Ventilation apparatus

Abstract

Ventilation apparatus (10), comprising a main body (11) provided with at least one rotor (12) for generating an air flow between an inlet (13) and an outlet (14) of said main body (11).

Description

[0001] "VENTILATION APPARATUS"

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention concerns a ventilation apparatus, in particular a multifunctional ventilation apparatus for heating, dehumidifying, humidifying, conditioning air and lighting environments.

[0004] The ventilation apparatus in question can be powered by a normal electricity grid, does not require special installation operations and can be positioned in an environment to be ventilated by resting it on the floor or on a support.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] As is known, there are ventilation apparatuses which comprise a main body suitable to be rested on the surface of a floor or on a support in an environment to be ventilated.

[0007] These ventilation apparatuses generally comprise a rotor housed in the main body and suitable to generate a flow of air from an inlet to an outlet. For example, the air inlet can be provided at the base of the apparatus, while the outlet can be provided on the upper part.

[0008] It is desirable to be able to direct the air flow exiting from said ventilation apparatuses at will, so as to reach a given zone of a room and provide an adequate level of comfort at least around a user.

[0009] A correct ventilation prevents the sensation of cold or heat, and reduces the risk of colds, respiratory inflammation and local numbness of the cervix. For this reason, ventilation apparatuses have become increasingly adjustable and manageable by users. In particular, users can adjust the speed and amount of air, the temperature and humidity, but can manage the direction of the air flow effectively only to a limited extent.

[0010] During the summer, conditioned air or air coming from fans or purifiers can reduce the indoor temperature or increase ventilation, improving the comfort of indoor spaces. However, it is often observed that the air coming from the grill is not directed correctly toward the user.

[0011] In winter, heating apparatuses can increase the temperature locally, but the heat tends to stratify in the upper part of the room, compromising the comfort of the occupants and causing a waste of heat and energy. It therefore becomes essential to implement means for adjusting the direction of the air flow so that it can be oriented according to different settings and respond to the specific preferences of the user.

[0012] Current air treatment apparatuses commonly include a built-in automatic oscillation function located in the lower section of the system. This function allows the apparatus to rotate and distribute the air. However, there is a limitation caused by the presence of a power cable connected to a socket, which prevents the device from reaching a full 360° rotation.

[0013] The current solutions for ventilation apparatuses on the market therefore do not provide a customization of the direction of the air flow. In addition, known solutions provide a rotation of the system from the base and, since it is necessary to displace the entire system, they require bearings and motors with sufficient torque to overcome the initial inertia. Furthermore, rotating the system at the base reduces the stability of the product. There is therefore the need to perfect a ventilation system that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

[0014] In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a ventilation apparatus, in particular of the type resting on a floor or on a support inside a room, which is simple to manufacture, compact, and capable of directing the air at exit in a highly customizable manner.

[0015] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a ventilation apparatus that prevents the need to rotate the entire main body from the base, and that manages to supply a complete ventilation to a given environment, reaching substantially all its zones. Another purpose of the present invention is also to provide a ventilation apparatus that is economical and simple to manufacture and design.

[0016] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claim. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea. In accordance with the above purposes, a ventilation apparatus according to the present invention comprises a main body provided with at least one rotor for generating an air flow between an inlet and an outlet of the main body.

[0018] According to a characteristic aspect of the invention, the ventilation apparatus comprises an air deflector located downstream of the outlet and rotatable by 360° around at least one axis with respect to the main body.

[0019] The present invention, thanks to said 360°-rotatable air deflector, allows to direct the air at exit from the ventilation apparatus in a highly customizable manner. The ventilation apparatus can, for example, be located centrally in a given environment, giving a complete ventilation without blind spots.

[0020] The present ventilation apparatus does not, moreover, have motors or supports for rotation from the base of the entire main body, as occurs in known ventilation apparatuses. According to another aspect of the invention, the air deflector is rotatable around a first substantially horizontal axis, so as to obtain a first adjustment of the air flow from the outlet.

[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the air deflector is rotatable around a second substantially vertical axis, so as to obtain an additional adjustment of the air flow from the outlet, which can be combined with the first adjustment. This substantially vertical axis can be the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the main body.

[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, the ventilation apparatus comprises one or more arms protruding from the outlet and to which the air deflector is connected in a manner rotatable by 360° and in such a way as to be raised with respect to the outlet.

