WO2010095999A1

WO2010095999A1 - Ventilation device

Info

Publication number: WO2010095999A1
Application number: PCT/SE2010/050151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomas SÖREKE
Original assignee: Fresh Ab
Priority date: 2009-02-18
Filing date: 2010-02-09
Publication date: 2010-08-26
Also published as: SE533319C2; SE0900203A1; EP2399082A1; EP2399082A4

Abstract

A ventilation device has a body (1) with a through opening and a flat rear contact surface. The ventilation device further has a fan (14), which is ar- ranged in the body and adapted to be mounted indoors on a mounting sur¬ face of a wall or a ceiling in such a manner that the contact surface of the body (1) is in close contact with the mounting surface and the opening in the body is positioned right in front of a ventilation duct which opens into the mounting surface. The fan (14) is coaxially arranged in a ring (8), which is pivotally connected to the frame (1) and pivotable about a pivot axis (9), which extends parallel to the contact surface of the body (1), between a position of use, in which the ring (8) is located right in front of the opening in the body (1 ) and its centre axis extends substantially perpendicularly to the contact surface, and a service position, in which the ring (8) is pivoted away from the opening.

Description

VENTILATION DEVICE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a ventilation device, comprising a body, which has a through opening and a substantially flat rear contact surface, and a fan, which is arranged in the body, the ventilation device being adapted to be mounted indoors on a mounting surface of a wall or a ceiling in such a manner that the contact surface of the body is in close contact with the mounting surface and the opening in the body is positioned right in front of a ventilation duct which opens into the mounting surface.

Background Art

Prior-art ventilation devices of this kind involve a problem when mounting the device for example on a wall, where the mounting surface is not completely flat. The body, which is usually made of a plastic material having a certain degree of flexibility, is attached to the wall by means of screws, which upon tightening press the contact surface of the body against the mounting surface. If the mounting surface is not completely flat the body will be subjected to flexural stress and will become slightly warped or deformed, the degree of deformation being determined by the extent of the non-flatness of the mounting surface. In fact, the body may be deformed to such a degree that the fan strikes against a portion of the body during rotation, for example the portion surrounding the opening in the body. This is of course a problem in the case of prior-art ventilation devices of this kind. Another problem associated with prior-art ventilation devices is that it is difficult to move the fan aside so as to expose the ventilation duct, for example for cleaning purposes.

Summary of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a ventilation device in which the first problem has been eliminated or at least considerably reduced and in which the second problem has been eliminated, meaning that a certain non-flatness of the mounting surface can be tolerated and that the fan can be moved aside without difficulty to gain access to the ventilation duct.

This object is achieved by a ventilation device which is of the kind described by way of introduction and which is characterised in that the fan is coaxially arranged in a ring, which is pivotally connected to the body and piv- otable about a pivot axis, which extends substantially parallel to the contact surface of the body, between a position of use, in which the ring is located right in front of the opening in the body and its centre axis extends substantially perpendicularly to the contact surface, and a service position, in which the ring is pivoted away from the opening.

In a preferred embodiment, the ring is lockable in a releasable manner in its position of use by means of an elastic snap-in locking means, which consists of a first locking member arranged on the ring and a second locking member cooperating with the first locking member and arranged on the body. The first locking member is suitably arranged on the outside of the ring substantially diametrically opposite the pivot axis, and the second locking member is suitably arranged on a rim surrounding the opening in the body.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a ventilation device according to the invention, in which a ring with a fan mounted therein is shown in a position of use. Fig. 2 corresponds to Fig. 1 but shows the ring with the fan mounted therein in a service position.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the ventilation device according to Figs 1 and 2, the ring with the fan mounted therein being shown in the position of use.

Fig. 4 shows a portion of the ring as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow IV in Fig. 2, i.e. straight from below.

Figs 5 and 6 show a snap-in locking means in a non-locked position and in a locked position, respectively. Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The ventilation device according to the invention as shown in Figs 1-3 has a substantially box-shaped body 1 , which is made of plastic and has a substantially rectangular bottom 1a and four side walls 1 b, 1c, 1d and 1e. The bottom 1a has, on the outside or back, a flat contact surface 2, which in the illustrated embodiment is a surface that extends over the whole bottom 1a, but which may also, for example, be formed of one or more ribs having supporting surfaces which are located in a common plane, thus defining the contact surface. Adjacent to the side wall 1d the body 1 has a compartment, which is covered by a lid 3 and which holds electronic equipment for operating and controlling the ventilation device. This compartment is defined by the side wall 1d, by portions of the mutually opposite side walls 1c and 1e and by an inner wall 4 extending parallel to the side wall 1d. Adjacent to the side walls 1 b and 1 c the body 1 has a second compartment, which is covered by a lid 5 and which holds means for connecting the ventilation device with the mains supply.

