Scroll compressor comprising a valve provided on a fixed scroll that opens at a certain pressure

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scroll compressor. The scroll compressor includes: a fixed scroll having an end plate and a fixed scroll wrap extending from the end plate; an orbiting scroll having an orbiting scroll wrap, the orbiting scroll wrap being engaged with the fixed scroll wrap to form a plurality of compression chambers for compressing a medium; a channel formed in the end plate of the fixed scroll, the channel leading to one compression chamber of the plurality of compression chambers; and a valve provided on the end plate of the fixed scroll, and configured to open when a pressure in the one compression chamber is higher than a predetermined pressure threshold so as to allow the medium in the one compression chamber to flow out of the one compression chamber through the channel. The scroll compressor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, can improve the performance of the scroll compressor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Chinese Patent Application No. 201911354394.X filed on Dec. 27, 2019, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a scroll compressor.

Background

A scroll compressor includes a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll. The fixed scroll has an end plate and a fixed scroll wrap extending from the end plate. The orbiting scroll has an orbiting scroll wrap, and the orbiting scroll wrap and the fixed scroll wrap are engaged with each other to form a compression chamber for compressing a medium. When the compressor is working, if the refrigerant liquid or wet vapor is sucked into the compressor by the compressor, because the liquid is incompressible, the liquid sucked into the compressor will have a great impulsive force on the scroll wraps. The scrolls may be broken, which may damage the compressor and cause the compressor to no longer work.

SUMMARY

An object of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a scroll compressor, thereby, for example, improving the performance of the scroll compressor, and especially the resistance to liquid impact.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scroll compressor. The scroll compressor includes: a fixed scroll having an end plate and a fixed scroll wrap extending from the end plate; an orbiting scroll having an orbiting scroll wrap, the orbiting scroll wrap being engaged with the fixed scroll wrap to form a plurality of compression chambers for compressing a medium; a channel formed in the end plate of the fixed scroll, the channel leading to one compression chamber of the plurality of compression chambers; and a valve provided on the end plate of the fixed scroll, and configured to open when a pressure in the one compression chamber is higher than a predetermined pressure threshold so as to allow the medium in the one compression chamber to flow out of the one compression chamber through the channel.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve comprises: a valve seat provided on a side of the fixed scroll away from the fixed scroll wrap, an opening of the channel being formed in the valve seat; a valve element configured to open and close the opening of the channel; and a spring configured to apply a pushing force to the valve element toward the valve seat.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve further comprises: a fixing member fixed on a side of the fixed scroll away from the fixed scroll wrap, the fixing member having: a first side face and a second side face opposite to each other, and a hole extending from the first side face toward the second side face to between the first side face and the second side face, wherein the valve element and the spring are provided in the hole of the fixing member.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing member further has an opening extending from the first side face in an axial direction of the hole to expose a part of the hole, and a width of the opening is smaller than a diameter of the hole.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing member has two said openings, and the two openings face each other in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the hole.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve element has: a first side face and a second side face opposite to each other, and a hole extending from the first side face toward the second side face to between the first side face and the second side face, wherein an end of the spring is inserted into the hole of the valve element.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixed scroll further has a protrusion protruding from a side of the end plate away from the fixed scroll wrap, and the valve seat is provided in a side face of the protrusion.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixed scroll further has a protrusion protruding from a side of the end plate away from the fixed scroll wrap, and the valve seat is provided in a side face of the protrusion, and the fixed scroll further has a recess on the side of the end plate away from the fixed scroll wrap, and the fixing member is provided in the recess.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixed scroll further has a protrusion protruding from a side of the end plate away from the fixed scroll wrap, and the valve seat is provided in a side face of the protrusion, and the first side face of the fixing member and the side face of the protrusion abut against each other.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the side face of the protrusion extends along an axial direction of the fixed scroll, and the fixing member is spaced apart from a bottom face of the recess.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the one compression chamber of the plurality of compression chambers is a radially outermost compression chamber of the plurality of compression chambers.

The scroll compressor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, can improve the performance of the scroll compressor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the drawings.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 6, the scroll compressor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a fixed scroll10, an orbiting scroll20, a channel6, and a valve5. The fixed scroll10has an end plate11and a fixed scroll wrap12extending from the end plate11. The orbiting scroll20has an orbiting scroll wrap21. The orbiting scroll wrap21and the fixed scroll wrap12are engaged with each other to form a plurality of compression chambers3for compressing a medium. The channel6is formed in the end plate11of the fixed scroll10, and the channel6leads to one compression chamber3of the plurality of compression chambers3. The valve5is provided on the end plate11of the fixed scroll10and is configured to open when the pressure in the compression chamber3is higher than the predetermined pressure threshold so as to allow the medium in the compression chamber3to flow out of the compression chamber3through the channel6. The compression chamber3may be the radially outermost compression chamber3of the plurality of compression chambers3. The predetermined pressure threshold may be set according to the difference between the pressure in the compression chamber3corresponding to the valve5and the pressure at the inlet of the scroll compressor.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve5includes: a valve seat51, a valve element52, and a spring53. The valve seat51is arranged on the side of the fixed scroll10away from the fixed scroll wrap12, and an opening of the channel6is formed in the valve seat51. The valve element52is configured to open and close the opening of the channel6. The spring53is configured to apply a pushing force to the valve element52towards the valve seat51. The elastic force of the spring53is selected according to the aforementioned predetermined pressure threshold, so that when the pressure in the compression chamber3corresponding to the valve5is higher than the elastic force of the spring53, the spring53is pushed away by the medium flow in the channel6, so that the valve5is opened. Thereby, the medium in the compression chamber3flows out of the compression chamber3through the channel6. The medium is, for example, refrigerant liquid or refrigerant vapor.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve5further includes a fixing member54fixed on the side of the fixed scroll10away from the fixed scroll wrap12. The fixing member54has a first side face541and a second side face542opposite to each other, and a hole540extending from the first side face541toward the second side face542to between the first side face541and the second side face542. The valve element52and the spring53are movably provided in the hole540of the fixing member54. According to an example of the present disclosure, the fixing member54further has an opening548extending from the first side face541in the axial direction of the hole540to expose a part of the hole540. The width of the opening548is smaller than the diameter of the hole540. The fixing member54may have two openings548, and the two openings548face each other in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the hole. For example, the two openings548are respectively in the top face and bottom face of the fixing member54.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve element52has a first side face521and a second side face522opposite to each other, and a hole520extending from the first side face521toward the second side face522to between the first side face521and the second side face522. An end of the spring53is inserted into the hole520of the valve element52.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixed scroll10further has a protrusion7protruding from the side of the end plate11away from the fixed scroll wrap12, and the valve seat51is provided in the side face71of the protrusion7. The first side face541of the fixing member54and the side face71of the protrusion7may abut against each other. The fixing member54may be fixed to the side face71of the protrusion7of the fixed scroll10by screws9(seeFIG. 4). The fixing member54may also be fixed to the side face71of the protrusion7of the fixed scroll10by other means.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixed scroll10further has a recess8on the side of the end plate11away from the fixed scroll wrap12, and the fixing member54is provided in the recess8. The side face71of the protrusion7extends along the axial direction of the fixed scroll10, and the fixing member54is spaced apart from the bottom face81of the recess8. The bottom face81of the recess8may be perpendicular to the axial direction of the fixed scroll10. For example, when being in use, the side face71of the protrusion7can extend in the vertical direction, and the bottom face81of the recess8can extend in the horizontal direction.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 5, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the channel6includes a first hole61extending in the protrusion7and a second hole62extending from the protrusion7toward the side of the end plate11away from the protrusion7and passing through the end plate11. The first hole61is in communication with the second hole62. For example, the first hole61extends in the protrusion7in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fixed scroll10, and the second hole62extends from the protrusion7in the axial direction of the fixed scroll10toward the side of the end plate11away from the protrusion7and passes through the end plate11. The second hole62leads to the compression chamber3. The position of the second hole62is at a distance of a predetermined angle from the position where the orbiting scroll wrap21and the fixed scroll wrap12start a compression, for example, 281 degrees to 301 degrees, for example, about 291 degrees. The second hole62may include two holes62.

The scroll compressor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, can improve the resistance to liquid impact of the scroll compressor.

In addition, in the scroll compressor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve5is used. Therefore, when the liquid medium is sucked in the scroll compressor, since the pressure in the compression chamber3will be higher than the predetermined pressure threshold, the valve5is opened to allow the medium in the compression chamber3to flow out of the compression chamber3through the channel6.

Since the channel6leads to the radially outermost compression chamber3, that is, the compression chamber3in the medium suction port region, when the liquid medium is sucked in the scroll compressor, the liquid medium can be discharged in time to prevent damage to the compressor.

Although the above embodiments are described, some features in the above embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments.