JPS6325234B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a pressure-responsive valve device, more specifically a valve device suitable for use in a reciprocating piston compressor such as a refrigeration compressor.
It is related to

Reciprocating piston type compressors are typically supported at the cylinder end between a head and a cylinder housing and are provided with pressure responsive suction and discharge valve mechanisms. In designing this type of valve device, within a given time, and
Providing a port area that is large enough to allow maximum volume of fluid flow under acceptably small pressure drops is critical to overall system performance. This is particularly important in refrigeration compressors used in air conditioning systems, since air conditioning systems generally require relatively large flow rates.

Related to, and in conflict with, the desire to maximize port area for a given cylinder size is the desire to reduce the weight of the movable valve member to limit the inertial effects of that member. ,
be. Noise generation associated with operation should also be minimized. These requirements are becoming increasingly important in connection with high speed compressors.

Regarding the discharge valve mechanism in a pressure-responsive valve device for a gas compressor in connection with the above-mentioned requirements, this type of discharge valve mechanism generally includes a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; and means for forming in the discharge passage a valve seat having a circular cross-sectional shape and increasing in diameter in a direction away from the compression chamber; , a discharge valve disposed in the discharge passage and in sealing contact with the valve seat, and a compression spring biasing the discharge valve to move in a direction in which the discharge valve is seated against the valve seat. However, conventionally, the above-mentioned discharge valve is generally made of a rigid material such as metal and has a circumferential end surface having an inclination angle equal to the inclination angle of the side circumferential wall of the opening of the valve seat, and a guide valve. It was formed to have a rod. In such a discharge valve mechanism, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the discharge valve considerably in order to secure a seal length to obtain the necessary degree of sealing when the discharge valve is closed. However, if the discharge valve is made of a rigid material such as metal and has a large thickness, its weight will increase, the inertia effect of the discharge valve will be increased, the valve action from the discharge valve's rest state will be delayed, and the discharge There is also significant noise generation due to the impact when the valve stops moving. Such inconveniences become more serious when the discharge valve is made larger in order to increase the port area.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel pressure-responsive valve for a gas compressor, which is equipped with a discharge valve mechanism having a discharge valve that is lightweight yet ensures the necessary degree of sealing, and eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages. equipment, to provide.

A valve device according to the first invention of the present application developed for this purpose is a pressure-responsive valve device for a gas compressor, and includes: A. a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; B: a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; and C: a valve seat provided in the discharge passage and having a circular cross-section, the valve seat having a diameter increasing in the direction away from the compression chamber. , D: a discharge valve disposed within the discharge passage and having a circumferential end surface formed to sealingly abut against the valve seat; and E: moving the discharge valve in a direction so as to seat it against the valve seat. A compression spring for energizing the valve device, the valve device comprising: a. The valve seat is arranged so that its inner end is located on the same plane as the inner surface of the valve plate, and the discharge valve a truncated cone made of a relatively elastically deformable material, having a flat inner surface, the peripheral end surface having a continuous single slope, and increasing in diameter in the direction away from the compression chamber; The groove angle of the peripheral end surface of the discharge valve is determined relative to the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the opening of the valve seat when the discharge valve is in an uncompressed state. is larger than the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the valve seat opening by an appropriate amount, and when the discharge valve is completely seated against the valve seat, due to the deformation of the discharge valve, the inner surface of the discharge valve meets the inner surface of the above-mentioned valve plate. The deformation is performed on the entire circumferential end surface of the discharge valve while being located on substantially the same plane, and the elastic force generated on the valve seat by the deformation is greater than the biasing force of the compression spring. b. The discharge valve is further formed to have no valve stem portion and has a thickness smaller than the depth of the opening of the valve seat when viewed in the axial direction, and the compression chamber is stopper means for restricting movement of the discharge valve in a direction away from the valve seat, the discharge valve being at least partially in the fully open position regulated by the stopper means; The present invention is characterized by providing a stopper means for restricting movement of the discharge valve so as to be located within the opening of the discharge valve.

To explain the effect of the first invention of the present application having the above configuration, the valve seat is provided with a diameter that increases in the direction away from the compression chamber, whereas the discharge valve is easily deformed elastically. A truncated conical shape having a single inclination on the circumferential end surface is formed from the material of Therefore, during the discharge valve closing process, the discharge valve first contacts the valve seat only at its large diameter portion, and then is compressed and deformed by the valve seat, causing elasticity due to the deformation. Even under force, the valve seat will sit in close contact with the valve seat.

Therefore, in the closed position, the discharge valve is pressed extremely firmly against the valve seat, and the required degree of sealing can be maintained even if the seal length is shortened. can be made much smaller than the conventional one, and the discharge valve is considerably lighter than the conventional one. Furthermore, the discharge valve is made of, for example, a relatively elastically deformable polymer composition or a thin metal sheet (sheet metal), but such relatively deformable materials are themselves lightweight. For this reason as well, the weight of the discharge valve is reduced. By reducing the weight of the discharge valve in this way, the inertia effect of the discharge valve is limited, and the valve operation from a stationary state of the discharge valve is performed quickly, and the valve action when the discharge valve is stopped from a moving state is quickly performed. The generation of noise due to the impact, together with the buffering effect due to the deformation of the discharge valve, is greatly reduced. Discharge valves made of the above-mentioned materials become more deformable as they become larger, so when a discharge valve is made larger to increase the port area, the resulting weight increase increases the deformability of the discharge valve. covered by. Furthermore, regarding the acceleration of the valve action mentioned above, as mentioned above, the bevel angle of the peripheral end surface of the discharge valve is caused by the deformation of the discharge valve in the fully seated state with respect to the valve seat. The angle is set so that the elastic force against the valve seat is greater than the urging force of the spring that moves the discharge valve toward the valve seat. When the pressure difference starts to reverse, i.e. at the beginning of the evacuation cycle after the completion of the inhalation cycle,
The discharge valve is immediately pulled away from the valve seat by the restoring force against the valve seat, and as a result, the discharge valve immediately receives the opening pressure in the compression chamber over its entire surface, promoting the valve opening movement. As a result, advantages such as rapid valve action are greatly enhanced.

Furthermore, the bevel angle of the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is set at such an angle that the entire circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is completely seated on the valve seat due to deformation of the discharge valve, as described above. Therefore, the discharge valve faces the compression chamber only at its inner surface (the end surface on the compression chamber side) and closes the compression chamber. Since it has a truncated conical shape with a diameter increasing in this direction, it is the surface that minimizes the area in the discharge valve. Therefore, the discharge valve reduces the re-expansion volume within the compression chamber, and while the discharge valve is formed to be lightweight as described above, the discharge valve has a minimum area inside and outside the compression chamber. When exposed to a pressure difference, it has a high resistance to stress caused by such a pressure difference, and is less prone to fatigue or damage. A discharge valve having a single inclined peripheral end surface also facilitates mass production of products of stable quality.

To explain the effect of reducing the above-mentioned re-expansion volume, the volume of the gap remaining above the piston when the piston reaches top dead center in the compression chamber is the re-expansion volume (also called gap volume or gap volume). ), and this re-expansion volume is related to the volumetric efficiency of the compressor. In other words, even when the piston starts its suction stroke, moving down from top dead center, the gas in the re-expansion volume expands and the pressure in the compression chamber does not become lower than the suction gas pressure, so no gas is sucked into the compression chamber. . Only after the piston moves to this extent does the pressure in the compression chamber become lower than the suction gas pressure and gas suction begins. Therefore, the amount of gas sucked in during the suction stroke increases as the re-expansion volume decreases, increasing the volumetric efficiency, which is the ratio of the volume of gas actually sucked into the compression chamber to the volume displaced by the piston. In other words, the effect of reducing the re-expansion volume is nothing but the effect of increasing the volumetric efficiency of the compressor.

The first invention further includes adjusting the opening angle of the discharge valve as described above so that the flat inner surface of the discharge valve is located approximately on the same plane as the inner surface of the valve plate when the discharge valve is completely seated on the valve seat. , the above-mentioned effect of reducing the re-expansion volume in the compression chamber is further enhanced. This is because when the discharge valve is fully seated, the inner surface of the discharge valve is located on almost the same plane as the inner surface of the valve plate.
In other words, since no voids exist on the compression chamber side, the re-expansion volume of the compression chamber is minimized.

The first aspect of the invention also particularly provides a lighter discharge valve, which can be made lighter as described above.
That is, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, and FIGS. 16a and 16b, which illustrate the state in which the discharge valves 30 and 30' shown in these figures are in the fully open position, the first invention Discharge valve 3 of the valve device according to
0,30' does not have a valve stem part and has a valve seat 18,
It is formed to have a thickness T smaller than the depth D of the opening 78. For this reason, the discharge valves 30, 30'
When the discharge valves 30, 30' are fully seated on the valve seats 18, 78 shown in FIGS.
is located entirely within the opening of the valve seat 18, 78 as shown in the figure, but the discharge valve 30, 3
When the discharge valve 30, 30' is in the fully open position shown in FIGS.
As a whole, as in the discharge valve 30' shown in Figure b, the valve seat 1
8, 78 so that the discharge valve 30,
stopper means 50a for limiting the movement of 30';
50'a is provided. That is, the stopper means 50a, 50'a are compressed by the compression chamber 102.
Limiting the movement of the discharge valve 30, 30' away from the valve seat 1 so that the discharge valve 30, 30' is still at least partially in its fully open position.
8 and 78.

In this way, the valve seats 18, 78 are still in the fully open position.
a frusto-conical discharge valve 30,3 located within the opening of the
During the next compressor suction cycle, the valve seat 0' comes into contact with the side walls of the conical openings of the valve seats 18 and 78 under the biasing force of the compression springs 44 and 44', and is guided by the side walls. 18 and 78, and eventually reach the fully seated position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. In other words, the discharge valve 30,
Even though the discharge valves 30, 30' are not provided with a valve rod portion that guides the valves 30' during movement, the discharge valves 30, 30' are correctly guided.

In this manner, the first invention eliminates the valve rod portion from the discharge valves 30, 30' by providing the stopper means 50a, 50'a as described above. In other words, as described above, the valve device of the present invention includes the discharge valve 30,
Considering that the required degree of sealing can be ensured even if the seal length of the discharge valve 30' is shortened, the thickness T of the discharge valve 30, 30' is changed to the valve seat 18, as in the first invention.
Even if the depth is smaller than the depth D of 78, there will be no problem in terms of sealing.However, the smaller the thickness, the more problems will arise in the guide of the discharge valve. Stopper means 50
By providing the valve seats 18 and 50'a, the valve seats 18 and 78 are designed to serve as guides. In this way, the discharge valve having a small thickness and having no valve rod part is extremely lightweight, and according to the first invention, for this reason, the above-mentioned advantages based on weight reduction, namely, the limitation of inertial effects and the generation of noise, can be achieved. Advantages such as suppressing the amount of water and speeding up the valve action will be greatly enhanced.

