US 5,385,450 AGranted

Reciprocating-piston type refrigerant compressor with an improved rotary-type suction-valve mechanism

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

InventorsKazuya Kimura, Shigeyuki Hidaka, Hideki Mizutani, Toru Takeichi

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Abstract

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a cylinder block having formed therein a plurality of cylinder bores in which a plurality of pistons are reciprocated to effect suction, compression and discharge of refrigerant gas in response to rotation of a drive shaft, a rotary valve element connected to the drive shaft to be rotated together with the drive shaft within a recessed chamber formed in the cylinder block, the valve element having an outer circumference in sliding contact with the inner wall of the recessed chamber and a suction passageway for sequentially introducing the refrigerant gas before compression into the plurality of cylinder bores during the rotation of the rotary valve element. A sealing mechanism is provided between opposite ends of the outer circumference of the rotary valve element and the inner wall of the recessed chamber to prevent the compressed refrigerant gas from leaking from the contact area of the rotary valve element and the inner wall of the recessed chamber toward a low pressure region of the compressor during rotation of the rotary valve element.

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a body including a cylinder block having a central bore extending axially about a central axis, a plurality of axial cylinder bores formed in the cylinder block of the body and arranged around the central axis of the cylinder block, a crank chamber formed in the body as an independent chamber separate from the cylinder bores of the cylinder block, an axial drive shaft extending through the crank chamber and rotatably supported in the body, the axial drive shaft having one end disposed in the central bore of the cylinder block, at least one suction-gas-receipt chamber formed in the body for receiving refrigerant gas before compression, and a plurality of reciprocating pistons axially slidably received in the plurality of cylinder bores and reciprocated by a piston drive mechanism arranged in the crank chamber so as to be driven by the drive shaft, comprising:

a rotary valve means connected to one end of the drive shaft so as to rotate together with said drive shaft, the rotary valve means having a generally cylindrical outer circumference extending between opposite axial ends thereof, and a suction passageway for permitting the refrigerant gas before compression to be pumped from the suction-gas-receipt chamber into respective said cylinder bores in a timed relationship with the reciprocation of said reciprocating pistons during rotation of said rotary valve means;
means for defining a recessed chamber in the central bore of the cylinder block for rotatably receiving said rotary valve means, the recessed chamber being surrounded by an inner wall area being in sealing contact with the cylindrical outer circumference of the rotary valve means;
and
a sealing means for providing a gas-tight sealing between the outer circumference of said rotary valve means and said inner wall area of said recessed chamber at predetermined respective positions adjacent to both of said opposite ends of said rotary valve means.

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Abstract

Claims10