CN107401509B

CN107401509B - Oil supply device for compressor and compressor

Info

Publication number: CN107401509B
Application number: CN201610329289.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙庆丰; 王蒙
Original assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Copeland Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-18
Filing date: 2016-05-18
Publication date: 2020-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-18
Also published as: CN107401509A

Abstract

The present invention provides an oil supply apparatus for a compressor, which includes: a pump driven by a rotating shaft of the compressor, the pump including an oil inlet hole and an oil discharge hole, the oil inlet hole being fluidly connected to an oil sump of the compressor, wherein a lubricating oil is stored in the oil sump; an oil supply passage including a first end fluidly connected to the oil drain hole; and a valve member provided in the oil supply passage and configured to perform an opening degree changing operation in response to a pressure difference across the valve member. The invention also provides a compressor comprising the oil supply device.

Description

Oil supply device for compressor and compressor

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an oil supply device for a compressor and a compressor including the same.

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

It is known that lubricating oil needs to be supplied between various parts in a compressor to perform heat dissipation, sealing, wear reduction, and the like. In the prior art, lubricating oil is usually carried to the components to be lubricated by means of a refrigerant. However, for variable speed compressors, such as inverter compressors, the amount of lubrication oil carried by the refrigerant tends to be related to the system frequency of the compressor (e.g., the rotational speed of the drive mechanism or rotating shaft). In the case of a low frequency or rotational speed of the compressor system, the amount of lubricant supplied may be too low, so that the lubrication effect of each component in the compressor is reduced, thereby reducing the performance of the compressor. At higher compressor system frequencies or speeds, the lubricant supply may be too high, resulting in a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger downstream of the compressor, and a short-term depletion of the lubricant in the compressor, which may damage the compressor.

Disclosure of Invention

As described above, there is still a need for an effective technical means for solving the problem of insufficient oil supply when the (variable speed) compressor is operating at a low speed.

An object of one or more embodiments of the present invention is to provide an oil supply apparatus capable of improving a lubrication effect of a compressor.

It is another object of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide a compressor having a good lubricating effect.

It is still another object of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide an oil supply apparatus for a compressor having a simple structure, low cost and high reliability.

Another object of one or more embodiments of the present invention is to provide a compressor including the oil supply apparatus described above.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an oil supply apparatus for a compressor, including:

a pump driven by a rotating shaft of the compressor, the pump including an oil inlet hole and an oil discharge hole, the oil inlet hole being fluidly connected to an oil sump of the compressor, wherein a lubricating oil is stored in the oil sump;

an oil supply passage including a first end fluidly connected to the oil drain hole; and

a valve member provided in the oil supply passage and configured to perform an opening degree varying operation in response to a pressure difference across the valve member.

Preferably, the valve member is configured such that the opening degree becomes smaller when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes larger and the opening degree becomes larger when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes smaller.

Preferably, the valve member is configured to close when a pressure difference across the valve member is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value and to open when a pressure difference across the valve member is less than the first predetermined value.

Preferably, the valve member includes a valve element, a valve seat, and an elastic member connected to the valve element to urge the valve element in a direction to separate the valve element from the valve seat, the valve member being configured such that: the spool engages the valve seat when the pressure differential across the valve member is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value; and the poppet separates from the valve seat when a pressure differential across the valve member is less than the first predetermined value.

Preferably, the valve seat and/or the valve spool include an oil passage that always allows the flow of the lubricating oil therethrough.

Preferably, the valve element includes a tapered portion configured to be engageable with and disengageable from the valve seat.

Preferably, the pump includes a pump oil reservoir, and the oil discharge hole is fluidly communicated to the oil supply passage via the pump oil reservoir.

Preferably, a pump oil passage is provided in the rotary shaft, and the pump oil reservoir chamber is in fluid communication with the pump oil passage.

Preferably, a pump reservoir outlet is also provided between the pump reservoir and the pump oil passage, the size of the pump reservoir outlet being selectable to adjust the flow ratio between lubricating oil flowing through the pump oil passage and lubricating oil flowing through the oil supply passage.

Preferably, the pump includes a pump reservoir chamber, the oil discharge hole being fluidly connected to the oil supply passage via the pump reservoir chamber, the valve member further including a bleed passage in fluid communication with the pump reservoir chamber, the bleed passage being configured to fluidly connect the pump reservoir chamber to the oil sump when a pressure differential across the valve member is greater than or equal to a bleed predetermined value and to disconnect the pump reservoir chamber from the oil sump when the pressure differential across the valve member is less than the bleed predetermined value, wherein the bleed predetermined value is greater than the first predetermined value.

