US3801227A

US3801227A - Swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of vehicles

Info

Publication number: US3801227A
Application number: US00188897A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Nakayama
Original assignee: Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd
Current assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Priority date: 1970-10-17
Filing date: 1971-10-13
Publication date: 1974-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-02

Abstract

A swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of vehicles characterized by a complete, improved structural arrangement wherein the column-shape cylinder blocks themselves combined in an axial alingment form the outer frames of the compressor to establish reasonable manufacturing and use thereof, a simplified sealing structure for junction of the two cylinder blocks by arranging individual but cooperable passages, of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerating circuit and returned to the compressor, in each cylinder block and an internal lubrication system simplified by the omission of the oil pump and carrying out complete distribution of the lubricating oil to the moving machine parts of the compressor.

Description

United States Patent 1111 3,801,227

Nakayama Apr. 2, 1974 [54] SWASH-PLATE TYPE COMPRESSOR FOR 3,577,891 5/1971 Katsuta 417/312 AIR CONDITIONING 0F VEHICLES 3,057,545 10/1962 Ransom et a1..... 417/269 2,835,436 5/1958 Steinhagen et a1. 417/269 Inventor: Show Nakayama, y Japan 3,361,077 1 1968 Freeman 417/269 [73] Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Jidmhokki Seisakusho, KaYiya-shi, 584,630 4 1955 Canada 417/269 Aichi-ken, Japan 610,428 8/1948 Great Britain 417 269 {22] Filed: Oct. 13, 1971 I Primary Exammer--W1ll1am Li Freeh 1 1 pp 188,897 Assistant Examiner-Gregory P. LaPointe 301 Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Oct 17 1970 Japan 4581328 A swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of Oct: 17: 1970 ra anIIIIIjIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 45 91329 vehicles chaacterized a 'wmlflete, Mar 24 1971 Japan 4647406 tural arrangement wherein the column-shape cylinder blocks themselves combined in an axial alingment [52] Us 417/269 form the outer frames of the compressor to establish [51] Int 27/08 reasonable manufacturing and use thereof, a simpli- [58] Field of ear 74/60 fied sealing structure for junction of the two cylinder blocks by arran ing individual but coo erable asg P P [56] References Cited sages, of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerating circuit and returned to the compressor, in each cylin- UNITED STAT-ES PATENTS der block and an internal lubrication system simplified 2,877,653 3/1959 Masnik et 31. 74/60 the omission of the pump and carrying out com- E plete distribution of the lubricating oil to the moving anc er... 3,380,651 4/1968 Niki et a1. 417/269 machm? parts of the compressor 3,352,485 11/1967 Niki et al 417/269 8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures I221! 3 I 1241123) 1 w. .7,

106 12o 2o 1' W 726 fix a 'f' A. //-T Oi c "1 ME 6 /og E i 911/ 1% PATENIEI] APR 2 I974 sum 3 or 7 PATENTEDAPR 2 m4 SHEET 5 BF 7 PATENVEUAPR 2:914 3801.227

SHEET 7 (IF 7 F/g. 9 (PRIOR ART) SWASII-PLATE TYPE COMPRESSOR FOR AIR CONDITIONING OF VEHICLES The present invention relates to a swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of vehicles, and more particularly, relates to an improvement of a compressor of a structure wherein the cylinder block itself forms the outer frames of the entire mechanism with omission of a covering body such as a so-called shell or casing.

With recent enormous expansion of the operational functions of vehicles, attachment of additional parts has been placed under severe limitation regarding their weight and occupying space. In order to meet such recent trends, the compressors for air conditioning on vehicles are necessarily required to be of compact structure and light in weight as well as efficient in their refrigerating function.

The superiority of the swash-plate type compressors is well appreciated in comparison with the reciprocal type in the properties of superior refrigerating function and less vibration and noise during the use thereof. However, they are accompanied with serious drawbacks such as a relatively bulky structure, heavy weight and increased number of machine parts. Compressors of the non-shell type as mentioned above have been proposed so as to solve such problems.

