JP2006070745A - Compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recover lubricating oil led to flow out from a crank chamber to a low pressure side through a communicating passage, for capacity control. <P>SOLUTION: Lubricating oil is recovered by providing a lubricating oil separation mechanism in the communicating passage arranged between a housing and a cylinder block. The lubricating oil separation mechanism is formed on the peripheral surface of the cylinder block or the inner peripheral surface of the housing, and is a recessed and projecting part having a part colliding fluid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a variable capacity compressor, and more particularly to a compressor having a mechanism for separating lubricating oil in a communication passage from a crank chamber to a low pressure.

  In the compressor, a predetermined amount of lubricating oil for lubricating each movable member is sealed in the crank chamber, but the lubricating oil becomes mist-like due to rotation and reciprocation of the compression drive mechanism, and the pressure in the crank chamber is reduced. It flows out to the low-pressure side through the communication passage that controls. Then, a large amount of the oil accumulates in the refrigerant circuit, and if the compression drive mechanism becomes insufficient in lubricating oil and a large amount of lubricating oil is sucked into the compressor at a time due to the circulation of the lubricating oil, the compression of the incompressible fluid is performed. As a result, the inconvenience that each movable part is damaged occurs.

Conventionally, for example, an apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been developed as a countermeasure. According to this, the portion of the communication path 20 between the crank chamber 2 and the suction side that communicates with the crank chamber 2 has a hole shape that projects into the crank chamber 2 and opens in a pipe shape, so that the lubricating oil in the crank chamber 2 is moved out of the crank chamber. Proposals have been made to suppress large amounts of outflow.
JP2003-97423

  However, even if the front end of the communication passage is made into a pipe shape and protrudes into the crank chamber, the lubricating oil that is agitated and diffused by the internal compression drive mechanism and turbid with the refrigerant in the form of spray or oil droplets together with the refrigerant. The oil flowed out of the crank chamber, and the lack of lubricating oil could not be resolved.

  In view of this, the present invention collects the lubricating oil flowing out from the crank chamber through the connecting passage connected to the low pressure side for pressure control, and solves the shortage of lubricating oil.

  In the compressor according to the present invention, a housing space is constituted by a housing composed of two or more members. In the compressor in which the compression drive mechanism and the cylinder block are housed in the housing space, the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block and the A communication passage that allows the refrigerant to flow from the crank chamber to the low-pressure chamber side is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the housing and the communication passage between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block and the inner peripheral surface of the housing. A lubricating oil separation mechanism is provided (claim 1).

  Thus, in the variable capacity compressor, in order to control the pressure in the crank chamber, the lubricating oil that flows out from the crank chamber through the communication passage that allows the flow to the low pressure side is allowed to flow between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block and the housing. The oil is separated and recovered by a lubricating oil separation mechanism provided between the inner peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface.

  The compression drive mechanism includes a rotation transmission member fixed to the drive shaft, a swash plate to which a rotational force is transmitted from the rotation transmission member, and a piston engaged with the swash plate. The lubricating oil separation mechanism is an uneven portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block or the inner peripheral surface of the housing, and has a portion with which a fluid collides (Claim 3). It may be a dimple (Claim 5), a plurality of grooves formed in the circumferential direction (Claim 6), or a structure in which adjacent grooves communicate with each other (Claim 7). ). Further, the lubricating oil separation mechanism has a path for returning the separated lubricating oil to the crank chamber (claim 4).

  As a result, the lubricating oil separation mechanism is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block, so that the lubricating oil separation mechanism expands in area, thereby causing a decrease in the flow velocity, and the refrigerant is applied to a large number of dimples, which are uneven members, and to a wall portion of a large number of grooves. The lubricating oil is separated by collision, flows down in the circumferential direction, is recovered, and is returned to the crank chamber again.

  A capturing member for guiding a refrigerant containing lubricating oil is disposed in the vicinity of the inlet portion of the communication passage (Claim 8), and the capturing member is a mesh or a porous material (Claim 9). This effectively lowers the flow velocity at the inlet of the refrigerant communication passage and ensures capture.

  In addition, a shielding member that suppresses the inflow of the lubricating oil is provided facing the inlet portion of the connecting passage (claim 10), and the inflow of the lubricating oil into the connecting passage is prevented.

  In the compressor as described above, an outer shell protective member is disposed inside the housing, and the outer shell protective member is formed between the outer shell protective member and the housing and between the housing and the cylinder block. A second communication passage connected to the communication passage is formed (claim 11). Thereby, even when the outer shell protecting member is used, the communication passage can be communicated with the crank chamber.

  In other words, increasing the thickness of the housing more than necessary contradicts the demands for reducing the size and weight of the compressor, and if the housing is damaged due to the destruction of internal parts, Although there is a risk of destruction at a stretch, at least if there is an outer shell protection member inside the housing, this outer shell protection member will serve as a shield to prevent the housing from being destroyed, and the vehicle driver or repair It is possible to eliminate exposure of the worker to danger.

  Since the outer shell protecting member is provided on the inner side of the housing and the second communication passage is formed between them, the inlet to the crank chamber of the second communication passage is formed on the bottom surface which is the opposite end of the housing. (Claim 12). Thereby, it is formed in a place where there is little distribution of scattering of the lubricating oil even in the crank chamber, so that the outflow amount of the lubricating oil can be reduced.

  The diameter of the outer cylinder protection member on the side opposite to the cylinder block is reduced, and the inlet of the second communication passage is formed at the reduced diameter portion. As a result, the outer shell protecting member is provided around the bottom of the housing, and the amount of the lubricating oil flowing out to the second communication passage can be reduced by the shielding effect and the gravity effect.

  The communication passage is provided with a control valve for variable capacity control (Claim 15). Naturally, the capacity is controlled by the control valve, and the refrigerant flows out to the low pressure side through the communication passage. The lubricating oil in the refrigerant is separated by the lubricating oil separation mechanism as described above.

  The outer shell protecting member is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer shell with a large number of concave grooves for relaxing tension in the axial direction, and a part thereof serves as a second communication passage.

  As described above, in the variable capacity compressor, in order to control the pressure in the crank chamber, the lubricating oil flowing out through the communication passage that allows the flow from the crank chamber to the low pressure side is allowed to flow outside the cylinder block. The oil is separated and collected by a lubricating oil separation mechanism provided between the surface and the inner peripheral surface of the housing, and returned to the crank chamber again, so that the lubricating oil does not flow out into the cooling circuit, and the lack of lubricating oil is resolved (claim) Item 1).

  The lubricating oil separation mechanism provided in the present invention is an uneven portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block or the inner peripheral surface of the housing and having a portion that causes a fluid to collide with, for example, a large number of dimples or a large number of circumferential directions. And adjacent grooves are in communication with each other in the groove and the circumferential groove. For this reason, since the lubricating oil separation mechanism is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block, the lubricating oil spreads in area, the flow velocity of the refrigerant is reduced, and the lubricating oil is collided with the walls forming the dimples and the circumferential grooves. And collected by dropping in the circumferential direction by gravity (claims 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

  The trapping member provided in the vicinity of the inlet portion of the communication passage can surely trap the refrigerant and increase the separation effect. Similarly, the amount of lubricating oil flowing in can be reduced by a shielding member facing the inlet of the communication passage (claims 8, 9, 10).

Since the outer shell protective member is disposed inside the housing, the vehicle driver or the like is not exposed to danger even in a CO ₂ refrigerant compressor that requires high pressure (claim 11). In addition, since the inlet to the crank chamber of the second communication passage is formed on the bottom surface which is the opposite opening end of the front housing, the inlet is provided in the crank chamber where the amount of scattered distribution of the lubricating oil is small. Can be minimized (claim 12).

  Further, since the diameter of the non-cylinder block side of the outer shell protecting member is reduced, the outer shell protecting member is provided around the bottom of the housing. Thereby, the outflow amount of the lubricating oil to the second communication passage can be reduced by the shielding effect and the gravity effect (claim 13).

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show a variable capacity compressor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The compressor 1 includes a front housing 3 that constitutes a housing 2 and a rear housing 4 that closes an opening end thereof, and has a storage space 5 therein.

  The front housing 3 is a cylindrical body that is open at one end, and has an open end 7 on the right side and a small-diameter boss portion 8 on the left side. The rear housing 4 has a discharge chamber 10 formed in an annular shape on the inner side surface from the radially outer side, and a suction chamber 11 formed in an annular shape on the inner side. A suction passage 12 communicates with the suction chamber 11 and is connected to an external refrigerant circuit (not shown).

  14 is a control valve, and the internal spool valve is moved by the output from the external control unit, and the pressure in the crank chamber 24 described below is lowered to the low pressure side via the passage 15 which is a part of the communication passage 30 described below. In this way, the pressure in the crank chamber is controlled, and the angle of the swash plate 45 is changed to change the discharge amount.

  The valve plate 17 is sandwiched and provided between the rear housing 4 and a cylinder block 25 described below, and the same number of pairs of discharge holes 18 and suction holes 19 as the number of cylinder bores 27 described below are provided. The valve plate 17 is provided with a suction valve (not shown) facing the suction hole 19 on the cylinder block side, and a discharge valve (not shown) facing the discharge hole 18 on the rear housing side. A retainer 20 that regulates the lift amount of the discharge valve is attached to the valve plate 17. A passage 22 is formed in the valve plate 17 and is a part of a communication passage 30 described below.

  The cylinder block 25 is housed in the housing space 5 of the housing 2 and is fixed to the rear housing 4 by fixing bolts (not shown), and a crank chamber 24 is formed on the left side of the housing space 5 of the housing 2. . The cylinder block 25 is formed with a holding hole 26 of a driving shaft 37 having a bottom in the axial direction at the center, and six cylinder bores 27 are formed at equal angles around the holding hole 26 in the axial direction. Yes.

  Between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 25 and the inner peripheral surface of the front housing 3, a lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 that is a part of the communication passage 30 described below is provided. The lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 is configured to have an uneven portion 33 on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block. As shown in FIG. 2, the uneven portion 33 is a dimple. Therefore, the refrigerant flowing through the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 collides with the concave and convex portion 33 to separate the lubricating oil, travels down the outer circumference by gravity, falls downward, and is returned to the crank chamber 24 again.

  The communication passage 30 is used to control the pressure in the crank chamber 24, and includes the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 formed between the housing 2 and the cylinder block 25, and the through hole 22 of the valve plate 17. The rear housing 4 is formed with a through-hole 15 and is connected to the control valve 14 which allows flow to the low pressure side as appropriate in order to control the pressure in the crank chamber 24.

  A capturing member 34 for guiding a refrigerant containing lubricating oil is disposed at the inlet of the communication passage 30, that is, the inlet of the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32. The capturing member 34 is, for example, a mesh or a porous material. The capture member 34 causes a decrease in the flow velocity at the inlet, thereby ensuring the capture. Reference numeral 35 denotes a ring-shaped shielding member that prevents the inflow of lubricating oil that is transmitted through the inner wall of the front housing 3 against the inlet portion of the communication passage 30.

  The drive shaft 37 is rotated by a rotational force transmitted from an external engine. The tip of the drive shaft 37 is inserted into the holding hole 26 and supported by the cylinder block 25 via a radial bearing 38 and a thrust bearing 39. The base end side is supported by the front housing 3 via a radial bearing 40 and a thrust bearing 41. A rotation transmission member 43 is fixed to the drive shaft 37 and is rotated together with the drive shaft 37. The rotational force of the rotation transmitting member 43 is transmitted to the swash plate 45 described below.

  The swash plate 45 is swingably attached to the drive shaft 37 with the shaft 47 as a fulcrum. That is, the shaft 47 is disposed in a long hole 46 formed in the axial direction of the drive shaft 37 and supported by the springs 47a and 47b from both sides. A neck portion 48 a of the piston 48 is engaged with the outer periphery of the swash plate 45 via a shoe 49. Therefore, when the swash plate 45 rotates, the stroke amount of the piston 48 is determined in comparison with the inclination angle. That is, the stroke amount decreases as the tilt angle decreases, and conversely as it increases, the stroke amount increases. The inclination angle of the swash plate 45 is obtained in accordance with the pressure difference between the pressure in the crank chamber 24 and the refrigerant pressure in the compression chamber via the piston, and the discharge amount is adjusted by pressure control in the crank chamber 24. To be measured.

  In the above-described configuration, the variable capacity compressor 1 adjusts the crank chamber pressure by letting the control valve 14 release the pressure in the crank chamber 24 to the low pressure side through the communication passage 30, and thereby the inclination of the swash plate 45. A corner is selected. Thereby, the stroke amount of the piston 48 is appropriately set, and the discharge amount is controlled.

  As described above, when the pressure in the crank chamber is controlled, the lubricating oil is mist-like in the crank chamber 24 due to the rotation of the swash plate 45, stagnate in a mixed state with the refrigerant, and is captured by the capturing member 34. The trapped refrigerant including the low flow velocity lubricating oil flows through the communication passage 30 and reaches the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 before it flows out to the low pressure side, and collides with the concave and convex portion 33 therein, so that the lubricating oil is To be separated. The separated lubricating oil falls downward along the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 25, is collected at the lower part, and is returned to the crank chamber 24 again. Thus, since the uneven part 33 is provided in the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 25, the wide lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 is obtained, and it is a path for returning the lubricating oil to the crank chamber. The uneven portion 33 may be provided not on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block but on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 2.

  3, 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is the structure of the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32. Therefore, only the difference will be described.

  That is, the concavo-convex portion 33 of the lubricating oil separation mechanism 32 has a communication portion 53 that forms a large number of grooves 52 in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block 25 and communicates the adjacent grooves 52 at random. The refrigerant flows in a zigzag manner in each groove 52, collides with a wall portion constituting the groove 52, and the lubricating oil is separated. The separated lubricating oil falls downward along the groove 52 by gravity and is returned to the crank chamber 24 again. Only a large number of grooves 52 having no communication portion may be used.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, an outer shell protective member 54 made of an aluminum alloy or a resin material is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the front housing 3. Since the outer shell protection member 54 is provided, the inlet portion of the communication passage 30 is closed, and therefore, a second communication passage 55 communicating with the communication passage 30 is provided on the housing side of the outer shell protection member 54. An inlet 55a is provided on the side opposite to the cylinder block that is formed in the axial direction. The inlet 55a is a place where there is little distribution of scattering of the lubricating oil even in the crank chamber, and has the advantage of reducing the outflow amount of the lubricating oil.

  Since the outer shell protecting member 54 is provided in this way, the outer shell protecting member 54 can serve as a shield to prevent the housing from being destroyed. Since the diameter of the non-cylinder block side of the outer shell protecting member is reduced, the outer shell protecting member is provided so as to go around to the bottom side of the front housing, and the bottom portion of the front housing, which is the most easily broken portion, can be protected. Other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and thus the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the third embodiment and the second embodiment is that the coefficient of thermal expansion is different due to the difference in material between the outer shell protecting member 54 and the front housing 3, and means for mitigating it is provided. There is in being. That is, a large number of depressions 56 are formed in the outer circumferential surface of the outer shell protecting member 54 in the axial direction to relax the tension, and one portion thereof serves as the second communication passage 55.

It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st Example of this invention. It is a side view of the cylinder block used for the same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a side view of the cylinder block and outer shell protection member used for the same as the above. It is a perspective view of the cylinder block and outer shell protection member used for the same as the above. It is a perspective view of the outer shell protection member used for the 3rd example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Housing 3 Front housing 4 Rear housing 5 Storage space 10 Discharge chamber 11 Suction chamber 14 Control valve 17 Valve plate 18 Discharge hole 19 Suction hole 24 Crank chamber 25 Cylinder block 27 Cylinder bore 27 Communication passage 32 Lubricating oil separation mechanism 33 Concavity and convexity Portion 37 Drive shaft 45 Swash plate 48 Piston 54 Outer shell protection member 55 Second communication passage 56 Recess

Claims (15)

In a compressor in which a storage space is configured by a housing formed of two or more members, and a compression drive mechanism and a cylinder block are stored in the storage space,
A communication passage is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block and the inner peripheral surface of the housing to allow the refrigerant to flow from the crank chamber to the low pressure side, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block and the inner peripheral surface of the housing And a lubricating oil separation mechanism serving as the communication passage.   2. The compression according to claim 1, wherein the compression drive mechanism includes a rotation transmission member fixed to the drive shaft, a swash plate to which a rotational force is transmitted from the rotation transmission member, and a piston engaged with the swash plate. Machine.   The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the lubricating oil separation mechanism is an uneven portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block or an inner peripheral surface of the housing and having a portion with which a fluid collides.   4. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the lubricating oil separating mechanism has a path for returning the lubricating oil separated on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder block or the inner peripheral surface of the housing to the crank chamber. .   4. The compressor according to claim 3, wherein the uneven portion is a large number of dimples.   The compressor according to claim 3, wherein the concavo-convex portion has a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction.   The compressor according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of grooves communicates with each other adjacent grooves.   2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein a capturing member for guiding a refrigerant containing lubricating oil is disposed in the vicinity of an inlet portion of the communication passage.   The compressor according to claim 8, wherein the capturing member is a mesh or a porous material.   The compressor according to claim 1, further comprising a shielding member that opposes an inlet portion of the communication passage and suppresses inflow of lubricating oil.   An outer shell protection member is disposed inside the housing, and a second communication passage is formed between the outer shell protection member and the housing and connected to a communication passage formed between the housing and the cylinder block. The compressor according to claim 1.   The compressor according to claim 11, wherein an inlet to the crank chamber of the second communication passage is formed on a bottom surface which is an opposite opening end of the housing.   The compressor according to claim 11 or 12, wherein a diameter of the outer shell protecting member on the side opposite to the cylinder block is reduced, and an inlet of the second communication passage is formed at the reduced diameter portion.   The compressor according to claim 1, 8, 10, or 11, wherein the communication passage is provided with a control valve for variable displacement control.   The outer shell protecting member is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer shell with a plurality of concave grooves for axial relaxation in the axial direction, and a part of the groove is used as a second communication passage. Or the compressor of 14.

Images