Patent Publication Number: US-7585161-B2

Title: Compressor

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a compressor to compress gas, such as refrigerant gas, and, more particularly, to a compressor in which a coil weight is wound plural times on a highly vibrational portion of a discharge pipe that is used to discharge compressed gas. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Generally, compressors are mechanical apparatuses to compress gas, such as refrigerant gas, to thereby raise a pressure thereof. Compressors may be generally classified into dynamic compressors and positive displacement compressors. 
   Considering first dynamic compressors, they are configured to raise a pressure of gas using momentum caused by a high flow rate of the gas obtained when a rotor is rotated at very high speed. The dynamic compressors are mainly used in need of a high flow rate. 
   Such dynamic compressors may be sub-classified into centrifugal compressors and axial flow compressors, and vary in size and application from large-scale industrial compressors and gas turbine engine compressors to car turbo charger compressors. In addition, there are various different shapes of compressors, such as a screw compressor that is designed to compress gas inside a space defined by two screws using a rotating force thereof, and a scroll compressor that is designed to compress gas between two spiral grooves using a rotating force thereof. 
   A representative example of displacement compressors is a reciprocating piston type compressor, such as a linear compressor. This kind of compressor has a cycle of suctioning and compressing air according to reciprocating movement of a piston inside a cylinder as well as opening and closing operations of a valve to thereby discharge the compressed air. The displacement compressors are mainly used in need of a high pressure. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an example of a conventional compressor having an open top side.  FIG. 2  is an enlarged sectional view of a loop pipe shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the conventional compressor includes a shell  2 , a compression unit  10  mounted in the shell  2  in a shock-absorbing manner and adapted to suction and compress fluid, such as refrigerant gas (hereinafter referred to as “fluid”), to thereby discharge the compressed fluid, and a loop pipe  20  connected to a discharge side of the compression unit  10  to discharge the compressed fluid from the compression unit  10  to the outside. The loop pipe  20  also serves to attenuate vibration generated in the compression unit  10 . 
   The shell  2  includes a lower shell  3  having an open top surface, and an upper shell  4  configured to cover the top surface of the lower shell  3 . 
   A suction pipe  5  is penetrated through one side of the shell  2  to introduce fluid into the shell  2 . 
   The loop pipe  20  is also penetrated through the other side of the shell  2 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the loop pipe  20  includes a discharge pipe  22  to guide the compressed fluid from the compression unit  10  to be discharged to the outside, and a coil weight  24  wound on an outer circumference of the discharge pipe  22 . 
   Highly vibrational portions  26  and  28  of the loop pipe  20 , which show a larger vibration degree than the remaining portion of the loop pipe  20 , are coiled up at least two times. Coiling up a portion of the loop pipe  20  has the effect of increasing the mass of the coiled portion, thereby achieving a reduced rigidity and minimized vibration transmission to the outside. 
   However, the conventional compressor has a problem in that the loop pipe  20  requires a relatively wide installation space because the highly vibration portions  26  and  28  thereof are coiled up at least two times. If the coiled portion of the loop pipe  20  is interfered with the shell  2 , it may cause operational malfunction of the compressor. Further, coiling up the loop pipe  20  at least two times requires an additional process, resulting in low workability and increased manufacturing costs. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a compressor which can achieve effective interior space utility, minimized malfunction rate, and low manufacturing costs. 
   In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a compressor comprising: a shell; a compression unit mounted in the shell in a vibrational manner to compress fluid; a discharge pipe connected to the compression unit to discharge the compressed fluid from the compression unit; and a coil weight wound on the discharge pipe, wherein the coil weight is wound plural times on a portion of the discharge pipe located at a plane perpendicular to a vibrating direction of the compression unit. 
   Preferably, the shell may be formed with a suction pipe through-hole for the penetration of a fluid suction pipe, and a discharge pipe through-hole for the penetration of the discharge pipe. 
   Preferably, the shell may include: a lower shell; and an upper shell configured to cover an upper side of the lower shell to thereby define a hermetic space along with the lower shell. 
   Preferably, a rear portion of the compression unit may be disposed on a first damper mounted in a front region of the shell, and a front portion of the compression unit may be disposed on a second damper mounted in a rear region of the shell, whereby the compression unit is mounted in the shell in a shock-absorbing manner. 
   Preferably, the compression unit may include: a cylinder block centrally provided with a cylinder; a back cover having a suction pipe; a piston disposed to linearly reciprocate into the cylinder and internally defining a suction channel; a suction valve to open or close the suction channel; a discharge valve assembly mounted to define a compression chamber between the piston and the discharge valve assembly and adapted to discharge fluid from the compression chamber into the discharge pipe if the fluid is compressed inside the compression chamber beyond a predetermined pressure; a linear motor adapted to generate a driving force for linearly reciprocating the piston into the cylinder; a motor cover coupled to a side of the linear motor; and a spring support configured to support a first spring interposed between a back cover and the spring support and a second spring interposed between the motor cover and the spring support. 
   Preferably, the linear motor may include: an outer stator core coupled to the cylinder block; a bobbin mounted in the outer stator core; a coil wound around the bobbin; an inner stator core coupled to the cylinder block to be spaced apart from the outer stator core to define a predetermined gap therebetween; a magnet located between the outer stator core and the inner stator core to linearly reciprocate using a magnetic force generated around the coil; and a magnet frame configured to support the magnet mounted thereon and coupled to the piston to transmit linear movement force of the magnet to the piston. 
   Preferably, the portion of the discharge pipe, located at the plane perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the compression unit, may be bent by an angle smaller than 360°. 
   Preferably, the coil weight may be wound one time on the remaining portion of the discharge pipe except for the portion of the discharge pipe located at the plane perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the compression unit. 
   In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a compressor comprising: a shell; a compression unit mounted in the shell in a vibrational manner to compress fluid; a discharge pipe connected to the compression unit to discharge the compressed fluid from the compression unit; and a coil weight wound on the discharge pipe, wherein the coil weight is wound plural times on a highly vibrational portion of the discharge pipe. 
   Preferably, the highly vibrational portion of the discharge pipe may be bent by an angle smaller than 360°. 
   With the compressor of the present invention configured as stated above, the coil weight is wound plural times on the highly vibrational portion of the discharge pipe to increase the mass of the highly vibrational portion. Thereby, it is possible to adjust a vibrating frequency of the discharge pipe to a desired value. Further, since there is no need to coil up the discharge pipe plural times differently from the prior art, the compressor exhibits an effective interior space utility, minimized malfunction rate, and low manufacturing costs. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an example of a conventional compressor having an open top side; 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view illustrating the interior configuration of a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the compressor of  FIG. 3  having an open top side; and 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view of the circle B shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 3  is a sectional view illustrating the interior configuration of a compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the compressor of  FIG. 3  having an open top side.  FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view of the circle B shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a shell  50 , and a compression unit  60  mounted in the shell  50  in a vibrational manner. 
   The shell  50  includes a lower shell  51 , and an upper shell  52  configured to cover an upper side of the lower shell  51 . Both the lower and upper shells  51  and  52  internally define a hermetic space. A suction pipe  53  is penetrated through the shell  50  to introduce fluid, such as refrigerant gas (hereinafter referred to as “fluid”) into the shell  50 . 
   The compression unit  60  is mounted in the shell  50  in a shock-absorbing manner. For this, a rear portion of the compression unit  60  is disposed on a first damper  61   a  mounted in the shell  50 , and a front portion of the compression unit  60  is disposed on a second damper  61   b.    
   The compression unit  60  includes a cylinder block  64  centrally provided with a cylinder  62 , a back cover  72  having a suction pipe  71 , a piston  80  disposed to linearly reciprocate into the cylinder  62 , and a linear motor  100  adapted to generate a driving force for linearly reciprocating the piston  80  inside the cylinder  62 . 
   A discharge valve assembly  65  is mounted at a front end of the cylinder  62  to define a compression chamber C between the front end of the cylinder  62  and the piston  80 . If fluid inside the compression chamber C is compressed beyond a predetermined pressure, the compressed fluid is discharged into a loop pipe via the discharge valve assembly  65 . 
   The discharge valve assembly  65  includes a discharge valve  66  to open or close the front end of the cylinder  62 , an inner discharge cover  68  having a fluid discharge hole  68   a  formed at one side thereof, a discharge spring  67  coupled to the inner discharge cover  68  to elastically support the discharge valve  66 , an outer discharge cover  69  defining a fluid channel between an inner circumference thereof and the inner discharge cover  68 , and a connection pipe  70  mounted to the outer discharge cover  69 . 
   The piston  80  has a fluid suction channel  81  longitudinally defined therein, a suction port  82  formed at a front end thereof to have a smaller diameter than the fluid suction channel  81 , and a suction valve  83  mounted to the front end thereof to open or close the suction port  82  depending on a pressure difference between the suction port  82  and the compression chamber C. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , the piston  80  is formed at a rear end thereof with a flange  84 . The flange  84  is used for the connection of the linear motor  100 . 
   A muffler  97  is mounted at a rear side of the piston  80  to guide the fluid, introduced via the suction pipe  71  of the back cover  72 , to the fluid suction channel  81  of the piston  80  while attenuating suction noise of the fluid. 
   The linear motor  100  includes an outer stator core  101  coupled to the cylinder block  64 , a bobbin  102  mounted in the outer stator core  101 , a coil  103  wound around the bobbin  102 , an inner stator core  104  coupled to the cylinder block  64  to be spaced apart from the outer stator core  101  to define a predetermined gap therebetween, a magnet  105  located between the outer stator core  101  and the inner stator core  104  to linearly reciprocate using a magnetic force generated around the coil  103 , and a magnet frame  106  configured to support the magnet  105  mounted thereon and coupled to the flange  84  of the piston  80  to transmit the linear movement force of the magnet  105  to the piston  80 . 
