Compressors

Abstract

Compressors may preferably include a swash plate coupled to a drive shaft, so that the swash plate will rotate in response to rotation of the drive shaft. A piston is preferably disposed within a cylinder bore. A shoe preferably couples the piston to the swash plate, so the piston will reciprocate within the cylinder bore in order to compress a refrigerant in response to rotation of the swash plate. The shoe preferably comprises a main body, a metallic hard layer at least partially disposed on the main body and an anti-friction layer at least partially disposed on the metallic hard layer. The main body preferably comprises a spherical surface portion and a substantially flat surface portion and comprises aluminum. The metallic hard layer preferably has a hardness of at least HV 300 based upon the Vickers hardness scale and is disposed on at least one of the spherical surface portion and the substantially flat surface portion. The anti-friction layer preferably comprises a metal and a solid lubricating agent. The solid lubricating agent may be, for example, molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), boron nitride (BN), tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ), graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene. The metal within the anti-friction layer may be, for example, nickel phosphorus, nickel boron, nickel phosphorus boron tungsten, cobalt phosphorus or hard chromium plating

1 . A compressor comprising: 
 a drive shaft,    a swash plate coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the swash plate rotates in response to rotation of the drive shaft,    a piston disposed within a cylinder bore, the piston having an engage portion, and    a shoe coupling the engage portion of the piston to a peripheral edge of the swash plate, whereby the piston will reciprocate within the cylinder bore in order to compress a refrigerant in response to rotation of the swash plate, wherein the shoe comprises a main body, a metallic hard layer at least partially disposed on the main body and an anti-friction layer at least partially disposed on the metallic hard layer, wherein the main body comprises a spherical surface portion and a substantially flat surface portion and comprises aluminum, the metallic hard layer has a hardness of at least HV 300 based upon the Vickers hardness scale and is disposed on at least one of the spherical surface portion and the substantially flat surface portion, and the anti-friction layer comprises a metal and a solid lubricating agent.    
     
     
         2 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the swash plate is inclinably coupled to the drive shaft and the inclination angle of the swash plate can be changed to change the compressor output discharge capacity.  
     
     
         3 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the solid lubricating agent comprises at least one of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), boron nitride (BN), tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ), graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene.  
     
     
         4 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal within the anti-friction layer comprises at least one of nickel phosphorus, nickel boron, nickel phosphorus boron tungsten, cobalt phosphorus or hard chromium plating.  
     
     
         5 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the piston and the swash plate are arranged and constructed to contact the anti-friction layer of the shoe during operation of the compressor.  
     
     
         6 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the metallic hard layer further comprises a solid lubricating agent.  
     
     
         7 . A compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat surface portion is slightly curved.  
     
     
         8 . A compressor comprising: 
 a drive shaft,    a swash plate coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the swash plate rotates in response to rotation of the drive shaft,    a piston disposed within a cylinder bore,    means for coupling the piston to the swash plate so that the piston will reciprocate within the cylinder bore in order to compress a refrigerant in response to rotation of the swash plate, wherein the coupling means comprises a main body, a metallic hard layer at least partially disposed on the main body and an anti-friction layer at least partially disposed on the metallic hard layer, wherein the main body comprises a spherical surface portion and a substantially flat surface portion and comprises aluminum, the metallic hard layer has a hardness of at least HV 300 based upon the Vickers hardness scale and is disposed on at least one of the spherical surface portion and the substantially flat surface portion, and the anti-friction layer comprises a metal and a solid lubricating agent.    
     
     
         9 . A compressor according to  claim 8 , wherein the swash plate is inclinably coupled to the drive shaft and the inclination angle of the swash plate can be changed to change the compressor output discharge capacity.  
     
     
         10 . A compressor according to  claim 9 , wherein the solid lubricating agent comprises at least one of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), boron nitride (BN), tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ), graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene.  
     
     
         11 . A compressor according to  claim 9 , wherein the metal within the anti-friction layer comprises least one of nickel phosphorus, nickel boron, nickel phosphorus boron tungsten, cobalt phosphorus or hard chromium plating.  
     
     
         12 . A compressor according to  claim 11 , wherein the piston and the swash plate are arranged and constructed to contact the anti-friction layer of the coupling means during operation of the compressor.  
     
     
         13 . A compressor according to  claim 12 , wherein the metallic hard layer further comprises a solid lubricating agent.  
     
     
         14 . A compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein the substantially flat surface portion is slightly curved.  
     
     
         15 . A compressor according to  claim 14 , wherein the metallic hard layer comprises least one of nickel phosphorus, nickel boron, nickel phosphorus boron tungsten, cobalt phosphorus or hard chromium plating.  
     
     
         16 . A compressor according to  claim 8 , wherein the main body comprises an aluminum silicon alloy, the metallic hard layer comprises nickel phosphorus and the anti-friction layer comprises nickel boron.  
     
     
         17 . A compressor according to  claim 16 , wherein the nickel phosphorus of the metallic hard layer comprises about 90-92% by weight of nickel and about 8-10% of phosphorus, the metallic hard layer having a hardness of about 400-500 Hv on the Vickers hardness scale.