CN108240337B

CN108240337B - Valve assembly and scroll compressor

Info

Publication number: CN108240337B
Application number: CN201611208730.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 智翔; 赵景莲; 珀佩尔曼·沙德
Original assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Copeland Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-12-23
Filing date: 2016-12-23
Publication date: 2020-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-23
Also published as: CN108240337A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a valve assembly and a scroll compressor, wherein the valve assembly includes a base plate, a valve sheet member, and a holding member, the base plate being provided with at least two sets of through holes that are centrosymmetric with respect to a predetermined axis; each valve sheet member corresponds to a set of through holes on the base plate and is arranged centrally symmetrically with respect to the predetermined axis; the retaining member is configured to retain each valve flap member between the retaining member and the base plate independently of one another and to allow each valve flap member to move between a closed position restricting fluid flow through a corresponding set of through-holes on the base plate and an open position allowing fluid flow through the corresponding set of through-holes. The scroll compressor is provided with the valve assembly, so that the obvious effects of reducing abrasion, prolonging service life, improving exhaust performance and the like are achieved.

Description

Valve assembly and scroll compressor

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of valve assemblies and scroll compressors, and more particularly, to a valve assembly for use in a scroll compressor and to a scroll compressor configured with such a valve assembly.

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Scroll compressors belong to positive displacement compression machines. The compression mechanism of a scroll compressor generally includes a non-orbiting scroll member and an orbiting scroll member. The vanes of the non-orbiting and orbiting scroll members engage with each other to compress a working fluid (e.g., refrigerant). Generally, after a working fluid is introduced into a compression mechanism from a suction port, the compression of the working fluid is achieved by the movement of a fixed scroll member and a movable scroll member, and a compressed high-pressure gas is discharged through a discharge port. However, in the particular application of scroll compressors, there are situations where the discharge pressure exceeds the pressure required for the application, which is commonly referred to as over-compression. Over-compression easily results in additional power consumption, and is not favorable for improving the work efficiency of the scroll compressor. To this end, an orifice communicating with one or both of the compression chambers (e.g., a middle pressure chamber) formed between the vanes (e.g., a middle pressure chamber and a high pressure chamber) is generally opened on the non-orbiting scroll end plate, and a valve assembly for selectively opening or closing the orifice is additionally provided so as to perform early discharge when the fluid pressure in the corresponding compression chamber is greater than a preset pressure value, thereby avoiding power consumption caused by over-compression and improving the efficiency of the scroll compressor.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved valve assembly to increase the service life of the valve assembly.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved valve assembly to improve the reliability of the valve assembly.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an improved scroll compressor to reduce the risk of over-compression of the scroll compressor.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an improved scroll compressor to reduce power consumption of the scroll compressor, providing efficiency of the scroll compressor.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an improved scroll compressor to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of the scroll compressor.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a valve assembly comprising: the device comprises a substrate, at least two groups of through holes are arranged on the substrate, and the at least two groups of through holes are centrosymmetric about a preset axis; at least two valve plate members, each valve plate member corresponding to a set of through holes on the substrate; and a retaining member configured to retain each valve sheet member between the retaining member and the base plate independently of each other and to allow each valve sheet member to move between a closed position restricting a flow of fluid through a corresponding set of through holes on the base plate and an open position allowing a flow of fluid through the corresponding set of through holes, wherein each valve sheet member is arranged between the base plate and the retaining member such that each valve sheet member is centrosymmetric about a predetermined axis.

In some embodiments, each of the vane members has a fixed end portion and a movable end portion, wherein the fixed end portion is pressed against the base plate by the retaining member, and the movable end portion is deflectable relative to the fixed end portion between a first position closing a corresponding set of through-holes and a second position opening the corresponding set of through-holes, and each of the vane members is arranged such that, in a case where the fluid passing through the corresponding set of through-holes includes a plurality of fluid streams different in discharge order, a free end of the movable end portion of each vane member is at or near a first discharged fluid stream of the plurality of fluid streams.

In some embodiments, the retaining member includes a ramp section on a first side facing the base plate, the ramp section configured to define the second position of the movable end portion of each flap member.

In some embodiments, a portion of the first side surface of the holder member excluding the inclined surface section is a planar section, and the fixed end portion of each of the valve sheet members is sandwiched between the planar section and the base plate to support the holder member in a surface contact manner at a centrally symmetrical position.

In some embodiments, the valve assembly further comprises a pin member axially fitting the retaining member, the fixed end portion of each valve plate member, and the base plate together.

In some embodiments, the pin member is inserted on the base plate or is integrally formed from the base plate.

In some embodiments, the pin member is a rolled spring pin.

In some embodiments, there are one, two, or more through holes in each set of through holes.

In some embodiments, the valve assembly functions as a gas discharge valve in a scroll compressor and is disposed in a central recess of a non-orbiting scroll member.

