US3730648A

US3730648A - Swash plate type compressor for automobile air-conditioning

Info

Publication number: US3730648A
Application number: US00130216A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Komiya
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-04-13
Filing date: 1971-04-01
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01

Abstract

An improved swash plate type compressor for automobile airconditioning, includes a swash plate chamber positioned centrally between axially spaced front and rear cylinder halves and having intermediate gas passageways forming a part of with the cylinder block gas passageways which inter-communicate between the suction chambers and the gas storage-discharging chambers of the cylinder halves. Further, the swash plate chamber forms an oil reservoir portion aligned and communicating with the oil reservoir portions of the cylinder halves and constituting a part of oil reservoir for the compressor.

Description

United States Patent 1 Komiya [54] SWASH PLATE TYPE COMPRESSOR FOR AUTOMOBILE AIR- CONDITIONING [76] Inventor: Sampei Komiya, No. 1745-1 Ohaza Shimokoizumi Ohizumi-cho, Ohragun, Gunma, Japan 221 Filed: Apr.1,l971

21 Appl.N0.: 130,216

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 13, 1970 Japan ..45/34730 [52] U.S. Cl ..417/269, 91/502 [51] Int. Cl. ..F04b 1/12, F04b 27/08 [58] Field of Search .Q ..417/269, 270, 534;

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,352,485 11/1967 Niki et al. 4l7/269 X Ransom et a1 ..41 7/269 [451 May 1, 1973 10/1945 Ford... ..4l7/269 6/1917 Allison ..91/502 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATlONS 610,428 10/1948 Great Britain ..4l7/269 Primary Examiner-Charles .1. Myhre Assistant ExaminerFrank H. McKenzie, Jr. AztomeyToren & McGeady [57] I ABSTRACT An improved swash plate type compressor for automobile air-conditioning, includes a swash plate chamber positioned centrally between axially spaced front and rear cylinder halves and having intermediate gas passageways forming a part of with the cylinder block gas passageways which intercommunicate between the suction chambers and the gas storagedischarging chambers of the cylinder halves. Further, the swash plate chamber forms an oil reservoir portion aligned and communicating with the oil reservoir portions of the cylinder halves and constituting a part of oil reservoir for the compressor.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU m 1 273 INVENTOR sAnPE! KomvA BY Tamwmdfl ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is concerned with a swash plate type compressor, and more particularly, it relates to an improvement in swash plate type compressors for use in automobile air-conditioning, which is free of the drawbacks of the swash plate type compressors of the prior art.

2. Description of the Prior Art The structure and the attendant drawbacks of the conventional swash plate type compressor will be discussed hereunder by referring to FIG. I of the accompanying drawings which will be explained later. In a swash plate type compressor in general, the swash plate is usually positioned centrally between the opposing cylinders. Accordingly, the cylinder block structure is divided into front and rear, or upper and lower, or right and left halves. In the swash plate type compressor shown inFIG. 1, the shaft assembly unit A (see FIG. 3) which comprises a swash plate 2 secured to the driving shaft l and thrust bearings 3 attached to the opposing side faces of the swash plate 2 is positioned in the center of the cylinder block, or in the other words, between the front cylinder half 4a and the rear cylinder half 4b. A compressing chamber is formed on each side of a double-headed piston 5 in the front cylinder half 4a and the rear cylinder half 4b, respectively. Axial thrust which is applied to the driving shaft 1 is absorbed by the thrust bearings 3, whereas radial thrust is absorbed by the radial bearings 6. Symbol B represents an oil reservoir. In a conventional swash plate type compressor having the aforesaid structure, it is necessary that the sum C of the axial lengths of the swash plate 2 and of the thrust bearings 3 (see FIG. 3) be in exact agreement with the axial distance D of the interval corresponding to said sum C between the front cylinder half 4a and the rear cylinder half 4b (see FIGS. 1 and 4); However, it is quite difficult from the aspect of processing these two groups of structural elements to attain the aforesaid exact agreement between C and D. Therefore, it has been the usual practice to compensate for the manufacturing error by the use of a thrust washer or a shim of an appropriate thickness. In the event, however, that this gap regulation or error adjustment is not effected properly, there will arise the following hazards. That is to say, in case the adjusted gap is too wide, there will develop knocking sound or noise. Conversely, if the gap is reduced excessively to an overtight condition between C and D, then the thrust bearings will be subjected to an overload, causing damage to occur in the bearings. Therefore, the measurement of the axial distance D between the

cylinder halves

4a and 4b has required a number of laborious steps. The aforesaid difficulty in processing the elements plus the need of a number of additional troublesome steps for the adjustment of the distance constitute the first drawback of the conventional swash plate type compressor.

