Linear compressor

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a linear compressor wherein a piston and a cylinder are arranged to extend vertically in a shell, and oil suction paths are formed in the cylinder for introducing oil stored in the shell into a space between the cylinder and the piston without requiring oil pumping parts, whereby a simplified oil supply structure can be accomplished via a reduced number of parts, and therefore, manufacturing costs and assembling time can be reduced.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a linear compressor, and more particularly, to a linear compressor in which a piston and a cylinder are arranged to extend vertically and oil suction paths are perforated through a wall of the cylinder to supply oil into the cylinder, whereby the oil supply structure of the compressor is simplified, and thus, manufacturing costs and assembling time of the compressor can be reduced. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Generally, a linear compressor is an apparatus configured in such a fashion that a piston reciprocally moves in a cylinder upon receiving a linear drive force of a linear motor to perform suction, compression, and discharge operations of fluid, such as gaseous refrigerant, (hereinafter, referred to as “fluid”). [0005]FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a conventional linear compressor. [0006] As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional linear compressor comprise...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a linear compressor which can achieve a simplified oil pumping structure, and thus, inexpensive manufacturing costs.

[0023] Preferably, the storage portion may be provided with an oil cap to prevent oil leakage.

[0030] In the linear compressor of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the piston and the cylinder are arranged to extend vertically in the shell, and the plurality of oil suction paths are perforated through the cylinder for introducing oil, stored in the shell, into a space between the cylinder and the piston without requiring separate pumping means, whereby the oil supply structure can be simplified with a reduced number of oil supply parts, and therefore, the manufacturing costs and assembling time of the linear compressor can be reduced.

[0031] Further, when the oil storage portion is defined in a space between the cylinder and the motor holder, it is possible to prevent the oil from being introduced into the linear motor or piston, resulting in an improvement in reliability.

[0032] Furthermore, by providing the storage portion with the oil cap, there is no risk of oil leakage.

[0033] The plurality of oil suction paths are vertically spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance, and the oil is filled to a height higher than uppermost ones of the oil suction paths, whereby the oil can be evenly introduced into a space between the cylinder and the piston, and therefore, more effective lubrication and cooling of the piston and the cylinder can be accomplished.

Problems solved by technology

A problem of the conventional linear compressor is that it requires many oil pumping parts, such as for example, the oil cylinder 44, oil piston 45, front and rear oil springs 46 and 47, and therefore, suffers from a complicated structure, difficult assembling work, and increased manufacturing costs.

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