Electric air compressor

Abstract

The application provides an electric air compressor (1), which avoids the reduction of the efficiency of the compressor by eliminating the gap between the front end of the blade (22) of a vane diffuser (20) and a wall surface (1131) of a compressor shell (11). The electric air compressor (1) comprises a compressor (10), a vane diffuser (20) and an electric motor (30) which are rigidly connected in sequence, and the compressor shell (11) is axially butted with the vane diffuser (20) in a manner of abutting the front end of the blade (22) of the vane diffuser (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a centrifugal air pump, and more particularly to an electric air compressor that uses an electric motor as a power source. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, electric air compressors, such as Figure 4 The configuration typically consists of a compressor, a bladed diffuser axially connected to the compressor, an electric motor driving the compressor and diffuser, and a turbine, all rigidly connected in sequence. The bladed diffuser is annularly embedded within the inner edge of the compressor housing and located radially outward of the impeller. Therefore, at the radially outward of the impeller, as... Figure 4 As shown in G, a diffuser flow channel is formed by a wall of the compressor housing and multiple blades and blade plates of the bladed diffuser. The diffuser flow channel is for the high-pressure airflow compressed by the compressor to flow into.

[0003] In the aforementioned diffuser channel, one wall of the compressor housing is not directly fixed to the blade diffuser, but the blade diffuser and the motor housing are fixedly connected by continuous through holes O and locking bolts P inserted into the through holes O. In particular, the through hole O1 in the blade diffuser has a stepped portion O11, and the head P1 of the locking bolt abuts against the stepped portion O11 to achieve a fixed connection.

[0004] Therefore, when the impeller inside the compressor is driven to rotate synchronously by the motor rotor, this rotation may cause vibration of the blade diffuser, resulting in a gap between the compressor housing and the blade diffuser. This gap will disturb the airflow in the diffuser channel and generate turbulence, affecting the deceleration and diffusion effect of the blade diffuser on the airflow, thereby reducing the efficiency of the compressor. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] The present invention is based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electric air compressor that avoids a reduction in compressor efficiency by eliminating the gap between the front end of the blade of the vane diffuser and a wall of the compressor housing.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides an electric air compressor, comprising a compressor, a vane diffuser, and an electric motor rigidly connected in sequence, wherein the compressor includes a compressor housing, the vane diffuser has a plurality of blades extending toward the compressor housing, and the compressor housing is axially connected to the vane diffuser in such a manner that it fits against the front end of the blades of the vane diffuser.

[0008] According to the above structure, since the compressor housing is axially connected to the blade diffuser in a manner that fits against the front end of the blade diffuser blade, in other words, there is no gap between the compressor housing and the front end of the blade diffuser blade. Therefore, it can avoid the situation in the prior art where the gap causes turbulence in the diffuser flow channel, affecting the deceleration and diffusion effect of the blade diffuser and leading to a decrease in compressor efficiency.

[0009] The electric air compressor of the second aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the electric motor includes an electric motor housing, and the vane diffuser is loosely connected to the electric motor.

[0010] According to the above structure, by loosely connecting the blade diffuser to the motor, slight loosening of the blade diffuser is allowed, thereby enabling the front end of the blade diffuser blade to fit into the compressor housing.

[0011] The electric air compressor of the third aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the second aspect of the present invention, wherein a diffuser connection hole in the shape of a straight hole is formed in the vane diffuser. A motor connection hole in the shape of a straight hole is formed in the motor housing. Locking bolts are inserted into the diffuser connection hole and the motor connection hole to loosely connect the blade diffuser to the motor housing.

[0012] Based on the above structure, a loose connection between the blade diffuser and the motor housing can be achieved with a simple structure by using a locking bolt and a hole with a straight hole shape.

[0013] The electric air compressor of the fourth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein a heat exchanger is sandwiched between the vane diffuser and the motor housing, and a cooling airflow cavity is formed in the heat exchanger, wherein the cooling airflow cavity is for the flow of gas after being decelerated and diffused by the vane diffuser.

