Device for protection against the transmission of pathogens by aerosols in enclosed spaces

Abstract

Device (1) for protecting a single person from several persons (19) located at predetermined locations in a closed room against mutual transmission of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols - with a fan (4), an air guiding device (5) and an air treatment device (6), which are designed to - to extract air (8) from the room at a suction height, - to treat the extracted air (8) in such a way that the pathogens contained therein are retained and / or killed, and - to blow the extracted and treated air (8) into the room at a discharge height above the extraction height in such a way that an air curtain (10) of downward-flowing air (8) is formed at a horizontal distance in front of the head of the individual person (19), - wherein the device (1) comprises a mobile structure (3) which can be set up on a floor (2) of the room, - wherein the fan (4), the air guiding device (5) and the air treatment device (6) are mounted on the structure (3) and / or formed by the structure (3) and - wherein the fan (4) and all other devices (5, 6) mounted on or formed by the structure (3) are designed to - to form the air curtain (10) from downward flowing air (8) only at one of the specified locations, - to extract only the air (8) flowing downwards at the only one of the specified locations of the air curtain (10) formed here, - to treat only the air extracted at the only one of the specified locations (8) of the air curtain (10) formed here and - to blow out only the air (8) extracted and treated at the only one of the specified locations of the air curtain (10) formed here and exclusively for the purpose of forming the same air curtain (10) at the only one of the specified locations, - wherein the device (1) comprises an alignment device which is designed to align the individual person (19) at the only one of the predetermined locations in a desired position relative to the structure (3), - wherein the air guiding device (5) comprises a horizontally elongated suction opening (11) or a horizontal row of suction openings, via which the fan (4) sucks the air (8) coming from above of the air curtain (10) downwards, and - wherein the air guiding device (5) comprises air guiding elements (16) which are laterally connected to the air curtain (10) formed at the only one of the predetermined locations, characterized in that - that the alignment device has a table (14), - that the extraction opening (11) or the row of extraction openings is arranged on the front edge (12) of a table top (13), - that the air guide elements (16) are connected to the side edges (17) of the table top (13), - that the air guiding elements (16) are double-walled, and - that the air guiding device (5) is designed to blow out the air (8) for the air curtain (10) from the side, wherein the lateral supply of the air (8) takes place via the double-walled air guiding elements (16).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a device for protecting a single person from a plurality of persons located in a closed space at predetermined locations from mutual transfer of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols. More particularly, the invention relates to a device having the features of the preamble of independent claim 1.PRIOR ARTAn essential transmission path for viral infections, e.g. of Covid-19, is aerosols, i.e. suspensions of viruses or of water droplets containing viruses in air. For certain sizes of water droplets, these droplets remain in the air for a longer time of many minutes without sinking to the ground due to their higher density, in particular if the air is not stationary but is in motion. At the same time, the water droplets can be so large that their water content does not evaporate at average atmospheric humidity over the period of many minutes. Under these conditions, the viruses contained in the water droplets survive actively and can spread over many meters with the air. If further viruses are continuously excreted by an infected person in the form of such an aerosol, they can also accumulate in limited volumes, in particular in the air in enclosed spaces. This increases the virus load in other persons inhaling a certain volume of this air and thus taking up the viruses. If these other persons are kept in the same room for a longer time, this results in a high probability of transmission of the viral infection.In order to reduce the risk of transmitting a viral infection via aerosols, it is expedient to ventilate enclosed spaces in such a way that a regular exchange of the air in the space with fresh air or with purified air, i.e. air freed from its viral charge, takes place. However, if, for example, ventilation of a room is effected through open windows on one side of the room, an air flow is regularly formed in the room, which air flow runs from the windows close to the floor to the opposite side of the room and, after an ascent there, back to the windows close to the ceiling. Such a roller-shaped flow results in a virus-laden aerosol excreted by a person located at the windows reaching many further persons located in the space before being discharged through the windows. Overall, although the ventilation of the space over windows prevents the aerosol from accumulating in the respective space, the fundamental spreading of the aerosol in the space is not prevented. This also assumes not inconsiderable risks of transmitting a viral infection. This applies in particular when the infected person is present in the respective room for a longer time together with the other persons not yet infected. Then, even with a lower virus load of the air in the room, a high virus load occurs over time for all persons located in the room.In order to remove pollutant-laden air from a room without risk, the concept of displacement ventilation is known, in which air is supplied on one side, for