AU596707B2

AU596707B2 - Modular panel

Info

Publication number: AU596707B2
Application number: AU80607/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tim O'brien
Original assignee: Brivis Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Brivis Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1986-11-03
Filing date: 1987-11-02
Publication date: 1990-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-02
Also published as: AU8060787A

Description

~QA =7 AUSTRALIA VLv~ PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: #0.

'Cdrhplete Specification-Lodged: 11* Accepted: *tit This Juuel I eaedments made urda h Section 491, and is orrect tot prtatins, S I 4 4 C S. I I S Lapsed: Published: Re'etnd Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT BRIVIS AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD.

Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: 61 MALCOLM ROAD, BRAESIDE 3195, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA Actual Inventor: Address for Service: CLEMENT HACK CO., 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "MODULA R PANEL" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- PF/CPlF/2/80

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9I t The present invention relates to a modular panel for 5 use as part of a wall of an air conditioner+ I 4 Generally, an evaporative air conditioner comprises a housing having base, side and top walls, with at least some of the side walls formed from panels that allow the passage of ,air thereThrough into the interior of the housing. The panels j^^V 10 comprise a layer of water absorbent filter material which is sandwiched between front and back retaining walls. In use water is circulated through the panels so that air passing into the housing contacts the water and is cooled by the transfer of heat to evaporate the water. Evaporative air conditioners also comprise a fan to draw air into the housing and to direct the cooled air to the required location.

3 The selection of materials to form the housing is an important consideration given that evaporative air conditioners are positioned outside and are exposed to the weather.

Usually, the front retaining walls are formed as louvers which can be clipped onto or otherwise fastened to the uprights forming the corners of the side walls of the housing.

The louvers can be formed from metals, such as stainless steel, or from plastics such as vacuum formed thermoplastics or impact resistant polypropylene. Usually, the rear retaining walls are formed from wire mesh and the uprights, base wall and top wall of the housing are formed from metals I fi such as aluminium and stainless steel.

t(fi However, there are disadvantages associated with the t f f materials selection. For example, in the case of louvers formed from metal the materials and fabrication costs are higher than for louvers formed from plastics. In the case of louvers formed from plastics there is a tendency for the plastics to soften after prolonged exposure to high temperatures with the result that the louvers progressively lose their shape. This detracts from the general appearance of the air conditioners. Moreover, this problem is accentuated by expansion of the filter material when it is S saturated with water (as it is in normal use) since the expansion tends to force the louvers to bellow outwards. A further problem associated with louvers formed from plastics is that in many instances exposure to sunlight results in UV degradation of the plastics. If properly maintained the filter material should be replaced every 6-12 months.

However, after several years of exposure to the sunlight the degradation of the plastics is sufficiently advanced that the louvers are increasingly susceptible to breaking when handled during the replacement of the filter material.

-4 A further problem which is common to louvers formed from both metal and plastics is that louvers cover a significant area of the panels and, as a consequence, restrict air flow into the air conditioner, thereby affecting the efficiency of the air conditioner.

Another problem associated with the panels in general is that the sandwiching of the filter material between the front and back retaining walls does not properly support the filter material and, as a consequence, in use there is a tendency for the filter material to pack downwards towards the lower regions of the panels. This can also result in a reduction in the efficiency of the air conditioner since air entering the housing through the upper regions of the panels ~has relatively low heat transfer contact with the water t 15 saturated filter material.

A further problem is that the panels presently t 4 available are not readily replaceable at a reasonable cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a modular panel with alleviates the disadvantages of the known panels described above.

According to the present invention there is provided a modular panel for use as part of a wall of an evaporative air conditioner comprising: a frame having top, side and bottom walls defining an opening for the passage therethrough of air from the exterior to the interior of the air conditioner, a front retaining wall formed from a sheet of mesh positioned to extend across the opening, a back retain.ng wall formed from a sheet of Y 30 mesh positioned to extend across the opening, a layer of water absorbent filter material positioned between the front and back retaining walls, and means for retaining the front and back retaining walls and the intermediate layer of filter material in position, said retaining means comprising: a plurality of elongate rigid support members extending across the opening to restrict movement of the front retaining wall and the filter 5 material outwardly from the opening; a plurality of pins extending rearwardly from the support members through the front retaining wall, the filter material and the back retaining wall; and a plurality of elements coupled to the pins to restrict movement of the back retaining wall and the filter material outwardly from the opening.

It is preferred that each support member is a channel section having a front wall, two rearwardly extending sides and inturned rear flanges parallel to the front wall, the inturned flanges defining a gap therebetween.

