Self-Regulating Roof Vent Valve for Variable Pitch Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-regulating ventilation devices lose their self-regulating action when installed at roof pitches different from their design pitch, failing to maintain consistent air flow rates across varying pressure differences.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation device with a self-regulating valve that tilts and rolls over supporting bodies, utilizing ribs and cavities to maintain angular rotation resistance and center of gravity positioning, allowing installation at different angles while ensuring consistent self-regulating function across various roof pitches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a self-regulating valve is designed for a specific roof pitch, then it maintains self-regulating action at that pitch, but it loses self-regulating ability when installed at different pitches
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is designed to dynamically adapt its orientation relative to the pressure difference direction through free tilting capability. The valve can rotate around the longitudinal axis and tilt relative to the duct axis, allowing it to maintain proper self-regulating geometry regardless of the roof pitch angle. This dynamic adjustment ensures reliable self-regulating action across various installation positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve design incorporates multiple degrees of freedom (rotation around longitudinal axis, tilting relative to duct axis) that enable it to function effectively across a universal range of installation angles. This multi-functional capability allows the same valve design to maintain self-regulating action whether installed at low or high roof pitches, eliminating the need for pitch-specific valve designs.
2Ease of manufacture
If the valve is constrained to fixed positions, then manufacturing and installation are simplified, but the self-regulating action varies significantly with installation position
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of constraining the valve to fixed positions, the design allows the valve to dynamically adjust its orientation through free tilting and rotation. This dynamic capability ensures that the valve automatically finds the correct orientation for self-regulating action regardless of installation angle, maintaining reliability without complicating manufacturing or installation procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the valve tilts freely to maintain self-regulating action, then adaptability to different pitches is improved, but stability and positioning precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The valve design incorporates a center of gravity positioned away from the rotation axis, creating a gravitational counterbalance effect. This counterweight mechanism provides stabilizing torque that helps the valve maintain its tilted position for self-regulating action while preventing excessive or uncontrolled movement. The gravitational counterbalance ensures stable positioning across the full range of installation angles.
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 device retains self-regulating ability across different installation positions and angles, meeting stringent standards like Belgian class P3, with minimal variation in air flow rate, even at pitches up to 60°, by using hook elements and injection-molded design for enhanced stability and positioning.
Implementation Method 1
the positioning of the centre of gravity of this valve with respect to the line contact between this valve and the one or more supporting bodies, the self-regulating function of the valve can be retained for different installation positions
Implementation Method 2
During tilting of the valve between its open position and its closed position, this valve effectively rolls over the one or more supporting bodies. As a result of this rolling, an increasing resistance to angular rotation of the valve is produced on account of the changing pressure difference across the valve
Data Source
Figure 1a~3b
Figure 4~6
Figure 7a~9b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a ventilation device, comprising a self-regulating valve (2), which is arranged in an air flow duct (1) so as to be tiltable between an open position and a closed position, in which said valve (2) is arranged on one or more supporting bodies (3) in the air flow duct (1) in such a manner that essentially a line contact (A) results between the valve (2) and the one or more supporting bodies (3), in which said ventilation device can be installed in roofs having different angles of inclination while retaining its self-regulating action, due to the fact that the centre of gravity (Z) of the valve (2) is situated next to the line contact (A) at each installation position and due to the fact that, in an installation position which is situated virtually in the middle between the outer installation positions, the centre of gravity (Z) of the valve (2) in the open position is situated in a virtually horizontal plane through the line contact (A) and the distance (X) between the line contact (A) and the centre of gravity (Z) is such that when the pressure difference across the valve (2) decreases, this valve (2) tilts to its open position.