SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL
The general outline of the present invention is provided in this section, not a full scope of the present invention or a full disclosure of all the features of the present invention.
An object of the utility model is to provide a can carry out dynamic adjustment's vortex compression mechanism to fuel injection quantity according to the operating mode.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a scroll compression mechanism, including: a non-orbiting scroll member and an orbiting scroll member including an orbiting scroll end plate, the orbiting scroll member and the non-orbiting scroll member cooperating to define a series of working fluid chambers including a central compression chamber and a fluid suction chamber; and an oil supply passage for supplying lubricating oil from a lubricating oil source into the scroll compression mechanism, the scroll compression mechanism further comprising: a regulator valve comprising a movable valve body; and a fluid pressure passage including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is in fluid communication with a first pressure source to apply a first pressure to a first side end of the movable valve body, and the second end is in fluid communication with a second pressure source to apply a second pressure to a second side end of the movable valve body, such that the movable valve body is selectively movable toward a first direction that decreases the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage and toward a second direction opposite to the first direction that increases the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage based on a pressure difference of the first pressure and the second pressure, thereby adjusting an amount of oil supply to the scroll compression mechanism.
Advantageously, the oil supply passage, the regulating valve and the fluid pressure passage are provided in the orbiting scroll end plate.
Advantageously, the oil supply passage includes a vertical oil supply port substantially parallel to a central axis of the scroll compression mechanism, the vertical oil supply port leading to the fluid suction chamber, and the movable valve body is partially disposed in the vertical oil supply port so as to adjust a flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage by adjusting the flow cross-sectional area of the vertical oil supply port.
Advantageously, the oil supply passage further comprises a transverse oil supply gallery substantially perpendicular to the central axis, the transverse oil supply gallery intersecting with and communicating with the vertical oil supply gallery.
Advantageously, the fluid pressure passage includes a transverse fluid pressure port substantially perpendicular to the central axis, and the transverse fluid pressure port and the transverse oil supply port are arranged horizontally or vertically in the orbiting scroll end plate.
Advantageously, the transverse fluid pressure bore and the vertical oil supply bore partially overlap in a vertical direction parallel to the central axis, the transverse oil supply bore including a main transverse oil supply bore arranged alongside the transverse fluid pressure bore with the transverse fluid pressure bore and the transverse oil supply bore arranged horizontally, the transverse oil supply bore further including a secondary transverse oil supply bore in intersecting communication with both the main transverse oil supply bore and the vertical oil supply bore, the transverse fluid pressure bore and the transverse oil supply bore being arranged alongside the transverse fluid pressure bore with the transverse oil supply bore arranged vertically.
Advantageously, the orbiting scroll part includes a hub portion, a base region in an inner space of the hub portion near the orbiting scroll end plate serves as the lubricating oil source, and an oil feed end of the oil supply passage is connected to the base region.
Advantageously, the first pressure varies with a variation in an operating condition of the scroll compression mechanism or a variation in an operating condition of a system to which the scroll compression mechanism is applied, and/or the second pressure varies with a variation in an operating condition of the scroll compression mechanism or a variation in an operating condition of a system to which the scroll compression mechanism is applied.
Advantageously, the regulating valve further comprises an elastic member disposed abuttable to the second lateral end, the elastic member being adapted to bias the movable valve body toward the first direction.
Advantageously, said first pressure source is said central compression chamber; and/or the second pressure source is the fluid intake chamber or a low pressure region located outside of the scroll compression mechanism.
Advantageously, the movable valve body comprises a connecting section connecting the first lateral end and the second lateral end, the connecting section having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first lateral end and smaller than the diameter of the second lateral end, and the regulating valve is arranged such that: the connecting section occupies less of the oil supply passage to reduce the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage when the movable valve body moves toward the first direction, and occupies more of the oil supply passage to increase the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage when the movable valve body moves toward the second direction.
The utility model also provides a scroll compressor, scroll compressor includes above-mentioned scroll compression mechanism.
