Variable displacement swash plate type compressor

BACKGROUND ART

The present disclosure relates to a variable displacement swash plate type compressor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-207464 discloses a well-known variable displacement swash plate type compressor, which is simply referred to as a compressor herein. This compressor includes a housing, a swash plate, a plurality of pistons, a displacement control valve, and an open degree adjustment valve. The housing has a suction chamber, a plurality of cylinder bores, a crank chamber, and a discharge chamber. The swash plate is disposed within the crank chamber, and an inclination angle of the swash plate is altered depending on a crank chamber pressure. Each piston is disposed in the corresponding cylinder bore and cooperates with the housing to form a compression chamber. The piston is configured to reciprocate in the cylinder bore at a stroke depending on the inclination angle of the swash plate. The piston operates to draw refrigerant from the suction chamber to the compression chamber to compress it, and operates to flow the compressed refrigerant from the compression chamber to the discharge chamber. The displacement control valve is configured to change a crank chamber pressure. The open degree adjustment valve is configured to at least adjust the rate of refrigerant that is introduced into the suction chamber.

Specifically, the housing has a suction passage, a first supply passage, a second supply passage, a bleed passage, a suction communication passage, a bleed communication passage, and a control communication passage. The suction passage connects the suction chamber to a refrigerant circuit outside the compressor. The first supply passage connects the discharge chamber to the displacement control valve. The second supply passage connects the displacement control valve to the crank chamber. The bleed passage connects the crank chamber to the suction chamber. The suction communication passage connects the suction chamber to the open degree adjustment valve. The bleed communication passage connects the crank chamber to the open degree adjustment valve. The control communication passage connects the second supply passage to the open degree adjustment valve. The displacement control valve is configured to adjust a communication area between the first supply passage and the second supply passage for controlling the refrigerant rate flowing to the crank chamber, thereby changing the crank chamber pressure.

The open degree adjustment valve includes a first valve chamber, a second valve chamber, a first valve body, a second valve body, and an urging spring. The first valve chamber has a suction port that opens to the refrigerant circuit outside the compressor and extends in the housing in a radial direction of the housing. The first valve chamber opens to the suction communication passage in an axial direction of the housing. The second valve chamber communicates with the first valve chamber and extends in the housing in the radial direction of the housing. The second valve chamber opens to the bleed communication passage in the axial direction of the housing and to the control communication passage in the radial direction of the housing. The first valve body is accommodated in the first valve chamber. The second valve body is accommodated in the second valve chamber. The first body moves in the first valve chamber in the radial direction of the housing depending on a difference between the crank chamber pressure and a suction pressure of refrigerant to be introduced into the suction chamber. The second valve body also moves in the second valve chamber in the radial direction of the housing depending on the difference between the crank chamber pressure and the suction pressure. The first and the second valve body are connected to each other through the urging spring.

In this compressor, the first valve body and the second valve body decrease an open degree of the suction passage and an open degree of the bleed passage, respectively, as the difference between the suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure increases. In contrast, the first valve body and the second valve body increase the open degree of the suction passage and the open degree of the bleed passage, respectively, as the difference between the suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure decreases. This eliminates or minimizes a drop of the suction pressure while a displacement of the compressor is maximal or relatively large.

However, in the above-described compressor, volumetric efficiency is not sufficient while the displacement of the compressor is minimal or relatively small. Also, during a startup of this compressor, it is difficult to promptly flow refrigerant such as a liquid refrigerant, which may be filled in the crank chamber, from the crank chamber to the suction chamber in the compressor, thus, it is difficult to quickly increase the displacement of the compressor.

Specifically, in this compressor, the second valve body of the open degree adjustment valve does not close the bleed passage. During the minimum or relatively small displacement, the compressor allows the compressed refrigerant to flow from the crank chamber to the suction chamber and performs recompression of the refrigerant. Therefore, the volumetric efficiency of the compressor is not sufficient during the minimum or relatively small displacement. If the communication area of the bleed passage is set relatively small, it is difficult to promptly flow refrigerant from the crank chamber to the suction chamber during the startup of the compressor, and thus, it is difficult to quickly increase the displacement of the compressor during the startup of the compressor.

One way to solve this problem may be to use a bleed valve that is capable of adjusting the communication area of the bleed passage, for example, a bleed valve that is mentioned in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-185138, while setting the communication area of the bleed passage relatively large. If this bleed valve is set to open the bleed passage largely during the startup of the compressor, the compressor flows refrigerant such as the liquid refrigerant to the suction chamber promptly, and therefore, it may be easy for the compressor to quickly increase its displacement during the startup of the compressor. Also, if this bleed valve is set to close the bleed passage during the minimum or relatively small displacement of the compressor, the compressor does not recompress the compressed refrigerant in the crank chamber, thereby possibly increasing the volumetric efficiency.

However, using this kind of bleed valve increases a number of parts of the compressor, thereby increasing manufacturing cost and decreasing freedom of design of the compressor.

Further, in the compressor mentioned in the publication No. 2006-207464, refrigerant flows from the crank chamber to the suction chamber through a clearance formed between an inner peripheral surface of the first valve chamber and an outer peripheral surface of the first valve body. This increases a flow rate of refrigerant that flows out of the first valve chamber, which makes it difficult for the compressor to maintain the pressure in the first valve chamber and the pressure in the second valve chamber suitably. In this state, the first valve body may move unnecessarily, so that flow rate of refrigerant that flows from the refrigerant circuit outside the compressor to the suction chamber is likely to be unstable and suction pulsation may become large. Accordingly, in this compressor, quietness may be low during the minimum or relatively small displacement.

