US20100260635A1 - Discharge valve for linear compressor - Google Patents
Discharge valve for linear compressor Download PDFInfo
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- US20100260635A1 US20100260635A1 US12/739,372 US73937208A US2010260635A1 US 20100260635 A1 US20100260635 A1 US 20100260635A1 US 73937208 A US73937208 A US 73937208A US 2010260635 A1 US2010260635 A1 US 2010260635A1
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- discharge valve
- weight reduction
- reduction grooves
- linear compressor
- expanded portion
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
- F04B35/00—Piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids and characterised by the driving means to their working members, or by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors, not otherwise provided for
- F04B35/04—Piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids and characterised by the driving means to their working members, or by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors, not otherwise provided for the means being electric
- F04B35/045—Piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids and characterised by the driving means to their working members, or by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors, not otherwise provided for the means being electric using solenoids
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- the present invention relates in general to a discharge valve for a linear compressor, and more particularly, to a discharge valve for a linear compressor, strength of which stays or is secured at a satisfactory level with less use of materials.
- a reciprocating compressor is designed to form a compression space to/from which an operation gas is sucked/discharged between a piston and a cylinder, and the piston linearly reciprocates inside the cylinder to compress refrigerants.
- Linear compressors have a piston that is connected directly to a linearly reciprocating linear motor, so there is no mechanical loss by the motion conversion, thereby not only enhancing compression efficiency but also simplifying the overall structure. Moreover, since their operation is controlled by controlling an input power to a linear motor, they are much less noisy as compared to other compressors, which is why linear compressors are widely used in indoor home appliances such as a refrigerator.
- FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art.
- the linear compressor has an elastically supported structure inside a shell (not shown), the structure including a frame 1 , a cylinder 2 , a piston 3 , a suction valve 4 , a discharge valve assembly 5 , a linear motor 6 , a motor cover 7 , a supporter 8 , a body cover 9 , main springs S 1 and S 2 , a muffler assembly 10 , and a mass member 20 .
- the cylinder 2 is insertedly fixed to the frame 1 , and the discharge assembly 5 constituted by a discharge valve 5 a , a discharge cap 5 b , and a discharge valve spring 5 c is installed to cover one end of the cylinder 2 .
- the piston 3 is inserted into the cylinder 2 , and the suction valve 4 which is very thin is installed to open or close a suction port 3 a of the piston 2 .
- the linear motor 6 is installed in a manner that a permanent magnet 6 c linearly reciprocates while maintaining the air-gap between an inner stator 6 a and an outer stator 6 b .
- the permanent magnet 6 c is connected to the piston 3 with a connecting member 6 d , and an interactive electromagnetic force between the inner stator 6 a , the outer stator 6 b , and the permanent magnet 6 c makes the permanent magnet 6 c linearly reciprocating to actuate the piston 3 .
- the motor cover 7 supports the outer stator 6 b in an axial direction to fix the outer stator 6 b and is bolted to the frame 1 .
- the body cover 9 is coupled to the motor cover 7 , and between the motor cover 7 and the body cover 9 there is the supporter 8 that is connected to the other end of the piston 3 while being elastically supported in an axial direction by the main springs S 1 and S 2 .
- the muffler assembly 10 for sucking in refrigerant is also fastened to the supporter 8 .
- the main springs S 1 and S 2 include four front springs S 1 and four rear springs S 2 that are arranged in horizontally and vertically symmetrical positions about the supporter 8 .
- the front springs S 1 and the rear springs S 2 move in opposite directions and buff the piston 3 and the supporter 8 .
- the refrigerant in the compression space P functions as sort of a gas spring to buff the piston 3 and the supporter 8 .
- the piston and the muffler assembly 10 connected to it move in a linear reciprocating direction, and with the varying pressure in the compression space P the operation of the suction valve 4 and the discharge valve assembly 5 are automatically regulated.
- the refrigerant flows via a suction pipe on the side of the shell, an opening of the body cover 9 , the muffler assembly 10 , and suction ports 3 a of the piston 3 until it is sucked in the compression space P and compressed.
- the compressed refrigerant then escapes to the outside through the discharge cap 5 b , the loop pipe and an outlet duct on the side of the shell.
- FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art.
- a conventional discharge valve 5 a is made from PEEK material which is a kind of high-strength engineering plastics to be able to resist the high internal pressure from the compression space P (see FIG. 1 ), and has a shape with an increasing thickness towards the center. While one side of the discharge valve 5 a is flat, the other side is convex towards the center to stay rigid and not bent even under excessive pressure. Naturally, the discharge valve 5 a is placed such that its flat side is in contact with one end of a cylinder 2 (see FIG. 1 ) on the side of the compression space P (see FIG. 1 ), while its convex side is elastically supported by a discharge valve spring 5 b (see FIG. 1 ).
