U.S. patent application number 16/065958 was filed with the patent office on 2019-01-17 for scroll compressor.
The applicant listed for this patent is DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.. Invention is credited to Masahiro YAMADA.
Application Number | 20190017506 16/065958 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58363142 |
Filed Date | 2019-01-17 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190017506 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YAMADA; Masahiro |
January 17, 2019 |
SCROLL COMPRESSOR
Abstract
A scroll compressor includes a housing, an Oldham ring slidable
on the housing by a first key mechanism, a fixed scroll, and an
orbiting scroll slidable on the Oldham ring by a second key
mechanism. The first key mechanism includes a first key provided to
the Oldham ring and a first key groove formed in the housing. The
first key protrudes toward the housing and radially inwardly from a
ring portion. The housing includes a flange with a facing portion.
The fixed scroll is fixed to the flange. The facing portion has an
orbiting scroll facing surface, and an annular opening formed
around the orbiting scroll facing surface and movably housing the
ring portion. The first key groove is formed adjacent to a back
surface of the facing portion opposite to the orbiting scroll
facing surface so as to extend radially inwardly from the annular
opening.
Inventors: |
YAMADA; Masahiro;
(Osaka-shi, Osaka, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD. |
Osaka-shi, Osaka |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
58363142 |
Appl. No.: |
16/065958 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
November 9, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2016/083242 |
371 Date: |
June 25, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04C 18/0215 20130101;
F04C 18/0253 20130101; F04C 18/02 20130101; F04C 2240/30 20130101;
F16D 3/00 20130101; F16D 3/04 20130101; F01C 17/066 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04C 18/02 20060101
F04C018/02; F04C 29/00 20060101 F04C029/00; F01C 17/06 20060101
F01C017/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 28, 2015 |
JP |
2015-256983 |
Claims
1. A scroll compressor comprising: a housing into which a drive
shaft is inserted; an Oldham ring configured to be slidable on the
housing by a first key mechanism in a first direction perpendicular
to an axial center of the drive shaft; a fixed scroll fixed to the
housing; and an orbiting scroll meshing with the fixed scroll and
configured to be slidable on the Oldham ring by a second key
mechanism in a second direction perpendicular to the axial center
of the drive shaft, the first key mechanism including a first key
provided to the Oldham ring and a first key groove formed in the
housing, the first key protrudes from a ring portion of the Oldham
ring toward the housing, and further protrudes in a radially inward
direction from the ring portion, the housing including a flange to
which the fixed scroll is fixed and which includes a facing portion
having a predetermined thickness and having an orbiting scroll
facing surface facing the orbiting scroll, and an annular opening
formed around the orbiting scroll facing surface and movably
housing the ring portion, and the first key groove being formed at
a position adjacent to a back surface of the facing portion
opposite to the orbiting scroll facing surface so as to extend
radially inwardly from the annular opening.
2. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the first key includes
a pair of first keys opposed to each other by being disposed
180.degree. apart on the Oldham ring, and an interval between the
pair of the first keys is smaller than an outer diameter of the
facing portion of the housing, and a thickness of the ring portion
is larger than a thickness of the facing portion of the
housing.
3. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the back surface of
the facing portion is a tilted surface such that a thickness of the
facing portion increases toward an inner periphery of the facing
portion.
4. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the first key groove
is opened on a back surface of the flange of the housing.
5. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the first key groove
is opened on an outer peripheral surface of the flange of the
housing.
6. The scroll compressor of claim 1, wherein the facing portion is
configured as a separate member different from the housing and
fixed to a main body of the housing.
7. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the hack surface of
the facing portion is a tilted surface such that a thickness of the
facing portion increases toward an inner periphery of the facing
portion.
8. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the first key groove
is opened on a back surface of the flange of the sing.
9. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the first key groove
is opened on an outer peripheral surface of the flange of the
housing.
10. The scroll compressor of claim 2, wherein the facing portion is
configured as a separate member different from the housing and
fixed to a main body of the housing.
11. The scroll compressor of claim 3, wherein the first key groove
is opened on a back surface of the flange of the housing.
12. The scroll compressor of claim 3, wherein the first key groove
is opened on an outer peripheral surface of the flange of the
housing.
