61 has an approximately hemispherical shape from the lower end of the first body 42 having a downwardly convex shape, and the refrigerant, which flows from the upper portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 through the above shape of the guide member 61, is guided by the guide chamber 61 and introduced to the inlet of the refrigerant outflow pipe 80.

A communication portion 91 for communicating the resonance chamber 70 and the refrigerating inflow chamber 60 is formed through a designated portion of the partition unit 90 above the guide chamber 61. The communication portion 91 serves to introduce a part of the refrigerant into the resonance chamber 70 before the refrigerant, introduced into the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and flown from the upper portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, is guided by the guide chamber 61. Liquid components and oil components of the refrigerant introduced into the resonance chamber 70 are collected in the resonance chamber 70, and gaseous components of the refrigerant introduced into the resonance chamber 70 are transmitted again to the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 through the communication portion 91, are guided together with the refrigerant, which is not introduced into the resonance chamber 70, by the guide chamber 61, and are introduced into the refrigerant outflow pipe 80. Thereby, considerable amounts of the liquid components and the oil components out of the refrigerant initially introduced into the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 are collected in the resonance chamber 70. In order to discharge the liquid components and the oil components collected in the resonance chamber 70 to the outside, a first discharge hole 43a is formed through the lower surface of the second body 43. Further, in order to discharge designated amounts of the liquid components and the oil components out of the refrigerant to the outside through the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, a second discharge hole 42a is formed through the guide chamber 61, i.e., the first body 42.

The partition unit 90 includes an upper partition member 92 extended downwardly from the inner surface of the upper portion of the main body 40, and a lower partition member 93 extended upwardly from the inner surface of the lower portion of the main body 40. The communication portion 91 is formed by a separation space between the upper partition member 92 and the lower partition member 93.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partition unit 90′ of a suction muffler for a compressor in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a larger amount of liquid and oil components than that of the first embodiment can be separated from the refrigerant and collected in the resonance chamber 70 of the suction muffler 30.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the suction muffler 30 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the partition unit 90′ includes an upper partition member 92′ extended downwardly from the inner surface of the upper portion of the main body 40, and a lower partition member 93′ extended upwardly from the inner surface of the lower portion of the main body 40. Here, the upper partition member 92′ and the lower partition member 93′ are separated from each other under the condition that the upper and lower partition members 92′ and 93′ partially cross each other, and a communication portion 91′ is formed between ends of the crossing upper and lower partition members 92′ and 93′. The end of the lower partition member 93′ is located closer to the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 than the end of the upper partition member 92′. Accordingly, most of the refrigerant flowing to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 above the communication portion 91′ is caught by the end of the lower partition member 93′, and is introduced into the resonance chamber 70. Thereby, larger amounts of the liquid components and the oil components are collected in the resonance chamber 70 of the main body 40.

In this case, since most of the refrigerant passes through the communication portion 91′ before the refrigerant is guided to the guide chamber 61, the fluidity of the refrigerant is deteriorated and the supply speed of the refrigerant to the compression chamber 11a is slowed. In consideration of the above aspect, the partition unit of the suction muffler 30 may be formed as shown in FIG. 4.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the suction muffler 30 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a partition unit 90″ includes an upper partition member 92″ extended downwardly from the inner surface of the upper portion of the main body 40, and a lower partition member 93″ extended upwardly from the inner surface of the lower portion of the main body 40. Here, the upper partition member 92″ and the lower partition member 93″ are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body 40, and a communication portion 91″ is formed by the separation space between the upper and lower partition members 92″ and 93″.

In the partition unit 90″, one end of the lower partition member 93″ close to the guide chamber 61 is separated from the inner surface of the main body 40 by a designated interval so that a subsidiary communication portion 94 for communicating the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and the resonance chamber 70 is formed between the end of the lower partition member 93″ and the inner surface of the main body 40.

Accordingly, a smaller amount of the refrigerant in this embodiment than that of the refrigerant in the second embodiment flows from the upper portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and is collected in the resonance chamber 70, and the supply speed of the refrigerant to the compression chamber 11a is increased. Designated amounts of the liquid components and oil components out of the refrigerant, which is not introduced into the resonance chamber 70 through the communication portion 90″ and is directly guided to the guide chamber 61, are guided to the guide chamber 61 and are simultaneously collected in the resonance chamber 70 through the subsidiary communication portion 94. Thereby, larger amounts of the liquid components and the oil components in this embodiment than those in the first embodiment are collected in the resonance chamber 70 of the main body 40.

