U.S. patent application number 12/623149 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-26 for under-floor trough with heating element.
This patent application is currently assigned to AIRFIXTURE LLC. Invention is credited to David Alstatt, Pedro J. Bermudez, Frank A. LeMay, Michael J. McQueeny, Jeffrey L. Otte.
Application Number | 20110121087 12/623149 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44061371 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110121087 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alstatt; David ; et
al. |
May 26, 2011 |
UNDER-FLOOR TROUGH WITH HEATING ELEMENT
Abstract
An under-floor trough is provided for use with a raised-floor
system. The under-floor trough includes an air-delivery assembly,
one or more plurality of dampers, a support system, and a heating
element. A control unit, removable from above the raised-floor
system, and a baffle are disposed within the air-delivery assembly.
The dampers include vanes that are actuated between open and closed
positions according to a time modulated duty cycle to control the
flow of conditioned air to a room. The support system provides a
plurality of legs disposed between the bottom of the air-delivery
assembly and a sub-floor. A bracket is mounted to a wall and the
under-floor trough is supported thereby. The heating element is
disposed within the air-delivery assembly. Conditioned air is
provided to a room at high flow rates for short durations based on
the duty cycle, thereby increasing the uniformity of cooling
provided to the room.
Inventors: |
Alstatt; David; (Shawnee,
KS) ; Bermudez; Pedro J.; (Olathe, KS) ;
LeMay; Frank A.; (Sugar Creek, MO) ; Otte; Jeffrey
L.; (Overland Park, KS) ; McQueeny; Michael J.;
(Leawood, KS) |
Assignee: |
AIRFIXTURE LLC
Kansas City
KS
|
Family ID: |
44061371 |
Appl. No.: |
12/623149 |
Filed: |
November 20, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
237/69 ;
237/81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24H 3/002 20130101;
F24D 19/1084 20130101; F24H 3/0411 20130101; F24F 1/00075 20190201;
F24F 1/0053 20190201; F24D 5/02 20130101; F24F 2221/40 20130101;
F24H 9/0068 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
237/69 ;
237/81 |
International
Class: |
F24D 5/10 20060101
F24D005/10; F24D 5/00 20060101 F24D005/00 |
Claims
1. An under-floor trough with a heating element for positioning in
a passageway in a raised-floor system, the under-floor trough
including: an air-delivery assembly having a pair of sidewalls, a
back having a first outwardly depending flange, a bottom, a front
having a second outwardly depending flange, and a baffle, wherein
said baffle extends between said pair of sidewalls and is
positioned between the front and the back; one or more dampers
coupled to said air-delivery assembly, each of said one or more
dampers having a frame with a housing, the housing containing a
motor, and a vane coupled between the frame and the housing,
wherein the motor is coupled with the vane to actuate the vane
between a first position and a second position to selectively vary
the flow of air into the air-delivery assembly; a diffuser
removeably disposed over said air-delivery assembly to direct the
flow of air exiting the air-delivery assembly; a support system
having a plurality of legs coupled between said air-delivery
assembly and a sub-floor and a bracket fixedly attached to a
vertical structure and engaging said first flange of said back of
said air-delivery assembly; and a heating element disposed between
said baffle and one of said back and said front of said
air-delivery assembly.
2. The under-floor trough of claim 1, wherein said motor is a
stepper motor.
3. The under-floor trough of claim 2, wherein the stepper motor
selectively moves the vane from the first position to the second
position via magnetic attraction and/or repulsion.
4. The under-floor trough of claim 1, wherein the under-floor
trough is primarily supported under normal loads by the first
flange engaging said bracket and the second flange engaging said
raised-floor system.
5. The under-floor trough of claim 4, wherein the under-floor
trough is primarily supported by the plurality of legs when
vertical loads are applied to the under-floor trough.
6. The under-floor trough of claim 1, wherein said bracket provides
an air seal between said air-delivery assembly and said vertical
structure.
7. The under-floor trough of claim 1, wherein said vertical
structure is a wall.
8. The under-floor trough of claim 9, wherein all of the vanes of
the plurality of dampers are actuated from the first position to
the second position or from the second position to the first
position substantially simultaneously.
9. The under-floor trough of claim 8, wherein the vanes are
actuated to control the flow of conditioned air from beneath the
raised-floor system and into a room above the raised-floor system
based on a time modulated duty cycle.
10. An under-floor trough with a heating element for positioning in
a passageway in a raised-floor system, the under-floor trough
including: an air-delivery assembly having a first sidewall, a
second sidewall, a back having a first outwardly depending flange,
a bottom, a front having a second outwardly depending flange, a
baffle, a first partition, a second partition, and a control unit,
wherein said baffle extends between said first sidewall and said
first partition and is coupled to said back by a plurality of
brackets, wherein said first partition and second partition is
coupled between said front and wherein said back, and said control
unit is removeably disposed between said first partition and second
partition; a plurality of dampers coupled to said front of said
air-delivery assembly, each of said dampers having a frame with a
housing, the housing containing a motor, and a vane coupled between
the frame and the housing, wherein the motor is coupled with the
vane to actuate the vane between a first position and a second
position to selectively vary the flow of air; a diffuser removeably
disposed over said air-delivery assembly to direct the flow of air
exiting the air-delivery assembly; a support system having a
plurality of legs coupled between said air-delivery assembly and a
sub-floor and a bracket fixedly attached to a vertical structure
and engaging said first flange of said back of said air-delivery
assembly; and a heating element disposed between said baffle and
said front of said air-delivery assembly and in communication with
said control unit.
11. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein said control unit
is accessible from above said raised-floor system.
12. The under-floor trough of claim 11, wherein said control unit
comprises a drop-in unit.
13. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein the under-floor
trough is primarily supported under normal loads by the first
flange engaging said bracket of the support system and the second
flange engaging said raised-floor system.
14. The under-floor trough of claim 13, wherein the under-floor
trough is primarily supported by the plurality of legs when
vertical loads are applied to the under-floor trough.
15. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein said bracket of the
support system provides an air seal between said air-delivery
assembly and said vertical structure.
16. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein the heating element
is an electric heating element and wherein the electric heating
element is a low voltage heating element.
17. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein the heating element
is an electric heating element and wherein the electric heating
element is pulsed.
18. The under-floor trough of claim 10, wherein all of the vanes of
the plurality of dampers are actuated from the first position to
the second position or from the second position to the first
position substantially simultaneously.
19. The under-floor trough of claim 18, wherein the vanes are moved
to control the flow of conditioned air from beneath the
raised-floor system and into a room above the raised-floor system
based on a time modulated duty cycle.
20. A method for providing conditioned air to a room from an
under-floor trough in a raised-floor system, the method comprising:
providing a raised-floor system having conditioned air within a
space between a sub-floor and a raised floor; providing an
under-floor trough having an air-delivery assembly, a plurality of
dampers, and a diffuser, wherein said air-delivery assembly is
supported by a first outwardly depending flange engaging a bracket
mounted to a wall, a second outwardly depending flange engaging
said raised floor, and a plurality of legs coupled between the
air-delivery assembly and the sub-floor, and wherein said plurality
of dampers are coupled to said air-delivery assembly, each of said
dampers having a motor coupled with a vane to actuate the vane
between a first position and a second position, and wherein said
diffuser is removeably disposed over said air-delivery assembly to
direct the flow of air exiting the air-delivery assembly into the
room; receiving an indication from a thermostat that the
temperature of a room exceeds a temperature set point; generating a
time modulated duty cycle for supplying conditioned air to the room
to maintain a temperature set point; and supplying conditioned air
to the room according to said duty cycle by actuating all of said
vanes of said plurality of dampers substantially simultaneously
from said first position to said second position to allow
conditioned air to flow into the room or from said second position
to said first position to restrict the flow of conditioned air to
the room.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] There are a number of ways to heat and air condition spaces
within buildings. In many office buildings heating and air
conditioning is achieved through ducts in the ceilings of the
buildings. However, because the cooling air is introduced from
above, it forces some of the warmer air in the ceiling downward,
resulting in cooling inefficiencies and a reduction in ventilation
effectiveness. Ceiling-based systems also are often expensive to
install, service, or modify, since all of the required ducting, and
terminals, among other things, are located in the ceilings.
[0002] Alternatively, in many office buildings heating and air
conditioning is achieved through ducts and plenums in the floors of
the buildings. Typical floor terminals used with raised-floor
systems in the industry are placed in an air passageway in the
floor. Conditioned air is provided to the space above the floor via
the terminals and is controlled by throttling mechanical dampers to
adjust the airflow into the space. Such a throttling process
produces inefficiencies in dispersing the conditioned air to the
space. Often the conditioned air stays near the floor and does not
disperse throughout the space, thereby creating large temperature
variations from the floor to the ceiling. Further, such temperature
variations decrease the effectiveness of a thermostat in holding a
steady temperature within the space.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the invention are defined by the claims
below, not this summary. A high-level overview of various aspects
of the invention are provided here for that reason, to provide an
overview of the disclosure, and to introduce a selection of
concepts that are further described below in the
detailed-description section below. This summary is not intended to
identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation to
determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Accordingly, an under-floor trough with a heating element is
provided that is mountable in an air passageway beneath a floor.
The under-floor trough is used in conjunction with a raised-floor
system. Conditioned air is provided to a subspace, or air passage
between the raised-floor system and a sub-floor. The under-floor
trough selectively controls the amount of air emitted to a room
above the floor. The under-floor trough includes an air-delivery
assembly, dampers, a diffuser, a support system, and a heating
element.
[0005] The air-delivery assembly is mounted in an opening in a
raised-floor system such that conditioned air from beneath the
raised floor passes through the air-delivery assembly and into a
room above the raised floor. The dampers are coupled to the
air-delivery assembly and each preferably includes a vane coupled
to a stepper motor. The stepper motor actuates the vane between an
open and a closed position thereby controlling the flow of air
through the damper. The diffuser is disposed over the air-delivery
assembly to direct the flow of conditioned and/or heated air
exiting the air-delivery assembly into the room.
[0006] The support system includes a bracket mounted to a vertical
structure and engages a first flange depending outwardly from the
air-delivery assembly. A second flange depending outwardly from the
air-delivery assembly engages the raised-floor system thereby
allowing the air-delivery assembly to hang via the first and second
flanges under normal loads. Legs are disposed between the bottom of
the air-delivery assembly and the sub-floor to support the
air-delivery assembly under loading conditions. A heating element
is disposed within the air-delivery assembly to provide heated air
to the space above the raised-floor system when needed.
[0007] In another aspect, a method for providing conditioned air to
a room from an under-floor trough in a raised-floor system is
provided. A raised-floor system and an under-floor trough are
provided, the under-floor trough having an air-delivery assembly,
dampers, and a diffuser. An indication is received from a
thermostat that a temperature set point is exceeded and a time
modulated duty cycle is generated. Conditioned air is provided
beneath the raised-floor system and the dampers are actuated to
control the flow of conditioned air from beneath the raised floor
to the space above the floor based on the time modulated duty
cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described in
detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, and
wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an under-floor trough in a
raised floor system depicting cutaway segments and having vanes in
a first position in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an under-floor trough in a
raised floor system having vanes in a second position in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side elevation of an under-floor
trough in a raised floor system in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of an
under-floor trough in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an under-floor trough having
a fluid-heated heating element in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a method for providing
conditioned air to a room from an under-floor trough in a
raised-floor system in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention; and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an under-floor trough in
accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The subject matter of various embodiments of the invention
is described with specificity herein to meet statutory
requirements. The description itself, however, is not intended to
necessarily limit the scope of claims. Rather, the claimed subject
matter might be embodied in other ways to include different
components or combinations of components similar to the ones
described in this document, in conjunction with other present or
future technologies.
[0017] Embodiments of the invention include an under-floor trough
with a heating element and a method for providing conditioned air
in a raised-floor system. In one embodiment, an under-floor trough
with a heating element for positioning in a passageway in a
raised-floor system is described. An air-delivery assembly
including a pair of sidewalls, a back having a first outwardly
depending flange, a bottom, a front having a second outwardly
depending flange, and a baffle is provided. The baffle extends
between the pair of sidewalls and is coupled to the back by
brackets. Dampers are coupled to the front of the air-delivery
assembly, each having a frame with a housing. The housing contains
a motor and a vane coupled between the frame and the housing. The
motor is coupled with the vane to actuate the vane between a first
position and a second position to selectively vary the flow of air.
A diffuser is removeably disposed over the air-delivery assembly to
direct the flow of air exiting the air-delivery assembly. A support
system provides legs coupled between the bottom of the air-delivery
assembly and a sub-floor and a bracket fixedly attached to a
vertical structure and engaging the first flange of the back of the
air-delivery assembly. An electric or fluid heated heating element
is disposed within the air-delivery assembly, between the baffle
and the front of the air-delivery assembly.
