DEVICE FOR CLEANING AIR

Abstract

A device for cleaning room air, comprising an at least approximately upright air guide element (1) with an air inlet (3) and an air outlet (4), as well as at least one flow drive (2) arranged between these and an air cleaning element assigned internally to the air guide element (1), wherein the air guide element (1) is made of an opaque material, the flow drive (2) causes a downward flow in the air guide element (1), and the cleaning element is a lighting device comprising at least one UV-C lamp (5), characterized in that the air inlet (3) is arranged in the upper region of the air guide element (1) and is designed to capture the air drawn in from an upper region of the room, the air outlet (4) is arranged in the lower region of the air guide element (1), and a stand (6) assigned to the air guide element (1) is provided.which forms a cone with a concave surface, and the flow drive (2) and the air outlet (4) in conjunction with the concave surface of the base (6) are designed such that the airflow exiting through the air outlet (4) is released into the room near the floor and with minimal turbulence as a displacement flow in order to minimize the distribution of aerosols in the room and to counteract turbulent mixing.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for cleaning room air, comprising an at least approximately upright air guide element with an air inlet and an air outlet, as well as at least one flow drive arranged between these and an air cleaning element assigned internally to the air guide element, wherein the air guide element is made of an opaque material, the flow drive causes a downward flow in the air guide element and the cleaning element is a lighting device comprising at least one UV-C lamp.

[0002] Such a device is already known from US 8,900,519 B2. Further reference should be made to US 2009 / 0041632 A1, DE 10 2020 120 046 A1 and US 2014 / 0001374 A1.

[0003] Such devices are already known from the prior art and generally serve to circulate air, in particular to lift cool air from the floor layers to higher areas. For example, US Patent 3,827,342 A describes a device that draws in air from the floor and conveys it upwards in a tubular air guide element using a flow impeller. Since cold air sinks due to convection, while warm air rises, the indoor climate can be improved by circulating the air layers in the room, and cooling can be achieved, especially on warm days. The air guide element also incorporates air filtration using a filter element, so that the air discharged from the top is also appropriately cleaned.

[0004] A similar solution is known from DE 34 00 487 A1, where a filter is also provided in an upright air guide element. Here, too, circulation takes place from top to bottom.

[0005] However, this creates the problem that mixing the air also causes a distribution of airborne viruses and bacteria. In the context of the coronavirus, it is known that such viruses cannot be easily filtered from the air, meaning that such a solution would increase their distribution throughout the room. Particularly in the critical head area, such a solution creates turbulence in the room, leading to a distribution of virus-laden aerosols.

[0006] The coronavirus, in particular, can be transmitted via droplet infection, among other methods, and the current social distancing rules of 1.5 meters in enclosed spaces are unlikely to be sufficient. The viruses are contained in microscopic droplets expelled through the air. These droplets are constantly released by infected individuals and initially float in the air, where they slowly sink. However, conversely, heat sources such as computers, projectors, other office equipment, coffee machines, and the like create air movement in the room, causing the virus-laden aerosols to rise again and disperse throughout the space. Since rising air in an enclosed space causes descending air elsewhere, the air in the room is constantly mixing. The devices mentioned earlier further amplify this effect.

[0007] Against this background, the present invention aims to create a device for cleaning room air which is also suitable for cleaning the room air of viruses and avoids the generation of additional turbulence in the room as much as possible.

[0008] This is achieved by a device for cleaning room air with the features of independent claim 1. Meaningful embodiments of such a device can be found in the subsequent dependent claims.

[0009] According to the invention, such a device comprises a vertically oriented air guide element that connects an upper air inlet with a lower air outlet. The air outlet is preferably located directly near the floor, so that air exiting the air guide element does not create turbulence but can exit more or less parallel to the floor. This creates a deep layer of air that spreads along the floor and only slowly pushes the existing air layers upwards. Furthermore, to prevent the spread of viruses, the device according to the invention includes an air purification element in the form of a lighting device, which consists of at least one, but preferably several, UV-C lamps.Air drawn in through the air guide element in the upper area, preferably in the ceiling area, and pulled downwards within the air guide element by a flow drive located in or immediately adjacent to it, passes through a section on its way to the floor-level air outlet where it is exposed to the UV-C radiation from the UV-C lamps. The UV-C radiation from the lighting device is very high-energy and destroys the DNA of viruses and bacteria in fractions of a second. The use of UV-C radiation for disinfection, for example in operating rooms, is already known.

