Air filtration assembly with spiral air flow channel

Abstract

An air filtration assembly for filtering airborne pollutants associated with soldering may include a housing which may include an intake and an exhaust, a filter which may be disposed in the housing between the intake and the exhaust, a blower, and a guide member which may be disposed in the housing to direct clean air from the blower to the exhaust. The blower may draw an airflow into the air filtration assembly through the intake and the filter before pushing the airflow through the guide member and out the exhaust. The guide member may include a spiral shaped channel that may direct the airflow from the blower to the exhaust.

Description

[0001] AIR FILTRATION ASSEMBLY WITH SPIRAL AIR FLOW CHANNEL

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Example embodiments generally relate to air filtration assemblies and, in particular, relate to an air flow channel for air filtration assemblies.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Many tasks or processes that may commonly take place in manufacturing or lab settings may generate unwanted byproducts in various forms. For example, processes involving certain materials and chemicals may create waste that may need to be dealt with appropriately either via proper disposal or cleaning. In some cases, the byproducts may be airborne and may require the use of an air filtration assembly to dispose of them accordingly. One such task that may generate airborne byproducts may be soldering. Soldering tools, which are sometimes referred to as soldering irons or soldering guns, are commonly used in electronics manufacturing and repair activities along with other crafts and industries that involve metalwork. Soldering tools are typically used to join metallic items together at a joint by melting a filler metal (i.e., solder) into the joint. A tip portion of the soldering tool may, due to operation of a heater, become hot enough to melt solder that contacts the tip portion. The act of melting the solder, and thus soldering in general, may release gas into the air that may contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) or other chemicals.

[0006] Soldering and other related tasks may often be performed at a workstation indoors. In some cases, the workstation may be located near other workstations and sometimes within the same room. Thus, an air filtration assembly may be employed to filter the air around the workstation where the task may be taking place. Common considerations to make regarding the configuration and use of the air filtration assembly may include ensuring it is adequately sized for the space it is occupying, ensuring it is operating effectively, and improving its overall ease of operation / user experience. Thus, it may be desirable to provide an improved air filtration assembly to address some of the above considerations to create an environment that may be better suited for the user and other potential surrounding workstations.

[0007] BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

[0008] In an example embodiment, an air filtration assembly for filtering airborne pollutants associated with soldering may be provided. The air filtration assembly may include a housing which may include an intake and an exhaust, a filter which may be disposed in the housing between the intake and the exhaust, a blower, and a guide member which may be disposed in the housing to direct clean air from the blower to the exhaust. The blower may draw an airflow into the air filtration assembly through the intake and the filter before pushing the airflow through the guide member and out the exhaust. The guide member may include a spiral shaped channel that may direct the airflow from the blower to the exhaust.

[0009] In another example embodiment, a guide member for directing an airflow within an air filtration assembly may be provided. The guide member may include a spiral shaped channel that directs the airflow from a blower of the air filtration assembly to an exhaust of the air filtration assembly. The channel may include an entrance operably coupled to the blower, an exit operably coupled to the exhaust, an outer wall and an inner wall, the outer wall and the inner wall may each extend from the entrance to the exit and may define the channel therebetween.

[0010] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0011] Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an air filtration assembly according to an example embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the air filtration assembly with part of the housing removed in accordance with an example embodiment;

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the air filtration assembly with the filter removed in accordance with an example embodiment;

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment;

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment;

[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative perspective view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the guide member in accordance with an example embodiment; and

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the guide member in accordance with an example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operable coupling should be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled to each other.

