US20060083649A1

US20060083649A1 - Compressor

Info

Publication number: US20060083649A1
Application number: US11/249,735
Authority: US
Inventors: Masahiko Makino; Nobuaki Ogawa; Yukihiro Fujiwara; Minoru Fukumoto; Tatsuhisa Taguchi
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
Priority date: 2004-10-14
Filing date: 2005-10-14
Publication date: 2006-04-20
Also published as: JP2006348928A

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to make an oil-reservoir chamber independent from a motor chamber into which a refrigerant compressed by a compressor mechanism is introduced, thereby reducing a compressor in size. In a compressor 1, a partition member 7 is provided in a housing 3 on the opposite side from a compressor mechanism 4 with respect to a motor 5. The partition member 7 is pushed by a stator 5 a of the motor 5, thereby liquid-tightly fixing the partition member 7 to the housing 3. The oil-reservoir chamber 6 is formed independently from a motor chamber 2 in which the motor 5 is accommodated, and lubricant oil is efficiently separated from a refrigerant with a simple structure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a motor-incorporated type compressor having a housing in which a compressor mechanism for sucking, compressing and discharging a refrigerant, and a motor for driving the compressor mechanism are accommodated, and more particularly, to a liquid separating apparatus of a compressor having an oil-reservoir chamber for storing lubricant oil therein.

BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE

The compressor of this kind is actually utilized as a compressor for a domestic room air conditioner and a refrigerator. Recently, such a compressor is also utilized as a compressor for an air conditioner for an automobile.
In such a compressor, if the compressor mechanism is driven by the incorporated motor, a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle is sucked through a suction port in the housing, the refrigerant is compressed and is discharged into the housing and then, the refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cycle from a discharge port of the housing, and these operations are repeated. In addition, lubricant oil stored in the oil-reservoir chamber in the housing is supplied directly or supplied by carrying by the refrigerant, to a sliding portion including the compressor mechanism, and the mechanical sliding portion is lubricated. With this, the compressor can be operated in a maintenance free state. Due to such a lubricating system, lubricant oil is included in the refrigerant which is discharged from the compressor mechanism and supplied into the refrigeration cycle.
The lubricant oil included in the refrigerant supplied into the refrigeration cycle adheres to an inner wall of a heat exchanger in the refrigeration cycle, and deteriorates the heat exchanging efficiency, and deteriorates the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle itself. If a large amount of lubricant oil is circulated through the refrigeration cycle at the same time, there is an adverse possibility that lubrication of the mechanical sliding portion such as the compressor mechanism in the housing becomes insufficient.
To solve such problem, there exist various known techniques for separating a lubricant oil in a refrigerant discharged from the compressor mechanism before the lubricant oil is supplied into the refrigeration cycle, and then, returning the lubricant oil into the oil-reservoir chamber of the housing. Among them, it is conceived that a centrifugal separation type lubricant oil separating technique in which a refrigerant including lubricant oil is allowed to swirl, and the lubricant oil is separated by a centrifugal force caused at the time of swirl has higher separating efficiency as compared with other lubricant oil separating techniques (see patent document 1 for example).
Therefore, if the centrifugal separation type lubricant oil separating technique disclosed in the patent document 1 is applied, the lubricant oil can be separated from the refrigerant efficiently, and the refrigeration cycle efficiency is enhanced, and the lubricant oil can be circulated in the housing efficiently, and it is possible to efficiently lubricate the mechanical sliding portion with a smaller amount of lubricant oil.
Such a compressor is also used in an automobile for cooling and heating purpose, and is also used for a room air conditioner, but on the other hand, it is required to reduce the weight of the vehicle due to increasing awareness of environmental problem or energy problem. Especially in the case of an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, since a high driving force can not be obtained as compared with a gasoline vehicle, it is important to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Thereupon, it is required to reduce the compressor in size and weight like the vehicle in order to mount the compressor in the vehicle.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-336588
To apply the centrifugal separation type lubricant oil separating technique disclosed in the patent document 1, it is necessary that the oil-reservoir chamber is independent from the motor chamber into which a refrigerant compressed by the compressor mechanism is introduced.
On the other hand, in the case of the lubricant oil separating technique in which a refrigerant including lubricant oil is allowed to swirl, and the lubricant oil is separated by the centrifugal force, a space capable of securing flow of the refrigerant during the centrifugal separation and flow of the refrigerant after the centrifugal separation is required. A structure for isolating the two flows from each other, the structure requires a relatively large diameter, a space in an axial direction occupied in the housing is increased correspondingly, and this prevents the compressor from being reduced in diameter and weight.
In view of such conventional problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compressor capable of easily forming an oil-reservoir chamber which is independent from a motor chamber.
That is, it is an object of the invention to provide a compressor capable of separating lubricant oil in a small space and capable of reducing size and weight thereof.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention provides a compressor having a housing in which a compressor mechanism and a motor for driving the compressor mechanism are accommodated, wherein an oil-reservoir chamber which is independent from a motor chamber in which the motor is accommodated is formed in the housing on the opposite side from the compressor mechanism with respect to the motor.
According to a second aspect of the -invention, in the compressor of the first aspect, a partition member for liquid-tightly dividing the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed between the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber, thereby forming the oil-reservoir chamber.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the compressor of the first aspect, a partition member for liquid-tightly dividing the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed, the partition member is pushed by a stator constituting the motor, thereby fixing the partition member to the housing.
A fourth aspect of the invention provides a compressor having a housing which accommodates therein a compressor mechanism for sucking, compressing and discharging a refrigerant, a motor for driving the compressor mechanism, an oil-reservoir chamber for storing lubricant oil which lubricates a sliding portion including the compressor mechanism, and an oil passage through which the lubricant oil stored in the oil-reservoir chamber is pumped up, wherein a partition member for separating the oil-reservoir chamber from the compressor mechanism and the motor is provided, the partition member is provided at only its upper portion with a through hole through which the refrigerant is discharged out, the compressor mechanism and the motor are completely separated from each other at a lower portion of the partition member, and the oil passage is provided in a lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber divided by the partition member.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the compressor of the fourth aspect, the refrigerant discharged from the through hole is allowed to collide against a portion of the housing, thereby separating the lubricant oil from the refrigerant.
According to the compressor of the present invention, it is possible to provide a motor-incorporated type compressor capable of efficiently separating lubricant oil from a refrigerant with a simple structure. That is, it is possible to separate the lubricant oil in a small space and to reduce the compressor in size and weight without deteriorating the separating ability of the lubricant oil. Therefore, a refrigeration cycle having higher efficiency than that of the conventional refrigeration cycle can be provided.
According to the compressor of the first aspect of the invention, the oil-reservoir chamber which is independent from the motor chamber in which the motor is accommodated is formed in the housing on the opposite side from the compressor mechanism with respect to the motor. According to this aspect, the centrifugal separation type lubricant oil separating technique can be applied to the motor-incorporated type compressor, and the lubricant oil can be separated with a simple structure.
According to the second aspect, in the compressor of the first aspect, the partition member for liquid-tightly dividing the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed between the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber, thereby forming the oil-reservoir chamber. According to this aspect, the independent oil-reservoir chamber can easily be formed.
According to the third aspect, in the compressor of the first aspect, the partition member for liquid-tightly dividing the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed, and the partition member is pushed by a stator constituting the motor, thereby fixing the partition member to the housing. According to this aspect, since the partition member for liquid-tightly dividing the motor chamber and the oil-reservoir chamber from each other is fixed to the housing by pushing the partition member, it is possible to prevent the compressor structure and its assembling operation from becoming complicated.
According to the fourth aspect, the partition member for separating the oil-reservoir chamber from the compressor mechanism and the motor is provided, the partition member is provided at only its upper portion with the through hole through which the refrigerant is discharged out, the compressor mechanism and the motor are completely separated from each other at the lower portion of the partition member, and the oil passage is provided in the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber divided by the partition member. According to this aspect, the lubricant oil can be separated in a small space, axial direction the compressor can be reduced in size and weight. Further, the refrigerant including lubricant oil discharged from the compressor mechanism into the housing passes through the through hole formed in the upper portion of the partition member and is separated from the lubricant oil, and only the lubricant oil is stored in the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber. The lubricant oil which is completely separated and stored in the oil-reservoir chamber and stabilized can be supplied to the sliding portion or the like through the oil passage formed in the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber.
According to the fifth aspect, in the compressor of the fourth aspect, the refrigerant discharged from the through hole is allowed to collide against the portion of the housing, thereby separating the lubricant oil from the refrigerant. According to this aspect, the refrigerant which passed through the through hole collides against the housing, and the lubricant oil is separated by this collision, and the lubricant oil can be stored in the oil-reservoir chamber efficiently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an outward appearance of a compressor according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a right side view of the outward appearance of the compressor shown in FIG. 1
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the compressor shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line A-A
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the compressor shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line B-B
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a compressor according to a second embodiment of the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

