US20180180046A1

US20180180046A1 - Electric compressor

Info

Publication number: US20180180046A1
Application number: US15/852,984
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenji Momma; Tatsuya Koide; Shingo Enami; Junya Yano; Yusuke Kinoshita; Masato TSUKAHARA; Kazuhiro ONARA; Atsuhiro Ishida
Original assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Priority date: 2016-12-27
Filing date: 2017-12-22
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Also published as: KR20180076305A; DE102017130921A1; JP2018105264A; CN108240313A

Abstract

An electric compressor includes a compression portion, an electric motor, a drive circuit, a housing having a cylindrical shape and accommodating the compression portion and the electric motor, a cover attached to the housing and cooperating with the housing to accommodate the drive circuit, and a protector. The protector is configured to protect the cover from an external force. The protector includes a fixing portion that is fixed to the housing and a protection portion that is formed in a plate-like shape. The protection portion is disposed to face and to be spaced from the cover. The protector extends in a diametrical direction of the housing. A plurality of recesses is formed in the protection portion toward the cover such that the protection portion projects toward the cover. The recesses extend in an extending direction of the protector.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electric compressor.
An electric compressor generally has a housing accommodating a compression portion configured to compress refrigerant and an electric motor configured to drive the compression portion. The electric compressor further has a cover attached to the housing. The cover cooperates with the housing to accommodate a drive circuit configured to drive the electric motor.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-166547 discloses an electric compressor having a protector that is configured to protect the cover from an external force caused by a collision. The protector includes a fixing portion fixed to the housing and a protection portion formed in a plate-like shape and disposed in a position that is spaced from the cover. This configuration eliminates or minimizes a contact between the protection portion and the cover which may occur in the event that the protection portion is deformed toward the cover under an external force possibly caused by a collision, so that the cover is unlikely to be subjected to the action of the external force.
For example, the rigidity of the protection portion may be increased by the formation of a projection on the outer surface of the protection portion. In this configuration, however, the protection portion may be locally subjected to an external force caused by a collision at the projection formed on the outer surface of the protection portion, thereby being likely to cause a local deformation of the protection portion.
The present invention, which has been made in light of the above-described problem, is directed to providing an electric compressor having a protection portion that is unlikely to be deformed under an external force possibly caused by a collision.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric compressor that includes a compression portion, an electric motor, a drive circuit, a housing having a cylindrical shape and accommodating the compression portion and the electric motor, a cover attached to the housing and cooperating with the housing to accommodate the drive circuit, and a protector. The protector is configured to protect the cover from an external force. The protector includes a fixing portion that is fixed to the housing and a protection portion that is formed in a plate-like shape. The protection portion is disposed to face and to be spaced from the cover. The protector extends in a diametrical direction of the housing. A plurality of recesses is formed in the protection portion toward the cover such that the protection portion projects toward the cover. The recesses extend in an extending direction of the protector.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the embodiment together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the electric compressor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the electric compressor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a protector of the electric compressor of FIG. 1, as viewed from the inner surface of the protector;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the protector of the electric compressor of FIG. 1, as viewed from the outer surface of the protector; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the protector and a cover of the electric compressor of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying FIGS. 1 to 6. An electric compressor is disposed in an engine compartment of a vehicle and used for a vehicle air conditioner.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an electric compressor designated by 10. The electric compressor 10 includes a housing 11 having a cylindrical shape. The housing 11 includes a discharge housing 12 and a suction housing 13 connected to the discharge housing 12. The discharge housing 12 and the suction housing 13 each have a bottomed-cylindrical shape and are made of a metal such as aluminum.
As shown in FIG. 2, the electric compressor 10 further includes a rotary shaft 10 a, a compression portion 14 configured to compress refrigerant, an electric motor 15 configured to drive the compression portion 14, and a drive circuit 16 configured to drive the electric motor 15. The compression portion 14 and the electric motor 15 are accommodated in the suction housing 13. The axial direction of the suction housing 13 of the housing 11 corresponds to the axial direction of the rotary shaft 10 a. The compression portion 14 is disposed between the electric motor 15 and the discharge housing 12 in the axial direction of the suction housing 13. Although not illustrated, the compression portion 14 in this embodiment includes a fixed scroll fixed to the suction housing 13, a movable scroll facing the fixed scroll, and a compression chamber defined by the fixed and the movable scrolls.
The suction housing 13 has a suction port (not shown) to allow entry of refrigerant. Refrigerant flowing into the suction housing 13 through the suction port is introduced into the compression chamber with the orbital motion (suction motion) of the movable scroll. Refrigerant is compressed in the compression chamber and discharged to the discharge housing 12 with the orbital motion (discharge motion) of the movable scroll. Refrigerant flows out of the discharge housing 12 to a refrigerant circuit (not shown) outside of the electric compressor through a discharge port (not shown) in the discharge housing 12, and returns to the suction housing 13 through the suction port.
The suction housing 13 includes a bottom wall 13 a and a peripheral wall 13 b. The peripheral wall 13 b has a cylindrical shape and extends from the peripheral portion of the bottom wall 13 a to the discharge housing 12 in the axial direction of the suction housing 13. The bottom wall 13 a and the compression portion 14 interpose therebetween the electric motor 15 in the axial direction of the suction housing 13. The suction housing 13 further includes an extended wall 13 c having a cylindrical shape. The extended wall 13 c extends from the bottom wall 13 a in the axial direction of the suction housing 13 toward the side opposite to the discharge housing 12.
As shown in FIG. 1, the suction housing 13 has a cover 17 attached to the extended wall 13 c. The cover 17 is made of resin material and has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. In this embodiment, the cover 17 is fitted in the inside of an opening portion 13 d of the extended wall 13 c to be attached to the suction housing 13.
As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom wall 13 a and the extended wall 13 c of the suction housing 13 and the cover 17 cooperate to define a space in which the drive circuit 16 is accommodated. In this embodiment, the compression portion 14, the electric motor 15, and the drive circuit 16 are arranged in this order in the axial direction of the housing 11.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric compressor 10 has a protector 20 configured to protect the cover 17 from an external force possibly caused by a collision. The protector 20 is made of iron and fixed to the suction housing 13. The protector 20 extends in a diametrical direction of the housing 11.
The protector 20 includes a protection portion 21, a first peripheral wall portion 22, a second peripheral wall portion 23, a first fixing portion 24, and a second fixing portion 25. That is, the protector 20 includes two fixing portions, i.e, the first and the second fixing portions 24, 25.
The protection portion 21 is formed in a plate-like shape and disposed to face an outer surface 17 a of the cover 17. The first and the second peripheral wall portions 22, 23 each extend from a part of the outer edge of the protection portion 21 in the axial direction of the housing 11 to be disposed around the extended wall 13 c of the suction housing 13. The first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 are flat flanges. The first fixing portion 24 extends in a radial direction of the housing 11 outward from a side edge of the first peripheral wall portion 22 that is remote from the protection portion 21. The second fixing portion 25 extends in a radial direction of the housing 11 outward from a side edge of the second peripheral wall portion 23 that is remote from the protection portion 21.
The protection portion 21 has opposite surfaces, which are an inner surface 21 a and an outer surface 21 b, respectively. The inner surface 21 a faces the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 are disposed so as to interpose therebetween the protection portion 21 in the planar direction of the outer surface 21 b, as viewed from the outer surface 21 b.
The outer edge of the protection portion 21 includes first and second arched outer edges 211, 212 each having an outwardly-arched shape and respectively located at positions corresponding to the first and the second peripheral wall portions 22, 23. The first and the second peripheral wall portions 22, 23 have outer peripheral surfaces 22 a, 23 a that are curved along the first and the second arched outer edges 211, 212, respectively. The outer peripheral surfaces 22 a, 23 a are located on the imaginary circle C1.
The first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 have proximal edges 24 a, 25 a that are boundaries with the first and the second peripheral wall portions 22, 23, respectively. The proximal edges 24 a, 25 a are the same in length in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1.