It is preferred that each pin comprises a press-fit means at one end thereof to couple the pins to the support A members. It is particularly preferred that each press-fit means comprises two spaced arms formed from resilient material which, in use, are deflected towards each other on insertion into the channel through the gap between the inturned flanges, each arm having a shoulder whereby, in use, after insertion the shoulders prevent withdrawal of the arms through the gap.

It is preferred that each pin further comprises a plate extending transversely to the axis of the pin and the arms extend from the plate whereby, in use, the plates limit insertion of the pins into the channel. Typically, each arm is of half-arrowhead configuration.

It is preferred that each element is in the form of a plate with a keyhole formed therein, and each pin comprises a circumferential groove proximate the end remote from the one end, and the dimensions of the keyhole are selected so that, in use, the element is coupled to the pin by positioning the element so that the pin extends through the wider section of the keyhole with the groove positioned in the wider section and by then displacing the element to locate the narrow section of the keyhole in the groove. Typically, the plate comprises cut-outs in the region of the narrow section of the keyhole so that the narrow section is defined by a resilient thin wall that, in use, is deflected outwardly on location of the narrow section in the groove and thereby resists uncoupling. Typically the plate is a disc.

-6- In an alternate arrangement it is preferred that the pins are releasably coupled to the support members. Typically each pin comprises a head in the form of a plate extending perpendicular to the axis of the pin, with the dimensions of the plate selected so that the width of the plate is less than the gap between the inturned flanges of the support member thereby to allow the head to be inserted through the gap into the channel and the length of the plate is greater than the gap between the inturned flanges of the support member thereby to prevent removal of the plate from the channel after insertion of the head into the channel and rotation of the pin 900 about its axis.

It is preferred that the top, side and bottom walls of the frame are generally U-shaped with the arms of the U 15 defining respective front and back peripheral flanges. In a o particularly preferred arrangement the support members are Sconnected to the front peripheral flanges.

Preferably, the front and back retaining walls are formed from flexible plastics material.

Preferably, the water absorbent material is formed from a fibrous material. In a particularly preferred arrangement the fibrous material is formed from the timber of j an Aspen tree.

Further description of the invention is now provided with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: .Figure I is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a modular panel formed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a rear view of the modular panel shown in Figure 1; N 30 Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 in Figure .1; Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 in Figure 1; 7 Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating the components of the retaining means forming part of the modular panel shown in Figures 1 to Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the components of an alternative arrangement of the retaining means; and Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating in detail the pin shown in Figure 7.

In the figures is shown a preferred embodiment of a modular panel 1 for use as part of a wall of an evaporative air conditioner. The modular panel comprises a frame 3, a front retaining wall 5, a back retaining wall 7, a layer 9 of water absorbent filter material and means generally identified by the numeral 11 for retaining the front and back retaining walls 5, 7 and the intermediate layer of filter material 9 in position.

The frame 3 comprises top, side and bottom walls 13 that define an opening 15 for the passage therethrough of air from the exterior to the interior of the air conditioner. The top, side and bottom walls 13 are generally U-shaped with the arms 17 of the U defining respective front and back peripheral flanges. The walls 13 are formed from stainless steel and are rivetted together in a conventional way. The top wall 13 is formed with a trough 19 with apertures 21 therein for receiving and distributing water through the filter material.

The bottom wall 13 comprises apertures 23 to allow water that has circulated downwardly through the filter material to pass therethrough into a reservoir (not shown) in the base (not shown) of the air conditioner.

The front and back retaining walls 5, 7 each comprise a sheet of mesh formed from flexible plastics material positioned on o'posed sides of the layer of filter material 9. Typically, the filter material 9 is fibres of timber from an Aspen tree. Typically, the opening in the mesh is in the order of Icm square. The mesh could be formed from any suitable material bearing in mind that it is not important for the retaining walls 5, 7 to be rigid. Rather, the only -8- 8 requirement for the retaining walls 5, 7 is that the mesh substantially prevents the filter material from breaking away from the layer 9 of the filter material.

