Swash plate compressor having a piston in which a contact surface to be contacted with a shoe is continuously and extensively formed

Abstract

In a swash-plate compressor for compressing a fluid, the compressor includes a cylinder block having a cylinder bore and a piston having a first end portion reciprocally movable in the cylinder bore and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. The second end portion has a pair of engaging portions faced to each other with a space left therebetween and a side wall portion connecting the engaging portions to each other. The compressor further includes a swash plate having a part inserted between the engaging portions and driven to rotate and a pair of sliding members interposed between the engaging portions and the swash plate, respectively. Each of the sliding members has a flat portion slidably contacted with the swash plate and a spherical portion opposite to the flat portion. Each of the engaging portions has a contact surface slidably contacted with the spherical portion. Each of the contact surfaces extends to the side wall portion.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A swash-plate compressor for compressing a fluid, the compressor comprising: 
 a cylinder block having a cylinder bore;    a piston having a first end portion reciprocally movable in the cylinder bore and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion, the second end portion having a pair of engaging portions faced to each other with a space left therebetween and a side wall portion connecting the engaging portions to each other;    a swash plate having a part inserted between the engaging portions and driven to rotate; and    a pair of sliding members interposed between the engaging portions and the swash plate, respectively, each of the sliding members having a flat portion slidably contacted with the swash plate and a spherical portion opposite to the flat portion, each of the engaging portions having a contact surface slidably contacted with the spherical portion, each of the contact surfaces extending to the side wall portion.    
     
     
         2 . The swash-plate compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the contact surfaces are connected to each other through the side wall portion.  
     
     
         3 . The swash-plate compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the contact surfaces are continuously formed between the engaging portions through the side wall portion.  
     
     
         4 . The swash-plate compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the contact surface is formed along a spherical surface having a curvature equal to that of the spherical portion.  
     
     
         5 . The wash-plate compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein a carbon dioxide refrigerant is used as the fluid.