Compressor

Abstract

To provide a compressor for compressing refrigerant while suppressing the sticking of a discharge valve to a valve retainer.SOLUTION: A swash plate compressor 1 includes: a suction chamber 51 into which refrigerant is sucked; a compression mechanism for compressing the refrigerant in the section chamber 51; a discharge chamber 53 from which the refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism is discharged; a reed valve type discharge valve 61 arranged on the exit side of a discharge hole 7B which communicates the compression mechanism and the discharge chamber 53; and a valve retainer 63 for, when the discharge valve 61 is opened, restricting the opening degree thereof with the discharge valve 61 abutting thereon. On at least part of the edge of the abutment face of the valve retainer 63 abutting on the discharge valve 61, a non-abutment part 63C is formed to avoid the abutment on the discharge valve 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressor that compresses a refrigerant. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in JP-A-2005-508480 (Patent Document 1), a compressor that compresses a refrigerant has a reed valve-type discharge valve that opens and closes a discharge hole of a compression mechanism, and a valve retainer that limits the opening degree (deflection amount) of the discharge valve. When the discharge valve opens, the valve retainer comes into contact with the entire surface of the discharge valve to limit the opening degree, improving, for example, the closing characteristic when the discharge valve changes from an open state to a closed state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2005-508480 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional compressors, the valve retainer receives the entire surface of the discharge valve to limit its opening, and so for some reason the discharge valve may stick to the valve retainer, causing a delay in changing from an open state to a closed state. If a delay occurs in changing from an open state to a closed state, for example, refrigerant may flow back from the discharge chamber to the compression mechanism, resulting in a decrease in performance due to re-expansion in the compression mechanism. In addition, since the discharge valve closes after the pressure difference between the discharge hole and the discharge chamber of the compression mechanism becomes small, for example, the speed at which the discharge valve closes may increase, and as a result, the collision energy when the discharge valve abuts against the valve seat may increase, leading to wear on the valve seat.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a compressor in which sticking of a discharge valve to a valve retainer is suppressed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The compressor has a suction chamber into which a refrigerant is drawn, a compression mechanism that compresses the refrigerant in the suction chamber, a discharge chamber from which the refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism is discharged, a reed valve-type discharge valve arranged on the outlet side of a discharge hole that communicates between the compression mechanism and the discharge chamber, and a valve retainer against which the discharge valve abuts when the discharge valve opens to limit the opening degree of the discharge valve. A non-abutment portion is formed on at least a part of the edge of the abutment surface of the valve retainer that abuts against the discharge valve to avoid abutment with the discharge valve. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, in a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, sticking of a discharge valve to a valve retainer can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a swash plate compressor. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a valve retainer in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of an example of a valve retainer in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a contact surface of a valve retainer in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the valve retainer in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a valve retainer in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the valve retainer in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a valve retainer in a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a first modified example of the valve retainer in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion showing a first modified example of a valve retainer in the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a second modified example of the valve retainer in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion showing a second modified example of the valve retainer in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 shows an example of a swash plate compressor 1, which is an example of a compressor to which the present embodiment can be applied. The swash plate compressor 1 is incorporated, for example, in a refrigerant circulation circuit of an air conditioning system of a vehicle (not shown), sucks in and compresses refrigerant from the low pressure side of the refrigerant circulation circuit, and discharges the compressed refrigerant to the high pressure side of the refrigerant circulation circuit.

[0010] The swash plate compressor 1 has a cylinder block 3 in which a plurality of cylinder bores 3A are formed, a front housing 5 joined to one axial end of the cylinder block 3, and a cylinder head 9 joined to the other axial end of the cylinder block 3 via a valve plate 7.

