Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Michael E Greene

Dwayne L Johnson

Mark J Bookbinder

Ronald E Marker

Susan Claire Vasko

Christopher M Bellinger

Michael L Dees

Edward R La Marca

A scroll compressor for compressing a recirculated flow of a refrigerant fluid comprises a two-piece housing having a fixed scroll securely mounted therein. An orbital scroll is disposed in the housing and matingly operatively engages the fixed scroll. A rotatable drive shaft extends through the forward end of the housing and includes a radially offset, or eccentric, drive pin. A bushing is disposed on the drive pin and retained by a roller bearing centrally on the forward face of the orbital scroll. A counterweight is secured to the bushing. An axial limit pin extends integrally with the drive shaft and is fixed relative to the drive pin. The limit pin extends through an enlarged opening in the counterweight and abuts the forward face of the bushing. A C-type clip is seated in a groove on the distal end of the drive pin for axially retaining the bushing in place on the drive pin.

Axial positioning limit pin for scroll compressor

The scroll compressor 10 includes a housing 12, a fixed scroll 18, an orbital scroll 24, an axial thrust and rotation prevention assembly 46, and an orbital scroll drive. The orbital scroll drive includes a crankshaft 74 rotatably journaled in the housing 12. The crankshaft includes an integral disk 76 and an eccentric crank pin 78 with a lubrication passage 96. An eccentric bushing 80 is journaled on the crank pin 78 and in a boss 82 on the orbital scroll by a needle bearing 81. An eccentric bushing retainer 102 has a shank portion 104 that is pressed into the lubrication passage 96 and an enlarged head portion 106 which holds the eccentric bushing 80 on the crank pin 78. If the eccentric bushing retainer 102 becomes partially unseated from the lubrication passage 96, the surface 114 on the enlarged head portion 106 will contact a surface 116 on the end plate 26 of the orbital scroll 24 and keep the eccentric bushing 80 properly positioned within the compressor housing 12. A passage 120 may be provided in the eccentric bushing retainer 102 to control lubrication of the eccentric bushing 80. The eccentric bushing retainer 102 can be made from plastics and other materials which will act as a bearing surface in the event contact is made with the surface 116 on the orbital scroll 24.

Scroll compressor eccentric bushing retainer

Growing community of inventors

Kettering, OH, United States of America

Michael E Greene