US2275564A - Ventilator - Google Patents

Description

Marc 10, 1942. s. F. SHAWH AN ET AL 2,275,564

VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY March 10, 1942.

S. F. SHAWHAN El AL VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r from the outdoor atmosphere,

' requirements of Patented Ma. 10, 1942 VENTlLATOR Sam F. Shawhan and Constant E. Nicolet, Syra- N. assignors to Carrier Corporation,

Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 2,1938, sci-m No. 243,503

(CL-9H4) 6 Claims.

to air circulating apparly to air circulating and This invention relates ratus and more particul ventilating units.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved air circulating and ventilating unit of the type adapted to be positioned in 2 window opening or the like, of an enclosure, which by reason of its unique design affords various advantages over devices heretofore known.

Thus, an object of the invention is to provide an air circulating unit which is adapted to dis charge into an enclosure either recirculated air withdrawn. from the enclosure or outdoor air withdrawn from th outdoor atmosphere, or a mixture of recirculated and outdoor air in any desired proportions.

It is another objector the invention to provide an air circulating and ventilating unit, which removes dust, pollen, grime and other foreign matter from all air discharged from the unit,

drawn regardless of whether the discharged air is or from the enclosureserved by the unit, or from both.

It is another object of the invention to provide an air", circulating and entilating unit of the type adapted to ,be positioned in a window opening which is weatherproof and which may be sealed effectively against the entrance of air from the outdoor atmosphere whenever this is desired, thus to prevent the infiltration of outdoor air into the enclosure and to provide positive protection against the action of strong winds or the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide an air circulating and ventilating device adapted to be positioned in the window opening of an enclosure which is itself extremely quiet in operation and which additionally serves to mize the transmission of noises from the outdoor atmosphere to the enclosure served by the device;

It is another object an air circulating and ventilating unit of the window type which assures a constant and positive circulation of air, free from drafts, and at a rate which may be varied in accordance-with the suit personal preferences.

Still another object of the invention is to pro-- vide an air circulating and ventilating apparatus which is relatively simpl in design, inexpensive to construct and operate, and which is reliable and efllcient in operation; which is complete, compact, and self-contained; and-which may be installed quickly and easily in any desired location, and readily removed for reinstallation in any other desired location. i

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a ventilating and air circulating device of the type adapted to be positioned in the win dow opening or the like of an enclosure, which is provided with an inlet for recirculated air drawn from the enclosure, an inlet for outdoor air with drawn from the outdoor atmosphere, and a device for regulating the proportions in which air is drawn through each of these inlets for delivery to the enclosure, provide for air flow through one or the other of said inlets exclusively, should this be desired.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an air circulating and ventilating unit provided with a recirculated air inlet, an outdoor air inlet communicating with the outdoor atmosphere, and means for passing air from both of said inlets through a filter adapted to remove foreign matter therefrom, the air then being discharged into the enclosure in an upward direction in such manner as to provide an active circulation of air therein without objectionable streaks or drafts.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more lowing description, to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a ventilator unit embodying the invention in a preferred form;

of the invention to provide particular installations or to Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the unit of Fig. 1, partly broken away to show portions of the interior thereof Fig. 3-is a sectional of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional 44 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, and illustrating the mechanism for operating the proportioning damper.

Referring now to the drawings, similar designations referring to similar parts, numeral Ill designates generally a cabinet of generally elongated conflguration and adapted to be positioned in a window opening or the like of an enclosure When the unit is positioned as intended,'the front thereof will extend from the window into the enclosure to be served thereby while the rear portion i 2 will extend rearwardly of the window opening into th outdoor atmosphere. Extending along the top and down the sides of the cabinet I! there is preferably provided a sealing strip 43 of suitable resilient material, suchas view, taken on the line view, taken on the line said device being arranged to apparent from the folrubber or the like, preferably received within a containing channel i4. Thus when the window with which the unit is associated is closed, the lower portion of the window sash will engage the sealing strip l3 to form an effective air seal. If desired, there may be provided suitable filler strips of a type well known in the art for filling up the space between the sides of the cabinet and the sides of the window opening. Preferably, these filler pieces are adjustable. Since various devices of this character are well known and understood in the art, no further description thereof is deemed required here, it being sufficient to understand that they eiiectively'prevent the passage of air between the enclosure and the outdoor atmosphere.

The front wall l5 of curved, as best seen in Figs. portion of the front wall I5 is provided with a grilled recirculated air inlet opening IE while the upper portion of the front wall is is provided with one or more suitably grilled outlet openings IT. AS illustrated, two outlet openings ll are employed, but it will be understood that, if desired, a single outlet opening, or any desired number thereof; may be employed. Preferably, both the recirculated air inlet opening l6 and the air discharge opening ll extend substantially completely throughout the length of the cabinet 1, 3 and 4. The lower It will be observed that the recirculated air opening l6, because of the contour ofthe front plate l5, tends to draw air upwardly into the cabinet, whereas the air discharge openings ll, because of the configurationof the front plate l5, tend to discharge air upwardly from the unit.

This formation. of the inlet and discharge openings therefore tends to initiate and foster an active rotary circulation of air throughout the enclosure served by the unit. Further, it will be noted that the air which is delivered from the unit in an upward direction is caused to mix with and be attemperated by the air inth.e enclosure, so that before the introduced air enters the zone of occupancy its velocity and condition the cabinet is preferably top of the cabinet, and extending. substantially throughout the length of the cabinet.

The air discharged from the fans through openings is delivered into a discharge chamber 28 formed between the front wall l5 and the partition 21. To provide for the deadening of noises which might otherwise be transmitted within the enclosure served by the unit, the walls of chamber 28 are preferably provided with suitable sound-absorbing material. Thus, the inside of the front plate I5 is preferably provided with a sound-absorbing packing or the like, designated 29, and a similar packing is provided on the front side of the partition 21. The sound absorbers and 3B are efiective not only to minimize noises due to operation of the unit itself, but also prevent the transmission of noises coming from the outdoors. The silent operation of the unit is further enhanced by the free mounting of partition l8 as above described. Thus any vibrations due to operation of the motor and fan ,rotors are taken up by oscillation of the partition l8 between its ends, and these vibrations are prevented, in large measure, from being transmitted to the outer casing. Similarly, the supports 20 and the motor 2| are provided with suitable sound-absorbing cushions of any desired type.

The upper rear portion of the cabinet comprises a casing section designated 3| which is pivotally mounted in any desired manner at 32.

., and is adapted to be rotated rearwardly, asinhave both been tempered. Thus despite the active circulation of substantial quantities of air,

" the unit provides freedom from drafts, streaks and the like, and on the contrary gives assurance of positive, healthful and comfortable air circulation at all times.

Extending lengthwise of the unit 'throughout the length thereof is a horizontal partition l8v which extends from the front plate l5, at a point above the recirculated air inlet l6, rearwardlyof the unit, the partition terminating a substantial distance from the rear of the unit. The partition i8 may be supported in any desired manner, but preferably is supported by being welded or similarly secured to the end walls of the cabinet, the partition being free between the end walls of the cabinet.

Supported by the partition l8 centrally of the cabinet is. a supporting platform l9 carrying brackets 20 which in. turn support an electric motor 2|. Positioned on either side of motor 2| is a fan rotor 22 supported and rotated by shaft 23 extending from the motor 2|. is contained within a fan scroll 24. The fan scrolls 24 are preferably provided with double inlet openings 25 for admitting air to the fan Each fan rotor dicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The casing I section 3| carries a pan-type support 33, which is preferably welded or otherwise suitably secured th'ereto, the support 33 serving to receive and contain a removable filter 34, which preferably .extends throughout the length of the unit in-.

terior.

When the casing section 3|. is in normal position, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the support 33 and.

removable filter 34 are snugly received between anupwardly extending portion 35 of partition l8 and an upwardly extendingportion 36 of the plate forming the supporting platform i9. Thus portions 35 and 36 form an effective seal which prevents the passage of air through the rear of the cabinet and to the region of the fans, ex-.

cept through the filter 34.

It will be noted that the partition |8 provides a passage 31 for recirculated air which extends rearwardly of the cabinet from the recirculated air inlet opening IS, the passageway 31 bein adapted to deliver air from the inlet Hi to the air supply chamber 38, from which chamber air is .-drawn through the filter 34 for supply to the area served by the unit. Also, it will be observed that the lower rear portion of. the unit is provided with an outdoor air inlet opening 39, this opening being formed between the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet and the bottom of the rear wall 4| of the cabinet, the rear wall 4| comprising a part of the pivotally mounted casing portion 3|. Thus upon operation of the fans 22, air may be drawn in to the cabinet from the enclosure served, through inlet l6, and also from the outdoor atmosphere, through inlet 39.

At times, it may be desired to circulate return air only and to prevent the admission of any outdoor air to the enclosure. At other times, it

. may be desired to circulate outdoor air exclusively, and not to recirculate any air from the enclosure. At other times, it may be desired to circulate both outdoor air and return air in varying proportions. To provide for desiredcondependent upon ing 33.

The damper 42 may be hingedly mounted in any desired manner, but it is vide a u-shaped channel 43 within which an extending lip 44 of the damper 42 is received. This construction provides a freely acting hinge preferred to prothere is provided a damper 3 mounting for the damper and at the same time the U-shaped channel 43 provides an'enective air seal. Further, the hinge structure is effectively protected against the-elements. The damper 42 is so formed that when the top of the damper is moved toward the front of the cabinet, thetop of the damper will abut the extension piece 35, so that if the damper ismoved to the maximum forward position, it will serve completely to interrupt the flow of air through inlet opening l and passageway 31, and will cause outdoor air exclusively to be supplied to the fans for delivery to the enclosure served. Conversely, if the top of the damper 39 is moved to the maximum position rearwardly of the cabinet, its top flange 45 will abut a resilient sealring strip or the like 45, mounted on a flange at the bottom of rear wall 4|, and thus will cause complete interruption of the supply'of outdoor air to the cabinet, and will result in the circulation of return air exclusively. When the damper is in intermediate positions, both return air and outdoor airwill be circulated by the unit, the proportions of outdoor air and return air being the position of the damper in each case.

The damper 42 is preferably regulated in position by means of a lever 41 extending outside the cabinet and, adapted readily to be rotated by an operator. The lever 41 is connected to a link 48 which controls the position of control bar 49 pivotally connected to the damper 42, as indicated at 50. It will beapparent that when the top of the lever 41 is pushed toward the rear, of the cabinet the damper willbe moved toward the position in which it permits maximum recirculation of return air, while when the top of lever 41 is moved toward the front of the cabinet the damper will be moved into position in which it aiiords a maximum supply of outdoor air to the fans of the apparatus.

In ventilator units heretofore known, .a common shortcoming has been the inadequacy of these units to prevent the entrance of outdoor air when this was not desired. It will be noted that when the damper 42 of the present construction is positioned to cut off the supply of outdoor air, there is provided an effective seal both at the bottom of the damper, by means of the channel 43, and at the top of the damper,

by me'ans of the flange'45 andthe sealing member 46. Further, when the opening 39 is completely closed by damper 42, the movement of the damper into this extreme position throws the damper off-center so far as its pivotal mounting in the channel 43 is concerned. Hence, the effective seals of the channel 43 and the flange 45 continue to prevent the ingress of outdoor air.

even though-there be exerted a substantial wind force on the damper 42, for the off-center position of the damper will cause a locking action sufiicient to prevent'such undesired opening of the damper 42.

Because of the protected location of the outdoor inlet 39, there is little opportunity for rain,

snow or the like to enter within the cabinet but since small quantities of water may collect in the cabinet from time to time due to unusual circumstances, there is preferably provided a small drain opening 5! in the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet.

To insure the stable positioning of the cabinet within all types of window openings, regardless of the formations of the window sills, thereare preferably provided two or more adjusting screws 52 extending through openings in the partition l8 and extending through suitable threaded openings in the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet. Thus, if the outer window sill at which the cabinet is installed slopes downwardly sharply from the region of the window sash, the screws will be extended downwardly a substantial distance below the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet, in order to provide the desired support. If the window sill is relatively flat, however, it will be understood that the desired support may be obtained by adjusting the screws they extend only slightly below the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet.

I Although any type of inlet and discharge grilles'may be utilized in conjunction with the invention, it is preferred that the air discharge outlet'l'! be provided with adjustable vanes 53. While the adjustable vanes 53 may be of any desired type and may be individually mounted, it is preferred that they be interconnected so that by adjustment of a single operating lever 54, the discharge direction of an entire set of vanes may be regulated to provide for discharge .of air from the unit in the desired direction.

While the housing of the apparatus may be fabricated in any desired manner, the preferred construction embraces the bending ofthe top wall of the housing to provide a downwardly extop wall of the housing a channel 56 so positioned that one of the legs 5600f the channel venient access to inside the chamber 28 abuts the downwardly extending portion 55. The top of partition 21 is slightly bent over upon itself and a bolt "is used to connect the channel leg 5611 with the bent-over portion of partition 21. This construction is preferred since it eliminates the necessity for using screws or bolts which would be visible through the discharge grilles ii. In the construction illustrated, nothing is visible except the uniform surface of the sound absorber 30.

While any suitable arrangement may be employed for controlling the operation of the fan motor 2|, it is preferred to provide a rheostat 58 under the control of knob 59 for controlling the speed of the fan motor, thus to provide for desired control of the rate at which air'is discharged from the unit. An electrical extension plug 50 is provided for plugging in the electrical circuit of the unit to any suitable source of electrical energy.

It will be observed that the unit is entirely self-contained and thus may be installed quickly and readily wherever desired, and may also be removed readily whenever this is desired.

It will be appreciated, further, that the pivotal mounting of the casing portion 3! permits conall portions of' the interior of the unit. Thus it permits the filter 34 to be removed and replaced as required with great fagizlity, and permits access to the stabilizer screws Since many changes may be made in the invention without departing from its scope, it is 52 in such manner that intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, applicants limiting themselves only as indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A window ventilator comprising a casing having a front stationary section and a rear section swingable about hinged mounting means, a return air inlet formed in the front section of said casing proximate the lower portion thereof, the portion of the wall of said casing in which said inlet is formed being at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, anoutdoor air inlet formed in said casing at the rear thereof beneath the hinged rear section, filter means in the hinged rear section, means providing a comthe rear lower fixed portion of the casing and the rear lower pivoted portion of the casing, said? mon passage for communication between said return air inlet and said filter and said outdoor air inlet and said filter, whereby air may be supplied from both of said inlets to said filter, blower means for drawingair through said filter, and a discharge outlet in the same wall in which said return air inlet is formed adapted to discharge air from said casing in an upward direction into i the area served by the apparatus.

2. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit comprising a casing, a return air inlet extending upwardly at an acute angle to the.

horizontal through the front wall; of said casing proximate the lower portion thereof to draw the air upwardly into the casing,said inlet extending substantially throughout the length of said casing and a discharge-air outlet formed in said front wall adapted to discharge. air from the easing in formedbetween .two portions of said casing at the rear thereof and extending substantially throughout the length thereof, filter means, means providing communication between said return air inlet and said filter means and said outdoor air inlet and said filter means, whereby air may be supplied from both of said inlets to said filter means, blower means for drawing air through said filter means, and a discharge outlet adapted to discharge air from said casing into the area served by the apparatus, the blower being located between the filter and the discharge outlet, said discharge outlet extending substantially throughout the length of said casing.

3. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit according to claim 2 inwhich the rearward portion of said casing is pivotally mounted upon an upward direction, an outdoor air inlet the outdoor air inlet being. formed between the rear lower fixed air inlet being formed beneath filter means being removably mounted within said rearward pivoted portion of said casing, whereby when the rearward portion of the casing is pivoted away from the remaining portion of the casing, the filter may readily be removed,

and replaced.

a. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit including a casing having an air inlet formed proximate the front bottom portion thereof, a rear bottom portion in said casing, an outdoor air inlet formed proximate the rear bottom portion, partition means separating the interior of said casing into an upper and a lower section, said partition means extending rearwardly to a point proximate but spaced from the rear of said casing and forming in combination with the bottom of said casing an air passageway adapted to receive air from said return air inlet opening, fan means and driving means therefor mounted on and positioned above said partition means, a filter positioned rearwardly of said fan means and said fan driving means in spaced relation from the rear wall of said casing, said filter being in the path of air passing to said fan means from said passageway and from said outdoor air inlet opening, and means forming an upwardly extending discharge passageway adaptedto receive air from said fan means and to discharge tus and being formed between the front wall of and with respect to the remainder of said casing,

said casing and said other partition means.

5. A unit according to claim 4 in which a rear portion of said casing is pivotally mounted upon andiwith respect to the remaining portion of said casing, and in which said filter is mounted within said rear casing portion, so that by pivotal adjustment of said rear casing portion said filter may readily be withdrawn and replaced.

6.- A unit according to claim 4 characterized by'the fact that said outdoor inlet opening is formed between the. rear bottom portion of the casing and the lower edge of the pivoted portion of the casing.

\ SAM F. SHAWHAN.

CONSTANT E. NICOLET.

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