Thin counterweight for sealed compressor

Details Thin counterweight for sealed compressor Thin counterweight for sealed compressor

1999-12-02

2001-06-19

Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)

Pumps

Motor driven

Electric or magnetic motor

C417S368000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06247907

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved counterweight for a sealed compressor wherein the counterweight is relatively thin, allowing the entire sealed compressor housing to be made shorter.
Sealed compressors are utilized in many refrigerant compression applications. In such applications, a housing seals a compressor pump unit and a motor for driving the pump unit. Typically, the motor is maintained in a chamber which is at a suction pressure such that the motor is cooled. A shaft is driven by the motor to drive at least one element of the compressor pump unit.
In one very popular type of modern compressor, the pump unit consists of two relatively orbiting scroll members. In this type of compressor, known as a scroll compressor, first and second scroll members each have a base and a generally spiral wrap extending from the base. The spiral wraps interfit to define compression chambers. The shaft drives one of the scroll compressors to orbit relative to the other. As the two scroll members orbit, the size of the compression chambers is decreased to compress an entrapped refrigerant.
Historically, the counterweight has been contained within the geometry of the upper motor windings, and sandwiched between the crankcase and the motor stator.
A scroll compressor requires a counterweight be mounted onto the shaft. Historically, counterweights have been relatively large parts which extend for a relatively great area and axial length. It is important that a portion of the counterweight, and in particular its center of gravity, be positioned upwardly near to the orbiting scroll. This has resulted in an undesirable amount of space being required for the counterweight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the disclosed embodiment of this invention, the counterweight is a relatively thin part. In particular, the counterweight has a relatively small neck portion to be received on the shaft, and extending upwardly between the crankcase hub and the upper stator windings to a upper portion which is also relatively thin. The distance that the upper portion extends axially is preferably greater than two times the thickness of the upper portion and most preferably more than three times the thickness. More preferably, the distance is greater than five times the thickness of the upper portion. This relatively thin counterweight can thus fit into a relatively small amount of space. As will be shown in the drawings, this allows a dramatic decrease in the required axial length of the sealed compressor.
In other aspects of this invention, the use of the relatively thin counterweight allows the counterweight to be stamped. Once the counterweight is stamped, further features can be quickly provided by easily manipulating the structure of the counterweight. As an example, a back draft can be formed in the counterweight such that the upper portion is resistant to flow of lubricant upwardly along the outer edge of the counterweight.
Further, the upper edge can be formed to have an air foil angle that may be tailored to assist in oil or refrigerant circulation.
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:
patent: 5176506 (1993-01-01), Siebel
patent: 5219281 (1993-06-01), Caillat et al.
patent: 6000917 (1999-12-01), Smerud et al.
patent: 08261165A (1996-10-01), None

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