Tunable vibration and acoustic noise suppression in an air-mover assembly

Abstract

A mounting assembly comprising a rigid connector structure configured to attach an air-regulating plate of an air-mover unit to an enclosure of the air-mover unit, wherein the air-regulating plate is in an air-flow pathway of air-moving elements of the air-mover unit. The assembly also comprises a flexible connector structure, wherein at least part of the flexible connector structure is held in-between a plate-mounting portion of the air-regulating plate and an enclosure-mounting portion of the enclosure by the rigid connector structure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mounting assembly, comprising:
 a rigid connector structure configured to attach an air-regulating plate of an air-mover unit to an enclosure of the air-mover unit, wherein the air-regulating plate is in an air-flow pathway of air-moving elements of the air-mover unit; and   a flexible connector structure, wherein at least part of the flexible connector structure is held in-between a plate-mounting portion of the air-regulating plate and an enclosure-mounting portion of the enclosure by the rigid connector structure.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid connector structure is shaped as a pin having a cylindrical shank wherein the shank is shaped to hold the air-regulating plate to the enclosure by passing through an opening of the plate mounting portion of the air-regulating plate and an opening of the enclosure mounting portion of the enclosure. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the pin is shaped as a screw and there is an external threaded rigid along the cylindrical shank. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible connector structure includes a rubber grommet having an axial opening that surrounds part of a cylindrical shank of the rigid connector structure. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the rubber grommet is composed of an elastomer having durometer hardness scale in a range of 30 Shore A to 40 Shore A. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible connector includes a cylindrical spring having an axial opening that fits around a cylindrical shank of the rigid connector structure. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the entire flexible connector structure is located in-between the plate mounting portion and the enclosure mounting portion. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the flexible connector structure is located in-between the enclosure mounting portion and an end of the rigid connector structure that is distal to the air-regulating plate. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further including another flexible connector structure located in-between the enclosure mounting portion and an end of the rigid connector structure that is distal to the air-regulating plate. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further including a rigid sleeve having a cylindrical shank with an axial opening allowing a cylindrical shank of the rigid connector structure there-through, wherein the cylindrical shank of the rigid sleeve passes through an axial opening of the flexible connector structure and the opening of the plate mounting portion. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the rigid sleeve further includes an end-flange having a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the axial opening of the flexible connector structure, wherein one end of the flexible connector structure rests against the end-flange. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the rigid sleeve provides compression control of the flexible connector structure when the flexible connector structure is held between the plate mounting portion and the enclosure mounting portion. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the cylindrical shank of the rigid sleeve stops against the opening of the enclosure mounting portion to thereby prevent full compression of the flexible connector structure. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein an outer diameter or length of the cylindrical shank are adjusted to provide a specific degree compression of the flexible connector structure that suppresses a pure-tone frequency of acoustic noise generated by the air-mover unit. 
     
     
         15 . An air-mover unit for a space-conditioning system, comprising:
 an enclosure configured to hold air-moving elements there-in;   an air-regulating plate situated over an air-exit opening of the enclosure and in an air-flow pathway of the air-moving elements; and   one or more mounting assemblies, each of the mounting assemblies including:
 a rigid connector structure configured to attach the air-regulating plate to the enclosure; and 
 a flexible connector structure, wherein at least part of the flexible connector structure is held, by the rigid connector structure, in-between a mounting portion of the air-regulating plate and a mounting portion of the enclosure. 
   
     
     
         16 . The air-mover unit of  claim 15 , wherein the air-moving elements are blades of a wheel of the air-mover unit configured as a centrifugal blower. 
     
     
         17 . The air-mover unit of  claim 15 , wherein the air-moving elements are blades of a propeller of the air-mover unit configured as a fan blower. 
     
     
         18 . The air-mover unit of  claim 15 , wherein the air-regulating plate is a physically separate structure from the enclosure and is only connected to the enclosure by the one or more mounting assemblies. 
     
     
         19 . A method of assembling an air-mover unit, comprising:
 placing air-moving elements of the air-mover unit inside of an enclosure of the air-mover unit;   situating an air-regulating plate over an air-flow opening of the enclosure and in an air-flow pathway of the air-moving elements; and   attaching the air-regulating plate to the enclosure using a mounting assembly, including fixing a plate-mounting portion of the air-regulating plate and an enclosure-mounting portion of the enclosure in-between one end and an opposite end of a rigid connector structure of the mounting assembly, wherein at least part of a flexible connector structure of the mounting assembly is in-between the plate-mounting portion and the enclosure-mounting portion.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein attaching the air-regulating plate to the enclosure includes adjusting a degree of compression of the part of the flexible connector structure located in-between the plate-mounting portion and the enclosure-mounting portion to minimize acoustic noise generated when the air-moving unit moves air through the air-flow opening.