Electric compressor

Abstract

[Problem] When attaching a circuit board of an inverter, to make it hard for a tip end of a connection terminal to bend even if hitting the circuit board. [Solution] This electric compressor 100 comprises: an electric motor 110; a rotary shaft 120; a compression mechanism 130; an inverter 140; a housing 150 in which are formed a first accommodation chamber 150A for accommodating the electric motor 110, the rotary shaft 120, and the compression mechanism 130 and a second accommodation chamber 150B for accommodating the inverter 140; a hermetic terminal 170 which is provided in a barrier wall part 152 for partitioning the first accommodation chamber 150A and the second accommodation chamber 150B; and a connection terminal 180 which connects the hermetic terminal 170 and the inverter 140. In addition, a terminal receiving member 190, on which are formed a plurality of insertion holes into which terminal parts of the hermetic terminal 170 can be inserted and a terminal receiving surface which receives the connection terminal 180, is disposed between the hermetic terminal 170 and the connection terminal 180.

Description

Electric compressor

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric compressor that compresses a refrigerant.

[0002] As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2015-115969 (Patent Document 1), an electric compressor that compresses a refrigerant includes an electric motor such as a three-phase brushless motor, a compression mechanism driven by the electric motor, and an inverter that drives and controls the electric motor. The inverter converts direct current (DC) supplied from a DC power source into alternating current and sequentially supplies the alternating current to each phase coil of the electric motor, thereby rotating the electric motor at a desired rotational speed. In such an electric compressor, each phase coil of the electric motor is electrically connected to a circuit board of the inverter via a hermetic terminal and a connecting terminal connected to the hermetic terminal. Here, the tip of the connecting terminal is pin-shaped and is soldered through a through-hole in the circuit board.

[0003] JP 2015-115969 A

[0004] In the process of assembling an electric compressor, a connection terminal is attached to a hermetic terminal, a circuit board is placed above the terminal, and the tip of the connection terminal protruding from the through-hole in the circuit board is soldered. If the through-hole in the circuit board is not properly positioned relative to the tip of the connection terminal, the tip of the connection terminal may bend when it hits the circuit board. If the connection terminal is bent, the tip of the connection terminal cannot protrude from the through-hole in the circuit board, making it impossible to solder the connection terminal.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electric compressor in which the tips of connection terminals are less likely to bend even when they come into contact with the circuit board when the circuit board of an inverter that drives the electric motor is attached.

[0006] The electric compressor includes an electric motor, a rotating shaft rotated by the electric motor, a compression mechanism driven by the rotating shaft, an inverter that drives the electric motor, and a housing that defines a first chamber that accommodates the electric motor, the rotating shaft, and the compression mechanism, and a second chamber that accommodates the inverter. The electric compressor also includes a hermetic terminal that is provided in a partition wall that separates the first chamber from the second chamber of the housing and has a plurality of terminal portions electrically connected to the electric motor, and a connection terminal that electrically connects the terminal portions of the hermetic terminal to the inverter. Between the hermetic terminal and the connection terminal, a terminal receiving member is disposed that has a plurality of insertion holes through which the terminal portions of the hermetic terminal can be inserted, and a terminal receiving surface that receives the connection terminal.

[0007] According to the present invention, when mounting a circuit board of an inverter that drives an electric motor in an electric compressor, the tip of a connection terminal attached to a hermetic terminal can be made less likely to bend even if it hits the circuit board.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of an electric compressor. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a mounting structure for an inverter circuit section relative to a housing. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a connection terminal. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal receiving member as seen from above. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal receiving member as seen from below. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of an opening formed in an inverter circuit board. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a hermetic terminal. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a terminal receiving member. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a method for fixing a terminal receiving member. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a connection terminal. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling an inverter circuit board. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a receiving structure for a connection terminal by a terminal receiving member.

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail. Note that terms such as "first" and "second" used in the following description are used merely to distinguish between similar elements and do not limit the elements to which they are attached. Furthermore, the embodiment described below is merely an example and should not be construed as being limited to the configuration.

[0010] 1 shows an example of an inverter-integrated electric compressor 100 to which the present invention can be applied. The electric compressor 100 is incorporated, for example, in a refrigerant circuit (not shown) of an air conditioning system mounted on a vehicle, and is configured to compress and discharge refrigerant.

[0011] The electric compressor 100 includes an electric motor 110, a rotating shaft 120 driven by the electric motor 110, a compression mechanism 130 driven by the rotating shaft 120, an inverter 140 that drives the electric motor 110, and a housing 150 that accommodates the electric motor 110, the rotating shaft 120, the compression mechanism 130, and the inverter 140. The internal space of the housing 150 is partitioned by a partition wall 152 into a first accommodation chamber 150A that accommodates the electric motor 110, the rotating shaft 120, and the compression mechanism 130, and a second accommodation chamber 150B that accommodates the inverter 140.

[0012] The electric motor 110 is, for example, a three-phase brushless motor. A magnetic field is generated by sequentially supplying alternating current to U-phase coils, V-phase coils, and W-phase coils wound around the teeth of a stator, causing a rotor including a permanent magnet disposed inside the coils to rotate. The rotating shaft 120 is rotatably supported in a housing 150 by bearings (not shown), and its middle portion is press-fitted into the center of the rotor. Therefore, when the electric motor 110 rotates, the rotating shaft 120 rotates integrally with the rotor. The compression mechanism 130 is, for example, a well-known compression mechanism such as a scroll compression mechanism or a rotary compression mechanism, and is driven by the rotating shaft 120. Because scroll compression mechanisms, rotary compression mechanisms, and the like are well-known to those skilled in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0013] The inverter 140 has an inverter circuit section 142 that converts DC current supplied from a DC power source into AC current and supplies the AC current to the electric motor 110, and a filter circuit section 144 that reduces electromagnetic noise. Note that DC current is supplied to the inverter circuit section 142 from, for example, an on-board battery, which is an example of a DC power source, via an HV connector 160 attached to a predetermined location on the housing 150.

[0014] The inverter circuit section 142 includes six power switching elements 142A, a control circuit 142B that controls the six power switching elements 142A, and an inverter circuit board 142C on which the control circuit 142B is mounted. The six power switching elements 142A are placed on the upper surface of a sheet-like first heat dissipation member 142D that is disposed on the wall surface of the partition wall 152 of the housing 150 that faces the second accommodation chamber 150B. Each of the six power switching elements 142A is fixed in a state in which it is pressed against the first heat dissipation member 142D by an arm member 142E. Terminals of the six power switching elements 142A are electrically connected to the inverter circuit board 142C by passing through through holes 142C1 formed in the inverter circuit board 142C and solder-joining them to a wiring pattern.

[0015] The inverter circuit board 142C of the inverter circuit section 142 is electrically connected to each phase coil wound around the stator of the electric motor 110 via hermetic terminals 170 and connection terminals 180 provided at predetermined locations on the partition wall 152 of the housing 150. Details of the hermetic terminals 170 and connection terminals 180 and the connection structure between them and the inverter circuit board 142C will be described later.

[0016] The filter circuit section 144 includes a first filter circuit board 144A and a second filter circuit board 144B.

[0017] At least one electrolytic capacitor 144A1 is mounted upright on one surface (the surface facing upward in FIG. 1 ) of the first filter circuit board 144A as an example of a first filter component for combating electromagnetic noise. The first filter circuit board 144A also has a plurality of electronic components (not shown) mounted thereon that are smaller than the electrolytic capacitor 144A1. At least some of the small electronic components are mounted on the other surface (the surface facing downward in FIG. 1 ) of the first filter circuit board 144A, in locations that avoid the location of the electrolytic capacitor 144A1.

[0018] On one surface (the surface facing downward in FIG. 1 ) of the second filter circuit board 144B, a normal mode choke coil 144B1, a common mode choke coil 144B2, an X capacitor, and a Y capacitor (not shown) are mounted as examples of second filter components for combating electromagnetic noise. The second filter circuit board 144B also has mounted thereon a plurality of electronic components (not shown) that are smaller than the normal mode choke coil 144B1, the common mode choke coil 144B2, the X capacitor, and the Y capacitor. At least some of the small electronic components are mounted on the other surface (the surface facing upward in FIG. 1 ) of the second filter circuit board 144B, in locations that avoid the positions of the normal mode choke coil 144B1, the common mode choke coil 144B2, the X capacitor, and the Y capacitor.