[0011] A crank chamber 11 is formed by the cylinder block 3 and the front housing 5, and a drive shaft 13 is disposed so as to penetrate the interior of the crank chamber 11 in the axial direction. A disk-shaped swash plate 15 is disposed inside the crank chamber 11. A through hole 15A is formed in the center of the swash plate 15, and the drive shaft 13 penetrates the through hole 15A of the swash plate 15. The swash plate 15 is connected to a disk-shaped rotor 17 fixed integrally to the drive shaft 13 via a link mechanism 19. The crank chamber 11 constitutes a control pressure chamber that changes the state of a compression mechanism including a cylinder bore 3A of the cylinder block 3, a piston 47 (described later), and the swash plate 15 in accordance with the internal pressure.

[0012] The link mechanism 19 includes a first arm 17A protruding from the rotor 17, a second arm 15B protruding from the swash plate 15, and a link arm 21 connecting a tip of the first arm 17A to a tip of the second arm 15B. One end of the link arm 21 is connected to the first arm 17A via a first connecting pin 23 so as to be relatively rotatable. The other end of the link arm 21 is connected to the second arm 15B via a second connecting pin 25 so as to be relatively rotatable. Therefore, the swash plate 15 rotates integrally with the drive shaft 13 by the link mechanism 19, and is configured so that the inclination angle of the swash plate 15 can be changed along the axial direction of the drive shaft 13.

[0013] The through hole 15A of the swash plate 15 is formed in a shape that allows the swash plate 15 to tilt in a range between a minimum inclination angle and a maximum inclination angle. Specifically, a minimum inclination angle restricting portion is formed in the through hole 15A, which restricts the inclination angle displacement (tilting) of the swash plate 15 in a direction to reduce the inclination angle by abutting against the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 13. Also, a maximum inclination angle restricting portion is formed in the through hole 15A, which restricts the tilting of the swash plate 15 in a direction to increase the inclination angle by abutting against the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 13. Therefore, the swash plate 15 can freely tilt with respect to the axial direction of the drive shaft 13 between a minimum inclination angle restricted by the minimum inclination angle restricting portion and a maximum inclination angle restricted by the maximum inclination angle restricting portion.

[0014] A tilt angle reducing spring 27 that urges the swash plate 15 in a direction to decrease the tilt angle and a tilt angle increasing spring 29 that urges the swash plate 15 in a direction to increase the tilt angle are disposed on the drive shaft 13 at positions between the swash plate 15 and the drive shaft 13. Specifically, the tilt angle decreasing spring 27 is disposed between the swash plate 15 and the rotor 17, and the tilt angle increasing spring 29 is disposed between the swash plate 15 and a disk-shaped spring support member 31 fixed or formed on the drive shaft 13.

[0015] Here, the biasing force of the inclination angle increasing spring 29 is set to be larger than the biasing force of the inclination angle decreasing spring 27 when the inclination angle of the swash plate 15 is at the minimum inclination angle. Therefore, when the drive shaft 13 is not rotating, i.e., when the swash plate compressor 1 is stopped, the swash plate 15 is positioned at an inclination angle (>minimum inclination angle) where the biasing force of the inclination angle decreasing spring 27 and the biasing force of the inclination angle increasing spring 29 are balanced. The inclination angle where the biasing force of the inclination angle decreasing spring 27 and the biasing force of the inclination angle increasing spring 29 are balanced is set as a minimum inclination angle range where the compression operation by the piston 47 described later is ensured. For example, if the inclination angle when the swash plate 15 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 13 is set to 0 degree (minimum inclination angle), it can be set in the range of 1 to 3 degrees.

[0016] One end of the drive shaft 13 penetrates the cylindrical boss portion 5A of the front housing 5, extends outward, and is connected via an electromagnetic clutch 33 to a pulley 35 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the boss portion 5A so as to be rotatable relative to the outer circumferential surface of the boss portion 5A. The drive shaft 13 and rotor 17 are supported in the radial direction by bearings 37 and 39, and in the thrust direction by a bearing 41 and a thrust plate 43. The distance between the other end of the drive shaft 13 and the thrust plate 43 is adjusted by an adjustment screw 45 so as to provide a predetermined gap.

