Reciprocatory piston type compressor with noise free suction valve mechanism

Claim 1

A reciprocatory piston type compressor for compressing a refrigerant gas comprising: a cylinder block having therein a plurality of axial cylinder bores formed as compression chambers for permitting reciprocatory pistons to carry out a suction and compression of refrigerant gas therein; at least a housing closing an axial end of said cylinder block for forming a suction chamber for receiving the refrigerant gas before compression and a discharge chamber for receiving the refrigerant gas after compression; a valve plate arranged between the axial end of said cylinder block and said housing and having an inlet port for introducing the refrigerant gas to be compressed from an outer air-conditioning circuit into said suction chamber, a plurality of suction ports for fluidly communicating between said suction chamber and said compression chamber, an outlet port for discharging the compressed refrigerant gas from said discharging chamber toward the outer air-conditioning circuit, and a plurality of discharge ports for fluidly communicating between said discharge chamber and said compression chambers; a suction valve sheet arranged between one end face of said valve plate and the axial end of said cylinder block, and having a central fixed portion and a plurality of suction valves formed as resilient reed valves radially extending from the central fixed portion and adapted to perform a resilient movement with respect to the central fixed portion between an open position spaced from said valve plate for opening a corresponding one of said suction ports and a closed position being in contact with said valve plate for closing the corresponding suction port in response to suction and compression motions of said reciprocatory pistons, each of said suction valves having substantially radially extending opposite sides and a free end which are surrounded by a continuously extending cutoff slot formed in said suction valve sheet, said free end of each suction valve being restable on a bottom wall of a radial recess formed in said axial end of said cylinder block at a position adjacent to an end of the corresponding cylinder bore when said suction valve is in the open position; a discharge valve sheet arranged on the other end face of said valve plate and having a base support plate fixed in close contact with said other end face of said valve plate and a plurality of resilient discharge valves able to perform a resilient movement between a closed position in contact with said valve plate for closing a corresponding discharge port in response to the suction and compression motions of said reciprocatory pistons; and, a plurality of means for retaining a predetermined amount of the compressed refrigerant gas at positions adjacent to respective free ends of said suction valves of said suction valve sheet, said plurality of means for retaining a predetermined amount of the compressed refrigerant gas being always communicated with the corresponding cylinder bores via said radial recesses of said cylinder block thereby to permit said predetermined amount of refrigerant gas to flow into said cylinder bores and promote a resilient movement of said suction valves toward said open position during the suction motion of the corresponding reciprocatory pistons, ends of said suction valves comprising a plurality of cutaway portions located adjacent to said respective free ends of said suction valves and formed by widening a part of each of said cutoff slots of said suction valve sheet, each of said cutaway portions being radially wider than a radial length of each said radial recess, and each of said cutaway portions being portions being radially wider than the transverse width of said cutoff slot adjacent said substantially radially extending opposite sides.