The first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 have outer edges 24 b, 25 b, respectively. The outer edges 24 b, 25 b are curved along the outer peripheral surface 22 a of the first peripheral wall portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface 23 a of the second peripheral wall portion 23, respectively. The first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 have tabs 24 c, 25 c that project outward from a part of the outer edge 24 b and a part of the outer edge 25 b, respectively. The tabs 24 c, 25 c are respectively disposed at positions that are spaced approximately 180 degrees apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 have therethrough screw holes 24 h, 25 h, respectively. The screw hole 24 h passes through a part of the first fixing portion 24, which includes the tab 24 c and its adjacent area, in the thickness direction of the first fixing portion 24. The screw hole 25 h passes through a part of the second fixing portion 25, which includes the tab 25 c and its adjacent area, in the thickness direction of the second fixing portion 25.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suction housing 13 includes first and second bosses 13 e, 13 f protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the extended wall 13 c. The first and the second bosses 13 e, 13 f are respectively disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the extended wall 13 c at positions that are spaced approximately 180 degrees apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the suction housing 13. The first and the second bosses 13 e, 13 f have flat surfaces on the side opposite to the discharge housing 12 in the axial direction of the suction housing 13, respectively.
The surface of the first fixing portion 24 including the tab 24 c and its adjacent area, which is opposite to the protection portion 21, contacts the surface of the first boss 13 e. The surface of the second fixing portion 25 including the tab 25 c and its adjacent area, which is opposite to the protection portion 21, contacts the surface of the second boss 13 f. The first fixing portion 24 is fixed to the first boss 13 e with a screw B1 to be screwed into the first boss 13 e through the screw hole 24 h of the first fixing portion 24. The second fixing portion 25 is fixed to the second boss 13 f with a screw B2 to be screwed into the second boss 13 f through the screw hole 25 h of the second fixing portion 25. Accordingly, the protector 20 is fixed to the suction housing 13.
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer edge of the protection portion 21 includes a connection outer edge 213 connecting one end of the first arched outer edge 211 and one end of the second arched outer edge 212 on the imaginary circle C1. As viewed from the outer surface 21 b, the connection outer edge 213 extends linearly in the direction X1, which joins the facing first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 and is approximately parallel to the diameter of the imaginary circle C1.
The first arched outer edge 211 is longer than the proximal edge 24 a of the first fixing portion 24 in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1. The first arched outer edge 211 extends from the connection point with the connection outer edge 213 in a clockwise direction on the imaginary circle C1 farther than the proximal edge 24 a of the first fixing portion 24 as viewed from the outer surface 21 b. The first peripheral wall portion 22 includes an extended wall portion 22 b extending in a clockwise direction on the imaginary circle C1 beyond an end of the proximal edge 24 a that is remote from the connection outer edge 213 as viewed from the outer surface 21 b.
The outer edge of the protection portion 21 further includes a first extended outer edge 214, a second extended outer edge 215, and a rounded outer edge 216. The first extended outer edge 214 is parallel to the connection outer edge 213 and extends from the other end of the second arched outer edge 212 that is remote from the connection outer edge 213 and is on the imaginary circle C1. The second extended outer edge 215 is perpendicular to the first extended outer edge 214 and extends toward the connection outer edge 213 from the other end of the first arched outer edge 211 that is remote from the connection outer edge 213. The rounded outer edge 216 connects one end of the first extended outer edge 214 that is remote from the second arched outer edge 212 and one end of the second extended outer edge 215 that is remote from the first arched outer edge 211. Accordingly, the protector 20 has a cutout defined by the first extended outer edge 214, the second extended outer edge 215, and the rounded outer edge 216 between the extended wall portion 22 b of the first peripheral wall portion 22 and the second peripheral wall portion 23 in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1.
The cover 17 has square tube-shaped first and second connector couplers 171, 172 protruding outward from the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17. The first connector coupler 171 is used for power supply to the drive circuit 16 from a battery (now shown) in a vehicle. The second connector coupler 172 is used for control signal transmission from an ECU (not shown) to the drive circuit 16.
As viewed from the outer surface 17 a, of the cover 17 in FIG. 1, the first connector coupler 171 is arranged on the peripheral region of the outer surface 17 a at a position that is spaced approximately 90 degrees apart from each of the first and the second bosses 13 e, 13 f in the circumferential direction of the suction housing 13. As viewed from the outer surface 17 a, of the cover 17, the second connector coupler 172 is arranged on the peripheral region of the outer surface 17 a at a position that is spaced approximately 90 degrees apart from the first connector coupler 171 in the circumferential direction of the suction housing 13 and near the first boss 13 e.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first connector coupler 171 is disposed outward of the connection outer edge 213 of the protection portion 21. In other words, the protector 20 is shaped so that the connection outer edge 213 of the protection portion 21 is positioned between the second connector coupler 172 and the first connector coupler 171 to prevent the interference between the connection outer edge 213 and the first connector coupler 171 at the attachment of the protector 20 to the suction housing 13. Accordingly, the connection outer edge 213 serves as the relief portion of the present invention that is operable to prevent the interference between the first connector coupler 171 and the protection portion 21 at the attachment of the protector 20 to the suction housing 13.