Therefore, in the scroll compression mechanism including the oil supply structure of the present invention, compared with the compressor without the oil supply structure, on the premise of not changing the oil circulation rate of rated working condition, the relatively high oil circulation rate can be realized by regulating the oil injection quantity of the compressor under the severe working condition according to the differential pressure, so that the reliability of the compressor is improved, compared with the traditional oil injection device without a regulating valve, can reduce the oil injection quantity or the oil circulation rate under the rated or light-load working condition, is beneficial to improving the energy efficiency (such as heat exchange efficiency) in a system applied by the compressor and avoids the problems of discharge stability and reliability caused by the accumulation of lubricating oil at an exhaust port of a compression mechanism, under the severe working conditions of high temperature and high load, proper large oil injection quantity or oil circulation rate can be obtained, and sufficient lubrication of a compression mechanism is ensured, so that the operation reliability of the compressor is improved. That is, since the oil supply structure according to the present invention is provided with the regulating valve that is regulated based on the pressure difference that is dynamically changed along with the change of the operating condition, the amount of oil supply can be dynamically regulated to dynamically change the oil circulation rate to match the ideal oil circulation rate under each operating condition.
Detailed Description
The invention is described in detail below with the aid of exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures. The following detailed description of the invention is merely for purposes of illustration and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
First, referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 schematically illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of a scroll compressor having a compression mechanism with an oil feeding structure CO of a comparative example. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an orbiting scroll part of a compression mechanism with an oil supplying configuration incorporating a comparative example.
As shown in FIG. 1, a scroll compressor 100 includes a housing 110. The housing 110 includes a housing body 112 having a substantially cylindrical shape, a top cover 114 mounted to the top of the housing body 112, and a bottom cover 116 mounted to the bottom of the housing body 112. The housing 110 defines an interior volume IV of the scroll compressor 100. In addition, a partition 119 is also provided within the shell 110 such that the partition 119 defines a high pressure region (i.e., a discharge pressure region HR, which is adapted to temporarily store high pressure working fluid to be discharged to the outside of the compressor) with the top cover 114, while the partition 119 defines a low pressure region LR with the shell body 112 and the bottom cover 116. Additionally, lubricant of the lubricating oil is stored in the sump OR at the bottom of the interior volume IV within the housing 110. In the illustrated example, the scroll compressor is a so-called low-pressure side scroll compressor.
The scroll compressor 100 also includes a suction fitting 194. In the illustrated example, scroll compressor 100 is of a mid-intake design, i.e., suction fitting 194 is disposed at a location generally aligned with main bearing housing 180 in the compressor axial direction. Thereby, the low-temperature and low-pressure working fluid evaporated by the evaporator is sucked into the scroll compressor 100 through the suction fitting 194 to be compressed.
The scroll compressor 100 also includes a drive mechanism 130. The drive mechanism 130 includes an electric motor 132 and a drive shaft 134. The electric motor 132 includes a stator 137 and a rotor 138. The stator 137 is fixedly connected to the inner circumferential wall surface of the housing body 112, and the rotor 138 is fixedly fitted over the drive shaft 134 to rotate integrally with the drive shaft 134. An eccentric pin 139 is provided at the tip end portion of the drive shaft 134.
Scroll compressor 100 also includes a main bearing housing 180. Main bearing housing 180 is fixedly coupled to an inner circumferential wall surface of housing body 112. Main-bearing housing 180 is fixedly connected to the inner peripheral wall surface of housing body 112 by way of a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial projections thereof, such that a plurality of main-bearing-housing passages PG are formed between main-bearing housing 180 and the inner peripheral wall surface of housing body 112 (i.e., between adjacent radial projections of main-bearing housing 180) to allow passage of low-pressure working fluid drawn into interior volume IV. Main bearing housing 180 supports a portion of drive shaft 134 via a main bearing 182 provided in main bearing housing 180.
The scroll compressor 100 also includes a compression mechanism CM adapted to compress a working fluid, such as a refrigerant. The compression mechanism CM includes an orbiting scroll part 150 and a non-orbiting scroll part 160.
