Fluid handling – Line condition change responsive valves – Direct response valves
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-04
2004-11-30
Lee, Kevin (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Line condition change responsive valves
Direct response valves
C137S857000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06823896
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve assembly of a reciprocal compressor, and more particularly to a valve assembly, installed on a cylinder head of a compressor for controlling discharge operation of refrigerant compressed in a cylinder.
2. Description of the Related Art
A freezing system such as a refrigerator has a compressor for compressing refrigerant.
FIG. 1
illustrates a hermetic reciprocal compressor as one example of the compressor.
The compressor
1
has a casing
3
having a sealed inner space defined therein, a cylinder device
21
for compressing the refrigerant, and a driving motor
11
for driving the cylinder device
21
.
In the casing
3
are formed a suction pipe
5
for drawing in gaseous refrigerant, a discharge pipe (not shown) for discharging refrigerant compressed by the compressor
1
, and an electric terminal
9
for supplying electrical power to the compressor
1
. The driving motor
11
has a stator
13
, a rotor
15
, and a shaft
19
rotated by the rotor
15
. When the power is supplied through the electric terminal
9
, the shaft
19
is rotated by the driving motor
11
. The shaft
19
has an eccentric shaft
20
at a lower part thereof.
The cylinder device
21
comprises a cylinder body
23
having a cylinder chamber
23
a
defined therein, a cylinder head
65
installed on the cylinder body
23
, a piston
25
reciprocating in the cylinder chamber
23
a
, and a connecting rod
27
connecting the piston
25
with the eccentric shaft
20
. The eccentric shaft
20
and the connecting rod
27
convert a rotational movement of the shaft
19
into a reciprocating motion of the piston
25
.
One side of the cylinder body
23
is open, and the cylinder head
65
is disposed to seal the open side. A valve assembly
30
having a valve plate
31
and a reed valve
61
is disposed between the cylinder body
23
and the cylinder head
65
. A discharge hole
31
b
for discharging the refrigerant from the cylinder chamber
23
a
and a suction hole
31
a
for drawing the refrigerant into the cylinder chamber
23
a
are formed at the valve plate
31
. The refrigerant, drawn from the outside through the suction pipe
5
, is drawn into the cylinder chamber
23
a
through the suction hole
31
a
, and compressed in the cylinder chamber
23
a
by the reciprocal motion of the piston
25
, and is discharged to the discharge pipe (not shown) through the discharge hole
31
b.
FIG. 2
is a partial enlarged view of
FIG. 1
, showing the valve assembly
30
disposed between the cylinder body
23
and the cylinder head
65
. The valve assembly
30
comprises the valve plate
31
having the suction hole
31
a
(not shown in
FIG. 2
) and the discharge hole
31
b
as described above, the reed valve
61
, disposed at the valve plate
31
, for opening/closing the discharge hole
31
b
, a stopper
71
disposed above the reed valve
61
, and a keeper
73
disposed above the stopper
71
.
The keeper
73
is secured to the valve plate
31
by a settling bolt
75
, and the reed valve
61
and the stopper
71
are secured to the valve plate
31
by the keeper
73
. When the refrigerant in the cylinder
23
a
is discharged through the discharge hole
31
b
, the reed valve
61
is bent upwardly by the discharge force of the refrigerant. In such as situation, the stopper
71
gives a resistant force against the upwardly bending force of the reed valve
61
. The keeper
73
limits deformation range of the stopper
71
, when the stopper
71
is deformed by the bending force of the reed valve
61
. Due to the function of the keeper
73
, the deformation of the reed valve
61
and the stopper
71
is maintained without any changes, and the operation of the reed valve
61
and the stopper
71
is performed with stability, even though there is a constant repetition of opening/closing operations of the reed valve
61
.
However, in such a conventional valve assembly
30
with the above construction, the location of the stopper
71
and the keeper
73
is fixed at one place, so there is a disadvantage that the reed valve
61
cannot operate actively, when discharge pressure of the refrigerant is high. In other words, when the discharge pressure of the refrigerant becomes abnormally high; the bending deformation force for opening the discharge hole
31
b
of the reed valve
61
also becomes abnormally great. Even in this case, since the location of the stopper
71
limited by the keeper
73
and the resistant force given by the stopper
61
are not changed, pressure in the cylinder chamber
23
a
increases because the opening degree of the discharge hole
31
b
is limited. Due to the increase of the pressure, the refrigerant cannot be discharged actively, and also compressing efficiency of the compressor
1
is decreased. Moreover, as a colliding force between the reed valve
61
and the stopper
71
increases, noise generated thereby also increases, and there is a possibility that the reed valve
61
and the stopper
71
are broken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve assembly of a reciprocal compressor capable of controlling opening degree of a reed valve by controlling bending deformation degree of the reed valve and a discharge hole according to increase and decrease of discharge pressure.
The above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing a valve assembly including a valve plate disposed between a cylinder body and a cylinder head and having a refrigerant discharge hole; a reed valve for sealing and opening the refrigerant discharge hole; a first stopper for resisting against a bending deformation force of the reed valve bent by a discharge force of refrigerant while the refrigerant is discharged through the refrigerant discharge hole; at least one second stopper for resisting against the bending deformation force of the first stopper by the reed valve; and a keeper for limiting degree of bending of the second stopper caused by the first stopper.
A controlling means for controlling the biggest bending degree of the second stopper is disposed at some part of the keeper. The controlling means can be a spring inserted between the second stopper and the keeper. Moreover, it can be a bolt settled at the keeper and connected with the second stopper bent by the first stopper, and distance between the second stopper and the bolt is controlled in accordance with the settling degree.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve assembly includes a valve plate disposed between a cylinder body and a cylinder head and having a refrigerant discharge hole; a reed valve for opening/closing the refrigerant discharge hole; a stopper for resisting against bending force of the reed valve while refrigerant is discharged through the refrigerant discharge hole; a keeper for limiting the degree of bending of the stopper caused by the reed valve, and a bolt settled at the keeper and connected with the stopper bent by the reed valve; and distance between the stopper and the bolt is controlled in accordance with the settling degree. It is preferable that a spring, for resisting against a bending deformation force of the stopper, is disposed between the stopper and the bolt.
According to the present invention, since a resisting force against the deformation of the reed valve is changed in accordance with change of discharge pressure of the refrigerant, discharging operation of the refrigerant is performed without any difficulties, and compressing efficiency is increased. Also, breakage of the reed valve can be prevented and noise is reduced because the shock of the reed valve is reduced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 735912 (1903-08-01), Schrotz
patent: 2154880 (1939-04-01), Twigg
patent: 2161769 (1939-06-01), Trask
patent: 4542768 (1985-09-01), Harris
Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co. Ltd.
Westman Champlin & Kelly P.A.
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