Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Shigeyuki Hidaka

Hiroaki Kayukawa

Kazuya Kimura

Toru Takeichi

Hideki Mizutani

Kenji Takenaka

Masaki Ota

Chuichi Kawamura

Masafumi Ito

Yoshihiro Fujisawa

Hisakazu Kobayashi

Kazushige Murao

Satoshi Koumura

Masahiro Kawaguchi

Ken Suitou

Tetsuhiko Fukanuma

Taku Adaniya

Masanori Sonobe

Takahiro Moroi

Manabu Sugiura

Masaya Nakamura

Osamu Hiramatsu

Masaru Hamasaki

Masaki Ohta

Suguru Hirota

Youichi Okadome

Yoshitami Kondo

Soukichi Hibino

Kenta Nakauchi

A vehicle air conditioner includes a variable displacement compressor forming a part of a coolant circuit, detectors for detecting external information necessary for air conditioning, and a controller. The compressor has pistons and mechanism for actuating the pistons to draw, compress and discharge refrigerant. The piston actuating mechanism is located in a crank chamber. The pressure in the crank chamber is changed to vary the compressor displacement. The controller controls the compressor based on the information from the detectors. When disengaging an electromagnetic clutch, which is located between a vehicle engine and the compressor, the controller quickly decreases the compressor displacement and prevents the pressure difference between the crank chamber and compression chambers excessively increased. Therefore, immediately after being stopped, the compressor is started at the minimum displacement, which minimizes the shock due to load torque change on the engine. Also, the electromagnetic clutch is prevented from malfunctioning.

Vehicle air conditioner

A controller normally supplies current the magnitude of which corresponds to a required cooling performance of a refrigeration circuit to a displacement control valve. As a result the compressor displacement is adjusted in accordance with the required cooling performance (usual displacement control). When a vehicle is quickly accelerated, the controller temporarily eliminates the current value to the control valve to minimize the compressor displacement (displacement limiting control). When the control is switched from the displacement limiting control to the usual In displacement control, the controller changes the current value from zero to a target value, which corresponds to the required cooling performance, taking a predetermined restoration time. For an initial period of the restoration period, the current value is set greater than a corresponding value on a direct proportional line, which represents a constant rate of change from zero to the target value. As a result, the control is smoothly and quickly switched from the displacement limiting control to the usual displacement control.

Displacement control device and displacement control method for variable displacement compressor

A variable displacement compressor compresses gas supplied from an evaporator of an external refrigerant circuit and discharges the compressed gas to the refrigerant circuit. A check valve is located between the compressor suction chamber and the evaporator. The check valve prevents gas flow from the suction chamber to the evaporator. When the compressor is stopped, a displacement control valve increases the pressure in a crank chamber of the compressor to move a swash plate to a minimum inclination position. The pressure in the suction chamber is increased by gas supplied from the crank chamber. Closing the check valve accelerates a pressure increase in the suction chamber. When the pressure in the suction chamber is increased, the control valve limits a further pressure increase in the crank chamber. As a result, the force that decreases the inclination of the swash plate is limited.

Device and method for controlling displacement of variable displacement compressor

A compressor includes a compressing mechanism for compressing refrigerant gas and an oil separator for separating the oil from the gas. The separated oil is used to lubricate the compressor. The compressor has a discharge passage to permit refrigerant gas to flow out of the compressor, a recess located in the discharge passage, a plug press fitted in the recess and a supply passage for returning the separated oil to the compressor. The plug and the recess define a separation chamber having a circular cross-section and an annular chamber. The separation chamber is connected with the annular chamber by an outlet passage formed in the plug. The refrigerant gas swirls along the wall of the separation chamber, which separates the oil from the gas. Since the plug is press fitted in the recess, installation of the plug is facilitated. This structure also prevents the plug from loosening.