[0023] According to another aspect of the invention, the one or more arms are adjustable in height so as to vary the height of the air deflector with respect to the outlet. According to another aspect of the invention, the one or more arms are associated with a support which is inserted into the main body and is rotatable by 360° with respect to the main body by means of a motor which can be commanded by a user interface of the ventilation apparatus. In particular, this motor is associated with a processor module in electronic communication with the user interface. In this way, for example, users have the possibility to choose the desired swing angle and swing speed of the air deflector at will. According to another aspect of the invention, the air deflector has a polygonal shape, for example flat or undulated quadrangular, or a circular or oval shape or suchlike, flat or equipped with concavities.

[0024] The ventilation apparatus is, moreover, advantageously multifunctional and can comprise at least one air heating and conditioning device located between the inlet and the outlet and / or at least one light source located on the upper part of the main body.

[0025] As an alternative to or in combination with the above, the ventilation apparatus can comprise an additional light source located on at least one surface of the air deflector. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

[0027] - figs, la-le show a ventilation apparatus according to the present invention comprising an air deflector in a first position;

[0028] - figs. 2a-2c show means for moving the air deflector;

[0029] - figs. 3a-3c partly show the ventilation apparatus with the air deflector in a second position;

[0030] - figs. 4a-4c partly show the ventilation apparatus with the air deflector in a third position;

[0031] - figs. 5a-5c partly show the ventilation apparatus with a variant of the air deflector in a first position;

[0032] - figs. 6a-6b partly show the ventilation apparatus with the variant of the air deflector in a second position; - figs. 7a-7b show the ventilation apparatus with the variant of the air deflector in a third position;

[0033] - figs. 8a-8b partly show the ventilation apparatus with the variant of the air deflector in a fourth position; - fig. 9 shows a variant of means for supporting the air deflector.

[0034] We must clarify that the phraseology and terminology used in the present description, as well as the figures in the attached drawings also in relation as to how described, have the sole function of better illustrating and explaining the present invention, their purpose being to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

[0035] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

[0036] DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0037] We will now refer in detail to the possible embodiments of the invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings, by way of a nonlimiting illustration, this also being the case for the phraseology and terminology used here.

[0038] With reference to the attached drawings, see for example figs, la-le, a ventilation apparatus 10 comprises a main body 11 able to be rested on the ground and provided with at least one rotor 12 for generating an air flow between an inlet 13 and an outlet 14 of the main body 11. The air outlet 14 is located on the upper part of the main body 11, while the inlet 13 is located at the base of the main body 11. The rotor 12 substantially generates an air flow directed from the bottom, that is, from the inlet 13, upward, that is, toward the outlet 14.

[0039] The main body 11 can have any shape whatsoever, for example parallelepiped, prismatic, cylindrical or other.

[0040] The ventilation apparatus 10 comprises an air deflector 15a located downstream of the outlet 14 and rotatable by 360° around at least one axis J and / or K with respect to the main body 11. The axis J is a substantially horizontal axis. The axis K is a substantially vertical axis. In particular, the axis K is the axis of symmetry of the main body 11 and is directed longitudinally with respect thereto.

[0041] The air deflector 15a has a polygonal shape, for example quadrangular, and can have a flat or undulated shape so as to increase at exit the curvature of the air flow coming from the outlet 14. The undulated-shaped air deflector 15a also allows to divide the air flow coming from the outlet 14 asymmetrically, giving further customization in directing the air. The air deflector 15a, see fig. lb, can be equipped with a first segment 30 with a smaller curvature, therefore more linear, and with a second segment 31 with a larger curvature, so as to substantially create two opposite air flows directed differently. The air deflector 15a comprises a light source 16 on at least one surface. The light source 16 can be for example a strip of LEDs directed substantially orthogonally to the axis J. The light source 16, as a function of the rotation of the air deflector 15a around the axis J, can be directed toward the outlet 14 or toward the outside. The air deflector 15a is raised with respect to the outlet 14 of the main body 11 so as to allow it to rotate by 360° around the axis J. The air deflector 15a is connected on two opposite sides and by means of rotation pins 17 to one or more arms 18, which allow it to assume the raised position. The rotation pins 17 are positioned along the axis J (figs. 2a-2c). The air deflector 15a is supported in the figure from la to 8b by a single arm 18, provided with a support 35 for the connection to the air deflector 15a, for example a U-shaped support or similar. The rotation pins 17 are positioned on the support 35, located on opposite sides of the air deflector 15a. The arm 18 can be extractable with respect to the support 19, so as to vary the height of the air deflector 15a or 15b. In fig. 9, said air deflector 15a is supported by a pair of arms 18. The arms 18 are preferably connected to the deflector 15a in a median zone thereof.

