Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MODULAR FLOOR TERMINAL WITH DAMPER
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a modular floor terminal with a downwardly
facing air inlet
and a rotating damper. The modular floor terminal is used in connection with
an underfloor
plenum air conditioning system.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In an underfloor plenum air conditioning system, cool air is supplied
to the plenum
below the floor of an occupied space to be cooled. In order to cool the
occupied space above
the floor, terminals are mounted in the floor at predetermined locations to
allow the cool air in
the plenum to flow into the occupied space above the floor. The terminals are
located and
oriented to accommodate the configuration of the occupied space to be cooled.
[0003] Prior art configurations for modular floor terminals include simple
boxlike structures
with side openings. The side openings allow the terminals to be rotated in
order to control air
flow through the terminal based on the relative position of the housing's air
inlet to the flow of
air in the plenum. Such side air inlet terminals have further included sliding
dampers for further
control of airflow by closing off a portion of the face of the diffuser
grilles used in connection
with the floor terminals.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The module floor terminal of the present invention includes a round
floor boot
terminal and a linear floor grille terminal. The round floor boot terminal
consists of a square
housing with a downwardly facing air inlet at the bottom and an upwardly
facing air outlet at
the top. The linear floor grille terminal consists of a rectangular housing
with a downwardly
facing air inlet at the bottom and an upwardly facing air outlet at the top.
Both modular floor
terminals have a rotating damper within the housing between the air inlet and
the air outlet that
is controlled by a floating point actuator that opens and closes the damper to
vary the volume of
air delivered through the air outlet to a diffuser grille and thereby to the
occupied space above
the floor.
CONFIRMATION COPY
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[0005] The bottom location of the air inlet in the housing of the modular
floor terminal
allows the modular floor terminal of the present invention to be mounted in
any orientation
without the terminal's performance being influenced by air movement in the
underfloor plenum.
While there is limited air movement in the underfloor plenum, the air movement
is generally
horizontal and depends on the location of the air source for the plenum. Any
air movement in
the plenum directed toward a terminal's air inlet, such as the side terminal
air inlet of the prior
art, could cause an unexpected pressure rise within the housing of the
terminal. This rise in
pressure could lead to unpredictable and uncontrollable performance due to
uneven loading of
the terminals. If the terminal's air inlet is not in line with the direction
of airflow flow, the
effects of air currents in the plenum are even harder to predict and will vary
with the terminal's
distance from the plenum inlets. With the terminal air inlet located on the
bottom of the
terminal housing, air inlet is always subject to the same ambient pressure
(uniform static
pressure at any location in the plenum) i.e., there is no pressure
contribution due to horizontal
air movement. No matter the installed orientation of the terminal, the air
flow direction will be
perpendicular to the air inlet of the terminal.
[0006] The damper within the terminal is rotated perpendicular to the air flow
direction
within the terminal to control the pressure inside the terminal. This pressure
will determine the
amount of air that can be delivered by the terminal to the occupied space
above the floor. By
having the damper rotate, as opposed to sliding as shown in the prior art, the
entire air outlet
area of the diffuser grille remains active no matter what the terminal
pressure might be.
Consequently the terminal delivers a predictable air pattern from the diffuser
grille under any
conditions of open damper orientation.
[0007] The actuator control signal is supplied through a signal converter
which allows for
convenient and easy plug and play installation. A modular control cable can be
plugged into
the control interface at the actuator. The interface also includes an output
for the signal to be
carried to the next terminal if installed in a daisy-chain manner.
[0008] A perforated plate located in the air outlet of the terminal serves as
an equalization
baffle, ensuring consistent flow from the air outlet to the diffuser grille.
This plate also serves
to catch debris that may fall into the terminal from the occupied space
through the diffuser
grille.
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[0009] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
modular floor
terminal with a downwardly facing air inlet and a rotating damper that will
provide
consistent control of the air flow from the underfloor plenum, through the
diffuser grille, to
the occupied space above the floor.
[0009a] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
modular
floor terminal for supplying air from an underfloor air plenum to an occupied
space,
comprising: a housing; an air inlet located adjacent the bottom of the housing
and in
communication with the underfloor air plenum; an air outlet located adjacent
the top of the
housing; a perforated plate having a top surface and a bottom surface
positioned between
said air inlet and said air outlet, wherein said perforations are uniformly
perpendicular from
the bottom surface to the top surface such that air crossing the intermediate
perforated plate
is unimpeded by an angle within said perforations; a rotating damper located
within the
housing between the air outlet and the air inlet; and an actuator connected to
the rotating
damper for opening and closing the rotating damper in response to changes in
temperature in
the occupied space.
[0009b] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
modular floor terminal for supplying a flow of air from an underfloor air
plenum to an
occupied space, comprising: a housing; an air inlet on the housing in
communication with
the underfloor air plenum; an air outlet on the housing opposite the air
inlet; a perforated
plate having a top surface and a bottom surface positioned between said air
inlet and said air
outlet, wherein said perforations are uniformly perpendicular from the bottom
surface to the
top surface such that air crossing the intermediate perforated plate is
unimpeded by an angle
within said perforations; a damper located within the housing between the air
outlet and the
air inlet; and an actuator connected to the damper for opening and closing the
damper in
response to changes in temperature in the occupied space; wherein, upon
installing the
terminal in a floor of the occupied space, the direction of air flow through
the air inlet is
generally perpendicular to the direction of air flow in the underfloor plenum.
