Pliable air ducts with anti-condensation nozzles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709193-B2
Application number	US-201313749321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2013
Priority date	Jan 24, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Pliable air ducts with anti-condensation nozzles are disclosed. An example system includes a tubular duct comprising a pliable wall dividing an interior of the tubular duct from an exterior of the tubular duct. The system includes an outlet member to be attached to the pliable wall. The outlet member defines a main air passageway with a first flow resistance therethrough and places the interior of the tubular duct in fluid communication with the exterior of the tubular duct. The system includes a secondary air passageway with a second flow resistance therethrough. The secondary air passageway is defined by at least one of the outlet member or the pliable wall and extends from the interior of the tubular duct to the exterior of the tubular duct to define an airflow path proximate the outlet member. The second flow resistance is significantly greater than the first flow resistance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air duct system, comprising:
a tubular duct including a pliable wall dividing an interior of the tubular duct from an exterior of the tubular duct;
an outlet member to be attached to the pliable wall, the outlet member defining a main air passageway with a first flow resistance therethrough, the outlet member including a mounting flange extending around the main air passageway, the mounting flange includes a rigid inner flange and a rigid outer flange, the pliable wall sandwiched between the inner flange and the outer flange during operation of the air duct system when the outlet member is attached to the pliable wall, the outlet member having an inner surface directly exposed to the interior of the tubular duct and an outer surface directly exposed to the exterior of the tubular duct, the main air passageway extending through the outlet member between the inner surface and the outer surface to place the interior of the tubular duct in fluid communication with the exterior of the tubular duct; and
a secondary air passageway with a second flow resistance therethrough, the secondary air passageway being defined by at least one of the outlet member or the pliable wall, the secondary air passageway extending from the interior of the tubular duct to the exterior of the tubular duct, the secondary air passageway defining an airflow path proximate the outlet member, the second flow resistance being significantly greater than the first flow resistance.

2. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary air passageway includes a plurality of openings distributed circumferentially around the main air passageway.

3. The air duct system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary air passageway includes the plurality of openings by virtue of the pliable wall being porous.

4. The air duct system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary air passageway includes the plurality of openings by virtue of the outlet member being porous.

5. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary air passageway is a wall opening through the pliable wall.

6. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange is to be attached to the pliable wall, the mounting flange defines a flange opening, and the secondary air passageway to pass through the flange opening.

7. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary air passageway includes a plurality of wall openings through the pliable wall, the plurality of wall openings are distributed circumferentially around the main air passageway, the mounting flange is to be attached to the pliable wall, the mounting flange defines a plurality of flange openings therethrough, the secondary air passageway to pass through the plurality of wall openings and through the plurality of flange openings.

8. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet member includes a material that is more thermally conductive than the pliable wall.

9. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet member includes a nozzle attached to a housing, the nozzle defines the main air passageway, the nozzle is angularly adjustable relative to the housing, and the housing includes the mounting flange to attach the outlet member to the pliable wall.

10. The air duct system of claim 9 , wherein the secondary air passageway is between the nozzle and the housing.

11. The air duct system of claim 9 , wherein the nozzle includes a guide vane traversing the main air passageway.

12. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the second flow resistance is at least thirty times greater than the first flow resistance.

13. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the first flow resistance produces a first average velocity for a primary current flowing through the main air passageway, the second flow resistance produces a second average velocity for a secondary current flowing through the secondary air passageway, and the first average velocity is greater than the second average velocity.

14. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the first flow resistance and the second flow resistance produce a buffer zone between the outer surface of the outlet member and a conditioned air zone.

15. The air duct system of claim 14 , wherein air within the buffer zone has a first average relative humidity, air within the conditioned air zone has a second average relative humidity, and the first average relative humidity is less than the second average relative humidity.

16. The air duct system of claim 14 , wherein air within the buffer zone has a first average dew point, air within the conditioned air zone has a second average dew point, and the first average dew point is less than the second average dew point.

17. The air duct system of claim 14 , wherein the buffer zone substantially surrounds the outer surface of the outlet member.

18. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein a primary current of air flows through the main air passageway with a first entrainment ratio for a given distance from the outlet member, a secondary current of air flows through the secondary air passageway with a second entrainment ratio for the given distance, and the first entrainment ratio is less than the second entrainment ratio.

19. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein a primary current of air flows through the main air passageway, a secondary current of air flows through the secondary air passageway, and the secondary current of air surrounds the outlet member.

20. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein a primary current of air flows through the main air passageway, a secondary current of air flows through the secondary air passageway, and the secondary current of air is to produce a buffer zone surrounding the outer surface of the outlet member exterior to the tubular duct, the buffer zone to reduce condensation from forming on the outer surface.

21. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein a majority of the outlet member is to be disposed within the interior of the tubular duct.

22. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the outlet member extends radially inward from the pliable wall of the tubular duct and the outer surface of the outlet member extends radially outward from the pliable wall of the tubular duct.

23. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet member includes a rigid nozzle that extends through an opening in the pliable wall, the main air passageway to extend through the nozzle.

24. The air duct system of claim 23 , wherein the outlet member includes a rigid housing to support the nozzle.

25. The air duct system of claim 24 , wherein the nozzle is to move relative to the housing.

26. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein an outer extremity of the main air passageway is defined by an opening in the outlet member, the opening in the outlet member being larger than a plurality of openings associated with the secondary air passageway.

27. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the outlet member is to protrude into the interior of the tubular duct and the outer surface of the outlet member is to protrude into the exterior of the tubular duct beyond the pliable wall.

28. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange extends circumferentially around the main air passageway.

29. The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet member includes a nozzle having a generally spherical

Assignees

• Gebke Kevin J
• Kaufmann Nicholas L
• Heim Frank
• Rite Hite Holding Corp

Inventors

• Gebke Kevin J
• Kaufmann Nicholas L
• Heim Frank

Classifications

• F16L11/02 Primary

  made of fibres or threads, e.g. of textile · CPC title

• F24F2013/221

  to avoid the formation of condensate, e.g. dew · CPC title

• F24F13/0218

  Flexible soft ducts, e.g. ducts made of permeable textiles · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• F24F2013/0608

  Perforated ducts · CPC title