GB2303441A - Ventilation unit for window or door frames - Google Patents

Description

VENTILATION SYSTEMS This invention relates to ventilation systems and particularly to methods and apparatus for the ventilation of buildings.

Modern building techniques involving the employment of insulation and double glazing reduce natural air flow and increase the need to provide means for improving ventilation. This is particularly the case in kitchens and bathrooms which are subjected to high levels of condensation.

It is known to employ fans to provide forced ventilation of buildings. Conventionally this is effected by forming an opening in the wall of the building or in the glass of a window and mounting a fan in the opening. The provision of openings to house fans in this way is a time consuming and expensive operation and the end result is often aesthetically unsatisfactory.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative means of ventilating a building which obviates or mitigates these disadvantages.

The invention provides a method of ventilating a building comprising directing air through an elongated passage immediately adjacent to a window or door frame of the building by power means.

The invention also provides ventilation apparatus comprising an elongated casing adapted to be positioned alongside a frame component of a window or door to define an air flow passage between the exterior and interior of a building and power means adapted to produce a flow of air through said passage.

Preferably said casing is located above the window or door.

Preferably said power means comprises a fan mounted in a fan housing connected to said casing and adapted in use to project into the interior of the building.

Preferably said fan incorporates an elongated fan rotor operatively connected to an electric motor mounted in said fan housing.

Preferably the surface of said fan housing which is lowermost in use is provided with air flow openings through which air may be drawn into the housing when the fan is in operation. The air flow openings may be formed by a "hit and miss" ventilator adapted to be opened and closed by manual operation from within the building.

Preferably also the lower surface of said fan housing is detachably connected to the housing so as to be removable to enable access for maintenance and cleaning purposes.

Preferably the edge of said casing remote from said fan housing is provided with a downwardly-opening cover member forming an air flow outlet and concealing the outer end of said passage when viewed from a position externally of the building.

The invention also provides a window or door fitted with powered ventilation apparatus as aforesaid.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective illustration of a ventilation unit according to the invention mounted in a building; Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-section through the unit shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the unit.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a wall 5 of a building incorporating an opening 6 in which a window 7 is mounted. The opening 6 is of larger size than the window 7 and a ventilation unit 8 is mounted between the upper edge of the opening 6 and the adjacent portion of the window frame whereby to form an elongated passage above the window frame allowing flow of air between the exterior and interior of the building as indicated by the broken lines 9.

The ventilation unit is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 and 3 and incorporates an elongated fan housing 10 of generally square cross-section. A "hit and miss" ventilator 11 forms the base of the housing through which air may enter the housing. An elongated outlet opening 12 is provided in the outer side wall of the housing and communicates with a duct 13 extending over the upper edge of the outer frame 14 of the window and terminating in a downwardly opening outlet or cover member 15 to which the duct is connected by an opening 16.

The casing 10, duct 13 and cover member 15 are of elongated form and extend across the full width of the window 7. These components may advantageously be formed from extruded aluminium or plastics material from which sections of appropriate length can be cut as required to correspond to windows if different width. Preferably the fan casing 10 and cover member 15 are of extruded aluminium, the duct 13 being formed from upper and lower sheets or plates of plastics material the width of which may be varied to adapt the unit to window frames of different thickness.

Power means in the form of a motor driven fan 17 is mounted within the housing 10 and comprises a fan rotor 18 mounted on a central shaft (not shown) and connected to an electric motor 19 also mounted within the housing and arranged co-axially within the fan rotor. The motor is separated from the fan rotor by an end plate 20 and the housing 10 incorporates baffle members 21 and 22 adapted to guide the air flowing through the housing towards the outlet duct 13. In use the motor is connected to a suitable electrical power supply (not shown) provided within the building.

The duct 13 is formed by upper and lower sheet or plate members 13A and 138, the opposite edges of which engage in slots formed in the fan housing 10 and cover member 15 and are secured in place by screws 13C or other suitable means. The same for housing and outer cover components may thus be used to produce units adapted to windows and doors of different thickness by substituting upper and lower plates 13A and 138 of increased or reduced width to vary the distance between the fan housing 10 and the cover member 15 dependent on the construction of the window or door concerned. In this way the same major components can be employed to produce ventilating units adapted to fit a wide variety of window or door constructions.

The "hit and miss" ventilator 11 is detachably secured to the underside of the fan housing 10 by screws 11A or other releasable fastening means. This enables the ventilator 11 to be detached to permit access to the housing 10 for maintenance, repair or cleaning purposes without requiring removal of the fan housing or the unit as a whole.

In operation of the unit, the motor is energised to rotate the fan rotor 18 and draw air in through the adjustable ventilator 11 which forms the underside of the fan housing 10. Air is expelled from the housing 10 through the outlet aperture 12 and discharged from the building over the top of the window through the duct 13, aperture 16 and cover member 15. The degree of ventilation may be varied by manual operation of the ventilator 11 forming the underside of the casing 10.

Further control may be provided by incorporating a variable speed motor. The unit provides positive ventilation and is particularly suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms where ventilation air flow rates of up to sixty litres per second are required by modern building regulations.

A particular advantage of the invention arises from the positioning of the outlet duct immediately adjacent and preferably above a window or door. By forming the window or door opening slightly larger than the intended size of the window or door itself, a ventilation unit according to the invention may be readily incorporated without the need to form a separate outlet opening through the wall or to remove a section of glass from the window in order to accommodate a ventilation fan. This simplifies and reduces the cost of providing forced ventilation and the installed unit is much more aesthetically satisfactory.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example while it is preferred that the unit is located above a window or door and extends over the full width thereof, it may alternatively be located alongside a window or door frame and may be of shorter than the adjacent window or door frame component. The fan housing and outlet duct may be of different configuration and alternative forms of fan may be incorporated.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (15)

Claims:-

1. A method of ventilating a building comprising directing air through an elongated passage immediately adjacent to a window or door frame of the building by power means.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said passage is located above said window or door.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said passage is defined by a casing incorporating air inlet and outlet apertures.

4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein said power means comprises a power driven fan.

5. A method of ventilating a building substantially as hereinbefore described.

6. Ventilation apparatus comprising an elongated casing adapted to be positioned alongside a frame component of a window or door to define an air flow passage between the exterior and interior of a building and power means adapted to produce a flow of air through said passage.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said casing is located above the window or door.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 wherein said power means comprises a fan mounted in a fan housing connected to said casing and adapted in use to project into the interior of the building.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said fan incorporates an elongated fan rotor operatively connected to an electric motor mounted in said fan housing.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 or 9 wherein the surface of said fan housing which is lowermost in use is provided with air flow openings through which air may be drawn into the housing when the fan is in operation.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said air flow openings are defined by a Mhit and miss" ventilator adapted to be opened and closed by manual operation from within the building.

12. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 11 wherein the lower surface of said fan housing is detachably connected to said casing so as to be removable to enable access for maintenance and cleaning purposes.

13. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 12 wherein the edge of said casing remote from said fan housing is provided with a downwardly-opening cover member forming an air flow outlet and concealing the outer end of said passage when viewed from a position externally of the building.

14. Ventilation apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A window or door fitted with powered ventilation apparatus according to any of claims 5 to 14.