Electric compressor

Abstract

Provided is an electric compressor in which condensed water is difficult to drip down to a power supply connector. An electric compressor (1) has: a rotary shaft (10) extending in a horizontal direction; a motor (20) that rotates the rotary shaft (10); a compression mechanism (30) that is driven by the rotary shaft (10); a housing (50) that houses the rotary shaft (10) so as to be rotatable, and houses the motor (20) and the compression mechanism (30); and a cover member (60) that covers the periphery of the housing (50). A suction port (52B) for refrigerant is formed in an upper portion of the housing (50), and a power supply connector (42) is installed in a lower portion of the housing (50) directly below the suction port (52B). A protrusion (67) that is an example of a drain passage is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the cover member (60), and the drain passage guides condensed water that flows down from the suction port (52B) or a suction pipe connected thereto to a lower portion of the cover member (60) that avoids the power supply connector (42).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electric compressor that compresses refrigerant using an electric motor. Background Technology

[0002] In order to reduce the noise generated by the electric compressor, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-224824 (Patent Document 1), a technology has been proposed to cover the area around the electric compressor with a cover component such as a sound-insulating material.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-224824

[0004] However, some electric compressors have a refrigerant suction inlet located at the top, while the power connector is located at the bottom, directly below the suction inlet. In this case, if condensate adheres to the suction inlet or the connected suction piping and grows, it may flow down onto the outer circumference of the casing or through the tiny gap between the housing and the casing, eventually dripping from the bottom of the casing onto the power connector. Furthermore, if the condensate drips into the power connector and enters the interior, it can cause corrosion and short circuits at the connector terminals. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electric compressor in which condensate is difficult to drip onto the power connector.

[0006] The electric compressor includes: a rotating shaft extending horizontally; an electric motor rotating the rotating shaft; a compression mechanism driven by the rotating shaft; a housing housing the rotating shaft for rotation and housing the electric motor and compression mechanism; and a cover member covering the periphery of the housing. Furthermore, a refrigerant suction port is formed at the upper part of the housing, and a power connector is installed at the lower part of the housing directly below the suction port. Moreover, a drain channel is formed in the cover member, which guides condensate flowing from the suction port or the suction pipe connected to the suction port to the lower part of the cover member, avoiding the power connector.

[0007] According to the present invention, in an electric compressor, it is possible to prevent condensate from dripping onto the power connector. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of an electric compressor to which the present invention can be applied. Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an electric compressor after the cover components have been removed. Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the cover component. Figure 4 This is a perspective view showing an example of an electric compressor with a covered component. Figure 5 This is a top view showing an example of a cover component that is divided into two parts. Figure 6 This is an illustration of the function and effect of the protrusions formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cover component. Figure 7 This is an illustration of the function and effect of the recess formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cover component. Detailed Implementation

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This describes one example of a horizontally mounted electric compressor 1 to which the present invention can be applied. Furthermore, the electric compressor 1 described below is merely an example and should not be construed as being limited to its structure. Therefore, it should be noted that the present invention can be applied to various electric compressors known to those skilled in the art.

[0010] The electric compressor 1 includes: a rotating shaft 10 extending in a horizontal direction (front-back direction); an electric motor 20 that rotates the rotating shaft 10; a compression mechanism 30 driven by the rotating shaft 10; an inverter 40 that drives and controls the electric motor 20; a housing 50 that supports the rotating shaft 10 for rotation and houses the rotating shaft 10, the electric motor 20, the compression mechanism 30, and the inverter 40; and a cover member 60 that covers the periphery of the housing 50.

[0011] The housing 50 includes: a cylindrical central housing 51; a bottomed cylindrical front housing 52, with the open end side connected to the front end of the central housing 51. Figure 1 The left end of the central housing 51 is joined; the bottom cylindrical rear housing 53 has its open end side joined to the rear end of the central housing 51. Figure 1 The inverter housing 54, which has a bottomed square cylindrical shape, is integrated with the front end of the front housing 52; and the inverter cover 55 closes the opening of the inverter housing 54. Here, the inverter housing 54 is integrated with the front housing 52, but it can also be completely separated from the front housing 52. The central housing 51, the front housing 52, and the rear housing 53 are not limited to having a cylindrical cross-section; for example, they can also have arbitrary cross-sections such as quadrilaterals or polygons.