example the ceiling of the respective room, and is discharged on the opposite side. If a laminar flow of air is thereby formed between the two sides of the space and no person is in the space behind the source of pollutant in the direction of the flow, any person in the space should be supplied with unloaded air. As a result, in principle any viruses excreted by a person as an aerosol would also be safely discharged from the space without contact with other persons. In this case, the air supplied in the space can be fresh air, or the air discharged from the space is purified before it is supplied back to the space. A mixture of the air supplied in the room from fresh air and purified exhaust air is also known.However, a laminar flow of the air between the space side in which the air is supplied and the space side in which the air is discharged presupposes both a surface introduction of the air and a surface discharge of the air. Moreover, the air flow must not be disturbed either by convection as a result of heat sources in the room, which also include persons located in the room, or by movements of objects which also include moving persons occurring in the room. In addition, even in the case of ideal displacement ventilation in the vertical direction, the problem arises that horizontally exhaled air interferes with the vertical air flow. This is true for normally exhaled air, even more for air exhaled during louder speaking or singinging, and quite extremely for exhaled air. Certain disturbances of the laminar flow can be compensated for by a higher velocity of the flow in order to prevent a spread of possible pollutants in the air transversely to the desired direction of the flow. The speeds of the flow of air required for this purpose are, however, quickly perceived as disturbing by persons who are present in the room. Moreover, they are also detrimental to the health of the persons in the room.In the usual ventilation of the cabins of commercial aircraft, air is supplied at points through air nozzles above the seats of the passengers and discharged in the floor area of the cabin. The selective supply of the air already leads to its swirling. Further turbulence occurs due to convection caused by the passengers as heat sources and due to the movements of passengers and cabin personnel. In addition, there is a problem that horizontally exhaled air interferes with the vertical air flow.M. Hacker et al.: "Air Shield.", WHITE PAPER from TEAGUE, 2020, discloses, in order to prevent a mutual transmission of viral infections between passengers of an aircraft, forming air mists from air flowing comparatively quickly from top to bottom in front of the individual passengers. For this purpose, air is blown out downwardly in front of the individual passengers from slot nozzles extending in the horizontal J-shaped manner on the ceiling of the cabin and is suctioned off laterally on the floor of the cabin. The air mists are intended to remove aerosols excreted by the passengers, even if they strike the vertical air mist at a high horizontal speed during coughing, for example. The J-shaped slot nozzles at the top of the passengers are intended to replace the usual punctiform air supply nozzles above the passengers. As is customary in commercial aircraft, the supplied air is to consist partly of fresh air and partly of purified air discharged from the cabin.The risk of transmitting a viral infection between several persons located in a room is a major problem in the return to normal operation, e.g. schools during the current Covid 19 pandemia. Continuous ventilation of class rooms via open windows is not only of limited effectiveness, but also of little practicable at least at very low external temperatures, wind and rain and noise coming from the outside. The equipment of class rooms with a real displacement ventilation is at the same time just as nonrealistic as the equipment of class rooms with a stationary ventilation corresponding to a cabin ventilation of a commercial aircraft, be it a conventional cabin ventilation or a cabin ventilation according to the concept "AirShield.". The need to adapt a class space to different student numbers by changing the number and adjusting the tables alone opposes the feasibility of stationary ventilation according to the concept "Air Shield.".It is known from C. J. Kahler et al.: "Can mobile air space cleaners effectively reduce an indirect risk of infection by aerosols?", Reprint, August 2020, see https: / / www.researchgate.net / publication / 343514511, that with air space cleaners the accumulation of aerosols loaded with viruses in closed spaces can be reduced in order to reduce the risk of transmission of virus infections. However, the risk of direct infection by direct coughing or long maintenance over short distances cannot reduce room air cleaners.From GB 2 575 784 A it is known to provide air curtain units in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Each air curtain unit generates an air curtain to separate the passenger compartment into a plurality of zones. Fans blow air into the separate zones and a ventilation system supplies air in different states, respectively. The air curtain units have elongated nozzles at the upper end and suction means at the lower end of the air curtains. The air curtains separate the areas of the individual passengers in the individual places in the passenger compartment.U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,635 A has already described an air conditioning system for a vehicle having a device for forming air curtains between an upper air nozzle part and a lower air suction opening part.From JP 2018-43 727 A an air conditioner for a vehicle is known, comprising a C-shaped element for enclosing a seat of the vehicle from behind. On the side of the seat, air curtains are formed in a boundary area between an interior of the vehicle and the seat defined by the respective seat with an air supply