First Embodiment

Embodiments of a compressor according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Technical elements explained in the following embodiments can be employed in various combinations unless such combinations violate the purpose of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a front view of an outward appearance of a compressor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a right side view of the outward appearance of the compressor shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the compressor shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line A-A, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the compressor shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line B-B, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a separation chamber in which lubricant oil included in a compressed refrigerant is separated.
The present invention is applied to a so-called horizontal type motor-incorporated compressor of the embodiment shown in the drawings which is disposed such that a rotation center axis of a motor which drives a compressor mechanism extends along substantially the horizontal direction. A scroll compressor mechanism is employed as the compressor mechanism.
The compressor 1 of the embodiment has a housing 3 in which a compressor mechanism 4 and a motor 5 for driving the compressor mechanism 4 are accommodated. An oil-reservoir chamber 6 which is independent from a motor chamber 2 in which the motor 5 is accommodated is formed in the housing 3 opposite from the compressor mechanism 4 with respect to the motor 5. That is, a partition member 7 is fitted between an inner peripheral wall of the housing 3 and a bearing support 3 a projecting from an inner side of the housing 3, thereby dividing the oil-reservoir chamber 6 and the motor chamber 2 from each other. The partition member 7 is an annular plate, and divides the motor chamber 2 and the oil-reservoir chamber 6 liquid-tightly from each other by using a rubber packing (not shown) is used between the partition member 7 and the housing 3.
A stator 5 a constituting the motor 5 is fixed to the housing 3 through a through bolt (not shown) so that the partition member 7 is pushed against the housing 3 and sandwiched in between the housing 3 and as a result, the partition member 7 and the housing 3 are fixed to each other.
As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 3 is integrally formed with a separation chamber 8. The separation chamber 8 separates lubricant oil 27 included in a compressed refrigerant which is compressed by the compressor mechanism 4 and discharged out from the housing 3. The separation chamber 8 comprises a cylindrical portion 8 a and a conical portion 8 b which is connected to the cylindrical portion 8 a. An introduction hole 9 through which the compressed refrigerant is introduced from the motor chamber 2 is in communication with the cylindrical portion 8 a of the separation chamber 8 such that the introduction hole 9 is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 8 a. A through hole 7 a through which the compressed refrigerant in the motor chamber 2 is introduced into the introduction hole 9 is formed in the partition member 7 at an upper position of the separation chamber 8. The compressed refrigerant in the motor chamber 2 is introduced into the separation chamber 8 through the through hole 7 a and the introduction hole 9. Therefore, the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is in communication with the motor chamber 2 indirectly through the separation chamber 8, the through hole 7 a and the like.
The compressed refrigerant introduced into the separation chamber 8 is allowed to swirl along the inner peripheral surface of the separation chamber 8, and obtains the centrifugal force by means of the swirl. Thus, the lubricant oil 27 having a larger mass than that of the refrigerant gas comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the separation chamber 8 and is separated from the compressed refrigerant. The separated lubricant oil 27 moves downward in the separation chamber 8 by the gravity, and is introduced into the oil-reservoir chamber 6 through an oil-introducing passage 19 which is in communication with a lower end of the separation chamber 8, and is stored in the oil-reservoir chamber 6.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lubricant oil 27 stored in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is pumped up by a trochoidal pump 13 provided on an end of a drive shaft 14 of the motor 5 through an oil passage 3 b formed in the housing 3. The lubricant oil 27 is supplied to mechanical sliding portions such as bearings and the like of the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5 through an oil supply passage 15 formed in the drive shaft 14, and is used for lubricating the sliding portions.
A vent hole 6 a (see FIG. 4) of the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is formed between the separation chamber 8 and the oil-reservoir chamber 6. It is preferable that the vent hole 6 a is formed at a location as high as possible in the vertical direction so that the capacity of the oil-reservoir chamber can efficiently be utilized.
As shown in FIG. 3, the compressor mechanism 4 is of a scroll compressor mechanism. That is, a stationary spiral portion 11 having a spiral blade rising from a stationary panel 11 a, and a turning spiral portion 12 having a spiral blade rising from a turning panel 12 a mesh each other. The turning spiral portion 12 turns with respect to the stationary spiral portion 11. A gas compressing mechanism and operation of the compressor mechanism are known and thus, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted in the embodiment.
The compressor mechanism 4 sucks and compresses a refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle through a suction port 3 c provided in the housing 3, and discharges the refrigerant through a discharge hole 31 provided in a central portion of the stationary panel 11 a. The discharged and compressed refrigerant is introduced into the motor chamber 2 through a passage (not shown), and cools the motor 5 and then, is introduced into the separation chamber 8. The lubricant oil 27 included in the compressed refrigerant is separated from the compressed refrigerant in the separation chamber 8, and the compressed refrigerant from which the lubricant oil 27 is separated is discharged out from a discharge port 3 d provided in the housing 3.
Although the lubricant oil 27 stored in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is supplied to the mechanical sliding portion and the like which are required to be lubricated by the pump 13 positively in this embodiment, the lubricant oil 27 may be supplied to the mechanical sliding portion and the like which are required to be lubricated through the oil supply passage 15 formed in the drive shaft 14 by means of utilizing the pressure difference in the housing 3 without providing the pump 13.
According to the compressor of this embodiment as described above, since the partition member 7 is disposed and the oil-reservoir chamber 6 which is independent from the motor chamber 2 can easily be formed, the centrifugal separation type lubricant oil separating technique can be applied to the motor-incorporated type compressor.
The lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is completely separated from the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5 by means of the partition member 7. Thus, the lubricant oil 27 exists in its stable state in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 without being influenced by stirred refrigerant existing in the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5. Since the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is provided at its lower portion with the oil passage 3 b, the stable lubricant oil 27 can be pumped up from the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber 6.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a compressor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows one example of a horizontal type electric compressor which is disposed horizontally using mounting legs 20 provided around a body of the compressor 1.
The compressor 1 of the second embodiment has the housing 3 in which the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5 for driving the compressor mechanism 4 are accommodated. The lubricant oil 27 used for lubricating sliding portions including the compressor mechanism 4 is stored in the oil-reservoir chamber 6. The motor 5 is driven by a motor drive circuit (not shown). Gas refrigerant is used as the refrigerant. The lubricant oil 27 is used for lubricating the sliding portions and also used for sealing the sliding portions of the compressor mechanism 4. Lubricant oil having compatibility with respect to the refrigerant is used as the lubricant oil 27.
The compressor is not limited to the compressor 1 of this embodiment only if the compressor has the housing 3 in which the compressor mechanism 4 for sucking, compressing and discharging the refrigerant, the motor 5 for driving the compressor mechanism 4, and the oil-reservoir chamber 6 for storing lubricant oil 27 which is used for lubricating the sliding portions including the compressor mechanism 4 are accommodated, and in which the motor 5 is driven by the motor drive circuit.
The compressor mechanism 4 of this embodiment is one example of the scroll compressor mechanism. As shown in FIG. 5, a compression space 10 is formed by meshing the stationary spiral portion 11 having a blade rising from the stationary panel 11 a and the turning spiral portion 12 having a blade rising from the turning panel 12 a each other. The turning spiral portion 12 is moved in a circular orbit with respect to the stationary spiral portion 11 by the drive shaft 14 which is driven by the motor. With this motion of the turning spiral portion 12, the capacity of the compression space 10 is varied, and the refrigerant returning from the external cycle is sucked from the suction port 3 c provided in a sub-casing 80 and compressed. The compressed refrigerant is discharged into the external cycle from the discharge port 3 d provided in the housing 3.
The lubricant oil 27 stored in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is introduced into the oil supply passage 15 in the drive shaft 14 by a positive-displacement pump 13. The pump 13 is driven by the drive shaft 14. A pressure difference in the housing 3 may be utilized instead of using the pump 13. The lubricant oil 27 introduced into the oil supply passage 15 is supplied to a liquid reservoir 21 on a back surface of the turning spiral portion 12 as the turning spiral portion 12 is turned. The lubricant oil 27 may also be supplied to a liquid reservoir 22 in addition to the liquid reservoir 21.
A portion of the lubricant oil 27 supplied to the liquid reservoir 21 is reduced in pressure by a throttle 23 of the turning spiral portion 12 and then, is supplied toward a back surface of an outer periphery of the turning spiral portion 12. The lubricant oil 27 supplied to the back surface of the outer periphery of the turning spiral portion 12 pushes the turning spiral portion 12 against the stationary spiral portion 11, and is supplied to a holding groove 25 which holds a chip seal 24. The chip seal 24 is a seal member between a tip end of the blade of the turning spiral portion 12 and the stationary spiral portion 11. The lubricant oil 27 seals and lubricates between the stationary spiral portion 11 and the turning spiral portion 12.
Other portion of the lubricant oil 27 supplied to the liquid reservoir 21 passes through an eccentric bearing 43, the liquid reservoir 22 and a main bearing 42 and lubricates the main bearing 42 and the eccentric bearing 43 and then, flows out toward the motor 5 and is recovered into the oil-reservoir chamber 6.
