AIR PASSAGE

Description

[0001] The present application relates to an air vent according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The air vent comprises a housing, a connection piece for connection to an air distribution system, an interior space delimited by the housing, and an air outlet cross-section. The air vent can be used in particular for installation in a ceiling space between a suspended ceiling and a structural ceiling, wherein the air vent is preferably positioned on a ceiling panel of the suspended ceiling such that the air outlet cross-section of the air vent is arranged directly on an upper side of the ceiling panel. Such a ceiling panel can in particular be a perforated ceiling panel, which is correspondingly suitable for replacing an element that spatially delimits the air outlet in the region of the air outlet cross-section. Thus, the air vent can preferably be designed free of built-in components, in particular perforated metal or the like, in the region of its air outlet cross-section.

[0003] The connection piece serves to connect the air outlet to an air duct, through which supply air can be supplied to the air outlet. The housing of the air outlet comprises an air outlet area, the end of which, viewed in the flow direction of the supply air, is formed by the air outlet cross-section. The air outlet area has the shape of a truncated pyramid that widens as viewed in the flow direction of the supply air. The air outlet area is therefore designed such that walls of the housing in the air outlet area enclose an angle in the range between 5° and 20°, preferably between 7° and 15°, more preferably between 9° and 12.5°, with a plane formed by the air outlet cross-section. The air outlet area is logically separated from the rest of the interior by a first air passage cross-section formed by a cover surface of the truncated pyramid-shaped air outlet area.Thus, the supply air, which is fed to the air outlet through the connection piece, flows into the interior of the housing and leaves the interior through the air outlet cross-section. The supply air within the interior, starting from an air inlet area into which the supply air enters directly from the connection piece, passes directly or indirectly through the first air passage cross-section into the air outlet area in the shape of the truncated pyramid. From the air outlet area, the supply air finally exits the air outlet through the air outlet cross-section. A base area of ​​the air outlet area and the first air passage cross-section of the air outlet area are each rectangular, with a rectangular air guide element being arranged in the air outlet area, i.e. spatially between the first air passage cross-section and the air outlet cross-section. State of the art

[0004] An air vent of the type described above is already known in the prior art. In this regard, particular reference is made to European patent application EP 2 860 467 A1. This describes an air vent comprising a nozzle for connection to an air supply system and a housing which delimits an air distribution chamber. The housing has an air inlet surface through which air can be introduced into the air distribution chamber and which can be connected to the nozzle, wherein the housing further has an air outlet surface arranged parallel to the air inlet surface through which the air leaves the air distribution chamber. The housing is provided with walls arranged at an acute angle to the air outlet surface, wherein the air vent has adjusting means for changing a flow direction of the air exiting from the air outlet surface, which adjusting means can be transferred from a first position to a second position or in the opposite direction.Thus, EP 2 860 467 A1 discloses an air passage according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0005] The known air diffuser is particularly well suited to supplying supply air to a room parallel to the ceiling. The supply air within the air diffuser adheres to the walls in the air outlet area, thereby deflecting the supply air at an acute angle relative to the air outlet cross-section. As it exits the air diffuser, the supply air is therefore not discharged perpendicular to the respective ceiling panel, but at least substantially parallel to the ceiling panel. This prevents drafts for occupants in the room, particularly when cooling air is supplied. This method of supplying a room with supply air has proven particularly advantageous for designs in which the air diffuser and thus the air outlet cross-section have at least substantially a square cross-section.However, it has also been shown that the design of such an air outlet with a rectangular cross-section, whose length significantly exceeds its width, is problematic, since the deflection of the supply air in a direction parallel to the ceiling cannot be reliably achieved. Task

[0006] The present application is therefore based on the object of producing an air vent by means of which a ceiling-parallel outflow of the supply air is achieved with a rectangular shape of the air outlet cross-section. Solution

[0007] The underlying problem is solved according to the invention by means of an air vent having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the associated subclaims.

[0008] The air outlet is characterized, among other things, in that the air guide element is plate-shaped and oriented parallel to the plane defined by the air outlet cross-section. The air guide element has a plurality of perforations through which the supply air can flow. The perforations together form a second air passage cross-section. The air guide element is arranged within the air outlet area in such a way that a free space extends circumferentially around the air guide element between an outer edge of the air guide element and the walls of the housing. This free space forms a third air passage cross-section through which the supply air can flow as it flows through the air outlet area.The air guide element therefore logically divides the air outlet area into an initial section, into which the supply air flows directly from the air inlet area through the first air passage cross-section, and an end section, from which the supply air flows directly out of the air outlet through the air outlet cross-section. The supply air can flow from the initial section through the air guide element or through the free space into the end section.

[0009] The air guide element is plate-shaped, which according to the present application is to be regarded as a two-dimensional component whose length and width each exceed the thickness of the plate many times over. In particular, the length and width of the plate exceed the thickness of the plate by more than 100 times. With a rectangular cross-section of the air guide element, the length of the plate can exceed its thickness by more than 200 or more than 400 times. It is clear that the air guide element is a thin, flat component, with the supply air striking the air guide element. The air guide element can consist of or comprise, for example, a perforated sheet, a screen-printed mesh, a fabric, or the like. Combinations are also conceivable. The advantage of arranging a fabric is the reduction of flow noise.

[0010] During operation of the air diffuser, the supply air initially enters the air inlet area of ​​the housing's interior through the connection piece. Within the housing, the supply air then flows through the first air passage cross-section into the initial section of the air outlet area. The air guide element is located within the air outlet area, specifically between the first air passage cross-section and the air outlet cross-section, and logically divides the air outlet area into the initial section and the final section. The air guide element, with its perforations, forms the second air passage cross-section. Thus, some of the supply air can flow through the perforations or through the second air passage cross-section from the initial section to the final section of the air outlet area, while other parts—bypassing the air guide element—flow through the third air passage cross-section formed by the free space.In any case, all supply air enters the end section of the air outlet area, from where it exits the air vent through the air outlet cross-section. The third air outlet cross-section is not a structurally necessary, small-scale clearance, but rather a deliberately provided clearance with appropriately selected dimensions. For example, the clearance can have a width of between 1 cm and 4 cm all around.

[0011] The air diffuser according to the invention has many advantages. In particular, the air diffuser has a rectangular basic shape, which makes it particularly suitable for use on or in narrow ceilings. The even distribution of the supply air both to the narrow sides of the air outlet cross-section and to the long sides of the air outlet cross-section is achieved by means of the air guide element, which exerts a throttling effect in a central region of the air outlet area, since the flow resistance to the supply air caused by the air guide element is greater than in the free space surrounding the edge, which extends between the edge of the air guide element and the wall of the housing. The air guide element therefore ensures that a large part of the supply air volume flow is directed through the free space orThe third air passage cross-section passes from the initial section to the final section of the air outlet area, and only a small portion of the flow passes through the perforations or the second air passage cross-section into the final section. Since the free space is allocated to the sharply inclined walls of the casing, which define the truncated pyramid shape of the air outlet area, the supply air is directed specifically to the walls within the air outlet area and then adheres to the walls. This, in turn, leads to a particularly good "snuggling" of the supply air to the respective ceiling panel on which the air outlet is mounted as the supply air exits the air outlet through the air outlet cross-section.As a result, the desired ceiling-parallel supply air outflow is achieved, which is desirable to avoid draughts, especially with cooled supply air.

[0012] The second air passage cross-section, formed by the sum of all perforations of the air guide element, ensures that the supply air—although it is primarily intended to pass through the third air passage cross-section from the initial section to the final section of the air outlet area—does not accumulate at the air guide element and must be completely diverted laterally to the open space. It has been shown that the flow characteristics of such a design are disadvantageous, so the perforations of the air guide element are important for the targeted outflow of the supply air in a direction parallel to the ceiling relative to the respective ceiling panel.

[0013] According to the invention, the air guide element of the air outlet is formed by a plate, preferably made of metal or plastic, in particular a perforated sheet. The invention provides that a proportion of a free area defining the second air passage cross-section, i.e., the sum of all areas of the perforations, based on a total area of ​​the air guide element, is between 5% and 20%, preferably between 7% and 15%. The invention further provides that a large portion of a supply air flow can be guided through the third air passage cross-section as it flows through the air outlet area.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment, the thickness of the air guide element is between 0.25 mm and 2.0 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm. This embodiment has proven particularly advantageous because the air guide element performs the desired local throttling function, which results in a significant portion of the supply air being diverted to the third air passage cross-section. However, as desired, the perforations have little influence on the flow direction of the portion of the supply air that passes through the second air passage cross-section into the end section of the air outlet area.

[0015] Further developing the air vent according to the invention, the air guide element is attached to the housing. This can be achieved, in particular, by means of individual tabs that are connected, for example, to corners of the air guide element. In particular, the air guide element can be attached to the housing in such a way that, with the exception of the respective fastening elements, it hangs freely within the air outlet area, so that the free space surrounding the edge is at least essentially freely available as an air passage cross-section for the supply air. Therefore, in the area of ​​the free space or the third air passage cross-section, there is no obstacle that would impede the flow of the supply air.

[0016] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a narrow side of the free space, which describes a minimum distance from a respective point on the edge of the air guide element to the wall of the housing, has a length that corresponds to between 3% and 8%, preferably between 4% and 7%, of the width of the base area of ​​the air outlet area. The narrow side is defined as the narrowest point of the cross-section of the free space, which defines the third air passage cross-section. When the narrow side is configured with a length within the aforementioned range, the distribution of the supply air toward the sharply inclined walls of the housing has proven particularly advantageous.

[0017] Furthermore, such a design of the air passage may be advantageous in which a ratio of a length of the air outlet area to a width of the air outlet area is between 1.5:1 and 5:1, preferably between 2:1 and 4:1.

[0018] Furthermore, a configuration of the air outlet according to the invention can be particularly advantageous in which the air guide element is arranged in a lower half, preferably in a second quarter (viewed from the base area of ​​the air outlet area), of the air outlet area relative to a vertical axis of the air outlet area. Tests have shown that this arrangement is particularly advantageous for the outflow of supply air into the respective room through a respective ceiling panel.

[0019] In a further advantageous embodiment, the air passage has a transition region between the air inlet region and the air outlet region, which is preferably at least substantially cuboid-shaped. The first air passage cross-section, formed by the cover surface of the truncated pyramid-shaped air outlet region, forms the boundary cross-section between the transition region and the air outlet region in this embodiment. Preferably, walls of the housing of the air passage that laterally delimit the transition region are slightly inclined relative to a vertical, preferably in a range between 1° and 8°, more preferably between 2° and 6°. Therefore, embodiments of the transition region in which the walls are inclined in the manner described are also to be understood as "substantially cuboid-shaped" within the meaning of the present application.The provision of a transition area has proven to be advantageous for equalizing the flow of supply air before it enters the air outlet area.

[0020] Furthermore, an advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the air guide element is arranged within the air outlet region, and the air outlet region is consequently logically divided by means of the air guide element into an initial section located above the air guide element and an end section located below the air guide element. Accordingly, as soon as the supply air has passed through the first air passage cross-section into the air outlet region, it is initially located in the initial section of the air outlet region, from which the supply air can pass through both the second air passage cross-section and the third air passage cross-section into the end section of the air outlet region. Due to this arrangement of the air guide element, the air exits laterally horizontally and divided below the air guide element.Due to the fact that the air guide element is permeable to air or "porous", the underside of a perforated ceiling tile on which the air outlet is arranged remains free of airborne dust and dirt particles.

[0021] Finally, according to a particularly advantageous development of the air outlet according to the invention, it is provided that a ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​the air outlet cross-section relative to the cross-sectional area of ​​the connection piece lies in a range of 2 to 7, preferably in a range of 3 to 6. With such a cross-sectional ratio, a particularly good flow through the air outlet is achieved, whereby on the one hand sufficient supply air is provided and on the other hand an optimal flow velocity and outflow direction are achieved. With regard to the arrangement of the connection piece, it is also advantageous if a central axis of the connection piece runs orthogonal to a vertical axis of the air outlet. This is particularly advantageous with regard to the reduced space requirement when installed in a ceiling system. Examples of implementation

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures. It shows: Fig. 1: A perspective view of an air vent, Fig. 2: Another perspective view of the air vent according to Figure 1 , Fig. 3:A top view of the air passage according to Figure 1 , Fig. 4:A side view of the air outlet according to Figure 1 , Fig. 5: A detail in the area of ​​an air outlet area of ​​a housing of the air outlet according to Figure 1 , Fig. 6:A cross section through the air passage according to Figure 1 , Fig. 7: Another detail in the area of ​​the air outlet area according to Figure 5 .

[0023] An example of implementation that is shown in the Figures 1 to 7 shown includes an air passage 1, which has a housing 2 which includes an interior 4 spatially encloses. The air passage 1has a basically rectangular shape, as shown below. For connection to an air distribution system not shown in the figures, the air outlet includes 1 a connecting piece 3, which is in a junction box 24 This is particularly evident from the Figures 1 and 2 By means of the air distribution system, the air passage 1 In this way, the supplied supply air can be fed through the connection piece 3 into an air inlet area 26 of the interior 4 The air inlet area 26 In the example shown, this is from the interior of the junction box 24 formed.

[0024] Starting from the air inlet area 26 the supply air flows into a transition area 25 and finally an air outlet area 6which is shaped like a truncated pyramid. This is expressed by the fact that the walls 7 of the housing 2 in the air outlet area 6 at an acute angle 21, which here is about 10°, relative to a plane 8, which is from a base area 10 the air outlet area 6 is formed, inclined. Starting from the air outlet area 6 the supply air enters through an air outlet cross-section 5 from the air passage 1 The air outlet cross-section 5 is defined by the base area 10 the air outlet area 6 defines how best to use the Figures 4 and 6 results.

[0025] The base area 10 is rectangular and has a length 17 of approximately 60 cm and a width 18 of approximately 30 cm. The ratio of the length 17to the width 18 is therefore 2:1. This is particularly evident when looking at Figure 3 .

[0026] Between the truncated pyramid-shaped air outlet area 6 and the junction box 24 The present air passage includes 1 a transition area 25, which is essentially cuboid-shaped. The transition area 25 has a opposite the junction box 24 widened cross-section, whereby the walls 7 of the housing 2 in the transition area 25 are oriented almost vertically. In the example shown, the walls 7 in the transition area 25 with the vertical an angle of approximately 3°. This is particularly evident from the Figures 5 and 7 .

[0027] After all this, the supply air flows from the air distribution system (not shown) through the connection piece 3 into the air inlet area 26 and from there enters the transition area 25 Starting from the transition area 25 The supply air then passes through a first air passage cross-section 9 into the air outlet area 6 The first air passage cross-section 9 is accordingly formed by a cover surface of the truncated pyramid-shaped air outlet area 6. This is particularly evident from the sectional views according to the Figures 5 and 7 .

[0028] According to the invention, within the air outlet area 6, ie between the first air passage cross-section 9 and the air outlet cross-section 5, an air guide element 11 arranged, which here by means of tabs 22 on the housing2 The air guide element 11 is plate-shaped and is formed here by a perforated plate that is parallel to the base 10 or the air outlet cross-section 5 As such, it has a multitude of perforations 12 which together form a second air passage cross-section 13 define. The air guide element 11, which has a thickness of approximately 1.0 mm, is positioned within the air outlet area 6 arranged so that it does not touch the walls at the edges 7 of the housing 2 Instead, the edge extends circumferentially between an edge 20 of the air guide element 11 and the walls 7 a free space 14, through which supply air can also flow. The free space 14 thus defines a third air passage cross-section 15. The air outlet area 6is therefore by means of the air guide element 11 logically in one above the air guide element 11 located initial section 27 and one below the air guide element 11 located end section 28 logically divided. Accordingly, the supply air, as soon as it passes through the first air passage cross-section 9 into the air outlet area 6 has crossed over, initially in the initial section 27 the air outlet area 6, from which the supply air flows through both the second air passage cross-section 13 as well as through the third air passage cross-section 15 into the final section 28 the air outlet area 6 can cross. Starting from the final section 28 the supply air enters through the air outlet cross-section 5 from the air outlet area 6 and thus from the air passage 1.

[0029] The air guide element 11, this here related to a vertical axis 19 the air outlet area 6 in a lower half of the air outlet area 6, namely to approximately 40% based on the height of the air outlet area 6, arranged, has the effect of opposing the supply air as a flow resistance, whereby the supply air is directed proportionally to the edges 20 of the air guide element 11 and therefore to the free space 14 or the third air passage cross-section 15 Consequently, a large part of the supply air from the initial section 27 into the final section 28 through the third air passage cross-section 15 while only a smaller part of the supply air passes through the second air passage cross-section 13 In this way, the supply air is deliberately directed towards the tapered walls 7 the air outlet area 6which gives the supply air a cross-section almost parallel to the air outlet 5 oriented flow direction is imposed. Accordingly, this ensures that the supply air flows at least essentially in a direction parallel to the ceiling when exiting the air outlet 1.

[0030] In the example shown, the perforations are 12 of the air guide element 11 each circular in shape, with a portion of the area through the perforations 12 formed second air passage cross-section 13 of the total area of ​​the air guide element is approximately 10%. Furthermore, the air guide element 11 so on the housing 2 agreed that a narrow side 16 of the open space 14 a length 23 of approximately 15 mm. The narrow side 16 By definition, this extends between a respective point on the edge 20of the air guide element 11 and the nearest point of a respective wall 7 of the housing 2. This is particularly evident in Figure 5 . List of reference symbols

[0031] 1 Air outlet 2 Housing 3 Connection piece 4 Interior 5 Air outlet cross-section 6 Air outlet area 7 Wall 8 Level 9 First air passage cross-section 10 Base area 11 Air guide element 12 Perforation 13 Second air passage cross-section 14 Free space 15 Third air passage cross-section 16 Narrow side 17 Length 18 Width 19 Vertical axis 20 Edge 21 Angle 22 Tab 23 Length 24 Plenum box 25 Transition area 26 Air inlet area 27 Starting section 28 End section

Claims

1. An air passage (1) with - a housing (2), - a connecting piece (3) for connection to an air distribution system, - an internal space (4) delimited by the housing (2), and - an air outlet cross-section (5), wherein the housing (2) has an air outlet region (6) in the form of a truncated pyramid, in which walls (7) of the housing (2) form an angle (21) of between 5° and 20° with a plane (8) formed by the air outlet cross-section (5), wherein the air outlet region (6) is separated from the remaining internal space (4) by a first air passage cross-section (9) formed by a cover surface of the air outlet region (6), wherein a base surface (10) of the air outlet region (6) and the first air passage cross-section (9) of the air outlet region (6) are rectangular, wherein a rectangular air guiding element (11) is arranged between the first air passage cross-section (9) and the air outlet cross-section (5), wherein the air guiding element (11) - is plate-shaped, - defines a plane parallel to the air outlet cross-section (5) and - has a multiplicity of perforations (12) which together form a second air passage cross-section (13), wherein a free space (14) is present which extends circumferentially around the air guide element (11) between an outer edge (20) of the air guiding element (11) and the walls (7) of the housing (2) and which forms a third air passage cross-section (15), characterized in that a proportion of a free area, which defines the second air passage cross-section (13), is between 5% and 20%, preferably between 7% and 15%, of a total area of the air guiding element (11), so that a large part of a supply air volume can be guided through the third air passage cross-section in the course of the flow flowing through the air outlet region.

2. The air passage (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the air guiding element (11) is a plate, in particular a perforated plate.

3. The air passage according to claim 2, characterized in that the plate has a thickness in the range between 0.25 mm and 3.0 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm.

4. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air guiding element (11) is fastened to the housing (2).

5. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a narrow side (16) of the free space (14), which narrow side describes a minimum distance from a respective point of the edge of the air guiding element to the wall of the housing, has a length (23) which corresponds to between 3% and 8%, preferably between 4% and 7%, of a width (18) of the base surface (10) of the air outlet region (6), wherein the width (18) of the base surface (10) is assigned to a short side of the rectangular base surface (10).

6. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a ratio of a length (17) of the air outlet region (6) to a width (18) of the air outlet region (6) is between 1.5 : 1 and 5 : 1, preferably between 2 : 1 and 4 : 1.

7. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in relation to a vertical axis (19) of the air outlet region (6), the air guiding element (11) is arranged in a lower half, preferably in the second quarter as viewed from the base surface (10), of the air outlet region (6).

8. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a transition region (25) which is arranged between an air inlet region (26) assigned to the connecting piece (3) and the air outlet region (6), wherein the transition region (25) preferably is formed to be at least substantially cuboid in shape.

9. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air guiding element (11) is arranged within the air outlet region (6) and accordingly, the air outlet region (6) is subdivided by means of the air guiding element (11) into a starting portion (27) located above the air guiding element (11) and an end portion (28) located below the air guiding element (11).

10. The air passage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a ratio of the cross-sectional area of the air outlet cross-section (5) in relation to the cross-sectional area of the connecting piece (3) is in a range from 2 to 7, preferably in a range from 3 to 6.