Air Diffuser Mounting Flange With Above-Floor Ratchet Clips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air diffuser terminals for HVAC systems have complex and cumbersome designs for securing the terminal in floor openings, making installation and relocation cumbersome and requiring access to the underside of the floor.
Innovation Solution
A simplified mounting flange with a trim ring and flange clip that uses ratchets and pawls to securely attach the air diffuser terminal to the floor, allowing for easy installation and adjustment from above the floor, featuring a trim ring with vertical slots and a flange clip with an outwardly extending arm and adjustment screws for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional retaining ring and trim ring interface is used to secure the air diffuser terminal in the floor opening, then the terminal can be securely mounted, but the design becomes unnecessarily complicated and requires access to the underside of the floor for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting flange is divided into separate components: a trim ring that remains in the floor opening and flange clips that can be independently installed and removed. This segmentation allows the mounting system to be simpler while maintaining secure attachment, as the clips can be installed from above the floor without requiring access to the underside.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex cammed groove and latching mechanism interface between the retaining ring and trim ring is eliminated. Instead, the flange clips use a simpler ratchet and pawl mechanism that engages with the trim ring in a more straightforward manner, removing unnecessary complexity from the mounting flange design while maintaining secure mounting capability.
2Reliability
If a traditional retaining ring with cammed grooves and latching mechanism is used, then the terminal can be secured, but the installation and relocation process becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The flange clips are designed with movable ratchets and pawls that allow for easy adjustment and relocation. The pawl can be disengaged from the ratchet teeth to release the clip from the trim ring, enabling simple repositioning or removal of the air diffuser terminal without complex manipulation of fixed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The ratchet teeth are pre-formed on the trim ring at specific intervals, allowing the flange clips to be quickly engaged at predetermined positions. This preliminary structuring of the mounting positions facilitates rapid installation and relocation without requiring complex alignment or adjustment during the installation process.
3Reliability
If access to the underside of the floor is required for installation, then secure mounting can be achieved, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring installation from below the floor as with traditional retaining rings, the flange clips are designed to be installed from above the floor. The clips engage with the trim ring and extend downward to grip the bottom surface of the floor opening, reversing the traditional installation approach and eliminating the need to access the underside of the floor, thereby significantly improving installation efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective and straightforward method for installing and securing air diffuser terminals in floor openings, enabling easy relocation and secure attachment without requiring access to the underside of the floor, thus simplifying the installation process and enhancing operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A ratchet and pawl mechanism is provided on the retaining ring and the trim ring, respectively, and the rotation of the retaining ring with respect to the trim ring rotates the ratchet and pawl mechanism such that the ratchet and pawl mechanism draws the trim ring downwardly against the upper floor surface while urging the retaining ring against the lower floor surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting flange for attaching an HVAC air diffuser terminal in an opening in a floor or other mounting surface. The mounting flange includes a trim ring and a flange clip. The flange clip is adjustably and movably received in a slot defined a side of the trim ring. A pawl on the flange clip engages with ratchets defined in a surface of the trim ring adjacent to the slot to maintain the flange clip in selected position relative the underside of a floor. The air diffuser terminal is secured in the floor opening between gripping surfaces on the flange clip and the trim ring. An optional screw operably connects the flange clip with the trim ring so that the diffuser may be securely tightened in the floor opening.