CA2153204C - Air filtering apparatus - Google Patents

Air filtering apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2153204C
CA2153204C CA2153204A CA2153204A CA2153204C CA 2153204 C CA2153204 C CA 2153204C CA 2153204 A CA2153204 A CA 2153204A CA 2153204 A CA2153204 A CA 2153204A CA 2153204 C CA2153204 C CA 2153204C
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
air
permeable material
micro
organisms
housing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA2153204A
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French (fr)
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CA2153204A1 (en
Inventor
Derek Soon Han Seah
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Airesearch Technology Pte Ltd
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Airesearch Technology Pte Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by Airesearch Technology Pte Ltd filed Critical Airesearch Technology Pte Ltd
Publication of CA2153204A1 publication Critical patent/CA2153204A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2153204C publication Critical patent/CA2153204C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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  • Air Filters, Heat-Exchange Apparatuses, And Housings Of Air-Conditioning Units (AREA)
  • Central Air Conditioning (AREA)
  • Filtering Of Dispersed Particles In Gases (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
  • Disinfection, Sterilisation Or Deodorisation Of Air (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention describes an air filtering apparatus disposed within a housing having at least an optical baffling means, an air-permeable material downstream from the optical means, an irradiation means within a sterilizing chamber, and a blower further downstream from the irradiator. The air-permeable material is the "see-through" type where light can pass through the cross section areas of the material. Chemicals may be added/incorporated/sprayed onto this air-permeable material to kill micro-organisms when they come into contact with the air-permeable material. At least one irradiator is arranged for directing ultraviolet radiation onto the inner surfaces of the air-permeable material. With the "see-through" type air-permeable material, the irradiation from the irradiator kills most micro-organisms in the cross section areas including both surfaces of the air-permeable material. As such, the improved air filtering apparatus of the present invention is near germ free. The blower is provided to draw air through the optical baffling means, the air-permeable material and the radiator. The optical baffling means minimizes the emission of radiation from within the housing; similarly, the blower eliminates any radiation leak from within the same housing.

Description

21532 C~4 Background of the invention 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an air filtering apparatus for killing and/or removing micro-organisms from the air in a space that is unairconditioned or air-conditioned by cooling, heating or mechanical ventilation system. In particular, this invention discloses an air filtering apparatus which is suitable for use in operating theaters, clinics, laboratories, pharmaceutical production 1o areas, dispensaries, food processing areas, supermarkets, food outlets, food storage areas, offices, public areas such as crowded meeting rooms, toilets, homes, etc., and generally in rooms where there is a requirement for low contents of micro-organisms. Micro-organisms, as used in the present invention, includes but does not excludes bacteria, viruses, molds/fungi, and yeast.
2. Description of the Related Art U.K. Patent number GB 2215234 granted to the applicant of the present invention described an air filtering apparatus having an air-permeable material disposed within a housing, at least one irradiator downstream of the air-permeable material disposed within in a radiation chamber for irradiating the air downstream of the air-permeable material, and a blower downstream of the irradiator for drawing air through the air-permeable material and the irradiator, respectively. In the preferred embodiment of GB 2215234, the air-permeable material comprises a .thick and flat filter having a planar surface which is substantially orthogonal to the flow of the air through the prior art air filtering apparatus. The GB 2215234 air-permeable material is effective in removing micro-organisms from the air with irradiator of appropriate radiation strength. However, air filtering apparatus with thick air-permeable material is a major source of contamination whenever the housing is opened for maintenance. It is a common phenomion that micro-organisms are trapped in thick air-permeable material and multiply on the outer surface (i.e., the surface which is further away from the irradiator) of the air-permeable material if they are not destroyed by irradiation. Irradiation kills the micro-organisms on the inner surface (i.e., the surface which is closer to the irradiator) of the air-permeable material.

Summar~of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to enhance the micro-organisms killing capability of air filtering apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to minimize the emission of irradiation from the air filtering apparatus without compromising the micro-organism killing feature of the apparatus.
1o It is yet another object of the present invention to maximize the air filtering apparatus' ability to destroy micro-organism in the air-permeable material while minimizing the chances of the air filtering apparatus becoming a source of contamination.
The present invention describes an air filtering apparatus disposed within a housing having at least an optical baffling means, an air-permeable material downstream from the optical means, an irradiator within a sterilizing chamber, and a blower further downstream from the irradiator. The air-permeable material is the "see-through" type where light can pass through 2o the cross section areas of the material. Chemicals may be added/incorporated/sprayed onto this air-permeable material to kill micro-organisms when they come into contact with the air-permeable material. At least one irradiator is arranged for directing ultraviolet radiation onto the inner surfaces of the air-permeable material. With the "see-through" type air-permeable material, the irradiation from the irradiator kills most of the micro-organisms in the cross section areas including both surfaces of the air-permeable material. As such, the improved air filtering apparatus of the present invention is near germ free. The blower is provided to draw air through the optical baffling means, the air-permeable material and the radiator. The optical baffling means minimizes the emission of radiation from within the housing; similarly, the blower eliminates any radiation leak from within the same housing.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 shows a left side, isometric perspective view of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention In FIG 1, the present invention describes an air filtering apparatus 10 disposed within a housing 4 having at least one optical baffling means 3, an air-permeable material 5 downstream of the optical baffling means, at least one irradiation means 6a within a sterilizing chamber 6 and downstream of the air-permeable material 5, and a blower 7 downstream of the irradiation means 6a. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical baffling means comprises at least two plates spaced a small distance apart 1o and disposed in parallel to each other but preferably orthogonal to the direction of air flow 1 through the air filtering apparatus 10. It should be understood by one skilled in the art that many other optical baffling means may be effectively employed. The optical baffling means 3 serves the important function of minimizing the emission of radiation from within the housing 4.
Referring again to FIG. 1, disposed downstream of the optical baffling means 3 in the housing is the air-permeable material 5. The air-permeable material has preferably a surface defining a major plane arranged for 2o filtering micro-organisms and dust particles contained in air flowing through the housing. The air-permeable material 5 is preferably the "see-through"
type where light can pass through the entire cross section areas of the material. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, honeycomb nylon material may be used as the "see-through" air-permeable material. It should be understood by one skilled in the art that other suitable material may be used. Chemicals may be added/incorporated/sprayed onto the air-permeable material 5 where micro-organisms can be killed when they come into contact with such chemicals. As such, micro-organisms on both surfaces of the air-permeable material 5 are killed. In contrast with prior art air permeable materials which are thick, micro-organisms on the outer surface (the surface further from the irradiator means 6a) are not killed. In actual applications of air filtering apparatus with thick air-permeable material, the air filtering apparatus is a major source of contamination as irradiation fails to destroy micro-organisms, dust and dirt which are trapped on the outer surface. This necessitates either the frequent cleaning of the air-permeable material or the replacement thereof. No matter how meticulous the maintenance of air filtering apparatus is carried out, micro-1o organisms, dust and dirt fall out from the housing of the air filtering apparatus. It would be desirable to have the least amount of micro-organisms within the housing of the air filtering apparatus especially in critical areas such as nurseries or near clean room environments. With the see-through air-permeable material of the present invention, air filtering apparatus maximizes its ability to destroy micro-organism in the air-permeable material while minimizing the chances of the it becoming a source of contamination..
Again in FIG. 1, the irradiation means 6a comprises at least one irradiator 2 o disposed in parallel with respect to the major plane and disposed within the sterilizing chamber 6 of the housing 4 for the entire cross section areas and both surfaces of the air-permeable material 5 with ultraviolet irradiation so as to kill the micro-organisms. The ultraviolet irradiator may consist of at least one irradiator, and where there is more than one, one irradiator can be mounted opposite each other but with their axes parallel to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the two ultraviolet irradiators are close enough to each other to ensure that an irradiation dose required for killing micro-organisms is provided for the airstream that flows through the air permeable filter and through the sterilizing chamber 6. The irradiation means is supported within the sterilizing chamber 6 such as to directly confront the major plane of the air-permeable material 5. The sterilizing chamber 6 has internal reflective surfaces. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the internal surfaces of the sterilizing chamber 6 are coated with an aluminum paint or use of materials with aluminum qualities for reflecting the ultraviolet radiation within the sterilizing chamber 6 and directing the radiation onto the air-permeable materials, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the radiation such that micro-organisms in the air-permeable 1o materials are killed. The longitudinal axis of the elongate type ultraviolet irradiation means 6a are disposed transversely with respect to the flow direction of the air. Aluminum materials provide a high degree of reflectivity for ultraviolet irradiation, hence increasing the intensity of ultraviolet irradiation in the sterilizing chamber 6. Thus, all micro-organisms which may possibly be present thereon, are destroyed. In an embodiment of this invention, the air-permeable materials are configured for filtering micro-organisms and dust particles from the air, the irradiation means comprises ultraviolet irradiator 6a which emits radiation having wavelength of 253.7 nanometer (nm), and is arranged for directing ultraviolet radiation towards 2o the inner surface of the air permeable material 5 and sterilizing chamber 6.
Finally, a blower 7 disposed downstream of the irradiation means 6a draws in air through the optical baffling means 3, the air-permeable material 5 and the sterilizing chamber 6. The blower 7 serves a secondary function of blocking the emission of radiation from the rear of the housing. It follows that it is highly unlikely that micro-organisms are present in the air leaving the air filtering apparatus. Furthermore, the emission of radiation is minimized or eliminated with the optical baffling means 3 in the rear and the blower in the front of the housing.
The box housing 4 comprising the apparatus may be adapted for floor, wall or ceiling suspended mounting, wherein air is drawn into the apparatus and purified air is thrown back to the room space from the apparatus.
While the present invention has been described particularly with reference to FIG 1 with emphasis on an apparatus for killing and/or removing micro-organisms from air, it should be understood that the figure is for illustration 1o only and should not be taken as limitation on the invention. In addition, it is clear that the apparatus of the present invention has utility in many applications where purification of air is required. It is contemplated that many changes and modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as described.

Claims (3)

The claims defining the invention are as follows:
1. An air filtering apparatus comprising a housing having at least an optical baffling means, an air-permeable material, an irradiation means, and a blower therein;

said optical baffling means minimizing ultraviolet emission from within said housing while permitting air inflow therethrough;

said air-permeable material downstream from said optical baffling means having a surface defining a major plane arranged for filtering micro-organisms and dust particles contained in air flow therethrough; said material having a thickness to permit light to penetrate therethrough;

said irradiation means comprising at least one irradiator mounted within a sterilizing chamber therein and in parallel with respect to the major plane for killing the micro-organisms; said irradiation means being mounted downstream said air-permeable material; and said blower mounted downstream of said irradiation means to exhaust purified air there back, said air-blower further minimizing the emission of ultraviolet irradiation from within said housing, whereby the air filtering apparatus maximizes its ability to destroy micro-organisms in the air-permeable material while minimizing the chances of it becoming a source of contamination.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interior of said sterilizing chamber further comprises aluminum material for reflecting the ultraviolet irradiation to destroy micro-organisms in the sterilizing chamber and said air-permeable material.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said air-permeable material is coated or sprayed or added with micro-organism killing chemicals to further enhance the apparatus' performance.
CA2153204A 1994-07-05 1995-07-04 Air filtering apparatus Expired - Fee Related CA2153204C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US27099194A 1994-07-05 1994-07-05
US08/270,991 1994-07-05
JP17465995A JP3644649B2 (en) 1994-07-05 1995-07-11 Air filtration device

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2153204A1 CA2153204A1 (en) 1996-01-06
CA2153204C true CA2153204C (en) 2003-12-30

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Family Applications (1)

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CA2153204A Expired - Fee Related CA2153204C (en) 1994-07-05 1995-07-04 Air filtering apparatus

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JP (1) JP3644649B2 (en)
CA (1) CA2153204C (en)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6613277B1 (en) * 1999-06-18 2003-09-02 Gerald C. Monagan Air purifier
CN100373099C (en) * 2003-09-25 2008-03-05 同济大学 Bateria-isolation device of air-conditioner
CN103953997B (en) * 2014-05-12 2016-08-24 喻安义 A kind of portable air barrier generator separating doctors and patients
JP7018221B2 (en) * 2020-06-14 2022-02-10 株式会社久保製作所 Air purification device
CN113357737B (en) * 2021-06-23 2022-04-22 唐丽欢 Air purifier with air guide mechanism

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS62141436A (en) * 1985-12-16 1987-06-24 Nissho Sangyo:Kk Air conditioner equipped with sterilizer
JPS62227360A (en) * 1986-03-31 1987-10-06 株式会社荏原製作所 Bio-clean unit
JP2549032Y2 (en) * 1991-10-04 1997-09-24 カルソニック株式会社 Cooling system with car deodorizer
JP2989347B2 (en) * 1991-10-14 1999-12-13 シャープ株式会社 Fruit and vegetable freshness holding device and storage room simple installation type fruit and vegetable freshness holding unit
JP3428069B2 (en) * 1993-05-10 2003-07-22 正 持麾 Air sterilization / deodorization / purification method and device
JP2619609B2 (en) * 1994-02-24 1997-06-11 株式会社日立製作所 Desktop cleaning workbench

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JPH0926151A (en) 1997-01-28
JP3644649B2 (en) 2005-05-11
CA2153204A1 (en) 1996-01-06

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