Control valve of variable displacement compressor

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6637228
  • Patent Number
    6,637,228
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, February 19, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 28, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A control valve is used for a variable displacement compressor installed in a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner. The compressor has a control chamber and a control passage, which connects the control chamber to a pressure zone in which the pressure is different from the pressure of the control chamber. The control valve has a valve body, which is accommodated in the valve chamber for adjusting the opening size of the control passage. A pressure sensing member moves in accordance with the pressure difference between two pressure monitoring points located in the refrigerant circuit. The pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the displacement of the compressor is varied to counter changes of the pressure difference. The force applied by an actuator corresponds to a target value of the pressure difference. The pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the pressure difference seeks the target value. An urging member is accommodated in the valve chamber. The urging member urges the valve body in a direction to open the control passage.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a control valve for controlling the displacement of a variable displacement compressor used in a vehicular air conditioner.




A typical refrigerant circuit in a vehicle air conditioner includes a condenser, an expansion valve, which functions as a decompression device, an evaporator and a compressor. The compressor draws refrigerant gas from the evaporator, then, compresses the gas and discharges the compressed gas to the condenser. The evaporator performs heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit and the air in the passenger compartment. The heat of air at the evaporator is transmitted to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator in accordance with the thermal load or the cooling load. Therefore, the pressure of refrigerant gas at the outlet of or the downstream portion of the evaporator represents the cooling load.




Variable displacement compressors are widely used in vehicles. Such compressors include a displacement control mechanism that operates to maintain the pressure at the outlet of the evaporator, or the suction pressure, at a predetermined target level (target suction pressure). The displacement control mechanism feedback controls the displacement of the compressor, or the inclination angle of a swash plate, by referring to the suction pressure such that the flow rate of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit corresponds to the cooling load.




A typical displacement control mechanism includes a displacement control valve, which is called an internally controlled valve. The internally controlled valve detects the suction pressure by means of a pressure sensitive member such as a bellows or a diaphragm. The internally controlled valve moves a valve body by means of displacement of the pressure sensing member to adjust the valve opening degree. Accordingly, the pressure changes in a swash plate chamber (a crank chamber), which changes the inclination of the swash plate.




However, an internally controlled valve that has a simple structure and a single target suction pressure cannot respond to subtle changes in air conditioning demands. Therefore, control valves having a target suction pressure that can be changed by external electric current are also used. A typical electrically controlled control valve includes an electromagnetic actuator, which generates an electrically controlled force. The actuator changes the force acting on the pressure sensing member, thereby changing the target suction pressure.




In a displacement control procedure in which the suction pressure is used as a reference, changing of the target suction pressure by electrical control does not always quickly change the actual suction pressure to the target suction pressure. This is because whether the actual suction pressure quickly seeks a target suction pressure when the target suction pressure is changed greatly depends on the magnitude of the cooling load at the evaporator. Therefore, even if the target suction pressure is finely and continuously controlled by controlling the current to the control valve, changes in the compressor displacement are likely to be too slow or too sudden.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a control valve of a variable displacement compressor that accurately controls the displacement of a compressor and improves the response of displacement control.




To achieve the foregoing and other objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a control valve is provided. The control valve is used for a variable displacement compressor installed in a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner. The compressor has a control chamber and a control passage, which connects the control chamber to a pressure zone in which the pressure is different from the pressure of the control chamber. The displacement of the compressor is varied in accordance with the pressure of the control chamber. The control valve comprises a valve housing, a valve chamber, a valve body, a pressure sensing member, an actuator, and an urging member. The valve chamber is defined in the valve housing to form a part of the control passage. The valve body is accommodated in the valve chamber for adjusting the opening size of the control passage. The pressure sensing member moves in accordance with the pressure difference between two pressure monitoring points located in the refrigerant circuit. The pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the displacement of the compressor is varied to counter changes of the pressure difference. The actuator applies force to the valve body in accordance with external commands. The force applied by the actuator corresponds to a target value of the pressure difference. The pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the pressure difference seeks the target value. The urging member is accommodated in the valve chamber. The urging member urges the valve body in a direction to open the control passage.




Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:





FIG. 1

is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variable displacement swash plate type compressor according to one embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a cross-sectional view illustrating the control valve in the compressor of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional view illustrating a control valve according to a second embodiment;





FIG. 4

is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a control valve according to a third embodiment;





FIG. 5

is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a control valve according to a fourth embodiment;





FIG. 6

is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a control valve according to a fifth embodiment; and





FIG. 7

is a cross-sectional view illustrating a control valve of a comparison example.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




A vehicular air conditioner CV according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




A control chamber, which is a crank chamber


12


in this embodiment, is defined in a housing


11


of the compressor. A drive shaft


13


extends through the crank chamber


12


and is rotatably supported. The drive shaft


13


is connected to and driven by a vehicle engine E through a power transmission mechanism PT. In

FIG. 1

, the left end of the compressor is defined as the front end, and the right end of the compressor is defined as the rear end.




In this embodiment, the power transmission mechanism PT is a clutchless mechanism that includes, for example, a belt and a pulley. The power transmission mechanism PT therefore constantly transmits power from the engine E to the compressor when the engine E is running. Alternatively, the mechanism PT may be a clutch mechanism (for example, an electromagnetic clutch) that selectively transmits power when supplied with a current.




A lug plate


14


is located in the crank chamber


12


and is secured to the drive shaft


13


to rotate integrally with the drive shaft


13


. A drive plate, which is a swash plate


15


in this embodiment, is located in the crank chamber


12


. The swash plate


15


slides along the drive shaft


13


and inclines with respect to the axis of the drive shaft


13


. A hinge mechanism


16


is provided between the lug plate


14


and the swash plate


15


. The hinge mechanism


16


and the lug plate


14


cause the swash plate


15


to rotate integrally with the drive shaft


13


, and to incline with respect to the axis of the drive shaft


13


.




Cylinder bores


11




a


(only one shown) are formed in the housing


11


. A single headed piston


17


is reciprocally accommodated in each cylinder bore


11




a


. Each piston


17


is coupled to the peripheral portion of the swash plate


15


by a pair of shoes


18


. Therefore, when the swash plate


15


rotates with the drive shaft


13


, the shoes


18


convert the rotation of the swash plate


15


into reciprocation of the pistons


17


.




A valve plate assembly


19


is located in the rear portion of the housing


11


. A compression chamber


20


is defined in each cylinder bore


11




a


by the associated piston


17


and the valve plate assembly


19


. A suction chamber


21


, which is part of a suction pressure zone, and a discharge chamber


22


, which is part of a discharge pressure zone, or a high pressure zone, are defined in the rear portion of the housing


11


. The valve plate assembly


19


has suction ports


23


, suction valve flaps


24


, discharge ports


25


and discharge valve flaps


26


. Each set of the suction port


23


, the suction valve flap


24


, the discharge port


25


and the discharge valve flap


26


corresponds to one of the cylinder bores


11




a.






When each piston


17


moves from the top dead center position to the bottom dead center position, refrigerant gas in the suction chamber


21


is drawn into the corresponding cylinder bore


11




a


via the corresponding suction port


23


and suction valve


24


. When each piston


17


moves from the bottom dead center position to the top dead center position, refrigerant gas in the corresponding cylinder bore


11




a


is compressed to a predetermined pressure and is discharged to the discharge chamber


22


via the corresponding discharge port


25


and discharge valve


26


.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, a bleed passage


27


and a supply passage


28


are formed in the housing


11


. The bleed passage


27


connects the crank chamber


12


with the suction chamber


21


.




The supply passage


28


connects the discharge chamber


22


with the crank chamber


12


. The supply passage


28


is regulated by the control valve CV.




The degree of opening of the control valve CV is changed for controlling the relationship between the flow rate of high-pressure gas flowing into the crank chamber


12


through the supply passage


28


and the flow rate of gas flowing out of the crank chamber


12


through the bleed passage


27


. The crank chamber pressure is determined accordingly. In accordance with a change in the pressure in the crank chamber


12


, the difference between the crank chamber pressure and the pressure in each compression chamber


20


is changed, which alters the inclination angle of the swash plate


15


. As a result, the stroke of each piston


17


, that is, the discharge displacement, is controlled.




For example, when the pressure in the crank chamber


12


is lowered, the inclination angle of the swash plate


15


is increased and the compressor displacement is increased accordingly. When the crank chamber pressure is raised, the inclination angle of the swash plate


15


is decreased and the compressor displacement is decreased accordingly.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, the refrigerant circuit of the vehicular air conditioner includes the compressor and an external refrigerant circuit


30


. The external refrigerant circuit


30


includes a condenser


31


, a decompression device, which is an expansion valve


32


in this embodiment, and an evaporator


33


. In this embodiment, carbon dioxide is used as the refrigerant.




A first pressure monitoring point P


1


is located in the discharge chamber


22


. A second pressure monitoring point P


2


is located in the refrigerant passage at a part that is spaced downstream from the first pressure monitoring point P


1


toward the condenser


31


by a predetermined distance. The first pressure monitoring point P


1


is connected to the control valve CV through a first pressure introduction passage


35


. The second pressure monitoring point P


2


is connected to the control valve CV through a second pressure introduction passage


36


(see FIG.


2


).




As shown in

FIG. 2

, the control valve CV has a valve housing


41


. A valve chamber


42


, a communication passage


43


, and a pressure sensing chamber


44


are defined in the valve housing


41


. A transmission rod


45


extends through the valve chamber


42


and the communication passage


43


. The transmission rod


45


moves in the axial direction, or in the vertical direction as viewed in the drawing. The upper portion of the transmission rod


45


is slidably fitted in the communication passage


43


.




The communication passage


43


is disconnected from the pressure sensing chamber


44


by the upper portion of the transmission rod


45


. The valve chamber


42


is connected to the discharge chamber


22


through an upstream section of the supply passage


28


. The communication passage


43


is connected to the crank chamber


12


through a downstream section of the supply passage


28


. The valve chamber


42


and the communication passage


43


form a part of the supply passage


28


.




A cylindrical valve body


46


is formed in the middle portion of the transmission rod


45


and is located in the valve chamber


42


. A step defined between the valve chamber


42


and the communication passage


43


functions as a valve seat


47


.




When the transmission rod


45


is moved from the position of

FIG. 2

, or the lowermost position, to the uppermost position, at which the valve body


46


contacts the valve seat


47


, the communication passage


43


is disconnected from the valve chamber


42


. That is, the valve body


46


controls the opening degree of the supply passage


28


.




An annular groove


46




a


is formed on the outer surface of the valve body


46


in the valve chamber


42


. A first spring seat, which is a snap ring


62


in this embodiment, is fitted to the groove


46




a


. Part of the ceiling of the valve chamber


42


that surrounds the lower opening of the communication passage


43


functions as a spring seat


63


, or a second spring seat. A coil spring


64


is located between the spring seat


63


and the snap ring


62


. The spring


64


urges the valve body


46


in the direction opening the communication passage


43


.




A pressure sensing member, which is a bellows


48


in this embodiment, is located in the pressure sensing chamber


44


. The upper end of the bellows


48


is fixed to the valve housing


41


. The lower end (movable end) of the bellows


48


receives the upper end of the transmission rod


45


. The bellows


48


divides the pressure sensing chamber


44


into a first pressure chamber


49


, which is the interior of the bellows


48


, and a second pressure chamber


50


, which is the exterior of the bellows


48


. The first pressure chamber


49


is connected to the first pressure monitoring point P


1


through a first pressure introduction passage


35


. The second pressure chamber


50


is connected to the second pressure monitoring point P


2


through a second pressure introduction passage


36


. Therefore, the first pressure chamber


49


is exposed to the pressure PdH monitored at the first pressure monitoring point P


1


, and the second pressure chamber


50


is exposed to the pressure PdL monitored at the second pressure monitoring point P


2


. The bellows


48


and the pressure sensing chamber


44


form a pressure sensing mechanism.




