MOTOR OPERATED COMPRESSOR

Abstract

A motor operated compressor includes a compression module configured to compress a compression target fluid by an orbiting motion of a scroll; an inverter module configured to control driving of the compression module; a main housing formed to surround a mechanical component provided in the compression module and having an intake port for intaking the compression target fluid; an inverter cover forming a boundary between the compression module and the inverter module and disposed to be exposed to the compression target fluid flowing into the compression module through the intake port; and a plurality of guide protrusions protruding from the inverter cover toward an internal space of the main housing to guide the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port along a surface of the inverter cover, and formed along a direction from the intake port toward an opposite side of the intake port.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), this application claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No. 10-2019-0069518, filed on Jun. 12, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a motor operated compressor driven by a motor.

2. Background of the Disclosure

Compressors are classified into a mechanical type using an engine as a driving source and an electric type using a motor as a driving source.

As a motor operated compressor, a scroll compression method suitable for a high compression ratio operation is widely known. In a sealed casing of the motor operated compressor having a scroll compression method (hereinafter, abbreviated to a motor operated compressor in the present specification), a motor unit configured as a drive motor is provided. A compression unit including a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll is installed on one side of the motor unit. The motor unit and the compression unit are connected to a rotating shaft. A rotational force of the motor unit is transferred to the compression unit through the rotating shaft. The compression unit compresses a fluid such as a refrigerant by the rotational force transmitted through the rotating shaft.

Driving of a motor provided in the motor operated compressor is controlled by an inverter module. Circuit components such as elements provided in the inverter module inevitably generate heat as they operate with power supplied thereto. In addition, when a discharge temperature of a compression target fluid is increased, heat of the discharge fluid is transferred to the circuit component of the inverter module through the components constituting the motor operated compressor.

As a temperature of circuit components included in the inverter module increases, efficiency of the inverter module decreases. Since it is difficult to prevent a degradation of efficiency of the inverter module by natural cooling alone, the temperature of the circuit components must be lowered through active cooling to improve efficiency of the inverter module.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1182661 (2012 Sep. 7) discloses a cooling fan device of a power module for an inverter. The patent document discloses a structure in which an inverter is cooled by using a cooling fan and a cooling fin. When the device disclosed in the patent document is used, it is expected to improve efficiency of the inverter module through a cooling effect over natural cooling.

However, due to a volume of the device disclosed in the patent document, a volume of the compressor is naturally increased and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the compressor is also inevitable. Furthermore, since the cooling fan consumes power supplied to the compressor, the effect of improving efficiency through cooling the circuit components is canceled out.

In addition, it is difficult to cool the circuit components in which heat is concentrated because a wind direction cannot be guided in a desired direction by using the cooling fin disclosed in the patent document.

Moreover, the structure disclosed in the patent document cannot set a desired cooling degree.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Therefore, an aspect of the detailed description is to provide a structure capable of cooling a circuit component or the like of an inverter module using a component already provided in a motor operated compressor without adding a separate device such as a cooling fan or a cooling fin.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a motor operated compressor having a structure capable of cooling a circuit component or the like of an inverter module without consuming power.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a structure capable of particularly cooling a circuit component on which heat is concentrated by guiding a cooling fluid in a desired direction.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to propose a structure in which a degree of cooling of a circuit component can be set according to a designer's desire.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a motor operated compressor capable of further obtaining a rigidity reinforcing effect of an inverter cover by using a component for cooling a circuit component.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, a motor operated compressor includes a plurality of guide protrusions formed on the boundary of a compression module and a main inverter module.

The plurality of guide protrusions may protrude from the boundary between the compression module and the inverter module toward an internal space of the compression module.

The compression module may be configured to compress a compression target fluid by an orbiting motion of a scroll, and the inverter module is configured to control driving of the compression module.

The compression module may have a main housing, and the main housing may be formed to surround a mechanical component provided in the compression module and have an intake port for intake of the compression target fluid.

The inverter module may have an inverter cover, and the inverter cover may form the boundary between the compression module and the inverter module and may be exposed to the compression target fluid flowing into the compression module through the intake port.

The plurality of guide protrusions may protrude from the inverter cover toward an internal space of the main housing to guide the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port along a surface of the inverter cover. The plurality of guide protrusions may be formed along a direction from the intake port toward an opposite side of the intake port. The direction toward the opposite side of the intake port is based on a radial direction of the main housing.

A contact area between the inverter cover and the compression target fluid may be defined by an open end of the main housing, the opposite side of the intake port may indicate an opposite position of the intake port based on the plurality of guide protrusions in the contact area, and the plurality of guide protrusions may be spaced apart from each other to form a flow path continued from the intake port to the opposite side of the intake port therebetween.

The inverter cover may have a rotating shaft support portion protruding from a surface of the inverter cover and the plurality of guide protrusions may be arranged radially around the rotating shaft support portion.

The plurality of guide protrusions may be formed along a virtual concentric circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the concentric circle and a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion.

A plurality of guide protrusions arranged along a first concentric circle relatively close to the rotating shaft support portion among the virtual concentric circles may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a first interval along a circumference of the first concentric circle, a plurality of guide protrusions arranged along a second concentric circle relatively far from the rotating shaft support portion among the virtual concentric circles may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a second interval along a circumference of the second concentric circle, and the first interval may be smaller than the second interval.

The inverter cover may have a rotating shaft support portion protruding from the surface of the inverter cover, the plurality of guide protrusions may be formed in a virtual circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion, and adjacent guide protrusions may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at equal intervals from all sides.

The inverter cover may have a rotating shaft support portion protruding from the surface of the inverter cover, and the plurality of guide protrusions may include: a plurality of first guide protrusions extending along a virtual circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion and arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a second guide protrusion extending from one of the plurality of first guide protrusions toward the intake port; and a third guide protrusion extending from the other of the plurality of first guide protrusions toward the opposite side of the intake port.

The plurality of first guide protrusions may extend along a virtual concentric circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other.

The second guide protrusion may be formed in plural and extend along virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion in parallel to each other, and the third guide protrusion may be formed in plural and extend along virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion in parallel to each other.

Among the plurality of first guide protrusions, first guide protrusions extending along different virtual concentric circles may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion.

The virtual concentric circles may include: a first concentric circle at a position relatively close to the rotating shaft support portion; a second concentric circle at a position farther from the rotating shaft support portion than the first concentric circle; and a third concentric circle at a position farther from the rotating shaft support portion than the second concentric circle, wherein a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the first concentric circle and a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the second concentric circle may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a first interval in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion, a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the second concentric circle and a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the third concentric circle may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a second interval in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion, and the first interval may be smaller than the second interval.

