Air Flow Control Device

Abstract

A flow control device for directing air being delivered into a chamber in either of two different directions or to selectively direct part of the air being delivered in one direction and the other part in another direction. The flow control device may also include passage means through which air may be drawn from the chamber into a conditioning device, such as the evaporator of an air conditioning apparatus mounted on the roof of a vehicle, and then delivered back in cooled condition back into the chamber.

Description

This invention relates to air flow control devices and more particularly to an air flow control device for controlling the directions and rates of flow of air in different directions.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved air flow control device for selectively and adjustably directing air delivered to an inlet of the device to either of two spaced outlets thereof.

Another object is to provide an air flow controlling device, securable to a structure, such as the roof of a vehicle, camper, boat or the like, for directing air into a chamber of the structure in either of two opposite directions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an air flow control device of the type described which is of simple economical construction and which will protrude downwardly into a chamber a minumum distance from the roof.

A further object is to provide an air flow control device having an outlet passage through which air may be drawn from a chamber and directed to a conditioning device, such as the evaporator of an air conditioning apparatus, and an inlet passage to which the conditioned air from said conditioning apparatus may be delivered, the control device selectively and adjustably directing the flow of air to two spaced outlets of the device.

A still further object is to provide an air flow control device having a housing providing an inlet passage and a pair of spaced oppositely opening outlets, and an air splitter or divider slidably movable in the housing for directing the air to either of the two outlets and for adjusting the rates of simultaneous flow of the air through the two outlets.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle provided with an air conditioning apparatus and the flow control device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view, with some parts broken away and with some parts in section, of the flow control device showing it mounted to the roof of the vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the flow control device with some parts broken away;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partly sectional front end view of the flow control device;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 8 is a view similar to the FIG. 5 showing a modified form of the flow control device.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 7 of the drawings, the air flow control device 10 embodying the invention is shown mounted on the roof R of a vehicle V and used to control circulation of air from the interior or passenger chamber of the vehicle to an air conditioning device 12, also mounted on the roof, and back to the vehicle chamber after being cooled by the air conditioning device 12. The flow control device 10 is secured to the roof at the location of a substantially rectangular aperture 14 thereof. The roof of the vehicle as illustrated may include outer and inner metal plates 15 and 16 and heat and a vibration and heat insulation substance 17 interposed between the plates. The roof is reinforced about the aperture opening 14 by a reinforcing frame F formed of a channel shaped member 19 having upper and lower horizontal flanges 20 and 21 which abut the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates, respectively, and the vertical web 22. The outer plate 15 of the roof extends inwardly over the frame F and has a substantially rectangular aperture 25 formed therein through which extends an outer rectangular duct 26 of the air conditioning housing 27 of the apparatus 12. The housing is, of course, supported on the roof by suitable fastening means, not shown. The duct 26 has a horizontal external flange 28 which abuts the bottom wall 29 of the housing 27 and is secured thereto by any suitable means, as by self-tapping screws 30. The bottom wall of the air conditioning apparatus has a rectangular inlet opening 31, defined by a suitable vertical flange 32 of the bottom wall, which opens to the outer duct through which air is drawn into the air conditioning device for movement through the evaporator, not shown, and returned to an outlet duct 33 thereof which extends downwardly through an aperture of the bottom wall of the housing defined by the vertical flange 37 of the bottom wall.

The flow control device 10 includes a housing 40 having a bottom section 41 of substantially rectangular shape whose peripheral continuous horizontal outwardly extending flange 42 overlaps the inner portions of the inner plate 16 of the roof about the roof opening 14. The bottom housing section is secured to the roof by means of screws 44 which extend through suitable apertures in the flange 42, the lower roof plate and the lower horizontal flange 21 of the reinforcing frame F. The horizontal flange 42 is also provided with a vertical continuous peripheral flange 45 whose top edge abuts the bottom surface of the inner roof plate about the roof opening 14.

The bottom housing section has front and rear vertical rear walls 51 and 52 which are provided with oppositely opening front and rear outlets 53 and 54, respectively, which open to the longitudinal passage 56 of the housing defined by its bottom and top sections 41 and 55, respectively.

The top housing section includes a front transverse horizontal portion 59 which extends over the front portion 42a of the horizontal flange 42 of the bottom housing section and a rear transverse horizontal section 60 which extends over the rear portion 42b of the flange 42. The top housing section also has vertical side walls 61 and 62, side portions 63 and 64 which slope upwardly from the side walls 61 and 62 to an upwardly and forwardly extending rear portion 65 thereof and to the portions 66 and 61 thereof which define the sides 68 and 69 of a rectangular inlet duct 70. The rear top portion 65 and a front top portion 71 extend convergently upwardly from the rear and front horizontal portions 61 and 59, respectively, to the rear and front sides 72 and 73, respectively, of the inlet duct 70. It will be apparent that the top section is moulded of a suitable plastic substance.

