Lubrication – Systems – Rotary compressor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-18
2001-03-20
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Lubrication
Systems
Rotary compressor
C184S006220, C417S417000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202791
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a linear compressor, and in particular to an oil circulation structure for a linear compressor and a method of the same which are capable of increasing a cooling effect by supplying an oil to a cylinder and exhaust portion and implementing an excellent lubrication performance at a friction portion for thereby enhancing an efficiency of a compressor and increasing a reliability of the product.
2. Description of the Background Art
A high efficiency and power conserving feature is a new trend in a home appliance such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner, etc. The technology for a compressor which forms a freezing cycle apparatus for a refrigerator, an air conditioner, etc. has been intensively developed.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the construction of a conventional linear compressor will be explained.
FIG. 1
is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a conventional linear compressor. The linear compressor includes a compressor unit
90
horizontally installed in the interior of a hermetic container
1
for sucking, compressing and exhausting a refrigerant gas, and an oil supply unit
10
installed at a lower portion of the compressor unit
90
for supplying an oil at the inner lower surface into the interior of the compressor unit
90
.
The compressor unit
90
includes a hollow cylindrical frame
20
, a hollow cylindrical cylinder
30
engaged to a portion of the frame
20
, an outer lamination
40
and a coil assembly
40
a
engaged to an inner surface of the frame
20
, an inner lamination
50
engaged to an outer portion of the cylinder at a certain interval from the outer lamination
40
, a piston(
70
) integrally formed with a rotator
60
which linearly reciprocates between the outer lamination
40
and the inner lamination
50
and installed in the interior of the cylinder
20
, a hallow cylindrical cover
80
engaged at the other end of the frame
20
, and a valve cover
3
including a valve assembly
2
therein for covering an end portion of the cylinder
30
.
The structure that an oil is supplied to the compressor unit
90
by the oil supply unit
10
and is exhausted therefrom will be explained with reference to FIG.
2
.
First, an oil supply pocket
31
a
is formed at a lower portion contacting with the frame
20
and the cylinder
30
and communicates with an oil suction path
11
through which an oil is sucked from the oil supply unit
10
. An oil exhaust pocket
31
b
is formed at an upper portion and communicates with an oil exhaust hole(not shown) formed to exhaust the oil in the direction of one side of the frame
20
.
In addition, oil paths
32
a
and
32
b
are formed at a certain inclination angle to flow an oil up to the inner surface of the cylinder
30
via the oil supply and exhaust pockets
31
a
and
31
b
, namely, up to the contact portions of the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
. An oil pocket
75
is formed at the inner ends of the oil paths
32
a
and
32
b
, namely, at the friction portion of the piston
70
and the cylinder
30
. The oil pocket
75
of the friction portion is formed on an outer surface of the piston
70
and has a certain width and groove over the entire surfaces.
In the drawings, reference numeral
4
represents a refrigerant suction tube,
24
and
25
represent coil springs elastically supported between the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
, and the piston
70
and the cover
80
.
The oil circulation operation of the conventional linear compressor having an oil circulation structure will be explained.
When a power is applied to the compressor unit
90
, the rotator
60
reciprocates between the outer lamination
49
and the inner lamination
50
. Therefore, the piston
70
reciprocates in the cylinder
30
. The refrigerant gas flown into the hermetic container
1
is sucked into a compression chamber of the cylinder
30
via the refrigerant flow path formed at a center portion of the piston
70
and is compressed therein, and then is exhausted via the exhaust valve assembly
2
and the exhaust cover
3
. The above-described operation is repeatedly performed.
In the oil supply and exhaust process in which the operation of the compressor unit
90
is performed, the oil supply unit
10
is vibrated together with the compressor unit
90
and suck an oil. The thusly sucked oil is pumped along the oil suction path
11
and is flown into the friction portion oil pocket
75
via the oil supply pocket
31
a
and the oil introduction oil path
32
a
. The thusly introduced oil lubricates and cools the friction portion between the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
and is exhausted to the outside of the compressor unit
90
sequentially via the oil exhaust path
32
b
, the oil exhaust pocket
31
b
and the oil exhaust hole(not shown).
In other words, as shown in
FIG. 3
, in the conventional oil circulation process, the oil supply unit
10
performs an oil pumping step for pumping an oil from the inner bottom surface of the hermetic container
1
, and in the friction portion oil supply step, the thusly pumped oil lubricates and cools the friction portion between the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
. In addition, an oil returning step, the oil passed through the friction portion oil supply step returns to the inner bottom surface of the hermetic container
1
via an oil exhaust hole(not shown) of the frame
20
.
In the thusly constituted conventional linear compressor having the oil circulation structure, the oil supplied from the oil supply unit
10
flows through the introduction oil path
32
a
of the cylinder
30
and is introduced into the friction portion of the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
. After a certain lubricating process therein, the oil is flown via the exhaust oil path
32
b
of the cylinder
30
and is exhausted to the outside of the compressor unit
90
. Therefore, the oil lubricates the friction portion of the cylinder
30
and the piston
70
and cools the piston
70
.
However, in the conventional oil circulation structure for a conventional linear compressor, the exhaust valve assembly and valve cover which are heated by an exhaust gas are not effectively cooled. In addition, an effective cooling operation is not performed with respect to the cylinder, so that a re-expansion loss occurs due to the heating of the suction gas for thereby decreasing the efficiency of the compressor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil circulation structure for a linear compressor and a method of the same which are capable of increasing a cooling effect of a cylinder and exhaust portion and a lubricating performance of a friction portion, enhancing the efficiency of a compressor, and decreasing the noise caused due to an oil flow for thereby enhancing a reliability of the product.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an oil circulation structure for a linear compressor which includes an exhaust portion oil circulation path in which an oil is circulated at an exhaust portion at which a gas compression and exhausting operation is performed, for thereby cooling the exhaust portion, a cylinder cooling oil circulation path communicating with one side of the exhaust portion oil circulation path for cooling an outer surface of the cylinder, a friction portion cooling oil circulation path for cooling a friction portion between the cylinder and the piston, a plurality of oil through holes formed at the cylinder for communicating the cylinder cooling oil circulation path with the friction portion cooling oil circulation path, an oil supply path for supplying the oil pumped from the oil supply unit into the cylinder cooling oil circulation path, and an oil exhaust hole formed at the frame and communicating another side of the exhaust portion oil circulation path for thereby returning the oil into the hermetic container.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an oil circulation method for a linear compressor which includes an oil pumping step for pum
Lee Hyeong Kook
Oh Won Sik
Song Gye Young
Bucci David A.
Kim Chong H.
LG Electronics Inc.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
LandOfFree
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