[0012] The electric motor 20 includes a cylindrical stator 21 disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the front end side of the central housing 51; and a cylindrical rotor 22 rotatably disposed inside the stator 21. Furthermore, a compression mechanism 30, such as a known compression mechanism like a scroll compressor, is disposed on the rear end side of the central housing 51.

[0013] Furthermore, the middle portion of the rotating shaft 10 is integrated with the rotor 22 while passing through a through hole located at the center of the rotor 22. Additionally, the front end of the rotating shaft 10 is rotatably supported by a bearing 52A formed in the bottom wall of the front housing 52. Furthermore, the rear end of the rotating shaft 10 is connected to the drive unit (not shown) of the compression mechanism 30. Therefore, if a drive current is supplied to the stator 21 of the motor 20, the rotor 22 and the integrated rotating shaft 10 rotate, enabling the compression mechanism 30 to operate. Alternatively, the rotating shaft 10 can be further supported by other bearings (not shown) for rotatability.

[0014] At a predetermined location on the front housing 52, specifically at an upper part further forward than the motor 20, a suction port 52B is formed for drawing refrigerant from the low-pressure side of an external refrigerant circuit. Furthermore, at a predetermined location on the rear housing 53, specifically at an upper part near the bottom wall of the rear housing 53, a discharge port 53A is formed for discharging high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 to the high-pressure side of an external refrigerant circuit. It should be understood that "upper part" is not limited to the uppermost part of the front housing 52 or the rear housing 53, but can also refer to its periphery.

[0015] Furthermore, the refrigerant drawn into the front housing 52 through the suction port 52B cools the motor 20 by passing through the gap between the stator 21 and the rotor 22, and is then introduced into the compression chamber through the refrigerant inlet (not shown) of the compression mechanism 30. The refrigerant introduced into the compression chamber is compressed into high-pressure refrigerant, and is discharged from the refrigerant outlet (not shown) of the compression mechanism 30 into the interior of the rear housing 53, and then returns to the high-pressure side of the external refrigerant circuit through the discharge port 53A of the rear housing 53.

[0016] The inverter housing 54 is integrated in front of the front housing 52, sharing a bottom wall with it. The inverter housing 54 is configured such that its upper portion is positioned above and its lower portion is positioned below the front housing 52. Here, the lower portion of the inverter housing 54 is larger than its upper portion and protrudes from the front housing 52.

[0017] Furthermore, an inverter 40 for driving and controlling the motor 20 is disposed inside the inverter housing 54. The inverter 40 is configured to supply drive current to the stator 21 of the motor 20 via a power supply line 41, which extends through the bottom wall shared by the front housing 52 and the inverter housing 54. In addition, the inverter 40 is configured to be supplied with DC current from an external DC power source via a power connector 42, which is disposed at the lower part of the inverter housing 54, specifically, at a location directly below the intake port 52B of the front housing 52. It should be understood that "directly below" is not limited to the center below the intake port 52B, but can also refer to its periphery.

[0018] The cover member 60 is made of, for example, a resin with sound-insulating properties, and is configured to at least cover the outer peripheral surface of the housing 50 of the electric compressor 1, excluding the suction port 52B, the discharge port 53A, and the power connector 42. Therefore, the cover member 60 is configured to have an inner surface that mimics the outer surface of the housing 50 of the electric compressor 1.

[0019] Figure 2 This image shows an example of the appearance of the electric compressor 1 after the cover assembly 60 has been removed. The housing 50 of the electric compressor 1, for example, has multiple bosses BS and brackets BK for mounting to a vehicle, as well as multiple ribs for ensuring strength. Figure 2 In one example shown, a boss BS is formed on the upper part of the central housing 51, and a pair of bosses BS are formed on the upper part of the inverter housing 54. However, the number and formation position of the bosses BS can be changed, for example, by considering the size of the electric compressor 1. Furthermore, in Figure 2 In the example shown, two brackets BK are mounted on the inverter housing 54, but the number and mounting position of the brackets BK can be changed, for example, by considering the size of the electric compressor 1. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the cover member 60 is formed to mimic the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the housing 50, which has such a complex shape.

