Patent Application
20080199328
The present invention relates to a suction throttle valve of a variable displacement compressor for use, for example, in an automotive air conditioning system and, more particularly, to a suction throttle valve of a variable displacement compressor for reducing the vibration and noise development that are due to pulsation of the suction refrigerant gas.
There is generally known a variable displacement compressor which is designed for use in an automotive air conditioning system and the like and capable of variably controlling its displacement. Such variable displacement compressor will be referred to merely as a “compressor” hereinafter. The compressor often generates noise which is due to pulsation of the suction refrigerant gas produced when the compressor is operating with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. For reducing the development of such noise, some compressors use a suction throttle valve which is provided in the suction passage between the inlet and the suction chamber for changing the opening area of the suction passage in accordance with the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-136776 discloses a compressor having this type of suction throttle valve. In the compressor of this reference, a gas passage is formed between the inlet and the suction chamber, and a valve working chamber is formed between the gas passage and the inlet. An opening control valve is vertically movably arranged in the valve working chamber. The opening control valve is urged upward by a spring accommodated in a valve chamber which is formed in the valve working chamber. The opening control valve is moved upward or downward thereby to control the opening area of the gas passage in accordance with flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas drawn into the suction chamber through the inlet. The valve chamber communicates with the suction chamber through a communication passage. The opening control valve has a hole formed therethrough.
When the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas is high, the pressure difference between the inlet and the suction chamber is increased. Thus, the opening control valve of the compressor according to the above reference is adapted to move downward against the urging force of the spring, thereby enlarging the opening area of the gas passage. Meanwhile, when the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas is low, the pressure difference between the inlet and the suction chamber becomes small. Thus, the opening control valve of the compressor is adapted to move upward by the urging force of the spring, thereby reducing the opening area of the gas passage. This throttling effect of the opening control valve helps to reduce the noise caused by the pulsation of the suction refrigerant gas when the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas is low.
The valve chamber accommodating therein the spring has a damping mechanism which is operable to urge the opening control valve upward. The damper effect acting on the opening control valve varies in accordance with the gas-tightness of the valve chamber. That is, the damper effect is enhanced with an increase of the gas-tightness of the valve chamber, but reduced with a decrease of the gas-tightness. The valve chamber communicates with the suction chamber through the communication passage which has a substantially constant diameter and communicates with the inlet through the hole formed in the opening control valve. Thus, the gas-tightness of the valve chamber is not sufficiently high and, therefore, the damper effect acting on the opening control valve is not sufficiently high, with the result that the damper effect is constant regardless of the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas.
The damper effect prevents the opening control valve from moving when the compressor is operating with a high flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas, so that sufficient opening area of the suction passage may not be accomplished. The damper effect against the pulsation of the suction refrigerant gas may not be obtained sufficiently during compressor operation with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Therefore, the spring constant needs to be set relatively large for increasing the throttle effect during compressor operation with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. However, if the spring constant is set too large, the required opening area is not obtained because the suction passage is throttled too much during operation with a high flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Thus, the compressor of the above-cited Publication is unable to fulfill simultaneously the above requirements. That is, there are requirements which are to enhance the effect of throttling the suction passage during compressor operation with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas and to ensure sufficient opening area of the suction passage during operation with a high flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Therefore, the opening control valve of the above compressor is not movable smoothly in response to the variation of the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Consequently, it is difficult for the opening control valve to maintain the performance of the compressor according to the variable operating condition of the compressor.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a suction throttle valve of a variable displacement compressor having a compressor housing includes a suction chamber, a crank chamber, an inlet, a suction passage, a valve body, a valve housing, an urging member, a valve chamber, and a communication hole. Suction refrigerant gas is drawn into the compressor through the inlet. The suction passage connects the inlet to the suction chamber. The valve body for adjusting an opening area of the suction passage, the valve body being movably arranged in the suction passage. The valve housing accommodates the valve body. The urging member urges the valve body in the direction that decreases the opening area of the suction passage. The valve chamber is formed in the valve housing on opposite side of the valve body with respect to the suction passage. The communication hole connects the suction chamber to the valve chamber. An opening area of the communication hole is variable in accordance with the movement of the valve body. Accordingly, the opening area of the communication hole becomes maximum during the maximum displacement operation of the compressor and the opening area of the communication hole becomes reduced during the intermediate displacement operation of the compressor.
According to the present invention, a communication passage is provided for connecting the valve chamber to the suction chamber of a compressor and the opening area of the communication passage is variable according to the movement of the valve body, thereby to effectively obtain the damper effect. Thus, the vibration and noise development caused by the suction pulsation in the compressor may be reduced during the operation with low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Additionally, the performance of the compressor may be maintained over the entire displacement range or over the entire range of flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas.
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.
The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. 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:
The following will describe a swash plate type variable displacement compressor (hereinafter merely referred to as “compressor”) according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to
A drive shaft 15 extends through the crank chamber 14 in the vicinity thereof and is rotatably supported by the cylinder block 11 and the front housing 12. The front end of the drive shaft 15 extends out of the front housing 12 and is connected to a mechanism (not shown) which receives a power from a drive source such as an engine or a motor of a vehicle (not shown). A lug plate 16 is fixed on the drive shaft 15 in the crank chamber 14 and a swash plate 17 is mounted on the drive shaft 15 in engagement with the lug plate 16.
The swash plate 17 has at the center thereof a hole 18 through which the drive shaft 15 is inserted. The swash plate 17 has guide pins 19 which are slidably received in guide holes 20 formed in the lug plate 16, so that the swash plate 17 is connected to the lug plate 16 for rotation integrally with the drive shaft 15. Sliding motion of the guide pins 19 in the guide holes 20 allows the swash plate 17 to slide in the axial direction of the drive shaft 15 and also to be inclined relative to the drive shaft 15. A thrust bearing 21 is provided between the lug plate 16 and the front inner wall of the front housing 12, thus the lug plate 16 is rotatable relative to the front housing 12 through the thrust bearing 21.
A coil spring 22 is disposed on a part of the drive shaft 15 between the lug plate 16 and the swash plate 17, urging the swash plate 17 rearward or in the direction that decreases the inclination of the swash plate 17. It is noted that the inclination of the swash plate 17 means an angle made by a plane perpendicular to the drive shaft 15 and the plane of the swash plate 17.
The swash plate 17 has a regulating portion 17a projecting from the front thereof for regulating the maximum inclination angle of the swash plate 17 by contact with the lug plate 16 as shown by a chain double-dashed line in
The cylinder block 11 has a plurality of cylinder bores 25 formed therein. The cylinder bores 25 are arranged around the drive shaft 15 and receive therein a single-headed piston 26 for reciprocation, respectively. Each single-headed piston 26 is engaged at the front thereof with the outer peripheral portion of the swash plate 17 through a pair of shoes 27. As the swash plate 17 is driven to rotate by the drive shaft 15, each piston 26 is moved reciprocally in its associated cylinder bore 25 by way of the shoe 27.
As shown in
The compressor 10 has a displacement control valve 32 which is disposed in the rear housing 13 for changing the inclination angle of the swash plate 17 thereby to adjust the stroke of the pistons 26 and hence to control the displacement of the compressor 10. The displacement control valve 32 is arranged in a supply passage 33 which interconnects the crank chamber 14 and the discharge chamber 30 for fluid communication therebetween. A bleed passage 34 is formed in the cylinder block 11 for fluid communication between the crank chamber 14 and the suction chamber 29.
