Undulated surface enhancement of diffuser blades for round and rectangular ceiling diffuser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435111-B2
Application number	US-201916370376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2019
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A round or rectangular ceiling diffuser includes a blade. The blade includes a leading edge configured to face an incoming air flow and having an undulated contour extending along a closed-loop formed by the blade. The blade also includes a trailing edge opposite to the leading edge, where a width of the blade extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge and the undulated contour extends into and out of the width.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A round or rectangular ceiling diffuser including a blade, the blade comprising:
a leading edge configured to face an incoming air flow and including an undulated contour extending along a closed-loop formed by the blade;
a trailing edge opposite to the leading edge, wherein a width of the blade extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge and the undulated contour extends into and out of the width; and
a wave shape extending along the closed-loop formed by the blade at a position along the width of the blade between the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the wave shape and the undulated contour comprise corresponding curvatures into and out of the width of the blade.

2. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises first, second, third, and fourth blade segments joined to form a rectangular frustum.

3. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a conical frustum.

4. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a circular or rectangular cross-section at a position along the width of the blade.

5. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a curved surface extending along the width of the blade from the undulated contour to the wave shape.

6. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the undulated contour comprises continuous smooth curves connected end-to-end, such that the undulated contour does not comprise a straight segment, does not comprise a sharp segment, does not comprise a jagged segment, and does not comprise a saw-like segment.

7. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises:
an upper surface configured to guide a portion of the incoming air flow to a diffuser outlet section; and
a lower surface opposite the upper surface and configured guide an additional portion of the incoming air flow to an additional diffuser outlet section.

8. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , comprising an additional blade, the additional blade comprising:
an additional leading edge configured to face the incoming air flow and including an additional undulated contour extending along an additional closed-loop formed by the additional blade; and
an additional trailing edge opposite to the additional leading edge, wherein an additional width of the additional blade extends from the additional leading edge to the additional trailing edge and the additional undulated contour extends into and out of the additional width.

9. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , comprising an air flow inlet disposed adjacent the leading edge of the blade and an air flow outlet disposed adjacent the trailing edge of the blade.

10. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 9 , wherein the air flow inlet is configured to be coupled to a duct or to a duct adapter.

11. The round or rectangular ceiling diffuser of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a curved profile extending along the width of the blade.

12. A ceiling diffuser blade, comprising:
a leading edge configured to face an incoming air flow;
a width extending from the leading edge to a trailing edge of the ceiling diffuser blade;
an undulated contour extending along the leading edge and into and out of the width, wherein the undulated contour comprises peaks and valleys that are joined such that the undulated contour forms a continuously smooth, wave-like curvature across the peaks and the valleys without a straight segment, without a sharp segment, without a jagged segment, and without a saw-like segment;
a closed-loop cross-section formed by the blade at a position along the width between the leading edge and the trailing edge; and
a wave shape circumscribing the ceiling diffuser blade between the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the wave shape and the undulated contour comprise corresponding curvatures into and out of the width of the ceiling diffuser blade.

13. The ceiling diffuser blade of claim 12 , wherein the ceiling diffuser blade comprises a conical frustum and the closed-loop cross-section comprises a circular closed-loop cross-section.

14. The ceiling diffuser blade of claim 12 , comprising a curved surface extending along the width of the ceiling diffuser blade from the undulated contour to the wave shape.

15. A diffuser including a closed-loop blade, the closed-loop blade comprising:
a leading edge configured to face an incoming air flow;
a trailing edge opposing the leading edge;
a width extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge;
an undulated contour extending along the leading edge and into and out of the width toward the trailing edge; and
a wave shape extending along the closed-loop blade at a position along the width of the closed-loop blade between the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the wave shape and the undulated contour comprise corresponding curvatures into and out of the width of the closed-loop blade.

16. The diffuser of claim 15 , wherein the closed-loop blade comprises a first segment, a second segment, a third segment, and a fourth segment joined in a rectangular frustum.

17. The diffuser of claim 15 , wherein the closed-loop blade comprises a conical frustum.

18. The diffuser of claim 15 , wherein the closed-loop blade comprises a curved surface extending along the width of the closed-loop blade from the undulated contour to the wave shape.

19. The diffuser of claim 15 , wherein the closed-loop blade comprises a curved profile extending along the width of the closed-loop blade.

20. The diffuser of claim 15 , wherein the undulated contour comprises continuous smooth curves connected end-to-end, such that the undulated contour does not comprise a straight segment, does not comprise a sharp segment, does not comprise a jagged segment, and does not comprise a saw-like segment.

Assignees

• Air Distribution Tech Ip Llc

Inventors

• Perkinson Ryan M
• Minor Gary A
• Costello Mark J

Classifications

• F24F13/08 Primary

  Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates (F24F7/013, F24F13/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title

• F24F13/081

  for guiding air around a curve · CPC title

• F24F13/082

  Grilles, registers or guards · CPC title

• F24F13/24

  Means for preventing or suppressing noise · CPC title