U.S. patent application number 16/530280 was filed with the patent office on 2020-02-06 for motor-operated compressor.
The applicant listed for this patent is LG Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Chuljig BAE, Yongkyu CHOI, Jongtae HER, Kitae JANG, Jehoon KIM, Byeongchul LEE, Kyoungjun PARK.
Application Number | 20200040893 16/530280 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67539355 |
Filed Date | 2020-02-06 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200040893 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HER; Jongtae ; et
al. |
February 6, 2020 |
MOTOR-OPERATED COMPRESSOR
Abstract
A motor-operated compressor according to the present disclosure
includes a first scroll performing an orbiting motion, a second
scroll coupled to the first scroll to form a compression chamber
with the first scroll and radially supporting a rotation shaft, a
main housing coupled to the second scroll outside the second
scroll, and coupled with a driving motor to form a motor chamber,
the main housing including an opened end at one side of the motor
chamber, a frame portion formed at another side of the motor
chamber to axially support the second scroll, and a first bearing
portion formed through the frame portion so that the rotation shaft
is inserted therethrough to be radially supported, and an inverter
housing coupled to the opened end of the main housing to seal the
motor chamber, whereby a main frame can be easily formed and a
compressor fabrication process can be simplified.
Inventors: |
HER; Jongtae; (Seoul,
KR) ; CHOI; Yongkyu; (Seoul, KR) ; PARK;
Kyoungjun; (Seoul, KR) ; LEE; Byeongchul;
(Seoul, KR) ; KIM; Jehoon; (Seoul, KR) ;
BAE; Chuljig; (Seoul, KR) ; JANG; Kitae;
(Seoul, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LG Electronics Inc. |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
67539355 |
Appl. No.: |
16/530280 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04C 2240/10 20130101;
F04C 29/028 20130101; F04C 29/045 20130101; F01C 21/02 20130101;
F01C 21/007 20130101; F04C 29/023 20130101; F04C 29/047 20130101;
F04C 2240/30 20130101; F04C 2240/20 20130101; F04C 2240/805
20130101; F01C 19/005 20130101; F04C 18/0215 20130101; F04C 27/008
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04C 18/02 20060101
F04C018/02; F04C 29/02 20060101 F04C029/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 3, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0090941 |
Aug 3, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0090942 |
Claims
1. A compressor, comprising: a driving motor comprising a stator
and a rotor; a rotation shaft coupled to the rotor; a first scroll
located at a side of the driving motor and configured to perform an
orbiting motion based on rotation of the rotation shaft, the
rotation shaft extending in an axial direction and being
eccentrically coupled to the first scroll; a second scroll that is
coupled to the first scroll and that defines a compression chamber
together with the first scroll; a main housing that is coupled to
an outside of the second scroll, that is coupled to the driving
motor, and that defines a motor chamber that accommodates the
driving motor, the main housing comprising: an opened end portion
located at a first side of the motor chamber, a frame portion that
is located at a second side of the motor chamber and that is
configured to support the second scroll in the axial direction, and
a first bearing portion that extends through at least a portion of
the frame portion in the axial direction, that is configured to
receive the rotation shaft, and that is configured to support the
rotation shaft in a radial direction; and an inverter housing that
accommodates an inverter element electrically connected to the
driving motor and that is coupled to the opened end portion of the
main housing to seal the motor chamber.
2. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the frame portion comprises a
first protrusion that protrudes from a side of the frame portion in
the radial direction, the first protrusion defining a first passage
that extends through the first protrusion and that is configured to
communicate with the motor chamber, wherein the second scroll is
coupled to an axial end surface of the frame portion, wherein the
second scroll comprises a second protrusion that protrudes in the
radial direction from a side of the second scroll corresponding to
the first protrusion, the second protrusion defining a second
passage that extends through the second protrusion toward the frame
portion, and wherein the second passage has a first end in
communication with the first passage and a second end in
communication with the compression chamber.
3. The compressor of claim 1, wherein a distance from a center of
the stator in the axial direction to a first end defined at the
opened end portion is less than a distance from the center of the
stator in the axial direction to a second end defined at the frame
portion.
4. The compressor of claim 3, wherein the rotation shaft passes
through the first scroll and is rotatably coupled to the second
scroll, and wherein the rotation shaft defines an oil supply
passage that passes through an inside of the rotation shaft in the
axial direction and that is configured to communicate with an oil
guide passage defined at the second scroll.
5. The compressor of claim 4, wherein the second scroll comprises a
second bearing portion configured to rotatably accommodate an end
portion of the rotation shaft, wherein the second bearing portion
extends outward of the end portion of the rotation shaft in the
axial direction and defines an oil guide space between the end
portion of the rotation shaft and the second bearing portion, and
wherein the oil guide passage is configured to communicate with the
oil guide space.
6. The compressor of claim 5, wherein the second scroll comprises a
third protrusion that protrudes from a rear surface of the second
scroll in the axial direction, and wherein the third protrusion
extends in the radial direction and defines the oil guide passage
therein.
7. The compressor of claim 5, further comprising a rear housing
that is coupled to the second scroll, the rear housing comprising a
third protrusion that protrudes from an inner surface of the rear
housing in the axial direction toward the second scroll, and
wherein the third protrusion extends in the radial direction and
defines the oil guide passage therein.
8. The compressor of claim 4, wherein the rotation shaft further
defines a plurality of oil supply holes that extend from the oil
supply passage toward an outer circumferential surface of the
rotation shaft and that are configured to communicate with bearing
surfaces located at the second scroll, the first scroll, and the
frame portion.
9. The compressor of claim 8, wherein the frame portion and the
first scroll face each other and define a back-pressure chamber
located between the frame portion and the first scroll and
configured to communicate with the plurality of oil supply holes,
and wherein the back-pressure chamber is configured to communicate
with the motor chamber through a gap defined between the outer
circumferential surface of the rotation shaft and an inner
circumferential surface of the frame portion.
10. The compressor of claim 1, wherein the inverter housing
comprises a sealing surface portion corresponding to the opened end
portion of the main housing, and wherein the compressor further
comprises a coupling member that is located between the main
housing and the sealing surface portion of the inverter housing and
that is configured to couple the opened end portion of the main
housing and the sealing surface portion of the inverter housing to
each other.
11. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the coupling member
comprises a plurality of rivets that protrude in the axial
direction from the opened end portion of the main housing and that
are arranged along a circumferential direction of the main housing
with predetermined intervals, and wherein the plurality of rivets
are configured to pass through the inverter housing based on
coupling the main housing and the inverter housing to each
other.
12. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the coupling member
comprises a plurality of rivets that are press-fitted into the
opened end portion of the main housing in the axial direction and
that are arranged along a circumferential direction of the main
housing with predetermined intervals, and wherein the plurality of
rivets are configured to couple to the main housing through the
inverter housing.
13. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the coupling member
comprises bolts configured to couple to the opened end portion of
the main housing through the inverter housing.
14. The compressor of claim 10, wherein the sealing surface portion
comprises a sealing protrusion that protrudes from a side of the
sealing surface portion toward the main housing, that has an
annular shape, and that is inserted into the opened end portion of
the main housing.
15. The compressor of claim 14, further comprising a sealing member
located between the main housing and the inverter housing, wherein
the sealing member comprises: a first sealing portion located
between the opened end portion of the main housing and the sealing
surface portion of the inverter housing, the first sealing portion
defining a plurality of holes configured to receive the coupling
member; and a second sealing portion located between an inner
circumferential surface of the main housing and an outer
circumferential surface of the sealing protrusion of the inverter
housing.
16. The compressor of claim 15, wherein the first sealing portion
and the second sealing portion are integrally formed with each
other.
17. A compressor comprising: a main housing that defines a motor
chamber therein, the main housing comprising an open ended portion
that defines an opening at a first side of the main housing; a
driving motor located in the motor chamber, the driving motor
comprises a stator coupled to an inside of the main housing and a
rotor disposed radially inside of the stator and configured to
rotate relative to the stator; an inverter housing that is coupled
to the first side of the main housing and that covers the opening
of the main housing; a rotation shaft that is coupled to the rotor
and that passes through and extends outward of a second side of the
main housing in an axial direction; a first scroll that is located
at the second side of the main housing, that is coupled to the
rotation shaft, and that is configured to perform an orbiting
motion based on rotation of the rotation shaft; and a second scroll
that is coupled to the first scroll, that defines a compression
chamber together with the first scroll, and that is coupled to the
second side of the main housing, wherein the second scroll is
disposed outside of the main housing and defines at least a portion
of an exterior of the compressor.
18. The compressor of claim 17, wherein the main housing further
comprises: a frame portion that is located at the second side of
the main housing and that is configured to support the second
scroll in the axial direction; and a first bearing portion that
extends through at least a portion of the frame portion in the
axial direction, that is configured to receive the rotation shaft,
and that is configured to support the rotation shaft in a radial
direction.
19. The compressor of claim 17, wherein the main housing further
comprises a first protrusion that protrudes radially outward from
the second side of the main housing and that faces the second
scroll in the axial direction, the first protrusion defining a
first passage that extends through the first protrusion in the
axial direction and that is configured to communicate with the
motor chamber, wherein the second scroll comprises a second
protrusion that protrudes radially outward from an outer
circumference of the second scroll corresponding to the first
protrusion, the second protrusion defining a second passage that
extends through the second protrusion, and wherein the second
passage has a first end in communication with the first passage and
a second end in communication with the compression chamber.
