Air diffuser

• US 10,871,304 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Issued: 12/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Air Distribution Technologies IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Air Distribution Technologies IP, LLC
• Inventors: Costello, Mark J., Pich, David G., Perkinson, Ryan M., Freeman, Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): May, Elizabeth M.
• Application Number:
  US15/345,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20180128512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/06 Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/26 Arrangements for air-circulation by means of induction, e.g. by fluid coupling or thermal effect
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/0612 Induction nozzles without swirl means
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/14 mounted on the ceiling

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward an air diffuser that includes a mounting plate having an opening in a center portion of the mounting plate, where the opening is configured to be coupled to ductwork, a low flow adapter coupled to the mounting plate and disposed over the opening, where the low flow adapter includes extruded nozzles configured to increase a velocity and induction of air flow directed toward an interior space, and where the extruded nozzles are disposed at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane defined by the center portion of the mounting plate, and a diffusion plate coupled to the mounting plate, such that the low flow adapter is positioned between the mounting plate and the diffusion plate.

Claims

1. An air diffuser, comprising:

a mounting plate comprising an opening in a center portion of the mounting plate, wherein the air diffuser is configured to be fluidly coupled to ductwork via the opening, and wherein the mounting plate comprises recessed walls coupled to the center portion and extending away from the opening;

a low flow adapter coupled to the mounting plate and disposed over the opening, wherein the low flow adapter comprises sloped faces and tubular extruded nozzles formed in and extending away from the sloped faces, wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are configured to increase a velocity and induction of air flow directed toward an interior space, and wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are disposed at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane defined by the center portion of the mounting plate; and

a diffusion plate coupled to the mounting plate, such that the low flow adapter is positioned between the mounting plate and the diffusion plate, wherein each of the tubular extruded nozzles is angled toward a discharge outlet of the air diffuser between the mounting plate and the diffusion plate to direct the air flow toward the discharge outlet and to avoid obstruction of the air flow caused by the mounting plate and the diffusion plate.

2. The air diffuser of claim 1, wherein the angle of the tubular extruded nozzles is between 16 and 50 degrees.

3. The air diffuser of claim 2, wherein the angle of the tubular extruded nozzles is approximately 30 to 40 degrees.

4. The air diffuser of claim 1, wherein the angle of the tubular extruded nozzles is not 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees.

5. The air diffuser of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate comprises edges coupled to the recessed walls, and wherein the edges are configured to be substantially flush with a ceiling of the interior space.

6. The air diffuser of claim 5, wherein the edges comprise a lip configured to block the air flow from flowing around the mounting plate and into the ceiling.

7. The air diffuser of claim 1, wherein the low flow adapter comprises edges configured to couple to the center portion of the mounting plate using one or more fasteners and/or adhesives.

8. The air diffuser of claim 7, wherein the sloped faces extend from the edges and away from the mounting plate, and wherein the sloped faces are coupled to a base plate of the low flow adapter.

9. The air diffuser of claim 8, wherein the edges, the sloped faces, and the base plate of the low flow adapter are formed from a single piece of material.

10. The air diffuser of claim 9, wherein the single piece of material is sheet metal that includes steel.

11. The air diffuser of claim 9, wherein the single piece of material is an injection mold that includes plastic.

12. A heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&

R) system, comprising;

an air handler configured to place air in a heat exchange relationship with a refrigerant;

ductwork coupled to the air handler and configured to direct the air from the air handler to one or more interior spaces; and

an air diffuser coupled to the ductwork, comprising;

a mounting plate comprising a first opening in a center portion of the mounting plate, wherein the mounting plate comprises recessed walls coupled to the center portion and extending away from the ductwork;

a diffusion plate coupled to the mounting plate to form a second opening between first edges of the recessed walls and second edges of the diffusion plate; and

a low flow adapter coupled to the mounting plate and disposed over the first opening, wherein the low flow adapter is positioned between the mounting plate and the diffusion plate, wherein the low flow adapter comprises sloped faces and tubular extruded nozzles formed in and extending from the sloped faces, wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are configured to increase a velocity and induction of air flow directed toward the one or more interior spaces, and wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are disposed at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane defined by the center portion of the mounting plate, such that each tubular extruded nozzle is angled toward the second opening to direct the air flow toward the second opening and out of the air diffuser with reduced obstruction caused by the mounting plate and the diffusion plate.

