Handle mechanism for an HVAC damper actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9032993-B2
Application number	US-201213523706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2012
Priority date	Jun 14, 2012
Publication date	May 19, 2015
Grant date	May 19, 2015

Abstract

A damper system may include a handle mechanism for use with a damper actuator system. Illustratively, the handle mechanism may include a drive gear mechanism, a handle, a housing, and a spring, and may be actuated to set a crack pressure for the damper system. The handle may connect to the drive gear mechanism at a drive gear arm of the drive gear mechanism and may flip over or about the drive gear arm to move from a first position to a second position. In some instances, once the handle is in the second position, a force may be applied thereto to disengage the drive gear from a stop member and thereafter, the handle may be rotated to change the crack pressure of the damper system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A handle mechanism for use with a damper actuator system having a damper blade configured to be positioned within a duct of a duct system, a shaft in communication with the damper blade, and a driven gear operatively coupled to the shaft, the handle mechanism comprising:
a drive gear configurable to be operatively coupled to the driven gear and for rotating the driven gear of the damper actuator system;
a handle configured to rotate the drive gear, the handle has a first surface and an opposing second surface on an opposite side of the handle;
a housing at least partially enclosing the drive gear, the housing defining an interior surface and an exterior surface; and
a spring configured to bias the drive gear toward a first axial position relative to the housing; and

wherein:
the first surface of the handle is configured to be adjacent the exterior surface of the housing when the handle is in a first handle position, and the opposing second surface of the handle is configured to be adjacent the exterior surface of the housing when the handle is in a second handle position; and
applying a force to the handle toward the housing when the handle is in the second position moves the drive gear against the bias of the spring and in an axial direction from the first axial position toward the handle and to a second axial position relative to the housing along an axis that extends through the drive gear.

2. The handle mechanism of claim 1 , wherein removing the applied force to the handle causes the spring to move the drive gear back to the first axial position relative to the housing.

3. The handle mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the first axial position of the drive gear relative to the housing corresponds to a locked position at which rotational movement of the drive gear is limited and the second axial position of the drive gear relative to the housing corresponds to an unlocked position at which the drive gear is free from the limit on rotational movement.

4. The handle mechanism of claim 1 , wherein:
the drive gear includes a drive gear arm, the drive gear arm is configured to extend through the housing;
the housing includes a contact area at least partially about the drive gear arm; and
the handle abuts the contact area when the handle is in the second handle position.

5. The handle mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the handle is pivotally connected to the drive gear arm and is configured to rotate with the drive gear arm.

6. The handle mechanism of claim 4 , wherein:
the spring has a first end and a second end;
the first end of the spring abuts the drive gear; and
the second end of the spring abuts the interior surface of the housing.

7. The handle mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reverse stop configured to engage the drive gear when the drive gear is in the first axial position relative to the housing.

8. The handle mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the drive gear is configured to be disengaged from the reverse stop when the drive gear is in the second axial position relative to the housing.

9. The handle mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the reverse stop includes a stop member that extends from an interior surface of the housing.

10. A handle mechanism for actuating a driven gear of a damper within a duct, the handle mechanism comprising:
a drive gear in communication with the driven gear of the damper, the drive gear having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
a housing at least partially enclosing the drive gear;
a handle for use in rotating the drive gear about a rotation axis;
a drive gear arm extending from the first end of the drive gear to engage the handle;
a reverse stop configured to engage the drive gear adjacent the second end thereof when the drive gear is in a locked position at which rotational movement of the drive gear about a rotation axis is limited;
wherein the drive gear is configured to move from the locked position in an axial direction along the rotation axis of the drive gear to an unlocked position in response to applying a force to the handle; and
wherein the drive gear is free from the limit on rotational movement when in the unlocked position and rotation of the handle is free to rotate the drive gear about the rotation axis.

11. The handle mechanism of claim 10 , wherein the drive gear arm is configured to effect axial movement of the drive gear along the rotation axis of the drive gear in response to movement of the handle toward the housing.

12. The handle mechanism of claim 11 , wherein
the handle is a flip over handle that can be flipped about the drive gear arm between a first position and a second position; and
when a force is applied to the flip over handle in the second position, the drive gear arm effects movement of the drive gear in the axial direction toward the unlocked position, where the drive gear in the unlocked position is disengaged from the reverse stop.

13. The handle mechanism of claim 12 , wherein when the handle is in the second position and is rotated, the drive gear arm effects rotational movement of the drive gear.

14. The handle mechanism of claim 10 , wherein the drive gear is biased toward the locked position by a spring.

15. A method of setting a crack pressure of a bypass duct through the use of a mechanical damper actuating system including a drive gear, a reverse stop configured to selectively engage the drive gear, a flip over handle in communication with the drive gear, and a housing configured to at least partially enclose the drive gear and the reverse stop, the method comprising:
moving the drive gear away from the reverse stop when pivoting the flip over handle about an axis to an open position and applying a force to the flip over handle in a direction toward the housing to axially move the drive gear along a rotation axis and away from the reverse stop to disengage the drive gear from the reverse stop, the rotation axis being substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the flip over handle is pivoted; and
rotating the flip over handle while in the open position to rotate the drive gear about the rotation axis to set the crack pressure of the bypass duct.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein disengaging the drive gear from the reverse stop comprises:
applying a force to the flip over handle toward the housing while in the open position.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
engaging the drive gear with the reverse stop by flipping the flip over handle to a closed position.

Assignees

• Barton Eric
• Emmons David James
• Marak Pavel
• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Barton Eric
• Emmons David James
• Marak Pavel

Classifications

• F16K1/2014

  Shaping of the valve member · CPC title

• Y10T74/19642

  Directly cooperating gears · CPC title

• F16K37/0016

  having a graduated scale · CPC title

• F16K15/033

  spring-loaded · CPC title

• G05G1/087

  retractable; Flush control knobs · CPC title