VENTILATION DUCT CONNECTOR

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a ventilation duct connector, comprising a coupling head (2) for connection with a controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) unit (1), wherein the coupling head (2) incorporates a plurality of flexible tabs (4) provided with means for establishing axial retention locking with freedom of rotation on a clipping ring (6) of the connection port (7) of the CMV unit (1), determining at the other end of the coupling head (2) a coupling for attachment with the air conduction tube to be connected with the CMV unit (1). The present invention also relates to a CMV unit (1) comprising said connector.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the assembly of controlled mechanical ventilation systems, proposing a coupling connector between air circulation ducts and the body of the suction unit of said controlled mechanical ventilation systems, such that a functionality which facilitates assembly conditions is achieved with this connector, improving coupling speed and reliability.

State of the art

[0002] Health conditions inside homes and living spaces require ventilation which allows preventing the breathing in of stale air that may be unpleasant and harmful for users, with there being developed to that end ventilation systems which have evolved from conventional natural ventilation to modern systems which force the circulation of air between indoors and outdoors to remove stale air from indoors and replace it with fresh air from outdoors.

[0003] A technique widely used today for that function involves controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) systems, consisting of forcing the circulation of air by means of fans from indoors to outdoors through ducts which are connected to a suction unit through which air flows, which are removed from the different rooms to be ventilated, pass.

[0004] The air flow circulation ducts in said CMV systems are determined by means of tubes which are connected to the CMV unit by means of attachment connectors, for which rigid connectors, which are coupled by means of fitting to the CMV unit in the attachment of the assembly, are conventionally used, the connector being provided with pivots with which a bayonet-like engagement is made, wherein positioning must first be performed to approach the coupling and then introduction is performed followed by rotation to establish retention.

[0005] Said solution for assembling the couplings with the mentioned conventional connectors present the following problems:
Assembling the couplings in places with very little space may result in a poor assembly of the coupling without the installer being aware of it, and this may be the cause of leakages or unplanned uncoupling of the assembly over time.

[0006] Due to the fact that the connectors are rigid and short, when a flexible tube which is not in the same coupling direction is connected to the CMV unit, an elbow having a very small radius can be generated and this can cause head loss in air circulation, affecting the performances and energy efficiency of the installation.

[0007] The connectors do not incorporate sealing gaskets, so the assembly of the couplings may have leakages which affect the functional behaviour of the installation.

[0008] Based on the foregoing, it is clear that there is a need to provide a type of connector which allows attaching air circulation tubes to CMV units with assured reliability, without the drawbacks of the mentioned conventional connectors.

Object of the invention

[0009] The present invention proposes a connector for coupling air circulation tubes to the suction unit in controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) systems, where the embodiment of this connector has been developed with features that facilitate the assembly of the couplings for which it is intended, improving the reliability and efficiency of said couplings. Another object of the invention relates to the CMV unit which comprises at least one connector for the coupling of air conduction tubes.

[0010] The connector object of the invention comprises a coupling head for coupling to the CMV unit, the coupling head having a plurality of flexible tabs provided with means which allow establishing a retention locking with respect to a clipping ring arranged around the connection port for connection to the CMV unit of application. Preferably, said means for establishing the locking are a tooth which is arranged on the inner face of the flexible tabs and fits in the clipping ring.

[0011] A connector which allows establishing the coupling for attachment to the CMV unit by means of single action of thrusting until the flexible tabs of the coupling head are locked on the clipping ring of the connection port of the CMV unit is thereby obtained, said coupling being capable of rotating, and accordingly the insertion of the coupling can be performed in any position of rotation, without having to perform precise positioning for the insertion. All this results in a quicker assembly and ensures effectiveness with respect to accidental uncoupling. The operator can perform said assembly with only one hand, and this facilitates the assembly tasks in installations of this type, particularly when the installation is located in small, hard-to-access spaces.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector comprises a flexible tube which can be fixed to the coupling head at the end for coupling to the tube, in turn determining a coupling for the attachment to the air conduction tube to be connected.

