WO2025079602A1 - Compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce noise caused by contact between a recess and a ring. This compressor comprises: a first housing (3) that forms an outer shell; a fixed scroll; an orbiting scroll (6); a rotation prevention mechanism that prevents rotation of the orbiting scroll (6); and a lubricating oil supply unit that supplies a lubricating oil to the rotation prevention mechanism. The rotation prevention mechanism has: a recess (32) that is formed on one of the orbiting scroll (6) side and the first housing (3) side; a ring (33) that is disposed in the recess (32) and has an outer peripheral surface (33b) facing an inner peripheral surface (32a) of the recess (32) with a gap therebetween; and a pin (34) that is provided on another of the orbiting scroll (6) side and the first housing (3) side and engages with an inner peripheral surface (33a) of the ring (33). The ratio of the axial length of the ring (33) to a gap formed between a bottom surface (32b) of the recess (32) and an axial end of the ring (33) is 0.01 or more and less than 0.06.

Description

Compressor

This disclosure relates to a compressor.

Scroll compressors are known that have a pair of fixed and orbiting scrolls that mesh with each other to form a compression chamber. The orbiting scroll revolves around the fixed scroll to compress the refrigerant gas in the compression chamber.

Scroll compressors are provided with a rotation prevention mechanism to prevent the orbiting scroll from rotating. Examples of rotation prevention mechanisms include an Oldham link type rotation prevention mechanism and a pin-ring type rotation prevention mechanism. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a scroll compressor equipped with a pin-ring type rotation prevention mechanism.

JP 2022-112858 A

In a rotation prevention mechanism that has a ring housed in a recess and a pin that engages with the ring, the load generated by the orbiting scroll orbiting causes noise problems due to friction between the inner circumferential surface of the recess and the outer circumferential surface of the ring, and between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring.

This disclosure was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a compressor that can suppress noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring.

In order to solve the above problems, the compressor of the present disclosure employs the following measures.
A compressor according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a casing forming an outer shell, a fixed scroll accommodated in the casing and fixed to the casing side, a rotating scroll that meshes with the fixed scroll and orbits relative to the fixed scroll, a rotation-preventing mechanism that prevents the rotating scroll from rotating on its own axis, and a lubricating oil supply unit that supplies lubricating oil to the rotation-preventing mechanism, wherein the rotation-preventing mechanism has a recess formed on either the orbiting scroll side or the casing side, a ring disposed within the recess and whose outer circumferential surface faces an inner circumferential surface of the recess via a gap, and a pin provided on the other of the orbiting scroll side or the casing side and engages with the inner circumferential surface of the ring, and a ratio of the axial length of the ring to the gap formed between a bottom surface of the recess and an axial end of the ring is 0.01 or more and less than 0.06.

According to this disclosure, noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an electric compressor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a pin ring structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pin ring structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the ratio of the ring width to the axial gap and the noise value.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a compressor according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of an electric compressor 1 according to this embodiment.
The electric compressor 1 according to this embodiment is an inverter-integrated electric compressor in which an inverter (not shown) that drives the motor 17 is integrally built in.

The electric compressor 1 comprises a housing 2 that forms the outer shell, a scroll compression mechanism 7 housed in the housing 2, and a motor 17 that drives the scroll compression mechanism 7.

The housing 2 has a cylindrical first housing (casing) 3 that extends along the central axis, and a second housing 4 that closes one end side (the lower end side in FIG. 1) of the first housing 3 in the central axis direction.

The scroll compression mechanism 7 is incorporated into one end of the housing 2. The scroll compression mechanism 7 has a pair of fixed scrolls 5 and an orbiting scroll 6. The scroll compression mechanism 7 compresses the refrigerant gas. The high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the scroll compression mechanism 7 is discharged into the discharge chamber 10 through a discharge port 8. The discharge port 8 is formed in the center of the fixed scroll 5. The refrigerant gas discharged into the discharge chamber 10 is discharged to the outside of the electric compressor 1 through a discharge port (not shown) provided in the housing 2.

