Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Air outlet for a ventilation device
The invention relates to an air outlet for a ventilation device and a drywall
ceiling with an
air outlet for a ventilation device. In particular, the invention relates to
an air outlet which
is integrated into an interior paneling (i.e. an interior drywall paneling).
In prior art ventilation devices for the ventilation and air conditioning of
rooms are
known. They serve to air conditioning or temperature control of rooms, that
is, the supply
of air, wherein the air is conditioned, i.e. heated, cooled, dried and/or
humidified.
Ventilation devices generally comprise at least an air supply means, an air
guiding
device and an air outlet. The air guiding device is used to control the
direction of air
streams discharged from the ventilation device to achieve a favorable climate
of the air
flow. The ventilation should be carried out without perceptible air streams.
When the air
is cooled, it should be prevented that it drops vertically downwards from an
air outlet
located in the ceiling of the room and produce i an unpleasantly strong stream
of cool
air.
To avoid this, in case of elevated air outlets, the out-corning air streams
are distributed
in their flow direction so that they flow along the ceiling in the respective
direction of the
room. The so-called Coanda effect is utilized. To achieve this in ceiling
outlets, a flat out-
flow of air from the ceiling outlet is imperative.
The outflow angle of the air flow is affected by several components of the
ventilation
device. The air is supplied to the outlet means in a stream feed direction and
must
CONFIRMATION COPY
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thereafter usually be deflected in order to flow through an air outlet opening
into tne
room to be ventilated. This often occurs in a deflection and/or impact
chamber.
In order to enable a precise and flexible control of the discharged air
stream, the outlet
device can be provided with additional air guide elements. The air guide
elements can
be arranged to be movable to allow the user an individual adjustment of the
direction
and/or strength of the discharged air stream.
Another element of a ventilation device is the air passage. The air passage is
essentially
the cover for the underlying ventilation device. So it visibly dominates the
appearance of
the ventilation device for the end user. However, this cover plate also
affects the
direction and flow behavior of the discharged air.' This can be used for the
air guidance.
On the other hand, the design can also be construed such that the cover plate,
referred
to hereinafter as air outlet, has minimal influence on the exiting air flow.
For this reason,
air outlets in the prior art often are lattice plates, thin perforated plates
or thin slit plates
=in painted metal or sheet metal.
The design of the visible air outlets is substantially determined by the
function and does
often is not appealing to the viewer. Moreover, the ventilation devices with
their air
outlets form foreign objects in an otherwise homogeneous overall architectural
appearance of a ceiling or a wall. There is therefore a need for air outlets
that blend into
the environment in which they are installed so that they visually interfere
minimally with
the overall architectural appearance. However, the functionality of the air
passage
should not be impaired, particularly when it is an air outlet.
= This problem is particularly pronounced in ventilation devices that are
inserted into
suspended interior drywall panelings. Although the construction of drywall
panels (i.e.
gypsum plasterboards) mounted to carrier profiles provides a space between the
wall or
raw ceiling and the drywall panel. This space can be used to accommodate the
non-
visible parts of the ventilation device. The relatively large thickness of the
drywall panels,
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however, means that an air outlet, which is made of a thin plate does not
tinish tlush with
the outer edge of the drywall panels.
If drywall panels made of gypsum plasterboards are used as drywall elements,
these
typically have a thickness of about 12.5 mm, while air passages known in the
prior art
are often only a few millimeters thick metal plates.
Plasterboards have the advantage that they allow for other functionalities
apart from the
covering and dividing of spaces. With perforated gypsum plasterboards for
example,
acoustic noise reducing rooms can be built. There exist perforated gypsum
boards with
different hole or slot designs. There is a need for air passages that adapt
these designs
as much as possible, so that the overall architectural picture is not affected
by it.
It is generally possible to use the holes or perforations in the perforated
gypsum
plasterboards for air passage. In this way, the air outlets would not differ
from the rest of
the ceiling look. However, the relatively large thickness of the gypsum board
prevents
flat angular outflow of air so that this solution provides only insufficient
comfort for the
consumer.
There are further disadvantages by combining drywall constructions with
ventilation
systems: Currently, ventilation systems are not part of the drywall
construction systems.
This means that the ventilation device is installed after completion of the
drywall
construction and often is installed by damaging the ready build drywall
construction. By
separate planning and different focuses of interest of the manufacturer of
drywall
constructions on the one side and of ventilation systems of the other side can
barely
meet actual on-site requirements, such as low suspension height of the
ceiling.