20. The compressor of claim 19, wherein the second passage extends
in a direction inclined with respect to the first passage.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a), this application claims
the benefit of an earlier filing date of and the right of priority
to Korean Application No. 10-2018-0090941 and Korean Application
No. 10-2018-0090942, filed on Aug. 3, 2018, the contents of which
are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
1. Field of the Disclosure
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a motor-operated
compressor operated by a motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] As a motor-operated compressor, a scroll compression type
suitable for a high compression ratio operation is widely known. In
the scroll type motor-operated compressor (hereinafter, abbreviated
as "motor-operated compressor"), a motor part configured as a
driving motor is installed in a hermetic casing, and a compression
part configured by a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll is
disposed at one side of the motor part. The motor part and the
compression part are connected to each other by a rotation shaft so
that a rotational force of the motor part is transferred to the
compression part.
[0004] Such a motor-operated compressor is provided with an
inverter module, which may be installed on a radial side surface of
the casing or on an axial side surface of the casing. Recently, a
motor-operated compressor has been introduced in which an inverter
module is installed on an axial side surface of a casing in
consideration of heat dissipation of the inverter module. Prior art
[Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2016-0104398 (Published
Date: Sep. 5, 2016)] discloses an example in which an inverter
module is installed on an axial side surface of a compressor
casing.
[0005] The motor-operated compressor according to the prior art has
a structure in which one end of a housing is opened and another end
is closed. A compression part including a center head constituting
a main frame is installed on the opened end, and an inverter casing
constituting the inverter module is installed on the closed end. As
a result, the motor part and the compression part are sequentially
inserted from the opened end to the closed end.
[0006] However, in the prior art motor-operated compressor as
described above, the center head constituting the main frame is
separately manufactured and assembled into the housing.
Accordingly, a process of manufacturing the center head and a
process of assembling the center head are required, which causes an
increase in an overall fabrication process of the compressor. In
addition, a machining error occurs during the manufacturing of the
center head or an assembly error occurs during the assembling, and
thereby concentricity between the motor part and the compression
part is misaligned. As a result, friction loss and bearing wear are
increased during rotation of a rotation shaft.
[0007] In addition, in the related art motor-operated compressor,
as the center head is inserted into the housing, an outer diameter
of the center head may be limited by an inner diameter of the
housing. In this case, an outer diameter of the compression part is
reduced relative to the same inner diameter of the housing, which
causes a limitation in expanding compressor capacity.
[0008] In addition, in the related art motor-operated compressor,
the center of the housing and the center of the motor part are
located on the same axial line, but this causes a size increase
compared to the compressor capacity. In other words, a suction
passage is usually formed in the vicinity of the edge of the center
head. However, if the center of the housing and the center of the
driving unit are located on the same axial line, the outer diameter
of the center head must be increased by the suction passage. If the
outer diameter of the center head is increased, the inner diameter
of the housing also becomes large, which results in increasing the
size of the compressor.
[0009] In addition, in the related art motor-operated compressor,
as one end directed to the inverter side, of both ends of the
housing, is closed and another end directed to the compression part
side is opened, the driving motor constituting the motor part is
inserted from the opened end of the housing. As a result, an
inserted depth of the motor part becomes long and thereby the
assembling work of the motor part becomes difficult. As the
inserted depth of the motor part is increased, there is a fear that
concentricity of the motor part may be misaligned.
[0010] In the related art motor-operated compressor, a gasket is
provided between a main housing and an inverter housing. However,
since such a gasket is formed in the shape of an annular plate, a
sealing area is limited by thickness of the housing. As a result,
if the thickness of the housing is thin, the sealing area becomes
small, and thus the thickness of the housing must be increased or a
coupling force must be increased.
[0011] In addition, in the related art motor-operated compressor,
an oil supply hole is formed sequentially through a fixed scroll
and the center head so as to communicate with a side surface of a
back-pressure chamber, so that oil separated in an oil separation
chamber can be guided into the back-pressure chamber. However, the
oil supply hole is difficult to be formed because it should usually
penetrate sequentially through the fixed scroll and the center
head. Also, this makes the oil supply hole located far from
bearings, which causes a limitation in quickly supplying oil to
bearing surfaces.
[0012] Further, in the related art motor-operated compressor, when
the back-pressure chamber is sealed, a kind of stagnation pressure
is formed in the back-pressure chamber, so that the oil cannot flow
smoothly into the back-pressure chamber and friction loss of the
main bearing is caused.
[0013] In addition, in the related art motor-operated compressor,
coupling portions protrude from outer circumferential surfaces of
the housing and the rear head or the housing and the inverter
casing, and both coupling protrusions are coupled by bolts. This
brings about an increase in outer diameter of the compressor, which
results in increasing the weight of the compressor and requiring a
wide space for installing the compressor.
[0014] In the related art motor-operated compressor, a gasket is
provided between the housing and a rear head for covering the
housing. However, the gasket is formed in the shape of an annular
plate so that the sealing area is narrowed. Accordingly, there is a
problem that the thickness of the housing or the rear head or the
coupling force must be increased in order to seal an inner space of
the housing.
[0015] In the related art motor-operated compressor, coupling
surfaces between the housing and a member coupled to the housing
are formed flat, which makes it difficult to accurately assemble
the housing and the member coupled to the housing.
SUMMARY
[0016] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a
motor-operated compressor, capable of simplifying a fabrication
process for a main frame supporting an orbiting scroll.
[0017] In relation to the one aspect, the present disclosure
provides a motor-operated compressor, capable of easily aligning
concentricity between a motor part and a compression part by
reducing a machining error or assembly error due to a main frame,
and of reducing friction loss and bearing wear with respect to a
rotation shaft.
[0018] In relation to the one aspect, the present disclosure
provides a motor-operated compressor, capable of increasing
compressor capacity compared to the same outer diameter of a main
frame.
[0019] In relation to the one aspect, the present disclosure
provides a motor-operated compressor, capable of enhancing the
degree of design freedom for a suction passage without increasing
an outer diameter of a housing or a main frame.
[0020] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a
motor-operated compressor, capable of facilitating assembly of a
driving motor by reducing an inserted depth of the driving motor
constituting a motor part.
[0021] In relation to another aspect, the present disclosure
provides a motor-operated compressor, capable of easily aligning
concentricity between a housing and a driving motor when assembling
the driving motor to the housing.
[0022] In relation to another aspect, the present disclosure
provides a motor-operated compressor, capable of enhancing a heat
dissipation effect of an inverter element by reducing a gap between
a main housing and an inverter housing.
[0023] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a motor-operated compressor, capable of enhancing sealing force for
a motor chamber by securing a sufficient sealing area between a
main housing and an inverter housing.
[0024] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a motor-operated compressor, capable of quickly supplying oil
separated in an oil separation chamber into a back-pressure chamber
and simplifying a structure of an oil supply hole for the oil
supply.
[0025] In relation to the still another aspect, the present
disclosure provides a motor-operated compressor, in which pressure
in a back-pressure chamber forms flow pressure and simultaneously
oil can be supplied to bearing surfaces quickly and smoothly.
[0026] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a motor-operated compressor, capable of increasing sealing force
for an inner space of a main housing by increasing a sealing area
between the main housing and a member coupled to the main housing
for sealing the inner space of the main housing.
[0027] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a motor-operated compressor, capable of preventing an increase in
weight or size of the compressor by simplifying a coupling
structure between a main housing and a member coupled to the main
housing.
[0028] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a motor-operated compressor, capable of aligning assembled
positions of a main housing and an inverter housing by forming a
stepped surface on the inverter housing coupled to the main
housing.
[0029] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of this specification, as embodied and broadly
described herein, there is provided a motor-operated compressor,
including a main housing having a motor chamber, a driving motor
fixed to an inside of the main housing, a fixed scroll coupled to
the main housing outside the main housing, an orbiting scroll
engaged with the fixed scroll at the outside of the main housing to
form a compression chamber, and an inverter housing coupled to the
main housing to seal the motor chamber.
[0030] Here, the main housing may be provided with a frame portion
integrally extending therefrom so as to support the orbiting scroll
in an axial direction.
[0031] The frame portion may be formed to have a different center
of axis from that of the driving motor.
[0032] The inverter housing may be provided with a sealing
protrusion inserted into the main housing, and a sealing member may
be disposed between an outer circumferential surface of the sealing
protrusion and an inner circumferential surface of the main
housing.
[0033] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of this specification, as embodied and broadly
described herein, there is provided a motor-operated compressor,
including a main housing having an inner space, in which one end
thereof in an axial direction is opened and another end in the
axial direction has a frame portion, a driving motor having a
stator inserted into the inner space of the main housing and a
rotor rotatably provided inside the stator, a rotation shaft having
one end coupled to the rotor of the driving motor and another end
inserted through the frame portion to be supported by the frame
portion in a radial direction, a first scroll supported in the
axial direction by the frame portion of the main housing and
eccentrically coupled to the rotation shaft to perform an orbiting
motion, a second scroll coupled to the main housing at outside of
the inner space of the main housing and engaged with the first
scroll to form a compression chamber, a rear housing coupled to the
second scroll to form an oil separation chamber together with the
second scroll, and an inverter housing coupled to the main housing
to seal the opened end of the main housing, wherein a first
protrusion and a second protrusion are formed on outer
circumferential surfaces of the frame portion and the second
scroll, respectively, in the radial direction. The first protrusion
may be provided with a first passage communicating with the inner
space of the main housing and the second protrusion may be provided
with a second passage communicating with the compression chamber.
The first passage and the second passage may communicate with each
other so that the inner space of the main housing communicates with
the compression chamber therethrough.