The fixed scroll 5 is fixed to the second housing 4 by fasteners such as bolts (not shown). The orbiting scroll 6 is rotatably supported by the thrust bearing 12 via a rotation prevention mechanism 30. Details of the rotation prevention mechanism 30 will be described later. The orbiting scroll 6 orbits relative to the fixed scroll 5. The fixed scroll 5 and the orbiting scroll 6 are made of aluminum, for example. Note that the material of the fixed scroll 5 and the orbiting scroll 6 is not limited to aluminum.

The fixed scroll 5 and the orbiting scroll 6 are engaged so as to mesh with each other. A compression chamber 14 is formed between the fixed scroll 5 and the orbiting scroll 6. The scroll compression mechanism 7 compresses the refrigerant in the compression chamber 14 by the orbiting scroll 6 orbiting (revolving) so that the volume of the compression chamber 14 decreases from the outer periphery toward the center.

The motor 17 is incorporated into the other end of the cylindrical housing 2. The motor 17 has a stator 15 and a rotor 16. A drive shaft 18 is coupled to the rotor 16. The drive shaft 18 is rotatably supported by a bearing 20 installed near the center of the housing 2 and a bearing 21 installed near the other end of the housing 2. The drive shaft 18 has a crank pin 19 at one end. The drive shaft 18 and the crank pin 19 have eccentric central axes. The crank pin 19 is connected to the orbiting scroll 6. That is, the drive shaft 18 connects the motor 17 and the scroll compression mechanism 7. The motor 17 orbits the orbiting scroll 6 via the drive shaft 18.
In addition, a driven crank mechanism (not shown) is provided between the crank pin 19 and the orbiting scroll 6. The driven crank mechanism changes the orbital radius of the orbiting scroll 6. An example of the driven crank mechanism is a swing link type driven crank mechanism.

The other end of the housing 2 is provided with a suction port (not shown) for sucking in low-pressure refrigerant gas from the refrigeration cycle. The refrigerant gas sucked in from the suction port flows into a space 24 between the first housing 3 and one end of the motor 17. The low-pressure refrigerant gas that flows into the space 24 fills the housing 2. Specifically, the low-pressure refrigerant gas that flows into the space 24 flows to the scroll compression mechanism 7 side, and is sucked into the scroll compression mechanism 7 and compressed. The refrigerant gas contains lubricating oil. The lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant gas is supplied to the scroll compression mechanism 7 and the rotation prevention mechanism 30 together with the refrigerant gas, lubricating each mechanism. In other words, the suction port functions as a lubricating oil supply section that supplies lubricating oil to the rotation prevention mechanism 30.

An inverter accommodating section 25 is provided at the other end (the upper end in FIG. 1) of the housing 2 in the direction along the central axis. The other end of the first housing 3 is closed by the inverter accommodating section 25. An inverter (not shown) that drives the motor 17 is accommodated inside the inverter accommodating section 25. The inverter converts DC power supplied from an external battery or the like into three-phase AC power of the required frequency and applies it to the motor 17 via terminals (not shown), thereby driving the motor 17.

Next, the rotation-preventing mechanism 30 will be described in detail.
The rotation prevention mechanism 30 according to this embodiment is a so-called pin-ring type rotation prevention mechanism. The rotation prevention mechanism 30 prevents the rotation of the orbiting scroll 6. The rotation prevention mechanism 30 has a plurality of pin ring structures (rotation prevention structures) 31 (six in this embodiment, as an example). The six pin ring structures 31 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the drive shaft 18 or the orbiting scroll 6. That is, in this embodiment, six pin ring structures 31 are provided, and therefore the six pin ring structures 31 are provided at 60 degree intervals in the circumferential direction.

Since each of the multiple pin ring structures 31 has the same structure, the following description will be given of one pin ring structure 31 as a representative example.
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pin-ring structure 31 includes a ring hole (recess) 32 formed in the orbiting scroll 6, a ring 33 accommodated in the ring hole 32, and a pin 34 that engages with an inner surface 33a of the ring 33.

