Compressor system, compressor, and refrigeration cycle apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135259-B2
Application number	US-201917767584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A compressor system includes a compressor including a bearing supporting a rotating shaft; a sensor configured to measure an index value correlated with a movement of the rotating shaft being made while the compressor is in operation; and a wear-detecting unit configured to detect a degree of wear of the bearing based on a measured value obtained by the sensor. The bearing is a plain bearing, and has a plurality of air gaps arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction such that wear of the bearing changes a positional relationship between an inner circumferential surface of the bearing and the plurality of air gaps and eventually changes a shape of the inner circumferential surface thereof. The wear-detecting unit detects the degree of wear of the bearing based on a change in the measured value caused by a change in the shape of the inner circumferential surface of the bearing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compressor system comprising:
a compressor including a bearing, the bearing supporting a rotating shaft;
a sensor configured to measure an index value correlated with a movement of the rotating shaft, the movement of the rotating shaft being made while the compressor is in operation; and
a controller configured to detect a degree of wear of the bearing based on the measured index value obtained by the sensor,
wherein the bearing is a plain bearing, and the bearing includes a cylindrical backing metal part and a cylindrical alloy part provided on an inner side of the cylindrical backing metal part and has a plurality of air gaps provided in an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical alloy part of the bearing and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the bearing such that the degree of wear of the bearing changes a positional relationship between an inner circumferential surface of the bearing and the plurality of air gaps and eventually changes a shape of the inner circumferential surface of the bearing, and
wherein the controller is configured to detect the degree of wear of the bearing based on a change in the measured index value that is caused by a change in the shape of the inner circumferential surface of the bearing.

2. The compressor system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of air gaps are of a plurality of kinds, wherein each kind of the plurality of kinds has a different distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing.

3. The compressor system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of air gaps of the plurality of kinds are arranged alternately among the plurality of kinds and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

4. The compressor system of claim 1 , wherein a radial distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing to at least one of the plurality of air gaps is set at an amount of tolerable wear that represents a limit of an amount of wear.

5. The compressor system of claim 1 ,
wherein the bearing includes a main bearing and an orbital bearing that support the rotating shaft at respective positions, the positions being different from each other, and
wherein the main bearing and the orbital bearing each have the plurality of air gaps.

6. The compressor system of claim 5 , wherein the main bearing and the orbital bearing have a different number of the plurality of air gaps.

7. The compressor system of claim 5 ,
wherein the plurality of air gaps are of a plurality of kinds, wherein each kind of the plurality of kinds has a different distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing, and
wherein the plurality of air gaps of the main bearing are provided in equal number for each of the plurality of kinds, the plurality of air gaps of the orbital bearing are provided in equal number for each of the plurality of kinds, and the plurality of air gaps of the plurality of kinds in each of the main bearing and the orbital bearing are arranged alternately among the plurality of kinds and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

8. The compressor system of claim 1 , wherein the measured index value is a vibration value representing vibration of the compressor or a current value representing an electric current flowing through the compressor.

9. A compressor comprising a bearing, the bearing supporting a rotating shaft,
wherein the bearing is a plain bearing, and the bearing includes a cylindrical backing metal part and a cylindrical alloy part provided on an inner side of the cylindrical backing metal part and has a plurality of air gaps provided in an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical alloy part and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction such that wear of the bearing changes a positional relationship between an inner circumferential surface of the bearing and the plurality of air gaps and eventually changes a shape of the inner circumferential surface of the bearing.

10. The compressor of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of air gaps are of a plurality of kinds, wherein each kind of the plurality of kinds has a different distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing.

11. The compressor of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of air gaps of the plurality of kinds are arranged alternately among the plurality of kinds and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

12. The compressor of claim 9 , wherein a radial distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing to at least one of the plurality of air gaps is set at an amount of tolerable wear that represents a limit of an amount of wear.

13. The compressor of claim 9 ,
wherein the bearing includes a main bearing and an orbital bearing that support the rotating shaft at respective positions, the positions being different from each other, and
wherein the main bearing and the orbital bearing each have the plurality of air gaps.

14. The compressor of claim 13 , wherein the main bearing and the orbital bearing have a different number of the plurality of air gaps.

15. The compressor of claim 13 ,
wherein the plurality of air gaps are of a plurality of kinds, wherein each kind of the plurality of kinds has a different distance from the inner circumferential surface of the bearing, and
wherein the plurality of air gaps of the main bearing are provided in equal number for each of the plurality of kinds, the plurality of air gaps of the orbital bearing are provided in equal number for each of the plurality of kinds, and the plurality of air gaps of the plurality of kinds in each of the main bearing and the orbital bearing are arranged alternately among the plurality of kinds and at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

16. A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising the compressor system of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Imanishi Toshiki
• Takamura Yuji
• Tatsuwaki Kohei

Classifications

• F04C29/00

  Component parts, details or accessories of pumps or pumping installations, not provided for in groups F04C18/00 - F04C28/00 · CPC title

• F04B51/00

  Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations · CPC title

• F04B49/10 Primary

  Other safety measures · CPC title

• G01M13/045 Primary

  Acoustic or vibration analysis · CPC title

• F04C23/008

  Hermetic pumps · CPC title