The body 1 has in its bottom 1a a circular through opening 6, which is surrounded by a circumferential rim 7. The ventilation device is adapted to be mounted indoors, for example in a bathroom, on a flat mounting surface of a wall or a ceiling in such a manner that the contact surface 2 of the body 1 is in close contact with the mounting surface and the opening 6 in the body 1 is positioned right in front of a ventilation duct which opens into the mounting surface. A plastic ring 8, which has approximately the same diameter as the opening 6 in the body 1 , is pivotally connected to the body 1 and pivotable about a pivot axis 9 extending parallel to the bottom 1a of the body 1 and, thus, to the contact surface 2. The axis 9 is situated at a distance from the bottom 1a of the body 1 that substantially corresponds to the height of the side walls 1 b-1 e. The axial extension or width of the ring 8 is approximately equal to the height of the side walls 1 b-1e.

On the outside the ring 8 has a part 10 which is integrally formed in one piece therewith and has two aligned end journals 10', which define the pivot axis 9 and which each engage with a hole in a respective flange 11 , which is integrally formed in one piece with the rim 7 and the inner wall 4 of the first compartment and extends between the same.

The ring 8 has at its back (see Fig. 3) a plurality of spokes 12, which extend from the periphery of the ring towards its centre and which are connected to a centre part 13, which accommodates a motor (not shown). A plastic fan 14 whose outer diameter is only slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the ring 8 is positioned in the ring 8 and is non-rotatably connected to the output shaft of the motor. The ring 8 with the fan 14 mounted therein is pivotable between a position of use (Figs 1 and 3), in which the ring 8 extends parallel to the bottom 1a of the body 1 and is located right in front of the opening 6 in the body, and a service position (Fig. 2), in which the ring 8 is swung away by 90° or more from the opening 6. The ring 8 is lockable in a releasable manner in its position of use by means of an elastic snap-in locking means, which consists of a first locking member 15 arranged on the ring and a second locking member 16 cooperating with the first locking member and arranged on the body 1.

The first locking member 15 is arranged on the outside of the ring 8 substantially diametrically opposite the part 10 and consists of a U-shaped member made of a flexible plastic material. One U-leg 15a of the first locking member 15 is so connected at its free end portion to the ring 8, by means of a projection 15d extending from said end portion substantially perpendicularly to the U-plane, that the two U-legs 15a, 15b extend in the axial direction of the ring, the U-web 15c being oriented towards the back of the ring (see Figs 4-6).

Accordingly, the U-shaped first locking member 15 is slightly spaced apart from the ring 8, as is evident from Fig. 4, except in the connecting zone (the projection 15d). As a result, the other U-leg 15b is movable in a slightly elastic manner both in the direction indicated by a double arrow P1 in Fig. 5 and in the direction indicated by a double arrow P2 in Fig. 4 and to a certain degree also in the direction indicated by a double arrow P3 in Fig. 6. The other U-leg 15b, which is slightly longer than the U-leg 15a, extends with a slightly wider gripping portion 17 a certain distance past one side edge of the ring 8 and has on the outside a locking projection 18 provided with a ramp surface. The second locking member 16 consists of a recess 19 in the rim 7 corresponding to the U-shaped first locking member 15 and a locking projection 20, which is formed on said rim where the recess 19 opens onto the ring 8 and provided with a ramp surface, for cooperating with the locking projection 18 of the first locking member 15. The body 1 , which is made up of the bottom 1 a, the side walls 1 b-1 e, the wall 4, the rim 7 and the flanges 11 , is made in one piece of a plastic material.

It has been found that the problem which is described by way of introduction and which can be caused by a non-flatness of the mounting surface is eliminated in practice by the fact that the fan 14 is coaxially arranged in the ring 8, that the ring 8 is pivotally connected to the frame 1 and that the snap- in locking means 15, 16 permits a certain degree of elastic movement in the directions P1 , P2 and P3. Moreover, by virtue of the fact that the fan 14 is arranged in a ring 8 which is pivotable relatively to the body 1 , it is easy to swing the fan aside, when required, so as to expose the ventilation duct.

Claims

1. A ventilation device, comprising a body (1), which has a through opening (6) and a substantially flat rear contact surface (2), and a fan (14), which is arranged in the body, the ventilation device being adapted to be mounted indoors on a mounting surface of a wall or a ceiling in such a manner that the contact surface (2) of the body (1) is in close contact with the mounting surface and the opening (6) in the body is positioned right in front of a ventilation duct which opens into the mounting surface,

c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that

the fan (14) is coaxially arranged in a ring (8), which is pivotally connected to the body (1) and pivotable about a pivot axis (9), which extends substantially parallel to the contact surface (2) of the body (1), between a position of use, in which the ring (8) is located right in front of the opening (6) in the body (1) and its centre axis extends substantially perpendicularly to the contact surface (2), and a service position, in which the ring (8) is pivoted away from the opening (6).

2. A ventilation device according to claim 1 , wherein the ring (8) is lockable in a releasable manner in its position of use by means of an elastic snap-in locking means (15, 16), which consists of a first locking member (15) arranged on the ring (8) and a second locking member (16) cooperating with the first locking member and arranged on the body (1).

3. A ventilation device according to claim 2, wherein the first locking member (15) is arranged on the outside of the ring (8) substantially diametrically opposite the pivot axis (9).

4. A ventilation device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second locking member (16) is arranged on a rim (7) surrounding the opening (6) in the body (1)-