Apparatus for motorized and controlled winding of a filter for ventilation air intakes

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter (2) in a roll on air intake openings (11), comprises a connection base (6) on which are fixed on one side an idle support (3) and on the opposite side a motorized drive support (5) to guide and rotate a winding reel (9) of the used fabric filter (2) which is wound onto the reel; an electric motor (31) housed in the drive support and connected by rotation with a toothed hub (8) coupled with one end of the winding reel (9), while the idle support (3) keeps the winding reel (9) positioned, oriented and supported at the opposite end; an electronic board (24) controls the rotation of the electric motor (31) and the winding of the fabric filter (2) on the winding reel; and provides an electrical signal, detecting the length of the wound fabric filter (2), produced by a measuring wheel (18), freely rotating on a rotation pin (19) and movable, by means of a contact maintenance mechanism (M), to follow the variation in diameter of the fabric filter (2) as it is wound on the winding reel (9); the measuring wheel (18) is coupled to a rotation sensor (21) of the same measuring wheel, and this sensor is electrically connected to the electronic board; the contact maintenance mechanism (M) comprises a support arm (17) oscillating on an oscillation pin (16) supported on the motorized drive support (5), and the rotation pin (19) is idly supported by said support arm (17).

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR MOTORIZED AND CONTROLLED WINDING OF A FILTER FOR VENTILATION AIR INTAKES DESCRIPTION

[0002] Field of application

[0003] The present invention relates to an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes, i.e., openings present in the most varied equipment which, for internal cooling, draws in air. The air drawn in for cooling can carry suspended dust and possibly nebulized liquids, which are harmful to the equipment to be cooled. The constitution of the motorized winding comprises a drive unit that allows it to be easily made in the size required for the dimension of the filter roll that is used. This filter, with a dispenser casing for unwinding from a roll, is notoriously used in the intake openings of electrical panels, electronic equipment, and similar containers where it is necessary to remove atmospheric dust, or even nebulized liquids, from the incoming cooling air. The drive apparatus provides for automatically advancing the movement of the filter fabric, so as to present new filter fabric without human intervention, as well as providing for the collection of the used filter impregnated with the dirt filtered from the air. The apparatus for motorized and controlled winding, described herein, is aimed at the precise control of the length of the filter roll, used in the replacement on the air intake, during use without manual intervention.

[0004] Prior art

[0005] The state of the art comprises filters for ventilation air intakes in which the roll of filter fabric is housed in a parallelepipedal casing with a square or rectangular base and dimensioned to contain the wound roll of filter fabric. The filter fabric is unwound from the casing placed near the air intake so as to cover the intake itself to filter the cooling air drawn in by the equipment to be filtered. Moreover, such roll filters are used at a continuous rate, depending on the use of the equipment on which they are mounted, but with the need to present new fabric to cover the air intake to replace the filter fabric which during use becomes soiled with dust or nebulized liquid retained from the drawn-in air.

[0006] The use, therefore, of the roll filter fabric occurs with continuous maintenance and control of the air filtering capacity in the part of the filter fabric that covers said intake opening. In other words, the maintenance operator must periodically check the filtering capacity of the filter fabric and provide for positioning new filter fabric to cover the air intake and collect the used filter. This maintenance, if carried out on a large number of filtrationdevices, takes a considerable amount of time.

[0007] Therefore, in the prior art, a device for winding the filter fabric from a dispenser of filter fabric wound in a roll has been developed as described in document JP 2015213898 A. In it, the device with filter is equipped with a rewinding capability to collect the filter with electric control and with the possibility of being mounted in various ways.

[0008] The device is equipped with a filter casing that accommodates the filter from the roll from which it is unwound in a rotatable manner. The winding device rotates the shaft to wind the filter; moreover, the winding device has: a motor connected to the filter winding shaft, a control unit that verifies the operation of the motor and comprises a power supply unit that powers the motor and the control unit. The control unit is configured to rotate the motor for intermittent winding or with continuous winding modes.

[0009] Furthermore, it is known in the prior art, from the earlier document US 4,627,683, an air treatment apparatus, having an air flow passage and a support structure with said passage, a filter in the form of a continuous web wound in a roll on a cylindrical core and housed in a chamber applied to the apparatus is described; said chamber for housing the filter roll is mounted on said support structure; an outlet slot from the chamber with a width equal to the passage and means for mounting said roll of filter fabric and allowing the dispensing of the filter onto said passage. Said means for mounting the roll of filter fabric in said chamber comprising a pair of aligned and fixedly mounted jointed shafts, when in position at the ends of said chamber, against rotation and axial displacement in said chamber and spaced apart by a length less than the core, being inserted into the hollow ends of said core; the material of the core and the shafts in the coupling realize friction surfaces so as to produce a frictional resistance that allows the controlled rotation of the roll when the web is dispensed through the slot by manual pulling and in steps is wound on the take-up roll of the used filter by pulling it from the roll of new filter fabric.