[00010] Further objects, features and advantages will become apparent upon
consideration
of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in
conjunction with the
drawing and the appended claims.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a round floor boot with a damper in
accordance
with the present invention.
[00012] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a round floor boot with a damper
in accordance
with the present invention.
[00013] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a round floor boot with a damper in
accordance with
the present invention.
[00014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a linear floor grille with a damper in
accordance
with the present invention.
[00015] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a linear floor grille with a damper
in accordance
with the present invention.
[00016] FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a linear floor grille with a
damper in
accordance with the present invention.
[00017] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a linear floor grille with a damper in
accordance with
the present invention.
BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[00018] With reference to FIGS. 1-3, a round floor boot terminal 10 in
accordance with the
present invention is illustrated. The round floor boot terminal 10 consists of
a square housing
12, an air inlet 20, an air outlet 22, a damper 16, and a floating point
damper actuator 18. The
square housing 12 consists of four sheet-metal sides. Extending mounting
flanges 14 are
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located at the top of the housing 12 adjacent the air outlet 22. The air inlet
20 is downwardly
facing at the bottom of the housing 12. A set of baffles 21 surround the air
inlet 20 to restrict
the size of the air inlet 20 to accommodate the size of the damper 16 (FIG.
2).
[00019] The rotating damper 16 is connected to a shaft 17 extending
horizontally between
two opposite sides of the housing 12. The floating point actuator 18 is
mounted onto the
housing 12 with a mounting plate 15 and connected to the shaft 17. The
floating point actuator
18 rotates the shaft 17 through about a 90 degree range of motion to open and
close the damper
16. The floating point actuator 18 is controlled by a thermostat/controller
located in the space
above the floor. The thermostat/controller provides a damper open signal and a
damper close
signal to the actuator 18. As long as the damper open signal is present, the
actuator 18
continues rotating the damper 16 toward its open position. Therefore, the
position of the
damper 16 depends on the time that the damper open signal is connected from
the
thermostat/controller to the actuator 18. Similarly, the damper close signal
rotates the damper
16 toward the close position. In one embodiment, the actuator 18 is a Siemens
OpenAir
Electric Damper Actuator, GDE/GLB Series.
[00020] With reference to FIG. 1, an interface board 19 mounted on the housing
12
accommodates the signal from the thermostat/controller to the signal required
by the actuator
18. The interface board 19 is configured to accept a modular control cable 11
using an
interface, such as an RJ12 interface, for ease of installation. The interface
board 19 may also
include an output so that additional terminals may be controlled by the
control signal in a daisy-
chained fashion.
[00021] The damper 16 rotates about a pair of bushings 23 (FIG. 3) located on
opposite sides
of the housing 12. With reference to FIG. 2, the damper 16 is constructed of
two retaining
plates 26a and 26b and two damper seal gaskets 28a and 28b. The damper seal
gaskets 28a and
28b are supported between the retaining plates 26a and 26b. The retaining
plates 26a and 26b
also support the shaft 17. The damper seal gaskets 28a and 28b extend beyond
the retaining
plates 26a and 26b and make contact with the sides of the housing 12 and with
the baffles 21
when the damper 16 is in its closed position, thereby sealing the air inlet 20
of the housing 12.
[00022] The round floor boot terminal 10 is installed by fastening the flanges
14 on the
housing 12 to the underside of a floor tile (not shown). The floor tile has a
round hole in which
a round diffuser grille (not shown) is installed. When the round floor boot
terminal 10 is
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mounted to the underside of the floor tile, the air outlet 22 of the housing
12 aligns with the
round hole in the floor tile. Consequently, the round floor boot terminal 10
can be oriented in
any direction with respect to the floor tile and the occupied space above the
floor as long as the
air outlet 22 and the round hole in the floor tile align. In cases where the
round floor boot
terminal 10 is fastened to a contoured floor tile, the round floor boot
terminal 10 is fastened to a
gasket which bridges the contours and ensures a sealed installation to the
tile. This flexibility in
orientation and tile selection eliminates the complexity of exact placement of
the round floor
boot terminal 10 and decreases installation time and cost.
[00023] The rotating damper 16 insures consistent performance by the diffuser
grille in
communication with the air outlet 22,of the round floor boot terminal 10.
