Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
  • F24F13/02—Ducting arrangements
  • F24F13/06—Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser
  • F24F13/075—Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser having parallel rods or lamellae directing the outflow, e.g. the rods or lamellae being individually adjustable
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F9/00—Use of air currents for screening, e.g. air curtains

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a blow-out grid and an air curtain device.
• a blow-out grid in the art of blow-out grids and air curtain devices it is generally known that use can be made of a blow-out grid in a blow-out opening of the air curtain device for the purpose of correctly guiding and orienting an airflow blown out using the air curtain device.
• Use is generally made, as desired, of a blow-out grid with longitudinal slats or of a blow-out grid with transverse slats, depending on the consideration as to the direction in which some degree of divergence is still allowed.
• the choice for a specific type of blow-out grid with longitudinal slats or with transverse slats is of course also related to the choice of a specific type of motor or fan serving as the means for generating an airflow in the air curtain device.
• Such and other known fans which find wide use in air curtain devices at the present time, do not have only favourable properties. Such fans thus generate airflows with various directional components therein. Such directional components can be disadvantageous in respect of the final orientation of the air curtain to be generated with the air curtain devices. Determined parts of a passage or opening to be covered with the air curtain can for instance remain uncovered by the air curtain, which thus reduces the effectiveness of the air curtain device.
• the present invention has for its object to obviate, or at least alleviate, the above stated and other drawbacks and imperfections of the prior art, for which purpose a blow-out grid is provided as is defined in the appended independent claim number 1.
• a blow-out grid is provided as is defined in the appended independent claim number 1.
• the use of such a blow-out grid in an air curtain device is further defined in independent claim number 13.
• Claim 2 for instance relates to the property that the longitudinal and the transverse slats form sets positioned one above the other. These slats can have a mutual connection per individual set, or the longitudinal and the transverse slats can be mutually connected in the sets so as to provide a unified whole.
• the turbulence which would result from the longitudinal and the transverse slats all being combined in a single height or layer, and thus having a form defining a square in top view, can herein be avoided by providing the longitudinal and the transverse slats in sets above each other.
• the intermediate distance between the longitudinal slats can thus be made greater or the height of the longitudinal slats can be made smaller. Both measures can however be implemented, and it is in any event the case that use of material can be minimized. The costs can hereby also be kept as low as possible.
• the blow-out grid according to the invention can have the feature that at least some of the longitudinal and the transverse slats are connected to each other in order to form a unified whole.
• the blow-out grid according to the present invention has the feature that the transverse slats have a design associated with the longitudinal divergence of the airflow other than the design of the longitudinal slats associated with the transverse divergence.
• the longitudinal slats can thus be designed to guide the airflow coming from the fans in the air curtain devices (vertically) downward in parallel manner.
• the airflow generated thereby has a subordinate, less strong divergence in the longitudinal direction of the blow-out grid and, in order to nevertheless guide this subordinate, less strong component in the same direction as the main flow using the longitudinal slats, the transverse slats can also have a different design because they are intended for the purpose of guiding another part of the airflow.
• a blow-out grid according to the present invention can have the features that the distance between the transverse slats is greater than between the longitudinal slats. This can be related to the "different" design of the transverse slats relative to the design of the longitudinal slats. It is further possible that only two transverse slats are applied, on which, or preferably under which, the longitudinal slats are then arranged or fixed.
• the transverse slats can thus serve as suspension and as mutual connection for the longitudinal slats.
• the function can then be fulfilled of the usual connecting bars or rods, which can per se cause an annoying turbulence, this being avoided by using the transverse slats.
• the transverse slats can then also serve as suspension.
• an embodiment of a blow-out grid according to the present invention to have the feature that at least one of the transverse and the longitudinal slats have in cross-section a form adapted to the relevant component of the airflow passing therethrough during use.
• a form can be a curvature or an oblique position relative to a vertical, whereby the direction of origin of an airflow for guiding is related to the exit direction of this airflow from the blow-out grid.
• edges of the slats oriented in the blow-out direction are given a straight form, i.e. transversely of the blow-out direction, against vortex shedding and against noise nuisance.
• Straight can be understood to mean that the slats can be trimmed or cut off and thus have an angular form, from which the airflow separates quickly. A less favourable effect is obtained when said edges of the slats are rounded, as can result from an extrusion process.
