Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DUAL PLENUM FOR AIR DISTRIBUTION
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a dual plenum useful in the field of air
conditioning ventilation and distribution systems, particularly to
distribution systems
for variable pressurized air volumes.
State of the Art
Air conditioning flow regulation and control systems are known in the state of
the art in which pressurized air from an air supply source accesses a plenum
from
where it is distributed to an enclosure, such as a room, through a ceiling
diffuser
grating having a constant air passage area.
The thermal load within an enclosure such as a room is highly variable due,
for
example, to room temperature, the number of persons staying in the enclosure,
the
kind of work they do, the number of apparatuses they use, the heat emissions
that the
apparatuses produce, etc. The known air conditioning flow regulation and
control
systems are designed to adapt themselves to the changes in the room thermal
load
by automatically increasing or decreasing an air flow rate which is supplied
from the
air supply source to the plenum and which is evacuated from the plenum to the
room
through the ceiling diffuser grating having the constant air passage area. As
a result,
the speed of the air flow that is distributed to the enclosure from the plenum
increases
under high thermal load conditions, and a high speed of the air flowing from
the
ceiling diffuser grating can be uncomfortable for people in the room.
Document US 6986708 B2 discloses a dual plenum for air distribution which is
divided into two spaces with a transverse partition, namely an air supply
plenum
which acts to supply air from an air handling unit to a room and an air return
plenum
which operates for returning room air to the air handling unit, with the air
supply
plenum being arranged below the air return plenum. A terminal unit having a
controllable damper blade is applied to a diffuser to permit the unit to be
convertible
between a constant volume unit and a variable volume unit. A thermostat
generates
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signals that open and close the damper blade at determined intervals. However,
this
dual plenum is not intended for nor does it allow regulating the speed of the
air flow
that is distributed to the enclosure from the two plenums by varying an outlet
air
passage area and without the use of mechanically operated elements.
Document US 3929280 A discloses a terminal air outlet device for use at a
discharge from a building air distribution system including a plenum for air
distribution
comprising a housing; a chamber defined within the housing; an inlet leading
into the
chamber and being adapted for connection to an air supply source; a first air
outlet
from the chamber through which air is adapted to be discharged in a first
fixed
direction; a second air outlet from the chamber through which air is adapted
to be
discharged in a second fixed direction different from the first one, which is
substantially at right angles to the first direction; and control means for
regulating air
discharge through the first and second outlets. The first direction is
substantially
vertical, and the second direction is substantially horizontal. Heated air is
discharged
in the first vertical direction, and cool air in the second horizontal
direction. However,
this plenum is not intended for nor does it allow discharging air to an
enclosure from
the two air outlets in response to the fluctuations of thermal load within the
enclosure,
in mutually parallel directions, or in different directions that can be
selected and
oriented because the two adjacent chambers do not share an air outlet.
Document US 4259898 A discloses a dual plenum having all the features of
the preamble of claim 1.
Accordingly the dual plenum of US 4259898 A comprises a first chamber
having a first air inlet and a first air outlet, a second chamber having a
second air inlet
and a second air outlet, and an air-feed device configured to introduce
pressurized air
from an air supply source to the first chamber through the first air inlet and
to the
second chamber through the second air inlet. First and second chamber in this
dual
plenum share an air supply conduit and also share an air outlet having
diffusers
allowing to direct the pressurized air to common or different
selectable/orientable
directions. A regulating damper is swingable suspended in the second air inlet
and
subjected to the action of its own weight so that when the air supply source
delivers a
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relatively small volume of air the regulating damper remains in a closed
position and
the supplied air flows only through the first air inlet and the first air
outlet. If the air
supply source delivers a relatively large volume of air the regulating damper
is swung
and the supplied air flows both through the first and second air inlets and
first and
second air outlets. However, in this dual plenum there is no an air passage
regulating
device selectively communicating the second chamber to the first chamber and
therefore a given flow rate of pressurized air is not shunt from the first
chamber to the
second chamber in response to an air pressure level in the first chamber in
order to
cause a decrease in the speed of the air discharged from the first air outlet
when a
relatively large volume of air is delivered to the plenum.