- FIG. 3 is a graph showing how the performance efficiency and the noise being produced are related to an increasing weight of a discharge valve for a linear compressor. According to the graph, as the weight of a discharge valve increases, impact force generated when the discharge valve collides with a cylinder increases, producing a louder noise at the same time, but the performance efficiency (compression efficiency) of a linear compressor is degraded. Although a discharge valve of smaller weight would reduce material costs and generate less noise, one should not reduce the weight of the discharge valve too much in order to secure a satisfactory level of strength for the discharge valve which is in contact with the high-pressure compression space. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the weight of a discharge valve within a range where a satisfactory level of strength for the discharge valve is ensured.
- the discharge valve for a linear compressor is designed to be thicker towards the center to ensure its strength, so problems like an increase in weight and production cost, generation of louder noise during operation in proportion to the weight, degraded compression efficiency, etc., still remain unsolved.
- a larger discharge valve is needed accordingly, thereby making the aforementioned problems even worse.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge valve for a linear compressor, which features a satisfactory level of strength with reduced weight by the use of dissimilar materials.
- a discharge valve for a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston
- the discharge valve comprising: a body made from a metal material; and a coating layer made from a plastic material to wrap the body.
- the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention comprises: a center portion, on which the discharge valve spring is settled;
- an expanded portion which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a uniform thickness and which has a plurality of reinforcement ribs; and a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
- the reinforcement ribs are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion along the circumference direction.
- the reinforcement ribs have a decreasing height in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
- the reinforcement ribs have a linear form.
- the reinforcement ribs have a branched ‘Y-shaped’ form in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
- the body is made from aluminum material, and the coating layer is made from PEEK material.
- a discharge valve for a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston
- the discharge valve comprising: a center portion on which a discharge valve spring is settled; an expanded portion, which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a decreasing thickness and which has a plurality of weight reduction grooves; and a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
- the weight reduction grooves are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion.
- the weight reduction grooves form a molecular pattern where at least two weight reduction grooves are arranged within a given section in a circumference direction of the expanded portion.
- the weight reduction grooves are arranged in a radiation pattern about the center portion.
- the weight reduction grooves are arranged at the expanded portion with a uniform depth.
- the weight reduction grooves have a triangular shape.
- the weight reduction grooves have a circular shape.
- the discharge valve for a linear compressor with the above-described configuration in accordance with the present invention may not have an optimum strength but its total weight is reduced by making the body from a relatively light metal material and wrapping the body with the coating layer made from a high-strength plastic material, such that a satisfactory level of strength is ensured despite the reduction in weight.
- a linear compressor with the discharge valve of the present invention provides advantages of reduced production cost, higher compression efficiency while making less noise during the operation, reduced installation space for the discharge valve to achieve a broader space for discharge of refrigerant.
- FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art
- FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art
- FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating how performance efficiency and noise being generated by a conventional linear compressor change by weight of a discharge valve adapted to the linear compressor;
- FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention.
- a linear compressor 100 of the present invention includes a cylinder 200 , a piston 300 , and a linear motor 400 constituted by an inner stator 420 , an outer stator 440 , and a permanent magnet 460 , which are housed in a shell 110 or a hermetic container, and when the permanent magnet 460 linearly reciprocates by an interactive electromagnetic force between the inner stator 420 and the outer stator 440 , the piston 300 connected to the permanent magnet 460 also makes a linear reciprocating movement.
- the inner stator 420 is affixed to an outer periphery of the cylinder 200 , and the outer stator 440 is secured axially by a frame 520 and a motor cover 540 .
- the frame 520 and the motor cover 540 are joined together by fastening members such as bolts, and the outer stator 440 is secured between the frame 520 and the motor cover 540 .
- the frame 520 may be integrately formed with the cylinder 200 , or the frame 520 may be manufactured separately and then coupled to the cylinder 200 later.
- the embodiment in FIG. 4 shows an example where the frame 520 and the cylinder 200 are integrated as one body.
- a supporter 320 is connected to the rear side of the piston 300 .
- Four front main springs 820 are supported on both ends by the supporter 320 and the motor cover 540 .
- four rear main springs 840 are supported on both ends by the supporter 320 and a back cover 560 , and the back cover 560 is coupled to the rear side of the motor cover 540 .
