Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Robert L Swadner

Edward Douglas Pettitt

David M Ebbing

Jerome E Puterbaugh

Nikolaos A Adonakis

Naji G Abousabha

Roy Y Chang

An electromagnetic clutch assembly adapted for use in actuating a refrigerant compressor having a drive shaft with a continuously driven pulley rotatably supported about the drive shaft. An armature plate is supported in spaced parallel relationship from the pulley friction plate by an elastomeric torque cushion which extends between the drive shaft and the armature plate. The elastomeric torque cushion is capable of flexing to allow the armature plate to bridge the gap under the influence of an electromagnetic force to engage the pulley friction plate thereby translating power from the pulley to the drive shaft. The torque cushion includes at least one reinforcing member disposed within the cushion for preventing the torque cushion from buckling as torque is translated from the pulley through the armature plate and the torque cushion to the drive shaft.

Torque cushion for electromagnetic clutch

A primary air conditioning system for a vehicle has an engine driven compressor which supplies refrigerant to a cooling subsystem comprising a condenser, and expansion valve, and an evaporator. A precooling system has an absorption type system which supplies refrigerant to the cooling subsystem which it shares with the primary system. A combustion unit fueled by the vehicle fuel supplies heat to the generator of the precooling system. The precooling system is used to at least partially cool the vehicle interior before it is occupied, and the primary system is used when the engine is running.

Air conditioning system with precooler

A fluid pumping assembly including a control valve mounted in a control valve boss having an inlet exposed to the elevated discharge pressure of the discharge chamber and an outlet exposed to the reduced pressure of the crank case. The control valve is responsive to pressure differentials between the crank case and the discharge chamber and provides a fluid path between the crank case and the discharge chamber to allow lubricating fluid from the discharge chamber to be injected into the crank case through the fluid path provided by the control valve under the influence of the pressure differential existing between the crank case and the discharge chamber. The control valve boss partially bifurcates the discharge chamber to form first and second reservoirs such that oil is disposed on either side of the control valve boss in the first and second reservoirs. The assembly further includes an oil pick-up tube providing fluid communication between the control valve inlet and the first oil reservoir on one side of the control valve boss for delivering oil from the first reservoir to the control valve inlet independent of the orientation of the fluid pumping assembly. This is achieved from the use of a fluid by-pass or passageway extending through the boss and providing fluid communication between the first and second reservoirs to allow lubricating fluid to freely flow through the fluid passageway from either side of the control valve boss and between the first and second reservoirs.

Fluid pumping assembly having a control valve boss fluid by-pass

A refrigerant compressor assembly includes a shaft rotatably supported in a housing. A swash plate in disposed on the shaft, centrally within the housing. Three double-ended pistons are reciprocally supported on the swash plate within respective front and rear compression chambers for creating alternating compression and suction strokes in response to rotation of the swash plate. Refrigerant fluid discharged from the three front compression chambers is directed to a front discharge cavity and from the three rear compression chambers to a rear discharge cavity. The discharged fluid from the respective front and rear discharge cavities are each divided and then routed through equally restrictive flow passages to a primary and secondary mixing chamber. A first exhaust channel extends from the primary mixing chamber to an exhaust port of the compressor. A second exhaust channel extends from the secondary mixing chamber to the exit port and conveys the discharged fluid along a path having a greater restriction to fluid flow than the first exhaust channel. The discharged fluid flows from the first and second exhaust channels merge at or just upstream of the exit port.

Multi-cylinder swash plate compressor discharge gas flow arrangement

An assembly for providing socket plate torque restraint for a variable displacement wobble plate compressor includes a non-rotary Rzeppa joint. The joint has an outer race, an inner race, grooves in the races, a plurality of torque receiving balls and a cage for properly maintaining and positioning the balls in the grooves for operation. The joint is connected to an anti-rotational shaft. The shaft is mounted by the drive hub of the compressor to allow for translational axial and relative rotational motion. At least one key is received in a keyway in the anti-rotational shaft and a companion socket in the cylinder block fixed to the compressor housing. The Rzeppa joint provides the ideal kinematic restraint motion of the socket plate; the profile of the grooves on the inner and outer races and the cage having a curvature to effectively maintain the balls situated substantially in a single torque transmitting plane that bisects the joint angle. The joint effectively transmits the restraining torque to the anti-rotational shaft without vibration. The key on the shaft in turn efficiently transmits the socket plate restraining torque from the shaft to the compressor housing.

Rzeppa joint socket plate torque restraint assembly for a variable

A fluid pumping assembly including a housing and a plurality of pistons disposed parallel relative to one another and supported for reciprocal movement in the housing. The assembly also includes a shaft which is supported by the housing and which has a longitudinal axis. A wobble plate is mounted about the shaft. A drive mechanism is rotatably driven about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and drives the wobble plate through angulartory movement relative to the shaft thereby reciprocating the pistons. The shaft is nonrotatably supported in the housing but is precisely moveable coaxial of its longitudinal axis to predetermined points to adjust the position of the wobble plate thereby precisely varying the displacement of the assembly.

Positive displacement control for a variable displacement compressor

An assembly for enhancing piston stroke control for a variable displacement wobble plate compressor having basic differential gas pressure control includes a non-rotary shaft mounted to provide translational axial movement in the housing of the compressor. A helical compression spring biases the shaft and non-rotary socket plate in an upstroke direction towards full piston stroke operation. The upstroking force provided by the spring acts to compliment the internal refrigerant gas pressure to provide for improved control and stability for piston stroking. The socket plate is driven to nutate by a journal pivotally mounted on a central drive hub. The control assembly further includes a set of ears with outer flats that mate with inner flats on cooperating flanges of the drive hub. Pivot pins extending perpendicular to the direction of piston travel connect the ears of the journal with the flanges of the drive hub. The flanges on the drive hub have kidney slots to assist in controlling the pivoting movement of the journal. The pivoting movement of the journal/socket plate assembly and the biasing action of the spring provides efficient upstroke and destroke control of the compressor pistons.

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East Amherst, NY, United States of America

Robert L Swadner