Therefore, new plenums for air distribution are required which, by means of
the
variability of the outlet air passage area for diffusing air from the plenum
to an
enclosure, allow maintaining the output speed of the air as constant as
possible in
different flow rate conditions, thus improving comfort and energy efficiency
in the
enclosures, rooms or premises to be air conditioned.
Disclosure of the Invention
For that purpose, the present invention provides a dual plenum for air
distribution comprising, as is already known for example from the cited
document US
4259898 A, a first chamber and a second chamber sharing at least one common
wall,
and further sharing an air outlet having diffusers in an air passage area
configured to
direct air within an enclosure in general of a building. The dual plenum is
connected
to an air-feed device configured to selectively introduce pressurized air from
an air
supply source to the first chamber or to both the first chamber and the second
chamber in response to a supplied pressurized air flow rate, wherein the first
chamber
has a first air outlet through which pressurized air is evacuated from the
first chamber
to an enclosure, and the second chamber has a second air outlet through which
pressurized air is evacuated from the second chamber to the enclosure, and
wherein
the first air outlet has first diffusers which provide a horizontal first air
passage area
and which are configured to direct air in a downwards direction, and the
second air
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outlet has second diffusers which provide a horizontal second air passage area
and
which are configured to direct air in the same downwards direction than the
first
diffusers or in different directions, so that the air flow that comes out from
the double
plenum through the shared outlet can be directed as desired by using the first
and
second diffusers On the other hand, the two diffusers can be the same or
different
Unlike the prior art, the air-feed device of the dual plenum of the present
invention comprises an air inlet connected only to the first chamber, a
pressurized air
supply conduit connected to the air supply source and to the air inlet, and an
air
passage regulating device in the common wall, wherein the air passage
regulating
device is configured to selectively communicate the second chamber to the
first
chamber in response to an air pressure level in the first chamber caused by
the
supplied pressurized air flow rate.
According to a preferred embodiment of this invention the common wall
including the air passage regulating device is adjacent to a region of the
first chamber
directly connected to the first surface area of the air outlet without
interposed
constrictions, i.e. the air passage is far from the air inlet of the air
supply conduit.
Thus, when the air pressure level in the first chamber is relatively low, the
air
passage regulating device completely or almost completely prevents an air
communication between the first chamber and the second chamber so that all or
almost all the supplied pressurized air is discharged through the first air
outlet, the
first air passage area of which is selected to determine a relatively low air
output
speed. However, when the air pressure level in the first chamber is relatively
high, the
air passage regulating device allows an air communication between the first
chamber
and the second chamber so that a given flow rate of pressurized air is shunt
from the
first chamber to the second chamber and the supplied pressurized air is
discharged
through both the first and second air outlets, the first and second air
passage areas of
which add together to keep the air output speed at a relatively low level.
In one embodiment, the air passage regulating device comprises one or more
communication openings in the common wall. These one or more communication
openings are sized so that they provide a third air passage, and a ratio of
the third air
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passage area to the first air passage area is selected to allow a given flow
rate of
pressurized air to be shunt from the first chamber to the second chamber in
response
to the air pressure level in the first chamber.
The one or more communication openings are permanently open, so that when
the air pressure in the first chamber is relatively low, the air will be
diffused primarily
through the first outlet air passage area and only to a small extent through
the second
outlet air passage area. But when the air pressure in the first chamber is
relatively
high, the air will be diffused through both the first and second outlet
passage areas.
In another embodiment, the air passage regulating device comprises a one-
way valve device associated to a communication opening in the common wall. The
one-way valve device is configured to open in response to a pressure value
inside the
first chamber above a specific threshold value thereby allowing a given flow
rate of
pressurized air to be shunt from the first chamber to the second chamber. The
one-
way valve device allows the passage of the pressurized air in one direction
and
prevents it in the opposite direction.