The present disclosure, which has been made in light of the above described problem, is directed to providing a variable displacement swash plate type compressor that:

(1) ensures quietness during the minimum or relatively small displacement while eliminating or minimizing a drop of the suction pressure during the maximal or relatively large displacement of the compressor;

(2) provides high volumetric efficiency during the minimum or relatively small displacement without increasing manufacturing cost and decreasing the freedom of design of the compressor; and

(3) promptly flows refrigerant such as a liquid refrigerant, which may be filled in a crank chamber of the compressor, from the crank chamber to the suction chamber to quickly increase the displacement during the startup of the compressor.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a variable displacement swash plate type compressor including a housing, a swash plate, a piston, a displacement control valve, and an open degree adjustment valve. The housing has a suction chamber, a cylinder bore, a crank chamber, and a discharge chamber. The swash plate is disposed in the crank chamber. An inclination angle of the swash plate is changed depending on a crank chamber pressure in the crank chamber. The piston is disposed in the cylinder bore and cooperates with the housing to form therebetween a compression chamber. The piston is configured to reciprocate in the cylinder bore at a stroke depending on the inclination angle of the swash plate to draw refrigerant from the suction chamber into the compression chamber to compress the refrigerant in the compression chamber. The piston is configured to discharge the compressed refrigerant from the compression chamber to the discharge chamber. The displacement control valve is disposed in the housing and is configured to adjust the crank chamber pressure. The open degree adjustment valve is disposed in the housing and configured to at least adjust a rate of refrigerant that is introduced into the suction chamber. The housing further has a suction passage configured to connect the suction chamber to a refrigerant circuit outside the variable displacement swash plate type compressor, a first supply passage configured to connect the discharge chamber to the displacement control valve, a second supply passage configured to connect the displacement control valve to the crank chamber, a bleed passage configured to connect the crank chamber to the suction chamber, a suction communication passage configured to connect the suction chamber to the open degree adjustment valve, a bleed communication passage configured to connect the crank chamber to the open degree adjustment valve, and a control communication passage configured to connect the second supply passage to the open degree adjustment valve. The open degree adjustment valve includes a valve case, a first valve body, a second valve body, and an urging spring. The valve case has a suction port, a first valve chamber, a second valve chamber, a suction window, a bleed window, and a communication window. The suction port opens to the refrigerant circuit. The first valve chamber has a cylindrical shape and extends in a first direction. The second valve chamber has a cylindrical shape and formed coaxially with the first valve chamber. The second valve chamber is configured to communicate with the first valve chamber. The first valve chamber is connected to the suction communication passage through the suction window in a second direction crossing the first direction. The second valve chamber is connected to the bleed communication passage through the bleed window in the second direction. The second valve chamber is connected to the control communication passage through the communication window in the first direction. The first valve body is accommodated in the first valve chamber and is movable in the first valve chamber in the first direction to adjust an open degree of the suction window. The second valve body is accommodated in the second valve chamber and is movable in the second valve chamber in the first direction to adjust an open degree of the bleed window. The urging spring is disposed between the first valve body and the second valve body, and connects the first valve body to the second valve body. The open degree of the suction window is minimized by the first valve body and the open degree of the bleed window is maximized by the second valve body when a suction pressure of refrigerant introduced to the suction chamber is lower than a predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure is higher than a control pressure in the second supply passage. The open degree of the suction window is increased by a movement of the first valve body and the open degree of the bleed window is maximized by the second valve body when the suction pressure is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure is higher than the control pressure. The open degree of the suction window is decreased by the movement of the first valve body and the open degree of the bleed window is decreased by a movement of the second valve body when the crank chamber pressure is lower than the control pressure. At least one of the valve case and the first valve body has an open passage that is configured to connect the first valve chamber to the suction communication passage. An open degree of the open passage is maximal when the suction pressure is lower than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure is higher than the control pressure. The open degree of the open passage is minimal when the open degree of the suction window is made greater than a minimum open degree of the suction window by the first valve body.

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

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure 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 sectional view of a compressor according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the compressor of FIG. 1 during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor of FIG. 1 while a displacement of the compressor is maximal;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor of FIG. 1 while the displacement of the compressor is minimal;

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of an open degree adjustment valve of the compressor of FIG. 1 during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor of FIG. 1 when a first valve body starts to open suction windows;

FIG. 5C is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor of FIG. 1 during the maximum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 5D is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor of FIG. 1 during the minimum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to the second embodiment during the maximum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to the second embodiment during the minimum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the second embodiment during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 9B is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the second embodiment when the first valve body starts to open the suction windows;

FIG. 9C is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the second embodiment during the maximum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 9D is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the second embodiment during the minimum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 10A is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to a third embodiment during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 10B is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the third embodiment when the first valve body starts to open the suction windows;

FIG. 10C is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the third embodiment during the maximum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 10D is a schematic view of the open degree adjustment valve of the compressor according to the third embodiment during the minimum displacement of the compressor;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to a fourth embodiment during the startup of the compressor;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to the fourth embodiment when the first valve body starts to open the suction windows;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to the fourth embodiment during the maximum displacement of the compressor; and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the compressor according to the fourth embodiment during the minimum displacement of the compressor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following will describe four embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

A compressor according to a first embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 1, a variable displacement swash plate type compressor having a single headed piston. This compressor is mounted to a vehicle and forms a part of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner of the vehicle.

The compressor includes a housing 1, a drive shaft 19, a swash plate 23, a plurality of pistons 33, a displacement control valve 13, and an open degree adjustment valve 61. The housing 1 includes a front housing member 3, a rear housing member 5, a cylinder block 7, and a valve forming plate unit 9. In this embodiment, a longitudinal direction of the compressor is defined with respect to a position of the front housing member 3 that is located on the left part of FIG. 1 and a position of the rear housing member 5 on the right part of FIG. 1. That is, a side of the compressor on which the front housing member 3 is located is a front side of the compressor, and the other side on which the rear housing member 5 is located is a rear side of the compressor. The vertical direction of FIG. 1 will be referred to as a vertical direction of the compressor, that is, the upper side and the lower side of FIG. 1 will be referred to as an upper side and a lower side of the compressor, respectively. Directions indicated in FIGS. 2 to 14 correspond to the directions indicated in FIG. 1. The compressor of the present disclosure may be mounted appropriately in various postures depending on the vehicle on which the compressor is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front housing member 3 has a boss 3a that extends forward and has a first shaft hole 3b. The first shaft hole 3b extends in the boss 3a in the longitudinal direction of the compressor and has therein a sealing device 11a and a first radial bearing 11b. The front housing member 3 has a first thrust bearing 11c at a rear surface of the front housing member 3.

The rear housing member 5 has a suction chamber 5a and a discharge chamber 5b. The displacement control valve 13 is disposed in the rear housing member 5. The discharge chamber 5b is disposed approximately in a radially central portion of the rear housing member 5. The suction chamber 5a is disposed radially outward of the discharge chamber 5b in the rear housing member 5. The suction chamber 5a is connected to an evaporator (i.e., the refrigerant circuit) outside the compressor by a suction passage 51 that will be described later. The discharge chamber 5b is connected to a condenser outside the compressor by a discharge passage 53. A check valve 55 is disposed in the discharge passage 53. The air conditioner is formed of the compressor, the condenser, an expansion valve, the evaporator, and the like. The components of the air conditioner such as the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator are not illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 14.

The cylinder block 7 is disposed between the front housing member 3 and the valve forming plate unit 9. A crank chamber 15 is defined between the front housing member 3 and the cylinder block 7. The cylinder block 7 has a plurality of cylinder bores 7a. In other words, the housing 1 has the cylinder bores 7a and the crank chamber 15. The cylinder bores 7a are arranged circumferentially and equiangularly. Each of the cylinder bores 7a extends in the longitudinal direction of the compressor and communicates with the crank chamber 15 at a front end thereof.

The cylinder block 7 further has a second shaft hole 7b that is disposed coaxially with the first shaft hole 3b. A second radial bearing 17a, a second thrust bearing 17b, and a pressing spring 17c are disposed in the second shaft hole 7b.

The drive shaft 19 extends through the front housing member 3 and the cylinder block 7 in the longitudinal direction of the compressor. Specifically, a front end of the drive shaft 19 passes through the sealing device 11a in the front housing member 3, and a rear end of the drive shaft 19 passes through the second radial bearing 17a and the second thrust bearing 17b in the cylinder block 7. Accordingly, the drive shaft 19 is supported by the housing 1 and is rotatable. An axis of the drive shaft 19 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the compressor.

A lug plate 21 is press-fitted to the drive shaft 19. The lug plate 21 is disposed in a front part of the crank chamber 15 and is rotatable with the drive shaft 19 in the crank chamber 15. The first radial bearing 11b and the first thrust bearing 11c are disposed between the lug plate 21 and the front housing member 3.

The drive shaft 19 extends through the swash plate 23 that is disposed in the crank chamber 15 and behind the lug plate 21. A control spring 25 for decreasing an inclination angle of the swash plate 23 is disposed between the lug plate 21 and the swash plate 23. A retaining ring 27 is secured to a rear part of the drive shaft 19. A return spring 29 is disposed between the retaining ring 27 and the swash plate 23. The drive shaft 19 is surrounded in a peripheral direction thereof by the control spring 25 and the return spring 29.

The lug plate 21 and the swash plate 23 are connected to each other by a link mechanism 31 in the crank chamber 15. The swash plate 23 is supported by the link mechanism 31 such that the inclination angle of the swash plate 23 is changeable with respect to a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft 19 depending on a crank chamber pressure Pc.

Each piston 33 is disposed in the corresponding cylinder bore 7a such that the piston 33 is reciprocally movable in the cylinder bore 7a. A rear end surface of the piston 33 faces the valve forming plate unit 9 in the cylinder bore 7a to define a compression chamber 35 in a rear part of the cylinder bore 7a. In other words, the piston 33 cooperates with the housing 1 to form therebetween a compression chamber 35.

A pair of shoes 37a, 37b is disposed between the piston 33 and the swash plate 23 such that the shoes 37a, 37b are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the compressor and respectively disposed at opposite sides of the swash plate 23. The shoes 37a, 37b are configured to convert rotation of the swash plate 23 to reciprocating motion of the piston 33 and to allow the piston 33 to reciprocate in the cylinder bore 7a at a stroke depending on the inclination angle of the swash plate 23.

The valve forming plate unit 9 is a stack of a suction valve plate, a valve plate, and a discharge valve plate that are stacked in this order from front to rear in the longitudinal direction of the compressor. The valve forming plate unit 9 includes a suction reed valve, a suction port, a discharge port, and a discharge reed valve that correspond to each cylinder bore 7a. A retainer 39 is secured to a rear surface of the valve forming plate unit 9. The retainer 39 is disposed in the discharge chamber 5b to determine a maximum open degree of the discharge reed valve.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 1 of this compressor has a first supply passage 41, a second supply passage 43, a detection passage 45, and a valve accommodation chamber 47. The first supply passage 41 is configured to connect the discharge chamber 5b to the displacement control valve 13. The second supply passage 43 is configured to connect the displacement control valve 13 to the crank chamber 15. The detection passage 45 connects the suction chamber 5a to the displacement control valve 13. The valve accommodation chamber 47 extends within the rear housing member 5 in a first direction, which, in this embodiment, is the radial direction of the rear housing member 5.

The first supply passage 41, the detection passage 45, and the valve accommodation chamber 47 are formed within the rear housing member 5. The second supply passage 43 extends between the crank chamber 15 and the displacement control valve 13 through the retainer 39, the valve forming plate unit 9, and the cylinder block 7 in the axial direction of the compressor. The displacement control valve 13 is disposed in the rear housing member 5 and configured to adjust a communication area between the first supply passage 41 and the second supply passage 43 depending on a suction pressure Ps in the suction chamber 5a and responding to a signal from a controller 49 that is shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the displacement control valve 13 is configured to adjust the crank chamber pressure Pc.

The valve accommodation chamber 47 has an opening 47a, a first valve accommodation chamber 47b, and a second valve accommodation chamber 47c. The opening 47a opens to the refrigerant circuit outside the rear housing member 5, in other words, opens to the evaporator. The first valve accommodation chamber 47b has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is smaller than a diameter of the opening 47a. An upper end of the first valve accommodation chamber 47b is connected to the opening 47a. The second valve accommodation chamber 47c has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. An upper end of the second valve accommodation chamber 47c is connected to a lower end of the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. In the valve accommodation chamber 47, a step portion 47d is formed between the opening 47a and the first valve accommodation chamber 47b, and a step portion 47e is formed between the first valve accommodation chamber 47b and the second valve accommodation chamber 47c. The open degree adjustment valve 61 is disposed in the valve accommodation chamber 47 (i.e., the housing 1).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the open degree adjustment valve 61 includes a valve case 63, a first valve body 65, a second valve body 67, and an urging spring 69, and is configured to at least adjust the rate of refrigerant that is introduced into the suction chamber 5a. The valve case 63 includes a cylindrical portion 63a, a covering portion 63b, and a supporting portion 63c. The cylindrical portion 63a includes a large diameter portion 631 and a small diameter portion 632. The large diameter portion 631 has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. The small diameter portion 632 is formed integrally and coaxially with the large diameter portion 631, and has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the second valve accommodation chamber 47c. The large diameter portion 631 and the small diameter portion 632 (i.e., the valve case 63) have therein a first valve chamber 71a and a second valve chamber 71b, respectively. The first valve chamber 71a has a cylindrical shape and extends in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The second valve chamber 71b is formed coaxially with the first valve chamber 71a and has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the first valve chamber 71a. The second valve chamber 71b is configured to communicate with the first valve chamber 71a and extends in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The first valve body 65 and the second valve body 67 are respectively accommodated in the first valve chamber 71a and the second valve chamber 71b.

