Tiltable swash plate type compressor

A variable-capacity swash plate type compressor comprising:

• a housing having a crank chamber, a suction chamber, a discharge chamber, and cylinder bores, the cylinder bores being interconnected to the crank chamber, the suction chamber and the discharge chamber;
• pistons arranged in the respective cylinder bores;
• a drive shaft rotatably arranged in the housing and having an axis, the drive shaft being adapted to rotate in a predetermined direction;
• a swash plate arranged in the crank chamber and rotatably and tiltably mounted to the drive shaft, the swash plate having a top dead center position;
• means arranged between the swash plate and the pistons for converting the rotational movement of the swash plate into the reciprocal movement of the pistons;
• a rotor arranged in the crank chamber and supported by the drive shaft for synchronous rotation therewith;
• a hinge mechanism arranged between the rotor and the swash plate for controlling the tilting angle of the swash plate to change a capacity of said compressor;
• said hinge mechanism comprising:
• a pair of support arms extending from the rotor toward the swash plate on the either side of the top dead center position, each of the support arms having a hole extending parallel to a plane passing through the axis of the drive shaft and the top dead center position and in a direction from an outer position to an inner position relative to the axis of the drive shaft;
• a pair of guide pins having respective one ends fixed to the swash plate on either side of the top dead center position and other ends having balls secured thereby, each of the balls being fitted in each of the holes of the support arms;
• and
• a gap between one hole and the associated ball, measured at least in the rotational direction of the drive shaft, is substantially zero and smaller than a gap between the other hole and the associated ball, measured in the same direction.