Vane-type compressor with at least one suction hole

A vane-type compressor comprising:

• a cylinder having opposite ends, and at least one notch portion formed at an opening edge of one end thereof;
• a rotor rotatably received within said cylinder and having a plurality of vane grooves formed substantially in the radial direction thereof;
• a pair of side blocks arranged to close respective opposite ends of said cylinder, each of said side blocks having an end face facing said rotor;
• a plurality of vane slidably fitted in said vanes grooves of said rotor, said vanes each having side faces which are slidable in a vane sliding zone on each of said end faces of said side blocks, and said vanes cooperating with said cylinder and said rotor to define at least one compression chamber;
• a head fixed to one of said side blocks to define a suction chamber therebetween;
• and
• at least one suction hole formed through one of said side blocks, said at least one suction hole being always in communication with said at least one notch portion and said suction chamber, so that a refrigerant in said suction chamber is sucked into said compression chamber through said at least one suction hole and said at least one notch portion;
• wherein said at least one suction hole is located within said vane sliding zone on said end face of one of said side blocks;
• and
• said at least one suction hole having an outer peripheral edge which is spaced from an outer peripheral edge of said vane sliding zone toward the center of said cylinder by a predetermined distance to form a vane tip guide portion between the outer peripheral edge of said at least one suction hole and the outer peripheral edge of said vane sliding zone.

A suction port for a vane-type compressor comprising:

• a cylinder having opposite end faces;
• two side blocks, each side block being fixed to a respective end face of said cylinder;
• a rotor rotatably mounted in said cylinder;
• a plurality of vanes slidably inserted in a plurality of vane grooves formed substantially in the radial direction of said rotor;
• and
• a suction hole extending along an inner peripheral edge portion of said cylinder, said suction hole being disposed on at least one of said side blocks;
• said suction hole being arranged within a vane sliding zone on a rotor-side end face of said one of side blocks;
• said suction hole having an outer peripheral edge which is spaced from an outer peripheral edge of said vane sliding zone on the rotor-side end face thereof toward the center of said cylinder by a predetermined distance, to thereby form a vane tip guide portion between the outer peripheral edge of said suction hole and the outer peripheral edge of said vane sliding zone;
• a notch portion formed at an opening edge portion of said cylinder;
• and
• an auxiliary suction hole arranged outside of said vane sliding zone on the rotor-side end face of said one of said side blocks.