GB2266932A - Magnetically reciprocating compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

A magnetically reciprocating compressor for coolant comprises a piston 3 with an electro-magnetic coil 31 arranged to cc-operate with a permanent magnet 27 held in an inner cylinder 24. The inner cylinder comprises two caps 24, 23 closing both ends and is enclosed by an outer cylinder 13. A chamber is formed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder for coolant to flow to cool the inner chamber. The piston includes a hollow rod 32 with an inlet valve fixed on its end. The valve is closed to compress the coolant in a compression volume (205, Fig. 3) when the piston performs its compression stroke. A cylinder 230 with a longitudinal slot is fitted in the compression volume and receives a delivery valve disc 235 loaded by a spring 234. The slot provides a flow path for coolant to a chamber 232 from which an exit tube 108, 104 is connected. A passage in a gasket 25 connects the slot to the chamber. <IMAGE>

Description

MAGNETICALLY RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR This invention concerns a magnetically reciprocating compressor, which comprises a piston to reciprocate in an inner cylinder by combination of an electro-magnetic coil wound around the piston and a cylindrical permanent magnet correspondingly coordinating with the coil to move the piston by a magnetic field of alternating polarity so as to perform coolant compressing work in the compressor.

Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a magnetically reciprocating compressor comprising: an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, a cylindrical permanent magnet being provided around the inside wall of the inner cylinder to correspondingly face toward an electro-magnetic coil of a piston received therein, a compression volume being defined at one end of said inner cylinder, said piston having an electro-magnetic coil wound around on its outer surface to correspondingly face toward said permanent magnet and a hollow rod axially extending therefrom and having a coolant valve at one end, wherein said electro-magnetic coil produces an alternating magnetic field to cause said piston to reciprocate, said valve on said hollow rod closing to compress the coolant in the compression volume so that the coolant can flow therefrom, said valve subsequently opening to permit coolant to flow into the compression volume ready for the next compression cycle when said piston moves back.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of Fig. 1 in a compressing condition; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of Fig. 1 in a coolant supplying condition; Figure 5 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the part marked B in Fig. 4; Figure 6 is a front view of the position disc of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of Fig. 1; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of line A-A in Fig. 6; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of the magnetically reciprocating compressor of Fig. 1.

A magnetically reciprocating compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises an outer cylinder unit 1, an inner cylinder unit 2, and a piston 3 as its main components.

The outer cylinder unit 1 consists of an outer cylinder 13, a left outer cylinder cap 10, and a right outer cylinder cap 11. The left and the right outer cylinder cap are respectively provided with a bearing socket 100,110 for fixing therein a bearing 101,111 in their interiors so that the bearings 101,111 can axially support a shaft rod 207 of a position disc 20 and a position shaft rod 21 in their place. Shock-absorbing coil springs 12,12 are separately placed around the bearing sockets 100,110, the right end of the left spring 12 contacts with an annular portion 20' of the position disc 20, and the left end of the right spring 12 contacts with a small annular edge 22' of an inner cylinder cap 22 so as to have shock-absorbing function.

A coolant chamber 130 is formed between the outer cylinder 13 and an inner cylinder 24 for receiving therein coolant coming from a coolant tube 102 to cool the inner cylinder unit 2 with comparatively cool coolant. The left outer cylinder cap 10 closes the left end of the outer cylinder 13, having a coolant filling inlet 103 for supplementing coolant when it is insufficient, a coolant exit tube 104 connected with a coolant tube in an electric appliance using this compressor, a ground terminal 105 for giving the compressor body zero potential, a power terminal 106 connected with a terminal 260 of a conductor 26 with a lead wire 107.

The inner cylinder unit 2 consists of a right inner cylinder cap 22, a left inner cylinder cap 23, an inner cylinder 24, and a position disc 20. The position disc 20 as shown in Figs. 5,6, has threaded holes 200 for bolts 201 to screw through to screw with threaded holes 200 for bolts 201 to screw through to screw with threaded holes 231 in the left cap 23 to combine the disc 20 firmly with the left cap 23, a notch 202 for a lead wire 107 to pass through, as shown in Fig. 3, to fit with a terminal 260 of a conductor 26, a coolant exit 203 connected with a coolant tube 108 extending in a coolant cell 232, a connecting tube 204 connected with a filter tube 109 to guide the coolant in the coolant chamber 130 to be filtered and flow in the inner cylinder space 241, and a compression volume 205 in the center open to the right side.A C-shaped cylinder 230 is fitted in the compression volume 205 and a gasket 233 with a central hole 233', a spring 234 and a gasket 235 are fixed in the interior of the C-shaped cylinder 230 with the spring 234 sandwiched between the two gaskets 233,235. An annular sloped edge 206 is provided at the opening of the compression volume 205.

An anti-leak gasket 25 is provided between the position disc 20 and the left inner cylinder cap 23, having several through holes 253 and a passage hole 250 connected with a compression volume hole 251 and a coolant cell hole 252, allowing coolant to flow in the coolant cell 232 and the spring 235 to change the compression pressure by the degree of its shrinkage.

The left inner cylinder cap 23 has two coolant cells 232,236 in the vertical side to be connected with the position disc 20 sandwiching the anti-leak gasket 25 therebetween, and a central round hole 237. The coolant cell 232 is connected with a coolant exit tube 104 through a coolant tube 108, and the coolant cell 236 is connected with a filter tube 109 to allow the coolant in the coolant chamber 130 to flow in the inner cylinder space 241. The central round hole 237 is for a hollow rod 32 in the piston 3 to fit and move to and fro therein so as to compress the coolant in the compression volume 205, as shown in Fig. 4. In addition, a gasket 261 is provided at the right side of the left inner cylinder cap 23 to insulate the conductor 26.

The conductor 26 is provided to transmit electricity to an electro-magnetic coil 31 in the piston 3, having a terminal 260, a plastic cap 262 and a conducting piece 263 shown in Fig. 3 to contact with one end of a conductive spring 33.

The inner cylinder 24 has the left side to be fitted in by a C-shaped ring 240 to combine with the left inner cylinder cap 23 with screws, a cylindrical permanent magnet 27 made up of three pieces fitting in an annular magnet groove 270 in the inner wall of the inner cylinder 24 to supply a magnetic field to coordinate with the magnetic field produced by the electro-magnetic coil 31 in the piston 3, a shaft support cylinder 28 having a central hole for a shaft rod 21 to fit therein and a hollow cavity 280 in the right portion for a conductive spring 33 to fit around positioned therein, and a magnetic disc 29 positioned beside the cylinder 28. Then a right inner cylinder cap 22 covers the magnetic disc 29, being elastically pushed by the shock-absorbing spring 12, forming the inner cylinder unit 2.

The piston 3 has an electro-magnetic coil 31 wound around its outer surface and having its two ends connected with conductors 310,311, which are respectively connected with one end of two conductive springs 33,33, one being of zero potential (grounded) and the other being positive or negative depending on a conductor 263 it is connected with, supplying electric current of alternate positive and negative polarity to the electro-magnetic coil 31, which then functions to produce a magnetic field of alternate polarity. The piston 3 also has a hollow rod 32, which has a portion extending in the central hollow space 237 in the inner cylinder cap 23 to perform a compressing operation in the compression volume 205 in the position disc 20. In addition, insulating lubricant 4 is filled in a part interior cavity in the inner cylinder 24 to lubricate the hollow rod 32.The end of the hollow rod 32 is covered with a coolant valve 34 having a valve film 340 to close or open the central passage 320 in the hollow rod 32 to prevent coolant from flowing into the compression volume 205 when the rod 32 moves forward to compress the gasket 235 and the spring 234 at the same time forcing the coolant in the compression volume 205 to flow through the annular sloped edge 206, the passage hole 250, into the coolant cell 232 and the into the coolant tube 108. At this moment, the polarity of the electric power changes to force the piston 3 to move back in the direction marked by the arrow head B shown in Fig. 4, letting the valve film 340 move off the passage 320 and thus allowing the coolant in the inner cylinder 24 quickly flowing into the compression volume 205 to wait for the next compressing movement of the hollow rod 32.So the piston 3 reciprocates in the inner cylinder 24 to compress the coolant to flow in the electric appliance the compressor is used for.

The magnetically reciprocating compressor will thus be seen to have the following structural features.

1. It has a piston provided with a hollow rod combined with a coolant valve at its end, and the coolant valve closes the hollow passage in the hollow rod to prevent the coolant in an inner cylinder from flowing into a compression volume when the rod moves forward to compress the coolant in the compressing volume. Then the coolant in the high-pressured compression room can flow through a passage hole in an anti-leak gasket, into a coolant cell in a left inner cylinder cap and finally in a coolant tube going in an electric appliance such as a refrigerator.

2. The piston has an electro-magnetic coil wound around its outer surface to bë supplied with electric power of alternating polarity so that the coil can produce magnetic field constantly changing its polarity to force the piston to reciprocate in the inner cylinder.

3. A shock-absorbing spring is respectively provided between each of two - right and left - inner cylinder caps and each of two - right and left - outer cylinder caps to keep silent as much as possible during operation of the compressor.

Claims (4)

1. A magnetically reciprocating compressor comprising: an outer cylinder unit consisting of an outer cylinder, a left outer cylinder cap and a right outer cylinder cap, said cylinder caps being provided with a bearing socket in their inside for placing a bearing therein for supporting two shaft rods, and a shockabsorbing spring respectively provided between each of said outer cylinder caps between each of two inner cylinder caps so as to reduce the noise caused by operating movement of the compressor;; an inner cylinder unit consisting of an inner cylinder, a left inner cylinder cap, a right inner cylinder cap, and a position disc for combining together the left inner cylinder cap and an anti-leak gasket, said inner cylinder and said inner cylinder caps forming an inner cylinder room after combined together, a cylindrical permanent magnet being provided around the inside wall of the inner cylinder to correspondingly face toward an electro-magnetic coil of a piston, a compression volume formed between said left inner cylinder cap and said position disc, a C-shaped cylinder, a gasket, a spring and a non-holed gasket being provided in the compression volume, said non-holed gasket compressing said spring to force the coolant in the compression volume to flow out of said volume when a hollow rod moves forward, a shaft support cylinder and a magnetic disc adjacent to said shaft support cylinder being provided to contact with the right inner cylinder cap, said support cylinder, said magnetic cylinder and said right cap respectively having a central hole for a position shaft rod to pass through to be held in the bearing in the bearing socket; a piston having an electro-magnetic coil wound around on its outer surface to correspondingly face toward said permanent magnet and said hollow rod axially extending leftwise and having a coolant valve at its end, said coolant valve having a valve film able to open or close the end opening of a central passage in said hollow rod when the hollow rod moves to and fro together with said piston, said electro-magnetic coil having at both ends a conductor connected respectively with a conductive coil spring; and said electro-magnetic coil producing magnetic field of its polarity incessantly changing alternately according to alternate polarity of the power so that said piston can move to and fro in a definite route, said valve on said hollow rod closing to compressing the coolant in the compression volume so that the coolant can flow through a slot in the C-shaped cylinder, the passage hole in said anti-leak gasket, into said coolant cell and finally into the coolant tube of an electric appliance using this compressor when said piston and hollow rod move forward to compress the coolant in the compression volume, said valve becoming open to force the coolant in the inner cylinder to flow into the compression volume and ready for the next compressing operating when said piston moves back.

2. A magnetically reciprocating compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said position disc is provided with an annular sloped edge for the coolant flow through the slot in said C-shaped cylinder to quickly flow through the passage hole in said anti-leak gasket.

3. A magnetically reciprocating compressor comprising: an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, a cylindrical permanent magnet being provided around the inside wall of the inner cylinder to correspondingly face toward an electro-magnetic coil of a piston received therein, a compression volume being defined at one end of said inner cylinder, said piston having an electro-magnetic coil wound around on its outer surface to correspondingly face toward said permanent magnet and a hollow rod axially extending therefrom and having a coolant valve at one end, wherein said electro-magnetic coil produces an alternating magnetic field to cause said piston to reciprocate, said valve on said hollow rod closing to compress the coolant in the compression volume so that the coolant can flow therefrom, said valve subsequently opening to permit coolant to flow into the compression volume ready for the next compression cycle when said piston moves back.

4. A magnetically reciprocating compressor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.