COMPRESSOR AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING COMPRESSOR

Abstract

A compressor includes a housing; a first scroll and a second scroll located inside the housing, the first scroll being configured to have a first end plate and a first volute extending from the first end plate towards the second scroll, the second scroll being configured to have a second end plate and a second volute extending from the second end plate towards the first scroll, the first volute and the second volute being configured to engage with each other so as to define a compression chamber therebetween; a motor including a stator and a rotor, which is located on one side of the second scroll away from the first scroll and configured for driving the first scroll to rotate by the rotor so as to drive the second scroll to rotate; a driving mechanism including a receiving hub and a flange configured to extend radially from a first end of the receiving hub and support the second end plate; wherein a second end of the receiving hub is secured to the rotor so as to position the rotor to be spaced from the stator with a certain gap between the rotor and the stator.

Claims

1. A compressor comprising: a housing; a first scroll and a second scroll located inside the housing, the first scroll being configured to have a first end plate and a first volute extending from the first end plate towards the second scroll, the second scroll being configured to have a second end plate and a second volute extending from the second end plate towards the first scroll, the first volute and the second volute being configured to engage with each other to define a compression chamber therebetween; a motor comprising a stator and a rotor, which is located on one side of the second scroll away from the first scroll and configured for driving the first scroll to rotate by the rotor to drive the second scroll to rotate; a driving mechanism comprising a receiving hub and a flange configured to extend radially from a first end of the receiving hub and support the second end plate; wherein a second end of the receiving hub is secured to the rotor so as to position the rotor to be spaced from the stator with a certain gap between the rotor and the stator.

2. The compressor according to claim 1, further comprising: a retainer configured to secure the rotor on it; wherein the second end of the receiving hub is secured to the retainer on a radial inner side of the rotor to position the rotor to be spaced from the stator.

3. The compressor according to claim 2, wherein, the retainer is configured to have a connecting hub and a cylindrical fixing portion, so that the rotor is secured into the fixing portion on an outer side of the connecting hub, and the second end of the receiving hub is threaded to the connecting hub on an inner side of the connecting hub.

4. The compressor according to claim 3, further comprising: a rolling bearing installed on the inner side of the connecting hub of the retainer and abutted by the second end of the receiving hub against the upper side of the rolling bearing.

5. The compressor according to claim 4, further comprising: a bracket secured into the housing and abutting against a lower side of the rolling bearing for supporting the retainer; and a shaft secured to the bracket and configured to extend from the bracket into the receiving hub, the shaft being provided with a shoulder that abuts against the upper side of the rolling bearing so as to further position the rotor to be spaced from the stator.

6. The compressor according to claim 5, wherein the bracket is provided with: a fixing hub into which a bottom end of the shaft is configured to extend and to be threaded; a cylindrical receiving portion configured to receive the motor and the retainer; and a step portion configured to be connected between the receiving portion and the fixing hub for receiving the rolling bearing, so that the lower side of the rolling bearing is abutted against a top end of the fixing hub.

7. The compressor according to claim 6, wherein a top end of the shaft is located in the receiving hub and is provided with a receiving hole, and the second end plate is provided with a mounting hub extending in a direction away from the first scroll and received in the receiving hole.

8. The compressor according to claim 7, further comprising: a pump comprising a top end configured to be operably connected to the mounting hub portion of the second end plate in the receiving hole and a bottom end configured to extend into an oil pool located at a bottom of the housing, wherein the shaft is provided with a feeding passage extending from the bottom end of the shaft to the top end of the shaft, and the pump is rotatably arranged in the feeding passage so as to feed oil along a gap between the pump and the feeding passage.

9. The compressor according to claim 5, further comprising: a first cover secured to the bracket so as to cover the motor, which is located between the stator and the flange and extended through by the receiving hub, wherein the stator is secured to the first cover.

10. The compressor according to claim 9, further comprising: a second cover, a top of which is configured to cover and be secured to the first end plate, and a side wall of which is secured to the flange.

