Ventilating unit for animal buildings

• US 4,570,532 A
• Filed: 06/28/1984
• Issued: 02/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godro Equipment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Raymond R. Labelle
• Inventors: Labelle, Raymond R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garrett, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kwon, John
• Application Number:
  US06/625,773
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 98/33 A, 98/32, 98/33 R, 98/38 R, 98/38 B, 98/38 C, 236/49, 236/DIG. 9
• US Class Current: 454/234
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0064 Construction of air inlets or outlets in walls
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/06 with forced air circulation, e.g. by fan positioning of a ventilator in or against a conduit

Abstract

A ventilating unit particularly suited for animal buildings. The unit comprises a housing with a central exhaust and an intake duct on each side. Flaps are provided for opening or closing the exhaust and intake ducts and partly or fully diverting exhaust air into the intake ducts. The unit, using a single fan, can change air in a building, circulate air in this building, or both change and circulate the air.

Claims

1. A ventilating unit for use in a building, particularly an animal building, to circulate and/or change air in said building, said unit comprising:

a housing having one side intended to be located within the building to be serviced and another side to be located outside said building, said housing being partitioned to define a first lateral intake duct, a second lateral intake duct and an exhaust duct centrally positioned between the first and second intake duct, said exhaust duct having an inlet on said one side of the housing and an outlet on said one side of said housing, said housing also having air transfer openings for connecting the exhaust duct to the intake ducts;

a fan mounted in the inlet of the exhaust duct for drawing air from the building into the exhaust duct;

first valve means mounted in the housing at the outlet of the exhaust duct, said first valve means comprising a pair of flaps;

second and third valve means mounted in the housing at the inlets of the first and second intake ducts respectively;

cowls at the outlets of the intake ducts for directing air in opposite directions away from the inlet of the exhaust duct;

angularly adjustable fins mounted in the cowls to adjust the distribution and circulation of the air passing through the cowls;

means for moving the first valve means to any position between, and including, a first position wherein the flaps of said first valve means close the exhaust outlet and leave the transfer openings opened and a second position wherein the exhaust outlet is left opened and said flaps close the transfer openings, said means for moving the first valve means comprising a motor for moving one flap and link means extending between the two flaps for having the one flap move the other flap when the one flap moves;

means for moving the second and third valves means between, and including, a first position wherein the intake inlets are closed and a second position wherein the intake inlets are opened, said means for moving the second and third valve means comprising first linkage means connecting one of the flaps of the first valve means to the third valve means and second linkage means connecting the other flap of the first valve means to the second valve means,

a first air temperature sensor to be located at a remote distance from the unit inside the building, said first sensor being connected to the fan to control its speed;

a second air temperature sensor located in the housing close to the exhaust inlet, said second sensor being connected to the motor used for moving the flaps of the first valve means to adjust the position of said flaps between, and including, their first and second respective positions; and

an adjustable limiting circuit mounted between the second sensor and the motor used for moving the flaps to prevent said flaps from being continuously and permanently adjusted;

spring means for automatically opening the valve means in the event of a power failure;

whereby, in use

adjustment of the first, second and third valve means in their first respective positions causes all the air drawn from the building into the exhaust duct by the fan to be returned through the intake ducts via the transfer openings after having been substantially equally divided therebetween;

adjustment of said first, second and third valve means in their second positions causes all the air drawn into the exhaust duct by the fan to be exhausted and fresh make up air from the outside to be drawn in through the intake ducts; and

adjustment of said first, second and third valve means in intermediate positions between their first and second respective positions causes part of the air drawn in the exhaust duct to be exhausted and part to be returned and mixed with fresh air drawn in through the intake ducts.

2. A ventilating unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flaps of the first valve means are sized to form together a V-shape in the first position for deflecting air into the intake ducts through the transfer openings.

3. A ventilating unit as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said second and third valve means comprises a pair of flaps which, in the first position, are aligned to close the corresponding intake inlet and, in the second position, are parallel to open said corresponding intake inlet.