Orbiting scroll member 150 includes: an end plate 152; a spiral wrap 154 extending upward from a radially central portion of an upper surface of the end plate 152; and a hub portion 156 extending downward from a radially central portion of the lower surface of the end plate 152. Orbiting scroll part 150 is disposed on main bearing housing 180, and is axially supported by main bearing housing 180 so as to be able to orbit. The eccentric pin 139 is drivingly coupled to (inserted into) the hub 156 (via the unloader bushing 190 and/or drive bearing).
Non-orbiting scroll member 160 includes: an end plate 162; a spiral fixed scroll 164 extending downward from the lower surface of the end plate 162; a discharge port 166 formed at substantially the center of the end plate 162 and adapted to communicate with the central compression chamber ZC of the compression mechanism CM; and a recess 168 formed at a substantially center of the end plate 162, the recess 168 being located above the exhaust 166 and adapted to communicate with the exhaust 166 and with the exhaust pressure region HR. A discharge valve assembly (e.g., an HVE valve assembly) 192 is disposed in recess 168 to control the discharge of compression mechanism CM. In the illustrated example, the fixed scroll 164 includes a (annular) outer wall located at the radially outermost side, and a compression mechanism suction window SW is provided in the outer wall at an appropriate circumferential position, the suction window SW allowing suction of low-pressure working fluid into the compression mechanism CM, wherein the suction window SW defines a suction pressure region SP.
The fixed scroll 164 is adapted to engage the orbiting scroll 154 to define a series of crescent-shaped working fluid pockets. These containing cavities include: an unsealed intake chamber SC of fluid at a lower pressure; a closed compression-increasing pressure-receiving chamber; and a central compression chamber ZC having completed compression and being vented via vent 166 and vent valve assembly 192. The fluid suction chamber SC is adapted to communicate with the suction window SW so as to be able to receive the low-pressure working fluid sucked from the suction window SW.
The scroll compressor 100 also includes a lubrication system that is primarily used to provide lubrication to the relatively moving components of the compressor, such as the compression mechanism CM, the main bearing 182, the eccentric pin 139, the unloader bushing 190, and the drive bearing. The lubricating system is suitable for: oil sump OR (primary lubricant source) as mentioned above; an oil supply passage provided in the driving shaft 134 and including a center hole 135 at a lower portion of the driving shaft and an eccentric hole 136 at an upper portion of the driving shaft; a lubricant storage area (secondary lubricant source) for temporarily storing lubricant temporarily remaining in main bearing housing 180 after lubricating eccentric pin 139, unloading bushing 190, drive bearing and/or main bearing 182; a compression mechanism oil supply configuration CO (see fig. 2) that supplies lubricant from the lubricant storage area to the compression mechanism CM; and an oil return passage for returning lubricant from the lubricant storage area to the oil sump OR.
In particular, the lubricant reservoir includes a lubricant reservoir (base region of orbiting scroll end plate) OA (see fig. 2) located between the top end surface of eccentric pin 139, unloader bushing 190 and/or drive bearing and the lower surface of orbiting scroll end plate 152 and in hub portion 156.
When the scroll compressor 100 is operating, the electric motor 132 is energized to rotate the rotor 138 integrally with the drive shaft 134. At this time, eccentric pin 139, which is integrally formed with drive shaft 134, also rotates to drive hub 156 via unload bushing 190 and/or drive bearing, thereby causing orbiting or orbiting motion of orbiting scroll member 150 relative to non-orbiting scroll member 160 via oldham ring 199 (i.e., the axis of orbiting scroll member 150 orbits relative to the axis of non-orbiting scroll member 160, but both orbiting and non-orbiting scroll members 150 and 160 do not themselves rotate about their respective axes). Meanwhile, the low-pressure working fluid sucked from the suction fitting 194 passes through the main bearing housing 180 along the main bearing housing passage PG and then enters the compression mechanism CM (specifically, into the fluid suction chamber SC) via the suction window SW.
Thus, each of the pockets defined by the fixed wrap 164 and the movable wrap 154 is changed from the unsealed fluid suction chamber SC to the compression pocket to the central compression chamber ZC (having the discharge pressure) in the process of moving from the radially outer side to the radially inner side, and the volume is gradually decreased. In this way, the pressure in the accommodation chamber also gradually rises, so that the working fluid is compressed and finally discharged from the discharge port 166 to the discharge pressure region HR to be discharged to the outside of the compressor via a discharge fitting (not shown).