13. The scroll compressor of claim 3, wherein the facing portion is
configured as a separate member different from the housing and
fixed to a main body of the housing.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a scroll compressor
provided with a compression mechanism having a fixed scroll and an
orbiting scroll, and in particular, to a structure of allowing the
compression mechanism to hold an Oldham ring that is a mechanism
preventing the orbiting scroll from rotating on its axis.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In conventional scroll compressors, an Oldham ring (100) is
typically used to allow revolution of an orbiting scroll (not
illustrated) while substantially preventing rotation of the
orbiting scroll on its axis, as illustrated in FIG. 17 that is a
plan view of a housing and the Oldham ring, FIG. 18 that is a
cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17, FIG.
19 that is a plan view of the Oldham ring, and FIG. 20 that is a
cross-sectional view taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 19. In general,
the Oldham ring (100) is comprised of a ring portion (101) and keys
(102, 103) which are integrally formed together. The Oldham ring
(100) includes a pair of keys (102) and another pair of keys (103),
the keys (102) being disposed on a surface of the ring portion
(101) closer to a housing (110), the keys (103) being disposed on
another surface of the ring portion (101) closer to the orbiting
scroll. The pair of keys (102) protrudes from the surface of the
ring portion (101) closer to the housing (110) in a direction
perpendicular to the surface. The other pair of keys (103) protrude
from the surface of the ring portion (101) closer to the orbiting
scroll in a direction perpendicular to the surface. The housing
(110) is provided with an annular opening (111.) movably housing
the ring portion (101) and a key groove (112) engaged with the keys
(102).
[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses, as a modification of the above
structure, a structure in which the keys (102, 103) are disposed so
as to protrude radially outwardly from the ring portion (101), as
illustrated in FIGS. 21 to 24.
[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses, as illustrated in
FIGS. 25 to 28, a structure in which one pair of keys (102) of the
pair of keys (102) and the pair of keys (103) of the Oldham ring
(100) are formed to protrude radially inwardly from the ring
portion (101), and not to protrude in the direction perpendicular
to the surface.
CITATION LIST
Patent Document
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
No. 2010-185462
[0006] [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
No. S63-138181
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] The typical configuration of the Oldham ring (100) shown in
FIGS. 17 to 20 has a small sliding area between the key (102) and
the key groove (112), and thus, a contact pressure of the key
sliding surface is increased, resulting in insufficient strength of
the keys (102) of the Oldham ring (100).
[0008] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, as illustrated in
FIG. 21, the outer periphery of the housing (110) may have to be
provided with a notch (115), resulting in decreased strength of the
housing (110). In addition, the keys (102, 103) are formed in the
radially outside of the ring portion (101), and thus, a moment
applied to the keys (102, 103) is increased, resulting in decreased
strength of the Oldham ring (100).
[0009] Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, as
illustrated in FIG. 25, the key groove (112) of the housing (110)
is formed on an orbiting scroll facing surface (120) on which the
orbiting scroll (not illustrated) faces the surface of the housing
(110), and thus, the effective area of the orbiting scroll facing
surface (120) is decreased, resulting in increased contact
pressure. Also, in a situation where the orbiting scroll facing
surface (120) in the scroll compressor is provided with a sealing
ring, if the key groove (112) is intended to be formed in the
radially inside of the orbiting scroll facing surface (120)
relative to Oldham ring (100), and in particular, if the area of
the orbiting scroll facing surface (120) is small, the sealing ring
may hinder the formation of the key groove (112).
[0010] In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an
object of the present invention to prevent the strength of, e.g., a
housing and an Oldham ring from decreasing too much while
preventing the size of an orbiting scroll facing surface from
decreasing too much.
Solution to the Problem
[0011] A first aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a
scroll compressor including: a housing (23) into which a drive
shaft (40) is inserted: an Oldham ring (50) configured to be
slidable on the housing (23) by a first key mechanism (51) in a
first direction perpendicular to an axial center of drive shaft
(40); a fixed scroll (21) fixed to the housing (23); and an
orbiting scroll (22) meshing with the fixed scroll (21) and
configured to be slidable on the Oldham ring (50) by a second key
mechanism (52) in a second direction perpendicular to the axial
center of drive shaft (40), the first key mechanism (51) including
a first key (54) provided to the Oldham ring (50) and a first key
groove (61) formed in the housing (23).
