COMPONENTS

The present invention relates to a connection element for connecting with rectangular ducting components, a rectan gular ducting system comprising said connection element and a heating, ventilating or air conditioning (HVAC) sys- tern comprising said rectangular ducting system.

Rectangular ducting components are widely used in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. The use of such ducting components is advantageous in locations such as floors and ceilings, because ducting of other shapes such as circular ducting components occupy to much space.

Ducting components with a rectangular cross section typically have a relatively short length and it is neces- sary to connect ducting components to realize a desired overall length.

When exposed to pressure load or vacuum, rectangular ducting components are more vulnerable deflecting than circular ducting components because in rectangular ducting components forces are not distributed equally, especially in case of ducting components with an oblong cross sec tion. This can lead to deflecting of the ducting component panels, which on its turn may cause fatigue, leakage or even collapse of the ducting. In particular the connec- tions between ducting components cause a challenge in this respect.

Connecting ducting components with a rectangular cross section is often time consuming and expensive and it is difficult to avoid leakage. A number of ways of con- necting ducting components with a rectangular cross sec tion is disclosed in US 2008/0134745 A1. The connections described therein require multiple hardware components such as flanges, separate corner pieces, which cause in stallation and maintenance difficulties and which imposes vulnerability to leakage.

The present invention aims to overcome these prob lems.

Summary of the invention

Therefore the invention relates in a first aspect to a connection element for connecting with at least one rec tangular ducting component, preferably for connecting two or more rectangular ducting components, comprising a main body with an end section having a rectangular outer cir cumference, said end section being insertable into an end section of a respective ducting component with a rectangu lar inner circumference; and separate lip elements fixed on each panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body, which are configured to extend at least partially over the outer face of an end section of said ducting component when the main body is inserted therein so as to clamp said ducting component between the lip ele ments and the rectangular outer circumference of the main body.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a rectan gular ducting system, comprising at least a ducting compo nent with a rectangular inner circumference and connected with a connection element of the first aspect, wherein at least one end section of the main body of the connection element is inserted into an end section of said ducting component; and wherein the lip elements of the connection element clamp said end section of said ducting component between the lip elements and the rectangular outer circum ference of the main body of the connection element. In a third aspect the invention relates to a HVAC system, comprising a rectangular ducting system according to the second aspect.

The connection element according to the invention provides a one piece connector for connecting rectangular ducting components, which only requires sliding the con nection element into a female ducting component to obtain a sealing connection between rectangular ducting compo nents, without further equipment or hardware. The connec- tion element according to the invention allows easy in stallation and de-installation at all times. The inventors have found that the connection obtained this way is able to withstand high pressures from inside or outside without leaking. Furthermore, the connection provides a reinforce- ment of the ducting system in which it is installed. This allows to use ducting components with relatively thin walls while still meeting requirements with respect to strength, pressure load, and air leakage. For instance the inventors have found that by using the connection elements according to the invention in a HVAC system a leakage class norm D according to EN-12237 can be achieved.

Short description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows an perspective view of a preferred em- bodiment of the connection element according to the inven tion

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the embodiment of Fig.l

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the embodiment of Fig.l

Fig. 4 shows a side view of the embodiment of Fig.l Fig. 5 shows a connection element with an end section inserted into an end section of a rectangular duct.

Fig.6. shows a top view of an exemplary connection element according to the invention wherein its main body contains a turn that forces a change in direction of air flow.

Fig.7 shows a perspective view of another exemplary connection element according to the invention which con- tains an end section being insertable into an end section of a ducting component with a rectangular inner circumfer ence, while the end section is designed to be connected with circular ducting components.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention is based on the advantageous design of a connection element for connecting rectangular ducting components which has at least one male end section for insertion into a female end section of a ducting com ponent and which comprises at each panel of the connection element at least one separate lip element fixed on the outer face of the panel. The lip elements are each config ured to extend at least partially over the outer face of said end section of said ducting component when the male part of the connection element is inserted therein and to clamp the female end section of the ducting component be tween the lip elements and the male end section of the connection element. This way the male end section of the connection element can be inserted into the female end section of a ducting component simply by sliding, to ob tain a sealing connection between rectangular ducting com ponents, without the need for further equipment or hard ware.

The main body of the connection element is made out of one piece. In other words the main body forms a contin uous structure in its circumference. This way, connecting rectangular ducting components, only requires sliding the connection element into a female ducting component to ob tain a sealing connection between rectangular ducting com ponents, without further equipment or hardware. Moreover, because the main body forms a continuous structure in the circumference thereof, any risk of leakage in the corners of the main body is prevented, while on the other hand a reinforcement of the ducting system in which the connec tion element is installed is provided. The main body of the connection element has an end section having a rectangular outer circumference, said end section being insertable into an end section of a ducting component with a rectangular inner circumference. In one preferred embodiment the full main body has a rectangular outer circumference and the full ducting component in which it is inserted has a rectangular inner circumfer ence. This allows to connect multiple rectangular ducting components by means of a connection element.

In a practical design the inner circumference of the main body has the same shape as the outer circumference, i.e. if the end section has a rectangular outer circumfer ence, it suitably also has a rectangular inner circumfer ence.

The main body may form a straight channel on its in side, or it may contain a contains a turn that forces a change in direction of air flow.

The connection element may be symmetrical or not. In this respect it may contains a single end section being insertable into an end section of a ducting component with a rectangular inner circumference or multiple, such as two opposite end sections. The latter embodiment is best suit able to connect two rectangular ducts to each other.

In this respect, in an asymmetric embodiment the con nection element contains an end section being insertable into an end section of a ducting component with a rectan gular inner circumference, while another end section is designed to be connected with ducting components having a different cross-section, such as a circular or elliptic cross section. This allows to connect a rectangular duct ing system with a ducting system of a different shape. This is in particular practical if a new ducting system has to be connected to an already existing ducting system.

In order to achieve a sealing connection it is pre ferred that the inner circumference of the end section of the ducting component and the outer circumference of the end section of the connection element are designed such that the end section of the connection element can be in serted fittingly or substantially fittingly into the end section of the ducting component.

The connection element is in the shape of a duct, for instance in the shape of a short rectangular duct. Due to the elongated shape of the connection element the end sec tions of the connection element can be inserted into end sections of respective ducting components to a substantive depth. This provides strength to the connection, prevent ing - also in combination with the lip elements - defor mation of the ducting walls due pressure differences. The connection obtained this way improves resistance of a ducting system to high pressures from inside or outside without leaking and reinforces the ducting system in which it is installed.

In a preferred embodiment, however the connection el ement is designed as a male-male connector of which panels at each end section can be inserted in respective ducting components. In this case the main body comprises opposite end sections having a rectangular outer circumference, said opposite end sections being insertable into end sec tions of respective ducting components with a rectangular inner circumference; and wherein said connection element comprises separate lip elements fixed on each panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body, which are configured to extend at least partially over the outer face of end sections of said respective ducting components when the main body is inserted therein so as to clamp said respective ducting components between the lip elements and the rectangular outer circumference of the main body.

The end sections may be positioned opposite with re spect to each other in a straight line in case of a straight connection element or opposite with respect to each other under an angle in case the connection element contains a bend or turn. In this respect the term "oppo site" in the context of this application is to be under stood as "on the other side", regardless whether the other side is in a straight line or not. In this respect oppo site end sections can also be referred to as entry end section and exit end section, wherein in a ducting system a medium flowing through the connection element enters on the side of the entry end section and exits on the side of the exit end section.

In this respect it is preferred that the main body of the connection element comprises end sections having a rectangular outer circumference, said end sections being insertable into end sections of respective ducting compo nents with a rectangular inner circumference; and wherein said connection element comprises separate lip elements fixed on each panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body, which are configured to extend at least partially over the outer face of end sections of said re spective ducting components when the main body is inserted therein so as to clamp said respective ducting components between the lip elements and the rectangular outer circum ference of the main body. This embodiment is preferred be cause this way basic rectangular ducts without further features or additional components, i.e. a hollow profile consisting of four panels interlinked via corner sections, can be connected. Such basic rectangular ducts can easily be sized at any size. The use thereof in combination with the connection element of this embodiment provides large flexibility in the design of rectangular ducting systems, including HVAC systems. Moreover it also allows very effi cient use of ducting materials because loss of ducting ma terial due to sizing is kept at a minimum. The connection element is thus preferably designed to form a connection between two ducting components. In view of the above a ducting component in the context of the invention prefera bly is a rectangular duct.

