AU647157B2 - Air conditioning outlet director improvements - Google Patents

Description

V o. 4 7 1 5 ,7 39855 HKS:MAI-:LL P/00/01l1 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

leo ppiat COPNET PT.TD Acua Inenor ADIN*A DEE Adrs fo erie *O~iO &.0,.7Kn*ilimSreAelie Inenin ite AI ODTOIGOTE IETRIPOEET Deal ofAscae.PoiinlAplctos PK44 dtd 0t ul 19 oK 68 ae* t uut19 Th folwn ttmnSsafl5dsrpino hsivnin inldn th betmto fpromntkont s 2 This invention relates to an air conditioning outlet director improvement and in particular to an adjustable louvre for an air conditioning outlet.

It is known to provide air conditioning outlet directors wherein there are a plurality of directors supported in a common frame each of the directors being supported in such a way that they can be positioned in one of at least several different orientations so as to direct air passing through the particular director part in a selected direction.

In a conventional arrangement of this system, there are four such director parts supported by a common frame each of the director parts defining a square perimeter and each having fixed vanes adapted to direct in a common direction air passing through that particular director part. In another arrangement there are two director parts in a common frame. Other arrangements are also known.

Each of the director parts is supported by a surrounding support ledge such Set that a director part can be lifted, rotated and then reinserted to re-orientate the direction of outlet of air. This is simply describing an existing system which has 20 proved to be of very great benefit to a number of users of air conditioning.

An improvement has been proposed wherein sach of the vanes in a director part shall be separately and independently adjustable in position so that further control can be achieved in the direction and extent of outlet.

In order to provide products of this type which are economic, they have to be made from a moulded plastics material which is formed by injection moulding.

In order to provide an economic arrangement for such directing vanes, there r. 30 has been provided previously, two side bars and an arrangement by which each of the vanes has an end extending spigot fitted with an interference fit within an aperture within the side bar. Such an arrangement has the advantage that there is very little plastic necessary for such a side bar and that the whole of the assembly can therefore be economically moulded.

There are however two main problems with such an arrangement a first being that in practice, having each of the vanes independently adjustable, has meant that each of the vanes has to be separately adjusted so that the overall appearance is aesthetically pleasing when in position. This can be a time consuming exercise.

Secondly, in order to keep its position, each of the vanes depends upon maintaining a sufficient frictional grip between each of the end spigots and an aperture within a plastic side bar.

Plastics material has the unfortunate characteristic that over a period of time, when under a constant pressure, the plastics material will creep and relax 1 0 away from the pressure. Thus under the pressure of exhausting air there will be caused perhaps a re-aligning pressure on each of the vanes. This may increase or decrease the frictional grip between the spigot and the bar depending upon the extent to which the plastic has eased off around the respective spigot or perhaps within the spigot itself.

The problem of course is that this is not an easily determined characteristic so that each of the vanes will independently loosen or otherwise, out irregularly.

The result is that the appearance of the vanes will become less aesthetically pleasing after a period of time. Of course, their effectiveness will also be S 20 impaired. If some of the vanes are straight whereas others are not there may be a partial blocking of air flow and the function of the director becomes less satisfactory.

The problem therefore relates specifically to plastics materials and their use in relation to holding of vanes where these are incorporated as multiple part outlet directors.

Therefore, according to perhaps one form of this invention, there is proposed an outlet director part for use in an air conditioning outlet comprised of a 3 0 frame, a plurality of vanes and one or more control bars, the frame holding the vanes in a spaced arrangement with respect one to another, the vanes being engaged at each end with the frame so as to allow rotation of each vane about a longitudinal axis thereof, and at either or both ends a control means engaging with a control bar such that movement of the control bar causes a 3 5 corresponding movement in the vanes thereby allowing the vanes to be cooperatively adjusted, and means for allowing relative movement of the control means in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vanes.

In preference, each of the outlet vanes include at each end two spigots one of which is supported within a first common support member, and a second of which is supported by a second common support member such that the relative position of the first and second common support members will determine uniformly the relative outlet direction of each of the vanes with respect to any perimeter frame within which the director part is supported.

The first common support member may conveniently be formed as part of a 1 0 frame holding the movable vanes and the second common support member may be formed as a separate control bar.

The advantage of such an arrangement is that whereas the benefits of economy through injection moulding are achieved, there is no longer the 1 5 problem that each of the vanes can be independently directed from others.

Thus if all of the spigots ease off their frictional grip, these may collectively be caused to divert in a different direction, but because these are joined together if they do move, they will move together and will therefore not look out of place in the ceiling where the air conditioning outlet is positioned. Furthermore, 2 0 because they are joined, there is a common retaining pressure that will, in the first instance, assist to hold the fixed directions of the vanes.

One of the difficulties of providing such a second common support member or control bar is that this at least superficially will appear to restrain the direction of each of the vanes in a common direction. However, some of the advantages of the invention can still be achieved by providing that at least one the apertures within which a control spigot is located, allows for relative movement of the spigot in a direction transverse to the pivot axis.