The protection portion 21 has therethrough an elongate through hole 21 h through which the second connector coupler 172 passes. The through hole 21 h is formed through the protection portion 21 such that the longitudinal direction of the through hole 21 h corresponds to the direction X1. The through hole 21 h serves as the relief portion of the present invention that is operable to prevent the interference between the second connector coupler 172 and the protection portion 21 at the attachment of the protector 20 to the suction housing 13.
As shown in FIG. 4, the protection portion 21 includes first to fourth projections 31 to 34 projecting from the inner surface 21 a. The first projection 31 is located between the connection outer edge 213 and the through hole 21 h and extends linearly in the direction X1. The second projection 32 is located between the first extended outer edge 214 and the through hole 21 h and extends linearly in the direction X1. The first and the second projections 31, 32 are parallel to each other and are approximately the same in length in the direction X1.
The third projection 33 is located between the through hole 21 h and the second peripheral wall portion 23 in the direction X1 and extends linearly in the direction X1. The third projection 33 is shorter than the first and the second projections 31, 32 in the direction X1. The fourth projection 34 is located between the extended wall portion 22 b and the second projection 32. The fourth projection 34 is shorter than the third projection 33 in the direction X1.
The first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 each project in an arc from the inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21, thus, the outer surfaces of the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 are curved. The inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21 is formed as a whole to be flat except for the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34. In this embodiment, the inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21 is as a whole in the same plane except for the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34.
The first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 are projected from the inner surface 21 a by the formation of recesses in the outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21. As shown in FIG. 5, first to fourth recesses 41 to 44 are formed in the outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21.
The first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44 are formed in the outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21 at positions corresponding to the positions of the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 on the inner surface 21 a in the thickness direction of the protection portion 21, respectively.
The outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21 is formed as a whole to be flat except for the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44. In this embodiment, the outer surface 21 b is as a whole in the same plane except for the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44.
As shown in FIG. 2, the suction housing 13 has a receiving portion 26 protruding from the outer peripheral surface thereof. Specifically, the receiving portion 26 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 13 b of the suction housing 13 and is located near the extended wall 13 c. The receiving portion 26 has a receiving surface 26 a that is a flat surface and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the suction housing 13. The receiving surface 26 a partly faces the extended wall portion 22 b of the protector 20 in the axial direction of the suction housing 13.
The extended wall portion 22 b includes an abutment portion 22 f having a plate-like shape and protruding in the axial direction of the suction housing 13 toward the receiving surface 26 a from a part of the extended wall portion 22 b that faces the receiving surface 26 a in the axial direction of the suction housing 13. The abutment portion 22 f is configured to abut on the receiving surface 26 a of the receiving portion 26 in the event that the protection portion 21 is subjected to an external force possibly caused by a collision. That is, the protector 20 in this embodiment includes the abutment portion 22 f that is configured to abut on the receiving portion 26 in the event that the protection portion 21 is subjected to an external force possibly caused by a collision.
As shown in FIG. 6, the protection portion 21 is disposed in a position that is spaced from the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17. Although the fourth recess 44 is not shown in FIG. 6, the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44, which are formed in the protection portion 21 toward the cover 17 such that the protection portion 21 projects toward the cover 17, extend in the extending direction of the protector 20. The inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21 is spaced from the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17 such that clearances are formed between the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 on the inner surface 21 a and the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17.
The following describes operation of the embodiment of the present invention.
For example, in the event that a vehicle equipped with the electric compressor 10 is hit in a vehicle collision at a vehicle component E1 (FIG. 6) such as a vehicle frame for an engine compartment, the vehicle component E1 may be deformed and bump into the outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21. In this case, if the protection portion 21 is provided with a projection on the outer surface 21 b, the protection portion 21 is more likely to be locally subjected to an external force caused by the hit of the deformed vehicle component E1 at the projections on the outer surface 21 b, thus being likely to become deformed locally. In the embodiment of the present invention, the protection portion 21 is formed as a whole to be flat except for the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44, so that the protection portion 21 receives an external force caused by the hit of the deformed vehicle component E1 at the flat outer surface 21 b. This configuration is not locally subjected to an external force at projections on the outer surface 21 b of the protection portion 21, thereby eliminating or minimizing a possible local deformation of the protection portion 21 under an external force caused by a collision.
In this embodiment of the present invention, the protection portion 21 has the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44 that are formed in the outer surface 21 b toward the cover 17 such that the protection portion 21 projects toward the cover 17. This configuration increases the rigidity of the protection portion 21, therefore, the protection portion 21 is unlikely to be deformed under an external force possibly caused by a collision in comparison with the case that the protection portion 21 is provided without the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44 in the outer surface 21 b.
In this embodiment, the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 extend in the direction X1. This configuration eliminates or minimizes warping of the protection portion 21 in the direction X1 that may occur in the event that the protection portion 21 is subjected to an external force caused by a collision.
In this embodiment, the abutment portion 22 f of the protector 20 is configured to abut on the receiving surface 26 a of the receiving portion 26 in the event that the protection portion 21 is subjected to an external force caused by a collision. This configuration enables the external force acting on the protection portion 21 to be transferred to the receiving portion 26 through the abutment portion 22 f, thereby eliminating or minimizing a possible deformation of the protection portion 21 under an external force caused by a collision.
The inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21 is spaced from the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17 such that a clearance is formed between the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 on the inner surface 21 a and the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17. This configuration eliminates or minimizes a contact between the cover 17 and the protection portion 21 even if the protection portion 21 becomes slightly deformed under an external force caused by a collision, thereby preventing an external force from acting on the cover 17 so as to protect the drive circuit 16.
The embodiment of the present invention offers the following effects.
(1) The protection portion 21 has the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44 that are formed in the outer surface 21 b toward the cover 17 such that the protection portion 21 projects toward the cover 17. This configuration increases the rigidity of the protection portion 21 in comparison with the case that the protection portion 21 is provided without the first to the fourth recesses 41 to 44 in the outer surface 21 b. Also, the protection portion 21 provided without a projection on the outer surface 21 b will not be locally subjected to an external force by a collision at the projection on the outer surface 21 b, therefore, the protection portion 21 of this configuration is unlikely to be deformed under an external force possibly caused by a collision in comparison with the case that the protection portion 21 is provided with a projection on the outer surface 21 b.
(2) The suction housing 13 has the receiving portion 26 protruding from the outer peripheral surface thereof. The protector 20 includes the abutment portion 22 f that is configured to abut on the receiving portion 26 in the event that the protection portion 21 is subjected to an external force possibly caused by a collision. This configuration enables the external force acting on the protection portion 21 to be transferred to the receiving portion 26 through the abutment portion 22 f, thereby further eliminating or minimizing a possible deformation of the protection portion 21 under an external force caused by a collision.
(3) The protection portion 21 has the connection outer edge 213 and the through hole 21 h serving as the relief portions of the present invention that are configured to prevent the interference between the first connector coupler 171 and the protection portion 21 and the interference between the second connector coupler 172 and the protection portion 21, respectively. This configuration facilitates the attachment of the protector 20 to the cover 17 such that the inner surface 21 a of the protection portion 21 faces the outer surface 17 a of the cover 17 from which the first and the second connector couplers 171, 172 protrude.
(4) The first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 of the protection portion 21 extend in the direction X1. This configuration eliminates or minimizes possible warping of the protection portion 21 in the direction X1.
