Patent Application
20050112006
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a universal compressor assembly, and more particularly to a universal compressor assembly for assembling onto various vehicles or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical compressors comprise three or more pistons slidably received in one or more cylinders, in order to form a reciprocating piston type compressor of axial design.
The typical compressors are normally disposed in the engine compartment of vehicles, and coupled to the refrigerant systems for pumping coolant or other agents through the refrigerant piping systems.
Normally, various kinds of typical compressors are designed for attaching or coupling to the engines of different vehicles. For example, the compressors designed for such as GM or FORD vehicles may only be used in GM or FORD vehicles only, and may not be attached to the other vehicles.
Similarly, the compressors designed for VOLKSWAGEN or NISSAN or TOYOTA vehicles, for example, may only be used in VOLKSWAGEN or NISSAN or TOYOTA vehicles only, and may not be attached to the other vehicles; i.e., the compressors are all designed for being secured or attached onto one particularly designed refrigerant system of one particular or selected vehicle only, and no parts or elements of the compressors may be used commonly.
For vehicle repairing shops or companies, they have to order and store various kinds of compressors in stock for different vehicles. In addition, the vehicle repairing shops or companies have to prepare or rent a large space or building to store many compressors for different vehicles.
For some of the vehicle repairing companies who have no spare spaces or buildings to store the compressors, the vehicle repairing companies thus have to order the required compressors from particular companies when required. Some times, it may take a long time to wait for a compressor.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional universal compressor assemblies.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a universal compressor assembly including one or more caps or covers for selectively attaching to a universal compressor body, and for allowing the universal compressor assembly to be easily and selectively attached to different vehicles.
The other objective of the present invention is to provide a universal compressor assembly including fewer parts or elements required to be stored, for reducing the required storing spaces or buildings for the compressors for different vehicles.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a universal compressor assembly comprising a shell including two ends, a cylinder disposed in the shell, a shaft rotatably and slidably received in the cylinder and including a cam member disposed thereon, at least three pistons slidably received in the cylinder and engageable with the cam member, to alternatively actuate the shaft to move axially relative to the cylinder, two valve plates disposed on ends of the cylinder to control fluid flowing passage, a first cover and a first cap selectively secured to the ends of the shell, to enclose and retain the cylinder and the shaft and the pistons and the valve plates within the shell, and for attaching to one vehicle. One or more second covers and one or more second cap may further be provided to be selectively secured to the ends of the shell, to enclose and retain the cylinder and the shaft and the pistons and the valve plates within the shell, and for attaching to the other vehicles when the first cover and the first cap are disengaged from the ends of the shell.
The shell and the cylinder and the shaft and the pistons and the valve plates may thus be commonly used for all of the compressors. Only the covers and caps are required to be changed or replaced with the other ones, for attaching onto different vehicles.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
The universal compressor assembly further comprises two valve plates 15, 16 received in the shell 10 and disposed on the ends of the cylinder 11, for controlling the flowing passage or directions of the fluid or coolant agent to be pumped by the universal compressor assembly. The above-described structure for the universal compressor assembly is typical and will not be described in further details.
The universal compressor assembly further comprises a first cover 20 and a first cap 30 selectively secured to the ends of the shell 10 (
The universal compressor assembly further comprises one or more second covers 21, 22 and one or more second caps 31, 32 selectively secured to the ends of the shell 10 (
As shown in
The users, particularly the vehicle repairing companies or shops, may only be required to prepare and store one set of the shell 10 and the cylinder 11 and the shaft 12 and the pistons 14 and the valve plates 15, 16, and one or more pairs of the covers 20-22 and the caps 30-32, for attaching or securing to the refrigerant systems of different vehicles.
It is to be noted that all of the universal compressors may use the same or the identical shell 10 and cylinder 11 and shaft 12 and pistons 14 and valve plates 15, 16, such that the shell 10 and the cylinder 11 and the shaft 12 and the pistons 14 and the valve plates 15, 16 may be manufactured with mass production, and may be manufactured with the most efficient but the cheapest ones.
The universal compressors benefit the vehicle repairing companies much, because they are not required to order and store various kinds of compressors in stock for different vehicles, and they may prepare or order fewer compressor parts or elements for different vehicles, and they need not to rent a large space or building to store the compressors parts or elements.
Accordingly, the universal compressor assembly in accordance with the present invention includes one or more caps or covers for selectively attaching to a universal compressor body, and for allowing the universal compressor assembly to be easily and selectively attached to different vehicles, and includes fewer parts or elements required to be stored, for reducing the required storing spaces or buildings for the compressors for different vehicles.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