According to the arrangement, because the valve plate members are independently arranged between the retaining member and the base plate, the mounting position and the mounting orientation of the valve plate members can be correspondingly adjusted according to actual conditions, the problem of distortion caused by inconsistent action of the valve plate members can be solved by the independent valve plate members, and the abrasion of the valve plate members can be reduced. Furthermore, since the orientation of the individual valve member can be such that the orifice which first reaches the opening pressure is located at the free end of the valve member, the length of the moment arm is ensured, the risk of over-compression is reduced and the energy loss is reduced. In addition, according to the present disclosure, under the condition that the overall size and the installation manner of the original valve assembly are not changed, the obvious effects of reducing abrasion, prolonging the service life, improving the exhaust performance and the like can be obtained only by changing or adjusting the partial structure of the component members of the valve assembly, and therefore, the valve assembly according to the present disclosure has more reliable performance and higher convenience and applicability.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a scroll compressor including: the fixed scroll component comprises a fixed scroll end plate and a fixed scroll blade extending out of a first side face of the fixed scroll end plate; an orbiting scroll member including an orbiting scroll blade meshing with the non-orbiting scroll blade to compress a working fluid, wherein a series of compression chambers are formed between the orbiting scroll blade and the non-orbiting scroll blade, and at least two sets of orifices in fluid communication with at least two compression chambers of the series of compression chambers are provided on a second side surface of the non-orbiting scroll end plate opposite to the first side surface, and the scroll compressor further includes a valve assembly disposed correspondingly on the at least two sets of orifices to restrict or allow a fluid flow through the at least two sets of orifices, wherein the valve assembly is the valve assembly as described above.

In some embodiments, the at least two sets of orifices are arranged on the non-orbiting scroll end plate centrally symmetrically to each other about a central axis of the non-orbiting scroll member, wherein each set of orifices comprises at least two orifices and each set of orifices is within a respective set of through-holes of the valve assembly.

In some embodiments, where the apertures in each set of apertures have a different opening sequence, the respective valve flap member is arranged such that the free end of the movable end portion of the respective valve flap member is at or near the aperture of the respective aperture that opens first.

In some embodiments, two sets of orifices are disposed on the second side of the non-orbiting scroll end plate; and, the valve assembly includes two sets of through-holes, wherein each set of through-holes on the valve assembly corresponds to a set of orifices on the non-orbiting scroll end plate.

In some embodiments, a biasing member is further included and is configured to bias the valve assembly toward the non-orbiting scroll end plate.

In some embodiments, the biasing member is a wave ring or a coil spring.

In some embodiments, the non-orbiting scroll end plate includes a central recess in which the valve assembly is form-fit.

Therefore, the air exhaust and pressure relief performance of the scroll compressor adopting the valve assembly is obviously improved, the power consumption is reduced, and the working efficiency is improved. Moreover, in practical application, the application working condition requirements of the scroll compressor can be met by simply changing or adjusting the local structure of the valve assembly, so that the assembly of a production line cannot be influenced, and the cost is greatly reduced.

Drawings

The features and advantages of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure will become more readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary scroll compressor;

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate a top view and an exemplary cross-sectional schematic, respectively, of a non-orbiting scroll component according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a transverse cross-sectional view of a non-orbiting scroll member showing an orifice formed in the non-orbiting scroll end plate according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded schematic view of a known valve assembly;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the valve assembly of FIG. 4 with the non-orbiting scroll member;

FIG. 6 illustrates the base plate and valve member of the valve assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a force diagram of the valve assembly shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the wear of the valve assembly of FIG. 4 in a practical application;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded schematic view of a valve assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded schematic view of a valve assembly and non-orbiting scroll member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a base plate and a valve plate member of a valve assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the energy efficiency ratio and the improvement in energy efficiency ratio for different operating conditions for the same scroll compressor configured with a known valve assembly and a valve assembly according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same components in the respective drawings, and thus the configurations of the same components will not be described repeatedly.

Although the valve assembly according to the present disclosure is described herein in connection with a scroll compressor. However, it will be appreciated that the valve assembly according to the present disclosure is not limited in application to scroll compressors, and may be applied to any other application requiring a restriction in the flow of fluid. Further, in the following description of the exemplary embodiments, the valve assembly is installed in the central recess of the non-orbiting scroll member, however, depending on the position of the orifice (or called a discharge hole) described below, the valve assembly according to the present disclosure may be installed at other positions of the scroll compressor without limitation in the arrangement exemplified herein, for example, in a split non-orbiting scroll member, the non-orbiting scroll member is divided into a first portion including non-orbiting scroll blades and a second portion including a back pressure chamber, the first portion and the second portion are separately fabricated and assembled together, in which case, the valve assembly according to the present disclosure may also be installed in a space between the first portion and the second portion.

First, a basic structure and principle of the scroll compressor will be briefly described with reference to fig. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a scroll compressor 100 generally includes a housing 110, a compression mechanism disposed within the housing 110, a partition 116, a rotatable shaft 130, and a motor 120. Generally, the case 110 includes a generally cylindrical body 111, a top cover 112 disposed at one end of the body 111, and a bottom cover 114 disposed at the other end of the body 111. The compression mechanism is configured to compress a working fluid (e.g., a refrigerant) entering the compression mechanism and generally includes a non-orbiting scroll member 150 and an orbiting scroll member 160. Non-orbiting scroll member 150 includes a non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 and a spiral non-orbiting scroll blade 156 extending from a first side of non-orbiting scroll end plate 154. Orbiting scroll member 160 includes a helical orbiting scroll blade 166. A partition plate 116 may be disposed between the top cover 112 and the body 111 (extending in a substantially horizontal direction in fig. 1) to partition an inner space of the compressor into a low pressure side region at one side of the partition plate 116 and a high pressure side region at the other side of the partition plate. An intake joint 180 for sucking a fluid (also referred to as a working fluid, such as a gaseous refrigerant) is provided in a low-pressure side region, and a discharge joint 190 for discharging the compressed high-pressure fluid is provided in a high-pressure side region.

The motor 120 may include a stator 122 and a rotor 124. A drive shaft 130 extends through the rotor 124 and is driven in rotational motion by the motor 120. Drive shaft 130 further drives the movement of orbiting scroll member 160, thereby compressing the working fluid that enters between non-orbiting scroll member 150 and orbiting scroll member 160 (specifically between non-orbiting scroll blade 156 and orbiting scroll blade 166).

As the working fluid enters the compression mechanism, a series of compression chambers of decreasing volume from the radially outer side to the radially inner side are formed between the non-orbiting scroll blade 156 and the orbiting scroll blade 166 as the scroll compressor operates. Wherein the radially outermost compression pocket is a low pressure pocket at suction pressure (shown as a1 in fig. 2 b) and the radially innermost compression pocket is a high pressure pocket at discharge pressure (shown as A3 in fig. 2 b). The intermediate compression chamber is between the suction pressure and the discharge pressure and is commonly referred to as the intermediate pressure chamber (shown as a2 in fig. 2 b). The discharge port 152 may be formed at a substantially central position of the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154. The discharge port 152 communicates with a high pressure side region on the other side of the partition 116 for discharging high pressure gas compressed by the compression mechanism to the outside of the scroll compressor through the discharge fitting. In order to prevent the fluid in the high pressure side region from flowing back to the low pressure side region through the exhaust port 152 in a specific case, a check valve or an exhaust valve (not shown) may be provided at the exhaust port 152.

The compression mechanism draws in a volume of working fluid (gaseous) each time it draws in, and discharges it after compression. The compressed fluid pressure rises and the volume is reduced. After the geometric profile of the vortex blade is set, the volume compression ratio of the compression mechanism is determined. Assuming that the volume and pressure of the inhaled gas are V1 and P1, respectively, and the volume and pressure of the gas compressed to the end are V2 and P2, respectively, according to the formula P1/P2 (V2/V1)^γ(gamma is a polytropic exponent, and different working fluids correspond to different values) it is known that the discharge pressure of the compression mechanism is related to the suction pressure only after the design of the scroll blades is completed. Different operating conditions have different exhaust pressures. However, in the case of scroll compressor applications, there are conditions where the discharge pressure exceeds the pressure required for the application, a condition known as over-compression. As previously mentioned, over-compression results in additional power consumption, thereby reducing the operating efficiency of the scroll compressor.

To this end, orifices (such as

orifices

1551 and 1552 mentioned below) that are in fluid communication with one or both of the compression chambers (such as intermediate pressure chamber a2) having substantially the same pressure through a communication passage (such as a path indicated by T in fig. 2 b) are generally provided on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154, and valve assemblies (such as valve assemblies V20 and V30 mentioned below, which are also referred to as gas discharge valves) are additionally provided for selectively opening or closing the orifices to advance discharge of gas through the valve assemblies when the pressure in the corresponding compression chambers is greater than a predetermined pressure, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of over-compression as much as possible, and improving the operating efficiency and stability of the scroll compressor.

In the following description, the related structure and operation principle of the valve assembly and the scroll compressor according to the present disclosure will be described by taking as an example the communication passage communicating with the middle pressure chamber. However, it is understood that, in appropriate cases, a communication passage communicating to any one of the low pressure chamber, the intermediate pressure chamber, the high pressure chamber, or two adjacent compression chambers (such as the intermediate pressure chamber and the high pressure chamber) may also be provided, without being limited by the examples in the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate a top view of a non-orbiting scroll member and an exemplary cross-sectional schematic thereof, respectively. Wherein fig. 2b is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in fig. 2 a. As can be seen in conjunction with fig. 2a and 2b, line G-G is a line that extends through a pair of apertures 1552 on the non-orbiting scroll end plate. Moreover, some other components are omitted to facilitate viewing of the partial structure of non-orbiting scroll member 150. A known valve assembly V20 is also shown in fig. 2a and 2 b.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 2b, valve assembly V20 is disposed in central recess 155 on the second side of non-orbiting scroll end plate 154. The discharge port 152 of the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 is located at a substantially central position on the bottom wall of the central recess 155. Further, an orifice 1552 is arranged radially outward of the exhaust port 152. The communication passage T communicates the bore 1552 with the corresponding intermediate pressure chamber a 2. It should be noted that in the example shown in fig. 2b, only a pair of communication passages T and a pair of orifices 1552 are shown communicating with a pair of compression chambers (illustrated as intermediate pressure chamber a2, but could be other compression chambers) located at generally diametrically opposite positions. It will be appreciated that, in conjunction with FIG. 2a, another pair of communication passages (not shown) may also be included to communicate another pair of apertures 1551 with a corresponding intermediate pressure cavity A2. Further, for a symmetrical scroll compressor design, the non-orbiting scroll blade 156 is disposed substantially symmetrically with the orbiting scroll blade 166. Thus, the series of compression pockets formed between non-orbiting scroll blade 156 and orbiting scroll blade 166 basically includes two low pressure pockets located radially outermost, two high pressure pockets located radially innermost and two intermediate pressure pockets located midway, the pairs of compression pockets being substantially diametrically opposed about the central axis of non-orbiting scroll member 150. Thus, the two sets of orifices disposed on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 are also preferably disposed diametrically opposite about the central axis of the non-orbiting scroll member 150. In a preferred arrangement, both sets of ports communicate with compression chambers having substantially the same pressure. For example, both sets of orifices are connected to the medium pressure chamber or both are connected to both the medium pressure chamber and the high pressure chamber. Further, in the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, each set of apertures is shown to include two apertures, a first aperture 1551 and a second aperture 1552. However, it is understood that each set of apertures may include one aperture, three apertures, or more apertures, as desired, and not limited to the number illustrated in the present disclosure. Further, in an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the valve assembly is disposed in a central recess of the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154, radially outward of the exhaust port. Working fluid discharged from the first and

second orifices

1551 and 1552 is discharged to a high pressure side region of the compressor via the central recess 155.