[0012] In the scroll compressor, the first key (54) protrudes from
the ring portion (53) of the Oldham ring (50) toward the housing
(23), and further protrudes in a radially inward direction of the
ring portion (53), the housing (23) includes a flange (23a) to
which the fixed scroll (21) is fixed and which includes a facing
portion (71) having a predetermined thickness and having an
orbiting scroll facing surface (70) facing the orbiting scroll
(22), and an annular opening (72) formed around the orbiting scroll
facing surface (70) and movably housing the ring portion (53), and
the first key groove (61) is formed in a position adjacent to a
back surface of the facing portion (71) opposite to the orbiting
scroll facing surface (70) so as to extend radially inwardly from
the annular opening (72). In this configuration, the orbiting
scroll facing surface (70) facing the orbiting scroll (22) may be
in contact with (slide on) the orbiting scroll (22) or may be
spaced apart from (not slide on) the orbiting scroll (22).
[0013] According to the first aspect, the first key groove (61)
formed in the position adjacent to the back surface of the facing
portion (71) engages with the first key (54) of the Oldham ring
(50), allowing the Oldham ring (50) to operate. In this
configuration, the first key (64) protrudes from the ring portion
(53) of the Oldham ring (50) toward the housing (23) and further
protrudes in the radially inward direction of the ring portion
(53). This can sufficiently increase the area of the sliding
surface between the first key (54) and the first key groove (61) to
reduce a contact pressure of the key sliding surface. Also, since
the first key (54) protrudes in the radially inward direction of
the Oldham ring (50), the outer periphery of the housing (23) does
not have to be notched, and the moment of the first key (54) can be
reduced. Further, the first key groove (61) is formed in the
position adjacent to the back side of the orbiting scroll facing
surface (70) (in the position adjacent to the back surface of the
facing portion (71)), and thus, the first key groove (61) does not
hinder the formation of the sealing ring.
[0014] A second aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment
of the first aspect. In the second aspect, the first key (54)
includes a pair of first keys (54) opposed to each other by
180.degree. on the Oldham ring (50), and an interval (A) between
the pair of the first keys (54) is smaller than an outer diameter
(B) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23), and a thickness
(C) of the ring portion (53) is larger than a thickness (D) of the
facing portion (71) of the housing (23).
[0015] The second aspect satisfies the above dimension
relationship, making it possible to easily attach the Oldham ring
(50) to the housing (23) along an oblique direction, as illustrated
in FIGS. 10 and 11.
[0016] A third aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of
the first or second aspect of the present disclosure. In the third
aspect, the back surface of the facing portion (71) is a tilted
surface (71a) such that a thickness of the facing portion (71)
increases toward an inner periphery of the facing portion (71).
[0017] According to the third aspect, the back surface of the
facing portion (71) is the tilted surface (71a), and thus, when the
Oldham ring (50) is attached to the housing (23), the first key
(54) can be easily inserted into the first key groove (61).
[0018] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment
of the first, second, or third aspect of the present disclosure. In
the fourth aspect, the first key groove (61) is a groove opened on
a hack surface of the flange (23a) of the housing (23).
[0019] According to the fourth aspect, the first key (54) engages
with the first key groove (61) opened on the back surface of the
flange (23a) of the housing (23), allowing the Oldham ring (50) to
operate.
[0020] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of
the first, second, or third aspect of the present disclosure. In
the fifth aspect, the first key groove (61) is a groove opened on
an outer peripheral surface of the flange (23a) of the housing
(23).
[0021] According to the fifth aspect, the first key (54) engages
with the first key groove (61) opened on the outer peripheral
surface of the flange (23a) of the housing (23), allowing the
Oldham ring (50) to operate.
[0022] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of
the first, second, or third. aspect of the present disclosure. In
the sixth aspect, the facing portion (71) is configured as a
separate member different from the housing (23) and fixed to a main
body of the housing (23).
[0023] According to the sixth aspect, the first key groove (61) is
formed by fixing the facing portion (71) configured as a separate
member to the main body of the housing (23), and the first key (54)
engages with the first key groove 61), allowing the Oldham ring
(50) to operate.
Advantages of the Invention
[0024] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the
first key (64) protrudes from the ring portion (53) of the Oldham
ring (50) toward the housing (23) and further protrudes in the
radially inward direction of the ring portion (53). This can
sufficiently increase the area of the sliding surface between the
first key (54) and the first key groove (61), and reduce a contact
pressure of the key sliding surface contributing to preventing
insufficient strength of the first key (54) of the Oldham ring
(50). Also, the first key (54) protrudes in the direction radially
inward of the Oldham ring (50), and the outer periphery of the
housing (23) does not have to be notched. This can reduce the
moment of the first key (54), and prevent the strength of the
Oldham ring (50) from decreasing too much. Further, since the first
key groove (61) is formed in the position adjacent to the back side
of the orbiting scroll facing surface (70) (in the position
adjacent to the back surface of the facing portion (71)), the first
key groove (61) does not hinder the formation of the sealing ring,
and it is possible to use the seal ring (50) in a configuration in
which the first key (54) and the first key groove (61) engage with
each other.
[0025] According to the second aspect of the present disclosure,
the interval (A) between the pair of the first keys (54) is smaller
than the outer diameter (B) of the facing portion (71) of the
housing (23), and the thickness (C) of the ring portion (53) is
larger than the thickness (D) of the facing portion (71) of the
housing (23). Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the Oldham
ring (50) can be easily attached to the housing (23) along an
oblique direction. Accordingly, the Oldham ring (50) does not have
to be made large, making it possible to reduce the size of the
mechanism.
[0026] According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the
back surface of the facing portion (71) is the tilted surface
(71a), and thus, when the Oldham ring (50) is attached to the
housing (23), the first key (54) can be easily inserted into the
first key groove (61), improving ease of attachment.
[0027] According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure,
the first key groove (61) is a groove opened on the back surface of
the flange (23a) of the housing (23), easily forming the first key
groove (61).
[0028] According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the
first key groove (61), which is a groove opened on the outer
peripheral surface of the flange (23a) of the housing (23), can be
easily formed.
[0029] According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the
first key groove (61) can be easily formed by fixing the facing
portion (71) configured as a separate member to the main body of
the housing (23).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a scroll
compressor according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a state in which an
Oldham ring is being attached to a housing.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III
FIG. 2.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the Oldham ring.
[0034] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of
FIG. 4.
[0035] FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a state in which the
Oldham ring is being attached to the housing having a body whose
back surface side is opened, and provided with a first key
groove.
[0036] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of
FIG. 6.
[0037] FIG. 8 illustrates a relationship between the dimension of
the housing and the dimension of the Oldham ring.
[0038] FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of FIG. 8 on an enlarged
scale.
[0039] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a first state in which
the Oldham ring is being attached to the housing.
[0040] FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a second state in which
the Oldham ring is being attached to the housing.
[0041] FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a
housing according to a first variation.
[0042] FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a
housing according to a second variation.
[0043] FIG. 14 is a plan view of a housing and an Oldham ring
according to a third variation.
[0044] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV of
FIG. 14.
[0045] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a
compressor according to another embodiment.
[0046] FIG. 17 is a plan view illustrating a state in which an
Oldham ring is being attached to a housing according to a first
conventional example.
[0047] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17.
[0048] FIG. 19 is a plan view of the Oldham ring of the first
conventional example.
[0049] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX-XX of
FIG. 19.
[0050] FIG. 21 is a plan view illustrating a state in which an
Oldham ring is being attached to a housing according to a second
conventional example.
[0051] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXII-XXII
of FIG. 21.
[0052] FIG. 23 is a plan view of the Oldham ring of the second
conventional example.
[0053] FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIV-XXIV
of FIG. 23.
[0054] FIG. 25 is a plan view illustrating a state in which an
Oldham ring is being attached to a housing according to a third
conventional example.
[0055] FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI
of FIG. 25.
[0056] FIG. 27 is a plan view of the Oldham ring of the third
conventional example.
[0057] FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken alone line
XXVIII-XXVIII of 27.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0058] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described
in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0059] A scroll compressor according to this embodiment is provided
to, e.g., a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner performing a
vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and compresses a
low-pressure refrigerant that has been sucked from an evaporator to
discharge it into a condenser.
[0060] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the scroll compressor (1) is a
so-called hermetic compressor. This scroll compressor (1) includes
a casing (10) that is a hermetically-sealed container with a
vertically oriented cylindrical shape. The casing (10) includes a
body (11) with a vertically oriented cylindrical shape, an upper
end plate (12) fixed to the upper end of the body (11), and a lower
end plate (13) fixed to the lower end of the body (11).
[0061] This casing (10) houses a compression mechanism (20)
compressing a refrigerant, and an electric motor (45) driving the
compression mechanism (20). The electric motor (45) is disposed
below the compression mechanism (20), and is coupled to the
compression mechanism (20) through a drive shaft (40) that is a
rotational shaft. The electric motor (45) is implemented as a
brushless DC motor controlled by an inverter to adjust a rotational
speed to be variable.
[0062] A discharge pipe (5) passes through and is attached to the
upper end plate (12) that is a top of the casing (10). This
discharge pipe (15) has its terminal end (the lower end in the
figure) connected to the compression mechanism (20). A suction pipe
(14) passes through and is attached to the body (11) of the casing
(10). This suction pipe (14) has its terminal end (the right end in
the figure) open toward a space between the compression mechanism
(20) and the electric motor (45) in the casing (10).
[0063] The drive shaft (40) is disposed on the vertical center line
of the easing (10). The drive shaft (40) is a crank shaft including
a main shaft portion (41) and an eccentric portion (42). The
eccentric portion (42) has a smaller diameter than the main shaft
portion (41), and is formed on the upper surface of the main shaft
portion (41). The eccentric portion (42) is eccentric from the
axial center of the main shaft portion (41) by a predetermined
dimension, and constitutes an eccentric pin.
[0064] A lower bearing holder (48) is fixed to a portion adjacent
to the lower end of the body (11) of the casing (10). This lower
bearing holder (48) rotatably supports the lower end of the main
shaft portion (41) of the drive shaft (40) through a sliding
bearing (48a).
[0065] The interior of the drive shaft (40) is provided with an oil
supply passage (44) extending vertically. The lower end of the main
shaft portion (41) is provided with an oil supply pump (43). This
oil supply pump (43) sucks refrigerating machine oil from the
bottom of the casing (10). The refrigerating machine oil passes
through the oil supply passage (44) of the drive shaft (40) to be
supplied to the sliding portion of the compression mechanism (20)
and the bearing of the drive shaft (40).
[0066] The electric motor(45) is comprised of a stator (46) and a
rotor (47). The stator (46) is fixed to the body (11) of the casing
(10). The rotor (47) is coupled to the main shaft portion (41) of
the drive shaft (40) to drive the drive shaft (40) in rotation.
[0067] The compression mechanism (20) includes a fixed scroll (21),
an orbiting scroll (22), and a housing (23) fixing and supporting
the fixed scroll (21). The fixed scroll (21) and the orbiting
scroll (22) respectively include spiral laps (21b, 22b) meshing
with each other on end plates (21a, 22a). The compression mechanism
(20) is configured such that the orbiting scroll (22) rotates
eccentrically relative to the fixed scroll (21).
[0068] The housing (23) is comprised of a main body (flange) (23a)
and a bearing holder (23b). The main body (23a) is formed to be
vertically continuous with the bearing holder (23b), and the main
body (23a) is fitted into and coupled to the body (11) of the
casing (10). The bearing holder (23b) has a smaller diameter than
the main body (23a), and protrudes downward from the main body
(23a). The bearing holder (23b) rotatably supports the main shaft
portion (41) of the drive shaft (40) through a sliding bearing
(23c).
[0069] The fixed scroll (21) is comprised of a fixed end plate
(21a), a fixed lap (21b), and an edge portion (21c). The fixed end
plate (21a) is formed to have a substantially disk shape. The fixed
lap (21b) stands near the middle portion of the lower surface of
the fixed end plate 21a), and is integrally formed with the fixed
end plate (21a). The fixed lap (21b) is formed to have a spiral
wall shape with a constant height. The edge portion (21c) is a wall
extending downward from the outer peripheral portion of the fixed
end plate (21a), and has a lower surface overlapping with the upper
surface of the main body (23a) of the housing (23) to be fixed to
the housing (23).
[0070] The orbiting scroll (22) is comprised of an orbiting end
plate (22a), an orbiting lap (22b), and a boss (22c). The orbiting
end plate (22a) is formed to have a substantially disk shape. The
orbiting lap (22b) stands on upper surface of the orbiting end
plate (22a), and is integrally formed with the orbiting end plate
(22a). The orbiting lap (22b) is formed to have a spiral wall shape
with a constant height, and to mesh with the fixed lap (21b) of the
fixed scroll (21).
[0071] The upper end of the fixed end plate (21a) is provided with
a depression (21g), and a discharge cover (27) is attached to the
upper surface of the fixed end plate (21a) to cover the depression
(21g). A space where the depression (21g) is covered with the
discharge cover (27) is a discharge chamber (28) communicating with
the discharge pipe (15). A middle lower portion of the fixed end
plate a) is provided with a discharge port (26) communicating with
the discharge chamber (28), and the discharge port (26)
communicates with a compression chamber formed between the fixed
lap (21b) and the orbiting lap (22b). In this embodiment, in the
interior of the casing (10), both upper and lower spaces (16) and
(17) of the housing (23) are low-pressure spaces filled with a
low-pressure refrigerant.