At the same time, the lubricant can be delivered from the oil sump OR to the lubricant storage area (such as the lubricant storage area OA) via the oil supply passage (specifically, the center hole 135 and the eccentric hole 136) by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the driving shaft 134. Then, by the compression mechanism oil configuration CO, a part of the lubricant temporarily stored in the lubricant storage area OA is supplied to the compression mechanism CM (such as to an appropriate region of the fluid suction chamber SC) so as to provide lubrication to the compression mechanism CM. Then, the remaining lubricant temporarily stored in the lubricant storage area OA is returned to the oil sump OR through the oil return passage.
The case of the compression mechanism oil feed structure CO of the lubrication system of the comparative example is described below with reference to fig. 2 (fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an orbiting scroll part to which the compression mechanism oil feed structure of the comparative example is incorporated).
The compression mechanism oil supply structure CO includes: an oil inlet end (oil inlet hole) 201 communicating with the lubricant reservoir area OA; and a cross hole 205 communicating with the oil inlet end 201. An oil inlet end 201 and a cross hole 205 are formed in the orbiting scroll end plate 152. The oil inlet end 201 is an axial hole extending in the axial direction. The opening position (outflow opening position) of the cross hole 205 to the outer peripheral surface 152a is set to be in the flow path of the sucked low-pressure working fluid. Suction fitting 194 is disposed in alignment with main bearing housing passage PG.
And, the cross hole 205 includes a counterbore 205a at a radially outer section, and the inner diameter of the counterbore 205a is larger than that of the remaining section of the cross hole 205, the compression mechanism oil supply configuration CO further includes an oil outlet hole 203 communicating with an appropriate region of the fluid suction chamber SC. Plug 207 is adapted to be coupled to counterbore 205a, with a through bore 207a being provided in plug 207.
Thus, according to the compression mechanism oil supply configuration of the comparative example, when lubricant from the lubricant storage area OA is discharged from the opening of the cross hole 205 out of the orbiting scroll end plate 152 during operation of the scroll compressor, the discharged lubricant is actively made to meet the sucked low-pressure working fluid, so that the low-pressure working fluid can bring a part of the lubricant into the compression mechanism CM. Compared with the scheme without an active oil injection mechanism for supplying oil to the compression mechanism, the oil circulation rate can be in a proper range under different compressor rotating speeds and/or different system operation parameters. In addition, by providing the counter bore, the speed of the lubricant discharging out of the movable scroll end plate is reduced, and mist spraying of the lubricant is improved; by additionally providing the outlet hole, the lubricant is allowed to be directly delivered to the fluid suction chamber SC, i.e., the compression mechanism CM, thereby appropriately increasing the oil circulation rate; and, by alternatively providing the plugs with the through holes, the degree of freedom of adjustment of the oil circulation rate is improved.
However, the oil supply structure CO is limited by its simple structural design and cannot adjust the amount of injected oil or the oil circulation rate according to the change of the operating conditions to meet the requirements of the performance energy efficiency or reliability of the compressor under different operating conditions. The problem of energy efficiency or reliability of the compressor is caused by too little or too much oil injection under different working conditions (for example, under the working conditions of rated load or light load and the severe working conditions of high load (for example, high rotating speed) or high temperature and the like).
In view of the above, the utility model provides a utility model thinks about: different operating conditions (described by, for example, suction and discharge pressures, evaporation and condensation pressures, suction and discharge temperatures) correspond to different compressor loads, and thus the pressure difference between the discharge and suction pressures may be used to adjust the amount of injected fuel at different compressor loads (i.e., to establish a dynamic correspondence between operating conditions and injected fuel, e.g., increasing injected fuel at high load and high pressure differentials, and decreasing injected fuel at rated or low load and low pressure differentials) to improve the energy efficiency or reliability of the compressor system.
The scroll compression mechanism with an oil supply structure of the present invention will be mainly described with reference to fig. 3 and 4 and fig. 1 and 2, and other components other than the oil supply structure are substantially the same or similar as compared with the compressor of the comparative example, and the reference numerals of the same components in the scroll compressor with an oil supply structure of the comparative example are continued.
