Scroll compressor with lubrication passages to the main bearing, revolving bearing, back-pressure chamber and compression chambers

• US 5,263,822 A
• Filed: 09/03/1991
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujio, Katuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vrablik, John J.
• Application Number:
  US07/720,789
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 418/55.4, 418/55.5, 418/55.6, 418/57, 418/88, 418/94, 418/97-99
• US Class Current: 418/55.4
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/0215 where only one member is moving
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/008 Hermetic pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 27/005 Axial sealings for working fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/02 Lubrication of machines or engines in general F01M; Lubricant separation separation in general B01D
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/025 using a lubricant pump
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/126 of the non-return type

Abstract

A scroll compressor includes a discharge oil reservoir chamber that is subjected to a discharge pressure, a bearing oil supply passage for supplying and returning the lubricating oil to the main bearing and a revolving bearing by a viscosity pump; and an oil injection passage having a throttle passage which supplies part of the lubricating oil supplied to at least one of the bearings to compression chambers, thereby lubricating the bearing sliding surfaces supporting most of the compression load so as to reduce wear and frictional resistance.

Claims

1. A scroll compressor comprising:

(a) a sealed vessel;

(b) a compression mechanism disposed within said sealed vessel and comprising;

a fixed scroll including a mirror plate, a volute-like fixed scroll wrap formed on one side of said mirror plate, and a discharge port provided on said mirror plate at a position corresponding to a central portion of said fixed scroll wrap,

a revolving scroll including a support disk and a revolving scroll wrap provided on said support disk,

said revolving scroll wrap being swingably rotatably engaged with said fixed scroll wrap so as to form a volute-like compression space between said fixed scroll and said revolving scroll, said fixed scroll wrap and said revolving scroll wrap including means for dividing said compression space into a plurality of compression chambers for continuously shifting from an intake side toward a discharge side,

a stationary member, and

rotation prevention means, engaged between said revolving scroll and said stationary member, for preventing said revolving scroll from rotating,

said revolving scroll revolving so as to compress a fluid;

(c) a drive shaft;

(d) a main bearing provided on said stationary member in close proximity to said revolving scroll and supporting said drive shaft;

(e) a revolving bearing for slidably interconnecting said drive shaft and said revolving scroll so as to impart a revolving motion to said revolving scroll;

(f) an oil reservoir, disposed over said scroll compression mechanism, for holding oil and being subjected to discharge pressure;

(g) an oil feed pump, operated by rotation of said drive shaft, for supplying said oil to said main bearing and said revolving bearing;

(h) a bearing oil supply passage for returning said oil supplied to said bearings to said oil reservoir;

(i) a back pressure chamber provided at a side of said revolving scroll opposite to a side of said revolving scroll facing said compression chambers and;

(j) an oil injection passage having a throttle passage for sequentially supplying a portion of said oil that is being supplied to at least one of (1) said main bearing and (2) said revolving bearing to said pack-pressure chamber and said compression chambers.

2. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein:

an open portion of said oil injection passage, communicating with said back pressure chamber and one of said bearings, is operatively associated with said rotation prevention means; and

said open portion is intermittently opened and closed by reciprocal movement of a sliding surface of said rotation prevention means.

3. A scroll compressor according to claim 2, wherein said sliding surface of said rotation prevention means comprises a key portion engaged with said stationary member.

4. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein:

an outer peripheral space is formed outside said wrap support disk so as to allow said wrap support to be in sliding contact with said mirror plate;

a throttle passage is provided between said back pressure chamber and said outer peripheral space; and

said throttle passage is intermittently opened and closed in response to revolution of said wrap support disk.

5. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a trochoide pump, comprising an inner rotor and an outer rotor, disposed on a side of said rotating bearing which is adjacent to said compression chambers, said inner rotor being connected to said drive shaft and said outer rotor being disposed within said revolving scroll.

6. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein:

said oil feed pump device comprises an annular piston having an inner surface;

said inner surface of said piston is in slidable contact with an outer peripheral portion of a connection portion, said connection portion being provided between said drive shaft and said revolving scroll; and

said oil feed pump is disposed between said main bearing and said connection portion.

7. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein said oil feed pump is a capacity-type oil feed pump.

8. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein:

said oil feed pump is a revolving cylindrical piston-type oil feed pump comprising an annular piston having an inner surface;

said inner surface of said piston is in slidable contact with an outer peripheral portion of a connection portion, said connection portion being provided between said drive shaft and said revolving scroll; and

said oil feed pump is disposed between said main bearing and said connection portion.

9. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, wherein:

said oil feed pump is a slide vane-type oil feed pump comprising (a) a rotor having a groove formed therein and coaxially rotatable with said drive shaft, and (b) a vane movable back and forth within said groove in said rotor, a back pressure urging force of said vane depending only on a centrifugal force associated with a weight of said vane; and

said oil feed pump is disposed between said main bearing and said revolving scroll.

10. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of radial bearings, disposed on said stationary member, for supporting said drive shaft.

11. A scroll compressor according to claim 1, further comprising

a thrust bearing for supporting a side of said wrap support disk which faces away from said compression chambers;

and

an outer peripheral space formed outside said wrap support disk so as to allow said wrap support to be in sliding contact with said mirror plate.

