Electric compressor

An electric compressor comprising:

• a cylinder having a cylindrical peripheral wall, a top wall blocking one end of the peripheral wall and having a through-hole, a cylinder chamber defined by the cylindrical peripheral wall and top wall, the cylinder having circular inlet and outlet ports opening into the cylinder chamber;
• a piston capable of reciprocating in the cylinder chamber and having a first operative face with a first peripheral edge portion inclined at a predetermined angle to the operating direction of the piston and an upper end face facing the top wall;
• a rotating member capable of rotating in the cylinder chamber around the central axis thereof, and having an outer peripheral surface substantially equal in diameter to that of the cylinder chamber and capable of opening and closing the inlet and outlet ports, and a second operative face with a second peripheral edge portion inclined at the predetermined angle to the operating direction of the piston and capable of being in sliding contact with the first peripheral edge portion, the second operative face, in conjunction with the first operative face and the peripheral surface of the cylinder chamber, defining a compression chamber capable of communicating with the inlet and outlet ports, and the second peripheral edge portion having a cut face, for controlling the opening and closing of the inlet and outlet ports, which cut face is formed by cutting aslant the lowermost part of the second peripheral edge portion, the inlet port being disposed such that at least the end portion thereof which is located on the rotary member side faces the cut face, and the outlet port being disposed to face the cut face;
• pushing means for pushing the piston toward the rotating member to press the first peripheral edge portion against the second peripheral edge portion, the pushing means having a casing with an accumulation chamber, and the cylinder being disposed in the accumulation chamber and the outlet port opening into the accumulation chamber, so that the gas compressed in the compression chamber and discharged into the accumulation chamber is applied to the upper end face of the piston via the through-hole to push the piston toward the rotating member;
• and
• driving means for rotating the rotating member, whereby the inlet and outlet ports are opened and closed and the piston is reciprocated so that gas is sucked into the compression chamber through the inlet port, compressed, and discharged through the outlet port.