Patent
Automatic, temperature responsive damper assembly
| العنوان: | Automatic, temperature responsive damper assembly |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 3,976,245 |
| تاريخ النشر: | August 24, 1976 |
| Appl. No: | 05/634,358 |
| Application Filed: | November 24, 1975 |
| مستخلص: | An automatic temperature responsive damper assembly for use primarily with turbine-type attic ventilators is disclosed. A temperature sensitive power element capable of generating a force in the order of fifty pounds per square inch is positioned beneath the vane or vanes of the damper. The preferred power element is a sealed bellows unit containing the appropriate heat-expansible fluid. Expansion of the bellows with increased heat actuates a pivoted lever to cause opening and closing of the damper over a predetermined range of temperatures. Communication of the lever movement to movement of the damper vane or vanes is accomplished by providing the free end of the pivoted lever with an upwardly extending arm having a vane engaging camming surface. By shaping the camming surfaces in a sinusoidal fashion, a rapid initial opening of the damper is provided as well as protection against damage to the damper assembly should the maximum preset temperature be exceeded. |
| Inventors: | Cole, James D. (Austin, TX) |
| Claim: | The subject matter for which patent protection is claimed is |
| Claim: | 1. An automatic temperature responsive damper assembly for use within the conduit of a ventilating system designed to exhaust the air in a confined space to the atmosphere whereby said conduit may be opened in order to minimize excess heat build up in said confined space and closed when it is desired to prevent heat loss from said confined space, said assembly comprising |
| Claim: | at least one vane carried within said conduit and movable between a generally closed position and a generally open position; |
| Claim: | a temperature responsive drive assembly mounted to detect temperature changes in said conduit and adapted to actuate in response to temperature changes within a predetermined range; |
| Claim: | a lever arm positioned in said conduit and operatively connected between said drive assembly and said at least one vane to move said at least one vane in response to actuation of said drive assembly; |
| Claim: | said lever arm being provided at its distal end with a vane engageable finger having a camming surface for each vane, said camming surface adapted so as to move said at least one vane between its open and closed positions in response to actuation of said drive assembly and to permit slideable contact with said vane. |
| Claim: | 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one vane comprises a pair of pivoted split butterfly vanes movable about a substantially common axis, said axis lying generally in the center of said conduit. |
| Claim: | 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive assembly is a fluid-containing bellows unit capable of expanding and contracting in response to temperature changes between predetermined limits and to generate a force equivalent to about 50 to about 60 pounds per square inch at the upper limit of said predetermined range. |
| Claim: | 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said drive assembly is mounted adjacent to said at least one vane and wherein said damper assembly further comprises a communication leg adjustably secured to the lever arm adjacent the pivot end thereof and engaging said bellows unit so as to communicate movement of said bellows to said lever arm. |
| Claim: | 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said camming surfaces are sinusoidal in shape. |
| Claim: | 6. An automatic temperature responsive damper assembly for use within the conduit of a roof top ventilator, said assembly comprising |
| Claim: | at least one movable vane pivotably mounted within said conduit and operable between a fully closed and a fully open position to control the upward passage of air through said conduit; and |
| Claim: | a temperature actuated drive assembly operably connected to move said at least one vane between its fully closed and fully open positions in response to temperature changes in said conduit; |
| Claim: | said temperature actuated drive assembly comprising a temperature responsive drive means positioned inside said conduit and movable in response to temperature changes upstream from said at least one movable vane; |
| Claim: | lever means pivotably mounted within said conduit and positioned to move in response to movement of said drive means and camming means in association with the distal end of said lever arm to communicate the movement of said lever means to said at least one movable vane in order to move said vane to an open or a closed position. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 236/93A; 137/601; 236/99F; 251/251 |
| Current International Class: | G05D 2302 |
| Patent References Cited: | 75878 March 1868 Dripps 945831 January 1910 Westphal 982229 January 1911 Adair 1219893 March 1917 Woolf 1652216 December 1927 Replogle 2157770 May 1939 Mayo 2837991 June 1958 DeRoo 3009473 November 1961 Hennen 3040939 June 1962 McCollough 3147768 September 1964 Kennedy 3168085 February 1965 Stelter 3342212 September 1967 Day et al. 3592240 June 1971 Hedrick et al. 3888166 June 1975 Stottman |
| Primary Examiner: | Wayner, William E. |
| Assistant Examiner: | Capossela, Ronald C. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Arnold, White & Durkee |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.03976245 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |