# US 2021/0340986 A1 · Centrifugal compressor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0340986 A1 - Document ID: US20210340986A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/238,888 - Filed: 2021-04-23 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-05-01 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki - Inventors: Shogo ITO; Ryosuke FUKUYAMA; Kaho TAKEUCHI; Daisuke WATANABE; Yohei TAKASE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210340986A1 ## CPC - F04D 17/10: for compressing or evacuating - F04D 25/028: {the driving means being a planetary gear} - F04D 29/053: Shafts - F04D 29/063: specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps - F04D 29/102: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) ## Abstract A pressure relief passage includes a first pressure relief passage and a second pressure relief passage. A pressure relief hole is provided in an upper part of the first pressure relief passage in the direction of gravitational force. The second pressure relief passage merges with the first pressure relief passage to form a merging portion. The cross-sectional flow area of a stagnation portion, which is the maximum cross-sectional flow area of the second pressure relief passage, is smaller than the cross-sectional flow area of a connection passage, which is the minimum cross-sectional flow area of the first pressure relief passage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A centrifugal compressor, comprising: a low speed shaft that is rotated by a drive source; an impeller that is attached to a high speed shaft, which rotates at a speed higher than a speed of the low speed shaft; a speed increaser that transmits power of the low speed shaft to the high speed shaft; a housing that includes a drive source chamber that accommodates the drive source, an impeller chamber that accommodates the impeller, a speed increaser chamber that accommodates the speed increaser, and a dividing wall having an insertion hole through which the high speed shaft is passed, the dividing wall dividing the impeller chamber and the speed increaser chamber from each other; a seal member provided between an outer circumferential surface of the high speed shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole; an oil pan that stores oil supplied to the speed increaser; and a pressure relief passage that connects an upper part of the oil pan to a pressure relief hole that opens in an outer surface of the housing, wherein the pressure relief passage includes a first pressure relief passage and a second pressure relief passage, the pressure relief hole is arranged above the first pressure relief passage in a direction of gravitational force, the second pressure relief passage merges with the first pressure relief passage to form a merging portion, and a maximum cross-sectional flow area of the second pressure relief passage is smaller than a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the first pressure relief passage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The centrifugal compressor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure relief passage includes a detouring pressure relief passage that extends, in a detouring manner, from a lower part of the first pressure relief passage and is connected to an upper part of the first pressure relief passage, and the maximum cross-sectional flow area of the second pressure relief passage is smaller than a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the detouring pressure relief passage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The centrifugal compressor according to claim 2, wherein the detouring pressure relief passage and the second pressure relief passage are connected to each other via a merging portion, the housing includes a first side surface and a second side surface that are opposed to each other, the merging portion is formed in an upper region of the housing in a vicinity of the first side surface, and the pressure relief hole is formed in an upper region of the housing in a vicinity of the second side surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The centrifugal compressor according to claim 3, wherein the second pressure relief passage includes a constriction between a lower end connected to the upper part of the oil pan and an upper end connected to the merging portion, and a cross-sectional flow area of the constriction is smaller than a cross-sectional flow area of the upper end and a cross-sectional flow area of the lower end. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The centrifugal compressor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure relief hole is arranged above the merging portion, and the first pressure relief passage is arranged below the merging portion. ### Claim 6 A centrifugal compressor, comprising: a low speed shaft that is rotated by a drive source; an impeller that is attached to a high speed shaft, which rotates at a speed higher than a speed of the low speed shaft; a speed increaser that transmits power of the low speed shaft to the high speed shaft; a housing that includes a drive source chamber that accommodates the drive source, an impeller chamber that accommodates the impeller, a speed increaser chamber that accommodates the speed increaser, and a dividing wall having an insertion hole through which the high speed shaft is passed, the dividing wall dividing the impeller chamber and the speed increaser chamber from each other; a seal member provided between an outer circumferential surface of the high speed shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole; an oil pan that stores oil supplied to the speed increaser via an oil passage; and a pressure relief passage that connects an upper part of the oil pan to a pressure relief hole that opens in an outer portion of the housing, wherein the pressure relief passage includes a first pressure relief passage and a detouring pressure relief passage, the pressure relief hole is arranged above the first pressure relief passage in a direction of gravitational force, the detouring pressure relief passage includes a detouring pressure relief passage that extends, in a detouring manner, from a lower part of the first pressure relief passage to a region located in an upper part, and a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the detouring pressure relief passage is smaller than a minimum cross-sectional flow area of the first pressure relief passage.