Filter testing apparatus and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air handling systems face contamination issues during filter testing and validation, as accessing filters requires opening doors or using probes that can introduce external elements into the air passageway, compromising system integrity.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a track system with magnetic arrays and actuators to move scan assemblies transversely within the air handling system, allowing for filter testing and monitoring without breaking the air passageway seal, using depending arms with scan probes, injectors, and sensors to assess filter performance without direct access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If access doors are opened to gain access to filters or scan probes are inserted through housing walls, then filter testing and monitoring can be performed, but contamination may cross into the air passageway compromising system integrity
Solution Approach 1:
A magnetic coupling system acts as an intermediary between the exterior (where the actuator is located) and the interior (where the scan assembly operates). The magnetic field transmits force through the housing wall without physical penetration, allowing the scan assembly to be actuated from the exterior while maintaining the seal integrity and preventing contamination entry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical connection (physical access through doors or probe insertion) with a magnetic field-based actuation system. The magnetic coupling allows mechanical motion to be transmitted wirelessly through the housing wall, eliminating the need to open access doors or create penetrations that could compromise the sealed environment.
2Ease of operation
If the air passageway seal is broken to access filters, then filter testing can be performed, but system integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic coupling system serves as an intermediary that allows actuation of the scan assembly without breaking the air passageway seal. The magnetic field penetrates the housing wall to transmit actuation forces while the seal remains intact, maintaining system reliability and preventing contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is extracted from the interior air passageway environment and positioned on the exterior of the housing. This extraction allows the scan assembly to be actuated from outside the sealed environment, eliminating the need to compromise the seal for actuation purposes while still enabling filter testing.
3Measurement precision
If scan assemblies are positioned inside the air passageway, then filter testing can be performed, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic coupling system acts as an intermediary that allows the scan assembly to be positioned inside the air passageway for accurate measurements while being actuated from the exterior. This eliminates the need for physical access through contaminated paths, reducing contamination exposure while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Direct mechanical actuation from the interior is replaced with magnetic field-based actuation from the exterior. This substitution allows the scan assembly to operate inside the air passageway for precise filter testing without requiring personnel or mechanical components to penetrate the sealed environment, thereby reducing contamination risk.
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 approach minimizes contamination and maintains the air handling system's integrity by enabling filter testing and monitoring within the sealed environment, ensuring accurate and contamination-free assessments of filter performance and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an interior magnetic array and an exterior magnetic array... spaced from each other by the track system to provide a gap therebetween
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for filter testing for use within an air handling system. The air handling system may include one or more scan assemblies. The scan assembly may include a track system using one or more magnetic arrays.