[0072] The boss (22c) extends downwardly from the lower surface of
the orbiting end plate (22a), and integrally formed with the
orbiting end plate (22a). The eccentric portion (42) of the drive
shaft (40) is inserted into the boss (22c) through a sliding
bearing (22d). Therefore, if the drive shaft (40) rotates, the
orbiting scroll (22) revolves around the axial center of the main
shaft portion (41). The revolution radius of the orbiting scroll
(22) is the same as the eccentricity of the eccentric portion (42),
i.e., a distance from the axial center of the main shaft portion
(41) to the axial center of the eccentric portion (42).
[0073] The orbiting end plate (22a) is disposed in a first recess
(23d) provided to the upper end of the housing (23). The boss (22c)
is disposed in a second recess (a crank chamber) (23e) provided to
the main body (23a) of the housing (23). The Oldham ring (50) is
disposed between the orbiting end plate (22a) and the housing (23)
to prevent the orbiting scroll (22) from rotating on its axis.
[0074] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a state in which the
Oldham ring (50) is being attached to the housing (23) and FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a plan view of the Oldham ring (50), and FIG. 5 is a
cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4. The Oldham
ring (50) is configured to be slidable on the housing (23), into
which the drive shaft (40) is inserted, by a first key mechanism
(51) in a first direction perpendicular to the axial center of
drive shaft (40). The orbiting scroll (22) meshes with the fixed
scroll (21) fixed to the housing (23), and is configured to be
slidable on the Oldham ring (50) by a second key mechanism (52) in
a second direction perpendicular to the axial center of drive shaft
(40).
[0075] The Oldham ring (50) has a ring portion (53). The first key
mechanism (51) is comprised of a first key (54) provided to the
ring portion (53) and a first key groove (61) formed in the housing
(23). The second key mechanism (52) is comprised of a second key
(55) provided to the ring portion (53) and a second key groove (62)
formed in the orbiting scroll (22).
[0076] A reciprocating motion of the first key (54) in the first
key groove (61) and a reciprocating motion of the second key (55)
in the second key groove (62) are synthesized to allow the orbiting
scroll (22) engaging with the second key (55) to rotate on its
axis, not to revolve around the fixed scroll (21) fixed to the
housing (23).
[0077] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5, the first key (54) protrudes
from the ring portion (53) of the Oldham ring (50) toward the
housing (23) (away from the orbiting scroll (22)), and further
protrudes in a radially inward direction of the ring portion (53).
The housing (23) includes a main body (23a) that is a flange to
which the fixed scroll (21) is fixed, and the main body (23a)
includes: a facing portion (71) having a predetermined thickness
and having an orbiting scroll facing surface (70) being in contact
with and facing (sliding on) the orbiting scroll (22); and an
annular opening (72) formed around the orbiting scroll facing
surface (70) and movably housing the ring portion (53). The first
key groove (61) is provided to the back surface (71a) of the facing
portion (71) (the surface opposite to the orbiting scroll facing
surface (70)) so as to extend radially inwardly from the annular
opening (72).
[0078] As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first key groove (61)
is preferably a groove opened on the back surface of the main body
(23a) that is the flange of the housing (23). In the following
description of this embodiment, the first key groove (61) is
supposed to be a groove opened on the back surface of the main body
(23a), as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In FIG. 7, the orbiting
scroll facing surface (70) is provided with a groove, i.e., a seal
ring mounting groove (75) provided in a situation where a sealing
ring is mounted to the orbiting scroll facing surface (70).
[0079] The first key (54) includes a pair of first keys (54)
opposed to each other by 180.degree. on the Oldham ring (50). The
second key (55) includes a pair of second keys (55) opposed to each
other by 180.degree. on the Oldham ring (50) so as to be at right
angles with the first key (54).
[0080] In this embodiment, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the interval (A)
between the pair of the first keys (54) is smaller than the outer
diameter (B) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23), and
the thickness (C) of the ring portion (53) is larger than the
thickness (D) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23). The
back surface of the facing portion (71) is a tilted surface (71a)
such that the thickness of the facing portion (71) increases toward
the inner periphery of the facing portion (71).
[0081] According to such a configuration, as illustrated in FIG.