[0034] Further, in order to achieve the aspects of the present
invention, there is provided a motor-operated compressor, including
a driving motor having a stator and rotor, a rotation shaft coupled
to the rotor, a first scroll which is provided on one side of the
driving motor, and through which the rotation shaft is
eccentrically coupled in an axial direction, the first scroll
performing an orbiting motion by the rotation shaft, a second
scroll coupled to the first scroll to form a compression chamber
together with the first scroll, the rotation shaft rotatably
inserted into the second scroll through the first scroll to be
supported in a radial direction, a main housing coupled to the
second scroll outside the second scroll, and coupled with the
driving motor to form a motor chamber constituting a suction space,
the main housing provided with an opened end at one side of the
motor chamber, a frame portion formed at another side of the motor
chamber to support the second scroll in the axial direction, and a
first bearing portion formed through the frame portion so that the
rotation shaft is inserted therethrough to be supported in the
radial direction, and an inverter housing accommodating therein an
inverter element electrically connected to the driving motor, and
coupled to the opened end of the main housing to seal the motor
chamber. A coupling portion for coupling the opened end of the main
housing and a sealing surface portion of the inverter housing
facing the opened end of the main housing may be provided between
the main housing and the sealing surface portion of the inverter
housing.
[0035] Further, in order to achieve the aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a motor-operated compressor, including
a driving motor having a stator and a rotor, a rotation shaft
coupled to the rotor, a first scroll which is provided on one side
of the driving motor, and through which the rotation shaft is
eccentrically coupled in an axial direction, the first scroll
performing an orbiting motion by the rotation shaft, a second
scroll coupled to the first scroll to form a compression chamber
together with the first scroll, a main housing coupled to the
second scroll outside the second scroll, and coupled with the
driving motor to form a motor chamber constituting a suction space,
the main housing provided with an opened end at one side of the
motor chamber, a frame portion formed at another side of the motor
chamber to support the second scroll in the axial direction, and a
first bearing portion formed through the frame portion so that the
rotation shaft is inserted therethrough to be supported in a radial
direction, and an inverter housing accommodating therein an
inverter element electrically connected to the driving motor, and
coupled to the opened end of the main housing to seal the motor
chamber.
[0036] Here, the frame portion may be provided with a first
protrusion on one side thereof in a radial direction, and the first
protrusion may be provided with a first passage formed therethrough
to communicate with inside of the motor chamber. The second scroll
may be coupled to an axial end surface of the frame portion. The
second scroll may be provided with a second protrusion protruding
therefrom in the radial direction, the second protrusion may be
provided with a second passage formed therethrough, and the second
passage may have another end communicating with the compression
chamber.
[0037] Here, when the opened end of the main housing is a first end
and the another end provided with the frame portion is a second
end, a length from a center of the stator in the axial direction to
the first end may be shorter than a length from the center of the
stator in the axial direction to the second end.
[0038] The rotation shaft may be rotatably coupled to the second
scroll through the first scroll and may be provided with an oil
supply passage formed therein in the axial direction. The second
scroll may be provided with an oil guide passage communicating with
the oil supply passage of the rotation shaft.
[0039] The second scroll may be provided with a second bearing
portion in which an end portion of the rotation shaft is rotatably
accommodated, the second bearing portion may have an oil guide
space therein, extending in the axial direction to be longer than
the end portion of the rotation shaft, and the oil guide passage
may communicate with the oil guide space.
[0040] The second scroll or a rear housing coupled to the second
scroll may be provided with a third protrusion protruding therefrom
in the axial direction, and the third protrusion may be provided
with the oil guide passage therein.
[0041] The oil supply passage may be provided with a plurality of
oil supply holes formed toward an outer circumferential surface of
the rotation shaft in a penetrating manner, to communicate with
bearing surfaces of the second scroll, the first scroll, and the
frame portion, respectively.
[0042] A back-pressure chamber communicating with the plurality of
oil supply holes may be formed between surfaces of the frame
portion and the first scroll that face each other. The
back-pressure chamber may communicate with the motor chamber
through a gap between an outer circumferential surface of the
rotation shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the frame
portion.
[0043] The inverter housing may be provided with a sealing surface
portion corresponding to the opened end of the main housing, and a
coupling portion for coupling the opened end of the main housing
and the sealing surface portion of the inverter housing to each
other may be provided between the main housing and the sealing
surface portion of the inverter housing.
[0044] The coupling portion may be configured as a plurality of
rivets extending in the axial direction from the opened end of the
main housing and formed at predetermined intervals along a
circumferential direction.
[0045] The plurality of rivets may be coupled through the inverter
housing.
[0046] Here, the coupling portion may be configured as a plurality
of rivets press-fitted into the opened end of the main housing in
the axial direction and formed at predetermined intervals along a
circumferential direction, and the plurality of rivets may be
coupled through the inverter housing.
[0047] The coupling portion may be configured as bolts coupled to
the opened end of the main housing through the inverter
housing.
[0048] The sealing surface portion may be provided with a sealing
protrusion protruding from one side thereof into an annular shape,
and the sealing protrusion may be inserted into the opened end of
the main housing.
[0049] A sealing member may be provided between the main housing
and the inverter housing, and the sealing member may include a
first sealing portion located between the opened end of the main
housing and the sealing surface portion of the inverter housing and
having a plurality of holes through which the coupling portion is
inserted, and a second sealing portion located between an inner
circumferential surface of the main housing and an outer
circumferential surface of the sealing protrusion of the inverter
housing.
[0050] The first sealing portion and the second sealing portion may
be integrally formed with each other.
[0051] In a motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, by forming a frame portion integrally with a main
housing, formation of a main frame can be facilitated so as to
simplify a fabrication process of the compressor.
[0052] In addition, by forming the frame portion integrally with
the main housing, a machining error and an assembly error of the
main frame can be reduced. Accordingly, concentricity matching
between a motor part and a compression part can be facilitated, and
friction loss and bearing wear during rotation of a rotation shaft
can be reduced.
[0053] Also, by forming the frame portion integrally with the main
housing, an outer diameter of the frame portion can increase
compared with the same outer diameter of the main housing. This may
result in realizing a compressor with large capacity as compared
with the same outer diameter
[0054] A suction passage can be formed by extending a part of the
main housing provided with the frame portion, without increasing
the entire main housing. Thus, the degree of design freedom for the
suction passage can be enhanced even without increasing the size of
the compressor.
[0055] Also, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, one end, to which an inverter housing is
coupled, of both ends of a main housing, can be opened so that a
driving motor can be inserted, thereby reducing a depth by which
the driving motor is inserted. This can make it easy to assemble
the driving motor.
[0056] In addition, the insertion depth of the driving motor can be
reduced, so that concentricity of the driving motor and the main
housing can be kept constant when assembling the driving motor.
[0057] Further, a heat dissipation effect of an inverter element
can be improved by reducing a gap between a main housing and an
inverter housing.
[0058] Also, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, a sealing protrusion can be formed between a
main housing and an inverter housing, thereby increasing a sealing
area for a motor chamber while applying a sealing member providing
good sealing force. This may result in enhancing a sealing
effect.
[0059] In a motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, a rotation shaft can communicate with an oil separation
chamber via a compression part, and an oil supply passage for
guiding oil separated in the oil separation chamber to a
back-pressure chamber can be formed in the rotation shaft, thereby
simplifying the oil supply passage for guiding the oil separated in
the oil separation chamber into the back-pressure chamber.
[0060] As the oil supply passage communicates directly with each
bearing surface, the oil can be quickly supplied to the bearing
surfaces, thereby enhancing an oil supply effect.
[0061] As a motor chamber and the back-pressure chamber communicate
with each other, flow pressure is generated in the back-pressure
chamber. This can make the oil smoothly supplied to the
back-pressure chamber and each bearing surface.
[0062] In a motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, a first end of a main housing and a sealing surface
portion of an inverter housing in contact with the first end of the
main housing can be coupled by inserting rivets or bolts
therethrough. Accordingly, the first end of the main housing and
the sealing surface portion of the inverter housing can be coupled
to each other even without forming coupling protrusions on
respective outer circumferential surfaces of the main housing and
the inverter housing. Accordingly, the outer diameter of the
compressor can be reduced compared with the case where the coupling
protrusions are formed on the outer circumferential surfaces of the
main housing and the inverter housing to couple the both housings,
which may result in reducing the weight of the compressor and
decreasing the space required for installing the compressor.
[0063] In a motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, a sealing member configured as a gasket can be provided
between a main housing and an inverter housing, and the sealing
member is provided with a first sealing portion and a second
sealing portion to seal outer circumferential surfaces of a sealing
surface portion and a sealing protrusion, respectively.
Accordingly, the sealing area can be increased without increasing
the thicknesses of the main housing and the inverter housing,
thereby sealing the motor chamber more effectively.
[0064] In a motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, a sealing protrusion can be formed in a stepped manner
on an inverter housing coupled to a main housing, thereby easily
aligning an installation position of the inverter housing when the
inverter housing is assembled to the main housing. Accordingly, the
operation of assembling the main housing and the inverter housing
can be performed easily and accurately.
[0065] Also, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, by forming a frame portion integrally with a
main housing, formation of a main frame can be facilitated so as to
simplify a fabrication process of the compressor.
[0066] Also, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, one end, to which an inverter housing is
coupled, of both ends of a main housing, can be opened so that a
driving motor can be inserted, thereby reducing a depth by which
the driving motor is inserted. This can make it easy to assemble
the driving motor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0067] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a compressor
module and an inverter module disassembled from each other in a
motor-operated compressor in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0068] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an inside of the
motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 1.