[0017] When the electromagnetic clutch 33 is operated while a rotational driving force from an electric motor or an engine (not shown) is being transmitted to the pulley 35, the pulley 35 and the drive shaft 13 are connected to each other, and the drive shaft 13 is rotated. When the electromagnetic clutch 33 is stopped, the pulley 35 and the drive shaft 13 are separated from each other, and the swash plate compressor 1 can be stopped.

[0018] The swash plate compressor 1 has pistons 47 in the same number as the multiple cylinder bores 3A formed in the cylinder block 3. Each piston 47 has a piston body 47A arranged axially movably relative to the cylinder bore 3A, and an extension portion 47B extending axially from the piston body 47A toward the inside of the crank chamber 11.

[0019] An accommodating portion 47C capable of accommodating a pair of shoes 49 arranged on either side of the periphery of the swash plate 15 is formed in the extension portion 47B of the piston 47. That is, the piston 47 is connected to the swash plate 15 via the pair of shoes 49 arranged on either side of the periphery of the swash plate 15. Therefore, the piston 47 reciprocates in the cylinder bore 3A of the cylinder block 3 as the swash plate 15 rotates.

[0020] The cylinder head 9 is formed with a suction chamber 51 disposed at the center and a plurality of discharge chambers 53 disposed so as to surround the suction chamber 51 in an annular shape. The suction chamber 51 communicates with each cylinder bore 3A of the cylinder block 3 through a suction hole 7A and a suction valve (not shown) formed in the valve plate 7. The discharge chamber 53 communicates with each cylinder bore 3A of the cylinder block 3 through a plurality of discharge holes 7B formed in the valve plate 7 and a discharge valve 61 of a reed valve type attached to the back surface of the valve plate 7 facing the discharge chamber 53. In addition to the discharge valve 61, a valve retainer 63 that limits the opening degree (deflection amount) of the discharge valve 61 is attached to the back surface of the valve plate 7 facing the discharge chamber 53. The discharge valve 61 and the valve retainer 63 will be described in detail later.

[0021] Here, the front housing 5, cylinder block 3, valve plate 7, cylinder head 9, etc. are fastened to each other by a plurality of through bolts 55, with gaskets (not shown) being placed between each component as necessary, to form the compressor housing.

[0022] 1, the cylinder head 9 is provided with a suction passage that communicates the low pressure side of the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning system with the suction chamber 51, and a discharge passage that communicates the high pressure side of the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning system with the discharge chamber 53. The cylinder head 9 is also provided with a check valve (not shown) that opens and closes the discharge passage. This check valve operates in response to the pressure difference between the pressure in the discharge chamber 53 upstream and the pressure in the discharge passage downstream, closing the discharge passage when this pressure difference is smaller than a predetermined value and opening the discharge passage when this pressure difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

[0023] A cylindrical capacity control valve 65 is attached to a predetermined position of the cylinder head 9 to adjust the opening of the pressure supply passage 57 that communicates the discharge chamber 53 and the crank chamber 11. The capacity control valve 65 adjusts the opening of the pressure supply passage 57 to increase or decrease the flow rate of the high-pressure refrigerant supplied from the discharge chamber 53 to the crank chamber 11, thereby changing the internal pressure of the crank chamber 11 to control the discharge capacity of the refrigerant. The refrigerant present inside the crank chamber 11 flows into the suction chamber 51 through the communication passage 3B and the space 3C formed in the cylinder block 3, and a pressure release passage 59 formed by an orifice (not shown) formed in the valve plate 7. Therefore, by changing the internal pressure of the crank chamber 11 with the capacity control valve 65, the inclination angle of the swash plate 15, i.e., the stroke of the piston 47, can be changed to variably control the discharge capacity of the swash plate compressor 1.

[0024] Next, the operation of the swash plate compressor 1 will be described. When the electromagnetic clutch 33 is operated while the rotational driving force of the electric motor, the engine, or the like is being transmitted to the pulley 35, the pulley 35 and the drive shaft 13 are connected via the electromagnetic clutch 33, and the drive shaft 13 starts to rotate. When the drive shaft 13 starts to rotate, the swash plate 15 connected to the rotor 17 via the rotor 17 and the link mechanism 19, which are integrated with the drive shaft 13, also starts to rotate. As described above, while the swash plate compressor 1 is stopped, the swash plate 15 is in the minimum inclination angle range where the compression action of the pistons 47 is ensured, so that the pistons 47 connected to the swash plate 15 reciprocate within the cylinder bores 3A of the cylinder block 3. When the pistons 47 move to the front side (the swash plate 15 side in FIG. 1), the volume of the compression chambers partitioned by the pistons 47, the cylinder bores 3A, and the valve plate 7 increases and becomes negative pressure, and low-pressure refrigerant is introduced into the suction chamber 51 from the low-pressure side of the refrigerant circulation circuit through the suction passage. The low-pressure refrigerant introduced into the suction chamber 51 is sucked into the compression chamber through the suction hole 7A and the suction valve formed in the valve plate 7. When the piston 47 moves to the rear side (toward the cylinder head 9 in FIG. 1), the volume of the compression chamber decreases and the pressure becomes positive, and the high-pressure refrigerant present in the compression chamber is discharged into the discharge chamber 53 through the discharge hole 7B and the discharge valve 61 formed in the valve plate 7.

[0025] Most or all of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged to the discharge chamber 53 is separated into lubricating oil and high-pressure refrigerant by an oil separator (not shown) attached to the cylinder head 9. The high-pressure refrigerant separated by the oil separator is discharged to the high-pressure side of the refrigerant circulation circuit through a discharge passage. The lubricating oil separated by the oil separator is returned to the lower part of the crank chamber 11 through a lubricating oil passage (not shown). In addition, a part of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged to the discharge chamber 53 is supplied to the capacity control valve 65 through a pressure supply passage 57 that communicates between the discharge chamber 53 and the crank chamber 11. The high-pressure refrigerant supplied to the capacity control valve 65 passes through filters (not shown) arranged around the multiple inlet ports of the capacity control valve 65 to capture foreign matter, and then flows into the inside of the capacity control valve 65 from the multiple inlet ports.

[0026] The capacity control valve 65 adjusts the flow rate of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing in from the multiple inlet ports by increasing or decreasing the opening of the internal passage in response to an external actuation signal, and discharges the high-pressure refrigerant from the multiple discharge ports. At this time, the capacity control valve 65 senses the internal pressure of the suction chamber 51 and changes the lift amount of the valve body to automatically adjust the internal pressure of the crank chamber 11 so that the internal pressure of the suction chamber 51 is constant. After foreign matter is captured by filters (not shown) arranged around the multiple discharge ports, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the multiple discharge ports flows into the pressure supply passage 57 located downstream of the capacity control valve 65 and is supplied to the crank chamber 11.

[0027] When the supply of high-pressure refrigerant to the crank chamber 11 is cut off, the internal pressure of the crank chamber 11 decreases, increasing the inclination angle of the swash plate 15. When the inclination angle of the swash plate 15 increases, the stroke of the pistons 47 connected to the swash plate 15 via the link mechanism 19 increases, and the discharge capacity from the compression chambers also increases. As a result, the flow rate of high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compression chambers to the discharge chamber 53 increases, and the flow rate of high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the swash plate compressor 1 to the high-pressure side of the refrigerant circulation circuit also increases.

[0028] As described above, the discharge valve 61 that opens and closes the discharge hole 7B formed in the valve plate 7 is limited in opening by the valve retainer 63. That is, when the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the compression chamber and the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 becomes larger than a predetermined pressure difference, the discharge valve 61 opens and its entire surface abuts against the valve retainer 63, limiting the opening. When the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the compression chamber and the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined pressure difference, the discharge valve 61 changes from an open state, in which the opening is limited, to a closed state due to its own elasticity. At this time, if the discharge valve 61 is stuck to the valve retainer 63 for some reason, the discharge valve 61 does not immediately change from the open state to the closed state even when the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the compression chamber and the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined pressure difference, causing a delay in closing the discharge valve 61. If a delay in closing the discharge valve 61 occurs, high-pressure refrigerant will flow back from the discharge chamber 53 to the compression chamber, resulting in a decrease in performance, or the collision energy when the discharge valve 61 seats on the valve seat of the valve plate 7 will increase, resulting in wear on the valve seat and increased vibration.