Conventional ceiling passages are retrofitted in the drywall ceiling. Since
the
manufacturer of drywall constructions and ventilation systems do not
understand each
other respectively, the previously known design solutions are not very
appealing. Asa
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rule outlet openings are made of painted sheet metal. I nis means mat me
passages
despite all the production quality are always optically present and interfere
with the
design of the drywall ceiling.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide an air passage and an air
outlet for
ventilation devices, which allows easy installation and easy maintenance of
ventilation
systems. The air outlets are to be used particularly in drywall construction
and can be
visually fit into the interior design.
The problem is solved by an air outlet with the features of claim 1 and a
drywall ceiling
with the features of claim 12. Advantageous embodiments are defined by their
features
normed in the dependent claims.
An air outlet for a ventilation device according to the invention comprises a
plate with a
plurality of air outlet openings, the air outlet being fixed in a manner so
that when
installed in an interior paneling it is foldable out of the interior paneling
to make a space
behind accessible. Apart from at least one air outlet, the ventilation device
comprises an
air supply means and an air guiding device.
The construction of the air outlet which is foldable out of the interior
paneling has the
advantage that a drywall construction for the interior can be completed with
an opening
for a ventilation device by a professional (expert in building of drywalls)
for drywall
constructions. Subsequently, an installation of the ventilation device by a
professional
for ventilation is easily possible through the opening in the interior
paneling. The
professional for ventilation has not to initially form an appropriate opening
(usually with
little professionalism) in the drywall construction, but finds that work
already done by the
expert for drywall constructions. After the installation of the ventilation
device, the
opening may be releasably blinded by a customized or standardized air outlet
produced
by drywall manufacturer. This ensures a clean and straight design of the
interior
paneling made from one hand, wherein site requirements can be easily met.
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Additionally, at a later time maintenance of the ventilation device can be
performed by
release of the air outlet via simply folding it out from the interior
paneling.
5 An interior paneling according to this invention is understood to mean
inter alia a drywall
ceiling and/or a drywall construction wall, i.e. a separation drywall. The
phrase air
passage comprises air outlets and air inlets. By air outlets air flows out of
a ventilation
device into a room while room air flows from the room into a ventilation
device through
air inlets. The invention is described below by reference to air outlets,
because here,
apart from the function to supply air to a room, other functions are
necessary. With air
inlets this is not the case to the same degree. Of course, the invention can
therefore
also be used as air inlet.
According to a particularly preferred aspect, the plate of the air outlet
comprises a cover
frame, which at least partially covers the air outlet openings of the plate.
Particularly
preferably, the cover frame is arranged so that it seals the air outlet
openings disposed
laterally from the ventilation device which are not covered by the ventilation
device
arranged at the plate. In this way, the air outlet can be made larger than
necessary, e.g.
greater than the ventilation device. This ensures sufficient space for the
installation of
the ventilation device, but also provides space for future maintenance.
The cover frame serves to seal the air outlet openings which are not necessary
for the
ventilation against the back flow of air into the space between the ceiling or
wall and the
interior paneling. This is especially useful if an extremely flat outflow has
to be realized.
An extremely flat outflow angle is an angle between the ceiling or wall and
the flow
direction of the air stream of less than 25 , preferably less than 15 . The
angle has to be
sufficiently small such that the Coanda Effect is effected, meaning that the
air flow is
attracted by the ceiling and flows along the ceiling far into the room.
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The cover frame can preferably be designed in the manner of a closed frame so
as to
border the ventilation device on all sides. In this way, the air outlet
openings provided for
the ventilation device may be, for example, centrally arranged in the plate
and are
symmetrically enclosed by the closed frame like a visor.
If the cover frame is disposed on the side of the plate facing the ventilation
device, the
side of the plate visible to the viewer can be designed freely, without the
visually
disturbing cover frame. It is also possible to arrange the cover frame as a
design
element on the side of the plate visible to the viewer.
1.0
If the cover frame is disposed on the side facing the ventilation device of
the plate, it
may be advantageous to at least provide the portions of the cover frame
visible through
the air ventilation openings of the plate in a dark color such as black, so
that they do not
visually differ from the other regions of the perforated plate and/or the
interior paneling.
The cover frame can advantageously be connected to the plate at the edges of
the
plate. If the plate is provided, for example, with a cover frame, an
attachment to this
frame can be easily realized without the visible surface of the plate being
visually
impaired.