[0069] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main housing, viewed from a
side, in the motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 2.
[0070] FIG. 4 is a front view of the main housing in FIG. 3, viewed
from the rear.
[0071] FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a rotation shaft and
bearings supporting the rotation shaft in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0072] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second scroll in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from a
side.
[0073] FIG. 7 is a front view of the second scroll according to
FIG. 6, viewed from the front.
[0074] FIG. 8 is a planar view illustrating an engagement
relationship between an orbiting wrap and a fixed wrap in a
non-involute shape in a motor-operated compressor according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0075] FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a coupled portion
between a main housing and an inverter housing in FIG. 2.
[0076] FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a circulation
process of refrigerant and oil in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0077] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating another
embodiment of an assembly structure of a compressor module and an
inverter module, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure.
[0078] FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating an inside of the
motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 11.
[0079] FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a coupled portion
between a main housing and an inverter housing in FIG. 12.
[0080] FIG. 14 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment
of a rivet coupling structure in FIG. 13.
[0081] FIGS. 15 and 16 are sectional views illustrating embodiments
of a coupling structure of the main housing and the inverter
housing in FIG. 13.
[0082] FIGS. 17 and 18 are sectional views illustrating different
embodiments of a sealing member in FIG. 13.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0083] Description will now be given in detail of a motor-operated
compressor according to exemplary embodiments disclosed herein,
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0084] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a compressor
module and an inverter module disassembled from each other in a
motor-operated compressor in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an
inside of the motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 1.
[0085] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a scroll type
motor-operated compressor (hereinafter, abbreviated as a
motor-operated compressor) according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure may include a compressor module 101 for
compressing a refrigerant, and an inverter module 201 coupled to a
front side of the compressor module 101 for controlling an
operation of the compressor module 101. The compressor module 101
and the inverter module 201 may be successively assembled, or
independently manufactured and assembled. This embodiment
illustrates the latter as a representative example, but the former
and the latter may alternatively be combined such that the
compressor module and the inverter module are independently
manufactured but successively assembled.
[0086] The compressor module 101 includes a main housing 110 having
an inner space forming a motor chamber S1 and provided with an
inlet port 111 formed thereat to communicate with the motor chamber
S1, a driving motor 120 as a motor part fixed to the motor chamber
S1 of the main housing 110, a compression part 105 provided at one
side of the driving motor 120 outside the main housing 110 to
compress a refrigerant using a rotational force of the driving
motor 120, and a rear housing 160 coupled to another side of the
compression part 105 to form an oil separation chamber S2.
[0087] As the main housing 110 is arranged in a horizontal
direction with respect to the ground, the driving motor 120 and the
compression part 105 are also arranged in the horizontal direction.
For the sake of explanation, a left side of FIG. 2 is designated as
a front side and a right side as a rear side.
[0088] The main housing 110 has a cross-section in a cup-like shape
in which a front end is opened and a rear end is partially closed.
The opened front end of the main housing 110 is sealed by being
coupled to an inverter housing 210 to be described later and a
frame portion 112 supporting the compression part 105 integrally
extends from the closed rear end of the main housing 110. A first
bearing portion 113 is formed through the frame portion 112 of the
main housing 110. A main bearing portion 132 of a rotation shaft
130 to be described later penetrates through the first bearing
portion 113 so as to be rotatably supported.
[0089] A first bearing 171 as a bush bearing may be inserted into
the first bearing portion 113. An inner circumferential surface of
the first bearing portion 113 may be spaced apart from the main
bearing portion 132 of the rotation shaft 130 so that a
back-pressure chamber S3 to be described later can communicate with
the motor chamber S1. As the inlet port 111 to which a suction pipe
(not shown) is connected is formed near the front end of the main
housing 110, the motor chamber S1 of this embodiment forms a kind
of suction space. Accordingly, the motor-operated compressor
according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is
implemented as a low-pressure type compressor in the aspect that
refrigerant is introduced into the compression part through the
inner space of the main housing constituting the motor chamber.
[0090] The main housing according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure is integrally formed with the frame portion, as
described above. Accordingly, a process of separately assembling a
frame to a main housing is excluded, thereby reducing the number of
assembling steps and simultaneously enhancing assembling
performance of the driving motor.
[0091] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main housing, viewed from a
side, in the motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 2, and
FIG. 4 is a front view of the main housing in FIG. 3, viewed from
the rear.
[0092] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, an axial center Ob1 of the
first bearing portion 113 is formed to be aligned with an axial
center Om of the driving motor 120. To this end, a center of an
outer diameter and a center of an inner diameter (i.e., the center
of the first bearing portion) of the frame portion 112 may be
aligned with each other.
[0093] However, the axial center Ob1 of the first bearing portion
113 may be aligned with the axial center Om of the driving motor
120 but the center Oi of the outer diameter and the center Oo of
the inner diameter of the frame portion 112 may not be aligned with
each other. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first
protrusion 114 may protrude from one side of the frame portion 112
in a radial direction of the frame portion 112, and a first passage
114a may be formed through the first protrusion 114 to communicate
with an inside of the motor chamber S1. The first passage 114a may
form a suction passage Fg together with a second passage 154a of a
second scroll 150 to be described later, so that the compression
chamber V and the motor chamber S1 can communicate with each
other.
[0094] On the other hand, the frame portion 112 is formed such that
its front side protrudes toward a center side, that is, in a
direction in which the first bearing portion 113 faces the driving
motor 120, and its rear side is recessed to be stepped at least
twice in a direction toward the driving motor 120. Also, the frame
portion 112 is provided at its rear side with a scroll mounting
groove 112a in which an orbiting end plate of a first scroll to be
explained later is inserted to be supported in an axial direction,
an Oldham ring mounting groove 112b for mounting an Oldham ring 180
therein which is a rotation-preventing mechanism, and a balance
weight accommodating groove 112c for rotatably accommodating a
balance weight 138 therein. The scroll mounting groove 112a, the
Oldham ring mounting groove 112b, and the balance weight
accommodating groove 112c are continuously formed in a stepped
manner so as to form a kind of back-pressure chamber S3.
[0095] The rear end of the first bearing portion 113 protrudes in a
direction toward a first scroll 140 and is formed into a
cylindrical shape. A first bearing 171 which is configured as a
bush bearing is inserted into the first bearing portion 113.
Accordingly, an outer circumferential surface of the rear end of
the first bearing portion 113 forms the balance weight
accommodating groove 112c, thereby forming the back-pressure
chamber S3.
[0096] The rear end of the first bearing portion 113 is provided
with an axial bearing surface 113a forming a thrust surface
together with an axial bearing protrusion 135 of the rotation shaft
to be described later. Here, at least one of the axial bearing
surface 113a of the first bearing portion 113 or an axial bearing
portion 135a of the axial bearing protrusion 135 provided on the
rotation shaft 130 may be provided with an oil passage groove 113b.
With this configuration, as oil or refrigerant in the back-pressure
chamber S3 flows toward the motor chamber S1 along the axial
bearing surfaces, flow pressure is formed in the back-pressure
chamber S3.
[0097] On the other hand, the driving motor 120 includes a stator
121 fixed to an inner circumferential surface of the main housing
110, and a rotor 122 positioned inside the stator 121 and rotated
by interaction with the stator 121. The rotor 122 is coupled with
the rotation shaft 130 that transfers the rotation force of the
driving motor 120 to the compression part 105 while rotating
together with the rotor 122.
[0098] The stator 121 is inserted and fixed to the main housing 110
in a heat shrinking (or hot pressing) manner. Accordingly, by
reducing the depth of insertion in the main housing 110, the stator
121 may be easily assembled and may be advantageous in view of
maintaining its concentricity during the shrinking process.
[0099] To this end, as illustrated in FIG. 3, if it is assumed that
the opened end of the main housing 110 is a first end 110a and an
end provided with the frame portion 112 is a second end 110b, a
length L1 from a center CL of the stator 121 of an axial direction
of the stator 121 to the first end 110a may be shorter than a
length L2 from the center CL of the stator 121 to the second end
110b. Accordingly, as described above, an insertion depth L3 by
which the stator 121 is inserted into the motor chamber S1 of the
main housing 110 can be shortened.
[0100] On the other hand, the rotation shaft 130 is coupled to a
center of the rotor 122 in the heat shrinking (or hot pressing)
manner. Both ends of the rotation shaft 130 with respect to the
driving motor 120 may also be supported in a radial direction.
However, as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, one end of
the rotation shaft 130 may be a fixed end which is supported at one
side of the driving motor 120, namely, at two points in the radial
direction by the frame portion 112 and the second scroll 150, and
another end of the rotation shaft 130 coupled to the rotor 122 of
the driving motor 120 may be a free end in the radial
direction.
[0101] FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a rotation shaft and
bearings supporting the rotation shaft in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0102] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the rotation shaft 130 includes a
shaft portion 131 coupled to the rotor 122, a main bearing portion
132 rotatably supported in the first bearing portion 113 in the
radial direction, an eccentric portion 133 eccentrically coupled to
the first scroll 140, and a sub bearing portion 134 rotatably
supported radially in a second bearing portion 156 of a second
scroll 150 in the radial direction. The main bearing portion 132
and the sub bearing portion 134, as aforementioned, support the
rotation shaft 130 in the radial direction, respectively. The
eccentric portion 133 transfers rotational force of the driving
motor 120 to the first scroll 140, so that the first scroll 140
performs an orbiting motion by an Oldham ring 180.
