Plastic composite containing magnetic alloy powder, air conditioner compressor having the same and method of producing them

Abstract

Disclosed is a plastic composite including a magnetic alloy material in an amount of about 20% by volume or greater on the basis of the total volume of the plastic composite. Accordingly, weight of the clutch may be reduced by about 0.4 kg and weight of the pulley can be reduced by about 0.4 kg with the result that overall weight may be reduced by about 0.8 kg.

Claims

1. An air conditioner compressor comprising: a pulley comprising a plastic composite; a core comprising an electromagnetic induction coil and disposed in an internal space of the pulley; and a clutch comprising a contact portion comprising the plastic composite in contact with the pulley, wherein the plastic composite comprises an amount of 20% to 21% by volume of a magnetic alloy material on the basis of the total volume of the plastic composite, wherein a thinnest portion of a surface area of the plastic composite in the pulley adjacent to the electromagnetic induction coil of the core has a thickness of 3 mm to 3.2 mm.

2. The air conditioner compressor of claim 1, wherein the plastic composite of the clutch is formed inside a steel material and a shape of a cross-section area of the plastic composite comprises an upper end longer than a lower end wherein the upper end is in contact with the pulley.

3. The air conditioner compressor of claim 2, wherein the shape comprises an “I” shape of which the upper end is longer than the lower end, a “T” shape that is getting wider toward its lower end, or a “T” shape having a hexagonal shaped lower end.

4. The air conditioner compressor of claim 1, wherein the magnetic alloy material is ferrite magnetic powder comprising iron, cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof.

5. The air conditioner compressor of claim 4, wherein the magnetic alloy material further comprises a rare earth-based magnetic alloy powder.

6. The air conditioner compressor of claim 5, wherein the rare earth-based magnetic alloy material comprises a rare earth-cobalt magnetic powder.

7. A method of producing an air conditioner compressor, comprising: applying a plastic composite to a pulley of the air conditioner compressor; and applying the plastic composite to a clutch of the air conditioner compressor, wherein the plastic composite comprises an amount of 20% to 21% by volume of a magnetic alloy material on the basis of the total volume of the plastic composite, the method further comprises, preparing the pulley by laminating the plastic composite on an aluminum material.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, preparing the clutch by laminating the plastic composite on a surface of a straight plane of a steel material.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, preparing the clutch by forming dimples on a surface of the steel material and laminating the plastic composite on the dimpled surface of the steel material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dimpled surface is formed by injecting steel balls or ceramic balls at high speed.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plastic composite of the clutch is formed inside the steel material and a shape of a cross-section area of the plastic composite comprises an upper end longer than a lower end wherein the upper end is in contact with the pulley.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the shape comprises an “I” shape of which the upper end is longer than the lower end, a “T” shape that is getting wider toward its lower end, or a “T” shape having a hexagonal shaped lower end.

13. A vehicle comprising an air conditioner compressor manufactured by a method of claim 7.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is an exemplary air conditioner compressor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross section of the plastic composite shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is an exemplary air conditioner compressor shown in FIG. 1 before it is driven;

(5) FIG. 4 is an exemplary air conditioner compressor shown in FIG. 1 after it is driven;

(6) FIG. 5 is an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 6 is an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to still an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7 is an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(9) FIG. 8 is an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

(10) FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an exemplary process of manufacturing an exemplary plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise”, “include”, “have”, etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

(12) It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

(13) Further, unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, the term “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean. “About” can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from the context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term “about.”

(14) Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

(15) Hereinafter, a plastic composite containing magnetic alloy material and an air conditioner compressor having the same, which are related to the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations even in different embodiments and thus description thereof is replaced with the preceding description associated with them.

(16) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary air conditioner compressor 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner compressor 100 may include a first assembly 100-1 and a second assembly 100-2. The first assembly 100-1 may include a first pulley 110-1 including a plastic composite 111-1 disposed inside thereof, a first core 120-1 including a first electromagnetic induction coil 121-1 disposed in an internal space of the first pulley 110-1, and a clutch 130-1 including a contact portion including a plastic composite 131-1 in contact with a bottom-end surface of the first pulley 110-1.

(17) Similarly, the second assembly 100-2 may include a second pulley 110-2 including a plastic composite 111-2 disposed inside thereof, a second core 120-2 including a second electromagnetic induction coil 121-2 disposed in an internal space of the second plastic composite structured pulley 110-2, and a second clutch 130-2 including a contact portion including a plastic composite 131-2 in contact with a bottom-end surface of the second pulley 110-2. Preferably, magnetic forces 10-1, 10-2 may be generated when electric current is applied.

(18) The aluminum pulley may be a paramagnetic body and thus may not be utilized because it cannot transmit magnetic force being generated from the coil to the clutch. In order to complement this, the aluminum pulley may be made into a composite structure by injection molding plastic including ferromagnetic alloy material onto an aluminum body thereof. As such, a passage allowing magnetic force to be transmitted through the body of the aluminum pulley may be obtained so that the clutch may be normally driven.

(19) In addition, the steel clutch may be also made by injection molding the plastic including ferromagnetic alloy material which may be the same as or different from that in the aluminum pulley on a contact portion thereof in contact with the pulley so that response characteristic of the clutch may increase and any frictional material may be eliminated through improvement of slip characteristic.

(20) Particularly, each of the plastic composite members 111-1 and 111-2 may have a thickness of at least about 3t (e.g., about 3 mm) at the thinnest portion of a surface area adjacent to the electromagnetic induction coils 121-1 and 121-2. Therefore, the magnetic field formed by the electromagnetic induction coils 121-1 and 121-2 may be continuously transmitted.

(21) FIG. 2 is a cross section of the plastic composites 111-1, 111-2, 131-1 and 131-2 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the plastic composite may be of a structure in which the magnetic alloy powder 210 may be impregnated into the plastic material 200. The plastic composites 111-1, 111-2, 131-1 and 131-2 may include the magnetic alloy powder of at least about 20% by volume on the basis of the volume of the plastic composite. The magnetic alloy powder 210 may include iron, cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof and the like. Preferably, a rare-earth magnet alloy powder may also be used.

(22) FIG. 3 shows an exemplary air conditioner compressor 100 shown in FIG. 1 before it is driven. As shown in FIG. 3, prior to operation of the air conditioner compressor 100, the pulleys 110-1 and 110-2 may be separated from the plastic composite structured clutches 130-1 and 130-2 so that the air conditioner compressor may not be driven.

(23) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary air conditioner compressor shown in FIG. 1 after it is driven. As shown in FIG. 4, when the air conditioner compressor 100 is operated (i.e., electric current is applied), magnetic force may be generated in the electromagnetic induction coils 121-1 and 121-2 and transmitted through the plastic composite structured pulleys 110-1 and 110-2 to the clutches 130-1 and 130-2. As a result, the pulleys and the clutches may come into contact with each other and driving force transmitted from an engine (not shown) may be transmitted to the air conditioner compressor so that the air conditioner compressor may be operated.

(24) FIG. 5 shows an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In other words, FIG. 5 shows another structure in manufacturing an exemplary clutches 130-1 and 130-2 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the clutch may be made by forming dimples on a surface of a steel material 510 and laminating the plastic composite on the dimpled surface of the steel material, for example, by means of injection molding, such that bonding force may be reinforced through enlargement of surface area. The dimples may be suitably formed on the top surface of the prepared steel material 510 by impacting steel balls or ceramic balls thereon by high-speed injection.

(25) The plastic composite 520 may be formed on the top surface of the steel material 510 by putting into a mold and injection molding the plastic in liquid phase containing the magnetic alloy powder and the steel material 510. A representation showing such a dimpled surface is illustrated as a partial enlarged view on the right side of the figure.

(26) FIGS. 6 to 8 show exemplary structures of an exemplary steel-plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, shapes of plastic composites 620, 720 and 820 may be of reverse gradient shapes, i.e. a shape of a cross-section area of the plastic composite having an upper end longer than a lower end, so as to correspond to reverse gradient shapes formed inside the steel materials 610, 710 and 810, respectively.

(27) For example, the plastic composite 620 shown in FIG. 6 may have an “I” shape cross-section area of which upper end may be longer than its lower end. The plastic composite 720 shown in FIG. 7 may have a “T” shape cross-section area that is getting wider toward its lower end. In addition, the plastic composite 820 shown in FIG. 8 may have a “T” shape cross-section area of which lower end is a hexagonal shape.

(28) FIG. 9 shows an exemplary process of manufacturing an exemplary plastic composite according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, magnetic alloy powder may be first prepared in step S910. Thereafter, the prepared magnetic alloy powder may be mixed with plastic in liquid phase to produce a mixture in step S920. The mixture may be then injected into a mold and injection molded to produce an exemplary plastic structure in steps S930 and S940.

Example

(29) Examples of the present invention will now be described in further detail along with comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited by the following examples.

(30) As inventive examples and comparative examples, results of test confirming whether the clutch is driven or not while varying contents of Sm—Co magnetic powder and ferrite magnetic powder in an embodiment of the present invention are as follows:

(31) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Content Total Plastic Sm—Co of ferrite content of injection Whether magnetic magnetic magnetic molding clutch is powder powder powder Thickness driven Example (%) (%) (%) (mm) or not 1 10 9 19 3 Not operated 2 10 9.5 19.5 3 Not operated 3 10 10 20 3 Operated 4 10 10.5 20.5 3 Operated 5 10 11 21 3 Operated

(32) In the Table 1 above, Examples 1 and 2 are comparative examples, while Examples 3 to 5 are inventive examples. As shown in the table above, when the total content of the magnetic powder was 20% by volume or greater, the clutch may be driven while magnetic field was formed.

(33) The results of test for confirming whether the clutch was driven according to thickness of the plastic injection molding on condition that the minimum content of the magnetic powder was 20% by volume are as follows:

(34) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Sm—Co Content of Total Plastic in- Whether Ex- magnetic ferrite content jection mold- clutch is am- powder magnetic of magnetic ing Thick- driven ple (%) powder (%) powder (%) ness (mm) or not 1 10 10 20 2.8 Not operated 2 10 10 20 2.9 Not operated 3 10 10 20 3   Operated 4 10 10 20 3.1 Operated 5 10 10 20 3.2 Operated

(35) As shown in the Table above, Examples 1 and 2 are comparative examples, while Examples 3 to 5 are inventive examples. As shown in the Table 2, when the thickness was 3t (i.e. 3 mm) or greater, the clutch was driven while magnetic field was formed.

(36) While the present invention has been described with respect to the various exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.