[0029] Therefore, by devising a structure for the valve retainer 63 that limits the opening degree of the discharge valve 61, the sticking of the discharge valve 61 to the valve retainer 63 is suppressed, as in the first to third embodiments described below.

[0030] <<First embodiment>> As shown in FIG. 2, the valve retainer 63 is fixed concentrically to the back surface of the valve plate 7 facing the discharge chamber 53 by bolts (not shown). The valve retainer 63 includes a disk-shaped fixed portion 63A fixed to the back surface of the valve plate 7 and a plurality of extended portions 63B extending from the periphery of the fixed portion 63A toward each discharge hole 7B of the valve plate 7. Each extended portion 63B is made of a material having the same plate thickness as the fixed portion 63A, and its tip portion is formed in a shape following the tip portion of the discharge valve 61 arranged on the outlet side of the discharge hole 7B. In addition, each extended portion 63B is formed in a curved shape that gradually moves away from the back surface of the valve plate 7 in a side view. Here, the curved shape of the extended portion 63B can be a shape following the back surface of the discharge valve 61 facing the discharge chamber 53 when the discharge valve 61 is opened to a predetermined opening degree.

[0031] 3, a non-contact portion 63C is formed on at least a part of the edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer 63 that contacts the discharge valve 61, that is, on at least a part of the edge of the contact surface that contacts the discharge valve 61 on the front surface of the extension portion 63B facing the discharge valve 61, to avoid contact with the discharge valve 61. Specifically, the non-contact portion 63C is formed in a shape in which a corner located on the edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer 63 is cut out. Therefore, the extension portion 63B of the valve retainer 63 has the non-contact portion 63C that does not contact the edge of the discharge valve 61, as shown in FIG. 4. The shaded area in FIG. 4 indicates the range in which the valve retainer 63 contacts the discharge valve 61.

[0032] In this way, the following effects can be achieved. In the open state where the discharge valve 61 abuts against the valve retainer 63, it is considered that the edge of the discharge valve 61 is particularly likely to stick to the valve retainer 63. Therefore, by forming a non-abutment portion 63C on at least a part of the edge of the abutment surface of the valve retainer 63 that abuts against the discharge valve 61, direct abutment with the edge of the discharge valve 61 is avoided, and the discharge valve 61 is easily separated from the valve retainer 63. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the sticking of the discharge valve 61 to the valve retainer 63. Then, there is no delay in the change of the discharge valve 61 from the open state to the closed state, and it is possible to prevent, for example, a backflow of the refrigerant from the discharge chamber 53 to the compression mechanism, which causes a decrease in performance due to re-expansion in the compression mechanism. In addition, since the discharge valve 61 closes when the pressure difference between the compression chamber and the discharge chamber 53 is large, the elastic force of the discharge valve 61 returning to the closed state is weakened by the internal pressure of the compression chamber, and it is possible to prevent the speed at which the discharge valve 61 closes from becoming faster than necessary. Therefore, the impact energy when the discharge valve 61 abuts against the valve seat is reduced, which prevents the valve seat from being worn down and the vibration and noise from increasing.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 5, the valve retainer 63 may be integrated with a metal gasket 67 disposed between the valve plate 7 and the cylinder head 9. In the following description, it will be referred to as a "valve retainer 69" to avoid confusion with the valve retainer 63 shown in Figs. 2 to 4 (different reference symbols will be used for the valve retainers in other embodiments as well).