In the compressor mechanism 4 of the embodiment, the pump 13, the bearing support 3 a for supporting an auxiliary bearing 41, the motor 5 and a main bearing member 51 for supporting a main bearing 42 are disposed in this order in the axial direction from one end wall 3 e of the housing 3. The pump 13 is accommodated from an outer surface of the end wall 3 e and then is held between the end wall 3 e and a fitted lid 52. A pump chamber 53 which is in communication with the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is formed inside of the lid 52, and the pump chamber 53 is in communication with the oil-reservoir chamber 6 through the oil passage 3 b. The auxiliary bearing 41 supports the drive shaft 14 connected to the pump 13. The motor 5 is fixed to an inner periphery of the housing 3 by shrinkage fitting the stator 5 a. The drive shaft 14 is rotated by a rotor 5 b fixed to the drive shaft 14.
The main bearing member 51 is fixed to an inner periphery of the sub-casing 80 through a bolt 17 or the like, and the drive shaft 14 of the compressor mechanism 4 is supported by the main bearing 42. The stationary spiral portion 11 is mounted on an outer surface of the main bearing member 51 through a bolt (not shown) or the like. The turning spiral portion 12 is sandwiched between the main bearing member 51 and the stationary spiral portion 11. A rotation-restraining portion 57 such as an Oldham ring for preventing the turning spiral portion 12 from rotating is provided between the main bearing member 51 and the turning spiral portion 12. The drive shaft 14 is connected to the turning spiral portion 12 through the eccentric bearing 43 to turn the turning spiral portion 12 in a circular orbit.
An exposed portion of the compressor mechanism 4 on the side of the sub-casing 80 is covered with the housing 3. Openings of the sub-casing 80 and the housing 3 are butted against and fixed to each other. The housing 3 is formed at its one side with the end wall 3 e and at its other side with an end wall 80 a. The compressor mechanism 4 is located between the suction port 3 c of the sub-casing 80 and the discharge port 3 d of the housing 3. The suction hole 16 of the compressor mechanism 4 is in communication with the suction port 3 c of the sub-casing 80. A discharge hole 31 of the compressor mechanism 4 is in communication with a discharge chamber 62. The discharge chamber 62 is formed by the end wall 80 a. A lead valve 31 a is provided between the discharge hole 31 and the discharge chamber 62. The discharge chamber 62 is in communication with a communication passage 63 which penetrates the stationary spiral portion 11 and the main bearing member 51. The communication passage 63 is in communication with the motor chamber 2 in which the motor 5 is disposed. The communication passage 63 may be formed between the stationary spiral portion 11 and the housing 3, and between the main bearing member 51 and the housing 3.
The motor 5 is driven by the motor drive circuit. The drive shaft 14 is rotated by the motor 5 to move the compressor mechanism 4 in the circular orbit, and to drive the pump 13. At that time, the lubricant oil 27 in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is supplied to the compressor mechanism 4 by the pump 13. The lubricant oil 27 lubricates and seals the compressor mechanism 4. A refrigerant sucked from the suction port 3 c of the sub-casing 80 is sucked into the compressor mechanism 4 from the suction hole 16 provided in the stationary spiral portion 11. The compressor mechanism 4 compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges the compressed refrigerant into the discharge chamber 62 from the discharge hole 31. The refrigerant discharged into the discharge chamber 62 enters the motor 5 through the communication passage 63, cools the motor 5 and is discharged from the discharge port 3 d of the housing 3. During the process from the suction to the discharge, the lubricant oil 27 is separated from the refrigerant by collision or gas-liquid separation. The auxiliary bearing 41 is lubricated by a portion of the lubricant oil 27 included in the refrigerant.
In this embodiment, the partition member 7 is disposed on the opposite side from the compressor mechanism 4 with respect to the motor 5. Especially, the partition member 7 is provided at its only upper portion with the through hole 7 a, and the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is completely separated from the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5.
According to such a structure, a refrigerant including the lubricant oil 27 passes through the through hole 7 a provided in the upper portion of the partition member 7, collides against the inner wall of the housing 3, and the lubricant oil 27 and the refrigerant are separated from each other. After the separation, the lubricant oil 27 is recovered into the oil-reservoir chamber 6 through the inner wall of the housing 3 and the partition member 7.
The lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is completely separated from the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5 by means of the partition member 7. Thus, the lubricant oil 27 exists in the oil-reservoir chamber 6 in its stable state without being influenced by stirred refrigerant existing in the compressor mechanism 4 and the motor 5. Since the oil-reservoir chamber 6 is provided at its lower portion with the oil passage 3 b, the stable lubricant oil 27 can be pumped up from the lower portion of the oil-reservoir chamber 6.
According to the compressor of the embodiment, since the partition member 7 is disposed in the compressor 1, it is possible to efficiently and stably store the lubricant oil 27 within a small space, and to largely secure the space in the oil-reservoir chamber 6. Therefore, the liquid separating apparatus is compact in size and it is possible to realize a small, light and high performance compressor.
According to the compressor of the present invention, the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle can be enhanced, and the compressor is effective when it is applied to a domestic room air conditioner and a vehicular air conditioner.