Preferably, a second end portion of the oil supply passage opposite to the first end portion is provided in the vicinity of a suction port of a compression mechanism of the compressor, wherein the compression mechanism is driven by the rotary shaft.

Preferably, a second end portion of the oil supply passage opposite to the first end portion is provided near a main bearing housing of the compressor, wherein the main bearing housing is configured to support the rotating shaft.

Preferably, the oil supply passage and the valve member are disposed inside a casing of the compressor.

Preferably, the oil supply passage and the valve member are disposed outside a casing of the compressor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a compressor including the oil supply apparatus described above.

Preferably, the compressor is variable speed.

Preferably, the compressor is a rotary compressor.

An advantage of teachings according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is at least one of: lubricating oil can be supplied to the part to be lubricated additionally only when the compressor operates at a low rotating speed, so that the problem of insufficient lubricating oil supply when the compressor operates at a low rotating speed is solved; the problem of excessive lubricating oil supply when the compressor runs at a high rotating speed is avoided; and no complicated and expensive devices such as a controller, a solenoid valve, etc. are involved, simplifying the structure, reducing the cost and improving the reliability.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the specific examples and embodiments described in this section are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way, the drawings are not to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a compressor according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a compressor according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of a compressor according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B shows an enlarged view of the dotted line portion of FIG. 3A;

fig. 4A illustrates a sectional view of a compressor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of the dotted line portion in FIG. 4A;

fig. 5 illustrates a schematic view of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to various embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 6A illustrates a sectional view of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6B shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the dotted line portion of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C shows a cross-sectional view of the pump of the oil supply taken along the dashed line A-A in FIG. 6B;

fig. 7A illustrates a sectional view of a valve member of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a valve core is in an open position;

fig. 7B illustrates a sectional view of a valve member of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a valve spool is in a closed position;

fig. 7C illustrates a sectional view of a valve member of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor in which a valve core is away from a valve seat, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7D illustrates a sectional view of a valve member of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a valve core is adjacent to a valve seat and at least a portion of the valve core enters a valve hole of the valve seat;

fig. 7E illustrates a sectional view of a valve member of an oil supply apparatus for a compressor in which a valve core is engaged with a valve seat, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, in which a bleed passage connected to a valve member is illustrated; and

fig. 9 shows a graph of the relationship between the rotation speed of the rotary shaft and the pressure of the lubricating oil in the pump reservoir, in which the outlet of the pump reservoir is shown in two different sizes.

It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. For purposes of clarity, not all of the components in the drawings are labeled.

Detailed Description

The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention.

A basic configuration of a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1. Although fig. 1 shows the compressor in a vertical position, it is understood that the teachings of the present invention may also be applied to compressors in an inclined or horizontal position.

As shown in fig. 1, the compressor 1 includes a casing 10 having a substantially closed cylindrical shape, and the casing 10 includes a main body 11 at a middle portion and a top cover 12 and a bottom cover 13 fixed to both axial ends of the main body 11. A suction connector 14 is provided on the body 11 for sucking a refrigerant, and a discharge connector 15 is provided on the top cover 12 for discharging a compressed refrigerant. A partition 16 extending substantially transversely is further provided between the main body 11 and the top cover 12 so as to partition the internal space of the compressor housing 10 into a high-pressure side space and a low-pressure side space. Specifically, the space between the top cover 12 and the partition plate 16 constitutes a high-pressure side space, and the space between the partition plate 16 and the bottom cover 13 constitutes a low-pressure side space. The bottom of the housing 10 is also configured with an oil sump 17 for containing lubricating oil.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the compression mechanism 20 and the driving mechanism 40 that drives the compression mechanism 20 via the rotary shaft 30 are disposed in the low-pressure side space. As in the example shown in fig. 1, the compressor is in the form of a scroll compressor, and the compression mechanism 20 includes a non-orbiting scroll member 22 and an orbiting scroll member 24 that are intermeshed with each other. An eccentric crank pin 32 at the upper end of the rotating shaft 30 is inserted into the boss 26 of the orbiting scroll member 24 via a bushing (not shown) to rotatably drive the orbiting scroll member 24. An upper portion of the rotary shaft 30 is supported by the main bearing housing 50, and a lower portion of the rotary shaft 30 is supported by the sub bearing housing 54. The main bearing housing 50 and the sub-bearing housing 54 are fixedly connected to the housing 10 by an appropriate means. The drive mechanism 40 is, for example, a motor, and includes a stator 42 fixed to the housing 10 and a rotor 44 fixed to the rotary shaft 30.

