COMPRESSOR

Abstract

A compressor for compressing coolant circulating in a cooling circuit, wherein the compressor includes at least one receiving element for spring elements carrying a compressor/motor unit. With its casing element, this receiving element protrudes past a sump height of a lubricant sump in a vertical direction, which lubricant sump forms in the housing interior in an operating state of the compressor. Because lubricant is constantly distributed throughout the entire housing interior in the operating state—caused by the motion of the movable parts of the compressor—lubricant also collects within a receiving volume of the receiving element, where it forms a level that is clearly above the sump height of the lubricant sump as viewed in a vertical direction. As a result, a damping of the spring elements is achieved by the lubricant, and therefore without the inclusion of additional means elements.

Claims

1. A compressor for compressing coolant circulating in a cooling circuit, comprising a compressor housing enclosing a housing interior of the compressor, a compressor/motor unit which comprises at least one piston, which moves in a cylinder, and a motor, at least one spring element, preferably multiple spring elements, via which spring element the compressor/motor unit is attached in an elastically mounted manner to a mounting region of the compressor housing, preferably to a base region of the compressor housing, and at least one receiving element arranged on the mounting region for the at least one spring element, preferably one receiving element for one spring element each, wherein the respective spring element is accommodated in the receiving element, wherein the receiving element comprises a base element, which is connected to the mounting region and from which the spring element protrudes in a vertical direction, a casing element, which casing element surrounds the spring element in a sleeve-like manner, and a receiving volume bounded by the base element and the casing element, in order to enable a collection of lubricant in the receiving volume, so that a section of the spring element that is arranged in the receiving volume is enveloped by lubricant in the operating state of the compressor, wherein the casing element protrudes past a sump height of a lubricant sump in the vertical direction, which lubricant sump forms in the housing interior in the operating state of the compressor.

2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein a minimum clear inner diameter of the casing element is larger than a maximum outer diameter of the spring element.

3. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein, in an operating state of the compressor, in which operating state the at least one spring element is loaded only with the weight of the compressor/motor unit, at least the first three spring coils, preferably 50% of the spring coils, particularly preferably more than 70% of the spring coils, of the spring element lie within the receiving volume of the respective receiving element.

4. The compressor according to claim 3, wherein a spring travel extends between at least two of the spring coils of the respective spring element that lie within the receiving volume in the aforementioned operating state of the compressor.

5. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the receiving element comprises a rod-like spring holder protruding from the receiving element in the vertical direction, via which spring holder the spring element is connected by the inner side thereof to the receiving element in a force fit.

6. The compressor according to claim 5, wherein the casing element protrudes past the spring holder of the receiving element in a vertical direction.

7. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the casing element of the receiving element is embodied to be elastic.

8. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein at least the casing element, but preferably the entire receiving element, is made of an elastomer, particularly preferably of a fluoroelastomer.

9. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein a clear inner diameter of the casing element increases monotonically as viewed in the vertical direction.

10. The compressor according to claim 9, wherein the casing element comprises a first vertical section and a second vertical section, wherein the first vertical section and the second vertical section each extend in the vertical direction, wherein a first clear inner diameter of the casing element is constant in the region of the first vertical section and wherein the second vertical section the casing element comprises a diameter expansion.

11. The compressor according to claim 9, wherein the casing element, as viewed in a cross-section running parallel to the vertical direction, has, at least sectionwise, the shape of a circular arc, wherein a circle corresponding to said circular arc has its center outside of the receiving element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The invention will now be explained in greater detail with the aid of exemplary embodiments. The drawings are by way of example and are intended to demonstrate, but in no way restrict or exclusively describe, the inventive concept.

[0041] In this matter:

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a compressor according to the invention

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view from FIG. 1

[0044] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a receiving element according to the invention together with a spring element

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the housing base of the compressor from FIG. 1 with four receiving elements and associated spring elements

WAYS OF EMBODYING THE INVENTION

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a coolant compressor in a sectional view, wherein the section runs through the compressor housing 1 of the compressor. In a housing interior 2 surrounded by the compressor housing 1, a compressor/motor unit 4 is arranged which primarily comprises a motor 8 and a cylinder 5 for compressing coolant, wherein the coolant can flow into the housing interior 2 via an inlet in the compressor housing 1.

[0047] Via a connecting rod, a crankshaft 7 driven by the motor 8 is in operative connection with a piston 6 arranged in the cylinder 5 so that the rotation of the crankshaft 7 results in a periodic linear movement of the piston 6 between two dead centers of the cylinder 5.

[0048] On a base region of the compressor housing 1 serving as a mounting region 34 of the compressor/motor unit 4, four receiving elements 15, 16, 17, 18 are provided (see FIG. 4), of which only the receiving elements 15 and 16 can be seen in FIG. 1. The receiving element 15 is thereby fabricated in one piece and comprises a base element 28 in contact with the mounting region 34, a casing element 20 adjoining the base element 28, and a spring holder 19 protruding from the base element 28 in a vertical direction 23. The receiving element 15 is thereby pulled onto a raised piece 29 of the compressor housing 1 with a hollow space of the spring holder 19, whereby the receiving element 15 is connected to the compressor housing 1 in a force fit. The casing element 20 encloses the spring holder 19 and a receiving volume 32 of the receiving element 15, which receiving volume 32 is formed between the spring holder 19 and the casing element 20, on the circumference or in a sleeve-like manner. The casing element 20 protrudes past the spring holder 19 in the vertical direction 23 (see also FIG. 2).