10, one first key (54) is inserted into one first key groove (61)
from the annular opening (72) while the Oldham ring (50) is tilted,
allowing one first key (54) to engage with the back surface (71a)
of the facing portion (71) as illustrated in FIG. 11. Then, the
other first key (54) is inserted into the other first key groove
(61). This allows for attaching the Oldham ring (50) to the housing
(23).
Operation
[0082] Next, it will be described how the scroll compressor (1)
stated above is operated.
[0083] First, if the electric motor (45) is driven, the drive shaft
(40) rotates and the orbiting scroll (22) revolves relative to the
fixed scroll (21). At that time, the Oldham ring (50) prevents the
fixed scroll (21) from rotating on its axis.
[0084] Along with the revolution of the orbiting scroll (22),
volumes of the compression chambers (25a. 25b) increase and
decrease repeatedly and periodically. In the compression chambers
(25a, 25b), the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is sucked
from the suction pipe (14) through a suction passage (not shown)
and the suction port (29) into the compression chambers (25a, 25b)
when the volume of a portion, communicating with the suction port
(29), of the compression chambers (25a, 25b) is increased, and the
refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is compressed and discharged
from the discharge port (26) to the discharge chamber (28) when the
volume of a portion in which a suction side is closed decreases.
The refrigerant in the discharge chamber (28) is supplied from the
discharge pipe (15) to the condenser in the refrigerant circuit,
and is circulated in the refrigerant circuit. Then, the refrigerant
in the discharge chamber (28) is sucked into the scroll compressor
(1), again.
[0085] Next, the operation of the Oldham ring (50) of this
embodiment will be described.
[0086] In this embodiment, the first key groove (61) formed in a
position adjacent to the back surface of the opposing surface (71)
engages with the first key (54) of the Oldham ring (50), allowing
the Oldham ring (50) to operate. At that time, the first key (64)
protrudes from the ring portion (53) of the Oldham ring (50) toward
the housing (23) and further protrudes in the radially inward
direction of the ring portion (53). This can sufficiently increase
the area of the sliding surface between the first key (54) and the
first key groove (61) to reduce a contact pressure of the key
sliding surface. Also, the first key (54) protrudes in the radially
inward direction of the Oldham ring (50), and the outer periphery
of the housing (23) does not have to be notched (see FIG. 20), and
the moment of the first key (54) can be reduced. Further, the first
key groove (61) is formed in the position adjacent to the back side
of the orbiting scroll facing surface (70) (in the position
adjacent to the back surface of the facing portion (71)), and thus,
even if a sealing ring (not illustrated) is used, the first key
groove (61) does not hinder the formation of the sealing ring.
[0087] Also, according to this embodiment, the pair of first keys
(54) are opposed to each other by 180.degree. on the Oldham ring
(50) to satisfy the relationship such that the interval (A) between
the pair of the first keys (54) is smaller than the outer diameter
(B) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23) and the
thickness (C) of the ring portion (53) is larger than the thickness
(D) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23). Thus, as
illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the Oldham ring (50) can be easily
attached to the housing (23) along an oblique direction.
[0088] Also, the back surface of the facing portion (71) is the
tilted surface (71a), and thus, when the Oldham ring (50) is
attached to the housing (23), the first key (54) can be easily
inserted into the first key groove (61). In this embodiment, the
first key (54) engages with the first key groove (61) opened on the
back surface of the flange (23a) of the housing (23), allowing the
Oldham ring (50) to operate.
Advantages of Embodiment
[0089] According to this embodiment, the first key (64) protrudes
from the ring portion (53) of the Oldham ring (50) toward the
housing (23) and further protrudes in the radially inward direction
of the ring portion (53). This can sufficiently increase the area
of the sliding surface between the first key (54) and the first key
groove (61) to reduce a contact pressure of the key sliding
surface. Therefore, this can contribute to preventing insufficient
strength of the first key (54) of the Oldham ring (50).
[0090] Also, since the first key (54) protrudes in the radially
inward direction of the Oldham ring (50), the outer periphery of
the housing (23) does not have to be notched, and the moment of the
first key (54) can be reduced. Therefore, this can contribute to
preventing the strength of the Oldham ring (50) from decreasing too
much.
[0091] Further, the first key groove (61) is formed in the position
adjacent to the back side of the orbiting scroll facing surface
(70) (in the position adjacent to the back surface of the facing
portion (71)), and thus, the first key groove (61) does not hinder
the formation of the sealing ring (not illustrated). Therefore,
this makes it possible to use the seal ring (50) in a configuration
in which the first key (54) and the first key groove (61) engage
with each other.