The means 11 for retaininQ the front and back retaining walls 5, 7 and the intermediate layer 9 of the filter material in position comprises; a plurality of elongate rigid support members extending across the opening 15 to restrict movement of the front retaining wall 5 and the filter material outwardly from the opening a plurality of pins 27 extending rearwardly from the support members 25 through the front retaining wall a. O 5, the filter material and the back retaining wall 7; and o° a plurality of elements generally identified o" 15 by the numeral 29 coupled to the pins 27 to restrict movement o ~of the back retaining wall 7 and the filter material outwardly Sfrom the opening 0 0 In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 5 each support member 25 is a channel section having a front wall 31, 20 two rearwardly extending sides 33 and inturned rear flanges parallel to the front wall 31. There is a gap G between the is inturned rear flanges 35 which forms an opening for the r insertion of the pins 27 into the channel, as will be described hereinafter. The support members 25 are formed from stainless steel and are rivetted to opposed front peripheral S flanges 17 of the top, side and bottom walls 13 of the frame 3. In the arrangement shown in the figures the support members 25 are connected to the top and bottom walls 13 and extend generally vertically across the opening 15. It can readily be appreciated that the number, spacing and orientation of the support members 25 is a matter of selection depending on the particular requirements of the panel i.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6 each pin 27 comprises a head generally identified by the numeral 39 which is in the form of a plate 41 extending perpendicular to the axis A of the pin 17. The dimensions of the plate 41 are selected so that width W of the plate 41 is less than the gap 9 G between the inturned flanges 35 of the support member thereby to allow the head 39 to be inserted through the gap G into the channel. Further, the dimensions of the plate 41 are selected so that the length L of tie plate 41 is greater than the gap G between the inturned flanges 35 of the support member 25, thereby to prevent removal of the plate 41 from the channel after the head 39 is inserted into the channel and the pin is rotated 900 about its axis.

It can readily be appreciated that the foregoing arrangement is one of a number of possible configurations to permit the pins 27 to be releasably detached to the support members The elements 29 comprise a plurality of plates 51 9999 9,,f each having two apertures 53 to receive therethrough two pins 15 27 and a plurality of clip-on fasteners 55 to prevent removal 9919 of the plates 51 from the pins 27.

In use, the modular panel 1 is positioned to form Sone of the side walls of the housing of an evaporative air conditioner. The pins 27 extending through the filter material retain the filter material in position and resist packing of the filter material towards the base of the panel.

The rigid support members 25 and the array of back plates 51 restrict outward bellowing of the filter material, and the mesh retains the filter material in the layer 9 within the opening 15. Further, all of the components of the panel 1 are formed as relatively simple structures and thus fabrication and replacement costs are comparatively low.

An alternate arrangement for the means 11 for retaining the front and back retaining walls 5, 7 and the intermediate layer 9 of the filter material is shown in Figures 7 and 8.

With reference to the figures it will be noted that the support member 25 is identical to that shown in the arrangement described in relation to Figure 1 to 6.

The pin 27 comprises a press-fit means generally identified by the numeral 61 at one end thereof for coupling the pin 27 to the support member 25. The pin 27 comprises a plate 63 extending perpendicularly to the axis A of the pin 27. The press-fit means comprises two spaced apart arms formed from plastics material. The arms 65 are of half-arrowhead configuration and comprise shoulders 67 and a groove 68. The spacing S between the outer edges of the shoulders 67 is greater than the gap G between the inturned flanges 35 so that in use when the press-fit means is inserted into the channel the arms 65 are progressively deflected towards each other due to contact with the inturned flanges until the press-fit means is inserted beyond the shoulders 67 at which point the arms 65 return to their original configuration and the inturned flanges 35 extend into the grooves 68 of the arms o It can readily be appreciated that with such an S 15 arrangement the shoulders 67 prevent withdrawal of the arms from the channel. Further, it can be appreciated that the a location of the inturned flanges 35 in the groves 69 securely couples the pin 27 to the support member The pin 27 shown in Figures 7 and 8 comprises a circumferential groove 69 formed proximate the end of the pin :a 27 remote from the press-fit means. As will be described S hereinafter the groove 69 co-operates with the element 29 for restricting movement of the back retaining wall 7 and the 0 0 filter material outwardly from the opening 25 The element 29 comprises a disc 71 formed from o o plastics material. The disc 71 comprises a central key-hole 73 having a wider opening 75 and a narrower opening 77. The disc 71 further comprises two circular cut-outs 79 adjacent the narrower opening 77 of the keyhole 73 so that the narrower f 30 opening is defined by thin walled sections 81.

9 The diameter of the wider opening 75 is selected to be slightly greater than that of the pin 27 and the diameter of the narrower opening 77 is selected to be slightly less than that of the groove 69 in the pin 27.

In use, the element 29 is coupled to the pin 27 by first positioning the element 29 so that the pin 27 extends through the wider opening 75 with the groove 69 aligned with 11 the narrower opening 77 and by then displacing the elec-:nt 29 to one side to position the groove 69 within the narrower opening 77. It can be appreciated that such movement will deflect outwardly the resilient thin wall sections 81 with the result that the two components are securely held together.

The modular panel described herein is particularly suited for use in an air con ditioner of the type described in C563/8 co-pending application in the name of the same applicant. The disclosure in that application is incorporated herein.

One of the features of such an air conditioner 's that the components can readily be dismantled and assembled so ft that on site the various components can separately and conveniently be carried by one person onto the roof or other 15 installation location and readily assembled.

I t t Another feature of the air conditioner is that the top and base are complementary in shape so that with the uprights and the panels removed, the top may be positioned to overlie the base. One particular advantage is that in such a knock-down form there are considerable savings in transportation costs since approximately two units occupy the space of a conventional air conditioner. Another advantage is that during the winter months the air conditioner can be positioned in the knock-down form thereby minimizing exposure to the elements.

c A third although by no means subsidiary feature of the air conditioner is that the motor is located downstream of the axial fan and that both the axial fan and the motor are located in the discharge opening. There are a number of significant advantages arising from this arrangement which

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include: i. The downstream location of the motor results in substantially quieter operation of the air conditioner since there is no longer an obstruction to laminar flow of air in the interior of the air conditioner, and 12 2. By repositioning the motor there is no longer any obstruction preventing overlying the top panel on the base panel thereby to place the air conditioner in the knock-down form.

It should be noted that whilst it is the case that in the preferred embodiment of the air conditioner described 66=63 6 in application the base and top panels 5, 9 are formed from non-load bearing moulded styrene foam and the fan blade assembly 19 is supported by the rigid support frame 41, in an alternative embodiment the base and top panels are formed from roll cast plastics and the fan blade assembly is supported from the base panel.

Many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A modular panel for use as part of a wall of an evaporative air conditioner comprising: a frame having top, side and bottom walls defining an opening for the passage therethrough of air from the exterior to the interior of the air conditioner, a front retaining wall formed from a sheet of mesh positioned to extend across the opening, a back retaining wall formed from a sheet of mesh positioned to extend across the opening, a layer of water absorbent filter material positioned between the front and back retaining walls, ana means for retaining the front and back retaining walls and the intermediate layer of filter material °o in position, said retaining means comprising: a plurality of aeo elongate rigid support members extending across the opening to restrict movement of the front retaining wall and the filter o *f t material outwardly from the opening; a plurality of pins extending rearwardly from the support members through the front retaining wall, the filter material and the back retaining wall; and a plurality of elements coupled to the r pins to restrict movement of the back retaining wall and the filter material outwardly from the opening.

2. The modular panel defined in Claim i, wherein each support member is a channel section having a front wall, two rearwardly extending sides and inturned rear flanges parallel to the front wall, the inturned flanges defining a gap therebetween.

3. The modular panel defined in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein each pin comprises a press-fit means at one end thereof to couple the pins to the support members.

4. The modular panel defined in Claim 3, wherein each press-fit means comprises two spaced arms formed from resilient material which, in use, are deflected towards each other on insertion into the channel through the gap between 14 the inturned flanges, each arm having a shoulder whereby, in use, after insertion the shoulders prevent withdrawal of the arms through the gap.

The modular panel defined in Claim 4, wherein each pin further comprises a plate extending transversely to the axis of the pin and the arms extend from the plate whereby, in use, the plates limit insertion of the pins into the channel.

6. The modular panel defined in Claim 5, wherein each arm is of half-arrowhead configuration.

7. The modular panel defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each element is in the form of a plate with a keyhole formed therein, and each pin comprises a circumferential groove proximate the end remote from the one o end, and the dimensions of the keyhole are selected so that, in use, the element is coupled to the pin by positioning the element so that the pin extends through the wider section of the keyhole with the groove positioned in the wider section Sa and by then displacing the element to locate the narrow section of the keyhole in the groove.

8. The modular panel defined in Claim 7, wherein the plate comprises cut-outs in the region of the narrow section s. of the keyhole so that the narrow section is defined by a resilient thin wall that, in use, is deflected outwardly on location of the narrow section in the groove and thereby S resists uncoupling.

9. The modular panel defined in Claim 8, wherein the plate is a disc.

The modular panel defined in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein each pin comprises a head in the form of a plate extending perpendicular to the axis of the pin, with the dimensions of the plate selected so that the width of the plate is less than the gap between the inturned flanges of the support member thereby to allow the head to be inserted through the gap into the channel and the length of the plate is greater than the gap between the inturned flanges of the 15 support member thereby to prevent removal of the plate from the channel after insertion of the head into the channel and rotation of the pin 900 about its axis.

11. The modular panel defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the top, side and bottom walls of the frame are generally U-shaped with the arms of the U defining respective front and back peripheral flanges. In a particularly preferred arrangement the support members are connected to the front peripheral flanges.

12. The modular panel defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the front and back retaining walls are formed from flexible plastics material.

13. The modular panel for use as part of a wall of an S evaporative air conditioner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying draiwngs. trfi 4 II it SDATED THIS 2nd Day of November, 1987 BRIVIS AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD. By Its Patent Attorneys; CLEMENT HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia. i iI>