Tecumseh Products Company

Sundstrand Corporation

Edwin L Gannaway

Arturo L Ortiz

George W Gatecliff

Emanuel D Fry

Todd W Herrick

Edward A Cooksey

Harold M Harper

Daniel J Hadesh

Clayton Carn

Frank J Scire

In sealed compressors, in one form of the invention, the compressor housing and the compression mechanism are assembled to one another without fasteners. As a result, the time required to install and tighten the fasteners is eliminated, lessen the time required to assemble the compressor. Further, such a fastenerless assembly requires less parts and machining, further reducing the cost of the compressor. Additionally, in one form of the invention, the compression mechanism includes two bearings mounted to the compressor housing and a cylinder block reciprocatingly driven between the bearings by an eccentric member of the crankshaft. Typically, the cylinder block of existing compressors is rigidly mounted to the compressor housing and does not reciprocate.

Compressor

A hermetic compressor includes a housing and a compressor subassembly resiliently supported within the housing. The compressor subassembly includes a motor drivingly coupled to a compressor mechanism by means of a shaft and a motor enclosure is connected to the compressor mechanism and encases the motor. A pair of grommets are disposed between the housing and the compressor subassembly whereby the compressor subassembly is resiliently suspended within the housing. The compressor mechanism discharges compressed gas into the housing through an aperture located in the motor enclosure and a quantity of oil is disposed in a lower portion of the housing. The aperture is submerged in the quantity of oil and the discharge gas exiting through the aperture is urged through the quantity of oil forming a sound damping foam. A main bearing is connected to the motor enclosure. A first discharge chamber is defined by the main bearing and the inner surface of the motor enclosure and a second discharge chamber is defined by the inner surface of the housing and an outer surface of the compressor subassembly. The first and second discharge chambers constitute a pair of mufflers to consecutively receive a quantity of discharge gas and respectively muffle the gas being respectively discharged therefrom. A method to assemble the rotary compressor includes inserting a mounting tool into a hole in the projecting portion of the motor enclosure and aligning a stator-rotor air gap prior to assembling the compressor subassembly within resilient mounts attached to the housing.

Horizontal rotary and method of assembling same

A hermetic rotary compressor comprising a housing, a cylinder block and a bearing assembly in the housing and defining a cylindrical cavity therein. A roller piston, drivingly coupled to a motor, is disposed in the cylindrical cavity. The cylinder block includes a reciprocating vane within a vane slot defined therein. The vane slot extends axially through said cylinder block, radially from an outside perimeter surface of the cylinder block to the cylindrical cavity. At least a portion of the vane slot is defined by a pair of substantially parallel sidewalls with the vane disposed in the vane slot and urged against the roller piston. The vane is guided by the substantially parallel sidewalls and a clearance exists between the vane and the substantially parallel sidewalls. A pool of liquid lubricant is disposed within a sump defined by a discharge chamber and a lower portion of the vane and the clearance are immersed in the liquid lubricant, whereby the vane is lubricated and a refrigerant gas seal is established between the clearance and the vane.

Rotary compressor with vane body immersed in lubricating fluid

A hermetic rotary compressor assembly having a housing, a cylinder block and a bearing assembly within the housing. The cylinder block and the bearing assembly define a cylindrical cavity which has a roller piston disposed therein. The rotary compressor assembly includes a motor drivingly coupled to the roller piston and the cylinder block has a vane slot extending completely axially through and extending radially from an outside perimeter surface of the cylinder block to the cylindrical cavity. At least a portion of the vane slot is defined by a pair of substantially parallel sidewalls and a vane is disposed in and guided by the vane slot and is urged against said roller piston. The cylinder block is fixed in a state of circumferentially oriented stress. A method to assemble the rotary compressor includes spreading apart the sidewalls of the vane slot in the cylinder block, inserting into the spread apart slot a gauge vane of thickness greater than the thickness of a reciprocating vane, releasing the block to cause the slot sidewalls to engage the gauge vane, fixing the cylinder block to hold the engaged sidewalls, removing the gauge vane from the slot, and inserting the reciprocating vane in the slot, whereby a clearance is maintained between the reciprocating vane and slot sidewalls. Another method includes closing together sidewalls of the vane slot to engage the gauge vane, fixing the cylinder block to hold the engaged sidewalls, removing the gauge vane from the slot, and inserting the reciprocating vane in the slot.