[0018] In another embodiment, an under-floor trough with a heating
element for positioning in a passageway in a raised-floor system is
provided. An air-delivery assembly including a first and second
sidewall, a back having a first outwardly depending flange, a
bottom, a front having a second outwardly depending flange, a
baffle, first and second partitions, and a control unit are
described. The first and second partitions are coupled between the
front and the back, and the control unit is removeably disposed
therebetween. The baffle extends between a first sidewall and a
first partition and is coupled to the back by brackets. Dampers are
coupled to the front of the air-delivery assembly. Each of the
dampers has a frame with a housing. The housing contains a motor. A
vane is coupled between the frame and the housing and the motor is
coupled with the vane to actuate the vane between a first position
and a second position to selectively vary the flow of air. A
diffuser is removeably disposed over the air-delivery assembly to
direct the flow of air exiting the air-delivery assembly. A support
system having legs coupled between the bottom of the air-delivery
assembly and a sub-floor, and a bracket fixedly attached to a
vertical structure and engaging the first flange of the back of the
air-delivery assembly are also provided. An electric and/or fluid
heated heating element is disposed between the baffle and the front
of the air-delivery assembly and is in communication with the
control unit.
[0019] In another aspect, a method for providing conditioned air to
a room from an under-floor trough in a raised-floor system is
described. A raised-floor system is provided. The raised-floor
system provides conditioned air within a space between a sub-floor
and a raised floor. An under-floor trough having an air-delivery
assembly, dampers, and a diffuser is also provided. The
air-delivery assembly is supported by a first outwardly depending
flange engaging a bracket mounted to a wall, a second outwardly
depending flange engaging the raised floor, and legs coupled
between the air-delivery assembly and the sub-floor. The dampers
are coupled to the air-delivery assembly. Each of the dampers has a
motor coupled with a vane to actuate the vane between a first
position restricting the flow of conditioned air and a second
position allowing conditioned air to flow into the room, and
wherein the diffuser is removeably disposed over the air-delivery
assembly to direct the flow of air exiting the air-delivery
assembly into the room. An indication is received from a thermostat
that a temperature set point is exceeded. A time modulated duty
cycle for supplying conditioned air to a room to maintain a
temperature set point is generated. Conditioned air is supplied to
the room according to the duty cycle by actuating all of the vanes
of the dampers substantially simultaneously from the first position
to the second position to allow conditioned air to flow into the
room, or from the second position to the first position to restrict
the flow of conditioned air to the room.
[0020] Referring now initially to FIGS. 1 and 4, an under-floor
trough with a heating element for use with a raised floor system is
designated generally by the numeral 100. The under-floor trough 100
comprises an air-delivery assembly 102, and a plurality of dampers
104. All of the pieces and components of the under-floor trough 100
as shown in FIG. 1 are generally formed from sheet metal, but is
should be understood that any suitable material may be used.
Further, although specific joining techniques are described in the
embodiments below, any suitable forming and joining techniques may
used to construct the under-floor trough and its components.
[0021] The air-delivery assembly 102 includes a back 106, a bottom
108, a front 110, and a pair of opposed sidewalls 112 coupled
between the back 106 and the front 110. The back 106, bottom 108,
and front 110 are preferably integrally formed from a single piece
of sheet metal and the pair of sidewalls 112 preferably have an
inwardly depending flange 113 along two sides to allow the
sidewalls 112 to be joined to the back 106 and front 110 by
fasteners (not shown), as illustrated in FIG. 4. The back 106
includes an outwardly depending first flange 107 along a top edge.
The front 110 includes an outwardly depending second flange 111
along a top edge. A pair of partitions 114 are coupled between the
front 110 and the back 106 near an end of the air-delivery assembly
102. The pair of partitions 114, along with the back 106, bottom
108, and front 110 designate a location in which a control unit 116
is disposed.
[0022] The control unit 116 may include any necessary components
for controlling a heating element, as described in greater detail
below. The control unit 116 is a drop-in unit such that it may be
installed and/or removed from above the under-floor trough 100 by
manually lowering the control unit 116 into position between the
pair of partitions 114. One or more receptacles may be located
within the location between the pair of partitions such that when
the control unit 116 is lowered into position an equal number of
connectors on the control unit 116 engage the receptacles. The
receptacles thereby connect the control unit 116 to any desired
components and power sources. Alternatively, the control unit 116
might be lowered into position and a number of connections made
manually by attaching wires or connectors thereto.
[0023] The control unit 116 is in communication with a thermostat
or a second control unit that indicates to the control unit 116
when operation of the associated heating element is desired.
Alternatively, the control unit might have an integrated thermostat
thereby allowing the control unit to independently determine
heating needs. In another embodiment, the control unit 116 also
controls the dampers 104 as described below. The control unit 116
receives commands from a thermostat or other control device
indicating a desired actuation of the dampers 104.
