Hermetic compressor

Abstract

Disclosed is a hermetic compressor capable of reducing the number of parts and increasing working efficiency in the assembling process. The hermetic compressor includes a cylinder block having a compression chamber, and an assembly having a main body that includes an intake hole through which a refrigerant is drawn into the compression chamber and an exhaust hole through which the refrigerant is exhausted from the compression chamber and is coupled to one side of the cylinder block, and a cover that is coupled with the main body and includes a first resonant chamber communicating with the intake hole and a second resonant chamber communicating with the exhaust hole.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2006-42120, filed on May 10, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a hermetic compressor, and more particularly to a hermetic compressor in which an intake muffler and an exhaust muffler are integrally formed with a cylinder head.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A hermetic compressor forms a part of refrigerating cycle used in a refrigerator, an air conditioner, or the like. This hermetic compressor includes a closed casing forming an external appearance, a compressing unit compressing a refrigerant in the closed casing, and a driving unit providing the compressing unit with driving force.

Among them, the compressing unit includes a cylinder block that forms a compression chamber, a piston that compresses the refrigerant while reciprocating in the compression chamber, a cylinder head that is coupled to one side of the cylinder block to hermetically close the compression chamber and has an intake chamber and an exhaust chamber partitioned each other, and a valve unit that is interposed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head and regulates a flow of the refrigerant that is drawn from the intake chamber into the compression chamber or is exhausted from the compression chamber to the exhaust chamber.

Under this configuration, when the driving unit is driven, the piston reciprocates in the compression chamber. Thereby, the refrigerant is introduced into the intake chamber of the cylinder head from the outside of the closed casing through an intake pipe, is fed to the compression chamber, and is compressed in the compression chamber. The refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber is exhausted to the exhaust chamber of the cylinder head, and then the outside of the closed casing through an exhaust pipe.

The refrigerant that is drawn into and exhausted from the compression chamber causes vibration and noise due to pulsation cased by intermittent intake and exhaust operation thereof. In order to reduce these vibration and noise, the cylinder head is coupled with an intake muffler communicating with the intake chamber as well as an exhaust muffler communicating with the exhaust chamber.

However, in the conventional hermetic compressor, the intake muffler and the exhaust muffler are fabricated independently of the cylinder head, and communicate with the intake chamber and the exhaust chamber through connecting pipes, respectively.

In this manner, because the intake muffler and the exhaust muffler are fabricated independently of the cylinder head, the separate parts such as connecting pipes are required, so that they requires a lot of working procedures for fabrication.

Further, the intake muffler and the exhaust muffler are assembled with the cylinder head by means of a lot of assembling procedures, and thus working efficiency is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hermetic compressor, in which intake and exhaust mufflers are integrally fabricated with a cylinder head, thereby reducing the number of parts, increasing the working efficiency in the assembling process, and ultimately saving the cost of production.

In order to accomplish this object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hermetic compressor, which includes a cylinder block having a compression chamber, and an assembly having a main body that includes an intake hole through which a refrigerant is drawn into the compression chamber and an exhaust hole through which the refrigerant is exhausted from the compression chamber and is coupled to one side of the cylinder block, and a cover that is coupled with the main body and includes a first resonant chamber communicating with the intake hole and a second resonant chamber communicating with the exhaust hole.

Here, the main body may further include a flat part having the intake and exhaust holes, a first recess recessed from the flat part at a predetermined depth and forming part of the first resonant chamber, and a second recess recessed from the flat part at a predetermined depth and forming part of the second resonant chamber. The cover may include a third recess having an intake chamber communicating the intake hole and forming the first resonant chamber together with the first recess, and a fourth recess having an exhaust chamber communicating the exhaust hole and forming the second resonant chamber together with the second recess.

Further, the cover may further include a first connecting channel connecting the intake chamber with the first resonant chamber, and a second connecting channel connecting the exhaust chamber with the second resonant chamber.

Furthermore, the cover may further include a partition that partitions between the intake chamber and exhaust chamber and between the third recess and the fourth recess.

Further, the first and second resonant chambers may be disposed on the same side in relation to the axis of the compression chamber.