   The compression unit  60  includes a motor cover  110  coupled to the outer stator core  101  to cover a rear surface of the outer stator cover  101 , and a spring support  116  used to support a first spring  112  interposed between the back cover  72  and the spring support  116  and a second spring  114  interposed between the motor cover  110  and the spring support  116 . 
   Here, the first and second springs  112  and  114  serve to provide the piston  80  with an elastic force to allow the piston  80  to vibrate during reciprocating movement thereof. That is, the first and second springs  112  and  114  temporarily store energy generated in the linear motor  100  to thereby transmit it to the piston  80 . 
   The spring support  116  is fastened to the flange  84  of the piston  80  by means of fastening means, such as bolts. 
   Meanwhile, the compressor further includes a discharge unit  120  to discharge the compressed fluid from the compression unit  60  to the outside of the shell  50 . The discharge unit  120  also serves to attenuate vibration generated in the compression unit  60 . 
   The discharge unit  120  includes a discharge pipe  122  connected to the compression unit  60  to discharge the compressed fluid from the compression unit  60 , and a coil weight  130  wound on the discharge pipe  122  to attenuate the vibration of the discharge pipe  122 . 
   The discharge pipe  122  is connected at one end thereof to the compression unit  60 , more specifically, the connection pipe  70  of the discharge valve assembly  65 . The other end of the discharge pipe  122  is penetrated through the shell  50  to be located at the outside of the shell  50 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the discharge pipe  122  is bent by an angle α smaller than 360°. Thus, the discharge pipe  122  according to the embodiment of the present invention has no portion that is coiled up at least two times. 
   That is, highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  of the discharge pipe  122 , which are located at a plane D perpendicular to a vibrating direction C of the compression unit  60 , are bent by an angle smaller than 360°. Similarly, the remaining portion of the discharge pipe  122 , i.e. low vibrational portion  128  of the discharge pipe  122 , is also bent by an angle smaller than 360°. 
   The coil weight  130  serves to increase the mass of the discharge pipe  122 . The coil weight  130  is wound plural times on the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  of the discharge pipe  122 , thereby serving to adjust a natural vibrating frequency of the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  to a low value. 
   Specifically, the coil weight  130  is wound at least two times on the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  of the discharge pipe  122 , located at the plane D perpendicular to the vibrating direction C of the compression unit  60 , and is also wound only one time on the remaining portion  128  of the discharge pipe  122  except for the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126 . 
   Preferably, the coil weight  130  is wound plural times on part of the discharge pipe  122  that is bent by an angle between 180° and 360°. 
   Reference numeral  54  denotes a suction pipe through-hole formed at the shell  50  to penetrate the suction pipe  53  through the shell  50 . 
   Reference numeral  55  denotes a discharge pipe through-hole formed at the shell  50  to penetrate the discharge pipe  122  through the shell  50 . 
   Now, the operation of the compressor according to the present invention configured as stated above will be explained. 
   Upon driving of the linear motor  100 , the piston  80  is linearly reciprocated inside the cylinder  62 , and the suction valve  83  and the discharge valve  66  are opened or closed depending on a pressure difference caused by the linear reciprocating movement of the piston  80 . Thereby, fluid inside the shell  50  is introduced into the compression chamber C to be compressed therein, and then, is discharged to the outside of the shell  50  in a compressed state via the discharge valve assembly  65  and the discharge pipe  122 . 
   Meanwhile, when the piston  80  is retracted, the compression unit  60  is subjected to vibration in a linear reciprocating direction of the piston  80 . The vibration of the compression unit  60  acts to the portions  124  and  126  of the discharge pipe  122  located at the plane D perpendicular to the vibrating direction C of the compression unit  60  as compared to the remaining portion  128  of the discharge pipe  122 . However, since the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  located at the plane D perpendicular to the vibrating direction C of the compression unit  60  are increased in mass by virtue of the coil weight  130  wound at least two times thereon, the highly vibrational portions  124  and  126  are reduced in rigidity, resulting in minimized vibration transmission. 
   As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a compressor in which a coil weight is wound plural times on highly vibrational portions of a discharge pipe to increase the mass of the highly vibrational portions. With such a configuration, it is possible to adjust a natural vibrating frequency of the discharge pipe to a desired value. Further, since there is no need to coil up the discharge pipe plural times differently from the prior art, the compressor exhibits an effective interior space utility, minimized malfunction rate, and low manufacturing costs. 
   Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 
   The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Korean Application No. 10-2004-0088262, filed on Nov. 2, 2004, the contents of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.