U.S. patent application number 10/493380 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-20 for valve assembly of reciprocating compressor.
Invention is credited to Lee, Dong-Won.
Application Number | 20050013717 10/493380 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31944861 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050013717 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee, Dong-Won |
January 20, 2005 |
Valve assembly of reciprocating compressor
Abstract
In a valve assembly of a reciprocating compressor including a
piston having a valve seat portion (26) at the front and plural
suction (24) holes for sucking a fluid at regular intervals in the
circumferential direction; and a suction valve (20) arranged on the
valve seat portion (26) to perform opening/closing operation of the
suction holes (24), wherein the suction valve (20) includes a fixed
portion fixed to the valve seat portion (26) of the piston; an
open/close portion formed at the outside of the fixed portion to
perform opening/closing operation of the suction holes (24); and
plural neck (32) portions formed between the fixed portion (28) and
the open/close portion (30) at regular intervals. Accordingly, by
minimizing fatigue occurrence according to continued
opening/closing operation by reducing an opening angle of the
valve, damage or breakage of the valve can be minimized.
Inventors: |
Lee, Dong-Won;
(Gyungsangnam-Do, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
31944861 |
Appl. No.: |
10/493380 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
August 22, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR03/01702 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/570 ;
417/416; 417/569 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 39/0016 20130101;
F16K 15/148 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/570 ;
417/416; 417/569 |
International
Class: |
F04B 017/04; F04B
035/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 23, 2002 |
KR |
10-2002-0050218 |
Claims
1. A valve assembly of a reciprocating compressor comprising: a
piston having a valve seat portion at the front and plural suction
holes for sucking a fluid at regular intervals in the
circumferential direction; and a suction valve arranged at the
valve seat portion to perform opening/closing operation of the
suction holes; wherein the suction valve includes a fixed portion
fixed to the valve seat portion of the piston; an open/close
portion formed at the outside of the fixed portion to perform
opening/closing operation of the suction holes; and plural neck
portions formed between the fixed portion and the open/close
portion at regular intervals.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixed portion formed
between the central portion of the suction valve and the center of
the valve seat portion of the piston.
3. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the neck portion is
formed between space portions formed by cutting portions between
the fixed portion and the open/close portion at regular
intervals.
4. The valve assembly of claim 3, wherein the space portions are
formed as elliptic shapes symmetrical with each other.
5. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the neck portion is
radially formed between space portions formed by cutting partial
portions between the fixed portion and the open/close portion.
6. The valve assembly of claim 5, wherein the space portions are
formed by cutting portions between the fixed portion and the
open/close portion as circular band shapes.
7. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the plural neck portions
are formed between the fixed portion and the open/close portion at
regular intervals.
8. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein a guide groove on which a
fluid passing the suction hole is discharged is formed at the
circumference of the open/close portion at regular intervals.
9. The valve assembly of claim 8, wherein the guide groove having a
certain width is formed at the edge of the open/close portion.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a valve assembly, and in
particular to a valve assembly of a reciprocating compressor
capable of preventing damage of a valve due to compressive pressure
and improving productivity.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Generally, various types of compressors can be applied
according to compression methods, and a hermetic compressor is
mainly used for an air conditioner required to be small-sized and
light-weighted. The hermetic compressor can be divided into a
rotary compressor, a reciprocating compressor and a scroll
compressor, etc. according to fluid compressing methods.
[0003] In the reciprocating compressor, a fluid is compressed while
a piston of a compressing unit performs a linear reciprocating
motion inside a cylinder by a driving force generated in a driving
unit.
[0004] a valve assembly of the reciprocating compressor is
installed between a compression chamber in which a fluid is
compressed and a suction passage in which the fluid is sucked. When
the fluid is sucked, the valve assembly is open by pressure of the
fluid and supplies the fluid through the suction passage into the
compression chamber. And, when the fluid is compressed, the valve
assembly prevents the fluid compressed in the compression chamber
from flowing backward.
[0005] FIG. 1 is a partial-sectional view illustrating a valve
assembly of a reciprocating compressor in accordance with the
conventional art, and FIG. 2 is an exploded-perspective view
illustrating the conventional valve assembly.
[0006] A compressing unit of a reciprocating compressor in
accordance with the conventional art includes a cylinder 104 is
fixed to a casing (not shown) and having a compression chamber 102;
a piston 106 inserted in the cylinder 104 so as to perform a linear
reciprocating motion and compress a fluid; a suction valve 108
installed to the front of the piston 106 to perform opening/closing
operation so as to control the fluid flowing into the compression
chamber 102; and a discharge valve assembly 110 for discharging the
fluid from the compression chamber 102 to the outside when the
fluid is compressed by higher than a certain level in the
compression chamber 102.