The non-shell type compressors of the conventional design are usually provided with structures such that an entire structure is divided into two parts, i.e. the front cylinder block and the rear cylinder block, by a plane perpendicular to the cylinder axis, suction and discharge chambers are formed in the both cylinder blocks and the equivalent chambers of the respective blocks are in communication with each other by combining the two blocks in an axial alignment. Owing to such structural feature, separate sealing arrangements must be provided for the suction chamber, the discharge chamber and the swash-plate chamber at the above-mentioned combining portions. Such separate sealing naturally results in a complicated structure of the sealing arrangements and imperfect sealing effect is caused thereby.

It is also necessary to mount an oil supply pump within the structure in connection with the drive shaft so as to supply lubrication oil from the'oil chamber to the respective sliding machine parts. This causes an undesirable increase in the number of the machine parts. This further renders one of the cylinder heads sealing the cylinder blocks very complicated in its construction and operation. Further, it is regarded as undesirable and having an increasing effect on the operation cost is that the oil once stored in the chamber located above the drive shaft must be conducted down to the oil chamber located beneath the cylinder blocks and the oil must be again positively pumped up therefrom by the oil pump so as to be distributed to the respective bearing parts.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a swash-plate type compressor wherein the internal spaces of the cylinder blocks are most efficiently arranged so as to form the cylinder blocks, which are major components of the non-shell type compressor, in a column shape such as is most desirable from the viewpoint of manufacturing and use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified seal structure for junction of the two cylinder blocks by separating passages of the refrigerant in both blocks from each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide A further object of the present invention is to provide a swash-plate type compressor having enhanced refrigerating function. 7

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be'made more apparent in detail in the ensuing description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a front view of a conventional rear cylinder block,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for showing a combination of the blocks according to an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the front cylinder block shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention including the cylinder blocks shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a combination of the blocks according to another embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 6 is a front view of the front cylinder block shown in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line A-C in FIG. b,

FIG. 8 is a view taken along the line BC in FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a conventional flange,

FIG. 10 is a sectional part view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an outlined structure of the conventional cylinder block is shown. The cylinder block 1 is primarily composed of a column-shaped part 11a and a lower extension 11b which is downwardly integral with the column-shaped part 11a. The columnshaped part 11a is provided with three cylinder bores 10, a suction chamber 18 and a discharge chamber 19, both chambers being located between neighbouring bores. The lower extension 11b is provided with an oil chamber 15. A pair of oil separators 30 is provided between the oil chamber 15 and the interior of the column-shaped part 11a, and an opening 31 is formed between the pair of oil separators 30. The lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant falls into the oil chamber 15 through this opening 31 and is subsequently distributed to respective operational parts by a suitable oil pump not shown in the drawing. The cylinder block is further internally provided with a specially profiled sealing member 32 so as to keep the interior of the cylinder block air-tight.

Now, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, an embodiment of the compressor of the present invention is shown. The compressor comprises, in its essential parts, a pair of cylinder blocks, i.e. a front cylinder block 102 and a rear cylinder block 101, combined with each other in an axial alignment. This combination is further accompanied by a pair of

cylinder heads

103 and 104, which are attached to outer ends of the both

cylinder blocks

101 and 102 in the axial alignment, respectively. The four elements are firmly combined with each other while keeping a prescribed positional relationship. Between the front cylinder head 104 and the front cylinder block 102, a valve plate 106 is fixedly inserted keeping the prescribed positional relationship. Another valve plate 105 is for the rear couple also.

Coaxially passing through the blocks, heads and plates, a drive shaft 107 provides a direct connection with a drive part (not shown) of the drive engine of the vehicle, being rotatably mounted by needle bearings 108 provided at the outer ends of the

blocks

101 and 102. Near the junction of both

blocks

101 and 102, this drive shaft 107 is provided with a swash-plate 109 keyed thereon. Bothblocks 101 and 102 are provided with three bores 110 each as in the case of the conventional cylinder block shownin FIG. 1. All of the bores 110 run substantially parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 107 and are provided with double acting pistons 111 slidably inserted therein.

The piston 111 includes a pair of end bosses, which are in close sliding contact with the inner wall of the bore 1 10, and a connecting part of the two bosses. The connecting part has a recess at one side thereof receptive of the outer fringe of the swash-plate 109. This recess of the connecting part is engaged with both faces of the swash-plate 109 via balls 112 and shoes 113 disposed therein. Due to this engagement, rotation of the swash-plate109 causes reciprocal sliding of the piston 111 within the bore 110. A pair of thrust bearings 114 is disposed between the boss of the swash-plate 109 and the

blocks

101 and 102 so as to assume the axial thrust load caused by the pumping action of the piston 111.