In the context of the present invention the term "rectangular" is meant to encompass square and oblong shapes. The corner of these shapes may be flattened or rounded if desired. In general it is preferred that rectangular duct com ponents have rounded corners, at least in their inner cir cumference. This increases strength of the ducting compo nents, which is of particular importance if the ducting components are long rectangular ducts. The rounded corners also provide efficient airflow through the ducts. In line with this, and to fit into the female ends of the ducting components it is also preferred that the rectangular outer circumference of the end section or end sections of the main body of the connection element have rounded corners.

The connection element of the invention comprises separate lip elements fixed on each panel of the rectangu lar outer circumference of the main body. That means that each panel of the main body, i.e. the top panel, bottom panel, first side panel and second side panel has at least one distinct lip element provided attached thereto. The advantage of separate lip element is that it facilitates fitting the connection element with ducting component(s) to be connected with the connection element because sepa rate lips provide a certain degree of slack and flexibil ity when installing.

Each panel may have a single lip element attached thereto, but it also possible that multiple lip elements are provided on each panel or that part of the panels (for instance the top and bottom panel) are provided with mul tiple lip elements and part of the panels (for instance the side panels) are provided with a single lip element. For instance in case of a connection element with an ob long shaped outer circumference, the wider panels may preferably contain a single wide lip extending over large part of the panel to provide extra strength, while the shorter panels comprise multiple lip elements.

The lip elements are configured to extend at least partially over the outer face of an end section of a duct ing component when the main body is inserted therein so as to clamp said ducting component between the lip elements and the rectangular outer circumference of the main body. In order to exert their function as clamps as effec tive as possible the lips should cover a substantial por tion of the outer face of a ducting component inserted by the end sections of the main body. For this purpose, it is preferred that each lip element extends over the major part of a panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the connection element. With the axis of the connection ele ment is meant the longitudinal axis, i.e. in the direction orthogonal to the plane of the inner circumference. In other words, it is preferred that that the lips cover a major part of the panels of the main body in direction of the circumference. This also benefits to the strength of the connection. Alternatively or in addition, it is also preferred that each lip element extends over the major part of a panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body in a direction of the axis of the connection element. This allows maximal insertion of the ducting com ponent (s) by the connection element and maximal clamping over full inserted area. This is in particular beneficial for the provision of a sealing connection and increases strength of the rectangular ducting system.

Similarly, in particular in case the connection ele ment is designed with opposite end sections in order to be inserted in two opposite ducting components, it may be preferred that the end sections form the major part of the main body of connection element in direction of the axis of the main body. In this case the ducting components may both extend over a large part of the main body of the con nection element up to the position where the lip elements are fixed to the main body. In view of this a lip element may suitably comprises at least two lips extending in op posite direction with respect to each other from a central section of the lip element to the respective end sections of the main body of the connection element, wherein said central section is fixed to the main body. This way duct ing components can be inserted by end sections of the main body op to the position of the central section, allowing symmetrical and deep insertion. Also this contributes to the provision of a sealing connection and increases strength of the rectangular ducting system.

The lip elements can be fixed to the main body in any suitable way, including welding, glueing or hardware such as rivets, pop nails or screws.

When lip elements with lips extending in opposite di rection with respect to each other from a central section of the lip element to the respective end sections of the main body of the connection element are used, it is pre ferred that said central section is fixed at multiple po sitions in the direction of the axis of the connection el ement and at multiple positions in the direction orthogo nal to the axis of the connection element. This avoids tilting of the lips, increases the strength of the attach ment of the lip element, and as a result also contributes to the strength and sealing properties of the connection.

In order to facilitate installation and de-installation of a connection it is preferred that said lip elements have an end portion under an angle of the main direction of the lip elements and facing away from the main body. This way the end portion of the lip elements functions as tab por tion that allows a user to lift the lips to loosen the clamping action of the lips. This facilitates installation because this way it becomes easier to slide an end section of the main body of the connection element into a ducting component and it also facilitates de-installing a connec tion because it allows to slide an end section of the con nection element out of the end section of the ducting com ponent connected thereto.

