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Scroll fluid machineScroll fluid machine description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090148314, Scroll fluid machine. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
The present invention relates to scroll fluid machines, and more particularly, to a scroll fluid machine suited for use as a scroll compressor incorporated in a refrigeration circuit of an automotive air-conditioning system to compress a refrigerant. A scroll compressor of this type is driven by the engine or electric motor of a motor vehicle. Compared with the engine-driven compressor, the electric motor-driven compressor is easy to adjust the displacement of the refrigerant, irrespective of engine load, and thus is superior in that the temperature in the passenger compartment of the vehicle can be finely controlled. Also, since this type of scroll compressor is mounted on a vehicle, there has been a demand for a compressor as compact in size as possible. An electric motor-driven scroll compressor disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-129983 includes a housing used in common for the scroll unit and the electric motor, and the scroll unit and the armature of the electric motor are contained in the common housing. During rotation of the electric motor, the armature generates heat, and if the temperature of the armature excessively rises, the performance of the motor lowers. Accordingly, the compressor disclosed in the above publication includes a cooling passageway for the armature. The cooling passageway guides the refrigerant to the armature before the refrigerant is returned to the scroll unit. Since the temperature of the return refrigerant is considerably lower than the ambient temperature, the armature can be effectively cooled by the return refrigerant. Specifically, the cooling passageway includes an air gap between the rotor and stator of the armature, a gap between the stator and the inner peripheral wall of the common housing, and gaps between stator coils. These gaps are, however, so narrow that the cooling passageway constitutes a large resistance to the flow of the refrigerant flowing toward the scroll unit, increasing the pressure loss of the refrigerant. Consequently, the scroll unit is unable to efficiently suck in the return refrigerant, so that the suction efficiency of the scroll unit lowers. To eliminate the inconvenience, a motor disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-165406 has an armature provided with an axial passage extending through the rotor as well as with fans attached to the respective opposite end faces of the rotor. As the fans rotate, the refrigerant is forced to flow through the axial passage in one direction, thus cooling the armature. Where the armature disclosed in the above publication is applied to a scroll compressor, however, the size of the armature increases by an amount corresponding to the axial passage formed through the rotor, which entails increase in the outside diameter and weight of the common housing of the scroll compressor. Further, the use of the fans leads to an increased number of component parts of the armature, increasing the cost of the scroll compressor. An object of the present invention is to provide a scroll fluid machine capable of enhancing the suction efficiency of a scroll unit thereof without entailing increase in size or in the number of component parts. To achieve the object, the present invention provides a scroll fluid machine comprising: a housing; a scroll unit contained in the housing, the scroll unit having a fixed scroll and a movable scroll cooperating with each other to compress a working fluid; an armature contained in the housing adjacently to the scroll unit and including a rotor for revolving the movable scroll, the rotor having a peripheral surface and opposite end faces; and a fluid conduit located inside the housing to guide the working fluid toward the scroll unit through the armature and including a helical groove formed in the peripheral surface of the rotor, the helical groove having opposite ends opening in the respective opposite end faces of the rotor. In the scroll fluid machine constructed as above, as the scroll unit is driven by the armature, the working fluid guided through the fluid conduit is sucked into the scroll unit. The pressure of the working fluid thus sucked in changes while the working fluid passes through the scroll unit, and then the working fluid is discharged from the scroll unit. The fluid conduit includes the helical groove formed on the rotor, and thus, a major part of the working fluid supplied to the scroll unit flows through the helical groove. The helical groove increases the cross-sectional area of the fluid conduit, and therefore, the fluid conduit does not constitute a large resistance to the flow of the working fluid flowing toward the scroll unit. As a result, the pressure loss of the working fluid is reduced and the working fluid suction efficiency of the scroll unit improves. Preferably, the helical groove has a helix direction such that when the rotor is rotated, the working fluid in the helical groove is forced toward the scroll unit. In this case, while the rotor is rotating, the working fluid in the helical groove is constantly forced toward the scroll unit. Accordingly, the working fluid is forced to flow through the helical groove toward the scroll unit, thus making it possible not only to further reduce the pressure loss of the working fluid but to further enhance the suction efficiency of the scroll unit. Specifically, the scroll unit is a compression unit for a refrigeration circuit, and the fluid conduit guides a refrigerant to be returned to the compression unit. Preferably, in this case, the peripheral surface of the rotor having the helical groove formed therein is an outer peripheral surface of the rotor. The temperature of the refrigerant being returned to the compression unit is considerably lower than the ambient temperature, and therefore, when the refrigerant flows through the helical groove of the rotor, the armature is effectively cooled by the refrigerant. Consequently, the armature is prevented from being overheated, whereby the performance of the armature is maintained. The rotor may have a laminated structure obtained by laminating ring-shaped magnetic steel sheets one upon another in an axial direction of the rotor, and each magnetic steel sheet may have a helical groove-forming notch cut in a peripheral edge thereof constituting the peripheral surface of the rotor. In this case, the helical groove can be easily formed in the peripheral surface of the rotor. Continue reading about Scroll fluid machine... Full patent description for Scroll fluid machine Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Scroll fluid machine patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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