Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki

Denso Corporation

Nok Corporation

Hiroshi Kubo

Masahiro Kawaguchi

Tetsuhiko Fukanuma

Ken Suitou

Masakazu Murase

Koichiro Hirosawa

Ryo Matsubara

Takuya Okuno

Masaki Ota

Masanori Sonobe

Tomohiko Yokono

Osamu Komazawa

Hideharu Yamashita

Shintaro Miura

Hiroaki Kayukawa

Norio Uemura

Masanobu Matsusaka

Michiyasu Nosaka

Ichiro Hirata

Masahiko Okada

Atsuyuki Morishita

Kazuhito Miyagawa

Eiji Tokunaga

Kouji Watanabe

Yoji Kanada

Mutsumi Yoshino

Yoshichika Konishi

Hiroshi Uneyama

Osamu Nakayama

Kazuaki Nagayoshi

Kazuhiko Maeda

Ken Suito

Shinya Miura

Yuki Morikage

Masatoshi Hiramatsu

Yasuhiro Tabe

A variable displacement type compressor has a supply passage for supplying refrigerant gas to a pressure control chamber, a release passage for releasing the refrigerant gas from the pressure control chamber, a first control valve for controlling the amount of the refrigerant gas flowing through the supply passage, a check valve provided between the first control valve and the pressure control chamber and preventing the refrigerant gas from flowing from the pressure control chamber to the first control valve by closing the supply passage and a second control valve for adjusting a cross-sectional area of the release passage from minimum to maximum. The second control valve has a back pressure chamber communicating with the supply passage, a valve chamber forming a part of the release passage and communicating with a suction-pressure region, a valve hole forming a part of the release passage and communicating with the valve chamber and a spool having a valve portion located in the valve chamber. When a pressure in the back pressure chamber increases, the valve portion decreases the degree of opening of the valve hole.

Variable displacement type compressor with displacement control mechanism

A variable displacement type compressor in which a discharge-pressure region, a suction-pressure region and a pressure control chamber are defined, has a tiltable swash plate and a piston reciprocated by the swash plate in the pressure control chamber. The inclination angle of the swash plate and the piston stroke are changed by adjustment of pressure in the pressure control chamber thereby to control the displacement of the compressor. The compressor further comprises a supply passage for supplying refrigerant gas from the discharge-pressure region to the pressure control chamber, a release passage for releasing the refrigerant gas from the pressure control chamber to the suction-pressure region, a first control valve for adjusting a cross-sectional area of the supply passage from the discharge-pressure region to the pressure control chamber and a second control valve for adjusting cross-sectional area of the release passage. The second control valve includes a valve body for opening and closing the release passage whose cross-sectional area is set minimum when the valve body is located at the closed position and a valve spring for urging the valve body in a direction to open the release passage. When the second control valve is closed, pressure in the supply passage downstream the first control valve acts on the valve body in a direction to close the release passage and pressure in the suction-pressure region acts on the valve body in a direction to open the release passage.

A variable valve timing control apparatus includes a relative rotation control mechanism and a fluid pressure passage. The relative rotation control mechanism restrains a relative rotation between a rotor and a housing at an intermediate phase position between the most advanced angle phase position and the most retarded angle phase position. The fluid pressure passage includes a first fluid path for supplying the fluid to the relative rotation control mechanism and for draining the fluid therefrom and a second fluid path for supplying the fluid to an advance angle chamber and a retard angle chamber and for draining the fluid therefrom. The first fluid path is defined independently of the second fluid path.

Variable valve timing control apparatus

A piston type compressor includes a housing, which defines a crank chamber. A valve plate forms a part of the housing. A drive shaft is located in the crank chamber. A contact member is plastically deformed and press fitted to the drive shaft. An inner wall and a first sub-plate are located in the housing and limit the axial movement of the drive shaft, respectively. After the contact member is attached to the drive shaft, the axial load required to change the position of the contact member is greater than the maximum axial load applied to the drive shaft due to the increase of the pressure in the crank chamber, and less than the load applied to the contact member by the first sub-plate in accordance with the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient of the housing and the drive shaft.

Means for restricting drive shaft movement for a piston type compressor

A valve timing control device is provided, which has an advantageous point of locking a relative rotation phase at an intermediate phase based on an engine halt signal. The valve opening-closing timing control device has a relative rotation control mechanism including the first path for supplying or discharging oil to or from the retard angle chamber and the advance angle chamber and for moving a relative rotation phase between the retard angle chamber and the advance angle chamber in the range between the most retarded angle phase and the most advanced angle phase. The relative rotation control mechanism has a lock oil passage for actuating lock portions for locking the relative rotation phase at the intermediate phase between the most retarded angle phase and the most advanced angle phase. The second path is provided separately from the first path. The second path supplies oil to and discharges oil from a lock oil passage. ECU outputs, based on an engine halt signal, a command for discharging oil of the retard angle chamber and the advance angle chamber through the first path and for performing a main drain operation for discharging oil of a lock oil passage through the second path.

Valve timing control device

A variable displacement compressor includes a housing having a suction chamber. A crank chamber is defined in the housing. A valve plate assembly is located in the housing. A drive shaft is supported in the housing. A radial bearing is located in the housing. A holding bore houses the rear end of the drive shaft and the radial bearing. The holding bore is connected to a holding space. A passage connects the holding space and the suction chamber. A restricting member is located in the holding space. The restricting member restricts axial movement of the drive shaft and divides the holding space into a first region and a second region. A clearance is formed between the restricting member and the valve plate assembly. The clearance disappears when the pressure of the crank chamber is increased rapidly.

Variable displacement compressor

A variable displacement compressor has a control valve for controlling the displacement of the compressor. When the pressure in a discharge chamber of the compressor (discharge pressure) is equal to or higher than a first threshold value, a controller sets a duty ratio, which is sent to the control valve, to zero % to limit the discharge pressure. As a result, the compressor displacement is minimized and the discharge pressure is lowered. Therefore, the pipes of an external refrigerant circuit does not receive excessive load based on high discharge pressure. When the displacement of the compressor is minimized, circulation of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is stopped and refrigerant containing lubricant circulates within the compressor.

Apparatus and method for controlling variable displacement compressor

A compressor has a swash plate located in a crank chamber and tiltably mounted on a drive shaft. A piston is operably coupled to the swash plate and is located in a cylinder bore. The inclination of the swash plate is varied according to the difference between the pressure in the crank chamber and the pressure in the cylinder bore. The compressor has a supply passage for connecting a discharge chamber with the crank chamber. A control valve is located in the supply passage for adjusting the amount of the gas introduced into the crank chamber from the discharge chamber through the supply passage. The control valve includes a valve body and a solenoid selectively excited and de-excited based on a supply of electric current from a driver to actuate the valve body. The solenoid generates a counter-electromotive force based on the self-inductance of the solenoid when the solenoid is de-excited. A protector, such as a diode, is connected in parallel with the solenoid. The protector passes the current based on the counter-electromotive force therethrough to prevent the current based on the counter-electromotive force from being supplied to the driver.

Solenoid protector for a variable displacement compressor

A housing includes a crank chamber and cylinder bores. Pistons are accommodated in the cylinder bores. A drive shaft is supported by the housing to pass through the crank chamber. A lug plate is fixed to the drive shaft. The pistons are coupled to the lug plate, which converts rotation of the drive shaft into reciprocation of the pistons and compresses gas in the cylinder bores. A thrust bearing is located between the housing and the lug plate and transmits a thrust load applied to the lug plate. The thrust bearing includes a front race located next to the housing, a rear race located next to the lug plate, and rollers located between the front and rear races. A front seat for supporting the front race is formed on the housing. A rear seat for supporting the rear race is formed on the lug plate. The diameters of the front and rear seats are different, which causes elastic deformation of the races when a thrust load is applied.

