HK1062039B - Air conditioning device - Google Patents

Description

Air conditioning apparatus

The present invention relates to room air conditioning units using treated air which enters a volume defined between a wall, ceiling and sealed suspended ceiling, but which also includes a narrow void which remains around all or part of the room. The treated air then diffuses into the room as the ceiling is cooled or heated, and it diffuses into the space between the walls and ceiling to ensure the remaining heating or cooling of the room and the deflection and renewal of the air in the room.

Methods of air conditioning through ceilings are known and they are basically divided into three types:

the so-called static method, which in any case requires air renewal by a separate ventilation system and, in the heating mode, the temperature of the ceiling is raised by means of an electrically heated film or hot water circulation, which ensures heating of the room by radiation, has the disadvantage that the thermal comfort is impaired by the usually particularly high ceiling temperature. This type of method uses circulating water in ｃA cooling mode, for example in ｃA coil for cooling ｃA suspended ceiling (EP- ｃA-0552690), which then diffuses into the room, which has the disadvantage that: the temperature of the suspended ceiling, and thus the cooling potential of the system, is limited to avoid condensation problems. Finally, such processes generally operate in only one of two modes, namely, a heating mode or a cooling mode.

A method (US-A-3779150) for mixing by blowing hot or cold air through A slot placed in the ceiling or through the blowpipes of A linear diffuser, which requires the rapid introduction of the treated air into A large living room volume. Such a method would cause an unpleasant sensation of heat to the people in the room, since an uneven distribution of the air flow and air in the room can be perceived.

Methods using air diffusion over the entire ceiling which can be permeated, which perform well in terms of comfort both in the heating mode and in the cooling mode, but have the drawback of quickly causing blockages of the permeable ceiling.

DE-U-8908672 discloses a method for fastening a suspended ceiling, which allows an air-permeable peripheral space for the installation of air conditioning, the fastening being effected at regular intervals by means of angle steel. But this solution does not affect the diffusion of air along preferential paths in a precise manner.

Furthermore, US-A-3352076 describes A suspended ceiling profile provided with closable apertures which are arranged at regular intervals along the length of the suspended ceiling and which can be opened or closed as required. However, this document also does not describe a device for fine adjustment allowing the air to flow at a determined location along the wall.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and to propose an air conditioning device that improves the diffusion of air along the walls in the room and perfectly controls its distribution. It will thus be appreciated that by means of the air conditioning apparatus, a climatic effect can be created in the room which is suitable for establishing excellent comfort conditions for the persons in the room.

To this end, the air conditioning device uses a suspended ceiling and ensures the diffusion of air along the walls by letting the treated air enter the volume defined by the ceiling, the space between the sealed suspended ceiling and the walls, and comprises spacers between the walls and the edge-fixing profiled elements of the suspended ceiling, which are small in width and uniformly spaced parallel to the walls, said spacers being fixed to the walls or to the edge-fixing profiled elements of the suspended ceiling leaving a gap between the walls and the suspended ceiling to allow the diffusion of air on all the sides of the room, characterized in that: the device is provided in predetermined areas with one or more bars which are clamped between the profile elements and the wall in order to close the gap in the area where the barrier against the diffusion of air is required.

The device according to the invention allows the use of a suspended ceiling for air conditioning a room and ensures that air is spread along the walls. It allows the treated air to enter the volume defined by the space between the ceiling, the sealed ceiling and the walls. The treated air may be fresh air or recycled air or a mixture of both; it may be filtered, subjected to a desired humidity, cooled or heated. The treated air is introduced into the volume above the suspended ceiling by any suitable means, such as one or more air blowing openings opening in the wall between the ceiling and the suspended ceiling. The treated air may also be generated by ventilation means or box ceiling ventilators placed directly above the suspended ceiling, if the space between the ceiling and the suspended ceiling is sufficient.

To this end, the device according to the invention comprises spacer blocks between the wall and the edge-fixing profile pieces of the suspended ceiling, which spacer blocks are spaced apart in a small and uniform manner parallel to the width of the wall. The suspended ceiling can be made of a rigid material or be formed by a sealing elastic membrane which is tensioned between the edge profile pieces. The blocks leave a gap between the wall and the ceiling, thereby allowing air to diffuse around the room. These spacers are fixed, for example by means of screws, to the wall or to the edge-fixing profile piece, with a calculated thickness perpendicular to the wall, for obtaining a predetermined diffusion speed of the treated air in the room. The spacer can also consist of the material of the edge profile piece if this profile piece is realized, for example, from a plastic material by a single injection molding operation. The treated air heats or cools the ceiling and the drop ceiling as it flows at a very low velocity in the volume above the drop ceiling and then diffuses into the room. The air then diffuses away from the populated areas of the room along the walls to moderate and maintain the remaining hot or cold temperatures, mixing with the air in the room and renewing the air as needed. This results in an excellent comfort of the device according to the invention, due to:

the heat load of the room is guaranteed partly by radiation and partly by air circulation in the room,

the temperature difference between the respective walls and the air is also reduced,

-the air is diffused away from the residential area in the room,

the air is spread evenly throughout the room.

