US3082678A

US3082678A - Air control device

Info

Publication number: US3082678A
Application number: US150491A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel J Woolley; Cooper J Padgett
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1961-11-06
Filing date: 1961-11-06
Publication date: 1963-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1980-03-26

Description

March 26, 1963 5, wo AL 3,082,678

AIR CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6. 1961 THE\R ATTORNEY fivfl Ea m N E 8 Vw f m t a a g a MW 3 G 4 o 9 A z I 2 32 5c a a M I, 6 ul- 3@ 2 H .6. z 7 G 3 i S- 8 T f a 4 33 2 6 I 2 4 9%. a 3 f 11 4 m 3 T! O .5 5m 2 March 1963 5. J. WOLLEY ET AL 3,082,678

AIR CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1961 I II -22.

INVENTORS SAMUEL 3" WOOLEY &COOPER :r. PADeaTT BY THELlR ATTO NEY Uite The present invention relates to a device for controlling the flow of air and is more particularly concerned with an improved low cost grille and damper assembly for controlling the flow of air through a passage in a wall of an air duct.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved, low cost air control device for controlling the flow of air through a passage in the wall of an air duct.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary grille and damper assembly including a linearly movable control means for positioning the damper, the control means and damper being so constructed and arranged that the linear position of the control means accurately and proportionately indicates the position of the damper.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a unitary grille and damper assembly for controlling the flow of air through a passage in one wall of an air duct, the assembly comprising a frame member including a face portion and inwardly extending edges which contact the duct wall around the passage when the assembly is mounted on the wall of an air duct. An air passage is provided in the upper section of the face portion of the frame member and a damper is pivotally mounted on the inwardly extending side edges of the frame member for movement about an axis adjacent the lower edge of the damper between a closed position in which the main portion of the damper is substantially parallel and close to the face portion of the frame member and an open position in which the free end of the damper extends into the duct. Adjusting or positioning means for the damper is slidably mounted in a longitudinal slot in the face portion of the frame member and this adjusting means has a groove therein which engages a recessed lower edge portion of the damper which is spaced from the axis of rotation of the damper. The edge portion engaged by the adjusting means is offset at an angle from the remaining portion of the damper a greater distance adjacent one end thereof than the other whereby longitudinal sliding movement of the adjusting means will cause the damper to move between its closed and opened positions.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a forced air cooled refrigerator cabinet including the grille and damper assembly of the present invention for controlling the amount of air flowing through a storage compartment thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the grille and damper assembly taken generally along line 22 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the damper portion of the assembly in its open position;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally along line 5--5 of FIGURE 2.

States Patent 0 M 3,682,678 Patented Mar. 26, 1953 While the air control device of the present invention can be employed in various applications for the control of the flow of air through a passageway in an air duct Wall, it will be particularly described in its application for the control of the flow of refrigerated air through a storage compartment of a forced air cooled refrigerator of the type described and claimed in the copending application of Henry L. Shove, Serial No. 147,816, filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The invention described and claimed in the application of Henry L. Shove was made prior to the present invention and it is not intended to claim herein anything shown or described in the Shove application which is to be regarded as prior art with respect to the present invention.

A forced air cooled refrigerator of the type described and claimed in the aforesaid Shove application and including the air control device of the present invention is illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing as including a freezer compartment 1 for the storage of frozen foods and a fresh food compartment 2 for the storage of unfrozen foods. Both compartments are refrigerated by the forced circulation of air over an evaporator 3 positioned within the insulated rear wall of the cabinet behind the freezer compartment '1. The air is circulated by means of a centrifugal fan 4 having a first outlet 5 and a second outlet 6. Air issuing from the first outlet 5 flows into the top of the freezer compartment through a plurality of openings (not shown) and returns to the evaporator 3 through an air return passage 7.

The air supply means for the fresh food compartment 2 comprises a continuous duct '8 arranged along the rear wall of the fresh food compartment 2 and designed along its entire length to carry the maximum amount of air that may be required to cool the compartment 2. The duct 8 has its inlet connected to the fan outlet 6 and its outlet 9 communicating with the housing 1!} enclosing the evaporator 3 and thus provides an airflow path completely outside of the two compartments 1 and 2.

For the purpose of introducing a controlled amount of cooled air into the compartment 2, means are provided for bypassing some of the air from the duct 8 into the fresh food compartment and back into the duct in such a manner that the total air flow through the fan outlet 6 will not be significantly changed even though the amount of air flowing through the compartment 2 is varied. In the refrigerator illustrated in FIGURE 1, this is accomplished by means of a branched duct 14 having an open, uncontrolled inlet or supply port 15 communicating with the lower portion of the compartment 2. Air introduced into the compartment through the port 15 returns to the duct at a point downstream in the duct through a return port or passage 16 (FIGURE 2).