A target pressure difference changing means, which is an electromagnetic actuator


51


in this embodiment, is located at the lower portion of the valve housing


41


. The electromagnetic actuator


51


includes a cup-shaped cylinder


52


. The cylinder


52


is located at the axial center of the valve housing


41


. A cylindrical stationary iron core


53


is fitted in the upper opening of the cylinder


52


. The stationary core


53


defines a plunger chamber


54


in the cylinder


52


, and separates the valve chamber


42


from the plunger chamber


54


.




A movable core


56


, which is shaped like an inverted cup, is located in the plunger chamber


54


. The movable iron core


56


slides along the inner wall of the cylinder


52


in the axial direction. An axial guide hole


57


is formed in the center of the stationary iron core


53


. The lower portion of the transmission rod


45


is slidably supported by the guide hole


57


. The lower end of the transmission rod


45


is fixed to the movable iron core


56


. The movable iron core


56


moves integrally with the transmission rod


45


.




The valve chamber


42


is connected to the plunger chamber


54


through a clearance created between the guide hole


57


and the transmission rod


45


(In the drawings, the space is exaggerated for purposes of illustration). The plunger chamber


54


is therefore exposed to the discharge pressure of the valve chamber


42


. Since the space between the transmission rod


45


and the guide hole


57


is used as a passage, there is no need for forming a passage for connecting the valve chamber


42


with the plunger chamber


54


. Although not discussed in detail, exposing the plunger chamber


54


to the pressure in the valve chamber


42


improves the operation characteristics of the control valve CV, or the valve opening degree control characteristics.




A coil


61


is located about the stationary iron core


53


and the movable iron core


56


. The coil


61


is connected to a drive circuit


71


, and the drive circuit


71


is connected to a controller


70


. The controller


70


is connected to an external information detector


72


. The controller


70


receives external information (on-off state of the air conditioner, the temperature of the passenger compartment, and a target temperature) from the detector


72


. Based on the received information, the controller


70


commands the drive circuit


71


to supply a drive signal to the coil


61


.




The coil


61


generates an electromagnetic force, the magnitude of which depends on the value of the externally supplied electric current, between the movable iron core


56


and the stationary iron core


53


. The value of the current supplied to the coil


61


is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the coil


61


. The applied voltage is controlled by pulse-width modulation (PWM).




(Operation Characteristics of Control Valve)




The position of the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


), or the valve opening of the control valve CV, is controlled in the following manner.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, when the coil


61


is supplied with no electric current (duty ratio=0%), the position of the transmission rod


45


is dominantly determined by the downward force of the bellows


48


and the downward force of the spring


64


. Thus, the transmission rod


45


is placed at its lowermost position, and the communication passage


43


is fully opened. The difference between the pressure in the crank chamber


12


and the pressure in the compression chambers


20


thus becomes great. As a result, the inclination angle of the swash plate is minimized, and the discharge displacement of the compressor is also minimized.




When a current of a minimum duty ratio, which is greater than 0%, is supplied to the coil


61


of the control valve CV, the upward electromagnetic force surpasses the resultant of the downward forces of the bellows


48


and the spring


64


, which moves the transmission rod


45


upward. In this state, the upward electromagnetic force acts against the resultant of the force based on the pressure difference ΔPd (ΔPd=PdH−PdL) and the downward forces of the bellows


48


and the spring


64


. The position of the valve body


46


of the transmission rod


45


relative to the valve seat


47


is determined such that upward and downward forces are balanced.




For example, if the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is decreased due to a decrease in speed of the engine E, the downward force based on the pressure difference ΔPd decreases, and the electromagnetic force cannot balance the forces acting on the transmission rod


45


. Therefore, the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


) moves upward. This decreases the opening degree of the communication passage


43


and thus lowers the pressure in the crank chamber


12


. Accordingly, the inclination angle of the swash plate


15


is increased, and the displacement of the compressor is increased. The increase in the displacement of the compressor increases the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, which increases the pressure difference ΔPd.




In contrast, when the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is increased due to an increase in the speed of the engine E, the downward force based on the pressure difference ΔPd increases and the current electromagnetic force cannot balance the forces acting on the transmission rod


45


. Therefore, the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


) moves downward and increases the opening degree of the communication passage


43


. This increases the pressure in the crank chamber


12


. Accordingly, the inclination angle of the swash plate


15


is decreased, and the displacement of the compressor is also decreased. The decrease in the displacement of the compressor decreases the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, which decreases the pressure difference ΔPd.




When the duty ratio of the electric current supplied to the coil


61


is increased to increase the electromagnetic force, the pressure difference ΔPd cannot balance the forces acting on the transmission rod


45


. Therefore, the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


) moves upward and decreases the opening degree of the communication passage


43


. As a result, the displacement of the compressor is increased. Accordingly, the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is increased and the pressure difference ΔPd is increased.




When the duty ratio of the electric current supplied to the coil


61


is decreased and the electromagnetic force is decreased accordingly, the pressure difference ΔPd cannot balance the forces acting on the transmission rod


45


.




Therefore, the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


) moves downward, which increases the opening degree of the communication passage


43


. Accordingly, the compressor displacement is decreased. As a result, the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is decreased, and the pressure difference ΔPd is decreased.




As described above, the target value of the pressure difference ΔPd is determined by the duty ratio of current supplied to the coil


61


. The control valve CV automatically determines the position of the transmission rod


45


(the valve body


46


) according to changes of the pressure difference ΔPd to maintain the target value of the pressure difference ΔPd. The target value of the pressure difference ΔPd is externally controlled by adjusting the duty ratio of current supplied to the coil


61


.




The above illustrated embodiment has the following advantages.




(1) The suction pressure, which is influenced by the thermal load in the evaporator


33


, is not directly referred to for controlling the opening of the control valve CV. Instead, the pressure difference ΔPd between the pressure monitoring points P


1


and P


2


in the refrigerant circuit is directly controlled for feedback controlling the displacement of the compressor. Therefore, the displacement is scarcely influenced by the thermal load of the evaporator


33


. In other words, the displacement is quickly and accurately controlled by external control of the controller


70


.




(2)

FIG. 7

illustrates a control valve CVH of a comparison example. A major difference of the control valve CVH of the comparison example from the control valve CV of the above embodiment is that the spring


64


is located in the plunger chamber


54


and the spring


64


urges the valve body


46


in the opening direction through the movable iron core


56


. Therefore, the movable iron core


56


is cup shaped so that the spring


64


can be accommodated in the plunger chamber


54


. That is, the space for accommodating the spring


64


opens to the stationary iron core


53


. Thus, the movable iron core


56


has a large space, or recess, at a part facing the stationary iron core


53


for accommodating the spring


64


. This narrows the magnetic path between the stationary iron core


53


and the movable iron core


56


, which weakens the electromagnetic force generated by the electromagnetic actuator


51


.




However, in control valve CV of the above embodiment, the spring


64


is located in the valve chamber


42


. In other words, the movable iron core


56


does not have to receive the spring


64


directly. This structure adds to the flexibility of the design of the movable iron core


56


. Thus, the movable iron core


56


is shaped like an inverted cup. That is, the area of part of the movable iron core


56


that faces the stationary core


53


is large. This widens the magnetic path between the movable iron core


56


and the stationary iron core


53


. Therefore, given the same current to the coil


61


, the control valve CV generates a greater electromagnetic force at the electromagnetic actuator


51


than that of the control valve CVH. In other words, the control valve CV requires a low current for controlling the target pressure difference.




It is possible to replace the function of the spring


64


by the bellows


48


. In this case, however, the operation characteristics of the bellows


48


, or the expansion and contraction property according to changes in the pressure difference ΔPd, cannot be optimally set. Therefore, replacing the function of the spring


64


by the bellows


48


is not preferable.




(3) The snap ring


62


, which functions as a spring seat, is independent from the valve body


46


. The spring seat may be integrally formed with the valve body


46


without departing from the concept of the present invention. However, the above embodiment, in which the snap ring


62


is a separate member, the valve body


46


has a simple cylindrical shape and is thus easy to manufacture.




(4) The spring seat is formed with the snap ring


62


. The snap ring


62


is easily attached to the valve body


46


.




(5) The upper end of the transmission rod


45


is slidably supported by the communication passage


43


. The movable iron core


56


is fixed to the lower end of the transmission rod


45


. Therefore, the lower end of the transmission rod


45


is slidably supported by the inner wall of the cylinder


52


through the movable iron core


56


. A space is created between the guide hole


57


and the transmission rod


45


.




The integrated member having the transmission rod


45


and the movable iron core


56


is supported at two locations, that is, at the upper end and the lower end. Therefore, compared to a case where the middle portion of the transmission rod


45


is slidably supported by the guide hole


57


, the integrated member is stably supported. The structure also prevents the integrated member from being inclined and thus reduces the friction acting on the transmission rod


45


. As a result, hysteresis is prevented in the control valve CV.




A control valve CV according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.


3


. The description of the second embodiment will focus on the differences from the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

, and the same reference numbers are used to refer to parts that are similar to those in the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




In the control valve CV shown in

FIG. 3

, the valve chamber


42


is connected to the crank chamber


12


through the downstream section of the supply passage


28


and is connected to the discharge chamber


22


through the upstream section of the supply passage


28


. This structure reduces the pressure difference between the second pressure chamber


50


and the communication passage


43


, which are adjacent to each other. Accordingly, refrigerant is prevented from leaking between the communication passage


43


and the second pressure chamber


50


and thus permits the compressor displacement to be accurately controlled.




In the embodiment of

FIG. 3

, the discharge pressure, which is introduced into the communication passage


43


, acts on the valve body


46


against the electromagnetic force of the electromagnetic actuator


51


. Therefore, when the valve body


46


fully closes the communication passage


43


, the electromagnetic force of the actuator


51


must be stronger than the embodiment of FIG.


2


. However, unlike the control valve CVH of the comparison example in

FIG. 7

, the spring


64


is located in the valve chamber


42


. That is, the movable iron core


56


need not receive the spring


64


directly. Thus, the movable iron core


56


is shaped like an inverted cup, which widens the magnetic path between the movable iron core


56


and the stationary iron core


53


. That is, as mentioned in the advantage (


2


) of the embodiment shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the structure of

FIG. 3

adds to the flexibility of the design of the movable iron core


56


compared to the control valve CVH shown in FIG.


7


. In other words, the magnetic path between the movable iron core


56


and the stationary iron core


53


is increased. Hence, the application of the present invention to the control valve CV of

FIG. 3

is particularly advantageous.




A control valve CV according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.


4


. The description of the third embodiment will focus on the differences from the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

, and the same reference numbers are used to refer to parts that are similar to those in the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




In the third embodiment, a small diameter portion


65


is formed in the valve chamber


42


about the spring seat


63


as shown in FIG.


4


. The diameter of the small diameter portion


65


is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the spring


64


so that the upper end of the spring


64


is held by the small diameter portion


65


. This structure prevents the spring


64


from being displaced in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the valve housing


41


. In other words, the spring


64


is prevented from coming off the snap ring


62


and the spring seat


63


. Particularly, preventing the spring


64


from coming off the spring seat


63


is advantageous for permitting refrigerant to smoothly flow between the communication passage


43


and the valve chamber


42


. The structure of

FIG. 4

is therefore permits the compressor displacement to be accurately controlled.




A control valve CV according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.


5


. The description of the fourth embodiment will focus on the differences from the embodiment of

FIG. 4

, and the same reference numbers are used to refer to parts that are similar to those in the embodiment of FIG.


4


.