According to a feature of the invention, the bars clamped between the section elements and the wall are solid bars. These bars may also be embodied in the form of bars provided with openings, such as through holes or notches. Thus, it is possible to avoid that the air, for example, diffuses near the recycling air recovery or near the dirty air discharge, which would otherwise cause the air to be recovered directly without being recycled in the room.

According to a particular embodiment, in order to reduce the load losses of the air circulation in the space formed between the ceiling and the suspended ceiling, the ceiling edge fixing profile comprises, in its upper part, a rounded configuration on the upper edge beside the wall, the centre of curvature of which is directed towards the inside of the room.

In the cooling mode, even if the air velocity in the gap left between the wall and the ceiling is low, the air is liable to enter the room because it is heavier than the indoor air. Conversely, in the heating mode, the diffusion rate needs to be increased to force air into the room and avoid stratification. To this end, according to a particular embodiment, the thickness of the bar perpendicular to the wall is less than the distance between the wall and the wall-facing surface of the web of the profile element, the bar being held in the gap between the profile element and the wall and all or part of the room periphery. The small-thickness elastic lamellae, which extend parallel to the wall and are evenly spaced apart on the bars, can grip the bars by their spring force.

The above solution has the drawback of requiring the positioning and removal of the bars according to the heating or cooling requirements. All the specific embodiments described below will overcome this drawback by controlling the degree of closure of the gap left between the wall and the edge-fixing profiled element, for example according to the temperature at a certain height and location in the room.

For this purpose, the profile elements are provided with a device which allows the gap left between the wall and the edge profile element to be variably closed.

According to a special embodiment of the invention, the means allowing the variable closure of the interspace left between the wall and the edge-fixing profile element comprise, on the one hand, a horizontal wing which is integral with the profile element at its upper part, and, on the other hand, a closed profile element consisting of a plate which is parallel to the horizontal wing of the edge profile element and which has on its upper side a rounded configuration which has its centre of curvature directed towards the interior of the room and which has its end projecting above the spacer in the interspace left between the wall and the edge-fixing profile element and supported on the upper edge of the profile element on the side facing the wall, and which has an L-shaped configuration forming a closed seat between the curved portion and the flat plate, said closed profile element being connected to the upper wing of the profile element by means of a vertical plate which is located closer to the end of the room than to the upper edge on the side facing the wall of the edge profile element, the hinge connection between the closing profile and the vertical plate can be realized by a thin thickness area or other means in the upper part thereof. A device may also be provided which allows the closing profile to be pivoted about the hinge. In addition, a shim plate that is less than the shim block thickness in the thickness of the vertical wall but equal or approximately equal to the shim block width in the width of the parallel wall may be provided on the inflow region of the wall to limit the closing of the gap.

According to a special embodiment, a plurality of helical or leaf springs, hereinafter referred to as springs, are arranged at even intervals beside the room-side end between the plate of the closing profile and the upper horizontal web of the edge profile in order to hold the closing profile against the upper edge of the wall-side edge profile.

According to a special embodiment, the means allowing the rotation of the closing profile around the hinge are constituted by electromagnets, which are mounted at regular intervals between the plate of the closing profile and the upper horizontal wing plate of the edge profile by means of recesses provided in the edge profile and which approach from the wall side a vertical plate, which effects the connection between the edge-fixing profile and the closing profile. The electromagnet is controlled remotely either by a current switch or by a servo control with a temperature sensor located in the volume defined by the ceiling, the sealed ceiling and the wall. When the room needs to be warmed, rather than cooled, the electromagnet action causes the closed profile to rotate about the hinge. The closing profile element, which rests against the shim plate, is returned, if necessary, by the action of a return spring.

According to a special embodiment, the means allowing the rotation of the closing profile around the hinge consist of a container containing wax or liquid or saturated vapour, commonly called wax or liquid or saturated vapour expansion balls, which are mounted between the plate of the closing profile and the upper horizontal wing of the edge profile at regular intervals by means of grooves made in the edge profile and close to the vertical plate from the side close to the wall, which achieves the connection between the edge fixing profile and the closing profile. The expansion bulb comprises in its upper part a piston or an elastic membrane or a bellows which causes the closed profile element to rotate about the hinge when the temperature rise causes the wax or liquid located in the expansion bulb to expand or the fluid to evaporate.

According to a special embodiment, the means allowing the closing profile to be pivoted about the hinge consist of a plurality of U-shaped bimetallic strips with two horizontally long limbs, which are made of two materials with very different coefficients of expansion and whose faces are connected to one another, which are clamped at uniform intervals in grooves provided for this purpose in the plate of the closing profile and on the room side in the wing plate of the edge profile. The bimetal is designed in such a way that the material of the two material components which has the highest coefficient of expansion under the effect of the temperature increase is arranged on the outside of the U-shape which forms the bimetal. Thus, when the air temperature in the upper part of the suspended ceiling rises, the approach of the two ends of the bimetal will cause the lifting of the closing profile by rotating around the hinge provided in the upper part of the vertical plate that maintains the connection between the edge fixing profile and the closing profile.

According to a special embodiment, the device for variably closing the gap between the wall and the edge-fixing profile comprises a corrugated profile which ends on the wall-side with a rounded configuration, one end of which protrudes into the gap between the wall and the edge-fixing profile and the other end of which is fixed to the room-side end of the upper horizontal web of the edge profile, the upper surface of the corrugated profile being covered and connected with a lamella which consists of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material of which the profile is made. Thus, when the temperature in the ceiling upper volume rises, under the effect of the differential expansion of the two materials constituting the corrugated profile element, a more or less closed space is created between the wall and the profile element, which closure can be limited if desired by the mat situated above the mat.

The drawings depicting the invention are:

fig. 1 shows a top view of a section in one horizontal plane of an air-conditioned room according to the invention;

fig. 2 shows a section AA in a vertical plane of an air conditioning site according to the invention;

fig. 3 is a section in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall, showing the detail of the connection of the profile elements on the edge to the wall in the case of a suspended ceiling consisting of a rigid material;

fig. 4 is a section in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall, showing a detail of the connection of the profile elements on the edge to the wall in the case of a suspended ceiling consisting of a tensioned elastic membrane, wherein the shape of the profile elements holding the tensioned membrane is symbolically shown;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved apparatus of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall;

figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of an improved device of the invention in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall.

With reference to the figures, the device according to the invention comprises spacer blocks 4 between the wall 3 and the suspended ceiling 2, which are spaced apart in a small and uniform manner parallel to the width of the wall. The spacers thus separate a gap 5 between the wall 3 and the profile elements 6. This gap allows the treated air, which has been tempered by exchanging heat with the suspended ceiling 2 and ceiling 1 by convection after it has passed through the suspended ceiling volume defined by the space between the ceiling 1, the sealed suspended ceiling 2 and the walls 3, to diffuse all around the room. The spacer 4 is fixed to the wall 3 or to the edge-fixing profile 6, for example by means of screws, or is directly connected in one piece with the profile 6 if this is realized from plastic material by a single injection moulding operation. These pads have a calculated thickness perpendicular to the wall for obtaining a speed of diffusion of the treated air in a sufficiently weak cooling manner in the room.

According to the invention, the air-conditioning device is provided in a predetermined area with one or more bars, which are clamped between the profiled elements 6 and the wall 3 in order to close the interspace 5 in the area where the air diffusion needs to be blocked.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the bars 7 clamped between the profiled elements 6 and the wall 3 can be solid bars. However, it is also possible according to a further embodiment of the invention to embody the bars 7 in the form of bars which are provided with openings, such as through holes or notches.

In the embodiment according to fig. 6, the edge-fixing profile 6 of the suspended ceiling comprises in its upper part a rounded profile 8 on the upper edge 15 next to the wall, the center of curvature of the rounded profile 8 being directed towards the interior of the room. This rounded configuration 8 has the advantage of facilitating the flow of air into the interspace 5 and reducing load losses therein.

In the embodiment according to fig. 7, the thickness of the stop strip 9 perpendicular to the wall 3 is less than the distance between the wall 3 and the wall-facing surface 35 of the web of the profile element 6, the stop strip 9 being arranged in the recess 5 against the surface 35 of the profile element 6 or against the wall. The stop strip comprises, on its wall-facing surface, elastic lamellae 10 of small thickness which extend parallel to the wall and are evenly spaced apart on the stop strip in order to achieve a clamping between the profile element 6 and the wall 3 in the interspace 5 under the influence of the elastic forces. These bars 9, arranged on all or part of the periphery of the room, enable the passage section of the treated air in the interspace 5 to be reduced, so as to increase the flow rate of the air and thus to force it down in the room when the device is operating in heating mode.

