Compressor Terminal Cover Sealing With an Annular Gap Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
In compressors with sealed structures, foreign substances like gas and liquid can intrude into the cover due to gaps formed between the rim of the cover and the base of the housing, despite the use of a planar gasket.
Innovation Solution
A sealed structure is designed with a terminal cover that has an inner peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of a sealed terminal, with a gap between them. This gap is sealed using an annular sealing member that is compressively deformed to contact both surfaces, preventing foreign substance intrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a planar gasket is disposed between the rim of the cover and the base of the housing, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but gaps may form between the rim and the gasket allowing foreign substance intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible sealing member (such as an O-ring or elastomeric seal) positioned within a groove on the base, which deformably seals the gap between the cover rim and base. This flexible membrane approach provides reliable sealing while accommodating manufacturing tolerances and thermal expansion, resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing and sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member acts as an intermediary element between the cover and base, filling the gap that forms due to the single bolt fixation method. This mediator component ensures foreign substance prevention while maintaining the simple single-bolt assembly structure, thus preserving ease of manufacture while improving sealing reliability.
2Device complexity
If the cover is fixed to the sealed container by one stud bolt located outside the rim of the opening, then the fixation structure is simple, but gaps may form between the rim and the base allowing foreign substance intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member serves as an intermediary that blocks the harmful effect of gaps created by the simple single-bolt fixation. It mediates between the simplified fixation structure and the requirement to prevent foreign substance intrusion, maintaining low device complexity while eliminating the harmful gap formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member is pre-installed in a groove on the base before cover assembly, creating preliminary protection against foreign substance intrusion. This preliminary anti-action prevents the harmful effect of gap formation that would otherwise occur with the simple single-bolt fixation method.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implementation of the annular sealing member effectively suppresses the intrusion of foreign substances into the cover, maintaining the sealed integrity of the compressor's structure.
Implementation Method 1
an annular sealing member that is provided in the gap, and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the sealed terminal and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal cover to be compressively deformed to seal the gap
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A sealed structure includes a sealed container, a sealed terminal provided to the sealed container, a terminal cover that is fixed to the sealed container to cover the sealed terminal and includes an inner peripheral surface facing an outer peripheral surface of the sealed terminal with a gap between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, and an annular sealing member that is provided in the gap, and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the sealed terminal and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal cover to be compressively deformed to seal the gap.