Rotary expansible chamber devices – Working member has planetary or planetating movement – Helical working member – e.g. – scroll
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-18
2001-06-19
Vrablik, John J. (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Working member has planetary or planetating movement
Helical working member, e.g., scroll
C418S055600, C418S094000, C184S006180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247909
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved bearing assembly for mounting the lower end of a sealed compressor.
Refrigerant compressors, such as are utilized in air conditioning systems, are typically enclosed in a sealed housing. The housing encloses a motor and a compressor pump unit. Sections of the housing surrounding the motor are exposed to the refrigerant at either a suction or discharge pressure. This type of housing has become very widely utilized in refrigerant compression applications.
The housing must be sealed against leakage of the refrigerant between the suction and discharge sections within the housing, and outwardly of the housing. Further, a number of components must be mounted within the housing. Achieving all of these goals has made compressor assembly somewhat complex. Thus, it is a desire of the compressor assembly workers to minimize the assembly steps and time consumed for assembling a compressor.
Typically, a motor drives a shaft which in turn drives components of the pump unit. Oil is circulated within the shaft, and upwardly to the compressor pump unit. Typically, the shaft has been mounted at a lower bearing on an opposed side of the motor from the pump unit. This lower bearing has typically been secured to the housing at the outer periphery of the bearing, and generally to the housing side wall. The sealed compressor housings are typically formed of a cylindrical housing shell having end caps at both ends. The bearing is supported on the shell, and not the end caps. This has caused a good deal of additional assembly complexity, and has increased the time and expense for assembling the compressor units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, a sealed compressor has a lower bearing secured to the end cap. The end cap may be a stamped item which is made quite inexpensively. The bearing may be quickly welded to the end cap, and the shaft and pump unit assembled into the bearing. Preferably, structure is supplied between the end cap and the bearing such that the weld contact area does not surround the entire circumference of the bearing. In this way, oil can flow upwardly through the bearing and to the shaft.
In one preferred embodiment of this invention, a series of upset portions are formed extending upwardly from a bottom wall of the end cap. The bearing is positioned on the upset portions, and is resistance-welded to the upset portions. The upset portions are formed at circumferentially spaced locations. Thus, there are passages between the upset portions leading into the bottom of the bearing. Oil which is beneath the bearing, and in the sump of the compressor, can move upwardly through these spaces into the bottom of the bearing. This oil can then pass upwardly through the shaft into the compressor pump unit. The use of the stamped end cap allows quick and easy alignment and attachment of the bearing at its desired position such that the assembly of the bearing is greatly reduced compared to the prior art.
In manufacturing methods, the bearing can be welded to the end cap either before or after the end cap is attached to the center shell.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
REFERENCES:
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Fields Gene Michael
Hill Joe T.
Milliff Tracy
Williams John R.
Young Michael R.
Carlson & Gaskey & Olds
Scroll Technologies
Vrablik John J.
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