A U-shaped seal member or grommet 75 is positioned about the upper edges of the portions of the top section defining the inlet duct 70 and is interposed between the walls of the rectangular outlet or delivery duct 33 of the air conditioning apparatus and the vertical flange 37 of the bottom wall of the housing 27.

A flow directing assembly 80 mounted in the rear aperture 54 of the rear wall of the housing includes a rectangular frame 81 whose end walls 82 are provided with pins 83 which extend rotatably in suitable apertures in the bottom housing section flanges 84 and 85 defining opposite ends of the aperture 54. The frame is pivotal about the horizontal axis of the shafts 83.

The frame also includes top and bottom members 86 and 87 and an intermediate member 88 which extend between the end walls and are integral therewith. A plurality of vertical spaced louvers are mounted on the frame by means of top and bottom pivot pins 92 and 93 which are received in suitable slots of the top and bottom frame members 86 and 87, respectively. The louvers are provided with slots 96 in which the middle reinforcing member 88 of the frame is received and inner extensions 98 which have lugs 99 received in suitable apertures of a connector bar 100 mounted on the lugs. When anyone of the louvers is pivoted about the axis of its pins 92 and 93, the coaction of the pins of the other louvers with the connector bars causes the other louvers to pivot accordingly.

The particular louver assembly 80 illustrated and described forms no part of this invention and has been illustrated merely to show a suitable flow directing means in the opening 54 which may serve to direct the air flowing through the outlet 54, either upwardly or downwardly into the vehicle chamber by tilting the frame either upwardly or downwardly about an axis of its shafts 83 or laterally in one direction or the other by pivoting the louvers about their pins 92 and 93.

A similar louver assembly 80 is mounted in the front opening 53 of the housing 40 and, accordingly, its elements have been provided with the same reference numerals, to which the subscript a has been added, as the corresponding elements of the flow directing assembly 80.

The vertical side walls 61 and 62 of the top housing section extend downwardly to the bottom wall 105 of the bottom housing section inwardly of the upwardly extending rectangular flanges 106 and 107. The rectangular walls are provided at their top portions with inwardly extending continuous flanges 108 and 109, respectively, and central transverse reinforcing portions 110 and 111, respectively. The abutting portions of the side walls 61 and 62 of the top housing section and the walls 106 and 107 may be secured to one another by self tapping screws 114. Porous filter pads 115 and 116 are disposed between the flanges 108 and 109 and the grills 118 and 119, respectively, which are telescoped within the rectangular walls 106 and 107 and secured therein by any suitable retaining means, such as (FIG. 7) rectangular inserts 121 which are secured in any one of the square openings of the grills by bolts 122 which extend through the apertures of the inserts, strip 110 or 111, and clip 124 which are telescoped over the central strips 110 and 111.

Air may move from the interior of the vehicle through the openings of the grills 118 and 119 and the filter pads into an outlet passage 130 defined by the housing 40 and the roof and thence through the ducts 26 and 31 into the air conditioning apparatus 12.

Suitable insulating means, such as a sheet 133 of plastic foam may be disposed about the top housing section and also along the bottom wall 105 of the bottom housing section to minimize or prevent condensation of moisture thereon.

The bottom housing section also has an upwardly extending substantially rectangular wall 136 and a raised horizontal portion 137 which is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 138 which opens to the longitudinal passage 56. The raised portion 138 provides a support or slide surface for an air splitter or divider 139 which, as shown in FIG. 6, may be formed of a metal member having a rear horizontal portion 141 which rests on and is secured, as by an adhesive, to a slide plate 143 which rests on the raised portion 137 of the bottom housing section, and a raised horizontal portion 144 to which a bolt 145 is secured in any suitable manner. The bolt extends through a suitable aperture in the slide plate and the longitudinal aligned slots 138 and 147 in the raised portion and a plate 148 secured to the bottom surface of the portion 137. A knob 150 is screwed on the bottom end portion of the screw. The splitter member 149 also has a rear portion 152 which extends anglarly and upwardly and forwardly from the front edge of the portion 144 to a top curved or bight portion 154, downwardly and forwardly extending front portions 155 and 156, and a front horizontal portion 157 which abuts the slide plate and is rigidly secured thereto by an adhesive or the like. A layer 159 of a resilient plastic foam is disposed over the surfaces of the metal body 140 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by an adhesive.

The air splitter 139 extends transversely across the longitudinal passage 56 and upwardly into the inlet duct 27 with its side edges being disposed closely adjacent to the side walls 61 and 62, the curved portions 63 and 64 and the sides of the inlet duct 70.