[0010] Therefore, the invention also provides that the air guide element, which can be tubular in particular, is made of an opaque material so that radiation from the UV-C lamps cannot escape to the outside, and in particular is not directed towards people. In this way, a uniform circulation and purification of the air masses in the room is achieved, with the air being released again near the floor, thus largely avoiding turbulence.

[0011] In principle, any known light source capable of emitting the required UV-C radiation can be used as a UV-C lamp. LED arrays arranged around a central axis and emitting light in all directions are particularly suitable, ensuring that all air passing through the air guide element is exposed to the UV-C radiation. However, LEDs are now available in a wide variety of shapes and are small and inexpensive to manufacture, allowing for virtually any arrangement within the air guide element.

[0012] The use of UV-C fluorescent tubes is also possible, although their shape is largely predetermined. However, these can be operated cost-effectively, especially over long periods.

[0013] Preferably, the air guide element is a tubular element which, with an air outlet near the floor, extends upwards to or above head height. Preferably, the upper air inlet is located near the ceiling. It can be equipped with a dust filter, preferably an inward-facing, conical coarse dust filter, which prevents contamination inside the air guide element. Such contamination impairs the emission of the UV-C lamps and thus reduces their effectiveness against viruses and bacteria in the air passing over the UV-C lamps. In this case, in particular, separate measures to shield the UV-C lamps are not necessarily required, since the radiation is already captured by the filter and, due to the height of the air guide element, does not come into contact with people.

[0014] However, if this is desired, either to increase safety or to allow the use of air guide elements that do not extend to head height, a louvered arrangement in the area of ​​the air inlet and / or air outlet can be advantageously provided. In this arrangement, the UV-C lamps are located behind the louvered arrangement from the viewer's perspective, or, in the case of louvered arrangements on both sides, between them. Such a louvered arrangement consists of one or more vertically or inclined louvers that prevent the radiation from the UV-C lamps from escaping the air guide element. Preferably, such a louvered arrangement can be made of or coated with an absorbing, non-reflective, or low-reflective material.

[0015] The UV-C lamps can also be equipped with at least one additional UV-C reflector, which reflects the radiation emitted by the at least one UV-C lamp and throws it back into the area through which the air flows. This significantly enhances the effect of the UV-C lamps, thus further considerably reducing the probability with which viruses and bacteria can pass through the air duct.

[0016] Such a UV-C reflector can be made from a cylindrically shaped aluminum sheet, which is also provided with a coating, preferably of high-purity aluminum. The coating can also be applied directly to the inside of the air guide element, particularly in the area of ​​the UV-C lamp. Preferably, the UV-C reflector is designed such that the entire airflow passes through the UV-C reflector and no portion of the airflow is directed around it.

[0017] Even with end-open air guide elements, a safety feature can be added by connecting a tilt switch to the power supply of the UV-C lamps. This switch detects any tilting of the air guide element and disconnects the power supply to the UV-C lamps if a critical tilt is exceeded, preferably 5° from the vertical. Therefore, if the device is tilted or even tipped over, the lamps are automatically switched off by the tilt switch.

[0018] The air guide element is also associated with a base which is essentially frustoconical or conical in shape. However, the conical surface has concave surfaces, so that air conveyed downwards by the flow drive is deflected at the concave surface and forced against the ground on which the base stands.

[0019] The invention described above will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] It shows Fig. 1 a device according to the invention in a lateral cross-sectional view.