(5) The protector 20 has a cutout between the extended wall portion 22 b of the first peripheral wall portion 22 and the second peripheral wall portion 23 in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1. This configuration enables the protector 20 to be reduced in size, volume, and weight in comparison with the case that the extended wall portion 22 b of the first peripheral wall portion 22 and the second peripheral wall portion 23 are directly connected and the protector 20 is formed without a cutout.
(6) The protection portion 21 includes the fourth projection 34 that is located between the extended wall portion 22 b and the second projection 32. This configuration increases the rigidity of the vicinity of the extended wall portion 22 b where the rigidity is likely to decrease because of the presence of the cutout between the extended wall portion 22 b of the first peripheral wall portion 22 and the second peripheral wall portion 23 in the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C1, thereby further eliminating or minimizing a possible deformation of the protection portion 21 under an external force caused by a collision.
The present invention may be modified in various manners, as exemplified below.
The protection portion 21 may have a recess in the outer surface 21 b at any other position than positions corresponding to the positions of the first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 on the inner surface 21 a in the thickness direction of the protection portion 21.
The first to the fourth projections 31 to 34 of the protection portion 21 may extend in a direction that is different from the direction X1.
The positions of the first and the second fixing portions 24, 25 are not limited to the positions described in the embodiment of the present invention. The protector 20 may be provided with a single fixing portion, or three or more fixing portions that are fixed to the housing 11.
The outer peripheral surface of the suction housing 13 may be provided without the receiving portion 26. The protector 20 may be provided without the abutment portion 22 f.
The first and the second connector couplers 171, 172 need not necessarily protrude from the cover 17, for example, the first and the second connector couplers 171, 172 may protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 13 b of the suction housing 13. In this case, the protection portion 21 of the protector 20 need not prevent the interference between the connection outer edge 213 and the first connector coupler 171 at the attachment of the protector 20 to the suction housing 13, so that the protection portion 21 of the protector 20 need not necessarily be shaped such that the connection outer edge 213 is positioned between the second connector coupler 172 and the first connector coupler 171. The protection portion 21 may be provided without the through hole 21 h serving as the relief portion of the present invention that is operable to prevent the interference between the second connector coupler 172 and the protection portion 21 at the attachment of the protector 20 to the suction housing 13.
The shape of the protection portion 21 may be modified as necessary.
The protection portion 21 may be provided with two or three, or five or more recesses that are formed in the protection portion 21 toward the cover 17 such that the protection portion 21 projects toward the cover 17.
The compression portion 14, the electric motor 15, and the drive circuit 16 need not necessarily be arranged in this order in the axial direction of the housing 11. For example, the cover 17 may be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 13 b of the suction housing 13, and the drive circuit 16 may be accommodated in a space defined by the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 13 b and the cover 17.
In this embodiment, the compression portion 14 includes the fixed and the movable scrolls. However, the compression portion 14 may be of the piston type or the vane type instead of the scroll type.
The electric compressor 10 may be used for any air conditioners other than vehicle air conditioners.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An electric compressor comprising:

a compression portion configured to compress refrigerant;

an electric motor configured to drive the compression portion;

a drive circuit configured to drive the electric motor;

a housing having a cylindrical shape and accommodating the compression portion and the electric motor;

a cover attached to the housing and cooperating with the housing to accommodate the drive circuit; and

a protector configured to protect the cover from an external force caused by a collision, the protector including a fixing portion that is fixed to the housing and a protection portion that is formed in a plate-like shape, the protection portion being disposed to face and to be spaced from the cover, wherein

the protector extends in a diametrical direction of the housing,

a plurality of recesses are formed in the protection portion toward the cover such that the protection portion projects toward the cover, and

the recesses extend in an extending direction of the protector.

2. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein

the housing has a receiving portion protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the housing, and

the protector includes an abutment portion that is configured to abut on the receiving portion in the event that the protection portion is subjected to an external force caused by a collision.

3. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein

the housing or the cover has a tube-shaped connector protruding outward from the housing or the cover, and

the protection portion includes a relief portion that is operable to prevent the interference between the connector and the protection portion.