A pumping oil passage 34 is provided in the rotary shaft 30, the pumping oil passage 34 including a concentric bore 36 at the bottom and an eccentric bore 38 radially offset from the concentric bore 36, the concentric bore 36 fluidly communicating to the oil sump 17, and the eccentric bore 38 extending from the concentric bore 36 to the eccentric crank pin 32 of the rotary shaft 30. The pump oil passage 34 guides the lubricating oil in the oil sump 17 upward by a power source such as an oil pump, or directly supplies to the parts to be lubricated, or carries with it the refrigerant to the parts to be lubricated. The parts to be lubricated may include the compression mechanism 20, the main bearing housing 50, and the like.

For a compressor, its rotating shaft 30 is capable of operating at least at a first rotational speed (which may be referred to herein, for example, as a low rotational speed) and a second rotational speed (which may be referred to herein, for example, as a high rotational speed), wherein the first rotational speed is less than the second rotational speed. When the compressor is operated at a low rotation speed, the oil supply capacity of the pump oil passage 34 is weak, and the amount of lubricating oil carried by the refrigerant that can be sucked by the compression mechanism 20 is small. However, at low rotational speeds, leakage from the compression chambers in the scroll members is more severe at higher rotational speeds due to, for example, lower pressure in the back pressure chambers, and therefore, insufficient lubrication at low rotational speeds is likely to result. That is, at low rotational speeds, an additional supply of lubricating oil to the parts of the compressor to be lubricated is required.

Conversely, when the compressor is operated at a high rotation speed, the oil supply capacity of the pump oil passage 34 is strong, and the compression mechanism 20 can suck more lubricating oil carried by the refrigerant, so that the lubricating oil is sufficient at a high rotation speed. Thus, at high rotational speeds, no or only a small supply of lubricating oil to the components to be lubricated is required, since an excessive supply of lubricating oil may also cause problems such as a reduction in the efficiency of the heat exchanger.

In order to provide an additional lubricant supply only at low rotation speeds in response to the problem of insufficient lubricant supply at low rotation speeds, the present invention provides an oil supply device 100 for a compressor (see fig. 5).

As shown in fig. 1 and 5, the oil supply device 100 includes a pump 110, an oil supply passage 120, and a valve member 130 (see fig. 5), wherein the pump 110 may be disposed at a lower end of the rotating shaft 30 and driven by the rotating shaft 30, the oil supply passage 120 has one end in fluid communication with the pump 110 to receive the lubricating oil pumped by the pump 110 and the other end disposed near a part to be lubricated, and the valve member 130 is disposed in the oil supply passage 120 and configured to be opened at a low rotation speed to allow the pumped lubricating oil to flow through the oil supply passage 120 to the part to be lubricated and to be closed at a high rotation speed to prevent the pumped lubricating oil from flowing through the oil supply passage 120. Thereby, the oil supply device 100 can realize the supply of the lubricating oil in the oil sump 17 to the member to be lubricated only at a low rotation speed.

As shown in fig. 1, the oil supply passage 120 can supply the pumped lubricating oil to the vicinity of the suction port of the compression mechanism 20.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 1, the oil supply passage 120 may be provided inside the case 10. This arrangement can protect the oil supply passage 120 and the valve member 130 provided in the oil supply passage 120 from the external environment.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 2, at least a portion of the oil supply passage 120 may be provided outside the casing 10. This arrangement enables easy addition improvement of the oil supply device on the basis of the existing product without having to deal with the problem of interference between the oil supply passage 120 and other components due to the oil supply passage 120 being provided inside the housing 10. Further, the valve member 130 can be provided on a portion of the oil supply passage 120 outside the housing 10, thereby facilitating monitoring of the performance of the valve member 130 (or the oil supply device 100) and, if necessary, repair and replacement.

Preferably, the oil supply device 100 may include a plurality of oil supply passages 120, each of which supplies lubricating oil to a corresponding part to be lubricated. Specifically, fig. 3A and 3B show a modification of the oil supply device shown in fig. 1, in which the oil supply passage 120 includes two oil supply passages separated from each other: the first oil supply passage includes a first end portion 122 connected to the pump 110 and a second end portion 124 that supplies lubricating oil to the suction port of the compression mechanism 20; the second oil supply passage includes a first end (not shown) connected to pump 110 and a second end 126 supplying lubricating oil to main bearing housing 50.

