US2994259A

US2994259A - Diffuser construction

Info

Publication number: US2994259A
Application number: US763871A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cortland N O'day
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-09-29
Filing date: 1958-09-29
Publication date: 1961-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1978-08-01

Description

Aug. 1, 1961 c. N. ODAY DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 29, 1958 fip a... .w mil w mi United States Patent 2,994,259 DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTION Cortland N. ODay, Port Washington, NY. (Air Devices Inc., 185 Madison Ave, New York, NY.) Filed Sept. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 763,871 11 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) The present invention is particularly directed to air diffuser outlets and is more specifically directed to antismudge air diffuser outlets.

It has been found that the air diffusers and particularly air diffuser outlets and in general air inlet and outlet connections which may be positioned in the walls or ceiling of a room, oflice, chamber or enclosure, tend to result in deposition of smudge streaks or areas adjacent to the diffuser where dirt or grime is deposited upon the ceiling or wall.

The difliculty is greatly increased with air conditioning outlets which deliver a relatively high volume of air at velocities and at temperature conditions which are quite different from those in the enclosure into which the air is delivered and which also cause turbulence or result in a vigorous stirring action in the room or enclosure in order to obtain thorough mixing of the incoming air and the air already within the room or enclosure.

To avoid frequent and expensive cleansing operations as applied to the walls and the ceilings and also to avoid the necessity of redecorating the room or enclosure too frequently, it has been customary to utilize large superficial smudge rings which not only give an undesirable appearance to the air conditioning installation but also tend merely to spread the smudge formation over a wider area.

It has now been found that the deposition of smudge takes place because of the formation of small minute circular eddy currents in a vertical plane adjacent to abrupt changes in direction when the air passes from the face of the diffuser onto or adjacent to the wall or ceiling and it has further been found that if the direction of change of air stream can be maintained so that the angle will be less than and desirably between 3 to 9, with an optimum at 6 or 7, the smudge is not deposited and the small vertical eddy currents do not result.

It is among the objects therefore of the present invention to provide a novel air diffuser outlet which will be of relatively simple construction eliminating abrupt changes of air direction in the passage from the face of the diffuser onto the ceiling or wall.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel smudge prevention diffuser which will eliminate smudge formation upon a ceiling or wall and which may be readily installed without difiiculty and Without smudge rings.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory to cause the outcoming air to flow from the diffuser toward the ceiling at an angle of between 2 to 10 and desirably at an angle of about 6 to 7.

The air preferably flows through the diffuser and the outer diffuser faces should be in the plane of the angle of attack of the air stream upon the ceiling.

The outmost plate of the diffuser should contact the ceiling and substantially and without abrupt break or bead so that the air will flow at said 6 or 7 angle from the face of the diffuser onto the ceiling without any crevices or recesses tending to form vertical eddy currents between the air stream and the ceiling line particularly at the junction thereof.

Desirably the outer flange which contacts the ceiling of the diffuser should contact the outwardly peripherally flowing air for a major portion of its travel across the face of the diffuser so that the surface characteristics of the outer flange will determine the roll and character of the flow of the uppermost film of air or the film of air which is most closely adjacent to the diffuser and the ceiling face.

The invention may be applied to either square or round diffusers and to a wide variety of shapes and forms of diffusers so long as the 6 to 7 principle is employed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the in- Mention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter will be more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a transverse section of a typical diffuser of either round or square cross-section.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a circular diffuser.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a rectangular or square diffuser embodying the principal of the diffuser of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an inlet sleeve 10 which is connected to an interior conduit (not shown) of an air conditioning or a ventilating system.

The sleeve in which may receive a damper and which may be of circular or rectangular cross-section has an outwardly extending flange 11, a bevel 12, a further horizontal plane 13, a main oblique surface or face 14 and a vertical peripheral flange 15.

At the terminal portion of the vertical plane 15 is attached the air direction flange 16 which has a horizontal or straight portion 17 and a slightly inclined portion 18 joined at the point 19.

The flange 16 should serve as a major contact direction face for the pheriphery outflowing air 20 and it should conduct this air to the ceiling face 21 at an angle of 6 to 7 and without break at the junction point 22.

The outermost film of air will flow as indicated by the

arrows

23, 24, 25, 26 and 20, to take up the 7 angle under guidance of the face 18 of the flange 16.

