Low noise retrofit damper system

Abstract

A damper assembly is configured for placement within a duct of an existing ductwork system, the duct supplies conditioned air through a register boot to a register vent within a room. The damper assembly includes a damper blade that is movable between a closed position and an open position. A damper motor is operably coupled to the damper blade and is configured to move the damper blade between the closed end position and the open end position. A microphone provides an output signal that is representative of sounds sensed by the microphone. A control module is operably coupled to the damper motor and the microphone and is configured to control operation of the damper motor based at least in part on the output signal provided by the microphone.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A damper assembly configured for placement within a duct of an existing ductwork system, the duct supplies conditioned air through a register boot to a register vent within a room, the damper assembly comprising:
 a damper blade movable between a closed end position in which air moving through the duct is restricted from flowing past the damper blade and through the register vent, and an open end position in which air moving through the duct is less restricted from flowing past the damper blade and through the register vent;   a damper motor operably coupled to the damper blade and configured to move the damper blade between the closed end position and the open end position;   a microphone for providing an output signal that is representative of sounds sensed by the microphone; and   a control module operably coupled to the damper motor and the microphone, the control module configured to control operation of the damper motor based at least in part on the output signal provided by the microphone.   
     
     
         2 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a damper frame, wherein the damper blade is rotatably secured relative to the damper frame, and in the closed end position, the damper blade has a contact region that engages the damper frame, and in the open end position the contact region of the damper blade is rotated away from the damper frame. 
     
     
         3 . The damper assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the damper blade comprises a plastic damper blade and the damper frame comprises a plastic damper frame, and the damper assembly further comprises a flexible member extending outward from the damper frame to form a seal with at least part of an inside surface of the duct. 
     
     
         4 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the damper assembly has one or more bypass channels that allow a bypass air flow to flow past the damper assembly even when the damper blade is in the closed end position. 
     
     
         5 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to control operation of the damper motor to move the damper blade to a more open position when a whistle sound is sensed by the microphone. 
     
     
         6 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to control operation of the damper motor to reduce a frequency of positional changes to the damper blade when a sound indicating occupancy of the room is sensed by the microphone. 
     
     
         7 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to store an occupancy schedule that includes periods of occupancy and periods of un-occupancy, the occupancy schedule is built based at least in part on a history of sounds sensed by the microphone, and wherein the control module is configured to control operation of the damper motor in a first mode that reduces noise caused by the damper assembly during the periods of occupancy of the occupancy schedule, and to control operation of the damper motor in a second mode during the periods of un-occupancy. 
     
     
         8 . The damper assembly of  claim 7 , wherein in the first mode, the control module operates the damper motor to move the damper blade at a slower speed in order to reduce noise generation caused by the damper motor, and in the second mode, the control module operates the damper motor to rotate the damper blade at a faster speed in order to reduce drive time. 
     
     
         9 . The damper assembly of  claim 7 , wherein in the first mode, the control module operates the damper motor less frequently, and in the second mode, the control module operates the damper motor more frequently. 
     
     
         10 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to store a sleep schedule that defines one or more sleep periods, and wherein the control module is configured to control operation of the damper motor to reduce noise caused at least in part by the damper assembly during the one or more sleep periods. 
     
     
         11 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , further comprises a sound generator operably coupled to the control module, wherein the control module is configured to cause the sound generator provide active noise cancellation for at least some of the sounds sensed by the microphone. 
     
     
         12 . The damper assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the control module is further configured to provide white noise via the sound generator. 
     
     
         13 . The damper assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a deployment strap that is configured to facilitate placement of the damper blade within the duct and to hold the damper blade in position within the duct when at least part of the deployment strap is anchored to the register boot. 
     
     
         14 . A control module configured to be operably coupled to a damper assembly that is placed within a duct that supplies conditioned air through a register boot to a register vent within a room, the control module comprising:
 a control module housing;   a microphone for providing an output signal that is representative of sounds sensed by the microphone; and   a controller housed by the control module housing and operably coupled to the microphone, the controller configured to control operation of the damper assembly.   
     
     
         15 . The control module of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the damper assembly to reduce audible sounds sensed by the microphone that are caused at least in part by the damper assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The control module of  claim 14 , further comprising a memory housed by the control module housing and operably coupled to the controller, the memory storing a schedule indicating when the room is expected to be occupied, and wherein when the room is expected to be occupied, the controller is configured to control the damper assembly in a first mode that attempts to reduce audible sounds sensed by the microphone caused at least in part by the damper assembly, and when the room is expected to be unoccupied, the controller is configured to control the damper assembly in a second mode that is different from the first mode. 
     
     
         17 . The control module of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to detect sounds that have an amplitude that is above an amplitude threshold and/or a frequency within a predetermined frequency range, and when detected, the controller is configured to make adjustments to the operation of the damper assembly to reduce the detected sounds. 
     
     
         18 . The control module of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to operate the damper assembly in a first mode when the room is expected to be occupied and in a second mode when the room is expected to be unoccupied. 
     
     
         19 . A control module configured to be operably coupled to a damper assembly that is placed within a duct that supplies conditioned air through a register boot to a register vent within a room, the control module comprising:
 a control module housing configured to be secured downstream of the damper assembly and upstream of the register vent;   a microphone housed by the control module housing for sensing sounds proximate the control module;   a sound generator housed by the control module housing; and   a controller housed by the control module housing and configured to control opening and closing of the damper assembly, the controller operatively coupled to the microphone and the sound generator.   
     
     
         20 . The control module of  claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to activate the speaker to provide active noise cancellation to compensate for sounds sensed by the microphone.