The plurality of guide protrusions may further include a fourth guide protrusion, and the fourth guide protrusion may extend along the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion to connect first guide protrusions extending along different virtual concentric circles among the plurality of first guide protrusions.

The inverter cover may have a rotating shaft support portion protruding annularly from the surface of the inverter cover, at least one hole allowing the annular inner side and outer side to communicate with each other may be formed on a side surface of the rotating shaft support portion, and the plurality of guide protrusions may be formed both at a position corresponding to the annular inner side and at a position corresponding to the annular outer side.

The plurality of guide protrusions may be integrally formed with the inverter cover by machining a surface of the inverter cover.

The motor operated compressor may further include a cover plate formed to cover the plurality of guide protrusions, wherein the cover plate is in close contact with the plurality of guide protrusions and is spaced apart from the surface of the inverter cover.

The cover plate may have a plurality of cover protrusions having a shape corresponding to the plurality of guide protrusions, and the plurality of cover protrusions may protrude toward the plurality of guide protrusions.

The motor operated compressor may further include a protrusion forming plate formed of a thermally conductive material in close contact with the surface of the inverter cover, wherein the plurality of guide protrusions may be formed on the protrusion forming plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a motor operated compressor proposed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a compression module and an inverter module of the motor operated compressor illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an inverter module related to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter module shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view of an inverter module and a main housing shown in FIG. 3 viewed from the rear side of the motor operated compressor.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an inverter cover related to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an inverter cover related to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an inverter module related to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter module shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual view of an inverter module and a main housing shown in FIG. 8 viewed from the rear side of a motor operated compressor.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an inverter module related to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an inverter module shown in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, description will be given in more detail of a motor-operated compressor according to the present disclosure, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of brief description with reference to the drawings, the same or equivalent components will be provided with the same reference numbers, and description thereof will not be repeated.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected with” another element, the element may be connected with the another element and intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected with” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

A singular representation may include a plural representation unless it represents a definitely different meaning from the context.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a motor operated compressor proposed in the present disclosure.

A motor operated compressor 1000 includes a compression module 1100 and an inverter module 1200.

The compression module 1100 refers to an aggregation of parts for compressing a fluid such as a refrigerant. The inverter module 1200 refers to an aggregation of parts for controlling driving of the compression module 1100. The inverter module 1200 may be coupled to one side of the compression module 1100. If directionality is set based on a flow of a fluid compressed by the motor operated compressor 1000, one side of the compression module 1100 refers to a front side of the compression module 1100. Since the compression target fluid flows into an intake port 1111 and is discharged to a discharge port 1121, the inverter module 1200 disposed close to the intake port 1111 may be described as being coupled to a front side of the compression module 1100.

The compression module 1100 is configured to compress the compression target fluid by an orbiting motion of a compression unit (not shown) including a fixed scroll (not shown) and an orbiting scroll (not shown). The compression module 1100 may include a main housing 1110 and a rear housing 1120.

The main housing 1110 is formed to surround a mechanical component provided in the compression module 1100. Here, the mechanical component refers to components constituting the driving unit, the compression unit and the like. The main housing 1110 has an appearance of a hollow cylinder, a polygonal pillar, or the like. The main housing 1110 may be arranged to extend in a horizontal direction.

Both ends of the main housing 1110 may be fully or partially opened. For example, a front end of the main housing 1110 may be fully opened, and a rear end of the main housing 1110 may be partially opened. Here, the front end of the housing 1110 refers to an end coupled to the inverter module 1200. The rear end of the housing 1110 refers to an end coupled to the rear housing 1120.

The inner diameter and the outer diameter of the main housing 1110 may not be constant. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end and the rear end may have a larger outer diameter than a middle portion between the front end and the rear end.

On an outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110, an intake port 1111 and a mount portion 1112 are formed.

The intake port 1111 forms a flow path for supplying the compression target fluid into the internal space of the motor operated compressor 1000. The intake port 1111 may protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110. The intake port 1111 may be connected to an intake tube (not shown) for supplying the compression target fluid to the motor operated compressor 1000. The intake port 1111 may have a shape corresponding to the intake tube to be coupled to the intake tube.

The mount portion 1112 is a structure for fixing the motor operated compressor 1000 to an installation target area. The mount portion 1112 may protrude from an outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110. The mount portion 1112 may protrude along a circumferential direction of the main housing 1110. The mount portion 1112 may extend along a tangential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110.

The mount portion 1112 may include a fastening member coupling hole 1112a that can be engaged with a certain fastening member. The fastening member coupling hole 1112a may be opened toward the tangential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110. The mount portion 1112 may be formed on one side and the other side of the main housing 1110, respectively. For example, in FIG. 1, the mount portions 1112 are formed on the left and right or the top and bottom of the main housing 1110, respectively.

The rear housing 1120 is disposed on the other side of the main housing 1110 or a rear side of the main housing 1110. The rear housing 1120 may be formed to cover a rear end of the main housing 1110.

The rear housing 1120 includes a discharge port 1121 and a mount portion 1122.

The discharge port 1121 forms a flow path for discharging the fluid compressed in the motor operated compressor 1000 to the outside. The discharge port 1121 may protrude from an outer circumferential surface of the rear housing 1120. The discharge port 1121 may be connected to a discharge tube (not shown) for supplying the compressed fluid to a downstream side device of a refrigeration cycle. The discharge port 1121 has a shape corresponding to the discharge tube so as to be coupled to the discharge tube.

The mount portion 1122 is formed on the rear outer surface of the rear housing 110. The mount portion 1122 may protrude from the rear outer surface of the rear housing 110. The mount portion 1122 may extend in an up-down direction. A fastening member coupling hole 1122a is formed on the mount portion 1122. The mount portion 1122 serves substantially the same as the mount portion 1112 of the main housing 1110.

The main housing 1110 and the rear housing 1120 may be coupled to each other by a plurality of fastening members 1123. The fastening member 1123 is inserted toward the main housing 1110 side from the rear housing 1120 side. A plurality of fastening members 1123 may be installed along the circumference of the rear housing 1120.