It will be apparent that if the air splitter is moved to the rearmost position A indicated by broken lines in FIG. 5, the top portion of the air splitter will move into close engagement with the portion 65 of the top housing section and will effectively prevent any air from flowing rearwardly through the longitudinal passage 56 to the rear opening or outlet 54 of the housing. The downwardly and forwardly sloping front surfaces of the air splitter will now direct the air downwardly to the front opening 53 with a minimum of turbulance and noise. As a result all of the air being moved into the passage 56 from the apparatus 12 will flow into the vehicle through the front opening or outlet 53.

If the air splitter is moved to an intermediate position, as the full line position illustrated in FIG. 5, some of the air will be directed by the outwardly and rearwardly sloping air surfaces of the divider to the rear opening 54 and the rest of the air will be directed by the forwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces of the air splitter to the front opening 53.

Finally, if the air divider or splitter is moved to the extreme forward position B, illustrated by the broken lines in FIG. 5, the front surfaces of the splitter will engage the portion 73 of the top housing section and will thus prevent any air from flowing through the front opening 153 while the downwardly and rearwardly sloping surfaces of the splitter will direct all of the air being delivered to the rear opening 54. The air splitter is held by friction and its own weight in any position to which it is moved.

It will now be seen that a new and improved air flow control device has been illustrated which is of very simple structure and which selectively and adjustably directs air to front and rear outlets or openings of the housing.

It will further be seen that the flow control device projects downwardly a very short distance into the interior of the vehicle to which it is mounted which is of importance in vehicles, boats, campers and the like which may have relatively little head room.

The control members 190 and 191 for controlling the upper portion of the air conditioning may of course be mounted on a upwardly displaced portion 192 of the bottom housing section. One of such controls may control the operation of the air moving means of the air conditioner, which is a fan or squirrel cage blower, and the other knob may control the degree of cooling to be imparted to the air as it flows through the evaporator by regulating the rate of flow of the refrigerant fluid through the coils of the evaporator thereof.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 8 of the drawing the flow control 10a is similar in all respects to the flow control device 10 and, accordingly, its elements have been provided with the same reference numeral, to which the subscript a has been added, as the corresponding elements of the flow control device 10.

The flow control device 10a differs from the flow control device 10 merely in that its air splitter or divider 200 is a solid piece of expanded plastic material which is secured to the slide plate 143a in any suitable manner, as by an adhesive and has a forwardly and downwardly sloping front surface 201 and a downwardly and rearwardly sloping rear surface 202 which extend divergently downwardly to the curved surfaces 203 and 204 thereof to provide a smooth path of flow to the air flowing thereover. It will be apparent that the divider 200 functions in the same manner as the divider 139.

It will now be apparent that the air flow control device is especially adapted for use to control the circulation of air within a confined space such as the interior or passenger compartment of a vehicle, camper, boat or the like. As illustrated in the drawings, the air flow control device is shown as used to selectively control the flow of circulation of cooled air either to the front or driver portion of the vehicle passenger compartment as when the vehicle is being driven over the road and no passengers are present in the rear portion of the compartment; or to circulate the cooled air both forwardly to the driver portion and rearwardly to the rear portion of the passenger compartment at the same or different rates of flow through two outlets 53 and 54 as determined by the adjusted position of the air splitter or divider; or if the vehicle is at rest and all occupants are in the rear portion of the vehicle compartment, the air splitter may be moved to its forward portion to close the front outlet 53 and prevent any flow of air therethrough and thus direct all of the air to the rear opening 54 to the rear portions of the compartment.

It will thus be apparent that the air flow control device may be used to maintain the temperature in a desired portion of the chamber or compartment at a lower temperature than another portion by circulating the cool air to such desired portion of the compartment.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An air flow control device connected to the roof of a structure for closing an opening through the roof, said control device including: a housing connected to the roof extending about the roof opening and having a bottom substantially horizontal wall spaced below the bottom of the roof, spaced side walls and spaced end walls extending upwardly from said bottom walls, each of said end walls having an outlet, said housing having passage means defining therewith a longitudinal passage extending between said outlets, said passage means having inlet means intermediate said outlets providing an inlet opening downwardly into said passage through which air may be moved downwardly from exteriorly of the roof; and an air splitter mounted on said housing and positioned in said passage having oppositely facing curved air deflector surfaces extending convergently upwardly toward said inlet from adjacent said bottom wall for deflecting air moved downwardly through said inlet in opposite directions to said outlets, said air splitter being movable in said housing and cooperable with said passage means for selectively preventing flow of air from said inlet to one of said outlets and allowing flow of air to the other of said outlets when in one extreme position in said housing and for allowing flow of air to said one of said outlets and preventing flow of air to other of said outlets when in a second extreme position.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said air splitter is positionable in adjustable intermediate positions between said extreme positions for adjusting relative rates of simultaneous flow of air through said outlets.

3. The device of claim 2, and air flow directing means operatively associated with said outlets for varying the direction of flow of air from said outlets.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said housing has an outlet opening spaced from said passage through which air may be withdrawn upwardly from said structure and through the roof aperture.