[0014] Based on the above structure, by installing a heat exchanger with a cooling airflow cavity near the bladed diffuser, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas flowing out of the bladed diffuser can be cooled. Furthermore, the cooled gas can be used to cool the electric motor. Thus, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas generated by the bladed diffuser can be directly used to cool the thrust bearing without the need for a separate cooling gas supply, thereby simplifying the cooling piping for customer applications.

[0015] The electric air compressor of the fifth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the heat exchanger is made of aluminum alloy.

[0016] Based on the above structure, the heat exchanger is made of aluminum alloy, which is a metal with high electrical conductivity and low price. Therefore, the heat exchanger can be manufactured at a lower cost and with a simpler manufacturing process.

[0017] The electric air compressor of the sixth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein a coolant chamber for coolant flow is formed between the vane diffuser and the heat exchanger.

[0018] According to the above structure, by setting a coolant chamber near the heat exchanger for coolant to circulate, the coolant can be used to cool the heat exchanger which is at a high temperature. Therefore, the gas cooling of the thrust bearing by the gas cooled by the heat exchanger, together with the cooling of the heat exchanger by the coolant in the coolant chamber, constitutes the graded temperature regulation of the thrust bearing.

[0019] The electric air compressor of the seventh aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein a first elastic sealing ring and a second elastic sealing ring located radially inward of the first elastic sealing ring are provided between the vane diffuser and the motor housing.

[0020] According to the above structure, by providing a first elastic sealing ring and a second elastic sealing ring between the blade diffuser and the motor housing, the elastic restoring force of these elastic sealing rings can be used to push the blade diffuser to move slightly in the axial direction, so that the blade diffuser can be pushed to fit the front end of its blades against the compressor housing by any single driving force.

[0021] The electric air compressor of the eighth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein a third elastic sealing ring is provided between the motor housing and the heat exchanger.

[0022] According to the above structure, by providing a first elastic sealing ring and a second elastic sealing ring between the blade diffuser and the motor housing, and by sandwiching the heat exchanger between the blade diffuser and the motor housing, and by providing a third elastic sealing ring between the motor housing and the heat exchanger, the coolant cavity formed between the blade diffuser and the heat exchanger can be reliably sealed to prevent coolant leakage.

[0023] The electric air compressor of the ninth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of the eighth aspect of the present invention, wherein the first elastic sealing ring, the second elastic sealing ring and the third elastic sealing ring are all made of rubber material.

[0024] According to the above structure, the first elastic sealing ring, the second elastic sealing ring and the third elastic sealing ring are all made of rubber material. The high elasticity of the rubber material itself allows the sealing ring to deform by its own elasticity. This elastic deformation can push the blade diffuser to move towards the compressor housing to eliminate the gap between the two.

[0025] The elasticity of rubber materials can also absorb vibrations between adjacent components, reducing vibration transmission and playing a role in cushioning and shock absorption. In addition, the processing and assembly technology of rubber seals is mature and low-cost, which can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty of components.

[0026] The electric air compressor of the tenth aspect of the present invention is based on the electric air compressor of any one of the fifth to eighth aspects of the present invention, and further includes a turbine, wherein the turbine of the turbine is coaxially connected to the impeller of the compressor and can rotate synchronously.

[0027] According to the above structure, the turbine of the turbine and the impeller of the compressor are coaxially connected and can rotate synchronously. Therefore, the turbine, driven by the gas discharged from the compressor, can drive the impeller of the compressor to rotate synchronously, thereby recovering a portion of the energy of the gas in the compressor for driving the compressor impeller. In this way, the energy of the gas can be fully recovered to drive the operation of the compressor, reducing energy waste and improving the efficiency of the compressor. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed structure of an electric air compressor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the vane diffuser of an electric air compressor.