The open degree adjustment valve 61 is inserted into the valve accommodation chamber 47 and retained by a retaining ring 73. An upper portion of the supporting portion 63c and a lower portion of the large diameter portion 631 are disposed in contact with the step portion 47d and the step portion 47e, respectively.

The large diameter portion 631 of the cylindrical portion 63a has a plurality of suction windows 73a. The suction windows 73a are arranged in a circumferential direction of the large diameter portion 631. Each suction window 73a has an approximately rectangular shape whose opening area decreases toward the supporting portion 63c as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first valve chamber 71a is connected to the first valve accommodation chamber 47b and therefore to a suction communication passage 50 through the suction window 73a in a second direction, which, in this embodiment, is a direction crossing the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The suction communication passage 50 will be described later.

The large diameter portion 631 of the valve case 63 has a single open passage 73b that is defined between each of the suction windows 73a and the second valve chamber 71b as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D. That is, the suction window 73a and the open passage 73b are formed separately from each other in the large diameter portion 631. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the open passage 73b has a circular shape in section and is smaller than the suction window 73a. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first valve chamber 71a is connected to the suction communication passage 50 through the open passage 73b in the direction crossing the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. Accordingly, the open passage 73b is configured to connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 through the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. The number of the suction windows 73a and the diameter of the open passage 73b may be determined as necessary.

The small diameter portion 632 of the cylindrical portion 63a has a plurality of bleed windows 73c. The bleed windows 73c are arranged in the small diameter portion 632 in a circumferential direction of the small diameter portion 632. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, each bleed window 73c has a circular shape in section and is smaller than the suction window 73a. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the second valve chamber 71b is connected to the second valve accommodation chamber 47c and therefore to a bleed communication passage 57 through the bleed window 73c in the direction crossing the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The number of the bleed windows 73c and the diameter of each bleed window 73c may also be determined as necessary. The bleed communication passage 57 will be described later.

The cylindrical portion 63a has a projecting portion 75 disposed between the large diameter portion 631 and the small diameter portion 632. The projecting portion 75 projects from an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 63a and extends in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 63a to form an annular shape. The projecting portion 75 determines a lower movement limit of the first valve body 65 and an upper movement limit of the second valve body 67. When the second valve body 67 is in contact with the projecting portion 75, as shown in FIG. 2, a first pressure receiving area S1 is secured on an upper surface of the second valve body 67 by an inner diameter of the projecting portion 75. A second pressure receiving area S2 is also secured on a bottom surface of the second valve body 67. The second pressure receiving area S2 is greater than the first pressure receiving area S1.

The projecting portion 75 has a plurality of valve communication holes 75a. The valve communication holes 75a are arranged in a circumferential direction of the projecting portion 75. The first valve accommodation chamber 47b is connected to the first valve chamber 71a through the valve communication holes 75a. The valve communication holes 75a are not closed by the first valve body 65 when the first valve body 65 is located at the lower movement limit. The small diameter portion 632 has O-ring grooves 77a, 77b. The O-ring grooves 77a, 77b are formed in the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 632. The O-ring groove 77a and the O-ring groove 77b extend above and below each of the bleed windows 73c in the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion 632 to receive an O-ring 79a and an O-ring 79b, respectively. The O-rings 79a, 79b are disposed in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the second valve accommodation chamber 47c.

The covering portion 63b is secured to an end of the small diameter portion 632 opposite the large diameter portion 631. The covering portion 63b has a communication window 73d through which the second valve chamber 71b is connected to a control communication passage 59 in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The control communication passage 59 will be described later. The covering portion 63b determines a lower movement limit of the second valve body 67. The shape of the communication window 73d may also be determined as necessary.

The supporting portion 63c is secured to an end of the large diameter portion 631 opposite the small diameter portion 632. The supporting portion 63c determines an upper movement limit of the first valve body 65. The supporting portion 63c has an O-ring groove 77c that is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the supporting portion 63c to receive an O-ring 79c. The O-ring 79c is disposed in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the first valve accommodation chamber 47b.

The supporting portion 63c of the valve case 63 has therethrough a suction port 633. The suction port 633 extends through the supporting portion 63c in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. In a state that the open degree adjustment valve 61 is installed in the valve accommodation chamber 47, the suction port 633 opens to the refrigerant circuit outside the compressor through the opening 47a of the valve accommodation chamber 47 at an upper end of the suction port 633 and opens to the first valve chamber 71a at a lower end of the suction port 633. Accordingly, the suction port 633 forms a part of the first valve chamber 71a, and allows the first valve chamber 71a to be connected to the evaporator through the suction port 633.

The first valve body 65 includes a cylindrical portion 65a having a cylindrical shape and a lid portion 65b having a disc shape and formed integrally with a top part of the cylindrical portion 65a. The lid portion 65b has a vent hole 65c and a spring washer 65d. The vent hole 65c allows the suction port 633 to be connected to the first valve chamber 71a. The first valve body 65 is movable in the first valve chamber 71a in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5.

The second valve body 67 includes a cylindrical portion 67a having a cylindrical shape and a lid portion 67b having a disc shape and formed integrally with a bottom part of the cylindrical portion 67a. The second valve body 67 is movable in the second valve chamber 71b in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. The lid portion 67b of the second valve body 67 has a small hole 67c. The small hole 67c connects the communication window 73d to the second valve chamber 71b. The shape of the small hole 67c may be determined as necessary.

The urging spring 69 is disposed between the lid portion 65b of the first valve body 65 and the lid portion 67b of the second valve body 67, and connects the first valve body 65 to the second valve body 67. The urging spring 69 operates to separate the first valve body 65 from the second valve body 67 by an urging force of the urging spring 69.

As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, in the open degree adjustment valve 61, the first valve body 65 moves in the first valve chamber 71a in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5 to adjust an open degree of each suction window 73a and an open degree of the open passage 73b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and is held in contact with the supporting portion 63c, the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65 closes the suction window 73a, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. In this state, the open passage 73b is fully opened by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 73b is maximized by the first valve body 65. Then, as the first valve body 65 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a, the cylindrical portion 65a gradually closes the open passage 73b, thereby gradually decreasing the open degree of the open passage 73b without opening the suction window 73a. As the first valve body 65 further moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a, thereby gradually increasing the open degree of the suction window 73a from the minimum open degree of the suction windows 73a. In other words, the open degree of the suction window 73a is increased by a movement of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than its minimum open degree by the first valve body 65. In this state, the open passage 73b is closed by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 73b is minimized by the first valve body 65.

