Patent Application
20240255180
The present disclosure is directed to a system for heating a room and, more particularly, to a ceiling-mounted heating system that facilitates convection heating using a heater, a fan, and a shield.
Ventilation of rooms, particularly bathrooms, is desirable in order to evacuate stagnant and foul smelling air and replace it with cleaner air. This can be problematic for several reasons. Circulation of air in a closed room can result in pockets of air in the room that do not move, sometimes as a result of inadequate fan strength, or in other cases because of room design, room size, and obstructions in the room. Using a larger fan is not always an option due to electrical power requirements, inadequate ducting, noise considerations, and discomfort caused by fast moving air.
Another issue is the unintended cooling of the room as the air is ventilated. Replacement air is drawn in from other parts of a building as well as from the exterior due to the negative air pressure created by the ventilation fan. When cool outside air is drawn into the room, it will reduce the air temperature in the room. Efforts to increase heat in the room are not always successful because baseboard heaters and floor registers cannot compete with the usually higher airflow ventilation fans.
Hence, there is a need for a room ventilation and heating system that can address these issues.
The present disclosure is directed to a system for heating a room using convection heating that addresses the foregoing deficiencies in room heating technology.
In one implementation, a combined ventilation system and heating system for a room is provided. The system includes, without limitation, a heater coupled to a heater fan, a ventilation fan coupled to an exhaust port, and a control system coupled to both fans. When the heater fan is on, heated air is pushed through a grate system into a central portion of the room and is recirculated throughout the room. When the ventilation fan is on, room air is exhausted to outside of the system. When the heater fan and ventilation fans are both on, a faster heating of the room is accomplished.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for circulating air in a room is provided. The room can be in a building, and the system is in one aspect mounted in an opening in a ceiling of the room, the ceiling having opposing first and second surfaces with the second surface facing an interior of the room. The system includes a housing structured to be mounted within the opening in the ceiling, a fan mounted within the housing and structured to push air toward the interior of the room, a heater mounted in the housing adjacent to the fan, and a shield having opposing first and second surfaces. The shield has a substantially rectangular shape and is sized and shaped to cover the housing and the opening when mounted thereon. The shield is further structured to allow air to pass between the shield and the ceiling to facilitate circulation of hot air in the room by pushing heated air into the room, displacing cold air that then rises to the ceiling and is drawn into the housing to be exhausted out of the building.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system includes a first grate comprised of slots angled at 20 degrees from a plane of the first grate and a second grate adjacent to the first grate that is comprised of slots angled at −20 degrees from a plane of the second grate, the first and second grates adapted to be substantially aligned with the heater such that air heated by the heater is dispersed through the first and second grates into the interior of the room.
In accordance with still yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system includes a trim ring sized and shaped to be releasably engaged within the opening and to bear against the second surface of the ceiling; and a stand-off coupleable to the shield and structured to releasably connect the shield to the trim ring in order to form air channels between the shield and trim ring to permit air to pass between the shield and the trim ring.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for heating a room in a building is provided. The system is structured to be mounted in an opening in a ceiling of the room, the ceiling having opposing first and second surfaces, and the second surface facing an interior of the room. The system includes a fan to be mounted within the opening in the ceiling to push air towards the interior of the room; a heater sized and shaped to be mounted within the opening in the structural member adjacent to the fan, a trim ring sized and shaped to be releasably engaged within the opening and to bear against the second surface of the ceiling, and a shield having opposing first and second surfaces, the shield being substantially rectangular in shape and further sized and shaped to cover the opening, the shield having a stand-off that releasably connects the shield to the trim ring in order to form air channels between the shield and trim ring thereby allowing air to pass between the shield and trim ring, the shield further having a first grate comprised of slots angled at 20 degrees and a second grate adjacent to the first grate that is comprised of slots angled at −20 degrees, the first and second grates adapted to be substantially aligned with the heater so that air heated by the heater is dispersed through the first and second grates into the interior of the room, the system thereby facilitating circulation of hot air in the room by pushing heated air through the grates, displacing cold air that then rises to the ceiling, passes through the air channels, and is exhausted out of the building.
The foregoing features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide thorough understanding of various disclosed implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that implementations may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with ventilation systems, fans, heaters, and control design and manufacture have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the implementations.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” The foregoing applies equally to the words “including” and “having.”
Reference throughout this description to “one implementation” or “an implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one implementation” or “in an implementation” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations.
Referring initially to
A shield 20 is shown positioned over the housing 40, the shield 20 having a first surface 22 that faces the ceiling 70 and housing 40, and an opposing second surface 24 that faces the interior 81 of the room 80. The shield 20 is sized and shaped to cover the housing 40 as well as the opening 76. In one implementation of the system 60, the shield 20 is substantially rectangular in shape. Ideally, the shield 20 is sized, shaped, and positioned relative to the ceiling 70 and the housing 40 to allow air to pass between the shield 20 and the ceiling 70 in response to the exhaust fan 45.
To facilitate the passage of exhausted air between the shield 20 and the ceiling 70 and into the exhaust fan 45, the second surface 24 of the shield 20 is preferably curved in a convex orientation, that is, curved outward toward the interior 81 of the room 80. However, the particular radius of curvature of the shield 20 is ornamental and a matter of design preference only. The four corners 23 of the shield preferably have a radiused edge, the degree of radius being a matter of design choice for aesthetics only. The surface texture of the shield may be smooth or textured, the choice of which is also a matter of design preference.
More particularly, the shield has for sides that include two short sides 25 and two long sides 29. Either one or a plurality of the short sides 25 and long sides 29 may have a curvilinear shape to form convexness in the shield 20. Preferably, all four sides have a degree of curvature that is chosen for appearance, but is ideally uniform for aesthetics. Although the convexness of the shield 20 is not required for ventilation, it will facilitate the passage of cold air from the room into the exhaust fan 45.
To further facilitate the passage of heated air 92 into the room 80, the shield 20 in this implementation includes a first grate 26 and a second grate 28 that is adjacent to the first grate 26. Each of the grates 26, 28 includes a plurality of slots 27. The slots 27 in the first grate 26 and second grate 28 may be structured at any angle, depending on the room configuration. The slots 27 may also be movable such that the angle of the slots 27 may be changed. Moveable slots 27 may be achieved through the use of moveable louvers that may be controlled manually or electronically, as is well known in the art. In a preferred implementation, the slots 27 of the first grate 26 and the slots of the second grate 28 are structured at opposing angles. In a further preferred implementation, the slots 27 of the first grate 26 are angled at 20° with respect to a horizontal plane of the first grate 26, and the slots 27 of the second grate 28 are angled at −20° with respect to a horizontal plane of the second grate 28. In this manner, air is pushed out and slightly to the side of the system 60. In all implementations, the first grate 26 and second grate 28 are adapted to be substantially aligned with the heater fan 44 to direct heated air 92 emitted by the heater 48 through the first grate 26 and second grate 28 into the interior of the room 80, preferably a central location in the interior 81 of the room 80.
The grates 26, 28 are surrounded by a box 31 formed on the first surface 22 of the shield 20. The box 31 has walls 33 that define a plenum chamber 35 on the interior side of the grates 26, 28. When the system 60 is assembled, the box 31 will be adjacent the heater fan 44. The plenum chamber 35 receives the hot air from the heater fan 44 and directs it through the grates 26, 28. The combination of the plenum chamber 35 and the air resistance of the grates 26, 28 causes the speed of the heated air exiting the heater fan 44 to speed up. This has been tested and measured with an anemometer to show about a 10 to 30% increase in air speed and in another implementation about a 20% increase in air speed at the exit point of the grates 26, 28. In addition, the grates 26, 28 provide an increase in air temperature at the exit point of the grates 26, 28 to 50 degrees F., and more preferably, about 40 degrees F., by holding the air back in the heater for a period of time.
The trim ring 52 is structured to releasably engage with the housing and bears against the room-side surface 74 of the ceiling 70. The design of the trim ring 52 and its connection to the housing 40 can be done with an interference fit between the trim ring 52 and the housing 40 or with a releasable connection such as the mounting system described in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 11,280,515, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Briefly bendable tabs each having a lip on the trim ring engage an opening in the housing wall. Pressing of the tabs will allow disengagement of the trim ring from the housing wall.
In the present implementation, the shield 20 includes a plurality of stand-offs that extend from the shield 20 a selected distance in order to space the shield 20 from the trim ring 52. The stand-offs 56 each have a terminal end 57 (shown for example in
The shield 20 also includes a lens 39 centrally located on the shield 20 and adjacent the grates 26, 28. The lens 39 facilitates the dissipation of light emitted from a light source 41 (shown in
The control for the fans, heater, and lighting is done in a conventional manner and will not be described in detail herein. In one implementation, the user may control the heater fan 44 with one switch (either on-off or variable), the exhaust fan 45 with a second switch (also on-off or variable), and the light source 41 with a third switch (also on-off or dimmer). The temperature in the room may be controlled by a thermostat mounted in the room and coupled to the system either with hard wiring or wirelessly.
Generally, the circulation of air flow facilitated by the system 60 is shown in
It will be appreciated that various changes can be made without departing from the intended scope of the claims that follow. For example, the location and positioning of the heater fan 44 and exhaust fan 45 and associate components within the housing can be changed without affecting the performance of the system. In addition, the light and lens can be eliminated if desired. Furthermore, the exhaust fan 45 when used by itself functions as a ventilation fan to ventilate the room.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63442052 | Jan 2023 | US |
