Grille for ventilation opening

Abstract

To provide a grille that can reduce visual prominence of a ventilation opening while maintaining an airflow.SOLUTION: A grille 1 attachable to a ventilation opening comprises: a first panel 10 having a plurality of first openings 11; and a second panel 20 having a plurality of second openings 12, the second panel being disposed on the rear side of the first panel 10 with a gap therebetween. The first panel 10 and the second panel 20 are arranged such that, in a front view, the first openings 11 and the second openings 12 do not overlap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a decorative grill that can be attached to a ventilation opening such as a suction port or a blowout port.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a decorative grill is attached to a ventilation opening formed in a wall surface or a ceiling surface. This grill is mainly used for covering the ventilation opening to achieve a design harmony with the wall surface or the ceiling surface, and for preventing foreign matters from entering the ventilation opening.

[0003] There are various shapes of grills, and those with openings formed in a slit shape or an annular shape are known (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, conventional grilles are designed mainly to cover ventilation openings while maintaining the air flow rate. Although they fulfill their role, there is a problem that the ventilation openings and the grilles themselves become conspicuous when attached to wall surfaces or ceiling surfaces. Especially when the opening of the grille is made relatively large, the dark shadow inside the ventilation opening is visible from the outside through the opening, so it becomes obvious that there is a ventilation opening there. On the other hand, reducing the opening of the grille relatively to make the grille less conspicuous is also considered. However, in that case, the amount of air sucked in and blown out by the grille decreases, so the original functionality of the grille is impaired.

[0006] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a grille that can make the ventilation opening less conspicuous while maintaining the air flow rate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] As a result of intensive studies on means for solving the problems of the conventional invention, the inventor of the present invention has found that by constructing a grille by overlapping two facing members having a plurality of openings with a gap therebetween, it is possible to make the ventilation opening less conspicuous in a front view while maintaining the air flow rate. And the inventor has conceived that the problems of the conventional invention can be solved based on the above findings, and has completed the present invention. Specifically described, the present invention has the following configuration.

[0008] The present invention relates to a decorative grill 1 that can be attached to a ventilation opening. The grill 1 mainly includes a first face member 10 and a second face member 20. The first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are each planar members, and it is preferable that they are flat planar, but they may be curved surfaces. The first face member 10 has a plurality of first openings 11. Further, the second face member 20 has a plurality of second openings 21. The second face member 20 is disposed with a gap provided on the back side of the first face member 10. That is, a gap for passing air is provided between the first face member 10 and the second face member 20, and air circulates inside the grill 1 through this gap, the first openings 11, and the second openings 21. And the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are arranged such that the first openings 11 and the second openings 21 do not overlap in a front view. That is, in a front view, the second openings 21 cannot be visually recognized through the first openings 11. Thereby, from the position directly facing the grill 1, the ventilation opening cannot be directly visually recognized, so that the ventilation opening can be made inconspicuous by attaching this grill 1. Also, by arranging the two face members 10 and 20 with a gap therebetween, a sufficient air flow rate can be ensured.

[0009] In the grill 1 according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first face member 10 has a first closed portion 12 (non-opening portion) surrounded by the first opening 11. Further, it is preferable that the second face member 20 also has a second closed portion 22 (non-opening portion) surrounded by the second opening 21. In this case, in a front view, the first opening 11 and the second closed portion 22 overlap. Thereby, since the second closed portion 22 exists on the back side of the first opening 11, the inside of the ventilation opening cannot be visually recognized through the first opening 11.

[0010] In the grill 1 according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are arranged parallel to each other. When the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are parallel, the second face member 20 (particularly the second closed portion 22) can be seen planar through the first opening 11 of the first face member 10, so that the first opening 11 of the first face member 10 can also be made inconspicuous in a front view.

[0011] In the grill 1 according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 are square-shaped. The square shape includes a square, a rectangle, a rhombus, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, and other quadrilaterals. Note that the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 are preferably both of the same shape. In this way, by making the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 into simple shapes respectively, the grill 1 itself can be made inconspicuous.

[0012] In the grill 1 according to the present invention, the first opening 11 is preferably square or rectangular and is formed in the first surface member 10 in a checkered pattern. Similarly, the second opening 21 is preferably square or rectangular and is formed in the second surface member 20 in a checkered pattern. Note that in this case as well, the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 are preferably both of the same shape. By making both the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 into a checkered pattern in this way, the grill 1 itself can be made inconspicuous while ensuring a sufficient air flow rate.

