Air curtain device

Abstract

To provide an air curtain device that offers excellent protection against the intrusion of outside air. [Solution] An air curtain device 1 for forming an air curtain A in an opening 10 of a building, comprising: a plurality of air sources 2 provided above the opening 10 at intervals in the lateral direction of the opening 10; and a rectifier 3 that rectifies and compresses the airflow emitted by each air source 2 and blows it out diagonally downward toward the outside to form an air curtain A.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air curtain device.

Background Art

[0002] In entrances and exits (openings) with a large opening area provided in factories, large stores, etc., an air curtain device that seals the opening with a wall of air flow (air curtain) continuously blown out from a blower source is sometimes installed for the purpose of preventing the intrusion of outside air (cold air or warm air) into the indoor space and reducing the air conditioning efficiency of the indoor space caused by this. As an air curtain device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below, there are types that blow out air flow downward in the vertical direction (forming an air curtain in the vertical direction), types that blow out air flow obliquely downward at an angle with respect to the vertical direction (forming an air curtain at an angle with respect to the vertical direction), etc.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, in order to enhance the prevention of outside air intrusion, two air curtain devices of the type that blows out an obliquely downward air flow are installed at intervals in the indoor-outdoor direction, and the outdoor air curtain device is configured to blow out an obliquely downward air flow toward the outdoor side, and the indoor air curtain device is configured to blow out an obliquely downward air flow toward the indoor side, so as to form a wind removal space between the two air curtain devices.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The configuration described in Patent Document 1 can only be used when two air curtain devices can be installed with a large gap between them in the indoor and outdoor directions. It cannot be used at all when it is not possible to install two air curtain devices with a gap between them in the indoor and outdoor directions. Furthermore, since it requires the installation of two air curtain devices, it is also costly.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an air curtain device with excellent outside air intrusion prevention (windproofing) properties that can prevent outside air from entering the indoor space as much as possible, even if only one unit is installed above the entrance (opening) of a building. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention, devised to achieve the above objectives, An air curtain device that forms an air curtain in an opening in a building, Above the above-mentioned opening, there are multiple air sources provided at intervals in the width direction of the opening, The system is characterized by comprising a rectifier that rectifies and compresses the airflow emitted from each air source and blows it out diagonally downward toward the outdoors, thereby forming the aforementioned air curtain.

[0008] In an air curtain using a vertically downward airflow, the vertically downward airflow and the reflected airflow generated when this airflow bounces off the floor surface collide near the floor, creating turbulence and reducing the wind-blocking effect near the floor. However, in the air curtain device according to the present invention, where the air curtain is formed by an airflow blown diagonally downward toward the outdoors, (most of) the airflow that hits the floor surface flows along the floor surface toward the outdoors, thus forming an air curtain with excellent ability to prevent the intrusion of outside air.

[0009] In particular, in the air curtain device according to the present invention, the airflow emitted from multiple air sources is straightened by the flow straightening section before being blown out, which prevents gaps (breaks) from forming between the airflows emitted from each air source. Furthermore, because the airflow emitted from the air sources is compressed by the flow straightening section before being blown out, the flow velocity of the airflow blown out from the flow straightening section can be increased to a level higher than the flow velocity of the airflow emitted from the air sources. For this reason, even by installing just one unit above the opening, or by using a commercially available general-purpose blower as the air source, an inexpensive air curtain device with enhanced protection against outside air intrusion can be realized.

[0010] The air curtain device may be installed on the indoor wall or on the outdoor wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] Based on the above, according to the present invention, an air curtain device with excellent ability to prevent the intrusion of outside air can be realized by installing just one unit above the opening of a building. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] (a) is a schematic side view of the air curtain device in an installed state according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a right side view of the same device as in (a). [Figure 2] This is a schematic plan view (top view) of the air curtain system. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the usage state of an air curtain device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings (Figures 1 to 3).

[0014] Figure 1(a) is a schematic side view of the air curtain device 1 in its installed state according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1(b) is a right side view of Figure 1(a), Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the air curtain device 1, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the air curtain device 1 in use according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The air curtain device 1 of this embodiment prevents outside air from entering the indoor space through the opening 10 of a building, such as a factory or a large store, which has a large opening area and is frequently used by people and vehicles, by forming an air curtain A therein. The device is installed above the opening 10.

[0016] The air curtain device 1 comprises a plurality of air sources 2 spaced apart in the lateral direction (direction of the opening width W) of the opening 10, and a rectifier 3 consisting of a housing-shaped hollow member and positioned below the air sources 2. In this embodiment, a total of three air sources 2 are provided, but the number of air sources 2 can be two or four or more depending on the opening width W of the opening 10, etc.

[0017] Various known blowers, such as axial fans and centrifugal fans, can be used as the air source 2. Here, an axial fan that draws in air from the rear and discharges it to the front is used, and it is mounted on the interior wall of the building via a bracket (not shown). Note that the axial fan as the air source 2 does not have functions that would increase the price and running costs, such as functions to heat or cool the discharged airflow, and is specialized in the function of blowing air by drawing it in and discharging it.

