Variable capacity rotary compressor

A variable capacity rotary compressor, comprising:

• a cylinder assembly installed in a casing and including a compression space in which a refrigerant is sucked to be compressed, an inlet connected to the compression space, and a vane slot formed at one side of the inlet;
• a rolling piston that compresses a refrigerant by performing an eccentric orbiting motion inside the compression space of the cylinder assembly;
• a vane slidibly inserted into the vane slot of the cylinder assembly, and having an inner end configured to contact the rolling piston to divide the compression space into a suction chamber and a compression chamber;
• and
• a mode switching device that contacts or separates the vane with/from the rolling piston depending on an operation mode of the compressor, wherein a suction pressure is applied onto one side surface of the vane and a discharge pressure is applied onto the other side of the vane to separate the vane from the rolling piston and withdraw the vane into the vane slot.