[0042] The air deflector 15a, in particular thanks to the arms 18, can be raised or lowered with respect to the outlet 14. The arms 18 are adjustable in height, therefore they can be telescopic or, as shown by way of example, they can be translated upward or downward in direction P, see for example the arm 18 in fig. 2b. The arm 18 comprises a first section 18a to which the air deflector 15a is connected by means of the support 35 and the rotation pins 17, and a second section 18b inserted on a support 19 housed in the main body 11, in particular in proximity to the outlet 14. The support 19 comprises a slit 20, into which the second section 18b of the arm 18 is inserted. The degree of insertion of the second section 18b into the slit 20 determines the degree by which the arm 18, and therefore of the air deflector 15a, is raised with respect to the outlet 14, and therefore the main body 11. Therefore, the air deflector 15a is, in this way, adjustable in height with respect to the main body 11. If the air deflector 15a is provided with two arms 18 as in fig. 9, two slits 20 are provided on the support 19, one for each arm 18.

[0043] The second section 18b is misaligned with respect to the first section 18a. In particular, the sections 18a and 18b are substantially vertical and connected by means of an oblique intermediate section 18c. The intermediate section 18c substantially constitutes an end-of-travel element for the lowering of the section 18b inside the support 19. Moreover, if two arms 18 are provided, fig.9, the first sections 18a form a widened seating for the air deflector 15a, which can therefore be positioned in a suitably extended manner above the outlet 14. The second sections 18b is associated at the lower part with a block 34 of suitable sizes that acts as an end-of-travel element, in order to prevent it from being completely extracted from the slit 20 when the air deflector 15a is raised.

[0044] The support 19 is rotatable with respect to the main body 11 and is annular in shape, comprising internally an annular rack 21 which engages with a pinion 22 set in rotation by a motor 23. The pinion 22 and the annular rack 21 are an example of means for transmitting motion from the motor 23 to the support 19. The motor 23, in particular of the electric type, allows the rotation of the support 19 and of the arm 18 around the axis K, therefore the 360° rotation of the air deflector 15a around the axis K.

[0045] The motor 23 is managed by a processor module 24 electronically connected to a user interface 25. Therefore, the user can control and adjust at will, through the user interface 25, the rotation of the air deflector 15a around the axis K and / or around the axis J, if the rotation pins 17 are connected to corresponding drive means. The user interface 25 can receive signals from a remote control, which can be operated by the user, to set the various functions of the ventilation apparatus 10. The functions set by the remote control can be viewed from said display 26.

[0046] The user interface 25 can be located on the top of the main body 11, it can provide a series of keys to set the various functions of the ventilation apparatus 10 and provide a display 26 for displaying operating information.

[0047] The main body 11 comprises a base 27 by means of which it can be rested on the ground or on a support of an environment to be ventilated. The ventilation apparatus 10 is electrically powered by means of a normal plug to be inserted into a corresponding socket. Between the base 27 and the main body I l a space, preferably annular, is left for air to enter.

[0048] On the upper part of the main body 11 it is provided to position a light source 28, for example a series of LEDs disposed in a ring. The light source 28 is therefore located in proximity to the air outlet 14 and, in this example, surrounds it. The ventilation apparatus 10 comprises an air heating device 29, configured to heat the air before the outlet 14. The air heating device 29 can be a resistance or suchlike. A grid 33 can be provided in proximity to the outlet 14.

[0049] An air purification device 32 can be positioned upstream of the rotor 12, provided for example with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter and / or a photocatalytic oxidation filter.

[0050] Figs. 3a-3c show another position of the air deflector 15a, which assumes a more vertical position than that shown in figs, la-le. Furthermore, by lowering the arm 18, and in particular the corresponding section 18b, the deflector 15a is closer to the outlet 14 than what shown in figs, la-le. In this position, the air is directed according to a narrow and concentrated flow at exit below the segment 31 and can determine a greater sensation of localized ventilation for the user, an increase in the air speed and a greater distance reached by the air with respect to the ventilation apparatus 10.