A relief valve 1124 is installed in the rear housing 1120. The relief valve 1124 is formed to be opened at a reference pressure or higher. The relief valve 1124 is to prevent a high pressure fluid from flowing into the inside of a vehicle through the discharge port 1121 under abnormal circumstances. When a pressure inside of the motor operated compressor 1000 is equal to or greater than the reference pressure due to an abnormal situation such as an accident that occurs in the vehicle equipped with the motor operated compressor 1000, the relief valve 1124 is opened. When the relief valve 1124 is opened, the high pressure fluid is discharged to the outside of the motor operated compressor 1000 through the relief valve 1124.

Next, the inverter module 1200 will be described.

The inverter module 1200 includes the inverter housing 1210 and an inverter cover 1220.

The inverter housing 1210 and the inverter cover 1220 are coupled to each other and provide a mounting space for circuit components.

The inverter housing 1210 is disposed at a front end of the motor operated compressor 1000. One surface of the inverter housing 1210 is disposed to face the front of the motor operated compressor 1000 and forms one outer wall of the motor operated compressor 1000. The inverter housing 1210 has a sidewall which protrudes toward the inverter cover 1220 along an edge of the one surface. The inverter housing 1210 may have an outer circumferential surface larger than the outer circumferential surface of the main housing 1110.

The inverter cover 1220 is coupled to the inverter housing 1210. The inverter cover 1220 may be formed in a plate shape covering an opening of the inverter housing 1210 and a front end of the main housing 1110. The edge of the inverter cover 1220 may have a shape corresponding to the sidewall of the inverter housing 1210.

The inverter housing 1210 and the inverter cover 1220 are coupled to each other by a plurality of fastening members 1215. The inverter housing 1210 may have a plurality of fastening member accommodating recesses 1214 for accommodating the fastening member 1215. The plurality of fastening members 1215 are inserted toward the inverter cover 1220 from the inverter housing 1210 side. The plurality of fastening members 1215 are installed at positions spaced apart from each other along the circumference of the inverter housing 1210. As the inverter cover 1220 is coupled to the inverter housing 1210, the inverter module 1200 has an internal space.

The edge of the inverter cover 1220 is coupled to the inverter housing 1210 and one surface of the inverter cover 1220 is coupled to the main housing 1110.

The inverter cover 1220 is provided with a power connector 1241 and a communication connector 1242. The power connector 1241 and the communication connector 1242 are formed to be connectable with different mating connectors (not shown), respectively. The power connector 1241 is formed to transfer power supplied from the mating connector to circuit components or the like. The communication connector 1242 may electrically transfer a control command or the like transmitted from the outside to the circuit component so that the motor operated compressor 1000 is driven according to the control command.

Hereinafter, an internal structure of the motor operated compressor 1000 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the compression module 1100 and the inverter module 1200 of the motor operated compressor 1000 shown in FIG. 1.

When the compression module 1100 and the inverter module 1200 are separated from each other, a motor chamber S1 is exposed through a front end 1110a of the main housing 1110. The motor chamber S1 refers to a space in which the drive motor 1130 is installed.

The motor chamber S1 is formed by combining the main housing 1110 and the inverter cover 1220. A sealing member such as an O-ring may be installed along a coupling position of the main housing 1110 and the inverter cover 1220 to seal the motor chamber S1.

The drive motor 1130 is installed in the motor chamber S1. The drive motor 1130 includes a stator 1131 and a rotor 1132.

The stator 1131 is installed along an inner circumferential surface of the main housing 1110 and is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the main housing 1110. The stator 1131 is inserted into and fixed to the main housing 1110 by shrinkage fitting. Therefore, an insertion depth of the stator 1131 to be inserted into the main housing 1110 is set to be small (or shallow) to advantageously ensure ease of assembly work of the stator 1131. Furthermore, the insertion depth of the stator 1131 is set to be small to advantageously maintain concentricity of the stator 1131 in the shrinkage fitting process.

The rotor 1132 is installed in an area surrounded by the stator 1131. The rotor 1132 is rotated by electromagnetic interaction with the stator 1131.

The rotating shaft 1140 is coupled to the center of the rotor 1132. The rotating shaft 1140 transmits a rotational force generated by the drive motor 1130 to the compression unit (to be described later) while being rotated together with the rotor 1132. The rotating shaft 1140 is inserted into and fixed to the rotor 1132 by shrinkage fitting.

The inverter cover 1220 and the main housing 1110 are coupled by a plurality of fastening members 1221. The plurality of fastening members 1221 may penetrate through holes formed in the inverter cover 1220 in a direction from a first surface to a second surface and protrude toward the main housing 1110. The plurality of fastening members 1221 are coupled to the front end 1110a of the main housing 1110. The plurality of fastening members 1221 are disposed at positions spaced apart from each other along a curve corresponding to the edge of the front end 1110a.

An outer surface of the inverter cover 1220 has an area surrounded by the plurality of fastening members 1221. The area surrounded by the plurality of fastening members 1221 covers a front opening of the main housing 1110.

A rotating shaft support portion 1222 supporting the rotating shaft 1140 of the compression module 1100 in the axial direction may be formed at the center of the area surrounded by the plurality of fastening members 1221. The rotating shaft support portion 1222 may protrude from a rear outer surface of the inverter cover 1220 and may be formed to surround an end of the rotating shaft 1140.

When the fluid such as a refrigerant is compressed in the compression module 1100, the rotating shaft 1140 is forced toward the inverter module 1200 along the axial direction due to an influence of high pressure. When the rotating shaft support portion 1222 supports the rotating shaft 1140 in the axial direction, the rotating shaft 1140 may be prevented from being pushed toward the inverter module 1200.

A three-phase hermetic terminal 1260 is exposed from one side of the rotating shaft support portion 1222. The three-phase hermetic terminal 1260 is electrically connected to the drive motor 1130 driven in UVW three phases and transmits power and electrical control commands from the inverter module 1200 to the drive motor 1130.

The inverter cover 1220 forms a boundary between the compression module 1100 and the inverter module 1200. One surface of the inverter cover 1220 is exposed to the motor chamber S1. The intake port 1111 provided in the main housing 1110 is formed to communicate with the outside of the motor operated compressor 1000 and the motor chamber S1, and the compression target fluid flows into the motor chamber S1 through the intake port 1111 and thus one surface of the inverter cover 1220 is exposed to the compression target fluid.

When the motor operated compressor 1000 is operated, the inverter cover 1220 has a relatively high temperature due to heat transferred thereto after being generated by circuit components in the inverter module 1200 and heat due to an increase in a discharge temperature of the compression target fluid. In contrast, the compression target fluid flowing into the motor chamber S1 through the intake port 1111 has a relatively low temperature. Accordingly, when the inverter cover 1220 is exposed to the compression target fluid, the inverter cover 1220 may be cooled by the compression target fluid.

A plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are provided in the inverter cover 1220. The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 serve to further enhance a cooling effect of the inverter cover 1220 by the compression target fluid. In particular, since the intake port 1111 is formed on one side of the main housing 1110, the cooling effect may be lowered at a position far from the intake port 1111, but the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are provided to prevent a degradation of the cooling effect by inducing the flow of the compression target fluid.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3 and following drawings.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing the motor operated compressor 1000 of the first embodiment provided in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inverter module 1200 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter module 1200 illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a conceptual view of the inverter module 1200 and the main housing 1110 shown in FIG. 3 viewed from the rear side of the motor operated compressor 1000.

The inverter module 1200 includes an inverter housing 1210, an inverter cover 1220, a circuit component 1230, connectors 1241 and 1242, a printed circuit board (PCB) 1251, a power device 1270, and a heat sink 1280.

Here, the circuit component 1230 refers to various electrical components such as a capacitor and a switching element mounted on the PCB 1251 to perform an electrical function.

The communication connector 1242 is partially inserted into the inverter module 1200 through the inverter cover 1220. A portion 1242a (see FIG. 4) inserted into the inverter module 1200 is electrically connected to the PCB 1251. The communication connector 1242 is fixed to the inverter cover 1220 by a fastening member 1242b. This description may be equally applicable to the power connector 1241.

The PCB 1251 is mounted inside the inverter module 1200. A plurality of electrical elements are mounted on the PCB 1251. In particular, the power device 1270 is mounted on the PCB 1251, and the power device 1270 is electrically connected to the drive motor 1130 by the three-phase hermetic terminal 1260 described with reference to FIG. 2.

The PCB 1251 is fixed by an annular PCB support portion 1252 and a fastening member 1253. In order to maintain functions of the circuit components 1230 mounted on the PCB 1251, the PCB 1251 must be fixed at one position in the inverter module 1200. In particular, a distance between the PCB 1251 and the inverter cover 1220 must be constantly maintained.

For example, a heat sink 1280 is disposed between the power device 1270 and the inverter cover 1220 to cool the power device 1270. If the distance between the PCB 1251 and the inverter cover 1220 is changed, a heat conduction function of the heat sink 1280 may be severely deteriorated. The PCB support portion 1252 fixes and supports the PCB 1251 at one position and also maintains a constant distance from the inverter cover 1220.

A plurality of bushes 1252a protrude toward the inverter cover 1220 and the PCB 1251 around the PCB support portion 1252 corresponding to an outer portion of the ring. The plurality of bushes 1252a may be alternately arranged with a fastening member 1215 for coupling the inverter cover 1220 and the main housing 1110.

One surface of the PCB 1251 is in close contact with the bush 1252a, and the fastening member 1253 is fastened to the bush 1252a at the other surface of the PCB 1251.

Since the PCB support portion 1252 is formed in an annular shape, circuit components 1230 including the power device 1270 may be mounted on the PCB 1251 in and out of the ring.

The power device 1270 is provided in the inverter module 1200 and not only provides power to the drive motor 1130 but also controls an operation of the drive motor 1130. The power device 1270 is provided with a conductive pin 1271, and the conductive pin 1271 is electrically connected to the PCB 1251 and the three-phase hermetic terminal 1260.

The heat sink 1280 is formed of a thermally conductive material and is disposed between the power device 1270 and the inverter cover 1220. Since one surface of the inverter cover 1220 is exposed to the compression target fluid, when the heat sink 1280 is disposed between the other surface of the inverter cover 1220 and the power device 1270, heat generated by the power device 1270 may be conducted into an inverter cover 1220 to cool the power device 1270.

The heat sink 1280 includes a bush 1281 on both sides for coupling with the inverter cover 1220. When the fastening member 1282 is inserted into the bush 1281 and fastened to the inverter cover 1220, the heat sink 1280 is also coupled to the inverter cover 1220.

As described above, since heat generated from the power device 1270 is transferred to the inverter cover 1220 through the heat sink 1280, enhancement of efficiency of the inverter module 1200 may be expected by ultimately lowering a temperature of the power device 1270 by cooling the inverter cover 1220. In order to increase the cooling effect of the inverter cover 1220 by the compression target fluid, a structure for improving a chance of contact between the compression target fluid and the inverter cover 1220 is required. The structure for improving the chance of contact between the compression target fluid and the inverter cover 1220 refers to a structure capable of guiding the flow of the compression target fluid flowing from one side of the main housing 1110 to the opposite side of the intake port 1111.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 form a structure capable of guiding the flow of the compression target fluid from the intake port 1111 to the opposite side of the intake port 1111. Here, the opposite side of the intake port 1111 indicates an opposite position of the intake port 1111 based on the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 (or rotating shaft support portion 1222) within the contact area between the inverter cover 1220 defined by the main housing 1110 and the compression target fluid.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 protrude from the inverter cover 1220 toward the internal space of the main housing 1110 so that the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port 1111 flows along the surface of the inverter cover 1220. The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 may protrude in a hemisphere shape. The internal space of the main housing 1110 refers to the motor chamber S1. A protruding direction of the guide protrusion 1223 is a direction from the front of the motor operated compressor 1000 to the rear.

Since the intake port 1111 is formed at a position close to the front end (open end) of the main housing 1110, one surface of the inverter cover 1220 coupled to the front end of the main housing 1110 is naturally in contact with the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port 1111.

Therefore, when the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 protrude from the inverter cover 1220 toward the motor chamber S1, the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port 1111 flows along the surface of the inverter cover 1220 and the flow of the compression target fluid is naturally guided by the plurality of guide protrusions 1223.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are formed along a direction from the intake port 1111 toward the opposite side of the intake port 1111. If a position where the intake port 1111 is formed in the radial direction of the main housing 1110 is one side of the main housing 1110, the opposite side of the intake port 1111 may be referred to as the other side of the main housing 1110. According to this criterion, the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 may be formed on the surface of the inverter cover 1220 and may be described as being formed along a direction from one side of the main housing 1110 toward the other side.

In the middle of the direction from one side of the main housing 1110 toward the other side, the rotating shaft support portion 1222 is formed on the inverter cover 1220. Therefore, the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 may be described as being formed around the rotating shaft support portion 1222.

The rotating shaft support portion 1222 may protrude in an annular shape from the surface of the inverter cover 1220 toward the motor chamber S1. Accordingly, the rotating shaft support portion 1222 may have a hollow cylindrical shape.