[0018] The rectifier section 3 includes a total of three air source insertion holes 5 into which parts of the three axial flow fans are individually inserted, and an outlet 8 that blows out air to form an air curtain A. The air source insertion holes 5 and the outlet 8 are formed to open at the upper surface 4 and lower end of the rectifier section 3, respectively. The axial flow fan, which serves as the air source 2, is positioned vertically with its outlet facing downwards, and a portion of it is inserted into the fan insertion hole 5.

[0019] The rectifying unit 3 of this embodiment is attached to the inner wall surface of the building via a bracket (not shown) in a form separated and independent from the air supply source 2. This rectifying unit 3 can also be attached to the inner wall surface of the building so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis. In that case, the blowing direction of the compressed air flow blown out from the blowing outlet 8 can be adjusted.

[0020] Between the blowing outlet 8 and the axial flow fan inserted into the blower insertion hole 5 in the rectifying unit 3, a first inclined wall 6 and a second inclined wall 7 inclined with respect to the vertical direction are provided so as to face each other in the indoor-outdoor direction. Of the two inclined walls 6 and 7, the first inclined wall 6 disposed relatively on the outdoor side is composed of an inclined wall that shifts toward the indoor side as it goes vertically downward, and the second inclined wall 7 disposed relatively on the indoor side is composed of an inclined wall that shifts toward the outdoor side as it goes vertically downward. The above-mentioned blowing outlet 8 is formed at the lower ends of the two inclined walls 6 and 7 inclined in the above manner.

[0021] Due to the provision of such inclined walls 6 and 7 in the rectifying unit 3, the air flow continuously emitted from the air outlet of the axial flow fan (a total of three units provided) is rectified and compressed and then blown out from the blowing outlet 8. In this embodiment, of the two inclined walls 6 and 7 that face each other in the indoor-outdoor direction and form the blowing outlet 8, the lower end of the second inclined wall 7 located relatively on the indoor side is positioned below the lower end of the first inclined wall 6. Therefore, as the axial flow fan is driven, the air flow emitted from the axial flow fan toward the internal space of the rectifying unit 3 is rectified and compressed and then blown out obliquely downward toward the outdoor side from the blowing outlet 8. Thus, an air curtain A inclined with respect to the vertical direction is formed by the obliquely downward air flow (compressed air flow) continuously blown out from the blowing outlet 8 of the rectifying unit 3 toward the outdoor side.

[0022] In the air curtain device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, an air curtain A is formed by an air flow (compressed air flow) blown obliquely downward toward the outdoor side. In this case, as conceptually shown in FIG. 3, when the air flow (air curtain A) blown out from the air curtain device 1 hits the floor surface, a part of it becomes a horizontal air flow A' that flows along the floor surface toward the outdoor side. Thereby, the intrusion prevention property of the outside air B can be enhanced.

[0023] Particularly, in the air curtain device 1 of the present embodiment, since the air flows generated by a plurality (a total of three) of axial fans are rectified and compressed by the rectifying unit 3 and then blown out from the blowout port 8, in addition to being able to prevent the formation of gaps (breaks) between the air flows generated by each axial fan, the flow velocity of the air flow blown out from the blowout port 8 can be increased compared to the flow velocity of the air flow generated by the axial fans.

[0024] That is, the difference in the flow velocity of the air flow constituting the air curtain was confirmed between the air curtain device 1 of the present embodiment having the rectifying unit 3 and an air curtain device (one that forms an air curtain with the air flow generated by an axial fan) not having the rectifying unit 3. In the air curtain device 1 of the present embodiment, the flow velocities of the air flow measured at a point 0.5 m away and a point 3 m away from the blowout port 8 were 14.6 m / s and 11.8 m / s, respectively, whereas the flow velocities of the air flow measured at the same points for the air curtain device not having the rectifying unit 3 were 12.5 m / s and 9.1 m / s, respectively.

[0025] Therefore, in the case of the air curtain device 1 of the present embodiment, even if only one is installed above the opening 10 of the building, and even when using a general axial fan commercially available as the air supply source 2, the intrusion prevention property of the outside air B can be enhanced.

[0026] In this embodiment, the width Wa of the rectifier section 3 is made smaller than the opening width W of the opening 10, and the side wall of the rectifier section 3 is positioned inward from the side wall surface 10a of the opening 10 (closer to the center in the lateral direction of the opening 10). By doing so, it is possible to prevent a portion of the airflow (compressed airflow) blown out from the outlet 8 from hitting the side wall surface 10a and becoming turbulent, which would adversely affect the accuracy of the formation of the air curtain A and, consequently, the ability to prevent outside air from entering.

[0027] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0028] For example, in the embodiment described above, the air curtain device 1 (consisting of the air source 2 and the rectifier 3) was mounted on the indoor wall, but the air curtain device 1 can also be mounted on the outdoor wall. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1. Air curtain device 2 Air source 3 Rectifier 6 1st inclined wall 7 Second inclined wall 8 air outlets 10 Openings A air curtain

Claims

[Claim 1] An air curtain device that forms an air curtain at an opening in a building, A plurality of air sources are provided above the opening, spaced apart in the width direction of the opening, A rectifier unit that rectifies and compresses the airflow emitted from each air source and blows it out diagonally downward toward the outside to form the air curtain, An air curtain device characterized by comprising the following features.

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