Scroll-type compressor with lubricant provision
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
InventorsHiroyuki Gennami, Kazuhiro Kuroki, Satoru Egawa, Yoshikazu Fukutani, Ken Suitou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A scroll-type compressor having a stationary scroll and a movable scroll is provided. A compression chamber is defined between a stationary scroll and a movable scroll. A refrigerant introducing passage formed in the movable scroll for introducing a refrigerant from the compression chamber to a driving mechanism. The compressed refrigerant including a lubricant introduced through the passage is affective to lubricate the driving mechanism. The compressor may also include a sump to collect the lubricant leaving the driving mechanism. Collected lubricant is reintroduced into the compression region via a suction region of the compressor.
Claims20
A scroll-type compressor comprising:
- a stationary scroll and a movable scroll, the movable scroll and stationary scroll defining at least one compression chamber therebetween, wherein the compression chamber compresses a refrigerant gas that includes a lubricant;
- a driving mechanism for orbiting the movable scroll, the driving mechanism disposed in a lower pressure region;
- and
- an introducing passage formed at least in part through the movable scroll and intercommunicating the compression chamber with the lower pressure region so as to allow some of the refrigerant in the compression chamber to flow into the lower pressure region to lubricate the driving mechanism by the lubricant contained in the refrigerant, and at least part of the introducing passage effective to restrict the rate of flow of refrigerant therethrough.
A method for lubricating a scroll-type compressor, the scroll-type compressor having a stationary scroll and a movable scroll, the movable scroll and stationary scroll defining at least one compression chamber therebetween, wherein the compression chamber compresses a refrigerant gas that includes a lubricant and a driving mechanism for orbiting the movable scroll, the driving mechanism disposed in a lower pressure region, the method comprising:
- introducing step for introducing some of the compressed refrigerant in the compression chamber into the lower pressure region;
- restricting step for restricting refrigerant flow into the lower pressure region;
- and
- lubricating step for lubricating the driving mechanism by the lubricant in the refrigerant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.