555.

gong Such movement relative to the control bar therefore allows the said vane to be directed in a different direction at least through some range of positions of the control bar.

M

Significant advantage can be achieved then by providing that there are a plurality of the control s.

1 i"-ts which are located within a respective slot which is of a size and shape that each of the spigots when one of them is pushed into a closed position will keep all of the vanes in such a closed position whereas when opened, a first of the vanes will be in a fully diverted position, a second behind the first in a less fully diverted position and so on to the extent that the most rearward vane is in a least diverted position.

The extent to which each of the vanes can be controlled in position or allowed 1 0 to freely assume a relative position can therefore be controlled by relative sizes of slots and shapes of these.

In a preferred instance of this, there are four blades a first of which has a control spigot located within an aperture in the control bar which is closely 15 fitting.

An adjacent control spigot has a small slot and finally in succession the slots are broader to allow for relative different pathways of successive control spigots to the last which allows for only a partial opening of the vane so that o° 20 the vanes when pushed open will take a position which is graduated in the 0o degree of opening.

Clearly both sides cf tihe vanes can be similarly held by control spigots and too* control bars with such shaped slots in them.

6 0 :6 Further significant improvements have been achieved by providing that each of the vanes is supported in a common surrounding perImeter frame which has the interesting result that the air flow characteristics past each of the vanes in conjunction with the side perimeter frame can be more readily 30 determinable and furthermore, the overall frame is more rigid.

In preference, each of the vanes having two spigots at each end, has each of the spigots secured in the respective parts in such a way that these can be inserted by side pressure on the spigot into an openable mouth.

Such an openable mouth in the perimeter frame can comprise two upstanding legs having a narrower gap at an outermost end and defining between the legs a circular shape within which the spigot from the vane engages with frictional fit.

The fit however is selected so that the legs are slightly diverted so that there is a further resilient hold.

Further, the means for holding together the vanes for a common coupling comprises a bar which as a plurality of open mouths each of which can have located therein by side prassure of a spigot, the second spigot of each vane.

The purpose of the fitting of a second spigot is not of course to necessarily hold the vanes in a fixed position but in so far that there can be an increased frictional resistance for this reason as well, they can have this effect and significantly increase the retaining friction grip in relation to the fitting overall.

15 It has also been found useful to provide an inwardly extending lip around an upper part of the perimeter of the frame. The lip extends inwards sufficiently to 02 o shield the control bar and spigots from direct air flow. This reduces the amount of noise, particularly whistling, that sometimes occurs due to air flow over the various parts of such outlet director parts.

The invention will be better understood when referred to a preferred embodiment which will now be described with the assistance of drawings in which: 09.06.

25 FIG. 1 is an assembly showing four director parts in a common perimeter frame each of the director parts being shown in schematic •detail; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the director part as in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a director part according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the same director part as in FIG. 3 viewed from an opposite side; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same director part as in FIGS. 3 and 4; FIG. 6 is an end view of the same part; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in an opposite direction to that which is shown in FIG. 6 and enlarged to show the arrangement by which the respective spigots are held; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a disassembled part of the same embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 through 6 showing the respective spigots the common perimeter frame and a bar in a disengaged position; FIG. 9 shows a similar view to FIG. 2 of a second embodiment with the vanes in the closed position; and FIG. 10 shows the embodiment of FIG. 9 with the vanes in the open oO 0 15 position.

a. e9 6o Now referring to the drawings in detail, it is intended that there shall be a omultiple number of director parts 1 each of which is adapted to be held in a selected direction of orientation in a common perimeter at 2 which includes 20 cross supports 3 which thereby provides support shelves 4 on which each of the director parts 1 and then variously 5, 6 and 7 can rest.

Each director part 1 comprises a pluralty of vanes 8 each of which is of a curved cross-sectional shape and each of which is of generally consistent S 25 cross-sectional shape and thickness along its full length except for two spigots ;t each end these being shown firstly as the main support spigot at 9 and the control spigot at There is a surrounding perimeter frame 11 which is integrally moulded and 30 this has within the perimeter wall a plurality of open ended apertures 12 each 44 of which are defined by respective legs 13 and 14 which define a cylindrical aperture with a narrower gap outermost at 15 and with an inclined lead in jaw shape 16.

In this way, the main spigot 9 can be press fitted within the respective aperture 12 and there can be caused sufficient resiliency by the legs such as 13 and 14 to maintain a relatively constant frictional grip.

The respective sized of the parts can accordingly be selected to ensure a relatively high frictional grip because by having separately supported legs where the resiliency is established by this lever advantage over a part of the plastic at the base of each leg such at 17, clearly this then allows for a relatively longer flexibility and accordingly a tighter grip.

Separately however there is for each side of the assembly of vanes a common holding bar 18 into which the control spigot 10 fits into the respective apertures 19 having an open mouth at The common control bar 18 in this way captures each of the control spigots and in order to increase control but not essential, there is provided a separate control bar for each side on the assembly of vanes 8.

