Heat exchange – Structural installation – Related to wall – floor or ceiling structure of a chamber
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-05
2004-10-12
Ciric, Ljiljana (Department: 3753)
Heat exchange
Structural installation
Related to wall, floor or ceiling structure of a chamber
C165S054000, C454S248000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802361
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for reducing smudging of a ceiling by blowing conditioned air out through an outlet of a ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatus (referred to hereinafter also as “ceiling-mounted air-conditioner”) or the like.
2. Description of the Related Arts
An air-conditioning system essentially includes a pair of heat exchangers through which a heating/cooling medium is circulated. The air is warmed or heated/cooled when passing through a first one of the heat exchangers, while the medium having been cooled/heated upon warming/cooling the air in the first heat exchanger is heated/cooled at the second heat exchanger. In the air-conditioning system where the pair of heat exchangers are made of separate units, the unit including the first heat exchanger is usually called an “indoor unit” or a “package type air-conditioner”, while the other is called an “outdoor unit”. The ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatus, in which the apparatus is mounted or installed or almost embedded in the ceiling, corresponds to the indoor unit (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,068). More specifically, the ceiling-mounted air-conditioner has a room air-inlet at a central portion of a bottom thereof, and has a conditioning air-outlet at a peripheral portion of the bottom thereof. Therefore, the air-conditioner sucks or introduces the room air from the room air-inlet at the central portion of the bottom portion of the room and, after having warmed or cooled the introduced room air by the heat exchanger, discharges or blows out the conditioned air from the air-outlet at the peripheral portion of the bottom portion.
The conditioned air is blown out in a direction generally along a ceiling surface so that the conditioned air can spread over a wide region in the room. Therefore, the air inherently tends to flow along the ceiling surface. Accordingly, the conditioned air smudges an area of the ceiling surface near the air-outlet due to the contamination of the conditioned air itself or the contamination of the room air which is entangled in a rapid flow of air blown out through the air-outlet. When the air-conditioning apparatus has been used for a long period of time, the smudged ceiling surface becomes too unsightly to be neglected.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it has been proposed to adjust an inclination of a wind direction plate, which is disposed near the air-outlet within an air discharge passage, in response to a degree of contamination of the room air and a selected air-conditioning state, i.e., cooling or warming, so as to change a direction of conditioning airflow from the air-outlet (refer for example to Japanese Patent Application Publication (i.e., Laid-Open) No. 8-100942 (100942/96). Alternatively, it has been proposed to change an air discharge direction and/or the size of an opening near each of the longitudinal ends of an air-outlet, where the discharged air tends to flow along the ceiling surface (refer for example to Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 7-324802 (324802/95), 8-313042 (313042/96) and 9-222237 (222237/97).
These proposals are intended to regulate or control the conditioning airflow directly at the air-outlet formed or defined as a part of an outer casing or frame of the air-conditioning apparatus, sizes or dimensions of which are practically limited. However, such direct control of the overall airflow at the air-outlet where the flow speed or flow rate is high encounters various disadvantages. For example, when the airflow is controlled so as not to be directed to the ceiling surface, there is a possibility that intended effects cannot be obtained because of the possibility that the conditioned air cannot be spread fully in the room, and there is also a possibility that the adjustment conditions should be changed when the flow rate changes.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-94160 (94160/96) discloses forming a step or projection on a cover plate constituting an outer frame of the air-conditioning apparatus, which acts to deflect the conditioned air having been blown out through the air-outlet of the air-conditioning apparatus, and deflects the air away from the ceiling surface. A Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61-8595 (8595/86) corresponding to Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-120151 (120151/87) discloses a blow-out guide having an “L”-shaped cross-section which provides a similar function. However, there is a possibility that these devices will also encounter similar problems.
In addition, the above-mentioned prior art directed to modification of a body of the air-conditioning apparatus cannot solve the problem of contamination or smudging of the ceiling surface where the ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatus has been already mounted or installed.
Another attempt at a solution has been made domestically inside of Japan. In other words, the embodiment described now in this paragraph is not prior art except in a country where novelty- and/or obviousness-related provisions define that publicly accessible use of a structure even in another country or countries may also constitute prior art. In this attempt, a transparent plastic film or sheet having been bent in an obtuse angle is attached to an area of the ceiling surface where smudging is likely to be produced. However, when the flow rate of the blown-out air is low, there is a possibility that the air flows over the obtusely bent wall of the plastic film to smudge an area of the ceiling surface outside of the attached plastic film. On the other hand, when the flow rate of the blown-out air is high, an obtusely inclined and dependent deflection portion having an “L”-shaped cross-section is pressed by the airflow to be deformed away from the airflow.
In the meantime, it has also been proposed to form a peripheral portion of an air-conditioning duct opened in the ceiling with an arcuately curved portion so as to reduce contamination or smudging of the ceiling surface (Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-12847 (12847/95)). However, this proposal also involves similar problems as in the above-mentioned proposed ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatuses. In addition, behavior of conditioned airflow having been blown out through the air-outlet in the air-conditioning duct is somewhat different from that of the air-conditioning apparatus having the air-inlet at the central portion and the air-outlet at the peripheral portion, because the air-conditioning duct does not have the air-inlet in the opening but the whole opening serves as the air-outlet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and one object of the invention is to provide a ceiling panel structure capable of also being applied to an existing, i.e., pre-installed, ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatus which has already been installed or mounted to the ceiling so as to minimize smudging or contamination of the ceiling surface around the air-conditioning apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a ceiling panel structure facilitating mountability thereof even in a case where the ceiling surface is not flat but undulated.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a ceiling panel structure including a base member or structure and a cover member or structure, in which engagement/disengagement of the cover member or structure with/from the base member or structure can be facilitated, i.e., carried out easily.
According to the invention, the above-mentioned first object can be accomplished by a ceiling panel structure adapted to be mounted to a ceiling downstream of a conditioning air-outlet of a ceiling-mounted air-conditioning apparatus. The structure has a room air-inlet at a central portion thereof, and has the air-outlet at a peripheral portion thereof. The ceiling panel structure is adapted to be mounted to the ceiling outside of the air-conditioning apparatus, and includes a deflection induction portion
Air Techno Company Limited
Ciric Ljiljana
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