Omnidirectional radial flexible mechanism and star-shaped scroll compressor device

Abstract

An omnidirectional radial flexible mechanism described herein includes a drive shaft including an eccentric crank and an arm extending radially from the drive shaft, the arm of the drive shaft including a piston housing; a piston in the piston housing; the eccentric lever bush comprises an arm part extending from the radial direction of the eccentric lever bush, a cylindrical outer surface and a cylindrical hole, the cylindrical hole is rotatably connected to the eccentric crank, and the axis of the cylindrical hole is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical outer surface and deviates from the axis of the cylindrical outer surface; wherein the piston is configured to apply a torque to the eccentric lever bushing by pushing an arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing. The drive shaft may also include a passage configured to apply fluid pressure to the piston. The mechanism can be used for equipment such as a star-shaped scroll compressor device.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Scroll compressors consist of a fixed member with one or more rotating scrolls and an orbiting member with the same number of rotating scrolls. The orbiting member orbits along a circular path relative to the fixed member and forms an enclosed space between the fixed member and the orbiting member to compress fluid in the enclosed space. Most scroll compressors require anti-rotation devices to maintain a constant angular offset between the fixed member and the orbiting member during orbiting.

[0002] Radial flexibility is a method used to minimize the radial gap between the fixed member and the orbiting member and also to release pressure when liquid is ingested.

[0003] Eccentric bushing radial flexibility utilizes an eccentric lever bushing fit between the drive shaft and the rotor. Radial flexibility is achieved by allowing the eccentric bushing to rotate relative to the drive shaft so the rotor can move radially relative to the drive shaft and the rotor housing. The angle of rotation of the eccentric bushing relative to the drive shaft is limited by the direction of the rotor load. SUMMARY

[0004] One mechanism disclosed herein includes a drive shaft comprising an eccentric crank and an arm portion extending radially from the drive shaft, the arm portion of the drive shaft comprising a piston housing; a piston in the piston housing; an eccentric lever bushing comprising an arm portion extending radially therefrom, a cylindrical outer surface, and a cylindrical bore. The cylindrical bore is rotatably connected to the eccentric crank. The axis of the cylindrical bore and the axis of the cylindrical outer surface are parallel and offset. The piston is configured to apply torque to the eccentric lever bushing by pushing against the arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing.

[0005] In one aspect, the drive shaft further comprises a channel configured to apply fluid pressure to the piston.

[0006] In one aspect, the mechanism further comprises a valve configured to regulate the flow of lubricant from the channel.

[0007] In one aspect, the piston is configured to move tangentially relative to the drive shaft.

[0008] In one aspect, the mechanism further comprises a spring pushing the piston away from the piston housing.

[0009] In one aspect, the mechanism further comprises a sliding seal between the piston and the piston housing.

[0010] In one aspect, the drive shaft further comprises an eccentric primary shaft from the eccentric crank.

[0011] In one aspect, the inertial primary shaft of the drive shaft is the geometric axis of the primary shaft. That is, the arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing, the arm portion of the drive shaft, and the piston act as a counterweight to the eccentric crank.

[0012] Also disclosed herein is an apparatus comprising: a stationary member comprising an inner surface, wherein said inner surface encloses a chamber, said chamber having a plurality of swirl vanes extending into said chamber; an orbiting member comprising an outer surface surrounding a body, the body having a plurality of swirl vanes extending outwardly and within the chamber; wherein said orbiting member is configured to orbit along a circular path relative to said stationary member; wherein said orbiting member and said stationary member have the same number of swirl vanes and form the same number of working swirl pairs; wherein said orbiting member and said stationary member form a fluid-tight enclosed space between said orbiting member and said stationary member; wherein said orbiting member and said stationary member mesh during the orbiting of said orbiting member; wherein said swirl vanes are configured to separate from said stationary member to prevent mutual impact when the orbiting member starts to contact between individual working swirl pairs during the orbiting of said orbiting member; an exhaust disc connected to an end face of the stationary member; a suction disc connected to the other end of the stationary member; wherein said suction disc comprises a suction hole passing through said suction disc, said suction hole for fluid communication with said enclosed space; wherein said exhaust disc comprises an exhaust hole passing through said exhaust disc, said exhaust hole configured to fluid communication with said enclosed space; wherein said orbiting member has a bearing hole concentric with its geometric center axis.

[0013] In an aspect, the orbiting member and the stationary member slide through a plurality of tangential contact lines.

[0014] In an aspect, the orbiting member and the stationary member form a fluid-tight enclosed space through a plurality of contact lines.

[0015] In an aspect, the orbiting member and the stationary member mesh through a plurality of contact lines.

