LOW LEAK BACKDRAFT DAMPER FOR HVAC SYSTEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application 20/241,1057641, filed Jul. 30, 2024, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to dampers for HVAC systems, and particularly to low leak backdraft dampers.

Generally, dampers are positioned within and/or form a portion of the ductwork and are used to regulate fluid flow along the ductwork. For example, the dampers may control conditioned air flow supplied to various rooms, zones, or other spaces within the building during operation of the HVAC system. The dampers can transition to a closed configuration to block fluid flow along the ductwork in response to a temperature within or near the ductwork exceeding a threshold value.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a damper including a blade having a slot, a jamb frame member having a hole, and a bearing for connecting the blade to the jamb frame member. The bearing has a first portion receivable in the slot of the blade and a second portion receivable in the hole on the jamb frame member to facilitate rotational movement of the blade.

In some embodiments, the first portion and the second portion of the bearing are co-axial.

In some embodiments, the second portion is rotatable in the hole of the jamb frame member.

In some embodiments, the first portion locks with the blade such that the bearing rotates with the blade. The first portion may have a hexagonal outer shape, and the slot has a complementary hexagonal shape to facilitate rotation of the bearing along with the blade.

In some embodiments, the slot is configured at a top portion of the blade.

The damper may further include a jamb seal connected to the jamb frame member to seal space between the blade and the jamb frame member.

The present disclosure discloses a bearing including a first portion configured to be received in a slot of a blade of a damper and a second portion receivable in a hole on a jamb frame member of the damper to facilitate rotational movement of the blade.

In some embodiments, the second portion extends from the first portion.

In some embodiments, the first portion has one or more locking features configured to lock the bearing with the blade to facilitate rotation of the bearing along with the blade.

In some embodiments, the first portion has a hexagonal outer shape configured to be locked with an internal surface of the slot of the blade.

The present disclosure further discloses a damper comprising one or more blades, a jamb frame member, and a jamb seal connected to the jamb frame member to seal space between the blade(s) and the jamb frame member.

In some embodiments, the jamb frame member has a recess to receive the jamb seal.

In some embodiments, wherein the jamb seal is made of flexible material.

The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a bearing including a first portion configured to be received in a slot of a blade of a damper, and a second portion receivable in a hole on a jamb frame member of the damper to facilitate rotational movement of the blade.

The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a damper including one or more blades, a jamb frame member, and a jamb seal connected to the jamb frame member to seal space between the blade(s) and the jamb frame member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will become more apparent and better understood by referring to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a building that may utilize a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an example of a damper, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a side view of the damper, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the damper, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a top frame member of the damper, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the damper with a jamb seal, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the damper showing the jamb seal.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a blade of the damper, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view depicting blades in the damper.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view depicting a bearing in the damper, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the blade and the bearing.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the damper depicting the bearing received in a jamb frame member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are only examples of the presently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but may nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

Building HVAC System

As briefly discussed above, a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system may be used to thermally regulate a space within a building, home, or other suitable structure. The HVAC system may include an HVAC unit configured to condition an air flow via an evaporator, a furnace, a heating coil, a chiller system, other components, or a combination thereof, and to provide the conditioned air flow (e.g., a heated air flow, a cooled air flow, a dehumidified air flow) to the space. For example, the HVAC unit may be fluidly coupled to the space via an air distribution system, such as a system of ductwork, which extends between the HVAC unit and the space. As such, one or more fans or blowers of the HVAC system may be operable to direct a supply of conditioned air from the HVAC unit, through the ductwork, and into the spaces within the building.

Typically, the HVAC system includes one or more dampers that are disposed within the ductwork and are configured to regulate fluid flow along the ductwork. For example, the dampers may include adjustable dampers that are set to particular positions (e.g., manually, via an actuator of the dampers) to achieve a desired flow rate of conditioned air to the room, zone, or other space serviced by the dampers. In some embodiments, the dampers can include fire dampers that are configured to transition to a closed configuration to block fluid flow (e.g., air, smoke) along the ductwork in response to a temperature within or near the ductwork exceeding or approaching a threshold value.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system for environmental management that may employ one or more HVAC units. As used herein, an HVAC system includes any number of components configured to enable regulation of parameters related to climate characteristics, such as temperature, humidity, air flow, pressure, air quality, and so forth. For example, an “HVAC system” as used herein is defined as conventionally understood and as further described herein. Components or parts of an “HVAC system” may include, but are not limited to, all, some of, or individual parts such as a heat exchanger, a heater, an air flow control device, such as a fan, a sensor configured to detect a climate characteristic or operating parameter, a filter, a control device configured to regulate operation of an HVAC system component, a component configured to enable regulation of climate characteristics, or a combination thereof. An “HVAC system” is a system configured to provide such functions as heating, cooling, ventilation, dehumidification, pressurization, refrigeration, filtration, or any combination thereof. The embodiments described herein may be utilized in a variety of applications to control climate characteristics, such as residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, or other applications where climate control is desired.

In the illustrated embodiment, a building 10 is air conditioned by an HVAC system 11 having an HVAC unit 12. The building 10 may be a commercial structure or a residential structure. As shown, the HVAC unit 12 is disposed on the roof of the building 10; however, the HVAC unit 12 may be located in other equipment rooms or areas adjacent the building 10. The HVAC unit 12 may be a single package unit containing other equipment, such as a blower, integrated air handler, and/or auxiliary heating unit. In other embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may be part of a split HVAC system, which includes an outdoor HVAC unit and an indoor HVAC unit.

The HVAC unit 12 is an air-cooled device that implements a refrigeration cycle to provide conditioned air to the building 10. Specifically, the HVAC unit 12 may include one or more heat exchangers across which an air flow is passed to condition the air flow before the air flow is supplied to the building 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the HVAC unit 12 is a rooftop unit (RTU) that conditions a supply air stream, such as environmental air and/or a return air flow from the building 10. The HVAC unit 12 may provide a variety of heating and/or cooling functions, such as cooling only, heating only, cooling with electric heat, cooling with dehumidification, cooling with gas heat, or cooling with a heat pump. For example, in certain embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may be a heat pump that provides both heating and cooling to the building with one refrigeration circuit configured to operate in different modes. In other embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may include one or more refrigeration circuits for cooling an air stream and a furnace for heating the air stream.

In any case, after the HVAC unit 12 conditions the air, the air may be supplied to the building 10 via ductwork 14 extending from the HVAC unit 12 and throughout the building 10. For example, the ductwork 14 may extend to various individual floors, rooms zones, or other sections or spaces of the building 10. In some embodiments, a plurality of diffuser assemblies 16 are coupled to the ductwork 14. The diffuser assemblies 16 may direct the conditioned air received from the ductwork 14 into the various spaces of the building 10 in a manner that improves air distribution and/or air dispersion across the spaces.

In some embodiments, a control device 18, one type of which may be a thermostat, may be used to designate the temperature of the conditioned air supplied by the HVAC unit 12. The control device 18 also may be used to control the flow of air through the ductwork 14. For example, the control device 18 may be used to regulate operation of one or more components of the HVAC unit 12 or other components, such as dampers and fans, within the building 10 that may control flow of air through and/or from the ductwork 14. In some embodiments, other devices may be included in the system, such as pressure and/or temperature transducers or switches that sense the temperatures and pressures of supply air, return air, and so forth. Moreover, the control device 18 may include computer systems that are integrated with or separate from other building control or monitoring systems, and even systems that are remote from the building 10.

In the illustrated embodiment, the HVAC system 11 includes a plurality of damper assemblies 20 (e.g., dampers) that are coupled to the ductwork 14 and/or form a portion of the ductwork 14 and are configured to regulate fluid flow through the ductwork 14. For example, the damper assemblies 20 may include one or more dampers configured to regulate distribution of a flow of conditioned air generated by the HVAC unit 12 to one or more rooms, zones, or other spaces within the building 10.

Damper

The present disclosure provides a low leak backdraft damper according to some embodiments. While the present disclosure primarily relates to low leak backdraft dampers, it is possible that other types of dampers may be used. For the sake of simplicity, the term “damper” will be used throughout the present disclosure. The damper has a bearing to connect a blade of the damper with a jamb frame member. The bearing has a first portion configured to be received in a slot configured on the blade and a second portion received in a hole configured on the jamb frame member. The first portion rotates with the blade, while the second portion is rotatable within the hole to facilitate movement of the blade in the damper. The first portion of the bearing may have one or more locking features to lock the bearing with the blade such that when the blade rotates, the bearing also rotates under influence of the blade.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a damper 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The damper 100 can be utilized as the damper 20, as described above. Referring to FIG. 2, the damper 100 includes a frame 110 having a top frame member 120, a bottom frame member 130, and a pair of jamb frame members 140, 150. It is noted that any description of one of the jamb frame members 140, 150 may be applied to the other jamb frame member 140, 150. The damper 100 further includes one or more blades 160 arranged in the frame 110, and secured to the jamb frame members 140, 150. The blades 160 are rotatable about connections between the blades 160 and the jamb frame members 140, 150 to allow airflow through the damper 100. The position of the blades 160 is controlled to control airflow through the damper 100.

The jamb frame members 140, 150 are attached to the top frame member 120 and the bottom frame 130 member via fasteners. In some embodiments, the fasteners may be F-type fasteners. The fasteners may be initially passed through the jamb frame member 140, 150 and further through the top or bottom frame members 120, 130 such that heads of the fasteners abut outer surfaces of the jamb frame members 140, 150. FIG. 3A is a side view of the damper 100, and FIG. 3B is a top view of the damper 100. Referring to FIG. 3A, fasteners 165, 170 may be utilized to attach the jamb frame member 140 to the top frame member, whereas fasteners 180, 190 may be utilized to attach the jamb frame member 140 to the bottom frame member. Similarly, other jamb frame members may be attached to the top and bottom frame members 120, 130 using fasteners. Referring to FIG. 3B, the jamb frame member 140 is shown secured to the top frame member 120 using the fasteners 165, 170. Similarly, the jamb frame member 140 can be attached to the bottom frame member 130. In some embodiments, the fasteners may be F-type fasteners or any other suitable fasteners. Due to the fasteners, the damper 100 can be assembled in short time period, and installation becomes easy.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the top frame member 120 of the damper 100. The damper 100 includes a blade stop 200 integrated with the top frame member 120. Similarly, the bottom frame member 130 may also have an integrated blade stop similar to blade stop 200. The blade stops 200 prevent over-rotation of the blade 160.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the damper 100 showing a jamb seal 210. The jamb seal 210 is provided to prevent air leakage when the damper 100 is in a closed position (i.e., the blades 160 are rotated towards a closed position). The jamb seal 210 is position on a rear side of the blade 160 to allow the blade 160 to rotate between an open and a closed position. The jamb seal 210 extends along the length of the jamb frame member 140 (or jamb frame member 150) and closes a gap between the blades 160 and the jamb frame member 140 (or jamb frame member 150). Both the jamb frame members 140, 150 are provided with the jamb seals 210, however, only one will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 6, an enlarged view of the damper 100 is shown. The jamb frame member 140 may be provided with a recess 220 running along the length/height of the jamb frame member 140 for receiving the jamb seal 210. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 200 is formed by a c-shaped channel running along the length of the jamb frame member 140. The c-shaped channel forms a recess 200 with a circular cross-section for receiving the jamb seal 210. The jamb seal 210 includes an edge 224 with a circular cross-section that is received within the circular cross-section of the recess 200. In this configuration, the jamb seal 210 may be inserted into the recess from an end of the jamb frame member 140 and/or an end of the recess 220 and then slide along the length of the recess 220 until the jamb seal 210 is properly positioned within the recess. For example, the jamb seal 210 may be inserted into a first end of the jamb frame member 140 (e.g., where it meets the top frame member 120) and then slid along the recess 220 until the jamb seal 210 reaches a second end of the jamb frame member 140 (e.g., where it meets the bottom frame member 130). In other embodiments, the size and shape of the recess 220 in the jamb frame member 140 and the edge 224 of the jamb seal 210 may vary so long as they are compatible to connect the jamb seal 210 to the jamb frame member 140. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the jamb seal 210 and the jamb frame member 140 may to connected via other means besides a recess. Additionally, in some embodiments, the recess 220 extends along the entire length of the jamb frame member 140 while in other embodiments, the recess 200 only extends along segments of the jamb frame member 140.

The jamb seal 210 is secured in the recess 220 and extends out of the recess 220 towards the blade 160 to seal a gap between the blade 160 and the jamb frame member 140 when the blade 160 is in closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the jamb frame member 140 forms an elongated flap extending along the length of the jamb frame member 140 and outwards to seal any gap between the jamb frame member 140 and the blade 160. In some embodiments, the jamb seal 210 is made of flexible material, for example, flexible polymers. A similar jamb seal 210 is provided at the other jamb frame member 150. In some embodiments, such seals may be provided with the top frame member 120 and the bottom frame member 130 as well.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the blade 160. Referring to FIG. 7, the blade 160 may have a slot 230 configured to receive a bearing 240. The slot 230 may be configured along entire width of length of the blade 160. In some embodiments, the blade 160 may have the slots at sides thereof and may have a length sufficient enough to receive a portion of the bearing 240. In some embodiments, the slot 230 may be configured at a top portion of the blade 160. The blade 160 is provided with two bearings 240 to facilitate connection with the jamb frame members 140, 150. In some embodiments, the blade 160 may have the bearing 240 at one end thereof, and another end of the blade 160 may have any other suitable bearing.

Further, the blade 160 may have a sealing member 250 provided at a free end 260 of the blade 160. Referring to FIG. 8, the sealing member 250 of the blade 160 abuts a top portion 270 of another blade 280 arranged below the blade 160 to seal a gap between the blade 160 and the blade 280. In the closed position of the damper 100, the sealing member 250 inhibits air leakage through the gap between the blade 160 and the blade 280. The sealing member 150 may be formed of a flexible material, such as a flexible polymer. This allows the sealing member 150 to flex upon engagement with the top portion 270 of the blade 280 and create a seal. In some embodiments, the sealing member 250 extends at an angle relative to the blade 160. Depending on the shape of the blade 160 and the way in which the bottom portion of blade 160 meets with the top portion 270 of the lower blade 280, the sealing member 250 may be angled to enhance the sealing effect. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the sealing member 250 extends outwardly at between a 45 and 90 degree angle relative to the blade 160 in order to provide a seal with the top portion 270 of the blade 280.

In some embodiments, the sealing member 250 is coupled to the blade 160 in a similar manner as the jamb seal 210 is coupled to the jamb frame member 140. For example, in some embodiments, the blade 160 includes a recess 254 sized and shape to receive and edge 258 of the sealing member 250. The recess 254 is formed by a c-shaped channel forming a circular cross-section, and the edge 258 of the sealing member 250 has a circular-cross section to be received within the recess 254. The sealing member 250 may be inserted into the recess 254 of the blade 160 and then slid along the length of the blade 160 until the sealing member 250 is properly aligned with the blade 160. In some embodiments, the size and shape of the recess 254 and the edge 258 may vary. Additionally, the recess 254 may extend along the entire length of the blade 160 or only along one or more segments of the blade 160.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view depicting an example of the bearing 240, according to some embodiments. The bearing 240 includes a first portion 290 and a second portion 300. The first portion 290 is configured to be received in the slot 230 of the blade 160, whereas the second portion 300 is configured to be received in a hole 304 of the jamb frame members 140, 150. In some embodiments, the first portion 290 and the second portion 300 are coaxial. In some embodiments, the second portion 300 extends from the first portion 290. In some other embodiments, the bearing 240 may have one or more portions/components between the first portion 290 and the second portion 300.

The bearing 240 may have one or more locking features to lock the bearing 240 relative to the blade 160 so that the bearing 240 rotates along with the blade 160 when the blade 160 rotates. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 9, an outer surface of the first portion 290 has a hexagonal or other polygonal in shape. An internal surface 234 of the slot 230 of the blade 160 may have complementary hexagonal or polygonal shape such that the first portion 290 is locked with the blade 160. This allows the bearing 240 and the blade 160 to be rotatably fixed together for co-rotation. Accordingly, rotating the bearing 240 will result in rotation of the blade 160, and vice versa. In some other examples, the first portion 290 of the bearing 240 may have external teeth engaging with internal teeth provided in the slot 230 of the blade 160 to lock the bearing 240 relative to the blade 160. In some other embodiments, the first portion 290 may have a protrusion that is received in a recess 230 formed on an internal surface 234 of the slot 230. In some other examples, an internal surface 234 of the slot 230 may have a protrusion that is received in a recess formed on the first portion 290 of the bearing 240. The second portion 300 has a cylindrical cross-section, which allows the bearing 240 to rotate within the hole 304 and relative to the jamb frame members 140, 150.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the blade 160 and the bearing 240. As shown in FIG. 10, the first portion 290 is received in the slot 230 of the blade 160, while the second portion 300 remains out of the slot 230. The first portion 290 is locked in the slot 230 to rotate the bearing 240 along with the blade 160.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the damper 100 depicting the bearing 240 received in the jamb frame member 150. The jamb frame member 150 may have a hole 304 to receive the second portion 300 of the bearing 240. The second portion 300 passes through the hole 304. The second portion 300 is rotatable in the hole 304 to facilitate opening or closing of the blade 160. The jamb frame member 150 may have multiple hole 304s corresponding to each blade 160 to receive second portion 300 of the bearing 240 associated with the blades 160. Further, the jamb frame member 140 has similar hole 304(s) configured thereon.

The damper of the present disclosure is a low leakage damper.

CONFIGURATION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g.,

• • variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, the position of elements can be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions can be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps can be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions can be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Although the figures show a specific order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also, two or more steps can be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps.