Refrigerant compressor

Claim 1

A refrigerant compressor in which pistons are reciprocated within respective cylinders by a wobble plate member driven by a wedge-shaped rotor member secured on a drive shaft, a generally cylindrical housing which contains said wobble plate member and said wedge-shaped rotor, a first end plate defining a discharge chamber having inlet and outlet means mounted on one end of said housing, a second end plate mounted on, and closing, an opposite end of said housing, said drive shaft being rotatably borne in said second end plate and extending from the exterior to interior of said housing, said wedge-shaped rotor member being mounted and fixed on an inner end portion of said drive shaft to be rotated together with said drive shaft, a first anti-friction thrust bearing assembly being mounted between an inner end surface of said second end plate and one end surface of said wedge-shaped rotor member and within a first annular space defined by a first annular recess formed in said inner end surface of said end plate and a second annular recess formed in said one end surface of said wedge-shaped rotor member, said wobble plate member being closely mounted, and relatively rotatably borne, on the other end surface of said wedge-shaped rotor member, said other end surface being formed to incline to said drive shaft, and a second anti-friction thrust bearing assembly mounted between said inclining end surface of said wedge-shaped rotor member and an end surface of said wobble plate member facing said inclining end surface and within a second annular space which is defined by a third annular recess formed in said inclining surface of said wedge-shaped rotor member and a fourth annular recess formed in said end surface of said wobble plate member, the improvement which comprises: each of said first and second anti-friction thrust bearing assemblies comprising first and second race members and a rolling element cage assembly, one of said first and second race members and said rolling element cage assembly of said first bearing assembly being mounted in one of said first and second annular recesses, said one of said first and second recesses being formed of a sufficient depth such that radial displacement of said race member and said rolling element cage assembly mounted therein is prevented, a first ring member of a wear-resistant material provided in said one of said first and second annular recesses and covering a radial inner wall defining said one of said annular recesses, the other of said first and second race members of said first bearing assembly being mounted in the other of said first and second annular recesses which is formed of a relatively shallow depth such that radial displacement of said other race member mounted therein is prevented, first means for preventing said other race member of said first bearing assembly from rotation in said other annular recess, one of said first and second race members and said rolling element cage assembly of said second bearing assembly being mounted in one of said third and fourth annular recesses which is formed of a sufficient depth such that radial displacement of said race member and rolling element cage assembly mounted therein is prevented, a second ring member of a wear-resistant material therein which covers a radial inner wall defining said one annular recess, said other race member of said second bearing assembly being mounted in the other of said third and fourth annular recesses which is formed of a relatively shallow depth such that radial displacement of said other race member mounted therein is prevented, and second means for preventing said other race member of said second bearing assembly from rotation in said other of said annular recesses, said first and second rotation-preventing means comprising projections axially extending from said other race members of said first and second bearing assemblies, respectively, said projections being respectively received in first and second grooves respectively formed in said other of said annular recesses in which said other race members of said first and second bearing assemblies are respectively mounted and which extend from said other of said annular recesses, respectively.