The edge fixing profiles 6 can be provided with means allowing variable closure of the wall and the space 5 left between the edge fixing profiles 6.

Fig. 8 shows a device that allows variable closure of the gap left between the wall and the edge profile. The edge-fixing profile 6 comprises, on the one hand, a horizontal wing 12, which is formed in one piece with the profile 6 in its upper part, and, on the other hand, a profile 20, which is formed from a plate 11, which is parallel to the horizontal wing 12 of the edge profile 6 and on the upper side of which a radius 13 extends from the wall-side, the center of curvature of which is directed towards the interior of the room, and the end 14 of which extends above the spacer 4 in the recess 5 and bears against the upper wall-side edge 15 of the profile 6. The closing profile 20 has an L-shaped profile 33 forming a closed seat between the curved portion 13 and the plate 11 in order to stiffen the curved closing profile 20. The closing profile 20 is connected to the upper wing 12 by means of a vertical plate 16, which vertical plate 16 is located closer to the room-side end 17 than to the edge 15, and the hinge between the profile 20 and the vertical plate 16 can be realized by means of a thin thickness area 18 or other means. The device also comprises a device allowing the profile 20 to be rotated about the hinge 18. Pads 19 are provided on the inflow region of the wall 3 and extend the pads 4 to their upper part, these pads being smaller than the thickness of the pads 4 in the vertical wall thickness but equal or approximately equal to the width of the pads 4 in the parallel wall width. Some helical or leaf springs 21 with a return spring function are arranged at even intervals on the side of the end 17 between the plate 11 of the profile element 20 and the wing 12 of the profile element 6 in order to hold the profile element 20 against the edge 15 of the profile element 6.

The means allowing the profile element 20 to rotate about the hinge 18 can be constituted by electromagnets 22 mounted, evenly spaced, by means of recesses made in the profile element 6, between the plate 11 of the profile element 20 and the wing plates 12 of the profile element 6, and approaching the vertical plate 16 from the side close to the wall. The electromagnet is controlled remotely either by means of a current switch or by means of servo-control of a predetermined temperature at a certain position and height in the room. When the room needs to be warmed, rather than cooled, the electromagnet action causes the profile 20 to lift. The lifting at the electromagnet position is slowed down by the leverage of the profile element 20 rotating about the hinge 18. The rotation of the profiled element 20 causes the automatic partial closure of the interspace 5 in order to reduce the speed of the diffused air. The shim plate 19 can serve as a stop limiting the closing of the gap, so that air can always circulate there.

Fig. 9 shows a device that allows the profile element 20 to be rotated about the hinge 18. The device comprises a container 23 containing wax or liquid or saturated vapour, commonly known as an expansion bulb of wax or liquid or saturated vapour, which can advantageously replace the electromagnet described above. Said expansion bulb comprises in its upper part in fact a piston 24 or an elastic membrane or a bellows which causes the profile element 20 to rotate when the temperature rise causes the wax or liquid located in said expansion bulb to expand or the fluid to evaporate.

Fig. 10 shows a device that allows the profile element 20 to be rotated about the hinge 18. The device comprises a plurality of U-shaped bimetallic strips 25 with two long limbs 26 and 27, which consist of two materials with very different coefficients of expansion and whose faces are connected to one another, which strips are clamped at uniform intervals in grooves 28 and 29 provided for this purpose in the plate 11 of the profile element 20 and in the wing 12 of the profile element 6. The bimetal is designed in such a way that the material of the two material components which has the highest coefficient of expansion under the effect of the temperature increase is arranged outside the U-shape 25. When the temperature of the air above the ceiling rises, the differential expansion of the two materials making up the bimetallic strip will cause the ends 28 and 29 of the two wings to come closer together. This approach causes a rotation of the closing profile 20 about the hinge 18 and thus a partial closing of the recess 5.

In the embodiment according to fig. 11, the means allowing the variable closure of the recess 5 comprise a corrugated profile element 30 which ends on the wall side in a fillet configuration 31, one end of the fillet configuration 31 projecting into the recess 5 and the other end of which is fastened to an end 32 of the horizontal wing 12, the upper surface of the profile element 30 being covered and connected with a lamella 34 consisting of a material having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the material of which the profile element 30 is made. Thus, under the effect of the temperature increase in the ceiling upper volume, the differential expansion of the two materials constituting the profile elements 30 and the lamellae will cause the fillet formations 31 to translate in the direction of the wall and thus partially close the voids 5, which closure is limited by the mat above the mat.

