The present disclosure relates to an air inlet, and particularly to an air inlet that covers a hole in a wall of a building. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air inlet that covers a hole in an exterior wall of a building.
In accordance with the present disclosure, an air inlet is included with a building structure having an air handling unit. The air inlet includes a duct mount configured to couple to a duct configured to direct air into the building structure. The duct has an opening defining an aperture which allows air to be withdrawn therethrough. The air inlet further includes an intake screen configured to span the duct aperture. The intake screen defines a plurality of openings sized to allow airflow to pass through the openings to the duct. In illustrative embodiments, the air inlet further includes a screen cleaning system coupled to at least one of the duct mount and the intake screen and configured to remove accumulated particles from surfaces of the intake screen surrounding the plurality of openings.
In illustrative embodiments, the screen cleaning system includes a brush configured to be in contact with the intake screen and a motor configured to rotate one of the intake screen and the brush relative to one another. In some embodiments, the motor is coupled to the brush and is configured to move the brush relative to the intake screen. In other embodiments, the brush is fixed in position relative to the duct mount and the motor is configured to move the intake screen relative to the brush.
In some embodiments, the air inlet further includes an actuator mount that extends from a first side of the intake screen to an opposite second side of the intake screen and the motor is coupled to the actuator mount to locate the actuator mount axially between the intake screen and the motor. The motor may include a drive shaft driven in rotation and the brush is coupled to the drive shaft for rotation relative to the intake screen about a central axis of the intake screen.
In some embodiments, the air inlet further includes a screen mount coupled to the intake screen. The motor may be configured to engage the screen mount and move the intake screen and the screen mount relative to the brush to remove the accumulated particles from the surfaces surrounding the plurality of openings. The screen mount may include a plurality of teeth that extend circumferentially around the intake screen and the motor is configured to rotate the intake screen relative to the screen cleaner about a central axis while the brush remains in a fixed position relative to the central axis. In some embodiments, the motor is offset from the central axis and the screen mount and includes a pinion having pinion teeth that mesh with the plurality of teeth included in the screen mount.
In some embodiments, the air inlet further includes a control system including a timer, a microprocessor, and a memory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the motor to activate in response to the timer reaching a predetermined threshold. The control system may be configured to stop airflow through the opening when the motor is activated. The control system may cause the motor to move the brush in a different direction each time the predetermined threshold is reached.
An air inlet 10 is configured to be coupled to an air handling unit 100 and is configured to receive and direct an airflow to the air handling unit 100 as shown in
The air inlet 10 includes a duct mount 12 that is formed to define an aperture 14 and an intake screen 16 that is sized to span the aperture 14 as shown in
The air inlet 10 further includes a screen cleaning system 22 that is configured to remove accumulated particles from surfaces of the intake screen 16 surrounding the plurality of openings 20 as shown in
The screen cleaning system 22 includes a screen cleaner 24 positioned to engage the surfaces of the intake screen 16 surrounding the openings 20 and an actuator 26 coupled to the screen cleaner 24 as shown in
As shown in the embodiment of
The intake screen 16 may be overmolded with the screen mount 28 or coupled to the screen mount 28 with an adhesive or one or more mechanical devices, such as a staple, pin, nail, screw, tie, etc. The screen mount 28 includes a mount body 30 and a plurality of teeth 32 extending from the mount body 30 as shown in
The actuator 26 is configured to rotate the screen mount 28 (and, hence, the intake screen 16) relative to the screen cleaner 24 about the central axis 36. An outer surface of the mount body 30 extends parallel with the central axis 36 to define an axial thickness that is greater than an axial thickness of the plurality of teeth 32. Because of this thickness difference, a portion of the radially outer surface of the mount body 30 is coupled in rotative-bearing engagement with surfaces of the duct mount 12 around the aperture 14. These surfaces support the screen mount 28 and the intake screen 16 on the duct mount 12 so that the intake screen 16 can rotate relative to the duct mount 12 and the screen cleaner 24. In other embodiments, the actuator 26 can be a piston or solenoid, a portion of which is driven linearly to move the screen mount 28.
The actuator 26 is offset from the central axis 36 and the screen mount 28. The actuator 26 in the illustrative embodiment is electrically powered and includes a motor 38, a drive shaft 40, and a pinion 42 as shown in
The duct mount 12 includes a mount plate 48 and a screen retainer ring 50 extending from the mount plate 48. The mount plate 48 is configured to attach to at least one of the duct 18 and structures of the building surrounding the duct 18 to locate the intake screen 16 relative to the aperture 14. The screen retainer ring 50 extends away from the mount plate 48 and cooperates with portions of the mount plate 48 to provide a pocket which receives the mount body 30 of the screen mount 28. Portions of the radially outer surface of the mount body 30 engage the screen retainer ring 50 to place the screen mount 28 in rotative-bearing engagement with the screen retainer ring 50. The mount body 30 and the screen retainer ring 50 are made from one or more polymeric materials having a low-friction interaction with one another. Thus, no bearings may be needed between the mount body 30 and the screen retainer ring 50. However, in other embodiments, bearings or a low-friction coating or lubrication may be used between the mount body 30 and the screen retainer ring 50.
In some embodiments, the duct mount 12 further includes a cover 90 that is mounted to a perimeter of the mount body 48 as shown in
The screen cleaner 24 includes a first cleaner mount 52 and a first brush 54 fixed to the cleaner mount 52 as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, the screen cleaner 24 further includes a second cleaner mount 56 and a second brush 58 as shown in
Both brushes 54, 58 are fixed relative to the intake screen 16 and the screen mount 28 but are removable from their respective cleaner mount 52, 56 as shown in
Various components of the air inlet 10 may cooperate together to decrease the amount of components included in air inlet 10 or provide reinforcement for certain components, for example. For instance, the actuator 26 may be mounted to the duct mount 12 using a portion of the cleaner mount 52 as shown in
As shown in
The control system 70 may also cause the air handling unit 100 to perform a function in response to the user input. For example, the control system 70 may cause a fan included in the air handling unit 100 to deactivate temporarily as the actuator 26 rotates the intake screen 16. In this way, debris can be removed without being drawn into the air handling unit 100. A filter (not shown) can be included in the air handling unit 100 to capture debris. The control system 70 may cause the air handling unit 100 to continue operating while debris is being removed from the intake screen 16 so that the removed debris is transferred to and captured by the filter and is easily accessible by a user for cleaning/replacement.
The control system 70 may cause the actuator 26 to operate continuously in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the control system 70 includes a timer 72 and the control system 70 causes the actuator 26 to activate and/or operate based on one or more predetermined time thresholds without any user inputs (i.e. automatically). For example, the control system 70 may activate the actuator 26 every time the timer 72 reaches a first predetermined threshold (i.e. 30 minutes). The control system 70 can then monitor the timer and cause the actuator 26 to deactivate after a second predetermined amount of time is reached after the actuator 26 was activated (i.e. 2 minutes). Thus, the intake screen 16 can be periodically cleaned using the control system 70 and the timer 72. In some embodiments, the actuator 26 or the intake screen can be monitored and the control system 70 can activate or deactivate the actuator 26 in response to a status of the intake screen (i.e. the presence or lack of a predetermined amount of debris). The first and second predetermined thresholds may be set to any integer value and stored in the memory storage device. The control system 70 may cause the actuator 26 to rotate about pinion axis 44 in a different direction at each activation of the actuator 26. In this way, the control system 70 may minimize build-up of debris on the screen cleaner 24 and improve airflow through intake screen 16. In some embodiments, the actuator 26 can be powered by a battery and/or solar panel array (not shown).
Another embodiment of a screen cleaning system 222 that can be used to clean an intake screen 216 of an air inlet 210 similar to air inlet 10 is shown in
In the embodiment show in
The screen cleaning system 222 further includes an actuator mount 228 that extends from a first side of the intake screen 216 to an opposite second side of the intake screen 216. The actuator 226 is coupled to the actuator mount 228 to locate the actuator mount 228 axially between the intake screen 216 and the actuator 226.