Furthermore, depending on the actual situation, in order to adapt the position of the orifice and the position of the intermediate pressure chamber, the aforementioned communication passage T may be of a single linear structure, or may comprise a plurality of radially offset sections (two sections as shown in fig. 2 b), without being particularly limited thereto.

In fig. 3 two pairs of apertures, a first aperture 1551 and a second aperture 1552, are shown, respectively communicating to two medium pressure cavities a2 arranged opposite to each other.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure relates generally to improvements in the construction of valve assemblies. Accordingly, no limitations are intended to the specific structure of structures (e.g., non-orbiting scroll members) to which it may be applied.

Fig. 4 and 5 show an exploded perspective view of a known valve assembly V20 and an exploded perspective view of the valve assembly V20 and non-orbiting scroll member, respectively. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, valve assembly V20 fits within central recess 155 of non-orbiting scroll member 150 and overlies both sets of orifices. Valve assembly V20 includes base plate 21, valve sheet member 22, and retaining member 23. Wherein the base plate 21 and the holding member 23 have a circular outer contour matching the shape of the side wall of the central recess 155. Also, the base plate 21 and the holding member 23 each have a central opening for communicating the exhaust port 152 to the high pressure side region on the other side of the partition 116.

The baseplate 21 is mounted against the bottom wall of the central recess 155 and the baseplate 21 overlies the two sets of

apertures

1551, 1552 on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154. The substrate 21 includes a pair of kidney-shaped through holes 211 arranged in central symmetry with each other. Also, both the first bore 1551 and the second bore 1552 on the bottom wall of the central recess 155 are contained within the through bore 211, whereby the through bore 211 can be in fluid communication with the first bore and the second bore.

The valve sheet member 22 includes two arm portions 222 and an intermediate connecting portion 221 connected between the two arm portions 222. In the inoperative state, the two arm portions 222 each rest against a respective through opening 211, so that the respective through opening 222 is closed. The holding member 23 is press-fitted on the valve sheet member 22. The holding member 23 is substantially cylindrical. Two ramp sections 2311 are provided on the first side 231 of the holding member 23 facing the valve plate member 22. The other portions of the first side 231 of the valve plate member 22 except for the two slope sections 2311 are planar sections. The two slope sections 2311 correspond to the positions of the two arms 222 of the valve plate member 22, respectively, to limit the open positions of the two arms 222.

The aforementioned holding member 23, valve sheet member 22, and base plate 21 are assembled with each other by a pin 25. Accordingly, the holding member 23, the intermediate connecting portion 221 of the valve sheet member 22, and the base plate 21 are provided with corresponding pin holes 233, 223, 213, respectively. The pins 25 are inserted in these pin holes 233, 223, 213, respectively.

The above-described retaining member 23, valve plate member 22, and base plate 21 are fitted in the central recess 155 of the non-orbiting scroll part 150 such that the through holes 211 correspond to the first and

second orifices

1551 and 1552 on the respective sides. Thus, when the pressure of the upper portion of the arm portion 222 of the valve sheet member 22 (corresponding to the condensing pressure of the system or the discharge pressure of the entire compressor) is greater than the pressure of the lower portion (corresponding to the pressure of the compression chambers communicating with the orifices 1551 and 1552), the valve sheet member closes the corresponding through hole 211; and when the pressure of the upper portion of the arm portion 222 of the valve sheet member 22 is less than that of the lower portion, the valve sheet member opens the corresponding through hole 211, thereby achieving early discharge of the gas in the corresponding compression chamber.

Further, a wave ring 24 is provided to bias the holding member 23, the sheet member 22, and the base plate 21 integrally toward the bottom wall of the central recess 155. To this end, it will be appreciated that, as shown in figure 2b, a catch 159 may be provided on the side wall of the central recess 155 to catch the corrugated ring 24.

The prior valve assembly V20 described above is somewhat better able to restrict or allow the passage of fluid from the

ports

1551, 1552, thereby opening the respective communication path when the pressure in the respective compression chamber is greater than a preset value, thereby enabling early venting.

However, the prior valve assembly V20 described above has problems of high wear rate, low service life, etc. in certain applications. In addition, in certain specific applications, the scroll compressor with the valve assembly V20 still has the problems of over compression and high power consumption. As a result of research, the present inventors found that there is room for improvement in the structure of the valve assembly V20 itself.

Further analysis of the problems that the valve assembly V20 construction described above is susceptible to by itself will now be described with reference to fig. 6-8. Therein, a schematic view of the base plate 21 and the valve sheet member 22 of the aforementioned known valve assembly V20 is schematically shown in fig. 6, intended to schematically illustrate its effect on the venting performance of the valve assembly. For ease of understanding, the enlargement processing is performed in fig. 6 (similarly, the enlargement processing is also performed in fig. 11 to be described below). Figure 7 schematically illustrates a force diagram of the valve assembly of figure 4. Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the wear of the valve assembly of fig. 4 in a practical application.