S: 1 5 With the arrangement now described, there can be three different parts which are of a different shape namely the separate vanes, the control bar and the se perimeter frame and for assembly, these can all be assembled simply by press fitting.

S 20 Tolerance in plastic moulding which includes the choice of plastic and the moulding temperatures all of which can change the friction fit, no longer becomes so critical in order to provide a useful long life for the product now developed.

This then described the preferred embodiment from which it will be seen that there is provided a very excellent answer to the problems described. The preferred embodiment has been described with a control har in which each control spigot is closely held by the control bar.

o, 30 In the alternative embodiment, each of the control bars have a successive arrangement of apertures which change from a closely confining circular aperture, such as at 21, to an adjacent aperture which is in the form of a small pathway allowing for some relative movement of the control spigot relative to the control bar, and in successive degrees, the last slot 22 allows for significantly more freedom of movement and therefore somewhat greater movement relative to the extent of movement of the control bar 18.

9 There is certain amount of lost motion by reason of the shape of apertures in the control bar so that there is spread of diversion direction for all the respective vanes, In this way, in a second embodiment, by relatively minor modifications to identical control bars, there can be a graduated extent of openirs of vane Thus each of the vanes 8, pivots around its main support spigot 9. This has the result that when in a closed position all of the vanes, shown as in FIG. 9, are essentially closed together and commonly pointed and when in the fully 1 0 diverting position, they are directed at variously different angles.

In such an arrangement, closure can be common to all of the vanes but the extent of opening can be in this graduated manner resulting in a dispersion of air flow as shown by arrows 23.

There is provided in the perimeter frame 11 a lip 24 extending inwards from .o the perimeter. The lip 24 has been found useful for minimising whistling t*o caused by air flow through the outlet director part 1.

fee**: 20 Throughout this specification the purpose is not to limit the invention but simply to illustrate this.

*Se r

Claims (13)

1. An outlet director part for use in an air conditioning outlet comprised of a frame, a plurality of vanes and one or more control bars, the frame holding the vanes in a spaced arrangement with respect one to another, the vanes being engaged at each end with the frame so as to allow rotation of each vane about a longitudinal axis thereof, and at either or both ends a control means engaging with a control bar such that movement of the control bar causes a corresponding movement in the vanes thereby allowing the vanes to ba co- operatively adjusted, and means for allowing relative movement of the control means in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vanes.

2. An outlet director according to claim 1, in which the vanes have a spigot at ends thereof, each spigot being engaged in a respective aperture in the frame.

3. An outlet director according to claims 1 or 2, in which the control means comprises a control spigot interengaging with an aperture in a control bar.

4. An outlet director part as in claim 1, in which the or each control bar has a plurality of apertures, one per vane, in which the apertures are adapted to retain the control spigot of a vane with holding effect and further characterised that in an open position the vanes are maintained in fixed relation one to another such that air passing through the vanes is diverted in a common direction.

An outlet director part as in claim 2 or 3, in which each aperture is defined by two extending legs forming an openable mouth having a narrower 3 0 gap at an open end and within which a spigot engages with frictional fit.

6. An outlet director part as in cialm 1, in which the control bar has a plurality of apertures, one per vane, in which at least one of the apertures is adapted to allow for relative movement of the control spigot In a direction 3 5 transverse to the long axis of the vane. I JA C A *7\h o. 11

7. An outlet director part as in claim 1, in which the control bar has a plurality of apertures, one per vane, adapted to allow relative movement of the vanes, such that in a first position all vanes are held in a closed arrangement and in a second position all vanes are held in an open position, and further characterised that in the open position the vanes are maintained in dispersed relation one to another such that air passing through the vanes is dispersed into a plurality of directions.

8. An outlet director part as in claim 6 or 7, in which the apertures in the 1 0 frame are defined by two extending legs forming an openable mouth having a narrower gap at an open end and within which a spigot engages with frictional fit and the apertures of the control bar comprise elongate slots, the degree of elongation determining the degree of opening of a vane, and each slot having at one end an openable mouth adapted to allow the insertion under 1 5 pressure of a control spigot.

9. An outlet director part as in any one of claims 1 to 8, in which there is provided an inwardly extending lip in a perimeter of an upper part of the frame.

S. An outlet director part as in any one of the preceding claims, in which the vanes are held in spaced arrangement such that the Iong axes of the 0. vanes are substantially parallel. 25

11. An outlet director part as any one of the preceding claims. in which the part is formed from plastics material.

12. An outlet director part according to any one of the preceding claims in which the director is removable from an air conditioning outlet in which the 3 0 director is to be used.

13. An outlet director part substantially as shown in the attached figures and herein described. 3 5 Dated this 9th day of December 1993. A,C. COMPONENTS PTY. LTD. By their Patent Attorneys, COLLISON CO. L *j Q^s