Noise reduction means for connecting refrigerant compressors in air conditioners

Claim 1

In an air conditioner having a base pan, a refrigerant output line and a compressor producing a pulsating emission of refrigerant resulting in a sound wave of a dominant frequency f and of a velocity v in said refrigerant, said compresSor including a refrigerant outlet and a plurality of laterally extending feet for supporting said compressor in spaced relation above said base pan, the combination therewith of silencing means for connecting said compressor to said refrigerant line and base pan comprising: a hollow attenuator having a pair of opposite end walls, the distance between said end walls defining the length L of said attenuator, said compressor outlet and refrigerant output line communicating with the interior of said attenuator through respective ones of said end walls, wherein L v/4f; and, in conjunction with each of said feet, a resilient mounting assembly including annular upper and lower elastomeric portions, said upper portion overlying the top of said foot and extending down therethrough, said lower portion being disposed beneath said foot and engaging the top of said base pan, a rigid fastener having a lower end anchoring said fastener against upward movement relative to said base pan, said fastener extending upwardly from said base pan and axially through and in frictional engagement with said upper and lower portions, the upper end of said fastener overlying said upper portion all effective to limit upward movement of said foot.