[0007] In the piston 106 having a suction passage 112 for sucking a
fluid is formed at the center thereof, and a suction hole 114 for
supplying the fluid sucked into the suction passage 112 to a
compressing chamber 102 is formed at the front thereof. And, a
valve seat portion 116 on which the suction valve 108 is contacted
is formed at the front of the piston 106.
[0008] The suction valve 108 is formed as a thin disc shape having
a certain elastic force and is fixed to the valve seat portion 116
of the piston 106 by a bolt 118.
[0009] In more detail, as depicted in FIG. 2, the suction valve 108
includes a fixed portion 120 formed at the center thereof so as to
fixed the valve seat portion 116 of the piston 106 by a bolt 118,
and an open/close portion 124 formed at one surface of the fixed
portion 120 and opening/closing operation of the suction holes 114.
Herein, the fixed portion 120 and the open/close portion 124 are
formed by cutting part of the suction valve 108 and are connected
with each other by a neck portion 122 having a certain elastic
force.
[0010] And, the discharge valve assembly 110 includes a valve cover
132 installed at the front of the cylinder 104 and having a
discharge hole 130 for discharging a fluid; a discharge valve 134
tightly contacted to the front of the cylinder 104 to perform
opening/closing operation; and a spring 136 interposed between the
discharge valve 134 and an internal wall of the valve cover 132 to
provide a certain elastic force to the discharge valve 134.
[0011] The operation of the reciprocating compressor in accordance
with the conventional art will be described. When the piston 106 is
retreated in order to supply the fluid to the compression chamber
102, because the open/close portion 124 of the suction valve 108 is
separated from the valve seat portion 116 of the piston 106 by the
suction pressure, the suction hole 114 is open, the fluid sucked
into the suction passage 112 is supplied to the compression chamber
102 through the suction hole 114.
[0012] In that state, when the piston 106 is proceeded to compress
the fluid, the suction valve 108 closes the suction hole 114 by
being tightly contacted to the valve seat portion 116 of the piston
106 due to its own elastic force. When the piston 106 is proceeded
more, the discharge valve 134 is separated from the cylinder 104 by
the pressure inside the compression chamber 102, and the fluid
compressed in the compression chamber 102 is discharged to the
outside through the discharge hole 130.
[0013] However, in the suction valve of the reciprocating
compressor in accordance with the conventional art, when the fluid
is supplied to the compression chamber 102, by the suction
pressure, the open/close portion 124 of the suction valve 108 is
separated from the valve seat portion 116 of the piston 106.
Herein, because the open/close portion 124 performs the
opening/closing operation of the suction hole 114 by bending the
neck portion 122, concentrated stress is acted on the neck portion
122, and accordingly the neck portion 122 may be damaged by fatigue
due to continuous opening/closing operation or excessive opening
operation.
[0014] In addition, because the open/close portion 124 has to be
placed so as to face the suction holes 114 of the piston 106, a
position of the open/close portion 124 has to be adjusted
accurately in an assembly process of the suction valve 108. In
addition, the fixed portion 120 has to be fixed firmly to the
piston 106 in order to prevent a position of the open/close portion
124 from being changed in opening/closing of the suction valve 108,
and accordingly the assembly operation is intricate.
TECHNICAL GIST OF THE PESENT INVENTION
[0015] In order to solve the above-described problems, it is an
object of the present invention to provide a valve assembly of a
reciprocating compressor capable of preventing damage or breakage
of a valve by minimizing fatigue occurrence due to continuous
opening/closing operation by reducing an opening angle of the
valve.
[0016] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
valve assembly of a reciprocating compressor capable of improving
productivity by assembling a valve regardless of a position
thereof.
[0017] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, a valve
assembly of a reciprocating compressor in accordance with the
present invention includes a piston having a valve seat portion at
the front and plural suction holes for sucking a fluid at regular
intervals in the circumferential direction; and a suction valve
arranged at the valve seat portion to perform opening/closing
operation of the suction holes, wherein the suction valve includes
a fixed portion fixed to the valve seat portion of the piston; an
open/close portion formed at the outside of the fixed portion to
perform opening/closing operation of the suction holes; and plural
neck portions formed between the fixed portion and the open/close
portion at regular intervals.
[0018] The fixed portion as the central portion of the suction
valve is fixed to the center of the valve seat portion of the
piston.
[0019] The neck portion is formed between space portions formed by
cutting portions between the fixed portion and the open/close
portion at regular intervals.