[0103] The axial bearing protrusion 135 may extend radially from a
middle portion of the rotation shaft 130, namely, between the main
bearing portion 132 and the eccentric portion 133. The axial
bearing surface 135a of the axial bearing portion 135 forms a
thrust surface together with the axial bearing surface 113a of the
first bearing portion 113.
[0104] An oil supply passage 136 is formed in the rotation shaft
130 by a predetermined depth in a direction from the rear end
toward the front end. Oil supply holes 137a, 137b, and 137c are
formed through a middle portion of the oil supply passage 136
toward outer circumferential surfaces of the main bearing portion
132, the eccentric portion 133, and the sub bearing portion 134,
respectively. It will be described again later together with an oil
supply structure.
[0105] On the other hand, the compression part 105, as
aforementioned, includes an orbiting scroll (hereinafter, referred
to as a first scroll) 140 supported by the frame portion 112 of the
main housing 110 in the axial direction to perform an orbiting
motion, and a fixed scroll (or a non-orbiting scroll) (hereinafter,
referred to as a second scroll) 150 engaged with the first scroll
140 and fixed to the closed second end 110b of the main housing
110. A pair of compression chambers V is formed between the first
scroll 140 and the second scroll 150 during the orbiting motion of
the first scroll 140. The compression chambers will be described
later with an orbiting wrap and a fixed wrap.
[0106] The first scroll 140 is axially supported by the frame
portion 112, and an Oldham ring 180 which is a rotation-preventing
mechanism for preventing a rotation of the first scroll 140 is
provided between the frame portion 112 and the first scroll 140.
The rotation-preventing mechanism may also be configured as a pin
& ring type as well as the Oldham ring.
[0107] The first scroll 140 is provided with an orbiting scroll end
plate (hereinafter, referred to as an orbiting end plate) 141 in a
substantially disk shape. An orbiting wrap 142 is formed on a front
surface of the orbiting end plate 141. The orbiting wrap 142 is
engaged with a fixed wrap 153 to be explained later so as to form
compression chambers at an inner surface and an outer surface with
respect to the fixed wrap 153. The orbiting wrap will be explained
later with the fixed wrap.
[0108] The orbiting end plate 141 is provided with a back-pressure
hole 141a for communicating the back-pressure chamber S3 and an
intermediate compression chamber V with each other. Accordingly,
oil or refrigerant can flow between the back-pressure chamber S3
and the intermediate compression chamber V according to a pressure
difference between the back-pressure chamber S3 and the
intermediate compression chamber V.
[0109] A rotation shaft coupling portion 143 to which the eccentric
portion 133 of the rotation shaft 130 is rotatably coupled is
formed through a center of the orbiting end plate 141. The rotation
shaft coupling portion 143 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a
third bearing 173 forming a bearing surface together with the
eccentric portion 133 of the rotation shaft 130 is inserted into
the rotation shaft coupling portion 143. The rotation shaft
coupling portion 143 (or the third bearing) is formed so as to
overlap the orbiting wrap 142 in a radial direction. The rotation
shaft coupling portion 143 becomes a portion of the orbiting wrap
142 which is located at the innermost position.
[0110] On the other hand, the second scroll is coupled to the
second end of the main housing from outside of the main housing, as
described above. In this case, a sealing member such as a gasket
may be provided between the main housing and the second scroll.
[0111] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second scroll in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from a side,
and FIG. 7 is a front view of the second scroll according to FIG.
6, viewed from the front.
[0112] As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second scroll 150
includes a fixed scroll end plate (hereinafter, referred to as a
fixed end plate) 151 formed in a substantially disk shape, and a
side wall portion 152 formed at an edge of the fixed end plate 151
to be coupled to a frame-side end portion of the main housing 110.
A fixed wrap 153 which is engaged with the orbiting wrap 142 to
form compression chambers is formed on a front surface of the fixed
end plate 151. The fixed wrap 153 may be formed in an involute
shape together with the orbiting wrap 142, but may also be formed
in various other shapes. The shape of the fixed wrap 153 will be
described later together with the orbiting wrap 142, with reference
to FIG. 8.
[0113] A second protrusion 154 radially protrudes from an outer
circumferential surface of the side wall portion 152 so as to
correspond to the first protrusion 114. The second protrusion 154
may be provided therein with a second passage 154a forming the
suction passage Fg together with the first passage 114a.
Accordingly, a center Obo of an outer diameter of the second scroll
150 may be different from a center Ob2 of a second bearing portion
156.
[0114] The second passage 154a forming the suction passage Fg may
be formed in the axial direction or may be formed to be inclined as
illustrated in FIG. 6. If the second passage 154a is formed in the
axial direction, an outer diameter of the fixed end plate 151 may
be enlarged to increase a winding length of a fixed wrap 153,
compared to the same outer diameter of the main housing 110. On the
other hand, if the second passage 154a is formed to be inclined,
the winding length of the fixed wrap 153 may be reduced, compared
with the same capacity of the compression chamber, so as to
downsize the compressor.
[0115] The first passage 114a and the second passage 154a forming
the suction passage Fg are formed in the first protrusion 114 and
the second protrusion 154, respectively, and thus the suction
passage Fg may be formed close to an outer circumferential surface
of the compressor. Accordingly, a refrigerant sucked into the
compression chamber V through the suction passage Fg from the motor
chamber S1 can quickly exchange heat with external air of the
compressor, which may lower a specific volume of the refrigerant
sucked into the compression chamber V, thereby reducing suction
loss. Particularly, in the case of the second passage 154a, since
the second scroll 150 is provided outside the main housing 110, the
second passage 154a may be located closer to the outside, as
compared with being inserted into the main housing 110. This may
result in further enhancing a heat dissipation effect of
refrigerant which has been slightly heated while passing through
the motor chamber.
[0116] Further, a dimple groove 152a may be formed on the outer
circumferential surface of the side wall portion 152 to reduce a
weight of the second scroll 150 and simultaneously prevent
deformation of the second scroll 150. The dimple groove 152a may be
provided in plurality arranged along a circumferential direction
with predetermined intervals, or one dimple groove 152a may be
formed long in the circumferential direction.
[0117] Since the outer circumferential surface of the side wall
portion 152 of the second scroll 150 is located outside the main
housing 110, an outer diameter of the second scroll 150 may be
greater than or equal to an inner diameter of the main housing 110.
Therefore, the outer diameter of the second scroll 150 can increase
on the basis of the same outer diameter of the compressor, which
may result in extending the winding lengths of the fixed wrap 153
and the orbiting wrap 142, thereby increasing a suction volume of
the compression chamber V.
[0118] An outlet port 155 which communicates a final compression
chamber V with an oil separation chamber S2, which is to be
explained later, so as to guide a discharge of a refrigerant is
formed through a central portion of the fixed end plate 151. The
outlet port 155 may be formed in a penetrating manner from the
compression chamber V to the oil separation chamber S2 in an axial
direction or inclined direction of the fixed end plate 151. As
illustrated in FIG. 8, only one outlet port 155 may be formed to
communicate a first compression chamber V1 and a second compression
chamber V2 to be explained later, or a first outlet port 155a and a
second outlet port 155b may be formed to communicate with the first
compression chamber V1 and the second compression chamber V2,
respectively.
[0119] A second bearing portion 156 may be formed in the center of
the fixed end plate 151, so that the sub bearing portion 134 of the
rotation shaft 130 is rotatably inserted therein to be supported in
a radial direction. The second bearing portion 156 may be formed by
extending from the fixed end plate 151 toward a rear housing 160 in
an axial direction, or by more increasing thickness of the fixed
end plate 151. However, in the latter case, not only a weight of
the second scroll 150 is increased but also an unnecessary portion
is thickly formed, and thereby a length of the outlet port 155 may
become long, thereby increasing a dead volume. Therefore, the
second bearing portion 156 is formed by protruding a part of the
fixed end plate 151 as illustrated in the former case. For example,
it is preferable that a third protrusion 157 is formed at a portion
of the fixed end plate 151, except for the portion where the outlet
port 155 is formed, and the second bearing portion 156 is formed in
the third protrusion 157.
[0120] The second bearing portion 156 is formed in a cylindrical
shape having a closed rear surface, and a second bearing 172, which
forms the bearing surface together with the sub bearing portion 134
of the rotation shaft 130, is coupled to an inner circumferential
surface of the second bearing portion 156 in an inserted manner.
The second bearing 172 may be implemented as a bush bearing or a
needle bearing.
[0121] An oil guide space 156a more extending in the axial
direction than an end portion of the rotation shaft 130 is formed
in a rear side of the second shaft accommodating portion 156. The
oil guide space 156a is located between an oil guide passage 157a
and an oil supply passage 136 to be explained later. The oil guide
passage 157a may communicate with the oil separation chamber S2,
and the oil supply passage 136 may communicate with the bearing
surfaces provided on the outer circumferential surfaces of the main
bearing portion 132, the sub bearing portion 134, and the eccentric
portion 133, respectively.
[0122] The oil guide passage 157a may be formed in the second
scroll 150 or in the rear housing 160, which will be described
later. For example, in the case where the oil guide passage 157a is
formed in the second scroll 150, if it is assumed that the rear
surface of the second scroll 150, that is, one side surface facing
the frame portion 112, of both side surfaces of the second scroll
150 in the axial direction is a first surface 150a and an opposite
surface to the first surface 150a is a second surface 150b, the
third protrusion 157 may protrude from the second surface 150b in a
direction toward the rear housing 160, and the oil guide passage
157a may be formed in the third protrusion 157 in the radial
direction of the second scroll 150. One end of the oil guide
passage 157a may communicate with an outer circumferential surface
of the fixed end plate 151 and another end of the oil guide passage
157a may communicate with an inner circumferential surface of the
oil guide space 156a.