As shown in FIG. 5C, when the first valve body 65 is located at the lower movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and is held in contact with the projecting portion 75, the suction window 73a is fully opened by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is maximized by the first valve body 65. In other words, the open degree of the suction window 73a is increased by the movement of the first valve body 65 while the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv. In this state, the open passage 73b is still closed by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, thus, the open degree of the open passage 73b is minimized.

As described above, a positional relationship between the suction window 73a and the open passage 73b is designed relative to the movement of the first valve body 65. Specifically, the open degree of the open passage 73b is maximal when the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. The open degree of the open passage 73b is minimal when the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than its minimum open degree by the first valve body 65.

In the open degree adjustment valve 61, the second valve body 67 moves in the second valve chamber 71b in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5 to adjust an open degree of each bleed window 73c. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, when the second valve body 67 is located at the lower movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b and is held in contact with the covering portion 63b, the bleed window 73c is opened by the cylindrical portion 67a of the second valve body 67, that is, the open degree of the bleed window 73c is maximized by the second valve body 67. Then, as the second valve body 67 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the second valve chamber 71b, the cylindrical portion 67a of the second valve body 67 gradually closes the bleed window 73c, thereby gradually decreasing the open degree of the bleed window 73c. As shown in FIG. 5D, when the second valve body 67 is located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b and is held in contact with the projecting portion 75, the bleed window 73c is closed by the cylindrical portion 67a, that is, the open degree of the bleed window 73c is minimized by the second valve body 67. As the second valve body 67 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the second valve chamber 71b, a load of the urging spring 69 that is applied to the first valve body 65 increases. Accordingly, the load moves the first valve body 65 toward the supporting portion 63c in the first valve chamber 71a. When the second valve body 67 is located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b, the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a, thus, the open degree of each suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. In FIGS. 5A to 5D, 9A to 9D, and 10A to 10D, for the sake of description, the shapes of the first and the second valve body 65, 67 are simplified, and the valve communication hole 75a and the small hole 67c are not illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear housing member 5 has the suction communication passage 50, the bleed communication passage 57, and the control communication passage 59. The suction communication passage 50 is connected to the suction chamber 5a and the first valve accommodation chamber 47b at the opposite ends of the suction communication passage 50. That is, the suction communication passage 50 is configured to connect the suction chamber 5a to the first valve chamber 71a of the open degree adjustment valve 61 through the first valve accommodation chamber 47b and the suction window 73a. In this compressor, the housing 1 has the suction passage 51 that is formed of the opening 47a of the valve accommodation chamber 47, the suction port 633 of the supporting portion 63c, the first valve chamber 71a, the suction window 73a, the first valve accommodation chamber 47b, and the suction communication passage 50. This configuration allows an upper surface of the first valve body 65 to receive the suction pressure Ps to be introduced into the compressor. The first valve body 65 moves and adjusts the open degree of the suction window 73a by receiving the suction pressure Ps, thereby adjusting a communication area between the suction communication passage 50 and the first valve chamber 71a. The first valve body 65 also adjusts the open degree of the open passage 73b, thereby adjusting the communication area between the suction communication passage 50 and the first valve chamber 71a.

The bleed communication passage 57 is connected to the crank chamber 15 and the second valve accommodation chamber 47c at opposite ends of the bleed communication passage 57. That is, the bleed communication passage 57 is configured to connect the crank chamber 15 to the second valve chamber 71b of the open degree adjustment valve 61 through the second valve accommodation chamber 47c and the bleed window 73c. In this compressor the housing 1 has a bleed passage 52 that is formed of the bleed communication passage 57, the second valve accommodation chamber 47c, the bleed window 73c, the second valve chamber 71b, the first valve chamber 71a, the valve communication hole 75a, the first valve accommodation chamber 47b, and the suction communication passage 50. The bleed passage 52 is configured to connect the crank chamber 15 to the suction chamber 5a. The second valve body 67 adjusts the open degree of the bleed window 73c, thereby adjusting a communication area between the bleed communication passage 57 and the second valve chamber 71b.

The control communication passage 59 is connected to the second supply passage 43 and the second valve accommodation chamber 47c at opposite ends of the control communication passage 59. That is, the control communication passage 59 is configured to connect the second supply passage 43 to the second valve chamber 71b of the open degree adjustment valve 61 through the second valve accommodation chamber 47c and the communication window 73d. This configuration allows the bottom surface of the second valve body 67 to receive a control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43.

In this compressor, the drive shaft 19 is rotary driven by an engine or a motor of the vehicle to rotate the lug plate 21 and the swash plate 23, thereby reciprocating each piston 33 in the corresponding cylinder bore 7a at a stroke depending on the inclination angle of the swash plate 23. The piston 33 draws refrigerant from the suction chamber 5a into the compression chamber 35 to compress it, and discharges the compressed refrigerant from the compression chamber 35 to the discharge chamber 5b.

During this operation, in this compressor, the displacement control valve 13 adjusts a crank chamber pressure Pc in the crank chamber 15 as necessary to vary a displacement of the compressor. For example, the crank chamber pressure Pc increases as the displacement control valve 13 increases the communication area between the first supply passage 41 and the second supply passage 43 to promote the refrigerant flow at discharge pressure Pd from the discharge chamber 5b to the crank chamber 15. This decreases the inclination angle of the swash plate 23, thereby decreasing a displacement of the compressor per rotation of the drive shaft 19. In contrast, as the displacement control valve 13 decreases the communication area between the first supply passage 41 and the second supply passage 43 to decrease the refrigerant flow at the discharge pressure Pd to the crank chamber 15, the crank chamber pressure Pc decreases because the refrigerant flow from the crank chamber 15 to the suction chamber 5a through the bleed passage 52 is promoted. This increases the inclination angle of the swash plate 23, thereby increasing the displacement of the compressor.

When the compressor is suspended for a relatively long time in a state that the displacement is minimal, the refrigerant gas in the crank chamber 15 may be cooled to a liquid refrigerant. This causes the suction pressure Ps of refrigerant introduced into the suction chamber 5a to be lower than a predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc to be higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43 when the compressor restarts.

In this state, in the open degree adjustment valve 61, the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and closes each suction window 73a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A. In other words, the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65 when the suction pressure Ps of refrigerant introduced into the suction chamber 5a is lower than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. Accordingly, the first valve body 65 minimizes the communication area between the suction communication passage 50 and the first valve chamber 71a, thereby decreasing the open degree of the suction passage 51.

When the compressor starts, the second valve body 67 is located at the lower movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b, each bleed window 73c is fully opened by the second valve body 67, that is, the open degree of the bleed window 73c is maximized by the second valve body 67 when the suction pressure Ps of refrigerant introduced into the suction chamber 5a is lower than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than a control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. Accordingly, the second valve body 67 maximizes the communication area between the bleed communication passage 57 and the second valve chamber 71b, that is, the bleed passage 52 is fully opened by the second valve body 67. This allows the liquid refrigerant retained in the crank chamber 15 to quickly flow from the crank chamber 15 to the suction chamber 5a through the bleed communication passage 57, the second valve accommodation chamber 47c, the bleed window 73c, the second valve chamber 71b, the first valve chamber 71a, the valve communication hole 75a, the first valve accommodation chamber 47b, and the suction communication passage 50. The liquid refrigerant also flows to the suction chamber 5a through a clearance that is formed between the first valve chamber 71a and the first valve body 65 by necessity.

In the state that the first valve body 65 closes each suction window 73a, the open passage 73b is fully opened by the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 73b is maximized by the first valve body 65 when the suction pressure Ps is lower than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than a control pressure Pcv. Accordingly, the open passage 73b allows the first valve chamber 71a to communicate with the suction communication passage 50 through the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. That is, the open passage 73b is configured to connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 during the startup of the compressor or when the suction pressure Ps is lower than the predetermined suction pressure. Accordingly, the liquid refrigerant, which flows from the crank chamber 15 to the first valve chamber 71a through the bleed communication passage 57 and the like during the startup of the compressor, is allowed to promptly flow from the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 and therefore to the suction chamber 5a through the open passage 73b. This enables the compressor to quickly decrease the crank chamber pressure Pc, therefore, it may be easy for the compressor to quickly increase the displacement of the compressor.

When the suction pressure Ps exceeds the predetermined suction pressure, the first valve body 65 starts to move toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a. Then, the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a as shown in FIG. 5B, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than its minimal open degree by the first valve body 65. In other words, the open degree of the suction window 73a is increased by the movement of the first valve body 65 when the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure. The crank chamber pressure Pc is still higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage. In this state, the open passage 73b is closed by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 73b is minimal. Thus, the open passage 73b does not connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 in this state. This configuration eliminates or minimizes the leakage of refrigerant through the open passage 73b, thereby helping the open degree adjustment valve 61 suitably maintain the pressure in the first valve chamber 71a and the pressure in the second valve chamber 71b. This configuration reduces unnecessary movement of the first valve body 65 by a damper effect of the first valve chamber 71a and the second valve chamber 71b during the minimum or relatively small displacement. As a result, in this compressor, a rate of refrigerant introduced from the evaporator into the suction chamber 5a is stabilized, so that the variation in the suction pressure Ps during minimum or relatively small displacement is reduced.

When the displacement of the compressor is maximal, the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. FIGS. 3 and 5C depict the open degree adjustment valve 61 in a state that the displacement of the compressor is maximal. In this state, the first valve body 65 is located at the lower movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and fully opens each suction window 73a, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is maximized by the first valve body 65. That is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is increased to its maximum degree by the movement of the first valve body 65 while the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43 as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C. When the displacement of the compressor is maximal, the first valve body 65 maximizes the communication area between the suction communication passage 50 and the first valve chamber 71a, that is, the open degree of the suction passage 51 is increased by the first valve body 65. In this compressor, drop of the suction pressure Ps during the maximum or relatively large displacement is eliminated or minimized. The open passage 73b is kept closed by the first valve body 65 during the maximum displacement of the compressor.

During the maximum displacement, the second valve body 67 is located at the lower movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b and fully opens each bleed window 73c, that is, the open degree of the bleed window 73c is maximized by the second valve body 67 to open the bleed passage 52 when the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. Therefore, the liquid refrigerant, which may be filled in the crank chamber 15, flows to the suction chamber 5a through the clearance that is formed between the first valve chamber 71a and the first valve body 65 by necessity. The inclination angle of the swash plate 23 is maximal during the maximum displacement of the compressor, thus, the compressed refrigerant in the discharge chamber 5b opens the check valve 55 and flows to the condenser.

In contrast, when the displacement of the compressor is minimal, the crank chamber pressure Pc is lower than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. FIGS. 4. and 5D depict the open degree adjustment valve 61 in the state that the displacement of the compressor is minimal. In this state, the second valve body 67 is located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b. The urging spring 69 applies a load to moves the first valve body 65 to the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a, so that the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a when the minimum displacement. The suction window 73a is closed by the first valve body 65. In other words, the open degree of the suction window 73a is decreased by the movement of the first valve body 65 when the crank chamber pressure Pc is lower than the control pressure Pcv. Accordingly, the open degree of the suction passage 51 is decreased.

During the minimum displacement of the compressor, the second valve body 67 is located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b under the control pressure Pcv and closes each bleed window 73c. That is, the open degree of the bleed window 73c is minimized by the second valve body 67. In other words, the first valve body 65 and the second valve body 67 respectively start to move in the first valve chamber 71a and the second valve chamber 71b when the crank chamber pressure Pc falls below the control pressure Pcv, so that the open degree of the suction window 73a is decreased by the movement of the first valve body 65 and the open degree of the bleed window 73c is decreased by the movement of the second valve body when the crank chamber pressure Pc is lower than the control pressure Pcv as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D. The communication area between the bleed communication passage 57 and the second valve chamber 71b is minimized by the second valve body 67. That is, the bleed passage 52 is closed by the second valve body 67. Accordingly, the compressor does not recompress the compressed refrigerant in the crank chamber 15 during the minimum displacement, thereby increasing the volumetric efficiency.

This configuration enables the displacement control valve 13 to quickly increase the crank chamber pressure Pc, thereby enabling the compressor to quickly change its displacement from large displacement to small displacement.

Further, the compressor of this embodiment does not need to include a bleed valve that is configured to close the bleed passage 52 as necessary in addition to the open degree adjustment valve 61. Therefore, this compressor has a small number of parts and achieves reduction of manufacturing cost and increase in the freedom of design of the compressor.

The inclination angle of the swash plate 23 is slightly greater than 0 degrees during the minimum displacement of the compressor. In this state, the compressed refrigerant in the discharge chamber 5b is unable to open the check valve 55 and thus does not flow to the condenser.

Accordingly, the compressor of the first embodiment ensures quietness during the minimum displacement while eliminating or minimizing drop of the suction pressure Ps during the maximum displacement. In addition, this compressor has high volumetric efficiency during the minimum displacement without increasing manufacturing cost and decreasing freedom of design of the compressor. Further, this compressor enables refrigerant such as liquid refrigerant possibly filled in the crank chamber 15 to promptly flow out of the crank chamber 15, thereby quickly increasing the displacement of the compressor during the startup of the compressor.

Specifically, in this compressor, the valve case 63 includes the cylindrical portion 63a, and the open passage 73b is formed only in the large diameter portion 631 of the cylindrical portion 63a of the valve case 63. This configuration facilitates making of the open passage 73b in this compressor.

Each suction window 73a has an approximately rectangular shape whose communication area decreases toward the supporting portion 63c as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D. This shape enables the compressor to increase the communication area between the suction communication passage 50 and the first valve chamber 71a more suitably as the first valve body 65 gradually opens the suction window 73a as compared with a compressor that has a suction window 73a having a simple square shape.

This compressor has the small hole 67c formed in the lid portion 67b of the second valve body 67. The small hole 67c connects the communication window 73d to the second valve chamber 71b. In the open degree adjustment valve 61, the second valve body 67 moves toward the covering portion 63b in the second valve chamber 71b as the control pressure Pcv decreases. The presence of the small hole 67c allows the pressure in the first valve chamber 71a and the pressure in the second valve chamber 71b to be released through the small hole 67c with the movement of the second valve body 67. This configuration helps the movement of the second valve body 67 and increases the controllability of the second valve body 67. In the compressor of this embodiment, the presence of the small hole 67c in the cylindrical portion 67a allows refrigerant to flow from the second supply passage 43 to the second valve chamber 71b through the control communication passage 59, the communication window 73d, and the small hole 67c during the minimum displacement in which the crank chamber pressure Pc is lower than the control pressure Pcv. This enables the compressor to suitably maintain the pressure in the first valve chamber 71a and the pressure in the second valve chamber 71b, thereby reducing unnecessary movement of the first valve body 65 and the occurrence of suction pulsation during the minimum displacement.

The valve case 63 of the open degree adjustment valve 61 includes the projecting portion 75 disposed between the first valve chamber 71a and the second valve chamber 71b. The projecting portion 75 has an inner diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the second valve body 67. The first valve chamber 71a is connected to the second valve chamber 71b through the projecting portion 75. When the second valve body 67 and the first valve body 65 are respectively located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b and at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a, the upper surface of the second valve body 67 receives a force that is obtained by multiplication of the first pressure receiving area S1 by the suction pressure Ps, and the bottom surface of the second valve body 67 receives a force that is obtained by multiplication of the second pressure receiving area S2 by the control pressure Pcv. The first pressure receiving area S1 is smaller than the second pressure receiving area S2 in the second valve body 67, so that the second valve body 67 responds sensitively to a decrease of the control pressure Pcv. Accordingly, the second valve body 67 is likely to reopen the bleed passage 52.

Second Embodiment

In a compressor according to a second embodiment, the valve case 63 has a plurality of open passages 81 that are formed in the cylindrical portion 63a as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, instead of the open passage 73b formed in the compressor according to the first embodiment.

The number of the open passages 81 corresponds to that of the suction windows 73a. The open passages 81 are arranged in the large diameter portion 631 of the cylindrical portion 63a in a circumferential direction of the large diameter portion 631. As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9D, each open passage 81 is formed continuously from a bottom of the corresponding suction window 73a, that is, the open passage 81 is formed integrally with the corresponding suction window 73a in the large diameter portion 631. The open passage 81 has an approximately triangle shape whose communication area decreases in a direction away from the suction window 73a. The first valve chamber 71a is connected to the suction communication passage 50 through the open passage 81 in the direction crossing the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. Accordingly, the open passage 81 is configured to connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 through the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. The number of the open passages 81 does not necessarily have to correspond to that of the suction windows 73a. Each of the open passages 81 may be formed in such a manner as to be formed integrally only with any particular suction window 73a. The compressor of the second embodiment is otherwise similar to the compressor of the first embodiment and will not be further elaborated here. Identical reference numerals are used to denote identical or substantially identical components between the first and the second embodiment.

In the compressor of the second embodiment, the first valve body 65 moves in the first valve chamber 71a in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5 to adjust the open degree of each suction window 73a and an open degree of each open passage 81. During the startup of the compressor, the suction pressure Ps is lower than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9A, the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and is in contact with the supporting portion 63c. During the minimum displacement, the crank chamber pressure Pc is lower than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9D, the first valve body 65 is also located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and is in contact with the supporting portion 63c. In these states, the first valve body 65 closes each suction window 73a, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. Also, in these states, each open passage 81 is fully opened by the cylindrical portion 65a, that is, the open degree of the open passage 81 is maximal. Accordingly, the open passage 81 connects the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 during the startup of the compressor and the minimum displacement of the compressor. Then, as the first valve body 65 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a, the cylindrical portion 65a gradually closes the open passage 81, that is, the open degree of the open passage 81 is gradually decreased by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a, the open passage 81 is closed by the cylindrical portion 65a, that is, the open degree of the open passage 81 is minimal. Accordingly, the open passage 81 does not connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 in this state. That is, the open degree of the open passage 81 is minimal when the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than its minimum open degree by the first valve body 65.

During the maximum displacement, the suction pressure Ps is higher than the predetermined suction pressure and the crank chamber pressure Pc is higher than the control pressure Pcv in the second supply passage 43. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9C, each suction window 73a is fully opened by the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is maximized by the first valve body 65. During the maximum displacement, each open passage 81 is kept closed by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65. The second valve body 67 of the second embodiment opens and closes each bleed window 73c in the same manner as the second valve body 67 of the first embodiment does, so that the compressor of the second embodiment operates in the same manner as the compressor of the first embodiment does.

The compressor of the second embodiment has the plurality of open passages 81. This configuration allows the liquid refrigerant, which flows from the crank chamber 15 to the first valve chamber 71a through the bleed communication passage 57 and the like, to promptly flow from the first valve chamber 71a to the suction chamber 5a through the open passages 81 during the startup of the compressor.

Third Embodiment

In a compressor according to a third embodiment, the valve case 63 has a plurality of open passages 83 that is formed in the cylindrical portion 63a of the valve case 63 as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D, instead of the open passage 73b that is formed in the compressor according to the first embodiment.

