# US 10,371,134 B2 · Sealed compressor and refrigeration unit comprising sealed compressor

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- Number: US 10,371,134 B2
- Document ID: US10371134B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/383,447
- Filed: 2013-04-12
- Published: 2015-01-29
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-12
- Assignees: Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore
- Applicants: Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore
- Inventors: Kousuke Tsuboi; Kiwamu Watanabe; Akihiko Kubota; Hironari Akashi; Terumasa Ide
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371134B2

## CPC

- F04B 39/0094: {crankshaft}
- F04B 27/04: having cylinders in star- or fan-arrangement
- F04B 35/04: the means being electric
- F04B 39/02: Lubrication (of machines or engines in general F01M)
- F04B 39/023: {Hermetic compressors}
- F16C 19/10: for axial load mainly
- F16C 23/08: self-adjusting
- F16C 27/066: {Ball or roller bearings}
- F16C 33/58: Raceways; Race rings
- F16C 35/06: Mounting {or dismounting} of ball or roller bearings; Fixing them onto shaft or in housing
- F16C 35/07: Fixing them on the shaft or housing with interposition of an element
- F25B 1/005: {of the single unit type (F25B1/10 takes precedence)}
- F25B 1/00: Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle (F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence)
- F25B 31/002: {Lubrication}
- F25B 2400/07: Details of compressors or related parts
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A sealed compressor comprises a sealed container (101) which accommodates an electric component (105) and a compression component (106); wherein the compression component (106) includes a shaft (110) including a main shaft section (111) and an eccentric shaft section (112), a cylinder block (114), a piston (126), and a main bearing unit (120) mounted to the cylinder block (114) and supporting the main shaft section (112) such that the main shaft section (112) is rotatable, a thrust ball bearing (132) mounted to a thrust surface (130) of the main bearing unit (120); and the thrust ball bearing (132) includes a plurality of balls (134) held in a cage (133), an upper race (135) having main surfaces one of which is in contact with upper portions of the balls (134); and a lower race (136) having main surfaces one of which is in contact with lower portions of the balls (134) and; a restricting means for restricting a displacement of the upper race (135) with respect to the shaft (110).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sealed compressor comprising:
an electric component including a stator and a rotor;
a compression component actuated by the electric component; and
a sealed container which accommodates the electric component and the compression component and stores lubricating oil therein,
wherein the compression component includes
a shaft including a main shaft section to which the rotor is fastened and an eccentric shaft section,
a cylinder block having a compression chamber,
a piston reciprocatable inside the compression chamber,
a connecting member for coupling the piston to the eccentric shaft section,
a main bearing unit mounted to the cylinder block and supporting the main shaft section such that the main shaft section is rotatable, and
a thrust ball bearing mounted to a thrust surface of the main bearing unit,
wherein the thrust ball bearing includes
a plurality of balls held in a cage,
an upper race having main surfaces one of which is in contact with upper portions of the balls, and
a lower race having main surfaces one of which is in contact with lower portions of the balls,
wherein the main shaft section is inserted in an inner periphery of the upper race, an upper main surface of the upper race is in contact with a flange surface, and a lower main surface of the upper race is above an upper end of a bearing extending section,
wherein the bearing extending section is inserted in an inner periphery of the lower race and an inner periphery of the cage,
wherein a first clearance is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and an inner peripheral surface of the upper race, the first clearance being a distance separating the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and the inner peripheral surface of the upper race in a radial direction before operation of the compressor,
wherein a second clearance is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the bearing extending section and an inner peripheral surface of the cage, the second clearance being a distance separating the outer peripheral surface of the bearing extending section and the inner peripheral surface of the cage in the radial direction before operation of the compressor,
wherein a third clearance is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the bearing extending section and an inner peripheral surface of the lower race, the third clearance being a distance separating the outer peripheral surface of the bearing extending section and the inner peripheral surface of the lower race in the radial direction before operation of the compressor,
wherein raceway grooves formed by annular grooves are provided on the lower main surface of the upper race and the upper main surface of the lower race, respectively, the lower main surface of the upper race and the upper main surface of the lower race facing each other,
wherein the balls are placed on the raceway groove of the upper race and the raceway groove of the lower race,
wherein the first clearance is smaller than the second clearance and the third clearance,
wherein the second clearance is greater than the third clearance, and
wherein the first clearance, the second clearance, and the third clearance are arranged at an inner periphery of the thrust ball bearing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1,
wherein a clearance formed between the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and the inner peripheral surface of the cage is greater than the first clearance and a clearance formed between the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and the inner peripheral surface of the lower race.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1, further comprising:
an inverter unit;
wherein the sealed compressor is actuated by the inverter unit at any one of two or more rotational speeds including a rotational speed driving frequency higher than a power supply frequency.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A refrigeration unit comprising:
the sealed compressor according to claim 1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1, wherein the upper race is disposed to have a gap between the lower main surface of the upper race and the upper end of the bearing extending section.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1, wherein the upper race has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the flange surface, and an inner diameter dimension smaller than an outer diameter of the bearing extending section.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1, wherein a radial displacement of the upper race with respect to the shaft is limited.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The sealed compressor according to claim 7,
further comprising a fastening means which inhibits a radial displacement of the upper race with respect to the main shaft section.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The sealed compressor according to claim 8,
wherein the fastening means comprises an adjustment member disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and the inner peripheral surface of the upper race.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The sealed compressor according to claim 8,
wherein the fastening means comprises fitting between the inner peripheral surface of the upper race and the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The sealed compressor according to claim 7,
further comprising an engagement means for engaging the main shaft section and the upper race with each other.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The sealed compressor according to claim 11,
wherein the engagement means includes:
a third engagement section having a recess shape on the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and a fourth engagement section having a convex shape on the inner peripheral surface of the upper race,
or a third engagement section having a convex shape on the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section and a fourth engagement section having a recess shape on the inner peripheral surface of the upper race;
the third engagement section and the fourth engagement section are similar to each other;
and the main shaft section and the upper race are disposed such that the third engagement section and the fourth engagement section are engageable with each other.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The sealed compressor according to claim 11,
wherein the compression component is positioned above the electric component;
the shaft has a connecting section for connecting the main shaft section to the eccentric shaft section,
the connecting section is provided with a flange surface contacting the other main surface of the upper race; and
the engagement means includes a first engagement section formed on the flange surface and a second engagement section formed on the other main surface of the upper race to be engageable with the first engagement section.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The sealed compressor according to claim 11,
wherein the compression component is positioned below the electric component;
wherein the rotor is provided on a lower surface thereof with a flange surface contacting the other main surface of the upper race; and
wherein the engagement means includes a first engagement section formed on the flange surface and a second engagement section formed on the other main surface of the upper race to be engageable with the first engagement section.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The sealed compressor according to claim 1, wherein a vertical displacement of the upper race with respect to the shaft is limited.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The sealed compressor according to claim 15,
further comprising a pressing section which presses an upper portion of the thrust ball bearing from above.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The sealed compressor according to claim 16,
wherein the pressing section comprises a pressing member disposed between the other main surface of the upper race and the flange surface.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The sealed compressor according to claim 17,
wherein the pressing member has a stiffness lower than a stiffness of the upper race.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The sealed compressor according to claim 17,
wherein the pressing member has a height smaller than a height of the upper race.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The sealed compressor according to claim 16,
wherein the compression component is provided with a flange surface which faces the upper race; and
the pressing section comprises an annular convex section provided on the flange surface.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The sealed compressor according to claim 20,
wherein the convex section has a shape in which a length between the outer diameter and the inner diameter is equal to or greater than ⅛ of the diameter of the balls.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The sealed compressor according to claim 20,
wherein the convex section has a shape in which its inner diameter is greater than a length derived by subtracting a diameter of the balls from a pitch diameter of the balls, and its outer diameter is equal to or greater than the pitch diameter of the balls.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The sealed compressor according to claim 20,
wherein the convex section is configured such that a track of an intermediate point between the outer diameter and the inner diameter is located outward relative to a pitch of the balls.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The sealed compressor according to claim 20,
wherein the convex section has a tip end formed by a flat surface perpendicular to a center axis of the main shaft section.