[0123] Accordingly, oil of high pressure, separated from a
refrigerant in the oil separation chamber S2 of the rear housing
160 can quickly flow to the oil guide space 156a along the oil
guide passage 157a by a pressure difference, and then may be
quickly supplied to each bearing surface through the oil supply
passage 136 and the respective oil supply holes 137a to 137c by the
pressure difference.
[0124] Referring back to FIG. 5, one oil supply passage 136 and a
plurality of oil supply holes 137a, 137b, and 137c may be formed in
the rotation shaft 130. The oil supply passage 136, as
aforementioned, is formed in the axial direction by a predetermined
depth from an end portion of the rotation shaft 130, namely, from
the rear end to the front end of the rotation shaft 130
accommodated in the oil guide space 156a. The plurality of oil
supply holes 137a, 137b and 137c may be formed at predetermined
intervals in a middle portion of the oil supply passage 136 along
the axial direction.
[0125] The plurality of oil supply holes 137a, 137b and 137c may
include a second oil supply hole 137b penetrating from the oil
guide passage 136 to an outer circumferential surface of the sub
bearing portion 134, a third oil supply hole 137c penetrating from
the oil guide passage 136 to an outer circumferential surface of
the eccentric portion 133, and a first oil supply hole 137a
penetrating from the oil supply passage 136 to an outer
circumferential surface of the main bearing portion 132.
[0126] Accordingly, oil introduced into the oil supply passage 136
from the oil guide space 156a passes sequentially through the
second oil supply hole 137b, the third oil supply hole 137c and the
first oil supply hole 137a, so as to be supplied to the respective
bearing surfaces.
[0127] On the other hand, each of the orbiting wrap and the fixed
wrap may be formed in an involute shape. However, as shown in this
embodiment, when the rotation shaft is coupled through the center
of the second scroll as the orbiting scroll, the final compression
chamber may be formed at an eccentric position, and thereby a great
pressure difference may be generated between the compression
chambers. This is because, in the case of a shaft-through scroll
compressor, pressure of one compression chamber becomes much lower
than pressure of another compression chamber as the final
compression chamber is formed eccentrically from a center of a
scroll. Therefore, in the shaft-through scroll compressor, it is
advantageous to form the orbiting wrap and the fixed wrap into a
non-involute shape as shown in this embodiment.
[0128] FIG. 8 is a planar view illustrating an engagement
relationship between an orbiting wrap and a fixed wrap in a
non-involute shape in a motor-operated compressor according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0129] As illustrated in FIG. 7, an orbiting wrap 142 according the
embodiment of the present disclosure may have a shape in which a
plurality of arcs having different diameters and origins are
connected, and the outermost curve may be formed in a substantially
elliptical shape having a major axis and a minor axis. A fixed wrap
153 may be formed in a similar manner.
[0130] A rotation shaft coupling portion 143 which forms an inner
end portion of the orbiting wrap 142 and to which the eccentric
portion 133 of the rotation shaft 130 is rotatably inserted may be
formed through a central portion of the orbiting end plate 141 in
an axial direction. A third bearing 173 implemented as a bush
bearing may be fixedly inserted into an inner circumferential
surface of the rotation shaft coupling portion 143. An outer
circumferential part of the rotation shaft coupling portion 143 is
connected to the orbiting wrap 142 to form the compression chamber
V together with the fixed wrap 153 during a compression
process.
[0131] Furthermore, the rotation shaft coupling portion 143 may be
formed at a height overlapping with the orbiting wrap 142 on the
same plane, and thus the eccentric portion 133 of the rotation
shaft 130 may be disposed at a height overlapping with the orbiting
wrap 142 on the same plane. Accordingly, a repulsive force and a
compressive force of a refrigerant can be attenuated by each other
while being applied to the same plane based on an orbiting end
plate, thereby preventing an inclination of the first scroll 140
due to an action of the compressive force and repulsive force.
[0132] The rotation shaft coupling portion 143 is provided with a
concave portion 143a formed on an outer circumferential part
thereof, which faces an inner end portion of the fixed wrap 153,
and engaged with a protrusion 153a of the fixed wrap 153 to be
explained later. An increasing portion 143b which increases in
thickness from an inner circumferential part to the outer
circumferential part of the rotation shaft coupling portion 143 is
formed at an upstream side along a direction that a compression
chamber V is formed. This may extend a compression path of the
first compression chamber V1 immediately before discharge, and
consequently a compression ratio of the first compression chamber
V1 can be increased close to a compression ratio of the second
compression chamber V2.
[0133] At another side of the concave portion 335 is formed an
arcuate compression surface 143c having an arcuate shape. A
diameter of the arcuate compression surface 143c is decided by a
thickness of the inner end portion of the fixed wrap 153 (i.e., a
thickness of a discharge end) and an orbiting radius of the
orbiting wrap 142. When the thickness of the inner end portion of
the fixed wrap 153 increases, a diameter of the arcuate compression
surface 143c increases. As a result, a thickness of the orbiting
wrap around the arcuate compression surface 143c may increase to
ensure durability, and the compression path may extend to increase
the compression ratio of the second compression chamber V2 to that
extent.
[0134] In addition, the protrusion 153a is formed near the inner
end portion (a suction end or a start end) of the fixed wrap 153
corresponding to the rotation shaft coupling portion 143 in a
manner of protruding toward the outer circumferential part of the
rotation shaft coupling portion 143. The protrusion 153a may be
provided with a contact portion 153b protruding therefrom to be
engaged with the concave portion 143a. In other words, the inner
end portion of the fixed wrap 153 may be formed to have a larger
thickness than other portions. As a result, wrap strength at the
inner end portion of the fixed wrap 153, which is subjected to the
highest compressive force on the fixed wrap 323, may increase so as
to enhance durability.
[0135] On the other hand, the compression chamber V may be formed
between the fixed end plate 151 and the fixed wrap 153 and the
orbiting wrap 142 and the orbiting end plate 141, and a suction
chamber, an intermediate pressure chamber, and an oil separation
chamber may be formed consecutively along a proceeding direction of
the wraps.
[0136] The compression chamber V may include a first compression
chamber V1 formed between an outer surface of the orbiting wrap 142
and an inner surface of the fixed wrap 153, and a second
compression chamber V2 formed between an inner surface of the
orbiting wrap 152 and an outer surface of the fixed wrap 153. In
other words, the first compression chamber V1 includes a
compression chamber formed between two contact points P11 and P12
generated in response to the inner surface of the fixed wrap 153
being brought into contact with the outer surface of the orbiting
wrap 142, and the second compression chamber V2 includes a
compression chamber formed between two contact points P21 and P22
generated in response to the outer surface of the fixed wrap 153
being brought into contact with the inner surface of the orbiting
wrap 142.
[0137] Here, when an angle having a larger value between angles
formed by two lines connecting the center of the eccentric portion,
that is, the center O of the rotation shaft coupling portion, and
the two contact points P11, P12 is .alpha., the first compression
chamber V1 immediately before discharge has .alpha.<360.degree.
immediately before at least the start of discharge, and a distance
I between normal vectors at the two contact points P11, P12 also
has a value larger than zero.
[0138] As a result, the first compression chamber immediately
before the discharge, which is formed by the fixed wrap and the
orbiting wrap according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure, may have a smaller volume than that formed by a fixed
wrap and an orbiting wrap having an involute shape. Therefore, the
compression ratios of the first and second compression chambers V1
and V2 can all be improved even without increasing the size of the
first wrap 142 and the second wrap 153.
[0139] Meanwhile, the rear housing 160 is coupled to the second
surface 150b of the second scroll 150. As the rear housing 160 is
coupled to the second surface 150b of the second scroll 150, the
oil separation chamber S2 may be formed such that a refrigerant
discharged from the compression chamber V is accommodated
therein.
[0140] Here, separate protrusions (not shown), like a main side
coupling protrusion 115 and an inverter side coupling protrusion
211 to be described later, are formed respectively on the outer
circumferential surfaces of the rear housing 160 and the second
scroll 150, so as to be coupled to each other by bolts, or a
coupling bolt passing through an edge surface of the rear housing
160 may be coupled to an edge surface of the second scroll 150. A
sealing member such as a gasket may be provided between the rear
housing 160 and the second scroll 150.
[0141] The rear housing 160 is provided with an exhaust port 161
communicating with a discharge pipe. The rear housing 160 may also
be provided therein with a support protrusion 162 protruding toward
the third protrusion 157 of the second scroll 150 so as to support
the second scroll 150 in the axial direction. The support
protrusion 162 is in close contact with the second surface 150b of
the second scroll 150, more precisely, the third protrusion 157 so
as to support the second scroll 150 toward the first scroll
140.
[0142] Meanwhile, an inverter housing 210 may be coupled in a
covering manner to one of both ends of the main housing 110, which
is opposite to the rear housing 160, namely, coupled to the opened
front end of the main housing 110.
[0143] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the inverter housing 210
constitutes a part of an inverter module 201. The inverter housing
210 forms an inverter chamber S4 together with an inverter cover
220. The inverter chamber S4 accommodates therein inverter
components 230 such as a substrate and an inverter element, and the
inverter housing 210 and the inverter cover 220 are coupled to each
other by bolts. The inverter cover 220 may be assembled to the
inverter housing 210 after the inverter housing 210 is first
assembled to the main housing 110, or the inverter housing 210 may
be assembled to the main housing 110 after being assembled to the
inverter cover 220. The former and the latter may differ depending
on a method of assembling the inverter housing 210 to the main
housing 110.