- a suction muffler 700 is provided on the rear side of the piston 300 , through which refrigerant flows into the piston 300 , so less noise is generated during suction feeding.
- the interior of the piston 300 is hollowed to let the refrigerant fed through the suction muffler 700 introduced and compressed in a compression space P defined between the cylinder 200 and the piston 300 .
- a suction valve 610 seats at the front end of the piston 300 . The suction valve 610 in the open position, the refrigerant flows from the piston 300 into the compression space P, and it shuts the front end of the piston 300 to prevent backflow of the refrigerant from the compression space P to the piston 300 .
- All of the components of the linear compressor 100 described above are supported by front and rear support springs 120 and 140 in assembled state, and stay at a certain distance away from the bottom of the shell 110 . Since they are not in direct contact with the bottom of the shell 110 , the shell 110 is free from the influence of vibrations that are produced by each component of the compressor 100 when compressing refrigerant. As a result, less vibration is delivered to the outside of the shell 110 and therefore, less noise is created due to the vibration of the shell 110 .
- FIG. 5 shows a first embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5
- a discharge valve 620 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention includes a body 620 A made from a relatively light metal material such as aluminum, and a coating layer 620 B made from a high-strength plastic material such as PEEK to wrap the body.
- the discharge valve 620 made from the high-strength PEEK material only would not experience deformation caused by pressure difference, but production cost will increase.
- the discharge valve 620 made from an aluminum material only would suffer severe deformation because of pressure difference which outweighs the production cost advantage. Therefore, it is recommended to manufacture discharge valves using a variety of dissimilar materials that can reduce the weight and guarantee a satisfactory level of strength at the same time.
- the discharge valve 620 may take the form of a relatively thin disk as shown in FIG. 5 , which includes a spherical protruding holder 621 at the center to receive a discharge valve spring 630 (see FIG. 4 ) thereon, an expanded portion 622 that is expanded radially from the holder 621 at uniform thickness and that has parallel linear reinforcement ribs 622 a arranged in a circumference direction with a fixed spacing from each other, and a rim 623 that is formed in the circumference direction at uniform thickness to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P.
- the holder 621 is thickest as it has a protruded portion to hold the discharge valve spring 630 (see FIG.
- the rim 623 has a relatively sufficient thickness to be able to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P.
- the expanded portion 622 can be thin compared to the holder 621 and the rim 623 because it is already provided with the reinforcement ribs 622 a .
- the reinforcement ribs 622 a are formed to have their height decreased towards the rim 623 from the holder 621 .
- the other side of the discharge valve 620 in contact with one end of the cylinder 200 (see FIG. 4 ) on the side of the compression space 2 has a flat surface with a groove in which a bolt head for fastening the suction valve 310 (see FIG. 4 ) slides.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 7
- a discharge valve 1620 of the second embodiment includes a body 1620 A made from a relatively light metal material, and a coating layer 1620 B made from a high-strength plastic material to wrap the body, and the body 1620 A is provided with a holder 1621 , an expanded portion 1622 , and a rim 1623 . Because of the structural similarity between two embodiments, a detailed description on the structure will not be repeated.
- the expanded portion 1622 in the second embodiment includes ‘Y’ shape reinforcement ribs 1622 which are arranged in the circumference direction with a fixed spacing from each other, being branched out towards the rim 1623 from the holder 1621 .
- ‘Y’ shape reinforcement ribs 1622 which are arranged in the circumference direction with a fixed spacing from each other, being branched out towards the rim 1623 from the holder 1621 .
- FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention.
- a discharge valve 2620 in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention includes a spherical protruding holder 2621 at the center to receive a discharge valve spring 630 (see FIG. 4 ) thereon, an expanded portion 2622 that is expanded radially from the holder 2621 with decreasing thickness and that has a plurality of uniformly-arrange weight reduction grooves 2622 a , 2622 b , 2622 c , 2622 d , and 2622 e , and a rim 2623 that is formed in the circumference direction of the extended portion 2622 at uniform thickness to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P (see FIG.
- the weight reduction grooves 2622 a , 2622 b , 2622 c , 2622 d , and 2622 e form a molecular pattern M by means of partition walls which are arranged in sort of a molecular configuration, and such molecular patterns M are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction.
- one side of the discharge valve 2620 in contact with the compression space is flat, but the other side of the discharge valve 2620 mounted with the discharge spring 630 (see FIG. 4 ) is formed to have increasing thickness towards the center. Nevertheless, the reduction of weight is still achieved because of the presence of weight reduction grooves 2622 a , 2622 b , 2622 c , 2622 d , and 2622 e.