As is broadly taught in the aforesaid Shove application, the flow of air through the compartment 2 is regulated and controlled by a suitable damper arrangement provided on the return port 16, this damper arrangement being so designed that as the port 16 is gradually opened to connect the interior of the compartment 2 with the duct 8, the duct 8 will be correspondingly restricted upstream from the port 16 so that there will be created a pressure increase in this area of the duct 8 which will force air to flow from the duct into the compartment 2 through the inlet port 15.

The present invention is directed to a new and improved air control device which is particularly adapted for controlling the flow of air through the port 16.

This air flow control means, generally indicated in FIGURE 1 of the drawing by the numeral 20 and shown in greater detail in the remaining figures of the drawing, is particularly designed to control the flow of air from the compartment 2 back into the duct 8 through the passage 16 with a corresponding inverse control of the duct area opening at or ahead of the passage 16.

The air flow control device of the present invention comprises a frame member 21 which is of generally rectangular configuration and which includes inwardly extending edges or flanges 22 on the four sides thereof adapted to engage the front wall 23 of the duct 8 around the opening or passage 16 when the frame member is secured to that wall by means of mounting screws 24. The face portion 25 of the frame member includes a plurality of air passages 26 in the upper section thereof forming a grille. The grille formed by the passage 26 is closed or opened by means of an adjustable onepiece damper 27, preferably formed of sheet metal or the like. This one-piece damper 27 is pivotally mounted on the frame member 21 by hinge means comprising a pair of pins 29 extending through the side edges of the frame member 21 and the pin receiving elements 30 provided at the lower opposed corners of the damper 27. By this mounting arrangement the damper can be moved between a closed position in which the flat upper or main portion 31 of the damper is substantially in contact with the inner side of the face portion 25 of the frame member to close the air passages 26 and an open position as illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawing in which the major portion of the damper extends into the duct 8 below, that is, upstream from the path of the air flowing through passages 26.

Means for moving the damper between its open and closed positions and for linearly adjusting the damper at any intermediate position comprises a damper adjusting means 33 slidably mounted in a slot 34 extending longitudinally in the face portion 25 of the frame member below the air passages 26 and above the pins 29. In addition to a knob 37 provided on the outer face of the frame member 22 for manually moving the adjusting means in the slot 34, the adjusting means includes a shaft 38 extending rearwardly from the face portion 25. This shaft portion 38 includes a groove 39- for engaging or receiving a transverse edge portion 4% of the damper 27 which is spaced from the axis of rotation of the damper as represented by the pins 29 and is between that axis and the main damper portion 31. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, this edge portion 40 is the bottom wall of a recess 41 provided at the lower edge of the damper 27 and this edge 43 is shaped or contoured relative to the remaining portion of the damper 27 and the pivot axis of the damper so that as the control knob 37 is moved from one end of the slot 34 to the other, the main or closure portion 31 of the damper will move from its closed position to its open position. In other words, the edge 40 of damper 27 is shaped so that when the adjusting means 33 is in the right hand end of the slot as shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing the damper will close the air passages 26 and when the adjusting means 33 is moved to the left end of the slot the damper will be open and extending into the duct 3 as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing. The portion of the damper 27 including the edge 40 is therefore offset a greater distance inwardly or away from the face 25 at the left hand end 43 thereof than at the right end 44. More specifically, as shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawing, the left end 43 of the recess is offset rearwardly from the main portion 31 of the damper or more specifically from a plane extending through the pins 29 parallel to the main portion 31 of the damper while the right end 44 of the edge 40 is substantially in the plane extending through the pins 29 and parallel to the main portion 31 of the damper. By this arrangement and with the slot 39 in the adjusting means 33 also positioned rearwardly of the pins 29, when the adjusting means 33 is moved to its left hand position in the slot 34, contact of the groove 39 with the edge 40 causes the damper to be pivoted forwardly into substantial engagement with the portion of the frame member 21 including the air passages 26. Sliding movement of the damper adjusting means 33 to the right hand position effects, by reason of the gradually decreasing offset of the edge 40, cor responding movement of the damper to its open position as illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawing. Also, since all parts of the damper tend to move downwardly with reference to the slot 39 as the damper moves from its closed position to its open position, this edge portion 40 as shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing angles slightly upwardly from the left to right or in other words the recess 41 is deeper at the right hand end thereof than at the left to compensate for the relative movement between this portion of the damper and the groove 39 in the varying positions of the damper 31.

By this arrangement, there is obtained a control of the position of the damper or in other words the fiow of air through the air passages 26 which is the inverse of the duct area opening remaining when the damper is moved to any given position. As the edge portion 40 of the damper is contoured so that it is in a substantially straight line which progressively slopes downwardly and rearwardly from one end to the other, the control of the damper is linear. In other words, when the control adjusting means 33 is in its left hand position the damper is completely closed except for minor air leakage through the assembly and when it is in its right hand position the damper 27 is in its completely open position blocking the duct 8 downstream from the passage 16. In any intermediate position, the position of the control means 33 in the slot 34 accurately indicates the directly proportional opening of the damper. For example, when the adjusting means 33 is in its mid position, the damper 27 is also in its half open position.

