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Capacity-variable type swash plate compressor

Capacity-variable type swash plate compressor description/claims

This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-234881, filed on Sep. 11, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

In the related art, a capacity-variable type swash plate compressor disclosed in JP-A-10-176658 is known. In this compressor, a housing includes a cylinder block, a front housing and a rear housing, and the cylinder block includes a plurality of cylinder bores. The rear housing includes an suction chamber and a discharge chamber, which communicate with the respective cylinder bores via valve units. The front housing and the cylinder block define a crank chamber, and the front housing and the cylinder block includes a rotatably supported drive shaft. In the crank chamber, a lug plate is fixed to the drive shaft, and a thrust bearing is provided between the lug plate and the front housing.

In the crank chamber, a swash plate is supported by the drive shaft so as to be capable of varying in inclination angle, and a link mechanism is provided between the lug plate and the swash plate. As shown in FIG. 12, the link mechanism comprises a first and second lug arm 91a, 91b integrated with a lug plate 91 and projecting toward a swash plate 92, a single swash plate arm 92a projecting toward the lug plate 91, a first intermediate arm 93 provided between the first lug arm 91a and the swash plate arm 92a, and a second intermediate arm 94 provided between the second lug arm 91b and the swash arm 92a.

The first and second intermediate arms 93, 94 are rotatably supported by the first and second lug arm 91a, 91b via a bolt 95, and are rotatably supported by the swash plate arm 92a via a pin 96. The bolt 95 extends in the direction of lug side axis A1 which is orthogonal to a virtual plane P defined by a center axis of the drive shaft and a top dead center position of the swash plate 92. The pin 96 extends in the direction of a swash plate side axis A2 extending in parallel with the lug side axis A1.

Each cylinder bore accommodates a piston capable of reciprocating, and the each piston defines a compression chamber in the cylinder bore. A movement transferring mechanism is provided between the swash plate 92 and the each piston. More specifically, the movement transferring mechanism includes a rocking plate provided on the side of the each piston with respect to the swash plate 92, a bearing provided between the swash plate 92 and the rocking plate for causing the rocking plate to make a rocking movement according to the inclination angle of the swash plate 92, and a piston rod for connecting the rocking plate and the each piston.

In this compressor, when the swash plate 92 rotates in association with a rotational movement of the drive shaft in the direction of rotation R, the respective pistons are reciprocated in the cylinder bores via the rocking plate and the respective piston rods, whereby refrigerant gas is sucked from the suction chamber into the compression chamber. The refrigerant gas, after having compressed, is discharged into the discharge chamber. Meanwhile, the movement transferring mechanism transfers the rocking movement of the swash plate 92 into the reciprocal movement of the pistons. A link mechanism allowing the swash plate 92 to change in the inclination angle with respect to the lug plate 91 while disabling the swash plate 92 to rotate relatively with respect to the drive shaft.

However, in the compressor in the related art as described above, the first and second intermediate arm 93, 94 includes guided surfaces 93a, 93b, 94a, 94b respectively in the front and back in the direction of rotation R of the drive shaft, and guides the both guided surfaces 93a, 93b of the first intermediate arm 93 by an inner surface of the first lug arm 91a and one side surface of the swash arm 92a, and guides the both guided surfaces 94a, 94b of the second intermediate arm 94 by the inner surface of the second lug arm 91b and other side surfaces of the swash arm 92a. Since the lug plate 91 and the swash plate 92 are different members, the relative positions between the inner surface of the first lug arm 91a and the one side surface of the swash arm 92a, and between the inner surface of the second lug arm 91b and the other side surface of the swash arm 92a are easily changed, so that the first and second intermediate arms 93, 94, and hence the swash plate 92 are easily deviated from their normal positions and hence may be skewed. In this case, the link mechanism is worn and hence a risk of deterioration in durability of the compressor arises. In this compressor, in order to restrain the complication of the first and second intermediate arms 93, 94 as such, the first and second lug arms 91a, 91b are adapted to project significantly toward the swash plate 92 with the sacrifice of the manufacturing of the lug plate 91. However, it cannot be sufficient.

In view of such problems, it is an object of the invention to provide a capacity-variable type swash plate compressor in which the link mechanism is hardly worn and superior durability is demonstrated.

A capacity-variable type swash plate compressor in the invention comprises a housing having a cylinder bore, a drive shaft rotatably supported by the housing, a lug member fixed to the drive shaft in the housing, a swash plate supported by the drive shaft so as to be capable of changing inclination angle in the housing, a link mechanism provided between the lug member and the swash plate in the housing allowing the swash plate to change the inclination angle with respect to the lug member while disabling the swash plate to rotate with respect to the drive shaft, a piston accommodated in the cylinder bore so as to be capable of reciprocating therein, and a movement transferring mechanism provided between the swash plate and the piston for transferring the rocking movement of the swash plate into the reciprocal movement of the piston.

The link mechanism is comprising a swash plate arm integrated with the swash plate and projecting toward the lug member side, and an intermediate arm provided between the lug member and the swash plate arm, being rotatably supported by the lug member about a lug-side axis which is orthogonal to a virtual plane defined by a center axis of the drive shaft and a top dead center position of the swash plate, and being rotatably supported by the swash plate arm about a swash-plate-side axis which extends in parallel with the lug-side axis.

The intermediate arm is comprising a first intermediate arm being plate-shaped, existing on one side of the virtual plane, and extending from the lug member side to the swash-plate-side, and a second intermediate arm being plate-shaped, existing on the other side of the virtual plane, and extending from the lug member side to the swash-plate-side.

The first intermediate arm includes a pair of first guided surfaces extending in parallel with the virtual plane and having back sides thereof facing each other in the front and back in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

The second intermediate arm includes a pair of second guided surfaces extending in parallel with the virtual plane and having the back sides thereof facing each other in the front and back in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

At least one of the lug member and the swash plate arm includes a first storage recess existing on one side of the virtual plane and a second storage recess existing on the other side of the virtual plane.

The first storage recess includes a pair of first guiding surfaces extending in parallel with the virtual plane and facing each other in the front and back in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

The second storage recess includes a pair of second guiding surfaces extending in parallel with the virtual plane and facing each other in the front and back in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

The first intermediate arm is stored in the first storage recess in such a manner that the both first guided surfaces are guided by the both first guiding surfaces, and the second intermediate arm is stored in the second storage recess in such a manner that the both second guided surfaces are guided by the both second guided surfaces.

The compressor in the invention includes the first and second storage recesses on at least one of the lug member and the swash plate arm. The both first guided surfaces of the first intermediate arm is guided by the both first guiding surfaces of the first storage recess and the both second guided surfaces of the second intermediate arm are guided by the both second guided surfaces of the second storage recesses. Since the both first guiding surfaces of the first storage recess and the both second guiding surfaces of the second storage recess are formed on the same member, the relative position does not change. Therefore, the first and second intermediate arms and the swash plate are easily maintained at the normal positions and hence are hardly be skewed.

In the compressor in the invention, since the lug member does not need to be projected significantly toward the swash-plate-side, the manufacture of the lug member and the manufacture of the entire compressor are also simplified.

Therefore, according to the capacity-variable type swash plate compressor in the invention, the link mechanism is hardly worn and superior durability is demonstrated.

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• Utility Patent

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