Claims

1. A compressor having a housing in which a compressor mechanism and a motor for driving said compressor mechanism are accommodated, wherein

an oil-reservoir chamber which is independent from a motor chamber in which said motor is accommodated is formed in said housing on the opposite side from said compressor mechanism with respect to said motor.

2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein a partition member for liquid-tightly dividing said motor chamber and said oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed between said motor chamber and said oil-reservoir chamber, thereby forming said oil-reservoir chamber.

3. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein a partition member for liquid-tightly dividing said motor chamber and said oil-reservoir chamber from each other is disposed, said partition member is pushed by a stator constituting said motor, thereby fixing said partition member to said housing.

4. A compressor having a housing which accommodates therein a compressor mechanism for sucking, compressing and discharging a refrigerant, a motor for driving said compressor mechanism, an oil-reservoir chamber for storing lubricant oil which lubricates a sliding portion including said compressor mechanism, and an oil passage through which said lubricant oil stored in said oil-reservoir chamber is pumped up, wherein

a partition member for separating said oil-reservoir chamber from said compressor mechanism and said motor is provided, said partition member is provided at only its upper portion with a through hole through which the refrigerant is discharged out, said compressor mechanism and said motor are completely separated from each other at a lower portion of said partition member, and said oil passage is provided in a lower portion of said oil-reservoir chamber divided by said partition member.

5. The compressor according to claim 4, wherein the refrigerant discharged from said through hole is allowed to collide against a portion of said housing, thereby separating the lubricant oil from the refrigerant.