Electric Compressor Housing Insulation Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric compressors with integrated inverter sections and hermetic containers require additional seal members for insulation, increasing costs and part counts, and operation steps.
Innovation Solution
An electric compressor design where the motor drive circuit is external to the hermetic container, using a through hole with a hermetic terminal and conductive terminal connected via an insulating member, and a housing with a convexo-concave shape and cylindrical structure that reduces the need for complete sealing, allowing the wire to be fixed without a seal member, thus minimizing parts and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a seal member is added to completely insulate between inside and outside of the cluster, then insulation resistance is improved, but costs increase and the number of parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the insulation function with the housing structure itself. The housing body is designed with integrated insulation structures (insulation ribs, insulation layers) that directly provide electrical insulation between conductive parts, eliminating the need for separate seal members. This combines the housing's structural role with its insulation role, reducing part count while maintaining insulation resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces insulation ribs and insulation layers as intermediary elements between conductive terminals and the housing. These intermediary structures create electrical isolation without requiring complete hermetic sealing, thus providing insulation resistance while avoiding the complexity of seal members.
2Reliability
If a seal member is added to completely insulate between inside and outside of the cluster, then insulation resistance is improved, but operation steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation function is merged into the housing structure, creating an integrated design where the housing body itself provides insulation through built-in ribs and layers. This eliminates separate installation steps for seal members, simplifying the assembly process while ensuring insulation resistance.
3Reliability
If the housing is completely sealed, then insulation resistance is improved, but a pressure equalizing structure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial insulation rather than complete hermetic sealing. The housing provides localized insulation at critical areas where electrical isolation is needed (between terminals and housing), but maintains partial communication between inside and outside spaces. This partial insulation approach achieves sufficient insulation resistance without creating pressure differential issues that would require equalizing structures.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric compressor includes a hermetic container 103, an electric motor drive circuit section 201, a through hole 120, a hermetic terminal 207, a conductive terminal 301, a connecting terminal 302, and a housing 300. The terminal connecting portion connects the conductive terminal 301 and the cluster terminal 302 to each other. The housing is composed of a plurality of structure bodies. A convexo-concave shape is provided between bonding surfaces of the plurality of structure bodies. The housing 300 is provided with a cylindrical structure 311 into which the conductive terminal 301 is inserted. A convex structure 316 which comes into contact with the wire 306 is formed on an inner surface of the wire-insertion hole 307.