Similarly, fig. 4A and 4B show a modification of the oil supply device shown in fig. 2, in which the oil supply passage 120 includes a first end portion 122 connected to the pump 110, a second end portion 124 supplying lubricating oil to the suction port of the compression mechanism 20, and a third end portion 126 supplying lubricating oil to the main bearing housing 50. In other words, the oil supply passage 120 includes two oil supply passages: the first and

second end portions

122 and 124 correspond to a first oil supply passage, and the first and

third end portions

122 and 126 correspond to a second oil supply passage. It will be appreciated that each oil supply passage may have a common first end portion, or may have a respective first end portion.

The oil supply device 100 for the compressor according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5 to 9.

As shown in fig. 5, the oil supply device 100 includes a pump 110, an oil supply passage 120, and a valve member 130, wherein one end of the oil supply passage 120 is connected to the pump 110 to allow the pump 110 to pump lubricating oil to the oil supply passage 120, the other end can be disposed near a part to be lubricated of the compressor, the valve member 130 is disposed in the oil supply passage 120 to allow and prevent lubricating oil from being supplied to the vicinity of the part to be lubricated through the oil supply passage 120, and the valve member 130 is configured to be closed to prevent lubricating oil from being supplied to the part to be lubricated when a pressure difference across the valve member 130 is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value and to be opened to allow lubricating oil to be supplied to the part to be lubricated when the pressure difference.

Specifically, when the compressor is operated at a high rotation speed, the oil supplying capability of the pump 110 is strong such that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is relatively large, and when the compressor is operated at a low rotation speed, the oil supplying capability of the pump 110 is weak such that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is relatively small. Thus, the first predetermined value mentioned above can be understood as: a pressure difference of greater than or equal to a first predetermined value across the valve member 130 corresponds to a situation where the compressor is operated at a high rotational speed, and a pressure difference of less than the first predetermined value across the valve member 130 corresponds to a situation where the compressor is operated at a low rotational speed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6A, the pump 110 may be disposed at a lower end of the rotary shaft 30 and may be rotatably driven by the rotary shaft 30. Referring to fig. 6B to 6C, the pump 110 includes an oil inlet hole 114, an oil discharge hole 116, and a pump rotor 118, wherein the pump rotor 118 of the pump 110 operates to suck the lubricating oil in the oil sump 17 from the oil inlet hole 114 and discharge the sucked lubricating oil to the oil supply passage 120 through the oil discharge hole 116.

Preferably, the pump 110 is completely submerged in the sump 17 to facilitate suction of the lubricating oil in the sump 17, and is also fluidly connected to the sump 17 by means of an oil pipe (not shown).

As described above, since the valve member 130 is provided in the oil supply passage 120, the valve member 130 divides the oil supply passage 120 into two portions, an upstream portion and a downstream portion. Specifically, the upstream portion is located between the pump 110 or first end 122 and the valve member 130, and the downstream portion is located between the valve member 130 and the second end 124.

When the compressor is operated, the rotary shaft 30 rotationally drives the pump 110 to pump the lubricating oil in the oil sump 17 to the upstream portion of the oil supply passage 120. When the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 is low, the pumping capacity of the pump 110 (e.g., the pressure of the pumped-out lubricating oil or the flow rate of the pumped-out lubricating oil) is low, so that a relatively low lubricating oil pressure is established in the upstream portion of the oil supply passage 120, (so that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is smaller than the first predetermined value), and lubricating oil can be supplied to the parts to be lubricated via the oil supply passage 120.

On the other hand, when the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 is large, the pumping capacity of the pump 110 is strong, so that the lubricating oil pressure in the upstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 is relatively high, (so that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value), and the lubricating oil cannot be supplied to the parts to be lubricated via the oil supply passage 120.

It is to be noted that the downstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 is always in communication with the low-pressure side space of the compressor, and thus the pressure of the lubricating oil in the downstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 is substantially constant and substantially equal to the pressure in the low-pressure side space, and the pressure of the lubricating oil in the upstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 is substantially equal to the pressure of the lubricating oil discharged from the pump, regardless of the pressure loss in the oil supply passage 120. Accordingly, the pressure differential across the valve member 130 may be substantially equal to the difference between the pump discharge pressure and the pressure of the low pressure side space of the compressor. And the pump discharge pressure is a function of the rotation speed of the rotary shaft, it can be considered that the valve member 130 performs the opening and closing operation only in response to the rotation speed of the rotary shaft.

Thus, the above configuration according to the present invention achieves: the supply of oil to the parts to be lubricated is permitted when the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 is low, i.e., at a low rotation speed (so that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is less than the first predetermined value), and the supply of oil to the parts to be lubricated is prevented when the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 is high, i.e., at a high rotation speed (so that the pressure difference across the valve member 130 is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value). This solves the problem of insufficient oil supply to the compressor components at low rotational speeds, while preventing excessive oil supply at high rotational speeds.

The first predetermined value for the opening and closing of the valve member 130 may be determined according to the requirements of the application. For example, the first predetermined value may be calculated by determining a critical rotation speed of the rotary shaft at which the shortage of the lubricant oil supply occurs, and measuring the pump discharge pressure at the critical rotation speed, according to the actual application requirement. Then, the corresponding valve member is selected in accordance with the first predetermined value. However, the following disadvantages may occur: it is not possible or difficult to find a matching valve member based on the calculated first predetermined value, which requires that the magnitude of the pump discharge pressure be appropriately adjusted to fit the existing valve member after the threshold rotational speed is determined.

The adjustment of the first predetermined value (or pump discharge pressure) will be described in detail below.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6B, the pump 110 further includes a pump reservoir chamber 112, and the pump reservoir chamber 112 is disposed between the oil discharge hole 116 of the pump 110 and the oil supply passage 120, for example, below the oil discharge hole 116, so that the pumped lubricating oil can be accumulated in the pump reservoir chamber 112 before entering the oil supply passage 120. The pressure of the lubricating oil in the pump oil reservoir 112 can be regarded as the pump discharge pressure, and therefore the pump discharge pressure can be made more smooth. With the rotational speed of the rotating shaft 30 unchanged (e.g., equal to the threshold rotational speed), the pressure in the pump reservoir 112 can be adjusted to accommodate the specifications of existing valve components.

For example, a pressure sensor may be provided within the pump reservoir 112 to monitor the pressure of the lubricant within the pump reservoir 112. First, a threshold rotational speed at which a shortage of the lubricating oil occurs is determined based on an actual operation demand, then a pressure to be reached in the pump oil reservoir chamber 112 is calculated based on a specification of an existing valve member (corresponding to a first predetermined value), and then the lubricating oil pressure in the pump oil reservoir chamber 112 (i.e., the pump discharge pressure) is adjusted to the pressure to be reached when the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 is equal to the threshold rotational speed (for example, by an operation of discharging the lubricating oil in the pump oil reservoir chamber 112 or the like).

It should be noted that the specification of the valve member, the specification of the oil supply passage, the specification of the pump, and the like may be appropriately selected according to actual operation requirements.

Preferably, the pump 110 can also be configured to pump lubricating oil to the pump oil passage 34 of the compressor. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, the pump reservoir 112 of the pump 110 is fluidly connected to the concentric bore 36 of the pump oil passage 34.

This arrangement makes the pump oil passage 34 and the oil supply passage 120 share the same pump 110, making the structure of the compressor more simple and compact.

More preferably, the lower end of the rotary shaft 30 may be provided with an eccentric driver 35, one end (an upper end as shown in fig. 6B) of which the eccentric driver 35 is fixedly connected to the rotary shaft 30 and integrally rotated therewith, and the other end (a lower end as shown in fig. 6B) of which is eccentrically slidably disposed in the pump rotor 118 of the pump 110 (as shown in fig. 6C) to drive the pump rotor 118. A connecting bore 39 in the form of a through bore may be provided in the eccentric drive member 35 to fluidly connect the pump reservoir 112 with the concentric bore 36.

More preferably, as shown in fig. 6B and 6C, the pump reservoir chamber 112 further includes a pump reservoir chamber outlet 113, and the pump reservoir chamber outlet 113 is located between the pump reservoir chamber 112 and the connecting hole 39 so as to be able to perform a throttling function. Specifically, the bore or size of the pump reservoir outlet 113 is selectable, or the pump reservoir outlet 113 is easily replaceable, so as to be adapted to adjust the flow ratio between the lubricating oil flowing through the pump oil passage 34 and the lubricating oil flowing through the oil supply passage 120. Selection or replacement of the bore diameter or size of the pump reservoir outlet 113 enables adjustment of the pump discharge pressure, and also enables adjustment of the responsiveness of the pump discharge pressure in the pump reservoir 112 to changes in the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30.

Specifically, a smaller first bore diameter (e.g., 2mm) of the pump reservoir outlet 113 reduces the amount of lubricant in the pump reservoir 112 that flows into the concentric bore 36, such that the lubricant pressure in the pump reservoir 112 increases relatively quickly as the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases.

In contrast, the larger second bore diameter (e.g., 5mm) of the pump reservoir outlet 113 increases the amount of lubricant in the pump reservoir chamber 112 that flows into the concentric bore 36, so that the lubricant pressure in the pump reservoir chamber 112 increases relatively slowly as the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases.