11. The compressor according to claim 9, wherein the rotor is located on a side of the stator facing away from the first cover.

12. The compressor according to claim 7, wherein a central axis of the receiving hole of the shaft is collinear with a rotational axis of the second scroll, a central axis of the top end of the shaft is collinear with a rotational axis of the first scroll, and the central axis of the receiving hole is deviated from the central axis of the top end of the shaft, so that the rotational axis of the second scroll is deviated from the rotational axis of the first scroll.

13. (canceled)

14. A method of assembling a compressor comprising a housing, a bracket with a fixing hub, a motor with a stator and rotor, a retainer with a connecting hub, a rolling bearing, and a driving mechanism with a receiving hub, wherein the method comprises: securing the bracket in the housing; mounting the rolling bearing on an inner side of the connecting hub of the retainer; mounting the retainer mounted with the rotor onto the bracket rotatably and securing the stator onto the bracket, wherein the stator and the rotor are attracted to each other together due to a magnetic attraction between the stator and the rotor; and the driving mechanism is mounted on the retainer by threading the receiving hub of the driving mechanism to the connecting hub of the retainer, so that one end of the receiving hub is pushed against an upper side of the rolling bearing in a direction away from the stator, driving the retainer and the rotor to move together in the direction away from the stator, thereby positioning the rotor to be spaced apart from the stator.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the compressor further comprises a shaft with a shoulder, and the method further comprises: mounting the shaft onto the bracket, wherein a bottom end of the shaft is secured into the fixing hub of the bracket, so that the shoulder of the shaft is pushed against the upper side of the rolling bearing in the direction away from the stator, until a lower side of the rolling bearing is abutted against a top end of the fixing hub of the bracket, thereby further maintaining a gap between the rotor and the stator.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the compressor further comprises a first cover, wherein the step of securing the stator onto the bracket comprises securing the stator onto the first cover, and then securing the first cover onto the bracket.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings incorporated into this document and forming a part of the specification illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principle of the present disclosure and enable those skilled in the relevant art to manufacture and use the embodiments described herein.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compressor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the compressor shown in FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the second scroll, driving mechanism, motor cover, motor, bracket, shaft, rolling bearing, retainer, and pump assembled together in FIG. 2;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the driving mechanism, motor cover, motor, rolling bearing, retainer, and bracket assembled together in FIG. 2;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the individual shaft in FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the motor cover, stator, and bracket assembled together in FIG. 2; and

[0028] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the driving mechanism, rolling bearing, and retainer assembled together in FIG. 2.

[0029] The features of this disclosure will become more apparent in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals always indicate corresponding elements. In the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals typically indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the accompanying drawings provided throughout the disclosure should not be interpreted as accompanying drawings drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solution of the present disclosure will be further explained in detail through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0031] In addition, in the following detailed description, for ease of explanation, many specific details are elaborated to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, it is evident that one or more embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details. In other cases, known structures and devices are illustrated to simplify the drawings.

[0032] In a scroll compressor, a radial flux motor is used and a fixture device is used to ensure the gap between the rotor and the stator of the radial flux motor. However, this often leads to a large volume of the scroll compressor, especially for the compressor with high cooling/heating requirements. As the cooling and heating capacity of the compressor continues to increase, the motor occupies a large proportion of an internal space of the compressor, making it impossible to achieve a purpose of compact structure and lightweight volume. For existing variable frequency compressors, although the cooling capacity may be improved through a variable frequency technology, radial flux motors are still widely used in existing variable frequency motors, and shortcomings of the existing compressors structure still exist.

[0033] Axial flux motors effectively overcome a shortcoming of the limited internal space in compressors and achieve the purpose of the compact structure. However, when designing compressors using the axial flux motors, there is a large magnetic force between the stator and rotor, making it difficult to maintain an ideal gap between the rotor and the stator, making it inconvenient to use the axial flux motors in existing scroll compressors.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a compressor 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The compressor 1000 comprises: a housing 100, a first scroll 10, a second scroll 20, a motor 30, a retainer 33, a rolling bearing 34, a pump 40, a motor cover 50, a bracket 60, a driving mechanism 70, a scroll cover 80, and a shaft 90, all of which are located inside the housing 100.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a compressor 1000 shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the internal structure of the compressor 1000. The following text will further describe the overall structure and function of the compressor 1000 in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0036] The first scroll 10 is configured to have a first end plate 11 and a first volute 12 extending from the first end plate 11 towards the second scroll 20, the second scroll 20 is configured to have a second end plate 21 and a second volute 22 extending from the second end plate 21 towards the first scroll 10, the first volute 12 and the second volute 22 are configured to engage with each other to define a compression chamber 110 therebetween, so as to compress a refrigerant gas entering the compressor 1000 from an inlet 101 of the housing 100.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, in the embodiment of the present application, the motor 30 is constructed as an axial flux motor and located on a side of the second scroll 20 away from the first scroll 10. The motor 30 comprises a stator 31 and a rotor 32, wherein the rotor 32 is located on a side of the stator 31 away from the second scroll 20 and is spaced apart from the stator 31. The gap between the rotor 32 and the stator 31 needs to be maintained, for example, between 0.1 mm and 3 mm or 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, so as to ensure that the motor 30 may operate normally. The stator 31 is secured to the motor cover 50 by a bolt connection. The motor cover 50 is secured to the bracket 60 by a bolt connection so as to cover the motor 30, forming a space for accommodating the motor 30 together with the bracket 60. The rotor 32 is located on a side of the stator 31 facing away from the motor cover 50. The rotor 32 is secured on the retainer 33 (a structure of the retainer 33 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 7), and the retainer 33 is rotatably supported on the bracket 60, which is secured into the housing 100 through an interference fit. The retainer 33 is threaded to a second end 712 of a cylindrical receiving hub 71 of the driving mechanism 70, and the second end 712 is configured to extend into the bracket 60. The second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 is secured to the retainer 33 on a radial inner side of the rotor 32 so as to position the rotor 32 to be spaced from the stator 31, thereby maintaining an ideal gap between the rotor 32 and the stator 31.

[0038] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotor 32 may be integrated with the retainer 33 so as to form a component used as a rotor, so that the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 is directly secured to the component used as a rotor. This may simplify the structure of the compressor 1000.

[0039] A flange 72 extending radially from a first end 711 of the receiving hub 71 is used to support the second end plate 21. A vortex cover 80, whose top portion 81 is configured to cover and is secured to the first end plate 11, is secured to the flange 72 on a radial outer side of the second end plate 21 through a side wall 82 of the vortex cover 80. The motor cover 50 is located between the stator 31 and the flange 72 and is extended therethrough by the receiving hub 71.

[0040] By means of this structure, the rotor 32 drives the first scroll 10 to rotate by the retainer 33, the receiving hub 71, the flange 72, and the vortex cover 80, thereby driving the second scroll 20 to rotate, causing the first scroll 10 and the second scroll 20 to rotate together so as to compress the refrigerant gas.

[0041] Continuing with reference to FIG. 2, the shaft 90 is secured to a fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60 located in an oil pool 120 at a bottom of the housing 100 and is configured to extend from the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60 to the receiving hub 71, such that an end face of a top end 91 of the shaft 90 located in the receiving hub 71 is approximately flush with an upper surface of the flange 72 that supports the second end plate 21, and a bottom end 92 of the shaft 90 secured into the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60 is located in the oil pool 120. The shaft 90 is provided with a feeding passage 93 extending from the bottom end 92 to the top end 91, and the top end 91 of the shaft 90 is provided with a receiving hole 95 communicated to the feeding passage 93. A mounting hub 23 of the second end plate 21 extending in a direction away from the first scroll 10 is accommodated in the receiving hole 95. The cylindrical threaded pump 40 is rotatably provided in the feeding passage 93 and is configured to extend into the receiving hole 95 along the feeding passage 93, so that a top end 41 of the pump 40 may be operatively connected to the mounting hub 23 of the second scroll 20 in the receiving hole 95. A bottom end 42 of the pump 40 is configured to extend into the oil pool 120 located at the bottom of the housing 100.

[0042] A central axis of the receiving hole 95 is collinear with a rotational axis of the second scroll 20, and a central axis of the top end 91 of the shaft 90 is collinear with a rotational axis of the first scroll 10. The central axis of the receiving hole 95 at the top end 91 of the shaft 90 is deviated from the central axis of the top end 91, causing the rotational axis of the second scroll 20 to deviate from the rotational axis of the first scroll 10. In addition, a center of gravity of the first scroll 10 is located on the rotational axis of the first scroll 10, and the center of gravity of the second scroll 20 is located on the rotational axis of the second scroll 20. This is beneficial for balancing centrifugal forces generated by the first scroll 10 and the second scroll 20 during their rotation, thereby avoiding using a balance block to balance the centrifugal forces generated by the rotation of the first scroll 10 and the second scroll 20. This simplifies the structure of the compressor 1000 and reduces the volume of the compressor 1000.

[0043] In addition, due to the fact that the first scroll 10 and the second scroll 20 rotate together, the efficiency of the compressor 1000 is twice as high as that of a traditional scroll compressor (one of two scrolls rotates while the other of two scrolls is stationary). Therefore, on the basis of the same cooling capacity, diameters of the first scroll 10 and the second scroll 20 may be made as small as possible, thereby making the structure of compressor 1000 compact.

[0044] By means of this configuration, the rotor 32 may drive the driving mechanism 70 to rotate, and the driving mechanism 70 in turn drives the second cover 80 and the first scroll 10 to rotate. The first scroll 10 in turn drives the second scroll 20 and its mounting hub 23 to rotate, so that the pump 40 rotates relative to the secured shaft 90. Therefore, the oil used as lubricant may be fed upwards from the oil pool 120 along a gap between the pump 40 and the feeding passage 93 to relevant components of the compressor 1000 (thrust bearings, radial bearings, scrolls 10, 20, seals, etc.).

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, the retainer 33 is configured to have a connecting hub 331 and a cylindrical fixing portion 332, so that the rotor 32 is secured into the fixing portion 332 on an outer side of the connecting hub 331. The second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 is threaded to the connecting hub 331 on an inner side of the connecting hub 331. A rolling bearing 34 (e.g. thrust angular contact ball bearing) is installed on the inner side of the connecting hub 331 and is abutted by the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 against an upper side 341 of the rolling bearing 34. A lower end 3311 of the connecting hub 331 is provided with a radial protrusion 33111, and a lower side 342 of the rolling bearing 34 is abutted against the radial protrusion 33111, facilitating to install the rolling bearing 34 on the inner side of the connecting hub 331. In this way, when assembling the compressor 1000, the user may push the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 against the rolling bearing 34 by twisting the driving mechanism 70, so as to push the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move in a direction away from the stator 31, thereby overcoming a magnetic attraction between the stator 31 and the rotor 32 so as to position the rotor 32 to be spaced from the stator 31 and maintain the required gap between the rotor 32 and the stator 31.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 6, the bracket 60 is configured to abut against the lower side 342 of the rolling bearing 34 for supporting the motor 30, and more specifically supporting the retainer 33. The bracket 60 is configured to support the retainer 33 by the rolling bearing 34, but the bracket 60 does not come into contact with the retainer 33. Otherwise, the retainer 33 would be difficult to rotate relative to the secured bracket 60. In other words, the retainer 33 is spaced apart from the bracket 60. The rolling bearing 34 may reduce a frictional force between the bracket 60 and the retainer 33 during a relative rotation between the bracket 60 and the retainer 33, promoting the rotation of the rotor 32 and the retainer 33 relative to the bracket 60. More specifically, the bracket 60 is also provided with a cylindrical receiving portion 68 and a step portion 69. The receiving portion 68 is used to receive the motor 30 and the retainer 33. The step portion 69 is connected between the receiving portion 68 and the fixing hub 67 for accommodating the rolling bearing 34, such that the lower side 342 of the rolling bearing 34 is abutted against a top end 681 of the fixing hub 67, so that the retainer 33 is spaced apart from the receiving portion 68, thereby promoting the rotation of the rotor 32 and the retainer 33 relative to the bracket 60.