[0049] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the receiving element 15. It can thereby be seen that a level of the lubricant 9 inside the receiving volume 32 of the receiving element 15 is noticeably higher than in a base region of the compressor housing 1, where a lubricant sump 30 forms during the operation of the coolant compressor as intended, the maximum sump height 14 of which lubricant sump 30 is, however, limited by the position of the compressor/motor unit 4. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the casing element 20 of the receiving element 15 protrudes past the sump height 14 of the lubricant sump 30 in the vertical direction 23. The five spring coils, which are arranged within the receiving volume 32, of the spring element 10 embodied as a helical spring, which spring element 10 is slid onto the spring holder 19 of the receiving element 15 for the purpose of securing and is fixed in this position in a force fit, are thus surrounded by lubricant 9, whereby a damping of the vibrations caused by the compressor/motor unit 4 and transmitted to the compressor housing 1 via the spring element 10 is achieved. For the purpose of securing the spring element 10 to the receiving element 15, the spring element 10 is slid onto the spring holder 19 of the receiving element and connected thereto in a force fit. Analogously, the spring element 10 is connected to the compressor/motor unit 4 via an additional spring holder 33 of the compressor/motor unit 4.

[0050] In FIG. 2, the casing element 20 surrounds the spring holder 19 of the receiving element 15 in a sleeve-like manner and has the same clear inner diameter when viewed across its entire height. In this embodiment, all spring coils of the spring element 10 embodied as a helical spring that are arranged within the receiving element 15 contact the casing element 20. In embodiments of the coolant compressor in which the receiving elements are made of an elastomer, preferably of a fluoroelastomer, this noise-reduction effect is particularly pronounced, since this material exhibits the flexibility necessary therefor and also withstands on a sustained basis the high temperatures and the constant contact with lubricant 9.

[0051] In contrast to the receiving element 15 shown in FIG. 2, in FIG. 3 only first spring coils 21 of the spring element 10—in this case: the first and second coils—are in contact with the casing element 20 of the receiving element 15 illustrated in FIG. 3, so that other spring coils 22 of the spring element 10, which other spring coils 22 are located farther away from the mounting region 34 of the compressor housing 1 than the first spring coils 21, are radially spaced from the casing element 20 of the receiving element 15.

[0052] For the purpose of the present invention, radial spacing is to be understood as meaning a distance perpendicular to the vertical direction, that is, the direction in which the spring element 10 and possibly the spring holder 19 protrude from the receiving element 15, between a spring coil arranged within the receiving volume 32 and the section of the casing element 20 arranged at the same height as the respective spring coil.

[0053] In addition, the spacing of the other spring coils 22—in this case: the third, fourth, and fifth coils—from the casing element 20 results in an additional reduction in noise emission by the coolant compressor overall, since noises that would be caused by the collision of the spring element 10 with the casing element 20 can be prevented to the greatest possible extent.

[0054] The casing element 20 of the receiving elements 15 from FIG. 3 comprises a first vertical section 25 arranged such that it runs in the vertical direction 23 and a second vertical section 26 which is arranged such that it also runs in the vertical direction 23. A first clear inner diameter 27 of the casing element 20 embodied in a sleeve-like manner is constant over the entire first vertical section 25. In its second vertical section 26, however, the casing element 20 comprises a diameter expansion 24 proceeding continuously from the first clear inner diameter 27 all the way to a maximum clear inner diameter 31 that is reached at the upper end of the casing element 20. It is thus ensured that the spring element 10 also cannot collide with the casing element 20 in the event of significant deflections.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a top view of a base region of the compressor housing 1. The receiving elements 15, 16, 17, 18 are arranged in one mounting region 34 each of the compressor housing 1. Each receiving element 15, 16, 17, 18 thereby keeps one spring element 10, 11, 12, 13 arranged. Together, the receiving elements 15, 16, 17, 18, which can be embodied according to the embodiments described above, and the spring elements 10, 11, 12, 13 arranged therein form a mounting system 3 for the compressor/motor unit 4 of the compressor.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0056] 1 Compressor housing [0057] 2 Housing interior [0058] 3 Mounting system [0059] 4 Compressor/motor unit [0060] 5 Cylinder [0061] 6 Piston [0062] 7 Crankshaft [0063] 8 Motor [0064] 9 Lubricant [0065] 10, 11, 12, 13 Spring element [0066] 14 Sump height [0067] 15, 16, 17, 18 Receiving element [0068] 19 Spring holder [0069] 20 Casing element [0070] 21 First spring coil [0071] 22 Other spring coils [0072] 23 Vertical direction [0073] 24 Diameter expansion [0074] 25 First vertical section [0075] 26 Second vertical section [0076] 27 First clear inner diameter [0077] 28 Base element [0078] 29 Raised piece [0079] 30 Lubricant sump [0080] 31 Maximum clear inner diameter [0081] 32 Receiving volume [0082] 33 Additional spring holder of the compressor/motor unit [0083] 34 Mounting region