- the molecular pattern M is divided by partition walls to have four triangular shaped weight reduction grooves 2622 a , 2622 b , 2622 c , and 2622 d , and one rectangular shaped weight reduction groove 2622 e , and all of the weight reduction grooves 2622 a , 2622 b , 2622 c , 2622 d , and 2622 e formed in the extended portion 2622 preferably have a uniform depth despite a varying thickness of the extended portion 2622 according to the position.
- the discharge valve 2620 with the aforementioned configuration can be formed by injection molding using high-strength plastic materials such as PEEK.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention.
- a discharge valve 3620 of the fourth embodiment includes a holder 3621 , an expanded portion 3622 , and a rim 3623 , where the expanded portion 3622 has weight reduction grooves 3622 a , 3622 b , 3622 c , and 3622 d with uniform depth and circular shape that are arranged in a radiation pattern about the holder 3621 .
- the weight reduction grooves 3622 a , 3622 b , 3622 c , and 3622 d take the form of a pyramidal shape, and the number of the grooves formed increases towards the rim 3623 from the holder 3621 .
- four neighboring weight reduction grooves 3622 a , 3622 b , 3622 c , and 3622 d form sort of a diamond-shaped molecular pattern M.
- the discharge valve 3620 of the fourth embodiment can be formed by injection molding using high-strength plastic materials such as PEEK. Yet, the discharge valve 3620 has a simple structure compared as that of the third embodiment, and therefore it is easily injection-molded, and it also features a simple mold shape and a prolonged life.
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Abstract
A discharge valve is adapted to a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston, the discharge valve comprising: a body made from a metal material; and a coating layer made from a plastic material to wrap the body. The linear compressor provided with such a discharge valve is ensured with a satisfactory level of strength with less use of materials.
Description
- The present invention relates in general to a discharge valve for a linear compressor, and more particularly, to a discharge valve for a linear compressor, strength of which stays or is secured at a satisfactory level with less use of materials.
- In general, a reciprocating compressor is designed to form a compression space to/from which an operation gas is sucked/discharged between a piston and a cylinder, and the piston linearly reciprocates inside the cylinder to compress refrigerants.
- Most reciprocating compressors today have a component like a crankshaft to convert a rotation force of a drive motor into a linear reciprocating drive force for the piston, but a problem arises in a great mechanical loss by such motion conversion. To solve the problem, development of linear compressors is still under progress.
- Linear compressors have a piston that is connected directly to a linearly reciprocating linear motor, so there is no mechanical loss by the motion conversion, thereby not only enhancing compression efficiency but also simplifying the overall structure. Moreover, since their operation is controlled by controlling an input power to a linear motor, they are much less noisy as compared to other compressors, which is why linear compressors are widely used in indoor home appliances such as a refrigerator.
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FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art. The linear compressor has an elastically supported structure inside a shell (not shown), the structure including aframe 1, acylinder 2, apiston 3, asuction valve 4, a discharge valve assembly 5, alinear motor 6, amotor cover 7, asupporter 8, abody cover 9, main springs S1 and S2, amuffler assembly 10, and amass member 20. - The
cylinder 2 is insertedly fixed to theframe 1, and the discharge assembly 5 constituted by adischarge valve 5 a, a discharge cap 5 b, and adischarge valve spring 5 c is installed to cover one end of thecylinder 2. Thepiston 3 is inserted into thecylinder 2, and thesuction valve 4 which is very thin is installed to open or close asuction port 3 a of thepiston 2. - The
linear motor 6 is installed in a manner that apermanent magnet 6 c linearly reciprocates while maintaining the air-gap between aninner stator 6 a and anouter stator 6 b. To be more specific, thepermanent magnet 6 c is connected to thepiston 3 with a connectingmember 6 d, and an interactive electromagnetic force between theinner stator 6 a, theouter stator 6 b, and thepermanent magnet 6 c makes thepermanent magnet 6 c linearly reciprocating to actuate thepiston 3. - The
motor cover 7 supports theouter stator 6 b in an axial direction to fix theouter stator 6 b and is bolted to theframe 1. Thebody cover 9 is coupled to themotor cover 7, and between themotor cover 7 and thebody cover 9 there is thesupporter 8 that is connected to the other end of thepiston 3 while being elastically supported in an axial direction by the main springs S1 and S2. Themuffler assembly 10 for sucking in refrigerant is also fastened to thesupporter 8. - Here, the main springs S1 and S2 include four front springs S1 and four rear springs S2 that are arranged in horizontally and vertically symmetrical positions about the
supporter 8. As thelinear motor 6 starts running, the front springs S1 and the rear springs S2 move in opposite directions and buff thepiston 3 and thesupporter 8. In addition to these springs, the refrigerant in the compression space P functions as sort of a gas spring to buff thepiston 3 and thesupporter 8. - Therefore, when the
