Raised floor air grate adapted multi-vane damper

Abstract

A raised floor air grate panel adapted for a multi-vane damper and linkage assembly is provided. The air grate includes an upper and a lower surface and a support frame. The support frame is connected to the lower surface and includes reinforcement ribs, side walls on opposite sides of the support frame, and at least two downwardly projecting air-flow vanes. The air flow vanes define a generally rectangular air-flow control portion adapted to receive a multi-vane damper and linkage assembly so that the linkage is operable from the upper surface of the floor panel.

1 . A raised floor air grate panel, comprising:
 (a) an air grate with an upper and a lower surface and a support frame connected to the lower surface, said support frame including reinforcement ribs, side walls on opposite sides of the support frame, and at least two downwardly projecting air-flow vanes wherein said air-flow vanes define a generally rectangular air-flow control portion adapted to receive a multi-vane damper and linkage assembly wherein the linkage assembly is operable from the upper surface of the floor panel.   
     
     
         2 . The raised floor air grate panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the downwardly projecting air-flow vanes are in coplanar alignment with the sidewalls, and said air-flow vanes further include a drive rod clearance aperture positioned in longitudinal alignment normal to said side walls and air-flow vanes for receiving the linkage. 
     
     
         3 . The raised floor air grate panel according to  claim 2 , wherein the multi-vane damper and linkage assembly further, includes:
 (a) a generally rectangular damper frame, adapted to be mounted in the damper portion, having parallel side walls on opposite sides of said damper frame, each of said side wall including a plurality of oppositely aligned, longitudinally spaced, and centrally located pivot pin retaining holes, and at least two oppositely aligned elongate drive link pin clearance slots;   (b) a drive plate, adjacent to at least one side wall of the damper frame, said drive plate capable of sliding travel along a longitudinal axis with respect to said side wall of said damper frame, said drive plate further including a plurality of longitudinally spaced elongate clearance slots, said slots positioned so that the slots are centrally located in said plate in normal alignment with the pivot pin retaining holes of said at least one side wall, at least one drive link pin retaining aperture in normal alignment with said drive link pin clearance slots in the damper frame side walls, and a first and second series of generally perpendicular regularly spaced elongate drive slots formed in said drive plate so that the first and second series alternate in an off setting alignment above and below the clearance slots;   (c) a plurality of damper blade members mounted in said damper frame and extending side to side in a direction which is normal to the damper frame side walls and the drive plate, said damper blade members having a plurality of central pivot pin formations adapted to extend outwardly along a central pivot axis at the opposite ends thereof so that the pivot pin formations are pivotally received in said pivot pin retaining holes, and drive plate engaging pin formation at one end thereof is formed so that the pin formation is laterally offset from the central pivot axis for communicating with the elongate drive slots formed in the drive plate; and   (d) a drive linkage assembly including a drive rod, a drive member adapted to operate the drive linkage, and at least one drive link member, said drive rod extending laterally beyond the damper frame side walls and received in the clearance apertures in the support frame side walls and air-flow vanes, said drive lever having a central aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and a laterally offset portion for operating the drive lever, said drive link member having a central clearance aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and a laterally offset drive pin formation, said drive link member clampingly connected to the damper frame side walls through the damper frame clearance slots and pivotally connected to the drive link pin retaining aperture of the drive plate whereby movement of said drive linkage assembly being communicated thereby to the all the said blade members causing simultaneous pivotal movement of said blade members between an open and closed position in the damper frame.   
     
     
         4 . A raised floor air grate panel, comprising an air grate having an upper and a lower surface, a support frame connected to the lower surface, said support frame including side walls on opposite sides of said support frame and a plurality of downwardly projecting air-flow vanes in coplanar alignment with the sidewalls, said air-flow vanes defining a generally rectangular damper portion, said support frame sidewalls and air-flow vanes including drive rod clearance apertures positioned in longitudinal alignment normal to said side walls and air-flow vanes. 
     
     
         5 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 (a) a generally rectangular damper frame, adapted to be mounted in the damper portion, having parallel side walls on opposite sides of said damper frame, each said side wall including a plurality of oppositely aligned, longitudinally space, and centrally located pivot pin retaining holes, and at least two oppositely aligned elongate drive link pin clearance slots;   (b) a drive plate, mounted adjacent to at least one side wall of the damper frame, being slidably movable along a longitudinal axis with respect to said side wall of said damper frame, said drive plate including a plurality of longitudinally spaced elongate clearance slots centrally located in said plate in normal alignment with the pivot pin retaining holes of said at least one side wall, at least one drive link pin retaining aperture in normal alignment with said drive link pin clearance slots in the damper frame side walls, and a first and second series of generally perpendicular regularly spaced elongate drive slots formed in said drive plate so that the first and second series alternate in off setting alignment above and below the clearance slots;   (c) a plurality of damper blade members mounted in said damper frame extending side to side in a direction normal to the damper frame side walls and the drive plate, said damper blade members having central pivot pin formations extending outwardly along a central pivot axis at opposite ends thereof so that the pivot pin formations are pivotally received in said pivot pin retaining holes, and a drive plate engaging pin formation at one end thereof formed so that the pin formation is laterally offset from the central pivot axis for communicating with the elongate drive slots formed in the drive plate; and   (d) a drive linkage assembly including a drive rod, a drive member adapted to operate the drive linkage, and at least one drive link member, said drive rod extending laterally beyond the damper frame side walls and received in the clearance apertures in the support frame side walls and air-flow vanes, said drive lever having a central aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and a laterally offset portion for operating the drive lever, said drive link member having a central clearance aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and a laterally offset drive pin formation, said drive link member clampingly connected to the damper frame side walls through the damper frame clearance slots and movement of said drive linkage assembly being communicated thereby to the all the said blade members causing simultaneous pivotal movement of said blade members between an open and closed position in the damper frame.   
     
     
         6 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of frame support members connected to the damper frame and extending side to side normal to the sidewalls. 
     
     
         7 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 5 , wherein the drive link member is a lobe having an off set clearance slot for receiving a tool. 
     
     
         8 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 5 , wherein the drive link member is a wheel or gear. 
     
     
         9 . In combination with a raised floor access panel including an air grate having an upper and a lower surface, a support frame connected to the lower surface, said support frame including side walls on opposite sides of said support frame and a plurality of downwardly projecting air-flow vanes in coplanar alignment with the sidewalls, said air-flow vanes defining a generally rectangular multi-vane damper portion, said support frame sidewalls and air-flow vanes including drive rod clearance apertures positioned in longitudinal alignment normal to said side walls and air-flow vanes, a multi-vane damper assembly and linkage therefore, comprising:
 (a) a generally rectangular damper frame, adapted to be mounted in the multi-vane damper portion, having parallel side walls on opposite sides of said damper frame, each said side wall including a plurality of oppositely aligned, longitudinally spaced, and centrally located pivot pin retaining holes, and at least two oppositely aligned elongate drive link pin clearance slots;   (b) a drive plate, mounted adjacent to at least one side wall of the damper frame, being slidably movable along a longitudinal axis with respect to said side wall of said damper frame, said drive plate including a plurality of longitudinally space elongate clearance slots centrally located in said plate in normal alignment with the pivot pin retaining holds of said at least one side wall, at least one drive link pin retaining aperture in normal alignment with said drive link pin clearance slots in the damper frame side walls, and a first and second series of generally perpendicular regularly spaced elongate drive slots formed in said drive plate so that the first and second series alternate in off setting alignment above and below the clearance slots;   (c) a plurality of damper blade members mounted in said damper frame extending side to side in a direction normal to the damper frame side walls and the drive plate, said damper blade members having central pivot pin formations extending outwardly along a central pivot axis at opposite ends thereof so that the pivot pin formations are pivotally received in said pivot pin retaining holes, and a drive plate engaging pin formation at one end thereof formed so that the pin formation is laterally offset from the central pivot axis for communicating with the elongate drive slots formed in the drive plate; and   (d) a drive linkage assembly including a drive rod, a drive member adapted to operate the drive linkage, and at least one drive link member, said drive rod extending laterally beyond the damper frame side walls and received in the clearance apertures in the support frame side walls and air-flow vanes, said drive lever having a central aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and a laterally offset portion for operating the drive lever, said drive link member having a central clearance aperture adapted to receive the drive rod and laterally offset drive pin formation, said drive link member clampingly connected to the damper frame side walls through the damper frame clearance slots and pivotally connected to the drive link pin retaining aperture of the drive plate whereby movement of said drive linkage assembly being communicated thereby to the all the said blade members causing simultaneous pivotal movement of said blade members between an open and closed position in the damper frame.   
     
     
         10 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of frame support members connected to the damper frame and extending side to side normal to the sidewalls. 
     
     
         11 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 9 , wherein the drive link member is a lobe having an off set clearance slot for receiving a tool. 
     
     
         12 . The raised floor access panel according to  claim 9 , wherein the drive link member is a wheel or gear.