Next, the valve devices according to the second and third inventions of the present application are respectively pressure-responsive valve devices for a gas compressor, and include: A a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; B the above. a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; C a valve seat having a circular cross-section and having a diameter increasing in the direction away from the compression chamber; D a discharge valve disposed within the discharge passage and having a circumferential end surface formed to sealingly abut against the valve seat; a compression spring, the discharge valve being made of a relatively elastically deformable material, the circumferential end surface having a continuous single slope, and being far from the compression chamber; The discharge valve is formed into a truncated conical shape with a diameter increasing in the opposite direction, and the groove angle of the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is set relative to the groove angle of the side circumferential wall of the opening of the valve seat.
When the discharge valve is not compressed, the groove angle of the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is slightly larger than the groove angle of the side circumferential wall of the valve seat opening, and the complete seating of the discharge valve against the valve seat causes deformation of the discharge valve. The configuration is the same as that of the first invention up to the point that the angle is set so that the entire circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is formed. In the second invention, the discharge valve is provided with an opening for providing an additional discharge flow in the center thereof, and an opening is provided in the discharge passage for providing an additional discharge flow to the discharge valve when the discharge valve is in the closed position. A closing means is fixedly mounted on a side circumferential wall of the aperture for sealingly engaging the aperture to close the aperture. Examples (6th and 7th) to be described later
In Figures 8 and 8), the closure means are formed in a disc (134, 134'') of rigid material.

Further, in a third aspect of the present invention, the discharge valve is provided with an opening for providing an additional discharge flow in the center thereof, and the closing means is movable along the axial direction of the discharge valve within the opening. and providing closing means energized to move toward the compression chamber so as to sealingly engage the discharge valve at a side peripheral wall of the opening to close the opening and in a direction away from the compression chamber. A stopper means is provided to limit the movement of the closing means to open the opening in the open position of the discharge valve. In the embodiment described later (FIG. 9), the closing means is formed in a second discharge valve (170) made of the same material as the discharge valve.

The second and third inventions provide an opening as described above in the center of the discharge valve, and in the closed position of the discharge valve, the opening is either a stationary closing means (the second invention) or a movable closing means. The opening is closed by the closing means (third invention) and is opened in the open position of the discharge valve, and the provision of such an opening makes the discharge valve even lighter. As in the first invention, the above-mentioned advantages of reducing the weight of the discharge valve are further enhanced, and since the port area is substantially increased by the opening, the discharge valve is This has the effect of increasing the port area without increasing the size of the port.

Other advantages and features of this invention include:
It will become clear from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

1-3, one embodiment of a valve arrangement according to the invention is illustrated, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The valve device 10 includes a conventional valve plate 12 that includes a pair of spaced suction passages 14 and 16.
2 and a discharge passage with a valve seat 18. A conventional reed-type suction valve 20 is also provided, which inlet valve 20 is connected to the suction passages 14 and 16.
4 and 16, one end 22 which is placed one above the other for adjustment, the other end 24 which is fixed to the valve plate 12, and a central elongated opening 26 with a valve seat 18. The opening 26 is arranged to overlap the discharge passage.
A groove 29 is provided in the cylinder hole to provide a gap for allowing the suction valve 20 to deflect when the valve 20 opens. The valve plate 12 is mounted in the customary manner on the compressor cylinder, which is delimited by a cylinder block 27. In FIG. 1, the cylinder hole positions are shown with imaginary lines.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the valve seat 18 has a frustoconical opening surrounded by an outwardly expanding side wall 28. As shown in FIGS. A frusto-conical discharge valve 30 is disposed within the discharge passage with a circumferential end wall 32 of the discharge valve 30 sealingly abutting a side circumferential wall 28 of the opening of the valve seat 18. This discharge valve 30
is sized and shaped to correspond to the opening in the valve seat 18, as shown, so that its lower surface 34 is substantially coplanar with the lower surface 36 of the valve plate 12;
It is formed. The discharge valve 30 is also provided with a groove 38 in its upper surface 40, the groove 38
receives one end 42 of biasing means comprising a helical compression spring 44. The other end 46 of the compression spring 44
extends upward and is engaged with a groove 48 provided in the bridge-like retainer 50. The valve 30 is essentially pressure actuated and the compression spring 44 described above is selected to provide a restoring force and an initial closing bias and preload to achieve an initial seal. Other types of springs than coil springs can, of course, be used for the purpose described above. The retainer 50, which also functions as a stopper for restricting the opening movement of the valve 30, is fixed to the valve plate 12 by suitable fasteners 52 and 54.

Generally speaking, the discharge valve 30 is made of high performance polymeric material, particularly polyimide, aramid, polyester, polyphenylene sulfide, polyester, etc.
Preferably, it is made from a moldable resin such as an amide-imide resin. These materials have high strength,
It is high temperature resistant, relatively lightweight, non-reactive and relatively easily deformable. Although it is difficult to express numerically all of the desired parameters for the material for the discharge valve 30, best results indicate that the tensile strength to weight ratio is approximately
It is determined as obtained when using a material with a bending strength and modulus of elasticity of greater than 1018 kPa/g and less than about 0.04. The material also has a thermal breakdown temperature higher than 232℃,
high wear resistance, high internal damping properties (for noise reduction and sealing), environmental adaptability, ease of fabrication (e.g. by compression or injection molding), low creep ratio,
and high impact strength (notched Izod impact strength greater than about 0.8
- It is desirable to have the following. ).

Currently, the preferred material for valve 30 is "Vespel", a polyimide resin available from DuPont Company, Wilmington, Del., USA.
It is. It has been found that the compositions identified as "SP-1" and "SP-21" give excellent results. By using such a polymer composition for the discharge valve 30, manufacturing by molding etc. is facilitated, and the discharge valve 30 is relatively lightweight, which reduces the inertial force of the valve and enables high-speed operation. In addition to being able to operate the valve, it is possible to use a light spring, and the generation of noise due to contact between the valve and the valve seat can be suppressed. Vespel, the material mentioned above, is ideally suited for this application as it can withstand relatively high temperatures without deterioration and is unaffected by refrigerated gases or lubricating oils. It has been found that the maximum operating temperature to which the refrigerant and lubricant can be exposed without damage is lower than the similar maximum operating temperature of Vespel.
"Vespel" is also deformable enough to achieve a seal without causing permanent deformation.

Other suitable polymeric materials having the aforementioned properties that are believed to be usable include "Vespel" KS (an aramid resin marketed by the DuPont Company) under its commercially available trade name or trade name;
"Sparmon" (polyimide resin sold by Sparta Manufacturing Co., Dover, Ohio, USA), "Valox" 420 or 420-SEO (Polyimide resin sold by Sparta Manufacturing Co., Dover, Ohio, USA) General
General Electric Company
Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyester), ``Ryton'' (Philippus pitrolium, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA)
Polyphenylene sulfide) and Torlon (Amoco Chemicals Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.)
Polyamides sold by Chemicals Corp.
imide resin).

As shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral end surface 32 of the discharge valve 30
is the inclination angle 58 of the side peripheral wall 28 of the opening of the valve seat 18 with respect to the centerline of the valve seat 18 indicated by the reference numeral 55.
56 (under uncompressed conditions). The initial seal is formed when the discharge valve 30 approaches the position shown in FIG.
0 first abuts the side circumferential wall 28. During most of the closing cycle, the pressure differential across valve 30 is relatively small, so the primary closing force is the force exerted by spring 44. However, once the initial seal is achieved, a substantial pressure differential is created across the valve 30 as the compressor piston begins to descend from top dead center. This pressure difference creates a substantial closing force, causing the valve 30 to
It is moved from the initial sealed position shown in the Figures to the fully seated position shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5.

As is clear from the comparison between the initial sealed position of the valve 30 shown in FIG. 4 and the fully seated state of the valve 30 shown in FIG.
An air gap that communicates with the compression chamber between the peripheral end surface 32 of the valve seat opening and the side peripheral wall 28 of the valve seat opening, and between the lower surface (inner surface) 34 of the valve 30 and the plane on which the lower surface (inner surface) 36 of the valve plate 12 is located. On the other hand, when the valve 30 is fully seated, the lower surface (inner surface) 34 of the valve 30 is located on approximately the same plane as the lower surface (inner surface) 36 of the valve plate 12, and the valve 30 is located on its peripheral end surface 3.
The groove angle of the peripheral end surface 32 of the valve 30 is set so that the entire surface of the valve 30 is deformed so as to sit on the valve seat 18, and none of the above-described gaps are left.

Valve 30 and spring 44 ensure that the upward force exerted by valve 30 as the pressure applied to valve 30 decreases and valve 30 moves from the fully seated position to the position shown in FIG. It is set to be substantially greater than the downward force exerted by spring 44 on valve 30 during the opening movement. By setting in this way, opening of the valve 30 is meaningfully assisted.
This is because as soon as the pressure differential across valve 30 begins to reverse (i.e., early in the evacuation cycle after the completion of the suction cycle), residual stresses in the valve 30 immediately cause the valve 30 to spring elastically away from the valve seat 18. This is because the spring 44 is pulled away in the direction shown in FIG. 4 (an action that overcomes the force of the spring 44). This causes the entire area of the valve 30 to be immediately exposed to the opening pressure created within the compression chamber. In this way, the maximum effective area of the valve 30 is opened or subjected to rising pressure, which promotes opening of the valve and enables higher speed operation. Also, as the valve 30 moves upward, the passage area between the side circumferential wall 28 and the circumferential end surface 32 increases, thereby providing an extremely large area for fluid delivery for a given port area. Become. This results in a significant increase in material flow rate at a given compressor speed.

When the discharge valve 30 is completely seated (second,
3 and 5), the effective area of the valve 30 exposed to the pressure difference is determined by the area of the area surrounded by the valve seat 18, i.e. by the outer periphery of the valve 30. It should be noted that the area is much smaller than the area of the enclosed region.
If the valve 30 is completely seated on the valve seat 18 and a pressure difference between the inside and outside acts on the entire cross section of the valve 30, excessive deformation or permanent deformation of the valve 30 can be prevented. Therefore, the valve 30 must be thicker, more robust, and heavier. On the other hand, the illustrated discharge valve 30 receives a pressure difference between the inside and outside in the area surrounded by the inner peripheral edge of the discharge passage 18 and has a large resistance to stress due to the pressure difference. The thickness and weight can be reduced as much as possible within the limits that can withstand the maximum pressure difference between the inside and outside that acts on the smallest part, thereby maximizing the promotion of valve action. Valve 30 and valve seat 18
The above-mentioned difference in the angle of inclination between the valves 30 and 30 also helps to reduce the impact upon closing and, in combination with the light weight of the valve 30, reduce noise and wear.

The discharge valve 30 has a circumferential end surface 32 and a side circumferential wall 28.
The valve plate 12 has a thickness that is less than that of the valve plate 12 in order to properly seal the valve plate 12 and to prevent the wear formation of partially or fully annular grooves in the circumferential end surface 32. However, it is desirable. When such grooves become worn, they can interfere with proper seating and/or sealing of the valve 30. The seal periphery 60 is also provided with a small radius or chamfer to ensure a proper seal even if the valve 30 is slightly displaced or opened while it is closed. , it is desirable to aim for it. Furthermore, the compression spring 44 has its ends 42 and 46 squared and polished, and has a diameter as large as possible compared to the diameter of the valve 30, so that the biasing force exerted by the spring 44 is applied to the sealing peripheral end wall 32. It is desirable that the valve 30 acts as close as possible and prevents the valve 30 from moving back and forth, rotating, or otherwise being displaced during its operation.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the discharge valve 30 of the valve device according to the present invention was used in combination with a reed-type suction valve, but the novel discharge valve in the valve device according to the present invention is a fifth valve. Also for use with a conventional ring-type intake valve, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 64 in the embodiment shown,
Are suitable. The valve assembly 64 includes a valve plate 66 having a relatively large, irregularly shaped, generally annular recess 68 defining a suction space in the lower surface 70 of the valve plate. recessed part 6
8. A frusto-conical discharge passage 72 is also provided which slopes radially inwardly to form an upper surface 76 and a lower surface 70 of the valve plate 66.
The surroundings are partitioned off by a side peripheral wall 74 extending between the two spaces. A surface 78 of the side wall 74 provides a valve seat for the discharge valve 30'. The discharge valve 30' is sealingly engaged against the valve seat 78 by gas pressure and a spring 44' disposed between the valve 30' and the spring retainer 50'. Spring 44', valve 30' and spring retainer 50' are substantially identical to the corresponding components in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4.

A generally annular valve plate insert 80 is disposed within recess 68 through which fastener 8 is inserted.
2 connects the valve device 64 to the cylinder housing 84.
It is provided to fix it to. There are also a plurality of spaced apart notches or radial slots (not shown) extending through the valve plate insert 80.
are provided to allow suction fluid to flow between the radially inner and outer sides.

A second insert formed in an annular ring 86 is also provided, which ring 86 is connected to the valve plate insert 8.
is received in an annular notch 88 formed in the lower surface 90 of the ring 8 at its radially inner end;
6 includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 92 extending radially inward and in contact with the surface 94 of the side peripheral wall 74;
They are placed at intervals. The reinforcing ribs 92 are clearly seen in FIG. 6, which shows the underside of a discharge valve according to another embodiment, but also used with a ring-type intake valve.

The distal end 96 of the side circumferential wall 74 is connected to the lower surface 7 of the valve plate 66.
0, the lower surface 90 of the valve plate insert 80 and the annular ring 8
6 is shown to be coplanar with the lower surface 98 of 6. The annular ring-shaped suction reed valve 100 has an annular ring 86 with respect to the lower surfaces 96 and 98 described above.
and surfaces 94 and into the compression chamber 102 in a sealing manner. A central opening 104 is provided in the suction reed valve 100, which opening 104 is disposed concentrically with the discharge passageway 70 and is located directly between the compression chamber 102 and the lower surface 34' of the discharge valve 30'. Enables fluid communication. As can be clearly seen in FIG.
08, 110 has an appropriate hole 112 passing through it.
is provided. As shown in FIG.
08 and 110 are received in cutout grooves 114 and 116 of the cylinder housing 84, and the fasteners 8 are inserted into the holes 112 of the ears 108 and 110.
2 is inserted to hold the suction reed valve 100 in position.

As a reciprocating piston (not shown) disposed within compression chamber 102 moves away from valve device 64 during the intake stroke,
The pressure difference between the compression chamber 102 and the recess 68 causes the suction reed valve 100 to deflect inwardly when viewed from the compression chamber 102 side, thereby allowing air to flow from the recess 68 through the inlet passageway 106 into the compression chamber 102. Fluid can flow into. Ears 108 and 110 of suction reed valve 100
Because only the lateral surface of the compression chamber 102 projects outwardly beyond the side wall surface 118 of the compression chamber 102, suction fluid flows from between the suction reed valve 100 and surfaces 98 and 96 around the entire inner and outer circumferences of the valve 100 to the chamber 10.
Easily flows into 2. When the piston compression stroke begins, the suction reed valve 100
6 and 98, and the discharge valve 30' begins to operate in the same manner as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-4. Due to the illustrated concentric arrangement, substantially all of the available area resting on the compression chamber 102 is utilized for inhalation and exhalation operations, thus allowing the compression chamber 102
Maximum fluid inflow and outflow is achieved.

In both the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4 and the other embodiment shown in FIG. (FIGS. 16a and 16b), the thickness T of the discharge valves 30, 30' is set smaller than the opening depth D of the valve seats 18, 18', and 30' is formed in a shape without a valve stem portion. Such a structure and its effects and advantages are as described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5 and FIGS. 16a and 16b regarding the first invention. Stopper means 50a, 50'
In the illustrated case, a is also provided on the lower surface of the retainer 50, 50'.

6 and 7, another embodiment of the invention is shown which further utilizes the valve plate area above the compression chamber by providing a second concentric discharge port area. . With the exception of the discharge valve and spring retainer, each component and portion of the suction and discharge valve assembly 120 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 is substantially identical to the corresponding component and portion of the valve assembly 64 illustrated in FIG. Therefore, corresponding parts and parts will not be described again using the same reference numerals.

A discharge valve 122 is provided within the discharge passage 72 . The discharge valve 122 is similar to the discharge valve 30 described above, is preferably fabricated from a polymeric composition having the characteristics described above, and has an outwardly flared peripheral surface 124, a lower surface 126, and an upper surface 128. It is said to have a truncated conical shape. However, the discharge valve 122 of this embodiment includes a centrally located
A generally frustoconical opening 130 is provided, and the opening 130 is surrounded by a side peripheral wall (inner peripheral surface) 132 that is constricted toward the upper side. A frusto-conical disc 134 having a circumferential end wall 136 that is constricted toward the upper side is also provided;
4 is attached to the screw rod 138 and the screw rod 138
Supported by The screw rod 138 has a threaded portion 140 at its upper portion, and the threaded portion 140 is screwed into a threaded hole 142 provided in the spring retainer 144 and cooperates with the threaded hole 142 to thread the disk 134. The lower surface 146 can be adjusted to be substantially coplanar with the lower surface 70 of the valve plate 66 and the lower surface 126 of the discharge valve 122, respectively. The spring retainer 144 also connects the discharge valve 1
It also functions to limit the opening movement of 22.

As described above with respect to the discharge valve 30, the conical peripheral end surface 124 of the discharge valve 122 has an inclination angle (groove angle) greater than the inclination angle (groove angle) of the wall 78 when uncompressed. It is desirable that the structure be formed as shown in FIG. Similarly, for the same reason, the inclination angle (groove angle) of the conical side wall 132 when it is not compressed.
Also, the inclination angle (bevel angle) of the conical peripheral end wall 136
It has been made larger.

The action of the valve device 120 is such that as the discharge valve 122 is moved upwardly, the walls 78 and 1
24 and between walls 132 and 136, with the exception that compressed fluid can be discharged from between walls 132 and 136. The valve arrangement 120 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 substantially increases the discharge flow rate within a relatively limited head area for a given cylinder size as fluid is expelled as described above. This substantially enlarges the discharge port area.
On the other hand, the valve device 120 configuration is more difficult to manufacture due to the tight tolerances required between the two separate valve seats to achieve a good seal.

FIG. 8 shows a valve device 146 according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
46 is constructed by combining a discharge valve of the construction shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 with a reed-type suction valve of the type previously described for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4.
Therefore, the members used in this embodiment and their functions are substantially the same as the corresponding members shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 6 and 7, so that similar parts may - Reference numerals used to refer to corresponding parts in Figures 4 and 6 and 7 are indicated with a double dash ('') and will not be repeated.

FIG. 9 illustrates a valve arrangement, generally designated by the reference numeral 148, according to yet another embodiment of the invention, which valve arrangement 148 includes:
A fluid passage is further added to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4. This valve device 148 includes the valve plate 15
0, a conventional reed-type suction valve 152 that abuts the lower surface 154 of the valve plate 150, and a frusto-conical discharge port or discharge passage surrounded by a side peripheral wall 158 that expands upward, 1-4, which are substantially identical to the corresponding parts shown in FIGS. 1-4.

In this embodiment, however, a two-part discharge valve arrangement is provided, which discharge valve arrangement comprises a first frusto-conical discharge valve 160, which first discharge valve 160 has the above-mentioned side A circumferential end surface 162 that expands upward and is formed to seal against the circumferential wall 158; an annular groove 164 formed in the upper surface 166; a frusto-conical opening surrounded by a side circumferential wall 168; The discharge valve arrangement also includes a second relatively movable frusto-conical discharge valve 170 configured to abut sealingly against the side circumferential wall 168. It also has a peripheral end surface 172 that expands upward. Second discharge valve 1
70 also has a groove 1 provided on its upper surface 176.
74, and the groove 174 receives one end of the biasing spring 178. The other end of the spring 178 is engaged to a shoulder 180 on a suspended projection 182 of a spring retainer 184. A second biasing spring 186 is provided, one end of which is received in the groove 164 of the first discharge valve 160 and an annular groove 188 surrounding the protrusion 182 of the spring retainer 184. The other end is accepted. Therefore, two types of energizing springs 17
8 and 186 are the discharge valves 170 and 1, respectively.
60 each independently act to sealingly engage. The spring retainer 184 has a stop means, in the illustrated case formed on an annular shoulder 190, which allows continued upward movement of the second discharge valve 170 while the first discharge valve 16
0 and is positioned to engage the top surface 166 of 0.

Obviously, the relative opening order of the discharge valves 160 and 170 can be easily selected by simply selecting the spring characteristics of each spring 178, 186 accordingly. Both discharge valves 160 and 170 are preferably fabricated from a suitable polymeric composition with the properties described above and have a thickness sufficient to provide the necessary strength but less than the thickness of valve plate 150. It is desirable that the inclination angle (groove angle) of the conical peripheral end surfaces 162, 172 is larger than the inclination angle (groove angle) of the side peripheral walls 158, 168 forming the valve seat in an uncompressed state. It is desirable that it be formed like this.
Also, the relative diameters of the discharge valves 160 and 170 are
It is configured to provide a lower surface that is substantially coplanar with the surface 154 of the valve plate 150.

Regarding the relationship between the inclination angles of each discharge valve and the valve seat, the inventor found that the valve seat forms an angle of approximately 45° (approximately 90° in terms of groove angle) with respect to the center line of the discharge passage. , the discharge valve is located approximately relative to the center line of the discharge passage.
Excellent test results were obtained when the angle was 47° (approximately 94° in terms of bevel angle). These relative angular relationships apply to all embodiments described, regardless of whether the sealing engagement between the discharge valve and the valve seat is on the outer or inner circumference of the valve.

The significant performance improvement obtained by using the discharge valve of the above-mentioned embodiment in place of the existing discharge valve in a commercially available compressor for a refrigerator is also demonstrated by the use of a discharge valve made of a material other than a polymeric material. If you can get it, you can believe it. For example, Figures 10-15 illustrate several different lightweight constructions of valve assemblies in which the discharge valve is formed from metal, and these valve assemblies also benefit from the advantages of the present invention. I believe that it will demonstrate its true potential. In all of these embodiments, the valve plate is reference numeral 212, the discharge passage is reference numeral 218, the frusto-conical valve seat is reference numeral 228, and the helical compression spring is reference numeral 2.
44, respectively.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the discharge valve, designated by the reference numeral 230, is formed by stamping or the like a sheet metal into a frusto-conical shape as shown. The discharge valve 230 has a generally flat central disc portion 232 and an upwardly and outwardly extending conical circumferential end wall 234, the outer circumferential surface of the conical circumferential end wall 234 being The discharge valve sealingly abuts or engages the valve seat 228 in exactly the same manner as the discharge valve. The shape of the discharge valve 230 is set such that the spring 244 comes into contact with the valve 230 almost at the boundary between the disk portion 232 and the peripheral end wall portion 234 . The discharge valve 246 shown in FIG. 11 is generally similar to the discharge valve 230 of FIG. 10 and is formed by stamping or the like from a sheet metal. The discharge valve 246, however, has an upright outer peripheral end flange 248 that forms an inner shoulder for engaging and positioning the spring 244.
, is provided. Figure 12 also shows a similar discharge valve 2.
50, the discharge valve 250 is similar to that shown in FIG. They are different in this respect. The discharge valve 254 shown in FIG. 13 is generally similar to that shown in FIG. 12, but its shape is configured to minimize weight. That is, as shown, a large portion of the central disc portion 232 is made substantially thinner to provide an integral rib 25.
6 and 258. 1st
The discharge valves shown in FIGS. 2 and 13 can be formed by cold rolling. Other manufacturing techniques, such as casting, can also
It can be used to fabricate metal discharge valves, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In all of the embodiments described above, the discharge valve was considered to be formed from a single piece of steel, bronze, aluminum or other metal.

A discharge valve embodying the principles of the invention can also be constructed as a composite in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. The discharge valve itself, designated by the reference numeral 260 in these figures, is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 10, but is slightly smaller;
A thick center filler 2 made of a very lightweight rigid material (e.g. rigid foam, metal honeycomb, etc.) fixedly connected to the valve 260
62 to make the filling part 26 more robust, and a suitable reinforcing and protective covering 264 is provided on the filling part 26.
2 and firmly attached to the inner surface of the valve 260 by brazing or the like. The central filling portion 262 covers the valve 260 and includes a
The three members 260, 262, and 264 have an integral structure. Cover 264 and filling 2
62 can be formed from any of the metals previously described, and preferably the cover 264 defines an annular groove 266 for positioning and engaging the spring 244.

In all of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 10-15, the relationship between the inclination angle of the valve seat and the inclination angle of the outer surface of the peripheral end wall 234 is established as described for the previously described embodiments, and Part 23
The thickness of 4 is chosen to minimize weight for the metal used and to provide the necessary deformability or elasticity for the valve to close and seal without permanent deformation. , is selected. Similarly, the disc part 232 is made as light as possible, but in combination with the central stiffening filler part 262, if provided for the metal used, as in the previous embodiment. Similarly, one of sufficient thickness and strength to impart a substantially flat valve face at the top of the cylinder chamber when fully closed and exposed to the maximum pressure differential normally encountered (i.e., without excessive deflection). (something that does not cause permanent deformation)
It is said. In all of the embodiments with a metal discharge valve, the discharge valve is light in weight compared to known conical discharge valves, whether of monolithic or composite construction. It is believed that the present invention is capable of providing the advantages of the polymeric discharge valves previously described, particularly those shown in FIGS. 1-5. Ideally, the discharge valve illustrated in FIGS. 10-15 is formed in a manner, geometry, and material that provides the characteristics achieved by the polymeric discharge valves described above. Metal discharge valves are slightly noisier than polymer discharge valves, but due to the relationship between the inclination angle and the groove angle as described above, the gradual engagement between the discharge valve and the valve seat is is obtained,
It is believed that the noise is reduced to some extent.

One of the advantages of the valve device according to the invention is that, unlike reed valves, the weight of the valve body is independent of the force of the return springs (i.e. springs 44, 44', 44'', etc.). Optimize the valve frequency (i.e., achieve closure as close to top dead center as possible) or the valve preload (i.e., the initial sealing force with no pressure difference). One of the most important functions of the return spring is to stabilize the valve when it reciprocates in response to pressure difference fluctuations. It is desirable that the spring be of the largest possible diameter.

In all of the embodiments described above, the valve plates are used in a conventional manner in the compressor, and the pistons, cylinders, intake valves, manifolds, etc. are conventional. If desired, the top of the piston can be shaped to fill a small, thin gap in the center of the intake valve when the piston is at top dead center, further reducing the re-expansion volume.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a pressure-responsive valve device according to the present invention, which is constructed by combining a polymer discharge valve with a reed-type suction valve, as viewed from the direction of the cylinder chamber. be. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve device shown in FIG. 1 taken along line 2--2 in FIG. Figure 3 shows
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve device shown in FIG. 1 taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 1; Figure 4 shows the first
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing a part of the valve seat and associated discharge valve in the valve device shown in the figure, in which the relationship between the inclination angles of the mutually engaging surfaces is exaggerated compared to the actual figure. This figure shows the discharge valve starting to sit on the valve seat. Fifth
2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing another embodiment of the invention in which the discharge valve is combined with a ring-shaped intake valve. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a valve device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is equipped with a discharge valve made of a polymeric material, as viewed from the direction of the cylinder chamber. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 taken along line 7--7 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7, but showing yet another embodiment of the invention in which a discharge valve is combined with a reed-type suction valve. 9th
7 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7, but illustrating a further embodiment of the invention with a discharge valve made of polymeric material. Figures 10 and 11
12, 13, 14 and 15 are partial cross-sectional views similar to FIG. 4, respectively, showing a number of valve devices of the invention having a metal discharge valve. This shows an example. Figures 16a and 16b are enlarged views of the same parts as Figures 2 and 5, respectively, and unlike Figures 2 and 5, the discharge valve is in the fully open position. It shows the condition. 10... Valve device, 12, 12''... Valve plate, 14,
16...Suction passage, 18,18''...Valve seat, 20,2
0''...Reed type suction valve, 28, 28''...Side peripheral wall of opening of valve seat, 30, 30'...Discharge valve, 32...Peripheral end surface of discharge valve, 34, 34'...Bottom surface (inner surface) of discharge valve, 3
6, 36″…lower surface of valve plate (inner surface), 44, 44’, 4
4''... Helical compression spring, 50, 50'... Retainer, 50a, 50b... Stopper means, 60... Outer seal periphery, 64... Valve device, 66... Valve plate,
68... Recessed portion, 70... Valve plate lower surface (inner surface), 72...
Discharge passage, 76... Valve plate upper surface (outer surface), 74... Side peripheral wall of discharge passage, 78... Valve seat, 86... Annular ring,
100... Suction reed valve, 104... Opening, 120...
Valve device, 122...Discharge valve, 124, 124''
... Circumferential end surface of the discharge valve, 126 ... Lower surface (inner surface) of the discharge valve,
128...Discharge valve top surface (outer surface), 130, 130''...
Opening, 132, 132″... side peripheral wall (inner peripheral surface) of opening 130, 130″, 134, 134″… disk,
136,136''...peripheral end wall of disk 134,134'', 138,138''...screw rod, 140,14
0″...Threaded part, 142...Screw hole, 144, 14
4''... Spring retainer, 146, 146''... Lower surface (inner surface) of disk 134, 134'', 146... Valve device, 150... Valve plate, 152... Reed type suction valve,
154... Valve plate lower surface (inner surface), 158... Discharge passage side circumferential wall, 160... First discharge valve, 162... Circumferential end surface of the first discharge valve, 166... First discharge valve upper surface (outer surface), 168... Discharge Valve opening side peripheral wall, 170...second
Discharge valve, 172... peripheral end surface, 176... second discharge valve upper surface (outer surface), 178... spring, 184... spring retainer, 186... second spring, 212... valve plate, 2
18...Discharge passage, 228...Valve seat, 230...Discharge valve, 232...Disc part, 234...Conical peripheral end wall part,
244... Helical compression spring, 246,250,2
54,260...Discharge valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A pressure-responsive valve device for a gas compressor, comprising: A. a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; B. a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; and C. a valve seat with a circular cross-section, which is provided in the discharge passage and whose diameter increases in the direction away from the compression chamber; A discharge valve having a circumferential end surface formed to be in sealing contact with the valve seat; and a compression spring for biasing the discharge valve in a direction in which the discharge valve is seated against the valve seat. a. The valve seat is arranged so that its inner end is located on the same plane as the inner surface of the valve plate, and the discharge valve is made of a material with relatively high elastic deformability and has a flat inner surface. and the circumferential end surface is formed into a truncated conical shape having a continuous single slope and increasing in diameter in the direction away from the compression chamber, and the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve has an opening. Relative to the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the opening of the valve seat, when the discharge valve is in an uncompressed state, the groove angle of the peripheral end surface of the discharge valve is greater than the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the valve seat opening. It is large enough by an appropriate amount that the discharge valve is completely seated on the valve seat so that the inner surface of the discharge valve is located on almost the same plane as the inner surface of the above-mentioned valve plate due to the deformation of the discharge valve, and the entire circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is completely seated. and (b) the discharge valve is set at an angle such that the resilient force generated on the valve seat by the deformation is greater than the biasing force of the compression spring, and (b) the discharge valve is further , having no valve stem portion and having a thickness smaller than the depth of the opening of the valve seat when viewed in the axial direction, and restricting movement of the discharge valve in a direction away from the compression chamber. stopper means for restricting movement of the discharge valve such that when the discharge valve is in a fully open position regulated by the stopper means, the discharge valve is at least partially located within the opening of the valve seat; A valve device characterized by having a stopper means. 2 A pressure-responsive valve device for a gas compressor, comprising: A a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; B a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; C a valve provided in the discharge passage. a valve seat having a circular cross-sectional shape, the diameter of which increases in the direction away from the compression chamber; D disposed within the discharge passage and in sealing contact with the valve seat; a discharge valve having a circumferential end surface formed to do so; and a compression spring that urges the discharge valve to move in a direction in which the discharge valve is seated relative to the valve seat, the valve device comprising: a. the discharge valve; is formed from a relatively elastically deformable material into a truncated conical shape, the peripheral end surface of which has a continuous single slope and whose diameter increases in the direction away from the compression chamber. At the same time, the groove angle of the peripheral end surface of the discharge valve is relative to the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the opening of the valve seat,
When the discharge valve is in an uncompressed state, the groove angle of the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is slightly larger than the groove angle of the side circumferential wall of the valve seat opening, and the complete seating of the discharge valve against the valve seat results in deformation of the discharge valve. b. An opening is provided in the center of the discharge valve to provide an additional discharge flow, and in the discharge passage, A valve device characterized in that a closing means is fixedly installed to sealingly engage the discharge valve on a side peripheral wall of the opening to close the opening when the discharge valve is in the closed position. 3. A pressure-responsive valve device for a gas compressor, comprising: A a valve plate having an inner surface that partially partitions a compression chamber; B a discharge passage passing through the valve plate; C a valve provided in the discharge passage. a valve seat having a circular cross-sectional shape, the diameter of which increases in the direction away from the compression chamber; D disposed within the discharge passage and in sealing contact with the valve seat; a discharge valve having a circumferential end surface formed to do so; and a compression spring that urges the discharge valve to move in a direction in which the discharge valve is seated relative to the valve seat, the valve device comprising: a. the discharge valve; is formed from a relatively elastically deformable material into a truncated conical shape, the peripheral end surface of which has a continuous single slope and whose diameter increases in the direction away from the compression chamber. At the same time, the groove angle of the peripheral end surface of the discharge valve is relative to the groove angle of the side peripheral wall of the opening of the valve seat,
When the discharge valve is in an uncompressed state, the groove angle of the circumferential end surface of the discharge valve is slightly larger than the groove angle of the side circumferential wall of the valve seat opening, and the complete seating of the discharge valve against the valve seat results in deformation of the discharge valve. b. An opening is provided in the center of the discharge valve to provide an additional discharge flow, and the discharge flow is formed in the center of the discharge valve, and closing means movable along the axis of the valve and energized to move toward the compression chamber so as to sealingly engage the discharge valve at a side peripheral wall of the opening to close the opening; A valve device comprising a closing means and a stopper means for restricting movement of the closing means in a direction away from the compression chamber and opening the opening at the open position of the discharge valve. .