Thus by means of a linearly movable control there is obtained an accurate and proportional control of the damper so that suitable linear indicia provided on the face portion 25 of the frame member 22 adjacent the control or adjusting means 33 (using the usual numerical scale) will accurately indicate the relative position of the damper and the proportioning of the air flow through the compartment 2 relative to the air flow bypassed through the portion of the duct 8 between the connection to outlet 15 and the inlet or return port 16.

While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A unitary grille and damper assembly for controlling the flow of air through an opening in one wall of an air duct, said assembly comprising a frame member including a face portion and edges for contact with said duct wall around said passage, said face portion having an air passage in the upper section thereof, a one-piece damper including a main portion for closing said air passage, hinge means for pivotally mounted said damper on said frame member for movement of said damper about an axis spaced downwardly from said main portion and parallel to said face portion between a closed position in which said main portion is substantially parallel to said face portion and an open position in which said main portion extends into said duct, said damper including a longitudinal edge between said main portion and said axis, said face portion of said grille having a longitudinally extending slot in the lower section thereof opposite said longitudinal damper edge, a damper adjusting means slidably mounting in said slot, said adjusting means having a groove therein engaging said longitudinal edge of said damper, said longitudinal edge extending at an angle to said face portion whereby longitudinal move- 5 ment of said adjusting means pivots said damper between its open and closed positions.

2. A unitary grille and damper assembly for controlling the flow of air, said assembly comprising a frame member including a face portion, said face portion having an air passage in the upper section thereof, a one-piece damper including a main portion for closing said air passage, hinge means for pivotally mounted said damper on said frame member for movement of said damper about an axis spaced downwardly from said main portion between a closed position in which said main portion is substantially parallel to said face portion and an open position in which said main portion is spaced from said face portion, said damper including a longitudinal edge between said main portion and said axis, said face portion of said grille having a longitudinally extending slot in said longitudinal edge of said damper, a damper ad justing means slidably mounting in said slot, said adjusting means having a groove therein engaging said longitudinal edge of said damper, said longitudinal edge being spaced a greater distance from said face portion at one end than at the other whereby longitudinal movement of said adjusting means pivots said damper between its open and closed positions.

3. A unitary grille and damper assembly for controlling the flow of air through an opening in one wall of an air duct, said assembly comprising a frame member including a face portion and edges for contact with said duct wall around said passage, said face portion having an air passage in the upper section thereof, a one-piece damper including a main portion for closing said air passage, hinge means for pivotally mounted said damper on said frame member for movement of said damper about an axis spaced downwardly from said main portion between a closed position in which said main portion is substantially parallel to said face portion and an open position in which said main portion extends into said duct, said damper including a longitudinal lower edge between said main portion and said axis, said face portion of said grille having a generally longitudinally extending slot in the lower section thereof opposite said longitudinal damper edge, a damper adjusting means slidably mounting in said slot, said adjusting means having a groove therein engaging said longitudinal damper edge, said longitudinal damper edge being spaced a greater distance from said face portion at one end than at the other whereby longitudinal movement of said adjusting means in said slot pivots said damper between its open and closed positions.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,897 Crawford Aug. 27, 1940 2,712,281 Rieoel July 5, 1955 2,901,962 Derringer Sept. 1, 1959

Claims

1. A UNITARY GRILLE AND DAMPER ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH AN OPENING IN ONE WALL OF AN AIR DUCT, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER INCLUDING A FACE PORTION AND EDGES FOR CONTACT WITH SAID DUCT WALL AROUND SAID PASSAGE, SAID FACE PORTION HAVING AN AIR PASSAGE IN THE UPPER SECTION THEREOF, A ONE-PIECE DAMPER INCLUDING A MAIN PORTION FOR CLOSING SAID AIR PASSAGE, HINGE MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED SAID DAMPER ON SAID FRAME MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID DAMPER ABOUT AN AXIS SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID MAIN PORTION AND PARALLEL TO SAID FACE PORTION BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH SAID MAIN PORTION IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID FACE PORTION AND AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID MAIN PORTION EXTENDS INTO SAID DUCT, SAID DAMPER INCLUDING A LONGITUDINAL EDGE BETWEEN SAID MAIN PORTION AND SAID AXIS, SAID FACE PORTION OF SAID GRILLE HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT IN THE LOWER SECTION THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID LONGITUDINAL DAMPER EDGE, A DAMPER ADJUSTING MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTING IN SAID SLOT, SAID ADJUSTING MEANS HAVING A GROOVE THEREIN ENGAGING SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID DAMPER, SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGE EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FACE PORTION WHEREBY LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ADJUSTING MEANS PIVOTS SAID DAMPER BETWEEN ITS OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS.