IL288769A - A bracket for mounting actuating motor in air-damper - Google Patents

Description

A BRACKET FOR MOUNTING ACTUATING MOTOR IN AIR- DAMPER FIELD The various embodiments described herein generally relate to the control of gas flow. More particularly, the invention provides a mounting bracket for the actuating motor of an air-damper apparatus, typically useful in air-conditioning ducts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION IL Patent No. 136370 describes a motor-actuated air damper apparatus for use in combination with an air-conditioning system. In accordance with this publication, the damper comprises a plastic housing that provides support bearings for damper plate hinge shafts, and is provided as an assembly of two identical moldings, each shaped substantially as an open-ended half hollow cylinder, each of said half hollow cylinder being provided along a first axial edge with at least one male interconnection element and on a second opposite edge with at least one corresponding female interconnection element.

In accordance with this publication, each of the half hollow cylinder is further provided with an integrally molded guide and retention element for supporting therein a base-plate of the damper's actuating motor.

The skilled person would have learned from Israeli Patent IL 136370 publication (see there in Figs. 4 and 5) that the electric motor damper is mounted by a guide and retention element (62) in the form of two supporting rails, each of which is formed as an integral part of the two parts from which the damper housing element is assembled, while they run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper, and into which base-plate 68 of the motor is incorporated, and this is by pushing and sliding the motor in a linear motion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper and into the two supporting rails (62) or out of them (when disassembling or replacing the motor).

Air dampers according to IL 136370 were in fact manufactured and marketed - see: https://twitoplast.co.il/en/dampers, where they were published prior to the invention that is the subject of the Patent Application as round or oval A.B.S plastic dampers. Unfortunately, it was discovered over the years that considerable difficulties were sometimes encountered when disassembling the electric motor from the damper (as required from time to time for routine maintenance or in the event of a malfunction) and remounting a repaired or new motor. At this stage, corrugated pipes are usually already mounted to the damper that direct the air flow to and from it, and all of them (the damper and the corrugated pipes) may already be mounted inside a narrow duct. The corrugated pipes, particularly when they are located with the damper inside a narrow duct, may make it very difficult to extricate the motor in the manner required according to IL 136370, i.e. by pulling out the motor and sliding it in a linear motion that must be in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper (and of the corrugated pipes connected to it) from the two supporting rails. Similarly, this may make it difficult to remount the repaired or new motor.

Reference is made to Fig. 1, which schematically illustrates the difficulty of accessing air damper 10 according to the prior art. See Arrow 12 - direction of the linear motion (parallel to longitudinal axis 15 of the damper) required for disassembling or remounting motor 66, owing to corrugated pipes 20 and 25 and the narrowness of duct 30 in which they are all mounted.

Furthermore, a particular difficulty might arise in a case wherein the air damper's actuating motor is stuck (caught) in an angular position that is not parallel to the damper's longitudinal axis. Reference is made to Fig. 1a , , which schematically illustrates the difficulty of disassembling the stuck (caught) motor (not illustrated) due to the angular position (α) of damper 10 shaft head 528 in a scenario wherein the motor is stuck (caught) in a position that prevents sliding the motor (and its projecting drive tongue that engages shaft head 528), as required for disassembling the motor (see arrow 12 - direction of the linear motion (parallel to longitudinal axis 15 of the damper)).

Therefore, prior to the invention that is the subject of the Patent Application, prior art air dampers did not provide an adequate solution to the access problems discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air damper according to the invention that is the subject of the Patent Application provides a solution to the access difficulty issues discussed in the Background of the Invention chapter hereinabove by means of a separate bracket for mounting an actuating motor on it. This bracket, on its own (with or without the motor mounted on it), can be quickly mounted (e.g. by snapping it in place) to the damper housing and can be quickly disassembled from it.

Once the motor is mounted on it, the bracket makes it possible to mount the motor (or disassemble it, if necessary) in a linear motion that is in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the damper, and in a manner that at least gives installers of air-conditioning system the operational flexibility to decide from the start, depending on the specific accessibility difficulties encountered at the site where the damper is meant to operate, the mode of mounting the actuating motor in the damper housing (or to disassemble it, if necessary).

In other words, the invention gives air conditioning system installers the option to either mount the motor after mounting the bracket in the damper housing, e.g. similar to the prior art method by pushing and sliding in the motor by a linear motion in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper, into the supporting rails, which according to an example of the bracket, are formed in the bracket or outside them (when disassembling or replacing the motor), or to pre-mount the motor in the bracket and afterwards mount the motor together with the bracket to the damper housing (or when disassembling it (together with the bracket) when necessary) in a linear motion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Aspects and embodiments of the invention are directed to a motor-actuated air damper for use in combination with an air-conditioning system, comprising a plastic damper housing for an air duct providing support bearings for damper plate hinge shafts, and is characterized in that -the damper additionally comprises a bracket element that comprises means for mounting said motor on it, and means for quickly assembling said bracket to said housing and quickly disassembling it from said housing.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the means for mounting the motor on the bracket element is a guide and retention element in the form of two supporting rails formed in the bracket element, and the means for quickly mounting the bracket element to the housing and quickly disassembling it from the housing is a snap-fit connector, which in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the snap-fit connector is formed from two protruding tabs integrally formed in the bracket element and from two brackets integrally formed in the damper housing and are adapted for snap-fitting the tabs in and releasing the tabs by pushing them out.