[0034] The gasket 67 is integrally formed with the valve retainer 69 by expanding a portion of the gasket 67 facing the discharge valve 61 arranged on the back surface of the valve plate 7 in a direction away from the valve plate 7. The front surface of the valve retainer 69 facing the discharge valve 61 can be shaped to conform to the back surface of the discharge valve 61 facing the discharge chamber 53 when the discharge valve 61 is opened to a predetermined opening degree. In addition, the valve retainer 69 integrated with the gasket 67 is formed with at least one through hole 69A through which the high-pressure refrigerant passes so that the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the discharge hole 7B of the valve plate 7 through the discharge valve 61 can be discharged to the discharge chamber 53. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 69A of the valve retainer 69 is arranged at a position facing the tip of the discharge valve 61 and on both sides in the direction in which the discharge valve 61 extends, but this is not limited thereto.

[0035] A non-contact portion 69B that avoids contact with the discharge valve 61 is formed on at least a part of the edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer 69 that contacts the discharge valve 61. Specifically, the edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer 69, which is located on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the discharge valve 61, is further expanded in a direction away from the valve plate 7 to form the non-contact portion 69B. The non-contact portion 69B starts from the edge of the through hole 69A facing the tip end of the discharge valve 61 and extends along the edge of the discharge valve 61 to at least the base end of the contact surface. In this way, the valve retainer 69 has the non-contact portion 69B that does not contact the edge of the discharge valve 61.

[0036] 2 to 4, by forming a non-contact portion 69B on at least a part of the edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer 69 that contacts the discharge valve 61, direct contact with the edge of the discharge valve 61 is avoided, and the discharge valve 61 can be easily separated from the valve retainer 69. This makes it possible to prevent the discharge valve 61 from sticking to the valve retainer 69. Note that other actions and effects are similar to those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. Please refer to the description of the first embodiment if necessary (same below).

[0037] <<Second embodiment>> As shown in FIG. 6, the valve retainer 71 is fixed concentrically to the back surface of the valve plate 7 facing the discharge chamber 53 by bolts (not shown) in the same manner as the valve retainer 63 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The valve retainer 71 includes a disk-shaped fixed portion 71A fixed to the back surface of the valve plate 7, and a plurality of extended portions 71B extending from the periphery of the fixed portion 71A toward each discharge hole 7B of the valve plate 7. Each extended portion 71B is made of a member having the same plate thickness as the fixed portion 71A, and its tip portion is formed in a shape following the tip portion of the discharge valve 61 arranged on the outlet side of the discharge hole 7B. In addition, each extended portion 71B is formed in a curved shape that gradually moves away from the back surface of the valve plate 7 in a side view. Here, the curved shape of the extended portion 71B can be a shape following the back surface of the discharge valve 61 facing the discharge chamber 53 when the discharge valve 61 is opened to a predetermined opening degree.

[0038] The contact surface of the valve retainer 71 that contacts the discharge valve 61 is configured to reduce the contact area with the discharge valve 61. Specifically, at least one hole 71C penetrating the plate surface is formed at the tip of the extension portion 71B of the valve retainer 71, where the tip of the extension portion 71B contacts the tip of the discharge valve 61. In the illustrated example, one hole 71C is formed at the tip of the extension portion 71B, but the number of holes may be multiple. Therefore, the extension portion 71B of the valve retainer 71 has at least one hole 71C penetrating the plate surface.

[0039] In this way, by forming at least one hole 71C on the contact surface of the valve retainer 71 that contacts the discharge valve 61, the contact area with the discharge valve 61 at that portion is smaller than when the valve retainer 71 does not have the hole 71C, and the discharge valve 61 is more easily separated from the valve retainer 71. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the discharge valve 61 from sticking to the valve retainer 71. Furthermore, with this configuration, the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 acts on the back surface of the discharge valve 61 via the at least one hole 71C, so that the elastic force when the discharge valve 61 separates from the valve retainer 71 can be supported.