[0019] The first filter circuit board 144A and the second filter circuit board 144B are electrically connected and integrated via a plate-shaped resin member 144C. A first case member 144D made of hard resin or the like is attached to one surface of the first filter circuit board 144A to house multiple electrolytic capacitors 144A1. A second case member 144E made of hard resin or the like is attached to one surface of the second filter circuit board 144B to house a normal mode choke coil 144B1, a common mode choke coil 144B2, an X capacitor, and a Y capacitor. The interiors of the first case member 144D and the second case member 144E are filled with a heat-resistant resin R to improve protection and heat dissipation for the multiple electrolytic capacitors 144A1, the normal mode choke coil 144B1, the common mode choke coil 144B2, and the like arranged therein. In this way, the filter circuit unit 144 is modularized.

[0020] As described above, the interior space of the housing 150 is partitioned by the partition wall 152 into a substantially cylindrical first storage chamber 150A that houses the electric motor 110, the rotating shaft 120, and the compression mechanism 130, and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped second storage chamber 150B that houses the inverter 140. Note that the terms "cylindrical shape" and "rectangular parallelepiped shape" do not necessarily refer to strict cylindrical shapes and rectangular parallelepiped shapes, but also include shapes that are recognizable as cylindrical and rectangular parallelepiped shapes at a glance (the same applies to shapes hereinafter). The second storage chamber 150B is partitioned by the partition wall 152, a peripheral wall 154 that rises from the periphery of the partition wall 152 toward the inverter 140, and a lid 156 that is detachably joined to the opening of the peripheral wall 154.

[0021] The first housing chamber 150A accommodates, in this order from a distal portion to a proximal portion relative to the second housing chamber 150B, the compression mechanism 130 and the electric motor 110 integrated with the rotating shaft 120. When viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 120, the second housing chamber 150B accommodates an inverter circuit unit 142 at a portion overlapping with the first housing chamber 150A, and accommodates a modularized filter circuit unit 144 at a portion spaced apart from this portion.

[0022] 1, the inverter circuit unit 142 and the filter circuit unit 144 are electrically connected. At this time, a sheet-like second heat dissipation member 144F and a sheet-like third heat dissipation member 144G are respectively disposed between the filter circuit unit 144 and the inner surface of the housing 150 that defines the second accommodation chamber 150B. This increases the amount of heat transferred from the filter circuit unit 144 to the housing 150, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the filter circuit unit 144.

[0023] Here, the hermetic terminal 170, the connection terminal 180, and the connection structure between these and the inverter circuit board 142C will be described in detail.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a hermetic terminal 170 is provided at a predetermined location on the partition wall 152 of the housing 150 facing the second housing chamber 150B. The hermetic terminal 170 includes a first plate portion 170A that ensures an airtight state between the first housing chamber 150A and the second housing chamber 150B, three pin-shaped terminal portions 170B that vertically penetrate the plate surface of the first plate portion 170A, and a second plate portion 170C that receives the first plate portion 170A. The first plate portion 170A is made of insulating silicone rubber and is formed, for example, in an oval shape in a plan view. The three terminal portions 170B are made of a conductive metal material and are arranged in a straight line at a distance from each other relative to the first plate portion 170A. The second plate portion 170C is made of a cold-rolled steel plate that ensures an insulating distance from the three terminal portions 170B. For example, the second plate portion 170C is formed in an oval shape larger than the first plate portion 170A in a plan view. A pedestal (not shown) for receiving the second plate portion 170C of the hermetic terminal 170 is formed on the wall surface of the partition wall portion 152 facing the second housing chamber 150B. Furthermore, a peripheral edge portion 170D is formed on the periphery of the second plate portion 170C, rising perpendicularly from the plate surface of the second plate portion 170C. The first plate portion 170A and the second plate portion 170C are examples of plate portions. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 extends beyond the inverter circuit board 142C of the inverter circuit unit 142 housed in the second housing chamber 150B, but this is not limited to this.

[0025] The connection terminal 180 is a terminal that electrically connects the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 and the inverter circuit board 142C of the inverter circuit unit 142, and is made of, for example, an elastically deformable thin metal plate. As shown in Fig. 4, the connection terminal 180 has a press-fit portion 180A that is press-fitted into the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170, and a protrusion 180B that penetrates a through-hole 142C2 (see Fig. 2) formed in the inverter circuit board 142C and is solder-joined.