[0013] With this assembly solution, once the retention locking of the coupling is established, the connector can furthermore freely rotate with respect to the CMV unit, and this in turn facilitates, a result of the flexible structure of the flexible tube of the connector, the assembly of the connection couplings with respect to the air conduction tubes reaching the attachment from any direction.

[0014] The flexible tube that is attached to the coupling head of the connector can have a corrugated structure which determines, in the case of angled couplings, the configuration of a controlled radius of curvature by said flexible tube, thereby preventing head losses caused by the constriction of the duct which may affect the functional behaviour of the installation.

[0015] Preferably, this flexible tube will be permanently fixed with the coupling head, forming a single element, to facilitate on-site assembly works.

[0016] There is furthermore incorporated between the coupling head of the connector and the flexible tube a sealing gasket, being retained like a sandwich between both elements. Said gasket is arranged at the front end of the coupling head in the attachment with the connection port of the CMV unit such that it has a front and/or upper supporting surface with the inside of the clipping ring. The complete leaktightness of the attachment of the coupling is thereby assured, preventing air leakage losses in the connection.

[0017] According to one feature of the invention, the coupling head comprises an axial protrusion for releasing the locking by radially pressing on said protrusion. The clipping mechanism thereby allows a simple coupling and uncoupling which facilitates the installation and removal tasks for maintenance.

[0018] Based on the foregoing, the proposed connector has extremely advantageous features for the function of the couplings for attachment between air circulation tubes and a CMV unit, acquiring its own identity and preferred character with respect to the conventional connectors used today for said function.

Description of the figures

[0019] 

Figure 1 shows a detailed perspective view of the connector object of the invention arranged in a position facing a connection port of a CMV unit.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector with the coupling head separated and in a correlative assembly position with respect to the flexible tube.

Figure 3 is an amplified detail of the attachment between the coupling head, the flexible tube of the connector, and the CMV unit in a section view.

Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view of the connector with the flexible tube bent at a right angle to establish a perpendicular connection.

Detailed description of the invention

[0020] The object of the invention relates to a connector intended for establishing the coupling for the attachment of air conduction tubes to a suction unit (1) in controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) systems, this connector comprising a coupling head (2) which is coupled at one end to the CMV unit (1), and determining at the other end a coupling for attachment with the air conduction tube (not depicted) that must be connected to the CMV unit (1).

[0021] The coupling head (2) is the means for establishing the attachment for connection with the CMV unit (1), said coupling head (2) incorporating to that end flexible tabs (4), which have on the inner face a tooth (5), by means of which said tabs allow establishing an axial retention locking on a clipping ring (6) arranged around the connection port (7) with respect to which coupling to the CMV unit (1) of the ventilation system is to be established. As can be seen in Figure 3, the clipping ring (6) establishes a stepped projection with a first diameter and a second diameter having a larger dimension than the first diameter, such that the tooth (5) clips on said stepping of the clipping ring (6).

[0022] For the axial retention function in the assembly of the connection coupling, the coupling head (2) may have two or more flexible tabs (4), with two flexible tabs (4) located in diametrically opposite positions in the coupling head (2) being provided in a preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment. In any case, with said flexible tabs (4), the assembly of the connection coupling with respect to the CMV unit (1) only requires an axial thrust, until the tooth (5) of the flexible tabs (4) locks on the clipping ring (6) in the connection port (7) of the CMV unit (1), without it being necessary to angularly position the connector in order to establish said assembly of the connection coupling, and once the locking of the coupling is established, the connection can rotate freely.

[0023] Preferably, the connector comprises a flexible tube (3) fixed to the coupling head (2), which allows readily establishing angular connections for coupling air conduction tubes which, together with the rotary coupling, allow establishing said connection for air conduction tubes that do not axially coincide with the connection port (7) of the CMV unit (1) to which said air conduction tubes must be connected.

[0024] The flexible tube (3) preferably has a corrugated structure, such that, as observed in Figure 4, when there is a need to establish an angular coupling between the connection port (7) and the air conduction tube to be connected, said structure of the flexible tube (3) causes the radius of curvature in the connection to be under control, thereby also preventing the occurrence of head losses in the air circulation which may be detrimental to the operation of the installation of application.

[0025] As can be seen in Figure 3, the coupling head (2) and the flexible tube (3) are attached to one another by means of joining same, fitting the external geometry of the flexible tube (3) with reliefs in correspondence with the geometry of the inner surface of the coupling head (2). This type of fixing allows the coupling head (2) and the flexible tube (3) to form a single element after the assembly thereof, and this facilitates the on-site assembly of the coupling.

[0026] There is included between the coupling head (2) and the flexible tube (3) a sealing gasket (8), which establishes a leak-tight closure between both components of the connector, said sealing gasket furthermore determining a front lip (9.1) which is located at the front portion at the end of the connector, such that when the connection coupling is established, said front lip (9.1) is supported on the clipping ring (6) of the CMV unit (1), thereby in turn leading to the connection coupling being completely leak-tight, preventing the possible occurrence of leakages of the air circulating through the inside and thus the loss of efficacy of the connection. Additionally, it is envisaged for said gasket to comprises a second upper lip (9.2) establishing an upper contact closure of the gasket (8) with the inner surface of the first diameter of the clipping ring (6). Leaktightness is thereby assured by establishing a double closure in anticipation of the possible failure of one of the lips (9.1, 9.2). For a secure retention of said gasket (8), it is envisaged for the flexible tube (3) to comprise at the end thereof at least one retaining flange (10).

[0027] As can be seen in Figures 2 and 4, said flexible tube (3) comprises coupling teeth (3.1) in alternating positions for fixing the air conduction tube. These teeth can be arranged in the coupling head (2) itself if a flexible tube (3) is not present in said coupling.

[0028] The mentioned air conduction tubes are usually provided with a covering (12) for thermal protection. In the assembly, this covering (12) is arranged on the coupling head (2), such that, as can be seen in Figure 3, it is envisaged for the end of said coupling head (2) to comprise an axial protuberance (2.1) contributing to the retention of the rim (11) required for fixing said covering (12).

[0029] To facilitate the uncoupling of the connector with respect to the CMV unit (1), the tabs (4) comprise an axial protrusion (4.1) for releasing the locking by radially pressing on said protrusion (4.1). Maintenance is thereby facilitated since both coupling and uncoupling can be performed with only one hand.

[0030] With the mentioned features, the connector object of the invention facilitates the assembly of the connection couplings for which it is intended, given that only a thrust is required for inserting the coupling head (2) with respect to the connection port (7) of the CMV unit (1) on which connection is to be established, allowing the flexible tube (3) to make connections with the air conduction tubes to be connected in any direction, without the risk of the occurrence of constrictions which cause head losses in the air circulation ducts and all this with the possibility of establishing connection couplings of different diameters on the CMV units (1) of application in a completely effective manner.

Claims

1. A ventilation duct connector, comprising a coupling head (2) for connection with a controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) unit (1), characterised in that the coupling head (2) incorporates a plurality of flexible tabs (4) provided with means for establishing axial retention locking with freedom of rotation on a clipping ring (6) of the connection port (7) of the CMV unit (1), determining at the other end of the coupling head (2) a coupling for attachment with the air conduction tube to be connected with the CMV unit (1).

2. The ventilation duct connector according to claim 1, wherein the coupling head (2) has two flexible tabs (4) located in diametrically opposite positions in said coupling head (2).

3. The ventilation duct connector according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a flexible tube (3) which can be fixed to the coupling head (2) at the end for coupling to the conduction tube such that it determines a controlled angle of curvature in the angular connections to air conduction tubes of the CMV systems of application.

4. The ventilation duct connector according to claim 3, wherein there is included between the coupling head (2) and the flexible tube (3) a sealing gasket (8), which determines at the front end of the coupling head (2) a support lip (9.1, 9.2) which is supported on the front and/or upper surface of the inside of the clipping ring (6) of the CMV unit (1) in the coupling of the assembly.

5. The ventilation duct connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible tab (4) comprises an axial protrusion (4.1) for releasing the locking by radially pressing on said protrusion (4.1).

6. A controlled mechanical ventilation unit which can be connected to air conduction tubes by means of at least one connector such as the one according to the preceding claims, comprising a clipping ring (6) in the connection port (7) with a geometry in correspondence with the means for establishing axial retention locking.

Drawing