For example, the one-way valve device may be calibrated to open a specific
section of the communication opening depending on the higher or lower pressure
difference between the first chamber and the second chamber. If the one-way
valve
device is more open, the air flow would be diffused through the first air
passage area
of the first chamber and through the second air passage area of the second
chamber
outlet. In the event that the one-way valve device is more closed, the air
would be
diffused primarily through the first air passage area and only to a small
extent through
the second air passage area.
In the event that the one-way valve device is completely closed, air flow is
not
allowed to pass from the first chamber to the second chamber, so that air
cannot be
diffused through the second outlet air passage area and the entire air flow is
diffused
through the first air passage area.
In one embodiment, the mentioned one-way valve device is comprised of a
sheet fixed at one of its ends to a wall common to the first and second
chambers and
adjacent to the communication opening, with the capacity to pivot with respect
to the
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fixing and block the mentioned communication opening to a greater or lesser
degree,
allowing a larger or smaller amount of air to pass through the communication
opening. This sheet can be a flexible sheet which deforms in response to
external
forces with respect to the sheet, such as air pressure for example, and when
flexing
the flexible sheet frees the communication opening between the chambers.
Alternatively, the sheet can be a rigid sheet, in which case the fixing
comprises
a hinge at an edge of the sheet. The rigid sheet has the capacity to pivot to
open the
communication opening to a greater or lesser degree in response to a pressure
exerted on the rigid sheet. In one embodiment, the communication opening is
located
in a vertical section of the common wall, the hinge is located over the
communication
opening, and the rigid sheet is biased to a closed position blocking the
communication opening by the action of its own weight. In another embodiment,
the
communication opening is located in any wall common to the first and second
chambers, the hinge is attached to the common wall in a place adjacent to the
communication opening, and the rigid sheet is biased to the closed position
blocking
the communication opening by an elastic element.
Alternatively the one-way valve device can be, for example, an automatically
actuated mechanical valve device with which the circulation of pressurized air
through
the communication opening can be started, stopped, or regulated by means of a
movable part which partially opens, closes, or obstructs one or more orifices
or
conduits associated to the communication opening in cooperation with one or
more
pressure sensors and an electronic control device.
The first and second chambers of the dual plenum can be arranged according
to several configurations. In an embodiment, the common wall is a vertical
cylindrical
or prismatic wall surrounded by a cylindrical or prismatic side outer wall,
and the
second chamber is surrounded by the first chamber. The first chamber is
delimited
by the common wall, the side outer wall, a first top wall, and a first bottom
wall in
which the first air outlet and the first diffusers are located. The second
chamber is
delimited by the common wall, a second top wall, and a second bottom wall in
which
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the second air outlet and the second diffusers are located. The air inlet is
located in
the side outer wall or in the first top wall.
However, while other shapes of the common wall, for example frustum conical
or similar are considered suitable),
In this embodiment, the first top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the
side outer wall and an aperture with an inner edge connected to the common
wall,
and the second top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the common wall,
whereby the second chamber is surrounded by the first chamber, or
alternatively the
first top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the side outer wall, the
second top
wall has a perimetral edge connected to the common wall, whereby the second
chamber is surrounded by the first chamber and a section of the first chamber
extends between the first top wall and the second top wall.
In another embodiment, the common wall is also a vertical cylindrical or
prismatic wall surrounded by a cylindrical or prismatic side outer wall, but
the first
chamber is surrounded by the second chamber. The first chamber is delimited by
the
common wall, a first top wall, and a first bottom wall in which the first air
outlet and the
first diffusers are located. The second chamber is delimited by the common
wall, the
prismatic side outer wall, a second top wall, and a second bottom wall in
which the
second air outlet and the second diffusers are located. The air inlet is
located in the
common wall and the pressurized air supply conduit communicates with the air
inlet
of the first chamber going through the second chamber, or alternatively the
air inlet is
located in the first top wall.
In this embodiment, the first top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the
common wall, and the second top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the
side
outer wall and an aperture with an inner edge connected to the common wall,
whereby the first chamber is surrounded by the second chamber, or
alternatively the
first top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the common wall, and the
second
top wall has a perimetral edge connected to the side outer wall, whereby the
first
chamber is surrounded by the second chamber and a section of the second
chamber
extends between the first top wall and the second top wall.
