Airflow control device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airflow control devices in ventilation systems suffer from noise and turbulence issues due to increased throttling, which complicates their design and increases costs, while being inefficient in controlling airflow over a wide range of conditions.
Innovation Solution
An airflow control device featuring an outer tube with a flexible inner tube and a pivotable throttling device that rotates around a pivot axis, allowing smooth airflow control through axial openings, reducing turbulence and noise by using flexible materials and a simple, cost-efficient design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a blade damper is used to control airflow, then the device is simple and cost efficient, but it causes a lot of turbulence and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible membrane instead of rigid blades to control airflow. The membrane can be deformed into different shapes (convex, concave, flat) to regulate flow while maintaining smooth surfaces that minimize turbulence and noise generation, combining the simplicity of blade dampers with reduced harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the flow control element by deforming the membrane into different shapes (convex, concave, flat positions). This allows continuous adjustment of airflow resistance while maintaining smooth flow paths, reducing turbulence compared to traditional blade dampers.
2Ease of operation
If an IRIS-damper is used to control airflow, then the airflow control is good, but the design is complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex multi-blade iris mechanism with a single flexible membrane that can be deformed into different shapes. This simplified structure achieves comparable airflow control capability while significantly reducing design complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is divided into different functional zones (inlet part, intermediate part, outlet part) that can be independently deformed to different shapes, allowing precise airflow control without requiring multiple discrete components like traditional iris dampers.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the inner tube is made of flexible material and impacted by a rotating throttling device, then turbulence and noise are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane absorbs the impact of the rotating throttling device and deforms smoothly, converting discrete mechanical impacts into continuous smooth flow regulation. This eliminates turbulence and noise while the membrane's flexibility simplifies the overall device structure compared to rigid multi-component systems.
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 silent, cost-effective airflow control with improved sound and pressure characteristics, minimizing turbulence and noise, and is easy to manufacture and control, with the ability to adjust airflow smoothly across various ranges.
Implementation Method 1
the inner tube or at least a part of the inner tube is made of flexible material. The pivot axis is perpendicular or at least near perpendicular in relation to the central axis of the inner tube. By this configuration a combination of advantages are achieved both according to manufacture aspects and flow control aspects.
Data Source
AI summary
Airflow control device (1) for use in an air handling system, which comprises an outer tube (2) and at least one inner tube (3) arranged inside the outer tube (2). The inner tube (3) is at least partly made of flexible material and has an axial opening (4) through which air is adapted to flow. The inner tube (3) further exhibits an inlet part (8) and an outlet part (10), and a throttle part (9) between the inlet part and the outlet part. The device (1) is characterized by a pivotable throttling device (7) which is arranged to impact the inner tube (3), and thereby control the airflow through the inner tube (3), by rotation around a second pivot axis (b).