[0092] Also, according to this embodiment, the interval (A) between
the pair of the first keys (54) is smaller than the outer diameter
(B) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23), and the
thickness (C) of the ring portion (53) is larger than the thickness
(D) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23). Thus, as
illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the Oldham ring (50) can be easily
attached to the housing (23) along an oblique direction.
Accordingly, the Oldham ring (50) does not have to be made large,
making it possible to reduce the size of the mechanism.
[0093] Also, according to this embodiment, the back surface of the
facing portion (71) is the tilted surface (71a), and thus, when the
Oldham ring (50) is attached to the housing (23), the first key
(54) can be easily inserted into the first key groove (61),
improving ease of attachment.
[0094] Also, the first key groove (61) according to this
embodiment, which is a groove opened on the back surface of the
main body (flange) (23a) of the housing (23), can be easily
formed.
Variations of Embodiment
(First Variation)
[0095] As illustrated in FIG. 12, the facing portion (71) may have
a plate shape with a constant thickness. Such a configuration also
allows for easily forming the first key groove (61) in the main
body (23a) of the housing (23), and easily mounting the first key
(54) in the first key groove (61).
(Second Variation)
[0096] As illustrated in FIG. 13, the facing portion (71) may be
configured as a separate member fixed to the main body (23a) of the
housing (23). Such a configuration also allows for easily forming
the first key groove (61) in the main body (23a) of the housing
(23), and easily mounting the first key (54) in the first key
groove (61).
(Third Variation)
[0097] As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the first key groove (61)
may be a groove opened on the outer peripheral surface of the main
body (flange) (23a) of the housing (23).
[0098] Also in such a configuration, the groove opened on the outer
peripheral surface of the main body (flange) (23a) of the housing
(23) which functions as first key groove (61) can be easily
formed.
Other Embodiments
[0099] The above-described embodiment may be modified as
follows.
[0100] For example, in this embodiment, the interval (A) between
the pair of the first keys (54) is set to be smaller than the outer
diameter (B) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23), and
the thickness (C) of the ring portion (53) is set to be larger than
the thickness (D) of the facing portion(71) of the housing (23).
However, these elements do not necessarily have to be set as
described above.
[0101] In the third variation of the embodiment, oil may remain in
the first key groove (61) to prevent the first key (54) from moving
smoothly. It is therefore suitable that the housing (23) is
provided with an oil removing hole for removing oil from the first
key groove (61),
[0102] According to this embodiment, the orbiting scroll facing
surface (70) of the facing portion (71) of the housing (23) is in
contact with and faces the orbiting end plate (22a) of the orbiting
scroll (22) to slide on the orbiting end plate (22a). However, as
illustrated in FIG. 16, the sealing ring (76) may be mounted in the
sealing ring mounting groove (75) to allow the orbiting scroll
facing surface (70) to be spaced apart from and face the orbiting
end plate (22a) of the orbiting scroll (22), and thus, the orbiting
scroll facing surface (70) may be a surface not sliding on the
orbiting end plate (22a). Even if the orbiting scroll facing
surface (70) is not the surface sliding on the orbiting scroll
(22), the above configuration of the present disclosure allows the
first key groove (61) not to hinder the formation of the sealing
ring (not illustrated).
[0103] Note that the foregoing description of the embodiments is a
merely preferred example in nature, and is not intended to limit
the scope, application, or uses of the present disclosure.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0104] As can be seen from the foregoing description, the present
disclosure is useful for, in a scroll compressor provided with a
compression mechanism having a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll,
a structure of allowing the compression mechanism to hold an Oldham
ring that is a mechanism preventing the orbiting scroll from
rotating on its axis.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0105] 1 Scroll Compressor
[0106] 21 Fixed Scroll
[0107] 22 Orbiting Scroll
[0108] 23 Housing
[0109] 23a Flange (Body)
[0110] 40 Drive Shaft
[0111] 50 Oldham Ring
[0112] 51 First Key Mechanism
[0113] 52 Second Key Mechanism
[0114] 53 Ring Portion
[0115] 54 First Key
[0116] 61 First Key Groove
[0117] 70 Orbiting Scroll Facing Surface
[0118] 71 Facing Portion
[0119] 71a Tilted Surface
[0120] 72 Annular Opening
* * * * *