Abstract:
An air exit guidance which in particular is provided for arrangement in the personal service unit of an passenger aircraft. The guidance includes an air inlet and an air outlet as well as an adjustable throttle which is arranged at the inflow side of the air exit guidance.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application DE 10 2005 039 236.9-16 filed Aug. 19, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to an air exit guidance, in particular for the arrangement in the personal service unit of a passenger aircraft.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Common ventilation nozzles, as are for example arranged at present in the personal service units of passenger aircraft and passenger buses, as well as the dashboards of motor vehicles, create flow noises during use, which are perceived by many passengers to be unpleasant and annoying.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     Against this background, it is the object of the present invention to create a simply constructed air exit guidance which is uncomplicated in its manufacture and is improved with regard to the emission of noise.  
         [0005]     According to the invention, an air exit guidance is provided, in particular arranged in the personal service unit of a passenger aircraft or an air guidance system of a passenger aircraft or other vehicle is provided. The air exit guidance includes an air inlet, an air outlet and an adjustable throttle means, wherein the throttle means is arranged at the inflow side of the air exit guidance.  
         [0006]     The inventive air exit guidance feature forms the end of the ventilation system on the downstream side, with which the passengers in a passenger aircraft or in a vehicle are supplied with a ventilation flow. In particular it is provided for the arrangement in the personal service unit of a passenger aircraft, but may for example also be arranged in corresponding installations of a passenger bus or motor vehicle. The air exit guidance comprises an air inlet and an air outlet. The air exit guidance is connected by channel to the ventilation system via the air inlet, and the air outlet forms the downstream-side end of the air exit guidance to the surroundings to be ventilated. Also, the air exit guidance comprises an adjustable throttle means, with which the air quantity which is let out at the air outlet, or the airflow, may be changed, in particular with which the air exit guidance may also be closed.  
         [0007]     According to the invention, the throttle means is provided at the inflow-side of the air exit guide. With this arrangement, the throttle means within the air exit guidance is arranged at an as large as possible distance to the air outlet, and the flow path of the air from the throttle means to the air outlet is almost just as long as the flow path through the complete air exit guidance. This design has the advantage that the intensity of the sound caused by the throttle means and perceivable at the air exit, is reduced, since the air as the carrier of sound within the air exit guidance, proceeding from the throttle device as a sound source, has to cover a very large flow path up to the air outlet, wherein the sound intensity weakens on the way to the air outlet. A further advantage of this arrangement is the fact that with an air exit guidance installed in a fitting, for example in a personal service unit, the throttle means is arranged in a region which is located within the fitting or the personal service unit, which then also serves as an outer sound insulation feature.  
         [0008]     In a further advantageous design, with the air exit guidance, several air guidance channels to the air outlet are provided downstream of the throttle device. The air outlet is advantageously formed by the exit openings of the air guidance channels themselves. The air guidance channels form the flow conduits from the throttle means to the air outlet to the surroundings. Preferably, the air guidance channels are arranged parallel to one another. The use of several air guidance channels has the advantage that the inner walls of the air guidance channels together form a larger surface onto which the airflow flows, than this would be the case for example with a single air guidance channel with a correspondingly large cross section. This is particularly advantageous since the air columns located in the air guidance channels, which are set into oscillation by the sonic excitation at the throttle means, come across a significantly larger friction surface at which friction losses arise, which are then taken from the sonic energy. The sound intensity reduces in this manner, i.e. the air guidance channels from a sound absorber.  
         [0009]     Preferably, the air guidance channels are arranged in a manner such that the exit openings of the air guidance channels, which from the air outlet to the surroundings have such a distance to one another, that the air oscillations exiting at the exit openings superimpose outside the air exit guidance in a free jet, and by way of this mutually weaken one another, and in the most favorable case even cancel each other out.  
         [0010]     The air guidance channels are advantageously designed as long as possible, since they form resonance channels, with which, with an increasing length, the natural resonances of the air columns oscillating therein are displaced into lower frequency regions, which given the same sonic pressure are perceived by the human ear to be quieter than higher frequency ranges.  