[0030] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram shows the connection structure between the vane diffuser and the electric motor in the electric air compressor.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed structure of an existing electric air compressor.

[0032] Symbol Explanation

[0033] 1. Electric air compressor; 10. Air compressor; 11. Compressor housing; 111 Central shell; 1111 Air intake; 1112 Air intake passage; 112 Surrounding vortex shell; 113 Connecting housing; 1131 A wall surface connected to the shell; 12 Impeller; 20. Blade diffuser; 21 Blade plate; 211 Center hole; 212 Peripheral section; 2121 Diffuser connection hole; 22 blades; 23. Diffuser flow channel; 30 Electric motors; 31. Motor housing; 311 Motor connection hole; 32. Motor stator; 33. Electric motor rotor; 35 Coolant flow path; 36. Thrust bearing; 37. Thrust plate; 40. Turbine; 41. Turbine casing; 411 Radial air intake passage; 412 Axial air outlet channel; 42 Turbochargers; 50 Heat exchangers; 51. The center hole of the heat exchanger; 52. Peripheral plates of the heat exchanger; 521 First cooling airflow chamber; 522 Second cooling airflow chamber; 523 Third cooling airflow chamber; 60 Coolant circuit cavity; 70 Rubber sealing ring; 71 First elastic sealing ring; 72 Second elastic sealing ring; 73. Third elastic sealing ring; 80 First locking bolt; 90 Second locking bolt; 1A Third locking bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the electric air compressor of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The preferred embodiment of the electric air compressor of the present invention will be described in detail below. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments described in the following specification cover only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described in the specification without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. The singular forms "a," "described," and "the" as used in the embodiments of the invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0037] Based on the same orientational understanding, in the description of this invention, the terms "inner", "outer", "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left" and "right" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the purpose of clearly and concisely describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0038] Similarly, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish between two identical components and do not represent a sequential numbering of the related components in a specific space or location. In other words, swapping "first" and "second" would not have a substantial impact on the aforementioned components.

[0039] First, this invention primarily relates to the field of electric air compressors, and more particularly to measures for improving the air compression efficiency of electric air compressors. Although this invention improves compressor efficiency by eliminating the gap between the compressor housing and the vane diffuser, those skilled in the art will understand that it can also be extended to eliminate gaps in other parts of the electric air compressor that may affect compressor efficiency.

[0040] It is worth noting that the numerical values ​​given in the following embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0041] One embodiment of the present invention provides an electric air compressor 1, such as Figure 1As shown, the system includes a compressor 10, a bladed diffuser 20, an electric motor 30, and a turbine 40, which are rigidly connected in sequence. The impeller 12 of the compressor 10, the bladed diffuser 20, the electric motor rotor 33, and the turbine 42 of the turbine 40 are mounted on the same shaft. Specifically... Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the axes of rotation of the impeller 12 of compressor 10, the center hole 211 of the blade plate 21 of blade diffuser 20, the rotor 33 of electric motor, and the turbine 42 of turbine 40 are coincident. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that this coincidence is not strictly limited to the case where the axes are perfectly aligned, but also includes cases where the axes of the various components are slightly misaligned (e.g., a coaxiality tolerance of 0.12 mm). The terms "axial" and "circumferential" mentioned repeatedly thereafter refer to the axial and circumferential directions on a circle based on the aforementioned axes. The term "in sequence" specifically refers to... Figure 1 The sequence shown, from left to right, is compressor 10, bladed diffuser 20, electric motor 30, and turbine 40. However, the sequence could also be from right to left: turbine 40, electric motor 30, bladed diffuser 20, and compressor 10. The term "rigid connection" broadly refers to a connection where there are no elastic buffer elements or relative axial / radial displacement between components. Figure 1 The preferred embodiment is shown, in which the impeller 12 of the compressor 10 is fixedly connected to one axial side of the motor rotor 33 via fasteners such as locking bolts through the central hole 211 of the blade diffuser 20 (e.g., Figure 1 (On the left side of the image), the motor rotor 33 is fixedly connected to the turbine 42 of the turbine 40 via fasteners such as locking bolts. By rigidly connecting the above components with fasteners, it is possible to avoid vibration between adjacent components in the axial and / or circumferential directions when transmitting rotational power between the compressor and the turbine, which would affect the efficiency of rotational power transmission.

[0042] The compressor housing 11 is axially mated to the bladed diffuser 20 in a manner that closely engages with the leading edge of the blade 22. The term "engaged" refers to a state where the two separate components are in contact without gaps, preventing gas ingress. The term "leading edge" refers to the end of the blade 22 opposite to the side fixed to the blade plate 21. In a preferred embodiment, as... Figure 1 Specifically, this refers to the situation where the plane of the leading edge of the blade 22 is in face-to-face contact with a wall 1131 of the connecting central housing 111 and the connecting housing 113 of the surrounding vortex housing 112 without any gap. Preferably, the surface of the leading edge of the blade 22 is formed as a straight plane, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be formed as a curved plane or a curved surface.

[0043] like Figure 1 , 3As shown, a diffuser connection hole 2121 with a straight hole shape is formed in the blade diffuser 20. The term "straight hole shape" refers to a hole with a smooth inner wall surface, without protrusions, steps, corrugations, etc., allowing the fasteners inside to move back and forth. The diffuser connection hole 2121 is formed on the surface of the peripheral portion 212 of the blade plate 21 of the blade diffuser 20 facing the motor housing 31. It is formed only to penetrate a portion of the blade plate 21 in the axial direction, but it may also penetrate the entire blade plate 21 in the axial direction. Correspondingly, a motor connection hole 311 with a straight hole shape that is continuous in the axial direction with the diffuser connection hole 2121 is formed on the end face of the motor housing 31 facing the blade diffuser 20.

[0044] A heat exchanger 50 is also sandwiched between the blade diffuser 20 and the motor housing 31. The heat exchanger 50 is annular with a central hole 51. The peripheral plate 52 of the heat exchanger has interconnected first cooling airflow chambers 521, second cooling airflow chambers 522 and third cooling airflow chambers 523 formed sequentially from the radially outer side to the radially inner side. Specifically, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas (e.g., temperature of 130-190°C) compressed into a high-speed airflow by the impeller 12 of the compressor 10 and flowing through the blade diffuser 20 flows sequentially into the first cooling airflow chamber 521, second cooling airflow chamber 522 and third cooling airflow chamber 523 through an outlet (not shown), and finally flows to the thrust bearing 36 to cool the thrust bearing 36. As a material, the heat exchanger 50 is preferably made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum alloy, which can quickly cool the incoming high-temperature gas. Of course, the material of the heat exchanger 50 of the present invention is not limited to this, and other materials with high thermal conductivity can also be used.

[0045] As fasteners, the first locking bolt 80 is sequentially inserted through the diffuser connection hole 2121 of the periphery 212 of the blade plate 21 of the vane diffuser 20, the center hole 51 of the heat exchanger, and the motor connection hole 311 of the motor housing 31 to connect them together. Since the diffuser connection hole 2121, the center hole 51 of the heat exchanger, and the motor connection hole 311 are all straight holes and continuous in the axial direction, slight axial movement of the vane diffuser 20 is allowed in these holes, thus achieving a "loose connection" between the vane diffuser 20 and the motor 30. This is consistent with... Figure 4The existing technology shown, which uses a locking bolt P1 to abut against the stepped portion O11 in the through hole O1 of the bladed diffuser, is significantly different from the "fixed connection" achieved by the head of the locking bolt P1 abutting against the stepped portion O11 in the through hole O1 of the bladed diffuser. This connection can offset the axial machining tolerances and thermal expansion differences between the compressor 10, the bladed diffuser 20, and the motor 30, avoid structural stress deformation caused by rigid connections, and further improve operational stability. As a loose connection method, the structure described above involves providing continuous straight holes between the bladed diffuser 20, the heat exchanger 50, and the motor 30, and inserting locking bolts through these straight holes. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other connection structures can also be used. Based on this, a first elastic sealing ring 71 located radially outward and a second elastic sealing ring 72 located radially inward are provided between the blade plate 21 of the blade diffuser 20 and the motor housing 31 of the motor 30. The elastic restoring force of the first elastic sealing ring 71 and the second elastic sealing ring 72 pushes the blade diffuser 20 to move towards the compressor housing 11, so that the front end of the blade 22 of the blade diffuser 20 fits against a wall surface 1131 of the connecting housing 113 of the compressor housing 11, eliminating the gap between the front end of the blade 22 and a wall surface 1131 of the connecting housing 113 of the compressor housing 11. This forms a closed diffuser flow channel 23 between a wall surface 1131 of the connecting housing 113 of the compressor housing 11, the adjacent blade 22 and the blade plate 21. Thus, by forming a closed diffuser channel 23, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas flowing from the compressor impeller 12 can be prevented from entering the aforementioned gap and disturbing the airflow within the diffuser channel 23, thereby preventing turbulence and affecting the deceleration and diffusion effect of the blade diffuser 20 on the airflow, which would lead to a reduction in compressor efficiency. It should be noted that the elastic restoring force of the first elastic sealing ring 71 and the second elastic sealing ring 72 must be sufficient to push the blade diffuser 20 towards the compressor housing 11 to eliminate the aforementioned gap.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, a coolant circuit cavity 60 (shaded area) is also formed between the bladed diffuser 20 and the heat exchanger 50. This coolant circuit cavity 60 is adjacent to the first cooling airflow cavity 521, the second cooling airflow cavity 522, and the third cooling airflow cavity 523 in the heat exchanger 50, and stores coolant therein. The coolant flows through this cavity to absorb heat from the heat exchanger 50, which has become hot due to the high-temperature gas from the bladed diffuser 20, as described above, thereby cooling it. In this way, the heat exchanger 50 can be cooled simultaneously with the thrust bearing 36. A standard ethylene glycol / water coolant is preferred as the coolant, and the ratio of ethylene glycol to water can be adjusted according to the actual operating conditions to ensure that the freezing point of the solution is below the minimum operating temperature.

[0047] In order to achieve liquid sealing of the coolant circuit cavity 60, liquid sealing is achieved by a first elastic sealing ring 71 on the radially outer side and by a second elastic sealing ring 72 on the radially inner side. In addition, a third elastic sealing ring 73 is provided between the inner wall surface of the motor housing 31 used to install the heat exchanger 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the heat exchanger 50.

[0048] The coolant circuit cavity 60 is sealed circumferentially by the first elastic sealing ring 71 and the second elastic sealing ring 72, as described above, and axially by the third elastic sealing ring 73, as described above. This reliably seals the coolant circuit cavity 60, thereby maximizing the cooling effect of the coolant on the heat exchanger 50.

[0049] Rubber is typically used as the material for the aforementioned elastic sealing ring. The high elasticity of rubber allows the sealing ring to deform elastically, which in turn pushes the bladed diffuser towards the compressor housing to eliminate the gap between them. The elasticity of rubber also absorbs vibrations between adjacent components, reducing vibration transmission and providing a buffering and shock-absorbing effect. Furthermore, the processing and assembly technology of rubber sealing rings is mature and low-cost, significantly reducing the manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty of components. Preferred rubber materials include ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), silicone rubber (VMQ), or hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR).

[0050] In short, the cooling method for the thrust bearing 36 described above is a combination of gas cooling and liquid cooling, and the order of gas cooling and liquid cooling is not strictly limited. First, the gas cooled by the heat exchanger 50 flows to the thrust bearing 36 to cool it further. Then, the heat exchanger 50 is cooled by the coolant in the coolant circuit cavity 60 adjacent to the heat exchanger 50. This combined cooling method is an indirect cooling method adopted considering that the thrust bearing 36 can only be cooled by gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other direct cooling methods can also be used as long as the thrust bearing 36 can be cooled safely and effectively.

