GB2236482A

GB2236482A - Solar powered unit for treating ambient air in a room

Info

Publication number: GB2236482A
Application number: GB8922287A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald George Wild
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-10-03
Filing date: 1989-10-03
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Also published as: GB8922287D0

Abstract

A unit (10) for treating ambient air in a room comprises a housing (11) which may be mounted on or adjacent to a window (13). The housing contains an air treatment module (20) suitably comprising a wick (22) over which incoming airflow passes in order to transport vapour released from the interior of the module (21) out into the room. The housing (11) may have a face (14) inclined at an angle of 60 DEG to the vertical. A solar panel (15), which may be set on the inclined face, is connected to a miniature electric motor coupled with a fan (16) for drawing air into the housing. <IMAGE>

Description

UNIT FOR TREATING AMBIENT AIR IN A ROOM This invention relates to a unit for treating ambient air in a room, and has been developed primarily, though not exclusively, for domestic or office use in order to treat ambient air with any required treatment e.g. to introduce a desired vapour into the air in a room. such as can be derived from an "air freshener".

It is well known to use air freshener dispensers in the home, and which comprise a housing which contains a suitable source of the air freshener vapour in liquid or solid form, and which has outlet apertures through which evaporating vapour can escape into a room. These dispensers are quite expensive, typically costing of the order of 1 to 2, and have a relatively short useful life until all of the medium has evaporated, and the entire product then has to be discarded.

The invention seeks to provide a unit which is capable of distributing any required air treatment more readily throughout a room by means of forced circulation of the air, but without the need for any mains or battery power to operate the unit.

According to the invention there is provided a unit for distributing any required air treatment in a room and which comprises: a housing: means provided on the housing to permit the housing to be mounted on or adjacent to an external window; a solar panel mounted on the housing so as to be able to receive natural light energy transmitted through the window; a miniature electric motor connected to the sonar panel to be energised thereby; a fan coupled with the motor; an inlet provided in the housing to admit ambient air drawn from the room into the housing upon operation of the fan; an outlet provided in the housing to permit ambient air treated in the unit to be returned to the room; and, a mounting provided in the housing which carries, or is adapted to carry an air treatment module.

Thus, the invention provides a unit which does not require to be provided with electrical power from the mains, or a battery, but which relies solely upon natural energy available during the hours of daylight in order to energise the solar panel and thereby operate the fan via the motor to carry out the required treatment of the air in a room.

The invention is particularly suitable for providing a gentle i.e. unobtrusive distribution of an air freshener vap .r, in which case the air treatment nodule may comprise a cartridge containing a solid or liquid source of the vapour. This cartridge may be supplied on a "once only" use basis, to be discarded after it is empty, in which case a replacement cartridge can then readily be installed on the mounting provided in the housing.

Alternatively, the module may comprise a container which can be readily recharged with the source material which can vapourise when an airflow is generated passing over a wick or the like provided on the container.

The means for mounting the housing on or adjacent to a window may take any convenient form. By way of example, suction pads or adhesive strips may be provided on the exterior of the housing to enable the housing to be stuck onto a window, or on a window ledge.

There are currently available solar panels which are relatively small in area and which can provide a sufficient amount of electrical power to operate so-enlled "micro fans". A typical output which can be derived during daylight hours from a solar panel of, say 3 inches by 4 inches could be about 200/300 milliamps at 2 to 2.5 volts, and which is sufficient to operate a micro fan operating at perhaps 3 to 4 cubic feet per minute. Although this is only a low fan output, it will be sufficient to distribute air freshener or other vapour throughout a room.

The entire unit may be manufactured with a relatively small overall size e.g. 2 inch wide by 4 inch long by 6 inch high, so that it is unobtrusive, and easily mounted on or adjacent to any suitable external window which receives direct daylight, and is then capable of operating continuously throughout the hours of daylight in order to carry out any required air treatment of a room.

Of course, other air treatments can readily be provided, by use of a suitable treatment module on the mounting in the housing. Further examples include air filtration by a suitable filter unit, a module arranged to discharge ionically charged air borne particles. or a container provided with a medium which is capable of vapourising in order to generate insect killing or insect repellant vapour to be introduced into the room atmosphere.

