US 5,419,685 AGranted

Reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor with a rotary-type suction-valve mechanism

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

InventorsToshiro Fujii, Hiromi Kitayama, Koichi Ito, Kazuya Kimura, Hiroaki Kayukawa

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Abstract

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor having a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinder bores in which a plurality of pistons reciprocate to effect suction, compression and discharge of refrigerant gas in response to rotation of a drive shaft, a gas receiving chamber for receiving the refrigerant gas before compression, a gas discharge chamber for receiving the compressed refrigerant gas, and at least one rotary valve element mounted on the drive shaft to be rotatable with the drive shaft and having a suction passageway for providing a fluid communication between the gas receipt chamber and each of a compression chambers formed in the plurality of cylinder bores so that the refrigerant gas before compression is sequentially drawn into the compression chambers during the rotation of the rotary valve element.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a body including a cylinder block, an axial drive shaft rotatably supported in the body, at least one gas receiving chamber formed in the body for receiving refrigerant gas before compression, at least one gas discharge chamber formed in the body for receiving compressed refrigerant gas, a plurality of axial cylinder bores formed in the cylinder block of the body and arranged around an axis of rotation of the drive shaft, and a plurality of reciprocating-pistons axially slidably received in the plurality of cylinder bores and reciprocated in response to the rotation of the drive shaft, the reciprocating-pistons defining compression chambers in the plurality of cylinder bores, comprising:

a rotary valve means arranged to be rotatable with said drive shaft and having a suction pasageway for permitting suction of the refrigerant gas before compression from the gas receiving chamber into respective said compression chambers 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 body for rotatably receiving said rotary valve means, the recessed chamber being surrounded by an inner wall inclined relative to, and circumferentially extending around, the axis of rotation of said drive shaft;
said rotary valve means being provided with an outer circumferential wall inclined relative to the axis of rotation of said drive shaft so as to form two axially opposite small and large diameter end portions thereof, said outer circumferential wall being slidably fit in the inner wall of said recessed chamber;
and
means for providing a generally axial force on said rotary valve means thereby urging said rotary valve means in said recessed chamber in a direction such that said outer circumferential wall of said rotary valve means is in sealing contact with said inner wall of said recessed chamber.

2 more elements

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a body including a cylinder block having a plurality of axial cylinder bores formed therein so as to be arranged around an axis of rotation of a drive shaft rotatably supported in the body, a swash plate mounted on the drive shaft to be rotated together with the drive shaft, a plurality of double-headed reciprocating-pistons axially slidably received in the plurality of cylinder bores and reciprocating in response to the rotation of the swash plate, the double-headed pistons defining a pair of compression chambers in each of the plurality of cylinder bores, a gas receiving chamber formed in the body for receiving refrigerant gas before compression, axially spaced discharge chambers formed in said body, respectively, for receiving compressed refrigerant gas, comprising:

rotary valve elements mounted on axially spaced positions of said axial drive shaft to be rotatable with said drive shaft, each rotary valve element having a suction passageway for permitting suction of the refrigerant gas before compression from said gas receiving chamber into one of said pair of compression chambers of said plurality of cylinder bores in a timed relationship with the reciprocation of said reciprocating double-headed pistons during rotation of said rotary valve element;
means for defining recessed chambers in the body for rotatably receiving said rotary valve elements, each recessed chamber being surrounded by an inner wall inclined relative to, and circumferentially extending around, the axis of rotation of said drive shaft;
each of said rotary valve elements being provided with an outer circumferential wall inclined relative to the axis of rotation of said drive shaft so as to form two axially opposite small and large diameter end portions thereof, said outer circumferential wall being slidably fit in the inner wall of one of said recessed chambers;
and
means for applying pressure of said refrigerant gas before compression to said small diameter end portion of each of said rotary valve elements and for applying pressure of said compressed refrigerant gas to said large diameter end portion of each of said rotary valve elements to thereby move said rotary valve element in each of said recessed chambers in a direction such that said outer circumferential wall of said rotary valve element is in sealing contact with said inner wall of said recessed chamber.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.