An inlet 35 is formed in the rear housing 13 so as to open in the rear housing 13 and communicates with the suction chamber 29 through a suction passage 36. The inlet 35 is connected to an external refrigerant circuit (not shown). A suction throttle valve 37 is disposed in the suction passage 36 for adjusting the opening area of the suction passage 36. As shown in
The upper housing 39 has the inner diameter that is larger than the inner diameter of the lower housing 40. The upper housing 39 has a circumferential wall and a communication port 41 is formed therethrough. The communication port 41 is opened to the suction passage 36 adjacent to the suction chamber 29. The outer peripheral surface of the valve housing 38 is formed so as to correspond to the inner wall face of the suction passage 36 adjacent to the inlet 35. The communication port 41 in the upper housing 39 faces the suction passage 36 adjacent to the suction chamber 29. The upper housing 39 has a valve working chamber 42 formed therein. The valve working chamber 42 accommodates therein a cylindrical first valve body 43 for adjusting the opening area of the suction passage 36. The first valve body 43 has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the upper housing 39 and is vertically movably arranged in the valve working chamber 42 of the upper housing 39. The first valve body 43 is moved to its lowermost position in the valve working chamber 42 when the flow rate is the maximum and is moved to the uppermost position in the valve working chamber 42 when the flow rate is the minimum, respectively. The first valve body 43 includes a disc-shaped first valve main portion 43a facing the inlet 35 and an annular first side wall 43b which seals the entire communication port 41 and extends upward from the outer peripheral portion of the first valve main portion 43a when the first valve body 43 is located at the uppermost position in the valve working chamber 42.
A cylindrical cap 44 whose outer diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the upper housing 39 is fixedly inserted in the top open end of the upper housing 39. The top end of the cylindrical cap 44 is flanged and engaged with the top open end of the upper housing 39. The lower end portion of the cylindrical cap 44 is fixedly inserted in the upper housing 39 so as to determines the uppermost position of the first valve body 43. An annular projection 45 is formed between the upper housing 39 and the lower housing 40 so as to extend radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the valve housing 38 for determining the lowermost position of the first valve body 43.
The lower housing 40 has a valve working chamber 46 formed therein for accommodating a cylindrical second valve body 47. The second valve body 47 has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the lower housing 40 and is vertically movably arranged in the valve working chamber 46 of the lower housing 40. The valve working chamber 42 communicates with the valve working chamber 46 through a hole in the bottom of the upper housing 39. The second valve body 47 includes a disk-shaped second valve main portion 47a and an annular second side wall 47b which extends upward from the outer peripheral portion of the second valve main portion 47a.
A valve chamber 48 is formed in the valve housing 38 between the first valve body 43 and the second valve body 47 and a coil spring 49 as an urging member is arranged in the valve chamber 48 for urging the first valve body in the direction that decreases the opening area of the suction passage 36 or urging the first valve body 43 and the second valve body 47 away from each other. The uppermost position of the second valve body 47 is determined by the outer bottom surface of the annular projection 45 and the lowermost position of the second valve body 47 is determined by the inner bottom surface 50 of the valve housing 38 in the valve working chamber 46. Thus, the outer bottom surface of the annular projection 45 functions as a stop to restrict the upward movement of the second valve body 47. The second valve body 47 is moved to its uppermost position when the crank chamber 14 communicates with the discharge chamber 30 through the supply passage 33 or when the displacement control valve 32 is opened. When the second valve body 47 is moved to the uppermost position, the force urging the first valve body 43 upward through the coil spring 49 is increased.
Part of the circumferential wall of the upper housing 39, part of the bottom portion of the annular projection 45 and part of the circumferential wall of the lower housing 40 are cut away together to form a communication hole 51 as shown in
The bottom surface 50 of the valve housing 38 has a hole 53 formed therein and opened to a branch passage 54 which communicates with the crank chamber 14. The second valve body 47 receives the crank chamber pressure Pc transmitted through the branch passage 54 and acting on the valve working chamber 46 upward.
The following will describe the operation of the suction throttle valve 37 of the first embodiment. As the drive shaft 15 is rotated, the swash plate 17 is driven to rotate with a wobbling motion and the piston 26 connected to the swash plate 17 slides reciprocally in the cylinder bore 25, accordingly. As the piston 26 is moved frontward or leftward as seen in the drawing of
As the opening area of the displacement control valve 32 is changed thereby to change the crank chamber pressure Pc in the crank chamber 14, the pressure difference between the crank chamber 14 and the compression chamber 31 through the piston 26 is changed thereby to change the inclination angle of the swash plate 17. Thus, the stroke of the piston 26 and hence the displacement of the compressor 10 is adjusted. For example, as the crank chamber pressure Pc in the crank chamber 14 is lowered, the inclination angle of the swash plate 17 is increased thereby to increase the stroke of the piston 26 and hence the displacement of the compressor 10. On the other hand, as the crank chamber pressure Pc in the crank chamber 14 is raised, the inclination angle of the swash plate 17 is decreased thereby to reduce the stroke of the piston 26 and hence the displacement of the compressor 10.
The pressure in the suction chamber 29 will be designated as Pt, and the pressure in the valve chamber 48 connected with the suction chamber 29 through the communication hole 51 and the passage 52 will be designated as Pv. When the suction refrigerant gas flows from the inlet 35 into the suction chamber 29 through the suction passage 36 with a high flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas, a pressure difference is created between the suction pressure Ps of the suction gas and the suction chamber pressure Pt. In this state, the suction pressure Ps is higher than the suction chamber pressure Pt. A pressure difference is created also between the valve chamber pressure Pv and the suction pressure Ps, since the valve chamber 48 is communicated with the suction chamber 29 though the communication hole 51 and the passage 52. The suction pressure Ps is higher than the valve chamber pressure Pv. Due to these pressure differences, the first valve body 43 is urged downward in the valve working chamber 42.
Thus, the first valve body 43 is moved downward against the urging force of the coil spring 49 acting on the first valve body 43 upward, thereby fully opening area the communication port 41. In this state, since the damper effect dependent on the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 becomes minimum, the factor inhibiting the downward movement of the first valve body 43 is reduced and, therefore, the first valve body 43 moves smoothly, with the result that deterioration of cooling comfort is prevented.
When the second valve body 47 is moved upward, the first valve body 43 is urged upward through the coil spring 49 and moved to close the communication port 41 of the suction passage 36. The coil spring 49 provided between the first valve body 43 and the second valve body 47 is compressed by the pressure difference between the suction pressure Ps acting on the first valve body 43 and the crank chamber pressure Pc acting on the second valve body 47. Accordingly, the urging force of the coil spring 49 acting on the first valve body 43 is increased.
During the intermediate displacement operation of the compressor 10, the first valve body 43 is urged downward by the pressure difference between the suction pressure Ps and the valve chamber pressure Pv in the valve working chamber 42. However, the first valve body 43 is then subjected to the urging force due to the damper effect in addition to the increased urging force of the coil spring 49 and moved upward to partially close the communication port 41. This provides throttling in accordance with the flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas. Therefore, the transmission of the suction pulsation caused by self-excited vibration of the suction valve 28c is prevented successfully.
During operation of the compressor 10 with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas, the second valve body 47 is in contact with the lower surface of the annular projection 45. In this state, the opening area of the communication hole 51 becomes minimum and the damper effect determined by the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 becomes maximum. The urging force of the coil spring 49 also becomes maximum to further increase the throttling effect of the opening area of the suction passage 36. Therefore, vibration and noise development caused by the suction pulsation is reduced during the operation of the compressor 10 with low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas.
The suction throttle valve 37 of the compressor according to the first preferred embodiment has the following advantageous effects.
(1) The valve body for adjusting the opening area of the suction passage 36 includes the first valve body 43 which is movably arranged and allowed to be urged by the suction pressure Ps, and the second valve body 47 which is movably arranged and allowed to be urged by the crank chamber pressure Pc. The coil spring 49 is arranged in the valve chamber 48 and provided between the first valve body 43 and the second valve body 47. The communication hole 51 is provided to connect the valve chamber 48 and the suction chamber 29. The opening area of the communication hole 51 is variable in accordance with the vertical movement of the second valve body 47. Thus, the suction pressure Ps is substantially the same as the crank chamber pressure Pc when the compressor 10 is operated at the maximum displacement. Consequently, the second valve body 47 is moved downward and the communication hole 51 connecting the valve chamber 48 and the suction chamber 29 is fully opened. In this state, the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 becomes lower and the damper effect becomes minimum, accordingly. Because of the high flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas into the suction chamber 29 from the suction passage 36, the pressure difference between the suction pressure Ps and the valve chamber pressure Pv is created. Consequently, the first valve body 43 is urged downward against the urging force of the coil spring 49, moving downward in the valve working chamber 42 thereby to fully open the communication port 41. In this state, the damper effect due to the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 becomes minimum and, therefore, the factor inhibiting the downward movement of the first valve body 43 is reduced, with the result that the first valve body 43 moves smoothly and deterioration of cooling comfort is prevented.
(2) During the intermediate displacement operation of the compressor 10, the crank chamber pressure Pc becomes higher than the suction pressure Ps. Because of the increased crank chamber pressure Pc, the second valve body 47 is moved upward, so that the opening area of the communication hole 51 is reduced and the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 and hence the damping effect is increased, accordingly. Meanwhile, the urging force of the coil spring 49 acting on the first valve body 43 is increased. The first valve body 43 is then subjected to the urging force produced by the damper effect in addition to the increased urging force of the coil spring 49 and moved upward, accordingly, thereby increasing the throttling effect of the opening area of the suction passage 36. This prevents the transmission of the suction pulsation caused by the self-excited vibration of the suction valve 28c. Especially, during the operation of the compressor 10 with a low flow rate, the second valve body 47 is in contact with the under surface of the annular projection 45 and, therefore, the opening area of the communication hole 51 is kept at the minimum. Accordingly, the damping effect determined by the gas-tightness of the valve chamber 48 becomes maximum. Similarly, the urging force of the coil spring 49 becomes maximum thereby further increasing the throttling effect of the opening area of the suction passage 36. Therefore, vibration and noise development caused by the suction pulsation during operation of the compressor 10 with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas is reduced reliably.
(3) In the first preferred embodiment, the communication hole 51 is provided for connecting the valve chamber 48 and the suction chamber 29, and the opening area of the communication hole 51 is variable in accordance with the movement of the second valve body 47, thereby effectively achieving the damping effect. Therefore, the aforementioned two requirements can be fulfilled simultaneously. In other words, the requirements are to enhance the effect of throttling the suction passage 36 during compressor operation with a low flow rate and to ensure sufficient opening area of the suction passage 36 during operation with a high flow rate. As a result, vibration and noise development caused by the suction pulsation during the operation with a low flow rate of the suction refrigerant gas is reduced and the designed performance of the compressor may be maintained over the entire range of flow rate.
(4) The communication hole 51 is provided for connecting the valve chamber 48 and the suction chamber 29 and its opening area is variable in accordance with the vertical movement of the second valve body 47. Therefore, the compressor can dispense with a driving mechanism for adjusting the opening area of the communication hole 51, thus reducing the size and the number of the parts of the compressor.
The present invention is not limited to the above first embodiment, but may be variously modified within the scope of the invention, as exemplified as follows.
In the first preferred embodiment, the valve body includes the first valve body and the second valve body. However, the valve body of an alternative embodiment may include only one valve body. In this case, the valve chamber may be formed by the valve body and the housing of the valve working chamber in which the valve body is moved vertically. A communication hole whose opening area may be variable in accordance with the movement of the valve body is provided to connect the valve chamber and the suction chamber. The provision of only one valve body simplify the structure of the suction throttle valve.
In the first preferred embodiment, the suction throttle valve is made such that the inner diameter of the upper valve housing is larger than the inner diameter of the lower valve housing and also that the outer diameter of the first valve body is larger than the outer diameter of the second valve body. However, it may be so arranged that the outer diameter of the first valve body is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the second valve body, or that the outer diameter of the first valve body is smaller than the outer diameter of the second valve body.
The coil spring is used as the urging member of the first preferred embodiment. However, the urging member may be provided in any other suitable forms such as a disk spring as long as the urging member produces such a force that the first valve body and the second valve body are urged away from each other.
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 of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-035567 | Feb 2007 | JP | national |
