AU608088B2

AU608088B2 - Improvements relating to airconditioning outlets

Info

Publication number: AU608088B2
Application number: AU24513/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maurice Leonard Basham
Original assignee: METALFLEX Pty Ltd
Current assignee: NORDIN ENGINEERED AIR TECHNOLOGIES Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1987-10-30
Filing date: 1988-10-31
Publication date: 1991-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-31
Also published as: AU2451388A

Description

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952-1969 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Form FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged 6080 88 This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing j rnirii1111,1,niic wmijj-iir Complete Application No. Specification Lodged Published Priority: Related art: 4 t Name of Applicant: ',Address of Applicant: In Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT METALFLEX PTY. LTD., a South Australian company whose registered office is situate at 22 NELSON STREET, STEPNEY, STATES OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA MAURICE BASHAM 'Address for Service: COLLISON CO., Patent Attorneys, 117 King William Street, Adelaide. South Australia, 5000 4 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO AIRCONDITIONING

OUTLETS"

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to Pex us:

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6 000 9 0 31 10/8 33 PATENT, TRADE

MARKS

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SUB-OFFICE

3-1 OCT 1988 SOUTH

AUSTRALIA

This invention relates to air-conditioning outlets and especially to outlet directors of a type which are intended to be located within either a ceiling or floor so as to generally change the direction of the air being directed into the director from the air-conditioning apparatus.

Some difficulties have hitherto been experienced in relation to directors of present design and it is in relation to these problems that this invention is directed.

1 0 According to this invention there is proposed an air-conditioning outlet director comprising a plurality of blades extending across an outlet passageway, a perimeter frame comprised of sides defining a shape, each of the blades extending from one of the sides across the outlet passageway to an opposite one of the sides, each of the blades being substantially elongate and 1 5 aligned with the direction of elongation of each blade being parallel one with adjacent blades, each blade being of a shape and positioned so as to effect a change of direction of air after passing into the outlet director to a direction having a substantial transverse component on an outlet side of the director, characterised in that there is a blade adjacent a side of the perimeter frame which is adapted to direct air to pass across, on an outlet side, the said adjacent side of the perimeter frame, and wherein the shape of the inner face of this last said side is shaped to define with the adjacent face of the said blade, a streamlined airflow passageway.

Hitherto, the air has been directed against a planar face with a relatively sharp outer edge with the result that there is caused at the velccities normally occasioned with air-conditioning outlet directors of this type, a substantial turbulence with the result both of causing noise and in the circumstances, causing a re-direction of air to reduce the transverse component of this from most of air issuing from the outlet of the director.

The result is a loss of general efficiency and a cause of noise. There has been therefore a problem of how to achieve a solution to this problem in an economic manner within space limits that are required in circumstances such as this and 3 5 at the same time maintaining an appearance which is acceptable from a consumer's point of view.

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;i; 3 The answer has been in the simplest possible way to simply provide a reshaping of the inside surface of the said side of the perimeter frame so that there is a significant improvement providing this streamlined passageway flow.

Firstly, this at least significantly reduces any chance of undue turbulence at this location, thereby reducing noise and secondly there is no longer the diversion effect for the remaining air so that all of this can therefore be directed with a much greater transverse component so that air being directed for instance from such a director in a ceiling, can be expected now to be directed very closely across the adjacent surfaces of the ceiling.

tr 0e 9 9 .99 4,04 4 U *o 4 0 #40*41 S. 1- The invention will be better understood by reference to the preferred embodiment and by reference to claims which are accompanying this specification.

Referring to the preferred embodiment, this is described with the assistance of drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view through an outlet director according to the preferred embodiment, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an outlet directo; viewed from above and to one side and illustrating the manner in which one of the four separate and separable parts can be removable and changed in position to deflect air variously in one of four directions.

Referring to the drawings in general then there is shown a plurality of internal outlet foil sections 1 which can also be referred to as blades each of which are adapted to direct incoming air shown typically as arriving in the direction at 2 so that the air will then be directed into a transverse direction or at least such that there is a substantial transverse component to the air after passing through the respective foil sections or blades 1.

Each of the aerofoil sections or blades 1 extend across an outlet passageway 3.

Qi III1PII- The plurality of blades 1 are held collectively within a perimeter frame 4, providing four separate parts 5 each of which are defined by the perimeter frame 4 which is of square shape in plan and each of the parts 5 being adapted to be adjustably positionable within an overall perimeter frame 6.

The overall perimeter frame 6 includes an innermost cruciform frame part 7 and outer vertical walls which, together with outwardly extending flange 8, provide the support for the aerofoil sections or blades 1 within, in each case, their perimeter frame 4.

The parts 5 each are located in their relative positions simply by nesting within the complimentary shape of the overall perimeter frame 6 and the frame part 7.