Of late, aluminum alloys have come to be used as the materials of the

cylinder halves

4a and 4b. In view of the fact, however, that material of the swash plate 2 as well as the thrust bearings 3 has a thermal expansion coefficient which is different from that of the material with which the

cylinder halves

4a and 4b are made, it should be noted that the gap between C and D tends to be tightened during the period of a lower temperature, whereas it will tend to be broadened during the period of a higher temperature, making the adjustment of the gap almost impossible and impracticable. This difficulty in the adjustment of the gap between C and D due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient of 0 materials represents the second drawback of the swash plate type compressor of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the swash plate type compressors of the prior art and to provide an improved swash plate type compressor having a novel structure for use in the air-conditioning of automobiles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved swash plate type compressor for the purpose described, which needs no thrust washer or shim for the adjustment of the axial distance between the cylinder halves and the sum of the axial lengths of the swash plate and its thrust bearings.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved swash plate type compressor for the purpose described, which does not develop any harmful difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the material of the swash plate and its thrust bearings and the material of the cylinder halves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional swash plate type compressor.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the swash plate type compressor embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view ofa shaft assembly unit employed in the compressor of the type described.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the swash plate chamber according to the present invention.

It should be understood that like elements and parts are indicated by like reference numerals and symbols throughout the drawings for the sake of simplicity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As has been stated, it is the object of the present invention to eliminate the drawbacks encountered in the swash plate type compressors of the prior art and to provide an improved swash plate type compressor having no such drawbacks. To this end, the structure of the improved swash plate type compressor of the present invention and the attendant advantages thereof will be described hereunder by way of example by referring to FIGS. 2 through 4.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a swash plate type compressor according to the present invention. This compressor comprises a front cylinder half 4a and a rear cylinder half 4b, and a swash plate chamber 7 which is positioned centrally between these two

cylinder halves

4a and 4b that is, the compressor comprises theserially arranged

parts

4a, 7 and 4b. The front cylinder 4a has a cylinder head 8a, and the rear cylinder 4b is of a cylinder head 8b, respectively. The

cylinder head 8a has a gas storage and discharging chamber 9a and a gas sucking chamber 10a which are both formed therein, whereas the cylinder head 8b has a similar gas storage and discharging chamber 9b and a gas sucking chamber 10b. These gas storage and

discharging chambers

9a and 9b communicate with each other, and the

gas sucking chambers

10a and 10b communicate with each other, by their gas passageways, respectively. In the drawing, however, there is shown only one gas passageway 11, for the sake of simplicity, which establishes communication between the gas storage and discharging chamber 90 and the other gas storage and discharging chamber 9b. The aforesaid swash plate chamber 7 which is the feature of the present invention comprises intermediate gas passageways which are aligned in register with the said gas passageways, respectively. In the drawing, however, there is shown only one intermediate gas passageway at 11a, for the sake of simplicity, which is aligned in register with the said gas passageway 11. The swash plate chamber 7 further comprises an intermediate oil reservoir portion Ba which is aligned in register with the respective portions of the oil reservoir B of both the front and the

rear cylinder halves

4a and 4b and which also constitutes a part of the said oil reservoir B, and also comprises an outletjoint 12 for supplying the compressed gas to an external apparatus not shown. It should be understood that this outlet joint 12 may be provided at an appropriate site of some other element if so desired, for example at an appropriate site of the cylinder block. It should be understood, however, that the outlet joint 12 preferably is located advantageously at such a site, if possible, as having an equal distance from both of the gas storage and

discharging chambers

9a and 9b. The contact faces 13a and 13b of the front and the

rear cylinder halves

4a and 4 b which contact, in aligned abutment relation, the said swash plate chamber 7 are faces which have been finished into planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, i.e. the rotation axis 1, of the swash plate type compressor. In the same way, the

opposite faces

14a and 14b of the swash plate chamber 7 which are placed in aligned face-to-face relation with the

faces

13a and 13b of the

cylinder halves

4a and 4b, respectively, are faces which have been finished into parallel planes in such a manner that the axial interval or distance D between these two

faces

14a and 14b is in exact agreement with the sum C of the axial lengths of both the swash plate 2 and the thrust bearings 3. Besides, the swash plate chamber 7 is made with a metal having a thermal expansion coefficient which is identical or substantially identical with that of the material with which the swash plate 2 and the thrust bearings 3 are made.