[0021] As indicated above, some example embodiments may relate to the provision of an air filtration assembly that includes features that improve its operation. In some cases, a guide member may be employed to improve the flow of air through the air filtration assembly. The air filtration assembly with the guide member may allow air to pass through the air filtration assembly more efficiently without increasing noise levels compared to the air filtration assembly without the guide member. However, other strategies and features may also be contemplated as described in greater detail below.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an air filtration assembly according to an example embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the air filtration assembly with part of the housing removed in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the air filtration assembly with the filter removed in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative perspective view of the guide member and the blower in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the guide member in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the guide member in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0023] The air filtration assembly 100 of FIG. 1 may include a housing 110, an intake 120, a filter 130, a blower 140, a guide member 150 and an exhaust 160. In some cases, the housing 110 may contain, or otherwise be operably coupled to, the intake 120 and the exhaust 160, while the filter 130, the blower 140 and the guide member 150 may all be disposed within the housing 110. The housing 110 may take on any number of shapes and sizes depending on various design constraints such as the volume of air that the air filtration assembly 100 may need to filter, or in what type of setting the air filtration assembly 100 may be used in. For example, in some cases the air filtration assembly 100 may be a relatively small assembly, and thus the housing 110 may be configured to be disposed on a desktop / workbench near a work tool, such as a soldering iron, to filter fumes and other airborne pollutants generated by the work tool. In other cases the air filtration assembly 100 may be slightly larger and thus the housing 110 may be configured to be disposed under a desk / workbench with the intake 120 being disposed near a work tool to filter fumes and other airborne pollutants generated by the work tool. In yet another case, the air filtration assembly 100 may be even larger still, and may be configured to be disposed nearby as a standalone assembly. Thus, the housing 110 may take on different shapes and / or sizes depending on the particular needs and configuration of each embodiment, which may be dictated by the environment and the particular use case of the air filtration assembly 100.

[0024] As shown in the example embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the air filtration assembly 100 may be a desktop unit. In such cases, the housing 110 may include the intake 120 and the exhaust 160 integrally formed from the housing 110, rather than being operably coupled to separate structures for the intake 120 and the exhaust 160. In other words, the intake 120 and the exhaust 160 may be formed into the housing 110 and from the material of the housing 110, perhaps during a manufacturing process of the housing 110. Regardless of whether or not the intake 120 and exhaust 160 are formed integrally with the housing 110, an airflow 170 may enter the housing 110 of the air filtration assembly 100 through the intake 120 responsive to the operation of the blower 140. The blower 140 may be a vacuum of sorts that, when powered on, may create the airflow 170 via a motor operably coupled to a fan or other type of pump mechanism. The blower 140 may get the airflow 170 moving through the air filtration assembly, thereby creating a difference in air pressure within the air filtration assembly 100 across the filter 130.

[0025] Following the principles of fluid mechanics, air will naturally try to move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, and therefore the pressure gradient across the filter 130 may force the airflow 170 to pass from the intake 120 through the filter 130 and then through the blower 140, which may filter out any airborne pollutants contained in the airflow 170. FIG. 2 depicts the air filtration assembly 100 of an example embodiment where a top part of the housing 110 has been removed to show the filter 130, and FIG. 3 depicts the air filtration assembly 100 of FIG. 2 with the filter 130 removed to show the blower 140 and the guide member 150. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airflow 170 may enter the air filtration assembly 100 through the intake 120, pass through the filter 130 and the blower 140, and into the guide member 150. In the guide member 150, the airflow 170 may be directed to leave the air filtration assembly 100 through the exhaust 160 where the (now-filtered) airflow 170 may then reenter the immediate surrounding environment, or be directed elsewhere, responsive to having any airborne particles filtered out by the filter 130. In some cases, the filter 130 may be a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. In some other cases, different levels / forms of filtration may be desired which may necessitate different types of filters for larger or smaller airborne particulates, and even some gaseous compounds.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 150 may be disposed in the housing 110 to direct the airflow 170 from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160 after being filtered through the filter 130. In some cases, the air filtration assembly 100 may essentially comprise two chambers of relatively empty space through which the airflow 170 may pass through. A first chamber may be disposed in the housing 110 between the intake 120 and the filter 130, and a second chamber may be disposed in the housing between the filter 130 and the exhaust 160. Responsive to the airflow 170 entering the intake 120, the airflow 170 may be in the first chamber prior to passing through the filter 130. After passing through the filter 130, the airflow 170 may enter the blower 140 where it is thrust out into the second chamber of the air filtration assembly 100. The pressure difference across the filter 130 created by the blower 140 that was discussed above therefore refers to the difference in the pressure between each of these two chambers, with the second chamber generally having a lower pressure than the first chamber to facilitate the airflow 170 moving through the air filtration assembly 100.

[0027] In an example embodiment, the guide member 150 may be disposed in the second chamber of the housing 110 between the filter 130 and the exhaust 160. The guide member 150 may be configured to occupy a majority of the space in the second chamber such that the airflow 170 is restricted to flow through a channel 180 via which the guide member 150 may direct the airflow 170 from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160. Essentially, the channel 180 may define a path for the airflow 170 to take through the second chamber of the air filtration assembly 100. In other words, with the guide member 150 disposed in the second chamber of the air filtration assembly 100, the channel 180 may be the only fluidly-connected path for the airflow 170 to take from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160 (i.e. the path of least resistance). Thus, the airflow 170 moving through the channel 180 is less likely to have turbulence as it moves from the blower 140 to the exhaust, which may improve the efficiency of the air filtration assembly 100 as a whole. The guide member 150 of example embodiments may be form-fitted to the housing 110 so that the guide member 150 occupies an optimized amount of space within the housing 110. In this regard, the guide member 150 may be manufactured to the specific dimensions of the housing 110 which it may be intended to occupy with precise tolerances. The example embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 illustrates a housing 110 having a substantially trapezoidal shaped layout when viewed in plan view (i.e. top-down). (See FIG. 5). The housing 110 may thus include four respective boundary portions disposed at edges of the housing 110 forming the substantially trapezoidal shape, where only one pair of the boundary portions may be parallel with each other. In this regard, the guide member 150 may thus also occupy a substantially trapezoidal shape so that it may closely resemble the interior dimensions of the housing 110 and occupy the space in the second chamber accordingly. The channel 180 may be formed through the guide member 150 to direct the airflow 170 through the guide member 150 without the airflow 170 contacting any of the boundary portions of the housing 110, until the airflow 170 reaches the exhaust 160. In this regard, the exhaust 160 may include a vent formed in the housing 110 at a respective one of the boundary portions of the housing 110 through which the airflow 170 may pass to leave the housing 110.

[0028] In an example embodiment, the guide member 150 may be a single continuous member (i.e. not formed from adhering multiple smaller portions together). In this regard, the guide member 150 may be formed from a foam material. In some cases, the process of making the guide member 150 may begin with a block of the foam material, which may then be cut into the desired shape of both the guide member 150 and the channel 180, which may depend on the housing 110, and relative orientation of components of the air filtration assembly 100 within the housing 110, in which the guide member 150 may be disposed. Since the guide member 150 may thus be a single continuous member formed from the block of foam material, the guide member 150 may be installed by simply slotting the guide member 150 into the housing 110. In some cases the guide member 150 may be secured in place via fasteners. However, in an example embodiment, the guide member 150 could include multiple different portions formed separately from one another. In this regard, the multiple portions of the guide member 150 may be formed to fit together in an interlocking layout (e.g. like a puzzle). In some cases, the foam material may be noise isolation foam. In an example embodiment, the foam material may be closed cell foam. In some other cases, the guide member 150 may not be a foam material at all and may instead be a plastic or metallic material as well. In such cases where the guide member 150 may be made from a foam material, the foam material may dampen noises and vibrations generated by the air filtration assembly 100 by insulating components of the air filtration assembly 100 from rattling or otherwise transmitting sounds and vibrations between each other. Additionally, the shape of the guide member 150 may also help reduce the noise generated by the airflow 170 through the air filtration assembly 100 by smoothly guiding the airflow 170 from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160, as will be discussed later on in relation to FIGS. 4-8.

[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, FIGS. 4-6 depict the guide member 150 with the blower 140 operably coupled thereto, and FIGS. 7 and 8 depict the guide member 150 alone. The guide member 150 may have a first boundary surface 152, a second boundary surface 154, a third boundary surface 156 and a fourth boundary surface 158 disposed around a perimeter of the guide member 150. Each boundary surface (152, 154, 156, 158) may contact respective ones of the aforementioned boundary portions of the housing 110 when the guide member 150 is installed in the housing 110. In this regard, the boundary surfaces (152, 154, 156, 158) may have a substantially similar shape and size as the respective boundary portion of the housing 110 that the boundary surface (152, 154, 156, 158) is configured to be in contact with. Referring to the roughly trapezoidal layout shape of the housing 110 and guide member 150, as visualized in FIG. 5, the second and fourth boundary surfaces (154, 158) may be the two sides of the guide member 150 that may be approximately parallel with each other, whereas the first and third boundary surfaces (152, 156) may be angled slightly toward each other between the second and fourth boundary surfaces (154, 158). The second and fourth boundary surfaces (154, 158) may be said to be “approximately” parallel since these boundary surfaces may not be perfectly planar surfaces and may not be perfectly parallel with each other. Similarly, the first and third boundary surfaces (152, 156) may not be perfectly planar surfaces either, and may contain some degree of curvature in them. However, in general, the first and third boundary surfaces (152, 156) may be angled slightly towards each other, and the second and fourth boundary surfaces (154, 158) may be approximately parallel with each other, in the general shape of a trapezoid. In some cases, the first, second and third boundary surfaces (152, 154, 156) of the guide member 150 may be continuous (i.e. they do not contain a break), whereas the fourth boundary surface 158 may be discontinuous and may contain a break therein for the exhaust 160.

[0030] The channel 180 may include an entrance 190 which may be disposed proximate to, and in some cases operably coupled to, the blower 140. The channel 180 may also include an exit 200 which may be operably disposed proximate to, and in some cases operably coupled to, the exhaust 160. As such, the exit 200 may be a break or discontinuity in the fourth boundary surface 158 through which the airflow 170 may pass through to the exhaust 160. The channel 180 may further include an inner wall 210 and an outer wall 220 which, together with the entrance 190, exit 200, and housing 110, may define the extent of the channel 180. The entrance 190 to the channel 180 may be disposed in an entrance plane 192 and the exit 200 of the channel 180 may be disposed in an exit plane 202. The entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202 may each essentially occupy a cross section of the channel 180, and may extend approximately perpendicular to the inner wall 210 and the outer wall 220 at a given location along the channel 180. Thus, the entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202 may be a rectangular cross section bound on left and right upright sides by the inner wall 210 and the outer wall 220, and bound on the top and bottom horizontal sides by the housing 110. In some cases, the entrance plane 192 may be disposed proximate to the blower 140 where the airflow 170 flows out of the blower 140. Thus, the entrance plane 192 may be disposed where the blower 140 interfaces with the channel 180 at the entrance 190. In an example embodiment, the entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202 may be substantially parallel with one another.

[0031] The inner wall 210 may be disposed on an interior extension 215 of the guide member 150. The interior extension 215 of some embodiments may be disposed between the blower 140 and the channel 180, and may operably couple to the blower 140 to secure the blower 140 in place. In other words, the interior extension 215 may be disposed substantially at a middle of the guide member 150, between the first, second, third and fourth boundary surfaces (152, 154, 156, 158). In an example embodiment, the interior extension 215 may extend greater than 50% of a distance from the fourth boundary surface 158 to the second boundary surface 154, or said differently, greater than 50% of a length of the guide member 150. In some cases, the interior extension 215 may extend to a point between the entrance plane 192 and the second boundary surface 154. The inner wall 210 at the interior extension 215 may be arcuate similar to the curvature of the outer wall 220 of the channel 180.

[0032] The airflow 170 may only enter the channel 180 after passing through the filter 130 and the blower 140 before moving through the entrance plane 192 disposed at the entrance 190 in a direction substantially perpendicularly away from the entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202. Once in the channel 180, the airflow 170 may be guided by the inner wall 210, the outer wall 220, and the housing 110 to the exit 200 where the airflow 170 may pass through the exit plane 202 and out the exhaust 160. As mentioned above, the exit plane 202 and the entrance plane 192 may be substantially parallel. In this regard, substantially parallel should be taken to include the entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202 being within a few degrees of angular orientation of one another. For example, the entrance plane 192 may be approximately 2-3° out of parallel with the exit plane 202, but the entrance plane 192 and the exit plane 202 should still be appreciated to be “substantially parallel” with each other. Additionally, though the housing 110 has been removed in FIG. 4 to better visualize the guide member 150, it should be appreciated that portions of the housing 110 may be disposed above and below the guide member 150 responsive to the guide member 150 being installed in the air filtration assembly 100. Thus, the channel 180 may be enclosed by the housing 110, the inner wall 210, and the outer wall 220.

[0033] The outer wall 220 and the inner wall 210 may be spaced apart from each other by a width (w) of the channel 180. In some cases, the width of the channel 180 may vary based on the specific location in the channel 180 where the width is being measured. For example, the entrance 190 may have a greater width than the exit 200, or in other words, the channel 180 may gradually get narrower moving from the entrance 190 to the exit 200. This may be a design feature of the guide member 150 to increase the velocity of the airflow 170 moving from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160. Due to the principle of conservation of mass and energy, similar in nature to the principles behind the Venturi effect, when the area of the cross section through which a fluid (e.g. air) flows decreases, the velocity of the fluid must accordingly increase so that the volumetric flow rate of said fluid is conserved. In other words, say, for example, the airflow 170 has a first velocity at the entrance 190 and a second velocity of at the exit 200. Since the width of the channel 180 at the entrance 190 is greater than the width of the channel 180 at the exit 200, the cross sectional area of the channel 180 at the entrance 190 is greater than at the exit 200. Therefore, the second velocity (at the exit 200) must be greater than the first velocity (at the entrance) so that the volumetric flow rate of the airflow 170 obeys the natural laws of the conservation of mass and energy. To conserve the volumetric flow rate of the airflow 170, the same amount of air must move through the exit 200 as through the entrance 190, and in the same amount of time. Since the entrance 190 is larger than the exit 200, then the airflow 170 must flow faster through the exit 200 to make up for the difference in size of the channel 180. In short, the velocity of the airflow 170 may increase moving from the entrance 190 to the exit 200 due to the width of the channel 180 gradually decreasing.

[0034] Additionally, the channel 180 of the guide member 150 may form a spiral shaped path to direct the airflow 170 from the entrance 190 to the exit 200 smoothly and without turbulence. In this regard, as described above, the airflow 170 may enter the channel 180 through the entrance 190 moving in a direction substantially perpendicular to the entrance plane 192. This direction may be away from both the entrance plane 192, and the exit plane 202, and as such, the airflow 170 may need to be turned around (e.g. approximately 180°) to be directed towards the exit 200. The spiral shape of the channel 180 may allow the airflow 170 to be directed smoothly and efficiently without generating too much turbulence in the airflow 170 that may slow the airflow 170 down, create noise, and reduce efficiency of the air filtration assembly 100. Since the spiral shape may include an elongated single continuous curve, there may be fewer structures in the channel 180 to induce turbulence in the airflow 170 which may result in a smoother airflow 170. In this regard, the spiral shaped channel 180 may provide an advantage over a channel 180 that perhaps may have more rigid angled turns and corners in it by reducing an amount of turbulence in the airflow 170.

[0035] Despite being an elongated single continuous curve, the channel 180 may include a first radius of curvature 230 proximate to the entrance 190 and a second radius of curvature 240 proximate to the exit 200. Due to several design constraints, such as the housing 110 size and shape, and the location of the blower 140 and the exhaust 160, the first radius of curvature 230 of the channel 180 may be smaller than the second radius of curvature 240. In other words, the first radius of curvature 230 of the spiral channel 180 may be tighter proximate to the entrance 190, and the second radius of curvature 240 of the spiral proximate to the exit 200 may be more elongated and spread out than the first radius of curvature 230. Having two different radii of curvature (230, 240) may allow the spiral shape of the channel 180 to improve the airflow 170 through the air filtration assembly 100 in a manner that is optimized for the space in the housing 110 as well. It may also help reduce an amount of ambient noise generated by the air filtration assembly 100. In this regard, as mentioned above, the smooth spiral shaped channel 180 defined by the inner and outer walls (210, 220) may reduce an amount of turbulence in the airflow 170. Turbulent air may generate more noise in the housing 110 due to the more chaotic nature of the air not being directed towards the exhaust 160 in an efficient manner. Thus, by reducing the turbulence in the airflow 170 with the spiral shaped channel 180 in the guide member 150, the amount of noise generated by the air filtration assembly 100 may be reduced.