At least one hole 1222a may be formed on a side surface of the rotating shaft support portion 1222 corresponding to a side surface of the cylinder to allow the inside and the outside of the annular shape to communicate with each other. According to such a structure, the low-temperature compression target fluid may flow into the inside of the rotating shaft support portion 1222 through the hole 1222a. The inside of the rotating shaft support portion 1222 refers to the inside of the cylinder. Since a portion of the inverter cover 1220 faces the inside of the cylinder, the portion may be cooled by the compression target fluid.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are spaced apart from each other to form a continuous flow path connected from the intake port 1111 to the opposite side of the intake port 1111. If the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are partially connected to each other, a continuous flow path cannot be formed. For example, when the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are partially connected, the flow path formed by the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 is partially discontinuous. However, if the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are spaced apart from each other, the continuous flow path that can guide the flow of the compression target fluid is naturally formed.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 formed in the motor operated compressor 1000 of the first embodiment are radially arranged around the rotating shaft support portion 1222. The radial shape refers to a shape of spokes extending from a central point. It may be understood that the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other along virtual straight lines extending in different directions from a central reference position called the rotating shaft support portion 1222.

The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 formed in the motor operated compressor 1000 of the first embodiment may also be described as being formed along a virtual concentric circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion 1222. Concentric circles refers to multiple circles with the same center. The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are arranged and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the concentric circles that share the center called the rotating shaft support portion 1222 and the radial direction of the rotating shaft.

The degree to which the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 formed in the motor operated compressor 1000 of the first embodiment are spaced apart from each other may be uniform or not uniform depending on the direction. For example, the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 in the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion 1222 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a uniform interval D. However, in the circumferential direction of the concentric circles, the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at non-uniform intervals.

For example, the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 arranged along an arbitrary first concentric circle relatively close to the rotating shaft support portion 1222 among the virtual concentric circles may be defined to be spaced apart from each other at a first interval A1 (see FIG. 5) along a circumference of a first concentric circle. The plurality of guide protrusions 1223 arranged along an arbitrary second concentric circle relatively far from the rotating shaft support portion 1222 among the virtual concentric circles may be defined to be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a second interval A2 (see FIG. 5) along a circumference of a second concentric circle.

Here, the first interval A1 and the second interval A2 are not the same and the first interval A1 is smaller than the second interval A2. For example, as the positions of the concentric circles are away from the rotating shaft support portion 1222, distances between the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 arranged along the circumferences of the concentric circles also increases.

According to such a structure, since the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 are spaced apart from each other in both the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion 1222 and the circumferential direction of the concentric circles, a continuous flow path connected from the intake port 1111 to the opposite side of the intake port 1111 may be formed between the plurality of guide protrusions 1223. Accordingly, the compression target fluid flowing into the intake port 1111 may be guided from the intake port 1111 to the opposite side of the intake port 1111 by the continuous flow path formed by the plurality of guide protrusions 1223. In FIG. 5, the flow of the compression target fluid guided by the plurality of guide protrusions 1223 is indicated by the arrows. In particular, the compression target fluid flowing into the compression module through the intake port 1111 may be pushed by the compression target fluid that follows to naturally flow to the rotating shaft support portion 1222. If the first interval A1 is smaller than the second interval A2, there is an effect that the compression target fluid flowing from the intake port 1111 to the rotating shaft support portion 1222 can be concentrated around the rotating shaft support portion 1222. In addition, when the first interval A1 is smaller than the second interval A2, the compression target fluid concentrated around the rotating shaft support portion 1222 may be spread to the opposite side of the intake port 1111.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1216 indicates a fastening member through hole for penetrating the fastening member 1215, reference numeral 1217 indicates an annular sealing member for sealing a coupling portion of the inverter housing 1210 and the inverter cover 1220, and reference numeral 1220a indicates a fastening member through hole for penetrating through the fastening member 1221.

Reference numeral 1164 in FIG. 4 indicates a ball bearing formed to support the rotating shaft 1140 in a radial direction.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1220b indicates a hermetic terminal accommodating portion for accommodating the three-phase hermetic terminal 1260, and reference numeral 1113 indicates a fastening member accommodating recess for the fastening member 1123 coupling the main housing 1110 and the rear housing (see 1120 in FIG. 2). The guide member 1223 may not be formed at a region overlapping the hermetic terminal accommodating portion 1220b.

Hereinafter, other embodiments of the guide protrusion 2223 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the inverter cover 2220 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

The plurality of guide protrusions 2223 are formed in a virtual circle about the rotating shaft support portion 2222. The guide protrusions 2223 adjacent to each other among the plurality of guide protrusions 2223 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at equal intervals from all directions. The all directions refer to the directions of up, down, left, and right about the guide protrusion 2223. According to the guide protrusion 2223 having such a structure, the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port 2111 may be stably guided to the opposite side of the intake port 2111.

The rotating shaft support portion 2222 protrudes annularly from the surface of the inverter cover 2220 toward the motor chamber S1, whereby the inner and outer sides of the annular shape are distinguished from each other. At least one hole (see 1222a in FIG. 3) is formed on a side surface of the rotating shaft support portion 2222. The hole 1222a allows an inner area and an outer area distinguished by the rotating shaft support portion 2222 to communicate with each other. The compression target fluid may flow to the inner side and outer side of the rotating shaft support portion 2222 through the hole 1222a.

The surface of the inverter cover 2220 is also distinguished into inner and outer sides of the annular shape by the rotating shaft support portion 2222. The plurality of guide protrusions 2223 may be formed both inside and outside of the annular shape distinguished by the rotating shaft support portion 2222. Accordingly, the compression target fluid flowing into the compression module through the intake port 2111 may be guided from the outside of the rotating shaft supporter 2222 to the inside and from the inside to the outside and to the opposite side of the intake port 2111. The surface of the inverter cover 2220 may be cooled by the compression target fluid in both the position corresponding to the inside of the rotating shaft support 2222 and the position corresponding to the outside.

The hole 2222a formed in the rotating shaft support portion 2222 and the plurality of guide protrusions 2223 formed in both the position corresponding to the inner side of the rotating shaft support portion 2222 and the position corresponding to the outer side may be applied to other embodiments as well as the second embodiment.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 2220a indicates a fastening member through hole, 2241′ indicates a power connector accommodating hole, 2242′ indicates a communication connector accommodating hole, and 2220b indicates a hermetic terminal accommodating portion.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an inverter cover 3220 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Guide protrusions 3223 of the first and second embodiments protrude in a hemispherical shape, whereas a guide protrusion 3223 of the third embodiment may protrude in a shape other than the hemispherical shape. For example, as described below, the guide protrusion 3223 may protrude in a form extending along a straight line or curve.

The rotating shaft support portion 3222 may be divided into a first guide protrusion 3223a, a second guide protrusion 3223b, a third guide protrusion 3223c, and a fourth guide protrusion 3223d according to a formation position and an extending direction.

The first guide protrusion 3223a protrudes from the inverter cover 3220 and extends along a virtual circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion 3222. A plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a may be formed on inverter cover 3220. The plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other on a circumference of the virtual circle. It can be understood that the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a protrude in a shape of a circular arc along a curve. Even in the same virtual circle, there may be multiple arcs and the multiple arcs may have different sizes.

A plurality of virtual circles may be present, and the plurality of virtual circles may correspond to virtual concentric circles centered on the rotating shaft support portion 3222. Among the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a, first guide protrusions 3223a extending along different virtual concentric circles may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion 3322.

A degree to which the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a are spaced apart from each other in the radial direction increases as a distance from the rotating shaft support portion 3222 is increased. For example, assuming that the virtual concentric circles include a first concentric circle C1, a second concentric circle C2, and a third concentric circle C3, the first concentric circle C1 is formed at a position relatively close to the rotating shaft, the second concentric circle C2 is formed at a position farther from the rotating shaft support portion 3222 than the first concentric circle C1, and the third concentric circle C3 is formed at a position farther from the rotating shaft support portion 3222 than the second concentric circle C2. It can be understood that the second concentric circle C2 is formed between the first concentric circle C1 and the third concentric circle C3.

In this case, the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a arranged along the first concentric circle C1 and the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a arranged along the second concentric circle C2 are arranged in the first direction in the radial direction of the rotating shaft. It is arranged to be spaced apart from each other at an interval B1. The plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a arranged along the second concentric circle C2 and the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a arranged along the third concentric circle C3 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a second interval B2 in the radial direction of the rotating shaft. The first interval B1 is smaller than the second interval B2. An effect of the difference between the intervals is the same as the effect of the difference between A1 and A2 described above.

The plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a protrude along circular arcs formed in respective concentric circles. Sizes of circular arcs formed on different concentric circles may not be constant. For example, the size of the circular arcs may be reduced toward the rotating shaft support portion 3222 corresponding to the center of the concentric circle, and may be increased farther from the rotating shaft support portion 3322.

The first guide protrusion 3223a may also be formed inside the rotating shaft support portion 3222. At least one hole 3222a may be formed on a side surface of the rotating shaft support portion 3222, and the compression target fluid flowing into the rotating shaft support portion 3222 may be guided by the first guide protrusion 3223a formed on the inner side of the rotating shaft support portion 3222.

The second guide protrusion 3223b extends from one of the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a toward the intake port (see 1111 of FIG. 5). Assuming that there is a virtual straight line passing through the rotating shaft support portion 3222, if the virtual straight line extends in the direction toward the intake port, the second guide protrusion 3223b extends toward the intake port along the virtual straight line. In particular, the second guide protrusion 3223b extends toward the intake port from one end of a first guide protrusion 3223a closest to the virtual line, among the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a.

A plurality of second guide protrusion 3223b may be formed. If there are a plurality of virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion 3222, the plurality of virtual straight lines all extend in parallel from each other toward the intake port from the rotating shaft support portion 3222. The plurality of second guide protrusions 3223b also extend parallel to each other along the virtual straight lines.

A plurality of second guide protrusions 3223b extending along one virtual straight line may also be formed and spaced apart from each other on the straight line.

The third guide protrusion 3223c extends from the other of the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a toward the opposite side of the intake port. Here, the other means that the second guide protrusion 3223b is different from the corresponding first guide protrusion 3223a.

Assuming that there is a virtual straight line passing through the rotating shaft support portion 3222 as described above with the second guide protrusion 3223b, if the virtual straight line extends in a direction toward the opposite side of the intake port, the third guide protrusion 3223c extends toward the opposite side of the intake port along the virtual straight line. In particular, the third guide protrusion 3223c extends from the one end of a first guide protrusion 3223a closest to the virtual straight line toward the opposite side of the intake port, among the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a.

The third guide protrusion 3223c may be formed in plural. If there are a plurality of virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion 3222, the plurality of virtual straight lines extend from the rotating shaft support portion 3222 in parallel to each other toward the opposite side of the intake port. The plurality of third guide protrusions 3223c also extend parallel to each other along virtual straight lines.

A plurality of third guide protrusions 3223c extending along one virtual straight line may also be formed and spaced apart from each other on the straight line.

The second guide protrusion 3223b and the third guide protrusion 3223c extend in opposite directions centered on the rotating shaft support portion 3222.

One of the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a disposed at the outermost side of the concentric circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion 3222 may extend in the circumferential direction of the concentric circle from an end portion of the second guide protrusion 3223b or an end portion of the third guide protrusion 3223c.

The compression target fluid flowing into the intake port may be sequentially guided from the intake port to the opposite side of the intake port by the second guide protrusion 3223b, the first guide protrusion 3223a, and the third guide protrusion 3223c. In particular, since the first guide protrusion 3223a, the second guide protrusion 3223b, and the third guide protrusion 3223c are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the concentric circle centered on the rotating shaft support portion 3222 and in the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion 3222, a continuous flow path for guiding the flow of the compression target fluid may be formed. The compression target fluid flowing into the intake port may be guided to the opposite side of the intake port by the first guide protrusion 3223a, the second guide protrusion 3223b, and the third guide protrusion 3223.

The fourth guide protrusion 3223d extends along the radial direction of the rotating shaft to connect ones of the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a extending along different virtual concentric circles. In order to guide the continuous flow of the compression target fluid, it may be more preferable for the plurality of first guide protrusions 3223a to be spaced apart from each other. However, the plurality of guide protrusions 3223 may not only guide the flow of the compression target fluid but also reinforce rigidity of the inverter cover 3220. In particular, when the fourth guide protrusion 3223d extends in the radial direction, the effect of reinforcing rigidity of the inverter cover 3220 is further increased.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 3220a indicates a fastening member through hole, 3241′ indicates a power connector accommodating hole, 3242′ indicates a communication connector accommodating hole, and 3220b indicates a hermetic terminal accommodating portion.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the inverter module 4200 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an inverter module 4200 shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual view of an inverter module 4200 and a main housing 4110 shown in FIG. 8 viewed from the rear side of a motor operated compressor 4000.

The motor operated compressor 4000 further includes a cover plate 4224. The cover plate 4224 is formed to cover the plurality of guide protrusions 4223. For example, the cover plate 4224 may be formed in an annular shape. An inner diameter of the cover plate 4224 is formed to be equal to an outer diameter of the rotating shaft support portion 4222 or larger than an outer diameter of the rotating shaft support portion 4422. The rotating shaft support portion 4422 is inserted into a hole 4202a formed in the cover plate 4224. The outer diameter of the cover plate 4224 is equal to an inner diameter of the main housing (see 1110 in FIG. 5) or smaller than the inner diameter of the main housing. One side of the cover plate 4224 may be partially cut to form an arrangement space for the three-phase hermetic terminal (see 1260 in FIG. 2).

The cover plate 4224 may be in close contact with the plurality of guide protrusions 4223 formed in the inverter cover 4220 and may be spaced apart from the surface of the inverter cover 4220. The surface of the inverter cover 4220 here refers to a root portion where the plurality of guide protrusions 4223 start to protrude.

As the cover plate 4224 is provided, a flow path through which the compression target fluid may pass is formed between the surface of the inverter cover 4220 and the cover plate 4224. The compression target fluid may be guided to the opposite side of the intake port 4111 by the plurality of guide protrusions 4223 disposed between the surface of the inverter cover 4220 and the cover plate 4224.

In particular, the compression target fluid flowing into the intake port 4111 must eventually flow into a compression unit (not shown) after passing through the drive unit (see 1130 of FIG. 2), and in this case, the compression target fluid may flow into the compression unit even before the inverter cover 4220 is cooled. When the cover plate 4224 is provided, the effect of cooling the inverter cover 4220 may be further increased because the compression target fluid flowing into the flow path does not flow into the compression unit until it exits to the opposite side of the intake port 4111.

A plurality of cover protrusions 4224a may also be formed in the cover plate 4224. The plurality of cover protrusions 4224a may protrude from one surface of the cover plate 4224 toward the plurality of guide protrusions 4223. The plurality of cover protrusions 4224a may have a shape corresponding to the plurality of guide protrusions 4223. According to this structure, the flow path between the surface of the inverter cover 4220 and the cover plate 4224 is further enlarged. As a result, a flow rate of the compression target fluid flowing into the flow path may be increased, and the cooling effect by the compression target fluid is further increased.

The amount of the compression target fluid flowing into the flow path and a cooling effect by the compression target fluid may be set by setting a degree of protrusion of the plurality of guide protrusions 4223 formed on the inverter cover 4220 and the plurality of cover protrusions 4224a formed on the cover plate 4224.

Meanwhile, a shape of the guide protrusion 4223 formed on the inverter cover 4220 in the fourth embodiment may be the same as the shape of the guide protrusion 4223 described in the first, second and third embodiments. FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate guide protrusions 4223 having the same shape as that of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 4220a indicates a fastening member through hole, 4220b indicates a hermetic terminal accommodating portion, 4241 indicates a power connector, and 4242 indicates a communication connector.

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 4210 indicates an inverter housing, 4242a indicates a portion inserted into the inverter module in the communication connector, 4242b indicates a fastening member, 4251 indicates a PCB, 4252 indicates a support portion, 4252a indicates a bush, and 4253 indicates a fastening member, 4270 indicates a power device, 4271 indicates a conductive fin, 4280 indicates a heat sink, 4281 indicates a bush, and 4282 indicates a fastening member.

Reference numeral 4113 in FIG. 10 indicates a fastening member accommodating recess.

Description of the components which are not described will be replaced with the above description.

The guide protrusions described in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments described above may be integrally formed with the inverter cover by machining the surface of the inverter cover. For example, when the inverter cover is manufactured by a casting method, a mold including a shape of the guide protrusion may be manufactured and the inverter cover may be manufactured using the mold. In this case, the inverter cover and the plurality of guide protrusions are not separated from each other.

Alternatively, the plurality of guide protrusions may be formed in a separate member distinguished from the inverter cover. A fifth embodiment described below relates to a motor operated compressor including a separate member having a plurality of guide protrusions.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an inverter module 5200 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter module 5200 shown in FIG. 11.

The motor operated compressor 5000 includes a protrusion forming plate 5225. The protrusion forming plate 5225 is formed of a thermally conductive material. The protrusion forming plate 5225 is in close contact with a surface of an inverter cover 5220.

The protrusion forming plate 5225 may be formed in an annular shape. An inner diameter of the protrusion forming plate 5225 is the same as an outer diameter of the rotating shaft support portion 5222 or is larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft support portion 5222. The rotating shaft support portion 5222 is inserted into a hole formed in the protrusion forming plate 5225. One side of the protrusion forming plate 5225 may be partially cut to form an arrangement space of the three-phase hermetic terminal (see 1260 of FIG. 2).

The inverter cover 5220 is provided with a plate accommodating recess 5220c for accommodating the protrusion forming plate 5225. A rotating shaft support portion 5222 is formed at the center of the plate accommodating recess 5220c, and the plate accommodating recess 5220c is formed in a shape corresponding to inner and outer diameters of the protrusion forming plate 5225. For example, the protrusion forming plate 5225 is formed in an annular shape, and the plate accommodating recess 5220c is also formed in an annular shape corresponding to the protrusion forming plate 5225.

The outer diameters of the protrusion forming plate 5225 and the plate accommodating recess 5220c may be equal. Accordingly, the protrusion forming plate 5225 may be press-fit into the plate accommodating recess 5220c.

The plurality of guide protrusions 5225a may protrude from the protrusion forming plate 5225. The plurality of guide protrusions 5225a protrude from the protrusion forming plate 5225 toward an internal space of the main housing 5110. A shape of the guide protrusion 5225a formed on the protrusion forming plate 5225 may be the same as the shape of the guide protrusion described in the first, second and third embodiments. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate the guide protrusion 5225a having the same shape as that of the first embodiment.

The motor operated compressor 5000 may include a cover plate 5224 separately from the protrusion forming plate 5225. The plurality of cover protrusions 5224a formed on the cover plate 5224 may correspond to the plurality of guide protrusions 5225a formed on the protrusion forming plate 5225. A detailed description of the cover plate 5224 is replaced with the description of the fourth embodiment.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 5241 indicates a power connector, 5242 indicates a communication connector, 5220a indicates a fastening member through hole, 5220b indicates a hermetic terminal accommodating portion, and 5222a indicates a hole formed in the rotating shaft support portion.

In FIG. 12, reference numeral 5210 indicates an inverter housing, 5242a is a portion inserted into the inverter module in a communication connector, 5242b indicates a fastening member, 5251 indicates a PCB, 5252 indicates a support portion, 5252a indicates a bush, and 5253 indicates a fastening member, 5270 indicates a power device, 5271 indicates a conductive fin, 5280 indicates a heat sink, 5281 indicates a bush, 5282 indicates a fastening member, and 5164 indicates a ball bearing.

The motor operated compressor described above is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or part of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made.

According to the present disclosure having the configuration described above, a plurality of guide protrusions may be formed on the inverter cover originally provided in the motor operated compressor and may be used for cooling circuit components and the like, without adding a separate device required for heat sinking. In particular, the plurality of guide protrusions may induce a sufficient cooling effect by guiding a flow of the compression target refrigerant flowing through the intake port to the opposite side of the intake port.

According to the present disclosure, the circuit components of the inverter module may be naturally cooled through heat exchange between the low-temperature compression target refrigerant and the inverter cover without power consumption required for driving a cooling fan or the like. In particular, the plurality of guide protrusions guide a flow of the compression target fluid and increase a heat exchange area by themselves to improve the cooling effect.

According to the present disclosure, a flow path formed by the plurality of guide protrusions may be designed according to a designer's desire to concentrate the cooling effect on a specific area of the inverter cover. For example, if the flow path is designed to concentrate the compression target refrigerant on an area where the inverter cover and the heat sink are in direct contact, the cooling effect through the heat sink may be further increased.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, as the plurality of guide protrusions are formed on the inverter cover, a rigid reinforcing effect such as preventing deformation or damage of the inverter cover may be additionally obtained.

In addition, according to the present disclosure, the compression target fluid may be temporarily confined to the area in contact with the inverter cover by the cover plate, thereby obtaining a greater cooling effect.

Claims

1. A motor operated compressor, comprising:

a compression module configured to compress a compression target fluid;

an inverter module configured to control an operation of the compression module;

a main housing having an intake port for intake of the compression target fluid;

an inverter cover configured to form a boundary between the compression module and the main housing, and configured to be exposed to the compression target fluid flowing into the compression module through the intake port; and

a plurality of guide protrusions protruding from the inverter cover toward an internal space of the main housing, the guide protrusions positioned along a direction from the intake port toward an opposite side of the intake port and configured to direct the compression target fluid flowing in through the intake port along a surface of the inverter cover.

2. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein

a contact area between the inverter cover and the compression target fluid is configured to face an open end of the main housing,

the opposite side of the intake port is located diametrically opposite to the intake port, and

the plurality of guide protrusions are spaced apart from each other to form a flow path from the intake port to the opposite side of the intake port.

3. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein

the inverter cover includes a rotating shaft support portion protruding from a surface of the inverter cover and

the plurality of guide protrusions are arranged along radial directions extending from the rotating shaft support portion.

4. The motor operated compressor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of guide protrusions are arranged along virtual circles concentric with the rotating shaft support portion, the guide protrusions being spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction and in radial direction relative to the rotating shaft support portion.

5. The motor operated compressor of claim 4, wherein

a plurality of first guide protrusions from the plurality of guide protrusions are arranged along a first concentric circle having a first radius, the first guide protrusions being circumferentially spaced apart from each other at a first interval,

a plurality of second guide protrusions from the plurality of guide protrusions are arranged along a second concentric circle having a second radius larger than the first radius, the second guide protrusions being circumferentially spaced apart from each other at a second interval larger than the first interval.

6. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein

the inverter cover has a rotating shaft support portion protruding from the surface of the inverter cover, and

the plurality of guide protrusions are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at equal intervals along two generally perpendicular coordinate axes.

7. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein

the inverter cover has a rotating shaft support portion protruding from the surface of the inverter cover, and

the plurality of guide protrusions comprise: a plurality of first guide protrusions extending along a virtual circle concentric with the rotating shaft support portion, the first guide portions arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a second guide protrusion extending from one of the first guide protrusions toward the intake port; and a third guide protrusion extending from another of the first guide protrusions toward the opposite side of the intake port.

8. The motor operated compressor of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first guide protrusions extend along virtual circles centered on the rotating shaft support portion and the first guide portions in each virtual circle are arranged to be spaced apart from each other.

9. The motor operated compressor of claim 8, wherein

the second guide protrusion includes a plurality of second guide protrusions extending along virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion, the second guide portions being parallel to each other, and

the third guide protrusion includes a plurality of third guide portions extending along virtual straight lines passing through the rotating shaft support portion, the third guide portions being parallel to each other.

10. The motor operated compressor of claim 8, wherein the first guide portions are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion.

11. The motor operated compressor of claim 10, wherein the virtual concentric circles comprise:

a first concentric circle having a first radius;

a second concentric circle having a second radius larger than the first radius; and

a third concentric circle having a third radius larger than the second radius, wherein a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the first concentric circle and a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the second concentric circle are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a first interval in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion, a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the second concentric circle and a plurality of first guide protrusions arranged along the third concentric circle are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a second interval in a radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion, and the first interval is smaller than the second interval.

12. The motor operated compressor of claim 8, wherein

the plurality of guide protrusions further include a fourth guide protrusion, and

the fourth guide protrusion extends along the radial direction of the rotating shaft support portion to connect first guide protrusions extending along different virtual concentric circles.

13. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein

the inverter cover has a rotating shaft support portion protruding annularly from the surface of the inverter cover,

at least one hole allowing an annular inner side and an annular outer side of the rotating shaft support portion to communicate with each other is formed on a side surface of the rotating shaft support portion, and

the plurality of guide protrusions are formed both at a position corresponding to the annular inner side and at a position corresponding to the annular outer side.

14. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of guide protrusions are integrally formed with the inverter cover by machining a surface of the inverter cover.

15. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover plate formed to cover the plurality of guide protrusions,

wherein the cover plate is in contact with the plurality of guide protrusions and is spaced apart from the surface of the inverter cover.

16. The motor operated compressor of claim 15, wherein

the cover plate has a plurality of cover protrusions, and

the cover protrusions protrude toward the guide protrusions.

17. The motor operated compressor of claim 1, further comprising:

a protrusion forming plate formed of a thermally conductive material in contact with the surface of the inverter cover,

wherein the guide protrusions are formed on the protrusion forming plate.