[0020] Figure 3 An example of the appearance of the cover member 60 is shown. The cover member 60 includes: a first cover member 61 with a bottomed cylindrical shape, covering the central housing 51, the front housing 52 and the rear housing 53; and a second cover member 62 with a bottomed square cylindrical shape, covering the inverter housing 54 and the inverter cover 55.

[0021] The first cover member 61 has at least one of the following: a first notch 63 for accessing the outlet 53A formed on the rear housing 53; and a second notch 64 for avoiding interference with the boss BS formed on the central housing 51. Furthermore, the second cover member 62 has at least one third notch 65 for accessing the power connector 42 mounted on the inverter housing 54 and for avoiding interference with the bracket BK. Moreover, the first cover member 61 and the second cover member 62 have a fourth notch 66 for avoiding interference with a pair of bosses BS formed on the upper part of the inverter housing 54 and for accessing the intake 52B formed on the front housing 52.

[0022] Therefore, if the cover member 60 is installed around the housing 50, then as Figure 4As shown, the power connector 42, intake port 52B, exhaust port 53A, three bosses BS, and two brackets BK are exposed to the outside through the first notch 63, the second notch 64, the third notch 65, and the fourth notch 66. Therefore, even with the cover member 60 installed around the housing 50, the electric compressor 1 can be mounted to the vehicle using the three bosses BS and the two brackets BK. Furthermore, even with the cover member 60 installed around the housing 50, an intake pipe (not shown) can be connected to the intake port 52B, or an exhaust pipe (not shown) can be connected to the exhaust port 53A. Moreover, even with the cover member 60 installed around the housing 50, the wiring harness can be connected to the power connector 42. Additionally, with the cover member 60 installed around the housing 50, the intake pipe and exhaust pipe can be disconnected from the intake port 52B and the exhaust port 53A, the wiring harness can be disconnected from the power connector 42, or the electric compressor 1 can be removed from the vehicle.

[0023] To facilitate the installation of the cover member 60 relative to the housing 50, such as Figure 5 As shown, the preferred cover member 60 is configured as a structure divided into two parts by a vertical plane extending along the central axis of the rotation axis 10, that is, a structure divided into left and right parts. In this case, the two parts of the cover member 60 are connected by hinges 69, and are folded with reference to the hinges 69 to complete the cover member 60. Furthermore, the first notch 63, the second notch 64, the third notch 65, and the fourth notch 66 of the cover member 60 are formed by folding the two parts of the cover member 60. In addition, the hinges 69 can also be cut off as needed after the cover member 60 is installed in the housing 50.

[0024] However, in the electric compressor 1, if the temperature of the suction inlet 52B or the suction piping connected to it is lower than the atmospheric dew point, water vapor in the atmosphere may form water droplets, and condensate may adhere to the suction inlet 52B or the suction piping. If the condensate adhering to the suction inlet 52B or the suction piping grows, it will flow down due to gravity, flowing downwards along at least one of the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 60 and the tiny gap existing between the housing 50 and the cover member 60. Furthermore, if the condensate drips from the lower part of the cover member 60 onto the power connector 42 located directly below the suction inlet 52B, the condensate may enter the interior through the gap between the power connector 42 and the wire harness connected to it, potentially causing terminal corrosion or short circuits.

[0025] Therefore, a drainage channel is formed in the cover member 60, which guides condensate flowing from the suction port 52B or the suction pipe connected thereto to the lower part of the cover member 60, avoiding the power connector 42. The drainage channel can be as follows: Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, it is composed of a pair of protrusions 67 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 60, and can be as follows: Figure 5 As shown, it is composed of a pair of recesses 68 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cover member 60.

[0026] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each protrusion 67 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 60 is formed to extend obliquely downward from the upper half of the first cover member 61, i.e., the transition portion to the second cover member 62, to a position avoiding the power connector 42. Here, in the illustrated example, the protrusion 67 bends further downward in the middle, but the protrusion 67 can also extend in a straight line.