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Preferably, in the embodiment where the second chamber is surrounded by the
first chamber, the one or more communication openings of the air passage
regulating
device are formed in a region of the common wall facing a portion of the side
outer
wall opposite the air inlet, and in the embodiment where the first chamber is
surrounded by the second chamber, the one or more communication openings of
the
air passage regulating device are formed in a region of the common wall
opposite the
air inlet.
In a further embodiment the common wall is a vertical partition wall which is
connected to the inside of a vertical cylindrical or prismatic side outer wall
so that the
first chamber and the second chamber are arranged adjacent side by side. In
this
case, the first chamber is delimited by the common wall, a first portion of
the side
outer wall, a first top wall, and a first bottom wall in which the first air
outlet and the
first diffusers are located, and the second chamber is delimited by the common
wall, a
second portion of the side outer wall, a second top wall and a second bottom
wall in
which the second air outlet and the second diffusers are located.
The air inlet can be located either in the first portion of the side outer
wall, or in
the common wall, or in the first top wall. If the air inlet is located in the
common wall,
then the pressurized air supply conduit communicates with the air inlet of the
first
chamber going through the second chamber.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The foregoing and other advantages and features will be better understood
based on the following detailed description of several embodiments with
reference to
the attached drawings which are to be taken by way of non-limiting
illustration, in
which:
Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a first embodiment of the present invention, taken by the plane I-
I of
Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-section view taken by the plane II-II of Figure
1.
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the dual plenum of Figure 1.
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Figure 4 is an isometric view of the dual plenum of Figure 1 showing a bottom
side thereof from where diffusers have been removed for clarity;
Figure 5 is an isometric view of a dual plenum according to a second
embodiment of the present invention, showing a bottom side thereof from where
diffusers have been removed for clarity;
Figure 6 is a bottom view of a dual plenum according to a third embodiment of
the present invention;
Figure 7 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, taken by the plane
VII-VII
of Figure 8.
Figure 8 is a horizontal cross-section view taken by the plane VIII-VIII of
Figure
7.
Figure 9 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 10 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 11 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 12 and 13 are vertical cross-section views of a dual plenum for air
distribution according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention,
showing a
one-way valve device in a closed position and an open position, respectively;
Figure 14 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 15 and 16 are vertical cross-section views of a dual plenum for air
distribution according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention, showing
a one-
way valve device in a closed position and an open position, respectively; and
Figure 17 is a vertical cross-section view of a dual plenum for air
distribution
according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.
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Detailed Description of Several Embodiments
The attached drawings show non-limiting illustrative embodiments of a dual
plenum for air distribution of the present invention, which is useful in
general as a
ceiling air outlet, although it can provide equally horizontal flows from a
wall or with a
certain inclination, maintaining the principles of the invention, for an air
conditioning
ventilation and distribution system.
It will be understood that the different parts constituting the invention
described
in one embodiment can be freely combined with the parts described in other
different
embodiments, even though the combination has not been explicitly described,
provided that this is not detrimental to the combination.
In the following drawings, a chamber the pressurized air supply conduit
accesses will be understood to mean a first chamber 1, and a chamber which
communicates with the first chamber through one or more communication openings
will be understood to mean a second chamber 2.
Figures 1 to 4 show a dual plenum according to a first embodiment comprising
a first chamber 1 and a second chamber 2 sharing a common wall 14 which has
the
shape of a vertical quadrangular prismatic wall. The common wall 14 is
surrounded
by a quadrangular prismatic side outer wall 15. The first chamber 1 is
delimited by
the common wall 14, the side outer wall 15, a first top wall 16, and a first
bottom wall,
and the second chamber 2 is delimited by the common wall 14, a second top wall
17,
and a second bottom wall, so that the second chamber 2 is surrounded by the
first
chamber 1.
