Linear compressor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a linear compressor. The linear compressor according to the spirit of the present invention includes a cylinder, a piston, a suction valve, and a valve fastening member. In addition, the suction valve includes a fixed portion and a plurality of vanes extending from the fixed portion in a radial direction and deformed forward in the radial direction to open the suction port. The plurality of vanes includes a first vane and a second vane formed with a lower rigidity or a lower stiffness than the first vane.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A linear compressor comprising:
 a cylinder that defines a compression space;   a piston configured to, based on reciprocating in an axial direction relative to the cylinder, vary a volume of the compression space, the piston defining a suction port configured to supply refrigerant to the compression space;   a suction valve disposed forward of a front portion of the piston facing the compression space and configured to open and close the suction port; and   a valve fastening member that is inserted into a front surface of the piston through the suction valve and that fastens the suction valve to the piston,   wherein the suction valve comprises:
 a fixing portion that is in contact with the front surface of the piston and that is fastened to the piston by the valve fastening member, and 
 a plurality of vanes that extend from the fixed portion in a radial direction of the piston and that are configured to deform forward from the front surface of the piston in the axial direction to thereby open the suction port, 
   wherein the plurality of vanes comprise:
 a first vane having a first stiffness and a first rigidity, and 
 a second vane having a second stiffness and a second rigidity, and 
   wherein the second stiffness is less than the first stiffness, or the second rigidity is less than the first rigidity.   
     
     
         2 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the suction port comprises:
 a plurality of suction holes that are arranged about a center of a virtual pitch circle defined at the front surface of the piston, the plurality of suction holes being spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the piston along the virtual pitch circle.   
     
     
         3 . The linear compressor of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of suction holes comprises:
 a first suction hole; and   a second suction hole and a third suction hole that are respectively defined at both sides of the first suction hole in the circumferential direction, and   wherein the first suction hole is disposed closer to the second suction hole than to the third suction hole in the circumferential direction.   
     
     
         4 . The linear compressor of  claim 3 , wherein one of the first vane or the second vane is configured to open and close both of the first suction hole and the second suction hole, and
 wherein the other of the first vane or the second vane is configured to open and close the third suction hole separately from the first suction hole and the second suction hole.   
     
     
         5 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the second vane in the axial direction is less than a thickness of the first vane in the axial direction. 
     
     
         6 . The linear compressor of  claim 5 , wherein the suction valve further comprises:
 a stepped portion defined between the fixed portion and the first vane, the thickness of the first vane being greater than a thickness of the fixed portion in the axial direction.   
     
     
         7 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the first vane extends outward of the fixing portion in the radial direction by a first length, and
 wherein the second vane extends outward of the fixing portion in the radial direction by a second length that is greater than the first length.   
     
     
         8 . The linear compressor of  claim 7 , wherein the suction port comprises:
 a plurality of suction holes that are arranged about a center of a virtual pitch circle defined at the front surface of the piston, and   wherein the first vane and the second vane extend outward of the virtual pitch circle in the radial direction to thereby cover the plurality of suction holes.   
     
     
         9 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the first vane is wider than the second vane in a circumferential direction of the piston. 
     
     
         10 . The linear compressor of  claim 9 , wherein circumferential widths of the first vane and the second vane respectively increase as the first vane and the second vane extend outward from the fixing portion in the radial direction. 
     
     
         11 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the suction port comprises:
 a plurality of suction holes that are arranged about a center of a virtual pitch circle defined at the front surface of the piston, and   wherein the first vane covers a first portion of a periphery of the virtual pitch circle, and the second vane covers a second portion of the periphery of the virtual pitch circle, a length of the first portion being greater than a length of the second portion.   
     
     
         12 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a circumferential width of the second vane is less than a circumferential width of the first vane in a circumferential direction of the piston;   an axial thickness of the second vane is less than an axial thickness of the first vane in the axial direction; or   a radial length of the second vane is greater than a radial length of the first vane in the radial direction.   
     
     
         13 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the first vane comprises one or more first vanes, and the second vane comprises one or more second vanes, and
 wherein a number of the one or more first vanes and a number of the one or more second vanes are different from each other.   
     
     
         14 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the first vane comprises a plurality of first vanes, and the second vane comprises a plurality of second vanes, and
 wherein a number of the first vanes and a number of the second vanes are different from each other.   
     
     
         15 . The linear compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the suction port comprises a plurality of pairs of suction holes,
 wherein the first vane is configured to open and close a first pair of suction holes among the plurality of pairs of suction holes, and   wherein the second vane is configured to open and close a second pair of suction holes among the plurality of pairs of suction holes, the second pair of suction holes being different from the first pair of suction holes.   
     
     
         16 . A linear compressor comprising:
 a cylinder that defines a compression space;   a piston configured to, based on reciprocating in an axial direction relative to the cylinder, vary a volume of the compression space;   a suction port defined in a front surface of the piston and configured to guide refrigerant to the compression space; and   a suction valve coupled to the front surface of the piston in the axial direction, the suction valve comprising a plurality of vanes that extend in a radial direction of the piston and that are configured to move in the axial direction to thereby open and close the suction port;   wherein the suction port comprises a plurality of suction holes that are arranged about a center of a virtual pitch circle defined at the front surface of the piston, the plurality of suction holes being spaced apart from one another along the virtual pitch circle in a circumferential direction of the piston,   wherein the plurality of vanes comprises a first vane and a second vane, and   wherein:
 a circumferential width of the second vane is different from a circumferential width of the first vane in the circumferential direction, 
 an axial thickness of the second vane is different from an axial thickness of the first vane in the axial direction, or 
 a radial length of the second vane is different from a radial length of the first vane in the radial direction. 
   
     
     
         17 . The linear compressor of  claim 16 , wherein the first vane comprises a plurality of first vanes, and the second vane comprises a plurality of second vanes, and
 wherein the first vanes and the second vanes are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.   
     
     
         18 . The linear compressor of  claim 16 , wherein the first vane comprises a plurality of first vanes, and the second vane comprises a plurality of second vanes, and
 wherein a number of the first vanes and a number of the second vanes are different from each other.   
     
     
         19 . The linear compressor of  claim 16 , wherein the suction valve further comprises a fixing portion that is in contact with the front surface of the piston and that is disposed at a position corresponding to the center of the virtual pitch circle,
 wherein the plurality of vanes extend from the fixed portion outward in the radial direction, and   wherein a circumferential width of each of the plurality of vanes increases in the circumferential direction as the plurality of vanes extend in the radial direction.   
     
     
         20 . The linear compressor of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the circumferential width of the second vane is less than the circumferential width of the first vane in the circumferential direction;   the axial thickness of the second vane is less than the axial thickness of the first vane in the axial direction; or   the radial length of the second vane is greater than the radial length of the first vane in the radial direction.