As shown in fig. 6, the two through-holes 211 in the base plate 21 are in fluid communication with corresponding two apertures (i.e., a first aperture 1551 and a second aperture 1552, schematically depicted in fig. 6 for ease of understanding) in the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154, respectively. As can be understood from the foregoing description, the left-right and up-down relationships are distinguished in the plane of fig. 6, assuming that, of the two apertures covering the range of the through-hole 211 on the left side, the aperture located on the lower portion (i.e., near the free end of the arm portion 222) corresponds to the aforementioned first aperture 1551, and the aperture located on the upper portion (i.e., far from the free end of the arm portion 222) corresponds to the aforementioned second aperture 1552; of the two orifices covering the range of the through hole 211 on the right side, the orifice located at the upper portion corresponds to the aforementioned first orifice 1551, and the orifice located at the lower portion corresponds to the aforementioned second orifice 1552. Thus, when the fluid pressure in the corresponding compression chamber (e.g., the intermediate pressure chamber) is greater than the predetermined pressure, the two arm portions 222 will turn upward (upward perpendicular to the plane of fig. 6) under the high pressure airflow. However, as previously mentioned, the two first apertures 1551 are arranged diametrically opposite to each other and the two second apertures 1552 are also arranged diametrically opposite to each other. Thus, as the orbiting scroll member orbits, these pairs of orifices will sequentially experience an opening pressure. Analysis is made in conjunction with the plan view shown in fig. 6, assuming that the first orifice 1551 reaches the opening pressure first, and then the second orifice 1552 reaches the opening pressure, depending on the direction of rotation of the orbiting scroll member. Then the portion of the arm 222 on the left closer to its free end will be flipped up first by the high pressure air stream flowing out of the underlying first orifice 1551 and then the portion of the arm 222 away from its free end will be flipped up by the underlying second orifice 1552. However, for the right arm, since the positions of the first and

second apertures

1551 and 1552 on the lower side are opposite to those in the left arm 222, the airflow to the right arm 222 is opposite, so that the portion of the right arm 222 away from the free end is pushed upward first and then the portion close to the free end. Specifically, for the right arm 222, when the first aperture 1551 reaches the preset opening pressure, the right arm 222 cannot actually open at this time because the first aperture 1551 is farther away from the free end of the right arm 222 (in other words, the moment arm of the pivoting portion of the right arm 222 and the first aperture 1551 on the right side is smaller than the moment arm of the pivoting portion of the left arm 222 and the first aperture 1551 on the left side under the same opening pressure). As the orbiting scroll member orbits, the right arm 222 opens when the second orifice 1552 closer to the free end of the right arm 222 reaches a preset opening pressure, however, the actual pressure in the first orifice 1551 corresponding to the right arm at this time has been further increased as the orbiting scroll member orbits, resulting in a partial loss of capacity. Thus, since the first and

second orifices

1551 and 1552 are arranged at different positions in the two through holes 211, the left arm 222 is turned upward earlier than the right arm 222 to perform air discharge, so that the two arms 222 cannot perform air discharge simultaneously. As such, not only the distortion of the valve sheet member 22 is easily caused, but also the displacement of the valve sheet member 22 is easily caused, thereby affecting the exhaust performance of the valve assembly. As such, the discharge resistance of the two compression chambers of substantially the same pressure in fluid communication with valve assembly V20 are different, thereby affecting the stability and discharge performance of the scroll compressor.

In addition, the force condition of the valve assembly structure shown in fig. 4 can be seen in combination with fig. 7. As shown in fig. 7, after the valve assembly V20 is disposed in central recess 155 of non-orbiting scroll member 150, the top of retaining member 23 is subjected to a substantially uniform downward biasing force F1 under the biasing action of the overlying wave ring 24. The three of the holding member 23, the valve sheet member 22, and the base plate 21 are joined together by a pin 25, and the joining point thereof is located on the left side of the holding member at an angle shown in fig. 7 (refer to C in fig. 7). In the engaged position, the holding member 23 is subjected to an upward supporting force F2. Since the valve sheet member 22 is provided not to cover the entire base plate 21, a certain gap g (which is approximately in the range of 0.004-0.154mm depending on the thickness of the valve sheet member) exists between the portion of the base plate 21 not covered by the valve sheet member 22 and the first surface of the holding member. Furthermore, the presence of the ramp section 2311 on the retaining member 23 allows a larger gap to also exist between the ramp section 2311 and the corresponding portion on the substrate 21. This structural arrangement allows the holding member 23 to be formed in a cantilever beam structure, resulting in a phenomenon of stress concentration. It can also be seen from the schematic view of fig. 7 that the bottom of the holding member 23 is only locally (to the left in fig. 7) subjected to the supporting force F2 in comparison to the biasing force F1 which is applied relatively uniformly to the top of the holding member 23. Therefore, the holding member 23 is liable to be inclined, which causes the holding member 23 and the valve sheet member 22 to be changed from surface contact to line contact (substantially at D in fig. 7), thereby causing severe wear on the valve sheet member 22 at the corresponding line contact position (refer to D in fig. 8), and even easily causing breakage of the arm portion 222 of the valve sheet member 22, thereby reducing the service life of the valve assembly.

Based on this, the present inventors propose an improved valve assembly, aiming to further improve the performance of the valve assembly and applications (such as scroll compressors) to which the valve assembly is applied, simply by further improvements to the valve assembly structure. The valve assembly V30 according to the present disclosure is further described below in connection with fig. 9-12.

Fig. 9 shows an exploded schematic view of a valve assembly V30 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 9, a valve assembly V30 according to the present disclosure may include a base plate 31, a valve sheet member 32, and a retaining member 33.

