Variable capacity rolling piston compressor

摘要

A variable capacity rotary compressor (12) having a housing (14) with a cylindrical chamber (16) and an orbiting ring piston (26) in the chamber. A pair of outer vanes (20) slidably mount in the housing and are biased into engagement with the orbiting ring (26), forming a pair of gas chambers (27). A pair of vane deactivation assemblies (52) each include a deactivation pin (58) which engages a deactivation recess (60) in its respective outer vane (20) when a corresponding one or both solenoid actuators (54) are energized. The pins (58) hold the outer vanes (20) in a retracted position out of contact with the orbiting ring (26), thus reducing the capacity of the compressor (12). Each outer vane (20) includes a slotted recess (62) adjacent to its deactivation recess (60) in order to allow for plastic yielding of the vane (20) behind the deactivation recess (60) without the yielded material interfering with the sliding motion of the outer vanes (20) relative to the walls of corresponding vane slots (18).