device in order to separate the seat from the interior.US 2006 / 0 063 966 A1 discloses an insulation unit for a hospital bed. The hospital bed has a mattress overlay. The isolation unit comprises a frame spaced above the mattress support and a frame below the mattress support. Air is blown out via the upper frame in the direction of the lower frame and the air is suctioned off at the lower frame, so that an air curtain is formed around the mattress support between the upper frame and the lower frame. Thus, a patient resting on the mattress on the mattress support is isolated from other patients who are in the same room.US 2004 / 0 007 904 A1 discloses a medical chair with devices for forming a protective air curtain, which has the features of the preamble of independent claim 1. Air is blown out above a seat surface of the chair via nozzles which are arranged in front of and next to a person sitting on the seat surface in the horizontal direction. The air flowing out of the nozzles forms an air curtain which is sucked out through suction openings which are arranged in lateral edge regions of the front edge and in front regions of the side edges of the seat surface. At the sides of the seat surface, rearward vertical walls connect to the air curtain. The side walls extend to a double-walled backrest which is advanced above the seat surface as far as the nozzles and serves for supplying the air to the nozzles. The person sitting on the medical chair is thus completely shielded from the surroundings of the chair, except for his legs.DE 42 34 729 A1 discloses a preparation device for use in anatomy. The preparation device has an air supply unit and an air discharge unit and a table for receiving an object to be prepared. Suction slits are provided laterally on the table. The exhaust air unit is connected to these exhaust slits. With the supply air unit, a displacement jet is directed from above onto the one to be prepared. By means of the exhaust air unit, air is extracted via the extraction slots from the region of the object to be prepared into a region laterally below the object with a horizontal component in the direction of the object to be prepared. With this measure, formaldehyde-containing vapors passing over the edge of the table are automatically drawn inward and can be discharged there, while the liquid and solid particles entrained by the vapors during the flow fall from the table downward onto the floor.OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is based on the object of demonstrating a device for protecting a single person from a plurality of persons located in a closed space at predetermined locations from a mutual transmission of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols, which device can also be used in practical terms in class rooms with adjustable tables.SOLUTIONThe object of the invention is achieved by a device having the features of independent claim 1. The dependent claims are directed to preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention.DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn order to protect a plurality of persons located in a closed space at predetermined locations from a mutual transfer of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols, air is extracted from the space at an extraction height, the extracted air is treated in such a way that the pathogens contained therein are retained and / or killed, and the extracted and treated air is extracted at the predetermined locations at an extraction height above the extraction height into the space in such a way that air mists of downwardly flowing air form at a horizontal distance in front of the heads of the persons. At each of the predetermined locations, an air curtain spaced from the air shields at each other of the predetermined locations is blown out. The downwardly flowing air of each of the air shields is drawn off at a spatial distance from the air of each other of the air shields. The sucked air of each of the air mists is treated separately from the sucked air of each other of the air mists; and the sucked and treated air of each of the air mists is blown out only to form the same air mist at the same predetermined space.For each of the predetermined places and thus for each of the persons located in one of the predetermined places in the room, a separate air curtain is formed which is spatially separated from all other air curtain. In addition, the air used to form the air curtain is kept separate from the air used to form all other air curtain. This ensures that aerosols which are ejected, for example, during coughing from one person to far into the respective air curtain do not pose any risk to another person in the room, even if they are not immediately entrained with the air curtain and are supplied with the latter to the treatment of the suctioned-off air, but rather only takes place over time. Pathogens which are not immediately completely retained or killed either do not pass at all back into the vicinity of the same person who has excreted them, so that the transmission to other persons is ruled out because the air for each of the persons located at one of the predetermined places in the space is guided in a separate circuit.The indication that persons located in the closed space at predetermined places are protected from the mutual transmission of pathogens means that the persons are to be located at the predetermined places to be protected. It does not mean that the places are fixed inside the room and, in particular, that the places are fixed by facilities of the room.Accordingly, at each of the predetermined locations, the respective person is oriented into a desired position with respect to the air curtain formed at the predetermined location. This is done by such measures as a table and / or a chair for the person to be protected as an alignment aid.At each of the predetermined locations, air guiding elements are arranged laterally adjacent to the air curtain formed there. These air guiding elements guide the air curtain and / or delimit it spatially in a defined manner. With the aid of the air guiding elements, the respective predefined space can, however, also be enclosed more easily than only with the air curtain over a horizontal angle of at least 180° about a vertical axis by a desired position of the respective person at the predefined space. The desired position of the respective person relates in particular to the position of the mouth / nose region of the respective person. The entire region in front of the respective person is thus bounded or shielded either by the air curtain or by the air curtain and the air guiding elements. The at least partial shielding by the air curtain compared to air guiding elements has the great advantage that sound waves can pass through unimpeded. In particular, such verbal contact of a person protected before the transmission of pathogens with a further person standing in front of him and possibly also in front of other protected persons is possible in a substantially unhindered manner. In addition, each of the persons in the predetermined locations as well as the further person located in front of them is protected by the air mists from the transmission of pathogens via aerosols, because the air mists effect this protection in both directions. The regions shielded at the individual predetermined locations according to the invention can be open to the rear because no pathogens reach the front from predetermined locations located behind, but are intercepted by the air mists formed at these locations. In principle, however, it is possible, with the aid of the air curtain and optionally together with the air guiding elements, to shield each of the predetermined spaces over at least 270° or also over full 360° about the vertical axis by the desired position of the respective person at the respective predetermined space.The air aspirated at each of the predetermined sites may be filtered through a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter to retain pathogens. Alternatively or additionally, the air extracted can be treated, for example, with UV light and / or ozone and / or a physical plasma in order to kill the pathogens. In addition, the air drawn off, before it is blown out again to form the air curtain, can be adjusted with respect to its temperature and / or its air humidity to a predetermined temperature or predetermined air humidity. Thus, the room climate in the respective room can be regulated. However, it should be noted that no fresh air is supplied to the room. Accordingly, fresh air supply into the room must be provided differently, for example by means of interval ventilation. However, fresh air must be supplied into a closed space completely regardless of whether or not there is a risk of pathogens being transmitted therein.At each of the predetermined locations, a volume flow of the air extracted and exhausted may be adjusted depending on a noise level measured at the respective location. The noise level measured at the respective predetermined location is an indication of the speed at which aerosols are ejected by the person located at the respective predetermined location, that is to say for example only by quiet breathing, loud speaking or even coughing. The volume flow and thus also the downward speed of the air of the respective air curtain can be adapted to this. Typical velocities of air in the air curtain are between one and several meters per second. Although air flowing at such speeds is perceived as disturbing when it impinges directly on a person, it is even associated with the risk of cold diseases. The air curtain formed does not, however, impinge on the persons located at the respective predetermined location, but is arranged at a horizontal distance in front of this person. Typical values of this horizontal distance are between a few and a few decimeters, i.e. in particular between 2 dm and 10 dm or between 3 dm and 6 dm.The setting of the air flow of the air suctioned off and blown out can alternatively or additionally be set as a function of measured values of a physiological parameter of the respective person at the respective location, for example as a function of their breathing or pulse frequency. Such a physiological parameter also permits a direct or indirect conclusion to be drawn about actual or expected speeds of aerosols ejected in the horizontal direction.The device according to the invention serves to protect a single person from a plurality of persons located in a closed space at predetermined locations from a mutual transfer of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols. The apparatus has a blower, an air guide device and an air treatment device which are configured together to suck air out of the space at an extraction height, to treat the extracted air in such a way that the pathogens contained therein are retained and / or killed, and to blow the extracted and treated air into the space at an extraction height above the extraction height in such a way that an air curtain of downwardly flowing air forms at a horizontal distance in front of the head of the individual person. Furthermore, the device has a mobile structure which can be placed on a floor of the room. The blower, the air guiding device and the air treatment device are mounted on the structure and / or formed by the structure. The blower and all other devices mounted on the structure or formed by the same are configured to form the air curtain of downwardly flowing air only at a single one of the predetermined locations, to suck off only the air of the air curtain formed here flowing downwardly at the single one of the predetermined locations, to treat only the air of the air curtain formed here sucked off at the single one of the predetermined locations and to blow off only the air of the air curtain formed here sucked off and treated at the single one of the predetermined locations and to form only the same air curtain at the single one of the predetermined locations. Accordingly, several of the devices according to the invention are to be provided for the several persons located in the closed space at the predetermined locations and to be protected.Each of the devices according to the invention comprises an alignment device which is designed to align the individual person at the single one of the predetermined locations with respect to their head into a desired position with respect to the structure of the device. The alignment device has a table. Thus, the device according to the invention can in particular comprise a desk on which the respective person sits on a chair, or a desk in front of which the respective person stands. Although each of these devices does not direct the head of the respective person directly but indirectly orients it sufficiently precisely into the desired position in front of which the device according to the invention forms the air curtain at the horizontal distance.Via a horizontally elongated suction opening or a horizontal row of suction openings of the air guidance device, the blower draws down the air of the air curtain coming from above. Thus, the lower edge of the air curtain is defined by the air guide device.Specifically, the suction opening or the row of suction openings of the air guidance device is arranged at the front edge of a table top and thus at a suction height above the floor of the room. At the same time, the air curtain is thus arranged at a reasonable horizontal distance in front of the head of a person sitting on the table. The air curtain is not formed by an elongated slit nozzle or a horizontal row of individual nozzles arranged directly above the suction opening or the row of suction openings, but the air for the air curtain is blown out from the side, so that the field of vision of the person protected by the device is not limited in the upward direction. The lateral supply of the air is effected specifically via double-walled air guiding elements which connect laterally to the air curtain formed at the single one of the predetermined locations. These laterally adjoining air guiding elements are also provided to laterally delimit the region shielded for the respective person by the device according to the invention. The lateral air guiding elements adjoin lateral edges of the table top at the respective location and can be optically transparent in order not to also bring about an optical delimitation of the respective location.As already stated, the air curtain or the air curtain together with the air guiding elements can enclose the respective space over at least 180° or over at least 270° or over 360° about a vertical axis through the or a desired position of the individual position at the respective space.The air treatment device of the device according to the invention can comprise a HEPA filter and / or a UV light source and / or an ozone generator and / or a plasma generator and optionally a heat source and / or a heat sink and / or a moisture source and / or a moisture sink. The optional components of the air treatment device allow the air-conditioning device according to the invention to be used up. However, it is understood that if the air treatment device of the device according to the invention has a heat sink, a possibility for heat dissipation must also be present, such as a stationary coolant circuit, for example, to which the device according to the invention can be connected in the space.A control of the blower of the device according to the invention can set a delivery rate of the blower depending on a noise level measured at the single of the predefined locations. This can be, in particular, the breathing and / or speaking and / or sing and / or coughing noise level already discussed in connection with the method according to the invention. Furthermore, when adjusting the delivery rate of the blower, measured values of at least one physiological parameter of the individual person protected by the device according to the invention can be taken into account. The fact that these physiological parameters can be, in particular, the breathing rate and / or heart rate of the respective person has likewise already been addressed in connection with the method according to the invention.Advantageous further developments of the invention are evident from the patent claims, the description and the drawings.The advantages of features and combinations of a plurality of features mentioned in the description are merely exemplary and can be applied alternatively or cumulatively without the advantages necessarily having to be achieved by embodiments according to the invention.With regard to the disclosure content-not the scope of protection-of the original application documents and of the patent the following applies: Further features can be taken from the drawings-in particular the geometries shown and the relative dimensions of a plurality of components with respect to one another and their relative arrangement and operative connection. The combination of features of different embodiments of the invention or of features of different patent claims is likewise possible deviating from the selected relations of the patent claims and is hereby excited. This also relates to features which are illustrated in separate drawings or are mentioned in the description thereof. These features can also be combined with features of different patent claims. Features listed in the patent claims can likewise be omitted for further embodiments of the invention, but this does not apply to the independent patent claims of the issued patent.The features mentioned in the patent claims and the description should be understood in terms of their number such that exactly this number or a greater number than the mentioned number is present, without the need for explicit use of the adverb "at least". Thus, for example, when a blower is mentioned, this is to be understood as meaning that exactly one blower, two blowers or more blowers are present. The features mentioned in the patent claims can be supplemented by other features or be the only features that the respective method or the respective device has.The reference numerals included in the claims do not represent a limitation on the scope of the subject matter protected by the claims. They are intended merely to make the claims more readily understood.