[0051] The electric motor 30 includes a motor housing 31, a motor stator 32 mounted on the inner circumference of the motor housing 31, and a motor rotor 33 located on the inner circumference of the motor stator 32. A thrust disc 37 and a thrust bearing 36 are sequentially arranged axially at one end of the motor rotor 33. The motor rotor 30 is secured by a second locking bolt 90. Figure 1The impeller 12, thrust disc 37, thrust bearing 36, and motor rotor 33 of the compressor 10 are sequentially inserted through the left side of the compressor 10 to fix them together, thereby achieving the aforementioned "rigid connection along the axial direction" between the compressor 10, the blade diffuser 20, and the motor 30. In this way, the thrust bearing 36 prevents axial movement of the motor rotor 33 during operation, thus ensuring the axial position stability of the motor rotor.

[0052] As described above, the rotation of the motor rotor 33 and the motor stator 32 will cause the temperature of the motor rotor 33 and the motor stator 32 to rise, and will further cause the temperature of the thrust bearing 36 located at one axial end of the motor rotor 33 to rise.

[0053] As a cooling measure, the thrust bearing 36 is cooled by a combination of gas cooling and liquid cooling as described above. A coolant flow channel 35 is provided between the motor stator 32 and the motor housing 31, through which coolant flows to cool the motor stator 32 and the motor rotor 33. As the coolant, a low-conductivity ethylene glycol-based coolant is preferred, but it is not limited to this. Lubricating oil can also be used to perform both lubrication and cooling, or a water-cooled coolant can be used.

[0054] The above-described cooling measures can effectively cool the motor, but those skilled in the art should understand that the cooling measures of the present invention are not limited to these and other cooling measures may also be used.

[0055] The turbine 40 is fixedly mounted on the motor housing 31. Figure 1 The right side shown includes a turbine housing 41 and a turbine 42 fixedly installed within the turbine housing 41. The turbine housing 41 is vortex-shaped, with radial intake channels 411 formed radially along its peripheral wall. These radial intake channels 411 receive high-temperature, high-pressure water vapor and exhaust gas flowing from the surrounding vortex 112 of the compressor housing 11 to the fuel cell stack, promoting the reaction of the fuel cell stack, and guide them to the turbine 42. These high-temperature, high-pressure gases are sprayed onto the turbine 42, which is fixed to the motor rotor 33 of the electric motor 30 via a third locking bolt 1A. In this way, the energy of these high-temperature, high-pressure gases is smoothly converted into the kinetic energy of the turbine 42's rotation. In this case, as described above, Figure 1 The impeller 12 and turbine 42 of the compressor 10 are rigidly connected coaxially to both ends of the motor rotor 33 via locking bolts. When the turbine 42 is driven to rotate, the impeller 12 of the compressor 10 is also driven to rotate synchronously. In this way, the turbine can recover some of the energy from the exhaust gas in the electric motor air compressor and the exhaust gas from the fuel cell reactor to serve as the power source for driving the impeller rotation of the compressor 10, thereby improving the efficiency of the compressor.

