Abstract: A compressor has an internal refrigerant gas passage selectively connected to and disconnected with an external refrigerant circuit separately provided from the compressor. The compressor has a plurality of pistons reciprocable in a plurality of cylinder bores in a housing for compressing gas. The compressor comprises a drive shaft rotatably supported by the housing. A swash plate is supported on the drive shaft for integral rotation with inclining motion with respect to the drive shaft. The swash plate is movable between a maximum inclined angle and a minimum inclined angle. A rotary valve is disposed in the middle of the internal refrigerant gas passage for synchronously rotating with the drive shaft. The rotary valve has a refrigerant supply passage for sequentially supplying the refrigerant gas in the internal refrigerant gas passage to each cylinder bore.

Abstract: In a housing, a rotor is secured to a drive shaft, and a sleeve is supported movably on the drive shaft. A rotary swash plate is tiltably supported on the sleeve and is coupled to the rotor. Coupled to the rotary swash plate are pistons which move in the respective bores. A refrigerant is supplied to each bore from a suction chamber, and the refrigerant compressed by each piston is discharged from the bores to a discharge chamber. A control valve controls the difference between the pressure in the suction chamber and the pressure in a crank chamber to change the inclination angle of the rotary swash plate, so that the discharge displacement of a compressor becomes variable. In the housing, a spool is slidably provided while enclosing the drive shaft. With the spool advancing into the crank chamber, (when the sleeve engages with the spool,) shifting of the rotary swash plate is restricted to the position that sets the discharge displacement of the discharge chamber to a predetermined restricted displacement.

Abstract: A variable capacity type swash plate compressor includes a novel hinge means. The hinge means includes a supporter arm, a main guide pin, and an auxiliary guide pin. The supporter arm is disposed on the rotor projectably therefrom toward the swinging swash plate, and has a main guide hole extending perpendicularly with the driving shaft. The main guide pin is inserted rotatably into the main guide hole. The auxiliary guide pin is inserted slidably into a hole, formed in one of the main guide pin and the swinging swash plate, perpendicularly with the main guide pin at one end, and it is fixed to another one of the main guide pin and the swinging swash plate at the other end. With the hinge means, the top clearances of the pistons can be always maintained virtually uniformly, and the moments resulting from the compression reactive forces can be inhibited from interfering with the discharge capacity control. Additionally, the compressor can attain the reduction in the manufacturing costs.

Abstract: An improved piston guiding mechanism for use in piston a type compressor is disclosed. The compressor includes a housing. A cylinder block having a bore is accommodated in the housing. A piston reciprocates within the cylinder bore. A refrigerant gas containing lubricant oil is sucked into the cylinder bore from outside, is compressed within the cylinder bore, and is discharged out of the compressor in accordance with reciprocating motion of the piston. A hollow section extends radially from the central portion to the peripheral surface of the piston, and opens to the peripheral surface. The hollow section moves between the interior of the housing and the cylinder bore in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the piston, and transfers the lubricant oil in the refrigerant gas from inside of the housing to the cylinder bore.