Patent Application
20250043968
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are commonly mounted on the outside of a structure in a cabinet or housing of some kind. Air handling units (AHUs), for example, are sometimes mounted on the roof in a large cabinet in which various elements of the AHU are arranged. AHUs also commonly include air vents through which air is transmitted into and/or out of the AHU. To prevent water infiltration into the AHU, e.g. in the event of rain, AHUs often include rain hoods that shroud the air vents from the rain while still allowing air to flow through vents.
Some AHUs or other HVAC systems are relatively large and the cost to ship them to a site and then install them, e.g., on the roof of a building can be significant. Current rain hoods are commonly designed as a separate, non-collapsible component from the AHU or other system for which it is used and, as such, must be shipped separately from the AHU cabinet due to their size and truck shipping width constraints. Such rain hoods can add to the expense of shipping the system, as they may add to the weight-based cost and/or require additional trailers. Additionally, such current, non-collapsible rain hoods not incorporated into the system cabinet must be installed on the cabinet in the field, which can require using cranes, forklifts, etc. to lift into place safely before being secured to the cabinet.
The present inventors recognize, among other things, an opportunity for improving the packaging, shipping, and installation of various types of HVAC systems by incorporating collapsible rain hood(s) into the system cabinet, which can be shipped with the system cabinet in a collapsed configuration and then be easily and inexpensively expanded into a working configuration on site.
In an example according to this disclosure, an air handling unit (AHU) includes a cabinet and a collapsible hood. One or more components of the AHU are arranged in the cabinet, which defines at least one air vent. The collapsible hood includes a cap plate, base bracket, hood plate, and pair of side plates. The cap plate is fixedly connected to the cabinet above the at least one air vent. The base bracket is fixedly connected to the cabinet below the cap plate. The hood plate is pivotally connected to the cap plate. Each of the pair of side plates is pivotally connected to the cap plate and the base bracket. The collapsible hood can be configured to be arranged in a working configuration in which the hood plate and the pair of side plates extend away from the cap plate and the base bracket and are configured to inhibit ingress of materials other than air through the at least one air vent, and a collapsed configuration in which the hood plate and the pair of side plates are folded in a flat stacked arrangement toward the cabinet and over the at least one air vent.
This overview is intended to provide an overview of subject matter in the present application. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive explanation of the invention. The detailed description is included to provide further information about the present application.
In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present disclosure.
And
Cap plate 200 is configured to be fixedly connected to the system cabinet (e.g., system cabinet 102 of
In
Each of cap plate 200, base bracket 202, hood plate 204, side plates 206 and 208, side brackets 210 and 212, and screen 214 can be manufactured from a variety of materials including, for example, various metals. In an example, each of cap plate 200, base bracket 202, hood plate 204, side plates 206 and 208, side brackets 210 and 212, and screen 214 are include sheet metal, e.g. galvanized steel with or without a coating of paint. Cap plate 200, base bracket 202, hood plate 204, side plates 206 and 208, side brackets 210 and 212, and screen 214 can be connected to each other and/or to a system cabinet using various types of fasteners, including screws, bolts, and rivets, as examples.
In an example, one or more of cap plate 200, base bracket 202, hood plate 204, side plates 206 and 208, side brackets 210 and 212, and screen 214 can be connected to one another using #12×1-inch self-drill screws. Pivotal/rotating connections between members of Hood 104 can utilize ¼ inch by ⅝-inch thread-locking button head bolts into a ¼ inch snap-in nuts. In an example, screen 214 includes a screen plate to which a screen is connected, and, in such a case, the screen can be attached to the screen plate with rivets. Additionally, connections to AHU 102 can be via ¼ inch self-drill screws.
In
In an example, arranging collapsible hood 104 in the collapsed configuration (504) includes pivoting side plates 206 and 208 toward each other into approximately parallel alignment with cap plate 200 and base bracket 202, and pivoting hood plate 204 down toward cabinet 102 into an approximately vertical arrangement at least partially over the pair of side plates. Arranging the collapsible hood in the working configuration (506) can include pivoting hood plate 204 outward into an inclined orientation to extend down and out from cap plate 200 and pivoting each of side plates 206 and 208 outward to extend away from cap plate 200 and base bracket 202 to mate with the hood plate.
In examples, arranging the collapsible hood in the collapsed configuration can also include pivoting screen 214 up toward hood plate 204 into an approximately vertical arrangement between side plates 206 and 208 and the hood plate. Additionally, arranging the collapsible hood in the working configuration can include pivoting screen 214 downward to extend toward base bracket 200 from hood plate 204, connecting the screen to the base bracket, and pivoting side plates 206 and 208 outward to extend away from cap plate 202 and the base bracket to mate with the hood plate over the screen. And arranging the collapsible hood in the working configuration can also include connecting each of side brackets 210 and 212 to cabinet 102 and one of side plates 206 and 208.
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.
In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and any documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in this document controls. In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. In this document, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, composition, formulation, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Various aspects of the disclosure have been described. These and other aspects are within the scope of the following claims.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/530,803, filed Aug. 4, 2023, entitled “COLLAPSIBLE HOOD”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63530803 | Aug 2023 | US |