[0013] The grill 1 according to the present invention preferably further includes an exterior member 30. The exterior member 30 is a member for supporting the first surface member 10 and the second surface member 20. By this exterior member 30, the gap between the first surface member 10 and the second surface member 20 can be maintained.

[0014] In the grill 1 according to the present invention, it is preferable that at least the front side of the first surface member 10 and the second surface member 20 is formed by a mirror surface. The mirror surface means a surface that reflects visible light. By making the front sides of the first surface member 10 and the second surface member 20 into mirror surfaces in this way, the grill 1 itself can be made even more inconspicuous. In particular, it is good if the wall surface or ceiling on which the grill 1 is installed is also a mirror surface like this grill 1.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the grill 1 of the present invention, while maintaining the air flow rate, the ventilation openings can be made less conspicuous.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and also includes those appropriately modified by those skilled in the art within an obvious range from the following embodiments.

[0018] Figures 1 to 6 show a decorative grill 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The grill 1 according to this embodiment mainly includes a first face member 10, a second face member 20, and an exterior member 30. The first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are each flat plate-shaped members, and these two face members 10 and 20 are overlapped in a front view. The first face member 10 is relatively arranged on the front side of the grill 1 (see Figures 1 and 2), and the second face member 20 is arranged on the back side of the grill 1 (see Figure 3). A gap through which air can sufficiently flow is provided between the first face member 10 and the second face member 20. The exterior member 30 supports these two face members 10 and 20 while maintaining the gap between them.

[0019] As shown in each of FIGS. 1 to 6, a plurality of first openings 11 are formed in the first face member 10. Similarly, a plurality of second openings 21 are also formed in the second face member 20. In the present embodiment, both the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 are square, and the two openings 11 and 21 are congruent. More specifically, all the first openings 11 and all the second openings 21 are congruent squares. The areas of these openings 11 and 21 are not particularly limited, but for example, 1 to 100 cm 2 is sufficient.

[0020] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in the first face member 10 and the second face member 20, the first openings 11 and the second openings 21 are formed in a checkered pattern. That is, each of the square openings 11 and 12 is arranged at substantially equal intervals in the row direction and the column direction, and in adjacent columns and adjacent rows, the openings 11 and 21 are offset so as to be staggered. For this reason, a first closed portion 12 surrounded by the first openings 11 is formed in the first face member 10. Similarly, a second closed portion 22 surrounded by the second openings 21 is also formed in the second face member 20. Note that these closed portions 12 and 22 are regions (non-opening portions) of the respective face members 10 and 20 where the openings 11 and 12 are not formed.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are arranged to overlap in a front view. In this case, these face members 10 and 20 are arranged so that the first openings 11 and the second openings 21 do not overlap. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, when the grill 1 is viewed from the front position, the second closed portion 22 of the second face member 20 can be seen through the first opening 11 of the first face member 10, but the second opening 21 of the second face member 20 cannot be seen. That is, the second opening 21 of the second face member 20 is hidden behind the first closed portion 12 of the first face member 10, and the second opening 21 cannot be directly seen from the position shown in FIG. 1. As a result, when this grill 1 is arranged in the ventilation opening, the ventilation opening is difficult to be directly seen through the respective openings 11 and 21 of the grill 1, so that the presence of the ventilation opening can be made inconspicuous.

[0022] On the one hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the grill 1 is viewed from an oblique direction, a gap is provided between the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20, so that the second opening 21 of the second facing member 20 can be seen through the first opening 11 of the first facing member 10. However, the frequency of visually recognizing the grill 1 from such an oblique direction is low, and the range of the second opening 21 visible through the first opening 11 is also limited. Therefore, compared with a normal slit-shaped grill, for example, the ventilation openings of the grill 1 of the present invention are less conspicuous.

[0023] The size of the gap between the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20 (that is, the distance from the back surface of the first facing member 10 to the front surface of the second facing member 20) is preferably, for example, 5 to 50 mm. If the size of the gap is less than 5 mm, it becomes difficult for air to flow between the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20, and the functionality of the grill 1 may be impaired. On the other hand, when the size of the gap exceeds 50 mm, when the grill 1 is viewed from an oblique direction as shown in FIG. 2, etc., the range of the second opening 21 visible through the first opening 11 becomes large, and the ventilation openings are likely to be conspicuous. Therefore, the size of the gap is preferably 5 to 50 mm, and particularly preferably about 10 to 30 mm.

[0024] The exterior member 30 is configured to maintain the gap between the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20 and support these two facing members 10 and 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the exterior member 30 mainly includes a main surface member 31, a frame member 32, and a spacer 33.

[0025] The main face member 31 is square (particularly square), and a circular (particularly regular circular) window portion 31a is formed in the center thereof. Since this window portion 31a is a through opening, through this window portion 31a, the aforementioned first face member 10 and the plurality of first openings 11 formed therein are visible. Further, the frame member 32 is a member having a square cross-section (or a square tube shape in cross-section) provided along the four sides of the main face member 31, and is fixed to the back surface of the main face member 31. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the first face member 10 is disposed within a square frame region defined by the frame member 32. Specifically, since the outer edge of the first face member 10 is also substantially square, the first face member 10 is disposed so as to be inscribed in this frame member 32. This first face member 10 is fixed to the back surface of the main face member 31 in a state of being disposed within the frame member 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a spacer 33 having a square cross-section (or a square tube shape) is provided so as to be inscribed in the frame member 32. This spacer 33 is preferably provided along the four sides within the frame member 32, similar to the frame member 32, but may also be provided only along two opposing sides (for example, two sides extending in the horizontal direction) within the frame member 32. This spacer 33 is fixed to the back surface side of the first face member 10. Further, the aforementioned second face member 20 is fixed to the back surface side of this spacer 33. That is, the spacer 33 is interposed between the first face member 10 and the second face member 20. Thereby, the gap between the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 is maintained by the exterior member 30. When fixing the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 to the exterior member 30, as described above, the arrangement of the two face members 10, 20 is adjusted so that the first opening 11 and the second opening 21 do not overlap in a front view.

[0026] FIG. 6 shows an example of a state where the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20 are overlapped. In FIG. 6, the first facing member 10 is shown by a solid line, and the second facing member 20 is shown by a dashed line. Also, in FIG. 6, a light ink is applied to a part of the second closed portion 22 of the second facing member 20 to show it. As shown in FIG. 6, the first opening 11 of the first facing member 10 and the second opening 21 of the second facing member 20 are both square-shaped and congruent. Also, the checkerboard pattern (pitch and interval) forming a plurality of first openings 11 in the first facing member 10 and the checkerboard pattern forming a plurality of second openings 21 in the second facing member 20 are basically the same. For this reason, in a front view, the first opening 11 of the first facing member 10 completely overlaps with the second closed portion 22 of the second facing member 20. Similarly, the second opening 21 of the second facing member 20 also completely overlaps with the first closed portion 12 of the first facing member 10.

[0027] More specifically, in FIG. 6, one first opening 11 (solid line), the second closed portion 22 (light ink portion) overlapping the first opening 11, and four second openings 21 (dashed lines) provided around the second closed portion 22 are extracted and shown enlarged. In this embodiment, the first facing member 10 and the second facing member 20 have the same shape and size for each opening 11, 21 and each closed portion 12, 22. In FIG. 6, for example, the length of one side of the square-shaped first opening 11 is indicated by reference symbol L1, and the length of one side of the square-shaped second closed portion 22 is indicated by reference symbol L2. Note that the length of one side of the second closed portion 22 corresponds to the interval (pitch) between the second openings 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the length L2 of one side of the second closed portion 22 is longer than the length L1 of one side of the first opening 11 (L1 < L2). For example, when the length L1 is 100%, the length L2 is preferably 105 to 150%, particularly preferably 110 to 140% or 115 to 135%. As a result, the area of the second closed portion 22 becomes larger than that of the first opening 11. The area of the second closed portion 22 is preferably 1.1 to 3 times, particularly preferably 1.2 to 2.5 times or 1.3 to 2 times the area of the first opening 11.

[0028] Furthermore, in FIG. 6, in a state where the first face member 10 and the second face member 20 are overlapped, in a front view, the length of the clearance between the first opening 11 of the first face member 10 and the second opening 21 of the second face member 20 is indicated by the symbol α. When the first opening 11 is square-shaped, there will be four second openings 21 around a certain first opening 11. This clearance α is provided between a certain first opening 11 and the four second openings 21 around it, and basically all lengths are designed to be equal. The clearance α should be at least 1 mm or more, preferably 5 - 30 mm, and particularly preferably 10 - 20 mm.

[0029] As described above, by making the area of the second closing portion 22 larger than that of the first opening 11 and providing a predetermined clearance in a front view between a certain first opening 11 and the second openings 21 around it, the second opening 21 cannot be visually recognized through the first opening 11 when the grill 1 is viewed from the front. Furthermore, even when the grill 1 is viewed obliquely, it becomes difficult to visually recognize the second opening 21 through the first opening 11. As a result, by installing this grill 1 in the ventilation opening, the ventilation opening can be made less conspicuous.