As is seen in FIG. 3, sectional chambers are formed in the spaces enclosed by the neighbouring bores 110 and the outer wall of the

blocks

101 and 102.'The bottom sector chamber is used for a lubricant reservoir 115 and the other two for refrigerant passageways 118.

and 119, which communicate with suction chambers 1 l6 and discharge chambers l 17 of the

cylinder heads

103 and 104, respectively. As is shown in FIG. 2, the

passageways

118 and 119 are closed near the junction of the

blocks

101, 102 and are in communication with inlet ports 120 or outlet ports 12] opening at the outer ends of the

cylinder blocks

101 and 102. The inlet and outlet ports 120', 121 communicate with inlet and

outlet openings

124, 125

tively.- I

After circulation through the refrigerating circuit, the refrigerant returns to the compressor and is led into the inlet ports l20vand is distributed-equally to the refrigerant passageways 118 formed in both

cylinder blocks

101 and 102. So as to provide a space necessary for the rotationof the swash-plate 109, the refrigerant passageway 118 is made up of a smaller part 126 of a smaller transverse cross sectional area and a larger part 127 of a larger transverse cross sectional area communicating directly with the smaller part 126. Passing through the inlet port 120, the refrigerant is introduced into the smaller part 126 and is forced to change its direction of flow when it strikes the bottom wall of the smaller part 126. Owing to this compulsory directional change, the oil suspended therein is separated from its associated refrigerant by the inertia effect. Upon introduction into the larger parts 127, the refrigerant flow is suddenly decelerated due to the sudden increase in the transverse cross sectional area and oil particles of larger weight are separated from their associated refrigerant flow under the force of gravity. The above indicated flow is shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, wherein within

flanges

122, 123, respecthe solid arrows indicate the inlet mixture, the dashed arrows indicate the separated oil, and the dash-dot lines indicate the separated refrigerant.

The oil content separated from its associated refrigerant and accumulated at the bottom of the larger part 127 is led into the shaft bore 128 through the oil grooves 129 and is distributed towards a sealing member 137, the needle bearings 108, etc. for lubrication thereof.

It is not always necessary to form these oil grooves 129 on the side faces of the

cylinder blocks

101, 102. They can be formed in any frame part which can provide communication of the larger parts 127 with the shaft bore 128 or on the faces of the valve plates and 106 or may be formed on surfaces of both valve plates and the block ends at the junction of the

blocks

101 and 102.

After separation of the oil content, the oiLfree refrigerant is conducted into the suction chambers 116 of both

heads

103, 104 through the

valve plates

105, 106 located at the outward extension of the larger part 127 (see FIG. 4). The refrigerant is then sucked into the cylinder bore 1 10 by the operation of a suitable suction valve (not shown).

The compressed refrigerant is then discharged into the discharge chambers 117 of the

heads

103, 104 via

discharge valves

134, 135, then, into the refrigerant passageways 119 via the conduits of the

valve plates

105, 106 and finally towards the outlet opening via the'outlet ports 121 In connection with this circulation of the refrigerant shownin FIG. 2, the arrows show the circulating directions of'the medium, the solid lines show the discharge system and the dotted lines show the suction system. The lubricant reservoir 115 formed in the sector space between the neighbouring bores receives the excess of the lubricating oil and feeds this oil to the swash-plate 109 for lubrication and circulation. The lubricant reservoir 115 is divided into two chambers by a pair of partitions 130, each of which projects from

cylinder block

101 or 102, respectively, to be combined with each other at the junction of both cylinder blocks so as to prevent possible agitation of the reservoir oil. I t

In combination .with this arrangement, a conduit opening 142a is shown,.which is bored through the partition walls 130 at the junction thereof. However, it should be understood that the conduit opening 142a may be bored at any portion of the partition 130.

In the understanding of the compressor of the present invention, it should be noted that the lubricant reservoir is structured optimumly utilizing the internal space of the cylinder blocks and that the respective refrigerant passageways are in communication with their own inlet and outlet openings with no communication through the junction of the respective cylinder blocks.

Although the cylinder blocks are internally provided with the lubricant reservoir and the refrigerant passageways, the mechanical structure thereof is considerably simplified. Further, only sealing arrangements of a very simple mechanical structure are needed for sealing in relation to the swash-plate and the lubricant reservoir, which are usually subjected to low pressure applications. Omission of the conventional sealing arrangement for the refrigerant passageways greatly contributes to reduction in the danger of gas leakages.

Further, in the oil distributing system of the present invention, the refrigerant under suction is branched into two lines of similar shape midway of the combined cylinder blocks. Therefore, the oil content in the refrigerant can be uniformly distributed towards the bores of both cylinder blocks so as to result in a uniform lubrication effect for both cylinder blocks. In addition, because the discharge chamber 117 is a chamber of increased volume, which forms a part of the refrigerant discharge system, noise and pulsation phenomenon during the operation can be effectively minimized.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8, another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the drawing, parts of similar structure and function to those of the foregoing embodiment are designated by similar reference numerals. In the portion of the lubricant reservoir 115 wherein the swash-plate 109 is located, a partition plate 130' is disposed. This partition plate 130 is composed of a pair of side plates 140 for connecting the neighbouring bore walls and a bottom plate 141, which extends from the side plates 140 towards the junction of both the

cylinder blocks

101, 102 and has both sides in close contact with the external circular wall surfaces of the

blocks

101, 102. By the disposition of this partition plate 130, the second lubricant reservoir 143 is formed within the lubricant reservoir 115. It is also possible to form this second lubricant by making the lower end of the side plate 140 elongated so as to closely contact the outer circular wall of the blocks. In this case, the bottom plate 141 can be omitted..Conduits 142 are formed through the side plates 140 so as to bring the lubricant reservoir 115 into communication with the second lubricant reservoir 143.

The oil content thus separated is then led, via oil grooves 129 which provide communication from the larger parts 127 to a shaft bore 128, towards the needle bearings 108, the thrust bearings 114 and the swashplate 109 for the purpose of lubrication of the mechanical parts as in the case of the foregoing embodiment.

After lubrication, the excess of the lubricating oil is splashed into the second lubricant reservoir 143 due to the centrifugal effect of the thrust bearing 114 and is stored therein. The oil thus stored within the second lubricant reservoir 143 is changed into a misty condition by being stirred by the rotation of the swash-plate 109 and a part of this misty oil adheres to the side wall of the swash-plate 109 so as to lubricate the balls 112, the shoes 113 and the thrust bearings 114 associated therewith. Further, excess of the oil is discharged and stored in the lubricant reservoir 115 through the conduits 142 due to the pneumatic differential pressure caused by the rotation of the swash-plate 109.

The oil thus stored in the lubricant reservoir 115 is utilized again at the starting of the compressor. At the time of starting of the compressor, the internal pressure of the second lubricant reservoir 143 is reduced suddenly due to the rotation of the swash-plate 109, and foaming of the oil is produced in the lubricant reservoir 115. By the surge of the oil surface due to this foaming and suction by the pressure reduction in the second lubricant reservoir 143, the oil in the lubricant reservoir 115 flows into the second lubricant reservoir 143 through the conduits 142 and effects lubrication of the machine parts due to the rotation of the swash-plate 109.

As will be understood from the above description, in the compressor of the present embodiment, the lubricant reservoir formed in the internal sector space of the cylinder blocks is divided into two parts including the second lubricant reservoir 143 by the partition the swash-plate 109 is partly enclosed by the second lubricant reservoir 143 and the lubricating oil in the lubricant reservoir 1 15 is free from agitation during the running of the compressor. Due to this arrangement, undesirable mixing of the lubricating oil with the refigerant can be effectively obviated, resulting in the enhancement of the refrigerating effect and less danger of exhaust of the lubricating oil in the lubricant reser- In addition, this embodiment skillfully utilizes the foaming phenomenon of the oil at the time of compressor starting, which has been conventionally regarded as undesirable, for the lubrication purpose. So, even at the time of the compressor starting, every machine part can beeffectively and promptly lubricated'to a satisfactory extent.