[0010] The prior art document JP 2006223958 A discloses a telecommunications system with a rack of electronic boards cooled by blown air; the system adopts a motorized air filter cartridge that unwinds the filter and presents it in a wide supply window towards the boards; the filter is driven by a winding roller connected in rotation with a photocoupler that detects the rotation speed of the winding roller; the calculated speed is used to control the filling of the winding roller using also a filling sensor.

[0011] The prior art document JP 6309430 B2 describes the combination of an unwinding roll of a filter for air intake openings, and a motorized winding roll of the used filter on thewinding pin, driven by a motor with a phonic wheel keyed onto it, to measure the rotation of the roll in winding the filter.

[0012] These devices have a limitation in controlling the winding of the filter as the filter is wound, due to the increase in the diameter of the motorized winding roll. In fact, even if the rotation control is done with an encoder, which verifies the angle of rotation, the thickness of the wound filter leads to an increase in the diameter of the roll itself with its winding, with the variation of the length of the wound filter for the same angle of rotation measured by the encoder. In other words, there is no certainty of precise advancement, whether continuous or in steps, of the new filter presented in front of the air intake opening with only the check on the rotation angle of the filter winding roll; it is known that the materials used in fabric filters of this type have variable thicknesses. Moreover, the rotation of the winding roll is applied to the full width of the filter with the possibility of unbalanced traction if the mounting of the filter dispenser or the winding device has not been carried out precisely.

[0013] In fact, the main limit of the prior solutions described in the cited documents lies in the winding of the filter on a roll and, at the end of the winding, the roll must be removed from the casing of the motorized winding device with the intervention of the maintenance operator. A new dispenser with a new filter can be placed in place of the empty one, and the full roll of the wound and dust-impregnated filter, after extraction from the winding apparatus, is disposed of.

[0014] This state of the art is susceptible to considerable improvements with regard to the possibility of providing an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intake, which overcomes the aforementioned limits of the known art, making possible an accurate and precise control of the wound fabric filter during replacement.

[0015] The technical problem, therefore, that underlies the present invention is to provide an apparatus for motorized and controlled winding with winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes that allows for the simple, precise, and effective measurement of the length of the filter that covers the air intake and that, after use, is wound by the apparatus for the evacuation of the soiled filter.

[0016] An object inherent in the preceding technical problem is to provide a meter for the length of the used filter that is wound after use on a pin or reel, which is usually supplied with the dispenser casing of the fabric filter for mounting on the ventilation air intake from which it is protected.A further and not final object of the present invention is to provide a structure of an apparatus for motorized winding that can be adapted to the various width dimensions of the fabric filter to be driven and wound.

[0017] Furthermore, a further aspect of the addressed technical problem concerns the ease of power supply and control, even occasional, of the operator on the functioning of the apparatus and in the electrical supply of the apparatus itself.

[0018] Summary of the invention

[0019] This problem is solved, according to the present invention, by an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes, comprising a connection base on which are fixed on one side an idle support and on the opposite side a motorized drive support to guide and rotate a winding reel of the used fabric filter that is wound onto the reel; an electric motor housed in the drive support and connected in rotation with a toothed hub coupled with one end of the winding reel, while the idle support keeps the winding reel positioned, oriented, and supported at the opposite end; an electronic board controls the rotation of the electric motor and the winding of the fabric filter on the winding reel; characterized in that an electrical signal, detecting the length of the wound fabric filter, is produced by a measuring wheel, freely rotating on a rotation pin and movable, by means of a contact maintenance mechanism, to follow the variation in diameter of the fabric filter as it is wound on the winding reel; the measuring wheel is coupled to a rotation sensor of the same measuring wheel, and this sensor is electrically connected to the electronic board; according to the present invention, the contact maintenance mechanism comprises a support arm oscillating on an oscillation pin supported by the motorized drive support, and the oscillation pin is supported by the motorized drive support, and the rotation pin is idly supported by said support arm.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the measuring wheel and the rotation sensor are coupled in rotation on the same side of the contact maintenance mechanism.

[0021] Furthermore, in an improved embodiment, the measuring wheel and the rotation sensor are coupled in rotation on opposite sides of the contact maintenance mechanism.

[0022] Furthermore, in a further variant of the embodiment, the sensor comprises a phonic wheel rotating in synchrony with the measuring wheel on a rotation pin.

[0023] Furthermore, in a further advantageous embodiment, the oscillation pin is connected in oscillation with the motorized drive support by means of a bell protruding towards the winding reel and the fabric filter wound on it.Furthermore, in a specific embodiment, the oscillation pin is made with a hole for the passage of the electrical connection wire of the sensor with the electronic board.

[0024] Furthermore, in a variant embodiment, the oscillation pin is connected with alever and a spring, or with any other equivalent technical means, for adapting the position of the support arm in oscillation to maintain the contact of the measuring wheel with the fabric filter in the winding on the winding reel.

[0025] Furthermore, in a variant of the embodiment, the transmission of the rotational motion between the electric motor and the toothed hub occurs with gears.

[0026] Finally, in a further variant, the electrical power supply to the electronic board and the electric motor occurs with one or more electric batteries.

[0027] In a realization variant, the electrical power supply to the electronic board and the electric motor occurs through connection to the electrical grid.

[0028] Alternatively, the electrical power supply to the electronic board and the electric motor can be provided by one or more solar panels.

[0029] Further features and advantages of the present invention, in the realization of an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes, will become apparent from the following description, of constructive and realization embodiments, provided herein merely by way of non-limiting explanatory example with reference to the four attached drawing tables.

[0030] Brief description of the drawings

[0031] - Figure 1 represents a perspective and schematic view of an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes;

[0032] - Figure 2 represents a schematic front view of the apparatus for motorized winding and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes as installed on a wall with the air intake opening protected by the fabric filter;

[0033] - Figure 3 represents a schematic front view of the apparatus as installed in Figure 2, here with a reel of partially wound fabric filter and the oscillating arm with the measuring wheel resting on the surface of the wound filter;

[0034] - Figures 4 and 5 represent schematic perspective sections, indicated by S-S in Figure 3, with Figure 4 showing the section with the reel of partially wound fabric filter, while Figure 5 is an analogous section but with used fabric filter wound on the reel to its maximum capacity, which corresponds to the fabric filter present in the dispenser casing;

[0035] - Figure 6 represents a schematic front and enlarged view of the drive unit with windingand length reader of the wound fabric filter, similar to Figure 3;

[0036] - Figure 7 represents a schematic section VII- VII of Figure 6, with identical dimensional proportion;

[0037] - Figure 8 represents a schematic section VIII- VIII of Figure 6, similar to Figure 7, limited to the fixed box of the mechanisms and the power supply battery compartment;

[0038] - Figure 9 represents a schematic exploded view of the components of the oscillating arm for guiding the measuring wheel, showing the pin of the measuring wheel and the rotation sensor, as well as the oscillation pin of the oscillating arm;

[0039] - Figure 10 represents a schematic sectional view of the oscillating support arm of the measuring wheel, taken on the plane containing the rotation axes of the measuring wheel and of oscillation of the support arm with respect to the fixed box.

[0040] Detailed description of an embodiment

[0041] In the Figures, the apparatus 1 for the controlled winding and driving of the fabric filter 2 is formed by a pair of supports: the idle support 3, with an axially sprung guide pin 4, and a motorized drive support 5, toothed and associated on the opposite side of the apparatus 1; a connection base 6 connects the idle support 3 on one side and the motorized drive support 5 on the opposite side. In the figures, the motorized drive support 5 is present on the right in the apparatus 1, and the idle support 3 on the left in the apparatus itself, obviously being able to be inverted in position but with the same functions as depicted. Between the idle hub 7, of the idle support 3, and the toothed hub 8, of the motorized drive support 5, a winding reel 9 is placed in operation, usually supplied with the fabric filter 2 to be wound, when the fabric filter is extracted from the dispenser casing 10 of the fabric filter, as represented in Figure 2 to cover and protect an air intake opening 11 of a wall 12 of an electrical or electronic or similar apparatus to be protected.

[0042] In Figures 1-5, a transverse presser 13 for guiding the fabric filter 2 against the connection base 6 is visible, to keep the filter itself adherent to the wall 12 with the air intake opening 11; this transverse presser 13 is positioned within arcuate seats 14, present on both the idle 3 and motorized 5 supports, which determine a pressure position on the fabric filter 2, during winding, and a distanced position to facilitate the introduction of the new fabric filter upon replacement of the used and wound one; finally, a lower shelf 15 is connected between the two supports: idle 3 and motorized drive 5.