As has been stated, the swash plate type compressor for automobile air-conditioning according to the present invention features the swash plate chamber 7 having the aforesaid structure which is positioned centrally between the front cylinder half 4a and the rear cylinder half 412. Accordingly, it is quite easy from the aspect of processing the elements to obtain exact agreement of the axial distance D between the front and the

rear cylinder halves

4a and 4b with the sum C of the axial lengths of both the swash plate 2 and the thrust bearings 3, and thus there is no need for the use of such a member as a thrust washer or a shim for the ad ustment of gaps between- C and D which was required in the prior art. In other words, the compressor embodying the present invention is completely free of the aforesaid first drawback of the conventional swash plate type compressor. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the swash plate chamber 7 is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient which is identical or substantially identical with that of the material with which the swash plate 2 and the thrust bearings 3 are made, the compressor according to the present invention is also free of the aforesaid second drawback of the swash plate type compressor of the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. A swash plate type compressor for automobile airconditioning, comprising a cylinder block structure including a front cylinder half and a rear cylinder half disposed in axially aligned and spaced relationship, and a swash plate chamber member in axial alignment with and extending between said front and rear cylinder halves, said front cylinder half includes a front cylinder head having a gas storage and discharging chamber and a gas sucking chamber, said rear cylinder half includes a rear cylinder head having a gas storage and discharging chamber and a gas sucking chamber, said front cylinder half, said swash plate chamber member and said rear cylinder half in combination form a first gas passageway extending between the gas storage and discharge chambers in said front and rear cylinder heads and a second gas passageway extending between the gas sucking chambers in said front and rear cylinder heads, said cylinder block structure forming an oil reservoir consisting of first, second and third portions, the first portion of said oil reservoir formed in said front cylinder half, the third portion of said oil reservoir formed in said rear cylinder half and the second portion of said oil reservoir formed in said swash plate chamber member and the second portion being in direct communication with the first and third portions, a driving shaft extending axially through said front and rear cylinder halves and said swash plate chamber member, a swash plate positioned on said driving shaft within said swash plate chamber member, and a pair of thrust bearings each mounted on said driving shaft and attached to the opposite transverse faces of said swash plate within said swash plate chamber member, and the axial length of said thrust bearings and said swash plate being equal to the axial length of saidswash plate chamber member.

2. A swash plate type compressor, according to claim 1, wherein the faces of said front and rear cylinder halves in contact with the end surfaces of said swash plate member are in planes extending perpendicularly to the axis of said cylinder block structure, and the opposite faces of said swash plate chamber are in parallel planes.

3. A swash plate type compressor according to claim 1, in which said swash plate chamber is made with a material having a thermal expansion coefficient identical or substantially identical with that of the material with which the swash plate and the thrust bearings for supporting this swash plate are made.

Claims

1. A swash plate type compressor for automobile airconditioning, comprising a cylinder block structure including a front cylinder half and a rear cylinder half disposed in axially aligned and spaced relationship, and a swash plate chamber member in axial alignment with and extending between said front and rear cylinder halves, said front cylinder half includes a front cylinder head having a gas storage and discharging chamber and a gas sucking chamber, said rear cylinder half includes a rear cylinder head having a gas storage and discharging chamber and a gas sucking chamber, said front cylinder half, said swash plate chamber member and said rear cylinder half in combination form a first gas passageway extending between the gas storage and discharge chambers in said front and rear cylinder heads and a second gas passageway extending between the gas sucking chambers in said front and rear cylinder heads, said cylinder block structure forming an oil reservoir consisting of first, second and third portions, the first portion of said oil reservoir formed in said front cylinder half, the third portion of said oil reservoir formed in said rear cylinder half and the second portion of said oil reservoir formed in said swash plate chamber member and the second portion being in direct communication with the first and third portions, a driving shaft extending axially through said front and rear cylinder halves and said swash plate chamber member, a swash plate positioned on said driving shaft within said swash plate chamber member, and a pair of thrust bearings each mounted on said driving shaft and attached to the opposite transverse faces of said swash plate within said swash plate chamber member, and the axial length of said thrust bearings and said swash plate being equal to the axial length of said swash plate chamber member.