There will be abrupt changes of direction at 27 and 26 but these will not effect the most exterior film 20 in the smooth flow along the oblique flange portion 16..

The flange 11 will also carry by the S-shaped brackets 35 the intermediate annular plate 36. 1 The brackets 35 have the outwardly directed legs 36 spot welded to the flange 11 and the inwardly directed legs 37 spot welded to the flange 38 of the plate 36. The flange 38 has the downwardly curved peripheral portion 39 and then has an outwardly extending flange with a horizontal portion 40 and a sloping portion 41 terminating in the bead 42.

The flange 41 is positioned in the same plane and is flush with the flange portion 18 so that it will guide an additional film of air at the 7 angle, as indicated by the arrows 43 and 44.

Closing the central opening 50 is the disk plate 51 also having the upwardly sloping faces or flanges 52 aligned with and flush with the flange face 18 so as to aid in the direction effect upon the upwardly flowing exterior film of air 20. a

This disk 51 is held in position by the rivets or bolts 53 V 3 l and the spacing sleeves 54 which are mounted at 55 on the flange 38 or the brackets 37.

The disk 51 will cause a flow, as indicated by the

arrows

56 and 57. V The principal flow of air will take place according to the direction indicated by the arrows 26 while a supplemental flow will take place, as indicated'by the arrows 57, but the essential factor is that the

flange

41 and 18 will direct the exterior outwardly peripherally flowing air streamed smoothly without a change in direction of more than 6 to 7.

By having this smooth transition at the contact point 22 and by providing that the exterior air stream will be guided a major part by the surface 18 and in a minor part by surface 41 a smooth exterior laminar flow will be obtained even though the balance of the flow from the diffuser downwardly into the room or enclosure causes the turbulence, which is desirable to achieve thorough mixing of the air.

The elimination of smudging will take place without smudge rings and without effecting the smooth flow and thorough distribution and mixing of the incoming air with the room air.

By this relatively simple shaping of the diffuser it has been possible for the applicant to achieve an altogether novel diifuser elfect which will give smooth distribution incoming ventilating or conditioning of air with elimination of smudging.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

- Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. An air distribution outlet for mounting in a ceiling or wall of the type having three superimposed dished plates with the uppermost plate having an upwardly extending upwardly domed portion recessed into the ceiling with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion encircling the intermediate plate, with the intermediate plate being positioned inside of said peripheral portion and also having an upwardly domed central portion extending upwardly toward the domed portion of the uppermost plate and with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion inside of said peripheral portion of the uppermost plate and with the lowermost plate being of a shallow downwardly dished contour positioned inside of the peripheral portion of the intermediate plate, comprising a plurality of superimposed disked downwardly convex outlet plates, an air inlet connection supporting said plates and feeding air transversely to said plates, said air flowing down toward said plates and then outwardly over plates, said superimposed plates having a plurality of outwardly and upwardly straight inclined non-curved pe ripheral guiding surfaces for guiding the air outwardly toward the ceiling or wall at an angle of more than two degrees but less than 10 incidental thereto said peripheral surfaces being positioned in a common inclined plane extending from the ceiling and through each of said perripheral guiding surfaces and said common inclined plane consisting of a shallow inverted dished surface in which the outer lower surfaces of the peripheral portions of the uppermost and intermediate plates are positioned and in which the lower outer surface of the lowermost plate is positioned.

2. An air distribution outlet for mounting in a ceiling or wall of the type having three superimposed dished plates with the uppermost plate having an upwardly extending upwardly domed portion recessed into the ceiling with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion encircling the intermediate plate, with the intermediate plate being positioned inside of said peripheral portion and also having an upwardly domed central portion extending upwardly toward the domed portion of the uppermost plate and with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion inside of said peripheral portion of the uppermost plate and with the lowermost plate being of a shallow downwardly dished contour positioned inside of the peripheral portion of the intermediate plate, comprising a plurality of superimposed disked downwardly convex outlet plates, an air inlet connection supporting said plates and feeding air transversely to said plates, said air flowing down toward said plates and then outwardly over plates, said superimposed plates having a plurality of outwardly and upwardly straight inclined non-curved peripheral guiding surfaces for guiding the air outwardly toward the ceiling or wall at an angle of more than two.

degrees but less than 6 to 7 incidental thereto said peripheral surfaces being positioned in a common inclined plane extending from the ceiling and through each of said peripheral guiding surfaces and said common inclined plane consisting of a shallow inverted dished surface in which the outer lower surfaces of the peripheral portions of the uppermost and intermediate plates are positioned and in which the lower outer surface of the lowermost plate is positioned.

3. The outlet of claim '1, said outermost plate of said superimposed plates constituting a major guide and said innermost plate and said inner plates being flush with air in the same plane as said outermost plates.-

4. The outlet of claim; 1, said outermost superimposed plate blending into the ceiling surface without break or abrupt depression.

5. In a diffuser contraction, of the type having three superimposed dished plates with the uppermost plate having an upwardly extending upwardly domed portion recessed into the ceiling with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion encircling the intermediate plate, with the intermediate plate being positioned inside of said peripheral portion and also having an upwardly domed central portion extending upwardly toward the domed portion of the uppermost plate and with an outwardly upwardly sloping peripheral portion inside of said peripheral portion of the uppermost plate and with the lowermost plate being of a shallow downwardly dished contour positioned inside of the peripheral portion of the intermediate plate, a plurality of superimposed dished plates having outer peripheral downwardly dished por.

tions and inner upwardly curved portions, said plates being substantially in the plane of ceiling but depending from the plane of ceiling, the outer and lower faces of the plates being substantially in an oblique shallow dished surface inclined at a shallow angle of 5 to 10 to the ceiling and the lower outside peripheral portions all being positioned in the same surface and the uppermost and outermost plate contacting the ceiling at its outermost periphery, the plates being centrally suspended one froml the other and said common inclined plane consisting of a shallow inverted dished surface in which the outer lower surfaces of the peripheral portions of the uppermost and inter-mediate plates are positioned and in which the lower outer surface of the lowermost plate is positioned.

6. The construction of claim 5, the outermost uppermost plates being annular and having central air flow openings and the innermost plate covering the central flow opening.

7. The construction of claim 5, the plates being circular and their lower outside faces constituting a shallow conical surface of revolution.

8. The construction of claim 5, the uppermost plate carrying a central transverse inlet conduit and having a flat central interior central portion receiving and upon which is mounted the outlet end of the inlet conduit and having a flat central peripheral portion and Z-shaped brackets for supporting central plate therefrom, the central plate having a central flat peripheral portion and vertical posts supporting the lowermost plate therefrom.

9, A ceiling air diifuser recessed into the ceiling and having a central vertical axis and having three superimposed dished plates including an uppermost outermost plate, an intermediate plate and a lowermost plate, the uppermost plate having an upwardly domed central portion with a flat central portion transverse to said axis and an outwardly and upwardly sloping uppermost peripheral portion extending along and adjacent to the ceiling from the lower outer edge of the upwardly domed central portion, a central inlet air conduit positioned along and on said axis and joined and attached at its lower outlet end to said flat central transverse portion, the intermediate plate being positioned inside of and at about the level of the uppermost peripheral portion, and having a central upwardly dished portion extending upwardly toward the domed portion of the uppermost plate and having an outwardly and upwardly sloping shallow dished peripheral portion inside of the peripheral portion of the uppermost plate and a lowermost shallow downwardly dished central lowermost plate substantially at but slightly below the level of the peripheral portion of the intermediate plate and positioned inside of the peripheral portion of the intermediate plate, and means suspending the intermediate plate from the uppermost plate and the lowermost plate from the intermediate plate so that the lower surfaces of the peripheral portions of the uppermost and intermediate plates and the lower surfaces of the lower- 6 most plate lie substantially in the same shallow downwardly dished surface.

10. The diffuser of claim 9, the top of said uppermost plate having a wide central opening which is substantially as wide as the outlet end air conduit, the central portion of the intermediate plate having a smaller central opening positioned below the central opening of the uppermost plate and the lowermost plate being devoid of a central opening and covering the central opening of the uppermost and intermediate plates.

11. The diffuser of claim 9, said last mentioned suspending means consisting of Z-shaped brackets extending from the central portion of the uppermost plate to the central portion of the inter-mediate plate and also consisting of vertical connection members between the central portion of the intermediate plate and the outer portions of the lowermost plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,689,906 Corbett Sept. 21, 1954 2,804,007 Kurth Aug. 27, 1957 2,837,990 Tutt June 10, 1958 2,852,999 Lowensohn Sept. 23, 1958