[0144] FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a coupled portion
between a main housing and an inverter housing in FIG. 2. As
illustrated in FIG. 9, a coupling groove 210a may be formed in an
edge surface of an inverter housing 210, and a coupling hole 220a
may be formed in an edge of an inverter cover 220. The inverter
housing 210 and the inverter cover 220 may be assembled by a bolt
which is inserted through the coupling hole 220a to be coupled to
the coupling groove 210a.
[0145] At least one inverter side coupling protrusion 211 may be
formed on an outer circumferential surface of the inverter housing
210 and at least one main side coupling protrusion 115 may be
formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main housing 110
to correspond to the inverter side coupling protrusion 211. The
inverter side coupling protrusion 211 and the main side coupling
protrusion 115 may be provided with a coupling hole 211a and a
coupling groove 115a, respectively, so that the inverter housing
210 can be assembled to the main housing 110 by a bolt.
[0146] In this case, after the inverter module 201 is assembled
first by coupling the inverter housing 210 and the inverter cover
220, the inverter module 201 may be coupled later to the main
housing 110 constituting the compressor module 101. With this
configuration, the inverter module can be easily assembled and also
an inverter element constituting the inverter module can be closely
adhered on or disposed close to a side surface of the inverter
housing, thereby enhancing a heat dissipation effect of the
inverter element.
[0147] When the motor chamber S1 of the main housing 110 is sealed
by coupling the inverter housing 210 to the main housing 110, a gap
between the main housing 110 and the inverter housing 210 must be
tightly sealed in order to prevent leakage of refrigerant.
[0148] To this end, a gasket may be disposed between surfaces at
which the main housing 110 and the inverter housing 210 face each
other in the axial direction, namely, a front surface of the main
housing 110 and a rear surface of the inverter housing 210, so as
to closely adhere the main housing 110 and the inverter housing 210
to each other in the axial direction. However, when the motor
chamber S1 is sealed by installing the gasket between the front
surface of the main housing 110 and the rear surface of the
inverter housing 210, a sealing area is determined by thickness of
the main housing 110 and thickness of the inverter housing 210.
Therefore, the thicknesses of the main housing 110 and the inverter
housing 210 must be increased to secure sealing force.
[0149] Therefore, a sealing member may be inserted between the main
housing 110 and the inverter housing 210 to seal the motor chamber
S1, thereby enhancing sealing force. For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 9, a sealing surface portion 212 that the first end of the
main housing 110 faces may be formed on a rear surface of the
inverter housing 210, a sealing protrusion 213 constituting a
fourth protrusion may be formed at an inner side of the sealing
surface portion 212 to be inserted into an inner circumferential
surface of the main housing 110, and an O-ring as a sealing member
190 may be inserted between an outer circumferential surface of the
sealing protrusion 213 and an inner circumferential surface of an
opened end of the main housing 110 which are in contact with each
other.
[0150] The sealing surface portion 212 forms a rear surface of the
inverter housing 210 which is in contact with the first end 110a as
the front surface of the main housing 110. It is advantageous in
terms of sealing efficiency that the gasket described above is
provided between the sealing surface portion 212 and the first end
110a of the main housing 110 or the sealing surface portion 212 and
the first end 110a of the main housing are closely adhered on each
other even if a gasket is not provided.
[0151] The sealing protrusion 213 may be formed in an annular shape
and have a predetermined height and thickness within a range that
does not interfere with the driving motor 120. A sealing groove
213a in which the O-ring as the sealing member 190 is inserted may
be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sealing
protrusion 213. The sealing groove 213a may also be formed on the
inner circumferential surface of the main housing 110. However,
when the sealing member 190 is the O-ring, it is advantageous in
terms of assembly characteristics that the sealing member 215 is
inserted into the outer circumferential surface of the sealing
protrusion 213.
[0152] It is preferable in terms of enhancing sealing force with
the main housing 110 that the sealing groove 213a has a depth
shorter than a diameter of the sealing member 190 and thus a part
of the O-ring as the sealing member 190 protrudes from the sealing
groove 213a.
[0153] Oil and refrigerant may circulate in the motor-operated
compressor according to the embodiment of the present invention as
follows. FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a circulation
process of refrigerant and oil in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0154] That is, when power is applied to the driving motor 120, the
rotation shaft 130 transfers a rotational force to the first scroll
140 while rotating together with the rotor 122, and the first
scroll 140 performs an orbiting motion by the Oldham ring 180.
Then, the compression chamber V is reduced in volume while
continuously moving toward a center.
[0155] A refrigerant is then introduced into the motor chamber S1
as the suction space through the inlet port 101a. The refrigerant
introduced into the motor chamber S1 flows through a passage formed
between the outer circumferential surface of the stator 121 and the
inner circumferential surface of the main housing 110 or a gap
between the stator 121 and the rotor 122. Such refrigerant is then
introduced into the compression chamber V through the suction
passage Fg formed in the main housing 110 and the second scroll
150.
[0156] The refrigerant is compressed by the first scroll 140 and
the second scroll 150 and discharged to the oil separation chamber
S2 through the outlet port 155. This refrigerant is separated from
oil in the oil separation chamber S2. The refrigerant is discharged
to a refrigeration cycle through an exhaust port 161 while the oil
is supplied to each bearing surface through the oil guide passage
157a, the oil guide space 156a, the oil supply passage 136 and the
oil supply holes 137a to 137c which constitute an oil supply path.
The oil is partially introduced into the back-pressure chamber S3
so as to form back pressure supporting the first scroll 140 toward
the second scroll 150.
[0157] The first scroll 140 is supported in a direction toward the
second scroll 150 by the back pressure of the back-pressure chamber
S3, so that the compression chamber V between the first scroll 140
and the second scroll 150 is sealed. At this time, the oil in the
back-pressure chamber S3 partially flows into the compression
chamber V through the back-pressure hole 141a provided at the
orbiting end plate 141 while partially being introduced into the
motor chamber S1 through a gap between the main bearing portion 132
and the first bearing 171 such that the back-pressure chamber S3
forms flow pressure. Such series of processes are repetitively
performed.
[0158] As such, in the motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, by forming the frame portion integrally with
the main housing, the formation of the main frame can be
facilitated so as to simplify the fabrication process of the
compressor and also a machining process and an assembly process of
the main frame can be eliminated so as to reduce a machining error
or assembly error. Also, concentricity alignment can be facilitated
between the motor part and the compression part, friction loss and
bearing wear of the rotation shaft can be reduced, and an outer
diameter of the frame portion compared with the same outer diameter
of the main housing can be increased, thereby implementing a
compressor with large capacity as compared with the same outer
diameter. The suction passage can be formed by extending a part of
the main housing provided with the frame portion, thereby enhancing
the degree of design freedom for the suction passage.
[0159] In the motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, one end, to which the inverter housing is coupled, of
both ends of the main housing, can be opened so that the driving
motor can be inserted, thereby reducing a depth by which the
driving motor is inserted. This makes it easy to assemble the
driving motor and to constantly align concentricity between the
driving motor and the main housing when the driving motor is
assembled. In addition, an interval between the main housing and
the inverter housing can be reduced to increase a heat dissipation
effect of an inverter element, and simultaneously the inverter
housing and the inverter cover can be modularized so as to increase
the degree of assembly of the inverter element.
[0160] Also, in the motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, the sealing protrusion can be formed between
the main housing and the inverter housing, thereby increasing a
sealing area. A sealing member providing good sealing force can be
interposed between the sealing protrusion and the main housing,
thereby enhancing a sealing effect.
[0161] In the motor-operated compressor according to the present
disclosure, the rotation shaft having the oil supply passage can
communicate with the oil separation chamber via the compression
part, thereby simplifying the oil supply passage for guiding oil
separated in the oil separation chamber into the back-pressure
chamber. The oil separated in the oil separation chamber can be
quickly supplied to the bearing surfaces, thereby reducing the
friction loss. The motor chamber and the back-pressure chamber can
communicate with each other so as to form flow pressure in the
back-pressure chamber, thereby allowing the oil to be smoothly
supplied to the bearing surfaces.
[0162] Meanwhile, as described above, the main housing and a member
coupled to the main housing are normally coupled using bolts, but
in this case, a structure for coupling the bolts is additionally
constituted, which results in increasing the outer diameter of the
compressor. For example, in the prior art, coupling portions 200a,
(not shown) are formed on outer circumferential surfaces of the
housing 200 and the rear head 300, or on outer circumferential
surfaces of the housing 200 and the inverter casing 130,
respectively, and coupled by bolts. This is because, as described
above, the coupling portion protrudes from the outer
circumferential surface of each member, and thereby the overall
size of the compressor increases.
[0163] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the
main housing and the inverter housing are coupled without forming
the coupling protrusions on the outer circumferential surfaces of
the both housings.
[0164] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating another
embodiment of an assembly structure of a compressor module and an
inverter module, in a motor-operated compressor according to the
present disclosure, FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating an
inside of the motor-operated compressor according to FIG. 11, and
FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a coupled portion between
a main housing and an inverter housing in FIG. 12.
[0165] As illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13, the main housing 110 and
the inverter housing 210 according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure may be assembled to each other in a manner that the
first end 110a of the main housing 110 and the sealing surface
portion 212 of the inverter housing 210 corresponding to the first
end 110a are coupled to each other by using rivets or bolts as
coupling members.
[0166] A plurality of rivets 116 may protrude axially from the
first end 110a of the main housing 110 and a plurality of rivet
holes 215 through which the plurality of rivets is inserted,
respectively, may be formed through the sealing surface portion 212
of the inverter housing 210 which the rivets 116 face.