The number of the open passages 83 corresponds to that of the suction windows 73a. The open passages 83 are arranged in the large diameter portion 631 of the cylindrical portion 63a in a circumferential direction of the large diameter portion 631 such that each open passage 83 is formed continuously from a bottom edge of the corresponding suction window 73a and has a rectangular shape extending toward the second valve chamber 71b in the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. That is, each open passage 83 is formed integrally with the corresponding suction window 73a in the large diameter portion 631. As well as the open passages 81 of the second embodiment, the first valve chamber 71a is connected to the suction communication passage 50 through the open passages 83 in the direction crossing the radial direction of the rear housing member 5. Accordingly, each open passage 83 is configured to connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 through the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. The number of the open passages 83 does not necessarily have to correspond to that of the suction windows 73a. Each open passage 83 may be formed in such a manner as to be formed integrally only with any particular suction window 73a. The compressor according to the third embodiment is otherwise similar to the compressor according to the first embodiment and will not be further elaborated here.

In the compressor of the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10D, each suction window 73a is closed by the first valve body 65 during the startup and the minimum displacement of the compressor, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. In this state, each open passage 83 is fully opened by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 83 is maximized by the cylindrical portion 65a. Accordingly, the open passage 83 connects the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 during the startup of the compressor and the minimum displacement of the compressor. Then, as the first valve body 65 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a, the cylindrical portion 65a gradually closes the open passage 83, that is, the open degree of the open passage 83 is gradually decreased by the cylindrical portion 65a. As shown in FIG. 10B, when the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a, each open passage 83 is closed by the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the open passage 83 is minimized by the first valve body 65. Accordingly, the open passage 83 does not connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 in this state. That is, the open degree of the open passage 83 is minimal when the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than its minimum open degree by the first valve body 65.

During the maximum displacement, as shown in FIG. 10C, each suction window 73a is fully opened by the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is maximized by the first valve body 65. In this state, each open passage 83 is kept closed by the cylindrical portion 65a. The second valve body 67 of the third embodiment opens and closes each bleed window 73c in the same manner as the second valve body 67 of the first embodiment does, so that the compressor of the third embodiment operates in the same manner as the compressor of the first embodiment does.

Fourth Embodiment

In a compressor according to a fourth embodiment, the first valve body 65 has a plurality of open passages 65e. The open passages 65e are arranged in a bottom part of the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65 in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 65a as shown in FIGS. 11 to 14. Each open passage 65e has a triangle shape whose communication area increases from an approximately middle of the cylindrical portion 65a toward the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 65a. In this embodiment, as the first valve body 65 moves in the first valve chamber 71a, the open passage 65e comes close to and away from each suction window 73a. The open passage 65e allows the first valve chamber 71a to be connected to the suction communication passage 50 through the suction window 73a. Accordingly, the open passage 65e is configured to connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50 through the suction window 73a and the first valve accommodation chamber 47b. The compressor of the fourth embodiment is different from the compressor of the first embodiment in that the cylindrical portion 63a of the valve case 63 of the fourth embodiment does not have the open passage 73b. The number of the open passages 65e may be determined as necessary. The compressor according to the fourth embodiment is otherwise similar to the compressor according to the first embodiment.

In the compressor of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and closes each suction window 73a during the startup of the compressor, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is minimized by the first valve body 65. In this state, each open passage 65e comes closest to the suction window 73a, so that a communication area between the open passage 65e and the suction window 73a is maximized, that is, an open degree of the open passage 65e is maximal in this state. Accordingly, the open passage 65e allows the first valve chamber 71a to communicate with the suction communication passage 50 in this state. Then, as the first valve body 65 moves toward the projecting portion 75 in the first valve chamber 71a, the open passage 65e gradually comes away from the suction window 73a. The communication area between the open passage 65e and the suction window 73a gradually decreases, thus, the open degree of the open passage 65e is gradually decreased. As shown in FIG. 12, when the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a, the open passage 65e is closed by an inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 631 and thus disconnected from the suction window 73a. Accordingly, the open degree of the open passage 65e is minimal, so that the open passage 65e does not connect the first valve chamber 71a to the suction communication passage 50.

During the maximum displacement, as shown in FIG. 13, each suction window 73a is fully opened by the first valve body 65, that is, the open degree of the suction window 73a is maximized by the first valve body 65. In this state, the open passage 65e is kept closed by the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 631. In contrast, during the minimum displacement, as shown in FIG. 14, the first valve body 65 is located at the upper movement limit in the first valve chamber 71a and the open passage 65e comes closest to the suction window 73a, so that the open degree of the open passage 65e is maximal. In this state, the second valve body 67 is located at the upper movement limit in the second valve chamber 71b. The second valve body 67 of the fourth embodiment opens and closes each bleed window 73c in the same manner as the second valve body 67 of the first embodiment does, so that the compressor of the fourth embodiment operates in the same manner as the compressor of the first embodiment does.

In this compressor, the open passage 65e is formed only in the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65. This configuration facilitates making of the open passage 65e in this compressor.

The above-described embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be modified within the scope of the present disclosure.

For example, in the compressors according to the first to the fourth embodiment, the bleed passage 52 is opened and closed only by the second valve body 67; however, the compressor may be configured such that the bleed passage 52 is opened and closed by the first valve body 65 and the second valve body 67.

The compressors according to the first to the fourth embodiment include the displacement control valve 13 that is configured to adjust the communication area between the first supply passage 41 and the second supply passage 43; however, the compressor may include a displacement control valve that is configured to adjust a communication area of a bleed passage in conjunction with adjusting a communication area of a supply passage.

The open passage 65e may be formed in the cylindrical portion 65a of the first valve body 65 in addition to the open passage 73b, the open passages 81, or the open passages 83 formed in the cylindrical portion 63a of the valve case 63.

In the compressor of the first embodiment, the open degree of the open passage 73b is minimal when the first valve body 65 starts to open each suction window 73a, that is, the open degree of the open passage 73b is minimal when the open degree of the suction window 73a is made greater than the minimum open degree of the suction window 73a by the first valve body 65. However, the open degree of the open passage 73b does not necessarily have to be minimal in this state. The compressor may be configured such that the open degree of the open passage 73b is greater than its minimal open degree but smaller than its maximal open degree when the first valve body 65 starts to open the suction window 73a. This is applicable to the compressors of the second to the fourth embodiment.

The present disclosure is applicable to any type of air conditioners including an air conditioner for vehicles.

Number	Name	Date	Kind
4480964	Skinner	Nov 1984	A
6045337	Tokumasu	Apr 2000	A
7651321	Ota	Jan 2010	B2
7918656	Hibino	Apr 2011	B2
20090223244	Kimoto	Sep 2009	A1

Variable displacement swash plate type compressor

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Term Extension

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (1)

US Referenced Citations (5)

Foreign Referenced Citations (1)

Related Publications (1)