KR20230169543A - Electric compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric compressor, comprising: a housing; a motor that generates power within the housing; an inverter that controls the motor; A compression mechanism that receives power from the motor and compresses the refrigerant; and an accumulator that collects liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing into the housing, wherein the housing includes a motor housing accommodating the motor and an inverter housing accommodating the inverter, and the accumulator is positioned relative to the inverter housing. By being fastened to the motor housing on the opposite side of the motor housing, the problems of increasing the number of parts mounted on the vehicle and deteriorating mountability due to the accumulator are prevented, and the heating element of the inverter can be sufficiently cooled by being cooled by the accumulator as well.

Description

Electric compressor{ELECTRIC COMPRESSOR}

The present invention relates to an electric compressor, and more specifically, to an electric compressor capable of compressing refrigerant with the driving force of a motor controlled by an inverter.

In general, a compressor is a device that compresses fluid such as refrigerant gas, and is applied to building air conditioning systems, vehicle air conditioning systems, etc.

Depending on the compression method, the compressor is classified into a reciprocating compressor that compresses the refrigerant through the reciprocating motion of the piston and a rotary compressor that performs compression while rotating. The reciprocating compressor uses a crank depending on the power transmission method to provide multiple It is classified into a crank-type compressor that transmits power through two pistons, a swash plate-type compressor that transmits power to a rotating shaft on which a swash plate is installed, and the rotary compressor is a vane rotary compressor that uses a rotating rotary shaft and vanes, and a rotating scroll and fixed compressor. It can be classified as a scroll compressor that uses scrolls.

Additionally, the compressor may be classified into a mechanical compressor using an engine and an electric compressor using a motor (hereinafter referred to as electric compressor) depending on the driving method.

Here, an inverter that controls the motor to control compression capacity is applied to the electric compressor, and a structure is applied to cool the heating element of the inverter.

Specifically, a conventional electric compressor includes a housing, a motor that generates power inside the housing, an inverter that controls the motor, a rotation shaft rotated by the motor, an orbiting scroll that rotates by the rotation shaft, and the orbiting scroll. It includes a fixed scroll that is engaged with and forms a compression chamber.

In addition, the housing includes a partition wall that partitions the motor accommodating space in which the motor is accommodated and the inverter accommodating space in which the inverter is accommodated, and a suction port that guides the refrigerant to the motor accommodating space.

Additionally, the inverter includes a heating element, and at least a portion of the heating element contacts the partition wall in the inverter accommodation space.

In a conventional electric compressor according to this configuration, when power is applied to the motor, refrigerant flows into the motor accommodation space through the suction port, and the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space flows into the compression chamber, is compressed, and then is compressed into the housing. is discharged to the outside of

In this process, the motor is controlled by the inverter, so that cooling efficiency is variably controlled, and the heat generated by the heating element is dissipated through the partition wall to the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space.

However, in such a conventional electric compressor, the accumulator that separates the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant is provided separately from the electric compressor, so there is a problem in that the number of parts mounted on the vehicle increases and mountability deteriorates.

In addition, since the partition wall is formed with an annular boss part into which a bearing supporting the rotating shaft is inserted, heat from the bearing is transferred to the partition wall through the boss part, resulting in a problem in which the heating element is not sufficiently cooled.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0058659 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2184051

Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric compressor that can prevent problems such as an increase in the number of parts mounted on a vehicle and a decrease in mountability due to an accumulator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric compressor in which the heating element of the inverter can be sufficiently cooled.

The present invention, in order to achieve the above-described object, includes a housing; a motor that generates power within the housing; an inverter that controls the motor; A compression mechanism that receives power from the motor and compresses the refrigerant; and an accumulator that collects liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing into the housing, wherein the housing includes a motor housing accommodating the motor and an inverter housing accommodating the inverter, and the accumulator is positioned relative to the inverter housing. An electric compressor is provided that is fastened to the motor housing on the opposite side of the motor housing.