An air inlet 3 is located in the side outer wall 15. Alternatively, the air
inlet 3
could be located in the first top wall 16. A pressurized air supply conduit 9
is
connected to an air supply source 8 and to the air inlet 3, so that
pressurized air from
the air supply source 8 is introduced to the first chamber 1. An air passage
regulating
device 7 is located in the common wall 14. The air passage regulating device 7
comprises a communication opening configured to selectively communicate the
second chamber 2 to the first chamber 1 in response to an air pressure level
in the
first chamber 1 caused by a pressurized air flow rate supplied from the air
supply
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source 8. The communication opening of the air passage regulating device 7 is
formed in a region of the common wall 14 facing a portion of the side outer
wall 15
opposite the air inlet 3 in this embodiment
Thus, the air supply source 8, the pressurized air supply conduit 9, the air
inlet
3, and the air passage regulating device 7 constitute an air-feed device
configured to
selectively introduce pressurized air to the first chamber 1 or to both the
first chamber
and the second chamber 2 in response to a supplied pressurized air flow rate.
A first air outlet 10 provided with first diffusers 12 is located in the first
bottom
wall of the first chamber 1, and a second air outlet 11 provided with second
diffusers
13 is located in the second bottom wall of the second chamber 2. Pressurized
air is
evacuated from the first and second chambers 1, 2 to an enclosure through the
respective first and second air outlets 10, 11. The first and second diffusers
12, 13
are configured to direct air in one and the same downwards direction or in
different
directions, given the adjustable condition of the diffusers, for example of
the grid type,
according to the needs of the room or enclosure whose thermal load is to be
controlled The first air outlet 10 and the corresponding first diffusers 12
provide a first
air passage area Si in a horizontal plane, and the second air outlet 11 and
the
corresponding second diffusers 13 provide a second air passage area S2 in a
horizontal plane.
The communication opening constituting the air passage regulating device 7
between the first and second chambers 1, 2 provides a third air passage area
S3.
The ratio of the third air passage area S3 to the first air passage area Si is
selected
to allow a given flow rate of pressurized air to be shunt from the first
chamber 1 to the
second chamber 2 in response to the air pressure level in the first chamber 1.
The
higher is the air pressure level in the first chamber 1 the greater is the
flow rate of
pressurized air that is shunt from the first chamber 1 to the second chamber
2.
Thus, the air flow rate entering the second chamber 2 through the third air
passage area S3 increases and decreases with the rise and fall of the pressure
in the
first chamber 1, and the first and second air passage areas Si, S2 of the
first and
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second air outlets 10, 11 of the first and second chambers 1, 2 add together
as
convenient at any time to keep the air output speed at a relatively constant
level.
The first top wall 16 has a perimetral edge connected to the side outer wall
15
and an inner edge connected to the common wall 14 and the second top wall 17
has
a perimetral edge connected to the common wall 14. As can be seen in Figure 1,
the
first and second top walls 16, 17 are flush in a horizontal plane and can
optionally be
made of a single element, and the first and second diffusers 12, 13 are flush
in
another horizontal plane and can optionally be made of a single element.
Alternatively, the first and second top walls 16, 17 could be staggered on
different
levels and the first and second diffusers 12, 13 could also be staggered on
different
horizontal levels. As can be seen in Figure 3, the first and second diffusers
12, 13
have a different design. Alternatively, the first and second diffusers 12, 13
could be of
the same type o be a single diffuser, but in where the wall 14 they share
determines
that they can operate as two distinct, separate diffusers.
Figure 5 shows a dual plenum according to a second embodiment which differs
from the first embodiment (Figures 1 to 4) in that the common wall 14 is a
cylindrical
wall instead of a quadrangular prismatic wall, and the air passage regulating
device 7
comprises a plurality of smaller communication openings instead of a single
greater
communication opening. The smaller communication openings provide all together
the third air passage area S3.
Figure 6 shows a dual plenum according to a third embodiment which differs
from the second embodiment (Figure 5) in that the outer side wall 15 is a
cylindrical
wall instead of a quadrangular prismatic wall. Here, the first and second
diffusers 12,
13 are joined into a common diffuser spanning over the first and second
outlets 10,
11.