[0024] A baffle 118 is preferably disposed between one of the
partitions 114 and one of the sidewalls 112 and coupled to the back
106 by a plurality of brackets 120. With additional reference to
FIGS. 3 and 4, the baffle 118 is shown extending from a height
slightly less that that of the back 104 and the front 110 of the
air-delivery assembly 102 downward toward the bottom 108. A bottom
portion 125 of the baffle 118 depends generally downward and toward
the front 110 of the air-delivery assembly 102 leaving a gap
between the baffle 118 and the bottom 108. In an embodiment, the
baffle 118 may have any desired shape and configuration to provide
a desired air flow through the air-delivery assembly 102. In
another embodiment, the baffle may have one or more notches (not
shown) or cutouts along an upper edge to accommodate a diffuser 164
(described below).
[0025] With reference now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the dampers 104 will
be discussed. FIG. 2 shows an under-floor trough 100 having three
dampers 104 coupled to the front 110 of the air-delivery assembly
102. It should be appreciated that the air-delivery assembly 102
may have any suitable number of dampers 104 without departing from
the scope of the invention as described herein. FIG. 3 depicts a
cross-sectional elevation of the under-floor trough 100. The
dampers 104 include a frame 126, a pair of hubs 128 (one of each
pair is not visible), and a vane 130. The frame 126 includes a top
wall 132, a sidewall 134, a bottom wall 136, and a housing 138. The
top, side, and bottom walls 132, 134, and 136 of the frame 126 are
integrally connected. However, it should be appreciated that the
walls 132, 134, and 136 may be separate pieces attached together by
any suitable means. The top wall 132 of the frame 126 contains a
pair of upwardly depending flanges 140, the sidewall 134 of the
frame 126 contains a pair of outwardly depending flanges 142, and
the bottom wall 136 of the frame 126 contains a pair of downwardly
depending flanges 144. The sidewall 134 contains a centrally
located aperture (not shown), the purpose of which will be further
discussed below. The housing 138 is coupled to the top and bottom
walls 132 and 136 of the frame 126 at a location opposite the
sidewall 134 of the frame 126.
[0026] The housing 138 contains a cover (not shown) and houses a
motor (not shown), having an output shaft (not shown), that
protrudes from an aperture 154 located in the housing 138. The
motor, while not shown, is a preferably stepper motor that uses
magnetic attraction to move the vane 130 between an open or second
position (FIG. 2) and a first or closed position (FIG. 1). The
aperture 146 in the sidewall 134 of the frame 126 and the aperture
154 in a sidewall 158 of the housing 138 align and the pair of hubs
128 are rotatably coupled therewith.
[0027] The motor, along with the damper 104, are disclosed in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/606,085 (issued as U.S. Pat. No.
7,241,217) which is herein incorporated by reference. As discussed
therein, a control system for the damper 104 receives input signals
from a thermostat or other sensor in the room. Based on the signals
received, the control system provides control signals to the motor
which operates the damper 104. The control system may provide an
"open" signal or a "close" signal to the motor. When an open signal
is provided, the motor is activated to rotate the vane 130 of the
damper 104 to the second, or open position, and the damper 104
remains in that position until a close signal is provided, wherein,
the motor rotates the vane 130 of the damper 104 to the first, or
closed position.
[0028] The control of the damper 104 involves assigning the damper
104 a time modulated duty cycle having a fairly short duration,
normally under two minutes and often amounting only to seconds.
During each duty cycle, the damper 104 is maintained open (or "on")
for a time period that is dependent upon a set point temperature
and the actual temperature in the room or space. During the
remainder of each duty cycle, the damper 104 is maintained closed
(or "off"). The duration of each "open" or "on" time period is
adjusted in order to maintain the set point temperature.
[0029] The vane 130 is connected with the housing 138 and the frame
126 by the pair of hubs 128. The vane 130 is a generally
rectangular piece of metal that extends between the sidewall 134 of
the frame 126 and the housing 138. The details of the hubs 128 are
described but not shown. The hubs 128 each contain a channel (not
shown) that receives a portion of the vane 130. The hubs 128 also
each contain an aperture (not shown). The aperture of one hub 128
receives the output shaft of the motor while the aperture of the
other hub 128 receives a rod (not shown) that is rotatably coupled
with the aperture 146 of the sidewall 134. This allows the vane 130
to be rotated relative to the frame 126 between the first and
second positions by activation of the motor. FIG. 1 shows the
under-floor trough 100 with the vanes 130 of the dampers 104 in the
first or closed position while FIG. 2 shows the under-floor trough
100 with the vanes 130 of the dampers 104 in the second or open
position.
[0030] As depicted in FIGS. 1-5 and 7, a diffuser 164 is removeably
disposed over and between the back 104 and front 110 of the
air-delivery assembly 102 and spans between the pair of sidewalls
112. The diffuser includes a plurality of vanes 166, a back flange
168, a front flange 170, and a pair of side flanges 172. The vanes
166 extend the length of the air-delivery assembly 102 and direct a
flow of air from the air-delivery assembly 102. In an embodiment,
the vanes 166 are angled fifteen degrees from vertical and toward
the front 110 in order to direct a flow of air from the
air-delivery assembly 102 into a room at an approximately fifteen
degree angle. It is to be understood that any desired angle may be
provided to some or all of the vanes 166 or the vanes may be
adjustable without departing from the scope of the invention. The
back, front, and side flanges 168, 170, and 172 are preferably
integral and frame the plurality of vanes 166. Further, the back
flange 168 engages the first flange 107 of the back 106, the front
flange 170 engages the second flange 111 of the front 110, and the
side flanges 172 engage an upper surface 173 of a raised floor
system 174 to position and support the diffuser 164 in position
over the air-deliver assembly 102. The diffuser 164 further
includes a downwardly depending flange 176 that runs the perimeter
of the plurality of vanes 166 and that is sized to fit within the
back 104, front 110, and sidewalls 112 of the air-delivery system
102.
[0031] With continued reference primarily to FIGS. 3 and 4, a
support system for the under-floor trough is described according to
an embodiment of the invention. The support system includes a
plurality of legs 178 and a bracket 180. The legs 178 are disposed
between the bottom 108 of the air-delivery assembly 102 and a
sub-floor 182. The legs 178 include a bracket 184 that engages the
air-delivery assembly 102 and couples thereto. The legs 178 also
include a foot 186 that is coupled to the sub-floor 182.
Additionally, the length of the legs 178 is adjustable such that a
desired height may be provided to the under-floor trough 100. It
should be understood that the legs 178 may include any desired
support leg technology available in the art and may be coupled to
the under-floor trough 100 and the sub-floor 182 by any available
method.
[0032] The support system further includes the bracket 180 mounted
to a wall 188 or other vertical structure. The bracket 180
comprises one or more sections of angle steel (steel bar having two
parallel, adjacent, flat portions perpendicular to one another) and
is fixedly attached to the wall 188 by fasteners. The bracket 180
may comprise any suitable form produced from any suitable material.
In an embodiment a glue, caulk, or other sealant is disposed
between the bracket 180 and the wall 188 to provide a greater seal
against the flow of air between the bracket 180 and the wall 188.
The bracket 180 engages the first flange 107 of the back 106 of the
air-delivery assembly 102 by providing a rigid surface on which the
first flange 107 rests. The engagement of the bracket 180 and the
first flange 107 may also provide a seal against the flow of air
between the bracket 180 and the air-delivery assembly 102. An
additional component of the support system is the raised floor
system 174. The raised floor system 174 also provides a rigid upper
surface 173 upon which the second flange 111 of the front 110 of
the air-delivery assembly 102 rests.
[0033] As such, the under-floor trough 100 is supported primarily
by the first flange 107 resting atop the bracket 180 and the second
flange 111 resting atop the raised-floor system 174 under normal
loads (e.g. the weight of the under-floor trough 100). Under
loading conditions, such as where a person or object exerts a
downward force on the diffuser 164, the support provided by the
bracket 180, the flanges 107 and 111, and the raised-floor system
174 may not be sufficient to retain the under-floor trough 100
within its position in the raised-floor system 174. Thus, the legs
178 provide additional support to aid in counteracting such loading
conditions. In another embodiment, the legs 178 provide the primary
support for the under-floor trough 100 under normal loads and under
loading conditions.
[0034] FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 depict an electric heating element 122
disposed between the baffle 118 and the front 110 of the
air-delivery assembly 102. The electric heating element 122 is
coupled to the baffle 118 via a plurality of brackets 124, as shown
in FIG. 1. The electric heating element 122 may alternatively be
coupled to the front 110, the bottom 108, or mounted between the
baffle 118 and the front 110 by any other desirable method. The
electric heating element 122 is further communicatively coupled to
the control unit 116 which controls the power input to the electric
heating element 122. In an embodiment, the electric heating element
122 is a low voltage electric heating element. In another
embodiment, the control unit pulses the power input to the electric
heating element 122 to provide a more energy efficient heating
cycle.
[0035] FIG. 5 depicts an under-floor trough 200 including a
heated-fluid heating element 202. The under-floor trough 200
includes an air-delivery assembly 204, a plurality of dampers 206,
and a support system similar to that described above with respect
to the under-floor trough 100. Further, the under-floor trough 200
operates similarly to the under-floor trough 100, as is described
below. The air-delivery assembly 204 does not include a pair of
partitions and a control unit as such is not necessary to control
the heated-fluid heating element 202. In another embodiment, a pair
of partitions and a control unit are employed to control a
heated-fluid heating element.
[0036] The heated-fluid heating element 202 includes a pipe 208 and
a plurality of vanes 210 coupled around the pipe 208. The pipe 204
enters and exits the air-delivery assembly 204 through apertures
212 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 5) in a front wall 214 in
the air-delivery assembly 204. Hot water is supplied through the
pipe 208, whereby the heat from the water is transferred to the
pipe 208 into the vanes 210 and then to air surrounding the vanes
210. It is to be understood that any suitable heated-fluid heating
element may be employed in embodiments of the invention and any
suitable heated fluid may be used without departing from the scope
of the invention as described herein.
[0037] With reference now to FIG. 6 and with additional reference
to FIGS. 1-4, a method 600 for providing conditioned air to a room
from an under-floor trough 100 in a raised-floor system 174 is
described according to an embodiment of the invention. A
raised-floor system 174 is provided having conditioned air within a
space between the sub-floor 182 and the raised floor 174, at 602.
Conditioned air is supplied beneath the raised floor system 174 via
any suitable air conditioning or blower system. In an embodiment,
the space between the sub-floor 182 and the raised-floor system 174
is a plenum and the conditioned air is provided to the plenum, the
dampers 104 being in fluid communication therewith. In another
embodiment, ductwork is provided beneath the raised floor system
174 and attaches to the dampers 104. At 604, an under-floor trough
is provided. As depicted in FIG. 1 the assembled under-floor trough
100 has a plurality of dampers 104 and is positioned along a wall
188 with the diffuser 164 visible from above the raised floor
system 174. Additionally, a thermostat is supplied in a room above
the raised floor system 174 for use in controlling the heating and
cooling of the room.
[0038] Initially, the vanes 130 of the dampers 104 are in a first
or closed position, as depicted by the shadowed lines of FIG. 3. An
indication is received from a thermostat that the temperature of
the space is above or below a temperature set point, at 606. At
608, a time modulated duty cycle for supplying heated and/or
conditioned air to the room to achieve and/or maintain the
temperature set point is generated. The time modulated duty cycle
utilizes a series of actuations of the vanes 166 of the dampers 104
between open and closed positions to pulse the flow of conditioned
air to the room. Conditioned air is supplied to the room by
actuating the vanes 130 of the dampers 104 from the closed position
to the open position and back to the closed position according to
the duty cycle, at 610. As such, the flow of conditioned air to the
room is either predominantly restricted or predominantly
un-restricted thereby providing flow rates at either near 0% or
near 100% of a possible given pressurization of the conditioned air
within the raised-floor system 174.
[0039] By actuating the vanes 130 to the open position, depicted in
FIG. 3, a high flow rate of conditioned air is provided to the room
from the under-floor trough 100. The conditioned air flows through
the dampers 104 and into the air-delivery assembly 102 where it
strikes the baffle 118. The baffle 118 is positioned and formed so
as to divert the flow of conditioned air upward through the
diffuser 164. As described above, the plurality of vanes 166 of the
diffuser 164 are designed such that the flow of conditioned air is
directed toward the center of the room and away from the wall 188.
Further, by providing a high flow rate of conditioned air, the air
is forced upwards into the room and mixes throughout a larger
volume of the room than if it were supplied at a lesser flow rate.
Additionally, such a high flow rate overcomes issues with the flow
of conditioned air out of the air-delivery unit 102 and into the
room caused by the large volume within the air-delivery unit
102.
[0040] For example, under-floor trough systems of the prior art
employ a method of mechanically throttling a damper to control the
flow rate of a generally continuous input of conditioned air into a
room. As such, the flow rate of conditioned air is kept at a level
much less than 100% of the available flow and is varied between 0%
and 100% by throttling the damper. Thus, as the conditioned air
exits such trough systems, it stays near the floor and fills the
room from the floor up due to the low buoyancy of cold air and
because there is not a sufficient flow rate to eject the
conditioned air into the upper elevations of the room. Issues with
such a system include large temperature variations from the floor,
which is very cool, to the ceiling, which is much warmer.