In the fourth embodiment, the small diameter portion


65


is tapered such that the diameter is reduced toward the spring seat


63


. When assembling the spring


64


with the valve housing


41


, the tapered structure guides the spring


64


to the valve seat, which facilitates the assembly.




A control valve CV according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.


6


. The description of the fourth embodiment will focus on the differences from the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

, and the same reference numbers are used to refer to parts that are similar to those in the embodiment of

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




In the embodiment of

FIG. 6

, the spring


64


is a conical spring, diameter of which increases toward the spring seat


63


. This structure stabilizes the spring


64


without complicating the shape of the valve chamber


42


like the small diameter portion


65


shown in FIG.


5


. The embodiment of

FIG. 6

has the same advantages as the embodiment of FIG.


4


.




It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Particularly, it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in the following forms.




The first pressure monitoring point P


1


may be located in the suction pressure zone between the evaporator


33


and the suction chamber


21


, and the second pressure monitoring point P


2


may be located at a part downstream of the first pressure monitoring point P


1


in the suction pressure zone.




The first pressure monitoring point P


1


may be located in the discharge pressure zone between the discharge chamber


22


and the condenser


31


, and the second pressure monitoring point P


2


may be located in the suction pressure zone, which includes the evaporator


33


and the suction chamber


21


.




The first pressure monitoring point P


1


may be located in the discharge pressure zone between the discharge chamber


22


and the condenser


31


, and the second pressure monitoring point P


2


may be located in the crank chamber


12


. Alternatively, the second pressure monitoring point P


2


may be located in the crank chamber


12


, and the first pressure monitoring point P


1


may be located in the suction pressure zone, which includes the evaporator


33


and the suction chamber


21


. Unlike the embodiments of

FIGS. 1

to


6


, the locations of the pressure monitoring points P


1


and P


2


are not limited to the main circuit of the refrigerant circuit, which includes the evaporator


33


, the suction chamber


21


, the compression chambers


20


, the discharge chamber


22


, and the condenser


31


. For example, the pressure monitoring points PI, P


2


may be located in an intermediate pressure zone, or the crank chamber


12


, in a sub-circuit of the refrigerant circuit, which includes the supply passage


28


, the crank chamber


12


, and the bleed passage


27


.




The control valve CV may be used as a bleed control valve for controlling the pressure in the crank chamber


12


by controlling the opening of the bleed passage


27


.




The present invention may be embodied in a control valve of a wobble type variable displacement compressor.




Therefore, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A control valve used for a variable displacement compressor installed in a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner, wherein the compressor has a control chamber and a control passage, which connects the control chamber to a pressure zone in which the pressure is different from the pressure of the control chamber, wherein the displacement of the compressor is varied in accordance with the pressure of the control chamber, the control valve comprising:a valve housing; a valve chamber defined in the valve housing to form a part of the control passage; a valve body, which is accommodated in the valve chamber for adjusting the opening size of the control passage; a pressure sensing member, which moves in accordance with the pressure difference between two pressure monitoring points located in the refrigerant circuit, wherein the pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the displacement of the compressor is varied to counter changes of the pressure difference; a transmission rod for moving the valve body; an actuator for applying force to the valve body via the transmission rod in accordance with external commands, wherein the force applied by the actuator corresponds to a target value of the pressure difference, wherein the pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the pressure difference seeks the target value, wherein the actuator has a movable iron core, which is shaped like an inverted cup, and a stationary core, wherein the stationary core is located between the valve body and the movable core, wherein the movable iron core has a lid portion, wherein the lid portion faces to the stationary core; and an urging member accommodated in the valve chamber, wherein the urging member urges the valve body in a direction to open the control passage.
  • 2. The control valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has a spring seat to receive an end of the urging member.
  • 3. The control valve according to claim 2, wherein the spring seat is independent from the valve body.
  • 4. The control valve according to claim 3, wherein the spring seat is a snap ring.
  • 5. The control valve according to claim 3, wherein the spring seat is a first spring seat, wherein a part of the valve housing that defines the valve chamber forms a second spring seat, which receives the other end of the urging member.
  • 6. The control valve according to claim 5, wherein the valve chamber has a small diameter portion around the second spring seat.
  • 7. The control valve according to claim 6, wherein the small diameter portion is tapered such that the diameter is reduced toward the second spring seat.
  • 8. The control valve according to claim 5, wherein the urging member is a coil spring, and wherein the diameter of the coil spring increases toward the second spring seat.
  • 9. The control valve according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant circuit has a high pressure zone, which is exposed to the pressure of refrigerant that is compressed, wherein the control passage is a supply passage, which connects the control chamber to the high pressure zone, and wherein the valve chamber is connected to the high pressure zone via an upstream section of the supply passage.
  • 10. The control valve according to claim 9, wherein the two pressure monitoring points are located in the high pressure zone, and wherein one of the pressure monitoring points is downstream of the other pressure monitoring point.
  • 11. The control valve according to claim 1, wherein the actuator applies electromagnetic force generated in accordance with the external commands to the valve body via the movable iron core and the transmission rod.
  • 12. The control valve according to claim 11, wherein the actuator has a plunger chamber, which accommodates the movable iron core, wherein the transmission rod extends through the stationary core, and wherein the valve chamber is connected to the plunger chamber via a clearance created between the transmission rod and the stationary core.
  • 13. The control valve according to claim 12, wherein the actuator generates electromagnetic force between the stationary core and the movable iron core to close the control passage in accordance with an externally supplied electric current.
  • 14. The control valve according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is used in a vehicle, wherein the compressor is connected to an engine of the vehicle via a clutchless type power transmission mechanism.
  • 15. A control valve used for a variable displacement compressor installed in a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner, wherein the compressor has a control chamber and a control passage, which connects the control chamber to a pressure zone in which the pressure is different from the pressure of the control chamber, wherein the displacement of the compressor is varied in accordance with the pressure of the control chamber, the control valve comprising:a valve housing; a valve chamber defined in the valve housing to form a part of the control passage; a transmission rod for moving along the axis direction of the valve housing, wherein the transmission rod has a valve body, which is accommodated in the valve chamber for adjusting the opening size of the control passage; a pressure sensing member, which moves in accordance with the pressure difference between two pressure monitoring points located in the refrigerant circuit, wherein the pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the displacement of the compressor is varied to counter changes of the pressure difference; an actuator for applying force to the transmission rod in accordance with external commands, wherein the actuator has a movable iron core, which is shaped like an inverted cup, and a stationary core, wherein the stationary core is located between the valve body and the movable core, wherein the movable iron core has a lid portion, wherein the lid portion faces to the stationary core, wherein the force applied by the actuator corresponds to a target value of the pressure difference, wherein the pressure sensing member moves the valve body such that the pressure difference seeks the target value; an urging member accommodated in the valve chamber, wherein the urging member urges the valve body in a direction to open the control passage; and a spring seat located on the transmission rod to hold an end of the urging member.
  • 16. The control valve according to claim 15, wherein the spring seat is independent from the valve body.
  • 17. The control valve according to claim 15, wherein the spring seat is a snap ring.
  • 18. The control valve according to claim 15, wherein the spring seat is a first spring seat, wherein a part of the valve housing that defines the valve chamber forms a second spring seat, which receives the other end of the urging member.
  • 19. The control valve according to claim 18, wherein the valve chamber has a small diameter portion around the second spring seat.
  • 20. The control valve according to claim 19, wherein the small diameter portion is tapered such that the diameter is reduced toward the second spring seat.
  • 21. The control valve according to claim 18, wherein the urging member is a coil spring, wherein the diameter of the coil spring increases toward the second spring seat.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2001-043595 Feb 2001 JP
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number Name Date Kind
6126406 Kawaguchi et al. Oct 2000 A
6311950 Kappel et al. Nov 2001 B1
6434956 Ota et al. Aug 2002 B1
20010027658 Ota et al. Oct 2001 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
11-201054 Jul 1999 JP
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/632,964, filed Aug. 4, 2000.