[0051] Figs. 4a-4c show another position of the air deflector 15a, in which the air deflector 15a is located substantially perpendicularly with respect to the direction of the air flow from the outlet 14, thus substantially parallel to the outlet 14. The air deflector 15a can be more or less distanced from the outlet 14 by adjusting the position of the arms 18. In this position, the air is directed and retained in the lower part of the environment in which the ventilation apparatus 10 is placed. This is useful, for example, if the ventilation apparatus 10 is used to heat the air, since it prevents the hot air from being trapped near the ceiling and promotes its uniform distribution.

[0052] Figs. 5a-5c show a variant of the air deflector 15b. In this variant, the air deflector 15b is circular in shape, as shown by way of example, or oval or suchlike. The deflector 15b can be flat or concave. The air deflector 15b is directed substantially in a vertical direction and the air flow at exit from the ventilation apparatus 10 is also directed substantially in a vertical direction. This position can be advantageous to cool the environment when the hot air is stratified under the ceiling, or to avoid a direct impact of the air on a user present in the environment, or to introduce purified air into the whole environment, without a particular preferential direction. The air deflector 15b is connected to the arm 18 by a support 36, for example of semi-circular shape or similar. The rotation pins 17 are positioned on the support 36, located on opposite sides of the air deflector 15b. The arm 18 can be extractable with respect to the support 19, so as to vary the height of the air deflector 15b.

[0053] The air deflector 15b can have a solid surface or be provided with through holes 37 through which the air can pass. Figs. 6a-6b shown another inclined position of the air deflector 15b, with concavity facing downward. In this position, the air flow is concentrated by the concavity of the air deflector 15b and directed as a function of the aforementioned inclination, variable by rotating the air deflector 15b around the axis J.

[0054] Figs. 7a-7b show another position of the air deflector 15b, substantially orthogonal to the flow of the air coming from the outlet 14 and with concavity facing upward. The air coming from the outlet 14 therefore hits the crowned surface of the air deflector 15b. This configuration directs the air in such a way that it remains in the central zone of the room, therefore it can, for example, guarantee a uniform heat or ventilation in the entire room, especially when people are standing. As for the air deflector 15a of figs. 4a-4b, the air is directed and retained in the lower part of the environment.

[0055] Figs. 8a-8b show another position of the air deflector 15b, substantially orthogonal to the flow of the air coming from the outlet 14 and with concavity facing downward. When used for heating, the air is directed and retained in the lower part of the environment. Thanks to this concavity, a kind of warm circle is created around the ventilation apparatus 10, for the benefit of the user if they are seated close to it.

[0056] The air deflectors 15a and 15b, rotatable by 360° around the axis J and / or the axis K, therefore allow to obtain a great variety of directions of air flows and also allow, as a function of their position, a highly customizable reflection of the light emitted by the light source 28 located in correspondence with the outlet 14.

[0057] It is clear that modifications and / or additions of parts may be made to the ventilation apparatus as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.

[0058] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art will be able to achieve other equivalent forms of ventilation apparatus, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

[0059] In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate their reading and they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Ventilation apparatus ( 10), comprising a main body (11) which between an inlet (13) and an outlet (14) thereof is provided with at least one rotor (12) for generating an air flow, characterized in that it comprises an air deflector (15a, 15b) located downstream of said outlet (14) and rotatable by 360° around at least one axis (J, K).

2. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in claim 1 , characterized in that said air deflector (15a, 15b) is rotatable around a first substantially horizontal axis (J).

3. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said air deflector (15a, 15b) is rotatable around a second substantially vertical axis (K).

4. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises one or more arms (18) protruding from said outlet (14) and to which said air deflector (15a, 15b) is connected in a manner rotatable by 360° and in such a way as to be raised with respect to said outlet (14).

5. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in claim 4, characterized in that said one or more arms (18) are adjustable in height so as to vary the height of said air deflector (15a, 15b) with respect to said outlet (14).

6. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said one or more arms (18) are associated with a support (19) which is inserted into said main body (11) and is rotatable by 360° with respect to said main body (11) by means of a motor (23) which can be commanded by a user interface (25) of said ventilation apparatus (10).

7. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said air deflector (15a, 15b) has a polygonal, circular, or oval shape, or suchlike.

8. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least one air heating device (29) located between said inlet (13) and said outlet (14).

9. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least one light source (28) located on the upper part of said main body (11).

10. Ventilation apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least one light source (16) located on at least one surface of said air deflector (15a, 15b).

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