Additionally, in such circumstances the cold air does not easily
reach the elevation of a controlling thermostat. Therefore, the
thermostat continues to call for additional cooling even though the
lower elevations of the room may be well below a temperature set
point. This may lead to great inefficiencies in the cooling of the
room as well as occupants thereof being uncomfortable.
[0041] By employing the time modulated duty cycle and actuating the
dampers 104 between fully open and fully closed as described above,
a much more efficient cooling process may be achieved. Further, the
high flow rate of conditioned air through the under-floor trough
100 causes the conditioned air flow to higher elevations of the
room and mix more evenly throughout the room. Additionally, by
employing the time modulated duty cycle to pulse the flow of
conditioned air to the room, a generally equal volume of
conditioned air as might be used in a mechanically throttled system
of the prior art described above is used. Thus, a generally equal
amount of conditioned air is used to provide a much more uniformly
cooled room. As such, over time, embodiments of the invention may
become increasingly more efficient over mechanically throttled
systems of the prior art, because occupants and thermostats of
rooms cooled by the prior art systems may make inefficient
adjustments to compensate for the uneven dispersion of conditioned
air within the room, among other reasons.
[0042] Referring again to FIG. 3, the operation of the under-floor
trough 100 for heating a space above a raised floor system 174 is
described according to an embodiment of the invention. As described
previously, the under-floor trough 100 is mounted adjacent to a
wall 188 via a bracket 180 mounted to the wall 188. During a
heating cycle the vanes 130 of the dampers 104 are in a first or
closed position, thereby essentially eliminating the flow of air
into the air-delivery assembly 102 from under the raised-floor
system 174. The control unit 116 receives an input from a
thermostat or a second control unit requesting heat for an
associated room. The control unit 116 provides an appropriate power
supply to the electric heating element 122, thereby causing the
electric heating element 122 to generate heat. As the electric
heating element 122 heats the air contained within the air-delivery
assembly 102 between the baffle 118 and the front 110, the buoyancy
of the air increases causing the heated air to rise and flow out of
the under-floor trough 100 and into the room. Such a flow of the
heated air creates a draft which pulls cooler air downward and into
the air-delivery assembly 102 into the space between the back 106
and the baffle 118. The downward flow of cool air continues along
the bottom 108 and under the baffle 118. The air is then drawn
upward between the baffle 118 and the front 110 and around the
electric heating element 122 to be heated.
[0043] Additionally, the positioning of the under-floor trough 100
along a wall 188 is advantageous in that the wall 188 is often an
exterior wall which may have one or more windows. As such, the wall
188 is generally cooler than the interior of the room and thus the
air near the wall 188 is cooler. The cool air near the wall 188
readily sinks, or flows downward into the under-floor trough 100
due to its reduced buoyancy as compared to the warmer air within
the room. The additional air flow imparted by the sinking cooler
air along the wall 188 may further increase the circulation of air
throughout the room as the air cycles through the under-floor
trough 100, into the room and back toward the wall 188.
[0044] In an embodiment, the control unit 116 directs a heating
cycle in which the electric heating element 122 is pulsed. Such a
pulsed heating cycle may provide increased benefits to efficiency
and circulation among other benefits.
[0045] In another embodiment, an under-floor trough 200 includes a
fluid-heated heating element 202. The fluid-heated heating element
is heated by a fluid, such as for example water provide via a
boiler system. The heating of the element is controlled by a
thermostat or other suitable control unit. Further, the heating and
airflow created therefrom are similar to that described above with
respect to the under-floor trough 100 having an electric heating
element 122.
[0046] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment, an under-floor trough 300 has a
single damper 104 coupled to a front 302 of an air-delivery
assembly 304. This under-floor trough 300 uses a support system
similar to that described above with respect to the under-floor
trough 100. Further, the under-floor trough 300 operates similarly
to the under-floor trough 100, as is described above.
[0047] Many different arrangements of the various components
depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without
departing from the scope of the claims below. Embodiments of the
inventive technology have been described with the intent to be
illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will
become apparent to readers of this disclosure after and because of
reading it. Alternative means of implementing the aforementioned
can be completed without departing from the scope of the claims
below. Certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may
be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations
and are contemplated within the scope of the claims.
* * * * *