COMPRESSOR

• US 20120128516A1
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Kang-Wook, Shin, Jin-Ung, Lee, Geun-Hyung, Kang, Seoung-Min
• Granted Patent: US 9,181,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/423.13
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 21/02 Arrangements of bearings bearing constructions F16C
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/322 with vanes hinged to the outer member and reciprocating with respect to the outer member
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/3564 the surfaces of the inner and outer member, forming the working space, being surfaces of revolution
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2230/603 Centering; Aligning
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/10 Stators
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/30 Casings or housings
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/40 Electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/52 for assemblies with supports on both sides
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/60 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/12 Vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/008 Hermetic pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/02 Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0071 Couplings between rotors and input or output shafts acting by interengaging or mating parts, i.e. positive coupling of rotor and shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0085 Prime movers
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/023 Lubricant distribution through a hollow driving shaft F04C29/025 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a compressor in which a rotary member suspended on a stationary member is rotated to compress the refrigerant. As the rotary member is suspended on a first stationary member and rotatably supported on a second stationary member spaced apart from the first stationary member, components can be easily centered and assembled with the structural stability. In addition, the oil stored in a hermetic container is supplied to a lubrication passage provided between the rotary member and the stationary member. This reduces a friction loss between the components and achieves the operation reliability. Moreover, the oil is easily introduced into a vane mounting hole in which a vane is linearly reciprocated. This reduces the friction and abrasion of the vane and improves the operation reliability.

Claims

1. A compressor, comprising:

a hermetic container storing the oil;

a stator fixed in the hermetic container;

a first stationary member including a stationary shaft having a top end immovably installed in the hermetic container and being elongated into the hermetic container, and an eccentric portion eccentrically formed on the stationary shaft;

a second stationary member spaced apart from a bottom end of the stationary shaft and immovably installed at a low portion of the hermetic container;

a rotary member located between the stator and the first stationary member, rotated around the first stationary member by a rotating electromagnetic field from the stator, compressing the refrigerant sucked into a compression space defined therein, and rotatably supported by applying a load to the second stationary member; and

a lubrication passage guiding the oil stored in the hermetic container to portions of the rotary member and the stationary member brought into bearing-contact using a rotation force of the rotary member.

2. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the rotary member comprises a rotor installed between the stator and the stationary member to rotate around the stationary member by a mutual electromagnetic force between the rotor and the stator, a cylinder stacked on the rotor, rotated with the rotor, and having a compression space therein, a vane elastically supported on the cylinder to partition the compression space between the eccentric portion and the cylinder into a suction pocket into which the refrigerant is sucked and a compression pocket in/from which the refrigerant is compressed and discharged, rotated with the cylinder, and brought into sliding-contact with an outer surface of the eccentric portion, a vane mounting hole formed in an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder in the shape of a slot, a vane spring stopper blocking the vane mounting hole such that a vane spring elastically supporting the vane is installed thereon, and upper and lower bearing covers forming upper and lower portions of the compression space and rotating around the stationary member with the rotary member.

3. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the rotary member comprises a cylinder-type rotor rotatably supported on the stationary member to rotate around the stationary shaft by a rotating electromagnetic field from the stator, a roller applied with a rotation force of the cylinder-type rotor, rotated around the eccentric portion with the cylinder-type rotor, and defining a compression space between the roller and the cylinder-type rotor, a vane transferring the rotation force from the cylinder-type rotor to the roller and partitioning the compression space into a suction pocket into which the refrigerant is sucked and a compression pocket in/from which the refrigerant is compressed and discharged, a vane mounting hole integrally formed with the roller to protrude from an outer circumferential surface of the roller toward the cylinder-type rotor so as to accommodate the vane, and upper and lower bearing covers forming upper and lower portions of the compression space and rotating around the stationary member with the rotary member.

4. The compressor of claim 2, wherein the lower bearing cover comprises a lower shaft portion enclosing the stationary shaft and a lower cover portion coupled to the cylinder to form the lower portion of the compression space, the bottommost end of the lower shaft portion is immersed in the oil stored in the hermetic container, and the lubrication passage comprises a groove formed in an inner circumferential surface of the lower shaft portion which is brought into bearing-contact with an outer circumferential surface of the stationary shaft.

5. The compressor of claim 4, wherein the lubrication passage comprises a first oil supply passage formed in a lower portion of the stationary shaft in the axial direction, and a second oil supply passage formed in the eccentric portion to communicate with the first oil supply passage and a top surface of the eccentric portion.

6. The compressor of claim 5, further comprising a refrigerant suction passage penetrated through the stationary shaft and the eccentric portion and connected to the suction pocket of the compression space,

wherein the second oil supply passage makes a detour around the refrigerant suction passage and extends to an upper portion of the eccentric portion.

7. The compressor of claim 5, wherein the lubrication passage comprises upper and lower groove portions formed in top and bottom surfaces of the eccentric portion, respectively, and the upper and lower groove portions function as oil storage grooves for lubricating a thrust surface between the rotary member and the eccentric portion.

8. The compressor of claim 5, wherein the lubrication passage further comprises a first oil storage groove provided in contact portions of the eccentric portion and a lower portion of the stationary shaft, and the lower bearing cover to communicate with the first oil supply passage, and a second oil storage groove provided in contact portions of the eccentric portion and an upper portion of the stationary shaft, and the upper bearing cover to communicate with the second oil supply passage.

9. The compressor of claim 8, wherein the upper bearing cover comprises an upper shaft portion enclosing a part of a top end of the stationary shaft, and the lubrication passage further comprises a groove provided in an inner circumferential surface of the shaft portion of the upper bearing cover to communicate with the second oil storage groove.

10. The compressor of claim 2, further comprising an oil supply member mounted at a lower portion of the rotary member and pumping the oil to the lubrication passage when the rotary member is rotated.

11. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the lower bearing cover comprises a lower shaft portion enclosing the stationary shaft, and the oil supply member comprises a hollow shaft portion press-fit into the lower shaft portion, and a propeller fixed to the inside of the hollow shaft portion to lift the oil in a spiral form with the rotation of the lower shaft portion.

12. The compressor of claim 2, comprising an oil supply hole enabling a part of the vane mounting hole to communicate with the inner space of the hermetic container such that the oil in the inner space is supplied to the vane mounting hole.

13. The compressor of claim 2, comprising an oil supply hole enabling a part of the vane mounting hole to communicate with the inner space of the hermetic container such that the oil in the inner space is supplied to the vane mounting hole,

wherein the oil supply hole is formed in the vane spring stopper in a lower position than the level of the oil stored in the hermetic container to communicate with the vane mounting hole such that the oil is supplied to the vane mounting hole.

14. The compressor of claim 13, wherein the vane mounting hole is extended to a vane escape protrusion portion protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder, and an open space of the vane escape protrusion portion which is not closed by one or more of the upper and lower bearing covers functions as an oil supply hole for the vane mounting hole.

15. The compressor of claim 3, comprising an oil supply hole enabling a part of the vane mounting hole to communicate with the inner space of the hermetic container such that the oil in the inner space is supplied to the vane mounting hole,

wherein an open space of the vane mounting hole which is not closed by one or more of the upper and lower bearing covers functions as an oil supply hole for the vane mounting hole.

16. The compressor of claim 3, wherein the lower bearing cover comprises a lower shaft portion enclosing the stationary shaft and a lower cover portion coupled to the cylinder to form the lower portion of the compression space, the bottommost end of the lower shaft portion is immersed in the oil stored in the hermetic container, and the lubrication passage comprises a groove formed in an inner circumferential surface of the lower shaft portion which is brought into bearing-contact with an outer circumferential surface of the stationary shaft.

17. The compressor of claim 16, wherein the lubrication passage comprises a first oil supply passage formed in a lower portion of the stationary shaft in the axial direction, and a second oil supply passage formed in the eccentric portion to communicate with the first oil supply passage and a top surface of the eccentric portion.

18. The compressor of claim 17, further comprising a refrigerant suction passage penetrated through the stationary shaft and the eccentric portion and connected to the suction pocket of the compression space,

wherein the second oil supply passage makes a detour around the refrigerant suction passage and extends to an upper portion of the eccentric portion.

19. The compressor of claim 17, wherein the lubrication passage comprises upper and lower groove portions formed in top and bottom surfaces of the eccentric portion, respectively, and the upper and lower groove portions function as oil storage grooves for lubricating a thrust surface between the rotary member and the eccentric portion.

20. The compressor of claim 17, wherein the lubrication passage further comprises a first oil storage groove provided in contact portions of the eccentric portion and a lower portion of the stationary shaft, and the lower bearing cover to communicate with the first oil supply passage, and a second oil storage groove provided in contact portions of the eccentric portion and an upper portion of the stationary shaft, and the upper bearing cover to communicate with the second oil supply passage.

21. The compressor of claim 20, wherein the upper bearing cover comprises an upper shaft portion enclosing a part of a top end of the stationary shaft, and the lubrication passage further comprises a groove provided in an inner circumferential surface of the shaft portion of the upper bearing cover to communicate with the second oil storage groove.

22. The compressor of claim 3, further comprising an oil supply member mounted at a lower portion of the rotary member and pumping the oil to the lubrication passage when the rotary member is rotated.

23. The compressor of claim 22, wherein the lower bearing cover comprises a lower shaft portion enclosing the stationary shaft, and the oil supply member comprises a hollow shaft portion press-fit into the lower shaft portion, and a propeller fixed to the inside of the hollow shaft portion to lift the oil in a spiral form with the rotation of the lower shaft portion.

24. The compressor of claim 4, further comprising an oil supply member mounted at a lower portion of the rotary member and pumping the oil to the lubrication passage when the rotary member is rotated.

25. The compressor of claim 24, wherein the lower bearing cover comprises a lower shaft portion enclosing the stationary shaft, and the oil supply member comprises a hollow shaft portion press-fit into the lower shaft portion, and a propeller fixed to the inside of the hollow shaft portion to lift the oil in a spiral form with the rotation of the lower shaft portion.

26. The compressor of claim 3, comprising an oil supply hole enabling a part of the vane mounting hole to communicate with the inner space of the hermetic container such that the oil in the inner space is supplied to the vane mounting hole.