Air compressor

Abstract

Provide an air compressor having good intake efficiency. 【Solution means】The cylinder 110 has a piston passage 110a. The piston passage has a rear end and a front end. The piston 120 includes a piston portion 122 and a rod portion 124. The piston portion is located in the piston passage and has an annular groove 122a. The rod portion is connected to the piston portion via the rear end. The piston ring 130 is provided in the annular groove. The first portion 132 of the piston ring is located on the first side portion 1221 of the piston portion, and the second portion 134 of the piston ring is located on the second side portion 1222 of the piston portion. The drive unit is coupled to the rod portion and is adapted to drive the piston portion to reciprocate between the front end and the rear end by the rod portion. By making the width W1 at the first side portion of the annular groove wider than the width W2 at the second side portion of the annular groove, the first portion of the piston ring can be moved in the width direction of the annular groove as the piston portion reciprocates.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air compressor, and more particularly to a piston air compressor.

Background Art

[0002] An in-vehicle air compressor can be used together with a tire sealant bottle to repair or inflate the vehicle's tires, and can also inflate the vehicle's tires without using the tire sealant bottle. The air compressor may be a piston air compressor. When the piston part of the piston advances in the cylinder, the piston ring around the piston part contacts the inner wall of the cylinder. As the piston advances, the space in the cylinder gradually becomes smaller, compressing the air in the cylinder. The check valve at the front end of the cylinder is pushed open by the high-pressure air, and the high-pressure air is output through the check valve. When the piston part retreats in the cylinder, the space in the cylinder gradually becomes larger, reducing the internal air pressure. And the piston part is tilted by the swing of the rod part of the piston to create a gap between the piston ring and the inner wall of the cylinder, so that the air outside the cylinder is inhaled into the cylinder from the rear end of the cylinder and compressed when the piston part advances next time, and this process continuously circulates.

[0003] However, when the piston part retreats in the cylinder as described above, the degree to which the cylinder part is tilted by the swing of the rod part is limited. Therefore, it is difficult to further increase the gap between the piston ring and the inner wall of the cylinder, and it is difficult to improve the intake efficiency of the cylinder.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides an air compressor having good intake efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The air compressor of the present invention includes a cylinder, a piston, a piston ring, and a drive unit. The cylinder has a piston passage. The piston passage has a rear end and a front end facing each other. The piston includes a piston portion and a rod portion. The piston portion is located within the piston passage and has an annular groove. The rod portion is connected to the piston portion via the rear end. The piston ring is provided in the annular groove. The first portion of the piston ring is located on the first side portion of the piston portion, and the second portion of the piston ring is located on the second side portion of the piston portion. The drive unit is coupled to the rod portion and is adapted to drive the piston portion to reciprocate between the front end and the rear end by the rod portion. The width of the first side portion of the annular groove is wider than the width of the second side portion of the annular groove, so that the first portion of the piston ring can move along the width direction of the annular groove as the piston portion reciprocates.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the piston portion moves along the direction from the front end to the rear end, the gap between the first portion of the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage increases as the first portion moves along the width direction of the annular groove.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rod portion includes an eccentric shaft portion and is coupled to the drive unit via the eccentric shaft portion. In the axial view of the eccentric shaft portion, the first side portion and the second side portion are two side portions facing each other in the radial direction of the piston portion.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the piston portion moves along the direction from the front end to the rear end, the eccentric shaft portion and the first side portion are located on the same side of the central axis of the piston passage.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned annular groove has a first inner wall and a second inner wall. The first inner wall and the second inner wall face each other in the width direction of the annular groove. The first inner wall is located between the second inner wall and the front end. The gap between the first portion of the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage increases as the first portion moves from the second inner wall to the first inner wall.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the width of the annular groove described above gradually increases from the second side portion to the first side portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the piston portion described above has a top surface, the top surface faces the front end, the annular groove has a first inner wall and a second inner wall, the first inner wall and the second inner wall face each other in the width direction of the annular groove, the first inner wall is located between the second inner wall and the front end, and the first inner wall is inclined toward the top surface.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second portion of the piston ring described above is fixed to the annular groove.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first portion of the piston ring described above is adapted to move along the width direction of the annular groove by the frictional force between the inner wall of the piston passage and the first portion.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first portion of the piston ring described above is adapted to move along the width direction of the annular groove by the pressure difference between the rear end and the front end.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the piston passage described above has a slope at the rear end, so that the inner diameter of the rear end of the piston passage gradually increases outward of the piston passage.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the piston portion and the rod portion described above are pivotally connected to each other.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] Based on the above, in the air compressor of the present invention, the annular groove of the piston portion is designed to have two sides with different widths. Based on this, the piston ring has a moving space at a relatively wide portion of the annular groove, and when the piston portion retracts, the movement of the piston ring increases the gap between the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage, thereby improving the intake efficiency of the cylinder.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 4C

Figure 4D

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Figures 1A and 1B are diagrams showing different operating states of an air compressor according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the air compressors of Figures 1A and 1B, respectively. Referring to Figures 1A to 2B, the air compressor 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, an in-vehicle air compressor, and is used to provide high-pressure air required for filling and / or repairing the tires of a vehicle, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The air compressor 100 includes a cylinder 110, a piston 120, a piston ring 130, and a drive unit 140. The cylinder 110 has a piston passage 110a, and the piston passage 110a has an opposing rear end E1 and a front end E2. The piston 120 includes a piston portion 122 and a rod portion 124. The piston portion 122 is located within the piston passage 110a and has an annular groove 122a, and the annular groove 122a surrounds the central axis A1 of the piston portion 122. The rod portion 124 is connected to the piston portion 122 via the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a. The piston ring 130 is made of, for example, rubber or other elastic sealing material, and is provided in the annular groove 122a of the piston portion 122, surrounding the central axis A1 of the piston portion 122.

[0020] The drive unit 140 is, for example, a motor and is coupled to the rod portion 124 of the piston 120. Specifically, the air compressor 100 further includes a gear set 150. The gear set 150 is provided in the extended housing 1101 of the cylinder 110 and includes a first gear 152 and a second gear 154. The first gear 152 and the drive unit 140 are coaxially provided and engage with the second gear 154. The eccentric shaft portion 1241 (for example, a shaft hole) of the rod portion 124 is eccentric with respect to the center of the second gear 154 and is pivotally connected to the column 1541 of the second gear 154, thereby achieving the connection between the drive unit 140 and the rod portion 124. Based on this, the drive unit 140 drives the eccentric shaft portion 1241 of the rod portion 124 to move around the center of the second gear 154 by the gear set 150, thereby driving the piston portion 122 to reciprocate between the front end E2 and the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a by the rod portion 124.

[0021] In this embodiment, the second gear 154 rotates along the rotation direction R shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B by the drive of the drive unit 140. As a result, in the operating state shown in FIG. 2A, the piston portion 122 of the piston 120 advances along the direction D1 to the front end E2 of the piston passage 110a in the piston passage 110a of the cylinder 110, the piston ring 130 around the piston portion 122 contacts the inner wall of the piston passage 110a, and the space in the piston passage 110a gradually becomes smaller as the piston portion 122 advances, compressing the air in the piston passage 110a. When the air pressure in the piston passage 110a increases sufficiently as the piston portion 122 advances, the high-pressure air pushes open the check valve 1103 at the front end of the cylinder 110 along the direction D1 against the elastic force of the check spring 1102, and thus the high-pressure air is output through the check valve 1103.

[0022] Conversely, in the operating state shown in FIG. 2B, the piston portion 122 of the piston 120 retreats along the direction D2 to the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a in the piston passage 110a of the cylinder 110, the space in the piston passage 110a gradually becomes larger, its internal pressure drops until it is lower than the atmospheric pressure (i.e., lower than the atmospheric pressure of the external environment), and the piston portion 122 is tilted by the swing of the rod portion 124 of the piston 120 to create a gap between the piston ring 132 and the inner wall of the piston passage 110a, whereby the air F outside the cylinder 110 is sucked into the piston passage 110a from the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a, compressed when the piston portion 122 advances next time, and this continuously circulates.

[0023] Figure 3 is a partially enlarged view of the air compressor shown in Figure 2B. Referring to Figure 3, the piston portion 122 has a first side portion 1221 and a second side portion 1222. In the axial direction view of the eccentric shaft portion 1241 (shown in Figure 2B), the first side portion 1221 and the second side portion 1222 are two side portions facing each other in the radial direction of the piston portion 122 as shown in Figure 3. The first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 is located on the first side portion 1221 of the piston portion 122, and the second portion 134 of the piston ring 130 is located on the second side portion 1222 of the piston portion 122. Since the width W1 at the first side portion 1221 of the annular groove 122a is larger than the width W2 at the second side portion 1222 of the annular groove 122a, the first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 can move along the width direction of the annular groove 122a as the piston portion 122 reciprocates. The second portion 134 of the piston ring 130 is fixed to the annular groove 122a, for example.