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESThe invention is explained and described further on the basis of the figures. Fig. 1 is a side view of a first device not falling under the claims, comprising a desk and a chair. Fig. 2 is a top view of a second apparatus according to the invention having a desk and a chair. FIG. 3 is a front view of the second device according to the invention shown in FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 is a top view of a third device, not subject to the claims, with a treadmill.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESIn FIG. 1 a device 1 for protecting a single person 19 from a plurality of persons located in a closed space at predetermined locations from a mutual transfer of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols is shown. The space except for its floor 2, the other persons located in the space, the pathogens and the aerosols are not shown. The device 1 has a structure 3 which stands on the floor 2 of the room. The structure 3 supports and / or forms: a blower 4, an air guide device 5 and an air treatment device 6. the air guide device 5 comprises a horizontally elongated slot nozzle 7, from which the blower 4 blows out air 8 at a blowing height above the floor 2. The air 8, which is initially blown out horizontally, is deflected downward by a curved air guiding element 9 of the air guiding device 5 and then forms an air curtain 10 of downwardly flowing air. The air of the air curtain 10 is suctioned off again by the blower 4 via a likewise horizontally elongated suction opening 11 of the air guiding device 5, namely at a suction height of the suction opening 11 above the floor 2 at a vertical distance below the blowing height of the slot nozzle 7. Before the air 8 is blown out again from the slot nozzle 7, the air 8 is treated in the air treatment device 6 in such a way that the pathogens contained therein are either retained and / or killed. The air curtain 10 extends in front of the front edge 12 of a table top 13 of a desk 14 of the device 1. On the desk 14 the person 19 to be protected with the device 1 sits on a chair 15. A virtual vertical axis 23 runs through this desired position of the person 19, specifically through the mouth / nose region of the person 19 at the desired position. Laterally and to the rear beyond the vertical axis 23, the space for the person 19 shielded by the device 1 is bounded by plate-shaped air guiding elements 16 which extend vertically upward from side edges 17 of the table top 13. Like the air guiding element 9, the air guiding elements 16 can be optically transparent. The device 1 does not interfere with verbal communication of the person protected by it with a person in front of it. Sound coming from behind is also not necessarily shielded, since only the slotted nozzle 7, the curved air guiding element 9 and the suction opening 11 of the air guiding device 5 have to extend over the entire width of the place at which the person is located. On the other hand, aerosols excreted by the person during breathing, speaking, singing or coughing are discharged from the air curtain 10 arranged at a distance in front of its head and passed through the air treatment device 6. Any aerosols rising upward by convection from the person are also entrained here not only by the vertical air curtain or taken up by it, but also directly captured by the air emerging from the slot nozzle 7, even if the direction vertically upward is not a typical direction of propagation of the aerosols separated by a person sitting on a desk 14. Any aerosols which are excreted in the direction of the protected person by a person located in front of the person protected by the device 1 are likewise intercepted and discharged by the air curtain 10 so that they do not reach the protected person.The device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mobile together with the desk 14 and the chair 15. It can thus be placed anywhere on the floor 2 within the room, in order to define a space where a person is protected by the device 1. Accordingly, a device 1 can be provided and arranged for each person to be protected in the respective space. However, it is also possible to protect especially only those persons who are more likely to excrete pathogens and / or those persons who are particularly endangered by transmitting pathogens because, for example, their defense system is weakened.FIGS. 2 and 3 show, just like FIG. 1, a highly diagrammatic representation of a second apparatus 1 according to the invention. Here, the supporting structure 3, which stands on the floor 2, is that of the desk 14 with the table top 13. Directly on the front edge 12 of the table top 13 runs the suction opening 11 of the air guide device 5. There, with here two separate blowers 4, the air 8 is sucked in through the air treatment device 6 and then conveyed into the air guide elements 16, which are here of double-walled design, on the side edges 17 of the table top 13. At the vertical front edges of the double-walled air guiding elements 16, the air exits obliquely from above onto the suction opening 11 and is thereby directed by louvers 18 of the air guiding device 5. Thus, here too, an air curtain 10 of downwardly flowing air 8 is formed above the suction opening 11 in front of the front edge 12 of the table top 13 and thus in front of the head of a person sitting on the chair 15 