In contrast to conventional air conditioning systems in which treated air is blown into the upper part of the room, the system according to the invention-if the last embodiment described above-requires only the installation of one profile part and the installation of some ribs 7 instead of the proper selection of the ceiling and the subsequent installation of the ceiling.

Without being limiting, the device according to the invention is particularly useful for comfort air conditioning in the following places:

-a whole set of rooms and habitable rooms,

commercial premises, such as banks, shops, drugstores,

medical and dental offices,

exhibition halls, except for high-rise halls,

-an office and a kiosk,

-rooms of hotels and hospitals,

schools and universities in general.

The invention is not, of course, limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described. It may have various modifications, particularly in terms of structure of the various components or technical equivalents, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. Room with air conditioning device comprising means for introducing treated air into the volume above the suspended ceiling (2) and ensuring the diffusion of air along the walls by introducing the treated air into the volume defined by the ceiling (1), the space between the sealed suspended ceiling (2) and the walls (3), comprising spacer blocks (4) between the walls (3) and the edge-mounted profiled elements (6) of the suspended ceiling (2), these spacer blocks being small and evenly spaced parallel to the width of the walls, said spacer blocks (4) being fixed to the walls (3) or to the edge-mounted profiled elements (6) of the suspended ceiling (2) leaving a gap between the walls (3) and the suspended ceiling (2) to allow the diffusion of air all around the room, characterized in that: the device is provided in predetermined areas with one or more bars (7) which are clamped between the profile element (6) and the wall (3) in order to close the gap in the area where the air diffusion needs to be blocked.

2. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the bar or bars (7) clamped between the profile element (6) and the wall (3) are solid bars.

3. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the barrier strip or strips (7) which are held between the profile element (6) and the wall (3) are open-pored barrier strips, such as through holes or notches.

4. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the edge-fixing profile (6) of the ceiling comprises, at its upper part, a rounded profile (8) on the upper edge (15) next to the wall, the center of curvature of which is directed towards the interior of the room.

5. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a stop strip (9) is provided, the thickness of which perpendicular to the wall (3) is less than the distance between the wall (3) and the wall-facing surface (35) of the web (6), said stop strip being held in the gap (5) between the web (6) and the wall (3) and all or part of the room surroundings.

6. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the profile element (6) is provided with a device which allows the gap (5) to be variably closed.

7. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the device allowing the variable closure of the interspace (5) comprises, on the one hand, a horizontal wing (12) integral with the profiled element (6) at its upper part and, on the other hand, a profiled element (20) consisting of a plate (11) which is parallel to the horizontal wing (12) of the edge profiled element (6) and which extends from its upper wall-facing side with its centre of curvature directed towards the interior of the room, and which has a rounded end (14) which extends above the spacer (4) in the interspace (5) and is supported on the upper wall-facing side edge (15) of the profiled element (6), and which has an L-shaped configuration (33) which forms a closed seat between the curved portion (13) and the plate (11), said profiled element (20) being connected to the upper wing (12) of the profiled element (6) by means of a vertical plate (16) which is located closer to the room-facing side end (17) of the edge (15), the device for variably closing the recess (5) further comprises a device for rotating the profile element (20) about a hinge (18).

8. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: a plurality of springs (21) are arranged at even intervals on the end (17) side between the plate (11) of the profile (20) and the web (12) of the profile (6) in order to hold the profile (20) against the edge (15) of the profile (6).

9. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the means allowing the profile element (20) to rotate about the hinge (18) are constituted by electromagnets (22) which are uniformly spaced and controlled remotely either by means of a current switch or by means of servo-control of a predetermined temperature at a certain position and height in the room.

10. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the means allowing the profile (20) to rotate about the hinge (18) consist of uniformly spaced containers (23) containing wax or liquid or saturated vapour, commonly known as wax or liquid or saturated vapour expansion balls, which comprise in their upper part a piston (24) or an elastic membrane or a bellows, which will cause the profile (20) to rotate when the temperature rise causes the wax or liquid located in the expansion ball to expand or the fluid to evaporate.

11. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the means allowing the profile (20) to rotate about the hinge (18) consist of a plurality of U-shaped bimetallic strips (25) with two long limbs (26) and (27) made of two materials with different coefficients of expansion, which are clamped at uniform intervals in grooves (28 and 29) provided for this purpose in the plate (11) of the profile (20) and in the wing (12) of the profile (6).

12. A room having an air conditioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the device for variably closing the recess (5) comprises a corrugated profile (30) which ends on the wall side in a rounded configuration (31), one end of the rounded configuration (31) projecting into the recess (5) and the other end being fastened to an end (32) of the horizontal wing (12), the upper surface of the profile (30) being covered and connected with a foil (34) consisting of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material forming the profile (30).