Variable displacement compressor with three-piece housing

Abstract

A wobble plate compressor including a three-part housing in the form of a front shell-like section, defining a wobble plate mechanism cavity, an intermediate cylinder block section and a rear head section, all of the parts being connected in series such as by elongated cap screws. A blind bore in the first section end cover receives a piston to define an expansible chamber actuator. Passage means are formed in the housing for conducting hydraulic fluid from the housing sump to the inlet of pump means. Hydraulic liquid outlet passage means, providing a flow passage between the front and rear heads, are formed in the housing such that control valve means in the rear head can affect the flow of the liquid or oil from the sump to the expansible chamber, causing the modulating piston to vary the angle of the wobble plate mechanism and thus the pumping capacity of the compressor. A generally spherical guide shoe is mounted in an axial shiftable manner on a guide pin projecting radially from the wobble plate with the spherical shoe slidable between a pair of opposed cylindrical guides whereby a line contact is maintained between the spherical guide shoe and the cylindrical guides to prevent rotation of the wobble plate element while permitting angular movement thereof relative to the drive shaft.