on the desk 14.In the third device 1 according to FIG. 4, the person 19 protected by it is schematically shown. The person 19 runs on a treadmill 20 of the device 1. a controller 21 of the device 1 controls the delivery volume of the blower 4 depending on measured values 22 of a physiological parameter of the person 19, for example its breathing rate. Thus, the velocity of the downwardly flowing air 8 of the air curtain 10 is adapted to the potential velocity at which the person 19 ejects aerosol when breathing. The air curtain 10 which is also U-shaped in horizontal section here between a U-shaped, directly downwardly directed slot nozzle 7 and a corresponding U-shaped, upwardly directed suction opening 11 of the air guidance device 5 extends over a horizontal angle of almost 270° about a vertical axis 23. The person 19 can walk on the treadmill 20 without restricting his freedom of movement by the components of the device 1 protecting him or her environment from aerosols, i.e. exactly as if the treadmill 20 were not part of the device 1, but a stand-alone treadmill 20.LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS1 Device 2 Floor 3 Structure 4 Blower 5 Air guiding device 6 Air treatment device 7 Slotted nozzle 8 Air 9 (curved) air guiding element 10 Air curtain 11 Suction opening 12 Front edge 13 Table top 14 Desk 15 Chair 16 Air guiding element 17 Side edge 18 Slat 19 Person 20 Treadmill 21 Controller 22 Measured value 23 Vertical axis

Claims

Device (1) for protecting a single person (19) located in a closed space at predetermined locations from mutual transfer of pathogens by excreted and re-inhaled aerosols, comprising - a blower (4), an air guiding device (5) and an air treatment device (6) which are designed to - suck air (8) out of the space at a suction height, - treat the sucked-off air (8) in such a way that the pathogens contained therein are retained and / or killed, and - blow the sucked-off and treated air (8) into the space at a blow-off height above the suction height in such a way that an air mist (10) of downwardly flowing air (8) forms at a horizontal distance in front of the head of the single person (19), wherein the apparatus (1) has a mobile structure (3) which can be placed on a floor (2) of the space, - wherein the fan (4), the air guiding device (5) and the air treatment device (6) are mounted on the structure (3) and / or are formed by the structure (3), and - wherein the fan (4) and all other devices (5, 6) which are mounted on the structure (3) or formed by the latter are formed to - form the air curtain (10) from downwardly flowing air (8) only at a single one of the predetermined locations, - to suck off only the air (8) of the air curtain (10) formed here which flows downwardly at the single one of the predetermined locations, - only the air (8) of the air curtain (10) formed here that is suctioned off at the single one of the predetermined locations to be treated and - only the air (8) of the air curtain (10) formed here that is suctioned off and treated at the single one of the predetermined locations to be blown off and only for forming the same air curtain (10) at the single one of the predetermined locations, - wherein the apparatus (1) comprises an alignment device which is formed to align the single person (19) at the single one of the predetermined locations into a target position with respect to the structure (3), - wherein the air guide device (5) comprises a horizontally elongate suction opening (11) or a horizontal row of suction openings via which the fan (4) sucks off the air (8) of the air curtain (10) coming from above in a downward direction, and - wherein the air guide device (5) comprises air guide elements (16), Air curtain (10) formed laterally on the single one of the predetermined locations, characterized in that - the alignment device has a table (14), - the suction opening (11) or the row of suction openings is arranged on the front edge (12) of a table top (13), - the air guiding elements (16) connect to side edges (17) of the table top (13), - the air guiding elements (16) are double-walled, and - the air guiding device (5) is formed to blow out the air (8) for the air curtain (10) from the side, wherein the lateral supply of the air (8) takes place via the double-walled air guiding elements (16).Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the air-guiding elements (16) are optically transparent.Device (1) according to one of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the air curtain (10) together with the air guiding elements (16) enclose the single one of the predetermined positions over at least 180° or over at least 270° about a vertical axis (23) through the or a desired position of the individual person (19) at the single one of the predetermined positions.Device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the air treatment device (6) has a HEPA filter and / or a UV light source and / or an ozone generator and / or a plasma generator.Device (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the air treatment device (6) has a heat source and / or a heat sink and / or a moisture source and / or a moisture sink.Device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a controller (21) of the fan (4) sets a conveying capacity of the fan (4) as a function of a noise level measured at the single of the predefined locations.Device (1) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the controller (21) of the blower (4) sets a delivery rate of the blower (4) as a function of a breathing and / or speaking and / or sing and / or coughing noise level measured at the single of the predefined locations.Device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a controller (21) of the blower (4) sets a delivery rate of the blower (4) as a function of measured values (22) of a physiological parameter of the individual person (19).

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