According to a particularly preferred aspect of the invention, the frame has a
chamfer
towards the ventilation device. The chamfer can be a 450 chamfer. The chamfer
is used
to laterally align the ventilation device, the frame and the air outlet
openings of the plate.
Since the plate is fixed to the frame and is essentially non-slidable
integrated into the
interior paneling, an alignment must be done by moving the ventilation device.
Since the
ventilation device rests only on support beams of the interior paneling and is
not fixed
any further, such a displacement is possible without any effort.
The outer edges of the ventilation device are seated on the plate of the air
outlet. It is
optically advantageous, if the edges of the ventilation device are seated on
web portions
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of the plate without or at least with only with a minimum overlap with the air-
outlet
openings. For this purpose, an alignment of the ventilation device to the
plate is
necessary. If the outer edges of the ventilation device overlap with air-
outlet openings
visibility from below is not ruled out.
Now, if the ventilation device comprises a chamfer at the contact edges which
are in
contact to the chamfer of the cover frame, an easy alignment of the
ventilation device
relative to the cover frame is possible via the mutually complementary sliding
chamfer
edges.
The cover frame can be made from different materials, such as wood, aluminum,
sheet
steel, or plastic. Further, the cover frame may be of a solid material or be
also a one
piece profile. Preferably, a U-shaped sheet steel profile is used.
In order to enable a simple, stable and durable attachment of the air outlet
in the interior
paneling, the air outlet can be equipped with a mounting frame device. The
mounting
frame device is preferably in two parts and includes an outer mounting frame
and an
inner mounting frame. The outer mounting frame is secured to the interior
paneling and
the inner mounting frame is fixed to the plate of the air outlet. Preferably,
both mounting
frames respectively are formed circumferentially and include at least partly
the edges of
the plate or the opening in the interior paneling.
The plate of the air outlet may have a lower thickness than the elements
(drywall panels)
of the interior (drywall) paneling. The thickness difference can be
compensated by a
spacer so that the bottom edge of the plate in a locked state is flush with
the lower edge
of the surrounding interior paneling. Thus, a uniform mounting on common or
different
but identical support elements is possible.
Such a flush installation of the visible surface of the interior paneling can
nevertheless
be achieved when different materials in different thicknesses are used. As an
example,
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gypsum boards with a thickness of 12.5 mm for the interior paneling may be
mentioned,
which can be combined with a 1.5 mm thick plate to optimize the air outlet,
without a
ledge being created on the visible side or complicated assembly adjustments
must be
made.
The thickness of the plate of the air outlet can also be adjusted via the
thickness of the
cover frame to the thickness of the interior paneling, as the cover frame is
preferably
secured to the inner mounting frame of the mounting device.
The thickness of the plate of the air outlet is preferably less than 3 mm,
partiCularly
preferably less than 2 mm and in particular less than or equal to 1.5 mm. A
small
thickness of the plate has only a minimal effect on the air guidance.
Depending on the
material used for the plate and the dimensions of the plate, different
thicknesses of the
plate are necessary for a sufficient stability. The plate should be made as
thin as
possible.
To be able to fold out the air outlet from the interior paneling, the use of a
hinge or hinge
system is provided. Preferably, hinges or hinge joint components can be
arranged on
the plate of the air outlet. For example, opposite small bolts can be provided
that can be
rotatably supported in pans in the interior paneling so that the plate can be
rotated or
pivoted about an axis.
In addition, the plate advantageously comprises at least parts of a releasable
locking
device by which it can be detachably fixed to the interior paneling.
Particularly preferred
is a locking means which is released by pressure on the plate (i.e. particular
portions of
the plate) of the air outlet and which is based for example on a spring
system. Such
locking systems based on springs are especially preferred because they do not
optically
impair the visible side of the interior paneling including the air outlet.
Basically, other
locking systems can also be used, for example electronically controlled
devices.
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In order to achieve a homogeneous or uniform visual appearance ot an interior
paneling,
the plate can have the same design as the interior paneling that is visible to
a viewer so
that the plate is visually indistinguishable from the surrounding interior
paneling and
seamlessly fits into this surrounding with respect to the designs, and also
the materials
preferably used. This can for example be achieved by covering the visible side
with
gypsum plasterboard cardboard or with a lining, analogous to the surface, for
example
of gypsum plasterboards. The plasterboard liner or the lining can then be
further treated
in the same manner as the elements of the interior panel, for example, as the
gypsum
plasterboards. They can, for example, be coated with a primer and with an
interior paint,
preferably by roller application.