The actuator 226 may be aligned with a central axis 236 of the intake screen 216. The actuator 226 in the illustrative embodiment is electrically powered and includes a motor 238 and a drive shaft 240 as shown in
The screen cleaner 224 includes a brush 254 coupled to the drive shaft 240 of the actuator 226 as shown in
The brush 254 is movable relative to the intake screen 216 and the screen mount 228 and is removable from the cleaner mount 252 as shown in
The actuator mount 228 includes a first support 280, a second support 282 spaced apart from the first support 280, and a motor holder 284 that extends between and interconnects the first support 280 and the second support 282 as shown in
The motor 238 is fixed to an upstream side of the motor holder 284. The drive shaft 240 passes axially through the motor holder 284 from the upstream side of the motor holder 284 to a downstream side of the motor holder 284. Thus, the motor 238 is positioned upstream of the motor holder 284 and away from the aperture 214 so as not to significantly block any air flow through the aperture 214. The screen cleaner 224 is located axially between the motor holder 284 and the intake screen. The screen cleaner 224 and/or the drive shaft 240 has a length sufficient to position the plurality of bristles 264 directly in contact with the intake screen 216.
As shown in
The control system 270 may also cause the air handling unit 100 to perform a function in response to the user input. For example, the control system 270 may cause a fan included in the air handling unit 100 to deactivate temporarily as the actuator 226 moves the screen cleaner 224. In this way, debris can be removed from the intake screen 216 without the debris being drawn into the air handling unit 100 where it could affect the performance of the air handling unit 100. The control system 270 may cause the air handling unit 100 to continue operating while debris is being removed from the intake screen 216 so that the removed debris is transferred to and captured by the filter and is easily accessible by a user for cleaning/replacement.
In some embodiments, the control system 270 includes a timer 274 and the control system 270 causes the actuator 226 to activate and/or operate based on one or more predetermined time thresholds. For example, the control system 270 may activate the actuator 226 every time the timer reaches a first predetermined threshold (i.e. 30 minutes). The control system 270 can then monitor the timer 274 and cause the actuator 226 to deactivate after a second predetermined amount of time is reached after the actuator 26 was activated (i.e. 2 minutes). Thus, the intake screen 216 can be periodically cleaned using the control system 270 and the timer 274. In some embodiments, the actuator 226 or the intake screen can be monitored and the control system 270 can activate or deactivate the actuator 226 in response to a status of the intake screen 216 (i.e. the presence or lack of a predetermined amount of debris). In some embodiments, the actuator 26 can be powered by a battery and/or solar panel array (not shown).
The present disclosure is related to fresh air inlet transitions that get installed in the exterior of a home and connect to the inlet duct of a fresh air system or air handling unit. The air inlet may be installed in a hole in a wall to a building. The air inlet includes a bird screen (i.e. an intake screen) which may include up to 0.5 square inch openings, ⅛ square inch openings, ¼ square inch openings, or any other size openings. Some screens may collect debris on surfaces surrounding or defining the openings as air passes therethrough.
In some embodiments, the air inlet is self-cleaning. The air inlet may include a motorized brush or motorized mesh screen that is used to sweep/clean debris off the mesh screen. The motor may be programmed to operate continuously or in intervals to remove or limit debris from the mesh screen. In some embodiments, the unit air inlet includes a gear that is overmolded on the screen. The gear and screen may form a unit that can be removed and replaced. In some embodiments, brushes are placed on both sides of the screen to clean the grill. In some embodiments, only one brush is used and is placed on only one side of the screen. In some embodiments, each brush is also removable and replaceable.
In some embodiments, the actuator is operated for about 2 minutes every 30 minutes to reduce dust build-up, save energy, and provide longer motor life. In some embodiments, the duct mount 12 could be connected to a straight duct section or an elbow duct for a soffit application. In some embodiments, air inlet can include a different metal cap or plastic cap over the intake screen to offer different models, orientation, and colors. In some embodiments, the control system can change the rotation direction at every start to reduce dust build-up on the brushes. The air inlet 10 can be formed with various manufacturing additives (molded in or coated) to decrease surface friction of the surfaces of the air inlet 10 and block debris from adhering to the surfaces. These additives may include: anti-static (cationic antistatic additives), Teflon coatings (i.e. PTFE—Polytetrafluoroethylene), silicone coatings, ceramic coatings (Sol-gel), etc.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/330,057, filed Apr. 12, 2022, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63330057 | Apr 2022 | US |