[0024] As described above, in the air compressor 100 of the present embodiment, the annular groove 122a of the piston portion 122 is designed to have two sides with different widths. Based on this, the piston ring 130 has a moving space at a relatively wide portion of the annular groove 122a, and when the piston portion 122 retracts, the gap G between the piston ring 130 and the inner wall of the piston passage 110a is increased by the movement of the piston ring 130, so that the intake efficiency of the cylinder 110 can be improved.

[0025] The structure and operation of the air compressor 100 of the present embodiment will be further described clearly below.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, specifically, the annular groove 122a of the present embodiment has a first inner wall S1 and a second inner wall S2. The first inner wall S1 and the second inner wall S2 face each other in the width direction of the annular groove 122a, and the first inner wall S1 is located between the second inner wall S2 and the front end E2 (shown in FIG. 2B) of the piston passage 110a. The first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 can move between the first inner wall S1 and the second inner wall S2. Further, the piston portion 122 has a top surface 122b. The top surface 122b faces the front end E2 of the piston passage 110a, and the central axis A1 of the piston portion 112 is perpendicular to the top surface 122b. The second inner wall S2 of the annular groove 122a is horizontal to the top surface 122b, and the first inner wall S1 of the annular groove 122a is inclined toward the top surface 122b, so that the width of the annular groove 122a gradually increases from the second side portion 1222 to the first side portion 1221. Thus, the annular groove 122a has a relatively wide width W1 at the first side portion 1221 as described above.

[0027] When the piston portion moves along the direction D2 from the front end E2 to the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a, the eccentric shaft portion 1241 of the rod portion 124 and the first side portion 1221 of the piston portion 122 are located on the same side of the central axis A2 of the piston passage 110a, causing the piston portion 122 to be in the inclined state shown in FIGS. 2B and 3. Thereby, when the piston portion 122 moves along the direction D2, the gap G between the first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 and the inner wall of the piston passage 110a increases as the first portion 132 moves from the second inner wall S2 to the first inner wall S1 along the width direction of the annular groove 122a.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 can move from the second inner wall S2 to the first inner wall S1 as described above by being moved by an air flow and / or by being moved by the frictional force between the inner wall of the piston passage 110a and the first portion 132. Specifically, when the piston portion 122 moves along the direction D2, the pressure difference between the rear end E1 and the front end E2 of the piston passage 110a moves the air F along the direction from the rear end E1 to the front end E2, whereby the first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 is moved by this air flow and moves to the first inner wall S1 of the annular groove 122a along the width direction of the annular groove 122a. Further, in the process of the piston 120 operating from the state of FIG. 2A to the state of FIG. 2B, when the first portion 132 of the piston ring 130 still contacts the inner wall of the piston passage 110a and the piston portion 122 has already started to move in the direction D2, the frictional force between the inner wall of the piston passage 110a and the first portion 132 can move the first portion 132 to move to the first inner wall S1 of the annular groove 122a along the width direction of the annular groove 122a.

[0029] Figures 4A to 4D are cross-sectional views of different operating states of an air compressor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the air compressor 100A in Figures 4A to 4D and the air compressor 100 in the foregoing embodiment is that the piston passage 110a of the air compressor 100A has an inclined surface T at the rear end E1, so that the inner diameter of the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a gradually increases outward of the piston passage 110a. Based on this, when the piston 122 operates along the direction D2 to the state shown in Figure 4C, there is a gap between the inclined surface T of the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a and the piston ring 130, thereby further improving the intake efficiency of the cylinder 110. Also, when high-pressure air at the pneumatic equipment end enters the cylinder 110 through the check valve 1103 due to the risk of poor sealing of the check valve 1103 at the front end of the cylinder 110 and forms a high pressure, the gap between the inclined surface T of the rear end E1 of the piston passage 110a and the piston ring 130 further discharges the high-pressure air outside the cylinder 110 as shown in Figure 4D. In this way, when the piston 120 advances along the direction D1 next time, it is possible to avoid damage to the piston 120, the drive unit 140, the gear set 150, etc. due to the impact of the high-pressure air in the cylinder 110. The other arrangements and operations of the air compressor 100A in Figures 4A to 4D are the same as or similar to those of the air compressor 100 in the foregoing embodiment, and will not be repeatedly described here.

[0030] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an air compressor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the air compressor 100B in Figure 5 and the air compressor 100A in the foregoing embodiment is that the piston portion 122' and the rod portion 124' of the piston 120' of the air compressor 100B are pivotally connected to each other along the rotation axis A3 and can rotate relative to each other during the operation process. The other arrangements and operations of the air compressor 100B in Figure 5 are the same as or similar to those of the air compressor 100A in the foregoing embodiment, and will not be repeatedly described here.

[0031] To summarize the above, in the air compressor of the present invention, the annular groove of the piston section is designed to have two sides of different widths. This allows the piston ring to move through a relatively wide portion of the annular groove. When the piston section retracts, the piston ring moves, increasing the gap between the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage, thereby improving the cylinder's intake efficiency. Furthermore, the piston passage has a slope at its rear end, which gradually increases the inner diameter of the rear end of the piston passage toward the outside of the piston passage. This creates a gap between the slope at the rear end of the piston passage and the piston ring when the piston section moves to the rear end of the piston passage, further improving the cylinder's intake efficiency. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] The present invention provides an air compressor applicable to vehicle tire inflation and / or repair equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100, 100A, 100B: Air compressor 110: Cylinder 1101: Extended Housing 1102: Check spring 1103: Check valve 110a: Piston passage 120, 120': Piston 122, 122': Piston section 1221: First side 1222: Second side 122a: Annular groove 122b:Top surface 124, 124': Rod section 1241: Eccentric shaft part 130: Piston ring 132: Part 1 134:Second part 140: Drive unit 150: Gear set 152: 1st gear 154: 2nd gear 1541: Column A1, A2: Central axis A3: Axis of rotation D1, D2: Directions E1: Rear end E2: Front end F: Air G: Gap R: Direction of rotation S1: First inner wall S2: Second inner wall T: Inclined plane W1, W2: Width

Claims

1. A cylinder having a piston passage, the piston passage having an opposing rear end and a front end, the cylinder, A piston including a piston portion and a rod portion, the piston portion being located within the piston passage and having an annular groove, the rod portion being connected to the piston portion via the rear end, the piston, A piston ring provided in the annular groove, a first portion of the piston ring being located on a first side portion of the piston portion, a second portion of the piston ring being located on a second side portion of the piston portion, the piston ring, A drive unit coupled to the rod portion and adapted to be driven by the rod portion to reciprocate the piston portion between the front end and the rear end, comprising, The width of the first side portion of the annular groove is wider than the width of the second side portion of the annular groove, so that the first portion of the piston ring can move in the width direction of the annular groove as the piston portion reciprocates, When the piston portion moves along the direction from the front end to the rear end, the gap between the first portion of the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage increases as the first portion moves along the width direction of the annular groove, An air compressor.

2. The rod portion includes an eccentric shaft portion and is coupled to the drive unit via the eccentric shaft portion. In an axial view of the eccentric shaft portion, the first side portion and the second side portion are two side portions that face each other in the radial direction of the piston portion. The air compressor according to claim 1.

3. When the piston portion moves along the direction from the front end to the rear end, the eccentric shaft portion and the first side portion are located on the same side of the central axis of the piston passage. The air compressor according to claim 2.

4. The annular groove has a first inner wall and a second inner wall. The first inner wall and the second inner wall face each other in the width direction of the annular groove. The first inner wall is located between the second inner wall and the front end. The gap between the first portion of the piston ring and the inner wall of the piston passage increases as the first portion moves from the second inner wall to the first inner wall. The air compressor according to claim 1.

5. The width of the annular groove gradually increases from the second side portion to the first side portion. The air compressor according to claim 1.

6. The piston part has a top surface, the top surface faces the front end, the annular groove has a first inner wall and a second inner wall, the first inner wall and the second inner wall face each other in the width direction of the annular groove, the first inner wall is located between the second inner wall and the front end, and the first inner wall is inclined toward the top surface. The air compressor according to claim 1.

7. The second portion of the piston ring is fixed to the annular groove. The air compressor according to claim 1.

8. The first portion of the piston ring is adapted to move along the width direction of the annular groove by the frictional force between the inner wall of the piston passage and the first portion. The air compressor according to claim 1.

9. The first portion of the piston ring is adapted to move along the width direction of the annular groove by the pressure difference between the rear end and the front end. The air compressor according to claim 1.

10. The piston passage has a slope at the rear end, so that the inner diameter of the rear end of the piston passage gradually increases outward of the piston passage. The air compressor according to claim 1.

11. The piston part and the rod part are pivotally connected to each other. The air compressor according to claim 1.

Images