Electric compressor

The present invention relates to an electric compressor.

A conventional electric compressor includes a housing, a compressor body accommodated in the housing, an electric motor for driving the compressor body, and an inverter for controlling the electric motor.

On driving the electric motor, an inverter circuit of the inverter generates heat. Provision of a cooling fan for cooling down the inverter circuit requires a motor for driving the fan and this makes the size of the electric compressor larger.

An electric compressor disclosed in Japanese laid-open No. 2005-171951 includes a housing, a compressor body, an electric motor for driving the compressor body, and an inverter for controlling the electric motor. The compressor body and the electric motor are accommodated in the housing and the inverter has an inverter circuit and inverter case which accommodates the inverter circuit and is attached the outside of the housing. The inside space o f the inverter case is divided, by a partition wall, into an storage chamber for incorporating the inverter circuit and a refrigerant introducing chamber. Cold refrigerant, which is to be introduced into the electric compressor, is introduced in the refrigerant introducing chamber and cools the inverter circuit.

Since the inverter circuit is, however, cooled from only one side thereof via the partition wall, the electric compressor does not have a good cooling performance.

The present invention provides the electric compressor capable of enhancing a performance of cooling the inverter.

An aspect of the present invention is an electric compressor including a suction chamber, a discharge chamber, compressor body configured to suck a fluid from the suction chamber, and then, discharge compressed fluid into the discharge chamber, an electric motor configured to drive the compressor body, and an inverter configured to control the electric motor. The inverter is disposed in the suction chamber.