Method to set slot width in a rotary compressor

A compressor assembly including a compression mechanism, a rotating crankshaft operably coupled to the compression mechanism, the crankshaft provided with a longitudinally-extending oil conveyance passageway, the oil conveyance passageway in fluid communication with relatively moving interfacing bearing surfaces of the compression mechanism, and an oil pump assembly. The oil pump assembly includes an oil pump body having an interior surface and being rotatable relative to the crankshaft, a vane disposed within the pump body and rotating with the crankshaft, the vane having at least one end in sliding engagement with the interior surface of the oil pump body, and a port plate disposed within the pump body and having rotatably opposite first and second positions. The vane is in sliding engagement with an adjacent surface of the port plate, and the port plate is provided with an inlet and an outlet. The pump body receives oil from a source of oil, the oil received in the pump body directed by the vane into the port plate inlet, the port plate outlet in fluid communication with the oil conveyance passageway, the oil directed into the port plate inlet urged toward the port plate outlet in response to relative movement between the vane and the port plate, whereby oil is pumped from the source of oil through the oil conveyance passageway.

Positive displacement pump rotatable in opposite directions

A hermetic compressor assembly having a housing and a pair of spaced apart main bearings, disposed within the housing, which subdivide the housing into first and second discharge chambers, and a suction chamber. The suction chamber is disposed between the pair of main bearings and first and second compressor mechanisms are disposed, respectively, in the discharge chambers. Each compressor mechanism has an outboard bearing, a cylinder block, which is disposed between the outboard and main bearings and defining a cylindrical cavity, a roller piston in the cylindrical cavity and a vane supported in the cylinder block and rotationally engaging the roller piston. At least one discharge opening is in fluid communication with the respective discharge chamber and a drive motor is disposed in the suction chamber. A drive shaft drivingly connects each roller piston to the motor. A suction port is disposed within at least one of the compressor mechanisms and extends through the respective main bearing. A pair of discharge conduits are connected, respectively, to the pair of discharge chambers to convey discharge gases therefrom.

Hermetic compressor assembly having a suction chamber and twin axially disposed discharge chambers

A water heater using the heat pump principle includes a hermetic compressor mounted within a well defined within a water tank. The outlet fitting of the compressor is connected to a condensing tube within the tank that heats the water. The compressor includes a radially outwardly projecting flange that is supported on a support surface on the upper header of the water tank through a resilient pad. The pad includes ribs, dimples, or other projections to partially support the flange away from the surface of the pad and/or to support the pad off of the support surface on the header, to thereby vent the volume defined between the compressor and the well.

Heat pump hot water heater

A rotary compressor including an orbiting piston is disposed within a cylinder bore. A drive shaft with an attached eccentric causes the piston to orbit within the cylinder block. Rotation of the piston is prevented by a pin radially disposed on the piston and slidably engaged through a recess in the cylinder bore. A plastic pinion is interfit about the radially outward end of the pin and disposed within the recess to prevent piston rotation and reduce re-expansion volume.

Rotary compressor with rotation preventing pin

A compressor assembly is disclosed including a compressor mechanism mounted within a hermetically sealed housing. A cylinder block contains a reciprocating piston in which the piston includes a suction valve assembly and an annular rim that substantially completely fills the discharge port when the piston is at top dead center position, to reduce re-expansion volume. The cylinder head assembly is attached directly to the cylinder block with no intermediate gasket therebetween, permitting coplanar seating of the discharge valve with a correspondingly larger discharge valve seat perimeter permitting faster valve closure and lower pressure loss through the discharge port.

