Lubrication – Systems – Rotary compressor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-04-24
Fenstermacher, David (Department: 3682)
Lubrication
Systems
Rotary compressor
C184S032000, C184S046000, C417S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220393
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor, and more particularly to an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor which reduces the number of valves which control suction and discharge of an oil, thereby enabling fabrication and assembly thereof, and supplying an oil of an adequate amount to friction areas of driving elements.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
As generally well known, a linear compressor compresses a refrigerant by reciprocating a piston in a cylinder using a magnet and a coil, instead of a crank shaft.
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional linear compressor. As shown therein, the conventional linear compressor includes a compressor unit
10
horizontally provided in a hermetic vessel C having a predetermined shape and sucking, compressing, and discharging a refrigerant, and an oil supply unit
20
disposed at an outer side of the compressor unit
10
and supplying an oil to friction areas of driving elements of the compressor.
More particularly, in the compressor unit
10
there are provided a cylinder
12
connected with a stator
11
a
(inner and outer laminations) as a single body and a piston
13
which is connected with a rotor (including a magnet)
11
b
of a linear motor
11
and reciprocates into the cylinder
12
.
The oil supply unit
20
, as shown in
FIG. 2
, consists of an oil supply pipe
21
disposed at an outer side of the compressor unit
10
, a suction cover
22
engaged with an end of the oil supply pipe
21
at an oil suction side and having a suction inlet
22
a
at a bottom thereof, and a discharge cover
23
engaged with the other end of the oil supply pipe
21
at an oil discharge side and connected to one side of the compressor unit
10
.
Further, in the oil supply pipe
21
, there are provided a mass
24
in which there is formed a first oil path
24
a
communicating with the suction cover
22
and the discharge cover
23
, respectively, the mass sucking and discharging the oil which is moved by the reciprocation of compressor unit
10
and placed at a bottom of the hermetic vessel C, first and second compression coil springs
25
A,
25
B, respectively connected between both ends of the mass
24
and ends of inner surfaces of both sides of the oil supply pipe
21
, a suction valve
26
which is connected with an end of the first compression coil spring
25
a
and in contact with an inner surface of the suction cover
22
, thereby allowing or blocking the flow of the oil which flows thereinto through the suction opening
22
a
formed at the bottom of the suction cover
22
, and a discharge valve
27
which is connected with an end of the second compression coil spring
25
b
and in contact with an end portion of an oil discharge side of the mass
24
, thereby allowing or blocking the flow of the oil which has passed through the first oil path
24
a.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the suction valve
26
and the discharge valve
27
are respectively formed in a scroll type, in which opening/closing units
26
a
,
27
a
are provided in each center thereof.
Now, the operation of the conventional linear compressor will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
When an electric current is applied to the linear motor
11
, the rotor
11
b
linearly reciprocates and accordingly the piston
13
reciprocates in the cylinder
12
. As the piston
13
reciprocates in the cylinder
12
, the refrigerant gas flowing into the hermetic vessel C is sucked into a compression chamber (not shown) of the cylinder
12
, passing through a refrigerant oil path
13
a
provided in a center of the piston
13
.
Being supported to move in the hermetic vessel C, the compressor unit
10
regularly vibrates by the driving of the linear motor
11
and accordingly the oil supply pipe
21
of the oil supply unit
20
reciprocates from side to side by the vibration of the compressor unit
10
. Here, the mass
24
located in the oil supply pipe
21
moves due to inertial force produced by the reciprocation of the oil supply pipe
21
, so that the oil O located in the bottom of the hermetic vessel C is sucked into the oil supply pipe
21
by pressure difference between the portions formed at both sides of the mass
24
. Thus, the oil flowing into the oil supply pipe
21
passes through the first oil path
24
a
provided in the mass
24
and then a second oil path
23
a
in the discharge cover
23
, and is discharged into an oil pocket P, thereby being supplied to a slide portion formed between the cylinder
12
and the piston
13
. Numerals
14
and
15
are a head cover and a valve, respectively.
16
and
17
respectively indicate a coil spring, and
18
and
19
are an external refrigerant suction pipe and a mounting spring, respectively.
However, the oil supply apparatus for the conventional linear compressor has several problems.
First, since the size of the suction valve and the discharge valve that control the suction and the discharge, respectively, of the oil is small, the fabrication and assembly are not easily achieved, thereby decreasing the productivity.
Second, since the suction and discharge valves are compressed and fixed by the compression coil springs supporting the mass, the opening/closing units of the suction and discharge valves are controlled by the compression coil springs, so that the valves can not properly control the suction and discharge of the oil.
Third, since the oil path is provided in the mass, the weight of the mass is reduced as the volume of the oil path so that the compressing force of the mass is reduced and thus the circulation volume of the oil is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor which obviates the problems and disadvantages in the conventional art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor that reduces the number of valves which control oil suction and discharge, thereby enabling more efficient fabrication and assembly thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor that supplies an oil of an adequate amount to friction areas of driving elements by having free ends of a valve not contacting with other constituent elements, thereby improving reliability of the compressor.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor that reduces dead volume of a space formed between a mass and an oil supply pipe to increase a compression force of the mass, thereby increasing circulation volume of an oil.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor which includes: a compressor unit in which an oil discharge outlet is formed; an oil supply pipe disposed at an outer side of the compressor unit, an end of which communicates with an end of the oil discharge outlet; an oil valve an end of which is fixedly engaged with a side portion of the compressor unit and the other end of which is selectively in contact with the other end of the oil discharge outlet; and a discharge cover positioned at an outer side of the oil valve and engaged with the compressor unit, so that an oil path is formed between the discharge cover and the compressor unit.
Also, to achieve the above objects of the present invention, there is provided an oil supply apparatus for a linear compressor which includes: a compressor unit; a discharge cover engaged with the compressor unit, in which there is formed an oil path communicating with an oil pocket of the compressor unit; an oil supply tube an upper semicircle of an open end of which is compressively inserted into an end of the discharge cover; and an oil valve disposed at a connection area of the oil supply tube and the discharge cover.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5816783 (1998-10-01), Oshima et al.
paten
Hur Kyung Bum
Lee Hyeong Kook
Oh Won Sik
Fenstermacher David
LG Electronics Inc.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
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