Patent ID: 6352416
Filing Date: 2002-03-05
Classification: F04B

Abstract:
A compressor for compressing gas supplied from an evaporator of an external refrigerant circuit and for discharging the compressed gas to the external refrigerant circuit, the compressor comprising:a housing; a cylinder bore defined in the housing; a crank chamber defined in the housing; a suction chamber defined in the housing, the suction chamber being connected to the outlet of the evaporator, wherein gas is constantly released from the crank chamber to the suction chamber; a piston accommodated in the cylinder bore, wherein the piston compresses gas drawn into the cylinder bore from the suction chamber and discharges the compressed gas from the cylinder bore; a drive shaft supported by the housing; a drive plate coupled to the piston to convert rotation of the drive shaft into reciprocation of the piston, wherein the drive plate is supported by the drive shaft to incline relative to the drive shaft and is moved between a maximum inclination position and a minimum inclination position in response to a tilt moment acting on the drive plate, wherein the tilt moment has components including a moment based on the pressure in the crank chamber and a moment based on the pressure in the cylinder bore, and wherein the inclination of the drive plate defines the stroke of the piston and the displacement of the compressor; a control valve, wherein the control valve controls the pressure in the crank chamber to change the inclination of the drive plate, and wherein the control valve is actuated based on an external command; and a check valve located between the suction chamber and the evaporator, wherein the check valve is closed based on the pressure difference between the suction chamber and the outlet of the evaporator to prevent gas from flowing from the suction chamber to the evaporator.