Figures 7 and 8 show a dual plenum according to a fourth embodiment which
differs from the first embodiment (Figures 1 to 4) in that the first chamber 1
is
delimited by the common wall 14, the first top wall 16, and the first bottom
wall in
which the first air outlet 10 and the first diffusers 12 are located, and the
second
chamber 2 is delimited by the common wall 14, the side outer wall 15, the
second top
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wall 17, and the second bottom wall in which the second air outlet 11 and the
second
diffusers 13 are located, so that the first chamber 1 is surrounded by the
second
chamber 2. Furthermore, the air inlet 3 is located in the common wall 14 and
the
pressurized air supply conduit 9 communicates with the air inlet 3 of the
first chamber
1 going through the second chamber 2. The communication opening of the air
passage regulating device 7 is formed in a region of the common wall 14,
preferably
opposite the air inlet 3.
Figure 9 shows a dual plenum according to a fifth embodiment which differs
from the fourth embodiment (Figures 7 and 8) in that the air inlet 3 is
located in the
first top wall 16 instead of in the common wall 14, and the pressurized air
supply
conduit 9 is directly connected to the air inlet 3.
Figure 10 shows a dual plenum according to a sixth embodiment having a
vertical design in which the common wall 14 is a vertical partition wall which
is
connected inside of a vertical cylindrical or prismatic side outer wall 15a,
15b, so that
the first and second chambers 1, 2 are arranged side by side adjacent to each
other.
The first chamber 1 is delimited by the common wall 14, a first portion of the
side
outer wall 15a, a first top wall 16, and a first bottom wall in which the
first air outlet 10
and the first diffusers 12 are located. The second chamber 2 is delimited by
the
common wall 14, a second portion of the side outer wall 15b, a second top wall
17
and a second bottom wall in which the second air outlet 11 and the second
diffusers
13 are located. Surfaces 16 and 17 are in general coplanar or can optionally
be made
of a single surface.
The air inlet 3 is located in the first portion of the side outer wall 15a and
the
pressurized air supply conduit 9 is connected to the air supply source 8 and
to the air
inlet 3. Alternatively, the air inlet 3 could be located in the first top wall
16 and the
pressurized air supply conduit 9 directly connected to the air inlet 3. The
communication opening of the air passage regulating device 7 is located in the
common wall 14. The first and second diffusers 12, 13 provide respective first
and
second air passage areas 51, S2 and are configured to direct air in one and
the same
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inclined downwards direction or in different directions taking into account
there are
two different diffusers 12 and 13. Air circulation is shown by arrows in
Figure 10.
Figure 11 shows a dual plenum according to a seventh embodiment which
differs from the sixth embodiment (Figure 10) in that the air inlet 3 is
located in the
common wall 14 and the pressurized air supply conduit 9 communicates with the
air
inlet 3 of the first chamber 1 going through the second chamber 2.
Alternatively, the
air inlet 3 could be located in the first top wall 16. Air circulation is
shown by arrows in
Figure 11.
Figures 12 and 13 show a dual plenum according to an eighth embodiment
which differs from the first embodiment (Figures 1 to 4) in that the air
passage
regulating device 7 comprises a one-way valve device 4 associated to the
communication opening. The communication opening is located in a vertical flat
section of the common wall 14. The one-way valve device 4 comprises a flexible
sheet secured at an upper edge thereof to the common wall 14 over the
communication opening. The flexible sheet is configured to freely hang by
gravity
thereby blocking the communication opening when a pressure below a specific
threshold exists in the first chamber 1 (Figure 12), and to bend to open the
communication opening to a greater or lesser degree in response to a pressure
above the specific threshold value exerted on the flexible sheet from the
first chamber
1 (Figure 13) thereby allowing a given flow rate of pressurized air to be
shunt from the
first chamber 1 to the second chamber 2. Air circulation is shown by arrows in
Figures
12 and 13. In an alternative embodiment the flexible sheet may be secured by
attachment 18 at one side of the communication opening.