Compressor with oil separating structure

A variable displacement compressor including a housing assembly, a drive shaft rotatably supported in the housing assembly, a cam plate provided at a generally center thereof with a through hole, through which the drive shaft extends, and provided in a wall surface of the through hole with a support portion abutted onto the drive shaft to establish a slidable support for the cam plate on the drive shaft, a joint mechanism for connecting the cam plate with the drive shaft to rotate the cam plate together with the drive shaft, a piston engaged with the cam plate to be reciprocated in a cylinder due to a rotation of the cam plate, a control mechanism for changing an inclination of the cam plate on the drive shaft to adjust a compressor displacement, and a friction reducing coating layer for reducing friction force caused between the drive shaft and the support portion of the cam plate during an operation for adjusting the compressor displacement. The friction reducing coating layer is provided on the wall surface of the through hole to lower a coefficient of friction of the support portion.

Variable displacement compressor

Variable displacement swash plate compressor with improved swash plate

A variable capacity refrigerant compressor has a rotating drive shaft, a plurality of single headed pistons reciprocating in respective cylinder bores for sucking, compressing and discharging refrigerant gas, a rotor element mounted on the drive shaft to be rotated with the drive shaft, a swash plate element engaged with the rotor element via a hinge unit and with the pistons via shoes, the swash plate element rotating with the rotor element and reciprocating the pistons. The swash plate changes its angle of inclination to vary the discharge capacity of the compressor, and the maximum angular position of inclination of the swash plate element is limited by an inclination limiting unit formed by a first contacting area formed in the rotor element, and a second contacting area formed in the swash plate so as to come into contact with the first contact area when the swash plate element reaches the maximum angle position of inclination. The second contacting area is formed in a suction actuating region of the swash plate element which is separated from a compression and discharge actuating region of the swash plate with respect to a line of inclination of the swash plate. The hinge unit has an engaging point between the swash plate element and the rotor element which is located in the compression and discharge region of the swash plate element with respect to the line of inclination of the swash plate element.

Single headed piston type variable capacity refrigerant compressor

A refrigerating system for air-conditioning an air-conditioned area, and incorporating therein a variable capacity refrigerant compressor in which the delivery amount of the compressed refrigerant is varied by changing the stroke of the reciprocating pistons which are operatively connected to a swash plate mechanism by changing its angle of inclination in response to a change in the pressure in a crank chamber, a condenser for condensing the compressed gas-phase refrigerant from the compressor, a pressure reducing unit for reducing the pressure of the liquid-phase refrigerant, an evaporator for vaporizing the liquid-phase refrigerant by removing heat from the air, around the evaporator, which cools the air-conditioned area, and a refrigerant supply conduit supplying the crank chamber of the compressor with a part of the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing in a portion of the refrigerant conduit extending from the condenser to the evaporator so that during the minimum capacity operation of the compressor, the compressor is cooled and lubricated by the supplied refrigerant. A flow regulating unit for adjustably regulating the flow of the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant supply conduit is also arranged.

Refrigerating system incorporating therein a variable capacity

An axial multi-piston compressor includes a drive shaft, a cylinder block having cylinder bores formed therein and surrounding the drive shaft, and a plurality of pistons slidably received in the respective cylinder bores, wherein the pistons are successively reciprocated in the cylinder bores by a rotation of the drive shaft so that a suction stroke and a discharge stroke are alternately executed in each of the cylinder bores. During the suction stroke, a fluid is introduced into the cylinder bore, and during the compression stroke, the introduced fluid is compressed and discharged from the cylinder bore such that a residual part of the compressed fluid is inevitably left in the cylinder bore when the compression stroke is finished. The compressor further includes a rotary valve for allowing the residual part of the compressed fluid to escape from the cylinder bore into another cylinder bore governed by the compression stroke.