[0027] like Figure 5 As shown, the recesses 68 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cover member 60 are configured to extend obliquely downward from the lower end of the fourth notch 66 for accessing the suction port 52B to a position avoiding the power connector 42. The top end (lower end) of the recess 68 extends to the lowermost part of the first cover member 61, where a drain port 68A communicating with the outside of the cover member 60 is formed. Therefore, if the cover member 60 is mounted on the housing 50, a drain channel with a generally semi-circular cross-section is formed by the outer peripheral surface of the housing 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the recesses 68 of the cover member 60.

[0028] Next, the function and effect of the protrusion 67 and recess 68 formed on the cover member 60 will be explained. For example... Figure 6 As shown, if condensate CW grows by adhering to the suction port 52B of the electric compressor 1 or the suction pipe SC connected thereto, the condensate will begin to flow downwards due to gravity. Furthermore, the downward-flowing condensate drips down between the periphery of the suction port 52B and the inner circumference of the fourth notch 66, with a portion flowing downwards along the outer circumferential surface of the cover member 60, and the remainder flowing downwards along the minute gap between the housing 50 and the cover member 60.

[0029] like Figure 6 As shown by the dashed lines, condensate flowing downwards along the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 60 is blocked by a protrusion 67 formed on the cover member 60 and guided along the protrusion 67 to a position avoiding the power connector 42. The condensate then drips from the top of the protrusion 67 onto the wiring harness HN connected to the power connector 42. The wiring harness HN is typically covered with a water-resistant material, so even if condensate drips onto the wiring harness HN, it will not cause a problem (the same applies below).

[0030] In addition, such as Figure 7As shown by the dashed line, condensate flowing downwards along the tiny gap between the housing 50 and the cover member 60 is blocked by a recess 68 formed in the cover member 60 and guided along the recess 68 to a position avoiding the power connector 42. Then, the condensate is discharged from the drain port 68A formed at the top of the recess 68 and drips onto the wiring harness HN connected to the power connector 42.

[0031] Therefore, even if condensate grows on the suction port 52B or the suction pipe SC connected to it, it can be prevented from dripping onto the power connector 42. Furthermore, by suppressing the dripping of condensate onto the power connector 42, it is possible to prevent condensate from entering the interior between the power connector 42 and the wiring harness HN, thereby preventing terminal corrosion and short circuits.

[0032] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can readily understand that, for the technical concepts of the various embodiments described above, new embodiments can be generated by omitting a part of them, appropriately combining a part of them, or replacing a part of them with known technology, provided that the desired effect is obtained.

[0033] As an example, the electric compressor 1 may also be without the inverter 40, inverter housing 54, and inverter cover 55. In this case, the electric compressor 1 only needs to be configured to supply drive current to the motor 20 from an externally located inverter via a power connector 42. Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0034] 1 Electric compressor, 10 Rotary shaft, 20 Electric motor, 30 Compression mechanism, 40 Inverter, 42 Power connector, 50 Housing, 52B Suction port, 60 Cover component, 67 Protrusion (drainage channel), 68 Recess (drainage channel), CW Condensate, SC Suction piping.

Claims

1. An electric compressor comprising: a rotating shaft extending horizontally; an electric motor rotating the rotating shaft; a compression mechanism driven by the rotating shaft; a housing supporting the rotating shaft for rotation and housing the electric motor and the compression mechanism; and a cover member covering the periphery of the housing, wherein a refrigerant inlet is formed in the upper part of the housing, and a power connector is mounted in the lower part of the housing directly below the inlet, wherein... A drainage channel is formed in the cover member, which guides condensate flowing from the suction port or the suction pipe connected to the suction port to the lower part of the cover member that avoids the power connector.

2. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The drainage channel is formed by at least one of a protrusion extending obliquely to the outer peripheral surface of the cover member and a recess extending obliquely to the inner peripheral surface of the cover member.

3. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The cover member has a structure divided into two parts by a vertical plane extending along the central axis of the rotation axis.

4. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein, The electric compressor also has an inverter that drives and controls the electric motor. The inverter is located on the motor side of the housing.

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