[0047] Referring to FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, the shaft 90 is provided with a shoulder 94. The bottom end 92 of the shaft 90 is secured to the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60 through a threaded connection, so that when assembling the compressor 1000, the user may rotate the shaft 90 so as to abut the shoulder 94 against the upper side 341 of the rolling bearing 34, pushing the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move in the direction away from the stator 31, thereby further overcoming the magnetic attraction between the stator 31 and the rotor 32 so as to position the rotor 32 to be spaced from the stator 31. The retainer 33 and the driving mechanism 70 apply a torque to the rolling bearing 34, and the shaft 90 applies a reverse torque to the rolling bearing 34, thereby securing the rolling bearing 34 and preventing the rolling bearing 34 from moving. In another embodiment of the present application, the shaft 90 may also be used separately to push the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move in the direction away from the stator 31, in order to position the rotor 32 to be spaced from the stator 31.

[0048] When assembling the compressor 1000, firstly, the bracket 60 is secured in the housing 100 through the interference fit. Then, the rolling bearing 34 is mounted on the inner side of the connecting hub 331 of the retainer 33, and the retainer 33 mounted with the rotor 32 is rotatably mounted on the bracket 60. At this point, the rolling bearing 34 is not in contact with but is spaced apart from the bracket 60. Subsequently, the stator 31 is secured to the motor cover 50 by the bolt connection, and the motor cover 50 is in turn secured to the bracket 60 by the bolt connection, so that the stator 31 is secured to the bracket 60 so as to achieve the fixation of the motor 30. At this point, the stator 31 and the rotor 32 are attracted together to each other due to the magnetic attraction. Afterwards, the receiving hub 71 of the driving mechanism 70 is configured to extend through central holes of the stator 31 and rotor 32, so that the driving mechanism 70 is threaded to the connecting hub 331 of the retainer 33 using the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71, and drives the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move downwards by spinning until the lower side 342 of the rolling bearing (more specifically, a radial interior of the lower side 342) is abutted against the top end 681 of the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60. By threading the receiving hub 71 of the driving mechanism 70 to the connecting hub 331, the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 is pushed against the upper side 341 of the rolling bearing 34 in the direction away from the stator 31 (at this point, the rolling bearing 34 drives the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move together in the direction away from the stator 31), so that the rolling bearing 34 is completely secured between the receiving hub 71 and the connecting hub 331 (more specifically, secured between the second end 712 of the receiving hub 71 and the radial protrusion 33111 of the connecting hub 331), thereby positioning the rotor 32 to be spaced apart from the stator 31 and maintaining the required gap between the stator 31 and the rotor 32.

[0049] Afterwards, the shaft 90 is mounted onto the bracket 60, wherein the bottom end 92 of the shaft 90 is threaded into the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60, so that the shoulder 94 of the shaft 90 is pushed against the upper side 341 of the rolling bearing 34 in the direction away from the stator 31 (at this point, the rolling bearing 34 drives the retainer 33 and the rotor 32 to move further in the direction away from the stator 31), until the lower side 342 of the rolling bearing 34 is abutted against the top end 681 of the fixing hub 67 of the bracket 60 (at this point, the rolling bearing 34 is installed in place, and the shaft 90 may not further push the rolling bearing 34 to move, which indicates that the rotor 32, the retainer 33, and the driving mechanism 70 are also installed in place), thereby further maintaining the required gap between the stator 31 and the rotor 32.

[0050] Those skilled in the art may understand that the embodiments described above are exemplary and may be improved by those skilled in the art. The structures described in various embodiments may be freely combined without conflict in terms of structure or principles.

[0051] After a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the accompanying claims, and the present disclosure is not limited to the implementation of the exemplary embodiments set forth in the specification.