[0043] The motorized drive support 5 is equipped with a contact maintenance mechanism M, here depicted with an oscillation pin 16 of a support arm 17 for the rotation of a measuringwheel 18; the oscillation pin 16 projects towards the idle support 3 to surmount the winding position of the fabric filter 2 in the rewinding on the reel 9, after use on the air intake opening 11. The measuring wheel 18 is made rotatable on a rotation pin 19, idly supported by said support arm 17, and is connected with the rotation pin 19 to a phonic wheel 20 which is coupled to the corresponding sensor 21, housed in said support arm 17. Therefore, the measuring wheel 18, with the oscillation of the support arm 17, supported on bearings 22 at the motorized drive support 5, follows the variation in diameter during the rewinding of the fabric filter 2 after use on the reel 9 which is supported and driven in winding by the toothed hub 8 and idle hub 7. The support arm 17, on the side of the sensor 21 and phonic wheel 20, is closed by a cover 23 to cover the electrical connection, not shown, of the sensor 21 with the management electronic board 24 of the apparatus 1 : the electrical cable, not shown, from the sensor rises in the axial hole 25 of the oscillation pin 16, through a slot 26, up to the inside of the motorized drive support 5 and to said electronic board 24. The support arm 17 is connected for oscillation by means of a bell 27, fixed to the motorized drive support 5 and containing said oscillation bearings 22; while the rotation pin 19 is supported by rotation bearings 28 on the support arm 17, made oscillating as said.

[0044] In Figures 7 and 8, the internal compartment of the motorized drive support 5 is also represented, in which a lever 29 is visible, connected to the oscillation pin 16, to make the contact of the measuring wheel 18 on the fabric filter 2 elastic and with a light pressure while it is being wound on the reel 9, as said; the lever is subject to the action of a spring 30 acting on the lever and, therefore, on the position of the measuring wheel 18; moreover, an electric motor 31 transmits the rotation, by means of a pair of gears 32, to said toothed hub 8, which drives the reel 9 in rotation for winding the fabric filter 2. A support cover 33 encloses the internal compartment of the motorized drive support 5; the electronic board 24 for managing the apparatus 1 is enclosed in the control and command box 34 of the apparatus: the electrical power supply is provided by electric batteries 35 housed in the upper part of the motorized drive support in the casing 36 of said batteries.

[0045] The use of the apparatus 1 for controlled winding and driving according to the invention occurs as described below, in which the electronic board 24 includes the already known functions of starting, drive management, blockage alarm, and power supply with electric batteries 35 or with power from an external electrical grid.

[0046] However, now with the present invention, following the introduction of the precise detection with the measuring wheel 18, the management program, having the data from thesensor 21 with the phonic wheel 20 available, can now determine the exact length of the fabric filter 2 as it is wound on the winding reel 9 during operation.

[0047] The management program recognizes the data present in the dispenser casing 10 of the filter upon its installation and at the startup after replacing the dispenser casing with another one with a new filter. This program is connected with a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi application, or through the internet, with a management application of the apparatus 1 for controlled winding and driving directly on the known type of multifunction phone of the maintenance operator of the apparatus itself. The maintenance operator usually controls multiple devices simultaneously and can keep multiple devices under control at the same time.

[0048] Moreover, the constitution of the apparatus 1 for controlled winding and driving, according to the invention, achieves a precise measurement of the length of the fabric filter 2 as it is wound, since the measuring wheel 18 has a fixed diameter, and is therefore not subject to the variable position in which it performs the reading: as shown in the described Figures 4 and 5; the rotation of the measuring wheel 18 is coincident with the rotation of the phonic wheel 20 in all the positions that the support arm 17 can assume during operation. Therefore, the sensor 21 transmits the signal of advancement of the fabric filter 2, as it is wound on the winding reel 9, to the electronic board which processes it and presents it to the maintenance operator.

[0049] Finally, the apparatus 1 for controlled winding and driving is suitable for use with dispenser casings 10 of all width dimensions of the fabric filter 2; in fact, it is possible, only by varying the length of the connection base 6, to realize apparatuses suitable for small or very large widths of the fabric filter 2 up to 1500 mm.

[0050] The advantages in the use of an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes can be summarized as follows.

[0051] The simple construction of the apparatus 1 allows for the creation of apparatuses suitable for all width dimensions of the fabric filter 2 that can be made, typically from 200 mm up to 1500 mm, as the structure of the idle support 3 and the motorized drive support 5 are made in the dimension corresponding to the diameter of the fabric filter 2 as wound within the dispenser casing 10 of the filter that is used and, consequently, that is wound on the winding reel 9 inserted between said idle support 3 and motorized drive support 5.

[0052] Furthermore, the realization of the detection of the length of the fabric filter 2 wound on said reel is independent of the dimension of the diameter on the winding reel 9, reached as the fabric filter 2 is wound. In fact, the support arm 17 of the measuring wheel 18 oscillatesby resting the measuring wheel 18 on the outer surface of the fabric filter 2 that is wound on the reel. The construction of said support arm and of the oscillation pin 16 allows for the housing of the sensor 21 and the phonic wheel 20 and also the passage of the electrical connection through the axial hole 25 present in the oscillation pin 16.

[0053] A further advantage is realized by the bell 27 housing said oscillation pin 16 which allows for a positioning proportional to the final diameter of the fabric filter 2 wound on the winding reel 9, thus requiring the proportional dimensioning of the motorized support 5 and the idle support 3 which determine the diametral limit of winding on said reel.

[0054] Obviously, to an apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter in a roll on ventilation air intakes, as described above, a person skilled in the art, for the purpose of satisfying specific and contingent needs, may make numerous modifications, all of which are however contained within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the following claims. In fact, although less conveniently, the rotation sensor 21 could be placed directly on the measuring wheel 18 with its rotation pin rotating with respect to the contact maintenance mechanism M of the measuring wheel 18 with the fabric filter 2 as it is wound on the reel, as described. Furthermore, in addition to the support arm 17 of the measuring wheel, the contact maintenance mechanism M can be made differently, for example, with an articulated, possibly internally sprung, quadrilateral.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus (1) for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter (2) in a roll on air intake openings (11), comprising a connection base (6) on which are fixed on one side an idle support (3) and on the opposite side a motorized drive support (5) to guide and rotate a winding reel (9) of the used fabric filter (2) which is wound onto the reel; an electric motor (31) housed in the drive support and connected by rotation with a toothed hub (8) coupled with one end of the winding reel (9), while the idle support (3) keeps the winding reel positioned, oriented and supported at the opposite end; an electronic board (24) controls the rotation of the electric motor (31) and the winding of the fabric filter (2) on the winding reel; characterized in that an electrical signal, detecting the length of the wound fabric filter (2), is produced by a measuring wheel (18), freely rotating on a rotation pin (19) and movable, by means of a contact maintenance mechanism (M), to follow the variation in diameter of the fabric filter (2) as it is wound on the winding reel (9); the measuring wheel (18) is coupled to a rotation sensor (21) of the same measuring wheel, and this sensor is electrically connected to the electronic board, wherein the contact maintenance mechanism (M) comprises a support arm (17), oscillating on an oscillation pin (16) supported on the motorized drive support (5), and wherein the rotation pin (19) is idly supported by said support arm (17).

2. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter according to claim 1, wherein the measuring wheel (18) and the rotation sensor (21) are coupled in rotation on the same side of the contact maintenance mechanism (M).

3. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to claim 1, wherein the measuring wheel (18) and the rotation sensor (21) are coupled in rotation on opposite sides of the contact maintenance mechanism (M).

4. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the sensor (21) comprises a phonic wheel (20) rotating in synchrony with the measuring wheel (18) on the rotation pin (19).

5. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the oscillation pin (16) is connected in oscillation with the motorized drive support (5) by means of a bell (27) protruding towards the winding reel (9) and the fabric filter (2) wound on it.

6. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the oscillation pin (16) is made with a hole (25) for thepassage of the electrical connection wire of the sensor (21) with the electronic board (24).

7. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the oscillation pin (16) is connected with a lever (29) and a spring (30) for adapting the position of the support arm (17) during oscillation in order to maintain contact of the measuring wheel (18) with the fabric filter (2) during winding on the winding reel (9).

8. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, in which the transmission of the rotational motion between the electric motor (31) and the toothed hub (8) occurs with gears (32).

9. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical power supply to the electronic board (24) and to the electric motor (31) occurs with one or more electric batteries (35).

10. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical power supply to the electronic board (24) and to the electric motor (31) occurs through connection to the electrical grid.

11. Apparatus for the motorized and controlled winding of a fabric filter, according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical power supply to the electronic board (24) and to the electric motor (31) is provided by a solar panel.

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