The ring hole 32 is formed on the surface (hereinafter referred to as the "back surface 6b") opposite the surface that forms the compression chamber 14 of the end plate 6a of the orbiting scroll 6 (see FIG. 1). The ring hole 32 is recessed to a predetermined depth from the back surface 6b of the orbiting scroll 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the ring hole 32 is a bottomed recess. The ring hole 32 has a perfect circular shape in a plan view. In other words, the inner peripheral surface 32a of the ring hole 32 is a cylindrical surface.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ring 33 is a cylindrical member having a predetermined thickness. The ring 33 is disposed in the ring hole 32. As shown in Figure 2, the length of the ring 33 in the central axis direction (hereinafter referred to as the "axial direction") is shorter than the depth of the ring hole 32. One end of the ring 33 in the axial direction abuts against the first housing 3. A gap (hereinafter referred to as the "axial gap") is formed between the ring 33 and the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32. In other words, the ring 33 floats within the ring hole 32. The length of the axial gap is set to G2.

The ring 33 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface 33b faces the inner peripheral surface 32a of the ring hole 32. The ring 33 is formed, for example, from high carbon chromium bearing steel (SUJ2). Note that the raw material of the ring 33 is not limited to high carbon chromium bearing steel (SUJ2). In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the ring 33 is 13 mm or more and 15.5 mm or less. Note that the value of the outer diameter of the ring 33 is an example and is not limited to this value.

A gap (hereinafter, this gap will be referred to as the "radial gap") is formed between the inner peripheral surface 32a of the ring hole 32 and the outer peripheral surface 33b of the ring 33. The length of the radial gap is G1. The length of the radial gap is set to be 0.1 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less in the state where part of the outer peripheral surface 33b of the ring 33 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 32a of the ring hole 32 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "radial gap length"). In other words, the outer diameter of the ring 33 is smaller than the diameter of the ring hole 32. In detail, the outer diameter of the ring 33 is smaller than the diameter of the ring hole 32 by the length of the radial gap.

The pin 34 is arranged to correspond to the ring 33 arranged in the ring hole 32, and is fixed to the first housing 3 as shown in FIG. 2. The pin 34 engages with the inner peripheral surface 33a of the ring 33 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The tip of the pin 34 is spaced apart from the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32.

Gaps (axial gap and radial gap) are formed between the ring 33 and the ring hole 32, and lubricating oil is held in the gaps to reduce noise by the damping force of the lubricating oil. The length G2 of the axial gap is shorter than the length G1 of the radial gap.
The axial gap and the radial gap are set to have a predetermined length ratio. Specifically, the length of each gap is set so that the ratio of the radial gap length G1 to the axial gap length G2 is 0.25 or more and less than 1.0. Preferably, the length of each gap is set so that the ratio of the radial gap length G1 to the axial gap length G2 is 0.25 or more and less than 0.5.

The axial gap is determined so that the axial length L of the ring 33 to the axial gap length G2 (hereinafter referred to as the "width of the ring 33") is a predetermined ratio. Specifically, the ratio of the width of the ring 33 to the axial gap length G2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "gap ratio") is 0.01 or more and less than 0.06. Preferably, the gap ratio is 0.02 or more and less than 0.04.

Next, the behavior of the rotation-preventing mechanism 30 will be described.
In the rotation-preventing mechanism 30, the pin 34 and the ring 33 move relative to each other as the orbiting scroll 6 orbits, so that the pin 34 and the ring 33 come into contact with each other, and this contact prevents the rotation of the orbiting scroll 6. In this embodiment, the pin 34 fixed to the housing 2 does not move, but the ring 33 provided on the orbiting scroll 6 moves.

The multiple pin ring structures 31 are arranged to receive the load in sequence as the orbiting scroll 6 rotates. In other words, the rotation prevention mechanism 30 prevents the rotation of the orbiting scroll 6 by transferring the rotation prevention function between the multiple pin ring structures 31 in sequence (in other words, by switching the pin ring structure 31 that is responsible for the rotation prevention mechanism 30) as the orbiting scroll 6 rotates.

According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects are obtained.
In this embodiment, a gap (radial gap) is formed between the inner peripheral surface 32a of the ring hole 32 and the outer peripheral surface 33b of the ring 33. This allows lubricating oil to flow into the radial gap and be held in the radial gap. The lubricating oil held in the radial gap reduces the impact when the ring hole 32 and the ring 33 come into contact with each other. Therefore, noise caused by contact between the ring hole 32 and the ring 33 can be suppressed.