13. The HVAC&

R system of claim 12, wherein the ductwork comprises a primary duct coupled to the air handler and to a plurality of secondary ducts.

14. The HVAC&

R system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary ducts is configured to direct the air flow into a respective interior space of the interior spaces using the low flow adapter.

15. An air diffuser, comprising:

a mounting plate configured to receive an air flow from a duct, the mounting plate comprising a center portion and walls extending away from the center portion;

a diffusion plate coupled to the mounting plate to form a discharge outlet of the air diffuser between a first edge of the mounting plate and a second edge of the diffusion plate; and

a low flow adapter coupled to the center portion of the mounting plate and configured to receive the air flow after the air flow enters the air diffuser via the mounting plate, wherein the low flow adapter comprises sloped faces and tubular extruded nozzles formed through and extending away from the sloped faces, wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are configured to receive the air flow and increase a velocity of the air flow, and wherein each of the tubular extruded nozzles is disposed at an angle to direct the air flow toward the discharge outlet between the first edge of the mounting plate and the second edge of the diffusion plate with reduced obstruction caused by the mounting plate and the diffusion plate.

16. An air diffuser, comprising:

a mounting plate comprising a center portion, an opening formed in the center portion, and angled walls coupled to the center portion and extending obliquely away from the center portion, wherein the center portion defines a planar portion;

a diffusion plate coupled to the mounting plate to form an outlet of the air diffuser between a first edge of the mounting plate and a second edge of the diffusion plate; and

a low flow adapter coupled to the mounting plate about the opening such that the low flow adapter is configured to receive an air flow via the opening, wherein the low flow adapter comprises;

an outer edge coupled to the center portion of the mounting plate;

a base plate extending transversely outward relative to a central axis of the opening;

a sloped face extending from the base plate to the outer edge; and

tubular extruded nozzles formed in and extending from the sloped face,

wherein the tubular extruded nozzles are configured to receive and expel the air flow from the low flow adapter,

wherein each respective tubular extruded nozzle is angled relative to the planar portion and is configured to direct the air flow outwardly from within the low flow adapter toward the outlet of the air diffuser between the first edge of the mounting plate and the second edge of the diffusion plate to reduce obstruction of the air flow caused by the mounting plate and the diffusion plate,

wherein each respective tubular extruded nozzle defines a passage having a first diameter at a first end of the respective tubular extruded nozzle and a second diameter at a second end of the respective tubular extruded nozzle,

wherein the second diameter is less than the first diameter to increase the velocity of air flowing through the passage, and

wherein the second end of the respective tubular extruded nozzle extends away from an exterior surface of the sloped face.

17. The air diffuser of claim 16, wherein an angle of each tubular extruded nozzle relative to the planar portion is approximately 30 to 40 degrees.

18. The air diffuser of claim 16, wherein the base plate, the outer edge, the sloped face, and the tubular extruded nozzles are formed from a single piece of material.

19. The air diffuser of claim 18, wherein the single piece of material is sheet metal that includes steel.

20. The air diffuser of claim 16, wherein the mounting plate is configured to be coupled to ductwork.

21. The air diffuser of claim 16, wherein the mounting plate comprises additional edges coupled to the angled walls, and wherein the additional edges are configured to be substantially flush with a ceiling of an interior space conditioned by the air flow.

22. The air diffuser of claim 21, wherein each additional edge comprises a lip configured to block the air flow from flowing around the mounting plate and into the ceiling.