One embodiment of air treatment unit according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view, to scale, of a unit according to the invention; and, Figure 2 is a detail view. approximately to scale, of a solar panel which is mounted in the unit shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, there is disclosed an air treatment unit which is designated generally by reference 10, and which is operable without the need for mains or battery power in order to distribute any required air treatment in a room.

The unit 10 comprises a housing 11 which may typically have dimensions of 2 inches wide by 4 inches long by 6 inches high. and which therefore will be relatively unobtrusive when mounted in a room. Means is provided on the housing 11 to permit the housing to be mounted on or adjacent to an external window, and in the illustrated embodiment the means is designated by reference 12, and schematically indicates a pair of adhesive strips which can be used to adhere the housing 11 to the inside face of an external window 13. Evidently, any other suitable means could be provided in order to mount the housing 11 on or adjacent to the external window 13, including suction pads.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the housing 11 includes an inclined face 14 which is set at approximately 600, and into which is set a rectangular solar panel 15, which is shown in Figure 2. The solar panel 15 therefore is able to receive natural light energy transmitted through the window 13, and typically the panel 15 could have dimensions of, say, = inches square. Solar panels of this size are commercially available, and can provide power output during daylight at 2 to 2.5 volts and operating at 200 to 300 mill iamps.

A miniature electric motor is connected to the solar panel 15, and is also coupled with a fan, and a fan / motor unit is designated by reference 16 in Figure 1, and comprises an axial fan induction motor unit of a type known as a "microfan" which typically could operate at about 3 to 4 cubic feet per minute.

The housing 11 is provided with one or more inlet to admit ambient air drawn from a room into the interior of the housing 11 upon operation of the fan, and the inlets may be provided in the bottom 17 of the housing 11 and / or a lower portion of inside face 18 of the housing. One or more outlets are provided in the housing in an upper portion 19 of the inside face of the housing 11, and permit ambient air treated in the unit 10 +^ be returned to the room.

A mounting is provided in the housing 11 which carries, or which is adapted to carry an air treatment module, and in the illustrated embodiment is shown schematically by reference 20 which comprises a platform on which an air treatment module 21 can be mounted.

The module 21 may comprise a cartridge containing a solid or liquid source of a vapour which is required to be introduced into the room atmosphere, and this cartridge may be supplied on a disposable basis, or may comprise a container which can be readily recharged with the source of the vaporisable material.

Evidently, the module 21 will be arranged to provide any required air treatment in a room, and conveniently has a central "wick" 22 over which incoming air flow passes in order to transport vapour released from the interior of the module 21 to pass upwardly through the fan unit 16 and then out into the room via the outlet in the upper portion 19 of the housing 11. The module 21 may comprise a liquid or solid source of "air freshener" vapour, or any other required vaporisable material, such as insect killer or insect repellant which it is required to distribute into a room. Alternatively, the module 21 could comprise a filter, if a constant filtration of the room atmosphere is required.

The useful life of solar panels can run for a matter of years. and therefore the unit 10 can operate for very long periods during the hours of daylight in order to carry out air treatment in a room, without any external source of power being required, other than daylight of a sufficient intensity to energise the solar panel.

Claims

1. A unit for distributing any required air treatment in a room comprising: a housing: means provided on the housing to permit the housing to be mounted on or adjacent to an external window: a solar panel mounted on the housing so as to be able to receive natural light energy transmitted through the window: a miniature electric motor connected to the solar panel to be energised thereby: a fan coupled with the motor: an inlet provided in the housing to admit ambient air drawn from the room into the housing upon operation of the fan: an outlet provided in the housing to permit ambient air treated in the unit to be returned to the room: and a mounting provided in the housing which carries, or is adapted to carry an ai treatment module.

2. A unit as claimed in c}a 4 m 1 wherein the air treatment mode'; comprises a cartridge containing a solid or liquid source.

3. A unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the air treatment module comprises a container which can be readily recharged with the source material.

4. A unit as claimed in claim 3 wherein the container further comprises a wick of the like, and the source material is vaporisable when an airflow is generated passing over the wick.

5. A unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the means for mounting the housing comprises suction pads provided on the exterior of the housing.

6. A unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the means for mounting the housing comprises adhesive strips provided on the exterior of the housing.

7. A unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein housing comprises an incline ce onto which the polar panel may be mounted.

8. A unit as claimed in claim 6 wherein the inclined face is set at approximately 60 to the horizontal.

9. A unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the module comprises a filter.

10. A unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.