The utility model discloses a scroll compression mechanism's fuel feeding structure is including setting up fuel feeding channel, governing valve 320 and the fluid pressure passageway 330 in moving scroll end plate 152, and wherein, fuel feeding channel is used for supplying lubricating oil to scroll compression mechanism CM in from the lubricating oil source. The regulator valve 320 includes a movable valve body 321, the fluid pressure passage 330 includes a first end 331 and a second end 332, the first end 331 communicates with a central compression chamber ZC of a high pressure side, which is in fluid communication with a discharge pressure zone HR, to apply a higher first/discharge pressure to a first/high pressure side end of the movable valve body 321, the second end 332 communicates with a suction pressure zone/low pressure zone SP located outside the scroll compression mechanism CM to apply a lower second/suction pressure to a second/low pressure side end of the movable valve body 321, so that the movable valve body 321 can be selectively moved toward a first direction of reducing a flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage and toward a second direction opposite to the first direction of increasing the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage based on a pressure difference between the first/discharge pressure and the second/suction pressure, whereby the amount of oil supply to the compression mechanism CM is adjusted according to the pressure difference corresponding to the change in the operating condition.
With the above oil supply configuration, the amount of injected oil or the oil circulation rate can be dynamically adjusted according to changes in the operating conditions, so that, for example, in high-load (high intake and exhaust temperatures, high condensing and evaporating temperatures) operating conditions, the amount of injected oil is increased accordingly as the pressure difference between the discharge pressure and the suction pressure becomes larger, so that the increased oil circulation rate ensures sufficient lubricant lubrication requirements to ensure stability and reliability of operation of the compressor system, and at rated or light loads, the amount of injected oil is reduced accordingly to improve the energy efficiency of the compressor system.
In experimental tests, for example, with the same other operating conditions or performance parameters of the compressor, at different evaporation/condensation temperatures: 45/95, 45/120, 55/150, 40/150, the compression mechanism of the prior art oil feed configuration provides a substantially constant oil circulation rate of 1.5%, such that it provides too high an oil lubrication rate at low evaporating/condensing temperatures and too low an oil lubrication rate at high evaporating/condensing temperatures, thereby exceeding the desired range for oil lubrication rate. In contrast, the compression mechanism according to the utility model discloses a supply oil structure provides the oil circulation rate that adapts to the change: 0.5%, 1.5% and 1.4%, so that the oil circulation rate under each working condition can be within the expected range of the oil lubrication rate under the corresponding working condition.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the lower pressure source is illustrated as a low pressure region SP located outside the scroll compression mechanism CM, the lower pressure source may also be an unsealed intake lower pressure fluid suction chamber SC.
In fig. 3 and 4, similarly to the comparative example, an oil outlet hole 203 communicating with an appropriate region of the fluid suction chamber SC is provided on the orbiting scroll end plate 152, and the oil outlet hole 203 may be in the form of a vertical hole or an oblique hole and be a part of an oil supply hole passage. In the embodiment of the present application, the oil outlet hole 203 is a vertical oil supply passage substantially parallel to the central axis of the scroll compression mechanism. The movable valve body 321 is partially provided in the vertical oil supply port 203, so that the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage is adjusted by adjusting the flow cross-sectional area of the vertical oil supply port 203. The oil supply passages 310, 310' also include a transverse oil supply gallery generally perpendicular to the central axis of the scroll compression mechanism CM, which communicates in intersecting relation with the vertical oil supply gallery 203 to supply lubricant oil from a lubricant oil source into the scroll compression mechanism CM.
As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the fluid pressure passage 330 may include a transverse fluid pressure port 333 that is generally perpendicular to the central axis of the scroll compression mechanism CM. Depending on the actual requirements of the shape and configuration of orbiting scroll end plate 152, etc., the transverse fluid pressure port 333 may be arranged horizontally or vertically with the transverse oil supply port at orbiting scroll end plate 152, for example, in the case of a thicker orbiting scroll end plate, the transverse fluid pressure port 333 and the transverse oil supply port 311 of oil supply passage 310 may be arranged vertically, as shown in fig. 3.
In an advantageous aspect of the embodiment, the transverse fluid pressure gallery 333 partially overlaps the vertical oil supply gallery 203 in a vertical direction parallel to the central axis, so that an efficient oil supply gallery design is achieved to avoid machining additional communication galleries. In fig. 4, the transverse fluid pressure port 333 is arranged horizontally with the transverse oil supply port of the oil supply passage 310 ', which includes a main transverse oil supply port 311' arranged side by side with the transverse fluid pressure port 333, communicating with the lubricant source (through the oil inlet end 201). And, the transverse oil supply port passage further includes a secondary transverse oil supply port passage 312 'intersecting and communicating with both the primary transverse oil supply port passage 311' and the vertical oil supply port passage 203, that is, the primary transverse oil supply port passage 311 'intersects and communicates with the vertical oil supply port passage 203 through the secondary transverse oil supply port passage 312'. It will be appreciated that the transverse oil supply gallery may comprise only a main transverse oil supply gallery 311 ', which main transverse oil supply gallery 311' may be an oblique oil supply gallery to the transverse fluid pressure gallery 333 and communicate directly across the vertical oil supply gallery 203. In fig. 3, the transverse fluid pressure bore 333 is arranged vertically and side-by-side with the transverse oil supply bore 311, wherein the transverse oil supply bore 311 communicates with the lubricant source (through the oil inlet end 201) and intersects with the vertical oil supply bore 203. In fact, this arrangement causes the transverse oil supply gallery 311, the vertical oil supply gallery 203 and the transverse fluid pressure gallery 333 to lie substantially in the same vertical plane, resulting in a more efficient oil supply gallery design.
The regulator valve 320 further includes an elastic member 322 provided to be capable of abutting against the second/low-pressure side end of the movable valve body 321. The resilient member 322 is shown as a spring having one end connected to a plug provided in a counterbore at a radially outer section of the transverse fluid pressure port 333 and the other end connected to a second/low pressure side end of the movable valve body 321 adapted to bias the movable valve body 321 in a direction towards the first/high pressure side.
The movable valve body 321 includes a connecting section connecting the first/high-pressure side end and the second/low-pressure side end, the connecting section being tapered with respect to the first/high-pressure side end and the second/low-pressure side end, and the connecting section is illustrated as a stepped surface, and may be a curved surface or a tapered surface. The tapered connecting section has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the first/high pressure side end and smaller than a diameter of the second/low pressure side end. When the compressor is in different operating conditions, for example, at rated load or light load, the pressure difference between the first/discharge pressure and the second/suction pressure is smaller than the biasing force of the elastic member, so that the movable valve body 321 is moved toward the first/high-pressure side direction, and the tapered connecting section occupies less (the larger-diameter low-pressure side end portion is more) in the oil supply passage, for example, the vertical oil supply gallery 203 to reduce the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage, thereby reducing the amount of injected oil; at high load, the pressure difference between the first/discharge pressure and the second/suction pressure is larger than the biasing force of the elastic member, so that the movable valve body 321 is moved toward the second/low-pressure side direction, and the tapered connecting section occupies more (the larger-diameter low-pressure side end portion is less) in the vertical oil supply gallery 203 to increase the flow cross-sectional area of the oil supply passage, thereby increasing the amount of injected oil.
A base region OA in the interior space of the hub portion 156 of the orbiting scroll member 150 adjacent to the orbiting scroll end plate 152 is shown as a source of lubricating oil, and an oil inlet end 201 of the oil supply passage is connected to the base region OA. The oil sump OR stored at the bottom of the internal volume IV within the housing 110 may also be used as a source of lubricating oil.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the first pressure varies with changes in operating conditions of the scroll compression mechanism CM or of the system in which the scroll compression mechanism CM is employed, and/or the second pressure varies with changes in operating conditions of the scroll compression mechanism CM or of the system in which the scroll compression mechanism CM is employed.
In the present document, the use of the directional terms "lateral", "vertical", etc. are used for convenience of description only and should not be considered limiting.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments described and illustrated herein, and that various changes may be made to the exemplary embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope defined in the appended claims.