Further, the quantity of the oil used in the lubrication is proportional to the circulating quantity of the refrigerant e.g. the speed of the compressor. Because the oil pump can be omitted, it is possible to make the entire structure very compact. In addition, because the refrigerant is led by suction along a shortened course, the resistance to its passage is lessened, therefore the resultant volumetric efficiency can be considerably en- I hanced.

A further embodiment of the compressor of the present invention will be hereinafter explained, the conventional art being shown in FIG. 9 and the embodiment of the present invention being illustrated in FIG. 10. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 9 the suction flange 50 is provided with a rear side suction hole 52, a front side suction hole 53, a conduit 54 for connecting both the

holes

52 and 53 and another conduit 51 connecting to the refrigerating circuit. The conduit 51 is formed in an axial alignment with the conduit 54 and its diameter is the same as that of the conduit 54. Owing to this arrangement the refrigerant is led by suction'through the rear side suction hole 52 and is deflected against the wall of the front side suction hole 53 so as to undergo a directional change. Therefore, the major part of the refrigerant passes by suction into the larger part 127 of the front side through the front side suction hole 53 and a lesser quantity of the refrigerant passes by suction into the rear side. Consequently, no uniform distribution of the refrigerant between the front and rear side takes place resulting in the lowering of the cooling function. v

In order to obviate this drawback encountered in the conventional arrangement, in the arrangement of the present invention, the diameter of the conduit connecting the front suction hole with the rear suction hole is selected so as to be smaller than that of the one connecting the rear side suction hole with the cooling circuit.

In FIG. 10, the suction flange of the present invention is shown in detail. Suction holes 152 and 153 are connected to each other by a front side conduit 154 and another conduit 151 is disposed in an axial alignment with the conduit 154 so as to connect the rear side suction hole 152 with the refrigerating circuit. The diameter A of this conduit 151 is selected so as to be larger than the diameter B of the conduit 154. After passing through the refrigerating circuit, the refrigerant returns to the compressor and advances towards the rear side suction hole 152 through the conduit 151 of the large diameter. Due to the difference in the diameter, a part of the refrigerant is deflected against the wall of the rear side suction hole 152, changes its direction of advance and flows into the inlet port 120 through the suction hole 152. The other part of the refrigerant advances directly through the conduit 154 of the smaller diameter and enters the inlet port 120 through the front side suction hole 153. Due to the differencein the diameters, the distribution of the refrigerant to the front and rear cylinder can be carried out very uniformly.

Thus, the volumetric efficiency can be equalized and a balanced compressing operation can result with enhancement of the refrigerating function.

What is claimed is:

1. In a swash-plate compressor having a pair of horizontal axially aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, and cylinder heads positioned at the ends of said combined block whereby the combined blockdefines an outer surface of the compressor, at least three bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, the bores thereby defining sectors in the blocks between adjacent bores; the improvement wherein said cylinder blocks are column shaped, comprising an axially extending lubricant reservoir in the lowermost of said sectors, suction and discharge chambers in said heads, axially extending suction and discharge refrigerant passageways formed in separate other of said sectors and connected to said suction and discharge chambers respectively, a partition positioned to divide said lubricant reservoir into a plurality of chambers, at least one conduit positioned to inter-connect said divided chambers, one of said divided chambersenclosing a part of said swash-plate.

2. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said partition is axially elongated.

3. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said partition is a vertical partition.

4. In a swash-plate compressor having a pair of horizontal axially' aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, and cylinder heads positioned at the ends of said combined block whereby the combined block defines an outer surface of the compressor, at least three bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, the bores defining sectors inthe blocks between adjacent bores; the improvement wherein said cylinder 4 blocks are column shaped, comprising an axially extending lubricant reservoir in the lowermost of said sections, suction and discharge chambers in said heads, axially extending suction and discharge refrigerant passageways formed in separate other of said sectors and connected to said suction and discharge chambers respectively, said suction and discharge passageways being blocked at the junction of said cylinder blocks, and separate suction and discharge ports connected to said suction and discharge passageways respectively adjacent said junction of said cylinder blocks and extending to the exterior of said compressor.

5. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 4 comprising a suction flange having suction holes radially corresponding to said respective suction ports of said both cylinder blocks, and communicating with each other by a conduit of diameter B which runs concentrically with a conduit of diameter A communicating said one of suction holes for connection to a refrigcrating circuit, said last mentioned conduits being in an axial alignment and the value of A is larger than the value of 8, whereby the amount of sucked refrigerant from'said circuit at both suction ports is equalized.

6, A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 4 comprising a suction flange having suction holes radially corresponding to said respective suction ports of said both cylinder blocks, and first and second concentric conduits in said flange in communication with separate suction holes, said second conduit being adapted to be connected to a refrigerating circuit, both conduits being in axial alignment and the diameter of the latter being larger than that of the former.

7. In a swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of vehicles, in which the compressor has a pair of horizontal axially aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, three cylinder bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, and axially extending suc tion and discharge chambers formed between neighboring bores, whereby the cylinder blocks define an outer surface of the compressor; the improvement wherein said suction and discharge chambers are blocked in the vicinity of the junction of said cylinder blocks, and further comprising suction and discharge ports extending from exteriorly of said compressor to said suction and discharge chambers respectively adjacent the blocked ends of said chambers.

8. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 7 wherein a lubricant reservoir is further provided between a pair of bores and said lubricant reservoir is divided into a plurality of chambers by means of a partibers'enclosing a part of said swash-plate.

Claims

1. In a swash-plate compressor having a pair of horizontal axially aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, and cylinder heads positioned at the ends of said combined block whereby the combined block defines an outer surface of the compressor, at least three bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, the bores thereby defining sectors in the blocks between adjacent bores; the improvement wherein said cylinder blocks are column shaped, comprising an axially extending lubricant reservoir in the lowermost of said sectors, suction and discharge chambers in said heads, axially extending suction and discharge refrigerant passageways formed in separate other of said sectors and connected to said suction and discharge chambers respectively, a partition positioned to divide said lubricant reservoir into a plurality of chambers, at least one conduit positioned to interconnect said divided chambers, one of said divided chambers enclosing a part of said swash-plate.

4. In a swash-plate compressor having a pair of horizontal axially aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, and cylinder heads positioned at the ends of said combined block whereby the combined block defines an outer surface of the compressor, at least three bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, the bores defining sectors in the blocks between adjacent bores; the improvement wherein said cylinder blocks are column shaped, comprising an axially extending lubricant reservoir in the lowermost of said sections, suction and discharge chambers in said heads, axially extending suction and discharge refrigerant passageways formed in separate other of said sectors and connected to said suction and discharge chambers respectively, said suction and discharge passageways being blocked at the junction of said cylinder blocks, and separate suction and discharge ports connected to said suction and discharge passageways respectively adjacent said junction of said cylinder blocks and extending to the exterior of said compressor.

5. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 4 comprising a suction flange having suction holes radially corresponding to said respective suction ports of said both cylinder blocks, and communicating with each other by a conduit of diameter B which runs concentrically with a conduit of diameter A communicating said one of suction holes for connection to a refrigerating circuit, said last mentioned conduits being in an axial alignment and the value of A is larger than the value of B, whereby the amount of sucked refrigerant from said circuit at both suction ports is equalized.

6. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 4 comprising a suction flange having suction holes radially corresponding to said respective suction ports of said both cylinder blocks, and first and second concentric conduits in said flange in communication with separate suction holes, said second conduit being adapted to be connected to a refrigerating circuit, both conduits being in axial alignment and the diameter of the latter being larger than that of the former.

7. In a swash-plate type compressor for air conditioning of vehicles, in which the compressor has a pair of horizontal axially aligned cylinder blocks forming a combined block, a swash-plate rotatably mounted between said cylinder blocks, three cylinder bores axially extending through said cylinder blocks for slidably retaining compressor pistons, and axially extending suction and discharge chambers formed between neighboring bores, whereby the cylinder blocks define an outer surface of the compressor; the improvement wherein said suction and discharge chambers are blocked in the vicinity of the junction of said cylinder blocks, and further comprising suction and discharge ports extending from exteriorly of said compressor to said suction and discharge chambers respectively adjacent the blocked ends of said chambers.

8. A swash-plate type compressor as claimed in claim 7 wherein a lubricant reservoir is further provided between a pair of bores and said lubricant reservoir is divided into a plurality of chambers by means of a partition wall, said wall having at least one conduit communicating said chambers, one of said plurality of chambers enclosing a part of said swash-plate.