linear motor 6 starts running, the piston and themuffler assembly 10 connected to it move in a linear reciprocating direction, and with the varying pressure in the compression space P the operation of thesuction valve 4 and the discharge valve assembly 5 are automatically regulated. Under this mechanism, the refrigerant flows via a suction pipe on the side of the shell, an opening of thebody cover 9, themuffler assembly 10, andsuction ports 3 a of thepiston 3 until it is sucked in the compression space P and compressed. The compressed refrigerant then escapes to the outside through the discharge cap 5 b, the loop pipe and an outlet duct on the side of the shell. -
FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art. In one example, aconventional discharge valve 5 a is made from PEEK material which is a kind of high-strength engineering plastics to be able to resist the high internal pressure from the compression space P (seeFIG. 1 ), and has a shape with an increasing thickness towards the center. While one side of thedischarge valve 5 a is flat, the other side is convex towards the center to stay rigid and not bent even under excessive pressure. Naturally, thedischarge valve 5 a is placed such that its flat side is in contact with one end of a cylinder 2 (seeFIG. 1 ) on the side of the compression space P (seeFIG. 1 ), while its convex side is elastically supported by a discharge valve spring 5 b (seeFIG. 1 ). -
FIG. 3 is a graph showing how the performance efficiency and the noise being produced are related to an increasing weight of a discharge valve for a linear compressor. According to the graph, as the weight of a discharge valve increases, impact force generated when the discharge valve collides with a cylinder increases, producing a louder noise at the same time, but the performance efficiency (compression efficiency) of a linear compressor is degraded. Although a discharge valve of smaller weight would reduce material costs and generate less noise, one should not reduce the weight of the discharge valve too much in order to secure a satisfactory level of strength for the discharge valve which is in contact with the high-pressure compression space. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the weight of a discharge valve within a range where a satisfactory level of strength for the discharge valve is ensured. - However, the discharge valve for a linear compressor according to a prior art, although it is made from high-strength yet expensive engineering plastics, is designed to be thicker towards the center to ensure its strength, so problems like an increase in weight and production cost, generation of louder noise during operation in proportion to the weight, degraded compression efficiency, etc., still remain unsolved. As most linear compressors today have a greater capacity, a larger discharge valve is needed accordingly, thereby making the aforementioned problems even worse.
- The present invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge valve for a linear compressor, which features a satisfactory level of strength with reduced weight by the use of dissimilar materials.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge valve for a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston, the discharge valve comprising: a body made from a metal material; and a coating layer made from a plastic material to wrap the body.
- The discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention comprises: a center portion, on which the discharge valve spring is settled;
- an expanded portion, which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a uniform thickness and which has a plurality of reinforcement ribs; and a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the reinforcement ribs are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion along the circumference direction.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the reinforcement ribs have a decreasing height in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the reinforcement ribs have a linear form.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the reinforcement ribs have a branched ‘Y-shaped’ form in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the body is made from aluminum material, and the coating layer is made from PEEK material.
- In another aspect, there is provided a discharge valve for a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston, the discharge valve comprising: a center portion on which a discharge valve spring is settled; an expanded portion, which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a decreasing thickness and which has a plurality of weight reduction grooves; and a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves form a molecular pattern where at least two weight reduction grooves are arranged within a given section in a circumference direction of the expanded portion.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves are arranged in a radiation pattern about the center portion.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves are arranged at the expanded portion with a uniform depth.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves have a triangular shape.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, the weight reduction grooves have a circular shape.
- In the discharge valve for a linear compressor of the present invention, four neighboring weight reduction grooves are arranged in a diamond-shape.
- The discharge valve for a linear compressor with the above-described configuration in accordance with the present invention may not have an optimum strength but its total weight is reduced by making the body from a relatively light metal material and wrapping the body with the coating layer made from a high-strength plastic material, such that a satisfactory level of strength is ensured despite the reduction in weight. As such, a linear compressor with the discharge valve of the present invention provides advantages of reduced production cost, higher compression efficiency while making less noise during the operation, reduced installation space for the discharge valve to achieve a broader space for discharge of refrigerant.
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FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art; -
FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with a prior art; -
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating how performance efficiency and noise being generated by a conventional linear compressor change by weight of a discharge valve adapted to the linear compressor; -
FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ofFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention; and -
FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention. - Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention. In this example, alinear compressor 100 of the present invention includes acylinder 200, apiston 300, and alinear motor 400 constituted by aninner stator 420, anouter stator 440, and apermanent magnet 460, which are housed in ashell 110 or a hermetic container, and when thepermanent magnet 460 linearly reciprocates by an interactive electromagnetic force between theinner stator 420 and theouter stator 440, thepiston 300 connected to thepermanent magnet 460 also makes a linear reciprocating movement. - The
inner stator 420 is affixed to an outer periphery of thecylinder 200, and theouter stator 440 is secured axially by aframe 520 and amotor cover 540. Theframe 520 and themotor cover 540 are joined together by fastening members such as bolts, and theouter stator 440 is secured between theframe 520 and themotor cover 540. Theframe 520 may be integrately formed with thecylinder 200, or theframe 520 may be manufactured separately and then coupled to thecylinder 200 later. The embodiment inFIG. 4 shows an example where theframe 520 and thecylinder 200 are integrated as one body. - A
supporter 320 is connected to the rear side of thepiston 300. Four frontmain springs 820 are supported on both ends by thesupporter 320 and themotor cover 540. Also, four rear main springs 840 are supported on both ends by thesupporter 320 and aback cover 560, and theback cover 560 is coupled to the rear side of themotor cover 540. Asuction muffler 700 is provided on the rear side of thepiston 300, through which refrigerant flows into thepiston 300, so less noise is generated during suction feeding. - The interior of the
piston 300 is hollowed to let the refrigerant fed through thesuction muffler 700 introduced and compressed in a compression space P defined between thecylinder 200 and thepiston 300. A suction valve 610 seats at the front end of thepiston 300. The suction valve 610 in the open position, the refrigerant flows from thepiston 300 into the compression space P, and it shuts the front end of thepiston 300 to prevent backflow of the refrigerant from the compression space P to thepiston 300. - When refrigerant inside the compression space P is compressed to a predetermined level or higher, it causes a
discharge valve 620 which is seated at the front end of thecylinder 200 to open. Thedischarge valve 620 is elastically supported by a spiraldischarge valve spring 630 inside asupport cap 640 that is secured to one end of thecylinder 200. The high-pressure compressed refrigerant is then discharged into adischarge cap 660 via a hole which is formed in thesupport cap 640, and then escapes from thelinear compressor 110 via a loop pipe L to be circulated, thereby making the refrigeration cycle work. - All of the components of the
linear compressor 100 described above are supported by front and rear support springs 120 and 140 in assembled state, and stay at a certain distance away from the bottom of theshell 110. Since they are not in direct contact with the bottom of theshell 110, theshell 110 is free from the influence of vibrations that are produced by each component of thecompressor 100 when compressing refrigerant. As a result, less vibration is delivered to the outside of theshell 110 and therefore, less noise is created due to the vibration of theshell 110. -
FIG. 5 shows a first embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention, andFIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ofFIG. 5 . Adischarge valve 620 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention includes abody 620A made from a relatively light metal material such as aluminum, and acoating layer 620B made from a high-strength plastic material such as PEEK to wrap the body. Needless to say, thedischarge valve 620 made from the high-strength PEEK material only would not experience deformation caused by pressure difference, but production cost will increase. On the other hand, thedischarge valve 620 made from an aluminum material only would suffer severe deformation because of pressure difference which outweighs the production cost advantage. Therefore, it is recommended to manufacture discharge valves using a variety of dissimilar materials that can reduce the weight and guarantee a satisfactory level of strength at the same time. - By the use of dissimilar materials, the
discharge valve 620 may take the form of a relatively thin disk as shown inFIG. 5 , which includes aspherical protruding holder 621 at the center to receive a discharge valve spring 630 (seeFIG. 4 ) thereon, an expandedportion 622 that is expanded radially from theholder 621 at uniform thickness and that has parallellinear reinforcement ribs 622 a arranged in a circumference direction with a fixed spacing from each other, and arim 623 that is formed in the circumference direction at uniform thickness to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P. At this time, theholder 621 is thickest as it has a protruded portion to hold the discharge valve spring 630 (seeFIG. 4 ), and therim 623 has a relatively sufficient thickness to be able to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P. Meanwhile, the expandedportion 622 can be thin compared to theholder 621 and therim 623 because it is already provided with thereinforcement ribs 622 a. Thereinforcement ribs 622 a are formed to have their height decreased towards therim 623 from theholder 621. - While one side of the
discharge valve 620 has a stepped surface because of the presence of theholder 621 for the discharge valve spring 630 (seeFIG. 4 ), the expandedportion 622 having thereinforcement ribs 622 a, and therim 623, the other side of thedischarge valve 620 in contact with one end of the cylinder 200 (seeFIG. 4 ) on the side of thecompression space 2 has a flat surface with a groove in which a bolt head for fastening the suction valve 310 (seeFIG. 4 ) slides. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention, andFIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ofFIG. 7 . Similar to thedischarge valve 620 of the first embodiment, adischarge valve 1620 of the second embodiment includes abody 1620A made from a relatively light metal material, and acoating layer 1620B made from a high-strength plastic material to wrap the body, and thebody 1620A is provided with aholder 1621, an expandedportion 1622, and arim 1623. Because of the structural similarity between two embodiments, a detailed description on the structure will not be repeated. However, it should be noted that the expandedportion 1622 in the second embodiment includes ‘Y’shape reinforcement ribs 1622 which are arranged in the circumference direction with a fixed spacing from each other, being branched out towards therim 1623 from theholder 1621. As such, even if thereinforcement ribs 1622 a may have a gradually decreasing height towards therim 1623 from theholder 1621, a satisfactory level of strength can still be ensured. -
FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention. Adischarge valve 2620 in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention includes aspherical protruding holder 2621 at the center to receive a discharge valve spring 630 (seeFIG. 4 ) thereon, an expandedportion 2622 that is expanded radially from theholder 2621 with decreasing thickness and that has a plurality of uniformly-arrangeweight reduction grooves rim 2623 that is formed in the circumference direction of theextended portion 2622 at uniform thickness to sustain the pressure difference between inside and outside the compression space P (seeFIG. 4 ). Theweight reduction grooves discharge valve 2620 in contact with the compression space is flat, but the other side of thedischarge valve 2620 mounted with the discharge spring 630 (seeFIG. 4 ) is formed to have increasing thickness towards the center. Nevertheless, the reduction of weight is still achieved because of the presence ofweight reduction grooves - In detail, the molecular pattern M is divided by partition walls to have four triangular shaped
weight reduction grooves weight reduction groove 2622 e, and all of theweight reduction grooves extended portion 2622 preferably have a uniform depth despite a varying thickness of theextended portion 2622 according to the position. Moreover, in order to ensure a satisfactory level of strength contrary to the formation of theweight reduction grooves - The
discharge valve 2620 with the aforementioned configuration can be formed by injection molding using high-strength plastic materials such as PEEK. -
FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a discharge valve for a linear compressor in accordance with the present invention. Similar to thedischarge valve 2620 in the third embodiment, adischarge valve 3620 of the fourth embodiment includes aholder 3621, an expandedportion 3622, and arim 3623, where the expandedportion 3622 hasweight reduction grooves holder 3621. - Here, the
weight reduction grooves rim 3623 from theholder 3621. As indicated by dotted lines inFIG. 10 , four neighboringweight reduction grooves - Moreover, similar to the
discharge valve 2620 of the third embodiment, thedischarge valve 3620 of the fourth embodiment can be formed by injection molding using high-strength plastic materials such as PEEK. Yet, thedischarge valve 3620 has a simple structure compared as that of the third embodiment, and therefore it is easily injection-molded, and it also features a simple mold shape and a prolonged life. - The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments and the attached drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and the drawings, but defined by the appended claims.
Claims (15)
1. A discharge valve for a linear compressor which is elastically supported in an axial direction by a discharge valve spring and which opens/closes a compression space defined between a cylinder and a piston, the discharge valve comprising:
a body made from a metal material; and
a coating layer made from a plastic material to wrap the body.
2. The discharge valve of claim 1 , comprising:
a center portion, on which the discharge valve spring is settled;
an expanded portion, which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a uniform thickness and which has a plurality of reinforcement ribs; and
a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
3. The discharge valve of claim 2 , wherein the reinforcement ribs are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion along the circumference direction.
4. The discharge valve of claim 2 or claim 3 , wherein the reinforcement ribs have a decreasing height in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
5. The discharge valve of one of claims 2 through 4, wherein the reinforcement ribs have a linear form.
6. The discharge valve of one of claims 2 through 5, wherein the reinforcement ribs have a branched ‘Y-shaped’ form in an outward direction from the center portion to the rim portion.