The substrate 31 may be a substantially annular thin plate member. The substrate 31 may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel. At least two through holes (two through holes 311 are shown in the example of fig. 9) may be provided on the substrate 31. It will be appreciated that the number, size and location of the through holes 311 on the substrate 31 may be adjusted according to the number and location of the apertures on the structure to be applied, and are not limited to the number and location shown in the example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the at least two through holes may be arranged centrosymmetrically to each other. In the example shown in fig. 9, the positions of the two through holes 311 on the base plate 31 correspond to the positions of the first and

second apertures

1551 and 1552 on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 of the non-orbiting scroll part 150, that is, they are arranged in central symmetry with each other about the central axis of the valve assembly. Also, advantageously, the through bore 311 may be sized such that corresponding on-application apertures (e.g., the first aperture 1551 and the second aperture 1552) are enclosed within the open confines of the through bore 311.

Unlike the aforementioned single-piece structure of the valve sheet member 22, the number of the valve sheet members 32 according to the present disclosure is one-to-one corresponding to the number of the through holes 311 provided on the substrate 31 (for example, in the present exemplary embodiment, the number of the valve sheet members 32 is also two), so that the actions of the respective valve sheet members 32 may not interfere with each other. Therefore, the installation position and the installation orientation of the valve sheet member 32 can be adjusted correspondingly according to actual conditions, and the valve sheet members 32 which are independent can avoid the problem of distortion caused by inconsistent actions of the valve sheet members 32 and reduce the abrasion of the valve sheet members. Further, the independent valve sheet member 32 design is particularly advantageous in the case where the through holes 311 differ in air discharge time from one another, because each valve sheet member 32 can independently open and close the corresponding through hole without being affected by the action of the other valve sheet members 32. Furthermore, since the orientation of each valve member 32 can be such that the orifice that first reaches the opening pressure is located at the free end of the valve member, the length of the moment arm is ensured, reducing the risk of over-compression and reducing energy losses. Thus, the individual valve member 32 has greater versatility and flexibility than a one-piece valve member configuration. The valve sheet member 32 may be further depressed with respect to the surface of the base plate 31 facing the valve sheet member 32 to form a recess surrounding the through hole 311, and each valve sheet member 32 is disposed in the corresponding recess.

As shown in fig. 9, the valve sheet member 32 may have a substantially L-shape. Which may include a fixed end portion 321 and a movable end portion 322. The valve member 32 may be made of a resilient, flexible material. Accordingly, the valve sheet member 32 can be fixed by the fixed end portion 321, and the movable end portion 322 can be deflected relative to the fixed end portion 321 between a first position closing the respective through holes 311 and a second position opening the corresponding through holes 311. Thereby closing and opening the corresponding through hole 311.

The holding member 33 is for holding each valve sheet member 32. For example, in the example shown in fig. 9, the holding member 33 may have a substantially cylindrical configuration, and the first side 331 and the second side 332 thereof opposed to each other may be substantially planar, so that the fixed end 321 of the valve sheet member 32 may be pressed against the base plate 31 at the corresponding position by the first side 331 thereof facing the base plate 31. It is possible that in an embodiment not shown, the retaining member may also assist in positioning the valve plate member by means of a pin, screw, biasing element, or the like. It is also possible that the holding member 33 may hold only the valve sheet member 32 in a certain movable range without always contacting the valve sheet member.

The retaining members may be configured to allow each valve sheet member 32 to move between a closed position restricting fluid flow through a corresponding through hole in the substrate 31 and an open position allowing fluid flow through the corresponding through hole 311. As in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the movable end portion 322 of the valve sheet member 32 may be deflected relative to the fixed end portion 321 between a first position closing the through-holes 311 and a second position opening the respective through-holes 311. For this, a slope section 3311 may be provided on the first side 331 of the holding member 33 facing the substrate 31. It will be appreciated that the ramp sections 3311 correspond in number and location to the movable end portion 322 of the valve sheet member 32, and that the ramp sections 3311 are inclined away from the base plate 31 with respect to the first side surface 331, thereby allowing the movable end portion 322 of the valve sheet member 32 to perform an opening operation under gas pressure. In other words, the ramp section 3311 may define the second position of each movable end portion 322.

Advantageously, it is possible to arrange the valve sheet members 32 on the base plate 31 such that each valve sheet member 32 can synchronously open each through hole under the pressure of the fluid from the corresponding through hole 311. Each of the sheet members 32 may be arranged such that, in the case where the fluid passing through the through-holes 311 includes a plurality of fluid flows different in the discharge order, the portion (e.g., the movable end portion 322) of each sheet member 32 covering the corresponding through-hole 311 is arranged in conformity with the discharge order of the plurality of fluid flows, i.e., the free end of the movable end portion 322 of the sheet member 32 is close to or at the fluid flow discharged first. The effect of this arrangement is particularly pronounced in cases where the number of fluid outlets corresponding to or encompassed by a single through-hole 311 is two or more, and there is a difference in the discharge time of the fluid in the respective fluid outlets. The benefits of this arrangement will be described with respect to the use of valve assembly V30 according to the present disclosure in the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 of non-orbiting scroll member 150 as illustrated in connection with fig. 11.