Axial multi-piston compressor having rotary valve for allowing residual

A variable capacity swash-plate type compressor provided with a suction chamber for refrigerant gas before compression, a discharge chamber for compressed refrigerant gas, a crank chamber for a swash-plate assembly driving reciprocation of compressing pistons in cylinder bores of a cylinder block, a high pressure gas supply passageway fluidly communicating between the discharge chamber and the crank chamber so as to supply the crank chamber with a high pressure gas, a flow choke arranged adjacent to the high pressure gas supply passageway so as to regulate the pressure and flow rate of the high pressure gas flowing through the gas supply passageway, and a control valve unit for controlling extraction of the high pressure gas from the crank chamber toward the suction chamber in response to a refrigerating load. The high pressure gas supply passageway is formed in the cylinder block, and the flow choke is provided in a discharge valve assembly including a valve plate, a discharge valve element, and a valve retainer.

Variable capacity swash-plate type compressor with an improved capacity

A piston, swash plate compressor has a rotary valve that rotates integrally with a main drive shaft. A chamber is provided, separated from the piston bores by a partition. Valved ports are formed in the partition. One end of the rotary valve contacts the partition. Compressed gas biases the rotary valve against the partition to improve sealing and thus, efficiency.

Gas suction structure in piston type compressor

A piston type compressor compresses gas with a plurality of pistons reciprocated in a casing in accordance with the rotation of a drive shaft supported in the casing. The compressor comprises a plurality of casing components disposed along an axis of the drive shaft and mated with one another for forming the casing. A mechanism suppresses bending moment generated in one of the casing components when the casing components are fastened along a direction parallel to the axis of the drive shaft.

Piston type compressor

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a cylinder block having formed therein a plurality of cylinder bores in which a plurality of pistons are reciprocated to effect suction, compression and discharge of refrigerant gas in response to rotation of a drive shaft, a rotary valve element connected to the drive shaft to be rotated together with the drive shaft within a recessed chamber formed in the cylinder block, the valve element having an outer circumference in sliding contact with the inner wall of the recessed chamber and a suction passageway for sequentially introducing the refrigerant gas before compression into the plurality of cylinder bores during the rotation of the rotary valve element. A sealing mechanism is provided between opposite ends of the outer circumference of the rotary valve element and the inner wall of the recessed chamber to prevent the compressed refrigerant gas from leaking from the contact area of the rotary valve element and the inner wall of the recessed chamber toward a low pressure region of the compressor during rotation of the rotary valve element.

Reciprocating-piston type refrigerant compressor with an improved

An axial multi-piston compressor includes a drive shaft, a cylinder block having cylinder bores formed therein and surrounding the drive shaft, and a plurality of pistons slidably received in the respective cylinder bores, wherein the pistons are successively reciprocated in the cylinder bores by a rotation of the drive shaft so that a suction stroke and a discharge stroke are alternately executed in each of the cylinder bores. During the suction stroke, a fluid is introduced into the cylinder bore concerned, and during the compression stroke, the introduced fluid is compressed and discharged from the cylinder bore concerned, such that a residual part of the compressed fluid is inevitably left in the cylinder bore concerned when the compression stroke is finished. The compressor further includes a rotary valve for allowing the residual part of the compressed fluid to escape from the cylinder bore concerned into two other cylinder bores disposed adjacent to each other and subjected to the compression stroke.

A reciprocating-piston-type refrigerant compressor provided with a cylinder block having formed therein a plurality of cylinder bores in which a plurality of pistons are reciprocated to effect suction, compression and discharge of refrigerant gas in response to rotation of a drive shaft, a rotary valve element connected to the drive shaft to be rotated together with the drive shaft within a recessed chamber formed in the cylinder block, the valve element having a suction passageway for sequentially introducing the refrigerant gas before compression of the plurality of cylinder bores during the rotation of the rotary valve element, gas receiving grooves formed in the inner wall of the recessed chamber for receiving a part of the compressed refrigerant gas leaking from respective cylinder bores in the phase of the compressing and discharging operations into a contacting area between the inner wall of the recessed chamber and the rotary valve element, and a gas routing passageway formed in the rotary valve element so as to route the compressed refrigerant gas received by the gas receiving grooves into respective cylinder bores in the phase of the initial stage of the compressing operation.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Shigeyuki Hidaka