[0167] The rivets 116 may extend from the first end 110a of the
main housing 110 by a predetermined length. An axial length of each
rivet 116 may be the same as or substantially similar to the
thickness of the inverter housing 210.
[0168] The rivet holes 215 may be formed from an outer surface to
an inner surface of the sealing surface portion 212 of the inverter
housing in an axially penetrating manner. The rivet holes 215 may
be formed at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction
along the sealing surface portion 212 of the inverter housing
210.
[0169] In the embodiment of the present disclosure with the
configuration, the main housing 110 and the inverter housing 210
may alternatively be riveted so that the first end 110a of the main
housing 110 and the sealing surface portion 212 of the inverter
housing 210 are closely adhered on each other. However, it is
preferable in view of enhancing sealing force between the main
housing 110 and the inverter housing 210 that the separate sealing
member 190 such as a gasket is interposed between the main housing
110 and the inverter housing 210.
[0170] When the sealing member 190 is a gasket, a difference in
sealing force may occur depending on the shape of the gasket. For
example, an annular gasket in the shape of a simple flat plate,
such as one disclosed in the prior art, may be used. However, in
this case, the sealing member is located only between the first end
110a of the main housing 110 and the sealing surface portion 212 of
the inverter housing 210. Accordingly, a sealing effect may be
reduced while a sealing area is narrowed.
[0171] Thus, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the
sealing member 190 may be formed in a shape like an alphabet "L",
so as to improve sealing force between the main housing 110 and the
inverter housing 210.
[0172] The sealing member 300 according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure may include a first sealing portion 191 brought
into contact with the sealing surface portion 212, and a second
sealing portion 192 brought into contact with an outer
circumferential surface of the sealing protrusion 213 to be
described later. The first sealing portion 191 and the second
sealing portion 192 may be formed separately or integrally. In the
embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sealing portion and
the second sealing portion are integrally formed with each
other.
[0173] The first sealing portion 191 may be provided with a rivet
passing hole 191a through which the rivet 116 passes because the
rivet 116 should be inserted through the rivet hole 215. The rivet
passing hole 191a may be formed to be the same as the rivet 116 in
number and position.
[0174] On the other hand, the sealing protrusion 213 may be formed
on the inside (inner surface) of the sealing surface portion 212 of
the inverter housing 210 to be in contact with an inner
circumferential surface of the second sealing portion. The sealing
protrusion 213 may configure a fourth protrusion and protrude in
the axial direction so as to be inserted into the inner
circumferential surface of the main housing 110.
[0175] Hereinafter, a process of coupling the main housing and the
inverter housing using the rivets will be described.
[0176] First, the first sealing portion 191 and the second sealing
portion 192 of the sealing member 190 are disposed to be in contact
with the sealing surface portion 212 and the sealing protrusion 213
of the inverter housing 210, respectively. At this time, the rivet
passing holes 191a provided through the first sealing portion 191
of the sealing member 190 are aligned to correspond to the rivet
holes 215 formed through the sealing surface portion 212 of the
inverter housing 210.
[0177] The rivets 116 extending from the first end 110a of the main
housing 110 pass through the rivet passing holes 191a of the
sealing member 190 so as to be inserted through the rivet holes 215
of the inverter housing 210, respectively. At this time, the inner
circumferential surface of the main housing 110 is inserted into
the outer circumferential surface of the sealing protrusion 213 of
the inverter housing 210 with the second sealing portion 192
interposed therebetween.
[0178] Next, the front surface of the inverter housing 210 presses
the rivets 116 toward the rear side, so that end portions of the
respective rivets 116 are expanded to be closely adhered in the
rivet holes 215. At this time, the end portion of each rivet 116 is
closely adhered on an inclined surface 215a of the rivet hole 215
so that the rivet 116 can be fixed more tightly.
[0179] Thus, the first end of the main housing and the sealing
surface portion of the inverter housing can be coupled to each
other without forming coupling protrusions on the outer
circumferential surfaces of the main housing and the inverter
housing, respectively. Accordingly, the outer diameter of the
compressor can be reduced compared with the case where the coupling
protrusions are formed on the outer circumferential surfaces of the
main housing and the inverter housing to couple the both housings,
which may result in reducing the weight of the compressor and
decreasing a space required for installing the compressor.
[0180] In addition, the sealing member configured as the gasket is
provided between the main housing and the inverter housing, and the
sealing member is provided with the first sealing portion and the
second sealing portion to seal the outer circumferential surfaces
of the sealing surface portion and the sealing protrusion,
respectively. Accordingly, the sealing area can be increased
without increasing the thicknesses of the main housing and the
inverter housing, thereby sealing the motor chamber more
effectively.
[0181] Further, the sealing protrusion can be formed in the stepped
manner on the inverter housing coupled to the main housing, thereby
easily aligning an installation position of the inverter housing
when the inverter housing is assembled to the main housing.
Accordingly, the operation of assembling the main housing and the
inverter housing can be performed easily and accurately.
[0182] Meanwhile, in the foregoing embodiment, the end portion of
the rivet may be expanded to come into close contact with the
inclined surface of the rivet hole. Alternatively, an elastic
member may be provided between the rivet and the rivet hole so that
the rivet is elastically supported by the rivet hole.
[0183] FIG. 14 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment
of a rivet coupling structure in FIG. 13. As illustrated in FIG.
14, an elastic member 195 in an annular shape may be provided
between the rivet 116 and the rivet hole 215, namely, between the
end portion 116a of the rivet 116 and a front surface (an opposite
surface of the sealing surface portion) 212a on which the end
portion 116a of the rivet 116 is closely adhered.
[0184] When the end portion 116a of the rivet 116 is pressed on the
front side of the inverter housing 210, the end portion 116a of the
rivet is expanded to be in close contact with the elastic member
195.
[0185] The elastic member 195 is pressed against the end portion
116a of the rivet and exerts an elastic force so that the rivet 116
receives a force in a direction away from the front side, that is,
the first end 110a of the main housing 110.
[0186] The first sealing portion 191 is further pressed by the
elastic member 195 so that the gap between the main housing 110 and
the inverter housing 210 can be more tightly sealed.
[0187] Hereinafter, description will be given of another embodiment
of a main housing and an inverter housing according to the present
disclosure will be described. FIGS. 15 and 16 are sectional views
illustrating different embodiments of a coupling structure of the
main housing and the inverter housing in FIG. 13.
[0188] For example, in the foregoing embodiments, the rivet 116 is
integrally molded with the first end 110a of the main housing 110
and extends in the axial direction. However, in this embodiment, as
illustrated in FIG. 15, a rivet 310 may be fabricated separately
and press-fitted into a coupling groove 117 formed on the first end
110a of the main housing 110. In this case, the rivet 310 may be
made of a material different from that of the main housing 110.
[0189] That is, in the foregoing embodiment, the rivet and the main
housing are made of the same material since the rivet is formed as
a single body with the main housing. However, in this embodiment,
the material of the rivet 310 may be appropriately selected, as
needed, without being limited by the material of the main housing
110. For example, the rivet 310 in this embodiment may be formed of
a material having higher rigidity than the main housing 110 in
consideration of coupling strength.
[0190] In the foregoing embodiment, the coupling member is
configured as the rivet, but the present invention is not
necessarily limited to the rivet. For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 16, a bolt may be used as a coupling member 320. In this case,
since the material of the coupling member 320 is formed of a
material more rigid than the material of the main housing 110 and
also the coupling member 320 is screwed into the coupling groove
117, the main housing 110 can be prevented in advance from being
damaged due to a riveting operation, thereby facilitating a
coupling task.
[0191] Even when the assembly rivets or bolts are used as the
coupling members as described above, the shapes of the sealing
surface portion, the sealing protrusion and the sealing member may
be the same as in the foregoing embodiment. In addition, since the
basic structure and thusly-obtained effects are the same, a
description thereof will be omitted.
[0192] On the other hand, in the foregoing embodiments, the sealing
member is formed of a gasket, but in some cases, a ring member such
as an O-ring may be applied. FIGS. 17 and 18 are sectional views
illustrating different embodiments of a sealing member in FIG.
13.
[0193] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17, a sealing groove
213a may be formed in the outer circumferential surface of the
sealing protrusion 213 and a sealing member 190 such as an O-ring
may be inserted into the sealing groove 213a. The sealing member
190 is preferably made of a highly elastic material such as rubber
because sealing ability can be increased.
[0194] Or, as illustrated in FIG. 18, a first sealing member 196
configured as a gasket may be provided between the first end of the
main housing and the sealing surface portion 212 of the inverter
casing, and a second sealing member 197 configured as an O-ring may
be provided between the inner circumferential surface of the main
housing 110 and the outer circumferential surface of the sealing
protrusion 213. In this case, the first sealing member 196 may be
formed into a flat annular shape, and provided with a plurality of
rivet passing holes 196a through which the rivets 116 pass, similar
to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13. The second sealing member
197 may be inserted into the sealing groove 213a provided in the
sealing protrusion 213.
[0195] When the first sealing member 196 and the second sealing
member 197 are formed of different members as described above, the
first sealing member 196 and the second sealing member 197 are
assembled, respectively. Therefore, a machining error or an
assembly error can be reduced as compared with the case where the
first sealing portion and the second sealing portion are integrally
formed with each other, which can be advantageous for aligning the
assembly positions. Also, the material and shape of the first
sealing member and the second sealing member can be selected, and
thus the sealing force can be further increased.
* * * * *