Patent ID: 6368069
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: F04B

Abstract:
A variable displacement compressor comprising:a housing, which defines a crank chamber, a suction chamber and a discharge chamber; a drive shaft rotatably supported in the housing; a plurality of cylinder bores formed in the housing, wherein each cylinder bore is arranged on a circle, the center of which is the axis of the drive shaft; a plurality of pistons, each piston being accommodated in one of cylinder bores; a drive plate coupled to the pistons for converting rotation of the drive shaft to reciprocation of the pistons, wherein the drive plate inclines and slides axially along the drive shaft, which varies the piston stroke to change the displacement of the compressor; a control valve for controlling the pressure in the crank chamber to change the inclination of the drive plate, wherein the control valve includes a valve body and an electric drive means for applying force to the valve body corresponding to the value of an electric current fed to the electric drive means; a rotor mounted on the drive shaft to rotate integrally with the drive shaft, wherein the rotor includes a receiving portion, which is a peripheral portion of the rotor; a hinge mechanism located between the rotor and the drive plate for rotating the drive plate integrally with the rotor and for guiding the motion of the drive plate, wherein the hinge mechanism has a guide pin and a support arm, the guide pin extends from the drive plate, the support arm has a guide hole for receiving a distal end portion of the guide pin, and the distal end portion of the guide pin is radially inward of the receiving portion, and wherein the support arm joins the rotor at a location radially inward of the receiving portion; and a thrust bearing located between the receiving portion of the rotor and the housing, the thrust bearing receiving a resultant force from the pistons through the drive plate and the hinge mechanism, wherein an effective reception radius, which is defined by an outermost load-bearing point of the thrust bearing, is greater than the distance from the axis of the drive shaft to the axis of any one of the pistons, the outermost load-bearing point being located radially outward of the distal end portion of the guide pin, and wherein the distance from the axis of the drive shaft to an innermost load-bearing point of the thrust bearing is smaller than the distance from the axis of the drive shaft to the axis of any one of the pistons.