Noise reducing compressor gasket and head assembly

Abstract

An air conditioning compressor comprises a compressor housing including front and rear housing heads and a pair of cylinder blocks disposed in the housing each defining axially disposed cylinders. The compressor also includes a double-acting piston in each cylinder opening, a swashplate and drive shaft assembly having a swashplate driveably engageable with each piston and a driveshaft mounted in each cylinder block coaxially therewith. The compressor further includes a valve assembly located between each housing head and each respective cylinder block. Each valve assembly includes an intake valve means disposed adjacent to the respective cylinder block, the intake valve means includes valve reeds that control flow from the low pressure passages to the cylinders, a valve plate disposed adjacent to the intake valve means, a discharge valve means disposed adjacent the valve plate, and a noise reducing gasket means disposed between the discharge valve means and the housing head. The noise reducing gasket means includes a first region disposed at a radially inward part of the gasket means for sealingly limiting gas transfer radially inwardly from the high pressure region, a second region radially outwardly spaced from the first region for sealingly limiting gas transfer from the high pressure region to the low pressure region, and a plurality of resilient members mounted in a cantilever fashion to the second region and having a free end spaced from the first region.