GB2182135A - Ventilation grilles - Google Patents

Abstract

The grille comprises brackets 8 each having a foot member 6 for engagement in a groove 4 of a mullion 2 and a pair of flexible plates 14 for supporting front louvres 32 and rear louvres 34. The edges 36 of the louvres 32 clip over nose portions 18, 20 of the plates 14 whilst the edges of the louvres 34 clip over nose portions 24 and a curved portion 13 of the brackets. Rain water strikes the front surface of the rear louvres 34 and runs into the channels formed by their edges 36. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A louvre structure particularly usable as a ventilator grid structure The present invention relates to a louvre structure as specified in the introductory clause of claim 1, i.e. a structure particularly usable for covering a wall opening through which there is an intake of air and structured with a plurality of parallel, crosswise inclinked louvres, which will force the intake air as flow ing straight towards the opening to be deflected for delivery of rain water, if any, the water being collected in channels formed by bent-over longitudinal edge portions of the louvres. It is hereby achieved in a principaily simple mannerthatthe intake air issub- stantially made free of rain drops.

In practice, however, the relevant known structures are quite complicated, normally having rolled iron sheet louvres, which are connected mutuaily and with wall mounted carrier means by means of special support profiles extending crosswise to the louvres, throug h punched-out recesses in the louvres or receiving the louvres in punched-out apertures in the support profiles, this involving complex crossings and mountings, particularly in such struc tures, in which there are more than a single layer of inclined louvres; the water draining effect is considerably increased when the airflow, upon its deflection between the louvres in an outermost layer of louvres, is deflected in the opposite direction between the louvres in an extra, inner layer of louvres, but the associated known structures are very complicated indeed.

The invention, which relates primarily to such a double layer louvre structure or a structure of at least two layers of louvres, has for its purpose to provide for a simplified structure ofthis kind.

The structure according to the invention is characterized by the features specified in the characteriz ing clause of claim 1, i.e. mainly inthatforthe holding of neighboring louvres in the two layers it is sufficient to make use of singular holder brackets which are easily mountable onto specific carrier parts such as simple carrier beams and are provided with holding flange means for one or more louvres in both a front and a rear layer ofthe louvres. The louvres are holdable solely by the holder brackets, so the carrier structure should serve to just hold these brackets, whereby the entire structure can be very simple, practically as simple as in some known sun shading louvre structures, where holder brackets are used for holding the parallel louvres in a single layer.

For obtaining a compact design of the holder brackets it is desirable that the mounting base portion of the brackets be located adjacent a middle area ofthe brackets, i.e. between and in front of the outer ends of the rearwardly or inwardly projecting flanges, and these ends, therefore, will project inwardly beyond the front side of a vertical carrier beam holding the bracket. The louvres in the rear layer, however, may be cut so as to just stretch between neighboring carrier beams, still without re quiring any special adaptation ofthe carrier means.

The invention is described in more detail in thefollowing with reference to the drawing, in which: Figure lisa perspective partial and exploded view of a structure according to the invention, Figure 2 a perspective view of a holder bracket used therein, Figure 3 a partial top view of the assembled structure, and Figure4a sectional lateral viewthereof.

The structure shown comprises a number of vertical carrier beams 2, which are profiled with forwardly open undercut grooves 4, in which foot portions 6 of a plurality of individual louvre holder brackets 8 are insertable. These brackets are die cast of plastic and comprise a base plate 10 extending crosswise to the longish foot portion 6 and having an upper plate extension 11, which projects first upwardly and forwardly in a planar portion 12 and then in a forwardly and downwardly curved plate portion 13. A transverse plate portion 14 is connected with each of the opposed vertical side edges of the base plate 10.The front edge, 16, of each plate portion 14 is forwardly and rearwardly inclined between an upper nose portion 18 and a lower nose portion 20, while the rear edge, 22, extends rearwardly and downwardly inclined between a lower nose portion 24 and the top edge of the base plate 10, such thatthe rear edges 22 are located in the plane defined bythe rear side ofthe upper planar plate portion 12.The lower edges, 26, of the transverse plate portions 14 are upwardly concave such that each of the plate portions are subdivided in a front plate flange 28 and a rear plate flange 30, these flanges being resiliently bendable out from their common base area adjacent the ends ofthe base plate 10.

The structure furthermore comprises a numberof horizontal sheet louvres 32 adapted to be fastened to thefrontflanges28anda numberoflouvres34to be mounted on the rearflanges 30. The louvres are shaped with C-bent edge portions 36 and may be made as aluminium extrusions.

In the assembled structure the mutual positioning of the louvres should preferably be as shown crosssectionally in Figure 4. From this Figure it is apparent that the louvres 32 are held on the plate flanges 28 by a holding engagement between the nose portions 18,20 and the respective C-bent louvre edges 36, while the louvres 34 are correspondingly held by their edges engaging with the nose portions 24 and the upper curved plate portion 13, respectively. Itis also apparent that each set of louvres 32,34 on the single carrier brackets 8 is located in such a manner, relative the respective overlying and underlying sets of louvres, thatthe upper end or edge of the rearmost louvre 34 projects up to a location above the plane of connection between the lower ends or edges of the two louvres in the overlying set of louvres,whilethe upper end or edge of each front louvre 32 is located underneath the upper end or edge ofthe associated rear louvre 34 and somewhat spaced from the louvre plate 34 itself.

As shown by arrows, with this lay-out of the grid louvres it will be achieved that the air as sucked through the grid wii I be forced upwardly by the front louvres 32 and thereafter downwardly by the rear louvres 34 in the respective overlying louvre sets, though a partoftheairflowwill bedownwardlydeflected along the rear louvre 34 in the same set of louvres. Rainwater, if present in the airflow, will be collected on the front side ofthe rear louvres 34 and will run down to be collected in the lower C-bent edge portions 36 of these louvres, from where the water may be drained off in any suitable manner, e.g.

just by a concentrated fall down at mutually spaced places. The drainage of the water is no particular probiem of the invention and will,therefore, not be discussed in more detail. It should be noticed, however, thatthe nose portions 20 and 24 ofthe lower ends of the flanges 28 and 30 should be shaped with lowermost cut-off portions such that they may well hold the edges of the iouvres 32 and 34, but still make possible a cross flow of water in the channels as constituted by the respective bent edge portions 36.

The desired mutual height positions of the respective sets of louvres 32,34 will be achievable in a very simpel manner by corresponding adaptation of the length of the longish foot portion 6 of the brackets 8, wherebythese brackets can just be piled on each other by the insertion ofthe foot portions 6 in the grooves 4 in the carrier rails 2. However, even shorterfoot portions may be used, inasfar as bythe piling ofthe brackets separate distance pieces may be inserted between the foot portions ofthe single brackets 8. Alternatively these brackets may be provided with clamp screws for individual fastening to the carrier rails.

It will be appreciated that the front louvres 32 may bethroughgoing over long distances, while the rear louvres 34 in the embodiment shown will be lengthwise limited by the fact that they have to be located between the carrier rails 2, inasfar as the brackets 8 are shaped such that the rear flanges 30 project beyond the front sides of the parallel carrier beams 2.

However, it is easily possible to make use of a predetermined standard spacing between the beams 2 and therewith of a corresponding standard length of the louvres 34. The base plate 10 of the brackets 8 should only be broad enough to project over both sides ofthe carrier rail in orderto be able to held the ends ofthe adjoining louvres 34 on the flanges 30.

The said lower channels of the louvres 34 will hereby be open towards the sides ofthe adjoining carrier rails 2, and the drained offwater may thus flow down along the sides of the rails without to any considerable degree being brought along by the airflow.

In Figure3 it is shown howthe louvres 34will hereby be located between the carrier rails 2, while the front louvres 32 may optionally extend in a throughgoing manner over larger lengths and meet each other in the space between the opposed flanges 28 of any given holder bracket 8.

Principallythe carrier brackets 8 may well project far enough from the front side ofthe carrier rails 2 to enable even the rear louvres 34to be located in front of the front side ofthe carrier beams, wherebythe ends ofthese louvres may almost abut each other adjacent the corresponding widely forwardly pro jecting connector portion between the foot portion 6 and the base plate 10 ofthe bracket. Likewise the brackets 8may be designed such that the connector portion between the foot portion 6 and the base plate 10 will be located above or beneath the upper or lower edge of the mounted rear louvre 34, respectively, whereby this louvre may extend uni nterruptedly across more carrier rails 2.

It will be appreciated that with the use of standard carrier rails 2 and standard louvres 32,34 it will be possible to build up different grid structures only with the use of suitably adapted brackets 8 and that the entire mounting of the structure in situ may be very simple and rapid. The louvres are mounted by insertion oftheir edges over the respective flanges 28,30, when the outer ends of these flanges are manually bent outwardly from or inwardly against each other and are thereafter released, whereby they will then enter into an effective locking engagementwith the edges 36 of the louvres. Correspondingly it will be quite easy to change out single louvres in case of local damages thereof.

It should be remarked that the louvres are normally mounted in a horizontal position, butthey may of course be mounted vertically or with anyotherde- sired direction, when the holder brackets 8 and/or the direction of the carrier beams 2 are correspondingly adapted.

Claims (4)

1. A louvre structure particularly usable as a ventilator grid structure for collecting rainwater from intake air, comprising carrier means for lengthwise parallel louvres arranged in at leasttwo layers, one behind the other, the louvres in one of the layers being crosswise forwardly and downwardly inclined whilethelouvresinaneighboring layerarecrosswise rearwardly and downwardly inclined, characterized in thatthe carrier means comprise louvre holding brackets ofthe type having flange means projecting transversely between opposed edge portions of the respective louvres and being in holding engagement with these edge portions, said holding brackets each being shaped with a base portion for the mounting of the bracket onto a carrier part of said carrier means and with flange means for holding both at least one louvre in one of said layers of louvres and at least one louvre in the respective neighboring layer of louvres.

2. A louvre structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding brackets are shaped with a base plate portion having at its opposite ends both forwardly and rearwardly projecting louvre carrying flanges, the base mounting portion being located at a middle area of the base plate portion between the rearwardly projecting flanges.

3. A louvre structure according to claim 2, in which the louvres are held such that a front edge of the rear louvres is located overlapping the rear edge ofthe front louvres and spaced only slightly therefrom, characterized in that the rearwardly projecting louvre carrying flanges cooperate with only a rear portion of the rear louvres, while the front portion of the rear louvres cooperate with an upwardly andforwardly projecting extension of said base plate portion.

4. A louvre structure according to claim 2 or3, characterized in that the front louvres extend or may extend continually over the holder brackets, while the rear louvres are arranged to extend only along the open spaced between the respective neighboring carrier rails, these rails having planar unbroken side walls.