Ceiling tile with built-in air flow mechanism and UV air purifying device
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC systems in indoor spaces face challenges in maintaining proper air quality and air movement, and LED lighting systems suffer from excessive heat buildup, leading to reduced performance and lifespan due to inadequate thermal management, while also failing to effectively address airborne contaminants like bacteria and viruses.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a ceiling tile with a built-in fan and UV light source that circulates air and decontaminates it, using UV-C light waves to create a kill zone within the airway, while also incorporating LED lighting and efficient thermal management to dissipate heat and prolong LED lifespan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If LED lights are used to provide illumination, then energy consumption is reduced and lifespan is extended, but excessive heat is generated that damages the LED components and reduces performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful heat from the LED lighting system by introducing a separate air flow mechanism that draws heat away from the LED components. The air flow system creates a dedicated thermal management pathway that removes excess heat without interfering with the LED's light generation function, thereby resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and heat management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air flow as an intermediary medium between the heat-generating LED components and the surrounding environment. This air flow acts as a thermal mediator that transfers heat away from the LEDs through convection, allowing the LED system to maintain lower operating temperatures while continuing to provide energy-efficient illumination.
2Device complexity
If a single HVAC system is used to provide air and heat to all rooms, then system complexity is reduced, but air quality and air movement in individual spaces are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the air treatment function by integrating a dedicated air flow mechanism into the ceiling tile itself, separate from the central HVAC system. This localized air movement system supplements the main HVAC by providing targeted air circulation and quality improvement in specific zones, thereby maintaining low overall system complexity while enhancing local air quality reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests an air flow mechanism within the ceiling tile structure, creating a hierarchical system where the localized air treatment is embedded within the existing HVAC framework. This nested arrangement allows the smaller air flow system to operate within and complement the larger HVAC system, providing enhanced air quality without requiring a complete system overhaul.
3Ease of manufacture
If ceiling tiles are used with standard dimensions, then installation is simplified and ceiling coverage is efficient, but the tiles cannot accommodate both air flow mechanisms and LED lighting simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the ceiling tile universal by integrating multiple functions into a single standard-sized component. The tile simultaneously accommodates LED lighting, air flow mechanisms, and thermal management features within its standard dimensions, allowing it to serve multiple purposes (illumination, air circulation, heat dissipation) without requiring custom sizes or complex installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves spatial constraints by utilizing the vertical dimension within the ceiling tile thickness to accommodate multiple functional layers. LED components, air flow channels, and thermal management elements are arranged in different vertical levels within the tile structure, enabling functional integration without increasing the tile's horizontal footprint or complicating installation procedures.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If air is circulated through ceiling tiles to cool LED lights, then LED lifespan is extended, but the air flow mechanism increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the air flow mechanism with the existing ceiling tile infrastructure, combining thermal management functionality with the structural ceiling element. By integrating the air circulation system into the tile's existing framework rather than adding separate components, the design extends LED lifespan while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
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 solution enhances air quality, reduces HVAC energy costs, prolongs the life of LED lighting by effective thermal management, and significantly decreases airborne contaminants, improving indoor environments and productivity.
Implementation Method 1
a fan (1502) and vents (1503)
Implementation Method 2
UV light source (1640) which decontaminates air as it flows through the ceiling tiles
Implementation Method 3
UV-C light waves to create a kill zone within the airway
Implementation Method 4
a baffle (1605) directing the air flow from the fan (1502) through the airway (1630) to the vents (1503)
Implementation Method 5
efficient thermal management to dissipate heat
Implementation Method 6
air flow mechanism...circulates air...dissipate heat
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments relate to a combination axial fan and LED lighting system configured to fit into the footprint of a standard ceiling tile. Disclosed embodiments further include ceiling tiles with a built-in fan and/or LED lighting. The disclosed systems may include a housing container and an axial fan. The fan has a fan cavity including air diversion mechanism to direct air from the fan cavity toward the lighting and fan components. The inventions include an airflow surface to direct air existing the fan cavity along an LED light fixture. Moreover, disclosed embodiments include one or more UV light sources which irradiate contaminants as air flows through the ceiling tile.