Rigid rectangular ducts often have one or more seams in longitudinal direction as a result of their manufactur ing process. Therefore, in case the connection element serves to connect rectangular ducts with a seam it is pre ferred that at least one of said lip elements comprise a notch for accommodation of a seam of a ducting component wherein said main body is to be inserted. Alternatively the connection element may have multiple lips or lip ele ments separated with a space for accommodation of a seam of a ducting component.

In suitable embodiment, wherein the end section or sections of the main body of the connection element is/are provided with a gasket surrounding the outer circumference of the main body. This is to further seal the connection and to avoid leaking. Such a seal can be placed in a cir cumferential groove at the end section (s) and/or be fixed to the main body by a glue. In a suitable embodiment said gasket is a synthetic rubber, preferably an ethylene pro pylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber.

It is preferred that rectangular ducting systems such as HVAC systems are composed as much as possible of a fire resistant material.

Such a material is preferably based on a metal. A HVAC system consisting fully of metal components can be classified A1 in accordance with EN 13501-01. This basi cally means that such a HVAC system is non-flammable.

Metal materials in this respect include, without lim itation galvanised steel. It is therefore preferred that the material of the main body and lip elements is consti tuted of galvanized steel. Similarly the ducting compo nents to be connected by means of the connection element of the invention are preferably composed of the same mate rial. The connection element of the invention therefore allows to construct a rectangular ducting system which is safe in use in terms of fire risks, because the only fire sensitive components are the optional gaskets which are hidden deeply in the cleft between the end section (s) of the connection element and the end section (s) of the con nected rectangular ducting component(s). Because the gas kets are deeply hidden and the present invention allows the use of minimal amounts of organic gasket material, fire risk is fully prevented. As mentioned above the invention also relates to a rectangular ducting system, comprising at least a ducting component with a rectangular inner circumference; and con nected with the connection element according to invention, wherein the end section of the main body of the connection element is inserted into the sections of said ducting com ponent; and wherein the lip elements of the connection el ement clamp an end section of said ducting component be tween the lip elements and the rectangular outer circum ference of the main body of the connection element. Such a rectangular ducting system can easily be installed by simply sliding end sections of a connection element into a receiving end section (female end section) of similar shape of a ducting component with the lips of the lip ele ments extending at least partially over the outer surface of this ducting component. Alternatively, the connection can be established by sliding the female section of a ducting component between the end section surface and the lip element of the connection element.

In a preferred embodiment the connection element is used to connect two opposite ducting components, such as long rectangular ducts. In this case it is preferred that the rectangular ducting system comprises at least two ducts with a rectangular inner circumference connected with each other by means of a connection element designed with opposite end sections in order to be inserted in the two opposite ducting components as described above. In such a system the opposite end sections of the main body of the connection element are inserted into end sections of respective ducts with a rectangular inner circumfer ence. Each lip element of the connection element clamp an end section of said respective ducts between the lip ele ments and the rectangular outer circumference of the main body of the connection element.

The present invention is in particular applicable in the field of heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning. In this respect the invention also relates to a HVAC sys- tem, comprising the rectangular ducting system of the in vention .

In this respect the connector element according to the invention may be provided with structural and/or regu lating components on the inside of the main body, which components serve in regulating and controlling air flow. Such components may include, without limitation, turning vanes. Such vanes serve to minimize turbulence and re sistance to air flow. Such vanes are especially suitable when the main body contains a turn that forces a change in direction of air flow.

Detailed description of the drawings

The invention will now be further elucidated in the attached drawings. The following explanation is meant to illustrate and explain the invention and not to limit the claims.

Fig 1 to 4 show a connection element 1, wherein Fig.l shows an perspective view, Fig. 2 shows a front view, Fig. 3 shows a top view, and Fig.4 shows a side view. Fig.5 shows a top view of connection element 1 and how it is in serted into two opposite rectangular ducting components. Corresponding reference numbers in the different drawing correspond to the same features.