[0020] The neck portion is radially formed between space portions
formed by cutting partial portions between the fixed portion and
the open/close portion.
[0021] A guide groove on which a fluid passing the suction hole is
discharged is formed at the circumference of the open/close portion
at regular intervals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
[0023] In the drawings:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view illustrating a suction
valve of a compressor in accordance with the conventional art;
[0025] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
suction valve in accordance with the conventional art;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a compressor using a
suction valve assembly in accordance with the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
suction valve assembly in accordance with the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the suction valve
assembly in accordance with the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating an operational state
of a suction valve in accordance with the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a suction valve assembly
in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0031] FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating a suction valve assembly
in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments a suction valve
assembly of a compressor in accordance with the present invention
will be described with reference to accompanying drawings.
[0033] There can be plural embodiments, herein the preferred
embodiments will be described.
[0034] FIG. 3 is an perspective view illustrating a suction valve
assembly of a reciprocating compressor in accordance with the
present invention.
[0035] The reciprocating compressor in accordance with the present
invention includes a casing 6 having a certain sealed space and
respectively connected suction pipe 2 for sucking a fluid and
discharge pipe 4 for discharging a compressed fluid; a driving unit
8 disposed in the casing 6 to generate a reciprocating motion force
when power is applied; and a compressing unit 10 for performing a
compressing operation by receiving the reciprocating motion force
generated in the driving unit 8.
[0036] The compressing unit 10 includes a piston 12 connected to
the driving unit 8 to perform a linear reciprocating motion; a
cylinder 14 for receiving the piston 12 slidably therein and
forming a compression chamber 16; a suction valve 20 installed to
the front of the piston 12 to perform opening/closing operation of
a fluid passage 18 of the piston 12; and a discharge valve assembly
22 installed to the front of the cylinder 14 to perform
opening/closing operation of a discharged fluid.
[0037] FIGS. 4 and 5 are an exploded perspective and a front view
illustrating the suction valve assembly in accordance with the
present invention.
[0038] The piston 12 is a cylindrical body connected to the driving
unit 8 to perform a linear motion so as to be sealed by the inner
circumference of the cylinder 14, a suction passage 18 for sucking
a fluid is formed at the inner circumference of the piston 12 in
the length direction, and plural suction holes 24 are formed at the
front of the piston 12 for supply the fluid sucked in the suction
passage 18 to the compression chamber 16. And, a flat valve seat
portion 26 is formed at the front of the piston 12 so as to be
tightly contacted to the suction valve 20 performing the
opening/closing operation, and the driving unit 8 is connected to
the rear of the piston 12.
[0039] Herein, the suction hole 24 is formed at regular intervals
in the circumferential direction of the piston 12. In more detail,
the suction holes 24 can be formed freely at least they are formed
in the circumferential direction of the piston 12 uniformly, as an
embodiment, it is preferable to form eight suction holes.
[0040] The suction valve 20 formed a thin flat plate type and fixed
to the valve seat portion 26 of the piston 12 to opening/closeing
the suction holes 24, and it is made of a material having a certain
elastic force.
[0041] In the suction valve 20 having a fixed portion 28 is formed
at the center thereof so as to be fixed to the valve seat portion
26 of the piston 12 and an open/close portion is formed at the
outside of the fixed portion 28 to open/close the suction holes
24.
[0042] Herein, the fixed portion 28 and the open/close portion 30
are connected with each other by the neck portion 32, the neck
portion 32 is formed at regular intervals in the circumferential
direction by space portions 34 formed by cutting portions between
the fixed portion 28 and the open/close portion 30, and each neck
portion 32 has a certain elastic force. Each space portion 34 is
formed as an elliptic shape having a certain size and is formed at
regular intervals in the circumferential direction.
[0043] The fixed portion 28 can have any structure at least it can
fix the center of the suction valve 20 to the valve seat portion 26
of the piston 12. As an embodiment, in case of a bolt fastening
structure, a through hole 38 in which a bolt 36 is passed is formed
at the center of the suction valve 20, a bolt fastening groove 40
is formed at the center of the valve seat portion 26, and
accordingly the bolt 36 is fastened to the bolt fastening groove 40
after passing the through hole 38.
[0044] The open/close portion 30 has an area along the whole
surface of the suction valve 20 in the circumferential direction,
and the area of the open/close portion 30 is greater than a
diameter of the suction hole 24 of the piston 12.
[0045] The discharge valve assembly 22 includes a valve cover 50
installed at the front of the cylinder 14 to have a discharge hole
46 for discharging a fluid; a discharge valve 48 placed in the
valve cover 50 so as to be tightly contacted to the front of the
cylinder 14 in order to perform opening/closing operation of a
fluid compressed in the compression chamber 18; and a valve spring
52 interposed between the discharge valve 48 and an internal wall
of the valve cover 50 to provide a certain elastic force to the
discharge valve 48.
[0046] In more detail, when a pressure inside the compression
chamber 16 reaches a certain degree, the discharge valve 48 is
retreated by overcoming the elastic force of the valve spring 52,
the fluid compressed in the compression chamber 16 is discharged to
the outside through the discharge hole 46.
[0047] The operation of the suction valve assembly of the
reciprocating compressor in accordance with the present invention
will be described.
[0048] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating an operational state
of a suction valve in accordance with the present invention.
[0049] First, when power is applied to the driving unit 8, the
driving force of the driving unit 8 is transmitted to the piston
12, according to that, when the piston 12 is retreated, by the
pressure difference of the fluid and the retreating inertia of the
piston 12, the neck portion 32 of the suction valve 20 is bent, the
open/close portion 30 is separated from the valve seat portion of
the piston 12, the suction hole 24 is open, and accordingly the
fluid is supplied to the compression chamber 24.
[0050] Herein, because the suction hole 24 is formed at the front
of the piston 12 at regular intervals in the circumferential
direction, the fluid is sucked through the plural suction holes 24.
Because, the neck portion 32 of the suction valve 20 is formed at
regular intervals, it is possible to reduce an opening angle of the
suction valve 20 and decrease concentrated stress acting on the
neck portions 32.
[0051] In that state, when the driving unit 8 is operated in the
backward direction, the piston 12 moves forward, the fluid filled
in the compression chamber 16 is compressed, when a pressure inside
the compression chamber 16 reaches a certain degree, the discharge
valve 48 is retreated by overcoming the elastic force of the valve
spring 52 and is separated from the front of the cylinder 14, the
fluid compressed in the compression chamber 16 is discharged to the
outside through the discharge hole 46 formed at the valve cover
50.
[0052] Herein, by the pressure of the compression chamber 16 and
the elastic force of the suction valve 20, the open/close portion
30 of the suction valve 20 is tightly contacted to the valve seat
portion 26 of the piston 12, and accordingly it is possible to
prevent the fluid inside the compression chamber 16 from flowing
backward into the suction hole 24.
[0053] FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a suction valve assembly
in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0054] In a suction valve 58 in accordance with the second
embodiment of the present invention having a fixed portion 60
having a through hole 62 is formed at the center thereof so as to
be fixed to the valve seat portion 26 of the piston 12, an
open/close portion 64 formed at the outside of the fixed portion 60
for performing an opening/closing operation of the suction hole 24,
and plural neck portions 66 connected between the fixed portion 60
and the open/close portion 66.
[0055] Herein, the plural neck portions 66 are radially connected
through space portions 68 formed by cutting portions between the
fixed portion 60 and the open/close portion 64. It is preferable to
form four neck portions 66, and the number of neck portions can be
adjusted according to a pressure of the fluid.
[0056] FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating a suction valve assembly
in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0057] In a suction valve 70 in accordance with the third
embodiment of the present invention having a fixed portion 72 is
formed at the center so as to be fixed to the valve seat portion 26
of the piston 12, an open/close portion 74 formed at the outside of
the fixed portion 72 for performing opening/closing operation of
the suction hole 24, and plural neck portions 76 connected between
the fixed portion 72 and the open/close portion 74. And, a guide
groove 78 is formed at the circumference of the open/close portion
74 in order to make the fluid passing the suction hole 24 be
discharged smoothly.
[0058] Herein, the guide groove 78 having a certain width is formed
at the outer circumference of the suction valve 70 at regular
intervals.
Industrial Applicability
[0059] Advantages of a suction valve assembly of a reciprocating
compressor in accordance with the present invention will be
described as following.
[0060] In the suction valve assembly of the reciprocating
compressor in accordance with the present invention, because a
suction hole of a piston is formed at regular intervals in the
circumferential direction, a fluid is uniformly sucked in the
circumferential direction, load acting on a whole surface of the
suction valve is uniform, it is possible to reduce an opening angle
of the suction valve, concentrated stress acting on a neck portion
of the suction valve can be reduced, and accordingly it is possible
to minimize damage of the suction valve.
[0061] In addition, by forming the suction hole of the piston at
regular intervals in the circumferential direction and forming the
open/close portion of the suction valve in the circumferential
direction, there is no need to adjust a position of the suction
valve in an assembly process, and accordingly assembly efficiency
can be improved.
* * * * *