In another and additional aspect, the method of mounting the motor to a motor-actuated air damper according to the invention and disassembling it from it also embodies a general method for said mounting and disassembly.

In one example of the method, the method comprising the steps of providing a motor-actuated air damper for use in combination with an air-conditioning system, comprising a plastic damper housing for an air duct providing support bearings for damper plate hinge shafts, and a bracket element comprising means for mounting said motor on it, and means for quickly assembling said bracket to said housing and quickly disassembling it from said housing; and mounting the motor after mounting the bracket in the damper housing, by pushing and sliding in the motor in a linear motion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper, or alternatively - pre-mounting the motor in the bracket, and afterwards mounting the motor together with the bracket to the damper housing (or when disassembling it (together with the bracket) when necessary) in a linear motion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Still other aspects, embodiments, and advantages of these exemplary aspects and embodiment are discussed in detail below. Embodiments disclosed herein may be combined with other embodiments in any manner consistent with at least one of the principles disclosed herein, and references to "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "an alternate embodiment," "various embodiments," "one embodiment" or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described may be included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Various aspects of at least one embodiment are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The figures are included to provide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and embodiments, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the figures, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the figures: Fig. 1depicts as stated, in a schematic illustration, the difficulty of accessing the prior art air damper.

Fig. 1a depicts as stated, in a schematic illustration, the difficulty of disassembling a stuck (caught) motor from a prior art air damper, in a scenario wherein the motor is stuck (caught) in an angular position that prevents sliding the motor.

Fig. 2 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary separate bracket according to the invention, for mounting on it an actuating motor alongside an exemplary motor that is adapted for mounting on the bracket.

Fig. 3 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary bracket according to the invention, wherein the motor is pre-mounted on it prior to mounting the motor together with the bracket to the damper housing (or when disassembling it (together with the bracket) when necessary) in a linear motion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Fig. 4 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary bracket according to the invention, wherein the bracket is pre-mounted to the damper housing prior to mounting the motor, which in this scenario, similar to the prior art, the motor is pushed and slid into place in a linear motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Fig. 5 depicts an exploded perspective view of elements of an exemplary air damper according to the invention.

Fig. 6depicts a schematic view of an exemplary bracket according to the invention.

Fig. 7 depicts in a perspective view cross-section a-a marked in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 depicts in a perspective view a cross-section of an exemplary bracket according to the invention, with the bracket pre-mounted to the damper housing prior to mounting the motor (not illustrated).

Fig. 9 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary bracket according to the invention, wherein the motor is pre-mounted on it, before mounting the motor together with the bracket to the damper housing, in a linear motion perpendicular to the damper.

Fig. 10 depicts in perspective view an exemplary bracket according to the invention, wherein it is mounted in the damper housing and the motor is mounted on it, i.e. at a step after the motor is mounted together with the bracket to the damper housing in a linear motion that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the damper, or alternatively, after the bracket alone is mounted to the damper housing and after the motor is pushed and slid into it in a linear motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Claims (6)

1.CLAIMS 1. A motor-actuated air damper for use in combination with an air-conditioning system, comprising a plastic damper housing for an air duct providing support bearings for damper plate hinge shafts, and characterized in that - the damper additionally comprises a bracket element that comprises means for mounting said motor on it, and means for quickly assembling said bracket to said housing and quickly disassembling it from said housing.

2. A motor-actuated air damper according to claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said motor on the back of said bracket element is a guide and retention element in the form of two supporting rails formed in said bracket element.

3. A motor-actuated air damper according to claim 1 wherein said means for quickly mounting said bracket element to said housing and quickly disassembling it from said housing is at least one snap-fit type of connector.

4. A motor-actuated air damper according to claim 3 wherein said snap-fit connector is formed from two protruding tabs formed in said bracket element and from two brackets formed in said housing and are adapted for snap-fitting said tabs into them and releasing said tabs by pushing them out.

5. A motor-actuated air damper according to claim 1 wherein said housing is of the type comprising an assembly of two identical moldings each shaped substantially as an open-ended half hollow cylinder, wherein each of said half hollow cylinder being provided along a first axial edge with at least one male interconnection element and on a second opposite edge with at least one corresponding female interconnection element.

6. A method for mounting a motor to a motor-actuated air damper or for disassembling the motor from it, comprising the steps of – providing a motor-actuated air damper for use in combination with an air-conditioning system, comprising a plastic damper housing for an air duct providing support bearings for damper plate hinge shafts, and a bracket element that comprises means for mounting said motor on the back of said housing and means for quickly assembling said bracket to said housing and quickly disassembling it from said housing according to claim 1; and mounting said motor after mounting said bracket in said damper housing, by pushing and sliding in the motor by a linear motion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said damper, or alternatively - pre-mounting said motor in said bracket, and afterwards mounting said motor together with said bracket to said damper housing (or when disassembling it (together with the bracket) when necessary) by a linear motion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said damper. Webb+Co. Patent Attorneys