In addition, the main body and the cover may be coupled to each other by brazing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a hermetic compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the hermetic compressor of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating the cover of the assembly of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a hermetic compressor according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a closed casing 1 formed by the connection of upper and lower casings 1a and 1b, a compressing unit 10 compressing a refrigerant in the closed casing, and a driving unit 20 providing the compressing unit with driving force. The closed casing 1 is provided, at one side thereof, with an intake pipe 2 guiding the refrigerant to the inside thereof, and an exhaust pipe 3 discharging the refrigerant compressed by the compressing unit 10 to the outside thereof.

Among them, the compressing unit 10 includes a cylinder block 11 that is integrally formed with a frame 15 to thereby form a compression chamber 11a compressing the refrigerant, a piston 12 that reciprocates in the compression chamber 11a to compress the refrigerant, a cylinder head assembly 13 that is coupled to one side of the cylinder block 11 to hermetically close the compression chamber 11a and has an intake chamber 13a and an exhaust chamber 13b partitioned each other, and a valve unit 30 that is interposed between the cylinder block 11 and the cylinder head assembly 13 and regulates a flow of the refrigerant that is drawn from the intake chamber 13a into the compression chamber 11a or is exhausted from the compression chamber 11a to the exhaust chamber 13b.

The driving unit 20 functions to provide a driving force to allow the piston 12 to reciprocate in the compression chamber 11a. The driving unit 20 includes a stator 21 fixed in the closed casing 1, and a rotor 22 fitted in the stator 21 at an interval so as to interact electro-magnetically with the stator 21. The rotor 22 is provided with a rotating shaft 23 at the center thereof, thereby rotating together with the rotating shaft 23. The rotating shaft 23 is provided, at a lower portion thereof, with an eccentric portion 24 that is subject to eccentric rotation, and a connecting rod 25 that is rotatably coupled to the eccentric portion 24 at one end thereof and the piston 12 at the other end thereof so as to convert the eccentric movement into the linear movement.

When the hermetic compressor is powered, the rotating shaft 23 is rotated by electromagnetic interaction between the stator 21 and the rotor 22, and the piston 12 connected with the eccentric portion 24 through the connecting rod 25 performs the linear reciprocation in the compression chamber 11a. Thereby, the refrigerant of the outside of the closed casing 1 is introduced into the intake chamber 13a of the cylinder head assembly 13 through the intake pipe 2, is transferred to the compression chamber 11a, and is compressed in the compression chamber 11a. The refrigerator compressed in the compression chamber 11a is exhausted to the exhaust chamber 13b of the cylinder head assembly 13 and then to the outside of the closed casing 1 through the exhaust pipe 3.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the valve unit 30 includes an exhaust valve plate 35 that has an intake hole 31 and an exhaust hole (now shown) through which the compression chamber. 11a of the cylinder block 11 communicate with the intake and exhaust chambers 13a and 13b of the cylinder head assembly 13, an intake valve plate 40 that is assembled to the exhaust valve plate 35 on the side of the cylinder block 11 and is provided with an intake valve 41 opening/closing the intake hole 31, and a gasket 45 that is installed between the intake valve plate 40 and the cylinder block 11 to prevent the refrigerant from leaking.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the exhaust valve plate 35 on the side of the cylinder head assembly 13 is assembled with an exhaust valve assembly 32, which opens/closes the exhaust hole (not shown).

Each of the gasket 45, the intake valve plate 40, and the exhaust valve plate 35 is provided with bolt holes at an outer circumference thereof. The valve unit 30 is installed between the cylinder block 11 and the cylinder head assembly 13 by means of fixing bolts 48, each of which passes through each bolt hole from the outside of the cylinder head assembly 13 to be bolted to the cylinder block 11.

The cylinder head assembly 13 installed on one side of the cylinder block 11 includes a main body 50 coupled to the cylinder block 11 by means of the fixing bolts 48, and a cover 60 coupled to the main body 50, for example, by brazing.

The main body 50 includes a flat part 51 having a flat surface, and first and second recesses 55 and 56 recessed toward the cylinder block 11 from the flat part 51 at a predetermined depth.

The flat part 51 is provided with bolt holes 52 that allow the fixing bolts 48 fixing the cylinder head assembly 13 to the cylinder block 11 to pass therethrough, and an exhaust hole 54 that is provided at a position corresponding to the exhaust valve assembly 32 that opens/closes an intake hole 53 provided at a position corresponding to the intake hole 31 of the exhaust valve plate 35 so as to allow the refrigerant to be drawn as well as the exhaust hole (not shown) of the exhaust valve plate 35.