If the gap (axial gap) formed between the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32 and the axial end of the ring 33 is large, the lubricating oil that has flowed into the radial gap is likely to flow out through the axial gap, and there is a possibility that noise caused by contact between the ring hole 32 and the ring 33 cannot be sufficiently suppressed. In this embodiment, the ratio (gap ratio) of the axial length of the ring 33 (ring 33) to the axial gap is less than 0.06. More preferably, the gap ratio is less than 0.04. In this way, because the axial gap is small, it is possible to make it difficult for the lubricating oil to flow out from the radial gap, and therefore noise caused by contact between the ring hole 32 and the ring 33 can be suppressed.

On the other hand, if the axial gap is too small, a film of lubricating oil cannot be formed in the axial gap, and the ring 33 comes into contact with the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32, causing the behavior of the ring 33 to become unstable, which may result in increased noise. In this embodiment, the ratio of the width of the ring 33 to the axial gap is set to 0.01 or more. Preferably, it is set to 0.02 or more. In this way, since the axial gap is not too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring 33 and the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32 can be suppressed, and the behavior of the ring 33 can be stabilized. This makes it possible to suppress noise.

The noise reduction effect will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the vertical axis indicates the noise level (dB(A)) and the horizontal axis indicates the gap ratio.
As shown in Fig. 4, the noise value is high when the gap ratio is close to 0. Also, the noise value gradually decreases when the gap ratio is in the range from 0 to less than 0.01. The noise value is lowest at a gap ratio of 0.01 and gradually increases up to a gap ratio of 0.08. As shown in Fig. 4, the noise value is sufficiently low when the gap ratio is in the range of 0.01 or more and less than 0.06.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is less than 1.0. Preferably, it is 0.5 or less. In this way, by making the axial gap smaller than the radial gap, the axial gap can be made sufficiently small, making it difficult for lubricating oil to leak out from the radial gap. Therefore, noise caused by contact between the ring hole 32 and the ring 33 can be suppressed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is set to 0.25 or more. In this way, by not making the axial gap too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring 33 and the bottom surface 32b of the ring hole 32 can be suppressed, and the behavior of the ring 33 can be stabilized. Therefore, noise can be suppressed more suitably.

The present disclosure is not limited to the invention according to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which the electric compressor 1 is an inverter-integrated electric compressor, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the electric compressor 1 may be an electric compressor that does not include an inverter. Furthermore, the electric compressor 1 may be an electric compressor in which the inverter is separately installed.

The compressor according to the embodiment described above can be understood, for example, as follows.
a rotation-preventing mechanism for preventing rotation of the orbiting scroll; and a lubricating oil supply unit for supplying lubricating oil to the rotation-preventing mechanism. The rotation-preventing mechanism has a recess (32) formed on one of the orbiting scroll side or the casing side, a ring (33) arranged within the recess and having an outer circumferential surface (33b) that faces an inner circumferential surface (32a) of the recess via a gap, and a pin (34) provided on the other of the orbiting scroll side or the casing side and engaging with the inner circumferential surface (33a) of the ring. The ratio of the axial length of the ring to the gap formed between a bottom surface (32b) of the recess and an axial end of the ring is 0.01 or more and less than 0.06.

In the above configuration, a gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the recess and the outer peripheral surface of the ring. This allows lubricating oil to flow into the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the recess and the outer peripheral surface of the ring (hereinafter referred to as the "radial gap"). The lubricating oil that flows into the radial gap reduces the impact when the recess and the ring come into contact. Therefore, noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring can be suppressed.

If the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring (hereinafter referred to as the "axial gap") is large, the lubricating oil that has flowed into the radial gap is likely to flow out through the axial gap, and there is a possibility that noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring cannot be sufficiently suppressed. In the above configuration, the ratio of the axial length of the ring to the axial gap (hereinafter referred to as the "ring width") is less than 0.06. In this way, because the axial gap is small, it is possible to make it difficult for lubricating oil to flow out from the radial gap, and therefore noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring can be suppressed.

On the other hand, if the axial gap is too small, a film of lubricating oil cannot be formed in the axial gap, and the ring comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recess (the orbiting scroll or the housing), causing the ring's behavior to become unstable, which may lead to increased noise. In the above configuration, the ratio of the ring's width to the axial gap is set to 0.01 or more. In this way, since the axial gap is not too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring and the bottom surface of the recess can be suppressed, and the ring's behavior can be stabilized. This allows noise to be suppressed.