[0026] The press-fit portion 180A is a rectangular tubular member with a rectangular cross section, with two open faces in the direction in which the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 extends. A pair of guide portions 180A1 that guide the tip of the terminal portion 170B are integrally formed between the two faces that sandwich the terminal portion 170B. The tip of the guide portion 180A1 (the end located at the bottom in FIG. 4 ) is shaped to match the tip of the terminal portion 170B, thereby preventing the tip of the terminal portion 170B from easily coming off and guiding it into the press-fit portion 180A. Therefore, when the guide portions 180A1 are aligned with the tip of the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 and the press-fit portion 180A is pressed toward the hermetic terminal 170, the press-fit portion 180A is simultaneously aligned with the terminal portion 170B. In addition, both ends of the end of the press-fit portion 180A located on the hermetic terminal 170 side are connected by a rectangular metal plate parallel to the plate surface of the terminal receiving member 190, in order to improve adhesion to the terminal receiving member 190, details of which will be described later.

[0027] The protrusion 180B is formed from a flat plate member having an L-shape in side view. The protrusion extends a predetermined distance outward from the end of the press-fit portion 180A located on the hermetic terminal 170 side, then bends and extends perpendicularly toward the inverter circuit board 142C. By constructing the protrusion 180B from a flat plate member, costs can be reduced compared to pin-shaped protrusions. The tip of the protrusion 180B is tapered, gradually narrowing toward the tip. The portion of the protrusion 180B extending outward from the end of the press-fit portion 180A is flush with the end of the press-fit portion 180A located on the hermetic terminal 170 side. To ensure the strength of the portion of the protrusion 180B extending outward from the end of the press-fit portion 180A, a rectangular reinforcing portion 180C may be integrally joined perpendicularly to this portion, as shown in FIG. 4 .

[0028] A terminal receiving member 190 made of, for example, hard resin is disposed between the hermetic terminal 170 and the connection terminal 180. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the terminal receiving member 190 has a main body 192 that is rectangular in plan view and a pair of semicircular mounting portions 194 that are integrally joined to both longitudinal ends of the main body 192.

[0029] The main body 192 has three insertion holes 192A through which the three terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 can be inserted. One surface of the main body 192 located on the connection terminal 180 side functions as a terminal receiving surface that receives the connection terminal 180. Therefore, the one surface of the main body 192 is formed in a flat shape.

[0030] Furthermore, one surface of the main body 192 is integrally formed with an annular outer edge rib 192B extending from its outer edge toward the connection terminal 180, and an insulating rib 192C ensuring the insulation distance between each terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 inserted through the insertion hole 192A. Here, when the connection terminal 180 press-fitted into the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 attempts to rotate due to external force, a portion of the connection terminal 180 comes into contact with the outer edge rib 192B to suppress rotation. The insulating rib 192C connects the outer edge ribs 192B located on both longitudinal sides of the main body 192 at two points so as to separate the three insertion holes 192A formed in the main body 192. The height of at least a portion of the insulating rib 192C relative to the main body 192 is higher than the height of the outer edge rib 192B to reliably ensure the insulation distance between each terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170. In other words, the height of the outer edge rib 192B is lower than the height of the insulating rib 192C. Therefore, by providing the insulating rib 192C integrally with the terminal receiving member 190, it becomes possible to withstand high voltages, thereby improving safety.

[0031] The mounting portion 194 is formed with a bolt insertion hole 194A through which, for example, the shank of a bolt 200, which is an example of a fastening member, can be inserted in order to fix the terminal receiving member 190 to the partition wall portion 152 of the housing 150 with the hermetic terminal 170 interposed therebetween. For this reason, a bolt fastening hole 152B into which the bolt 200 for fixing the terminal receiving member 190 to the partition wall portion 152 is fastened is formed near a base portion 152A formed on the wall surface of the partition wall portion 152 facing the second accommodating chamber 150B, as shown in FIG.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6 , the other surface of the main body 192 facing the hermetic terminal 170 is formed with a recess 192D capable of receiving the first plate portion 170A of the hermetic terminal 170. The depth of the recess 192D of the main body 192 can be, for example, the same as or slightly greater than the thickness of the first plate portion 170A of the hermetic terminal 170. This allows the terminal receiving member 190 to be fastened to the partition wall 152 of the housing 150 with the bolt 200 while avoiding interference with the silicone rubber first plate portion 170A, thereby reducing assembly costs. Furthermore, protrusions 194B capable of fitting into the inner wall of the peripheral edge 170D of the hermetic terminal 170 are formed on both sides of the base end of the mounting portion 194.

[0033] Such a terminal receiving member 190 receives the press-fit portion 180A and the end of the protrusion 180B of the connection terminal 180 on one surface thereof, and can make the tip of the protrusion 180B less likely to bend even if an external force acts on it.

[0034] When the hermetic terminals 170, the connection terminals 180, and the terminal receiving members 190 are assembled to the housing 150, the tip ends of the terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminals 170 and the press-fit portions 180A of the connection terminals 180 interfere with the inverter circuit board 142C of the inverter circuit unit 142. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 7, openings 142C3 are formed in predetermined locations on the inverter circuit board 142C to avoid interference between the terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminals 170 and the press-fit portions 180A of the connection terminals 180. It goes without saying that if there is no interference between the hermetic terminals 170 and the connection terminals 180 and the inverter circuit board 142C, there is no need to form the openings 142C3 in the inverter circuit board 142C.

[0035] Here, the procedure for assembling the hermetic terminal 170, the connection terminal 180, and the terminal receiving member 190 to the housing 150, and the procedure for connecting the inverter circuit board 142C of the inverter circuit section 142 to the connection terminal 180 will be described.

[0036] First, as shown in Fig. 8 , the worker inserts the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 into a mounting hole (not shown) formed in a predetermined position in the partition wall 152 of the housing 150, and places the second plate portion 170C of the hermetic terminal 170 on the upper surface of the base portion formed in the partition wall 152. Next, as shown in Fig. 9 , the worker places the terminal receiving member 190 on the upper surface of the second plate portion 170C of the hermetic terminal 170 while inserting the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 into the insertion hole 192A of the terminal receiving member 190. At this time, the first plate portion 170A of the hermetic terminal 170 is received in the recess 192D formed in the other surface of the terminal receiving member 190, thereby avoiding interference with the first plate portion 170A made of silicone rubber. Furthermore, the tip of the attachment portion 194 of the terminal receiving member 190 and the two protrusions 194B fit into the inner wall of the peripheral portion 170D of the hermetic terminal 170, so that the terminal receiving member 190 is positioned relative to the hermetic terminal 170.

[0037] 10 , the worker inserts the shank of bolt 200 into bolt insertion hole 194A of terminal receiving member 190 and screws bolt 200 into bolt fastening hole 152B formed in partition wall 152 of housing 150 to fasten. At this time, terminal receiving member 190 is positioned relative to housing 150, and since terminal receiving member 190 has already been positioned relative to hermetic terminal 170, hermetic terminal 170 is also positioned relative to housing 150 at the same time.

[0038] 11 , the worker presses the press-fit portion 180A of the connection terminal 180 from above into each terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 protruding from the top surface of the terminal receiving member 190. At this time, because the press-fit portion 180A of the connection terminal 180 is formed with the guide portion 180A1, the worker simply aligns the tip of the guide portion 180A1 with the tip of the terminal portion 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 and presses the connection terminal 180 toward the terminal receiving member 190. This makes it easier to press the connection terminal 180 into the hermetic terminal 170.

[0039] When the connection terminals 180 are press-fitted into the terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminal 170, application of a certain amount of external force to the connection terminals 180 can cause the connection terminals 180 to rotate around the central axis of the terminal portions 170B. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 11, if the protrusions 180B of the connection terminals 180 are arranged to spread out in a fan shape relative to the terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminal 170, the insulation distance of each protrusion 180B can be increased. The connection terminals 180 press-fitted into the terminal portions 170B of the hermetic terminal 170 may have the same shape, or the lengths of the protrusions 180B relative to the press-fit portions 180A may be different.

[0040] 12, the worker aligns the through-hole 142C2 of the inverter circuit board 142C with the tip of the protrusion 180B of the connection terminal 180 press-fitted into the hermetic terminal 170, and pushes the inverter circuit board 142C toward the partition wall 152 of the housing 150. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, because the lower surface of the connection terminal 180 is entirely supported by the upper surface of the terminal receiving member 190, bending of the protrusion 180B of the connection terminal 180 can be prevented even if the inverter circuit board 142C is not properly aligned with the protrusion 180B of the connection terminal 180.

[0041] Furthermore, because the tip of protrusion 180B of connection terminal 180 is formed in a tapered shape, even if the tip of protrusion 180B of connection terminal 180 is slightly misaligned with respect to through-hole 142C2 of inverter circuit board 142C, the connection terminal 180 will not rotate around terminal portion 170B of hermetic terminal 170, causing a malfunction. Thereafter, the worker solders the tip of protrusion 180B of connection terminal 180 protruding from through-hole 142C2 of inverter circuit board 142C, thereby establishing an electrical connection between electric motor 110 and inverter circuit board 142C.

