Silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system

#The present invention relates to a silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system and, more particularly, to a silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system capable of efficiently reducing a vibration and a noise of a compressor without impairing the fluidity of a coolant while suppressing stagnation of a compressor lubricant.

#Noise is one major cause of reducing vehicle ride comfort. There are many different kinds of noises generated in a motor vehicle, including a noise of an air conditioner. The noise of an air conditioner is generated in a process of compressing a coolant in a compressor. If the noise is introduced into a vehicle room, vehicle ride comfort is significantly reduced.

#In particular, a vibration and a noise generated in a compressor are transmitted into a vehicle room along a coolant and a coolant pipe. Due to the vibration and the noise thus transmitted, a vehicle occupant residing within a vehicle room receives a severe stress and feels fatigue. Thus, the vibration and the noise reduce vehicle ride comfort and significantly hinder safe driving. Accordingly, the noise generated from the compressor of the vehicle air conditioning system needs to be reduced in order to improve vehicle ride comfort and to assure safe driving.

#The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system;

#FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

#Certain preferred embodiments of a silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

#Referring first to FIG. 3, a silencer for a vehicle air conditioning system according to the present invention includes a silencer body tube 10 and an external resonance tube 20 installed on an outer circumferential surface of the silencer body tube 10.

#The silencer body tube 10 is arranged between coolant pipes 30 and is equal in inner diameter B to the coolant pipes 30. A coolant gas having a high temperature and a high pressure, which flows through the coolant pipes 30, is introduced into the silencer body tube 10. Since the silencer body tube 10 has an inner diameter B equal to the inner diameter of the coolant pipes 30, the coolant gas flowing through the coolant pipes 30 passes through the silencer body tube 10 with little flow resistance. This means that the silencer body tube 10 does not impair the fluidity of the coolant gas flowing therethrough.