The compressor according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is the first aspect, in which the ratio of the axial length of the ring to the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring is 0.02 or more and less than 0.04.

In the above configuration, the ratio of the width of the ring to the axial gap is set to less than 0.04. In this manner, the axial gap is sufficiently small to prevent lubricating oil from leaking out of the radial gap, and therefore noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring can be more suitably suppressed.
In addition, the ratio of the width of the ring to the axial gap is set to 0.02 or more. In this way, by not making the axial gap too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring and the bottom surface of the recess can be suppressed, and the behavior of the ring can be stabilized. Therefore, noise can be suppressed more suitably.

The compressor according to the third aspect of the present disclosure is the first or second aspect, in which the ratio of the gap formed between the inner circumferential surface of the recess and the outer circumferential surface of the ring to the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring is 0.25 or more and less than 1.0.

In the above configuration, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is less than 1.0. By making the axial gap smaller than the radial gap in this way, the axial gap can be made sufficiently small, making it difficult for lubricating oil to leak out of the radial gap. Therefore, noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring can be suppressed.
In addition, in the above configuration, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is set to 0.25 or more. In this way, by not making the axial gap too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring and the bottom surface of the recess can be suppressed, and the behavior of the ring can be stabilized. Therefore, noise can be suppressed more suitably.

The compressor according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the third aspect, in which the ratio of the gap formed between the inner circumferential surface of the recess and the outer circumferential surface of the ring to the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring is 0.25 or more and 0.5 or less.

In the above configuration, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is set to 0.5 or less. In this way, since the axial gap is sufficiently small, it is possible to make it difficult for lubricating oil to flow out from the radial gap, and therefore it is possible to more suitably suppress noise caused by contact between the recess and the ring.
In addition, the ratio of the radial gap to the axial gap is set to 0.25 or more. In this way, by not making the axial gap too small, a film of lubricating oil can be suitably formed in the axial gap. Therefore, contact between the ring and the bottom surface of the recess can be suppressed, and the behavior of the ring can be stabilized. Therefore, noise can be suppressed more suitably.

1: Electric compressor 2: Housing 3: First housing 4: Second housing 5: Fixed scroll 6: Orbiting scroll 6a: End plate 6b: Back surface 7: Scroll compression mechanism 8: Discharge port 10: Discharge chamber 12: Thrust bearing 14: Compression chamber 15: Stator 16: Rotor 17: Motor 18: Drive shaft 19: Crank pin 20: Bearing 21: Bearing 24: Space 25: Inverter accommodating section 30: Rotation prevention mechanism 31: Pin-ring structure 32: Ring hole 32a: Inner peripheral surface 32b: Bottom surface 33: Ring 33a: Inner peripheral surface 33b: Outer peripheral surface 34: Pin

Claims (4)

A housing forming an outer shell;
a fixed scroll housed in the housing and fixed to the housing;
an orbiting scroll that meshes with the fixed scroll and orbits relative to the fixed scroll;
a rotation prevention mechanism that prevents the orbiting scroll from rotating on its axis;
a lubricant supply unit that supplies lubricant to the rotation prevention mechanism,
the rotation-preventing mechanism includes a recess formed on one of the orbiting scroll side or the casing side, a ring disposed in the recess and having an outer circumferential surface facing an inner circumferential surface of the recess with a gap therebetween, and a pin provided on the other of the orbiting scroll side or the casing side and engaging with an inner circumferential surface of the ring,
A compressor in which a ratio of an axial length of the ring to a gap formed between a bottom surface of the recess and an axial end of the ring is 0.01 or more and less than 0.06. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the axial length of the ring to the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring is 0.02 or more and less than 0.04. The compressor according to claim 1 or 2, in which the ratio of the gap formed between the inner peripheral surface of the recess and the outer peripheral surface of the ring to the gap formed between the bottom surface of the recess and the axial end of the ring is 0.25 or more and less than 1.0. 4. The compressor according to claim 3, wherein a ratio of a gap formed between the inner circumferential surface of the recess and the outer circumferential surface of the ring to a gap formed between a bottom surface of the recess and an axial end of the ring is 0.25 or more and 0.5 or less.

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