Connection element 1 has a duct shaped main body 2. Main body 2 comprises opposite end sections 31, 32 having a rectangular outer circumference. The rectangular outer circumference of the end sections of the main body 2 has rounded corners 21, 22, 23, 24 to provide efficient air flow through the ducts and facilitate installation. The end sections are provided with a gasket 71, 72 of (EPDM) rubber glued in a circumferential groove (not shown) sur rounding the outer circumference of the main body. These gaskets further seal the connection and minimize leaking risks. The opposite end sections 31, 32 can be inserted into end sections of respective ducting components 91, 92 as shown in Fig.5 A-C. The connection element 1 comprises separate lip elements 41, 42, 43, 44 fixed on each panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body. Lip elements 41 and 43 are fixed on the top and bottom panel of the main body 2, respectively and lip elements 42 and 44 are each fixed a side panels of the main body 2. Lip elements 41, 42, 43, 44 are configured to extend over the outer face of end sections of ducting components 91, 92 when the main body is inserted therein so as to clamp said respective ducting components 91, 92 between the lip elements 41, 42, 43, 44 and the rectangular outer circum ference of end sections 31, 32 of the main body 2. Refer ence is made in this respect to Fig. 5 wherein Fig. 5A shows connection element 1 with opposite ducting compo nents 91, 92, Fig. 5B shows ducting component 91 inserted by end section 32 and Fig. 5C shows how also ducting com ponent 92 is inserted by end section 31 of the connection element 1. As can be seen in Fig. 5C the major part of the main body 2 is inserted into the ducting components 91 and 92. The lip elements 41, 42, 43, 44 firmly clamp ducting components 91 and 92 to the connection element. Each lip element 41, 42, 43, 44 comprises at least two lips extend ing in opposite direction with respect to each other, to allow connection element 1 to connect two opposite ducting components 91, 92. This is shown in detail for lip element 41 on the top panel and lip element 42 on a side panel. Lip element 41 has two lips 411, 412 extending in opposite direction with respect to each other from a central sec tion 413. Lip element 42 has 2 pairs of lips, the first pair, referred to with 421, 422, extending in opposite di rection with respect to the other pair, referred to with 423, 424, from a central section 425. The configuration of lip element 41 in this respect corresponds to that of lip element 43 and the configuration of lip element 42 corre sponds to that for lip element 44. The central sections are fixed to the main body 2 by welding points 5. Welding points 5 are distributed multiple positions in the direc tion of the axis of the connection element and at multiple positions in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the connection element. This avoids tilting of the lips, in creases the strength of the attachment of the lip elements 41, 42, 43, 44, and as a result also contributes to the strength and sealing properties of the connection between ducting components 91, 92. Each parallel pair of lips of lip elements 42 and 44 is separated by a notch for accom modation of a seam of a ducting component wherein said main body is to be inserted, if necessary. See the notch between lips 421 and 422 and the notch 10 between lips 423 and 424. Each lip has an end tab 8 under an angle of the main direction of the lip elements and facing away from the main body. This way the end portion 8 of the lip ele ments functions as tab portion that allows a user to lift the lips to loosen the clamping action of the lips. This facilitates installation because this way it becomes easi er to slide an end section 31, 32 of the main body 2 of the connection element 1 into a ducting component 91, 92 and it also facilitates de-installing a connection because it allows to easily slide an end section 31, 32 of the connection element 1 out of the ducting component 91, 92 connected thereto.

Fig.6. shows a top view of an exemplary connection element 11 according to the invention wherein its main body contains a turn that forces a change in direction of air flow. In the first end section of this element lip el ements 401, 402, 403 can be seen fixed on each panel of the rectangular outer circumference of the main body. The lip sections on the bottom panel are present but are not shown in Fig.6. In the second end section, which is or thogonal with respect to the first, lip elements 404, 405, 406 can be seen. The end sections are provided with a gas ket 701, 702 of (EPDM) rubber glued in a circumferential groove (not shown) surrounding the outer circumference of the main body. The lip elements 401 and 402 extend from fixing sections 407 and 408 respectively, where the lip elements are fixed by means of welds 501, 502. The other lip elements are similarly attached to the main body (not shown).

Fig.7 shows a perspective view of another exemplary connection element 111 according to the invention which contains an end section being insertable into an end sec tion of a ducting component with a rectangular inner cir cumference, while the end section is designed to be con nected with circular ducting components. In the rectangu lar end section of this element lip elements 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 can be seen fixed on each panel of the rectan gular outer circumference of the main body. The rectangu lar end section is provided with a gasket 7001 of (EPDM) rubber glued in a circumferential groove (not shown) sur rounding the outer circumference of the main body. The lip elements extend from fixing sections, where the lip ele ments are fixed by means of welds 5001. The other end sec tion has a circular cross section to allow connection with circular ducting components.