[0030] Here, mainly regarding the first opening 11, the relationship with the second opening 21 and the second closing portion 22 has been described. However, the same can be said about the relationship of the second opening 21 with the first opening 11 and the first closing portion 12.

[0031] In addition, the first face material 10, the second face material 20, and the exterior material 30 that constitute the grille 1 are preferably formed of a mirror material that reflects light (specifically, visible light) at least on the front side. As the mirror material, known materials such as a polished type obtained by mirror-polishing the surface of a metal such as stainless steel, or a vapor deposition type obtained by vapor-depositing a metal with a high reflectivity such as silver or aluminum on one side of a transparent plate such as glass or an acrylic plate can be appropriately adopted. Further, as the mirror material, in addition to a general mirror with a light reflectivity of 80 to 100%, a half mirror with a light reflectivity of less than 80% and a light transmittance of 10 to 50% can also be used. Note that when the incident light is taken as 100%, the sum of the reflectivity, transmittance, and absorptance is 100%. A general half mirror has a reflectivity of about 20 to 40% and a transmittance of about 20 to 40%, and the rest is the absorptance. Thus, by forming at least the front side of the grille 1 of a mirror material, the grille 1 can be made less conspicuous. In particular, it is effective when the wall surface or ceiling on which the grille 1 is installed is also mirrored.

[0032] FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of use of the grille 1. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a ventilation opening 3 (not shown because it is covered by the grille 1) is provided in the mirrored wall surface 2. This ventilation opening 3 is connected to a suction device 4 equipped with a known fan or the like, and when the fan 4 of this suction device 4 is driven, air is sucked into the ventilation opening 3. The grille 1 according to the present invention is attached to this ventilation opening 3. As shown in FIG. 7, in a front view, since the grille 1 almost completely covers the ventilation opening 3 on its back side, the ventilation opening 3 can be made less conspicuous.

[0033] In addition, in the usage example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that a large number of, for example, spherical floating objects 5 exist in an enclosed space such as a room. The floating objects 5 are filled with, for example, air or a gas lighter than air (helium or nitrogen). When an air flow is generated toward the ventilation opening 3 by driving the fan 4, the floating objects 5 float in the room accordingly. At this time, in order to prevent the floating objects 5 from entering the ventilation opening 3, it is necessary to attach the grill 1 to this ventilation opening 3. Further, when attaching the grill 1 to the mirrored wall surface 2, it is preferable that the front side of this grill 1 is also mirrored. Thereby, the ventilation opening 3 becomes less conspicuous due to the grill 1, and the grill 1 itself also becomes less visually conspicuous. Note that the outer surface of the floating object 5 can also be mirrored.

[0034] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the grill 1 is attached to the ventilation opening for sucking air. However, differently from this, it is also possible to attach the grill 1 to the ventilation opening for blowing out air.

[0035] As described above, in this specification of the present application, in order to express the content of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes obvious modification forms and improvement forms that those skilled in the art can make based on the matters described in this specification of the present application.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1... Grill 2... Wall surface 3... Suction port 4... Suction device 5... Floating object 10... First facing material 11... First opening 12... First closing part 20... Second facing material 21... Second opening 22... Second closing part 30... Exterior material 31... Main surface member 31a... Window part 32... Frame member 33... Spacer

Claims

1. A grill (1) attachable to a ventilation opening, comprising: a first face member (10) having a plurality of first openings (11); a second face member (20) having a plurality of second openings (12), disposed with a gap on the back side of the first face member; wherein the first face member and the second face member are arranged such that the first openings and the second openings do not overlap in a front view. The grill.

2. The first face member has a first closed portion (12) surrounded by the first openings; The second face member has a second closed portion (22) surrounded by the second openings; wherein in a front view, the first openings and the second closed portions overlap. The grill according to Claim 1.

3. The area of the first closed portion is larger than that of the first openings; The area of the second closed portion is larger than that of the second openings. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

4. The first face member and the second face member are arranged parallel to each other. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

5. The first openings and the second openings are quadrilateral. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

6. The first openings are square or rectangular, and are formed on the first face member in a checkered pattern; The second openings are square or rectangular, and are formed on the second face member in a checkered pattern. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

7. Further comprising an exterior member (30) for supporting the first face member and the second face member. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

8. At least the front side of the first face member and the second face member is formed by a mirror surface. The grill according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

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