In addition to the air outlet for a ventilation device, the invention also
relates to a drywall
ceiling comprising a supporting structure of a plurality of metal profiles, an
interior
paneling mounted on the metal profiles, and at least one ventilation device
comprising at
least one air supply, an air guiding device and an air outlet. The air outlet
comprises a
plate with air outlet openings. The air outlet is mounted such that, in the
installed state in
an interior paneling, it is foldable out of the interior paneling to make
accessible a space
behind.
More preferably, the interior paneling is made of gypsum plasterboards,
especially of
perforated gypsum plasterboards, so-called acoustic panels. Perforated gypsum
plasterboards are widely used as building material for sound absorption and
are
particularly interesting because they already have a perforation pattern. The
perforation
pattern of the plate of the air outlet can be adapted to the perforation
pattern in the
perforated gypsum panels, so that the pattern visually continues without
perceptible
interruption, i.e. with respect to size, spacing and/or material. The air
outlet openings of
the plate of the air outlet then have the same design as the perforation
pattern of the
perforated gypsum plaster panels and extend this pattern further. They can,
for
example, be round or square, and arranged in a regular or irregular pattern.
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This means that the pattern continues without interruptions (except tor
unavoidable
structural interruptions) with the same distance between adjacent holes at the
transition
from the perforated gypsum plasterboard to the air outlet openings in the
plate of the air
outlet. The distance between adjacent holes in the plate and adjacent
perforations in the
5 perforated plasterboard and the plate is the same. In other words, this
means that the
distance of the center point of the last opening in front of the edge rim to
the edge rim of
the plate is half as large as the distance between the center points of
adjacent openings
of the perforation pattern. If the perforations of the gypsum plasterboard and
the
openings of the plate are arranged side by side, a uniform spacing results.
1.0
In the following the invention will be explained in more detail with reference
to drawings.
Like reference numerals denote similar features throughout the drawings. r
Fig. 1: Top view on a drywall ceiling with a ventilation device
Fig. 2: Bottom view on a drywall ceiling with a ventilation device
Fig. 3: Cross sectional view through a drywall ceiling with a
ventilation device
Fig. 4: Cross sectional view through a drywall ceiling with air outlet
without a
ventilation device
Fig. 5: Enlarged cross sectional view of Fig. 4
Figure 1 illustrates the construction of an embodiment of a drywall ceiling 1
according to
the invention with a built-in ventilation device in a top view, looking from
the ceiling
towards the floor. The drywall ceiling 1 is mounted in the manner of a
suspended ceiling.
A plurality of base profiles 41 are attached to the raw ceiling. At right
angles to these
base profiles 41 carrier profiles 42 are mounted on the base profiles 41,
which in turn
constitute the framework to which the building panels 2, here perforated
gypsum
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plasterboards 2, are mounted. The perforated gypsum plasterboards are coverea
trom
above with a lining, in this case a black fleece laid on top thereof. For this
reason, in the
plan view of Fig. 1, the holes 21 of the perforated gypsum plasterboard 2 are
not visible.
The perforated gypsum plasterboard 2 has an opening (not shown) through which
the
ventilation device 8 was inserted. In this example the ventilation device 8
comprises a
diffuser. The diffuser 8 is equipped with beams 6 and has support on two
supporting
profiles 42. It can be moved freely on the support profiles 42 and is not
fixed any further.
The opening of the perforated gypsum board 2 is sealed with an air outlet 3.
In Fig. 1,
only the outer edges of the air outlet 3 can be seen because the diffuser 8
covers the
central part of the air outlet 3. The air outlet 3 has a plate with air
openings, in this case
a 600 x 600 mm large, 1.5 mm thick perforated plate 12 (not shown), that is
circumferentially surrounded at its edges by an inner mounting frame 20. The
inner
mounting frame is an aluminum profile.
To the inner mounting frame 20 hinges 22 are mounted by means of which the air
outlet
3 can be folded out around a common axis from the drywall ceiling. At the
edges,
arranged opposite with respect to the joints 22, a spring mechanism 24 is
arranged,
which fixes the air outlet 3 in the opening of the perforated gypsum
plasterboard 2. The
locking mechanism can be released by pressing the underside of the air outlet
3. To
avoid a sudden falling out of the air outlet 3 from the opening of the
perforated gypsum
plasterboard 2, a catching hook 28 is also provided therein, which holds the
air outlet 3
after its release in a semi-open position.