The first recess 55 and the second recess 56 are partitioned by a first partition 57. The first recess 55 forms part of a first resonant chamber 58 reducing noise of the drawn refrigerant, whereas the second recess 56 forms part of a second resonant chamber 59 reducing noise of the exhausted refrigerant.

At this time, the first and second resonant chambers 58 and 59 are disposed on the same side in relation to the axis of the compression chamber 11a. In this manner, because the first and second resonant chambers 58 and 59 are disposed on the same side, the internal space of the closed casing 1 can be efficiently used.

The cover 60 coupled to the main body 50 of the cylinder head assembly 13 includes an edge 61 that is a part coupled to the main body 50, for example, by brazing, and third and fourth recesses 62 and 63 that are recessed opposite to the cylinder block 11 from the edge 61 at a predetermined depth.

The third recess 62 and the fourth recess 63 are partitioned by a second partition 64. At this time, the second partition 64 is in surface contact with the first partition 57 when the cover 60 is coupled to the main body 50.

A part of the third recess 62 serves as the intake chamber 13a at a position corresponding to the intake hole 53 of the main body 50, and the other part serves as the first resonant chamber 58 at a position corresponding to the first recess 55 of the main body 50. The intake chamber 13a and the first resonant chamber 58 are connected by a first connecting channel 67.

A part of the fourth recess 63 serves as the exhaust chamber 13b at a position corresponding to the exhaust hole 54 of the main body 50, and the other part serves as the second resonant chamber 59 at a position corresponding to the second recess 56 of the main body 50. The exhaust chamber 13b and the second resonant chamber 59 are connected by a second connecting channel 68.

Meanwhile, the third recess 62 is provided with an intake pipe connecting hole 62a connected with the intake pipe 2, and the fourth recess 63 is provided with an exhaust pipe connecting hole 63a connected with the exhaust pipe 3.

The operation and effects of the hermetic compressor according to the present invention will be described below.

When the hermetic compressor is driven, a refrigerant is drawn into the first resonant chamber 58 through the intake pipe 2. The refrigerant drawn into the first resonant chamber 58 flows into the intake chamber 13a through the first connecting channel 67. The refrigerant flowing into the intake chamber 13a is introduced into the compression chamber 11a by the intake valve 41, and is compressed by the piston 12.

The refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber 11a is exhausted to the exhaust chamber 13b by opening/closing the exhaust valve assembly 32. The refrigerant exhausted to the exhaust chamber 13b flows to the second resonant chamber 59 through the second connecting channel 68. The refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber 11a is expanded when flowing to the second resonant chamber 59, so that noise or vibration caused by pulsation is reduced.

As described above, the intake and exhaust chambers formed in the cylinder head assembly and the resonant chambers formed in the intake and exhaust mufflers can be simply formed only by one assembly in which the main body is assembled with the cover.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the hermetic compressor according to the present invention forms an assembly in which the intake and exhaust mufflers are integrally fabricated with the cylinder head assembly, so that the number of parts can be reduced, and the working efficiency is increased in the assembling process. Ultimately, the cost of production can be saved.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A hermetic compressor comprising:

a cylinder block having a compression chamber; and

an assembly having a main body that includes an intake hole through which a refrigerant is drawn into the compression chamber and an exhaust hole through which the refrigerant is exhausted from the compression chamber and is coupled to one side of the cylinder block, and a cover that is coupled with the main body and includes a first resonant chamber communicating with the intake hole and a second resonant chamber communicating with the exhaust hole.

2. The hermetic compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the main body further includes a flat part having the intake and exhaust holes, a first recess recessed from the flat part at a predetermined depth and forming part of the first resonant chamber, and a second recess recessed from the flat part at a predetermined depth and forming part of the second resonant chamber; and

the cover includes a third recess having an intake chamber communicating the intake hole and forming the first resonant chamber together with the first recess, and a fourth recess having an exhaust chamber communicating the exhaust hole and forming the second resonant chamber together with the second recess.

3. The hermetic compressor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cover further includes a first connecting channel connecting the intake chamber with the first resonant chamber, and a second connecting channel connecting the exhaust chamber with the second resonant chamber.

4. The hermetic compressor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cover further includes a partition that partitions between the intake chamber and exhaust chamber and between the third recess and the fourth recess.

5. The hermetic compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second resonant chambers are disposed on the same side in relation to the axis of the compression chamber.

6. The hermetic compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body and the cover are coupled to each other by brazing.