Scroll compressor Oldham coupling having anti-friction means

A scroll type fluid compressor having a housing with a front section and a rear section;

• a fluid inlet in the housing;
• a fluid outlet in the housing;
• a fixed scroll with an end plate a spiral wrap and a control discharge aperture through the end plate, mounted in the rear section of the housing;
• an orbital scroll with an end plate and a spiral wrap cooperating with the fixed scroll to form fluid pockets;
• drive including a crankshaft rotatably journaled in the front section of the housing, connected to the orbital scroll and operable to move the orbital scroll in an orbital path;
• and an axial thrust and anti-rotational assembly including, a pair of scroll key ways in a front surface of the orbital scroll end plate having scroll key way center lines that are parallel to each other, a pair of housing key ways in the front section of the housing having housing key way center lines that are parallel to each other and angled with respect to the center lines of the scroll key ways, a roller bearing mounted in the bottom of each orbital scroll key way and having a plurality of rollers with axes of rotation that are perpendicular to the scroll key way center lines, an Oldham coupler including a ring with a front surface and a rear surface, a first pair of key members extending from the rear surface of the ring and positioned in the scroll key ways in an axial position that is determined by the roller bearing in each orbital scroll key way, a second pair of key members extending from the front surface of the ring and portioned in the housing key way and a pair of thrust roller assemblies mounted in the front section of the housing and each contacting the front surface of the Oldham coupler ring adjacent to and in axial alignment with the first pair of key members extending from the rear surface of the ring and wherein each thrust roller assembly has rollers with axes of rotation that are perpendicular to housing key way center lines.

A scroll type fluid compressor having a housing with a front section and a rear section;

• a fluid inlet in the housing;
• a fluid outlet in the housing;
• a fixed scroll with an end plate, a spiral wrap and a central discharge aperture through the end plate, mounted in the rear section of the housing;
• an orbital scroll with an end plate and a spiral wrap cooperating with the fixed scroll to form fluid pockets;
• an orbital scroll drive including a crankshaft rotatably journaled in the front section of the housing, connected to the orbital scroll and operable to move the orbital scroll in an orbital path;
• and a axial thrust and anti-rotation assembly, including a pair of scroll key ways in a front surface of the orbital scroll end plate, having scroll key way center lines that are parallel, a pair of housing key ways in the front section of the housing, having housing key way center lines that are parallel to each other and angled with respect to the scroll key way center lines, a roller bearing mounted in the bottom of each of the four key ways, an Oldham coupler, including a ring with a front surface and a rear surface, a first pair of key members extending from the rear surface of the ring and positioned in the scroll key ways, a second pair of key members extending from the front surface of the ring and positioned in the housing key ways, a pair of thrust roller assemblies each contacting the front side of the Oldham coupler ring and the housing adjacent to and in axial alignment with one of the key members of the first pair of key members extending from the rear surface of the ring and wherein each thrust roller assembly has a plurality of rollers with axes of rotation that are perpendicular to housing key way center lines, and a pair of thrust roller assemblies each contacting the rear side of the Oldham Coupler ring and the orbital scroll adjacent to and in axial alignment with one of the key members of the second pair of key members extending from the front surface of the ring and wherein each thrust roller assembly has a plurality of rollers with axes of rotation that are perpendicular to the orbital scroll key way center lines.