Figure 2 shows the same section of a drywall ceiling 1 as shown in Fig. 1, but
this time
in the bottom view, i.e. from the perspective of an observer looking from
floor to ceiling.
In this view, the perforation 21 of the perforated gypsum plasterboard 2 with
the black
fleece is visible (black squares). It will also be appreciated that in the
perforated plate 12
the air outlet 3 does not optically differ from the perforated gypsum
plasterboard 2 into
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which it is fitted. Simply due to their construction the abutting edges ot the
pertorations
in the perforated gypsum plasterboard .2 and the air outlet opening 3 of the
plate are to
be recognized.
In order to achieve the visual unity between perforated gypsum plasterboard 2
and the
holes in the plate 12, the plate 12 with the openings was covered (glued) on
the visible
side with a plasterboard liner, comprising corresponding openings to the
openings in the
plate 12. The plasterboard liner of the plate 12 was then primed and painted
with the
same paint as the surrounding perforated gypsum plasterboard.
Thus, the surfaces of the visible sides of the perforated gypsum plasterboard
2 and the
plate with openings 12 are of the same material (gypsum plasterboard liner),
which was
further treated in the same manner (primer, paint). The pattern of the
perforated gypsum
plasterboard 2 and of the plate with openings 2 is identical in shape, size
and spacing.
The pattern is continuous as well as consistent. The designs of the perforated
gypsum
plasterboard and of the air outlet do not differ in any way.
Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view of the drywall ceiling 1. In this
representation, the
arrangement of the ventilation device 8 with the air supply 10 on the plate
with openings
12 of the air outlet 3 is depicted. At the side facing away from the viewer of
the dry
ceiling, a cover frame 14 is arranged in a manner surrounding the air outlet
openings 13
of the plate 12. The frame is painted black on its underside pointing to the
viewer (not
shown) such that it is not visually different from the black fleece applied to
the perforated
gypsum plasterboard when seen through the plate openings 12. The cover frame
14 is
made of a sheet steel profile and has the outer dimensions of 598 x 598, a
frame width
of 45 mm and a thickness of 12 mm.
The cover frame 14 is fixed to the inner mounting frame 20 of the mounting
frame device
18, 20 and laterally seals the air outlet openings of the air outlet. The
peripheral inner
edge of the cover frame 14 pointing to the diffuser has a 450 chamfer. Form-
locking
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thereto, the diffuser 8 has on its lower edge a peripheral chamtered portion
lb wnicn is
formed in this embodiment by an angle plate mounted at the lower edge of the
diffuser
8. Via the mating 450 chamfers of the cover frame 14 and the diffuser 8, the
diffuser 8
can be aligned on the support profiles 42 matching the air outlet 3 by simply
moving the
beams 6.
In Fig. 4 the same drywall ceiling 1 is shown in cross-section for better
clarity again, but
this time without a built-in ventilation device. The air outlet 3 is in the
locked state.
1.0 Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of Fig. 4. In this expansion, the
arrangement of the
mounting frame device which comprises the outer mounting frame 18 and inner
mounting frame 20, is clearly visible. Both, the outer mounting frame 18 and
the inner
mounting frame 20, are composed of a circumferential running aluminum profile.
By
means of the inner frame 20, the cover frame 14 is fixed to the plate with
openings 12.
The cover frame 14 compensates for the difference in thickness between the
perforated
gypsum plasterboard 2 and the plate with the openings 12 so that the elements
= "perforated gypsum plasterboard" 2 and "air outlet" 3 are equally thick.
= The distance a between adjacent perforations 21 in the perforated gypsum
plasterboard
is the same size as the distance b between openings 21 at the transition from
the
perforated gypsum plasterboard 2 to the air outlet openings 13 in the
perforated plate
12. The dashed lines indicate the position of the cylinder axes of the holes
in the
perforated gypsum plasterboard or the air outlet openings 13 in the perforated
plate.
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Reference numeral list
1 drywall ceiling
2 building panel
21 perforation in the building panel
3 air outlet
41 base profile
42 carrier profile
6 beam to support ventilation device
8 ventilation device (diffusor)
is 10 air supply
12 metal sheet with openings
13 air outlet openings
14 cover frame
16 chamfered section of the ventilation device
18 outer mounting frame
20 inner mounting frame
22 hinge
24 spring mechanism
26 spacer
28 catching hook