Unlike a horizontal
sliding damper that obstructs a portion of the face of the diffuser grille,
the rotating damper 16
of the present invention assures that the entire face of the diffuser grille
remains unobstructed so
that the entire pattern of the diffuser grille is operational in connection
with delivering air to the
occupied space above the floor. In one embodiment, a perforated plate 24 is
located between
the damper 16 and the air outlet 22 of the housing 12. The perforated plate 24
is supported by
retaining angles 29 that are mounted to opposite sides of the housing 12. The
perforated plate
24 equalizes the pressure across the air outlet 22 thereby ensuring a
consistent and
perpendicular flow of air to the diffuser grille (not shown) and into the
occupied space above
the floor even when the damper 16 is partially open at an angle to the
vertical. The perforated
plate 24 also serves to catch debris that may fall into the housing 12 from
the occupied space
through the diffuser grille.
[00024] With reference to FIGS. 4-7, a linear floor grille (LFG) terminal 40
in accordance
with the present invention is illustrated. The linear floor grille terminal 40
consists of a
rectangular housing 42, an air inlet 52, an air outlet 54, a grille 56, a
damper 46, and a floating
point actuator 50. The rectangular housing 42 consists of four sheet-metal
sides. Extending
mounting flanges 44 are located at the top of the housing 42 adjacent the air
outlet 54. The air
inlet 52 is downwardly facing at the bottom of the housing 42.
[00025] The rotating damper 46 is connected to a shaft 47 extending
horizontally between
two opposite sides of the housing 42. The floating point actuator 50 is
mounted onto the
housing 42 with a mounting plate (not shown) and connected to the shaft 47.
The floating point
actuator 50 rotates the shaft 47 through about a 90 degree range of motion to
open and close the
damper 46. The floating point actuator 50 is controlled by a
thermostat/controller located in the
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occupied space above the floor. The thermostat/controller provides a damper
open signal and a
damper close signal to the actuator. As long as the damper open signal is
present, the actuator
50 continues rotating the damper 46 toward its open position. Therefore, the
position of the
damper 46 depends on the time that the damper open signal is connected from
the
thermostat/controller to the actuator 50. , Similarly, the damper close signal
rotates the damper
46 toward the close position. In one embodiment, the actuator 50 is a Siemens
OpenAir
Electric Damper Actuator, GDE/GLB Series.
[00026] With reference to FIG. 4, an interface board 41 mounted on the housing
42
accommodates the signal from the thermostat/controller to the signal required
by the actuator
50. The interface board 41 is configured to accept a modular control cable 43
using an
interface, such as an RJ12 interface, for ease of installation. The interface
board 41 may also
include an output so that additional terminals may be controlled by the
control signal in a daisy-
chained fashion.
[00027] The damper 46 rotates about a pair of bushings (not shown) located on
opposite
sides of the housing 42. With reference to FIG. 6, the damper 46 is
constructed of two retaining
plates 58a and 58b and two damper seal gaskets 60a and 60b. The damper seal
gaskets 60a and
60b are supported between the retaining plates 58a and 58b. The retaining
plates 58a and 58b
also support the shaft 47. The damper seal gaskets 60a and 60b extend beyond
the retaining
plates 58a and 58b and make contact with the sides of the housing 42 when the
damper 46 is in
its closed position, thereby sealing the air inlet 52 of the housing 42.
[00028] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the linear floor grille terminal 40
is installed by
fitting it into a rectangular hole cut into the floor tile 70. The rectangular
hole in the floor tile
70 is sized to accommodate the dimensions of the air outlet 54 of the housing
42. The flanges
44 around the air outlet 54 extend beyond the dimensions of the rectangular
hole in the floor tile
70 and thereby support the linear floor grille terminal 40. In addition, the
housing 42 has an
actuator offset 48 and a side offset 49 so that the portion of the housing 42
that accommodates
the damper 46 is dimensionally smaller than the rectangular hole cut in the
floor tile 70. The
smaller dimension of the portion of the housing 42 that accommodates the
damper 46 allows the
linear floor grille terminal 40 to be dropped vertically into place without
the necessity of
maneuvering the linear floor grille terminal 40 to accommodate any
protrusions. The offset
design of the housing 42 and the flanges 44 thereby eliminates installation
complexity and
decreases installation time and cost.
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[00029] The rotating damper 46 insures consistent performance by the grille 56
in
communication with the air outlet 54 of the linear floor grille terminal 40.
Unlike a horizontal
sliding damper that obstructs a portion of the face of the grille 56, the
rotating damper 46 of the
present invention assures that the entire face of the grille 56 remains
unobstructed so that the
entire pattern of the grille 56 is operational in connection with delivering
air to the occupied
space above the floor. In one embodiment, a perforated plate 64 is located
between the damper
46 and the air outlet 54 of the housing 42. The perforated plate is supported
by retaining angles
(not shown) that are mounted to opposite sides of the housing 42. The
perforated plate 64
equalizes the pressure across the air outlet 54 thereby ensuring a consistent
and perpendicular
flow of air to the grille 56 and into the occupied space above the floor even
when the damper 46
is partially open at an angle to the vertical. The perforated plate 64 also
serves to catch debris
that may fall into the housing 42 from the occupied space through the grille
56.
[00030] While this invention has been described with reference to preferred
embodiments
thereof, it is to be understood that variations and modifications can be
affected within the spirit
and scope of the invention as described herein and as described in the
appended claims.
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