Scroll Fluid Machine

Abstract

An electric motor-driven scroll compressor as a fluid machine includes a housing ( 10 ) containing a scroll unit ( 20 ) and an armature ( 38 ) for driving the scroll unit ( 20 ), and a refrigerant conduit located inside the housing ( 10 ) to guide a refrigerant toward the scroll unit ( 20 ). The refrigerant conduit includes a helical groove ( 64 ) as part thereof. The helical groove ( 64 ) is formed in the outer peripheral surface of a rotor ( 54 ) constituting the armature ( 38 ) and has opposite ends opening in the respective opposite end faces of the rotor ( 54 ).

1 . A scroll fluid machine comprising:
 a housing;   a scroll unit contained in said housing, said scroll unit having a fixed scroll and a movable scroll cooperating with each other to compress a working fluid;   an armature contained in said 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 said housing to guide the working fluid toward said 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.   
   
   
       2 . The scroll fluid machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the helical groove has a helix direction such that when the rotor is rotated, the working fluid in the helical groove is forced toward said scroll unit. 
   
   
       3 . The scroll fluid machine according to  claim 2 , wherein said scroll unit is a compression unit for a refrigeration circuit, and said fluid conduit guides a refrigerant to be returned to said compression unit. 
   
   
       4 . The scroll fluid machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the peripheral surface of the rotor is an outer peripheral surface of the rotor. 
   
   
       5 . The scroll fluid machine according to  claim 4 , wherein said scroll unit is a compression unit for a refrigeration circuit, and the fluid conduit guides a refrigerant to be returned to said compression unit. 
   
   
       6 . The scroll fluid machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the rotor has a laminated structure obtained by laminating ring-shaped magnetic steel sheets one upon another in an axial direction of the rotor, and each of the magnetic steel sheets has a helical groove-forming notch cut in a peripheral edge thereof constituting the peripheral surface of the rotor.