[0016] In an aspect, the enclosed space forms, disappears and changes volume during the orbiting to compress fluid inside or to suck fluid outside; the swirl vanes of the stationary member, the swirl vanes of the orbiting member and the enclosed space are rotationally symmetric around a center in a star pattern.

[0017] In an aspect, the apparatus further comprises a check valve covering said exhaust hole.

[0018] In an aspect, the inner surface of the stationary member is composed of segments of arc surfaces, each segment of arc surface being tangent to its immediately adjacent segment; wherein the outer surface of the orbiting member is composed of segments of arc surfaces, each segment of arc surface being tangent to its immediately adjacent segment.

[0019] In an aspect, the apparatus further comprises any of the mechanisms described above. Attached Figure Description

[0020] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B The end views of the inner surface of the stationary component of the scroll compressor and the outer surface of the track-moving component of the scroll compressor are shown respectively.

[0021] FIGS. 2A-2F The image shows end views of the inner surface of the stationary component and the outer surface of the track-moving component at six track positions during one track cycle of the track-moving component.

[0022] FIGS. 3A-3F End views of the fixed component, the track moving component, the suction plate and its suction port, and the exhaust plate and its exhaust port are shown at six track positions.

[0023] FIG. 4 A vertical cross-sectional view of the scroll compressor is shown.

[0024] FIG. 5 The end view shows the drive shaft, track motion component, and eccentric lever bushing of the scroll compressor.

[0025] FIG. 6 The end view shows the drive shaft, fluid passage, piston, and eccentric lever bushing.

[0026] FIGS. 7A-7F It is a view showing the relative position between the eccentric lever bushing and the drive shaft, used to set six different thrust directions toward the track motion component. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The device described herein includes a fixed member having an inner surface that encloses a bladed chamber having multiple vortex rolls (also called vortex blades) extending into the bladed chamber. The vortex blades extending into the bladed chamber are rotationally symmetrical about a center. In the example, the inner surface is composed of line segments of arcuate surfaces, each segment of the arcuate surface being tangent to its immediately adjacent line segment. As used herein, "tangent" between two arcuate surfaces means that the angle between the two arcuate surfaces is zero on the line of intersection between the two arcuate surfaces. The device also includes a track motion member located within the bladed chamber. The track member has multiple outwardly extending vortex blades. The vortex blades of the track motion member are rotationally symmetrical about a center. In the example, the outer surface of the track motion member is composed of segments of arcuate surfaces, each segment of the arcuate surface being tangent to its immediately adjacent segment. The outer surface of the track motion member surrounds the body of the track motion member.

[0028] The orbiting member is configured to orbit along a circular path relative to the fixed member. The orbiting member also includes a cylindrical bore in its center. Preferably, the orbiting member orbits along a circular path concentric with the center of rotational symmetry of the fixed member. Preferably, the orbiting member does not rotate relative to the fixed member while orbiting. During the orbiting process, the orbiting member and the fixed member slide along a plurality of tangential contact lines. The outer surface of the orbiting member and the inner surface of the fixed member are engaged by the tangential contact lines. The orbiting member and the fixed member form a fluid seal at the tangential contact lines, thereby creating a fluid-enclosed space between the fixed member and the orbiting member. As explained in more detail below, the enclosed space changes in volume during the orbiting process.

[0029] Due to limitations in machining, the shape of the scroll leaves can not be perfect, and the circular path can not be a perfect circle. As a result, the orbiting member can knock against the fixed member at the beginning of contact between each working scroll pair. The scroll leaves can be configured to prevent knocking by separating the orbiting member from the fixed member by compressive torque at the beginning of contact between each working scroll pair during the orbiting.

[0030] The device can also include an exhaust plate connected to the end of the fixed member. The exhaust plate also includes an exhaust hole through the exhaust plate that can be fluidly connected to the enclosed space during the orbiting of the orbiting member.

[0031] The device can also include a check valve (e.g., a reed valve) covering the exhaust hole of the exhaust plate to allow the compressed fluid in the enclosed space to flow out and prevent fluid from entering the enclosed space through the exhaust hole.

[0032] The device can also include a check valve plug connected to the check valve to prevent the reed of the check valve from opening too much to protect the check valve from deforming or breaking.

[0033] The device can also include a suction plate connected to the other end of the fixed member. The suction plate includes a suction hole through the suction plate that can be fluidly connected to the enclosed space during the orbiting of the orbiting member.

[0034] The device can also include a drive shaft with an eccentric crank. The drive shaft can also include an arm portion with a piston housing. The drive shaft can also include an internal fluid channel to connect to a fluid source.

[0035] The device can also include an eccentric lever bushing with an arm portion. The eccentric lever bushing can also include a cylindrical bore surface rotatably connected to an eccentric crank of the drive shaft. The eccentric lever bushing can also include an outer cylindrical surface of a cylindrical bore rotatably connected to the orbiting member. The eccentric lever bushing can rotate relative to the crank and the orbiting member. The axis of the outer cylindrical surface is parallel and offset from the axis of the cylindrical bore surface.

[0036] The device can also include a piston in the piston housing of the arm portion of the drive shaft and slidingly connected to the arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing.

[0037] The arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing, the arm portion of the drive shaft, and the piston can act as a counterweight.

[0038] Fluid pressure inside the drive shaft arm portion piston housing pushes the piston and the arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing and creates a torque on the eccentric lever bushing. The torque creates a force through the cylindrical outer surface of the eccentric lever bushing to the cylindrical bore of the orbiting member to push the orbiting member radially against the stationary member.

[0039] If the fluid pressure inside the enclosed space is higher than normal during compression, for example, if there is too much fluid inside the enclosed space, the pressure will create a higher torque on the orbiting member through the eccentric lever bushing. The higher torque creates a greater force between the arm portion of the eccentric lever bushing and the piston, pushing the piston back, which displaces the orbiting member, increasing the seal gap to allow the high pressure fluid inside the enclosed space to vent to the low pressure area, reducing the internal pressure.

[0040] The high pressure vented from the enclosed space can be used to drive lubricant into the passageway inside the drive shaft and through the lubricant flow valve 3G (see FIG. 4 ) to the low pressure side and into the space between the orbiting member, the stationary member, the drive shaft, and the eccentric lever bushing to reduce friction and create a fluid seal.

[0041] FIG. 1A An end view of the inner surface 100 of the stationary member 1 is shown, FIG. 1BAn end view of the outer surface 200 of the orbiting member 2 is shown. The inner surface 100 has a copy of 4 arcuate surfaces: 110A, 120A, 130A, 140A. The inner surface 100 has n-fold rotational symmetry with point O as the center of rotational symmetry, where n can be any integer greater than 1, for example 6. Each segment of the arcuate surface of the inner surface 100 is tangent to its adjacent segment. The outer surface 200 has a copy of 4 arcuate surfaces: 210A, 220A, 230A, 240A. The outer surface 200 has n' -fold rotational symmetry with point O' as the center of rotational symmetry, where n' can be any integer greater than 1 and preferably equal to n. Each line segment of the outer surface 200 is tangent to its adjacent line segment. The orbiting member 2 orbits along a circular path 150 concentric with point O.

[0042] FIGS. 2A-2F An end view of the orbiting member 2 relative to the inner surface 100 of the fixed member 1 is shown at six orbiting positions as the orbiting member 2 orbits along the circular path 150. When the orbiting member 2 is at an orbiting position, an enclosed space (e.g., enclosed spaces 203 and 204) is formed between the scroll leaves of the orbiting member 2 and the scroll leaves of the fixed member 1.

[0043] The volumes of the enclosed spaces 203 and 204 vary as the orbiting member 2 orbits relative to the fixed member 1 along the circular path 150. In this particular example, as the orbiting member 2 orbits along the counterclockwise circular path 150, the enclosed space 203 is periodically formed, shrinks, and disappears (i.e., the space between another pair of scroll leaves connected to the fixed member 1 and the orbiting member 2, as shown in FIG. 2E and 2F As shown) and the enclosed space 204 is periodically formed, expands, and disappears (i.e., the space between another pair of scroll leaves connected to the fixed member 1 and the orbiting member 2, as shown in FIG. 2E and 2F The enclosed space 203 can be used as a compression chamber to compress and / or increase the pressure of a fluid therein. The enclosed space 204 can be used as a suction chamber to draw a fluid to be compressed.

[0044] FIGS. 3A-3F An end view of the fixed member, the orbiting member, the suction plate, and the suction holes therein, and the exhaust plate and the exhaust holes therein, at the six orbiting positions is shown. The high pressure within the compression chamber creates a torque that causes the orbiting member 2 to rotate clockwise, as indicated by the direction 202 about the center axis thereof. The line 300 passes through the center axis of the orbiting member 2 and the initial point of contact. When the orbiting member 2 is at the initial orbiting position, the line 300 is tangent to the inner surface 100 of the fixed member 1 at the initial point of contact. FIG. 3AWhen the working scroll pair at the top begins to contact, the scroll tip 201 of the orbiting member 2 located to the right of the line 300 tends to move to the right to expand the distance at the time of contact, i.e., to separate from the scroll tip 101 of the fixed member 1, to avoid colliding the orbiting member 2 and the fixed member 1.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a scroll compressor according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the orbiting member 2 is enclosed by the fixed member 1, the suction plate 4, and the discharge plate 5. The height of the orbiting member 2 is slightly smaller than the distance between the suction plate 4 and the discharge plate 5, so that the orbiting member 2 is freely moved inside and both ends of the orbiting member 2 are sealed with a lubricant. The orbiting member 2 further includes a bearing hole 2A which is concentric with the center of symmetry of the orbiting member 2 and is open at both ends.

