Abstract:
A compressor including a shell, and a compression mechanism disposed in the shell including a first scroll member having a first spiral wrap and a second scroll member having a second spiral wrap intermeshed with the first spiral wrap. A drive shaft has a first end engaged with the first scroll member for moving the first scroll member relative to the second scroll member, and a bearing assembly including a bearing housing rotatably supports a second end of the drive shaft. A base is secured to the shell, and a mounting feature formed on either the bearing assembly or the base orients the bearing assembly relative to the base.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to scroll compressors. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0003]    Compressors can be driven by an electric motor including a rotor and a stator. The rotor may be fixed to a drive shaft that drives a compression mechanism of the compressor, and the stator may be press fit to an interior surface of a shell of the compressor. An air gap can be present between the rotor and the stator to allow for rotation of the rotor and drive shaft relative to the stator. Manufacturing tolerances, however, can sometimes cause misalignment of the rotor and drive shaft relative to the stator, which can cause undesired contact between the rotor and the stator. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0005]    The present disclosure, in a first embodiment, provides a compressor including a shell, and a compression mechanism disposed in the shell including a first scroll member having a first spiral wrap and a second scroll member having a second spiral wrap intermeshed with the first spiral wrap. A drive shaft has a first end engaged with the first scroll member for moving the first scroll member relative to the second scroll member, and a bearing assembly including a bearing housing rotatably supports a second end of the drive shaft. A base is secured to the shell, and a mounting feature formed on either the bearing assembly or the base orients the bearing assembly relative to the base. 
         [0006]    In the first embodiment, the base may include an aperture, and the bearing assembly is disposed at the aperture. 
         [0007]    In the first embodiment, the aperture of the base may be defined by upwardly extending walls of the base. 
         [0008]    In the first embodiment, the bearing assembly may include the mounting feature, and the mounting feature may be defined by a radially outwardly extending flange of the bearing housing. 
         [0009]    In the first embodiment, the upwardly extending walls may include at least one port in communication with an interior of the shell. 
         [0010]    In the first embodiment, the bearing housing may include at least one port in communication with an interior of the shell. 
         [0011]    In the first embodiment, the bearing assembly may also include a thrust member disposed in the bearing housing that supports the drive shaft. 
         [0012]    In the first embodiment, the bearing assembly may also include a lower bearing disposed between the bearing housing and the drive shaft. 
         [0013]    In the first embodiment, the bearing housing may include a plurality of ports in communication with an oil sump located in the shell. 
         [0014]    In the first embodiment, the base may include upwardly extending walls that define an aperture at which the bearing assembly is fixed, wherein the upwardly extending walls having a plurality of ports formed therein that communicate with an oil sump located in the shell. 
         [0015]    The present disclosure, in a second embodiment, provides a compressor including a shell, a compression mechanism including a first scroll member having a first spiral wrap and a second scroll member having a second spiral wrap intermeshed with the first spiral wrap, an upper bearing assembly for supporting the compression mechanism, a drive shaft having a first end rotatably supported in the upper bearing assembly and engaged with the first scroll member for moving the first scroll member relative to the second scroll member, a lower bearing assembly including a bearing housing for rotatably supporting a second end of the drive shaft, a base secured to the shell, a mounting feature formed on the bearing housing to orient the bearing housing relative to the base, and an alignment feature formed on the bearing housing to orient the base and the lower bearing assembly relative to the upper bearing assembly. 
         [0016]    In the second embodiment, the base may include an aperture, and the lower bearing assembly may be disposed at the aperture. 
         [0017]    In the second embodiment, the aperture of the base may be defined by upwardly extending walls of the base. 
         [0018]    In the second embodiment, the mounting feature may be defined by a radially outwardly extending flange of the bearing housing. 
         [0019]    In the second embodiment, the alignment feature may be defined by a recessed portion formed in the bearing housing. 
         [0020]    In the second embodiment, the upwardly extending walls may include at least one port in communication with an interior of the shell. 
         [0021]    In the second embodiment, the bearing housing may include at least one port in communication with an interior of the shell. 
         [0022]    In the second embodiment, a thrust member may be disposed in the bearing housing that supports the drive shaft. 
         [0023]    In the second embodiment, a lower bearing may be disposed between the bearing housing and the drive shaft. 
         [0024]    In the second embodiment, the bearing housing may include a plurality of ports in communication with an oil sump located in the shell. 
         [0025]    In the second embodiment, the base may include upwardly extending walls that define an aperture at which the bearing assembly is fixed, and the upwardly extending walls may have a plurality of ports formed therein that communicate with an oil sump located in the shell. 
         [0026]    The present disclosure also provides, in a third embodiment, a compressor including shell, a compression mechanism disposed in the shell, a drive shaft for driving the compression mechanism, a bearing assembly for supporting the drive shaft, and a bearing assembly oil sump for providing oil to the drive shaft. 
         [0027]    In the third embodiment, a base may be coupled to the shell, wherein the bearing assembly is fixed to the base. 
         [0028]    In the third embodiment, the base may include an aperture, and the bearing assembly may include a mounting feature that is secured to the aperture. 
         [0029]    In the third embodiment, the base may include an aperture that defines a mounting feature, and the bearing assembly may be secured to the mounting feature. 
         [0030]    In the third embodiment, the bearing assembly oil sump may include a plurality of ports in communication with an interior of the compressor. 
         [0031]    In the third embodiment, the base may include an aperture that defines a mounting feature, the bearing assembly may be secured to the mounting feature, and the plurality of ports may be formed in the mounting feature. 
         [0032]    In the third embodiment, the bearing assembly may include a bearing housing, a lower bearing, and a thrust member. 
         [0033]    In the third embodiment, the bearing housing may include a mounting feature for securing the bearing assembly to a base of the shell. 
         [0034]    In the third embodiment, the base may include an aperture, and the mounting feature may be secured to the aperture. 
         [0035]    In the third embodiment, the mounting feature may be defined by a flange that extends radially in a direction away from an axis of the bearing assembly. 
         [0036]    In the third embodiment, the lower bearing may include at least one slot, and the thrust member may include a tab that corresponds to and engages with the slot. 
         [0037]    In the third embodiment, the compression mechanism may include a movable scroll member and a non-movable scroll member. 
         [0038]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0039]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0040]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a compressor according to a principle of the present disclosure; 
           [0041]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a lower bearing assembly according to a principle of the present disclosure; 
           [0042]      FIG. 3  is a partial exploded perspective view of a lower bearing assembly according to a principle of the present disclosure that also illustrates an exemplary method of assembly 
           [0043]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of another lower bearing assembly according to a principle of the present disclosure; and 
           [0044]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of yet another lower bearing assembly according to a principle of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
       [0045]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0046]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0047]    With particular reference to  FIG. 1 , the compressor  10  is shown to include a generally cylindrical hermetic shell  12  having a welded cap  14  at a top portion  16  and a base  18  having a plurality of feet  20  welded at a bottom portion  22 . The cap  14  and the base  18  are fitted to the shell  12  such that a suction volume  24  of the compressor  10  is defined. The cap  14  is provided with a discharge fitting  26  and an inlet fitting (not shown), disposed generally between the cap  14  and base  18 . The cap  14  and a partition plate  99  may define a discharge volume  28 . 
         [0048]    A drive shaft or crankshaft  32  having an eccentric crank pin  34  at the upper end  36  thereof is rotatably journaled in a bearing  38  in the main bearing assembly  40 . A second end  42  of crankshaft  32  is disposed in a lower bearing assembly  44 . The crankshaft  32  has a relatively large diameter concentric bore  46  at the second end  42  which communicates with a radially outwardly inclined small diameter bore  50  extending upwardly therefrom to the top of the crankshaft  32 . A stirrer  52  is disposed within the bore  46 . The lower portion of the interior shell  12  defines an oil sump  54  filled with lubricating oil to a level slightly below the lower end of a rotor  56 , and the bore  50  acts as a pump to pump lubricating fluid up the crankshaft  32  and ultimately to all of the various portions of the compressor that require lubrication. 
         [0049]    The crankshaft  32  is rotatably driven by an electric motor  60  including a stator  62  having windings  64  passing therethrough. The rotor  56  is press fitted on the crankshaft  32  and has upper and lower counterweights  66  and  68 , respectively. 
         [0050]    An upper surface  70  of the main bearing assembly  40  defines a flat thrust bearing surface  72  on which an orbiting scroll member  74  is disposed having a spiral vane or wrap  76  on an upper surface  78  thereof. A cylindrical hub  80  downwardly projects from a lower surface  82  of orbiting scroll member  74  which has a drive bearing  84  and a drive bushing  86 . 
         [0051]    An Oldham coupling  90  is provided positioned between the orbiting scroll member  74  and the main bearing assembly  40  and is keyed to the orbiting scroll member  74  and a non-orbiting scroll member  92  to prevent rotational movement of the orbiting scroll member  74 . 
         [0052]    Non-orbiting scroll member  92  also includes a wrap  94  positioned in meshing engagement with the wrap  76  of the orbiting scroll member  74 . Non-orbiting scroll member  92  has a centrally disposed discharge passage  96 , which communicates with an aperture  98  formed in outer surface of the partition  99 . Aperture  98  is in fluid communication with the discharge fitting  26  such that compressed fluid exits the compressor  10 . Non-orbiting scroll member  92  is designed to be fixedly mounted to bearing housing  40  by a fastener (not shown), however still allowing axial movement of non-orbiting scroll member  92 . 
         [0053]    As best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , lower bearing assembly  44 , according to the present disclosure, can include a lower bearing housing  100 , a lower bearing  102 , and a spacer thrust member  104 . Bearing housing  100  can include a cylindrical body that extends axially along a surface  106  of second end  42  of crankshaft  32 . At an end  108  of bearing housing  100  can be formed a plurality of radially extending bores  110  that allow oil in sump  54  to enter bearing housing  100  and collect in a bearing sump  112 . During rotation of crankshaft  32 , oil can be pulled up from bearing sump  112  into large diameter concentric bore  46 , which communicates with a radially outwardly inclined small diameter bore  50  extending upwardly there from to the top of the crankshaft  32 . Oil is then provided to each of the moving surfaces (e.g., scroll members) within compressor  10 . The location of the bores  110  can be well above the base  18 , which may restrict solid contaminants from entering the bore  46 . 
         [0054]    Between bearing housing  100  and crankshaft  32  can be disposed lower bearing  102 . Lower bearing  102  is a cylindrical member that provides a bearing surface for crankshaft  32 . Each of bearing housing  100  and lower bearing  102  can be formed of any material known to one skilled in the art such as, for example, metal-backed polymers, polymers, powdered metals such as iron, steel, aluminum, and other metal materials that are satisfactory to withstand operation of compressor  10  and exposure to oil in sump  54 . Lower bearing  102  can include a pair of diametrically opposed slots  103  formed at a base  105  of lower bearing  102 . Slots  103  align with a pair of tabs  107  of spacer thrust member  104 . 
         [0055]    More specifically, a seat  114  of bearing housing  100  can be used to support spacer thrust member  104 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , spacer thrust member  104  has a diameter less than a diameter of seat  114 , but greater than an inner diameter of lower bearing  102 . In this regard, lower bearing  102  can be formed to include a recessed shoulder  116  to accommodate spacer thrust member  104 . In addition, as noted above, lower bearing  102  can include slots  103  that correspond to radially opposed tabs  107  of spacer thrust member  104 . Slots  103  and tabs  107  allow for ease in assembling lower bearing assembly  44 . It should be understood, however, that spacer thrust member  104  can have a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of seat  114  such that lower bearing  102  can rest upon an upper surface  118  of spacer thrust member  104 . It should also be understood that spacer thrust member  104  can be omitted in favor of extending seat  114  radially in a direction toward an axis A of bearing housing  100  such that seat  114  can act as a thrust surface for crankshaft  32 . 
         [0056]    To secure lower bearing assembly  44  to base  18  of compressor  10 , base  18  can include an aperture  120  that is engaged with mounting feature  122  of bearing housing  100 . That is, bearing housing  100  can include mounting feature  122  defined by a mounting flange  124  that extends radially in a direction away from axis A of bearing housing  100 . Mounting flange  124  can be secured to a lower surface  126  of base  18  by welding, brazing, or any other attachment method known to one skilled in the art. The use of aperture  120  and mounting feature  122  ensure proper alignment of crank shaft  32  and rotor  56  relative to stator  62 . In this regard, stator  62  is generally press fit to shell  12 , and an air gap should be present between rotor  56  and stator  62 . By aligning lower bearing assembly  44  with aperture  120 , proper alignment of crank shaft  32  and rotor  56 , which is press fit to crank shaft  32 , can be ensured relative to stator  62 . Base  18  is provided with aperture  120  through which lower bearing assembly  44  is inserted from bottom side of compressor  10 . Base  18 , with lower bearing assembly  44  inserted into aperture  120 , is then aligned with bearing assembly  38  with the assistance of an alignment feature  130 . Alignment feature  130  can be in the form of a depression  132  formed in lower bearing housing  100 . Alignment feature  130  can be engaged with a mounting jig (not shown) that properly aligns base  18  relative to shell  12 . Once base  18  is properly aligned with shell  12  and bearing assembly  38 , base  18  may then be welded to shell  12 . 
         [0057]    Now referring to  FIG. 4 , another lower bearing assembly  200  will be described. In  FIG. 4 , lower bearing assembly  200  can include a cylindrical bearing housing  202  and a spacer thrust member  204 . Similar to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , lower bearing assembly  200  can be aligned with an aperture  206  formed in base  18 . Aperture  206  formed in base  18 , however, defines a mounting feature  208  for bearing housing  202 . More particularly, mounting feature  208  is defined by upwardly extending walls  210  of base  18  that are designed to receive bearing housing  202 . To ensure alignment between bearing housing  202  and upwardly extending walls  210  of base  18 , bearing housing  202  can include a shoulder  214  that abuts a terminal end  216  of upwardly extending walls  210 . Each of bearing housing  202  and spacer thrust member  204  can be formed of any material known to one skilled in the art such as, for example, powdered metals such as iron, steel, aluminum, and other metal materials that are satisfactory to withstand operation of compressor  10  and exposure to oil in sump  54 . 
         [0058]    Similar to the above-described embodiment of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the use of aperture  206  that defines mounting feature  208  ensures proper alignment of crank shaft  32  and rotor  56  relative to stator  62 . In this regard, stator  62  is generally press fit to shell  12 , and an air gap should be present between rotor  56  and stator  62 . By aligning lower bearing assembly  200  with aperture  206 , proper alignment of crank shaft  32  and rotor  56 , which is press fit to crank shaft  32 , can be ensured relative to stator  62 . 
         [0059]    Although not illustrated in  FIG. 4 , it should be understood that bearing housing  202  can also include the features of at least one slot (not shown) that corresponds to radially at least one tab (not shown) of spacer thrust member  204 . Slots and tabs allow for ease in assembling lower bearing assembly  200  in a manner similar to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0060]    To allow oil in sump  54  to enter lower bearing assembly  200 , upwardly extending walls  210  of base  18  can include a plurality of oil ports  218  formed at a lower end  220  thereof. To ensure oil that enters ports  218  does not leak from compressor  10 , a bottom cover plate  222  can be secured to a lower surface  224  of base  18  by welding, brazing, or any other method known to one skilled in the art. The space  226  between bottom cover plate  222  and bearing housing  202  can define a lower bearing sump  228 . The bottom cover plate  222  may be concentrically and perpendicularly aligned with bearing housing  202 . Then, the bottom cover plate  222  is concentrically aligned with the main bearing assembly  40 . Therefore the bottom cover plate  222  is an alignment member for concentrically aligning bearing housing  202  and bearing  38 . 
         [0061]    Although not necessarily required by the present disclosure, lower bearing assembly  200  can also include an oil flinger  230  secured to thrust member  204 . Oil flinger  230  can be formed separately from thrust member  204 , or can be integral with thrust member  204 . Oil flinger  230  assists in drawing oil from sump  54  into lower bearing sump  228  and into bore  46 . 
         [0062]    Now referring to  FIG. 5 , another configuration of a lower bearing assembly will be described. Lower bearing assembly  300  illustrated in  FIG. 5  can include a cup-shaped bearing housing  302 , a bearing bush  304 , and a spacer thrust member  306 . At an end  308  of bearing housing  302  can be formed a plurality of radially extending bores  310  that allow oil in sump  54  to enter bearing housing  302  and collect in a bearing sump  312 . During rotation of crankshaft  32 , oil can be pulled up from bearing sump  312  into large diameter concentric bore  46 , which communicates with a radially outwardly inclined small diameter bore  50  extending upwardly therefrom to the top of the crankshaft  32 . 
         [0063]    Between bearing housing  302  and crankshaft  32  can be disposed bearing bush  304 . Bearing bush  304  is a cylindrical member that provides a bearing surface for crankshaft  32 . Each of bearing housing  302  and bearing bush  304  can be formed of any material known to one skilled in the art such as, for example, powdered metals such as iron, steel, aluminum, and other metal materials that are satisfactory to withstand operation of compressor  10  and exposure to oil in sump  54 . To support bearing bush  304 , bearing housing  302  can include a shoulder  303  formed at an inner diameter  305  thereof. 
         [0064]    A seat  314  of bearing housing  302  can be used to support spacer thrust member  306 . Spacer thrust member  306  can have a diameter less than a diameter of seat  314 . It should be understood, however, that spacer thrust member  306  can have a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of seat  314 . It should also be understood that spacer thrust member  306  can be omitted in favor of allowing seat  314  to act as a thrust surface for crankshaft  32 . 
         [0065]    To secure bearing assembly  300  to base  18 , bearing housing  302  can be welded, brazed, or secured to base  18  at a surface  320  of bearing housing  302  that defines bearing sump  312 . Although not necessarily required by the present disclosure, lower bearing assembly  300  can also include an oil flinger  330  secured to thrust member  306 . Oil flinger  330  can be formed separately from thrust member  306 , or can be integral with thrust member  306 . Oil flinger  330  assists in drawing oil from sump  54  into lower bearing sump  312  and into bore  46 . 
         [0066]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.