[0042] In this way, by assembling the hermetic terminal 170, the connection terminal 180, and the terminal receiving member 190 to the housing 150, for example, it is no longer necessary to sub-assemble them in advance in a separate process, which can reduce costs.

[0043] Next, the operation of the electric compressor 100 will be described. When DC current is converted to AC current in the inverter 140 and the AC current is sequentially supplied to each phase coil of the electric motor 110, the electric motor 110 is actuated and the rotating shaft 120 rotates. The rotation of the rotating shaft 120 actuates the compression mechanism 130, causing the pressure in the first housing chamber 150A in which the compression mechanism 130 is disposed to become negative, and low-pressure refrigerant is drawn into the first housing chamber 150A through a refrigerant suction hole (not shown) formed in a predetermined location in the housing 150. The low-pressure refrigerant drawn into the first housing chamber 150A passes around the electric motor 110, cooling the electric motor 110, and is then introduced into the compression mechanism 130. The low-pressure refrigerant introduced into the compression mechanism 130 is compressed by a change in the volume of the compression chamber and is then discharged from a refrigerant discharge hole (not shown) formed in a predetermined location in the housing 150 to, for example, the high-pressure side of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioning system installed in a vehicle.

[0044] The compression of refrigerant by the electric compressor 100 is well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore further detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that new embodiments can be created by omitting parts of the technical ideas of the various above-described embodiments, combining parts of the ideas appropriately, or replacing parts of the ideas with well-known technology.

[0046] For example, the tip of the protrusion 180B of the connection terminal 180 is not limited to a flat plate shape, but may be a pin shape similar to that of the prior art. Also, the inverter circuit unit 142 accommodated in the second accommodation chamber 150B of the housing 150 is not limited to a single inverter circuit board 142C, but may be a multi-layer inverter circuit board 142C.

[0047] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Electric compressor 110... Electric motor 120... Rotating shaft 130... Compression mechanism 140... Inverter 142C... Inverter circuit board 142C2... Through hole 142C3... Opening 150... Housing 150A... First accommodating chamber 150B... Second accommodating chamber 152... Partition wall portion 170... Hermetic terminal 170A... First plate portion (plate portion) 170B... Terminal portion 170C... Second plate portion (plate portion) 180... Connection terminal 180A... Press-fit portion 180B... Projection portion 190... Terminal receiving member 192A... Insertion hole 192B... Outer edge rib 192C... Insulating rib 192D... Recess

Claims

1. An electric compressor comprising: an electric motor; a rotating shaft rotated by the electric motor; a compression mechanism driven by the rotating shaft; an inverter driving the electric motor; a housing in which a first storage chamber accommodating the electric motor, the rotating shaft, and the compression mechanism and a second storage chamber accommodating the inverter are formed; a hermetic terminal provided in a partition wall separating the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber of the housing, the hermetic terminal having a plurality of terminal portions electrically connected to the electric motor; a connection terminal electrically connecting the terminal portions of the hermetic terminal to the inverter; and a terminal receiving member disposed between the hermetic terminal and the connection terminal, the terminal receiving member having a plurality of insertion holes through which the terminal portions of the hermetic terminal can be inserted and a terminal receiving surface for receiving the connection terminal.

2. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the terminal receiving member has a recess capable of accommodating a part of the plate portion of the hermetic terminal.

3. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal has a press-fit portion which is press-fitted into the terminal portion of the hermetic terminal and a protrusion which penetrates a through-hole in the circuit board of the inverter and is solder-joined, and the terminal receiving member receives the press-fit portion and the protrusion.

4. The electric compressor according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion is formed in a flat plate shape.

5. The electric compressor according to claim 4, wherein the tip of said protrusion is formed in a tapered shape with a width that gradually narrows toward said tip.

6. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the terminal receiving member has an insulating rib that ensures an insulating distance between each terminal portion of the hermetic terminal.

7. The electric compressor according to claim 6, wherein the terminal receiving member has an annular outer edge rib that extends from the outer edge of the plate portion toward the connection terminal and is lower in height than the insulating rib.

8. The electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board of the inverter has openings for avoiding interference with each terminal portion of the hermetic terminal and the press-fit portion of the connection terminal.

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