[0036] Additionally, the spiral shape of the channel 180 provides an advantage over a straight channel 180 by completely surrounding the blower 140, which may be one of the largest sources of noise in the air filtration assembly 100. In this regard, the blower 140 may therefore be bounded on all lateral sides thereof by the guide member 150 such that there may be no straight-line path for the airflow 170 to take between the blower 140 and the exhaust 160. For example, a straight-line channel 180 from the blower 140 to the exhaust 160 would provide easy access for the noise generated by the blower 140 to exit the air filtration assembly 100 directly out the exhaust 160 on a straight trajectory. With the spiral shaped channel 180, sound waves generated by the blower 140 may not have a straight path to exit the air filtration assembly 100 and thus may be dampened and partially absorbed by the guide member 150 surrounding the blower 140, which may result in significantly quieter operation of the air filtration assembly 100 as perceived by a user outside the housing 110.

[0037] Some example embodiments may provide for an air filtration assembly for filtering airborne pollutants associated with soldering. The air filtration assembly may include a housing which may include an intake and an exhaust, a filter which may be disposed in the housing between the intake and the exhaust, a blower, and a guide member which may be disposed in the housing to direct clean air from the blower to the exhaust. The blower may draw an airflow into the air filtration assembly through the intake and the filter before pushing the airflow through the guide member and out the exhaust. The guide member may include a spiral shaped channel that may direct the airflow from the blower to the exhaust.

[0038] In some cases, the air filtration assembly described above may be augmented or modified by altering individual features mentioned above or adding optional features. The augmentations or modifications may be performed in any combination and in any order. For example, in some cases, the channel may include an entrance operably coupled to the blower, an exit operably coupled to the exhaust, an outer wall and an inner wall, the outer wall and the inner wall may each extend from the entrance to the exit and may define the channel therebetween. In an example embodiment, the outer wall and the inner wall may be spaced apart from each other by a width of the channel. In some cases, the entrance may have a greater width than the exit. In an example embodiment, the width of the channel may decrease moving from the entrance to the exit to increase a velocity of the airflow between the blower and the exhaust. In some cases, a first radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the entrance may be smaller than a second radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the exit. In an example embodiment, the entrance and exit may be disposed in an entrance plane and an exit plane, respectively. In some cases, the entrance plane may extend substantially perpendicular to both the outer wall and the inner wall, and may be substantially parallel to the exit plane. In an example embodiment, the airflow may enter the channel through the entrance moving in a direction substantially perpendicularly away from the entrance plane and the exit plane. In some cases, the guide member may include an interior extension which may be disposed between the blower and the channel. In an example embodiment, the interior extension may extend a distance greater than 50% of a length of the guide member. In some cases, the guide member may include a first boundary surface, a second boundary surface, a third boundary surface and a fourth boundary surface. In an example embodiment, the first, second and third boundary surfaces may be continuous, and the fourth boundary surface may include the exit and may be discontinuous. In some cases, the guide member may be a single continuous member. In an example embodiment, the guide member may include a foam material that may dampen noises and vibrations that may be generated by the air filtration assembly. In some cases, the blower may be bounded on all lateral sides thereof by the guide member such that there may be no straight-line path for the airflow to take between the blower and the exhaust.

[0039] Some example embodiments may provide for a guide member for directing an airflow within an air filtration assembly. The guide member may include a spiral shaped channel that directs the airflow from a blower of the air filtration assembly to an exhaust of the air filtration assembly. The channel may include an entrance operably coupled to the blower, an exit operably coupled to the exhaust, an outer wall and an inner wall, the outer wall and the inner wall may each extend from the entrance to the exit and may define the channel therebetween.

[0040] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be appreciated that such advantages, benefits and / or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thought of as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED:

1. An air filtration assembly for filtering airborne pollutants associated with soldering, the air filtration assembly comprising: a housing comprising an intake and an exhaust; a filter disposed in the housing between the intake and the exhaust; a blower; and a guide member disposed in the housing to direct clean air from the blower to the exhaust, wherein the blower draws an airflow into the air filtration assembly through the intake and the filter before pushing the airflow through the guide member and out the exhaust, and wherein the guide member comprises a spiral shaped channel that directs the airflow from the blower to the exhaust.

2. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises an entrance operably coupled to the blower, an exit operably coupled to the exhaust, an outer wall and an inner wall, the outer wall and the inner wall each extending from the entrance to the exit and defining the channel therebetween, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall are spaced apart from each other by a width of the channel, and wherein the entrance has a greater width than the exit.

3. The air filtration assembly of claim 2, wherein the width of the channel decreases moving from the entrance to the exit to increase a velocity of the airflow between the blower and the exhaust.

4. The air filtration assembly of claim 2, wherein a first radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the entrance is smaller than a second radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the exit.

5. The air filtration assembly of claim 2, wherein the entrance and exit are disposed in an entrance plane and an exit plane, respectively, andwherein the entrance plane extends substantially perpendicular to portions of the outer wall and the inner wall that are disposed proximate to the entrance plane, and is substantially parallel to the exit plane.

6. The air filtration assembly of claim 5, wherein the airflow enters the channel through the entrance moving in a direction substantially perpendicularly away from the entrance plane and the exit plane.

7. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises an interior extension disposed between the blower and the channel, and wherein the interior extension extends a distance greater than 50% of a length of the guide member.

8. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises a first boundary surface, a second boundary surface, a third boundary surface and a fourth boundary surface, wherein the first, second and third boundary surfaces are continuous, and the fourth boundary surface comprises the exit and is discontinuous.

9. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the guide member is a single continuous member.

10. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises a foam material that dampens noises and vibrations generated by the air filtration assembly.

11. The air filtration assembly of claim 1, wherein the blower is bounded on all lateral sides thereof by the guide member such that there is no straight-line path for the airflow to take between the blower and the exhaust.

12. A guide member for directing an airflow within an air filtration assembly, the guide member comprising a spiral shaped channel that directs the airflow from a blower of the air filtration assembly to an exhaust of the air filtration assembly,wherein the channel comprises an entrance operably coupled to the blower, an exit operably coupled to the exhaust, an outer wall and an inner wall, the outer wall and the inner wall each extending from the entrance to the exit and defining the channel therebetween.

13. The guide member of claim 12, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall are spaced apart from each other by a width of the channel, and wherein the entrance has a greater width than the exit.

14. The guide member of claim 13, wherein the width of the channel decreases moving from the entrance to the exit to increase a velocity of the airflow between the blower and the exhaust.

15. The guide member of claim 12, wherein a first radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the entrance is smaller than a second radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the exit.

16. The guide member of claim 12, wherein the entrance and exit are disposed in an entrance plane and an exit plane, respectively, wherein the entrance plane extends substantially perpendicular to both the outer wall and the inner wall, and is substantially parallel to the exit plane, and wherein the airflow enters the channel through the entrance moving in a direction substantially perpendicularly away from the entrance plane and the exit plane.

17. The guide member of claim 12, wherein the guide member comprises an interior extension disposed between the blower and the channel, and wherein the interior extension extends a distance greater than 50% of a length of the guide member.

18. The guide member of claim 12, wherein a first radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the entrance is smaller than a second radius of curvature of the channel proximate to the exit.

19. The guide member of claim 12, wherein the guide member comprises a first boundary surface, a second boundary surface, a third boundary surface and a fourth boundary surface, wherein the first, second and third boundary surfaces are continuous, and the fourth boundary surface comprises the exit and is discontinuous.

20. The guide member of claim 12, wherein the guide member is a single continuous member comprising a foam material that dampens noises and vibrations generated by the air filtration assembly.

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