The subsidiary communication portion 94, as shown in FIG. 4, may be formed in the longitudinal direction of the lower partition member 93″ such that the subsidiary communication portion 94 is communicated with the communication portion 91″. Here, a designated amount of the refrigerant, which passes through the communication portion 90″ before introduction into the guide chamber 61 as well as the refrigerant introduced into the guide chamber 61 is collected in the resonance chamber 70 through the upper portion of the subsidiary communication portion 94.

Hereinafter, the operation and function of a compressor having the muffler of the present invention will be described in detail.

When the rotary shaft 23 is rotated together with the rotation of the rotor 22 by the electrical interaction between the stator 21 and the rotor 22 due to the application of power, the piston 22 connected to the eccentric unit 24 by the connecting rod 25 rectilinearly reciprocates in the compression chamber 11a. Thereby, the refrigerant outside the airtight container 1 flows from the suction pipe 2 to the suction muffler 30, is introduced into the refrigerant suction chamber 13b of the cylinder head 13 under the condition that the noise generated due to the flow of the refrigerant is decreased, and is transmitted to the compression chamber 11a so that the refrigerant is compressed in the compression chamber 11a. The refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber 11a is discharged again to the refrigerant discharge chamber 13a of the cylinder head 13, and is discharged to the outside of the airtight container 1 through the discharge pipe 3. The above procedure is repeated, thus performing the compression of the refrigerant using the compressor.

During the above compression of the refrigerant using the compressor, liquid components and oil components are separated from the refrigerant and collected in the resonance chamber 70 in the main body 40 of the suction muffler 30 having the partition unit 90, 90′, or 90″ and the communication portion 91, 91′, and 91″. First, the separation of the refrigerant using the suction muffler 30 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention will be described, as follows.

As shown in FIG. 2, a part of the refrigerant, which is introduced from the suction pipe 2 to the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and flows from the upper portion to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, is introduced into the resonance chamber 70 through the communication portion 91 formed through the partition unit 90 for communicating the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 and the resonance chamber 70 before the refrigerant is guided to the guide chamber 61. Liquid components and oil components out of the refrigerant introduced into the resonance chamber 70 are collected in the resonance chamber 70, and gaseous components of the refrigerant introduced into the resonance chamber 70 are introduced again into the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 through the communication portion 91, guided to the guide chamber 61 together with the refrigerant, which is not introduced into the resonance chamber 70, and introduced into the refrigerant outflow pipe 80. Thereby, considerable amounts of the liquid components and the oil components are separated from the refrigerant, which is initially introduced into the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, and are collected in the resonance chamber 70. Here, the liquid components and the oil components collected in the resonance chamber 70 are discharged to the outside of the main body 40 through the first discharge hole 43a. Further, designated amounts of the liquid components and the oil components are also discharged to the outside of the main body 40 through the second discharge hole 42a formed through the lower surface of the guide chamber 61 of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60.

Next, the separation of the refrigerant using the suction muffler 30 in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention will be described, as follows. As shown in FIG. 3, most of the refrigerant flowing to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 above the communication portion 91′ is caught by the lower end of the lower partition member 93′ close to the communication portion 91′, and is introduced into the resonance chamber 70. Accordingly, the suction muffler of this embodiment separates larger amounts of the liquid components and the oil components from the refrigerant than those of the first embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the suction muffler 30, in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention, separates the liquid components and the oil components from the refrigerant having a smaller amount than that of the second embodiment and flowing from the upper portion to the lower portion of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60 along the inner surface of the refrigerant inflow chamber 60, and has a faster supply speed of the refrigerant to the compression chamber 11a than that of the second embodiment. Further, since designated amounts of the liquid components and the oil components out of the refrigerant, which is not introduced into the resonance chamber 70 through the communication portion 91″ and is directly guided to the guide chamber 61, are guided to the guide chamber 61 through the subsidiary communication portion 94 and are simultaneously collected in the resonance chamber 70, the suction muffler of this embodiment separates larger amounts of the liquid components and the oil components from the refrigerant than those of the first embodiment.

Consequently, the suction muffler 30 in accordance with one of the first to third embodiments effectively prevents the liquid components and the oil components contained in the refrigerant transmitted from the suction pipe 2 to the inside of the suction muffler 30 from being transmitted together with the gaseous components of the refrigerant to the compression chamber 11a.

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a suction muffler for a compressor, which has a partition unit and a communication portion for effectively preventing liquid and oil components contained in a refrigerant from being transmitted together with gaseous components of the refrigerant to a compression chamber, thereby reducing noise generated due to the suction of the refrigerant by means of the compressor and improving the performance of the compressor.

Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Suction muffler for compressor

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Priority Claims (1)