7. The discharge valve of one of claims 1 through 6, wherein the body is made from aluminum material, and the coating layer is made from PEEK material.
8. The discharge valve of claim 1 , comprising:
a center portion on which a discharge valve spring is settled;
an expanded portion, which expands in a radial direction of the center portion with a decreasing thickness and which has a plurality of weight reduction grooves; and
a rim portion, which is formed in a circumference direction of the expanded portion with a uniform thickness.
9. The discharge valve of claim 8 , wherein the weight reduction grooves are uniformly arranged at the expanded portion.
10. The discharge valve of claim 8 or claim 9 , wherein the weight reduction grooves form a molecular pattern where at least two weight reduction grooves are arranged within a given section in a circumference direction of the expanded portion.
11. The discharge valve of one of claims 8 through 10, wherein the weight reduction grooves are arranged at the expanded portion in a radiation pattern about the center portion.
12. The discharge valve of one of claims 8 through 11, wherein the weight reduction grooves are arranged at the expanded portion with a uniform depth.
13. The discharge valve of one of claims 8 through 12, wherein the weight reduction grooves have a triangular shape.
14. The discharge valve of one of claims 8 through 12, wherein the weight reduction grooves have a circular shape.
15. The discharge valve of claim 14 , wherein four neighboring weight reduction grooves are arranged in a diamond-shape.
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020070107371A KR20090041717A (en) | 2007-10-24 | 2007-10-24 | Discharge valve for linear compressor |
KR1020070107390A KR20090041735A (en) | 2007-10-24 | 2007-10-24 | Discharge valve for linear compressor |
KR10-2007-0107371 | 2007-10-24 | ||
KR10-2007-0107390 | 2007-10-24 | ||
PCT/KR2008/005998 WO2009054638A2 (en) | 2007-10-24 | 2008-10-10 | Discharge valve for linear compressor |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20100260635A1 true US20100260635A1 (en) | 2010-10-14 |
Family
ID=40580222
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/739,372 Abandoned US20100260635A1 (en) | 2007-10-24 | 2008-10-10 | Discharge valve for linear compressor |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20100260635A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101835984A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009054638A2 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102012105337B4 (en) * | 2011-07-08 | 2019-05-16 | Wen-San Jhou | air compressor |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102016121379A1 (en) * | 2016-11-08 | 2018-05-09 | Hamilton Medical Ag | exhalation valve |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3053500A (en) * | 1957-12-05 | 1962-09-11 | Ute Ind Inc | Valve apparatus |
US5080130A (en) * | 1990-06-01 | 1992-01-14 | Bristol Compressors, Inc. | Gas compressor head and discharge valve construction |
US5413096A (en) * | 1991-06-28 | 1995-05-09 | U. S. Divers Co., Inc. | Regulator with improved high pressure seat due to a plastic-covered valve body |
US6024126A (en) * | 1998-05-26 | 2000-02-15 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Uniform cross-section and ribbed thermoplastic compressor valve |
WO2006052110A1 (en) * | 2004-11-12 | 2006-05-18 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Discharge valve and valve assembly of reciprocating compressor having the same |
-
2008
- 2008-10-10 WO PCT/KR2008/005998 patent/WO2009054638A2/en active Application Filing
- 2008-10-10 CN CN200880113243A patent/CN101835984A/en active Pending
- 2008-10-10 US US12/739,372 patent/US20100260635A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3053500A (en) * | 1957-12-05 | 1962-09-11 | Ute Ind Inc | Valve apparatus |
US5080130A (en) * | 1990-06-01 | 1992-01-14 | Bristol Compressors, Inc. | Gas compressor head and discharge valve construction |
US5413096A (en) * | 1991-06-28 | 1995-05-09 | U. S. Divers Co., Inc. | Regulator with improved high pressure seat due to a plastic-covered valve body |
US6024126A (en) * | 1998-05-26 | 2000-02-15 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Uniform cross-section and ribbed thermoplastic compressor valve |
WO2006052110A1 (en) * | 2004-11-12 | 2006-05-18 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Discharge valve and valve assembly of reciprocating compressor having the same |
US7766036B2 (en) * | 2004-11-12 | 2010-08-03 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Discharge valve and valve assembly of reciprocating compressor having the same |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102012105337B4 (en) * | 2011-07-08 | 2019-05-16 | Wen-San Jhou | air compressor |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101835984A (en) | 2010-09-15 |
WO2009054638A2 (en) | 2009-04-30 |
WO2009054638A3 (en) | 2010-06-03 |
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