[0021] Fig.Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a device for purifying room air. The design includes an air guide element 1, which forms the housing of the device. This element is a tubular structure containing multiple UV-C lamps 5. These lamps are electrically powered and feature a tilt sensor (not shown) that disconnects the UV-C lamps 5 from their power supply if the air guide element 1 tilts from the vertical. This ensures that the UV-C radiation within the air guide element 1 is not directed at people. The height of the air guide element 1 is chosen so that the tube ends two meters above the floor, thus preventing anyone from seeing inside the upright air guide element 1.Here, due to a negative pressure generated by a flow drive 2, air enters the air guide element 1 via an air inlet 3 and falls into a conical dust filter 8, which, due to its conical shape, can cover a particularly large area. The air then passes through a louver arrangement 7, which acts as a shield, preventing eye contact with the harmful UV-C radiation. A corresponding louver arrangement 7 is located beyond the UV-C lamps in the area of ​​the air outlet 4.

[0022] A cylindrical UV-C reflector 9 is formed around the UV-C lamps 5, which reflects the radiation emitted by the UV-C lamps from its walls back into the space inside the air guide element 1. This increases the energy present in the space inside the air guide element 1, thus increasing the likelihood that viruses and bacteria will be destroyed as they pass through the air guide element 1 and through the UV-C reflector 9.

[0023] Below the lower louver arrangement 7 is the flow drive 2, which draws air axially from the air guide element 1 and discharges it axially downwards. The flow drive 2 directs the air onto the surface of a base 6, which is frustoconical in shape and has a concave surface. Due to its concave shape, the air directed downwards by the flow drive is deflected laterally and creeps across the ground surrounding the base, effectively pushing itself beneath the other air layers and thus preventing turbulence.

[0024] The above description thus describes a device for cleaning room air, which is also suitable for cleaning the room air of viruses and avoids the generation of additional turbulence in the room as much as possible. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 air guide element 2 Flow propulsion 3 Air intake 4 air outlets 5 UV-C lamps 6 Stand 7 slat arrangement 8 dust filters 9 UV-C reflector

Claims

[1] Device for cleaning room air, comprising an at least approximately upright air guide element (1) with an air inlet (3) and an air outlet (4), as well as at least one flow drive (2) arranged between these and an air cleaning element assigned internally to the air guide element (1), wherein the air guide element (1) is made of an opaque material, the flow drive (2) causes a downward flow in the air guide element (1) and the cleaning element is a lighting device comprising at least one UV-C lamp (5), characterized by, that the air inlet (3) is arranged in the upper region of the air guide element (1) and is designed to capture the air drawn in from an upper region of the room, the air outlet (4) is arranged in the lower region of the air guide element (1), a support base (6) associated with the air guide element (1) is provided, which forms a cone with a concave surface, and the flow drive (2) and the air outlet (4) in conjunction with the concave surface of the support base (6) are designed such that the airflow exiting through the air outlet (4) is released into the room near the floor and with minimal turbulence as a displacement flow in order to minimize the distribution of aerosols in the room and to counteract turbulent mixing. [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by, that the at least one UV-C light source (5) is at least one light-emitting diode arrangement which emits UV-C radiation around a central axis at a beam angle of at least approximately 360°. [3] Device according to claim 1, characterized by , that the at least one UV-C light source (5) is at least one UV-C fluorescent tube. [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a labyrinth duct or a lamella arrangement (7) is assigned to the air guide element (1) between the air inlet (3) and the at least one UV-C lamp (5) and / or between the air outlet (4) and the at least one UV-C lamp (5). [5] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the air guide element (1) is associated with a UV-C reflector (9) surrounding the UV-C light source (5). [6] Device according to claim 5, characterized bythat the UV-C reflector is made from a cylindrically shaped aluminum sheet. [7] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one UV-C lamp (5) is associated with a tilt switch which interrupts an electrical supply line of the at least one UV-C lamp (5) as soon as an inclination, preferably an inclination of at least 5°, to the vertical is detected. [8] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that air guides are assigned to the air outlet (4) which direct an airflow exiting the air outlet (4) downwards. [9] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a dust filter (8) is assigned to the air inlet (3).

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