Air conditioning unit having an internal combustion engine which is suitable for mounting on the roof of a building

• US 4,976,114 A
• Filed: 02/26/1990
• Issued: 12/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thermo King Corporation (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Thermo King Corporation (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Manning, Thomas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US07/484,315
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 62/323.1, 62/259.1, 62/DIG. 16, 165/48.1, 98/31.6
• US Class Current: 62/323.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/04 using elastic means single elements or their attachment F16F1/00 - F16F13/00; F16F15/023, F16F15/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 3/087 Units comprising several springs made of plastics or the like material F16F1/40, F16F1/545 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/022 comprising a compressor cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/202 Mounting a compressor unit therein
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/13 Vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/00 Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy F25B30/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/006 for mounting refrigerating machinery components
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/0024 Filters in the air flow cooling refrigerating machinery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 62/16 Roof and ceiling located coolers

Abstract

An air conditioning unit having a power pack which includes an internal combustion engine coupled to a refrigerant compressor on a metallic support tray, with said air conditioning unit being suitable for mounting on the roof of a building via support curbing, notwithstanding the noise and vibration produced by the internal combustion engine. The air conditioning unit includes a metallic main frame, to which a metallic power pack support frame is fixed. The power pack support frame includes members which are continuously supported by the main frame via a low frequency damping material, such as cork, and members which extend between the supported members, but which are otherwise unsupported, to enable the unsupported members to function as leaf springs. The support tray of the power pack is mounted to the unsupported members of the power pack support frame via a plurality of isolation mounts.

Claims

1. An air conditioning unit suitable for gasketed support and mounting on support curbing having first and second curb sides and first and second curb ends which collectively define a continuous support surface, comprising:

a metallic main unit frame having a rectangularly configured outer structure which includes first and second sides and first and second ends for support by the continuous surface of the curbing,

a metallic power pack support frame having first and second spaced parallel members substantially continuously supported along their complete lengths by the first and second sides, respectively, of the main unit frame, and third and fourth spaced parallel members each having first and second ends fixed to the first and second parallel members, respectively, with said third and fourth spaced members being unsupported between their fixed ends, such that the third and fourth members function as leaf springs,

vibration and sound absorbing means disposed between the first and second members of the power pack support frame and the main unit frame,

a refrigerant power pack assembly comprising an internal combustion engine and a refrigerant compressor mounted on a metallic support tray,

and a plurality of vibration absorbing mounts for resiliently mounting the support tray of the power pack assembly to the third and fourth spaced members of the power pack support frame, with each of said plurality of vibration absorbing mounts being spaced inwardly from a selected end of the third and fourth members.

2. The air conditioning unit of claim 1 wherein the third and fourth spaced parallel members of the power pack support frame include a plurality of openings for the plurality of vibration absorbing mounts, and including a plurality of load distribution channels disposed between each vibration absorbing mount and an associated third or fourth member, with the load distribution channels functioning as additional leafs of the leaf spring functions provided by the third and fourth members, to prevent the load presented by the refrigerant power pack assembly from concentrating about the plurality of openings.

3. The air conditioning unit of claim 1 wherein the vibration and sound absorbing means disposed between the first and second members of the power pack support frame and the main unit frame includes cork.

4. The air conditioning unit of claim 1 wherein the power pack tray includes first and second spaced upright members which support a fan shaft having a pulley coupled to the internal combustion engine via an idler pulley, and pulley mounting means for mounting said idler pulley to a selected one of said first and second spaced upright members, with said pulley mounting means being constructed to permit the idler pulley to simultaneously move both vertically and horizontally relative to the selected upright member.

5. The air conditioning unit of claim 4 wherein the upright member associated with the pulley mounting means includes a pair of elongated slots having a first orientation, and the pulley mounting means includes a tapped shoe to which the idler pulley is rotatably fixed and a channel member having a bight which defines a slot, leg portions, and mounting flanges, with the mounting flanges of said channel shaped member being mounted for movement via the elongated slots of the upright member, and with the tapped shoe being mounted for movement relative to the channel member via the elongated slot defined by the bight, and wherein the elongated slot defined by the bight is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the elongated slots defined by the upright member.

6. The air unit of claim 1 wherein the internal combustion engine and refrigerant compressor are directly coupled, for minimizing torque input to the support tray.

7. The air conditioning unit of claim 1 wherein the support tray, in addition to the internal combustion engine and refrigerant compressor, carries a double-fan shaft and a belt-pulley with all of said components on the support tray being rigidly mounted.

8. The air conditioning unit of claim 1 wherein the support tray of the power pack has first and second ends respectively spaced the first and second spaced parallel members of the power pack support frame with the plurality of vibration absorbing mounts which mount the support tray to the power support frame being mounted at said first and second ends of the support tray, to space the vibration absorbing mounts as from the internal combustion engine as possible.