[0040] Instead of the at least one hole 71C, at least one recess (not shown) recessed by a predetermined dimension from (not penetrating) the front surface facing the discharge valve 61 may be formed at the tip of the extension portion 71B of the valve retainer 71. Even in this case, it is possible to achieve the same effect as the valve retainer 71 shown in FIG. 6, except for the effect due to the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 acting on the back surface of the discharge valve 61.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 7, the valve retainer 73 may be integrated with the metal gasket 67 disposed between the valve plate 7 and the cylinder head 9, similar to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0042] The gasket 67 is integrally formed with the valve retainer 73 by expanding a portion of the gasket 67 facing the discharge valve 61 arranged on the back surface of the valve plate 7 in a direction away from the valve plate 7. The front surface of the valve retainer 73 facing the discharge valve 61 can be shaped to conform to the back surface of the discharge valve 61 facing the discharge chamber 53 when the discharge valve 61 is opened to a predetermined opening degree. The valve retainer 73 integrated with the gasket 67 is formed with a through hole 73A through which the high-pressure refrigerant passes so that the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the discharge hole 7B of the valve plate 7 via the discharge valve 61 can be discharged to the discharge chamber 53. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the through hole 73A of the valve retainer 73 is arranged at a position facing the tip of the discharge valve 61 and on both sides in the direction in which the discharge valve 61 extends, but is not limited thereto.

[0043] At least one hole 73B is formed in the contact surface of the valve retainer 73 that contacts the discharge valve 61, reducing the contact area with the discharge valve 61. Instead of forming at least one hole 73B in the contact surface of the valve retainer 73, at least one protrusion (not shown) extending in a direction away from the valve plate 7 may be formed in the contact surface of the valve retainer 71.

[0044] 6, the contact area between the discharge valve 61 and the valve retainer 73 is reduced at a portion where at least one hole 73B or protrusion is formed, and the discharge valve 61 is easily separated from the valve retainer 73. This makes it possible to prevent the discharge valve 61 from sticking to the valve retainer 73. In addition, in a configuration in which at least one hole 73B is formed in the valve retainer 73, the internal pressure of the discharge chamber 53 acts on the back surface of the discharge valve 61 through the at least one hole 73B, and therefore it is possible to support the elastic force when the discharge valve 61 separates from the valve retainer 73. Note that other actions and effects are similar to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] In the first and second embodiments, the front and back surfaces of the valve retainers 63, 69, 71, and 73 may be coated with rubber. This improves the airtightness between the discharge valve 61 and the valve retainer, and absorbs the impact energy generated when the discharge valve 61 closes, reducing vibration and noise.

[0046] <<Third embodiment>> As shown in FIG. 8, the valve retainer 75 is integrated with a metal gasket 67 arranged between the valve plate 7 and the cylinder head 9, similar to the valve retainer 69 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5. The valve retainer 75 is integrally formed by expanding a portion of the gasket 67 facing the discharge valve 61 arranged on the back surface of the valve plate 7 in a direction away from the valve plate 7. The front surface of the valve retainer 75 facing the discharge valve 61 can be shaped to conform to the back surface of the discharge valve 61 facing the discharge chamber 53 when the discharge valve 61 is opened to a predetermined opening degree. In addition, the valve retainer 75 integrated with the gasket 67 is formed with a through hole 75A through which the high-pressure refrigerant passes so that the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the discharge hole 7B of the valve plate 7 via the discharge valve 61 can be discharged to the discharge chamber 53. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the through holes 75A of the valve retainer 75 are disposed at a position facing the tip end of the discharge valve 61 and on both sides in the direction in which the discharge valve 61 extends, but this is not limiting.

[0047] Furthermore, the front and back surfaces of the valve retainer 75 are coated with rubber 77. Coating the front surface of the valve retainer 75 with rubber 77 improves the airtightness between the discharge valve 61 and the valve retainer 75, and absorbs the collision energy when the discharge valve 61 closes, thereby reducing vibration and noise.

[0048] In the valve retainer 75, at least the rubber 77 coated on the front surface of the valve retainer 75, on which the discharge valve 61 abuts, is peeled off at a plurality of locations to form peeled off portions 75B, forming a rough abutment surface. In this manner, as in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the contact area between the valve retainer 75 and the discharge valve 61 is reduced, making it easier for the discharge valve 61 to separate from the valve retainer 75. This makes it possible to prevent the discharge valve 61 from sticking to the valve retainer 75.

[0049] In order to roughen the contact surface of the rubber 77 coated on the valve retainer 75, instead of peeling off the rubber 77 at a number of points, the rubber 77 may be recessed into a cone shape at a number of points to form recesses 75C as shown in FIG. 9. Specifically, a pin-shaped tool, for example, is pressed against the contact surface of the valve retainer 75 coated with the rubber 77 to form a through hole of about 0.3 mm. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the plate surface of the valve retainer 75 is formed with recesses 75C whose diameter gradually decreases from the front surface to the rear surface. The inner surface of the recesses 75C is covered with the rubber 77 because the front surface of the valve retainer 75 is coated with the rubber 77. In this case, it does not matter whether the tip of the recesses 75C is open or not. The action and effect of such a configuration are the same as those of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] In addition, in order to form the contact surface of the rubber 77 coated on the valve retainer 75 into a rough surface, as shown in FIG. 11, recesses 75D may be formed by recessing a plurality of portions into a triangular pyramid shape, in other words, recesses 75D recessed into a triangular pyramid shape like the teeth of a grater. Specifically, a triangular pyramid tool is pressed against the contact surface of the valve retainer 75 coated with the rubber 77 to form a through hole. In this case, the plate surface of the valve retainer 75 is formed with a triangular pyramid shape whose cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the front surface to the back surface. The inner surface of the recess 75D is covered with the rubber 77 because the front surface of the valve retainer 75 is coated with the rubber 77. In this case, it does not matter whether the tip of the recess 75D is open or not. Even in this case, the same action and effect as the valve retainer 75 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 can be achieved.

[0051] In the third embodiment, the above configuration may be applied not only to the valve retainer 75 integrated with the gasket 67, but also to the valve retainer 63 of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, so as to obtain the desired effects.

[0052] Furthermore, a person skilled in the art will easily understand that new embodiments can be created by omitting parts of the technical ideas of the various above-mentioned embodiments, combining parts of them appropriately with each other, or replacing parts of them with well-known technology.

[0053] For example, the compressor is not limited to the swash plate compressor 1, but may be various types of compressors such as a diaphragm compressor, a screw compressor, a scroll compressor, a rotary compressor, a slide vane compressor, etc. The compressor may further include an electric motor and a drive circuit for driving the electric motor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1... swash plate type compressor (compressor), 3... cylinder block (compression mechanism), 3A... cylinder bore (compression mechanism), 7... valve plate, 7B... discharge hole, 15... swash plate (compression mechanism), 47... piston (compression mechanism), 51... suction chamber, 53... discharge chamber, 61... discharge valve, 63... valve retainer, 63C... non-contact portion, 67... gasket, 69... valve retainer, 69B... non-contact portion

Claims

1. a suction chamber into which a refrigerant is drawn; a compression mechanism that compresses the refrigerant in the suction chamber; a discharge chamber into which the refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism is discharged; a reed valve-type discharge valve arranged on an outlet side of a discharge hole that communicates between the compression mechanism and the discharge chamber; a valve retainer that, when the discharge valve is opened, comes into contact with the discharge valve to limit an opening degree of the discharge valve; having A non-contact portion is formed on at least a part of an edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer that contacts the discharge valve to avoid contact with the discharge valve. Compressor.

2. When the valve retainer has a shape conforming to the tip portion of the discharge valve, The non-contact portion is formed by cutting out a corner portion located at an edge portion of the contact surface of the valve retainer. The compressor according to claim 1.

3. When the valve retainer is integrated with the gasket, The non-contact portion is formed by bulging a portion located at an edge of the contact surface of the valve retainer. The compressor according to claim 1.

4. The surface of the valve retainer is coated with rubber. The compressor according to claim 1.

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