Compressor suction and discharge valve assembly

A scotch yoke compressor including a valve system wherein an annular discharge port is defined by an opening in the valve plate and a washer attached to the cylinder head. A valved piston includes a valve retainer having an annular protuberance that extends above the piston head and is received within the annular discharge port when the piston is at top dead center, thereby reducing reexpansion volume.

Low reexpansion valve system

A flexible valve retainer for a piston and suction valve assembly of a reciprocating piston hermetic compressor assembly. In the compressor assembly, the suction valve opens as a result of the fluid pressure generated by the reciprocating movement of the piston in the cylinder. As it opens, the suction valve is axially displaced from a closed position on the top surface of the piston to an open position a fixed distance therefrom, whereupon further axial movement is prevented as the suction valve strikes the valve retainer. The radially outer portion of the valve retainer deflects as a result of the impact with the suction valve. This deflection of the valve retainer lessens the detrimental effects caused by repeated impact between the suction valve and retainer. The valve retainer is formed from a flexible material such as spring steel or Swedish steel. The valve retainer comprises at least one washer coaxial with the suction valve, and spaced said fixed distance therefrom. In a preferred embodiment, the valve retainer comprises two or three washers stacked one atop another. The stiffness of the valve retainer is less than about 331,000 lbf/in, and the thickness of the valve retainer is preferably between about 0.028 and 0.060 inch.

Flexible suction valve retainer

In a rotary vane hermetic compressor an improved loading structure is provided for the vanes. A pressure reducing means incorporated into the compressor rotor reduces the frictional loading of the vane tips against the compressor walls. A passageway vents fluid at suction pressure into a cavity in the rotor containing the inner tips of the sliding vanes.

Rotary vane compressor with reduced pressure on the inner vane tips

A hermetically sealed twin rotary compressor is disclosed wherein a pair of rotary vane compressors are synchronously, coaxially coupled to respective axial ends of a drive motor by means of a quill disposed in a rotation rotor thereof. The rotary compressor crankshafts are coupled to the quill with their eccentric portion oriented opposite one another with respect to the axis of rotation. Counterbalancing weights are mounted to the motor end rings oppositely the adjacent eccentric portion with respect to the axis of rotation. A suction accumulator is provided having a pair of tubes extending from fluid outlets on the accumulator to respective fluid inlets associated with the pair of compressors. The tubes pass through a pair of spaced apertures in the housing and effectively mount the suction accumulator to the housing. A method of assembling the compressor assembly, including accumulator, is also disclosed.

Twin rotary compressor with suction accumulator

A compressor assembly is disclosed including a compressor mechanism resiliently mounted within a hermetically sealed housing. The compressor mechanism includes a crankcase having a radially extending mounting flange portion, which is resiliently connected to the housing sidewall at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations by a plurality of mounting assemblies. Each mounting assembly comprises a rubber bushing received within a hole in the mounting flange, and a threaded stud that extends through a hole in the bushing and engages a threaded hole in a steel block welded to the housing sidewall above the mounting flange. A washer and retaining nut on the bottom of the threaded stud suspendingly support the mounting flange. In this manner, only a peripheral portion of the washer contacts the mounting flange circumjacent the hole therein, thereby minimizing noise transmission to the housing. Lateral movement of the compressor mechanism is absorbed by the bushing.

Hermetic compressor having resilient internal mounting

A hermetically sealed twin rotary compressor is disclosed wherein a pair of rotary vane compressors are synchronously, coaxially coupled to respective axial ends of a drive motor by means of a quill disposed in a rotatable rotor thereof. The rotary compressor crankshafts are coupled to the quill with their eccentric portion oriented opposite one another with respect to the axis of rotation. Counterbalancing weights are mounted to the motor end rings oppositely the adjacent eccentric portion with respect to the axis of rotation. A suction accumulator is provided having a pair of tubes extending from fluid outlets on the accumulator to respective fluid inlets associated with the pair of compressors. The tubes pass through a pair of spaced apertures in the housing and effectively mount the suction accumulator to the housing. A method of assembling the compressor assembly, including accumulator, is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Adrian, MI, United States of America

Edwin L Gannaway