Piston-type compressor

A control valve for a variable displacement compressor. The control valve has a valve body for regulating gas flow. A bellows actuates the valve body through a first rod in accordance with an operating pressure introduced to a pressure sensing chamber. A solenoid biases the valve body through a second rod with a force based on the level or an electric current supplied to the solenoid. The cross-sectional area of the second rod is no smaller than the cross-sectional area of a valve hole of the control valve.

Control valve in variable displacement compressor and method of manufacture

A compressor has a drive plate located in a crank chamber and tiltably mounted on a drive shaft and a piston operably coupled to the drive plate and located in a cylinder bore. The inclination of the drive plate is variable according to a difference between the pressure in the crank chamber and the pressure in the cylinder bore. The compressor has an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the pressure in one of the crank chamber and a suction chamber to vary the difference between the pressure in the crank chamber and the pressure in the cylinder bore. The adjusting mechanism includes a gas passage for passing the gas used for adjusting the pressure and a control valve for adjusting the amount of the gas flowing in the gas passage. The control valve includes a valve body, a reacting member and a solenoid. The valve body adjusts the opening size of the gas passage. The reacting member moves the valve body in accordance with the pressure of the gas supplied to the compressor from the external circuit. The solenoid biases the valve body in a direction with the force based on a value of current supplied to the solenoid. A supplying apparatus supplies undulating current to the solenoid. The supplying apparatus varies the average value of the undulating current to vary the biasing force of the solenoid.

Undulating current supplying means for the solenoid of a displacement

Sealing structure for compressors

A variable displacement compressor includes a swash plate supported tiltably on a drive shaft and slidable in axial directions of the drive shaft. The swash plate has a central support hole into which the drive shaft is inserted. The swash plate has a top dead center point for positioning the piston at a top dead center position and a bottom dead center point for positioning the piston at a bottom dead center position. The center of gravity of the swash plate is displaced from the axis of the drive shaft toward the top dead center point. This location of the center of gravity maintains the radial position of the swash plate relative to the drive shaft by centrifugal force acting on the swash plate when the swash plate rotates. As a result, the compressor is quieter and more stable.

An improved displacement control valve incorporated in a variable displacement compressor. The control valve includes a valve body and a solenoid for actuating the valve body. The coil of the solenoid is wound about a bobbin made of insulating synthetic resin. A base plate integrally protrudes from the bobbin. A pair of conducting plates are secured to the base plate. Each plate has a clamping block. The coil has a pair of terminal wires. Each terminal wire is secured to and electrically corrected to one of the clamping blocks. Each terminal wire is wound about a holder formed in each plate between the bobbin and the corresponding clamping block. A diode is secured to the holders and is connected in parallel with the coil. A pair of terminals of the diode are secured to the corresponding holders by soldering and crimping. The holders prevent tension in the terminal wires from being applied to electrical joints formed between the wires and the clamping blocks, which makes the valve more reliable.

Control valve

An improved lubricating structure of a compressor is disclosed. A swash plate is tiltably supported on the drive shaft for an integral rotation therewith. A plurality of pistons are operably coupled to the swash plate. The rotation of the swash plate is converted to a reciprocal movement of each piston in an associated cylinder bore to compress and discharge gas that contains oil. A clearance is defined by the cylinder bore and the piston enabling the compressed gas to flow out from the cylinder bore to the swash plate. The swash plate has an operation area that receives greatest compression load based on reaction force of the compressed gas acting on the piston when the swash plate rotates. The swash plate has at least one bore for attaching the swash plate to a jig when the swash plate is ground during its manufacturing process. The bore is arranged to allow the gas flow out to the swash plate from the cylinder bore through the clearance to flow to the operation area.

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Kariya, Japan

Hiroshi Kubo