• a blow-out grid according to the present invention can have the feature that at least one of the longitudinal and the transverse slats are mutually engaging in order to provide a connection therebetween.
• This can also be a particular feature of the manner of mutually connecting the transverse and the longitudinal slats, to the extent the engagement also provides a coupling or fixing.
• a saving of space can hereby also be made in the height, and therefore of the space required for the blow-out grid.
• a further preferred embodiment of a blow-out grid according to the invention can have the feature that at least some of the longitudinal and the transverse slats are disposed at a distance from each other.
• the available overall height for the blow-out grid is a less critical consideration and wherein very favourable effects are obtained in respect of the alignment or the guiding of the various components in the different directions of the airflow generated with a fan.
• said distance is preferably substantially smaller than the width or height of the wider or higher of the longitudinal and transverse slats. It has been found and/or is anticipated that the desired effects can hereby still be obtained of guiding in the desired direction all the components of the airflow running in different directions.
• the present invention also relates to an air curtain device.
• This device then comprises a housing and airflow-generating means in the housing.
• a blow-out opening is further provided with an inner peripheral form, and a channel runs from the airflow-generating means to the blowout opening.
• a blow-out grid with a peripheral form and dimensions corresponding to the elongate form of this blow-out opening.
• the blow-out grid is then a grid according to the present invention and the air curtain device as a whole is thereby also an embodiment of this invention.
• the airflow-generating means are of a type which generates, at least at the position of the blow-out grid, an airflow further also having a longitudinal component as well as a transverse component.
• a possible embodiment hereof can be formed by the per se known radial fans with blades curved to the rear.
• the use hereof has diverse advantages, as already stated above.
• An extremely good and effectively aligned air curtain can be generated by the combination of such radial fans with blades curved to the rear and a blow-out grid according to the present invention.
• At least two radial fans with blades curved to the rear are preferably disposed in the housing of the air curtain device in an orientation parallel to the blow-out opening and to the blow-out grid therein.
• the channel can herein have a curvature of about 90°, whereby the need to align the airflows generated by such fans is clearly apparent.
• fig. 1 shows a partly cut-away perspective view of an air curtain device with a blow-out grid therein, both according to the present invention
• fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a part of a blow-out grid according to the present invention
• fig. 3 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a part of a blow-out grid according to the present invention
• fig. 4 shows yet another embodiment of a part of a blowout grid according to the present invention
• fig. 5 shows another embodiment of a part of a blow-out grid according to the present invention
• fig. 6 show an alternative embodiment of a part of a blow-out grid according to the present invention.
• FIG. 1 shows an air curtain device (1) in an embodiment according to the present invention.
• This device comprises a housing (2) in which fans (3) are disposed.
• Fans (3) are disposed in an array parallel to a blow-out opening (4) .
• a blow-out grid (5) is arranged in blow-out opening (4).
• a channel (6) extends between the fans (3), which are in particular fans of the type "radial fan with blades curved to the rear", toward the blow-out opening (4).
• An airflow generated with fans (3) in the direction of arrow A has directional components upon arrival at blow-out opening (4) and blow-out grid (5) .
• the main flow is designated by arrow A.
• the main flow, designated by arrow A, of the airflow generated with fans (3) has a deviation relative to the vertical direction desirable for blowing out. This is for instance the case when the air curtain device is disposed at a doorway or similar passage.
• longitudinal slats (7) are arranged in blow-out grid (5) . These slats are disposed vertically, and the dimensions and intermediate distances between the longitudinal slats (7) cause the main flow corresponding with arrow A to be guided downward after passing through the curve in channel 6.
• the airflow coming from the fans further also comprises a longitudinal component which is designated by arrow B and arrow C.
• arrow B and arrow C a longitudinal component which is designated by arrow B and arrow C.
• blow-out grid (5) also comprises transverse slats (8). Since the longitudinal components along arrow B and arrow C in an airflow generated with fans (3) will normally be weaker than the main flow which is indicated by arrow A and which is substantially defined by the selection of determined fans and the form of channel 6 - in particular the curvature therein - and the enclosure in the housing, the intermediate distance between transverse slats (8) can be selected to be considerably greater than the intermediate distance between longitudinal slats (7).
