Compressor assembly

A compressor assembly has a pulley assembly and a compressor, with a mounting plate mounted therebetween. The compressor includes a front head, a rear head, and a piston assembly operably mounted between the front head and the rear head. A plurality of case bolts extend through the mounting p late, the front head, and into the rear head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to compressors, and more particularly to a compressor assembly that includes a rigid mounting plate attached to a front head of a compressor with a plurality of mounting bolts that extend entirely through the compressor from the front head to the rear head.

Description of Related Art

Compressors used in vehicle air conditioning units are frequently constructed of aluminum. There is a need, however, for compressors that have greater strength and rigidity in the compressor housing. The present invention meets this need by providing a rigid steel mounting plate and a plurality of rigid steel case bolts that extend entirely through the mounting plate and the compressor, from the front head to the rear head. This construction has been found to meet the needs of the market in a preferred construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a compressor assembly that includes the following: a pulley assembly; compressor having a front head, a rear head, and a piston assembly operably mounted between the front head and the rear head; a mounting plate mounted between the pulley assembly and the compressor, so that the mounting plate abuts the front head; and a plurality of case bolts that extend through the mounting plate, the front head, and into the rear head.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a compressor assembly having advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a compressor assembly that includes a rigid mounting plate attached to a front head of a compressor with a plurality of mounting bolts that extend entirely through the compressor from the front head to the rear head.

A further objective is to provide a compressor assembly wherein the rigid mounting plate is constructed of steel, and the front and rear heads of the compressor is constructed of aluminum.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a compressor assembly that is lightweight and inexpensive due to a primarily aluminum construction, but which also includes components that are constructed of steel to provide superior strength and rigidity.

FIG.1is a perspective view of one embodiment of the compressor assembly10.FIG.2is an exploded perspective view of the compressor assembly10. As shown inFIGS.1-2, the compressor assembly10includes a pulley assembly20, a mounting plate30, a compressor40, and a plurality of case bolts50which extend through the mounting plate30and the compressor40.

As shown inFIGS.1-2, the pully assembly20includes a pully22, a clutch24, an actuator26, and related components necessary for engagement with a drive belt (not shown) of a vehicle. Since the general construction of the pully assembly20is known in the art, it is not described in greater detail herein.

As shown inFIGS.1-2, the mounting plate30is a generally planar steel plate that forms a mounting flange32around a center opening38(shown inFIG.2). The mounting plate30is completely separate from the compressor, with the mounting plate being made of steel while the compressor is typically made of aluminum. The mounting flange32extends outwardly from adjacent a front head42of the compressor40. The mounting flange32includes a plurality of apertures36therethrough. In this embodiment, the mounting plate30is rectangular in construction, forming four corners34, and wherein the apertures36are positioned in the corners34of this rectangular shape. These apertures36may be used for mounting the compressor assembly10in a vehicle (not shown).

As shown inFIGS.1-2, the compressor40includes a front head42, a piston assembly44, and a rear head46, with the piston assembly being operably mounted between the front head42and the rear head46. The compressor may include front valve plates47and rear valve plates48, as well as other related components that are known in the art, and are therefore not discussed in greater detail herein.

The mounting plate30is mounted between the pulley assembly20and the compressor40, so that the mounting plate30abuts the front head42of the compressor40. In this embodiment, the compressor assembly10further comprises fasteners43that mount the mounting plate30onto the front head42, but do not extend into the rear head46. The fasteners43may be bolts, screws, or any other form of fastener known in the art. In this embodiment, the front and rear heads42and46are constructed of aluminum, and the mounting plate30is constructed of steel.

The plurality of case bolts50extend through the mounting plate30and the length of the compressor40, through the front head42, and into the rear head46. In this embodiment, a head52of each bolt50is engaged with the mounting plate30, and a threaded distal end54threadedly engages the rear head46. The case bolts50of this embodiment are constructed of steel, or some other suitably strong and rigid material. The case bolts50, in conjunction with the mounting plate30, provide superior strength and rigidity to the compressor assembly10.

The title of the present application, and the claims presented, do not limit what may be claimed in the future, based upon and supported by the present application. Furthermore, any features shown in any of the drawings may be combined with any features from any other drawings to form an invention which may be claimed.

As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms “approximately” and “about” are defined to mean +/−10%, unless otherwise stated. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.