12. A scroll compressor comprising:

(a) a sealed vessel;

(b) a compression mechanism disposed within said sealed vessel and comprising;

a fixed scroll including a mirror plate, a volute-like fixed scroll wrap formed on one side of said mirror plate, and a discharge port provided on said mirror plate at a position corresponding to a central portion of said fixed scroll wrap,

a revolving scroll including a support disk and a revolving scroll wrap provided on said support disk,

said revolving scroll wrap being swingably rotatably engaged with said fixed scroll wrap so as to form a volute-like compression space between said fixed scroll and said revolving scroll, said fixed scroll wrap and said revolving scroll wrap including means for dividing said compression space into a plurality of compression chambers for continuously shifting from an intake side toward a discharge side,

a stationary member, and

rotation prevention means, engaged between said revolving scroll and said stationary member, for preventing said revolving scroll from rotating,

said revolving scroll revolving so as to compress a fluid;

(c) an oil reservoir, disposed over said scroll compression mechanism, for holding oil and being subjected to discharge pressure;

(d) an oil feed passage which leads to said compression chambers sequentially from said oil reservoir;

(e) a back pressure chamber provided at a side of said revolving scroll opposite to a side of said revolving scroll facing said compression chambers;

(f) a communication passage between said back pressure chamber and said compression chambers; and

(g) means for intermittently opening and closing a flow inlet to said back pressure chamber and said communication passage in accordance with revolution of said revolving scroll.

13. A scroll compressor comprising:

(a) a sealed vessel;

(b) a compression mechanism disposed within said sealed vessel and comprising;

a fixed scroll including a mirror plate, a volute-like fixed scroll wrap formed on one side of said mirror plate, and a discharge port provided on said mirror plate at a position corresponding to a central portion of said fixed scroll wrap,

a revolving scroll including a support disk and a revolving scroll wrap provided on said support disk,

said revolving scroll wrap being swingably rotatably engaged with said fixed scroll wrap so as to form a volute-like compression space between said fixed scroll and said revolving scroll, said fixed scroll wrap and said revolving scroll wrap including means for dividing said compression space into a plurality of compression chambers for continuously shifting from an intake side toward a discharge side,

a stationary member, and

rotation prevention means, engaged between said revolving scroll and said stationary member, for preventing said revolving scroll from rotating,

said revolving scroll revolving so as to compress a fluid;

(c) a drive shaft;

(d) an oil reservoir for holding oil and being subjected to discharge pressure;

(e) a bearing, mounted on said stationary member, having a first portion leading to said oil reservoir and a second portion supporting said drive shaft;

(f) a high pressure lubricating oil space formed by said first portion and said second portion of said bearing;

(g) a back pressure chamber provided at a side of said revolving scroll opposite to a side of said revolving scroll facing said compression chambers;

(h) an annular seal member for separating said high pressure lubricating oil space from said from said back pressure chamber, said annual seal member being movably received in an annular groove formed in said revolving scroll with a very small gap therebetween; and

(i) a pressure differential oil feed passage sequentially passing said oil reservoir, said bearing, said back pressure chamber and one of (1) said compression chambers and (2) said intake chamber, an open portion of said passage communicating from said bearing to said back pressure chamber being intermittently opened and closed by revolving motion of a sliding surface of said annular seal member.

14. A scroll compressor comprising:

(a) a sealed vessel;

(b) a compression mechanism disposed within said sealed vessel and comprising;

a fixed scroll including a mirror plate, a volute-like fixed scroll wrap formed on one side of said mirror plate, and a discharge port provided on said mirror plate at a position corresponding to a central portion of said fixed scroll wrap,

a revolving scroll including a support disk and a revolving scroll wrap provided on said support disk,

said revolving scroll wrap being swingably rotatably engaged with said fixed scroll wrap so as to form a volute-like compression space between said fixed scroll and said revolving scroll, said fixed scroll wrap and said revolving scroll wrap including means for dividing said compression space into a plurality of compression chambers for continuously shifting from an intake side toward a discharge side,

a stationary member, and

rotation prevention means, engaged between said revolving scroll and said stationary member, for preventing said revolving scroll from rotating,

said revolving scroll revolving so as to compress a fluid;

(c) a drive shaft;

(d) a main bearing provided on said stationary member and in close proximity to said revolving scroll and supporting said drive shaft;

(e) a revolving bearing for slidably connecting said drive shaft to said revolving scroll so as to impart a revolving motion to said revolving scroll;

(f) an oil chamber provided between said main bearing and said revolving bearing;

(g) an oil reservoir, disposed over said scroll compression mechanism, for holding oil and being subjected to discharge pressure;

(h) an oil suction passage communicating between said oil chamber and said oil reservoir;

(i) spiral oil grooves formed in sliding surfaces of each of said main bearing and said revolving bearing for producing viscosity pumping action; and

(j) an oil passage for providing communication between a suction side of each of said spiral oil grooves and said oil chamber and for providing communication between a discharge side of each of said spiral oil grooves with one of (1) said oil reservoir and (2) said compression chambers.