• Fig. 2 shows a part of a blow-out grid, the longitudinal slats (7) of which are substantially the same as the longitudinal slats (7) in blow-out grid (5) in fig. 1.
• Transverse slats (8) are however disposed at an angle to the vertical. In this embodiment transverse slats (8) are therefore oriented in relation to the origin of the longitudinal component of the airflow designated by arrow B or arrow C in fig. 1.
• Fig. 3 shows a similar situation, but transverse slats (8) here not only have an oblique position relative to the vertical but also a curvature which is again intended to intercept as much as possible of the longitudinal components in an airflow and guide them downward in vertical direction. Conversely, fig.
• transverse slats have a substantially vertical orientation and are simultaneously curved or have a curved surface, once again for the purpose of maximum interception and guiding of a transverse component of an airflow generated with fans, depending on the origin of this airflow with such longitudinal components therein.
• longitudinal slats (7) and transverse slats (8) can be connected to each other or fixed to each other in various ways. It is for instance possible here to dispense with mutual connections between the longitudinal slats, as are for instance formed in conventional blow-out grids by means of connecting bars or rods. This function can be fulfilled by transverse slats (8). Such mounting tubes or bars can however also occur in embodiments of the present invention.
• transverse slats form a set, and the same applies for the longitudinal slats.
• the set with transverse slats (8) can also have many designs other than slats extending only in transverse direction and substantially upright as shown in the figures and described above. It is equally possible for use to be made here of honeycomb structures, designs defining squares and so on.
• the height, or at least the effective height, of the transverse slats must be approximately as great or greater than the intermediate distance therebetween, thereby avoiding oblique blow-out.
• the height of the longitudinal slats can for instance amount to 50 mm, while the intermediate distance between the longitudinal slats can amount to 20 mm.
• the height of the transverse slats can herein amount to 45 millimetres, with an intermediate distance between the transverse slats of about 50 mm, starting from the embodiment shown in fig. 1.
• Transverse slats are then however required for the purpose of downward vertical orientation of the longitudinal component of the airflow generated by the fans.
• the ratio (height transverse slats + height longitudinal slats) /minus (distance between transverse slats, distance between longitudinal slats) should be at least 5. Any other value at which the intended effects occur can however also result in an embodiment according to the present invention.
• the grid part or set with the transverse slats also has another favourable effect. Providing a set with the transverse slats has a favourable effect on the reduction of turbulence, particularly in the longitudinal direction. The intermediate distance between the longitudinal slats can thus be made greater, or the height of the longitudinal slats can be made smaller. It is however possible to implement both measures, and it is in any event the case here that use of material can be minimized. The costs can hereby also be kept as low as possible.
• the distance may not be greater than the greatest height, at least the greatest effective height, of the longitudinal slats and the transverse slats. This is to prevent a decrease in effectiveness.
• the upper set of slats 10 is formed by a number of straight slats (figure 5) .
• the lower set of slats 12 is then provided at an angle per slat so as to thereby guide the airflow more toward the centre.
• the slats of lower set 14 are formed from curved slats (figure 6) in order to guide the airflow with reduced resistance.
• the airflow is also guided in vertical direction by the curvature, thereby reducing possible horizontal components. If desired, it is possible to provide the lower slats with larger dimensions, particularly in the flow direction, in order to thereby improve guiding even further.
• the dimension of the overall length of the guiding of the airflow in vertical direction herein preferably amounts to at least five times the dimension of a (possibly partly virtual) channel formed by the combination of slat sets.
• the dimension in the direction of the airflow, in the shown embodiment the vertical direction can however amount to a multiple of said factor.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Specific Sealing Or Ventilating Devices For Doors And Windows (AREA)
• Air-Flow Control Members (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Cites Families (36)

• 2006
  • 2006-02-21 NL NL1031200A patent/NL1031200C2/nl active Search and Examination
• 2007
  • 2007-02-20 WO PCT/NL2007/000051 patent/WO2007097618A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-02-20 US US12/280,291 patent/US20100233951A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-02-20 EP EP07715844A patent/EP2005071A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-02-20 CA CA002642622A patent/CA2642622A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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