Air ceiling inlet unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceiling inlets in buildings, especially those used for livestock or swine ventilation, face inefficiencies in air jet throw during minimum ventilation, inadequate volumetric flow rate, and leakage issues, leading to non-uniform air mixing and increased energy costs.
Innovation Solution
A ceiling inlet design featuring two deeper, curved blades mounted with a continuous hinge, providing minimal leakage and optimized for both minimum and maximum ventilation, with a fully insulated and aerodynamically shaped housing that increases air jet throw and volumetric flow capacity, while minimizing side leakage and energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If traditional ceiling inlets with shallow blades are used, then the device complexity is low, but the air jet throw is insufficient and air mixing uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from shallow, two-dimensional blade profiles to deep, three-dimensional curved blade structures. The blades extend deeper into the room and feature complex curvature in multiple dimensions, transforming the airflow pattern from simple linear jets to three-dimensional flowing patterns that achieve superior air mixing uniformity throughout the room.
Solution Approach 2:
The blades are designed with continuous curved surfaces rather than flat or angular geometries. The curved blades follow aerodynamic contours that guide airflow smoothly, creating optimal jet throw and distribution patterns. The curvature allows the blades to efficiently redirect air while minimizing turbulence and maximizing mixing effectiveness.
2Productivity
If ceiling inlets are designed for maximum airflow capacity, then the volumetric flow rate increases, but leakage control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet assembly is divided into multiple independent curved blades that can be precisely positioned and sealed individually. This segmentation allows the system to maintain large total opening areas for high volumetric flow rates while ensuring that each blade segment maintains reliable sealing contact with its housing when closed, preventing leakage through gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved surfaces of the blades are designed to mate with corresponding curved sealing surfaces in the housing, creating continuous line contact seals rather than point contacts. This curved geometry ensures consistent sealing pressure distribution across the entire blade-housing interface, maintaining reliable leakage control even when the inlet is fully open for maximum airflow.
3Ease of operation
If counterweighted inlets are used for automatic operation, then the ease of operation improves, but the control precision over air movement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet system incorporates actuators that respond to feedback signals from controllers monitoring interior room conditions such as temperature and relative humidity. This closed-loop control system automatically adjusts the blade positions with high precision based on real-time environmental measurements, achieving both automatic operation and precise control over air movement volume and timing.
Data Source
AI summary
A ceiling inlet unit that assists in bringing air into the interior room of a building. The unit has a housing providing an opening to the attic of the building, the housing having movable blades with brush borders on the ends, pivotally mounted with a continuous hinge in the housing with seals to minimize air leakage when the blades are closed. The housing is designed in such a way to provide optimal air mixing situations through available cross-sectional area at different ventilation stages. The blades are designed to maximize air jet throw during lower ventilation stages, and provide superior total airflow during maximum ventilation stages.