         [0011]     It is known that with the sonic excitation at an edge onto which an airflow flows, the sound intensity as well as the frequency of the produced sound reduce with a decreasing flow speed. For this reason, the air inlet of the air exit guidance according to the invention usefully runs out into a diffuser space. The diffuser space is designed in a manner such that on the exit side of the air inlet, it forms a space with a flow cross section which is significantly reduced with respect to the air inlet, in which the flow speed is reduced at the exit side of the air inlet. Advantageously the diffusor space is arranged on the entry side of the throttle means, so that air whose flow speed is reduced with respect to the flow speed directly at the exit side of the air inlet, flows onto the throttle means.  
         [0012]     The air inlet is preferably formed by several air inlet openings. These are preferably arranged parallel and offset to the air guidance channels. Advantageously, the air inlet openings are positioned in a manner such that they run into the diffuser space, at a distance to the air guidance channels. The air inlet openings are particularly preferably arranged such that the airflow led through the air inlet openings is not directed directly onto an edge located in the air exit guidance, in particular onto an edge of the throttle means. By way of this, a direct production of sound by the airflow exiting at the air inlet openings is prevented.  
         [0013]     In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the air inlet, the throttle means, the air guidance channels as well as the air outlet are arranged in a flow guidance component which is pivotably mounted in a mounting- and fastening element in any direction. The flow guidance component preferably contains the complete flow path from the air inlet to the air outlet. The mounting- and fastening element may be designed as a separate component for installation into a fitting, or for example the personal service unit of a passenger aircraft. Apart from this, it is also possible for the mounting- and fastening element to be part of a fitting or a personal service unit. The flow guidance component is arranged and mounted within the mounting- and fastening element such that it is pivotable with respect to the mounting- and fastening element about at least two pivot axes. In this manner, airflow exiting from the air outlet may be directed in a targeted manner.  
         [0014]     Advantageously, the flow guidance component and the mounting- and fastening element form a ball joint for this. Thus the mounting- and fastening element may be designed in a manner such that it forms a hollow-ball-shaped bearing cup, in which the flow guidance component, which at least in sections has an outer shape which is complementary to the hollow-ball-shaped receiver space of the mounting- and fastening element, is arranged with a slight play.  
         [0015]     The flow guidance component is preferably designed of two parts. Thereby, the flow guidance component comprises a first component on which the air inlet is provided, and a second component, in which the air guidance channels are arranged. In this manner, the complete flow guidance component may be manufactured in an inexpensive manner for example from two plastic injection molded parts, without further components being necessary.  
         [0016]     Advantageously, the first and the second component are movable relative to one another, and form the throttle means. Thus the first component and the second component form a throttle valve, with which preferably the first component forms a closure body with which the flow cross section of the flow path from the air inlet to the air guidance channels may be changed.  
         [0017]     The air guidance channels are particularly advantageously closable on the inflow side indirectly or directly by a wall of the first component. Preferably, the air guidance channels are arranged in the second single-piece component, which is movable such that on the one hand it may be moved into a position distanced to the inner wall of the first component and in which a flow path from the air inlet to the air guidance channels exists, and on the other hand may be moved into a position in which the second component sealingly bears on the inner wall of the first component and thus closes the air guidance channels on the inflow side.  
         [0018]     In an advantageous manner, the first and the second component form the diffuser space in the assembled condition of the flow guidance component. The diffuser space is arranged in the flow guidance component in a manner such that it surrounds the air guidance channels preferably in an annular manner. For example, the second component may be designed in a pot-like manner, wherein the air guidance channels, proceeding from the middle of the inner base of the second component, extend in its longitudinal direction. The first component is preferably designed such that it covers the open pot end of the second component. The annular space which arises on assembly of the first and second component, thereby forms the diffuser space.  
         [0019]     In a preferred embodiment, the first component is designed as an outer component in the form of a ball section. In this manner, the flow guidance component may be arranged in the mounting- and fastening element in the manner of a ball joint. It is further preferable to arrange a threaded stem in the inside of the first component, onto which the second component may be screwed in an adjustable manner. Thus the second component may be adjustable in the axial direction by way of rotation with respect to the first component.  
         [0020]     Usefully, the second component has a handle with which the second component is movable relative to the first component in the direction of a middle axis of the flow guidance component. The handle thereby is arranged at a position of the air exit guidance which is easily accessible to the user. In a preferred embodiment, the handle is designed for rotating the second component with respect to the first component, wherein the second component is screwed on the first component in an adjustable manner.  
         [0021]     The invention is hereinafter described by way of an embodiment example represented in the drawing. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     In the drawings:  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a sectioned view of an air exit guidance with a closed throttle means; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a sectioned view of the air exit guidance according to  FIG. 1 , with an opened throttle means.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]     Referring to the drawings in particular, the air exit guidance system of the invention includes a flow guidance component  2  as well as a mounting and fastening part  4 , in which the flow guidance component  2  is mounted. The flow guidance component  2  is formed in a two-part manner with a first component (ball part)  6  which receives a second component (actuator part)  8 .  
         [0026]     The first component  6  is designed in an essentially hollow manner and has an outer shape which corresponds to a ball with a cut-off spherical cap. The component  6  thus comprises a circular, open end-side  10 . Proceeding from this end-side  10 , the inner space of the component  6  is firstly designed in a cylindrical-hollow manner, in order then to run into a calotte-shaped, closed region. A threaded stem  12  extends on this calotte-shaped region of the inner space from the inner wall of the component  6  in the direction of the open end-side  10 . Thereby, the threaded stem  12  has a longitudinal axis A which runs through the middle of the end-side  10 .  
         [0027]     The second component  8  is designed in a pot-like manner and has an outer diameter which corresponds to the inner diameter of the mounting- and fastening component  4  in its hollow-cylindrical region. The pot-like component  8  on the inside has a stem  14  which extends from the base of the component  8  and which is arranged centrally of the cylindrical outer wall and projects beyond this. A threaded pocket hole  16  is formed at the free end of the stem  14 , into which hole the threaded stem  12  of the component  6  engages.  
         [0028]     The threaded stem  12  is screwed into the threaded pocket hole  16  in the assembled condition of the flow guidance component  2 . In an end position, the stem  14 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , abuts with its end-side against the inner wall of the component  6  in its calotte-shaped region and bears on its inner wall in a sealing manner. In the assembled condition of the flow guidance component  2 , the outer wall of the component  8  has a slight play with the inner wall of the component  6  in its hollow-cylindrical region. A sealing ring  18  which is arranged on the outside in the region of the free end of the outer wall of the component  8  thereby seals the component  6  with respect to the component  8 .  
         [0029]     A diffuser space  20  is formed within the components  6  and  8 , which extends annularly around the stem  14  from the component  8  and is limited on the outside essentially by the outer wall of the component  8 , and above its free end by the inner wall of the component  6 , which is designed in a calotte-shaped manner.  
         [0030]     Several recess  22  which form air inlet openings passing through the outer wall of the component  6  are distributed parallel to the middle axis A and annularly about the middle axis A, in the component  6 . The recesses  22  with the flow guidance component  2  run out into the diffuser space  20  and specifically next to the stem  14 . They form a flow connection from outside the flow guidance component  2  to the diffuser space  20 .  
         [0031]     Several air guidance channels  24  which form resonance channels are arranged in a circular manner about the threaded pocket hole  16  on the component  8 . These air guidance channels  24  extend from the end-face of the stem  14  to the free end-face of the component  8  on the base, where they form exit openings  36 . In each case, adjacent exit openings  36  thereby have a distance to one another, which is dimensioned such that the airflows exiting there during operation of the air exit guidance, and thus also the air oscillations, superimpose, and the air oscillations partly mutually cancel one another in this manner, by which means the sound emission is further reduced.  
         [0032]     The mounting- and fastening component  4  is designed as a hollow body of revolution, open at two opposite sides. Proceeding from an air inlet  26 , the inner space of the mounting- and fastening component  4  is firstly designed in a cylindrical manner, in order subsequently to widen in the shape of a ball segment. This section of the inner space of the mounting- and fastening component which is hollowed out in a ball-segment-shaped manner serves for receiving the flow guidance component  2 . Accordingly, the ball-segment-shaped section of the mounting- and fastening element  4  is designed such that it corresponds to the spherical outer shape of the outer component  6  of the flow guidance component  2 .  
         [0033]     The flow guidance component  2  is mounted in the mounting- and fastening component  4  with little play in the manner of a ball joint, so that it is rotatable in all directions B, and is pivotable in a limited manner in any directions C. A sealing ring  34  is arranged between the outer wall of the component  6  as well as the inner wall of the mounting- and fastening part  4 .  
         [0034]     While the component  6  of the flow guidance component  2  in the installed condition terminates essentially flush with the mounting- and fastening component  4 , the region around the free end-face at the base of the component  8  projects out of the mounting- and fastening component  4 . A region of the component  8  is designed as a handle  30  in a shouldered manner, with which the component  8  may be rotated relative to the component  6 , in order to be able to move the flow guidance component  2  from a closed position shown in  FIG. 1 , into the opened position represented in  FIG. 2 , or into any intermediate position.  
         [0035]     The mounting- and fastening component  4  forms the outflow-side end of a ventilation system which is not represented in the figures, with which it is conductingly connected via the air inlet  26 . Air flows from the ventilation system onto a region  28  extending from the air inlet  26  to the flow guidance component  2 . Air firstly flows into the diffuser space  20  via the recesses  22 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the flow path of the air ends in the diffuser space  20  when the stem  14  is screwed onto the threaded stem  12  such that the end-face of the stem  14  sealingly bears on the inner side of the component  6 .  
         [0036]     By way of rotation of the handle  30  in a direction B, the component  8  may now be adjusted with respect to the component  6 , such that as shown in  FIG. 2 , a gap  32  is formed between the end-face of the stem  14  and the inner side of the component  6 . The gap  32  releases a flow path from the diffuser space  20  to the air guidance channels  24 , so that with this position, a flow path X is created from the ventilation system via recess  22  to the diffuser space  20  and from there via the gap  32  to the air guidance channels  24  and further to the surroundings. Thus the stem  14  together with the inner side of the component  6  form a throttle means whose changeable throttle cross section is formed by the gap  32 . The airflows exiting at the exit openings  36  of the air guidance channels  24  or the air quantity flowing out may be set by way of rotating the handle  30  and thus by way of changing the size of the gap  32 , i.e. of the throttle cross section.  
         [0037]     While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.  
       APPENDIX  
       [0038]     TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:  
         [0039]     BE IT KNOWN THAT WE, Rüdiger Meckes of Moorhof 8, D-23919 Berkenthin Federal Republic of Germany, and WOLFGANG RITTNER, of An der Trave 1, D-23623 Siblin, Federal Republic of Germany, both German citizens, have invented certain new and useful improvements in an AIR EXIT GUIDANCE of which the above is a specification.  
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS  
       [0000]    
       
           2  flow guidance component  
           4  mounting- and fastening component  
           6  first component of  2   
           8  second component of  2   
           10  end-side  
           12  threaded stem  
           14  stem  
           16  pocket hole  
           18  sealing ring  
           20  diffuser space  
           22  recesses, air inlet openings  
           24  air guidance channels  
           26  air inlet  
           28  region  
           30  handle  
           32  gap  
           34  sealing ring  
           36  exit openings  
          A longitudinal, middle axis  
          B rotational directions  
          C pivot directions  
          X flow path