The accumulator may include a main body that accommodates the liquid refrigerant, and a bridge that extends from the outer periphery of the main body, passes through the outside of the inverter housing, and is detachably fastened to the motor housing.

The main body and the bridge may be formed of a thermally conductive material.

The bridge may be coupled to the motor housing to enable heat conduction.

The bridge may be in contact with the inverter housing.

The main body and the bridge may be made of a material lighter than the housing.

The bridge may be spaced apart from the inverter housing.

The bridge may have a length that allows the main body to contact the inverter housing.

The bridge may be formed in plural, and the plurality of bridges may be arranged along the outer periphery of the main body.

The motor housing may include a suction port through which the refrigerant of the accumulator flows and a plurality of fastening parts fastened to the plurality of bridges.

The suction port and the plurality of fastening parts may be arranged along the outer periphery of the motor housing on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor housing.

The plurality of bridges may include a first bridge formed below the accumulator in the direction of gravity, and a second bridge having a shorter radial distance to the center of the accumulator than the first bridge.

The first bridge may be formed of at least two.

A pad may be disposed between the main body and the inverter housing.

The pad may include an anti-vibration material.

The pad may include a thermally conductive material.

The electric compressor according to the present invention includes a housing; a motor that generates power within the housing; an inverter that controls the motor; A compression mechanism that receives power from the motor and compresses the refrigerant; and an accumulator that collects liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing into the housing, wherein the housing includes a motor housing accommodating the motor and an inverter housing accommodating the inverter, and the accumulator is positioned relative to the inverter housing. By being fastened to the motor housing on the opposite side of the motor housing, it is possible to prevent the problem of the accumulator increasing the number of parts mounted on the vehicle and deteriorating mountability.

Additionally, the heating element of the inverter can be sufficiently cooled by being cooled by the accumulator.

1 is a front view showing a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a left side view of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1.

Hereinafter, the electric compressor according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a left side view of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1.

Referring to the attached FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 100, a motor that generates power inside the housing 100, an inverter that controls the motor, and It may include a compression mechanism that receives power from a motor and compresses the refrigerant, and an accumulator (500) that collects liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant that will flow into the housing (100).

The housing 100 includes a motor housing 110 having a motor accommodating space in which the motor is accommodated, a scroll accommodating space that is coupled to the motor housing 110 and accommodating an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll to be described later, and a compression chamber to be described later. A rear housing 120 forming a discharge chamber that accommodates the discharged refrigerant, and an inverter that is coupled to the motor housing 110 on the opposite side of the rear housing 120 with respect to the motor housing 110 and accommodates the inverter. It may include an inverter housing 130 forming an accommodation space.

Here, the motor housing 110 includes a partition wall dividing the motor accommodation space and the inverter accommodation space, and an annular side wall 114 protruding from the outer periphery of the partition wall toward the rear housing 120, and the partition wall and The side wall 114 may be formed of a thermally conductive material.

The partition wall may include a first surface facing the motor accommodation space and a second surface forming a rear surface of the first surface and facing the inverter accommodation space.

The first surface includes an annular boss portion protruding from the center of the first surface toward the motor accommodation space, and a bearing supporting a rotating shaft, which will be described later, may be inserted into the boss portion.

A portion of a heating element to be described later may be in contact with the second surface.

The side wall 114 may include a suction port 114a through which the refrigerant (more precisely, gaseous refrigerant) of the accumulator 500 flows and a plurality of fastening portions 114b fastened to a plurality of bridges 520 to be described later. You can.

The suction port 114a and the plurality of fastening parts 114b may each protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 114. Accordingly, the suction port 114a and the plurality of fastening portions 114b may affect the center of gravity of the electric compressor, and in consideration of this, the suction port 114a and the plurality of fastening portions 114b It may be desirable to arrange them along the outer periphery of the motor housing 110 on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor housing 110.