Now referr!ng to each of the parts 5 and individual aerofoil sections or blades 1, 1 W it is noted that each of the blades 1 is of elongate proportions and defines on an t:94#4 uppermost surface, an arcuate shape 9 which commences with an uppermost part 10 which is generally aligned with incoming air direction 2 and terminates at 11 with a part which is substantially transverse to the incoming air direction 2.

The curvature shape in cross-section follows the circumference of a circle, the radius of which is approximately the distance between three of the blades 1 as S shown in the drawing in Fig. 1 Each of the blades 1 being of this shape are also of constant cross-sectional Sshape and size along their length and are parallel, one with respect to the other, along this length.

,,,One of the blades in each part 5 and shown as 12 is adjacent side 'i3 of the perimeter frame 4 and is adapted witi I respect to this particular part of ti.

perimeter frame such that it is shaped so as to direct air passing thereby to pass across, on an outlet side 14, the said adjacent side 13 of the perimeter frame 4.

In respect of the inner surface shape 15 of this side 13, this is accordingly shaped so as to define with the adjacent face 16 of the blade 12, a substantially streamlined airflow passageway 17.

This is achieved by the fact that the shape of the surface 15 is bulbous with a convex protruding part 18 at an outer end, this terminating at its outermost part in a substantially transverse surface 19.

In this way, an innermost surface of a shape defines with the adjacent blade surface 16 a passageway converging toward the outlet side 14 of the director overall which is shown as 20 this passageway 17 being shaped and positioned at the outlet end as shown in the drawings so as to direct air passing therethrough in substantially streamlined manner in a direction at the outlet with 1 0 a substantial component transverse to an entry direction 2 of air into the director In this embodiment then, there are a plurality of sections 5 each of which is Ar.t identical and has a square cross-sectional shape in plan and each of which is 1 S adjustably positionable so as to be capable of directing air in any one of four qrooP positions depending upon their respective orientation of the section relative to O a the overall perimeter frame.

0009 *000 A feature of the arrangement described is that it is a relatively small modification to a plastic moulding which has significantly improved the efficiency of an arrangement of this type.

So *e SAccordingly, air which is directed with the substantial transverse component can thereafter be expected not to be deflected by undue turbulence particularly with -o the level of air pressures and velocities which will be normally occasioned with an air-conditioning supply for an accommodation building.

Whfle the embodiment is described with reference to a ceiling outlet director, So o, the same concept can be equally applied to a floor director with appropriate re- 3 0 alignment of the overall supporting perimeter frame so that each section is supported in a comfortable nesting position onto the frame when in a floor outlet position.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning outlet director comprising a plurality of blades extending across an outlet passageway, a perimeter frame comprised of sides defining a rectangular shape, each of the blades extending from one "if the sides across the outlet passageway to an opposite one of the sides, each of the blades being substantially elongate and aligned with the direction of elongation of each blade so that each blade is parallelLrxeiith adjacent blades, each blade being of a shape and positioned so as to effect a change of direction of air after passing*'6 the outlet director to a direction having a substantial transverse component on an outlet side of the director, characterised in that there is a blade adjacent a side of the perimeter frame which is adapted to direct air to pass across, on an outlet side, the said adjacent side of the perimeter frame, and wherein the shape of the inner face of this last said side is shaped to define with the adjacent face of the said blade, a streamlined airflow o passageway. passageway. i I, 0 00 00~ 0*0 0 a oo o o 00 9 a 0# 4 0 00 O 00 O 0 35 0 0, 0 4i30

2. An air-conditioning outlet director as in the last preceding claim in which the shape of the last said side in cross-section includes an innermost surface of a shape defining, with the adjacent blade surface, a passageway converging toward the outlet side of the director, the passageway being shaped and positioned at the outlet end so as to direct air passing therethrough in substantially streamlined manner in a direction with a substantial component transverse to an entry direction of air into the director.

3. An air-conditioning outlet director as in either of the last two preceding claims further characterised in that the shape of the inner surface of the last said side is bulbous with a curvature ha-i' g a convex shape, part of which at the outermost end extends in a substantially transverse direction relative to the air inlet direction.

4. An air-conditioning outlet director as in any one of the preceding claims in which the outlet director includes a plurality of sections as characterised in any one of the preceding claims and in which each of the sections is supported within an overall perimeter frame and such that each I 7 section can be adjustably positioned to allow each to be separately orientated to direct air in any one of at least[four different transverse directions. An air-conditioning outlet director substantially as described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. Dated this 31st day of October, 1988. METALFLEX PTY. LTD., 1 0 By their Patent Attorneys, COLLISON CO. 4 AS i i T S4 4 444444 -k I.