[0056] The components of the electric air compressor 1 of the preferred embodiment have been described in detail above. The gas flow path inside the electric air compressor 1, which is realized by the cooperation of these components, is summarized below.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown by the dashed arrows, atmospheric air flows into the impeller 12 through the inlet 1111 of the central casing 111 of the compressor 10 via an air filter (not shown). It is accelerated and then flows from the radially outer end of the impeller 12 into the diffuser passage 23 between a wall 1131 of the connecting casing 113 of the compressor casing 11 and the bladed diffuser 20, where it is slowed and diffused. Most of the diffused high-pressure gas (e.g., 98% by volume) flows through the surrounding vortex 112 to the fuel cell reactor, as shown by the dashed arrows, to provide a high concentration of oxygen to promote the fuel cell reaction and improve combustion efficiency. The power generation efficiency of the battery; on the other hand, a small portion of the high-pressure gas (e.g., 2% by volume) as shown by the two dashed arrows in the figure flows into the heat exchanger 50 via a gas flow path not shown, and is cooled sequentially through the first cooling airflow chamber 521, the second cooling airflow chamber 522 and the third cooling airflow chamber 523. The cooled gas continues to flow to the thrust bearing 36 to cool it, and flows into the radial air intake passage 411 of the turbine housing 41 of the turbine 40 via a gas flow path not shown and is sprayed onto the turbine 42. After being decelerated by the turbine 42, it is discharged through the axial air outlet passage 412.

[0058] According to the present invention, by loosely connecting the blade diffuser to the electric motor, the blade diffuser is allowed to move slightly axially. When the electric motor drives the compressor, the blade diffuser can move slightly axially toward the compressor 10 side to make the blade diffuser fit tightly against the compressor housing to eliminate the gap between them. This avoids the turbulence caused by the gap disturbing the airflow in the diffuser channel, as in the prior art, which affects the deceleration and diffusion effect of the blade diffuser and thus reduces the efficiency of the compressor.

[0059] The above-mentioned technical effects are specifically achieved by... Figure 4 The stepped hole of the diffuser connection hole 2121 of the prior art blade diffuser, as shown by the dashed circle in the figure, is changed to... Figure 1 This is achieved using straight holes indicated by solid circles. In other words, significant technical effects can be achieved through minor modifications to the holes, which greatly reduces hardware costs and manufacturing processes.

[0060] The foregoing description has already given many features and advantages, including various alternative implementations, as well as details of the structure and function of the apparatus and methods. This document is intended to be exemplary and is not exhaustive or limiting.

[0061] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the full scope indicated by the broad superordinate meaning of the terms expressed in the appended claims, particularly in terms of structure, materials, elements, components, shapes, dimensions, and arrangements of components, including combinations of these aspects within the scope of the principles described herein. Such various modifications are intended to be included herein, provided they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electric air compressor, comprising a compressor, a vane diffuser, and an electric motor rigidly connected in sequence along the axial direction, characterized in that, The compressor includes a compressor housing. The bladed diffuser has multiple blades extending toward the compressor housing. The compressor housing is axially connected to the bladed diffuser in such a way that it fits against the front end of the blades of the bladed diffuser.

2. The electric air compressor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electric motor includes an electric motor housing. The blade diffuser is loosely connected to the motor housing.

3. The electric air compressor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The blade-type diffuser has a diffuser connection hole with a straight hole shape. A motor connection hole in the shape of a straight hole is formed in the motor housing. The blade diffuser is loosely connected to the motor housing by inserting locking bolts into the diffuser connection hole and the motor connection hole.

4. The electric air compressor as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, A heat exchanger is sandwiched between the blade diffuser and the motor housing, and a cooling airflow cavity is formed in the heat exchanger. The cooling airflow cavity is used for the flow of gas after it has been decelerated and diffused by the blade diffuser.

5. The electric air compressor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The heat exchanger is made of aluminum alloy.

6. The electric air compressor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A coolant chamber for coolant flow is formed between the blade diffuser and the heat exchanger.

7. The electric air compressor as described in claim 6, characterized in that, A first elastic sealing ring and a second elastic sealing ring located radially inward of the first elastic sealing ring are provided between the blade diffuser and the motor housing.

8. The electric air compressor as described in claim 7, characterized in that, A third elastic sealing ring is provided between the motor housing and the heat exchanger.

9. The electric air compressor as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first elastic sealing ring, the second elastic sealing ring, and the third elastic sealing ring are all made of rubber material.

10. The electric air compressor as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes a turbine, the turbine of which is coaxially connected to the impeller of the compressor and can rotate synchronously.

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