Differential pressure lubrication system for rolling piston compressor

Claim 1

In a rolling piston, sliding vane fluid compressor, particularly for refrigerant gases, including a closed shell (1), an electric motor (2) mounted within the shell, a shaft (3) rotatably driven by the motor at one end and adapted to turn with its axis disposed horizontally, a compressor cylinder (5) flanked by vertical side plates (9, 10) at its opposite ends and disposed with its axis parallel to the shafted axis and being mounted within the shell, an eccentric (3a) fixed to said shaft and abutting a bearing means on one of said side plates, the shaft extending through the cylinder and side plates and being journaled in bearings (9a, 10a) in the side plates, a hollow cylindrical rolling piston (4) disposed within the cylinder with its axis parallel to the shaft axis, said eccentric being rotatably disposed within the piston, a sliding vane (17) radially mounted in the cylinder and engaging the outer surface of the piston to define compression and suction chambers (6, 18), a suction inlet (19) to the suction chamber, a discharge outlet (22) from the compression chamber in communication with a space (7) within the shell, and a pool of lubricating oil (11) in a lower portion of the shell, an improved differential pressure lubrication system characterized by: a substantially vertical oil supply passage (10c) having one end in communication with the oil pool and another, opposite end, in communication with a space (16) within the piston, said space being defined by said vertical side plates, the internal walls of said piston and the volume of the eccentric, whereby the pressure exerted on the oil pool by compressed refrigerant gas within the shell space forces oil through the supply passage and into the lower pressure piston space to thereby lubricate the moving parts of the compressor.