For ease of understanding and analysis, the holding member 33 is omitted in fig. 11, and only the base plate 31 and the two valve sheet members 32 are shown. As schematically shown in fig. 11, two sets of orifices are arranged on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154, wherein each set of orifices comprises one first orifice 1551 and one second orifice 1552. The two first apertures 1551 are arranged centrally symmetrically (more specifically, radially opposite in this example) with respect to the central axis of the base plate 31 or the central axis of the non-orbiting scroll member, and the two second apertures 1552 are also arranged centrally symmetrically (more specifically, radially opposite in this example) with respect to the central axis of the base plate 31 or the central axis of the non-orbiting scroll member. Similarly, assume that during operation, two first orifices 1551 will exhaust before two second orifices 1552. Then, when arranging the valve sheet member 32, each valve sheet member 32 may be arranged such that the free end of the valve sheet member 32 is relatively close to the first aperture 1551. That is, in the plan view shown in fig. 11, the movable end portion 322 of the valve sheet member 32 on the left side and the movable end portion 322 of the valve sheet member 32 on the right side are arranged on each set of

apertures

1551 and 1552 so as to be centrosymmetric to each other. In this way, during operation, fluid discharged from the first orifice 1551 that first reaches a discharge condition in the direction of rotation of the orbiting scroll member can open each of the valve sheet members 32, and the second orifice 1552 that subsequently reaches a discharge condition can continue to hold each valve sheet member open, and the movable end portion of each valve sheet member 32 can open the first orifice 1551 and the second orifice 1552 in the same, smooth sequence, i.e., each valve sheet member 32 moves synchronously into the open position, thereby alleviating or avoiding the problem of discharge asynchronization as with the valve assembly V20 described above. Therefore, the performance of the scroll compressor can be improved, the risk of over-compression is reduced, and the working efficiency is improved.

It is also advantageous that a plurality of valve sheet members 32 are arranged on the base plate 31 symmetrically with respect to the center of the base plate 31. To this end, the first side 331 of the holding member 33 includes a plurality of ramp sections 3311 arranged symmetrically with respect to each other. And the first side surface 331 except for the plurality of slope sections 3311 is uniformly pressed against the fixed end portion 321 of the corresponding valve sheet member 32. With this arrangement, two portions of the holding member 33 in the diametrically opposite directions are brought into surface contact with the respective valve sheet members 32 (without the gap g shown in fig. 7), and the fixed end portions 321 of the two valve sheet members are subjected to uniform pressure, so that stress concentration and cantilever phenomenon can be avoided, and the holding member can be prevented from overturning, so that abrasion of the valve sheet members 32 can be reduced, and the service life of the valve sheet members 32 can be prolonged.

Alternatively, the retaining member 33, the valve sheet member 32, and the base plate 31 may be pre-assembled to facilitate assembly of the valve assembly V30 in a particular application, saving installation costs. Alternatively, the foregoing components may be preassembled together using pin member 35, as previously described in connection with valve assembly V20. For example, holes (313, 323, 333 in fig. 9) may be slotted at the fixing end portions 321 of the retaining member 33 and the valve sheet member 32 and at corresponding positions on the base plate 31 so as to be inserted into the corresponding slots using, for example, a rolled spring pin or other pin member 35 having an elastically contractible diameter. Alternatively, it is also possible to form corresponding pins on the base plate 31 and insert the respective valve sheet members 32 and the retaining members 33 on the pins. Alternatively, the number of pin members or pins corresponding to each valve sheet member 32 may be 1, 2, or more.

It will be appreciated that valve assembly V30 may be provided with a central opening depending on the particular application. As in the scroll compressor application shown in fig. 1, the valve assembly V30 may be mounted in the central recess 155 of the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154, and therefore, respective central openings may be provided in the middle of the retaining member 33 and base plate 31 so that high-pressure gas from the gas discharge port 152 can be discharged to the outside via the central opening of the valve assembly V30. Further, similar to the previously described valve assembly V20, during application, the valve assembly V30 may be positioned using a biasing member 40, such as a wave ring and a coil spring.

In conclusion, according to the valve assembly disclosed by the invention, under the condition that the overall size and the installation mode of the original valve assembly are not changed, the obvious effects of reducing abrasion, prolonging the service life, improving the exhaust performance and the like can be obtained only by changing or adjusting the partial structure of the component parts of the valve assembly, so that the valve assembly disclosed by the invention is more reliable in performance and has higher convenience and applicability.

Fig. 12 illustrates the energy efficiency ratio obtained by applying the known valve assembly V20 described above and the valve assembly V30 according to the present disclosure, respectively, to the same scroll compressor and under the same operating conditions. As can be seen from the graph of fig. 12, the energy efficiency ratio of the scroll compressor employing the valve assembly V30 according to the present disclosure is improved by 0.3% and 0.9% respectively over the energy efficiency ratio of the scroll compressor employing the previously known valve assembly V20 under the same operating conditions.

It will be appreciated that in the foregoing description of the construction of a valve assembly and scroll compressor according to the present disclosure in connection with the exemplary embodiment of fig. 9-12, the number of orifices on the non-orbiting scroll end plate 154 is two groups, wherein each group includes two

orifices

1551 and 1552 therein; accordingly, the number of through-holes on the substrate 31 is 2, wherein each through-hole 311 corresponds to a set of

apertures

1551 and 1552; and each valve sheet member 32 is used for opening and closing operation of one through hole and one set of orifices, respectively. However, it will be appreciated that in an embodiment not shown, each valve plate member 32 may be correspondingly adapted to perform opening and closing operations on a set of two or more through-holes 311, and each set of through-holes may correspond to a set of apertures (where each set of apertures may include one or more apertures) on non-orbiting scroll end plate 154.

In addition, in the foregoing description in connection with the exemplary embodiment, the valve assembly V30 takes the form of a centrosymmetric structure, and therefore, the at least two sets of through holes 311 and the at least two sheet members 32 on the base 31 are provided so as to be arranged centrosymmetrically with respect to the central axis of the valve assembly V30. However, the valve assembly may not have a regular centrosymmetric structure, in which case, the at least two sets of through holes 311 and the at least two sheet members 32 may be arranged centrosymmetrically with respect to a predetermined axis (e.g., a central axis of the non-orbiting scroll end plate, one center line of the valve assembly, or other axis such that they are in a centrosymmetric relationship with respect to each other), such that the at least two sets of through holes 311 are in a 180 degree rotationally symmetric relationship with each other, and the at least two sheet members 32 are also in a 180 degree rotationally symmetric relationship with each other.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described and illustrated in detail herein, and that other modifications and variations may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, all the components described herein may be replaced by other technically equivalent components.

Claims

1. A valve assembly (V30) comprising:

a substrate (31), at least two groups of through holes (311) are arranged on the substrate (31), and the at least two groups of through holes (311) are centrosymmetric about a preset axis;

at least two valve sheet members (32), each valve sheet member (32) corresponding to a set of through holes (311) on the base plate (31); and

a retaining member (33), the retaining member (33) being configured to retain each valve sheet member (32) between the retaining member (33) and the base plate (31) independently of each other and to allow each valve sheet member (32) to move between a closed position restricting fluid flow through a corresponding set of through holes (311) on the base plate (31) and an open position allowing fluid flow through the corresponding set of through holes (311), wherein,

each valve sheet member (32) is arranged between the base plate (31) and the holding member (33) such that each valve sheet member (32) is centrosymmetric with respect to the predetermined axis,

wherein each of the sheet members (32) has a fixed end portion (321) and a movable end portion (322), wherein the fixed end portion (321) is pressed against the base plate (31) by the holding member (33), and the movable end portion (322) is deflectable relative to the fixed end portion (321) between a first position closing the corresponding set of through holes (311) and a second position opening the corresponding set of through holes (311), and wherein the fluid passing through the corresponding set of through holes (311) includes a plurality of fluid streams different in discharge order, and each of the sheet members (32) is arranged such that a free end of the movable end portion (322) of each sheet member (32) is at or near a first discharged fluid stream of the plurality of fluid streams.

2. The valve assembly (V30) according to claim 1, wherein the first side (331) of the retaining member (33) facing the base plate (31) includes a ramp section (3311) thereon, the ramp section (3311) being configured to define the second position of the movable end portion (322) of each valve flap member (32).

3. The valve assembly (V30) of claim 2,

the portion of the first side surface (331) of the holding member (33) excluding the inclined surface section (3311) is a planar section, and the fixed end portion (321) of each valve sheet member (32) is sandwiched between the planar section and the base plate (31) to support the holding member (33) in a surface-contact manner at a position that is centrosymmetric.

4. The valve assembly (V30) according to claim 1, wherein the valve assembly (V30) further includes a pin member (35) axially fitting the retaining member (33), the fixed end portion (321) of each valve flap member (32), and the base plate (31) together.

5. The valve assembly (V30) of claim 4,

the pin member (35) is inserted on the base plate (31) or is integrally formed by the base plate (31).

6. The valve assembly (V30) of claim 5, wherein the pin member (35) is a rolled spring pin.

7. The valve assembly (V30) according to claim 1, wherein there are one, two or more through-holes (311) in each set of through-holes (311).

8. The valve assembly (V30) according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the valve assembly (V30) serves as a gas discharge valve in a scroll compressor and is disposed in a central recess (155) of a non-orbiting scroll member.

9. A scroll compressor, comprising:

a non-orbiting scroll member (150), the non-orbiting scroll member (150) including a non-orbiting scroll end plate (154) and a non-orbiting scroll blade (156) extending from a first side of the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154);

an orbiting scroll member (160), the orbiting scroll member (160) including an orbiting scroll blade (166) engaged with the non-orbiting scroll blade (156) to compress a working fluid, wherein,

a series of compression pockets are formed between the orbiting and non-orbiting scroll blades (166, 156) and at least two sets of orifices in fluid communication with at least two compression pockets of the series are provided on a second side of the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154) opposite the first side, and

the scroll compressor further comprises a valve assembly arranged correspondingly over the at least two sets of orifices to restrict or allow fluid flow through the at least two sets of orifices, wherein the valve assembly is a valve assembly (V30) according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The scroll compressor of claim 9, wherein,

the at least two sets of orifices are arranged on the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154) centrally symmetrically to each other about a central axis of the non-orbiting scroll member (150), wherein each set of orifices comprises at least two orifices (1551, 1552) and each set of orifices is within a respective set of through holes (311) of the valve assembly (V30).

11. A scroll compressor according to claim 10, wherein each aperture of each set of apertures has a different opening sequence, each valve member (32) being arranged such that the free end of the movable end portion (322) of each valve member (32) is at or near the aperture of each aperture which opens first.

12. The scroll compressor of claim 10, wherein the second side of the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154) is provided with two sets of apertures; and, the valve assembly (V30) includes two sets of through-holes, wherein each set of through-holes on the valve assembly (V30) corresponds to a set of orifices on the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154).

13. The scroll compressor of claim 9, further comprising a biasing member (40), the biasing member (40) configured to bias the valve assembly (V30) toward the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154).

14. The scroll compressor of claim 13, wherein the biasing member (40) is a wave ring or a coil spring.

15. The scroll compressor of any one of claims 9-14, wherein the non-orbiting scroll end plate (154) includes a central recess (155), the valve assembly (V30) being shape-fitted in the central recess (155).