Fluid distribution device

Claim 1

A heat exchanger for an air flow, comprising: a duct including a hump and a base portion, a hump top of said hump opposed to and facing said base portion; a heat transfer matrix mounted on said base portion, said hump enclosing, in a spaced manner, said matrix thereby forming a free air flow passageway therebetween, said matrix allowing air to flow therethrough; a damper plate pivotally mounted on said matrix upstream thereof, said damper plate closing said free air flow passageway when said dAmper plate is in a first position thereby forcing air to flow through said matrix, said damper plate covering a portion of said matrix when said damper plate is in a second position thereby allowing air to flow through said free air flow passageway; a first plate mounted within said duct and facing an upstream portion of said matrix, a periphery of said first plate on the hump top side being contiguous to a periphery of said damper plate on the base portion side when said damper plate is in said second position, a periphery of said first plate on the base portion side facing, in a spaced manner, said base portion, said first plate having at least one first aperture, the distance between said first plate periphery on the base portion side and a periphery of said first aperture on the base portion side which is near said first plate periphery on the base portion side being substantially the same as the distance between said first plate periphery on the base portion side and said base portion; a second plate having at least one second aperture and being substantially the same in size and shape as said first plate, said second aperture being substantially the same in location within said second plate and in size and shape as said first aperture, said second plate being so constructed that a land contiguous to said second aperture and on the hump top side of said second aperture closes said first aperture corresponding to said second aperture when said second plate is so positioned that a periphery of said second plate on the base portion side touches said base portion; means for linking said second plate with said damper plate, said second plate substantially overlapping said first plate when said first plate is in said first position, said second plate periphery on the base portion side touching said base portion when said damper plate is in said second position; and means connected to said damper plate for holding said damper plate selectively in said first or second position and moving said damper plate therebetween.