The inverter housing 130 includes a first inverter housing 132 disposed on a side of the motor housing 110 and a first inverter housing on the opposite side of the motor housing 110 based on the first inverter housing 132. It may include a second inverter housing 134 that is fastened to 132 and forms the inverter accommodating space together with the first inverter housing 132.

The first inverter housing 132 and the second inverter housing 134 are made of a thermally conductive material, and some of the heating elements to be described later are accommodated in the first inverter housing 132, and other heating elements are It can be accommodated on the second inverter housing 134 side.

Meanwhile, a gasket for sealing is interposed between the first inverter housing 132 and the second inverter housing 134, and the gasket may be formed of an insulating material.

The motor may include a stator and a rotor that rotates by interaction with the stator.

The inverter includes a board on which a plurality of elements necessary for control are mounted, and the plurality of elements include, for example, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), an intelligent power module (IPM), etc. It may include a heating element such as a switching element.

Here, in the case of this embodiment, the IGBT 322a among the heating elements is accommodated in the first inverter housing 132 and contacts the second surface of the partition wall of the motor housing 110 at the center side of the inverter housing space. , among the heating elements, heating elements other than the IGBT (322a) may be accommodated in the second inverter housing (134). However, it is not limited to this, and the types of heating elements accommodated in the first inverter housing 132 and the second inverter housing 134 can be adjusted appropriately.

The compression mechanism may include a rotating shaft rotated by the motor, an orbiting scroll rotating by the rotating shaft, and a fixed scroll engaged with the orbiting scroll to form a compression chamber.

Here, in this embodiment, the compression mechanism is formed as a scroll type, but it is not limited to this, and the compression mechanism can be changed to a crank type, swash plate type, vane rotary type, etc.

The accumulator 500 may be formed to be fastened to the motor housing 110 on the opposite side of the motor housing 110 with respect to the inverter housing 130.

Specifically, the accumulator 500 includes a main body 510 that collects liquid refrigerant from external refrigerant and separates gaseous refrigerant, and extends from the outer periphery of the main body 510 and extends to the outside of the inverter housing 130. It may include a bridge 520 that is detachably fastened to the fastening portion 114b of the motor housing 110.

A separation space is provided inside the main body 510 to separate the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant, and at the upper part of the main body 510 in the direction opposite to gravity, the gaseous refrigerant in the separation space is guided to the suction port 114a. An outlet and piping 600 may be provided.

The bridges 520 are formed in plural numbers so that the accumulator 500 is stably fastened to the motor housing 110, and the plurality of bridges 520 may be arranged along the outer periphery of the main body 510. .

In addition, the plurality of bridges 520 have a radial distance to the center of the accumulator 500 greater than that of the first bridge 522 formed below the accumulator 500 in the direction of gravity and the first bridge 522. It includes a short second bridge 524, and considering that a large load is applied to the lower part of the accumulator 500 in the gravity direction by the liquid refrigerant stored in the lower part of the separation space, the first bridge 522 It can be formed of at least two.

Here, the main body 510 and the bridge 520 are formed of a thermally conductive material so that the heating element can be cooled by the cold heat of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500, and the bridge 520 is connected to the motor housing. It contacts the fastening portion 114b to enable heat conduction with 110 and may be fastened by a fastening member 700 such as a bolt. At this time, it may be desirable for the fastening member 700 to be made of a thermally conductive material so that heat conduction can occur between the bridge 520 and the fastening part 114b even through the fastening member 700.

In addition, the main body 510 and the bridge 520 may be formed of a material lighter than the housing 100 to minimize the increase in vibration caused by the accumulator 500.

In addition, the bridge 520 may be formed to be spaced apart from the inverter housing 130 so that the radial thickness of the bridge 520 is reduced and the weight of the accumulator 500 is further reduced. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the bridge 520 may be formed on the same surface as the outer peripheral surface of the main body 510, and the inner peripheral surface of the bridge 520 may be formed to be radially spaced from the outer peripheral surface of the inverter housing 130. there is.

Here, the main body 510 and the bridge 520 may preferably be made of, for example, aluminum to have thermal conductivity and be lightweight.

Meanwhile, when the axial length of the bridge 520 is formed to be significantly long, a significant gap is formed between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134, and the center of gravity of the electric compressor is positioned at the accumulator 500. ), there may be a problem of leaning towards the side.

On the other hand, when the length of the bridge 520 is formed to be quite short, the main body 510 is strongly adhered to the second inverter housing 134, and a space between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134 is formed. Although the gap is eliminated, a problem may occur in which vibration caused by the sloshing of the liquid refrigerant of the accumulator 500 is directly transmitted to the second inverter housing 134.

Considering this, the bridge 520 according to this embodiment may be formed to have a length that allows the main body 510 to loosely contact the second inverter housing 134.

In addition, a pad 800 is provided between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134 to suppress vibration transmission between the accumulator 500 and the second inverter housing 134 while filling the gap due to tolerance. can be placed. To this end, the pad 800 is formed to have an axial thickness greater than the gap between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134, and may include a dust-proof material such as silicon, for example.

In addition, the pad 800 may further include a thermally conductive material to conduct heat between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134.

Hereinafter, the operational effects of the electric compressor according to this embodiment will be described.

That is, when power is applied to the motor, the rotation shaft may be rotated by the motor, and the orbiting scroll may be rotated by the rotation shaft. Accordingly, low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant may flow into the accumulator 500 (more precisely, the separation space of the main body 510) and be separated into liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant. Liquid refrigerant is stored in the lower part of the separation space, and gaseous refrigerant can be moved to the motor accommodation space through the outlet, the pipe 600, and the suction port 114a. Additionally, the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space may flow into the compression chamber, be compressed at high temperature and high pressure, and then be discharged to the outside of the housing 100 through the discharge chamber.

In this process, the cooling efficiency is variably controlled as the motor is controlled by the inverter, and the heat generating element that generates heat during operation of the inverter is cooled not only by the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space but also by the refrigerant of the accumulator 500. It can be.

Specifically, the cold heat of the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space may be transferred to the inverter accommodation space through the partition wall to cool the heat generating element.

However, since the heat of the bearing inserted into the partition is transferred to the inverter accommodation space through the boss portion and the partition wall, the heat generating element may not be sufficiently cooled only by the cooling heat of the refrigerant in the motor accommodation space.

However, in the case of the present embodiment, the accumulator 500 is formed of a thermally conductive material and is fastened to the housing 100 to enable heat conduction, so that the refrigerant of the accumulator 500, which is lower in temperature than the refrigerant in the motor accommodating space, Cold heat is transferred to the inverter accommodation space so that the heating element can be sufficiently cooled.

More specifically, as the cold heat of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500 is transferred to the first inverter housing 132 through the main body 510, the bridge 520, and the motor housing 110, the first inverter housing 132 The IBGT (322a) accommodated in the inverter housing (132) and in contact with the partition wall of the motor housing (110) can be sufficiently cooled.

In addition, as the bridge 520 is formed in plurality, the number of cold heat transfer paths of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500 through the bridge 520 increases, so that the cold heat of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500 is transmitted to the first 1 It can be transmitted more smoothly to the inverter housing 132.

In addition, as the plurality of bridges 520 include the second bridge 524 with a short radial distance to the center of the accumulator 500, the length of the cold heat transfer path of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500 increases. As a result, the cold heat of the refrigerant of the accumulator 500 can be more smoothly transferred to the first inverter housing 132. In particular, the cold heat transfer path from the IGBT 322a accommodated in the first inverter housing 132 and in contact with the partition wall of the motor housing 110 from the center side of the inverter accommodation space is reduced, and the IGBT ( 322a) can be cooled effectively.

Here, the cold heat transmitted through the bridge 520 may be used to cool the heating element accommodated in the second inverter housing 134 through convection, etc. within the inverter accommodation space, but may mainly be used to cool the IGBT. there is. This is because heat conduction does not occur between the first inverter housing 132 and the second inverter housing 134 due to the gasket.

Instead, the main body 510 of the accumulator 500 is formed to contact the second inverter housing 134, and includes a thermally conductive material between the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134. As the pad 800 is disposed, the heating element accommodated in the second inverter housing 134 is sufficiently generated by the cold heat transferred to the second inverter housing 134 through the main body 510 and the pad 800. It can be cooled.

And, as the bridge 520 is fastened to the motor housing 110, which is stronger than the inverter housing 130, the accumulator 500 can be stably fastened to the housing 100.

In addition, as the bridge 520 is detachably fastened to the motor housing 110, the accumulator 500 can be detached from the housing 100 as needed, making it necessary to dualize the specifications of the electric compressor. There is no That is, for example, an electric compressor equipped with the accumulator 500 is supplied to a system that requires the accumulator 500, such as a heater pump system, and the accumulator 500 is removed to a system that does not require the accumulator 500. Electric compressors can be supplied.

In addition, as the accumulator 500 is mounted on the housing 100, the problems of increasing the number of parts mounted on the vehicle and deteriorating mountability due to the accumulator 500 can be solved.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the bridge 520 is spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the inverter housing 130 to reduce weight, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, although not separately shown, the inner peripheral surface of the bridge 520 is aligned with the inverter housing 130 so that heat conduction occurs between the bridge 520 and the inverter housing 130 even if the thickness and weight of the bridge 520 are slightly increased. It may be formed to contact the outer peripheral surface.

In addition, although not separately shown, a pad seating groove in which the pad 800 is seated may be formed in at least one of the main body 510 and the second inverter housing 134.

110: motor housing
114a: suction port
114b: fastening part
120: rear housing
130: Inverter housing
500: Accumulator
510: body
520: bridge
522: first bridge
524: second bridge
800: Pad

Claims (15)

housing;
a motor that generates power within the housing;
an inverter that controls the motor;
A compression mechanism that receives power from the motor and compresses the refrigerant; and
It includes an accumulator that collects liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing into the housing,
The housing includes a motor housing accommodating the motor and an inverter housing accommodating the inverter,
The accumulator is an electric compressor fastened to the motor housing on an opposite side of the motor housing with respect to the inverter housing. According to paragraph 1,
The accumulator is an electric compressor including a main body that accommodates the liquid refrigerant and a bridge that extends from the outer periphery of the main body, passes through the outside of the inverter housing, and is detachably fastened to the motor housing. According to paragraph 2,
An electric compressor wherein the main body and the bridge are formed of a thermally conductive material. According to paragraph 3,
The bridge is an electric compressor coupled to the motor housing to conduct heat. According to paragraph 4,
The bridge is an electric compressor in contact with the inverter housing. According to paragraph 2,
The electric compressor wherein the main body and the bridge are formed of a material lighter than the housing. According to clause 6,
The bridge is an electric compressor spaced apart from the inverter housing. According to paragraph 2,
The bridge is an electric compressor having a length that allows the main body to contact the inverter housing. According to paragraph 2,
An electric compressor wherein the bridge is formed in plural, and the plurality of bridges are arranged along the outer periphery of the main body. According to clause 9,
The motor housing includes a suction port through which the refrigerant of the accumulator flows and a plurality of fastening parts fastened to the plurality of bridges,
The electric compressor wherein the suction port and the plurality of fastening parts are arranged along an outer periphery of the motor housing on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the motor housing. According to clause 9,
The plurality of bridges include a first bridge formed below the accumulator in the direction of gravity and a second bridge having a shorter radial distance to the center of the accumulator than the first bridge. According to clause 11,
The first bridge is an electric compressor formed of at least two. According to paragraph 2,
An electric compressor in which a pad is disposed between the main body and the inverter housing. According to clause 13,
The pad is an electric compressor including a dust-proof material. According to clause 13,
The pad is an electric compressor containing a thermally conductive material.