[0046] The drive shaft 3 includes a main shaft 3A for coupling to a mechanical drive. The drive shaft 3 further includes an eccentric crank 3B of the main shaft. The drive shaft 3 further includes an arm portion 3C. The arm portion 3C further includes a piston housing 3D (see FIG. 6 ). The drive shaft 3 further includes a fluid passage 3E which is open at one end, the fluid passage 3E being in fluid communication with the high-pressure discharge. The fluid passage 3E further fluidly connects the discharged high-pressure fluid space 11B to the inside of the piston housing 3D.

[0047] The eccentric lever bushing 31 includes a cylindrical outer surface rotatably connected to a cylindrical cylindrical hole of the orbiting member 2 by a bearing 21, the eccentric lever bushing 31 further including a cylindrical hole surface rotatably connected to the eccentric crank 3B. The axis of the cylindrical outer surface is parallel to and offset from the axis of the cylindrical hole surface.

[0048] The piston 32 inside the piston housing 3D is configured to use the fluid pressure inside the piston housing 3D to push the arm portion 31A of the eccentric lever bushing 31. There can be a sliding seal 32 between the piston 32 and the piston housing 3D.

[0049] The arm portion 3A of the drive shaft 3, the arm portion 31A of the eccentric lever bushing 31, and the piston 32 also work as a counterweight to counteract the centrifugal force caused by the orbit of the orbiting member 2, which is eccentric with respect to the main shaft 3A, and to reduce vibrations. That is, the configuration of the arm portion 3A of the drive shaft 3, the arm portion 31A of the eccentric lever bushing 31, and the piston 32 is such that the inertial main shaft of the drive shaft 3 is the geometric axis of the main shaft.

[0050] Low pressure fluid flows into the upper chamber 8B inside the housing 8 through the inlet 8A and enters the convex cavity of the fixed member 1 through the suction holes 4A of the suction plate 4. The compressed fluid discharged from the convex cavity flows through the discharge holes 5A of the discharge plate 5 into the space inside the output fluid housing 11. The fluid finally flows out through the outlet 11A of the output fluid housing 11.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 4 , the lubricant 10 flows into the pressure inlet channel 3E from the enclosed space. The flow of the lubricant 10 is regulated by the lubricant flow valve 3G and flows into the space on the low pressure side (i.e. the upper chamber 8B) where it flows into the space between the moving parts for lubrication and with the compressed fluid into the output fluid housing 11.

[0052] FIG. 5 An end view of the fixed member 1, the orbiting member 2, the eccentric crank 3B, the eccentric lever bushing 31 and the bearing 21 between the eccentric lever bushing 31 and the orbiting member 2 is shown. The center of the orbiting member 2 and the center of the outer surface of the eccentric lever bushing 31 are concentric and move along a path 150.

[0053] Due to limitations in machining, the shape of the scroll leaf can not be perfect and the path 150 can not be a perfect circle. Therefore, during compression, a clearance leakage between the fixed member 1 and the orbiting member 2 occurs, resulting in leakage of the enclosed space. The high pressure fluid inside the enclosed space during compression can leak from the clearance.

[0054] FIG. 6 An end view of the arm portion 3A of the drive shaft 3, the piston 32 and the boss portion 31B on the arm portion 31A of the eccentric lever bushing 31 is shown. The fluid inside the piston housing 3D is fluidly connected to the discharged high pressure fluid space 11B and therefore has a higher pressure than the fluid inside the upper chamber 8B. This pressure difference creates a force (as shown by the arrow) that pushes the piston 32 towards the outside of the piston housing 3D. The piston 32 pushes the boss portion 31B and creates a torque on the eccentric lever bushing 31 through the arm portion 31A.

[0055] The torque rotates the eccentric lever bushing 31 anticlockwise around the eccentric crank 3B, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , forcing the center of the outer surface of the eccentric lever bushing 31 and the center of the orbiting member 2 to move in the direction 3F from the path 150 towards 3F, thereby pushing the orbiting member 2 towards the fixed member 1 to reduce the leakage clearance between the orbiting member 2 and the fixed member 1 during compression.

[0056] If there is too much fluid in the enclosed space, especially if the fluid is a liquid, the pressure in the enclosed space can increase significantly at the end of compression. This high pressure pushes the orbiting member 2 in the opposite direction of 3F, increasing the clearance of the compression chamber to release the high pressure in the enclosed space to protect the scroll compressor. This high pressure also causes the eccentric lever bushing 31 to rotate clockwise (in the view of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 The boss component 31B causes the piston 32 to move into the piston housing 3D.

[0057] The spring 33 provides a force to the eccentric lever bushing 31 to keep the orbiting member 2 from going around the path 150 at the beginning of operation when high pressure is not built up in the enclosed space.

[0058] FIGS. 7A-7F is a view showing the relative position between the eccentric lever bushing 31 and the eccentric crank 3B at the same orbiting position of the orbiting member 2. By adjusting the position of the eccentric crank 3B relative to the eccentric crank 3B, the direction 3F can be adjusted.

[0059] With respect to the claims, when words such as "one", "an", "at least one", or "at least a portion" are used to modify a feature, it is not intended to limit the claims to only one such feature unless the claim explicitly states otherwise.

[0060] The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An omnidirectional radial flexible mechanism, comprising: A drive shaft includes an eccentric crank and an arm extending radially from the drive shaft, the arm of the drive shaft including a piston housing; The piston in the piston housing; An eccentric lever bushing includes an arm extending radially therefrom, a cylindrical outer surface, and a cylindrical bore, wherein the cylindrical bore is rotatably connected to the eccentric crank, and wherein the axis of the cylindrical bore is parallel to and offset from the axis of the cylindrical outer surface. The piston is configured to apply torque to the eccentric lever bushing by pushing the arm of the eccentric lever bushing.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The drive shaft also includes a channel configured to apply fluid pressure to the piston.

3. The mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of lubricant from the channel.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The piston is configured to move tangentially relative to the drive shaft.

5. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a spring that pushes the piston away from the piston housing.

6. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a sliding seal between the piston and the piston housing.

7. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive shaft also includes a spindle that is eccentric to the eccentric crank.

8. The mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The main axis of the drive shaft is the geometric axis of the main axis.

9. A star-shaped scroll compressor assembly, comprising: A fixing member includes an inner surface, wherein the inner surface encloses a cavity from which a plurality of vortex blades extend; The track motion component includes an outer surface surrounding a body, the body having multiple outwardly extending vortex blades within a cavity; The track motion component is configured to move along a circular path relative to the fixed component; The track motion component and the fixed component have the same number of vortex blades and form the same number of working vortex pairs; Wherein, the track motion component and the fixed component form a closed space for fluid between the track motion component and the fixed component; Wherein, the track motion component and the fixed component engage during the track motion of the track motion component; The vortex blades are configured such that during the rotation of the track motion component, the compressive torque causes each working vortex pair to separate when they begin to contact each other. An exhaust disc connected to the end face of a fixed component; An air suction disc is connected to the other end face of the fixed component; The suction plate includes a suction hole that penetrates the suction plate, and the suction hole is used to communicate with the sealed space in fluid. The intake disc includes an exhaust port that penetrates the exhaust disc, and the exhaust port is configured to be in fluid communication with the sealed space. The track motion component has a bearing hole concentric with its geometric central axis; The device also includes a mechanism comprising: A drive shaft includes an eccentric crank and an arm extending radially from the drive shaft, the arm of the drive shaft including a piston housing; The piston inside the piston housing; An eccentric lever bushing includes an arm extending radially therefrom, a cylindrical outer surface, and a cylindrical bore, wherein the cylindrical bore is rotatably attached to an eccentric crank, and wherein the axis of the cylindrical bore is parallel to and offset from the axis of the cylindrical outer surface. The piston is configured to apply torque to the eccentric lever bushing by pushing the arm of the eccentric lever bushing.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a check valve that covers the discharge port.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The inner surface of the fixed component includes arcuate segments, each of which is tangent to its adjacent segment; wherein, the outer surface of the track motion component is composed of arcuate segments, each of which is tangent to its adjacent segment.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the drive shaft further comprises a channel configured to apply fluid pressure to the piston.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mechanism further comprises a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of lubricant from the channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the piston is configured to move tangentially relative to the drive shaft.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mechanism further comprises a spring that causes the piston to move away from the piston housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mechanism further comprises a sliding seal between the piston and the piston housing.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the drive shaft further comprises a spindle eccentric to the eccentric crank.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the main axis of the drive shaft is the geometric axis of the main axis.

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