| Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Swash ring compressor with spherical bearingRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Three Or More Cylinders Arranged In Parallel, Radial, Or Conical Relationship With Rotary Transmission AxisSwash ring compressor with spherical bearing description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060285981, Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0001] 1. Technical Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention generally relates to a variable displacement compressor having a swash ring construction. More specifically, the present invention relates to a variable displacement swash-ring compressor having spherical bearing. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] In an automotive vehicle equipped with air conditioning, a compressor is used to pump coolant through the air conditioning system to cool the vehicle. Most often, the compressor is driven by a serpentine belt of the vehicle and, hence, the speed of the compressor is controlled by the speed of the vehicle. In order to provide consistent operation of the air conditioning system, variable displacement compressors have been developed to allow the compressor to provide constant performance at all vehicle speeds. In a variable displacement compressor, higher displacement is necessary when the vehicle is idling or running at low speeds. When the vehicle is running at high speeds, the compressor is cycling much more rapidly, and therefore can provide equivalent performance at a lower displacement. [0005] The typical automotive air conditioning compressor uses multiple pistons to pump the coolant through the system. The pistons are driven back and forth within the compressor by a plate or ring that is attached to a rotating shaft. The plate or ring is mounted at an angle relative to the shaft and engages each of the pistons. Due to the angle of the ring, radial positions around a periphery of the ring have varying axial positions within the compressor. The pistons are fixed radially within the compressor housing, so that as the shaft and ring rotate the pistons slide along the periphery of the ring and are thereby moved axially back and forth with rotations of the shaft and ring. Variable displacement is achieved by limiting the stroke of the pistons. Variable displacement compressors are available in three basic types: 1) wobble plate compressors, 2) swash-plate compressors, or 3) swash ring compressors. The present invention is related to a swash ring compressor. [0006] In a swash ring compressor, the pistons within the compressor are driven by a swash ring. Variable displacement, by limiting the stroke of the pistons, is achieved by varying the angle of the swash ring relative to the rotating shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,252 describes the construction of a variable displacement swash ring compressor and is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. [0007] In the '252 patent, a sleeve is slidably mounted for limited axial movement along the compressor's shaft and a swash ring is pivotally mounted onto the sleeve. A pin, rigidly mounted within and extending from the shaft, engages the swash ring at an axial distance from the pivotal connection between the swash ring and the sleeve. As the sleeve slides along the shaft, the swash ring moves axially with the sleeve at the pivotal connection, but cannot move axially at the point where the pin engages the swashring. This causes the swash ring to pivot about the point where the pin engages the swash ring, thereby changing the angle of the swash ring relative to the shaft. [0008] As a result of the pin transferring rotation to the swash ring, the pin undergoes very high stresses and is therefore made from very hard materials. The contact between the pin and a pocket formed within the swash ring is generally a point contact, causing very high stress at that point, leading to accelerated wear. [0009] As seen from the above, there is a need to improve the design of the pin/swash ring interface for a compressor so that the compressor can be made more robust. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing a variable displacement swash ring compressor with a spherical bearing insert that couples the pin to the swash ring. Use of the spherical bearing insert spreads the loads out over a larger area of the pocket within the swash ring, thereby reducing the point loads and stresses. [0011] In one aspect, the present invention is a compressor that includes a shaft rotatably mounted within the compressor. A sleeve is slidably supported on the shaft. A swash ring is pivotally mounted onto the sleeve such that the swash ring is angularly adjustable with respect to the shaft. A pin is fixedly mounted to and extends from the shaft and has a cylindrical distal end. The swash ring includes a radially inwardly open spherical pocket. A spherical bearing insert is positioned within the pocket and the cylindrical distal end of the pin slidably engages the spherical bearing insert such that the distal end of the pin is pivotally coupled to the swash ring. The connection between the swash ring and the pin forces the swash ring to rotate with the shaft, while allowing the swash ring to be angularly adjusted relative to the shaft. The sleeve is further biased along the shaft by a spring whose position may be varied. [0012] In another aspect of the present invention, the spherical bearing insert includes a cylindrical orifice extending therethrough, the cylindrical distal end of the pin being received within the cylindrical orifice of the spherical bearing insert. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which: [0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a swash-ring compressor of the present invention; [0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shaft, swash-ring and sleeve of the compressor of FIG. 1; [0016] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; [0017] FIG. 4 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 3 as indicated by the circle labeled "FIG. 4" in FIG. 3; [0018] FIG. 5 is a side view of the swash ring and sleeve showing the engagement of the pin with the spherical bearing insert and swash ring; and [0019] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0020] A complete description of a variable displacement swash-ring compressor is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,252 which has been incorporated by reference into the present application. Continue reading about Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing... Full patent description for Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Dual capacity compressor Next Patent Application: Dust-protective cycling lubricating structure of an electric fan Industry Class: Pumps ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Swash ring compressor with spherical bearing patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.42832 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
