Air curtain system

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air curtain systems face challenges with inefficient air flow control and increased structural depth due to wide nozzle designs, leading to potential backflow and turbulence, which impede laminar airflow and increase energy consumption.

Innovation Solution

The air curtain system employs cylindrical segment-shaped round plates of varying widths, combined with straight and angled edge pieces, and air guide plates to create a narrow nozzle body with optimal sealing and minimal depth, ensuring effective air flow control and prevention of backflow, while maintaining a laminar flow.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wide nozzle body walls are used to prevent backflow, then backflow prevention is improved, but the overall depth of the housing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebackflow preventionVSAvoidhousing depth
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The nozzle body is divided into multiple functional segments: cylindrical segment-shaped round plates for sealing, air guide plates for flow direction, and edge pieces for positioning. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring excessive width, thereby preventing backflow while maintaining compact housing depth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The solution transitions from preventing backflow through width (horizontal dimension) to preventing backflow through three-dimensional spatial arrangement and angular positioning of the nozzle body. The cylindrical segment-shaped plates create sealing surfaces in multiple dimensions, allowing effective backflow prevention with minimal housing depth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If nozzle body is adjusted at large angles, then air curtain coverage is improved, but backflow prevention becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair curtain coverageVSAvoidbackflow prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The nozzle body is designed to be pivotable about its longitudinal axis, allowing dynamic adjustment of the air curtain angle to match different door openings and traffic patterns. The cylindrical segment-shaped round plates maintain effective sealing throughout the range of motion, ensuring backflow prevention is maintained even at large adjustment angles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows changing the operational parameters by pivoting the nozzle body to different angles. The cylindrical segment-shaped plates are designed with specific geometric parameters (segment angles, radii) that maintain sealing effectiveness across the full range of motion, enabling both large-angle adjustment and reliable backflow prevention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If increased structural depth is used to prevent backflow, then backflow prevention is improved, but energy consumption increases due to turbulence

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebackflow preventionVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The air guide plates are strategically positioned to optimize airflow hydraulics within the nozzle body. These plates guide the air flow in a targeted manner, ensuring smooth laminar flow from the blower device through the air outlet opening. This pneumatic optimization prevents turbulence and associated energy losses while maintaining effective backflow prevention through the three-dimensional sealing structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

4Ease of operation

If multiple guide profiles with different pivot angles are used, then airflow direction control is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairflow direction controlVSAvoidmounting and adjusting complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cylindrical segment-shaped round plates serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide sealing surfaces, define the nozzle interior geometry, and work with the pivotable mounting to enable angle adjustment. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate guide profiles with different pivot angles, reducing device complexity while maintaining precise airflow direction control through the single pivotable nozzle body assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design enhances air flow control, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes structural depth, effectively preventing outside air from entering while maintaining a stable and efficient air curtain.

Implementation Method 1

comprising a housing that has an air inlet opening (28), a blower device, at least one air guide plate and an air outlet opening in a nozzle body pivotably arranged about its longitudinal axis

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAirflow generation and movement:

Implementation Method 2

having two cylindrical segment-shaped round plates (31, 32), wherein in all possible pivoting positions of the nozzle body its interior is shielded from the outside space in order to prevent unwanted backflows of air into the housing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhysical shielding and flow separation:

Implementation Method 3

air curtain systems are used to create a barrier of airflow that separates differently conditioned air masses inside and outside, thus preventing exchange, particularly heat exchange

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange prevention through airflow barrier:

Implementation Method 4

the inevitably occurring turbulence hinders the desired laminar airflow necessary for the 'air process'

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaminar flow: Laminar Flow

Data Source

PatentEP3168545B1Air curtain system
Publication Date: 2020.03.18 PESCHKE ULF
  • EP3168545B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3168545B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3168545B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an air curtain system for generating an air flow serving to shield rooms provided with doors or gates, with a housing that has an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, a fan device, which is preferably designed as a fan roller, at least one air guide plate and extends over the entire air outlet opening has extending, angle-adjustable lamellae, which are arranged as mutually parallel sheet metal profiles in a nozzle body with an inlet and an outlet opening. According to the invention, it is proposed that the nozzle bodies (24) have two round plates (31, 32) and cover plates (33, 34) arranged at the ends with edge pieces that have the same curvature as the round plates (31, 32), with all possible angle adjustments of the Lamellae (40), the interior of the nozzle body (24) is shielded from the exterior of the housing.