Figure 14 shows a dual plenum according to a ninth embodiment which differs
from the fourth embodiment (Figure 7) in that the communication opening is
located in
any vertical section of the common wall 14 and in that the one-way valve
device 4
comprises a sheet connected by a hinge 19 at an upper edge thereof to the
common
wall 14 over the communication opening. The rigid sheet is biased to freely
hang into
a closed position (shown in solid lines in Figure 14) blocking the
communication
opening by the action of its own weight. The sheet has the capacity to pivot
about the
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hinge 19 to open the communication opening to a greater or lesser degree
(shown in
dashed lines in Figure 14) in response to a pressure above a specific
threshold value
exerted on the sheet from the first chamber 1 thereby allowing a given flow
rate of
pressurized air to be shunt from the first chamber 1 to the second chamber 2.
Figures 15 and 16 show a dual plenum according to a tenth embodiment which
differs from the eighth embodiment (Figures 12 and 13) in the first instance
in that the
first top wall 16 has a perimetral edge connected to the side outer wall 15,
the second
top wall 17 has a perimetral edge connected to the common wall 14, and a
section of
the first chamber 1 extends between the first top wall 16 and the second top
wall 17
thereby the second top wall 17 is also a wall common to the first and second
chambers 1, 2 in addition to the common wall 14.
Secondly, this tenth embodiment differs from the eighth embodiment in that the
communication opening is located in the second top wall 17 common to the first
and
second chambers 1, 2, and the one-way valve device 4 comprises a sheet
connected
by a hinge 19 at an edge thereof to the common wall 14 adjacent to the
communication opening. The sheet is biased to a closed position (Figure 15)
blocking
the communication opening by the action of an elastic element 20. The sheet
has the
capacity to pivot about the hinge 19 to open the communication opening to a
greater
or lesser degree (Figure 16) in response to a pressure above a specific
threshold
value exerted on the sheet from the first chamber 1 thereby allowing a given
flow rate
of pressurized air to be shunt from the first chamber 1 to the second chamber
2. Air
circulation is shown by arrows in Figures 15 and 16.
The elastic element 20, which can be associated to the hinge 19 for example,
allows for the one-way valve device 4 to be located in a horizontal wall such
as the
second top wall 17, and readily lets an accurate calibration of the one-way
valve
device 4 to the specific pressure threshold value. Alternatively, the one-way
valve
device 4 could be located in in any other wall common to the first and second
chambers 1, 2.
Figure 17 shows a dual plenum according to an eleventh embodiment which
differs from the ninth embodiment (Figure 14) in the first instance in that
the first top
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-04
- 16 -
wall 16 has a perimetral edge connected to the common wall 14, the second top
wall
17 has a perimetral edge connected to the side outer wall 15, and a section of
the
second chamber 2 extends between the first top wall 16 and the second top wall
17
thereby the first top wall 16 is also a wall common to the first and second
chambers 1,
2 in addition to the common wall 14.
Secondly, this eleventh embodiment differs from the ninth embodiment in that
the one-way valve device 4 is an automatically actuated mechanical valve
device 21
having a movable part which partially opens, closes, or obstructs one or more
orifices
or conduits associated to the communication opening thereby allowing a given
flow
rate of pressurized air to be shunt from the first chamber 1 to the second
chamber 2.
One or more pressure sensors 22 are arranged in the first chamber 1 to sense
pressure therein, and an electronic control device 23 operates the mechanical
valve
device 21 in response to a signal representative of a a pressure above a
specific
threshold value in the first chamber 1 received from the one or more pressure
sensors 22. In this eleventh embodiment, the communication opening and the
associated mechanical valve device 21 are located in the first top wall 16,
although
alternatively they could be located in any other wall common to the first and
second
chambers 1, 2.
In any of the first to seventh embodiments described above (Figures 1-11),
more than one air passage regulating device 7, each having one or more
communication openings, could be placed in one or more of the walls common to
the
first and second chambers 1, 2. In any of the eighth to eleventh embodiments
described above (Figures 12-17), more than one one-way valve device 4, each
associated to a communication opening, could be placed in one or more of the
walls
common to the first and second chambers 1, 2.
The scope of the invention is defined by the attached claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-04