In particular, fig. 9 shows the influence of the aperture size of the pump reservoir outlet 113 on the relationship between the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 and the pressure of the lubricating oil in the pump reservoir 112. As shown in fig. 9, when the bore diameter of the pump oil reservoir outlet 113 is 2mm (the first smaller bore diameter), the pressure of the lubricating oil in the pump oil reservoir 112 is high, and the pressure of the lubricating oil rapidly increases as the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases. In contrast, when the bore diameter of the pump reservoir outlet 113 is 5mm (the larger second bore diameter), the pressure of the lubricating oil in the pump reservoir 112 is lower, and the pressure of the lubricating oil increases slowly as the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases. Thus, the range of application and sensitivity of the valve member 130 can be accommodated by adjusting the bore diameter of the pump reservoir outlet 113.

On the other hand, the smaller bore diameter of the pump reservoir outlet 113 hinders the lubricating oil in the pump reservoir 112 from entering the concentric bore 36, thereby reducing the amount or proportion of lubricating oil supplied to the member to be lubricated through the pump oil passage 34 and conversely increasing the amount or proportion of lubricating oil supplied to the member to be lubricated through the oil supply passage 120. Thus, by selecting or replacing the hole diameter or size of the pump oil reservoir outlet 113, the supply amount or ratio of each lubricant supply path can be appropriately distributed, and optimum supply of lubricant can be achieved.

Fig. 7A to 7B illustrate an example of a valve member 130 of an oil supply apparatus 100 for a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention. The valve member 130 may include a valve housing 131 having a substantially cylindrical shape, a first end plate 134 and a second end plate 136 fixed to both axial ends of the valve housing 131, a spool 132 accommodated in the valve housing 131, and an elastic member 138 disposed between the spool 132 and the first end plate 134. The valve housing 131, the first end plate 134 and the second end plate 136 define an interior space of the valve member 130. The first end plate 134 is provided with a first valve hole 135 that is in fluid communication with an upstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 to allow pumped lubricating oil to flow into an inner space of the valve member 130; the second end plate 136 is provided with a second valve hole 137 that is fluidly communicated with a downstream portion of the oil supply passage 120 to allow the inflow of the lubricating oil to flow out of the inner space of the valve member 130.

The valve member 130 may be a normally open type valve (as shown in fig. 7A and 7B), with fig. 7A showing the valve member 130 in an inoperative condition, in which the resilient member 138 is not subjected to any loads, such as compressive and tensile loads. When the oil supply device 100 operates, the lubricating oil flows into the inner space of the valve member 130 via the first valve hole 135 of the first end plate 134. The inflowing oil impacts the spool 132 to urge the spool 132 toward the second end plate 136. When the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 is low, i.e., at a low rotational speed, the impact of the lubricating oil on the spool 132 is small, and the spool 132 is not engaged with the second end plate 136, which allows the lubricating oil to flow through the second valve hole 137 to exit the valve member 130. As the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases, the spool 132 eventually engages the second end plate 136 under the impact of the lubricating oil, and at this time, the second end plate 136 serves as a valve seat to cooperate with the spool 132 to prevent the lubricating oil from flowing through the second valve hole 137, as shown in fig. 7B. This configuration achieves that the valve member 130 is closed at a high rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30, thereby preventing the lubricating oil from being supplied to the parts to be lubricated via the oil supply device 100. It is noted that the valve member according to the present application is not limited to being configured to perform the closing and opening operations in response to the pressure difference across the valve member (the rotational speed of the rotary shaft), as described above, but may also be configured to perform the opening degree varying operation in response to the pressure difference across the valve member.

For example, a valve member according to the present application may also be configured such that the opening degree becomes smaller when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes larger and the opening degree becomes larger when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes smaller.

In particular, fig. 7C to 7E show a valve member of an oil supply device according to another preferred embodiment of the present application, which has substantially the same configuration as the valve member shown in fig. 7A to 7B, and thus the same structure will not be described in detail. As shown in fig. 7C, the spool 132 of the valve member 130 includes a tapered portion 133, the tapered portion 133 being provided on a side of the spool 132 facing the second end plate 136 (i.e., the valve seat) for engagement with the second end plate 136. Fig. 7C shows the valve member 130 in an inoperative condition, in which the resilient member 138 is not subjected to any loads, such as compressive and tensile loads. When the oil supply device 100 operates, the lubricating oil flows into the inner space of the valve member 130 via the first valve hole 135 of the first end plate 134. The inflowing oil impacts the spool 132 to urge the spool 132 toward the second end plate 136. When the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 is low, i.e., at a low rotational speed, the impact of the lubricating oil on the spool 132 is weak, and the spool 132 moves only toward the second end plate 136 but is not engaged with the second end plate 136, which allows the lubricating oil to flow through the second valve hole 137 to exit the valve member 130. As the rotational speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases, the impact of the lubricating oil increases, so that the spool 132 moves further toward the second end plate 136, and when the spool 132 is close to the second end plate 136 but is not yet engaged with the second end plate 136 (as shown in fig. 7D), at least a portion of the tapered portion 133 of the spool 132 enters the second valve hole 137, so that the effective cross-sectional area of the second valve hole 137, through which the lubricating oil is allowed to flow, decreases, that is, the opening degree of the valve member 130 decreases, so that the flow rate of the lubricating oil flowing through the valve member 130 decreases. As the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases, the spool 132 (the tapered portion 133) eventually engages with the second end plate 136 (the valve seat) by the impact of the lubricating oil, thereby preventing the lubricating oil from flowing through the second valve hole 137, as shown in fig. 7E. This configuration achieves: when the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 increases, the opening degree of the valve member 130 becomes smaller, and further, the flow rate of the lubricating oil supplied to the parts to be lubricated via the oil supply device 100 is preferably reduced; as the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 30 further increases, the valve member 130 closes, thereby preventing the lubricating oil from being supplied to the parts to be lubricated via the oil supply device 100.

Although the valve member according to the present application has been described in the preferred embodiment of the present application, it is not limited thereto, but may also include all types of valve members that may be configured to perform an opening degree varying operation in response to a pressure difference across the valve member. In particular, a valve member of the type described may be configured to have a smaller opening degree when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes larger and a larger opening degree when the pressure difference across the valve member becomes smaller.

In other preferred embodiments of the present application, the valve member may be further configured such that the opening degree thereof is gradually reduced as the pressure difference across the valve member is gradually increased, and in particular, such that the flow rate of the lubricating oil flowing through the valve member is gradually reduced.

In a preferred embodiment, oil passages (not shown) may be provided in the second end plate 136 and/or the spool 132 to allow oil (e.g., a small amount of oil) to flow through the valve member 130 for supply when the end plate is engaged with the spool. This also ensures the lubrication oil supply at high rotational speeds, for example, in the event of failure of other oil supply paths.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the oil supply device 100 may further include a drain passage 140. The drain passage 140 may be in fluid communication with the pump reservoir 112 to drain lubricant to the sump 17 when the pressure of the lubricant in the pump reservoir 112 is too high.

Specifically, a normally closed valve (not shown) may be disposed in the bleed passage 140. The normally closed valve will not open until the valve member 130 is closed. In particular, the normally closed valve is configured to open when the pressure differential across the valve member 130 is greater than or equal to a bleed-off predetermined value, wherein the bleed-off predetermined value is greater than the first predetermined value, thereby preventing damage to the valve member 130, the oil supply passage 120, and/or the pump 110 due to a momentary rise in the pressure of the lubricant within the valve member 130 and/or the pump reservoir 112 after the valve member 130 is closed.

As shown in fig. 8, a first end 142 of the bleed passage 140 may be connected to the valve member 130, e.g., to the valve housing 131 of the valve member 130, and a second end 144 thereof may be in fluid communication with the sump 17.

In other alternative preferred embodiments, the first end 142 of the bleed passage 140 may be connected to an upstream portion of the pump reservoir 112 or the oil supply passage 120.

It is noted that compressors according to embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, scroll compressors; the pump of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a positive displacement pump, for example, a rotary pump.

The valve member of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to the present invention may preferably be a purely mechanical valve member, i.e., a valve member capable of performing an opening and closing operation in response to only the rotation speed of the rotation shaft (or a pressure difference across the valve member) without depending on complicated and expensive devices such as a control device, a solenoid device, etc., which simplifies the structure, reduces the cost, and improves the reliability.

However, the valve member of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to the present invention is not limited to the purely mechanical valve member. Alternatively, the valve member of the present invention may also incorporate auxiliary devices such as control devices, electronics, solenoids, sensing elements, etc. to perform the opening and closing operations.

More importantly, the oil supply device for the compressor overcomes the defect of insufficient oil supply at low rotation speed.

Although in the preferred embodiment described herein, the valve member of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor is described as being configured to be closed when the pressure difference across the valve member is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value and to be opened when the pressure difference across the valve member is less than the first predetermined value, the teachings of the present invention are not limited thereto. In particular, the valve member of the oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to the present invention may be further configured to perform an opening degree varying operation in response to a pressure difference or a pressure difference range across the valve member. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the teachings of this invention.

It will be appreciated that a compressor according to the present application may comprise a variable speed compressor, the speed of rotation of the rotating shaft of which is variable and comprises at least two operating speeds. For example, the variable speed compressor includes an inverter compressor.

It will also be appreciated that compressors according to the present application may include not only rotary compressors, such as scroll compressors, but also reciprocating compressors.

It is noted that the reference herein to directional terms such as front, rear, left, right, up, down, etc., is for descriptive purposes only and does not limit the orientation and direction of the embodiments of the invention in practical use.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described and illustrated in detail herein, and that other variations and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

1 compressor

10 casing

11 main body

12 Top cover

13 bottom cover

14 air suction joint

15 exhaust joint

16 baffle

17 oil pool

20 compression mechanism

22 fixed scroll part

24-orbiting scroll member

26 hub

30 rotating shaft

32 eccentric crank pin

34 oil pumping channel

35 eccentric driving member

36 concentric holes

38 eccentric hole

39 connecting hole

40 driving mechanism

42 stator

44 rotor

50 main bearing seat

54 auxiliary bearing seat

100 oil supply device

110 pump

112 pump oil chamber

113 pump oil chamber outlet

114 oil inlet hole

116 oil drain hole

118 pump rotor

120 oil supply channel

122 first end portion

124 second end portion

126 second end and third end

130 valve member

131 valve casing

132 valve core

133 taper part

134 first end plate

135 first valve hole

136 second end plate

137 second valve hole

138 elastic member

140 bleed passage

142 first end portion

144 second end portion.

Claims

1. An oil supply apparatus for a compressor, comprising:

an oil supply passage including a first end portion fluidly connected to the oil drain hole, the oil supply passage being disposed outside the rotating shaft; and

a valve member provided in the oil supply passage and configured to perform an opening degree changing operation in response to a pressure difference across the valve member,

wherein the pump includes a pump oil reservoir, the oil discharge hole is fluidly communicated to the oil supply passage via the pump oil reservoir,

wherein a pump oil passage is provided in the rotary shaft, the pump oil storage chamber is in fluid communication with the pump oil passage,

a pump oil reservoir outlet is also provided between the pump oil reservoir and the pump oil passage, the size of the pump oil reservoir outlet being selectable to adjust the flow ratio between the lubricating oil flowing through the pump oil passage and the lubricating oil flowing through the oil supply passage.

2. The oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to claim 1, wherein the valve member is configured to become smaller in opening degree as the pressure difference across the valve member becomes larger and to become larger in opening degree as the pressure difference across the valve member becomes smaller.

3. The oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to claim 1, wherein the valve member is configured to close when a pressure difference across the valve member is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value and to open when the pressure difference across the valve member is less than the first predetermined value.

4. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to claim 3, wherein the valve member includes a valve core, a valve seat, and an elastic member connected to the valve core to urge the valve core in a direction of separating the valve core from the valve seat, the valve member being configured such that: the spool engages the valve seat when the pressure differential across the valve member is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value; and the poppet separates from the valve seat when a pressure differential across the valve member is less than the first predetermined value.

5. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to claim 4, wherein the valve seat and/or the valve spool include an oil passage that always allows the lubricating oil to flow therethrough.

6. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to claim 4, wherein the valve spool includes a tapered portion configured to be engageable with and disengageable from a valve seat.

7. An oil supply for a compressor according to claim 3 wherein said valve member further includes a bleed passage in fluid communication with said pump reservoir, said bleed passage being configured to fluidly communicate said pump reservoir with said oil sump when a pressure differential across said valve member is greater than or equal to a bleed predetermined value and to disconnect said pump reservoir from said oil sump when a pressure differential across said valve member is less than said bleed predetermined value, wherein said bleed predetermined value is greater than said first predetermined value.

8. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a second end portion of the oil supply passage opposite to the first end portion is provided in a vicinity of a suction port of a compression mechanism of the compressor, wherein the compression mechanism is driven by the rotary shaft.

9. The oil supply device for the compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a second end portion of the oil supply passage opposite to the first end portion is provided near a main bearing housing of the compressor, wherein the main bearing housing is configured to support the rotating shaft.

10. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the oil supply passage and the valve member are provided inside a casing of the compressor.

11. The oil supply apparatus for the compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the oil supply passage and the valve member are provided outside a casing of the compressor.

12. A compressor comprising the oil supply apparatus for a compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The compressor of claim 12, wherein said compressor is variable speed.

14. The compressor of claim 13, wherein the compressor is a rotary compressor.